#and so I started playing air patty cake

[bookwyrminspiration]

I've been "the smart friend" for so long that I never considered I could be more but recently I've been facing the fact that I think I might also be the "full of energy silly friend". not like a jokester but just endearingly earnest, energetic, and child-like in my joy that just has and exudes fun

[gojos-thot-patrol]

and and and encouraging baby prince to use his four arms to crawl because he needs the exercise (his killed tummy time with his four little arms!!) and and baby boy who loves dada uppies because papa is so tall he can see everything!!!

AHH Ryomen would actually melt for his son you can't tell me otherwise.

He would just walk around the palace with the baby in his arms or on his shoulders, anyone that has an issue with it can take it up with his fist.

They play patty cake together with all four arms just to make sure baby's hand eye coordination is good with both sets.

At some point the young prince started favoring his second set of arms, which- isn't a problem it was just very unexpected.

That kids grip is killer to, you ever have a baby grab your hair? It's over when he does it.

I just have the very clear vision in my head of Ryomen coming to find you uncharacteristically excited about something, he HAS to show you this, it's so cool. And what he has to show you is him flexing his arm and the baby hanging off it and giggling.

"Look at how strong he is! He can hold himself up! He's going to be a menace one day!" He laughs as he holds his giggling son up in the air, proudly showing him off to the room full of you.

And Ryomen said he would be a terrible father.

[manszen]

long distance situationship

pairing. fem!reader x vinsmoke sanji.

summary. you yearn for a certain blond pirate to come back home to baratie.

contains. fluffy angst, comfort at the end, whole cake island spoilers, told from the reader’s pov.

word count. 1.1k.

note. i really adore sanji and zeff's familial bond.

the loud commotion from your workmates inside the cramped kitchen of baratie draws you away from your dish plating.

“it’s here!”

“let me see! let me see!”

“how much is it this time?”

“i bet he tried his best to look cool. he looks like an idiot with the last one,” patty who’s next to you whispers down on your ear. he wipes his hand with a kitchen towel, a fond smile on his lips.

you laugh quietly at him.

“eh? what’s this?!”

you lift your head, a tad surprised. carne’s shrieks sound too shell-shocked for someone who claims over and over again that he doesn’t care at all about sanji.

“the bastard is a vinsmoke?!”

at that exact moment, zeff enters the room. his wooden leg clicking against the kitchen floor, effectively silencing the gasps of surprise of his workers.

“figures,” he quips after gaining everybody’s attention. “what’s the boy’s bounty now?”

“it’s 330 million berries,” carne announces, raising sanji’s wanted poster up in the air. his other hand grasping the rest of the newspaper. “they still used his old photo, though.”

“that perverted face of his again?”

you let out a small giggle and everybody turns their heads to you. as if with one accord, they all smile knowingly. even zeff, the baratie’s owner, appears thoughtful.

the kitchen suddenly feels warmer than usual.

“his photo isn’t so bad,” you mumble, trying to brush off their teasing looks.

“says the girl who collects his wanted posters before owner zeff can,” patty chimes in. you have this crazy urge to scream at him for exposing you like this until carne clears his throat, reading the newspaper article out loud.

“it says: ‘the vinsmoke and charlotte families entered into a political alliance via marriage between the third vinsmoke son, sanji, and the 35th charlotte daughter, pudding’.”

oh.

patty, zeff, as well as the others, wince when they hear carne’s announcement. you’re grateful they don’t say anything more about the matter, but you don’t give them time to say something anyway, since you’re already turning your back and resuming your work.

“say no more,” you hear zeff say to carne. “i believe sanji wouldn’t marry someone so easily. at least, without my approval.”

something heavy lodges in your throat right then. you mutter a cryptic excuse, weaving your way outside the kitchen doors and rushing to the safety of the girl’s restroom before anyone else can grab a hold of you.

anyone who works in baratie knows about your little infatuation. they’re not against it, but they’re not extremely supportive of it either. it’s just… it’s sanji that you’re head over heels with.

sanji who plays it cool and thinks before he acts.

sanji who deeply cares for almost everyone in baratie.

sanji who respects food more than anything else.

sanji whose only fault is that he’s borderline crazy when it comes to women.

you know exactly how crazy and submissive he is with women.

you aren’t an exception to that rule either. he proved that to you one late night as you both wash the rest of dishes after closing baratie.

he said a lady shouldn’t soak her hands in dishwashing soap for a long time, that you should let him do the rest. to which you only bumped his shoulder, joking that if he treats you the same way he treats his female customers, you’d feel somewhat special.

and his response?

‘you are special. and to me, you’re extra special.’

it might seem normal for him to compliment a woman, but you, on the other hand, are not used to it. growing up with nothing but irresponsible men around you, it’s only tough love that you’ve ever known.

that’s when you start to see sanji in a different light, with the intention to suppress it for as long as you could simply because you’re terrified of your own feelings.

you’re terrified of your feelings not being reciprocated.

although somehow, it has become an unspoken deal between you and sanji.

you start to seek each other’s company when your designated rooms feel too cold and lonely at night. you start to catch each other’s eyes during work hours, over tens of long kitchen counters, and smile shyly as you avert your gazes. you even start becoming touchy, leaning your body against him when he wants you to try some of his cooking, and while he’s shaking with exhilaration, he doesn’t make a huge scene out of it in hopes you two won’t be found out by zeff.

you start to get this fuzzy feeling the two of you are finally onto something.

but, as fate would have it, sanji got recruited by a man named luffy, claiming that he needs the best cook out there if he’s going to be the king of pirates.

and who are you to hold sanji back?

you kept your mouth shut as he told you his final decision, tucking away your own selfish desire to not let him go. you patted his shoulder, bravely smiling that he should follow his heart and see where it takes him. and he gave you one of his boyish grins, whispering thank you for being so understanding.

you promised yourself back then that you wouldn’t be the very reason who would break that smile.

you close your eyes and lean back against the restroom door, reminding yourself that he's still in the process of chasing after his dream — his childhood dream. after all that, he will be back in baratie in no time.

you just didn’t think you would find his name on the news with the word ‘marriage’ attached to it, that’s all.

a gentle rap at the door knocks you back to your senses.

“there are customers waiting to be served,” comes zeff’s soft warning. “forget that shitty kid. you deserve better.”

you snort. even if he says those harsh words at sanji, it’s still laced with fatherly affection. the impression brings a soft smile to your face.

“hey, owner zeff,” you begin. it seems that speaking with a thick door in between you and your employer helps. “do you think… do you think he’ll come back?”

“hmp. do you really think he won’t? the boy might be stupid but he’s not stupid enough to forget where his heart is.”

his words make you feel a hundred times lighter. “so baratie is where his heart is?”

the silence stretches on from the other side of the door you’d think zeff has already walked away. until he says with a warm voice, “you are where that boy’s heart is.”

stealing, modifying, translating, or reposting this work on other platforms is strictly discouraged.

[starbright349]

You Didn't Know? (Adam X Seraphim Reader, PT 2)

In the Heavenly Play Place, where all the children who had passed away and came to Heaven, would rest and play with other children, (Y/N) was in charge of the whole area. The Heavenly Play Place itself, was basically a children's dream, it was filled with sweet treats, toys of all kinds, playground equipment outside, a dining area for the children to eat, a schooling area for the kids to learn, and beds with different rooms, and it was (Y/N) job to make sure that the children were happy, healthy, and safe.

She loved playing and talking with them, they were all so funny. The children loved (Y/N), they almost concerned her to their mother. The children also had a fondness for Adam too, he was gentle with them and always had a habit of picking one child up and throwing them into the air for him to catch. Since they didn't know how to fly yet.

But that hadn't happened recently, (Y/N) hadn't returned home in almost a week, and stayed at the Heavenly Play Place, she claimed that she wanted to spend some extra time with the children so they could sleep better. Technically, she wasn't lying.

This was by far the longest Adam and (Y/N) had been apart since they got married, they hadn't seen, nor heard from each other since the trail.

One day. As (Y/N) was taking care of one the children by playing patty cake with them, one of the children came up her, "Miss (Y/N). Can I have a popsicle?" (Y/N) looked down at the child with a smile and a raised eyebrow. "Dahlia my dear, didn't you already have 2 popsicles today?" Dahlia gave (Y/N) the puppy dog eye look, the look that she couldn't refuse. "Please." (Y/N) chucked, got up, and walked up to the freezer to grab a popsicle. "Alright, alright. But this is your last one, I mean it." (Y/N) handed Dahlia her last popsicle of the day, she took it with a happy look. "Thank you." Dahlia said and skipped away happily with her popsicle in hand.

(Y/N) smiled and was about the empty box of popsicles in the trash, until she heard the main door open, she looked to the doorway and saw that the person, was Adam.

As soon as the children saw him they all rushed to him screaming happily. "Whoa, hey kids. How are ya?" Adam asked while rustling some boys' hair up and petting the girls' heads. "Are you here to throw us in the air again?" "Or teach us how to fly?" The children asked while yanking at his robe.

(Y/N) had a frown on her face and angry expression, she angrily threw the popsicle box in the trash, but she had to keep a smile on her, for the kids' sake.

She walked up to Adam with a fake smile on her face. "I'm afraid dear children, Adam is not here for that. He's come to see me, now if you all would excuse yourselves to get ready for bed, please." The children awed in disappointment but did as they were told and walked into another room to get ready for bed.

Once they were all out of the room and out of earshot (Y/N) looked at Adam with a disappointed look. "Why are you here?"

"I've missed you, (Y/N). I need you to understand why I'm doing what I do," Adam implored, attempting to bridge the growing chasm between them.

(Y/N) rolled her eyes, she walked back into the play area, she picked up and box and as she began tidying up the scattered toys all over the floor. "(Y/N) please, it's been a fucking week. We have never been apart for this long since we got married and it's diving me insane."

(Y/N) continued her task, avoiding eye contact. "First of all, you will not cuss in the Heavenly Play Place, and secondly, how can I understand, Adam? You're taking lives in Hell, acting as some sort of divine executioner. It's unfathomable."

Adam sighed, a mixture of regret and defiance in his expression, he then started to help (Y/N) clean up the toys and markers that were on the floor. "It's to maintain order. You know how important balance is. I thought you, of all angels, would understand the greater purpose."

She turned to face him, her celestial eyes flashing with a mixture of anger and disappointment. "The greater purpose does not justify the means, Adam. I cannot accept the darkness that has consumed you."

He reached out to touch her shoulder, but she pulled away, her ethereal form recoiling from his touch. "Please, (Y/N), we can work through this. I love you, and I can't bear to see us torn apart."

A bitter chuckle escaped her lips. "Love? Love does not condone such actions. I need time, Adam. Time to reconcile who you've become with the Adam I thought I knew."

As (Y/N) continued her solemn task, Adam stood in silence, realizing the magnitude of the rift that had grown between them. The Heavenly Play Place, once a symbol of joy, now bore witness to the strains of a celestial marriage on the verge of shattering.

As Adam obediently helped (Y/N) gather the scattered toys and markers, her words hung in the celestial air like a heavy mist. As Adam stooped to pick up a fallen celestial plush toy, she spoke.

"You wanna know why I care so much," (Y/N) began, her voice a delicate melody that resonated in the heavenly space. "Most of these children have been through unimaginable pain, Adam. But some are here because their parents made the ultimate sacrifice to save them from the clutches of Hell. And there are Hell-born children, innocents condemned from the moment they took their first breath. They didn't choose their fate, but they are waiting, hoping for a reunion with their loved ones. And here you are, playing judge and executioner without considering the consequences."

Adam, still picking up toys, lowered his gaze, grappling with the weight of (Y/N)'s revelations. The gravity of his actions began to sink in as he listened to the heartbreaking truth behind the souls he had been sending to the depths of Hell.

"Baby," he began, his voice filled with remorse, "they were upbringing on Heaven. I wanted to save you because I love you. I love you more than life itself. I would die all over again if it meant I could save you."

(Y/N) looked at him, her celestial eyes softening for a moment. The conflict within her heart was evident, torn between the love she felt for Adam and the horror of his deeds. She sighed, pausing in her cleanup to meet his gaze.

Adam knew that he couldn't talk (Y/N) out of it. So, after he helped (Y/N) clean up, he left without saying a word.

Once the day of the Extermination came, Adam wanted to visit (Y/N), but he knew that she would shoo him out once she saw him.

The sounds of laughter and the clinking of macaroni filled the Heavenly Play Place as (Y/N) engaged with the children during arts and crafts time. As she monitored the little ones, offering suggestions and encouragement, "You're all doing great children, now if you don't have a lot of ideas on what to make, I would suggest on making something simple, like a butterfly or a heart." The atmosphere seemed to lighten momentarily.

Suddenly, the serene ambiance shattered as the main doors of the Heavenly Play Place slammed open with a resounding thud. (Y/N)'s celestial wings fluttered in surprise as she turned to face the entrance, only to find Lute, standing there in a disheveled state. Bruises adorned her celestial form, and one of her arms was conspicuously missing.

"(Y/N)," Lute panted, her voice strained, "Lute, what happened? You're hurt," (Y/N) exclaimed, her voice filled with genuine concern.

"You need to come with me. Something's happened to Adam during the extermination in Hell. He's badly hurt, and he's in Heaven's hospital right now."

(Y/N)'s ethereal eyes widened in shock and concern. Without a moment's hesitation, she motioned for another angel to take over the arts and crafts session "Maggie, I need you to take care of the Heavenly Play Place while I go out, something happened with my husband, and I need to see him right now." Maggie pushed her glasses up and nodded at (Y/N) "Yes your highness. The children will be safe with me.", Ensuring the children were in capable hands. As she hurriedly made her way towards Lute, worry etched across her face, she asked, "What happened? Is he going to be, okay?"

Lute nodded solemnly, "He was attacked by the Princess of Hell's group of rebellious souls. They fought back during the extermination, and Adam got caught in the crossfire. The healers are doing everything they can, but it's serious."

Dread gnawed at (Y/N)'s heart as she followed Lute towards Heaven's hospital. The journey seemed to stretch on endlessly, the celestial corridors blurring in her haste. When they arrived, the hospital's serene aura couldn't dispel the tension that hung in the air.

Inside one of the rooms, Adam lay on a celestial bed, without his mask, surrounded by healers working tirelessly to mend his wounds. His eyes were shut, and was breathing slowly, it almost like he was sleeping.

(Y/N) covered her mouth as tears formed in the corners of her eyes. She approached him slowly with a heavy heart, her emotions in turmoil. Once she got close enough, she placed her hand on his.

Adam stirred, his eyes fluttering open as he registered her presence.

"(Y/N)..." he whispered weakly, a mixture of pain and remorse in his eyes.

Tears welled up in (Y/N)'s eyes as she took his hand gently. "What were you thinking, Adam? Why did you put yourself in such danger?"

He winced, both from physical pain and the weight of his actions. "I needed to ensure balance, but I underestimated the risks. I'm sorry, (Y/N)."

As Adam stirred in the hospital bed, (Y/N)'s heart softened, and a deep sense of love overcame her initial anger. She gazed into his eyes, the weight of their shared history and the turbulent recent events lingering in the air.

"I wanna be mad at you, but I can't. Because I love you so, so much," she confessed, her voice a tender whisper that echoed through the celestial hospital room.

Adam, his expression a mix of gratitude and remorse, reached out to caress her cheek. "I'm sorry, (Y/N). I never meant to hurt you or jeopardize what we have."

(Y/N) sighed, a mixture of emotions coursing through her celestial being. "I know, Adam. But we need to find a better way, together. I can't stand the thought of losing you."

Love, a force as powerful as the cosmos itself, seemed to envelop them in that moment. It was a love that transcended the challenges they faced, a love that held the promise of redemption and a renewed future.

Adam reached up and brushed some hair behind (Y/N) ear. Unable to resist the magnetic pull of their connection, they learned in, sealing their forgiveness and commitment with a passionate kiss.

In that celestial hospital room, love indeed conquered the shadows that had threatened to consume them. As they embraced, the celestial glow around them seemed to intensify, symbolizing the resilience of their bond and the possibility of healing. Together, they faced the challenges ahead, determined to navigate the delicate balance between love, duty, and the complexities of celestial existence.

Once they both pulled away from the kiss, they put their foreheads together, it was comfortable silence for a moment, until (Y/N) spoke.

"Adam."

"Hm?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."

[roosterscockpit]

His Little Girl | Bradley Bradshaw x reader P. 45

click here to see the master list

BABES! More fluff and love to come! Wedding planning continues! I love you all! ❤️ Happy reading and enjoy! 💕

A/n: You, Bradley, and the wedding party spend your first night out as a whole group! Let’s see how the night ends 🥰 You and Bradley also have important questions for Mav and Penny. 🫶🏼

Word Count: 4.3k

Warnings: cursing, drinking, but so much LOVE 😩

Please don't take my work, I will find you. 

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

You all loaded into an Uber and headed over to the Hard Deck. You cuddled up against Bradley and he rubbed your back. You closed your eyes and took in all the commotion that was going on in the car. Once you all arrived at the bar, everyone practically fell out of the car. You and Bradley led the wedding pack in. 

He pulled you close and wrapped his arm around your shoulders. He looked down at you and smiled. Right before you entered the bar, Bradley leaned down and kissed you on the lips. Your whole wedding party started to cheer. You giggled and broke the kiss.

You all entered and headed over to the bar. Jimmy was working along with some other workers. Penny was off and helping Mav watch Leia for the night. 

“What are my guys feeling for their round?” Bradley looked at the guys smiling and yelled.

“Whiskey shots!” Hangman yelled and high-fived Fanboy.

“I will have a round of whiskey shots, Jimmy.” He looked over at you and the girls, “How about you girls, baby? What are you ladies feeling?”

You looked back at the girls and they nodded. You looked at Bradley, “We will have the same, honey.” You winked at Bradley. He raised his brows and smiled at you.

He tapped the bar, “Hey Jimmy, make that 12 shots of whiskey, please.”

Jimmy lined all of the shots up and everyone grabbed one.

“To the bride and groom!” Hangman yelled and put the shot in the air slightly spilling it.

Everyone followed, “To the bride and groom!” We all clinked glasses and took the shot.

It went down hot and smooth. For the rest of the night, you all took turns paying for rounds. By the end of the night everyone got to know each other and the family grew a little bit bigger. You excused yourself outside. You called for an uber to come and get all of you. The bar was about to close. You felt the heat in your cheeks from the alcohol running through your veins. The cool breeze felt good on your body. You took a deep breath and went back inside.

You weren’t wearing your heels anymore. Bradley was holding them over his shoulder. He was laughing as he held up Coyote. Mackenzie was pushing on Coyote’s chest to try to get him to stand straight. Coyote was leaning forward and had his arm around Bradley’s shoulders. Mack and Bradley were laughing as Coyote was mumbling incoherent words. Bradley had his arms wrapped around his waist as he held him up.

 Bri and Hangman were having a very competitive game of darts. Neither of them were hitting the board.  

“Come on Jake, you fuckin suck!” Bri laughed at him as he missed the board.

“Shut up, Bri. I see like 3 boards on the wall.” He laughed.  He steadied himself before he threw the next dart. He closed one eye and stuck his tongue out. He threw the dart and it took a nose dive about a foot under the board and stuck into the wall. “Shit. Missed again.”

You looked over at Amanda she was having a fake lightsaber fight with Fanboy. They were holding empty beer bottles and making noises as if they were fighting. Phoenix and Payback were taking care of Alex and Bob. They were all super drunk. Alex was playing patty cake with Phoenix. Phoenix wanted to make sure to distract her so she wouldn’t hurl. Bob was cradling Payback's head and was telling him to get him more shots. 

You shook your head at your wedding party. You walked over to Bradley and tapped his arm. He looked at you and smiled.

“Hi, baby. Is the car coming now?” He looked at Coyote and placed one of his hands on his chest to help him stand straight. 

“They are! They’ll be here soon!” 

Mackenzie started to laugh, “That’s good. We can’t get this guy to stand straight.” 

The uber came and you all loaded into the car to head back to Bradley’s house. Bradley carried in a now passed out Coyote. He placed him on one of the couches and threw a blanket over him. Bradley pumped up the airbeds so everyone could stay the night. Alex, Bri, and Amanda stayed in the downstairs spare bedroom. Fanboy slept on the other couch. Bob, Payback, and Hangman slept on the airbeds. Phoenix and Mackenzie stayed in the upstairs spare bed room. 

Bradley carried you up to his bedroom and sat you on his bed. He cleaned you up. He took your make up off and changed you into one of his old PT shirts. He cleaned your feet from walking around barefooted. He also gave them a little massage and you smiled.

You grabbed his face and kissed him. “Thank you, baby.”

Bradley furrowed his brows and laughed, “You never have pet names for me, sweetheart.” 

You kissed him again, “You’re my baby, Bradley.”

He smiled and kissed your nose, “I love you, baby girl. You’re my baby.” He poked your nose.

You giggled. “I love you, Bradley Bradshaw.”

He picked you up and tucked you under the sheets. He kissed your forehead and pushed your hair back. Your eyes were so heavy you could barely open them. Bradley went to go and get cleaned up for bed and came back to cuddle with you. He held you close all night and rubbed your back. 

You woke up the next morning to Bradley sharing a pillow with you. He was snoring slightly. He was laying on his hands. He looked so peaceful. You ran your hand through his hair and kissed him on the nose. He breathed in sharply and it came out as a snore. His eyes opened. He looked at you and smiled. His voice was so raspy.

“Good morning, baby.” He looked at the clock it was 10 AM, “It is probably going to smell like alcohol in the house, honey. I’m sure everyone sweated it out in their sleep.” He laughed.

You shook your head, “Let’s get up and get them some breakfast started.”

You and Bradley got up and fixed the bed. You both started to get ready. You opened the door and it smelled like food. You and Bradley looked at each other confused. When you made it down stairs, everyone was already awake and making food for you and Bradley. 

“Good morning, Aviators.” Bradley stood at the bottom of the stairs with his hands on his hips. He looked around as he laughed.

Everyone turned around and smiled at the both of you. Hangman and Bri came over with some mimosas for you and Bradley. 

“At 11 in the morning?” You grabbed your glass from Bri and looked shocked. "You all still want to drink after last night?" you laughed.

“Drink up, babe.” She winked at you. "It'll keep the hangover away."

You grabbed the glass and shrugged. You and Bradley clinked glasses and took a sip of your drinks. You both went to the stovetop to start helping with the food. Mackenzie and Coyote pushed you both away.

“Nah, man. You guys go and relax. We are treating you this morning.” Coyote put his hand on Bradley’s chest.

“How the hell are you alive, right now?” Bradley laughed at Coyote.

“Power of food and Gatorade, Rooster.” He patted his chest and returned to cooking. 

Bradley looked at you and shrugged. He put his arm around our shoulders and walked with you over to the dinner table. 

Fanboy and Amanda stopped you two before you sat down. 

“Oh no, girly. We have a cute set up for you to sit at.” She showed you both over to the sliding door to the back deck. Fanboy opened it and there was a whole set up in the backyard.

Your eyes went wide. The tables were set up with cute baby blue table cloths. In the middle was a big bouquet center piece with flowers different shades of blues with some accents of white and purples. Everyone had their own plate and silverware set up. It was so nice and sunny outside. There were two seats at the head of the table that balloons attached to the chairs. One said “Bride” and the other “Groom.” 

Fanboy opened the door for the both of you, “After you Mr. and Mrs. Bradshaw.” You and Bradley walked out and they brought you to your seats at the head of the table. “The food should be done soon. Enjoy and relax until then.” Fanboy patted the both of your backs.

Bradley grabbed your glass from you and placed it on the table with his. He pulled out your chair for you and you sat down. He pushed you in and sat in his seat. He handed you your glass and threw his arm over the back of your chair. He picked up his glass and held it you you.

“To marrying the love of my life.” He kissed your cheek and you giggled.

You clinked your glass with his and took a sip. “I love you so much, Bradley.”

He touched his nose to yours. “And I love you, sweetheart.” He rubbed the tip of his nose with yours. You scrunched your nose and smiled.

“So baby I was thinking about the wedding again. As usual.” Bradley chuckled. “I was thinking when we pick up Leia later we could talk to Mav and Penny for some pointers. Ask for some advice?”

You smiled at Bradley, “I love that. I have something I need to ask Mav anyways.”

Bradley smiled back at you, “I have a question for Penny as well.”

The squad joined you outside. They served you and Bradley your plates. You all ate your brunch together and discussed the wedding. Everyone was so excited. It was nice that you would all be able to spend more time together in preparation for the wedding. It was definitely something you need, since you were back to working in office and not from home.

“So have you guys decided where you’re going to have the wedding?” Payback took a bite of his omelet.

Bradley shook his head, “Not yet. We are still deciding.” He looked at you and kissed your cheek.

Amanda called over, “Do you have a general idea of where you’ll want to have it? Like location ideas?”

You looked at Bradley and smiled, “We might, but we don’t want to give it away until we are for sure.”

“Just tell us!” Hangman slapped his hands on the table. He started to chant, “Tell us! Tell us! Tell us!” Every one joined in and pounded their hands on the table.

Bradley chuckled and put his hands up to everyone. He shook his head, “Hold on now. We are going to let everyone know at the same time. You have to wait just like them.”

They all groaned, “But we are the VIPs! We are the wedding party!” Mackenzie yelled down to you and Bradley.

Bradley shook his head, “Sorry everyone. No.” He laughed and ate his pancakes.

“Who are we going to tell?” Phoenix smiled and cocked her head at Bradley. 

Bradley put his face in his hands, “You guys will tell everyone!” He started to laugh.

Alex pointed her for to Bradley, “You know he has a point.” 

They all looked at her annoyed. “Shut up, Alex. We want to know!” Bri slapped her arm playfully.

“We aren’t giving any spoilers! Everyone will find out at the same time.” You laughed and raised your brows at everyone.

Fanboy took a sip of his mimosa. “I say it’s going to be at Mav’s hangar.” Everyone started to laugh.

“Or on the tarmac.” Bob added on.

“No! On the boat!” Coyote laughed.

“Maybe they’ll just say fuck it and get married in Rooster’s cockpit.” Hangman gave Bradley a devious look and took a sassy bite of his bacon.

Bradley poked his tongue to his cheek and played with his food. “I’m not saying anyone is right, nor wrong.”

“Man, you suck!” Payback laughed.

Hangman tapped his fork on his glass and stood up, “In all serious now.” He laughed, “If the best man may.” He looked at Bradley and he nodded at Hangman. “I just want to say on behalf of all of us. We want to congratulate you both on your engagement and we hope nothing, but happiness for you both. Thank you for giving us all this opportunity to be a part of this chapter of your life. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for the both of you. But from standing right here, I can only see it being happiness and love.” He smiled and raised his glass. “To y/n and Bradley! We love you both.” 

You all raised your glasses and drank your mimosas. Hangman came over and hugged the both of you. 

After brunch, the squad helped clean up the backyard, dishes, and kitchen. When they all finished, they cleaned up the areas they slept in and all headed back to their houses and the barracks. You and Bradley got ready to go pick up Leia and the puppy from Mav’s. 

You and Bradley got into his bronco and headed for Mav’s hangar. He placed your hand on his gear shift. “You keep it there the whole ride. I wanna hold you hand and still be able to shift without letting go.” He smiled and kissed your cheek. 

He left his hand on top of yours the whole time, giving it little squeezes here and there. He would rub his thumb over your ring and exchange cute little glances with you. He turned on his radio and it was already preset to his favorite country station. The song, I Want My Mullet Back by Billy Ray Cyrus, was playing. He started to laugh and turned up the radio, “Baby, remember in college when we met how I had a baby mullet going on?” He patted your hand on the gear shift. “Should I bring it back for old times sake? Maybe for the wedding?” He started to laugh.

You remembered back to when he had a mullet and shook your head. “It honestly really fit you. You looked good with it. I think it was the selling factor for me.” You winked at Bradley. 

He got serious, “Wait really?”

You smiled and giggled, “I really liked you with a mullet and your little whiskers you called a mustache.” You smiled sweetly at him. “But that fit the 18/19 year old Bradley. Not my 28 year old Bradley. I’ve really grown to like your thick stache and well kept hair.” You wiggled your brows and bit your lip exaggeratedly.

He laughed, “I love you, baby.” He continued to drive. 

You two arrived at Mav’s house Bradley pulled into Mav’s hangar and honked his horn. Leia and the puppy came running out of the house. 

“MOMMA! DADDY!” She came running with her arms open. You both knelt down and she jumped onto the both of you. She exchanged kisses on both of your cheeks, alternating between you and Bradley. The puppy was jumping all over Bradley and barking. You picked up Leia and Bradley picked up the puppy.

“Hey, boy!” Bradley gave the dog belly scratches. The puppy started to lick his face.

“Daddy! His name is Gunner.” She looked at him with her cute puppy dog eyes and a little smile.

“Gunner?” Bradley smiled at Leia. 

She nodded, “My little Gunzy.” She reached her arms out for the puppy. Bradley handed her the puppy. You set her on the ground.

“Daddy, Papa Mav helped me. I told him the names I wanted and we played a game!”

Mav and Penny came into the hangar smiling. “Hey you two!” Mav came over with his arms wide open. He hugged and kissed you and then gave Bradley a hug. Penny hugged you and rocked you side to side in excitement and gave you a kiss. She did the same with Bradley.

“So I heard you helped Leia pick out a name for her puppy, Mav.” You smiled at him.

He laughed, “I did. She told me the list of names she potentially wanted to name him. Sooo, we played a game. Penny brought him to one side of the hangar and Leia and I stood on the opposite side.” He was pointing to where they were standing.

“And then they were calling names to see which one he would run to them with and he just stayed put.” Penny added onto the story and started to pet Gunner.

“Daddy, so then we were thinking. ‘What name would the puppy want, if not the others?’ So the we were thinking.” She mimicked her thinking face. 

You and Bradley looked at each other and started to laugh at the three of them telling the story. 

“So she was thinking and I was like ‘Well Leia what interests you?’” Mav put his arm around Leia.

“I said I really like Star Wars and Flying.” She smiled at the both of you.

“I was just squatting there with the puppy.” Penny raised her brows at the both of you as she continued to pet Gunner.

“So then I was like, Papa what about Gunner? Because when I get bigger I want to be a Weapon Systems Officer like Uncle Bob and Uncle Fanboy! They are in charge of all the weapons on a plane and I wanna do that too! And then I started jumping like this, daddy.” She mimicked the jumping around she did. 

“So then I told her to call ‘Gunner’ over to the puppy to see if he would come.” Mav patted Leia’s head and smiled at her.

“So then I yelled ‘Gunner!’” the puppy came running over to Leia.

You and Bradley’s eyes went wide as he came over to Leia and sat down. 

Leia pointed to the puppy, “And that happened!!” She smiled up to you and Bradley.

Bradley got down and put his arms open for Leia, “Come here, baby! That was so good!” He attacked her face with kisses.

You went over and hugged Mav and Penny, “Thank you for doing that with her.” 

“Oh don’t thank us. Thank you for letting us take care of her and Gunner while you and Bradley went and had some fun.” Penny laughed and hugged you again.

Mav threw his arms around your’s and Penny’s shoulders, “I can watch Leia any day. I love Penny, Papa Mav, and Leia time.” 

“Gunner, too Papa Mav!” Leia looked over at Mav.

He chuckled, “How could I forget Gunner.”

Leia played with Gunner with some of the toys she brought from home. She threw his rope and he was running back and forth to receive it and bring it back. There was even one point when Leia had to chase him around to get it back.

You, Bradley, and Penny sat on the couches as you all watched Leia play with Gunner. Mav went into the house to grab some drinks for all of you. He came back with the glasses and a bottle. He placed all the glasses on the table and cracked upon a bottle of sparkling water. He poured some for everyone and handed everyone their glasses. 

Bradley took a sip of his water and held his glass on his knee. He looked at you and nodded his head to Mav and Penny. “Did you want to ask Mav what you needed to ask him, sweetheart?” 

You smiled and nodded. You leaned forward and set your glass on the table. You looked at Mav and smiled. He looked at you and smiled big back. “So Mav…” You sung and smiled.

He leaned back in his chair and laughed, “Y/n?” He sung back to you.

You took a deep breath, “Mav, you know you’re like a dad to me. You’ve always taken care of me ever since Bradley introduced us. You always included me for everything and I couldn’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done and continue to do for me.” You bit your cheek to hold back you tears. Bradley rubbed your back.

Mav leaned forward and placed his hand on your knee, “Hey, now. Honey, you do not have to thank me for anything. I love you more than anything! I did and continue to do what I do for you because you are like my own. From the moment we met I knew I had to take care of you. I love you so much, kiddo. You don’t need to thank me. I did it all because I want to.” He smiled and squeezed your knee.

You sniffled and placed your hand on his. You nodded, “Thank you for always including me and treating me like family, Mav. For taking in my daughter as your own grandchild.” You started to sob and laugh. 

He leaned over and hugged you, “Sweetheart, you don’t need to thank me. I would do anything for you and Leia.” He rubbed your back and sniffled. He pulled back and wiped your tears. 

Bradley rubbed you back and looked at you with so much love. You took a deep breath again to regain yourself, “Can I ask you for one more thing, Mav?” You wiped your wet cheeks.

He smiled, “Honey, you can ask me anything. I will always be here for you. No matter what, where, when, how.” He started to laugh.

You grabbed his hand with the both of yours and held it. You looked at him in his eyes and felt the tears welling up again, “Mav, will you give me away?” You sniffled loudly. 

Mav’s facial expression was shocked and then became soft. He looked at you with wide eyes. His grasp on your hands became weak. He looked at the ground and looked around. He gulped and started to blink fast. He looked up at you with tears in his eyes. He gulped again as he tried to hold back his tears. “My god.” He brought his free hand to his mouth and closed his eyes tight. The tears fell from his eyes. He looked at you and pulled you in for a hug, “I would be honored to give you away, my love.” He held you close to him and you both cried together. “I love you so much, y/n. Thank you so much. Thank you for trusting me with that role.” He held you tighter and kissed your cheek a million times. 

You both pulled away and wiped your tears as you both chuckled. Penny was wiping her tears away. She chuckled and looked at you and smiled. She patted Mav’s back and leaned on his shoulder. She gave him a kiss on his cheek, “Congratulations, Pete.” She hugged him and laid her head on his back. He patted her hands and leaned back into her, “Thank you, dear.” He continue to wipe his tears.

Bradley hugged you and kissed you sweetly, “You are so sweet, baby girl.” He wiped the tears from your eyes. 

“How about you Bradley? Didn’t you need to ask Penny something too?” you had no idea what he was about to lay out on the table.

Bradley looked over at Penny as she laid on Mav’s back. She looked at him and smiled. 

“Penny…” Bradley gulped. 

You looked at him and gasped. You already knew what was going to happen.

He took a deep breath. “There is no way I can top y/n’s speech to Mav. But you have done so much for me while I have been here in San Diego. You’ve always been my light when I was in my darkest corners. You always left a stool open for me on busy nights, just so I could come and see you when I needed it.” He looked at her and smiled, “Will you walk me down the aisle on my wedding day?” 

Penny broke out in tears. She covered her face as she cried. She popped up and held her arms out to Bradley. He smiled and stood up off of the couch. He walked over to her with his arms out. Penny cupped his face and gently shook his face side to side. “I would love to walk you down the aisle, Bradley.” She kissed his cheeks and pulled him in to hug him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and laid his head on hers.

“Thank you, Penny. You’ve done so much for me and there is no way I could repay everything you’ve done for me.”

She kept one arm a wrapped around his neck and the other petted his hair, “You’re wrong, sweetie. This is perfect. I would do anything for you. Remember what I always say?”

Bradley nodded, “Through the thick and thin. Always.” He hugged her tighter.

You covered your mouth with the both of your hands as you teared up. Bradley came back to sit with you and you gave him a big hug. “Congratulations, handsome.” You kissed his nose.

Mav kissed Penny. They placed their foreheads together and smiled. They started to laugh. “We are the luckiest people in the world. Huh, Mav?”

Mav nodded, “Very much so.”

Leia ran over and sat on Bradley’s lap. “Are you guys okay, daddy?”

Bradley pushed back Leia’s hair from her face and kissed her forehead. “We are okay, sweetheart.” He smiled at her, “But mommy and I do have something to ask you as well.” He raised his brows at her and he continued to smooth her hair out.

Leia sat up straight and nodded. Bradley looked at you and nodded. You placed your hand on Leia’s thigh, “Baby will you be our flower girl?

Leia gasped and threw her arms in the air, “I GET TO BE A PART OF THE WEDDING!? YESSS!”

She jumped onto you and Bradley, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” She gave you both kisses. 

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

OMG! So much has happened! You and Bradley got your wedding party together, Leia named the puppy, and you got to ask Mav and Penny to play the most important roles in your wedding! I am so excited about what is to come! I’ll see you in the next part, babes! 🫶🏼

The wedding squad is in the comments 😍

[daisydeacks]

Alexei Blurb

Stranger Things

A/N: bro idk, I just thought of it so I wrote it. it's short and nothing much, might do more of this guy later. can you tell im in season 3 of my rewatch? xoxo

You were sat in the back seat of the yellow convertible as Hopper and Joyce argued in the front seat, eyes scanning over the Illinois map that had been bought back at the gas station. Alexei was sat next to you, cuffed hands holding onto the large Slurpee he had gotten back at the 7/11. A few moments later the man said something in Russian, gently elbowing you to get your attention. You looked over at him in confusion, frowning a bit.

"I.." You sighed, folding the map up carefully and wedged it under your leg so it didn't fly away.

Alexei repeated what he said again, eyebrows furrowing.

You blinked, staring at the man blankly. "I don't... Nyet? Nyet, no." You shook your head, your expression apologetic.

Alexei shook his head before pointing at a bracelet you wore. It was something El had made for you, a thank you for helping catch her up on learning so she'd be able to attend school some day soon under her new alias.

The man grinned to himself, speaking again before laughing quietly. He shook his wrists before looking between your bracelet and his handcuffs. "Yours looks better than mine."

A smile tugged at your mouth when you realized he was trying to make a joke before you snorted a laugh, leaning back in your seat.

"You get?" Alexei's accent was thick and you looked over at him in surprise at the sudden broken English.

"Uh, no.." You shook your head before glancing at Hopper and Joyce. "But once we get there you can... tell me?" You grimaced a bit as Alexei stared at you in confusion before it turned into one of defeat.

"Will you two shut up?" Hopper snapped, glaring at you in the rearview mirror. "He's the enemy here, Y/N!"

"He's just a guy, Hopper!" You snapped back, returning his harsh stare. "Do you really think he wanted to be some evil scientist?"

Hopper opened his mouth to respond before Joyce gave him a warning stare, his mouth snapping shut with a grumble. The car ride was quiet for a while before you turned to Alexei, trying to think of what the two of you could do to keep busy.

"..Patty cake?" You looked at him questioningly, and Alexei frowned.

"Patty...cake?" His accent was thick as echoed your words, turning towards you in his seat.

You held up your hands to him, starting to make the motions in the air of the ageless game. The man gasped in realization and grinned, fully turning towards you so the two of you could play.

"Are you fucking serious?" Hopper turned his head around to glare at the two of you before quickly whipping around back to put his eyes back on the road.

"You're just mad that he's also a person." Joyce spoke up, turning around in her seat to watch the two of you. "Please! Play!" She motioned her hands, smiling at the two of you.

The two of you hesitantly started to play, Alexei trying the best he could considering the handcuffs.

"Patty cake, patty cake, baker's man-"

Alexei was singing the tune in Russian, wide smile across his face.

"It's pat-a-cake." Hopper interrupted the two of you, glancing back again.

"Pat-a-cake?" You and Joyce looked up, and you arched your eyebrows.

"Pat-a-cake pat-a-cake.." You mumbled to yourself, doing the hand motions. "Oh."

Hopper smirked, leaning back in his seat as he looked at the road ahead. Joyce scoffed and turned back around, staring out the passenger side of the car.

You and Alexei shared a glance before you turned towards him, the two of you quietly going back to your game.

[sultrysirens]

I just turned 21!!! and it got me thinking, how would the guys celebrate their 21st? Got any headcanons for us, Miss Nightshade?

Oh shit how long has it been since you sent this...? Timestamps aren't a thing lmao, sorry. And congratulations! :D

Of course the boys would wanna try alcohol! They've been waiting their whole lives for this moment!!

Raph goes first and foremost for the hard liquor like gin and rum

gotta prove he's a MAN amirite??

then he smells the fruity drinks Mikey and Don are sharing and changes his mind

can't be that bad if TWO of his bros are drinking it, right?!

Leo tries to keep sophisticated about it and totally puts on airs lmao

"I'll drink the sake one sip at a time like you're supposed to"

also tries to keep his bros under some measure of control

it does not last

Mikey just starts chugging the drinks he's always wanted to try

and also spits out any of them he doesn't like just all over the table

Donnie's the smart one, making sure he stays hydrated between drinks and imbibes slowly while keeping active notes of how drunk he's feeling after each one so he can figure out his tolerance level

soon Mikey and Raph are hanging on each other and singing along with whatever music is on the stereo, probably loudly and off-tune

it annoys Leo a lot but he can't say anything cause baby bro Mikey looks so h a p p y

Donnie suggests they play arcade games as they get progressively drunker

Leo eventually gives up on propriety and chugs an entire bottle of wine which he fails to remember doing

Donnie starts filming shit at that point while chortling all the while

he thinks he's more sober than he is and keeps trying to narrate and thinks he's holding the camera steady but NOPE

Mikey strangely holds his liquor the best, but he also drank the hardest so he's still the first to blackout

Raph and Leo devolve to chanting drinking rhymes and doing complex patty-cake games in an attempt to out-sober each other

Donnie is now mumbling and slurring everything he says but he still thinks he's being perfectly coherent

Mikey intermittently gets up, talks to himself, yells at the TV, has another drink, etc, then blacks out again

usually he's staring at the neon signs when it happens with his mouth open like

like he's just lost in how pretty lights are, like bros, bros, hey bros, do you -- do you see how -- how pretty lights are??

keeps passing out and waking up and he falls into the canal like seven times

Leo and Raph have devolved further into arguing with each other but at the same time are having two completely different conversations with each other

Raph's talking about monster trucks and Leo's talking about Mozart

they both think the other is responding to their subject

somehow Donnie ended up filming the ground and mumbling about the cracks in the concrete and the tiny microscopic civilizations living inside them like tiny worlds all of their own

do you think there's tardigrades down there??

next morning Mikey is facedown on the floor in a puddle of drool

Donnie is slumped over in a chair, snoring louder than he's ever snored

Raph made it to the bunk beds but fell asleep in Mikey's

Leo's in the dump truck and has no idea why or how he got there

they all slowly rouse while Splinter goes about making hangover remedies

they crawl to the kitchen one by one, and when they're all there and staring at each other with dry, sunken eyes, they simultaneously just go

"...That was AWESOME"

and thus did getting blackout drunk become a yearly birthday tradition

[ptergwen]

on the dot

warnings: swearing, suggestive jokes, and the boys being a lil goofy

summary: the boys keep you entertained when tom is running late

a/n: this nasty stinky year ends today! finally y’all!! it sucked sm and a lot of stuff went wrong but i’ve enjoyed spending time with you lovely people, seriously you’ve all been such a light and i hope we bring it into 2021 :,) i love all of you tons, stay safe tonight and have fun <3

-

ten.

“he’s still not here?” you storm back into the room, looking between all the boys. “where the hell could he be?” harry only sips his drink. harrison stares up at the ceiling. sam offers a sad smile.

you thought by the time you finished your private freak out in the bathroom, tom would be home. home and ready for you to kiss and hug and welcome the new year with. he has ten more minutes to make it happen.

of course, you were disappointed he couldn’t be here for christmas. you still understood because it wasn’t his fault. there was scheduling and a whole bunch of other things keeping him in the states. you’d at least have new year’s eve together, and that was enough for you.

the universe had other plans. tom’s flight got delayed to the latest possible second, and it’s beyond either of your control now.

nine.

harrison puts a hand on your arm. “maybe he’s in the taxi. traffic and all that,” he leads you over to the couch, giving you a nudge to sit down. you do with crossed arms and pouted lips. “cheer up.” harry beams and sticks a party hat on your head. you’re not even bothering to strap it on. sam scoots closer to you in his spot.

“you have us,” he reminds you, smiling to get the message across. it’s nice of them to try and comfort you, but all you really want is tom. he’s the holland you’d rather be touching knees with. “thanks, guys. i just...” you let out a sigh. “tom was supposed to be my new year’s kiss.”

“well, we can’t help you with that,” harrison snickers and takes a seat on the arm of the couch. harry puts down his beer with a cheeky look. “tessa might be available.” groaning, you drop your head onto his shoulder. “shut up, i know it’s cheesy. we talked about it, though.”

tom better get here soon and back that up.

eight.

“what if you did it over, um, facetime?” sam suggests, stifling a laugh right after. these boys just can’t be serious. “i’m not making out with my phone in front of you guys,” you scoff and adjust your party hat that’s falling. “you’d do it if we left the room, then?” harry questions, harrison raising his eyebrows at you.

you lift your head off of harry so you can shoot him a glare. “no, you know what i mean. leave me alone.” your voice shakes on the last part. you’re starting to feel emotional about all of this. you wanted one night with your boyfriend who hasn’t been home in months, that was all. why couldn’t you get it?

the boys all coo at you in unison. it’s sort of sarcastically, mostly sympathetically. harrison reaches over and puts an arm around your shoulders. “he’ll be here, y/n/n. there’s still about...” he checks his watch on his other hand. his eyes go wide.

“seven minutes until midnight.” “jesus,” harry mutters to himself, picking his beer back up.

seven.

you’re debating whether or not you should text tom. maybe call? you haven’t heard from him in hours, which isn’t very promising. the boys are making too much noise to talk to him, actually. they’ve taken to blowing into their noisemakers to distract you.

the loud humming that comes from harrison’s is ear piercing. that’s partially because he’s holding it directly up to your ear. sam is using a handheld one, and harry is raising his fist in the air while he finishes off his drink. you love their spirit. you’ve run out of your own.

“come on, year’s almost over,” harrison says in an overly happy way. “let’s at least celebrate that.” “i’ll toast,” harry salutes him with his empty bottle. “you’re pissed, harry,” sam laughs and grabs it from him. you throw your head back on the cushion. “can time move any slower?”

six.

“i give up. i’m spending new year’s alone,” you throw your hands up in defeat. harry rolls his eyes in mock offense. “hey, you’ve had great company.” “she doesn’t want to hear it, div,” sam reaches behind you and flicks his brother’s head. it earns a quiet “ouch.” you’d normally laugh at their antics, only you don’t have it in you.

you might be acting a little dramatic, but you have the right to. tom’s kisses are everything. that, and you miss the hell out of him. he misses you ten times more. you know it because he’s made sure to tell you every day.

“tom’s coming, y/n. does it really matter if it’s a few minutes late?” harrison asks with a pat on your shoulder. “hours,” you correct him bitterly. he removes his hand before you break it. you turn to sam, who clenches his teeth. “your brother has terrible timing.” “you’ve only just figured that out?”

five.

harrison and sam have you playing some three way game of patty cake when the doorknob starts to move. you immediately snap your head up. is that...

“santa?” harry murmurs in his drunken state. “wrong holiday,” sam tells him. “that’s passed.” harrison chuckles at the conversation. “we should cut him off before-“

the door quickly swings open, a breathless but grinning tom behind it. “guess who?” he drops his bags and opens up his arms. your face lights up the most it has in too long. you run straight over to him. the boys watch on, waiting to say hi until after you two get time together.

“oh my god, you made it!” you giggle out, tom lifting you up by your waist. he secures his arms tightly around you and squeezes. “how’d you actually get here on time?” your voice is muffled by your face pressed into his shoulder. “i’ll always be here for you, angel,” tom assures you, shutting the door with his foot.

he kisses the top of your head. you can feel his lips curve into another smile. “in every way.” you put your arms around his neck, clasping your hands together. “you don’t understand how much i missed you.” you’re returning the smile. “i swear.”

“i promise, i missed you so much more.” he carefully sets you down and keeps his arms around your waist. the two of you exchange a look that says all the i love you’s you don’t currently have the time or privacy to.

“oi, where’s our big hello?” harry calls from the couch.

four.

you’re all squished onto the couch now. tom is sitting in your spot with you in his lap. the others strongly protested it, whining about how you’d go at it or worse. you ignored their complaints and happily took your place on tom’s thigh. your back is to him, so he has his chin on your shoulder to sneak glances at you.

“does anyone have a resolution?” harrison asks the group of you, eyes landing on his best friend. “me?” tom checks, tracing a finger up and down your side. “to take more breaks.” you like that one. you let him know by leaning into him more. “mine’s to move out,” harry remarks. his oldest brother gives him a warning look.

“all jokes. you two are adorable,” he gives you a thumbs up, shaking around his noisemaker again. “this is what i’ve left you with?” tom mumbles to you, fully aware the others can hear. you shake your head. “they terrorized me, tom.” sam is the one to interject.

“that’s rubbish. i cooked every meal you wanted, we-“ “they terrorized me,” you repeat, playfully this time. tom taps under your chin with two fingers. “mhm, sounds like it.”

three.

“do you think tessa would still do a kiss?” harrison asks harry, who cackles when he sees tom’s face. he has to blink a few times to process what was said. you smooth your thumb over the crease in his forehead.

“what did i tell you? they’re weird.” “they’re deranged,” tom leans into your touch. “i won’t let them near her.”

“i feel so... single,” harrison explains with a fake sniffle. he eyes the two of you. that makes tom pull you closer. “stay away from my girls.”

two.

“the moment we’ve been waiting for,” you move so you’re facing tom. “is about to happen.” you also happen to be straddling him so it’s possible. if the boys have anything to say, you won’t be listening. “our new year’s kiss,” he grins, his hands dropping down to your hips. “very big moment.”

one.

tom tilts his head up to you, running his tongue over his lower lip. your party hat is strapped on now. you move in closer until your noses are touching.

“missed this face,” he rasps and nudges your nose with his. “well, here it is,” you bring a hand up to the side of his neck. the boys are huddled in a circle with their party gear, so you have the couch to yourselves. harrison is getting ready to pop a bottle of champagne.

your not so perfect night ended up being better than any of you could’ve expected.

harrison checks his watch and waves a hand at everyone. “twelve, eleven,” he counts you in. “ten, nine, eight,” you all join, you turning your head to look at the others. tom peeks his head out from behind you. “seven, six,” harry eagerly holds out glasses for drinks. “five, four, three,” sam raises up his noisemaker.

“two, one! happy new year!” the champagne sprays everywhere while you turn back to tom.

you erupt in a big smile before he’s pulling you in. he finally presses his lips to yours, your arms going around his neck. it’s easy and soft and you fall right into your usual rhythm. his lips part for you, letting you deepen the kiss.

tom’s eyes are squeezed shut in focus, on you and how you taste like the same lip balm from all those months ago. one of his hands rests on your back to support you. you break away for all of two seconds to take a breath. you’re giggling, and so is tom. you connect your lips again without warning, tom still laughing into it.

“i love you so much,” you pull away to tell him quietly. tom tugs on the top of your party hat with a playful smirk. “i love you, y/n/n. happy new year, babe.” he gives you one more peck on the lips. you’re feeling generous and decide to return it, your kiss lingering a bit.

harry summons you two before it turns into another make out.

“drinks! we have drinks,” he holds his up for emphasis. harrison already poured yours, sam taking a sip of his own while they chat. you climb off of tom and offer him a hand. he gladly takes it, interlocking your fingers and getting up. the two of you walk over to the table hand in hand.

“thanks, bro. happy new year,” tom gives harrison a quick one armed hug and takes his drink. harrison hands you yours after. “thank you,” you take it and flash him a small smile. “for everything.” “anytime,” he pulls you in for a proper hug, tom hugging the twins.

you do the same, then the five of you sit at the table to drink and talk. when they get into a conversation about golf, tom eventually breaks off. he squeezes your knee to get your attention, which you raise a curious eyebrow at. he nods toward the couch.

“we’ll finish that later.”

[dreaminpetals]

hey could i get some general platonic hcs for emma woods?

🌿 platonic hcs for emma woods . . .

♡ emma never refers to you by your actual name.

♡ it's always a different nickname every day, based on what you're wearing or what food she saw you eating when you woke up.

♡ gonna get the heavy one out of the way... if anyone was ever cruel towards you, emma would barbecue them 💢

♡ you're like a sibling to her, anyone on your bad side is on hers as well.

♡ your personal wingman.

♡ if you told her that you liked someone she'd skip up to them and start gushing about how amazing you are.

♡ she gushes about you to pretty much anyone, actually.

♡ "hey you! yeah you! wanna hear about the best person ever?"

♡ loves holding tea parties with her toys and you.

♡ emma would be the princess every time and serve you guys empty cups that you all pretended to drink out of.

♡ plays patty cake with you all the time.

♡ when she cooks with you, she never makes actual food or follows any recipes.

♡ she invents her own gourmet dishes like potato chips served in strawberry milk.

♡ not all of her dishes have been atrocious though, she's great at combining certain sweets together.

♡ of course you two love making flower crowns on sunny days.

♡ emma likes crowns with weeds too, they deserve just as much love as roses.

♡ friendship bracelets and lockets :>

♡ you two love rolling around in the garden until your clothes are splotched with grass stains.

♡ doesn't ask for help when she gardens because she thinks she can handle it herself, but she does need a helping hand sometimes and loves when it's yours !

♡ would disassemble your door or something for fun.

♡ hugs you from the side and lets you pat her head when she does so.

♡ surprise hugs are her favourite, emma can be so sneaky.

♡ big prankster but sometimes they go too far, you're her voice of reason who stops her from getting into trouble with other survivors.

♡ her imaginary friends think you're super neat.

♡ she tells you that they're always bragging about being your best friend, all 5 of them, when that should be her !!!

♡ leo is like a father figure to you, you can come to him for anything.

♡ emma's personality is such a breath of fresh air compared to all the doom and gloom in the manor.

♡ deep down she's a lonely girl so someone who's willing to be eccentric with her is someone she wants to stay friends with for the rest of her life.

[kasey-writes-stuff]

Okay I’ve never really written angst before and I’m not good with writing things based of songs but I saw @httpskarlnap ask for a C!Ranboo fic based off of the song panic room so here it is!

Warning for- Nightmares , panic attacks , derealization , and heads being cut off! Please let me know if anything else needs a warning!

Panic room C!Ranboo

Ranboo is laid sleeping in the mansion but it’s anything but peaceful, his mind is being plagued with nightmares. In his nightmare and real life his hands shake as he hears voices as if he’s being surrounded by thousands of people each shouting something different at him but yet as he looks around he sees no one. All he sees is some torches that are almost burnt out, he cautiously looks around and begins to make his way down the dim hallway… As he begins walking he notices himself getting colder and colder, more fear starts to set in as he doesn’t seem to be getting anywhere he seems to be I. The same place he started just he’s now much much colder. He fiddles for his communicator and eventually finds it but sees it has no signal…

He grips it tightly both in anger and in fear, he’s stuck in a seemingly never ending but ever cold hallway with no way to contact anyone for any help. His only thoughts are to get out and get back to Michael and Tubbo, suddenly he hears a nearly ear piercing piglin like squeal… it couldn’t be could it!? His foot steps quicken trying to find some way out, suddenly he hears what sounds like tubbos voice screaming for him! He feels his chest tightening as he tries to run as fast as he can. He feels almost as if he has icecicles on his body yet he continues running, his chest is so tight he can barely breathe…

Finally he sees it! A light at the end of the hallway it’s so bright he nearly can’t stand to look at it! Suddenly he’s getting very very warm too warm to quickly, he feels himself losing conciseness but he still keeps running he can still hear Michael and tubbo screaming for him he has to keep going he has to save them! Just before he blacks out he makes it to the end of the hallway and then he blacks out… He awakes at he doesn’t know when he has no concept of time in normal dreams let alone nightmares! He raises up groggily rubbing his eyes, his eyes widen as he sees the site before him.

Tubbo is tied to a chair a bandana has been shoved in his mouth, Michael is in the corner shivering with a figure looming over him, the figure has their back turned making ranboo unable to see their face but the second he hears the first word come out of their mouth his brain is screaming to grab Michael and tubbo and to run, his breathe stops, his body feeling colder than it ever did while walking down the hallway! “Hello ranboo nice of you to join us hm took you a while though I figured you would get here much quicker… you know being half endermen and able to teleport and all”

Right as ranboo is about to begin berating himself for being so stupid the figure lets out a low chuckle “oh that’s right you couldn’t have teleported if you wanted to! I enchanted this place so teleporting takes away three hearts every time you try it and you wind up even farther back than you started!” Ranboo tried to take steady deep breathes as he stood and began walking towards the figure a new purpose sensing to fill his body upon the realization the figure had a hand on Michaels shoulder “Get your hands off my son!” The figure laughs softly “woah woah woah calm down me and little Michael here were just playing a nice game of patty cake weren’t we Michael?”

Michael sniffled in fear as he looked up to his taller dad “p-papa p-please h-help d-dada h-hurt” Ranboos heart shattered as he looked over and noticed one of tubbos horns was chipped and his legs had missing fur patches “Michael don’t worry I’m gonna save you and dada!” He began to walk closer Michael and the figure but he paused quickly as the figure suddenly pulled out an axe and was now facing him as he held the axe up to Michaels small neck “One more step and Michael gets it!” The small piglin squealed in pure terror “PAPA I’M SCARED!” muffled screams could be heard from tubbo and tears could be seen falling from his eyes

Ranboo took a deep breathe eyes narrowing as he attempted to control his panic “Dream… give me my son.. NOW!” Dream smiled evilly “oh wow yelling?! Good job ranboo you’ve come so far since I first found you! What’s next are you gonna actually pull your sword out and threaten me hm?” Dream blinked his eyes dramatically as he titled his head at ranboo as he spoke “because that would be just sooooo precious! Almost as precious as little Mikey here screaming for his dads to help as I ripped him out of his bed but it was far too late! By the time tubbo got to the room Mikey was gone and now he was suddenly trapped and brought to this same room! All while you slept so soundly that you didn’t even notice a single thing you didn’t even so much as turn once! I mean I had to practically drag you here! My gosh that was no easy task!”

Ranboo growled loudly trying to ignore the voices surrounding him telling him what a failed father and failed husband he is not even able to protect his own family! “Dream I am not going to say it again give me Michael now! Or else…” Dream snickered softly rolling his eyes “or else what? You really think you can get your sword out in time to kill me before I can chop sweet innocent little Michaels head off? And before I can swiftly chop yours off leaving tubbo to die alone.. and oh it’s his final life right? So once he dies sure you’ll respawn but Michael? He only has one life so you’ll be all alone left here for eternity left with the voices screaming to you about how you’re such a failure not just as a husband and father but as a friend and just as person in general! You’ll be left here trying to find a way out but each time you think you’ve found it? It’ll just be a room where you’ll be forced to watch Michael and tubbo die over and over again!”

Ranboos hand shook with fear and anger with each and every word Dream spoke… the more he spoke the angrier ranboo got… until finally a huge scream tore from his throat and suddenly the room was filled with dozens of endermen! They all looked to ranboo “Army….” He took a deep breathe as he pointed to Dream “ATTACK!” Suddenly they all flew towards Dream! Screams of pain could be heard from Dream as the endermen attacked him one by one! Ranboo quickly ran over and grabbed Michael hugging him tightly as Michael sobbed onto his shoulder, once he had Michael he ran to tubbo still holding Michael with one arm he used the other to quickly unwrap the bandana from tubbos mouth!

Tubbo gasped for air before managing to say “I knew you would save us!” Ranboo nodded quickly “I could never let you two die you’re everything to me I couldn’t live if I didn’t have you two” tubbo smiled softly and as soon as ranboo got him untied he wrapped his arms around ranboo clinging to his neck as his legs wrapped around him! Ranboo smiled in relief as he held his husband and son, but suddenly a deep evil laugh was heard and ranboo looked to the corner and saw nothing but mere ender pearls and a laughing dream “oh ranboo poor poor ranboo you tried so hard… you really did your best but…” Dream began fake sniffling before smirking “YOU’RE BEST WASN’T ENOUGH!” Suddenly like magic Tubbo and Michael were ripped out of his grip! And before ranboo could even scream …

It was too late their necks collided with dreams axe, ranboo fell to his knees unable to scream, unable to cry, unable to do anything at first all that could be heard in the room was dreams maniacal laughter, suddenly a few more moments pass and finally a ear currtling scream rips from ranboos throat! It’s so loud he can almost feel his volcol cords ripping apart! And that’s when he wakes up sweating beyond belief as his throat feels incredibly dry and sore…

A light turns on and in comes tubbo practically running to ranboos bed “ranboo?!” Ranboo let’s out a strangled scream as he holds his hands up “GET AWAY GET AWAY YOU’RE NOT REAL! I DON’T WANNA SEE YOU DIE AGAIN GET AWAY! GO AWAY PLEASE!” Tubbo holds his hands up slowly “Ranboo ranboo listen it’s me Tubbo your husband remember?! It’s me! I’m real! I’m not going to die I’m real okay?!” Ranboo slowly peaked out through his hands and saw tubbos hand out stretched… he very carefully touched it gently stroking it before grabbing it tightly and pulling tubbo towards him! Tubbo quickly buried himself in ranboos chest as ranboo slowly tried to even his breathing…

“I-I’m i-‘I’m sorry I- he… Dream…” tubbo nodded not needing a full sentence to understand what ranboo meant “shh shh shh it’s okay it’s okay the nightmare is over you’re okay I’m okay-“ suddenly ranboo took in a deep breathe his eyes widening “MICHAEL MICHAEL WHERE IS HE?!” Before tubbo can say anything a small figure clutching a stuffie can be seen in the door way… the figure slowly makes their way towards the bed as tilts their head “dada and papa okay?” Ranboo sighs in relief slumping back on the bed as tubbo grabs Michael swiftly pulling him onto the bed and the three of them promptly cuddling “papa and dada are okay buddy dada just had a nightmare is all!”

Michael titled his head pouting “papa had nightmare? Here!” He held out his stuffy for ranboo smiling proudly “stuffie always make Mikey feel better after nightmare!” Ranboo takes the stuffie holding it gently as he kisses Michaels head “thank you Mikey you’re a really nice boy” Mikey smiles brightly at the praise and tubbo smiles as well before softly looking to ranboo “so are you alright to try and sleep now” Ranboo takes a moment before nodding and pulling both tubbo and Michael closer “I think so”

And so with that the small family was back asleep as if no nightmare had ever disturbed their peacefulness

The end

[tsukkismoonlight]

I’ll Hold Your Hand

Hello everyone! I hope your day is going well! Im here with a short x reader to help everyone get into the fall season! This is a part of a collab with the BNHA Sanctuary, where many amazing friends of mine have also write a little something, you can find those here 🍁🍂 !

Summary: Reader and Nishinoya go to a corn maze, and one promises the other to hold their hand the whole way through so they don’t get separated 

Tags: @pattys-got-cakes

××××××

“It’s so dark out…” you comment lightly, the dull lights overhead barely illuminating your breath as it hangs in the air. 

With his signature snicker, Nishinoya Yuu turns to you, “Well yeah ! It’s scarier this way! Haven’t you been before?" 

You shake your head vigorously, "No! I much rather prefer to stay inside and read a book or watch a let’s play!” You pout, knowing that this maze would have scare-actors, fog machines, and speakers set up to give a more frightful approach. 

He motioned with his hand to the entrance, “What if I promise to hold your hand the whole way through? And afterwards I can get you hot cocoa?" 

You take a moment to eye him suspiciously, looking at how his hair was down under his beanie, but his blonde tuft still stuck out some, your eyes flicked to his and you gave a sigh, unable to resist him and his charm.

"Fine! But only for the hot cocoa" 

"Not for the hand holding part?” It was his turn to pout, doing his best to imitate hurt feelings. 

“Nope, not even a little," 

"Fine then I guess you don’t need my hand…” he paused, looking at you with perhaps the most innocent look you’ve seen from him, but he didn’t hold it very long, next thing you knew, he was grinning as he said, “and I can just go into the maze before you!” And dashed inside. 

“Noya!! Hey wait!” You let out a panicked yelp, and took off after him, immediately met with a split in the path. You took a right turn and slowed to a walk, figuring that running through here might just make the scares worse. 

You walked alone for a few minutes, grumbling to yourself about ‘how dare he leave me alone,’ and, 'When I see him I’ll kill him,’

It was then that a shrill voice rang out, “But killing him is my job!!! You can’t do that, no fair!" 

An actor popped out at you, dressed as a scarecrow but all bloody and clothes torn. You jumped back and held your hands up, words jumbling in your throat. 

The actor stepped clower, still trying to scare you some more, which was a little overkill but hey, maybe it was a slow night. 

Before he really got too close however, you turned on your heel and ran back the way you came, going down the left path from earlier. 

Luckily it went straight for a bit, which you took the time to slow to a walk and catch your breath.  Just where the hell was Nishinoya? When you saw him, you were gonna give you a piece of your mind. 

While walking, and being lost in your train of thought, you almost didn’t notice the smoke curling around your feet and the eerie music beginning to play. 

"Oh can’t I get a break!"  You exclaimed, mostly to yourself but hey, at this point the actors in the maze didn’t care. 

Regardless, you kept on going, following the path until the next set of choices. This time it was a crossroads situation. One way dead ahead, and two to your sides. 

You pulled your sweater closer to you, taking a moment to decide on your options. Just as you were going to head straight, a familiar voice came from your left.

"What am I supposed to tell their roommate? 'Hey I lost (Y/n) at the corn maze and I thought they left?’ No cmon Nishinoya, they’re in here-" 

He paused, eyes meeting yours, lighting up excitedly as he ran up to you, ”(Y/n)! You’re not lost!“

"Yeah no thanks to you!” You give him a playful nudge, unable to really be mad at him. 

Nishinoya can be pretty excitable at times, and tends to be impulsive, but he never means for it to be mean (well not to you at least). 

“Any good scares while you were scouting the paths?” You asked, cocking an eyebrow as you did. 

“Nah, one guy tried, but I wasn’t scared in the least, how about you though?" 

You grinned, putting on a brave face, "Same here! One scarecrow tried but I managed to escape his straw grasp,” you flexed your free arm, and gave Noya a pointed look. 

He gave a sigh, and looked towards his shoes, “Sorry babe…still wanna hold my hand?" 

You pretended to think about it for a few moments, taking the time to eye him and his now outstretched hand. 

"Okay…I’ll hold your hand,” you smiled to him and slid your hand into his, fingers interlocking comfortably.

“Oh thank god I thought you were going to say no,” Noya let out a puff of air, and grinned immediately after, starting to pull you down the path to your right.

Before you could stop it, a loud chuckle left you, finding that no matter what, Noya was still Noya, and you loved him for that. 

“Hey don’t make me run! Not all of us have boundless energy like you do Mr. Libero," 

"What do you mean? This isn’t how everyone else is?” He looked back to you, reluctantly slowing down to a walk, “Okay fine but just for you," 

You hummed in content and started forwards again, slightly swinging your hands back and forth, only slightly paying attention to your whereabouts in the maze. 

You were more focused on watching Nishinoya, his little grin as he found his way around or cleverly avoiding the scare actors. The determined glint in his eye. The snicker he gave when you did happen to get scared. 

Nishinoya was your favorite person in the world, and he sure knew it. That was evident by the times he caught your eye, and would crinkle his face up or stick his tongue out. 

You were his favorite person too. 

[true-blue-megamind]

Daylight and Dark Ch. 2 - Morning

You can find Chapter 1 or read the entire fiction on AO3 HERE.

CHAPTER RATING: Teen; FULL FICTION RATING: Explicit.  WARNINGS FOR ENTIRE WORK: violence, sex, language, references to prior domestic abuse, and rock n’ roll! CHAPTER WARNINGS: Mom Friend Minion is too damn loveable

Roxanne woke with her head pillowed on Megamind's shoulder. She blinked blearily in the bright sunlight filling the room, and stretched delightfully sore muscles. It had been too long since she'd last awoken with the afterglow of good, rough sex warming her body.

"Good morning, Beautiful," said a smooth, pleasant voice.

Roxanne smiled up into Megamind's handsome face. "Good morning," she sighed, sliding against him to kiss his mouth. She settled back beside him, nuzzling the side his neck and idly sliding one finger up and down his opposite ear. "Mmmmm, I should get up, but I'm much too comfortable."

"Then don't get up."

"But I really should."

"The Evil Overlord forbids it."

"You're not an Evil Overlord anymore."

"Well, then the Defender of Metrocity forbids it," he grinned down at her, turning to wrap both arms tightly around her. "Stay with me," he added seriously. "It's Saturday. As long as I'm not called to duty, there is no good reason why we can't spend the whole day here."

An electronic buzzing suddenly disturbed the quiet. It was quickly joined by a metallic rattling at the window. Roxanne bolted up in bed, giving a little yelp and pulling her coverlet over her chest as she realized six or seven brainbots were swarming outside the glass. Megamind's reaction was even more animated. He practically tumbled onto the floor, bringing the rumbled sheet with him and wrapping himself frantically in it. He stumbled to the window and, ignoring Roxanne's stuttering protests, threw it open to let the little flying robots in. They massed around him like worried children, bumping him with rounded glass domes and pawing him with long mechanical arms. Roxanne was sure that if they'd had tails, they would have been wagging.

Chuckling nervously, Megamind patted them. "Okay, okay, Daddy's alright. This is just Daddy's… ah… private time… So we really shouldn't be bothering Daddy. No we shouldn't." He shook a finger at them to emphasize his words, but that caused the sheet to slip a little, and he snatched it back up into place. "Look, Daddy's not leaving you behind. Daddy just needs to spend some alone time with Roxanne, okay? Daddy loves both you and Roxanne, but in very different ways…"

Roxanne nearly choked on her giggle. Of all the absurd things she had seen him do during her semi-professional Damsel-in-Distress career, none were quite as funny as Megamind giving the Daddy Has a Girlfriend speech to a hoard of cyborg drones. Her humor was stolen, however, when one of the brainbots left the happily swirling flock to hover in front of an empty section of wall. Moments later, the top minion— or rather Minion— appeared, his image projected by the brainbot's red camera eye. Roxanne blushed bright scarlet and tugged the blanket higher. She knew enough about Megamind's technological creations to realize that Minion could see them just as well as they could see him.

"Oh, sir! Thank goodness they found you! I've had the brainbots looking everywhere! Where have you been all night?!"

"Here."

"No phone call? No message? You just stay out to all hours—"

"Minion," Megamind interjected. "This really isn't the best—"

"Without a single thought of what you might be putting me through—"

"Minion—"

"...worried sick, and—"

"Minion!"

"WHAT? I mean…Ah... What, Sir?"

Megamind took a deep breath and began gathering scattered clothes from the floor with one hand, the other still clutching the sheet tight. "You're right. I should have called. I didn't think about it—"

"Didn't… didn't think about it?" Minion blustered, wide-eyed. "Sir! How could you? After all we've been through! You… You know that my sole purpose is to take care of you, and… and…"

"Oh, Minion! Stop being so dramatic! You know very well I didn't mean it that way!" Megamind threw up his free hand in exasperation, flinging his shirt above his head.

"How did you mean it, then?"

Another deep breath and Megamind collected himself. "I got a little caught up in the moment and… things…"

"Things? What things?! That's no excuse!"

"Things, Minion," Megamind said pointedly, motioning his head toward the bed. "And this seriously is not a good time."

Minion glanced where his master indicated. "Oh good morning, Miss... Ritchi..." his cordial voice grew faint as he finally took in the scene. Large aquatic eyes bulged, flitting between Roxanne and his master.

"Oh, Sir! You didn't!"

Megamind rolled his eyes and snatched one of his boots from the floor. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I did."

"Sir!"

"And I plan to do it again!"

"But Sir!"

"A lot!"

"SIR!"

"As often as possible!"

Minion mouthed wordlessly before shaking himself free of shock. "Well, I just hope you're being safe," he quipped in a tone that sounded entirely too matronly.

Oh, dear… thought Roxanne.

Megamind had paused instantly, mouth open to offer a retort that never came.

"Oh, sir," Minion repeated, groaning in despair. "You didn't…"

"I… didn't think… " He gathered himself visibly. "Look, Minion, it's doubtful our DNA is even similar enough to be compatible!"

"You can't know that without tests!" Minion objected, then asked hopefully: "have you run any tests?"

"It's on my to-do list!" Megamind announced defensively.

Minion clapped a mechanical hand to his fishbowl. "This is a disaster..."

At least here Roxanne could help. "It's okay, Megamind, Minion. I'm… Uh…" she shrugged, fighting the burning heat in her face. "On the pill."

The entire room seemed to sigh with relief.

"Well, thank goodness one of you has some sense!" said Minion pointedly. "Sir, I am very disappointed in you."

Megamind spoke through gritted teeth. "Could we discuss this later?"

"No, we can NOT discuss this later," Minion replied in his best parental tones. "Sir, you have a reputation to uphold now, and—What are you doing?"

Megamind had walked up behind the hovering brain bot, tucking the edges of the sheet tightly under one arm, and started fiddling with something on its back.

"I understand," he sounded bored. "Reputation. Yes."

Minion's eyes narrowed, his tone slow with barely restrained suspicion. "With all due respect, Sir, if you're doing what I think you're—"

"What was that Minion?" Megamind called loudly.

"Sir, leave that audio-visual receptor alone!"

"I can't hear you!"

"Stop that!"

"There seems to be a problem with the receptor!"

"Problem with—That's because you're messing with it!"

"Minion? Ollo? If you can hear me—"

"Of course I can hear you!"

"…I'll talk to you this afternoon when I get home!"

"Sir! Don't you dare turn off that—"

The image went blank.

Megamind heaved a great sigh and idly petted the brainbots. Then he walked to the far side of the room, where he had thrown his collection of clothing, and awkwardly held the sheet with one hand while fumbling with his leather pants. He extracted his wallet and turned back to the brainbots.

"Here," he said, holding out a twenty-dollar bill. "Daddy needs you to take this, go to the bait shop, and buy Uncle Minion something nice. Some juicy worms or maybe some minnows. No, no, no," he admonished as one of them snapped at the money. "Not for chewing. Daddy will bring you a new wrench to play with when he comes home. Now go get Uncle Minion a treat."

The little robots circled him once by way of a goodbye, the lead one obediently taking the money in a dangling claw, and flew out the window. The last one ran into the windowsill, and Megamind sighed, scooped it up, turned back on its electronic eye, and patted it. It sped out the window, chattering irately at its receding fellows. Roxanne could almost imagine a running child shouting for his friends to wait up.

"Well," Megamind said, slumping to the bed. "That certainly woke me up. Maybe it would be simpler if you stayed over at the Lair next time." He grinned suddenly, his lightning-quick thoughts leaping to a new subject. "I'm starving! Where's that lasag-na?"

"For breakfast?"

"It's nearly eleven! Besides, it's better than cereal and wine."

Roxanne laughed. "I guess I can't argue with that." She sighed and got up, pretending not to watch Megamind as he dropped the sheet and began pulling on his clothes.

Megamind, thoughtful as ever, had put the food into the refrigerator sometime during the night.  The salad Roxanne had made had wilted, but the lasagna was wonderful once reheated. Sitting on the small balcony outside the glass double doors, they enjoyed the pleasant, invigorating bite of the autumn air. Megamind ate voraciously, but then, Roxanne supposed, he had gotten quite a work out the night before.

That thought made her chuckle.

"And just what do you find so amusing, Miss Ritchi?" he teased in that heart-melting tenor of his.

She looked at him, adorably happy with his favorite food and his favorite girl. It took so little to please Megamind sometimes, and his exuberance, coupled with his persona as a dark superhero, seemed both oxymoronic and oddly fitting. It was… relaxing and somehow comforting to be around someone who was so content.

"Has anyone ever told you you're cute?" Roxanne asked, dishing out another serving of lasagna to him.

He grinned at her. "Yes, actually. An inmate in Metrocity Prison when I was a toddler. His name was Kip Kendall— or at least that's what people called him. I'm not sure if Kip was a nickname, honestly. He'd been convicted of murdering some thugs who got on his bad side, and he was very possibly the toughest, meanest brute on Cell Block A. But he was always nice to me when I was young. Around anyone else he was stern and dangerous… Around me, well, he was the closest thing to a father figure I had. He used to play pattie-cake with me, if you can believe that, and carry me around the Yard on his shoulders. No one dared to mock him for it either— not even the guards— and if anyone thought less of him for it, they were smart enough to keep it to themselves." His eyes grew distant as a sad memory ghosted behind them. "I'll never forget the day Uncle Marlow—one of the other two inmates who took the most interest in my upbringing—took me aside and explained that Uncle Kip had gone. Kip had been given consecutive life sentences by a jury too forward-thinking to give a clearly unbalanced man the death penalty, but Cancer had other ideas. I'd known he was sick— they'd had to take him to the infirmary, and the last time I visited him there he seemed so… so unlike himself— but when he went it still felt… wrong. Sudden. I remember thinking how unfair it was that he left without saying goodbye."

Roxanne reached across the table, laying her hand over his, willing him to open his soul and let the old pain dissipate like dark mist in the sunlight.

"I remember feeling that way when—" Roxanne's voice caught. She'd never actually told anyone else this before. Not even the expensive psychologist her grandparents had taken her to for years. With a deep breath, she continued. "I remember feeling that way when my mom died. I was fifteen, in my senior year of high school, and someone told me I had to go to the principal's office. I kept thinking and thinking, trying to figure out what I'd done wrong, and then I saw Principal Hartwell's face. The school counselor and my granddad were with him. And I knew. Somehow I just knew," she paused, wrapping her arms around herself and staring at the glass tabletop. "I started crying before they could even tell me, and I kept asking how. I remember someone saying something about icy roads, and dozing off at the wheel, and how it was no one's fault. I hated that person for saying that. I wanted it to be someone's fault, to be able to blame somebody. I wanted to blame the car company for not making her sedan stronger, or the hospital for making her work that stupid double shift, or my sperm donor for leaving us so that she had to work so many hours in the first place. But more than anything else," she dared to lift her eyes to his, "for a long time, I wanted to blame her for not saying goodbye."

Megamind stood up and moved beside her chair to wrap one arm around her shoulders. She leaned into his warmth, laying her hand on his.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I had already left Metrocity High School by then. If I had known... I would have been there."

Roxanne laughed a little through her sorrow. "Yeah, that would have gone well... The city's new supervillain showing up to offer a spikey shoulder to cry on." She sighed and squeezed his hand. "You know you couldn't have, no matter how much you might have wanted to."

"I would have. I loved you even then, and I would have done anything for you." He kissed the top of her head. "I'm so sorry you lost your mother that way."

"It's alright. I mean, it's not alright, not really, but… It was a long time ago. I still miss her, but I've kept going. I've built a life for myself, just like she would have wanted." Roxanne sighed, but the sound held more relief than sadness. "You know, it's kind of nice to finally talk about it."

Megamind bent to lay his cheek on top of her head. She could almost hear the gentle smile in his voice. "It's nice to finally have someone to talk about it with," he said.

[hippityhoppitygetofmyproperty]

My Heart Skips a Beat

Characters: Logan, Patton, Roman, Virgil

Ships: LAMP

Trigger Warnings: Unnamed heart condition, Improper medical stuff, Hospitals, Talk of death, Surgery mention, Food mention, Crying (I think that’s it, let me know if I need to add any!)

Genre: Hurt / Comfort

Word Count: 2032

Universe: Human AU

Ao3 link

This is based off of an outline that I saw that I wanted to flesh out. I cannot re-find that outline to give proper credit so please let me know If you know what outline I’m talking about! Anyways, hope you enjoy whatever this turned out to be!

(edit: The outline belongs to @teacupfulofstarshine, give some love to this beautiful person!)

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

When they first started a relationship together, they knew about Patton.

Patton had a heart condition since birth that limits what he can do. But, since he’s had the condition since birth, he knew his limits. His family hoped he knew his limits after passing out and getting rushed to the hospital in middle school. He always told his close friends about it, mainly so they don’t push him too far.

Luckily, his 3 closest friends became his boyfriends.

They would always worry if he was okay, Virgil worrying the most. Whenever he would start to get a little dizzy doing something, Virgil would start asking questions making sure he was okay, Roman would scoop him up princess style and find the nearest seat, and Logan would start checking over him. That didn’t happen very often though, Patton wouldn’t let them worry that much.

Until it did start happening more. It turned from rarely ever to almost weekly,  while doing small things like their evening strolls that didn’t bother him before. They were wall worried about him, Patton was worried about himself. Now, he was standing at the kitchen counter booking an appointment with his doctor.

“Does Friday work for you?” The kind lady on the phone asked.

“Yes, that sounds perfect.” He replied, his tone somehow even despite how scared he was.

“Alright, we’ll see you then. Have a nice day, Mr.Baker.”

“You too.” He hung up the phone and released the breath he didn’t even know he was holding. Why must this happen? He has a good family, he has his boyfriends, why must his heart ruin it? It was then he felt a pair of arms snake around his waist.

“How are you doing, love?” Came Logan’s voice from behind.

“I’m fine, I’m just nervous.” He said as he gave way into the hug, the contact being a nice comfort while he dealt with this situation. 

“We all are, to be honest.” His grip tightened on Patton. “Hey, Roman and Virgil are laying out blankets so we can have a movie session.”

“That sounds great.”

Logan led Patton into the living room, where Virgil was fluffing pillows and Roman was shuffling through the Disney movies. Virgil caught sight of Patton and got up to help guide him towards the pull-out couch. He rolled his eyes and giggled slightly over his boyfriends’ concerned antics, but still allowed Virgil to help. Not long after they got Patton situated, Roman let out a small triumphant cry while holding up a movie case and moved over to the DVD player, letting Winnie the Pooh start-up on the screen, then went over to join the cuddle pile on the pull-out couch.

It was nice.

---

They wouldn’t let Patton go to his appointment alone, thought the doctors made them wait outside. They thought it was because of the testing, but it was really because Patton didn’t want them immediately in there if it’s bad news.

After the testing, the doctor told him the results.

Of course it was bad news. His heart condition has worsened.

“Would you like the others to come in? If so, we can discuss options to help correct the situation once they’re in here.” The doctor said.

Patton plastered on a smile, trying to be brave for his loves and not cry.  “Yes, that would be great.”

The doctor opened the door and motioned for Logan, Roman, and Virgil to come in. They immediately sat down next to Patton, in return, they got a small, soft smile.

“First thing’s first, the heart condition has gotten worse, as a result, making it harder for Mr.Baker to do activities that normally would be no problem.” They just nodded in understanding, not really knowing what to say. Virgil scooted closer to Patton so he can rest his head on him. “Though there is a surgery that we can perform to correct the condition.”

You could almost feel Patton’s hopefulness radiating off of him.

“What are the risk, if any?” asked Logan, of course he would think about that.

“That is the bad part. There is a 68% chance of there being further complications or death. Without the surgery, he has a prognosis of around 3-6 months.” The doctor looked at the faces in the room, ranging from disbelief to agony. “I’m just going to step out for a few minutes to allow you all to decide. If you don’t decide now, you can contact the front desk and they’ll direct the call to me to discuss specifications.” On that note, the doctor walked out of the room.

 Patton broke.

Virgil moved Patton on top of him while both Roman and Logan grabbed a hand and rubbed soothing circles into the back of them.

“So what are you going to do?” Roman asked from next to him.

“I think I’m going to do get the surgery.” Patton’s voice was barely louder than a whisper. He could feel Virgil tense behind him.

“You heard the risks though. You know that there is a pretty high probability that you could die or get harmed more.” Came Virgil’s voice, clearly worried. Patton didn’t want them to worry. He couldn’t bring himself to say anything else through his tears, so he just nodded his head and nuzzled closer into Virgil.

Logan was able to find the words Patton couldn’t, “Yes, but Virgil, you heard his prognosis. If he doesn’t take this chance…” His voice trailed off, not really wanting to end that sentence.

The knock of the doctor broke the occurring silence.

“Have you made your decision, or are you going to need to call back?”

Patton nodded and wiped the stray tears off of his face, “Yeah, I’m going to get the surgery.”

“Great. If we move towards the front desk, we can schedule a date.”

After they had a scheduled date for next week, they drove straight home, Roman comforting a crying Patton on his lap and letting a few tears fall himself. Once they got home, Roman carried Patton inside while the other two followed, Virgil got the blankets and Logan pulled out the couch so they could have a proper cuddle pile. Once they got comfy, Patton broke down again and so did his boyfriends, just a bit quieter. 

“I’m just… really scared.” Came Patton’s voice. It sounded so weak and fragile that it broke everyone’s heart even more.

“We understand, puffball,” Roman’s voice sounded thick from worry and tears. “This is a scary situation, you have a right to be scared.”

Patton choked out another sob, “I just don’t want to lose you guys.” At that, everyone tightened their hold on him.

Logan’s voice spoke up for the first time in a while, “You won’t lose us, we’ll make sure of it.” Whether the statement was made out of denial or determination, who knew.

They spent the rest of the day cuddling and watching movies until they eventually passed out while in the middle of Frozen.

When Patton woke up the next morning, the first thing he noticed was the lack of warmth, the next was hushed murmurings. He shifted a bit so he could find who was making the noise, catching the notice of his boyfriends by doing so. Roman then walked over and picked Patton up to set him down at the table.

“I can walk, you know.”

“Yes, but we’re not allowing you to walk more than you have to, Patty-cake.” Declared the dramatic man as he sat Patton down in a seat.

“Though, we are allowing you to walk every once in a while so you are not at risk of blood clots.” Logan’s voice called out from the stove, the smell of whatever he was making in the air. He then plated whatever it was and set it in the middle of the table.

Virgil took his seat next to Patton and gave the kind man a small squeeze. “We just don’t want you to overexert yourself, Cookie.” The use of their high school nicknames made Patton giggle.

“So, what do ya guys have planned for today. Surely it’s gotta be something interesting by the way you were all whispering.” Patton said as he started to fill his plate with food.

“Well, little Puffball,” Roman started from behind him, “We’re going to be having the best week ever before your surgery, starting with a trip to the shelter so you can play with the dogs.”

“That sounds great!” Patton all but shouted from his spot at the table. A week where he can spend it having fun with his boyfriends, amazing.

---

And amazing it was.

They spent the week making sure it was Patton’s best, going to his favorite places, watching his favorite movies, the absolute best cuddles, and overall made him feel special and loved. The best part though was the final night before the surgery where they blindfolded Patton while leading him to a certain spot. When they removed the blindfold off of Patton, he didn’t know what to say. They had set up a picnic in the park, but the area of the park they were at was what made Patton so speechless.

“Is this-”

“The place where we held our first date? Indeed, it is.” Logan finished for him, which he was grateful for. “We thought it would be nice to have another picnic at the place where it all started.”

“Yeah, who could forget the place where princey ran straight into a tree.” Virgil said, a squeak of defiance could shortly be heard after he received a smack from Roman.

“I think it’s lovely!” Patton looked at the picnic setup on top of the hill… great, a hill. He’s been feeling a bit dizzy from all of the stuff they’ve been doing leading up to the picnic. Before he could ask for help up there, he let out a yelp as Roman picked him up.

The picnic itself was a beautiful time. They had the same thing on their first date, pasta with a side salad, Roman rolled down the hill and ran into the same tree, Virgil started a food fight with everyone, and they ended the night with stargazing.

---

The next day was Patton’s surgery. They all had to wake up early, much to Virgil’s reluctance, to drive him to the hospital so they could prep him. Then they wait.

They were all scared in that waiting room. Why wouldn’t they? Their puffball was in surgery, a surgery that had a high chance of a side effect called death.

Roman went to the cafeteria to get some hot chocolate for everyone at some point, coffee was a no-go with their nerves already on edge, Logan was trying to keep Virgil from burning a hole in the floor, despite possibly being more worried than the ball of anxiety himself, and Virgil was trying to not go through all the different outcomes of the surgery.

After who knows how long, the doctor walked into the waiting room.

Patton’s surgery was a success.

You could practically feel the relief wash over the room.

“He hasn’t woken up yet from the anesthesia, but you are still allowed to wait in his room.” The doctor informed them right before he showed them to Patton’s room.

When they opened the door, their eyes laid on Patton laying in his bed. Unconscious but alive.

---

The first thing Patton registered when he woke up was the bright light, why is it so bright? The next was someone holding his hand. He turned his head to investigate, only for a smile to grace his lips as he saw Virgil passed out while holding his hand. He looked over Virgil’s shoulder to see that Roman and Logan fell asleep in the same chair close by, Roman looking more like a koala with how tight he was holding Logan.

It was a warming sight.

Patton decided not to bother their peace and go back to sleep. The main worry was over, he survived and now he can live his life with his wonderful boyfriends. He let that be his thought process as he drifted off to sleep surrounded by his loves.

[why-not-a-tickle-blog]

Tickle Week: Tuesday, Patton and Roman

Roman shook the hat with a flourish, pulling out a name. “Patton? Virgil, your lee moods have been beaten out two days in a row?”

Virgil flipped Roman off. “It’s not like I’m in a mood every day.”

“Oh, of course not,” Roman said with a teasing smile. “Patton! The chosen tickle toy of the day! Who would you like as your Ler?”

“Um… I’m not actually in a very big lee mood? So maybe, is anyone in just a little bit of a Ler mood?” Patton said. 

“Oh, I’d love to!” Roman said immediately. “I don’t know how much is a little, but I’d love to be your Ler, Patty-Cake.”

“Ok!” Patton said readily, smiling brightly. 

Roman tossed the hat aside to hug Pattton. “Do you want to go ahead and get tickled now, or wait a bit?”

“Maybe wait a bit? I still have to make breakfast.”

“Then I will help you!” Roman said, a bit too loudly and grandly for a living room. 

Patton gave him a fond smile, and the other sides started trickling out of the room. 

••^*^••

Patton was happily flipping pancakes, and Roman was adding chocolate chips and nuts, and buttering the finished pancakes. Well, that wasn’t all Roman was doing. He was quieter than usual, but he kept sending Patton these teasing glances. 

It happened when Patton had just poured the batter, and stepped away from the stove for a moment. Just a quick poke to his side that made him yelp and jump. 

“What is it, Pat?” Roman asked innocently. 

Patton tucked his arms close to his sides, nearly giggling already. “You just tickled me!”

“I did? Wow, I must be good if I can do it without realizing.”

“You did!” Patton insisted, smiling. 

Roman returned his smile, but just shrugged. 

Patton tried to keep an eye out, but he was still surprised by another poke a few minutes later. This time he did start giggling. “You did it again!”

Roman gasped, “I did?! My dear Patton, you’ll have to let me know sooner! If I’m going to tickle you I simply have to be aware of it.”

“Romahan!” 

“Pahatton!” Roman teased. “I’m not kidding, I love tickling you! I have to know when I’m doing it.”

Patton turned back to cooking, but tried his best to keep his eyes on Roman as much as possible. 

Still, he didn’t see the third poke coming. But he was prepared and grabbed at Roman’s wrist. 

“Now! You’re tickling me now!” He said proudly. 

“That I am,” Roman said, suddenly squeezing at Patton’s sides and making him dissolve into giggles. 

“Rohohoman!” 

“Oh, thank you so much, Patty-Cake, I loved getting to properly tickle you!” Roman said, stopping after just a few seconds. 

“Your wehelcome,” Patton said, still giggling. 

Roman released him with a grin and turned back to his food. 

The next time Patton saw the poke coming. He dodged, sticking his tongue out teasingly. 

Roman grinned brightly. “Come here, Patton.”

Patton burst into giggles. “You're going to tickle me!”

“Oh, I certainly am, my little tickle toy. Now come here.” 

Patton was nearly overwhelmed with giggles by the time he got within Roman’s reach. Roman pulled him closer, tazing at his sides and nearly making him fall to the ground. But Roman stopped just as quickly, catching Patton before he could fall. 

“Yohou’re mean,” Patton said through giggles. 

“Mean? Dear Patton, I caught you when you were going to fall! And I’m warning you now before the pancakes burn.” 

Patton gasped, turning back to his pancakes and flipping them just in time. 

Suddenly they heard a loud squeal that turned into laughter. 

“Looks like somebody grew a lee mood,” Roman said with a smirk. 

Patton grinned too. “These are the last two pancakes. Would you mind setting the table?”

“Not at all.”

Roman soon had the table set, and the other sides were called for breakfast. 

After they’d eaten, and everyone had thanked Patton and Roman for cooking, Logan offered to clean up.

“So, what should be our plan for the day?” Roman asked. 

Patton thought about it for a bit. “Can we go to that flower field in the Imagination for a picnic lunch?”

Roman nodded slowly. “Until then…” he got a smirk on his face. 

Patton covered his mouth, trying to stop a giggle from slipping out, and backed up a step. 

Roman took a step towards him. “This is your chance to run~”

Patton squeaked, spinning around and running. 

Roman growled playfully, chasing Patton. 

Patton ran into the living room, nearly tripping over Virgil, who was sitting on the floor. Roman did trip, giving Patton a bit more of a head start. 

Patton kept running, but there’s only so many places in a house you can run, and with every turn Roman got closer. 

“I’m gonna catcha, Patton!” Roman growled. “And I’m gonna tickle you!”

Even without Roman touching him, Patton squealed behind his hands, running into his room and trying to shut the door. 

Roman easily pushed it open, and Patton ran behind the bed. Roman closed the door behind him, smirking at Patton. 

“Did you really think you’d get away?”

Patton backed up until he was against the wall, but then there wasn’t really anywhere left to run, especially as Roman started stalking towards him. 

Roman kept getting closer and closer, and Patton burst into nervous giggles. 

Roman put one hand on the wall on either side of him, bracketing him in. 

“I’ll give you one chance for mercy,” Roman said, his voice low and smooth in the way that sent shivers down Patton’s spine. “Uncover that sweet face and put your hands up in the air.”

Patton did as Roman said, uncovering his face which was already bright red and unleashing all the giggles into the air. 

“There we go, such a good little lee, aren’t you?” Roman praised, and dug his fingers into Patton’s belly. 

Patton let out a squealing laugh, and his knees gave out immediately, dropping him to the floor. 

Roman started laughing right along with him as he picked him up and plopped him onto the bed. He laid next him, one hand every so slowly exploring his torso, wiggling and squeezing. 

Patton was laughing his heart out, squealing and snorting and wriggling all over, and Roman wasn’t even tickling him very much. 

“Aww, the sweet little Lee was just dying to get tickled, wasn’t he?” Roman cooed. 

Patton nodded, too caught up in the sweet laughter to try speaking. 

“You’re just precious,” Roman said fondly. 

Patton certainly seemed to be having a very good time. His laughter was bright and happy, and though he was squirming everywhere, he never tried to get away or push Roman’s hand away. 

“Do you think my sweetest, most precious tickle toy would want some raspberries?” Roman asked teasingly. 

Patton squealed harder, though that might also be because of the little bit of tazing Roman had just given him right above his waistline. 

Roman pulled his hand back, sitting up on Patton’s legs. “Let’s see if you can stay still for it, hmm?”

“I cahan’t!” Patton said. 

“Oh, but I think you can,” Roman said, tugging up Patton’s shirt and circling a small spot on the side with his finger. “I’m gonna give you one little raspberry riiight over here.”

Patton tried very hard to be still, the dear, but he was a very wiggly person anyway, much less when being tickled, and wasn’t entirely succeeding. 

Roman leaned forward until his mouth was very nearly touching, but not quite. “Riiight here. One little raspberry. If you can be still I’ll give you a reward.”

Patton was giggling uncontrollably. 

Roman took in a deep breath, and Patton’s whole belly shook. Roman blew the raspberry and Patton shrieked with laughter. He jolted, but managed not to wiggle away or shove at Roman’s head. 

“Oh, you’re doing so well, Patton!” 

Patton was still giggling his heart out. Roman waited for a bit, to be sure he wasn’t going to lose his breath. 

“How’s it going, Sunshine?” 

“Gohood.”

“What do you think about another raspberry for a reward?”

Patton burst into fresh giggles, nodding. 

Roman circled a spot near the bottom of Patton’s ribs. “What about here?”

Patton squirmed all over. It was adorable. The teasing worked very nearly as well as the tickling did. 

“Oh, you have to be still to get the reward, sweet one,” Roman teased. 

Patton let out a whine, taking several breaths to try and calm himself, but as soon as Roman moved to hover over the spot he was giggling all over again. But he wasn’t squirming as much, and Roman deemed him worthy, blowing a long raspberry that had him squealing and laughing. 

“There. For such a good lee, I’ll give you just one more. And for being such a darling you get to pick where it goes.”

“Ihi… I get to pick?” Patton said breathlessly, with his face all flushed and happy. 

Roman could’ve melted. “Yes, Sunshine, you get to pick where the last one goes.”

Patton took in a few more breaths, before his hand went to cover his bellybutton. “Here?” 

Roman smiled, lifting his hand away and drawing a featherlight circle around his bellybutton with his finger. “Here? This precious bellybutton wants tickles?”

Patton was already giggling again. “Yehes!”

Roman set his hands on Patton’s belly on either side, wiggling his fingers slightly. Patton’s giggles came out faster every second. 

“Then I’ll give it all the tickles it wants,” Roman said, leaning down and blowing the longest raspberry he could. 

Patton shrieked with laughter, but it was one of the kind that you could tell just from the sound that it was mostly because Patton found it fun to be loud in his laughter. 

Roman’s head came back up, and Patton was smiling as brightly at him as he was at Patton. Patton held his arms out, making grabby hands, and Roman flopped on top of him in a hug. 

“You’re the best,” Patton said, his voice still rather giggly. 

Now it was Roman’s turn to get red. “Patton, I can’t tell you what a joy it is to be your Ler.”

••^*^••

The two of them made a picnic lunch, taking it into the imagination where they could sit in a field chock full of flowers to eat it. Roman made sure to dangle many flowers against Patton’s neck and face, teasing him with light touches at every opportunity. And of course, flower crowns were a must. 

After most of an afternoon in the sun, playing and running in the flowers, and chasing the butterflies Roman conjured to give Patton ticklish kisses, they went back to the mind palace. 

The two of them sat together on the couch to watch a Disney movie before dinner, and Patton fell asleep, slipping over into Roman’s lap. 

When he saw that Patton was asleep, Virgil volunteered to make dinner. 

A bit later he came back. 

“I made dinner. It’s just, like, mac’n’cheese, but it’s ready now.”

“Thanks,” Roman whispered. 

Virgil nodded and left, probably to get the other sides for dinner. 

“Suuunshiiine~” Roman said softly, brushing the backs of his fingers against Patton’s cheek. “You’ll have to wake up for dinner now.”

Patton’s face scrunched up adorably, and he turned to hide his face in Roman’s stomach, letting out a small whine.  

Roman smiled down at him. He was so precious. Roman trailed his fingers down over his side. 

Patton squirmed, whining a bit louder. 

“Virgil made dinner, Darling, it’s time to eat.”

“ ‘m tired…”

“I know,” Roman said sympathetically, his fingers trailing down to Patton’s belly. “But it’s time to get up.”

Patton squirmed, whining, but it only took one gentle poke to his soft belly to have him giggling and rolling over. 

“Ihi’m awake!” 

“Are you? Are you sure?” Roman teased, giving the belly another gentle poke. 

Patton shoved at his hand, his face breaking into a bright smile. “Yehes! I’m awahake!”

“Oh. So you are!”

Dinner was quite delicious, even if it was just mac’n’cheese, and everyone thanked Virgil afterward, which made him blush and mumble about how he couldn’t really cook. 

“I will physically fight you!” Patton said. “You can too cook!”

“Oh?” Virgil said, lifting his chin. “And how would you fight me?”

“I will tickle you until you admit you can cook!”

Virgil smirked. “Not if Ro tickles you first.”

Roman’s eyes widened as he considered. He glanced at Logan, and then at Patton, who was looking at him pleadingly. 

Roman crossed his arms, puffing up his chest. “I’ll give you two a challenge. Whoever loses must admit defeat.”

Both Virgil and Patton nodded. 

“Then stand here, and whoever moves away first loses.”

Roman pointed to a place near a wall. The two of them stood there, against the wall, looking at him curiously. 

“This is going to be a tease game.” Roman smirked as they both went wide-eyed. “But I won’t be going easy on you. You two have to come up with the teases. You’ll take turns making teases, but you’ll both get them.”

Logan hadn’t left, and was watching with a slight smile. 

Both Patton and Virgil had wide, nervous smiles, already on the verge of giggling. 

“Patton!” Roman said. “You’ll be up first.”

“Oh! Like, um, like arms up?” Patton said, looking like he wasn’t quite sure whether it counted. 

Roman stepped in closer, slowly picking Patton’s hands up and holding them above his head. “Exactly. Now these arms have to stay up for the rest of the game. Don’t let them fall~”

Patton was already squirming and giggling, and Virgil shot his own arms up, blushing darker than Patton was, but very still and quiet. 

“So, Virgil, it’s time to pick your poison. Which tease do you want~?” Roman asked, really getting to enjoy his position in the game. 

“You’re enough of a tease, Princey, we wouldn’t need much more,” Virgil said, smirking. 

“I’m enough of a tease?” Roman said, capturing Virgil’s chin in his hand. “Does that mean I get to do whatever I want?”

Virgil’s eyes suddenly went very wide, and he shook his head, trying to get free of Roman’s hand. Roman kept leaning closer, and even closer, before suddenly darting in when Virgil’s head moved just right to expose his throat, and Roman blew a raspberry just behind his jaw. Virgil let out a squeak, and his knees nearly gave out. 

Roman pulled away, grinning evilly. “And my dearest Patton, there’s no way I would forget you.”

Patton was already giggling just from Roman turning towards him. Roman set his hands up at Patton’s elbows, maintaining eye contact while dragging his fingers down his arms. Patton’s giggles came faster and faster, until Roman’s fingers were resting on his armpits over his shirt. 

“Are you ready?” Roman asked. 

Patton nodded, biting his lip. 

“Poke!” Roman poked two fingers in and then away, but just from that briefest contact Patton was laughing and squirming nearly enough to lose. 

“It’s your turn now, Pat,” Roman said, after giving him a few seconds. 

Patton’s eyes suddenly lit up, and his head popped up as he grinned evilly. “Around the garden.”

“Ohh, going in for the kill, huh, Pat?” Roman said with a chuckle, and Virgil went downright pale. 

“But~ you made the tease, and you’ll get it first,” Roman teased. “It’ll only get to work on Virgil if you can handle it on you.”

Patton nodded firmly, though he was losing the fight against a large wobbly grin. 

Well, with the stakes being what they were, Roman could understand wanting a sure win, though perhaps he wished they would’ve drug it out a bit longer. 

Roman slowly rolled up Patton’s shirt to expose his belly, and summoned a clothespin to hold it up. His belly was quaking and jiggling before Roman even touched it. 

Roman dragged one finger in a slow circle around his belly, sending Patton back into giggles. 

“Round and round the garden~” Roman said, imitating Patton’s patton-ted nursery rhyme voice. “Like a teddy bear~”

Patton squealed just before the ‘one step’, and squealed again with each of the two steps. Roman shot a quick look to Virgil, who looked like he was trying very hard not to watch. 

“A tickly under there!” Roman said, squeezing Patton’s hips. Patton burst into hysterical laughter, practically jumping up and down, but not away. 

Roman only stayed there a few seconds, partly for mercy’s sake, and partly because he really did want Patton to win. One finger went back to circling, waiting until Patton had a bit more control over himself to start the second verse. 

“Round and round the mulberry bush, like a little hare~”

Patton was already squirming in anticipation, his laughter bright and happy, even with just the little circly tickles. 

“One step,” squeal “Two step,” squeal 

Roman looked up at Patton's face, red and maybe a teeny bit teary, but determined. 

Roman grinned. “A tickly under there!”

Aside from Virgil, who was the uncontested champion, Patton had the most ticklish bellybutton, and Roman’s finger slipping inside to tickle it made his laughter rocket up. Squeals and snorts, and very loud laughing, and half-words that no one could decipher. 

Roman took a step back, admiring his work. Patton looked like he’d had the time of his life, and he’d managed not to move away. 

But once most of Patton’s laughter had dispersed, they both looked at Virgil, who let out a little squeak just from the attention. 

“Ready, Stormcloud?” 

Virgil shimmied back and forth. “Th-this is a teasing game! And that was definitely tickling! It doesn’t count!”

“Aww, but you didn’t make a peep when our dear Patton got tickled, now did you?” Roman teased. “I think it does count.”

“No, noho! It doesn’t!” 

Roman tugged up the hem of Virgil’s shirt and Virgil bit down on his lip, a whine slipping out as his belly quivered. 

Roman swirled his finger around very slowly. “Round and round the garden~ like a teddy bear~”

Virgil was almost holding his breath, trying to stay still. He closed his eyes tight, every bit of him going rigid as Roman counted out “One step, two step.”

Roman jabbed his pointer fingers into Virgil’s armpits. “A tickly under there!”

Virgil exploded. He was laughing and cackling, his knees buckling, and he only barely caught himself. 

Patton started laughing just from seeing Virgil laugh, and Roman could hardly help the quick poke to Patton’s side that had him giggling harder. 

“Ready for round two?” Roman asked Virgil. 

“Nohohoho!”

“Round and round~”

“Noooooo!” Virgil squealed. 

“The mulberry bush~”

“Rohohomaaan!”

“Like a little hare~”

Virgil shrieked even louder than Patton had with the two steps. 

“A tickly under there!”

Virgil squealed, ducking away so fast he lost balance and fell to the ground, still giggling and covering his belly with his hands. 

“I win!” Patton cheered. 

Roman pounced on Virgil. “I’m still getting that bellybutton!”

Virgil let out an adorable squeal. “Noooho!”

“I’m coming for it!”

Virgil put up a half hearted wrestle before going mostly limp once Roman had grabbed his wrists. 

“Oh, I see how it is~” Roman teased, digging down in the little belly to make Virgil scream with laughter. 

Patton was right there when he was done to boop Virgil on the nose. “You are a good cook.”

Virgil smiled. “Fine, yes. At mac’n’cheese anyway.”

Patton smiled proudly. 

“I say you get a reward for winning, Patton,” Roman said. 

Patton’s eyes lit up and he clapped. “Ooh, like what?!”

“I’ll let you pick where I tickle you.”

Patton’s mouth dropped open, his cheeks turning pink again. 

He hemmed and hawed about it for a while, and Virgil got up to watch him with the same predatory stare Roman was. 

Finally he spoke, his voice small and shy. “Thighs?” He waved his hands around. “But just for a little bit! I’m pretty close to tickled out for the day.”

“Of course, Patton,” Roman said smoothly. 

They were already sitting on the ground, and Virgil took Patton’s hands, holding them in his and sitting behind him, whispering some kind of teases in his ears that had Patton squirming and giggling already. Roman sat over his calves and held his hands in claws over Patton’s thighs. 

Roman flashed Patton a smile, and then squeezed. 

Patton jerked and pulled immediately, squealing and laughing. But between Roman and Virgil he was pretty well stuck for Roman to squeeze up and down the soft, squishy thighs, leading to many shrieks and squeals, the space in between filled with hysterical laughter. 

When Patton’s laughter got just a bit wheezy, Roman quit, enjoying the residual giggles. 

“You know…” Virgil said. “I’ll bet there’s cookies in the kitchen, and if anyone deserves a second cookie, then you do.”

Patton beamed. Somehow he managed to look like a kid at Christmas just at the possibility of two cookies. 

“Mmm, and milk,” Roman said. “Cookies and milk, the perfect nighttime snack for such a sweet gigglebug.” 

Patton nodded happily. 

The three of them got their cookies, and their milk, and ate them while talking, though probably half of the talk was teases, and there were plenty of playful pokes interspersed, and at least once milk was spit out from a sudden laugh. 

By the time he’d eaten his second cookie, Patton was yawning.

“Ready for bed?” Roman asked. 

Patton nodded. “Mmhmm.”

“Then you are released,” Roman said, infusing a bit of pomp into his voice. “You were an absolutely fantastic tickle toy, and I’d love to tickle you again.”

Patton gave him a hug. “Thank you. I had a really fun time, and I loved your game.”

Roman was far more pleased by that than he let on, and swooped Patton up to carry him to bed. 

Taglist: @barelyticklishlee @little-lee-stories @august-anon

Taglist Note: If you suggest something, and I use it, I’ll tag you, and if you ask to be put on the taglist, I’ll also tag you, so if anyone else has suggestions or just wants to be tagged, let me know! And I hope I won’t forget anyone.

[sheerfreesia007]

Block Party (1/2)

Title: Block Party (1/2)

Pairing: Francisco “Catfish” Morales x Reader

Author: @sheerfreesia007​​

Words: 1,919

Warnings: Fluff

Author Notes: First time writing for Catfish! This was inspired by the fireworks going off around my neighborhood and I wanted to see if I could write for another character of Pedro’s. Feedback is always welcome. Let me know if I did this man justice. I’ve got one more part in mind for this so stay tuned! Thanks for reading as always.

Gif Credit: @ithinkwehitametaphor​

         The block party was in full swing as Frankie walked out of his front door with little Rosalie in his arms. The boys who had set up a small grill out in his front yard all looked over and cheered loudly. Rosalie cooed in his arms and Frankie smiled warmly down at her as she flailed her arms in the air.

         Santiago walked over with a bright smile on his face as he held his hands out for the toddler making a funny face at her while she shrieked in delight. Frankie laughed softly as he handed the squirming toddler over to her Godfather and walked over to Benny and Will who were bickering over what they should grill first.

         “Bro, I’m telling you the burgers are going to need longer to cook then the dogs.” Benny said as he held up the package of burgers that they had brought over.

         “I know that but you can’t just overcrowd the grill with burgers.” Will tried to reason with his brother. Frankie smiled as he slung an arm around Will’s shoulders.

         “Frankie, settle this for us.” Benny implored easily and Will huffed out a breath in annoyance.

         “I gotta agree with Will buddy. Besides Rosa loves hot dogs so we gotta make one for her.” Frankie said good-naturedly. Just then a bunch of kids ran down the block yelling and playing with each other making Frankie look up in contentment. The other two men next to him did as well instantly forgetting their argument as they all surveyed the busy block party.

         Families had pulled out grills into their front yards either on the driveway like Frankie had done and were starting them to begin grilling whatever meats they had picked out. There were long plastic table laid out in the middle of the block in the street decorate with different table cloths that didn’t match but seemed to flow together in a bright rainbow reflecting the summer season perfectly.

         Just then the sound a slamming screen door caught Frankie’s attention and he tensed with agitation and felt Will tense under his arm as well. The three of them turned to see you struggling with multiple bowls in your arms. Frankie felt himself slowly easing out of the unease as his eyes raked over your body. You were wearing a two sizes too big red, white and blue plaid shirt over a white tank top and a pair of blue jean shorts with a pair of strappy sandals on your feet. Your hair was pulled up and away from your face in loose ponytail letting your curls cascade down your back as they swayed with your movement to one of the tables in the middle of the street.

         “Girl, what did I tell you about slamming the screen door?!” shouted Mrs. Oliveri, Frankie’s next door neighbor.

         “Sorry Grandma I forgot!” you called out over your shoulder as you finally made it to the table and set down the bowls in your arms. Once you were sure that they were safe on the table you turned around and spotted Frankie and his friends. “Hey Frankie! How are ya?” you called out to him with a wave and a bright smile.

         Frankie blushed softly at the attention you were giving him and smiled crookedly at you before waving back at you. You had shown up about two weeks ago under the guise of visiting your grandparents and helping them during the summer with anything that they needed. He had actually met you as you were repainting their mailbox for them one morning and he had instantly become smitten with your easy nature, not to mention the smear of paint on your cheeks that you had acquired during your task made his heart pound in his chest. The two of you had gotten closer as he saw you repairing any damage to your grandparents’ house. He felt himself drawn to you and your bright easy smile that you always flashed at him no matter what mood you were in.

         “Hey, doing alright. How about you?” he responded unsure and watched as your smile grew even wider on your face. He couldn’t help the jolt in his heart rate as he watched your eyes sparkle with a certain something at him. You walked over to where he was still standing at his grill and he watched as the two brothers straightened in stature and Benny had a smirk grow on his lips.

         “I’m doing well just helping Grandma with the cooking. She’s all in a fluster about making sure everything is perfect.” You said warmly as you shrugged your shoulders. He watched as you slid your hands into the back pockets of your shorts, the movement made the plaid shirt fall to either side of your chest and the white tank top pull tight against your breasts. Frankie felt his breath leave him as he caught sight of white lacey bra strap peaking out from under your tank top.      Just then Benny cleared his throat and stuck his hand out to you with a grin.

         “Since this idiot forgot his manners let me introduce myself, I’m Benny Miller. This is my brother Will and over there with the beautiful little Rosalie is Santiago Garcia.” Benny said easily as you shook his hand smiling at him. Frankie shot Benny a glare at the dig towards him and you laughed softly at the comraderie.

         “It’s nice to meet you guys.” You said easily as you gave them your name and moved to shake Will’s hand as well and wave over at Santiago who smiled and nodded his head as he walked over to stand in between you and Will. Frankie watched as your attention was instantly caught by Rosalie who began to babble at you with familiarity and he couldn’t help but feel himself fall more enraptured with you. Here you were a bunch of men who he knew all found you attractive on some level and you were more focused on his toddler. “And hello to you too gorgeous. Still keeping your Daddy up at night?” you asked grinning at the squirming toddler who babbled back at you as Santiago held her.

         “You know it, woke up twice last night.” Frankie said tiredly as he picked up the bag of charcoal that sat by his feet. He poured some into the grill and Will set about putting in fire starters before they lit them and set the grill on top.

         “You know I’m always around to help out if you need it.” You offered to Frankie and he smiled at you shaking his head. “I know, I know, but just think about it. I’ve been reading some articles on helping toddlers sleep throughout the night. I’ll print them out and give them to you later.” You said holding your hands up in resignation as you smiled over at him before turning back to Rosalie who was trying to slap her hands against your held up ones. Frankie grew silent as he watched you play patty cake with Rosalie who laughed delightedly in Santiago’s arms, you were always offering to help him out with Rosalie and you never pushed him you just offered the help. It was one of the many reasons why he found himself falling for you.

         Frankie grunted softly as he felt Will’s elbow connect with his side and he shot his head over to the man. Will tilted his head towards you and nodded his head trying to silently tell Frankie something. Frankie then realized that all of his friends were staring at him with various levels of wide eyes and tilting heads, but Frankie was at a loss to what they were trying to tell him.

         “Invite her to sit with us pendejo.” Benny whispered softly to him as he leaned over into Frankie. Frankie jolted forward slightly as his eyes darted around his friends who were all nodding their heads.

         “Hey, uh, would you wanna come and sit with us later and hang out?” Frankie asked softly as he rubbed a hand over the back of his neck in awkward embarrassment. He cringed as he heard the words coming out of his mouth, god why couldn’t he talk to a woman without sounding like a stupid teenager? You turned to him with a bright smile on your face and he felt like he had been punched in the gut.

         “I would love to, thanks Frankie.” You said enthusiastically nodding your head. Rosalie babbled happily next to you and you turned back to her smiling widely.

         “Dear?! Can you bring the rest of the side dishes and desserts to the table?” Called your grandfather from their front door and you turned quickly to him with a nod.

         “Sure thing Gramps.” You responded and turned back to the group of men and toddler. “I’ll see you guys later alright?” you questioned easily and the group answered with affirmation before you set off to the front door. Frankie smiled as he noticed you didn’t let the screen door slam this time.

         “Dude, please tell me you’re going after that?” Benny asked in a low voice before he whistled low.

         “Yeah man, she’s in love with Rosalie already and I’m pretty sure she’s into you.” Santiago teased with a smirk creeping on his face.

         “Shut up idiots.” Frankie huffed out softly and was suddenly turned sharply to Will who gripped his shoulders tightly.

         “We’re not joking Fish.” He said seriously as he stared into Frankie’s eyes. “She’s gorgeous and cares enough about you to research ways to help your daughter stay asleep at night. I’d say that’s something big to look into.”

         “I don’t know guys. She’s so out of my league and she’s only here to help out her grandparents for the summer.” Frankie said unsure as he watched Benny begin to set out a bunch of hotdogs and burgers on the grill.

         “You’re a good man Frankie and she can see that so I think you’ve got a chance. Plus you could always give her a reason to stay longer.” Santiago mused as he bopped Rosalie on her nose making her shriek with laughter. “Isn’t that right pequeña rosa preciosa? Daddy just needs to grow the balls and go after the mujer hermosa, huh?”

         Frankie rolled his eyes at his friend as he watched his daughter laugh in delight and pat Santiago’s cheeks. Maybe his friends were right, maybe you did care about him more than just a friendly neighbor. The two of you did become fast friends ever since you came to stay with your grandparents, maybe he could convince you stay or at least come back for him and Rosa. Frankie began to feel his confidence build at his friends’ words and he nodded his head in agreement.

         “You’re right.” He said and the guys cheered around him.

         “Good man Fish!” Will said happily as he clapped his hand on Frankie’s back.

         “Go get ‘em tiger.” Benny teased with a loud bark of laughter.

         “Finally! Isn’t that right pequeña rosa preciosa?” Santiago said warmly as he looked down at Rosa who was holding her hands out to Frankie who quickly moved over to sweep her up in his arms and swing her over his head. The laughter of his daughter rang out into the air as the block party continued to thrive in the summer day, and for once Frankie felt like things were taking a turn for the better.

Mujer Hermosa = Beautiful woman

Pequeña rosa preciosa = Precious little rose

[sadaboutniall]

something about you;

introduction | masterlist | tag | wattpad

Twenty Nine. February, 2018.

**please note: this chapter delves into Isla’s work as a lawyer, which involves domestic violence and abuse against women and children. please read with caution.**

Niall has always been worried about Isla overworking herself, but it’s not until she moves in with him that he realizes he hasn’t, actually, been worried enough. 

Before this, Niall’d always assumed that late nights were few and far between for Isla—that she would come over to his flat at 10pm not because she’d only just left the office, but because she’d stopped off at her own flat first, or gone to the gym, or taken a quick trip to the shops. Two weeks into living together and he learns that he’s never been more wrong in his life. Most nights, he’s lucky to have her home by 9.

Even then, though, Isla brings her work home, spends hours curled up on the couch with case briefings in her lap, a cup of tea untouched on the table next to her. He wonders if she even remembered to eat dinner before living with him—sometimes he’ll bring her a plate only for her to look up at him, confused, before realizing she hasn’t eaten since lunch. 

He knows Isla’s work is important, that she literally saves lives, but, on occasion, he wonder if it’s literally killing her. 

Two days before Valentine’s Day, he decides enough is enough. 

‘So I was thinking,’ he starts, bringing a bowl of Shepherd's Pie over to Isla. She’s taken over the dining room table tonight, surrounded by stacks and stacks of paper. ‘Thursday.’

‘Hmm?’ She glances up at him, eyes heavy, exhausted. ‘What about it?’

‘S’Valentines Day,’ Niall places the bowl down in front of Isla, smoothing a hand over the back of her hair. ‘Do you think you can bunk off work a little early? I wanna take you out.’

Slowly, sadly, Isla closes her eyes. She leans her head back into Niall’s hand, and he feels his heart sink. ‘No,’ she sighs. ‘I’m in court all day Thursday.’

‘How late is all day?’

‘Dunno,’ she says, eyes still closed. ‘The judge usually calls it around 6, but it could go longer… I’m sorry, Niall,’ she opens her eyes, an apologetic look on her face. ‘This case is just… God, it’s a tough one.’

Niall hums, dropping a kiss onto Isla’s forehead, letting his lips linger there for a moment. Finally, he asks, ‘can I come?’

‘To court?’ Isla sounds surprised. Niall pulls out the chair next to her, lowering himself down into it. 

‘Yeah, it’s open to the public, isn’t it?’

‘It is, but I don’t think you want—’

‘You see me do my job all the time,’ Niall says, leaning his elbows on the table. ‘I never see you do yours.’

‘Well, your work is a little more cheerful than mine,’ Isla gestures at the stack of papers between then. ‘Do you really want to sit on a nasty wooden court bench for hours and listen to a scared, lonely child give devastating testimony about the domestic violence he and his mother experienced? S’a little different from watching you pop a boner and sing Slow Hands.’

‘I have never popped a boner during Slow Hands.’

‘Oh, really? Because I have evidence—’

‘Shut up,’ Niall laughs, knocking Isla’s leg with his under the table. ‘You’re the only one who’s able to tell anyway.’

‘I dunno, babe. Twitter has a lot of theories.’

‘Stop looking on Twitter, it’ll lower your IQ. The children need you,’ Niall places his hand on top of the stack again, bringing the conversation back around. ‘Your work is really important, petal. Way more important than mine. I want to support you the way you support me.’

Isla sighs, dropping her head into her hands. ‘It’s going to be really depressing, Niall. It’s not how you want to spend your Valentine’s Day.’

‘I just want to spend Valentine’s Day with you, lover,’ Niall pushes the stack of papers further up the table and out of the way, reaching his hand across to touch Isla’s arm. ‘No matter where that is.’

-- 

Unsurprisingly, Isla is right.

On Valentine’s Day, Niall learns three things. The first is that court is really fucking depressing, and the second is that those wooden benches are really fucking uncomfortable.

Thirdly, though, Niall realizes that Isla is a literal, real life superhero in human form. He doesn’t know how she does it, spends all day every day listening to victims of abuse—usually women and children, her area of speciality—recount the horrific, unimaginable things they’ve had done to them. He has to step out of the courtroom twice to pull himself together, has to clench his fists tightly to keep from screaming at the defendant in the middle of a cross examination. He can’t wrap his head around the fact that anyone else in this room is keeping their cool.

But amidst the devastation and evil, Isla is a beacon of light, of hope. She’s kind and she’s soft to the victims, cunning and harsh to the defendant, using pure wit and incredible skill to outsmart him, to spotlight holes in his testimony, to expose him as the scum he is. Niall spends the entire hearing torn between shock and awe, trying not to let his jaw drop to the floor. 

He’d had no idea. 

After what feels like a million years of testimony, the jury deliberates. Niall feels overwhelmed with the injustice of it all, furious that victims are forced to relive their abuse in front of strangers, that those strangers get to decide whether or not the abuser goes to jail. He knows impartiality is vital in a just society but he can’t wrap his head around the ugly, traumatic reality of it, can’t shake the sick feeling off his bones. He’s struck, once again, with disbelief that Isla can do this every day.

From his spot on the uncomfortable bench he watches her, the way she comforts the worried mother, distracts the anxious child. She plays patty cake with the boy while they wait, resulting in the first smile in the courtroom all day, and fields questions from the mother with expert care, with confident clarity.

When the jury returns, just over an hour later, Niall holds his breath. An hour is a shorter than average deliberation time—he knows that much. In his stomach, there’s a flicker of hope that maybe, after all this, the evidence had been just as clear as he’d imagined. 

One deep breath, then another. 

The jury forewoman stands, and Isla wins. 

--

‘Fucking hell,’ says Niall, dropping a kiss into Isla’s hair as they stand at the pizza counter, awaiting their two pies to go. After court he told her to pick dinner, anything she wanted, and Isla hadn’t hesitated. Pizza and garlic knots to take home and eat on the couch, pants off, Planet Earth on. ‘I still can’t get over that, I’m so proud of you.’

‘You’re sweet,’ Isla reaches back to cup Niall’s cheek, his face still buried in her hair. ‘Thank you.’

‘You literally saved two lives today,’ he says for the millionth time tonight, picking his head up when the baker announces their order. ‘You’re unbelievable. A fucking legend. A—’

‘I’m just doing my job,’ she tells him, reaching forward for their food. Niall takes the pies, and Isla tucks the bag of garlic knots under her arm. 

‘I’m glad you were there,’ she tells him, as they step out of the pizzeria and into the cold, February evening. It’s dark and windy tonight, flutters of what might be snow swirling in the air above them. Around them, the storefronts and flat windows of Clerkenwell toss a warm, golden light onto the wet street, and inside him Niall feels his stomach flutter, his heart buoy. These are the kind of moments he’d imagined as a kid, when he thought about love and his future, about settling down. The gentle domesticity of this is almost heart stopping to him: the overwhelming love he feels just walking to the car with Isla next to him, warm pizza in his hands, a night of kissing, cuddling, talking over the quiet murmur of the TV ahead of them. He opens the car door for Isla and thinks about love in its tiny moments like this, about how, despite all the dramatic gestures he’s seen, love might just be at its best when it’s quiet. 

Sliding into the driver’s side, Niall glances over at Isla, streetlights casting a warm glow over her face, bag of garlic knots placed carefully in her lap, and he could almost burst with it, almost wants to cry, he’s so overwhelmed with it. 

‘Love you,’ he tells her, reaching over to grab himself a garlic knot for the road. ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’

####

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