#and as jackie picked up on it more and more she began to freak out more and more

[arolesbianism]

I've been thinking more abt raccoon universe Olivia again and I love her sm she's so fun imagine if your wife plagiarized years of your work and then cut you out of her life with no warning and then had the audacity to invite you to work at the company she founded on the basis of the very work she stole from you. Id have considered murder Way sooner than she did Jackie is lucky Olivia went with the thinly veiled threats route for several years before finally getting a bit bloodthirsty

[nyasbae]

emergency management

pairings: misty quigley x fem!reader

summary: after the planecrash ___ gets seriously injured and misty is ready to take care of her.

warnings: planecrash, duh!🤣 blindness, mentions of gore.

a/n: misty is lowkey my fav..

masterlist link

There was a sensation at your fingertips, a ringing in your ears and a darkness before your eyes. You blinked twice, attempting to regain your sight before even realizing what you was doing. The darkness had completely overcome you, and upon realizing that, you freaked the fuck out. You knew that you only had four senses left to work with; taste, touch, smell and sound. “___! Where are you!” You heard someone say. You could not talk, you couldn’t even move. Your efforts to make yourself known were futile as your body stayed still, paralyzed. Oh god, you thought. Is this how I’m gonna die? Just as you began to drown in your own thoughts, you heard the voice again.

“Where the fuck are you!” She screamed, desperate to find you. You recognized that voice, it was Misty.

“Mis-“ you managed to let out, leaving you immediately breathless. She didn’t hear me, you realized. And the thought of dying alone, paralyzed creeped up on you again. Now you were desperate. Adrenaline flowing through your veins, giving you strength. You gathered your remaining courage and managed to move your arm slightly, hoping for something, anything that would result in some kind of noise. Fortunately, luck was in your favor; your fingers ran through the autumn leaves on the ground, causing a rustling sound. It was quiet, so quiet that you had to stop your breathing for a second to hear it. But it was enough.

You heard the footsteps getting closer and you realized – you were saved. Misty was your savior.

Suddenly, you felt her hands on your shoulder, holding your head under her hands. Despite her hands being cold, your irrotational mind made her sound like a living heater, and you couldn’t help but lean into her touch. You unconsciously nuzzled your head into her forearms. Misty was unsure of what to do for a second, blood rushing to her cheeks as she blushed heavily. She didn’t know if you’d noticed or not. She scanned your frantic eyes that were looking anywhere but in her direction. She figured something was wrong with your eyesight, but that was a problem for another time.

She observed your situation; you half your body was stuck under a fallen tree and the rest must’ve been falling damage. “Holy macaroni, I gotta get help! Stay here!–“ she said, running over to the others.

“Guys, I found ___! She’s seriously hurt! Lottie, Nat, Taissa! Come with me!” She picked the strongest ones so they’d be able to carry you. They shared a few worried glances before heading over.

“Mist– please..” you muttered, the words coming out slurred. “Don’t worry, ___! I’m here and I brought help!” Misty assured you. In this instance, you had never been more thankful for her overly helpful or clingy personality. You felt cold and all you wanted was for someone to tell you that it was gonna be okay, to reassure you. And Misty never failed at that. She had brought a few tools in her backpack, including the axe she’d used to cut off coach ben’s foot. She was worried that she would have to amputate your leg as well. Nevertheless your entire downer body it was stuck under the tree.

The four of them eventually managed to lift the tree and get it off you, letting out sighs of relief as they saw no squished body parts. You did have some bruises and probably a few broken limps, but that was seemingly it. Misty couldn’t distinguish the relief she felt when she discovered she didn’t have to cut of any body parts. But there it was again..

“I can’t see! I can’t fucking see!” You yelled.

You had been laid closest to the campfire, positioned randomly between Jackie and Nat. After realizing something might’ve been wrong with your eyes, Misty got her flashlight to check your visual acuity. As expected, your eye sight was entirely gone. She figured there was something wrong with the optic nerve. She gathered the others and told them about her discovery, and they decided against telling you for now. They looked at your unconscious figure, taking in your unsteady breathing, knotted eyebrows, and dried tear stains. Shauna had this theory that too much tragic news in such a short time period could kill you and (although it was probably bullshit) neither of them wanted to tell you.

“We’ll just tell her it’s temporary or something.. just let her get used to it before we break it to her.” Jackie said, staring down at you. The two of you had been pretty close before the accident, and it pained her heart to see you like this. She needed you hear, mentally. Although she did have Shauna, she began to think she wouldn’t be her biggest ally going forward. “Yeah, if we even survive more than two days out here.” Natalie scoffed. Jackie turned to face her with a frown but she was already looking at the campfire, unbothered by her reaction.

Suddenly, a loud gasp shot everyone awake, followed by your heavy breathing and pained whimpers. Hour hands reached out desperately for something, or someone to hold. The sound of your teammates talking quoted and all you could hear was the fire sizzling. Before you knew it, Misty was crouched down beside you. “It’s okay, you’re okay!” She assured, brushing a strand of hair out of your sweaty face. The others looked at her for a second; they hadn’t seen her act like this around the coach, or any of the others. She seemed so incredibly desperate to assure you, give you some kind of comfort.

“Where- where am I?” You exhaled. No answer.

She rested her palm upon your forehead to feel your temperature, a worried expression replacing the excitement she had felt at your awakening. “She’s burning up! Quick, get me some blankets or something!” She instructed and the others hurried to find something to keep you warm. They didn’t question her commands, she knew what she was doing. You huffed. It unsettled you slightly how she kept talking about you as if you weren’t there, especially not that you couldn’t see; it made you feel like some sick dog.

“Misty, I’m right here.. what happened?” You asked her. You attempted to sit up straight, but she pushed u back gently. “You should stay still for a bit – you broke a few bones here and there, but you’re gonna be okay.” She said. The others came with a few blankets and placed them over your cold, shivering body. Misty gave them a nasty glare, saying how this didn’t place it properly. She wrapped the layered blankets more securely around your body.

It eventually got dark, and everyone started preparing mattresses to sleep on. Misty stared at the night sky, the starts shining through the thick threes. She wished so badly that you could see it and share this moment with her. The fire was still burning, but she figured it was only a few minutes until it burned out. You couldn’t sleep, laying awake with your eyes open, hoping that suddenly your sight would come back. You had realized on your own that there was something wrong with your eyes, and judging by the silence whenever you’d ask about it, it was bad.

But now, you were starting to feel scared. All you could see was pitch black and now all you heard was animal sounds in the background. Without thinking it over, you called out for the girl.

“Misty?” She immediately looked at you again, “Yeah? What’s wrong?” She whispered. “Could you..” you muttered. You suddenly realized how pathetic you sounded. Fuck it, you thought. “Could you hold me?” You finally said. You were glad you couldn’t see, scared of what her face would be like at your sudden request. But she understood. “Of course.” Was all she said before carefully placing herself beside you.

She moved her arm around you and suddenly you felt so safe, comforted. The gesture was so small, yet you had been so touch starved. Your body stiffened at her touch at first, but warmed up to it quickly. You felt her curls against the side of your face, along with her forehead resting on your shoulder. You slowly fell asleep, forgetting all about what happened…

The girl lay awake for awhile, watching you. Just hours before this she was a complete loser. But now she felt like she had everything. She had always had a bit of a crush on you but always brushed it off as she figured you were too good for her. Everybody was not just happy, but grateful for her presence. It felt amazing, euphoric almost. She didn’t ever want to go back to reality, she needed to make sure nobody came to save you guys.

In her mind, the team could develop some kind of society here; a judge-free, high-school-free place. A whole new world where the two of you could be together, surrounded by your friends. Little did she know how things would turn out.

[equallyshaw]

the medicated series: jame drysdale.

Warnings: swearing, diagnosis of health condition.

Word Count: 3.0k +

The Medicated Series: features OC's with medical issues such as depression, anxiety, physical disabilities such as MS or Rheumatoid Arthritis as well as any other autoimmune disease such as Crohn's, endometriosis, infertility, etc. (not an autoimmune but you get it).

brief character description: brunette almost black hair, brown eyed, 21 year old college student and younger sister of erik johnson.

Medical Condition: Multiple Sclerrosis. (Link to Mayo Clinic for info)

Also in the Medicated Series Universe:

Cale Makar.

S/out: @cellythefloshie for helping me pick who I should write with! Appreciate ya :)

Also s/out: @fallinallincurls for the love and constant support with this universe 🥹

← epilogue - part two →

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It had been a long road trip for Sofia Johnson, the younger sister of erik johnson. She had spent the week alone in Jamie's house that he shared with Trevor just because she didn't want to go back to the dorms. Simply putting, she couldn't. Sofia had barely been able to get in and out of bed to use the washroom which was ten feet from her side of the bed. She felt sick, she felt like nothing she did was helping. Her body felt weak, her legs were in pain 24/7, her mobility had been shot. She was confused and terrified at the same time. No body had really been able to get ahold of her the past week, just because it came on so sudden. She thought she was just sick, but no. Sofia did not realize that it was much more than that, her body was breaking down in front of her very eyes. Her body was turning against her, and she had no idea. She felt the familiar buzz of her phone, signagling that Erik was again- trying to get ahold of his little sister. She groaned, pulling the comforter over her face even more, trying to keep the brightness her phone was showcasing. She sighed, sliding the answer button across the phone. "Hmmmmm." She groaned, barely being able to speak. "Christ, you are one hard lady to get ahold of. You had all of us terrified. Bout to come out there myself." Erik said pinching his nose. She began to rub her legs up and down, trying to get the tremors in her legs to stop. She stayed quiet for a few seconds before crying out. She was exhausted and clearly frutrated, not understanding why the pain and tremors would not stop. "Is everything ok Sofia?" Her older brother,beginning to worry. She mouthed the words no, hoping the words word come out. "No." She breathed, sobbing some more. "Is Jamie there? Did he do something? Are you hurt?" He questioned, beginning to ramble. The tired girl shook her head, sending a bolt of pain throughout her body. "Sofia, please talk to me." He said beginning to text Jamie. "I- I can't Er- Erik.” she let out as she paused the rubbing of her hands on her legs. "Please- please help-" She said before passing out.

Erik screamed for his sister to respond before signaling his fiance to call 911 to the house she was at. He cursed himself as he hung up on Sofia and called Jamie who should of landed - according to his ability to text. "Hey bro-" Erik cut him off, "Get to the house fast- no get to the OC hospital. Jackie called 911, something is wrong with Sofia." Erik explained and Jamie freaked. He took off in a fast jog to get to his and Trevors' car, who was confused. "Let's go, something is wrong with Sofia!" He yelled and that was enough for Trevor to book it. "What do you mean something is wrong?" Jamie asked as the bluetooth connected to the car. Erik sighed, heartbeat racing as he tried to calm himself. "I don't know, J. She passed out while I was on the phone with her. Finally, getting ahold of her. Fuck." He muttered as Jackie tried to comfort him. "We are close, ill call you once I find out something." Jamie said before hanging up on him. "Our neighbors are texting me, saying that the ambulance left 5 minutes ago." Trevor stated, peering over at Jamie. Jamie nodded, getting onto I-5. Jamie's heart broke over not knowing why Sofia was on her way to the hospital. It broke his heart and stressed beyond belief that nobody could get ahold of her the past week. At first he thought she was just really stressed and busy with school work, but that proved to be wrong.

Sofia woke up in the hospital bed, unsure why she was there but then felt the familiar ache she had felt for the past month. This week had just been the tipping point. She sighed, struggling to turn her head towards Jamie who was busily texting on his phone. His eyes flicked towards her, bolting to grab her hand. She was awake, and that sent a sense of relief to Jamie who had been there for 4 hours. "Im sorry." She said barely audible, and he shook his head, getting closer to comfort the crying girl. "I-Im in so much pain, J. What's happening to me?" She sobbed, "I- I haven't been able to do any-anything. Im so tired, I can-can't stop the pain in my legs or the tre-tremors from stopping. Im so fucking achey, I have chills and then im sweating and. It won't stop." She continued to sob, and Jamie held her in his arms, biting his cheek to stop crying with her. The doctor walked in, a soft smile on her face. "Hi, Sofia." She said softly, sitting down next to the bed. Sofia looked over towards the doctor, adjusting herself and pulling away from Jamie. Jamie swallowed hard, waiting for the doctor to speak. "We ran blood tests, an mri and a lumbar tap. As soon as you got here, you weren't unconcious but you were in and out of it according to the EMT's. Do you remember anything at all?" She questioned, clasping her hands together. She knew what the young girl had, but wanted to hear what the girl had to say. "I don't remember the ride at all. It's- I can't remember anything. The last thing I do remember was being on the phone with Erik my brother and then waking up here." She stated and the doctor nodded. "What were you experiencing beforehand, anything unusual?" She pried and the girl took in a huge breath of air, her eyes filling with tears. Jamie noticed and began to rub her arm. "I was trying to get my legs to stop tremoring and hurting. For the past week- well month I have had on and off tremors, numbness, I've been falling more and more. I've been getting chills and waves of hot flashes. And today, was the first time I've passed out though." The fragile girl explained, and the doctor nodded. She looked between her and Jamie, "After running those tests Miss Johnson, we have found that you have Multiple Schlerosis. Which is a, disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord. It can cause trembling, numbness and weakness like you have experienced. Also trouble with mobility and extreme fatigue. We have caught it early though, so treatment is may have a better chance at limiting the progression of the disease." She paused taking in the girls reaction. Sofia sobbed into Jamie's arms as she began to shake. The sight broke Jamie's heart, he couldn't understnad why it was happening to her. He didn't want to because he knew it would change not only her life, but his.

"We will be starting treatment today and then when you go home tomorrow, I will set you up an appointment with a neruologist and rheumatologist so they can go more in depth with everything. We have already notified your parents and brother, since they are on your file. I am going to send in a social worker now, if that is alright with you?" She questioned, and the young girl nodded. "Jamie- please please go." She said not looking up at the boy. He nodded, giving her a quick peck to her temple. "Ill be right outside." He promised and the girl continued to look down at the bedsheet. Jamie left the room in tears, calling Trevor instantly. Trevor had gone back to the house to have a repair guy fix the door that the EMT's had to break in order to get in. Trevor picked up on the third ring. "Hey man, how is she?" He asked his best friend, "She uh, she has Multiple Schlerosis, MS. She has a health condition, dude." He said sliding down the wall next to the door. The hospital was unusually quiet for this hour, giving him a little more privacy. "Wait what? I thought she was just sick?" Trevor said confused, "Well, yeah. She technically is." Jamie responded, feeling another call coming in. "Ill call you back, Erics' calling." He said hanging up without a word.

Back in the room, Sofia cried. Her whole life had changed within a two minute conversation. "Why me?" She continued to asked the social worker who tried her best to comfort the sad girl. Sofia laid down on the bed, and brought her hands to her face. "I've done everything right. I'm a good person. Im healthy, I take care of myself." She said to no one in particular. She was stating her reasons as to why she didn't understand why she was sick. She turned to look at the social worker, "He's gonna leave me." She said, panicking as she thought about Jamie. "Why do you say that?" The social worker questioned. "Because, im sick. I will never be healthy again. Because i'll be disabled at some point." She sobbed, wrapping her arms around herself. "He's gonna leave me, 2 years down the drain." She sobbed again. "You don't know that Sofia." The social worker said trying to comfort the girl. She only shook her head in response, "How about you come talk to me in 2 days ok?" The social worker asked and the girl nodded. "I hear your parents and brother will be here by that point. So if they have any questions, they are more than welcome to come too. Okay?" She said trying to comfort the girl. Sofia nodded, and the social worker stood up. "I will see you in two days, Sofia. I will leave my card on this table. Ok? Call me day or night, i'll be available." The sweet social worker commented, and Sofia nodded. She looked up at the ceiling, preparing herself for the nurses that would be bombarding- and speak of the devil. She looked at the male nurse who gave her a soft smile. He began to go over what they were giving her, and what it was supposed to do etc.

A few minutes later she saw the familiar smile of her older brother. Who as soon as he heard from Jamie after he got to the hospital, he jetted off. Her parents were still on there way, Sofia was grateful for her older brother now more than ever. He sat down next to her and took ahold of her hand as the doctors proceeded to give her some more liquid i.v's. "Tomorrow, im so getting in n out." She mused, causing Erik to grin.

It was around 10 am the next morning that the girl was released from the hospital, with medications and appointments booked in her future. Erik wheeled her towards Jamie's car, who had pulled up as soon as they exited the hospital. Sofia had barely been able to look at Jamie, doing so made her sad and nauseas. She tossed and turned all night, thinking about the different ways Jamie would leave her. How could she not? Erik and Jamie both assisted her into the front seat, her giving a small smile of thanks. Erik hopped into the backseat and they were off. Every second she saw something familiar on the ride home on the Pacific Coast highway, she couldn't help bite back tears. The beach where she surfed with the boys this past summer, the restaurant where she got hella drunk on her 21st, the list could go on and on. The three reached the house, and Sofia couldn't help but feel upset about going inside. The house where she had lived with Jamie for the past three months was a representation of her old self. She no longer was the Sofia Rose Johnson that everybody knew. She had begun to change when she moved in with Jamie but tried to push those changes away early on. She began to walk towards the front door, smiling as she saw a grinning Trevor who stood at the front door. "What, no souvenir? How rude." He joked pulling her in for a hug. Sofia rolled her eyes, before parting and walking towards the living room, where she instantly sat down in. She put her hands in her face, growing uneasy. "Hey, im gonna go pick up mom and dad from the hotel ok? Were gonna bring back some in n out, ok?" Erik said getting down to her level, she nodded looking up at him and she wrapped her arms around him. Feeling as if she saw him next, she'd be different. They pulled apart and he roughed up her hair a bit before walking out. She leaned back into the couch, and looked at the photos on the wall the couple had only recently hanged up with Trevors help. "Hey, do you want anything?" Jamie asked softly, trying to not startle her. Ever since he left the room the previous evening, Sofia wanted nothing to do with him. He believed it was the shock of everything and wanted to give her space. Sofia nodded, briefly looking at him. "Water is fine." She stated, pushing off the couch to head up stairs. Jamie looked over at Trevor who dashed out of the room to catch up to Sofia.

"Dude, I promise im not gonna break." She mumbled to Trevor who chuckled, and if right on cue- she lost her balance a bit falling back into Trevor. "Im sorry." She said sheepishly but Trevor paid no attention to it as he guided her to the room she shared with Jamie. She sat down at the bed, shaking. Next thing her heard was her trying to softly cry. Trevor sat down next to his friend and wrapped an arm around her. She continued to cry as Jamie walked in with water, kettle chips and her comfort chocolate chip cookies. Trevor looked behind him, unwrapping his arm from the girl. "Let me know if you need anything." He stated and she nodded, giving him a small smile. Jamie set down the tray on the bed, allowing her to get comfortable and settled in. Trevor had changed the sheets while they were gone, and the girl was forever thankful. "I brought your favorites." He smiled laying down next to her and laid down facing her. She smiled, turning towards him and finally looked at him. She bit her lip, trying to hold back her tears. "Hey." He said softly said, pulling her into his chest. "Its ok." He kept repeating, trying to comfort her.

A few hours later, she walked into the guest room where her and her family could speak privatley. "I wanna leave." She stated after they talked about treatment and what everything meant. "Leave?" Erik asked, peering over at his little sister. She nodded, "I don't want to stay here. Everything is a reminder of what was." She stated closing her eyes for a few seconds. "What about Jamie?" Her dad asked, trying to understand her. She shrugged, "He's gonna break up with me anyways." She stated and the three all looked at one another before looking back at Sofia. "You don't know that." Erik stated, and she nodded. "Im not and never will be the girl he first met. I will never be the same, I will continue to get worse. He doesn't deserve somebody like me." She responded. "Okay, we will pause your senior year and you'll come home with us." Her mom declared and Sofia shook her head. "No. I don't wanna go home." She stated, confusing the parents. She looked at them, before looking over at Erik. Erik's eyes showed realiziation in why she looked over. "Honey- that's not possible. He'll be too busy to take care of you. It's not poss-"" There mom was cut off by Erik himself, "No. She can come. Jackie can help her adjust and we can do treatment in Denver. We have some of the best hospitals in the country." Erik said and there mom unsurely nodded. "Well, ok. We will pause your studies and you can pick up when you can. No rush." Her dad stated and she nodded. "I'd like to leave tonight, can we?" She said looking at Erik and he nodded. "I'll get a private jet." He stated before walking out. "Good, I am gonna go get your things packed and dad will take you to the hotel ok?" Her mom said coming over and hugging the girl.

"Let's go sweetie." Her dad said as she stood up, and they walked out and down the stairs. She grabbed her purse from the door, and that's when she heard yelling. "NO! You can't just let her leave without saying anyhting." Jamie yelled at Sofia's mom. "That's not fair!" He said, his voice getting closer. "Let's go." Her dad said opening the front door and she walked out towards the rental car. She opened the door, hopped in and saw Jamie coming out of the house. His face had heartbreak written over it. She swallowed back tears as they pulled away. Jamie watched in disbelief at what was happening. It seemed as if he had no control. Everything was slipping through his grasp. He didn't understand, he couldn't even begin to grasp what was happening. "Im sorry J." Erik said as Jamie walked back inside. Jamie looked at the figure who had turned into a brother the past two years, and shook his head. "If she allows it, when you guys come out to Denver- you could possibly see her." Erik said trying to ease the blow. Jamie looked up at the taller hockey player in confusion, "Yeah, she's coming to live with me." Erik confirmed. "She's not going home to Minnesota, she's coming home with me." Erik repeated.

It felt like a dagger to Jamie's heart. Newport Beach was no longer her home and this move solitified that. Sofia had slipped through his fingers without a second thought. None of this made sense. None of it made sense to Sofia. None of it.

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I hope you guys enjoyed :) please reblog and like!

[andrews-garfussy]

Off The Wall

TW: cussing, slut-shaming, bullying (lowkey deserved though), implications of OCD and death

Word Count: 1.5k

Previous

Table of Contents

Michael plopped on Freyja's yellow uniform bed. He'd been in Freyja's shared dorm with Vera, Fran, and Jackie many times, but he seemed to like it more and more every time. However, one part he definitely did not like was Fran. It would be an understatement to say that she was a neat freak. Not only that, but she was nosey. Her sweeping and dusting occurred almost every day, most of the time ending in an argument between her and Freyja due to her invasion of privacy yet again. It became so unbearable Freyja and Vera began to put all private items into their locked trunks at the end of their beds.

One issue Fran had with the three of them was their lack of simplicity. They decorated their respective areas of the room to an unreasonable extent. They all had banners they had made in their first year across the end posts of their beds with their names on them. Scattered around the room, with the exception of Fran's area, were a plethora of plants that were gifted to the girls by Professor Sprout.

Left of Freyja's bed were many shelves she and Vera requested in third year. There were a couple of books here and there, mostly their schoolbooks and the few muggle books they had brought. However, most of the shelf space was taken up by their many academic awards and framed photographs of them and their friends. Some of the polaroid photos were even on a string hung above and below some of the shelves.

In addition to the shelves, the messiness of their decorations, and the excessive plants, Freyja and Jackie had rambunctious animals. That had to be what Fran hated most. She hated the way Freyja's cat, Jimena, would jump up onto surfaces and break things, though they were always Freyja's and Vera's, never hers. She hated the way she could hear Jackie's toad, Luis, croak in his terrarium during the day, even though she cast a silencing charm at night. The only pet that she could put up with was Vera's cat, Rasin, who was extremely lazy, unlike Jimena, who, no matter how hard she would try, could never get Rasin's attention long enough to be able to play.

As Freyja set down her things and grabbed Jimena off of Vera's trophy shelf, Michael asked, "Can we listen to one of your records?"

"Sure, but you have to get the record player out. Wait, let me guess," Freyja said before Michael was able to rummage through her trunk. "I'm going to guess Michael Jackson today."

"Jaja, you always guess Michael Jackson."

"Yes, and I'm always right," she smiled. Yet again, she was right. Ever since Michael had even started listening to music, he always chose to listen to Michael Jackson. He never listened to any music the average wizard would listen to, always this muggle's album Freyja had jokingly picked out for him at a muggle music shop.

Michael carefully removed the two plants, one of which he recognized as a Screechsnap. He was proud of himself for successfully moving it without it squirming or yelping in discomfort. Opening the trunk, he was met with a surprisingly organized space. In it was her record player, a few of their favorite records, almost all of her money, her diary, and a plethora of family pictures, some of which included their mother.

"Why do you even keep the record player in here? S'not like it's all that private."

"I keep it in there because I don't want that daft imbecile we call Fran to fuck it up with her incessant dusting," she replied with a light giggle. She had already opened up Michael's satchel to begin on his essay, much to his dismay. "Hurry up! I don't want to work on this any longer than I have to."

"Bitch," Michael muttered under his breath. Freyja, with her weirdly exceptional hearing, heard him.

"What was that?" Freyja demanded back at him, a slight smirk evident on her face.

"I said," he started, that grin he had when he was about to say something sarcastic smothered on his face. "You. Are. A. Bitch. Seriously, you'd think someone your age would be smart enough to not have to have a fourteen-year-old spell it out for them."

"Oh, you are so dead, you little shit!" she laughed.

↣↢↣↢

"Do you have any idea how loud your music is? I can hear you from the bloody tunnels," Fran yapped at Freyja and Michael, who were dancing to "Rock With You" while Freyja got ready for her "date." She instantly saw the chips and pudding on Freyja's bed, disgusted by their messiness and lack of respect for their space.

"Are you always a stuck-up bitch, or is that just a part-time thing?" Michael asked quite plainly, no hint of a joke behind his tone. Freyja burst out into laughter, tearing up at how hard she was laughing.

"I don't know; are you always a careless prat?" she seethed.

"Actually, yes. I am," Michael chuckled, causing poor Freyja to damn near piss her trousers. Huffing, Fran walked away and sat on her bed. Finally able to control herself, Freyja opened their shared closet where they kept clothes that needed to be hung. Each of them had different colored hangers to indicate which clothes were theirs. Fran's were brown, Freyja's were red, Vera's black, and Jackie's yellow. Pulling the others to the side, Freyja sifted through the red and black ones, looking for a blue dress or skirt.

As she continued to search through the many clothes, Vera and Jackie entered, giggling and smiling about Victor Krum. Michael leaped off of the bed to give Vera a bear hug.

"Vera!" he shouted, excited to see her, the last time being at the first task. She happily embraced him. Ever since she met him, he reminded her of her brother. It was comforting to have someone who resembled him to such an extent; it felt like he wasn't even gone.

Detaching himself from Vera, he turned to wink at Jackie, who rolled her eyes at him. He crushed on her since his second year. It was no surprise; Jackie was beautiful, and even though he didn't really have a crush on her anymore, he still found it fun to act like he did.

"Hi, Jackie," he said flirtatiously, hoping to get some sort of reaction.

"Don't even start, Corner," she chuckled, turning to look at Freyja, who was holding a blue skirt up to her body in front of a mirror.

"You're getting dressed up," Jackie smiled while shamelessly checking her out. She plopped on her bed and turned on her belly to get more comfortable.

"What's the occasion?" Vera chimed in. She jumped onto Jackie's bed to get a good view of Freyja as well. She was soon followed by Michael who laid himself in between the two of them.

"Probably just going out to whore herself around for Cedric. Let's hope this time she doesn't make the front page," Fran uninvitedly joined in on the conversation.

"This bitch," Michael thought as he rolled his eyes and scoffed. Having had enough of her bullshit for one night, he sat up to look at her.

"Aren't you whoring yourself around for Freyja's ex? What was his name again? I mean honestly, you act like you could make the front page even if you tried."

Jackie instantly gasped, and so did Freyja, each of their gasps being followed up by uncontrollable laughter. Vera, however, played along with Michael's teasing.

"I do believe his name is Kenneth, Kenneth Towler. He's dull, boring. Perfect match for you, Fran," Vera smiled passive-aggressively at her.

Fran, embarrassed and now a little hurt gathered her things and stomped out of the dorm, probably off to see Kenneth and complain.

"Finally," Michael huffed, "some bloody peace."

"Holy shit, that was the best moment of my life," Freyja laughed, being joined in by the rest of the group.

"You never answered my question," Vera said, still curious about what it was Freyja decided to dress up for.

"Just a date," she replied, hoping they wouldn't ask any further questions.

"A date with Cedric," Michael continued her sentence, purposely embarrassing and teasing his sister. Cheers and gasps from Jackie and Vera filled the room.

"I fucking knew it!" Jackie shouted. "Vera, you owe me seven galleons!"

"You two placed a bet on whether Cedric and I would go out?" Freyja responded, clearly amused by their investment in her love life.

"Yes, in fact, we did. I was certain you wouldn't actually do anything about it. Clearly, I was wrong," Vera giggled as she begrudgingly handed the coins to Jackie.

"I'll have you know that Cedric and I are not and will not be a 'thing.' We're just friends," Freyja reassured herself. She was scared to admit her feelings for him; it was becoming painfully evident.

"Oh, you've got to be shitting me," Vera scoffed.

"Freyja, love, friends don't go on dates," Jackie jeered. Freyja playfully rolled her eyes at them; she knew they were right.

Next

[uswntxfootball]

i don’t want to watch the world end with someone else (jackie groenen x muwfc!reader)

a media takeover day makes you realize just how bad you are at hiding your feelings. 

word count: 2634 ish

rated P for painful pining, C FOR CHEESY AS FUCK, and F for fluFF ciTY.

song inspo: clinton kane’s i don’t want to watch the world end with someone else

——

“so is everything clear?”

you and jackie exchange a glance and nod.

casey smiles and says:

“good good. it’ll happen tomorrow so just make sure you follow the guidelines that i gave, though i have no doubt you two will do just fine.”

with that said, she gave a wave and left the call.

you lean forward closing the laptop that sat on the table in front of you, before leaning back on the couch behind you.

jackie promptly laid her head on your shoulder, and you wiggled your arm around her, settling it around the back of her neck, her hand coming up to grasp yours.

your heart threatened to explode out of your chest at the act.

this wasn’t uncommon between the two of you.

you were always holding hands wherever you went, always touching, and always flirting.

this of course, didn’t go unnoticed.

as a result jackie and you have dismissed thousands of press and fan questions, with each and every “we’re just friends” sending a dagger through your heart.

yet here you were, quarantined with her in manchester, holding onto the foolish hope that things might work out.

falling in love with your best friend wasn’t part of the plan, but there wasn’t anything you could do about it now.

“y/n.”

“hmm?” you hum out, watching the girl beside you play with your fingers absentmindedly.

“what if the fans think i’m boring?”

you sit up abruptly and jackie turns to look at you.

“jacks. you’ve got to be joking right? if there’s people who think you’re boring, i don’t want to meet them,” you huff.

jackie rolls her eyes.

“well that’s you. you’re biased you don’t count.”

you gasp in mock offense.

“i don’t count? how rude i- this is how i get treated for-“

jackie cut you off while pulling you into a hug.

“oh shut up you big baby.”

you look up at her and stick your tongue out at her, an action which she returns.

getting a little lost in her eyes, the two of you maintained eye contact for an unusual amount of time, the tension almost tangible.

it’s only when jackie’s phone buzzes on the table that you both break away, cheeks red.

you clear your throat quickly and stand up.

looking at jackie’s flushed face you tease:

“you know you’re cute when you blush.”

her face flushed even redder.

“oh shut up.”

~~

you woke up the next day at the same time you normally do.

the girl beside you was still fast asleep and you couldn’t help but stare a little at the sight.

her hair a mess and currently taking up more than half the bed with her limbs strewn about, you couldn’t be more into it.

there was just something about her.

you shook your head softly.

breaking your eyes away, you began getting ready for your run.

logging into the manchester united instagram page, you recorded a quick video greeting everyone for the day.

“hi everyone! i’m y/n, a forward for manchester united, which you probably knew already, but i’m going to be taking over this account with jackie today!”

after a little pause you continue in a whisper.

“i’m getting ready to go on a run right now, trying to be a little quieter because a certain midfielder is still fast asleep.”

“she snores too,” you added quietly with a giggle. “but i’ll be back in a bit guys!”

jackie would get you back for that later.

you got back from your run about half an hour later, with the midfielder still asleep.

changing out of your running clothes, you made a quick breakfast and some coffee for the two of you, and opened the account again.

you prop your phone up in front of you and begin recording.

“so i just got back from my run, made some breakfast, and guess who’s still asleep.”

you point towards the door behind you.

“hint it’s jackie. i even made her breakfast too. i think i should get like a “best friend in the world” award or something. i’m way too good of a friend to her. anyways that’s it for now, i’ll update you if sleeping beauty ever wakes. bye!”

you finished your breakfast while scrolling through twitter, smiling when you see some of the fans freaking out over the prospect of the two of you quarantining together.

after a little bit you heard the door behind you open, looking up to see a very sleepy (and frankly very cute) jackie groenen in it’s place.

your heart fluttered in your chest.

“coffee?” you offer, grinning at the enthusiastic nod that jackie gave you.

jackie’s cheeks flushed a little when she looked around.

“you made me breakfast?”

“well since someone slept in of course i did.”

the midfielder rolled her eyes and smiled, giving you a quick kiss on the cheek before she walked over to the counter.

you felt like you were going to pass out.

if jackie noticed your shallow breathing and flushed cheeks, she didn’t comment.

“have you recorded anything yet?”

you nod, taking out your phone to show her the account.

she pauses for a moment before propping the phone up in front and starts recording.

“hi guys! i hope y/n didn’t bore you too much this morning-”

you cut her off with a gasp.

“me?! i’m obviously the fun one here! she-ow!’

jackie interrupted you with a punch.

you pouted, rubbing your shoulder.

“see she bullies me too.”

“oh she’s so dramatic,” jackie says while rolling her eyes.

the two of you get so preoccupied with bickering that you forget all about the video.

it’s only when you turn a little bit when you notice.

“damn the fans are gonna get the jackie-y/n quarreling special today.”

jackie snorts at that, deciding to post the 2 minute video with the label you had so lovingly created.

the story post read:

“an early christmas present for the muwfc fans; featuring a 2 minute jackie-y/n quarreling special”

followed by a post that read:

“we’ll be going live in around an hour so make up some good questions for us!”

while you were posting those, you missed the loving smile and stare from the girl next to you.

~~

you grinned when you saw the next question.

“has jackie found out about your post from this morning yet?”

jackie turned to look at you, her eyes narrowing.

“what did you say?”

“hmmm nothing nothing”

“no what- tell me!”

you pretended to think for a moment before answering:

“hmmm nope”

you let out a squeak of surprise when jackie’s fingers suddenly dug into your sides.

“fine! fine! i’ll tell you!” you relent, your chest heaving slightly.

“i just said that you snore is all,” you answered quickly.

jackie gasped loudly.

“i do not!”

“yes she does she-“

your sentence gets cut off when jackie pulls you into a headlock.

“you can’t silence me! jackie snores li-“

she slapped a hand over your mouth.

“okay anyways. let’s keep goin-ew y/n!”

jackie pulled her hand back with a grimace, you smiling triumphantly.

“she licked me,” jackie whined, wiping her hand on your shirt.

a few seconds later her hand settled on your thigh, and you swore you saw her smirk when you inhaled sharply.

a little flustered, you cleared your throat quickly before turning to the screen, noting the incoming flurry of comments about how cute the two of you are together.

jackie read the next question.

“are you guys dating?”

she gave the camera a wink when she said:

“y/n wishes.”

you rolled your eyes.

“we all know you want to. i mean who wouldn’t want to date me? i’m just the hottest person you’ve ever seen and-”

“oh and she’s cocky too,” jackie added with a grin, letting out a laugh at your expression.

you turn back to screen in time to catch another question.

“can jackie play something for us?”

jackie excitedly answered a “yes”, before standing up to grab her guitar.

you shuffled over to the other side of the couch when jackie got back.

here you sat watching the midfielder talk animatedly about her song choice.

you didn’t hear much of it, instead getting lost staring at the dutch girl, her smile wide and eyes sparkling.

“y/n what do you think?”

it snaps you out of your daze.

an “i think you’re beautiful” flashed through your mind, but what came out was:

“uh i-sorry what?”

jackie giggled.

“i’ll take that as a yes then.”

a soft guitar melody filled the air a few seconds after.

this was going to be a disaster.

~~

when jackie started singing you promptly forgot how to breathe.

you could feel your heart racing in your chest, butterflies exploding in your stomach.

her voice filled the air, and her presence was absolutely intoxicating.

strikingly blue eyes met yours during the chorus, and when she smiled softly you seriously felt like you were going to pass out.

and i wish we didn’t say goodbye

cause we’re just standing still

and i don’t really know what tomorrow holds

your heart was threatening to explode, and the three words you’ve kept buried for so long were beginning to make their way out from the back of your mind.

you didn’t know if you could make it to the end of the song.

you didn’t know if you could not tell her.

but i’ve finally realized

if this is our last goodbye until we’re gone

who cares about the wrongs we’ve caused ourselves

cause i don’t want to watch the world end with someone else

it didn’t help that jackie kept smiling at you, her eyes locking with yours and making your brain and heart go into overdrive.

it didn’t help that jackie was just so utterly attractive.

no, it didn’t help at all.

while the two of you were off in your own little world, the fans were going crazy, many picking up on the loving glances the two of you exchanged.

~~

the livestream ended not long after the song did.

and when it did you were torn.

do you keep it to yourself?

or do you risk it all for the measly hope that by some miracle she liked you back?

your heart preferred the second.

and in a game of internal tug o war, your heart won.

“jackie.”

the midfielder whipped around to face you.

fuck she’s pretty.

“i’m-“

fuck.

the words were sitting right on the tip of your tongue.

“i-“

jackie gave you a confused expression.

“you’re what?”

“i forgot to tell you that uhm-“

fuck the words. the words were right there. just say them.

jackie tilted her head to the side, puzzled.

“you forgot to tell me what?”

you cursed at her internally for being so cute.

“i-“

you gulped.

you can do this.

its just three words. three-

“i didn’t do the laundry.”

fuck.

jackie’s puzzled expression turns into a teasing one.

“that’s what you were so nervous to tell me? come on i’m not that scary am i?”

you shook your head, cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

“hey look, we can do it together then,” jackie said with a smile, grabbing your hand and pulling you towards the room.

~~

shit.

this turned out to be way harder than you thought.

you had tried, multiple times on multiple occasions.

your tongue however, wouldn’t let you.

each and every time you failed, coming up with the strangest excuses for your bumbling.

you’re pretty sure you accidentally said that you forgot to fold the dishes once.

jackie just thought it was cute.

though your relationship didn’t change much, you did notice a persistent blush on the midfielder’s cheeks whenever you held her hand.

you didn’t comment on it though.

~~

jackie’s sitting next to you on the tiny kitchen counter.

the two of you are having dinner, having just come back from training, bickering about soccer (or as jackie called it, “football”) and how she missed her shot last game.

which was ironic because being this close to the midfielder made you feel like you were missing your shots.

anyways.

“oh come on it wasn’t like i was trying to miss!”

“could’ve fooled me,” you laugh, jackie gasping in offense.

“like you could’ve done any better.”

“yes i could! in fact i have a higher shooting accuracy than-“

“oh come on that was based off of our shots from like ages ago!”

“potato pota-“

“y/n!”

you smile at jackie’s indignant outcry.

“i’m just better at soccer than you,” you tease.

“one it’s football. two no you’re not.”

“yes i am.”

“no you’re not.”

“i am.”

“you’re no-“

“i love you.”

jackie stops talking.

your eyes go wide when you realize what you said.

jackie’s voice is soft when she stammers:

“wh-what?”

“i-“

you take a deep breath.

welp. here we go.

“i love you. and i’ve been trying so hard not to say it, but you make it so hard for me not to and i- i’ve been in love with you for years now jacks and i just i can’t help myself. it’s like im-“

“y/n. stop.”

you didn’t hear her.

“it’s just you. all the time. when i wake up and when i go to sleep and it doesn’t help that we’re quarantined together which is why i was trying to hard not to say it because if you hated me and this all goes to hell what would we do? i’m sorry if i’m screwing everything up i didn’t even plan on saying it today it just happened and i-“

you’re cut off from your rambling when jackie launches herself at you.

you’re frozen, with jackie hugging you tightly, unsure of what it meant, whether she hated you or not.

then.

a whisper so quiet you almost don’t hear it.

“i love you too.”

you almost fall off the counter.

you look at her with wide eyes, your heartbeat in your ears, worried that you might have heard her wrong.

“you-what?”

jackie pulls back to look at you.

fuck she’s so gorgeous.

“i said i love you too,” she whispers, looking down and looking almost the tiniest bit shy.

god you want to kiss her.

“do it then,” jackie challenges.

your ears heat up a tiny bit, realizing you said that aloud.

“are-are you sure?”

she nodded, and upon seeing your hesitation just decided to do it herself.

she tilts your head up by your chin and all of a sudden your mind goes blank.

everyone always talks about how the perfect kiss feels like fireworks, but you didn’t feel that here.

instead you felt like you were floating, with only the girl in your lap keeping you grounded.

one of jackie’s hands was on your cheek, another tracing on the back of your neck, and you felt weightless.

she broke the kiss after a while.

your heart was pounding so hard it was a miracle you were still alive.

the two of you sat quietly for a while, jackie on your lap with her head against your chest, until she broke the silence.

“that song was about you if you didn’t know.”

your heart fluttered again. the things she did to you.

“really?”

jackie nodded.

she looked up and before she kissed you she whispered:

“you’re the only one i’d want to watch the world end with.”

[secretaryunpaid]

Okay, you got me curious... 👀

Your Top 10 fave Choices books?

That is something we have in common, high curiosity, lol...

I have not read Choices books since September 2021, so I am not up to speed on the new releases...

But from the ones that I have read...

The Royal Romance & Royal Heir Series (Although the ending of the series absolutely pissed me off... It was rushed to me and they could have easily given it an extra book or given it a small add-on like it has for other books. I think I have read these a minimum of five times... Restarted to play with other LI since I always choose Liam.

The Nanny Affair Series (Although book 2 turned me off, so I stopped reading it. I have made up my mind to complete it before the third book releases in June -- anticipated...)

Open Heart Series (I thoroughly enjoyed this series. One of my favorite shows was House. Personally, I was upset at the change of direction. Death is a part of the life cycle. I loved Kyra Santana as a character, as I am sure many others did. Her death was anticipated and pretty much written... Next thing you know, Danny dies... I get that Cancer is a very sensitive subject to write about, and so is death for that matter... But Danny's life was no less important. I don't know if it was because she was a highly liked "black" character, but the storyline was theirs to write as they saw fit... All lives matter, so if you want to write the death of a character, do so! Also, I don't like the way it ended either... I love that we could finally choose the LI between Ethan, Bryce, and Jackie... but it should have been left up to all of the persons she was allowed to romance the entire series. It could have given more time to explore a relationship with your final choice... But I get it, writers get tired or lose focus... Especially if writing for multiple fics... Interests change!)

Bloodbound I absolutely loved this series and the add-on mini books... (Again, I was disappointed with the ending... It gave two options... She could relinquish Reya's powers or keep them... WHAT CAME NEXT ??? I spent all of that time and freaking diamonds to get all of the fragments, just to put a picture together that wasn't going to lead anywhere! Not cool Pixelberry !!! It should rank number one for me because it gave me the option to romance anyone and everyone! Really needed another book to explore Amy's new life!)

Hot Coutoure It was one of the first VIP books that I read. I enjoyed Fashion and Photography... I truly loved romancing Marco !!!!! It was my first slow burn book by PB... and I had to wait until the end for any serious relationship vibes... But I did love how he helped her to realize her dream... So that's why it ranked high for me. It showed that although you pursue one dream, it can change into something much better. Also, it gave a real-life view... We fail many many many times, but that doesn't mean that you can't achieve your goals... It just means that you haven't figured out the right approach just yet...)

 The Freshman Series I liked this because it gave me a chance at a full college experience although fictional and virtual, lol... I became a mother in college, so my experience was much different. It showed that relationships are a tricky thing, and aren't always fated to be forever... I think that I actually read The High School Story series first. It was cute, but I am much older and prefer more advanced behaviors from my characters... Just keeping it real!)

Ride or Die It took me a while to finish this... I liked the whole "good girl gone bad" vibe... But it just didn't flow for me... She fell for a guy, but then ended up falling for the newcomer... I rushed through the ending once I finally picked it back up... So, meh... probably should have rated it lower, but I managed to find fantastic fanfic writers, so it made me like the book more...

The Baby Bump I liked this series... again because it was career-focused and although it began with unwed pregnancy, I was cool with that. It is a very realistic thing that happens to women... I think where I lost interest is when it involved Cliff's father... I had been there and done that with TNA's Mason, Sr... And at the rate of diamonds that I was spending, it became shelved because the romance was lacking for what I was paying... Pimping ain't easy, but I want my dollars worth, lol... I may actually go back to complete the series... Just have lost interest in the app... 

9. A Very Scandalous Proposal... I really liked the book... I don't know if it was because Simon was pretending to be an average Joe walking about the tour, or if it was how hard the MC worked to get her story. She was very resourceful... and I was intrigued by the partnership with benefits... He was very attracted to her, but never really crossed a line... I think I also liked the fact that no one really knew who he was because he was reclusive... I am sort of that way... I don't necessarily desire to be known, but it is nice to get to know genuine people.

10. Veil of Secrets mainly because I was clueless as to who was doing the murders and kidnapping... I can't really explain this one... I think it was just my first problem-solving book read by PB.

To date I have read:

The Royal Masquerade

The Royal Romance

The Royal Heir

Open Heart Series (Restarted but on pause)

The Nanny Affair Book 1

Hot Couture

Veil of Secrets

High School Story

The Freshman series

Bloodbound Series & Dark Solstice

Nightbound

The Baby Bump Book 1

The Crown and the Flame

Witness: A Bodyguard Romance

With Every Heartbeat

My Two First Loves

Sunkissed

Rules of Engagement Series

Ride or Die

Red Carpet Diaries Series

Platinum

Perfect Match (LOVED !!!!!)

Mrs. Match

LoveHacks Series

Hero (Really wanted another book!)

Big Sky Country Book 1

Bachelorette Party

A Very Scandalous Proposal

Passport to Romance

Save the Date

Incomplete Books:

Slow Burn (made it to Chapter 3), Distant Shores (made it to Chapter 9), Foreign Affairs (made it to Chapter 4), Desire & Decorum (Book 1 Chapter 2), The Heist Monaco (made it to Chapter 3), A Courtesan of Rome (Book 1 Chapter 2), Blades of Light & Shadow (Book 1 Chapter 2), Shipwrecked (made it to Chapter 3), The Elementalists (Book 1 Chapter 1, Winters-Book 1 Chapter 3), Endless Summer (Book 1 Chapter 8), Laws of Attraction, It Lives In The Woods (Book 1 Chapter 3 --- I am a scaredy-cat, lol), Most Wanted (made it to Chapter 2), Queen B (Book 1 Chapter 1-unfinished), The Unexpected Heiress (made it to Chapter 5), Mother of the Year, Wolf Bride (made it to Chapter 6), Wishful Thinking (made it to Chapter 6), Surrender (Barely any of Chapter 1), Rising Tides, The Nanny Affair (Book 2 Chapter 8), America's Most Eligible (Book 1 Chapter 3), Baby Bump 2 (made it to Chapter 6), Big Sky County (Book 2 Chapter 5), and Across the Void (Made it to Chapter 4).

I think this confirms that I was indeed an insomniac and curious-minded, lol... At one point I was reading so curiously that I had two profiles and played simultaneously to see the differences in the plots... Truthfully, I needed three profiles to be accurate, but I wasn't giving that much more effort, lol... I just started watching the YouTube plays... Saved me money and time... although I would have picked differently and all option plays weren't always available.

What are yours? Now, I'm the curious one, lol.

[crazy-loca-blog]

Newlyweds: Wedding at a Glance

A/N: Thank you @jamespotterthefirst for this amazing idea. I had been thinking about my two fools' wedding for a few weeks now, but this certainly helped me put things into perspective! By the way, the wedding dress story is in the works!

~~*~~*~~

Bonus:

The Road to the Aisle (Headcanon)

Getting married was Ethan's idea. A little over a year after becoming official, he began to feel like there was something missing in their relationship… and the idea began to cross his mind.

The only people who knew about this were Alan (he asked him for advise) and Casey's brother, Oliver (he asked him for his blessing).

Looking for the perfect ring was a nightmare. He had seen too many colleagues having accidents with engagement rings, from snapped gloves in the middle of procedures to broken rings in the ER. So he needed to buy something safe for her to wear at work.

And after doing a lot of research on the matter, he realized that his possibilities were quite reduced. Luckily, the price was not a problem. So he got a designer platinum ring with a cushion-shaped diamond… covered with another 137 full-cut diamonds.

He proposed the same day he picked up the ring from the jewelry store. And no, he wasn't planning to do it that day. They were just reflecting on their relationship when the conversation got deeper and he suddenly saw himself popping the question.

Casey actually laughed at him because she thought he was joking... until he showed her the ring. Then, she knew she wanted to say "yes", but she was so in shock that words wouldn't leave her mouth.

And not only because getting married had never been a priority in her life, but also because that was probably the most impressive and expensive ring she had ever seen. She could have paid a good bunch of her school debt with it.

Of course, somehow she managed to accept. But it took her like three hours and a phone conversation with her brother to fully process everything and to realize that she was going to get married, for real.

They almost canceled the wedding… twice. The amount of stress they were dealing with between their jobs and the wedding planning was beginning to affect their wellbeing as individuals (not their relationship).

The thought of an elopement also crossed their minds, but right when they were about to do it, Sienna came up with the idea of a micro wedding, with only 25 guests and no wedding party, but only a maid of honor and a best man. It was perfect for them.

Getting Casey's dress was a whole different adventure. She had to honor a promise that Jackie, Aurora, Sienna and herself made during their residency and they all travelled to New York to get it.

On the wedding day, Ethan was so nervous that he couldn't stop talking non-sense. He kept asking his dad and Oliver why none of them stopped him from proposing, because he could never be good enough for Casey… and they both agreed that he had to stop being a fool and to start being happy.

On the other hand, Casey was so emotional that she had to touch-up her makeup twice... before the ceremony. Not only she was as nervous as Ethan, but also all the emotions she had been keeping to herself for not having her parents with her through this process were too much for her to handle that day.

They only relaxed after they saw each other. They had agreed not to have a first look before the ceremony, but given the circumstances and how much they both were freaking out, Sienna, Naveen, Oliver and Alan convinced them otherwise.

As per the ceremony, Bryce offered himself to be their officiant as soon as he knew they were engaged. And nope, he didn't have a license. He got it just to perform Casey and Ethan's wedding.

Everybody cried during the vows. Most of the time, they both are very private when it comes to their relationship, so seeing them being so open about it was a whole new experience for their guests.

Their first dance was Because You Loved Me by Celine Dion.

Sienna caught the bouquet and Zaid caught the garter (actually, more like the garter found him).

Casey and Ethan decided to extend the party for a little while as a way to thank their friends for all the support they gave them during the planning process, both at work and outside the hospital.

Even though Casey loves being called "Mrs. Ramsey", she decided to legally keep her last name, as it’s one of the few things she has left of her parents.

When she told Ethan about it, he just said “I’d hate for you to change your last name just for some stupid, old-fashioned and sexist tradition, especially when you’ve made yourself a name on medicine with your maiden name”.

Tags: @adiehardfan @izzyourresidentlawyer @openheartfanfics @openheartheadcanons

[factual-fantasy]

I gots 20 more asks for yalls :}

That’s so something he’d try, but of course everyone around him would stop him because duh, that’s a sure way to lose a finger. XD

Oh, I’m sorry, but due to my energy levels being through the floor, I’m not really taking requests at this time.. <:{

Happy new year to you too! I uh.. wish I could say I did heh..

Thank you! However uh.. I don’t think I’m going to be up for drawing anyone's suggestions. My energy has been completely drained lately and I have no energy to draw anything other than things I personally really want to.

I’m not usually one for live action movies, or particularly scary ones for that matter. But I’ll keep that one in mind. :}

Wh-where you goin?? I didn’t get to say I love you too!

Hi, thank you, glad to hear that you like my headcannons. :}

Although unfortunately I don’t have much to say about what I think would happen after the incident. :{

Perhaps the crew would be a little shaken after hearing about Pesos broken flipper? Injuries like that are a big deal, Peso is basically completely out of commission until he recovers. And that might stress the crew out a bit, you know, not having their medic firing on all cylinders for a while.

And I feel like Peso would have to teach some of the crew, like Kwazii and the Captain some extended first aid because no one knew what to do with his broken flipper. He would have to teach the crew first aid and some other important things because he cant always be there for them when something goes wrong.

I feel like it would bug the Captain somehow as well that Peso broke his arm. Like, he’s the Captain, how did he let this happen? Even though the situation couldn’t be helped, I feel like he’d still feel guilty over it all somehow.

Kwazii would probably hover around Peso a lot too. He’d be so worried for his little buddy and would want to constantly check up on him. He’d probably play games with him, talk, do puzzles, whatever, just to keep the little guy company and help him feel better. Because despite how calm Peso seemed when it was first broken, I feel like it would freak him out later in. I know I would be too scared to move or even look at my arm if I broke it. Just the knowledge that the bones inside my arm are all screwed up would freak me out too much to do anything.

With Peso, I feel like he was calm because he was on a bit if an adrenalin rush, and after he calmed down I bet it really start to hurt. That could be why Kwazii spent so much time with him, he was just upset and hurting and just wanted someone to hang out with him until he got better.

A lot of artists seem to like fanart for some reason. I personally don’t..

It feels kind’a like you stole my character or idea and decided that you were going to do what ever you wanted with it. Which I know isn’t the case but that’s just how it feels.

It doesn't feel like a gift, it just feels like you stole something from me you know?

Fanart just doesn’t feel good to me, I cant understand why some artists like it. And I don’t understand why I don’t like it either, it just feels bad for some reason. Me not liking fanart is why I urge people to make sure the artist is okay with fanart before you draw something for them. <:}

Thank you, its nice to hear that you actually wanted to get all caught up heh.. Yeah I guess I started drawing a bunch of Octonauts stuff out of no where huh? When times get this low you just kind’a slink away into your comfort shows right? S’all normal.

As for going through a rough time? I sure am, we all are. I thought it was rough a few weeks ago, but now things have just come crashing down on me, and I cant even talk about it on here.

Thank you very much for all the kind words and encouragement! I really appreciate it, that’s just what I needed to hear. <:} ❤

I watched it, and man I cant wait to see what they do with that new gup! 

I was going to leave a link to the video here, but when I tried to go to the link you sent me the video had been removed..

As someone who is terrified of bees and other bugs, they better not come back.

Aww thank you! I’m very glad you like what I make! :}

I use FireAlpaca. Its a free art program that is simple enough that beginners can get the hang of digital art pretty easily, but has enough features to make some really complicated pieces. I’ve seen that you can even animate with it although I’ve never really gotten the hang of it..

Its got its weird quirks and there are a few annoying buggy things here and there that take some getting used to, but overall 8/10 would recommend. :}

Its interesting, although I don’t personally hold it as one of my headcannons, I have no issue with anyone that does. :}

Aww thank you, so far its been.. well terrible, but uh. hoping for a brighter future.. 

As for how they’d react to rain? Hmm..

I had this idea that the first time Bulkhead experienced rain he was out somewhere with Miko goofing around. It started to rain and at first Miko was just annoyed, thinking she’d have to go back to the base.

But then Bulkhead out of no where starts to flip out, he scoops up Miko, transforms and speeds away, all the while clearly having some kind of panic attack. He races to a nearby cliff and rushes into a little cave for cover. He’s rattling and is asking Miko questions like, “A-Are you okay? Did it get you?- W-We’re you burned??” Miko gets him to chill out a little and he manages explain why he’s freaking out.

Even after Miko comes out of cover and dances in the rain to show him that its safe, Bulkhead is still too frightened to go out there. He’s spent his whole life being afraid of rain because he knows that it burns you and can even kill you if you’re in it for too long.. So even though he’s being shown right before his optics that, clearly, its safe. That primal fear of rain is too much for him and he doesn’t move. 

They eventually called for a ground bridge and Bulkhead bolted through the rain and raced through it. He told the other bots about rain and how Miko claims that its safe on this planet, but that still didn’t stop them from experiencing that same primal fear when they came into contact with rain themselves.

There was supposed to be another time when Ratchet and Arcee were taking the kids home from the Base. Arcee had Jack and Ratchet had Miko and Raf.

They were almost into town when It started to trickle. Jack was surprised that it was going to rain in Jasper of all places, but he was also annoyed because he was going to get wet. But then Arcee and Ratchet both hit the brakes and freeze up. “Did you feel that?” Jacks about to ask “feel what?” when Ratchet says “Yeah, yeah I did..” Raf asked Ratchet what is wrong, but then the rain really picked up. Out of no where Ratchet starts freaking out, “RAIN!! GET TO COVER!!” Arcee and Ratchet Floor it for town. 

They rush into town and find cover in a run down gas station that’s on the edge of town. Ratchet’s alt form is literally shaking and Arcee is really freaking out. Both of their primal fears making them forget that rain is safe on this planet.

“Are you okay? Jack? Ratchet? How bad are your burns?“ Jacks just like “huh??” But Ratchet goes “I-I don’t know, I don’t feel anything yet, were you burned?” Jack tries to say something but Arcee goes, “No I don’t think so, Jack gave me cover, are you alright Jack? Were you burned?” Finally Jack gets a moment to talk and asks what the heck is going on. They explain that on their planet rain is acidic, Jack then stands in the rain to prove that its okay, but just like Bulkhead they’re still scared.

Miko gets out and jumps around in the rain to show that its safe while Raf tries to explain to them that its really only water. They’re both not convinced and stay put. Raf gets out, cups his hands together and collects some rain water. He brings the water up to Arcee and Ratchet to show them that its just water. He even drinks some of it to prove that its really okay and not acid.

This convinces Arcee and she slowly inches out into the rain, eventually managing to get into it. Although she’s still nervous, after realizing that its safe she encourages Ratchet to follow suit,

Ratchet manages to inch his way out too and they both shakily take the kids back home. They come back to base and tell everyone their story, but again, that fear of the rain cant be reasoned with right away. It takes a bot to experience it personally to help them realize that this planets rain is harmless.

With Bumblebee and Smokescreen it could’ve been just like Bulkhead. Out with one of the kids, it starts to rain, the bot panics and the kid calms them down and explains that its just water. With Optimus, I feel like a human wouldn’t have been around to explain it to him. There could have been a time where he was out on a solo mission and it began to rain.

Like every other bot, Optimus has this instinct to hide from the rain, so he does and finds cover. He contacts Ratchet and tells him the situation, Ratchet tells him that he’s been in the rain before and it shouldn’t hurt him. Optimus is still nervous but he steps out from undercover, sees that its okay and moves on without really mentioning it to anyone back at base. The very same thing could’ve happened to Ultra Magnus later on now that I think about it..

With Wheeljack? Imagine him, Bulkhead and Miko were out driving somewhere, Miko is with Bulk and Jackie is following behind them. It starts to rain and it freaks Bulkhead out a little but he’s mostly okay, Miko reminding him that its harmless. Meanwhile Jackie slams on the gas and swerves off the road into the forest. Clearly no one told him that Earths rain isn’t acidic.

Bulkhead follows him and finds him in his alt form rattling and tucked really tightly underneath a big tree. They’re trying to talk to him and get him to relax but he’s clearly stressed out. Miko climbs out, goes up to him and manages to talk him down. Explaining that Earth is different than Cybertron, and that their rain is not toxic or acidic. Its just water. He calms down enough to come out of hiding but he’s still clearly on edge. He sticks close to Bulkhead and doesn’t talk much for the rest of their trip.

I feel like all transformers, con or bot, had a freaking out over rain moment at some point. Except for soundwave probably, I think he’d feel a liquid falling on him from the sky and not react because it doesn't hurt.

“The Octonauts is a British children's television series, produced by Silvergate Media for the BBC channel CBeebies, and based on the children's books written by Vicki Wong and Michael C. Murphy.

The show follows an underwater exploring crew made up of stylized anthropomorphic animals, a team of eight adventurers who live in an undersea base, the Octopod, from which they go on undersea adventures with the help of a fleet of aquatic vehicles.

Although its technology is fictional, the exotic creatures and locations that the crew encounter are based on real marine animals in their natural habitats. The show's subject matter has been compared to that of Star Trek and Thunderbirds blended with Jacques Cousteau. The show was animated in Ireland by Brown Bag Films for its first four series. The show was renewed for a fifth series in 2018, with Canada's Mainframe Studios taking over animation work.

Two new "movies" have been available on Netflix only since October 2020: The Octonauts and the Caves of Sac Actun (which takes place in a cenote in Mexico) and Octonauts and the Great Barrier Reef (a musical)”

I feel like this quote from the Octonauts wiki does a better job of explaining it than I ever could. :}

I feel sorry for the poor thing. <:{

It was a Gup destined for greatness someday, but because of unfortunate circumstances it was converted into an artificial reef.

Its just like the old Octopod. Destined for greatness, just imagine all the adventures that ship could’ve had with the crew.. But because sea creatures got to it before they could, it was doomed to a life of darkness at the bottom of the ocean. 

I feel bad for those poor Gups and other mechs that just didn’t make it.. 😔

No I still have some bread left over, here  (╯°▽°)╯🍞 Sorry, it might be a wee bit stale.

Oh I bet he gets hurt all the time and tries to play it of a bit so he can keep running around. Usually he does something stupid and gets hurt and he’s too embarrassed to really go to Peso about it. Or sometimes the injury would seem insignificant to him or the pain is tolerable enough that he thinks it’ll just go away eventually.

Maybe Kwazii doesn’t really avoid Peso’s care on purpose? Maybe he could have a high pain tolerance? Like, imagine he does something kind’a dumb and as a result gets his arm got stick under the Gup-B or something. When he frees himself his arm does hurt a bit, but it looks fine to him so he just thinks “eh”. He figures that the Gup-B isn’t very big or heavy, his arm wasn’t stuck for very long, what could possibly be wrong with it?

He comes back to the Octopod and casually tells the Captain what happened. The Captain seeing Kwazii gritting his teeth and holding his bent out of shape arm like that instantly made him turn right around and go get Peso. Peso wants to examine his arm but Kwazii’s all like, “Nah its fine me hearty, Its probably just some bruising.”

Well, put his arm through an X-ray and turns out what do you know he broke his arm in three places.

And Kwazii’s just as surprised as everyone else that his arm is broken. He’s like, “It was only the Gub-B! Is it really heavy enough to crush my arm??” And the Captains like, “The gup was ON your arm?? Of course that can break it!”

XD I bet Kwazii gives everyone a headache.

Thank you! :} And well, its more innocent than you might think. People have wondered if they were self harm hints or something more dark like that, but really its not that at all.

You see, I’m a bit of a clean freak. I usually wash my hands up to 40 times a day, no exaggeration. I would usually wash my hands with dish soap, which really does a number on your skin.

So, washing my hands 40 times a day with dish soap, plus drawing on paper for several hours a day meant that my hands were so utterly dry that they’d bleed. My hands were always bleeding and covered in Band-Aids like 24/7.

All of this was going on around the time I made my blog and designed my little avatar character. I wanted to give my character something unique, like an accessory of some kind. Like gloves, a watch, a scarf, a bag, something. 

Then I looked at my hands and thought you know? What if this strange aspect of myself was added to my character? Its ominous, its unique, it looks cool.. I think I’ll do that.

So now my avatar has bloodied banged all over its hands. Later on down the road today I try to wash my hands a wee bit less and I lather my hands in lotion religiously now. So my hands are much better and don’t bleed anymore. But those bloodied hands are now like a trademark of my character, so I haven’t removed them,

Although with this new uh, “playful” cat I have, I suppose the Bandages now resemble my real hands once again haha.

I looked it up and I didn’t find any info saying that its common or even normal for cats to have just one baby. So its safe to assume that Kwazii must have had at least a few siblings. As to where they are or what happened to them?. Well..

The life of a pirate is a dangerous one. And I find it odd that with how often he’s mentioned his Grandfather, he’s never mentioned any siblings..

Perhaps... they’re.. you know.. dead? Kwazii’s Grandfather could be the last living member of his family. Which is why if he ever mentions his family or his pirate days, he only ever talks about his Grandpa. Maybe talking about his siblings would be too much for him?..

Man, I gotta polish that into a headcannon or something, that stuff is angsty as crap. Imagine if he was attached to the Octonauts in a way no body really understood? What if his old crew was like his mom, dad, siblings etc, and he mostly became an Octonaut because he had no where else to go after loosing them? Now that his family are all gone and his Grandpa is missing, all he has is this new crew. He would become hyper attached to his new crew and all of his care and tenderness comes from a fear of losing them just like he did his real family. 

[crystalninjaphoenix]

MerMay 2021 Day Seven Talk and Trade

“Okay, what about this? Do you want this?” Marvin dropped a small metal rectangle down on the seafloor, almost losing it among the sea grass before reconsidering and putting it on a nearby rock. “Humans drop them all the time. I think it’s some sort of multipurpose thing.”

Schneep picked up the rectangle, turning it over in his hands. “I think this is a phone.”

“Oh, so that’s a phone?” Marvin nodded. “Got it.”

“You see so many more humans than any of us do, how do you not know what a phone is?”

“I don’t know. I guess it never really registered. Anyway, do you want it?”

“Ehh...” Schneep bit his lip, thinking about it. “It is pretty useless once it falls in the water, but...”

“But it’s shiny, oooo.” Marvin waggled his fingers.

“That is settled, I do not want it if you are going to do things like that.” Schneep pushed the phone back off the rock, and Marvin hurried to catch it. “I thought it might be heavy enough to hold down loose notes, but now that I think about it, I could just use a rock.”

“Well alright, fine.” Marvin huffed, exaggeratingly offended. “I’ll just put it with all the others.” He slid the phone back into his bag. “What about you? What do you have?”

Schneep began rummaging through his own bag. “More bandages, if you want them. Some bottled medicine. Nothing much. Oh, and I found you a fallen star.”

“What?!” Marvin lunged forward. Laughing, Schneep backpedalled, tentacles curling around Marvin’s arm as he tried to grab the bag. “You let me show off my shitty trades when you had that the entire time?! Booooo! You can’t do that!”

“Ah, the look on your face.” Schneep put a hand over his mouth to stifle the giggles. “Alright, here you are.” He handed Marvin a packet wrapped in kelp. Marvin unwrapped it just enough to confirm the familiar glowing fronds of a fallen star before putting it in his bag.

“Hey...wait a second.” Marvin frowned, then looked up. “Where did you get a fallen star? They grow really deep down, and you don’t really leave the reef. And when you do, it’s at the same, you know, level of deepness.”

“Well, uh...I thought I would do something nice,” Schneep said.

“Why are you changing color?” Marvin asked.

“What?”

Marvin poked one of Schneep’s tentacles, who immediately withdrew it. “Looking a bit more green than turquoise right now. That means you’re nervous.”

“Gods damn it,” Schneep muttered. “I can be the best liar in the world, but I cannot change my colors.”

“Hey, you still fool me most of the time. Remember how long it took me to realize the colors were even connected to emotions at all? Then again, I do have the same emotional detection as a tadpole.”

“You are getting better,” Schneep reassured him. “Especially with friends.”

“Thanks.” Marvin smiled a bit, but then turned serious, folding his arms. “But you’re changing the subject. What were you doing so far down?”

Schneep sighed, looking up. “Marvin, can we not do this? I would like to stay to our normal routine of exchanging found things and news that has happened since the last time. We do not get to do this that often anymore.”

Marvin paused. “Is...something wrong? Did something bad happen?” He flicked his tail, getting a bit closer to Schneep. “Come onnnn, you can tell me. Talking about it is good for you, you antisocial cephalopod.”

“Ohhh, we are bringing out that, are we? You eccentric winged fish.”

“Grumpy mollusk.”

“Witchy freshie.”

Marvin laughed. “Alright, alright, I guess you don’t have to. But you should.” He rolled over in the water, floating on his back. “How about I tell you what I’m thinking? I’m thinking that something happened at the reef that made you not want to stick around there. Not sure what. Coral dying? Sudden overpopulation of the local fish types? Another merm showed up?”

“What—I—noooo, that is—that is ridiculous.” Schneep laughed nervously. “Why would there be another merm there? I mean, it is clearly my reef. And it is not like there is a shortage of space in the ocean. Nooo, it’s plenty wide open.” His voice started to get louder. “So why would you choose that one spot that is already claimed, and which I am very clear about not wanting neighbors? Why would you do that? Are you trying to annoy me? Is that funny to you? Is a real great joke, in that case! All anyone gets out of it is irritation!”

“Ooooookay, I was joking on that last one.” Marvin flipped over again. “But even I can tell I struck a nerve there.”

Schneep sighed. That was his own fault. “Okay, fine, there was another merm who showed up,” he admitted. “She asked for a chill cure, then mentioned she was new in the area, looking for a place to stay, and surprise! Decided that my reef would be good enough.”

“Oh wow. And you said you didn’t want her there?”

“I made it very clear,” Schneep said coldly.

Marvin hummed. “What’s she like?”

“Ah, talkative, I suppose.” Schneep shrugged. “I have not actually seen much of her, because she’s another octo and the type that can camouflage, so she could be anywhere! But when she announced herself, she talked a lot. And she is a weaver.”

“Really?” Marvin perked up. “You know that could actually be pretty helpful—”

“I know! It is the principle of the matter!” Schneep snapped. Then he sighed. “Sorry. I am just...frustrated. It is the knowledge that my home has someone in there that I do not want to be there. I hate it. How were you able to deal with JJ showing up?”

“Well, Jameson was a different situation, he was hurt and freaked out so I thought he should stay, and from there, things just sort of...happened.” Marvin suddenly grinned. “Hey, you want some good news to distract you from this?”

“Sure.”

“Jameson and I are going to be life friends!”

“What?” Schneep gasped, his expression suddenly brightening. “Really? Oh, that fits you two! Are you going to have a ceremony?”

“Eventually. We don’t want to make it official until Jamie’s finished his apprenticeship.” Marvin clapped his hands, fins waving in the water. “It’s going to be so nice! Everyone can come, including Jack if he’s awake by then, and Chase can bring his fries and maybe his partner if we can figure out a way to get her underwater.”

“Ah, speaking of partners, I hear that sometimes, merms with life friends have a hard time finding one,” Schneep said. “Have you two considered that?”

“Well, yeah, but partners aren’t high on either of our priority lists. Maybe they will be in the future, and we can go looking for ones together.” Marvin paused. “Maybe you should ask your new neighbor to be your life friend or partner.”

“What?!” Schneep jumped three feet off the ocean floor at the very idea of that. “No! I would like someone who does not invade my home, thank you!”

“Sorry, sorry. It was a joke. Apparently not a very good one.” Marvin paused. “Do you want someone else to talk to her about staying in the reef? Tell her about how it’s really important to you that she...uh, doesn’t get in your space?”

Schneep sighed, and rubbed his eyes. “Perhaps. She seems to think hiding from me is a game, maybe she will appear for someone else. I just...can I have my reef back? It...it’s mine.”

Marvin nodded solemnly. This new merm probably didn’t realize what a big deal it was to Schneep to have a space to himself. Their whole group knew about it, knew it was more than just the territorialism some merms got. “Well, I suggest that Jackie does it, then. Y’know, he’s a guardian, it’ll have some authority behind it.”

Schneep rolled his eyes. “I do not think Jackie is the type to use his position for a personal favor.”

“Alright, then I’ll do it, I’ll pretend to be a guardian.”

“Wh��” Schneep giggled. “You are a tiny angelfish, she would not believe that.”

“Hey! I’m not as tiny as Chase!” Marvin put his hands on his waist.

“Ah, true. I will ask Jackie anyway, I am sure you are busy.” Schneep paused. “Anyway, do you want any of these bandages?”

“Yeah, sure. We could use some.” Marvin settled back on the seafloor, and they returned seamlessly to what they’d been doing before.

[harmony88]

As Dreamers Do

The Doctor and Rose, a couple of months after they are back to the stars, take a trip for baby food with their 8 month old daughter to a new planet, where they unexpectedly meet a man who thinks the TARDIS is the key to unlocking the one dream he's always wanted, but has never had.

First Story in my series Forever With You: Part 3 

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 

(Chapter 1 posted below)

He told her once not to make this place domestic.

To be fair, it had less to do with her and more to do with her mother, whom, at the time, he wasn’t quite sure what to make of and whom, he had to remember, came on board without permission. He rolled his eyes at that thought now, because he should have known Jackie Tyler wasn’t the ‘ask for permission’ type, but he’d been rather grumpy back then and mothers were a bit of a touchy subject. He also knew he hadn’t meant it, not really, but still, he’d said it, and he was thinking about it as he glanced around the galley.

A messy finger painting was hanging on the refrigerator. A gift from his daughter, crafted when Rose let her do some art the other day, and he’d been so excited about it he hung it up before it was completely dry. There were stuffed animals thrown about the hallway that led to the console room, his wife’s breast pump was sitting on the counter next to a photograph of all three of them he’d framed, and there was an empty carton of milk sitting in the bin, designed to serve a visual reminder that they needed to pick up some more.

The TARDIS was a domestic playground at this point, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. He had never been happier, and he thought about all the baby books in the nursery, the closet that was half his clothes and half Rose’s, the ensuite that had two toothbrushes in a gold holder, and the library that always had two coasters on the coffee table for both of their cuppas at night.

They’d built a life together, circling the vortex and traveling in between, and somehow, someway, the one adventure he never thought he’d have was exactly the one he was living.

What a privilege it was.

“Here,” Rose said, giving him a look when he just smiled like an idiot at her, and he took a jar of baby food from her hand, followed by a small spoon. She had one, too, and they both looked down at Alice, whose smile was reminding him so much of her mother it was making it hard to breathe, and he bent down to kiss her cheek.

They put all the stars to shame, the two of them, they really did.

She giggled when he kissed her a second time, and Rose laughed too, grabbing onto his arm and pulling him back. “If we don’t start soon she’s gonna cry.”

“One more,” he urged, kissing her other cheek with a pop, and Alice giggled so hard the sound imprinted on his hearts, he was sure of it. Rose bit her lip and held up her spoon, and like a sword pulled from its sheath he did the same, and he raised an eyebrow at her.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Please, this is child’s play,” she said, and the corners of his mouth twitched as they twisted the lids off of their jars, and each took a small spoonful. “Alright, Alice. You pick. Which one do you want? Daddy’s stupid bananas? Or Mummy’s yummy pears?”

“No, no, no, don’t do that, don’t use adjectives to try and persuade her opinion,” he scoffed. “Use science. Bananas, Alice, are much higher in potassium which you need. They also have about 44% more iron, 3 times the amount of magnesium, are higher in protein and will give you more energy and are the all around smarter choice.”

“But Daddy loooooves pears,” Rose said, and he lowered his spoon and turned to stare at her. “Eats them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”

“Why would you say that?” he asked, and she smiled, her tongue playing with the corner of her mouth as they looked back at Alice.

“Goo-ba-da,” she said, smiling at them, and he sniffed.

“Go ahead, darling. Which one?” he asked her, and they held their spoons up to her face, waiting in anticipation as she looked between them, and she reached for the bananas. “YES! ALICE! BRILLIANT!”

Rose groaned and handed him 10 quid, and he did a happy bounce as he set the jar to the side and kissed his daughter’s head, only to pick it back up and hold the spoon out to her. Rose couldn’t even pretend to be upset, not when her child was about to eat some semblance of actual food for the first time in her life, and she found herself quickly mesmerized by the look on her face as the Doctor got her to open her mouth and slurp up the mashed bananas. Half of it fell onto her bib, then onto the high chair, and he tried again, and again, until she finally swallowed a bite and clapped.

She giggled.

“Oh my God, she likes it,” Rose said, biting her lip, and suddenly her eyes were watering. The Doctor, too proud of his daughter to notice anything else at the moment, merely smiled and got her to eat another bite.

“Of course she does, it’s a banana. It’s impossible to not like them. And now! Rose Tyler! HA! Now, we should always take a banana with us to -”

“Don’t start,” she teased, nudging his side a little, and he just laughed, until he noticed she was trying not to cry. His smile fell and the jar of baby food was forgotten about as he stood and cupped her cheeks, using his thumb to wipe away her tears.

“Oh, Rose…” he said, pulling her into a hug.

“When did she get so big?” she said against his chest, and he smiled. “She was in my belly, the size of a banana yesterday. Do you remember that?”

“Course I do,” he whispered, and the softness of his voice made her tears spill over. “Rose, it’s okay.”

“S-s-she won’t want my milk soon, will she? She’s going to be so grown and- and- and what am I supposed to do with all of it?” she sobbed. He smiled at her.

“You’ll stop producing -”

“And then she’s going to be talking and walking and then she’s gonna run faster than we can and then the next thing we know she’s going to be piloting the ship and we’re going to be -”

“Okay, shhhhhh,” he said, rubbing her back. “It’s just a couple of bananas.”

She fluttered her lips, and he smiled at her, trying not to laugh. She wiped the last of her tears away and collapsed onto a chair and just sulked for a moment, but when she scooped up a sample of the pears so she could eat her feelings like it was ice cream, and had the audacity to do it right in front of him, the face he made was nothing short of horrified. “WHAT DID YOU JUST DO?!”

“Oh, God, it tastes like plastic,” she said, spitting it out into a napkin, and his skin felt like it was crawling with bugs. He began to stick his tongue in and out of his mouth, not hiding his disgust, and she started laughing. “Sorry! It was just there!”

“I can’t believe you just did that!” he shouted. “WHY?! WHY WOULD YOU...WHY!? I just gave that speech! Choose the bananas!”

His reaction was delighting Alice, who thought he was just being silly and she began to giggle and bounce in the high chair.

“Oh, not you, too. Don’t you dare, it’s not funny.”

She laughed harder, as did Rose. A happy high pitched sound coupled with a few syllables rang in the air as Rose got up to grab a glass of water, letting her own amusement subside as she gargled and washed the horrible aftertaste of that particular brand of baby food out of her mouth. He just stared at her. “I could have told you that was going to happen. Been saying it for years.”

“Mum told me that was the best one!” she said.

“And you believed her?” he asked, still unable to stop making a face. “I need you to go brush your teeth before I kiss you.”

“Are you serious?” she asked, and he raised an eyebrow at her. “Oh, please. It was one small bite and it’s washed out. Come here.”

She reached for him, having every intention of going to brush her teeth but she just wanted to watch him freak out a little bit more, and he jumped back and went to hide behind Alice, placing his hands on the edge of her highchair.

“Nope,” he said. “Superior taste buds. Palette has to be cleansed. I made an exception when you were all pickles and ice cream during pregnancy but this? Can’t do it.”

“You’re a bigger baby than she is,” she said.

“More adorable, too,” he said, smiling, and she just rolled her eyes. He looked down at Alice, and he winked. “Kidding.”

Rose smirked, but she knew how serious he was and she wanted him to be able to kiss him more than she wanted to win this battle of banter, so with an effort to rock her hips just to rile him up a little, she sauntered off to their ensuite to brush her teeth.

“Aaaaaaand we’re just going to throw this away, yes we are,” he said to his daughter as he picked up his wife’s jar of poison, making sure to use a tissue so he didn’t directly touch it, and it was in the bin faster than he could say Raxacorcicofallapatorius. Alice began to cry when he walked away, and he was at her side again instantly. “What’s wrong? You still hungry?"

He helped her eat more bananas, though she only consumed about a quarter of the jar. The rest was on the floor or her face, which was honestly better than he expected for her first time. He smiled at her and wiped her chin clean, and he let the TARDIS take care of the floor as he grabbed a bottle of breastmilk, too, figuring she was probably still hungry.

For a few minutes, it was just him and his daughter, and he smiled at her while she suckled the bottle, slowly rocking her in the chair as he did. “I love you so much, you perfect little thing.”

She started to fuss a little, and he shifted how he was holding her and the bottle, and he started to sing to offer a distraction. Her eyes widened at the sound, and she smiled, and he remembered how much she loved music, so he just kept going.

“Okay, so I -” Rose started to say as she walked back in, but she shut up the moment she saw what he was doing. She bit her lip, letting the cadence of his voice wrap itself around her, and she had to lean against the wall to steady herself, falling impossibly more in love with him, and thinking he really was the most wonderful man.

She waited. When the song was over he turned around to set the bottle down, smiling at her when he realized she was there. “Hello.”

“The Beatles?” she asked softly, pushing away from the wall so she could wrap her arms around his neck as he kissed their daughter.

“Well….she likes to hold my hand,” he whispered. Rose smiled.

“Not just her,” she said, proving her point as her fingers molded to his without either of them having to look, and a spark of arousal flew between them. “That was really sweet.”

He winked. “Did you brush your teeth?”

“Maybe. Kiss me and find out,” she flirted, but he could smell the toothpaste, and he kept Alice on his hip as he brought their lips together. She moaned a little, and he smiled.

“So much better,” he said, but she ignored him and just kept kissing him, until they both had to pull away when Alice tugged on her father’s hair. Hard. “Ow!”

“Come here, sweet girl,” Rose said, pulling her daughter into a hug. “Mummy loves you. I’m so proud of you. Yes! Good job.”

She smiled wider with every word Rose spoke, and he watched them hug. “We should go somewhere. Celebrate her milestone.”

“Okay,” she said, smiling. “Where’s the best baby food in the galaxy? We can get her to try it all.”

“Brilliant,” he murmured, kissing her again. “We’ll go in the morning. I promised her I would read her a bedtime story. Charlotte’s Web? What do you think?”

“No, that’s so sad, read When You Give A Mouse A Cookie,” Rose said, and he raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“She’s a Time Lord, I’m not reading that to her,” he said, and she rolled her eyes. “And, Rose Tyler, I'll have you know I happen to have the first draft of Charlotte's Web. Long story - how I got it, not the draft - grammatical errors left and right, but the plot is much better.”

“Oh, well now I have to hear it,” she teased. He laughed, and together they walked to the nursery, where Rose curled up on the rug and watched him hold Alice in the rocking chair, and as he read the story, she found herself falling asleep, too.

He stopped the chapter before he was even halfway through when he noticed they were both out like a light, and he chuckled a little, carefully bringing Alice over to her crib. Gently, he laid her on the blankets and tucked her in, and he aimed his sonic screwdriver at the lights, flipping them off.

The projection of the cosmos in the paint illuminated around him, spilling over every inch of the room. He clenched his jaw a little and looked down at Rose, making sure she was still asleep before he walked toward the bookcase, and he shifted the view, revealing the spot in the sky Gallifrey once sat.

He stared at it.

“Hey,” Rose whispered after a few minutes, slowly stirring on the floor. “Hum in my head.”

“Sorry, I’m fine,” he said, pulling his focus to her and helping her stand up. “She’s asleep.”

“You want her to stay here?” she asked, and he nodded. “What if she needs us?”

“Nah, she’ll be okay. She’s been sleeping through the night for weeks,” he said softly. “And we both share a bond with her. We’ll know if she wakes up, and she’s getting too big for the bassinet anyway. I think it’s a good day to do it.”

Rose bit her lip and looked at her, watching the rise and fall of her stomach. It was slow and steady, and she just nodded, but there was a lump in her throat that was hard to swallow. She wanted her to grow up, she did, she couldn’t wait for so many things, but two milestones in one day just felt like a lot, and this one she hadn’t been prepared for at all. “I just…”

“Come here,” he whispered as he pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly, and he kissed the top of her head. “I promise she’s okay.”

“No, I know,” she muttered. “I’m just... sad, I guess. I know it’s stupid. And I’m not...It’s a good thing, I know it is, but…”

“What?” he murmured.

“Can she sleep in our room tomorrow night? Maybe?” she asked, and he smiled at her.

“We can switch off, hm? Every other night for a bit? Until you feel ready?” he offered.

“Really?” she asked, and he smiled at the tenderness of her tone.

“It’s not stupid, Rose. I understand. I really do. I’m sad, too,” he said. “Even if we find a way to get her regenerations, which we will, she’ll never be this little again. I know that. But like you said. It’s a good thing.”

Rose felt tears well up but she held them back, and he hugged her again. She looked up at the projection over his shoulder, and when she saw the hourglass nebula he once showed her after they defeated the Master and Rassilon so very long ago, she froze. “Is that…”

“Hm?” he asked, and then realized what she was looking at. “Oh. Yeah.”

“You okay?” she asked, and he nodded.

“Just...looking,” he said. “Making sure nothing changed. Making sure it’s still...well…”

“Hidden?” she whispered. He just took a deep breath and exhaled sharply.

“Something like that,” he admitted. “It’s safe, it’s fine. I’m fine. I promise.”

“Good,” she said, and he kissed her, letting his tongue swipe across her lips. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” he murmured. “Let’s let her sleep.”

He took her hand and walked directly across the hall to their own room, keeping both doors open in case Alice did end up needing them, but as soon as they were both washed up and laying down, he realized they were essentially alone, and he decided to take advantage of it.

“Can we…” he started to say, and she straddled him, apparently thinking the same thing. His hands roamed her back as they kissed, and she pulled her t-shirt over her head, suddenly bare chested and hovering on top of him. He began to explore her skin with his tongue like it was new territory, despite the fact he knew the map of her moles just as well as the stars. He was careful and almost tentative, and she let out a long moan when he flicked his fingers over the soft mounds of flesh that were right at his eyeline, giving them a gentle squeeze.

He rolled them over so he was on top of her, peeling his own shirt off as he found her neck, then her jaw, licking and sucking, and she panted his name. “I want…”

“What?” he asked, stopping and looking at her. “Tell me.”

She connected their minds, and he shuddered. She took over the kisses for a moment, bringing her lips to his chest, and as they shimmied out of the rest of their clothing he slithered down so he could explore more of her with his tongue, and he made her scream, which she somehow had the brain power to remember to cover with her hand so they didn’t wake Alice up with the open doors.

“Have I ever told you…” he began as he trailed kisses up her stomach, then her chest, until he reached her lips. “How much I love how you taste?”

“Mmm, no,” she said, smirking at him.

“Wait, really?” he asked, his tone suddenly more alarmed than sexy, and she laughed.

“Every single time,” she whispered, gripping his hair on the back of his head. “Even if you don’t say it out loud, I hear you. We share a mind, remember?”

“Good,” he said, his voice returning to its husky tone, and he kissed her again. “Because I do...It’s...there’s this sweetness to you I can’t get enough of. And also this tanginess that’s just...I just want it. All the time. It’s intoxicating ....Drives me absolutely insane....”

She whimpered, and he winked, then let her massage his scalp as they kissed. He couldn’t resist joining their bodies together, and they slowly started to move, exploring every inch of what the other had to offer. Every tightening of every muscle, every gentle stroke.

It lasted for a while, full of soft pants and quiet moans, and they both marveled a little at how incredibly addicting it was to be able to do this without stressing about timelines or diamonds or vengeful Time Lords; without worrying in the back of their minds about whether or not it would be the last time they got to make love at all.

It was just them, dancing and writhing and groaning between their sheets, letting time stand as still as it possibly could.

His forehead buried itself onto the crook of her neck as he began to make strangled noises, so close to bursting it was starting to feel like a fire inside of him, and when she thought the word ‘forever’ he came so hard he nearly broke the bed frame.

She was carried away with him, and they smiled as they caught their breath, glistening a little with sweat. He kissed her, and she pulled her hair out of her face as they settled next to each other on the mattress. “Think it’ll still be like that in seven hundred years?” she panted.

He chuckled.

“No,” he said. “I think it’ll be better.”

She smiled at him, and he gave her the most adoring look as he wrapped his arms around her, and this time fell asleep together, ready for whatever the following day would bring.

[thdorkmagnet]

Light of the Sun and Stars chapter 43: The Hand of Fate (Preview)

Summary: His whole life Marco Diaz has been raised by monsters, living under the cruel rule of their leader, Toffee. But one day Marco escapes into Mewni where he meets a magical princess and Mewman like himself, who begins teaching him all about her world. Together they will learn about life, love, and the lights within each of them, as they change their world forever.

Chapter Synopsis: What would you do for a second chance, Marco Diaz?

A/N: Hi yes I’m still alive!! Sorry this chapter is taking so long, I was sick with Covid in January and everything got delayed and I’ve been having to focus on recovering. I’m doing much better now but my energy levels still aren’t quite what they used to be. Anyways thanks for the patience, hope you enjoy the preview!

Check out my other stuff on Fanfiction!

Index

The first thing Marco was aware of as he opened his eyes was the fog that clouded his mind. His head felt like it was underwater, his consciousness swimming in and out of reality, making it difficult to focus. It took him a few seconds to even realize he was laying down. He squinted his eyes, his vision unnaturally blurry, like his eyes had forgotten how to work for a brief period of time. Marco off-handedly wondered if he should be concerned about all this but the fear was quickly swallowed by the fog. Marco didn’t move at first, his limbs were too heavy, so instead he just lay and bed and waited for his head to clear. After a good minute, the fuzziness in his brain started to die down and his vision cleared enough for him to get a good look at his surroundings. 

That’s when he realized he wasn’t in his bed. 

Marco sat up quickly, causing his head to spin again but that was the least of his concerns as he looked around the dark room he had woken up in. The boy panted nervously a few times, his heart hammering against his chest in fear when he realized he knew this room. It was his room at Buff Frog’s cottage. The boy rubbed his eyes a few times, just to make sure he wasn’t seeing things but another quick glance around the silent room confirmed it. He was in the Monster’s cottage. 

“How did I…” Marco whispered softly, perplexed by this strange situation. He tried to remember how he could have ended up there but his mind was drawing a blank. He recalled Star and him watching the sunset together like always and Star’s sweet kiss goodnight when they parted ways, his girlfriend turning in early out of exhaustion over the day’s activities. He had hung out with Jackie and Janna for a bit, the two girls teaching him how to play some Earth card game called “poker”, although apparently poking your opponent was not part of the rules. Janna was incredibly good at the game and had beaten both Jackie and him with ease. After that, he had told Daisy and Violet a quick goodnight story before heading to his own bed, tired but satisfied with his day.  The last thing he remembered was settling under the warm sheets in his bed at Butterfly Castle. 

So how had he gone from there to here. Marco frowned, looking around the room in confusion. That was when something new caught his eye. All his stuff from the castle was here too, as if the situation wasn’t strange enough already. Normally his room at Buff Frog’s place was more or less bare, it was more a glorified place to sleep than anything else, since Marco spent most of his time there with the Monsters. So how had all his stuff been moved there overnight? 

Marco realized laying around in bed was not getting him anywhere, he needed to investigate this mystery further. He hopped out of bed and moved over to his open closet, pulling down one of his prized hoodies. He examined it for a moment but couldn’t find anything off about it, as far as he could tell it was the same set of hoodies he normally wore. He slipped it on without a second thought, not caring he was still in his PJ’s underneath. He was starting to get freaked out and needed some sense of comfort, and since Star wasn’t here one of his hoodies would just have to do.

Marco creaked open the door to his room, trying to make as little noise as possible. He looked around the empty hallway for any signs of life but saw nothing out of the ordinary. And yet, something felt off to him, something about this whole thing just wasn’t quite right. It took him a few second to put him finger on it but when it finally came to him, the surrelness of it all left him stumped. It was too quiet. Normally, Buff Frog’s cottage was always full of some kind of chatter between the many Monsters that lived there. At all hours of the day he would always be able to hear Beard Deer and Lobster Claws arguing about something or Big Chicken’s clucking or Bearicorn’s atrocious singing, not even the loud snoring of Potato Baby as he went about his day. But now there was nothing. Just silence. And it unnerved Marco.

But then as if some force of the universe had read his mind, his ears picked up a small sound echoing through the barren hallway. Humming. Someone was humming. And from the sound of it, it was a woman’s voice. Now Marco’s interest was thoroughly peaked and his need to investigate won over his growing anxiety instantly. Taking a deep, calming breath, Marco ventured out into the hallway, slowly tip-toeing in the direction he thought the humming was coming from.

From what he could tell, it seemed like it was coming from downstairs and Marco tried to quietly creep that way. But to his surprise, he picked up on something he had missed before. The hallway was smaller somehow. Before, Buff Frog and the Monsters had made enough rooms so that any Monster who wanted one could have one. But now the hallway had been shortened and the number of rooms cut down significantly. There were only four rooms upstairs now, counting his, and Marco was beginning to wonder if he was still dreaming. It certainly would make more sense than his dad’s house being reconstructed overnight. Marco slowly descended the staircase, his thoughts and heartbeat racing with each step.

The humming grew louder and he tried to place a face with the voice but his mind was drawing a blank. It was clearly a woman’s voice and something about the tone reminded him of Lily when she was putting Daisy and Violet to bed. There was something instantly soothing about the simplistic melody, almost like… he had heard it before? The woman’s voice as well, was oddly familiar, some distant memory tugging at the back of his mind although he couldn’t quite see it yet.

He reached the final step of the staircase and gazed over to the kitchen, finally spotting the source of the humming. A woman stood by the oven, her back to him as she fiddled with sizzling pans full of delicious smelling food, her hands working quickly to cook the meal. Marco could only stare at her in shock, wondering why and how some strange woman had snuck into his dad’s home to cook breakfast. His head spun with questions as he wondered what the right course of action was here, he had never been taught what to do in this kind of situation. 

So he did the first thing that came to mind, he spoke to her. “Hello?” he called in a tiny voice which shook from nerves and confusion. 

The woman stopped what she was doing and slowly turned to face him. Marco could see the confusion in her eyes before a warm smile widened on her face as she spotted him. There was a small flash of recognition there, although Marco couldn’t say the same since he was still sure he had never seen this person in his entire life. Although, some deeper part of his mind seemed to be trying to tell him something though he had yet to determine what as it fought to escape the fog. 

“Good morning, Marco. Did you sleep well?” the woman said as she cleaned her hands on the fancy apron she was wearing, her tone bright and she spoke with a level of familiarity that sent Marco’s head spinning. 

“Do I… know you?” the hooded teen asked, an eyebrow slowly raising. Those words must have triggered something because he felt the memory fight harder to free itself, but the fog clung tightly and refused to let go. 

The woman seemed surprised by this response, her head cocking to the side to observe him and her eyebrows pinching together in worry. “What do you mean, sweetie?” she asked.

Sweetie, Marco thought, now feeling even more confused. And the memory fought harder. Marco tried to ignore the battle going on in his brain as he asked, “Did my dad hire you or something?”

The woman laughed at this, her voice light and achingly familiar and it made Marco’s heart clench for reasons his mind had yet to decipher. “Marco, you aren’t making any sense,” she said and her eyes shined with some form of affection that felt completely foreign to Marco. “Is this some kind of game?”

Marco felt the memory strain to get free, tearing at the fog as it tried to push itself to the front of his mind. He opened his mouth to reply but the word froze there, he was too confused to speak. Some part of him told him to observe the woman and he began to pick up on small details, auburn hair, green eyes, pink cheekmarks. Okay that’s a good starting point, he told himself. Now focus on those things.

Her hair was tied back in a loose ponytail but it did little to stop the unruly curls. Her eyes were warm and inviting and some deep part of him seemed to recognize the stare. Her stare. And her cheekmarks were-

The fog finally broke under the weight of the memory as realization hit him like a ton of bricks. No, it couldn't be, he told himself, unable to believe who was standing before him. He nearly chocked on a sob as he managed to say in a small, broken voice the word he had been longing to say his entire life. 

“Mom!”

[artificialqueens]

Voulez-Vous Coucher Avec Moi? (Gigi x Nicky) - Peridot

A/N: Y’all wanted domme Nicky and sub Gigi? You’re welcome.

This is a little lesbian one shot I wrote for the season 12 girls because I’m really enjoying them! I haven’t written a fic since December, so I’m sorry if I’m a little rusty! Also go easy on me, I don’t usually write smut and I only did the tiniest bit in this, so be gentle. Please leave me some feedback, I’d love to hear what you think of this! Also come say hi at my sideblog @artificialperidot, because I wanna make friends!

Summary: Gigi didn’t think anybody could make her sub. That was, until she met miss Nicky Doll.

Hope you enjoy!

The pair stumbled through the door of Nicky’s apartment, Nicky’s hands an iron grip on Gigi’s wrist, practically dragging the girl. The door shut with a click, and in a split second Gigi found herself shoved against it, boxed in by Nicky’s arms.

“Put your hands above your head, bitch.”

~

“There’s no way”

Gigi rolled her eyes and took a sip of her strawberry mocktail whilst the group around her snickered. She and her flatmates Heidi, Jackie and Jan were out for drinks at their local bar, sitting in a leather booth with some unrecognisable 90s beat playing over the speakers, barely audible over the chatter of people. It was their first night out in a long time, a celebration for Jackie’s new job offer in a weekly cabaret show. Gigi, however, wasn’t drinking with her friends - she knew how fast Heidi could get her drunk, and she was not about to have another crazy night, and was not about to let her friends get to that stage, either. The last one had been christened, “The milkshake incident” and Gigi had never quite lived it down. And she did not intend to have a repeat tonight.

But, as things often did when they had a girls night, the conversation quickly turned to sex.

“Oh come on, G,” Heidi exclaimed, “Are you saying no one in God’s universe could make you sub?”

“Highly doubt it.”

“Not even if you hadn’t had sex in years?”

“Nope.”

“Damn, I knew you were a control freak, but didn’t know you cared that much.” Jan quipped, received a chuckle from the group.

“Yeah, well, that and the fact that I don’t think anyone could turn me on enough for me to listen to them,” Gigi added. “Like, I’d have to be about to fucking explode before I’d let some bitch tell me what to do.”

“That sounds like a challenge,” said Jackie.

“What do you mean?”

“You think no one could turn you on that much?”

Gigi shrugged. “I don’t think so. Girls are hot, but no one’s that hot.”

Jackie raised an eyebrow. “Well, let’s make things interesting then. Let’s arrange a hook up for you. If we can find a bitch that’s hot enough to make you sub, then you’re buying our drinks next time.”

“Ooh bitch, I like the sound of that,” Heidi chirped.

Gigi scoffed. “And if I win?”

“Then… then we’ll never bring up the milkshake incident again.”

Gigi paused. Now that would be worth it. “Deal,” she said, reaching out a hand to shake Jackie’s across the table, to the excited squee of Jan and the ‘ooohs’ of Heidi. “This sounds amazing. I’m getting a free hookup out of this, and I get to dom. I can’t lose.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure, Miss Goode,” Jackie commented, tapping at her phone screen, which she kept hidden from Gigi. “I have some contacts.”

Jackie couldn’t keep the mischievous grin from her face. “Who did you have in mind?” Heidi asked her, leaning over her shoulder to look at her phone.

“Just a little friend of mine, from back in New York.”

“Girl, if it’s who I’m thinking of, Miss Gigi doesn’t stand a chance!” Jan added.

Jackie smiled mischievously at Jan, giving her a knowing look, before leaning over and whispering something indecipherable into Heidi’s ear, which sent her reeling. “No way! Oh, this bitch stands no chance!” she exclaimed, a little too loudly for Gigi’s liking. “Drinks for us next Saturday bitches!”

Jan laughed, and Gigi rolled her eyes. “I wouldn’t be too confident. I can be intimidating when I wanna be.”

“Do you wanna be intimidating all the time then? Cause you are a scary bitch,” Heidi added, receiving a giggle from the group. “Seriously I’d still be frightened of you if I hadn’t seen the milkshake incident go down with my own eyes.”

The girls began cackling with laughter, and to save her embarrassment, Gigi laughed along too.

At least after tonight she’d never have to hear about it again.

This should be easy.

~

After about an hour or so of cocktails and a trip to the dance floor (where Heidi decided to give everyone in the bar some dance lessons, whether they were willing or not), Jackie disappeared and returned with a woman following along behind her.

“Gigi, there’s a little someone I want you to meet,” Jackie grinned. “This is Nicky. Nicky Doll.”

Jackie stepped to the side, and forward walked a woman. A woman who looked as if she was straight from the covers of vogue.

Gigi couldn’t deny that the woman standing in front of her was beautiful. Fuck, she may have just been one of the most gorgeous women she’d ever seen. Long blonde hair, dark features, and a body to die for. She wore a tight red mini dress that showed off her perfect curves and tiny waist, with a leather jacket thrown over her shoulders, embroidered with roses. She exuded sultriness, in the sort of way that made you certain that she knew just how sexy she was. Her bedroom eyes looked Gigi up and down like a predator surveying its prey, and a smile formed from her pursed lips.

Fuck.

She’s good.

Well, two can play at that game.

Gigi strutted over to the woman, swaying her hips, and slowly reached out a hand for her to shake. “Good evening, Nicky.”

The stranger raised an eyebrow and took her hand, gripping it firmly. “Nice to meet you, darling,” she drawled, her tone exuding confidence. “You want me to top her, Jackie? Shouldn’t be a problem.”

It was then that Gigi picked up on her accent, and her heart jumped a little. It took her a second to distinguish it, but after years of french class in high school, her ear was attuned to the pronunciation.

French. Fucking French?

Somehow it made her ten times hotter.

But, Gigi wasn’t about to back down yet.

“It might be a problem, seeing I’m head and shoulders taller than you,” she quipped, quirking an eyebrow and lifting her chin.

“At least I’m not a skinny little bitch,” Nicky quickly shot back, taking Gigi off guard. “She looks like one of those inflatable car advertisements, you know, the one with the flailing arms.”

The group began to laugh, including Gigi, trying desperately to brush off the joke and not show a crack in her armour. The little jolt in her chest when Nicky looked at her didn’t help make matters any easier.

Of course Jackie just happened to know this gorgeous French supermodel who was just as intimidating as Gigi, maybe even more so. This bet wasn’t going to be as easy as it seemed.

Either way, she was so fucking glad she was going to fuck this bitch tonight.

The sound of Jackie’s voice shook Gigi out of her daydream. “So guys, are you still willing to go home together tonight?”

“Oh, yeah, absolutely. She’s really hot,” Gigi said, in her sexiest voice. “Can’t wait to see her on her knees.”

Nicky didn’t flinch at Gigi’s last sentiment. She simply raised an eyebrow, as if to say are you kidding?

Gigi would be lying if she said that it didn’t turn her on. Slightly.

“Well, Nicky?” Jackie prompted.

“Eh, she’s not bad looking herself.” Nicky shot Gigi a smirk. “I’m up for it.”

“Great,” Jackie said with a clap of her hands. “The bet’s on! Now, who’s for another round of drinks? On me!”

The sentence was met by whoops and cheers from Jan and Heidi, and the girls slunk their way through the crowd towards the bar, Gigi and Nicky following after them.

Gigi felt an arm slide around hers, interlocking them, and felt a voice by her ear.

“Darling, I’m just checking you’re staying sober for tonight?” Nicky said in a hushed tone. The breath on Gigi’s skin made her shudder just a bit.

“Of course,” she replied with mock confidence. “I wouldn’t be comfortable any other way.”

“Good,” Nicky replied. “And, I want to check that no matter what goes down tonight, you're ok with it? Like, if you don’t top you are still comfortable.”

Gigi smiled. It was cute that she checked. “I’m comfortable with whatever goes down, though that shouldn’t be a problem for me anyway.”

“Good,” Nicky said matter-of-factly, before slipping her arm out from its entwinement with Gigi’s and starting to walk ahead of her to catch up with the group. She stopped after a second though, turning her head back to Gigi and waiting for her to catch up. She leant into her, her voice even more low and hushed than before.

“And don’t get too confident, baby. It’s not cute,” she said, giving Gigi a tap on the ass, before walking ahead of her again as if nothing had happened.

It wasn’t enough to hurt - it was barely enough for Gigi to even feel it. But it made her stop in her tracks, rendered immovable.

Gigi gulped. She didn’t know if it was possible for a human heartbeat to exceed 100 miles per hour, but she was sure that hers had gotten pretty close.

Shit.

~

Gigi wasn’t sure if it was the pounding of the music through the speakers, or the pounding of her heart that made her feel lightheaded, but after a while she needed to sit down. Not wanting to bother her friends, who were busy laughing and dancing and spilling their cocktails all over the dance floor, she left their group and made her way over to a booth at the side of the room, resting her elbows on the table. She squeezed her eyes shut. It didn’t make the loud beat or the flashing strobe lights go away, but at least it stopped her head spinning a little.

After all, the thoughts swimming in her brain were enough for her head to deal with.

All she could think about was Nicky.

Before long, she felt someone slide into the booth beside her, a hand moving to rest on the small of her back.

She didn’t need to open her eyes to guess who it was.

“Are you alright, my darling?” a thick french accent murmured.

Gigi opened her eyes to face the girl beside her, whose eyes were wide with concern.

“I’m okay Nicky, thanks. Just felt a little lightheaded, that’s all.”

Nicky flashed her a caring smile. “It’s okay Gigi. You can rest your head on me if you need to, that might help.” Gigi smiled gratefully at her, before laying her head on the shorter girl’s shoulder. Nicky began rubbing her back in small circles, comforting her. “Do you need any water?”

“I’m okay, thanks. I’m starting to feel better already.”

“I’m glad.”

They stayed like that for a few moments, Nicky soothing Gigi, and Gigi trying to conceal her inner panic. She’d never met someone like Nicky before. Never. No one had ever turned her on as fast, for a start. And, she seemed to genuinely care about her, and they’d only just met for Christ sake.

Let’s just say, Gigi was pretty excited to go home with her tonight. She was even more excited to see her again after tonight, though. On a date.

That is, if she plucked up the courage to ask her.

She’d cross that bridge when she came to it.

Nicky began stroking Gigi’s hair, softly and gently, being careful not to mess it up, and Gigi melted into the touch. “You okay down there?”

“Hm? Oh yeah, I’m fine. Just wanted to stay like this for a little while.”

“That’s okay. I like it too, ma crevette.”

Gigi’s eyes blinked open with confusion. “What does that mean?”

Nicky paused and smiled. “You’ll laugh.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a term of endearment in french, sort of like ‘my darling’,” she started, “but the literal translation is ‘my shrimp.’

The two girls began silently laughing to each other, like two school girls giggling over a secret. “You’re joking!”

“I’m serious! French is weird when you put it into English.”

“I used to study french, you know. Back in high school.”

Nicky looked impressed. “Really?”

“Yeah, but I can barely remember any of it. It was the only class I consistently failed,” she laughed. “That and basic math.”

“Speak some french for me Gigi. I’ll be the judge of that.”

Gigi racked her brain, trying to come up with something more interesting than ‘bonjour’ or ‘je m’appelle Gigi’, when she remembered a little song from ‘Moulin Rouge’ that she thought would fit the bill perfectly.

“Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?”

Their little booth erupted into fits of giggles, Nicky barely able to comprehend her choice of phrase. Gigi watched closely, loving the way her nose screwed up when she laughed, and the toothy grin that took over her face.

Gigi didn’t know it was possible to be sexy and adorable, but she’d been proven wrong.

“Someone’s seen ‘Moulin Rouge’,” Nicky laughed.

“Well? Is that a yes? Oui or non?” Gigi persisted, leaning her shoulder into Nicky’s side.

Nicky shook her head and rolled her eyes with a sense of disbelief, but she didn’t try and stop the smile from creeping over her lips.

“Oui, my darling,” she laughed, before planting a kiss on Gigi’s cheek. “But, just because I’m being nice now doesn’t mean I’ll be nice later when I’m punishing you.”

Gigi felt a pang in her chest, and bit the inside of her lip, despite her ambivalence. She was embarrassed of the way it turned her on. The thought of Nicky doing what she wants to her, having her way with her, was so sexy.

But the thought of Nicky down on her knees for her, was a pretty tempting thought too. So, she concealed the way her heart leapt out of her chest by raising an eyebrow, hoping her dark features and intimidating aura would have the same effect on Nicky as she had on her.

“Bold of you to assume you won’t be the one getting punished,” Gigi said, glaring into Nicky’s eyes and hoping she matched Nicky’s ice-cold stare.

Nicky scoffed, an evil smirk forming on her pursed lips. “Oh please. Tell that to the girl who was lying on my shoulder 5 minutes ago, letting me pet her and stroke her hair. Or the girl who let me spank her earlier with no retaliation,” she started, her predator gaze burning into Gigi’s skin, making her want to squirm. “Face it, you’ve been practically begging for me to top you all night. You’re so pathetically desperate for it.”

Fuck.

Gigi’s breath quickened, the rise and fall of her chest matching the speed of her frantic heartbeat, sending adrenaline all around her body, electricity shooting down her legs and arms to the tips of her fingers.

Nicky saw that Gigi’s mask was slipping, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Gigi wasn’t sure if it was the adrenaline or her anger that made her primal instincts kick in, but suddenly she was on top of Nicky, attacking her in a kiss. She used her height to her advantage, leaning over the smaller kiss and cupping her face, as she kissed her with a passion and strength that she wasn’t sure she still had in her.

The kiss was messy, all teeth and tongues, mostly because Gigi was overcome with desire and desperation and a strength of emotion she’d never felt before.

As for Nicky, she kissed back with more precision, but fuelled by the same fire that drove Gigi. She clutched Gigi’s wrist as she kissed her, so hard that Gigi was sure there would be finger-shaped bruises there tomorrow. Her movements were more controlled, as if she was set upon taking Gigi apart with ease and leisure, not allowing the other’s frantic movements to make her lose her cool.

When they pulled apart for air, Gigi wasn’t quite sure who’d won in their battle for dominance.

Before she could say another word, Nicky leaned up, so that the two were drawn level with each other, their noses practically touching as they stared into each other’s eyes with animalistic lust. “Someone’s touchy,” Nicky said with a cocky smirk. “Was that a little too close for comfort, darling?”

Gigi didn’t respond. She didn’t know how to respond, now that Nicky could see through her facade. Instead she simply bit the inside of her lip and broke the eye contact, too ashamed of her feelings to look Nicky in the eyes.

Her fucking beautiful eyes.

Nicky reached a hand up to Gigi’s face, delicately tucking a strand of her dark hair behind her ear, before holding up her chin to face her. “Asked you a question, baby.”

Gigi felt a hand slide around her waist, pulling her in closer. Looking at the woman in front of her, Gigi was sure she’d never wanted someone as much in her life. She was so embarrassed, so ashamed that she was so turned on, and somehow it fuelled the emotion and made it even stronger.

She didn’t give a shit about who topped anymore. She just needed Nicky.

“Fuck the bet.”

Nicky smiled, tapping her nose. “That’s what I like to hear, baby. Call us a taxi. If you can still talk, that is.”

~

The taxi ride felt like the longest ride of her life. The only thing that kept Gigi tethered to reality was Nicky’s hand clutching hers tightly. But it couldn’t distract her from the aching need between her legs, and the quickening of her breath, which verged on hyperventilation at this point.

They sat in silence for a while, Gigi too consumed by her own thoughts, and Nicky having played the ‘I don’t speak much English’ to avoid awkward small talk with the taxi driver. The silence was broken, however, when Nicky leaned in and started placing butterfly kisses all over Gigi’s neck, feather-light. Gigi couldn’t help but melt into the touch, closing her eyes tight and imagining that they were anywhere but stuck inside a taxi, seatbelts holding them firmly in place. Gigi enveloped her in another frantic kiss, all teeth and tongues, and Nicky bit the other girl’s lower lip, reclaiming her dominance and causing Gigi to inhale sharply.

Before she knew it she was palming at Nicky’s chest over her red dress, longing for some sort of contact, and Nicky was sucking a precise mark onto Gigi’s neck that left her writhing. It caused a whine to escape from Gigi’s lips, a desperate, needy whine that made Nicky swear under her breath, and without a second for Gigi to comprehend what was happening, a hand was clamped firmly over her mouth.

It was animalistic, really, the way they clutched at each other. The bet was long forgotten in Gigi’s mind. She had never felt so strongly about another woman, never wanted anyone like this before. She was usually the one in control, the one who had made countless other girls writhe beneath her in the past.

Oh how the tables had turned.

When the taxi pulled up slowly at a red light, the two were so enamoured with each other to notice the driver, glaring at them from the rear view window.

“Ahem.”

Startled by the noise, the girls pulled themselves off each other in surprise and embarrassment, sitting up straight like they'd been caught cheating on a test. The cab driver shot each of them a dirty look from the mirror, making Gigi wonder if he was homophobic or one of those uptight straight guys that doesn’t like anyone messing up their car. Either way, that typically wasn’t the type of person Gigi liked.

Nicky shot him an affronted look in the mirror, eyes wide with disbelief, as if to say how dare he. “Do you need some medicine for that cough?” she said in her most sarcastic tone. “Or, uh, how you say….. some manners?”

The driver was silent.

Gigi was proud that they managed to sit in silence for about thirty seconds. But the moment Nicky made eye contact with her, the two erupted into fits of uncontrollable laughter, giggling like schoolchildren and trying to suppress their amusement with whispered pleas of ‘shhh!’ and ‘shut up!’ that were of no avail.

Needless to say, if the driver didn’t like them before that, he certainly didn’t like them now.

Between laughs, Nicky called out a ‘here’s fine’ to the driver, who was very excited to see the back of the pair of laughing hyenas from his car. Nicky tossed him a couple of bills, before pulling Gigi out of the car by her wrists, the two still unable to suppress their laughter.

They stumbled down the street as if they were both drunk, falling over each other and cackling, too caught up in their happiness to feel the cold chill on their skin.

It almost distracted Gigi from the need between her legs.

Almost.

“My apartment is a couple blocks away, but I couldn’t sit in that cab any longer,” Nicky chuckled. “A walk won’t do us any harm, anyway.”

Gigi smiled, her gaze lingering over Nicky’s for a little too long. “Babe, you’re fucking amazing, you know that?”

Nicky cocked her head to the side, bemused. “And what makes you say that?”

“I don’t know. It’s like I’ve known you for years. You’re so fun. And so nice,” she started, grabbing onto Nicky’s arm. “And simultaneously a complete bitch.”

Nicky smirked. “I thought you were being nice for a second, but I’ll take it.”

“Bitch, you knew exactly what you were doing to me at the bar. You can’t tell me that wasn’t a dick move.”

“You liked it though.”

Gigi laughed, biting her lip slightly. “Hate to admit it.”

Nicky looked amused. “You’re cute when you’re embarrassed, darling.”

“You’re cute all the time. Drop dead fucking gorgeous, actually.”

“You’re one to talk, pretty girl.”

Gigi would be lying if she didn’t feel herself blush a little at that.

“So, about tonight… do you still want me to top? Because if you’re not comfortable we can-“

“No! No, no, I want you to top. Please.”

“Are you sure darling? Because if you want-“

“I’m sure. I don’t think I could top you if I tried.”

Nicky laughed to herself. “Aw, she finally admits it at last.”

“Fuck you,” Gigi whined, hitting Nicky playfully on the arm.

Nicky raised her eyebrows, a stern expression creeping onto her face. “None of that language baby. I wanna make you feel really good, darling, but I can only do that if you’re a good girl for me, okay?”

Gigi felt a lump in her throat. “I’ll try. I’ve never done this before though. Subbed.”

“That’s okay, angel, we don’t have to go too far.” Nicky smiled reassuringly at the girl. “But I know what I’m doing. I know how to make you feel really really good, so I need you to trust me, okay?”

Gigi wasn’t sure why, but she did.

~

“Put your hands above your head, bitch.”

“You get into character quickly, don’t you?” Gigi remarked, staring directly into Nicky’s eyes, which were centimetres from her face. She felt the weight of Nicky’s hips pressing harder into hers, forcing her against the hard wood of the apartment door.

“Don’t be cocky, baby. I already told you it’s not a good look,” Nicky replied, grabbing Gigi’s wrists and holding them above her head herself.

Nicky’s pupils were blown wide, and they scanned the face of the girl before her with an intimate precision that Gigi had never witnessed before. Gigi smirked. She liked this new side to Nicky, this dominant persona who seemed set upon making her unravel.

But of course, Gigi wasn’t about to make things easy for her.

With that, she leaned forward and planted another kiss on Nicky’s parted lips, her tongue sliding into her mouth and her eyes closing shut, transfixed by the softness that she buried herself into.

The kiss was short-lived, however, when Nicky pulled away sharply, one arm pushing Gigi back against the door. Her head bumped against it lightly, and a stern gaze took over Nicky’s features, a mixture of anger and lust. “Thought you were going to be a good girl for me, angel,” she said, tucking a strand of Gigi’s hair behind her ear. “Good girls don’t touch without permission.”

“I can’t help it. You just look so good,” Gigi husked, biting her lip sensually, and Nicky let out a shattered breath, Gigi’s dilated pupils meeting her own.

Nicky slid her knee in between Gigi’s thighs. “If you don’t start behaving, we’re going to have a problem.”

“What’re you gonna do about it?”

In one swift motion, Nicky pulled Gigi forward by her wrists, landing a slap on her ass over her black dress. “Bedroom. Now.”

~

The night was a blur of silk bed sheets and passion. The smell of sweat and sex was in the air, the cool breeze from the open window mingling with the heat on their skin. The marks of ropes around Gigi’s wrists and scratches on her skin and love-bites on her neck were still there the next day. And, so was Nicky, to Gigi’s surprise.

Gigi was the first to awaken of the two the next morning. The New York skyline was illuminated by the golden sunrise that seeped through the silk curtains. The plump pillow that Gigi’s head was buried in was soft against her bare skin, and she propped it up against the bed frame, sitting up a little as she stretched and yawned, hands rubbing her eyes. The cold morning air hit her shoulders as she made herself comfortable.

She found herself with only the littlest portion of blanket keeping her decent - the rest was wrapped around Nicky like a sleeping bag, and she curled it up in her arms like she was cuddling a toy.

She presumed that the duvet was her replacement for Gigi when she had rolled over.

Gigi looked down at the woman beside her, laying on her side, her face a picture of peacefulness. Her blonde hair was spread out on the pillow around her head like a halo, and even the remnants of mascara and eyeliner around her eyes didn’t distract from the purity of her features. Her mouth was open just a little, and soft breaths escaped her lips as her chest rose and fell like a metronome.

She was beautiful.

Gigi was extremely glad that she had let her stay the night at her apartment. To be honest, she wasn’t sure she would have been able to make it home after the night she had.

Looking at Nicky fast asleep, Gigi would have never believed that it was the same woman from last night.

But, she was glad that it was. She liked that Nicky could be sexy and dominant, and then immediately switch back to being caring and sweet.

The sentiment was true last night, with Nicky offering Gigi all the cuddles and kisses she could as they drifted to sleep. Gigi remembered falling asleep to Nicky aimlessly stroking her hair, whispering something french in her ear.

And god did Gigi need that.

The night was the hottest in Gigi’s life. Nicky had tied her to the bedposts, and made her beg for her to eat her out. When she finished, Gigi found herself doing the same for Nicky, her head being roughly thrust between her legs. And then she was being fingered, and the cycle continued until she’d come more times than she could remember.

It was dirty and humiliating, but god it was hot.

The best part though, was that she got to know Nicky some more. She was surprisingly such a sweetheart, taking such good care of Gigi after they played. Gigi didn’t think anyone could make her want to sub, but she especially didn't expect it to be someone who was really kind.

Trust Jackie to know the perfect woman.

It was then that Gigi remembered the bet.

Shit.

She knew that even if she didn’t admit that she subbed, her friends would find out one way or another. Drinks were on her this weekend. Good thing she’d saved a little money. She guessed she’d be hearing about the milkshake incident for a little while longer, too.

That was ok, she supposed. After the night she’d had with Nicky, it was worth the embarrassment.

Besides, without the bet she would’ve never met Nicky.

She looked down at the still sleeping girl, her nose scrunched and her brows furrowed. She was adorable.

Gigi was definitely going to ask her out on a date.

Maybe they could go get some milkshakes together.

[solo-net]

3, 8, 11, 14, 19, 23, 24, 27 for whatever ship you want <3

3. Who hogs the cover/ Who loves to cuddle?

Vera is the blanket thief. Goro is the cuddler.

For Goro, sharing the bed with Vera means sleeping on constant high alert. He’s never able to settle too deeply into sleep before he’s abruptly thrust out of the warm cocoon that is his blanket. It’s jarring and, to be honest, a little irritating to watch the one he loves transform from a thoughtful and unselfish person into a megalomaniac, drunk on her ability to hoard comforters. 

Now, Vera doesn’t know what she’s doing. How can she? She’s a deep sleeper and can sleep through a sand storm without so much as a twitch. So, instead of waking her, Goro will settle for wrapping his arms around her small frame and holding her so that they’re both sharing the same blanket and to prevent her from snatching it off of him.

8. Who sleeps in their underwear (or naked)/ Who sleeps in their pajamas?

Vera and Goro don’t sleep completely naked, but neither do they sleep fully clothed.

Vera sleeps in only a thin tank top and panties because they’re more comfortable to move around in and because she doesn’t feel constricted. Goro sleeps shirtless and wears pajama pants to bed with his hair down. Secretly, Goro loves it when she sleeps half-naked because it gives him an excuse to gently run his hand up and down her bare hip whenever he’s sitting up in bed reading a book, and she’s laid out beside him half-asleep. 

11. Who likes horror movies/ Who likes romance movies?

That’s a tricky question.

Vera’s not the type to watch romance movies because she finds them dramatic and ridiculous. Life is not a fairytale, and she’ll be damned if she wastes an hour of her life watching The Notebook. Even Goro has a mild dislike for romance movies because he simply does not have the patience for the main characters or the ridiculous plot. Horror movies are also not their speed, but Vera does have a soft spot for zombie movies...just to sit and criticize the survivors for their poor planning skills and looking like they just came out of the fashion magazine after a month in the woods. Oh, and if Goro were to pick out a Japanese horror movie, she would flat out refuse to watch it. Japanese horror is scary and gory and will keep her up at night.

14. Who kills the spiders?

Goro.

Vera has bad arachnophobia and will refuse to enter a room if there’s a spider on the wall. Goro doesn’t mind killing them for her, and he finds it a little endearing whenever she tugs at his arm near tears and begging him to kill it. He could be driving around the city running errands, and she would send him frantic texts about the spider in the bathroom, yelling at him to come home already so that she can use the bathroom in peace without the eight-legged freak staring at her.

19. Who loves to call the other one cute names?

Pet names aren’t their thing. Goro is a little too reserved to give her a nickname, and saying her full name is as close to a term of endearment as he can get because very few people know her full name. Vera doesn’t think nicknames like “babe” or “hun” really fit him, so, like Goro, she calls him by his first name. 

Sometimes in a moment of tenderness, Goro will refer to her as “dearest.”

23. Who asks who out on the first date?

Surprisingly, it was Goro who asked Vera out, and he was the one who pursued her romantically. What started as an innocent crush he felt towards the quiet nomad grew into something more profound, and it wasn’t until after she came back to save his life did he realize how he was beginning to feel more than attached to her.  They both kept their feelings to themselves because they weren’t too sure if such a relationship would even work out, but Goro was eager to try, and they began a subtle courtship that slowly bloomed into something wonderful.

24. Who is the talker/ Who is the listener?

Goro is the talker, and Vera is the listener. Crazy, right?

Goro may be reserved, but he doesn’t have the personality of an ice cube, and gameplay shows that he’s a passionate man who’s not afraid to say what’s on his mind. Vera is just as fiery, but she’s reticent and will only become more outspoken around friends and family. Whenever Goro is frustrated by something, like the food in Night City, he’ll go on a long rant in his native language about how everything tastes like plastic. Vera will just sit there swinging her skinny legs back and forth, patiently listening to him and waiting until he’s finished before calmly asking him if he’d like some of Mama Welle’s chili, to which he’ll grumpily reply, “Yes.” 

Oh, and bringing up Yorinobu is forbidden. Even saying his name will set Goro off on a two-hour tirade as to how dishonorable and traitorous Yorinobu is. Don’t get me wrong, they communicate daily and take turns listening to each other, but Goro is the talker.

27. Who takes a long shower/ Who sings in the shower?

Vera is the shower hog.

Her shower is a hair salon and the place where she’ll spend hours standing under the nozzle thinking about her life choices. That all came to a screeching halt when Goro became her roommate. While being a shower hog certainly isn`t criminal, it can be a big problem for the man living with her. Having been roommates with Jackie, Vera can understand Goro’s frustration when he has to remind her that occasionally he would like to shower and shave and wash his hair. Being a reasonable person, she is perfectly willing to let him have his share of shower time-as long as it doesn`t infringe on hers.

Vera can’t help that she’s greedy about her bathroom time, and she`ll be the first one to admit it. That`s because she spent the more significant part of her life living with the Welles family and sharing a bathroom with Jackie. Now there`s a bloody situation. Put a large mercenary street-kid and a tiny nomad sharing one bathroom, and you`ve got the perfect scene for a murder. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times those two fools nearly disowned each other because one of them used up all the hot water in the shower.

Each morning Vera would quietly sneak out of the room she shared with Jackie and tiptoe to the bathroom toting her little purple bucket full of vital shower supplies praying that he wouldn’t get up and decide to take a piss while she washed her hair. So, yeah, Vera is the shower hog, but after a long discussion about conserving water, she and Goro both agreed to start taking showers together. Everybody wins.

Also, there is no singing in the shower. Both Vera and Goro loathe singing in the shower. A shower is a place of silent tranquility and relaxation. There is no fucking singing.

@dedevilish

[inkribbon796]

The Marvelous Misadventures of One: S. Marvin Argentum Ch. 1: To County Kerry and Back Again

Summary: Marvin goes to clear his head, and gets caught up in a huge conspiracy in the process.

A/N: *side eyes at the recent Techno and Quackity lore* I saw it, and I’ll address that loaded but fun character development it another time. I don’t have Dream in jail . . . yet, maybe . . . so fortunately so I don’t have to adhere/spoil it too closely.

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4

Marvin relaxed a bit, as much as he could, into the train seat he was in. His train was traveling from Althone down to his mom’s home in Kelly’s Bay, Ireland.

He’d lost his mask and cape long before he got to the train, and he felt very exposed and uneasy without them. The long scars down his face on display for all to see. But he was going to distance himself from everything that had happened recently.

Fortunately he had nine hours to nap and think. His phone was silenced, except for emergency calls. This would be the start of a time for meditation and reflection.

And it was, for about two hours.

“Marvin?”

The mage did everything in his power not to jump or startle. But when he looked over to see Ghostbur materialize right next to him, he just about launched himself out of his own seat.

“Fook!”[1] Marvin cursed.

“Oh sorry,” Ghostbur held up his hands in apology. “I didn’t mean to startle you, I just wasn’t sure it was you at first without your mask.”

“How the fook[1] did yeh[2] find me?” Marvin hissed, trying to keep his voice down.

“Well I followed you and Average to the station,” Ghost admitted. “You looked really sad and lonely, so I figured I should keep you company.”

“Ghostbur,” Marvin tried to keep his voice down and his anger obviously. “I’m tryin’ ta get away from the heroes. Not brin’ it with me.”[3]

“Yes, you mentioned that, but I just wanted to keep you company,” Ghostbur told him. “Toms was lonely when he was sent off and I didn’t want you to be lonely.”

Marvin was about to snap back that being lonely with his thoughts was the whole point, but at the mention of Tommy, or “Big Man”, and about some more pieces of what had to have been a very tough period in Tommy’s life he decided not to.

“Yeh sure Tommy won’t mind yeh bein’ here with me instead ‘a with him?”[4] Marvin asked.

Ghostbur looked at him hands, “Tommy has Tubbo and Ranboo and . . . Tommy likes them more.”

Feeling like that hit him a bit too personally, Marvin sighed. “Fine, yeh[2] can come with, just make sure yeh[2] don’t tell people who I am.”

Smiling, Ghostbur perked right up, “I won’t, I won’t, I promise.”

Ghostbur more or less kept his word. He meandered up and down the train and they reached County Kerry. Ghostbur was enthralled by the nearby sheep fields. He would lean over the fence and feed them. His sheep companion field often trotted by his side. The farmers and dogs weren’t too keen on him, but the sheep seemed to adore Ghostbur.

One rental car later, Marvin slipped into a petrol station to grab some snacks. No one seemed to recognize him anymore, which Marvin was eternally grateful for.

The ghostly young man was floating next to Marvin as he was in the back grabbing some drinks. He was floating upside-down.

“Mar— uhh, mage I don’t know, uhm,” Ghostbur immediately corrected himself.

“What?” Marvin sighed, closing the fridge door a bit harsher than he needed to. “An’[5] Marv is fine.”

“One of the demon hunters is here,” Ghostbur whispered, hunching in on himself to make himself smaller.

“From Egoton?” Marvin tried to look around the shelf and saw someone in a dark cloak talking to the person behind the register.

“Fook,”[1] Marvin magicked his mask into his hands and put it on. “I’m supposed ta[6] be on leave, stay back here and[5] stay down.”

“Okay,” Ghostbur nodded nervously.

Marvin braced to start casting spells as he walked out. “Well, this is a shite meetin’. The fook yeh doin’ so far from home?”[7]

The hunter turned and pulled down their hood, revealing themself to be the Grandmaster’s second-in-command, “I thought I detected your aura close by.”

“Why don’t we take this outside?” Marvin snarled. “Leave the nice human out ‘a[8] this?”

“Of course, of course,” Taylor promised, and began to back out. Marvin rushed to pay for his things and handed the bags to Ghostbur, who was ordered to stay back in the shop as Marvin stepped out. People were definitely starting to recognize who he was now.

“Yeh need ta turn back around an’ head back o’er ta Egoton, before this fight gets nasty,”[9] Marvin warned. “Not on the clock, supposed ta[6] be headed back home.”

“I would have left you be, but I need help,” the hunter said.

“That’s what the rest ‘a yer Guild is fer,”[10] Marvin spat.

“The Guildmaster is planning another attack on Egoton, but she’s got help,” Taylor told him quickly. “I’ve tried everything to stop her, but she’s only doubling down, all she cares about is killing demons.”

“Why haven’t yeh[2] told the other heroes?” Marvin demanded.

“Are you kidding me?” They spat. “Spade would kill me. Besides, the Host didn’t let me even get close. I’m being watched by the Guildmaster’s favorite hunters. I only just managed to lose them.”

“What are they gonna[11] do?” Marvin demanded.

“The Guildmaster has been talking with the CIA and some showboat freak that’s got a vendetta against the Entity. He passed all the tests as a human but there’s no way that thing is human.” Taylor wasn’t meeting his eyes and they looked pissed. “I think his name is Mark or Marcus.”

Something triggered in the back of Marvin’s memory. He wasn’t sure if he’d heard something in passing but he could have sworn he knew what person the hunter was talking about, but his mind couldn’t conjure a message.

Either way, the demon hunters team with a dangerous personal enemy of Dark’s and the government was a bad idea.

“Shit!” Taylor spat, looking back and pulling out a staff from their robe. “No!”

Marvin looked around, expecting to see more Hunter walking over to him, but he only saw Ghostbur fall out of the little convenience store’s door. He was desperately trying to be discreet and failing.

“Wait, he’s with me,” Marvin got in between the hunter and Ghostbur, readying his cards to defend him.

“With you?” Taylor balked. “Are you insane? Do you know who that is?”

“I work with a guy who’s sleepin’[12] with a mob boss behind my back, an’[5] a demon kid who talks ta[6] squirrels.” Marvin could already feel his blood pressure rising again. “Don’t talk ta me about knowin’ who people are, ‘cause I don’t, an’ I think you do either.”[13]

Ghostbur began getting close but was clearly nervous. Marvin looked at the people watching them and Marvin decided, “Maybe we should get outta[14] here.”

Taylor looked around and threw down a smoke bomb, letting Marvin get into the rental car with Ghostbur and the hunter and driving away, which was immediately tense because Ghostbur was obviously nervous. She was sitting in the back of the car.

Ghostbur was turned around his his seat, looking sadly at her, “I’m sorry if old me ever hurt you in the past. I can’t remember if we’ve ever met.”

“What are you playing at?” The hunter snapped.

“I’ve had really bad memory since I discorporated,” Ghostbur ducked behind the chair. “I know I was a terrible person but I don’t remember you.”

“We never met,” Taylor told him and Ghostbur visibly calmed down.

“Oh, that’s a relief,” Ghostbur sighed and turned around. “Have you met Friend? He’s quite lovely.”

“Don’t summon yer[15] sheep inta[16] my car,” Marvin told her, he knew he shouldn’t be driving to his Mom’s house but he knew that if he didn’t visit her after telling her he was coming back to town and didn’t visit her he would be in trouble. She would find him and that was the last thing he wanted. Besides, he could probably keep the hunter in the car. He glanced at the hunter in the rearview mirror. “So yeh’ve ne’er met Ghostbur, but yeh know who he is?”[17]

“Their entire pact has titles,” Taylor told him. “Philza the Angel of Death, Techno the Blade, Lady Death, Wilbur the Sootling, and Tommy the Child Soldier.”

Marvin thought back to Tommy, laughing and joking around with Ethan and Tubbo. He’d seen Phil and Techno, knew they were dangerous, but he could only imagine the kinds of things Tommy had been through before meeting him in an almost empty sheep field with Ghostbur.

“I’m Ghostbur,” Ghostbur corrected, trying to hide behind the seat again. “Wilbur is dead.”

“Is that so?” The hunter demanded. “Why would the Angel of Death allow that?”

Ghostbur fell quiet, and Marvin verbally moved in to save him. “Hey, I’m gonna[11] call the heroes before I lose all my service out in the middle ‘a[8] fookin’[18] nowhere.”

Before the hunter could argue, Marvin was already speed dialing Chase.

  It took a couple rings before Chase actually picked up and Marvin could tell there was someone else talking to him but over the hum of the car on the road there was no way to tell if it was Dark or Jackie.

“Yeh[2] good?” Chase asked.

“Wish I was,” Marvin told him. “The demon hunters are plannin’[19] an attack on the city next week.”

“What?” Chase demanded in shock and someone on the other line was talking to Chase. “Is it on Friday?”

Shit! Marvin thought and his eyes darted back at Taylor and his knuckles went white on the steering wheel. “Is it on Friday?”

“Yeah, why?” Taylor asked.

“Shite, that’s the wedding,” Marvin hissed, then shouted back at the phone, “Yes!”

“Fook!”[1] Chase spat. Then Chase leaned away from the phone. “The fook yeh wanna do?”[20]

More muffled speaking followed.

“That . . .” Chase cut off, leaving Marvin unsure if he stopped talking or Marvin just couldn’t hear his rebuttal. But it let Marvin narrow down who Chase was probably with and talking to. “Look, Marv, I’ll call yeh back later. Gotta talk ta Dark about this.”[21]

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Marvin said, “take care ‘a yerself, ‘kay?”[22]

“Yeah,” Chase hung up, leaving the car in silence.

“What happens on Friday?” Taylor leaned forward closer to the driver’s seat.

“There’s a wedding, one ‘a Dark’s sons an’ one ‘a our aged out apprentices is gettin’ married next week, an’ this is too coincidental,”[23] Marvin explained.

“Is that what the event is?” Taylor realized. “We were told there was some big festival or gathering.”

“Nothing bad ever happens at a festival,” Ghostbur mumbled blankly, as if recalling some past, bad memory.

“Okay, okay, we’re comin’ up ta my stop, I gotta talk ta someone an’ then we can come up with a plan,”[24] Marvin told his passengers.

“Alright,” the hunter seemed to calm down.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Accessibility Translations:

1. Fuck

2. you

3. I’m trying to get away from the heroes. Not bring it with me.

4. You sure Tommy won’t mind you being here with me instead of with him?

5. And

6. to

7. Well, this is a shit meeting. The fuck are you doing so far from home?

8. of

9. You need to turn back around and head back over to Egoton, before this fight gets nasty

10. That’s what the rest of your Guild is for,

11. going to

12. sleeping

13. Don’t talk to me about knowing who people are, because I don’t, and I think you do either.

14. out of

15. your

16. into

17. So you’ve never met Ghostbur, but you know who he is?

18. fucking

19. planning

20. The fuck you want to do?

21. Look, Marv, I’ll call you back later. Got to talk to Dark about this.

22. take care of yourself, okay?

23. There’s a wedding, one of Dark’s sons and one of our graduated apprentices is getting married next week, and this is too coincidental

24. Okay, okay, we’re coming up to my stop, I have talk ta someone and then we can come up with a plan

[rookie-ramsey]

Baby Blues, Chapter 7 (Bryce X MC)

Description: Bryce and MC can handle just about anything. Hopefully, pregnancy and parenting fall into the “just about anything” category.

Preview: Bryce frowned and touched her arm. “Em? What is it?”

“I’m really dizzy…” Her knees went weak. Darkness started to fill the corners of her vision. Dropping their merchandise, Bryce caught her just as she stumbled forward.

Previous Chapter

Maybe Emily was mistaken, but the rest of her second trimester seemed to fly by.

“I’m gonna have to buy bigger socks and shoes. My ankles are starting to swell.” As they browsed Target for their weekly shopping adventure, she tossed a package of socks into their shopping cart. “And more maternity clothes. Nothing fits anymore.”

“If it’s any comfort, you look stunning in them.”

“Stunning, huh?” Emily grinned. “I feel reassured.”

“As you should.”

Laughing, she picked out some tops and pants, trying them on before they checked out of the store. In the next store, they perused the baby supplies.

“Check this out.” Bryce held up a box containing a baby carrier. “I can wear this on my chest and carry her around in it.”

Emily’s face softened as she imagined it. “That’s… so ridiculously cute that there should be a law against it. I’m serious. It’s illegally adorable.”

“Illegally adorable, huh? I never knew that was a thing.”

Emily shrugged. “You made it a thing.”

“I’m buying this. I can walk around showing our insanely cute kid off to everyone.” Bryce tucked the box under his arm and followed Emily to the clothes.

Emily browsed the clothes, unable to resist picking out some. “I know I buy something every time we leave the house, but… it’s so tempting, even if she won’t be here for a few months.”

“Hey, babies poop a lot and grow fast. She’ll need a lot of stuff.”

“I already know Sienna wants to plan a baby shower.” Emily picked up a package of tiny socks. “What we don’t buy, I can put on the registry she’s ordered me to make.”

As she reached for a package of pacifiers, a sudden wave of dizziness made her pause. Feeling light, she rested a hand on the shelf for support.

Bryce frowned and touched her arm. “Em? What is it?”

“I’m really dizzy…” Her knees went weak. Darkness started to fill the corners of her vision. Dropping their merchandise, Bryce caught her just as she stumbled forward.

“Emily!”

XXXXXXXX

A groggy trip to the hospital later, Emily winced and touched her head, feeling a dull ache.

“Hey.” Bryce squeezed her hand. “There you are. Do you remember the ride over here?”

“Somewhat. I mostly remember passing out in the middle of Target.”

“That’s accurate.” He nodded softly. “You almost made me wet my pants with fear, but everything’s okay. Your iron was really low.”

“Anemia.” She nodded slowly, smoothing a hand over her stomach. “The baby and I will both be fine with iron supplements and a good diet.”

“Mm hmm.” Bryce leaned over and kissed her gently. “Just don’t freak me out like that again.”

“Sorry.” Emily leaned into him. “What tests did they run?”

“A full workup to be safe. Everything else came back fine.”

“That’s good. It also means we can leave so we can enjoy the rest of our day off.”

“You need to eat something first. Then I’ll spring you out of here.”

Emily sighed, but her stomach rumbled hungrily. “Okay. Can you get me some soup and a salad?”

“Got it.” Bryce left the room, returning a few minutes later with her requested meal. When he set it on the tray, Emily sat up and started eating.

She sighed in relief as her headache began to fade. “I’m feeling better now.”

“Good.” Bryce smoothed her hair back. He waited until Emily finished her food, then helped her up. “Let’s get you out of here.” Together, they left the hospital. Instead of going back to the store, Bryce drove back to their apartment, where they curled up on the couch to work on their registry.

“Do you still want that chest carrier?”

“Hell yeah.” Bryce grinned. “I can’t not buy it.”

Chucking, Emily clicked on the item, adding it to their list. “I can’t wait to see you wear it.”

“I can’t wait to see me wear it, either.”

“Someone’s awake.” Feeling the now-familiar flutter, Emily took Bryce’s hand and settled it on her abdomen. “She’s kicking harder now.”

“I feel that.” Bryce gently rubbed her stomach, feeling another soft kick.

“What did I do to deserve the cutest boyfriend in the world?”

“Well, I have the world’s most gorgeous girlfriend. So there.” Bryce grinned. “I can’t miss a chance to one-up you.”

“You’re a goofball.” Emily buried her fingers in Bryce’s soft hair. “But you’re cute enough to get away with it, so it’s okay.”

XXXXXXX

As fast as her first two trimesters soared, the third trimester slowed to a crawl.  

“I’ve never seen so much stuff before,” Emily awed as she admired the pile of presents in her old apartment.

Sienna grinned. “Not everyone showed up, but almost everyone sent you something. I encouraged people to send things you really need, like diapers, but I’m sure you’ll have plenty of surprises. Your mom and I had a lot of fun planning this together.”

“We certainly did,” Allison confirmed. “It’s not every day I get to plan a shower for my first grandbaby.”

“I’m just excited to sink my teeth into one of those cupcakes.”

“Soon!” Sienna adding the finishing touches to the last cupcake. “Food’s ready! The mom gets to go first.”

“Yay.” Emily fixed a plate with the spread of finger foods and grabbed one of Sienna’s cupcakes. “I think the thing I miss most about living here is your baking.”

“What are we, chopped liver?” Elijah teased.

Bryce joined Emily on the couch. “I’ve gotta say, this is the first baby shower I’ve been to.”

Sienna shrugged. “All female baby showers are antiquated. I thought it would be more fun with all the residents.”

“It definitely is.”  

“I’m just stunned that Ines convinced Zaid to come.” Emily couldn’t resist an amused smile as Ines instructed Zaid to set an oversized gift with the rest of the presents. The rest of their guests fixed their food, enjoying the snacks until Sienna started the games.

Emily arched a brow as her mom helped Sienna set up the first game. “Why do you two have so much baby food?”

“We’re going to use it for a game.” Allison smiled mischievously and handed her daughter a bowl containing slips of paper. “Everyone has to smell and taste and try to guess the flavors. You pick the first victim.”

“I feel dangerous.” Emily reached into the bowl and grabbed a slip of paper. She unfolded it and snickered. “First up… Zaid.”

Zaid’s face fell. “I knew I should have thought twice before putting my name on that paper.”

“Go on!” Grinning, Ines urged him toward the table at the front of the room. Sighing, Zaid eyed the baby food jars warily.

“What am I supposed to do?”

“You’re going to smell each baby food and even taste it if you can’t guess it. Write your answers down, then we’ll see who gets the most right. The winner gets a gift card to a restaurant of their choice.”

She handed Zaid a piece of paper, a pencil, and a handful of tongue depressors. “Use a clean tongue depressor for each food if you taste it.”

“Did these come from a supply closet?”

“Maybe.”

Trying to stifle a laugh, Emily drew the next few names. “You’re next, Bryce and Jackie. Get in line behind Zaid.”

Jackie nudged Bryce. “I bet you ten bucks you won’t take a big bite of each one.”

“Don’t underestimate me. You’re on.” To prove himself, Bryce scooped a generous portion of a smelly green food and tried not to wince as he swallowed it.

“Why in god’s name would you willingly eat this for twenty dollars?” Zaid cringed as he caught a whiff from a jar containing an orange food. “This smells like vomit.”

“A bet’s a bet.” Bryce jotted down his answer for the first jar, then dipped a clean tongue depressor into the orange jar that Zaid set down. He swallowed it and made a face. “Not as disgusting as the first.”

“Let’s change the bet.” Jackie smirked, sniffing the jar’s contents and writing her answer down. “Twenty bucks if you make it through without puking.”

“It’s still a deal. Wanna add anything, Dr. M?”

The senior resident shook his head. “I’d rather not puke today, thank you very much.”

“I’ll give you the twenty bucks I’m about to win from Jackie if you take one bite of this.” Bryce held up one of the orange jars.

“I value my intestines more than twenty dollars!” Rolling his eyes, Zaid sniffed the last jar and wrote his final answer down, handing the paper to Sienna. “Now that my nostrils are destroyed, I’m going to sit down.”

“Thanks for playing!” Sienna grinned and took Bryce and Jackie’s papers as well. Once everyone had played, she called out the answers. “Looks like Bryce wins!”

Bryce grinned. “Lucky me.” He returned to his seat on the couch next to Emily.

“Care to explain your expertise in identifying baby foods?”\

He shrugged. “I’m talented in many areas.”

For the next several minutes, they laughed at the ridiculous games their guests played. Finally, it was time to open presents. Emily excitedly rubbed her hands together and started opening, finding several cases of diapers, as well as outfits, a car seat from her mother, bibs, and pacifiers.

“That one’s from me.” Elijah grinned as Emily opened a bag containing a tiny pair of scrubs. “I thought they were too perfect to not buy.”

“They’re adorable!” Emily added them to the stack of clothes. The next present revealed an assortment of warm hats from Sienna, followed by an oversized stuffed elephant from Zaid and Ines. “This is gonna look great in the nursery!”

Ines grinned. “Believe it or not, Zaid picked it out.”

Zaid’s cheeks flushed as he tried to look anywhere else. “Uh… you’re welcome.”

“It’s perfect. You have good taste.” Emily set the elephant on the coffee table. By the time she finished opening everything, she was exhausted and ready for a nap. As the guests started to leave, Bryce helped Sienna and Allison clean up.

“Bryce, you don’t need to help. You’re a guest of honor, too,” Allison chastised.

“I like cleaning up party messes.” Bryce shrugged and filled a trash bag with paper plates.

Emily stretched and yawned. “Mom, Sienna, thanks for planning everything. I don’t know how we’re going to fit all of this stuff in the car, but I feel like we have enough to last for months.”

“Just wait until you see how many diapers babies go through.” Allison smirked. “I thought I would need to have a truckload delivered a week when you were a baby.”

“Mom,” Emily groaned. “I think the ridiculously huge box Ethan sent will tide us over for a while.”

“At least you won’t be making trips to the store at two in the morning.”

“Yeah. Little girl should be here in four to six weeks.” For a moment, she fell silent, blinking in surprise as she realized the closeness of her due date.

It wouldn’t be long now.

Next Chapter

Tags: @elephant9998 / @mvalentine / @fortunatelywaywardsandwich / @whatchique / @achalantspitfire / @lahellacute / @virtuallytakenby / @oofchoices / @dang-lahela / @miss-whit12 / @drakeismyweakness / @sitsoncornflake / @a-tragical-tale / @bitchloveskcbaseball / @laceandlula / @paulfwesley / @bloomingsivan / @anotherbeingsworld / @vamped99 / @datynasuha / @doctorsurferbro / @loveellamae / @drethanfreakingramsey / @trappedinfandoms / @rookielahela / @macy-ray85 / @mrsdrlahela 

[callmebaby-era-yixing]

Cut You A Piece

Mark is terrified of getting married.

Word Count: 8773 (just kinda dipping my toes in writing, I DID NOT PROOFREAD THIS)

Mark x OC // Johnny x Y/N

TW - Angst, suicidal moments, death, minor curse words

Based off this song

Nervous was an understatement, he was terrified. Mark stood in front of the full length mirror picking at his black tux. His necktie was crooked, his sleeve had random dust on it, even his hair was betraying him by being too fluffy. Jackie always said that his fluffy hair was one of her favorite things about him. She said it made him "adorable and approachable," which of course Mark was grateful for since it was what encouraged her to approach him first.

Back then, Mark would have never imagined that the girl who made a sudden compliment on his hair would become his wife to be. But here he was, fidgeting with the pink rose on his chest and repeatedly patting his pocket to make sure the ring was still there.

Mark's breath caught in his throat as he went to check again. A sigh of relief followed out of his lips soon after. It was still there.

He shook his arms and legs trying to shake out some of his nerves. Mark attempted to clear his head for the 10th time in the last hour, only to fail again. He was marrying the love of his life yet he couldn't stop worrying about everything that could happen. Not with the wedding, he was sure that would go peacefully, but with what would happen after. 

He was worried because Jackie was mortal. Obviously, he was mortal too but more importantly, Jackie was. She could be taken away from him at any time, even by accident. Did he really want to get married if there's a possibility that she could die tomorrow? Maybe not getting married would make it hurt less. He'd still lose his soulmate but at least then it would be his girlfriend, not his wife. He had seen what it was like to lose a wife when Johnny lost Y/N.

He ran his fingers through his newly dyed hair as he released a huff of air. Jackie had made a request that they both color their hair pink for the special day to surprise the guests. Mark hadn't seen the color on her yet but he already knew she would look like perfection personified. A mental image of her popped into his head and all previous thoughts of not marrying her disappeared for a moment. He was 100% certain he wouldn't survive losing her but he wanted this more than anything.

The sound of footsteps pulled Mark from the mirror. The man was barely able to completely turn away before a rowdy group of men burst into the room. The 6 groomsmen surrounded the pink haired man and began teasing him.

"Our Mark Lee is getting married," Haechan cheerfully hollered with a bottle of sparkling cider in hand. His yell seemed to trigger the rest to join in with their own screams. Jackie decided to make the wedding alcohol free since she knew the boys didn't need its influence to be hyper.

"Your hair is so pink!" Chenle reached to ruffle the groom's hair but was blocked by Jaemin.

"Aren't you excited?" Jisung seemed to be the only one who noticed the conflicted expression on Mark's face. Upon hearing the youngest's question, everyone else quieted down to examine the situation themselves.

"I am," Mark started, "I just don't want to lose her." His voice was laced with worry. Not wanting to make eye contact with any of his friends, he instead glanced over all of their grey suits. Jackie picked the colors: pink, grey, black, and white.

"Lose her?" Renjun laughed. "You're literally about to marry her!"

"Not like that!" Mark defended. Glancing over to Renjun, he continued in a mumble, "like Y/N."

At the mention of the girl, the group fell into a thick silence.

"You shouldn't think about that," Haechan quietly asserted.

"It's hard not to. You saw how Johnny was when it happened. He's stronger than I am and he barely got through it," Mark paused, "actually he never got through it!"

Placing his hand on the groom's shoulder, Haechan comforted, "Just because that happened to them, doesn't mean that'll happen to you."

"I know, it's just.." Mark drifted off. Too many memories of Johnny and Y/N were running through his head.

"Maybe I should stop smoking. What do you think?"

Mark was shocked to say the least. Johnny had been smoking since 8th grade and now, nearly 8 years later, he was speaking of quitting. Mark had told him many times to stop only to be ignored. "I told you to quit years ago, man!"

Smirking, Johnny replied, "well, I didn't want to then. Now I do."

"What changed?"

"You know that girl Y/N?"

Stuffing another slice of pizza in his face, Mark dug in his memories for the name Y/N. "Umm," he pondered out loud, "isn't that the girl you called a loner last year?"

"She and I have been hanging out since the school year started. Turns out neither of us are big fans of our psych class," Johnny explained smugly. "She said I always smell like a bus stop bench after I smoke." The tall male couldn't help but let out a laugh recalling the bold comment from the normally quiet girl. "So I was thinking of stopping or taking a break from smoking at least."

Not believing what he heard, Mark stared at his older friend waiting for him to say psych. Not hearing it, he asked, "Do you have a crush on her or something? Since when do you care about what you smell like to some girl? School started like 3 weeks ago and you're already changing yourself for her. I mean, like it's a good change but still, already?"

This was one of the first times Mark had ever seen Johnny get shy. "I don't know man. She's just different than I thought." A light blush painted Johnny's cheeks as he thought back to his conversations with Y/N. "I might like her," he admitted as he went to pour himself a shot of vodka. Bottle mid air, Johnny paused, "should I stop drinking too?"

"This is too weird, man." Mark shuttered.

"I know right."

Y/N was nervous, Mark could tell. She was quiet the whole night. She was normally quiet, but Mark assumed she would open up some more since she was meeting her boyfriend's friends for the first time. Instead, she barely spoke 2 sentences from her arrival. 

Johnny kept her close the whole night, probably for her comfort. He held his arms around her waist while he made conversation with Jungwoo. She wasn't invested in what they were talking about but was content being in his arms. Her eyes glanced about the party that her boyfriend arranged just to introduce her to everyone. She honestly couldn't see herself hanging out with them very often, but Johnny made it a big deal to combine his favorite people and she couldn't disappoint him.

Mark had said probably 4 words to her before he started talking with his friends. He was happy for his friend, however he didn't see the point of trying to become close when he knew that Y/N would not be comfortable this soon.

"What do you think of Y/N?" Yuta asked Mark suddenly.

"She's okay. She makes Johnny happy so I guess she's cool?" Mark answered honestly.

"Yeah sure. I heard him talking about signing up for tutoring because of her, something about wanting to 'deserve' her," Yuta scoffed. He had been pissy ever since the relationship started. Mark assumed it was because Johnny decided to work on himself and was no longer Yuta's partner in crime. "I mean, I'm happy he's happy but it's like she's controlling him."

Mark turned his attention to Y/N "controlling" Johnny. She was looking up at him with stars in her brown eyes. It was clear that she loved him despite only being official for a month. In between sentences, Johnny would look down at her, smile, and place a small kiss on her cheek which only caused the stars in her eyes to grow bigger. That scene let Mark know all he needed to know: Y/N was just as whipped for Johnny as he was for her.

A smile imprinted on Mark's face. Seeing his friend so in love with someone who matched the affection was relaxing. To be honest, Mark had been worried for Johnny with his rebel past, the older male having a history of not thinking of his future. Y/N was helping build him into a better person but Mark was proud of him for actually doing the work needed to get there. For that, Mark was grateful to both of them.

"You've known her for like a year and a half! You guys have been dating for slightly less than that!" Mark had been trying to reason with Johnny for the past hour.

"Y/N and I have known each other for a year and 9 months exactly. We've been dating for a year and 6 months. I think we're ready!"

"You're thinking about proposing, bro!"

"I'm not 'thinking' about it, Mark," Johnny clarified, "I already got the ring."

Mark's eyes were wide and his mouth sat agape. His friend had invited him out to lunch just to spring this news on him. Johnny tried to casually slip in that he's going to ask Y/N to marry him but Mark caught on quicker than expected. He, of course, voiced his concerns about Johnny proposing. Mark's concerns doubled when Johnny announced that his plan was to be acted out during their graduation.

"Let's be real, Mark. If it wasn't for Y/N, I wouldn't be graduating at all! I love her," the last sentence was said with so much love and sincerity that Mark couldn't doubt it for a millisecond. Johnny had a goofy smile on his face just from speaking of his girlfriend. "We both know that I was pissing my life away before she told me to get my shit together. I would literally die for her."

"I don't doubt you love her, man. I'm just saying that maybe you should wait longer. Marriage is a major deal, you're basically giving her a piece of yourself. Don't you think you should give it a little more time?"

Grinning, Johnny didn't hesitate to reply, "nope."

Sighing, Mark asked the question that he needed to know to continue the conversation, "I'm not talking you out of this, am I?"

Somehow smiling even wider, Johnny repeated, "nope."

"If you think about what happened like that, it'll ruin the whole day," Renjun started gently, "Jackie is probably already nervous, hearing that you're freaking out won't help."

"It's not like I'm trying to! I just can't help thinking about it." Mark was telling the truth, he hadn't thought about it in the better part of 2 years until that moment. The man hadn’t even spoken to Johnny in about 3. He didn't want to think about the memory but it brought up a certainty that he had been able to avoid before: whether it's today, tomorrow, in 2 years, or 70, he was going to have to go on without Jackie at some point. The only way to challenge that would be if he passed first, which still wasn't ideal.

A low chime rang out through the room. Jeno reached for his phone in his back pocket and scanned the text he had received. "Doyoung said that they are ready to start whenever." Shutting off the screen, he looked up at the husband-to-be. "You love Jackie. She loves you. Marry her or you'll regret it." Nothing else was said as he walked out of the room to get in place for the ceremony.

Giving Mark another look of sympathy, Jisung and Chenle followed Jeno out. One by one, the remaining groomsmen made their exit too, each giving Mark a word of encouragement or a pat on the back.

Alone, Mark turned back to the mirror to make final adjustments to his appearance. Deciding that his tie won't get straighter and his hair won't get any better, he did one last shake and set off for the ceremony.

Jackie chose the perfect venue, in Mark's opinion. The entire building had white walls with gold and grey accents thrown here and there. Mark felt that his hair could be seen a mile away against the walls. The ceilings were about 2 stories high, which only made the space more airy, something the groom was thankful for at this moment where breathing was difficult. The floor was covered in a beautiful white carpet, nothing thick but soft enough to mostly mute his steps. The pink flowers complimented the entire design perfectly. Jackie and Mark agreed on arrangements of snapdragons and roses each in a clear glass vase for the occasion. There was a light smell from the flowers in the air, everything was ideal.

The hall Mark was walking down felt extremely long. For a moment, he thought he got lost only to realize he had speed walked past the door he was supposed to stop at.

His heart was beating out of his chest. If it went on like this, Mark was sure it would fall straight out on the white carpet and he would never see the safety deposit he put towards the venue. Both of his hands were shaking and he suddenly had to pee. "Calm down. Get it together." His mumbles did nothing to calm himself.

Searching for any distraction, he focused on the doors in front of them. They were white with gold intricate indents going through it. Their height was nearly double the groom which made him feel small and oddly comforted him. Mark released a shaky breath and gripped the gold doorknob. He went to turn it but the sweat on his hand prevented him from getting the friction he desperately needed to open it.

"Shit." Roughly patting his hands on his suit pants, Mark attempted to get as much moisture off as he could.

Trying again, Mark was able to get the door open that time.

The door opened to a beautiful main room. Somehow the ceiling was even higher in here than the hall he was coming from. The sides had white pillars that were topped off with what appeared to be angels made of stone. Those angels were holding up beams that ran across the ceiling. Windows were placed next to each angel and brought in loads of natural sunlight. The seats were covered in a light grey fabric that really helped to bring out the much more subtle grey accents throughout the room. Up at the altar, pink and white flower arrangements the size of small trees colored the space.

Mark paused at the back of the room to admire all the guests that had come. There were ushers standing on each side of him, waiting to hold open the doors for the wedding party. Mark's lips couldn't help but quickly quirk into a smile as he saw everyone turn in their seats to look at him. Everyone was dressed in black, grey, or pink, of course saving white for the bride. Mark could see his mom, his dad, even his older brother had made it, after originally he said he couldn't come. Mark made a mental note to punch him later for that. All of their eyes got wide at the sight of his cotton candy hair.

Mark began to walk down the aisle but continued smiling at his friends and family and the other guests as well. His steps were heavy despite how excited he was. Looking to his side, Mark could see that his older friends wore wide smiles as they took him in. He looked more mature than usual, even with the pink hair. They could also see how nervous he was but they expected as much.

Reaching the altar, Mark stopped walking and turned towards the crowd. He re-positioned his hands about 10 times before he finally decided on just holding them together behind his back. Not wanting to look at the guests for a moment, he let his head fall so he could stare at his shoes. They were black and plain, yet at that time, he was pretending like they were the most complex items ever. He sees another pair of dress shoes come to stand next to him. Looking up, he sees his grandfather who agreed to official the wedding. The old man had a bright pink suit on, which in any other situation, Mark would have a chuckle about. His grandfather lightly pats the groom's shoulder with a smile.

"Are you ready," his grandfather inquires. Mark swears if one more person asks him, he will scream. Instead of doing so however, he just nods his head with a tight smile and resumes examining his shoes.

About 4 minutes pass before Mark's shoe gazing is interrupted by the start of the song he and Jackie agreed to play for this part of the ceremony. The smooth instrumentals ironically filled his heart with everything but calmness.

The ushers opened the doors and the first to enter were Haechan and Abby, Jackie's best friend. As best man and maid of honor, they wore proud smiles. Haechan's dark grey suit sat perfectly on the male. His tie was pink against his white shirt and on his chest sat a pink rose, matching the flower on Mark's suit. Haechan had spent the previous 2 months showing off his outfit since the other groomsmen had light grey suits with white snapdragons instead. His hair was styled up for the special day.

Abby had on a pale, knee length, pink dress, the shade just slightly lighter than Mark's hair. The dress didn't have any fluffiness to it and flowed nicely. The bodice was a v-neck and sleeveless. Across Abby's waist laid a thin, grey satin waistband, which set her apart the other bridesmaids who all had a pink satin waistband. Her hair was jet black and stood out against the light dress but still went with the total theme of the room. It was styled with a few curls, otherwise it was pretty much allowed to fall freely.

The pair strolled gracefully down the aisle, arm in arm, smiling at the guests. Haechan playfully winked at Ten in the crowd, who rolled his eyes in return. Abby was also in a playful mood as she blew a few kisses to the guests on her side. Mark couldn't stop the second hand embarrassment from seeping in. He let out a small chuckle as his hand covered his mouth then returned back to behind him.

As the couple reached the altar, they untangled their arms as they walked to their respective sides. Haechan came to stand behind Mark and nudged his shoulder in a subtle show of support.

The next pair walked out: Renjun and Jackie's older sister Jada. They weren't as comfortable together as the best man and the maid of honor, but they still glided across the floor with content smiles. Following them was Jeno and Jackie's aunt, Stella. Stella was actually 1 year older than Jackie which Mark always found amusing. Jaemin and Daevy were the next to come out. Daevy was Jackie's closest friend other than Abby. She had known the bride since kindergarten and was just happy to be involved. Chenle and Jisung came out with their partners for the day as well: Tamara and Sunny, who were both Jackie's cousins.

The flower girls came out afterwards. One was Jackie's little sister and the other was Taeyong's niece. Mark asked to borrow her for the day since he couldn't think of anyone in his family for the job. The girls wore fluffy light grey dresses with pink satin waistbands. Both of the girls' hair were up in neat ponytails with curls at the end. They threw the flowers everywhere while laughing, causing the entire crowd to coo over them. Mark aww-ed right along with them. 

The smooth music stopped and the traditional wedding march began. Mark's nerves practically doubled at the first note he heard. The 2 ushers that had been holding the tall doors open closed them briefly to allow the bride to get in place behind them. Mark felt a bead of sweat run down his backside as he swallowed roughly. He turned behind him to silently communicate with his groomsmen. His eyes screamed for help only to be met with a thumbs up or an eye roll. 

Nodding to each other, the ushers went to pull back open the doors.

"Will you calm down?" Mark was trying to quietly yell at Johnny to stop bouncing in place. Johnny was nervous, Mark understood, but the man hadn't stopped moving since he arrived.

"She'll be walking down the aisle any moment now," Jaehyun started, "do you really want her to see you jumping around?" Jaehyun also was keeping his voice low to not draw too much attention. As Johnny's best man, Jaehyun stood closest to him and didn't have to speak very loudly to be heard.

"Do you think she changed her mind?" Johnny was a wreck. His nervousness was slipping into his tone. Y/N was supposed to walk down the aisle 10 minutes ago and she was yet to show. He didn't even attempt to hide his worry from the guests.

"No, she's probably freaking out too," Jaehyun rolled his eyes.

At his friend's words, Johnny stopped fidgeting and stared at Jaehyun with wide, panicked eyes. "She's freaking out?" Mark didn't like seeing him like this.

"No," Jaehyun was getting frustrated with the soon-to-be husband, "just relax." With that, he put his hands on Johnny's shoulders to spin him around.

Mark was getting nervous too. Not that Y/N wouldn't show, but that Johnny would work himself into a panic attack before she could.

The crowd was growing antsy as well. Many people started looking around to see if there was a reason for the delay. Johnny's father had walked up to the altar to ask his son if something was wrong, who shrugged his shoulders in reply. The bridesmaids were awkwardly scratching their heads.

Johnny was near tears when he saw Y/N's father briskly walking down the aisle alone. The man kept his head down until he reached the groom. Stopping at the altar, he stood with his back against the crowd and whispered to Johnny, "Y/N needs to talk to you."

Johnny's eyes went large and he swallowed hard. "Okay." His heart felt like it was preparing to drop at any second. Clearing his throat, he addressed the entire room, "Give me a moment, please." Not sparing another word, he took off running through the back door.

Mark stood there frozen as he watched his friend bolt out the exit. Y/N's father awkwardly walked to his seat and sat. The other groomsmen were talking among themselves. They didn't seem as worried as everyone else in the room but even they were starting to break a bit. Mark felt for Johnny. He wouldn't know how to react if he was in his place. A light hum fell over the room as the guests made conversation to pass the time.

Mark counted about 6 minutes before Johnny ran back to the altar. A wide smile graced his face as re-positioned himself at his spot.

"What happened," Doyoung questioned loud enough for the grinning groom to hear.

Johnny waved the air and let out a chuckle, "don't worry about it. Just be ready, she'll be coming out any minute."

Overhearing the small announcement, Y/N's father stood up and jogged to the back to be able to still give her away.

Johnny waved his hand to signal for the music to restart. The song began for the 2nd time and the guests stood facing the entrance.

The sound of the chapel doors opening floated through the room. Mark turned his attention from the groom to the source of the sound.

Y/N stood there in all her glory. Her ivory dress matched the theme of the wedding very well. The corset was covered in lace and complimented her figure perfectly. Her sleeves were made of a tulle that rested off her shoulder, the same kind of tulle that made up the dress's floor length skirt. In her hands, rested a simple bouquet of blue irises and white lilies. 

She was nervous, Mark could tell. Her eyes rapidly bounced back and forth, scanning the room. Her father leaned over to her ear to whisper something, which helped her relax a bit. Tapping her arm that was wrapped in his, he began to lead her down the aisle.

A sniffle is heard in the room. Mark turned his head in the direction it came from, only to see Johnny with tears in his eyes. Mark's eyes widened at the new sight. He had known Johnny for most of his life and this was the first time the boy had ever seen the older male cry. The tears were happy tears, of course, but it was still an odd sight.

Mark's own eyes started to water as well. Johnny was like a brother to him and now that brother was getting married. Previously, Johnny had spoken about staying single forever and not getting "tied down," yet here he was. The man was squatting and roughly rubbing his tears at the view of his wife-to-be walking to him. Even through the constant flow of tears, he kept his focus of Y/N. Jaehyun laid a gentle hand on Johnny's back in a silent show of support, his face decorated with a smug grin. Mark already knew Jaehyun would bring this up again to tease Johnny in the near future.

A few sniffles were coming from the guests as well, mainly from people who were watching the groom break down.

Y/N finally reached the altar after what felt like eternity. She handed her bouquet to the maid of honor so she could help Johnny stand back up. Using the back of her hand, she wiped his tears and placed a peck on his cheek. From his spot on the side, Mark could hear her whisper that she loved him. Johnny whispered his own love in return. Y/N beamed at his words and gazed at him with pure adoration. Mark felt his eyes start to run.

The ceremony officially commenced with Taeil greeting the guests. He had agreed to officiate the wedding after getting a license to do so online. Johnny and Y/N had only graduated college a few months earlier, they couldn't afford to hire a professional yet. Having Taeil officiate the union only made it more special anyway.

The couple exchanged heartfelt marriage vows, drawing more stifled cries from the crowd. They practically oozed affection for each other. Mark heard Jaehyun sniffle before seeing him turn his head to not get caught. Mark giggles through his own tears; Jaehyun wouldn't be able to tease Johnny now.

The rest of the night was filled with more crying, laughing, and gazes overflowing with love. During the reception, everyone danced and drank. Johnny decided to make the playlist for the occasion himself, which made for a hilarious event. At some point, he danced so hard that he dropped an empty wine glass and it shattered. Y/N scolded him endlessly for being so hyper. In return, Johnny kissed her playfully. She immediately forgave him.

The night was magical. Mark got drunk with all of his friends and let loose. He drunkenly congratulated Johnny and Y/N multiple times. Johnny was entertained.

In Mark's inebriated mind, he decided that he wanted a relationship exactly like theirs.

Mark's breath caught in his throat.

Jackie stood at the entrance with her arm wrapped in her older brother's. Her hair was a bright pink that burned only slightly more intense than Mark's. He decided that shade was now his new favorite color. Her makeup was on the natural side and flaunted her natural beauty. With a deep breath, Jackie started walking.

Jackie's dress was a solid white that reminded Mark of a cloud on a summer day. It didn't have any lace or flowers on it, instead showing off a simple look that fit her personality well. The dress had a v-neck that mirrored the bridesmaids' and a wide waistband that matched the rest of the dress in the shade of white. The dress grazed the floor as Jackie sauntered down the aisle.

Jackie had a wide smile on her face, making Mark's heart skip a beat. He began rocking side to side, growing impatient waiting for his bride to reach him. 

Mark's mind drifted back to Johnny. He thought back to how he nagged Johnny on his wedding day. Maybe he should have been more understanding.

Mark lightly shook his head, attempting to rid himself of those memories. He wanted to stay in the moment and enjoy watching his soulmate approach him.

Jackie could see the conflicting emotions all over Mark's face, she knew him like the back of her hand. She resisted the urge to frown and kept walking.

Mark looked back up to his bride as she stopped about 10 feet away. She kissed her brother's cheek as he unwrapped their arms and headed to his seat. Jackie turned her attention to Mark, closing the distance.

There she stood, only 2 feet in front of him. Mark's lips turned upwards subconsciously at the sight. Jackie returned the smile and blew an air kiss to him. The guests who caught the small exchange released small giggles. Jackie let out a chuckle. She spun around to pass off her bouquet to Abby who stood behind her.

Facing Mark, Jackie looked him in the eye and took a deep breath. Her hands subtly followed the motions of the air entering her body. Just from the expression on her face, Mark knew she was mentally instructing him to copy. He inhaled deeply then let it out.

Satisfied, Jackie held out her hands to grab. Mark connected his with hers and felt his heart stutter. His grandfather officially started the ceremony.

Mark stood next to the hospital bed. Unconscious, Johnny laid peacefully. Mark knew what was going to happen when he woke up and that knowledge almost made him wish Johnny would stay unconscious for as long as possible. Mark wiped his tears and took a shaky breath. He had finished heavily sobbing minutes earlier but he felt another fit coming at the thought of having to be the one to tell Johnny.

Mark's vision juggled between the bruises and scratches on the sleeping male and the wedding ring that decorated his finger for the previous 6 months. Johnny had a gash on his face the size of a bobby pin on his jaw that the doctor patched up. One eye was completely swollen, the other black. A dark purple blemish could be seen on his shoulder. The man's entire right leg was in a cast that was fashioned to a sling of sorts to keep it elevated.

Mark wanted to scream. This wasn't fair. Neither of them deserved this. Feeling himself getting emotional again, Mark stepped out the room into the hallway. There, he squatted and sobbed with his head between his knees. This was the 7th time he broke down since he received the call a few hours earlier.

"Mark?"

Said male glanced up from his spot to Yuta peering down at him. Yuta's eyes were similar to Mark's, alerting him that Yuta had also been crying. 

"Is he awake?" Yuta asked weakly, his voice cracking with every word.

Not finding his voice, Mark shook his head as more tears raced down.

Yuta walked towards the room to see the unconscious male, patting Mark on the head on the way in.

From the hallway, Mark could hear Yuta break down. His weeps echoed through the entire hospital floor. Mark wanted to attempt to comfort Yuta but he knew that if he saw Johnny in that state again, he would be no help.

Over the next 2 hours, Jaehyun, Taeil, Doyoung, Taeyong, and Jungwoo came and joined Yuta around the bed. The cries increased with each new arrival. 

Mark had yet to move from his spot in the hallway. Now he laid on his side, curled into a ball, not caring when anyone walked past. His eyes were swollen. His face was red. His throat was scratchy. But he had yet to run out of tears.

"Mark." Taeil gently tapped the male to gain his attention. "He's awake." He didn't wait for a response before going back to the room.

At those words, Mark slowly went to sit up. His body ached from shaking so much. Using his hoodie sleeve, he wiped his face again. He inhaled deeply, holding air a few seconds before letting it go. With unsteady legs, he stood to his feet and paused at the doorway.

All the men were crowded around the bed as Johnny gained consciousness. Mark drug his feet to an open spot next to Jungwoo.

Johnny had the black eye half open. He tried to open the other but ceased when a sharp pain shot through his skull. The resulting whine of pain stabbed Mark in his heart causing his fists to clench. The injured man attempted to sit up from his flat position releasing audible groans.

"Don't sit up," many worried voices commanded in near unison. Jungwoo lightly rested his hand on the man's chest to stop any further movement. Heeding to the order, Johnny allowed himself to return to his previous position.

A minute of silence passed.

"What happened?" The voice that broke the silence wasn't the one the boys' were used to hearing. It was weak. It was strained from pain. Johnny sounded about as horrible as he looked. Every word that passed his lips caused him to wince.

No one spoke. Mark could feel the tears growing. He knew he was going to break down once again. The man had cried so much that the back of his head felt tense. There was no way he could be the one to speak and tell his friend. He stared at Johnny's leg cast. This wasn't fair.

The other men were in similar situations, too emotional to tell the man. Jaehyun - who prided himself in being strong in all ways - couldn't udder a syllable. He instead kept his gaze on the heart monitor, ignoring the quiet tears falling from his eyes. Jungwoo was squatted with his hands covering his face, not caring how obvious his cries were. Yuta and Doyoung hadn't stopped looking at the floor since Johnny woke up, neither one wanting to see their friend in this condition. Taeyong's lip was shaking violently as he waited for someone else to please take the lead. Just this once.

It was Taeil who cleared his throat. He quickly swiped at his red eyes. Gathering all the strength required, he began, "There was an accident. You got into a car accident." All the false strength was displayed in his tone but he went on. "While you were turning, a truck hit your car. Someone called 911 and you were bought here."

Johnny's eyebrows furrowed as he took in what he just heard. As the information processed, he began to slowly scan the room. He saw all his friends but someone was missing. Someone very important. His question came out in a croak. "Where's Y/N?"

A wail sounded from Jungwoo. 

Mark needed to leave the room. He couldn't be here for this part. His sneakers squeaked as he spun around to exit. He still had not run out of tears. He closed the door behind him. Returning to his spot in the hallway, Mark resumed his sobs. Falling to the floor, he held his knees and squeezed his eyes shut.

Over his fit, Mark couldn't hear the mumbling from the room. He didn't hear Johnny ask Taeil to repeat himself.

He did, however, hear Johnny's pained scream. He would never forget that sound. He heard Jaehyun finally let out his own sobs. He heard Johnny start to yell to see Y/N. Mark heard a crash and what sounded like the hospital bed shaking. He heard the others urgently call for a nurse. He heard Doyoung beg Johnny to stop and get back in bed. Mark's heartbeat increased.

What he heard next was the door slamming open. Raising his head, Mark saw Yuta run out the room down the hall in search of help. Through the now open door, he could see Johnny wailing on the floor. He used his arms to pull himself forward toward the door since one of his legs was useless. The man looked even worse now than when he first came to. His saline bag pole drug behind him as he crawled. The bed was now displaced by several inches.

Johnny's face was contorted into the most pain Mark had ever seen him in. The swollen shut eye was now visibly throbbing from the tears being trapped behind the enlarged eyelid. The older male's mouth was open but his teeth were clenched together. He shook with every sob he let out, but he kept his crawling constant.

The other men in the room were panicking. They yelled at Johnny to stop but none dared to lay a hand on him in fear of hurting him more. They stood in his path only to be cursed at or crawled around.

Mark was frozen staring at the man as he tried to leave, the visual burning into his memory. It was terrifying seeing him like this. Mark wanted to get up and help the others get Johnny back in bed but his body wouldn't allow it. He instead made eye contact with the male and cried in return.

As Johnny finally reached the threshold, several rapid steps were heard coming from the end of the hall. Mark's focus stayed on the desperate man. The source of the steps entered his vision.

Yuta ran into the room, followed shortly by 3 nurses and a doctor. The doctor went to straighten the bed and the saline stand while the nurses grabbed for Johnny's arms. The man fought them hard, throwing punches and even kicking with his cast to get them off. Eventually, they found a way to get a grip on him. The nurses lifted him off the ground to force him back on the remade bed.

Taeyong, Yuta, Doyoung, Jaehyun, and Jungwoo all stood against the walls to stay out of the medical staff's way. The men also were screaming but for the nurses to be gentle and for Johnny to stop fighting.

Taeil walked out the room to Mark's side. Like almost everyone else, Taeil was crying. His tears were especially heavy since he had to be the one to report what happened. He fell to the floor as well. Mark's eyes stayed glued on the commotion in the room despite how much he wanted to comfort the friend beside him.

Johnny tearfully pleaded for the nurses to let him go. He pleaded for them to let him see his Y/N again. Another pained screech ripped from his throat, then the pleading for death started. The kicking and punching had significantly weakened but continued on anyway.

The doctor left the room for a few seconds while the nurse kept Johnny pinned. She returned with a syringe in her hand. Quickly snatching off the cap, she held Johnny's arm in place to locate a vein. Finding what she needed, she cautiously inserted the needle into his arm and pressed the plunger slowly. She began to slide the needle out only to be interrupted by Johnny attempting to snatch his arm back. Letting the syringe stay in place a bit longer, the doctor focused on restraining the man.

Johnny's shouts slowly got quieter until they were just sleepy mumbles about seeing Y/N. He no longer was able to fight, allowing the hospital staff to let him go. The nurses went about fixing everything. They replaced the I.V. in Johnny's arm, placed his leg cast back in the sling, and reattached the heart monitor. By the time they were done and gone, Johnny was back unconscious.

Mark, Jungwoo, Jaehyun, Taeyong, Taeil, Yuta, and Doyoung stayed in the hospital room taking turns crying for their friend and his wife. They attempted to comfort one another only to break down later. Afterwards when they decided that some should go home, they took turns staying with Johnny so that he wouldn't be alone.

"Are you okay," Mark asked.

"No."

It had been a year since Johnny lost Y/N. In that year, Y/N had her funeral, was cremated, and Johnny limited his contact with everyone. Mark had talked to him a total of 9 times in that year, most of those conversations lasting less than 20 minutes.

Neither of the men spoke. Mark didn't know what to say. Johnny didn't have anything to say. It was obvious that Johnny didn't want to have this talk but Mark wanted to know how his friend was doing.

"Aren't you hungry? Let's get something to eat, bro." Mark grabbed the small menu on the table of the cafe. He was trying to spend as much time as possible with Johnny so he figured they could eat while catching up. The only reason he was able to convince him to come out was by blowing up his phone.

"No." Johnny wanted to go home. He appreciated Mark trying to check on him but he wasn't ready. He wasn't over Y/N and honestly, he didn't think he would ever be. He lost his soulmate.

Sighing, Mark sat the menu back down. It hurt to see his friend like this. "Haechan told me to tell you hey."

Johnny only nodded in return, though his sight never left the table.

The quietness was awkward.

Mark cleared his throat. The background ambiance flooded into the space Mark had hoped would be filled with conversation. He bit his bottom lip and scanned the room. There were families laughing, couples giggling, students studying; everyone appeared content except the man across from him. Y/N seemed to have taken that part of him with her.

Mark’s mind began to wonder. Would Y/N’s death affect Johnny as much if they had waited a while longer for marriage? Johnny would have just lost a girlfriend, something the male had had many of in the past.

“Do you regret marrying her?” The question came out softly. Mark felt horrible asking this but he wanted to know the answer.

Johnny was taken aback. What kind of question was that? He furrowed his brows and pressed his lips in a firm line. His stare turned to Mark. “No, I don’t. Why would you ask that,” he interrogated sternly. He held an angry undertone.

“I’m just asking,” Mark hurriedly defended, “I don’t like seeing you like this or ignoring all your friends trying to check on you.” Both of Mark’s hands raised slightly in defense.

“Even if I didn’t marry her, I still would be in love with her.” Johnny continued, “I wouldn’t trade that day for anything. If I could go back in time, the only change I would make is the accident.” He paused for a few seconds to play with his wedding ring. It hasn’t left his finger since his wedding day. “But if she was going to die anyway, at least she left with my last name.” He was now shaking. His voice cracked, “I miss her so much.” 

Mark could tell that his friend was going to cry if he continued talking about his lost love.

“She was my soulmate. Sometimes, I wish I went with her.”

Mark’s heart dropped. “You don’t mean that, man. Y/N wouldn’t want you to think that.”

“I know but Mark, you don’t understand. When you meet the love of your life, you’ll get it. The thought of living without them will be painful. It’s easy to say that I shouldn’t have married her now, but I would have regretted not marrying her more. Back when I told you I was going to propose, you said that getting married was like cutting a piece of yourself to give to someone else. You were right. I gave her a piece of me but she was meant to have it. I’m happy she has it.” Johnny sighed, “Fall in love, Mark. You’ll understand.”

Mark understood. As he held Jackie’s hand in his, he understood.

He was terrified. He knew he was eventually going to lose her. He knew it was going to hurt him, possibly destroying him in the process. After she leaves, he could live the rest of his life without moving on. He could go on mourning until people mourn him, but as he stared into Jackie’s eyes, he knew it was worth it.

Even if Mark knew she would die tomorrow, today would not go any different. Bringing their clasped hands up to his lips, Mark placed a small kiss on them. After today, Jackie would have his last lame, something that would outlast both of them. That was enough for him.

Johnny was right.

Mark’s grandfather went about his lines, his voice thick with age. “We are gathered here to witness the union of Mark Lee and Jackie Garcia in holy matrimony. This is a day of great celebration, for married life - a shared life - is a blessing. As Mark and Jackie embark on this journey together, they’ll be able to nurture a love that makes them better versions of themselves.

“Mark and Jackie, on your journey together, my personal hope is that you 2 cherish each other for as long as you can. Love is effortless but marriage can be another story,” he let out a chuckle. The guests released small chuckles as well. Jackie lightly squeezed Mark’s hand to reassure him. “Love is patient and everlasting, not quitting even when times are hard. Marriage is meant to be a way to show others that love you share, something that will outlast everyone here. I hope that both of you will share this love even when the other expires.

“Mark and Jackie have chosen to write their own vows while trading rings.. With these words, they will each express their love and their promises to one another. With these rings, they will swear to keep those promises. If you are ready, you can start with your intentions to each other. Jackie, when you’re ready, you may begin.” Mark’s grandfather turned to the bride.

Jackie nodded to her grandfather-in-law, and nervously chuckled. “Okay.” Letting out a deep breath, she started out with shaky words. She recited the vows she had been memorizing for the last few weeks. She spoke of her love for Mark, brought up memories of their first meeting, and told of when Mark proposed to her. Jackie went on to list the promises she made to Mark. She promised to take care of him, to not get mad when he works longer than expected, to love him no matter what. Mark almost cried from the love-filled vows. Jackie released his hand to reach for the ring that was in her dress’s pocket. Slipping it on the man’s finger, she smiled the brightest Mark had ever seen.

“That was beautiful. Mark, when you’re ready.”

Johnny popped into Mark’s head again as Jackie rejoined hands. Johnny didn’t regret marrying Y/N. He was grateful for the time they did have. Johnny loved Y/N. Mark was sure that wherever he is, he still does.

Mark loves Jackie. He wants to spend the rest of their lives as husband and wife, no matter how long that may be. With that thought in mind, he started.

“Jackie. I love you so much,” Mark started simply. “You are my best friend, my partner in crime. When we first met, I thought you were,” Mark paused for comedic effect, “a lot.” The guests laughed a bit before quieting back down. “Who wouldn’t though? Your first words to me were ‘your hair is so fluffy, I’m gonna die.’ Now here we are, years later and you tell me the exact same thing everyday. You made me open up in a way I had been resisting, even to my closest friends. You pulled me out of myself. I was terrified of this day but being here with you, having my hands in yours just feels right. Being with you feels right. I want to feel this way the rest of both of our lives, no matter how long that is. That being said,” Mark detached his hands from Jackie’s to reach for the ring in his pocket. With the ring in hand, he held it between them.

“With this ring, I, Mark Lee,”

“With this ring, I, Johnny Seo,”

“cut you a piece of me.”

“cut you a piece of me.”

“Where you go, I will go too,”

“Where you go, I will go too,”

“for you are now the start and end of me.”

“for you are now the start and end of me.”

“Without you, my soul will never be whole,”

“Without you, my soul will never be whole,”

“because you, Jackie Garcia, own the other half.”

“because you, Y/N L/n, own the other half.”

Mark gently caressed Jackie’s left hand to slip the ring on. Her eyes were watery but she threw her head back to prevent the tears from falling. Several sniffles could be heard from the guests as they also held back tears. An extra noticeable sniffle came from behind from Haechan, but Mark opted to ignore his cries in favor of watching his bride.

Mark’s grandfather sighed happily while patting Mark on the shoulder. His eyes displayed his wrinkles from smiling. “By the power vested in me. I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss each other.”

Jackie did not hesitate to yank Mark by his hands to connect their lips. He melted into the kiss and wrapped his arms around his wife. The guests let out the cheers they had been holding in since the beginning. Mark smiled against Jackie’s lips as he felt her start to cry. Pulling away slowly, Mark pecked her forehead and wiped her tears.

“Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to present for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Lee!”

Mark and Jackie intertwined their fingers and faced all their guests who hadn’t ceased cheering for the newlyweds.

Mark knew he made the right decision.

“Mark got married today. I would have told you a while back when I got the invitation in the mail but I didn’t know if I was going. I went but I didn’t say anything to anyone and stayed in the back. Thankfully no one noticed. I would have just ruined the mood. He looked so happy. He's so in love, you should have seen it. He even used my vows to you.

“Do you remember our wedding day? How you were freaking out because most of the guests were from my side of the family while only your parents and grandma were on yours? You were scared that my family would think it was weird. I had to leave the altar just to comfort you!” Johnny let out a sad laugh at the memory.

The wind was blowing gently and the sun was setting quickly. The cemetery would be closing soon but Johnny wanted to talk to his love a bit longer. His fingers glazed her headstone. Y/N was cremated but Johnny needed something after he spread her ashes so here he was, talking to the headstone.

At the memory of the happiest day of his life, Johnny’s eyes grew moist. He continued with a broken voice, “I miss you, baby. I miss you so much. I haven’t been whole since you left. I can’t move on. I want to be with you.” The wind picked up slightly but Johnny could feel it.

“I know.” Johnny laid down to rest his head on the stone. “I know you don’t like when I say that. I’m sorry, my love.”

He stared at the falling sky in silence. He released a shaky breath and felt a tear fall.

“I love you, Y/N.”