#actually his ‘cheeses are positively melting away’ as one can say

[vikary401]

little mac’n’cheese headcanon about cheddar who is used to the fact that he is much taller than most cookies so he doesnt bother bending over to be on same level, but. he still leans in when macaroni talks.

is this anything?………..

[luveline]

𝐣𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲 | 𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫  

part one | part two | part three

summary you’re a single mom living three trailers down. eddie thinks you’re the prettiest girl he’s ever seen. queue lunch break visits, rocky road ice cream, a too-big bouquet, and the rainbow connection.

warnings teen mom!reader, fem!reader, r is junie’s birth mother, fluff, hurt/comfort, eddie being a total girl dad (<3), mutual pining, yearning etc, tw for not having much money, general mom struggles :(, slowburn friends to lovers, tw talk of dying (and past lives)

𓆩❤︎𓆪

You're dozing against the back wall in the kitchen when Benny clears his throat. The grease back here while he's cooking tends to get pretty thick and you're tired to begin with. It's a recipe for nodding off. 

Flinching into a proper standing position, you give your boss an apologetic smile. "What?" you ask, blinking hard. 

"Your boy's here." 

"My boy?" 

"Curly hair, tattoos. Looks like he hasn't showered this week. Or any week, actually." Benny laughs, a chesty, self-satisfied chuckle. 

You rush to his side, careful of the spitting hot grill, and follow his gaze out of the kitchen window. Eddie's about two seconds away from opening the glass door, clad in his smart work uniform. 

"He's not my boy," you say. 

Benny scrapes his spatula across the grill's bubbling surface and flips a burger. "If he's the reason you're tired today, you can consider him banned. He's ruining my best waitress." 

"I'm your only waitress." The door opens. Eddie stops in the doorway and casts his gaze around the room. You hide behind the wall and fuss with your hair. "And no, he's not keeping me up. It's Junie." Isn't it always Junie? She's your baby and you adore her, but that doesn't mean she's getting any easier to handle. The terrible twos are persevering with a ferocity you can't quite withstand, or at the very least sleep through. 

"He eating?" Benny asks. 

"I'll go find out." 

You wipe the oil from your nose and grimace as you walk out into the actual seating area of the diner. It's empty but for one person and Eddie, who grins when he sees you. 

"Hey, sweet thing." 

You try not to show how much you like being called 'sweet thing'. Your face must betray you somehow because Eddie's grin turns smug and he approaches until he's basically stepping on your toes. 

"How's it hanging?"

You snort. "Benny asked if you're eating." 

"What's today's special?" 

"Cheeseburger." 

He fixes your shirt collar. You can feel the warmth of his fingers and the cooler metal of a ring grace your throat. "Yeah, I'm eating." 

You report back to Benny with his order and find the cook's already added two burgers to the grill. He points his spatula at the now grilled and constructed burger for Darren. If you hadn't taken it you'd still know who's it was; Benny's regulars are loyal to a fault. The same old guys come in here day in and day out, and they all want the same thing. 

Quarter pounders. 

You take it, twist around a childish Eddie trying to trip you up and deliver it to Darren, a frowny-faced farm-hand that Benny swears is a nice guy deep down. You've yet to dig far enough. 

Eddie tries to trip you up again when you come back. You glare at him, stepping on his toes gently – more a threat than a real show of aggression – and disappear again through the kitchen door.

"So." Benny throws down a basket of fries before moving to the chopping board with a fresh tomato in hand. "He's your boyfriend?" 

"Do we have to do this?" you ask, joining him at the chopping board. You try to snag a slice of tomato and are quickly tutted away. 

"Is he?" 

"No," you say, trying again for some tomato. 

"Kid, if you don't wait." 

You pout and set back on your heels. 

The burgers sizzle. Benny throws a slice of cheese over Eddie's and lets it melt. Quicker than you can believe, Benny constructs two burgers and fills a red plastic basket with fries. 

He offers them to you. "Lunch break." 

Free food. You smile at him sheepishly and try to take them. He pulls his arms back.

"Wha-" 

"If he's your boyfriend, you better tell me now." 

"Benny, I don't know if you know this, but I'm an adult. Already got knocked up once." 

"And where is he now?" 

Chastised, you mumble, "He's not my boyfriend," and Benny finally hands over the food. He looks like he might try to ruffle your hair if you stick around, so you knock open the kitchen door with your hip and make a speedy exit. 

"What's with the face?" Eddie asks as you sit, reaching for the hot plate balancing across your forearm.

"I think Benny just tried to give me a dad talk." 

He laughs like this is the funniest thing he's ever heard. "Really? What did he say?" 

You shake your head. That's not a bag of worms you're interested in delving into right now. Your brains too fried, and the food smells great. Your stomach aches with hunger. 

"You want a coke?" you ask. 

Eddie stands up. "I'll get them. Sit down, okay?"

You sit down and shove a greedy handful of fries into your mouth, turning in your seat to watch Eddie talk.

He leans over the metal ledge of the kitchen window. It's quiet enough to hear him laugh, hear him say, "No, sir," in a tone that borders sarcastic. 

He wields a five dollar bill at Benny, who shoots him down.

"Put it in the Junie jar," Benny says. 

"Junie jar?" Eddie questions, though he's smiling. 

Your eyebrows furrow at the expression. You've never heard it either. 

"I don't bother pretending she spends it on anything else."

"You got that right." 

You flush with heat all the way to to the tips of your ears and turn back to the table before Eddie can catch you watching. 

He throws himself into his seat like he's collapsed. The twin cokes in his hands upheave and then splash back into themselves, an impressive and ridiculous show of skill that makes you gasp. 

"For you." He shoves a glass down next to you. The ice cubes clink. 

"Thank you," you say, and don't waste any time digging into your food.

He squints at your eager eating, though he waits until you've taken the worlds biggest bite of your burger before he asks, "Hungry?" 

You swallow before you mean to and have to take a big sip of your drink to avoid choking to death. "I didn't eat breakfast." 

"How come?" 

You can't take his concern. Your eyes drop this hand where it picks through fries, no rings in sight. He’d told you once he can’t wear them at work, because he gets really warm and the rings are costume jewellery. His hands look bare without them, but they’re very nice hands. You follow the stark line of a bone down from his knuckles and focus in on his simple wrist watch as you explain. 

"It took me an hour to get her to finish a slice of toast this morning. I usually wouldn’t make her finish, but she's not eating well." 

You don't have to say who. Eddie tips his head back to eat a handful of fries like a courtesan eating grapes, all grandness. 

"Teething?" 

"She has all her teeth already," you say. A laugh bubbles up, delighted at his suggestion. 

"What do you think it is?" 

You wipe the corner of your mouth with a napkin and shrug. Eddie sees straight through your forced nonchalance. 

"No, seriously. What do you think?" 

"I don't know. Maybe she's gonna come down with the flu. She didn't sleep all night either, and…" You rub your tired eyes with the backs of your hands. "I don't know. I hope she's feeling better at pick up, but I doubt it." 

"How are you feeling?" He says 'you' softly, almost crooning. 

"Tired, Eds." 

"I can see that." 

The door opens and a breeze whips your ankles. You hide them further under the table and cringe when you kick Eddie straight in the foot. He only raises his eyebrow at you and kicks you back. "What's your problem?" he mumbles under his breath, smiling. 

When the burgers are gone and there's only a couple of cold fries left, you and Eddie fall into conversation about tonight. He's finally playing a gig after months without one, and you're riddled with guilt. 

"I wish I could come," you tell him, feeling gutted that you won't see him in action. 

You wonder what he looks like on stage. Sometimes it's hard to coalesce the Eddie you know and the other Eddie, rocker Eddie. He's so sweet. The image of him on stage and sweating, rocking out, you can't summon it. 

You clear your throat. "I'm sorry we can't." 

Eddie shakes his head quickly, fingers playing with the chain around his left wrist. "Don't worry about it. Junebugs's gotta sleep. You gotta sleep." 

You pick at your nails, shame-faced. If you were a good friend you'd go and see him perform, but you're a good mom so you can't. Maybe you could get a sitter… only you don't trust anybody to look after her. Not the way you would. And people can be evil.

Maybe I could take her to the Hideout, you think tentatively.

You couldn't. It's too loud, it's too rowdy. You're not sure they'd even let you in with a baby. 

"Sorry," you say again, dropping your cheek into your palm. 

Eddie doesn't smile. He turns his wrist, the back of his hand to the table and his palm open between you. 

"Don't be sorry," he says. He watches your face and slowly, slowly, mischief creeps into his expression. "How about I give you a private show?" 

Your breath catches in your throat. 

"You and June've never heard me play. I could bring an amp. June can play drums. You'll sing." 

His allocation shocks you out of your thoughts. "Why can't you sing?" 

"What will you do, then? If I sing?"

You flounder.

He lifts his coke to his lips and smirks at your silence. "Exactly." 

"Eddie, I can't sing." 

He waves his hand at you rather than answer. 

"I won't sing." 

"Oh, you won't?" he asks, tone enough to make you cross your legs under the table. He rolls his eyes. 

"No. Let Junie do it. She's always singing." 

"And you'll-? What?"  

You shrug. He imitates you, over-exaggerated enough to make you gasp a laugh.

“Is that supposed to be me?"  

He ignores your question in favour of his own. "You'll do nothing. Typical." 

"You're getting too big for your boots, Munson," you warn, sliding his plate on top of yours. 

He stacks your empty glasses. The two of you stand and linger. He should go back to work. You should too.

"I'll come over tomorrow?" he asks finally. 

"Okay." You look over him in his clean clothes and neater than usual hair and can't help smiling. "I'll see you tomorrow," you say quietly, opening your arms just slightly. 

Eddie takes the hint and wraps his arms quickly around your shoulders, careful of the plates in your hand. He rubs them once, a good, grounding pressure across the breadth of your back. Your nose presses against his neck. He smells like aftershave and cigarette smoke and skin. 

Before you know it he's pulling away, the end to an amicable embrace between friends. Almost disappointing, not quite what you want anymore, but a relief and a comfort all the same. 

He chucks your chin. "Tell Junie I miss her." 

"I will."

"Okay." He turns to walk away. "Bye, sweetheart," he shoots over his shoulder. 

"Bye!" you call. 

The door shudders in his wake. You stand there watching until Benny clears his throat pointedly and asks you to come and make some more coffee. 

You rush through the rest of the day. You finish earlier than you should because Benny's in a gracious mood, thrusting your tip jar into your arms with a command to get some sleep. You promise you'll try your best and head out for the daycare. 

Junie's asleep in a bean bag by the baby gate when you get there. You stop dead in your tracks. She has her shoes and coat on already, her backpack in her lap. You look up at the childcare worker in charge today, a nice lady called Deborah, quizzically. 

"She's been like that for an hour. I'm sorry we couldn't keep her awake." 

You pout at Junie. "Why she got her coat on?" 

"She insisted. Screamed bloody murder. Think she was excited to see you," she says, smiling softly. 

You smile in return. "Thank you, Deborah. Have a nice weekend.”

Deborah nods and disappears back into the play room. You open the baby gate with likely less dexterity than you should have as a mom and drop to your knees in front of the beanbag, careful not to make too much noise. You're wondering if you can carry her to the car without waking her up when her foot moves, then her arms. They fall to her side as her eyes open. 

"Hey, baby," you say, feeling weirdly emotional. She looks so lovely and pretty, and if she's sick that's gonna pluck your heart strings (and cause a boat load of problems). 

"Mommy," she mumbles, eyes bleary.

"That's me." You reach out to squeeze her little thigh. "My poor girl, what's the matter? Does your tummy hurt?" you ask carefully.

She blinks. 

"Why're you sitting here all by yourself? You didn't want to play with Adrien? Or Lucy?"

When she doesn't reply you take her backpack and thread your hand through the strap, offering your open arms to her. She can barely sit up, her movements slow and sluggish. 

"Here," you murmur, sliding your hands under her armpits and pulling her into your chest. 

She finally smiles, hands bunched up at the collar of your shirt. You leave some room to look at her and she looks at you. You're surprised she's not whining or crying. 

"Hey," you say again, amazed at her droopy smile. "You look like you've had a good day." 

Her head drops forward. You think she's nodding, though that might be wishful thinking. You don't even know if toddlers can nod. 

Of course they can nod, you think to yourself scathingly. I mean… can they? 

And Junie isn't like most toddlers. She hasn't really done anything by the book. She meets milestones when she wants to, sometimes early, sometimes really, really late. 

You pat her back, her nylon coat crinkly under your hand. "Ready to go home?" 

You stand up with her clutched to your chest. Usually you'd have her say goodbye to Deborah or the other daycare workers but Junie doesn't look like she knows her own name right now. You frown at her and encourage her forehead against your chin, trying to gauge if she's a little warmer than usual. 

"I missed you," you tell her honestly. You miss her every single day. "I want to know everything you did today. Do you remember what you did?"

Junie pushes against your chest with her hand as you walk out of the daycare centre and into the parking lot. 

"Did you do… colouring? Or… building blocks? Did you sing?" you ask, grinning. 

You cross the road, and when you look back she's staring at you, straight into your eyes. 

"Hi," you say with a laugh. 

Her hands rise to your face, fingers thankfully clean and warm against your wind-bitten cheeks. You slow, gazing down at her expectantly. She raises her chin as high as she can and smiles big. 

"You want a kiss. I can tell," you croon smugly. 

She kisses you. It's a little drooly as baby kisses always are, but it's the best thing that's happened to you all day. It's always so surprising when she initiates affection. That she loves you just as much as you love her. 

You steal another kiss. 

"Guess what?" you ask, reaching a hand to stroke a little baby hair back. 

She says a word that isn't real. It sounds like 'mod'. 

"It's payday today, which means…" You beam at her. "Ice cream!" 

That grabs her attention. 

-

Eddie can't believe it. "You had what without me?" he asks over the phone. 

Junie herds your knees, arms around your legs and face turned to the TV. You stand slumped against the wall where your phone is plugged, curling the landline's coiled cord around your finger so Junie can't grab it. 

"Ice cream," you supply helpfully. 

His voice isn't easy to understand. The Hideout is a very loud place. Eddie's practically shouting down the line. "I can't believe it." 

"It couldn't be helped. She needed to be tempted." 

"Tempted! Has she eaten anything else?" 

You look down at the girl in question and reach down to rub her back. "Oh yeah. She ate like, an entire bag of lays, one of the big ones. She still smells like honey barbecue." 

"Nothing else?" 

You sigh, that creeping, ringing thought edging in. You're a bad mom. 

"I made her cereal, and celery sticks and sandwiches and little cut up peaches and- and she won't touch any of it," you say, like you're promising. Your tone begs to be believed.

There's a loud racket. Eddie shouts, "What did you say? I can't hear you!" 

You repeat yourself. You miss the start of what he's saying, but you catch, "-not your fault! She's probably just having a moment. You remember when she kept throwing her bottle? She doesn't do that anymore." 

You nod. "Yeah, maybe it's like that. She's figuring she has choices." Not the best timing for your kid to decide she's gonna get picky. 

"Exactly! Or maybe she is sick. Does she look sick?"

You look back down at Junie and feel across her smooth forehead for the twentieth time today. "She doesn't feel warm." 

"Good. I'm sure she-" You miss the rest. 

"I can't hear you," you say with a small laugh. "I can hear the drum kit though. Are you going on soon?"

"I said, 'I'm sure she's fine.' And yeah, couple of minutes." 

"Okay. Um. I'll let you go, then." 

"Okay." A small gap where you think he's hung up, but then, "Can I talk to her?" 

You bite back a smile. "Sure." 

You kneel down. Junie looks a short fall from suspicion, though her arms quickly reach out for a hug.

"June, d'you wanna talk to Eddie?" 

"Eddie?" she asks, turning to the door. 

You catch her hand before she can walk away. "No, babe, on the phone." 

You sit down flat with your legs crossed and encourage her to do the same. She doesn't not want to be encouraged, eyes still trained on the door. 

"Baby," you say, though you're bringing the phone to your mouth as you do. "Are you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here." 

"Okay, I'm gonna pass her the phone and you're gonna have to talk straight away, because she doesn't know how it works. Alright?"  

"Yeah, alright. Bring on the junebug." 

You press the phone to Junie's ear. She looks startled and then annoyed, shoulder hiking and head moving in like she might push it away. You can see the moment she realises Eddie is on the other side, her lips part and her eyes widen in wonder. 

She listens for a while, flabbergasted. You think you might be able to hear his voice. Not what he's saying, but his bubbly baby tone. 

"Eddie," she says suddenly. She looks at you, says a bunch of nonsense words and babbling punctuated by Eddie Eddie Eddie. 

"Are you listening to him?" you ask, excited at her recognition. 

She grabs the phone out of your hand and stares at it. You try to wrangle it back and put it back to her ear. She is not happy. 

Hardly news that your toddler's mood may swing, you shove the phone between your head and your shoulder and wrap her up in your arms with a placating shush. She starts to cry regardless. You think they might be crocodile tears. 

"Eddie?" 

"Sweetheart, I gotta go, okay? I'm sorry if I upset June–" 

"You didn't, you didn't, she–" 

"– I'll make it up to you, I swear."

"– misses you, I think–" 

"See you tomorrow, okay?" 

"Okay. Good luck!" you say. The line's already dead. The dial tone makes your ear prickle. 

You feel upset for a second. It's a mess of feelings. You're too tired to deal with any of them. 

"Eddie?" Junie asks, hands pulling at the hem of her nightie. 

"Just mommy," you say with a smile. The longer she looks at you the easier it gets. "You wanna go to bed and cuddle?" 

She laughs and runs away from you.

"I'll take that as a no." 

-

Eddie knocks the door and doesn't get an answer. 

He pauses, a bouquet behind his back and his acoustic guitar heavy around his neck, a grocery bag hanging from the crook of his elbow. It's a very heavy grocery bag. He'd figured he has a lot of apologising to do this afternoon. 

It seems like there's no one home to apologise to. 

"Girls? It's me." 

Still no answer. 

"Eddie," he adds, like a loser.

He thinks he can hear small footsteps. 

"Eddie!" 

He laughs to himself. "Junebug? Where's mommy?" 

"Hello?" you call finally. 

"Hey, can you let me in?" 

He keeps the flowers hidden firmly behind his back as you open the door. He hears the deadbolt, the chain slide free and then the regular old lock unlocking, and you pull the door open and suddenly he can't breathe. You look that pretty. 

"Eddie!" Junie shouts, to his pleasure. 

You grin brilliantly as he steps over the threshold. 

Junie's arms are quickly around his legs. She's in a sweet blue dress and frilly socks looking almost as pretty as her mom does, hair neat and tidy, face pristine. 

You're nearly matching her. You've a soft white shirt on, tucked into a simple blue skirt and a cardigan to match. 

You barely stop to look at him, flitting back to the kitchen where you’ve brown paper bags upended, the fridge and freezer doors both wide open. "Sorry, I'm just putting the groceries away. How did the gig go? Did you rock the house?" You giggle to yourself.

Eddie wants to scream, you’re that endearing. “It went great. Awesome. Not sure I rocked the house, but it was metal.”

"Amazing! I- I'm sorry I didn't hear you, I was in my own head," you say as you go, stepping over toys and frozen peas and Junie's Muppet Babies backpack like a natural. He notices your small white socks and feels himself slipping that little bit further into a terrifying feeling.

He doesn't have time to tell you it's okay, or that he wishes you’d been at the gig, or to watch your step. Junies's babbling for his attention and he'd rather die than not give it to her, moving the grocery bag he has hanging from his hand over her head and tossing it toward the couch, where it lands and spills. 

"Okay, June, I'm gonna pick you up," he says quickly, pulling the guitar over his head. He props it up by the open doorway, Junie tugging at his jeans the whole while. 

"So demanding!" he teases, scooping her up to prop on his hip and unveiling the flowers at the same time. 

You aren't looking. He nudges them towards her face and shakes them gently. 

Junie can't decide what's more fun, the flowers or Eddie. She wraps her arms around his neck as best as she can but stares at the flowers with a dawning comprehension. 

"What are these, baby?" he asks, holding them lower so she can see them all in view. They're mostly red. There's some whites too, big round roses among other flowers he can't name. 

"Red," she says quickly. "White. Yellow, blue, green." 

She's not right, there aren't any yellows or blues, but he can only blame himself for drilling them into her the way he had. She's showing off that she knows them all, and she deserves some praise. 

"Good job! Red, white," he shakes the bouquet enough to reveal a few small pink ones, "pink flowers. They're pretty, don't you think? Pretty as you and mommy?" He hums to himself, patting her back thoughtfully. “Maybe not that pretty." 

You're not listening. If you were he's not sure he could say it, not while you're looking like you do. You're always pretty, always, but right now he feels like he did the first time he saw you. Just gone. 

Junie tells him something, a more factual tone and air about her. He rubs the top of her upper arm encouragingly, asking, "Is that right?" 

"Do you want food?" you call. 

He sets June down on her feet and she hates it until he wraps her hands around the bouquet's neck. "Can you give these to your mom for me? Please?" Junie stares at them. "For mommy," he adds, pointing at you where you're closing the cabinet door. 

Junie, the tiny smarty-pants that she is, runs to you. Eddie's a coward for it, but he doesn't think he can give them to you himself under honest pretenses, doesn't think he could admit that he'd been thinking about getting you flowers for a while now. Much easier to have her give them to you. 

You make a sound like you've swallowed a gasp and stare at them. 

"They're nice, right? I saw them and I thought they'd make a good apology for last night." 

You don't take them. You can't contain a smile, but you don't take them. 

"I'm sorry if I made any trouble for you," he says tentatively. 

You drop your hand on top of Junie's head. Your tone is warm, each word reassuring. "No, you didn't. She just… you know, she has a routine, and she loves when you come around. She missed you. That's not your fault." 

"Okay, good. I missed her too. Nobody can jam out like she can.”

Junie whacks you in the thigh. Eddie's starting to think he did something wrong because you still haven't taken them from her, your eyes as unreadable as the way your hands move, rigid and curling. 

You shake them out and finally take the flowers. 

"Thanks, baby," you say. Then, looking at him. "Thank you." 

"You can get me back," he says. 

Shell shock turns to eagerness. "Yeah, anything." 

He picks up the spilled groceries and brandishes them at you. In one hand is this week's dessert, a huge carton of rocky road ice cream, the fancy kind with big chocolate chips and fluffy marshmallows on top. In the other, a plastic jug of your favourite drink. 

"Find room for these in the fridge?"

Since accepting them, you've yet to put down the flowers, holding them protectively to your chest as you take what he’s offering and carry them into the kitchen.

June runs full pelt at his legs and he doesn't hesitate to pick her up. 

"You're so happy today!" he cheers, saccharine sweet as she burrows her little face into his collar. "Have you been having a good day with mom? I love your matching outfits." 

You try to hide how the compliment affects you, face buried in the freezer. He knows without a shadow of a doubt that your freezer has ample room, you don’t need to look for space. and he can see the way your hand tightens around the bouquet. He loves how shy you've become lately over his compliments, no matter how small. It's worth the possibility of making a fool of himself to see you flustered. 

Junie reports back on the day. Eddie listens intently for words he might understand but finds none. 

He doesn't let this bother him, leaning against the counter behind so he can hold Junie low on his stomach to watch her expressions flicker, hands encapsulating her back. She looks happy, obviously, but she also looks very intent on something. 

"Yeah?" he asks, tilting his head toward her knowingly. "Was the grocery store exciting? Did you do anything else?" 

"Duckies!" she says. 

"Duckies? You saw ducks?" he asks curiously, looking to you for confirmation. 

You're still holding your flowers to your chest. 

Junie chatters. "Duck, duck, duck." 

"What's she talking about?" he asks, pulling her up enough for her head to rub against his chin.

"Oh, we went to the duck pond. She was obsessed," you say. 

"Right, right. Can't say I blame her.” 

"Trying to explain why they weren't yellow took some dedication." 

Eddie smiles at you softly. "You can put them down, you know." 

Your eyes flicker between him and the flowers. "I- nobody's ever got me flowers before. I don't know what I'm s'posed to do with them. I don't… have a vase." 

He hadn't realised he'd be the first guy to get you flowers. It makes him wanna wrap you up and hug you, because how is it fair that a girl like you never got flowers? Not once? 

"Shit," he says instead. 

He flinches hard and looks at Junie. She's too busy with her hands in his hair to notice what he's said. He apologises anyways. 

You roll your eyes. Eddie's relieved to see it's with obvious fondness, a funny lopsided smile to your lips. 

"If she starts dropping s-bombs, you're the one who has to deal with it," you warn. 

"I will.” 

He takes a step toward you and you take a step toward him.

You hum and hold the flowers up to Junie as he had before. "Aren't these just something else? Look how pretty they are! Why don't you pick one, baby?" 

Eddie shifts her onto the right side and you both watch her touch them, hands adorably careful as she feels the leaves between her fingers and pokes the fuzzy yellow centre of a flower with white, round petals. 

"That one?" you murmur, pulling it out from the rest with the same adorable carefulness. 

Junie accepts the flower and immediately shows it to Eddie, ecstatic.

“Yellow," she proclaims. 

"And white," he says, ruffling the petals with his index finger. 

She smells like talc and you, that soft jasmine perfume, and her hair is fragrant where it tickles his face. He indulges and hugs her that little bit tighter. She indulges him in turn and hugs him back, the flower petals cold and silky against his neck. 

"How do you…" You scratch the base of your neck. "Do you think I could squeeze all the stalks into one glass?" 

It's only a bunch from the grocery store but he thinks a glass might be a little too small. "Maybe you can split it? Have one in your room, one in here." 

You set about following his suggestion, snipping away the cellophane with a pair of scissors and acquiring two tall glasses. The stalks are tall. You trim them down and begin arranging them. Eddie has no clue why you're being as particular as you are but he's happy for you to do as you please, traipsing into the living room where Junie seems to have been running rampant before his arrival with intentions of cleaning up.

He closes the front door and bends at the waist to let Junie back on her feet. 

She goes down easy enough. Eddie turns on the TV to keep her occupied while he whips around the room. He wants to clean (as best as he can) before you see him and tell him to stop. He puts your small handbag and Junie's backpack at the sideboard by the door. He sweeps up all of her toys and tucks them under the television as you would, then moves onto the rogue dirtied pajamas on the floor. They're Junie's favourites, the ones with tiny strawberries that she always chooses when given the option. 

Your laundry basket isn't anywhere in the living room or kitchen. He attempts to sneak past you where you're still arranging flowers intently. The sight of you stops him in his tracks. 

I need to get her a vase, he thinks. And another bouquet.

You turn to him, a pleased expression turning your features from pretty to chest-achingly lovely. 

He holds up the pajamas and then keeps on down the hall to the bathroom, even as you chasten, "Eddie," with a fond exasperation. 

You showcase your first bouquet upon his return, sheepish, awaiting judgement. You're conflicted tonight, a handful of emotions shaken and stirred. 

"Tada," you sing. 

"Looks sick, sweetheart. If this whole waitressing thing doesn't work out for you, you could definitely be a florist."

You huff a laugh. "Oh, for sure." 

"I'm serious. It looks really nice." 

He thinks maybe he can see the way you might've been before, in that moment. There's something so young – and you are young, as he is, as he keeps forgetting – about your face and how you take praise. You look like you want desperately to brush it away, and you look like you want him to give you more. 

He stands close enough that you're forced to turn back to the counter where the second bouquet is taking form. "This one looks nice too." 

"I thought I'd put the prettiest one out here." You lean back and your shoulder presses to his chest. "And then the reject in my room," you say, chin lifted to look him dead in the eye. 

He feels heat crawling up his neck and decides to fight fire with fire, even if the fire is entirely imagined. "Do you often have rejects in your bedroom?" he questions with a smarmy smile. 

You laugh. Far from the polite and prim giggling you'd used when you first met, though that was cute, too, this laugh is something else. He wishes he had a tape deck with him to record it, play it back. 

"Only if they're very pretty," you say. You place the last of the flowers into the second bouquet. "And these ones are beautiful. Thank you, Eddie. You didn't have to get me flowers." 

"I wanted to." 

Your head falls gently against the top of his shoulder. He stands very still. 

The faucet drips. The TV plays. If he listens, Eddie can hear the sound of kids outside on their bikes, shouting and jeering. 

Like this, he can see the curve of your neck, the hill of your chin. He can see the pillows of your lips and the slopes of your cheek. The darling shape of your nose. He knows a kiss would fit there well, fit there perfectly, if he would only raise his hand to your shoulder. Turn you ever so slightly.

Even the flat of your forehead begs for affection. He can almost feel it from looking at you – the warmth of your skin under his lips. He can't decide whether he'd kiss you from temple to temple, or smack dab on your crown. Between your brows, at the tail of them. The corner of your eye might work.

Anything would work.

Eddie lifts his hand. Careful not to startle you, he cups the side of your waist like he had before a hundred moons ago when you'd cut his hair in this same kitchen. He spreads his fingers wide and inches over your soft abdomen, feeling for the shape of you. 

You turn your cheek into his shoulder. He lets his lips touch the back of your head. 

Plinking echoes from the living room sudden enough to startle you in tandem. Kids caught with their hands in the cookie jar, you and Eddie both turn to the living room and come away from one another. You're more confused than Eddie at the sound; a split-second and you're out of reach. 

He closes his hand and follows you. Now past the obscurification of the cabinets, he can see that Junie's finally noticed his guitar and has pulled it down flat on the floor. 

She plays with the strings enthusiastically. Eddie can't bring himself to care at her roughness when she looks the way she does, curious and entertained, giggling her contagious baby laugh. 

"I forgot you brought that," you say, looking to him, he suspects, for a cue. A silent, Is she allowed?

Of course she is. “I told you I'd give you a private show."

"What happened to the amp?" 

"My hands were full." Eddie sits on the floor to Junie's left. "Whatcha doing, trouble?" 

She hits the neck. 

He takes her hand in a gentle grip and encourages the side of her finger across the strings. 

She laughs thick and sweet as honey. "Brmm," she imitates, lips pinching between giggles as he helps her do it again. 

"You're a total rockstar," he says. 

You kneel opposite. "She's gonna lose her mind when you play something." 

Eddie feels very smug at what's to come. 

You let Junie play for a time, and then you open your arms and she walks around to your side, sitting on your thighs. She continues to reach for the guitar, seems sulky when Eddie picks it up, and quietens when he plays an experimental note. 

"Are you gonna sing? I've heard you sing before, you know? You're not bad." 

You wrinkle your nose. 

First, he plays the Muppet Babies theme tune for June. She gets excited and starts to hum. You have to hold her in your lap to stop her from messing him up. He wouldn't mind if she did. He's hoping, maybe one day when she's old enough to understand, he could get her behind her own guitar. He's not kidding about starting a band. 

He drops his eyes to his fingers, shaking his head on instinct to try and shake away the thought. 

June sings and sings and eventually, quietly, you start to sing too. You’re purposefully not trying but any flatness is easily made up for by the familiarity of your voice alone. The way you talk, so charming and careful, the sweetness of your newfound shyness and the rough hint of ever-present tiredness you carry, it all seeps into your singing. Eddie adores it.

Junie almost gets some of the words right. It's very exciting for you, Eddie can see it in the tilt of your head. You enunciate precisely and he slows the tempo to give you time. 

"It really sounds like she's almost there. She definitely said 'dreams come true,’” he says as the song ends.

"You think?"

"Definitely. Do you want to sing it again?" he asks, words falling into a high-pitched sugar, eyes on Junie. 

"More?" you add, a slight correction. Junie doesn't know what 'again' means yet, but she understands 'more'. 

"More," she says seriously. 

You go through it one more time. If he plays slow to drag out your reluctant singing, that's his business. 

He unveils his next song with a dash of edgy stage presence. "For my next song, I'll be playing what can only be described as the absolute pinnacle of music." 

He sounds legitimate. 

Your eyebrows pinch together at his sombre attitude. "Sure." 

"I'm gonna play it as true to form as I can, but… I don't have a banjo. So…" 

He plays the first few seconds of Kermit The Frog's The Rainbow Connection. 

When he sings, he does it after an internal pep talk consisting of a scathing, Be brave, idiot. 

"Why are there so many, songs about rainbows. And what's on the other side?" he sings, trying and failing to sound like Kermit. He abandoned that pursuit immediately in favour of his regular voice. Thankfully it's a slow song. Simple. It doesn't take much to play, either. The real challenge are the lyrics, which he doesn't really know. "Rainbows are visions, but only… illusions?"

You bob your head appraisingly, hands crossed over Junies front, cheek pressed to the top of her head. 

"And rainbows have nothing to hide." 

You’re making it impossible to concentrate, looking as earnest, homespun, and ridiculously pretty as you do. Pretty in more than just your looks. The way that you watch him, the way you rub a pattern over Junie's ribs, it’s all so indicative of your heart.

He fucks up the rest. Bad timing, amateurish fingering over the struts, lyrics that escape him. You'd never know he could play Master of Puppets a month after it's debut from the way he performs now. 

You cheer, gathering Junie's hands into yours to help her clap. 

He blushes like a fool. 

—

Dinner tonight – take out. 

You're prouder than you should be when Eddie asks, "Can I help you cook tonight?" and you get to say, "No, you can't. I'm not cooking." 

You'd never shake your head at a frozen pizza but there's an irreplaceable satisfaction that comes from getting hot food delivered. Maybe it's the convenience, maybe it's that you don't have to cook it yourself. It might even be the grease. Whatever it is, it tastes better than any freezer food ever could.

You've trapped Junie in her high chair. Diaper changed, pajamas on, bib in place. You rolled her sleeves all the way up and gave her two slices of cheese pizza cut into small pieces that have been blown on for a more than generous amount of time and tell her to go ham. She doesn't bother with her plastic fork and you don't blame her, eating your own pizza in a similar fashion. 

Rather than sit opposite you or next to Junie, Eddie has opted for the chair on your left. Junie on your right, your daughter eats with an animated little grin that apples her cheeks, giving her that chubby baby-like smile. 

"You see her smile?" you ask, taking a big bite of perfect crust. You have to stop yourself from sighing happily, fingers covered in crumbs. 

"Yeah?" Eddie asks, pizza sauce or his face like a little kid. 

You sit back in your chair so he can really see her. "She's always been a smiley baby, and when she was much smaller all her smiles were so chubby cheeked. She was chubby cheeked. Now when she smiles like that she makes me remember her when she was a baby." 

"I'm not surprised she was a smiley baby if she had you… D'you miss having a baby?" 

"Watch yourself," you say, and then giggle as all the blood drains from his face. "Kidding. I don't know if I miss having a baby baby. I mean, she's so little, she's practically still a baby. But I do kinda wish I could go back and hold her as a newborn." 

Eddie wipes his cheek and stands up to get some paper towels. He wipes his face and hands and grabs the juice from the fridge to fill his glass (that's basically still full) and then yours (the real reason he'd stood, you reckon). 

"Was she heavy?" he asks.

You worry for a moment he's humouring you. It's clear how much you love Junie, you know it is, and that shows in how much you want to talk about her. You'd never expected that part, though of course it makes sense – sometimes she smiles and you wanna call the newspapers – and you don't think Eddie's insincere. He seems like he genuinely wants to know and that's enough for you to want to round the table and throw your arms over his shoulders. 

"I think…" You pick up your glass and hesitate with the rim to your lip. "I think if you'd held her back then, you wouldn't think she was heavy." 

He practically smolders, bringing an arm up to tense his bicep. "Thank you." 

You laugh at him. "Shut up! I just think, you've been good with her ever since you met her. When I held her for the first time it's a good thing I was laying down. I probably would've dropped her." 

Eddie takes Junie's sippy cup to fill. You'd say it was a waste if he hadn't bought it himself, she's too busy eating her weight in cheese to care about something as rudimentary as juice. 

"You would not have dropped her." 

"I would've." 

"You wouldn't have! And if you did, it would've been an accident. Next point, they don't have skulls, right? No harm, no foul." 

"Who told you babies don't have skulls?" 

"...I'm not at liberty to say." 

You eat the rest of your crust and shake your head at his misguided education. "They have skulls, Eddie. The scalp is super soft and fragile for ages, but they definitely have skulls. You know what they don't have?" 

Eddie squeezes Junie's shoulder as he walks behind her. "What?" he asks in alarm, passing you to sit down again. His knees touch the side of your thigh.

"Kneecaps." 

His hand stops on the way to the pizza box, body frozen. 

"What?" he asks, his alarm doubled.

"Swear down. No knee caps." 

"Don't they need them? For crawling? I feel like knee caps are more important than skulls." 

"If you didn't have a skull you wouldn't be able to breathe," you say, though you're guessing. 

"What use is breathing if you can't move?" 

You turn to him to take him in properly. You beam, because this is an outlandish conversation and you're enjoying every second of it and he looks just as happy as you feel. 

"Do babies need to move? June could never move again and I'd still look after her,” you counter.

"Sweetheart, you're cheating." 

"I can't exactly breathe for her-" 

"What are you talking about? Of course you could. I don't know how but you'd find a way, Y/N, I know what you're like." 

Your teeth click together, a funny retort squashed down by his unexpected admittance of faith. He always does this; Eddie loves to tell you the kindest things anyone has ever told you like they don't cost him a thing. 

"I would," you agree, blinded by love rather than supported by any logic. 

"Mommy," Junie says, like she knows she's the topic of your hypothetical devotion and she wants in. "More pizza"

"Please?" you tack on, though her small sentence had impressed you to the point of elation. You turn to her already with your hand in the pizza box. 

"Pizza," she says. You love the way she says it, like the 'zuh' sound at the end is a complete surprise. 

The pizza's cold enough by now to give it to her intact. She's amazed at the big slice you put on her plate, picking it up with a coordination you know is taking a lot of effort for her. 

"Good job, baby," you praise, using her distraction to pull a little string of cheese off of her messy cheek. 

She takes a huge bite. You watch her worried she's gonna choke, and feel Eddie's knees press deeper into your thigh as he moves forward to join in. 

"Is it weird that she's impressing me right now?" he asks. 

You giggle and roll your shoulders back until you can feel the brush of his hair against your shirt. "No, she's awesome."

For dessert, you insist on plating up. Or bowling up. You scoop a more generous than she should really have portion for Junie, something similar for Eddie, and a normal portion for yourself. 

"On the couch?" Eddie asks. 

You can see him cleaning up Junie out of the corner of your eye. You wish he wouldn't but you're grateful that he does. His attentiveness makes your hands feel heavy in that you remember you have them, and you remember what it's like to want to hold someone else's. 

"Yeah," you say, though eating on the couch makes you nervous. You don't want to ruin it. You're lucky you even have one. 

Eddie scoops Junie up easy and pats her back.

“You put away a lot of cheese, kid. A lot. Was that yummy or what?" 

She burps. His laughter is roaring and boyish as he applauds her. 

"You're patting her back, she's gonna keep burping.”

"That's what you're supposed to do for babies, isn't it?" 

He stands under the harsh kitchen light with his face turned away and down toward Junie, hair a mess of flyaways, t-shirt covered in shiny toddler fingerprints over one shoulder and jeans slipping down low on his hips. Your explanation comes breathlessly. "When you give a baby a bottle they suck in too much air and it gives them trapped wind. You burp that kind of baby. Not greedy almost three year olds." 

"She is not almost three." 

"I think I'd know, Munson." 

"She's like, two and a half at most." 

"I'm rounding up for emphasis," you say, and glare at his eyebrows rising. 

He pats her back some more anyways. She burps again and he laughs even more. "Juniper The Burpiest," he says to himself as he walks away, voice fading as he settles down across the way on the couch. 

Junie has crashed and burned, warm thick cheese and dough putting her quickly into a close to listless state in his lap. He faces her out toward the TV and she leans heavily against his chest with his hands around her torso, propping her up. You shepherd in the desserts. 

"Gimme Junie's," Eddie says. 

"She's gonna fall asleep," you say, but pass it over anyhow. 

Eddie places the bowl of rocky road in her lap with a hand between to stop from making her legs cold and starts to spoon ice cream into her mouth. She accepts. It's adorable to watch. His face over her shoulder, Junie's face slowly deflating, eyes bleary and blinking as her lips close lazily around the spoon. She barely flinches at the cold. 

You eat your own ice cream in the seat next to them and wonder if this is forever. 

Eddie wipes her chin with the side of his hand and watches her head fall. He wears a loving smile. It makes you want to cry, to know someone else loves her. 

You let all your weight fall against his shoulder and eat your ice cream casually. This is the least casual thing you've ever done. Spoon in your mouth, you press your cheek to the top of his arm and glue your gaze to the TV. 

You swear you can feel his eyes on you, but when you chance a look he's watching the TV, head inclined to yours ever so slightly, a hand brushing Junie's hair from her dozing face. You're weak. You give yourself over to what you want and turn your nose to his arm. He smells lIke he always does, warm in the truest definition of the word. 

You close your eyes. After a few minutes, you feel Eddie take the bowl from your hands and set it next to Junie's. You want to open your eyes and say sorry but they’re heavier than you'd thought, and you can only manage a murmur of sound. 

His hand sliders under your elbow and curls around your arm. His head drops on top of yours so softly you almost don't feel it. 

You doze, digging your face further into his arm, feel the curve of it under your cheek and the cut off of his sleeve rising. 

A frayed thread tickles your cheek and you complain without thinking, sighing your annoyance. 

"What?" Eddie asks. 

You raise a hand to rub at your face and eyes. "Tickled me." 

"Did I? M'sorry." 

"T-shirt. Did you cut them yourself?" 

"You know it. Was going through a phase." 

"Going through." 

"Say it to my face," he says. Soft, teasing. 

You lift your head and find him smiling at you. 

He has a beauty mark under his eye, occluded near completely by his eyelashes. You can't believe you've never noticed it before. 

"You have a freckle," you whisper.

"Where?" He nods. "Under my eye?" 

"Yeah." 

You sit up and stare at him. He closes his eyes and tilts his head back. "I've never seen it before," you continue, still whispering. "It blends in with your eyelashes." 

"I think you're the first person to see it who isn't my mom. No one ever looks at me this long,” he says quietly.

If his eyes weren't closed you'd never have had the courage to do what you do next. You raise your hand with his cheek, thumb pressed to the skin beside his nose and fingers slipped under his ear. You turn his face toward the light. Eddie lets you without complaint, his breath warm where it fans over your thumb. You push your fingers further until they've threaded into his soft hair, your thumb brushing up under his eye. You part his mess of dainty lashes with your thumbnail until the beauty mark is clear in view. 

"That's so sweet," you whisper, awed. 

Eddie readjusts Junie in his lap with an overabundance of caution and doesn't speak. He's lax under your touch. 

"It's really pretty. You had it since you were a baby?" 

"I think so." 

You laugh under your breath. 

"What?" he asks. 

"It suits you." Something pretty hiding in plain view. 

"I heard," he says hedgingly, "that freckles are a sign of how you died in a past life." 

"Yeah?" 

"Yeah. Bet it was something really gross, like a parasitic worm-" 

"Ew." 

"Or someone stabbed me. Or shot me. With an arrow." 

"You're only twenty. Your past life would have still been in this century." 

Eddie opens his eyes just to glare at you. "Don't deprive me of a badass past life. How would you have had me die?" 

You push his hair from his face. "You know what I heard about them?" 

"What?" 

Fun to whisper with him like this. Like you’re younger than you are, trading secrets in the dim light. 

"I heard they're kisses from a past life." 

You raise your second hand to his cheek and cradle his face. 

Eddie leans into it. “You wanna give me one for the next?” he asks, a short fall from salacious. 

Your breath doesn’t catch. Your hands don’t shake. “Is that what you want?”

He falters. Bravado slips. Your heart skips a beat, worried maybe he doesn’t like you the way you’re thinking after all. 

“Y/N,” he says.

You can’t hear his rejection. You won’t. 

You close your eyes and kiss his cheek. Your nose slides over his skin, the heat of his blood under the surface warming your palms, and you steal a second there, two, breathing in his smell. If this is all you get, you can be okay with it. Eventually.

You pull away. 

“Thanks, sweetheart,” he says. You can’t tell if he’s joking or not.

𓆩❤︎𓆪

thank you for reading! | my masterlist | this fic is multi-chapter 

if you enjoyed, please reblog! i promise it makes a difference ♡

please forgive any mistakes and how long it took, i have been a bit unwell! hopefully it won’t be too long before part four :3

[st0r-fruit]

Overlord Reader Hcs

A/N: Hi, this is my first time writing headcanons for reader, so please let me know if I made any mistakes! I made this because i thought it'd be nice and cool to have a reader as an overlord. A heads up that i haven't fully watched Hazbin so there might be inaccuracies.

You're an overlord, right? And not just an overlord, you're one of the richest, next to the Vee's.

You own a fine plaza of drugery and alcoholic, and a top quality successful companies of those. It's not a surprise, you're the overlord of substances and alcohol. Demons will pay MILLIONS of bucks to have a stash of your finest drugs.

You have a district on the border city zone in between the district's of the Vee's, Carmilla Carmine's and the inner city of Pentagram City. Your district is a melting pot of cultures due to being in the middle of other districts.

In a meeting with other Overlords, you'd take important notes and remind others if things drift away. That fight between Velvet and Camille? Yeah you had to break ice to ease tension before forgetting the main goal of the meeting.

Your seating position in meetings is on the right side of Rosie, your best friend.

Honestly? You're everybody's comfort buddy, even to Alastor. You bring in some comforting presence to other demons.

Relationships with other Overlords

Valentino is your top customer, ordering around 20 of your fine drugs, wine and fancy cigars. He is usually the one to make your stock reduced to little to nothing if he buys on a day. He doesn't trust any of the other companies who sells the exact items, even if you say it's excellent quality.

Technology in your small place is quite modern and techy, thanks to Vox. You flatter Vox on how advanced and cool his technology is, he usually is flustered and grumpy hearing that from you, but you know he likes it seeing that he gives you multiple rather big discounts on his products.

Your fashion culture is jumbled too. Making Velvette, the queen of fashion, questions each of your outfits. She's actually impressed, being able to mix and match right article of clothings. She gives you unsolicited advice on fashion, but you tried one of those once and BAM! Slayed 10x more with that advice. You'd took mental notes of her advices and thanked her whenever you can.

Speaking of clothing, you liked shopping and browsing in Rosie's Emporium. YOU are one of the favorite customers of Rosie. She loves your interest on 1910's fashion, frequently treating you on some products. You two would gossip on the emporium, spilling teas and laughing your asses out from all the stories.

Zestial likes to visit your plaza for wine tasting, loving all of your finest selections of wine and a surprisingly rare collection of teas (with cheese! You were prepared with the teas incase he didn't like any of the wine). You and him likes to talk about improvement of each districts with a side of said wine and cheese. Oh how he'd rant to you about Velvette's attitude and you'd pat his back.

Carmilla is another one of your customers, frequently ordering drugs and medicine from you. The drugs you produced somehow made her swifter at combat and confidence. On the other hand, medicines you produced was strong and high quality, it kept her from being irritated of Velvette.

Alastor was...quite the intresting demon in your opinion. Although, you try to not get any troubles with him, so acquaintance is the perfect word for the two of you. He once visited your alcohol parlor to find a nice wine to side with his mom's jambalaya. Of course you helped him, with your naturally charming personality and helpfulness, the radio demon got his wine. The next day, you received a homeade jambalaya soup from him, as a thanks for finding the nice wine. Maybe he's not that bad?

I hope you all like it!! Let me know if you like a part 2! Or do let me know if there's any mistake!

(holyshit i reached the tag limit guy oh wow)

[zorosleftshoe]

Christmas Miracle - (t.c)

Pairing: Timothée Chalamet x reader

Warnings: swearing (I think?)

I always had an eye for a soul pining for another. It started in third grade when Jillian would give her string cheese to Greg at lunch even though it was her favorite snack. From then on it was easier than breathing. Misty would laugh at me when I would point out the obvious boy pining after the oblivious girl. She would say “it’s funny you notice because you can’t see Timothée’s obvious feelings for you”. I would laugh but deep in my mind it always worried me that she was right.

Timmy and I had met at a coffee shop one autumn morning. Neither of us paying attention and too stressed or less to care. It wasn’t until he’d spilled his coffee on me that either of us looked up. Our friendship blossomed that day. We would hangout often and when he was away FaceTime was our savior.

He always told me that I was easy to talk to. That I was his best friend and he’d be lost if I weren’t around. The feeling was mutual. So when Misty would bring up the idea that Timmy had more intense feelings were me I would shut down. Push those thoughts to the back of my head and just pray that she was wrong.

“There’s a quiz in this magazine.” Timmy said sitting up slightly from his horizontal position on the couch. “How well do you know your best friend?” I giggled and motioned for him to continue. “What’s their birthday?”

“May 28, 1996.” He raised an eyebrow.

“That’s Misty’s birthday.” I nodded and he glared at me.

“December 27, 1995.” A smile broke out across his face.

“What’s their favorite snack?” I quickly answered and he nodded. “Favorite movie?” Again. “Favorite city?” Again. He kept asking questions and I continued to answer them correctly.

“When we’re you planning on telling me those weren’t the actual questions?” He looked over to me his curls nearly covering his eyes and gave a smile.

“I wasn’t. Just wanted to make sure you really knew me.” He came over and plopped down on the couch next to me throwing his arm across my shoulders. “Can I tell you something?” I nodded gulping loudly. “I love you.” I giggled.

“I love you too.” He groaned throwing his head back.

“Not platonically.” He quickly grabbed my hands and looked into my eyes. I could feel my anxiety beginning to spread. “I’m in love with you.” I looked away nervously. “I want to take you on dates and hold your hand in public. Or go on road trips and cuddle.” He rested his hand against my cheek. “And I know you love me too.” I pulled away from his hand and stood up.

“Timmy, I can’t.” He stood up and tried to reach for me again but I took a step back. “T, you know I don’t let anyone in. This could ruin our friendship and I couldn’t bear to lose you.” He shook his head.

“I thought you didn’t let anyone in cause you wanted me?” I shook my head slowly. “So you don’t love me?” I sighed heavily.

“I do love you.”

“Not in a way that matters.” He yelled out. I went to reach for him but this time he was the one to move away. “Tell me you don’t love me and I will walk out of this room and be done with it.”

“Timmy,” he put his hand up.

“Tell me you don’t love me and I will let this go.” It felt like a dagger had been stabbed right through my chest. I did love Timothée, more than anything. I would be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about being with him romantically. But then I thought about what would happen if it ended badly. So before I could truly understand what I was doing I opened and said what he wanted to hear.

“I don’t love you.” His mouth sunk into a line and he nodded his head. I watched him grab his coat and tears started to well up in my eyes. “T, don’t go.” He scoffed. “I don’t wanna lose you. I love you.” He turned on his heels and glared at me.

“Platonically.” He thought for a moment and leaned in towards me. His lips met mine and my knees became weak. I melted into his touch. He pulled away and looked into my eyes. “I would never hold your feelings against you, mon amour. But I won’t be lied to.” And with that he turned and left.

Two weeks had passed with no word from Timothée. My heart ached for him. I spent the last days thinking about what I truly wanted. My whole life I had built walls up around my heart. Every heartbreak I would add another brick. Until finally the walls were finished and no one was allowed in. Timmy was the only exception. He would poke and prod at a brick until it became unstable and crumbled. I wasn’t sure when but at some point he had broken down my walls and it wasn’t until I lost him that I realized what happened. It was a sneak attack. Gorilla warfare.

I threw my coat on along with my boots and stepped out into the blizzard. Timmy’s mother’s house was only about 10 minutes away so instead of risking my life to drive, I began to trudge along the sidewalk. I pulled my beige trechcoat closer to my body and nuzzled my nose into my scarf. The snow continued to come down. I arrived at his house and knocked on the door. His mother answered and she gave me a smile.

“Hi, sweetheart. If you’re looking for Timmy he isn’t home.” A frown made its way onto my face and she rubbed my upper arm. “You can come inside and wait if you’d like. I’m sure he’ll be home soon.”

“It’s fine. I’ll just head home and give him a call later. At the time it was something I wanted to say in person.” She nodded and we bid our goodbyes. I sighed heavily once the door shut. My eyes welled up with tears and I couldn’t tell if it was from my heartbreaking or the cold. The snow behind me began to crunch and I turned around. Timmy stood there looking at me. His curls covered in snow and his eyes a glossy red. Without saying anything I raced towards him. Once I was close enough I jumped into his arms and crashed my lips into his. He wrapped his arms around my waist and I could feel the tears we were both shedding. Our lips molded together. His warm touch immediately ridding the cold from my body. He pulled away and rested his forehead against mine. “I’m so sorry, T.” He nuzzled his nose against mine. “I, I think I’m in love with you too.” The snow continued to fall on us but we didn’t have a care in the world.

“I should have called.” He said softly.

“No, T. You had every right to be mad. I was being ignorant. My whole life I had built up these walls in order to protect myself from getting hurt and I ended up hurting you.” He smiled.

“Mon amour, I fell in love breaking down your walls. These last two weeks hurt like hell, but you’re here now.” I grabbed the collar of his coat and pulled him in once again. My head began to swirl as his cologne filled my nostrils. “Fuck. You’ve no idea how long I wanted to do that.”

“Does this officially make us a couple?” I asked still trying to catch my breath. He nodded and pressed his lips against mine again.

“I’m all yours as long as you’re all mine.”

[bunny-xoxo]

Sitting on Karasuno’s Lap

Karasuno(sep) x reader

warning(s): reader insecurity about size, v slight timeskip spoilers Kageyama being grumpy and stupid and some grammar issues prolly 😬 i think that’s about it but lemme know if you think I need to add anything else!

a/n: got a request for reader being apprehensive about sitting on the boys from karasuno’s lap cause of their size so this is what that is! I hope this comforts u anon ily :(

And lemme say this: all these boys would most definitely love to be smothered and cuddled under their s/o pls they quite literally live for it <3

characters: daichi, sugawara, asahi, tanaka, noya, tsukishima, yamaguchi, kageyama, hinata

Daichi

I really feel like Daichi’s the kind of guy who loves picking up his s/o when they hug

He always does the classic bear hug grip around your midsection and then before you know it he’s squatting a little and lifting you up - ur size does NOT matter, if he can get your feet off the ground even a little he’s cheesing big time

He just thinks it’s so cute when you squeal or laugh and smack his arms, and you always get a hearty laugh out of him after before he grabs your face - kind of aggressively - and is leaving silly slobbery kisses all over it :((((

So basically there’s no way you can escape his infamous hugs

BUT ANYWAYS

Because of this he’d also definitely love for you to sit on his lap too!

And because he’s always lifting you when you least expect it, when you mention why you’d rather not sit on his lap he’d respect your answer and reassure you it’s not a problem,,,, while also kind of being >:( and passive aggressively explain why you most definitely wouldn’t crush him

Now next time he comes home to you, not only is he lifting you, but he’s carrying you to your bedroom to cuddle, and then maybe you’ll sigh and give in to sitting on his lap <3

Suga

He’s generally more of a lay down cuddly or holding hands in public kinda guy

But there was something about sitting down on the couch after work and seeing you come out of the kitchen with a big smile on your face that just made his heart melt and shoot his arms out with grabby hands

Of course you oblige and sit next to him and start playing with his hands, waiting for him to talk about his day, but then he’s looking at you like :( and tugging at the hem of your shirt

“No, I want to cuddle.”

When you look at him confused he groans and tugs you onto his lap with his face buried into your neck, and almost instantly you can feel him relaxing into the couch

As soon as you think he’s relaxed enough, you go to move off him, anxious you’ve been sitting on his lap too long, but when you go to move he grabs on tighter and looks up at you like 🥺

You realize that maybe he’s just fine when he pulls you father into him - if that’s even possible - and starts to drool cause he’s passed out from being so comfy <3

Asahi

It’s pretty common for Asahi to come home from a long day at work and then rest his head on your thighs while you play with his hair and let him talk about your day

It’s something he looks forward to when he’s driving home :(

Being held and comforted by your s/o is absolute heaven to him, so when you walk through the door with a big sigh while you’re rolling your shoulders, his first thought is to return the favor !

The two of you are standing in your living room now with your head in his chest while he’s rubbing your back, periodically kissing the top of your head

“Wanna sit down angel?”

When you agreed you didn’t know that meant sitting on the couch with you straddling his lap, his hand still holding your head in his chest

But before you can protest and squirm away he’s kissing you and humming while he’s still rubbing your back and soothing you :(((

This baby wouldn’t even give you a second to think about your insecurities:(

Tanaka

He’s gonna assume somebody’s said something about you almost immediately

Cause he just can’t grasp that you yourself have decided you’re too big for him

He just kind of looks at you like 🧍🏻🤨 uhhhh sit tf down I’d like you to cuddle me please 🤨?

“Tanaka, I’ll crush you.”

“Yeah, that’s kind of the point babe! Smother me ☺️❣️” really does not get the message here

Once you explicitly tell him you think you’re just too big to sit on his lap he kind of freaks

Like full on grabbing your face and shaking his head trying to do anything to convince you, you most definitely are not too big to sit on his lap

Once he convinces you he’s kissing you everywhere until you giggle cause he hates seeing his baby upset :(

Noya

I’m so sorry but at first he doesn’t even comprehend it’s an insecurity you have and thinks you’re nervous about it because of his size

“Wow, never heard ‘tiny but mighty’ babe?”

Like noya baby pls, this ain’t about you 😭

Is quite literally begging you to sit on his lap at home until you get frustrated and tell him you’re worried you’ll “crush” him because of your size - not his

He’d be kind of caught off guard at first but within seconds he’s reassuring you that’s not something you need to be worried about at all, not with him

Very similar to Yamaguchi he’s gonna convince you to give in and then absolutely smother you with affection afterwards

He’s now made it his goal to change your mindset about your size and add some more positive connotation - baby boy loves you :(

Tsuki

Will not take no for an answer either 😭

AT FIRST HE TAKES IT PERSONAL NGL

LIke he’s sitting there looking at you thinking you’re commenting on his body type like “what, you think I’m built like a string bean so I can’t handle you sitting on my lap 😐.”

AGAIN, this isn’t about you babes

So once you explain to him that no, it’s not about him it’s about you, he just:

“That’s stupid.” LIKE he’s very upset that you feel that way and doesn’t know how to express to you that you aren’t gonna crush him so the only way he knows how to tell you that is that you’re stupid for thinking that way 😭

He’d try to be physically reassuring afterward though

Kissing your forehead and telling you how it makes him sad you think that way, and why don’t you just sit on his lap so he can prove that’s not the case

You’re upset and uncomfortable at first, not really being able to relax, but after some lovin from tsuki and distraction you relax into him and bit and get comfy

He definitely makes it a regular thing so you can feel more comfortable with him :(

Yamaguchi

One of the most reassuring for sure!

The moment he felt your unease or a hint of apprehensiveness at the idea of sitting on his lap he’s investigating

Holding your face in his hands and asking you what’s wrong like 🥺

When you tell him you’re insecure about being too heavy to sit on his lap he’s definitely heartbroken, but knows this isn’t about him

So he’s quickly leaving really light kisses on your cheeks and hands promising you that’s not the case whatsoever all while he’s slowly coaxing you onto his lap

Once he’s gotten you to actually do it he’s all smiley and blushing - he’s smiling so big you can actually feel it when he’s kissing you

“Mmmmm, wanna nap?”

Just overall very affirming and attentive to your feelings :(

Kageyama

If you acted any bit shy or insecure about sitting on his lap he’d be ~so so confused

He’d be home from a long day of practice and flop down on the couch and all he wants is to be smothered by his baby 😭

He’s grumpy and just kind of grunts when you sit down next to him to talk about your day and ask about his and he just kinda reaches out to you and starts grabbing at your hips and you’re like 😳 uh yes?

You wouldn’t be budging and he’d get this pout and be all “sit on my lap 😡 I wanna cuddle”

Him asking for affection so bold like this isn’t always common for him so you don’t wanna say no BUT you’re also insecure about being too heavy so you just kinda pull him towards you and shake your head

“Why don’t you lay on me instead? I’ll play with your hair hmm?”

He’d just kind of look at you like ..... but I want you to lay on me and I can play with your hair

LMAO AND NOW YALL ARE JUST LOOKING AND KIND OF GENTLY TUGGING AT EACH OTHER LIKE 😕

But unsurprisingly the 6’2 beefy professional volleyball player is stronger than you so he just stands up and PICKS you up instead and then carries you to the bedroom where he flops down with you laying on him

At first you’re kind of frustrated and insecure cause you didn’t tell him why you were avoiding it cause you didn’t want to bring it up but then you hear Kageyama sigh and start rubbing your back from his spot underneath you and you soon realize this mf just passed out

Surely if he’s ok with you LAYING on him maybe sitting on his lap next time won’t be so awful

Hinata

Another confused baby but actually realizes somethings wrong 😭

Y’all are having a simple movie night with some pals all cuddled up on the couch and he notices there’s not too much room there, unless you sit on his lap of course, which he obviously likes the idea of

The movies playing so he tugs on your shirt a little to get your attention and whispers to you about sitting on his lap

But instead of happily hopping on like he imagined, you look away and shake your head, mumbling something about paying attention to the movie

There’s people over so he knows now isn’t the right time to pry, but he can also tell when you’re even the tiniest bit upset so he’s not gonna forget to mention something to you later tonight

You two would be getting into bed that night when he’d bring it up

“Hey, did something happen today?”

You’d tell him no but unfortunately for you he doesn’t stop asking different kinds of questions until he gets you to talk about it

When you mention that you’re insecure about being too heavy for those kinds of affection he would get so so sad, like looking at you like this ☹️ nearly tearing up

Cause he just sees it as him not doing his job as your s/o to make you comfortable and happy with him - even if that’s not actually the case

He won’t stop asking always for you to cuddle him like that but he won’t pester if you say no - you will see him get a lil pouty though

——————

I hope you guys enjoyed!!

requests are open ( I miss hq pls feel free to send some in :((()

taglist: @plutowrites @sweet-darling91

[nagipops]

Denji and his s/o babysitting <3

BABY GIRL

FEATURING: denji!

SUMMARY: in which you and your baby-hating boyfriend embark on a secret mission too retrieve a pink plastic spoon.

WARNINGS: profanity, mentions of food

A/N: this is pure crack and chaos and i love it.

The image that came to mind for a “top secret mission” was definitely not the slobbering, babbling lump of a premature human wiggling around in front of you.

“I was expecting something a little more… menacing?”

“Hmph. Who does Aki think he is, assigning us to take care of this buggy caterpillar?”

You clapped a hand onto your boyfriend’s bony shoulder. “Well! Looks like it’s couple bonding day for us!”

“Ow, that hurt!” He swatted your hand away with a sweaty palm before he bashfully averted his gaze. “I… I hate babies. They scare me.”

“Hah! My brave, bold boyfriend… the almighty Chainsaw Man is afraid of mini adults?” You softly grasped his chin with your forefinger and thumb, fixing your eyes into a knowing gaze. “Good to know.”

You heard a grumble from behind you as you knelt down to meet the cooing baby at eye level. “Hello, Aiko, my boyfriend here is a big baby himself, so let’s all get along, alright?”

“Yaya!” The tiny girl waved her chubby arms in a gesture that looked suspiciously like she was pointing at the pouting boy behind you. “Ba-by!”

You flashed Denji a cheeky grin over your shoulder which was met with a dark scowl. “Yes, baby.” Snickering, you scooped the younger, smaller, diapered baby into your arms, lifting her up so she was face to face with the older, larger, hopefully-not-diapered baby. “This is Denji. Can you say Denji?”

“Benchee!” Aiko pressed her chubby little fingers onto your boyfriend’s face, smushing his eyes and nose under her tiny palm.

“Hey! I can’t— Bleh!” He struggled desperately as the baby giggled, mercilessly smacking his face. “Babe, help me out here?”

Chuckling, you pulled her into your chest once again. “Okay, Aiko, why don’t you go to papa’s arms for a little?”

“Papa— hey, if this is gonna be a new thing between us—” He stared in horror at the baby who was suddenly placed in his arms as his shoulders began to tremble. “Uhhhhhhhh…”

“Denji, hold still! Look up!” You centered his stunned face in the middle of your phone screen, snapping a barrage of photos of your bewildered boyfriend with a babbling baby in his arms. “Oh my god, this is adorable.”

“Stop taking— stop taking pictures and help me!” Aiko had begun to attack Denji’s face once again, yet this time, she was wailing like a siren with tears streaming down her chubby baby cheeks. His eyes widened with panic and fear as he frantically searched for something to distract her with. “She’s— shh, shh… don’t cry… (Y/N), she hates me!”

Grabbing what you hoped was her pacifier off of the coffee table in front of you, you tossed it to Denji who fumbled with it in one hand before plugging up the crying baby’s mouth with a pop.

Everyone in the room seemed to deflate at once, including Aiko.

“Ooookay, well, I think it’s time for a snack, because I’m hungry! You’re hungry too, right Denji?”

“No, actually before we came here I ate a slice of toast with—”

“I said, you’re hungry too, right Denji?”

He took one look into your pointed gaze and immediately caught on, bouncing the little girl in his arms. “Oh! Right, we are hungry, so let’s eat!”

Even Aiko seemed to perk up at that.

Denji stood with his hands on his hips, staring at the stocked refrigerator in front of him that was bursting at the seams.

“Well I’ll be damned.”

“Denji!” You clapped a hand over his mouth, casting a cautious glance at the baby over your shoulder. Sighing in relief to see her excitedly fiddling with a pink plastic spoon, you hissed into his ear, “Don’t swear!”

“Okay, okay! Sorry. But look at this, it’s heaven!” You could practically hear his voice melt as he slinked towards the refrigerator in a trance.

Dragging your boyfriend backwards by the back of his t-shirt, you slammed the fridge door shut. “Cut it out! She can’t even eat any of that stuff.” Grabbing his shoulders, you veered him to the marble countertops where an assortment of soft baby foods lay spread out.

His tongue immediately shot out of his mouth im disgust as he scanned the labels of the various jars. “Blech, spinach and pear? Cheese and carrot? Who’s designing this stuff?!” Seeming to search for the least grotesque flavor, his eyes lit up at a familiar label. “Ah, applesauce!”

“Sweet, let’s give that to her!” As Denji tossed the tiny cup into your hands, you ripped the lid off of the container and set it in front of Aiko, who was still fiddling with the plastic spoon in her hands. “Okay, time for yum-yums!” You attempted to reach for the pink utensil in her fubsy hands, but she immediately jerked it away from you. You tried to wrangle the spoon from her stubby little fingers once again, to no avail as she continued to wave it this way and that, just out of your reach.

Panting from the effort to steal this tiny plastic stick from a literal baby, you threw a helpless look over your shoulder at Denji, who was leaning against the fridge and observing the fiasco with a snickering grin. “Grab some popcorn, why don’t you. Help me!”

As if he was snapped back to reality as he realized who was barking commands to him, he immediately straightened his posture and performed a dedicated salute. “Yes, boss!”

Denji marched on over to the other side of Aiko’s high chair, so the two of you were surrounding her. “Nowhere to run,” he drawled in a low voice.

“We aren’t in a wild west movie, Denj.”

“Well, we should be!”

“Fine.” You cleared your throat, smothering your vocal cords with your best southern accent. “Quick draw, winner takes all.”

“You forgot to say, like, pardner or something.”

“If we were partners we wouldn’t be fighting in a quick draw!”

“Oh. Then, uh… cue tumbleweed, cue acoustic guitar music, cue countdown… On the count of three, three, two, one!”

“Three! Wait, wha—”

Denji lunged for the pink stick in Aiko’s grasp, but not before she could quickly jerk her arm away from him, giggling all the while. You took advantage of its positioning closer to your side and reached for the spoon, just as Aiko swung her arm to the other side, smacking Denji right in the center of his face with a thwack.

“Ow! Jeez, baby, why are you so strong?”

Aiko only chortled in response, clearly enjoying watching you two struggle to pry her weapon from her grasp.

“Damnit! Why is this stupid high chair— so— high?!” You waited for the rambunctious baby to rear the spoon back for another hit as Denji scrambled to regain his composure. “I got it!” you hollered as the spoon came just inches away from your face, reaching out to grab it, when—

“AHHHHHH!!!”

A spartan cry roared out as something barreled towards you at the speed of light, knocking you to the floor in a split second with a thunderous crack.

The wind kicked out of your lungs and pain seared throughout your entire body from the nape of your neck down to the tip of your tailbone. As you regained consciousness…

“What the— DENJI!” The bewildered face hovering over you was panting heavily as he braced himself with his arms planted on either side of your head. “What did you— oh my god, is the baby okay?!”

His astonished gaze shifted to his right hand, which he lifted to find a pink plastic prize inside. “I… I did it…” he breathed. His eyes widened as he remembered why the two of you were here in the first place. He rolled off of your body and onto his back, fixing his gaze on the high chair that was still upright.

A tiny giggle. “Hee hee! Benchee!”

The two of you lying on the kitchen floor sagged in relief at the confirmation that the baby in your temporary custody was, in fact, still alive.

“Denji… did you just tackle the love of your life to the ground, nearly giving them a concussion, just to retrieve a single plastic baby spoon?”

“Fuck yeah I did. I mean! Hell yeah I did! No, shit! Damnit! I uhhhh…”

“Yes, you did.” You patted Denji’s hand as the two of you lay side by side on the tiled kitchen floor, gazing up at the ceiling. “Yes, you did.”

if you enjoyed this post, likes and reblogs are much appreciated :) feel free to request here, and make sure to read the rules first! have a lovely day everyone <3

[effeminateboyninja]

♡ dating team 10 hcs ♡

Choji

has been crushing on you forever is but is nervous to ask you out. What if you only like him as a friend? :( eventually Shikamaru convinces him to go for it and he figures why not? If Shikamaru says it’ll work then it just might

buys you flowers and asks you on a proper date like a total gentlemen. and you’re like, finally??

takes you out for AMAZING dinners at least weekly and will not let you pay the bill (his love language is gift-giving I just know it)

i saw another person hc that he would call you ‘dumpling’ and just, YES HE WOULD, that's so cute pls

loves innocent intimacy like holding hands or washing each others hair

absoluuuutey loves when you cook for him. It doesn’t matter if you’re a world class chef or can barely make grilled cheese, he will down every bite. he just thinks its so domestic and sweet of you

always bringing you your favourite snacks when you’re at work, he loves seeing the way your face lights up when he walks in unexpectedly

THE BEST CUDDLER. Choji’s cuddles would literally feel like home, don’t @ me on this

can’t get enough of you in his t-shirts, you just look so small and precious. He even sends you home with a couple that smell like him

he’s so nervous to kiss you he thinks about it a thousand times before one night you guys are leaving your usual date spot and he’s looking at you under the streetlights and you just look so damn cute

“can I kiss you?” and you don’t even answer because you’ve been waiting for him to ask for weeks, you just take his adorable, plump cheeks in your hands and place your lips on his softly and you can feel him smile against your mouth

Shikamaru

he was not expecting to fall for you. he’s got other stuff going on, okay?

but one day he’s watching the clouds and all he can think about is how the only thing that could make it more perfect would be if you were laying beside him and he knows he’s in deep

and it’s a distraction really, so he just gets it over with and thank god you feel the same way cause that sure would’ve been a drag

but it’s the furthest thing from it and suddenly this notoriously lazy man is getting up early to meet you for breakfast and he can’t believe it himself

don’t get your hope too high though, he still much prefers an afternoon watching the clouds with you or spending a night in with his head on your lap while you watch movies

speaking of his head in your lap, PLAY WITH HIS HAIR! he will pretend to be annoyed at first but will melt under your fingers

pretty soon he’s asking shyly for you to play with his hair all the time (he’ll deny it adamantly to anyone who asks though)

cuddle positions don’t matter as long as you two can fall asleep comfortably. A nap date true romance for this man

loves your mind, will brag to anyone who’ll listen that he’s got the smartest girlfriend in Konoha

your first kiss is kinda hot and heavy ngl

you two are in a heated debate and he can’t keep his eyes off your lips as you’re absolutely destroying him in the argument. he’s not even hearing your words anymore at this point so he just leans in and shuts you up

“does this mean I win?” he rolls his eyes and kisses you again, softly this time “yes, I concede"

Ino

she’s a natural flirt, so at first you’re not sure if she’s interested or it’s just her bubbly personality

but she really does care about you, and she wants you to know it. so she asks you out with a grand gesture in front of all your friends and there’s no doubt in your mind that you’re the only one for her

literally Konoha’s new power couple overnight, step aside Naruto and Hinata

loves to have fun with you, you guys go out dancing together almost every weekend

but her favourite part is when you guys leave together at the end of the night, tired and holding one another up the whole way home so you can gently wipe off the other’s makeup and fall asleep together

remembers all your silly lil anniversaries and brings you your favourite flowers for every single one

loves holding your pinky when you’re walking together

always nearby you in public, hand on your waist. it’s not that she’s possessive, she just loves showing you off

literally so quick to swerve anyone who’s interested in her, like, “hey” “sorry I’m taken”

i feel like she’s a big spoon, don’t ask me why. she won’t say no to little spoon though

your first kiss takes place after a romantic date, you’re sitting across the table from one another and she just leans forward to softly touch her lips to yours and it feels like you two are the only ones in the room

Asuma

knows you have feelings for him as soon as you catch them, he’s just perceptive that way.

he lets you know he feels the same with his actions, he just doesn’t make a move right away. he enjoys the pre-relationship banter and tension

then one day he finally asks you to make it official, “who are we kidding at this point?” and you’re relationship feels so natural like he’s actually your best friend

knows all the best spots in Konoha and takes you to them often

expect to be scooped up in his big arms and just squeezed every now and then, this man doesn’t do half-assed hugs

doesn’t get jealous at all. in fact he thinks it’s kinda funny when other people flirt with you, he knows he got a good one

probably the most supportive partner out there, he doesn’t hesitate to tell you how proud you make him and how much he loves you

secretly loves when you get on his ass about smoking too much, it shows you care (he won’t quit though)

big spoon! He’s a protective lover and he likes how small you feel wrapped in his strong arms

your first kiss feels like you’ve shared thousands before. it’s like your lips were made for each other

Asuma is a kissing GOD I just know

[saphirered]

Hopefully, this is not too vague... I was wondering if you could do fluff with Molly; his nickname for the reader is 'princess'. (I have had a rough couple weeks, found out some bad news regarding my dad's health, and am just wanting a little pick-me-up. You are literally my favorite writer of the lavender tiefling trio.)

A load of fluff with some hinted spice coming right up. Sorry about your dad, sweetie and hope things take a more positive turn. Either way, I hope this is the pick-me-up you're looking for. 😘

-

You’re no stranger to waking up alone but never does it stop you from reaching out to the spot next to you. When you’re not met with a soft groan or arms wrapping around you, pulling you close begging for another five minutes of peace you know your lavender tiefling has begun his day before you. Rolling over onto your back you stretch taking in a deep breath. Time to get ready for the day, maybe find some breakfast? Breakfast sounds nice.

Mollymauk walks down the beaten path, a skip in his step and a small bouquet of wild roses clasped in his hand. He’s been up and about for a good hour now and like the good carney he is he’s working on quite the show in his mind; a show that requires the aid of a pretty face, charming smile and honeyed words he alone cannot provide. No he needs assistance and if he plans on getting this assistance he better work for it. Okay, maybe it’s not his plan. Maybe this is all just the result of a major fuck up on his end but still, it will make for some good fun… if all goes well… and you agree… The fact he gets to pamper you is a huge bonus. It’s been a while since he’s gotten the chance to show you just how much you mean to him.

Could Molly just ask for your help? Of course he could. And would you agree to join him on this endeavour? How could you refuse that devilishly handsome man? But where’s the fun in that. Let’s keep things interesting. Raise the stakes a little bit and see where his charm will get him. Or perhaps more, see how long it takes you to catch on tp the mess he made and pray to the Moonweaver you’ll be merciful. A test of his charm perhaps? Whatever excuse best justifies his actions and desires to spoil you rotten.

Stretching your arms with one final yawn you leave your tent. It’s too early to be up but you best keep an eye on your tiefling before he gets himself thrown into jail and you have to break him out… again. Wandering the camp the other members of the Fletching and Moondrop Carnival of Curiosities are waking up and going about their morning business at their own paces. You search for Molly but when you don’t find him you take to the road, following it towards the town. If he’s caused any trouble there you’d find out soon enough.

A lovely melody reaches Molly’s ears. He knows exactly who it belongs to and hears you before he sees you. All he needs to do is follow your song. Curving over the elevation of the path he spots you, lost in thought. Smile on his face he approaches you, flowers behind his back, and joins in whistling along to the melody. The way your eyes light up at the realisation of his presence are enough to make his heart melt knowing that one creature could look upon him with such unconditional love.

“Good morning, your royal highness.” Mollymauk takes a bow befitting of greeting royalty if not a little exaggerated and offers you the flowers. While he tries to keep his gaze on the ground you catch him peaking for your response as you take the flowers from his grasp breathing in their scent.

“Good morning to you too. And thank you, I should say? What’s the occasion?” You ask, not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth but you can’t help feel a little suspicious at Molly’s very deliberate theatrics.

“Can a most loyal servant not present his beloved princess with flowers?” Molly rises and you get the slightest flash of fang from the smile he offers you.

“You know I am never one to deny your gifts and gestures of affection. What I’m referring to are your apparent needs for theatrics.” You speak with eloquence feeling yourself slipping into the same act he’s putting on. Dammit Mollymauk, for playing into your actor side and letting you slip up into the role he’s setting you up for. You know damn well he’s aware of what he’s doing.

“I am merely your humble servant. A humble servant with impeccable manners.” You snort as Molly offers you his arm. You lace yours through his and he begins leading you back the way you came.

“Impeccable manners you say? Because I recall not but two nights ago copious amounts of drinks, illegal gambling and theft were involved. And let’s not even mention the… desecration of the fountain within the gaze of the Platinum Dragon’s statue.”

“You say that as if those of noble birth do not partake in such activities, princess.” Molly counters. Touché. As you’re about to take a step to the right fork of the road Molly gently pulls you into the left direction instead. Confused you give him another suspicious look but he hushes you leading you down the path.

You find yourself retreating within your thoughts trying to pinpoint whatever shenanigans Molly is up to, planning or has been up to and why the need to be secretive instead of just telling you. Molly couldn’t hope for a better moment for you to stop your interrogation for he fears any more prodding around for answers and he will spill the beans and come clean. He can’t hide a single thing from you when you’re determined and he knows it.

The path slowly turns from trodden earth to more fine sand until it fades into the beach. The sound of waves and a seagull or two make for a pleasant setting. You see just far enough away from the shoreline as to not become victim to the tides, is a basket set on top of a blanket. Molly leads you over, guides you to sit upon the blanket gracefully before plopping down himself with much less show. Within the basket you spot several packed goods. Molly takes a few out and sets them down upon the blanket, unwrapping them as he goes. Some bread, a selection of fine jams, some cheese and delicious sugary sweet pastries.

“Okay, time to drop the act. While I appreciate all this, what did you do and how bad is it?” Molly takes out a bottle of what looks like expensive champagne along with two glasses and pours them, handing one to you.

“What makes you say that?” Molly takes a sip playing it cool and innocent.

“The top shelf bottle of champagne that is very much above our collective pay grades. Where did you even get this?” You take a sip. It’s not bad but not the greatest you’ve ever had either. A weird taste that can only be suitable for some upscale party or the nobility passes out to their guests to impress them simply because of the associated name and or price tag. What can you say? Rich people.

Molly hesitates but drops the innocent act. Best he comes clean now. You’ve caught on fully. Game over. But that definitely doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy this delicious breakfast with him, can you? Mollymauk takes a slice of the fresh bread, adding a nice layer of strawberry jam and takes a bite. At least the expensive jam was worth the money. Then again, it wasn’t his money that paid for it. Doesn’t mean it wasn’t money well spent.

“Now, I need you to promise me one thing first, love. Promise me you’ll let me tell you the whole thing before you judge my poor decision making.”

“I can do that.” You lean back and relax taking one of the pastries and taking a bite. Bearclaws with cinnamon? Delicious. Let’s hope for Molly’s sake it will keep your judgement somewhat at bay.

“When we were doing our usual rounds and you were off on your own I may or may not have let it slip to someone who happens to be part of the local nobility, several someones to be more precise, that you may or may not be a princess in hiding. And I may or may not have played a little bit too deeply into the story…”

“Okay, that’s not actually that bad?” Just wait for the second part. It gets worse. On second thought. He may be regretting telling you and not just convincing you to hide away for the next few days in town until you’re back on the road.

“And these poor suckers may have fact checked it finding some evidence of a princess from another continent who supposedly is traveling in disguise. They came to see the show and I want you to remember they left a most generous donation along with an invitation for you to attend a ball held in your honour.” Molly awaits your response as you stop mid bite.

“So they left an invitation for a princess? What about it? Just don’t show up and done.”

“That would work if the local lord did not gently hinted at exposing said princess and sending the guards to return them to their family as they ran away and the good favour of either side of that royal family should greatly benefit this town. I’m sorry, princess but your presence has been demanded.”

Okay… This is bad. You do not feel like being hunted by the guards and it’s not like you can make an inconspicuous escape now people might look at you as royalty. You set down the pastry clasp your hands together closing your eyes. You inhale and exhale deeply as Molly briefly fears for his life.

“You… really need to learn to hold that tongue of yours, Molly. It’s getting you in all sorts of trouble.” He bites back a comment about using that tongue of his for plenty of other good things. He’s having trouble reading where you stand on this all and doesn’t know wether you’re upset with him or disappointed or if he has to be the one running for his life soon.

“Let’s talk to Orna and get some appropriate dress for the occasion ready and wearable even if that means she’ll have to sew us into our garments.” You sigh.

“Us?” He questions and he does not like the mischievous look on your face. Whatever you’re plotting, he hopes you have mercy on his soul.

“Oh, I will not be attending on my own. No, a princess does not go anywhere without their loyal servant. A princess needs their escort to attend to their every whim.” You hold your chin high as you move to sitting on your knees pushing your palm flush against his chest exercising a little pressure to push him to lean back onto his elbows.

“Every whim you say?” Molly asks with a devilish grin as you swing one leg over him gently keeping him in place with your body and wrapping your arms around his neck playing with the short hairs at the back of his neck. Maybe the turnout isn’t so bad.

“‘Every whim you say, princess’.” You correct mimicking his grin and leaning in closer. Molly goes to close the distance but you raise your index finger to his chin. “Ah-ah.”

“May I not kiss you now, ‘princess’?” He mocks and you give him a stern look.

“It’s unbecoming of a mere servant to make such a bold move.” You pull on his hair when Molly tries to land a kiss on your cheek rather enjoying the turn of events this morning.

“Yet you appear to be the one in full control.”

“He knows his place. Good boy.” You praise with a pat to his cheek and you guide his face to yours, your lips meeting in a deep kiss, the food forgotten. Molly’s hands dance over from your hips to your lower back pulling you closer to him. You earn an unsatisfied grumble when you pull away a moment too soon.

“Must you torture me so with your touch, princess?” Molly laughs fully aware what direction this is going, raising a hand to caress your cheek fondly.

“Will you finally learn how to behave?” You trace the peacock feathers curving up the side of his neck and jaw. You don’t get a verbal reply but instead Molly’s lips find their way to your neck leaving a trail of kisses and little bites as he goes enough to make you giggle and squeal in surprise whenever he finds just the right spot, taking your mind far away from the details of the fuck up that lead you here in the first place. Not that you mind anymore. If this is the treatment you get for being dragged into one of Mollymauk’s lies gone south you’ll gladly take it a thousand times over.

[qitwrites]

⬅ Previous || 29 || Next ➡

The thing that doesn’t make sense is the onigiri.

The Bakusquad are currently sprawled all over the common room couches, taking turns playing on the PS5. This is a normal sight, one that Ojiro has walked in on several times. There’s yelling, screaming, fingers poking ribs, and Bakugou kicking anyone that dares to touch his hair. The whole group is in a mad tangle of limbs, the audience yelling profanities while the people with the controllers (in this case, Sero and Kirishima) have a look of sheer determination painted on their faces as they race each other in an all too intense game of Mario kart.

And, in the midst of all this chaos, is a large plate filled to the brim with onigiri- perfectly shaped, delicious looking balls of rice wrapped in shiny seaweed.

When Kirishima loses to Sero a few moments later, the tape hero whoops victoriously as the redhead visibly deflates, groaning loudly and seemingly melting into the floor. Bakugou laughs out loud at the sight and pulls the plate right up to Kirishima’s face and says, “Take your pick, Red.” He sounds gleeful, and it makes a shiver run down the length of Ojiro’s spine.

Kaminari finally catches sight of him and waves him over, “Oji! Get over here man.”

Ojiro makes his way to the couch and sits at the very edge, watching as Kirishima sighs deeply and pulls out an onigiri at random. For someone that loves food, and especially rice, with a fierce sort of vengeance, Kirishima looks deathly pale and completely unwilling to eat. Ojiro waves at Kaminari to get his attention before pointing at Kirishima and going, “What is happening?”

“Just wait,” the electric blonde smirks, his eyes dancing with delight.

Ojiro watches the redhead inhale one last time before taking a large bite. He chews the onigiri for a moment before his face contorts in absolute horror and he yanks what can only be described as a spit bucket from the other side of the couch to his face, coughing the rice out violently.

“Oh fuck,” Bakugou gasps out in between peals of laughter, “he got the mayo banana. Fuck me, he got the worst fucking one.”

Kirishima’s gargling some water while the words Mayo-banana swirl around Ojiro’s head. Kaminari takes one look at him and giggles.

“We’re playing onigiri roulette,” Sero finally explains. 

He points at the plate of food. “Before we started, we filled a bunch of rice balls with the weirdest fillings we could think of. The only rule is that it has to be edible-“ “BARELY edible” “- yeah, well, if you need recovery girl at the end of this, you’ve probably gone too far. So, we play each other one-on-one, and the winner plays the next person while the loser eats an onigiri and sits out till everyone else has had a go.”

“So,” Ojiro says, his mind still stuck on what he just heard Bakugou say, “Kiri just ate a rice ball filled with mayonnaise and banana?”

Ashido giggles at that, and Kaminari turns to the redhead and asks, “How was it?”

Kirishima takes another generous sip of water before saying, “The texture is what screwed me. It was just, god, it was mush and then more mush, and so slimy, and then the rice-“

“Ok,” Kaminari squeaks, throwing his hands up in surrender, “That’s enough, thanks man!”

“You wanna join?” Ashido beams at Ojiro, offering him her controller.

“I’m good watching,” Ojiro says, scooting back subtly. Sero sniggers and makes room for Ashido to join him on the floor.

“You’re going down,” he taunts, and Ashido burns a small hole in the sleeve of his shirt before they start up the next game.

Pinky puts up a good fight, but Sero is a master at the game, and even with her well-timed kicks at his face, Ashido loses, and Bakugou is positively glowing.

Ashido picks another unassuming looking onigiri and takes a bite. She looks so confused for a moment before her face scrunches up in agony. She perseveres though, and even as Kaminari cries from how hard he’s laughing and Sero is recording the whole thing with shaky hands, Ashido flips them the bird and makes it a point to swallow thickly.

Kirishima leans in and takes a sniff, his own nose wrinkling as he asks, “Toothpaste?”

Bakugou laughs again, an ugly, grating sound that’s so unlike the boyish smile on his face. Ashido sticks her tongue out at the rest and says, “I happen to love mint, so joke’s on you.” She still slam dunks the rest of the onigiri in the spit bucket.

The next to go against Sero is Bakugou, who sits beside him heavily and snatches the offered controller. Gone is his carefree smile and ugly laugh, and in its place is his usual fierce competitiveness, except the stakes are so much higher than they’ve ever been in hero training.

The game is nail biting, to say the least. Bakugou doesn’t yell while he’s playing, and his concentration is so intense, it almost seems like he’s being sucked into the game. Even Ojiro finds himself cheering and yelling as the two desperately try to beat each other while trying to stay on the track in the first place.

When Sero wins by a margin that’s thinner than a strand of hair, Kirishima, in what can only be described as a move perfected after many recurring experiences, grabs the controller from Bakugou and hardens himself against the tiny explosions in the blonde’s palms, saving the controller. Bakugou lunges at Sero, a litany of curses tearing themselves out his throat. Sero has the biggest shit eating grin on his face, and Kirishima can barely hold Bakugou back as he shakes with laughter of his own. The blonde ends up with his back to Kirishima’s chest as he huffs something about assholes that cheat and the redhead gives him a pat on the shoulder before picking up the plate and offering it to Bakugou.

The blonde makes it a point to inspect each rice ball carefully before picking one up and giving it a sniff. He wrinkles his nose and finally takes a big bite, because he might be a sore loser but Bakugou is no coward.

He chews through his bite quietly and swallows, expressionless. And then he smiles, a wicked, horrible turn of his lips.

“Ha, assholes, I fucking win.” He turns the bitten side of the rice ball to face the group, and out pours a stream of red liquid.

Hot sauce, Ojiro notes just as the spice hits him in the eyes with enough force to warrant immediate tears.

“Shit, that’s actually hurting me,” Kaminari yelps, blinking rapidly.

“Yeah man, what the hell?” Sero says, sitting back on his elbows to get away from it. They all watch in horror as Bakugou takes another bite and smirks. Ojiro can see the sweat dotting his brow and they don’t miss how he rubs his nose with his clean hand, but all in all, hot sauce for Bakugou feels unfair, especially after the diabolical mayo and banana monstrosity.

“Man, how does he win even when he loses?” Kirishima whines, butting Bakugou’s shoulder with his head. The blonde sniggers again and sits back comfortably just as Kirishima tosses the controller to Kaminari.

Ojiro watches them takes turns and suffer. Kaminari, by some turn of fate, beats Sero in a game that just refuses to go in Sero’s favor. Sero ends up choking down a rice ball stuffed with a slimy squid and peanut butter mixture.

When Kaminari loses to Ashido, he happily eats a rice ball soaked in malic acid because his taste buds are immune to sour apparently. Ashido nearly throws up when she has to bite into a rice ball filled with jello and meat chunks after losing to Bakugou, and Bakugou turns an alarming shade of green when he eats one with durian and mustard. Kirishima had watched that one unfold in a mix of horror and fascination, torn between laughing and holding the spit bucket out for the blonde.

Midway through, Ojiro finds himself playing with them and he has to experience the hell that is jelly beans with cheese sauce and another onigiri that is filled with nothing but wasabi. So much wasabi that he feels fumes of heat trying to escape his nose as his eyes water for the rest of the evening.

When they finally call it a day, Ojiro somehow finds himself promising them that he’ll join the next time too, and he watches Bakugou stalk away, brainstorming more terrible food combos under his breath. He laughs and heads to his own room, nose still tingling from the wasabi, his own thoughts clouded with the worst foods he can think of. That’s when inspiration strikes.

Ojiro pulls his phone out and dials a number he’s known since forever. She picks up after 2 rings.

“What’s up kiddo?”

“Hey mom.” Ojiro’s smile turns wicked. “Talk to me about your pregnancy cravings.”

[velvetcloxds]

WITHOUT YOU| D.H.

Pairing: Derek x fem!reader

Word count: 1622 words

Warnings: none that I can think of, reader and Derek about to be intimate but don't get that far

Summary: Derek comes home to reader after a long day, sweet kiss turns intimate and reader reveals that she is waiting for marriage before sleeping with anyone.

I look up from my phone when the door slides open, the noise filling the loft as footsteps patter against the floor. "Derek?" I question as the door closes.

"Y/n?" He asks after a brief second and his head pops up from behind the pillar to see me sitting on the bed with my legs folded under me. "Y/n." He answers himself when his eyes meet mine and he hovers for a moment before shrugging off his jacket and swiftly making his way to the bed.

"Hi." I whisper with a smile as he places his head onto the pillow on my lap, closing his eyes as he throws his arm over my legs. I put the phone down and let my hands slip into his hair, playing with the strands carefully as a smile grows on his lips.

"Hi," He hums, snuggling closer to me. "Did we have plans tonight?" He asks, opening his eyes briefly to look up at me. I shake my head with the smile remaining solidly planted on my lips.

"No, but I heard you guys had a shitty day and I wanted to be here for you." I comment, moving my hand from his hair to his lips where he quickly places a kiss on my knuckles before taking it in his hold.

"I'm a lucky guy,,," He mumbles with a soft laugh as he pulls back to take the pillow out of my lap. "So damn lucky." He adds with a silly smirk as he moves upwards to be at my side.

"I know," I reply with a smile of my own and I once again move my hands to his hair, resting my fingers just above his ears. He stays quiet while looking at me and despite the sweet laugh and smile from earlier, I see a dull sparkle in his eyes, a combination of tiredness and disappointment. "Do you want to talk about it?" I ask, letting one hand fall to his chest. He follows the gesture curiously as I play with the buttons of his shirt.

"No." He answers quickly and I furrow my eyebrows, not knowing if I should push him on the subject or not. "I've had enough Beacon Hills for today. Right now, I just want to be here with you," He leans forward to meet my lips in a soft kiss and the action causes a smile to form on both our lips. "I just want to do that." He adds before repeating the sentiment and I nod to agree with him as his hands pull me into his body. He secures me in his hold before moving our bodies to be laying down, hovering over me as one hand grips onto the bed to support his weight.

I hold onto his shirt as his kisses trail from my lips to my neck where his lips whisper against the flesh placidly. He moves his other hand to my waist where he tightens his grip slightly, making my heart jump. The touch being nothing but sweet and tender, yet tempting the complete opposite reaction in my body. His kisses become more scattered as he moves to kiss my lips again in a rush. His fingers graze against my skin when the end of my shirt slides up a little and the realization of his palms meeting my stomach makes me freeze in his hold. My lips seizing to move as I close my eyes to compose myself.

"I'm sorry," I whisper uncertain as I pull my hands up to softly push him away from me and he doesn't linger before slowly moving into a sitting position on the end of the bed. I open my eyes to find the ceiling in view and the air in the room thickens. "I'm sorry, I just-" I sigh, sitting up carefully to see him. "I don't-" I try again only to stop myself.

"Hey," Derek hums, his voice begging me to meet his gaze. "Breathe" He commands softly with a warm smile waiting to meet my gaze.

"I'm sorry," I comment again, feeling a rush of embarrassment at the uncertainty in his eyes. "I should go." I mumble in a hurry before swiftly getting up from the bed, but Derek's hand is quick to stop me in my steps as his fingers slide from my wrist to my hand.

"No running," He comments making me turn around. "Talk to me." He adds softly, pulling me closer to be in front of him. I sigh while looking down at our hands and the feeling of his touch sets my mind at ease enough for the thoughts to settle in place.

"I don't know how to talk about this without sounding ridiculous." I admit and he lift his head to meet my gaze.

"Just tell me, you can tell me anything." He replies and I sigh again, taking my hand out of his and sitting down next to him, leaving some space between our bodies. Leaving some space for me to leave without him stopping me if I have to.

"We've been dating for quite some time," I start, pulling my sleeves over my hands. "And you've been very sweet and understanding by taking things slow and giving me time. You know with-" I gesture between us shyly and he smiles. "You know." I smile down at my lap, trying to figure out what to say.

"I know you're not ready yet, if that's what you're trying to say," He laughs softly at my side, forcing me to meet his gaze. "I don't mind waiting, Y/n." He adds, reaching for my hand but stopping the action when I scoot away from him.

"That's the thing, Derek. It's not that I'm not ready. Well I guess it is sort of that. Ugh, Dammit." I stutter frustrated and he frowns. "I'm saving myself for marriage." I spit out, closing my eyes to avoid his gaze. He stays silent for a while before I feel a hand softly resting on my knee, barely touching me, but hovering carefully.

"Open your eyes," He commands delicately and my mind is quick to respond. "Why didn't you tell me?" He questions with an attentive smile on his face.

"I don't know," I reply, putting my hand over his, the action causing him to slip his fingers between mine. "I didn't know how you'd react. " I add honestly and he nods slowly.

"Did you think I'd be upset?"

"No," I reply quickly, shaking my head. "I was more scared that you'd break up with me." I smile up at him shyly.

"Because you didn't want to sleep with me?" He asks with a frown, the sparkle in his eyes shifting to show a little bit of hurt. "Did other guys do that?" He adds with disgust filling his voice and without control I find a smile filling my lips as I nod. "Well, they must've been complete and utter idiots." He comments, laughing dryly.

"Most of them were." I reply with a shrug causing him to laugh again.

"Well, " He starts, moving his thumb over my hand slowly. "I'm not. And there is no way in hell that I'm going to leave you because of this. I can go without sex, I can't go without you." He says as a matter of factually and I frown.

"You don't have to say that."

"Is this important to you?" He questions tilting his head to show me he's serious. I nod. "Then it's important to me. Besides..." He uses his grip on my hand to pull me towards him, moving our folded hands over my head to keep his arm behind my neck. "There is so much more to a relationship than getting you in bed." He shrugs.

"You mean that?" I ask softly making him smile.

"Of course, I do." His voice slips closer to my ear as he leans more into me. "I love you. And that means that I'm going to try to keep this going for as long I can. It means no running." He declares kissing the side of my head.

"No running." I say looking up at him inside of his hold. "I love you so much."

"Promise me something?" He asks after a moment of silence and I nod, begging him to go on. "Promise me you'll tell me things like this, even if you're scared, I want to know, " He pauses looking at our entwined hands on my shoulder. "And you need to tell me if I do something that makes you feel like I'm pushing you or making you uncomfortable." He ends and I smile.

"You've never made me uncomfortable." I clarify with a shrug. "But I promise." I add quickly, seeing his eyes trail over me. He nods with a smile before getting up from the bed, making my hand fall to my side.

"You hungry?" He asks while bending over to take off his shoes.

"Starving." I say with a nod, realizing how late it actually is when I see the clock on the wall. He gestures towards the kitchen with his head, stretching out his hand for me to take it which I do, allowing him to lead me out of the room.

He drops my hand at the door and winks at me quickly before taking the bread from the counter and starting on the grilled cheese. I move over to the counter, pulling my legs under me as I lean against the wall. My heart melts into a steady harmony as I watch him, his hair falling over his forehead as he grates the cheese and I smile. I'm going to marry this man, one day.

Hi there, more of my imagines can be found on Wattpad under @mjoubertt. Mxx.

Masterlist

[secret-rendezvous1d]

yesterday you were talking about proposals and idk if you’ve watched the office but imagined spencer doing what jim does with pam, always acting like he’s gonna propose until one day it actually happens and its a surprise

Oh, my god. This is so cute-

Once a month.

It always happened on a Saturday, once a month and at varied times in the day because it just had much more of an element of surprise, for a long four months.

The first time it happened, it ended in laughter.

In her defence, she was tired. It was four in the morning and Prentiss had called them, waking them from their deep slumber, to let them in on a case they were needed upon as soon as they were able to get to the bureau. He was down on one knee when she turned around on the spot, about to tie his shoelace up on his left Converse trainer, and all she could muster up was a 'oh my god, yes' to him. Which only rendered him confused until he checked the position he was in. It never even crossed her mind as to why it wasn't the best of times to propose to her... right before a murder case? She couldn't stop calling herself an idiot after that but Spencer found it cute and all he wanted to do was smile at her.

That's when the inside joke started.

The second time it happened, he 'dropped' a pen.

Standing beside her desk after signing his full name at the bottom of a case report that YN needed to finish off and give to Prentiss to file away in her cabinets, he went to slip his personalised pen (which YN had brought him for his birthday a few years ago), etched with "DR SPENCER REID" up the length of the black biro pen in a beautifully cursive scripture, when he accidentally missed the pocket of his grey blazer. It dropped to the floor and as she stretched her arm over the arm-rest of her desk chair, he dropped to his knee... a tingle in her belly that came and disappeared in the blink of an eye. But the look she gave him, that held hope, was one he thought about constantly.

The third time, he was checking a 'hole' in his trouser leg.

On the jet and, coincidentally, in the aisle beside her chair. Catching her attention and tearing her eyes from the book she was reading as she waited for the jet to take them back home to Quantico, her blush in her cheeks because Prentiss and JJ and Alvez were staring at the two of them with an amused look all their faces. The same look. Lips twitching with a smirk, eyes trying to divert from the situation yet they couldn't not be a part of a harmless joke, and she wanted to swat at the back of his head and whine at him.

The fourth time, she was getting fed up.

When he said her name in the form of a question, she couldn't help but turn on her feet and look at him. A hand fumbling in the pocket of his joggers and, this time, she really thought that the time had finally come. No more practical jokes, no more laughter, no more fun on what she really wanted to happen. But, to no avail, because he had surprised her with tickets to a film she had been begging him to take her to.

At this rate, she was about to propose to him.

Month five.

That was when it happened for real.

On a Saturday night. When their home smelt so italian with the smell of fresh tomatoes and a hint of basil clinging to the light steam that wafted around the open plan of their kitchen slash dining room area. Gentle music and beautifully sung lyrics and the sound of trumpets filled the silence that came up when their conversation came to an end, making their hips sway every now and then, being the only kind of sound they needed to feel homely. Spaghetti boiling in a pot till it was soft enough to cut with the blade of a knife, two plates set up on the countertop with cutlery ready to be used, and a bottle of wine that was ready to have its cork popped for the night. A comfortably dressed Spencer standing beside her, grating parmesan cheese into a bowl, because a pasta meal was never complete without a hearty drizzle of cheese melting on the top.

"YN?"

'Oh, here we go', she thought and she fought the urge to roll her eyes because she had been expecting his little humorous joke to hit her again. She had been counting down the days till she felt humiliated again and she loved seeing some enjoyment in his face but... not at her expense.

"Spencer, I'm not falling for this again."

"Turn around."

"Spencer-"

"Just, turn around," he snickers lightly and scratches at the tickle that he felt beneath his nose, "please?"

"If I turn around to look at you and you're doing your shoe up or you have to check the supposed 'hole' in the bottom of your trouser leg or you dropped the parmesan and we gave none then consider yourself broken up with," she states and she drops the wooden spoon into the pan of a basil and tomato sauce boiling in the pan before her, "I really will walk out of here and you can finish dinner by your-"

She's met with him on his knee, a nervous look in his eye and a pink colouration in his cheeks that only appeared when he was deep in a state of panic and stress, a velvet box held open in his hand with an elegantly shining engagement ring glistening in the cushion.

"Hi," he says softly.

"Shit-"

"This is for real for real," he informs her before she can second guess anything else, shuffling on his knee because the tile was a little hard beneath his kneecap and even though it felt uncomfortable, it was worth the wait for her answer, "it was fun playing around with you but I'm ready for the real thing. I'm ready for this. I want to make you the happiest girl in the world because you already make me the happiest guy in the world. I want you, always. No one else has made me feel the way you have and I love you so much so-"

He gulps thickly and her hands come to cover her parted mouth. A look of overwhelmed shock and excitement taking over her features, her eyes glossing over and shining beneath the bright light of their kitchenette.

"What do you say? Will you marry me?"

"And this is for real for real?"

"For real, for real, for real," he grins and there's a shocked gasp that catches in her throat, "marry me, baby. Marry me, spend the rest of your life with me."

"God, yes," she says softly, a catch in her words and she drops to her knees to wrap her hands around the hand that held the expensive silver band that she couldn't tear her eyes from, "Spencer, of course I will." xx

[huskeddevotee]

Snack preference hcs because I'm bored and love the characters in this stupid game

Amara: Fresh, bright, healthy snacks. Fruit, jello cups, Popsicles - anything cold and refreshing, especially if it's fruity. Loves froyo on her cheat days. Gets strawberry yogurt with cake, more strawberries, and chocolate sauce as her regular.

Ava: Tortilla chips. Could live off of Tortilla chips and some dips. Favorite is Onion dip with hot sauce. Makes a dessert dip of chocolate and caramel that is...controversial to say the least.

Axton: If it's at night, likes a salmon dip with whole wheat crackers. Daytime? Jerky with gravy. Makes his own gravy, family recipe. It's absolutely addicting, everyone tells him he needs to cut the Vault Hunting and bottle that sh*t for market.

Brick: BEEF. BURGER. PATTY. COLD. (It's actually a protein wrap chock full of vitamins but that doesn't work for his reputation)

Maya: Makes killer soup. She makes a huge batch, puts it in the fridge, and pours a cup and puts that into the microwave for a quick bite. Really likes veggie based soups, or soups with seafood.

Moze: Something easy to throw together. It's usually great hang over food. Quesadillas, grilled cheese melts, microwave mac-n-cheese - something filling, savory, and comforting. And yeah, fond of cheese. Also likes peanut butter cookies with black coffee.

Moxxi: Candy. Grandma candy, specifically. Those strawberry things? Is the biggest buyer for them. Licorice is also a favorite. Anything spicy with cinnamon, as well.

Lilith: Gummy candies, cucumbers with tuna or chicken, or some unholy sandwich creation that makes you think she's high. Her tastebuds are f*cked from Phasewalk, now likes peanut butter and jelly with ham and provolone cheese. Her arguement is that peanut butter is savory like ham, and grape jelly is 'pretty much wine' and wine is good with cheese. It's horrible.

Mordecai: Dried meat. What the meat is, no idea. Could be skag, could be human. It's meat, it's impossible to chew, it has no flavor. The popular theory is that it's for Talon and he's softening it in his mouth. As for what he actually eats, likely part plant and feeds off of sunlight. God only knows.

Tina: Rock candy. Loves sour watermelon rock candy. Oh, and also spicy sweet potato chips. And cookies with tea, of course. Likes Chamomile tea and chai.

Zer0: Legends say you can find candy wrappers in their room. They just like cool wrappers. Collect limited edition foodstuffs just for the wrapper or can. Has a wall lined with soda cans with unique patterns.

Zane: Heathen man. Pours spices onto his hand and licks it. Likes stale gummy candy. Licks the salt off of crackers and gives the defiled things to Mr. Chew. Puts cheese and pineapple in shrimp ramen with oregano. Vile, vile, vile.

Krieg: His roasts are to die for, and he eats it cold from the fridge when he's peckish. Uses Pandoran ingredients like cactus honey, salty hail found in glaciers in the tundra, skag bone broth for marinating, and a blend of local herbs and spices. They put Axton's gravy on it one time and had a collective transcendent awakening. The combo is now banned, for anyone who tries it will never enjoy other food again.

Gaige: Girl stalks the clearance section of the bakery in supermarkets for cheap baked goods. Lives off of expired cupcakes.

Tannis: Doesn't snack, but enjoys a cup of tea in between meals. After breakfast, has a green tea. After lunch, chai, and after dinner, chamomile and lavender for bed. Sometimes has a shortbread cookie with it.

Troy: Depends on the week, position of the stars, his horoscope for his moon sign, and the tide. His taste in food cannot be tracked. Goes from eating something bizarrely plain to so complex you think you're having a stroke when you look at it. His inner circle have a game called "What The F*ck Is The God King Eating Now". His personal chefs say they black out when cooking for him. Whatever it is, he doesn't eat anything pre-prepared or from a wrapper. The one time he ate something identifiable, there was a conspiracy he had been replaced by a clone.

Tyreen: One time while she was eating, Troy asked her what she was eating, and she responded, "Your mom" without thinking about it. They didn't speak for a week after the incident and never mentioned it again. Still gets embarrassed about it.

Lorelai: Has not consumed anything but burgers and coffee for months. Please stop her. Her colon is about to pop out of her stomach and strangle her itself.

Hammerlock: Dark rye with tomatoes, basil, fresh mozzarella, and a tall glass of lemonade. It's a snack he's had since he was a boy and it hasn't lost its simple comfort.

Wainright: Fried tomatoes with a coleslaw and peach iced tea. Fried vegetables in general are underrated in his book, despite his father's attempts of trying to get him to accept meat superiority.

Clay: Moonpies and scotch. Time of day doesn't matter. This is bad because its a shot for every pie. And he can put away an absurd amount of them. However, there are only so many shots he can drink before he's pretty much dead to the world.

Fl4k: 101 recipes for birdseed, skag treats, and 'humanfeed' as they call it. Once tried making pancakes for Zane and Moze while they were both sick, gave them food poisoning with nutrient supplements meant for spiderants. The supplements was to boost immune system - hence why it was added - and, unfortunately, venom production. Ergo, making it toxic for humans who do not produce venom. Zane was paler than snow and Moze was beyond delirious. Fl4k felt horrible for months.

Salvador: Makes croquetas in bulk and has a handful when he needs a pick-me-up. Filling varies, but likes them with fish and potato. As for drinks, cannot survive without his grandmother's horchata recipe. Makes it for the whole team whenever it gets cold. Also likes lime soda with pickled vegetables.

Marcus: probably other passengers on the ship

[sunmoonandeddie]

pandemic overload

pairing: bucky barnes x reader

word count: 2,136

summary: You need an escape from everything, and Bucky is more than happy to give it to you.

warnings: SO MUCH FLUFF.  Bad words.  Bucky does think a naughty thing or two lol

a/n:  Thank you so much to @marylizabetha for this commission!!!!  I had so much fun with it, and honestly it was nice to get to write about escaping all of this nonsense for a little bit!!!!

He saw it when he came home from grocery shopping.  The quiver of your bottom lip.  He’d only been gone for about two hours—shopping for groceries for a super soldier can take a while, after all—but even so, it had made you anxious.  Everything about the last seven months or so made you anxious.  And he couldn’t blame you.  People were dying and it was just… frustrating how so many people didn’t seem to care.  At all.

Bucky had been the only one to leave the town house you two shared in that entire time, unless you counted the times you’d sit out on the front stoop and work on a Sudoku puzzle.  But that was a decision you had made very early on.  He was a super soldier that couldn’t get sick.  You were just a normal human.

It didn’t mean that you weren’t scared for him every time he walked outside.

Thankfully, it hadn’t taken much to convince you to stay home, even though you had to quit your job.  It wasn’t exactly the most… important thing in the world.  It wasn’t even in your field of interest.  Just a pit stop until you could put your degree to use.

But it looked like that wouldn’t be happening for a little while longer.

Technically, with how much money Bucky made from being a non-active Avenger on top of back pay from being a prisoner of war for seventy years or so and also being on an elite strike force during World War II, you would never have to work a day in your life if you didn’t want.  And, to be perfectly honest, a big part of you was seriously considering it.  It was nice to be able to sit around and do whatever you wanted to do.  You and Bucky helped each other with all the chores and such, but then you had an otherwise empty day to fill.  You’d taken up knitting and learning to play piano and yes, you did join in on that trend of people learning how to make sourdough bread from scratch.  You two had also gotten to up the amount of time you spent trying to make a positive change in the world, and you’d taken Bucky to his first twenty-first century protest.  Not a single cop had dared to fuck with you or anyone else with the former Winter Soldier by your side.

The perks of having a super intimidating boyfriend, right?

It would be completely perfect if it wasn’t for the fact that you had to stay because otherwise you might get sick.

But you were actually considering choosing to just… continue not working once all of it was over.  You and Bucky could do anything you wanted to do.  You could travel the world, maybe eventually adopt a few kids…  The possibilities were endless, especially since your boyfriend had surprised you by paying off all your student loans in one fell swoop.

Yeah, that… that had brought on more than a few tears.

Bucky couldn’t help but smile over at you as he put away the groceries, calling out everything to you.  You were sitting up on the counter, pretty as a picture, with your legs swinging back and forth as you put in everything he’d bought to that fancy app on your phone that took everything you had in your fridge and gave you a list of recipes you could make from it.

Last week the two of you had gotten your favorite recipe so far, grilled mahi mahi tacos with a sweet pineapple salsa that served a bit of a kick at the end.

Fish so nice, they named it twice.

Bucky’s pandemic hobby had become cooking.  A lot of the time, you two just ordered food in, which was a horrible habit.  But you couldn’t help it.  You both were so busy and neither of you really had the energy or patience to cook most of the time.

But spending everyday at home meant that Bucky finally had time to learn how to do something other than boil food, and he was actually pretty good at it.

“Baby doll, let’s go on a date.”

You looked up from your phone in surprise.  “A…  A date?  Bucky Bear…  I hate to break it to you, but…  We can’t exactly go anywhere,” you said with a weak laugh.  As good as it was to be able to sit at home and work on your hobbies, you were often overwhelmed with the thoughts about how so many people were suffering because of how selfish others were.

He put the last bell pepper away in the fridge before moving to stand between your legs, his hands running over your thighs.  “Now that’s not true, sweetheart,” he said as he pressed sweet kisses along your jawline.  “I wanna take you somewhere special, okay?  We haven’t gotten to dress up in a long time…  So how about you get your cute ass in the shower and get yourself all dolled up, yeah?  I wanna treat my girl.”

Ugh.  He always knew exactly what to say to make you melt.

“Okay,” you giggled, nuzzling your nose against his.  But you took your own sweet time getting off the counter, choosing instead to wrap your legs around him and pull him in for an impromptu makeout session.

What can you say?  Your man was hot as fuck and a good ass kisser.

“I love you,” he mumbled, his hands roaming down your sides to your ass.  He gave a playful squeeze before slowly breaking the kiss, letting it linger far longer than what would be considered necessary.  “But you have to go shower and get ready, baby girl.  I gotta jump in one, too.  I wanna be nice and fresh for my girl.  Now go on.”

A purse of your lower lip.  “You don’t wanna join me?”

“Now, that’s not what I said, you little minx,” he said, tickling your sides and sending you into a fit of giggles.  “But if I get in with you, we aren’t gonna make it out for a long, long time.  And then you won’t get your surprise.”

“Fine, fine,” you groaned, pushing against his chest so you could slide off the counter.  “Bossy.”  You shot him a wink as you headed upstairs, and he can’t help but stare at your ass.

God bless the quarantine weight you’d gained.

Granted, he always loved your body—if you like the girl, you’re gonna like her body, after all—but he was still a hot-blooded man with a thing for grabbing you and loving every inch of you.

He quickly put together a basket of food, various meats and cheeses and little things like olives, and set a blanket on top of it before running upstairs to grab a shower in the guest bath.  He knew the perfect place to take you to escape the city and the suffocating threat of the pandemic.

“You gonna tell me where we’re going or not, Sarge?” You asked as you appeared in the doorway.

He looked up from where he sat at the kitchen island, and the breath was knocked straight from his lungs.  Thank god he’d already stowed the basket and blanket away in the trunk, because he would’ve completely forgotten at the sight of you.  “Holy shit, sugar…,” he whispered as he got up.  He moved towards you, strong hands grabbing your hips and pulling you into a kiss.  He knew he had to be careful about grabbing your face, not wanting to mess up the makeup you’d just put on for the first time in months.  But you’d also learned not to wear a lip product that would smear on your first date, so you both had rules about makeup now.

The fabric of your yellow sundress rested against your skin so gently, and he would be ashamed to admit that for just a second, he was jealous of a piece of clothing.  He wanted to be that close to you always, wanted to feel your skin and draw little shapes over your heart.

Maybe he’d strip it off of you the second he got you to the spot, just so he could rest his head in the valley of your breasts and listen to the steady beating of your heart.  You knew that he could hear it even just standing beside you, but you wouldn’t call him out on it.

TLC played on the radio the entire drive, his hand on your thigh except for when he needed to shift gears.  Out of all the decades of music you were working to catch him up on, the nineties were your favorite.

Not that he’d ever disagree.  No.  Not when he got to watch you with one arm out the window, your hand making waves in the wind as you sang at the top of your lungs.

Just being out of the house for less than an hour was doing you so much good.

“Bucky, you aren’t going to kill me, right?” You asked with a laugh as he parked the car in a small lot at the entrance of a trail.  “Because I really figured you would’ve done that by now, you know.”

“Nah, baby,” he said as he popped the trunk, smirking at the surprised look on your face at the sight of the basket.  The trunk closed with a slam as he tossed you the blanket, moving to your side and holding your free hand in his before leading you down the trail.  “If I wanted to murder you, I’d have done it by now.  Besides, you’re too pretty to kill.  I’d miss looking at you everyday.”

“You’re an absolute cheese ball,” you laughed, nudging his hip with yours.  Not that it actually did anything.

Ah, the disadvantages you had when it came to play fighting with your super soldier boyfriend.  Poor you.

The trail was absolutely stunning, full of wildlife and color.  The shade the trees provided was a nice reprieve to the mid-August heat, the sunlight filtering through the leaves to dapple against your cheeks.

It was about a fifteen minute walk to the Wallkill River, and you heard the rush of the water long before you get there.

“We aren’t going swimming right?” You asked, eyeing him skeptically.  “Because I just washed my hair.”

“No,” he said, amusement lacing his tone.  “We’re not swimming.  Just having a late lunch.”  He sets down the basket and takes the blanket from you, laying it out on the small clearing on the bank.  He took his time setting up the charcuterie board, the bottle of wine, and the two pillows that he stuffed in the basket for you two to rest against.  “There.  Now it’s perfect,” he said as he held his hand out to you to help you sit down on the blanket.  “Worthy of my princess.”

A familiar roll of your eyes as he pressed sweet kisses to your cheeks, just like he did anytime he doted on you.  He only ever called you princess when he got all lovey dovey like this.

Not that you’d ever complain.

“So what’s all this for?” You asked.  Unable to stop your fit of giggles, you teetered to the side as the force of his cheek kisses grew and he made more and more obnoxious noises with it, his metal hand hooked around your waist.  “Bucky Bear…”

“Okay, okay,” he relented, leaving one last, noisy kiss to your cheek before sitting up straight.  He didn’t answer you right away, choosing instead to grab the wine and pop it open, pouring you each a glass.  He was always the designated driver, since alcohol didn’t affect him.  He was silent until you had your glass in hand, and he raised his in a toast.  “I want to celebrate us, and more specifically, you.  The past seven or so months haven’t been easy, but you’ve been a champ through it all.  And also, I think we’ve done pretty damn well on living together and being around each other almost 24/7, considering that we only moved in together in November,” he said.  His startling blue eyes were so soft as he stared at you.  “I just love you so much, and I truly don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Oh, my god,” you said, your eyes glassy as you shook your head.  “Bucky, you can’t say things like that when I just did my makeup!  You’re going to make me cry!”  But you didn’t mind the tears as you leaned in and pressed your lips to his, your glasses clinking together.  “I love you, too.  And there’s no one else I’d rather go through this with.”

“Together,” he said, his nose nudging against yours.

“Together,” you agreed.

[starryeyes-darkestnights]

Shut Up and Drive

Part 3 of We Dance Together Now

An O’Knutzy au where Leo and Logan are still playing for the Lions, but Finn is a musician they met by chance on a roadie to Montreal.

Here are the first few parts!

Part 1 - Jingle Bell Rock

Part 2 - This City

I hope you like it!!! :):)

Also, this is getting kind of crazy long, so I’m going to stick it up on AO3 too :)

These beautiful characters and their world belong to the incredible @lumosinlove

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

Finn was standing at his bathroom sink, brushing his teeth, when he heard his phone buzz in the other room. He wandered out to look for it, toothbrush hanging from his mouth. When it wasn’t immediately visible, he just shrugged and headed back to the bathroom. It was probably just his mom. She texted to say goodnight sometimes, which was adorable but didn’t require an urgent response.

But then the phone went off a second time while he was rinsing his mouth, and a third while he was pulling on his sleep pants. Definitely not his mom. Curious now, he grabbed his book off the nightstand and headed off in search of the mysterious messages. He padded out to the living room, spotting the phone on the couch and flopping down next to it just as a fourth notification went off. He scooped it up and swiped open his messages. He was surprised to see Logan’s contact come up. He figured they would be busy tonight after their game.

Logan: Finn!

Logan: FINN!

Logan: FINN ANSWER YOUR PHONE

Logan: We won!

Finn smiled at Logan’s excitement. He had actually seen the alert for the team’s win flash across his phone a few hours earlier. He’d set up notifications for Lions game results a few weeks ago, after an embarrassing evening of asking them how the game went, not knowing they had lost. He would only make that mistake once.

             Finn: I saw. Congrats! 😊

Logan’s response was immediate.

             Logan: You’re alive! Come celebrate with us.

Finn’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. That was unexpected. He knew that after winning games they usually went out with the guys from their team. That’s why he had gotten ready for an early night.

             Finn: Aren’t you out with the team?

Logan: Yes! Leo says to tell you they’re cool if you join us. They want to see you again. They remember you from Montreal.  

Finn chewed his lip, looking longingly between his book and the phone in his hand. Usually he would love to see them - the trio had become nearly inseparable over the past month - but he had been looking forward to reading tonight. He hadn’t had much opportunity since school had started back up. Plus, he had to be up early tomorrow.

             Finn: Ordinarily I would be all over that. But I’m almost in bed

             Logan: Your bed will still be there in a few hours!

             Finn: But it looks so comfy right now.  

             Logan: Pleeeeaaase? Dancing isn’t fun without you any more

Finn melted a little at that one, his conviction starting to waver even as he texted back.

Finn: I don’t give in to peer pressure!

He watched the screen, waiting for an answer, when a message from Leo popped up at the top. A picture. He swiped it open, curious, and his jaw dropped.

It was a picture of Logan, taken from close up. His head was tilted, his messy curls falling over one eye, and he was pouting, his lower lip jutting out just slightly. He was looking directly into the camera, and his eyes… Finn took one look at the wide, green, puppy dog gaze, and knew he had just been made a liar. There was absolutely no way he was not going to do whatever Logan asked if this was how he asked it. He stood up and sent one final text.

             Finn: Where are you?

---

Two hours later Finn was in the middle of a dance floor, sweat dripping in his eyes as he leaned over to put his hands on his knees, trying to stop laughing long enough to catch his breath.

His efforts were futile, as Logan chose that moment to expand on his interpretation of the Toosie Slide dance, one that had been getting more and more extravagant every time they heard the song at a club. As he slid dramatically across the floor, he almost knocked over a poor, unsuspecting woman. He hadn’t actually crashed into her, but it was close enough to scare her into turning toward him with a very angry look and Finn cackled as he watched Logan’s face turn from mischief to horror, nearly knocking her over a second time as he rushed to apologize. His amusement was short-lived, however, as the woman gave Logan a once-over and did a complete 180, from angry to impossibly seductive, in less than the time it took her to introduce herself. Finn looked to Leo, hoping for a distraction, only to find him in a similar position with the first woman’s friend.

Finn stood up, laughter draining quickly from his system as his smile turned wry. This was a familiar scene. Girls were not shy with Leo and Logan. And it’s not like he could blame them- he was painfully aware of how beautiful they both were. He just didn’t usually let himself get caught having to watch it. He had quickly learned to spot the girls coming before they did, to extract himself from the situation before he had to watch it unfold. This was the first time since that first night at the Burrow that he’d been caught off guard. And it was… painful. So much for keeping your feelings in check, I guess, he thought drily.

He waited for a moment, until Leo and Logan were both fully distracted, and took the opportunity to sneak away quietly, back to the table where he had been introduced to the team earlier. He slid into the seat he had previously abandoned, next to Kasey Winter, and shot him a quick smile when he welcomed him back. He pretended to be interested in the conversation he was having with Sirius Black, across from him, but his mind was elsewhere, and he jumped when a voice sounded in his ear.

“Penny for your thoughts?” He recognized Leo’s teasing voice and a small smile crept onto his face. “We lost you out there. Logan thought you might be getting a drink.”

Finn turned to look at him, taking in his dance-flushed cheeks and bright, dimpled smile. One thing he had learned after spending enough time with him, was that a genuine Leo Knut smile could light up a room. Usually that smile caused a warm glow in Finn’s chest, but right now all he could picture was the woman from the dance floor being on the receiving end of it.

Finn shook his head. “Nope, just needed a quick break.”

Leo’s brow furrowed at that, and his head tilted as he looked at Finn, assessing. His eyes flickered between Finn’s, and across his face, radiating kindness. His expression softened and he reached up to place a gentle hand on Finn’s shoulder. “Hey, are you ok?”

“Ya, of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” Finn tried to paste on his biggest smile, but he could tell Leo wasn’t fully convinced.

“Are you sure? You know you can talk to me, right? I –“

Whatever Leo was going to say was cut off by Logan returning to the table, loudly. Finn took a second to thank whatever divine intervention had prevented him from having to come up with an excuse for his moping, before turning his attention to what appeared to be a very passionate argument between Logan and Thomas Walker.

“I’m just saying Talkie, that can’t possibly be true.”

“Logan. Explain to me why it cannot be true.”

“No! You explain to me why it can be true!”

Finn caught on to what Logan was doing. He had seen him try it before, on Leo, and on himself a few times as well. But it had never worked.

“It was on the Discovery Channel Tremz! Why would they lie?”

“I’m not saying they’re lying, I’m just saying you haven’t convinced me that they’re telling the truth.”

Thomas’ jaw dropped at that one, disbelief on his face. “Logan, I-, what?? That’s- this is ridiculous! Aardvarks exist! Fucking Google them!”

Logan just shook his head cheerfully, popping a cheese fry into his mouth. “Nah.”

“Aargh!”

Finn couldn’t help but laugh at Thomas’ exasperated face as he stood from the table. “I’m going to the washroom. I can’t handle you right now.” He gave Logan a playful shove in the back of the head as he walked behind him.

Logan just laughed into his drink, looking smug.

“So,” Finn picked up his own drink, “is antagonizing your friends on purpose a personal hobby?”

“No.” “Yes.”

Logan and Leo spoke over one another.

Finn looked between them, amused, as Logan pretended to be offended.

Leo just looked at Logan, eyebrows raised and a corner of his mouth pulled up affectionately. “Getting people worked up is Logan’s favourite game, but he’ll pretend he doesn’t know what you’re talking about.”

Kasey, overhearing, leaned back over to Finn. “We’ve all just learned to ignore it. Talkie’s the only one he can still get to.”

Finn chuckled at that. “You know aggravating people on purpose isn’t very nice, right?” He cocked his head at Logan.

Logan just smiled innocently. “I have no idea what you mean.”

Leo gestured pointedly toward him.  “See?”

Just then, there was a flurry of movement from the other end of the table as people started getting ready to go. As the three of them stood together to join them, Finn was reminded of something.

“Hey, before I forget, you guys have tomorrow off right?”

Leo nodded, shoving his arms through his jacket sleeves. “Ya, we do. What are we doing?”

Finn loved that it had become natural for them to just assume they would be doing something together on a day off. He started walking backward toward the door of the bar and grinned at the other two as they followed.

“We, my friends, are going on an adventure. Dress for being outside, and be ready at 9am sharp.”

---

At exactly 9 o’clock the next morning, Finn watched as Logan yanked open the door to his car and flopped into the front seat. His hair tousled, eyes bleary, he leaned back against the headrest with a groan. “Whyyy are we awake right now Finn?” His voice was still raspy from sleep. “Early bird gets the worm!” Finn chirped back at him with a smile. He gave a noncommittal grunt, but perked up as Finn passed him a coffee.

He took a sip, eyes closed. “Mmmmm. Ok you’re forgiven.”

“You’re welcome. Are you awake now? I need you to tell me how to get to Leo’s place.”

Finn had picked up the two of them from Logan’s place a few times over the past couple of weeks, swinging by on his way home from campus and driving them to his place to play video games or to Sid’s for dinner. He knew Leo didn’t live at Dumo’s too, but he had never actually picked him up from his own house.

“Why didn’t you pick him up first?” Grumbled Logan, his eyes still half closed as he tried to stifle a yawn.

“I picked you up first because I know where you live, and you know where Leo lives. It’s called logic. Now give me directions, Sir Yawns-a-Lot. We have places to be!”

“Mmm.” Logan grunted back in his still sleep-rasped voice. “I actually don’t remember where he’s staying right now, let me give him a call.”

Finn furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “What? Where he’s staying right now? Does he not always stay in the same place?”

But Logan waved him off as Leo picked up the phone, and Finn was left to wonder impatiently for the short duration of the call.

“Ok, he’s downtown. At the Hogwarts Hotel, right across from the arena. It’s like 5 minutes from here. You know it?”

“Yeees…” Finn dragged the word out, still trying to piece this together. “… can I ask why he’s at a hotel?”

It was Logan’s turn to look confused. “He’s always at a hotel? He’s a rookie, that’s usually what happens.”

Finn was caught off guard. “Seriously? Like for the whole year? Did you do that too?”

“Ya, I guess for the whole year. And no, I didn’t do it. I got really lucky the year I came, Dumo had an open room. He invited me to billet and I’ve just never left. They’re like a second family to me now.” He paused, running his finger around the lid of his coffee cup.

“I feel really bad for Leo though. It was hard enough coming here when I had Dumo’s family to rely on, I don’t know how he’s doing it.” He shook his head, looking up at Finn. “He tries to pretend it doesn’t bother him, bouncing around between hotel rooms, but you can tell he’s homesick sometimes, you know? I try and drag him over here to crash on my floor when he looks really down, but it’s still just another strange place for the night.”

Finn nodded. He knew how hard it had been for him moving to Gryffindor- the loneliness he had felt, exhausted from working hard all day and dreading coming home to an empty apartment. He had spent many sleepless nights talking himself out of dropping out and moving back home to his parents, his brother. June. It was during that time he had written This City, the song he had played at the Burrow the first time Leo and Logan came to see him play.

He thought about how Leo had responded to his explanation that the song had been about moving to Gryffindor. It wasn’t a happy song. Finn didn’t like that Leo could relate to it.

He put the car in drive, mulling an idea around in his brain as he headed to Gryffindor Hotel.

---

Leo

Leo sat in the middle of the backseat of Finn’s car, watching the roads they passed and trying to discern where exactly they were headed. So far all he could tell was that whatever they were doing, they weren’t doing it in downtown Gryffindor. He didn’t like not knowing things, it made him feel on edge. He sighed, deciding to try one more time. “Finn. We’ve been driving for fifteen minutes. Are you going to tell us where we’re going yet?”

“Actually, yes!”

Well, that was pleasantly unexpected. Finn had been denying Logan an answer since before Leo had even gotten in the car.

“Just one second…”

Leo watched from the backseat as Finn checked his blind spot, merged off of the entrance ramp, and…

“Ta-da!”

Leo looked outside the window. They were on a freeway. Was Finn… excited about the freeway?

He shared a glance with Logan, who looked equally confused.

“Finn,” Logan started slowly, “what do you mean ‘ta-da’? Is this where we are going? The freeway? You said to bring clothes for outside. We can’t go outside when there are cars driving by at 80 miles per hour.”

Finn was unphased. “The freeway is our gateway to adventure, boys.” He explained cheerfully. “Everyone knows a road trip doesn’t begin until you get onto a highway.”

“We’re going on a road trip?” Leo’s interest was piqued. “A road trip to where?”

“I’m glad you asked!”

“We’ve asked ten times and you ignored us. NOW you’re glad?” asked Logan incredulously.

“Yes,” Finn explained patiently, “because I couldn’t tell you before. Not until the road trip started. Remember the rules of the list?”

“We decided that was bullshit!”

“You decided it was bullshit. I never agreed.”

Logan opened his mouth to retort, and Leo decided it was time to interject. “The road trip started now. Can you please tell us?”

He watched Finn’s smile through the rear-view mirror. Leo rarely had the opportunity to observe Finn like this, without him noticing, and he was trying not to make it obvious that he was taking advantage. But they were headed East, and the morning sun that came through the windshield was drawing out these tiny gold flecks in his wide brown eyes, and Leo couldn’t look away. He was just thinking that he wanted to see those flecks up close when Finn suddenly met his gaze in the mirror. He jerked his eyes away immediately, cursing himself as his heart skipped a beat. Then he realized that just made him look even more guilty, so he looked back up and raised his eyebrows at Finn, pretending that he had just been looking at him to hear his answer.

Finn held out for a dramatic pause before responding smugly. “I have found us the perfect adventure.”

Logan groaned, and Finn glanced over at him, sticking out his tongue. Leo noticed his cheeks had a flush that matched his own. He must have realized Leo was staring. Fuck.

The smug look fell away when he spoke again, and he sounded almost nervous. “So, there’s this town called Ilvermorny, over on the coast. I heard about it a while ago from a customer at the Burrow, apparently people love to go there because it’s super beautiful and you can walk around and explore the whole place in a day.”

Logan looked over at him, interested. “Sounds cool.”

Finn looked relieved for a second, and then an excited grin took back over. “I’m glad you think so. But that’s not the best part.” He wiggled his eyebrows excitedly. “I have received some excellent intel, that not only is this place all picturesque and shit, but, Leo…” he waited for Leo to meet his eyes in the mirror again. “They also have THE best authentic Cajun food this side of Louisiana.”

Leo felt his jaw drop, and he couldn’t stop the huge smile that he felt stretching across his face. He’s been so homesick for the food his mom made for him back in New Orleans. He leaned forward between the front seats. “Are you serious? Finn. Are you for real?”

Finn just laughed, eyes on the road.

“Logan!” Leo turned to Logan, who had one corner of his mouth quirked up into an amused smile as he watched Leo’s excited reaction.  “If this is real- and I swear to god Finn this better be real or I might actually cry- I can finally introduce you to food from home.”

He flopped back into his seat, his mouth already watering at the thought of real, authentic Cajun food. “Not having a kitchen has been absolutely killing me in Gryffindor. I miss the food from home so much.”

Logan turned back to look at him, surprised. “Really? You’ve never mentioned that you like to cook.”

Leo groaned, his eyes closing. “I love to cook. I never mention it because it just makes me sad. But nothing can make me sad right now if you’ve just put shrimp étouffée on the table.”

“I have no idea what you just said, but I’m glad you’re happy.”

He heard the amusement in Finn’s voice and cracked an eye to see him flickering his eyes between the road and the mirror. “Best. Surprise. Ever.”

Finn looked so pleased, it made Leo’s heart swell.

“Now can you please talk about something else to distract me from the fact that I have to wait hours to get to this place?”

“Yes!” Logan jumped in quickly. “We can talk about what the hell this road trip playlist is.”

Finn startled, glancing over at Logan. “What do you mean?”

“What are we listening to??”

Finn looked scandalized. “It’s the Eagles, Logan.”

“The Eagles?! What are you, 60 years old?”  

“They’re iconic!”

“They’re old. Now give me the phone cable.”

Logan didn’t wait for Finn’s response before unceremoniously yanking the cord out of Finn’s phone and plugging in his own, scrolling through his music library.

Finn wasn’t done defending his choices. “Being old doesn’t make you less iconic! Plus, I like the way they write. And so do like, a hundred million other people! We can’t all be wrong!”

Logan finally stopped scrolling and interrupted the incensed redhead. “Hey, Finn?”

Finn glanced over one more time. “What?”

Logan just grinned, and pressed play. The opening notes of Rihanna’s ‘Shut Up and Drive’ filled the car and Leo just smiled and shook his head as Finn’s offended spluttering was drowned out by the sound of electric guitar and Logan’s self-satisfied cackle.

---

When the boys arrived in Ilvermorny, it was only 11am. Finn had packed them a big breakfast for the car and they still weren’t hungry enough for a full lunch, so they decided to grab a quick snack for now and leave the restaurant for dinner. There was a bakery across the street from the Information Center they had parked beside, and as Logan headed in to get their order, Leo stood outside with Finn and looked around. Finn had been right, this was a super quaint little town, all brightly coloured shop fronts and cute wooden sidewalks. He winced as a cool wind blew by, regretting that he had chosen to wear a snapback instead of a beanie. He still wasn’t used to the winter weather here.

“Hey, trade me.”

He turned to see Finn tugging off his beanie and gave him a questioning look. “Sorry, what?”

“You’re cold already, it’s just going to get worse over the day. Give me your hat and you can have this one.”

Leo was caught off guard. “Oh, my god, Finn. No. I was the idiot who didn’t bring a proper hat. I’m not going to make you freeze your ears for my mistake.”

Finn just reached up and plucked Leo’s snapback off his head, dropping it onto his own before using both hands to pull his beanie down low over Leo’s curls. Leo immediately felt the warmth, both of the wool over his ears, and of the blush moving up his cheeks to reach the place where his skin tingled from the brush of Finn’s fingers.  

Finn’s wide eyes were kind as he smiled up at Leo. “I have a hood,” he said, voice soft, “you don’t. I’ll just pull mine up if I get cold.”

“Thank you.” Leo swallowed, trying and failing to pull his gaze from where it was locked onto Finn’s. Those damn gold flecks were still there. The pull he had felt since the day he had met him had never been stronger, and he felt himself start to move closer when the chime of the bakery door startled both of them.

He spun around, cursing himself internally. Stupid, stupid. Get it together. He’s not into you. You can’t be into him.

A gust of warm air blew over him as Logan stepped out with an armful of drinks and baked goods.

“Hey guys, sorry that took a minute, they were out of chocolate croissants, so I had to get something different.” His voice trailed off as he spotted Leo’s snapback over Finn’s red locks, and his gaze shot up to where Finn’s beanie was now snug over Leo’s ears.

A strange look crossed over his face, so quickly that Leo almost thought he imagined it. But it was gone before he could figure it out, replaced by a happy smile as he handed out coffees and they set to walking.

---

Finn

The three of them spent the afternoon checking out every recommendation from a guide-book Leo had snagged from the Information Center.  

They toured what was apparently one of the oldest functioning lighthouses in America, tried (and failed) to spot whales from coin operated binoculars on the winter-emptied fishing pier, and stopped to watch a local artist creating beautiful framed scenes out of ocean glass she collected herself from her front yard. Finn bought one of her pieces. “A memory!” He told Leo and Logan.

They meandered down the entire length of the boardwalk, perusing heated stalls selling local goods and goading one another into walking down to the icy shore to test the temperature of the calm ocean water. When they stuck their hands in, it was so cold that it burned. When they finally needed to warm up, they had gone back into the little town to wander in and out of the local shops, talking and joking with the owners and with one another.

When they walked out of their final store, a chocolate shop that Logan in particular had been itching to check out, the sun was just disappearing behind the cliffs overlooking the town. They must have been in there for a while. Longer than Finn had thought, for sure.

Finn stood next to Leo, who was checking out the guidebook again, and watched Logan walk out of the shop after them, a bag of carefully selected chocolates held in his hand. He took a few steps away from the building and stopped, closing his eyes and tilting his head back to pull in a deep breath of seaside air. Finn watched as he breathed out, relaxed. It was something he did often, just taking a moment to take in the fresh air after a long time inside. Finn had noticed him doing the first time they had met, back in Montreal, and it had become engrained in his mind as something quintessentially Logan.

Finn’s stomach gave a loud grumble then, and he pulled his attention from Logan to nudge Leo. “Hey. It’s getting late, no? Do you guys want to get dinner now?”

“I’ve been waiting all day for you to say that!” Leo joked. Logan came back over to join them, and Leo passed him the guidebook as he stretched his arms above his head.

“And Logan can double check, but I actually think we’ve checked off everything in that book now, so the timing is perfect.” He dropped his arms. “Let’s head over?”

Finn led the way through the cheerful streets, scanning storefront signs until he saw the one they were looking for. Feeling dramatic, he grabbed the door handle and pulled it open, bowing deeply to Leo. “After you, my Louisian Lord.” He frowned at the way the word sounded and looked up to Leo for help. “Louisianian? Louisianan?... Orleanian??”

Leo just looked at him. “You’re ridiculous.”

Finn stood and shrugged. “Maybe. But you still have to go in first. Lo and I don’t know shit about Cajun food. You need to make us look cultured.”

Leo let out a snort at that, but led them into the restaurant anyway, looking around happily as they were led to a table.

The moment they had menus in their hands, Leo immediately took to describing every dish with an over-the-top enthusiasm his composed self rarely showed, and Finn gave up reading his own menu in favour of leaning back and listening to his version of the dishes instead.

A few minutes later, Logan joined suit, closing his menu with a shake of his head.

“Nut, they should hire you to rewrite these descriptions. You make me want to eat everything.”

Leo’s eyes shined. “We should! Let’s just order a bunch of things and share them. There are so many things you need to try.”

Finn shrugged amenably. “Works for me. Will you order? I wanna go wash my hands.” He stood as Leo nodded, eyes still glued to the menu. “Get something with sausage, ok?”

Alone in the washroom, Finn sighed happily as he let the warm water run over his chilled fingers, looking up at his own reflection in the mirror and smiling dopily as he thought about how well his planned day had gone. His eyes moved up to lock on to where he was still wearing Leo’s snapback, and his smile dimmed a bit as he flashed back to the moment he had had with him this morning.

Despite having told himself regularly for the past month that he needed to keep his feelings in check, not let his heart get too attached, this was now the second day in a row that he had let himself get caught with his guard down. Somehow he was getting worse at it, instead of better.

He had a tendency to get lost in the bubble he shared with Leo and Logan whenever they were together, forgetting to remember that for them, it was different. That for them, he was just a friend. And he had still been feeling a little exposed after last night’s crushing reminder of that when he had, without thinking, pulled his own beanie over Leo’s ears that morning. Then Leo’s eyes had locked onto his with that look, that indecipherable look, and he hadn’t been able to dredge up the willpower to turn away. Or, you know. Breathe.

But, he thought to himself, smile returning, Leo hadn’t seemed to notice anything off, or if he had, he had let it go, and the rest of their day had been incredible. Only with Leo and Logan could a winter day in a beach town, of all places, be this much fun. He’d never had this kind of a friendship with anyone before. He dried his hands, wondering vaguely if this was what the characters in Friends felt like with each other. He figured if it was, then Leo and Logan must be his Ross and Chandler.

And he knew he would fight anyone, even his own heart, to ensure they could remain that way.

When Finn came back to the table Leo was just finishing up their order. As the waitress walked away, he relaxed happily back into is seat, the warm light of the restaurant lanterns caught his hair in a way that made it glow like spun gold. His eyes were shining as he looked up at Finn, his smile bright and content.

“Alright, Finn?”

“So alright. And so ready to eat.”

Logan snorted at that. “Nut just ordered half the restaurant, so I hope you’re serious about that.”

“Don’t be dramatic.” Leo rolled his eyes. “I ordered a completely reasonable amount of food.”

Finn smirked as a memory resurfaced. “Mmm. Completely reasonable in the way that Logan is a ‘completely reasonable player’?”

Logan gasped at that, looking offended. “Finn! Why do you remember that!”

Finn laughed openly as he dodged the sugar packet Logan threw at him. “How could I forget you beating up Leo on the streets of Montreal?”

Logan leaned back in his seat, arms crossed over his chest and a grumpy look on his face that only made Finn laugh more. “You still haven’t come to watch a game. You have no idea how totally reasonable I am.”

“Fair enough.” Finn acquiesced, still chuckling. He caught sight of a server walking toward them with a gigantic tray of food, and his eyes widened in alarm. “But if you and Leo have the same definition of reasonable, I’m thinking it’s going to be an interesting game.”

At that, Leo followed Finn’s gaze and let out a moan so obscene that Finn was sure he would be thinking about it for days. “Oh my god, you guys. Best. Day. Ever.”

Finn just grinned and prepared himself to feast.

---

Logan

Leo ordered too much food.

Despite joking about it while he ordered it, Logan had actually been surprised when their order was dropped at the table. Leo was usually so concerned about food waste, but there had hardly been room for their plates with everything the servers delivered. He knew they were definitely not going to be able to eat it all. He had almost teased him about it, but then Leo had taken his first bite of the jambalaya that he claimed to be ‘exactly like home’, and there was no way Logan was going to say anything that might take that look off of Leo’s face.

But now, after trying to eat as much of the excessive, and admittedly, phenomenal, food as he could, Logan was feeling very full, and very much less inclined to indulge Leo’s desires, which at the moment involved ‘sitting back and letting it digest’. Absolutely not. He needed to move.

It only took a few minutes of pleading to get them standing up, and Logan led them out of the restaurant and onto the street before flipping open the guidebook. “Ok, so Finn said there’s a lookout around here somewhere that we can walk up to. They don’t have it listed as a thing to do in here but I think this is a picture of it. It looks like it’s supposed to be more for watching the sunset, but I think it’ll still be cool to look down at the town, even though it’s already dark.”

Leo voiced his agreement from where he was leaning against the wall of the restaurant. “Let’s do it. Finn, do you know how to get to it?”

“Ummm,” Finn pulled out his phone. “I don’t remember exactly, but I know it’s a trail, not a road to get up there, and it starts closer to where we parked the car.”

“Ok cool,” Logan stomped his feet against the chillier evening air, “lets go to the car then, and we can pull up a map once we’re closer. We should start moving before we get cold.”

Leo pushed off the wall as Finn tucked his phone back into his pocket, and the three of them started moving back down the sidewalk- much more sluggish than they had been before dinner. They didn’t really fit three across, and Logan let Leo and Finn pull in front of him as they talked about the history of Cajun cooking. Logan wasn’t particularly interested in the topic—he couldn’t cook, like Leo could, and he wasn’t all that interested in history, like Finn was—so he let his mind wander as he fell into step behind them.

Seeing the two of them side by side reminded him of this morning, that weird moment outside of the bakery when he had felt, for a moment, as though he was interrupting something. Between them.

It was the way they had both looked vaguely flustered, Leo taking that step back, away from Finn, that had triggered his imagination. He had brushed it off almost immediately; he knew he was projecting, letting the old feelings for Leo that he had been pushing down for so long, and the new ones he was trying desperately to avoid for Finn, make him see things that weren’t there. They had clearly just switched hats, which explained it. It was ridiculous, really, and he knew that. But…

As he walked along behind the two other boys, Logan allowed himself to picture it, just for a moment. The idea of the two of them being together. He thought it would make him sad, but he was surprised to realize that it didn’t. That he liked imagining it.

At least, he liked it until he remembered that if the two of them had each other, there wouldn’t be a place for him anymore. The thought made his heart twist. Even though he knew he would never be able to have either one of them the way he really, truly wanted them, he loved having them like this. As friends.

It was funny, he thought to himself as he watched Leo and Finn chatting casually in front of him. He and Leo had gotten along well from the time they met, but they were definitely closer now. Something about Finn and his chaotic open-heartedness had made them more open too. And as a result, they had gotten closer not just with him, but with each other as well.  He would die before he would admit it, but he was glad Leo had dragged him up on that stage.

“Hello, earth to Tremzy?” Logan jolted himself out of his thoughts with a flush, realizing they had reached the car without him noticing.

“Sorry, I got distracted. What’s up?”

Finn was holding up his phone up with his usual cheerfulness, waiting for Logan to look at the map he had pulled up.

“Look, we found the trail head!”

He pointed off the side of the road, where they could just see the very top of a short sign sticking out of the snow. It was very clear that nobody else had gone up to the lookout that winter. The snow was deep and untouched.

“I’m thinking that maybe we could throw on our snow pants and give it a try? And if it turns out to be impossible, we’ll just turn around and roll back down.” Finn tilted his head at Logan and Leo, lips pulled up into an eager, hopeful smile. It was adorable. “What do you think?”

Logan couldn’t help but smile back. “Well, we brought snow pants, might as well get some good use out of them.”

---

Finn

Ten minutes later Finn could hear Logan cursing as he sank in the snow.

“Tabarnak! This is insane! Why am I in the front?? You both have longer legs than me, this snow is over my hips!” He complained.

“You’re Canadian, Tremz. I thought you would know how to handle snow.” Leo was focused on the ground in front of him, picking his way carefully through the trail Logan broke for them. “Plus,” he added thoughtfully, “this is the first time you’ve ever admitted to being short.”

Finn laughed as Logan whirled around with a glare, bending to grab a handful of snow. Leo ducked, laughing, as the snowball flew past his head.

“He’s got goalie reflexes Lo, you’re gonna have to do better than that!” Finn called up over the sounds of Leo’s bright laughter. Logan lifted a hand over his head to flip them off without turning around and they continued their trek up the hill.

By the time they reached the observation deck all three boys were panting.

“Oh my god, it’s hot.” Finn whined as he made his way over to the railing, pulling down his hood. He opened his mouth to say more, but his complaints stuck in his throat as the sight below them came into view.

“Whoa.” He breathed out the word.

He felt Leo and Logan lean against the railing next to him.

“It looks like a postcard.” Leo sounded as awed as Finn, and a quick glance at Logan showed he felt the same.

The town glowed softly below them, the warm light of the streetlamps sparkling prettily off the blanket of snow that covered every peaked roof. The lighthouse they had visited earlier that day was lit up, sending a beautiful reflection rippling through the waves of the never-ending blackness of the ocean in front of it. The moon was full, and the sky was clear, and Finn felt like they had just stepped into the fairy tale. He almost wanted to hold his breath.

The spell was broken when Leo took a step back from the railing to unwind his scarf. He looked apologetic as the other two turned to watch him. “I’m sorry guys, I’m just too hot.”

“You don’t have to apologize for being warm, Leo,” said Finn, smiling at him and taking the opportunity to look around the rest of the platform they stood on.

The observation deck was surrounded by the pristine sparkle of a fresh snowfall, and Finn suddenly had an idea. He trudged through the snow to the other side of the deck, hoisting himself up on to the railing as Logan and Leo looked on in confusion. “What are you doing?” Logan eyed him suspiciously. “I,” he grinned down at them, “am cooling off. And so are you. Come on!” He felt his smile widen as he watched the two boys look between him and the snow on the other side of the railing and connect the dots. To his surprise it was Leo who grinned and climbed up next to him first, looking back at Logan expectantly. “Absolutely not.” Logan shook his head from where he stood resolutely on the deck floor. “It’s gonna be cold.” “Come on Lo,” Finn pouted at him, “it’s not like we’re jumping in the ocean. It’s a snow pile. You have a winter clothes on. Get up here!” Leo joined in, eyes twinkling as he teased his stubborn teammate, “Come on Tremz. All your friends are about to jump off a cliff. Aren’t you gonna do it too?” Logan snorted. “The edge is on the other side of the deck. You’re going to jump ON to a cliff. And no. No, I’m not.”

“I remember saying something similarly ‘no’-like when I was being peer pressured into leaving my nice warm house yesterday.” Finn reminded him pointedly. “I’m sure you will recall how that worked out for me.” “I do.” Logan’s expression suddenly shifted into something more mischievous and his voice turned teasing. “And what made you give in, Finn?”

Finn felt his face go warm as Logan held his gaze. Was he…?

No. He was just trying to get him worked up. Leo had said Logan loved to push people’s buttons. Finn had seen Logan do it. But being on the receiving end of that look was sending a burning feeling straight down to Finn’s core, and he needed to change the subject before it became a much more noticeable problem. “I looked up the menu.” He blurted out. “They had cheese fries” Smooth. Idiot. Finn mentally facepalmed as he put on his best fake haughty expression and looked anywhere but at Logan for a moment as he reined himself in.

Thankfully, Leo came to the rescue, laughing at Finn before looking back at a now grumpy Logan, who was upset that his goading hadn’t worked. “Please Tremz?” He held out a hand, giving him a very exaggerated pout. “You know you want to jump with us.”

Logan looked back and forth between the two of them for a second before rolling his eyes and dropping his arms.

“Fine.” He sighed, resigned. “But if I get sick I’m telling coach both of you threw me in.”

Finn, calm now, beamed at Logan as he batted Leo’s hand away and climbed up on Finn’s other side. “That’s the spirit!”

“Shut up.”

But Finn could see the smile Logan was hiding now as he looked down at the untouched snow below them. “On the count of three?”

They looked between one another as Leo took the lead.

“One. Two. THREE!”

They jumped in sync, screeching as they cannonballed down into fluffy drifts.

Leo immediately scrambled to his feet, eyes sparkling with excitement as he looked down at Finn and Logan. “Again!”

Finn chuckled at that, rolling around to find his own leverage. “Alright then.”

---

The three boys spent the next hour of the evening concocting ever more complex dives into the deep snow. Finn was delighted to find that apparently when it came to snow, it was reasonable, level-headed Leo who was the instigator of the most ridiculous ideas. It was him who came up with the idea of catapulting one another off the railing, making a game of who could knock the snow from the highest branches.

After one final jump, which brought him absolutely nowhere near the record-holding branch, Finn let himself flop backward into the snow, tipping his head back and closing his eyes. “My entire body is exhausted.” He groaned. “How do you guys do this for a living?”

Leo and Logan joined him on the ground as Leo responded to him, amusement in his voice. “You really need to come and watch a game if you think this is what we do for a living.”

Finn just laughed. “I meant the exerting yourself part, not the jumping in the snow part. I’m not completely oblivious.”

“Mmhmm. Whatever you say, O’Hara.” Logan was smiling as he leaned back to join Finn looking up at the sky.

Leo laid down on Finn’s other side and the three of them stayed in comfortable silence for a few moments, catching their breath again.

Finn could see their faces in his periphery, the moonlight glowing on Logan’s tan skin, reflecting off of Leo’s golden curls. He felt peaceful, relaxed in their quiet company.

It was Leo who broke the silence, his quiet voice carrying through the late evening calm.

“I haven’t seen the stars like this since I was home.”

Logan leaned up on an elbow to look at him, on the other side of Finn. “Really?”

“Ya.” His voice was almost a whisper now, and Finn turned to look at him too, catching the wistful look in his eyes as he watched the sky. “You can see so many of them at home. I didn’t know I would miss them so much.”

“Knutty…” Logan made a move as though he wanted to reach out, but stopped himself, simply looking at Leo for a moment before lying back down instead. “I didn’t know.”

“I never told you.” Leo responded gently; his eyes still turned up.

Finn followed his gaze up to the glittering ceiling, so high above them. “I get why you would miss them. You never see anything like this in the cities. It’s beautiful.”

“It is.” He agreed, his smile sad.

But then his voice turned playful again, and he smirked as he sat up to look at Finn and Logan, flat on their backs next to him. “Too bad you have to freeze your ass off to see them here. Time to go!” He dug his hands down beside him, flicked handfuls of snow up at both of them, and was up and running to the car before either of them could register the shock of the cold sliding down their faces.

---

The drive back home that night was peaceful. Logan and Leo relaxed in their seats, listening to Finn singing quietly along to the radio as he drove. Logan had teased Finn for knowing all the lyrics to every song that came on (“it’s literally my job, Lo.”), but he had also been the one to ask him to keep singing as he dozed off against his window in the backseat. All three of them were pleasantly sleepy from the day spent out in the cold air.

When they arrived back in Gryffindor, Finn drove past downtown, where Leo’s hotel was, to drop off Logan first. When Logan questioned him about it, Finn simply replied, “You get picked up first, you get dropped off first. I don’t make the rules Lo, I just follow them.”

Logan seemed to be too tired to argue with that logic, so he just shrugged and carried on singing softly with Finn until they reached Dumo’s driveway.

“See you guys later.” He clapped their shoulders, looking tired but happy as he climbed out of the back seat. “Thanks for today, Finn. I had fun.”

“You’re welcome, Lo. Anytime.” Finn smiled at him.

“See you in the morning, Tremz.” Leo added, and the two of them watched as Logan walked up the front steps.

When Logan was safely inside, Finn started the short drive back to the hotel. Leo was still quiet, looking content with his head against the window, studying what little he could see of the stars now that they were back in the city.

Finn kept sneaking glances at him as he went over a plan in his head. He had a reason for dropping Logan off first- he wanted an opportunity to catch Leo alone. Had been waiting for it all day. But now that he had it, he was nervous, and before he knew it they were pulling up in front of the hotel.

“Thanks for today Finn, I had an incredible time.” Leo smiled sincerely at him and turned to open his door. Finn panicked then, not wanting him to leave, and practically screeched his name.

“Leo, wait!”

Leo jumped, eyes wide in confused surprise as he looked back at Finn.

Goddamn, those eyes. Finn had never seen eyes so blue. He had to look away to find his voice again.

“Uh. Sorry. I didn’t mean to yell that.”

“That’s fine, Harz. What’s up?”

Finn took a breath to steady himself and brought his gaze back up to meet Leo’s.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were living in hotels?”

Leo’s expression grew even more confused.

“I don’t know… I guess it never came up. It’s not a big deal, rookies do it all the time.”

Finn nodded. “Okay.”

“Okay…” Leo nodded too, waiting for Finn to speak again. When he didn’t, Leo turned to the door again. “Well, thanks again for today, I’ll –“

“You should come and live with me.” Finn blurted it out, and then held his breath as he waited to for a response. He hoped he hadn’t crossed a line. But it made him so sad to think of Leo, kind, sweet Leo, all alone in strange hotel rooms every night. Especially after tonight, after seeing how homesick he really was.

Leo��s eyebrows shot up, and he opened and closed his mouth several times before managing to stammer out, “I- what?”

Finn looked back down at the steering wheel, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. He spoke quickly, nervously. “Obviously you don’t have to do that. I don’t want you to feel like I’m pressuring you or anything, that’s definitely not my intention, I just- I mean, I have the space, you know that… and just, the idea of you not having a place that you can call home right now…” He paused for a moment. “I don’t know. I don’t want you to have to experience that. Not when I can help.”

He kept his gaze focused on the steering wheel, the stitching of it suddenly very interesting.

“Finn,” said Leo softly. Finn swallowed once and forced himself to look back up at the younger boy. There was an odd look on his face. Finn hoped it wasn’t a bad sign. “Thank you, for offering.”

Finn nodded, swallowing again even though his mouth felt desert dry.

Leo looked out the window, up at the façade of the Hogwarts Hotel, thoughtful. Finn would have given anything at that moment to know what he was thinking. Leo and his stupid goalie face.

After a moment, he turned back to him. “Are you serious?”

Finn nodded quickly, his confidence starting to return when Leo didn’t laugh at him. “Of course. I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it. But I’m also serious when I say I won’t be offended if you’re not interested. I know sometimes people don’t like sharing a space.”

Leo let out a breath through his nose and chewed his lip as he considered Finn for a few more moments.

“I think I would like that.” He said, his features softening as he started to smile.

“Really?” Finn was pleasantly surprised. “You would?”

Leo laughed. “I would.”

“Sweet! Ok. Tell me which room you want and I’ll make sure it’s all cleared out for you. Whenever you want to come. You could literally come tomorrow. I have nothing scheduled in those rooms”

Leo leaned back against the seat, shaking his head fondly at Finn’s trademark earnestness. “I’m booked in here until the end of the week. I was supposed to move to another hotel on Friday. Is that too early?”

“No! That’s perfect.”

“Well. Alright then. I guess I’ll be there on Friday.”

“Cool.”

“Cool.” They smiled at each other awkwardly for a second, and Leo burst into laughter.

“Okay, now its weird. Goodnight Finn.” He stepped out of the car.

“Goodnight, Leo.”

Finn couldn’t stop grinning the whole way home.

[magalidragon]

#4 or #5 for romantic one liners please and thank you 🤗

HOW ABOUT BOTH!? 🥰😭🤗 And even better how about both in the silent shadows universe!? AND WHAT IF I MAKE IT ANGSTY!?!?! (Moodboard to follow)

Sooooooo sorry it took me an age. 😭 I hope you like it even if if gave me perverse pleasure to torture the beans a bit.

Romantic One Liner Prompts

4. “Not to sound cheesy but your smile really lights up the room.”

5. “I cannot find the words to describe how I feel about you.”

Shadow watched her warily from his position on her bed, head on his paws, and his tail shoved underneath his back legs, eyes darting occasionally between her pacing form and Drogon sitting atop her dresser, hissing at him every few minutes.  He was vibrating, nervous and keying in on her emotions, which were pouring off of her with every second.

Her frustration levels had exploded in one godsawful fight and she'd hightailed it out of Jon's house and to her apartment, not wanting to deal with him for another second longer.  It wasn't her fault, she kept telling herself, speeding away from his house, skidding snow and melt, and exploding into her apartment at full steam, shouting how annoying he was, how much she was sick of his behaviors.

"I owe it to myself," she said to Shadow, passing by him again.  Her fingers clenched into her palms, nails digging deep.  "I mean, I'm the one who is going through all this stuff physically, right?  The least he could do is just..." She growled.  He was still holding back.  He was still refusing to speak to her, keeping his emotions close to the vest, but they had moved beyond that.  Or so she thought.

Instead of talking to her, instead of at the very least telling her he wasn't thinking the same, he'd shut down, he'd withdrawn into himself, and he had been spending most of his nights on "observation calls" with the wolves, deep in the forest, and not in their bed.  "He has to stop doing that," she told Shadow.

She scrubbed her fingers over her face, exhausted, and sank into a chair in the corner.  Her stomach hurt, her head hurt, and she ached every which way.  It was the bloody hormones.  The little notebook at her side, resting innocently on the end table, mocked her with its check marks and color-coding.  Next week was their first egg retrieval and he'd give his sample.  They were flying out to Essos in a couple days.

Or rather, they were planning on it.

Right now she had no bloody idea what was happening.

Leaning over her knees, she pressed her face into her palms, thinking back over the argument.  It was so stupid.  It was just over dinner.  Dinner, of all bloody things!

He'd come home, to find her making them grilled cheese sandwiches, because there was nothing in the fridge and she thought he was getting something.  He had texted her before leaving the sanctuary that he thought she was getting stuff.  Annoyed, she snapped she'd just make something.

He tapped her shoulder when he came into the kitchen, even though she heard him and had ignored him.  He picked up one of the slices of grilled cheese and smirked at her, biting into it and then signing.  "Not to sound cheesy, but your smile really lights up the room."

She had been smiling, but not at him.  More so at Ghost ,who was in the other room with Shadow, wisely sensing the tension.  Jon laughed at his own joke, but she was not amused.  She signed, angry.  "You were supposed to get dinner."

"I thought that was you, I was busy."

"Busy?  You're the busy one?  You've been sleeping in the forest for the last week!"

He shrugged, continuing to eat.  "Aye, it's breeding season, lots to observe."

"Breeding season?"  She shouted now, slamming her hands on her stomach, which had puffed out because of the hormones.  He flinched, not looking at her.  She grabbed his face, jerking his eyes towards her lips so he could read them-- he wasn't getting out of it that easy.  "Yeah it's breeding season Jon!  We're going to Essos next week for the IVF and you've been hiding from me, not listening to me, and now you're making jokes like it's all fun and games?"

They hadn't even talked about the IVF.

That would require them to be in the same house at the same time.

So basically, he was avoiding her.

And she had been avoiding him, because he had been avoiding her.

His lips twitched, his eyes shuttering, and she lunged for him, but he was already turning away.  "Don't you do that!" she shouted, although it was pointless, because he was already walking away from her.  She grabbed his arm, jerking him around, furiously signing.  "Don't you run away from me Jon!"  Tears stung the corners of her eyes.  "We have to talk about this!  I decided to do this with you because...because I was ready but if you are changing your mind..."  It had been three months since he ran into that hospital corridor, proclaiming his love and throwing himself at the mercy of her love, saying he wanted to be with her, he wanted a baby with her too, he was ready.

And now he was changing his mind, basically, or that's what it seemed to her.

He shook his arm free.  "I'm not changing my mind!  I've been busy!"

"Oh you're busy?  Well so am I!  Busy trying to figure out if I even want this baby with you now!"  It came out before she realized it and she saw his face, the ashen color, and she hesitated.  "Jon I didn't..."

He shook his head, sneering, and spoke, voice thick.  "You feel that?  You...I told you....I'm not..."  He scrambled for the words and signed, his face a twist of pain and anger.  "I told you!"

Told me what?  She was so mad at him, she signed again.  "I'm not staying here tonight."

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

Shadow was out the door with her before she knew what was happening, and now here she was, lost and confused, and frustrated.  Upset.  Hurt.  She blinked away tears, tucking her feet under her in the chair, sniffling back sobs.  It was too late in Essos to call Missandei or Rhaegar.  There was always Arya, but when it came to matters of Jon Snow vs. Daenerys Targaryen, as close as she was to Arya, she did tend towards siding with Jon.  Since it was about...whatever it was about, she probably would stay out of it entirely.

There was Shadow, but as he was deaf, he couldn't' even hear her voice.  He hopped off the bed, however and rested his chin on her knee, dolefully staring up at her.  She scratched his head, whispering.  "You're a good boy."

This was supposed to be different now.

Jon and her had different priorities in life, they'd realigned those.  He'd gone to therapy-- was still going actually-- resulting in him being more open with her, more accepting.  He still struggled, she understood that, she sympathized and she felt it deeply, but gods....he had to realize at this point in their relationship, she was there for him!

"He can talk to me," she mumbled, closing her eyes.

But what if he couldn't?

Her eyes opened and she blinked a few times, her heart hurting so badly it was bleeding everywhere.  She missed him.

If he couldn't talk to her, then why?  Was it about the baby?  Was she pressuring ihm?  She frowned, looking over her behavior, but then she shook her head, growling.  No!  It wasn't her!  She had been more than open with him, more than understanding, and sometimes that was what drove her so crazy with the man.  She had bent over backwards for him.

But she'd been passive aggressive the last week.

She'd been ignoring him too.

She took a deep breath and picked up her phone from the end table, staring at the screen.  There were several texts from him.

Can we talk?

I'm sorry.

I don't want to do this over the phone.

I'm coming over.

You don't get to ignore me.

You've been ignoring me too.

Dany?

What the fuck.  talk to me.

Fine.

Whatever that last one meant, she wasn't going to try to figure it out.  She opened up the messages and sent him back a response.

I'm here.  I'm not ignoring you.

She paused and took a deep breath, typing fast:  I don't understand what is going on.  Talk to me Jon.  If you don't then I guess I know where I stand in the scheme of things.  She closed her eyes and hit send, following up quickly with:  I love you.

The instant she pressed send, her door rattled, keys jangling in the lock.  Shadow didn't react, obviously, but the dragons did, Drogon and Rhaegal springing up and running to the door to see who had arrived.  At their departure, Shadow turned and barked, taking a sniff and eyes widening when he caught Ghost and Jon's scents, rutning and greeting them.

She remained in her chair, waiting for him to enter.  He did, a few seconds later, and he looked miserable.  His eyes were sunken, his hands shoved in his pockets.  He wasn't wearing a coat, the flannel shirt hanging off his shoulders loosely, his frame appearing thin to her.  She hadn't noticed, but he did look like he'd lost some weight recently.  He stared over at her and she waited, continuing to keep her hands still, although they itched to begin speaking.

"I cannot find the words to describe how I feel about you," he spoke.

Each time he spoke, stretching his vocal cords to their limits, his heart racing nervously because he could not tell what he was actually saying, the pitch and the volume, her pulse quickened, because it was his true voice, and he was vulnerable when he did it, his heart out in the open, offered for the trampling.

It made her melt, it was her favorite sound in the world, expect maybe his laugh.

It meant things were important, when he spoke to her like that.

She didn't move, her muscles locked, gaze intense on him.  He continued, stuttering.  "I...you make me..." He clenched his fist and pressed to his chest.  "Hurt.  Here."  He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.  "I...scared.  Scared of it...so real now.  All real.  I...forget.  Forget because I feel so much."

The vision of him before her wavered, tears filling her eyes, unshed.  She knew what he was talking about.  He loved her so much it overwhelmed him, it scared him, and he reverted back to the easy thing.  To the forest, to his wolves.  She lifted her fingers, folding them into the words.  "You cannot do that anymore  You cannot run from me."

He nodded.  "I know."

"I love you so much Jon Snow.  We are in this together.  Both of us.  it has to be both of us."

He pushed from the door and walked over to her, kneeling in front of her and covered her hand with his.  She could see the pain etched in the lines therading from his eyes and around his lips.  "I want a baby.  With you.  Only you."  He hesitated and she struggled to understand, the emotion so thick in his words he was almost unintelligible.  "I am scared.  No going back.  I forget you...you want me."

Her hands went to his face, cupping it in her palms, and she spoke, crystal clear so he could read her lips.  "I want you more than anything in this world Jon Snow.  I love you and I want this baby with you."  She hesitated and continued.  "I am sorry I ran off tonight, but you make me...I can't read your mind and I don't deserve it when you push me away.  Again."  And again and again.

He nodded quickly.  "I know.  I'm so sorry.  I just..."  He shrugged, helpless.  "My whole life.  NO one...wanted...me."

It killed her, that he had been so locked away after his accident.  No one saw him as anything but that deaf boy, shuttered in the attic, locked in his silent world, just his wolves.  And her.

"I want you," she signed.  She smiled.  "All of you."

"i know."

"Then stop closing me away Jon."  She bit her lower lip, shrugging sadly.  "Because I cannot risk the pain of what is going to happen to us if we aren't in it together."

He nodded, but she didn't think he quite understood.  He seemed so certain that this would work.  They would fly to Essos, they'd go through the procedure, and a few weeks later they would have a baby, but she knew better than to be so hopeful, so certain.  She was cautious about it.  It was the only way to protect herself.

Just like running away was his.

She brushed his hair back behind his ear, curling it around her finger, speaking out loud again.  "I'm sorry I ran away too.  We can't do that."

"No, we can't," he signed, agreeing.

They would figure it out.  She fell into his arms, both of htem sinking to the floor, embracing tight.  He kissed her neck, face buried in her hair and she did the same to him, swaying lightly in his arms.  She loved him so much it hurt.  It would always hurt.  The good kind, she thought.  She pulled her face away and stared at him, his pain and fear still evident in the furrow of his brow and the pressed line of his lips.  She touched her fingertip to them, shaking her head.  "You will be a good father Jon.  I want this with you.  Only you."

It had been easy in the beginning, to say that she would do the donor sperm, because she wanted this baby.  Now she couldn't think of anyone else as the father of her child.  Not some nameless entity in a test tube.  It had to be Jon and only Jon.

He kissed her gently.  His hand came up, signing.  "I only want this with you too."

They kissed, deeper this time, the emotions surging inside of them, the hormones raging in her.  It had been weeks; she'd been so scared of potentially messing something up and they had a stopping point.  Mel told her they needed to refrain from anything a week before, part of the protocols.  She hadn't had to worry about it the last time, since she'd been doing it on her own, but now she needed him desperately, especially if it was going to be the last time for a week.

He lifted her up from the floor, easily carrying her over to the bed and depositing her on it, breaking away from their furious kisses long enough to shut the door on a nosy Shadow and Viserion, who were trying to sneak back in.  She giggled, reaching up for him and leaning back, head lightly hitting her pillows and traced his cheek, scratching at his bristly beard.  He smiled gently.  "I love you so much," she said.

"I love you."  He rose over her, touching his nose against hers, breathing deep.  His hands found hers and squeezed, stretching them up over her head, his lips brushing down her cheeks, to her chin and began tracking down, letting go of her to begin plucking at her clothing, while she remained in place, hands up over her head, eyes fluttering shut.

A few hours later, she tapped his heart, lifting up to rest her chin on his chest, peering up at his face, which was tilted up to the ceiling, watching the moonlight play shadows through the open window.  She took a deep breath and sighed.  "Jon," she said.

He didn't move and she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, speaking out loud, to nothing really.  "Jon I need you to do this with me.  I can't do it alone.  We're in this together.  You and me.  No more running away and I won't either.  We're making a baby together.  We're going to be parents.  I love you more than anything, but if this keeps up, I can't do this.  It isn't fair to either of us.  I know you can't hear me, but I want you to know, and I hope you can understand."

There, she said it.

She lifted up a little farther, looking down at him.  His eyes flicked open, a smile lazily pulling over his lips. He turned a little closer to her, and his voice was raspy, breaking when he spoke. "You are awake?"

She smiled and nodded.  He smiled again and fumbled some signs.  "Do you want to go see some pups?"

Eyebrows lifting, she shrugged and let him pull her from the bed.  They dressed and he drove her, Shadow, and Ghost out to the sanctuary and they rumbled through, coming to a stop before one of the gates.  He opened it and they started walking in the darkness.  He was oblivious to the creepy crunching of their feet on dry leaves, the occasional hoot of an owl, and even fainter, howling from a wolf in the distance.

Ghost and Shadow moved with the darkness, flashing here and there in the trees, like their namesakes, and she held Jon's hand as he led her through the brush, until they came upon a huge oak tree with a marker on it.  He crouched and picked up a flashlight, flicking it on and handing it to her.  He crept a little closer and got down on his stomach, waiting a few moments.  The brush rustled and she held her breath, a massive gray wolf appearing, focusing on him.

He stared at the wolf and after a moment, the wolf's tail wagged and he approached, licking Jon's hand and bowing his head in deference.  Jon stood and went with the wolf and a few others from the pack who came out.  He disappeared and a few moments later, he emerged holding a wiggling bundle.  She stood and carefully approached.  The wolves stared at her, obviously nervous at the interloper, but not moving because their alpha was trusting her.

Jon passed the bundle to her and she smiled, holding the warm creature, squeaking and wiggling in her arms.  It was still so small, these majestic creatures large enough to take down grown men and jaws as strong as steel, and yet here in her arms was this helpless little creation, fine downy fur a thin layer over its short limbs, ears barely flipped over, and eyes still shut.  She took a quick glance and noted the pup was female, wiggling into her, nuzzling and searching for her mother, crying out and eventually settling when she grew tired.

She stroked the little pup, eyes closed, and Jon took her back a few seconds later, returning her to her mother.  A few minutes of checking on them, bringing out another-- this one a little brown and gray one with a curled tail and one eye half open-- to nuzzle against her, they said their goodbyes to the pack, who appeared relieved to see them go.

It was magical, she thought, walking back with Jon to the car.

She stopped in her tracks at one point, letting go of his hand.

He turned, frowning.  "Okay?" he asked.

She took a deep breath, signing, the moonlight bright enough for him to see.  "I told you earlier, but you...I didn't want you to hear me."  He stiffened, knowing that meant she was talking to him.  She hated doing it, but she wanted him to know.  "We have to be strong Jon.  We can't run away.  I'm serious.  If this keeps up...." She trailed off and sobbed, letting it linger.  SHe didn't want to say it.

He tilted her face up to his, thumb brushing her chin.  He nodded.  "I know."

"I love you," she whispered.

He wrapped his arms tight around her, squeezing, and said nothing, but she knew.  She exhaled, relieved.  It was just a bump, she told herself, just their constant struggling.  They had to work on it.  It wasn't supposed to be easy.

They had the rest of their lives to look forward to, she thought, letting go of him so they could walk back to the car.  She squeezed his hand tight.  They were going to be parents.  That would be the hardest thing, this was just a blip.  Just a little shadow.

They would be fine.  They were having a baby after all.

Just another month and they'd know.

Jon lifted her hand to his, kissing her knuckles, and she smiled, leaning against him and closed her eyes, walking back towards the car, feeling hopeful.

[catchmewiddershins]

Haikyuu Hugs pt 2:

AOBA JOHSAI:

Oikawa Tooru: 

Really affectionate and clingy, will beg you for hugs with NO. SHAME.

He’s definitely a running fingers through hair and burying his face in your clothes, hair, back, shoulders etc kind of guy

So many little kisses!

He’s the sort of hugger who picks you up; he either lifts you so that you can wrap your legs around his waist or he’ll place you on a table or countertop, especially if you’re a lot shorter than him, just so you can be at equal level

Also likes to rest his chin on top of your head and hug you from behind while you’re working or doing something else (washing up, cooking, etc)

Might grab your butt if he’s feeling particularly teasing, but definitely won’t if the hug is just so you can hold each other

Likes to do fairy kisses (idk what they’re called, this is just what my family calls them) when he flutters his eyelashes against your cheek, it makes you both giggle

Will fall asleep while laying across your stomach

Likes to hug you when wearing an enormous fluffy dressing gown, he’ll wrap you in it and snuggle

Has leapt into your arms at some point for a hug... you dropped him. He’s not going to stop trying though!

Lightheartedness aside, he knows to come to you for cuddles or hugs when he’s feeling down, you’ve often had hug sessions when he feels inadequate as a setter, or if he’s feeling insecure

Pouts when he wants hugs

Iwaizumi Hajime:

Wraps you in his big, muscley arms (the dream of many of us, I’m sure)

This man is SUCH a secure hugger, it’s amazing, he just folds you into his embrace and you never want to let go

Warm hugs and tight hugs, like a comfy straight jacket

He always knows when you want to let go... it is rare that you want to

The kind of hug that’s like instant stress relief, side effects include:

Falling asleep

Dozing

Relaxing all of the muscles you didn’t know were tensed

Bursting into tears because you’re actually really stressed or worried and the hug was just the trigger for you to let it all out

He likes to give you massages, all you have to do is curl up on the sofa with him to watch television or read or anything and he’ll lean against the side, place you in front on him, all stretched out across the length of the cushions, and just massage your back, neck and shoulders (you don’t know what you’d do without him)

His hugs are so warm that you just hug him as a replacement for a jumper or hot water bottle... sometimes you just don’t turn the heating on. Really. His skin is a radiator!

Unconscious squeezes

Squeezes in general, he’ll squeeze your waist or shoulder walking past, pull you to his side and give you a squeeze, sit with you and just give you a quick squeeze, it’s adorable

You know he wants a hug because he gets slightly clingy but won’t admit it to your face

Sometimes huffs playfully or teases you when hugging you, you know he loves you though

(Seriously though this boy’s muscles are perfect huggers)

Matsukawa Issei:

Tall boy hugs (I mean, depending on what you think is tall - he’s 6′2″ that is enormous to me)

This guy actually really likes jokes so you bet he’ll hug you and then absolutely WREAK the atmosphere by whispering the cheesiest jokes into your ears

You: Yay warm hug time! ~ Mattsun: what does a cheese say when it looks in the mirror? Halloumi!

Easygoing hugs, pretty casual... he uses you as an armrest at random moments

He likes to hug you from behind as well, sneaking up and putting his head on yours, long arms draped over your shoulders

Likes to tell you about all of the stupid stuff Oikawa did throughout the day while you snuggle

Back of the neck kisser 

Hanamaki Takahiro:

If you compliment his hugs, he will either awkwardly blush and go weird or be super cool and suave but be dying inside... no in-betweens

He’s a lot calmer than his fellow teammates and so, if you’re really tired and stressed, he is definitely the go-to person to hug

He will stand there and hold you for a while, perfectly still, so you can listen to his heartbeat

Has a habit of sitting on tables, he’ll lift himself onto one and ask you sit with him and then he’ll pull you to his side and urge you to tell him about your day

Lukewarm hugs... not cold but not warm either... if tepid water was a hug

He likes it if you kiss the top of his head

Yahaba Shigeru:

This may seems surprising to some, but Yahaba is BIG on PDA

He loves to show you, and your relationship, off to others, be it teammates, other teams or even random strangers

How does he do this you ask? He’ll walk up to you (literally even mid-conversation) and hug you. Not a casual sidelean, not a sweet little waist or shoulder squeeze, no no, the WHOLE NINE YARDS! One moment you’re talking to a friend and the next thing you know, he’s behind you, yanking you to his chest and squeezing the life out of you

Sometimes, if he’s being clingy, he’ll turn you around so you’re facing him

He would turn you around more but you told him not to because it’s rude if you’re talking to someone

You two always walk with an arm around each other’s waist

When it’s just the two of you, he’s a lot calmer, very much into forehead kisses while hugging you, your hands resting lightly on his chest

He actually really likes it when you fiddle with his hair, you tend to twist that curl at the front around your fingers

If you’re ever down on yourself, he snaps and forcefully grabs you into the tightest and most aggressively loving hug of your LIFE

Watari Shinji:

Watari is very gentle and encouraging, and that shows through his hugs

As a libero he’s very perceptive, learning exactly where the ball is going to go and having to devise how to receive it

Therefore, that skill bled into his relationships, and he can tell immediately when something has you upset or worried

His solution? Cuddles!

The two of you like to cuddle sitting down, leaning against each other, you sitting on his lap, blankets, stretched out over one another, everything

He has a habit of tapping out little rhythms on whatever body part of yours is closest to him

Face nuzzles

You like patting his head because his hair is fun to touch

But really, if he sees you’re sad, he’ll take your hand and gently lead you somewhere, sitting you down and just pulling you into a warm embrace where you eventually spill everything that’s bothering you

Sometimes his perceptiveness is unnerving, it seems he knows how you feel before you do (happened to me today... weird experience) but that just means that the two of you love away those nasty feelings before they even take root

Kyoutani Kentarou:

MAD DOG! TIGHT HUGS!

I do sort of think that he can give soft hugs too but they are special, you know... reserved for mental breakdowns

He’s pretty aggressive but he’s DEFINITELY not a bad person - he will hug you if you want it!

His hugs, as aforementioned, are tight! as! his steely arm muscles! 

He will drag you to him and crush you against his chest, you both just squeeze each other like your lives depend on it

He is especially like that after matches, you run over to congratulate him and he just grabs you, hugs you and then throws you into the air

When you’re together, he is softer

You fiddle with each other’s fingers and he often crosses his legs before plonking you in his lap and possessively curling around you, arms circling your waist and squeezing, chin in the crook between your neck and collarbone

Sometimes he likes to smother you with kisses while holding your back to his chest... just *kisskisskisskiss* at the speed of light, crook of neck, elbow, head, face, stomach just aggressive fast kisses and you love it because it tickles and he always blushes a lot after doing it

If you ask for a hug he might make a sort of growly huff noise and ‘reluctantly’ side hug you (he loves it really) 

He likes to completely relax and flop over the sofa, taking up the entire length with his feet dangling off of the end and let you lie on top, falling asleep to the rumble of his chest while he strokes your hair and watches TV

Kindaichi Yuutarou: 

Kindaichi the sweetheart is very soft and so are his hugs

He is also a tall boy, a very tall boy, so you often just hug while facing each other

He likes to pat your head, back or hands gently while hugging you

Sometimes he says little sweet things so you’ll be hugging and he’ll just say quietly that you look very nice that day and then blush extremely hard

He rests his head in your lap while you’re doing something and he’s lying down

When he does this, you like to squish his hair flat to see how it looks, he doesn’t understand that he looks like an onion

He gives very warm hugs too, very good very nice

Sometimes he hunches over to bury his face in your shoulder, he does this for two reasons

It’s either because he loves how you smell and just loves how comfy your shoulders are

The other option is that he’s beating himself up over what happened between him and Kageyama, thinking that, since Hinata is able to hit the ‘king’s toss’ that it wasn’t Kageyama’s fault for being too demanding but his for just being a useless player

Your hugs always cheer him up when he feels like that

The reverse is also very possible, feel sad? Hug Kindaichi, you’ll cheer up!

You two are definitely snugglers and pyjama people, lots of late night movies that end in falling asleep on each other

Kunimi Akira:

So Kunimi is lean and therefore pretty skinny

That in no way means that he isn’t a good hugger

You two don’t hug that often and definitely not around other people

He is the ✨epitome✨ of lazy hugs, think of him like a boneless rubber chicken, he just droops onto you, arms dangling and long legs and torso melting onto you, whatever position you’re in (usually hunched over working)

He also is the master the casual arm sling around your hips, and the elbow on head

When you two actually hug properly, standing, he doesn’t pull you in or have his arms tight, he just has his fingers loosely interlocked, hands resting just above your butt while your have your arms looped around his neck, his head in your hair

Falls asleep on you a lot, you’ll be leaning on each other and, next thing you know, he’s dropped right off to sleep 

Soft snores 🥺

He nuzzles into your stomach unconsciously while he’s sleeping

Literally any time he’s tired, he’ll trudge over to you and lay his head on yours, sighing

BONUS:

Idk why I put him with Seijoh but I can’t be bothered to write for his entire team

Hyakuzawa Yuudai: 

VERY VERY VERY TALL BOY! VERY TALL! VERY! I JUST ABOUT COME UP TO THIS MAN’S STERNUM!

So his height makes him an optimal hugger, you can take so much comfort in the safety he makes you feel

And guess what? He’s also a very sweet guy so EXTRA SPECIAL

I honestly love him, he’s very soft-spoken and calm, he likes to whisper little endearments to you while you hug

His favourite thing is when you stand on a stool, chair or table in order to be at equal height (or near enough) with him so you can look into each other’s eyes when you hug

He sometimes just picks you up instead

He’s also very respectful and polite so you better believe that he always makes sure that you’ve had a good day and hugs you in whatever way you need

If you’re sitting down, he just w r a p s his very long legs around you and you sit in his lap, reading, watching something, drawing, playing a game or whatever, his arms are around you and in front so you can do things together