#I just have to fix his posture and then we’re good to go

[reidmarieprentiss]

Good Boy

Summary: Based on this post from @reidsdimples ! Spencer is being a brat, you put him in his place.

Pairing: sub!Spencer Reid x Unit Chief fem!reader

Category: smut (18+)

Warnings/Includes: smut (18+) additional warnings under the cut, bratty Spencer, boss/subordinate relationship, mommy kink

Word count: 5.6k

a/n: for you @lovingreaderfangirl <333 this is basically pure smut ,, don't like it don't read it

main masterlist

Additional warnings: sub!spencer, dom!reader, mommy!kink, handjob, edging (male receiving), overstimulation, unprotected PinV (wrap it before you tap it), oral (fem receiving), choking, slapping, slight nursing

You were the unit chief, and while your relationship with your boyfriend, Spencer, usually stayed out of your work life, today was different. Spencer had made a mistake, and to make things worse, he was acting out—whether it was from embarrassment or just a bad attitude, you weren’t sure, but you weren’t going to tolerate it.

"You will go back to that house and do another sweep," you said firmly, not looking up from the open case file on your desk.

Spencer scoffed, crossing his arms in defiance. "That's ridiculous, Y/N! Morgan’s already there," he snapped, his voice sharp.

Your head shot up at his words, your eyes narrowing in disbelief. "Ridiculous?" you repeated, incredulous. "No, Spencer. What's ridiculous is you missing a massive piece of evidence and then standing here arguing with me about it." Your tone dropped, icy and stern. "You will go back to that house and search it from top to bottom. I don’t care if it takes all night. Am I making myself clear?"

Spencer’s eyes flared with frustration, and he bit back, “So, what, you’re punishing me now?”

The edge in his voice wasn’t something you were used to hearing from your usually sweet, thoughtful Spencer. You stood up, moving around your desk with deliberate steps until you were standing close enough to feel the tension between you.

"Are you talking back to me?" you asked, your voice dangerously low, your authority unmistakable. 

Spencer swallowed, a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes as he realized how serious you were. He wasn’t used to seeing you like this—so angry, so venomous—but even though he was nervous, his stubbornness kept him from backing down just yet. 

Spencer straightened his posture, though his nerves betrayed him, making his hands fidget at his sides. He'd never seen you this mad before—at least, not directed at him—and he wasn’t sure how to handle it. But he felt too deep in this argument to backpedal now.

"I’m not talking back to you," Spencer muttered, though his tone remained defiant. "I’m just saying Morgan’s already there. There’s no reason for me to go too. We’re wasting time!" His voice escalated again, but it wavered slightly, showing the anxiety bubbling under his frustration.

You were having none of it.

“Wasting time? Is that what you think we’re doing here?” you snapped, each word clipped and precise, your gaze locked onto him with an intensity that made him shift uncomfortably. You were so close now that Spencer could see the tension in your jaw, feel the weight of your authority in the room. You weren’t his girlfriend in this moment—you were his boss, and you were demanding respect.

“Spencer,” your voice dropped, quieter but no less dangerous, “I don’t care how you feel about going back to that house. You missed something crucial, and you need to fix it. You messed up, and you know it. So stop acting like a petulant child and do your damn job.”

The words stung, more than he wanted to admit. His shoulders tensed, and he clenched his fists by his sides, but he couldn’t find the right words to argue back. He was embarrassed—not just because of his mistake, but because he knew you were right. But his pride was wounded, and that was hard to swallow.

"I... I just—" he started, but you cut him off sharply.

“No more excuses, Spencer. You will go to that house, and you will make sure every inch of it has been checked. And if I hear another word of backtalk from you, you’ll be off this case completely. Is that understood?"

Spencer’s breath hitched, his defiance slipping further away with each word you threw at him. He could feel the weight of the situation bearing down on him, and for the first time, he realized just how much he had crossed a line. But he was still too stubborn to admit it.

“Yes, Ma’am,” he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper, the edge of sarcasm still lingering, but now laced with a thread of defeat.

You stepped even closer, eyes narrowing as you stared him down. "What was that?"

Spencer swallowed hard, realizing he wasn’t in a position to push any further. “I understand,” he said more clearly, his tone softening. He wanted to reach for you, to find some semblance of the warmth he was used to from you, but he knew better. Right now, you weren’t his to reach for.

Without another word, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the office, leaving behind the tension that lingered like a storm cloud. You stood there for a moment, watching the door swing shut, anger still simmering beneath your skin, but also a twinge of sadness. Spencer had never acted out like that before, and though you knew you had to be stern, it hurt to see him so distant and defiant.

But this was work. Personal feelings would have to wait.

—

However, there was a time and place for personal feelings to come to the surface, and that time was now—in the privacy of your shared apartment with Spencer.

You had gotten home first. Spencer was still out, likely combing through the crime scene after you’d sent him back to fix his earlier mistake. Frustrated by the lingering tension between you two, you huffed your way through your evening routine. You made dinner, though you knew Spencer would probably be too upset to eat when he got home. He could have the leftovers later. After that, you showered and curled up in bed with a book, waiting for him to return.

When Spencer finally came home, his anger was palpable. He slammed the front door behind him, muttering under his breath as he left a trail of clothes through the hallway on his way to the shower. The bathroom door slammed shut as well, echoing through the apartment. You sighed and rolled your eyes—if Spencer thought his attitude would go unaddressed, he was mistaken. He was in for a real punishment tonight.

After what felt like forever, Spencer emerged from the bathroom, his hair damp and towel wrapped loosely around his waist. At least he had the sense to show a hint of submission, you thought.

Without looking up from your book, your voice calm and controlled, you gave your command. "Kneel."

Spencer froze, taken aback by the sudden authority in your tone. He turned his head, his confusion evident. "What?"

You set your book down slowly and fixed him with a steady gaze. "Did you not hear me? Or are you talking back again?" There was a warning in your voice, a promise that you weren’t playing games tonight. "I really don’t want to make your punishment worse, baby."

Spencer hesitated for a brief moment, the weight of the situation settling in, knowing you were in complete control now. He lowered his gaze, the tension between you thick, as he finally obeyed, dropping to his knees.

You stood up from the bed, your movements deliberate as you slowly circled around Spencer, letting your eyes roam over him with a quiet intensity. The soft sound of your bare feet against the floor was the only thing breaking the silence as you took in his posture—tense, but submissive, waiting for what was coming next. 

When you stopped in front of him, you reached down and tilted his chin up with a single finger, forcing him to meet your gaze. His eyes were defiant, even now. You smiled, but it didn’t reach your eyes.

"You know you’re in trouble, right, baby?" you asked, your voice sweet but laced with warning.

Spencer didn’t respond right away; instead, he narrowed his eyes at you, his lips pressed into a thin line, as if testing how far he could push. Without hesitation, you slapped his face lightly, the quick sting enough to make him let out a soft whimper. His eyes widened in surprise, but he still held his ground.

Roughly, you grabbed his cheeks in one hand, squeezing his face so he had no choice but to focus on you. "I asked you a question, brat."

“Yes, Mommy," he mumbled, his voice small and obedient now, the fight in him fading. "I know I’m in trouble."

"Hmm, good," you said, releasing his face with a satisfied hum. You began pacing around him again, like a predator stalking its prey, before stopping just behind him, leaning close enough that your breath tickled his ear. "And why are you in trouble, smart boy?"

Spencer swallowed hard, his throat bobbing. "Because I argued with you. I was disrespectful. I–I acted like a brat."

A smirk tugged at the corner of your lips. "That’s right." You stood up straight again, looking down at him. "And now, you're going to make it up to me, aren’t you?"

Spencer nodded, his face falling into a sad expression, clearly regretting how he had acted earlier. He was always your good boy, and he knew that punishment was rare because he hardly ever misbehaved. The realization of how far he'd pushed you today weighed on him, leaving him feeling small and upset.

"Why are you pouting, baby?" you asked, your tone softening just a touch as you stood in front of him, looking down at his bowed head.

Spencer shrugged, his eyes fixed on the floor, unable to meet your gaze. He shifted uncomfortably, his hands fidgeting slightly in his lap, but still, he said nothing.

"Words, Spencer," you reminded him firmly. "Speak up."

He hesitated for a moment before finally looking up at you, his eyes filled with guilt. "I hate that I disappointed you," he admitted, his voice barely a whisper. "I don’t like being punished… you never have to do this. I’m supposed to be your good boy."

You felt a flicker of sympathy for him, knowing how much he valued pleasing you, but you held firm. "Yes, you are supposed to be my good boy," you agreed, leaning down slightly so that your eyes were level with his. "But today, you weren’t. Today, you acted like a bad boy, and now, you have to accept the consequences."

Spencer bit his lip, nodding again, the weight of his actions settling in further. "I know… I’m sorry."

You placed a gentle hand on his cheek, stroking it softly for just a moment before pulling back. "Thank you for apologizing. But you still need to learn."

“Stand up. Don’t keep the towel,” you ordered, your voice cold and almost bored, leaving no room for hesitation. Spencer flinched at the command, the sharp tone slicing through the air as he scrambled to comply. The towel slipped from his body, falling to the floor as he stood there, bare and vulnerable.

“Get on the bed,” you continued, moving with a quiet precision as you retrieved something from the dresser, your back turned to him. “Hands above your head.”

Spencer couldn’t see what you were holding, and that only added to his nervousness. He climbed onto the bed, his heart racing, and stretched his arms above his head, just as you instructed. 

When you finally turned back toward him, he caught sight of the ties and lube in your hands, and his body reacted instantly—a slight twitch of excitement mixed with fear. His breath quickened, but his eyes never left yours. He hated the feeling of being restrained, of not being able to touch you, to feel you close. But there was something intoxicating about the power dynamic, about giving himself over to you completely.

You approached him slowly, deliberately, the ties dangling from your fingers like a silent promise of what was to come. Without saying a word, you moved to the head of the bed, taking his wrists gently but firmly and securing them to the bedposts. Spencer’s chest rose and fell rapidly as the ties tightened around his wrists, his muscles straining, already longing to break free.

His eyes searched yours, desperate for any hint of softness, but he found none. You were in control, and he knew it.

"Mommy," Spencer whimpered softly, his voice barely above a whisper, full of need and desperation.

You glanced down at him, your gaze calm and measured. "Yes, baby?"

His eyes flickered with longing as he whined, "I want to touch you."

A sigh escaped your lips, and you leaned down slightly, your fingers brushing lightly along his arm, teasing but not giving him what he wanted. "I want that too, my love," you murmured, your voice laced with a touch of sympathy, though your expression remained stern. "But I can't give you a reward quite yet."

"Yet?" Spencer perked up, excitement sparking in his eyes, the word like a glimmer of hope he clung to.

You smirked at his eagerness, trailing your hand down his chest in a feather-light touch, just enough to make him squirm. "Yet," you confirmed. "But you'll have to earn it, baby. That means no whining, no more attitude. Understand?"

Spencer nodded eagerly, his eyes wide with anticipation, but you could see the struggle in him—how hard it was for him to hold back, to stay restrained when all he wanted was to feel you. "I’ll be good," he promised, his voice shaky. "Please, I’ll be good."

You smiled, your fingers trailing lower. "We'll see, baby. We'll see."

Spencer squirmed involuntarily as your fingers teased his stomach, his muscles tensing beneath your touch. "Keep still, Spence," you instructed, your voice firm but calm, watching as he took deep, shaky breaths in an attempt to regain control over his body.

His wide eyes followed your every move as you reached for the bottle of lube on the bedside table, and he watched, anticipation building, as you squirted some of its contents into your hand. The cool sensation made his breath hitch the moment your hand wrapped around him, his back arching off the bed instinctively.

Without missing a beat, you placed your other hand on his hips, pressing him back down into the mattress. "Spencer, be good," you warned, your tone leaving no room for disobedience.

His body trembled, caught between the overwhelming sensation and the need to obey you. "I’m trying," he whispered, his voice strained as he fought to stay still, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the ties. His chest heaved, desperate to be good for you, but the pleasure was intoxicating, testing his restraint.

You smirked, knowing exactly how far you could push him. "Good boy," you murmured, your hand moving slowly, deliberately, keeping his hips pinned down as he tried not to writhe beneath you, every muscle in his body begging for release, but you weren’t done with him yet. Not even close.

After almost an hour of torture, Spencer was doing everything in his power to follow your rules, his body taut with tension as he tried to stay still beneath your touch. His breath came in ragged gasps, his wrists pulling at the ties as he strained not to buck his hips against you. But you were making it so hard for him—each time your hand changed pace, it sent him spiraling, his mind spinning out of control. You could feel his body tightening, every muscle coiling as he teetered on the edge.

And just when you knew he was close, so close, you let go.

A desperate sound tore from his throat, half whine, half groan, as you pulled your hand away, denying him the release he so desperately craved. His eyes were wide, his chest heaving as he looked up at you, practically begging for mercy.

"Please," he whimpered, his voice cracking under the weight of his desperation. "Please, I want—"

You shushed him gently, running your hand down his chest in a soothing gesture. "Spencer," you said softly but firmly, your eyes locking onto his. "What did I say about being good?"

"I-I’m trying," he gasped, his voice shaky as he fought to hold on. "I’m really trying."

You could see him unraveling, his mind quickly losing grip on any sense of control. And that was exactly where you wanted him.

"Then keep trying, baby," you whispered, leaning down to press a soft kiss to his chest. "You’ll get what you want when I’m ready to give it to you. Not a moment before."

You sped your hand up, focusing all your attention on the sensitive tip, moving with quick, intense strokes. Spencer's body reacted immediately, his back arching violently off the bed as a scream tore from his chest.

"Mommy! Please!" His voice cracked, high and desperate, tears beginning to stream from his eyes as he lost all composure. "I’m going to come!"

But instead of granting him mercy, you snapped sharply, "No!" The command echoed in the room, and Spencer flinched at your tone. "If you come," you warned, your eyes dark and unwavering, "I’m not stopping."

His breath hitched, and his sobs grew more frantic. He fought to control himself, but the sensation was overwhelming, his mind teetering on the brink of bliss and despair. The threat of what would come if he disobeyed hung heavy in the air, fueling his panic as he tried, with every ounce of strength, to hold back the release his body so desperately craved.

"Please," Spencer sobbed, his tears mixing with the sweat on his face as his entire body trembled beneath your relentless touch. "I-I can’t… I can’t hold on…"

"Yes, you can," you whispered, your voice soft but commanding as you leaned closer. "You will, or you’ll regret it, baby. Be good for me."

He choked out a whimper, his muscles straining, teetering on the edge of breaking as your hand continued its torturous rhythm, and every nerve in his body screamed for release. But you were in control, and Spencer knew there would be no relief until you decided. 

You pressed your palm firmly against the sensitive tip, rubbing harsh circles that sent shockwaves through Spencer’s body. He couldn't hold it any longer—a guttural scream tore from his throat as his orgasm ripped through him, his release spilling across his stomach in hot, frantic bursts.

But there was no mercy in your eyes as you watched him unravel beneath you.

"Oh… bad boy, baby," you tutted softly, your voice laced with both disappointment and a dark edge of amusement. Without missing a beat, you gripped him tightly, continuing your mean, relentless rhythm even as his body spasmed from the intensity.

Spencer writhed beneath you, his sobs louder now as the overstimulation set in, his body too sensitive to handle the unyielding pace of your hand. "Please, please!" he begged, his voice hoarse, his tears mixing with the sweat on his face. "I-I can’t—please stop, I’m sorry!"

But you only leaned in closer, your hand maintaining its punishing rhythm. "I told you, baby," you whispered, your breath hot against his ear, "if you came, I wouldn’t stop. And bad boys don’t get to decide when it’s over."

Spencer whimpered helplessly, his entire body shaking as he endured the overwhelming sensations, unable to escape the torment of your touch. The line between pleasure and pain had long since blurred, leaving him at your mercy. And you weren't done with him yet. 

You suddenly let go of Spencer, pulling your hand away from him. For a brief moment, he thought the torture had finally ended, and he took deep, strained breaths, his chest heaving as tears continued to spill from his eyes. 

"Thank you, Mommy," he whispered, his voice barely audible as he sighed in relief, closing his eyes as if he could finally rest.

But just as he began to relax, his eyes shot open, wide with shock, as he felt you sinking down on top of him, your body enveloping him in an overwhelming rush of sensation. The overstimulation hit him like a bolt of electricity, and his body reacted instantly, thrashing beneath you in a desperate attempt to escape the intensity.

"Mommy!" he cried out, his voice ragged and broken as his body twisted under yours. His muscles tensed, his movements frantic, but there was no escape.

"Shut up," you seethed, your voice low and dangerous as you wrapped your hand around his throat, tightening your grip just enough to still him. His breath hitched, and his panicked eyes met yours. "I’m in charge," you reminded him, the weight of your authority pressing down on him as surely as your body did.

Spencer whimpered beneath your grip, his mind a haze of overstimulation and helplessness, but he knew better than to argue with you. His resistance faded as he realized you weren’t done with him yet—not until you decided.

"Tell me, baby," you panted, your body moving rhythmically as you rode Spencer, chasing your own release with relentless intensity. Every roll of your hips drove him deeper into overstimulation, but you were in control, and you weren’t letting up. "How does it feel?"

Spencer sniffled, his voice shaky and tear-filled. "S-so good, Mommy," he stammered, struggling to hold himself together as his body continued to tremble beneath you.

You laughed, the sound sharp and mean as you continued, "Thought you couldn’t take it." There was a mocking edge to your voice as you rode him harder, the sensation overwhelming his senses. "Were you lying?"

"No!" Spencer cried, his voice breaking as he clung to the edge of his composure. "It—it hurts, Mommy, but I like it!"

"Yes, yes, you do," you taunted, your tone dripping with satisfaction as you gazed down at him, your pathetic, brainless boy. "You like it when Mommy uses you, don’t you?"

"Yes!" he nearly screamed, his body shaking uncontrollably, caught between pain and pleasure. "Please! Just want to be good for you," he sobbed, his desperation palpable as he surrendered completely to your control.

You leaned forward, your lips brushing against his ear as you whispered, "Then be good, baby, and take everything I give you." Your body continued to grind down on him, mercilessly chasing your own release, pushing him further past the point of no return.

By the time you reached your release, Spencer was a wreck beneath you, his body trembling as sobs wracked his chest. He cried out in desperation as your muscles tightened around him, sending him further into an abyss of overstimulation. Each second felt like an eternity for him, trapped between the aching pleasure and the need to obey you.

Just when he thought relief was finally coming, you lifted yourself off of him, hovering just above him, denying him that final push he needed. Spencer’s whine was pitiful, filled with frustration and longing. "Mommy! Please!" he whimpered, his voice cracking as tears continued to stream down his face.

"Please what?" you asked, your tone deliberately condescending as you leaned back, watching him squirm beneath you. "Use your words, dumb baby."

Spencer swallowed hard, his body twitching with anticipation, his mind too clouded to do anything but beg. "Please let me come," he sobbed, his voice raw and desperate. "Please, Mommy."

You smirked, your eyes dark with amusement as you leaned forward just enough to tease him with the possibility of what he wanted. "Hmm… okay, baby," you said, your voice dripping with false sweetness. "But you’re cleaning it up after."

Spencer twitched at your words, his entire body lighting up with excitement at the promise. The thought of finally getting the release he so desperately needed was enough to make him shiver. "Yes, Mommy," he gasped, nodding eagerly as his breath hitched in anticipation, his mind already surrendering completely to your control.

You lowered yourself back down onto Spencer, and his loud, desperate moan filled the room as he watched you take him in again, the sight alone enough to push him closer to the edge. His body was trembling, every nerve on fire as you rode him hard and fast, the intensity of your movements leaving him powerless to do anything but submit. 

His hands tugged against the restraints, his eyes squeezed shut, and with a strangled cry, he found his release, his body jerking as he filled you up. The sensation of you pinching and tugging at his nipples sent him over the edge, his cries growing louder as his body finally gave in completely.

You slowed your pace, riding out the last of his climax, before finally relaxing on top of him, your breath steadying. Spencer lay beneath you, panting and exhausted, his chest heaving as he came down from the overwhelming high.

With a soft sigh, you pulled off him, moving up his body with a deliberate slowness, positioning yourself directly over his face. You looked down at him, your fingers gently brushing through his hair as you smiled wickedly. "Ready to clean up your mess, baby?"

Spencer’s eyes widened, his mouth already watering at the thought, and he nodded eagerly, his voice breathless and submissive. "Yes, Mommy, please," he whispered, his eyes full of adoration as he awaited your command, ready to obey, to please, and to make up for every bit of his earlier defiance.

You lowered yourself onto Spencer's waiting mouth, threading your fingers through his hair as you settled into a steady rhythm, guiding his movements with gentle yet firm pressure. His tongue worked eagerly, desperate to please you, to clean up every bit of the mess he'd made.

“Oh, Spence,” you sighed, your head falling back slightly as you rode his face, each stroke of his tongue sending waves of pleasure through your body. "Your mouth is so good, baby."

Spencer whimpered in response, his efforts growing more determined with every sound of approval that escaped your lips. You could feel the way he was trying so hard to be good for you, to make you proud, and it only fueled your desire to push him further.

"Making Mommy so proud," you praised, your voice laced with satisfaction as you tugged gently at his hair, controlling his pace. His tongue flicked faster, more desperate to hear those words again, and you couldn't help the soft moans escaping you as you continued to ride his face, letting the sensation build.

With each passing second, Spencer's mouth worked harder, your praise driving him to do anything for you. His whimpers were muffled by your body, but the eagerness in his touch and the way he responded to your every command made it clear—he was willing to do anything to make you proud.

You continued to ride Spencer’s face, your fingers tightening in his hair as you guided him, making sure he stayed exactly where you needed him. His tongue flicked and swirled in all the right places, and the sounds of your pleasure spurred him on, his hands instinctively tugging against the restraints as he longed to touch you, to feel your body against his.

"That’s it, baby," you breathed, your voice a mix of praise and moans as you pressed down harder, your body shivering from the sensations he was creating. "You’re making Mommy feel so good."

Spencer whimpered beneath you, the vibrations of his muffled cries only adding to your pleasure as you ground down onto him, riding his mouth with a newfound urgency. Your hips moved faster, chasing the climax that was building inside you, each stroke of his tongue sending you closer to the edge.

"You like this, don’t you?" you asked, your voice breathless but firm. "You like being my toy, Spence?"

His desperate whimpers were the only answer you needed. You tugged harder at his hair, pulling his face closer, your pace quickening as the pleasure began to overwhelm you. Spencer’s tongue moved in perfect rhythm with your hips, eager to push you to your peak.

As the tension built, you gasped, your body trembling as you felt yourself nearing the brink. "I’m so proud of you, baby," you whispered, your voice strained as you rode out the waves of pleasure. "So proud…"

With a final, desperate grind against his mouth, the climax washed over you, your body convulsing as you cried out, the release crashing through you in waves. Spencer didn't stop, his tongue continuing to work, not wanting you to take away his favorite treat. 

His mouth and tongue continued their relentless work, his eagerness only spurring you on as your cries grew louder. "Oh! Good boy!" you gasped, the praise slipping from your lips as your hips thrust faster against his mouth, riding the wave of pleasure that was building once again.

"You like tasting yourself?" you panted, your breath coming in short, sharp bursts as your body moved with a desperate rhythm. Spencer moaned beneath you, his muffled response sending vibrations through your core, and it only drove you to push harder against him.

"Like it coming out of me?" you taunted, your voice strained and full of need as you felt his tongue lapping eagerly at the mess you had made together. The idea of him cleaning up his own release, desperate to please you, sent shivers down your spine, adding to the already overwhelming sensation.

Spencer whimpered beneath you, his body reacting to your words even as he remained restrained, helpless to do anything but obey. The combination of your command, the praise, and the undeniable power you held over him had him lost in submission, and you could feel the tension building in both of you again.

"Such a good boy," you praised, your voice trembling with the intensity of your pleasure. "So good at doing exactly what Mommy needs." You rode him harder, your body nearing its limit once more as Spencer's tongue worked tirelessly beneath you.

The room was filled with the sounds of your panting breaths, your moans mixing with Spencer's muffled noises as he continued to drive you closer to the edge. Your body trembled uncontrollably, your hips grinding down faster, chasing that final release.

With a breathless cry, your third climax crashed through you, your entire body quivering as Spencer’s tongue carried you over the edge once again. You moaned his name, gripping his hair tightly as you rode out the waves of pleasure, not slowing until every last bit of satisfaction had pulsed through you.

You pulled yourself off of Spencer, and immediately he let out a whine, his lips pouting in protest, not wanting you to take his favorite treat away, he could eat you out for hours. His neediness tugged at your heart, and you couldn’t help but smile as you gently stroked his hair.

"Baby, Mommy is sensitive," you said softly, your voice filled with affection. 

Spencer pouted even more, his eyes big and round as he mumbled, "I just wanna make you feel good."

"You did make me feel so good, baby," you reassured him, your smile widening as you saw his face light up, the joy radiating from his eyes.

"Am I your good boy again?" he asked, his voice tinged with hope and a bit of that endearing vulnerability that always made you melt.

Your heart softened instantly, and you leaned down, cupping his face in your hands as you pressed a tender kiss to his lips. "You’re always my good boy," you whispered against his mouth. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Mommy," he murmured, his voice thick with emotion, eyes full of adoration.

After you untied him, you took your time massaging his arms and wrists, soothing the slight redness left behind by the ties. You helped him into the shower with you, gently guiding him as he leaned heavily against you, still needing your care. The warm water cascaded over both of you as you softly washed his body, your touches gentle and nurturing. Spencer rested his head against your shoulder, completely relying on your strength, his exhaustion clear as he sighed softly, content in your embrace.

Once you were both dried off and dressed for bed, you brought him back to the comfort of your bed, where you massaged lotion into his arms, making sure he felt taken care of. Your lips peppered soft kisses over his skin as you worked, your voice a soothing murmur as you whispered how good he was, how proud you were of him.

"You’re so good, Spencer," you murmured between kisses. "Always my good boy."

Spencer sighed, his body fully relaxed now as he basked in your affection, letting your words and touch wash over him like a warm blanket. His eyes fluttered closed, a small smile playing on his lips as you continued to kiss and praise him, reminding him of just how much he meant to you.

“Mommy…” Spencer’s voice was soft, hesitant, as he lay beside you, his head resting on your chest.

“Mhm?” you murmured back, feeling the weight of tiredness pulling at you, though still present enough to listen to him.

“Can I suck…?” His voice trailed off, filled with uncertainty.

You giggled softly, a wave of affection washing over you for your needy little baby. "Of course, Spence," you murmured, lifting your shirt to give him the comfort he craved.

Without hesitation, Spencer nestled his head underneath, latching onto your breast with a soft sigh. His body relaxed against yours, and you could feel the tension melt away as he suckled gently, his breathing becoming slow and steady.

You stroked his hair lovingly, the intimate moment between you quiet and peaceful. “You’re such a good boy,” you whispered softly, letting him find the comfort he needed as you both slowly drifted off to sleep, his head resting safely against your chest.

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[oooohno]

you gotta self ship with him now actually

I guess it can’t be helped *sigh*

[wandixx]

Danny, the Young Justice member snippet nr 3 GIW made a lot of mistakes and the biggest one was going against Young Justice part 1

As you can see by the title (I need better ideas, you're all welcome to share yours), this is kinda part of "Danny, the Youg Justice member" but as something I have more of actual idea about. So while I encourage people adding their stuff to other snippets, please let this one be. I will be adding to it. It's even partially written :D

unrelated snippet nr 1, unrelated snippet nr 2

"Hey guys" Danny greeted clearly winded, phasing through the wall. Whole Team turned towards him, some giving him a side eye “Sorry I’m late” 

“You’re good, my dude” Wally answered, patting him on the back as soon as halfa landed, turning into his human form. They gave him a moment to catch his breath(just how fast he tried to fly there?) before grabbing their bags. Dick jumped and threw himself over the speedster's and halfa’s shoulders.

“Happy Harbour, we’re coming!” he yelled.

He fixed his grip when he caught Danny’s quick wince under the pressure as they left the headquarters. Judging by look on his face, Kaldur caught it too.

“So what’s on the agenda?”

“There is an amusement park in city, so we’re going to enjoy our free time there” M’gann explained with excited smile “I can’t wait to see it, I heard it’s fun”

Artemis nodded with a grin.

“I bet I can win more plushies than all of you. No powers,” she demanded after a moment, slamming her hand n a random tree for better dramatic effect.

“Stakes?” he asked, competitive like always. While blonde shared her idea of ‘no locker room duties for a month’, Danny explained all the questions M’gann asked about what even bet was and what stakes meant. Dick was sure she knew the answers to all of them but he didn’t say anything. He was trained well enough to catch Conner listening intently, despite his clear effort to hide it.

It turned into a whole Team competition.

It was going to be an aster.

***

M’gann was having a blast. Everyone already had two to four plushies, stomach full of unhealthy food and manageable nausea from the roller coaster. Wally and Danny were throwing popcorn to each other's mouths, Robin challenged Conner and Artemis to the next game. It really was fun just like she was told!

It was much less fun when literal blast shot a few feets away from them. Ground where it hit was burned. Halfa squealed, projecting a strong wave of distress. Without second thought he threw his hood on and changed his posture, frantically looking for a hiding spot.

Few children started crying, their families scrambling to get away before attackers started shooting again and hurt them. Workers, already used to working in less than ideal circumstances, quickly, but without panic warranted by recognised villains or outright invasion, shut down reinforced blinds and probably walked out to inform someone. At least they didn’t have to worry about potential civilian casualties. 

“Do you know who they are?” M’gann asked, quickly establishing the Mindlink.

“Don’t worry about it” he answered, putting on crazy big sunglasses that Wally won some time before.

“My dude, we just got shot at. We have every right to worry”

“Calm down, Wally. I got shot at, you’re just close by. I’ll handle it” With a ruffle of his hair and a piece of popcorn thrown in his mouth,he turned around, just moment after the next blast almost caught his arm. He plastered a smile on his face.

“Hey, I’ve seen guns like these in laser tag! But I’ve never found them cheap enough to get without selling my kidney!” he yelled enthusiastically.

When the rest of them turned around, M’gann saw ten people in sunglasses and pristine white, holding guns straight from the mad scientist’s lab. THey stood still, projecting surprise bordering on shock. She could also feel hunter's happiness underneath it, intense enough that she considered breaking the ‘don’t mess with people’s brains’ rule. As a treat.

“Don’t worry guys, they won’t harm you. Act like you  don’t believe you’re in danger. Like they're a bunch of LARPers or something” It was easier said than done, especially when Danny, who nearly always underestimated the danger, was so terrified. 

“Who are they?!”

“Wally throw me a bit of popcorn, please” Halfa asked, ignoring Artemis almost yelling in their minds. In turn, he was ignored by the speedster. Three of the men turned to check something on weird sort of scanner. Danny's false smile went from cheerful to embarrassed. 

“Dang me and my poor communication skills” he said, loud enough for men to hear but not enough to sound like he was talking to them, before asking louder “I meant to ask, where have you brought it and how much does it cost?”

This seemed to actually shake men out of their shock. They got furious.

“You won't trick us this time, ghost scum” one of the guys with a scanner snarled. Danny pursed his lips in childish gesture of displeasure.

“Rude much” he muttered as if he wasn’t shining with terror like a lighthouse. Robin perked up as if something got him curious.

“Wait, ghost? What do–”

“What are you cosplaying?” Artemis blurted out. Men got visibly angry but Danny smirked.

“Don't antagonize them,” Kaldur commended. 

“If shit goes south I'll get you out of there, half a second flat” Wally offered.

“Thanks dude. Good job Artemis, they hate to be treated like a joke they are” halfa praised but out loud asking:

“Ghostbusters? No, they had different uniforms. But who else got a thing for ghosts?”

“Quit joking around, we caught you Phantom! You ran far from Amity Park but-”

“Who is Phantom?” Robin interrupted rudely (they deserved to be rude to them).

“Where is Amity Park, Utah? Cali?”  Conner asked, adding fuel to the fire of chaos with barely contained glee. He liked messing with anyone even slightly resembling Kadmus staff and these guys marked almost all of the boxes.

“Illinois” provided chubby man who looked and felt like he didn't want to be there almost as much as they teens did. Danny relaxed slightly.

“Agent W you have no clearance to share this information“

���You were in Illinois and didn't tell me, Tommy?” M’gann finally spoke, jokingly punching his arm.

“I wasn't, I swear! I've never set a foot outside of this state in my life!”

“Quit messing around, you freak!!!” the guy, with the biggest ego and probably the leader, screamed.

“Can I please mess their heads up?”  M’gann asked, pushing hope through Mindlink as hard as she could.

“Again, rude. What did I even do to deserve that?”

“Like you–”

“Operative K, I think they really don't know anything “ Agent W, the nicest out of the batch, interrupted “Maybe it left some ectoplasm on this boy to throw us off?”

“They called you it, Danny” Conner seethed, looking like only Kaldur’s hand on his shoulder was stopping him from punching all of them straight to the sun. M’gann was already reaching for their minds.

“We need to run a scan to be sure. Come here boy”

“Now, who are you?!” Robin got defensive, sliding to shield Danny from asiliants. Conner and Artemis joined him, so clearly furious that M’gann almost retreated from Mindlink. She wasn’t any calmer, it just felt overwhelming to be backed up by five other people.

“It’s classified”

Kaldur took a photo with an obnoxiously loud sound effect. Wally appeared right behind Danny, ready to evacuate him. Artemis barely kept herself from tackling the nearest ‘agent’ to the ground.

“What are you doing, boy?” Operative K splurted, absolutely flabbergasted.

“Calling the police”

“Why?”

“Robin, throw some laws, please”

“Oh, that’s easy,” the boy jumped in gleefully “You assaulted our friend and refused to state why you would have credentials to do so or even who are you. You carry modified weaponry openly in public and I doubt you have a permit, carelessly use it  against minors, endangering innocent bystanders while we’re at it. You disturb public peace. I think that’s enough to get you arrested. Wait you know what, call ‘Supervillain emergency hotline’ instead, this is serious attack”

“Right ahead of you, already calling them”

It wasn’t that big of a problem even if someone tried to qualify this as spam. Young Justice Team was first to respond to all threats in Happy Harbour anyway.

Danny let out a low ‘uuuu’ with a smirk. Someone powered up a gun. Wally slightly raised halfa of the ground, ready to bolt.

“It’s okay young man,” the nice agent started, raising his hands in a placating gesture “We’re searching for a dangerous supernatural entity and may have overreacted. In our defense, Phantom is known to be tricky and we wouldn’t be surprised if it used human disguise to hide from us. Your friend gives off the same type of energy like what we use to track it so we assumed they’re the same. We’re sorry”

“Agent W you don’t have clearance to disclose that to-”

“Operative K, after the last few incidents we have to be more throughout before jumping to assumptions. Agent Gamma wouldn’t be pleased if your temper caused the next scandal,” Agent W look at them again, with a forced ‘warm’ smile “We’re really sorry for bothering you. We have reasons to believe Phantom is somewhere around but don’t worry about it, we will be on the lookout. If you see it, please contact us and we will take care of it” M’gann grabbed the ‘WANTED’ poster from man’s outstretched hand. She barely restrained herself from doing something irresponsible, like turning every man in white into a brainless vegetable.

“Later M'gann”

“But Robin…” she whined before sending a small laugh so they knew she wasn’t serious. She knew that Conner and Danny were anxious about this use of her powers.

Agent’s left and everyone relaxed. Wally put Danny back down and leaned back, jokingly rolling back his arms as if he got tired. Halfa stopped with a loud thump to sit on the ground. He was paler than usual.

Artemis shouted, alarmed.

“That was way too close” he started, aiming for a cheerful tone but missing by a mile “I’m fine, just need a moment to cool down. Sorry for that, guys. I thought I lost them over Ohio”

“That’s fine, personally I don’t care, we knew better than to expect a whole day without something going wrong, but who were they?” Wally asked, already back to eating popcorn.

Danny sighed, so deeply M’gann felt it in her bones even though she didn’t try to read him.

“I think this is the talk we should have in the Mountain”

[vmlnrznotfound]

OMG!! REQUESTS OPEN? hehe

Can I request the Chigiri + Kunigami version of "MY GIRL IS MAD AT ME, I HOPE I DIE." Series please? 🧎🏻‍♀️

I LOVE IT SO MUCH I'M GIGGLING EVERYTIME I READ IT FRFR xD

Also, have a good day 😌✨

[PART4] MY GIRL IS MAD AT ME, I HOPE I DIE.

characters: chigiri, kunigami, oliver, shidou, kurona, yukimiya

a/n: hi lovelies! here's your requests done<333

CHIGIRI HYOMA

hyoma stood by the door, his eyes focused on you as you sat on the couch, pointedly ignoring him. the silent treatment was in full effect, and it was eating at him.

he quietly walked over, sitting down beside you, keeping a respectful distance. “i know you’re mad,” he began softly, his voice gentle, “and i probably deserve this.”

you didn’t look at him, your attention fixed on the magazine in your hands. chigiri sighed, running a hand through his hair, trying to figure out how to reach you.

“i hate it when we’re like this,” he admitted, the usual confidence in his tone replaced by sincerity. “i know i messed up, but i’m here. i’m not going anywhere.”

you shifted slightly, but your eyes remained glued to the page. chigiri leaned in a little closer, careful not to crowd you. “i just want to fix this, to make things right again. i’ll wait as long as it takes for you to talk to me.”

still no response, but the tension in your posture seemed to ease ever so slightly. chigiri took a deep breath, willing to wait for however long you needed, because he cared too much to leave things as they were.

he stayed by your side, a silent promise that he wouldn’t give up on you.

KUNIGAMI RENSUKE

you stood by the kitchen sink, your back to kunigami. the silence between you two was heavy, and you were determined to keep it that way. after all, he had been late—again—leaving you waiting in the rain. you weren’t ready to forgive him just yet.

kunigami stood in the doorway, his eyes on you. “i’m sorry,” he said softly, but you didn’t turn around.

he sighed, then walked up behind you, gently placing a hand on your shoulder. you shrugged it off, still refusing to speak.

kunigami took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. he knew he’d messed up, but seeing you so distant hurt more than he expected.

he placed his hand on your shoulder again, this time with a bit more persistence. “please, just talk to me.”

you turned slowly to face him, your expression a mix of frustration and sadness. kunigami's eyes softened as he looked at you, his voice even softer. “i know i’ve been unreliable. i’m sorry for letting you down, and i don’t have an excuse. but i want to make it right. i’ll do whatever it takes to show you i can change.”

you could see the sincerity in his eyes, and it made your resolve waver. so you silently opened your arms, tears pricking at the corner of your eyes.

OLIVER AIKU

you were mad—furious with your boyfriend. oliver aiku had pushed your buttons one too many times, and now you were giving him the silent treatment.

sitting on the edge of the bed, your eyes were glued to your phone, deliberately avoiding any acknowledgment of him. the room was thick with tension, and every second seemed to stretch longer than the last. oliver’s footsteps were hesitant as he approached, his presence nearly tangible in the quiet air.

he knelt down beside you, his posture a mixture of apology and desperation. his expression was earnest, his eyes searching yours for any sign of forgiveness. “come on, please,” he murmured, his voice gentle yet laced with the weight of his remorse. “i’m really sorry.”

you shifted your gaze, still not meeting his eyes. the silence between you was almost deafening. undeterred, oliver’s hands moved slowly, starting to massage your legs with a delicate touch.

his voice was a constant murmur of apologies, an attempt to bridge the gap you had so carefully maintained. “i know i messed up, but please, just give me a chance to make it right.”

his hands inched higher, their warmth gradually becoming more insistent. your patience waned, and finally, you placed your foot on his shoulder, gently pushing him away. “watch your hands,” you said, your tone sharp and frosty.

oliver’s face fell, a mixture of regret and determination reflecting in his eyes. he remained on the floor, his gaze fixed on you with unwavering resolve. “i’ll wait until you’re ready to talk,” he said softly, “but i’m not going anywhere.”

SHIDOU RYUSEI

shidou leaned against the doorframe, watching you flip through a magazine, pretending not to notice him. he walked over, plopped down beside you, and started chatting about a game-winning goal, but you stayed silent, focused on your magazine.

leaning closer, he rested his chin on your shoulder. “you’re really cute when you’re mad,” he murmured.

you shifted, trying to get comfortable.

“i could keep talking about how much i adore you,” he said, “but i’ll just stay here until you give in.”

minutes passed, and you closed the magazine with a snap. you moved to the other end of the couch and turned on the tv. shidou watched you, smiling.

“silent treatment, huh?” he said. “i’m sorry, okay? i messed up, and i’ll keep messing up because i’m human, but i can’t stand it when you’re mad at me like this.”

you glanced at him briefly, and he saw it as a small victory. he slid closer, closing the gap between you. “i know you’re stubborn, and you’ve got every right to be. but i’m not going anywhere. i’ll wait until you’re ready to talk to me again.”

you stayed silent, but there was a softness in your posture. shidou stayed close, content to wait. the tv droned on in the background as you both settled into a quiet peace.

KURONA RANZE

you’ve been ignoring kurona for the better part of the day, and he knows it. usually, you’d laugh at him or at least respond when he calls your name, but today? it’s different. he can feel it. so, naturally, kurona decides to pull out all the stops to get you to break your silence.

it starts with the little things. he brings you your favorite snack, placing it on the table next to you with a sheepish grin. but you don’t even glance his way. next, he tries to make fun of himself to get you to laugh—juggling random items he finds around the room, almost dropping one just to see if you’ll react. nothing. you stay focused on your book, or at least pretend to be.

kurona huffs, finally getting serious. he slips out of the room, mumbling something about needing fresh air.

when he comes back, he’s carrying something behind his back, his expression one of pure determination. he takes a deep breath and walks over to where you’re sitting on the couch, still glued to your phone.

he pulls out a giant shark plushie from behind his back. it’s soft and kind of goofy-looking. "shark shark," he says, grabbing your attention. "want to say sorry on my behalf,"

you try your best to ignore him, but kurona’s earnestness is too endearing.

“talk, talk,” he continues, wiggling the plushie closer to you.

you remain silent, but your resolve is starting to crack.

“he says he’s really sorry,” kurona persists, his tone now softer. “he didn’t mean to upset you, and he promises he’ll never do it again.”

YUKIMIYA KENYU

the kitchen smells like something went horribly wrong. yukimiya stands in the middle of the mess, looking at the charred remains of what was supposed to be your favorite dish. the counters are splattered with sauce, and the pan on the stove is emitting a thin wisp of smoke. he runs a hand through his hair, frustration mixing with guilt as he surveys the disaster.

he wanted to make it up to you, to do something special that would show how much he cared. but instead, he’s only made things worse.

you walk into the kitchen, your expression unreadable as you take in the scene. yukimiya freezes, eyes widening as you approach the counter. he watches as you grab a tissue, silently wiping at a particularly stubborn stain, your face void of emotion. the silent treatment you’ve been giving him continues, and it cuts deeper than any angry words ever could.

“hey,” yukimiya starts, his voice tentative, filled with regret. “i’m…i’m so sorry.”

you don’t acknowledge him. you just keep wiping the counter, your movements slow and deliberate, as if focusing on the task is the only thing keeping you from saying something you might regret.

“i’m sorry for messing up the kitchen,” he adds, trying to make you look at him, desperate for any sign that you’re willing to talk to him. “and...i’m sorry for everything else, too. i didn’t mean for things to go this way.”

but you remain silent. yukimiya’s heart sinks as he watches you finish wiping the counter. you set the crumpled tissue down and, without a word, turn to leave the kitchen. his chest tightens as he watches you go, feeling like he’s losing you all over again.

as you disappear into the hallway, heading towards your bedroom, yukimiya lets out a long sigh. he leans against the counter, staring at the mess he’s made, both in the kitchen and between the two of you. he’s about to start cleaning up when his phone buzzes with a notification.

pulling it out of his pocket, he sees a text from you. his breath catches in his throat as he reads it:

'dinner. your treat.'

[sturnsbaebackup]

can you write something about how the fans have started speculating something between you and chris??

RUMORS FLY - CHRIS STURNIOLO

summary: you and chris have been talking, and the fans are starting to notice.

warnings: none!

-

as nick and matt argue about god knows what into their microphones, chris stares down at his phone with a small smile. “chris what’s your opinion on this?” nick asks, but it appears chris hasn’t heard him.

“chris, get off of your fucking phone. we’re on the podcast! who are you even texting that’s so important right now?” matt groans. quickly after being called out chris puts his phone away. he’s very clearly flustered, and he says, “i was just um— texting nate!”

“texting nate? with that big of a smile on your face? i didn’t know nate was so funny… but whatever can you please just get off of your phone and help us settle this debate,” matt says, glaring at chris with a wondering eye. not even his brothers knew about you and chris, but they were bound to find out soon enough.

chris feels his phone buzz on his lap, and he waits until he has a chance to answer it. he doesn’t want to tell you that he’s recording because he doesn’t want to stop talking to you, so he tried to multitask, but clearly he’s not very good at it.

nick suddenly gets up and walks over to chris, snatching his phone from his hands. as he does so, he see’s your contact name and the photo of you and chris cuddling at the top of the screen. “oh my god that’s—“ he blurts out, but immediately stops himself. “—enough! i’m taking your phone until the end of the episode” nick says, immediately catching himself before he reveals you and chris’ secret.

chris’ cheeks turn bright pink, and his heart rate is through the roof. he knows he’ll be grilled with questions once they’re done recording, and he doesn’t know if he’s ready for that yet. eventually the pod is over, and immediately nick hands chris his phone with a smirk.

“have fun texting y/n!” nick shouts as chris begins walking downstairs to his room. a loud gasp can be heard from matt, and chris can feel his cheeks burning up. he scurries into his room and replies to your texts, and immediately opens tiktok to rewatch the tiktok you guys had made a couple days ago. he scrolls through the endless comments, and begins to notice a reoccurring pattern.

“are they dating?!”

“oh i ship this”

“i think they’re dating! i mean, y/n is wearing his brand…”

and so forth. he bites his cheeks to hold his smile in, but ultimately fails when he sees all of the support even when you guys haven’t gone public. as he scrolls through his phone, a gentle knock can be heard on his door.

“come in nick!” he exclaims, not even looking up from his phone. he knows it’s nick because matt has a tendency to just walk in, or bang on the door. one or the other.

“can i ask you something?” nick asks, sitting in the end of chris’ bed.

“yeah, anything,” chris says, putting his phone down and fixing his posture.

“why didn’t you tell me and matt?”

“um— well we aren’t really telling anyone. i mean we’re not dating yet, but—“ he pause, “actually i don’t really know, honestly. i guess i’m just nervous that if i start telling people things will go south,” he shrugs.

“are you planning to ask her out soon?”

“yeah, i am actually. i was gonna do it this weekend, and make it a big surprise for the fans but now i don’t know. the fans are already speculating things, so i feel like i should just scratch the whole big idea i had and ask her the next time we hang out.”

“oh! that was also one of my questions! how the hell have you been hanging out with y/n and both me and matt didn’t know about it?! we live together and i still didn’t know!”

chris chuckles, “there’s a lot of things you don’t know about me nick. and it’s gonna stay that way, so if you could stop asking me a million questions that would be great,” he sarcastically grins, and nick just rolls his eyes. nick closes the door behind him, and chris immediately goes back to texting you.

—

the podcast episode was posted a few days ago, and immediately the fans have been questioning who chris was texting. there have been many many guesses, but most have been you. chris feels like it’s his fault, and the last thing he wants is for you to feel like you’re being led on, so there’s only one thing to do.

“y/n, i have a question,” chris says nervously, looking down at you as your head rests on his arm.

“what is it?” you ask, knowing exactly what it is. or hoping, at least.

“well, obviously i like you. a lot. and i was just wondering if you wanted to make this official? will you be my girlfriend?”

“of course i will chris, is that even a question?” you giggle, and it feels like a weight has been lifted off of chris’ shoulders. he smiles at you and gently places his hands on your cheeks, pulling your faces towards his. your lips melt together, and your hands find their way to the back of his neck.

you both end up falling asleep in chris’ bed, and while you both nap, you’re unaware that nick and matt both arrive back home. they enter chris’ room after calling his name a few times with no response, only to see you both asleep. of course, them being the immature boys they are, take your guys’ picture. unfortunately, you learn about this the hard way when you see the photo in their photo dump a few days later. you gasp and immediately check the comments, expecting tons of hate comments.

“i knew it was y/n! they’re so cute!”

“AWWW”

“cutest couple ever”

you immediately text chris, and you both share a big grin over the situation. although you never would have expected your situation with chris to have gotten semi-exposed, you were just glad everyone was so supportive.

[ph6ntomm]

requested? no.

summary: after a few years of not talking to your childhood best friends, you rekindle your relationships. only one of the relationships comes stronger than the others, and not in a friend way.

pairings: chris sturniolo x fem bsf! reader, nick sturniolo x fem bsf!reader, matt sturniolo x fem bsf!reader, matt sturniolo x fem!reader

requests are open.

warnings: like one kiss and that’s all i think🧍‍♀️

-

rekindled relationships

-

growing up, you were always close with the triplets, given the fact that you were only a few months younger and you were neighbors. you guys spent a lot of time together and went many places, your parents soon growing close too.

you and nick got along easily, and so did you and chris. matt was quiet and reserved, but he came around after a while. eventually, you developed a small crush on the middle triplet. you never took action on this feeling, given the fact that matt has acted less than interested in you in any other way but as a friend.

as time went on and they began posting on the internet, they gained more popularity, which was great for them but bad for you. they began to talk to you less and less, until you were just a person of the past to them. they felt bad, but they had their whole career in front of them and they needed to focus on it.

so that’s how you found yourself with your finger hovering over the send button. after nearly two years of not talking to them, you began to realize how much you missed them. how much you missed your relationships. how much you missed matt. if you were being honest, your feelings for him never went away, no matter how much you tried.

you hesitated for a few seconds longer before deciding that it was now or never and hit the send button. you quickly shut your phone off and placed it face down on the counter. you put your head in your hands and squeezed your eyes shut tightly, sighing nervously.

the simple message you had typed out and sent to nick had said, “heyy nick! i’ve been thinking about you guys a lot recently and was hoping that maybe when you’re back in boston we can meet up sometime. it’s okay if not of course, i understand you guys are busy.”

it only took a few seconds for your phone to buzz with a new message from him. you quickly fixed your posture and picked up your phone with a shaky hand and turned the screen on. you read over the message with wide eyes, your smile quickly widening too.

nick💜: omg hii, i’ve missed you! yes ofc we can meet up. we’re actually flying to boston in two days. we should totally make a plan to meet up.

y/n!: i was so so worried you wouldn’t respond or you had forgotten about me haha. but how about the day after you guys get here? we can go to the mall or something and shop around like we used to.

nick💜: that sounds perfect. we’re all excited to see you! :)

you simply reacted to the message with a heart and sighed in relief, thankful that the conversation went well.

‧₊˚ ⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.⋆˙⟡♡

three days later, you were pacing around your apartment, waiting for the arrival of your friends. your nerves were at an all time high, adrenaline running through you. you put minimal effort in your outfit, wearing a simple cropped white tee that slightly fell down your shoulders and jean shorts paired with your converses. you left your hair down in slight waves and did some simple makeup only having put on mascara, blush, and a little bit of highlighter.

a loud knock at your door stopped your thoughts short. you hastily walked over to it and lifted your shaky hand to unlock it and open it. the door swung open and you were met with the faces of your childhood friends.

smiles made their way onto all of your faces and nick lunged forward to envelope you in a tight hug which you gladly accepted. “y/n, you look so good! i missed you!” he said happily. you laughed loudly and pulled back to hug chris. chris smiled and wrapped his arms around you in a similar way that nick had done just seconds before. “hi y/n, how’re you?” he asked. “i’m alright, just very excited you all are here.” you replied. you pulled back and moved towards matt who leaned forward and gave you a soft embrace. he muttered a small “hi” but said nothing more as you pulled back.

“i’ll be back in a second, i just need to grab my purse and then we can go.” you said to them as you made your way back to the door. “okay, be quick.” nick said to you and you nodded. you make quick work of getting what you needed and making your way back out the door.

the four of you started walking towards the elevator, you telling them about your new job and them telling you about how life in LA was. well, chris and nick. matt was mostly quiet the whole time, eyes shifting between you, the floor, and his brothers. when you were out of the elevator you made your way to their car. chris sat in the front and you and nick in the back, matt of course driving. chris let you choose the music and you chose one of your favorite artists.

you all fell into easy conversation, having known each other many years prior. the low hum of the radio filling the silence—if there was any at all.

soon, you arrived at the mall the four of you used to hang out at after school. the first place you went into was bath & body works, which nick was okay with. matt and chris lightly complained about it, and chris even teased you about it. matt shoved him in the shoulder lightly for it, a small smile resting on his face.

matt watched you and nick talk animatedly at each other, and chris looked over at his brother with a knowing smile. “you still like her, don’t you?” he said to him. matt rolled his eyes at him. “don’t be stupid, chris. even if i did, it wouldn’t matter.” he replied. now it was chris’s turn to roll his eyes. “yeah, whatever. you’re oblivious.” he said before you and nick came back clutching their bags of newly purchased items.

the day moved by quickly, and before you knew it, it was nearly over. you had spent all day going from store to store in the mall, grabbing a few useless items and essentials. “do you guys wanna go get some food?” chris asked. everyone was quick to agree. “how about taco bell?” nick suggested. “ohh i’d kill for a burrito right now.” you said. nick chuckled at her statement and chris and matt smiled at you.

you got into the car and drive to the nearest taco bell and ordered your food through the drive through. when you got your food, matt drove you guys back to your apartment. when you were there, you grabbed the bags of food and made your way to the elevator. you lead the way back to your apartment and pulled out your key to unlock the door. you lead them to your kitchen where you told them to put the food down and make themselves at home.

“shit!” chris groaned, his hands moving in his pockets. “what’s wrong?” matt questioned. “i think i left my phone in the car. can i have the keys so i can go get it?” he replied to his brother. “yeah, here.” matt said as he tossed him the keys. “nick will you go with me? i don’t know my way around well.” chris said smirking in matt’s direction, causing his face to heat up. you didn’t notice. nick groaned but agreed to go with him anyways.

they walked out the door leaving matt and you alone. you were digging in the bag for your food when matt spoke up. “ya know.. i’ve missed you. a lot.” he said softly. you looked up from your food you had began to unwrap. “yeah?” you said in the same tone. “yeah.”

he left his spot from across the counter and began to move a little closer.

“there was a lot i didn’t tell you before we moved and stopped talking for a while.” he confessed.

“like what?”

“like how i’ve liked you for years and never told you.”

he didn’t know where he had gained the confidence from, but there was no turning back now.

but he wasn’t complaining because suddenly you moved forward and you were just inches away from each other.

“i’ve liked you for a long time too, i was just scared you didn’t feel the same way.” you said.

he moved even closer so that your noses were touching. you leaned the final bit forward and pressed your lips together in a soft kiss. he froze for a few seconds before leaning into you. butterflies swarmed in your stomach as you wrapped your arms around his neck and his wrapped around you waist.

the sound of the door opening and nicks loud laugh made you two fall apart and step away from each other, you almost tripping over your feet. you both went back to your original positions, you on one side of the counter unwrapping your burrito and matt on the other side watching as you do so.

nick and chris entered the room and went straight for their food. nick went to make conversation with you, but stopped short when he saw your reddened face. “hey, are you feeling okay?” he asked with furrowed eyebrows and a slight frown. “yeah, why?” you asked. “your face is red.. like super red.” he replied.

chris looked over at matt with a knowing expression and laugh. “yours is too matt, are both of you sick all of a sudden?” he asked teasingly. nicks eyes widened and a smile grew on his face. your face reddened even more if possible. it was gonna be a long night.

-

i think this is the longest thing i’ve written. i rushed the end because i had no ideas btw if you couldn’t tell 😀 but it would be kinda fun to make a part two to this. send requests thoughhhh!

link to my masterlist

[teshadraws]

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Seekers of Soul

[Chapter 52]

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Nia and Tobias have their mission. It's time to plan their next move, and get some training in while they're at the Lexym Guild.

-

Telling Maggie about their trip to Asra and Shivergleam is a tense affair. The meganium stays quiet for most of it, but Nia can see her honey-gold eyes darken after each brush with danger that they skim over, clumsily trying to fill in the gaps left in their story.

Finally, what feels like hours later, they're finished. Quiet falls over the three of them.

With a forced sort of calm, Maggie asks, “Is that everything?”

“It’s all we know so far,” Tobias hedges. “Our plan right now is just to find Xerneas. Hopefully she can prevent any of this from happening. Or at least fix the dimensional border if it does break.”

If she doesn't, the world falls apart, Nia silently adds, knowing she doesn’t need to say it for it to be in the forefront of all their minds. Both the Pokemon world and the human world would be destroyed.

Nia fiddles with the soft fur of her tail, too nervous to look up at Maggie. The silence while the grass type digests everything is heavy.

Finally, Maggie sighs. Nia jumps.

“I’m going to need a hug after all of that,” Maggie says.

Nia finally looks up, relieved, and willingly scoots closer for the meganium to pull her into a hug with her vine. Nia leans against her petals, soft but firm, and breathes in her fresh floral scent. She sees Tobias getting the same treatment on Maggie’s other side.

Immediately, Nia feels a little better. Everything feels less dire when she's tucked against Maggie like this. It's still quiet, but a comforting sort of quiet. It’s only the three of them in the herbalist quarters at the moment, Sage having been politely shooed out of the room to grab some berries for breakfast once Maggie realized that neither Nia nor Tobias felt comfortable explaining their trip with the ivysaur present. Sage had taken the obvious excuse with grace, thankfully, and is taking his time in returning.

“Thank you for telling me.” Maggie says. She takes a deep breath, Nia lifting with the exhale. “I just wish you two weren’t thrown right in the middle of all this mess. You’re so young.”

“We’re not little kids,” Tobias mutters.

“Oh, don’t pout.”

“I'm not pouting!” Tobias says, absolutely pouting.

Nia turns her face into Maggie’s petals to stifle a laugh.

“When were you planning on talking to August about all of this?” Maggie asks.

Nia pulls away to look at Tobias. He seems as unsure as she feels.

“Should we tell him?” Tobias asks, crossing his arms. “We’re getting intel from a banished legendary, if he even believes we're telling the truth. And we don’t know that he’ll actually do anything even if he does believe us. He said he’d look into the fire that happened in Ghatha but nothing ever came from that.”

Nia has to admit that he has a point.

Maggie sighs. “Even if it’s not obvious, I’m sure August is doing all he can to help. And if this is something jeopardizing not only our guild but the entire Pokemon world, I promise you he would want to know about it.”

Nia and Tobias exchange a doubtful look.

Maybe sensing that they’re reluctant to talk to August and worried that they’ll try to put it off completely, Maggie only allows a quick breakfast of the berries Sage brings back before marching the two of them straight to August’s office herself. The rillaboom looks pleased to see them, a soft sort of relief on his face when he catches sight of Nia and Tobias safely back from their travels. His warm smile fades as he locks eyes with Maggie, though, his more casual posture straightening up. He waves them in without a word.

Verene seems to be out, so they’re the only ones present in the spacious office. The leaves weaving in and out of the wooden walls are a lovely gradient of warm autumnal tones.

August takes a seat behind his desk, chair creaking. “Welcome back, Team Scarlet. It’s good to see you both safe. I heard from the crew of the Aqua Jet and that little sableye that you both showed impressive prowess as Seekers yesterday.”

Nia murmurs a thank you. Tobias nods.

“However, gauging by your expressions, I must assume that’s not why you came to see me today,” August says. “A shame. I could do with some good news, for once. What can I help you with?”

Nia looks to Tobias, so he starts them off. Retells the story once more with Nia stepping in on occasion, trading the explanation back and forth.

They mention Asra, first, to explain everything that comes after. Giratina. The protective shell of this world weakening from a preemptive crack in the very fabric of the dimension. Nia and Tobias being assigned to find Xerneas in a desperate bid for hope.

August’s brow knits and falls lower and lower as he listens, chin resting on bridged fingers. By time they’re finally finished, Nia’s throat is dry. The same oppressive silence from before falls over the room, and it feels thick enough to choke on.

August’s amber eyes settle on Nia. “How sure are you that Giratina was telling the truth?”

Nia tries not to let her own doubt show on her face. “W-Well…I guess I don’t have any proof that he was? But he felt…honest. And it makes sense. Or at least more sense than anything else people have guessed for why the world is breaking down, right? Could anything else cause natural disasters and make evolution stop? Or force legendaries to go dormant?”

“You think Giratina would have something to gain from us seeking out Xerneas?” Tobias asks, eyes narrowing.

August sighs, raking his fingers back through his leafy mane. “That’s difficult to say. I’m no expert on either legendary.”

“But surely there’s enough here to merit a deeper look,” Maggie pipes up. “If Giratina is being honest, then…”

August lets a rush of air out through his nose. “It would be disastrous for us to ignore him, yes.”

The quiet returns like an itchy, ill-fitting sweater.

“I’ll ask Alistair and Tawny to look into it immediately,” August finally says. “If they feel that searching for Xerneas is likely to be of help and not just playing into Giratina’s schemes, then I’ll reach out to the other Guildmasters so we can plan from there.”

Nia lets out a breath. Knowing that they aren’t solely responsible for saving the whole world feels like the weight of the Lexym Tree itself being lifted off her shoulders. She kind of wants to cry. “Thank you.”

August nods. “Of course. I’m here for anyone in the guild, but a matter pertaining to the safety of the entire world? That is not to be treated lightly.”

“Speaking of safety,” Tobias says, in a tone that would be casual if it didn’t sound like it was barbed with thorns. “You said you were going to send someone to look into the fire at Ghatha, right? And other human discrimination. Anything ever come of that?”

August gives Tobias a dry look. “Put away your fangs, Tobias. I did indeed look into the matter.”

“And?”

“The investigation into the Ghatha fire has unfortunately gone cold. While they can assume it was a fire type at the convention who started it, Rai’s guild hasn’t been able to determine who was the culprit. They’ve marked it closed for now unless new information arises.”

"Yeah, and I'm sure that decision has nothing to do with the guy not liking humans," Tobias mutters.

August's eyes narrow. "Where did you hear that?"

Nia blinks, surprised, and exchanges a look with Tobias. August doesn't know? "Keegan mentioned it, back when we were in Ghatha."

"The guild's second-in-command," Tobias clarifies. "A ninetales."

"Hm." August looks past them for a moment, locking eyes with Maggie. Before Nia can figure out what the two older Pokemon are thinking, he speaks again. "That's not something I was aware of. What are your thoughts on Keegan? I haven't had the chance to speak with him myself."

"He was nice!" Nia says.

"A little too nice," Tobias scoffs.

August hums. "...Noted. Regardless, for now the investigation remains at a stand-still."

Tobias’ muzzle crinkles, mirroring Nia’s own displeasure. While this news isn’t entirely unexpected, it is unnerving, not knowing the Pokemon who made a very intentional effort on all of the human lives at the convention in Ghatha. What if they try something else in the future? The thought makes Nia feel…uneasy. Unsafe.

“My scouts did also confirm your claims regarding the general perception of humans in Ghatha. It seems the aggression towards them is increasing. Considering you saw the same in Asra, I can only assume the trend continues elsewhere as well.”

“But why?" Nia protests, voice cracking. "We aren't doing anything wrong!"

“I know,” August says, rubbing at his face. “We know you have nothing to do with what’s happening to our world, Nia. None of the humans do. But unfortunately, the natural disasters and mystery dungeons are only becoming more and more common. Pokemon are injured and frightened, and humans are a handy group to shoulder the blame.”

“It’s escalating, isn’t it?” Maggie cuts in, voice soft. “Not just the aggression. The natural disasters. The spread of mystery dungeons. The Haven hasn’t been hit too hard yet, but…”

August hesitates with a glance at Nia and Tobias. “Yes. Which would line up with what Giratina is claiming. The closer we get to the moment when the barrier of our dimension breaks, the more and more dangerous our world gets. And the more that tensions run high, the more rumors spread about whose fault it could be.”

Another silence. Nia can hear the walls of the Lexym Tree creak around them in the wind.

“What about Will?” Tobias asks. Nia looks at him, surprised that he’s even willing to bring up the yamask he dislikes so much.

“Ah, yes. You mentioned wanting to visit him to see if he has any leads in finding Xerneas. My scouts didn’t hear much about his group while in Ghatha, but they also couldn’t find many humans at all, seeing as they’re keeping a low profile.”

“I sent him a letter before we left for Asra,” Nia speaks up. “Telling him about Giratina trying to pull me into the distortion realm through the stream. A-And about me recovering some of my memories. If he’s written back by now, he probably left a way to find him, right?”

“Should we even bother seeing if he has information, though?” Tobias asks, face twisting. “If we know that we’re looking for Xerneas, what are the chances he knows something Alistair and Tawny and the other guilds don’t?”

“Can we risk not checking?” Nia murmurs.

Tobias doesn’t have an argument for that. “I guess just flying straight to see him ourselves would be faster than waiting for mail.”

August's hand strokes at his chin. “I believe Nia is right. We can’t risk missing a potential lead from a network of information outside of our own. If you are willing to track him down, then I approve your travel to seek him out in a few days’ time. I will have the guild cover your flight costs across the sea.”

“Why’re we waiting?” Tobias asks, frowning. “Shouldn’t we leave right away?”

August shakes his head. “I want to first discuss with Alistair and Tawny. If they believe seeking out Xerneas could be as beneficial as Giratina suspects, I’ll have them spread word to the other guilds to start an official search. If they believe we could be playing into a plot, then we’ll put a hold on seeking out any information.”

Nia and Tobias trade an uncertain look, but eventually agree.

The three of them depart the office shortly after, August giving them a distracted goodbye as he turns to some papers on his desk.

“So we have a few days until we can leave,” Tobias says, jumping right into it. “What’s our plan until then?”

“We should probably go to our quarters first, right?” Nia says. “To see if Will even wrote back?”

Tobias frowns, but nods.

They reach the medical floor, and Maggie stops, reminding Nia and Tobias that the meganium has a job to do elsewhere.

“Oh, don’t give me those yamper eyes,” Maggie laughs. She nuzzles the top of Nia’s head, then Tobias’. “I have a job to do as well! And I’ll still be right here if you want to stop in again later tonight.”

Tobias visibly relaxes at the reminder, and Nia thanks the meganium for her help. For listening.

“Of course! Someone has to look after you two, always running off into trouble,” Maggie says with a wink.

Nia turns to head down the stairs, but pauses when Tobias doesn’t follow. The charmander is hesitating, staring at Maggie with a conflicted expression. Then he darts forward to squeeze Maggie’s leg in a hug. The meganium seems as surprised as Nia is by the unusually open affection, but after a beat her expression softens. She lowers her head to return the hug with her long neck and a vine, squeezing him tight.

Ah, right. Tobias had told Maggie about finding the home of the crobat outlaw, too. About finding the crobat's grave, and the loving family he’d left behind. Maggie had smothered him in a hug then, too, but it makes sense that he’s still feeling a bit emotional about it all.

Tobias only tolerates the affection for a few seconds before ducking free and slipping past Nia, calling for her to hurry up over his shoulder. Nia smiles as she waves to Maggie and hurries after her partner.

The two of them head to the Seekers’ quarters a few floors down. Most of the doors are closed since Pokemon are out and about doing missions in the middle of the day, but there are a few lattice windows in the halls that let in glimpses of bright sunshine and whistling gusts of air.

Their own room is just as they left it, save a thin layer of dust over everything. The wall is lined by a few wooden cabinets, along with a bookcase and chest to keep their belongings in. A large window sits on the far wall, its lattice-like roots currently opened wide. A leaf-woven curtain is pulled down over it to keep out the wind, and the sun shines through it beautifully, casting a dim golden-green hue over everything. In the center of the room lies their plush scarlet red rug, and away from the window sits their nests, resting side-by-side.

Tobias dumps their satchel next to the chest. Nia goes to the mailbox set into the wall by the door. She’s excited to find three pieces of mail inside—two letters and one thin slip of paper. She pulls them out and looks at the smallest one first. It reads 20% Off at the Kecleon Brothers Shop! with a cute little drawing of a pair of…chameleons?

“They have coupons in this world?” Nia asks, strangely amused by the thought.

Tobias’ warmth appears at her side as he peers over her shoulder. He snorts. “The kecleon merchants are really well-known. Good quality wares, but make sure you stay on their good side.”

“Um, okay. Why?”

Tobias flops down in his nest. “The last ‘mon that tried to steal from ‘em left with less limbs than they started with.”

“But they’re so cute!” Nia says, aghast, as she looks again at the little drawing.

“So are fairy types, and they’re terrifying."

Nia sinks into her own nest, gently setting the coupon aside. She’s not sure she wants to deal with the shop at all if that’s the reputation they keep. She lights up when she sees the second letter, though—it’s a cute little thing, blue, with Nia’s name written in delicate, loopy cursive.

Tobias rolls over to squint at the envelope. “Who wrote us a letter in gibberish?”

Nia blinks. “You can’t read this?”

“You can?”

Nia takes another look at the letter. At first she thinks the problem is that the writing is cursive, but then she realizes that it’s probably because it's English. Not the native Pokemon language.

“Oh,” Nia laughs, feeling a strange pang of homesickness. “It’s in English. A, uh. Human language.”

She opens the envelope with care, pulling out the stationery and smiling at the letter, which is also written in looping cursive. Tobias doesn’t say anything else, but she can feel his eyes on her so she translates as she skims.

“It’s from Hazel. She says that she can make me a human bed! Oh man, you are going to love it. You’ll never be able to go back to a normal nest. And she’ll even give me the family discount! Aww!”

“She should give you more than that after we saved her mate’s tail,” Tobias says.

“We hadn’t even met Beck yet when I sent the request! Let’s see here…she also says—”

Nia bursts into laughter.

“What?”

“She also says that she’s glad you’re nicer to me now, but that she’s willing to knock some sense into you any time if that changes.”

Tobias straightens up, flushing. “She did not say that.” Nia cackles, turning the page over to his grabby hands. “She did! C’mon, she’s the reason I confronted you in Afon’s Cap at all!”

Tobias makes a face, but he’s still bright red. Nia isn’t sure if it’s because he’s embarrassed to be called out, or because of his behavior during their early partnership in the first place. Either way, he folds the letter back up and frisbees it at her, huffing.

Nia laughs again and tucks the letter off to the side with the coupon. She’ll have to write the old raichu back later. Nia’s amusement dies down as she picks up the third letter.

Tobias sits up as he sees her expression. “…Will?”

Nia nods. Hesitantly, she opens the yamask’s letter.

Nia,

While I’m pleased to hear from you, I wish it was under better circumstances! I’m relieved that you escaped from Giratina unharmed, but concerned that you had such a close call at all. If you do feel unsafe where you are, please don’t hesitate to come join the community of humans we have amassed thus far—we’re growing by the day! We're just south of Ghatha, past Stonebrook and closer to Kaleido Bay. If you can find Stonebrook, they can direct you from there.

“Stonebrook,” Nia murmurs, tilting her head. “Why does that sound familiar?”

Tobias, who had scooched closer to read, frowns as he tries to recall as well. Then he groans and plants his face in his hands.

“What?”

“It’s where your stupid rookidee friend lives,” Tobias says, words muffled.

Nia gasps. “Junie! Oh my gosh, you’re right! We could stop by and see her! She could—”

“We are not inviting her to join us.”

“Aw, why not? I miss her!”

“You miss her because she doesn’t pick fights with you constantly!”

Nia looks at him for a moment. “I thought you kind of enjoyed it. It's like how you squabble with Andyn."

Tobias stumbles over a retort—outright stammers—his face growing red again, and Nia bursts into laughter.

“Oh my God, I knew it! You do like bickering with them! Why do you act like you hate them so much?”

“I do hate them!”

“Mhm.”

“They’re annoying and loud and—”

“They’re your frieeends,” Nia coos, poking him in the cheek.

“They are not,” Tobias hisses, swatting her hand away. “Shut up!”

Nia can feel him heating up with embarrassment so she knows he’s lying, but she takes mercy and backs off, still grinning.

“This is exactly why you don’t need to be spending more time with either of them,” Tobias grumbles, rubbing at his cheek. “They’re rubbing off on you.”

Nia finally tames her delight down to a manageable level and goes back to Will’s letter.

I am thrilled, however, to hear about your returned memories, even if you had to endure a terrifying illness to find them. After speaking with more of the humans under my care who have recovered their own memories, I have to wonder if there is a correlation between severe injury or illness and the recovery of one's memories. Perhaps brushing by Death’s doorstep unlocks a part of the brain once buried?

Huh. Nia has to take a moment to think after reading that. The handful of memories she recovered did only return to her when she was gravely ill, but she didn’t think it was a direct correlation. But Will seems to be implying that nearly dying could be a trigger for that process. If Giratina is correct, maybe it has to do with them getting close to…leaving their new vessels? So the memories that Mew sealed away kind of…loosen?

Nia shakes her head, unnerved by the reminder that she nearly died, and reads on.

I would love to discuss with you further if you do feel like visiting. Know that you’re always welcome. We have exciting developments in the works! Until then, I hope you and your partner are well.

Will

Nia sits back. “Well, he’s open to a visit, and we have directions…”

“Guess it’s settled then,” Tobias sighs. “I’ll let August know tomorrow.”

“August said to give him a few days to run everything by Tawny and Alistair, right? So…what should we do in the meantime?”

Tobias makes a thoughtful sound in his throat, eyes trailing over the faint pattern of leaves forming the window curtain. “We don’t want to wear ourselves out completely before traveling, but we should definitely do some training or missions or something. We need to keep getting stronger, and we need to keep rising higher in the ranks so Pokemon take us seriously.”

“That would give us more funds, too,” Nia agrees. “So I guess for now we just work on recuperating and take a few missions?"

“Then when we’re cleared for travel we go to the flying outpost.” Tobias finishes, a smirk growing on his face. “You excited to get back in the air?”

Nia groans, falling back into her nest. The soft scent of straw and moss wafts up around her. “Not even a little.”

Tobias snorts a laugh. “You’ll survive.”

There’s a moment of quiet where Nia lies starfished in her nest, listening to the wind blow against their curtain. The midday sun has warmed their little room enough for it to feel nice and cozy.

“It’s too late in the day to start a mission,” Tobias says, snagging her attention again. “But I’m going to go see if Azami or Val are around to spar with.”

While he isn’t outright asking Nia to join, the way he pauses to look at her makes the implied question clear. Nia perks up. “Oh! I’ll come with! I’ve been wanting to chat with Val about how my aura’s shaping up anyways.”

Tobias grins, pushing himself to his feet and offering a hand to help her up. The two of them leave the cozy atmosphere of their room to wind their way down the Lexym Tree.

At the doorway leading into the training floor, Nia nearly bumps into a taller Pokemon. She hops back with an apology, craning her head up to meet their eyes. They look interesting—an olive green and tan Pokemon with a mushroom cap and a long, almost kangaroo-like tail. In their bright red claws, tucked close to their body, they hold something like a clipboard.

The mushroom Pokemon starts a polite apology, but cuts himself off as he catches sight of Tobias standing behind Nia. Nia’s own apology trails off as she looks between Tobias and the new ‘mon. Tobias is clearly uncomfortable, an echo of his old, closed-off demeanor resurfacing as he crosses his arms and scowls up at the taller grass type.

“Try to keep everything in one piece,” The new Pokemon finally says, tone clipped, as he slips around them and walks off.

Nia turns to Tobias with a concerned frown. “Who was that?”

“Archer,” He grumbles, good mood clearly soured. “He keeps track of inventory.”

“Oh. Um. Why was he..?”

“I used to be more…destructive, with some of the dummies. They’re flammable.”

“Oh.” Nia stares at him, trying to parse that information. With how often they travel nowadays and how much Tobias has softened up around her, Nia always forgets that there are Pokemon in the guild who aren’t fond of Tobias for one reason or another. This reason doesn’t seem like a very fair one, though. “Aren’t training dummies meant to be attacked?”

“Not when you’re using fire, apparently,” Tobias snaps, moving past her and into the training area with his shoulders tense.

Nia hurries after her partner, relieved when she sees that not only are their mentors present, but that Val is working with Xander’s team. The medicham is listening to something the luxio is explaining, the rest of his teammates gathered around to listen as well.

Azami is nearby, manning a different fighting area. The tsareena is watching a treecko as they attack a dummy, but she beams behind her tall collar when she catches sight of Nia and Tobias. “Spitfire! And little Riolu. Good to see you!”

Tobias ducks his chin into his scarf, but Nia thinks he’s secretly pleased to have such a warm reception after bumping into Archer. Val, Xander and the rest of Team Shellshock turn at the loud greeting as well.

Avery smiles with a delicate wave.

Felix grins, fluffy ears perking. “Nia!”

“Good to see you," Xander says. "When did you two get back?”

“Last night! Sorry, are we interrupting?” Nia says, approaching the group.

“We were actually just saying we need to branch out a bit with our sparring partners,” Xander says, giving Nia a friendly flick of his star-tipped tail. His gold eyes move to Tobias. “Either of you interested in joining us for combat training?"

“Yeah! I’ve been dying to see how you squirts do in a fight,” Kry says. The fraxure cracks her knuckles to punctuate her words, as if her looming presence isn't intimidating enough.

Tobias, however, flexes his claws and steps forward to meet her. “You’re on.”

"Ohoho! Bring it, little 'mon!"

“Oh, this oughta be good,” Felix says, turning to lead everyone to the sidelines.  “C’mon, we’d better clear the field for these two.”

“They’re going to battle right now?” Nia asks, giving Val a wide-eyed look even as she follows. They just got here! Shouldn’t they warm up or something?

The medicham shrugs. “Charmander stepped forward.”

Well, she can’t argue with that. Still, as Nia sits to watch, she can't help feeling nervous as Tobias crouches into a battle stance across from Kry. The fraxure lashes her tail and lowers her head with a sharp grin. Nia doesn’t think the brash Pokemon would actually hurt Tobias, but…

“Battle!” Val calls.

Both lizard Pokemon lunge, Tobias ducking under a slash and spinning to trip up Kry’s footing with his tail. The fraxure recovers with surprising grace and goes on the offensive again. Tobias is forced to backstep, shooting off small bursts of fire to try and gain some distance. Kry leaps right through one of Tobias’ flames as if it were nothing more than smoke.

“Whoa,” Nia murmurs.

“How was your trip?” Xander asks, leaning over to whisper.

“We had an, uh…eventful week,” Nia chuckles. “Solved a mysterious earthquake problem, fought some outlaws, got caught in a mystery dungeon on the river, so fun times all around.”

They also found the grave of a long-hunted outlaw and met with Giratina of all Pokemon, who told them the world was ending, but Nia feels reluctant to drop all of that onto Xander so suddenly.

Felix whistles. The wartortle’s gaze is on the fight, but his fluffy ears are angled her way. “Busy, busy! No wonder Tobias is holding his own pretty well. You two just don’t stop, huh?”

Nia smiles and straightens up, proudly watching her partner continue to dance around Kry. His fighting style is still more offensive than defensive, but he’s playing it smart, relying on his smaller size and speed to keep the fraxure from landing a spar-stopping blow.

“You willing to try a round next?” Xander asks, giving Nia a friendly nudge with his elbow that nearly knocks her over.

Nia laughs, a little nervous. “Sure? But, uh, I’m not as good at fighting as Tobias.”

“Somehow I doubt that’s true,” Avery speaks up from Xander's other side. The kirlia gives her a warm half-smile. “You tend to underestimate yourself.”

Nia flushes under her fur and looks back to the fight, wincing as Kry nearly lands a devastating punch on Tobias. Instead, her fist slams into the wooden floor with enough force to crack it. The fraxure seems to be getting frustrated, but Tobias is starting to slow too, panting hard. He hasn’t used his smokescreen yet, though Nia isn’t sure if that’s a matter of pride or if Kry’s vision would be sharp enough to see through it.

The fight continues for another minute, Tobias landing a few brushes of flames and claws on Kry’s tough hide, but the fraxure is the one who ends it. She clips the charmander with a left hook, and as he stumbles, she slams him hard in the gut with her heavy tail. Tobias staggers, and Kry takes the opportunity to pin him to the ground with her greater weight.

After a few moments of Tobias struggling to free himself—that tail whip must've knocked the breath out of him if he isn't using his fire—Val calls the match. Kry releases him, stepping back, and Tobias sits up slowly, wincing and rubbing at his stomach. Felix calls out a jovial “Good match!” while Val moves to Tobias’ side. At first, the charmander seems reluctant to listen to her, but after a few quiet words he looks at her fully, scowl lessening as he nods. She must be giving him advice.

Kry makes her way over and grins down at Nia, breathing somehow unlabored. “You next, scrap?”

Felix pouts. “You already got your turn, Kry.”

“And I asked first,” Xander says smoothly, standing and moving to where Kry stood before. He doesn’t sound bossy, but somehow even Nia can hear the quiet authority in his voice. While Nia and Tobias don’t really have a “leader” of their team, it’s clear that Xander holds the title for Team Shellshock.

“You up for it, Nia?” The luxio asks, confident expression softening.

Nia feels her heart flutter with anxiety, but Avery gives her an encouraging nod. She pads over to where Tobias is finally getting to his feet.

“Good fight,” Nia whispers to him as she passes.

“Kick his tail,” Tobias says in return, though it sounds less heated than the scathing comments he used to make towards Xander.

Nia nods and gets in position, lifting her hands and crouching just a bit, feet spread wide and stable. She still doesn’t particularly like fighting, even for fun, but she just tries to think of it more like…a friendly sporting match.

Xander spreads his paws wide as his tail flicks. Sparks come to life and crackle across his black fur, like stars in a night sky. Nia shifts, suddenly registering the fact that Xander is nearly twice her size. Usually the thought is comforting more than anything, but facing him as an opponent…

“Show ‘em what you did to that steelix!” Tobias shouts.

There’s a lull in the group's conversation that makes Nia’s ears flatten, embarrassed by the attention. However, the comment does lessen her nerves a bit. Hard to be intimidated by a luxio when she’s faced down a metal serpent the size of a semi-truck. And she did just learn work up in the last mystery dungeon, which should make her more powerful, but that might up her attack too much—she doesn't want to actually hurt Xander, after all.

Nia can hear Felix asking Tobias about the steelix comment, but Val starts off their spar with a loud, “Battle!”

In complete contrast to Tobias and Kry’s fight, Nia and Xander stay frozen in place, sizing each other up. The sparks crackling across the luxio’s fur make her wary to get in close like she usually does—he can probably cause paralysis, right? He is an electric type. But if she doesn’t get in close, then her only option is to—

Xander makes the first move, lighting up with a flash of electricity and sending a test bolt her way. Nia rolls out of the way on instinct, but she can feel the charge in the air prickling at her fur.

Xander’s eyes narrow. He darts forward to attack.

Nia yelps and creates a staff of aura, taking a swing to make him leap back. He does so, but shoots off another electric attack. Nia barely manages to scramble out of the way, rolling and leaping from bolt after bolt. She doesn’t realize Xander is herding her closer and closer to himself until he’s suddenly slamming into her side.

The electricity in his fur stings, and the blow sends her tumbling across the floor as her staff vanishes. Xander hesitates. Nia takes the opportunity as soon as she lands on her knees to charge up a messy ball of aura in her paws and launch it at the luxio. Xander’s eyes widen, clearly not expecting that, before he gets hit head-on in a flash of blue.

Nia winces. Yeah, she really doesn’t like fighting her friends.

“Oh, you learned aura sphere while you were gone?” Nia hears Avery say, excited.

Nia blinks, looking over at the kirlia. “I did?”

Tobias is also staring at Avery. “She did?”

Nia sees Avery’s eyes widen a split-second before Xander bowls into her again. As she rolls to a stop, she notices the tingly current racing through her body, making her limbs feel numb and locked into place. She struggles to sit up but can’t move. Xander takes his opportunity to pin her down, paws heavy on her arms.

He smiles. “My win.”

Nia accepts defeat with a sigh, letting her head drop back. “I got distracted.”

Xander laughs. For a moment his claws flex, and then Nia feels the electricity in her body…recede, as Xander’s own sparks increase. He steps back, and Nia can move again. She blinks as she sits up, rubbing the remaining tingles out of her arms. Did he…take back the paralysis? Like a lightning rod?

“Good fight, Nia!” Felix, ever the optimist, cheers.

“It really wasn’t,” Nia says. “At least not on my end.”

“That aura sphere caught me off-guard,” Xander encourages. “And I have a feeling you were holding back on me.”

“Not on purpose,” Nia assures, even as she keeps her mouth shut about how Xander hesitated too. He reminds her of her brother in the human world, Clay, so of course she doesn’t want to hurt him. She imagines he sees some of his younger siblings in her as well.

As they rejoin the rest of the group, Kry and Felix pass them to spar next. Val gestures Nia to sit at her side, between her and Avery.

“Sorry, I promise I’ve been keeping up with my training. I can fight better than that,” Nia says, shying away from her mentor’s inscrutable gaze.

“So we heard!” Avery says, ruby eyes shining. “You fought a steelix on your own?”

Nia shrugs, ears pinning to her head. “Tobias and Samir weakened him first.”

“It is still impressive, Riolu,” Val finally says. “Do not downplay your achievements. You fight hardest when there is a true threat. That is admirable in its own way.”

Nia relaxes, giving Val a thankful smile. “I just worry about hurting my friends when we spar.”

“Xander can take it,” Avery giggles. “But forget about that—what other aura techniques did you learn while you were gone?”

Nia perks up as she describes her improved control over her aura. She can form a pretty reliable staff of aura now, officially replacing her trusty branch as her main weapon, and apparently even throw something like an aura sphere at a short distance, at least according to Avery. Plus, there’s the way she used her aura to find Tobias in the mines under Asra—like a pulse. A radar.

At that revelation, Avery interrupts. “That could be a really useful skill to master.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely! Other than being able to find Pokemon buried beneath rocks or snow, you could even use it in battle or in the dark if your vision is impaired.”

Nia looks down at her hands, flexing them. She supposes she did kind of “see” Tobias’ aura to find him in the rubble. And she remembers when she was first learning to use her aura that Val’s energy formed a sort of…silhouette of color. Nia hadn’t thought of practicing her aura as a form of vision, but Avery does have a point about it being useful in certain situations.

“Want to try it?” Xander asks, dropping into the conversation from Avery's other side.

“Now?” Nia asks.

“Why not?”

Nia looks between everyone, but they all seem open to the idea. Tobias, sitting on Xander’s other side, looks a bit uneasy as usual at the mention of aura, but he doesn’t protest. Maybe since Nia has already seen his aura once, albeit on a very surface level, some of his reluctance has melted away.

“You…don’t mind if I look at your aura to practice?”

Everyone shakes their head, save for Tobias. He just shrugs, looking down to fiddle with his scarf. That's as close to a yes as she's probably getting.

Well, they’re all waiting for her. With a hesitant nod, Nia closes her eyes, trying to remember what she did down in the mines. At the time she was fueled by desperation, so it feels strange to try and replicate the move in a more relaxed environment. She thinks she just kind of…pushed out a thin pulse of aura? Like a wave.

She tries it once, gently. Her aura barely even leaves her body, brushing against Val’s orange energy and flashing in her mind’s eye before petering out. Frowning, Nia turns up the power a few notches. Not so strong as to hurt, but not so weak that it dissipates immediately.

On her second try, the aura washes over all of them in a single pulse. Colors light up in her mind’s eye, resembling their vague silhouettes. Val’s bright, strong orange. Avery’s calming indigo. Xander’s eye-catching red. Tobias’ deeper scarlet. For an instant, for a moment, she sees them all, before it goes dark again.

“That felt…interesting,” Xander says, making Nia open her eyes. He’s rubbing a paw over his chest.

Nia blinks. “You felt that?”

Avery nods. “Yes! It’s so hard to describe. It almost feels like you…brushed your paw over my arm to get my attention. But…against my mind instead? My emotions, maybe?”

Nia cringes, immediately glancing at Tobias. He was the touchiest about her aura being invasive.

He does look a bit wary. “How does it feel for you? When you do that.”

Nia looks down at her hand, curling it. “I…don’t think I focused on anyone long enough to get a read on anything? But I’m familiar enough with all of you that it was easy to tell who was who. I could still…feel your personalities? But not any specific emotions.”

“If you were to focus your aura more steadily, in a direct connection rather than a radius, I wonder how well you could track an opponent, even with your eyes closed,” Val says, hand at her chin.

“Could you attach your aura in some way?” Avery adds. “Tag someone, so you would have a constant link?”

Nia sits back. Huh. She certainly hadn’t thought of that. She’s glad these two are here to help. “I…don’t know? I’ve never tried.”

“Would you want to?” Avery asks, practically vibrating with excitement at the prospect of experimenting. They clearly wouldn’t mind being a guinea pig.

“Sure? If you don’t, uh. Mind. Any suggestions for how to do this? Since you’re a psychic type?”

“Well, you should probably start out by touching them, right?” Xander says, tilting his head. He glances Kry and Felix’s way when a small explosion goes off from their sparring. Felix is cackling as Kry shouts something at him.

“That would likely be a good place to start, yes,” Val says.

Avery holds out a hand, smiling. Nia hesitates, then takes it, closing her eyes and reaching out with her aura.

Avery’s purple-blue aura, as curious and deep as the night sky, flares to life behind Nia’s eyelids, making up the kirlia’s silhouette. Nia’s own bright blue aura is a strong contrast to it, the two colors a beautiful mix where they overlap at their hands. But when Nia pulls back her paw, Avery’s aura vanishes. She frowns, and touches the kirlia again so the indigo flares back to life. So she does need to…attach her aura to them, somehow. Anchor herself?

Nia can’t think of how to do such a thing, so she tries to let her instincts take over instead. Aura is all about emotion, after all. About her life energy, what she wills into being. So what if she just…wills her aura to connect? Wills her bond with the kirlia to become something…tangible. Something physical. Something more than the surface-level observations of aura that she's done so far, something deeper.

She thinks about Avery’s soft voice and bright eyes and the delicate way they move. How they’re always happy to help Nia think through a problem and how their very presence soothes something anxious in Nia. Warm affection wells up in her heart.

Nia’s aura moves to follow that pull, that connection, latching onto Avery’s instead of just brushing against it. She feels a rush of emotion, of thought, that isn’t hers.

fascinating eager friend proud curious

It’s less a voice, and more a…feeling of each word. Not too different from what Nia has felt in the past, but somehow more intense. Clearer. Nia yanks her hand away, startled, but between them a string of bright blue aura remains, tying her to Avery’s indigo aura and keeping their form visible behind her eyelids. If Nia focuses on it, she can still feels Avery’s emotions, distant. Like a voice from the next room over or a palm radiating warmth through a heavy sweater.

Worry friend okay?

Nia’s eyes snap open, and she feels the connection cut out, leaving her feeling almost…lonely. She’s panting like she hasn’t since the early days of her aura training. Avery, Xander, and Tobias are watching her with mirrored expressions of concerned curiosity.

“I-I think it worked?” Nia says.

Avery lights up, leaning forward. “Tell me everything.”

Nia tries her best to describe the experience as Felix and Kry return to the group, Kry pouting at her loss and Felix ribbing the dragon type with an elbow to her side. As soon as they’re caught up on what’s happening, Felix eagerly volunteers to be Nia’s next test subject.

Nia has a slightly harder time connecting to Felix’s leafy green aura, and frowns as she tries and fails to find a foothold.

“Maybe your aura is too depleted?” Avery suggests.

Nia considers that, but shakes her head. No, her aura isn’t anywhere near gone. It’s just like…trying to stick one piece of cotton to another, with no adhesive to hold it in place. With Avery, it was like there’d been a piece of Velcro to snag onto.

Val, arms crossed and head tilted, flicks her gaze to Tobias. “Charmander.”

Tobias, who had been watching the whole process with an unreadable expression, frowns. “Yeah?”

“You next.”

Nia and Tobias shake their heads at the same time.

“No.”

“H-He doesn’t have to, really!”

“He is your partner,” Val cuts in. “He of all Pokemon should be the one you are most familiar with. If you two are separated, I want to know you have a chance to use this skill to your advantage.”

That is…unfortunately a good point. Except Tobias has been so private with his aura, from the very beginning. Not that Nia can blame him! It’s a really personal thing. But…she also doesn’t want to disappoint Val, and—

“Fine,” Tobias grumbles, scooting over to sit in front of Nia and jabbing his hand forward. “Get it over with.”

Nia blinks at him, surprised. Just like that?

Tobias flushes. “She has a good point. C’mon.”

Nia still hesitates, but after glancing at his face one more time she closes her eyes and reaches out a hand.

Before even brushing against him, her aura leaps from her body to his, latching on like a magnet. Tobias’ emotions filter through the string, somehow…louder than Avery's. Clearer, like the reception is better.

hide hide hide calm down Nia won’t hate calm down will she get it over with already—

Nia cuts the connection herself, recoiling with wide eyes. Tobias glares back at her, none of the turmoil she just felt showing on his face.

“Riolu?” Val prompts.

“You didn’t even touch me,” Tobias grumbles. “Why do you look so freaked out?”

“I-I didn’t need to?” Nia says, more a question than a statement. “I…my aura connected on its own?”

“Without contact?” Avery asks.

Surprised, Nia nods. Her attention is admittedly torn, though, caught on the thoughts and emotions Nia felt when she connected to her partner. He’s…so scared of her looking at his aura. And not because of privacy reasons, like she’d previously thought.

He’s…scared Nia will hate what she sees?

“Hm.” Val looks like she expected this turn of events. “I suspect the depth of your bond with someone influences how easily you can connect to them.”

“Or maybe Nia is just getting better as she goes?” Felix suggests.

Nia can’t give the speculation her full attention like she usually would. She’s too busy trying to tear her thoughts away from Tobias’ suddenly worrying self-esteem, or lack thereof. She…doesn’t think she can really bring it up directly, since they were kind of his private thoughts? But she’s more than a little concerned. She’s confident that the two of them are friends at this point, but he’s still so scared that she’s suddenly going to…what? Turn on him? Just because she gets a better understanding of who he is?

“Try again on Wartortle,” Val says.

Nia manages to focus back on the conversation, at least a little. Distracted, almost without thinking, she reaches out and tries to make her aura connect to Felix again, this time without touching. Her aura strains and reaches an inch or two past her body before snapping back. Completely different than it was with Tobias, where it leaped for him like a long-lost friend.

“No,” Nia murmurs. “I think Val is right. It’s…it feels completely different.”

Felix looks unusually put out by Nia struggling to connect with his aura. Val, Avery and Xander, however, just seem thoughtful. Kry is busy picking at her teeth.

Tobias is staunchly looking everywhere but Nia, face redder than usual and fingers rubbing at his scarf. Embarrassed. Nia supposes she understands how he feels, even in her distracted state. It’s one thing to feel close to him, but another thing entirely to have tangible proof of their friendship. Then again, apparently he needs proof, if his inner thoughts are anything to gauge by.

“If only we could speak with one of the lucario tribes,” Avery sighs. “They must know so much more about aura and what it can do. Psychic energy can be used for telepathy and more physical techniques like telekinesis, but aura is an entirely different matter since it deals directly with life energy and emotions. I’ve heard you can even influence a target's emotional state and manipulate their aura like you would your own!”

Nia leans back, something in her gut turning over as she snaps back to the conversation at hand. Influencing others’ emotions? Manipulating their aura, their life energy?

"That…uh, sounds a little scary, Avery."

Avery seems surprised, but then laughs. “Apologies. I suppose it does. I just thought it was fascinating! And I know you would never misuse your aura, so I don’t fear that kind of power in your paws.”

Nia’s unease fades a bit as she gives them a smile. It’s nice to know Avery has so much faith in her.

“For now, continue to explore this technique, Riolu,” Val says. She tilts her head towards the battlefield. “Avery. Luxio. You are next.”

Avery looks reluctant to leave the discussion, but sighs and stands with an unreasonable amount of grace. They give Xander a teasing smile. “Think you can win this time?”

Xander laughs, lighting up in the way he only seems to around the kirlia. It’s kind of adorable. He nudges his teammate as they walk onto the battlefield together. “I’ll certainly try my best.”

Val hums, gaze lingering on the two of them as they start sparring without her call. “Charmander, you will battle Wartortle next.”

Nia frowns. Felix just battled a bit ago. “Shouldn’t I..?”

“You can fight if you would prefer to, but I can see you are reluctant. I believe you are making fine enough combat progress to focus on your aura today.”

Oh. Nia would prefer that over sparring, if Val thinks she’s doing all right. “O-Okay! So should I just..?”

“Practice with my aura while I monitor the sparring,” Val says, still watching the battle. “Connect to me, then try stepping away to see how far you can go before you lose the connection. Take a break between each attempt.”

There’s no hesitation in the medicham’s words, so after a moment Nia nods and closes her eyes to connect to Val’s orange energy. It’s not nearly as easy as Tobias or even Avery, but not any more difficult than Felix. A gentle tap to the fighting type’s arm, and the connection, though weak, is made. Val’s thoughts and emotions, calm as a still lake, leak through.

Luxio spark more aggressive Avery work on physical strength Riolu take breaks cannot forget exhaust herself—

Nia tries to channel out the medicham's thoughts, feeling a bit like she’s intruding. The thoughts are still there, but like someone murmuring nearby. She can kind of tune them out, and instead focuses on getting to her feet.

Whoa. She feels a bit woozy, as she usually does when stretching her aura in new ways. After a moment she manages to back away, one step at a time. The string between them stretches longer and longer. All Nia sees is her own aura and Val’s, the orange silhouette of her a bright beacon amidst the sea of black behind her eyelids.

Nia makes it ten steps away before she feels the string…strain, for lack of a better word. A tug on her soul. Then, one more step and it snaps. Nia gasps and stumbles, barely managing to catch herself before she can fall.

“Nia?” Tobias calls, apparently watching. His brow is furrowed.

“I’m fine!” She pants. That feeling just…surprised her. It was as if something she was leaning her weight on suddenly vanished.

“Take a break,” Val calls.

Nia does so, staggering back to Val’s side to sit and watch Xander and Avery exchange blows.

That’s how the training session continues, the others taking turns sparring, Tobias included, while Nia trains this new facet of her aura.

Avery, of course, gently interrogates Nia every time they are on the sidelines, watching Nia’s progress with fascination. The two of them hold a conversation as Nia treads back and forth, getting familiar with seeing the others through her aura. Avery is as curious about Nia and Tobias’ travels to Asra and Shivergleam as they are about everything else.

When Nia brings up how protect and misty terrain stopped the effects of the forming mystery dungeon on their way back from Shivergleam, Avery falls silent. When Nia finishes that round of connection training and opens her eyes, Avery is staring at her in much the same way they did when Nia made the connection between aura and type energy. Like their world has just shifted on its axis a bit.

“Avery?”

“…It’s almost a shame you became a Seeker, Nia. The research community would be lucky to have you.”

“Has no one ever tried to use a move like that in a mystery dungeon?” Nia asks, frowning. It feels kind of…obvious?

Avery hums. “I’m sure someone has, but it’s certainly not a well-documented strategy. The number of Pokemon who know such moves is already small, and the number of those Pokemon who just happen to get caught in a mystery dungeon forming are even smaller. To then also have a calm enough head to try defending rather than running? Even less so.”

“Oh.” Nia suddenly feels very, very glad that her instinct seems to be to freeze and defend, rather than to fight or flee. In this case, it worked in her favor.

“Mystery dungeons are a fairly recent phenomenon, in the grand scheme of things,” Avery continues. “Less than half a century old. And considering how dangerous they are to study as well as how randomly and rarely they appear—at least until recently—many basic facts about how they function are still unknown."

Huh. Nia guesses that makes sense.

"So this is an incredible discovery!" Avery says, excited. "I’ll need to share with Father later and ask him to connect with the researchers and archivists at the other guilds. I wonder why those moves can interact directly with a mystery dungeon? Is the environment itself using an attack somehow?”

Avery’s voice trails off to a mutter, and Nia has to stop herself from responding. Because she knows the answer to that, thanks to Giratina. Knows that the weakening border around the Pokemon world is the cause of the mystery dungeons, and that it’s made of life energy, of aura, just like any Pokemon. It makes sense that moves, which also use aura as their base power, can interact with it.

But sharing that knowledge would mean admitting to her run-in with Giratina. It would mean sharing the news of the world ending, the news that their hopes currently hinge on finding a long-lost dormant legendary. And August is going to talk to Alistair and Tawny anyways, right? Nia doesn’t want to put that burden on Avery’s shoulders. Not when there’s nothing they can do about it. They’re having a good time, training together! There’s no reason for Nia to bother Avery with terrible news. Not yet.

Nia takes a break shortly after that conversation, starting to feel truly worn down. Tobias sits down beside her after his latest spar, panting hard after facing off against Xander. Felix and Avery battle in front of them, while Xander and Kry talk strategy and Val observes.

“Hey, you crazy kids!”

Nia and Tobias tilt their heads back to see Azami hanging over them. She must be done training her own students. The tsareena’s mouth is hidden behind her high collar, but her eyes are crinkled with a smile. “Good to see you back at the Tree in one piece.”

Tobias scoffs, but Nia feels the way he relaxes at her side. “What, you think we were going to lose an arm or something out there?”

Azami laughs. “I never know with you, Spitfire!”

The tsareena takes a seat on Val’s other side to watch the spar now that she’s done mentoring her own students. After a moment, she decides to cheer on Avery. Felix sends her a betrayed look in the midst of battle that results in him getting blasted by a fairy move. Val gets up a moment later to move to where Felix is groaning on the floor, a quiet lecture about getting distracted in battle likely on her tongue.

On Nia's other side, Tobias is now arguing with Kry and Xander about offensive versus defensive strategies. Tobias insists that offensive is best, of course, while Xander leans more towards defensive strategies. Kry seems to be arguing that going on the offensive is not aggressive enough, somehow.

Nia, left to drift in the middle, sits in contented silence, letting her fatigued aura rest. She watches Val talk to Avery next. The medicham’s stoic expression is softened ever so slightly as she directs the kirlia on how they could’ve better dodged a tricky aqua tail attack earlier in the battle.

Azami leans over to whisper to Nia, “You’re one of her favorites, y’know.”

“W-What?”

“Val,” Azami says. She straightens up, but keeps her voice low. “She didn’t have the greatest mentor growing up, so she tends to keep her students at arm’s length. But she always perks up when you and Spitfire are back in town.”

“Oh,” Nia says, unsure what else to respond with. Her ears feel warm.

She…wasn’t expecting that. Val doesn’t seem to hate being around Nia and teaching her, but Nia has a hard time believing that Val holds any particular fondness for her, either. Especially considering Nia’s inexperience with pretty much, well…everything. If anything, she’d thought Val might find her kind of exhausting to deal with. Not that the medicham ever let that slip, but she doesn’t let much of anything slip.

“Trust me,” Azami laughs. “Other than Alistair, I’m the best Val translator in the guild. We’re close.”

Her voice is sly, and Nia glances at the tall grass type.

Azami winks.

Oh, Nia thinks as her brows shoot up. She doesn’t want to assume anything, but Azami isn’t exactly subtle. Does that mean her and Val..?

Val finishes offering advice and returns to sit between Nia and Azami, stopping Nia’s moment of revelation. Still, she can’t help peeking over at the two Pokemon afterwards, trying to figure out if Azami was just teasing her or not. Azami does lean awfully close to Val when they talk, and the medicham doesn’t seem to mind at all. Then again, cool and collected is kind of her default state.

For a moment, Nia thinks, I could connect to Val’s aura to find out.

Then she registers that thought and tears her gaze away to watch the next spar, stomach turning uncomfortably. She’s going to need to be careful with how she practices this new technique. Every time she thinks she’s getting a grasp on her aura, getting comfortable with it, something new pops up to throw a curveball and make her feel like she’s handling a live bomb. It’s just…scary. To know she holds so much power.

Val calls it quits on everyone’s training soon after. Tobias and Xander’s team are radiating exhaustion, and they eagerly agree to break for a late lunch. While Nia isn’t physically tired, her aura is worn down to a fraction of its usual amount and that leaves her ready for a rest and a good meal, too.

“Wanna come with us to the dining hall?” Felix invites, smile broad as he stands and stretches.

Nia glances at her partner. Tobias seems uncertain, but doesn’t disagree immediately, so he’s probably just feeling shy about how to say yes without a fuss. Nia accepts for them both, and the group packs up to head down the Lexym Tree to the cafeteria floor.

As they leave, calling thanks to Val and Azami, Nia spots the tsareena slinging an arm around Val’s shoulders, laughing about something. Val’s mouth twitches into a small smile.

Nia bites back a smile of her own and hurries after her friends.

[logansargeantsbabymom]

A Love Worth Fighting For

Bodyguard!Lando Norris x Fem!Actress!Reader

CHAPTERS 1 & 2

Genre: Forbidden Bodyguard to Lover

Warnings: Smut (Not yet), This is (MY VERSION of) a Slow Burn story!

(Should I make A Love Worth Fighting For Masterlist?)

Follow my instagram account (THATS STRICTLY FOR THIS BLOG) for updates on when i post and fun stuff like that!

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Chapter 1: Y/N

I was lounging in my sprawling living room, idly flipping through scripts, when my phone buzzed. It was a message from Daniel Ricciardo, my best friend who drove for Red Bull Racing. 

Daniel: Hey, Y/N! How about coming to the Silverstone GP next weekend? It's been ages since we hung out at a race!

A smile spread across my face. I hadn’t been to a race in a while, and the idea of seeing Daniel again was enticing. Plus, I could use a break from the constant whirlwind of movie sets and press tours.

Y/N: Count me in! Can't wait to see you!

As I hit send, I glanced over at Lando, my ever-watchful bodyguard. He was stationed by the door, his eyes scanning the room with the kind of diligence that came from years of training. Lando Norris had been assigned to me after a particularly harrowing kidnapping attempt a year ago. Since then, he’d been my shadow, a constant presence in my life. His job was to keep me safe, and he took it seriously.

“We’re going to the Silverstone GP next weekend,” I announced, catching his attention.

Lando nodded, his expression unreadable. “I’ll make the arrangements.”

The rest of the week passed in a blur of preparations. I coordinated with my stylist for a race-appropriate yet chic outfit, made sure my schedule was clear, and mentally prepared for the throngs of fans and media that would undoubtedly swarm the event.

Finally, the day arrived. Lando and I boarded a private jet to England. The flight was smooth, filled with light banter and discussions about the race. Despite his professional demeanor, I’d grown to appreciate Lando’s quiet presence and dry sense of humor.

As we touched down in England, a sense of excitement buzzed through me. I was eager to see Daniel and soak in the electrifying atmosphere of the race. But as always, there was an underlying tension, a reminder of the constant vigilance required to keep me safe.

When we arrived at the track, the roar of the engines and the sea of fans were exhilarating. Daniel greeted me with a bear hug, his infectious energy lifting my spirits. 

“Y/N! It’s so good to see you!” he exclaimed. 

I laughed, returning his embrace. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world, Dan.”

Lando stood a few steps behind me, his eyes scanning the surroundings. I could feel his protective gaze, a silent promise that he was there to keep me safe.

The day was a whirlwind of excitement. Daniel introduced me to some of his teammates, and I soaked in the sights and sounds of the race. But as the sun began to set, a sense of unease settled over me. The crowds were growing thicker, and I could feel the weight of their stares.

Lando must have sensed my discomfort because he stepped closer, his hand gently resting on my back. “We should head back to the hotel,” he murmured.

I nodded, grateful for his presence. As we made our way through the throngs of fans, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was about to happen. 

Just as we reached the exit, a group of men blocked our path, their expressions hostile. Lando immediately stepped in front of me, his posture tense and ready for a fight.

“Stay behind me,” he ordered, his voice low and commanding.

My heart pounded in my chest as I clung to his jacket, fear creeping in. 

And just like that, the atmosphere shifted from excitement to danger, leaving me on edge as I wondered what would happen next.

Chapter 2: Y/N

The men in front of us radiated hostility, their eyes fixed on me with unsettling intensity. I could feel Lando's body tense, ready to spring into action at any moment. My heart raced, but I knew better than to panic. Lando had drilled it into me time and time again: stay calm, stay alert.

One of the men stepped forward, a smirk playing on his lips. "You think you can just waltz in here and act like you own the place?" he sneered.

Lando's voice was calm but firm. "Back off. We're leaving."

The man laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "Not so fast. We just want a little chat with the princess here."

I could feel the bile rising in my throat. This was exactly the kind of situation Lando had warned me about. My fame made me a target, and there were always people looking to take advantage of that.

Lando didn't hesitate. In a swift, fluid motion, he pushed me behind him and squared off against the men. "I said, back off," he repeated, his voice like steel.

The tension in the air was palpable. I could see the men sizing Lando up, trying to decide if he was worth the trouble. It was clear that they hadn't anticipated running into someone like him.

Finally, the leader of the group seemed to come to a decision. He held up his hands in a mock gesture of surrender. "Alright, alright. We'll leave the princess alone."

But as they turned to leave, one of them lunged at Lando, a knife glinting in his hand. Everything happened in a blur. Lando twisted out of the way, his movements precise and controlled. He grabbed the man's arm, twisting it until the knife clattered to the ground. 

The other men, seeing their comrade incapacitated, quickly backed off, muttering curses under their breath as they fled.

Lando didn't let go of the man's arm until he was sure they were gone. Then, he released him with a shove, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"Go," he growled. The man scrambled to his feet and ran.

I was shaking, my heart pounding in my chest. Lando turned to me, his expression softening slightly. "Are you okay?"

I nodded, my voice barely a whisper. "Yes. Thank you."

He gave me a small, reassuring smile. "Let's get you back to the hotel."

As we walked away, I couldn't help but glance back at the spot where the confrontation had occurred. The adrenaline was still coursing through my veins, but there was something else too – a growing sense of admiration for Lando. He had risked his own safety to protect me, and he had done it without hesitation.

We reached the hotel without further incident. Lando escorted me to my room, his hand gently resting on my back. Once we were inside, he turned to me, his expression serious.

"Y/N, I need you to understand something," he said, his voice low. "My job is to protect you, no matter what. But you have to be careful too. There are always going to be people who want to take advantage of your fame."

I nodded, feeling a lump form in my throat. "I know, Lando. I just… I didn't think it would happen here."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It can happen anywhere. That's why I'm here."

I looked at him, really looked at him, for the first time. He was more than just my bodyguard. He was my protector, my confidant, and maybe, just maybe, something more.

But as I opened my mouth to say something, the words caught in my throat. This was neither the time nor the place for such thoughts. I had to keep my feelings in check, at least for now.

And as I lay in bed that night, the events of the day replaying in my mind, I couldn't help but wonder what the future held. Because one thing was certain: Lando Norris had become more than just my bodyguard. He had become an integral part of my life, and I wasn't sure how to navigate the growing feelings that stirred within me.

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

HI! This is my second series, so please ALWAYS give me feedback, whether you liked the chapter or not, what you hope happens in the next chapter, what I shouldn't include in the next chapter, so on and so forth! You can comment the suggestions, DM the suggestions or you can put them in my inbox.

Likes, Comments and Reblogs are encouraged!

(HERE IS A GOOGLE FORM FOR A SERIES ONLY TAGLIST!)

USERS ADDED TO THE TAGLIST WHEN THIS IS POSTED ON 8/10 (and until next post) WILL BE ADDED TO THE TAGLIST OF THIS POST AND THE ONES GOING FORWARD.

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Taglist:

[bryngmemoney]

✁FASHION FLIRT✃

Megumi Fushiguro x Reader

⭑story masterlist link

tw: su!c!d3 joke, that’s it

Writing in between texts at the end!!

🪡Chapter Three: Fashion Walk

Leaning back against your chair you stared at Nobara’s phone in her hand, Maki leaning in from her other side. “What’d he say?” you asked. Maki hummed in agreement to your statement, also curious as to find out what was going on. “He’s being annoying, i’m telling you he’s so dry,” she answered you. Nobara sighed before putting her phone down, straightening her posture and crossing her legs. “Whatever, we’re starting soon so let’s just see how he does.” Unlocking her phone, Maki replied, “I wonder if he even practiced for this.”

Soon enough you heard Gojo’s voice begin to speak, looking up at how in the center of lined up chairs in front of you, a black table was placed. There he sat in the middle holding the microphone into which he was speaking to. Utahime, the other fashion teacher, sat to his right, always looking more professional than him. To his left was Suguru Geto, you didn’t take any of his classes but knew he was a well liked film teacher and apparently Yuta’s favorite. “Alright fashion students! We will be beginning the model auditions now. We ask that you remain quite and respectful throughout the show. Remember that these people are here for you, so please show your appreciation of them.” he leaned the microphone over to his right, “Anything you’d like to add Utahime?” he asked while holding his signature smirk. “Oh um…” she began, looking startled and caught off guard. “Good luck.. choosing your models.” Gojo took the microphone back, “Alright thank you for those motivational words miss! Now Geto here will be filming the auditions and as promised before, all designers will have the chance to look at the headshots and filmed photography after the audition, because we will be providing these we ask that you guys refrain from filming anything on personal devices. I think that’s all, soooo with that being said.. let’s begin!”

You watched the models file out one out a time, with a good amount of space between. A mixture of experienced and beginners. You wrote down the numbers displayed at the front of their shirt of the ones that caught your eye, however leaving the first slot blank as none had quite convinced you yet, well that is until he walked out. It was him, the guy you handed the poster too, Megumi Fushiguro! As he walked out you took in his features, how could Nobara call him ugly?? Just as you had written his number and looked up, you met his gaze for a second.

Author’s Note: quite a bit of writing on this one, hope it wasn’t that crazy of an amount, also hope you guys liked this chapter!!!

also apologies if some of the @ on the tags list don’t work i think tumblr was acting up, but i tried to fix it lemme know if it worked pls

Taglist below, feel free to comment or dm me to be added!!

TAGLIST

@iridescentrays @gumimegz @maya-maya-56 @mamafly @lunavixia @swissy23 @coltsgf @m00nglad3-mp3 @etsukis @xosren @qtnfer

[lvieee]

5,200.04 km away | shen ricky

pairing : nonidolricky x reader

genre : fluff, angst

sypnosis : being in a long distance relationship can be difficult at times, communication’s the key to the problem, but what happens if you don’t?

staring at your phone, his contact name flashed on your screen. isn’t he supposed to be in class right now? why’s he calling you all of a sudden? you hesitated for a moment before swiping to answer, “hey, what’s up aren’t you supposed to be in class right now?” you ask him.

he sighed at the other end, the weariness evident in his breath as a result from a long day “my professor called in sick so he gave us shit tons of assignments to do instead, starting to question my life choices to be honest.” he says from the other end.

leaning back on your chair, you let out a chuckle at what he said “hold on a little longer, it’s almost sem break.” you tell him trying to lift up the mood a little.

“i miss you” he confesses out of the blue. the words hanging in the air, heavy with the weight of the distance that separates the two of you. you could tell from his voice how tired he is.

“i miss you too rui” you reply, words hanging a bit uncertain, unsure of how to offer comfort across the distance.

you and ricky were what people would call high school sweethearts, you would have lunch together with his and your friends, walk together to class, have study dates—he’d tutor you in subjects you didn’t do quite well in which you are still amazed at how good he is at it, and you’d do the same for him to return the favor. but all changed after graduation, when the two of you seperated going on different paths.

the both of you have talked about this a few times before, even when you two were still in what people usually call the “talking phase”. curious you’d bring up this topic to him as you two would be graduating not very long later.

you both knew the consequences of getting into a long distance relationship, the hardest one being not being able to see each other face to face for a long period of time, feeling lonely even though you have a partner. but hey it’s not like we’re living back in the days like before, even then people would send out letters to their loved ones, you can still talk to him through messaging and calls.

but its not so easy sometimes seeing not just your friends but also everyone on social media doing regular couple stuff, going on dinner dates, going to the movies together. sometimes you just wished you could smash through whatever’s keeping you and ricky from doing the same.

despite all the challenges, you two were the ones who agreed to continue this relationship in the first place, hoping that all efforts the both of you put in at the moment will one day pay off.

“anyways, any plans on sem break?” he asks you through the other end breaking the silence “haven’t really thoufht about it yet, what about you?” you respond asking him back

“same, just want everything to be done honestly. so much things to do, i’m gonna go crazy.” he rambles

“when’s ur break starting?” you ask him pulling your back up from the chair fixing your posture to sit up straight.

“in about three weeks i guess?” he responded back, crossing his arms placing it on the table, head leaning forward closer to his screen to get a better look at you. “what are you doing?” he asks you.

you then take your phone, bringing your camera to show him what you’re working on — “oof, 加油” (jiā yóu — good luck)

putting back your phone to where it was earlier, still showing your face, you suddenly yawned, reminding you of how late it is and how you should call it a day and go to sleep.

“go to sleep dear, it’s already so late there.” he reminds you — though he still wants to spend more time with you even through the phone, your different time zones don’t allow you to.

“10 more minutes” you responded eyes still glued to the screen not wanting to sleep yet with the amount of undone tasks you have.

you can’t deny, the time you two are spending on each other are getting lesser day by day, assignments adding up as soon as you finish one, different time zones — him wanting to stay up to talk to you on times you are free, but you not letting him cause he has class the next day even though you know deep down how much you want to spend time with him, but you don’t want to be the reason he’s tired the next day. and the same goes for you as well, you wanting to stay up late to talk to him, but him not letting you do so for the same reasons.

its usually times when you’re free, he’s either sleeping or he’s at class. so sundays it is when you two could catch up after a busy week.

despite all its negatives, there were also times when he would ask you out on “virtual dates” like watching movies together, playing games late at night screaming and laughing at how dumb the both of you are at the game, there were also times where he would match up with your time just so you two could have a meal together just like how it used to be back in the days—and by that i mean he would not eat for a couple hours to match up with your time just you two could dine together even through online. he’d set up his place, place candles on his desk, get a wine glass just to fill it with anything but alcohol.

“what’s with the candles?” you ask him laughing. “omg is that wine?” you say noticing the wine glass filled with what you thought was wine. “its grape juice.” hearing him say that it’s not made you laugh even more continued by him showing you the bottle of grape juice and suddenly making tapping noises on it “asmr” he smiling as he whisperes to his microphone only making you burst out laughing even more at his acts.

“did you change your lights?” you ask after noticing the change of ambience in his place which wasn’t usually this warm. “yeah isn’t it nice” he responds to your question while looking around at his surroundings. “what are you having for dinner mr shen?” you ask him teasingly. the effort he put in to make the it feel like a fancy restaurant while you’re in your room, dressed in loungewear and just a cup of cup noodles in front of you cause you didn’t feel like cooking or ordering from outside save money.

he then shows you the meal he cooked just now, he’s definitely improved his cooking skills after living alone for a few months now. “oooo looks nice, how long did it take you to make that?” you ask him, trying to keep the conversation going.

he takes a bite into the chicken he made “hmm about 40 ish minutes, it wasn’t as difficult as it thought it would be.” he said after chewing on his food. “i should add more pepper wait here i’ll go grab it.” he says before leaving to grab the seasoning and continue to have dinner with you after months of being away.

not only virtual dinner dates, he would send you gifts, buy you things out of nowhere and it suddenly arriving at your home. he would also send you packages from his place filled with snacks you’ve always wanted to try, snacks he recommends, random things he bought, and we can’t forget; his hoodies or sweaters that he made sure to spray with his perfume before sending it out to you.

not only him, but you too would send him packages filled with snacks you want him to try, random things and hand written letters you write on your freetime. sometimes, you two would wait for the package to arrive at your homes, and unbox them on facetime together to get each other’s reactions.

you could be doing the dishes or even your laundry while talking, rambling about your day while he sits there watches and listens to you rant about your teammate not doing their part on the group assignment.

he could be cooking, or even cleaning which he still hasn’t gotten used to since he used to rarely do housework back then before college, he’d call you, asking you what to put in his soup, how you cook certain meals or sometimes at days when he’s not in the mood to cook, he’d just order takeout and would still call you, have you decide on what he should eat.

as the end of semester came rolling round, you two found yourselves swallowed by the relentless tide of responsibilities. what used to be daily messages and calls that bridged the distance became less frequent, late night calls where either him or you used to talk, relax and do anything turned into brief and hurried messages of words of encouragement, pushing each other to do their best on their examinations.

ricky : still alive?

you : barely

ricky : goodluck tomorrow, don’t stay up too late.

you : you too ❤️

you : totally bombed the test

hours later

ricky : hey, sorry was studying just now.

ricky : bombed mine too

you : oh shut up, you say that then end up acing the test.

ricky : not this time

you : still up?

late night cramming, and early morning revisions and also time zones left little room for the usual routine that you used to have, past messages and call histories turned into bittersweet reminders of what once was.

as the last exam wraps up, a heavy silence settled between the two of you. weeks of stress and exhaustion left little to no energy for the emotional reconnection the both of you desperately needed.

you : good luck on your last exam!

ricky : thanks, you too dear 🤍

each passing day bringing more tension. both survived the exams but it feels like you’re slowly loosing something in the process.

after days of suffocating silence, you reached your breaking point. the weight of unspoken words and the distance became too much to bare. feeling even more upset after the way he responded to your message; like he was in such a big hurry. how he wouldn’t start conversations without you talking to him first.

ricky : what are you up to?

ricky : i miss youuu

ricky : wanna call?

reading his message felt like salt on an open wound, he’d just text you like as if the past few days of no contact hadn’t bothered you.

seeing his name pop up on the side of your screen, you think about it for a moment before picking up. in the dimly lit room, his face glowed softly, illuminated by the bright computer screen in front of him.

“hey” he says while adjusting his thin framed glasses he usually wears. “what are you up to?” he asks you. you didn’t feel like giving him a long answer on what you’ve been up to these days when he hadn’t made effort on contacting you. “nothing much” you say nonchalantly hoping he wouldn’t question you even more.

“oh” was all he let out to your response. you two then stayed there in silence, not saying a word to each other despite being on call. he’s doing whatever he’s doing on his computer and you’re scrolling through your social media not really wanting to start a conversation with him.

you know it is quite unreasonable that you picked up the call with zero intentions on talking to him just to get his reaction but you hadn’t gotten one so far. it was like he was fine with you two not talking.

this made you even more upset. “i need to go, talk to you later bye.” you said before hanging up on the call. he didn’t even have time to respond before you hung up that quickly.

but on his side he found it wierd that you changed all of a sudden, you suddenly not talking as much. daily updates from you became less often, almost none ad the day passes by. assuming that you were busy and he didn’t want to bother you. he decided to wait for you to initiate contact then go with the flow.

as hours passed by without your usual updates and messages, he began contemplating the silence. maybe you truly were busy and had no time to talk. hesitant to disturb your presumed busy schedule, he refrained from reaching out, leaving the the distance even more quiet. with each passing hour, it felt like the uncertainty was getting even cloudier without the usual chitchat.

they say communication’s the key to a healthy relationship. right? so then why are you so persistent on not talking to him, basically giving him the silent treatment. waiting for him to make the first move. you very badly wanted the silence to end, but why are you so hesitant on reaching out? the questions flood in your mind—does he not care? does he not find it wierd that you’re not reaching out as much? is he seeing someone else? does he still wanna be with you? frustration creeps in as your thoughts spiral.

as days go by, still no contact. admist the chaos of your thoughts and the akward silence, there’s this tiny hope—maybe he’s going through the same uncertainty. then it hits you that this isn’t a solo mission and that you should communicate through problems like this.

you : still up?

you shoot him a text, hoping he’s still up wich you were pretty sure he was. you knew his sleeping schedule, especially during breaks when he’d stay up till the crack of dawn, either glued to his computer or just chilling. late night talks, scrolling through social media, gaming. he wasn’t exactly an early bird.

so you sit there, waiting for his response hoping he’d reply quicker. then you see those three dots pop up—he’s typing. feeling even more nervous, wondering what’s on his mind in the middle of the night.

ricky : yeah, can we talk?

surprised at his response. it was like he could read your mind even through the distance. getting up from your bed, sitting on your chair you turn on your laptop to video call him.

waiting for him to pick up, you scroll through your phone to ease your mind. you then hear your laptop notify you that he’s picked up. “hey” he says breaking the silence.

“hey ricky” you greet him back. which was unsual—you’d always call him by nicknames, babe, dear, love etcetc. him hearing you call him by his name sounded wierd.

“so…” you say after taking a deep breath. “how’ve you been?” he asks you but it was akward this time. “nothing much, you?” you respond, asking him the same question. hearing him click his tounge you could tell he was frustrated “look, i- to be honest with you im pretty sure you’ve noticed already, we haven’t been talking as much.” he says straight to the point, quickly which he does when he’s nervous.

you stared at your screen for a second not knowing how to respond. but part of you felt relieved that he also felt the same way. “i know this might be wierd for me to say all of a sudden but did i do anything wrong? it’s killing me that we’re not talking.” he asks you genuinely confused.

your heart skips a beat hearing him say that. his unexpected honesty catches you by surprise. “i- it’s just that i noticed you haven’t been very active these past few days you don’t respond to my messages like how you used to, i know you’ve been busy with exams and all, i understand that but it just kind of continued till after exams which kind of confused me to be honest. i assumed you really were busy so i thought it was better for me not to bother you so much.” you explained, coming clean to what you’ve been feeling lately—“and…to be honest with you too, i have been wanting to talk to you about this past few days ago, i just hadn’t got the courage to.. i’m sorry.” you apologized.

giving him the silent treatment wasn’t going to solve the problem. so you thought it would be best to be honest with him and talk to him about what’s been on your mind.

taking a deep breath, processing what you just said earlier “i actually thought the same about you, you haven’t been very active. and i figured you were caught up in stuff” he says feeling bad, all this happened because of miscommunication.

“yeah, i get that” you acknowledge, feeling relieved that you’re both on the same page, getting what each other’s saying in your conversation. “we totally should’ve talked about it sooner, huh?”

you chuckle softly “yeah, maybe we’re not so mind reading savvy as we thought.”

“promise me you’ll talk to me if we have any problems?” he asks you putting up his pinky making a pinky promise. “yeah” you reply also putting up your pinky.

as the conversation continues, you both realise you’ve been on the same tricky journey. it’s like a lightbulb moment, and you feel the tension melt away replaced by a sense of connection after confusion.

the chat goes on, it’s like the fog lifts. back to goofy emojis, jokes, and laughs. leaving the tension an issue behind.

“any plans yet?” he asks you thinking about going to yoir place this sem break. “no not really, you?” you ask him back.

“should i go to your place?” he asks you, tilting his head slightly while looking at you through his screen. surprised, “what really?” you ask him getting excited over the thought of being able to see him again after months being away from each other.

“it’s up to you, you know” he says making it a choice for you to decide. “yeah of course” you say excited. “when tho?” you ask him while thinking of what you two should do when he visits, food he needs to try, places you two should go; places you wanted to go but couldn’t cause you didn’t want to be alone, no. cause you wanted to go with him.

“next week? tuesday or wednesday?” he replies while looking at available flights from his to your place. “tuesday, tuesday aahh im so excited.”

“right, then tuesday it is”

part 2

[rallentando1011]

about donnie making fun of Rom coms. What happens if s/o like them, but in a way where they watch them to make fun of them and it makes them and Donnie reflect on their own relationship without meaning too? 😂 . “It’s so bad. This love triangle. I gotta see how this trainwreck ends! All 3 are terrible and deserve each other”. “Geez I would hate that if a guy did that to me”. “Oh! He deserves better”. S/o does openly swoon over really sweet gestures sometimes though. “Oh. He gave her a library and fixed it up 😭 “.

The song is Nothing - Bruno Major, it does mention alcohol in like one line as well as making out but those are NOT in the story at all - just wanted to preface this with that (thanks for the request btw! I am working on all of them still I promise-)

Nothing

(rise Donnie x gn reader)

“Track suits and red wine

Movies for two

We'll take off our phones

And we'll turn off our shoes”

The evening opened at the lair.

A breezy night, the wind feather-light and warm, the sky had been dim and earth damp with a fresh rain, the frigid conditions of winter thawing into a complacent spring.

Below the concrete confines of the sewers, the weather was just as drippy, the continuous drips and drops of water trickling with a postnasal quality, drumming peacefully throughout the lair.

A dreary morning had bled into a dreary day had bled into a now dreary evening. With the dispelling weather, you had found it drudgery to even perform basic tasks like getting out of bed and dressing yourself and eating. But you had to. And you did.

After getting through the necessities and chores of the day, you had bound to the lair, renewed from your climatory blues with the expectation of good company and no obligations. Sounded good to you.

What you hadn’t anticipated was walking into the lab to see your “company” sitting, hunched over his desk, busy at work, with webcore music playing over the speakers and a rom-com, of all things, playing on his PC.

“Psh,” you half-laughed, the energy behind your amusement not completely convincing. You worked your way beside him and leaned against his desk. “What’s going on here?”

“Oh,” Donnie, just the man you’d been looking for, startled and slowly, as if trying to avoid detection, moved a hand to shut his screen. “Hey, I didn’t see you there.”

Before the computer screen could shut, you nudged it back up. “You like these movies?”

Donnie paled, sitting up straighter, lips pressing into a flat line. “Absolutely not. They’re just good background noise.”

You hummed. If his posture and lack of alertness was anything to go off of, he’d been at this a while. He could use some R & R, and honestly, you wouldn’t oppose.

“Well, in that case, would you like to watch some ‘background noise’ with me?”

He slumped back down in his chair and looked at you blankly. “I am quite obviously in the middle of something. I think we both already know the answer to that.”

“And how long have you been at that?”

There it was: guilt.

You nudged his shoulder, flashing a grin at him. “Come on. We’re getting snacks and taking a well earned break.”

“But-”

“No sir, none of that. We’re going. Projector room. Now.”

“But-”

“First one there chooses the movie.”

That impetus was enough to spur both of you into motion.

“We'll play Nintendo

Though I always lose

'Cause you'll watch the TV

While I'm watching you

There's not many people

I'd honestly say

I don't mind losing to

But there's nothing

Like doing nothing

With you”

Unsurprisingly, he beat you to the projector room. Sure, he was a genetically enhanced mutant turtle and the odds were stacked heavily against you from the get go, but you were still salty about losing your own bet.

Not as salty as you were about his choice of “movie” not being a movie, instead being playing Super Smash Bros.

And especially not as salty as you were about getting irrevocably obliterated.

Round after round of the game, you had been infuriatingly greeted with screen after screen declaring your loss and all but screaming how terribly you sucked. Normally, you got the one up on him at least once, but with how drowsy your motor function was today, not to mention how you kept getting caught up in how invested he was but that was irrelevant, the game was not gaming.

Furthermore, you tried to pin your inopportune streak on S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N., who had taken up residence on your lap after retrieving your and Donnie’s snacks and drinks of choice from the kitchen, but Donnie had disproven that theory. By holding his controller higher to simulate the space the drone took up and proceeding to desecrate you again.

You groaned and slumped down the couch as he once again laughed victoriously, boisterously. Seriously, his ego needed to be humbled.

“Another round,” you demanded, half-dead on the couch. “I got, uh, distracted.”

Donnie halted his gloating, tilted his head down at you and the little drone, though the smug grin had yet to clear his face.

You knew what was next, probably your favorite and least favorite part of your dynamic - banter.

“I know you’re only looking at me to have some semblance of an excuse to lose, but I’ll take that as a compliment of both my rugged good looks and superior gaming skills.”

You feigned injury with a hand over your heart. “Man, that is a harsh accusation. I am wounded. Mortally wounded.”

“Your Yoshi will be the wounded one after I annihilate you in this next round of Smash.”

“Oh, you are on.”

“Dumb conversations

We lose track of time

Have I told you lately

I'm grateful you're mine

We'll watch The Notebook

For the 17th time

I'll say ‘It's stupid’

Then you'll catch me crying”

After a few more times of crushing you in Smash, it apparently became boring. Either that or your pouting convinced him to hand the reins over to you and let you pick a movie.

Finally, you could relax.

Head on his shoulder, his arm around you, a plush blanket resting on your laps, a borderline unbearable romantic comedy on the projector, it was blissful.

“Hmm would you look at that?” you commented on one particular scene. You felt Donnie shift next to you, raising an ever so slightly judgmental eyebrow. “The love interest did something wrong and then compensated by making a library. And spending time with them. And apologizing.”

He stared at you.

You stared back. “Looks like someone could take notes.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Donnie blinked, and you smiled.

“Oh, nothing.”

“We're not making out

On a boat in the rain

Or in a house I've painted blue

But there's nothing

Like doing nothing

With you”

“I would die if you ever did that to me.” You shuddered at the absolutely foul scene unfolding on the television and sunk a little closer into his side, second hand embarrassment seeping into your bones. 

“Good connotation or bad connotation?” he pondered, all too genuinely. It made you want to gag.

“Good or bad?” you asked, incredulous. “Like, the worst connotation. I mean, if you showed up to my work like that I would actually spontaneously combust. Deceased. No hesitation.”

You plopped unceremoniously sideways onto his lap, the back of your hand dramatically resting on your forehead.

“That’s what spontaneous means,” he deadpanned, the arm that had been over your shoulder slowly slinking back to his side.

“I don’t need called out on my redundancy right now,” you jabbed an accusatory finger at him, looking up, “I just need you to promise to never do that.”

“Okay, okay,” he conceded with a content grin. “I’ll try not to show up to your work with some overly pedantic display of affection.”

You scowled.

“So shut all the windows

And lock all the doors

We're not looking for no one

Don't need nothing more

You'll bite my lip and

I'll want you more

Until we end up in a heap on the floor”

The room had grown dim, illuminated only by the faint blue on the projector screen. You blinked yourself awake from a half-asleep stupor as you realized the movie had come to a close. 

“Hey, are you still up?” you whispered groggily, noting his closed eyes and shallow breathing.

“Unfortunately yes.” His eyes peeled open begrudgingly.

“And you’re not working on anything?”

He seemed visibly more awake at that observation. “Huh. That is correct.”

“Hehe. I finally got you to be unproductive.” You poked his cheek jestingly, still lightheartedly.

“Yep. I concur - you got me.”

“And I finally got you to have a good time.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You sat up, incredulous. Sure, it hadn’t been an eventful night by any regard, but it had surely been enjoyable.

“Just that all of the characters are stupid,” he elaborated with a gesticulation of his hands. “Just- all of them are total dum-dums.”

“Well, yeah,” you agreed with a shrug. “That love triangle was destined to fail from the start. They’re all horrible people and deserve everything they got.”

“And watching that is enjoyable for you?”

“Yeah, it just makes me appreciative of what we have.”

Donnie paused, reflected at that. “Huh. That’s… an incredibly introspective view.”

“So, you enjoyed the movie?”

“Don’t push your luck.”

“You could be dancing on tabletops

Wearing high-heels

Drinking until the world

Spins like a wheel

But tonight your apartment

Had so much appeal

Who needs stars?

We've got a roof

But there's nothing

Like doing nothing

With you”

Busy personalities beget busy schedules, and who would want to be anything but? If the choice is between being mundane or multifariously vibrant, isn’t the choice obvious?

Yet sometimes the hustle and bustle and pressure build up, workloads stack up, a devastating fatigue sets in. And the best thing to do together is absolutely nothing.

“No, there's nothing

Like doing nothing

With you”

[notsoattractivearenti]

Golf Practice (Mason Mount x Reader)

WC: 1.7K

Warnings: sexually suggestive language, cursing (minors be warned)

A/N: even tho i didn't know anything about golf, i wrote this just cuz i can't resist golfer!mase (i did some research and still don't get golf lmao). also this has been sitting on my draft for a while and i forgot to post it 💀 hope you guys enjoy and i’d love to hear your thoughts thru ask/reply/reblog 💗 this was not proofread so apologies for any errors! feedbacks are highly appreciated 🤍

—

“Y/N, are you ready?”

“Wait, wait,” you fixed your shirt, grabbed your golf cap – which Mason just bought for you recently just for this occasion – and put on your shoes.

You closed and locked the bedroom door. “Okay, let’s go.”

Mason took a good look at you and couldn’t stop himself from complimenting you.

“My God, Y/N,” he gulped, “you are so fucking sexy.” 

“Oh pfft,” you tried to cover the fact that he instantly made you blush, “just keep your pants on, mister.”

“Seriously though, I really mean what I say!” He laughed.

“You look so good it’s almost hard to resist.” He continued.

“Yeah yeah yeah, whatever, can we please just go???” You insisted.

“Okay, okay, off we go then.”

He grabbed the car keys then playfully slapped your butt before he sprinted his way to the car.

“Wha- Mason!” You gasped.

—

You and Mason finally arrived at the golf course. You have never been to one before, and you were a little bit stunned when you saw how big the course was.

“Mase… I thought we were going to like, smaller golf course or something.”

“Hmm, I don’t know what made you think that but this is the place I usually play with the lads.”

“And now you’re just playing… With me?”

He laughed at your question.

“Duh, this is a date, no?”

“Yeah…” You scratched your head. “I mean, I feel like this is way too big for just us. Also you know I’ve never played golf before and this kind of makes me nervous.”

Mason then leaned in and kissed you on the top of your head.

“Don’t be nervous, my love. We’re here to just simply have fun... I will teach you if you want.” He softly assured you.

You knew it was just for fun, but you couldn’t help but feel a bit – no, not a bit, very – competitive. You’re aware you can be a sore loser sometimes, and though Mason has seen that side of you a few times, you still didn’t want to be a pain in the ass when losing especially on a sport you have not even one clue about.

“Okay, but you know I still want to win, right?” You bluntly told him.

“Of course.” He nodded and smiled.

“But just so you know, I’m so good at this you probably have little to no chance of winning this time, Y/L/N.” He said smugly.

“Oh, it’s on like a prawn who yawns at dawn, Mount.”

—

The entire time, Mason was the one driving the golf cart. You both were chatting away while your eyes were wandering around the course.

“Imagine having a course this big in your backyard,” you said to yourself, “pretty hard to maintain, I assume.”

“I mean, you sure can pay people to take care of it.” Mason chimed in.

“Yeah, if I have the money to pay them.” You shook your head.

“If you have a golf course in your backyard, then you must definitely have tons of money beforehand, Y/N!” He laughed.

“Do you see our future house with a golf course, hun?” You asked him.

“I don’t know, maybe?” He answered. “But I want a small football pitch more, though.”

“Yes, that sounds more like us. I like that idea as well.” You agreed to him.

“I would love to practice with our kids there one day. That would be great, right Y/N?”

You smiled. You do love the idea of playing football with your future little family in the backyard one day.

“Sounds wonderful.”

—

“Okay, I’ll go first.” Mason said as he took two golf clubs from the bag, then handed one for you.

“Watch how I play closely, yeah?”

“Mmm, gladly.” You responded jokily, as you stood slightly behind him.

This time, you made him blush. He shook his head and cleared his throat, then fixed his posture before making a move.

“Nice butt, by the way.” You teased him.

“Y/N!” He briefly tilted his head back and squeezed his eyes. “Focus, please.”

“Okay, okay, sorry,” you giggled, “go on baby.”

He got into position and swung the club. You both then carefully watched where the ball landed.

“Alright, that’s my mark,” Mason pointed out at where the ball was, “try to hit your ball further if you can.”

“But I doubt you can.” He sarcastically murmured.

“Uh, I heard that!”

You then walked back to the initial spot and tried to imitate Mason’s posture before swinging the ball.

“Mase, is this correct?” You asked.

“Hmm, not quite.” He replied.

“Is it alright if I stand behind you to help?” He politely asked – a real gentleman he is.

“Yeah, go ahead.” You agreed. “Just try not to get hard, yeah?”

He immediately snorted and laughed.

“I’ll take my chances.” He funnily responded back.

He stood right behind you and started helping fix your posture until it felt right.

“Don’t hold back while swinging. Put your full strength on it.” He suggested.

“Like this?”

You gave yourself a try at swinging the golf club. You didn’t see it but you almost hit him on the head with the club.

“Whoop, careful!” He put down the club. “Here, I’ll guide you.”

He put his arms around yours and carefully guided you the right way to swing. With him gently helping you this close, you couldn’t exactly pay good attention to what he was trying to teach you. 

“This feels so intimate.” You blurted it out.

He chuckled.

“Focus, Y/N. You want to win, no?”

You nodded. My God, I love it when he is in this serious mode, you thought to yourself. The truth was you started to feel slightly turned on, but you were trying to resist your urge since you also genuinely wanted to learn how to play golf – you were basically fighting for your life. You were supposed to learn and practice with your “personal coach” but your mind was filled with filthy thoughts about the things you wanted your boyfriend – who was guiding you through your first-ever golf game at the moment – to do to you.

“Y/N, are you still with me?”

Whoops, you just realized you were so caught up with your thoughts you were spaced out for a bit – and of course Mason noticed.

“Yeah, yeah, I am. Sorry.”

After a few tries, you told Mason you finally felt ready to take your first swing. He stepped back and cheered you on.

“Let’s go my love!”

You got into position then tried to swing your golf club, but you failed to hit the ball. Both you and Mason suddenly burst into laughter.

“Y/N, you’re the prettiest but what a terrible golfer you are!” Mason made fun of you.

“Shut up Mase! That was only the first try!” You defended yourself.

You gave it another try, this time you did hit the ball but it was definitely not a good shot. The ball only landed around 30 centimeters across from you – you didn’t hit the ball hard enough and obviously, Mason’s was way further.

“Fuck!” You yelled in frustration.

“That’s fine, baby, you’re fine!” Mason rubbed your shoulders and kissed your head. “Well done nevertheless.”

—

At the end of the game, it was clear that Mason won. You don’t like to lose, no, but you were totally fine losing to him since golfing was very new to you. But for someone who could be very impatient most times, golf actually helped you exercise your patience even for a tiny bit. At the beginning, you repeatedly expressed a lot of frustration especially when the ball didn’t get into the hole, but slowly you learned how to be more calm and eventually after a few rounds less swear words came out of your mouth. Also, having a cute, hot date did make it a lot more fun.

Mason was happy to beat you but he lowkey wanted you to win – just because he loves to see you win. He never thought you would agree on a golf date, knowing you have never played before or have never shown any interest in the sport. He initially thought of doing miniature golf with you, but somehow he changed his mind and brought you to an actual golf course instead. He even bought you a brand new golf cap merely because he got so excited to go golfing with you. He also really enjoyed helping you practice, he thought it was the best thing that happened today.

“This was so fun, my love. Thanks for doing this with me.” He said at the end of the date.

He then gave you a quick kiss on your lips.

“Fun for you, meh for me.” You playfully rolled your eyes.

“What can I say? I’m just that good.” He bragged.

“Mmhm, I’ll give it to you this time. Next time, I’m going to beat your ass.” You said to him.

He grinned widely and patted your head.

“Sure, kid. Looking forward to the next one. And the other next ones.”

—

Now back at home, after you changed your clothes you saw Mason sitting at the backyard, cleaning the used golf clubs before storing them. You decided to join him there – you quietly approached him then hugged him from behind. He was a little surprised – even jumped out of his seat a little – when you did that but he tried to hide it from you.

“I knew you were coming, I can smell your perfume from afar.” This was his attempt to save his face.

“Oh I believe you.” You giggled as you kissed his cheek.

“You know, Mase,” you gently caressed his arm and seductively whispered into his ear, “I would very much love it if you smash me like you smashed the golf balls today.”

His eyebrow was raised quickly and he immediately turned his head towards you.

“Oh, really?”

You smirked.

“Mmhmm… Consider that as your prize for today.”

“Yeah? Do you really want me to uh, “smash” you as hard as I did to those balls?” He bit his lip as he teased you.

“Harder.” You emphasized.

“Well, since you asked for it…” Mason stood up, picked you up then started kissing your neck and lips, “it is my duty to deliver.”

—

taglist: @pulisicsgirl @neverinadream @swimmingismywholelife @chilwellspulisic @bracedes @lovelynikol16 @thoseboysinblue @lizzypotter14 @masonsrem @landoslover

[cherubimbunny]

『 Lotus 』

‧₊˚ Pairing: Dōma x Reader ꒰warnings: Vaginal Fingering | Mentions of Cannibalism |Reader is not a good person | Reader is a Demon | OOC Douma probs꒱

⤷ Summary: Never have you thought you'd be in this situation with the infamous cult leader or also known as Upper Moon Two.

It was weird how the two of you met.

Well, weird was the only way to put it, for it was snowing when his eyes landed on your injured and beaten body, a lowly demon trespassing in his territory, you everted your gaze almost instantly, never showing the dread you felt on your face. He gave you a soft smile but you smelled the rage hidden behind it. You told him that you didn’t intend to stumble into his hunting grounds and that you were just passing through and his only reaction was to smile even more deeply. 

There was no mistaking the scent of blood wafting from you; of yours and a human. Lying to him was futile, he said. You let out a shaky sigh and explained demon slayers were hunting you across the county. 

Slayers, plural.

“So, you ran and led them here?” He tilted his head. You shook your head and told him you killed them which is why you were missing an arm. His tense posture seemed to relax a bit at the answer and his smile didn’t seem to look too tense.

You often rewind the odd encounter in your head whenever you were having lunch alone in your room. The way he just laughed and lifted your exhausted body after the batter was surreal and when he carried you back to his temple made you think you were about to be eaten by one of the strongest Upper Moons. 

But here you were, under his care for what you felt like over a decade. You were not entirely useless to him of course; your feminine charm would lure more female disciples for him and he would allow you to feast on the ones that didn’t meet his pallet. 

“You’re drifting away again.” A playful voice pulled you right back to the present. You tucked your chin to your chest, a bashful frown on your lips. “It’s rude to stare, Dōma-sama.” The demon pouted as he placed his elbow on his thigh, his golden fans folded in his fists. 

“I told you to stop being so formal.” He whined out but quickly fell back into his carefree smile. “Besides, we’re friends, aren’t we?” 

You sighed, looking up towards him from where you sat on the soft zabuton. “We’ve discussed this, My Lord. Your disciples need to see that everyone, even myself, respects you in the highest regard, you can’t go around playing favourites.” 

Dōma huffed and crossed his arms. “Man, you’re boring.”

There was a moment of silence, it wasn’t tense nor awkward but you knew the higher demon was deep in thought. You were about to ask him what was on his mind but your question was cut short when he suddenly clasped his hands together in his usual cheery attitude. 

“Dōma-sama?” 

He waved his hand towards you, asking you to come closer. “You look lonely sitting all by your lonesome down there, come sit with me.” It wasn’t the first time he requested you to sit beside him, he does that all the time actually. So, you got up, fixed your kimono in place and walked up towards him.

You were about to sit beside him when he yanked your wrist and effectively made you land on his lap, his strong arm wrapped around your body to trap you in place. The cold winter air seemed to get warmer as Dōma laid your back against his chest. 

God, he was warm. 

You squeaked when he began to nuzzle the back of your neck. “Dō-Dōma-sama!” Your reaction only made him chuckle and it was the only encouragement he needed for him to move his nuzzling to the side of your neck, nose brushing lightly against the side of your jaw. “Your skin is so cold! You should’ve told me, could’ve warmed you up sooner.” 

“Dōma-sama this is inappropriate! We’re in public, the others—” You let out a high-pitched yelp when he nipped your neck. “Relax, they won’t come in a couple of hours.” 

“But—" This time, he bit you harder; his teeth sinking into the flesh on the space between your shoulder and neck and all you could do was whine and squirm in his lap. He let go of your shoulder with a pop before lapping up your blood around the oozing wound with a happy hum. 

“No buts, my lotus!” He exclaimed loudly. “Your lord commands you to spend time with him in his lap and bask in his affections till the bell rings!” 

You pout, rubbing your sore shoulder from his harsh bite.

My Lotus.

That was his possessive nickname for you.

Your relationship with Dōma was bizarre at its best; he would hug or place kisses on your cheeks out of nowhere and his face would relax, cheeks rosy, and a content smile would appear every time you’re in the same room with him. Whenever you reciprocate his public display of affection, rubbing the tip of your nose against his cheeks, he would squeal and lift you off the floor with a dopey smile on his face as he prolonged his affectionate gestures.   

You won’t deny that you harboured soft feelings towards the demon and you were acutely aware of his apathy; you were no fool of his thick façade he wore but sometimes at night you can’t help but wonder if he did like you or all of it was just an act.

You were a fool, a foolish girl who was in love completely knowing he was incapable of feeling anything other than amusement from the damned.

Or so you thought.

 “You are ya know,” He murmured into your ear softly. You tilt your head to the side to see his face more clearly, confused by his sudden comment. “Pardon?” 

His smile grew bigger.

“My favourite.” 

Your face was lit aflame, blush spreading down to your neck as you huffed and covered your blazing face with your hands. Dōma laughed merrily as he cuddled you closer, nudging his nose against the back of your hand. “You’re so adorable when you blush, my small demoness! So cute and precious!” 

“You’re so mean, Dōma…” mumbled into your palm.

The demon above you gasped happily “There it is! Was it hard for you to call me without the honorifics?” You sighed again and leaned your body sideways to hide your face on the crook of his neck as best as you could. 

Silence fell onto the room once again and you took this opportunity to savour his bodily warmth with closed eyes. The wind blowing soundly outside of the temple almost lulled you to sleep if not for Dōma’s constant fondling. 

Dōma inspected your peaceful state.

He couldn’t really pinpoint the reason why his heart was eerily calm whenever you were around. He thought about absorbing you, he was sure you didn’t mind and he was sure he wanted you inside him forever in his Paradise but he came to a realization that he could never hold you like this if he did; he craved your body near him, better yet in his embrace. Your scent, mixed with your inhuman odour, was soft as lotus petals; it will always be intoxicating to him. 

Speaking of Paradise.

“Do you believe in Heaven and Hell, my lotus?” He blurted out. You opened your eyes, somewhat taken aback from the sudden question. “After all these years you’re asking me this, now?” 

Dōma pouted, “Humour me.” 

You shrugged, “Somewhat.” Dōma blinked a couple of times before whining out, “Somewhat isn’t a fair answer is it…” 

“Well, I do believe Paradise exists but not in the ways your disciples do.” You smiled up at him. “Heaven and Hell do exist; it’s here and now. It is the life that I’m living and it will constantly change.” Placing your soft hand on his cheek, a small dust of red adoring your cheeks. “But Paradise, Paradise is wherever I’m with you.” 

His heart skipped a beat. 

He quickly rained multiple kisses on your face and you couldn’t help but mewled out helplessly, quickly closing your eyes to avoid his lips getting into your eyes. “You’re too precious, my lotus. The things you say to me.” He murmured; voice oddly serious. 

Then you shot your eyes open when he repeatedly kissed your lips softly, each peck was longer than the last. 

“Dō—” 

Kiss.

“—ma wait—” 

Kiss. 

When you couldn’t hold the gasp any longer, he leaned in, tongues tangled in a passionate dance. His kiss was fire and your lips felt divine on his. He wanted more, so much more.

“I want to devour you,” He vehemently whispered against your panting lips. “Defile you in ways you can’t even imagine.” One of his hands slither up between your legs, gliding across the soft skin on your inner thigh, hiking up your kimono and exposing more of your skin to the cold air in the process. 

“Would you like that, my lotus?” His carefree smile was back as he felt the hem of your silk undergarments. “Would you like me to overwhelm you, break your mind and fix you up again?” You could only whimper at his fevered words. 

“Dōma—Ah!” You were cut short when he tugged your panties upwards, effectively rubbing the fabric against your dripping core. Dōma grinned, “Such pretty sounds but none of those are the answers to the question I’m askin’, is it?” 

You moaned and reached up to clutch his blood-coloured shirt, hips unintentionally moving against your silken panties. He didn’t miss your desperate need for friction before a mischievous glint shone in his eyes. You gasped out sharply when Dōma yanked at the soft fabric roughly, your head thrown back against his shoulder.

“Come on,” He drawled out. “You haven’t given me a proper answer yet.” You didn’t notice he nudged your panties aside until he rubbed your sopping entrance in lazy circles. He hummed in approval before licking and nibbling your ear.

The way he played with your body made your mind go absolutely blank and you couldn’t help the lewd moans you panted out, sweat rolling down your body at the combined heat from yours and his. The higher demon grinned at your incoherent sentences. “If you don’t wanna answer then—” 

“No!”

Dōma tilted his head and before you knew it, he seized your jaw with his other hand, forcing your head upwards to face his predatory gaze. 

“Oh? No? You don’t want it?” You can see the grin and the sadistic glint in his eyes as he gazed down at you. When you felt his hand that was near your pussy began to retreat, you mewled out and shook your head frantically in his hold, “I want it, Dōma.” You panted out, arching your hips towards his hand. “Please, I want you—”

His eyes darken at your pleas and without thinking, he smashed his lips against yours and shoved his tongue into your mouth. “Dōma— touch me.”

The pad of his finger went back to your wet cunt and roughly rubbed it up and down repeatedly before pushing two of his fingers in and wasting no time pumping them in and out. You gasped at the feeling as the higher demon laughed cheekily, “Look at how well you take my fingers!”

 A bell rang throughout the vicinity.

“Hear that? Better hurry and cum, they’ll be here in 5 minutes.” He whispered hotly into your ear as his other hand pinched your nipple through your clothes. He expected you to moan and bucked your hips in desperation, what he didn’t expect was you grinning from ear to ear.

“Depends,” You whispered “Can you make me cum in 5 minutes, Dōma?”

His movement stopped completely as he processed what you just said. His hold on you tightened and slowly, ever so slowly, his grin became wider and darker. Before you could prepare yourself, he dug his sharp teeth into the side of your neck as he began to jackhammer his fingers into your hole until you screamed.

Your blood was always so delectable on his tongue, he could never get enough of it and now adding the sweet taste of your sweat, he was addicted to your taste. 

He lapped up your blood with a delighted hum. “I never knew my precious lotus could be so devious.” The higher demon laughed as he nudged apart your kimono to have better access to your breasts before twisting and pinching the hard nipple. “I don’t know if I should be worried or love it.”

You whimpered under his intense attention as your hips moved in sync with his fingers. “Do you want another finger in you?” You nodded frantically to which he clicked his tongue. “You gotta use your voice, Lotus. Ask me like a good slut I know you can be.” At the end of his sentence, he crocked his finger sharply, making you moan even louder.

“Yes, please!” You sobbed. “Please put another one in me! Make me cum, Dōma— Please!”

Who was he to deny such a request from his cherished lotus? 

With a grunt, his third finger forced its way into your dripping cunt. “So tight, sweetheart. You’re close to cumming aren’t you?”  He purred almost lovingly. Your vision became hazier with each thrust of his fingers and your gut was coiled so tight that we were sure it was about to snap any minute. But you needed something to get there, to get to that climax you desperately seek.

His thumb suddenly came down to your clit and rubbed the bundle of nerves roughly making you shriek. 

“Cum.”

You gave a silent scream as you came undone in his hold as Dōma continued to thrust and prolonged your climax longer. When he knew you had nothing left in you to give, he slowly slid his fingers out from your wet pussy making you cringe. His mouth salivated at the sight of your thick juices covering his fingers. Wasting no time, he put his dirty fingers into his salivating mouth, cleaning them in the process.

He glanced down at your flushed form; sweating and catching your breath after the whole ordeal. He giggled; heart felt full looking at your satisfied face and how relaxed you were on his lap.

“My darling Lotus.” He crooned, nuzzling your cheek lovingly as you slowly came down from your high. You hummed happily, rubbing your nose along his jaw before he squealed at your display of affection, kissing you on the lips playfully.

The door slid open and revealed a balding middle-aged man, kneeling respectfully on the floor. “Dōma-sama, the disciples have arriv— Oh! High Priestess, are you faring well? Your face is all flushed.”

There you sat on your zabuton, everything in place except for your red sweaty face. 

You smiled softly at the man’s concern, bowing slightly to show gratitude. “I thank you for your concern, Ichijou-san. The cold air seems to be catching up on me but rest assured it won’t hinder any of our routine”

The man nodded before shifting his attention to the gracious founder. “Should I let them in, My Lord?” Dōma smiled brightly after saying, “Of course! Come on in.”

You let out the biggest sigh of relief when the balding man slid the door closed.

Dōma cackled frantically. “That was close! Good thing for our enhanced speed huh?” You groaned into your hands; body flushed from humiliation. 

“You’re unbelievable Dōma…” You murmured as the higher demon gave you a broad smile. 

“And give my panties back, dammit!”

A/N: I HAVE WAITED 4 FUCKING YEARS FOR DOUMA TO BE ANIMATED SO I CAN PUBLISH THIS. Hope you had fun you nasties. (cross-posted to my AO3) ₍

Love, Cherub ᐢ._.ᐢ₎♡

[riddles-n-games]

TIG Drabble #4-Avery and Jameson

A/N: Hey guys, this story is inspired by the additional photoshoot compilations I found from a little while back. Oh, and enjoy the little surprise at the end.

Breath in.

"Okay, Heiress. Take your stance. Good. Lemme just..." He placed his hands on her waist and adjusted her posture then went around to straighten her back.

One foot in front, one foot back. Equidistant, both facing forward. Make sure they are perfectly aligned in parallel.

Square the shoulders. Tuck in the chin.

"Relax your shoulders." He tapped her shoulder blades until he felt her drop them. She forgot to stop tensing. That was one thing Nash had told her time and time again but she just kept forgetting. It was hard not to. Every time she came here, every time she held a gun, it reminded her of then.

The shooting in the Black Wood, the airplane bomb, Sheffield Grayson... Whenever she heard something near the fireplace when she was alone, her body would freeze or tense. It was clear she developed a trigger reflex. She also avoided the passages. And the nightmares; she hated to be alone at night. She stowed away in Libby's room and if she was feeling bolder, she stayed with Jameson.

It was hard navigating a new relationship while fighting for your sanity and mental stability. But Jameson was supportive through it all and it didn't take her long before she confessed the real truth behind his mother's charges. She'd never seen him more serious or angry than that moment. It was why they were here now.

While Nash and Oren were training her to shoot, Jameson insisted being the one when they weren't available and also started teaching her martial arts and kickboxing. He was rigorous and passionate; she knew he'd been deeply affected. But he was trying and that was enough for her.

Being with Jameson was enough.

"Ok, I know Nash said you were still having some trouble with holding it so I got you one that I used to practice with. It’s a bit smaller too so it should be easier to hold.” He handed her the gun and she turned it over in her hands, taking in every inch, the rust, the scratches and the little dents. He had to have used it a long time. "It's a Col-"

"Colt Python, '95 model." Jameson's brows raised in surprise. Avery shrugged. "I may have been doing a little bit of research since Nash got me started."

"Uh-huh. Well then, you can tell me what kind of pistol that is once we’re done.” Avery turned to the table, locking in on the black glock that was on the edge. She was feeling wary just looking at it but she couldn’t deny the curiosity creeping in. “Now, show me your locked and loaded pose.”

She glanced at him through the safety glasses and pushed them back up before focusing on the target in front of her. Deep breaths. Roll back your shoulders. Your arms should be eye level and most importantly, remember that the gun is an extension of you.

As she was about to pull the trigger, her hands went clammy and started shaking. She tried to wipe away the sweat on her pants. The tremors weren't going away but Avery ignored that and refocused on the target, gripping the revolver tighter than before. She tried tensing her index finger against the trigger but it only started to react and trembled as if it had a mind of its own.

Soon enough, her well-positioned aim was wobbling around the center of the bullseye and the harder she held the gun, the sweatier the handle and looser her hold. She huffed frustratedly and she swiped furiously against her pant leg again. That was when a warm hand wrapped around hers and she looked up, startled, to see Jameson standing beside her. "Allow me."

He didn't make a move until she nodded and gently slid his hand to her wrist then brought his other hand around the handle. His fingers overlapped hers. A little up and to the right, he fixed her aim and with that, her breathing slowed. The tension started to lift.

"Just like that. You're doing great, Heiress," he murmured just as he pressed a kiss to her cheek. She smiled briefly but focused on their entwined hands. He steadied her. The shaking subsided; Jameson must have noticed because he gave her a reassuring squeeze then retracted his hand from hers.

He took hold of her free hand and placed it on the handle where his was previously. As soon as she had a comfortable hold, he let go and slowly unwrapped his other hand from her wrist. Avery looked at him and he nodded at her. "You can do this. I'm right here, Avery."

She nodded back at him and then faced the target again, inhaling sharply and holding her breath. This time her aim was poised and steady. Her finger pulled the trigger.

Breath out.

Bonus:

[odiesdayoff]

Leaving For Good

pair: Edward Nashton (Dano) x fem!reader

summary: You're sick of Edward prioritizing the Riddler over you...

warnings: SMUT (18++ MINORS DNI); non/dubcon elements; sex in an elevator; unprotected p in v (wrap it before you tap it); darkish!reader; forced creampie/breeding

There he was. Sitting slouched at his computer just as he did night after night, researching politicians or whatever he occupied his time with. Between his 9-5 at the accounting firm and his Riddler business, you were a lot less than an afterthought in his routine. Edward hadn’t touched you in weeks.

Your lack of a sex life wasn’t even the biggest problem, not really. He just stopped interacting with you altogether despite the fact that you shared an apartment and slept in the same bed each night. Well, when he didn’t fall asleep in front of his computer.

He didn’t notice when you slowly started to pack your things or the phone calls you made to landlords with available apartments for you to move into. 

You watched him from in front of the front door, suitcases sitting around you. “Eddie, I’m leaving.” He barely nodded to acknowledge your words. You cleared your throat. “Did you hear me? I’m leaving.”

He took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair, finally turning to look at you. His annoyed look turned into confusion. “Where are you going?” He fixes his posture. 

“I found a new apartment and…we’re done.” You tried to hold yourself up, not allowing the words leaving your mouth to have an effect on you. 

It took a second for him to process. He jumped up from his chair and made his way to you. “Woah, woah, woah. Where did this come from?”

You shuttered as his hand rested on your bicep. Getting laid would be the first thing you did once you left. You knew that you desperately needed it. “Now you care? When was the last time we went on a date? I feel like we’re just roommates.”

“I have a lot of more important things to worry about than your feelings.” He pinched the bridge of his nose.

You purse your lips and nodded. “Bye, Edward.” You turned to the door and opened it, pulling your suitcases with you down the hallway.

Edward chased after you, calling your name and apologizing. You did your best to ignore him and keep a steady pace toward the elevator. The doors opened and you both stepped in, him still pleading for you to talk to him.

A few floors down, he slammed his hand against the emergency stop button. “You’re not leaving. I love you and I fucked up, okay? I can’t lose you, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, darling.” He cupped your cheek. Tears fell from his eyes, something you rarely saw happen.

You shook your head. “I’m not falling for your empty promises anymore.”

“Please, let me show you how much you mean to me.” He leaned into you and kissed your cheek, then trailed down to your neck and collarbone.

You wanted to push him off and tell him how much he hurt you after all these years you’ve been together, but you couldn’t deny the way he made you feel when he kissed you. Against your better judgment, you wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him in closer. 

You could feel him smile against your skin. “Maintenance won’t be here for a while to get us out.” This building was infamous for the lazy landlords and incompetent service workers. It would be about twenty minutes for someone to arrive to help you.

One of your hands reached in front of his shirt to start unbuttoning it. He pulled your top off, his breath hitched at the sight of your breasts after all this time. For such a genius, he was really stupid for letting someone like you feel unloved.

He reached his hand under the waistband of your panties and rubbed circles on your clit. Of course, he still knew exactly how to make you melt. “Please, Edward. I need you.”

“I know, darling. You’ll have me.” His free hand went straight to his pants to free himself as fast as he possibly could. You felt a rush of cool air when you pulled your pants down, exposing yourself entirely to him. “You’re so gorgeous. I love you so much.”

He lined himself up and pushed in until he bottomed out inside of you. He whimpered at the sensation, kissing your shoulder. You missed the feeling of being so full of him. “Thank you. You feel so wonderful. My beautiful princess. Only an idiot would let you go.”

His pace was agonizingly slow, taking in the sensation of being inside of you once again. “Harder, please, Edward. Like we used to.”

Sex with Edward was intense. You loved it most when he would pound you into the mattress and tell you riddles that he knew you didn’t know the answer to and only let you come when you answered it right. He was so calm and quiet in his daily life, it was only natural that he let out his frustrations in the bedroom. You couldn’t be happier about it. 

He maneuvered you to the ground until you laid on the discarded articles of clothing. You wouldn’t even mind if you were on the disgusting elevator floor. As long as he was inside of you.

“Is this better than your livestreams?” He quickened his pace, thrusting into you like his life depended on it.

He nodded, almost out of breath. “So much better.”

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?” 

He leaned into you and kissed you deeply. “I’d do anything for you, baby. I’m about to cum. Where do you want it?”

You bit your lip, pretending to think for a moment. “Inside.”

He laughed and shook his head. “I’m not wearing a condom and we both know you’re not on birth control. Be serious.”

“You said anything, Eddie. I want you to cum inside me. Get me pregnant, yeah?” He slowed his pace and gave you a confused look.

“No. We can’t have-” You cut him off by kissing him, locking your legs around his waist and pulling him in closer. He sat on the floor and you made sure to keep him inside you while you switched positions. 

He held your hips, trying to pull you off of him as you rode him. His pleads for you to get off became staggered, turning into soft whimpers and moans. His grip on you tightened. “You know you can’t survive on your own. You’ll have to support your family.”

He couldn’t answer you. You knew exactly why when you felt his cock twitch and the feeling of warm liquid spewing inside of you, coating your walls. You still rode him through his orgasm, making sure that you got every drop that his body wanted to give you. 

You kissed him deeply and took his hand, resting it on your stomach. “You still love me, right?”

He couldn’t speak much, only giving you an exhausted nod.

[ghostheartfelt]

*:･｡☆ tags: cafe cuteness (fr), regular customer au, sunshine reader, grown attachments, pervert!venom, fem!reader, first introduction, no use of y/n, she/her prns used

〔☆〕 desc: you meet eddie during morning rush hour, vv understanding man who admires your connection with your customers and dedication towards your job. eddie's hungry for chocolate (n you), you pique interest in the host and his symbiote. very calm and soft start<3 u get both povs basically cause the way i write can b confusing :)

.. ☆ next part | masterlist (tbe)

—✩ RUSH HOUR P. ⅰ ✩—

word count — 1.7k

a/n: u get both povs basically cause the way i write can b confusing :)

Rush hour, you thought.

Your coworkers were racing in and out of the kitchen holding platters of fresh baked muffins and pitchers of orange juice.

In the evenings, the café is quieter and calmer - in the mornings, not so much.

You turned as someone called your name and nearly jumped out of your skin.

“Can you get the back left corner table napkins and jelly packets, please? That old woman is just about ready to throw her handbag at me,” your coworker, Becc (short for Becca), had asked you while balancing dirty plates going down both of her forearms.

“Yes, yes, I can—“ you nodded, waving her off as you rushed to the check-in desk, grabbing at a few jelly packs; orange marmalade, grape, and strawberry, as well as a new pack of napkins.

You did as Becc asked, bringing the items to the old woman who indeed was clutching her blue leather snakeskin handbag. “Sorry, ma’am, we’re a bit busy this morning.”

With no reply, she snagged an orange marmalade jelly packet from your hand as you were placing them on the table, causing you to flinch at the sudden action.

You as well unpackaged the napkins and placed them in the metal stand, then fixed your apron and walked back to the front desk as the welcoming bell’s ringing filled your ears.

A male in an olive green jacket and denim jeans, a gray undershirt, and black converse made his way towards the dine-in counter where you stood behind.

He had a scruffy yet handsome face, his hair slightly unkempt but in a way that you admired him. Your cheeks slightly flushed.

“Good morning,” he nodded at you respectfully.

“Good morning,” you replied, “just a table for one?”

You picked up a menu, clutching it to your chest as your fingers trace along the plastic cover.

“Yeah,” his eyes nervously dragged around though you let it go and took it in as some sort of social anxiety.

“Right this way, sir,” you lead the way, your head turning over your shoulder to make sure he hadn’t zoned out, turning it once again at the sight of him trailing behind.

“Will this booth work for you?” you placed the menu down and he slid it over with his thumb and pointer finger.

“Oh, yeah, nice cushioning,” he laughed nervously.

“Perfect - any drinks to start you off? Perhaps an O.J, or a coffee?” you straighten your posture, your shoulders slouched awkwardly.

“Coffee sounds great, side of cream of sugar, if that’s okay?” he looked up at you.

You were a nervous wreck, and he could tell - they could tell.

“I’ll have that right out for you,” you turned and took a step, though he put his hand on your shoulder.

“Shit, sorry, just uh—can I get a chocolate muffin as soon as possible?” his lips overlapped one another as he let go, though you blinked and smiled.

“Of course, I’m sorry, I should’ve asked if you’d like anything on the side.” You bit your bottom lip with embarrassment.

The man was rather distracting, your eyes dragging over and analyzing every feature his face held. He had blue eyes with soft bags, tiresome dark circles and a muscular build. You had an oddly specific type.

“Oh, no, don’t apologize,” he scoffed with a small smile.

You smiled back and turned on the heels of your white sneakers and headed to the kitchen.

“SHE SMELT DELICIOUS,” a deep and grim voice echoed in the brunette’s mind.

“Quit smelling random people like some pervert, V,” the man whispered to himself.

“NOT RANDOM, JUST HER,”

“Well, we can’t eat her,” he bit the flesh on the inside of his cheek as he looked outside the window, his forehead in the palm of his hand.

“WE WILL NOT,” the voice snarled deeply. “GET TIRED OF CHICKENS.”

“I know, V, but you can’t just go around the city beheading random people, so for right now we need to deal with chickens.” He grunted.

“BUT THEY ARE BAD, BAD PEOPLE SHOULD SUFFER AND DIE,” the voice grew louder, irritated by his response. “WE KILL, WE SAVE!”

“Yeah, well, we kill, we also risk our lives, V.”

“SHE IS COMING,” it snarked, evading his head.

The brunette turned his head to watch you walk over to his booth, a muffin and a cup of coffee on a large round tray that you balanced on your open palm, waving at frequent customers with a tug at both corners of your lips.

“I’m sorry for the wait, sir,” you grab the plate and set it on the table along with the mug of java.

“Just call me Eddie,” he nodded as thanks, taking a bite out of the muffin.

You introduced yourself, drumming your fingers on your server book before opening it. “Did you want anything else this morning, Eddie?” You clicked your fuzzy purple pen as you spoke with a bubbly voice.

“WE LIKED THAT,” the voice boomed through his head again causing Eddie to swallow thickly.

“I think we—I’m okay,” he stammered slightly, a nervous smirk curving one corner of his mouth upward.

He was cute, your hip dropped to the side slightly. You bit your lip to suppress a smile, instead giving a small laugh.

“Just wave at me when you’re ready for your bill, okay?” you close the book and turn once again to assist another table.

“HUNGRY,”

“Alright, V, just hold on a second,” Eddie peeled back the cover on the small creamer packet, then poured it into the coffee along with two packets of sugar.

Your fingers dig into the pocket of your apron to take out a few crayons wrapped in plastic and place them on the table along with a kids menu. A small ravenette boy with curly locks and smooth dark skin smiled at you brightly as he took out the green crayon and coloured in the small dinosaurs sprinkled across the kids menu.

“Thank you,” his mother sipped her cup of hot tea, her french-tip nails clicking against the glass as she loops her finger through the handle.

“Of course, what can I start you two off with this morning?” you leaned on your toes, then met back with the ground.

“For him, I think just a small pancake—“ she gently tapped the boy’s knuckles with her thumb, then began signing in what you assumed was American sign language.

You observed closely, watching in awe as he signed back to his mother, an exciting smile never leaving his face as he signed a “thank you,” to you.

You knew a bit of signing from your highschool years, so you replied with “you’re welcome,” enthusiastically, hugging yourself to gesture an air hug.

“A pancake is fine for him, some fruit on the side?” she smiled. “Is pot roast on the menu right now, dear?”

“Yes, there’s about ten more minutes until it’s done, if that is alright with you?” you wrote down the mention of extra fruit in your book.

“As long as it’s fresh, am I right?” she let out a heartwarming laugh, earning a small giggle from you as well. “Oh, and three cornbread biscuits.”

“That’s when it’s best, and sounds great - any juice for the little one?” your eyes dragged over to him craning his neck to sip out of the plastic cup of water that was given to his mother with her tea. Your heart fluttered with baby fever.

She caught his attention once more, signing with her fingers.

“Sprite, thank you,” the mother rejoiced.

You toyed with the hem of your apron. “I’ll have it right out for you two,” you scrambled toward the kitchen.

“WHERE DID SHE GO?”

“She’s helping others,” Eddie swirled the little bit of cold coffee in the bottom of his cup, slowly adjusting himself as he watched you set down a small plastic cup with a yellow lid in front of a child, then a bowl in front of his mother.

You place a straw on the table, then walk back to the brunette who had introduced himself as “Eddie”, which you admired. It fit his face well.

“I’m so sorry for the wait, Eddie,” you smile nervously with your eyebrows pinched together as you hand him his bill and a pen.

“Hey, it’s no problem, seriously.” He took it from your hands, scanning it over. “Thank you,”

“Of course,” you quipped. “Tell me if you need anything, I’ll be back,”

“LITTLE MORSEL,” the voice purred. “WILL WE COME BACK, EDDIE?”

Yeah - yeah, we will, V. Eddie watched you leave to assist another group of people walking into the small café as he took out his wallet, setting down two twenty dollar bills for a tip and his credit card for the rest.

“WANT TO MEET HER,” it grunted.

No, we might never even see her again.

“YOU ARE A LOSER.”

You sped back over, exhaling heavily. “It’s getting busier and busier, I’m sorry for the delay of getting you out the door,”

“No need for all the apologies, seriously,” he scoffed.

“Right, sorry—“ you blinked. “The tip, Eddie, that’s so much,”

“THAT SOUNDS—“

Knock it off, perv.

“I was a journalist, that’s nothing to me,”

Your cheeks flushed, but you thanked him again and guided him to the front desk.

“Any chance you’ll be here tomorrow?”

“YES!” it boomed.

“Actually, I won’t,” you hum sadly.

“NO—“ it snarled.

“But I work every Wednesday through Saturday,” you smiled.

“Okay, good to know,”

Your heart thumped in your chest, you were frozen in place in fear of him actually having the ability to hear, which Eddie himself couldn’t - but he could.

“SHE IS NERVOUS, EDDIE,”

Of us?

“OF YOU,”

Did Eddie want to get to know you more? Or possibly were you just that good of a waitress? God, now you were really overthinking things - is that why he tipped you so much? Did he not actually pique interest in you?

“Are you alright?”

You were so captivated in thought you hadn’t even realized you were still holding the brunette’s credit card in the machine; blinking for you to take it out - you felt your ear tips heat up.

“Sorry, I space out sometimes,” you gently pulled out his credit card and handed it to him, which he grabbed with two fingers.

“Not a problem,” there was a genuine tone on his tongue that delivered you some comfort.

“Have a great day, Eddie,” you waved to him as he left the building which he warmly returned; your heart feeling a sudden loneliness as he escaped your peripheral view.