#1. coffee I had when I took myself out for lunch

[apricotluvr]

May 2023 ☕️🕌🍃🍿🍓🗒

[lillsisamarshmallow]

Bake, Eat, Run (1)

Chapter Summary: Y/n tries to follow her Dog hybrid friend back home to make sure he's okay, when she ends up in a dead-end alley what will she do? Why does she feel like someone's watching her? Is she safe?

 Word count: 2k

 Warnings: Mentions of Bruises, Mentions of Unsafe areas

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   My keys clattered against the glass as I turned them to unlock the door, pushing it open the tiny bell chimed the sound filling up the small bakery café. The morning light shining through the various windows illuminating the place. Closing the door and walking over to the counter, I placed my bag and keys before heading over to the light switch flipping them all and turning on the radio, the café lit up as the low noise of the radio flooded through the room.

 Over on the other side of the café I quickly reorganized the books on the shelf that customers from yesterday had been reading, I choose a cd from the pile before inserting it into the player, the music tying everything together and bringing the place alive. A small smile splayed on my face, my feet moving me to the kitchen I grabbed some wipes and begin to wipe down the counter before moving on to the benches swaying with the music and humming the tune.

 The bell chiming brought me out of my trance, turning to look at the door I saw Seoyeon entering the store, her dark hair framing her face, a halter top paired with some baggy jeans and light-yellow cardigan. She placed her bag on the table I'd already wiped down before turning to me, a smile clear on her face, her infectious aura affecting me, a grin began tugging at my lips as she walked over.

 "Morning" She vocalized in a sing-song voice "How was yesterday? Sorry I couldn't be here, mum insisted that I went with her".

 "You left me with the shop all by myself." I grunted remembering the events of yesterday, Seoyeon had rung me around this time yesterday saying she wouldn't be able to make it because her mum had needed her help with planning a garden party for her business associates.

 "You weren't alone."

 "Yes, I was."

 "No, you had Nali and Haewon here," She sassed "I know they're young, but they work hard. They're good kids".

 "I know but they're only here after school Seoyeon." Sighing I smiled up at her from my leaning position of wiping tables. "It's fine, but maybe next time try to give a heads up so I can organize someone to come in."

 "Okay boss!"

 "Yah! Stop that" I rolled my eyes and wacked her with the rag before her screech of disgust ripped through the air causing a laugh to ripple out of my throat.

 "Okay! Okay! ...meanie" Pretending not to hear that last part I moved on to ask her about the planning, shuffling over to start another table.

 "It was boring, honestly what do you expect? A bunch of old people sipping their wine and discussing who has the most successful grandchildren. The food was nice though".

 Humming in agreement I finished wiping the benches and started touching up some of the table condiment sets.

 "Yeah, well I'll go put my stuff down and start helping open up shop. " I heard Seoyeon say.

 Standing up we both went back over to the kitchen to finish opening shop.

                     The café had been busy this morning, but it was slowing down now before the lunch rush. It was nearing 11am which was my lunch break, I was making the last coffee before my shift ends.

 "One Vanilla Latte for Chaeyoung?" I spoke out eyes scanning the waiting customers before a young lady with blond and black hair appeared in front of me.

 "Here you go, Have a nice day."

 "Thank you and you too".

 Turing around I took off my apron and rinsed my hands before heading into the kitchen. Walking the oven in the corner I slipped on some oven mitts before opening it. A rush of hot air hit my face and I grabbed the tray of pastries I had made earlier placing it on the counter.

 Removing the oven mitts, I looked over the pastries to ensure they were cooked, grabbing a small plate I moved a few over before putting the rest in the cooling rack.

 5 should be enough besides there's a few different options anyways.

 Holding the plate, I got some drinks from the fridge.

 "Seoyeon I'm going on my lunch break!" I yelled to her. "Okay! Say hi for me" She responded from the front sounding quite busy serving customers.

 "Will do!" I opened the back door keeping it ajar with my foot while trying to squeeze through with my hands full. Stepping outside I put the plate and bottles on the small table we had before sitting down myself.

 It didn't take long before I saw a head of blond hair accompanied by golden dog ears walking down the alley cautiously trying not to be spotted by the wrong person.

 "Hey Jimin!"

 Worried brown eyes met my own upon realizing who I was his eyes soften and a smile splayed on his face. He got a bit closer before speaking, I stood up to greet my friend.

 "Hi Y/N.." Jimin spoke quietly, by now I was used to his small quiet nature, trying not to be noticed by people. Thankfully customers didn't come out here and not many people walked down this alley.

 Jimin had been coming to have lunch with me for the past few weeks, I had caught him going through our trash one day looking for food, I had startled him as at first, I had yelled thinking he was a criminal. After that day I would leave some food out on our back table for him with small little notes introducing myself and labelling the foods. Whenever I left chocolate muffins out, they were always left behind. Eventually I walked into him while going for my lunch break, he didn't talk much but he sat down with me, and over time we developed a friendship.

 We sat down at the small outdoors table with the food "Seoyeon says 'Hi'. I've got muffins, some croissants and an apple danish, have whichever you like. " I began "Oh and some banana milk and water. I hope this is okay".

 Jimin look astonished at the array of pastries on the plate. "Y/N, I can't-" "Yes you can, and you will." I cut him of "Please, I don't have anyone else to spend my lunch break with Seoyeon is working" Although both Jimin and Seoyeon knew of each other they hadn't properly met per Jimin's request when we first started having lunch together, but I'd relay greetings and hellos for each of them.

 Jimin smiled but I could see the guilt behind his eyes. "...Okay" a grinned spread on my lips as he reached for a croissant, before he picked it up, he looked to me nervous. I gave him the biggest approving smile I could letting him know it was okay, I grabbed the danish myself before taking a bite.

 This batch came out well I thought to myself before swallowing and looking over to Jimin.

 "How have you been?" I asked him.

 "I've... been okay".

 Not noticing the small hesitation in his voice, I continued "That's good to hear" Munching on my food. "How about you? He questioned. "I've been good, been trying to come up with some new dishes for the new menu."

                        Jimin and I continued to talk for the remainder of my lunch break, I noticed that today, much like the past few weeks Jimin hadn't eaten much. I always let Jimin talk any of the left-over pastries from our lunches but recently he's been leaving more left over to take for later. At first, I thought he just wasn't that hungry or wanted to save some for dessert or something later, but it seems like it's more than that. I wrapped up the pastries in one of my food bandanas making sure to include the banana milk he refused to drink but still wanted before handing it over to him.

 "Thank you for joining me for lunch again Jimin" I beamed.

 "Thank you for letting me have lunch with you and-" he gestured to the bag of foods not continuing his sentence.

 I nodded at him, and he smiled back at me.

 "I'll see you around yeah?"

 "Of course."

 We parted ways as Jimin continued down the alley before taking a turn, I went back to the shop walking inside closing the door, I walked through the kitchen placing the plate in the sink stuck in thought.

 Why is he saving so much food? Is everything okay? Maybe he just doesn't like my baking? Where does he even go after lunch, he goes down the alleys but where do they lead? I hope he's not in trouble or anything. There is a lot of criminals in those alleys, I hope he's safe...

 "What's wrong? You seemed lost in thought" Snapping me from my train of worries and thoughts Seoyeon's voice saves me. Turning to look at her she looks concerned.

 "It's just-" Not sure if I should continue, I look to the door biting my lip. "I'm worried about Jimin, he's saving most of the lunches and not eating, and he's always walking through those alley ways by himself. I swear I saw some bruises on him the other day." I mumbled just loud enough to hear.

 "Oh no.." The worry was clear in her voice despite not having met Jimin, Seoyeon worried about him also. "That's terrible..."

 "I know" Sighing and looking back at her.

 "Go" Her soft voice flooded my ears "Go after him and see if he's okay, see where he's going".

 "But the shop-" "It's not very busy right now I can manage, beside Nali and Haewon will be here soon. " Seoyeon grinned before nodding at me.

 Giving her a thankful look and smile I headed for the back door to go follow Jimin, surely, he couldn't have gotten too far.

 I jogged down the alleyway from the café before making it to a turn, remembering which way Jimin went I took the correct turn before speeding up again.

              Left

 Right

 Right

 Left

 Right

 Left

 Straight

 Left

 Straight

 My legs were burning from the excessive running and walking.

 Geez I need to work out more.

 Stopping to get a breath I looked ahead of me an intersection of different alleyways, slowly walking up it, I looked down the left seeing it led to a single right turn, I could hear cars, so it probably led to a road. Straight ahead seemed to also lead to a road after a turn. I rotated to my left to see a dead end, but it had some random boxes and bins around. It even had a few pare pieces of furniture around that had obviously been abandoned by its owner. Something felt off, it gave me a weird feeling and this alley it was way too quiet, I pressed forwards despite the unsettling feeling in my stomach.

 As I got further in the alley, I could see things had been thrown about, raggedy, ripped, dirty clothes littered the abandoned couch and surrounding floor. One end of the couch had a jumper stuffed with other clothes and tied at the end almost like a pillow.

 It was almost as if someone was living here... Something caught the corner of my eye as I turned to look what I saw shocked me.

 Poking out from underneath a mattress that was standing upright leaning in the wall was thick, long, black tail. "What the..." I stepped closer to it, but it flicked away and hid itself behind the mattress. jumping back a glanced around the rest of the dead-end alley. turning away from the mattress and back to the couch I noticed some of the clothes that were littering the lounge had shifted. Panic flooded through my brain as I slowly started to back away from both the mattress and couch.

 "I need to leave..." I mumbled backing up to where I had thought the entrance was only to back into a hard structure obscuring my clear path out.

 A wall.

 Trying to calm myself down I relax my shoulders, my breathing perfectly in sync with the wall behind me, the matching movement helped calm me down, lowering my heartbeat, but only until I realized.

 Wait... walls don't breathe...

             A/n: It's here! It took me awhile as I wanted to get the first few chapters written before publishing any, I hope you all enjoy this series as much I have enjoyed writing it so far. Why is this wall breathing?! (Part of the crew, part of the ship 👀 ) Have a nice day & Thankyou all for reading! 💜

[jimblejamblewritings]

Our Violent Delights Will Not Have Violent Ends: The Twilight Saga Rewrite (Book 1, Twilight) | Part 2.

Summary: Y/N Swan is just like every other girl and she likes it that way. Normal is fantastic. Normal creates a functioning member of society. Normal is the reason she moved to a small town to live with her police officer father... only to find out that she gets the farthest thing from what she wanted. This is a re-write of Twilight.

Warnings for the Series: light violence, light angst, light smut

Warnings for the Chapter: none

Pairing: Edward Cullen x reader, Jacob Black x reader

Word Count: 3.4k

The entirety of the lunch period, you couldn’t find the stomach to eat much. Your bowl of tomato soup only had a few spoonfuls taken out of it. But all the saltine crackers were gone. You had gone over and over in your head what you would say to Edward. Now that he was here, you couldn’t remember anything. You had never been in a real confrontation anymore. You took a glance at his table again. 

He looked different than before. Not terribly different, but enough that you noticed. His skin looked less pale and less stretched over his skeleton. The dark circles underneath his eyes aren’t there anymore either. Now, you could see why people said he looked perfect. 

The bell rang and you silently cursed. You couldn’t have been given more time? Reluctantly, you went with Eric and Mike to your biology class. Eric and you looked over when Mike started frantically digging in his backpack. 

“Ah, shit. Hey, tell Mr. Donoghue that I left my textbook in my car and I’m going to get it.” 

“Okay.” 

Mike ran as fast as possible while the two of you continued going to class. Eric sighed before turning to face you as you stood right in front of the doorway to bio class. 

“Hey, so, about prom, I’m the one in charge of communicating with the dj. I’ve lived my whole life here so I know my music choice sucks so I’m gonna need your playlist.” 

“Okay, when?” you asked as you pulled out yout phone to jot down that note. 

“As long as it’s before the month ends, that’s cool. And then dates…  I was wondering do you think Ang—” 

“How you liking the rain, Arizona?” Mike shook out his baseball cap that got soaked in the rain from the run to his car. 

“Guys! Class is about to start. Please take your seats,” Mr. Donoghue cut off whatever Eric was trying to say. If it was important, he’d get back to you later. 

Unfortunately, his lab partner and your lab partner were back so you had to sit with Edward Cullen. There was a slight smile on his face as you walked towards your lab bench. Before you got a chance to say the prepared speech, he spoke. 

“Hello. I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself the other day. I’m Edward Cullen.” His voice was smooth like coffee and somewhat low in its sound. “You’re Y/F/N Swan, right?”  

“Y/N.” 

You didn’t give him a chance to say anything else, turning your head to listen to Mr. Donoghue’s lesson. He must have been in cahoots with the universe because his assignment was partner work. The prize? A golden onion that has no value until he comes up with what it stands for. At least only one person could look through the microscope at a time. Edward pushed the device towards you. 

“Ladies, first.” 

“Why were you gone?” You looked in the microscope. “And it better be a good answer too… It’s prophase.” 

“Mind if I check?...Yeah, I was out of town for a couple days. It’s prophase.” 

“Like I said and the empty chair next to me told me that much.” 

“Personal reasons.” 

“Do personal reasons involve rude interactions?” 

“Uh, no. I’m sorry about that. It wasn’t the best day for me before you showed up to class.”  

“Apology accepted, I guess.” 

“So are you enjoying the rain?... What?”

You tried to stop laughing. “You’re asking me about the weather?” 

“Yeah, I guess I am.” 

“Well, no, not really. I’m not really a fan of any cold or wet place.” 

Edward chuckled as he checked another slide. 

“What?” 

“Nothing.” He shook his head. “It’s anaphase.” 

“Mind if I check… Anaphase.” 

“Like I said,” he joked. “If you don’t like the rain then why did you move to the wettest place in the continental United States?” 

“Baseball.” 

“Baseball? It’s also anaphase. Do you want to check it?” 

“No, I believe you.” 

Edward listened intently as you retold your story to yet another person about why you were in Forks, asking questions when necessary. You guys continued to do your work and talk. He carried the golden onion prize as he escorted you to your locker. 

“Why didn’t you move with your mother and Phil?” 

“Moving once means moving again. Phil could get a second contract next year and we’d be in California or Maine or some stupid place like Delaware.” 

“But now you’re unhappy staying here?” 

“It’s complicated.” 

Edward paused. “I’m sorry, I’m asking too much. I’m just trying to figure you out. You’re very difficult for me to read.” 

“Well, asking questions like a normal human bei— hey, did you get contacts?” 

“No.” 

“I swear your eyes were black last time I saw you, now it’s like a golden brown color.” 

“Uh, no. It’s the fluorescents.” 

He walked away before you could say anything else. You didn’t see Edward until school ended and you went to your truck. He and his siblings seemed to be looking directly at you but you thought you were just being paranoid. You turned back around to dig through your bag for your keys. The screeching of tires caught your attention but it was too late. Tyler’s van was barrelling towards you and your feet couldn’t seem to move. 

Now was not the time to find out that your flight or fight response was the dreaded third option of freeze. You could see Edward, four cars away, staring at you in horror. His mouth dropped open. The same as all the other faces that were about to witness your death. Almost everything moved in slow motion.

The hunk of blue metal slid towards you, you felt something grab your waist, you were pulled down to the ground, and a pale hand was on the van that wasn’t hitting you. You stared at the dent in the metal caused by the hand before turning your head to make eye contact with Edward. 

He stared at you for a moment before letting go of you and running away. You were suddenly surrounded by people asking if you were alright. None of them seemed to have noticed Edward wasn’t there. The next thing you knew, you blacked out. 

The lights of the hospital were blinding when you finally came to your senses. The door opened with a vengeance and in strolled your very anxious father. He wouldn’t calm down no matter how much you tried to speak with him, threatening Tyler’s license and everything. It’s not like it was his fault his tires skidded on ice. You mouthed an apology before shutting the small curtain that divided the two hospital beds. 

“Dad, Dad I’m fine. Okay? I was lucky that Edward was there, no injuries.” 

“Edward?” Charlie turns to Dr. Cullen. “Your boy?” 

You cut in before the doctor could even get the chance to say anything. It seemed like he was going to lie. 

“Yeah, he got to me so quickly.” 

Dr. Cullen gave you a tight smile. “It sounds like you were very lucky. You just need to sign some paperwork, Charlie, and then you are good to go.” 

After Charlie signed the paperwork, he went to warm up the car before we had to drive to the school to get my car and then drive home. You turned the corner to one of the vending machines when you stopped after seeing Carlisle, Edward, and Rosalie talking with each other. It didn’t seem like a friendly conversation either. They were definitely arguing. As if they could hear you just breather, the three of them turned towards you. 

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” you asked. 

Edward looked reluctantly as he made his way towards you. “What?” 

“How did you get over to me so quickly?” 

“Y/N, what are you talking about? I was standing right next to you.” 

“No, you weren’t. Don’t try to lie through this either. You were across the parking lot. I know what I saw.” 

“And what was that?” 

“You stopped the van with your hand.” 

Edward’s somewhat amused face turned cold. “Well no one is going to believe you anyway. Can’t you just thank me and we just drop it?” 

“Thank you.” 

“You aren’t going to let this go, are you?” 

“Not at all,” I tell him, determined. 

“Well, I hope you enjoy disappointment.” 

You went home that night with more questions than answers and the oddly sneaking suspicion that someone was watching you. You went to the bathroom and took your shower while thinking about how Edward stopped the van. So far, you had no concrete answers. You went to bed without any answers as well. Although you did wake up in the middle of night after having a strange dream about Edward. 

You tried to not think about that as you went to school the next day. The buses were already up front when you parked, ready for the field trip that you were positive wasn’t going to be very fun. Edward and his siblings, Alice and Jasper, walked past you. Mike popped up in front of you. 

“Hey, you’re alive, Arizona!” 

“You need more than a van to take me down.” 

The two of you laugh as you hi-fived. 

“So I was wondering, are you going to prom?” 

“Um, I don’t know yet. Charlie said I get two free no questions asked days if I go but me and dancing… it’s not pretty.” 

“Well, do you know if Jess is going?” 

“Mike!” you gasped. “Are you trying to ask Jessica out?” 

“Lower your voice, please. Okay, I may have had a small crush on her since we were seven and I am choosing to ask out my very good friend to prom.” 

“She’s going. I’m going dress shopping with her and Ang next weekend.” 

“Okay. Okay, cool.” Mike walked off before coming right back. “Do you think she likes me?” 

“Most definitely.” 

“Sweet. Thanks, Y/N/N. You’re the best.” 

He got on one of the buses while you got on the other. Tyler sat next to you, plugging your headphones into the jack on his phone. You nodded along to Blue October’s “Hate Me” as it played. The two of you didn’t talk at all but stared out the window like you were in a music video and listened to music until you reached your destination. 

The greenhouse was… interesting. That was the nicest way you could put it. Maybe it would have been nicer if you all weren’t cramped in the small walkway between the plants. Mr. Molina and Mr. Donoghue were trying their hardest to get people to water the plants or give them soil. 

“Now, I’m gonna make a steaming cup of compost tea.” 

He handed it to Eric. You laughed as you heard a very panicked yell. 

“No! Don’t drink it! It’s for the plants.” 

“What’s a no questions asked day?” a deep voice behind you asked. 

You nearly jumped out of your skin. Turning around, you saw the classic peacoat and never out of place hair of Edward Cullen. When had he even come up behind you? 

“You know you’re not helping your case. How’d you even hear that?” 

“You didn’t answer my question.” 

“Dude, you never answer any of mine. You don’t even say hi.”

“Hi.” 

“Please try to act less like a human. Are you gonna tell me anything? Preferably about the other day.”  

“Yeah. I had an adrenaline rush,” he said clinically. “It’s very common. You can Google it.” 

You paused and looked at him. “You’re a terrible liar. And a no question day is when I tell Charlie I need to do something or go somewhere and he asks no questions. It’s a mutual trust betwe—” 

You tripped but felt air and two cold hands grab you instead of feeling your face kiss pavement. 

“Careful,” Edward said as he set you upright again. 

“Thanks. So are you going to answer any of my other questions?” 

“Um. Ma—” 

“Y/N/N!” Jess stepped in between you two. “Guess who just asked me to prom?” 

Edward took the opportunity to slip away. 

“Who?” you feigned ignorance. 

“Mike! I’ve been hoping since forever but like he actually asked me.” 

You and Jess talked the entire way out of the greenhouse and onto the buses, forgetting about Edward and wanting to ask him more questions until it was too late. You weren’t going to think about him for the rest of the day. You had a father-daughter/mother-son date with Charlie, Jacob’s mom, and Jacob. Which meant going to a restaurant because both Charlie and Sarah worked long hours and weren’t going to cook. And Billy was doing his physical therapy for walking so there was no way anyone would force him to cook. 

You went to pick up Jacob at his school while his mom picked up Charlie from the station. He was still inside when you reached the school. It felt stupid signing the visitors clipboard when the school day was already over but you did it anyway just in case. When you made it to a hangout area for students you spotted Jake with his friends. 

You’d like to say they were your friends too but you never got very close with them over the summer. Embry usually went somewhere with his mom, Quil’s grandfather kept inside most of the time, and Seth had sports.

And their acquaintances you knew even less. Paul and Jared were always one grade level above you all and hung out with themselves. Sam didn’t seem to like any of you despite being only a couple years older than you and having even a smaller age gap with Paul. And Leah didn’t come around because either her loser younger brother was there or Sam was there which sucked because you wanted another girl around. 

“Hey, Y/N,” Embry said as you turned the corner. 

“Hi, guys. Jake, you ready?”  

“Yeah. See you guys later.” 

He nodded at his friends before getting up to stand next to you. Your fingers twitched as he intertwined them with his own. He rolled his eyes at the wolf whistles from his friends, laughing when you threw up a middle finger while the two of you walked away. 

“So where are we going?” you asked. 

“Who picked last summer?” 

“Charlie.” 

“Oh, nice, so it’s my turn.” Jacob looked something up on his phone. “Smuggler’s Bar and Grill, sound good? It’s in Port Angeles though.” 

You shrugged. “Eh, I’ve already finished all my homework and Charlie doesn’t go back to work until the graveyard shift. Go ahead and text them our choice.” 

Your truck pulled out of the school parking lot and headed towards the highway. Jacob fiddled with the radio for at least one decent station while you drove the hour it took just to get to Port Angeles. Honestly, you didn’t mind the time. The drive, surrounded by trees, was comforting. Especially with your best friend. 

If you and Jake weren’t singing to songs, you were gossiping about school. There was no need to catch up on anything else. Jake was one of the few people you texted nearly everyday despite being so far away most of the year — including the fact that he had a secret girlfriend for three years. Whenever he wanted to get her a present, he would text you what it was and would pretend he was sending it to you so Billy and Sarah wouldn’t get suspicious. It worked. They didn’t find out even after the two broke up. 

You guys pulled into the restaurant and waited for your parents to show up. Like you predicted, Sarah already analyzed the entire menu and knew what she wanted to order. Jake held up his phone. 

“They said they’re twenty minutes away and the food takes that long to prepare so order for them.” 

“I’m surprised she got Charlie to pick something ahead of time.” 

The two of you went in and got a table like they said. The host smiled a bit too sweetly as they called over a waiter. You and Jacob looked at each other and came to the same conclusion at the same time, silently gagging. There was no way they thought that you guys were on a date. Absolutely not. Was it because you were holding hands? The two of you pulled apart but the damage was already done. 

The waiter sat you down at what you could tell was the restaurant’s nicest booth by the best window that would let you look out onto the water. He handed you the menus and left to give you alone time to think. 

“Just gross, no offense,” you said. 

Jacob shrugged. “None taken. I would never date you, you’re, like, my friend.” 

“Same. Too weird… Do you think they’ll give us free dessert if we are though?” 

“Do you want to play it up?” 

“Absolutely.” 

Jacob gave you a smile you had never seen before but assumed he must have given to his girlfriend. He laid his hand across the table for you to grab. You took it with no problem — Jake’s hands were always warm and still a bit soft since he wore gloves when he worked on cars and bikes. His thumb stroked the back of your hand and he set the menu down to look at you. Almost like magic, or like they’ve been secretly watching, the wait staff came over. 

“Are you two ready to order?” he asked as he set down two glasses of water. 

“Ladies first,” Jake let go of your hand, ready to scoop up your menu when you finished speaking. 

“Um, does the shrimp scampi have a smell?” you asked in fake concern, hoping the waiter would catch on to teen angst of potential bad breath before a first kiss. 

“Oh, no, I got you, honey.” He had a noticeable southern accent. “What do you want to drink?” 

“Iced Tea, please. Oh, and a Caesar salad with ranch dressing.” 

“Got it. And for the young sir?”

“I’ll take the Not Your Mother’s Mac and Cheese along with a lemonade. Oh, and our parents are chaperoning but they’re a little late. Can we get them one clam chowder and one Hawaiian chicken sandwich both with Ruby tonics? What is a ruby tonic?” 

“Oh, I’m so glad you kids are too young to know what it is. Your food will be ready in a minute.” 

He took the menus and walked away. You could hear him gossip to the rest of the staff about chaperones. Jacob grabbed your hand again, giving it a peck. 

“You know he’s totally gonna bring you breath mints. Did you really ask if the shrimp would smell?” 

“Hey, I had to sell it. What brand do you think it’ll be?” 

Jake kissed your hand again. “Lifesavers. They scream not obvious for teenagers asking.” 

“You say this from experience?” 

“Ehh with Elle a couple of times.” 

“Really? I can’t believe you had your first kiss and girlfriend and I couldn’t even get a date for homecoming. You’re still a virgin right?” 

“Yes. I am still a loser virgin.” 

“Hey, I’m a virgin.” 

“Well then in that case virginity rocks.” 

You and Jacob cheered and clinked glasses before laughing when you were unable to hold it anymore. He moved over to your side since the two of you would have to be sitting together anyway once Charlie and Sarah showed up. He took the opportunity to sling his arm around you while you snuggled up to him. The two of you could clearly hear awes. 

“If we actually get free dessert,” Jacob whispered. “We need to do this more often.”  

Your parents came in exactly when the food came out. They looked at the two of you weirdly as you awkwardly broke apart. You shook your head before Charlie could say anything. They went with it like you had asked.  Your parents could do absolutely nothing but shake their heads and smile as the waiter brought out free cinnamon rolls in to-go boxes for not just you and Jacob but for the “chaperones” as well. 

You guys left a generous tip, cleaned up the table, and left the restaurant. You and Jacob clinked the to-go boxes together. 

“Here’s to fake boyfriends.” 

“Here’s to fake girlfriends.”

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@smileykiddie08

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[twig-tea]

Get To Know Me Tag

Tagged by @telomeke @lurkingshan @my-rose-tinted-glasses @he-is-lightning-in-a-bottle and @hyeoni-comb thank you all! 💕

Do you make your bed?

I like a messy bed, it feels more welcoming to me somehow. The only time I make my bed is when I'm without heat and it's winter, then you gotta do it to keep in any residual warmth! But normally I'd rather keep everything loose.

What’s your favorite number?

I....don't think I have one? Is this a thing people have, how do you choose?

What is your job?

I manage a team of Product Owners in the Operations division of a multinational company. In other words, I go to a lot of meetings.

If you could go back to school, would you?

Absolutely not. Beyond the fact that I was formerly a substantive editor of university textbooks, which included both editing the textbook content and sometimes writing their ancillaries (tests, powerpoint slides, etc.) so it feels like I took first-year Sociology at least ten times, I just don't love formalized education. I love learning but on my own terms and at my own pace.

Can you parallel park?

I can't drive at all! Technically I learned how, took lessons and everything, but never got my license.

A job you had that would surprise people?

Hmm. I was a call center person for half a day, it was terrible and I left without getting paid for the work I did because I was so eager to get out of there I didn't want to fight them for my pay (even though I needed the money which is why I was there in the first place). I hate phone calls, I can't hear well on the phone, and it was clear the call center script was designed to be exploitative. It was one of the worst jobs for me I could have taken lol

Do you think aliens are real?

I think it's extremely likely!

Can you drive a manual car?

Nope, even when I learned, it was only on an automatic.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

I'm not guilty about it but I can decimate an entire family size mac and cheese when I'm feeling down.

Tattoos?

I have 3 tattoos; one on each foot and one on the back of my neck. They form a rainbow.

Favorite color?

Blue-green! The shade of preference for any given moment varies, but anything in the region from mint to aqua to teal to turquoise will do; I love them all.

Favorite type of music?

My music taste varies widely but the common denominators are 1) fast tempo or upbeat, 2) solid harmonies, and 3) if there's a tempo or key change I am doubly sold.

Do you like puzzles?

Love puzzles of all kinds. I have a collection of jigsaw puzzles I do regularly, and word puzzles, logic puzzles, sudoku type stuff is all very fun. I don't make a lot of time for them but I do them occasionally and always enjoy it.

Any phobias?

I am afraid of falling. Not heights, but falling. The difference is: I can lean over the railing at the top of a 20-storey building or walk on a glass floor over a big drop and just feel a minor thrill, but am terrified to the point of maybe crying if I have to balance on a single step of a ladder or walk across a patch of ice. I had several brushes with death related to falling when I was a kid, and a few bad falls that caused injury as an adult, so it makes sense. Luckily I am pretty tall so I rarely have to do any kind of ladder-ing!

Favorite childhood sport?

American-style tackle football. We used to play at lunch on the pavement because the soccer kids got the field; we played in all seasons including snow, and we did it for love of the sport. I loved it a lot.

Do you talk to yourself?

Occasionally I'll provide a little commentary on what's happening aloud to myself; but I don't really have fully conversations.

What movies do you adore?

I have loved a lot of movies in my time! A few random ones that come to mind right now because I've been thinking about them for whatever reason are Saving Face (2004), Monster (2023), Practical Magic (1998), Moonlight (2016), and Clue (1985).

Coffee or tea?

Despite my username being a type of tea, in this as in all things I am a perfect Kinsey 3. Love both equally and drink a ton of both (coffee more regularly, tea in greater volume).

First thing you wanted to be growing up?

Lifeguard, I think! And then when I was in elementary school I wanted to edit textbooks (I was that kid who got annoyed whenever there were mistakes), so I did actually get to do my childhood dream job.

No pressure tags just going with vibes based on who I've interacted with recently (if you've done this already tag me in the comments!): @rocketturtle4 @visualtaehyun @sollucets @troubled-mind @jimmysea @ginnymoonbeam

[happy-mokka]

Hi there.

I'd like to start with a warning first: Beware!

I'm rather new to tumblr, so if what will come next turns out to be total bs, I hope you all get out of this unscathed, forget we ever crossed paths and will be able to go on with your beautiful lives.

If you're still here, you'll about to hear the nice and accurate story of a guy that stumbled naively into a Good Omens binge watching weekend and came out forever changed.

Roughly 4 weeks ago I was asking friends what they were watching currently. I needed new material to turn to.

That's when it happened.

One of them casually brought up Good Omens on Prime. I should give it a try. Angels, demons. Terry Pratchett. Neil Gaiman.

Ok. I like fantasy. I like good story telling. I have an odd sense of bad humour.

I decided to give it a try.

To my eternal shame I have to confess, that until lately I hadn't read a single line written by both Pratchett and Gaiman.

I've read thousands of books. My love for them is so widely spread over all genres, that it simply did never happen. There was always some other book and author that came next.

Oh, how blind and ignorant I have been. I now clearly see the grave error of my ways.

If you can't forgive me, that's ok. I'm having a hard time myself doing so.

Be that as it may, I'm currently reading Good Omens and won't stop there. I promise.

Update notice 2024-04-23 I am now 5 books into Neil Gaimans works, currently reading this...

So, where was I? Right. Binge watch session of Good Omens season 1. Saturday evening. Around 9:30pm.

Episode 1 wasn't even running for 5 minutes and I was already sucked right into it.

Frances McDormand's God intro and the garden eden scenes. I was instantly in love.

Michael Sheen had already been one of my favorites. His first minutes as Aziraphale directly hit home.

David Tennant was familiar but I also hadn't been into Doctor Who, so it took another 5 minutes to also fall for Crowley...

The path was set and I started to deep dive in.

6 hours, 6 episodes, 1 Antichrist and 1 almost Armageddon later I crawled into bed on early Sunday morning to get at least a few hours of sleep. I fell asleep with an almost idiotic grin on my face and a feeling of deep content.

Only 5 hours later, technically still Sunday morning, I woke up, prepared a coffee infusion and switched the TV back on.

There were important deeds to be done. Episodes to be watched. I could sleep later.

Narrator: No, he would NOT sleep later...

I again immediately fell for the 2 celestials.

The slightly different arc, no dramatic catastrophe on the horizon, instead beautifully written side characters and wonderful new details on the two main protagonists...an evolving love story that had already been clearly visible in season 1...

And god, or Satan, HOW I LOVED JON HAMM as Jimbriel...

I again ended up binge watching the whole season, only interrupted by a few coffee and bathroom breaks.

6 hours later. The end credits were already over for like an eternity and I hadn't moved. Just sitting there, all goosebumps and teared-up.

I ate something. Had to. Don't really remember tasting anything or remembering what I actually had.

I was dumbstruck.

The friend that had suggested to start watching GOs, hadn't let out much more detail, so I hadn't been prepared in the least, for the emotional train wrecked state it had pushed me into.

Hours later I finally fell into an uneasy sleep.

The next morning before work I just sent Tori Amos' Nightingale in Berkeley Park to my GOs friend followed by a ❤️, as a signal that I had watched it all and let her know that there was no need anymore to hold back with talking out of fear to spoiler me.

We had lunch together and spent the whole time rambling on our GOs induced emergency emotional state and the whole beauty of especially Gaiman's season 2.

The next days we kept randomly talking about GO before she pinpointed me to tumblr, in case I wanted to dare a real deep dive into GO fandom.

So here I am now. A week's passed. I've spent hours of reading so many amazing posts around here. So many eye-opening moments.

I'm not only speaking of all those perfect interpretations of GO and it's characters.

What impressed me so much more is the fabulous energy especially radiating from the queer community.

Update notice - 2024/04/10

Attention! This installation of base module "Sexuality" is currently being updated to a more flexible one...work in progress...

Not being queer, only having a few queer friends, I hadn't really realized, just how big a thing GO in general and season 2 in particular was for you.

I was raised to walk earth open-minded, to respect everyone, no matter of religion, gender, nationality and sexual orientation. This is so deep a part of my DNA and personality, that GO for me was mostly just a beautiful story about religion, the meaning of life and love.

2 immortals fall deeply in love, first into humanity, life on earth and then finally into one another, while trying to overcome all the madness of belonging to two opposing sides of the same medal.

A great parable on the pursuit of happiness. Skillfully written for the screen and perfectly casted and played.

Well that was then.

Now I see you and I have to thank you, for opening my mind even further.

For giving so much joy so generously, although every day is still a fight for your rights.

For giving me a space here among you and the chance to delve some more in beautiful minds and fanfiction.

So, if you're still here and reading this, maybe it was not all bs. Maybe it gave you some minutes of entertainment and distraction from every day's stress and problems.

It sure was for me.

I'll end this with some favorite Shakespeare quotes, although now I'm not so sure any more, if not some red haired demon might have actually written this...

"If we shadows have offended, Think but this, and all is mended, That you have but slumber’d here While these visions did appear. And this weak and idle theme, No more yielding but a dream, Gentles, do not reprehend: if you pardon, we will mend: And, as I am an honest Puck, If we have unearned luck Now to ‘scape the serpent’s tongue, We will make amends ere long; Else the Puck a liar call; So, good night unto you all. Give me your hands, if we be friends, And Robin shall restore amends."

[missvelvetsstuff]

With Friends Like You, Who Needs Enemies?

Steve Rogers x Reader, Steve Rogers x Natasha, Reader x ????

Reader is a mutant with the ability to turn sound into light who was 'adopted' aka stolen as a child by Baron Von Strucker to use for experimentation. She was given a form of the Super soldier serum so in addition to her mutant abilities she also has super strength, enhanced senses and healing. When he starts experimenting on his volunteers, the Maximoff twins, she tries to convince them to escape with her but they tell the Baron that she's planning to escape so he doubles her cell security. Steve and reader met when the team recovered Loki's scepter from Strucker.

She falls in love with Steve and becomes good friends with Nat but they aren't the friends she thinks they are.

This story is canon adjacent except that Thanos never happened.

Chapter 1

After Y/N had slept for almost 24 hours and eaten enough to fill her up, Nat approached her in the kitchen.

"Tony is having a party tonite, to celebrate finding Loki's scepter. He gave me his credit card so do you want to go get a dress for tonite? And maybe some clothes so you aren't stuck in Avengers sweats all the time? We can have lunch and get our hair and nails done as well." She smirked "We can find a blue dress for you, it's Steve's favorite color."

Y/N felt her face flush "Why would I be worried about what Steve likes?"

Nat grinned "I'm a spy, I know how to read people and both of you are giving off some serious vibes. Trust me, he's into you too."

Y/N shrugged "I don't know what you're talking about but I do need some clothes and I've never had a real haircut. I just chop it off when it gets too long." She thought for a minute "Sure, sounds like fun."

They left the tower in one of Tony's cars that Nat borrowed. Driving around Manhattan Y/N felt overwhelmed but something was familiar as well.

"This is all so much. I haven't even left the facility where you found me in years."

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it pretty quickly" Nat told her as they pulled into a parking garage on 5th Ave. "Having access to Starks credit and cars definitely helps." She parked and they got out of the car and walked into Saks.

Nat headed straight for evening wear and started looking through the racks when a sales person approached them.

"Ms Romanoff, it's so good to have you here again. I see you've brought a friend" she looked Y/N up and down, sneering slightly at her attire. "I can see she needs our help. What are you looking for today?"

Nat glared at her "We're looking for someone who won't be a bitch because of how we look. Do you have anyone here like that?"

The sales girl, her tag said her name was Sophia, blanched "I'm so sorry, Ms Romanoff, I was just caught off guard. Of course I'm happy to help you in whatever way you need.

Are you looking for a cocktail dress?"

Nat smirked "Yes, Tony is having a party tonite and my friend needs an appropriate dress. Something blue."

Sophia stuttered "Tony Stark? How exciting. Why don't you and Miss...."

"Y/L/N, I'm Y/N Y/L/N"

"Of course. What size do you usually wear Miss Y/L/N?"

Y/N flushed "I don't know, I haven't gotten myself new clothes in ages"

Sophia pulled out a tape measure "Well lets see..." And quickly took her measurements. "A size 7 should fit nicely. I have some dresses that would be perfect for you. Please have a seat and I'll have them brought over.

Can I get you something to drink? Coffee, water, tea, soda, champagne?"

Nat nodded "Some champagne would be nice. And none of the cheap stuff."

They spent an hour looking at dresses until they narrowed it down to 3. All shades of blue. Y/N tried them all on and was overwhelmed when she saw herself in the mirror, she felt like a princess.

"I can't choose, they're all so pretty. What do you think, Nat?"

"I agree, it's too hard to choose so we'll get all three. Tony loves throwing parties so you can never be too prepared." Nat replied

Y/N shook her head "I couldn't, that's too much"

Nat laughed "too much should be Tony's middle name. Don't worry about it." She turned to Sophia "what about accessories?"

4 hours later they had all 3 dresses and accessories for each one, plus enough everyday and business style clothes to last a year. And shoes and lingerie. Nat gave Sophia a stern order to make sure it was all delivered to the tower before 4pm. Then they went for hair, makeup and mani-pedi's.

Y/N didn't know how to process everything that was happening. Less than 72 hours ago she was in her cell with no inkling that her life would change so drastically.

"Thank you so much, Nat. I just...."

Nat smirked "Don't worry about it. I have a feeling you're going to feel right at home before too long."

They went back to the tower after a late lunch and finished getting ready. At 9pm they took the elevator to the penthouse where the party was already going full swing.

Nat led her to the bar and poured a glass of champagne for both of them.

Y/N just looked around, watching people, unsure of how to interact.

Steve and Sam were playing pool when Sam noticed Steve was staring at something by the bar.

"You checking out Nat again? I thought that was over."

Steve shook his head "It never really was on, just occasional stress relief. Besides she has something going on with Bruce. Look next to her, in the blue dress. That's Y/N, we found her at the base where we found Loki's scepter. She's a mutant, turns sound into light. She was humming the other night and had this glow around her like a mist of colors. It was beautiful" he sighed.

Sam laughed "You sound smitten. Why don't you go talk to her?"

Steve blushed "I wouldn't know what to say."

"How about hey Y/N you look beautiful, wanna have my babies" Sam offered

Steve snorted "Give me a break.

It looks like Nat is busy with Bruce so I should go be a good host. Don't want to leave her alone with all these strangers. She's been a prisoner since she was a kid so might not be good socially."

Sam laughed as Steve walked away.

Y/N was looking out the window when Steve approached her. She turned and looked at him.

"It's a beautiful view"

Steve was staring at her and agreed "Yeah, it's gorgeous"

She saw he was looking at her and felt her face heat up. "So Nat said Tony throws parties like this all the time"

Steve nodded "This is actually pretty tame compared to some. Before he became Iron Man I think partying was his priority. It's still a favorite past time.

You must be overwhelmed with all this if Strucker kept you prisoner since you were 10. You'll get used to it. We are mostly a happy family." He smiled softly at her.

After the party died down the team sat around drinking and chatting. Most of them tried to pick up Thor's hammer and failed. Only Steve moved it at all but he still couldn't pick it up.

Then Ultron showed up and made a mess of everything. Y/N tried to use her powers to help fight him but was thrown against a wall and knocked out. After Ultron was gone, she came to and heard arguing. Steve helped her up and kept his hand on her back to help comfort her. Once the team decided on their course of action he took her to her room.

"I need you to stay here for now, ok? We'll be back as soon as we can" he told her gently.

Y/N shook her head "I can help. I could come with you and-"

"No" he told her firmly "We need to evaluate your abilities and work together before you get into any fights with us. I don't want you to get hurt so please be a good girl and wait here for me"

She felt a funny tingle when he called her a good girl but pushed it back "Ok. I'll wait here. Please come back safely."

"I promise, sweetheart" he kissed her softly on the lips and made sure she was safe in her room before he left.

While the team went to Africa to stop Ultron, Y/N was having dreams about Steve but with her lack of experience couldn't figure them out. The only sex she had was when Strucker forced himself on her and she thought she would never actually enjoy sex but her dreams said otherwise.

In the morning she saw what happened on the news and knew that it was Wanda messing with the Hulk. If she had been there she could have broken Wandas hex and prevented all that destruction and death.

She jumped when Jarvis spoke to her "Miss Y/N? You have a phone call from Captain Rogers."

"Umm ok how do I take the call?"

"I'll put him thru"

Steve's voice came thru the speakers in her room.

"Hey sweetheart, how are you? Did you get some sleep?"

"Hi Steve, I slept a little. I had strange dreams. My life has turned upside down.

Are you ok? I saw the news. Wanda was there wasn't she? If you had let me come I could have prevented-"

Steve cut her off "No. You don't even know if you could have helped Hulk. You aren't going on any missions any time soon.

I just wanted to let you know that we will be gone for awhile. After that mess we have to lay low. Just be a good girl and make sure you eat and sleep. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Y/N felt so helpless as she saw the teams adventures on the news. They went from Africa to Korea. She was frustrated and wanted to help but couldn't so waited for them, for Steve, to return.

When Tony and Bruce returned they barely noticed her and rushed into the lab to work on something.

Steve came to check on her and gave her a sweet kiss before she noticed the twins were with him.

Wanda looked at her "Hello Y/N. Nice to see you again"

Y/N was confused "Steve why are they here? They are nothing but trouble and can't be trusted."

Wanda cringed "I know we have done awful things to you in the past but we didn't realize how bad Strucker was, too caught up in our own rage and grief. I promise we won't hurt you. We want to help stop Ultron."

Y/N looked at Steve "If you are taking them then I should be able to go too. I can help."

Steve chuckled "I know you want to help honey but I don't think a light show will do any good."

She pouted "I can make lasers too. I hate staying here while you risk yourself. Please, Steve." She begged

Her begging did something to Steve but not something that would help in a fight. He was about to tell her no again when Clint walked by

"She's not wrong Cap we could use all the help we can get."

Steve gave in "Promise me you'll be careful. I'd hate to see you hurt."

Y/N didn't do too badly considering the circumstances. She even took out a few robots on her own, including the one that tried to get Pietro and a young boy he was protecting.

Sokovia was still destroyed but most of the people were saved. Sometimes you have to accept how things turn out.

~~~~~~~~~~

After a few days rest Y/N, Sam, Wanda and Pietro started training to become official Avengers.

Y/N and Steve started dating, taking things very slow since she was inexperienced and in no rush.

Nat was devastated that Bruce had disappeared and started spending a lot of time with Steve and Y/N. Every night he would walk Y/N to her room, kiss her good night and leave her on her own.

After a few weeks she noticed Steve and Nat seemed really close and she asked him about it.

Steve shook his head "You have nothing to worry about sweetheart. Nat and I are just friends. We've been thru some tough situations together but there's no romantic feelings. She's just lonely because she misses Bruce."

She nodded trusting him.

They went on like this for awhile until General Ross brought up the Sokovia Accords. She took Steve's side but he didn't want her involved in the fight so she made her way to the quinjet and waited for Steve and Bucky. She saw what Zemo did and the fight that came after but couldn't bring herself to hurt Tony so found herself waiting on the jet again.

Y/N went with them to Wakanda and then on the run with Steve and Sam. After months dating, Steve told her he loved her and then told her he had to leave for a couple of days to meet up with Nat for cash and intel. They met up every few weeks and he always came back in a lighter mood.

One time when he returned he asked Y/N for a favor

"I don't want to be separated but Shuri figured out how to remove Bucky's brainwashing and I want you to go help him. Just be a friend. He really likes you and I think it would be good for both of you. You're the only one I can ask, he has bad history with Sam and Nat. I promise I'll come visit when I can."

She looked at him sadly, not wanting to leave the man she had fallen in love with but wanting to make him happy and be his good girl so she went to Wakanda.

Y/N and Bucky became close friends. She didn't mind if he didn't want to talk and they would just be together. If he did want to talk she listened without judgement and she was there for his nightmares. She helped him tend his goats and thought she could have fallen for him if she hadn't met Steve first.

A couple of times a week Steve would call to check up on her but it was always brief because Nat always called him away after a few minutes. He kept promising he would come visit but something always came up.

One day, Shuri showed up at Bucky's hut where Bucky and Y/N were playing chess."I have news, Captain Rogers contacted me and told me to tell you, Thor and Hulk have returned. Asgard was destroyed and all of the Asgardians that survived are here, setting up a home in Norway. New Asgard.

That's not all, the Captain and Tony Stark have worked things out with Gen Ross and Sargeant Barnes is being pardoned. You can go home soon, back to the states but there will be a celebration in New Asgard in a month.

Y/N wondered why Steve didn't call her and went thru Shuri instead but she was trusting and believed he just had too much to do.

Y/N and Bucky spent the next month as they had spent time in the past, strengthening their friendship, enjoying nature and herding goats. They both expected Steve to show up at any time but he never did. He only called once and explained that he was very busy helping Thor and Valkyrie set the new town up. Y/N told him they could help but Steve insisted they stay in Wakanda.

Finally it was time to leave, both of them were excited at being reunited with Steve but also nervous at meeting a whole new group of people.

Steve came in the quinjet to pick them up and after a quick hug and kiss on the cheek he spent the rest of the flight talking to Bucky. Y/N realized they were best friends but she had hoped for a better reunion with her love. She sat alone trying to talk herself down from the anxiety that was building up.

When they arrived in New Asgard the whole team was there to greet them. Nat and Bruce were wrapped around each other while Wanda and Vision were holding hands. Steve was suddenly in a bad mood right after they landed and left saying he just needed to work it off. Nat disappeared shortly after.

Thor gave Y/N a fond greeting and introduced her to Val. They took her and Bucky to a dressmaker to create Asgardian style robes for the celebration the next night. Steve didn't come to see her at all so she figured he was still busy helping and she stayed up talking to Bucky until they were both exhausted and fell asleep in the early hours of the morning.

Chapter 2

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Catch and Release

Fandom: DC Comics, Batfam

Summary: AU where Jason doesn't die in the explosion and he and Tim end up attending the same high school months later.

Chapters: 1/?

Characters: Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Tim Drake, Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon, Sebastian Ives, Jack Drake, Janet Drake

Relationships: TBA

Additional Tags: Jason Todd Lives, Jason Todd-centric, POV Jason Todd, POV First Person, Tim Drake Has Issues, Tim Drake is Not Robin, Jason Todd is Not Robin (Anymore), Bruce Wayne Needs a Hug, Alfred Pennyworth is the Best, Alfred Pennyworth Knows, Stalker Tim Drake, Jason Todd Has Chronic Pain, Jason Todd Has PTSD, Angst with a Happy Ending, Unlikely Friends, Injury Recovery, Emotional Baggage, Rage, Bruce Wayne is Bad at Communicating

Chapter One: Counting Backward

"Good," Bruce replied.

Despite Alfred begging me to use the stairlift, I came down the stairs on foot. It was a dumb idea, but I was tired of feeling broken. My leg still hadn't healed. Mostly everything else had. I wondered if Bruce would urge me to stay home longer and focus on my recovery. I know he meant well, but I was tired of wasting away in the manor. I felt like I was a living memorial of the Jason he lost in the explosion. I haunted the place every moment I was there. Even my laugh was a painful reminder of what was.

A wave of pain shot up my spine and into my lungs, and I missed a step. I wasn't as quick on my feet as I used to be, but Alfred managed to catch me before I could falter. That bothered me. I didn't want anyone helping me, but my body was so broken it couldn't be avoided. I wanted to return to how I was, but honestly, I wasn't even halfway there. I mumbled a word of gratitude to Alfred, and he escorted me down the few remaining steps against my will.

My crutches leaned against the baluster. I remember when it felt like a victory. It meant I could walk. After a few months on them, it felt more like a loss. I couldn't rush recovery, so I was stuck. I bitterly pushed forward and went to the kitchen to make myself breakfast. Bruce sat at the counter, sipping his coffee. Despite his silence, I knew what his presence meant. "I'm going to school today," I announced. Bruce nodded. "I don't want you checking in on me today."

"Jason, I'm not trying to baby you... I'm just worried that your return to public school is premature," Bruce replied. He set his coffee aside and looked at me, studying me with his eyes. "Healing takes time."

"I can only heal at home for so long," I muttered as I opened the fridge. Bruce didn't help me, as a rule. I didn't want him to. I poured myself a glass of milk, and Alfred started making breakfast. I knew it was the only way Alfred would let me go, so I ate. I was stubborn but not half as stubborn as Alfred. "Thanks for breakfast, Alfred."

He nodded and set my backpack and lunch on an empty chair. Bruce seemed displeased with all of it. Ever since I came home from the hospital, he'd examined my every move, documenting my every nightmare, every misstep. It felt like he was judging me, but I knew better. Bruce was frightened for me. "At least let me take you to school... It'll help me breathe easier if I can see you off," Bruce requested. I nodded.

I didn't feel like arguing with him about small things like drop off and pick up. I stood up and put on my backpack before grabbing my crutches. Bruce looked up, and before he could ask me, I nodded. "I was in an accident. I don't wanna talk about it... The fewer details I use, the better," I whispered.

I followed him to the garage and sat in the front seat. The drive was unbearably long and silent. Neither of us had anything to say that the other wanted to hear. I watched as kids poured into the gates, and I hesitated. "Second thoughts?" Bruce asked.

"No," I stubbornly answered as I got out of the car. I took a breath and braced for an imaginary threat. I hopped up the steps and went through the double doors. I walked towards the metal detector, and the security guard shook his head. I thought it was irresponsible for him to let me through, but that wasn't my business anymore. I went to the front office and knocked on the attendance door. The office attendant smiled and told me she'd help me in a moment. I sat down and waited for her to ask for me.

"You can come up now," she welcomed me. I told her my name, and she gave me my class schedule. "If you'd like-." I smiled and shook my head.

"I was enrolled here last year... I'll manage, but thank you," I interrupted as politely as possible.

My first class was halfway across the building, so I went there right after I left the office. The door was locked, so I stood there, waiting for the teacher to show up. That's when I noticed him. A wild-eyed kid with no backpack. He only had a notepad and pen. If I didn't know better, I would've mistaken him for an undercover cop. I caught him staring at me and immediately took offense, but I wasn't dumb enough to pick a fight on my first day. Besides, he looked out the window as soon as he noticed I was staring back. I could tell he was sheltered by the way he looked at people. Most people who grew up in the rougher parts of Gotham would've known better. Had he met me last year, he might've gotten a friendlier reaction from me. I might've even overlooked him, but something about him didn't feel right.

The bell rang, and the teacher came to unlock the classroom. "Nice to see you again, Jason," she greeted. I tried to grasp for a name, but I couldn't remember her. I couldn't remember a lot of things after the accident.

"It's nice to see you too," I smiled. It was better to fake it and glance at my class schedule later than to explain why I suddenly couldn't remember the name of a teacher who obviously noticed my absence. I was bitter, but I wouldn't be rude to innocent people.

She logged into the computer and pulled up the seating chart. I sat by the door where I was placed and watched as the creepy kid strolled in. He sat by the window, and I looked for his name on the roster. Tim Drake. I wrote it down in my notebook and caught him staring at me again. A few other kids came in. One of which knocked my crutches over without picking them up. I picked them up and sighed. I'd have to deal with that for another month, at least.

Then there'd be more physical therapy and exams... And more of Bruce's pained glances when I missed a step or took a sharp breath. I knew he felt guilty for not being there. I did my fair share of blaming him in the earlier days of my recovery. I wasn't proud of what I said but never apologized, especially after he took Robin from me. It was the only way I could cope. Bitterness protected me from the harsh realities of the accident. I felt like I was experiencing the five stages of grief backward like I was mourning the death I should've had.

The second bell rang, and the rest of the class rushed in, some narrowly avoiding the third and final late bell. Eventually, wandering eyes started to recognize my face beneath the scarring. That wasn't the thing that bothered me, though. It was the whispering that followed the stares. I could make out some of it, but my hearing wasn't as good as before.

"I thought he died."

"I heard he got shot in the face."

"No, Professor Pyg turned him into one of those Frankenstein things, and he spent the summer in Arkham."

I swallowed it because I had to, but I could hardly conceal my growing rage. "Jason," our teacher whispered. I looked up at her. "Are you alright?"

I smiled and nodded even though every lethal and violent scenario imaginable flashed through my mind. I only had a few more hours of self-inflicted mental and emotional torture, and then I could drive home in agonizing silence. It would've gone great had he not pushed me.

[mooodyblue]

take my pressure to the moon, astronaut | austin x plussized!reader

summary: it's valentine's day and austin wants to treat you right, only for it to backfire due to the anxious thoughts in your head.

warnings: nsfw mdni p in v, mentions of body image issues, mentions of not wanting to eat, read at ur own discretion 🙏🏼 probably missing some warnings idk

wc: 2.2k

a/n: i had nothing planned for today but alas. had a breakdown last night, got an idea at midnight and stayed up till 3 am just to finish this in one sitting. i told myself how i wished there were more plus sized!reader fics that weren't just smut and here i go writing more smut. but it's valentine's day! please be mindful of the tags. stay safe and happy valentine's day my friends <3 title is from 1/6 by sunmi 💗

masterlist

you always hated valentine's day. but it was different this year considering you were with austin now.

previous years, you'd find yourself in the clearance isles the day after, stocking up on your favorite snacks and then have your own late celebration. however, you'd never admit that to austin. you'll still be checking out that clearance isle though.

you didn't think you'd actually get to spend the day with him considering his busy schedule. he'd specifically asked for the day off just to treat you today. you were pleasantly surprised when you woke up to breakfast in bed, made by austin. it was nothing fancy. the tray had a plate of waffles, fruit, toast, eggs and of course, your beloved iced coffee that had mostly milk and creamer in it because you hated the taste of coffee. it's the little things that austin remembers and it's one of the main reasons he won you over.

he set the tray next to you, smiling proudly. "just call me gordon ramsay!"

you looked at the tray, a surpised expression on your face. "oh, austin! this is so-"

"but wait, there's more! hold on." austin left to the room only to return shortly, a small bouquet of roses in hand. "happy valentine's day, baby." he handed you the roses and placed a kiss on your cheek before sitting next to you, moving the tray to your lap.

oh, you could have just cried right then and there. "i didn't even get to do anything for you." you frowned.

"don't worry about it, trust me." he chuckled. he took a piece of fruit from your bowl, "now eat! i have a fun day planned for us." he said, feeding it to you.

after breakfast, you washed up and sat down at your vanity to do your make up. austin joined you in the bedroom, propping himself up on the bed and scrolling through his phone as he waited patiently for you to finish.

"what do you have planned? should i be scared?" you joked, working on your eyes.

he looked over at you, "scared? maybe a little." you widened your eyes, snapping your neck at him. "i'm just kidding! don't worry about it. 'm gonna take you to go buy a new dress for dinner tonight, then i was thinking we could....."austin continued to list off your plans for the day, but all you could do was focus on him mentioning dinner. knowing him, he most likely booked a table for the two of you at a restaurant. a public restaurant.

"...ashley told me about this amazing place in beverly hills......" you weren't even paying attention anymore. the thing is, your weight never really bothered you. it didn't bother austin either, he loved you no matter what size you were. but for some reason, you suddenly felt self conscious at the idea of eating at a public restaurant where you could easily be photographed mid bite, just to end up on the cover of some headline about someone at your weight dating austin butler.

crazy enough, you'd never eaten in public with austin. no fancy dinner or lunch dates, maybe an occasional date at a cafe, but you'd usually just get a drink and nothing else. you refused to eat in public, it was a genuine fear that you had.

"you still with me?"

you looked at him through the mirror, going back to applying your eyeliner. "yeah, sorry."

dress shopping was rough on you, especially knowing someone could easily photograph you trying on unflattering dresses and dresses that were a bit too small on you. you'd gone through five dresses already and you ended up hating them all, it was frustrating. you wished he didn't have plans on taking you out to dinner tonight cause it definitely would have made shopping a little easier.

"austin, i don't like any of these." you said through the dressing room door. "and the last one you gave me didn't even fit, it's embarrassing."

"hold on, i'm still lookin'" he went through another rack, lips perking up at a red dress that was just your size, perfect for valentine's day. "try this one on." he tossed it over the door and stood by the wall, waiting for you to come out.

the dress did fit and you were surpised at how good it looked on you, smiling softly at your appearance in the mirror. you walked out of the stall, showing it off to austin. "what do you think?"

"oh baby," he whistled and motioned for you to turn around, giving him a show. "i'd have you right here in this store if i could." your cheeks warmed up at his words, feeling your self esteem get a nice boost. "you're buyin' that one. can't wait to show you off tonight."

those words kept lingering in your brain, how he was going to show you off. it scared you slightly. you had no issue being photographed with austin, although annoying at times cause y'know...privacy. but why were you suddenly so bothered by it? you refused to bring it up to austin. you know he worked hard to get these reservations and you didn't want to ruin his plans for you.

on the way to the restaurant, you felt yourself get even more nervous, anxiety bubbling up in your chest. you really didn't want to do this. austin would understand completely, but maybe you'll push through just for him.

unfortunately, you were seated directly across from a window, perfect for someone to snap photos of the two of you. the restaurant was also filled, which didn't help at all. "i told 'em to put us in the corner." he sighed, looking over at the window. "i think we'll be alright though."

he'll be alright, but you? who knows. you just smiled and nodded, looking down at the menu and looking for something not messy, something that wouldn't have people questioning your eating habits the next day.

everything on the menu worried you, there was no safe option and you were definitely going to be laughed at on social media no matter what you ordered. you gave up and went with a pasta.

you weren't giving much to the conversation, just nodding along and taking sips from your wine. austin could tell something was off and you knew. "you alright?" before you could answer, the food was brought out and you looked down at it, questioning whether or not you should eat it or take it to go. "y/n?" he knew the moment you looked up at him.

you really tried not to cry or even tear up, it was all just frustrating for you. you wanted to eat the pasta in front of you, but your brain wouldn't stop giving you all these scenarios of what people would think of you.

austin pushed plate over to your side and stood up. "scoot over."

"what are you doing?" you asked, looking up at him.

"just-" he gestured with his hands for you to move. you moved your plate to the side along with your body as he sat beside you, shielding you away from the people there. it was a little awkward having you two sit on the same side, but it was kind of sweet. "will you eat a little bit? just for me?"

you looked at him then back down at your food, picking up the fork and taking a bite from it, covering your mouth with your hand anytime you chewed just out of habit. you could tell it made austin slightly sad, but he was just happy to see you eat.

he decided against dessert which made you feel slightly bad. "are you sure you don't want dessert?" you frowned.

he placed a hand on your lap. "i have something at home."

you only ate half of your food, too anxious to eat but well enough to eat enough to make austin happy. you'll eat the rest for breakfast tomorrow, anyway.

his hand didn't leave your thigh on the whole ride home, occasionally squeezing it and caressing your soft, delicate skin.

"i'm sorry." you muttered.

"for what?"

you looked down at your lap, watching how austin's hand gripped at your thigh. "ruining dinner."

"you didn't ruin dinner." he sighed. "i'm just happy you ate. i'm proud of you, baby."

you gave him a warm smile, but there was still that slight feeling of dread for ruining dinner.

the moment you got home, you put your leftovers in the fridge. as you turned around, you were met with austin leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed as his arms darted up and down your body. "austin i-"

"don't." he walked over to you, wrapping his arms around your waist. "i wish you could see yourself the way i see you."

"oh, austin...." you rolled your eyes.

"listen to me." he moved his arms to cup your face, "you're gorgeous. you're the most beautiful human being i've ever laid eyes on. you have no idea how bad i wanted to rip that dress off of you and take you right there in front of everyone to see."

your cheeks got hot, a familiar sense of warmth running through your body.

"gonna fuck all of those nasty, little thoughts out of that head of yours. i promise you." he growled, crashing his lips onto yours. he caught you off guard, stumbling and having your back meet the fridge. your hands cupped at his jaw, letting his tongue slip through your mouth. his hands traveled all over your body, stopping at your breasts as he squeezed them through your dress. "love your tits so much." he muttered in between kisses.

you felt him hard against your thigh, only making you crave him even more. "fuck, austin-" you gasped.

you moved your hand to give him some pressure, only for him to slap your wrist away. "don't worry about me baby, let's focus on you." he pulled away from you slightly to bend down and hook his hands under your thick thighs. you let out a slight yelp as he lifted you up and brought you to the other side of the kitchen, slamming your back against the wall as he continued to explore your mouth, tasting the sweet, wine still on your lips from dinner.

you tried to pull yourself down, pulling away from his lips. "i'm too-"

"shut up." he met your lips again, coaxing you out of your thoughts once again. he began hiking up your dress to just above your dripping, wet cunt, tsking at the lack of underwear. he pulled the zip down of his dress pants, pulling himself out of his underwear and finally freeing his hard cock, glistening with precum as he wrapped his hand around himself, moving his fist up and down a few times. "see what you to do me? fuck."

you wrapped your legs tightly around his waist as your arms went to neck. "oh my god, fuck me. please." you begged.

he wasted no time and eagerly inserted himself into you, throwing his head back at the warm, right feeling around him. "feelin' so good around my cock, baby. keep those legs around me." he slammed in and out of you, watching as your breasts bounced along with his thrusts, the straps of your dress slipping with every move of his hips. "love this body of yours baby, takes me so fucking well. can never stop thinkin' about you."

there was something about knowing how you made austin feel, all of your insecurities from before suddenly feeling pointless. you wanted to appreciate your body more, after all, austin loved it therefore you should love it too. you were always so amazed at how much he loved your body, how he explored every part of it during sex, squeezing and kissing in all the right places. and now being fucked against the wall, his strong arms holding you tightly against it as he groaned into your neck, praises leaving his mouth left and right, you couldn't have asked for anyone better.

"oh my god, austin. austin, austin, austin." you moaned, throwing your head back as he hit your sweet spot.

"yeah, say my name baby." he slammed a hand against the wall as he moved his hips faster, nipping and kissing at your neck. "god, you were made just for me."

the sounds coming from the both of you were pornograpic, the sounds of your moans and juices filling the entire kitchen. you felt yourself getting closer, your orgasm bubbling inside you quickly. he knows it as he feels you flutter around his cock, earning a grunt from him as his own climax was approaching. "oh my pretty baby, love you so fuckin' much."

"aus, i'm gonna-" you whimpered.

"me too, c'mon. gonna fill you right up." his thrusts began to stutter, slowing down as his orgasm hit, moaning as he felt your walls clench right around him. "that's right, so perfect for me, good lord." he panted.

he kissed you again, pulling away and touching your forehead with his as the two of you caught your breaths. "marry me." he said breathlessly.

your eyes widened. "what?"

he let out a breathy laugh. "you heard me."

you didn't know what to say. there was so much to take in. he still had you pinned up against the wall, his cock was still inside you and he just came inside of you, now suddenly you're being proposed to. you let out a laugh, "i can't believe you just proposed to me with your dick still inside of me."

"still waiting for that answer."

you hummed, wrapping your arms around his shoulders. "let's do it."

taglist: @flwrs4aust @father-of-2cats @ellie-24 @dilfelvis @shantellescrivener @orngdrv @pennyroyalcreep @18lkpeters @purejasmine @ranaissinglw

[horny-and-dead-inside]

Missing you part 2

Bucky Barnes x fem!reader

Summary: when a thunderstorm strikes a few months after your breakup you end up calling bucky because he’s the only person who has ever truly understood your fear of thunder.

Warnings: fear of thunder, reader has a slight panic attack, fluff, comfort. (can be read without part 1)

A loud rumble tore you from sleep sending a jolt through your bones and fear through your stomach. No. Another rumble tore through the building causing you to curl up hugging your knees tightly to yourself. This week had already been bad enough, Did there really have to be a thunderstorm to top it off? You squeezed your eyes shut and put your hands over your ears trying to block out the storm. This was the first time in what felt like years that you didn’t have Bucky to hold you to his chest and stroke your hair. To cover your ears with his hands and whisper comforting things to you. 

Bucky was sitting in his kitchen drinking a cup of coffee because he couldn’t sleep when the first loud crackle of thunder struck causing him to jump slightly. Of course his first thought was of you. Of how scared you were of thunder. Of how you could keep yourself together in every situation but when it came to thunder you would immediately break down. He stared at the black liquid in his cup and rested his head in his hand. God why did it have to be this way? 

Maybe he should call you. He picked up his phone then hesitated. Would you even pick up if he called? Maybe having to deal with a thunderstorm alone would seem better to you than talking to him.

A sob wracked your body as an especially loud clap  reverberated through your entire body. You could feel your breaths grow shorter and your chest felt heavy, your vision blurring. As the tears dripped from your eyes something broke inside you and you reached for your phone.

Bucky took a sip of coffee but imediatly choked on it as his phone buzzed and your name flashed across the screen. Without hesitation he picked it up. “y/n?”

“Bucky.” came your voice across the line. He could hear your short choked breaths and could tell that you were crying. 

“Hey it’s okay! It’s okay, don't cry, doll. I’m here.'' Just hearing his voice calmed you a bit and you sniffled.

“I can’t- Bucky, I'm scared.”

“Hey! Breath.” he said gently. “Come on breath. In. out. In. out. Good.” you followed his instructions, your hands shaking.

“I hate the thunder.” Bucky heard you whisper. His heart broke for you, all alone in your apartment curled up in your bed trying to block it out.

“I know you do.” his soft voice filled your head blocking out the thunder and the fear. You could almost feel his gentle hands grasping your face and his lips kissing your forehead. “I know you hate the thunder but I'm right here and I'm not going to hang up until you do.” Those words made you cry harder knowing that he was still as caring as he was before you broke up.

“Bucky.” he heard you say.

“Yes doll?” 

“I’m really sorry for what I said when we broke up. I-” you sniffed audibly “i hate myself every moment for it because it was wrong and-”

“y/n don’t do that to yourself.” Bucky felt the lump grow in his throat. “ I was an asshole and you responded as you should have. It’s my fault.”

“But I told you to leave. I didn’t mean it.” you tried to wipe the tears from your eyes but more took their place. “I didn’t mean that! I’m so sorry.” your shoulders shook with sobs as you rested your head on your knees crying.

Bucky’s lip quivered at the pain in your voice. “Hey it’s okay. It’s okay. What about we go to lunch tomorrow and talk about it?” 

“You mean it?”

“Of course” he hoped that this Maybe this would make up for what he had said.

“I would like that.” you said wiping your tears and standing up and going to the window to look out. Rain poured down in heavy sheets lit only by a yellow street light. The thunder had reduced to low distant rumbles leaving the rain as the only sound. 

“I guess I could hang up now.” you said leaning your hips against the window cill. “I think the thunder has passed.”

“Are you sure?” asked bucky. “I don’t want you to be afraid or feel alone.” more like the sound of your voice soothed him in a way that nothing else could and he didn’t want to lose a moment of hearing it.

“I think I'm fine now bucky. I need to get some sleep anyway. And you should too.”

He smiled, swirling the remaining coffee around in his cup at your caring words. “You're probably right. Good night y/n. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah. goodnight. Thank you for answering the phone tonight bucky.”

“Yeah. bye.” your phone beeped as the line disconnected and you took it from your ear. Hopefully tomorrow would turn out well. 

For the first time in weeks you actually slept decently with the knowledge that you still might have a chance with Bucky despite all.

~lmk if you want a part 3!

[ikeromantic]

Entwined, Ch 10

Part 10 of a multipart series. Mai has been reborn in the modern age after a full life in the Sengoku. The warlords as spirit animals find her again after 500 years of searching for her soul. Approx. 3500 words.

Part 1

Previous: Part 9

Mai sat on the park bench, people watching. Her mind was crowded with all of the things she might say when Hideyoshi arrived. Tossing one phrase after another. Too generic. Too cruel. Too ambivalent. Was there any good way to -

CLANG

The sound shook her out of her thoughts and back into the moment. She could see a light pole, and a man on the ground beside it. Mai went to check on him. It sounded like he crashed pretty hard. 

“Are you ok?” She got a good look at him as he lay there. Despite the stunned expression, he was very attractive. Young-ish but with gray hair and astonishingly violet eyes. He had a book clutched in one hand. 

“Oh! Hey! It’s you!” He smiled up at her, his face almost angelic with the change in expression.

Mai was pretty sure she’d never met him, but she nodded. “Yep. It’s me!” She held out a hand to him. “Let me help you up.” There wasn’t any blood, but she thought he’d have a pretty good bruise on his cheek. 

“Thank you.” He took her hand, but didn’t really use it as he stood. She tried to let go once he was standing, but he kept hold of it, still smiling brightly at her as if they were the best of friends. Or lovers. “It’s great to see you again. I wanted to go visit you but Mitsu-”

“There you are!” A shorter, blonde guy walked up and grabbed his arm. “Come on, fool. Stop bothering that idiot.” He glared at them both. “Did she catch you walking into a pole again? What have I told you about reading while you walk?”

Violet-eyes let go of Mai finally, and she took a step back. These guys were weirdos. Cute but bizarre. 

“I did, but Ieyasu! Look who I found!”

The blond turned his glare full-on to Mai. “Yes. Some girl. Great. Come on, Mitsunari. I don’t have time for this. We have lectures to get to.”

Ah, they were either students or professors. Mai relaxed a little. “Hey, it was nice meeting you. You should um, put some ice on your face, ok? I’ll just . . . go . . . sit . . .”

“Thanks for checking on this idiot.” Ieyasu held out a hand to stop her. “It’s - it’s nice to meet you. I’m Ieyasu, and this guy is Mitsunari.”

“I’m Mai.” 

Mitsunari smiled brightly. “Let’s have lunch together, Mai.”

Ieyasu let out an exasperated sigh. “She literally just met us. She isn’t going to just go somewhere with strangers.”

Mai let out an awkward laugh. They bickered like an old, married couple, she thought.

“But Ieyasu, we’ve known-” Mitsunari started to speak again, but his friend turned suddenly, knocking the book from Mitsunari’s hand. He immediately went after it with a murmured ‘oh no’.

“Actually, I have some time before I meet up with a friend. I’d be ok getting coffee or something, if you like. There’s a stall just a little ways from here.” Mai wasn’t sure why she felt so comfortable around these two. They just seemed nice. 

The blond looked as if he might say no. His lips were turned in a firm frown, a little wrinkle between his brows. “Alright. Let’s get it over with then.”

She wasn’t sure how to take that response, but had no time to change her mind. Mitsunari had already recovered his book, and now linked arms with her. 

“Ummm . . . alright. But you know you don’t have to? I thought-”

“Come on.” Ieyasu set off toward the coffee stall with a determined gait.

Mai followed after with Mitsunari, uncertain how she felt about this turn of events. But at least it was a nice distraction from her thoughts. “So, you two are students? Or -” 

“I’m a guest professor,” Mitsunari smiled at her. “I teach project management. Sometimes I do consulting work too.” He shrugged as if this was no big deal. “Ieyasu teaches and runs a compounding pharmacy.”

“I could have said so myself,” Ieyasu shot back over his shoulder.

She held back a smile. “What do you teach, then?”

“Organic chemistry. Biochem.” He frowned. “Why do you care?”

“I was just curious. Sorry.” Mai wasn’t sure how to react to him. He seemed at turns to really dislike her, and at other times, friendly. 

Ieyasu sniffed. “You shouldn’t apologize so much. It’s fine to ask questions.”

Mitsunari laughed and patted her hand. “He’s so excited to spend time with you again. You’ve really unsettled both of us.”

“A-again?” Mai raised an eyebrow. “Have we -”

“There it is.” Ieyasu grabbed her arm and tugged her away from Mitsunari. “What kind of coffee do you want?”

Mai studied his face. There was something about his bright gaze that felt so familiar. She could recall his voice speaking her name with gruff affection. 

“Stop staring at me like that. If you don’t tell me what you want, I’ll get you a plain, black coffee.” Ieyasu grumped at her.

“But she likes sweet things,” Mitsunari spoke up. “I bet her favorite isn’t even coffee. Let’s get her a strawberry milk tea!” 

“I do really like those,” she said after a pause. 

Ieyasu nodded. “Great. Perfect.” He pointed to a nearby park bench. “Mitsunari, go sit with her there. And don’t say anything stupid.”

Mitsunari nodded. “Thank you for reminding me, Ieyasu! You are such a good friend.”

The blond gave a tired sigh and turned away to get in line. 

“Is he always like that? I feel like he is,” Mai said as she let Mitsunari lead her off to sit down. 

“Hm? Oh yes. Ieyasu is always so kind. He worries about the people around him all the time.” Mitsunari gave her an angelic smile. “It’s good you remember that about him.”

There it was again, Mai thought. She couldn’t place them, but she felt like they’d met before. She was about to ask when Ieyasu arrived with their drinks in hand. 

“Here.” Ieyasu handed her drink over and sat down next to Mitsunari. 

No one said anything for a few moments. They sat in companionable silence, sipping their drinks. Mai studied them over the rim of her milk tea. She knew that she knew them. There was a sense of it, like a song lyric just forgotten. Out of reach, but only just. She felt sure if she asked the right questions, it would all come back to her. 

“Do you like your drink?” Mitsunari noticed her gaze and gave her another angelic smile. 

“Mmm. Yes. It’s very good. Thank you again, Ieyasu.”

He gave her a nod in reply, not making eye contact. 

“I did have a question for you. Mitsunari.” Mai smiled back at him. “This is going to sound like a weird thing to ask but, do you know a guy named Mitsuhide?”

“Of course.” Mitsunari chuckled. “He’s -”

“An actor, right?” Ieyasu interrupted. “I think we saw him in a production.” He flashed a warning look at his friend.

Mitsunari seemed immune, or perhaps hadn’t noticed. “Oh, yes. I’ve seen him on stage several times. You even perfo- ow!” Mitsunari jumped. “I think something bit me! Ieyasu, did it get you too?” He rubbed at his leg.

Mai decided to try a different tack. “Ieyasu. I know that I’ve met you before. You and Mitsunari and Mitsuhide as well.” 

His jade green gaze widened before he shrugged and looked away. “So?”

“So where do I know you from? I feel like . . . we were friends?” She couldn’t help the pleading tone of her voice. “It’s like I’m losing my mind. I keep having these - these memories of places and things that . . . aren’t . . . normal. And meeting people like you two. People that seem so familiar but - but I don’t -”

Mitsunari took her hand in his. “You’ll remember it all eventually, Mai.”

“Right. So quit trying to push. You’ll just hurt yourself.” Ieyasu added gruffly. He nudged Mitsunari. “We need to get to the lecture hall. Come on.”

“But, wait! You can’t just say that and then leave. I need to know. Where did we meet? When? How did we know each other? Why do you remember but I can’t?” Mai felt a surge of frustration and helplessness. 

Mitsunari gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I promise you’ll remember it all. And until you do, we’re all here, watching out for you.” 

Ieyasu gave a curt nod. “We’ll be around. But don’t use that as an excuse to do something stupid.” He stood and began walking away. 

“I have to go now. But I’m sure we’ll talk again.” Mitsunari’s gentle gaze made Mai feel slightly better as she bid him goodbye. She still felt confused and out of her depth, but reassured too. 

She spent the next hour sipping her milk tea and wandering through the park, thinking about the last several weeks. Her life until now had been uneventful. The usual ups and downs, full of laughter and tears. She hadn’t considered that there could be more to it. Memories, friends, lovers from another life in another time. It seemed too incredible to be true. 

In the end, Mai decided it didn’t matter whether it was too incredible or not. She knew she felt these things, and her vivid recollections from other times felt like real memories. She didn’t need to know how it worked or why it was. She really just had one choice to make. To believe these things were real, or to refuse. Simple enough . . . 

“You look lost in thought. Everything ok?” Hideyoshi’s voice took her by surprise, though he’d shown up more or less at the agreed time. 

Mai gave a half-hearted laugh. “Yeah. You know how it is sometimes. When you just go around in circles?”

Hideyoshi smiled and reached to tousle her hair, but stopped short. He cleared his throat, suddenly awkward. “You said we needed to talk?”

She realized as she looked at his nervous posture that she really didn’t want to break up with him. He was such a nice guy. Even now, he was more concerned with her comfort than his own. But it would be cruel to say nothing and so she took a deep breath and nodded. “We do.”

He let out a breath. “Alright.”

Now that the moment was here, Mai wasn’t sure what to say. She struggled for a moment, trying to find the words to express what lay in her heart. “I really like you. It’s just . . . you’re more like a big brother. Or - or a good friend. Comforting and kind and -” Mai stopped herself from saying more as she took in Hideyoshi’s pained expression.

He sucked in a breath, “I suppose I deserve that.”

“What? No!” Mai drew back. “You’re honestly the sweetest guy. It’s me, you know? I have a . . . a lot going on.” She felt a sudden urge to spill the whole thing to Hideyoshi. Her weird dreams and sense of deja vu, her confusion over Mitsuhide and her feelings for him. But that wasn’t fair to him. 

Hideyoshi stuck his hands in his pockets and fixed his gaze on the ground. “It’s not you, it’s me, right?” He made a sound that might have been laughter or tears or both. 

“Oh, no, that’s - that’s not what I meant. I-”

He shook his head, looking at her again. “You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve told a woman she’s like my little sister. Knowing how she felt about me. Using my responsibilities to - to keep people at arms’ length.” Hideyoshi’s lips twisted in a small, sad smile. “Kind of ironic to have it turned around on me now. With the - the one -” He stopped talking and took a moment to look out at the park, staring at nothing in particular.

Mai felt her heart twist in her chest. She wanted happiness for Hideyoshi, but she knew he wouldn’t find it with her. Not the way he wanted, anyhow. It just killed her to see him hurting like this. “I’m sorry. I really am.”

“You shouldn’t apologize.” He pushed his hair back from his face, trying to master his emotions. “I’m glad you told me. You were - are - so honest. I’ve always admired that about you. Even if it sucks to be on this end of it.” 

“Hideyoshi.” She wanted to hug him, but he looked so brittle in this moment, fragile. And even worse, she felt as if they’d been here before. Navigating this space between friendship and romance. 

He forced a smile though his eyes were damp. “Would it be alright if - if I still text you sometimes? Just as a friend?” 

Mai nodded. “I’d like that. I meant what I said. I care for you.”

“Good.” He cleared his throat. “I don’t want to lose you.” He rubbed his face as if to banish the unshed tears. “I might go quiet for a little while though. Just to - to give us both some space.”

“Sure. That’s probably a good idea.” 

Awkward silence fell between them, with neither sure of what else to say. Mai wanted to cry, but she felt like that would be wrong. Afterall, she broke up with him. But seeing the vulnerability in him, the openness, the hurt . . . 

“Is it ok if I hug you?” Hideyoshi held up his hands as if to show her they were harmless. 

“Yeah. I’d like that.” And then she was enveloped in his arms, her cheek pressed to his warm, firm chest. His hands rested on her upper back, cradling her gently. She knew she was crazy to give him up - any girl would be lucky to stand beside him. But she wasn’t any girl. She was - my little mouse - Mai, and she knew her heart was elsewhere.

After a moment, they parted. Hideyoshi looked better for the brief embrace, though he wouldn’t meet her gaze. 

“I think I’ll just go now. This is a good spot to end.” He gave an uncertain half-smile. “See you around?”

“Yes.” Mai nodded. “Definitely.” She wanted to apologize again, to tell him what a great guy he was and how sorry she felt to cause him heartbreak. But he was right. This was a good way to end it. More words would spoil their goodbye. So she waved and watched as he walked away, leaving an ache in her chest that made the afternoon feel colder and more empty.

After he was gone, she took out her phone, itching to talk to someone. Her finger hovered over Mitsuhide’s icon but then she scrolled past to text her friend, Asami. They’d grown up together and if anyone could make her feel better about dumping an absolutely perfect guy, it was her. 

They met up at an ice cream shop - Asami’s idea - to split a brownie sundae. 

“Trust me, warm caramel will make us both feel a lot better. Me, because I am forever alone, and you, because you’re drowning in hot guys and can’t make up your mind.” Asami grinned as she held the door open for Mai.

“Oh my god. I am too making up my mind! That’s why I talked to Hideyoshi.” Mai stormed past, feeling a little put out by her friend’s carefree smile.

Asami laughed. “Don’t pout. I’m only teasing. I know that couldn’t have been easy.” She gestured to a table. “You save us a spot. I’ll order.”

Mai forced her mouth out of the moue it was making and nodded. She knew her friend was just trying to cheer her up. And she was right. Any girl would be happy to have the problem of too many cute guys in their life. It was just less fun when it was you, and the guy you liked was Mitsuhide. Because he was -

“Here.” Asami put the sundae down on the table. It was immense. Three scoops of ice cream piled high with whipped cream, chocolate and caramel sauce, cherries, and rainbow sprinkles sat on a giant, soft, chewy, cocoa brownie. Decadent. Ridiculous. Exactly what a girl needed after a teary eyed breakup.

For several minutes, there was just the sound of spoons clinking the glass dish and happy sighs. 

When they’d done a fair amount of damage to the ice cream and dug into the brownie, Asami asked, “So. What happened? I thought Hideyoshi was the perfect guy? Is he, like, secretly eating babies or something?”

“No,” Mai giggled. “He really is damn near perfect. I just . . . he doesn’t . . .”

“Ohhhhh. I get it. No chemistry. When he kisses you, no zing. No juice. No -”

“Oh god, Asami! Stop it! You’re so dirty!” Mai was blushing now, her face hot with embarrassment.

Her friend gave her a knowing look. “But I’m right, right?”

“Yeah,” Mai admitted reluctantly. “It’s like, I care about him. But not as a lover. I can’t imagine him in bed. Or, I can? But I don’t want to.”

“Pfft. I’d imagine him in bed. My bed. You should give me his number.” Asami grinned, then her expression fell, becoming serious. “It’s hard to tell a guy he’s friendzoned. I’m sorry you had to do it. But you got it over with, and it sounds like he took it well.”

She nodded. “I almost wish he’d yelled at me or something. I feel like I kicked a puppy. And,” Mai paused, “this is going to sound weird but, I kind of feel like I told him that before?”

“Deja break up? Weird.” Her friend tilted her head. “But didn’t you tell me you have all kinds of feelings like that with the Mitsuhide guy? Like you knew him before and stuff?”

Mai took a breath. She hadn’t told Asami everything. It was too strange, and she didn’t want her friend thinking she’d lost her mind. But . . . “Do you believe in reincarnation?”

Asami raised an eyebrow. “For real?”

“Yeah.”

After a moment, her friend shrugged. “Sure, I guess. I mean, something has to happen when you die. So why not? Wait.” Asami’s other brow shot up. “You think you were with him in another life? Mitsuhide or Hideyoshi?”

Mai swallowed. “Both? Like I knew them both? And not just them.” She spilled everything over the rest of the sundae. Her dreams and feelings and all of the strange moments she’d had. It felt so good to tell someone she trusted. To just let everything out after worrying over it alone.

When she finished, the ice cream was a memory and Asami was thoughtfully tapping the licked-clean spoon against her lips. “Well. Either you’re insane or reincarnation is real and for whatever reason, you’re drawing these people back to you from your former life. Or lives.”

“That’s not much help. You’re supposed to make me feel better.” Mai tried to frown, but she honestly already felt better just talking about it. 

“Hey! I’m the honest friend. You want blind reassurance, ask somebody else.” Asami stuck her tongue out.

“I would, but Kaiya’s too honest as well, and everyone else is either involved or not a close enough friend. So it’s on you.”

Asami laughed. “Fair enough.” She set the spoon down. “I don’t think you’re crazy. So I guess that means we’re stuck with the reincarnation theory. The only other thing I can come up with is some kind of conspiracy but that seems like a lot of work to date a seamstress. No offense.”

“None taken.” Mai smiled. 

“So. If that’s the case, then why don’t we try to make you remember? Then you’ll know who these guys are and what they mean to you. Include your hottie theater friend.” She winked. “Want to make it happen?”

“I . . . yeah. I do. But how?”

Asami pulled out her phone. “I know a guy. Does hypnosis and stuff. I don’t know if he’s helped with this past life stuff, but supposedly he can help you diet and quit smoking so it’s worth a try.”

Mai wasn’t sure about that, but she nodded anyway. “If you think he might help, then I’m down.”

“Great. I’ll see what he says. And in the meantime -” Asami pointed at her. “No moping. If you start to mope, I’ll call Kaiya and we’ll both show up at your place.”

“No moping,” Mai agreed. “In fact, I think I’ll swing by the theater tonight and take a few shots of the stage. I want to do some color match and contrasts with the -”

“Oh. God. It’s always work with you.” Asami laughed and rolled her eyes. “Sure, fine, whatever helps you get through. But I know the real reason you want to drop by.”

Mai tried to look innocent but she knew she was failing as Asami’s smile widened.

“There might just be some hot, golden-eyed, platinum haired guy who needs a little help with his co-”

“Asami!”

“What? I was going to say costume. Obviously.” Her friend’s smile was mischievous and gave the lie to her ‘obvious’ statement.

Mai felt a rush of love for this friend that had been there for her every time she needed it. She grabbed Asami’s hand and squeezed it. “You’re the best. You know that, right?”

“Yeah, yeah. Just remember that on my birthday. I was looking at this phone -”

They both broke into laughter, the emotional moment passing.

Chapter 11

[veysxrge]

My Sunshine (M.R)

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

Word Count: 1240

Warnings: None

Pairings: Thomas x Newt (romantic)

AU: Barista x Tattoo Artist, Modern AU

-

It had been two days since Thomas came by, Newt was a bit sad but he tried not to think about it. He was allowed his life, but… It was the third day and Newt was already going on his lunch with no sign of the attractive brunet.

Newt hung up his apron and left the staff room, smiling at Zart as the male organized the coffee beans. “Care to make me your special, mate?”

Zart grinned, motioning towards Clint to finish his task before moving to the register, “You know I always love making that for you Newtie.” He cooed as he typed in the order on the computer.

“Oh shut your mush,” Newt said, grinning before he took his wallet out to pay, only for Zart to shake his head.

“Don’t you dare, I’m repaying you for lunch last Saturday.” He said and before Newt could react, Zart put his phone on the reader and the drink was paid for.

“Bloody hell, Zart. You know you don’t have to do all that.” Zart shook his head and motioned for him to go.

“Nah, I got it. Now go get comfy, you only have an hour before it’s back to prison- I mean work.” Newt chuckled but moved to sit in the corner of the room and opened his book. He was currently reading a mystery novel about a wannabe detective and an actual detective solving a family massacre.

After a few minutes Zart placed a cup down, which Newt said cheers to, but they didn’t start any conversation. So Newt returned to his book. He barely had gotten to the next chapter when he heard someone sit across from him.

Newt glanced up, pleasantly surprised to see Thomas sitting in front of him with a soft smile, “Thomas.”

Thomas’ smile got a bit wider when Newt said his name, “Hey Sunshine, looks like I caught you on a break this time, huh?”

Newt grabbed his bookmark and closed his book so he could give Thomas his full attention, “I guess you have.” He said, a smile peeking through as he looked at Thomas.

“So, what’re you reading?” Thomas inquired, leaning his arms on the table as Newt glanced at the book.

“It’s called Detective Files. It’s about a wannabe detective and an actual Detective trying to solve a murder mystery.” Newt said, smiling a bit at the fact that Thomas wanted to know what he was doing.

“Ooh, that actually sounds pretty interesting. I may check it out myself.” Thomas said, a smile of his own threatening to peak out.

Newt seemed to beam at that, he loved giving people suggestions on books, he loved to read so he always had suggestions. “I think you’ll love it, Tommy. Guaranteed!”

Tommy raised his eyebrows, seeming surprised at the sudden nickname but didn’t say anything about it, “Glad to know it has the Sunshine stamp of approval, wouldn’t want to be led astray now.” He said with a grin, taking another sip of his cappuccino.

Newt laughed a bit, crossing his arms, “Where did Sunshine come from, anyways?” He finally asked the question that had been itching his brain for the entire week.

“Well, you’re blond and your face lights up whenever you smile. You look like a literal ball of sunshine.” Thomas said, tilting his head a bit as he explained, “I think it fits, honestly.”

Newt felt his cheeks warm, but he quickly composed himself as he gave Thomas a genuine smile, “Well, I fancy it. S’pose I have more than one reason to be glad that my name tag broke.”

Thomas chuckled at that, “Do I ever get to know the mysterious Sunshine’s name?”

Newt thought for a second, “Well-” Before he could say anything he heard his alarm start to ring. He let out an annoyed sigh as he shut it off before throwing Thomas an apologetic smile, “Maybe another time, Sunshine’s gotta get back to work.”

Thomas seemed to deflate a bit but he nodded, understanding, “I should be heading back as well, anyways. Good luck, Sunshine.” He said, standing up as he gave Newt a salute and a wink.

“Bye Tommy.” Newt said, smiling as he walked over to the counter, keeping an eye on Thomas as he left the shop.

-

Thomas just about fell through the door of the tattoo shop with a grin on his face. Teresa was at the desk again, this time talking to the apprentice whose name Thomas still couldn’t remember. But he didn’t care at the moment, walking over and placing Teresa’s drink down, “He called me Tommy.”

Teresa glanced at him with a raised eyebrow while the apprentice just cocked her head to the side in confusion. “And you didn’t murder him?”

“No, surprisingly enough. I actually liked him calling me that, am I going insane?” Teresa let out a laugh of disbelief before turning back to the apprentice.

“He has a crush on one of the baristas over at the Glade.” The apprentice nodded, grinning a bit.

“Didn’t know you swung that way, always assumed you’d be straight.”

“I’m bi, but I can understand you thinking I was straight.” Thomas said before holding his hand out, “Don’t think we’ve been properly introduced, Thomas.”

The apprentice took his hand, “Sonya, nice to properly meet you.” It looked like she was going to say something else but Aris called her over to his station, “Hate to leave this convo early but duty calls, I wish you luck with your barista boy.”

Thomas nodded, sending her a salute before looking at Teresa again. “To answer your original question, you’re either insane or this nameless barista already has you wrapped around his finger without even realizing it.”

“I’m not surprised…” Thomas leaned his head on his hand before smiling a bit, “He likes to read, I caught him on break today.”

“Oh really? Maybe he can teach you how to read.” Teresa said, taking a sip of her coffee after.

“Oh shut it.” Thomas adjusted so he could drink his own coffee, “I asked for his actual name but it seems he’s enjoying this little thing we have right now.”

Before Teresa could respond Sonya was back at the desk, “Oh my god, I almost forgot but Newt said he’s down for getting a tattoo.”

Teresa seemed to perk up, “Your brother? You finally convinced him?”

“Yeah, but he won’t let me do it since I’m still an apprentice so can I get the thingy that has all the artists work in it?”

“Yeah, here give me a second.” Teresa opened one of the drawers and rummaged around a bit before grabbing a folder, “The order is Minho, Gally, Thomas, Aris, and then Harriet.”

Sonya grabbed it and thanked her before walking away. “Why did she have to convince her brother to get a tattoo?”

“He’s always wanted one but never could find the artist that has a style he likes.” Thomas nodded, understanding that much, “She’s been bugging him to look at the people here since you all have a lot of different styles. Especially you and Aris, your styles look nothing like how you look.”

“That makes sense, does he live around here?” Thomas asked, just wanting to know about this Newt guy. He might be tattooing him.

“I’m pretty sure. I think he’s a barista, don’t know where though.” Thomas nodded and that’s where the conversation ended.

[crimsonredfeathers]

Leaving

~*~ Chapter 4 ~*~

Hawks x slightly older!fem!Reader

Warnings: a hint of fluff

Word count: 1.2k

Notes: Still ongoing and probably going to be much longer than I had planned. I moved the fact that the reader is a bit older than our beloved hero over to the "Hawks x fem!Reader" part, so I finally stop repeating myself in the notes 🙈

Prologue * Chapter 1 * Chapter 2 * Chapter 3 * Chapter 4 * Chapter 5 * Chapter 6 * Chapter 7 * Chapter 8 * Chapter 9 * Chapter 10

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The hero reluctantly let go of your hand. "Well, I should probably be on my way by now. Thanks for the coffee," he winked as he got up from your sofa. "We should do that again sometime soon." You nodded in agreement. "I'd love to."

A gentle expression adorned your features as you accompanied him to the door of your apartment. "Thanks, y/n, for havin' me," he said, voice soft, as he slipped into his boots. "See you at work tomorrow." Instead of taking the stairs, Hawks leaped right from the railing of the outdoor hallway. Spreading his wings, he took off into the by now darkening sky. It was hard to take your eyes off of him, considering how stunningly beautiful he looked with those crimson feathers on his back that carried him so effortlessly through the air.

~*~

Once Hawks was absolutely sure that he was out of your sight, he landed on top of a random skyscraper nearby. Standing there, he stared down at his gloved hand that had just held yours a few minutes ago, a rare smile crossing his face, one that made his eyes gleam with joy.

~*~

You had just entered Hawks' office, papers regarding an arrest that had occurred during his recent patrol which he had finished about half an hour ago in your hands, when the ringing sound of the elevator made you turn around. Through the open door of his office, Hawks and you watched as the doors of the elevator slid open, and both of the breathless and sweaty sidekicks stepped into the common area of the agency. They mumbled something about Hawks being way too fast for them to ever keep up as they greeted you and walked over to the fridge to grab a bottle of water. You honestly felt a little bad for them, but, in the end, it's how the three of them stayed most effective. The blonde pro hero usually took care of whatever came their way, and his sidekicks would take care of the aftermath. But this also meant that they'd be the last to arrive back at the office, exhausted and worn out, every single time.

The phone on your desk rang, and you handed Hawks the papers in a hurry to rush over and pick up the phone. "Thank you for calling the agency of pro hero Hawks! This is secretary l/n y/n speaking. How may I help you today?" The person on the other end of the line identified herself as the woman from the Hero Public Safety Commission that you'd met for the first time during your interview months ago. "We'd like to inform you, that we are about to release the newly calculated rankings of Japan's Billboard Charts publicly," you pushed the speaker button, so that everyone could listen in, "and give you a heads up on Hawks entering the top 10!" Hawks' face appeared in the doorframe. He looked at you, stunned. "Those are fantastic news! Thanks for letting us know!" You bid the lady goodbye and ended the call. When you looked back up from the phone, ready to speak up and congratulate your boss, Hawks had already disconnected two feathers from his wings, shoving his sidekicks back over to the elevator. "What are you -" one began, but was startled into silence, when a third small feather shot past his head to push the button next to the doors. Hawks put his arm around your shoulder, urging you to walk alongside him to join the other guys at the elevator. Your questioning look made him grin. "I'm gonna treat ya'll for lunch. I mean, we did it! I couldn't do all of this without your support!"

His sidekicks groaned as they were shoved into the small cabin of the elevator by the feathers as soon as the doors had opened. Now they not only had to leave the agency again, but they also had to share the small space in the elevator with Hawks at the same time, his wings that had just claimed the few stray feathers back, taking up way too much space in there. There was a reason behind him usually using the windows to enter and leave the agency.

~*~

Hawks brought you to Yoritomi Midori, a nice little restaurant on the more traditional side with fantastic food he'd recently discovered during one of his patrols, as he'd told you during the short walk over. A waitress greeted you enthusiastically and led you to a secluded area with a table next to a huge window. The four of you sat down and ordered different types of food so that you could share the individual dishes between each other.

While all of you were waiting for your food, Hawks and the guys talked about their patrol earlier. After a while, the noises blended in as you took a moment to enjoy the view you had over the buzzing city beneath. It was always nice to watch people go about their day while knowing they were safe, thanks to the heroes' hard work. You only registered that Hawks was talking to you when he'd leaned over the table to catch your attention. "I should take you on a flight sometime if you enjoy watching people from above," Hawks chuckled as he watched you staring out of the window in awe. "That'd be nice," you sighed, lost in thought. None of you saw the amused look the other two exchanged.

~*~

Halfway through your meal, you could hear Hawks' mobile go off inside of his jacket. "Excuse me," he said, fishing the phone out of his pocket and answering the call. A moment of silence followed. "Alright, we'll be there in 5 minutes," he ended the call and sighed. "What's wrong?" You looked at him over the table, leaning your head sideways. "Several people are held hostage in a supermarket," he said, nodding at his sidekicks to signal them that they'd have to tag along. You could see why he had told you during your little encounter a few weeks prior that the workload was overwhelming sometimes. "Sorry, y/n, see you later at the agency."

"Stay safe, everyone," you sent them off just like you had done many times before. Looking out of the window again, you saw Hawks flying ahead at his trademark speed, his sidekicks hastily running behind him. You shook your head in disbelief as you, again, felt a tiny bit sorry for these two guys.

~*~

You ended up asking the waitress to send an invoice to your agency and bring you a few plastic containers, so you could pack all the leftovers for the three heroes that had left to save the day once more, to which she happily obliged. You could definitely see why Hawks liked it here. The food indeed was fantastic and the waitresses were nothing but helpful and kind.

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Taglist: @claratakami @chrisrue15 @mysideeffectsofyou

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A huge thanks to everyone who's reading and supporting this story! See you next chapter ❤️👋

[hanasnx]

no yeah i need more of the indy x beef love story!! add a cut if you have to (jokey joke i'm not trying to nag) i've got a cup of ice water and a bowl of popcorn beside me (also a joke. the popcorn, not the ice water. it is toasty rn) i'm invested, i'm seated, i'm tuned in!! much love xoxo

part one sorry this took so long

i had this sense of belonging with him. i was already comfortable with him even though we'd only had a handful of conversations. this was a big step for me seeing as how i'd only ever been with people that gave me that thrill in my stomach especially if i was doing something wrong. in this case, that thrill was completely gone, replaced with a sense of safety i'd never felt before besides a friendship that was very dear to me. so i thought i needed to be his friend. i wanted to hang out with him.

i think i decided this when i went out walking late at night because its my favorite thing to do and it started pouring rain so i went to the little mailbox garage to keep my phone/earbuds dry otherwise i wouldnt have minded the rain. but i was sitting there and i found myself wanting to run into him. i was wishing he'd, for some reason, come check his mail so that we could talk more.

now that its decided that i knew i wanted to be closer to him, i did not have a game plan. instead, i applied the logic i usually would apply to this situation: if it's meant to be it'll come back. because i was too scared to make a move when he came in for coffee in the morning. we said our usual hellos etc but i did not give him my number. i was disappointed, even though it was my own fault, because its rare that i see him twice in one day. so the "if it's meant to be it'll come back" was kind a way out for me, 1) i wouldnt have to do the thing i was dreading, creating a sense of relief 2) but that would mean i dont get to do the thing i wanted to do, creating a sense of disappointment.

i was working all day and my boss left early, which means that when i went home for lunch, i put on non-corporate dress code socks because my feet were cold. ones that her micro-managing ass would've noticed and told me to take off. but i was behind the desk, it was nearing the end of the day, no one would notice my crazy socks. my coworker that knew i liked this guy was sitting next to me, and my head maintenance guy who didnt know and could not know. we were all talking when beef came in.

like i said before, it was rare to see him twice in one day, so my stomach did a flip. it meant i had to give him my number, i made that commitment. i wrote it down on a sticky note, waiting for my chance. but my maintenance guy wouldnt leave, and beef was making his coffee. i was running out of time. i didnt know how to find a situation to give it to him in which my maintenance guy wouldnt see it because i knew his ass would report me or hold it over my head. and beef left before i could figure it out.

crestfallen, i hadnt fulfilled my commitment. i was really upset with myself, it was perfect. he came back just like he was supposed to, just like the mantra. if it's meant to be it will come back.

i was beating myself up for it tbh. "you always do this shit, indy, you always do this shit." which is so rare considering how kind i am to myself, which goes to show just how upset i was at myself for not manning up about it.

some time passed and it was probably the last thirty minutes of the day, so i was gonna go put the golf cart back. i was walking out when something told me to go back to my desk, so i went back, and i grabbed the sticky note with my number on it. to this day i have no idea why i did that. something came over me that i went back to my desk and grabbed the sticky note with my number on it to shove into my pocket to take with me. maybe it was because i didnt want other people to see it on my desk, but i couldve just thrown it away.

i drive around and i go the longways because i usually did that. its about evening time, the sky is orange, im still upset over earlier.

and i see in the distance a familiar silhouette. one i've seen a thousand times. it was beef roller blading alongside his running dog. i cant believe my eyes it was like magic. i was genuinely, to my core, shocked. a third time. a third time in one day.

he goes to the sidewalk to let me pass, but i turn in to a parking spot like a mad man. i am determined to get this over with. a third time in the same day, ive never seen him three times in one day, this had to be it. i have to give him the number and miraculously i brought the fucking note with me. i march up, i say "hi (name), hi (dogs name)" quick asf. "dont look at my socks" i tell him because im still wearing the crazy socks that dont go with my shoes or outfit and the first thing he fucking does is look down at my socks. he laughs at them. i hand him the note "call me if you wanna hangout sometime." i say and get back in the cart to take it to the garage.

an hour later he texts. "hi :) this is (name)" and we text for hours. paragraphs about our pasts and shows we like and what we do for fun, everything. at one point he texts that he feels like he needs to say that hes "not ready for a relationship, and hes happy being friends" and i said "thats fine because thats why i gave you my number. to hang out" which is true. i asked him if he wanted to go around the community yard sale on thursday with me, and he said yes.

around 11 o clock that day, we meet up, and i remember he looked me up and down. he gave me that scan. it was subtle but i was like oh?

we walked around together and i got a bunch of stuff for my roommates cats and a lemon soap dispenser for my roommate who loves lemons etc. beef hasnt gotten anything, but he helps me carry my stuff :) he had insisted on it. at one point we come across a collection of framed paintings, and he looks particularly taken with a small portrait of a snowy landscape with a man in furs. he sets it back down. i check the price, its $5 so i buy it for him. he looks touched.

we text a little for the next week, but he says hes really busy with work and has to focus on that so i give him that space. at one point i subtly try to hang out with him late at night using the excuse of putting our crystals out for the full moon, and he says that he'd love to but can't, and i had to backtrack and act like i wasnt trying to hang out 💀

towards the end of that week, i had started texted with an ex-best-friend of mine we'll call her EBF. ebf invited me to a kava bar, then asked if her boyfriend could come, i said no that makes me uncomfortable bcos i dont know her boyfriend, she says "oh then i cant go", im like wow i wonderrr why we stopped being friends u pos but whateverrr so i said "if you get to bring someone, i get to bring someone" and invited beef. i said "hey i know its short notice but im going out tonight at a kava bar you should come" he says "great! give me the address ill be there" so i do. while im getting ready, EBF texts to cancel last minute. fucking dick n balls, right? so i had to text beef to be like "hey man so sorry but my friend cancelled. do you still wanna go just us?" and he says yea :)

he picks me up and at one point i pay a compliment to myself, i say i've got nice curves. he looks at me while hes got a spare moment driving and gives me a little once over again... and says "yeah, you do have nice curves" i couldve died

we talk about anything and everything on the way here, at the kava bar, and then when we take a walk. we walk up and down that strip for like an hour and a half. we drive back to the community and we take another walk. when i look at my phone after all this walking and talking it realize its 2am and we started hanging out at 7pm. so i have to run back home bcos ive gotta get ready for work in 6 hours.

the next day my roommates rly wanna meet him, so invite him over to hang with them. after that, i walk him home, and spent a bit of time with him there. i tell him im cold, and he says "heres my favorite hoodie". i go home and spend a few hours apart at my place. we keep texting, and he says "let me know if you wanna play some games tonight" as in like online, but i was like "im literally packing up my ps3 to bring over rn" bcos he had mentioned he wanted to play black ops 2 and i was feeling spontaneous. around midnight im back at his place and we play games until way later, and im feeling too tired to keep playing so we put on a movie and we "cuddle" which was kind of spooning but he kept his crotch away from my ass. (he tells me later that the reason he did that was because he got a boner laying down with me)

we fall asleep watching rio, our first sleepover. he had set an alarm for me so that i wouldnt miss work and i didnt even ask.

the next day he asked me to come over again. he cooks me dinner. we have another sleepover. i got to work, and then i go right back to his place. that night we're sitting and facing one another in the dark, that invisible string is pulling us together. he's murmuring, "i don't wanna be friends. i wanna be your boyfriend." and we kiss. its soft and slow, and it marks may 7th our anniversary.

since our first sleepover, i did not sleep again at my own place, which means that before we were officially dating, we were technically living together first.

[filled-with-fat]

Denver turned Alfie to 600lbs - TLC

I was attending a British University, regularly going to the gym, dating one of the hottest girls in my class. I was extremely muscly and handsome.

After graduating, I got a job in a tech company in London. After about 6 months working with them, I got moved to the company’s US headquarters in Denver. My girlfriend couldn’t move with me because of her job, so I lived in Denver alone.

The first couple of weeks at my new office in Denver was alright. I got acclimatised to the way of life in America - very different from England. I found it very hard to find healthy restaurants and supermarkets to get food in. At lunchtimes when I’d go out for lunch with my colleagues, we would always go to a McDonald’s or a Wendy’s, it was always fast food. Back in England, I would usually go to the gym at least four times a week, but my house in Denver was about an hours bus drive away from the nearest gym and the company didn’t give me a car. I wasn’t working out and all I was doing was eating wholesome fatty foods each day. I was working an office job, being completely stationary for most of the day.

Very quickly my muscles started to become less apparent as my body accumulated with all the fatty foods I had been eating. One of my colleagues, Darla, took me aside one day and asked if everything was alright - clearly referencing my weight gain - but asides from her none of my other colleagues particularly cared about me gaining weight, they were all grossly outsized anyway. It’s a very noticeable difference how fat people are in the USA compared to England and how acceptable it is being fat - no one cares.

After 1 year of working with the company in Denver, I was a changed person. I had ballooned from a healthy athletic 190 lbs muscly man into a 500lbs walking blob of fat. I had a belly that outstretched even a 5xl shirt, rolls folding all down my torso and heavy flabby arms the size of canons. I was morbidly obese. I craved food everyday. I would wake up at 6:30 and order 2x pancake stacks, hash browns, bacon, 2x sausage egg and cheese croissants, and 2 chocolate shakes. Then on the 30 minute bus drive to work I would pound my face with the first chocolate bar of the day. As I got to work I would stop off at a local coffee shop and buy a doughnut and another shake for work. At work, they’d had to buy me a reinforced chair after I broke the standard one from my hefty bulk. They also moved me to a ‘round desk’ so I could actually reach the desk with my arms without my huge belly getting in the way. I would be snacking at my desk throughout the day and was so eager for lunch I would usually leave 10 minutes early at least. Back at my house I would order two takeaways in the space of one evening and often fall asleep on the coach. The process repeats.

After 18 months at the office in Denver, I was set to return back to England. But my position was terminated. Apparently the office in London cited my ‘work ethic’ as a reason for firing me, I took the car to court but lost - failing to show up on the day because I’d rather eat.

At just 20, I was morbidly obese, feeding myself off takeaways and unable to find a job. I am addicted to food, I think about eating and what Im going to be eating and the delicious sensation of eating everyone when Im not eating. So I’ve come to TLC to see what they can do.

[looosey]

Lucy's Side Quest #8: How much is too much?

Motivations: I've been pretty open to y'all throughout this year that I'm interested in being in love, and finding a partner. So... I made it a goal this summer, once I got back to Boston, to go on 10 dates on Hinge (have y'all seen the 50 first dates girl on tiktok? [1]).

Method: Two weeks ago, I updated my Hinge profile to reflect more of who I am now: using photos from dance and ring ceremony, and changed the prompt answers to be much less verbose (I used to be so open to these strangers!). I took 1 week to let the algorithm soak, and then 1 week to go on actual dates. This meant, sending out a bunch of likes per day without really looking too closely at any one profile or agonizing over what to slide up with, a method I came to now that I understand more of how the world runs in Hinge [2]. The matches trickled in slowly, and I challenged myself to one standard only, which was don't be weird about this. Then, naturally some matches matriculated to texting and then to meeting up in person!

Preliminary Outcomes: I set up three dates early on this week and just went out without too much thought. The first guy was fun to talk to and cute, and the second guy matched me on a more fundamental creative level. They were both new to Boston this summer. Both dates were on Commonwealth avenue, and consisted of eating then walking around Boston in the nighttime afterwards.

Both dates ended well, and left me feeling happy! Objectively, they were definitely better Hinge dates than the ones I had in February this year. Yet, I was not so eager to the point that I couldn't wait to see them again.

The third date! Though! Was yesterday. It was so strange in a good way. Even while texting this guy last week, I had a good gut feeling about him, like I knew could be myself. Maybe because he went to school in Texas? And having set up three dates, and knowing he was the last one, I felt the most excited about him. Thus, subconsciously, I saved the best date course(?) for this one, which was, instead of just getting coffee or lunch, go to a bunch of Sunday markets in Boston Southend and a supposed Little Italy festival in North end.

And I was right! Almost immediately, when I saw him, I felt a sense of comfort and a happy buzz? The date went so well, and Boston was being so lovely for us, including North end and the esplanade. And I'll skip the details, but I think I like him quite a bit, and it's strange to be on the other end again of this dynamic.

I remember two of the guys I considered seeing this year, and how often they wanted to meet up, so quick so soon. They were very clearly into me, and I didn't know it yet, but I know retrospectively, I wasn't as into them. And so now, I'm on the other end, and I don't want to scare him off, because duh, I'm interested in him, and thus I'm much more careful.

Thus, how much is too much? How do you show enough interest while respecting boundaries, and sharing a pace that works for both people? Texting, meeting up, doing acts of service for guys, inviting him to other things?

Or do I have to learn to play The Game? And resist the urge to show my feelings completely?

References:

[1] the 50 first dates https://www.tiktok.com/@hannahzaslawski/video/7263401638700780801

[2] Analyzing hinge and best use cases.

[ohraicodoll]

Figment | Chapter 2

(gif credit: sic-vita) Chapters:  2/7 Fandom:  The Sandman (Comics & TV 2022) Rating:  Mature Relationships:  Dream of the Endless | Morpheus/Original Female Character, Dream/Reader Characters:  Dream of the Endless | Morpheus, Original Female Character, Matthew the Raven, Lucienne Additional Tags: Mix of TV Dream and Comic Dream, Spice a little later, kinda enemies to lovers, Cause Dream likes when people backtalk to him, lots and lots of tension Summary: She had only been able to enter other’s dreams two years ago, but she knew the rules.

Don’t interfere with the dream. Don’t create anything in another’s dream. Don’t destroy anything in another’s dream.

But then she stupidly broke one of those rules and the Lord of Dreams does not take kindly to others messing with his domain. Chapter Summary:  Nightmares and Dream Kings. Read Here on AO3 Chapter 1 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7

Chapter 2

I was being paranoid.

The first week after seeing the mystery man I downed whatever caffeine drink I could find. Just an ungodly amount of caffeine and sugar that kept me up late and then had me crashing hard. Forcing a crash meant I didn’t dream as much and if I didn’t dream, maybe my little transgression would be forgotten about or unnoticed.

When my body started to get used to the caffeine and I found myself nodding off while typing, I started googling things like intermittent sleeping and if sleeping medication staved off dreaming. The answer was no. So I took to napping a couple hours at a time for the next few weeks, but never a full night's rest.

I was thinking about the mystery guy too much and because of that, I kept seeing him in the brief dreams I did have while napping. He peered into the glass window of the café I sat at while a cat served me coffee and a human girl napped on the floor. When I walked across the branches of 100-foot-tall trees, I could feel those black endless eyes following me from far below on the forest floor. As I walked on the ocean floor with a large jellyfish chatting my ear off, I could have sworn it was his reflection I saw on the surface of the water, large and looming.

Thinking too much about something could bring it into the dreaming and since I was so anxious, he was going to appear of course. Right?

The intermittent napping wasn’t working unless the goal was to give me bags under my eyes the size of a bean bag chair. Another downside was that I was an adult that needed to work an adult job that required focus, which was not something I had.

After sending the same email to the wrong person three times in a row, I gave up and decided to take a sick day halfway through lunch. A girl had to eat and getting fired for fucking up an important document and emailing the wrong vendors wasn’t going to help the situation. I was going to have to sleep. This wasn’t sustainable and it’s not like that was actually the Lord of Dreams!

Of course not.

I splashed water on my face in the bathroom to try and shake off the increasing numbness I’d been feeling. It was disconcerting how much I’d been feeling this way in the past two years. Almost like the real world was the dream and vice versa. I felt like a shadow and after the few weeks of restless days and nights I’d been having, I wasn't even a solid shadow. I was thin and flimsy and my skin was looking a bit more faded.

My coworkers were chalking it up to the breakup but honestly, I hadn’t even thought of Thomas that much. Which probably said something in itself about how attached I had been in the relationship. He’d tried to stop by the office since I’d blocked him but luckily, we had a receptionist who gave me the heads up and he was told I was out of town for a conference. Jennine was a real one.

Hoisting my bag on my shoulder, I began the walk back to my apartment fifteen minutes away. The plan would be to go home, get some sleep, and if I dreamed I would stay strictly in my own. I hadn’t gone into anyone else’s since Thomas because no way was I risking that, but maybe if I was being watched I could act like I was completely normal and he’d move on.

Completely normal and not able to go walking around people’s dreams or remember them during the day or able to break your ex-boyfriend’s dreams out of drunken anger. Normal. I could do that. I had years and years of practice before two years ago, I could totally do that.

Pausing at the crosswalk for the lights to switch, I ran a hand over my tired face. Everything was a blur around me, barely registering, and the combination of heat and humidity from a passing Summer rain pressed onto me.

I was exhausted but anxious, the two pulling my brain in every direction. There was no telling how long I could keep this up. If that was the dreamlord and he was onto me, he was far more powerful than I was. He was already outlasting me. But what exactly did I do wrong? I didn’t ask for any of this.

A loud bird caw right above my head made me jump, startled, a few seconds before I realized my foot had slipped off the curb and into the street right as a semi-truck passed by. The world came back into loud, sharp focus and the truck blared a honk as it drove passed and my heart raced.

Blinking, I looked up to find a very large raven perched on the streetlight above me. It’s head quirked and then it fluffed up its feathers.

My heart was hammering and hands shaking from the close call, but I couldn’t help myself from staring at the bird. For a second, I wondered if I was dreaming and the raven had been trying to warn me.

“Thanks for that,” I muttered under my breath then shook myself, starting to walk forward as the walk sign turned on.

I needed sleep. I had thanked a bird. And I definitely had most likely hallucinated it bowing its head with a look of understanding before it took off into the sky.

_________

The forest was cold and foggy, the treetops so large and encompassing that I couldn’t even see the sky if I tried to in the utter darkness. My breath was coming out in ragged breaths, small puffs of white blowing in the cold.

I was in a nightmare. I hadn’t had one in so long, but the sleeplessness and exhaustion had probably brought it on.

My heart was thumping loudly in my ears and the sounds were so loud around me. Tiny snaps of branches. The chittering of bugs and night creatures. I swallowed and tried to calm myself. I couldn’t wake myself up if I wasn’t calm.

Something was watching me. I could feel its eyes on my back like heat searing my skin. I knew I shouldn’t turn, shouldn’t look behind me, but I couldn’t help it. Holding my breath, I slowly turned my eyes to look over my shoulder into the darkness of the forest. For a second everything was quiet and still except for the soft rasps of my frantic breathing.

Then eyes appeared and then more eyes, hundreds of eyes and dozens of mouths smiling dangerously in stark relief against the black void. I could see the slight inky movement of tentacles reaching and grasping the trees around it.

And then it started to run or whatever version of running a giant mass of eyes and teeth and tentacles could do, grabbing whatever it could to pull itself forward. It was so fast, so very fast and cackling and it rushed towards me.

I took off running.

The monstrous thing laughed, trees breaking under its grip as it bulldozed forward. I flew, hopping over broken logs and dead leaves. My feet were bare, each slap against the forest floor like sharp spikes through my heels, and all I had on was what I had passed out in, jeans and an oversized shirt. The cold stung and the small branches easily tore through the thin fabric and sliced up my skin.

It was gaining on me. I knew it. I wasn’t a runner, never had been, and even in this dream world I could feel the sharp ache in my sides that reminded me of that fact. I tried to choke out a cry for help but the cold ate the words away. There were eyes in the forest, eyes all around me, pressing in against me in the darkness. No moon, no stars, only a void and the cold.

There was a door ahead in the distance. I almost sobbed in relief and tried to force myself a little farther. If I reached it, I’d be safe. It couldn’t follow me through into someone else’s dream. There were rules to the creatures that inhabited the dream world and unlike me, they had to follow them.

Tears stung and I could feel the sharp bite of a dozen little cuts all over my body.

Just a little bit more. The monster laughed louder, closer, teeth gnashing.

My body slammed into the wood of the door, the impact reverberating through me and my own teeth slamming together as I desperately reached for the door handle. It turned easily but when I opened it, my stomach dropped.

It didn’t lead anywhere. The frame stood on its own and the other side was only more forest except now there were rows and rows of doors on either side like a hallway without walls. I shook, sobbing, and ran through grabbing the next door’s handle on the left.

Empty. I grabbed the one across. Another empty frame. Another and another. Each one led nowhere but gaped wide back into the dark forest like a never-ending taunt. There was no escaping.

The monster was so close and I could see the thrashing of its tentacles whipping around in the darkness. It was so big, impossibly huge as it came closer. I screamed in frustration and fear as one by one the doors led nowhere. Closer and closer, the mouths talked in a chorus of echoing voices, calling my name and mocking me.

Could I die in a nightmare? I had heard about some that were so scared in dreams that they gave themselves a stroke. I had heard of sleep paralysis and then there was dying in your sleep from unknown causes. And I was more aware in dreams, could feel the echoes of them in the real world. Could it kill me?

I shook another door knob in rage and screamed at it, watching it swing back into the open air.

Tentacles wrapped around the frame of the main door that had led me here, no longer running but curling slowly and dragging its body through. So many eyes, wet and roaming all over its body and taking me in. The mouths were fanged and sharp and grinned at me.

“...so ssssscaaared….soooo aloooone…” its mouths whispered, the voice sliding along my skin like thick, sticky tar.

I backed up, staring at this monstrous creature with disgust and terror. I couldn’t even feel the pain of sticks stabbing the underside of my feet, the small droplets of blood welling up and staining the forest floor.

It was only a few yards away now, grasping empty door frames to pull itself forward, body squeezing and filling the narrow corridor between doors.

I kept stepping backwards, away, but not sure where to run or if I turned around and tried more doors it would grab me and rip me to shreds with all its teeth. Wake up. Wake up! The words pounded through my head. My back hit wood and I could feel another door at my back. End of the line. I desperately reached for the doorknob blindly and let out another sob when it didn’t even open. Locked.

Of course.

“...nooo…where…to..runnnnnnn” the monster hissed mockingly, chuckling as it towered over me.

It lunged. I screamed.

The door opened behind me and arms yanked me back harshly, my body falling backward.

I was still screaming when the door slammed shut and dissolved, leaving me in nothing but an empty black void.

There was no light, no sense of ground or sky or walls, but I could see perfectly. I was shaking so badly. The arms wrapped around my waist let go unceremoniously and I fell to my knees, heaving in deep breaths and shuddering with how hard I was sobbing. It took me a while to understand that I was out of the nightmare, that I was safe. I think. But finally, shaking and face completely wet with tears, I forced myself to sit upright and look over my shoulder at the person who had grabbed me.

The stranger. There he was, standing in the void, towering over my hunched form.

Instead of a peacoat this time, a long inky cloak flowed around him like flickering shadows, flames dancing along the edges. He blended in with the void, made of pure darkness and moonlight. His skin was so pale, like marble, and his hair was a mess of black surrounding a face sculpted sharply from porcelain. But those eyes. Black, pure black, with twin stars staring directly at me, drilling into me. It hadn’t been a trick of the shadows back in the bar.

“It’s you,” I whispered breathlessly.

“So it would appear,” he replied, soft but powerful, like silk in thunderstorms.

The momentary relief halted, fear returning to flood my veins. I wasn’t sure if I should stand, stay kneeling on the ground, or make a run for it. But where could I even go? He quirked his head almost like he could read my thoughts. Could he read my thoughts?

I settled for slowly pulling myself off the floor, my legs weak from the effort. My clothes were torn and shredded from dirt and blood and the dew of the fog, hair matted to my face and neck. But I tried to at least stand with some dignity even if my feet felt like they’d fall off.

“You-,” I licked my lips and could taste coppery blood, “You’ve been in all my dreams lately.”

His face was an unmovable mask as he peered at me with those black eyes, “I have.”

“You’re the dreamlord,” it came out a shaky whisper, as if speaking it out loud would cause the door to burst open and the monster to come in. But he heard me, the barest twitch of a raised eyebrow.

“It seems you do, in fact, know of me,” he replied, almost mockingly, “So I can also assume you are not as ignorant as you try to seem about what you have been doing in my realm.”

I winced, hands balling into a fist at my side. I was scared and nervous and intimidated but there was this feeling deep down of indignation that I wasn’t sure about, “I vaguely know of you, but I didn’t think you were real. Just nonsense adults tell kids.”

“I assure you I am very real,” his words held weight as he took a step forward, “I am Morpheus, Dream of the Endless, and Lord of the Dreaming. And I believe, little dreamer, it is time we had words.”

I blinked and suddenly, my clothes were back to normal. No sign of damage or blood or dirt from my run through the forest. I couldn’t feel any of the scrapes and cuts anymore, though there was still a ghost of pain from where they had been. I was whole again, in one way at least.

Morpheus stepped forward, a good head taller than me and radiating a power I could feel all around me, “You interfered with another’s dream- a dream you should not have been able to access in the first place. And now you seek to hide from me.”

I swallowed, staring up into those bottomless eyes, and tried to find my voice, “I…did, but not on purpose!…I- I mean not the interfering part, I did enter another’s dream and I did try to hide but-”

One of his eyebrows raised as I bumbled my way through an explanation, “I did intend to enter the dream but I was drinking and I was upset and it wasn’t my best moment and before I knew it I was breaking things and-”

“Enough,” he cut me off. “You knowingly entered this man’s dream?”

Shrugging halfheartedly, I sighed, “I didn’t know it was going to be his, but I did know it was someone else’s dream. It’s…something I’ve been able to do for a couple of years. For some reason, before that, I couldn’t even remember my dreams, much less mess around with them.”

His jaw clenched and eyes danced away, a move so subtle I probably wouldn’t have noticed it if he wasn’t hovering over me. “There were…circumstances that kept most away from the Dreaming for a long time. Even thus so, a dream walker has not entered this realm in centuries and for good reason,” Morpheus spoke.

The term dream walker rolled in my head, settling in as if to yes, “Yes, yes, that’s what we are.”

But I frowned, the fear and tension starting to become an even tenor, almost like my body was getting used to being high strung and therefore it was less intense. Afraid but not as much. Dream was intimidating and powerful, but something itched in the back of my head that whispered, “He’s only a man.”

Dream walkers had been around though. My grandmother had said she had the gift when she was a kid and that it ran in the family. She wouldn’t have known about it unless she had done it herself so that was a lie.

“Or maybe they all learned how to not get caught,” I mumbled absentmindedly before realizing I had said it out loud. The implication that he’d been outsmarted, that they’d been under his nose and he didn’t even know it.

His eyes instantly returned back to mine, a flicker of anger in them as the twin stars burned red. And that pleased me for some reason. Like I, a mere mortal, was able to get a reaction from him.

“I am the Dreaming,” he practically growled, “This is my realm and you deliberately have broken my laws. Mortals cannot traverse through other’s dreams.”

“If that’s so, why can I?” I snapped back. It was like an out of body experience. The exhaustion and anxiety and frustration from the last few weeks of pushing myself to the limit to hide from him had it all rearing up. He’d caught me, there was no more hiding, but is what I did so reprehensible?

“I didn’t ask to be able to do this. It just happened and you know what, I’m not sorry,” I bit out, straightening myself out and standing taller, “Yes, I did go into another person’s dream but I didn’t know it would be Thomas’. But even then, that asshole deserves to have his little fantasy smashed to bits.”

It had to be delirium that was propelling my mouth, because I’d gone insane. Morpheus’ lips pursed and those twin stars flashed in his eyes as he stepped closer, bearing down on me.

“You dare-”

“For two years, I’ve been a good girl and didn’t interfere once,” I cut him off, anger roaring in my ears, “I do it one time and you’re acting like I might as well have killed someone. So how about we call that fucked up little nightmare that tried to eat me a slap on the wrist, I agree to not mess with anyone again, and call it a day because I am tired of turning around and seeing you in every corner of my dreams.”

He stepped forward again, so close I could feel his breath on me. Power rolled off him, his cloak whipping around our feet angrily. The flames from the inky fabric did not burn as they danced off him and brushed against me, the cloak sliding along my skin whispering of dreams and nightmares and stars and shadows and stories so ancient. In the vastness of the black void we stood in, he seemed darker than the mind could fathom.

The Dream King glowered, otherworldly and beautiful and full of fury, and glared down straight into me with hot anger, “You deem to tell me what I should do, little dreamer? You have no idea the games you play. The Dreaming is not your playground to do as you like and I am not yours to command.”

I raised my chin, “What is dreaming if not a place where you can play out your fantasies? I didn’t hurt anyone and I don’t see how I’m yours to command either so we’re done here.”

The corner of Morpheus’ lip twitched in unamused humor. “Impertinent little thing,” he whispered coolly, so close to me I could feel it.

“Well you’re really going to hate this,” I muttered, craning my neck to stare back directly into his eyes, almost a challenge.

I could see Morpheus knit his brow as he tried to guess at my words but by the time his mouth formed the shape to yell at me, I’d already quickly whispered out my command.

“Wake up.”

There was no melting away. One second, I was staring up at an angry ancient being and the next, I was jolting upright and breathing hard. My hands gripped the bedsheets, straining to ground myself in some way in the real world. I was awake, the room was whole and empty. No cuts on my feet, no swirling black cloak. No black void, no angry Morpheus. Safe.

I cupped my face in my hands, groaning loudly as my skin settled into normal gravity. I could still feel that anger roiling inside me but reality was taking hold, dousing it quickly in ice as the realization of what I’d done settled in. I hadn’t been drunk this time, had only been fueled by exhaustion, sleep deprivation, and the fear from the nightmare. But still, I had yelled at the Dream King.

I had essentially yelled at him and then shut a metaphysical door right in his face. What was wrong with me?

I was so fucking dead.