#I am just someone trying to answer the best he can a question he hasn't prepared for

[mask131]

Hello, I hope you are doing well. Apologies if this is a bit of a dumb question, or is otherwise one you've already touched on elsewhere, but based on your experience would you happen to have any insights regarding how matters of economic/social class might influence the mythology, folklore, and other storytelling traditions people groups engage with? I understand if this is a tough question to answer, it is admittedly very broad.

Not at all a dumb question! No question is dumb!

... Well to be fair some questions are dumb, but this isn't one.

Indeed it is very, VERY broad, especially since every mythology and folkore has a different context and tone and history to it.

Economy and social class... I can't actually talk much about this topic - because I am not an expert on either economics or sociology. But I will try to answer with a few things I know... And given I have been very active on my fairytale blog recently I think I can tie that to something also relevant to fairytales (which as in truth another form of folklore, somehow).

If I had something to say it would be: the idea that mythology and folklore are just "stories told by the common folk, that spread orally among the low class, that is part of everyday's culture" has to be treated VERY CAREFULLY. It is not an unfounded assumption. Folklore does spread and exist through oral traditions, as the stories are told by grandpas to granchilds, by nurses to children, from villages to villages. Lots of mythologies of the world do survive on oral culture, traditional storytelling, and "belong to the people".

But to assume mythology always was a sort of free-entity wandering around, that is transmitted exclusively orally, and that media adaptations cannot truly change or touch is probably a bit foolish - especially in the Western world.

I'll take two examples: Greek mythology and fairytales.

Given how widespread and common Greek mythology is nowadays, people tend to believe they are just stories that exist on their own, and were kept to us by storytelling, and that they existed as they are of all time... But a lot of people do not realize that Greek mythology isn't some sort of petrified oral culture or a defined set of pop culture references: Greek mythology is a literary mythology. And this is true for a lot of the mythologies of Antiquity - they are "literary mythologies" because we did not kept any of the actual "oral myths". It is not like when colonizers started to study and record the mythologies of the First Nations, or when Europeans tried to understand the myths of the first inhabitants of Australia - these were "live captures" of a mythology still in an oral, active, "folkloric" form. But Greek mythology, and in fact all other Antiquity European mythologies (Roman, Norse, Irish, Finnish...), we only know through literary works - and exclusively through them. The tales of Greek mythology were lifted, recreated and taken out of poems, of epics, of history and geography treaties. Aka works of a somehow "high" culture, works of literature, works of scholars. Taken from these literary works, the myths were then extracted and reconstucted to live just on their own, free from their original literary frame - but because of that people somehow think that these myths came to us directly from the Greek people to us without any in-between carrier or reshaper. But that's not the truth.

Heck, modern day Western Europe's perception of Greek- mythology is on top of that influenced by another "high class" intermediary: art. From the Renaissance to modern day, for centuries, Greek mythology in France (for example) was mostly spread through sculpture, opera, paintings - it was the domain of the arts, and these pieces of art importantly shaped and redefined how Greek mythology is perceived (it notably worked heavily the confusion between Roman and Greek myths). And these pieces of art were "elitist", as in accessible mostly to those that had the social status, the wealth and the and the culture.

And this is something very important to remember when dealing with European mythologies: up to a recent time, they were transmitted and carried by those that had the culture, the education, the means. Which wasn't everybody. A relevant case would be the Celtic mythology of the Isles - like Irish mythology. The only texts we got of it were from the Middle-Ages, and being texts they could have only be done by clerks. But who were clerks? Christian monks, men of the Church. And because of that, the texts of Irish myths were changed (this is why the People of Dana went from gods to just "very strong magical warriors"). Irish mythology could only survive because it was written down - but it could only survive in a modified, "diminished" form because the ones who held the culture, the education and the means of spreading stories were Christians.

European mythologies are literary in nature - as in, the myths and legends we know today all come from literary works. And writers were not anybody back then - they were special people, and so we could say that European mythology is somehow "elitist". It wasn't a "people things", it wasn't a true "folklore" like it is today. In fact, when you think about it, even back then mythology asn't just the prerogative of "everybody" - myths and legends were passed down by bards and skald, which were special people, treated with respect, with a specific training... Not everybody could be a bard, and telling myths was an artistic and social prerogative. Mythology was always quite "elitist" - unlike religion, which was the widespread thing. Mind you, mythology does become "folkloric" when you work on its reconstruction because , in front of collapsing ancient civilizations and the wave of Christianization of Europe, a lot of research can re-create and resurrect legends, myths and gods by looking into folklore proper - which often is a leftover or mutation of mythology. In folktales we find Christianized myths, in superstitions we find rites that lost their legends. (Even though not all rites have legends, and religion is different from myth - but you get what I mean, there are leftovers of mythology in what is called "folklore").

In fact, this is why we know barely anything about Gaul mythology. The Gallic mythology is lost to us because they never wrote it down, they were not a literary people, merely oral. The result was that all the legends and myths of the Gauls are gone. All we have left are images, sculptures, rumored rites, and list of names. . A puzzle with missing pieces, illustrations without the book. Hopefully some European mythologies without a "mythological literature" survived better (notably in Eastern Europe), but these are exceptions, and even then they survived in an incomplete form full of questions and interpretations.

And the second thing I want to talk about is fairytales - which I extensively cover n my secondary blog, @adarkrainbow but which hold very similar misconceptions... But my computer is bugging the hell out so I'll have to cut this post short. I will continue my answer in a reblog...

[a-spes]

| ALL THE THINGS I AM NOT - One shot (3.097 words).

| Summary - Since Peter Parker joined the team, things aren't the same anymore. Why does everyone seem to prefer him to you? (Inspired by that post from @th3-c0rps3-r0gu3)

| Tags & warnings - soft mom!Natasha Romanoff x adoptive daughter!Reader, former widow!R, angst with a bit of comfort, happy ending, R&Nat are insecure (they're trying their best), self-hatred, mention of past traumas, R is injuried (during a mission), mention of blood&death.

| MOODBOARD — ✧ — MASTERLIST — ✧ — TO SAY SOMETHING

You wouldn’t say that you hate Peter Parker. 

It is a strong word to describe your feelings, and you don’t like what it implies. You can’t hate someone who hasn’t done anything wrong to you, someone like him. He is the opposite of a bad person, so why I am feeling that way? He is nice. That’s what everyone is saying about him, and you know they are right, even if you don’t like to admit it. He always has that smile when you two are talking, answering you kindly even when you’re trying to test his limits.

It would’ve been easier to not like him if he had any defects, but he doesn’t. You’ve tried to find some, you’ve spent hours observing him, waiting for the moment he would make a fatal mistake, but the moment never came. You even started to question if he was human.

Natasha told you that humans make mistakes all the time, and that you can’t avoid them. It’s normal, she said, that’s what makes you one. You used to think you were better than that, better than everyone, but are you? When you look at the boy, you are not sure anymore.

He is everything I am not. 

You thought you were doing good, really. You made a lot of progress, and effort, since you've joined the team. Two years ago, most of them wouldn't even agree to let you out of your room. Now, you could talk normally to almost all of them.

You thought that you were doing things right with the team, but you slowly realised that your attempts are not enough anymore. You have made a lot of progress since the first time you set foot in the compound, no one will deny it, but you are not at his level yet. 

Two years ago, you wouldn’t even step out of your room during the day, barely sleeping when the night came around, and at best you would exchange wary glances with the team. You didn’t trust them nor they did, and even if you are now talking, it hasn't changed a lot. That’s something they never told you, but their eyes and actions have done it for them. These two never lie, not when you know how to interpret them.

They don’t even let you go on a mission alone, let alone attending the most important meetings. You think it is stupid because you are the most skilled of everyone here. Well, maybe it’s not true, you never managed to beat Natasha in a fight, but you are sure that you are at least as useful as them on the field. 

I am too young, just a kid. 

That’s what they call you, but the nickname doesn’t carry the same kindness as when it’s for Peter, their voices being tinged with disdain. Except when it’s from Natasha, you like it when she calls you nicknames. She doesn’t do it because she thinks you are not capable of handling yourself, but to remind you that you have time. The time to learn, to make mistakes, to grow. You both know that you will never be a normal teenager, it is too late for that, and nothing can erase the first years of your life, but the redhead is confident : you’ll learn how to live, you just need a bit of help. 

She is the only one that doesn’t seem to treat you differently, but you are not sure if she counts. You two are the same. You have been through the same things, and she is the one that brought you here, it is obvious that she wouldn’t let you go. 

She wouldn’t, right?

You don’t know. You are not sure of anything, everything seems to go backward since he joined the team. All the progress you’ve made? Gone. In a few weeks, he did better than you’ll ever be able to do, and you don’t even understand how that’s possible.

You can beat him in a fight whenever you want, no matter the conditions. Even with your eyes closed, and your hands tied behind your back, you would be able to put him down in a matter of seconds. You are fast, strong and attentive while he is clumsy, dreamy and weak. He can’t even use a gun properly, always missing his target when it’s moving, even slowly. Whenever you are looking at him, all you can see is a kid that has no idea what he's doing here but thought it would be fun. A kid that was given a toy, and thought that it made him the most important person on that earth, a hero.

I am everything he is not. 

Yet, they prefer him, so there must be something you are missing. Since he joined the team, he has created a strong bond with all the Avengers, even with Natasha. You thought your relationship with her was special, but it’s apparently not that much. You saw them laughing together, but you’ve seen worse when you witnessed the woman ruffling the boy’s hair. You are sure she would braid the boy’s hair too if it was longer. 

Well, maybe I hate him.

You have every reason to feel this way when he was stealing what’s yours, destroying what you had taken so long to build. Only, it somehow didn’t feel right. Natasha doesn’t belong to you, none of them are. They are humans, and humans have feelings, they don’t have to get along with everyone. That’s what you’ve learned from the redhead, but you only realise now that it is not only true for you ; you can’t force anyone to appreciate you. Yet, you would have liked to live up to their expectations, something the boy seems to do effortlessly.

He is always smiling, saying the right thing at the right moment, laughing with the others. Since he arrived, he has never made anyone angry, he never had one of those violent breakdowns where you would hit someone by accident. Natasha says it is not your fault, but you know that the others don’t think the same way.

Durings meals, apart from their missions, Peter Parker is the only thing they know how to talk about. Everything he does is praised. Even the things you were doing as a kid, things you’ve never been congratulated for because everyone had to know that, it was normal. Natasha said it was not, but you are not sure if you believe her yet because if it’s not, where are your praises? 

Maybe it is because they don’t expect anything from him. He is just a kid who’s learning, not a threat to be dealt with, let alone a weapon to train. No, Peter Parker is none of that. He is nothing more than a stupid kid who’s trying his best to save the city, and it’s a story you can’t bear to hear anymore. Just his name makes you feel as if your whole body is burning. It’s a feeling you can’t name, but you are sure that you don’t like it.

He is everything I am not. 

If you saved him that day, it is definitely not because you appreciate him. You even had a moment of hesitation before throwing yourself between him and that bullet, wouldn’t your life be easier if he wasn’t here? No, it wouldn’t. 

You didn’t want to take that bullet for him, especially not when this is the consequence of his own stupidity, but it was the obvious choice. You hate being sent on a mission with him because it is like going with a baby widow. You have done everything right, he has not, and yet you are the one suffering the consequences of his recklessness. 

If he had died today, it would’ve been your fault. You know it’s not true, but you can already hear them tell you that it is. That’s why you did it, because you know they value his life more than yours. It is not easy to accept that you are not the most important person on the team anymore. In fact, you have never been there since you joined the Avengers, but you believe that it was true before. 

Those people, they have powers and technology. They can do things you will never be able to achieve, no matter how hard you try. You hate that too, that feeling of failure. Yet it is not your fault if you are trapped in a competition that you can’t win. So you thought that, maybe, if you save their precious boy, then you would get the attention you wanted. 

I didn’t want to, but I did what I was supposed to. 

Except it doesn’t feel right. The Quinjet was quiet during the return journey. You didn’t even know where the boy was, and honestly couldn’t care less. You were even relieved to know that he couldn’t witness you in a moment of weakness, leaving you alone to inspect the wound left by the bullet. You told him it was nothing, but you lied, and you don’t even need to take a close look at your abdomen to know that.

However, it wasn’t the pain that was worrying you. The only thing you could think about was their reactions. Natasha told you many times that you are allowed to make mistakes, that it makes you human, not weak, but you know she is lying. You’ve already heard Fury scolding people for their mistakes, even the Avengers sometimes fought for the same reason, and you definitely don’t want to deal with that right now.

So when the Quinjet eventually lands, you go straight to your room. You were scared to step foot in the common areas in this condition because you knew your mom was waiting for you there. Maybe she had made your favourite meal, or maybe she decided to do the boy’s favourite. This time, you can’t stop the tears from welling up in your eyes.

You’ve seen how she acts with the boy. She is so caring, always smiling, and her eyes are even shining. You don’t think it has ever happened when she is with you. Her expression is always tinged with sadness, perhaps pity. It is when you witness those moments that you realise that she deserves more than you will ever be able to give her : a normal kid. 

Maybe she realised it too.

Last night, she came home late, called in for a last-minute mission, and she missed your return by a few hours. She had no idea how your mission went, and even if she trusts you to handle yourself, she can’t help but feel concerned. She doesn’t like to know that you’re on a mission without her because anything can happen.

If Natasha was already worried, it is only when the following morning came that the feeling began to gnaw at her from the inside. She even started to bite her nails again. It was almost ten in the morning, and no one had seen you yet. They say that you are probably sleeping, and they might be right, but what if they are not?

She knows that some missions can be exhausting, and not only physically, what if it was one of those? You didn’t seem to be doing well lately. Despite the appearances, she noticed every little change in your behaviour, and she is sad to see you going backwards. She guessed that, maybe, you needed a little space, but she is no longer sure she made the right choice. She has the feeling that your relationship has deteriorated in recent weeks, almost as if you were avoiding her.

The redhead could no longer bear to stare at the hands of the medical bay’s clock, all she wanted to do was go, and check on you, but she couldn’t. She made a promise to the boy’s aunt. She glances at Peter who was asleep, he has been injured during the mission, nothing serious, he should be out of here the following morning. However, she promised her aunt to look after him when she couldn’t. 

She always keeps her promises.

Natasha didn’t bat an eye all night, but even if she had wanted to sleep, she wouldn’t have been able to. She couldn’t stop thinking. When the day came, she still had no idea what to do. Widows aren’t known to be good at expressing their feelings. The woman always felt awkward in her interactions with you, scared that her actions could do more harm than good. Maybe you weren’t the one that needed a bit of space. 

“How is she?” is the first thing the boy asked when he woke up that morning, but the frown on the Avenger’s face let him know that she had no idea what he was talking about. “We got a bit of a … situation during the mission” he explained, avoiding saying that his recklessness put them in danger, “we both got hurt, but it is nothing too serious”, he quickly added when he saw the expression on the redhead face changing suddenly.

The boy tried to reassure her, but it was too late. The woman barely heard him as she was rushing out of the medical bay. She was an idiot. She should’ve checked on you the moment she stepped foot on the compound, she should’ve guessed that you wouldn’t go to the medical bay on your own. You’ve always hated those places because it is where you are the most vulnerable.

It was almost eleven when she knocked at your door. She did it three times, but each of them was met with an oppressive silence. When she tried to open it, she discovered that it was locked. However, there isn’t a door in that world that can stop a widow. In less than a minute, she manages to open it, and enters the room.

She understands something is wrong when she sees your form under the covers. You would never stay in bed that late, being awake before she is most of the time. If at first she was hesitant to step in, she almost ran to your bed when you didn’t reply to her calling your name multiple times. Your sleep is so light that someone walking across the corridor is usually enough to wake you up in a flash.

She pulls back the covers without thinking twice about it, and the view she sees is definitely not what she would call “nothing serious”. The sheets are covered in blood, your blood, and you are not sleeping at all, she can see how you are struggling to keep your eyes open. She is not even sure you noticed her presence.

"Baby?" she tried to call again, but you didn’t react to the nickname either. "Baby, what happened? Talk to me, please, open your eyes", she said, kneeling by your side.

She shakes you slowly, but it has no effect. You don’t react before her hands grip your face, her nails leaving marks on your skin because of the brutality of her precipitous gesture. She is trying to open your eyelids to see your eyes when a whine escapes your lips.

You have no idea what’s happening, but don’t have the energy to ask the question. You just wish the woman would let you go back to your comfortable slumber, far from the pain, and that world of misery you were trapped in. But she doesn’t. Instead, she stole your blanket, leaving you shivering with cold, and she wouldn’t stop talking, worsening your headache.

When she takes you in her arms, being as careful as she could, she notices how cold you were. Yet, you seemed to be sweaty. She doesn’t waste more time, almost running back to the medical bay. You were hanging in her arms as a rag doll would, your head dangling painfully on the side, and the same was true for your limbs.

She held you firmly in her arms, constantly glaring at you, as if she feared you might disappear if she let her guard down. On the way, she kept mumbling things that you couldn’t understand, not knowing if those were really intended for you, or if it was a way to reassure herself. Maybe it was both.

When the woman pushed the medical bay door, she didn’t even need to yell for someone to come. The second the doctors saw you, they knew it was an emergency. 

It is only a few days after that they let you out of the medicine that was keeping you out. The first thing you felt was the pain you tried to ignore since you've been shot. A whine escapes your lips. You felt your mom close to you before you saw her. She probably didn't sleep or left or eat since you've been, no matter for how long it have been. You feel a bit guilty at the thought.

“Don’t you dare to do that ever again,” she whispered, holding you as close as she could against her chest. One of her hands rested on your back, gripping the soft fabric of your hospital gown, while the other one was stroking your hair, “you scared me to death …” she added, and you felt really stupid for not realising that she had always cared for you, and probably always with, but you were too blinded by jealousy to see it. 

“I am… sorry,” you managed to reply in a hoarse voice, “I was scared. I wanted to show you that I can be strong too,” you whispered, “I wanted to prove that I’m worth loving,” you eventually admitted, your voice being so low that, at first, the redhead wasn’t sure if she heard correctly. It broke her heart to realise that it was her fault. You didn’t need space, you needed her by your side, and now she was here, you wouldn’t let her go, holding her as you could, not minding the pain it caused in your abdomen. 

"But my little dove, you are already the strongest person I know, you don't need to prove it anymore to anyone,” she whispered, “and I will always love you, I won’t let you doubt it,” she added, letting you go to cup your jaws with her hands. She let her thumbs brushing your forehead before she kissed it, repeating the three words you were dying to hear the past weeks again, and again, and again.

You could both feel tears running down your cheeks.

| MOODBOARD — ✧ — MASTERLIST — ✧ — TO SAY SOMETHING

| Tag list - @godhatesgoodgirls

[delaber]

A Date (Bucky Barnes x Reader)

Summary: you have a date and Bucky’s not exactly happy about it.

Words: 3.8K

Trope: friends to lovers 💞 with a jealous Bucky trying his best to be brave, and failing horribly.

Notes: another fluff piece to mend Bucky’s heart ❤️ honestly, I have a problem with all these fluffy fics I’ve been writing recently. I just cannot stop myself lol.

"You have a date?" he manages to splutter just before the panic takes over and makes his heart skip a few beats.

Fuck!

A fucking date?!

His fingers are slipping on the wet handle of the pan he's in the midst of cleaning, and in that moment, all he can think about is how happy he is that he's currently bent over the kitchen sink so you can't make out the shocked expression on his face.

You're nodding beside him, playing with the dishtowel you're holding but Bucky can hardly make out what you're saying when you return his question with a quiet "yeah".

His ears are ringing bells and he just wants to get the fuck out of there.

Silently, he's begging for you to stop talking. He doesn't want to know more. Doesn't want to hear what you've agreed to and who you're... - fuck, what if it's someone he knows?

What if it's Sam?!

Shit!

The panic in Bucky's chest runs amok! If he walks in on his two best friends fucking, he's gonna kill himself!

With dread, he realises that he has to know how careful he needs to be around the compound...

"With - uh - with whom?" he clears his throat and curls his toes in prepared mortification, his narrowed gaze firmly fixed on a wet piece of broccoli that's lying lonely and sad at the bottom of the sink.

Please don't say Sam, please don't say Sam...

"You know the cute guy from the coffee shop?" you answer proudly, and it makes Bucky's heart spring violently back to life. That guy??? "- he finally asked me."

Well, it's not Sam - yet somehow, it's worse.

Deep breath, he tells himself and plasters on a neutral expression as he looks up from the pan and directly into your eyes.

At least you look excited, he concludes as he takes in your dreamy little smile that's usually reserved for when vibranium fingers briefly brush over your warm skin but that he now has to share with... him. The moron in the green apron. Mr I'm-too-busy-flirting-with-your-girl-to-get-your-order-right.

Fuck, he's burning up!

"That's great, sweetheart," he hears himself croak from far away, trying his best to sound like he's happy for you and not as if his heart is in the process of being ripped out of his chest. "I'm real happy for you."

"Thanks, Buck," you playfully bump your hip against his while looking down at your hands as you once again twist the towel between your fingers.

You seem almost... nervous. This date must really be a big deal to you.

He gulps and pushes away another incoming wave of nausea. It's not as if he hasn't long ago accepted that nothing will ever happen between the two of you. You're friends. That's it.

"Are you excited?" He asks without really knowing why. He doesn't want to hear your answer. To hear you verbally confirm the look you already have on your face.

Slowly you look up at him and he has to chomp down on his inner cheek to keep himself from doing something stupid.

"You know what?" you ask quietly with a tilt of your head and Bucky's heart starts racing even harder. "- I actually am."

Even you sound surprised - not that Bucky can really blame you.

"Mmh," he merely hums and pretends there's a particularly stubborn area on the dirty pan that needs his attention.

"Is that weird?" You ask.

He can feel how the sincere question in your voice laces itself around his abdomen, squeezing him tight.

Is it wrong of him to want to snap the stupid piece of teflon-coated metal in his hand in half? You're his best friend and he should just be happy you're happy.

Fuck it, he is happy! He loves you more than anything and you deserve to feel this way - he just wishes it was because of him and not someone else.

"No, sweetheart," he mumbles, trying to untie the invisible knot behind his navel as he starts scrubbing again. "Why would it be weird?"

Thankfully, you don't answer.

...

Cold droplets of water are running over your forehead and down the length of your nose, desperately trying to reduce the tension that's been resting right between your eyebrows since your conversation with Bucky last night.

Splashing your face with water is a stupid attempt to make yourself feel better - you know that - it hasn't worked the other times you've tried it and this must be the tenth attempt since you woke up this morning. The only thing that'll truly help is if Bucky would tell you what's going on.

He's been acting weird since last night, and even though you aren't sure what reaction you'd been hoping for, this definitely isn't it. You know he isn't exactly the biggest fan of the man who's taking you out for dinner later, but getting so annoyed he can barely uphold a conversation? Well, that wasn't really a scenario you'd even considered at all...

You suppose you could just tell him the truth - maybe that would make him more accepting of your choice of date - but it's not as if you can really tell him that the only reason you're going on that date to begin with is to force yourself to get over, well, him.

You've known Bucky two years now and apart from small moments here and there, nothing's happened. It's been two excruciating years full of pining and painful almosts and ifs but he clearly doesn't look at you that way and you don't want to keep putting yourself through the heartbreak. You deserve to spend your friday nights with someone who actually sees you for what you are: beautiful, smart, desirable, a woman.

And as you stand looking at yourself in the mirror, you realise that you need this date to get Bucky out of your head. Fuck if he doesn't approve of the cute guy from the coffee shop. It's none of his business who you're going out with and if he wants to be annoyed about it, then so be it.

Yet you still cannot stand the thought of him sitting by himself all night. He hasn't seemed like himself all day and you know how he can spiral over the smallest of things.

Thus, you check for Sam in the kitchen, the gym, and in the spa area in the basement of the compound, but eventually find him in the common room on the third floor, completely hypnotised as he stares at the television screen in front of him, the playstation controller grabbed tightly in his hands.

You do a quick scan around the room to confirm that it's just the two of you before you approach him. "Wilson, have you seen Bucky today?"

"Bucky? Uh - no," Sam mumbles without moving his gaze away from the animated character who's running through an abandoned city. "I assume you've already tried the dark cave he calls his room?"

"I know where he is," you sigh and flop down on the sofa next to him, stretching your legs and putting your feet in his lap. "I was just hoping that maybe you'd talked to him."

He doesn't answer apart from a few incoherent noises you're sure are for the game and not for you, so you poke at the controller with your toes to get his attention. "Sam..."

"Hey! I'm trying to save humanity from a zombie apocalypse here. Keep your stinking feet away from me," he playfully flicks the underside of your foot without sparing you a glance. "I already told you I haven't seen your siamese twin all day."

"Yeah, but do you think you could... go check on him maybe?"

"I'm busy. You go check on him."

"Sam..."

At the sound of your soft-spoken words, Sam sends you a brief side-eye before he finally tosses the controller down on the sofa table with a loud sigh. "What'd you do?"

"I didn't do anything," you shake your head innocently. Is it really your fault that Bucky is too childish to accept the man you're going out with? No.

Sam runs his eyes over you and squints hard. "You guys are usually so dependent, you're practically joined at the hip. And now you want me to go talk to him even though you didn't do anything?"

"Look, he's being weird," you sigh, "- can you just check on him? Please? Maybe have a guy's night in with beer and that stupid zombie-game you're always playing or whatever?" you gesture to the television screen where the character from before stands panting, saying random stuff every few seconds. "I don't want him to be alone."

"First of all, The Last of Us is not stupid!" Sam raises his index finger at you, feigning an insulted huff. "Secondly; a guy's night in..? While you're doing exactly what if I may ask?" he arches an eyebrow, urging you to keep talking.

"I - uh - I have plans," you say quickly and try and look determined although you can feel your entire face heating up. "...a date of sorts."

The dead-panned look on Sam's face is quickly wiped off, instead replaced with an annoyingly broad smirk. "You have a what now?" he chuckles teasingly.

"You heard me," you roll your eyes.

"Oh I heard you loud and clear," he hoots, "you are going on a date!" he says, emphasising the last word with a wriggle of his eyebrows.

"Don't be a dick about it."

"My, oh my. We're finally gonna see what kind of man that can sweep the rug from underneath you."

"Okay, I'm leaving," you make a move to stand up, but Sam interrupts you by putting his palm to your shin.

"Come on, I'm just teasing," he laughs, "tell me about your date. Who's it with? - Not Bucky, I assume."

"Why would I go on a date with Buck?" you shrug nonchalantly although you can once again feel the heat radiating through your every feature. "It's the cute blonde from the coffee house down the street."

"Oooh, the guy who looks like a young Brad Pitt but with humour?"

"That's the one," you press down on your lips and avoid looking directly at Sam. God, this is embarrassing.

"He's a cutie!" Sam teases with a chuckle.

"I know," you play with a loose thread on your shirt, avoiding his eye.

"Then why aren't you more excited about it?" He asks but immediately emits a groan, "Jesus... do not tell me it's because of Bucky?!"

"I'm worried about him," you whine and bury your face in the sofa cushions.

Sam rolls his eyes. "You're going on your first date in forever and you're worried about that sourpuss?"

"Sam, you didn't see the look on his face when I told him about it! He hates the guy - I think it really upset him."

"Of course it upset him," Sam scoffs, "It's like taking candy away from someone who really wants to fuck said candy!"

Your eyes snap over to Sam in an instance. Completely taken off guard, your voice dies in your throat. Did he just...? No, surely, you must've misheard.

"Come on, don't pretend you haven't noticed," Sam groans, "I swear to god, he's two days away from crawling behind you just so he can lick the ground you're walking on!"

The earth has stopped spinning. "W-what?"

"The puppy eyes? The 'pick me' behaviour?" he rolls his eyes at your shocked face.

Your heart starts pounding so fast you can barely keep up. "Are we talking about... Bucky? As in our Bucky?"

"Uh, huh," Sam nods as if it's the most obvious thing on the planet. "That guy's practically begging you to take him by the hand and lead him to your bed. He's so in love with you, it's disgusting to look at."

"He's what?!" You exclaim loudly, completely out of breath. This is definitely news to you! "No, no, no! Bucky's not in love with me, we're friends," you pant with the blood rushing past your ears.

Sam shoots you an unimpressed side-eye, "yeah keep telling yourself that"

"What do you mean?" you pant, trying to puzzle together Sam's suspicion with your disbelief.

"I swear to god, the two of you don't even have a single brain cell put together..." he rolls his eyes, "I've seen that boy almost snap his neck because you were laughing and he wanted to know what you were laughing at. Trust me when I say that he's not annoyed that you're going on that date - he's jealous."

Well... fuck!

...

You don't think you've ever been this nervous as you pace the hallway outside Bucky's bedroom. You've been here ten minutes now, desperately trying to force yourself to actually make contact with him, but you're holding yourself back. There's so much on the line and what if Sam's incorrect? Then, you will truly have mucked up and everything between you and Bucky will be ruined.

Shit!

You stop pacing. You can hear his favourite album from the forties playing on the other side of the wall but apart from that, there hasn't been a single sound from in there.

You pray he's in a better mood than when you walked in on him angrily hunched over his bowl of cereal this morning, but the fact that he put on the only type of music that can calm him down, doesn't really scream 'put-together'.

It makes you even more nervous though you know you have to talk to him at some point. It's not as if you can avoid him forever - so before you can truly think about the upside of postponing the inevitable conversation, you raise your knuckles and carefully knock on his door.

Everything inside you tenses up. You vision becomes blurry, and you seem to automatically focus all your attention on the sounds coming from inside his room. There's a short shuffle, a sigh and then an irritated "what?!" muttered from somewhere behind the walls.

This is bound to go wrong.

You consider running away and pretend you've never even been near his room, but it's too late to back out now. You have to talk to him at some point, you remind yourself.

With your nerves running wild and the blood pumping through your every vein, artery, and fibre, you open the door a little and poke your head inside his room with a small "hi," your throat so dry it comes out as a hoarse whisper.

He's sitting on the bed with his long legs crossed at the ankles, his hand buried inside a book that's lying closed in his lap. He looks angry at everything and everyone - as if he's minutes away from strangling someone - but when he finds your eyes from across the room, the tense muscles in his cheeks seem to unclench a little.

"Oh, hey," he breathes and runs a hand through his hair in embarrassment, licking his lips. "I thought you were Sam..."

You smile, so relieved to see him softening that you automatically step inside his room without waiting for him to ask you to. "Sorry to disappoint."

"You're not," he shakes his head with a small gulp, "I thought you'd left already. Don't you have that big date?" he asks in a weird voice and sends you a stiff smile.

"Not until seven," you shrug and sit down next to him on his bed, immediately noticing how he's started avoiding your gaze.

"Right," he nods and occupies himself by putting his book on his bedside table. "So - uh - still looking forward to it?"

How do you tell your best friend that no, you're not looking forward to it because he's the one you really want to go out with?

"I don't know," you shrug, suddenly so anxious your temples have started pounding, "not really."

He finally looks up at you again, his slate blue eyes jittery as they meticulously search your face. "What happened?" He asks with tightly knitted eyebrows, "you were so excited for it yesterday."

You hesitate. "...Honestly?"

"Yeah, honestly," he sits up a little straighter, a serious look on his face, "- he didn't upset you, did he?" He says on impulse, his voice suddenly dark and dripping with venom at the mere thought as he reaches out for you and puts his fingers on your arm.

"No Buck," you shake your head and take a deep breath to get your pulse under control. "He didn't upset me."

"Then what?" He squeezes your arm softly, his eyes concerned as he tries to read you, "you can tell me anything."

"I know... It's just that..." you hesitate and consider ending your sentence with I'm in love with you, but the words die in your throat.

"What sweetheart?" he shuffles a little closer to you.

"Bucky," you heave a big breath of air to prepare your bold question that can potentially change everything between you dependant on his answer. "Do you not want me to go on that date?"

"What?" his eyes immediate travel over your face and you can almost hear his pulse running haywire as his fingers let go of your arm. "What makes you think that?"

"It's just..." your breathing picks up as you scan his every anxious feature. It makes you anxious too. "- you started acting weird the minute I told you about it. You've been avoiding me all day."

His fingers find your arm again, his grip a little tighter than before as he desperately looks at you. "No, no, no, sweetheart! That's not what happened," he licks his lips and plasters on the fake smile he's been practising in the mirror all day. "- I mean... I'm not the biggest fan of the guy but who you're dating is really none of my concern. I'm sure he's great, and as long as he treats you well, I'll make sure he stays on my good side," he says softy and sends you a smile that seems a little too genuine for your liking.

You hesitate again as you check his face for cracks, but his smile stays intact and happy. "...So you're really okay with it?" you ask in a small voice, mortified.

"Are you kidding me? Sweetheart, of course I'm okay with it!" he slides his fingers down your arm, capturing your hand inside his fist. "I really just want you to be happy. That's what's important. And you deserve to be taken care of for once instead of being stuck here with me and Sam." He reassuringly squeezes your fingers tight, but it just feels as if he's in the process of letting you go.

Slowly, you can feel your heart breaking.

You knew it... You knew Sam was wrong. Bucky isn't in love with you. Never has been. Never will be. Things are exactly the way they've always been and you're left pining after a man who doesn't want you back.

God, you feel like a idiot for getting your hopes up like that.

"Good," you nod resolutely, fighting hard to not let the heartbreak slip through your well-feigned mask. "I'm happy to hear you feel that way."

"Of course I do," he smiles solemnly.

"I should probably go get ready then..."

"Yeah," Bucky nods and lets go of you. "It's almost six."

With a sigh you hope he doesn't hear, you stand up from his bed and brush down the front of your jeans, not really sure you even want to leave his room.

He's looking up at you like a deer caught in headlights. "Have fun," he says while his hands grab the sheets underneath him, fisting the fabric. "- can't wait to hear all about it."

"Thanks, Buck," you feign a smile to match his, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you, sweetheart..."

You turn around with a wave of your hand, but the smile on your face falters the minute you've turned on your heel.

You can hear his heavy breathing over the music playing in the corner, and when you reach out for the door handle, a delicate sound finally breaks the reticence between you.

"Don't go..."

At first, you're not sure if you're imagining it, but then you hear him shuffling behind you, and when you turn around and face him, he's on his feet. "Don't go on that date," he whimpers in defeat, "I'm begging you. Please... don't go."

"Bucky..."

"I'm in love with you," he says guiltily with a gulp.

Your heart stops.

"- and I can't pretend I'm okay with you going on dates when I'm not."

You're completely speechless. You want to comment on everything. Run to him and proclaim that you're his. That you've always been his. But you're nailed to the spot and all that manages to escape your lips is a tight whimper.

"- I know it's probably not what you want to hear right now..." he closes his eyes and looks as if he's in pain. "And I know I'm risking everything by telling you this," he gulps, "but I've been keeping it in for so fucking long, trying to protect our friendship. I just can't keep pretending I don't want... more. It's stupid, I know."

"Bucky, it's not stupid," you finally manage to croak and it's as if the force that've been gluing you to the spot finally lets go. "It's not," you whisper as you take a few long strides over to him, stopping right before your chests touch. "It's not stupid," you repeat and reach a hand upwards, caressing his bearded chin.

His eyes are glistening, and his breathing is coming in ragged as he searches your face. "Sweetheart," he gulps in confusion, "I don't... - what does this mean?"

"It means -" your hand reaches up so it can rake through his hair, coming to a halt on the back of his neck where you can feel the goosebumps travel through his entire body. "- that I'm in love with you too. Have been for quite some time. Since I met you, actually."

Now it's his turn to be glued to the spot.

His mouth falls a little open and you can tell by the look on his face that he's in the process of questioning everything, so you underline your confession by putting your forehead to his. "I want to be yours," you whisper and observe him closely.

At first, he tenses even harder, but then a small smile starts tugging on his lips as he finally relaxes in your arms and pulls you closer. "I want you to be mine, too," he declares sweetly as his heart blossoms in his chest. He reaches down and kisses your cheeks, your nose, your forehead.

"It's you," he whispers against your skin, "- It's always been you."

"Kiss me," you beam and almost cannot stop smiling silly when you reach up for his mouth, finally claiming the softest, most pillowy lips you've ever had the pleasure of kissing.

[souliebird]

[[and then I met you || ch. 12||

Series: Daredevil || Pairing: Matt Murdock x Fem!Reader || Rating: Explicit

Summary:

A one-night stand years ago gave you a daughter and you are now able to put a name to her father – Matthew Murdock. Everything is about to change again as you navigate trying to integrate your life with that of the handsome and charming blind lawyer’s and Matt realizes he needs to not only protect his new family from Hell's Kitchen, but from the world.

pt: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11

Words: 5k

banner thanks to the wonderful @theradioactivespidergwen

Even in the middle of the night, the heat of summer in Hell's Kitchen is oppressive. It doesn't help that there is a storm rolling in and it is so humid Matt feels like he's breathing in water. Sweat is pouring off of him and he's glad he opted out of wearing his red armor - he has the feeling he would have overheated within an hour.

The only good thing about it pushing eighty degrees at two am is that only people that have to be out are out. Even though it is Saturday night/ Sunday morning, the streets are empty and Matt has only encountered people on their way back home. He hasn't even needed to scare off any muggers or stop any break ins. In fact, all he has really done all night is track people to make sure they got to their destinations safely.

There was a small surge of people around midnight coming off the trains and they had been rowdy, but hadn't caused any problems. Matt quickly worked out they were part of the protesters who have been crowding outside the courthouse for the past few days and deemed they were not a threat to his beloved city.

He's spoken to a few of them while at the courthouse and he fully supports their cause and their right to protest. Admittedly, Matt is not one to stay on top of current events, but he thinks it is suspicious that the government will not reveal what caused the massive explosion in Connecticut. It's been weeks but instead of answers, it feels like everything about the incident is being shoved under the rug and Matt knows if it was closer to home, Karen would be chomping at the bit to investigate.

Over six hundred people lost their lives and no one is being brought to justice for it. They are saying it was an attack, but no one is claiming ownership or being blamed for the destruction. It makes him angry, and though this isn't his fight, he'll do his part protecting the voices in his community who demand the truth.

Tonight, it seems like his community is safe and Matt will be able to get more than two hours of sleep before he needs to go to Mass. He needs to do a final pass around the neighborhood before he turns in for the night, so he pushes himself up from where he has been crouching like a gargoyle and stretches his limbs. His knees pop and his back screams at him and he decides that despite the heat, he will take a scorching shower to soothe his muscles. He may not have gotten into any big fights the past few nights, but that doesn't matter to his body - it's always aching and throbbing in one way or another.

He pulls his mask down over his face, hating how it instantly makes his forehead sticky and wet, and starts his loop.

He starts at the top of 10th and weaves across and down until he passes Foggy and Marci’s apartment. He pauses across the street and crouches down as he tunes his ears to their bedroom. They are both in a deep sleep and there is no threat he can detect, but still he stays for a minute just to be sure. Daredevil may have complicated his best friend's life, but Foggy has never had trouble making his own enemies. He may not be a vigilante, but his sense of justice is just as strong as Matt's and that has caused people to come at him violently. Someone breaking in is not out of the question.

Marci has her own enemies but if anyone ever tries to come after her, well, Matt will pray for their soul because not even he is that self-destructive. She once made a joke about becoming a crime lord and he still has the occasional nightmare over it.

Matt scans the surrounding buildings for any problems once more before he starts off towards Karen's place. She was still awake when he last passed her building and the odds of her still being up are pretty even. He wouldn't be surprised to find her typing away at some article - stirring up the pot as always. He loves her for that personality trait, even if it mentally puts him through the ringer with worry over her - he supposes it is nothing compared to what he does to her.

But luckily, for the collective sanity of Nelson, Murdock, and Page, more people care about Karen's well-being than care about Matt's.

He knows she has Jessica's number on speed dial - letting them meet is one of his greatest regrets in life. He is well aware of the cameras set up by Frank's computer friend and while the Marine is out of town, he's left her with another layer of protection - his dog Max.

Not that Karen can't take care of herself.

If she and Marci teamed up to take over Manhattan, Matt doesn't know if he could stop them.

Maybe he'll tell her that for her birthday - it will make a better gift than anything he'd be able to think of.

Matt lands on the roof of Karen's building, relieved to find she has gone to sleep since he last checked on her. She must have let the dog get in bed with her, because it's snoring is making it hard for him to tune into her without concentration. She's safe and seemingly happy, so he lingers only a moment before resuming the last dredges of his patrol.

He heads down to the docks next. There are people there, but they are meant to be - prepping for the fish markets and early morning cargo ships. These are good, hard working men who don't dabble in things that would make the Devil hunt them. In fact, he's got a good contact in one of the fish mongers, who will let him know if there's been anything suspicious in the wee hours of the morning. He doesn't need to check in now, as there have been no whispers as of late, and he disappears back into the shadows of the city to head towards Clinton Church.

Matt's stomach turns as he gets closer to where he grew up. His feelings about the location and the people there have been a ridiculous rollercoaster since he found out he was a father.

He deeply misses Father Lantom. Despite what everyone has told him, he firmly blames himself for the man's death and does not understand why God made that choice. It hurts that he isn't here and Matt can barely bring himself to go into the church - he's only started to re-attend Mass since learning about Minnie to seek guidance from God about this new path. He'd give anything to be able to speak to the man who mentored him in life - to hear what he would say about Matt having a daughter.

It isn't that Matt dislikes the new priest - he just doesn't like him. He's resistant to change and it should be Father Lantom giving Communion and taking his Confession.

It should be Father Lantom who Baptizes Minnie, not this man Matt has never even spoken with.

Maggie is trying to get Matt to interact with the man, but his relationship with her is going through a rocky patch and he hasn't actually spoken with her in about two weeks. She hasn't done anything wrong - he is just having an internal crisis over how learning he is a parent changed him and his abandonment issues. He's spent a lot of time in reflection and understands why she left him and his father, but he now has a renewed anger at her for not telling him the truth sooner.

Did she not love him like he loves Minnie? Was it something he did wrong?

Will she love Minnie like she loved Matt? He trusts her to care for his daughter, but will she love her granddaughter the way she deserves to be loved?

Everything is made more complicated over how guilty he is over having these feelings and so, instead of talking to his mother, he's been avoiding her. He knows he needs to eventually address it, but for the moment Maggie is none the wiser about his mini-me.

He'll tell her after he tells you about her.

It is something he needs to do still - it just hasn't come up yet. Most of your conversations center around Minnie and you are still getting to know each other. You've shared few stories about your childhood - mostly about school - and Matt isn't so sure how your anxiety will handle Maggie. His mother is a good person, but she is a lot and he knows you have your own parent issues.

Like at the docks, there are people active at the Church. A few homeless patrons are seeking shelter before the rain and there is a nun tending to their needs. The kids are safely tucked into bed, and while it sounds like a few are having nightmares, there is nothing he can do for them at the moment.

If they wake and cry out, he prays their calls are answered.

Matt practically flees the sacred grounds and his anxiety only settles once he crosses into Chelsea.

As he runs, he hones his senses to the apartment building you live in. It is easy for him to lock onto - he's already spent countless hours perched on the boundaries of the two neighborhoods listening to you and Minnie sleep. He knows it is creepy, but he cannot help himself.

Minnie’s laugh is his new favorite sound, and not far behind it is your heartbeat. Much like his daughter, he's found himself focusing on it when things get too much and it is the perfect way to end patrols - winding down while you and Mouse dream.

You mumble in your sleep and it is the most endearing thing he's ever encountered. He likes to respond to your strange statements, imagining he's right there in bed with you. There has been a recurring theme of parrots and he is thinking that the bird exhibit will be off limits during Minnie’s birthday trip to the zoo, based on what he's heard.

But it isn't you mumbling in your apartment tonight - it's Minnie.

His daughter is awake and has moved from the bedroom to the living room. The television is on - playing what he thinks is Sesame Street - and she seems to be fussing with a toy. Context clues tell him she's playing with a doll or stuffed animal - dress up is one of her favorite games and he knows it is one of her Quiet Games.

“Nexts,” she says sweetly to her toy, “we gotta do your make ups.”

Matt decides to wait until he's landed on the roof before he makes her aware of his presence. He kneels and takes a moment to center himself, taking a deep breath to do so. He focuses on calming the Devil in his chest - this is the first time he's caught Minnie awake in the middle of the night and he needs to address it as Matt and not Daredevil.

He doesn't want to scare her, after all. She'll probably be very confused as to why he's there and being scared won't help anything.

“Minnie, sweetheart, can you hear me?” He asks, keeping his voice soft as possible as he does.

To her credit, she doesn't start at all. It takes her a moment to process, but then she questions, “Daddy?”

The name makes his heart soar - everytime she says it, he breaks into the biggest smile. It is the sweetest sound and the fact she switched to calling him that all on her own means the world to him.

She wants him to be her Daddy.

“Yeah, sweetheart, it's me. What are you doing awake?” he questions, smiling as he hears her get up and start to walk around. He wonders if she is looking for him and his guess is confirmed when he hears her start lifting things up to look under them.

“I'm watching Cookie Monsters,” she replies and Matt chuckles. He thinks it is so adorable she is also so direct with her answers. She always answers exactly what is asked.

“I don't think it is time for Cookie Monster, Mouse. I think it's sleep time. Mommy is sleeping.”

You are in a deep sleep, your breathing slow and even. He can tell you've been exhausted lately and probably need the sleep. More than once he's found you awake during his patrols. If Minnie tried to wake you up, you probably weren't responsive and she had left you to sleep.

She peters her way back to in front of the television and plops back down after checking under the dining table. Matt waits for her to respond, knowing sometimes it takes her time to form what she wants to say.

“I can't sleep,” she mumbles, upset clear in her voice, “there's a monster.”

The Devil flares up inside of him and he instantly scans the area for a threat. There are few people awake in the area and he focuses in on them - none of them appear to be any sort of danger to his daughter. At the moment.

But they could have been earlier. They could have woken her up by doing something horrible. A mugging. Domestic violence. Something worse.

He curls his lip into a snarl.

He'll find whoever upset his daughter and drive them from his city. The state.

It's a miracle he manages to keep his voice calm and gentle, “A monster?”

“A monster,” she confirms sadly. Her breathing becomes muffled and Matt figures she has shoved her hand into her mouth to self-comfort.

“Can you tell Daddy about the monster?”

She sucks on her fingers and with her free hand, pulls her toy into her lap. He wants to push her to tell him, but he knows he can't. She's not a witness or a suspect - she's his daughter trying her best. He can tell she wants to answer, he just needs to be patient.

“He ran really fast,” Minnie starts to say, barely taking her hand out of her mouth to do so, “and went eek-eek-eek and smelled like poopy-butt.”

The words baffle him and Matt knits his brows - this monster was close enough for Minnie to smell him? The monster in his chest snarls and he has to fight to keep his composure. He knows Minnie is locked onto him and if he lets his rage show, she will know and she will get scared.

He needs to protect his daughter. He needs to believe God will not test him in this.

“Minnie, sweetie, can you tell Daddy where the monster is?”

Her little head turns up to face exactly where he is standing, asking in a small voice, “are you gonna fight him?”

The Devil roars ‘yes’, but the Father in him says, “Do you want me to?”

“Mommy scares him away,” she advises hesitantly. He can practically feel the nerves radiating off of her and it makes him clench his fist.

Matt doesn't understand. This has happened before?

Then it beams him in the head like a baseball and Matt feels like a complete idiot.

Minnie is a toddler. Her monsters are shadows, creaky pipes, and the four legged creatures in the city. Those are things that no longer register on Matt's radar but she hasn't learned to tune them out yet. Of course she would be scared of those things - Matt was scared of those things when he first got his senses and he was much older than Minnie at the time.

He remembers his first phone call with you and how it ended - something about Monster Repellent.

“I can go scare off the monster - would you like that?” he asks, the Devil in him settling down now that he knows no one is trying to hurt his little girl.

He doesn't know if it's Minnie sensing his shift in mood or if she didn't want him to fight the monster and scaring it away is what she wants, but she untenses her shoulders and her hand comes out of her mouth.

“You'll scare him away?” She asks after hugging her toy right to her chest.

“I'll scare him away,” he quickly promises.

“He smells like poopy-butt,” she repeats and Matt wonders if she is making a stinky face. That is something you tell him he and Minnie share - a certain curl of their lips when they find something unappealing.

“That's okay, sweetie, I'll make him go smell bad somewhere else. He won't bother you,” he says. “Can you tell me where he went and I'll go chase him away.”

Finally, she points down towards the alleyway between her building and the neighboring one and adds, “He can climb walls. Like Spidey-Man.”

Matt resists the urge to huff over the mention of the other vigilante. He has met the kid twice before and his biggest take, besides it was a kid under the mask and that had been its own thing, was that he needed to learn how to throw a proper punch. It confirmed for him all that Avengers training and showboating really meant nothing and they really were better off fighting aliens and wizards than helping out real people.

“Don't worry, Mouse, I can climb the walls, too.” He's definitely letting his Pride show through, but if he can't show off for his daughter, who can he show off for?

He makes a quick map in his head, then goes to the edge of the roof. Minnie’s head is still angled up towards him and she ‘watches’ as he parkours down to street level. If he adds a few unnecessary flips, well, that is no one's business but his own.

Once he is on the pavement, he opens his senses to the things he normally blocks out. The city becomes far more lively around him - cats, raccoons, birds, dogs, all sorts of bugs and things he doesn't like to think about. There's yowling and chirps and suddenly so much more movement, most of it under his feet.

Mouse’s monster is easy to find. It is a disgustingly large rat that has built a nest of trash and grime under a dumpster. The thing has a respiratory infection, which has it wheezing and rattling and he very much understands why Minnie was scared of it. It is not a pleasant sound and the infection is not at all helping how the creature smells. Animals smell at the best of times, but this rat clearly enjoys the sewers and ‘poopy-butt’ doesn't begin to cover how rancid it is.

Matt starts to work out what he needs to do to make sure this sick rodent stays far away from his family. If it has a nest, it will come back, so he needs to destroy that - without damaging the animal. He doesn't have the heart to actually hurt the thing.

He pulls out his billy clubs and snaps them together to make a bo staff, then moves to crouch in front of the dumpster. “Okay, sir, I'm here to evict you,” he says, more for Minnie’s benefit than anything. “You gotta go.”

He jabs at the nest of wet cardboard and almost immediately, the rat scurries out and hisses at him. It snaps its jaws at him a few times instead of running away and Matt huffs at the display, turning his staff towards the creature and swatting at it. “Get out of here.” To its credit, it tries to fight him, biting at his billy clubs and screeching at him, but after a few good thwacks to its side, it realizes it has no chance against him and dashes toward a nearby grate.

He listens to it go down into some pipes and once it's out of range, he tilts his head up towards Minnie, a smile starting to form in his lips, “The monster has been vanquished, my princess.”

His words make her giggle and he can't help but chuckle as well. He hears her push up into standing and she toddles towards the window. There's a table in front of it, so he knows she can't see out of it, but he knows she's trying to find him.

“He's not gonna come back?” She questions and in response he starts to break up the nest. He spreads the trash around, knocking things down and away. It's not a big very big rat den, relying heavily on the dumpster.

“He's not, he's gonna go find a new home,” he promises as he works, and once he's satisfied with his destruction, he collapses his billy clubs and holsters them. He pushes up into standing and steps away from the trash can.

“Far away?” Minnie asks and his heart breaks for her. The stupid animal must have terrified her.

“Very, very far away.”

He locates the fire escape and starts to scale it back up to your apartment floor. As he does, he starts closing off his senses again. Things begin to fade into the background - the things he will need to start teaching Minnie. She's got a good handle on it already, having learned to function with it instead of needing to adapt.

He's so proud. So unbelievably proud.

She's such a good and pure child. She always wants to help and asks about other people. She may be shy, but she's empathetic.

You've taught her well.

Matt understands how Minnie is a mini-him in her abilities and mannerisms due to those abilities, but her sweet nature is from you.

He knows he's gone for you.

Foggy has pointed it out. Karen has pointed it out. God has smacked him in the face with signs.

His realization moment was hearing a man purchasing an engagement ring for a woman who shared your name. He had gotten so furiously jealous he had to go take it out on the punching bag.

Foggy laughed so hard at him.

He doesn't think you noticed at all. It is nothing against you, he completely understands. You are like him - you don't think you deserve love. You had been painfully shy your first night together, as well, and he had been charmed by it.

He's angry at himself for letting you be a one night stand.

He should have been there when you needed him most.

He's not going to fuck that up again.

He pulls off his mask before making a show off popping up in front of your window and Minnie dissolves into giggles.

“Hi, Daddy!” She waves at him and he can tell she is absolutely beaming. He eagerly waves back and he knows he's matching her smile.

“Hi, Mouse.”

“Why are you outside?”

He's planned for this. He has discussed this with Foggy and Karen at length. He did the unthinkable - he asked Frank - who apparently knew who Minnie was before either Foggy or Karen did. They had attacked the question from all sides. As the firm. As friends. As parents.

They couldn't lie to Minnie. Matt can see the signs she's picking up on what different heart beats mean. She's going to know and there's nothing they can do to hide it. She can hear all of Hell’s Kitchen just as well as he can. It may not happen until she's older, but she'll figure it out.

So, he's not going to lie to her. He thinks you would approve. You don't like lying to her - you soften the truth into something she can comprehend. He's going to follow your lead.

“I'm working,” Matt answers, crouching on the rails and resting his wrists on his knees. He's suddenly very glad he had a very boring night. “What are you doing inside?”

Mouse accepts the answer and hugs her toy to her chest, swaying side to side “I'm talking to you.”

He laughs at her utter sweetness. She giggles along with him.

He gives a fond shake of his lead, then leans forward so she can see him a bit better, “What should you be doing, sweetheart?”

She scrunches up her face as she thinks, then she falls into a pout, “Sleeping.”

“Yeah, you should be sleeping. You're going to be tired tomorrow. It's not going to be fun,” he gently warns. He knows it isn't her fault, but he knows it will eventually help her learn to push those noises to the background.

“Okay, I'll go bed. I gotta clean up first. Mommy says …Mommy says don't leave it until morning. You'll make morning you sad. Be nice to morning you,” she recites, patting her hands against her stuffed animal - it's not Scooby or Pig. (He doesn't know this one. His best guess is it's a Raggedy-Anne type princess doll. His little girl loves princesses - no specific one, just the concept and aesthetic.)

He loves the values you are instilling in her. He's going to steal this mantra and tell it to Foggy and Karen.

“Okay. I'll keep watch for any monsters,” he tells her. This is one of the reasons he wants her to know the truth. He wants her to know her Daddy will protect her from all of the monsters.

“Okay. Thank you. Love you!” She chants, then turns away.

“I love you, too, Mouse. So much.”

And he will tell her every chance he gets.

She carefully walks back to where she had been sitting and turns off the television, then goes to put her toys away. Like always, she's very methodical about what she does. He could spend hours watching her play. She fascinates him. She picks up one toy at a time and tells it good night as she puts it back into her toy chest.

She doesn't have much to clean up and when she finishes, she turns to face him.

“Will you tuck me in? Please? Thank you?” Minnie asks like he can say no.

“Of course, my love. Are you all ready for bed?” He questions as he hops down onto the fire escape - one of the screws holding it together shakes and he decides he'll come back another night with a wrench to tighten everything up.

“All ready!” she confirms and he can tell she's watching him with great curiosity.

He begins to run his fingers over the edges of the window, searching for a way in. You certainly don't make it easy - you invested in apartment security and it takes him a moment to disable it. He's careful as he slides the window up and pops out the screen. He slips into the apartment, then quickly closes the window behind him, leaving the screen on the floor.

Minnie has the decency to wait until that moment to run to him with open arms. Matt scoops her up, swinging her a little before putting her on his hip and once she is settled, he leans down to press his forehead to hers.

“We have to be quiet, okay? We can't wake up, Mommy,” he tells her and she quickly nods in understanding.

He doesn't know what he'll do if you wake up and find him in your home - but luckily you are still in a deep sleep. As long as Minnie keeps calm, you should stay lost in Dreamland.

He kisses her forehead then starts towards the bedroom. She returns the affection, planting a big kiss on his cheek before she gently smacks him in the face with her doll with a quiet, “mwah!” Then, she flops against his shoulder, using him as a pillow.

He has to fight back a pleased huff - his little angel is so sweet. He'll never get sick of getting kisses from her toys - it's so loving and innocent and he is greedy for any and all affection.

Your bedroom is a good twenty degrees cooler than the rest of the apartment - there's a fan going and accompanying it is a little window unit blowing in cold air. It feels like Heaven in the blistering heat that is the rest of the city. The chill seems to suck the consciousness from Mouse - she gives a big dramatic yawn, smacking her lips against his neck. Her body slumps into him and he rubs her back encouragingly.

He crosses the room carefully, hyper aware of any toys that may have found their way to the floor post-bedtime. It absolutely breaks his heart to have to pull her away from him and she does try to stay clinging to him - not fighting him just resistant - but she ends up in her bed and under her covers. He doesn't know if he would have had the strength to force her to let go if she really did want to stay in his arms.

He helps her adjust her sleeping headband so it is around her eyes and ears, then kisses her cheek one final time, “ready for sleep?”

The response is a barely there nod and Matt can't help but feel so much love for his daughter. Being able to conk right out as soon as she's comfortable shows how much she trusts him. His little girl is always so wary and subtly alert.

He's going to cherish this moment forever.

“Love you, Mouse.” He whispers.

“Luvo, Daffy,” is what it sounds like she says as she rolls to bury her face into her pillow. A moment later she is snoring.

Matt allows a few tears to fall before wiping them away and turning his attention to you. You have nested yourself under your blankets, breath hitching every so often. He's learned over time from various people this usually means bad dreams - not nightmares but things that can leave you shaken.

He doesn't dare move closer to try to soothe you with touch - that would certainly wake you up.

Instead, he promises, “I'll chase all your monsters away, too.”

tags:

@midnightreids @cloudroomblog @yeonalie @thychuvaluswife 

 @petrovafire39 @allllium

@dorothleah @mattmurdocksstarlight @mars-on-vinyl @mywellspringoflife @sleepdeprived-barelyalive @simmilarly @soupyspence @darkened-writer @akila-twt

@murc0ckmurc0ck @groovycass @sumo-b98 @just3rowsing @tongueofcat @zoom1374

@theclassicvinyldragon @aoi-targaryen @lunaticgurly @nikitawolfxo @shireentapestry @snakevyro @yondiii @echos-muses @honeybug-victoria @the-bisaster @ristare @mrs-bellingham @eugene-emt-roe @cometenthusiast @stevenknightmarc @hunnybelha @

Specialagentjackbauer @yarrystyleeza @ofmusesandsecrets 

@mayp11-blog @danzer8705 @thinking-at-dusk @remuslupinwifee @akila-twt  @mattmurdocks6thscaleapartment @dil3mma @allllium 

@

two-unbeatable-beaters @kiwwia-wiwwia @1988-fiend @xblueriddlex @loves0phelia @ninacotte @lovelyygirl8 @littlenosoul @ednaaa-04  @ astridstark13

 @lovingkryptonitehideout @moongirlgodness @soocore @bluestuesday

[russellsppttemplates]

It's just the beggining (Oscar Piastri)

Oscar hasn't done or said anything, so you're taking matters into your own hands

Note: english is not my first language. It's my first Oscar piece and I'm nervous posting this, but hopefully you enjoy it! 🫶

Thank you so much to everyone who likes and reblogs, your feedback is appreciated 🤍 and I'm taking requests so if you have any ideas or concepts you want to share, feel free to do so as I'll try to get to them the best I can!

my masterlist

Cw: mentions reader's grandparents' health issues, mentions the situation with McLaren and Daniel, insomnia

Tag list: @myloverjk-blog

"Hey, Y/N!", James called you once he saw you walk by his classroom, "hey", you greeted back, adjusting your books on your arms.

"There is a new kid, I'm sure you know, Oscar Piastri his name is, and apparently he's staying the long weekend too, like you", he trailed off, not knowing if he was stepping further than he should.

"Yes, I am staying, it's okay to talk about it", you gave him tight lipped smile, "well, I was hoping you'd keep him company - he's a bit shy, but he's very fun to be around and the teacher also thought it would be good since you're both staying", he reasoned as you nodded.

You had to stay back because your grandparents didn't live in England, and because of their old age and problems that naturally arose with that, your parents had to fly out and spend sometime with them, meaning you didn't have anyone back home, so you stayed. As for Oscar, you found out that he was staying back because his family was in Melbourne.

"At first, I just had online schooling, but it got trickier to manage and my dad needed to go back to work so I had to stay back", he explained when you asked him why he was there, "and I hope I can focus on racing, but you already know that", he scoffed softly.

"I don't think I do, I'm sorry", you narrowed your eyes, genuinely unaware of what he was talking about.

After he told you all about his career until that moment, as well as his hopes and dreams, he chuckled, "you really didn't know?", he wondered.

"I didn't! The girls said something about you moving here but I didn't listen much, I'm not that into gossip and my memory is like Dory's, I can never keep up with the latest who likes who and who flirted with what's his face", you earnestly replied.

For the first time since he arrived at the school, he felt like he could really trust someone and he could hope for new friendships on this side of the world.

You were there for his final race in F4, clapping at him on the podium, and even F3 and F2 despite your university deadlines, always making sure you could support him in every way you could.

"Hey, Osc", you said over the phone, setting your pen down the desk and swivelling in the chair. You wanted to get as much knowledge and experience as possible, so you applied to do a internship in a physiotherapy clinic near your apartment during the summer.

"Hey, Y/N, how are you doing?", he asked as you could notice the antsyness on his voice.

"I'm good, it's a bit of a slow day here, my supervisor said I could read up on a few articles", you mused, "is everything okay?", you asked.

"I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner tonight", he began, "you can come to my flat if that's okay, I'll order something in since I can't be trusted in the kitchen", he suggested.

"Fine by me, I'd like that, sounds really nice", you smiled, "I'll see you soon, then", you added, not wanting to dwell much on the fact that he didn't answer your question.

When you left the clinic, you walked to Oscar's place since the sun had graced you for the day and it was still nice to be out. Knocking on the door, you waited for him to open it, "I'm still in my scrubs as I didn't see the need to change", you said as you walked inside, hugging Oscar after dropping your backpack on the floor.

"Hey, you look nice, don't worry about it", he smiled as he led you to the living room, "I had to go and get the take out myself, but it's still warm", he said as you sat at the dining table.

"Now can you tell me if there's something wrong?", you wondered as you poured some of the wine he kept for you at his place on your glass.

"I have something to tell you actually", he played with his glass while he fought the smile on his lips, "this weekend I finally had some conversations with McLaren", he began.

"McLaren?", you asked as you served yourself of the food in front of you, taking some bimi brocoli and then some of the warm noodles.

"Yes, McLaren. We finally spoke about contracts and, this morning, I signed the official driver contract for next season", he stated as if he was saying that the sun had been out today.

"You did what? Since when has this been in the works?", you gasped, dropping the kitchen utensils and looking at him intently, "you're driving for McLaren next season?", he nodded, "like, driving on track? Oh my Goodness, Oscar! That's amazing!", you got up and hugged him, "why didn't you lead with that?", you pinched the nape of his neck playfully as you kept the tears from falling from your eyes. This was his dream and he was getting to live it as early as the end of the year when pre season preparations began.

"I didn't want to tell you over the phone", he shrugged his shoulders.

"But how? This is huge, Oscar!", you smiled, your teeth showing and eyes squinting with how high your cheeks rose.

"There were a lot of conversations about it, specially the last few weeks", Oscar explained, "they still want to keep it quiet", he warned.

"So you're driving alongside Lando?", you wondered. You only followed motorsport and the Formula series because of your bestfriend, so the assumption you made was based on what you had seen and read.

"Yes, hence why they want to keep it quiet, I've only told you and my family", he mentioned, "my manager knows that, obviously, but I really need you to keep quiet about it", he smiled.

"Absolutely, don't worry!", you assured, "this is so amazing Oscar! You're going to drive in Formula One! Aren't you amazed?", you beamed.

"I put in the work too, you know?", he dramatically feigned offense as you hugged him tighter, "this is your dream, Osc", you cooed, letting the tears fall freely down your cheeks as you swayed you both around, "I'm so proud of you", you hiccuped, holding his head close to your lips so you could kiss his forehead.

"Let's eat, this is getting cold", your best friend urged as the situation for more intimate and brought you closer and closer to the thing he had been avoiding for nearly a year.

The feelings he had been arbouring for you weren't just friendship. How could he keep himself from being in love with you? You had been there with him and for him when he was alone in a new country, being the other shy kid that spent the long weekend im boarding school, and since then you had been attached by the hip. You were kind, caring, intelligent, beautiful inside and outside and anyone would be a fool to not see why Oscar felt the way he did about you.

.

"I'm just going to a training camp, Y/N, I do these every year!", Oscar reasoned as you groaned.

"Who am I going to complain to about university? Or how noisy my neighbours are? I'm going to die of boredom", you stated, "when you come back, I will have ceased to exist because of boredom and lack of attention", you exaggeratedly threw yourself on your sofa.

"You won't, silly", he chuckled, pulling you up since his trainer was picking him up soon, "you're going to go out and enjoy yourself, okay? You'll barely notice I'm gone", he tried as you helped him with his suitcases down to the door.

"I'll miss you", you muttered as you hugged him, "enjoy your training camp!", you smiled as you pulled away, waving at him before you made your way to your place.

Getting on with the project you had to hand in at the end of the week, you got it all through to the end, leaving time to proofread later.

You clicked on the folder where you kept your photos and videos, looking through them and reliving all of the memories you had in there.

Most of them had Oscar somehow, wether it was a screen grab from one of your FaceTime calls when he was at races, picnics in the park and lazy days at your place.

You had to admit it, for your sake and Oscar's sake as your friendship was on the line. At first you thought it was just the fact that a boy seemed to want to spend time with you, so you put it to that. Recently, however, things changed perspective and you felt stronger feelings and emotions when you thought about him.

You loved spending time with him and cherished every single hour he chose to spend with you whenever he didn't have racing related duties. Every time he hugged you, you clung just a little longer to feel hia body against yours and his arms enveloping you.

Whenever someone approached you in the rare times you went out clubbing with your friends, "I have a boyfriend" became more a wish and a need rather than some made up excuse to get guys to leave you alone.

So, to sum it up, you either had an honest conversation with him or continued to dwell on feelings you couldn't keep to yourself.

.

"Y/N just sent me a picture of her notes, can you believe they ask them to know all of that?", he showed his trainer Kim while they had lunch after a strenuous workout.

"I had to learn most of that, too", he said nonchalantly, not necessarily diminishing your competences and intelligence but letting Oscar know that maybe his infatuation with you had a source elsewhere.

"Y/N is very smart, I'm sure she'll do really well - oh, she sent me a picture, she's all dressed up!", he said as he inspected the mirror picture. He assumed it was a requirement for your presentation, as you usually preferred comfy attire, since you had a pair of trousers and a shirt, some small heels on your feet and your bright smile that left him feeling butterflies in his stomach every single time, "she looks gorgeous", he said as he texted you the same words along with wishes of good luck.

"Something you'd like to say?", Oscar quesioned when he felt Kim's eyes on him as he put the phone back on the table, screen down.

"I'm just here wondering why you're not together", the trainer offered simply after he wiped his mouth on the napkin.

"No, we are not together, at least not yet", he mused. The thought had crossed his mind, admitting how he felt about you before the season began. If everything went belly up and you didn't feel the same and didn't see him that way, he would occupy his time and channel all of his energy into racing; if you did feel the same, he would have been worrying for nothing and would have a extra spring up his step for his first season in Formula One.

"Good to know you're working on it", Kim waved his fork at Oscar, "now we need to finish this and we'll do some recovery stretches", he announced as Oscar groaned, prolonging his meal as long as he could.

.

Today, Oscar was coming back from Lanzarote and you couldn't wait to speak to him. Lately, it all dawned on you.

It happened a couple of nights ago, a slight insomnia episode keeping you up when you thought about what things would be like from now on. Oscar would travel a lot more, and he would be in a much public role compared to his previous one. It would seem stupid to other people, but a lot more people would know him, and you were sure they would fall in love with him. How could they not? Hence why you wanted to quit those thoughts while you were ahead of them.

I'm on the cab to your place, it should take another 10 minutes and Can't wait to see you, Oscar texted you just as you finished tidying your living room.

You missed him dearly, so when you threw yourself into his arms, you didn't let go as he kicked his suitcases into your apartment while still holding close to him, "I kind of need to get my backpack off my back, and I can't do that if I don't set you somewhere - only for a bit at the very least", Oscar suggested after trying to balance you against his body with one arm but he didn't feel safe enough to let you go without you falling.

Reluctantly, you got back down, feet back on the floor as he discarded his backpack before he tapped your hip twice, "up again, I want a proper hug", he mumbled as you jumped back, his hands protectively holding your thighs up as he nuzzled his face on your neck, "I need you so, so much", he sighed.

"I missed you too", you replied back, "and I don't ever want to miss you like this when I don't know how to feel about you", you forwarded. Now or never, you thought as you jumped out of his hold and faced him.

"I missed you like I have never missed you before, not even when you go a visit your family or when you went away for triple headers - and I've been trying to understand why and I finally realised what it was. I like you, more than friends like eachother - for Goodness' sake, I'm in love with you", you chuckled nervously as you admitted it out loud to him, "and everyone else will love you too - I just know it -, so soon enough you won't be my Osc anymore and I couldn't not tell you. People - and these gorgeous girls all over the world - are going to like you so much and I won't be able to compete with them, so I'm just telling you how I feel. You can leave if you want or we'll just stay here in silence of that works too, but I needed to admit my feelings", you let out in one go.

Oscar smiled, a big teeth and gums showing smile as his eyes crinkled at your words, "I'm not leaving, and we are not going to be silent - at least immediately - because I want to tell you how I feel", he began, "I'm in love with you too; I have been for about two years and only realised it a year ago, and I don't want to pretend anymore. I want to be able to kiss you, to hug you, to take you with me wherever possible, to sleep next to you, to argue with you, I want all of it. With you", he said, hand cupping your cheek as his eyes asked for consent to kiss your lips.

It was as you dreamed it would be, soft, gentle and caring, lips moving in sync as you held him by his waist, pulling him closer to you.

"I thought I was loosing you to the whole F1 fandom", you chuckled, looking up at him once you pulled away.

"Of course you won't, you're my best girl", he winked, "this is just the beggining for us", he added as he pulled you to cuddle on the sofa, sharing his stories of the past days as you revelled in the feeling of being in his arms.

[taffycandyqt]

Please No

You can't sleep and seek company in your misery through your best friend. However he's not at home.

Masterlist

Request Rules

OH MY GOSH IM NOT DEAD! In all honesty I haven't been super motivated lately but I started this personal project a LOOOOOOONG time ago and felt I couldn't move on to other requests before I finished it. When I started this I felt really inspired to make it solely because I feel there is simply not enough Donatello fluff in this world, especially in 03' and 12' s case. So I hope you like it!

2012 Donnie x reader

Aged up, all characters are college/older adult age, depends on how you want to read it.

Fluff, slightly angst if you really want it to be there

Fem reader

Sleeping was always a struggle for you. Logically you knew you needed sleep, physically you felt tired, but mentally you just couldn't bring yourself to do it. Your body hated the idea and actually laying down and sleeping, so you went to the only person you KNEW would be up right now.

Casey Jones.

He was annoying when you first met him be he was chill enough that he grew on you pretty quickly. Not to mention that if it weren't for him you wouldn't have met your now boyfriend. You always enjoyed spending time with Donnie but trying to pin him down was hard especially since you didn't know where he lived. He didn't want you to meet his brothers just yet, says he wants time to adjust to your guys relationship before being teased. Which, fair. SO! To Casey's you went. You two usually met up at grueling times of the night so it was customary to clime up each other's fire escapes and practically break into the other person's house. You'd either scare each other awake or find the other sitting in their kitchen shoveling cereal into their mouth watching conspiracies on YouTube.

Tonight though, nothing. Like the dude up and vanished. You checked the kitchen and his room. You even went as far as to check the bathroom. THAT WAS HIS WHOLE APARTMENT! Did he have just as an abhorrent sleep schedule as you? Yes, but he never left the house to make it a strangers problem. So to ease your nerves you decided to call him, if that doesn't work, your gonna pray Donnie is awake enough to answer the phone.

One ring. Two ring. Third ring...

"This is THE Casey Jones." You breathed out a sigh of relief. He isn't kidnapped, dead, or lying in a ditch high of weed somewhere.

"Hey man, just dropped by your place, where you at?"

"Oooooh, one of those nights huh?"

"Isn't it always?"

"heh, I feel ya. Here I'll text you my location so we can chill." after that you heard talking from the other side of the phone. Someone that wasn't Casey. But before you could ask any questions Casey quickly responded to whatever it was that they said.

"SHUT UP! ILL KICK YOUR BUTT INTO NEXT WEEK, BUD!" ending with extra sass on the 'bud'.

That's when you got his text. Perfect!

---

Orrrr not. You swear you followed the directions exactly, so why are you standing in the middle of an alleyway being told to go forward when THERE IS NO FORWARD! Being the reasonable person you are you blamed it all on Casey and let him know of your little predicament.

And, 'wait there, just a sec was his reply.' You didn't think Casey would be the kind of person to plot someone else's demise. Not that he he hasn't caused someone else's demise, he just doesn't have the forethought to think ahead about it. However this whole, standing in an alley in New York at 2 am alone, is really starting to feel like a plot.

Once again, your nerves started rising. You looked around the old bricks, worn with water damage and scraping and covered in graffiti. The dark distorted your surroundings making it unclear if you were really alone in that alley or not. The stench of the trash bags shoved as close to the corners and walls as possible started to get to you. Your breathing got a little heavier. The ominous lighting from the street lamp didn't help either. Then a sound rose above the scampering feet of rats. You turn to see the man hole cover slowly scrap along the concrete as a large gloved hand shoved it away. The darkness of the alley clouded the figure and with the covering gone the hole left seemed like a endless pool of inky nothingness. You were stiff as a board and you could hear your heart thrashing in your ears. This is it. This is where you die and it's all Casey Jones's fault.

"Hey you did make it! Nice!"

Your threw a scrapped can square at his face.

"Ow!"

"CASEY! YOU SCARED ME!"

"Yo chill! I told you I was coming to get you!"

"YOU TOLD ME TO WAIT, I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THE FRICK YOU WERE DOING! GOSH CASEY! WHAT WERE YOU EVEN DOING DOWN THERE!?"

"Hehe, come on. I'll show you," he winked at you before gesturing you to enter into the manhole first.

"No."

"Oh come on! Don't you trust me?"

"NO! Also gross. I'm not going down there just for the heck of it Casey. I have never been curious what New Yorks sewer system looks like."

"It's not about the sewers! We just have to walk through the system to get to the place," he told you mildly annoyed.

"And your purposely being suspicious about 'the place', because?"

"Because that's a surprise,"

"Oh joy. I just love surprises at 2 in the freaking morning, in the sewers, wearing my pajamas," you snarked as you lowered yourself down the manhole scowling slightly.

Casey led you through the sewers keeping a brisk pace. You asked him about the voice you hear over the phone earlier and all he told you was that it was part of the surprise. To which you rolled your eyes.

"You seem pretty confident on where your walking," you remarked.

"Well I sure hope so!" he laughed to himself, "I've only been coming here since highschool."

Him saying that struck a possible idea of what his "surprise" could be. But you couldn't be sure.

You initially met Casey in college. Not that he went to collage, he just crashed a class that you shared with his friend. He called her red, talked about her a lot too. You didn't really know her outside of that one class. It felt strange to know so many details about someone you've never talked to. He did mention that she was Donnies first crush but Donnie never talked about her though so you didn't really care much for that detail.

You knew that Casey had known Donnie, his brothers, and "red" since high school. He told you about their adventures all the time. Sometimes it made you feel a little disconnected, especially since the only people you ever knew from the group were Donnie and Casey. But you tried not to let that feeling get to you. It would simply take time. Besides, even if you're newer and don't know the whole group, neither Donnie or Casey ever made you feel like you weren't a part.

The thing is though, is that Casey only mentioned highschool when talking about the turtles. So while it is a loose assumption, you had an idea of what he might be planning. Part of you really hoped it wasn't what you were thinking. The other part really REALLY wanted it to be what you thought. But the majority part was to tired to care and just wanted something to do.

After a short walk you noticed the sewer transition into an abandoned subway station. That's when you heard the sounds of videogames and people. The smell of pizza lingered in the air the closer you walked to the sound. Eventually you got to the part of the station where lights lit up the dark space.

When you got to the entrance, you saw two turtles playing videogames. Pizza boxes littered the floor, some of them containing pizza, some completely empty. You were a little stunned honestly. Donnie had a genuine reason for not introducing you to his family, you didn't want to cross that line. But at the same time, you really needed a brain rotting distraction. You hesitated. But when Casey gestured you to go first through the turnstile first, that hesitation crumbled. You just wanted some pizza, was that so wrong? I mean you were already here, might as well just commit. You and Casey passed through and neither of the brothers tired to look at you. The one in red acknowledge the sound by saying,

"Welcome back Case."

"What didja need to do that you left so fast brah?" Asked the orange one.

"My best bud needed A.M. pizza, so I figured here would be the best place for her to get some," Casey told them patting your back before taking his seat next to the orange brother and picking up an abandoned controller. You followed, feeling out of place, you sat beside him.

This got reds attention.

"I'm sorry, she?" He paused the game to look over at you.

"WHAT?! CASEY WHO THE HECK IS SHE?? YOU CAN'T JUST BRING RANDOM PEOPLE DOWN HERE!"

"Dude chill out! First of all, shes not random, she's y/n," reds eye twitched, "Secondly, it's no biggie, she already knows Donnie, she's no snitch."

You smacked Casey's arm and shook your head.

"Hey! your already here aren't you?" he whined at you.

"Wait, how do you already know Donnie?" orange finally spoke up.

"Yeah, who are you anyways?" red questioned you.

"I-um. Hi, I'm y/n" you stiffly introduced.

You felt very awkward about this whole situation.

"And you know Don, how?" red reiterated impatiently.

You decided to play dumb.

"What do you mean?"

"How do you know Donnie?! Oh my gosh are you dumb?!"

"No, I get what you asked, but in what way?"

"THE FRICK DO YOU MEAN 'IN WHAT WAY?' HOW DO YOU KNOW MY BROTHER?!"

You both went back and forth like that for a while. Little did you know that this was Casey's plan all along. He had talked to Donnie about introducing you the family but he always said it "wasn't the right time". You and Donnie had been dating for almost a year now and had known each other even longer. Yet his brothers had yet to know you even existed! Knowing you, you wouldn't push the issue because you didn't want to pressure your poor boyfriend. You were under the false pretence that he would come around eventually. The truth is, he wouldn't. And it wasn't because of his brothers teasing.

They would still tease him yes, but they've grown, they know the line. The real reason Donnie hadn't introduced you was because one; he wanted you to himself. And two, the biggest reason; he was embarrassed of where he lived. Yes his home was cleanly and all but it was still a sewer. It had taken a long time for him to begin to believe that you actually thought he was attractive and not some kind of monster. Living in the sewer though? What if that breaks your entire image of him? What if you think he really is some slimy gross sewer monster after? He couldn't bear the thought. After being with you for so long, he doesn't think he could live without you.

It took a lot of nagging but when Casey finally broke him and that was the explanation he gave? Casey was so done. So he took matters into his own hands. He waited for the opportunity to present itself and tonight was the night.

"Dudes!" orange interjected, "Chillll. Ever consider that maybe she won't say cuz we haven't introduced ourselves yet?? Hmmmmmmmmm?"

He chewed red out. Red just scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Hi, I'm Mikey, and that grump is Raph," he told you, "He's been awake too long, he gets fussy without his nap."

You giggled at this, but before you could say anything back Raph had tackled Mikey to the floor. As they rustled you made a small laugh.

"What is going on in here so late?" you heard someone say from behind you. You turned to where it was coming from and saw the third brother you had yet to meet. Blue.

Before he could say anything to Raph or Mikey though, he made eye contact with you.

"Who are you?"

"This is my best bud y/n. Y/n, the fearless leader Leo," Casey introduced.

"Don't call me that Casey," he told him sternly. He walked over to you guys and took a seat in the other side of you.

"You know Case, if I wasn't half asleep I'd be way more upset about you bringing a stranger to the lair."

"She's not a stranger though, she's known Donnie for a while now. Besides we already got yelled at enough by Raph," Casey told him.

He humm and nodded in a 'that makes sense type' of way.

"So you've know Donnie for a while?" he asked.

You felt like could tell Leo just as much as you could tell Raph. Which was nothing. But you felt like Leo would be more receptive to a reasonable answer then Raph was.

"I'd tell you, but I'm not at liberty to say right now," you said.

"That's not suspicious at all," he teased.

"Hey!" you laughed at him and he laughed back.

Casey elbowed you and smiled proudly. He acted like he deserved a thank you for introducing you to your boyfriends family behind his back. All you did was elbow him in the ribs. That was he really deserved. You would be lying though if you said it wasn't an oddly fun situation.

That's when Raph had pinned Mikey and he started screaming.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY? I COULDN'T HEAR YOUR BEFORE?!" Raph yelled at him with this hands pushing Mikey's head to the floor.

"AAAAAAAAA!!" was all Mikey said him response.

Leo sighed next to you, "I guess I'll be taking care of that."

Before he could make a move though, you heard a familiar voice.

"What is going on out here?! I can't work with all this RACKET!" Donnie grumply shouted.

He stopped right in his tracks when he saw you though.

The only time you had seen Donnie that worked up was when an experiment failed or his brothers got on his nerves. Even then though, it was just venting after the fact, so you never witnessed the brunt of his frustrations. Safe to say you were a little startled, not put off or anything, just surprised mostly.

"Y- y- y- y Y/N?! What in Earth are you doing here?? At this hour? Here? I- ??" he was completely flabbergasted and udderly mortified.

He looked a mess, bags under his eyes, mask lazily pushed above his eyes, and not to mention yelling like an angry old man! Oh nononono. It was bad enough you were in his sewer home, there's no way you don't think his a monster now!

"Would you look at that, guess you did know Don after all," Raph said, head in hand while an elbow laid on Mikey's head.

You turned back to Raph, "Why would I lie about that?!"

This boy was unbelievable.

"Raph get off Mikey," Leo told him.

"Not until he says it!"

"Really Raph? I though you stopped doing that when we were teens."

Deciding that you needn't be involved in that conversation, you turned back to Donnie who had a horrified expression on his face.

"H- how long have you been down here?" he asked quietly.

"Not super long, Casey and I only got here like, a few minutes ago," you answered him.

Donnie took a deep breath, he looked like he was about to loose it. You didn't blame him honestly.

"You. Brought. Her. Here?!" he asked Casey. Clearly hanging by the thread of his last nerve.

"Yeah, s'not like you ever would have, so I took matters into my own hands. Besides she's my friend just as much as she's your girlfriend, I have a right to introduce her to my closest buds."

"Wait. Did you just say, girlfriend?" Mikey asked. Leo was helping him off the floor with a displeased Raph standing to the side. They all froze after Casey's statement and started at you and Donnie with wide eyes.

"JONES!" you both yelled at him in unison.

"What? They were gonna haft'a know eventually, I just got the awkward part out of the way for you," he shrugged and winked at you both.

You were gonna kill him. And by the looks of it Donnie and you were on the same page.

You pinched the bridge of your nose and let out a sigh.

"Okay, I think Donnie and I need to have a private conversation. When we're done we'll clear everything up with you all. Okay?"

"That sounds good," Leo nodded while everyone else complained.

You turned to Donnie signaling to lead the way to wherever you two could have some alone time. He seemed nervous and jittery, but led you none the less. He let you in first through a big sliding door that opened up into what seemed to be a garage. It had tables with tools and other electronic equipment strewn around. There were chemistry supplies as well along with some posters in the walls.

"So," Donnie started, fixing his gaze on the floor, "you wanted to talk?" He adjusted his mask to fit back over his eyes.

"Uh, yeah," you answered. Why was the air so thick all of a sudden? Donnie was so closed in on himself it was almost like he was afraid of you. Honestly, you wanted to ask him why Casey said he would never take you down here. But now wasn't the time for that.

"What do you want to do now? I know you wanted to introduce me on your own terms but now that that's not really a possibility. So where do you wanna go from here?" You asked.

You figured it would best to have a game plan before explaining everything to his brothers.

"I understan- Wait what?" He looked at you confused.

"Uuhhh, where do you want to go from here? Ya know, now that your brothers know?" You repeated yourself. Now you were confused.

"I. Wha. That's all you have to say?" Donnie said mouth agape, shocked.

"What? I mean, about this situation yeah? I mean, I am curious why Casey felt the need to do this but that's not really my first priority right now. Am- am I missing something here?" You asked him.

"I- I thought... I live in a sewer," he told you.

"You thought you lived in a sewer?" Your confusion increasing, "Like. You didn't know?"

"No! I know that! I just... you don't care?"

"Why would I care? I'm sorry," you put a hand to your forehead, "did you think I would judge you for your living conditions? Which are honestly pretty cush. Who do you take me fore Don?!"

"I! Well it's not that I thought you would judge me, it's just... I'm a mutant. Living in the sewers just- I don't know. The only things you think of living in the sewers are creepy gross monsters or rodents. On top of that it's the sewers! Most people find that pretty gross."

"Donnie. We've known each other for longer then a year. If I was disgusted by you, you would know by now," you spoke dryly.

"All this time I thought you just needed to get used to things. But you were just assuming the worst about me? What the heck Donnie?" You were hurt. You loved him so much, and he thought you would leave him because of where he lives? He really thought you were that judgemental?

"What?! No! I wasn't assuming the worst about you! I was just afraid you'd realize you deserve better than me!"

"BUT YOU'RE ALL I WANT!"

He stopped and looked at you, eyes wide.

"Really?"

"Yes! And I hate it when you talk like you're not deserving of love just because you're mutant."

"I just... I just don't see what you see in me," he admitted.

"Then stop assuming things and closing yourself off. Talk to your family, talk to your friends, talk to me. I never worry about whether or not you love me, you've seen me at my worst and never left my side. You're so scared of how I'll react to your worst you never even give me a chance to show you," you grabbed his hand and looked him in the eye.

"You don't get to decide how I feel or what I think, only I do."

"You're right, I'm sorry. Sorry for assuming things, things about you, and for taking so long to introduce you."

You kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you," you smiled at him. Then pinched his neck and pulled him to you.

"Ow ow ow ow!"

"And never do that again," you let him go.

"Yes of course absolutely never again," he nodded and smiled at you. You smiled back and patted his chest.

"Now before we continue the conversation of how to approach your family, I feel like we should address the eavesdroppers in the room," you said pulling back the door all the way. It was already cracked open to allow the peepers better visuals for your conversation.

As it slid open you noticed Casey and the three brothers trying to run away from the door.

"What! Guys! What part of private conversation do you not understand?!" Donnie yelled at them.

"I told you guys you shouldn't have done that," Leo scolded them.

"YOU LITERALLY JOINED RIGHT AFTER SAYING THAT!" Raph pointed an accusatory finger at him, "AND FOR THE RECORD IT WAS MIKEY'S IDEA!" He yelled moving his pointing to the youngest.

"Wow dude, I thought we were in this together," Mikey put a hand on his chest hurt.

"Well in the end it doesn't matter cuz it already happened right?" Casey shrugged and took a seat on the couch again.

Out of everyone here you and Donnie were most ticked at Casey.

Both you and Donnie approached him from behind and grabbed one of his shoulders.

"W-what? Uhhh. You dudes need something? Eh heh..." he stuttered nervous. Only just now did he realize the hole he had dug for himself.

"Why don't we have a chat Casey," you smiled but it was less of a question and more of a statement.

"Privately," Donnie finished, no smile to be found.

You both were gonna have fun with this. Then Donnie could take you home and tuck you in. What a great boyfriend girlfriend bonding activity!

------------------------------------------------------------Listen y'all, I know Google maps don't work like this, but just for the sake of plot pretend like it does.

[heyjudeb]

Lake Secrets - Jude Bellingham

Chapter 4: We're Lost

Summary: Grace Alexander Arnold, an architecture student, looks forward to a quiet summer at her brother Trent's lake villa. Her plans change when Trent's best friend, Jude Bellingham, arrives with his family. As Grace and Jude spend more time together, a secret romance begins to grow. Amidst the peaceful lake and family gatherings, will their hidden feelings last, or will they fade away with the summer? Word Count: 3.5k

Warnings: fluff, crying, angst

I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep. I could hear the faint sound of footsteps fading away. I knew it was Grace. My heart ached to open the door, to see her standing there, but I couldn't. It wouldn't be right to Trent, my best friend. I had to keep my feelings in check, no matter how much I wanted to be with her. I don't know why I wanted to give her hope with that poem. It's just stupid. Maybe she didn't read too much into it, considered it as a coincidence.

When morning came, I woke up feeling more tired than ever. I rubbed my eyes and decided to head downstairs for breakfast, hoping a cup of coffee would wake me up.

As I reached the kitchen, I found Trent and our parents already seated at the table, chatting and eating breakfast. I scanned the room, but Grace was nowhere to be found.

"Morning," I greeted everyone, trying to sound casual as I poured myself a cup of coffee.

"Morning, Jude," Trent replied with a grin. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah, not bad," I lied, taking a sip of my coffee. "Where's Grace? I don't see her around."

Trent shrugged, not seeming too concerned. "She hasn't come down yet. She might've stayed up all night reading, knowing her."

I nodded, trying to hide my worry. "Yeah, probably. She does love her books."

Our parents continued their conversation, not paying much attention to us. I tried to join in, but my mind kept drifting back to Grace. What if she was upset? What if she needed someone to talk to?

I decided to check on her, hoping she was just lost in one of her books. I didn't really care if this brought suspicion in anyone. "I'm going to see if she's awake," I said, standing up from the table.

Trent glanced at me, a hint of suspicion in his eyes, but he didn't say anything. I made my way upstairs, my heart pounding in my chest. I knocked on Grace's door softly, not wanting to wake her if she was still asleep.

"Grace? You awake?" I called out, waiting for a response. She didn't answer. I tried knocking softly one more time, "Grace? I just want to know if you're okay."

The door opened slowly, and there she was, still in her pajamas. I couldn't tell if it was just her beautiful swollen morning face, or if she had been crying. "Why wouldn't I be?" She gave me an exaggerated smile.

"Um... Just checking," I said, trying to read her expression.

She nodded and walked right past me, clearly trying to avoid me. I knew I shouldn't have sent her any signal, but I couldn't understand why she was upset. She didn't go in my room either.

I gently grabbed her arm, spinning her around before she stepped on the stairs. She turned to me with an angry yet sad expression. I keep doing things without thinking them through. I don't know why I stopped her when I had nothing to say.

"I just... Why are you avoiding my gaze?" "I am not, I'm just really hungry." she said almost like a question, not really looking sincere to me right now. "I want to rush down for breakfast." "Grace," I grabbed both her arms, and got closer to her. "You were behind the door too. And you also chose to walk away, why are you mad at me then?" She seemed shocked by the fact that i mention last night's situation. She shifted in arms but didn't get out of my grip. She gave me those green eyes again, looking straight into my soul. "For the same reason you did, I guess." She took a deep breath. "Jude, if... if..." she trailed off, struggling to find the right words.

"You can talk to me, Grace."

She hesitated for a moment, then mumbled a quiet "fuck it" under her breath and began speaking rapidly. "Maybe you don't think about me the same way I think about you. Maybe all these little interactions, the lake, your looks, everything was just my crazy imagination. So, it's better for me to just keep things cool between us." No, it wasn't just your imagination. You clearly have me at your fingertips with your beautiful eyes and your smile. If it was up to me, I would have kissed you the first day I saw you here.

Is what I wanted to say. Is what I failed to say.

Trent was the only thing on my mind. She's his sister. His baby sister he loves dearly. If a single thing goes wrong between us, I could lose him too, lose his respect for me. "Grace, I..." I let go of her arms slowly. "I'm sorry. I should've been more clear about my intentions with you."

"Yeah, no worries," she replied, giving me a death glare. As she was about to head down the stairs, she turned around once more. "Also, this little confession that happened right here shouldn't scare you. We're good, lad." She turned away again, each step down the stairs echoing loudly with her frustration.

I wanted to kick everything in my sight, scream loudly. She just slipped away from me. She wasn't even mine anyway, but I could've kept my thoughts to myself and not affect her. But this is for the best. ..... Grace has been avoiding me ever since that morning. Our conversations have become limited to the bare essentials, mostly when she's calling me for meals or asking about something she can't avoid.

I've been trying to get that spark of happiness back in her eyes. She made it clear that morning that she wanted to keep things "cool" between us. My fear of giving her false hope has kept me from seeking out moments alone with her. But no matter how much I try to respect her wishes, my mind and body still long for her presence, her touch.

Trent, ever the outdoorsman, proposed a hike along a trail about ten minutes away from the villa. His enthusiasm was infectious, winning over even the few of us who were hesitant.

"I'm telling you, bro. It's the best view ever," Trent said, patting my shoulder with a confident grin. "Trust me on this." Grace came down the stairs with a heavy backpack, almost causing her to tip backward.

"Hey, sis, are you moving out to the woods?" Trent chuckled at the sight of her.

"I'm just bringing all the essentials for our primitive life in the wilderness," she said, dead serious. "And we're a group, so I had to pack extra."

Everyone burst into laughter. "Grace, honey, we won't need any of that stuff," her mom said, shaking her head. "It's just a short hike, not a survival mission."

Grace rolled her eyes. "Well, you never know. What if we get lost? Or what if a bear shows up? I’m just prepared."

"Yeah, for an episode of 'Survivor,' maybe," Jobe teased, earning another round of laughs. "Let's see if you're still laughing when you're in need of my emergency snacks," Grace retorted, a sassy grin crossing her face. Jobe chuckled nervously. "I'll keep that in mind, Grace. I might owe you an apology then."

The playful exchange added a humorous touch to the preparations for their hike.

We set out early in the morning, the sun barely peeking over the horizon. The trail was beautiful, winding through dense forest and opening up to stunning vistas. Grace walked ahead with Trent and Jobe, while I stayed back, trying to keep my distance. The whole family seemed to enjoy the hike, taking in the fresh air and the breathtaking scenery.

We stopped at a lookout point halfway up the trail. Trent was right; the view was incredible. We could see the entire valley, the villa nestled among the trees far below. Everyone took pictures, chatted, and enjoyed the moment. I found myself stealing glances at Grace, who seemed more relaxed than she had in days. She was smiling, her laughter echoing through the trees. I couldn't help but smile too, even though a part of me ached to be closer to her. "Do you want me to carry the backpack?" I asked Grace softly as we fell a few steps behind the others.

"No, I'm good, thank you!" She gave me a quick smile before turning back to face the trail. Her breathing was heavy from the weight of the bag.

"Grace, come on. You're breathless," I said, reaching out for the backpack. "Take a quick break to catch your breath, yeah?"

She seemed convinced after feeling the relief when I lifted the bag from her shoulders. "Yeah, okay. Fair enough! You're right!"

Her breathless state made me chuckle. I turned to the others to let them know we were stopping for a bit. "Hey guys, you keep going. We're going to take a break here!"

Everyone nodded and continued on the path. I sat next to Grace on the ground, taking a water bottle from the backpack and handing it to her.

"You can keep going, Jude," she said after gulping the water. "I can rest here by myself."

"I don't want to leave you alone."

"To be honest, I'm not really sure if you know what you want."

"Grace—" "Let's go, I don't want to be so far behind from them." She stood up, reached out her hand for me to grab, without facing me. After our rest, we resumed our hike, the trail stretching ahead of us. The forest was alive with the sounds of chirping birds and rustling leaves, and the morning sun filtered through the canopy, casting dappled shadows on the ground. Grace seemed more relaxed after the break, but the weight of our earlier conversation still lingered between us.

As we continued, we came across an intersection where the trail split into two. "Um, what do we do?" "I'm sure it's the one on the left. I remember it." she said softly, not sounding too convincing. She chose the path on the left, and I followed her, trusting her instincts.

We walked deeper into the forest, the trail becoming narrower and more overgrown. The trees grew taller and closer together, their branches forming a thick canopy that blocked out much of the sunlight. The air was cooler here, and the sounds of the forest grew louder, almost echoing around us.

"Grace, are you sure this is the right way?" I asked, noticing the unfamiliar surroundings.

"Yeah, I think so," she replied, though there was a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

We continued walking, but the path seemed to disappear, leaving us surrounded by dense underbrush and towering trees. My concern grew with each step.

"Grace, I think we might have taken the wrong trail," I said gently, trying not to alarm her. She stopped and looked around, realizing the same thing. "Yeah, you're right. ", her face showing a mix of frustration and worry. " You win." "I win?! This is not a competition, come on." I said looking at her trying not to smile.

I took out my phone to check for any signal, but we were too deep in the forest. "No signal. We should probably head back the way we came." I started walking back the way we came, Grace wasn't following me behind. I turned around to see her with a worried face expression. She looked around. "Hey, it's okay. We'll figure it out together," I reassured her, giving her a comforting smile, reaching out to grab her hand.

She took my hand but kept glancing over her shoulder. "There's something there," she whispered, her voice tinged with fear. "What if it's a bear?"

I squeezed her hand gently. "It's probably just the wind or a small animal. Let's stay calm and head back."

Grace nodded, though her eyes still darted nervously. We began retracing our steps, the forest feeling more imposing with each step. I don't think Grace realized I was holding her hand until after some steps, because she immediately pulled it away. As we walked, the silence between us was heavy. I couldn't ignore it any longer.

"Grace," I began, trying to keep my voice calm, "why are you acting this way towards me?"

She shot me a sideways glance, her eyes flashing with irritation. "Oh, you want to talk about behavior now?" she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Yes, I do," I said, frustration creeping into my voice. "One moment, it feels like we have something special, and the next, you’re avoiding me like the plague. What’s going on?"

Grace stopped and turned to face me, her hands on her hips. "Maybe it’s because you send me mixed signals, Jude! One minute you act like you have feelings for me, and the next, you’re all 'let’s keep it cool.'"

I opened my mouth to respond, but she had already turned around and started marching ahead, clearly fuming. "Grace, wait!" I called out, but she didn't stop.

"Grace! I don't know what to say!" I sounded frustrated, my words failing me. I didn't know what to say to make this right.

"You don't have to say anything, Jude," she snapped, turning quickly to face me. "It was a misunderstanding on my part. I apologize."

"No, it wasn't. I mean—" I trailed off, seeing a tear run down her cheek. "No, Grace, please. Don't cry."

I walked toward her, cupping her face in my hands and kissing her forehead. She didn't fight me; she just stood there with her eyes shut, tears flowing freely.

"Grace, it's true. What you felt is true. You're the prettiest thing I've ever seen in my entire life. I'm drawn to you. It's like my body is constantly craving you."

She opened her beautiful green eyes, looking up at me, our foreheads still touching. More tears started running down her cheeks after I confessed to her.

"But it's—" I inhaled deeply. "It's Trent. You're his baby sister, the one he loves to death. If things didn't work out between us, he would hate me."

"I know," she whispered, her voice so low I could barely hear it. "But, what if things work between us?"

"That would be the best thing that could ever happen to me," I said softly, lifting my forehead from hers and looking into her eyes. I gently wiped away her tears, my fingers lingering on her cheeks.

For a moment, we just stood there, lost in each other's gaze, the forest around us fading away. The air was thick with unspoken words and emotions. I leaned in slowly, giving her time to pull away if she wanted to, but she didn't.

Her breath hitched as our lips met, a tentative, gentle touch at first. I felt a shiver run down my spine, my heart pounding in my chest. Her lips were soft and warm, tasting faintly of salt from her tears.

Grace responded, her hands sliding up to my shoulders, pulling me closer. The kiss deepened, becoming more urgent and hungry. It was as if all the tension and longing we had been holding back finally burst forth.

We broke apart for a moment, both of us breathing heavily. Her eyes were closed, her lips slightly parted, and a soft sigh escaped her.

"It's decided then," I whispered, a smile tugging at my lips. I leaned in and kissed her forehead, lingering there for a moment, savoring the closeness.

She opened her eyes, looking up at me with a mixture of happiness and uncertainty. "What do we do now?" she asked softly.

"We take it slow," I said, my hand still resting on her cheek. "We figure it out, together. One step at a time."

She nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. "Together," she echoed, her voice filled with hope. .....

We finally made our way back to the villa, the familiar sight of the backyard coming into view. I could see Trent standing there, looking relieved but also a bit worried as he spotted us.

"What happened?" he called out as we approached. "You two okay?"

I forced a casual smile, trying to keep my nerves in check. "Yeah, we just took a wrong turn and got a bit lost," I said, glancing at Grace.

"Lost?" Trent raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. "You had us worried."

Grace nodded, avoiding Trent's gaze. "Sorry about that. I’m going to take a quick shower," she said quickly, excusing herself and heading upstairs before Trent could ask any more questions.

Trent watched her go, then turned back to me. "You sure everything's okay, Jude?"

I nodded, trying to keep my tone light. "Yeah, just a bit of an adventure. Nothing to worry about."

He studied me for a moment, then sighed. "Alright. Glad you're both safe, bro."

"Will do," I promised, feeling a wave of relief as he seemed to accept the explanation.

Trent relaxed a bit, a hint of a smile on his face. "Anyway, we were about to start lunch. You hungry?"

"Starving," I said, hoping the change in topic would keep him from probing further. ......

After her shower, Grace joined us downstairs, looking more relaxed and composed. The air had cooled, and the late afternoon sun filtered through the windows, casting a warm glow across the room. I craved her soft lips, especially after I've tasted them. Trent suggested we play a game of cards to unwind, and everyone agreed.

"Alright, everyone ready for some good old-fashioned card games?" Trent announced, shuffling the deck with a flourish. "Let's play some rummy."

Jobe grinned, rubbing his hands together. "Prepare to lose, everyone. I’m feeling lucky today."

Grace rolled her eyes, sitting down beside me. "You say that every time, Jobe. And every time, you end up losing."

Jobe feigned offense. "That's because you all cheat."

Trent chuckled, dealing the cards. "No one’s cheating, mate. You just have terrible luck."

We settled into the game, the atmosphere light and filled with laughter. At one point, Jobe dramatically threw his cards down, groaning. "This game is rigged! I’m calling it now."

Grace smirked, glancing at his cards. "Jobe, you’re holding three queens. How is that bad luck?"

"Because I need kings!" he shot back, causing everyone to laugh.

From the backyard, Grace's mom called out, "The pizzas should be ready by now! Can someone go get them?"

Grace stood up. "I’ll get them." She glanced at me.

"I'll help you" I said, rising from my seat.

We walked to the kitchen together, the warmth from the oven hitting us as we stepped inside. Grace grabbed an oven mitt and carefully took the first pizza out, setting it on the counter. I couldn't resist wrapping my arms around her waist from behind, unable to hold myself back any longer. She looked amazing in her shorts and oversized sweatshirt.

She let out a surprised laugh, her body tensing slightly before relaxing against me. "Jude," she giggled, her voice a mix of amusement and slight panic. "What are you doing?"

I leaned in, pressing my lips gently against her neck. "I can't help it, Grace," I whispered, feeling her shiver at my touch.

"You're crazy," she muttered, but I could hear the smile in her voice.

"I know," I replied, kissing her neck again, more slowly this time, savoring the softness of her skin. Grace's breath hitched, and she leaned back into me, her head resting against my shoulder.

I could feel her heartbeat quicken, her body melting into my embrace. "Jude, we... we should get the pizzas to everyone," she said, her voice breathless and lightheaded.

"Just one more moment," I murmured, giving her one last gentle kiss before letting go. She turned around, her face flushed, her eyes sparkling with a mix of excitement and nerves.

"Alright," she said, a little breathless, "let's get these pizzas out before someone comes looking for us." ..... As the night settled in and everyone retired to their rooms, I lay down, replaying the day's events in my mind. The kiss, the confession, the shared laughter. It all felt surreal, like a dream I didn't want to end. I pictured her beautiful, angelic face looking at me. I had to physically stop myself from going to her room and holding her in my arms while we sleep. As I closed my eyes, a noise caught my attention.

It was coming from Grace's room. I could hear muffled voices, one of them clearly Grace's, but it was the other voice that made me sit up. It was her dad.

I strained to listen, curiosity and concern mingling in my chest. Grace's voice sounded strained, like she was holding back tears. I couldn't make out the conversation, but the tone was unmistakably serious.

Then I heard her dad say something, his voice calm but firm, just as he closed the door of her room. "You can't just follow your heart without considering the consequences, Grace." ..... Hello :) Let me know how you like the series so far and if you want to be tagged. Enjoy! @fbdt2002

Coming up next: Chapter 5

[madhatterbri]

Christmas Confession | B.Z.

Summary: Blaise's mother passes away a few months before Christmas. He goes missing around the holidays and ends up at your door.

"Have you heard from Blaise? The last thing I heard was he took his siblings to have a proper Christmas with their grandparents at the beginning of the month. Now he is just gone," Pansy complained in your livingroom on Christmas night. Her high heel covered feet were crossed at the ankles. Her heel leaving an annoying tapping sound against your wooden table. She was slouched on the couch and didn't appear to be leaving any time soon. She took another sip of her spiked eggnog in annoyance. The lady was never one to not be in other people's business.

"Pansy, you know he and I aren't exactly best friends, right?" You asked hoping it would remind her that the two of you hadn't been a couple for a while. "Remember? I came to your house crying in the middle of the night just a few months ago? I slept in your bed? Does that ring a bell?"

"Couples break up all the time and get back together. Remember all the times Draco and I broke up?" Pansy asked with attitude. She finished her drink.

"You two never got back together," you pointed out feeling cruel since that girl was in love with him since first year at Hogwarts. "Blaise and I had our love story and the fairytale ended. He is probably just using some of his mom's money to travel the world before having to parent his siblings,"

"You know he loves his brothers and sister more than anything. This isn't like him. He would have told one Draco, Theo, or I," Pansy informed you and crossed her arms. You opened your mouth to speak but she put her hand up. "I am leaving. Let me know if you find him or call me when you want to be a friend again,"

She left her now empty glass on the table and left you with your thoughts. Guilt washed over you. She was right. He would never go anywhere without telling someone. You walked to your room seeing the picture of you and Blaise on your nightstand.

The picture showed a young, happy couple. Blaise peppered your head with kisses while embracing you. You had a smile on your face that hasn't come back since before the break up.

You laid in your bed and sighed. Your eyes heavy as you allowed sleep to take you. A burning question lingered. "Blaise, where are you?"

You woke up to someone knocking loudly on your front door. The alarm clock read 12:30 AM. Startled you grabbed your wand and walked to the door slowly. The knocks became softer the closer you walked to the door. Maybe the unexpected visitor was your neighbor's husband. He was known to forget where he lived after a few pints at the pub.

"You are at the wrong house, Mr. Pine," you chuckled trying to appear unnerved. You opened the door and your eyes widened. Standing before you was a sad Blaise. His eyes half closed as he stumbled on your porch. "Blaise?"

He nodded yet you still couldn't believe it was him. His normal clean shaven face had stubble on it. The man always a stickler for fashion and cleanliness now wore a dirty striped shirt and jeans. He leaned against your doorframe for support.

"Can I come in?" He whispered yet before you could answer he was falling over. You grabbed him and placed his arm above your shoulders. He slowly walked with you until he sat on the couch.

"Blaise, what happened to you?"

"I'm trying but I need help," he whimpered. You could see the fear in his eyes. Something really scared him. "I can't take care of them, Y/N. She screwed me up and I don't want to screw them up to,"

"Blaise, you aren't a screw up. They love you and you love them," you assured him. You sat on the table in front of him. His eyes downcast. He leaned into your hand once you caressed his cheek. "Pansy, Theo, Draco, and I will help you. Don't give up on your family. They lost their mother too. They need you,"

"I screw everything up. I even screwed our relationship up," he whispered. Tears pooled in his eyes. You stared in awe. Blaise was never one to almost cry. "I don't know how you can want to help me,"

"We are young and we moved too fast. It happens," you shrugged. This was true. Right after Hogwarts you two were living together. Apparently you two didn't realize that living in the same school was different than living in an apartment together. The relationship went sour quickly after that.

"I want you back,"

"You don't mean that. You are just scared. Let's get you to sleep and we'll talk in the morning," you promised. He laid on the couch. Pillows and blankets were gathered from the closet. You handed him the pillows and placed the blanket on him. He grabbed your hand.

"I mean it, Y/N. I will win you back," he muttered before falling asleep.

[weareallgonnaliveforawhile]

Mob Psycho x Saiki K AU/ Kokomi Reigen AU

Alright so, to start, I'm gonna start from the very beginning, before the actual start of the story.

You might be asking, why the hell would Kokomi decide to work at a run-down little 'company' that specializes in exorcising spirits where the only other workers is this weird sweaty adult guy and his middle schooler son(?) 

I am here to say that it started with one little thing; Kokomi realized that Saiki was in the 'occult' club. Now Kokomi is a normal teenager and when she finds out that her crush is interested in something, she wants to join it...

if she did, she'd have to deal with Toritsuka all the time plus she doesn't want her fans to flood the club and ruin the time she wants to spend with Saiki, so joining was absolutely out of the question. 

But what WASN'T out of the question was trying to learn more about the occult and that type of thing so that later she can mention it to Saiki, and then he'll be so impressed with her that he'll have to say Oh wow-

But the thing is that going to libraries is also really hard for her because of her looks, so she decides to google the shit out of things and stumbles upon a site for this quiet little 'Exorcist' place that has a lot of positive reviews, and it's the only place that she's seen that's not a tourist spot. 

Maybe if she talked to the owner, she'll be able to learn more about the occult! (From the reviews, he’s either a middle-aged man or a dude in college and both types of dude LOVE her so she'll be able to charm him into helping her with her research if need be) Plus, it's in an isolated area so if she does her best to attract as little attention as possible, she'll be able to get there with 50% fewer stalkers!

Though, when she gets there she's given several surprises 

The owner guy, while he did (predictably) say 'Oh wow' when he saw her...that was it. He didn't get heart eyes or anything like that, he just went straight to business

There was a random middle schooler there and he was the same! He said 'Oh wow' and blushed but all he did was quietly ask if she was related to some girl at his school then get embarrassed and continue his own work without looking at her!

The office is a real hole-in-the-wall place, hard to find if you don't have an exact address or were told by someone else where it was.

She made it there with no stalkers. She managed to lose some stragglers by hiding behind a tree, but there was just a weird energy in the area that seemed to make them go away on their own. She liked it.

She gathered that the occult was almost definitely not what they did most of the time. While the dude did seem to offer some 'Ghost Hunting Services', the other half of the services were just a lot of fancy words used to hide the fact that they were just doing bullshit to make people who didn't have ghosts (or demons or whatever it was)

Maybe it was a mix of all five of these. Maybe it's because the middle schooler's calm demeanor reminds her of Saiki. Maybe it's cause the dudes causal reaction to her beauty (something that made lesser men faint) was some of the closest that she's had to being treated like a human being by a dude older than her. Maybe it's because Makoto last check that he sent for bills came last night with the note 'Love you, my dear kokomi <3' and she couldn't stop herself from burning it.

But when the blond, sweaty, and over-the-top scam artist owner who hasn't ONCE blushed when looking at her asks her what she's here for-

-she says the only thing that comes to mind and asks for a job.

It takes everyone in the room off guard, but she liked to think that she was hiding it decently enough. But after filling out some paperwork and answering some surprisingly short questions, she's hired and expected to start working next Monday after school.

Her mind kinda goes blank after that. 

But can she really be blamed? She’s had a long week this is the first time in ages that someone (Other than Saiki) didn’t fawn over her.

It isn't until much later, when she's been working there for a few weeks that she begins to loosen up and not be the 'perfect pretty girl' all the time during work hours. 

Mob helps.

Reigen punching her brother in the face helps a lot more.

[toastieghostie1]

Accept Me (Stu Macher x GN!Reader)

Hey guys this is my first time posting here, but I came up with an idea and here it is! Please leave suggestions or ideas for me, I'm always looking for constructive criticism. Without further ado, Accept Me, a Ghostface (Stu Macher) Soulmate AU (Matching soulmarks)

WORD COUNT : 1001

Chapter 1

Dear Journal, 

Today marks day 548 of an entire day of slightly invasive questions. All I want to do is go to work and go home, but no. What feels like every broad that comes in here is asking me about my “soulmate”. “Have you met them yet?”, “Are you looking for them?”, “Aren't you excited to have THE one for you? Living with them as the only love of your life?”. The answer is no. I don't want to meet them, I don't want to fall for them, I am most definitely not looking for them. The only good thing is that they can't quite tell which mark is the soul mark. Tattoos are a big help to distract from the mark, I can just pretend it's just ink, and not the universe is trying to force me to be with. Anyways gotta go, gonna hang with my friends, Stu is having a small party for the six of us.

Peace out, 

Y/N

-At Stu’s House-

“Hey guys! I brought the food you asked for!!” I yelled into the giant house. Hearing footsteps, I stretch my arm out holding the aforementioned snacks. Feeling someone grab the bag, I look down and start toeing my shoes off. Taking my jacket off I look up to see who took the snacks to see the host himself, Stu. He grins at me before digging into the bag to see the selection. 

He cheers, “Awh yes! You got the gobstoppers I wanted! I knew you loved me, Sweets.” He grins again while holding his hand to his chest like some kind of damsel. 

I roll my eyes and push past him, “Sure Stu, I got them specifically for you.” Making my way to the kitchen, I go into the fridge and root through it to find the coke I know he has in there. “Hey Stu, where's your coke? I know you have some.” I question as I stand straight and turn, only to see him quickly advert his eyes. I ignore that and raise an eyebrow while cocking my hip, waiting for him to acknowledge my question. 

“Oh! Erm, it’s in the living room with everyone else.” He rushes out. Leading me to the living room, where everyone quickly greets me before moving onto the bag Stu has in his hands. 

I laugh at the varied and rushed greetings, “I see you only love me for the goodies I bring.” I grab a coke and fall on the comfortable couch, looking at the coffee table in front of me I see the movie choices we have. “Randy, you couldn't have brought better movies?” I huff and groan. 

“Better movies? Than these? No such thing my friend. Horror movies are the best, and I only bring the best of the best.” Before Randy can get too into his rant about how horror movies are the best thing since sliced bread for the millionth time, Billy sits back down and delivers a swift smack to the back of his head. 

“We get it man, horror is amazing. Honestly though, try different genres. A nice comedy or action movie is cool too.” Billy utters. Sidney backs him up with a shared glance to Tatum, “Can't go wrong with a romance either.” 

See Billy and Sid are soulmates, they found out back in 5th grade when we had a school trip and some girl put gum in Sid’s hair. She had to cut it off to her shoulders and that’s when Billy saw the matching vinyl player mark he had on his waist. Ever since then they have been annoyingly in love. Tatum is searching for her soulmate, but that isn't stopping her from “getting experience for him, I don't want to suck entirely for him.” Her exact words. Of course there's nothing wrong dating outside of your soulmate, I mean how else are you supposed to see a mark? But still it's usually frowned upon. 

Randy is holding out hope that the universe was wrong about Sidney and Billy, but it hasn't happened yet. I'm not sure if Stu has found him yet, he doesn't talk about it a lot, I know he wants to find them some day. 

After some arguing we finally decided on a movie, a classic, Halloween. I make myself as comfortable as possible to watch this movie as Stu settles in next to me. I get part way into the movie when feelings of drowsiness start to make an appearance. Trying to fight it, I rub my eyes. Ultimately I lose the battle and succumb to my sleepy state. Before I fully knock out, I feel my head hit what I thought was the back of the couch. 

-STU’S POV-

They looked absolutely stunning when they came in. Hair windswept and cheeks a little rosey, made me want to kiss all up on their face. When they pushed past me I could smell the alluring scent of their cologne. Cinnamon and vanilla, I could bathe in their presence if they'd let me. Only problem is they don’t want a soulmate, I don’t know whether it’s just a fuck you to the universe or if they genuinely hate that they are stuck with one person meant for them. What sucks more is I know who their soulmate is, me. They thought they could hide my mark with tattoos and layered clothing, but I saw it when we all went swimming up at some beach last summer. Their bathing suit didn't cover it, but it isn't exactly easy to hide a giant dagger stretching up your side over your ribs, one I know matches the one on my thigh. 

I startle slightly when I feel a weight on my shoulder. I look down to see Y/N asleep. Poor thing must have had a rough day working. I readjust them so they're more comfortable. Falling asleep with them. Hoping that one day they will come to accept their soulmate. To accept me.

Thank you for reading! Stay tuned for more.

[crookedkryptonitebeliever]

Best and Worst of Both worlds (part 15)

Tw: just yandere but nothing much in this chapter, mentions of hospitalization

Vote for the chapter beloww im gonna start making the next part when it reaches 20 votes i do not give a shet beyond the first 20 ppl 💯 cause i wanna churn it out as fast as possible

part 16

He knows you're going to say no. That is why, Yves hasn't asked you to move in with him yet. Even if you did say yes, he knows deep down you would do it out of pressure and worse yet, resent him for flaunting his wealth. Yves has to be patient and make you think the relationship is going at your pace.

Your housemates had a field day with your landlord, ordering him around and whining about the condition of the house. He would begrudgingly agree to fix and pay for it, and if he showed the slightest bit of protest, they would yell out of Yves.

He doesn't even need to look in his general direction for your landlord to fold.

You still have no idea what the relationship is between him and Yves. If he was a coworker to him, why would your landlord be so afraid of someone on the same level?

Every time you ask Yves about him and the landlord, he would somehow manage to make you talk about yourself. When you caught your slip up, you would try again, he would smile sweetly and repeat the cycle.

At least you managed to find out that he worked as an attorney at some point in his life. That is most likely how he met your landlord, becoming his public defender or prosecutor when Yves was in his youth... even that wasn't made clear.

In the end, you decided to ask him one straight forward question:

'What are you doing at the University?'

That should be simple enough. You really hope he doesn't bring you on another trip of embarrassing yourself. Yves has that extraordinary talent of doing that.

He propped his head up on his elbow, he chuckled and shifted in his seat.

"Well, what do you think I'm doing at the University?"

You said you don't know. A studying? He's a student there?

"Then, that is what I am."

Is he?

"Perhaps." He crooned.

You pulled on your hair in exasperation. You asked why he won't give you straight answers.

"Can you look at me with a straight face?" Yves leaned forward, letting his luscious locks brush your arm.

You don't want to try, you know you can't. He's just too attractive and eerie at the same time. He laughed, his voice sounding like the loveliest melody to your ears.

"Oh, (name). You're so fun to tease." You whined when he tickled you under your chin.

You pulled away and pretend to drink from your mug to try and hide your embarrassment.

"Your cup has been empty for the last three minutes. What is there to drink, dear?" He stood up, smiling from your poor attempt to conceal your face as he picked up the kettle. "There is no need to hide your adorable face, no matter how flushed." He continued as he refilled his own mug.

You let out a loud 'damn' before pleading him to give you a break from his relentless ribbing. You knew he had a shit-eating grin even though his back is facing towards you.

He turned around, placed his filled cup on the table and took your empty one to refill it. Your teabag bounced around the water, releasing dark pigments and flavours to it.

Well, you know he likes tea. Jasmine and black tea are so far what you thought were his favorites.

When you stretched your arm to grab it, you noticed Yves staring at Montgomery's faded inked phone number with an empty expression. Which was jarring, because it was from a happy one.

You began stuttering and panicking. Yves merely stared you right in the eyes. Eventually, his gaze made you lock up. You don't know where to start. You don't know if you even want to tell Yves what happened at this point. It was a long story and an extremely stressful experience.

"You don't have to tell me what happened." He whispered, placing a hand on the top of your thigh and applying gentle pressure on it. "What can I do for you?"

You thought about it for a while. Then you eventually asked if he could dispose of your old medication for you. Yves looked at you expectedly, waiting for an explanation.

So you provided him with one; you had an allergic reaction that sent you to the hospital.

You began unravelling the details one by one. Being unable to sleep, trying to get some free drinks and snacks at the University, mistakenly bringing his powerbank instead, being kidnapped by Montgomery but he saved your life and paid for your bills, so you didn't rat him out. The 4 sandwiches and 2 hash browns you devoured, the $40 and the bus. And also how Montgomery wrote on your arm.

Yves watched you vent about the events that happened yesterday. He sipped on his tea as he listened, he didn't have to say another word for you to keep going endlessly.

He loves the sound of your voice, and to encourage you to keep going, he would provide subtle cues. Such as leaning towards you, nodding at the right time, maintaining eye contact and blinking appropriately.

With that, you're unstoppable. You kept talking and Yves kept listening. Yapping until the sun goes down and the sky goes dark.

Even by then, your landlord is still here fixing all the broken items he was supposed to take care of earlier.

Yves spared a glance at your landlord trudging up the stairs again after one of your housemates mentioned the flickering lights. A small smirk made its way to his lips, they're having their own fun, giving him and you some privacy in the kitchen.

__

You concluded your long-winded story and immediately after regained sentience. You looked around your surroundings and it's completely different. You're in your room, your lock is fixed, you're already fed and you're now on Yves's lap.

He's sitting crosslegged on the floor and you're sitting on the gap like a chair, his arms are cradling you close to him.

That was... easier than you expected. You got everything out in 5 hours. It's now 9pm.

"Thank you for telling me." Yves mumbled in your hair. You close your eyes and rest the side of your head against his chest. Neither of you had anything else to say, nor did you want Yves to comment on the events that happened.

You don't even know what you want him to do. That's why you're grateful he didn't ask you that question again. You didn't necessarily want Montgomery to face any criminal charges because you would feel guilty if he did.

However, you do wonder what Yves thinks of all of these.

"It was kind of that man to care for you in my absence. I appreciate that of him." As if he were reading your mind, he spoke once more. You nodded in agreement. "However, he is still delusional and demented. I do not know the full extent of his insanity." Yves knows.

"Regardless, I do appreciate the intent we share to ensure your safety and comfort. Even if he does it in an entirely different way than I would have approached it." He went on, holding you a smidge tighter to his body.

"What do you think about him?" He asked, twirling your hair around his fingers. You looked up at his face to see a soft gaze, you knew he wouldn't pass too much judgement on your opinion.

So you thought about your answer. Yves patiently waits for you and added to your growing collection of lipstick prints on your face.

[seneon]

heyy, i dunno if you still take requests but can you make oneshot with rayne x anorexic gn! reader, how he find this and react, also how he helps the reader??

i've been struggling with ed for 2 years and still trying to recover, i guess it's going good :')

btw that's ok if you don't wanna write, i love your works, tysm <33

take it easy ──── ft. rayne ames x anorexic gn! reader.

about. rayne finds out his s/o has anorexia and tries to help them. warning: sensitive topics about ed. | 0.6K words.

notes. hi anon! i hope you're doing well. i'm actually proud at the fact that your ed is going good, keep it up!! if you need any help or just someone to talk to, my dms are always open yayyaya. ily anon tysm for requesting! also, i'm not experienced with writing ed, but i'll try my best (:

honey-coloured eyes watched in observation as e/c ones shifted around in uneasiness. your eyes were looking around the food that was on the table, served fresh and awaiting to be eaten.

what could go wrong with the freshly served food that you yourself ordered?

that was what confused rayne ames, your boyfriend, who's currently on a date with you. he hasn't gotten the time to eat or spend time with you in a while, and this was his only chance for the week. so why was he feeling a sense of uneasiness that was just . . . there the moment he met up with you? why did asking you out for a lunch date felt like it's something difficult for you to say yes to?

rayne ames didn't know the answer to that, but if his lover who looks forward to spending time with rayne at any free moment has difficulties of agreeing, he's going to find out what's wrong.

"y/n, why are you not eating? is the food not to your liking?"

ah, food. a subject that even disgusts you from the very sound of it. something you've been avoiding in a while.

when rayne proposed a lunch date, it had you right in a pinch. it was something you didn't want him to find out in the most ridiculous ways possible. something about even consuming a single piece of solid food gave you a grave fear that it might cause harm on you internally.

the fear of gaining weight and being made fun of society that exceeded the average weigh scares you so much. it scared you to the point where you viewed food as something to not be consumed, but to be portrayed as a primordial fear.

it was difficult for you to even look at rayne when he asked two simple questions. you didn't have an answer for either questions, so your lips remained sealed and your eyes adverted it's gaze to the table where you shut your nose to not inhale anymore of the food's smell.

"have you been having trouble with eating..?" rayne asked silently, barely a whisper but audible to you. his face is a sad one, full of sympathy for the worst outcome to come out your mouth.

but he listened. to your every single word. the difficulties you've been having with the people around you focusing on your image, sheer and utter fear of gaining weight, the times where you throw up each time after trying to consume even the littlest amount of food.

even as you speak about your difficulties, rayne felt his heart broken. he hasn't been there with you all this time when you were going through such a difficult time. he felt like guilty for not being there for you. it was just the weight of guilt that now rests in his very own shoulders.

rayne stood up from his seat and embraced you in a hug, a token of compensation that he wasn't there for you whenever you needed him the most. thus he apologised over and over again, telling you words that means so much to you.

slowly by slowly, as days passed by, rayne skipped out on many of his duties, telling the other divine visionaries to help him for a period of time. in that period, he tries his best to encourage you with little portions of food, telling you to eat and trying his hardest to reassure you affirmative words that was only meant for you.

it took a while to do so, but rayne always told you 'take it easy' and it always manages to make you feel at ease.

with the help of rayne by your side, you felt like you could feel most comfortable and safe as you definitely will take everything easy now.

for if you are going to bear such a heavy burden, rayne will surely do it with you.

together.

[alzirr0]

"Would you still love me if I were a worm?" Part 1

Feat: Spica, and Alpheratz

Genre: Fluff, Humor, Crack

Warnings: Second half has very mild spoilers for floor 2, and the limited beach event.

Navigation: Part 1 | Part 2: Pollux, Sirius

Spica

There's an infinitesimal moment of silence as you wait for his response, his emerald orbs stare back at you. The two of you are leisurely drinking your warm beverages that he prepared on a cold morning when you asked him the question.

"Pray tell," he begins, setting his now empty cup down on the table with such grace befitting someone as elegant as him, before sending you a questioning look. "Why would you be a worm, of all things—"

"It is a hypothetical question," you cut him off.

"Did someone threaten to alter your form—"

"No. No one did," you cut him off again, not wanting him to go off into a tangent about how you must summon him if anyone is bold enough to harm you; he really can be a worrywart at times. This earns you a disapproving look from the sorcerer, though.

"I am just asking purely because of curiosity," you add. That's a lie, you are asking not out of pure curiosity, but because you're bored and what greater way of entertaining yourself than engaging in nonsensical casual conversations with the First Sorcerer of Virgo. But he doesn't need to know that. You offer him a smile, which you hope looks innocent and unassuming enough to be taken as a form of assurance.

"I will try to find a way to turn you back into—"

"No magic allowed!" You interject. "Come on, like I said, it is just a hypothetical question."

"Y/n," Spica utters out, sounding almost exasperated, "I am not liking this new habit you developed where you kept on interrupting what I have to say."

You give him a sheepish smile as you mutter an apology.

He gives you a curt nod in return, before promptly crossing his arms against his chest along with closing his eyes in contemplation. "Mind telling me why you ask me such bizarre question?"

Holding back the urge to groan, you reply, "I already told you, I'm just curious. Just answer with a yes or no, please?"

Spica remains eyeing you for a moment, eyebrows knitted tight enough to form subtle lines on his forehead. He's so confused and the facial expression he has makes him look constipated, you are at the brink of breaking your resolve and to just let your laughter bubble out, but you persevere.

"Well?" You egg him on.

He decides there's no harm in indulging you.

"To answer your question, yes, and I'd still care about you just the same. Though, if I have no way to turn you back into your original form, then it's important for us to find an environment which will be optimal for your new one," he responds, nodding to himself, "I would have to take you to your natural habitat."

"Wow that's a roundabout way of saying you'll get rid of me."

"That is not my intention, y/n . Neither the mansion nor the Contell Academy is the ideal place for a worm to live in. What if you get caught up and trampled on during a dorm war or something even worse? I take it you don't fancy having to live in a jar just to secure your safety, do you?" Spica tries to reason out.

Really, he's not certain why he still hasn't detached himself from this trivial conversation. A change of topic is very much welcome, but seeing how invested you are with this inquiry of yours, he goes against his better judgement.

He sighs before continuing, "The best solution I can see is ensuring you'd reside somewhere more convenient for you. I'd monitor your condition on a regular basis. Under no circumstances would I ever abandon you."

You're not sure what could be worse than getting trampled on by rowdy sorcerers, maybe the idea of living in a jar that had been repurposed into being your new home. Atleast he made it clear that he'll still have your back even if you hypothetically transform into a worm. You stifle a giggle and opt to feign disappointment as you merely look at him, trying to appear sullen.

Spica looks conflicted upon studying your face. "What course of action is acceptable to you, then?" He heaves a sigh of defeat, "You're hard to please."

You crack up laughing, finding this whole ordeal and his exasperation amusing. Once you regain your composure, you finally take pity on the man before you, deciding you've entertained yourself enough. Afterall, you still have more important matters to discuss. Besides, you'll have more chances of bringing up questions like this in the future.

"You know what, let's drop this. So, why did you request for me to meet you?" you say, referring to the message you received on your stella tab earlier.

Spica sighs for the umpteenth time, but this one is of relief. "Yes. I am in need of your help for this particular visit. As a matter of fact..."

He lays out the details of the mission and you dutifully listen. You voice out your queries relevant to the current topic every now and then whenever something seems unclear to you. Spica is more than happy to address your queries, since these kinds of questions are much... easier to make sense of than the one you asked him earlier.

Alpheratz

"You really woke me up for this?"

"You weren't asleep."

"I was just about to be before you smacked me." Alpheratz deadpans, before closing his eyes again. You remain quiet as you let him go back to trying to get a nap.

You don't really want to disturb him, especially since he's the one who graciously invited you to settle on the spot next to him under the tree. You suppose he assumed you're in need of a nap too like himself, but you're not feeling particularly sleepy. Hence, why you tried to start a conversation meant to be humorous for you, but it seems like the man beside you is not up for it, which is understandable given how trifling your question was.

Accepting that you'll have to pass the time on your own, you turn your attention towards the sky. You recall that large mammals, which roam the oceans on Earth or Mid Eartheim as they call it in this world, are instead can be seen roaming the skies of Bound Arlyn. You squint as your eyes strain from the sunlight, scanning the horizons to see if you can catch a whale fleeting by.

"I don't know what you want me to say, but I'll tell you what I'd do instead," Alpheratz suddenly drawls out followed by a deep sigh, eyes slowly fluttering open to find yours.

You're pleasantly surprised, you're no longer really expecting a response from him. There's a triumphant grin on your face as you bask in the fact that despite of his 'i-can't-be-bothered' bravado, you most often than not managed to make him relent to your whims, even ones as nonsensical as this.

You turn the upper half of your body from your sitting position and tilt your head down to face him, still laying on his back on the grass, both of you shielded from the sun under the shade provided by the abundant leaves of the large tree you're resting your back against. You blink at him as you motion for him to continue.

"I'd pick you up," he starts, sounding nonchalant. "Like this," —He then brings his arm forward, reaching out to present his hand to your eye level, making a show of pinching his forefinger and thumb close together until they're almost touching— "and then put you on my shoulder. Carry you around Bound Arlyn with me, like a talisman to ward off troublesome situations and bothersome people."

"First of all, please, that's disgusting. Second, I did not say that I'd be capable of warding off anything!"

"A feature you should consider having if you decide to live in that form." Alpheratz grins, chuckling as you shoot him an indignant look.

Quickly, you change tact. "You still haven't given a direct answer to my question though, a simple yes or no would have sufficed," you point out.

Alpheratz props himself up on his elbows, adjusting his body into an upright position as he throws you a look of disbelief. "I just told you that I'd put you on my shoulder even if you're a... worm, out of my own free will Y/n. What else do you want from me? Profess my undying devotion for you? That'll give the both of us goosebumps."

This elicits a bright laugh from you, something that Alpheratz finds endearing and somehow makes this odd topic more bearable.

"If it's anyone else, I'd use them as fish bait instead," he adds.

"As if," you quip. "The last time you went fishing you didn't even bother to use a bait."

"Nevermind then, I'd just feed them to a bird," he says airily. "But since it's you, I'm doing none of those. I'd be taking care of you instead. If that isn't love then I don't know what is."

"Should I feel honored?" you ask in jest. Alpheratz only casts you a furtive glance as he barks out a laugh with his eyes turning into the shape of crescent moons in reply.

"Now to think of it, wouldn't that be beneficial for the both of us should you really turn into one? I won't have to go to greater lengths in driving the old man away, and preventing you from getting involved even more in our mess," he casually remarks. Humming to himself as his eyes subtly shift to the side, seemingly caught up in his own mind, deliberating about turning the idea into reality.

You gape at him incredulously. "I don't see how that would even be beneficial to me."

"Whaddya mean? You'd be safe. How is that not beneficial to you?"

"I'd be literally a worm?"

"But, an alive and well worm," he counters, "Now, should we really turn you into one? Which do you prefer, flatworm or roundworm? I'll even let you choose what kind you'd like to be."

Your eyes widen at the prospect. You've seen Sirius use transformation magic before, that time when he appeared as Betelgeuse. You're aware that other sorcerers are capable of altering their forms, too. However, in your stay in Neb Aula, not once have you seen anyone use any kind of transformation magic towards someone else, atleast not yet. You wonder if it's really possible, perhaps it is. Knowing Alpheratz' exceptional prowess in spells and magic, you don't want to risk subjecting yourself into the life of being an invertebrate.

"Hey," he breaks the silence, after several seconds of not receiving a response from you.

You whip your head back to his direction, your eyes are met by his lavender ones, with his brows raised and his visage tinged with mirth.

"If you can't already tell, which you obviously can't, I'm just joking," he snorts, "You look like you're ready to bolt."

You really are, to further prove this point, you stand up from your position, opting to escort yourself out from this situation without so much as saying goodbye to your companion. You can hear Alpheratz' jovial laughter as you make your hasty escape.

a/n: Based on those tiktok videos trending back in 2020.

It's been a LONG while since I've written a fanfic. But I was so smitten with ArTw that I can't help myself from contributing something to this community. I've been playing for only 3 weeks as of writing this, so I may not have a firm grasp of each character's personality. I apologize if I haven't managed to portray them very accurately. Regardless, I hope you'll enjoy this piece.

[p-redux]

Inbox Summary 9/29/2023

Hi peeps, so I'm going to try something new. For some of your Asks in my Inbox, instead of answering them individually, I'm going to do a combined summary post of all of them.

I'm doing this because a lot of the questions are about past stuff I've already answered. I don't have time to keep answering the same questions (Search is your friend, my friends), I don't want to take up space on my blog to answer stuff that has already been answered, and the main thing is, I'm TIRED.

I'm in one of my fandom "meh" moods. I get into fandom funks every once in a while, where I'm over it, and don't feel like posting. BUT, I love you guys, and I know the next big scoop is just around the corner. Every time, I say to myself, I'm just going to fandom retire, Cait gets engaged, Sam is seen with a new woman, Cait gets married, Sam is seen with a new woman, I get the scoop AHEAD of time that Cait is pregnant (remember when I posted MONTHS before that someone from Outlander was pregnant? and 'lo and behold, that August, Cait announced she'd had her son), Sam is seen with a new woman, Cait has her baby, etc, etc. So, I don't give up...because I know there's more stuff coming, and also, like I said, I really enjoy my Team here.

So, what I'm going to do is either on Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays, depending on how busy I am, I'm going to do a weekly summary of answers to some of my Inbox questions. They will be short answers. And for further details, you guys can just Search my blog or Search Google.

I'll still answer some questions individually, but it will depend on the subject, and how busy I am in RL. Please keep sending me questions and DM's. I'll answer them. Some won't be answered as in depth as others, that's all.

So, here we go for this week's round up...in no particular order:

Susie Evans is in Austin with friends.

_

Sam is still in the UK. Cait is in Paris.

_

Sam is expected in New York next week, for the Keepers of the Quaich event ON Cait's birthday, October 4. For those gnashing "why do you think Cait wouldn't go to New York to spend her birthday with Sam?! She could?! They're friends?!" Um, yes, they're friends...but REALITY CHECK: Cait is married to Tony McGill and has a toddler son with him. Logic dictates that Cait and family aren't going to schlep from Europe to New York to be with Sam, who is simply her friend and costar, and NOTHING MORE. Cait will spend her birthday with her husband and son, and she has a TON of friends, she's not going to fly to NY expressly for Sam. Plus, he's BUSY on her birthday, remember? He's going to be at that Keepers of the Quaich event.

_

No, Sam and Sophie Skelton never dated. Sam never posts who he dates (except when he went Instagram official with Mackenzie Mauzy, but that was after 2 years of a committed relationship), and he posted pics with Sophie on a motorcycle at his Glasgow home. If they were secretly dating, he would have been much more secretive about it. I mean, I hope Sam is into some kink, but da/daughter ain't one of them. Who's your daddy? hahaha.

_

By now, we all know Sam's ex, Abbie Salt is fighting some type of cancer. Yes, she hasn't posted in a while. I'm worried about her too. But her sister, Charlotte Salt, has posted, and she posts on her professional design IG accounts as well. If Abbie had taken a turn for the worse, I don't think her sister would be posting. I hope Abbie makes a full recovery, wish her all the best.

_

Yes, I know, Sam's ex, Anna Modler is pregnant and having a baby girl.

_

Thanks for letting me know that two other of Sam's exes, Hannah James and Mackenzie Mauzy recently started following birthing, doula, and parenting accounts on IG. Looks like their next adventure is motherhood. Also wish them all the best.

_

The podcast with that IG influencer that was supposedly going to have some Sam content, as far as I know, there hasn't been any Sam mention. So, that was all smoke and mirrors, trying to get some free advertisement. Nothing to see there.

_

The two blonde, blue-eyed Scottish IG influencers supposedly being linked with Sam. I see no evidence of that. Again, seems to be just smoke and mirrors, and names dropped in my Inbox to see if I would post them or not. Nothing to see there.

_

Asking for a cheat sheet of the women Sam has dated and what do certain initials mean. I've done plenty of posts summarizing the women Sam has dated. Please Search my blog or Search Google. As for initials, I don't use initials, I post full names. So, if you see a woman's initials, match them to the full names I've posted.

_

Cait's dad's funeral. And do I have questions about Sam being there? Um, that's all Extreme Shipper bullshit, lies, spin, deception, and now they've sold it as shipper canon. NO, I don't have any questions because WHO was at Cait's father's funeral is VERY clear. Again, Search what I've posted. There are pic, video of Cait sitting next to her mother, and the "Sam is sitting next to Cait but he's wearing a wig" is her brother. NOT Sam. Tony is sitting in the rows behind, holding baby BalfeMcGill, as are other spouses. NO ONE from Outlander went to Cait's dad's funeral. Please THINK. Cait has a big family and she has a TON of friends, some she has known for YEARS. If anyone was going to go all the way to Ireland for her father's funeral, it would be her immediate and LARGE extended family, all the family's friends in Ireland, and then Cait's close friends. Sam and Outlander people aren't even in the first few rungs of WHO would get invited to the funeral. And yes, that includes, Sam Heughan. Besides, Sam was in Las Vegas during the funeral, and there are lots of posts showing that.

_

I know the TRUTH about Cait and Sam never dating, and Cait being with Tony since 2014. I know this thru verifiable and identifiable sources who directly and personally know Cait, Sam, and Tony. So, there are NO questions for me, because I've known the TRUTH for 9 years. It's that simple.

_

As, for my little frothy pet troll who sends me weekly rants about Sam. You can keep going, but all I do is laugh and laugh at how pathetic you are. What you write doesn't upset me because I'm not personally invested in Sam. I'm really not. I post about him because I get info about him, and people are interested in it. But I don't care one way or the other. My IP tracker tells me where the basement is from where you gnash and froth so desperately. So, go ahead, make my day, but I'm NEVER going to post what you send me. You'll never get that satisfaction. Never. Try me.

Okay, peeps, that's it for the summary. I may do more on Sunday. And like I said, I'll still answer individual questions, depending on what they are. If you ever want to know something from the past, please just Search my blog. If you can't find it there, then go to Google and Search p-redux and names or words you're looking for, and all my past posts will pop up.

Thanks for reading!

[strawberrystepmom]

tfw you accidentally unfollow and instantly have to refollow because you thought that button was the ask box button, ignore me being a failure this early in the morning dfjngdfjgn but i crave an in-depth description of your relation and interactions with charlotte in the yamiken universe

listen...it happens to the best of us. frankly, tumblr shouldn't put the buttons that close together but what do i know i'm just some bitch ajflasjdfasjdf but thank you for asking and tbh thank you so much for being so supportive and your tags and everything that u are just as a whole. highkey obsessed.

so...charlotte and i are not friends but we come to some kind of mutual understanding. she's actually part of a social club that i am the head of where basically women in the kingdom gather at a tea parlor one friday evening a month to play cards or dice or whatever but it's basically just a networking event. gossiping event. whatever you wanna call it. i inherited the duties as leader from their previous holder and the club is thriving.

when she starts hearing about yami and i she doesn't believe it. when i finally admit that he and i are together she doesn't WANT to believe it but knows that if i'm saying it, it has to be true. i'm not totally uncouth and i'm semi-aware of her feelings considering herself and a couple members of her squad are part of the social group so i decided to ask her to stay after with me one evening so that we can talk.

i basically tell her that while i respect her and her feelings, i'm not going to hide my own to make her feel comfortable and i understand if she wants to leave the group because of it. she asks me if i'm certain i love yami and i tell her that yes, i'm very certain and that he's the only man i could ever see myself loving and she tells me she feels the same. this kind of agitates me though and i ask her why she hasn't shown her affections for him up until this point because she feels threatened and she agrees with me that she shouldn't have waited.

i also ask her if she's certain she loves him and not simply the idea of him as a savior because we are all aware of him saving her from the curse. this catches her off guard and i tell her she doesn't have to answer me now but i'd like her to think about it. we end the conversation there that night because i have to meet with yami anyway.

she continues to come to the monthly even after this conversation and any supplemental ones if we have them, she is polite but cold which i expected but it's fine. at some point she decides she's going to continue to try and win him which is also fine, she's allowed to do that.

she tells me that she still isn't sure how to answer my question and i tell her i understand but i'm sticking by what i said - my feelings are real, i love him. she admits her feelings to him, he lets her down gently after the final battle and tells her that he feels maybe she sees him for something he can't be all the time.

she comes back to me and asks me how i see him. i tell her the truth - i see him as the most wonderful man i've ever met and i'm prepared to defend him from society if i must. she accepts tells me that she's happy he's found someone who can do that for him. i apologize to her and she tells me no hard feelings.

we don't hate each other or anything but we keep our distance lol

[ineffably-human]

it's how definitive it is for me. it's how we've actually ficced and debated this for years and they wrote it so crudely and unimportant, in a way that they can't really revisit later. no chance of more thoughtful or better storytelling next year, about one of your show's central goddamn questions.

this is our arguable main character, he is our entry point into everything else. and as that entry point, Guillermo's story is about dedicating his entire life to something, finding meaning in it since he was young, finding and latching onto it when he's not even supposed to know it exists. clawing his way forward for a place at the table where he's decided he wants to sit. risking his life at least a half dozen times I can think of.

Guillermo's story is about damaging his relationship with the entire rest of the world, throwing himself in with people who take years to admit they even like him. rejecting his family and his innate nature and lineage. tying his most important relationship up in it: this is the person who'll give him the thing he wants most in the world. one day Nandor will look him in the eye as an equal, as someone Like Him, who can stand next to him forever. his relationship with Nandor, at every stage, has always been a combination of 'do I want you or do I want to be you? does claiming me as one of yours mean I am yours? am I allowed to have forever with you?'

Guillermo's story, this season, is reacting to every single stage and marker of finally getting what he wants with joy, with the exceptions of 1) stepping away from a family that never seemed to understand or fulfill him in the first place, 2) having it happen in a less than ideal place and way, hurting Nandor in the process. the central problem of his turning isn't his feelings, which are extremely clear, it's how this impacts his relationship with Nandor. (answer: exactly the way you think it will. he's upset and then he gets over it. nothing else changes.)

and then suddenly we're told: Guillermo can't be trusted about what he's consistently said he wants. he hasn't given thought to a regular, inextricable piece of what it means - even though he's been next to, and engaged in, violence that's way more direct and bloody and sometimes even more senseless. the guy whose vampire entry point was Anne Rice never thought about The Horrors for some reason, because he's an idiot now. some people can Handle It and some people Can't, and he Can't because by the way when the vampires said he couldn't get what he wanted because he was lacking in some way, they were right.

suddenly, in the eleventh hour, it's off the table now. and even though every single other part of him has been tied up in it for his entire adult life, that's somehow a simple decision to make.

and more importantly, the show is going to take maybe five minutes at best to tell us that, and to make it clear it's not something that's a 'maybe' or a 'someday'. character development can't smooth it out. he can't try to fix it. it's just how it is.

yeah, of course in life you prepare for things that then swerve unexpectedly and take you in different directions. there are things you dream of that aren't how you imagine in reality, and you change gears, and you adapt.

and those are huge moments. they matter.

Guillermo doesn't get to mourn it. he doesn't get to reflect on where it places him with his loved ones. he doesn't even really get space to decide it on his own before declaring it in front of everyone he's ever met.

he has no anchor for his entire place in the world anymore, and if the amount of attention and care paid (read: very little) means anything, we're not supposed to feel very much about that at all. and we're not meant to have any indication of where he's going next. and I fucking hate it.

it's a lazy, thoughtless, botched-ass job, and I expected better.