#anyway he is the bestest little brother and i love him

[lady-of-tearshed]

ok…hear me out, a fic where cassian has a kid (prob adopted or smth) that’s nonverbal bc trauma or disability reasons, and it kinda wears on cass so one night he’s like talking to rhys about how his kid isn’t normal, and the kid went to get some water but overhears the whole thing - just angst to comfort

love your writing btw💗💗

Beautifully different

Pairing: Nessian & Their kids (Oc!Briana & Oc!Zion)

Summary: Cassian has a lot of pent-up frustration and worries about his son, Zion, who is diagnosed with selective mutism. He slips up in front of Zion, and now he has to apologize and make it better.

Word count: 1368 words

Warnings: Disabled child (selective mutism), angst, miscommunication, a bit of swearing, allusion to Nessian conceiving another child.

Dividers made by @tsunami-of-tears ❤️

“It’s called selective mutism,”

Cassian could still remember the confusion and worry that had set in his head the day Madja had announced the diagnosis of his son, Zion. 

Cassian’s grip tightened around his mate’s shoulders, his jaw clenched with anger. “So he’s not talking on purpose?” 

“No,” Madja’s voice had softly reassured him and Nesta, whom was crying against Cassian's chest. “No, it’s not how it works. It’s a rare childhood anxiety disorder. It’s the brain response to a trigger that makes Zion unable to speak in certain situations or around certain people,”

He remembered how it made his stomach twist with guilt, how the sight of his mate crying in his chest at the hard news had brought tears to his own eyes. But Madja’s comforting hand on his shoulder had calmed him down, grounded him. Her voice had enveloped his heavy heart and soothed his ache like a soft salve. 

“It is not your fault, to any of you,” Her other hand gently rubbed circles on Nesta’s back, calming down her sobs with her reassuring words. “There are treatments to attempt to cure this, and things you could do to help Zion’s condition to go away,”

“We’ll try anything,”

Cassian was a bit late to pick up his kids from Feyre’s studio. Madja had deemed it helpful to sign up Zion on recreational activities with other children for him to interact with, so Cassian and his mate did. Of course, Briana, the perfect big sister that she was, had insisted that she absolutely needed to go too so she could hold Zion’s hand if he got too shy (but mostly because she absolutely adored her auntie Feyre, and she was overly excited to make some art with her.), so Cassian and Nesta had no choice but to agree. As if he would’ve ever denied anything to his little princess anyway… 

The doorbell rang when Cassian pushed the door open.

“DADDY!”

The tiny bundle of curly hair wrapped in pink chiffon jumped into his arms, and Cassian caught her up in his arms before twirling her around. He bit her chubby cheeks playfully, making Briana’s melodic giggle to fill the room. “Hello sweetie, I suppose you had a great day?”

“The bestest day ever!”

Cassian huffed a laugh before putting her down on the floor slowly. He lifted his eyes and scanned the room, searching behind every canvas where the paint decorating them was still fresh and shining. Finally, his eyes landed on the one exposed on the easel exposed in the farthest corner of the room, where Zion sat, absentmindedly applying the same shade of blue all over the white canva. 

Cassian had to hold back his cringe, and forced himself to not look at all the other kids' artworks and compare them to his son’s. Instead, he just caressed Briana’s hair. He crouched down to be face to face with her, and smiled.

“Hey, why don’t you go and play outside with your brother for a while? I need to talk with Auntie Feyre,” Briana opened her mouth to say something, but Cassian poked her nose and cut her off. “Alone.”

Briana sighed dramatically, pouting a little before taking her little brother’s hand and cheerfully dragged him along to the swings outside the studio. 

Cassian waited until he was sure that both of his kids were outside, playing, and not paying attention to him, then he made his way inside the studio. His ears led him to where water was running, and leaned in the doorway to where Feyre was cleaning a shit ton of paint brushes. Sometimes, the warrior wondered how she dealt with such messes weakly, for fun. 

A chuckle left his throat at the thought, and made Feyre’ face snap up from her task. A bright smile flashed over her red, blue, purple and yellow painted face. Feyre tried to wipe it away, noticing Cassian’s amusement glinting in his eyes, but her attempt very much failed, as it only resulted in spreading the paint all over her face even more. 

“Are you here solely to make fun of me, or to actually pick up your kids?”

Cassian chuckled, scratching the back of his neck while a flush of embarrassment creeped up his cheeks. “Yeah, sorry, I’m a bit late to pick up the kids I know… I was…” He cleared his throat, trying to ignore the mental image of how busy him and Nesta had been. “Busy.”

“Busy making more of those little ones?” 

Nosy woman. 

“How has it been for them today?”

“They’ve been good. Briana has made some progress on her painting today…” Feyre frowned, hesitating. Then she shrugged, avoiding the topic. “They’ve been good.”

“And Zion?” Cassian pushed, moving closer to where Feyre was washing the paint brushes. “Has he… made any progress? Did he make any friends?” 

Feyre left the brushes in the sink and wiped her hands on her apron. “Well, he tried a different shade of blue on his canva today… He didn’t participate actively in the group today but…” She bit her lip and placed a hand on Cassian’s shoulder, “Maybe it’s normal, perhaps that’s just how he is you know… Maybe he’s happy like this-”

“Well I am not. A child needs to have social interactions to develop, Feyre. He’s not normal,” Cassian pinched the bridge of his nose. He could feel his face heat up, his breathing getting as heavy as the guilt resting on his soul. “Madja was wrong. That kid will never be normal. He’ll never be like the other kids,” 

Anger bubbled up within him. How was his son not normal, when his daughter was? “Where the fuck did I mess up-”

A thud that came from the other room cut off Cassian. Both Feyre and his face snapped to the door, where a tiny wing peaked out. 

Feyre’s face twitched and she patted Cassian on the shoulder. “I’ll wait outside with Briana… and I’ll make sure that the front door stays closed while you talk it out.” 

Feyre quickly made her way out of the studio, cheeks red from the embarrassing situation. She carefully avoided eye contact with Zion’s heart-broken face. 

Cassian only stayed in the middle of the supply room, staring at Zion’s tiny wing peeking out of the doorway. He sighed, and ran a hand over his face. “Zion…” 

Zion hesitantly moved from his hiding spot and slowly dragged his feet in front of his father. His head was kept so low that Cassian couldn’t even see his eyes from where he stood. He kneeled in front of his boy, his warm palm coming to cup his cheek. His thumb brushed off some tears staining Zion’s cheek, but he still avoided his father’s eyes.

“I’m sorry I…” 

Cassian’s throat tightened, cutting off any sounds when the silent room filled with Zion’s choked sobs. He brought his face to his chest, his own tears now falling on top of his son’s head. He held him tight against him, as if he was afraid that the boy’s heart would crumble if he’d let him go. “I’m sorry, Zion. So sorry…” Cassian whispered against the boy’s ear, his hand rubbing slow circles on his back. 

Zion sniffled, his face now tilted up to look into his father’s eyes with so much sadness.

“I said horrible things, I’m sorry. Every kid is different, I know. I just…” His voice broke. Cassian looked up at the ceiling and inhaled deeply. He calmed his sobs down before taking control of his voice again. “I just want you to be happy, my son,” His eyes met Zion’s, the same shade of hazel eyes staring back at him. “But… I guess sometimes I need to remain myself that being happy for you sin’t the same as being happy for me,” 

Zion nodded, his little hands coming to wipe away Cassian’s tears, the same way he did for him. 

“Are you happy, Zion?” Cassian whispered, his face painted with concern. 

“You make me happy.”

And these were the most words Cassian had heard from his son, but the most beautiful ones anyone had said to him in all of his immortal life span.

Acotar taglist: @mybestfriendmademe @lilah-asteria @acotar-lover

Cassian taglist: @ladybookstan

[pessu]

do you think bvz ever looks at kazuma and wonders how he could've fallen so hard for his dad

[dirtytransmasc]

Spider and Tuk being the bestest siblings ever and spider being the mvp big brother we all know he is hc's (modern + adopted spi au addition):

Before he could drive he would wait at Tuk's bus stop to get her off the bus. He insisted on doing it to "ease the workload on his parents" (since with Jake and Neytiri's work schedule, Tuk would have to go to an afterschool program and someone would have to pick her up) which it does, but it was really cause he liked to have the quality time with Tuk.

On their walk home he would ask her about school. He asks about what she did, if she brought anything home she wanted to show him (normally stuff from art class), if she did anything special or fun, that sort of stuff. He also stays up to date on her school gossip and makes sure no one's bothering his baby sis.

They hold hands the whole walk home, and more often than not he ends up carrying her or her bag for her.

Once he gets his license he picks her up from school and fills the 45 minute-ish time she would have normally spent on the bus and walking home at the park or getting ice cream or something else of the like.

When they get home he makes sure to look at anything she brought home. All the cool stuff first; art, school work she's proud of, a pretty pebble, or the occasional half wilted flower from the recess field. He makes sure to give all the praise and compliments possible, especially to the art and school work, cause he's supporting those skills early. Then he makes sure he gets all the homework, permission slips, things like that.

When his siblings ask why he does it, he says, "Who's gonna ask her to see what she drew during recess? Who's gonna ask if she did anything fun with her best friend? Who's gonna make sure she's not left out of the loop? We're a busy family, I don't want her getting left out just cause she's little, I'll ask, I like doing it anyway" he knows his family's busy, he knows Tuk tends to fall to the background cause she's the youngest, and that Jake and Neytiri are busy trying to keep them all afloat, so he takes care of Tuk.

He helps her with her homework and never raises his voice or gets frustrated. He sits next to her and they figure it out together.

He's always proud of her, even for the little things, so he's always giving her hugs and kissing her hair and other classic big brother things.

More often than not, Spider puts Tuk to bed. Either Jake and Neytiri give up trying to tame the "cranky banshee" (what Spider call her when she's tired) of a child and call Spider in, or she asks for him. He'll lay down next to her and pull her close and tell her stories until she gets sleepy and cuddled into him. Only then does he pull out the "put'em to sleep" combo, as he calls it; he hum to her (he hums "a la nanita na", like his mama used to hum to him, fight me) while rubbing her back with one hand and plays with her braids with the other. She's out like a light in a few minutes every time.

He often refers to her as a little banshee whenever she's being feisty or especially energetic.

There was an almost 2 month streak where Tuk would only sleep if Spider stayed in her room for the night or if she was in Spider's bed (which she preferred cause it was bigger and cozier). Spider didn't mind so he gave in almost immediately. Best sleep he got in years, even with the bony knees and elbows poking him.

Spider will sacrifice himself when she gets sick, opting to be the one to go comfort her, knowing he'll be sick soon after. He has spent many nights holding her on the bathroom floor and wiping snotty noses. (he always gets it and gets it *worse* but it's worth it for his baby sis)

Tuk always does he best to take care of him after. She'll sit in bed with him and pet his hair or bring him snacks/water. When she was little, she'd bring out all her Doc McStuffin's toys (cause she'd love Doc McStuffin's, again, fight me) and try and 'make him better'

Spider has the strongest cuteness aggression ever for Tuk, like, he wants to squish her and bite her and squeeze her and shake her, with all of the love in the world. He satiates himself by snatching her, flopping on the floor, and bear hugging her as tight as he can, with his legs too, and just rolling back and forth till she's giggling so hard she can't breathe.

He is deeply invested in multiple children's shows because of how often he watches them with her. (His favorite is Wild Kratts, Paw Patrol, and Ninja Turtles)

(this one next one is so random but Spi and Tuk have pastina lover vibes, again, I dare you to fight me on this)

Spider spent time in the system and fending for himself, meaning he picked up a lot of easy recipes, one of which, was pastina with butter, broth, and cheese. He passed this on to Tuk, who has now decided this is the best snack ever and asks him to make it all the time.

Spider works out, just so he can carry her around forever and ever.

He always make sure that he and his older little siblings always give time to Tuk and involve her in their play.

They go on day trips after he gets his license, sometimes just the two of them, other times with all the Sully kids. They go to museums and science centers and such. He again holds her hand most of the time, or makes sure that she doesn't get lost while playing.

Worries over her constantly.

They trade art all the time. He'll make her a knew piece of jewelry and she'll give him a new painting to keep in his room.

He has a picture of her in his wallet.

He takes so many photos of her, he's like a facebook mom. Lo'ak makes fun of him.

He's teaching her how to skateboard, cause she thinks he's the coolest ever cause he knows how to skateboard. He got her a pretty skateboard and hot pink gear (in which he went overboard in buying considering her basically bought her a hot pink suit of armor) and helped her decorate it. He also makes sure she's not picked on when they go to the skate park.

He kisses every boo boo.

He makes and (never ever breaks) lots of pinky promises.

they have a special handshake.

When the Sully's go out anywhere, you can tell when Tuk wants to go home, because she'll be in Spi's arms, cause he'd never turn down an opportunity to hold his baby sister.

They match hair beads. Spi will always have at least one that matches with hers at all times, and Tuk will have one of his on the braid behind her ear so she can fiddle with it.

Tuk always double and triple checks that Spider has his inhaler (he doesn't know how she remembers better than he can)

She wears his shirts to bed a lot. They're big and soft and who could blame her?

should I do more of these (maybe one for each sibling?)

[fairykazu]

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GETTING YOU UNDER THE MISTLETOE FT. XIAO contents // pining, friends to lovers, siblings! hutao & qiqi, requited love notes // this is mainly xiao's pov and he thinks you don't like him back. also, if it's not implied enough, you're aware that xiao likes you but you want him to make the first move. i kind of gave up at the end when i was building this up. baba - dad, gege - older brother & jiejie - older sister masterlist

it was nearly time for the christmas party xiao's family is throwing and of course, his best friend who he is not at all in love with, name is invited. name always have been coming to his family's celebrations but why does it feel different now?

maybe because his sisters are trying to insist him to finally confess the feelings, he has had harboring for 17 years. "xiao, you can't keep stumbling around and acting stupid around them because you like them. it's kind of hard to watch, right, qiqi?" hu tao said, turning to the 10 years old on the couch. she was about to answer until,

xiao rolled his eyes, crossing his arms, "don't answer that, qiqi."

qiqi closed her mouth as hu tao kept saying, "qiqi, you know i'm right. isn't it hard to see xiao kicking his legs and giggling after name leaves."

xiao's neutral bitch face morphed in fear, wallowing in self conciousness. is it really that bad?

the little lavender haired girl paused to think about it and sadly, to xiao's demise, "hmm... jiejie, i do think it's weird to see gege with cooties. i think uncle baizhu has medicine for it."

oh god, it really is that bad.

letting whatever qiqi said sink into xiao's shoulders, hu tao walked away to the closet, pulling out a white board stand. it squeaked, hu tao said, "exactly, which is why i made a plan." on the whiteboard, it said in bolded letters, "mission impossible: xianame christmas edition".

if you looked closely, you could see the faint words of previous "mission impossible"'s that xiao rejected and hu tao had to wipe off. xiao was nearly go along with the plan but skeptical of hu tao because usually, she's a trickster, there's always something up her sleeve.

"another plan?" xiao replied, furrowing a brow. hu tao skipped around, chirping,

"yep! this time it would work, i swear." hu tao's hand resting on the board's shelf.

"you swear? you said this last time on halloween last year and scared name nearly to death."

"i didn't scare them to death..." hu tao trailed off. "they only fainted."

"isn't it the same?" xiao asked. hu tao could tell that he was growing even more skeptical of the plan. as his sister, she knew that she needed to swerve away from that and push him into confessing. it's really embarrassing to see him try to make a move only to get rejected or mid-way change the plan.

"no! anyway, my new and foolproof plan is that since it's christmas," hu tao flipped the board with her other hand. "we can use the mistletoe as our advantage and use it for a romantic moment where you confess your feelings to name. i even asked dad about this and he agreed to it."

mistletoe? isn't that kissing?

"really, you got dad to agree to this."

"yes, and sure you might catch cooties." behind them, qiqi winced out of ickiness. "but better than nothing right?"

xiao stood there for a moment, rethinking about this. "are you sure it would happen perfectly? we don't even know if name likes me back."

"ummm, maybe the christmas spirit would enchant them." hu tao shrugged as xiao's eyes narrowed.

"i don't want a spirit to enchant them. that's not ethinical."

"xiao, don't shame on the spirits. they're very kind, y'know. anyway, the offer still stands but for a priceeeeee." hu tao replied, smiling. smiling like the devil, xiao knew something was up.

"what is it?"

"invite your second bestest friend ever over." hu tao chirped, hands together in a ball across her chest. she patted her eyes, coming closer to xiao, as xiao extended his hand out, creating a distance between himself and his sister.

"who?"

"yanfei!"

xiao tilted his head, hands still crossed. "yanfei? im not friends with yanfei."

"but if you want this plan to really work..." hu tao trailed off, hoping the bait she laid would catch her older brother. until qiqi said, "gege, i think jiejie has caught cooties too."

hu tao nervously laughed, "qiqi, i don't think-"

"ok, ill invite yanfei to the party but if this little christmas plan doesn't work, you're not allowed to make any more, got it?"

"oh my god, thank you sooo much, gege!! you're the bestest older brother anyone could ever have."

---

it was almost time for the party, the house was decked out with decorations. although the usual red and green theme is what christmas is, xiao's family preferred the gold and red theme. in the kitchen, gingerbread houses were prepped to be put together. as dad helped hu tao place mistletoes around the house, giggling each time. "dad, isn't this bow kind of off centered?"

"hm, i do think it is off centered. do you want me to fix it?" he asked, holding onto the ladder. hu tao replied with a no.

if you looked around you would see the each archway of a room would have a mistletoe, although, none of them are upstairs in their rooms. qiqi asked if she wouldn't be kissed because she didn't want to go to uncle baizhu's home for the vaccine for cooties. xiao made a mental note to tell baizhu to stop telling her that cooties exist when in reality, they are not.

xiao was pacing around the living room again, qiqi was following him like a little duckling. "gege, are you worried about the plan? i think i have vaccines for the cooties. i think though."

"no, it's fine, qiqi." he picked her up, holding her. "do you think it would go wrong?"

qiqi huffed, "no. i see name and they like you. i think i saw them-"

xiao tilted his head, "saw them what?"

"ah, i forgot."

xiao wilted a little.

---

as the house is fully decorated and hu tao busted her ass off to make it as romantic and christmasy as possible. the door rang, alerting everyone in the family to turn around. is it who xiao thinks it would be? name isn't late but they're not always super early. just before xiao reached for the door, hu tao squealed in delight, racing towards the door.

"hii name!!! and yanfei??? woah, did xiao invite you?" hu tao said, acting all coy as if she didn't try to puppeteer the whole situation. xiao noticed that yanfei's face was flustered. as he thought, huh, it is requited.

"ah, yes, i think so. i mean! yes, he did." yanfei yelped, clearly nervous but hu tao most likely saw her as perfect. xiao averted his eyes to you and god, he thinks you just killed him. from your sparking eyes to your bright smile, your little wave and he can't compute.

xiao.chr ran into an unexpected error 404

⋆｡˚❆˚ ｡⋆

you walked towards xiao, confused as to why he's just dazing off into nothingness. hu tao's conversation with yanfei blurring to the sound of christmas music. you poked his cheek, "xiaoo...?" seeing him go from reality from dreamland, which is strange, it's more like the opposite for the two of you. "are you there?"

"ah!" xiao yelped, blinking. huh, you never noticed how long his lashes were. "sorry, i was thinking about something."

"i could tell. what were you thinking about so hard?"

"gege has cooo-" xiao covered qiqi's mouth, "i was thinking of my grades after finals." as qiqi kept trying to talk, he made qiqi walk to hu tao and yanfei. "qiqi has a weird phase of saying cooties. sorry about that."

"no, it's kind of endearing." you replied, walking into the kitchen. xiao saw the little mistletoe above the kitchen's archway, afraid of kissing you in the moment, he redirected you to his room. "my dad's preparing something to snack on and he doesn't like being disturbed. um, lets go to my room instead."

"huh? but your dad loves when people watch him cook so he's not lonely in there." oblivious to the fact that the mistletoes were hung everywhere, xiao knew that hu tao had forgotten his own room. "he changed his rules."

you quirked a brow, "don't lie?"

"i promise i'm not lying." xiao said, trying to make himself sound not lying at all. until qiqi's voice replied, "gege, why are you a liar? i can see from jiejie's room that your pants are on fire. baba loves when people watch him cook."

"see, xiao, i can see what you're trying to pull here." you said. ypu're getting too close. very much to xiao's liking but to make a move? nah, he's good. seeing and loving you from a distance is good for him too.

"what are you talking about?" xiao said, pretending to be oblivious to what you're saying. you sighed and pulled him closer to you. he could feel the warmth from your face. he knows he's flustered by now. "you know what you're doing."

what?? i dont understand.

"what??"

"aw man, i thought this would bait you into telling me." xiao laughed mostly out of fear and anxiety. "you're just as mischievous as hu tao."

why did he compare you to his sister. it's over.

"ha! if i really was, you would've died by now."

he exhaled, "you're right."

⋆｡˚❆˚ ｡⋆

xiao was too caught up in the conversation he's having with you, he didn't know that he was right under a trap, the infamous mistletoe. you began to whisper, "look up."

when he did, his face paled as if he didn't agree with hu tao's plan to begin with. but unbeknownst to xiao, you set up this plan with hu tao. you always had even though you had every other chance to make a move on him, he always took it as platonic.

"oh." you pulled him closer,

"ready?" even though he was about to answer, you interrupted him with a kiss. wow you could've saved yourself 17 years of this but you liked to play the long game. xiao just stood there for a moment just before he returned the kiss.

the kiss moment was broken up by a loud flash sound and qiqi crying about how you two would catch cooties. "we need this for memories, can you kiss again for the family album?" hu tao asked as xiao pulled away from your embrace to yell at her. you laughed, winking at hu tao, pulling her brother away from her.

bonus:

zhongli started to console qiqi, cradling her into his arms, "cooties don't exist, qiqi."

"but, baba, uncle baizhu said, 'cooties are very contagious. to cure it i have to get the vaccine from his house.'" qiqi began to cry as zhongli wiped a tear from her face.

"baizhu likes to tease you since you are little-"

"baba! i am not little. i have two digits, i am older now."

"of course, you are a big girl now." zhongli comforting his daughter again, grabbing a gingerbread cookie from the counter. she takes it and cries,

"yes, baba! im a big girl and uncle wouldn't lie to me wouldn't he?" zhongli placed her on his lap, sitting on the couch. "well, no, of course he wouldn't. this is like how jiejie treats gege."

"ohhh."

[weirdoartsy]

DTIYS

"two sides of a coin"

DTIYS of Leo and Mikey, in the lost ruins of new york city

Context: Freshly after Donatello's death Leo is always on missions, even before his two brothers death he was always on the Front Lines but now all he cares about is fighting. Casey wanted his sensei's attention and thus would try to join them but he was still too young(16) in sensei's eyes and was not willing to risk the future of the resistance and one of the only reasons he is still alive. One day he sneaks out onto the field and the krang finds him, therefore kidnapping the poor fella. Leo after finding out goes to save him and Mikey joins not wanting his brother or his nephew to die making this a "journey of the ronin's"

HEYYYYYY YOU GUYS, GUESS WHAT? I FINALLY HAVE ART FOR MY APOCALYPTIC AU "JOURNEY OF THE LAST RONIN'S" AND I WANT YOU GUYS TO ALSO DRAW IT!!!!

@donniesbrows my dearest brows, I told you I would @ you! Gnat is a very good artist and a big fan of rottmnt like myself! She is also one of my dearest friends on here and I want you all to support her as much as you guys can🙏

@friskyeee Frisk is also one of my dearest friends. She is also an incredible artist and super sweet person. She is not as funny as me but a funny person! I'd love it if you guys also support her!!

@the-hombrearana this lil guy is the bestest friend irl and online! Just a lil annoying heh but! Alas if you like spiderman rp this guy is your best friend in that regard! Please support him as much as you wish🙏🙏🙏

@drawingbakeryy You- YOU LITTLE! Anyways this fella is one of three ultimate inspirations She is an incredible person and artist she was one of the first friends I made in this account, please follow and ANNOY them as much as you humanly can 😌

@tapakah0 My TOP inspiration ON TOP! Tapa while she might not remember this she was one the first people to comment on my first account when I made a post on how I was being dragged into the rottmnt fandom and she really made my days so much brighter whenever she posted! Please support her on this account and on her other account @somerandomcockroach

@somerandomdudelmao this fella was the catalyst to my addiction. A true comic artist unparalleled! She is honestly an incredible person who deserves every follow she has and more! She and tapa brighten my day plenty. Please support this account and her other one! @keferon

Here's the unedited version of the DTIYS!

In case you want a clearer version just In case!

[bubybubsters]

Siblings (E.V. x reader)

a/n: Eris Week day 3- healing. so if it isn’t clear by the end this is eris and lucien healing their relationship

thank you @erisweekofficial

this is a part two to Falling For You but can be read alone.

After the bond between you and Eris had snapped, the two of you had started going places together when your mate had even the smallest moment of free time from his high lord duties.

However, your bestest friend in the universe had started pulling away. He was hardly around in your shared home and when he was, he was locked up in his room, brooding. It hurt you to see Lucien pulling away and it also hurt you when Eris asked how his “baby brother” was doing. You always said he was great when, in truth, he was drowning.

The guilt was crushing you and you wanted to do something for the two brothers but what could you even do?

You sigh, frowning at the stove in your hand.

You okay?

A tug comes down the bond and you cringe, having completely forgotten Eris could feel everything you were feeling.

What if you asked him?

Why are you and Lucien so… not brotherly?

A long silence.

I feel that is something you better ask him about.

You sigh but send your thanks down the bond anyway.

Glancing at the door to Lucien’s bedroom, you hesitantly rise to your feet and, with a heavy sigh, you raise a fist to knock.

Before you can actually make contact with any wood, the door opens. Lucien stands in the doorway, brows raised.

You frown, “How did-“

“Sensed your magic.” He answers your question before you can finish. He steps aside, leaving the path to his room open. You quickly slip in

“Lucien… I wanted to ask something I’ve been wondering about for a while now.”

He smiles encouragingly although his eyes swirl with some emotion you can’t quite place.

“You and Eris don’t seem to have the best relationship,” Lucien grunts as if to say, obviously.

Your lips twitch in a half smile. “But why is your relationship so, if I may, horrible.”

Lucien bites his lip, his tell tale sign of anxiety. He sighs, sitting on his bed, long hair sweeping over his shoulder. “We didn’t have the greatest parents and they never really showed us how to love anyone, anything, except power. At first, Eris, along with all my other brothers were invested in the idea of becoming High Lord. But then… Jesminda, she was my lover. My will to live, to smile and talk, she was the only person I loved. She loved me for me, not for my power or status, but for me. But she was a lesser fae and my father quickly fount out about our relationship. He disapproved of her and she was,” Lucien grimaces, choking.

“She was tortured and killed because the love she held for me. That day, I defected to the spring court. Tamlin was at the border and killed two of my brothers who were hunting me. I always wondered why Tamlin was at the border that day. It was a pretty average day and Nobles aren’t usually on the border unless there’s a war or something. For the first 100 years or so I brushed it off as a lucky break. I continued hating my brothers for what they’d done. But one day I had just arrived back from an undercover emissary trip to the Summer Court and I was still cloaked in a glamour so I guess Tamlin’s wards didn’t sense me. I heard him and my brother talking. Eris was asking, grilling, Tamlin on how I was doing. If I was still heartbroken. If I was pulling my weight and still training. Tamlin answered every question in an exhausted way as if this had already been happening for a while. Then I heard Eris ask if Tamlin had told me anything about that day at the border. Soon after Eris left and I walked in as if nothing had happened but my mind was reeling. My world had been overturned. Y/n, you know the feeling. After that I wasn’t sure how to act around Eris. I wasn’t sure what to think about him. He seemed like the bad guy only rooting for power but sometimes his actions would tell me he was an okay guy trying to protect his little brother. It was always awkward and weird and now that he’s here and that he’s proved he’s a good guy, I just don’t know how to handle myself around him.”

Lucien sighs, leaning forward. You stepped up and wrapped your arms around his shoulders. He buried his face into your stomach, and the two of you held on to each other as if you’d never let go. (Your relationship was strictly platonic of course).

“You know…” you say after a few minutes. “You could start with not avoiding Eris every time he comes here?”

Lucien groans. “I was only half avoiding him! I wanted the two of you to have your alone time.”

“We hung out here so much because he wanted a chance to talk to you,” you say with a roll of your eyes.

Lucien pulls away from you, “Wait really?”

“You think I want to spend so much time in this house when I’m here practically 24/7 anyway???”

Lucien shrugs, “You are quite quirky.”

You smack him on the arm, laughing.

“Collecting the trash people give to me is not quirky!” You walk out the door, and while you’re shutting it you tell him, “By the way, Eris should be here any second.”

“Y/n!” Lucien curses you to the cualdren and you let out a good natured cackle just as the doorbell rings.

“Hey Eris!”

You smile a little too wide, causing Eris to immediately sense something’s wrong.

“What happened? What did you do?”

You groan, “why do you always think I’m the one who did something? It could have been Lucien!”

Eris rolls his eyes, “Lucien, would never! You on the other hand…”

“On the contrary, I probably would do something.” Lucien is standing by the coach, a soft, tentative smile on his face.

“Lucien.” Eris blinks, amber eyes widening before his hand comes up to rub his eyes as of not believing the sight in front of him.

Lucien’s smile widens, “Don’t worry Er, it’s not a dream.”

Eris scoffs, mouth opening as if to say something but instead he just opens his arms and smiles.

You watch as your best friend and your mate hug and deep down, you know they’ll be happy. They will definitely fight over the smallest things and insult each other as if there’s a prize for the best insult. They’ll probably do stupid things together that cause big problems for each of their lives. They’ll occasionally give each other the silent treatment for years, but… that’s what siblings are supposed to do.

The two males pull away and face you.

“Thanks, little flame.” Eris grabs your hand, pulling you into a kiss.

You hum, breaking the kiss.

“Wanna go get ice cream now?”

“Sure! Bye Luci.”

Lucien frowns at the two of you. “Wait, can I come?”

You and Eris share a look.

Eris smirks, “Sorry man, mates only. Go get your little flower from the night court and join us if you’re that desperate.”

Lucien rolls his eyes.

“Whatever.”

You wink in his direction as you leave. “Get cleaned up Lu, I told Elain you wanted to see her and she’s on her way!”

You close the door to the panicked shout of your best friends, “What!???”

taglist: @mplittlebit@theduskyprincess@randomgurl2326@thelov3lybookworm@profound-imagination @stargirl1714 @hieragalbatorixdottir @rcarbo1

thank you @kodaswrld for the dividers

comment to be tagged

[tightjeansjavi]

𝕓𝕝𝕦𝕖 𝕛𝕖𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝕟’𝕋𝕖𝕩𝕒𝕤 𝕕𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕞𝕤

𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝟠

She is so pretty, he is so fine!

♡ 𓃗 ♡

Pre! Outbreak Joel x horseback riding instructor f!reader

A/N: This is the longest chapter of blue jeans I have written thus far and my god, I want to be in a throuple with them so bad 😭 they are so unbelievably cute and my poor little heart is just BURSTING with love 🫶🏻

~word count: 6.5k~

Summary: Joel Miller, single father; total soft dad has an astronomically enormous crush on you, his daughters horseback riding instructor.

Warnings: soft! Joel, shy! Joel, horny!awkward!Joel, fluff, flirting, slow burn, feeling flustered, sexual tension, brief horny thoughts, bantering, teasing, some very very light angst, talk of feelings, fears, implied feelings of anxiety, so much fluff, comforting themes, Joel gets a little drunk at the end and feels bad about it, lots of kissing, affection, no use of (y/n), (+18) minors dni !

blue jeans playlist:

Song used in this chapter:

“Ain’t No Man” by the Avett Brothers

Austin, Texas

“So, not only did this man, I’m sorry, your Texas tall glass of water, pick you fucking wild flowers, take you to a drive in, act like a complete gentleman the entire night, he turned down sleeping with you after the first date just because he wants to properly date you? Girl, my panties would have been on the FLOOR at that point. Does he have a brother?” Your best friend Ryder was in the round pen with Javi G (who was her favorite out of your boys but she loved them all of course) She was braiding daisies in his silky mane while you were in the main arena, riding Javi P.

The only way Javi P would even think of cooperating with you is if his brother was in close proximity. You also could only ride him bareback with an extremely soft bit. An Eggbutt snaffle bit was one of the gentler bits on the market. This specific bit had a thick mouthpiece which prevented the horse's mouth from being pinched and causing irritation. “When I tell you it was literally the best date I have ever been on, I mean it. Ryder, I was quite literally ready to risk it all for that man. Did I mention the fact that he’s a fantastic kisser?” You spoke with a light giggle as you eased Javi P into a working trot with a soft squeeze. When he responded positively, you leaned over and gave him a light pat on his neck. “He does have a brother. Guarantee he’s just as handsome as Joel. His name is Tommy. Want me to find out if he’s single for you?”

“Oh my god, yes please. Put in the good word for me if he is in fact single. Wait, I just came up with the best idea ever, babe. You should invite Joel and Tommy to the rodeo this weekend! Y’know, so then Tommy can see just how good a cowgirl can ride.” Ryder spoke suggestively as she shot a wink in your direction with a light giggle.

Javi G let out a snort. Humans, man. What fucking weirdos.

You lightly dropped the reins along Javi P’s withers so he could stretch his neck out naturally. “Oh my god, Ryder! You little nasty slut! I mean, you’re right though. Cowgirls can definitely ride. Tell ya what, I’ll let Joel know that you’re interested in his brother, and I’ll invite them to the rodeo. I bet you guys will end up hitting it off super quick babe.”

“You’re the bestest friend a girl could ever dream of having. When are you seeing him again anyway? You guys still do those cute little phone dates and shit?”

You couldn’t help but feel the butterflies bloom in your stomach as you thought about Joel, your Texas tall glass of water. “In a couple hours actually. Sarah has a lesson later this morning and then I’m working a double at the bar tonight. He said he wants to stop on by later while I’m there to see me. He calls me every morning, and every night before he goes to bed. It’s so fucking cute Ry, like he’s so sweet my teeth ache just thinking about it.” You spoke with a dreamy sigh before easing Javi P to a light walk.

“Here we thought chivalry was completely dead and then Joel fucking Miller comes in and proves us all wrong. You guys are disgustingly adorable and I am so happy for you honey, like so so happy.” Ryder was sincere with her words. Your ex nearly made you believe that good men didn’t exist and then Joel, who had only been in your life for a short while now, proved you wrong without even having to try.

“I really didn’t think I was ready to date again, y’know? Joel just makes everything seem so easy. I can’t wait for you to meet him babe, and hopefully you guys can be friends but I’m really not too worried about it.”

“He’s all green flags in my book babe so I’m sure we’ll get along just fine. I’ll be giving him the ‘you hurt her and I will kill you’ talk regardless. I’m sure he’ll be expecting it.” Ryder said with a shrug as she finished braiding the last Daisy into Javi G’s mane. “Now there’s a pretty boy if I ever saw one! Gosh darn, doesn’t he just look so stinking cute?” She talked to him in a baby voice, giving him a big kiss on his velvety nose.

“I can’t picture that man hurting a fly, seriously. Can you imagine if Javi P let me put flowers in his mane? He’d look so handsome!” You eased Javi P into a canter, letting him stretch his legs out. All it took was for you to slightly lean forward along the bareback pad for him to recognize your silent cue to gallop. With a swish of his tail Javi P broke out into a gallop. Despite his cruel treatment during his racing days, this horse loved to run.

“Yeehaw cowgirl!” Ryder enthusiastically yelled from the round pen as Javi P galloped past, kicking up sand along the round pens metal fence.

You gave Javi P all the love and kisses for being such a good boy. You were starting to make some real progress with him and it’s all you could truly hope for. After letting him cool off, Ryder helped you hose him down, give him all the treats before turning him out with Javi G for the rest of the day. It took all of 5 minutes for Javi P to eat every last daisy from his brother's mane before they were happily grazing together.

Before Sarah would arrive for her lesson, you kept yourself busy with the usual barn chores and soon enough, you were hearing Joel’s truck pulling into the parking lot. You could hear Joel and Sarah’s chatter from outside the open barn doors. Joel’s deep, warm laugh sent your heart racing. As soon as they turned the corner, Joel had his arm around Sarah, playfully pulling his kid into a headlock because she had said something jokingly about his age and him being “too” old for you.

“I ain’t too old for her, sweetpea! Did your uncle Tommy say somethin’ about that?” He chuckled as he ruffled her head of curls playfully.

“HEY! Dad, not the hair!” She giggled as she playfully pushed her dad away, giving him a warning look.

“Who’s too old for who?” You chimed in, arms crossed as you were leaning back against Frankie’s stall. A knowing smirk played across your lips.

Joel felt his cheeks immediately heat up. His whole face felt warm to the touch when he saw you casually leaning back against Frankie’s stall. “Oh, hey there darlin’! Sarah here was just messin’ around. Right kiddo?”

“Uh huh. I was just messing around! Oh, shoot! Daaad. We forgot her latte in the car! I’ll go get it!” She shot you a little wink before she slipped out of her dad’s light hold and took off back outside to the truck.

Joel wasted little to no time to make his way over to you. His palms felt a little clammy on his approach and you could tell by his body language alone, he was a little flustered. Once he was close enough, you reached out and gently grabbed his hands, pulling him in close to you. “Joel, you got me another latte?” You playfully scolded him.

“Yeah, I uh–I did. I know you said I didn’t have to but it makes me happy to get you one. It ain’t cost me much. Just a couple bucks and that pretty smile of yours.” He had a small grin tugging on the corner of his lips as he gently played with your fingers between his.

“My pretty smile huh? Why don’t you give me a quick kiss, cowboy. Before Sarah gets back.”

Joel was quick to close the small gap between your bodies, bringing your interlocked hands to rest alongside either side of your head as he slotted his lips between yours. You could feel his small grin against your lips as Frankie had stuck his head out his stall door and was playfully nibbling on Joel’s flannel.

The kiss was short, but sweet and had your toes curling inside the confines of your riding boots. By the time Sarah returned with your latte, you and Joel had already parted from the kiss.

“Were you guys just?—I don’t wanna know!” Sarah said with a light giggle as she handed you the latte.

Joel’s face was the dead giveaway that you were in fact kissing like lovestruck teenagers just a few seconds ago.

“Are you ready to do some more groundwork with Frankie today kiddo? I’ve got a feeling that you’re gonna be able to successfully join up with him today!” You did your best to change the conversation so that Joel’s face wasn’t a consistent shade of beet red.

“Wait, seriously? Yes! I am so ready to do more groundwork with him today!” Sarah spoke with pure excitement as she walked up to Frankie’s stall and gave his velvety nose a nice soft pat.

“Why don’t you get his halter on kiddo and bring him in the round pen, okay?” You took a sip of the latte then, shooting Joel a little wink over the rim of the cup.

Sarah wasted no time to grab Frankie’s halter and leadrope before she was slowly opening up his stall door, wishing him a good morning as she slipped his halter over his head and ears. Frankie already loved this kid so much that he nuzzled his face into her shoulder affectionately. Joel’s heart just about melted when he heard the softest giggle slip past his baby girl's lips and you swore you saw your Texas tall glass of water tear up just the slightest.

He really loved his daughter that much.

Fuck, there goes your heart. Melting in a puddle of sticky sweet molasses and Joel fucking Miller.

Once Sarah had led Frankie into the round pen, you gave her a chance to show you, and Joel, everything that you taught her thus far. You were close by, sitting on top of a mounting block in the far corner of the round pen. Joel was on the outside of the fence, standing close to where you were sitting.

Sarah had no trouble getting Frankie to listen to her when she eased him onto the rail. She remembered the body posture you told her and to only use the long whip as a gentle guide. Frankie of course was the best boy ever. All she had to do was click her tongue a couple times and he broke out into a working trot. The excitement was written across your face when you saw Frankie turning his inside ear towards Sarah, showing her that he was listening to her completely.

After having Frankie trot a few times in one direction, she turned her shoulder inwards, switching the whip to the other hand. This signaled Frankie to change directions which he did flawlessly.

Once he was adequately warmed up, she asked him to canter. It took just a little bit of effort on her part for Frankie to listen to her cue, but she held her ground beautifully. After working him for a little longer, it was time for the join up. Sarah slowly dropped the whip to the ground, taking a deep breath as her shoulders relaxed. She exhaled, turning her shoulder inwards with her back facing Frankie. Her posture was relaxed and she held her hand out to her side.

Frankie had slowed down to a light walk and when he saw his favorite tiny human giving him the okay to relax, he turned his head towards her and slowly walked forward. His ears were facing forward, showing he was focused and listening. His velvet soft nose lightly nudged against her hand, signaling his submission to her. You could see Sarah’s face light up when Frankie had nuzzled her hand and she slowly turned around and gave him a well deserved pat, and kiss on his nose. The join up was completed successfully and as Sarah started to walk towards you and Joel, Frankie was following right behind her.

“Did you guys see that? I did it! He was such a good boy too!” Frankie was lightly nudging her back with his nose. He playfully nibbled on the end of her shirt affectionately.

“You did a great job kiddo! See, wasn’t that so cool? I think we can officially get you in the saddle for your next lesson. How does that sound to you?” You had an equally as big smile as Joel did. He could genuinely tell that you were excited and proud of Sarah and the progress she already had made.

“Wait, really? Can I ride Frankie then? I really like him a lot.” Sarah said with a big smile, giving Frankie a hug with her arms gently wrapping around his furry neck.

“Of course you can! I think you guys are the perfect match for each other. Frankie really likes you too, Sarah. I think you guys are gonna make a great team.” You reached into your pocket, pulled out a carrot and snapped it in half, giving Frankie the first half and handed the other to Sarah so that she could reward him as well.

To Joel, this whole scene playing out in front of him was truly a sight for sore eyes. He was so happy that he had met you, and that you were in his, and Sarah’s life. He hoped that you would be in their lives indefinitely.

After letting Frankie cool down, Sarah gave him a well deserved brush down before she turned him out into the pasture. She was happily sitting alongside the fence as she watched him, Javi G and Javi P, grazing together under the shade of a tree.

You were watching Sarah fondly when you felt a pair of strong arms wrap around your waist from behind. The slight stubble on Joel’s face tickled your ear as he kissed your cheek. He gently pulled you against his chest, smiling against your soft skin when he felt you relax in his warm embrace. “You really make my daughter happy. This whole experience has my kid feelin’ over the fuckin’ moon. Thank you. I’m so happy that I stumbled upon your website darlin.’” He whispered softly to you.

Your heart was melting all over again into a pile of gooey mush on the floor. This felt like an absolute fairytale. Something that you would see in the movies, or a cheesy T.V show. “I’m really happy that you stumbled upon my website as well, Joel.”

“Lookin’ forward t’seein’ ya later tonight babe. You mind if my brother Tommy accompanies me?”

“Oh, actually that would be perfect! My friend Ryder was actually asking me earlier if your brother was single. She wanted me to put in the good word for her. Y’know, play the wingwoman role and everything.”

“Oh? Well, lucky for your friend, my brother is absolutely on the market. I’ll let him know when I see him later and then you can give him all the details?” Joel gave your waist a light squeeze. He really enjoyed the way you melted into his arms.

“This is the best news I could possibly give her. I will absolutely give Tommy all the details on her. She’s a real catch.”

“Are we about to become matchmakers now darlin’?”

“I think so, cowboy.” you responded with a small grin on your face.

By 8pm the bar was absolutely slammed with locals and a large group of rowdy college students that were home for the summer. You and the other bartenders were barely given a chance to breathe, and by your 100th tequila shot that you poured, you were getting a little tired.

That was until you saw your Texas tall glass of water stride in the bar with his equally as attractive brother. You saw the similarities in Joel and Tommy Miller’s looks, and right away you knew that Ryder was going to be absolutely on the floor.

You watched the way that Joel effortlessly rolled up the sleeves on his flannel, revealing his tan forearms to you. You watched the way that he caught the eyes of multiple women in the bar and the way they looked him up and down, unashamedly. You couldn’t really blame them though. Your Texas tall glass of water was fucking gorgeous, and all yours.

Joel was paying no mind to the eyes wandering over him and he was solely focused on making it to the bartop. He spotted you immediately and Tommy couldn’t help but watch the way his older brother’s eyes light up when he saw you.

It took a bit of light pushing, and ‘excuse me’s’ for the two brothers to make it to the bartop and claim a seat on two empty stools.

“Hello boys. What can I get for ya?” You said with a small grin. You let your gaze fall on Joel as you gave him a little once over just to watch the way his cheeks immediately heated up.

Tommy let out a low wolf whistle as he wrapped his arm around Joel’s shoulder. “Woo Doggy! I’d love to have a tall glass of you sweetheart!” He said with a light chuckle. “Or your friend, if she’s around? Heard she’s got the hots for me!” He winked.

Joel let out a low grumble as he playfully shoved his brother’s arm off of his shoulder. “Please excuse my brother, darlin’. Ma dropped him on his head when he was a baby and he’s turned into a complete fuckin’ imbecile cus’ of it.”

“You gotta stop tellin’ people that Joel! They’re gonna start thinkin’ ma did it on purpose!” Tommy bickered back.

You brought your hand over your mouth to contain your giggles as you watched the two Miller boys bicker. “Oh, my friend is absolutely going to love you Tommy. You guys are gonna get along just fine. Maybe even a little too well. I think you are actually the male version of her.”

“Well, sweet cheeks, if your friend is anythin’ like me, I definitely might fall in love jus’a little. Now, before my brother here rings me up for havin’ no manners, it’s so wonderful to finally meet the pretty bird that has gone and stolen my brother’s heart. It’s a bout’ damn time too!” Tommy reached his hand out over the bartop for you to shake.

“It’s hard not to fall in love with Ryder. She’s a total catch. Gotta say, I knew you were gonna be easy on the eyes, but maybe I picked the wrong Miller brother?” You teased before grabbing his hand and giving it a firm shake.

The tips of Joel’s ears had turned red as he glowered at his brother. He might have been just a tad jealous. He knew his brother was a natural flirt, but you were his girl. Joel’s girl. It slipped off his tongue smoothly. His girl.

“Ooooh boy. Don’t go and sayin’ that in front of my brother sweetheart. He gets a lil’ jealous. I’m flattered though. You’re a real peach!” He lightly poked his brother’s cheek with his finger. “Aw, big brother! Don’t go gettin’ all pouty! I know she’s your girl. You ain’t gotta worry bout’ me stealin’ her.”

Joel’s girl.

You were his girl.

Now you were the one feeling slightly flustered when Tommy said that you were Joel’s girl. “Hey, grumpy? I can’t kiss that pout away when I'm on the clock, cowboy. Don’t worry. I know I picked the right Miller brother.”

“You tellin’ me that you can kiss it away when you’re off the clock?” Joel asked with a small grin playing on his lips.

“You bet your ass I can.” You grinned back.

“Alright, if you guys are gonna be gross n’stuff, I need a glass of whiskey stat.” Tommy said teasingly as he lighty pinched his brother’s cheek.

“Two Whiskeys on the rocks?”

“Make mine neat darlin.’” Joel requested.

You poured the Miller brother’s their drinks before you and Tommy engaged in a bit of chatter. You told him about the horses and how well Sarah was doing and he told you about Joel, of course. Tommy was incredibly easy to get along with and your eyes would glance in Joel’s direction every so often to see how he was doing.

Little did you know, Joel appreciated the small gesture more than you even knew.

“So your friend Ryder is a fuckin’ barrel racer? Jesus Christ. I think I just died a lil’ and went to heaven! Hey, big brother? You down to go to a rodeo next weekend?” Tommy glanced at his brother over the rim of his glass.

“A rodeo? Yeah. Sounds like a good time.” Joel responded as he took a large sip of his whiskey.

You found out very quickly that the Miller boys could hold their liquor incredibly well and you were happy to see Joel loosen up a bit and engage in the conversation more. When a new rush of people came in, you left the brothers to their own devices for a period of time.

Tommy dragged his brother over to the pool table, setting it up in no time. “I like her, Joel. She seems like a good one. Better than the rest of em.’ I ain’t just sayin’ this to say it either. You both clearly really like each other. I’m happy to see you happy.”

Joel was lining up for his first shot to break up the formation with the cue ball. “Yeah, she’s..amazin’ i’m afraid i’m gonna screw the whole thing up though Tommy. Like i’ll say the wrong thing or fuck, i’ll just get too in my head and end up pushin’ her away or somethin.’” He took the shot, watching as the balls broke apart on the pool table.

“Joel, you can’t be thinkin’ about that shit, okay? I don’t think she’s gonna judge you for your past. Why would she? She’s not like the other girls you’ve been with, man. She seems like a ball of sunshine compared to the rest of ‘em. If it’s botherin’ you this much, just be honest and tell her. She can’t fault you for bein’ honest.”

Joel let out a deep sigh before he finished off his glass of whiskey. He was definitely starting to feel a buzz creeping on now. “I don’t think she wants to hear my sob story about how Sarah’s mom left us when she was just a fuckin’ toddler, and I definitely don’t think she wants to hear about how sad my dating life has been because of it.”

“If you’re not ready to tell her about Sarah’s mom, you don’t have to jump right into that necessarily. Just be open about your feelings Joel. You told me she hasn’t had the best luck with dating either. This could be a conversation that you both are able to relate to.”

“So you don’t think its goin’ to turn her off if I tell her i’m still in like this..adjustment period?” He looked across the pool table at his brother.

“No. I literally don’t think you could possibly turn that girl off Joel. She’s got the hots for you, and only you. Just don’t try and force the convo, okay? Let it happen naturally.”

“I won’t force the topic on her. I promise.” Joel nodded.

“There’s my soft teddy bear big brother!”

“I fuckin’ hate you.” Joel said with a deep chuckle.

“Shuddp. You love me!”

Once most of the college kids had cleared out, and the bar was less packed, Joel and Tommy were able to rejoin you at the bar top. You had heard this specific song playing through the bar speakers about a 100+ times. It was a song that could get any crowd going. With that smooth country rhythm and head bopping beat. ‘There Ain’t No Man’ by The Avett Brothers.

Your head was already bopping to the beat as you hummed the lyrics under your breath, swaying your hips a little as you finished making another Cowboy Margarita, a new menu item. Joel was watching the way the music enveloped you and he couldn’t help but get drawn into it as well as he bobbed his head, and tapped his boot on the floor below him.

“I'm gonna fall hard, yeah, I know I am when the crowds crack up, I laugh with them.”

Joel, Tommy, and the rest of the bar crowd had sung along.

“There ain't no man can save me.

There ain't no man can enslave me.

Ain't no man, a man that can change the shape my soul is in.

There ain't nobody here.

Who can cause me pain or raise my fear.

'Cause I got only love to share.

If you're looking for a truth, I'm proof you'll find it there.”

“You say you look funny, I say you're a star.

I say you're whatever you think you are.

Watch the naysayers fall right in line.

If we believe it they'll say,”

"She is so pretty, he is so fine!" You and Joel had leaned in close together, singing the lyrics together. You were close enough that your noses were nearly touching.

“Oh just fuckin’ kiss her!” One of your local townies yelled from the end of the bar top.

Before Joel could even utter a response back, you were gently grabbing his jaw between your fingers and kissing him sweetly.

Every single person in the bar had let out a loud cheer when you and Joel had kissed, and you both were laughing in the kiss, noses bumping lightly as your fingers gently brushed against the stubble along his jaw.

“Guess you kissed my pout away on the clock after all darlin.” Joel chuckled warmly against your lips. You could taste the whiskey on his tongue.

“Keep kissing me cowboy.” you mumbled against his lips, pulling him in closer.

It was 1a.m by the time that the bar was beginning to close down for the night. Whatever stragglers were left were gonna have to get the hell out soon because you were ready to head home and knock the fuck out. “HEY! LISTEN UP! If you don’t work here, sleep here, fuck somebody that works here, finish your drinks, close your tab out, tip 20% and go the fuck home!”

Joel and Tommy were already getting ready to close their tabs out when you had stopped them. “You guys don’t have to leave. I just have to say that every closing shift. It’s become a tradition around here.” You noticed the way Joel’s cheeks heated up as soon as you said “fuck somebody that works here.”

“Man, I knew you were one rad chick!” Tommy laughed and gave his brother a little squeeze. “You got my brother out here feelin’ speechless darlin!’”

“You say that every closin’ shift?” Joel asked curiously as he playfully swatted at his brother.

“Mhm. You’re in luck, cowboy. You fall into one of those categories.”

“But we–” Joel was cut off by his brother, shushing him with a finger over his lips.

“Alright, kids. Imma head home! This has been such a fun time, and i’m really lookin’ forward to seein’ more of ya sweet cheeks! You tell that friend of yours that I'm lookin’ forward to meetin’ her next weekend. Can you make sure my brother gets home safely? I know he’s gonna wanna spend some extra time with his girl.” He shot you a wink before paying out the tab, leaving you a fat tip before slipping off the leather stool.

You waved goodbye to Tommy as he left the bar and you quickly started to wipe down the counter and place the various bottles back on the shelves. Joel had waited till it was just the two of you left in the bar before he slipped off his own stool. His head was slightly spinning and it was a good thing that he didn’t drive. “Can I uh–help ya with anythin’ darlin?’”

You looked over at your Texas tall glass of water with a small grin on your lips as you finished wiping down the bartop. “Nah. I’m just about finished up here and then I can drive you home.”

Joel had slipped around the bartop as he approached you. As soon as you were within his reach, he snaked his arms around your waist, slowly backing you up into the counter with ease. “Well, in that case..” he whispered as you brought your arms up around his neck, playing with the soft curls on the nape of his neck.

“Did you have a good time tonight Joel? I’m really happy that you came out to see me. Made my shift a hell of a lot more fun.”

Joel tightened his grip around your waist as he let his thumbs dip into the waistband of your shorts, pulling you in closer to him. His nose was lightly brushing against yours as he dipped his head down. “I had a wonderful time with you tonight, baby. I hope my brother wasn’t too much of a nuisance.”

Your breath had slightly hitched in your throat when Joel had yanked you in closer by the belt loops of your shorts and your lips brushed against his lightly. “Less talking, more kissing please.” You whispered against his lips.

“Someone is awfully eager.” Joel chuckled lightly as he properly kissed you. It wasn’t long before he was gently grasping the back of your thighs and lifting you up onto the cool countertop. He drank in the soft gasp that slipped past your lips as he kissed you deeper, licking your bottom lip lightly before your lips parted for him and he explored your mouth expertly with his tongue.

Time seemed to completely stop from the way Joel was kissing you. You could tell that with each swipe of his tongue, he was gaining more confidence. Your senses were completely overtaken by him. His cologne, the whiskey lingering on his tongue. The way his fingers were tightly gripping your hips.

A light moan had slipped its way past your lips and the sound seemed to urge Joel to continue, and possibly throw all rational thoughts out the fucking window. “You’re so fuckin’ beautiful and these shorts your wearin’ are drivin’ me up a fuckin’ wall.” He rasped, giving your hips a firm squeeze.

“Why don’t you take them off, cowboy.” You whispered, kissing him deeper as you lightly tugged on the roots of his hair.

Joel let out a low groan as he felt his own head begin to spin. “Darlin’ you can’t be sayin’ stuff to me like that. You can’t be doin’ that. I’m about ready to rip these off ya, but I'm a little drunk. I don’t wanna do anythin’ when i’m under the influence. That ain’t right to you.” He whispered.

“I hope I can meet your mom one of these days just so I can tell her thank you for raising such a fucking wonderful gentleman.” You broke the kiss momentarily for a breath of air.

“I think we can arrange that baby.” Joel lightly rested his forehead against yours, eyes fluttering open as he looked down into yours.

You gently cupped his jaw in your hands, kissing him a few more times as you nuzzled your nose against his. “You wanna get out of here?”

“Yeah, take me home baby.” He chuckled and gave you one more deep kiss before he was gently helping you off the counter. He even fixed your shorts for you a bit as they had hiked up your thighs.

“C’mon lover boy, let's get you home safe.” You grabbed his hand, interlocking your fingers together before you finished locking up the bar and brought him out to your car.

Joel was sober enough to give you the directions to his home, but you could tell by his position in the passenger seat that he was definitely a little drunk. You rolled his window down a little so he could get some fresh air. You had to gently shake him awake when you pulled into his driveway. “Joel, honey? Hey, we’re home.”

Joel slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times before he sat up. “Shit. M’sorry darlin’ I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” He mumbled.

“It’s alright, Joel. Let's get you inside okay? C’mon cowboy.” You spoke softly to him as you got out of the driver’s seat and walked around to the passenger seat and helped him out of the car.

“Shouldn’t I be the one walkin’ ya to your door?” He mumbled into your shoulder, draping his arm around your waist for support.

“Baby, you’re drunk. It’s okay. I’m gonna make sure that you get into bed safely. Now, where are your keys?” You had gotten him to the front door at this point.

“Back pocket. I’ll get 'em for ya.” He reached into his back pocket with his free hand and pulled out his keys and dropped them into your hand.

Once you had the door open, you helped Joel inside before gently closing the door behind you. Getting Joel up the stairs was a bit of a challenge but he wasn’t complete dead weight. He mumbled into your hair about his bedroom being the first door on the left. Once you had him inside his room, you slowly set him down on the edge of his bed and helped him take his boots off and set them aside.

Joel was watching you with droopy eyes as you unlaced his boots. His body was swaying slightly as his forearms rested along his made up comforter. “M’sorry that you’re havin’ to take care of me like this when you probably just wanna go home and sleep.” He mumbled.

“Joel. It’s okay. I promised Tommy I'd get you home safe. You’re fine, okay?” You looked up at him with a soft expression on your face.

“You’re too good for me darlin’. I don’t deserve you.”

“Joel..What are you talking about? Where is this all coming from?” You rose from your knees, taking a seat next to him on the comforter.

“They all leave me anyway. I never–I can never hold someone down.” He whispered as he looked down at his lap.

“Joel. Hey, I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere. Okay? I’m not going anywhere.” You reached for his hand, gently interlocking your fingers together and held his hand in his lap. “Listen, I know that you have been out of the dating world for a while, I know you’re adjusting to all of this. I understand where you’re coming from, and I'm here for you.”

Tommy was right. Joel had nothing to worry about, nothing to fear when it came to you. You truly were a ball of wonderful sunshine.

“Thank you for understandin’ where i’m comin’ from. I appreciate it more than you know. I didn’t mean to get in my head like that. I just..I don’t wanna fuck things up.” He admitted quietly.

“Joel, it's okay. We all get in our head over these things sometimes. It happens more than you think. It’s what makes us human, right? Having these feelings and being able to express them in a safe space? You’re a wonderful person, Joel. I can’t imagine you fucking something like this up. I just want you to know that anytime you wanna talk about these things, I will always be here to listen and be there for you.” You gave his hand a gentle squeeze, stroking your thumb across the back of his hand.

“You’re so incredible, you know that? Thank you for just..validating my feelings. Sometimes that’s all a person needs to hear, y’know? Thank you sweetheart.” He turned his head slightly so he could rest his chin along your shoulder.

“Hey, don’t you go and make me cry right now cowboy. I completely understand though. Your feelings are valid. Now, let's get some water in your system and then get you to bed.” You gently squeezed his hand once more as you were standing up from the comforter.

“Stay.” He whispered.

“What?..”

“Please stay the night.” He was already reaching for your hand again.

“Joel..we said we wanted to take things slow. Remember?”

“I just wanna hold ya. I don’t want you drivin’ home alone this late either. I understand if you don’t want to, and I won’t pressure you.”

“Okay. I’ll spend the night.” You whispered.

“I’ll get you somethin’ to sleep in.” He was slowly rising from the comforter to grab you a tshirt and boxers to sleep in. “bathroom is just down the hall. I think we got extra toothbrushes in the cabinet. There’s face wash and stuff too.” He grabbed you a fresh shirt and boxers from his dresser and handed them to you.

“Thank you. I’m going to get us some water as well and then i’ll come to bed, Okay?”

Joel nodded before his arms were wrapping around you and giving you a warm hug. He kissed the side of your head before he slowly pulled away.

You left his bedroom quietly so he could have some privacy to change as you quietly padded down the hall to the bathroom. You changed out of your work clothes and into the T-shirt and boxers Joel gave you. They smelled like him, and lavender vanilla laundry detergent. You found a spare unopened toothbrush and quietly brushed your teeth and washed your face. You found your way down to the kitchen and grabbed two bottles of water.

Joel was changed and under the covers by this time. He texted Tommy that he was home safe and that he was right about you. He left out the part that you were spending the night, because he knew that he’d never hear the end of it.

You quietly slipped past his bedroom door, handing him the bottle of water before you set your clothes, and purse down on the nightstand and slowly climbed under the covers. Joel had chugged nearly half the bottle of water before he rolled over onto his side to face you. He had mumbled something incoherent as he reached his arms out and slowly wrapped them around your waist and pulled you in close. His chest was bare, and warm against your cheek, and you could hear the steady thrum of his heartbeat as your legs gently entangled together.

“G’night, darlin.’” Joel whispered softly into your hair as his eyes closed.

“Goodnight, cowboy.” You whispered back as you let your body relax in his grasp. Soon, you were drifting off into the peaceful dream realm.

tag list: @chaotic-mystery @peterhollandkait @soft-cryptids @dinsdjrn @lovers-liability @777-wonders @mirasantidotes @pedgeitopascal @loquaciousferret @korynnekorynne @kirsteng42 @bonglorddaryl @novemberrain-writes @sarahhxx03 @myrealmofchaos @finnsbubblegum @danilakozlovsky @pedrit0-pascalit0 @ssa-raye @pedropascalfan221 @missgurrl @leeeesahhh @yazsos @sunakochansama43 @casa-boiardi @last-girl @frankthesexualsadist @shatteredbaby @rye-flower @elliewilliamsno1simp @wonder-harley @userpedros @pedrospartner

[joejhang]

i read die free or die a failure.

spoilers ahead !!! these are my thoughts and i'm a yapper.

THINGS I LIKED (in no particular order)

andrew. (i feel like i really enjoyed his characterisation even tho it wasn't accurate. like it still felt sort of like him just like he was more vocal??? more expressive??? idk like his real personality was all there. i feel like he didn't really do anything that canon andrew wouldn't do, he just did it more openly. i love the way he handled neil and i love his smartass comments he genuinely made me laugh. and yeah protective andrew is near and dear to my heart)

kevin-neil dynamic (i would include jean in this but i hate to say it i feel like jean didn't quite fit in the narrative. like he was just there. but he didn't have a LOT of personality. it's fine tho we have tsc and that's enough for me. anyway. i loved kevin and neil's sibling dynamic it was SO funny i think they deserve to have more silly brotherhood moments in canon. i also liked how the author rlly deepened their relationship and there were a lot of layers to their bond)

SETH (i'll say it till the day i die seth deserved better. i feel like dfodaf perfectly illustrates how seth could've been if he had been allowed more time and a redemption arc. maybe it was a little rushed but i LOVED the way he became like a protective older brother to neil and actually learned about his mistakes and was willing to own up to them. GOD he had so much potential)

martyr!neil (IDK I KNOW IT'S TOXIC IT WAS JUST REALLY REALLY WELL DONE. it's not completely in line w canon neil's personality tbh but i feel like the author just got one of neil's key personality traits (a penchant for self-sacrifice and getting into near death situations) and just exaggerated for narrative purposes. which i can respect. and i just genuinely think neil is the bestest boy and this is probably very similar to what he could've been like if he had grown up in the nest)

andreil build up (i say build up bc that's the part i loved most abt their relationship in this fic. like it just felt very right for them to be together romantically after everything they went thru in this fic together. and i feel like andreil is a difficult ship to rewrite and make good bc of how well nora developed the intimacy and trust between them but this fic did it right. like the amount of trust they had in each other rlly warmed my heart!!! and i'm honestly a bit of a traditionalist and i like to stick to the canon but i think within the context of this fic their relationship was developed perfectly and paced perfectly. it just felt like the final piece in the puzzle slipped into place when they actually officially got together. like it just made sense. bc they already had that pre-existing foundation of trust and consent and they already knew each other really well. and their banter!!! it was so well written and funny. they had GREAT chemistry. they cooked w this one)

THINGS I KINDA DIDN'T LIKE (no hate!!! i'm just a natural hater and these r just some criticisms)

neil. (SORRYYYY i just can't stand when they mischaracterise my boy!!!! i feel like it kind of is a personal preference but reading this fic didn't really feel like i was reading neil. i think in the first half it was fine and i wasn't bothered by it too much but by the second half it kind of took me out of the narrative. like the neil i know and love isn't this vocal or this open about like...anything. like i just felt like neil in this fic was just very like out there and a lot louder and more...talkative??? than neil in canon. and i think it bothered me a lot bc one of the things i love most abt neil is his quiet (until he's not) personality. like he's really chill and just isn't as like vocal as he was in this fic. again it's probably just me, but i just feel like the neil characterisation in this fic didn't feel quite right to me)

the dialogue (not all of it but a lot of it i remember being like oh ok. like it felt a little too...like blunt??? like the dialogue felt kind of jarring bc i feel like real ppl wouldn't speak like that. a lot of the conversations felt kind of awkward (this isn't me imposing my own like preferences onto this fic even within the narrative it didn't feel right) and i feel like a lot of what aftg does right in terms of writing is showing not telling the characters' thoughts and feelings whether thru actions or expressions. but in this fic it kind of felt like the characters were all just saying exactly what they were thinking and feeling and experiencing at all times and it kinda took me out of the story)

ok that's it. the things i liked outnumbered the things i disliked but the things i disliked were some pretty big things. STILL. i digress. i think writing such a long and complicated fic abt such a well-loved piece of writing is such a skill and i think the author did great even if there were things i personally didn't love about it. go read it PLEASE so i can discuss this w ppl. CHECK TW!!! there are a lot and this fic is very dark and very heavy and difficult to read at times. anyway. props to the author i had a great time.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/31265498/chapters/77287217

[smushystrawbabies]

✨ art under ramble ✨

It’s my dream that when (NOT IF, WHEN) Red Dead Redemption 3 releases it’ll be a prequel to the second game. I’d love if you’d play as a new character who is part of Dutch’s gang in the early days and you are part of the VDL gang vs O’ Driscoll feud, witnessing the death of Colm’s brother and Annabelle and all other crazy moments mentioned in passing in RDR2. But mainly what I want to see is Dutch, Hosea, Arthur and John in the early days. I want to see the curious couple and their unruly sons in their purest form! I want to see Dutch and Hosea hold hands again, sweet Bessie doing sweet things and John’s horrendous reading lessons, Miss Grimshaw whacking everyone into shape AND ARTHUR WITH COPPER AND BOADICEA!!!

ANYWAYS

I had these really stupid ideas about how camp would work with so many characters, camp interactions and chores and tents. Maybe one day you are awoken by Miss Grimshaw shoving hungover Arthur’s head in a troth of cold water after a long night out and Hosea and Bessie chuckling by the fire. And by night you'll find new recruit Bill Williamson arguing with anyone he can find and Dutch teaching John slights of hands at the poker table. And what about all the new characters!!!!!?????

I get the impression that all the camp chores and tasks were dumped on baby John. You’ll find him dragging hay bales across camp, washing shirts, chasing chickens and half-ass-ly doing whatever jobs Arthur has convinced him to do by giving him an old penny after telling him it’s an ancient Roman coin that is worth a thousand dollars (lots of stuff like this happened you cannot convince he otherwise). While John peels potatoes in camp he dreams of getting his own gun, riding into town and robbing a bank just like a real outlaw! Then everyone would finally appreciate him as the awesomest and bestest gunslinger in all of history! Everyone knows that if John got his greasy hands on a pistol all hell would break loose. So he is cursed to camp indefinitely, at the expense of everyone around him. This absolutely led to him being a crazy teenager. Dutch's parenting is shit, we all know it.

Branching off the chore idea; if you called your horse in game, a little rat boy John would lead your horse to you. Come on just IMAGINE calling for your horse in camp and hearing faint steps approach you and when you look down you see a flea infested child holding your horse by a lead and spitting bizarre threats at you in an attempt to escape camp and rob some people.

sorry for the john posting :3c

[idontknowreallywhy]

Father’s Day - Aftermath continued

There have been some… demands. Mainly relating to that hug a certain someone desperately needed after this and this so… your wish is my command (and you are all dreadful enablers - I was absolutely intending to clean the bathroom this eve but I wrote this instead)

💛💙❤️💛💙❤️💛💙❤️💛💙❤️💛💙❤️

He didn’t hear them approach. Perhaps they had upped their combined stealth game or he’d been too caught up in his own thoughts. Either way the tentative “Scotty?” from Alan made him jump and some guilty impulse caused him to throw the card out of his hands and over the edge of the balcony.

A split second later, another impulse had him hopelessly grabbing for it and allowed a faint whine of distress to escape as it was caught by the swirling sea breeze and drifted towards the pool.

Alan and Gordon appeared at either side and they stood together in silence to watch its descent. Scott absolutely did not let out a sigh of relief as, at the last moment, some heaven-sent zephyr nudged it away from the water and underneath a sun lounger. He did not do that because he was going to burn it anyway and the pool might have saved him a job.

Gordon clearly failed to comprehend how Scott had been completely uninvested in the fate of the card and chuckled as he nudged his shoulder and said “We could have written you another one, Scoots.”

Scott’s grip tightened on the railing “No! You mustn’t! I mean it was sweet… thank you! But you shouldn’t… I didn’t… you can’t think…”

That thing about the words and the brothers again. He could sense them making eye contact behind his neck. Scott bit his tongue to halt the incoherent mess and took a deep breath to try again…

… which was immediately forced out of his lungs by the double envelopment of his rib cage. His intercostal muscles stood no chance against four well-developed arms with a point to make and no further words were possible, well chosen and coherent or otherwise.

“You DID and we CAN.” Gordon declared.

“We do!” Alan chipped in.

“But…” Scott wheezed.

“No buts.” Gordon growled.

“But…”

They squeezed tighter.

“Huuuuuhhhhhh… Need… breathe…”

The squeezing lessened marginally.

“Fine, but only if you don’t argue.”

“I… okok.”

The pressure was reduced enough for him to gasp in a decent breath, lift his arms and drop them around their shoulders to apply some crushing affection of his own. Some time passed, he wasn’t sure how much.

“I do love you both, you know that right?”

“Course we do!”

“You never let us doubt it, Scotty.”

“Oh… good. That’s good.”

He closed his eyes and savoured the moment for nearly a whole-moment-and-a-half before the guilt crept back in.

“I’m sorry guys, I…”

“Scott, don’t make me crush you again because I can and I will.”

“I don’t doubt it. Honestly though…” - he powered on through the brown-eyed glare from his left armpit because all of a sudden a little flare of hope had lit in his chest and refused to be quashed by common sense and he needed to know, needed to hear if it could possibly be true - “… you really think… I did ok?”

The Tinies lost their synchronisation then, as Alan yelled “YESSSS!” in Scott’s right ear and Gordon head butted his clavicle with a growled string of very military phrases disparaging his ability to understand the most basic of concepts.

Bruised and half-deafened, Scott allowed himself the smallest smile. He was mildly distracted by a faint clicking sound before Alan caught his attention again.

“The Bestest. That’s what it said, Scotty.”

“Allie, you do know that isn’t a word, right?”

“Meh, it’s word-adjacent. And hey, I’m 18 now, you don’t get to police my language anymore!”

Scott snorted “Try telling that to Grandma.”

There was some chuckling. Then he sighed “But it’s going to be better now he’s back.”

Gordon huffed then pulled back from the hug a little to frown at him.

“Yeah but you do understand that isn’t because it wasn’t good enough with you? Right?”

“But he’s DAD.”

Gordon seemed to be chewing on something so Scott ploughed on.

“Dad! Your actual Dad! Look, when he’s fully fit, you’ll know what I mean. It’s going to be way better, the way it was always supposed to be.”

Alan had gone a little stiff under his arm and was looking over at Gordon who cleared his throat and grabbed Scott’s hand where it still rested on his shoulder.

“Scott, I’m really glad you got your Dad back. And I’m thrilled that we got him back too. He’s amazing and we love him so much. But I think I speak for both of us…?” Gordon paused and looked at Alan who nodded vigorously “when I say it was always you. Even before… all the Guardian business… you were always there, dadding away like you weren’t just supposed to be our big bro. School stuff, swimming stuff, getting me out of trouble stuff…”

“You taught me to ride my bike and read me stories every night.” Alan gazed up at him with the very same eyes that had demanded just one more story, only the gleam in them was wiser and more determined now.

“Yeah, all that… The important stuff. We know he did his best but he was really busy and you were never too busy for us. Never. And we know how hard you tried when we were assholes and we knew you kept loving us and that’s the thing. Right, Al?”

“Yeah that’s the most important thing and you were definitely the bestest at that.”

Scott felt hot and cold and heavy and buoyant all at once. The words had now utterly failed him so he just held both little brothers as tightly as he could and hoped that would communicate what was needed.

“You’re having a hugging-Scott party and didn’t invite us?”

Virgil’s amused rumble from behind him gave barely a second’s warning before his much bigger little brother added his own muscle to the proceedings and pulled the little group back from the railings to allow John to slip in and cover Scott’s front. A beat, and then a slight grunt from the heavy lifter as Kayo leaped onto his back and wrapped her arms around Scott’s forehead.

Entirely smothered by siblings, his head light and his heart little more than a pulsating puddle of goop in his chest, the tiniest giggle escaped Scott. It looked back and beckoned to its little friends who fell over each other on their way to freedom and were eventually steamrollered by a full-throated cackle as pure intoxicating relief poured out of him.

He’d done ok.

💛💙❤️💛💙❤️💛💙❤️💛💙❤️💛💙❤️

Down on the pool deck, in the shadow of the balcony, a man leaned quietly on his cane and drank in the incomparably beautiful sound of his children laughing together.

[startheimpactfangirl]

fall in love with me!

note: me after making this instead of doing requests (I'm sorry y'all). Anyways this is a Donnie x oc thing but your allowed to interpret it as Donnie x reader.

The last few years of Donnie and stars friendship had shifted the dynamic they had widely. Of course, they had stayed the bestest friends. But ever since they were 12, they've been awkwardly pining for eachother.

The two meet when star was first adopted, at 7 years old. Star barely knew any English, really just a few words. But they had a developed a connection, despite Donnie not understanding the words they'd used from time to time. He taught them how to speak more English..  and when they were young, star had a heavy accent.

The two had meet when Donnie wasn't fast enough getting in the sewers and star saw him, opened up the sewer cover and went after him.  Seeing a random human in the sewers so happy to see them was the biggest indicator that they found out about them.

And well, if they already knew what and who they were, what's the point in hiding it? That day, the turtles made a new friend. One who spoke barely any English and was clearly new to new York. Tho, you don't need to speak the same language to be friends.

Donnie and star grew especially close, both being the nerds in the friend group. Well the biggest nerds anyway. The too grew up together, spending so much time with eachother...star would come home after hangout sessions and their moms were wondering what in the hell they were doing all day.

Which brought them to when they were both 12 years old and the pining started. Donnie and star had always been close, especially more close than star was with the others.

One day, when they were 12, they were laughing and eating pizza. Star and Donnie were talking intensely on the topic of Lou Jitsu

"Hahaha remember that one scene where Lou Jitsu and Mrs Johnson starred at eachother while both fighting the villian! God that was so stupid!"

Star commented on that one embarassing time they tried to give Lou Jitsu a love interest named Mrs. Johnson. Who was a kindergarten teacher by day and hero by night. Really, what were they thinking? All the scenes they had together were just embarrassing.

Donnie laughed

"Yeah, that scene was uncomfortable. Mikey seemed to like it tho....then again he is kind of a sucker for that romantic stuff."

Donnie and star seemed to agree on a lot of things, they always had.

Hanging out with his friend was the funniest ever, he really adored the time they had together. Maybe a little too much. More than he was supposed to.

Star giggled "yeah! I swear whenever there's romance of any kind he gets sappy!"

Donnie grinned. "Indeed....I love my brother but I can't believe how sappy he gets when romance is involved."

Star hummed and grabbed another slice of pizza, taking a good chunk out of it as they bit into it.

"Yeah, I didn't even see anything to be sappy about. That was the most forced romance I ever watched." Star said with a shrug

"Yes! You get me!" Donnie agreed with them

Star giggled a bit more  "always have."

Always have.....yeah. they have. Maybe that's why his heart beated fast around them. Why he felt giddy whenever they ask him to hang out.

"yeah. You have." His smile soft as he spoke.

He started to admire their facial features....they have a nice face shape. How come he's never paid attention to it before?

.

.

.

.

That day marked the start of their awkward pining that'd go on for the next few years. That'd make him suddenly nervous whenever they got too close.

But he wasn't going to act on these feelings. At least not yet. Not until he was sure he liked them more than a friend.

They were 15 now, he's been pining for 3 years.... but do they feel the same?

Well in any case... for now he'll keep pining.

[slightlyobsessedwitheverything]

TELL ME ABOUT GIRL DAD BUCK 🤲

oh my god ok i posted that and then almost immediately logged off to go to a concert 🙈

but girl dad buck! this has been a collaborative effort with my bestest friend @probablynotpoppin that all stemmed from this text

her name is lily :) she’s 5 years old

her mom was a one time hookup pre-abby. she did intend to raise lily, but exigent circumstances caused her to relinquish custody. that is when buck finds out about her. and of course he takes her. that’s his baby girl.

she was born in october of 2018, and came into buck’s custody only around a month or so before the firetruck bombing. so buck was STRUGGLING trying to take care of himself AND a 6 month old. luckily, his family (namely bobby and eddie) steps up.

but anyway, on to lily!!!!

she ends up with her mom’s dark hair and eyes, but she has buck’s smile. buck thinks she looks just like a little maddie :)

she LOVES bugs. she’s the kind of kid who walks around with worms in her pockets and catches bugs at recess. she wants to be a bug scientist when she grows up (eddie HATES bugs and Will Not let her bring them into his house)

she also loves crocs and the color yellow and having princess tea parties with her dad and eddie (and eventually tommy as well)

the first time tommy meets her, she’s a little shy but he explains that he used to work with her uncle chim and auntie hen and grandpa bobby, and he’s also friends with chris and her uncle eddie. that makes her giggle and hide her face in buck’s neck. tommy asks her what’s so funny, and she tells him through her giggles, “not uncle eddie, just eddie.” then buck asks her if they can be friends with tommy too and she says “ok daddy :)” and that’s that!

chris is definitely a big brother to her, but they don’t call each other that (yet). she tells everyone chris is her very best friend in the whole world. she loves to play video games with him (even though most of the time her controller isn’t even connected)

tommy never thought he’d have kids. first because he couldn’t hold down a girlfriend, then bc he was gay, then bc he was getting older. but he falls in love with lily so quickly and can truly see himself watching her grow up with buck by his side. but the longer he sticks around, the more he sees just how involved eddie is in their lives. that eddie, buck, chris, and lily are a little family, their lives are so intertwined. and the longer he stays, the more he knows how bad it will hurt when he has to give this all up.

(but it’s okay because eddie will love him too and they can be a family of 5 😌)

that’s about all i have for now 🫣 but i love lily so much, she is my baby 💕

[colesluvr]

HI!!

I would like to request a Jay x male! reader where the reader is a singer and likes to write little love songs about Jay but he would never know the songs are about him,,

then one day the reader releases a new album and it's called "Your Blue Eyes." and then the reader just uses some more hints abt Jay like his brunette hair, something abt lightning, his freckles, EVERYTHING.

after he listened to the album, Jay is like, wait a minute. HE LIKES ME?????

Your Blue Eyes | Jay Walker X Male Reader

Your eyes scanned the arcade you left your sibling at for about 3 hours. Some sibling you are, how can I leave them there? You spoke to yourself mentally as you searched it up and down.

You had your hood over your head to make yourself less...open. Last thing you need to worry about is having a crowd sworm around you and you lose your chances on finding your little sibling.

Mother/Father's gonna kick my aaaasss. You panicked as you asked people of they have seen a little kid and described what they wore. You spoke in a different voice so you don't risk on getting attention. You already had sunglasses and your hood up, but people have sharp eyesight. You learned that the hard way.

It was hard being a famous singer at 16 years old.

You could never show people the real you.

Which is why you rarely made friends. You made a couple, but not much. You still loved them with all your heart. You never wanted to draw much attention to yourself anyways.

"S/N! S/N, I'm serious, where are you!?" You called out for the 23rd time, you lost count to be honest, but it feels like you've been searching for hours.

"And my older brother, Y/N L/N, is one of the bestest brothers I could ask for! He is a famous singer and better then whatever you all will be when your older like him!"

You heard your name and you looked to the source of it to find your little sibling surrounded by kids a year older then them. Ah, S/N! You cursed under your breath as you rush over to them.

"Ooh! Look, there he is! Y/N!" Your sibling jumped down from a chair they were sitting at and ran toward you. "Y/N! Tell these meanies that you're an amazing singer, and your songs are SLAY-" You gently slammed your hand over their mouth and grabbed them, attempting to run away.

"S/N! What did I tell you about telling strangers about my job? We don't need to start-AH!" Two screams screamed over each other. One was yours and one was...another male?

As you hit the floor with your sibling safe, you quickly tried to stand. "Im so sorry, I wasn't looking!" You help the boy with the brown locks back up to his feet. You both made eye contact and your eyes sparkled.

The boy that stood in front of you was the most handsome boy you've laid eyes upon. His hair was fluffy, his frecles were goergous, and his eyes.

They were the most beautiful.

They were a bright, electric blue, and the shined bright under the arcade lights.

"Omg, You're..." He started, "You're Y/N! Omg, I was just listening ti your music!" He fanboyed all over.

You were flicked out of your trance by your sibling, smirking up at you.

"Uh, Y-Yeah. I'm-I'm gald you enjoy i-IT." Your cheeks turned a shade of pink as you spoke to the boy. "It's amazing, dude! Uh- can-can I call you dude? I know you don't know me-"

"I'm sorry, I gotta run, uh, nice talkin'! I'll catch you later!"

Before he could respond, you ran past him and out the door with your little sibling right behind getting dragged.

Jay watched as you left.

His palms were sweaty.

He felt his cheeks get hot and his heart pound against his chest as a goofy smile formed on his face.

"Jay?" Nya called out to her friend for the third time. He yelps as he jumps and chuckled nervously.

"Hu-What?"

"Are you okay?" Nya asked, scrunching her nose as Jay nods.

"Hmmhm! Never been better....can we go now?" He whispered, poking his index fingers together.

Nya nods and the both of them leave.

-

Weeks went by.

Your mind has been racing.

Our thoughts were nothing but Jay. Jay this, Jay that. It's almost like he's taken over your mind and refuses to get out.

Later that night, you were in your room sitting at your desk. You tapped your pencil on the wood of your desk, tapping your foot to the beat as you stared at an empty piece of paper.

Staring at the sheet you've pictured Jay in your head.

His blue eyes were as bright as the ocean sea.

His brown curls were styled beautifuly.

His freckles. Oh you could talk about the all day.

Thats it.

Holy moly, that's fricking it!

-

Jay and Cole were gaming together in the Monestary. Jay was currently beating Cole in this game, causing him to get cocky.

"Jay! What the heck!" Cole yelled, seeing his character die to Jay's character. Jay giggled triumply smirking at his best friend. "Suck it, Master of Earth!"

Cole rolled his eyes and gently tossed the controller to the ground, leaving the room and to the kitchen. He left Jay alone, but a couple minutes later Kai ran in almsot knocking into the wall.

"JAYJAYJAY!"

"KAI?" Jay screamed back as Kai grabbed the remote from the Lighting Ninja's hand and handed him a phone. "Wha-?" Before he could reply, Kai threw on headphones over Jay's head and unlocked his phone.

"One, how did you get my phone? Two, how do you know my password-?"

"SHSHS! Just listen to Y/N L/N's new album. This is his first ever song for that album."

And with that, the song began to play. Jay stayed quiet and listen to the beat and the melody.

~

Verse One:

I'm scared what you, I'll say, when I say I think about you night and day

I love you more than I have ever found a way to say When I first laid eyes on you, the moment when we met You smiled, you smiled

Chorus: Your ocean blue eyes, your brown curls, your freckles To guard you and to guide you

Is almost more than I can take

Verse Two:

I just want you close

Where you can stay forever

Chorus: Your ocean blue eyes, your brown curls, your freckles And I know you love me

For I can’t help falling in love with you

~ this was so stupid im sorry :_

Jay's eyes blinked a couple of times as the song finished. He took the words and tried to think, why do those features sound so familiar. Kai removed the headphones and waited for Jay to reply, "Well?"

"I-I like the beat." Jay shurgged, unsure what Kai wanted to hear from him. "No, you dumbass! Y/N's new song is about you! Didn't you listen?" Kai started, "The ocean blue eyes, the brown hair, the freckles!?" Kai cupped Jay's cheek to prove his point.

He let go of Jay who was stunned to speak.

"Wait..." Jay began, standing to his feet forgetting all about the game he was playing. "Are you saying Y/N L/N fricking loves me? Or like, has a crush on me?"

Kai nods his head.

AS Jay watched as Kai answered his question, his face melted into a goody grin and he began to chuckle nervously. "Y/N-" He pants, "I-me. He."

Suddenly he's laughter filled the Monestary, "WAHO!!"

Kai stared at him as he ran out of the room and down the hall, running into Zane. Jay grabbed his arms and spun him around, "Jay?!" Zane cried, almost hitting the floor as Jay lets him go and ran.

Kai shook he's head, but a small smile formed on his face immediately after.

[estoned-png]

Hi Estoned! 🪴(pretend that's a weed emoji haha)

I saw your headcanon with Estonia and Prussia both enjoying classical music. Do you think they'd ever play (with instruments) classical music together? 🎻 How do you think they found out each other enjoyed classical music? And do you think Austria joins them with talking about classical music? Anyways, hope you're having a good day!🪽

estoned🪴here🔥 YIPPEE MY FIRST QUESTION!! so excited wowie this is gonna be very long (so sorry for the yap sesh, these hcs have been brewing since 2020)

First of all, 100% they have played classical music together, whether it be together in a larger ensemble, duet/solo + accompaniment (more on this later)

I don't know how it would work in the canon universe but I like to think that they've played in an orchestra together at some point while living under russia's rule (and this sorta goes into another idea of mine: i don't think ivan himself was completely evil or abusive all time, but rather more "abused becomes the abuser" and misunderstood because of his upbringing as a child. i think he meant well and wanted them to be like a "family", so he'd bend some rules to allow them to pursue some hobbies or "careers"* for a while but a lot of the hardships they faced were because of the time, living conditions, and government. so put a bunch of people who can semi coexist with each other into a bad living situation, there was bound to be conflict between them.) i did some research and there were professional orchestras in the ussr, so maybe that?

*a little more abt this, i think nations usually take on extra hobbies and "careers" but have to have a fake name and "retire" early.

ex.) (in austria's case) people would be a little suspicious if the same conductor with the same name worked with the same orchestra for decades without aging at all.

the soviet mansion (what else do ppl call that group nowadays? is referring to them as "soviets" offensive?? i don't wanna offend anyone😞) used to have a grand piano for estonia (something russia requested because estonia had already lived under his rule once so he knew he enjoyed playing piano) and prussia was allowed to buy a flute (instruments are crazy expensive so probably something cheap), so in their spare time when they weren't working or doing chores (or fighting), estonia and prussia would play together. until eventually, they had to sell the piano for some extra cash but not without estonia's one condition: that he be allowed to buy another instrument for cheap with some of the money from the piano (grand pianos are pretty expensive so.) eventually though, their shared hobby was pushed aside as they eventually had to sell their own instruments a few years later.

as for austria, he comes in after the dissolution of the ussr when prussia was once again living with his brother, germany. he mentioned to austria how estonia and him would pass the time during their stay at russia's and austria reached out, excited to have a musician aquientance who was more tolerable than prussia.

nowadays, they get together to discuss classical music in general as well as personal stories of working with ensembles and different pieces they have played/want to play. this might be a little specific, but their main topic at the moment is debating which movement of Gustav Holst's "The Planets" is the best and why. (i might sound like a total nerd but the planets suite is so good??? a staple in any musicians playlist of classical music)

THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION!!! i love answering these types of things and finally being able to post abt my headcanons that have been brewing since 2020 IS SO FUN!! i hope you have the bestest day ever i love you

[haitaniapologist]

A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE. ( zhongli x reader )

╰┈➤ you always believed in christmas miracles, but he took this concept to another level for you.

pairings — zhongli x fem!reader.

warnings — reader and zhongli are single parents before meeting each other, t*xic relationship (not with zhongli), mentions of domestic v*olence and ch*ating, a bit of misogyny and overall prejudice of the society with single mothers, fluff with children and between the parents, sugestiveness at the end.

word count — 5k

notes — this is a repost from the beggining of the year bc i had some problems back then, but this fic was supposed to be a christmas one and for zhongli's birthday. either way, it's now here! reblogs and feedbacks are appreacited <3

you’ve always loved christmas. 

it was a time when everything was magical, especially when you were a child, but such a magic didn’t die when you were growing up — it actually only grew, especially after you had your daughter. her father, your ex-husband, wasn’t the biggest fan of christmas. zandik was a doctor, and a logical one, and he almost spilled to your daughter that santa wasn’t real in the last christmas you three spent as a family, though you couldn’t tell if he was being mean or the idea of santa claus was so illogical that he didn’t comprehend why your daughter should believe it. 

either way, nahida still believed in santa, and you were sure your boyfriend and his children would do anything to keep such magic in your daughter’s life — and you couldn’t be more grateful. 

ganyu and xiao were two sweet hearts, accepting to go shopping with you to buy presents for your daughter and their father. it was a tradition that was passed down from your father to you, always bringing you along when he went to buy presents for your mother and siblings — you loved nothing more than to choose what they would be given, and seeing their eyes lighten up with the perfect gifts you had chosen. you used to take nahida with you, too, when you and zandik were still together, and you knew she loved to see the small smile on her father’s face when he opened his gift and saw the shirt or the new white coat his daughter had chosen for him. 

but that was in the past now, and your ex-husband didn’t want anything to do with nahida now. 

it was a shame, though. despite the bad way your relationship ended — with him cheating on you with one of his coworkers while you stayed at home taking care of your little treasure and doing everything to please him — nahida was still his daughter, a child that he had spent hours and hours talking when she was still in your belly, a child that he had treasured and did lots and lots of plans with you while she laid on his bare chest in a warm night of summer. but ever since your divorce, he hadn’t made any effort to be present in his daughter’s life again, but it didn’t seem like nahida was missing him. 

your boyfriend was a better father figure to her, anyway. 

after your divorce, you didn’t have anywhere to be — your ex husband made you quit your job after you got pregnant, so you could put all your energy into taking care of your baby and raising her the bestest you could. your best friends, cyno and tighnari, offered you a place to stay until you had a job and a good income to be able to live on your own with nahida, and you couldn’t be more grateful to them. if it wasn’t for them, you wouldn’t have been hired in your boyfriend’s company as his secretary and become the neighbor of his younger brother, who played matchmaker for the both of you. 

zhongli was a kind boss, always understanding when you needed to call a sick day whenever nahida needed you, to the point that rumors about your involvement began even before you two were actually together.

apparently, he had always looked at you with a lovestruck expression that everybody saw except you — because, in your head, how could a man as successful as him, as handsome and kind as him, would look at you with love in his eyes instead of pity? with a failed marriage and a little girl to take care of, you had already made up your mind that you would never find love again. but zhongli was stubborn and would do anything to show you that he was different than your ex-husband, his plan coming to fruition when you found a job in your actual line of field, with venti’s and ei’s help. 

you were, at first, a bit hesitant in opening your heart again for another man. but you came to know that you and zhongli had passed by the same situation, a cheating wife that left him for her new affair, leaving two small children for him to take care of. if it wasn’t for venti and ei, in the words of the said younger brother of your ex boss, zhongli wouldn’t be able to raise his children to be such good kids. another thing that made you more prone to open yourself to him was the way he treated nahida, in such a care that you never saw your husband treating her — zhongli always coaxed giggles and giggles from her, and you knew you were in love with him watching him play with your daughter as if she was his own. 

now, after one year of being together and two months of living as a family, it was the first christmas you five would spend together. 

“aunt y/n, do you think daddy will like a new shirt? we can buy it blue to match with my hair!” ganyu’s excited voice took you from your thoughts, and you smiled at the young girl, nodding at her words, like xiao glared at his older sister.  

ganyu and xiao were nine and seven, and the kindest children you ever met. they had accept you and nahida in their lives as if you both had always been a part of it, and the three of them had a very special bond — none of your friends had children on nahida’s age, and it was good to see the sibling bond she was forming with zhongli’s children. she and ganyu became sisters in less than a day, and while xiao was shyer than his sister, nahida was already calling him big brother by the end of the first week you all were living together. you and zhongli couldn’t be happier, being able to be together and watching your children getting closer — he’d always whisper how good of a mother you were while kissing your forehead, making you hide your face on his chest due to embarrassment. 

“i think he will love one.” you agreed, hand messing ganyu's blue curls. “but maybe for his birthday? we need to remember that we need to buy two gifts for daddy.” sometimes it was bothersome the fact that your boyfriend's birthday was in the new year's eve, a date when people were already celebrating, but you tried to make it more special for him — zhongli's birthday celebration started as soon as he wake up, and it went through the whole day. he would turn thirty-four this year, and you wanted to make it as special as you wanted christmas to be. 

“why didn't daddy choose a better day to be born? like us, or nahida!” xiao's complaint was cute, his hand clutching your skirt and his brows furrowed in an unhappy face. 

you smiled at the younger boy, watching as ganyu looked at the dress shirts in the store. “we don't choose the day we're born, little man.” it was cute how he still flushed at your pet names for them, and you wondered if someday he'd grow too tired of them and ask you to stop. you hoped not, because both of them, ganyu and xiao, already had their special places on your heart — right at nahida's, but you feared it was too soon to call them like that.

“hmpf.” he pouted and you giggled, fighting the urge to pinch his cheeks and call him cute. 

“aunt y/n!” ganyu called you, a beautiful blue dress shirt in her small hands. “i'm sure daddy will like this one! it's like my hair!” she proudly exclaimed, a smile full of white teeth adorning her chubby cheeks. but before you could answer, you heard an irritated sound coming from xiao’s mouth, who was still clutching your skirt, narrowed eyes looking at the shirt his sister chose. 

“what about my hair then?” he asked and you sighed, knowing it would take a while to make those two agree on something. 

— 

zhongli smiled seeing the christmas’ lights shining on nahida’s green eyes. 

he had always worried about his relationship with your child, even before you two were a thing — it was embarrassing how much he had daydreaming about being in a relationship with you, a thirty two three old man fantasizing about his twenty-seven secretary, but he couldn’t help himself. not when you smiled so sweetly at him, always making sure that he had a cup of water and coffee with him and that he wasn’t overworking himself. you were zhongli’s dream woman, and he knew he needed to court you properly. 

you first told him about your daughter in a rainy day, after you had received a call from your friends, eyes glossy with tears — you explain that she had a fever through the whole night and you left her with your best friends so you could work, but it seemed like her condition was worse since you left. zhongli didn’t think twice about offering you a ride to your friends’ house then to the hospital, his heart contracting itself seeing your distressed face. you reluctantly accept, and the rest was story. 

that day was the confirmation that you needed that you should accept his moves on you, already searching for a new job so you could fully welcome zhongli in your life. the way he made nahida feel safe, despite the doctors' scaring and the needles in her little body, made the tears you were holding back to fall from your eyes — your ex-husband’s last words ringing in your head, of how much of a bad mother you would be without him and his help.

now, zhongli was walking hand in hand with your six-year-old daughter through the jewelry store, trying to look for the perfect ring to propose to you. 

“what gem do you think mommy would like, nahida?” he asked, his amber gaze eyeing some diamond’s rings on display, hands unconsciously reaching to take nahida between his arms so she could help him choose. she nuzzled between them, sighing contently before casting her green orbs on the rings and gasping softly. zhongli suppressed a chuckle — he missed when his children were small and innocent like her.

she pointed to a gold one with some green details, the diamond shaped in a heart with some emeralds around it. he wasn’t surprised though, as her favorite color was green — even the tips of her hair were dyed green, a courtesy of the day she, ganyu and xiao spent with venti. “that one, uncle ‘li!” she exclaimed, her face lightening up at the thought of your finger adorned with it. “but why are you gifting mommy it, uncle zhongli? my papa used to give her clothes or books.” nahida was the most intelligent and curious kid zhongli ever met, and he knew she’d ask why he wanted to give you a ring — though the mention of her father brought a sour taste to his mouth, he could never be angry at her for bringing him up. 

she was too small to understand how much her father made her mother suffer. 

“well,” he started, smiling at the vendor and pointing to the ring nahida liked. “i want to marry your mommy, and i’m going to ask her with the ring i’ll buy today. do you think she’ll accept it?” 

he didn’t want to admit it, but his heart was hammering inside his chest like he was a teenager once more — nobody knew about his plans of proposing, and zhongli wanted to keep things a surprise to everyone, but he knew he needed to ask nahida’s permission first. she was your entire world, just like his children were his, but he wanted to make a space for himself there, like you and your little girl had on his. and nahida’s acceptance was what he needed to feel confident enough to ask you those three little words. he knew you wouldn’t do anything that would hurt or put her in danger, and he couldn’t blame you. you were a single mother in a world that looked down at you with disdain in its eyes. 

though, nahida’s words caught him by surprise. “you promise you won’t make mommy cry like my papa did?” he looked puzzled at her, though he understood what she meant. “mommy thinks she hides things from me, but i’m not dumb. i remember when papa left us, she cried so much! and i don’t want to see her crying again.” she hid her face on his neck and zhongli sighed, stroking her back. 

“i promise, my sweetness. i will never make mommy cry sad tears, alright?” he almost didn’t notice her small nod, but he felt her small hands gripping the back of his dress shirt tighter. “does that mean i can marry mommy?” 

his heart felt more at ease when he heard her giggles. “of course!” nahida exclaimed while coming out from her hiding spot, a big smile on her face. “does that mean you’ll be my daddy, too?” as much as her voice had excitement on it, zhongli could recognize a bit of shyness, alongside the soft pink dusting her cheeks — but he felt his heart warm, and even though nahida didn’t know that, he already considered her his child, his youngest daughter. and to know that she wanted him to be her father figure was better than any other scenario he could think of. 

“yes, i’ll be your daddy too, my sweetness.” 

—

you looked down fondly at ganyu and xiao, both of them looking at their ice creams as if they were the richest treasure in the world.

at the end, they decided to buy a blue shirt as zhongli’s christmas’ present, and a gold wristwatch, with his black ornaments, as his birthday present. it was adorable to see how dedicated they were to find the perfect gift for their father, debating and arguing to try to find what he would like the most — in the end, you knew zhongli would use his gifts to work, showing his employees how cute and thoughtful his little angels were. 

“this ice cream is so good, mommy.” you smiled, at first, hearing xiao’s words, napkin ready to clean his lips off the almond cream around it — but you stopped dead in your tracks when you noticed how he called you. 

you never wanted to take their biological mother’s place in their lives, though zhongli always said that she never loved them like a mother should — she saw them as a way for him to continue married to her, so she could maintain her lifestyle as a ceo’s wife intact, partying and cheating on him behind his back and leaving his children to be taken care by nannies. once, he admitted to you that his biggest regret was choosing such a woman to be the mother of his children, whispering soon after that what happened to him and her led him to you, and zhongli couldn’t be more grateful. hearing him calling you that, although, filled your heart with warmth and your smile grew wider. 

xiao was more introverted and reserved than ganyu, perhaps because of the so little time he spent with his mother before she and zhongli divorced. you thought he would be the last one to call you that, and you would be alright if he never did — the love you felt for them and the love they felt for you couldn’t be described in just a simple title. 

“you’re getting your mouth all dirty, dummy.” as a good older sister, ganyu scolded him gently, though her mouth was dirty with some of the chocolate toppings of her ice cream. “it isn’t mommy’s job to clean you.” 

you didn’t know if it was influence of her brother or just the mood that made her call you like that too, but you swallowed the lump in your throat. “it is mommy’s job to clean him, baby. it’s mommy’s job to look after the both of you, and nahida, and daddy too.” you tried to explain, napkins ready to clean them both. they giggled and, to any onlooker, you looked like a happy and small family — as you were, though two components of it were missing. 

however, your giggles died down when you spotted familiar curls of light blue hair and a pair of red eyes looking straight at you. 

you could recognize zandik’s eyes anywhere you went — they were sharp and calculating, the emotion shining on them always indecipherable. you used to find them beautiful, especially in the early days of your relationship with him, when they used to shine and sheer adoration, but now they only brought a sour taste to your mouth. but as soon as you noticed his presence there, you returned your eyes to your children, continuing to smile at them. 

“mommy!” before you could say something, you heard your sweet girl’s voice, her small hands waving at you while she was perched comfortably between zhongli’s arms.

“daddy and ‘hida are back, xiao!” ganyu exclaimed, feet already taking her to where her father was standing. you offered your hand to xiao, who took it with more enthusiasm than normal, you two followed his big sister to finally find the two other members of your family. 

though you could still feel your ex-husband’s gaze on your back. 

you sighed relieved when zhongli’s arms embraced your body, burying your face on his neck — his sandalwood scent managed to ease your heart a bit, though you were still waiting for disaster to happen with zandik around. you heard the girls’ giggles and xiao’s little ‘tsk’ at your display of affection, and you could feel your boyfriend’s smile while he kissed your lips. 

“i hope these little rascals didn’t give you any trouble, my dearest.” he spoke, voice deep and soothing, as if he could sense your distress at the moment. you smiled, shaking your head, while ganyu and xiao snuggled themselves in your sides. 

surprisingly, xiao was the first one to speak. “we would never give mommy any trouble, daddy.” you watched as surprise and pure love passed through zhongli’s features, his eyes the warmest you ever saw — it was as if he had dreamed about the day his children would finally acknowledge you as their true mother, despite the blood running through his veins. ganyu nodded and joined her brother’s chorus, nodding. 

“you’re the only one who we give trouble to, daddy!” 

you ruffled their heads. “i hope my little rascal didn’t give you any trouble, my love. i know how curious she can be.” you returned his question to him, hands still caressing xiao’s and ganyu’s hair, winking at your little girl who giggled between zhongli’s arms, that being your favorite sound in the world. she looked so at ease and at her place being nursed and loved by him, as if he was the one supposed to be her father from the very beginning. 

“my fault. she inherited it from her father, i suppose.” 

you didn’t remember his voice being so cold, as if it was the chill of the first snow of the year — it wasn’t fitting no, as your husband hailed from the west, from a place that never snowed. maybe it was the influence of some of his coworkers from the north, but you still remembered when that voice used to be your source of peace and comfort. “zandik.” you greeted him, not bothering to turn around to look at him, more concerned in protecting your children from his venom. they seemed to understand how dangerous he was, clinging to you even more. 

though, the worst part was watching nahida’s expression seeing her father after so long. her eyes were wide, but her lips were trembling and her small hands were clutching zhongli’s shirt with a strength you never saw before. you wanted nothing more than to just take her away from here, but zhongli’s expression told you he was willing to protect her like you would. it hurt you to know that your daughter was aware of the monster her father was, and you felt as if you had failed your mission to protect her childhood innocence. 

he chose to ignore your presence, focusing his attention on zhongli and nahida, as if his ego was hurt by the fact his daughter didn't run straight to his arms. “why a strange man is holding my daughter, y/n?” you turned to face him, instinctively putting ganyu and xiao behind you, hoping to protect them.

“he's my boy—” 

“he's my daddy!” nahida's voice cut you off, leaving everyone speechless. “he's going to marry mommy and not make her cry like you did, papa.” she explained, voice quiet like a feather reaching the ground after failing — though, to you, her words resonated inside your head, for two reasons: she was too young to be worried about someone making you cry. 

and zhongli wanted to marry you. 

zandik answered with a dry chuckle, his eyes shining with the same anger it did back then. “what poison about me did you feed to my daughter, you bitch?” you watched as his hand started to move towards your figure, and you closed your eyes, memories of the day when you confronted him about his cheating played in your head — the screams and the tears, the harsh words and his hands bruising your face. 

though, the impact of his fist in your jaw didn't happen again. 

you opened your arms to see zhongli in front of you, nahida being supported only by one of his arms but looking worried at your shaking form, his other hand holding zandik's arm, fingers squeezing your ex-husband’s wrist — even ganyu and xiao got away from their hiding place, now in front of you, as if they were ready to protect you. 

“do not ever dare to touch my wife like that again, scum, or i will make sure you regret messing with my family again.” zhongli said, voice firm and demanding. “get out of my sight or else nobody in this world will make me stop hunting you for hurting y/n.” 

— 

it pained him to see you like this. 

zhongli could see how strong you tried to look for the children, especially nahida. after the encounter with her father — and his boyfriend now, the same man who zandik had cheated on you with, who was lurking in the shadows until zhongli stepped up — she was visibly shaken up, not leaving your arms until your little family arrived home. in the walls of her safe place, nahida regained her light, and xiao and ganyu seemed relieved, ready to play with his little sister. 

nor you or zhongli touched the subject in front of them, and he was waiting for night time, the only time when he was alone with you in the confines of your shared room, to extract your real feelings. he could see how your smiles didn’t reach your eyes, or how your laugh seemed forced — it seemed like the kids did too, all three of them snuggled in your arms during the movie you were watching, while you were snuggled at his side. he couldn’t ask for anything better than to have the love of his life and his children safe in his arms, though his mind was running miles trying to find a way to make your husband pay for what he made you and nahida go through.

another thing that he wanted to discuss was the little secret nahida spilled. 

he didn’t blame her, of course. zhongli understood it was her way of protecting him and her mother from her father’s words, and he couldn’t be more grateful for her actions — it was a testimony of how well you were raising her, and also a testimony that you both were better without the shadow of zandik looming over you. nahida now had space to grow her opinions and be whatever she wanted, and zhongli was happy that he was able to provide such an environment for her, alongside you. 

the sound of the door opening made him tear his eyes from his book, gentle gaze now focused on your form. you were wearing some pajamas pants and an old t-shirt of his, and he swore you looked the most beautiful you ever did looking like that — perhaps, you in a white dress walking down the aisle to meet him could beat such a sight. he opened his arms and you took no time to just jump between them, face nuzzled on his neck, his warm hands drawing circles on your lower back. you sighed contentedly. “how is she?” he knew you were putting nahida to sleep, being the one who aided you in putting the children in their respective rooms, staying a bit more in her room to make sure she was alright. 

“she’s still a bit shaken up.” you answered, voice muffled by his shirt. zhongli tightened his arms around you, kissing your hair. “i explained to her that zandik will never take her away from us, but she made me promise it at least three times.” your chuckle was a sad one, and he feared you bursting into tears for someone who didn’t deserve it — though, he couldn’t help and feel warm inside by the fact you included him and his children in your family. 

he kept his silence, only humming, knowing you had to say more. “why is he like that? why i couldn’t see how horrible he was from day one?” you seemed defeated, and his blood boiled at the sensation of your tears soaking his shirt. 

zhongli knew very well how you felt. “love normally clouds our senses, dearest.” you took your face from its hiding spot, meeting his amber eyes — gentle and shining with endless love for you, making your heartbeat race just like in the first time you saw them. “but he will never try to approach you or nahida again, do you hear me?” he held your face between his large hands, thumb caressing your cheeks in a loving way. you nodded, giving him a smile that resembled your normal ones. 

“i wish you were nahida’s father from the start, ‘li.” you admitted, a pout on your lips. he pecked them briefly, almost giving you no time to melt into the kiss, kissing your forehead soon after. 

he helped you to get up from his embrace, legs straddling his thighs, while taking a small black velvet box from under your pillow. “if you say yes, i can.” 

you looked between him and the velvet box as if you didn't understand what was happening, but in reality, you couldn't believe it. why zhongli, a man so fine like the most delicious wine, wanted to marry you? a poor excuse of a woman and mother, who still got shaken up with the presence of her ex-husband? you knew he deserved someone so much better than yourself, but you wanted to be that person — but the tears were already glossing your vision and your head came to rest on his chest, his hands holding you close to his body.

you cried like a child, the velvet box between your hands and zhongli's long fingers between your hair. his warmth was almost soothing you, almost whispering that you were made and born to be in that position, between his arms and feeling his love for all eternity. 

your sobs calmed in the same intensity zhongli's love professions became more and more passionately, his words making you see that even if you didn't feel like you were deserving of his love, he felt like you were. and that was enough, you came to realize — zhongli's love was his to give to anyone he deemed worthy of, and he deemed you and your daughter worthy of his endless affections. 

“yes.” you whispered against the pale skin of his neck, now a bit red from the small love bites you gave him after you calmed down. the velvet box was still resting in your hands, and after giving his neck another kiss, you positioned yourself to face him and his amber gaze, eyes already tearing up by the love shining on them. 

zhongli's hands were ready to open it, showing you the most beautiful ring you ever saw in your life — a gold band with a heart shaped diamond in the middle, some emeralds, as the same color as your sweet girl's eyes, around it, making the ring perfect for you. you nodded again, heart racing when he took your hand in his and put the ring on your finger. as soon as you felt the cold band in your warm skin, you cupped his face, bringing his face to meet yours in a passionate kiss.  

“thank you.” zhongli whispered against your lips after he broke the kiss, and you smiled, though not ready for his next words. “thank you for loving me, for choosing this scarred and brute man to be your husband.” you just stroked his face, letting him talk his heart out. “thank you for being the best mother for nahida and now to ganyu and xiao.” his lips soon found your face once again, now caressing your cheek. “i love you.” he whispered with his nose on your cheek, his plump lips pressing a big and sloppy kiss there, his hands now roaming through your body — you knew what he wanted, already grinding your hips against his. 

“you'll make me cry again.” you managed to say between the shaky breaths leaving your mouth due to his wandering hands. “i— ah— love you.”

both of you couldn't wait to be intertwined as one for eternity, expressed by the sounds and movements of your bodies — and the proposal would always be remembered by you as one of your christmas's miracle.

[pink-bandana-writes]

DIY

Mikey x Reader

Summary: You use your powers of crochet to make Mikey a present he will not soon forget.

Notes: This is actually something that’s been on my mind for a long time lol. You know, given the boys’ finger situation, I was like “how tf would they flip people off?” This is just a short little one, but anywho…

Warnings: Swears, use of the middle finger.

Word Count: 0.5k

Reader is: Gender-neutral, blessed with the power of crochet

You giggled mischievously as you finished the final stitches of the project you had been crocheting for the past hour, making sure there was enough stuffing in it before finally closing it off and staring at what you had created. It was a beauty to behold and you couldn’t wait to present it to Mikey.

At the moment, you were down in the lair, tucked into a little corner while the boys were busy training in the dojo. You and Mikey had made plans to play some Stardew Valley together as soon as they were finished, and being his partner, you spent a lot of time down in the lair anyway.

What you had created for him was a surprise, but one you hoped he would like.

Soon enough, the boys walked out of the dojo, looking tired. Mikey grabbed two cans of ice cold Orange Crush before coming over to the couch, where you were. He wrapped an arm around you, pressing a half dozen kisses to your cheek before finally taking a good look at you.

“What?”

“Hmm?” You hummed innocently, raising an eyebrow.

“I know that look. What are you up to, angelcakes?”

“Absolutely nothing.” You batted your eyelashes at him, innocently. “I do, however, have a present for you.”

Mikey gasped, smiling excitedly. “You got me a present? Angelcakes! What did I do to deserve you?”

“You’re the bestest boyfriend ever, I thought I should give you something to show that to you.” You handed him the small, orange gift bag you’d shoved it into only moments before he and his brothers emerged from training. “So, you remember how the other day you were…lamenting over not being able to flip people off properly?”

“Right, it’s totally not fair I only have three fingers.” Mikey agreed. He was quiet for a moment, a grin spreading across his face as he finally put the pieces together. “Wait…”

Mikey pulled out the present, which was a crochet replica of one of his large, green fingers, a near perfect recreation, especially with the addition of the fingernail you’d added. His face lit up and immediately, he positioned it between his pointer finger and pinkie, holding it up as though he was flipping you the bird.

“Holy shit.”

“Do you like it?”

“I love it angelcakes!” He hugged you tightly, peppering about a dozen more kisses to your cheeks. “I can’t believe you did this for me! It’s so thoughtful!” He said sweetly before turning around. “Yo, Raph!”

“What?” Raph turned to look, only to be flipped off by his little brother’s fourth finger, made of yarn. “What--?” He walked over to get a closer look. “No way! Shorty, you’ve gotta make me one. I was born to flip people off. Look at me, it’s in my blood.” Raph pleaded, causing you to laugh.

You rolled your eyes, chuckling. “I’ll consider it.”

Tags: @thelaundrybitch, @turtle-babe83