#but also how badly I did last time really stresses me out

[chestersturniolo]

“Fine!”

Chris Sturniolo x collegestudent!reader

based on this request (warning; mentions of eating/sleeping habits)

*°:⋆ₓₒ

The coffee table is a disaster—papers scattered everywhere, books piled high in random heaps. You’re sitting cross-legged on the floor, hunched over your notes. Your back aching from hours in the same position as you try to cram more information into your exhausted brain. The exam is looming, and despite how tired you feel, there’s no time to stop.

You barely register the sound of Chris’s footsteps as he walks into the room. His voice is gentle as he crouches down beside you.

“Hey, babe-“ he says, placing a kiss on your cheek. “-Is there anything I can do to help?”

Without looking up from your textbook, you shake your head. “No, I’m fine” you mumble, eyes glued to the page. You flip to the next section with more force than necessary, frustrated by how little you feel is sticking.

Chris watches you for a moment, concerned. He tries again. “You sure? You’ve been at this for hours,,maybe you should take a break. I can get you something to eat, or we could—”

“Chris!” you snap, cutting him off

“I said I’m fine” The words come out harsher than you meant, but you can’t help it. You’re overwhelmed, and his hovering is only adding to your stress. You let out a sharp sigh “Yknow what, maybe I’ll be able to focus better someplace else, without you hounding me”

You don’t even look at him as you start packing up your stuff, shoving papers and notebooks into your bag with irritated movement.

Chris stares at you, hurt flickering across his face. “That’s not fair y/n-“ he says , taken aback. “-I’m not hounding you. I’m just trying to help”

You keep your head down, not meeting his eyes as you zip up your bag. You can hear the frustration building in his voice

“-I’ve been watching you study yourself into the ground for days. I don’t even remember the last time you ate or slept properly-“ he says, letting out a sigh. “-all I’ve been trying to do is help, but if you don’t want me to, fine”

You stand up, slinging your bag over your shoulder. “Fine!” you spit, brushing past him toward the door.

He steps aside as you leave, his voice softer this time, tinged with disappointment. “Fine”

~~

Days passed without a word from Chris. You were too consumed by your studying to dwell on the argument, burying yourself in books and notes until your mind feels numb. The exam day finally came, and when you walked out of the hall, there was a weight lifted off your shoulders. It went well, better than you expected.

But now, the following day, nothing is left to distract you. as your curled up on your couch, the argument with Chris floods back into your mind. It’s like a fog lifting, and you realize how badly you handled things. The stress, the pressure—it made you lash out, and now you regret it. You hated how quiet the space was around you, usually filled with Chris’ voice saying something either flirty, outrageous or hilarious.

Just as you’re lost in thought, there’s a knock at the door. You groan, dragging yourself off of the couch making your way to the door.

As you open it, your heart skips a beat. Chris is standing there, a mix of emotions on his face, holding a huge bouquet of your favorite flowers.

“Chris…” you whisper, placing a hand on your chest, overwhelmed by the gesture but also the regret bubbling up inside you.

He smiles softly, almost testing the waters.

“Hey, ma… I uh- heard your exam went really well” he says, holding out the flowers toward you.

You hesitate for a second before reaching out to take them, your fingers grazing the petals as you admire them. A small smile plays on your lips as you look at the flowers, then back up at him. “Nick told you, didn’t he?” you say with a small smile and playful roll of your eyes. Chris chuckles, nodding. “Yeah, he did”

His smile fades a little as he glances down, then back up at you, his expression turning serious. “I’m really proud of you, y’know-” he says quietly. “-and… I’m sorry. About everything. I just wanted to be there for you, and I guess I should’ve given you more space”

You shake your head quickly, guilt tugging at your heart. “No Chris, it’s not your fault. I shouldn’t have pushed you away. I was so stressed, and I took it out on you…I’m sorry”

He steps closer, his eyes softening as he reaches out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind your ear. “I get it. It’s been a rough time for you-“ He sighs, shaking his head slightly. “-I just hated seeing you so stressed. I just wanted to make it better”

You smile up at him, the tension between you melting away. “You always do” you whisper

He comes forward and pulls you into his chest. His familiar scent seeps into you, and for the first time in days, you feel at peace. After a moment, you pull back slightly, looking up at him with a soft smile

“Come inside?”

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

a/n; thankyou for the request anon!! lyly

- 𝑺𝒂𝒈𝒆 ♡

[peaceblank]

I’m so sick and tired of studying for the MCAT and I still have 5 weeks left.

[deus-ex-mona]

i miss her…

[katya-goncharov]

I really hope my mental health taking a massive downward spiral every single evening before I have to go to work isn't going to last, but we shall see...

[snapscube]

so i don't know if this is a post i'm gonna keep up cause, like i said, i don't really like talking candidly about aspects of my personal identity often these days, and lord knows i especially hate talking about legal identity and all the dissonance that entails. but this week was a pretty big one for me and i can't shake the desire to share my enthusiasm for even just a fleeting moment.

my name has been a sticking point in my mind for a long time. i've adopted many different ones. first, middle, last, you name it. i've been searching most of my life for a moniker that represented my true self socially, and a surname to distance myself from someone in my life who hurt me very badly and never really learned how to stop.

obviously for a long time now I've been Penny Parker to 98% of people who know me, and for the past couple that number has been bumped up to a solid 99% with a few stragglers. it's a name that is so mundane and assumed at this point that tbh I've even come to resent certain aspects of it. which to me is actually beautiful. i find that mundanity, that nuance, extremely telling of how it encapsulates my life. it's a fully three-dimensional reflection, smudges and sparkles and everything in between.

of course, i only just moved out on my own 3 years ago. and unfortunately that had to be the starting point to make this social and personal progress i've been sitting on for half a decade at least now official, tangible, legal. i've been playing a game of catch-up i didn't sign up for, but it's one that does have a silver lining in that i feel more in resonance with who i am and who i want to be than i ever did before being granted this independence.

and as of this week, i have the pleasure of entering an era of my life where the dissonance between who i am in speech and who i am in contract is nonexistent. my name is Penny Olivia Parker. i'm the same as i've always been, but getting better every day at it. soon i'll even have a license to match!

sometimes more of an Olivia Parker in brief moments nowadays tbh but i haven't worked out the details yet. nothin you need to stress over, ill take care of it. the full set is just fine and legally recognized, which is all i've wanted for as long as i can remember.

this isn't the end of my journey, both excitingly and unfortunately haha, but this is yet another huge milestone for me and in certain respects it's one of the biggest i've managed. i'm so happy to still be here. if you're reading this, thank you for being here too.

also those of you who watched my direct reactions the other day might have a little more insight as to why i was so emotional that the day after a judge signed my legal name change a new game by the Sonic Mania devs was announced called "Penny's Big Breakaway" LOL, it was a lot to handle for me but i wasn't sure how much i wanted to say just yet.

[citricacidprince]

doodle request on relativity falls - id love 2 see ur vers of fiddleford and where he stands in the story!! :DD

Of course!!!

Oh Fiddleford, my dearly beloved Fiddleford, he’s just a little guy who makes machines that hurt people and I love him for that <3

In my Relativity Falls AU Fidds is a kid from Tennessee who moved to Gravity Falls pretty recently, like in the past year.

He’s still really handy with mechanics, like a genuine prodigy, but he’s so riddled with anxiety that it’s a battle to get him to share any of his projects outside of his robots he makes to get revenge on those who wrong him!

He really does like hanging out with the twins, he thinks their both fun and is very happy they actually wanna be his friend, however their constant ‘Getting into weird and magical trouble’ is so stress inducing to him he’s going to get gray hairs by the time he’s 20 (Dipper can relate-)

I don’t have a lot of things solidified for him yet, other than I want him to be EXTREMELY tempted to use the Memory Gun on himself, to forget a lot of the horrifying things he’s seen over the summer, but is stopped by Candy (The inventor of the gun) at the last second. You see, Candy didn’t spiral like Fiddleford did in the show, she only ever used the memory gun on herself once. However, she used it to erase every bit of knowledge she ever learned about the weirdness of Gravity Falls, and Candy had spent YEARS of her life dedicated to it, she was arguably more curious about the weirdness of Gravity Falls than Dipper was. He was only curious out of morbid curiosity, she saw the whimsy and wonder in it all. So when Candy used the Memory Gun on herself and erased such a huge chunk of her memory it cracked her psyche, not leaving her a rambling and insane kook like Fiddleford, but more oblivious and unaware to everything around her while also being a liiiiittle ‘not all there’.

Between the two of them Candy definitely got the better end of the stick. Fiddleford was deemed insane and used the memory gun over and over again until he couldn’t even remember who he was anyone, his life falling apart. Candy used it once to make sure no one could ever use her research to hurt anyone after she learned her lab partner was literally working with an otherworldly being who could go into peoples heads and it cracked her mind because her research WAS her entire life, leaving her oblivious and dazed. However, Candy managed to find people who cared about her and were willing to care for her despite this. Sure she lives in the dump, but whenever a storm comes through or she gets hungry she can always go up to her friends Grenda, Mabel Mason, or even Pacifica at some point to help her out. Fiddleford had no one.

I want Candy to give Fidds a little pep talk, convincing him that despite those memories being scary and uncomfortable he’s going to need all of them because they’re what will help him grow as a person. He can’t just pick and choose which ones he wants because one day he’ll realize he doesn’t have any memories left to burn.

Maybe there could even be a moment where Fidds tries to use the memory gun on Candy because he convinces himself he NEEDS it and doesn’t want to deal with the consequences of hating choice, but freezes up when he realizes it does work on her anymore. The realizes what he just did because of how badly he wanted that memory gun seconds after he did it and starts to tremble, dropping the memory gun as he begins uncontrollably crying that he ‘didn’t mean it’ and he’s sorry. Candy wouldn’t hold it against him, just seeing a scared kid who was so desperate to make the mind numbing anxiety that he would do anything, and she’d hug him and tell him it’s okay before leading him back to the rest of the group.

Fiddleford makes me soooo ill I love him <3

[mostly-imagines]

🌻 anon here

The last few days I stumbled into a few posts about Jason having +18 pics of reader in his phone and I just can't stop thinking "would he tho??" Like would he trust enough his device to have r18 pictures of the one he love and literally worship in his phone??? Knowing he knows damn well how easy it is nowadays to get those types of pictures through hack and stuff??

And I'm not saying he would share the pics, HELL NO he would never. But because I don't think he would trust his phone -and also because it cracks me up- I imagine him having a Polaroid to take the pics. The photos get printed automatically and if he have to he can't literally burn those without having to overthink about someone hacking his phone.

Like can you imagine him just casually take a Polaroid you didn't know where there out his nightstand and taking a pics of you while you reaching your peak??

Anyways all of that just to ask what one of my fav Jason writers would think about the whole Jason having spicy pics of you in this phone

18+

i’ve honest to god been thinking about this non stop since you sent it sunny

i think you're dead on, jason's protective streak rings too loud in his mind to ever take the chance of someone else maybe seeing those photos of you. personally, i’m of the belief that he uses his phone for the most practical purposes only and that his photo gallery is borderline empty, with few exceptions of nondescript images. like the only pictures of you on his phone don’t show your face or any revealing information about you. yeah, he’s a little paranoid in that way but it just makes his alternative that much more interesting.

there’s also something about it that feels more personal, more intimate. there’s not a chance in hell those photos are going near another person and he likes the idea that you’re giving him this amount of vulnerability and trust.

i also think he is an avid supporter of your personal autonomy and feels better knowing that if you want a picture gone, all you have to do is burn it and it's gone forever. he doesn't really like the idea that so many things on electronics can be spread or seen without you even knowing, so he's perfectly fine to stash a few polaroids in unsuspecting places.

he’d be really hesitant to ask you the first time, he was worried he’d make you uncomfortable or that you’d think it was weird. the thought initially came about after he’d gone on an away mission that lasted twice as long as it was supposed to and he was bordering on losing it without a single image of you. that, and frankly, he was stressed and he has never experienced a stress relief quite like you.

so the night he comes back he’s kissing you hard and rubbing up against you, but all he can think about is how badly he wants to capture all your facial expressions and imagery he couldn’t stop imagining while he was gone.

he breaks away from your lips breathlessly, “can I take a picture of you?”

you give him a bemused look, “what? like, now?”

he fiddles with the waistband of your underwear, not making eye contact. “well…in a few minutes..”

his timorous disposition gives you a solid clue of what he means and you smile up at him. “yeah?”

he finally meets your eyes, looking hopeful. “is that alright?”

“of course,” you nod and he leans back down against you, lips meeting your pulse point. “what brought this on?”

he noses at your neck, “jus’ missed you. a lot.”

you nod, pulling back and running a finger down to the tip of his nose. “take as many as you want.”

and he did.

his favorite pics are the ones he takes right when you cum, lips slightly parted, brow pinched. he’s also fond of the moments right when you’re just starting to feel it.

the photos of you on your knees, trying to take him in your mouth as much as you can really do something to him. your eyes watering and you holding his hand for support. he has to pace himself when he looks at those, especially the ones where you’re looking up at the camera.

he doesn’t usually like to be in the pictures, other than his dick in/against you or his hand splayed across your stomach or neck. he also has one or two where you’re riding him and his free hand is on your hip guiding you.

you’d have to be having a particular kind of sex for it to even occur to him to stop and take pictures. it only really happens during the easy times, when you’re both just having fun more than anything. it’s then when he’s really able to take his time with you and savor things, which is why the majority of your polaroids are taken then. he’s also more likely to be in a teasing mood then and not in a particular rush to get you where you’re going. a lot of those pictures show you smiling and completely relaxed which is another reason why he tends to revere those moments.

a grade A way to make him feel better after a long week is leaving him some surprise polaroids in the stash, it makes him crazy. he’s honestly just really obsessed with the idea that you trust him so much with those kinds of photos that you’d go out of your way to take some for him when he’s not even there. i actually think that’s at least half of what turns him on so much about the whole thing, the trust that you place in him and only him to not only see you in those moments but also relive them afterwards. just pics of you in lingerie or even just one of his shirts—it’s over for him.

[penkura]

Our Angel

Summary: Sanji can't believe how lucky he is to have you and this little baby you brought into the world.

Warning: Mentions of giving birth, pregnancy discussion, loving husband Sanji :3

Note: Ahh the final one-shot I have done from the 'knowing' universe! :') I wrote this after the last one, and it's long but also one of my favorites. I love writing Sanji, please let me write more for him.

How much longer? How much longer??

Sanji's anxiety was through the roof as he paced back and forth in front of the infirmary door. You were finally in labor and Chopper and Robin had kicked him out of the room, thinking he was making you more stressed than your contractions were. He could hear them guiding you through the next contraction and telling you to start pushing, and he really, really wanted a cigarette for the first time in months.

He desperately wanted to be in there with you, but didn't want you more stressed than you already were. Sanji believed it couldn't be too much longer, but also wasn't entirely sure. Labor could last hours or even multiple days, yours was progressing quickly though, and it wouldn't be long before you met your baby face to face. Sanji leaned against the door, holding his breath without realizing it, just waiting and listening.

And a few moments later, he finally released his breath when he heard a baby's cries, standing up straight and facing the door, his anxiety finally being taken off his shoulders. He could hear Robin and Chopper congratulating you and telling you that you did amazingly, but he couldn't hear if they said whether you had a boy or girl, or how the baby was doing. The cries though told him that your newborn was doing just well, they were very upset to be in the world now, but it would be all right over time.

After several more minutes of waiting and his anxiety picking up again, Sanji was beyond glad to see the infirmary door open and Robin giving him a smile.

"You can come back in now."

He didn't need to be told twice, quickly entering the room and hurrying to your side, making you laugh when he got to you, dropping to his knees beside your bed and taking your hand before hugging you as close as possible.

"Sanji~"

"I'm so glad you're okay! Both of you!"

Sanji started kissing you all over your face, making you laugh lightly until you both heard a small cry, which made him freeze a bit before looking at your little baby resting comfortably on your chest. Seeing the tears start to well up in his eyes made you smile softly before you looked back at your newborn child.

"What do you think?"

"They're…perfect."

"Isn't she?"

"She?!"

Laughing again you nodded. Through the later months of your pregnancy, Sanji made it clear how badly he wanted and hoped you were having a girl. When your baby first kicked, there was so much excitement between the two of you that he inadvertently called them she, surprising you until you questioned him about it.

"She?"

"...I said they."

"No, Sanji, you said she." You giggled a bit seeing how embarrassed he was at letting his wish for a daughter out like that. "You think we're having a girl?"

"I…hope we are."

You definitely had realized, even before then, that Sanji would be a great girl dad, and now he could prove that to you with your newborn daughter. Just the fact he seemed hesitant to even touch her tiny hand for a second told you he was going to be the most protective dad you'd ever met.

"She looks exactly like you, Sanji."

"She…she really does." Sanji finally reached out and barely brushed your daughter's cheek with his knuckle, which made her move just a bit. She looked like she was his clone almost. The same blonde hair, same curled eyebrows. She basically got nothing from you and everything from your husband, but you didn't really mind it. You might get lucky and she'd get your eye color, but even then it would be all right if not.

She was still your perfect little daughter.

"Can I," Sanji pulled you from your thoughts, nervously biting his lip a bit while looking from your daughter to you, "can I hold her…?"

"Of course!"

Nerves started bubbling up, but Sanji let you show him the best way to hold your daughter. He held her close, keeping one of his hands under her head to give her more support, while she started to whine when she was moved from you to him. You weren't at all surprised when Sanji started to gently hush her, kissing her forehead and softly telling her that she was all right.

"Yeah, it's ok, sweetheart. Daddy's got you, angel."

Your daughter calmed down almost immediately, opening her eyes to try and focus on Sanji, and it nearly took his breath away to see her looking up at him. This was what you two had waited the last nine months for. To finally see and meet your daughter face to face, and here she was! A precious, beautiful little angel that fit perfectly in his arms and looked at him like he was the most amazing thing she'd ever seen (which, granted, she'd really only seen you and Sanji, but it still meant everything to him). You just watched as Sanji stared at her and she stared back at him, before she yawned and snuggled herself more comfortably in his arms, you noticing how his bottom lip was trembling while he watched her fall asleep, kissing her forehead again and whispering how much he loved your sweet little girl.

"[Y/N]...thank you so much for her."

Hearing how strained Sanji's voice was made you smile softly, knowing he was fighting to not start crying. Not right now, he didn't want to wake your daughter or cause her any distress.

"What do you think we should name her?"

"I…I'm not sure, love."

"Well, I have an idea."

+!+

When you had gone into labor, the rest of your crewmates were off the ship. You'd docked at an island the day before and they'd all gone to explore a bit, pick up a few things, and let the log pose reset. You had hoped to go later in the day but obviously things had changed and you wouldn't be joining anyone on this island this time. Robin and Chopper had stayed behind just in case, since you were near your due date anyway and it was a good thing they did.

Once Luffy and the others got back, they were surprised Robin was the only one on the deck of the Sunny waiting for them. Luffy of course was the one to ask, running up to Robin and asking if you were sleeping or something. You'd normally be on the deck waiting for everyone, so it was weird they didn't see you this time.

Robin smiled a bit, "Well I assume she is by now. She gave birth to a beautiful baby girl while you all were gone."

Everyone was completely silent, expecting Robin to say she was just kidding to get a rise out of them.

"I'm not joking by the way."

With that statement there were shouts from Usopp, Luffy, and Nami, the latter of the three running for the infirmary right away saying she needed to see her niece. Not even having seen your daughter yet but being happy for you, Franky and Brook were in tears, while Zoro smiled a bit and Jimbei gave a smile and a nod.

"Sounds like the crew has expanded by one then."

Luffy and Usopp were quick to follow after Nami, nearly breaking down the infirmary door asking to see your daughter.

You were actually wide awake, holding your daughter and showing her off to Nami who was cooing softly towards her.

"What a little cutie, yes you are! Aunt Nami is going to buy you lots of cute dresses!"

You laughed a bit while your daughter stared up at Nami, seeming to be completely amazed by her. "You wanna hold her?"

Nami was about to respond when Luffy pushed past her, getting up close to see your daughter. "She's so small!"

"Luffy!" Sanji grabbed your captain by the back of his shirt and started pulling him away. "Get out of her face! You're going to scare her and make her cry!"

"No I'm not!"

"Hey guys."

"Yes you are!" Honestly Sanji trusted Luffy a lot, but he needed to learn boundaries, especially with a newborn baby.

"Nuh-uh! She's gonna think I'm funny!"

"Boys."

"And if she doesn't?!"

"Then…then…I don't know?"

"Idiots!" Nami was close to bashing both their heads in, but her outburst got their attention. "You're both about to make her cry!"

Sanji looked over and saw you gently hushing your daughter who was starting to whine and whimper like she was about to cry, him rushing over by your side to help with quiet, sweet words that he was sorry and didn't mean to be loud.

"My apologies, Angel. I didn't mean to startle you."

Once she calmed back down, you let Usopp and Luffy come over and see her, both of them looking amazed by how small she was. Luffy kept begging to hold her, Nami telling him she had first dibs, and Usopp asking how you both were. Your other crewmates joined you all after a bit, Brook offering to start playing a lullaby to keep your baby girl calm while Franky was crying about how super it was to meet her finally. Robin returned to make sure you weren't getting overwhelmed, and Chopper wanted to do another check on your daughter to be certain she was doing all right. Jimbei gave you his congratulations and said you'd had a beautiful baby, while Zoro mostly stayed to the side, but he did smile just a bit, glad for you to have safely delivered your baby.

You were doing well with everyone there, answering questions and letting each of your crewmates see your daughter up close, they all took turns briefly holding her since they knew that, obviously, they'd have plenty of chances to do so in the future. Once Nami got a hold of her a second time, she refused to let her go to anyone that wasn't you or Sanji. She was going to absolutely spoil your daughter and everyone could see that.

"Hey hey," Luffy latched onto your arm, giving you a big grin, "what'd you guys name her??"

The small bits of chatter quieted hearing Luffy's question, most of your friends looking at you or Sanji for an answer. Nami still had your daughter in her arms, very gently bouncing the sleeping newborn.

You smiled at Sanji with a slight nod, him returning the gesture to speak up.

"We've decided to call her Angel. After calling her that while [Y/N] was pregnant, it…it felt right."

Truthfully you had offered to name her after Sanji's mother, whether you'd had a boy or girl, and he almost took you up on it, but felt that for now, he'd wanted to give your child their own, unique name. He really did greatly appreciate you wanting to honor his mother, but didn't feel ready for that yet. And like he'd said, you two had called your daughter an angel the whole time you were pregnant, actually naming her Angel felt like the right thing to do and you both thought it sounded wonderful when you decided.

"What a sweet name." Robin smiled and nodded, the rest of your crewmates agreeing with her.

After some time Chopper said you needed rest and it was close to dinner time, making Sanji nod.

"I'll go get something started for–"

"Nope!" Shaking her head, Nami handed Angel back to Sanji to stop him. "We'll take care of dinner and bring you guys some; you stay with your wife and daughter, Sanji!"

With a grin she left the infirmary and headed straight for the kitchen, everyone else following shortly after her, once they'd given you another congratulations and said goodnight to their niece. Seeing the shocked look on Sanji’s face made you laugh once everyone else had left.

“...did I just get banned from my own kitchen?”

+!+

The rest of the evening went by smoothly and quietly for your little family. Nami had sent Zoro to bring you and Sanji dinner once it was done, and you were grateful for having so many people to take care of your family while you recovered. Chopper came in a few times to check up on you and Angel, making sure both of you were doing well before he headed off to bed, telling Sanji to come get him if anything happened. After you had dinner and nursed Angel again, you went and took a quick shower, leaving Sanji with your daughter which made him terribly nervous even though he knew it was only going to take you a few minutes to shower. All he did the whole time you were gone was watch her sleep. You'd given her a pacifier to hopefully keep her calm and sleeping, and it did work. Sanji was just so enthralled with her, gently hushing her and stroking her chubby cheek whenever she started to fuss a little.

"Hey it's alright, don't cry. Mommy will be back soon, daddy's got you for now."

When you did get back, you held back a laugh seeing Sanji was nearly asleep while holding Angel. Quietly, you went over and took her from him, waking your sleepy husband and telling him it was just you, you were going to get Angel to bed so you both could sleep. While Sanji followed your lead and went to take a shower himself, you got Angel ready for bed and comfortable in a bassinet near you, she was sleeping soundly and you knew she'd wake at some point in the night, but until then, you'd watch her sleep and hold her little hand, making sure she knew you weren't going anywhere.

"I love you so much, Angel," leaning over, you placed a soft kiss on her forehead, "I'm so glad you're ours."

Once he came back from his own shower, Sanji wasn't even the slightest bit surprised to find you already asleep, still holding your daughter's hand. You'd had quite a day, having pushed a whole new person out into the world, nursing her multiple times, and having to deal with your anxious crewmates for several hours after they got back. It was a wonder you'd stayed awake as long as you had! Sanji knew he was staying with you in the infirmary as long as Chopper made you and Angel stay there, so he did the same as you and kissed your daughter's forehead, before slipping into your bed beside you, bringing you close to him and kissing your cheek once he did.

"I'm so proud of you, [Y/N]. You've been amazing today."

You shifted a bit, making Sanji smile when you told him you loved him before falling back fast asleep.

"I love you too…both of you."

+!+

Your sweet little Angel had grown so much in the last three years. She had ended up with your eye color, which made you beyond happy that she'd gotten something from you. She'd learned to walk, talk, and had the brightest smile and giggles on the Sunny, apart from Luffy that is. She really was an angel to everyone, but especially you and Sanji.

Her first steps weren't really because of you or Sanji, it was Luffy and Usopp trying to get her to start taking a few on her own. She'd been able to walk a slight bit at the time with someone holding her hands, but not on her own yet. You absolutely trusted Usopp and Luffy with her (despite how many times Luffy tossed her into the air and caught her, the fear you felt the first time made you consider leaving), they were helping Angel learn to walk under your watch, you were sitting nearby on a lounger with Sanji, who was slightly nervous watching them. Honestly Sanji was the more nervous parent at times, but you knew he just wanted Angel to be as safe as possible while you all traveled the seas.

"Come onnnnn, you can do it, Angel!" Luffy grinned at her with his arms wide open, while Usopp had a hold of her hands, keeping her standing up. Angel frowned a bit, tears welling up in her eyes when she tried to reach for Luffy but couldn't grab him. He was only a few feet away, he'd easily be able to hurry over and lift her up, but your captain also really wanted to see her take her steps on her own.

"You wanna try, Angel?" Usopp smiled and let go of one of her hands to ruffle her hair a bit, which made her whine slightly. Luffy took two very small steps forward, arms still wide open and grinning.

"You can do it!"

Angel kept reaching her free hand towards Luffy, before she looked at her feet and took a step, looking back at him while she started to walk on her own once Usopp let go of her hand.

Watching your then nine-month-old daughter take her first solo steps caused you to tear up while Sanji was beaming with pride. Angel made it over to Luffy on her own, and once she did, he scooped her up in his arms with loud laughter.

"Yahoo, you did it, Angel!!"

"Good job! Next you'll be running around the ship!"

Angel giggled loudly while Luffy tossed her gently into the air. After the one time he threw her too high up causing you and Sanji to threaten him he'd been more careful, especially seeing how much she enjoyed being tossed up and caught. After that, she started following you and Sanji like a duckling, eventually getting to where she was running around the Sunny, either chasing someone or being chased with loud laughter.

When she said her first word, you weren't even on the ship. You had gone into town with Franky and Jimbei when you landed on an island, checking the place out to see what stores they had and how long it would take the log pose to reset. You'd left Angel on the ship with Sanji, and while he was grateful for the time with your daughter, he was also trying to figure out what groceries he needed to go shopping for the next day. Nami offered to entertain Angel while he checked the pantry and fridge, taking her out to the deck for some sun and to play with her.

"You are just so cuuuuuute! You got your daddy's hair and eyebrows but your mommy's face!"

Angel smiled and giggled a bit at Nami, covering her mouth with her little hands. At this point she was already 18-months-old, but hadn't said her first word just yet. You weren't very concerned, knowing it would happen when it happened, but every evening when the three of you went to your room, Sanji would sit with Angel on your bed and try to get her to say something more than her toddler babbling.

"Come on, sweetheart. Can you say dada?"

Angel babbled, no discernable words coming from her mouth while she smiled and reached at Sanji.

"Then…mama?"

"Mmmm….mmmm…." She pressed her lips together before sticking her tongue out.

You laughed, shaking your head. "I don't think she's ready yet, Sanji."

Nami had given Angel a coloring book and some crayons to entertain herself, especially once she started talking with Zoro about the money he owed her.

"I'm just saying, if you leave me with a little of your allowance every time we dock, you'll be paid off in no time!"

"How much is a little?"

"Mmm," Nami thought for a second, patting Angel on the head when she smiled at her, "about 300 berries."

"That's a tenth of what you give me!"

"Yeah, and?"

Zoro's eye twitched slightly, obviously annoyed by this. It wasn't his fault all the stuff he normally bought was expensive, or that he spent a decent bit of it on booze!

The two argued a bit more while Angel watched them, giggling a bit when Zoro lifted her up.

"Wait, where are you taking her?!"

"Nap time. Right, tiny cook?"

"Nap!"

Nami and Zoro both stared at Angel in surprise, your daughter yawning a little and sticking her thumb in her mouth.

"Did she just…?"

"She did! Sanji!!"

Hearing Nami yell for him, Sanji dropped what he was doing and ran out to the deck instantly. "What's wrong?!"

"Listen, listen!!" Nami turned back to Angel and Zoro, telling him to say what he did before.

"Hey, it's nap time, right?"

Angel nodded. "Nap!"

Hearing her say an actual word, not toddler babbling, made Sanji's jaw drop and he started to tear up a bit. "Y-Yeah! It's nap time, Angel!"

Honestly it was an odd first word, but when you heard her say it, it made you smile and hug her close, kissing her chubby cheeks and telling her how proud you were. After that, the words came more easily and she quickly realized she knew who mama and dada were, and started calling you and Sanji whenever she needed you. She eventually had nicknames for everyone so she could call them easily, and your crewmates accepted them instantly.

As she got older, turning three more recently, you'd become even more amazed with your daughter and how she was becoming her own person. She was a giggly mess most days, loved fruit over every other food, and took naps almost as often as Zoro. They had become napping buddies much to Sanji's chagrin, but he eventually accepted since Zoro would bring Angel to one of you once she was awake.

Nami made good on her promise to buy Angel lots of cute dresses, your daughter's wardrobe was better than yours. Robin would sit and read with her until she fell asleep most nap times, if Zoro wasn't around at the moment. Usopp and Luffy would play games like tag or hide and seek with her, one of them always having Angel on their shoulders in a team up against the other. Chopper would join them most of the time, or he and Angel would play on the swing or in the kiddy pool together. Franky made Angel new toys constantly, only with your approval did he give them to her. Brook would play whatever song or lullaby Angel wanted to hear, or do his infamous 45 Degrees to make her burst out laughing. Jimbei would tell her (along with Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper) various stories he had from before he joined you all, and she loved every one of them.

Despite your love for your crewmates, you had more enjoyed introducing Angel to the Baratie crew over everyone else. After your pregnancy was confirmed, Sanji had given them a call, speaking to Zeff before anyone else and letting him know he was going to, basically, be a grandfather. It became so quiet that you and Sanji both wondered if the connection got severed, before hearing Patty yell asking why Zeff was crying over the transponder snail receiver. It made Sanji tear up worse than when you told him you were definitely pregnant, and he had to give you the receiver to tell the rest of the Baratie crew. When they all heard, they cheered and gave congratulations to you and Sanji, a few of them saying you absolutely had to stop by once the baby had been born. Once Angel was born, you sent over all the pictures you took of her so everyone at Baratie could see her as she grew up. Eventually your ship made it back to the East Blue and the Baratie, around the time of Angel's second birthday, which Zeff demanded you to celebrate there once you arrived. You dressed her in a cute little, frilly pink dress that Nami had gotten her, and knew Sanji was anxious for everyone to meet the both of you properly. Of course, you'd been with the Straw Hats already when you'd been by and recruited Sanji, but things had moved so fast back then that formal introductions were an afterthought. Now that Sanji was back with you as his wife and with his little daughter, it was definitely nerve-wracking for him.

Well, it was until the three of you stepped inside and all the chefs quickly rushed to see Angel, all of them fawning over and doting on her. Almost all his nerves went away as Patty, Carne, and the others tearfully loved on your daughter and introduced themselves to both of you properly. Angel became shy with so many new faces, reaching for Sanji to take her from you which he did, and she hid her face in his shoulder.

"Aww come on little one, what's wrong?"

"She's just overwhelmed. It's too many people at once."

Hearing that, most of the Baratie chefs dissipated in order to let Angel relax again, the only one coming up to the three of you was Zeff himself, bringing back Sanji's nerves.

"Well, the baby eggplant has his own baby eggplant now."

"Watch your mouth with my daughter, crap geezer." The smiles on both their faces told you all was well, this was the norm between Sanji and Chef Zeff. Sanji got Angel's attention to get her to lift her face from his shoulder, pointing her view to Zeff. "This is your grandad, Angel."

Angel blinked a little, not the slightest bit scared and reached for Zeff, knowing it was safe because Sanji said so. Once Zeff had a hold of her, Angel just smiled and giggled, giving him a loose hug. It made him turn away from both of you, confusing you the most, until you heard Carne shout that Zeff was crying again and got to be the first to hold Angel. You laughed when you noticed Sanji had turned away as well, fighting his own tears. The rest of your visit was less tearful, filled more with laughter while everyone entertained Angel and you told all the stories you had of her up until then. You did also learn that Zeff kept every picture you sent of her in his room, a fact that made Sanji happier than you could have imagined.

After your visit back to Baratie, you kept in touch by sending more pictures, even a few letters telling stories of what Angel was learning and how well she was growing.

The last three years had changed so much, you and Sanji couldn't imagine life without your little angel.

"[Y/N], mon amour! Angel, my dearest!!"

"Daddy!!" Angel's bright [e/c] eyes lit up, squealing when Sanji came over to the both of you, providing you with a drink and snack, and Angel with her favorite snack of apple juice and carrots.

"I've got your drinks and snacks for the day!" He gave you both the most loving smile, making you return it and Angel giggled.

"Say thank you daddy!"

"Thank youuu!"

Clutching his heart, Sanji still couldn't believe his luck, even after all this time. Seven years married to you, three years of life as a father. The amount of love he had for you two made it feel like his heart was going to burst out of his chest most days.

"Oh, my beautiful girls!! What gods did I please to deserve you?! I love you both so much!!"

You laughed a bit, taking a sip of your fruity water and rubbing your slightly swollen stomach. "What're you gonna do if this one's a boy?"

"Oh, that's easy," Sanji gave you a loving smile while he picked Angel up as she requested, "I'll love him as much as I love you both."

"Have you thought about what I said? For a name?"

Nodding, Sanji sat beside you on the lounger with Angel still in his arms, her grabbing her sippy cup and a baby carrot.

"I have, and I think…I'll take you up on it this time."

Smiling, you gave a slight nod, before kissing his cheek with a hand still on your stomach.

"Sora it is then."

A few months later, you ended up having a little boy with your hair and Sanji's eyes, and Angel was absolutely in love with her baby brother once Sanji introduced him to her. Your crewmates once again were beyond happy for you, and you just couldn't imagine your life turning out any other way.

[thechekhov]

Dungeon Meshi Quick Reacts: CH38

Rip to these promising mages. I assume they will not survive this massacre.

IS that where her lungs and kidneys are? Because like. She's huge. Her entire body is behind her. Do you really think she'd keep her vital organs in the little human bulb on the front?

I mean, he has a point. What are you going to do? Fight off more hoardes of dragons?

oh noooo, Kabru.... too bad. That's so unfortunate.... anyway.

It's curious that Laios only got knocked away. He was just as likely to have had his head squished like a grape.

Guys, this is absolutely not the time to be concerned for her privacy.

Yes, queen. Free the tiddy. Murder everyone in this dungeon. I support women's rights and women's wrongs.

.......that's. One way to do that. I guess.

.......what's that rock about.

Oh, I see. That's convenient.

This guy dungeons! Maybe he even dragons.

So we got north (tallmen? dwarves?) and then the easterners.... and now the elves of the west?

He's going to give her to the Americans?! ಠ_ಠ

To be fair, at least they HAD a plan. And they executed it. It's more than you did. I don't mean to point fingers but... at least they... ya know... did something.

Kabru's like 'no, no, hang on, I need to hear what batshit fucked up thing this dude is going to say next, this is important'

Laios is so stressed he broke character.

Then again, maybe it's healthy to let them slug it out a bit. Get it out of their system.

It's true. They wore fitbits and everything.

...hey, hold on a second.

Now hold on a minute.

Damn, this is. Kind of even worse because. I guess I could have guessed that Toshi was just pretending to be polite, like you do. Cultural differences.

But the painful thing is, Laios doesn't seem surprised. He just seems resigned. He's been told before that he's difficult to get along with. To the extent that he doesn't even consider Marcille and Chillchuck his friends? Even though they arguably both care about him? But because Toshiro didn't bother to be deadpan about him being a bit odd at times, Laios thought it meant that was fine.

And that kinda hurts. Like damn. Laios just wanted to make a true connection. And I can't really blame Toshiro either, he was just trying to keep the peace but. Damn.

Free her! Let her do her illegal magics! She deserves it! （︶^︶）

Thoughts:

Senshi just being annoyed about that one last harpy looking for scraps.... like "shoo, this ain't the time"

That gnome seems genuinely nice. I'm sorry Falin squished his pet undyne.

Kabru hugging his..... mage? Girlfriend???? Seems very...one sided. Kinda feel bad for her.

Laios and Toshiro still going at it, I see. Get it allout, boys.

Uhhhhhhhhhh ninja girls.

Aww, doggo.

Last question: Where did the cat go?

Senshi: I can fix that.

Are you all worried because he's finally making sense?!?!

Laios and he punched their singular braincells into several new ones, it seems.

F./....Falin... please give the caterpillar some privacy........

My man, maybe lead with that............

I can't believe Marcille was potentially more forward about her feelings.......

"his pupils are dilated" yes, thank you sherlock. You've finally realized what everyone else who meets Laios feels almost immediately. he's a monster freak club card carrying member. Welcome.

p.....pubby......

As long as he was also inside the dungeon with them.... yes.

The issue with Kabru isn't that he isn't trying his best. It's that Laios isn't trying at all.

On a scale of one to Kabru, how badly do you react to being offered a food you don't want to eat?

......oh no. He's so pathetic it's funny. He's growing on me.

Absolute morons, the pair of them. Immovable object meets unstoppable force. The funniest combination ever. Ghost type and normal type pokemon, forever throwing moves at each other that will never hit. Laios thinking he's made a friend. Kabru just barely stopping himself from killing Laios. Best comedy pair. Tom and Jerry in a can.

Anyway. What a great manga.

[rainybubbles]

How do the COD men end up calling you at 1 A.M ?

Gaz, Price, Soap, König, Ghost, Alex, Alejandro

(Sorry in advance for my mistakes, English is not my mother tongue. So sorry if it's badly written or if they're OOC)

G A Z :

-"I don't think I can help you Gaz" you said on the phone, while sitting on your bed.

-"but you said you like animals."

-"YES BUT I CAN'T MOVE A FUCKING ALLIGATOR BECAUSE IT'S ON YOUR BALCONY" you scream on the phone "How..." you take a pause "I don't want to know how it ends up here."

-"...so you won't come."

-"Gaz it's 1 AM."

-"You said I can call you if I need help."

-"Yes. But the alligator is the exception."

-"...and if I also have a racoon in my bed ?"

-"...Gaz did you..." you realize.

-"It's a hypothesis."

-"I can hear on the phone, the crack behind you."

-"...okay maybe it's true."

-"WHY DO YOU HAVE A ZOO IN YOUR HOME ??!"

-"It's not me, animals like me."

-"You're a fucking Disney princess."

-"...does it mean if I whistle, they go ?"

-"...I don't want to answer that."

-"...so you're coming ?"

-"Only because I don't want to end up in prison for failure to assist a person in danger."

-"And you like me."

-"Gaz I'm not confessing my feelings after we talked about a racoon."

-"You don't deny it."

-"..."

-"you will see the alligator is nice."

-"Gaz, no." you sigh

P R I C E :

-"John ?" you answer on the phone. Your voice is hoarse, the call has woken you up.

-"Sorry I have woken you up, love."

-"Is there a problem ?" you ask. You were worried because last time John called you, Soap exploded John's bathroom and he needed your help.

-"No, there is none. I just finished a mission and wanted to hear your voice." he says with his deep voice.

-Your heart skips a beat. Alone in your dark room, you feel butterflies in your belly. Price and you were friends, you were a librarian and you met because John was a regular who reads many history books.

-You have a crush on the man, but you didn't know if there was a chance because of his job.

-"I see" you answer, you don't know what to add "does my voice sound so charming ?" you joke

-"It is honey for my ears, love."

-shit.

-The man has rizz at 1 AM after a fucking six-months mission, you thought.

-"I...I can say the same for you ?" you try to flirt, but it sounds more like a question than a compliment.

-He laughs on the phone.

-Oh gosh how you love his laugh.

-"In fact I was trying to think of a clever way to ask you out, but it's late and my brain isn't functioning properly, love." He confesses.

-"oh" you say

-oh ? You really said oh to a fucking romantic confession at 1 AM, like in a dramatic romance movie ?

-"I DIDN'T MEAN OH ! I mean, yes, but not to your confession. It...Yes. yes." you say embarrassed

-He laughs again.

-"then we have a date."

-"yes."

-"I'll text you the information, good night, love."

-"good night."

-You didn't sleep at all this night.

-You were too stressed about the date, and too happy to have this date.

S O A P :

-"you won't believe me."

-"Soap, it's like 1 AM, why the fuck are you calling me ?" you answer sleepy.

-"I discovered this new recipe."

-"...so you decided to call me at 1 AM, for a recipe ?"

-"It's the best you'll ever hear."

-"...go on" you sigh.

-"You mix marshmallows."

-"Ok."

-"With nutella"

-you frown your eyebrows.

-"ok"

-"And bacon"

-"everybody is so creative." you say

-"What ?"

-"Soap you- wait, did you eat this ?"

-"YES ! It's so good, you have to try it."

-"It's 1 AM. Why did you try this ? Why calling me after, I...Soap are you okay ?"

-"I am."

-"you eat nutella, marshmallow and bacon mixed."

-"yes."

-"It's not what an okay person does."

-"Person with taste do that."

-"Yes person with taste and no taste bud."

-"You haven't tasted it yet."

-"And I won't."

-"...so me being in front of your door with this incredible midnight snacks is a no ?"

-"Soap you- I live like 3 hours from your flat."

-"I wanted you to try it !"

-"It's fucking creepy."

-"so you won't open the door ?"

-"I will. And I will throw this snack in a bin, cook a real snack, feed you with it, and call Price to have your taste bud check by a doctor."

-"I'm fine."

-"No, your tastes are horrible." you say

-"So you're insulting yourself."

-"What ? why ? I said your tastes are horrible not mine."

-"But you're my taste in human."

-You shut up.

-"did you-"

-"I'm trying to say you're my type, yes"

-"fuck I open the door."

-"Told you it was a game changer."

-"I don't open the door for your snack. I open for your ass"

-"that's mean."

K Ö N I G :

-You saw König calling you on your phone which surprised you because you know he hates talking on the phone.

-You immediately answer.

-"König ?"

-"...You're awake," he says relieved.

-"yes, are you okay ?"

-"Ja, I'm back home."

-"I see," you smile.

-You met König on a base. You're a trainer of detection dogs, so you often work with the army. Since this meeting, you both text each other a lot.

-"Do you want to talk about your mission or do you want me to vant about how annoying my day was ?" you ask as usual

-"I wanted to know if you're free now."

-"Well it's 1 AM, so yes."

-"I don't have any sugar, and I want to bake. But I can't. And I don't want to go outside."

-You know König bakes when he has anxiety, it helps him to relax. So if he wanted to bake, it would be probably because he needed it.

-"Ok, I'll be here in 30 minutes."

-"thanks."

-"But you let me eat the finished products."

-"of course," he laughs.

-You start to dress and put your shoes on.

-"What are you baking exactly ?" you say on the phone

-"Cookies."

-"that's one of my favorite snacks." you said while you put your sugar in your bag.

-"I know." König answers

-"you know ?" you repeat

-There is a silence.

-"I wanted to give you cookies tomorrow, but everything happened and..." he starts hyperventilating.

-"König, calm. Okay so you wanted to give me cookies but you felt a wave of anxiety coming, so you decided to bake them now, but you ran out of sugar" you summarize.

-"yes."

-"Can I ask why you want to give me cookies ?"

-"because it will be a good idea to picnic with you"

-"as a date ?" you ask.

-"yes."

-"well I hate picnics."

-"oh"

-"But guess what my favorite activity is ? Baking at 1 AM cookies. Guess you're a lucky guy."

-He laughs.

-"you just try to comfort me." he says

-"Does it work ?"

-"yes."

-"then we have a date."

G H O S T :

-"Simon" you answer on the phone.

-He doesn't add a word.

-You know why he is calling you.

-He has had nightmares.

-Every time, when he was not on the field and had them, he usually did nothing. But since he met you, he knew that focusing on your voice, helped him to not think, to just erase everything.

-"Do you prefer me rambling about my day or a funny anecdote ?" you ask.

-"your day." he says quickly, his voice is hoarse.

-"Well at work a grandma fought against a gym bro in the line. Because the guy was mean to my colleague, he said she fucked up his coffee just to have one free. Nothing unusual sadly. But the grandma started to snap at him. And we were scared because the gym bro was all muscular so if he decided to fight, the grandma would finish to the hospital, you know. And...she beat him up. She was like super strong. It was so cool. She was like Batman."

-You ramble again and again.

-Ghost just listens, every word was his anchor. Every word was a flow calming him.

-And until the sun rises up, you talk.

-It's his favorite thing about you, your voice.

-Maybe one day, he'll hear it saying sweet nothings to him.

-But for the moment, he'll focus on it and just feels at peace.

A L E X :

-"what's your favorite flower ?"

-"Alex it's 1 AM, what the fuck," you say on the phone.

-"What's your favorite flower ?" Alex asks.

-"Why do you want to know that and why now ?"

-"I have already asked you that during a break on a mission but you never answered the question."

-You frown your eyebrows.

-"It was like 2 months ago."you realize

-"yes, and ?"

-"And you ask me a question you have already asked me two months ago, on the phone at 1 AM ?"

-"yes."

-"...you have drunk Price coffee, isn't it ?"

-"...yes."

-"how much ?"

-"four cups."

-"you're still alive?"

-"I hear my heart. I don't know if it's normal."

-"Shit the fuck this man is drinking." you groan "Alex you know you can't drink his coffee, it could wake up the dead."

-"I know but I needed one."

-"Drink water. I'll come."

-"So you'll answer my question ?"

-"No, I'm coming so I can avoid you having a heart attack. The flowers are not important here."

-"even though I want to give you flowers for a date ?"

-"We'll see later, first your heart."

-"so it's a yes ?"

-"yes but first your heart Alex, focus damn."

He laughs.

A L E J A N D R O :

-"don't laugh." Alejandro says

-"How can I not laugh ?! You stuck on a stranger's balcony in panties, Alejandro."

-"Y/N."

-"Okay, okay. So tell me how it happened ?"

-"I was at my sister's flat. I was dressed up as a princess, because I was playing with my niece."

-Cute, you think.

-"And after few hours, my niece fells asleep, so I changed my clothes but while I changed I heard a meowing. So I checked, and a kitten was precarious on the balcony under my sister's flat. So I went through the window without thinking, using my phone as a flashlight, and I jumped."

-"And now you're in panties with a safe kitten but you can't go back to your sister's flat."

-"No, and I can't call her. I was supposed to babysit my niece because my sister and her wife are on a date, I don't want to bother them."

-"You didn't need to wear panties for a princess costume." you realize

-"I like to immerse myself in the character. If I cosplay someone, I take it seriously." he says firmly.

-You laugh at his determination.

-"Okay, but how can I help you ? I mean I can't teleport."

-"You can ring on the owner's flat, so he could open the door. I don't want to break in someone's flat. I'm not a criminal."

-"You fight the cartel everyday Alejandro."

-"It's not the same."

-"Okay, I'll come."

-After this you helped him. But you sent a picture to Rudy of Alejandro with the kitten and the panties.

If you want more, my COD masterlist : here.

And my masterlist : here.

[sl-newsie]

Melted Mind (Dr. Spencer Reid x OC Coworker)

Summary: The team checks into a hotel and one of their coworkers has never used a sauna, leading to late night shenanigans. (Hinting at intimacy towards the end)

“You’ve never used a sauna?”

I’ve had a lot of strange and unusual conversations with the BAU but this has got to be a very random one. I guess one half-mention of never having used a sauna seems to be the hot topic of tonight.

I shake my head at Emily’s question. “Never had a reason to. I can’t stand being too hot.”

Of course now Spencer has to hop in and give his input. “Saunas actually help us sweat toxins out of our bodies and improve lymphatic drainage. They also reduce stress levels and help strengthen the immune system.”

I love him dearly but he can come in at the worst times. Just because he’s my boyfriend does not mean he can drag me into this too.

Meanwhile Emily is looking at the hotel’s brochure. “There’s one in the pool room. We should try it.”

Um, no. We’ve just spent three hours flying. I feel no need to sit in a boiling hot room with my coworkers.

Quick, grab the suitcase and start walking away. “I think I’m going to relax in my room-”

Morgan grabs my arm. “C’mon, it’ll be fun!”

In the corner of my eye I see JJ and Penelope waving goodbye with cheeky smiles. Hotch has already gone to his room and Rossi avoids the situation by heading for the bar. There’s no getting out of this.

There’s no other way to say it. This is Hell. I won’t sugarcoat it. 

I don’t care how Emily tries to sell this as a good thing because it’s a ‘steam sauna.’ Spencer’s facts from earlier have completely flown the coop because thinking about the positive health benefits of sweating is the last thing on my mind. All I can think of is drinking water and staying alive.

“I’m melting.” We’ve been here for half an hour and I’m already slumped in the corner.

“You look like a lava lamp."

My glare can burn through walls. “Thanks, Morgan.”

“That swimsuit is really cute,” Emily comments. “But why wear a shirt over it?”

The suit I packed is my patriotic one. A one-piece suit with blue and white stars at the top cascading into red and white stripes. When we met up in the hall I threw on a swim shirt and I guess that raised a few eyebrows. Why? I don’t know.

“Some call it image paranoia, I call it modesty. I will not walk around half-naked in a hotel lobby.” Technically my onepiece could count as a leotard but it’s still not modest.

Emily snickers. “Between you and Reid both you guys could give a lecture on social etiquette.”

“I’m giving a lecture?”

Reid pokes his head in and a wave of cold air washes over me. It’s Heaven! But it’s only a split second because he closes the door and I’m submerged in the moist prison once more. He hops up on the seat next to me and from the look he gives me I can tell he’s looking to see if I’m still alive. I think I am. Maybe.

“Here’s the boy genius!” Morgan claps and gestures to my limp body’s presentation of a corpse. “What do you think of this lovely swimsuit?”

Why? Why did Morgan of all people have to find out about us? I’m honestly surprised Penelope didn’t find out first. If only Spencer didn’t want a picture of me on his desk so badly. Ever since we became official he’s been much more manly about it. Like he wants to make sure everyone knows I’m his. It’s actually cute.

Spencer gives me a look-over. “Very patriotic. It looks nice.”

Those eyes say more than that. He loves it.

“Thank you. I’m lucky I brought it with me. Though this may be what I’m buried in if I don’t make it through tonight. This sauna’s going to be the death of me.” 

So the night goes on. My mind dwindles in and out of the conversation but the only thing keeping me awake is Spencer’s occasional squeeze on my shoulder. Though him rubbing my back is definitely not helping. After a while my mind starts to wander.

“Ever notice how radio stations play the same songs over and over?”

The chatter stops and in the corner of my glazed eye I see everyone look at me. 

“That’s kinda deep,” Morgan teases.

“I can’t help it. This sauna’s making me think deep.”

Emily waves a hand in front of me. “Ok, I think it’s time to call it a night. You need to drink some water. Make sure she gets to bed safely, Reid.”

Reid gives me a hidden smirk. He’s definitely thinking about that out of context. Thankfully the others are too tired to notice and we all slowly exit the human vegetable steamer from Hell. 

“I’ll go get you a towel,” Reid says before walking off.

I’ll finally get to go to my room, rinse off and relax- Uh-oh. I catch a quick glance out the window. A pair of blue sunglasses lies on a patio lawn chair. No one’s outside. I guess I should do the Girl Scout routine of returning them to the lobby desk.

Brr! How is the air outside so cold? The sauna must have really gotten to me. Back inside now- Oh no. Is it my wandering mind or am I locked out? No. No! I don’t have a key card!

Inside Spencer walks around the pool looking for me. The towel he’s carrying might as well be a fur coat.

“Oh- Spencer! Help!” I knock on the glass door. “Please! I’m locked out!”

Reid’s eyes widen and he strides over. “How did you get stuck out there?”

“Someone left their sunglasses out here and I didn’t think about needing a key card to get back inside. Could you let me in?”

He starts reaching for the door but then gets an amused smirk. “Hmm. I don’t know…”

Is he kidding? “Spencer! Please! It’s freezing out here!”

Reid checks the thermostat. “It’s only 65 degrees.”

“I just came out of a sauna! Do you want me to pass out?” I put my hands on my hips.

Spencer’s laughter is muffled by the glass but he turns the doorknob anyway. “Open sesame.”

I sigh in relief at the warm air. “Thank you- oh!”

My temperature spikes the instant Spencer’s lips are on mine. He backs me against the cold condensation-covered door and pulls me close to him. I hope no one’s looking!

“It was hard not to do that in front of the team, seeing you in this suit.” Spencer presses a kiss on my cheek. “It looks very nice.”

If I weren’t so exhausted I’d encourage this. “Ready to go to bed? I’m getting tired.”

“Me too.” Reid wraps the towel around my shaking shoulders and we start walking back. “Would you like me to rub your back?”

“I’d love that very much, Spencer.”

The sight of our hotel room is equivalent to scoring an A+. I speed-wash through the shower and all but dive onto the soft bed. I lift my sleepy head up to look at Spencer, who’s sitting in the lounge chair staring at me.

“What?”

“You know my attraction to you didn’t start from your body,” he murmurs, still looking at me as if examining a piece of art.

I smile shyly and look down. “It was my eyes.”

He walks over and kneels down to my level. “It was your eyes. Those eyes that show a deep wisdom but are always wide with excited curiosity.”

Spencer crawls up onto the bed and rests his head on my chest. “Still tired? I can feel your heart rate elevating-”

“Let me pause the lecture, professor.” I put a finger to his lips. “It’s time to sleep. You can resume tomorrow.”

He sighs but gives in to his own tired state by going limp. I’m too tired to push him off. 

“You were right, Spencer. Saunas really do reduce stress levels. Even if I was almost locked out.”

He smiles with his eyes closed and feels around for the bedside light switch. “Goodnight, angel.”

The room goes dark and I give him one last kiss. “Goodnight, genius.”

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

Am I the asshole for refusing to help my friend out financially after they got a new dog even though they need financial help often and are currently in debt?

Everyone is this story is mid to late 20s.

I have a friend in America who is on social benefits. So I know they don't have a lot of money. I'm also not rich but I earn minimum wage in my country and can afford to pitch in a little sometimes which I don't mind doing generally. I'm also not a big spender at all and I'm able to save up something every month.

In the past I've helped them with buying groceries and even gave them some so they could buy a laptop for art commissions and some games. I don't mind doing that at all. When their old dog got sick I helped out as well. Since I figure some people are going to want to know, in the last 5 years I have given maybe about 2000 dollars.

They got a new dog after the old one passed, which I get. A dog can be a good companion. I did find it a little irresponsible to get a new puppy when they at the time needed several hundred dollars for rent. I told them it might be better to wait until they where no longer in debt with their landlord before getting a new dog. They told me they understood my concern but they got the puppy for free from a friend so it would not be a big deal and they would be able to feed the puppy.

I did tell them puppies can get sick and end up costing a lot more than anticipated but they told me they were willing to take that risk and I decided to not push any further. I had given my opinion and there is not much else I can do. I did tell them not to count on my help financially especially since I had some things of my own that needed fixing and they told me they understood and not to worry.

But then a few weeks later the puppy ate their medicinal weed, which for some reason was within reach of a puppy, and had to get it's stomach pumped and stay overnight at the vet clinic for a few nights.

They came to me and asked if I could help out with the bill and how they would pay me back in part. The bill was over 4000 dollars. I told them sorry but no I can't. First of all, I don't even have that much, I'd have to take out a loan. Second, I warned them this could happen and that I would not be able to help out financially. They seemed a little pissed at that but I just thought it was because of the stress of the situation. They said they would try and get the funds elsewhere and asked me to share it around, which I did.

Unfortunately they didn't manage to get enough to pay the vet and ended up having to give the puppy to a shelter. It's a cute and calm pup so I have no doubt it will be adopted out quickly but it's still sad and I do feel for my friend. But now I'm being blamed for it. I've been getting several angry messages from mutual friends about how I'm the reason my friend lost their emotional support and how I'm the reason they are having a breakdown and suicidal thoughts.

I feel really badly for my friend but I also don't think it's fair to put the blame on me. The reaction from my online friend group makes me feel like I'm missing something that does make me the asshole.

[farfromstrange]

Weed Cookies | Matt Murdock x F!Reader

PART 3 of The Vault

See this post for more information on my Valentine's Day Special & Follower Celebration, but these fics can be read separately!

Pairing: Matt Murdock x F!Reader

Summary: Karen receives a box of cookies from one of their clients. Foggy and Matt take a bite. Even with his heightened senses though, Matt doesn't realize what's wrong with the cookies before he's absolutely wasted, and you have to babysit him. Yes, they were edibles.

Warnings: Fluff, faint hints at S3 depressed!Matt and suicidal ideations, attempt at humor, crack fic, accidental drug use, for the sake of this fic we are going to pretend that the edibles were made well enough for Mister I-Know-Everything to miss it

Word Count: 3.4k

A/n: I wrote this after watching the episode of Grey's Anatomy with the Weed Cookies. I took some behaviorisms from my own experiences and exaggerated them a little to fit the vibe of this fic. I scraped parts of this and once again adjusted them because this was even more poorly written before than it is now, and I added the Nelson, Murdock & Page Season 3 narrative again because that's now the running theme of this event. Anyway, if you choose to consume edibles, stay safe! (Also, I'm just copying and pasting my usual tag lists. if anyone wants to be added for this event, do let me know)

“We just got cookies from Ms. Lebowsky next door,” Karen announces happily when she enters the office, balancing the transparent Tupperware in one hand and her handbag in the other. 

“She told me to thank you for helping her get out of that hellhole,” she says. Her eyes crinkle in the corners as a mischievous grin takes over her face. “There’s plenty for all four of us. Although she did mention Matt a few more times.”

“Ms. Lebowsky?” Foggy asks. He stands in the doorway of his office, holding a freshly brewed coffee. “Isn’t she the elderly lady we helped last week?”

“Yeah, that’s her. I think she has a crush on Matt.” 

He rolls his eyes. “Of course, she does. Who doesn’t? Not that I do, but—well, you get the gist.” The blood rushes to his cheeks, and Karen giggles in response.

From the office on the left, Matt’s voice rings out, “We just did our jobs,” he says. “She made us cookies, dude!” Foggy inspects the box on Karen’s desk. “They’re chocolate chip cookies. Our favorite. See what good looks can buy you?”

Matt chuckles, his fingers tracing the Braille indentations in the documents that are starting to form a mountain before him. “I think we got them because we’re good lawyers, Foggy.”

“Yeah, right. No way! That woman was smitten the second she came in. I really gotta get that blind thing going. I mean, she’s way too old for you, but come on! You’re in a serious committed relationship, and women still come piling at your door. It’s not fair.”

The way he whines like a little kid who has just been denied his favorite candy makes Karen laugh at his antics, and even Matt can’t help but join in. No matter how stressed he is, and how badly he wants to focus, Foggy never fails to lighten the mood.

Ever since moving offices, things have been going well for the trio. 

When Matt met you, he was at his lowest. You helped him climb out of a dark hole that was threatening to swallow him whole after losing Elektra and almost losing everything he worked so hard for to Wilson Fisk. Thanks to you, he found the will to fight again. You brought him back to life.

He wanted to die. He hated himself for the longest time after the building collapsed and forever took the first woman he ever loved down with its ruins, but then you came into his life, and you didn’t care about his baggage. You were far too good for him, but that didn’t matter to you. 

He fell for you hard and fast, and maybe the timing was a little off because what he needed was therapy and not someone new to get attached to. Still, if you hadn’t pulled him back to his feet and encouraged him to fight back against Fisk, saving his friendship with the people he cares most about in the process, he would have never made it far enough to get therapy.

Matt trusts you with his life because he feels like he owes it to you, but he also loves you more than anything. You’re the best thing that has ever happened to him. You’re his soulmate, and he couldn’t be happier.

Nelson & Murdock added Karen to their permanent repertoire. With her, things are flowing much more smoothly, and they’re actually making money now. They’re expensive, as Foggy likes to say it. Matt’s friends are just as happy as he is, giving him hope for the future.

“Hey,” Foggy snaps him out of his trance, “Earth to Murdock.”

Matt blinks behind his glasses, his fingers halting their frantic movements along the paper. “While I don’t disagree with what you’re saying,” he says, “please don’t let my girlfriend hear you say that women are piling at my door.”

Karen snorts. “Trust me, Matt. She knows,” she says.

“Yeah, but you shouldn’t remind her of that.”

“My lips are sealed. Foggy?”

He sighs, once again dramatically. “As long as you don’t sleep with them, you have nothing to fear, my friend.”

“I wasn’t planning on it,” says Matt. “The one I’m sleeping with is incomparable.”

Foggy grimaces. “Oh, dude. Gross! You know, God made conscious thought as a mechanism for humans to know when to shut up.”

“To be fair, ninety percent of the population don’t know how to use that mechanism,” Karen jumps to Matt’s defense.

As he laughs, he takes a whiff of the air surrounding their new baked goods. Matt can smell the sweet chocolate of the cookies, and somewhat of a herbal essence, but he can’t quite pinpoint why the scent seems so familiar. 

Karen walks around her desk to drop her bag and her coat. “So, do guys want a cookie?” she asks, swiftly changing the subject.

“I’ll take one,” Foggy is quick to answer.

Matt nods from his desk. “I’ll try one, too.”

The innocent decision to indulge in a sweet treat soon comes back to bite them in the ass though. Heavily.

When Matt first bit into the cookie, he didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. It tasted like chocolate mixed with basil, sugar, honey, and the kind of flour Ms. Lebowsky used, but he didn’t find much else wrong with it. Perhaps if he hadn’t allowed himself to get distracted by his phone calling out your name and the sweetest text he could have possibly received this early in the morning from the love of his life, he would have noticed that something tasted off about these cookies. And that what he believed to have been basil as a secret ingredient was something else entirely.

When lunchtime finally rolls around, you drop everything you were doing before and make your way to Matt’s office. You always spend lunch together. It’s your favorite time of the day. For an hour, you can forget the stress of your workplace and focus on him. He’s your safe haven. Your home. You crave to memorize his features anew every day so that you will have something to carry around with you when he has to work a bit longer, or when he goes out at night and his Daredevil duties drag on beyond what he planned. 

You need to be with him as much as possible because you’re scared that your happiness will shatter on a white cloth, and you will be forced to move on—you can’t imagine losing him. You dedicated your life to loving him, and the thought of ever losing that privilege kills you. 

On your way out, your phone vibrates in your pocket. You smile, thinking that it’s Matt, but when Karen’s number pops up on your screen, you frown. 

‘We have a problem,’ she texted you. Without context. 

All the alarms in your head start blaring, and you start to walk a little faster. You start imagining all possible scenarios. When you ask Karen what’s going on, she doesn’t even reply. What if someone got hurt? What if something happened to Matt? You almost lost him once; you can’t go through that again. 

You burst into the new office space that your friends share a few minutes later, your chest heaving and sweat dripping down your pulsating temples. You’re ready to fight whoever dared to hurt the man you love, or possibly threaten your friends, or both, but when you look up and see your darling boyfriend with his cheek pressed against one of the leaves on their gigantic office plant as if the overgrown Calathea were the coziest pillow he has ever touched, you understand why Karen texted you that you—both you and her—have a problem. A big one, too, judging by the looks of it.

“What is going on here?” you ask the dreaded question, shutting the door behind you.

Only then do you notice Karen to your right in Foggy’s office, trying to get him off of his office chair. He’s belting the chorus of Defying Gravity at the top of his lungs, and he’s got a broom clutched tightly in his right hand.

Oh boy. Your wide eyes drift to Karen’s desk in the middle of the room. As soon as you see the chocolate cookies inside the Tupperware, it slowly begins to dawn on you.

You’re not sure which is worse: Matt cradling a houseplant with his glasses discarded and the first three buttons of his dress shirt undone as he’s coated in sweat, or Foggy singing one of Broadway’s greatest ballads so off-key that the Calathea is starting to wither.

It takes Matt much longer than usual to sense your presence in the room. He calls your name, and his lips curl into a bright grin. Even completely out of it, he looks like an angel on earth. 

“Matthew,” you say. You approach him like you would approach a little kid. He’s on his knees, so the analogy isn’t far off. 

“Hi, honey. What’s going on?”

“Sweetheart,” he greets you, and you have never heard this man sound so relaxed. His hazel eyes are red-rimmed and glazed over, but the most obvious change lies in his behavior. 

“Feel that.” He reaches for your hand when you’re close enough for him to smell you, but he misses. “Where are you?” Matt pouts. “I can’t see.”

You want to laugh, but this is not the time. “You are blind, baby,” you remind him. 

“Since when?”

“Over twenty years.”

“Oh.” He finally gets a hold of your hand. The conversation seems to go right over his head. “Feel the power of nature,” he tells you. “It’s so soft.”

You want to drag him away from the potentially dangerous plant if he decides to eat it, but the sight of him is one to behold. He looks downright adorable. 

You have to focus though. You gently pat his hand. “Maybe later,” you say, and then you make your way to Karen’s desk to inspect the cookies.

Behind you, she calls your name. You twirl around. From the looks of it, she managed to get Foggy down from his chair, but he remains singing at the top of his lungs. All the signs point to one thing, and one thing only.

“Did you give my boyfriend weed cookies?” you sound a lot more condescending than you planned to. 

Karen shakes her head. Her face is pale, and she looks just as panicked as you do. “Those are not mine,” she says. 

“But you knew they were edibles?!”

“Of course, I didn’t! I started questioning it when Matt started cuddling the plant because his Braille felt like boobs and he didn't want to cheat on you, so he decided that he needed to touch some grass.” She points to him, exasperated. As if on cue, Matt lets out a happy little sigh.

Your brain struggles to process all of the information at once. “I’m sorry, what?”

“He said that his Braille feels like boobs. I don’t know! I thought he was messing with me until Foggy turned into Elphaba, and that’s when I took a bite and realized there was weed in them,” she says.

You groan, your worried eyes momentarily flicking back to your high boyfriend. High. That’s not a word you thought you would ever associate with him. “How did this happen?” you ask.

“Ms. Lebowsky, the lady next door, we helped her out the other day, and this morning, she gave me these cookies. I called her when these two started acting like idiots—more than usual, anyway. Turns out, she confused them with the ones her niece made for her birthday party tomorrow.”

“Her niece made edibles for her birthday party?”

“Please, don’t ask. I don’t have all the details. I just–”

“It’s fine,” you cut her off. “Just tell me that you’ve got Foggy under control.”

Karen peeks in through the window to his office. “More or less, yeah. You’ve got Matt?”

“Yeah, I’ve got him.”

You have to take care of him. He’s your responsibility. But as calm as he is right now, his heightened senses make the situation a lot more complex than the mere accidental consumption of edibles.

Walking over to him, you try to haul him up. He protests, at first, but then he feels the fabric of your shirt, and he slacks.

Matt wraps his arms around you, burying his face in your neck. “You’re so soft,” he coos. “You smell like honey.”

With his entire weight on you, you have to widen your stance so you won’t fall over. His usually quick reflexes are nonexistent right now; he won’t be able to catch you if you trip, and then you’re both going to get hurt.

“You know what’s even softer?” you ask.

“The plant,” he answers confidently. He sounds like a more careless version of himself. You can’t deny that it does something to you.

“No, silly,” you chuckle softly, “I meant your bed.”

“Oh. But I’m not tired.”

“You’re high.”

He pouts. “I didn’t mean to.”

“I know.” You stroke his back. “It’s okay. I’m not mad at you.”

He stiffens and relaxes at the same time. You swear you can feel the electricity in his veins as his nerves respond to the feeling of your skin on his. It’s like he’s on fire. Like your touch feels a million times more intense, and he’s being crushed under the weight of it in a way that makes him crave more. 

He squeezes you tighter, trying to get swallowed by you, consumed to the point that you are the same person. The drugs are doing a number on him, and his already heightened sense of feeling has increased tenfold to the point you’re not sure if it’s pleasurable or painful or both. It must be agonizing, yet at the same time there is a high chance that the weed is calming his nerves and dampening his perception to the point he’s taking everything in without the added weight—he’s enjoying the newfound sensations in limbo, and he’s unaffected by it. You wonder how long that is going to last. 

After bidding farewell to Karen, wishing her good luck with Foggy who has now reached a point of his high where he’s lying on the floor, demanding to listen to Bohemian Rhapsody and cry over Freddie Mercury. She assures you that she has got it under control, apologizes again, and then sends you on your way.

“Bye, Karen,” Matt says. “You have very nice hair.” His hand tangles in yours, and his face lights up like a Christmas Tree. You managed to convince him to put his glasses on, at least, or he might get irritated. “Never mind,” his voice turns into a pur. 

Usually, you would shiver at his fingers in your hair, tracing the strands and sensually massaging your scalp only he knows how to, but today is not one of those days. You’re still concerned about the effects that the weed might have on him, so you want to be careful, although you’re not sure how much longer you can keep yourself from laughing. 

As you maneuver Matt through the streets of Hell’s Kitchen, his cane hovers above the ground and his arm is hooked around yours. Without you, he would have run off into traffic by now. He has absolutely no spatial awareness anymore. 

Every sound, scent, and texture seems to capture his attention, but there's one sensation in particular that he can't seem to shake: thirst. You’re not even home yet, and you had to stop by a convenience store to get him a bottle of water. He shed his coat, which you are now carrying for him while also guiding him while simultaneously trying not to attract any unwanted attention. 

You can’t help but look at him as though he is your whole world. He is. He is everything to you, even high on edibles he never meant to consume, and acting like a feral toddler. If anything, you are even prouder now that he is yours. 

“Hey,” he whispers, leaning close to you, “do you think fire hydrants taste like licorice?”

You shake your head. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Matt, don’t lick the fire hydrant.” 

He pouts. For a moment, you think that you have steered off any possible disaster, but that was only wishful thinking.

Matt’s curiosity knows no bounds, and he’s soon reaching out to touch anything that catches his eye. He runs his fingers along the rough brick foundation of a building, marveling at the texture, and he stops to sniff a flower, declaring, “This is the most beautiful flower I have ever smelled.”

You pluck it for him, and he carries it in the pocket of his coat with a happy smile. 

You’re both exhausted when you finally make it to his apartment. Getting his large frame through the door is one thing, stopping him from tearing the tap off the sink as he desperately searches for liquid with the words, “Water!” is another.

“Okay, okay,” you try to calm him. You grab a bottle from the fridge, open it for him, and force him to take it. “Drink.”

One touch is enough for him to drop it. “It’s cold,” he recoils in agony.

You sigh. “Tap water it is, then.”

You have never seen him down so many glasses of water. He is severely dehydrated and sensitive to changes in temperature. It’s either too hot or too cold, and you’re so glad that Karen texted you when she did.

You manage to get him to the couch with some snacks that he devours within seconds. If he moves one more inch today, you may not be able to catch him again.

His lip twitches. “Chickens don’t have any arms.”

You pause in the process of wrapping him in a blanket, staring blankly ahead at him. “Excuse me?” you ask.

“Chickens don’t have any arms,” Matt states. “Every American citizen has the right to bear arms under the second amendment in the constitution. If an egg was fertilized on US soil, and the chicken hatched there as well, technically, that makes them a citizen of the United States of America, therefore allowing tiny creatures without arms the right to bear arms, but who gives the bears their arms?” 

You’re so flabbergasted that the absurdity of the situation eludes you. The words process only slowly in your mind, and when they do, they cause a wave of confusion to wash over you before it turns into genuine amusement, and it takes every ounce of self-control to keep yourself from laughing at him.

You can pinpoint the exact second the thought escapes his mind and something else replaces it. His hand brushes over the leather couch. “Smooth,” he observes. You haven’t even fully processed his very philosophical question about the animal kingdom before he drops his cheek down on the couch.

The man who has been carrying the weight of the world in bricks on his back for years is finally relaxed; it shouldn’t leave such a bitter aftertaste in your mouth.

You kneel in front of him, reaching out to touch his cheek. “Do you need anything?” you ask.

Matt’s gaze is filled with an odd sort of clarity. “Nah. Just you,” he mumbles.

A soft smile tugs at your lips as you brush a sweaty strand of hair away from his forehead. "I'm right here," you reassure him. 

He nods, his eyelids drooping as the effects of the edibles start to take their toll. “Good.” He searches for your hand, and you help him intertwine your fingers. A giddy smile finds its way onto his face. “You’re warm.”

You lean in to press a gentle kiss to his forehead. “And you’re high,” you tease.

Matt huffs out a breathy laugh. “Mmh, yeah,” he says. “But it’s okay. ‘Cause you’re here.”

Despite the chaos and the unexpected turn of events, there’s a sense of contentment settling over you as you watch him drift off into a state of bliss. He deserves it more than anyone. 

You stay by his side, watching over him as he succumbs to the pull of sleep that you’re all too familiar with after a sudden high. 

“Note to self,” you say to yourself, “never eat a stranger’s cookies without drug testing them first.”

And love has funny ways of making even the most absurd moments feel strangely beautiful.

Matt Murdock Tag List: @littlenerdyravenclaw @yarrystyleeza @etanordoesbullsh1t @thychuvaluswife @harleycao @schneeflocky @imjustcal @pipsqueakkitten @merlinbtch @sya-skies @amberritonicole @thatonegamefish @norestfortheshelbywicked @mattkinsella @itwasthereaminuteago @linamarr @gpenguin666 @acharliecoxedfan

[skellseerwriting]

Pirates and Prejudice (and Dragons)

James Hook x GN! Dragon Rider!Reader Part 3

Pt.1 pt.2

Here’s the not-apology apology chapter!

Reader is disabled (prosthetic foot) and I am not disabled, so if anyone who’s reading this is please let me know if anything is written weirdly or wrongly

Word Count: 2,162

Warnings: Descriptions of phantom pains, some slight hurt/mostly comfort, romantic tension, mentions of injury, reader feels conflicted

Content: Hook starts avoiding reader, reader starts experiencing really bad phantom pains, someone arrives to help them, who could it be?

It was daunting, how little changed yet how big that change meant. Most of life went on the same, but the little differences meant everything.

Hook and his friends stopped bothering you. In fact, you hardly ever saw them. Maybe it was just because they would go out of their way to pick on you before, but it made it almost seem as if they were avoiding you. Which, yes, was nice, but that also included Hook.

Now, whenever you saw each other in hallways or on school grounds, he would practically move as far away from you as possible. Even in class he would try and take the seat farthest from yours. And every time, his face would look a stressful combination of fear, guilt, and some secret, third thing.

You hated it.

You hated seeing him avoid you when all you had wanted when you first met was to be friends; or acquaintances on good terms, at the very least. You despised that look that happened to share too much resemblance to pity, which was something you grew to hate since your injury. The way he almost tiptoed around you created an irritable, unscratch-able itch. His treatment of you was as if you were fragile; that if he got too close you would break. Well, if it continued, you weren’t sure how long you would last until you actually snapped.

An annoying side effect from all the stress were the phantom pains. Whenever they happened in the past you would go for a fly. School still being in session prevented that.

It’s not that the nurse didn’t understand your condition; She had in fact told you to go to her to sort out exceptions of attending class when needed, bless her heart. No, the reason you were determined to grit it out was because you were worried of rumors. If word got out of you skipping class, regardless of how valid the reason, you knew the social consequences of it.

You would not let people think you were weak.

You were not weak.

Grinding your teeth together out of pain, you told yourself that excusing yourself to the restroom near the end of class right before free period didn’t count. Nobody would be able to tell anything.

Still, it was hard.

You had went to your usual spot at the courtyard fountain, limping badly and starting to sweat over the feelings of pins at your ankle. It had never been this bad before. The only time it had been worse than this was during the recovery process a few years ago. As time had gone on, you forgot what that felt like. Pain surged through the area again, reminding you.

Massaging it was an option, but you did not want to do it out in the open. You felt vulnerable, open to the world. Your dorm was also so far away from here, just thinking about the walk made your foot feel worse.

Clenching your hands on your legs while trying to breath steadily, you continued to keep your eyes closed. Shut everything out.

 There is nothing around you but open air, you told yourself. That breeze you feel in front of you? That’s the wind hitting your face while flying on Beastie. The splashing of water behind you? A coursing waterfall you were flying close to. The person sitting to your left? They-

You opened your eyes.

No. Not him.

Anyone but him.

An extreme surge of pain occurred again. You couldn’t keep a still face and made a near-silent cry.

You knew he saw that and you hated it.

“Go away, please.” You whispered, doing everything in your power to not look at him. He only made it worse, being the source of your current stress and anxiety.

You sensed no movement.

“Hook, please.” you pleaded. “Please leave me alone.” You needed him to leave. One of your worst moments was on display and he was just watching. He could hear your tears even if he couldn’t see them, and he could definitely see you left shoe shaking uncontrollably. Why hasn’t he left?

A hand placed itself on your shoulder.

“Are you having phantom pains right now?” He asked softly. Surprised at the care and quietness in his voice, you looked at him. His face and his eyes held none of what they had before. There was no fear. There was no pitiful guilt. There was just endearing worry, along with that secret, third thing.

You nodded your head, fingers gripping the tough sides of the leather gear strapped onto your pants.

“Can I help you?” He whispered, head tilted closer to yours.

Part of you jumped at the question, desperate to say yes. The other part, unfortunately, was terrified. This man... This- pirate of a man, walked a tightrope in your mind between someone to avoid at all costs… and someone you were far too eager to get close to.

What would happen if you said yes? As sincere as he sounded, what if he was lying? Up until recently, all his cares towards you were to make your life miserable. What if he intended to get close to you just to hurt you at some farther point ahead? Your heart would surely break more than anything else.

But what if he meant it? What if he could help you in all the ways you needed, not only just now, but in the future? Would you finally find that solidarity you had been seeking? Ease of not feeling different here? Would he do that for you? Become that important to you?

Would you become that important to him?

You dwelled on that for a moment longer. Hook started to look nervous, perhaps wondering if you didn’t want him there after all. He wouldn’t have been surprised after everything he had done to you. Then, you said something to him.

“What?” He asked, thinking his ears had betrayed him. You gave him a tiny smile.

“Yes.” you breathed. “I said yes.”

His eyes crinkled into little crow’s feet, and that alone made it worth it to say.

Before even asking or telling him anything, he brought his right hand off your shoulder and turned away slightly, only to turn back a few seconds later with something shiny in his palm.

“This is my hook.” Ah, he was trying to distract you. Of course he knew that technique, since he would deal with phantom pains himself with his own hand. Although if you were being honest, him sitting inches away from you and sharing your air probably distracted you more than anything else. He was so close.

Smiling, you began to trace the little garnishes and engravings at the cylindrical part.

“It’s very pretty.” You told him plainly, focusing on the design instead of your foot. “Did someone make it for you?”

“Not exactly.” He said with an air of mischievousness. “I stole it from a famed prosthetics-maker during a long trip to the east.” Something about the way he said it made you think he was fibbing, but you let out a giggle nonetheless when he grinned at you- like he knew that you knew. “Want me to get a pretty foot for you?” He asked with a wink.

“Only if it matches your hook.” You joked lightly, not letting him have one over you with that last remark. Surprisingly, Hook started to stammer a little bit while turning pink.

Laughing, you shove his shoulder a little with your own. “Relax, I’m just kidding. My current one is fine the way it is; I can’t value appearance over durability and stability with my occupation.” He seemed to accept the answer, still flustered.

“Mine’s made of steel. So it has both strength and lightness.” He told you.

“Really?” You asked. “It looks rather heavy.”

“Here.” He said, setting it in your open hand. Wow, it was really light. “Can’t have my enemies be besting the greatest pirate captain of the seas.”

You snorted, running your finger over the metal curve. You swore you saw him shiver at that. “I find that hard to believe.”

Leaning closer, he said “You ride dragons. I thought you of all people know that we aren’t limited by our youth.”

Hearing the word “dragons” sent a jolt through your leg and you grimaced. Like hearing the cause of its loss was enough to make your foot feel it again. You’d almost forgotten about the pains now, and now they felt like they were starting to come back.

“Don’t say that.” You told him quietly, looking at his too-close-face so he could look in your eyes and understand that you were being serious.

“Say what?” He asked. His eyebrows scrunched upwards and his eyes filled with worry. You take a breath.

“The creature you just mentioned.” You told him with honesty, then looked dow again. “It’s making it worse right now.”

Realization must’ve clicked immediately in his brain because he moved his left arm into you field of view, showing his wrist without the hook that he took off earlier.

“I got mine eaten clean off by a crocodile.” He said, then gave a silly smirk. “It was my fault, really. I was being an idiot boy when I was fourteen- no, thirteen. A couple weeks after was my birthday and my mum gave me the hook for when I fully healed.”

You grinned; he had fibbed when he said how he obtained the hook. Glancing at your still shoe, you told him “I lost mine when I was thirteen too. My class was learning by watching our instructors handle a vicious one. Things got out of hand -quite literally- and next thing you know, due to some wicked sharp claws, I was out of foot.” You laugh a little at your joke. In the rare occasion you told someone what happened, you loved making the pun. Some laughed with you, some didn’t, and most looked at you like you were crazy. You didn’t let that bother you though, it was your trauma so you got to joke about it however you liked.

“I shouldn’t say I’m surprised.” Hook said. “I thought it might have something to do with dr- with those creatures. At least you get to tell people you lost it to one of them; how cool is that?” He ended excitedly.

You shrugged. “Most amputees from my home lost them the same way as me, so it’s pretty common to me.” Side-eying him and nudging his side you told him “I’ve never heard of stories of people losing limbs to crocodiles though, so I think yours is much cooler!”

He beamed a little. “Really?”

“Yes.” You told him. “Why would I lie to you, Hook?” He bristled a little.

“What’s the matter?”

“Oh,” he waved you off with his hand. “Nothing really, I guess I didn’t expect you to call me that.”

“What? Hook?”

“Mhmm.”

“But… that’s your name?”

He looked into your eyes; his own moving back and forth between yours due to being so close. At some point you two had shifted closer and your legs were now touching.

“Hook,” He began slowly, moving his tongue around in his mouth to get the words right. “Is the name associated with the pirate. The Villain Kid. The bad person. All of which I’m completely fine with! Despite what others say or think, I’m happy with who I am. But-“ he softened his voice and leaned closer again. Much, much closer. “Hearing you call me by that name makes me feel like you only see those things. I know that’s not completely true,” he added, whispering “I just feel this ache in my heart when you say it. I don’t want you to call me that.”

Despite feeling your heart lodged in your throat, you managed to get out a “What would you like me to call you?”

A “hnn” came out of his lips and you couldn’t help by look at them. “Call me James.”

“James.” You said, testing his name on your tongue. His eyes went wild when you did so.

“Yes, darling?” He whispered. You leaned closer.

“I- “

The tower bell rung. Students started streaming out of doors and into the courtyard. You both jumped back. Then, H- James gets up.

“Meet me at the entrance after school.” He told you.

“Why?” You quiz, now blushing, holding up his hook for him.

He put it on then grabbed your hand before you could lower it.

“Because,” his eyes twinkled, now bowing at the waist. “I’m going to take you on an adventure!” And with that, he pressed a chaste kiss to your knuckle and walked away before you could even process what this charming boy had just done to you.

Extra:

Hook: Um, guys? Remember how Scarface said they wanted a peg leg?

Hook: Well… turns out they have a prosthetic foot…

Everyone:…

Maleficent: You’re such an idiot

Part 4

[annymation]

The Kingdom of Wishes- A “Wish” Rewrite

Chapter 6- And The Star Answered

Chapter 5

She stopped, her arm was being held back by a large hand.

Asha’s heart was beating as fast as a hummingbird’s wings.

She didn’t want to look back, she was too afraid to look and see the king’s face-

“Asha… We were all waiting for you. Are you okay?”

That wasn’t the king’s voice, it was a gentle and genuinely worried voice, that was

“… Simon?”

Asha turned around, and sure enough, Simon was holding her arm.

And Asha’s other 6 friends were by his side, they were all very worried about her.

“Why are you crying? What happened in there??” Hal rushed over to dry her tears.

“Did you just break out of the dungeon?!? By yourself?!? How did you do that???” Gabo tripped over his words

“For the LAST TIME, GABO! They would NEVER throw Asha in a dungeon for just raising her voice at them, they’re too nice for that!” Dahlia explained like that was just common sense.

And in any other kingdom, yeah it probably would be common sense, but Asha knew that wasn’t the case in Rosas.

Knowing what she knows now.

“Everyone please, let's all calm down and go talk somewhere quieter, then Asha can tell us what happened” Bazeema chimed in meekly

But Asha didn’t want to calm down and talk, no, she wanted to be alone, she was in no condition to talk with anyone.

“I- I gotta go! I can’t talk with you guys right now…”

She tried to run away again but Simon kept holding her arm, not in a way that hurted though

“Why? We just wanna help. Did they say something that made you upset?” Simon asked very concerned

Dario ran to be in front of Asha so she could see him signing to her “We’re with you on this, you did the right thing speaking up about your grandpa’s wish”

Her friends kept talking all at the same time over each other

But Asha's mind was somewhere else

How can she explain this to them?

“I- I understand wanting to be alone, Asha, I really do, but you’re clearly under a lot of stress” Bazeema stammered through her words.

That everything they've known was a lie…

“You can count on us, we’ll always be on your side” Dahlia tried to soothe her best friend

Would they even believe it?

“Just breathe, we know you didn’t do anything wrong” said Safi

And if they did, then what? They’re just a group of teens, it’s not like there’s anything they can do.

“You’ve always been there for us, so we are NOT leaving your side till you’re feeling better” Hal said determined

Asha is in danger because she knows the king’s secret, she CAN’T risk putting her friends in danger too

Gabo was the only one who didn’t look worried, he was angry, not at Asha, but at the two monarchs who made his best friend cry

“Was that narcissistic dolt rude to you?! If so, I’mma get in that castle RIGHT NOW and give him a piece of my min-“

“NO!” Asha screamed “WHATEVER YOU DO, DONT TALK TO THEM!” She was scared out of her mind.

Asha’s friends were startled, they finally went silent

Asha lowered her voice but kept trying to struggle out of Simon’s grip

“I- I’m sorry. Simon, please, let go of me— I gotta go”

“Go where!?” Dahlia asked

“I- i’ll be fine, really, I just need to be alone for a while, okay?”

Simon, for the first time since the day he gave away his wish 3 years ago, raised his voice:

“I’m not letting go till you tell us what you did!”

… What SHE did?…

Asha looked at him straight in the eyes, no longer just sad and scared, but also angry

“You wanna know what happened so badly?! What happened is that THEY WON’T GRANT MY WISH AT ALL!”

She stepped on Simon’s foot.

He let go of her.

She ran, pushing Dario and Safi out of her way in the process

“ASHA WAIT!!!” Dahlia screamed

Hal, Dario and Gabo started running after her, but of course Gabo threw one last piece of sass while running

“VICTIM BLAMING huh Simon?? Because THAT’S definitely the best way to calm down your crying friend! Great job buddy!” He said sarcastically and angrily to Simon while he ran after Asha.

(Gabo spitting facts)

All the others who stayed behind look sad, but Simon looks the saddest.

Asha can hear her friends calling her as she runs away from the castle, but she keeps running without looking back

Dario, Hal and Gabo eventually lose sight of her.

As Asha runs she keeps seeing the royals faces literally everywhere.

All her life that felt natural, why wouldn’t the people of Rosas want to paint their beloved rulers faces on the floors, walls and have statues of them everywhere?

But now, now that she knows who they really are, seeing how the people are obsessed with them is terrifying.

Eventually, after A LOT of running, she leaves the kingdom

She reaches the forest

Valentino is hopping after her with his little baby goat legs

Tears are running down her face non stop

Asha felt trapped, hopeless, desperate

She knew that by morning “her wish” will be granted

And she’ll lose her free will, her friends and her own sense of self

The king and queen will steal all of that from her and there’s nothing she can do about it.

Eventually she trips and falls on the floor

We get a shot similar to this one from Snow White

She sobs in the darkness

Valentino is now next to her, trying to help her feel better by licking her hand

That actually helps her a little, at least she’s not completely alone

She sits down and Valentino comes lay down on her lap

(Seriously little things like this make Valentino MILES better than he was in the movie, movie Valentino didn’t do ANYTHING to help Asha emotionally)

She starts petting him and takes some deep breaths

“Should I have told them?” She asks Valentino “... I wanted to, but– then what? It's not like there's anything we can do to stop them, we're just some teens…”

Valentino interrupts her bleating loudly, with a frustrated expression

She finally smiles a little bit “Right, some teens and a goat hehe…” she pets Valentino some more, her look becomes distant again “… I don’t know what to do…”

She feels a turmoil of emotions that she can’t put into words

And what does a Disney protagonist does when emotions are too strong for words?

… They sing

Sooo yeah, here’s my version of This Wish, enjoy!

Purple lines are Asha, of course

Orange is my commentary and describing what’s going on in the scene

Should’ve listened to my own instincts

No time to cry for what could have been

If I could show them everything I've seen

Open their eyes to all the lies then

Would they believe in me or in them?

(Asha begins singing still laying on the floor, she takes her sketchbook and at "Would they believe in me or in THEM" we see a drawing of the king and queen, she sketched them a few times since there's images of them all over Rosas so she might as well practice drawing poses using their likeness, right?)

Cause’ when I speak, they tell me, "Sit down"

But how can I when I've already started runnin'?

All I wanted to do

Was grant my wish on my own

But now that wish’s stolen and, I am all alone

(So when she sings "Started running" she gets up. And she walks through the forest, she's looking down as she walks looking very sorrowful)

So I look up at the stars to guide me

For I know they can send me a sign

If knowing what it could be is what drives me

Then let me be the first to stand in line

(“THROWING CAUTION TO EVERY WARNING SIGN”IS SUCH A WEIRD LYRIC AND IT COULD’VE BEEN FIXED SO EASILY! I NEVER STUDIED MUSIC WRITING IN MY LIFE AND I THOUGHT ABOUT THAT REPLACEMENT IN A SECOND WTF DISNEY!?)

(*ahem* so anyway, she looks up, now recollecting her hopes but... Once she looks up, there are no stars in the sky, because she's deep in the forest and all she sees are the tree leaves... So this is Asha's goal in this song, she's looking for a star to wish upon, she's trying to get out of the darkness)

So I make this wish

Asking us for freedom, hope and bliss

So I make this wish

To have something more for us than this

(She keeps walking while looking up, searching for any star to be wished upon.)

(Now let me break down my personal favorite change here "Freedom, hope and bliss" these three words summarizes everything Asha wants for herself and everyone else: Freedom for herself, now that she knows the royals intend to imprison her, and also freedom for everyone else that is having their wishes changed; Hope, because she wants the people of Rosas to have hope that they can achieve their own wishes without the king's help; And bliss, the joy that comes with achieving your own desires, she wants that for herself and everyone else)

(As she sings the last line, she steps on a field of grass and some fireflies start floating around her)

Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah

Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, ah-ah

More than this, oh-ah-ah-ah

(The fireflies fly all around her and her smile returns to her face, as she regains a little bit of hope, she sings "More than this" with her hands on her chest)

For many years they’ve been fooling us all

Yeah, they said “We’ll protect you” while being our downfall

Now what’s a girl like me supposed to do?

How do you fight a king and queen? oh and they’ve got magic too!

(We have a bit of a time skip with Asha still walking around the forest, but as she does so she's flipping through the pages of her sketchbook, and tearing off all the ones that have sketches of King Magnifico and Queen Amable. She looks at each one angrily and crumbles the pages in her hands (I'll excuse littering this one time because the girl is going through the 7 stages of grief and is currently at anger))

And all I've got is reservations and hesitations

On where I should even begin

I'm past dipping my toes in

But I'm not, no, I'm not past diving in

If I could just be pointed in any given direction

On where to go and what to do

My legs are shaking, but my head's held high

The way you always taught me to

(Yeah no changes for this verse, it’s fantastically fitting for my rewrite, and the best part of the song in my opinion. As she’s walking in the woods she encounters many different paths, she looks at all of them unsure on which one to choose. She trusts her gut and picks one of them. Asha run through this path she chose and then… She finds the tree she and her grandfather used to sit on and wish upon the stars together)

So I look up at the stars to guide me

For I know they WILL send me a sign

I'm sure there will be challenges that find me

But I can take them on one at a time

(Her heart swells, she’s full of hope as she runs to that tree knowing without a doubt in her mind that she’ll get a sign on what to do. She climbs the tree determined, and upon reaching the top, she sees it, the first star she sees tonight.)

So I make this wish

Asking us for freedom, hope and bliss

So I make this wish

To have something more for us than this

(The star she’s looking at is not very bright at all, is barely noticeable in the vast night sky full of other brighter ones, but THAT little one is the one she chooses, and she puts all her heart on the wish she’s making to this star)

Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah (so I make this wish)

Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, ah-ah (to have something more)

More than this, oh, ah-ah-ah

So I make this wish

To have something more for us than this

The song ends.

We see the night sky... and suddenly... The tiny star that Asha was looking at starts getting brighter, bigger, until it's light engulfs the entire sky.

Asha closes her eyes.

The light proceeds to shine upon all the kingdom of Rosas, and everyone that is touched by that light is overtaken by a pleasant feeling of joy and warmth.

It's very faint, but if you listen closely you can hear the sound of a laughter, the most energetic and youthful laughter you can imagine.

We cut back to Asha, who notices that the light is getting... closer.

And it looks like a big ball of light.

Coming directly in her direction at high speed.

She screams as she quickly grabs Valentino and jumps off the tree branch to get cover.

The bright light passes flying over them and landing deep into the forest. A few animals run away from the place of impact.

Asha is laying down on the grass. Obviously VERY shocked.

Valentino is under her, excitedly trying to get out to check out what that was.

"... As if this day couldn't get any crazier, I almost get hit by a meteor... On my birthday " She's quite done with all of these emotions for the day. She stands up and starts dusting herself off "Come on Val, we better go before... Whatever THAT was starts a forest fire..."

(Any other Disney protagonist would be like "oooh whats that?" and answer the call to adventure, but our girl already had enough adventure for a life time and we are not even in the second act yet ladies and gentleman)

Asha had her eyes closed while she dusted herself off, so she didn't realize that while she was talking Valentino was already happily hopping to the source of the light

She looks to where Valentino was a second ago, aaaaand he's gone

"... Valentino?"

"Maaaa! Maaa! Maaaa"

She heard Valentino's bleating getting farther and farther away... Honestly what was she expecting?

"NO! VALENTINO!! Bad goat! We don't touch stuff that comes from space! IT BURNS!!!" She runs after him.

(Oh it's gonna burn you alright)

...

(Okay I knooooow ya'll are gonna hate me for this but... *sigh*)

We cut to the villains POV

Magnifico is getting ready to use his magic to open the tower's celling, thus releasing all the wishes to be granted that night.

But he stops when he realizes... The room is getting brighter.

He looks out the window and sees it, the light engulfing his whole kingdom.

He stares at it in shock

Once the light fades away, Magnifico is gazing out the window. His face no longer visible.

We hear the BLAM of a door opening violently, the queen is running towards her husband wearing a night gown, her long hair is loose.

"What on earth was that light?!” She speaks loudly, firm and precise, confident that her husband will know the answer.

Magnifico is, for the first time since they've met, not paying attention to her...

Nah his mind is somewhere else entirely.

He looks at the horizon trying to remember something, like a memory he has been repressing but now he really REALLY needs it...

Amaya notices his distant gaze and becomes worried "... Mi rei? Is everything alright?… You think it might be a threat?"

He keeps staring at nothing until suddenly…

He starts mumbling a poem, as if he's remembering the words as he speaks:

“Shining guide of old

Guiding hearts

As bright as gold

To a desire far too grand

To be granted by a mortal hand”

“… EXCUSE ME?!?” Amaya is now even more lost, what’s he talking about?

Magnifico proceeds to the next verse ignoring his wife’s reaction… It’s like he’s trying really hard to remember the whole thing.

“With hair like light

And eyes like prism

That see the truth

And speak through rhythm”

"Darling, what is this nonsense? You're scaring me" She sounds, for the first time in the story, genuinely scared

"Do not fret, they mean no harm

As all they bring is joy and warmth

So if you see the sUN AT NIGHT

KNOW A WISHING STAR IS CLOSE IN SIGHT"

He remembered. A sun at night. That was it.

He turned to his wife with the smile of a mad man.

"I KNEW IT!" He starts laughing maniacally as he lifts her up in his arms and starts twirling around the room

Amaya is not in the mood for his romantic acts at the moment tho

"PUT ME DOWN! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS???" She usually loves her husband's eccentricities but this is too much even for him

He puts her down and tries to calm himself, still laughing while holding her by the shoulders "Forgive me my love, but you have no idea what a joyous occasion this is!"

"Well, perhaps I would if you stopped and explained to me" She’s out of patience.

"Listen. I know what that light was, I've grew up with stories about what it means, it's a sign that a being with power beyond our imagination has arrived in our kingdom" He explains like it's the most amazing thing that has ever happened to them.

Her eyebrows raise "... In what WORLD that's a joyous occasion?!"

"Oh but you misunderstand my queen, that power can be OURS… if we play our cards right." A sinister grin forms on his face "I just need to find one of my father’s old books, so I may recall the spell to absorb the being’s power"

That get's her attention "I see... But what exactly is that being?"

"… A Star" He says it in whisper as he starts walking out the room, his steps become quicker the closer he gets to the door "You may go to bed without me darling, it will take me all night to find that blasted book, but it’ll be worth it!"

"ALL NIGHT?! But, darling I-"

But he already left the room

"Oh this is going to be GREAT, just you wait my beldam! Sweet dreams!"

His voice gets farther and farther away as he runs down the stairs

Leaving a very perplexed and alone queen in the wishes room.

Magnifico won't be granting any wishes tonight.

(*phew* okay at least the scene with them is brief and it builds up Aster more with the poem... Btw did you guys like the poem? I think it turned out pretty sweet)

So we cut back to Asha's POV

Valentino pops out of some bushes, he's a few feet away from the source of the light

Asha finally catches him

"GOTCHA! HAha-" She sees what fell from the sky. It a blob of light and sparkly dust that shifts and moves around... Like it's trying to take shape "oh… wow"

She picks Valentino in her arms slowly while still staring in awe to the mysterious light.

"This is... Definitely NOT a meteor... We better go, this thing might be dan-"

A hand pops out of the light and grabs the floor.

Asha get's startled by that and hides behind the bushes.

She watches as the light keeps changing shape, she's scared but she's also... Curious.

The light forms a second arm, and then, with now both arms, it starts using them to shape the rest of itself, like a it's playing with clay.

After trying a few different body types the light takes the shape of a 5 feet tall skinny young individual, but yet with no features.

the now "teenager shaped" light starts to manifest clothes on his body, a black outfit reminiscent of something Asha would often see a prince wear in her fairytale books when she was little.

Then a large cape emerges from his back, flowing in the air with a trail of stardust underneath it.

His whole body starts coloring itself, his skin is no longer made of light, he has tan brown skin.

The only part of them that is still emitting light is his hair, that dances around slightly like the flame of a candle.

After ALL that (that would probably be a pretty quick transformation sequence, think of it like in Steven universe when the gems reform) he is now floating with his back turned to Asha, who is still hiding behind the bushes.

Asha is staring at all this no longer scared but more so intrigued, she looks closer and she realizes that somehow the boy looks like... A drawing... A moving drawing

He is 2D while everything else is animated in 3D

The being then finally speaks, while stretching their whole body:

"WOOOAH HAHAHA Okayyyyy I definitely underestimated how high up I was hahah!" It's a voice full of energy, like they can't contain their excitement, he stretches himself out some more as if to get used to their new form "Wow that was a rough landing hehehe but hey! Not too bad for my first time!"

(I picture him being voiced by Jordan Fisher but you're free to picture any voice you'd like)

The young man is gleefully laughing to himself.

He seems distracted enough for Asha to run away, so she get's up holding Valentino.

But almost as soon as she turns around she's now face to face with the boy flying above her, he's upside down. He gazes at her with bright eyes that seem to sparkle like the night sky and smiling ear to ear.

"Hi there! I heard you cal-"

"AAAAH!!!"

Asha backs away and accidentally let's go of Valentino. The goat prepares to jump on star to attack him with his little baby goat horns

"Woah woah buddy it's alright, I'm here to help-"

Aaaaand I'll just let this piece of concept art speak for itself:

"hahHAAHA that tickled" The star says while he's reforming himself back to his original shape.

Valentino looks upset that his attempt to protect Asha didn't work.

The star notices that and tries to make him feel better "Hey don't be sad, I'm sure you can land a hit on me, come on try again!" He says genuinely, like a big brother trying to be encouraging.

Valentino does try again, and this time the star makes himself fall on the floor upon being hit "OOH I've been defeated oh nooo hehehe" He says playfully while lifting Valentino up in his arms, whose now very proud of himself.

Asha watches all of this play out and she goes from scared to endeared by the boy's child like demeanor with Valentino, it's pretty obvious now that he means no harm.

She approaches them slowly looking down on the boy playing with her goat. She's still unsure what to expect but she really wants to understand what this is all about, what he is all about.

The star notices her approaching and stops playing with the goat, they gaze up to her with a beaming smile. Now Valentino is just bleating while standing on his chest like he's asking to play more.

It's an interesting contrast that now he's the one who's bellow gazing up to her, when a few minutes ago she was the one looking up to wish upon them.

"H-hi there" This time it's Asha's turn to say it, she gives the star a little wave.

He seems surprised upon hearing her voice, like it's the first time they hear a voice from up close... Well, because it is, this is the first time a human speaks directly to them... and its HER voice.

A few flowers start growing and blooming around where he's laying down. He realizes that and just reacts with a:

"Huh... Didn't know I could do this... Wonder what else can I do" The star says that second part in a whisper.

The star get's up with Valentino in his arms and hands him back to Asha

"I'm awfully sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you." He notices a firefly flying close to Asha and starts trying to catch it, he’s flying around but still explaining the situation to her

She’s just watches them trying to catch the firefly kinda amused, it’s cute how easily distracted he is.

"See, I just got so thrilled when I heard you calling me that I completely forgot I had to choose what shape I’d take BEFORE I landed here heh heh that was weird, wasn't it?" The star manages to catch the firefly in his hands, his smiles widens as they look at the little bug closely, he’s fascinated by it.

"... Called you? I didn't call you, I don't even know your name" Asha says while studying him with her eyes, she's mostly amazed that he looks like a drawing but at the same time has dimension to him.

The star turns to her in surprise, like she just reminded him of something really important

"Oh yeah! I need a name, don't I? Hmmm" They ponder a little bit like he's deciding "I think I'll call myself... Aster, yeah that sounds nice, and fitting too since it means star." He says casually, looking around as they speak.

Aster starts flying around the woods, wanting to take a closer look at each little detail with wonder in their eyes, but still speaking to Asha, who’s watching him fly around amazed by the sight

"And of course you called me! You looked at me and wished for more, to yourself and your people, remember?”

Aster starts flying faster and faster, we see a trail of star dust coming out of his cape, leaving waves of light around the woods. He speaks louder so Asha can still hear:

“I'm so glad you wished upon me out of everyone else by the way! Thank you!... You were the first to do so in a while" Aster speaks that last line with a subtle hint of pain in his voice, but he’s still smiling.

Asha starts out very confused by what he's saying but slowly starts to connect the dots, her eyes widen and her jaw drops once the realization hits her.

"Wait hold on, you're- Are you telling me you’re a... A star?!" She exclaims in awe with a wide smile on her face.

Aster flies back to Asha and stops above her head, floating upside down

“You guessed it!”

Chapter 7

Final Thoughts

THIS CHAPTER TOOK ME SO LONG TO GET IT RIGHT!! Not only because I wanted it to be perfect but also because I've been so busy these past few days!

ASTER IS SUCH A SWEETIE I LOVE MY BOY SO MUCH!!! FIRST THING HE DOES IS PLAY WITH VALENTINO AND THAT IMMEDIATELY MAKES ASHA WARM UP TO HIM BECAUSE HOW CAN YOU NOT TRUST A GUY THAT PLAYS WITH BABY ANIMALS?!

Also Aster forgetting that he had to manifest a human like appearance before crashing down on earth is the equivalent of you going for your first day on a job NAKED and then you dress up there in front of your boss, like the boy is THAT excited to get there.

Did you catch that Aster quoted two Disney characters? He made a few flowers bloom and said “What else can I do” like Isabela from Encanto, and then he said “I’m awfully sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you” which is a line Prince Phillip says in Sleeping Beauty when he meets Aurora, expect a lot more references like these coming from him. He’s not gonna speak only in Disney quotes all the time but I’ll sprinkle some references in his dialogue here and there.

And speak of him SPEAKING I might make a whole blog explaining why Jordan Fisher is hands down the best choice to voice an embodiment of magic and joy, because that man is not only AN AMAZING SINGER but also just the sweetest person alive, and he’s so underrated! If you don’t know him then look him up on Spotify or YouTube, but here’s an example of him singing: https://youtu.be/KsRi-Aj9fQs?si=RRI8Jvy7AT9EA5_u

It still cracks me up how my version of Magnifico is literally a fun house mirror version of movie Magnifico.

Like Movie Mag was like “oooh noo, what was th-that scary light😣? Someone threatened meee 🥺 I’m so scared I’m gonna use dark magic even though I’m not even sure if it was a bad thiiiing” while my Magnifico is like “*recites mysterious poem* LETS GOOOO AMAYA LETS GOOOOOOO!!! THATS WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT THATS WHAT IVE BEEN WAITING FOR WOOOOOO!! *leaves with no explanation*” like what a chad. And I don’t even have to explain how Movie and Amaya and Queen Amable are opposites because come on.

I reallyyyy hope you guys enjoyed this little taste of Aster I’ve gave here, because next chapter will be aaaaall about them and Asha, so look forward to that! And as always

Thank You For Reading!

[rogerswifesblog]

Another request I'm sorry 😅

Steve Rogers always has the most generic phone background there is until one day he has the reader. His friends go nuts trying to find out who the reader is. Until one day Steve gets injured on a mission and demands that the reader is called before he goes into surgery. He wakes up to his girlfriend/ fiance/ wife (that's up to you) having the team wrapped around her finger already

Sorry it took me so long:( I hope you’ll like it<3

Btw never apologise for sending request or smth I love it

Behind the picture

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: The avengers couldn't figure out who Steve was seeing, the first time they meet you is when Steve’s badly injured.

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: Steve Rogers x Reader

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: Steve's injured, but mostly fluff

Keep in mind English is not my first language!

Don't forget to like, comment and reblog!

The avengers were currently on their way to a HYDRA basis. It was quite stressful, so Steve did, what he always did to calm himself down-he looked at the picture of your dog. He wished he could just look at a picture of the two of you, but he couldn't. Not with the team around.

Don't get him wrong, he loved his team. Deeply...but...the avengers could be a lot. Especially for a civilian like you. And especially with Tony. So he wanted to spare you all of this.

That's why he couldn't show you to them. Not even a picture-that's also why his phone background was a picture of your dog. Even Bucky didn't know about you-which he always felt awful about. Normally he'd tell Bucky everything, but he felt it was the right thing to do. His best friend only knew he was currently seeing someone, no more no less.

Steve could tell Natasha was looking at his phone, but he had nothing to hide. Well, he did, but she couldn't see anything on his phone that would really tell her anything about you. Just a cute picture of your dog-and maybe the corner of your lips, gently smiling at the camera.

"So,...you really have a dog, huh?", asked the redhead, slowly inching closer. Steve knew they were all curious-but nobody dared invading his privacy. Not after the last time they did that.

Steve chuckled, slowly putting his phone away. „Yes, I do, why do you ask? I already told you…a few times", he said, slightly raising his eyebrows. He could already tell what Natasha wanted to talk about-so he played dumb. Sighing Natasha punched his shoulder lightly. „Just a dog or also the owner of the dog?", grinning, she wiggled her eyebrow.

It was one of many times where someone of the team tried to ask him about...well, about you. Or, the person he was seeing. "Just a dog, Nat", he said, grabbing his shield. Within a few seconds his demander changed. "We're landing in five. Get ready."

You were currently sitting with your dog, Roger (yeah, it wasn't Steve's idea), on your bed, trying to take a nap. Steve was on a mission-and you hated it. It was the middle of the night. He was supposed to be back a few hours ago-but he didn't text you or come home for the matter. You could tell something was wrong. Even Roger was restless.

Did something happen to-

Your ringtone interrupted your train of thoughts, sitting up you grabbed your phone.

Steve

"Hi! God I was so-" "I'm so sorry, to tell you this, I'm doctor Cho, one of Steve's doctors-" You didn't hear what she was talking about. A piece of you broke right then. Steve was hurt. Otherwise he'd have called you himself. Was he dead? Or dying? You knew how risky his job was, but...it didn't change a thing. You couldn't loose your lover like that.

“-needs surgery, he doesn't want it, not unless you're here", you heard Dr Cho saying. With tears in your eyes you nodded, remembering then that she couldn't see you. "Yes, I...I'll be there in twenty minutes."

You gave Roger a gentle kiss on the head, feeling awful for leaving him behind-but you knew you couldn't take him with you. "I'll be back soon, sweetie." With Steve, you hoped.

It didn't took you long to arrive at the Avengers Tower. Happy, one of Starks Employees brought you to the medical rooms. You could feel your heartbeat racing, your breathing quickend with every second. Happy didn't talk to you much-but you could tell he was being quite on purpose. It's like he knew you needed the silence to calm yourself down.

Entering the room you watched the avengers sit next to Steve's bed-he was in pain. Bruised and bleeding. God. He looked awful. His face was swollen. But he was alive. "Steve", you sobbed, immediately walking closer to his bed. Whoever was in your way stepped aside, not wanting to keep two lovers apart. "You god damn idiot-the doctor said you don't want surgery? You have to-", rambling you grabbed Steve's hand, gently squeezing. He groaned, turning his head your way, but not opening his eyes. It only made more tears stream down your face.

"You...needed you...", he mumbled, squeezing your hand right back. He tried to pull you closer, but couldn't really use any more strength. Understanding his wishes you sat down on the edge of his bed, brushing away hair from his forehead. He was pale. Weak...he looked like a ghost. Another sob wanted to escape your throat, but you held it back. He didn't need any more stress.

"I'm here, baby. I'm right here. I'll always be here", you mumbled into his hair, kissing his forehead. "You need the surgery. We'll talk after", Steve's eyes fluttered, trying to open them, but not succeeding. You've never seen him in such bad shape.

What happened? What the hell happened? He was a super soldier! Normally he could walk off a broken arm. But now? He couldn't open his eyes.

"I might...not make it", his words made you sob, even though you tried to hold it back. He buried his face into your neck, breathing your sweet scent in. The perfume, he bought you for your last birthday. Having you here helped him. Steve felt at peace. With you he could...just stop fighting.

But you didn't want him to stop.

"Steve, please. I'll wait for you-and you'll come back. We still have so much to do-we haven't had our honeymoon", you chuckled wetly, pulling him closer against your breast. You knew he liked to cuddle against your chest-always saying you were soft and like a perfect cushion. Every time he said that, you just laughed and shook your head. God, you've never thought of missing this stupid joke.

He couldn't leave you like that. He had to get better.

Steve exhaled, burying his face against you. "I can't...don't want to be without you...." "Steve, please...", you sobbed, hugging him closer. At this point you didn't even think about the avengers sitting around you, probably listening. It didn't matter. Steve was the only one you were now thinking about. And he needed to go into surgery. "Please, don't leave us", you whispered into his golden hair, grabbing his hand and putting his palm against your flat stomach.

He was quite for a moment. Only a mumble, you couldn't really understand. "Steve, I think I'm-I think I’m pregnant-I wanted to wait-I haven’t made a test yet-but-I’m already three weeks late. You're gonna be a daddy. Steve", you whispered, holding back more tears, cupping his face In your hands and carefully lifting his head. His lips twitched to a small smile, while his eyes flickered one more time. He opened them, but only a bit. "'m a daddy?", you nodded immediately. "So go get that surgery and don't leave us alone, please. We need you", sobbing you pressed your lips to his. Steve could taste your salty tears on your soft lips. He wanted to pull you closer-touch you-but he was to weak. He couldn't feel he was slowly drifting away. Loosing consciousness.

After getting the serum he’d never felt this weak before. It’s like he was back in Brooklyn, only a teenager, beaten till he had to be taken to the hospital-it only happened once and it was the only time he really felt scared to die.

"After surgery...", was the last thing he said, not being able to finish the whole sentence. Someone grabbed you, pulling you away from Steve, while they wheeled him into surgery.

Sobbing you felt your whole world break down-if someone hadn't hugged you, you probably would've fallen to the floor. This couldn't be the last time you saw Steve? Right? It couldn't-the two of you-no-you had so many plans-you wanted- "it's okay...he'll be okay...", you heard someone whisper into your ear. The person hugging you pulled you even closer. You buried your face into his solid chest, sobbing.

Bucky gently rubbed your back. He hadn't met you before-but he once noticed a picture of you on Steve's phone, while he showed him a funny meme-he never ask steve who you were. He kind of knew. Steve once told him he met someone-this someone had to be you. He was glad Steve found love in this new and foreign times.

It took you a few minutes till you calmed down. There were still tears storming down your face, but you weren’t sobbing like before. Bucky sat down with you, while Natasha brought you a glass of water-Tony let JARVIS check your vitals discreetly-just to make sure you were okay.

“I wish we wouldn’t have met like this but-but it’s nice to meet you”, you mumbled after a while, wiping away the tears. Bucky chuckled quietly, squeezing your hand. You could tell he was also holding back tears. “It’s nice to meet you-Y/N, right?”, you nodded. “Yeah-I…I know your names. Steve already told me, and…well, you’re quite often on the news”, chuckling you brushed your hair back, sipping your water.

Nobody said anything for a moment, before Sam cleared his throat. It may be a stressful situation but he was still curious. “So, how…how did you two met?”, a little smile crept into your lips. “It’s pretty embarrassing-for me, at least. I adopted my dog that day-and we went to the park. It was a great day. A really great walk, we played a lot-and I may or may not have thrown a frisbee at Steve, so Roger jumped him and-yeah, pretty embarrassing. I’ve never been good in sports, I guess”, you chuckled, making the rest of the team also laugh. “Frisbees are just Steve’s thing.”

After a few minutes Tony was already telling you about how he suspected Steve was seeing someone- “He once send a picture and I could’ve swear I saw someone in the windows reflection-but he brushed me off when I asked who it was. And then he also had a different background every week-often someone with a dog-“ “yeah, that was me. He didn’t want to have pictures with my face-knowing you’d let Jarvis just find me”, you laughed quietly. Tony thought for a few seconds.

That’s probably really what he would’ve done.

Natasha sat down next to you. You felt yourself getting a bit nervous-Natasha was intimidating. “I can’t believe Steve didn’t say anything-I mean, he’s a really bad liar. It’s incredible how he just kept you a secret-you two are what-married?”

You felt your blood rush to your cheeks, making you blush, while you shook your head. “Well-yes-but no. Not really. We have the rings, but there was no ceremony. Not even my parents know-and none of Steve’s family-which means none of you. We-or more like Steve-didn’t know how and when to tell you about our relationship. He was, and probably still is, scared. I’m just a civilian. When the world finds out…” “you’d be in danger”, Bucky finished.

After two hours another doctor came, telling you about Steve’s condition-apparently the hard part of the surgery was done.

“Steve was shot?”, you gasped. Natasha nodded. “Yeah, three times. Our suits are bulletproof, but they used something different. Some other weapons…but he did it to save me”, a little smile crept over your face when Natasha said that. It didn’t surprise you that Steve wanted to save her. “I’m glad you’re okay”, you whispered.

Another few hours passed while you all talked. The sun was already rising-god you had to feed Roger soon. And he probably had to go on a wa- “what are you thinking about?”, asked Tony, looking up from his phone. Sighing you shook your head slowly. “Roger will wake up soon. I’ve to go back and take care of him-but I really don’t want to leave“, Tony shrugged and tipped something on his phone. “Give me your keys and Happy will feed Rogers-” “Roger-“ “Yeah, whatever”, you laughed quietly, tossing him the keys.

When doctor Cho came back, you could feel your heartbeat race. Would she bring you good news? What if something happened? What if- “He’ll need rest, but everything went smoothly. There were no complications. The serum in his blood helped his body a lot”, she started. It’s the last thing you registered, before letting out a weak sigh. He’d be fine. Steve was alive.

After guiding you to Steve’s room you sat down on the edge of his bed, grabbing his hand. You were incredibly tired-you hadn’t slept all night. Even if you had tried, you probably couldn’t have. Not without knowing how Steve’s health was-but you finally knew. You could rest. Suddenly you felt everything hit you all at once. The stress, tiredness and hours of crying.

“Lay down, I’ll wait here too”, said Bucky, gently pushing you onto the bed, till you laid down next to Steve. It was a tight fit, but you always liked snuggling with him. “Okay, Buck. You’re really nice”, you mumbled, closing your eyes. Within seconds you fell asleep.

Bucky looked at Steve and you for a moment, a big grin on his face. “You really think she threw that frisbee accidentally?”

Natasha laughed, shaking her head. “There no way she failed to see him”, the two ex-assassins laughed.

They hoped you’d spend more time with them from now on-you we’re really nice. And apparently you also had many, many stories about Steve…Natasha definitely wanted to know how Steve managed to break your wardrobe, apparently walking into it.

In his defence, it was really dark.

That’s it! I really hope you enjoyed it! Let me know<3

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Requests are open.