#I mean that in a platonically friendly loving way y’know

[doctorsiren]

Opened tumblr to see that we’re mutuals now and I literally squealed omg I’m honored 🥺

💖 get mutual’d, nerd /silly

[simp999]

I feel this is cringe but it itches the back of my mind like no other… since it’s late 60s early 70s in tf2, mercs reaction to there being a new recruit who is a female pilot? I’m sorry if this sounds like? Hyper specific ? But she’s like hot biker/pilot bitch who is like the epitome of Cool Girl (tm) flared ripped jeans and tight tank tops yk?

GOING INSANE OVER THIS ITS SUCH A COOL IDEA

I'm so sorry about how long it took to make this and how short it is, I'm trying to do all my requests in order of what I received em ww

TF2 Mercs x Badass Fem Pilot! Reader Headcannons

Wc: 730

Themes: uhh Fluff? Romantic and platonic depends on character

A/N: Sniper bias whoop

A/N 2: okay so. I try to stray away from fem reader stuff but this THIS is a complete exception because I love the idea sm

Taglist: @emotionally-alive-sniper @moopy-milk @skeleton-stomper-xoxo @emotionallyunwellmedic @physically-robotic-medic

Masterlist

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Scout: 

-God,, he is immediately in love with your style and vibes.

-Yes, in a simpery way

-Will absolutely fumble on words and flirt miserably

-"Hey girl are you a pilot cause uh you’re really cool"

-Absolutely will find clothes that he thinks suits your style and be your #1 hypeman 

Soldier:

-Wants to touch all the buttons

-"SHOW ME YOUR MEDALS!!!!!!"

-Does respect the effort and time you’ve put into training definetly. But is always asking you to prove yourself

-Okay you can pilot but can you do 30 pushups. Right here right now.

Pyro:

-Doesn’t think of you any differently if you’re female

-A new cool friend!!

-Just an adorable little goober. Okay maybe they get to sit in the front sometimes

-Loves loves loves making drawings of you and them and planes!!!! And clouds

Heavy: 

-Protective older brother.

-He is SO overprotective of you. You remind him too much of his sisters.

-You’re strong just like them but,, it’s just scary, y’know? He misses them

-Often just kinda chills around- and won’t stand for ANY harassment or anything rude. AHEM spy AHEM

-And the clear bias for you? It’s honestly funny at times

-He definetly makes you sandviches and just. Silently takes care of you

Engie:

-Rocket boosters for the planes. He’s gonna bring it up on multiple occasions

-Makes you little plane trinkets out of wood and stuff!! Pyro paints them :]

-Is so interested in infodumping about mechanical stuff with you- he’s glad he has somebody that just. GETS HIM yknow?

-If you need someplace to go chill away from the chaos that the mercs usually bring, the workshop’s your go-to. Late night convos are the best with this man

Demo:

-Roughhouses!!

-Treats you like one of the guys

-Respectfully ofc but. You’re getting noogies

-Will be offering you beer n stuff, he treats you like a really good friend

-Lives for your vibes

-He thinks you’re so badass!! Hell yeah!!!

Medic:

-Kay so. You probably had to go through lots of training right?? So!;

-Rivalry for first aid.

-Hear me out

-Everyone all of a sudden wants you to help make them feel better when they get small injuries because of the one time you mentionned you had to do a buttload of first-aid courses

-So. Lots of who can make it to the scene and get (injured person) back on their feet the quickest

-Does ask you if you’ve ever expirinenced or witnessed anything wild- such as big crashes, and how people dealt with the situations

-Loves your stories despite pretending to hate you- it’s just a friendly rivalry!

Sniper:

-He’s not one to really apprach you, but he does definetly admire you from a distance.

-He thinks you’re too cool for him :( 

-But eventually one day, you’ll ctach him stargazing- and you’d have the amazing idea of bringing him for a ride just the two of you so that you can see the stars

-.God maybe he just fell in love I MEAN WHAT????? ANYWAys

-He LOVES stargazing with you!!

-You get to tell eachother stories and it’s overall really calming- a nice from the hectic mercenary life

-He also happens to know a fair bit about constellations, so he’ll infodump unconsiously if you let him :) 

Spy:

-Spyyyy… dislikes your ideals, and has traditional values

-Not a fan of the way you hold yourself, but will eventually warm up a bit

-Im sorry,, I just don’t like Spy aheh anyways

-You probably end up showing off your skills- not of purpose though, just- you seen a natural at what you do, and that’s when he sees that maybe there’s a reason you’re such a big deal

(Bonus!) All:

-They all fight over who gets to sit in the passenger seat. Some are more civil about it, for example Engineer or Heavy- but they still want to sit in the front for their own reasons. You may have walked into the room only to find all the mercs fighting iver who’s calling shotgun for the next ride.

“I AM GOING TO PRESS ALL THE BUTTONS!”

“NO WAY CHUCKLEFUCK, I’M SITTIN’ NEXT TA THE HOT CHICK!”

“No. Heavy will sit next to pilot for protection. Is only fair.”

“Ya’ll- I have some things I’d like to see up close in the cockpit, I think I should be next.”

“Mmhhph!!!”

.

.

.

Sep.20.23

[frvnkcastles]

FOR THE NIGHT ➵ F. CASTLE

Summary: When a string of dates ends terribly for you, Frank is there to comfort you through it.

Warnings: S*XUAL ASS*ULT (not by Frank), reader stops the date before it can go all the way, hurt/comfort, feminine nicknames

Word count: 2.6k

Author’s note: I’m back with another heavy one but this was a request and also based on my own experiences, I went through something like this a few weeks ago and I wanted nothing more than Frank to be real and throw hands on my behalf. Sending lots of love to anyone who might relate, you are so strong and so amazing <33

The first time you met Frank, you tried to kiss him by the end of the night. Granted, he was really handsome and you were a little drunk — the latter being why he rejected you with a soft laugh, his hands on your shoulders as he balanced you and bowed his head down so he could lock eyes with you.

”Hey, how ’bout I get ya home, sweetheart?” he suggested over the bustling bar noise, and a bit deflated that the attractive, tall man had turned down a feverish make-out sesh, you nodded in agreement and let him guide you out of the bar. With or without the liquid courage in your system, you would have trusted the Punisher to get you home safe, and he saved you the lecture of giving your keys to a near-stranger.

After that, you didn’t have it in you to try and make a new move. Maybe it had been because you were drunk; maybe it was just an excuse he was relieved to have. Either way, you didn’t want to find out, and so, as your paths kept on crossing, you kept a friendly tone to your words and made sure your fleeting touches didn’t cross the line between platonic and romantic.

”Y’know, I… I don’t really know how to do the whole datin’ thing anymore”, he confessed to you one night while you balanced a bag of ice against the purple corner of his eye. ”Not since, uh… y’know”, he added with a clear of his throat, and you gave him a quick nod to reassure you understood. Therein lied the second reason you avoided coming on too strong — the man had lost his wife, for God’s sakes. How you’d ever try and measure up… you didn’t even dare to wonder.

But that didn’t mean your feelings for him stayed casual. In fact, the more he showed up on your doorstep, the deeper the hole you had gotten yourself in became. Every time he sat down on your couch, brushed at your hand, locked eyes with you, you shovelled yourself further down and you doubted there was a ladder long enough to get you out by now.

As sneaky as you thought you were being, he noticed. And instead of letting it go unmentioned, he confronted you about it.

”Hey, sweetheart… I don’t, uh… I don’t think ’m really worth your time, yeah? Think you oughta find someone better. Someone who ain’t gon’ drag blood through your doorstep every night. Someone who’ll, uh, treat you right. Give you what you deserve”, Frank declared one night, your hands in the middle of wiping blood from his back, and immediately, as if his skin burned, you withdrew from him.

Silence invited itself into your bathroom and you felt hot with embarrassment — and all you could do was deflect. ”You’re the one who keeps coming over”, you whispered, swallowing thickly before adding a quiet, ”I’m done.”

At that, he grabbed his shirt from the edge of the sink, and you forced yourself to look away from the ripple of his muscles when he yanked it over his head. ”Yeah, ’m an asshole for that. I can stop—”, he began, but you cut him off with an exhale.

”Don’t. I don’t… I don’t want you to”, you pleaded, and pausing, Frank looked into your eyes and weighed his options. He could either be selfish and keep coming over, or he could hurt you by leaving. Neither plan sounded ideal.

”Aight, just… don’t slow down ’cause o’me. Go out, do your thing”, Frank pointed out, and nodding, you cast your eyes away from him. You wanted to take his hand, caress his cheek, just feel his warmth one more time, but before you could gather the courage, he was out the door and back into the night.

Still, you supposed he had a point. There was no fawning over a man you couldn’t have, was there? So, that night, you sat down and downloaded your go-to dating app back, determined to find company that wasn’t Frank Castle.

The next time that Frank knocked on your door, you were in the middle of putting on your favorite dangly earrings. Tugging your skirt lower on your thighs, you made your way to the front door, expecting to find your date but smacked in the face with the sight of a bloodied, bruised vigilante, instead. Despite his condition, his eyes widened just the slightest bit at your outfit, and with a surge of vulnerability under his intense gaze, you stuttered.

”I’m—I’m heading out, Frank”, you managed to get the words out, and with a deep sigh, he clenched his jaw.

”Shit, girl, ’m sorry. Shoulda called first”, he reprimanded himself, and shaking your head, you interrupted him with a hand on his chest.

”Hey, you can always come over if you need me. I gotta go, but… you know where the first-aid kit is. Do what you gotta do”, you gave him a smile and pulled him inside, encouraging him to take off his coat and make himself at home. You trusted him enough to leave him alone at your place, and that was a gesture that didn’t go unappreciated by him.

And fuck, he knew he had told you to get out there… but goddamn, his heart ached when he watched you leave, knowing that outfit was for someone else, not him.

It became a habit, then. You went on date after date, none of them really flourishing into anything more, and you liked it like that — you didn’t want a relationship, you just wanted fun and attention. You wanted someone to want you, to need you. You craved to be touched and cherished, and slowly, it grew into an itch you couldn’t scratch but tried your hardest to.

You fell into old habits quicker than you had anticipated. You had tried to kiss Frank on that first night for a reason, too — it wasn’t like anyone had tried to connect with you in the past. Everyone wanted one thing from you, and it seemed you had become good at it, too. You were just leaning into your strengths, you figured.

Frank, on the other hand, was stewing in jealousy. He was too much of a proud, stubborn asshole to tell you that, but every time you announced you had another date — or a hook-up, more like — his heart caved in on itself a little more, and he wanted nothing more than to take your hand and tell you to go out with him, instead.

Yet, he didn’t. But on one Wednesday night just like any other, it would have made all the difference.

It was the first time you invited someone to your home. A guy you had been texting for a few days now, and you had seemed to really hit it off. He liked photos of your body, and that was exactly the validation you needed — so, when he proposed stopping by your apartment after sundown, you said yes.

For the first time in a while, you were anxious about what was to come. Maybe it was your sixth sense going off, and you should have just listened. But when he rang your bell, you let him in, and all Hell broke loose.

He was on you like an animal, kissing you harshly, his rough hands pawing at your chest and sneaking into your pants before you had the chance to process any of it. You were on your back on your bed in a flash, your shirt off, his shirt off, and your mind was shouting at you, telling you you didn’t want any of this but your body couldn’t react.

Only when his weight was on top of yours, you had it in you to speak up. ”Wait… stop”, you whispered, and pulling back only for a second, he chuckled and then ducked down to kiss you again. You tried to tell him again, then again, but your words fell to deaf ears. Maybe it would feel better soon, maybe you just needed to relax…

But then, he undid the belt on his jeans. And when he moved his hips towards your face, his hand gripping your jaw, your instincts finally kicked in and you pushed him off of you.

”You need to leave, right now”, you managed to speak up, your voice wavering but when the guy tried to laugh it off, you grew firmer. ”I said leave! Get out or I’ll call the cops”, you threatened, and at that, he lifted up his hands in his own defense before picking up his shirt from the floor.

You turned around to point him in the direction of the front door, but when you did, you found Frank standing in your doorway, a deep frown etched onto his forehead as he assessed the situation.

”What’s goin’ on? You okay, sweetheart?” he asked, and looking between you two, the man you had invited into your home snorted.

”I see. You’re getting regrets ’cause you’re a cheating wh—”, he started, but Frank cut him off before he could finish.

”Hey!” he spoke angrily, his eyes dark as he glared at the man. ”Wanna say that again, asshole?” His fists were clenched by his sides, a scowl on his face, and it was in that moment you figured your assaulter was a complete idiot — any other man would have cowered in the Punisher’s menacing face, but not him. To you, that wasn’t a sign of bravery, but one of foolishness.

You were proven right when he made a move at Frank, about to start yelling, and Frank reacted within a blink of an eye, grabbing his hand and twisting his wrist until there was a crack. He didn’t let go of his fingers, but rather, squished them until the man was wincing in pain.

”You’re one lucky asshole that we ain’t outside this apartment right now”, Frank threatened, low and raspy, and it sent a shiver down your spine. You didn’t know what else to do but stand there, hugging yourself with tears in your eyes.

Frank shoved him towards the front door, and he finally took the hint, rushing out of the apartment with his tail between his legs — leaving just you and Frank, who instantly softened when he turned back to you with his eyes full of concern and his hands carefully reaching for you.

”Hey, hey, you okay? He do anythin’ to you?” Frank queried, and at his question, you nearly lost your composure. You couldn’t tell why the tears refused to fall, shock, maybe, but either way, you simply stood there in a violent tremble and stuttered when you tried to speak up.

”He—he touched me, he… he tried to…”, you began, your throat closing up on you mid-sentence, and putting the pieces together, Frank swore under his breath.

”Shit, sweetheart, I—I’m tellin’ ya, he’s gonna regret for ever even lookin’ at you. I’mma make sure he never does that to anyone else again, got that?” he spoke with a clenched jaw, before exhaling and taking a step closer to you. ”Can I touch you? That okay?” he whispered, and although you hesitated, you ended up nodding.

Frank wasted no time. He sighed and pulled you into a hug, wrapping his arms around you while you simply leaned into him, frozen and unsure what to do or say. He shushed you gently, promising you it was going to be okay, his hand running up and down your back as he did. And you…

You just wanted control.

You looked up at him, and on a single second’s impulse, you leaned in to kiss him. Your lips only brushed together when he was pulling back, a surprised woah rising from his throat as he gently put his hands on your shoulders to keep you at an arm’s distance. Your heart shattered in your chest, and you lifted your hand to cover you mouth, shame flooding through you.

”Hey…”, Frank began, trying to let you down gently, but you interjected.

”I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that, I—”, you stammered, hiding your face in both hands. ”That was stupid, I shouldn’t… You… Yeah, you still don’t want me”, you blurted out with a dry laugh, and with confusion blooming on his face, Frank let go of you and tilted his head at you.

”What… Is this—is this about the night we met?” he asked with a frown, and when you only gave him a look, he gave you a sad smile. ”Sweetheart, you were wasted. I couldn’t do you dirty like that. And now, you’re… Hey, you just went through somethin’ real bad”, Frank went on, and with an embarrassed laugh, you waved your hand at him to dismiss him and his attempts to comfort you. You made a move to leave the room, but he took hold of your wrist, gentle but enough to stop you.

”I want you.” His words hung in the air, heavy and unreal, and certainly what it took to get your attention again. You looked back at him, and his head was ducked low, like he was the one embarrassed, all of a sudden. ”Yeah, I… I want you, sweetheart. Fuck, I dunno what my excuse is for not making a move sooner, but I guess I… felt selfish for dragging you into all my bullshit”, he started explaining, and at that, you couldn’t help but give a faint smile.

”In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a mess, just the same”, you pointed out, and with a quiet laugh, Frank nodded.

”Well I, uh, I like you just the way you are”, he insisted, his lips curling upwards into a soft smile. ”And it’d be my

honor to take you out on a real date some day. First… lemme just take care of you, yeah?”

You nodded, lips pursed into a grateful smile. ”It’s been a really shitty night”, you admitted, and with an understanding nod, Frank pulled you into another hug, holding you close to his firm chest.

”I swear to you, that asshole is gonna pay for what he did to you”, he whispered, his words like the most pleasant gravel in your ear, and you let your head drop onto his shoulder.

”Thank you for looking out for me”, you mumbled, and in response, Frank left a kiss on the top of your head.

”Thank you for doin’ the same, pretty girl.”

Momentary silence landed in the room and eventually you shuffled to move away from Frank’s embrace, but before allowing you to escape the conversation, he made a sound in the back of his throat to indicate he still had something on his mind. You faced him with a curious eyebrow, waiting for him to speak up, and he seemed to struggle to find the right words to properly express what he felt.

”You deserve everything. Y’know that, right?” Frank started, catching you off-guard. ”I ain’t sayin’ that I’m the best you could ever have, but these shitty people that you been seein’… I know they just wanted one thing and I want you to understand I’m not lookin’ for that. I want all of you. Not just the outside — although lemme tell you, you’re a fuckin’ stunner — but the inside, too”, he explained, effectively silencing you as you simply looked at him, touched, but in utter disbelief that he knew just what to say.

”Too much?” he chuckled nervously when you didn’t say anything for a while, and repeating his laugh, you shook your head.

”No, it was perfect”, you beamed up at him while giving his hand a squeeze, ”I really appreciate you saying that, Frank.”

He nodded. ”Yeah, well, I’preciate you. More than you know”, he muttered with a shrug, and your smile only widened, enough to make your cheeks ache.

”I’d like to know, though”, you countered, and with another chuckle, Frank licked his lips before leaning in to kiss your cheek.

”You will.”

[coff33notforme]

Okay okay okay- I had this idea for ROTTMNT for so long and have wanted someone to write it and I’m curious how you’d take it-

Okay so I have a dog named Leo, and I ironically didn’t name it after one of the ninja turtles-

What do you think the main turtles reactions would be to a s/o (or friend if you only do platonic) who has a dog that’s named the same thing as them but were met before meeting the turtles?

Feel free to ignore if you don’t wan for write it ^^

A/n: ANON, I LOVE THIS REQUEST SM. I underestimated how long it would take to write for four characters though so this took longer than anticipated. Thanks for being patient!

Pairing: Donnie and gn reader, Leo and gn reader, Mikey and gn reader, and Raph and gn reader (can be read as Romantic or platonic, all separate by the way!)

Mikey

Would be ecstatic, hes flipping out as soon as he find out

You have a dog named after him? He feels so honored

Feels his chest fill with pride at the fact that your dog has the same name as him

But as soon as you explain how your dog wasn’t named after him exactly, and how you just liked the name, he feels a little sting of disappointment

But he soon perks back up when realizing that you actually like his name, his face will brighten up, a smile stretching across his face as he turns to you his eyes sparkling 

“You like my name?!” 

“Yes Mikey.” 

He is full of a lot of energy after that

No matter if your dog is named after him or not, he still very much enjoys playing and spending time with your dog

Sometimes they get confused when you call their name 

“Mikey!” 

They both perk up and turn to look at you with hopeful eyes  

“I, uh, meant the dog, Mikey.” 

Sometimes it gets confusing, so when Mikeys around you call your dog by a nickname like, pup, puppy, bud, etc

“I mean we're practically the same!” Mikey quipped, holding your dog's fluffy face in his green hands as he looked deep into his thoughtless eyes as if searching for something. You rolled your eyes, a light hearted grin spreading across your face, as you finished plopping the wet dog food into Mikeys blue bowl, placing it next to the turtle and dog sitting next to each other on your spotless kitchen floor. 

“Sure, Mikey. But do you mind releasing my dog so he can eat?” you giggled, Mikey removed his hands from the small dog's tangled fur as he scampered cheerfully to his bowl of food. You turned back around to the counter, turning on the faucet as you scrubbed your hands down, before drying them down with the wash cloth laying next to the sink. 

“I mean we both love food, we're both super friendly, and we both love art!” you let out a snort, turning to the young turtle. 

“I didn’t know my dog had such refined taste.” you teased taking a seat on the floor next to Mikey 

“Well, I’ll have you know little M and I are both on the same wavelength when it comes to art.” he spoke, lifting his head in the air as he crossed his arms smugly. You smiled warmly as your dog came racing back, making himself comfortable in your lap. 

“Well I’m just glad my two boys get along.”

Leo

Smug bitch

Seriously thinks you named a whole dog after him, and he is not letting it go

He’s not very subtle about it either 

“Leo! Come here boy, y’know I’ve always thought Leo was a very pretty name.”

You simply roll your eye to his endless banter, you knew that he was just fishing for compliments 

But that did not stop him from trying

When it comes to your actual dog though, Leo and him get along pretty well, he’s definitely not as enthusiastic as Mikey but the spirit is there

He’ll play and pet your dog but that’s about as far as it goes

Is what Leo told you, but one day when you stumbled into your dark apartment after a late shift to find Leo and your pup snuggled up on the couch fast asleep watching some sort of Cable show

You made sure to get as many pictures as possible to show Leo later, and the look on his face was so worth it

“Awe, it’s fine if you two wanna cuddle instead, I get it, I’m definitely not as soft.” you teased, Leo’s face bursting into a crimson red, you never saw the blue turtle this distraught, he never paused or fumbled over his words like this, and over a dog, nonetheless. 

“Would you just let that go, I’m not going to cuddle your dog.” he huffed, playfully rolling his eyes as he plopped down next to you on your gray couch, seeping into the cushions, this however seemed to alert your puppy as he turned his head excitedly, sprinting over to the couch before jumping up onto the sofa and burying his head in Leos lap as if on instinct. You snickered as Leo stuttered trying to find a way to justify the situation.

“Okay Leo, I get it you love my dog more than me, no need to shove it in my face.” you exclaimed, pressing a hand over your chest dramatically. Leo scoffed.

“Maybe I do love him more. At least he doesn’t take pictures of me while I sleep. Don’t you, boy? You wouldn’t do that to me would you?” Leo murmured  warmly to the dog now covering his face with loving kisses, you gasped, shoving Leo lightly with a grin across your face. 

“Whatever you dork, you know you love me.” Leo turned back to you, throwing an arm around you bringing you closer to kiss your cheek.

Donnie 

Bro has beef with your dog for some reason

Like as soon as they met Donnie had a clear look of disgust written across his face

“Y/n, while I’m pleased to know that you love my name so much to name your dog after me, this creature is no Donnie. It would be much appreciated if you could rename your dog asap.” 

He was not kidding, and was not amused when you laughed at his little monologue

“Wait, you're serious?”  

“One-hundred-percent.” 

“Donnie, I’m not going to rename my dog for you!”

Is super moody whenever he comes over, he side eye your dog

Very distraught whenever you shower your dog with attention when he trying to talk to you

Is incredibly salty about it 

“I just don’t get it. Why don’t you like Don?” you wondered aloud, as you continued to play with your dog, pulling gently on the knotted rope that your dog jostled around, shaking his head around as an attempt to yank the toy from your hands. You chuckled lightly, and to this you could hear Donnie groan, you could practically feel him rolling his eyes. 

“I just don’t see the appeal.” he muttered bitterly, an idea popped into your head to his response, a smug smile stretching across your face from ear to ear. 

“Or maybe you're just jealous that Don’s getting more of my attention.” you cooed, you had struck a nerve, because as soon as you had spoken Donnie had shot up from the couch abandoning the machine he had been tinkering with on your coffee table, as he marched off to you, a scowl present on his face.  

“If I pet your dog to prove I’m not jealous will you please drop it?” you hummed as if thinking hard about his little truce, Donnie let out another exasperated groan. 

“Oh come on, please y/n?” you shrugged

“Sure, why not.” to this Donnie let out a sigh. You picked up your dog, handing the puppy to Donnie as flinched, his body tensing. Slowly he became less tense as he began to pet the small animal, his look of discomfort melting away.

“Not so bad huh?” 

“Shut up, y/n”

Raph 

This man is absolutely in love with your little dog

He fully believes that  your dog is just a tiny version of him

Treats your dog like his son

There be times you feel like its Raphs dog more than yours, sometimes you won’t get your dog back from him for hours at a time

He’ll spoil your dog with treats and toys, it’s a little overwhelming if your being honest

Is upset that he can’t go on walks with your dog because of y’know, his whole situation, but will do everything else he can to spend time with your dog

Bathe them, feed them, play with them, anything and everything!

“Raph, could you please hand me the soap?” you asked, the running water from the bathtub roaring over you as you reached for the faucet turning the hot water off. 

“Are you sure we can’t put bubbles in it?” Raph asked, a hint of disappointment in his voice as he looked at your dog with sad eyes.

“I mean, they just look so sad without any bubbles.” you roll your eyes lovingly, as you reach for the bottle of soap yourself. 

“Yes Raph, I’m sure. They don’t need bubbles, they just need to be clean.” Raph sighs as he scoots over to you getting on his knees as he begins to rub the soap into your dog's soft fur. You smile. 

“See it's not so bad, right?” 

“Yeah I guess.” Raph muttered as he stopped, dipping his hands in the water to rinse the soap from your dog's matted fur. Your dog let out a sad whimper, and to this Raph's eyes widened as he immediately babbled out a string of apologies to your dog before you intervened.

“Raph, it’s okay. They just don’t like being washed. You didn’t do anything wrong.”  you assured the red turtle, patting his back comfortingly. He gave a sad nod, still not quite convinced. You sighed. 

“How about if we finish this, we can all watch a movie together?” The offer seemed to brighten the oldest brother as he nodded, giving you a sharp tooth smile.

This was such a fun request! And to everyone else who has requested I will be working on the others later today!

[melancholicheart]

All This Time- Chapter 7

cw: trans male pregnancy (past, mentioned), angst, miscommunication, fluff with a happy ending

There seems to be a lull in time, it goes so fast, yet so slow. Another three days fly by before anyone hears back from Price again. There’s hushed words through the phone call, promises of closure soon, and with that the waiting game begins again.

Simon has since met Sarah, their neighbour, properly. Johnny invited her around for dinner and her daughter for a play date with Elizabeth. As the kids played, they ate and talked and learned about each other.

Sarah isn’t as blindly trusting as Johnny, it seems. Simon likes her. Despite her being polite, kind, friendly, it’s clear that she has some upset towards him. Maybe it’s the fact that she too is a single parent and knows how it impacts the kids. Or maybe she just doesn’t buy what he’s selling.

All is confirmed when, after dinner, Simon is washing up and Sarah comes into the kitchen. The apartment is open plan, kitchen and living room attached, but Johnny is slinking off into a bedroom to check on the two girls. Simon knows a conversation is coming and one he doesn’t exactly want to be apart of.

“So,” Sarah starts, pulling a bottle of coke out the fridge and pouring it into her glass, “I get the miscommunication between you two and I understand that yours and his work is- dangerous, to say the least.”

Here it is, Simon thinks, She’s got questions.

“But what I can’t seem to wrap my head around is why you never contacted him. It’s all well and good saying that he tried to call you and couldn’t get through but these things tend to work both ways,” Sarah says and Simon carefully places the last dish down and turns around as he dries his hands, “So tell me Simon, why didn’t you contact John? Why didn’t you so much as tell him you were alive before rocking up here after nearly 5 years?”

Simon flushes red, placing the towel down on the counter and leaning against it, “I- I fucked up, alright?”

“Sure did. You’ve missed out on a hell of a lot of that little girl’s life. She’s amazing and you had no idea she even existed,” Simon’s eyes fill with tears, “Hell, who's to say you aren’t lying about not knowing?”

Simon’s head snaps up, “I might be an idiot but I’m not a liar. I fucked up, big time, I get that but don’t think for one second that if I knew about Elizabeth I wouldn’t have been here in a heartbeat. I love her and I love Johnny, I want to go back and change how things happened but I can’t and alls I can do is be here now, alright?”

Sarah smiles, wide and it reaches her eyes, “Good man. That’s exactly what I want to hear. I like you Simon, truly, I think you’re a good Dad and a good partner for John. Just don’t fuck up again.”

“I won’t,” He shakes his head, “Also Johnny and I, we aren’t together.”

“But you want to be.” Sarah said.

“No,” Simon forces, “I want to be here for my daughter and I- I can co-parent with Johnny.”

“You just said that you love him. And don’t give me the ‘he’s the father of my child, of course I love him’ bullshit, you don’t mean platonically. You’re in love.” Sarah says. She looks behind her, making sure Johnny isn’t in earshot, “He loves you back, y’know? Hasn’t even so much as considered a date since you left, trust me, I’ve tried to get him to go out with someone- anyone- but he’s still waiting for you.”

“Yeah well I also said I fucked up. My feelings can stay inside as long as it means I don’t fuck up with Johnny anymore, as long as I don’t make his life any harder than I already have.”

“Sweetie I don’t think that’s possible,” Sarah laughs, “He’s done a lot on his own but maybe you and him can start making memories together? With your little ‘un too, obviously.”

“Right, yeah. Maybe.” Simon mumbles, desperate to just end the conversation.

Thankfully, Johnny comes back out with Elizabeth’s friend in tow, ready to go home with Sarah. They say their goodbye’s and see them out the door, Sarah flashing a knowing grin to Simon before the door shuts.

Elizabeth is asked to go and tidy her room and make sure all her toys are neatly back where they belong. She goes with little fuss, despite mumbling about how she ‘didn’t even make that much mess, it was Macy’.

“Right, I think I’m gonna grab a quick shower, if you don’t mind.” Johnny says, stretching his back a little.

His shirt rides slightly, just a faint pink slither of his c-section scar is visible on his overall warm, toned skin and Simon sighs, “Actually, Johnny, can we- uh- can we talk?”

“Yeah, sure. Everything okay?” Johnny asks, sliding onto the couch. Simon takes a seat next to him and sits forwards, clasping his hands and resting them on his knees.

“Yes, well, no. Not really- Johnny I haven’t been completely honest with you. I want to tell you the truth, the real reason it took me so long to come back.” Simon mumbles.

“Oh. Right. Shit, serious talk, okay. What have you lied to me about?” Johnny asks.

“I haven’t lied, necessarily, I have just left some details unmentioned. See, I’ve been working out the timeline of everything in my head and I- I was away on a mission the first time you called. When I returned I asked for the messages you’d have left and they said I had none. They said no one called or sent letters or anything and I- I got mad. I thought you had moved on, gotten fed up and given up on me or whatever and I was so fucking pissed at you that I just couldn’t even pick up the phone to call you back.”

Johnny’s hands curl into fists and he takes a deep breath as Simon continues.

“You know how stubborn I am. Every week I waited for them to tell me I had a call or a letter or something and the longer I went without hearing from you, the angrier I got.” Simon huffs and toys with his hands, “I grew reckless without you, lost the Ghost I suppose. I got hurt, a lot. I’m probably more scar than human at this point and, well, I was never a looker. My last injury made Price furious, I had gotten out of the infirmary the week before and on the next mission I got myself thrown out of a window. Broke my wrist. All mended now, like, but the docs say I have carpal tunnel and, well, it’s pretty hard holding a sniper rifle now.”

“I spent five years nearly dead, Johnny, and Price finally told me to just go. Come back to you and learn how to live again, regardless of whether you wanted me or not. I just couldn’t be there anymore and Price told me that. I wasn’t expecting you to even be here, nevermind to have a kid. A kid that’s also mine. When I first saw her, I thought you had moved on. Maybe adopted, maybe had a kid, I didn’t know but then she called me ‘Daddy’. It made my heart hurt, really fuckin hurt, because I realised I wanted that. I wanted her to be mine and I didn’t think she was.” Simon sighs. His eyes are watery and face red. Johnny lets him continue, “And she is. She’s my daughter. Ours. And I’m so fucking sorry Johnny, for everything, I’ll never be able to make it up to you.”

Johnny goes to speak but is interrupted by Simon, who looks exhausted and weak, “I just- I want to be here for her. And you. But I’d also understand if you just wanted me to go and never come back. I’ve ruined everything and you can’t even say I haven’t. I should’ve called. Should’ve visited. And I didn’t. But I want to be better now.”

There’s silence for a short while. Johnny is letting everything sink in. Five years ago, he would’ve never even let Simon get a chance to speak, he would’ve accepted him with open arms straight back into his life. Now, alls that’s in his mind is his daughter. Elizabeth. What’s right for her?

“She needs you,” Johnny mumbles. He swallows down his own emotions, “Regardless of whatever the hell I want, it doesn’t matter. She needs you and she wants you here. I’m not going to deprive you of your daughter any longer.”

“I don’t want to be here if I’m causing you problems Johnny. I don’t want to be more of a hindrance than any good.” Simon mutters.

“You aren’t. You’ve not been a burden at all. Trust me, I’m mad that you didn’t tell me sooner, but I’m not mad that it happened. This whole thing has been a massive fuck up but I’m tired now, Simon. I just want things to be easier for me, for you, and for Elizabeth. She’s all that matters anymore.” Johnny says.

Simon nods, “Yeah, I’m with you there.”

“You know what my condition is already, but you’re not going to like it.”

“What’s that?” Simon asks.

“I can't tell my daughter that you’re dead, Simon, I won’t do it. You need to leave the 141.” Johnny states.

[thesoulofasurvivor]

@reformed-tempest​ asked:

1, 2, 3, 6, 8

1. What’s the lie your character says most often?  There’s only one answer I can give for this one... If you were to ask her if she could infect you, the chances of her telling you anything other than “No” is loW. Now, whether or not she tells the lie with a straight face... But, she will still deny it and lie about it even if prodded. She’s never told anyone and she’s not comfortable with others knowing because she’s afraid no one will want to be anywhere near her if they knew. It’s not like she goes around biting everybody but, y’know. 

2. How loosely or strictly do they use the word ‘friend’?  I think I’d say probably more towards strictly... Because in the apocalypse, you likely won’t consider someone a friend unless you could seriously trust and rely on them. Like even if she accepts your friendly company, it don’t mean she won’t leave you in the dust to save herself upon any danger. A friend is someone she loves. 

3. How often do they show their genuine emotions to others versus just the audience knowing?  She’s gotten pretty good at hiding her feelings but she’s still a kid so, sometimes her face decides to tell a different story than her words oop I mean she tries but sometimes it just don’t work out. Especially if it’s with someone she knows. She’s a little bit better at hiding her emotions from strangers, but that’s more of a survival thing. 

6. What’s their favorite [insert anything] that they’ve never recommended to anyone before?  Okay so you may have forgotten to give me a subject but imma just pick one okay  👉 👈 she really loves to read and her favorite books she’s ever come across is Clifford The Big Red Dog, she loves dogs, her father always used to tell her about his dog and she loved it, and she just really loves the giant red dog but she won’t tell you that. 

8. How loose is their use of the phrase ‘I love you’?  Not at all, she actually sort of says those words sparsely. That said, in this context I mean platonically. She’s never been in an actually relationship, and she’s underage so any relationships would be PG13 *strictly* but, for friends or people who she’s grown familial relationships with, she doesn’t really say it much despite feeling it very much so. She typically shows and expresses her love for the people she cares about in other ways. 

[unfoundhoney]

being a member of the dream team ↠

↠ platonic!dream team x fem!reader ; fluff

↠ masterlist

you ↠

social media ↠

reputation ↠

you

my dear reader

are the internet’s sweetheart

everyone adores “that girl from the dream team” even if they don’t know much about you

your screen name is “okayy/n”

& you are an absolute ray of sunshine

you’re known for being a sunny presence & just being completely adorable

you’re kind & friendly & just such a great person ☺️

and you have three gremlins for best friends

everyone who meets you literally (not really but yeah kind of) falls in love with you

,,,,

there are many youtube videos

you’re anonymous & all your social media icons are fanart of your minecraft skin

you’re about a year younger than sapnap & the youngest of the dream team

(the other 3 didn’t know how old you were for a while after meeting you & when they found out they made a big scene then went back to normal like nothing happened lol)

you’ve been active online as a streamer since about mid-2019 & have been in dream’s youtube videos for about as long

you also post your own youtube videos but you’re more active on twitch

jokes ↠

i felt this was an important section to include

the biggest joke that came from you isn’t even one that you make

it’s other people who will be talking to you & just add “okay, y/n?” to the end

sometimes it doesn’t even make sense to say it but it’s for the lols

your designated minecraft item that you are obsessed with is watermelon

doesn’t even matter if you don’t like watermelon

your older username on everything was “okaymelon” for whatever reason & you pay homage by always having a much larger than necessary melon farm

thirdly: everyone says they’re dating you

this started bc there was this channel on youtube making videos trying to prove you were dating dream

(which would have been illegal at the time as you were only 17)

so then on one of your streams the boys

dream, george, & sapnap will henceforth be known as “the boys”

you were in a vc with the boys on a stream & they just all admitted to dating you

(dream) yeah, y/n & i are actually dating

(you, beginning to panic) NO we’re not, guys he’s joking-

(sapnap) oh yeah i’m dating y/n too

(dream) woah, that’s crazy dude

(george) guys, you’re not going to believe this, but i’m dating y/n as well!

(sapnap) no way!

(dream) what a coincidence!

now anytime you interact w/ anyone they say they’re dating you

also you’re an eret stan

you stan eret & you’re made fun of for it but you will not apologize

relationships w/ the boysᵗᵐ ↠

dream ↠

dream is like the obnoxious older brother you never wanted

i’m kidding

kind of

he is very annoying & makes fun of you for anything he can but it’s how he shows affection ok

you’re patient w/ him & his teasing because you know he cares about you

he just won’t admit it

he shuts down anyone who tries to flirt with you

during schlatt’s presidency, he joined a stream of yours for like three seconds to tell schlatt he’ll ban him again if he doesn’t stop hitting on you then left

annoying ✓

teasing ✓

protective ✓

fans: they’re siblings your honor

you are always there to defend dream when fans get dumb about trying to cancel him

captain of the dream defense squad, y/n l/n o7

as much as dream teases you, you two have e/o’s backs, no doubt

george ↠

sighs

look

if dream is the stereotypical mean older brother, george is the reliable older brother

your relationship is still very joking & friendly

but for serious things that you need advice on & the other two would probably make fun of you for, you can go to george

he’s not as protective as dream, but he will always be there for you

i mean, all three of them are protective of you because they know how men on the internet can be but like speaking generally y’know?

are you a george simp?

yes, duh, who isn’t?

you are unashamed to compliment him on whatever

if fans want to ship you that’s fine because you’re gonna hype up one of your best finds ok ٩(๑`^´๑)۶

he gets updates on the other two through you after you moved in together

you moved in w/ sap & dream @ the beginning of 2021 btw

you make double triple sure to always include george bc he can’t live w/ you 3 right now & you feel bad

he always reassures you it’s fine but still ಠ╭╮ಠ

you make him send you pictures of his pets

you will get pouty if he doesn’t

sapnap ↠

alright so these 3 idiots are your best friends

but it’s kind of pyramid type deal

like

dream & george are the foundation of the bff pyramid

& sapnap is the top

he’s just a little higher

bc even if he is mean to you for no reason all the time, you two are like best best friends

you’re closest in age to him & you talk all the time & have just gotten to be super close over the years you’ve known e/o

it’s all fun & games & he “bullies” or whatever

but if you (or he) ever really needed someone to talk to, he’d drop the act & you two could really just let it all out

it’s kind of weird how close you two got before he ever saw your face

like mans really hadn’t seen you at all prior to moving in together

speaking of faces!

you hype the hell out of sap whenever he uses a face cam

“look at you!”

“shut up.”

“you should use a face cam all the time!”

“shut. up.”

“you’re so handsome ( ´ ∀ `)ノ～ ♡”

“oh my god...”

he tried to act unaffected but he was red like (๑꒪̇⌄꒪̇๑) (๑꒪̇⌄꒪̇๑) (๑꒪̇⌄꒪̇๑)

overall ↠

you’re a gift to the mcyt community!

you’re an amazing person & everyone loves you

esp your three bffies!

even if they won’t own up to it o(╥﹏╥)o

more ↠

first meeting

on your period

[mizunetzu]

Hi! I love your writing and I wanted to know if you could do one where the reader is trans masc and their dad is aizawa And no of 1a knows (except aizawa) until someone who went to school with them starts bullying them, and publicly outs them. And so aizawa makes a really big deal, and accidentally mentions that the reader is his kid, But everyone in 1a supports them and are more shocked when they find out their dad is aizawa. Thank you!!!! I know it's weird I just want validation tbh (´-﹏-`；)

Hi hi hi !! I wasn’t sure if this ask requested male pronouns (bc of the use of the word ‘trans masc’) or GN pronouns (bc of the use of the word ‘they’ across the request) feel free to educate me on that!! But for now, I used Male Pronouns!

——————

Platonic! Aizawas trans male kid gets outed

⚠️warnings - mentions of outing, deadnaming, me antagonizing shindo bc haha I needed a bad guy-

Pronouns - male, he/him

——————

Loading off the bus, (Y/n) stretched his arms and let out a huff. He rubbed at his eyes, and activated his quirk slightly to see if it still worked. It wasn’t like it was going to go away, but it became habit to see if he could still do it after a long time or not. A useless habit, you could say.

Though, it was important he still had his quirk, since today was the day he was going to take the Provincial Licensing Exam. Along with his classmates.

(Y/n) strolled around the area, being sure not to stray too far away from his own class and bus. There seemed to be many schools here. Most of them, upperclassmen. (Y/n) swallowed the lump in his throat and stalked up to Kirishima to calm his nerves.

Kirishima spotted him, giving him a curt slap on the back. (Y/n) coughed, adjusting his hero costumes chest area.

“Yo! Aren’t you excited for this thing? Whaddya think we’re gonna do?”

(Y/n) let out a timid laugh, his voice noticeably deep, but almost borderline androgynous. Like he was trying to force it to go lower than it naturally was. An ear perked up from somewhere behind (Y/n). “Yeah, I’m getting kinda pumped u-“

“Well-I certainly wasn’t expecting you to be here.”

That sickeningly sweet voice made (Y/n) scrunch up his nose. He didn’t turn around. Nevertheless, the voice kept going. “Eh, well, that’s a lie. Your face was practically plastered everywhere on tv.”

“Tell me-how’s it feel to go to the famous UA, Sayaka-chan?”

(Y/n) kept his eyes fixated on the ground, still facing Kirishima as he looked between the two, confused.

“Uh-I think you got the wrong guy, dude. This dudes well...a dude.”

“Mm?” The boy was taken aback, before smirking and leaning next to (Y/n’s) ear. He said, rather loudly, “You didn’t tell them, Sayaka?”

“Shut up, Shindo.” (Y/n) voice was quiet. It wasn’t as deep as it was ‘normally’, but it sounded very much less strained. Kirishima seemed to catch on, though he said nothing, out of respect. Though, Shindo did the exact opposite.

“Don’t be so rude, Yaka-chan! I’m just saying hi to my old friend!” Shindo turned to Kirishima, as the UA students started noticing their little show. That-and a scruffy man, who was now completely ignoring what Ms Joke was saying to turn his ears on hyperfocus. “Don’t mind her. I guess she’s on her period today or something.”

“Ne-what’s happing here? Do you know (Y/n)-kun or something?” Mina said. (Y/n) cringed at hearing his name. He knew Shindo was going to say it. Don’t say it. Don’t-

“(Y/n)? That’s the name Sayaka-chan goes by these days?”

His seemingly friendly smile made (Y/n) want to puke. Mina titled her head. “Sayaka? You probably have the wrong person. This is (Y/n).”

Shindo turned to (Y/n), his dirty, smug glare being hidden behind a innocent, confused smile. “You really didn’t tell them, Sayaka?”

Shindo took a deep breath in. (Y/n) pursed his lips. “Don’t fucking-“

“Sayaka here,” Shindo slung an arm around the boy. “She’s a crossdresser. She’s ‘trans’. Isn’t that great?”

(Y/n) noticeably stiffened, biting his lip harshly and keeping his eyes pointed harshly at the ground like it was the only way to keep tears from flowing. He clenched his knuckles in embarrassment.

Before (Y/n), Mina, or Kirishima could say something, a hunched over, dark figure placed a hand on Shindo’s shoulder. His nice boy smile dropped. Aizawa, uncharacteristically, looked like he was seething.

“Shindo. Kid. Get away from my son. Before I find your teacher.”

Kirishimas eyes widened while Mina gasped. Son? Shindo bit back a snarl. He smiled irritably and put his sweet tone back on. “What? I’m just talking to Sayaka-chan-“

“His name is (Y/n). If you really want to be a hero, I suggest not being a nuisance to my son or any of my students.” Aizawa grumbled.

Shindo scoffed. “I’m sorry I offended you, mr...scruffy man. I’m not sure which son you’re talking about, though. Don’t you have a daughter-?”

Aizawa reached for his capture weapon, eyes glaring a Ruby red. Shindou was about to lurch forward when Ms Joke stepped in between the two. She huffed, turning to Shindo first.

“Shindo-kun, should you be changing into your hero costume about now? Go do that! The class already went ahead without you!”

Shindo gasped, his persona back on like a mask. “Oh! That’s right! I’m sorry Miss! See you guys! Do your best!”

Shindo turned to (Y/n), in a low whisper. “See you, Sayaka.” And timpered off. Ms Joke turned to Aizawa.

“And you!” She put her arms on her hips. “Just because your kid’s being teased a bit doesn’t mean you have to reach for your weapon!”

Aizawa seemingly let go of his scarf he’d been clutching for a while now. His hair flopped down and framed his face once more. “He wasn’t teasing. He’s been bullying my son since his 2nd year of middle school.”

(Y/n) was awkwardly standing behind Aizawa. Since they had no intention of bringing him in personally to the conversation, he shoved his hands into his pockets. It was then he noticed the majority of 1A staring at him.

He paled. Flashbacks of Shindo publicly outing him whipped by his mind, along with the way he hid his disgusted glare when he came out as trans initially in his 2nd year of middle school. It was his third year and (y/n’s) second year, Shindo being one of (y/n’s) closest friends until he became a ‘crossdresser’.

Were his new UA classmates going to to treat him the same? Would all the girls and boys be hesitant to undress themselves with him nearby, because he’s a “lesbian/girl perving on the guys”? Was he going to have to mend all of these relationships from the start again? A bottomless pit dug into his stomach. He didn’t want that.

Stagnant air filled the atmosphere as everyone stared at (y/n). Already thinking of excuses, explanations, anything, he opened his mouth to speak.

“I-“

“You’re Aizawa’s son?!” Kaminari yelled, pointing a finger at (y/n). (Y/n) blinked, letting out a confused “eh?”

Mina popped in, flailing her arms in the air like Iida, but less stiff. “Dude! That’s so cool! You think you can tell him to round my 48 into a 90 from last weeks quiz?!”

Slowly but surely, his classmates started crowding around him, all talking at once. There were “Ohh-I can see the resemblance now!”s and “dude how are you still alive?!”s. Everyone seemed to forget what Shindo was talking about.

(Y/n) stood silent. “You guys...aren’t going to mention it?”

Most everyone stopped talking. Sero stepped forward. “Does it really matter? Your still our classmate, man. Plus, Aizawas your fuckin’ dad.”

Murmurs of agreement mused out from the surrounding crowd of UA students. (Y/n) smiled, attempting to answer every question about him or Aizawa as possible.

Ms Joke whistled from far away. Aizawa sleepily lolled his head towards her away from watching his son carefully, seeing if any students acted rudely in anyway.

“So your class didn’t know he was...y’know.”

“Mm.” Aizawa hummed. “Though, they seem to be more interested in him being my son than him not being ‘born a son’. M’glad that they’re bothering him instead of me. But knowing them, they’ll probably ask me some things after the exam.”

“I’m not meaning this in any mean way, but,” Ms Joke was oddly serious. “How are you so fine with this...change? It’s not like I’m saying it’s wrong, no, but you accepted it rather quickly and his transition happened pretty much overnight.”

“Does it really matter if he’s a boy or a girl or not? He’s still a pain in the ass. You don’t need a specific gender to be a problem child. As long as he’s keeping up with hero training and classes, I don’t really care.”

Aizawas eyes betrayed his words. They were dry, as usual, but they observed his students every move, every word they throw at his kid like he was stalking his prey. Like he was subtly saying “Say one misgendering thing, and I’ll expel you.”

In the end, Aizawa was a big softie. His child was happy, and that was fine by him. And, he’s less to deal with when he’s happy. His words, not mine. Ms Joke sighed, knowing her answer, and faced forward.

“Go out with me!”

“Go to hell.”

——————

I’m sorry for assigning a ‘dead name’ in this fic; and I’m sorry if this fic was actually a they/them one!! Sincerest apologies :(

[buckleyblueyes]

Buddie + 47 "This is home?" 😊

Thank you for your patience, nonnie! I know this took me some time to write and post. Loved this prompt, though! This fic features an appearance by Taylor Kelly, and maybe isn't the most friendly towards her? idk, I wasn’t actively trying to write her to be a bad person or anything, but just in case I thought I'd throw a warning for people who like her/like her and Buck.

Buck yawns and leans back into the cushions of the Diaz couch. He’s exhausted, physically and emotionally. They were called to a grizzly pileup on the freeway just before their shift was supposed to end, multiple on scene fatalities, and more that they lost later, in the ambulance. He had a date with Taylor scheduled for after his shift, but he knew before the engine even pulled back into the station that he was going to have to cancel. Not just for himself and his need for rest and recovery, but for Taylor’s sake. He wouldn’t have been a good date in his current state. He texted her from the locker room that his shift had run long and he was going to head home and rest. She texted him back with a “I understand, get some sleep” and that was that.

He followed Eddie home, because neither of them wanted to be alone, and he wanted to see Chris, even for a few minutes before the boy had to go to bed. They exchanged hugs and Buck and Eddie both pressed kisses to the top of Christopher’s head. Ever since Eddie was shot--since he told Buck about his will, since Buck spent the summer living on their couch and taking care of both of them--Buck took on a more parental role with Christopher. They don’t really talk about it, but it’s undeniably true, and Buck loves it. The three of them feel like a family, are a family.

Buck showered at the station, but Eddie hadn’t. Eddie likes to take his time in the shower, making it into a sort of ritual where he scrubs off more than just the grime of the day, but the stress and trauma of it as well. He’s going to be gone awhile. So, Buck settles into the couch and pulls out his phone.

I know it’s not the same, but wanna FaceTime before bed?

Seconds later his phone lights up with the call. He smiles when he answers it.

“Hey, babe!” Her smile is bright and bubbly as always.

“Hey, Taylor,” he says, forcing himself to keep his own smile up. “Sorry about our date.”

“No, no it’s fine…” Taylor trails off, blinking curiously through the screen. “I thought you said you were going home?”

Buck glances around the room behind him and frowns. “This is home?”

She rolls her eyes. “I know what your loft looks like.”

“Oh,” His smile returns. Of course, she’s only been to Eddie’s a few times, she doesn’t recognize it from the bit of it she could see through FaceTime. “I’m at Eddie’s.”

Taylor’s confusion morphs into exasperation. “I should’ve realized.”

“You’ve only been here a few times, it’s--”

“No, I mean I should’ve realized you were blowing me off for him,” she snaps.

It feels like someone dumped a bucket of ice water over his head. “What does that mean?”

“It means that I’m always playing second to Eddie, and I’m getting sick of it,” Taylor’s tone is huffy and irritated and Buck hates it. “It was one thing when he was still recovering. But he’s fine now, so why are you still spending so much time with him?”

“He’s my best friend, Taylor,” Buck narrows his eyes. “Of course I spend time with him.”

She scowls. “How can you be too tired for me, but be sitting on his couch?”

Buck runs a hand through his ungelled curls. “Look, our shift ran long and it was really rough. My therapist says I shouldn’t be alone during times like this, and I happen agree with her--”

“So why not be with me?” Taylor asks, tone shifting from anger to sadness.

“Because Eddie knows exactly where I’m at emotionally,” Buck sighs. “He was there, he saw what I saw. There’s nothing to explain. And he shouldn’t be alone tonight, either. It just makes sense.”

She frowns. “So, that’s it? I’m not a first responder, so I’ll never be able to understand like Eddie?”

His stomach twists. This conversation is starting to sound familiar. “It’s not--”

“How can I understand if you don’t open up to me?”

Buck doesn’t know what to say to that. She’s right, of course. He isn’t open with her. She doesn’t know about his childhood, or about Daniel. She doesn’t know about the nightmares that haunt him, doesn’t know about the waves and ladder trucks, gunshots and explosions. She doesn’t know any of it, and he has no desire to share it with her. Maybe it’s the way she looks at her phone half the time they’re talking, or the fact that they haven’t really talked about her willingness to put Bobby’s trauma on the news, but he still doesn’t trust her, not really.

“You’re right,” he finally says. “I’ve been shutting you out.” She looks hopeful, which makes Buck feel like a huge jerk because this isn’t about to go in the direction she seems to think it will. “I have to be honest, I don’t think I’ll ever feel like opening up to you. I’m sorry.”

“Oh.” She looks so sad, and the part of Buck that’s terrified of disappointing people is two seconds from taking it all back, when she speaks again. “So, where does that leave us, then?”

“I don’t know,” Buck answers honestly. He doesn’t want to be single and lonely again, but he can’t deny any longer that Taylor isn’t right for him.

“I think you do.” She gives him a weak smile.

Buck blinks. Cocks his head to the side in confusion. “What does that mean?”

“Buck, be honest with me, are you in love with Eddie?”

Whatever Buck is expecting her to say, it isn’t that. All at once it feels like all the air in the room has been sucked out. He knows that he feels more for Eddie than could be strictly described as platonic, but he’s been avoiding those feelings for as long as he’s known Eddie. First because he thought he had Abby, then because Eddie was married, then because Eddie was grieving his wife, and then because they weren’t speaking to each other, and then because the pandemic hit and they had other things to focus on, and then because Eddie was dating Ana...It was never the right time, and he was always too afraid of losing Eddie, when he inevitably had to turn Buck down.

But Eddie changed his will, and Eddie broke up with Ana because “she’s not what I want” and Eddie let Buck stay here, for months, taking care of him and Christopher, and Buck knows in his core that he and Eddie are tied together, no matter what.

“Buck?”

He realizes she’s still waiting for an answer. “Yeah, yeah I think I am.”

She nods stiffly. “Right, well then. I guess we’re done here.”

“I guess we are.” Buck shifts uncomfortably. “Can we still be friends?”

“I don’t think so,” Taylor shakes her head.

Buck opens his mouth to respond, to say goodbye, but he’s cut off by a voice coming from the hallway. “You’re in love with me?” Buck looks up to see Eddie standing there in his sweats, hair still damp and dripping from the shower, brown eyes wide with shock.

Oh, fuck. “Taylor, I have to go.”

“I know,” she rolls her eyes. “Goodbye, Buck.”

“Bye, Taylor,” Buck swallows, setting his phone down on the coffee table. “How--How long have you been standing there? I didn’t hear the shower turn off.”

“Long enough,” Eddie steps forward. “You’re in love with me?”

“I--” There’s no point in denying. “Yeah. Is that...okay?”

It’s a stupid thing to say, but it’s all Buck can think to say.

To say Eddie looks dumbfounded would be an understatement. “Is it--What kind of question is that?”

Buck shrugs “Well, y’know. I thought it might make things awkward.”

Eddie shakes his head and shuffles the rest of the way into the living room, so he’s standing right above Buck. “Awkward? Why--What--Like, at work? We’re adults, we can keep things professional.”

“Keep...it...professional…” Buck’s brain processes the words slowly, but when he finally does, his heart sinks. “You don’t want to be friends with me anymore?”

“Um.” Eddie cocks his head to the side, in almost the same movement Buck made just minutes earlier. “Obviously not.”

Buck feels numb. This is it. The end of everything. Just when he thinks he’s found someone who will stay. “W-What about Christopher?”

Again Eddie looks baffled. “What about Christopher? I think he’ll be happy we’re together.”

Time stops. Together? “Uh-Wh-Huh? Together? Like...together-together? Like dating? Each other?”

“Oh.” The confusion melts off Eddie’s face. “Buck. I’m in love with you, too.”

Buck blinks up at him. “You are?”

“Yeah,” Eddie smiles warmly. “I thought I made that clear when I broke up with Ana and kept asking you to stay, but I guess I should’ve known that I needed to be more explicit with you.”

Buck laughs. “Oh, you think? I’m only in therapy for my abandonment issues, it’s not like I have problems trusting that people want me around or something.”

Eddie leans down and takes Buck’s hands in his. “Evan Buckley, I am deeply in love with you, and I want to be with you for as long as you’ll have me.”

Buck grins, tightens his grip on Eddie’s hands, and pulls the other man down onto the couch, right into his lap. “How does forever sound?”

“Sounds wonderful.”

Later, after they makeout on the couch like teenagers, after Eddie guides Buck down the hall to his bedroom, after they curl up in each other’s arms, it finally occurs to Eddie to ask. “How exactly did your FaceTime with Taylor end up with her asking if you were in love with me?”

Buck doesn’t open his eyes when he answers. “She asked why I wasn’t at home like I told her I’d be.”

“This is your home.”

Buck smiles and snuggles closer. “I know.”

[momsopposed2theoccult]

Not Alone

So I wrote a thing. It’s Tokka-ish but could be interpreted as romantic or platonic. I’m currently waiting on an Ao3 invite so I’ll probably post it on there as well once I receive my invite, but for now I figured I would post it on here because I’m excited to share it with you all! Oh and here’s a friendly reminder that Post Plus is bullshit and you will never, ever have to pay to read my writing. Writing is something I do for fun, and I post it on Tumblr because I want other people who love these characters as much as I do to be able to share that experience with me. Not to mention that I’m not looking to get sued by Nickelodeon.

The first time that Sokka noticed there was something wrong with Toph, she had been six months pregnant. 

The two of them were lounging around her living room, Sokka stretched out across the couch with his left arm dangling off the side and Toph relaxing in an oversized armchair, her swollen feet perched on the ottoman in front of her and one hand resting on her rounded stomach. It was an unusually hot summer’s day, and the two old friends had happily retreated into the sweet relief of Toph’s newly installed air conditioning.

“Sokka, do you think I’ll be an okay mother?”

Sokka was taken aback by his friend’s blunt question. 

“Well, just as long as you pay better attention to the kid than you did to Appa, I think you’ll be golden,” he joked, reflecting back briefly on the memory from their war days. 

The then-tiny girl had tried with all her might to prevent Wan Shi Tong’s library from collapsing under the weight of Sokka’s own impulsive curiosity, all while trying to rescue their beloved sky bison from his captors. He would never forget the look on her face after it happened, nor would he forget the months she spent perfecting her sandbending afterwards, determined that she would never make such a mistake again.

Perhaps that had been the wrong thing to say.

Toph’s eyebrows scrunched together in a look of concern as she rubbed absentminded circles on the curve of her stomach with a flat palm.

“Sokka, I’m serious. Do you think I’ll be an okay mother?,” she repeated, some anxiety creeping into her voice. 

“Well, yeah. Sure. Why wouldn’t you be?,” Sokka replied, although he couldn’t ignore the uncertainty in his own voice as he attempted to soothe his best friend’s anxieties surrounding the tiny life growing inside of her. 

Toph exhibited many admirable qualities, but she wasn’t exactly nurturing. He couldn’t help but recall all the plants she had failed to keep alive over the years, or the way Katara was constantly scolding her for swearing in front of Bumi and Kya, or the way she tensed up around babies, as if she were afraid she might break them. 

Toph sighed, blowing her sweaty bangs out of her face.

“I don’t know, I’m just… not great with babies. I never know what to do with them, y’know? They’re just so tiny, I always feel like I’m gonna break them in half or something equally barbaric.” 

“No, no, I’m sure you won’t-,” Sokka began to reply, but Toph had not yet finished lamenting.

“And most kids get to have their dad there, but, y’know, any hope this kid has of ever meeting that lousy excuse for a man is long gone,” she huffed angrily. 

“Daddy’s an asshole, isn’t he! Just a big ‘ole deadbeat loser!,” she said in a mocking babyish tone, giving her swollen belly a little pat.

Sokka rolled his eyes at his friend’s dramatics, but he couldn’t help agreeing. 

The guy’s name was Kanto. He had been a bartender at one of Sokka and Toph’s mutual favourite dives, and an okay enough guy depending on who you asked, but as far as Sokka was concerned, he was the scum of Toph’s beloved earth. 

The two of them had been getting a drink together like they always did on Friday nights, when Toph had caught the bartender’s eye. And honestly, Sokka couldn’t blame him. He certainly couldn’t deny that she was no longer the grubby twelve year old he had met all those years ago. He wasn’t going to pretend like he didn’t notice the curve of her hips or the way her tank top rode up her waist exposing a sliver of stomach. And he couldn’t ignore the way that other men checked her out nor how weird he felt about it when they did. Kanto had been one of those men. After a round of free drinks and a disgusting amount of quite frankly obnoxious eyebrow waggling, Kanto had somehow convinced Toph to come home with him, much to Sokka’s disdain. The rest was history. 

The two of them had been an item for a couple of months. Toph claimed that she was happy with him, but Sokka didn’t need his friend’s talents as a human polygraph machine to figure out that she was lying. 

He wasn’t all bad, he really wasn’t. He never laid a hand on her or anything like that. But Sokka couldn’t help noticing the subtle comments he made about her weight or her outfit or how she spoke just a little louder than he thought a woman should, nor could he miss all the changes she made to her beautiful, wonderful, perfect self just to fit his mold. 

Sokka hated that Toph’s signature confidence could crumble so easily under the will of a man like that. It made his blood boil. 

Toph began to fall apart when he finally left. Then when she found out that she was pregnant, she broke, and Sokka had been there to help pick up the pieces. 

So yeah, not exactly Sokka’s favourite guy. 

“You know you don’t need him, right?” He assured her.

“Yeah, yeah. I know,” she replied, brushing him off with a faint smile that she didn’t quite put her heart into. 

Picking up on his friend’s feeble attempt to mask her obvious worry, Sokka got up from the couch and walked over to where Toph was sitting. He placed one hand firmly in hers and the other gingerly on her stomach.

“Toph, you’re the strongest person I know. Believe me when I say that if anybody can do this on their own, you can. But you won’t have to do it alone, because I’m going to be here for you every step of the way. Do you understand me?” He assured her. 

She nodded in reply. 

“Yeah, I understand. And thank you.”

But he could tell she didn’t really believe it. 

____________

The second time that Sokka noticed something was wrong with Toph had been two weeks after Lin’s birth. Four old friends had gathered on Air Temple Island for a belated celebration of the new mother and child. Aang had cooked noodles, one of Toph’s favourites, but Sokka couldn’t help noticing that the latter had hardly touched hers.

“What’s wrong, Toph? Normally you gobble this stuff up in under five minutes,” Aang asked, voicing Sokka’s thoughts exactly.

The earthbender continued to absentmindedly twirl a piece of noodle around her chopstick, never bringing it to her mouth. 

“I’m fine. Just not that hungry,” she assured them. 

Sokka caught Aang’s eye and they shared a skeptical look. Katara looked at Toph with concern and a vague familiarity, as if something had suddenly dawned on her.

“You know, if something’s bothering you, you can always talk to us about it, right? I know that this is a new experience for you, and I understand if you’re feeling a little lost-,” Katara started, but was cut off by her friend’s inevitable defensive reaction. 

“Oh, so you think this has to do with Lin? You think there’s something wrong with me? You think I’m not fit to be a mother? Well guess what? Lin and I are doing just fine on our own!,” Toph yelled in response to her friend’s gentle attempt to help her. 

“Toph, I don’t think that’s what she meant. What she was trying to say is that being a new parent is stressful enough as it is, and I can’t imagine having to do it alone. We’re here for you if you need our help or advice,” Aang tried to reason with his angry friend, but to no avail. 

“You know what, Aang? You can take your ‘advice’ and shove it up your ass. I don’t need your help, I don’t need anybody’s help. I’m a great mother!,” she shot back in response. 

Sokka sighed. There was no reasoning with Toph when she got like this. Her fits of defensiveness and anger usually masked deeper fears and insecurities that could be difficult, nearing impossible to coax out of her at first. It was usually best to give her time to herself to blow off some steam, and only then could she be convinced to admit the truth about what was bothering her. 

“I’m gonna go take a nap. That is, unless Sokka here has some unsolicited advice for me too,” she voiced in a warning tone implying that if Sokka did happen to have any comments to make, he better keep his mouth shut about them. 

Sokka threw up his hands defensively. 

“No, no, by all means, go take a nap.”

“Great, at least one of my friends doesn’t fancy himself a shrink.”

Toph stormed off in a huff to the guest bedroom, and although her fit of anger concerned him, Sokka was glad to see her getting some much-needed rest. The dark circles under her clouded eyes implying sleepless nights as of late hadn’t escaped him. 

“What was that all about?,” Aang wondered aloud. “I’ve never seen her get that angry over nothing. We were just asking if she was okay.”

“I dunno. She hasn’t really been herself recently, has she?,” Sokka replied. 

“I mean, she called me Aang. Just Aang. She only does that when she’s really upset.”

“Well, it is your name,” Sokka reminded him, although he too couldn’t help noting with concern that Toph had neglected to make use of her favourite choice nickname for their airbending friend. 

“You know, right after I had Bumi I didn’t feel like myself either,” Katara shared. “It was like, before that moment, all I had to take care of was me. But then all of a sudden there was this tiny little human being who relied on me to survive, and I wasn’t sure if I could do it. I felt like my heart was walking around outside my body, and if I made even the slightest mistake I would destroy it forever. I doubted myself a lot. Everything was just so new and overwhelming, and some days I didn’t even want to get out of bed.” 

“So you’re saying that you’re pretty sure that’s how Toph feels about Lin?,” Sokka asked tentatively as realization dawned on him. 

Katara nodded. 

“I do. Sokka, I think you should be the one to talk to her. She always listens to you. I’m not sure how you do it,” Katara remarked. 

Sokka couldn’t deny the truth of the statement. In their twenty years of friendship, he and Toph had sought comfort in each other’s presence countless times. They had a mutual understanding that the other members of their group had often tried to imitate but could never quite replicate. Sokka went to Toph, and Toph went to Sokka. It was an unspoken agreement. 

“Don’t worry, I will. I just think we should give her a little time to cool down first.”

“Good idea. You don’t want her to bite your head off,” Aang chimed in with a laugh. 

____________

About an hour later, Sokka made the journey down the hallway to the guest bedroom to check on Toph and hopefully coax her out of her mood. He opened up the door to find the room dark and Toph laying on her side on the bed. She was trying to feign sleep, but Sokka could tell she was wide awake. Baby Lin was in her crib whimpering, supposedly for her mother. Sokka picked her up in his arms and rocked her back and forth, cooing softly. 

“Here we go, Linny. It’s okay, Uncle Sokka is here.”

The child began to cry. She didn’t want her uncle, she wanted her mom. 

“No, no Linny, don’t cry. Shhhh, Mama’s right here, see?”

Sokka carried Lin over to the bed where Toph was lying and tried to shake her awake, but was met with Toph’s hand slapping him away and an irritated growl.

“Go away, Sokka.”

“Toph, I just wanna talk,” he tried.

“Don’t you understand the meaning of ‘go away,’ dumbass?” She snarked.

“You’re really going to swear in front of the baby?”

“Great. Now you think I’m a terrible mother too. It’s fine, join the party,” she said in a sarcastic, vaguely accusatory tone, followed by her best attempt at rolling her sightless eyes. 

“Toph, nobody is calling you a bad mother. We know you’re perfectly capable of raising Lin on your own. All we’re asking is that you let us help you. You’re not invincible, Toph, despite what you may have led yourself to believe.”

Toph paused, letting Sokka’s comment sink in. 

“I- I’m sorry,” she began. “I know I was being kind of a bitc- a jerk back there. And I know you don’t actually believe I’m a bad mother but, but I’m not sure if I believe it. I’m so scared, Sokka. I don’t think I can actually do this alone. I- I know I said I could, but- but I think I was just lying to you, and to myself,” she choked out as tears began to cascade down her face. 

Sokka raised his eyebrows in alarm at his toughest friend’s unexpected breakdown. He pulled her close to his chest and began to rub her back.

“No, no, Toph, don’t think that. You can do it, you can. But you don’t have to, because we’re going to be here for you every step of the way. I’m going to be here for you every step of the way. You don’t have to do this alone, you hear me?”

“Yeah- yeah I do. I do hear you,” she replied with newfound confidence, wiping her tears on his shirt. “And- and you know I’m blind, right? Not deaf. Of course I hear you,” she joked with a familiar smirk.

Sokka chuckled, glad to see that he finally had his best friend back. He pulled her closer to his chest and just sat there for a minute, planting a kiss on the top of her head and burying his face in her hair. Their moment of peaceful rest was broken by Lin’s frantic crying.

“It’s alright baby girl, it’s alright. Mama’s here,” Toph assured Lin as she picked her up and cradled her in her arms. As she carried her sleepy child back to her crib for some much-needed rest, whispering to her in soothing tones the entire time, Sokka couldn’t help noticing how at home she looked all of a sudden. How safe and comfortable she was with her baby in her arms.

She was going to be just fine. 

[timeskip]

I’m a little over halfway through the Mahoyaku main story here’s my opinions on the characters

Arthur: He sure is a friendly but slightly oblivious protagonist. I like his backstory he makes me feel soft and gentle found family ;-;

Oz: DAD FRIEND DAD FRIEND DAD FRIEND I like him a lot like I know he’s the mhyk universe equivalent of a war criminal or whatever but he’s definitely soft underneath the stoicism. Poor little meow meow vibes.

Cain: MY BELOVED... He’s so pretty I’m so gay and in love with him <3 He’s very kind and good too I eat the crumbs of him I get like. oblivious and strong and kind. Love that about him.

Riquet: SON!!!!!!! He’s a rude kid but also his trauma makes me want to cry like I hope he gets everything good in the world and I hope he finds happiness outside the cult wahhhhh,,,

Heathcliff: He’s a nice guy but there’s like. hidden depths. He’s neat.

Faust: I’M CURIOUS ABOUT HIS BACKSTORY I will withhold opinions until I Know what’s up with him but I think I’ll like him

Shino: Gayass. No but actually I like his determination a lot he’s a good kid  !!!  He’s literally only 2 years younger than me I can’t call him a kid. He just wants friends and to be proud of himself I can respect that a lot

Nero: WE LOVE A MAN WHO CAN COOK but actually I think his desire to be human is... kind of sad. Also his past with Bradley... very cool.

Murr: CATBOY I LOVE YOU but also his past is so ????!?@?@$?% GENIUS INVENTOR’S SOUL GETS SHATTERED........ BRO??? Anyways I think he’s awful but in a good way and meeting the other shards is interesting but also it’s wild how tied to Shylock he is y’know because we know about Murr’s awful obsessions but it’s filtered through Shylock and I have a lot of complicated feelings about characters who are only tied to another character okay I’ll stop now

Shylock: Why is he named that. Coly fucked up. But yeah I think he’s interesting and I like that being flirty isn’t his Main personality thing but instead a secondary one to his Murr obsession and ughhhh Shymurr are going to either make me love or hate them by the end of this. I like him he’s fun but also more attached to Murr so we’ll see.

Chloe: He’s nice!!! I want him to know he’s liked bc he seems insecure in that regard,,,

Rustica: I feel the most platonic version of “he’s stupid I like that in a man” for him. Very free spirit and he confuses me.

Rutile: Honestly I don’t have too many thoughts but he’s very nice !!

Mitile: I love how determined he is to be liked for his strength rather than his kindness but how he’s STILL very kind... He’s a very good boy :’)

Figaro: He’s creepy but I think that’s okay. I think he’s probably a terrible person and a liar and I don’t mean that in a negative way ^-^

Lennox: HE HAS SHEEP but also wow what a mysterious backstory

The Twins (Snow and White): Yeah I, uh, you know how I mentioned complex feelings on characters who are only tied to another character? Yeah. Um. So. I can’t tell them apart and even if their backstory is cool I just... *clenches fist*

Owen: I’m sorry for liking Owen cursing Akira/MC please forgive me for this great sin. I think he’s funky I hope he gives Cain’s Fucking Eye Back

Bradley: This is a man who is being dragged around and forced to suffer but he’s also a criminal so idk. Is what he did that bad? I’m interested ig

Mithra: I literally don’t understand how he’s popular but he IS a goth with painted nails and gap moe so I guess I understand how he’s popular. This hot man could and would eat a vase.

[sunseteyes]

by your side

ㅤㅤ ↪︎ STARRING: hajime iwaizumi; gn!reader

ㅤㅤ ↪︎ THEMES: mutual pining? kinda sad

ㅤㅤ ↪︎ WORD COUNT: 4.6k words

ㅤㅤ ↪︎ SYNOPSIS: this is the story of you and hajime, and how your friendship crumbled when he found out something that was meant to be a secret moments after it was said. 

ㅤㅤ ↪︎ INTERMISSION: this is a part of @samusangel​ ‘s songfics! the song for this fic is ex by kiana ledé. do listen to that song because it’s bop! also, i have finally interpreted my real life story of my 7-year unrequited crush:) yes, most of this fic is based on what happened to me, not all though. i’m kinda hoping to do the ending too lmao. please don’t get too attached to hajime:) enjoy! oh btw i had to add arms on iwa’s pic so if you noticed it, i’ll give yo 10m points (also for the reference for that line haha)

when you first met hajime iwaizumi, it felt as if you had someone who will always have your back, someone you’d always trust, someone who’d continually care about you, through and through. 

that’s how being friends are, right? 

yet why is it that his name alone could hurt you better than anyone’s? why can you still remember the stolen glances and lingering touches that were barely there? 

why is it that even after eight years, you’re still regretting why you said hello that day? 

why? 

from oikawa: hey! from oikawa: i heard that you’re in the photography club from oikawa: please please speak to my friend iwa-chan he can be kinda shy  to oikawa: uhm who is this? do i know you? from oikawa: oh my y/n from oikawa: did you really not have the one and only oikawa tooru’s number?! me?? to oikawa: ...oikawa how did you get my number? to oikawa: and who’s iwa-chan??

“hey iwaizumi-san! come sit here!” you exclaimed, a huge grin on your face as both you patted the seat beside you, eyes looked over at the boy that had just entered the room, a sense of relief passing by his expression the moment he found your gaze. 

“we’re in the same class, right? and i think makki mentioned you before. what’s your name again?” he says the moment he sat on the same chair you urged him to sit on.

“(y/n),” you held out your hand. “-it’s nice to meet you.” 

hajime takes it willingly, a friendly look on his face when he does so all the while responding with, “it’s nice to meet you too. and since i can call you with your first name, then you can call me hajime, if you’d like.” 

“well, hajime it is then.” 

the smiles that you shared were harmless, not even an ounce of hesitating thought crossed your mind when you had your very first conversation with him, as well as the next ones. 

“hey hajime, what’s your number?” 

“hm? have i not given it to you yet? here, let me type it for you.” 

from iwaizumi: hey :) to iwaizumi: yeah yeah i received it hajime from iwaizumi: oh come on from iwaizumi: is saying a hello that hard?? to iwaizumi: hello to iwaizumi: you happy? from iwaizumi: yeah :)

“(y/n), want to join us for lunch? we have a free seat right here.” 

“hajime! i saw a good movie! let’s watch it later? snacks are on me as long as it’s your turn next time.” 

smiles, giggles, laughs, whispers or notes whenever the class is ongoing, always beside each other during club meetings, you and hajime even share each other’s secrets and random text conversations during midnights. in just a short time, you were able to trust him, and he did the same for you. for you, that is indeed an unusual feat--you never trusted people that easily to be honest. 

“have you heard of the name wakatoshi ushijima? i once liked him, y’know.” you say in a low volume, making sure none else hears not just because your words were meant to be a secret that was  never to be talked out loud, but it’s since you and hajime are currently in a club meeting, and you would hate your name to be added in the noisy list. 

“you meant that big guy in section five? are you serious?” hajme scoffs, as if you just said a very insulting thing to him. “you could do better, you know that.”

you scoff, chuckling. “are you blind? he’s as handsome as you could be.” 

“is that your way of saying i am handsome?” he smirks, “i knew i’m your type all along.” 

you playfully smacked him on the leg, making him recoil a bit from your form. 

“you wish,” you muttered, brushing off his claims, not really expecting much by that time. 

still, fate decides to surprise you with a gift you can never take back. 

“hey, what do you think of iwaizumi? you two are quite close, aren’t you?” 

“well,” you say, humming as you try to think of a reply whilst writing down the remaining notes that you should write before the teacher decides to erase the contents of the blackboard. the subject itself made it difficult because it was math--and you always fail on math thus this matter is more important than the topic that your friend was chatting about. 

so you gave a mindless answer. “he’s a dork, but he can be cute sometimes.” you say, a memory of when you had to endure an entire hour of hajime talking about dinosaurs flashing in your mind a ghost of a smile crossing your lips as you continued writing on your math notebook. 

then a tragedy came in almost an instant, not even a single warning to try and prevent that from happening. 

and it changed your whole life. 

it was childish, you could say, and it was the start of a neverending downfall for not only you, but for your friendship with hajime. 

“he’s cute?! hey, hajime, (y/n) thinks you’re cute!” 

when the roars of your classmates reached your ears, you were already sitting upright, eyes wide open, forehead knitted, and mouth slightly ajar. 

what?

the moment your gaze met his, you knew that he believed it; the childish statement that was meant to be platonically true. 

you were misunderstood.

bye everyone, including hajime. 

and by the next day, when the club where you and he first met came, he didn’t want to sit next to you. what’s more, is that he purposely asked his other seatmate to change seats with him. 

he ignored you, the whole time. 

to iwaizumi: hey  to iwaizumi: you don't believe that right from iwaizumi: what? to iwaizumi: what happened earlier to iwaizumi: it’s not true yknow that from iwaizumi: uh from iwaizumi: yeah sure

“you like him, don’t you?’ 

you glared at hanamaki, one that could even send daggers his way if it could. “no, i don’t”

“then why are you so worried? i mean, he still responds to your chats, right?” he mutters, munching on his sandwich all the while watching a volleyball match of your seniors, eyes trained at the ball. 

you frowned, biting your lower lip in contemplation as you recalled when you talked to hajime last night about school work, which was a thing for the two of you before too. 

“yeah,” you say, glancing at the other side of the gym, where hajime sat next to toru, his childhood best friend who was from another class. by then, a rush of sadness and loneliness flushes away your appetite, the sandwich on your hand almost forgotten. “-but he’s completely ignoring me in real life.”

it didn’t bother you much by that time. 

“you’re staring, y/n.”

“yeah, like they do always.” 

you could only roll your eyes at hanamaki and matsukawa, who were your best friends at that time due to the fact that you three had been at the same class during elementary and had continued being close since then. when you became friends with hajime, you merely did so just to have someone to talk within that one club that you shared with him and not with the rest of your classmates. aside from that, you felt comfortable talking to the guy. he really did look friendly and welcoming that it was quite easy to hit him up with a conversation. 

but it didn’t mean that you like hajime. 

right?

you scoff, muttering for the two to shut up before proceeding to enter your classroom, the two leaving you alone since they were not a part of your class. now, you could only bow your head down as you make your way to your seat, trying not to make much of a peep in hopes that no one will have to talk to you and most likely bring up the topic of you “crushing” on hajime when it’s not true at all. 

but guess what? it’s not going to happen when the fact that your seatmate is toru oikawa himself. 

“hey (y/n)! have you had a great lunch?”

the smile that creeped to your face was forced, honestly speaking. although if oikawa had noticed it, he didn’t ask for it further. “yes i did, how about you?”

“well, it was nice, but don’t you think it will be nicer if you join me and iwa-chan instead?” 

the thing with oikawa is that he’s not just chatty with you, but he also tends to tease you with hajime, before that unfortunate day even came. the story behind that is that oikawa merely saw you talking with hajime one time after the club that you two shared and then he confided to you the next day, saying “you and iwa-chan look cute together, (y/n), i swear one day one of you will fall in love with the other,  i’m sure of it.” 

okay, you confirm to yourself that you didn’t like hajime that way is not because you wanted to prove oikawa wrong, but it does seem like toru oikawa was challenging you ever since he said those words to you. 

and of course, you’ll win it, no matter if it was a real challenge or not. 

“how about you, do you have any ideas?” 

eyes followed as soon as the conversation turned to you, including hajime’s--to which you have met as soon as your mind returned to the reality that you temporarily exchanged for the train of thoughts that continued to operate inside of your mind. 

“huh?”

“if you’ve got any ideas for the project,” says oikawa, being the automatic leader of the group due to his ability to instantly get along with everyone and having the real capability of leading them. apparently, the teacher decided to group you with the two, along with two other classmates that you never really bothered to get along well with. “if none, we can just go with what we gathered so far.” 

you broke your contact with hajime after he did, turning your gaze to oikawa with a shake of your head. “no, i don’t have any.” 

the worst part of the situation between you and hajime was that everything seems like a lie. the friendship--it seemed like a lie that you never bothered to correct or initiate to stop. why? 

yeah, you kept wondering why. 

maybe it’s because you always treasure your friends, or that you wanted to prove that what they are claiming is a fake, a lie--that you didn’t have a crush on hajime, and you will never ever will. 

but what if you really did? 

what if all these denials are making you believe that it is true as well? you had been thinking about that for quite some time now and the thought of it alone scares you. sure, you’ve had crushes or you’ve had people whom you liked or had feelings before, but not one that was your friend. it makes you wonder if these so-called “feelings” could have been due to wanting to always be with him and talk to him, but not in a romantic way. in fact, those are what you were feeling towards hajime. 

there’s really nothing you should overthink about. 

you like hajime as a friend, but not as someone you could see being with doing all the romantic stuff that other people do with their significant others. 

for all you know, that thought was sooner diminished. 

“did you cut your hair?” 

“hm? yeah i did-” looking up, a sight that you never bothered to ever think about before was suddenly in front of you--hajime, with all the beauty of his wide shoulders and the muscles of his arm peaking through under his sleeve, extending down to his exposed skin to hi beautiful, veiny hand. 

the only reason you were able to be brought back to school and to where you are exactly was when you felt a fleeting touch by your forehead, brushing away a couple of strands of hair that  was on your forehead, the action waking you up in almost an instant to find hajime iwaizumi stepping back to give you back your personal space, an embarrassed look on his face that he sooner had to look away sideways to “hide” it from you. 

and then he walked away. just like that. 

you didn’t know how many seconds or even minutes you were sat frozen on that bench, the sight of the people practicing dancing in front of you to prepare for the upcoming intramurals that has a cheerleading competition in its event. your mind was floating; maybe up in the sky, plunging through the clouds, thinking about only one thing--or person. 

why he did that, you had no idea. you could only think about all the questions that suddenly popped in your head, the scene continuing on playing like a broken television, replaying and replaying and replaying. 

from iwaizumi: hey that hairstyle looks good on you from iwaizumi: you should keep it to iwaizumi: i ain’t keeping a hairstyle just coz you like it :p to iwaizumi: but… does it really suit me? from iwaizumi: yes :)

“do you like iwa-chan, y/n?”

you were sure you didn’t before but now is a different matter. not after that very small moment that you’ve had in real life after hajime ignored you continually on the outside. 

leaving oikawa’s question unanswered was not a good idea, and he kept pestering you, asking you the very same thing, even as you were with others, merely whispering the words by your ear whenever he has a chance. you knew it was merely oikawa’s way of trying to set his two friends up--that’s if you treat him as a friend anyway.

you ignored oikawa, only until he whispered a different statement one day. 

“i heard one of our classmates likes him.”

now that had caught your attention, unconsciously making you lock eyes with oikawa, who visibly looked pleased with the reaction that he was able to pull out from you. 

“who?”

“the same one who asked you if you like iwa-chan.” 

maybe it was out of curiosity or maybe something else, but either way, that specific reason made you glance towards where oikawa was pointing at, the very same person he was referring to in his words was sitting next to hajime, such an unfamiliar sight for basically anyone since hajime was indeed seated far away from them before, and for you to see them beside each other, it was, what was that word?--unsettling. 

“they obviously like him, don’t you think?” oikawa mutters next to you, his lips pursed together, his eyes narrowed at the same way you were looking as well, the very subjects of your gazes minding their own business, as if they were the only ones left in the world. 

you looked away before you could think about them further, however the scene is still in your mind, evading it and also blocking the previous memory that was stuck in your mind for days--when hajime finally made a “conversation,” with you. well, he didn’t really talk much that time but it was still better than nothing.

 and now, just when he was not ignoring you, this person shows up and flirts with him-

wait, stop thinking about it y/n!

you blamed it on oikawa, like you had always done, ignoring the fact that those blames should be pointed to you instead--you who had an indecisive mind and the one that thought of all of this as a challenge of a game--a game where you should beat all the teasings by ignoring all of them. rather than doing that, you overthought all of them--it was all your fault. 

it was your fault that you’re now having feelings for hajime. 

unbeknownst to you, they slowly built up inside of your heart, his grasps creeping and creeping the more you longed for him in real life and not just behind the gadget that you two had; behind the chats that were merely there, inside an application where you can never know what his real reactions were due to the fact that you couldn’t see him as you two converse. 

it was you. 

it was you whose heart started fluttering as time went by. 

“come on, hug them! it’s a punishment.” everyone cheers, and yet beyond the noise is the panic that rushes through your entire system, your eyes glazed over at hajime, who was looking embarrassed the more seconds passed by. 

you stood there, fidgeting and unable to stop yourself from moving your feet, walking towards mattsun to makki to oikawa, begging them to stop this with merely your eyes, your lips refusing itself to open and say something that you’ll regret. after fully accepting the fact that you were slowly having these pesky feelings towards hajime, you still kept denying it to others. you were still afraid of what hajime would think. yes, sure, he was still talking to you through chats and text messages, even calling you a few times, and you knew that he wouldn’t be that pleased to have others teasing the two of you like this. he gets particularly annoyed whenever he’s “embarrassed” for stupid stuff like this. he deems it “pointless” in his own words. 

it hurts, and that’s why you were also willing to indulge with oikawa and the others during moments like these, the hidden desires of your heart coming true to life even for just this single moment. 

when you finally felt hajime’s arms around you, you felt as if you were protected, nurtured, and secured--and it felt very different. whenever you hug someone, you’ll feel comfortable, yes, but never this kind. in hajime’s arms, you felt a shield that physically safeguarded you from your surroundings, even from the noises that were supposed to erupt by your ears. instead, you heard of nothing but your heartbeat, pounding like a madman inside of your chest, continually for only one person. 

by then have you realized how much you have craved for him. 

you have hugged hajime a couple of times before, but it  was the very first time that you have felt that kind of sensation pass through every cell in your body, releasing a rush of contentment only a millisecond after you’ve felt it. the embrace didn’t last for long, but for you, it was enough. for now. 

that night, he didn’t reply to your text messages. 

to iwaizumi: hey to iwaizumi: are you asleep already?  to iwaizumi: it’s still early though... to iwaizumi: just uhm message me when you read this okay?

when you felt like everything was going back into order before the hug, fate does something again. 

actually, it was you who did it and fate merely attracted you to doing it. 

people are afraid of confessions, most of the time. and apparently, you’re one of those people. no matter if it’s a confession for a petty thing such as telling your friend that they smell a bit or a stranger when you see them having some dirt on their face or stain on their clothes. yet, despite being nervous about it, you still do it. 

for some reason, it applies to your feelings about a confession towards hajime as well. 

the moment you had fully accepted to yourself that you liked him more than a friend would, you knew it was the end for your friendship with him- that you can never bring back whatever that was lost or what was supposed to had been before any of these shenanigans ever happened. 

weeks and months went by, until it had been a year and more since you first claimed that you liked him. by now, you weren’t at the same class as him anymore and guess what? you two were not talking or texting anymore either. 

it seemed as if the friendship just… faded. and even if you had feelings for him, you let it slip from your hands, and yet it was the very thing that you were convinced that you wanted to have all this time--to not let this friendship die. since there was no possible way hajime would ever like you, at least you’ll have the friendship, you’ll still have him with you, by your side, even not as someone you secretly desired him to be. 

“how is he?” you let out, barely able to look at oikawa as you gazed at your feet and the ground, something that is  not even that interesting--to which the other knew and noticed. yet instead of speaking of it, oikawa answered your question. 

“you meant iwa-chan, or me? if me, i’m alright, just a little hungry, do you want to go eat?” 

still, oikawa is oikawa and he did everything to make you look up to him, even if it were of a soft glare, like you’d always do--and you did, earning yourself a satisfied smirk from oikawa, slightly snickering at your reaction. 

“just kidding. iwa-chan is doing fine, just his usual self; iwa-chan being iwa-chan. no one is with him still, if you want to know--which i know you were.” he says, even so far as learning by your side, as if attempting to mutter the last statement by your ear.

even if your and hajime’s friendship were slowly fading away, you and oikawa still kept in touch. you had no idea why but, he eventually became your friend while in the process of this hajime ordeal, plus he was also your seatmate the whole year when you were at the same class. 

oh, and he’s also the only one connected to hajime, so of course, being friends with him was also an advantage for you. at least, there was a mutual friend whom you could talk and confide to about his own friend, hajime. 

“what happened to your confession anyway? i was quite positive you had a chance with iwa-chan this whole time.” you couldn’t see what he was looking at as he was saying those words but you were sure you heard him huff, which meant that he was making this funny expression in his face, one that made you chuckle a bit at the mental scene. 

yet that chuckle turned into a smile--a smile that oikawa could admit that he had never seen in your face before. 

“i confessed i like him, but, well, it’s pretty obvious that he didn’t like me. if he does, we’d probably be dating right now.” 

usually, oikawa would be amused at your sarcastic remarks, but this one, he did not lie it one bit, just like the sad expression that you were making. he felt as if he was in your place, and his heart broke for you, the friend whom his bestfriend had rejected. 

unbeknownst to you, oikawa tried to help you, even so far by “matchmaking” or “promoting” you to hajime. however, it seems the things only worsen the more oikawa does it. 

“why? don’t you like them?” 

“it’s not that.” the very same knitted brows appear on hajime’s expression and oikawa immediately recognized it since it was the same face that he’ll always give when they talk about a conflict--one that hajime doesn’t like talking about. 

oikawa thinks it's childish-- the way hajime ignores all of this and the way you still stay hopelessly devoted to this man. it’s like you’re both prolonging the discomfort and pain that you two were feeling. he wanted you two to just talk it all out so that he wouldn’t be caught in between the two of you, and also because he didn’t like having you and hajime to be in this situation. he loathed having to see you both suffer from your own decisions and actions. 

hajime is a broken man--that much you knew. oikawa once mentioned to you that hajime had his heart broken by someone he liked for several years, and now, he was rather reluctant in liking someone. when you came in the picture, he was already a broken man. that’s why you were fine with having to love him without him loving you back. 

you didn’t mention that it was not painful otherwise. 

“hajime,” 

the recognition that plays by his face amuses you, and you couldn’t help but smile at the sight of him too; his face is not really much different than before, but it was obvious that he had matured a lot and puberty really gifted him with such a handsome, chiselled face. not only that, but his build changed too, even if he did have strong, muscley arms before. now, he looks like a very mature young man. 

which he is anyway, why are you even paying attention to those things?

“long time no see” you say, halting in front of you and for him to fully turn to face you. 

“y/n?” hearing your name being called by him gives you a feeling you once had before. however, you merely brushed that thought away, just in time for him to finally break off of his surprise.

“yeah, it had been.” he says, then pulling out the chair beside him, patting it. “here, let me treat you to a drink.” 

you hesitated, and it seems as if hajime noticed it. “it’s alright if you’re in a hurry, we can just catch up some other day.”

“yeah, i think we should.” you nervously chuckled, and just when you were about to panic at how awkward the sudden encounter was, you were reminded by something. “we can have coffee some other day, but i have something for you.” 

hajime watches as you rummage your bag, your attention focused on whatever you were finding as he takes this opportunity to actually look at you. 

you look beautiful and mature, not so different from before, but you surely bloomed and become a really attractive person. if hajime were to be asked, he would have asked you on a date in almost an instant. yet, it will be proving to be difficult due to the history that you and him had. 

the thought alone makes him want to regret his decisions from before, but he was not willing to say or express it out loud. 

if you would give him a chance though, he’s pretty sure he would take it. he’s very different from who he was before, much mature and capable of being in a relationship. 

he’s ready. 

“here,” you suddenly were extending your hand to him, holding out a piece of envelope that looked very much like a letter. and before he could question it, you spoke. 

“i’m inviting you to our wedding. toshi and i are trying to find people from our previous schools so…. here.” 

the smile that was on your face was bright, and hajime was having a hard time processing everything that was happening in his mind and before he knew it, you were saying goodbye, leaving the invitation on his hand before leaving the cafe, saying that you had some errands to attend to. 

when he was left alone, it took hajime a full minute to open the invitation, seeing the names written on it and reading everything else. he was surprised, but what shocked him the most is that he actually felt different. 

he wasn’t heartbroken, no. it was as if someone had poured ice-cold water on him, the same memory of when you and him talked about the very same man you were marrying playing in his mind over and over. 

it was amazing how fate brought you two in this situation, but it sure didn’t occur in hajime’s mind. when he first met you, he felt like he’d just met someone who will always be by his side, and he knew you deserve the best, that’s why he thought that he did not deserve you. 

now he can only question himself as he looks at the invitation to your marriage with another man, drinking coffee alone and without anyone by his side anymore. 

[yandere-daydreams]

Hnghh can I get a yandere Akaashi scenario where his quiet (fem) s/o manages to escape and goes to Bokuto for help, but it turned out that Bokuto knows of Akaashi’s yandere tendencies and sent s/o back to his home? (Bokuto does so not because he was threatened, but he did so out of his ‘good will’ “man y/n why’d you run away from akaashi? he loves you so much, y’know that?”)

It’s a given that they’re soulmates, whether it’s romantic or platonic. I can only imagine that Bokuto would be as dedicated to Akaashi’s Darling as Akaashi is, if not more so…

TW: Themes of Domestic Abuse, Victim Blaming, and Dehumanization.

~

You’d almost forgotten what it felt like to be comfortable in your own skin.

Bokuto’s hotel room was lavish, but cozy, one of the top-floor suites in a name-brand chain you couldn’t afford to spend the night in, let alone the better half of a month. Still, it was homey, with neutral colors and nooks to tuck yourself away in and a faux-fireplace crackling in the distance, the noise almost drowned out by the rain drumming against the row of thin, floor-to-ceiling windows that lined the far wall. There might’ve been a balcony, but you couldn’t care less about checking, right now, settling against the arm of a plush sofa and pulling a fleece blanket over your legs, hardly noticing when Bokuto stepped out of the kitchenette with two mugs already in-hand.

“Coffee,” He explained, smiling as you took one of the offered cups. You took a sip, the bitterness barely detectable. Instead, it was warm and sweet and perfect, more milk than it was anything else. “Just the way you like it, with too much sugar to fit in one brew.”

You almost laughed. It’d been years since he’d gotten coffee with you, let alone made it with your preferences in mind. Tasting something that wasn’t Akaashi’s energy drinks or murky, black sludge felt like a privilege, albeit a small one. “I really can’t thank you enough,” You mumbled, the words slipping off your tongue before you could stifle them. “When I heard you had a game in town, it felt like a miracle. I couldn’t think of anyone else who’d help, especially with…” With everything, honestly. Akaashi was the one you were running from, the monster who’d taken advantage of your naivety, but you’d started isolating yourself long before he stopped giving you the choice not to. You took another sip, rather than going on, savoring the way it burnt your tongue. “I really mean it, thank you. Do you mind if I use your phone? I should be able to find a place to stay with--”

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that.” He spoke casually, settling into the opposite side of the couch. “Akaashi should be on his way, by now.”

The coffee went sour in an instant. It was all you could do not to drop the mug entirely, your hands starting to shake as you placed it gingerly on the hard-wood floor. “He’s… What do you mean, Kota’?”

“I called him!” His smile was broader, suddenly, Bokuto beaming as he looked towards you. He was content, proud, his eyes closed and his features expectant, as if he was preparing to be rewarded. “You must’ve been too shy to ask, at first, but you didn’t have to! I knew what I had to do as soon as you turned up in the lobby.” He paused, laughing softly, nearly under his breath. You could swear you felt your heart shatter in your chest. “I mean, you were crying, (Y/n). I know how much you hate being away from Akaashi, but… damn. Your boyfriend wasn’t much better, if it helps. When I told him you must’ve gotten lost, he sounded like he was ready to choke someone!”

You were too stunned to reply, for a moment, your voice dying in your throat. He was so satisfied, so pleased with himself, but it was all you could do to try to process his admission. It was true, technically. You’d been crying since you left your apartment, sobbing by the time the girl at the front desk finally agreed to call his room, and even now, you were trembling. But, you’d told him why you were in tears, too. It was near-incoherent, but you’d vented about the abuse, the screaming, the violence, everything that you’d gone through. Another glance towards Bokuto made you wonder if he’d been paying attention at all, though. “I don’t want to go back to Akaashi,” You tried, your rebuttal lacking the force you’d been aiming for. “That’s why I came to you. I’m trying to get away from him.”

He nodded with faux-sympathy, something empathetic and patronizing ghosting over his expression. “You two had a fight, yeah? Every couple does, now and then.” He shrugged, and your bit your lip. He’d heard you, apparently, but it was obvious he hadn’t been listening. Or, he’d been willing himself not to, at least. “Akaashi is quiet, sometimes, and I get it. It’s hard to know what he’s thinking, but his heart’s in the right place. He loves you.”

“He doesn’t act like it.” You hated how childish you sounded, how cliché your arguments were. You hated the fact that you had to argue at all, when it came to this. “He won’t let me get a job, Kotaro. He broke my last phone because he thought I might be talking to someone else, and he hit me when I tried to tell him I wasn’t. Being with him is suffocating, I can’t breath when he’s--”

“He loves you,” Bokuto repeated, flatly. As if he was talking about the weather, or the outcome of his latest match. A fact, one as true to him as any other. “He doesn’t say it very often, but he does. He talks about you all the time, he adores you.” The affirmation was tinted with something dark, something jealous. Envy, but just a hint. You couldn’t be sure whether or not you’d imagined it, once Bokuto made more of an effort to hire it. “If I was in your position, I’d be grateful. We both know Akaashi could do so much better than some nervous, emotional brat who runs away whenever he tries to be sweet.”

You opened your mouth, averting your eyes as his resentment became undeniable, but a knock at the door silenced you, as steady as it was fatal. You went rigid, reflexively, balling your fists around the blanket on your lap, but Bokuto didn’t share your hesitation. Grinning, he pushed himself up, grabbing your hand and dragging you onto your feet, leaving you standing awkwardly in the center of his suite as he welcomed in the only thing you wanted to keep out.

You froze as soon as you saw Akaashi. He seemed relaxed, but he didn’t smile as he greeted Bokuto, only running a hand through his drenched hair and spitting out something polite. To anyone else, he might seem distracted, but you’d been with him long enough to know how angry he must’ve been, how much of his energy was dedicated to hiding it. You attempted to exhale, to release some of the tension in your body while you were still able to, but the air hitched in your throat as his focus flickered towards you.

He didn’t waste any time. You didn’t receive the same decencies as Bokuto, his arms around your waist and your head pushed into his chest in the blink of an eye, nimble fingers entangling themselves in your hair like it was second-nature. Like he was afraid you’d get away again, if he didn’t hold you as tightly as he could. Like you’d remember you could live without his nails embedded in your scalp.

“Thank you,” He said, firmly, but it wasn’t directed towards you. Bokuto laughed, telling him gratitude wasn’t necessary, but Akaarshi stood his ground regardless. The interaction was friendly, warm, but you couldn’t bring yourself to feel anything but pure, unfaltering cold. “I mean it. I just... I get so worried whenever (Y/n) goes out alone. It gets dangerous, this late.”

You didn’t bother pointing out his hypocrisy, or attempting to free yourself. It was clear neither had an issue with dragging you back to wherever you were wanted.

Still, you couldn’t help but hope Bokuto would notice how quickly you’d started crying, again.

[firaknight]

idk if ur still doing the writing requests but uhh maybe a kirfluff love confession?

I absolutely am!!!!!!! Here you go anon!!

Alternative title: These puffs gay and one of them has no idea what gay means while the other gets gay panic.

~~~{+}~~~

It was a noticeably chilly night in Dreamland. Despite it being the middle of summer, the chill of the night was stronger than ever. The sky was clear and empty, stars painted across the darkness. Soaring under the sky was the Warpstar, leaving sparkling trails of stardust in its wake. The Warpstar itself had taken on a slightly different form, resembling a large pillow rather than a star built for transportation.

Sitting atop the Warpstar were Kirby and Prince Fluff, nestled together beneath a thick blanket. Their bodies sunk into the center of the Warpstar, like sitting on a particularly squishy pillow. It was warm, the kind of warmth that was just comfortable enough—not too hot, not too cold, just perfect.

The night air was crisp, the sweet summer breeze gently blowing. Fluff noticeably shuddered at the breeze, colder than usual. Kirby huddled a bit closer, oblivious to the blush that slowly grew on Fluffs cheeks. The prince stared into the starry night sky, his mind wandering, his expression twisted in deep thought. Kirby noticed the sudden shift and turned, gently nudging him, and in a quiet voice asked...

“Whats wrong, poyo?”

“Hm? Ah, it’s nothing! Just... lost in thought.” Fluff hoped that simple answer would deter the pink puff. To his dismay, it only seemed to make Kirby more intrigued.

“It’s not nothing! You look upset.” Kirby scooted a little closer. He took note of how warm Fluffs cheeks were. Maybe he was sick? Maybe that’s why he wasn’t feeling good.

“Really, Kirby, I’m fine. I’m just thinking.” Kirby gently placed a paw on Fluffs cheek, feeling said cheek grow progressively warmer and turn a brighter shade of red.

“Thinking about what?” Fluff bit the inside of his cheek. He knew this conversation wouldn’t end well...

“Love.”

“Love? What kind of love, poyo?” That question caught him off guard.

“What do you mean “what kind of love?” Isn’t there only one?” Kirby shook his head, smiling.

“There’s lots of kinds, poyo! There’s platonic love, one-sided love, puppy dog love which I don’t really understand, romantic love, really really romantic love—Meta Knight and Dedede don’t like talking to me about that one for some reason—poyo, and familial love! I’m probably forgetting a bunch, but there’s a lot, poyo!!” Fluff thought over the responses, staring down at the Warpstar.

“Wait, hold on— really really romantic love? What’s that and why won’t your dads explain it to you?” Kirby stared blankly. Even he was a little confused on that one.

“Uh, I don’t really know, poyo! Dedede changes the subject before I can ask and Meta Knight tells me I’m not old enough yet. He says that in a couple years or so I’ll be old enough to understand what he’ll tell me, poyo.”

“Guess it’s really personal, huh?” Fluff mentally patted himself on the back for changing the subject. Maybe this time Kirby wouldn’t pry for more information.

“No, I don’t think it is. He says it’s got something to do with puffball puberty, which I haven’t hit, poyo.”

“Oh, ok.” The two sat in silence after that, but it wasn’t a pleasant silence. It was the kind of silence that made you want to talk, even if there was nothing to be said.

Maybe he’s done-

“Back to the original subject; what kind of love are you thinking about, poyo?”

Yod yammit.

“Romantic love. There, happy?” Fluff tried to stop himself from sounding too blunt. He didn’t want to talk about this, but Kirby wouldn’t let up, even if he said he wanted to change the subject.

“Romantic love for who? I promise I won’t tell anyone, poyo!” Fluff furrowed his brows. He was going to dodge these questions for as long as he could.

“A friend.”

“Oooo!!!! Which friend, poyo!! There’s so many!!” Fluff was mentally cornered. He couldn’t say “a close friend” because that would narrow it down to maybe 3 people, of which Kirby could easily deduce who he had feelings for. He also couldn’t just repeat “a friend” because Kirby, while naive, isn’t stupid, and would narrow it down to those few close friends almost immediately. He couldn’t stay silent, because Kirby would think he struck a nerve or something and would most likely never bring up the topic ever again, which, while helpful in this situation, wouldn’t be in the future. He bit the inside of his cheek again and decided to take a risk. A calculated risk in the form of a puzzle, but a risk nonetheless.

“A pink friend.” Kirby tilted his head in confusion.

“Pink? That’s weirdly specific, poyo.”

“Mhmm.”

“Pink, huh... hmmm...” There was an unbearably long amount of silence between the two. Fluff couldn’t tell if Kirby was lost in thought or spaced out, and he really didn’t want to ask. He decided to throw in the towel, realizing this was getting nowhere.

“Y’know what, nevermind. Forget I-“

“It’s me, isn’t it.” Fluff felt his cheeks get hot.

“H-how did you-“

“Well, it’s not like you were super vague about that hint!” Fluff mentally hit himself for that one.

“...”

“Well, I’ve got a confession for you, poyo.” Fluff ran over the options in his head, all of which were bad. Kirby was probably going to say he didn’t love him back like that, and would prefer to stay friends.

Just get over the fact that he doesn’t like you back. He’s Kirby, he probably hasn’t had a romantic thought in his-

“I love you back. In a romantic way.”

Fluff was speechless. Completely taken off guard and a little shaken by the response.

“Y-you’re joking, right?”

“No? Why would I be, poyo?”

“I...”

“To tell the truth, I’ve been too cowardly to mention it. I-I mean, you’re a prince, poyo! I’m just a kid with superpowers, I guess. I always felt like I was waaaaaayyy out of your league and that, if I mentioned that I liked you, you’d shrug it off like it was nothing, poyo.” He paused for a moment, thinking.

“You were always so friendly with me, even when I was just some random stranger who got thrown into your world by accident. I-if I’m being super honest, I’ve had a crush on you since we made it to Treat Land all the way back when we first met, poyo.” The realization that, maybe, just maybe, Kirby was trying to flirt with him all those years ago made Fluff put his face in his paws.

“I can’t believe I didn’t realize it sooner...”

“It’s not your fault! I’m not super great at showing romantic love, poyo. I’ve only ever felt that kind of love once or twice before I met you, and I had no idea how to respond to it other than my usual acts of love!” Kirby gave him a smile, that adorable smile he gave everyone.

“S-so... uh... d-does that make us... b-boyfriends?” Fluff couldn’t figure out why saying those words made him unbelievably nervous.

“I think so!”

“W-what do b-boyfriends do...?” Kirby went silent, thinking on it.

“Well, Meta Knight and Dedede are gay, and they kiss each other on the lips a bunch.” Kirby could see Fluffs face go from blue to almost entirely red.

“U-u-uh... I-I don’t think I’m ready for that...” Kirby gave Fluff a small pat, smiling.

“We don’t have to then! What about an alternative?”

“L-like what...?”

“Nuzzling! I do it a lot with friends and it’s my way of saying “hello” and “I love you” in a platonic way, but we can make it romantic!” Fluff thought about it and decided that nuzzling was probably a good start.

“S-sure! B-but you’re going to have to demonstrate that. W-we don’t do that back in Patchland, I think.”

“Fine by me! Now sit still!” Kirby peppily scooted closer, pressed one of his cheeks to Fluff and nuzzled him. Fluff swore he could cook something on his face with how hot it’d gotten, yet at the same time, he loved this. Every second of it, while it made him more and more of a blushing mess, was wonderful to him. He decided to return the gesture, squishing his cheek against Kirbys and nuzzling back. Almost immediately he heard the low rumble of a purr. His face turned maxim tomato red upon hearing it. He’s never heard Kirby purr before, and good lord was it adorable.

“Y-you can purr???”

“Mhmm! All puffballs can, I think!”

“...I think it’s adorable...”

“Awww, Fluff!!!” Kirby nuzzled him a little harder, giggling.

“Well, my dear boyfriend, would you like to watch the stars with me?” Kirby giggled at Fluffs sudden flirtatious tone.

“I’d be happy to.” The two smiled, resting against each other, staring up at the night sky. Maybe it was just Fluff, but with Kirby around, the sky looked more beautiful that night than ever.

[soft-glitch]

Through Thick And Thin

Fandom: Sonic the Hedgehog

Type: hurt/comfort, platonic fluff

Word count: about 2700 words

Author’s notes: this year was a mess. But I’m grateful for a few things that happened to me in 2020. One of these things is getting into the Sonic fandom, which helped me find joy in being creative again. Another is a budding friendship with someone really cool, that I can only hope will last for a long time.

This fic is kind of a gift to that person for New Year’s Day. To everyone, but especially to you O, I wish a happy new year and many good things to come.

- - - - -

It was not an easy morning.

Shadow had always been an early bird. He never needed much sleep compared to other mobians, thanks to his bio-engineered origins. This was both a blessing and a curse, depending on the days.

Being able to stay up most of the night during missions proved useful more than once. On the other hand, when ugly thoughts would assail him and sleeping them away was not an option, well… It was suddenly much less interesting.

On this last day of December, the hedgehog could not shake uneasy feelings. Between Eggman’s plotting and his own personal issues Shadow always had rough times, but this year had been… a lot.

Walking silently in the empty corridor, careful not to wake up anyone in the household, the dark mobian reached the kitchen and started preparing hot chocolate. Since most of his friends knew about his sweet tooth he didn’t bother hiding it anymore, and Rouge always made sure they were stocked up on cocoa.

While waiting for the milk to warm, he glanced at the clock on the wall. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

The eerie calm of early hours often made Shadow slightly uncomfortable. Despite his introvert side enjoying the peaceful solitude, it was also a moment where his thoughts would simmer in his mind, either awoken by confuse dreams or simply emerging as the day started. He would often put some music or read a book to avoid thinking too hard about it.

Didn’t always work, though.

Taking a deep breath the hedgehog felt some relief at the sweet scent of chocolate. He took a small sip before moving to roll himself in blankets on the large couch. With a long and noisy yawn he reached for the remote and pointed it at the large TV screen in front of him. Maybe there was something nice to watch while waiting for his roommates to get up.

- - - - -

When Shadow opened his eyes again, sunlight was gently glowing through the translucent curtains of the living room. Which meant it was probably kind of late already. It seemed he fell back asleep at some point.

With a frown, he rubbed his dishevelled quills and took a look at his phone. Almost 11am, and no sign of Rouge or Omega... This was odd, especially since they planned on spending the New Year’s Eve together.

That’s when he noticed an envelope lying on the small coffee table, next to his now empty mug. It was plain kraft, with a small card inside that only offered an address and the words “At noon, don’t be late hun”.

Obviously from Rouge. She loved putting mystery and drama in everything she did. Shadow huffed and shook his head.

Irredeemable.

Did that mean his friends got up without waking him and prepared some kind of surprise? However silly it was, this simple envelope brought some warmth to the hedgehog’s heart. He got up to take a quick shower and prepare for the day, a small smile peeking at the corner of his lips.

- - - - -

The location was one Shadow didn’t particularly recognise, a small intersection in a popular part of the town. Since Team Dark lived in a suburban area and their job at G.U.N was usually all over the world, his knowledge of the city was lacklustre. Right as his phone displayed 12pm a text popped up on the screen.

Rouge Right behind the shoes store, a cafe.

The striped mobian rolled his eyes with a hint of amusement. Even for something as simple as a New Year between friends, the bat couldn’t help making some kind of fun game to play. Shadow would gladly proclaim it futile and childish, but he actually enjoyed these quirky adventures his best friend always peppered in his life.

What he saw next filled him with pure joy. Of course Rouge wouldn’t choose a random cafe to meet. She had to make it extra one way or another, and she just knew how to please him.

The Gentle Garden Chao Café & Flower Shop

Almost giddy at the idea of having some sweets surrounded by chao, the ultimate lifeform stepped into the small establishment. A quick glance around made him happy beyond words: soft muted lights and warm colours complemented vintage furniture, large potted plants adorned all sides of the place, and —most importantly— chao of every kind were all over the place, either walking, being cuddled by clients or sleeping on small pillows.

In the back of the room was a large counter, behind which a massive chalkboard displayed both the cafe menu and prices of various flower arrangements.

Before Shadow could go and talk to the barista, a familiar face caught his attention. Rouge was there, sitting nonchalantly and sipping some drink in the most ostentatious way possible.

The hedgehog smirked and sat in front of her.

“So...?” he started with a raised brow. “So what? Did you think I’d let you stay home for this special day?” Rouge huffed between two exaggerated sips. “It’s just New Year’s Eve, not an anniversary or something...” Shadow said, glancing at the table.

He realised an order of white chocolate cappuccino —his very favourite drink— and forêt noire —one of his favourite sweets— were set in front of him. For a second he felt something rise in his chest. A mix of gratitude and that odd yet pleasing vulnerability he could only feel with his closest friends.

“I know it’s just the new year.” the bat leaned on the table, her eyes both tender and serious. “I also know you haven’t been doing great lately. It’s been a difficult time, and of course it won’t magically be over as midnight comes, but...”

She looked in the distance, her eyes piercing through the windows and their cold winter lighting. Shadow could very clearly feel the bittersweet essence of her expression. This year had also been hard on her.

“We’re in this together, y’know.” she resumed, turning a gentle smile towards him. “And while I can’t resolve every problem we have, I can at least invite my emo bestie to enjoy some chao and indulge in sugary treats!”

The hedgehog chuckled at this, then raised his cappuccino mug. “Let’s have a good time, then. To us bitches.” he said with a knowing grin. “To us bitches!” she exclaimed happily. ”Now drink that ‘ccino, we have chao to cuddle.”

Some laughs and friendly banter later, two chao had found their way on Shadow. One was sleepily nested on his legs while the other was playing on his head, brushing his quills curiously.

“You really have your way with them, just like Omega...” Rouge remarked. She loved the little creatures very much, but she never seemed to attract them as easily as her two partners. No one really knew why and she honestly didn’t mind. It was fun enough to observe them from a distance: no risks of ruined haircut or having one mess with her wings.

“This is the best.” the hedgehog whispered, his voice full of emotion. His friend chuckled. Shadow was endearing in many ways, but his love for plants and creatures was unparalleled in an extremely wholesome way.

“Did you ever consider adopting one?” she asked before biting into her remaining pastry. Shadow’s expression became slightly somber as he looked at her. “I…” he sighed and scratched the sleeping one’s head. “I always wanted to, I guess. Even on the Ark, once we learned about them with Maria, we used to pretend having one. There was a plush, I don’t remember its name. We would play parents, bring it along for walks across the Ark, this kind of things.”

Rouge nodded sympathetically. Maria was less and less a sensitive subject as years went by, but Shadow was still defensive about these memories. Sharing them was one of the most intimate things he would do, and she felt honoured every time it happened.

“Maybe one day.” the hedgehog shrugged with a tired smile. ”Right now our lives are too dangerous. I can’t raise one properly as long as we keep fighting and going on missions Chaos knows where. – Let’s hope we get Eggman and his clique once and for all, then!” Rouge said with a grin. “Can’t wait to have you pester us with photos of your ugly little baby.”

The genuine laugh that followed made the bat beam with happiness.

- - - - -

The very specific atmosphere of New Year’s Eve was not lost to the two mobians as they strolled in the city. Streets were bustling with activity, but in a way that felt distinct from other winter holidays. The ambient anticipation was less frantic, almost… solemn. Instead of rushing for gifts and food, people seemed determined to enjoy the final hours of this year.

Shadow found it interesting, not without its charm. He was more used to strolls in mountains, lonely forests and small paths undulating through fields. The buzzing activity of the city was something else —very nice, though. Plus Rouge knew every neighbourhood surprisingly well, and offered him little fun facts and stories about all sorts of buildings and places.

“It’s a real shame we don’t get more free time between G.U.N and Eggman.” the bat lamented. “There are so many nice spots I’d love to visit with Omega and you. – We do have vacations once in a while.” Shadow replied. “Yeah, but they’re either ruined by some apocalyptic event or by an intense need for rest.” she sighed. “We can’t enjoy the Museum of Arts if we’re falling asleep every two paintings.”

The dark mobian nodded. Technically Omega and him didn’t need a lot of sleep, but being world-saving heroes brought its own kind of mental fatigue. Moments of calm and respite were too few and far between.

“Well. Next time we have some days off we’ll organise a Team Dark afternoon.” Shadow offered. “An exhibit or two, some games at the arcade. Maybe a small concert at a cafe. – Oh my. Hun, I’m impressed to see you take this kind of initiatives.” the bat replied.

The hedgehog gave her a friendly nudge. “Shut up, can’t let you make all the decisions. – I don’t see why not.” Rouge shrugged with a knowing smile.

They suddenly stopped. Without really realising it, the duo had reached the large avenue leading back to their house. As they exchanged a glance, Rouge winked. “Omega must be waiting for us. Let’s move!” she said cheerfully.

- - - - -

An immediate wave of relief filled Shadow as soon as they passed the front door. “Finally some warmth.” he sighed, removing his large coat and thick scarf. “I was expecting your lowered body temperatures.” Omega’s robotic voice answered from the kitchen. “Hot tea and biscuits are ready for immediate consumption. Made with love.”

Rouge snickered and Shadow repressed a chuckle.  Both knew Omega was absolutely unable to cook anything without setting fire to it, so the biscuits were probably store-bought. They still appreciated the gesture greatly.

Everyone gathered around the table, remembering stories about the now-ending year and its numerous developments. Adrenaline-filled fights, obscure investigations and exhausting assignments went alongside hilarious mistakes, glorious teamwork… and even celebratory moments with all the other heroes of Mobius.

“Okay, but the award for the best party of the year still goes to Knuckles’ surprise birthday.” Rouge said confidently while helping Omega put on a colourful crochet beanie. “Ughh please. Let’s not talk about it.” Shadow groaned, knowing exactly where this was going. “It was extremely fun. The fireworks accident made it over 200% better than any other celebration.” the robot insisted. “Oh right, I almost forgot about that!” the bat laughed. “Poor Knuckie, having to deal with a fire hazard on his cherished island…”

Memories of the furious echidna shouting frantically brought a grin to Shadow’s face. “But!” Rouge added, ”I mostly remember someone having a few drinks too much and— – NOPE!” the hedgehog exclaimed as he brandished his hands. “No talk of this specific event shall happen in this house. Ever.”

Omega tapped his fingers on the table as he eyed his smaller friend. “It is a shame I did not record it for ulterior viewing.” Shadow’s glare was so intense the former badnik recoiled slightly.

“Oh well, it’s all in the past now.” Rouge mused teasingly. ”Good times, good times...”

- - - - -

The closet was absurdly full of useless trinkets and Shadow was very, very close to “fix” it with a Chaos blast.

Of course he wouldn’t, knowing how preciously Rouge kept all those odd items from her past. Jewels, foreign souvenirs, postcards, old plushies, photographs… All her memorabilia was kept there, in a mismatched mess mixed up with cleaning supplies, spare beddings and various tools.

“They should be somewhere near the bottom!” the bat shouted from across the flat. The hedgehog growled, his eyes desperately scanning the clutter in front of him. Finally he found what he came for.

Fairy lights. The essential accessory to any LRCS —Living Room Camping Session.

Shadow walked back to the main room, where a drying rack and several chairs formed a structure covered by sheets and blankets. Omega was evaluating whether the improvised tent was big enough for him. “It is perfect, Rouge. We will be able to fit within the designated comfy area.” he said before crawling underneath the colourful construction.

The hedgehog carefully hung the string of lights around and inside the tent before plugging it. Rouge grabbed some snacks and scuttled against the large robot, who fiddled with the remote until a title screen showed on the TV.

“Are we really watching this?” Shadow asked hesitantly. “Shadow. We all know your inclination for romance between organic beings. Please come cuddle so we can start the movie.” Omega said. “Don’t tell me you suddenly decided to hate cheesy fiction, sweetie.” Rouge added. “I would rather perish than lose your snarky remarks and teary-eyed spee— – Alright, I get it, I’m coming.” the hedgehog replied with a frown. “This better be good, though.”

It was everything but good. Outbursts of laughter and incredulous stares followed one another as the movie —a romantic parody of the famous blockbuster Attack On Mobius— kept getting more and more absurd. Omega threatened to turn himself off as he struggled to find any reasoning behind what was happening, and Rouge almost choked on her pop-corn near the end of the second part.

When the credits started rolling, the three buddies snuggled together. The winter night cold was no match for a group hug and thick quilts. Shadow eyed his phone and hummed.

“It’s almost midnight. – Does that mean we have to prepare a wish?” Rouge asked in a sleepy voice. “We don’t have to.” the hedgehog replied, glancing at his two friends.

Has to be an odd sight, he thought. A haphazard team with so many differences, united by pure luck in a challenging world. Chilling together in a makeshift tent in the middle of a flat like nothing else mattered. He closed his eyes and took a moment to appreciate the warm feelings. Being surrounded by such amazing souls for whom he really mattered. Knowing all the affection and dedication hidden behind that seemingly cold name, “Team Dark”.

“I wished for a pony.” Both Omega and Shadow looked at their bat friend with tilted heads. “What? They’re cute, I dunno.” she shrugged with a shit-eating grin. “What would you guys wish for? – Dual plasma swords.” the robot replied. “Maybe I should ask Miles when we cross paths again.”

Rouge rolled her eyes, then shouted curse words as she realised midnight was mere seconds away. Omega startled, making the whole tent fall on the team. The striped hedgehog quickly covered his muzzle with his hands, trying to suppress an irresistible laugh. No matter how hard life was, no matter the obstacles in his way, one thing was certain as the year came to an end.

Friendship was all he could wish for.