#and im sure that youve seen what its done to my heart-but its kept me from falling apart

[orpheusilver]

NOT NOW GOODBYE MY DANISH SWEETHEART

[illcryatyou28]

Goodbye my Danish sweetheart is such a Regulus song

[raven]

ive made it back to listening to goodbye my danish sweetheart like soooo true baby UGH WHAT AM I. SIXTEEN YEARS OLD.? NO I AM TWENTY TWO!! I AM AN ADULTTTT

[jeju-tangerine]

few things get me as pissy as watching a show and not liking it. sorry

[timehascomeagain]

It's so annoying that im like i have to move out i have to move out nothing will change unless i move out as if i cant just like tell my parents hey im not doing well can you like quit it (it = everything). It would make things worse but i could at least try but i literally wont. The thing is need to just journal it through and let go of my resentment and rage but i am so resentful and so angry and i cant let go of any of it cuz it's kept me from falling apart and im sure that youve seen what its done to my heart but it's kept me from falling apart😂😂🤣

[thebiggestcodpiece]

Theres nobody better than you

[heyitsyn]

Manager!Seijoh Part 9

a/n: hehehe this was inspired by that iconic picture in pinterest of akaashi turning into a child

summary: you signed up to take care of grown teenagers who are capable of taking care of themselves-not children

for more seijoh content, check this masterlist out!

LMAO IS IWA KICKING HIM AND IS THAT MATTSUN SLAPPING HIS FLAT BUTT

so like,,,, you were at a complete loss

this was literally the last thing youd ever think of and you didnt even think it was possible for this to happen!

but before that

get in losers we’re going on a flashback

it was a wednesday so duh practice was normal after school

but you read on your weather app that it would be thunderstorming so you were worried on how the others would walk home and even texted oikawa if he could cancel the after-practice practice

but since the spring competitions were getting close, he wanted to get as much practice as possible, even sometimes doing monday practices, and the coaches were usually out the door once mandatory practice hours were over, letting the boys do more practice with no worry since you were there to handle it

the boys were in the gym practicing and stuff but you could hear the thunderstorms from the distance, the smell of rain already filling the gym

and you knew none of these boys owned or carried an umbrella with them so you were going to go and buy umbrellas for when they go home

‘you guys, ill be right back. im going to go to the store down the street, okay?’

the look you gave to iwa made him nod, knowing he was the one really in charged, since oikawa wasn’t really capable of handling everyone

‘i want to come’

kyo said but you stopped him, placing a comforting hand on his arm

‘ill be really quick so dont miss me too much’

‘come back soon, y/n-chan!’

‘be safe!’

iwa made sure you were bundled up with a raincoat and had your umbrella on hand before you went on your journey

ugh team moms have my heart

thankfully, the store had more than enough for the boys and you were trying to hurry because it was now raining heavily and you wanted to run back so they wouldnt worry

the cashier rang up your total and you were just giving her your card when a VERY BRIGHT LIGHTNING striked from the sky and a VERY LOUD thunderstorm rang in the distance

your heart thumped and it mightve just been your managerial instincts but you knew something was wrong

oh god oikawa must be freaking out right now since he absolutely hates thunderstorms

your worries were evident on your face so the cashier hurriedly handed you your bag full of umbrellas so you were able to sprint out of the door and too much in a hurry to even open your umbrella

the run to the school felt like it was a 10-mile run and when you finally ran towards the gym doors, you slowed to a speed-walk

but you froze

the lights were off and you could hear the screams of a child

well,,,,, more like, children

you entered the gym and fell on your butt in surprise

in front of you, were 9 toddlers who were thankfully covered by the now too-big clothing

they couldnt be over 3 and a half feet tall and looked like they were around 3 or 4 

‘i-i-iwa-san?’

you stuttered and reached a hand forward towards the baby with the black spiky hair but he cried louder, clutching on to the brunette baby

‘oh god’

you were finally starting to realize this situation

‘oh my god, what do i do’

you mumbled, standing up and panicked eyes wandering over each child

they were chibis

3 chibis were sleeping and you could tell each boy by their hairstyle

kunimi, yahaba, and mattsun were sleeping on top of the blue shirts and white shorts

kindaichi was hiccuping, seemingly done with his crying, while oikawa was bawling and screaming with iwaizumi holding on to his hand tightly, eyes also teary

makki was bleary-eyed and watari was just sitting there, eyes wide and lips parted but kyo, with hair turned to his original color yet the same sharp yellow eyes, looked on the verge of crying, hands reaching out to you

you immediately grabbed ahold of oikawa and you were thankful that their shirts were still over their tiny body

‘its okay, oikawa-san, its okay’

thunder rumbled again and this time, woke up the others in fright causing them to also start crying then the others started their own crying because everyone else was crying

you kept oikawa on your arms but ran to check on individual player

‘no,no,no! its okay! look! ball!’

you presented the stray volleyball next to iwaizumi and you guessed he was holding it before he transformed into this child form

‘IM SCARED!’

kindaichi shouted while sobbing and his loud voice startled yahaba even more and got him to cry harder making the others follow suit as well

‘oh no’

you whined and was slowly going crazy by the crying noises

you dont have any siblings so you never got the experience of having to take care of be around a toddler

maybe you should calm each child individually

that would work, right?

you remembered the method you used on oikawa once during training camp and you were hoping that his child self would still use the same calming routine

the speed you had to find your headphones and plug them in to your phone then his ears and playing the ‘big bang theory’ theme song was A S T R O N O M I C A L

you placed him in front of you and wiped the tears that trailed down his chubby cheeks while his little hands held on to your shirt

his cries started to slow down until it was just whimpers and you placed a kiss on his forehead when he finally quieted down

but while you were taking care of their captain, kyo was yelling at yahaba and making him more upset and cry even harder

‘MEAN DOGGIE!’

yahaba shouted and tried to hit kyotani but he hit him back

you pushed both children away and sat them down on their beehinds in front of you

‘no. we dont hit, yahaba-san, and we dont make fun, kyotani-san. time out for you two’

yahaba glared at the floor with tears pricking his eyes but one look from you made him hold it in and bite his lip

iwaizumi looked like he was finally getting ahold of himself as he was calmly sitting down with makki and mattsun by his side

you chortled when mattsun still possessed the same teasing smirk as he did when he was a teenager and his red eyes were now filled with mischief along with makki

iwa looked up at you with bright eyes, as if waiting for a reward or a compliment, and you swallowed your squeal before crouching across him and caressing his cheek

‘good job, iwa-san. iwa-san is a good boy’

he smiled, a smile youve never seen before, then snuggled closer to your palm

the only one really crying was kindaichi while kunimi and watari were also just sitting down

kindaichi’s sobs echoed throughout the gym and as you walked closer, you heard his stomach growl and you instantly knew how to calm him down

the sausage you picked up to feed the strays with kyo later was still in your bag so you peeled the wrapper about halfway and handed it to him

kindaichi stared at it and you had to guide it in his mouth to start eating just to ensure him it was safe and he could eat

the thunder seemed to have died down and all that remained was rain

the boys were starting to shiver from the cold and you were sure the heat in the gym was working before you left but now it wasnt because of the power shutting down

it wouldnt be good if they remained in this cold environemnt and you suddenly remembered that you were still soaked from the rain and was getting colder by the second

maybe it was the panic that shot up your adrenaline and didnt let you realize your own situation

each boy had their jackets thrown to the side but you quickly put it on them so you could bundle them up as best as you can

their shoes were too large for them so you ran to the storage room where there were plastic bags that you used to tie around their feet with their socks

iwa noticed your trembling body and he shakily stood up and ran over to you

you finished tying kindaichi’s bag when you noticed iwa standing there with his arms stretched towards you

‘hug’

he squeaked and you sniffled before wrapping him in your arms and holding him close to you

it seems iwa still possessed his protective instincts from before

by the time all the boys were ready, the rain thankfully reduced to simple sprinkles and you made everyone hold hands

the boys stood on a row in front of you and you seriously talked to them

‘no matter what, never let go of your friend, okay? even you yahaba, kyotani’

the two gave each other a glare but they still clenched each other’s hands

you grasped oikawa and iwa’s hands and the others formed a chain with mattsun holding iwa’s and makki holding oikawa’s and so forth

you figured you could just leave their bags in the gym so you were walking as fast as you could towards home where it would be warm and a safe place to figure out a plan

natsu has seen a lot in his years of living and from being in nekoma in general

but he has been shocked to see this

it was already late and your parents were both at some business trip and he knew you were supposed to be home already but you werent

he was about to call you when the doorbell rang and he figured it was just some person convincing him to be christian

he opened the door, exasperated and irritated

‘listen, im the biggest sinner that has ever-Y/N!’

he shouted in surprise 

there, you stood, shaking and red with a bunch of toddlers

what in the world

‘natsu. m-move’

you stuttered out and he couldnt help but do what you said and he made way for you and the little ducklings

the little boy from the back, the one with yellow eyes, glared at him as he walked past and natsu shook his head in disbelief

‘wha-’

you ran to the temp screen button thing bro i dont know what it is but i have something like an echobee thats like that to turn up the temperature in the house

the boys were still excitedly babbling on about some movie and they were singing songs 

‘PONYO PONYO PONYO-’

poor natsu just stood at the archway by the living room

‘oi, y/n. please tell me you didnt kidnap a bunch of kids’

there was no teasing tone, just pure confusion

you didnt look up from the temp thing and you configured it to rest at 75 degrees fahrenheit fyi

‘something happened. something weird and bad happened. it shouldnt even be possible but it did and im so confused and i dont know what to do’

you rambled and you turned to look at the kids

natsu noticed your frazzled form and he gently grabbed a blanket to drape over you so you could get warm and led you to sit on the couch

‘just tell me, babes. we’ll figure it out’

he reassured and you sighed

‘i-i,,, was g-going to the-the convience store to-uh-get some umbrelllas for the boys but,,, when i was there,, there was a big thunder and boomed and lightining and i knew,,,,i knew there was something wrong and something had happened so i ran back and then bam! i saw them as kids!’

natsu trailed over from your face to the boys and he started to piece together that yes, this was your team

the brunette boy he messed around with and the one with the adorable eyebrows

‘y/n,, babes,, did you dabble with voodoo? bad juju?’

he whispered and you almost cried

‘no! why would i?!’

‘THEN WHY THE HELL ARE THEY BABIES?!’

‘I DONT KNOW! IM NOT DUMBLEDORE!’

‘what are we going to tell their parents?!’

‘that their kids turned to babies?!’

‘yea right! might as well tell them the earth is flat!’

you both went silent for a bit before natsu sighed then turned to you

‘babes, go and shower. go and get warm while i take care of the kids. youre soaked and youre freezing and you’ll get sick. besides, they shouldnt be that bad, right?’

not even caring to answer that question and completely not hearing it, you nodded and groggily went to go bath

the boys saw you leave and they looked at natsu with either wide scared eyes or glaring eyes

especially the boy with the yellow eyes

natsu smirked

‘i know you. what was it? dog? crazy dog?’

there was clear offense in kyo’s face and he easily jumped to natsu’s lap and grabbed his hair to tug on it

‘yey! play time!’

oikawa shrieked and everyone shouted in agreement before joining kyo

natsu screamed as they punched his stomach and pulled his hair

you were in the middle of rinsing your hair when you heard the screams and you thought it was the boys but you recognized them as natsu’s

you continued showering

the boys were having fun beating up your cousin and natsu seriously wondered if you were taking your sweet time just to let them have their fun

‘oi! if you dont stop! i wont let you play mario kart!’

the boy with a middle part stopped tugging his hair followed by the one with the spiky turnip looking hair

‘maiyo,,,, kat?’

ALKSDFJLSDKFJDFKJDS BABY KINDAICHI STILL NOT BEING ABLE TO SPEAK PROPERLY

natsu saw them both stop and he excitedly sat up

‘yea! mario kart! you want to play mario kart?! oh my! its so much more fun than playing with natsu-nii!’

he didnt care what they wanted to do as long as it didnt involve him being getting beaten up so he quickly assembled the console and they all rallied around natsu as he set up the game

‘okay. we can play with 4 players at a time. who’s going first?’

there was a bit of hostility among the children as they turned their former soft gazes to hard and competitive looks

‘me!’

‘i wanna!’

‘me!me!me!’

‘stop it kawa-chan!’

‘iwa-chan ow!’

there was great uproar while natsu sighed in relief and leaned against the back of the couch, watching in amusement

there were punches thrown, some shoves, but they ultimately decided on players

begrudgingly it was kyo, kindaichi, mattsun, and watari

the others stayed behind with a pout on their lips and sulked

but as soon as they started playing, those sad looks disappeared and they scooted closer to watch it with interest

‘GO MAKKI! GO!’

‘KENKEN HURRY!’

the only one who wasn’t so in to it was the one with the spiky black hair and green eyes

‘hey, kid, what’s wrong?’

natsu asked and he didnt answer but just looked at him before turning to watch the tv silently

he was about to ask again when you appeared and the boys cheered at your arrival before turning back on the game

you were refreshed and you sat on the loveseat next to natsu’s place on the couch

‘they seem to be having fun’

you smiled but natsu crinkled his eyebrows then pointed to a figure behind the rest

‘the kid’s just been sitting there. i dont know if hes just like that or what but hes not really doing anything’

‘oh, thats just iwa-san. hes normally like that. look. iwa-san! can you please come here?’

at the call for his name, the boy perked up and he excitedly clambered over to sit on your lap

he leaned his back against your chest and you ran your fingers through his hair

‘why are you just sitting there, hm? do you not want to play?’

you spoke softly and he shook his head, eyes still on the match

‘friends are happy when playing. i like my friends. im okay’

despite the very child-like voice, there was a sense of maturity in there and you weren’t sure if they still carried the same memories as they had back when they were already teenagers

‘iwa-san, do you know me?’

you asked and he looked up to look at your face

then he shook his head

‘no’

you blanched

and so did natsu

‘so let me get this straight, kid. you let some random stranger take you to their house?’

iwa shrugged

‘she help me and friends. she nice’

you almost squealed but held back and you tightened your arms around him

‘youre sweet, iwa-san’

‘y/n, you could literally be charged of kidnapping right now’

natsu ruined the moment and you glared at him

‘im just trying out a way to help them. and besides, they couldve screamed and cried and ran out but they didnt so i didnt take them against their will’

natsu rolled his eyes before standing up

‘well, im hungry. and these kids cant exactly have take-out. imma go see if we have any food left’

he left you alone with the kids and you encouraged the others to win by cheering for them and smiling at the way they were laughing

man, no matter what age, you still love them

natsu peaked his head out from the doorway

‘we got dino nugggets’

you nodded

‘those should be good’

natsu returned to his spot on the couch and you stared at him

‘what? im too scared to do anything to the oven. remember when i broke the other one?’

you sighed and shook your head

iwa noticed you needing to get up so he was about to move when you placed him on natsu’s lap

‘iwa-san, natsu-kun will take care of you for now, okay?’

iwa didnt object but he didnt like it either

you were pressing the timer on the oven and you opened it to change the racks when you noticed a small figure and hands and feet trying to climb in

in shock, you dropped the rack and grabbed kunimi’s small body

‘kunimi akira! what were you thinking?!’

the baby’s eyes were half-lidded and he looked really tired and the oven was radiating warmth and he thought he could climb in it and sleep

but you knew that he would literally DIE 

you ran him back to the living room and natsu was shocked to hear of what happened

‘HUH?’

‘yea. so try and make sure none of them does something dangerous’

you pleaded and he nodded before taking kunimi’s hand and urging the kid to sleep on his lap instead

you were finally cooking the nuggets and while it cooked, you were grabbing any leftovers for you and natsu to eat

there was little bit of rice and some tonkatsu left so you heated that up and continued to cook until everything was finished

‘boys! natsu! dinner!’

at the mention of food, the kids dropped the controllers and raced to go to the kitchen

natsu trailed behind with a half-asleep kunimi in his arms and iwa who held his hand

‘FOOD!’

kindaichi and oikawa shrieked

you gave each boy their own portion of food and you gave natsu his dinner

‘to be honest, i was surprised we had enough nuggets’

natsu was surprised at the nuggets you still had in the freezer

you shrugged

‘at this point, im not even surprised at anything anymore. i think im just in a dream and im controlling it and somehow, the universe is bending itself to help me’

natsu stared at you as if you grew three heads before chuckling and returning to his food

however

there was no such thing as peaceful dinner with the boys

yahaba was crying that kyo took some of his nuggies

kunimi tried to have one bite of his chicken before toppling over to the side and falling asleep

mattsun was tricking makki by pointing somewhere and when the brownette turns, he would take a nugget

oikawa tried it and iwa almost fell for it but he caught his best friend in time resulting him to hit the choco-hair boy and making tooru cry from the booboo

you sighed, rubbing your temples

‘i swear. my head’

you whined and natsu patted your back before he disappeared somewhere, presumably his room, to get away from the madness

your temper was rising and with how exhausted youve been and the incoming cold you feel is making you irritated

‘BOYS’

of course they stopped as they got scared by your tone and if they were teenagers, they would have the same reaction because youve never used this tone on them

‘kindaichi, wake up kunimi. kyotani, matsukawa, eat your own nuggets. yahaba, oikawa, stop crying. kyotani apologize to yahaba for eating his nuggets and hug him. you too, iwaizumi apologize to tooru for hitting him and hug him’

‘BUT-’

the boys started but you shot them a look

‘NOW’

‘sorry’

they mumbled and they looked at you before going to give the other a hug

‘bakakawa’

iwaizumi mumbled and tooru was about to cry but you scolded iwaizumi again

‘iwa, we don’t call people stupid’

he stared at you then turned away, an obvious pout on his lips and pushed his plate away to sulk

wow 

is parenting this hard?

watari calmly ate his food and you smiled

you scooped him in your arms and you held him close

‘come on, everyone. when youre done eating, how about we watch ponyo? hm?’

as if they werent just sulking, they all cheered and abandoned their food to go running to the living room where you put the movie on

halfway through the movie, someone wanted something sweet

you had iwa on your right, mattsun on your left, watari on your lap and oikawa by your feet so you werent exactly at the position to make something

‘nee-chan, i want choco’

makki asked and you sucked in a sharp breath to calm yourself from how cute he was

you gently asked the others to move so you could go but they held on to a part of you

mattsun and iwa with your arms, watari holding your shirt, oikawa holding your leg

‘come on, guys.do you want choco?’

‘but-but-but’

oikawa blubbered

‘please dont go’

mattsun pleaded quietly

‘ill be back! i swear! please?’

begrudgingly, they let go and you stretched out your legs when you stood up then walked to the kitchen

as you opened the door, you were looking through something when you saw a reflection from the glass of a face

you shrieked and looked behind you, expecting some murderer but it was actually a line of the boys

it was like they followed you into the kitchen like ducklings following their mama duck

‘kyotani!’

you wheezed, seeing it was his face that you saw with those beautiful eyes

‘we missed you, nee-chan’

kindaichi whined with a small voice

you noticed that kunimi wasnt with the group so you assumed he was asleep on the couch

‘you scared nee-chan, boys. but it’s okay’

their puppy eyes made you cry inside but you ushered them to go to the dining room so they could wait there for their drinks

you poured chocolate milk for everyone except for tooru as he was lactose intolerant so you gave him chocolate oat milk

they brought the glass to their lips as you drank coffee and they lit up at the delicious taste

‘mmmm’

they giggled and you chuckled before reaching over to wipe makki’s top lip

‘thank you nee-chan!’

oikawa grinned and they all agreed

‘youre welcome. nee-chan will take care of you when you need it’

by the time midnight struck, you were already in a cuddle pile with the boys

they all fell asleep and you were being laid on by the others

natsu came down for water and saw you being smothered by bodies but he thought it was cute so he took a picture for you to see in the morning

he found the remote and turned off the movie and tv before wishing a whisper of a good night then headed back to his room

the room was filled with snores and you were dead asleep

but you couldnt help but squeeze back the tiny hand that gripped yours

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

mrs l/n and mr. l/n groggily made their way up to the front door

‘god, its so late. im so tired. i want to sleep’

mrs l/n complained

mr l/n immediately fished out his keys and he turned the door to enter their home

it was very quiet and dark so they figured that both you and natsu already went to bed

they dumped their luggage at the entrance, bothering to unpack tomorrow and were making their way to the kitchen for a water 

mrs l/n was making her way to the bathroom when she heard a groan from the living room

her eyes shot wide open and she thought she was so tired that she was hallucinating

but nope

her eyes transfixed itself on a figure that was standing at the middle of the living room

with a shaking hand, she reached over to flicker the lights on and she shrieked at the sight of a naked man

tooru felt sleep immediately leave him at the sound of the woman’s shriek and his eyes fell on someone by the doorway and she was not staring at his face

instead

down there

he followed her sight and my god

oikawa screamed

a/n: hehehe happy new years!!! well,, belated new years!! but we really starting the new year with a buck naked oikawa and a traumatized mom aren’t we? but i hope everyone had a great holiday and im so excited for the start of the new year and what it has in store for us!!! sending much love!!!

[woodsteingirl]

AND IM SURE THAT YOUVE SEEN WHAT ITS DONE TO MY HEART, BUT ITS KEPT ME FROM FALLING APART…

[shhh-no-ones-home]

model citizen ricky horror x reader

+++++++++

college au

prompt: Character A sitting in a college 7am lecture and Character B sitting next to them pouring an energy drink into their coffee and says, "I'm going to die." (First interaction)

Song: pretty little distance by as it is

tag list: @musicsexandpizza69 @svintsandghosts @theoneandonlykymberlee @alilpunkrock @cynic-spirit @thisplace-ishaunted @lifeisabitchandsoareyou @xyours-eternallyx

+++++++++

i walked into the room and huffed as i took my seat, reaching into my bag for my notebook and a pen. i hated having a 9am again and missed being able to sleep-in like i did last semester. this was the first day though and i was hopeful my mind would change about it as the course went on. it probably wouldnt though. i sat there, catching a few more students walk in as i looked down at my phone.

nothing was too exciting yet and the teacher hadnt even shown up. i was more-so ready for the new art class though. it was my major after all and i was pretty well known by the professors at this point. as i sat there, a loud clatter grabbed my attention, making me look to my right. there was sat a shorter, skinny kid, with long inky black hair tucked under a beanie. my eyes went wide as he cracked the monster in his hand open, pouring it into his half=full trenta cup from Starbucks. he looked over at me and smiled.

"im going to die."

he said in the most sure-fire tone before putting the lid back on the cup and chugging it. i sat there in horror staring at him.

"are you okay?"

i asked and he shrugged, looking at me over the top of the cup. he had the bluest eyes i had ever seen, even in the low light of the art room. i was a little start struck for a second before shaking myself out of my daze, watching him put the cup down against the desk with a thud.

"if i pass out during class just push me out of the way and ill figure something out later."

he said, turning forward. i went to say something just as the teacher walked in.

"y/n! good to see you back. we missed you last semester."

professor crane said, looking to the student teacher as he ducked behind him and paced quickly to the front desk. his gaze followed him too before he shrugged and turned back to me with a smile.

"whatever, im sure he missed you too. but either way its good to have you back in class and i look forward to seeing what you come up with for the showcase in march."

i nodded with a smile before he walked away to the front of the class, instructing everyone to take their seats.

"you come here often?"

i heard from the kid next to me, hearing him laugh to himself as he took another drink of his coffee/monster concoction.

"yes, actually. im an art major."

i said a little dumbfounded. he nodded.

"cool, im here for film."

i drew my brows.

"youre doing film?"

i asked and he winked at me, looking to Brian as he turned the projector on. i opened my mouth before closing it quickly, feeling a little more confused than before.

"alright, first things first. i only make a syllabus because administration says i have to. the schedule is shit and we will most likely be doing something completely different so i suggest you keep a planner or something to keep track of your assignments. secondly, i will get to it later but i want you to start thinking about your projects for the spring showcase in march. we have a few short months so after you learn the basics of form you will be instructed to sketch something in your own style and present it to the board."

my mind went in and out after that, trying to catch quick glances at the kid next to me without being suspicious. every time he moved i could feel my heart pulse, giving me anxiety that he could actually pass out or something.

"y/n, your partner for this project will be mr olson."

brian said, standing over me and looking between the two of us. i nodded with wide eyes as he moved to the two kids behind us.

"guess that means we have pretty high chances at getting an A."

he said, raising his cup in cheers. i looked down at the assignment sheet, grazing over it and groaning. we had to come up with a comic strip in different style parts; the first panel a base sketch, the second panel a hard sketch, the third panel color blocking, and so on. god this was gonna be a nightmare.

"you dont seem too enthused."

the kid said amused. i sent him a testing look.

"im not, ive done something similar before and you have to get every step just right or they take points off. and we have to prove what parts we did."

i said, rolling my eyes. i looked over to him, blinking as a camera flash went off. i drew my brows as he looked down at the screen on it.

"where did you even get that?"

i asked, trying to inspect him. he sent me a smile.

"i always keep it on me. im ricky by the way, and you look great."

he said amused and i breathed deeply.

"y/n."

i said, looking back to the paper.

"well y/n i think this is going to be a great partnership-"

"alright!"

brian called, cutting him off.

"you have your assignments. i have nothing else for you today so you are welcome to either stay here and work until class time is over or you can leave and work on it on your own time. i dont really care either way, just get it done."

i hummed to myself before stuffing my notebook and the assignment sheet into my bag and standing up. i caught a glimpse of ricky starting at me with wide eyes as i turned to leave.

"what are you doing?"

he asked and i looked between him and the door, pointing at it.

"leaving, its not due for another week."

i started off, hearing him shuffle around before chasing after me.

"hey wait! cant we like plan what we're doing or something?"

he asked and i shrugged, looking over to him as he tried to put his paper in his backpack and hold the camera and cup of coffee. i stopped, staring at him as he struggled. i rolled my eyes, taking the cup and the camera from him. he looked to me in shock and i raised my brows.

"get to it, i dont have all day."

i said and he finished what he was doing, zipping his bag up and slinging it over it shoulder. i handed him the cup and camera back and kept walking.

"so uh, what kind of thing did you have in mind for this project?"

he asked and i looked to the sky, squinting but trying to think as we made it outside.

"i dont know, maybe a ball of some kind?"

he raised a brow, shuffling his feet as he tried to keep up with my long strides.

"like masks and large dresses?"

he asked and i nodded, opening the door to dinging hall.

"something like that yeah."

he nodded as i led us to a table.

"that sounds cool, i could get behind that."

i sent him a knowing look.

"you seem like the kind of guy who would."

i said, pulling my sketchpad out. he raised a brow, sitting beside me.

"whats that supposed to mean?"

he asked and i sent him  a look.

"im assuming you like vampires, and the Edwardian thing usually goes hand in hand with that."

he sent me a nervous smile.

"is it that obvious?"

he asked, rubbing his hands against his pants. i nodded.

"thats okay though, cause i like them too. so much so that i have costumes already, we can pose for each other. i think youd look great in this."

i said, sliding my phone across the table to show him the outfit i had for it. i just hoped it would fit him.

"you seem like youve been planning this for a while."

he said through a laugh and i shrugged.

"i just like to feel fancy, the projects on the other hand kind of fall into my lap."

i said, flipping through a few pages in my book. he placed his hand on one before taking it from me and looking over it.

"this looks insane."

he said and i looked around awkwardly.

"in a good way?"

i asked, finding his gaze.

"oh! yeah! of course in a good way. it looks super cool. i see why you wanted to do the ball thing now."

he commented, noting the sketch i had done already that was similar. it is what i was used to after all. he set the book back down in front of me and sent me a wide smile, picking his camera up and taking another picture of me.

"why do you do that?"

i asked and he laughed.

"i need models for my art and i think now that we've met you would be a great subject."

i set him a look, trying to hide the blush creeping its way up my neck.

"you really think so?"

i asked bashfully and he nodded.

"oh yeah, absolutely. and now that we're partners i think it will give me ample opportunity to find a new muse. you wanna be a subject for a music video?"

i sat back, a little taken aback.

"you want me to do what?"

i asked and he laughed, putting the camera on the table.

"in about a month my band is gonna need some girls for a video but its cool if not. i can live with us just being art project partners."

i cleared my throat, rubbing my hands together under the table.

"how about we get through this first and ill get back to you on that?"

he smiled knowingly at me, raising his coffee to me in cheers.

"sounds like a plan to me."

[peachiikawa]

Fly | Route Selected: S. Daichi

a/n: thank you all for being so patient with me. finally, here is the long awaited daichi route. hope you all enjoy!

genre: mafia au

warnings: blood, reader getting hurt, guns, violence

word count: 2.3k

Fly Masterlist

“I choose you”

Your eyes locked with daichi

And daichi stared into yours trying to figure you out

“Are you sure?”

You nodded your head and held your ground

“Im sure”

He felt his eyes soften for a moment at the determination in your eyes before hardening again

“Fine. Everyone else, go home. Youre with me then. Lets go”

Daichi called for a car and drove you home

The silence between the two of you was only filled with the soft sound of a piano playing on the radio

The ride was finally over after about twenty minutes

“I’ll come get you tomorrow morning. Youll be working as an intern now so dress accordingly”

With that he left and you felt like you could breathe again

Just what had you gotten yourself into?

As he said he was at your house in the morning in a car that looked just a tad too expensive

You gulped before taking your first step towards him

“Good morning, Daichi”

He just nodded at you as you got into the car

The drive was once again silent

You looked over at the man behind the wheel and noticed how...formal he looked

Suit, straight back, both hands on the wheel

You felt yourself naturally adjusting yourself to mirror his mannerisms

He stole some glances at you without you noticing and felt his eyes soften upon seeing how nervous you looked

As soon as you stepped into the building you could feel the professional atmosphere

The endless windows and white walls gave off a chilling feeling

You only came back to reality when Daichi gently nudged your back

“I dont have all day. Hurry up and move”

The harshness of his words were the opposite of his touch but they still hurt nonetheless

You nodded your head and kept walking, trying to keep up with his quick stride

You followed him into an office as he took a seat behind the wooden desk

“This will be brief so don’t feel the need to sit”

Your eyes followed his every move as he organized his desk that was already pretty organized with stacks of papers

Daichi went on about your duties here but you honestly werent listening

You were a bit overwhelmed from the unfamiliar building you were in that you forgot about the man in front of you

Up until your eyes landed on the nameplate that sat on his desk

Sawamura Daichi, CEO

Without even knowing it, your eyebrows furrowed in confusion

Just who did you get yourself involved with?

Daichi finally noticed that his conversation with you wasnt going anywhere

“Hey. Are you even listening to me?”

You snapped out of it and shook your head

“Im listening!”

He just sighed and repeated everything he just said again

“Whatever. Just listen because this will be the last time i say this. Youll be working here at Sawamura Inc from now on as an intern. Your fellow interns are Hinata and Kageyama so feel free to ask them questions if you have any. You can leave now. I’ll come get you at the end of the day”

You nodded your head and started your day

Kageyama helped you the most in learning the ropes, you didnt see much of hinata. it was almost as if he was avoiding you

“Ok...so these files go here?”

He nodded his head

“Yeah i think you got it down now. If you need me ill be organizing some things for suga”

The rest of the day went on slowly until finally seven oclock hit

You could hear the faint sound of footsteps approaching you

“Lets go”

Daichi wasted no time in leaving

You quickly put down the rest of the papers you needed to organize and followed him out

The next couple weeks were like clockwork

Almost exactly the same as the day before

And no matter how hard you tried to get to know the man who took you to and from work he wouldnt budge

The only thing you ever got out of him were short replies and head nods

Did he really not like you that much?

But something you noticed every morning and every evening was the light sound of a piano playing from the radio

“Do you like the piano daichi?”

You werent even sure youd get an answer out of him

But he must if he listened to it everyday

You saw his hands lightly grip the steering wheel tighter before loosening, a ghost of a smile appearing on his lips

Your eyes widened when you saw it

In your two weeks together...youd never seen him give a look like this

Like he...enjoyed life

Like he was happy

“Yeah...its okay”

But just as fast as it appeared on his face, it quickly disappeared

Who knew that the stoic man next to you could make expressions like that

Almost made your heart race

“Do you play?”

Silence fell upon the both of you before you heard him let out a sigh

“No”

And now we’re back to stage one when you finally though you were getting more than one word answers

What could you do to make him see you?

This question played in your head as you filed away some papers for Asahi with Hinata

It was the first time youd done something with him but from what youve seen kageyama just calls him an idiot all the time and hits him

Also from what youve heard hinatas been with the sawamuras for a while so maybe he has some insight

“Hey hinata, can i ask you a question?”

He kept quiet so you took that as permission

“Do you know why daichi likes listening to the piano so much?”

That caused him to stop

“If he hasnt told you then dont ask me”

Youd be lying if you said that didnt make you more intrigued so naturally you did some digging

And eventually you stumbled upon an article from no more than five years ago

It told the tale of a young piano prodigy that had chosen to study music at the university of music and performing arts in vienna

And that piano prodigy was the now the distant leader of the Karasuno Mafia

You wonder what happened to him, what the story was behind his change in career path

The next day you decided that if you wanted to learn more about him then asking the questions would help

“Good afternoon daichi!”

You smiled at him as you delivered some paperwork to him

��Morning…”

You set the small stack down on his desk in front of him

“These are the papers for the closing on the Inarizaki deal”

He picked them up and quickly skimmed it

“Okay, thank you. You may go now”

When you didnt move he looked back up

“Do you have something else for me?”

He saw the way you fidgeted with the tips of your fingers and his eyes softened for just a moment

“Would you like to have lunch with me?”

He knew that he should say no

That he shouldnt let you in

“Sure”

How harmful could one lunch possibly be

Little did daichi know he was about to be interrogated

“--no i dont know who my favorite superhero is”

This was probably the tenth question youve asked and he wished you would stop

But he didnt know how to tell you no

Not when you were asking genuine questions

He thought it was kind of nice to be talking to someone normal again

Not someone who was involved with the mafia

But someone who was just...ordinary

“Ok ok..one last question”

He smiled softly

You felt your breath hitch after him showing you that gentle smile

“Go ahead”

The way you talked to him with no filter was refreshing

So he wasnt expecting the next question really at all

“I came across an article the other day about this boy who loved playing the piano,”

Daichis heart almost stopped

“Why did you stop playing daichi?”

‘Because my father made me’

He clenched his fist, crumpling the napkin inside of it

“I just got bored of it”

His reply came out through gritted teeth and you knew he was lying

You gently laid your hand on top of his until you felt it relaxing under you

“Well, no matter the reason, I hope that someday ill be lucky enough to hear you play”

His heart melted

The thought of playing again is something hes always wanted

But his father wouldnt let him

And left a permanent reminder on him about it

“That probably wont ever happen so dont get your hopes up. Let’s get back to the office, lunch is over”

And just like that he was back to being cold towards you just when you thought you were making progress

A couple weeks go by and it seems like daichis pushed you out of his life all over again

So much so that suga was the one giving you assignments from daichi where daichi used to just tell you himself

“Hey, hinata, kageyama and y/n! Daichi wants you guys to go make some copies from the store around the corner. Printer is jammed here and we need to get those documents ASAP”

You all nodded your heads and headed out

You were really too caught up in your own thoughts to be thinking about your surroundings

Had you really crossed a line that day?

You just wanted to figure out the real daichi

Because to you, the real daichi had his walls up 24/7 but behind those walls was a gentle smile and just a guy who wanted nothing more than to just live a normal life

So you didnt notice when hinata and kageyama stopped causing you to run into their backs

“Why did you guys-”

Hinata held a protective arm out in front of you

“What are you doing here, mad dog?”

The boy you assumed was ‘mad dog’ pushed himself off of wall he was leaning against

“Boss wanted me to fetch something”

His eyes locked onto your form

“And im here to collect”

This sent chills down your back

What was he going to do for you?

Who was his boss?

Your mind was running a mile a minute

“y/n you need to run”

Hinata’s voice brought you back to reality

“What?”

Hinata’s eyes never left the man in front of him

“Kageyama and i will take care of him. You need to get back to the office. Now!”

You sprinted as soon as hinata yelled for you to leave

‘Theyll be alright, right? They handle stuff like this all the time’

But you came to an abrupt halt at the sound of a gun going off

‘Fuck my life’

You turned back around help in any way you could

Only to come upon an unconscious kageyama and bleeding hinata

“You fucking idiot! Whyd you come back?!”

Meanwhile mad dog approached you and placed his hand under your chin

“You just made my job a whole lot easier”

Before you could even scream a piece of cloth was placed over your mouth and your vision went black

“Give your boss a message for me, carrot top. Tell him that if he wants his intern back he has to come get them himself”

Hinata gritted his teeth before passing out himself

Suga found them not too long after that

And after hinata told daichi what had happened...he was livid

He was supposed to protect you

To make sure that you stayed safe

And he was too weak to do it

Too afraid of what his father would have done if he found out that he was fond of a random person they picked up from the streets that had no ties to them

Afraid of what his father would have done to you

He clenched his jaw and let out a grunt as he punched the wall next to him

But fuck that

He knew that in this moment he needed to get you back right now

The thought of you being injured due to his own incompetence scared him more than what his father might ever do to him

So he was off

“When will they wake up?”

“Theyve been out forever”

“Dude its only been like three hours of course theyre still out”

The voices around you became clear as you regained consciousness

“Oh~ looks like theyre finally awake”

“Yeah probably because you wouldnt shut up”

Standing in front of you was a group of men you had only seen in brief pictures from the reports you made for daichi

‘Seijoh’

From what you remember their boss is a major flirt and his right hand man keeps him humble

Mad dog was sitting off in the corner next to a brown haired man who just kept staring at you…’creepy’

You flinched as the one you recognized as their boss reached a hand out towards you

“Aww dont be scared! I promise i wont hurt you”

He bent down to your level with a hand on your shoulder and leaned in to the point that his breath tickled your ear

“Though im not too sure that some of the others here wont. So be good for me, okay y/n?”

You were scared out of your mind

But you were not going to let this guy get into your head

So you did what any reasonable person would do

You pulled your head back and headbutted him in the forehead

He stumbled back a bit

“Stay the fuck away from me”

Oikawa held his head and gave you a nasty glare

“Iwa take care of them”

Everyone filed out till it was just you and the spiky hair man in front of you

“Nothing against you, just doing what the boss said. Plus you could have just laid low but you had to provoke him”

Daichi wasted no time in getting to seijohs building

And as soon as oikawa heard he was in the building he sent for him

“Welcome daichi! What an unexpected surprise!”

Daichi always hated the sound of oikawas jovial voice

How fake it sounded

“Just give me y/n back”

Oikawa just shook his head 

“Never were a fan of small talk were you daichi? Okay, since youre just dying to see them ill bring them in now”

Daichi turned around and reeled at what he saw

Bruised and battered as you were set down onto the ground

“You fucking bastard”

Daichi clenched his jaw

He was at a loss of words for the sight in front of him

But he knew he had to get you out of here

So he scooped you up into his arms and headed for the door

But before leaving he stopped and spoke into his earpiece

“Get them”

And with that he left as a war ensued between the two gangs

Beep beep

The sound of your heart monitor brought you back to the land of the living

And next to you was a passed out daichi

You slowly felt around your bed before hitting the call button for your nurse

And as soon as you did daichi jumped up from his seat at the sound of footsteps approaching

You reached out and put your hand on his to get his attention and smiled at him

He sat back down and let the nurses tend to you, his gaze never leaving your body

“You should be able to leave within the next day or two. Rest up mx. l/n”

The nurse then left your room and left the two of you alone

You locked eyes with him before looking down at his hand and seeing how discolored it was

He noticed your eyes widen and tried to hide his hand once he realized what you were looking at

“Daichi! You need to take better care of yourself!”

You sat up from your bed and called a nurse to get a basic first aid kit

“Im fine y/n. You need to rest”

“Like hell youre fine! Daichi your hand is hurt. Please just let me fix it for you”

But before you could apply the bandages you hand your hand in his

“It cant be fixed y/n. This hand doesnt feel anything”

You looked up at him with confused eyes

“Its the reason i dont play anymore. My father crushed it a few years back so i wouldnt even think about playing. Said it was time i stopped playing with useless things”

The grip on your hand tightened a bit before slowly loosening

But you just gently squeezed it

“Well, even if your hand is ‘useless’ id still feel better if youd let me wrap it. Your hand is still a part of you and it can still bring so much joy into your life as well as those around you. You just have to have the courage to seize what you want.”

‘The courage to seize what I want’

Your words played out in his head over and over again

He made a promise to himself that day

That one day, you two would be happily together

No matter how hard this path may be

He was going to seize his happiness

Tag List:

@the-ironic-me​ @multisun​ @my-mass-hysteria​ @sugawsites @youbloodylegendyoudidit @sinthxy​ @celamoon​ @tinymouth @fait-de-fleurs​ @tsukifanbase​ @69owo​ @laglyssage​ @hearteyeskags​ @ntngann​ @shnnn​ @fukuro-dani-ace​

[barnesandrogersfanfics]

Ocean Eyes - Part 4

I sat across from Chris at the small kitchen table in an awkward silence, picking at the label on the ketchup bottle.

"How could you keep this from me? Did you hate me that much?" Chris suddenly asked making me look up at him.

"It wasn't like that Chris, you broke my heart but i.... i never stopped loving you"

"If you loved me you would have told me!"

"I tried to tell you! My god i tried for months to contact you but you would never take my calls! I left you voicemails begging you to call me back....." i told him feeling my eyes start to tear up "i even tried to see you...." i shrugged remembering back to the day i decided to go back to the apartment i shared with him briefly "do you remember that day? I begged you to hear me out.... do you remember what you said to me?"

Chris's head dropped as he shook it, he actually looked ashamed of himself.

"You remember??"

"Yes"

"You told me i needed to stop being so desperate, that i needed to accept the fact we were over.... you told me our relationship was a mistake"

"I was an asshole i know that! But i was gonna be a dad and you kept that from me for nearly... what, 7 years??"

"Okay answer me this, would the you back then have given a shit?? Because i honestly don't think it would have changed a god damn thing because you were a selfish prick!" I whisper yelled at him so Mason wouldn't hear "you say you've changed now and that your not that guy anymore and i pray to god thats true, but....."

"I swear to god i've changed Y/N, i grew up. I realised that the fame didn't mean as much to me as my family"

"Good for you"

"You dont believe a word im saying do you?" He shook his head "i know that look you can't lie to me" he mumbled rubbing his hands over his face.

"Its not that i dont believe youve changed Chris, its that even then you never once reached out to me. Even before i was your wife, as brief as it was.... i was your best friend. It was so easy for you to cut me out of your life"

"I missed you everyday Y/N.... i just, i couldn't face you after what i did"

"Until you needed those divorce papers signed huh? Then you faced me".

Chris just looked down avoiding eye contact, he didn't know what to say.

"Look, if you wanna get to know Mason i won't try and stop you" i said quickly before i lost my nerve.

"Of course i do!"

"if you do this you need to be in 100%, i wont have you breaking his heart when you get bored of playing daddy. Because i swear to god Chris, if you hurt my son i will fucking kill you"

"I promise, i'm in 110%"

"Okay....." i nodded taking a deep breath "we've got pizza coming, did you wanna stay for dinner.... meet your son?"

"Id love that" he smiled wiping a tear quickly from his face "did you ever tell him about me? I mean does he know who i am at all?"

"His seen old photo's of you before your Captain America days, knows your name... thats it"

"Where does he think i've been? He must have asked where i was?"

"Its only been the last year his really asked about it, when he started preschool and the other kids had dads picking them up..... guess he wanted to know why he didn't have one. I told him he did have one but you were away working"

"He must hate me"

"Chris his 5 and a half he doesn't know how to hate".

We were all sat around the coffee table in the living room, the two pizza boxes spread out between us. I had just finished explaining to Mason that Chris was the same man in the photo he had in his bedroom, that Chris was his dad. Mason stared at Chris for a while before taking a bite of his pizza.

"You look funny...." Mason casually said and i nearly choked on my mouthful of pizza.

"I guess i do look a little different" Chris smiled at him "what photo do you have?"

"I'll go get it!" He jumped up and run upstairs excitedly.

"Its just a photo of us when we were younger" i said casually looking at my slice of pizza like it was the most fascinating thing in the world "it was the only one i had...."

"What do you mean? You had loads of photos...."

"I did until i burnt them all"

"You burnt them?!" He asked wide eyed.

"I was mad at you" i shrugged "i didn't want to look at them anymore".

I was so full of shit, i had kept them all, stored away in the back of my closet where i tried to forget them. The only reason i gave Mason the older photo was because it was from a time when Chris and I were happy, before he left me.

Mason came running back in and gave Chris the photo, a smile spread across his face when he saw it was a photo of us taken at Disney on one of our trips to Florida.

"God i remember this day, it was a good day" he looked up and smiled.

"It was " i nodded wiping off my hands before getting up and going to the kitchen, i needed some space. As much as i tried to convince myself that i hated Chris, part of me couldn't help but love him and being in the same room with him after all this time was tough. I was getting a glass of water when i heard Mason ask Chris a question that broke me.

"Dad? Can you read me a story before bed? Mama always reads to me but you never have"

"Sure bud, if thats okay with your mom?" I heard him reply happily.

I couldn't help but cry silently.... my hand over my mouth to muffle any sound, i just couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Mom?" Mason was suddenly standing behind me "can dad stay to read me a story?"

I quickly wiped my eyes and turned to face him with a forced smile.

"Sure baby"

"Yes!" He shouted happily running back out "she said yes!".

I stood outside Mason's room listening to Chris read 'If You Give A Dog A Donut', Mason giggling along and making little comments here and there which would then make Chris laugh before carrying on. After a couple of minutes i left them to it and went downstairs to tidy up.

10 minutes or so passed before Chris reappeared, it felt awkward between us again now Mason wasn't here.

"Thank you for letting me do that Y/N"

"Mason wanted you to read to him, i find it hard to say no to that kid" i shrugged.

"I bet. His a great kid, you've done a good job with him"

"Thank you"

"I can't believe i've missed so much of his life..... you have no idea how much i hate myself"

Probably not as much as i've hated you! I said to myself but at the same time deciding there was something i could give him.

"Wait here a minute, i need to go get something" i mumbled passing him and going up to my room. I went to my closet and dug around in the back until i found the black leather storage box i was looking for.

When i got back downstairs i handed the box to Chris who looked confused.

"Its a thing i used to do when i found out i was pregnant, letters, photos and stuff" i said feeling my cheeks burn from embarrassment of how stupid i had been....I just couldn't really let him go.

"Its only stuff from during the pregnancy and maybe the first 1/2 years but you might wanna see" i shrugged folding my arms to stop them shaking.

"Thank you Y/N....."

"Sure, well its getting late you should probably be going...."

"Of course" he nodded quickly "can i give you a hug?...."

"No. We're not at the hugging stage Chris"

"Okay" he said sadly as we made our way to the front door "when can i see Mason again?"

"Whenever you want i just need a heads up"

"Tomorrow?"

"Sure"

"Why don't you see if Scott wants to come too?? I need to talk to that brother of yours"

"Don't be mad at him, he didn't tell me Mason was my son... just that you had a kid"

"Your telling me he wasn't the one to tell you to come see me again??"

He was silent and looking around nervously.... Scott told him to come see me!

"You forget i know you two too well"

"I wanted to see you again i did, i just.... i was being a fucking chicken shit. I knew you hated me"

"Can you blame me?"

"Not for a second"

"Okay.... im gonna go inside, we'll see you tomorrow?"

"I'll be here. Goodnight Y/N"

"Goodnight Chris" i said quietly before shutting the door and taking a deep breath to try and control my emotions, i was so sick of crying over fucking Chris Evans! I thought those days were over.

Everything taglist: @jesseswartzwelder @dumblani @barnesandrogersworld @patzammit @rynabarnesrogers-reading @rainbowkisses31

Ocean eyes: @supraveng @michelehansel @katiew1973 @denisemarieangelina @mrsjeffwittek @mery-be @marvelfansworld @cmalass @capstopavenger @fallenoutofrose @kelbabyblue @biebsmylife95 @loser-alert @traceyaudette @w3lissax

Taglist is open, drop me an ask or DM if you’d like to be added 💕

[winterbl0ss0m]

excuse me a moment i need to just “theres nobody better than you, it took me a while till i knew. but you knew from the start it was us, didnt you? it just took me a while till i knew. now i lay as i study a blank wall, would you spare me your voice if i call? cause you waited and watered my heart till it grew, you just grew a little smarter too. so i dont blame you if you want to bury me in your memory, im not the girl i ought to be. but maybe when you tell your friends, you can tell them what you saw in me, and not how i turned out to be. theres some kind of burning inside me, its kept me from falling apart, and im sure youve seen what its done to my heart, but its kept me from falling apart. now here i lay, as i wonder about you, would you just tell me what im meant to do? cause ive waited and watered my heart till it grew, you can see how its blossomed for you. and i dont blame you if you want to bury me in your memory, im not the girl i ought to be, but maybe when you tell your friends, you can tell them what you saw in me, and not the way i am. and i dont mean to make your heart blue, but could we be what we’re meant to be? im just about to beg you please, and then when you tell your friends, you can tell them what you saw in me, and not the way i used to be. cause theres nobody better than you.”

[ladyboltontoyou]

Arthur Morgan x Reader: Farmer’s Daughter

Ask: Ok well I was wondering if you could write an Arthur Morgan x Reader where the reader is the daughter of a rich farm owning family and Arthur rides up to the farm/ranch one day to scope the place out and see if they're easy to rob but somehow ends up with heart eyes for the reader and starts sneaking around to see her. Doesn't have to be smut, but that would be awesome. Thank you!

Warnings: Probably cursing. A bit of an age gap since Arthur is, you know, like 30 something, and the reader is still living with her parents.

Pairing: Arthur Morgan x Reader 

A/N: So this turned out longer than I had originally planned oops. ALso apparently freezers were invented around the 1830′s so don’t come at me for having ice cubes in Arthurs drink ok. I really hope this is what you imagined and it doesn’t seem rushed, even though I spent like 4 hours on it. Hope it’s not too short or too long. OKAY I’M DONE RAMBLING YOU CAN READ NOW.

The last thing you expected to see on a Friday afternoon was a stranger on a white horse riding up your dirt road. You had been reading a book on your upstairs balcony when you saw him, at first just a small white speck a ways away. But when that white speck started making noise you looked up and saw it was a man on a horse, a visitor. You rarely got visitors here that weren’t two men on a wagon full of supplies. 

You set your book down on the table and leaned forward to get a better look as he neared the front of your house. He looked handsome enough, even though you were on the second story balcony and he was on the ground below. From what you could see he was a rugged man about thirty or so, not the kind of men your parents usually dealt with. Your curiosity got the best of you and you walked back inside and downstairs where you saw your father opening the front doors. One of his work friends stood beside him in case things were to go south, his hand sitting comfortably on his pistol as a gentle warning to the stranger that stood on your porch.

“Sorry to bother you folks, I was looking for the Braithwaite manor and it looks like I got myself lost. Do you know whereabouts that is?” His voice sounded so friendly and warm, you would never expect that he was there to see if you would be easy to ransack. You watched the conversation go down from the bottom step of the staircase and tried not to look too obvious. 

Your father was totally oblivious and way too trusting. “No worries friend, these back roads are tricky. Fancy a drink? You look like you’ve been riding all day. Come inside and I’ll have my wife draw you up some directions.”

The man looked hesitant but eventually shrugged. “You’re too kind. I’d really appreciate it.” 

You took the chance to walk into the tea room since you knew they’d come inside any minute, and you didn’t want to look suspicious. Plus, you wanted to be nosey, it wasn’t often attractive strangers came by. You sat down at the table and picked up the book from the table, something you had already read before, and tried your best to look as if you had been doing it for some time already.

“Who’s that man outside?” Your mother had snuck up behind you and scared the daylights out of you when she leaned down to whisper in your ear.

“I don’t know.” You said after you recovered from the scare. “But he sure is good looking.” 

She peaked at the front door and nodded in approval at your taste. “You’re not wrong about that.” Thank god it was your mother and not your grandmother, she would have chided you for hours about being indecent. 

Finally, they came in and the man took off his hat, looking around as his eyes adjusted to the change of light. He looked even better looking close up. His facial hair was trimmed neatly but looked like it had grown in a little, the hair on his head the same. His face was partially spotted from the dust in the air from horse hooves but he didn’t look truly dirty, nothing compared to your farmboys.

 He looked around and seemed impressed with the place, his eyes looking into every room he could see from his spot. When he looked into the room your father began walking into, the tea room, he only spared you a short glance. 

Alright, well, you weren’t used to that. Most men who saw you immediately started complimenting your parents on how gorgeous you were, praising you and never failing to remark some version of ‘You’ll make a wonderful wife/Someone a very happy husband/Beautiful children’. But he didn’t say a thing.

“Darling, would you be so kind as to draw some directions from here to Braithwaite manor? Our friend  here has gotten lost.” Your father asked your mother who smiled and obliged, heading upstairs to get some paper. “Oh! I didn’t even see you there!” He said when he noticed you sitting on the couch. “Could you bring our guest some tea?”

The stranger looked at you and looked like he was about to decline and tell you not to worry yourself but you were already standing up. “Sure thing daddy, need anything else?” You asked sweetly with a smile. 

Your father looked to the man who just shook his head and tried to say ‘I’m fine’ and ‘No thank you’ at the same time. “No, I’m, thank you,” He jumbled over his words and looked visibly embarrassed. “I’m alright.”

You smiled widely, amused by that. He looked away and scratched the back of his head awkwardly. Your father paid no mind and led him to the couch, talking about how harsh the month had been with no rain at all. 

When you got back from the kitchen with a glass of tea he looked up and accepted the glass from you happily, muttering a ‘thanks’ before he almost chugged the entire thing, even chewing on some of the ice. Your mother came down the stairs with a piece of paper in hand and one of your nice fountain pens in the other. 

“You’ll have to excuse my writing, I’m not the best artist.” She joked and sat on the single chair across from the couch. “You should have told our artist here to do it instead, she could draw him the best map he’d ever laid his eyes on.” She joked and you tried not to let them see how bashful she made you. She always bragged about you and anything you did, you could draw something purposefully awful and she would still treat it like a priceless painting.

“Oh it’s alright, I’m sure I’ll manage.” He chuckled, taking more ice into his mouth. 

You sat down on the other side of the couch and watched the man from the corner of your eye. He looked around the house while his jaw moved to chew the ice as if he was taking note of every single window and door. “Say, you folks-”

Your mother sighed in frustration, putting two fingers on her forehead in exasperation. “I’m sorry, I can barely draw a line. Darling, could you please?” She slid the paper across the table and gave you a sweet look.

“I’ll try.” You laughed and leaned down, taking the pen from her.

“What were you saying?” Your father asked from his seat and the man looked confused before he remembered.

“I was just going to ask if you knew of some good people to hire for security. Assuming those men at the end of the road are what I’m thinkin’ they are.”

“Yes, they work for a man named Michael, he hires men that used to be in the war and sells their services to those who can afford it.” Your father said proudly. Arthur just nodded.

“Here’s the house.” You said to the man as you drew a small house next to the scribbles your mother had done. He scooted closer to you carefully and watched as you drew. “And here’s the road. The corn fields are on the right, the tobacco on the left.” You kept talking as you drew and tried to focus on moving the pen instead of how close he was to you. His body heat radiated off of him and grazed your bare arm and neck, you could hear him breathing slowly. He smelt like smoke and day-old cologne mixed with the leather from his coat. 

As you gave him directions he would never need Arthur felt morality tug at his heartstrings. You were such good people, welcoming him into your home and showing such hospitality. He would have to tell Dutch there was no way, there were too many workers and guards, he would make something up. He came expecting a snooty rich family but was caught off guard by good people. You all had the generosity, kindness, and respect of poor folk.

When you finished you slid the map over on the table. “Let it sit for a minute before you touch it, the ink’s still wet.” You warned and put the cap back on the pen. “Especially here.” You laughed softly and pointed at the words of his destination where you had spelled it wrong the first time and scratched it out.

He nodded and muttered an ‘alright’, looking at you from a side glance. Your father talked for a while about the people who lived in the manor, not being shy about his opinion. Arthur couldn’t have agreed more but he kept up his facade and played dumb. 

“It’s dry now.” You said and Arthur looked away from your father. You were looking at the paper so he took the chance to actually look at you, unintentionally admiring you. Normally he was good about keeping his eyes where they belonged. If there was anyone who respected women it was Arthur, but it was hard not to appreciate your beauty. He figured your sweetness was the only reason he stared. It had been a while since he saw a sweet girl who wasn’t trying to pickpocket him or get him to spend a fortune in the saloon. 

“Thank you.” He picked up the paper and admired your work. One of the few things he could really appreciate was art. You drew so effortlessly, the small roads and hills looked like the maps he’d seen the professionals sell. “Well, I reckon I better be on my way, I’ve taken up too much of your time.” 

“Not at all.” Your father stood up and so did the stranger. They shook hands as he thanked your father who shook him off and pat his back a few times. “You sure there’s nothing else we could do for you?”

“You’ve done more than enough.” He promised and looked back to you and your mother, the paper held gently in his hands. “Thank you both for your hospitality. And for the map.” He held up the paper and you smiled, causing him to unknowingly do the same. 

When he started walking out the door with your father you ran upstairs and almost fell off your balcony to watch him ride off. The hot wind hit your face when you reached the banister, just in time to watch him ride off. He put his hat back on and took one last look behind him, not failing to notice the beautiful young girl watching him leave.

***

The frogs and crickets sang while the fireflies lit the black air with soft pulsating gold. You were on your banister half reading a book and half watching the farmboys work in the fields below, their lanterns bobbing gently through the rows of plants, stopping occasionally to pull up weeds or a dead plant. 

It was hard to read. It was stupid to even try. But there was nothing else to do to take your mind off of your thoughts, even though reading wasn’t doing a good job at that. At least it was something.

A dog barking in the distance made you set your book down. It was the dogs they kept up at the end of the road to warn when someone was coming. You waited a minute to see if they would calm down but they didn’t. You heard your father yell downstairs to the men at the end of the road, and they responded with something about deer in the woods. 

You believed it for a moment until you heard rattling from the other side of your balcony. The first thing that came to mind was some kind of greasy gunslinging bastard but before you could start screaming two arms hooked over the side of the ledge, covered by that same damn leather jacket you had been so close to earlier. 

It shouldn’t have made you feel any better considering his original intentions were to rob your family for everything they had. But for some reason you had a feeling he wasn’t a threat to you. That made you incredibly stupid and naive but thankfully, for once, you were right in this situation. 

When he finally pulled himself over he looked surprised to see you standing there watching him. “Now, before you start screaming,” He said as he reached up to grab the lantern that hung above him. “I’m not here to hurt you or anything like that.” He blew out the small flame and the two of you were suddenly surrounded by darkness. 

“Then why are you here?” You asked cautiously. It wasn’t like you didn’t want to see him again, but the last thing you expected was this. If anyone saw him your father's politeness would be out the window as well as Arthur.

He sighed as if he didn’t know why himself. “You been on my mind girl, and I don’t know why. I don’t know why my dumbass thought it would be a good idea to risk not only my ass but yours, just to come back up here and ask for your name.”

You covered your mouth to stifle that bubbled in your throat. “Truly? That’s why?”

Arthur laughed softly, shaking his head when he realized how ridiculous it was. “I suppose so. And I wanted to ask for another one of those hundred-dollar drawings you make.” 

You laughed again and put your fingers on the bottom lip you held between your teeth. “Oh yeah? Was my map that good?”

He grinned and looked down at his boots, kicking them against the floor to kick some pebbles loose from the bottoms. He couldn’t believe how young he felt then, like he was only sixteen again flirting around with the farmer's daughter. The only thing different from that was he was much, much, much older. If the other men in the gang saw him they’d make fun of him till the day he died for sneaking around for a girl. 

“Well, okay, I guess I can make you something.” You smiled while biting your lip. He put on a show of acting grateful, clasping his hands together and placing them in front of his forehead. When you recovered from quiet laughter you went into your room to get some paper and a pencil. You made sure both your doors were locked before you went back onto your dark balcony. You stopped in the open doorway, noticing how little you could see. There was no way you could draw anything out there unless a lantern was lit, but that would be too bright and anyone nearby would be able to see the two of you. “I can’t see out here, maybe we should go in my room.” 

He was reluctant for a minute, considering how fast he’d be able to run and jump out the balcony if need be. “Yeah, sure.” He sighed and walked towards the doors. The spurs on his boots lightly jingled and you could hear fabric moving against fabric as he moved past you into your dimly lit room. “Been a while since I’ve been in a room this nice.” He admitted as he looked around your room. 

“You live in a barn then?” You teased and sat down at the table near the windows. “Oh, I never told you my name. It’s (Y/N).” 

Arthur leaned against the wall near you and crossed his ankles, nodding as he thought over your name. “(Y/N). Never met anyone with that name before.”

You smiled proudly, twirling the pencil in your fingers. “And yours?”

He paused, considering while he looked out the window. “Arthur.” He said finally and looked back to you. 

“Arthur.” You mused before remembering what you were supposed to be doing. “Ah, sorry, what did you say you want me to draw you?”

He snorted and crossed his arms. “I didn’t give that any thought, do anything you’d like.” 

You bit your lip and looked him up and down. “Okay. It might take me a little while though.” He wanted to say ‘good’, but held his tongue and settled for a ‘That’s okay’.

After about an hour of talking, constant talking, you were finally finished. “If I had longer I could have done better, but, here.” You slid the paper across the table to him. After a while, he got tired and had sat down across from you.

He took the paper in his hands and squinted before his eyes widened. “Christ, girl.” He breathed and looked over the lines and shading. “You’re better than me.”

“You draw too?” You asked with sudden interest but he didn’t respond, he was too caught up in the paper in front of him. 

“I can’t believe this. Did you take a picture of me when I wasn’t looking?” He shook his head and scratched his chin as he continued admiring it. 

You blushed and ran a hand through your hair, he made you into a flustered mess with those praises. They were different when they were coming from someone who wasn’t kin. “Thank you.” It was all you could say. You didn’t expect him to like it that much, it was a hurried sketch of him leaning against your wall, but as much as you liked to pretend your art wasn’t that good there was no denying that this was an exceptionally realistic drawing. You were almost sad to see it go.

Arthur shook his head and looked up from the paper, looking at you completely different. Like how your father looked at your mother the first time he saw her shoot a gun. Newfound respect and admiration glinted in those pretty blue eyes of his, all directed to you. He was going to say something else but the sounds of heels coming up the stairway stopped him. 

“(Y/N)! I just found a letter from June, it came yesterday but-” She grabbed your doorknob and tried to open it, only succeeding in causing the door to shake slightly. Arthur looked at you with wide eyes as she called out your name a second time. 

“Go, hurry!” You whispered and he sat up as quickly and quietly as he could, tiptoeing to the open doors. “One second, I’m changing into my nightdress!” You called back to her as you rushed the grown man out of your room.

He paused in the same spot he had climbed up, one hand on the jasmine covered lattice he had used as a ladder. “Could I come see you again?” He asked boldly, the paper in his hand slightly moving from the breeze. 

You laughed in disbelief. “There’s no way I could say no to that. You better.”

Arthur smiled then, the widest and cheesiest smile he had worn in a while. If it wasn’t for the lantern sitting inside your room next to the window he stood near, you wouldn’t have seen it. You wanted to say more, but he swung his legs over the edge and left you to explain to your mother why you spent so long doing something so simple.

[voidselfshipp]

Puppet Show au

《◇》

Leonard's little neighborhood in Sydenham is pretty calm today.

He plays with the keys in his hand, twirling them aroun on his finger, as he exists his home,walking his mind dwells into memories that arent relevant in this exact moment, good moments with his sister, little stupid stories , time spent with Friends and family.

Suddenly an eldery woman stops him, her beautiful face, with traces of the years that went by contorns into a small smile,he knows her,its ms.Pietro from a couple of houses away.

-Hello dear, are you in a rush?-

"Not really"leonard thinks and shakes his head.

-Could you take care of my grandkid, Jerico this thursday?, Im going to the hospital that day for some check ups and to pay some bills, and you know that the Banks are usually filled with lot of people-

-Sure ms.Pietro, do you need anything more?-leo asks, he was always a bit reserved,maybe quiet, but with a heart of gold.

The woman shakes her head.

-Im heading to see your mother, is she around?-

-Im afraid not, but she Will be soon enough , ill see you on thursday ms.pietro -

They exchange goodbyes as the englishman checks the supermaket list his mom left him before heading to work.

His steps are short and slow.

" ms.pietro's grandkid, jerico,...wait arent they the kid thats always on the swing on the local park?...Wait yeah!,they are" jerico was just like him, quiet, softspoken, humble and kind,but Something tells him that under all that kindness there is an iron Will" then it should be easy" he thinks.

Eventually thursday rolls around and now Leonard sits on the couch in ms.pietro's house, he is playing chess with jerico, the kid is Smart and playful,they always have a smug grin on their face.

He also finds them hilarious, they bring him something that he feels rarely.

Peace, and happiness.

Even tho they are temporary, the kid knows how to make people smile.

Wish he had Friends like that.

At around ten pm, miss pietro comes back with the kid's mother, Kina, he says goodbye and heads home,he still has to finish some Papers for the writing contest.

Contest that he couldnt attend because the goverment picked him as a sniper.

He had to go.

But before he enters the car that Will lead him to his New home, jerico arrived, with a plushie in the form of a cute chibi plaguedoctor.

-Mr Leonard!,before you go-jeri says out of breath, did...did they ran to get here?-their name is void!, they helped me trough rough times , And I think its time for them to help you too, if you have any problems just talkto them!, they Will answer-

Leo softly grabs the plushie and his eyes water, thats the cutest thing anybody had done for him, he hugs the kid.

-Stay safe,alright kid?-

-I will-

He nodds and enters the car.

-Farewell Leo!- he hears them say.

《◇》

Its been a couple of years after he left, now Leonard works as a mercenary, he often ponders about that kid, what are they up to?, hows their life going?.

He also still has the plushie they gave him,To this day, he diminished the comment about the plushie being able to talk as just imagination,even tho late at night,after a long day of work and complaining in his room he could hear the faint murmurs of words of reassurance coming from the Shelf where he left void on.

Its a cold winter morning in london, he walks the snowy sidewalk and enters his usual coffee shopp " Beans,bindweed And sunflower seeds", the ambient there is cozy,the strong but gentle smell of coffee makes his grumpy face a bit happier, the corners of his mouth lift up with a slight smile.

He orders and waits, his eyes catch a glance of a woman,black leather jacket,a little plaguedoctor painted ,and around the sleeves various patches and pins,some crows,sunflowers, dragons.

He mindlessly walks to his spot, and bumps into someone, its that same Lady from two second ago,luckily nothing is spilled.

-Oh my god im really sorry-the woman says, fixing her hair with an embarassed look.

-Its okay , dont worry-his tone is relaxed, with a hint of shyness.

But now that hes up close,there is something really familiar about her.

-Im sorry for the out of the blue question but, have we met before?,you look a lot like a kid I babysitted Back in Sydenham...-

The woman tries to solve the puzzle in her head,and then it clicks.

-No way, Leonard is that you?-

-Holy shit, yeah its me, hell, how much youve grown little jerico-

They talk and sit besides the Window.

-Man, youve grown into a beautiful woman-Leo says.

-Well, not quite woman,see I uh, im genderfluid, long story short I change my pronouns every now and the,its him today tho..-

Leonard quickly recomposes.

-Youve grown into a handsome Man -

Jerico smiles and his eyes spark.

They talk and chatter most of the morning, until the englishman is called to work.

-Tomorrow, same spot, six am then?-jeri asks.

-Yeah sure, ill also bring the little doll you gave me when I left-

-Holy shit, you still got that?-

-I wouldnt throw it away for nothing in the world-

Jerico Coos.

-Thats really cute-he says.

-they are well kept,washed and it still smells like vanilla-

-Thats adorable Leo, thanks for taking care of void that way-

-No need-Leo checks the time...fuck hes going to be late.

Jerico senses the distress and quickly grabs his motorcycle helmet .

-Need a ride?-

-Fuck yes, im going to be bloody late!-

Both speed to the little bridge that separates mercserv from the rest of london.

-here take my cellphone and call me if anything comes up, okay?- Leo says quickly scribbling his number in a spare pice of paper-Thanks for the ride-

-Dont mention it, now go-

Leonard nodds and runs trough the bridge.

Jeri turns the motorcycle around and drives yo his home.

《◇》

Jerico's face hit the pillow, its been a long and wonderful day, he looks over to the ceiling and grabs his phone.

《》

Leo☕

-Hey, wanna come over to my place and stay for dinner?

《》

It takes less than five minutes for Leo to answer.

' sure,im on my way'

Jeri quickly tidys up the place and just when he is done , Leonard rings the doorbell.

-Good evening jeri-he says entering the house with something behind his back.

-Hey Leo..., what do you have there?..-

-Oh nothing-the englishman says-just a little something very important to me- he shows him the little plushie.

-oh god , you actually brought it!,god I havent seen void in ages!-The other Man grabs the plaguedoctor plush and smiles,he hugs Leonard and smiles-Thank you Leo!-

-dont mention it-

They order food and set the table.

Suddenly a song comes in.

I met this girl and she drove me wild.

She looked at me and I looked and smile.

The cutest girl you could ever see.

I never thought she'd go out with me.

-Im in love! I just cant wait because tooonight I have a daate!-leonard chimes in and starts to sing.

Jerico smiles and looks at him ,he does have a good voice, and he is in synch with the song too,he swears he can see void dancing besides the fruit basket.

Both of them start to goof around and suddenly Leo has his back against the counter, jeri hovers above him and they are really close, the woman's hands are on either side of the counter, trapping the englishman's torso around them.

I never dream it would come to this.

She leans over and the Man closes the gap between them.

I drove her home and she gave me a kiss.

Im in love and its safe to say, she really wants to see me again.

They eventually pull apart and smile, the womans head snuggles into Leo's chest, he hugs her and chuckles.

The old feelings are coming back.

Peace and happiness.

Im in love,I just cant wait, because tonight I have a date.

I have a date!

Im in love, I just cant wait,becuase tonight I have a date.

The song finishes and the doorbell rings.

-Perfect timing!-

They kiss one more time and jerico goes and pays for the food.

Late at night both lay on the bed , the woman is atop of him,face resting on his chest.

-Im so in love with you -Leo mutters, half asleep.

-Me too...-jerico mumbles as they exchange one last loving look before falling asleep.

In between their hands, its the little plushie, who squeals when they see them cuddling.

'Mission accomplished!' Void thinks.

《◇》

-The end.

[notquitejiraiya]

Chess [17] - {ShikaTema AU}

Despite all odds, and thinking I wouldn’t have got inspired to do it, here is Chapter17; brought to you on New Years Day as I planned :)

I dedicate this (which I never do) to the badass people who I’ve only spoken to a little bit, but have been so damn kind about my work and are just great people.

Enjoy :)

[Read / Comment on AO3 Here]

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Nothing could quite compare to how Temari felt in this exact moment, nor could she relate any experience in her life to the underlying fear that had resonated since Saturday night; that ever-present pang of hurt that clung to her chest and send shivers down her spine.

Gaara, as expected, had been as helpful as he could be. When she got home, after the false smiles and tired eyes played well in front of Kankuro, she made a beeline for his room, and found him sat in bed, reading as he waited. There he had sat, looking at her with a gaze that was equal parts exhausted and excited, but it took only one proper look at her for his arms to open up. And, obviously, she ran to him.

All she’d done was explained. The evening had been pleasant, despite the fact that he was late, and very much despite the fact that he wasn’t willing to give her up as a therapist. She was not going to be any use to him anymore—she must’ve told Gaara that a hundred times over, but nothing seemed to make him speak. As always, her little brother sat and listened intently, holding her close until she eventually calmed down and fell asleep in his arms. When she’d woken up he was on the floor with a blanket and a pillow, his red hair spread messy, and she couldn’t help smiling. He was definitely her big brother at heart.

Both Sunday and Monday had been days of false smiles and hiding, reading every file but his in an attempt to recollect her thoughts and not be useless, but every road felt like it lead back to him. Every phrase that fell from a patient’s mouth felt inferior, and, while on the Monday she had her first patient who was ready to stop coming to see her, she felt no fulfilment.

She thought knowing him had been making her happy, but now she felt almost nothing at all.

But that whole time had been leading up to this moment. For two days she’d been waiting to hear that door click, torturing herself by reading his file over today’s lunchtime, and trying her absolute best to keep up with everything people said to her. Without a doubt, though, she had never felt more on edge in her life, and she stared at the doorknob, just waiting for it to turn.

As the metal glinted as it moved, Temari wanted nothing more than to hide away behind her desk or disappear away, never to return. Instead she braced herself, took a deep breath, and desperately searched for a positive in the situation.

Three-fifty-four, she noted the time. He’s early for once.

“Hi,” she mumbled, forcing a smile.

“Hi. Sorry.”

“Come sit down,” she instructed, adjusting her position on her chair. “Are you, um, doing alright today?”

All Shikamaru could do in response was nod, rubbing his neck nervously as he stepped closer. “Well, this is awkward.”

“It’s not!” she lied. “So have you had any problems since Friday?”

It was his turn to lie, shaking his head.

“Really? None?”

And again. “No.”

“How’re your family?”

Suddenly there was a smile on his face, and she could feel herself getting riled up; confused by it’s appearance. “You’ve got no idea how to talk to me now, have you?”

Temari gulped, her palms sweating. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“This is horrible,” he chuckled, shaking his head. “It feels like we’ve never even met before.”

“That’s what I was going for. You were the one who said forget about everything, Shikamaru. I’m forgetting it.”

“I didn’t mean forget how to be a normal human being.” Shikamaru sighed, sitting back into the sofa and biting his lip as his eyes looked everywhere but at hers. “I meant go back to before what happened—I meant be yourself, Tem.”

“Temari,” she argued, correcting him. “And that’s difficult, given that I knew this would happen and yet you just had to come back.”

“Tem—”

“And now I can’t help you.”

The spark that was fighting to stay alive in his eyes suddenly went out, and his arms folded across his chest, sloppy like a ragdoll. His gaze flew towards the window, and like a statue he was at once immovable.

Temari felt a lump in he throat. “Shall I grab the board?”

He didn’t move.

“Okay then, shall I just go fuck myself?”

She thought she saw that slight smile wriggle its way back onto his lips, but when she blinked it was gone. “Why don’t you just ask me about Asuma?” he mumbled. “You were on a fucking roll on Friday until I stopped you.”

“Your teacher?” She frowned. “Is there more for you to say about him? You already covered a lot of it then.”

He laughed, humourlessly. “Forget it then, jeez.” She could see his eyeballs flickering side to side, lulling closer to closing as he watched the clouds. “It’s as if you’ve forgotten your job.”

The recurring desire to punch him was crawling back to her, stronger than it ever had. “My job, Shikamaru is to help you understand yourself, and to make you feel better. And, to be really honest with you, right now I have no idea how to do that whatsoever.”

“Brilliant.”

“Will you just shut up?” she shouted, burying her face in her palms.

Shikamaru could see just from the whiting of her knuckles out of the corner of his eyes how uncomfortable she was, and the sharpness of her voice wasn’t something he was used to. Why had he at any point thought that this was going to be different from this? Did any sane part of him really think that she wouldn’t be mad at him in some way, shape or form? Of course he didn’t, so why was he so surprised that she was upset, infuriated. She almost looked broken, and the same insane part of him that was so riddled with hopeful denial wanted nothing more than to mend her somehow.

But, then again, she was Temari—from what she’d told him she was the strongest person she knew. Surely some stupid skinny asshole hadn’t shattered that person to a nervous wreck. She wasn’t like him; or, at the very least, he didn’t want to think that she felt at all like he did right now.

“Temari, I’m sorry, I—”

“I don’t want you to apologise to me. I don’t want you to even mention it.” Her eyes, bloodshot and angry stood in agreement, but Shikamaru couldn’t help thinking they didn’t give the whole picture.

He leant forward in his seat, hands locked together between his knees. His gaze turned solely on her, desperately trying not to waver and determined to not look away again. “I’m sorry I came back.”

“I just cannot believe I called you selfless, Shikamaru. You’ve come back here purely for yourself, like you don’t realise how genuinely hard this is for me to continue with!”

“We went on one date…”

“Which was one too many, Shikamaru! I—” She stopped herself abruptly, lowering her voice to a whisper. “I almost fucking kissed you!”

He gulped, eyes falling to the floor.

“I’m sorry. Did you actually want to talk about Asuma?”

“If you want me to. If it helps me get better then sure,” he mumbled, nodding.

“That’s so important to you, isn’t it? Getting better.” Her voice was almost bitter, but she masked it well with her soft smile. “That overrides everything.”

Shikamaru’s shoulders drooped. “I mean, obviously it’s important to me, but I wouldn’t say it ‘overrides everything’.”

“So, if you were to have the chance to do something that would make you genuinely happy but it would stop you getting better, you’d do it?”

He raised his head again, shaking his head with the most surprising smile yet. “I know exactly what you’re saying. My IQ is through the roof remember.”

“I never said anything about—”

“But I know that’s you’re saying. I know what can make me better, and I will do it. When I’m better I can do the things I want to do…”

It was Temari’s turn to feel her stomach fill with guilt. Despite the anger that rushed through her body, and the insane temperature at which her blood was boiling, for reasons she couldn’t quite pin down, she suddenly felt herself go cold at the sight of his smile. Not calm—no she was definitely still infuriated with him—but genuinely chilled. So many times she had looked at him and seen nothing but his usual melancholic veil of false calm, having no idea what was really happening under than dark hair and what was really inside his heart. Never had she known exactly what he was going to say; she just wasn’t able to pin him down like that.

Until now, because, strangely, he could feel it herself. So many things at once, rushing around; always taking blame and never placing it for so many unforgotten mistakes and could-have been moments, trapped in a loop of hostility towards himself that made his fingers tap anxiously…she could see it all. And, despite all her instincts as a therapist, she couldn’t bear to watch anymore.

“Most of them, anyway,” he added finally, one corner of his mouth raising, as if to convince her he was okay, really.

It didn’t work.

“I’m sorry. I never should’ve agreed to go out with you.”

Shikamaru shook his head, a deep frown carved into his expression. “Stop it. You have nothing to apologise for.”

“But, I—”

“You’re only trying to help me,” he acknowledged. “It’s my fault that I’m back here, and it’s my fault that I’ve painted myself with an extra layer of pain every hour since Saturday, and I’ve kept adding to it; checking my phone, almost calling you, almost calling here yesterday. I know its entirely my own fault, and yet I can’t shake it off.” He let out a huge sigh, squeezing his eyes shut as his head shook, trying to displace his thoughts. “I just can’t fix it.”

As she watched him haul himself to his feet, zipping up his hoodie blind, Temari felt her boots violently hit the ground and soon she, too, was on her feet, making a beeline for him. When she’s turned the corner of her desk, her hips swaying rapidly as she sped walked, she reached out to grab his arm, but his eyes flew open, and he stepped back, crossing them across his chest.

“Don’t.”

“Shikamaru—”

“Don’t, it’s fine,” he whispered, trying to stop himself listening to his own words. “I won’t come back.”

Temari was too frozen by far too many emotions to move a muscle, and so she watched hopelessly as the young man paced towards the door—faster than she’d ever seen him walk—lingering with his fingers on the door handle. She thought, maybe, that he’d look up. Or maybe he’d turn and give her one final smile—one last hurrah.

Silently he nodded once, and twisted the knob, leaving as silently as he’d entered. It took seconds for Temari to collapse on the sofa he’d just been sat on, perturbed by the warmth of spot he’d just been in, and pull her phone from her pocket. Quickly, swallowing all of her emotions and whatever pride she had left, she dialled her most called number and listened to the beeps of it ringing, and ringing, and ringing…

“Gaara,” she said to the answerphone, not caring whether he listened now or in three hours, just desperate to speak to someone or something. “Please say you’re going to the pub quiz tonight with trenchcoat-guy. I really want to come—hell I’ll even pay for your drinks, just let me come. Please!” She was aware how painful her begging was, so after a long, deep breath, she uttered the real truth, “I just really need a bloody drink.”

Outside, at the bus stop in the pouring rain, a young man put his phone to his ear and uttered very similar words. “Choji,” he sighed down the phone, “please tell me you can meet me tonight?”

“Man, I’ll be at work from six onwards, but Ino’s probably free if—”

“I’ll come. I need you, man.” He did, and his friend’s vague company would be better than loneliness tonight. He couldn’t do it tonight.

~~~

Temari knew that every other Tuesday her youngest brother would come to the pub, drink with his friends, and play some quiz she’d never considered taking part in. What she didn’t know was that said brother was really, really good at it. And, while that inevitably made her feel a bit stupid and a little more downtrodden given the day she’d already had, it definitely had it perks. Perks which consisted of a lot of free drinks for winning each round.

The clock had barely struck ten and she was convinced at this point that she’d drunk a bucket’s worth of cocktails. Never had she considered herself a cocktail person—she had always been a ‘beer-out-of-the-can’ kind of girl, with the odd gin-and-tonic of someone else could be bothered to make her one. So, unsurprisingly, the pitchers of cocktails their quiz team had one, and she had drunk, had gone straight to her head.

Temari could hold her alcohol with the big guns—she could out-drink Kankuro any day—but this was dangerous. These drinks tasted like fruit juice, and they just kept on coming. She was smart, and underneath the fuzziness and slurring, she was perfectly aware that this was not going well.

And, for once, she didn’t give a shit.

Shikamaru, on the other hand, did.

He’d spotted her the second she walked in, hiding expertly underneath his scarf so she didn’t notice him, and ever since he had been sat, hidden behind a pillar, hoping that she’d never leave her seat—never see him. She had as much right to be here as him, and yet he knew if she saw him she would get up and leave. Or, at least, she would’ve.

He hadn’t join in with the quiz, although Choji had violently urged him that he should, telling him he could get crisps or juice instead of the drinks they gave to winners if he just asked.

“Look,” he said as Shikamaru peered over at the blonde drinking some fantasy-coloured drink through a draw, “you can join in anytime. You’ll ace it if you do!”

“Choji,” he argued, “I didn’t come to play a game and eat crisps. I came to be with my mate and not be alone. If I’m going to feel sad anywhere, I may as well feel sad in a room full of noisy strangers.”

His friend had to stop himself reaching across the bar to hug him. “I’m sorry I have to work, man.”

“It’s fine. Just get me a drink.”

“Orange juice again?”

“No.” Shikamaru shook his head, biting on his lip. “Give me whiskey. Double.”

Choji’s eyes widened, and his forehead creased into a worried frown. “Man, I really don’t think you want to—”

“Choji…”

“The most you’ve drunk since you were eighteen is half a pint of weak-ass beer,” he winced, “and we all know you don’t enjoy drinking.”

Shikamaru fished out a five pound note and held it out to him. “God, you’re a pain. Keep the change, now come on.”

“Shikamaru, you don’t want this. You’ll hate me tomorrow.”

“I said double, Choji.”

The blank stare he sent his friend’s way was enough to make Choji feel as if he’d lost a war, and he could feel the pit of his stomach growing emptier as he looked into the bleak abyss of Shikamaru’s eyes. He was going to ask what had happened but now, as he unwillingly lifted the transparent bottle and measured the liquor as required, he didn’t have the nerve. Something about the lifeless urgency in the voice of his best friend made him feel broken, and after he thought it was all getting better, too.

He snatched the money and put the glass before Shikamaru. “If it weren’t for the fact that my manager is really specific with the ‘refusal of service’ rule, you would not be getting this. You’re an idiot.”

“Love you, too,” sighed Shikamaru, swirling the glass around.

“I thought you wanted to get better Shikamaru,” growled Choji, shaking his head, “but then you do this and just let yourself regress. I swear to God if it’s that girl—”

“It’s not her.” He knocked back the drink, squeezing his eyes shut. “Man, I forgot how shit that tastes.”

Choji only had to take one look at his blank slate of a face to know what was happening. “You’re going to bloody order another one, aren’t you?”

“And I thought you quit your day job as a psychic.”

The sarcasm didn’t even begin to amuse Choji, who shook his head and failed to find words. Only after he’d been called to help someone, minutes of staring at his expectant looking friend later, that he managed to speak. “Fine. But I’m not playing any part in it; ask someone else.”

Shikamaru frowned. “Choji, come on.”

“No,” his friend called back as he walked to the other end of the bar. “I can’t do it.”

After only a couple of minutes of longingly waiting for Choji to come back and throw in the towel, Shikamaru could feel himself falling into that familiar feeling of glee. Unfortunately, he knew it wasn’t real—sadly for his wallet one double wasn’t enough to fool him into genuinely feeling happy—hence the need for another. It had been so long since he’d allowed himself to do this. On occasions he’d always have one half and it would last him the whole night, and it would make him feel like he fitted in.

But this was no occasion; this was a desperate avoidance tactic, and he knew it. She was over there—the one person he simultaneously wanted to stare at the whole night and never wanted to see again—and he was painfully aware of it. He didn’t want to be aware of it.

He’d been to enough sessions with enough asshole therapists to know what he was doing, and he didn’t care—he didn’t care at all. There she’d been, suggesting to him that he was really only devoted to getting better, not feeling happy, and now he just wanted to scream, “Look at me!” until she took it back; until she took him back and rewired him as promise, fixed him as promised…

Of course, he didn’t do that. He couldn’t be bothered to do that. Instead he waved down the smiley brunette girl behind the bar and got himself the same again, and necked it instantly, forcing a smile at her afterwards when ordering another.

But the longer he sat there, the smaller he felt. It was like when he first did this, years ago, and it wasn’t washing over him the way he expected, the way he craved. Suddenly the bar stool he perched on felt to high, and his neck felt too cold, so he threw on his coat and hopped down, drinking that last whiskey and rubbing his eyes. He couldn’t leave without saying goodbye to Choji, and he couldn’t go home or else his mother would yell at him for drinking after so long of holding back.

Choji was right, no matter how much he’d deny it out loud. This was all because of her, that troublesome woman. Through nobody’s fault but his own he’d built her up as this fantasy saviour; the beautiful woman who cared about him no matter what, in a way he’d never even imagined before. And as much as he’d laugh off the ridicule from his friends about his many lonesome years, he really had never thought of anyone like that. Before this—this bizarre, impossible to pin feeling—he’d never wanted to spend time with someone just for the sake of it, and he’d never wanted to listen to someone talk about nothing like he did her.

“This is it, isn’t it?” he mumbled, so quiet he could barely hear himself. “She’s got me.”

He couldn’t leave, but he could hide from her until she left, and from Choji until the whiskey ran it’s course. And where could he hide in this pub that she was guaranteed not to go? Well, there was only one place that came to mind.

However, in his slightly drunken state as he shuffled towards his destination, the first thing Shikamaru had managed to forget that Temari still had eyes, no matter how blurry their vision was, and obviously she spotted him immediately. Stumbling to her feet, she told Gaara she was just nipping to the bathroom, and took her bag with her, slung haphazardly across her shoulder.

The second thing he forgot was that she definitely had the nerve to follow him into the men’s bathroom, and that he definitely wasn’t safe from her in there.

So, when she edged open the bathroom door, as subtly as a drunk woman can, and found him smoking next to a half opened window, she fumbled for the latch at the top of the door, locking it quickly. “You don’t drink my ass.”

Numbed, Shikamaru turned slowly, frowning in surprised. “T-Temari? What’re you—”

“You didn’t actually want to go out with me, did you?” She slurred her words into what almost sounded like three long words, and immediately Shikamaru realised he wasn’t nearly as drunk as thought he was; or as he wanted to be.

“What are you talking about?” he sighed, exasperated.

“That’s why you didn’t make any effort to impress me. You didn’t want to did you?”

Shikamaru couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness, tapping his cigarette out of the window and letting the ash fly into the wind. “Of course I wanted to,” he insisted. “I’m just useless, Tem.”

She blinked expectantly at him, shaking her head constantly. “Bullshit.”

“Temari…”

“Temari, what?” she laughed, clearly unamused as she waved her arms about dramatically. “Temari, I’m sorry I’m a miserable git. Temari, I’m sorry I lied to you. Temari, I’m sorry I made you fancy me.”

He rubbed his eyes with one hand and took a drag with the other, strategically blowing the smoke through the window. Nothing was coming to mind to respond to her—nobody had ever silenced him in the way she did, cornered him like she did, terrified him like she did.

And he almost craved it.

Trying his best to smile, he squished the butt of his cigarette on the windowsill and left it there, turning to look at her. She looked all the more beautiful tonight, but something deep within the dark depths of the subconscious he loathed so much was telling him that was due to the alcohol in both their systems, and the rosy cheeks hers had graced her with.

With all her could muster, Shikamaru leant against the wall next to the window, hands in the pocket of his coat, before he finally opened his mouth to tell the brutal truth, “Temari, I’m sorry I couldn’t bare the idea of not seeing you again.”

Yeah, right, he mused inside his mind. As if she’s going to remember that tomorrow.

Suddenly, unexpected to him, Temari dropped her bag and advanced on him, walking in jagged lines—intense zig-zags—and he could feel his knees begin the shake. “What the hell are you doing, Tem?”

“You didn’t get it, did you?” she asked, pulling one hand from his pocket and placing it on her waist.

Gulping, Shikamaru tried his best to remove it and stay calm, but every time he almost escaped her loosening grip she grabbed his hand tighter. In the end he just kept it there, and stared into her gorgeous teal eyes with the most passive desperation. “What?”

She wrapped her arms around his neck, her lips centimetres away from his. “Why I asked you to stop seeing me as a patient.”

When she bit her lip, despite all his attempts, Shikamaru felt his knees quiver more and more. “I, um,” he mumbled, voice managing to remain steady despite his body’s weakness. “I think I need to go find your brother, and—”

“No, please don’t,” begged Temari, her nose brushing against his so delicately.

There was no denying that he wanted to hold her, and he wanted to kiss her, just as she was clearly attempting. He couldn’t lie to himself and say he hadn’t had a sleepless night wondering what the hell would’ve happened if the other night this had happened instead of their sad reality. But he didn’t want it like this.

He could only just smell the floral notes of her perfume, over the alcohol that plagued the air, and while she smelt of sweet tropical juice rather than anything evenly mildly bad, he couldn’t change the truth: they were drunk, and he didn’t want it to happen this way.

“Temari,” he whispered. “Tem, are you paying attention?”

She hummed softly, her forehead flush against his now.

“We can’t do this, love.”

A soft moan fell from her lips, and the hairs on the back his neck stood on end. “Why not?” she whined.

“Because we’ll regret it,” he sighed, himself a little upset by the fact.

“I-I won’t,” insisted Temari, stubborn as ever.

“You will,” Shikamaru corrected, smiling slightly as he pushed her away. “Can I borrow your phone?”

She frowned and held onto his shoulders for support as she stumbled backwards. “Why?”

“I just want to let your brother know you’re okay.”

It took a long time of him standing with his hand out expectantly, but eventually Temari caved with a smirk and handed him her phone. While she wasn’t quite sure why she couldn’t have just done that, she didn’t question him. Probably because in that exact moment, she wasn’t quite sure about anything.

“There,” he mumbled, biting his lip as he handed it back. “I told him you’re getting some air and will probably make your own way home.”

“He won’t be fine with that.”

Buzz.

She looked down at her phone and the text message that appeared on the screen.

Gaara: Fine. See you later :)

“Okay, maybe he will,” groaned Temari, “but where the hell are we going?”

Shikamaru shrugged, hands in pockets as he watched, amused, as she tried to slot her phone into her bag. “I can take you home?”

“And risk Kankuro punching you?” she cackled laughing.

“Then that’s a no.”

“Take me home with you.”

He almost choked on his own spit. “What?”

“Please,” she whined. “Take me home with you.”

“No!”

“Why?”

“Because you’ll wake up in the night and punch me.” He could hear himself, and the melodrama he was spouting, but he still didn’t sound worried, as such.

“Then where?”

Shikamaru bit down on his lip and accepted the arm she slung around his shoulders. “I have an idea.”

~~~

“No.”

“But Choji,” he pleaded, this time taking the role of the whining one, “neither of us can go home.”

Choji shook his head. “I’m not giving you whiskey and letting you bang your therapist in the same night. I already feel like a shit friend as it is.”

“I’ve sabotaged myself here, man,” insisted Shikamaru. “And I promise we won’t do that. I just want to make sure she has somewhere to sleep, man.”

“She has a house!”

“Where she’ll talk about me and then everyone will feel even more shit than already.” He raised his eyebrows. “Man, I didn’t ask for her to follow me into the bathroom.”

Surprised, Choji’s mouth fell open. “She didn’t?”

“Yeah, she’s smashed.”

“She needs to go home.”

Shikamaru nodded, sighing.

“You’re still drunk, aren’t you?”

“Only with the words, man. Brain is doing fine.”

Choji raised his eyebrows and smiled at his friend, pulling him in for a hug, which Shikamaru begrudgingly accepted. “If you hug me back you can have the keys to my flat?”

The thinner man hugged tighter than he ever had.

“They’re in my coat out back. Use that door.”

Shikamaru smirked. He had a true friend in this guy, and he found out as much more every single day.

~~~

Temari sighed, throwing her spoon into the plastic bowl Shikamaru had given her and fell back into the couch. “I can’t believe we’re literally above a fish and chip shop and you didn’t let me buy any.”

“You shouted at the guy that you would ‘kiss in return for fish’.”

“Damn right I did,” she laughed.

Shikamaru chuckled. “And I thought I was the asshole.”

“You definitely are.”

“Tem, I just cooked you pasta at, like, twelve-a.m.”

“You’re right,” nodded Temari. “You’re a saint.”

He looked over at her and smiled, almost sadly. Choji’s flat was very small, a room with a bed and a wardrobe, and another with a small kitchen and a couch, but Temari had made herself right at home. He couldn’t help but admire how she did that. Not taking into account the fact that she was drunk out of her mind, he also couldn’t believed the way she was slowly sinking towards him, arms wrapping around him.

“You’re wonderful, Maru.”

His eyebrows raised. “Maru. New one.”

Temari looked up, hurt. “You don’t like it.”

“I don’t care,” he mumbled. “You go ahead.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, tracing patterns on his chest through his shirt. “You’re really wonderful.”

“You said.” If you couldn’t see inside his head, you’d have thought he was fed up of hearing that brilliant sentence. “You should go to sleep, Tem,” he added, changing the subject.

“I was stupid to make you feel so small. I made you feel like shit, didn’t I?”

“You didn’t,” he lied, letting her position his arms to hold her. “Just get some rest.”

“You’re wonderful, you know?”

Shikamaru smiled, the most real and fulfilling smile he’d had in a long time. “So are you, Tem. So are you…”

[dragonwitch77]

Death’s Flower

High up in the sky, higher than any cloud could reach, higher than any mountain peak, higher still to the stars is the realm of gods. A land filled with prosper, with rare creatures that frolic in enchanted woods, with rivers that run with crystal waters, and stone buildings fit for kings of kings. Here gods are kings that dine on the freshest and sweetest fruits, living in laps of luxury and comfort.

On the highest mountain in the realm, in the largest building filled to the speck with knowledge lives the ruler of the gods. Zaman, the God of Time. With his power of time, Zaman was in charge to make sure that everything ran its natural course. Filled with infinite wisdom and knowledge, he was the most respected and well-loved amongst the gods.

Zaman’s daughter, Lyvia, was the Goddess of Beauty. Her beauty was unmatched and could never be replicated. She gifted young women with beauty and gifts of song. Many gods and mortal men wished to be with her, but Zaman, fearing his daughter’s arrogance for attention, kept his daughter away from prying hands by keeping her in the garden.

Lyvia didn’t mind as she could watch the mortals down below with the garden’s lakes. Every day she watched as the mortals struggled day in and day out, working and fighting against one another and finding it amusing when one should proclaim their love for her. But as the days went by, Lyvia started to feel an emptiness inside of her.

Day in and day out, she watched as mortal woman found love, baring children into the world. It left her envious for she had a soft spot for young innocents. She longed to hold a small child close to her chest, to sing sweet lullabies to calm their cries, to enjoy the simple outlook a child had on the world and teach a young mind the world around them.

But Zaman since refused to let her out of the garden or to let any man into his home, she could never have a child of her own with a man or god.

However, Lyvia was not without her cleverness.

If she could not have a child with another man or god, then she would have a child that she made herself. For long nights, Lyvia searched through her father’s ancient knowledge, looking over notes and studies for any hope to make a child. She asked her father, begging him if he had any idea how to make this child without a man.

Zaman, while not pleased of his daughter’s idea, could not provide her with any answers to her task. For how could child be born without both a woman and a man?

This did not stop Lyvia from trying to find an answer. Years went by, fruitless night searching her father’s study proved to be a useless chase. So, she called for the oldest god for help. Veleda, the eldest Goddess of Fates. Hoping Veleda had what she seeked, the younger god told Veleda of her woes and her desire.

Pitying the young goddess, Veleda whispered into her ear of what she deeply desired.

Joy leapt into Lyvia’s heart, and the goddess was filled with happiness. She thanked Veleda, setting off at once to fill out her heart’s desire.

With her new knowledge, she quickly set to work making her child. She told her father of her plan, begging him to gather what was needed to make her child. Hesitant, Zaman carried out his daughter’s wishes, for he wished his daughter only happiness.

Gathering all that she needed, Lyvia set to work making her child. But it was not a task that could be accomplished in a single night.

Despite following Veleda’s every word and task needed, Lyvia could not make a child. Her attempts would end with failure with disappointment and sadness filling the goddess’s heart. Still, she persisted, determined to have her child, no matter how long it took or how many times she failed.

Night after night she tried to make her child, and night after night she failed. With each failure, Lyvia wept with sadness, not understanding how she could not make a child. She deeply believed in Veleda’s shared knowledge, refusing to stop till she had her child in her arms.

Many long nights went by, until the ninth month one night, when Lyvia’s stubbornness finally paid off when a child’s first breath cried into the night sky. Her many trails and errors had finally rewarded her with the child she longed for.

Her very own baby girl.

)*(

Once word had gotten out that Lyvia had brought the new little god into the world, many flooded the hill hoping to see this newborn. Zaman still kept many of the men away from his home, but allowed some gods to enter, bearing gifts for his grandchild.

“Oh man goodness! Look at her! She’s absolutely prefect Lyvia! Look at her little fingers~! And her pudgy face! That’s a face of a troublemaker, I can tell.”

Caitlin, the Goddess of Felines and Large Beasts, cooed at the new little god wrapped in fine silk blankets in Lyvia’s arms. She was short in height with a big build in her body, though she claimed that she wasn’t round and just pudgy on all sides. Her skin was dark with patches of white on her skin here and there, dressed in animal skins that made her look more feline if her tail and ears and cat like face weren’t enough.

“Oi! You said that exact same thin’ ‘bout me own kids! N’ they all turned out fine!” Someone shouted from across the room.

It was the well-known God of War, Coriander. He was an odd ball god, not only for his short stature and even shorter temper, but for always wearing his armor and never taking it off, even when there was no war going on. No god or mortal has ever seen his face due to his large helmet and bright golden orange hair covering his eyes.

“Are you still wearing that dusty thing?! For the Sisters sake, take it off! That thing is covered in blood and who knows what else!” Caitlin chastise, her tail swishing to and fro. “In fact, don’t come any nearer than you are! I don’t want you making the baby sick!”

“But Ah want tae look at the lil’ one!”

“Darling, your own wife wouldn’t let you hold your kids in that thing.”

The hairs on Coriander’s neck stood on end, bristling with anger as he quickly turned on his heels and hissed. “Shut yer peck neck mouth Grunde!”

Grunde, the God of Music, simply smiled easily as he smoothly stepped around the smaller god. Grunde was a more easy going god than the rest, favoring as what he call, a time before it reaches its popular. He dressing was questionable as his clothing covered most of his body in a red scarlet that had stone sewn in, making him sparkle in the light. Not to mention how he had asked the builders for his sandals to have very questionable extensions, making him just as tall as the rest of the gods around him. While his dressing was questionable, it was his hair that caught most attention. Every dark hair on top of his head was somehow pulled up into a large bouncing ball of puffy hair.

No one was sure how the god had managed such a task, or how he could do such absurd thing and somehow managing to make it look fitting on him. Maybe it was his bazaar nature. Maybe it was just how he was. Or maybe, just maybe, he did it all just to annoy Coriander.

It was well known that the two had a long lasting rivalry. No one knows or remembers how their rivalry began, but it was clear that the two would never truly get along with each other.

“My my! So this is the new little god I’ve heard about!” Grunde made his way over, taking in the sight of the newborn. “Magnificent! She is truly stunning! Almost like her mother!”

Lyvia blushed, hugging her daughter close. “She has father’s blue eyes and my fair skin. I’m hoping that when she gets older, she’ll have my singing talent and father’s wisdom.”

“A grand thing to hope for darling!” Grunde cheered. “It will be a grand day to hear two lovely ladies singing together!”

“Jus’ as long as ya don’t spread yer gaudy taste in fashion to the child!” Coriander shouted. “We suffer ‘nough with you lookin’ like a walkin’ tomato!”

Grunde’s face turned red with anger, spinning around and storming up to Coriander where the two started shouting insults at each other that were so loud, gods could hear it from four corridors away.

The baby in Lyvia’s arm started to squirm as the shouting from the two gods disturbed her nap. Her face scrunched in discomfort and as the shouting continued, getting louder and louder with each insult, she started to cry.

“Now look what you to idiots have done!” Caitlin growled, her eyes turning sharp with anger. “You went and disturbed the baby!” With an angry growl, she stormed over to the two, grabbing each of them by the neck and dragged them out of the room. “If neither of you can behave, then you shouldn’t bother showing up!”

Lyvia could only watch as the two gods were dragged out of the room with loud protests before her attention went back to her crying child. “Shh, it’s okay young one. Mother is here. I’m here. I’m here.” She whispered soft words to her child, rocking herself back and forth till the child’s cries settled into whimpers and then lulled to slumber.

“I’m impressed.” A deep old voice startled the young god, but relaxed at the sight of her father standing in the doorway. “You hadn’t had her for more than one night and already seem like a natural at this.”

“Father. I didn’t see you there. Have you’ve come to lecture me again?”

Zaman chuckled, rubbing his short white beard. “No, no. I just wanted to see my daughter and her child.”

“Then come say hello. She is your granddaughter.” Lyvia smiled, beckoning her father forward and showing her child with love. “Isn’t she wonderful? One day, she’ll be big and strong and ruling over the mortals like a real god. And she will be well known to all.”

“Don’t make hasty predictions just yet my child. Let her be a child for now and a powerful being later.” Zaman lightly touched his grandchild’s cheek. “I want to enjoy having a grandkid around for a long time.”

Lyvia giggled, kissing her child’s head.

The happy moment did not last however, as the room suddenly felt cold and dead. Lyvia’s eyes were suddenly wide with fear and her skin turned a pale color. Zaman’s three eyes narrowed, turning towards the doorway where cries of shock and horror were emanating.

“So our final guest has arrived.” Zaman spoke slowly, his cape fluttering as he stepped out of the room and made his way to the main room where it was filled with gods and goddesses. They all were pressed against the walls, fear etched onto their faces as whispers filled the room with eyes trained on the one lone being that stood in the center.

The being was tall, taller than any god in the room. Even taller than Grunde without any silly sandal extensions. The being was covered by a dark cloak that concealed their identity, standing tall and straight that demanded respected with their hood covered head held high and their golden eyes void of any emotion other than disdain and irritation glowing in the darkness deep inside the hood.

“What’s he doing here?”

“No one has died yet have they?”

“Gods don’t die! We’re immortal!”

“Has he come to curse the child?”

“How evil!”

“Well! How… unexpected to see you here.” Zaman smiled, though it seemed forced and lacking of any real qualities of a smile. “What brings the God of Death to my humble home Se-?”

“Do not speak that name to me.” The dark god hissed through gritted teeth, pulling his hood back. “That name was given by mortals. I refused to be associated with anything they may claim to know about beings like us.”

Zaman frowned. “Come on, you don’t really expect us to call you by that ridicules name you keep insisting to use. Sepht—”

“Snatcher! It’s Snatcher!” The god hissed, his tongue flicking in and out like a serpent. “You better do well to remember that Tim!”

“Now there’s no need for you to get angry… Snatcher.” Zaman sighed with reluctance. “And why do you keep calling me Tim? I never get that with you.”

“Tim just seems like a you name.” Snatcher shrugged.

“Oi! Is there a reason where yer here spook?! Or did ya jus’ come here tae spoil the party?!” Coriander shouted, being one of few brave gods to not back down from Snatcher’s unsettling presence. Caitlin slapped him behind his helmet as Snatcher glanced over his shoulder, his long black locks falling like a river that raced down his back.

“Well if it isn’t the whole gang.” His mouth twisted into a wide unwelcoming grin that took up have of his pale face. “CC, Grooves… you.”

Coriander fumed, and Caitlin with several gods rushed to restrain him before he could do anything risky.

“As much as reunions are fun, I’m here for more serious matters.” Snatcher turned to glare at each god and goddess. “It seems that someone thought it was funny to sneak into my domain and rip a piece of my cloak out.”

With dramatic flair, Snatcher threw open his cloak, revealing his thin body and a massive noticeable tear in his cape. A silence over took the room as everyone stare in shock at the noticeable tear in the cloak.

“Now, normally I should feel offended. Immensely angry as well. But! Since this is a special day celebrating your grandkid’s birth Timmy, I’m feeling oddly… generous.”

Zaman cringed at the nickname, trying hard not to look Snatcher in the eye. “And what would that be?”

“It’s simple!” Snatcher threw his arms wide. “All I want is the culprit to step forward so we can have a… little chat down in the Underworld. We wouldn’t want to spoil this day any further now do we? Now, will the offender please step forward?”

No one moved.

They all remained in place where they stood, eyeing the Underworld Lord warily. Zaman could see the fear on their faces. No one wanted to step forward. And for good reason. Snatcher wasn’t called the Lord of the Underworld without reason.

For a god with thin, almost bone and lanky build, he was no pushover. His power was almost unmatched next to Zaman’s, with a dark thirst for war and gruesome battles that led to the death. Most had heard rumors that since he got tired of trying to wash out all the blood in his clothes, he wore dark colors to hide his enemies blood. And dark was right.

All his clothes, to his shirt and gloves, to his barbarous choice to wear pants. Even his boots were dark in black color. What type of god wore pants?!

It was uncivil for the Sisters sake!

“Come on people. It’s not really like you’ve got any choice in the matter. I just want what’s mine back, and we can all go our separate ways! It’s that simple!”

“Well maybe the culprit isn’t here, have you thought of that?!”

Heads turned to the doorway. Lyvia stood there, shaken and holding her child tightly in her arms.

“Y-You… you are not welcomed here Lord of Death! This is supposed to be a happy time for celebration of my daughter’s birth.”

“Lyvia, don’t dare draw any attention to yourself!” Zaman hissed.

“Oh! So it’s a girl then?” Snatcher strode forward, taking long strides with his long limbs. “I’ll admit that I was a little curious to see if the rumors were true about you having a kid. Guess they were right!” He shoved aside Zaman as the older god tried to stop him, stopping to stand in front of Lyvia and grin down at her. Since he was so tall, he had to bend over just to look her in the eyes at her level but still towering over her.

Lyvia was frozen on the spot as the God of Death stared her down. She couldn’t move nor grab up the courage to look away from the cold dead golden eyes that seemed to pull her in and drag her into an abyss that was slowly both drowning her and sucking her soul right out of her body.

“Peck neck spook!” Coriander shouted, drawing Snatcher’s attention away from Lyvia, snapping her out of whatever trance she was in as she gasped for air and almost lost her strength to stand.

“Hey now! We don’t need foul language around the kid! I’m sure Lyvia would appreciate if you didn’t taint her kid’s innocence with such dirty language. After all, little… I sorry, what was the kid’s name again?”

Lyvia jumped back as Snatcher turned his gaze on her again. This time she managed to keep her eyes down and not look into his eyes. “Get out. Get out if you are not here to celebrate my child’s birth and only intend to bring disaster. Like you always do.”

Snatcher scoffed. “If you can’t even look someone in the eye to tell them off, then there’s no way they’ll listen to you.” He turned his gaze to the child.

Wide blue eyes stared at him, woken by the commotion and found a new stranger staring at them.

Snatcher grinned as he leaned down close to the child, his grin widening as Lyvia shivered with fear. When his face was close enough, his skin darkened and his jaws pulled back, showing off his rows of long thin sharp teeth as his eyes glowed an unnatural yellow, hissing like a snake with a fork tongue dragging across his fangs.

The child’s eyes widened. Everyone braced themselves for the child to burst out crying. Scarred forever with a deep terror of the dark ruler.

But to everyone’s surprise and shock the child did burst out.

Laughing.

Snatcher reeled back in shock, his face returning to its normal dead pale skin and dark bags under the eyes. He stared at the child that continued to laugh at him, smiling brightly with her eyes twinkling with joy.

“… you… need to have that kid checked out.” He grumbled, backing away slowly with his eyes never leaving the child before turning around and storming out of the building with his torn cape fluttering behind him.

Once everyone was sure he was gone, their eyes turned to Lyvia and her child. The new mother stood there in shock. What had her child just done? Did she really just laugh in the face of death? She looked to her child, seeing her yawn and snuggle against her chest, falling right back to sleep.

“… Whelp! It’s official!” Coriander drew everyone’s attention. “Ah like this lass!”

“Are you drunk Coriander?!”

“Lyvia’s child just laughed at the Lord of DEATH!”

“That’s not normal! Even for a god!”

“But that’s where yer wrong! Lyvia’s child ain’t normal! The lass was made by Lyvia n’ her alone with no spouse! Ya can’t blame her or the kid fer that! We’ve never seen a god bein’ created out of the usual way, so we can’t really expect anythin’ normal!”

Murmurs drifted in the air as Zaman reached for his daughter, guiding her someplace to sit down after the whole ordeal.

“N’ besides, that peck neck had it comin’! He’s been a knife tae our side fer as long as we can remember.” The murmurs turned into agreements as many recalled the many ‘pranks’ the Snatcher had oh-so-kindly given them over the many, many years. “Ah say that it’s high time that spook was put in his place. That it was time we put him where he belongs! Fer him tae keep out of our business n’ stick rrrrrrrright where it can go!”

Cheers erupted and soon the whole room was in uproar, throwing insults and crud remarks about the Snatcher. Caitlin and Grunde watched as the room slowly turned into a crazy party that was supposed to be a celebration of a birth of a child.

“… please tell me most of them weren’t drinking when them came to this party.” Caitlin sighed, rubbing her face as a headache started to form.

Grunde sighed as many gods took out goblets and filled them with the finest wine. “Before, during, and probably after the party darling.”