#-was coming from work and i had just started this job and was trying to look more professional and then was like 😧 why did i feel a need to-

[gglitch1dd]

Are you sure you're mine?

Husband Midoriya Izuku x Wifey Reader

Context: Your husband gets hit with a quirk that gave him amnesia.

"Mrs Midoriya-"

"How could you let this happen! He's the Number One hero and you're telling me you can't fix him!" You shouted, stressed beyond belief as you followed after one of your husband's sidekicks down the hall of his Hero Agency. You had been enjoying a perfectly good nap that was interupted when you received a call telling you that your husband was hit with a quirk.

An amnesia quirk.

According to the doctors, your husband had absolutely no idea who anyone was even if he had worked with them for years. According to them, the quirk should fade after 12 hours, so by tomorrow, he should be back to normal.

You found it preposterous.

The poor sidekick tried to not be consumed by your wrath as he took you to where your husband was being kept, however another sidekick appeared. He put his hand on the other's shoulder. "I'll take it from here." He said gently. He bowed at the waist to you, "Mrs Midoriya."

You paused and let out a breath at your husband's favourite sidekick. Shoba Asahi. "Shoba."

His eyes closed as his eyebrows furrowed. "I apologise for all of this. I was on duty with Mr Deku when it happened and I didn't think that it would amount to this." He said, straightening up. The young nineteen year old had better manners than anyone you had ever met. "I'm so sorry." He began to bow profusely. "I should have seen it coming. The villain was coming after me but Deku pushed me out the way. I am so ashamed as Deku's Number one fan, I should have been just as alert."

You blinked at all his bowing and deep regret before smiling. Shoba had grown up, watching your husband from the age of ten while Izuku was in UA, and had deemed him his favourite Hero. It was amusing seen someone act the same way Izuku acted with All Might, towards him.

"Shoba, it's alright." You said. "I should stop overeacting. My husband is a hero, therefore he knows the risk of his job."

He straightened up his posture as he gave you a firm nod.

He motioned for you to follow him inside the room.

Sitting on the couch formally, looking around was your husband. He was still in his hero uniform. His head turned to look at you. He stood up onto his feet at the sight of the both of you. You looked at him with a sad look, upset that your poor husband wouldn't remember you, even just for a moment in time.

"Mr De- I mean Midoriya-sama." Shoba started as he walked over to the larger man. Izuku glanced at Shoba and then looked to you. "This is your wife."

Izuku's eyes widened as he took you in. He looked to Shoba shocked. "That- She-" He turned to look at you. You watch as his green emerald eyes stayed on you. A soft blush came to his face as a soft scoff came out of his lips. You watched as his pupils dilated as his expression eased. "You're so beautiful." He let out softly. "Are you really mine?"

You looked to Shoba, trying to fight the flush creeping up your face. "I thought you said he forgot everyone."

"He did." Shoba affirmed. He looked up at Izuku who had not stopped staring at you. "Midoriya-sama, do you know her name?" Izuku didn't answer. Shoba tilted his head as he looked up at the green haired man. He hadn't stopped staring at you, his eyes were locked onto you and had not moved at all. A stupid smile on his face. You couldn't help but smile, suddenly feeling bashful. Shoba chuckled as he waved his hand in front of Izuku's face. "Midoriya-sama!"

Izuku blinked, snapping out of his daze, as he looked at Shoba. "Hm?"

"Do you know her name?"

He hesitated as he turned to look at you. His eyebrows furrowed for a moment as he tried to remember your name. "I... I... I don't think so." He said genuinely. You tried your best to ignore the stabbing hurt that your husband didn't remember your name. "But I do know that she's a Midoriya, because I'm a Midoriya, right?" He asked for clarification.

You smiled as you nodded your head, stepping closer to him. You took his hands in your own, holding his big hands as you carefully looked at him. "I am. I'm your wife." You told him sweetly. "My name is Y/N."

"Y/N..." He let out softly. He stepped closer to you, taking your hands to cover yours instead as he took a step closer to you. His eyes searched your own. He smiled at that, dimples coming to his freckled face. "I love that." You couldn't help but flush at how bold he was. "How long have we been married?"

"A year and a half."

"How long have we been together?"

You hesitated. Now that's a story that you'd have to sit him down for.

Izuku looked around your home with wide eyes. The entire thing had him almost slack jawed. "We own this? For just the two of us?"

You nodded your head with a smile as you lay back on the couch. "Yes, for now." He turned to you with a questioning look, a raised green eyebrow at your face. You chuckled, seeing as that never changed. "We planned the house to hold our family. We're trying for a baby currently."

"Oh!" You saw your husband's face bloom bright red in a way you hadn't seen in a while. You couldn't help but giggle as he refused to look at you as he looked any where else. "Well, that's... that's something." He chuckled nervously. He walked over to sit down next to you. "And... and you want to have a baby with me?" He motioned to his chest.

You chuckled. "Of course."

"Why?"

"Why?"

He nodded his head, his eyebrows furrowing. "We must really love each other to do that." He spoke softly.

You took a moment. You knew he had amnesia, he couldn't even remember what his mother looked like for goodness sake. So you knew not to take anything he was saying right now too seriously. "Do you want kids, Izuku?"

He didn't answer you immediately. He seemed concentrated on something, either in his head or in his heart. He hummed softly before looking to you. "I don't know... but what I do know is, when I look at you..." His eyes searched your own before you saw them soften in a way you knew all to well.

It was the same eyes that you would find looking down at you when you woke up in the morning, the same eyes that looked down at you when you were flushed and bare underneath him, the same eyes that stared at you when you walked down the aisle. The green emerald eyes filled with love.

"When I look at you, I feel like I'm whole." He spoke softly. You couldn't help but flush but you stared back at him. "You are... Frankly, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life and I wonder how you ever gave an oaf like me a chance, but I'm glad you did." He smiled. He gently took your hand in his large one, holding it gently. "I'm sorry I don't remember you Y/N, but if there is one thing I do remember, it's that I don't need memories to know that I feel like the best thing I could ever do in my life is become one with you."

"Izuku." You spoke softly, looking away from him, your face burning.

He squeezed your hand, his cheeks pink but he continued to speak. "It's true. I don't know why." His eyebrows furrowed almost as if trying to grapple with it. "But I know what I'm feeling and I don't feel a hint of distress or fear at the thought of us and a future with a family together. May..." He swallowed hard as he seemed nervous. "May I kiss you?" He asked softly.

You had rarely seen this side of your husband, a side that was so much full of nerves and anxiety and a blushing mess. Apparently he was a lot like this when he was younger but now that he was older he grew a thicker skin to him. And yet, seeing him like this was the cutest thing ever.

You giggled making his eyes widen in shock. His face turned red, making him look like a tomato with a green top. He chuckled as he scratched the back of his head nervously. "It's alright. You don't have to kiss me. I mean, I'm practically a stranger to you right now and-"

You shut him up with a kiss as you took him by his collar and kissed him boldly. His eyes widened in shock before he slowly began to sink in and ease at the feel of you. You prolonged the simple kiss before seperating from his lips.

He let out a stuttered breath before opening his eyes again. "Wow..." He whispered blinking before smiling brightly. "Are you sure you're mine?"

-Glitch1d

[Izuku Midoriya Masterlist]

[darsynia]

New (Nomad Steve/Nurse!Reader)

MCU MASTERLIST | STEVE ROGERS MASTERLIST | Ro Roll

Summary: As soon as two weeks ago he’d have said that keeping to himself was the easiest part of his life right now… but that was before he met you.

Word Count/Warnings: 2,400 | None

As 1/7 of my Birthday fics for @ronearoundblindly, NEw is a first kiss hurt/comfort fic about writing your own happy endings. It's a hugely busy week for you and there's no pressure to respond right now, they'll all be here when you have time!

Excerpt:

Lately it feels like exhaustion is your religion. Stay up way too late, stumble home confused and euphoric and try to will yourself to sleep, then wake up and perform miracles to get yourself back to the hospital for your shift. You’ve always been a night owl, but your shift supervisor practically considers you the ward’s brand ambassador, and to keep the peace, you agreed to stay on the day shift. You’d gotten the schedule down to a science, right up until a tall, gorgeous complication started to jog at the track after hours.

The name he’d given feels fake, but nothing else about him does, and you know all about needing to distance yourself from the horrible things you’ve seen at work. You suspect he was a soldier until he got out, and after that probably a firefighter, but you’ve never asked. Mostly, you just try to keep up with him. The sum total of the words you’ve spoken to each other probably wouldn’t make for a single meet-cute in a romance novel, but they feel consequential enough to you.

NEW

It takes Steve a painful amount of time to adjust to hiding.

It isn’t just that he’s recognizable, it’s that he’s always stood out, always. As a small baby he’d been gasped over by strangers, as a sickly child he’d see concern and aversion in their eyes, and once he’d grown into a scrawny adult, those reactions had just intensified. 

Some accused him of making himself sick to avoid the war, as though he could have secretly known it was coming and starved himself into stunted growth just in case. For some, it didn’t matter what he looked like-- any man who wasn’t at war was fair game for ridicule. Even those who didn’t care either way found his presence unnerving simply because men his age were scarce. He reminded them of the people they missed, the people who didn’t have the ‘protection’ of being physically unable to join up. 

If his life was a narrative, he’d be the best protagonist he could be.

Even so, there was a special kind of hell in wanting so desperately to fight for justice and be told how lucky you were to be disallowed. Back then, it had been important to him not to hide. There were certainly others in the same boat as he was, men who needed groceries, to watch the news in the theater, to have a walk in the fresh air. So he went out anyway. He was the example, the target, the archetype.

Once he had the serum, hiding meant all the hard work by Doctor Erskine and Howard Stark would be for nothing, so he didn’t. Even in tights.

The symbolism was even stronger when he came out of the ice. Now, people look to him as a lodestar meant to bring them all back to decency and safety, and he wants to, but with action, not iconography, no matter how potent. 

That hadn’t been enough, and now they’re here.

“You’ve been tying your shoes for five minutes, man. You okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. Thanks, Sam.” Steve finishes up quickly and straightens. “Daydreaming, I guess.”

Sam leans over and looks out through the thin rectangle of night sky visible through the thick curtains. “At this point I think you can just call it dreaming. Stay safe out there.”

Steve watches Sam head off into the kitchen before he slips out of the apartment door and locks it behind him. He and Sam keep nocturnal schedules, but Natasha’s expert-level camouflage skills have netted her a day job that keeps them all afloat. Their plan of moving from community to community taking seasonal jobs has worked well so far. 

This is the most ‘domestic’ of their locations to date; they’re spending the lead-up to Christmas in a small city in the midwest full of people who know how to keep their heads down and get things done. No one’s expecting a trio of superheroes to settle in a satellite town whose main attraction is a vintage bowling alley, but there are other calculations to consider. People make eye contact here. They bring their real selves to the conversation, and Steve’s been struggling with some real guilt about that. 

As soon as two weeks ago he’d have said that keeping to himself was the easiest part of his life right now… but that was before he’d met you.

Lately it feels like exhaustion is your religion. Stay up way too late, stumble home confused and euphoric and try to will yourself to sleep, then wake up and perform miracles to get yourself back to the hospital for your shift. You’ve always been a night owl, but your shift supervisor practically considers you the ward’s brand ambassador, and to keep the peace, you agreed to stay on the day shift. You’d gotten the schedule down to a science, right up until a tall, gorgeous complication started to jog at the track after hours.

The name he’d given feels fake, but nothing else about him does, and you know all about needing to distance yourself from the horrible things you’ve seen at work. You suspect he was a soldier until he got out, and after that probably a firefighter, but you’ve never asked. Mostly, you just try to keep up with him. The sum total of the words you’ve spoken to each other probably wouldn’t make for a single meet-cute in a romance novel, but they feel consequential enough to you.

As it has for the past week, your heart starts racing when you get close to the track. The problem is, you were run ragged today, and you feel just like the mermaid from the original fairy tale. Every single step is like knives stabbing the balls of your feet, and your arches are singing ‘fuck you’ so loudly you expect Ursula to show up any minute.

You stop on the bench right inside the gate to let the burning pain subside a bit. The last thing you want is for your burly new crush to think you’re a lightweight, not now that the months of forcing yourself to run after work have paid off so nicely with… well, him.  

Besides Frank, the school’s night security officer and all-around nicest tough-guy in town, there isn’t anyone else visible on the brightly-lit track. You take the opportunity to cross your ankle over your knee and reach for your shoe in preparation to swap it with the sneakers in your bag. These are a new pair, and you’d planned on wearing them every few days to break them in. As soon as you get your heel off you understand just how much you screwed up by not bringing  the others in to swap into once you realized how go-go-go your day would be. The swelling is bad, and the beginnings of blisters sting in various places. There’s no way in hell you can jog today, and walking home is going to be excruciating. It’s a god-damned miracle you have the day off tomorrow.

“I don’t know what I was thinking,” you mutter under your breath. The John F. Kennedy High School campus is the same distance from the bus stop as your apartment is, but in the opposite direction. Your feet had already been screaming, why hadn’t you gone home instead?”

“Thought you weren’t coming!”

Your crush’s voice cuts through the late November chill, warming your heart. You look up and see him crossing from under the bleachers, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his hoodie. He’s far enough away that you let yourself sigh, half in addlepated pleasure in seeing him, half in utter frustration at yourself. He’s the reason you came, of course. You’d walk across fire to spend time with this guy, and by the time you head home, that’s definitely what it’ll feel like.

“Sorry, long day,” you tell him once he’s close enough. 

Hurrying, you yank off your second shoe and nearly swallow your tongue from the pain. Tears stand in your eyes, exacerbated by the surprise when you look up and your new friend is right there, almost like he'd teleported over. He’s crouched in front of you, and there’s nowhere to hide from his concerned scrutiny.

He confirms your assessment of ex-military by the professional once-over he’s doing, even more so when he takes your shoe out of your weary hand and tests the bend of its sole with a practiced hand.

“Don’t say it--”

“These are not very good shoes,” he pronounces. With a move as graceful as a ballet dancer, he shifts onto the bench beside you, still examining the shoe. You snag it from his hand and tuck it into your backpack with its mate, pulling out your tennis shoes before zipping back up.

There’s no chance you’ll be able to put them on, but, one thing at a time.

“You’re right. I didn’t expect to be the runner on the ward today, but we were shorthanded.” You wince at your feet, both of which are looking decidedly puffy. Shit, will either pair of shoes fit, at this point? “There’s a ‘best foot forward’ joke I could be making about hoping you’d be here running tonight, but honestly, I’m too wiped out to make it.” You look over as you finish speaking and catch his pleased reaction. It’s understated, but it’s there, enough to make you brave. “I have the day off tomorrow, maybe I can give you a twelve hour rain check? I bet you’re even more handsome in sunlight.”

To your dismay, his face falls and he looks down. You turn your head away, unwilling to see the evidence of just how badly you’d gauged this. He’s very clearly not interested.

“Or not! ‘Not’ is also okay, sorry about that, I--”

The words dissolve on your tongue at the gentle touch of his knuckle on your chin, turning your face back toward his in the time-honored tradition of romantic male leads.

“Please don’t-- Running with you has been-- Believe me, during the day-- I would like to, I just can’t.” Disappointment is etched across his handsome features, but more than that, you can see the way his mind is racing just like yours had just seconds ago. The man looks like he’s desperate to rewind to a moment that doesn’t feel like this.

There’s a remedy to that, and after a day of doing your best to fix everything and everyone around you, it feels like the most natural thing in the world to surge up and touch your lips to his. 

You meant to pull back right away, mirroring that thing where a couple knows each other so well that gentle brush is all that’s needed-- but your midnight warrior is still in the middle of the book. His large hand shifts to cup your cheek, holding you still for his head tip where he deepens the kiss and scrambles your brain. It’s impulsive, desperate, and honest. You grab at his clothing, needing to believe this is real, even as the two of you follow kisses with more kisses like you’re saying goodbye in an airport.

“Doesn’t look much like you’re runnin’!” the security guard calls out, his words so distant they almost don’t register at first.

That ends things abruptly, but the two of you don’t move much farther apart than a few inches, his hand still on your face, yours with a handful of his sweatshirt, right over his heart.

“Textbook,” you whisper, flattening your hand out to smooth over his chest. It’s solid muscle under there.

“Oh?” he asks, pulling his hand away swiftly like he’d forgotten how to be a gentleman in his eagerness to touch you. It’s charming as hell.

“This whole operation, it’s right out of the romance novel guidebook,” you praise. “I ought to look for cameras.” A shadow crosses his face, and you suddenly put the pieces together. “Shit, you’re hiding from something, aren’t you? That’s why you freaked out about coming here in the daytime.”

He’s already standing, but instead of stalking away from you, he’s looking around the track, turning in a circle of deep concentration. He’s looking for cameras, but not in a joking way, not as part of a bit.

“The school district would rather spend the money on Frank than cameras, if that’s what you’re looking for,” you murmur, pushing your voice into steadiness out of sheer determination. “The city contributes. It’s been so much safer when everyone who wants a night walk comes here, but there are fewer of us out in the winter months.” The fall chill is actually helping with the pain in your feet, so that's something.

Your mysterious crush is facing you again, apparently satisfied that the two of you aren't being watched by anything more permanent than good old Frank. “I’m sorry,” he says. The words have a horrid finality to them, but you’re focused on his eyebrows. They’re not on board with the rest of his body language. They’re beseeching, rather than resolute, hopeful rather than harsh.

You have one chance to get this right.

“There are some things I love about my coworkers, and let’s be real, a lot of things I don’t-- but do you want to know the thing I like least about working in a hospital?”

Your whole body is practically vibrating with adrenaline, and you realize this is your opportunity to shove on your shoes. As you do that, you refuse to look up at him. The goal is to bring his critical thinking skills back from ‘fight or flight’ mode. Then maybe you can get the two of you on the same page again.

It takes over a minute, but he lets out a long breath and sits down beside you. “Tell me."

“They’re terrible gossips,” you say, looking right at him. He’s not allowed to make the obvious (ruinous, new-relationship-wrecking) conclusion about what you’re saying, not without having to look you in the eye while he does it. “I can’t stand that shit. That’s why they send me on the errands. I’ve got everyone trained to stop talking when I walk by, at this point.”

His relief is visible. “I can respect that.”

“Good.” You set both feet on the ground and decide to test things out by standing. If you’re wobbly, you feel certain he’ll reach out and catch you. “Tomorrow night?”

“Wait,” he says, the picture of confusion. “You’re not-- You think I’m hiding from something and you’re not going to ask about it?” Even in the dim glow of the nearby track light, you can see the clench and release of his jaw.

“For all I know, you’re hiding from your last girlfriend. I know I’d find it hard to give you up, and I’ve known you for what? Two weeks?” Your feet are screaming at you about as loudly as the critical voice in your head, but happiness has made both just distant enough to achieve your goals. 

He shoves his hands into his pockets, which you take to be a good sign. “Would that still be ‘textbook?’ This is all new to me.”

All of the cheeky, sarcastic, and cheesy thoughts that cross your mind would ruin the moment, so you go off script. It’s not the best, but it’s not awful, either.

“New is terrible for work shoes, but it’s lovely when it’s you. See you tomorrow night!”

Stay tuned for more stories in the Ro Roll! Would you like more of these two? Let me know 💚

[cherriesformatt]

birds of a feather || matt sturniolo

matt x fem!reader

summary: reader is having a hard time but she knows she can come back to her safe place every time

warnings: none just fluff and bit of sadness

word count: 1,3k

a/n: hope you like it kinda put my heart in it

🍒

Have you ever just thought that you are done? Like you can't deal with shit anymore and there is nothing that will give you motivation? I felt like this for a long time until I met Matt. Matt started to just be there for me. First as a friend then as a partner. We met in high school when both of us started ditching class because we didn't feel comfortable in school. We would just give each other weird glances and walk different ways until our paths met in the park. We would spent hours hanging out by the Fresh Pond. We talked and had lunch together few times a week. I was waiting for this time because I wasn't able to talk to anyone like I could talk to Matt and I knew he understood me.

I didn't realize I loved him until he came to my house to say goodbye when he and his brothers were moving to LA. I wasn't mad at him, he was chasing his dreams with two most important people for him. They were already successful on YouTube by that time so I understood they wanted more. I was proud of him but I was also dying inside. I didn't want to tell him about my feelings also knowing he broke up with his girlfriend to only focus on their career.

As it turned out not only I realized the strong feeling for one another. But it took us months to confess to each other. I was scared to move away from home but I knew I could do everything for him. So I did. I took everything I had and moved to LA. Got shitty apartment, part-time job and started attending Uni.

Here we are now. Two years in. I had a shitty job, better apartment and best boyfriend and my best friend by my side.

"Ur do wrong about it" I rolled my eyes putting pieces of legos together.

"No, I am not" He said trying to figure out how to connect pieces.

"I do not understand what in your head tells you not to use instructions" I said looking down at him. He was laying down on the blanket while I was sitting cross-legged next to him.

We were in the park near his house on a little lego date. We just came back from Boston few days ago and since that I didn't see him. I was busy with going back to work life after vacation and he as well had stuff going on. And today was a day we finally were alone. Because all of Boston trip we were with friends, his family or my family or I was alone because he had a boys trip. It has been a long time since we could just spend day together and I missed just talking to him.

"Because I know I can do it by myself" He said and I just shook my head and put my finished piece on the blanket.

"Here I am done mr.I can do it by myself" I smiled showing off my lego Pokemon.

"Oh shut up will you?" He laughed and took the instructions. Because of course I was right.

I laid down so my head would rest on his legs. I watched the sky.

"I need to quit my job" I said first time out loud what was on my mind.

'Well...I told you that already, you're not happy there and I know you could to so much better than that or just noting and stay with me?" He looked at me and started to play with my hair putting legos away.

"Matt... you know I do not want you to be my sugar daddy we already talked about this. This is not an option for me. And yes I know you told me that but.. I do not know I feel like my boss is even worst after I took my time off." I said.

"Did something happened?" He asked me clearly concerned.

"Nothing major, you know how I only usually did computer job and prepared meetings for others and for him. Well... he made me be a leader of the meeting...I had a stomach ache for the rest of the day and throw up when I got home because I was so anxious but in the same time I did it and it went well" I said and took a deep breath.

"Why you didn't say anything?" He asked me softly squeezing my hand.

"You were streaming and I didn't want to interrupt" I said.

"I would pick up the phone anyway, you know that.. And about this... he is an asshole but honey... I am so proud of you for doing that I know how hard it must have been for you. Remember my first tour show? I thought I couldn't do it. But you knew I could. And I also know you can do more than this job y/n." He said looking at me and smiled.

"You think?" I asked.

"I know. You have a brilliant ideas and all the time someone else is taking credits for them because you are to kind and you give them away for others to present. Sweets I know you could do that yourself and take all the credits. Of course few first times will be hard but then it will get better and I know you can do it...You deserve so much better than what you are doing now..." He said and I smiled.

"Thank you..." I said and I leaned to peck his lips.

"You do not have to thank me...I will always believe in you" He hugged me.

We talked more until sun was setting down and we came back brining dinner home for everyone.

"Hello! did you miss me already?" I said walking into the leaving room where Chris and Nick were doing something on their laptops.

" Not really I had my Pepsi all to myself for 4 days" Chris smiled at me and I smiled back.

"Yes we did, the only sane person in this household, hi" Nick waved at me and I smiled at him as well.

I was an only child and I was beyond happy that with Matt came two of his brothers, well three but Justin wasn't leaving with him. I felt like I had brothers my own thanks to that and I knew that they cared about me as much as I did for them.

We spend some time with them and then we went to Matt's room.

"I know you had a lot on your mind today so..." he walked to the nightstand and took out our journals.

I smiled and sat on his bed. He gave me mine and took his as well. I rested my back on the headboard and open my journal. I took one of the pens he put between us and just stared to write. I loved that we could just do this together in silence. I rested my head on his shoulder after some time.

"Matt... would you still love me if I was a worm?" I asked.

I moved away a little and sat on my knees so I could look at him.

"Yes? But you would have to forgive me if I squeeze you. You know how wiggly I am in bed when I sleep" He said deadly serious.

"You are so stupid I swear to god...." I laughed looking past him.

"Dear diary... he said he would still love me if I was a worm ❤️" I wrote and closed my journal and throw it across the bed.

He smiled at me and put his journal away as well and he pulled me so I would straddle his lap.

"Til I rot away, dead and buried...." We both said in the same time and I just laughed and kissed him resting my forehead on his.

[tallgirl14]

Chilchuck angst

I love this lil middle age man but i aslo live for angst so her are few my ideas because I need tell someone and if you have angst dm me we can talk about it

He carries a wallet size family portrait (when his girls were little) with him when he goes down in a dungeon, and he looks at it when he miss them. ( I feel like photos are probably pretty 💰💰 so they only had few consist wedding photo, baby photo mayjack she's fist born, then one of the whole family ) and this photo is chaotic and It makes him smile.

This is the ONLY photo he has of his entire family and he hasent seen them in few years with his kids grown living there own lives and him and his wife are split this photos all he's got.

How far would this man go for this picture. I can see chilchuck getting badly hurt because he went back to grab it and as Marcille is lecturing him about his reckless action as she's healing him.

Marcille: "What could have been so important that you risk your life over??"

Chilchuck: "my family or what's left of it"

He shows her the photo and marcille feels her heart drop she finally got to learn something about him and its sad ( this miscommunication leads to his group to believe chil family is dead )

Chilchuck taught Mayjack how to pick locks, and in the manga, he says when he dies, if they need someone, she'd be their first choice. SO he obviously took her through dungeon showing her how to navigate because being locksmith in a shop vs. dungeon is night & day different, dungeon being high pace environment.

Could you imagine how traumatizing that would be if saw her dad die in front of her AND NOT KNOW THEY COULD BE REVIVED!! (Seeing anyone die would be scaring) Especially if she felt it was her fault.

At first, Mayjack was curious about going into a dungeon with her dad to see exactly what he does she rember as kid seeing him come home late tired excused but mostly worn down.

Whenever she asked him about his work as a kid he was always vague or if he did talk about it was pg version and normally he was just trying scare us about going into dungeon. BUT one thing he made very clear, he didn't want any of her or her sister near the dungeon, but now that she's an adult, he couldn't stop her.

" I still don't want you near the dungeon, but you are a skilled locksmith, so you would be valued and well paid. IF you're still interested, I'll have you shadow me on my next small job so you can see what it's like."

At first, it was like any job we met with the client went over to the terms dad took payment, and then we headed over to the dungeon. I was awestruck by the new environment, but it quickly became overstimulating it took me a moment to adjust. the first few levels, dad had pointed out things to avoid what were scams & how to detect traps and walked me through a few I felt confident. Most importantly, when talking jobs, always have a skilled healer. Now I realize why as we enter new room dad was working on trap I was observing the room when I noticed treasure chest peaking out corner not knowing it was a mimick.

Chilchuck was Halfway through picking his lock when his dad sense went off. He quickly looked around room and spotted may messing with mimick

Chilchuck: "MAYJACK TIMS! get away from that!!" He starts running towards her

May turned to look at her dad, confused " why I already unlocked it?"

Her body stiffened as she could feel presents inside the chest, but before mimick could attach, chilchuck pushed her out of the way taking damage as it jabbed one of its claws through his neck causing him to bleed everywhere all mayjack could do was watch in horror paralyzed with fear trying process what happened. One of group members took care of mimick while she scrambled to her feet to get to here dad trying to put pressure on his wound tears flooding out

"Nonononno im sorry I'm sorry 🥺 "

As chilchuck lay there dying, he was more concerned with the fact he could comfort his daughter. This wasn't how he wanted to see death for the first time. Afterwards, the healer from their group came over and assured her he was going to be fine as she worked on reviving him.

Chilchuck let out a gasp and cough out some blood that had remained stuck in his throat. He turns to mayjack " that's why I told you to stay near me..." He moves toward her noticing her hands are strained with his blood. " are you hurt?... may? "

She shakes her head, and tears start to fall down her face he pulls her in for a hug. " it's ok, I'm ok ... I'm right here. " she hugs him tight, and they stay in that embrace for a while. When they finally break the hug, chilchuck wipes tears from her face.

" im sorry you saw that... do you want to go home.? "

" but the job?"

Chilchuck shakes his head " don't worry about it I brought someone along for that exact reason"

[joydoesathing]

Hi, do you have some Raffael and Ann's / Arlenne and Glen's headcanons (P.S You rule!)

Why yes, yes I do. Here comes a

DOUBLE (QUADRUPLE?) HC SPECIAL ✨✨

The Schmichts

They met each other around the early 1930s in New York

The suppressed realist and his manic pixie dream girl baddie™️

Can definitely put up a fight, if needed

Arlene helps Glenn let loose from his close-minded thinking and Glenn Arlene the stable support and validation she needs in those occasional times after she gets wearied out from staying positive 24/7 despite the unfriendly society.

Arlene

A friendly woman who seems to be off in her own world at times

A really good observer and can remember and describe things in detail

Her works and publications are mostly nonfiction but she does occasionally write fictional short stories, both of which are mostly based on real-life horrors the world could offer at the time including those she has experienced and witnessed way back then

She was born in the South and originally worked in a factory in the but later on quit then migrated North with her family to escape the especially nasty hate in the South and later on pursue her budding passion for writing

Despite knowing she's almost definitely going to be put down no matter where she goes, she has steeled her resolve and continues persevering

Glenn

A conformist with a usually no-nonsense personality

Can be a bit hard for him to say how he actually thinks and feels (suppressed man™️)

Having had to work tooth and nail in school and in work to get to where he is right now, all the while being beat down with countless insults and learning the extreme race biases, he has developed the mindset that, even though he's extremely good at his job, he always needed to keep his head low and not step out of line ,lest he would get put out of his job for he knows how precarious his position is.

After meeting Arlene, he did become noticeably more relaxed and smiles more often

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

The Cappuccins

They first met in the 1920s in New York ( yes another New York mention, but trust me, I have my reasons XD)

Tall ex-gangster husband and lawyer wifey™️

"I fear no man, but that, *points at Ann*, she frightens me." -Raf

A criminal and a lawyer, getting together? How did it happen? The power of love 💕💕💕

Ann

She comes from a wealthy English family known in a good amount of socialite circles

Quite graceful, crazy intelligent, has impeccable manners and an eloquent way of speaking

She decided to slowly distance away from her family when she was first starting of her career. Ever the ambitious woman she was, she wanted to try to stand independently and make a name for herself.

When she started dating Raffael, she was well-aware that he was part of a gang but she had already fallen for him and was willing to believe that he could change (and he did)

Raffael

Tall, intimidating and quite short-tempered, but a big softie when it comes to those he loves

Back then when he was a teenager he formed a street gang with some of his buddies to earn some money for himself and his parents (they weren't very well-off)

He then quit his gangster life to settle down with Ann for both her and his buddies' safety

He's actually softened a lot after getting married and even visits his parents time to time talk about his life.

From crime hardened gangster to uncle who just chills around in Hawaiian shirts

[an-au-blog]

more zosan reversed tropes bc uni wants me dead and this is my way of coping:

not fake dating, but where everyone is super convinced that they aren't ACTUALLY dating...

One day, Zoro and Sanji call everyone over and announce that they are getting engaged. It comes as a big shock to almost everyone because: 1. they say it too matter-of-factly, with disdain almost; 2. they never told anyone they were dating. Luffy, being Luffy is very happy for them and tells them they can't get married if he doesn't wed them as their captain. They respond that they never expected anything else. Robin and Franky congratulate them, Brook starts getting ready with the music, but Nami and Usopp? Nami and Usopp couldn't believe it. And they refused to let everyone else believe this lie. They decided that both Sanji and Zoro are lying, but why??

They make a makeshift investigation, but it turns out that Luffy and Robin genuinely believe them, Franky and Jinbei think it's none of their business and they can't bring themselves to break it to Chopper and Brook because they were too happy to attend a wedding. Soit was up to Nami and Usopp to prove to everyone else that there was no way they're dating.

At first they start looking at how they interact with each other. It was obvious they were faking it - they never started bickering and fighting and even when they just sat in silence Sanji would throw a ladle in Zoro's direction because he's snoring too loud. Or Zoro would make a biting comment about Sanji and it would start all over again.

But that was how they usually were, so it wouldn't prove much if some of their friends were so willing to accept their announcement at face value knowing they act like this. So Nami takes upon talking to Zoro in private, while Usopp talks to Sanji in private.

At first, Nami starts telling him how she would take money off his debt if he tells her the truth, but then he says the same thing that he said to the crew. That yes, the cook is a pain in the ass, but they love each other and want to get married. She threatens to tax him for lying, but he keeps insisting there's nothing else to say. She meets up with Usopp again, hoping that he did a better job than her, but he just said that Sanji caught onto him from the start saying it's for real and whatever he's scheming will not work.

They change tactics and switch partners, hoping that Nami will have more luck with Sanji, as he can't say no to her, and Usopp can try getting under Zoro's skin.

Usopp starts off by telling Zoro about how a great swordsman should have a nice and powerful partner, mentioning Hiyori, but then the unexpected happens and starts almost defending Sanji as his choice. "Sanji is stronger and nicer than her." "He's a worthy opponent and we already have the same priorities (Luffy)", "He's stubborn and driven, it's great." he says it all with a shrug and Usopp almost feels like he misheard him. "But you always fight?" Usopp says as a last resort. Zoro smiles widely "Yeah, it keeps me on my toes, my blood pumping. I love him so much, Usopp."

The sniper wasn't sure he wanted to prove they weren't a couple anymore. In fact he was starting to believe them. Nami came back with an equally defeated face. Nami tried using her charm, but Sanji kept going "Alas, my dearest Nami, Zoro and I are really getting married, unfortunately it is no joke. Unless you'd like me to take you out on a date!" And in desperation, Nami said "yes", but then Sanji flipped a switch. Saying there's no way, he was just joking and he'd never do that to Zoro. He's done self sabotaging and he really doesn't want to ruin things for them.

Robin overheats then and goes. "Oh, why didn't you ask me. I've seen them sneaking into toilets and private places like teenagers for months now."

And the theory had been debunked.

[bigtreefest]

Chapter 9: Looking Over Fences

From: You Catch More Bees With Honey Series

Pairing: Mob! Bucky x Farmer! Reader

Summary: Things may seem alright on the other side of the fence if you’re not consciously looking at it, but both sides are on the struggle currently

Word count: 2,268

Content/warnings: Mentions/allusions to self harm that are a poor joke, mob themes, mentions of blood, mentions of death, threats, annoyance, pushy behavior and lowkey misogyny, possibly a very bad decision, Peter being a sweet lil brother essentially

Author’s Note: This is lined up so the phone call she makes at the end would occur in Ch. 5 of The Rainmaker

I hope you guys are liking this AU, and I’d love to hear all your thoughts. Comments, reblogs, and asks are greatly appreciated!

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

< Prev | Series Masterlist | Next >

The following week since Bucky had left the farm was…okay. It was fine. And to be honest, you didn’t really care for much that was going on outside your own bubble. You fielded the occasional call or text from Steve or Decks, never from Bucky, trying to make it seem like everything was okay, but that was pretty much it.

Peter was helpful, monitoring shipments that started to come in, but more so, you could feel the way he was monitoring you. Perhaps to make sure you didn’t jump off one of the bridges you’d helped to design in town. But what did that matter? They were like ten feet off the riverbed anyway. And it’s not like you were faring that poorly. You were just a little sad, but not enough for it to affect you, but the people closest to you in your life thought differently than that. And by closest, right now you meant physical proximity: Peter and Curtis.

Everywhere you went, if you turned around and squinted enough, you could still see Peter in a distant corner. He definitely needed to work or his stealth skills, or perhaps he was purposely making sure you could see him, letting you know you didn’t have to be alone. That was too bad, though, because that was all that you wanted. To be left alone and sulk and just do your work like the good farmer you are.

So you did, and tried to ignore your shadow figure following you around in jeans and a shirt you’d made Curtis bring him from the store in town. He was just so tiny that he was swimming in everything else you had for the boys, and you weren’t really sure if he would want your old, nasty clothes. The ones you were hardly wearing anymore after your got back late at night, in favor of the only thing Bucky had left behind: a single Henley.

But really, it was fine. It was okay, and you were going to be fine. If only Curtis would stop asking! You could handle everything on your own, just like you had before. That’s what mattered, right? The only one you could really rely on was yourself, and no one needed to see how much pain you were actually in besides him. The one who got to be so happy with his sweet girl while you were separated, independent, alone. Any time you made a snide comment about it outside the soft likeness you were known for prior to these mood swings, Curtis simply let it roll off his back, giving you a tight hug, and moving on, avoiding the subject once again.

Bucky was miserable. Just like you, he threw himself into work to try and ignore the pain. He needed someone around, though. Struggling alone wasn’t as easy as it used to be, so he searched for help. What the hell was this attempt at a healthy coping mechanism? One that landed him in the apartment of your best friend, no less.

Bucky had tried to find Steve upon his return, the second in command still working double time, plus essentially a new part-time job of flirting. Steve didn’t say it, but Bucky could see it. Plus, he got an earful from Sam about their developing situation in the debrief of preparation for coming back to work. Good for Steve, not relatable. The only chance he could get to find his elusive best friend was to track down his car and jump in. So after Steve had picked up snacks for what appeared to be a movie date, Bucky snuck into the trunk to hide. Any attention, or just human presence, especially that of someone you seemed to enjoy so much would work.

Bucky was exhausted. His nights were sleepless again, but now for different reasons. He couldn’t sleep without you. He didn’t want to sleep without you. But his body didn’t get the message as he was pulled under by the gentle rocking of Steve’s SUV.

He woke up to the familiar, gentle voice in his place amongst the grocery bags. He couldn’t believe he’d fallen asleep in such an uncomfortable suit. It was one of his trash suits: one of the scratchy ones, one of the ones he didn’t care if it got a little bloody. To be honest, he didn’t care right now. Who did he have to impress? This was the first time he’d been out of the house in a week. But this was better than no clothes, and why waste something designer when no one was important around to see it? This mindset was completely different than two months ago.

Bucky groaned and sat up from the trunk, telling Steve his true feelings, something rarely voiced, so who was Steve to turn away from that vulnerability? Bucky really just needed someone, and even though Steve really wanted this private time with Decks, his best friend needed him more. In response to Bucky’s request to joint them, Steve’s lips formed a tight line and his nostrils flared with a frustrated, but sympathetic huff.

“Fine. Come on upstairs.”

The time with Decks and Steve really helped Bucky, even though he could tell he was very evidently interrupting something. Once the movie was over and Decks was asleep, Bucky checked his phone to see a new message: another employee dead.

As the weeks went on, employee deaths had been on the rise with even a few occurring at first when he was at the farm. It initially seemed like weird chance events. A missing employee here and there, unfortunately, was normal when you owned so much of the city. They would usually turn up again, but this time it was different. Employees were dying, both innocent and mob-associated alike. This was targeted, and he knew exactly who was doing it: Lloyd. He was closing in on business, looking to intimidate. This was going to fill Bucky’s time well, combined rage from these slaps in the face, as well as the constant berating you were starting to face from Cole (as Peter had reported), working as fuel to the fire of reclaiming his rule over the city.

Not only did business suck, but if someone asked Steve and Sam, they’d say their boss was a menace to society, and not in the good way. He was running himself, and them by proxy, into the ground. Nothing was ever enough for him, and they were catching the brunt of that. Maybe there was a way to fix it, but what was coming wasn’t quite what they had in mind. With all the shit going on in the city, they hoped things were better for you.

You had no idea what Bucky was going through besides the small things that Peter updated you on, but you hope it wasn’t as bad as having to put on a fake smile for an annoying, fake farmer.

It was as if Cole was consciously waiting for Bucky to leave your farm for him to start coming around again. It was like clockwork, with a gift from him earlier in the week, followed by an in-person sometime visit in the second half. It was like he was hoping to find you to more vulnerable like this. If that was the metric he was going on, though, he was severely underestimating your abilities. Bucky had been gone for three weeks, and Cole seemed unrelenting.

At least your rage at his persistence gave you something to fill your days with. And Peter was a delightful gossip, making impressions of the clumsy and pushy ‘farmer.’

You didn’t really have the desire to keep any of the gifts you were receiving but the cow, though, which was quickly growing, ready soon to move into her shed out back. First, it was the little things, like her, but then things started getting bigger. A Turner’s drink fridge. Where was that supposed to go? Then a hydroponics tower. That…well, actually, that one was kinda nice. Those things were expensive, and you hadn’t gotten the chance to invest in them yet. But what could a singular one possibly do for you? And then a tractor. One not even graded for the type of work you had to do. Each gift was punctuated by him forcing his way into your house right at dinner time, and sitting with you and Peter until you could shove him out, polite as ever.

His last visit, though. That one was a little bit different. You could see the smug look on his face as he ate off your cutlery. It was an insult that the plates and utensils your family, and Bucky, once used were touching his mouth. You’d purposely set those ones aside, reused for only him each time, and marked them mentally to be blown up once this all blew over. You were sure Peter would enjoy that, too. And hopefully it was sooner rather than later, but until then, it was one dinner at a time.

You walked Cole out to the porch, like you did every time, but instead of walking straight out to his truck, this time, he lingered for a second, turning around and looking down at you.

“Listen up, Sweet Peach. Sure, my capacities right now, every time I visit you, are limited, but I’ve got friends in low places. I’m not gonna give up. Either you give me the farm, or my buddy Lloyd starts a war with your boyfriend.”

A threat like that made you lose your usually cool demeanor for a second. “Cole, absolutely not!” This came out of nowhere.

You had to find a way to hit his pride. Maybe that could cause him to back down without retaliation. “What’s the valor in me handing it over, anyway? It would be worth so much more if you earned it. I know you’ve got something to prove, just like in high school.”

You did your best not to cringe at the memory. You obviously didn’t care about back then and it still pained you to think of it. Living in the past wasn’t something you did, but it was very evidently something he was caught up on. “Work to earn my farm, maybe you’ll earn my respect…and possibly a little something else.”

You bit your lip trying to be suggestive. Ugh, this was humiliating, but his entire manner of carrying himself shifted from his poor attempt at intimidation to intrigue. After all these years he still couldn’t help himself trying to win you over, and he was still a doofus.

“Oh yeah? And how do you suppose I do that?”

You tapped your bottom lip with your pointer finger, humming. “Mmm, how about a wager? Winner takes all, or at least just my farm. I win, Lloyd doesn’t wage war, either. Deal?”

“Wait, wait. A wager on what?” He licked his lips, still giving you a look that made you sick to your stomach.

“How about a game of pool? And tell you what, I’ll be extra nice since you’ve never seen me play and I just want to make sure we’re even.” You said it in your sweetest tone, a pout on your lips and your eyes as wide and sparkling as a doe. “You can pick who plays for your side, but here are the ground rules: no professional players. No pre-professional, either. Friends, allies, and acquaintances only. Keep the playing field even. But, the caveat is that I get to do the same. Whichever side wins the game, wins the prize. Do we have a deal?”

Cole stood there for a second, nodding and thinking it over. “So you’re trying to win my compliance? Didn’t think you were the type to treat your livelihood like a game, but lucky for you, I am.”

It’s true, you hate that it had to come to this, but you held out your hand for him to shake, just for him to limply grab it. How he got this far in business, you’ll never know, because that handshake was terrible, yet binding for the young-ish heir. Oh wait, that’s right, he got this far because his parents did it for him. Bucky would never let that handshake fly, but maybe he would understand. This was a threat facing both of you, and according to the breadcrumbs you’d heard from Peter, it could be even worse on Bucky’s end. That, on top of what Cole said about waging war added to your concern.

“Deal.” Cole dropped your hand and you tucked it behind you back, ready to wash it as soon as you could get inside.

“Good. Now get off my property. I’ll meet you at the bar next week. Saturday. 6pm.”

He nodded with a wink and walked down the porch steps to his lifted truck, tripping on the gravel on the way there, not daring to look back to catch your snicker. You could see his huff when he slid into the front seat, after having jumped up into the tall vehicle. The engine roared as he drove away, creating ruts. You rolled your eyes and crossed your arms as you walked back inside.

You heart was racing. The stakes were unbelievably high, but you didn’t have much of an option. Either win this bet and end it once and for all, or chance him trying to take things by force. So it wasn’t really much of a choice at all when you laid it out.

You had a few phone calls to make…

Next >

Bonus A/N: The grass is always greener, but it looks like both Bucky and Bee are standing on dead lawns.

Taglist: @mrsnikstan @scuzmunkie @openup-yourmind @vicmc624 @multifandomreader73 @hawkeyes-queen @blackhawkfanatic @morgthemagpie @buckybarnessimpp @calwitch @thesarcasmqueen-22 @ronearoundblindly

[kayr0ss]

Rosewood

[Dungeon Meshi / Delicious in Dungeon, Farcille, Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Proposal Fic, Woodworking / Furniture Making, Fluff and Humor, Touden Siblingisms] AO3 Link

Summary: Falin gets into woodworking, is kind of a (loveable) idiot, and Marcille loves every second of it

I.

“I believe us tall-men call it a quarter-life crisis.”

“How is it a crisis?” Marcille glared at Kabru. “Now that the kingdom’s relatively stable, she’s probably just looking for something new to do with her free time.”

Marcille ran into him at the tradesman’s courtyard—a rectangular wing of the castle with an open garden in the center. This wing housed wide rooms with high ceilings and windows facing the garden to flood them with natural light. Some were used for textiles and tailoring, others for working metal. Another section—Marcille’s intended destination—was for putting together and repairing furniture. She had stopped herself at the room’s threshold at the sight of ash-blonde hair, leaning against the doorway to allow herself a minute to just… look.

And that’s when Kabru found her—such terrible timing. She was trying to enjoy herself!

“That’s what a quarter-life crisis is,” he insisted.

Marcille scoffed. “Why can’t we just call it a hobby?”

“I mean we can.” Kabru hummed thoughtfully. “Those aren’t mutually exclusive.”

Falin’s interest in woodworking hadn’t come up out of the blue. Marcille remembers her having a small collection of books on it—as early as their school days. She’d read about Izgandan tools and scribble notes on the margins of her book on Eastern joinery. Marcille fondly remembers how she’d complain about neck pains—too much reading did her no favors—how she’d sigh to Falin about wanting a bookstand.

Oh, Falin had said back then. I’ll just make you one.

And she did—even if it took her a few years to get around to it.

It sat at the center of Marcille’s desk—Falin’s first ever project, imperfect and a little funny-looking but Marcille would never have it any other way. In a few short months, Falin had graduated from making cutting boards to specialized barstools for Chilchuck. Her most recent completion was a knife block for Senshi.

Today, she was starting on something new.

The most beautiful slab of rosewood was laid out on Falin’s work bench, and it seemed like she was working on flattening it. Falin worked with a large hand-planer, running it across the wood at an angle from its grain. Back and forth she went, spilling sawdust and shavings across the floor. Marcille couldn’t help but watch—she watched the way Falin’s arms moved with each pass, her brows knit together in a look of concentration. She watched the way Falin paused to fold up the sleeves of her loose, cotton shirt—further up to her elbows until Marcille could see tufts of soft, beautiful feathers. Marcille kept watching. Even as Falin wiped the sweat off her brow, running a towel across the side of her neck while she steadied her breathing. Still, Marcille kept watching—until finally, Falin gripped the handles of the planer again—her hands strong and steady, placing the tool back into position on the rosewood—

Kabru cleared his throat and Marcille quickly wondered if she could get away with murder.

“Wha—!” Marcille felt her blood pressure pitch into the high heavens. She burned, red, sputtering. “What are you even still doing here! I thought you were working?!”

“I am. It’s my job to remind the Royal Court Mage,” Kabru smiled diplomatically. “To stop ogling Lady Falin so openly in public.”

Kabru ducked—expertly dodging Ambrosia’s arc towards the back of his head.

--

II.

“What kind of wood is it?”

Marcille ran her hand along the scabbard Falin had crafted for Laios. She didn’t cover it with leather or paint, instead opting to stain it with a mild oil. Marcille had never seen wood with such odd grain patterns and color before. They curved almost anatomically, swirling into knots and unraveling like blood vessels.

“Uhm—It’s—” Falin looked to the corner of the room, nervously scratching at her check.

Marcille raised an eyebrow—then Laios excitedly barreled into the room.

“Falin!” He ran towards them, towering over his sister’s back and ruffling her hair.

“Get off!” Falin pouted, swatting him away. “Don’t ruffle my hair!”

“Did you finish it?” Laios blinked. Then he gasped, grabbing the scabbard excitedly from Marcille’s hands. “You did! My barometz scabbard!”

Marcille shrieked. “Barometz?!”

“Look, Marcille!” Laios held the scabbard right at her face—Marcille recoiled, pressing backwards against Falin who held wrapped her arms around her waist. “Do you see how the pattern branches out? It looks like wood grain but it’s actually a network of capillaries designed to provide nourishment to the creatures a baromtez grows—”

“Like a placenta!” Falin added softly.

“Exactly!” Laios laughed. “I have a sheath made out of—"

Marcille, exasperated, shoved her hands onto the two siblings’ faces to push them apart. “Barometz!?”

Falin flashed her sheepish grin.

“I just—you two!”

--

III.

Marcille was surprised to find Falin at Laios’ office—she had made a mess of the guest table at the center of the room, littering it with ribbons and decorative parchment. There were leathers laid out by the couch nearby, and Falin scrambled about, inspecting each one before coming back to a small box placed at the center of the table.

It was a beautiful jewelry box—another one of Falin’s projects. It had a body made from walnut and a checkered line that ran along its lid, made of cherry and pine. The colors reminded Marcille of the trees around her home. The lock was capped with a crest—one that surprised Marcille. Falin never cared for the posturing and ceremony that she and her brother now had to suffer, so why was her royal crest set in gold on this box?

“Oh—hi, Marcille.”

“Hey,” Marcille smiled, tugging on the front of Falin’s shirt to pull her closer. She got up on her tip toes, wrapping her arms around Falin’s shoulders to steal a small kiss.

“You found me,” Falin mumbled into their kiss, holding her by the waist.

“Mhm,” Marcille finally pulled back. “What are you doing here?”

“Sending a package. It’s going all the way up North so I needed good wrapping.”

“Is it this a jewelry box you made?”

“Mhmm.”

“It looks beautiful,” Marcille walked towards the table to inspect it. “Though I’m surprised that you used such an official symbol. That’s unlike you.”

“W—Well I heard jewelry boxes were a good gift for mothers.” Falin scratched at the back of her head. “And I wanted this one to be kinda… official looking?”

“Oh!” Marcille blinked. “Well, I’m sure your mother would love it!”

“Ah, no.” Falin’s natural flush deepened. “Not for my mom—”

“Hm?”

“It’s… for yours.”

Oh.

Marcille—stunned at first—smiled. Then she laughed, pulling Falin into a hug—her wonderful, loving, thoughtful Falin.

--

IV.

“Don’t you want to go tell her yourself?” Laios asked over dinner.

“I can’t.” Falin squirmed. “I’m too nervous.”

“She can’t be that strict!”

“Do you remember how Marcille was when we first met her in the tavern?”

Laios paled. “Yes. Is she even stricter?”

“I think so, yeah.”

“Understandable.

--

V.

“It’s so pretty!” Marcille swooned, hands clasped as she admired Falin’s hard work.

The rosewood desk that Falin had been working on was finally finished after weeks of work. It was polished impeccably, sealed with the finest wax to finish. It had all the drawers Marcille needed – shallow ones for her inks and pens, deeper ones for parchment and scrolls, and even a little platform towards the back where she could set her feet—Falin knew that sometimes the chair was too high for Marcille to be able to reach the ground.

“Oh, it’s perfect!” Marcille hugged Falin, who looked delightfully smug.

“No fair!” Laios pointed at his sister. “Falin—I want one too!”

“I already gave you a scabbard,” she shook her head.

“My desk is so big and boring though,” he slumped.

“It’s also a thousand-year hold antique,” Kabru supplied dryly. “It would do well for appearances to keep it.”

The new desk was heavy. Really, really heavy. It had taken nearly all of them to carry it up to Marcille’s office with how heavy and set it was. This was apparently by design, according to Falin, who can be so much like her brother and not know when to not say things, because—

“I made sure to use joinery instead of nails and angle irons,” Falin gave herself a self-satisfied nod. “I know that it bothers you how it creaks when w—”

Marcille turned so red they thought she might faint, hooking Ambrosia around Falin’s head and yanking her backwards hard enough to knock the air out of her lungs.

--

VI.

By the time winter started that year, all the furniture in Marcille’s room and office had been replaced by Falin’s handiwork: new shelves for her books and trinkets, an extension for her windowsill where she could keep plants and little felt toys.

Today, Marcille came into her office to a brand-new chair. It perfectly matched her desk, coming up a little higher than her old one to make writing and reading more comfortable.

“I asked the tailors for help with the upholstery,” Falin said, still in her apron and smelling of sawdust. “I’ve never been very good with sewing and leatherwork.”

“It’s amazing,” Marcille whispered as she traced along Falin’s simple engravings—she had started experimenting more artistically with her work. Beautiful, Marcille thought to herself. How wonderful it was to see Falin’s efforts engraved into something tangible—something permanent. “Thank you.”

Falin simply smiled back.

“You’ve gotten so good at this!”

“You think?”

“Yeah!” Marcille stood up to clasp their hands. “The gift you sent mom left such an impression on her that she’s planning to visit.”

Falin gasped. And then grinned, “I’m so glad!”

“Me too,” Marcille leaned forward, smiling against Falin’s shoulder and the feathers of her neck. “I’m happy you found a hobby you like so much. Between dungeons and politics, it seems like such a good break for you.”

“Mm, yeah.” Falin gently ran her fingers along Marcille’s hair. “I’ve always wanted to be able to build furniture for my wife one day.”

Marcille froze.

What?

She pushed herself backwards, looking up in surprise at Falin while still staying in their embrace. “Wife—? Wh—”

Falin was blinking, almost in a panic. Then she grew redder, and redder, and redder—like a kettle about to whistle. “I, uh—!” She stammered. She had that look on her face, the adorable expression of confusion as if she had just forgotten something very important. It reminded Marcille of their younger days. “You see—”

Marcille’s thoughts were running a hundred paces at a time—her mother visiting? Falin—wife?

“Marcille,” Falin looked at her resolutely. Lovingly. “Will you marry me?”

--

VII.

“You forgot to propose?” Chilchuck had his face in his hands.

“Well, technically I was still able to…” Falin said meekly.

“After all the time I put into helping you plan it!”

--

VIII.

By the next summer, Marcille found herself at the tradesman’s courtyard again. She had a tray of refreshments in her hands—one for herself and another for Falin. The condensation on the glass formed droplets of dew that ran along its side, mirroring the droplets on Falin’s brow. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail—messy with stray locks escaping this way and that. Her shirt was loose and bunched around her forearms and she was wearing a brand-new work apron that Senshi had made for her—with hooks and pockets and all.

Marcille, like so many times before, leaned against the woodshop’s doorframe to watch and wonder.

“Marcille,” Kabru cleared his throat, standing next to her with an arm full of scrolls.

“Kabru.”  

He nudged her shoulder. “May I remind the Royal Court Mage—”

“I can ogle my wife whenever I want!”

“I don’t wanna hear it!” Marcille scoffed, petulant yet still smiling.

She watched as Falin gripped the handles of her planer, firm and strong, her left hand glittering with new jewelry.

-

fin

-

A/N:

extremely self indulgent thanks i love these two, this was not beta read so sorry *throws it to AO3 and posts it* hope that you enjoyed!

[seeingteacupsindragons]

Okay, so.

We all know Louis is an amazing leader, whom we love dearly.

(If you’re not on board with this, get on board, I guess; I’ve already written about that)

But. When and where did he get good at this? Because for as much as I, you, and he love his brothers…no.

Just no.

We do see him starting his delegation tactics pretty early—mostly with Moran. It doesn’t work out especially well because Moran is Moran and doesn’t really have any interest in having a leader that’s not William, but honestly, Louis…wasn’t the best at delegating back then.

A lot of his early leadership/delegation/control was very forceful, inelegant, and focused on small, petty things that didn’t really matter. He’s always had the ultimate vibe of, “If I want it done right, I’ll have to do it myself.” Even when it comes to Moran—if he wants Moran to actually do his chores, he has to be very active and hands on about it.

He doesn’t trust enough to lead and delegate. And this even extends to his brothers. He loves them until the sun dies, but he always questions William and his plans, even if he ultimately agrees with William’s goals and wants to support him. He doesn’t trust Albert for ages and ages and eventually accepts him as a brother after literally murdering people together, but he never relies on Albert to do anything for him. As much as he loves and trusts them, and as much as they protect him…Louis doesn’t ever ask them to handle something for him.

Louis, even very early on, was trying to get control of things because not being in control meant everything was going to go sideways. He always had input to add and questions to raise and arguments to make, and they all involved him doing more, more, more.

But when we see him after the timeskip…that’s all fallen away.

Oh, he’s still in charge and issuing the orders to everyone else. And he’s still present and involved and fairly hands on. But he’s no longer micromanaging what other people are doing. He gives them their roles, and steps back to trust them to do their jobs. When he steps in during The Adventure of the Empty Hearts, it’s not to do other people’s jobs for them. He’s making sure they have the space necessary to do their own jobs. He divides up tasks and gives himself his own tasks that keeps him from hovering over everyone else.

And the first time we see him do that?

Sherlock Holmes.

Asking Sherlock to save William was the first time Louis had to ask someone to do something he simply did not have the ability to do himself. It was the first time, “If I want it done right, I have to do it myself,” was utterly unapplicable. Louis had already tried, and he’d failed.

So he reached out to someone he knew did have the skills, and passed the task onto him, without asking for details, without hovering and micromanaging and needing to know how things were happening and why.

He simply had to trust that Sherlock Holmes, someone he didn’t even like and had no reason whatsoever to trust to care or be invested, could and would do something if he asked.

And it was the first time he had to ask for something he cared about that much. Chores, ultimately, don’t matter. The details of William’s silly Shakespeare reenactments, ultimately, don’t matter. Exactly how they follow William’s orders in Baskervilles, ultimately, doesn’t matter.

The end result does.

And Sherlock Holmes taught Louis that, because it was the only option Louis had, and it was something so desperately dear to Louis’s heart, that he wanted done right so deeply that he learned to give up control and to trust that someone else had it handled.

And so I think in many ways Sherlock Holmes was the birth of Louis as M.

Even if Louis will never, ever want to admit it.

[thrill-seeker-if]

Hello everyone. I have no idea how to start this post, but I want to start it as upfront as possible.

TLDR: My uncles shipped my sick grandmother to my home, and they called me to tell me only after she had already landed... when her visa was expiring very soon. And so obviously 1. My job was to keep her alive, and 2. I had to scrounge up money to send her to her home. It has been a very few stressful months. 

In between this, I hit a slump with writing, and felt very burnt out, as I had no time for it between work, trying to keep my grandmother alive, my own health, and my own business. I wish I could say I worked on Thrill Seeker in this time, but I simply couldn’t. I think a huge part of what was so daunting for me was only having myself to rely on and set the schedules, and in a way it came to be that there were lengths of time nothing could get done because there was simply no time in my life to do it. 

This is not meant to be an excuse as to why I was away from the blog for so long. It is simply what made me realize that I cannot continue alone on this project, as I would then be taunted by how much I would have to do that I would end up not being able to do anything at all. 

I was discussing this project with a friend of mine who has been beside me since I started this project, who I know shares my passion in making games, and who has rooted for me from the beginning. While I’m more interested in the storytelling, she’s incredibly fascinated with coding. During this time, we discussed perhaps making a game together-- but recently we got the opportunity to make that into a reality. 

Thrill Seeker is not ending, but rather, it will be changing format. I am so happy to say my incredible friend, Kismet (@kismet-dev), is going to be joining me to reform Thrill Seeker into a Visual Novel! She is one of my best friends and is the most organized person I know, so no more falling off the face of the Earth for me, because I’ve put a lot more planning into the game and now have someone to hold me to my schedules, too!

I understand that it could be disappointing to hear that I’m switching from an entirely text based format to a VN style. I apologize to anyone who is disappointed by this change. It’s been amazing the support I’ve gotten for this game and how many people have stuck to the project, even when I’ve been so flaky, and I want to thank you for sticking to the project when I haven’t been the most reliable developer. I am so grateful for your kindness to me, for all the people who have sent asks and been interested in my characters and story.

When I first created this project, it was just not a viable option for me to make a visual novel, as there would’ve been no chance I had the opportunity to create art, write, and code it. But creating the art for the game inspired me more than when I only had words to go off of, and many different concepts for the game that I had in mind were simply harder for me to make into reality on twine. Thanks to the absolute angel that is my friend Kismet, I will actually be able to create the vision for the game that I’ve seen in my head for the longest time. She’s an excellent programmer and such a wonderfully organized and hard worker, and I know that I wouldn’t have anyone else by my side as we begin to make games together. 

I will be making some changes to this blog as I make it more cohesive for the VN, but I will also use it as an opportunity to organize this blog for those who are interested in knowing more about the characters, settings, etc. It’s a little unorganized and hard to find certain questions, and I’ll do my best to fix that! Note that this will mean that changes are coming to the characters, and pretty major ones. I know that many of the asks I answered in the past will no longer apply to the story as I’ve changed it, so I will be reforming it quite a lot. However, what will not change is the characters themselves; they will still be gender selectable, and their personalities will still remain similar; but I feel like some of my characterization of them has been shallow, and I’m going to be fixing that. 

The launch of the game as a visual novel, with the first chapter, will be coming in August. Thank you so much for reading all this and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

[spooky-smooches]

petite monster

tw fatphobia

You have been dreading this day for nearly a whole year. Even though you accepted your current job as gardener for kind, wealthy family of goblins knowing you would eventually have to attend some sort of party, a large part of you still hoped it would never happen.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

The family you have been working for are affectionately called 'the navy' by the townspeople because of their distinctive deep blue birthmarks that appear in splotches head-to-toe. The rest of their skin is green, of course, as they are all full-blooded goblins. (Rumor has it their ancestors were some of the first to leave The Underground.)

You have lived in this town your whole adult life, very often seeing some or all of them at shops and festivals alike. Never very social, you always kept your distance, never doing more than smiling from across the room. Not that you had anything against them! Quite the opposite actually. They had done so much good for the townspeople, you had firmly made up your mind to be as cordial as possible while tending to their gardens.

The navy family was quite large, with many extended aunts and uncles and cousins all living on one estate. It was easy to forget names when faced with six or seven similar-looking people saying hello all at once. There was one goblin, however, who was impossible for you to forget.

He stood about two feet shorter than you, same as most of his family members, and seemed incapable of making it 24 hours without speaking to you about something. At first it was polite greetings around the property. Then he always seemed to need you to get something from a tall shelf in the greenhouses for him. After you placed stepladders throughout, he switched to asking questions. Questions about plants. Questions about the weather. Questions about the local wildlife.

You just assumed he was a weird sort of guy who needed the social practice. But one day, after he watched you prune roses for an uncomfortably long moment, he asked how you like your tea. And the next day, he brought a tray of it with him. When you refused it, insisting you couldn't relax on the job, his pointed ears drooped a little as he sighed and nodded.

After that, he didn't bring gifts again. But the questions persisted. He asked you all sorts of questions about yourself, and usually answered them himself as well. Even though you tried your hardest to focus only on your work, your little green-and-blue shadow was slowly starting to grow on you.

Over the months, you found yourself looking forward to his daily visits more and more. But you pushed those warm feelings deep, deep down inside, determined to not make a fool of yourself.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Now, on the morning of the day you had hoped for so long would never come, you realized that he was the only person you trusted enough to help you get out of this obligation.

Throwing on some clothes and sturdy shoes, you grab your bulkiest cloak and head outside. After wandering the gardens for a while, he appears next to you, like always.

Seeing your hands picking relentlessly at your sleeves, his smile dims slightly as he regards you.

"Is everything alright?" He asks, cocking his head to the side.

"No. I cannot attend your aunt's party this evening. Will you help me hide?" You ask him, your voice blunt and inflectionless due to your nerves.

His brows raise. "Hide? From what? You've worked here for ages, you know we don't bite." You only frown in response. With a hum, he looks you over, taking note of your tired eyes and quick breaths.

"What about the party is scaring you this much? Surely not the company?" He tries to lighten the mood and smiles at you gently.

"Yes the company!" You snap. His eyes widen and you start feeling the familiar pressure on your ribcage. Too much, too much your heart beat says.

"S-sorry" You whisper, throat tightening at the shocked look on his face.

You try to steady your breathing and fail. He still looks somewhat shaken, but now he's more concerned than anything.

He tentatively takes a step towards you, his soft eyes boring into yours. "Please talk to me, I want to know the whole picture. I promise I will help you, I'm sorry I didn't kno-"

"It's not your fault." You interrupt. He looks like he doesn't quite believe you, and that makes something inside you lurch.

"Can you explain it to me like I'm stupid?" He says, after watching the tears building in your eyes for a moment.

You quirk your lips up despite how awful you feel. A pause for you to collect your thoughts, and then, "I don't look like you." You say.

A moment passes, and when he sees you aren't going to keep talking, he tilts his head. "Explain it to me like I'm even stupider."

With a sigh and a sniff, you resign yourself to fleeing your job and leaving the country due to embarrassment. Clenching your hands so tight you start to get pins and needles, you square your shoulders and look him in the eye. "I don't look like you. I'm fat. You aren't. Seeing my ugly fat body surrounded by fancy pretty party-people will gross you out."

Almost immediately, his expression changes to one of horror. "What-what are you saying? Do you hear yourself?" He gapes at you. You just look at him, confused. "I'm just saying the truth. It's happened before, and they were much larger than you."

In an instant, he is furious. "That is evil. They are evil."

Your brow shoots up. "Don't say that! They aren't evil!"

He looks at you, a swirl of emotions on his face that you can no longer read. "If that isn't evil, I don't know what is." He takes a deep breath and nods to himself. He holds out his hand to you. "We're not going to the party tonight. Let's take a carriage to the Southern forest. We can eat a picnic there with no disturbances."

You stare at his hand, caught completely off-guard. "I- what?"

His hand remains outstretched to you. "I am taking you on a date, tonight. If it turns out that you hate it and me that is fine but I cannot live with myself knowing such a beautiful person thinks that way about themself." His eyes hold a passion you have never seen before.

A gust of wind blows suddenly, and when your hastily-buttoned shirt flaps open he averts his eyes without second thought.

For once, you don't squash the warmth that flickers to life inside you.

You kneel on the ground before him, and take his hand. He is still as a statue and twice as silent as you gently feel the hairs on the back of his hand. "This conversation has been a lot." You say softly, keeping your eyes glued to his hand.

"One date." He whispers, tipping his head to look you in the eyes. "If you want to be friends instead that is more than okay with me. But I'd really, really like to woo you properly. After hearing you say those things about yourself... I can't pretend I don't find you attractive anymore. I just can't, it feels cruel." He chews on his lip slightly while speaking.

"Woo me?" You say, your heart feeling tight and light at the same time.

He smiles crookedly. "Woo you." He agrees.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

the end!

[suplicyy]

[Prompt Series pt.4]

Tanaka and you sucking helium

— Summary: Tanaka and you sucking helium and talking in very high-pitched voices.

— Fluff, comedy

— Gn!Reader

You had to do everything for your perfect plan to work. Everything was already going exactly as planned... until a distraction makes your whole plan go down the drain.

You got a part-time job at an amusement park, with the aim of selling balloons to the local children. But why were you doing this?

It had been 5 months since you had been in a relationship with Tanaka, and for this special date you wanted to buy him a perfect gift! You still didn't know exactly what you were going to buy for the boy, but to get gifts you obviously needed money.

So that's why right now you're selling balloons in the amusement park full of smiling families on a very hot Sunday, love requires some sacrifices after all. 'All for the present...!' You thought as a way to try to cheer you up, but that unbearable sun seemed to be trying to kill you. The amount of money you had earned in the last few days actually exceeded your expectations, so just a little more work and you would complete the goal of the amount of money you set and thus be able to buy the gift you dreamed of.

Your boss always gave you a certain amount of balloons that would last you a whole day to blow up, so there were almost never any balloons left at the end of the day. And you wanted to stay there until you sold the last balloon, which will probably make you leave a little later.

But it seems the universe has other plans for you.

"[NAME]!!!" You heard a very familiar voice calling you. But before you could turn around to see who was calling you, you felt someone hug you tightly.

"R-Ryu!? What are you doing here??" "I'm here to see you of course!! I couldn't let my goddess melt alone in this heat!!" he says dramatically.

Tanaka knew you were working, but he had no idea you were doing it to buy him a gift. So you knew that one time or another he would come to your workplace and keep you company.

"Well... it's almost time for my break, so why don't you buy us some snacks while I gather my things?" you say as you check the time on your phone, seeing that there are only 4 minutes left for you to have a little rest until you go back to work again. "Of course my dear, ALL FOR YOU!" and in the same second Tanaka runs towards a food stall.

You sigh at the boy's exaggerated reaction, but then you give a small smile.

The two of you are now sitting in a place a little away from the entire amusement park crowd, as you finish eating your snack that Tanaka bought. But something was wrong.

Everything was quiet. Too quiet.

He is known for being a very noisy person, so if he is present in a room and the whole place is quiet, it means that something is not right.

Then you turn to look at your partner, but as you do so you can see him silently picking up a balloon and trying to reach the helium gas cylinder. "Ryu what do you think you're doing!?" When he hears your voice, he jumps in fright and quickly turns to you.

"I just wanted to test something! Let me do it please!!" And before you can respond, he has already taken the balloon and put it in the air outlet of the cylinder, filling the balloon with gas. After filling the balloon completely, he holds the tip of the balloon and places it in the mouth, sucking out some of the helium gas.

You watched the boy's actions in horror, wondering why he had these kinds of ideas. But the second he opened his mouth to speak, you knew his idiocy had paid off.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

His voice was high-pitched.Very high-pitched.

I don't think you've ever laughed as much as you do now. Anyone passing by would think a murder was taking place because your laughter was so scandalous at that time. And when Tanaka started laughing with you along with his stupidly thin voice, you laughed even harder – if this was really still possible – It got to be suffocating for you to keep laughing, but you couldn't stop when he opened his mouth to speak.

"L-Let me try too...!" You said, breathless from the incessant laughter. Taking another balloon, you repeat the same process that Tanaka did, filling the balloon with gas and then placing it in your mouth, sucking out some of the air.

"Do...Do you know why are snails slow...? B-Because they're carrying a house on their back!!"

You and Tanaka laughed even harder, but not because of the stupid joke you told, but because of your voice, which was now the same as his. And you continued doing this until almost the end of your break.

You turned to pick up another balloon, but all you could do was feel around the floor, which now had no more balloons.

"Oh..."

Your only reaction was to alternate your gaze from the empty floor to Tanaka, who was also silent about the situation. Now you would have to explain to your boss why the balloons ran out and why you and your boyfriend had extremely high-pitched voices.

A/N — My exams start next week, so I don't know if I'll be active here these days...😭

But when they are finished I will be sure to post everything here!!

— Prompt chosen for this post: Person A and Person B sucking helium and talking in very high-pitched voices.

[Prompt Series Masterlist]

[teamconductors]

A Day Off: A PMD Lost Tracks of Time AU

Summary: During a weekend where the Battle Subway has shut down for maintenance, Ingo offers Mono a train trip, and Emmet wants to spend time with her at Nimbasa's amusement park.

Background: This is for the Swap AU (forgive the old art). After the events of LTOT, Sneasler is turned into a human and is sent back in time to Unova before Ingo got taken to Hisui.

In terms of timeline, this is after Sneasler aka Mono has established herself as a trainer, is roommates with Elesa, and got a job at the Battle Subway out of pity (or so she claims).

This is a long one. It could've been split, but I didn't want to.

Also, for clarity: Mono is Sneasler's name as a human. Everyone knows her as Mono, but the narration uses both Mono and Sneasler for her. Is that confusing? Maybe. But I'm too lazy to change it.

"Unbelievable," Sneasler said. She wished she figured out human technology by now. Perhaps if she had, she wouldn't have entered Gear Station at the typical early morning time and saw signs blocking the entrance to her workplace.

"Good morning, Miss Mono!"

"Morning, Ingo." Sneasler turned to see Ingo, who lacked his black Subway Boss coat and hat but still wore his button shirt and pants. "I know I'm here because I messed up, I guess. But why are you here?"

"I need to make sure that maintenance occurs as smoothly as possible!" Ingo said. "That said, I only need to do periodic checks. After I complete this first morning check, would you like to accompany me for a train ride around Unova?"

"Just you? Emmet's not coming?" Sneasler almost asked about Elesa but stopped herself upon remembering that she left Nimbasa for a fashion show.

"Since I accepted the responsibility to watch over the Battle Subway, Emmet decided to try alternate routes for his weekend. We work together and have many common interests, but we don't always need to be a two-car train."

Sneasler turned her head so Ingo wouldn't see her cringe. Before she was kidnapped out of her time, Emmet had gotten better about going on separate missions without Ingo. But the literal and metaphorical scars remained. Once in a while, Emmet would suffer a panic attack if Ingo - or Eelektross or even her - were away for too long. He hated that it was still an issue, and so did she. One day I'm gonna kick Arceus' ass for the pain they caused, she thought.

She shook off the mental damage to continue her questioning. "Are you gonna be okay being gone from the station for a while? How long's the trip?"

"Less than two hours! We will return to Gear Station by the end, and there are no stops in between. This is purely a scenic trip!"

"...Okay. Why me?"

"Does there need to be a reason?" Ingo's eyes widened. "Wait, do you have another activity scheduled?"

Sneasler shrugged. Had she known, she could have at least slept in - though that's easier said than done, considering her recent insomnia. "Not really. Sure, I'll do a train ride."

"Excellent! Allow me to finish what I need to, and we will be off!" Ingo sped-walked past Mono before she could ask where she should wait.

---

Sneasler didn't wait long for Ingo. He led her to the wing of Gear Station she seldom visited beyond the her first day in Unova and ended up on a train. Unlike the Battle Subway's trains, they offered plenty of benches and tables for guests to rest at. She and Ingo took a car with no one else in it. Ingo chose a table, and Mono sat across from him, putting her basket next to her on the bench.

"Did you make that basket? It appears well-made and well-cared for," Ingo asked.

"Uh, thanks. It's... an heirloom," Mono said. This is going be a painful ride, isn't it?

The journey began. They started underground, but soon they popped out of a tunnel near Driftviel City. It was Sneasler's first time outside of Nimbasa. The mining city vaguely reminded her of the dungeons near Cobalt Coastlands.

Ingo interrupted Sneasler's musing. "Is something the matter, Miss Mono?"

Sneasler realized she had been staring at him. "Uh, no! I, uh, haven't been sleeping well. That's all."

"Oh, I'm sorry that you've been having such roadblocks. Is there anything I can can for you? Does your schedule need to be changed?"

"Nope, my work schedule is fine." Much to her chagrin, Ingo and Emmet trained Sneasler well to wake up at dawn. Even before then, she preferred mornings and daylight to night. "Don't worry about it, alright?"

"My job is to transport talented trainers to greater heights, and that includes the trainers helping us as well. On that topic, how are your pokemon doing? If I remember, your current team is a Croagunk, a Riolu, and a Whirlipede."

"Wow, you actually remembered that?" Does he usually remember different trainers' teams like that??

"Well, you only recently became a trainer, am I correct? Our guests who have battled against you certainly couldn't tell! You've been performing fantastically so far!"

Croagunk, Whirlipede, and Riolu fight well on their own. I'm just there pretending to guide them. "Got lucky, I guess."

"I don't think it's luck, Miss Mono."

I found Croagunk after he got abandoned by his trainer. Riolu was a stray on the outskirts of Nimbasa and needed a home. And meeting Whirlipede was an accident.

"Please do not discount yourself."

I'm not a trainer. I'm not supposed to be here.

"I think your journey has only just begun."

One of the doors opened. An Audino with a cart walked to Ingo and Mono's table. On top of the cart sat a kettle and bowls with colored packets, tiny cartons of liquid, and small sticks. On the secondary shelf were stacks of cups. "I have coffee!"

"Miss Mono, the coffee is complimentary. There's also a dining kart if you'd like to fuel yourself." Ingo took the cup Audino offer him. "Thank you very much," he said to the pokemon.

"Uh, thanks." Sneasler accepted her own cup. She stared at the dark liquid inside as Audino placed cups with packets and tiny cartons and a couple sticks on the table. She brought the cup to her nose and sniffed.

"Do you like coffee, Miss Mono?" Ingo asked as he prepared his own cup.

"Coffee, huh?" She sniffed again. It didn't smell bad. "I've seen Elesa drink this stuff, but I haven't yet."

"Really? I'm surprised."

"She's offered, but I just didn't feel like it. But, uh... here I go, I guess." Sneasler brought the cup to her lips and took in a mouthful of the liquid.

She slammed the cup to the table and covered her mouth with her hand lest she spit everything over poor Ingo.

"Are you alright?!" Ingo yelled loud enough that Audino, who left for another car, opened the door and ran to Ingo and Mono.

Sneasler waved at both Ingo and Audino with her free hand as she swallowed. "I'm fine! I'm fine!" She looked at Audino, who had placed her feelers on her chest. "No really, I'm alright."

"Okay... But I hope what's making you sad goes away..." Audino retracted her feelers and returned to the other car.

I heard that. "Sorry, Ingo. It was just really, really bitter, and I didn't expect it. Smelled and tasted really different."

"Hm, you do run into surprises in a journey sometimes. May I try something?" Ingo pointed to Mono's cup.

"If you want it, take it." Sneasler grabbed napkins and began wiping up the coffee that splashed out when she slammed the cup down.

Ingo grabbed a packet and a tiny carton and poured their contents into the cup. "I find black coffee too bitter to fully enjoy as well. That surprises people, but I'm not sure why." He stirred the mixture together with a stirring stick and then offered it to Mono. "I added cream and sugar to your drink, which is how I like it. I hope this is more palatable for you."

Sneasler glanced between Ingo and the cup. She grabbed the cup with a delicate hold and slowly took a sip. She braced for the bitterness, but the sweetness calmed down the bitterness like a Light Screen reducing a Psychic's damage. "That's not... terrible. I don't think I'll be drinking much coffee, though."

"That's alright! You need to know what works best for you, just like how you need to know how to keep a machine well-oiled!"

Sneasler chuckled. "Everything comes back to trains for you, huh?"

"Well, trains are fascinating! The way they're made, how they work, how precisely you can make schedules and get everyone to where they want at the right time! Why else would Emmet and I format a battle facility in a series of them? On that line of thought, why did you decide to work specifically at Gear Station? You said you weren't a pokemon trainer, so was there another reason?"

He's conveniently leaving out the part of our first meeting where I said I knew them, but okay. "I... Listen, I'm not that good with technology. I can get the gist of things, but it'll take me a bit to get used to them. But... I... I have two younger brothers that love trains." Sneasler's eyes widened as soon as she registered what she just said, but she could not take that back. "And... it's really nice to hear them excited. They've shown me books about them because they think it's fun to talk about them to someone who doesn't know squat. ...For a lot of reasons, I haven't been able to see them, and the Battle Subway... reminds me of them." She blinked more frequently as something welled behind her eyes.

Ingo's signature frown softened. "I see... Well, I'm glad to have you ride with us, and I hope you see your brothers soon."

"Me, too."

Ingo and Sneasler decided in silence to watch the view as their train passed by different areas. They breezed through forests, went through mountain tunnels and over bridges, and witnessed the sky turn from orange to blue. Ingo made comments about cities and landmarks but was clearly less energetic than before.

By the time they passed through Undella Town, Sneasler groaned, making Ingo jump. "Holy rift, I made this trip so awkward. I am so sorry."

"Please do not apologize! This has not been awkward for me, but does that mean it was awkward for you?" Ingo asked, frowning deeply.

"C'mon, stop deflecting. I can't believe you've always been like this."

"What do you mean?"

"It's been a bad trip, and you know it. I can see it in your face." Sneasler pointed at Ingo and traces circles in the air.

"Really? I've been told that I'm rather stiff..."

"Compared to Emmet, yeah, but... I can still see it." Sneasler sighed. "Maybe it would've been better if you just did this on your own."

ingo hummed. "If you hadn't been at Gear Station, I most likely would have gone on this train by myself. While that would have made for a fine trip, journeys are made better when shared with others." He looked into Mono's eyes. "Miss Mono, I know that Elesa has been a great help for you, but please also know that Emmet and I are here to help you move forward to your destination!"

Sneasler rested her head on her hands. "And dramatic as ever, too. I'll never understand how you always say stuff like that so sincerely."

"My job is to transport passengers along their journeys to greater heights. Why wouldn't I be happy about what I do?"

"The more you talk, the more you keep using Dig." Sneasler laughed as Ingo got more confused. "It's not a bad thing, Ingo. Don't change that part of you, okay?"

Ingo's eyes widened. "I... Thank you, Miss Mono. I shall do my best."

The rest of the trip was quiet, but with the air cleared, they watched the scenery change in comfort. Though fascinated with the shifting landscapes and cities, Sneasler took glances at Ingo. His human face was slightly harder for her to read than his Sneasel face, but he definitely relaxed into his seat.

Ingo said something about liking train rumbling, right? I guess that's why. ...Have I ever seen him like this? My ancestor definitely didn't. He doesn't really relax on vacations either. Maybe the warden and rescuer stuff takes more out of him than he wants to say? I know he enjoys it, but that responsibility...

I really am going to kick Arceus' ass one of these days.

***

When they returned to Gear Station, Ingo left to check on the status of maintenance, and Sneasler returned to her temporary home and take a nap. She didn't know why her body hurt more than normal. She decided to blame it on her weird human body.

Elesa described her apartment as small, but to Sneasler, it was massive compared to Ingo and Emmet's old tent at the Pearl Guild. She also gave Mono her own guest room, but the train ride tired her out so much that she crashed onto the rectangular but plush couch in the living room. She fell asleep almost as soon as she closed her eyes.

The ringing of a bell woke Sneasler from her dreamless nap. She jumped to a sitting position, accidentally making Riolu and Croagunk fall off her and onto the floor.

"What the?" Sneasler cursed as she looked between the two dazed tiny pokemon and Whirlipede wrapped around her basket. "When did you guys get here?"

"Came outta our balls like an hour ago," Croagunk said.

"You looked comfy..." Riolu said.

The doorbell rang again.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Sneasler combed her fingers through her hair to fix it. The ends curled back up to their usual position. She opened the door.

"I am Emmet. Hi there, Mono." Like Ingo, he did not wear his signature coat and hat, but his outfit was even more unfamiliar to Sneasler. His pants looked almost like normal ones, but the shirt had some sort of colorful floral pattern she didn't expect, let alone from him.

"Hi. Uh, if you're looking for Elesa, she's outta town right now," Sneasler said.

"I know. You have the day off, and so do I. Do you want to go somewhere with me?"

"First your brother, now you?! Is this some sort of new employee ritual thing, or...?"

"Not at all. I am just curious about you." Emmet smiled even more.

Sneasler sighed. "Alright, fine, I guess. Might as well. Why not?" She turned to her pokemon behind her. "You guys gonna be okay here?"

"You're not taking them with you?" Emmet stared intensely at Mono.

"Am... I supposed to?" Sneasler paused, then she added, "Are you gonna challenge me to a battle?!"

"Not today. For you safety, it is a good idea for pokemon trainers to have at least one pokemon with them at all times."

Why am I getting deja vu? "Alright. Everyone cool with coming with?" After a set of affirmative answers, she walked back to the couch where her basket rested next to. She kept her pokeballs inside, along with her hat and coat, the Toxic Plate, and other important items. "...Wait. Do you have a pokemon on you?"

"Of course!" Emmet said.

On cue, a Jotik popped his head out of the pocket on Emmet's shirt. "Hello!"

Sneasler stared at Emmet and Jotik in stunned silence. "Why am I surprised anymore?"

---

Emmet led Mono to Nimbasa City's amusement park while marching and swinging his arms straight, which was more impressive to witness compared to when he did it as a Sneasel.

"We have arrived at Ronde-View Ferris Wheel. Ronde-View Ferris Wheel," Emmet said while pointing at Mono.

"Elesa mentioned something about a "Ferris wheel". You just go around in a circle?" Sneasler asked.

"Correct. It is not a thrill ride, but they give us a good view of Nimbasa City. Are you afraid of heights?"

"No! I'm a rock climber, and you can't be a climber if you're afraid of heights!" Unless there's a bottomless Distortion World void beneath me, but that's just common sense.

"Rock climbing? Verrrry interesting." Emmet narrowed his eyes at Mono.

Sneasler narrowed her eyes back at him. "Yeah. Haven't done it in a while, though."

"Would you like to try today? A rock climbing wall was set up here recently."

"Wait, really? A wall that you just... climb? As a human?"

"'As a human'?" Emmet repeated.

"...Well, I'm just used to regular rocks and cliffs. That's all."

The ride operator stopped the wheel and let people exit a gondola. She approached the gate that Emmet and Mono stood at. "Hello! How many people do we have?"

"Two," Emmet said. "All aboard!"

The pokeball-shaped gondolas were large enough to fit at least four humans and maybe a few small pokemon. The pokeball designs were upside down, making the white half see-through for people to look out of. Mono stepped onto the gondola and got surprised when the floor gave under her weight.

"What the hell?!" Sneasler jumped backward, hitting Emmet with her basket. He quickly caught himself instead of falling.

"Oh, don't worry, Miss! Some of these cars can swing," the ride operator said. "If you'd like, you can wait behind the gate and the next car will stay still."

"That car would be preferable for both of us, I think. Please stand by, Mono," Emmet said, pointing to the line gate.

Sneasler reluctantly stood back and took the next gondola. To her relief, it remained still when she stepped onto it. She and Emmet took opposite seats. Once settled, the operator closed the door and started the ride.

"That was embarrassing," Sneasler said. "I just wanna say, I think the moving one would be fine. I just didn't expect it."

"You are fine, Mono. As I said, I like the cars that don't move. The wheel moves us, anyway." Emmet looked to their left. "I enjoy riding trains and running the Battle Subway. But I also like rides like this because I get a change in perspective."

"Change in perspective, huh?" Sneasler watched them slowly rise above the different buildings in the city. Previously, she could only get a view like this from climbing mountains or riding on Eelektross' back (though he couldn't for long). Not to mention that she mostly saw man-made buildings as ruins, as landmarks of times long past. Here, they were new and pristine.

"Now that our trip has begun, I need to ask you something," Emmet said. "Who are you?"

Sneasler blinked at him. "Is your memory alright? My name's Mono."

"You introduced yourself as Sneasler first."

Sneasler frowned. She mentally kicked herself for confusing Ingo and Emmet so much when they first saw each other. How was she supposed to know she ended up in Unova before Ingo went missing? "It's just a nickname. I mistook you two for someone else."

"Your nickname is the name of an extinct pokemon?"

"Extinct?!" No, wait, calm down! The Nobles weren't active when humans were around. Not extinct. Just in hiding. "I mean... yeah, weird name, it's a long story. And what does it matter?"

Emmet readjusted himself and leaned forward. "I'm just curious. You had a verrrry strong entrance. What is your goal? I want to see your track is going."

Sneasler groaned and put her head into her hands. "Why are you two like this? Ingo got done talking to me about basically the same thing!"

"Huh. I didn't know that. We took different lines but accidentally converged." Emmet smiled. "But I think he gets something different out of questions than I do. We see things differently, and that makes us strong together. I want to learn more! Where do you want your journey to go, Mono?"

"I..." Sneasler leaned back and lazily stared out the window to think. Talking with Ingo started this train of thought, and talking with Emmet needed to finish it.

I want to fucking go home. But I have no idea how to do that, so maybe if I get money, I can go to the Sinnoh region, find the Nobles of this era, and get them to help me. ...If I can find them. If they can get me in contact with Dialga or someone. Could they turn me back into a Sneasler? Ingo and Emmet kinda turned back, but they kinda didn't either. And there's no way I could become like what they are now!

"Mono?" Emmet asked. "Do you not have an answer? If so, that's fine. That's a valid feeling."

"No, I... I do, it's just..." There's no dungeons here. There's no Nobles or rescue teams or anything I know. I don't know what I'm doing here. I don't know anything about being a trainer or being around humans. And just to top it all off, my body isn't mine anymore! Losing my memories would be a blessing at this point! Because at least I don't have to look at Emmet or Ingo and have them look back at me as a stranger!

The Ferris wheel stopped moving. Their gondola returned to ground level.

"Why are you crying?" Emmet reached into a different shirt pocket and offered Mono a tissue. "You really don't have to answer if you can't."

"Why do you care?! You don't even know me!" Sneasler stood up and grabbed her basket. She slammed open the cart and hopped over the exit gate. She looked down at the ground as she walked so that no one saw her tears.

She found a patch of grass and trees at the edge of the park. A shrill winding sound came from her basket, making her jump. Sneasler then nearly fall over as her basket got a heavy weight added inside that wasn't there before. After placing the basket down, she leaned on the tree and slid down to a sitting position. She covered her eyes with one hand.

"Sneasler?" Her Croagunk asked, having come out of his pokeball to face his trainer. "You wanna talk?"

"I am never gonna get used to that pokeball sound." She unlocked the latch on her basket and slapped the top off. "Why are you here?"

Croagunk popped his head out. "You're crying and stormed off from your friend and you're surprised I wanna ask why?"

Sneasler sighed. "Stop pretending you care. I only caught you so I could pretend I'm a trainer."

"You do realize that you totally are a pokemon trainer by now, between me and Riolu and Whirlipede?"

"I'm not a pokemon trainer!"

"Then what are you?"

"I... I don't know anymore, damn it! Like, I was just a Sneasel with a Noble mom. Then my mom died, I had to evolve to a Sneasler take over her title, which sounds great, but it's not! Because everyone wants you to be the ultimate rescuer with super strength and memories from past Nobles and other weird powers! And then a whole bunch of shit happened and everyone became convinced Ingo and Emmet are my younger brothers which is fine! I guess! Because pokemon and even the other Nobles started to respect me more!

"And then! AND THEN!" Sneasler took a deep breath. "Without an ounce of warning, I wake up! In a different time period! In a totally different world! I've never been around humans, I only have memories of them, and even THOSE are vague at best, and now I have to ACT like one?! I had claws for climbing, and now I have weak, soft fingers and nails that break under the slightest load! My back hurts if I carry my basket for too long which NEVER used to happen! I have to pretend to not know what every pokemon I hear is saying!" Sneasler pinched her cheeks. "And to top it all off, whoever did this to me decided to give me a face that looks like Ingo and Emmet's! But they don't know me! And they're the only people in this world I should know but I don't!"

Croagunk tilted his head to look at someone behind Mono and wave. "Hi there, Emmet."

Sneasler scrambled to standing position. Though absolutely terrified, she needed to see if Croagunk told the truth. Unfortunately for her, there Emmet stood, his face frozen and his smile open, wanting to say something but no sound coming out.

Sneasler recalled Uxie's description of when Arceus took Ingo: the world opened up below Ingo and Emmet. They were sucked down until the portal touched one of them and threw out the other. Since Arceus thought Ingo and Emmet were two of the same person, maybe they would think the same thing of her. If Arceus opened a portal right below her feet, she would fall in first and then touch the portal first and leave Emmet and Ingo alone. They're left behind while thinking they lost a weird employee. Nothing of value was lost. But that would mean she becomes a target of Chained Giratina. She could weather a blow if she was still a Sneasler, but as a weak, squishy human? She could die and be unable to return home. And Dialga would likely become upset at the time paradox this scenario would definitely make.

She would rather face an enraged Dialga than explain to Emmet what he just heard.

"...How much of that did you get?" Mono asked, voice just above a whisper.

"Not all of it, I think," Emmet said. "...Do you want another few days off? There's some new tech in Paldea. There's something about being able to feel what it's like to become a pokemon."

Sneasler's face started to turn red. "If I'm flying somewhere, I'd rather go someplace else." Namely, the Sinnoh region. "And right now? I'd rather go home. Just forget everything, okay? Forget everything I ever said, and I'm not bothering you or Ingo ever again, okay?!"

Emmet placed a hand on Mono's shoulder. "You are not the first human who wants to be a pokemon. I've thought about it when I was younger."

Sneasler facepalmed. Somehow, that's worse than if he found out the truth. But at least that means he's not paying attention to me "knowing" him. "Emmet. I'm asking a lot as someone you don't know well." She grabbed his shoulders. "But please don't tell people about this. It's... embarrassing."

"Sure." He presented the tissue that he tried to offer her before. "Once you are ready, do you want to try that rock climbing wall? Would that help you feel better?" Emmet pointed in the direction of the attraction.

Sneasler sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. She took his tissue and cleaned up the leftover tears. "It might, it might not, but you'll know either way, I guess??" She grabbed her basket, surprised it wasn't as heavy as before. Croagunk returned to the ball, I guess. "Let's go. All aboard, conductor."

A short walk later, Sneasler saw what Emmet talked about. Calling it a wall for climbing would be generous at best. It was maybe 15 meters high, adorned with candy-colored rocks, and surrounded by soft-looking mats.

"You sure it's for adults? Adult humans?" Sneasler asked. She imagined her mom using a wall like that to teach her how to climb.

"Of course it is." Before waiting for a reply, he walked to the line.

Oh. He just wants to try climbing. That's why he's still hanging out with me. May as well join him and make sure he doesn't hurt himself. Sneasler sighed and followed behind Emmet.

Different humans - some kids, some adults - stepped up for the opportunity to climb. They wrapped straps around their waists, which connected to a pulley and then to the operator's pokemon, a Sawk and a Throh. Some people didn't reach the top, but those that did rang a bell hanging there next to some Pidoves. The human running the area had a remote connected to a couple timers. Even small pokemon were allowed to give it a shot, though she noted that none of them were natural climbers.

"We're next. All aboard!" Emmet said as the gate opened to let them in.

"Do you know how to climb, Emmet?" Sneasler asked. The mats squished under her feet, confirming her suspicion of being soft.

"No, but trying could be fun!" Emmet smiled even more.

"Whoa, you already have a harness?" The operator asked, looking at Mono.

"Unbelievably, yes," Sneasler said. When she woke up in this world, she wore the coat and hat the twins gifted her and her basket that still contained the Poison Plate. All the other clothes she arrived in were already on her person: the shirt with a fluffy collar, pants, boots, and fake gemstone decorations. She didn't even know what the harness was until Elesa explained it.

The operator hooked her and Emmet to the safety system and then gave them tips for climbing that Sneasler did not listen to. She stared at her hands. This isn't gonna end well. There's too many humans around looking at us. Is it because of Emmet? I haven't tried climbing with this body yet, but I hate not having my claws. Is this how they felt in their Sneasel bodies?

"Uh, miss? Don't you want to take off your backpack?" the operator asked.

"Nope." Sneasler readjusted her basket for stability. "You ready, Emmet?"

Emmet nodded. "Follow the rules. Safe driving! Follow the schedule. Everybody smile!"

As soon as Emmet began reciting his mantra, Sneasler joined in without even thinking about it. When she realized what she was doing, she turned her head to Emmet, who stared back with wide eyes as he kept going. Sorry Emmet, you've said it so much that it burrowed into me.

"Check safety. Everything's ready! Aim for victory! All aboard!" Emmet and Mono finished together. The operator wisely decided to start the timer right then.

Sneasler jumped and grabbed two rocks. She tapped her nails against the colored rocks protruding from the gray wall, hearing and feeling an unnatural hardness and hollowness. Her fingers couldn't dig into the material. She placed her feet on two rocks, and even though she couldn't feel them through the boots, it was sturdy enough to support her weight.

One foot up. Her leg extended, and she grabbed higher rocks. Another step gave her more height. And another. The colored rocks looked like child's play, but they provided a clear, stable path despite their strange and varied shapes. Her body was weaker, but it possessed enough strength to keep her grip and climb at a steady pace. Even as the steepness increased, she was too focused to let it slip her up.

Before she knew, the bell hanged right above her head. With her feet and hands firmly planted, she grabbed the rope and rang the bell for all to hear.

"YES! I can still climb!" In Sneasler's elation, she lost her grip on the wall. She half-expected a certain ghost's Psychic to catch her, but instead, a tug on her harness indicated that the operator's pokemon held her rope, letting her hang in the air. Below her came claps and cheers, but she looked down to find one person in particular.

"You won! That was fun! You did great, Mono!" Emmet near-shouted. He managed to climb halfway up the wall, which Sneasler did not expect, given his thin frame. He let go of the wall without an ounce of fear.

When they were lowered and touched ground, the operator ran at Sneasler. "You climbed that wall in 15 seconds! That's a new record! What's your name, miss?"

"Uh... Mono." I could've done it in half that time if I was still a Sneasler.

"Thank you for climbing with us! Here's your prize!" The operator reached into a pack connected to his belt and pulled out four tickets.

Sneasler snatched the pieces of paper. "Free... Casteliacone... voucher?" She looked at Emmet. "The hell's a Casteliacone?"

"It's a soft serve ice cream. You can get them in Castelia City, which is south from Nimbasa City," Emmet said.

"Oh. Nice." She turned to the operator. "Uh, thanks, I guess."

After Mono and Emmet left the rock climbing area, they found a bench next to a dedicated space to let their pokemon roam. Besides the Joltik from his pocket, Emmet also let Archeops, Durant, and Crustle. Croagunk and Riolu hanged out in their own area, but Whirlipede ran with Archeops for a race - which Sneasler overheard.

"Do you feel better now, Mono?" Emmet asked.

"Kinda." Her fingertips turned red and tough from the exertion. She turned her palm around to stare at the design of her fingerless gloves. "...Sorry for getting mad at you."

"You're not the first. But that climb was amazing. I was hoping for a competition, but I completely lost. It was so fun!" Emmet said. "Yep. You're definitely someone I want to watch for more than one reason. These are the only three pokemon you have?"

"Yep. I have my hands pretty full right now. Why?" she asked, but she already knew what his answer would be.

"When you find a fourth, you should try working for me on the Doubles Line."

"...When? Not if?" Sneasler turned to Emmet and raised an eyebrow.

"Correct. And when you get stronger, you should face me in a battle - after you face 20 trainers first, that is." Emmet smiled even wider.

Sneasler sighed. "You really were always like this, too, huh?"

"Yes? One day, you should also tell us why you act so casually with me and my brother!"

"I said you needed to forget that!" Sneasler once again promised herself to kick the butt of Arceus and whoever is responsible for her predicament.

[reigningqueenofwords]

You'll Be Back

Pairing: past Dean x Reader, Reader x Mitchell (OC) Word count: 2,651 Warnings: Physical abuse, mentions of verbal abuse Request:  @arrowenchantress could be like, husband does something stupid leading to reader and son moving in with Winchesters, Dean helps reader and son, reader reluctantly lets him back in, they start to fall in love, find out Dean started to have a crush on her after prom that’s why he was being so weird, then sweet and fluffy family together ending? 🤣 just a thought

Read on AO3

Part 2 of It’s Not Mine

You hung your head, letting out a sigh. “Babe, I can’t just tell Dean to stay away.” You told your husband. “I’m not rushing to be friends with him, but I won’t be rude.” Mitchell currently hated the idea of Dean being near Daniel. John had gotten hurt, and couldn’t work anymore. Dean moved back home and got a job. Which meant that when you brought Daniel to see your dad and John, you’d see Dean. 

“I just don’t like it.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Dean walked away from you when you were pregnant. Didn’t even come around to find out if the baby was his, and I don’t feel he deserves to be anywhere near him.” There was no way that he was backing down from this. 

“If Dean happens to be at John’s when I bring Danny over, then he’s there. It’s his house, too. He lives there. What, do you want me to tell him to get out of his own house when Danny sleeps over there?” Did he not see how wrong that was? “Danny loves those weekends at John’s.” 

Mitchell rolled his eyes. “I know he does, but I’m not comfortable about any of this.” 

You stared at him. “What’s this really about? It doesn’t make sense that you’re getting so annoyed about Dean possibly being around Danny. Is this because I didn’t change Danny’s name when we got married?” You asked.

“That doesn’t help matters any.” He shrugged. “You changed your name, but not his. Are you attached to it?” 

“You’re joking, right? I didn’t change it because I want that to be Danny’s choice when he’s older.” You defended yourself. “Nothing more.” 

“Are you sure you don’t still have feelings for Dean?” 

“Where did that even come from? We went to his senior prom as friends and slept together once. It’s not like we had an actual relationship.” He knew exactly what happened, so you couldn’t understand where this was coming from. 

Mitchell shook his head. “I don’t want him thinking that he can try anything with you when you’re near him. I don’t want to get told that you’ll be having another kid with him, especially when we haven’t even gotten to the point where we plan to have one.”

“Do you not trust me? We’ve been together 2 years, married for one of those.” Hearing him say this hurt you. You’d never given him any reason to not trust you. Then something clicked. You schooled your features. “Is this one of those things where the actual cheater is super worried about their partner cheating?” You asked calmly. When he looked away quickly, it was like a slap in the face. 

“We’re talking about you and him.” He pushed. 

“Don’t you dare try to get out of this.” You seethed, thankful Daniel was at your father’s. “Who is she?” You couldn’t believe this. “Mitchell…” 

He sagged. “Kendra.” He told you. 

“The Kendra you work with?” You asked, knowing exactly who she was. “How long has this been going on?!” How long had you been blind? How long had your husband been cheating on you? It felt like you could literally feel your heart breaking. What about you attracted men that would hurt you like this? 

“Almost a year and a half. She’s pregnant, and due in a month.” 

“Jesus Christ.” You blinked away the tears. You couldn’t believe this! 

When he saw you walking towards the backdoor, he looked confused. “Where are you going?” He asked, angry that you would walk away from him. 

“To get some fresh air. I want a divorce. I’ll talk to my dad about me staying with him when I go get Danny in the morning.” You sniffed. 

“Let’s talk about this.” He stopped you, gripping your arms. 

You tried to pull free. “You’re hurting me!” You were used to him calling you names, or making remarks, but he’d never put his hands on  you. “Mitchell!”

He glared at you. “Sit down, now. We can talk about this.” 

“No!” You snapped. The last thing that you wanted to do was sit down and talk to your husband about him cheating on you. His hand met your face, and you tasted blood. 

John was confused to see you calling him. Most of the time you just called to talk about Danny. “Hello.” He answered. 

“John?” You snuffed, making him sit up in bed. 

“Y/N? What happened? What’s going on?” He felt his heart hammering in his chest. 

“Can you come get me? I’d call my dad, but he’s got Danny.” You told him, your voice low. “Please?” 

You were breaking his heart. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Where’s Mitchell?" “He’s in the living room. I locked myself in the bathroom.” You explained quickly. “Use your spare key to get in.” You’d worry about getting your things while he was at work the next day. You and your son would not stay one more night in that house.

Dean was confused when he was woken up to thudding on the stairs. Getting up, he went to see John pulling on his boots. “Dad? What’s going on?” He yawned. 

“Y/N just called me in tears asking me to go get her. I’ll be back.” He told him, grabbing his coat and keys. 

It was like he got cold water dumped on him. “Wait, what?” He asked. “Is she okay? Is Danny okay?” 

“I don’t know, and he’s next door. Safe. Make a run to the store. Get her some fruit candy, some Sprite, and some wine. Moscato is her favorite.” With that, he rushed to his truck. That would keep Dean busy, and it would be something for you to have when you got that. Maybe help you relax a bit. 

Dean stood there, wondering what happened to you. Did you and Mitch have a fight? But why would you need John to go get you? Could you not drive? Shaking his head, he went to get dressed to get you what your dad suggested. Clearly John knew you well.

“Y/N?!” John called out, making you quickly unlock the door. Rushing out of your downstairs bathroom, you went right to him. Mitchell shot you a look as you hugged the older man. “Jesus, sweetheart.” He felt like either ripping Mitchell limb from limb or crying. 

“Can we just go?” You wanted out of that house. 

“Let’s go.” He put his arm around you gently. 

“You’ll be back.” Mitchell said, sipping a beer. 

“No, I won’t.” You said softly. “Thanks for coming, John.” You said once you were outside. 

John opened the truck door for you. “You’re welcome. I’m glad I could be there for you.” Once he was also in the truck, he waited until he was driving before talking again. “Has he ever hit you before?” He asked, hoping like hell you hadn’t been dealing with this for long. 

You shook your head. “No, tonights the first time. Usually it’s just name calling and stuff.” You gingerly wiped under your eyes. “He was pissed about me and Danny being near Dean. I couldn’t understand what his issue was, why he wouldn’t trust me.” You explained, heart breaking all over. “Turns out he’s been cheating for almost a year and a half, and she’s due with his baby next month.” You sobbed. “What is wrong with me that I attract men that will just break my heart?” 

His stomach sank. “There’s nothing wrong with you. Not a damn thing.” He said gently. “I’m not making excuses for Dean, either. I think he’s kicking himself for what he did and how he acted. Mitchell had us all fooled.” He had liked Mitchell. Thought he was a good guy, and was good for you and Danny. 

“Apparently Mitchell thinks I have feelings for Dean because Danny has his last name.” You leaned your head back and closed your eyes. “He couldn’t understand why I didn’t change Danny’s last name when I changed mine.” 

“Did he even ever ask to adopt Danny?” 

Sighing, you looked out the window. “No, he didn’t.” You were beyond thankful for that now. “At least Danny won’t ever see him again, and Danny is young enough that this won’t really effect him much. Or, I hope it won’t.”

“Kids are tough.” He assured you. “Dean was 4 when Mary died.” You knew who Mary was, but hadn’t heard all that much about her. Neither Dean nor John spoke of her that much, and you could understand why. “I did my best to raise those boys while mourning her. I made mistakes, which you know. You were there for some of them. And, even with Dean being an ass to you, he’s turned out okay.” He knew he wasn’t perfect, and never claimed to be. “Danny is young. And he has you as his mom. He’ll be okay.” 

You gave him a small smile. “We also have you, my dad, and Sam.” You didn’t want him to think he wasn’t having a positive impact on him. “We’re lucky.” Even if Sam was away at school, the pair of you were still friends. You texted, and often sent him pictures of Danny.

Dean was sitting in the dining room with a cup of coffee when he heard the front door open. He got up and rushed to the hall, stopping when he saw you. “Y/N…” 

“Hi, Dean.” You said awkwardly, slipping off your slippers. 

“What the hell happened?” He asked, moving closer to you. He could see the split lip, the start of a shiner, and some bruising on the side of your neck. “Who did this to you?” 

“Let’s get you a drink. I’ll talk to him.” John spoke up, not wanting you to have to repeat everything. “I had Dean get you some stuff while I was getting you.” He explained, leading you towards the kitchen. 

You nodded, following him. Sitting down, you watched him open a bottle of your favorite wine. “Thank you.” You said softly as you took the glass he handed you. 

After he slid a bag of your favorite candy to you, he went to tell Dean what happened in the living room. “Apparently, he thinks she has feelings for you because of Danny’s last name.” He sighed, running his hand over his face. “He didn’t like the idea of her and Danny near you. Didn’t trust her. Turns out he’s been cheating on her for almost a year and a half, and the other woman is pregnant. Due next month.” He shook his head. “They’ve only been together two years, married one.” 

Dean clenched his jaw. “Has he always beat her?” He asked. 

“No, tonight was the first time. He was verbally abusive, though.” He sat down, hanging his head. “I had no idea. She blames herself.” 

“What?” How could you blame yourself for your husband hitting you? 

“She asked me what was wrong with her that she attracts men that will break her heart.” He hoped that in time you’d heal, but he knew that would take time. “I’m just thankful Danny wasn’t home to see that. I don’t know if he heard the things Mitch said to her, though.” He hoped like hell he hadn’t. 

Dean felt sick. He was part of the reason you blamed yourself. He didn’t think you’d want to see him right then, so he sat on the couch and leaned back. “I’m glad she had you to call.”

“Me, too.” He nodded a bit. 

Hearing movement, they looked over. “Do you mind if I take a shower before crawling into Danny’s bed?” You asked, wanting to wash that night off of you. 

“Of course.” John agreed. 

“Do you want a pair of my sweats and a shirt to sleep in?” Dean offered. “This way you can be comfortable?” You were in jeans, and knew from experience those weren’t the best to sleep in.” 

You thought about it for a moment. “Sure. I plan to go mine and Danny’s things tomorrow. I’ll wash your shirt and sweats to give back when we get back to my dad’s.” 

“Want me to go with you, sweetheart?” John offered. “In case he’s there?” 

“He has work tomorrow, but I think I’d feel safer that way.” Like you’d turn down having a bodyguard as a just in case. “Go about lunch time? He usually has to be in about 10 in the morning.” It rarely changed. 

Dean handed you the softest sweats he owned and a shirt. “No rush getting them back. Worry about getting out of that house first, okay?” He didn’t want you to worry about something as trivial as getting his clothes back to him. “Does your dad work tomorrow?” Would Danny have to go with you to get your things?

“Yeah, he does.” 

“Want me to take a sick day? I can watch him here while you and dad do that.” As much as he wanted to offer to take you, he didn’t want to risk setting Mitchell off with you around. If Mitchell had an issue with him, there’s no telling what he would do. 

You glanced at John, who gave you a comforting smile and nod to let you know he felt it was okay. “Sure.” You agreed. “I’ll bring him over after he eats lunch. He might nap, he might not. He hasn’t napped consistently since he was a toddler.” He’d been so small and squishy. You missed it some days, but loved the little boy he was growing into. 

“Is he allergic to anything?” Dean didn’t want to risk anything. 

“No, he’s not.” You shook your head. “But, thank you for the clothes. I’m going to go shower and crawl into bed. Night.” You said softly before disappearing upstairs. 

Dean watched you go and let out a breath. 

You shut the bathroom door gently before leaning against it. You’d fought the tears so hard, but couldn’t any more. At 22, you had a 5 year old with a man who didn’t even claim him, and your marriage of just a year was over. This was not where you expected to be! You couldn’t, and wouldn’t, regret your son. He was your whole world, but when you were 16 you’d dreamt of college. Of finding your passion. Of finding lifelong friends. One day getting married and having kids. 

Moving to turn on the shower, you hoped that this crying wore you out enough to sleep. You didn’t want to lie awake, the events of that night repeating over and over in your head.

John made his way to bed a few minutes after you went to shower, and hated hearing you cry like that. It wasn’t fair at all. 

While he did that, Dean was lying awake on the pullout couch. One hand was behind his head, the other was on his stomach. He felt guilty. Had he not said what he did, had he not taken off, had he stepped up to be a dad, and had he not been a complete ass…you would have never been in this spot. You wouldn’t have married an abusive prick. You wouldn’t have bruises on you. If he could go back in time and slap himself upside the head, he would. That just wasn’t possible.

Once you’d dried off and pulled on the borrowed clothes, you made your way to Danny’s room. You were thankful John opted to get him a twin bed and slap sides on it so he didn’t roll off. You left the door cracked and shuffled over to the bed. Looking around, you smiled softly. There were a few pictures of Danny and John around the room, a couple of Danny and Sam, and toys your son loved. It didn’t take you long to fall asleep once your head was on the pillow.

[artssslut2]

Moving Along

Art Donaldson x Reader

Summary: You and art bought your first house together and some other big things happen.

You stood on one side of the unmade bed looking across at your boyfriend who was still half asleep trying to help you make the bed.

“Can we just stay in bed all day” Art pouted looking too cute with his bed head and blue eyes.

“Art we have so much to do still, we’ve done nothing all week” you laughed, you and Art had just bought your first home together. You had lived together for a while though, you two would always sleep in each other’s dorm rooms, then when Art graduated and you went into grad school you rented a small apartment together. But now you were both ready for something bigger. You had recently completed law school and we’re working a good corporate job, and Arts status was moving up very fast. It wasn’t a huge mansion by any means just a little two bedroom two bathroom house in California surrounded by palm trees and beautiful greenery. You would stay until you outgrew the cute little starter home. Both you and Art have had many conversations about the future, it was obvious your guys were endgame, you knew he was going to purpose soon, you both knew.

Later on Art was hanging up photos in the hallway leading to both bedrooms, his gym shorts hung low on his hips, you watched his back muscles move and contract, you were unpacking dishes in the kitchen. You walked over and wrapped your arms around his bare stomach and chest.

“I love our house” you said into his shoulder, he flipped in your arms so he could face you

“Me too baby, how do you pictures looks?” He asked then kissed your forehead

“They almost look as good as you do working on the house” you said flirting with your boyfriend he chuckled and playfully grabbed your ass.

“The second room will be such a good nursery don’t you think?” He asked you slightly smirking,

“A Nursery?” You questioned, you and art had talked about having kids many times, you both wanted a family and couldn’t wait to have kids, but you didn’t think that would happen for a while, definitely not until you were married.

“Mhm” he hummed “We can paint the walls and build a crib, fill the whole room with toys” he told you taking your hand and walking into the empty room, it was no secret that art really wanted a baby, he’d always stop you when you’d see a baby on the street, or see a cute outfit.

“Hm did you check with Patrick because I think he thinks it’s his room” you asked only half kidding

“He’ll be okay, maybe we can do bunk beds” he suggested

“So when are you planning on this baby happening then mister”

“Well soon, after we get Married, so after I purpose” he informed you confidently, you blushed

“So when’s that gonna happen Artie?” You titled your head giving him Attitude, Art laughed pulling you into him

“Nice try babe, can’t tell you that though” he started walking out “Soon though” he said throwing one hand in the air. You smiled to yourself thinking about the future. You were so content with your life right now you and Art were getting older making a reality of the plans you would make in Arts tiny dorm room.

You and Art unpacked and organized and decorated all day long and you were both exhausted and very happy with your new home and how it was coming together. Art insisted that you guys go to dinner to celebrate this step in your relationship. It didn’t take much convincing from him you loved going on dates with Art, the fire in your relationship never died every date had the same excitement the first date had. Art took you to a restaurant right by the ocean you two sat outside talking about all the things you normally talked about plus some new stuff regarding your house. You had no idea how Art was going to purpose, he definitely teased you and would kneel to tie his shoe but make it seem like he could be purposing. You tried to put the idea out of your head you knew it would happen you were just eager to spend the rest of your life with him.

When you got home from dinner it was still slightly light out the sun was setting and was almost all the way down creating a beautiful sunset. You went to the bathroom and Art went out to your patio. He turned on the string light he had hung earlier. It was an adorable little backyard big enough for some patio furniture a hammock and maybe a small play set later on. If Art was being honest he thought about purposing to you 24/7 he finally got his grandmas engagement back from the jewelers and was carrying it around for almost a week waiting for a good moment. You walked out to meet him on the patio, he stood behind you wrapping his strong arms around you, sitting in comfortable silence for a minute

“We can put a play set over there you know” Art hummed imagining a little version of you and him playing in their yard.

“Your doing all this baby talk, you know you gotta put a ring on it first Donaldson” you teased. Art knew this was his moment, he unwrapped his arm and grabbed the small box out of his pocket kneeing down. Before you could realize what he was doing you turned around to see why he let go of you. There he was on one knee holding a velvet box out with both hands.

“Then will you marry me?” He asked in a soft tone of voice looking at your like you were his everything. He didn’t say anything else, he didn’t need too. You were so surprised you immediately squealed and got down to his level, you didn’t even look at the ring because it didn’t matter you would say yes no matter what. You grabbed his face with both hands with tears welling in both yours and his eyes

“Yes, Yes, Yes of course” you practically screamed throwing yourself into his arms. He wrapped you in his arms and you both laughed. Then you kissed, not like you had ever kissed before. There was so much joy and passion in this kiss you saw fireworks. He pulled away from the hug and slid the ring on your finger. It fit perfectly and it was beautiful.

“It was my grandmothers” Art said as you wiped a tear from his Cheek your breath hitched in your throat and you smiled. You had known arts grandmother, she died about a year into your relationship. Art was heartbroken it was the first time you had seen him really upset, he was very close with her. Giving you this ring meant the world to him and you knew it. Tears fell down your face as you smiled pressing your forehead to his.

“It’s perfect” you whispered looking down at the ring, He looked at it too feeling how full is heart felt,

“I’ve been stealing your rings so that I could get it resized” he confessed, you laughed wholeheartedly

“I thought I lost those in the move I can’t believe you!” You laughed and so did he.

You realized the sun was fully set now and the lights were the only thing that let you see anything. It was beautiful.

You and your now fiancé sat on the patio lounge couch in each others arms, you were both quiet enjoying the beautiful night still in disbelief.

“You better call Patrick and tell him, you know he doesn’t like being left out” you laughed looking up at Art, he glanced at you smiling

“He’s already on his way with champagne” art admitted and you both laughed.

About ten minutes later you heard Patrick ringing the doorbell over and over again Art ran to the door and you followed

“HEYYYYYY” Patrick yelled nearly jumping into Arts arms. Him and Art laughed and hugged. Patrick loved you, when he first met you it was touch and go he was really protective of his best friend. But as he got to know you and you proved that you loved Art as much as he did he warmed up to you. It sort of felt like Patrick was you and Arts first son. You guys took care of him more than anyone else in his life ever did.

“Welcome to the family!” Patrick joked coming over to you pulling you in for a big bear hug still holding two bottles of champagne. Art smiled watching his two favorite people get along so well. Patrick was overjoyed for you both, he knew how much Art loved you and how long he waited for this.

“My little guy finally grew the balls to ask you to marry him I can’t believe it!” He said ruffling Arts shaggy blonde hair. “Now lemme see old Lilian’s ring” he exclaimed. Patrick was also close with Arts Grandmother, even though she thought he was a bad influence on her “little Arthur” she was the only one who called him Arthur, it always made you chuckle hearing it.

You Art and Patrick sat in your half set up living room drinking champagne from the bottle

“Pat, how are things going with you and y/f/n” you asked Patrick, a few months ago you had introduced Patrick and your friend. You had noticed how alike they were, both party animals who were stubborn but very sweet deep down. Patrick would never admit it but he was ready to settle down, he didn’t want ten girls anymore he wanted one. He was ready for something special, like you and Art had.

“Uhh… good” Patrick blushed trying to hide his growing smile,

“Yeah?” Art smiled, not used to seeing his friend like this,

“Yeah. Great actually. Things are great” Patrick smiled shyly. This was the most he’s said about her. You guys knew him though, he was in love, maybe for the first time.

The rest of the night the three of you drank champagne and talked for hours before Patrick left. Then of course you and Art celebrated alone.

[firgri]

Fem! Reader × Yandere! Knight

Synopsis: For 5 months you have been trying to remember all the past events that happened before all this, but why is this knight so passionate about you?

(I'm sorry, but English is not my native language, so I used a translator! Rus->eng)

----

5 months.

You have been in this strange place for 5 months. You don't remember what happened before 5 months...You don't even remember your childhood! All you know is that you work as a maid for some rich nobleman. Of course, they didn't pay that much, but you can feed yourself, so they also gave you a separate bed!...This is the best thing, because you don't even remember if you have your own house or even relatives. You only knew that your name was [Name], and even then you learned it from other maids.

Sighing, you took a basin of laundry and went outside, starting to hang them on ropes.

- Oh, my God...Why is there always so much underwear! - you mumbled to yourself, continuing to do your job. After all, you get paid for it! At least something should make you happy.

Looking to the right, you noticed the outlines of something or even someone in the distance. Taking a closer look, you noticed a herd of horses, and people were sitting on them ..... in armor. As they approached, you noticed the royal emblem on the armor.

- What......Not what, but who! Saying that a little louder, you gathered up your remaining belongings and ran to the back door of the manor. Even you understood that the arrival of the royal guards in such a remote place is one of the strangest situations!

Breaking into the manor, you tried to find the head maid. When you noticed her, you ran up to her and started saying that someone was approaching the estate.

After looking at you, she looked out the window and gasped.

- My God! What has he done again, that everything has already reached the guards! - she said, quickly starting to look for the owner of the house with her eyes. Realizing that he was not there, she walked briskly towards the stairs. She stopped and shouted.

- What are you staring at! Keep doing what you've been doing before! If you don't start, I'll fire you all! - after these words, she ran to the 2nd floor.

After looking at each other, you exchanged glances and started doing what you had been doing before. Going outside with a new batch of laundry, you wanted to start doing your job, as you accidentally bumped into something very hard. No wonder the head maid told you to always look ahead, not at your feet!

With these thoughts, you rubbed your nose and looked ahead, only to see the texture of someone else's armor in front of your eyes. Taking two steps back, you looked at the face of the one who owned them. Man. So another one of the important royal knights. After looking at you, he shifted his weight to the other leg, straightened his hair and began to talk.

- Girl, do you know where the owner of this estate is? - The man with brown hair said. Taking a closer look, you noticed that there was only one large scar on his face, which ran from his lips to his very left eye.

- Oh, uh, what?.... Ah! The owner, he is, well, uh... - you started to get nervous. What should you say! Why of all the people he had to ask you, there were other employees here! How did he even know that you would be here!

Starting to look around to find something or someone who will help you in this situation, you sighed when you heard a voice from the front door.

- Please forgive me for coming just now! I had things to do. - when he came up to you, he offered his hand so that the knight could shake it. Realizing that he did not want to do this, the owner lowered it, and a drop of sweat ran down his forehead.

- Well, let's not disturb the servants to work and let's go into the house. - having said that, he went into the building, at the same time starting to look back at you, then at him.

Realizing that the knight was in no hurry to go anywhere, you decided to move away from him a few more steps, but you heard only one sentence that made you stand up and say, "you haven't changed since our last meeting," it was only after these words that he followed your master, and you stayed outside.

- What?.... - you said with a puzzled voice. Looking away, you saw the people who came with him. They looked at you maliciously and with mischief in their eyes. What's going on anyway? After this whole situation, you continued to do your job, trying to think less about it.

Having finished with that, you picked up an empty basin, heading into the house through the back door. But before you could get there, you heard something from the other knights that made you stop and listen.

- I don't understand why he chose her? There are so many good women or even men at court, so it's still up to him. one of the crowd said, and the other supported him and replied that "you are too inferior in his status." Thinking about it, you began to wonder what connects you with this person at all.

- Come on, quickly shut your mouths and shut up! - realizing that they would not continue their argument, you opened the door and went inside the house.

Stretching, you were about to go to your room when one of the maids called you back. - [Name]! It's for you here. Marie is calling..Well, that is, the head maid is calling to her... - after a pause, she continued, - she said that she needs you very much. Well, if anything, it's on the second floor. In the master's office... - it was only after these words that she looked at you piteously and went her way.

Why? That's the only question you've had all the way to your destination. After knocking on the door and hearing the invited "come in", you opened the door a crack and looked through the crack at what was happening in the room.

- Aah, this is our [Name], what was missing here! The lord of the manor said and continued. - Well, sit down here, - after looking at the place indicated by the owner, you came a little closer and sat down on it. It turned out that you were sitting where the man with the scar on his face was.

Seeing his nod, the host continued, - Well, since everyone is with us, we can continue our conversation. Khem, [Name]....Well, it's like a fairy tale

here - you're being taken to the royal castle. Marie interrupted, starting to look at you.

- This is a very responsible position, because not every one of us is honored to receive a blessing from such a person. - after these words, she stroked your head and went to the door and continued: - I'll go pack your things. It was only after these words that she closed the door.

After looking at the two of you, the owner added to Marie's words: - Yes! I'm going to help her, and you can talk here! It's been so long since you've seen each other...the very moment, hehe -

Silence. That's what came from you when this whole situation was happening to you. What were you supposed to say?! With these thoughts, you didn't notice how one of his hands took your wrist and kissed the back of it. It was only after this gesture that you recoiled from him and stood up, starting to speak.

- I-I think it's all a-mistake! I don't understand what's going on here, but I'm not ready for this role! You shouted, trying to justify yourself somehow. Getting up from his seat, he spoke: - Don't you remember me? - he said, to which you dropped your gaze to the floor.

What should I do in this situation?! Of course you don't remember anything! You don't even remember your childhood! What if he was important to you then? Who is he to you anyway?! After remaining silent for two more minutes, you wanted to open your mouth, but you were interrupted: - Don't worry, we will have a lot of time to remember everything that happened in childhood. - with these words, he leaned towards you and tried to kiss you on the lips, but you recoiled even more and ran to the door, just to be away from him.

- Listen, I-I don't understand what's going on here, but I don't even know you! - you answered, trying to panic less. If the answer is that you've never seen him and he just confused you with someone else, will it help you get out of this situation? When he opened his mouth to answer that, he interrupted you again. Why is it like this every time!

- I did not expect that this would be exactly the case...That's what I was hoping for. After these words, he remained silent and continued to speak only after a few seconds.

- We were best friends when we were kids. He looked down at the floor and fell silent, as if waiting for an answer from you.

One minute. Two. Three.

Silence.

And that you should answer him! Think, [Name], think! When you started going through all your memories for 5 months, you remembered how some of the maids were chatting about who was the hottest of the royal guards. There was definitely a name mentioned three times in their chatter every time, but that's what it was! Believe me...Vareon...Verian. Verian? Yes, that's right, Verian! They always said something about him, complementing his other actions, but was that really his name? After thinking it over, you didn't see anything better, so you decided to try your luck, so you answered.

- That's right! Verian! It's you, it's you! - you said enthusiastically, even without a single hesitation in your voice, proud of it, you continued: - I'm sorry again that I couldn't recognize you, it's just that because of this work, the most important people for me are forgotten, - with these words, you began to expect his answer.

After looking at you, he fell silent...

oh my God. Isn't that his name and you just took it and disgraced yourself in front of him!

- yes! It's me! You finally remembered me, I'm so happy about it! - after these words, he began to remember how good it was for you as a child.

It was after this whole situation that your life completely changed. You have moved to the royal castle. It was twice or even five times the size of the estate you usually lived in. You were placed in the kitchen to wash dishes, help cooks, peel vegetables and many, many other things. It was only from that moment that you began to miss the plentiful amount of laundry that they forced you to hang up every day.

- I can't do this anymore! - you shouted into the void, continuing to peel vegetables, - Why are there so many things to do? There's not even a minute to rest. - with these words, you peeled the potatoes, washed the appliances and went in the direction of your room. Turning towards your room, you did not expect to see Verian leaning against the wall. Only he was missing now.

No, of course, he was a good guy and all that, but he was very resourceful: he often came to you to check on you (even if he had his own duties); asked for your mood; tried to help; once he came before the battle, so that you would bless him for victory, but how did you do it That's how he left with a smile from ear to ear!

That's why you wanted only one thing right now- to rest and nothing more.

Turning in the other direction, you were about to go back to the kitchen and sleep there, but he noticed you and called your name. I don't think I can even get enough sleep today.

- Oh, Verian, I didn't even notice you! How are you doing? - you said that with the best smile you could give. He looked at you, smiled, came up to you and replied: - Yes! I'm fine, thanks for your concern. Smiling, he continued: - Do you want to go out and look at the sky now? I heard there was going to be a starfall today, so I wanted to spend it with you. He smiled stupidly, looked at the floor, and his cheeks grew warmer.

Your answer did not keep him waiting long: you refused.

- what?.. - He said and looked at you.

- Listen, I'm very tired right now. Well, you know how much I have to do right now, so let's do it another time, okay? - you said it a little more gently, trying not to offend him. You tried to pass by, but with one movement he was able to pin you against the wall. - Then let's do it tomorrow, okay? - he said with some hope when he looked at you.

You have even more things to do tomorrow than you have today...

- Verian, I understand what you want to see, but I have a lot to do right now. So let's go through....A week or two? - looking at him, you expected him to understand you and leave you alone, but everything did not go the way you wanted...

Tilting his head, he came a little closer to you, which even made you feel his breath. - I'm only giving you this day to rest, and that's it. - He said rudely. After these shots, he walked away from you and went deep into the castle.

You didn't move for two or three minutes, and when you realized what he said, you whimpered and opened the door to your room.

You didn't get enough sleep. This day will be very long due to the fact that we did not sleep until the morning, as we thought about his words for a very long time.

You've been yelled at for the umpteenth time, because you fell asleep at the workplace, and once you fell asleep on sacks of potatoes.

It's good that even very good people worked in this castle, which is why you were able to make friends with them. After seeing your condition, one of the maids offered to replace you so that you could go to sleep for at least an hour or two. You must agree.

Passing by the window, you looked through it and saw Verias. He doesn't seem to have thought much about what he said to you last night. After that, you turned your head forward and walked further down the corridors, not even noticing how Verias's gaze was fixed on you. It's good that no one was in the comanche, there is time for yourself.

Sinking down on the pillow, you sighed

We fell asleep with relief. You didn't dream about anything, but only after a while the pressure that was pressing on your chest increased. When you tried to remove it, you couldn't move your hands either. When you opened your eyes, you noticed a brown shock of hair on your chest, followed by Verian, who was lying on top of you.

- Wh-what?" - you said, trying to throw him off. He shushed and looked at you, grinning stupidly: - You know, I've been thinking about it and realized that I can't hold back anymore. - with that, he let you go and sat on top of you so that you wouldn't run away from him. You noticed that he was only wearing a linen shirt that exposed a little bit of his chest, trousers and boots, which he bothered to take off.

- I've been wanting to lie down with you like this for a long time. It's a pity that it only happened now - again that stupid smile that he always gave only to you.

- What are you getting at? You whispered, afraid of the worst that could happen.

- Don't you understand? Well, of course, because you don't remember, - he grinned and put his hand to your cheeks. - I like you. I've liked you since I was a kid, but now I'm happy that I can touch you so intimately now. He grinned and brought his face closer to yours. - Just don't worry, from now on I'll be able to take care of you in the best way possible. - he purred and wanted to kiss you on the lips, but you turned your head, which is why his lips met your cheek.

- No, you'd better let me go first, and then we'll talk, - you said, trying to somehow kick him off.

- If I let you go, you'll run away from me again, just like you always did. You always run away from me, even if I catch you in my arms, - he sighed and took your cheeks in his hand so that you wouldn't squirm. His grip was firm, which will certainly leave marks on your cheeks from his hands. - Listen, don't complicate anything for yourself and just kiss me, - he tried again, but you started squirming again, which is why he began to hold you with a rougher grip so that you would not escape. Realizing that there was nothing you could do, you looked at him and noticed his blank stare. There was nothing left of that stupid grin.

- Oh, don't look at me like that, I'm just doing what I should have done back then, - he said in your ear, which made you sob.

- Wh-what?" I don't understand what you're getting at. - you already wanted to start crying, as he ran his hand over your face to collect your tears.

- Well, well, you don't need to have something like that on your pretty face. - He said, wiping the tears from your eyes.

- Well, to be more precise, it's because of me that you don't remember what happened up to 5 months ago, heh. After all, I did it so that time would roll back, and I can do it as much as I want, hehe. So you will always be by my side, everywhere and always. - he took advantage of your misunderstanding and kissed you. Dozens of thoughts were spinning in your head - You know, heh, I like playing with you. I like to pursue you over and over again, but I always come at the most terrible time, because in all my attempts you could not really fall in love with me. - he muttered, starting to crush you with his weight so that you would not escape. And then the darkness.

Month.

It's been a month since you've been in this strange place. You don't remember what happened before 5 months...You don't even remember your childhood! All you know is that you work as a maid for some rich nobleman. Of course, they didn't pay that much, but you can feed yourself, so they also gave you a separate bed!...This is the best thing, because you don't even remember if you have your own house or even relatives. You only knew that your name was [Name], and even then you learned it from other maids.

Sighing, you took a basin of laundry and went outside, starting to hang them on ropes.

  - Oh, my God...Why is there always so much underwear! - you mumbled to yourself, continuing to do your job. After all, you get paid for it! At least something should make you happy.

Looking to the right, you noticed the outlines of something or even someone in the distance. Taking a closer look, you noticed a herd of horses, and people were sitting on them ..... in armor. As they approached, you noticed the royal emblem on the armor.

Having already decided to rush into the house, but you heard a voice from behind, and then something pulled you by your dress and pulled you upstairs. You were screaming and fighting with the one who grabbed you. You fought, but when you were turned to the one who grabbed you, you only saw a smirk on the man's face.

  - Hmm, I didn't wait this time, I'm sorry, I wanted to meet you too much. - he muttered, putting you on a horse. With a wave of their hand, the soldiers got down and headed into the building.

  - W-wait! Wh-what's going on? You shouted, trying to stay on the horse. Turning his head, the man looked at you and grinned, - Well, well, don't worry, it's already over -before he could say the last words, you began to hear the screams of the maids from the manor. A chill ran through your skin.

  - Do you see? I told you it's over, now we're back together. - He said with a smirk on his face, looking straight into your eyes.

He was right, now you're back together.