#but it feels great to have found a neat and tidy way to share the sparknotes with a stranger

[saintmachina]

I get asked about my religious alignment a lot in interviews (which is cool!) and I usually just babble.

But I think I finally figured out a way to sum it up: I'm one part Christian, one part pagan, and one part agnostic, but the percentage of those parts that make up the whole whole fluctuate from day to day.

[underdark-dreams]

Hello my dear! Prompt for you, what Rolan and Dammon are like drunk, what kind of night they had at the tiefling party on their own, how they are with an interested Tav that night (Rolan x Tav, Dammon x Tav, how they are with an interested each other (dammon x rolan), and how they are with a poly for the celebration (dammon x Tav x rolan) long one I know but damn you feed us well

[bangs metal pots together] Rolan x Dammon polycule lovers, come collect your horny boys!

Please be aware this turned to shameless filth at the end. I cannot be trusted with either of them, and especially not both. 👀 Credits to @turquoiseoverthesea for the lap sitting mischief!

Rolan & Dammon drunk at the Tiefling party: solo + poly HCs with Tav

(Tav is gender-neutral) - (NSFW under the cut)

Rolan solo:

Rolan wasn’t even sure he wanted to come tonight…but he found himself in a generous mood and decided to bestow his company on these rubes

Plus he doesn’t trust Cal to moderate himself or Lia to keep Cal reined in (oldest siblings have to do everything around here)

Ends up tipsier than either of them, though he’s decent at hiding it

You can tell by the way his hand gestures get more and more animated throughout the night

When he’s drunk: actually loosens up a lot in general, smiles and laughs more freely

Drunk Rolan is somehow even more self-assured and cocky than usual, yet simultaneously much more charming about it

Doesn’t realize how handsome he looks when he’s genuinely enjoying himself

Also gets more free with his spellwork once you get a few glasses of wine in him

Fends off Cal and Lia’s requests for him to conjure a whole menagerie of animal illusions, but if Tav asks, he won’t be able to say no

Conjures an owlbear and a tiger and maybe even a dragon if he feels like really showing off to impress Tav, much to the delight of any Tiefling kids who might be sneaking around the party

Even if he spends the night on his own, Rolan ends up having a much nicer time than he wants to admit. He’s a pessimistic worrywort at heart—taking an evening to unwind is honestly good for this poor guy’s stress levels

Cal and Lia are having a great time, too, and that makes Rolan truly happy. Just to see them both enjoying themselves for a change

If Rolan can work up the courage to approach Gale, he’d talk to him for hours about the Weave and spellcasting over a bottle of wine

Takes delight in finding such a highly educated magical mind here in the middle of this godforsaken nowhere (tries to play it cool for the sake of his ego though)

Dammon solo:

Dammon didn’t plan to go but changed his mind at the last minute when it sank in that Tav would be there

Before the party, he definitely sneaks off to wash up in the nearby river. The smell of smoke and iron dust in his clothes is pretty permanent at this point, but he’d rather make a tidy impression tonight if possible

Arrives with his hair still damp but pulled back into its neat topknot

A bit like Zevlor, Dammon tends to hover around the edges holding his drink at first, just taking in everyone else’s good mood tonight

His drinks of choice are at the opposite ends of the spectrum: prefers a very fine brandy or a common ale, nothing in between

Would politely accept a glass of wine if it’s offered but only sips it

When he’s drunk: gets very sincere and kind of intense

He’s the type to sit down to share a bottle and have a long, intimate conversation with someone for several hours, preferably Tav or Rolan. Both is ideal

You can tell Dammon has had a few when he makes really sustained eye contact while you’re talking. Sits a bit closer than usual to show you’re his sole focus right now. Combined with his striking eyes, it’s kinda hot

Also when he’s drunk the tips of Dammon’s ears flush a bright, ruddy pink

Dammon spending the night on his own—I can imagine it going a few ways, depending on his mood

If he’s feeling more cheery and sociable, Dammon might sit near the campfire to hear Alfira’s music and listen to his fellow Tieflings talk about their plans when they reach the city, adding encouraging comments here and there

I could also see him taking his drink and heading out for a quieter spot near the water

Dammon’s a bit of a loner with this group, always seems to keep himself apart from the rest of his fellow travelers. Maybe he enjoys working with infernal iron a little too much to mention in mixed company

Rolan x Tav:

Maybe if Rolan was sober he’d pick up on Tav’s flirting faster

Then again, maybe he’s so wrapped up in trying to impress them with his accomplishments that he doesn’t realize how well it’s actually working

Rolan’s probably out of practice with romance, or pretty inexperienced, or some combination of the two

Dropping hints is just not enough for this guy. He enjoys the banter with Tav a lot more than he wants to admit, but he’s got a mental block against taking it further

It will definitely take something physical from Tav

Making an excuse to touch his hands, or “accidentally” bumping hips or shoulders several times

Then there’s the direct route of “is this seat taken?” 

Rolan will look up in surprise but gesture to the bench next to him. Then Tav plops down directly on his lap, and Rolan’s surprise turns into actual panic

Kind of holds his hands hovering frozen out to either side for a second, not sure where to put them even though Tav’s hips are currently snuggled up on his thighs

Torn between everyone here including his siblings seeing this blatant display of public flirtation, and the feeling of how nice Tav’s weight in on top of his legs

When Tav leans in to curl an arm around his shoulders, Rolan’s done for. Any thoughts of shifting them off his lap go out the window and he clasps his hands politely around the side of their leg

Rolan will try to maintain the conversation, but his responses get short and distracted. All he can concentrate on is Tav’s scent and voice and their face so close to his

He’ll accept a few kisses while Tav’s on his lap, but only the shortest, softest lip touches

If they introduce the slightest hint of tongue, Rolan will pull them away and clear his throat maroon-faced and ask which tent is Tav’s, and demand that they both please go there right now

Rolan follows them while studiously avoiding eye contact with anyone he knows

If he realizes Tav is instead leading him farther away from camp, the implication makes his tail flick with excitement

He’d love nothing more than to find a nice soft patch of grass and make out with Tav for an hour

Rolan’s kisses are eager and a bit sloppy at first. But he’s very teachable, both a devoted student and a quick learner

With a little guidance, before long Rolan’s got Tav making some soft and breathless sounds of their own

Tav sitting with their legs straddling Rolan’s thighs would really test his patience—if Rolan wasn’t hard from them on his lap before, he’s definitely hard now

Might get so excited he doesn’t ask before sliding his tail up their hips or wrapping it around their waist

Once he realizes Tav’s equally worked up, Rolan would encourage them to grind down on his thigh however makes them feel good

Adores getting to see the hero of the night pleasuring themself on his leg while his tail squeezes and caresses around their middle

Dammon x Tav:

Dammon is difficult to pin down for a conversation at first, let alone anything more

He keeps circling along the perimeter of the party, chatting politely here and there but never settling for long

He catches Tav’s eye several times but needs some time to work up the courage to approach them—the last thing he wants to do is monopolize someone so popular (even though that’s exactly what he wants to do)

But after Tav returns his looks enough times across the campfire, Dammon has no problem making the first move

He’ll probably lead with a question (enjoying the evening, need another drink, etc)

It’s a polite move but also to gauge Tav’s interest. Dammon knows he’s into them at this point, but he’s still trying to suss out their exact feelings

Once Tav starts dropping a flirtatious remark here or there in conversation, sparks are flying

Dammon can be so smooth when he puts his mind to it, and it’s not long before he and Tav are touching in some way

When he rests a hand on the small of Tav’s back and asks if they’d like to get some air, it’s fucking on

Dammon knows the area pretty well by this point—leads them to a nice secluded clearing that he stumbled on last week and mentally filed away for this exact purpose

Once they’re alone, calloused hands on Tav’s hips are guiding them gently back against the nearest tree trunk and Dammon’s lips are on theirs

He’s a very deliberate kisser, slow and tender but hot at the same time

If it seems like Dammon’s lips are following a predetermined roadmap down Tav’s jaw and neck, that’s because they are

Man has a notoriously healthy imagination and has been thinking about where he’d like to kiss them for a while

He waits for Tav to do anything below the belt first, but once Dammon feels their hands graze there he’s pinning Tav into the tree behind them with his hips

Grinds into them while he sucks on Tav’s neck, drawing as many delicious sounds from their lips as he can

All the kissing and heavy petting is perfectly delightful on its own, but if Tav asked him to take them up against that tree, Dammon would in a heartbeat

Dammon x Rolan

It’s no coincidence that Rolan and his siblings end up lingering near Dammon’s tent back at the Grove

Dammon comes across as the strong silent type, and as the loud not-so-strong type, Rolan finds that very attractive

But Rolan’s also trying hard to keep to himself and not stare. He only stares maybe once every few minutes, and only because Dammon’s toned forearms flexing and the way he grunts with each hammer blow are very difficult to ignore

For Dammon’s part, he’s fascinated and a little impressed by Rolan. Sure he’s got a lot of bluster, but Dammon’s seen what he can do with the Weave, and it’s definitely made an impression

At the party—Dammon will 100% be the one who approaches first

Not afraid of making his intentions known, Dammon gets Lia’s advice on what wine to bring and takes a bottle with him to break the ice

If there’s one thing Rolan’s good at, it’s conversation

But he keeps talking around things—though Dammon appreciates the clever whirrings of Rolan’s mind, right now he’s more interested in his mouth for other reasons

Dammon shoots his shot by brushing a “hair” from Rolan’s cheekbone with his thumb

There’s nothing there, but Rolan is too dumbstruck at the contact to realize. It actually shuts him up for a moment as they both stare at each other

To Dammon’s surprise, maybe spurred on by the liquid courage, Rolan is the one who suggests they take a walk along the river

They’re both buzzing with too much anticipation to say more than a few short words to each other as they walk. When they settle near the river bank, they’re stretched out side by side with hands braced on the ground just inches from each other

Unable to bear the awkward silence, Rolan opens lips to say something just as Dammon tilts his head over to kiss him

The result is that they’re tongue kissing almost immediately

Rolan groans and shivers so hard Dammon has to gently grip his jaw with a hand, keeping Rolan’s mouth where he can explore it

Before long their tails are tangled up behind them, twining and tugging back and forth in a way that has them both panting into the kiss

Dammon x Rolan x Tav

At some point in the night, Rolan and Tav got into a debate about one of those little things that seems so goddamn important when you’re tipsy. Dammon walked past and was immediately dragged in as a neutral party

But Dammon had a separate third opinion, which only made Rolan turn his arguments on the other man with much wild gesticulating of his free hand

Tav burst into laughter between them, and Rolan and Dammon both found themselves too charmed by the sight to care about anything else

From there the wine and conversation both flowed freely

Little, casual touches followed: fingers brushing together over a passed bottle, Dammon clapping Rolan’s back with a friendly comment—a move that turned more than friendly as Dammon’s hand trailed down slightly, causing Rolan to glance his direction with a flush in his cheeks

Eventually Rolan got bold and tried his own luck, sliding an arm around Tav’s waist while they were grinning at something he said. Dammon’s eyes flicked to the gesture immediately

After a trio of shared glances, Dammon broke the rather excited silence by announcing that he knows a place where they could find a little privacy

As the three of them enter the forest clearing, any remaining hesitance melts when Dammon grabs the collar of Rolan’s robes to pull him into a kiss that traps Tav firmly in the middle

Being abruptly sandwiched between their chests pushes a gasp from Tav’s throat, which turns to an approving hum at the sight and sounds of Rolan and Dammon devouring each others’ mouths over their shoulder

Tav’s arms snake around the wizard in front, while behind they feel Dammon’s palms smoothing over the curves of their waist and hips

Dammon breaks the kiss before guiding Rolan’s chin gently toward Tav, and Rolan needs no more encouragement to capture their lips eagerly

Meanwhile, Dammon bends to place soft kisses at the juncture where Tav’s neck meets their shoulder. Dextrous fingers pull their shirt laces looser to expose more kissable skin

Periodically he’ll surface behind their ear to praise how lovely Tav looks between him and Rolan like this, and how good they’re going to make Tav feel. It sets off a chorus of moans passing from Tav to Rolan and back again as their lips slide together 

Once Tav decides the wizard’s had more than his share, they break the wet kiss and tilt their head back to meet Dammon’s mouth. Rolan is panting and wiping saliva from his chin, instantly greedy for more

Dammon chuckles against Tav’s lips and suggests there are other ways Rolan can put his mouth to use—and doesn’t Tav deserve some gratitude after everything they’ve done for the two of them?

It wouldn’t work coming from anyone else, but at Dammon’s sultry baritone, Rolan doesn’t hesitate as he slips to place a trail of kisses down Tav’s belly to their waist and lands on his knees in front of them

He impatiently works off Tav’s shoes and pants, tugging with such enthusiasm that only Dammon’s firm grip over their torso keeps Tav balanced. Then Rolan’s mouth abruptly closes between Tav’s legs, licking and sucking as if he intends to make up for every thank you left unspoken

Thankfully Dammon’s mouth stops up their moans, or Tav might worry about the sounds carrying back to camp. Instead only the filthy, wet sounds of Rolan’s mouth against their sex fills the clearing 

Dammon’s hands guide Tav’s to each of Rolan’s curving horns, encouraging Tav to ride his face. Rolan moans between their legs at the new sensation of Tav’s grip tugging him, the vibration sending a shudder up their spine

At that Dammon pulls out of the kiss with a groan. One of his hands leaves their hip to tug the linen shirt up and over Tav’s head, leaving them standing completely bare in the dark woods between the two Tieflings. There’s another rustling movement before Dammon’s hard length unfurls against the small of Tav’s back 

He’s hot and ridged, and before Tav can release one of Rolan’s horns to reach back for him, Dammon is grinding with a low grunt into the bare skin of their back

Each rhythmic roll of his hips pushes Tav harder against Rolan’s mouth. As if the increased pressure wasn't enough, a tail Tav suspects belongs to Dammon coils firmly up their leg to force their stance plenty open for Rolan’s mouth

As pleasure rapidly coils in their belly, Tav manages to glance down to see Rolan frantically palming himself through his trousers, his other hand joining his lips at working Tav’s orgasm from between their legs

The sight pushes Tav over the edge—just in time, a calloused hand closes over their mouth to catch the loud, keening sounds of their climax

Tav grinds out the waves against Rolan’s mouth, gripping his horns desperately, feeling him whimper and shake between their legs as he himself releases against his own hand

Just a few seconds later, Dammon’s teeth close bluntly over Tav’s shoulder—and in the next moment, hot liquid spurts in trailing paths over the skin of their back

Dammon goes down first on wobbling legs; the tail still wrapped around Tav’s own leg drags them down after him

The three of them lie in a panting pile on the mossy forest floor. Tav’s clothes are somewhere around here, but in the meantime two sets of limbs lay sprawled from either side across Tav’s body, with two ridged tails caressing over Tav’s bare skin as if in loving praise

And that’s just the beginning of the night

[happilyobsessing]

12 & 25 for OTP asks?

Great prompts! Thank you very much for sending them over :)

If anyone else would like to send over a prompt, you can find the Obligatory OTP Asks post here.

12. Do they have many heated arguments? How do they smooth things over?

As sickeningly in love and communicative these two are, Weiler and Emmrich do have heated arguments (the argument before Tearstone Island? Chef's kiss, I was giddy for hours because it was so real) although these are rare as they are generally excellent at communicating. Weiler - for all the progress she makes - is reactionary and hot-headed and I personally believe that Emmrich can be very stubborn. Both can be prone to intense, overwhelming emotions and a fear of being hurt. If they are really getting into it, Weiler will lash out verbally (and has been known to throw things, although never at Emmrich) and storm out of a room, whereas I imagine Emmrich could be quite cold and emotionally retreat if really pressed. If they are going to have an argument then it will most likely be about the following things:

Weiler's lack of diplomacy during critical moments

Emmrich's tendency to be patronising towards her

Their age difference

Weiler's fear (and sometimes Emmrich's own fear) that he resents her for convincing him to save Manfred and abandon his dream of lichdom

These arguments never last for long, however. They have learnt the hard way after their traumatic separation at Tearstone Island to never let these arguments fester or to take one another for granted. Weiler will go and do something physical - running, training, swimming once she learns how to - to physically release her tension and clear her head. Emmrich will meditate, focusing on his regulating his breathing, and finds journaling very helpful. After a few hours apart, they will always come back together in a neutral space and clarify miscommunication, apologise for any blame and judgment, take responsibility for past and future words and actions, and think proactively about setting healthy boundaries and solutions for the future. Once resolved, they always seek physical touch from one another; holding hands, a kiss, or sometimes Weiler may crawl into Emmrich's lap for a cuddle (he doesn't mind being squashed by all of her long limbs).

25. Do they have any hobbies that they share?

It's actually surprising that Weiler and Emmrich get together in the first place because they are so different, and none more so than when it comes to their hobbies. Emmrich's hobbies stem from his vast intellect, his passion for analytical, theoretical thinking and conversation. He is always curious to expand his understanding, to learn as much as he can and share this with others. Weiler can't read or write and is incredibly intimidated by those she knows are smarter than her. Weiler struggles to sit still for long periods of time and is at her happiest when she is moving; she loves to run, climb, and train with Taash with heavy weights. Emmrich prefers to keep himself neat and tidy and dislikes the feeling of his sweaty skin. They don't feel the pressure to enjoy the same hobbies, however. It can be enough to just simply check in with one another or be in one another's presence (of an evening Emmrich is perfectly content to sit and read whilst Weiler plays solo card games). That being said, it is Emmrich who teaches Weiler how to swim given how close she has come to drowning an alarming number of times. And once she is confident in the water it is not uncommon that they will swim together, be it at the Rivani Coast, in the hot springs found in the Necropolis, or in the communal Lighthouse baths. Emmrich will swim leisurely; Weiler likes to practise handstands in the shallows; he will throw weighted objects into the deep end for her to retrieve; they will both compete to see how long they can hold their breath underwater (winner gets a kiss - there are no losers).

[hoedamn-eron]

baby, please - part 11

As you approach the middle of your pregnancy, you take Beth house hunting. She has an awful lot of wisdom.

Warnings: Small mention of being sick, so emetophobia warning. Hint of a panic attack. Talking about unresolved feelings. Not proofread whatsoever so there's definitely mistakes somewhere. Word count: 3,492 F!Reader, no use of Y/N.

We're officially half-way through this fic!

Disclaimer: I am not from the US, I am British. I just looked at houses that were up for sale in the Florida area and picked one 😂

Part 10 ● Series Masterlist ● Part 12

The next few weeks of your pregnancy are filled with work, bridesmaid dress appointments, and time spent with Santiago.

Ever since your disagreement (because it was not an argument), your interactions over the following few weeks with Santiago grew more frequent and purposeful. You’ve both made the effort to get to know each other a little bit more as people, and not just soon-to-be-parents. You found out more about his childhood, about how after his father passed away, his mother was alone to raise him and his older sisters. Like he mentioned on your first date, he hadn’t really spoken to them much, or any family really, but he was thinking of fixing that, and reaching out since he was going to be a father, and his parents weren’t there to see it. He thought his kids should have their Tías in their lives.

He wasn’t much of a rebellious kid in high school, because he dreaded the wrath of his mother, and that he joined the Army from the ‘propaganda they spew at high school kids on career days’. At the time he thought it was a good idea, and really, it was, since he got to build up his career, but he ‘could do without the bad knees and PTSD’. You told him that he was still a great guy ‘despite the shitty knees’. He’d laughed at that.

He’d come over to your place and you’d have dinner together. Maybe you’d watch a movie on your couch, that usually ended up with you fast asleep. He’d always wake you to let you know he was leaving, sometimes getting you into bed before he left. You even tried to go out once a week to a nice dinner together, when the time allowed it, where you’d both always battle it out on where to go. You always decided to just rock-paper-scissors and the winner got to choose.

But your favourite thing to do with Santi was go to the movies (even though you’d only been a handful of times with him). You both always pick a cheesy romance, and you sit together sharing a sweet popcorn (because going to the movies was expensive and you have two kids on the way! Of course, you were going to be stingy). You always sneak in a few bags of Sourpatch Kids, and you are willing to share a few with Santi. With each passing week, the bond between you deepened, merged with shared experiences and the anticipation of the future you were now shaping together.

And then, your journey together finds you in Santiago's apartment (managing to avoid Emily each time). It was exactly how you expected it to look; tidy, neat, mostly beige and brown, with a bit of navy dotted in there. It was a typical bachelor pad. Together, you started clearing out his spare room and meticulously planned and arranged it to be the twins' bedroom; you realised that this space was a room where your children would find their home, where they will share laughter and happy memories with their father. It left a warm and fuzzy feeling in your chest.

And not because Santi’s hand just brushed against yours as he passed you an old pair of boxing gloves to throw into the ‘donate’ box.

Yeah, things with Santiago were good. Really good. You’d settled into a nice routine, and you both weren’t to tense anymore. You felt more open, that if you had a problem, you felt like you could go to him now, and vice versa. You look forward to when you’re going to see him next. You consider yourselves good friends.

“So, you’re dating?” Beth asked with raised eyebrows as she gave you a quick glance from her place in the driver’s seat.

Your stomach flips at her question, but you put it down to morning sickness. You roll your eyes at her instead. “We’re not dating.”

“I dunno, sounds like dating to me,” Beth said, shaking her head lightly.

“It’s not…we’re not dating!”

“You meet up multiple times a week and hang out.” She gave you a pointed look. “You see him more than you see us. That’s dating.”

“No,” you say, glaring at her. “It’s…it’s not dating, we’re not dating!”

“The more you deny it makes it out like you’re dating,” Beth whispered, turning down a small and tidy neighbourhood.

“You’re so smug,” you say, giving her the finger, only for her to give it back to you as she pulled up outside the cute little white house with the blue trim.

“I’m just saying, that’s what Georgia and I did when we first got together,” Beth said as she unbuckled her seatbelt. “And here we are, two years later, arranging our wedding.”

You fought the urge to childishly stick your tongue out at her. “Let’s just…look at the house.”

You’d started furniture shopping and your living room was starting to become smaller and smaller since the boxes of baby stuff started piling up. You’d decided that it was time to start looking into moving into a bigger place; you were approaching the halfway mark of your pregnancy, and you were slowly outgrowing your apartment. And who better to ask than Beth? From her work, she knew all the nice neighbourhoods with the low crime rates and good schools, and she knew the good houses that were within your budget.

So, you’d asked her to help you go in for a few viewings, to help pick out the perfect place for you and your babies, to spend your lives together. You were excited, to know that this was the next step in the chapter of your life. You already had so many ideas on how you were really going to make a house your home.

“So this one has two bedrooms, and two bathrooms, but one of those bathrooms is an ensuite,” said Beth, looking at her phone at the house details. “Decent sized back garden, there’s a drive for your car…and it’s been recently renovated.”

“By you?” you ask, grinning.

“Not me, no,” Beth says grinning as you both enter the house.

There were other potential buyers meandering around the house, taking a look around the house. You give an impressed look at the house as you wander through with Beth. “It’s nice.”

“It is,” she says, looking around herself, checking out the wooden floors.

You and Beth walk through the house, oohing, and ahhing at the new flooring and the state-of-the-art bathroom that had just been put in. You did like the house, but after an hour of looking around, you and Beth decided it just wasn’t for you; the bedrooms were on the smaller side, and there wasn’t much closet space. You would struggle with all of your stuff and two kids in tow.

“To be honest, houses always look better when there’s still furniture in them,” Beth said as you both climbed back into here car. “Lucky for us, the next few houses are empty.”

“So they’ve been on the market for a while?” you ask, looking at her sceptically.

“They have but not because they’re bad,” said Beth, starting the car and pulling out. “It’s because everyone wants modern and renovated houses nowadays.”

You sit in a comfortable silence as Beth navigates through the streets and you’re back in another neighbourhood, which was a little more active than the other one. There were children out playing, and it was bright and colourful with flowers in the gardens and trees lining the sidewalks.

“This neighbourhood looks a little more child friendly,” you say as Beth pulled in front of another house, painted a light blue with a front porch. It looked a little run down but nothing a clean up and lick of paint couldn’t fix. “The other one looked…quiet.”

“Yeah,” Beth said, turning the car off and unbuckling her seatbelt. She waves at the estate agent, who was stood by the front door.

You both climb out the car and greet the agent. Beth introduces you both, declaring Harry an old friend from her college days. You smile and shake his hand, before Harry let’s you both in the house. “This is two bedrooms and one bathroom. As you could see from outside, it has a nice porch and the gardens, both front and back, are fairly big for the size of the house.”

You nod as Harry leads you through the house, talking about the old owners and how they moved to California for work. He talked about the neighbourhood, and you were right, it was mostly a place for families, that it was just around the corner from an elementary school. You liked the house, really, but it just didn’t feel like you. Beth could tell you were a little reserved, and suggested moving onto the next house, where Harry was going to follow you.

Throughout the day, you take a look at four (four!) more houses. You felt bad, that you were going through so many viewings and open houses, but they just didn’t feel right. I couldn’t see yourself living in them. It was only the first day but you were under a time limit, and you were disappointed that you hadn’t found what you were looking for yet.

Beth reassured you that there were more houses she had planned to look at, but when you reached house number six, you lightly gasped. It was a modestly sized house, and it was white with white stone accents, a garage attached with a small drive. The front garden was made of grass (overgrown, of course), and you could see tall white fencing cutting off the back garden from the public. You got an instant warm feeling from it.

Harry pulled up behind you both as you and Beth climbed out her car. He quickly joined you, pulling keys out of his pocket as he talked about the house. “This is actually three bedrooms with two bathrooms. It had a nice open plan kitchen and dining room, and a nice sized living room.”

“It’s a little dated,” Beth said to you. “But we can work on that.”

“The folks who owned it decided to sell and downsize, since their kids had grown up and moved out and started having their own kids,” Harry replied.

“So it wasn’t the area?” you ask him.

He shook his head. “No, it’s a very nice family friendly area. It’s a very quiet neighbourhood too, but the closest school is about fifteen minutes away by car.”

You nod, looking around the downstairs. It was dated, and the house could do with a revamp. You take a look in the back garden and see that it was just as overgrown as the front garden, but it was decently sized. You could hear Beth and Harry talking renovations on another house, so you meandered on upstairs. It was just as dated as the rest of the house, but the first two bedrooms were a nice size, but the third was fairly small; you could see yourself setting up an office for yourself. And there was a lot of storage space too.

You pause as you get to the master bedroom, seeing something on the doorframe. You lean down as much as you can with your bump, and smile as you see pencil markings in the wood, with names and dates written.

“Height marks,” you mutter to yourself with amusement.

The warmth that you felt when you first saw the house spread further through you. This was it. If the owners of this house loved it enough to keep their kid’s (and possible grandchildren’s) heights recorded on the doorframes, long after they had packed up and left, then maybe you could live here too, as a first home for your kids. You could love this house as much as the previous owners did, and you could raise your children in a warm, loving environment where they will thrive, and be able to play outside in the garden. You bite your lip and smile, before standing and making your way back downstairs.

Harry and Beth were still talking as you approached them. “Sorry, how much is this?”

“Uh…” Harry looked at the property sheet on his clipboard. “$350,000.”

Beth looked at you. “Why, are you interested? It’s within your budget.”

“It’s under my budget,” you say, before nodding. “I want it. It’s a nice house, and I get a warm, fuzzy feeling from it. I feel like it was a nice place to be brought up.”

Harry looked at you for a moment before giving a small laugh of relief. “Really? You’re interested?”

“Yeah, I am,” you say. “I want this house.”

“Great!” Harry said. “We can…we can arrange a meeting, we can get the paperwork all sorted, get in touch with your bank…we can get you this house.”

After sharing a few more pleasantries and sharing contact details, you and Beth say goodbye to Harry before climbing into Beth’s car. You both sit in silence for a moment, watching as Harry leaves before your turn to each other and you both let out screams of excitement.

“I’m going to be a homeowner!” you cry.

You bask in your excitement for a few moments before you both calm down. “Let’s go and have a late lunch, and we can celebrate.”

You end up at a swanky looking restaurant where Beth said she sometimes takes potential clients to talk about their renovations. When you’re both settled and you’d ordered your food and drinks, you sit back and relax, sighing as you sip at your raspberry lemonade (you would have ordered a Diet Coke but Beth told you, you just had to try something refreshing for once).

“So, wanna talk about Santi?” Beth asks, raising an eyebrow at you.

“I thought we were here to celebrate my new future purchase?” you say, groaning.

“We are, but I’m one of your best friends. Something is going on with you.”

“Nothing is going on! Is this because you think we’re dating?”

“Yes, kind of!” said Beth, laughing. “I understand that this has turned out different to your usual dates, because you’re having this guys kids, but…you do just seem a little more…I don’t know.” She shrugs. “I don’t want to say happier, because that’s fucking cheesy, but you do.”

You stare at her for a moment before shaking your head. “No, it’s…it’s not – “

“Come on,” Beth urged, looking at you seriously.

You look at her. You knew that something was different, and you didn’t want to address it. You thought it was pregnancy hormones, that it would pass. You get that Santiago was a good-looking guy, and nice, and funny, and he cared about you and your kids. It was just a fleeting moment. You know it is.

Your mind suddenly becomes a whirlwind of its own. The clinking of cutlery and the soft murmur of voices from the other patrons just seem too loud, and you suddenly feel overstimulated. Your chest feels too tight.

What's going on with me?

You look down at the table, your breathing a little heavier, trying to distract yourself from Beth’s gaze, and pushing down the emotions that threaten to spill over. Santiago was supposed to be a casual encounter, a one-night stand that held no expectations. And yet, here you are, 16 weeks pregnant, grappling with feelings you never thought would surface.

Am I overthinking this?

The memories of shared moments with Santiago dance before you – the movies, the dinners, the moments of laughter that felt like stolen fragments of happiness. They all carry an inexplicable weight now, a significance that's both thrilling and unnerving.

You feel like you might be sick.

“Okay, slow down, take a deep breath. It's okay to have feelings, you know.” Beth said, seeing your inner turmoil. “Santiago has been there for you through this, and it's only natural that you might feel a connection growing.”

“It's not…” you try to catch your breath, your throat suddenly feeling dry. You take a large sip of your lemonade. “It’s not just a connection, because I’m pregnant. I’m…I feel like I’m in high school, daydreaming about the future, about...about becoming more.”

Beth gives you a gentle look as she reaches across the table and holds your hand. “Look, I know this might be overwhelming, especially given the circumstances. But sometimes, life has a funny way of leading us down unexpected paths. It's okay to admit that your feelings have changed.”

“I'm pregnant with the guy’s twins, Beth,” you say. “I need stability and certainty. Santiago was just a one-night thing, and…and nothing serious was supposed to come out of this.”

“I get it, I really do. But have you talked to Santiago about how you're feeling?”

“No, are you kidding? He’s a bigger commitment-phobe than I am,” you say, taking another large sip of your drink.

“Okay, so, I think you need to talk to him. It's important to be honest with each other, especially when there's so much going on with you both.” She gives your hand a squeeze, causing you to finally look at her properly. “And remember, your happiness and comfort matter too. We’ve always said you’ve gotta do what’s best for you and your babies, and if that means something a little more…permanent with Santiago, then that’s how it is.”

You sigh at her, your brow furrowing. “What if I'm just imagining all of this? What if I'm mistaking just…niceness for something that it isn’t? What if it’s just pregnancy hormones?”

Beth nods “Yeah, babe, that could be it. But don't downplay your feelings either. Just take things one step at a time. Open up the conversation with Santiago. Share your thoughts and listen to his perspective too.”

You groan, letting go of her hand and burying your face in them. You take a few more deep breaths, calming down, the tightness in your chest melting away. You drop your hands and look at her helplessly. “I just need to know where we stand, for the sake of my own peace of mind. And the kids too, I suppose.”

“You can do that. Next time you see him, just…casually bring it up. And no matter what, I'll support you. Courtney and Gabs will support you. Just promise me that you'll prioritise your own happiness and safety. If Santiago feels the same, great! Wonderful! If not, you can just stay friends, co-parent your kids. That’s fine too.”

You look at her. “And if he…if it ends badly?”

“If it ends badly, which it won’t…you have us. The Dream Team. We’ll raise those babies to be the best they can be.”

You give her a small laugh as your eyes fill with tears. You wipe at them. “Sorry, I don’t know why I’m crying.”

“Eh,” Beth said, shrugging as takes a sip of her own drink (wine, obviously). “You’re pregnant. And evidently in love with your baby daddy. You’re allowed to cry.”

“Shut up, I’m not in love with him,” you say, snorting as she laughs.

She drops the subject after that, thank goodness. She talks about how she’ll share her Pinterest board with you, that you can take a look at for some inspiration on your house, because she will be looking at renovating it for you (“At a discount, of course, because I love you, and babies are expensive enough.”).

After your lunch, Beth drops you back off at your apartment building and you thank her for her help, for both the house and Santiago. She iterates again that she’s there for you, and it’ll be fine. Everything will be fine. Once you’re back in your apartment and settled in comfy pants and a too big t-shirt, you settle on your couch and think back about the conversation you both had. Could you really talk to Santiago about the feelings you’d been having? Would he look at you with disgust? Betrayal? You had both agreed to just co-parent, nothing else.

But what if Santiago turns around and wants nothing to do with you if you tell him that you may have feelings for him (because, after all, it may just be hormones…you hadn’t been with anyone since Santiago). What if you tell him, make it all weird, for it to go away with time, but it’s still weird? Would you want to risk your kids losing their father because you were feeling just a little bit glowy after having some male attention?

No, you needed to get a grip of yourself. It’ll fade, it always does, regardless of pregnancy hormones or not. You give a firm not to yourself. It’s settled then, you won’t tell Santi anything. It’ll be better that way, and you can go on like normal, because that works.

You sigh again, digging the heels of your hands into your eyes. You need a glass of wine.

Too bad you’re pregnant.

Tagged - @khonsulockley, @bluenredndeath, @superficialfeelings

[dragon-kazansky]

Domestic life

Ice x Dragon

The Chaos Squad

Just a little insight into the life of Dragon and Ice.

♡♡♡

After that first date, Ice and Dragon kept on going out.

It became the norm to see them together.

Slider and Dragon got on really well, and with Whiskey in the mix, everyone just got on great.

Ice always imvited Dragon out anywhere he went.

She was also spending a lot of night at Ice's place.

Even after the academy, they made as much time for each other as possible.

Despite being based across the country to each other, they always found a way to stay in contact and meet each other when possible.

Ice swore he wouldn't let the distance take this away from him.

Eventually luck would be on their side and they would find themselves stationed together.

That's when they took a leap in their relationship.

Ice asked Dragon to move in with him.

He didn't want to be apart from her any longer than necessary again.

She agreed.

Dragon was living with Ice before the month was out.

The romance never died.

Ice would spoil Dragon as much as he could.

In return, Dragon spoiled him back.

Out of the blue, for no reason what so ever, Dragon bought him a present.

A gold pen.

Ice asked why she had given him this.

"I saw it and I thought of you."

Ice swears he couldn't possibly have fallen more in love with her than right then.

Any opportunity to kiss, they take it.

In the morning.

Before they leave the house.

When they come back.

At night.

At night 😉

Sometimes in the morning 😉😉

Ice won't go a day without telling Dragon 'I love you.'

It makes her heart soar.

It's like a tradition.

Cooking alternates between them.

Both share the chores.

Ice is very neat and tidy, and is happy to do most of the cleaning.

Though Dragon always helps.

Dragon always take it upon herself to make sure his uniform is ready for him.

Often before she is deployed for a mission, she'll leave Ice notes in the house.

Mostly found in his office as he works a lot from home when she's gone.

They always make him smile.

When he's deployed and she isn't, he leaves notes on her bedside table, or in her favourite books, knowing she gets a lot of reading done when he's gone.

Ice puts a lot of effort into his hair.

Dragon makes sure he always has enough product for it.

He appreciates that.

Ice in return makes sure there's plenty of tea and hot chocolate in the house.

Dragon always has a warm drink before bed.

Often he will make it for her and bring it to her after a deployment.

Ice always wakes up with an arm around her.

Not waking up like that feels wrong.

Dragon likes to turn over and cuddle with him as she wakes.

Ice will kiss her forehead softly.

On those lazy Sunday's, neither of them will get up until much later.

At which point they'll eat and decide what kind of day they'll have.

Ice will either take Dragon our or they'll stay home and doe chores or spend some time together.

Dragon likes watching movies with him.

She uses as an excuse to put her head on his lap and relax.

Sometimes she'll curl up and read while Ice watches something.

Sometimes Slider and Whiskey will come over to spend some time with them.

There are times when they fly together.

Dragon understands her skills are not quite as good as Ice's, but he insists there is no one he would rather fly with.

Slider stands by that too.

When flying together, the relationship side is put to the side.

Both are professional pilots.

They work hard together.

When they land again, they smile and hug.

They're a well made team.

When Ice and Slider are put forward to Top Gun, Ice argues he will only go if Dragon goes too.

Dragon tries to argue she isn't Top Gun material, but that's her self doubt.

Ice knows what he sees when she's up in the air.

Ice argues with his superior for a while.

Eventually it ends with Dragon being sent to Top Gun too.

Dragon scolds Ice for that.

But he just smiles back at her.

"I'm not going anywhere without my girl."

Dragon smiles at that.

It doesn't surprise their friends that in less than a year they're engaged.

Even less of a surprise when they're married within months.

Ice knows he wants to spend his life with her, so why wait?

Dragon has never been happier.

It's Slider that starts the trend of calling them The Kazansky's.

It gets around and everyone starts referring to them as that.

Dragon likes the sound of it.

Rachael 'Dragon' Kazansky.

Ice likes it too.

It's because of Goose they met, so of course you know he's going to be there for her on her big day.

Mav congratulates Ice, but also low key threatens him if Dragon ever comes out of this hurt.

Ice swears that won't ever happen.

Maverick knows that.

When the day comes that The Chaos Squad comes to light, you could say a very large and unconventional family starts.

Dragon takes great pride in being someone the squad can come to for anything.

As an extension, Ice has everyone's back.

Especially when he becomes an Admiral.

Speaking of, when he becomes an Admiral, Dragon swears she has never been so proud.

She likes to gloat a little bit.

Ice just rolled his eyes and smiles.

Basically, you don't fuck with the Kazansky's and they won't fuck with you.

Dragon will fight.

And Ice will let her.

And remember Chaos Squad, if you need the Kazansky's, they'll be right there!

[chrisbitchtree]

April Prompt Challenge Day 24 - Haircut

Full prompt list here

***

When Billy had first proposed that Steve move to Chicago with him, he’d been hesitant. Yes, they’d been on better terms since Billy had recovered after Starcourt. Steve might even have ventured to call him a friend. But to pick up and move to Chicago together so Billy could pursue a college education? That was a big commitment to someone that he had just started to feel like he was finally on solid ground with.

Plus, Steve had this unshakable feeling in his gut every time he saw the other boy. Deep down, on some level, he knew it was attraction, but Steve wasn’t sure that was something he could or wanted to process. Billy was unreadable, so it was hard to tell if he felt the same way about Steve.

But Billy needed a roommate to afford rent, and Steve needed a fresh start, away from the pressures of being his father’s son, so off to Chicago they’d went, moving into a small two bedroom. In the end, Billy had turned out to be a great roommate. He was neat and tidy, he wasn’t loud, and he kept them both well fed with healthy, delicious dinners. Plus, he had access to great weed, purchased from one of his classmates.

Neither of them was really big on partying these days, so their favourite way to spend a Saturday night was to get high and watch a movie while sprawled out on the couch. That night’s pick was The Graduate. Just as they got to Mrs. Robinson trying to seduce Benjamin, Billy turned to Steve. He passed Billy the joint. “Hey, pretty boy,” he said, taking a hit. “Wanna cut my hair?”

Steve just laughed, accepting the joint that Billy handed back to him and taking his own hit. “I don’t know how to cut fucking hair, Hargrove.” Billy looked at him like an idiot. “It’s not hard. You just buzz it off. I’ve seen Susan do it to my dad before. There’re guards. You literally couldn’t fuck it up if you tried.”

Steve thought about it for a minute. “We don’t have one of those things though. What am I supposed to use? Scissors?” He eyed Billy suspiciously. “Why do you want to cut your hair anyway? I thought it was your pride and joy. Are you trying to impress someone? A lady?” He tried winking at Billy, but it was hard to wink when he was so high.

Billy shrugged. “Not really, I mostly grew it out to make my dad mad. And it’s hot as shit out.” He gestured to the open window, which was doing absolutely nothing to cool down the space. It was only late April, but they were going through a heat wave, and even in just their boxers and t-shirts, both boys were sweating. “I want it gone. It’s only like 8. Let’s go buy some.” Steve knew better than to argue with Billy once he’d made his mind up about something, so they got dressed and headed to the store.

Once they were back home at their apartment, clippers in hand, they shared another joint before they headed to the bathroom. “Take off your shirt and sit down backwards on the toilet lid,” Steve said, as he got the clippers set up. Billy did as he said, sitting silently as he waited for Steve to begin.

“How short do you want it?” Steve asked, sorting through the different clipper guards. “As short as you can go, princess. I just want it gone.” Billy was tapping his tapping his foot on the floor impatiently. Steve found the shortest guard and got going. Once he got the hang of it, he made short work of sheering Billy’s head.

“Ta da” he said, as he turned the clippers off. “Go have a look.” Billy stood in front of the mirror, rubbing his hand over his hair, his reflection giving Steve a lazy grin. “Shit, Harrington, you do good work.” Steve met Billy’s eyes in the mirror. Fuck, the other boy looked good like this. With his signature curls gone, his blue eyes and freckles were on full display. He was beautiful.

Steve stood behind him, and Billy grabbed Steve’s hand, rubbing it over his head. “Feels nice, doesn’t it?” Steve nodded, his eyes half closed. He couldn’t resist Billy any longer. He softly blew some stray hairs off of Billy’s neck before following up by pressing his lips to the same spot. “What are you doing, pretty boy?” Billy asked, eying Steve in the mirror as he continued his trail of kisses around the back of Billy’s neck. “Why? You like it?” Steve murmured. Billy nodded, shivering a little. “Keep going.”

That was all the permission Steve needed. He traded his lips for his tongue for a moment, licking along the same path, before trailing up to Billy’s ear, nibbling softly on his lobe. Billy let out a little gasp at the sensation. “Fuck, Steve, that feels so good.” Steve bit a little harder, and Billy’s hand found it’s way into his hair.

He kissed down Billy’s shoulder, getting his fill of those delicious freckles, before turning the other boy around to face him. Their faces were inches apart. “Hi,” he whispered. “Hi,” Billy replied, with a smile that thankfully reached his eyes. Steve took the smile to mean that Billy was into this. “Can I kiss you?” Steve asked him. Billy surprised him by pressing his lips to Steve’s.

Steve wrapped his arm around Billy, and they made out against the bathroom counter until their lips were numb. Their hands started to wander, and Steve found himself with a handful of Billy’s beautiful ass. He slid his hands up to the waistband of Billy’s boxers and looked at him questioningly. Billy nodded. “Please, princess.” Steve slid his hand in, squeezing Billy’s bare ass. It was so hot and firm. Steve was drooling.

He slid a tentative hand around the front, lightly stroking Billy’s dick, eliciting a moan from the other boy. “Steve, shit. Keep going.” The use of his first name didn’t get past Steve. Billy never called him that. He stroked Billy harder and felt the tip getting wet with precum. Billy whined, bucking his hips. Steve paused for a minute, pulling Billy’s boxers off so he could get a good look.

He’d seen Billy naked before of course, but not like this. His dick was hard and flushed, the colour matching the stain on his cheeks. He looked strung out, and Steve hadn’t even gotten to the main event. “Can I blow you?” he said, matter of factly. Billy’s eyes went wide, and he nodded vigorously.

Steve got down on his knees, thankful for the bathroom mat. He looked up at Billy through half lidded eyes. He took just the head into his mouth at first, licking experimentally. Billy gasped, trying not to jerk his hips forward. Steve took him in a bit further, letting him rest on his tongue for a minute, getting used to the stretch, before he started bobbing his head.

Billy groaned deeply, his hand flying to the back of Steve’s head. “Jesus, pretty boy. Have you done this before?” Steve hadn’t, but the praise made him feel good. He loved it when Billy told him he was good at anything. He doubled his efforts, creating tight suction, doing everything he could to make sure his teeth stayed out of the mix.

Billy threaded his hand through Steve’s hair, playing with the strands. Steve popped off. “Pull it, Hargrove, please.” He’d never been into having his hair pulled before, but right now, he couldn’t imagine anything that could be better. Billy granted his wish immediately, tugging his hair in a way that was just on the good side of painful. It was Steve’s turn to let out a moan. Billy smirked. “You like that, Harrington?”

Steve nodded, getting his hand into the mix, stroking any of Billy’s length that he couldn’t take into his mouth. The light thrusts of Billy’s hips became more erratic, and he gasped, “I’m going to come.” He tried to tug Steve off his dick by his hair, but Steve was surprised to find that he wanted Billy to come in his mouth, so he stayed put.

It wasn’t long before Billy was coming down his throat, gasping and thrusting. He patted Steve’s cheek as he came down from his high. “Shit, princess. That was so fucking hot. Do you mind if I return the favour?” Steve thought about it for a second and found that he didn’t mind at all.

[oftenderweapons]

Dirty ABCs | Namjoon and Vixen

Pairing: Namjoon x Vixen (OC)

Wordcount: 2.1k

Genre: headcanons

Rating: 18+. Minors, do not interact.

This just me having a little bit of fun in between collabs and commissions with an NSFW alphabet, so I can also get to know my characters better (yes, they're just characters. Do not assume the boys like/dislike any of the things I mention). A new drabble should be out soon, but just in case you missed it, here's Jimin's post-Soowoozoo smut! Please, read the trigger warnings carefully 🥺💖

Here's my masterlist! enjoy!!!! 💜✨

Trigger warnings: cumshots, cumeating, creampie, marking, unprotected sex, switch!vixen, switch!joon, daddy!joon, DDLG, lapdance, stripping, masturbation, voyeurism, exhibitionism, roleplay, homework within a professorxstudent roleplay, positions (doggy, missionary, reverse cowgirl, bend over), intimacy kink (?), bondage (hands tied, gags), impact play, oral sex, oral fixation, biting, casual mention of foot fetish, food play, choking kink, erotic massage, jealousy (kink), sapiosexuality, size kink, mention of infidelity and sharing partners, mention of outdoor sex, sex toys (dildo, vibrator, manacles, cockring, paddle, buttplug), edging, orgasm denial, orgasm control, overstimulation, BDSM club, uhm...bicuriosity ig?, thickdick!Namjoon, bubblebutt!Vixen impressive sex drive (?)

Aftercare: Namjoon is the kind of guy who’d gladly collapse in bed after some good, nasty fucking. He puts plenty of energy in it and he isn’t content until he’s barely alive before calling it a night. Yes, both him and Vixen need to force the other into heading to the bathroom and cleaning up before falling asleep. When he goes especially hard on her, aftercare becomes a way to relax for both of them: he needs to pamper her to even things out, and she in return likes spoiling him, giving him cuddles, letting him fall asleep with his head on her chest while she strokes his hair. Yes, his favourite cuddle is her touching his hair and chatting about how they felt during sex.

Body part: He most definitely has a thing for legs, hips and ass. Vixen is all about his chest and arms — but, truth is she’s absolutely crazy about his neck.

Cum: He either cums inside or on Vixen’s ass. No other alternatives for him. He hates cumming in her mouth, mostly because her cunt is soooo much better to him; and then again, that means he can eat her out right after — or mark her up and shove his cum back inside. Vixen is a fan of him cumming inside, she’s pretty much traditional about this.

Dirty secret: Namjoon loves when Vixen doms him. He’d never admit that out loud but he’s praying for her to tie him up and strip for him before performing a lapdance and fucking herself with that glass dildo he bought her… He’ll just wait… hopefully… Vixen wants Namjoon to give her homework on some impossible topic and then punish her for every mistake she makes while he’s dressed in a suit and glasses.

Experience: We know all about Joon’s and Vixen’s bodycount. Joon had four, possibly five partners, one of which broke his heart. He wasn’t entirely vanilla with them, but Vixen is most definitely the spiciest he’s been with — and the most rewarding. Vixen had two partners before Namjoon and her first boyfriend was way more experienced than Namjoon is, but that is not an issue to her. She knows if she ever asked him, they could try out pretty much anything.

Favourite position: Namjoon is mostly about doggy and missionary. Doggy for enthusiastic fucking with that teenage eagerness that characterises them both. Missionary when he needs to make love to her slow and steady — though he admits Vixen on top of him in reverse cowgirl is also a hot topic for him. Vixen likes good old missionary since she likes Namjoon’s body shielding hers. She also enjoys bending over for him — especially on the back of the sofa.

Goofy: neither of them is that goofy when it comes to sex. For them is a moment to get rid of tension and gain more intimacy. It’s a moment of communication and connection, and a very spiritual one at that. There might be little giggles and laughs here and there when they’re in a playful mood, but even then they’re more happy than goofy.

Hair: Namjoon trims his hair slightly, just to keep things neat and tidy. Vixen used to shave at the beginning of their relationship. She waxed a few times, to try something different and to feel Namjoon’s tongue better when he goes down on her. She switched to trimming when she found out Namjoon enjoyed a more natural look.

Intimacy: Nothing isn’t intimate between these two. Brushing their teeth together before going to bed? Religion. Getting dinner ready? A ritual. Making love? Therapy. Fucking like gorillas? Relief. These two share one single soul. They’re each other’s temple, and their bedroom is their church.

Jack off: These two? Masturbation galore. They’re the literal proof that being in a relationship should never stop you from taking care of yourself. They masturbate together while they watch porn, they masturbate to the sight of the other one doing it or just watching them. Namjoon is a huge fan of watching Vixen touch herself. He can do it with his hands tied, untied, or stroking his cock. He really doesn’t care as long as he can watch. Plus the fact that the wall dividing his bedroom from the shower is made of glass really gives him the best view when he has morning wood and Vixen is washing herself. And that goes both ways. She likes watching him while she showers, putting on a bit of a show. Vixen also likes watching Namjoon masturbate, though she prefers putting her hands on him. And Namjoon prefers her hands to his own, especially since she’s so fucking good at that.

Kink: We all know these two are the resident DDLG freaks. Other than that Namjoon suffers from a pretty severe case of voyeurism. On the side, all giving, we have oral fixation, impact play, marking, biting, cumplay and cumeating, and a very mild, very experimental foot fetish. He’s also into roleplay, especially regarding school/university environments. To that, we need to add on Vixen’s end exhibitionism and food play, and then, all giving, choking kink, exhibitionism, bondage and gags, erotic massage.

Location: these two need someplace private, since they can’t get in the mood unless they’re 200% sure they can take their time and relax and be as loud as possible. Namjoon would never stand the idea of them getting caught: he needs to protect Vixen. And Vixen would never try something in public. She knows he’d be too focused on the possible dangers to properly enjoy the experience. That doesn’t mean that they don’t tease each other in public. Vixen likes when they talk dirty in public so once they get home Namjoon rips her clothes off her.

Motivation: Namjoon gets turned on whenever Vixen looks incredibly refined and elegant, completely out of his league. Pair that up with someone flirting with her and he goes out of his way to remind her why she got his ring on her finger ten months after they first met. He also gets hot under the collar when he’s reminded of how fucking smart she is; that makes him both proud and horny. On a baser level, she just needs to grind against his thigh, rub her ass on his crotch, kiss his neck or suck his fingers to make him instantly hard. Vixen gets horny very easily when she sees him exercise power — which happens pretty often with him being the leader. Also watching him tower over someone who isn’t her makes her a little volatile — that’s her daddy, he’s her protector.

No: easy. Sharing. Even simply her moans being overheard by someone would make him nervous. Once he used to share everything about his sex life with his friends, but after he and Vixen got engaged, everything involving her without clothes on became a 100% restricted topic. He still happens to talk about sex with his friends, but he must be in need of desperate help in order to share details. Vixen agrees on sharing being a hard no. She also thinks doing stuff in public is absolutely a hard no: she’s far too attached to her job to risk a scandal ruining it. And of course she would never stand Namjoon’s career and reputation going downhill.

Oral: Both fans, Namjoon both on the giving and receiving side, though he prefers giving by far. Vixen is also a fan of receiving. If Namjoon weren’t so damn intimidating, she would enjoy giving more, too.

Pace: depends on the mood. Playful or angry? Then he’s fucking her like she’s nothing but a cocksleeve, straight up jackhammering his way in. Loving and emotional? Then they’re going slow and steady so they can feel every inch of their flesh meeting and parting and squeezing and squelching and sliding.

Quickie: yes, but not excessively. Vixen can only consider a quickie as a form of foreplay. There’s no way to satisfy her unless at least two rounds are involved. Namjoon is more than happy to take his time with her. If they don’t have that much time, they prefer masturbating together — quick, efficient, delectable.

Risk: No? The only risk he would take would be fucking her out in the open, but someplace where the possibility of getting caught is lower than 0.1%. He’d book super secluded villas for their holidays and fuck her until she’s begging him to give her a break.

Stamina: Namjoon hasn’t got too much stamina and Vixen doesn’t either, they just deprive and tease each other when they want to make it super special, otherwise they would be lazy and take naps in between a round and another. And they can truly deal with that brilliantly since they are great at foreplay and that makes up for their rather weak stamina.

Toy: These two are shameless about their toys. Vixen has a thing for dildos, and Namjoon loves spoiling her with those. She has a couple vibrators too, but she’s not that much of a fan: she has a practical one, when she needs things done quick and easy and another one that looked way too cute for her not to have it. In addition to that, they have manacles, a cockring, a paddle and a quite interesting plug.

Unfair: Being with Namjoon is all about the pleasure. He’d much rather overstimulate Vixen rather than deny her. Also because he has very poor control over his instincts and he can’t deny himself. He would tease, edge or deny Vixen only to punish her and make sure that she actually reads that as a punishment and not as some sick way for her to get exactly what she wants (aka spanks). Vixen is more on the teasing side, and she enjoys controlling Namjoon’s orgasms, but she’s very fair. They like to play dirty, but they make sure everyone gets what they need.

Volume: Namjoon is all about low and deep. His moans, groans, growls and grunts all come in a very quiet, although very eloquent way. He prefers keeping it quiet so it feels more intimate. Vixen on the other hand is very vocal, especially when Namjoon goes down on her or is trying to overstimulate her. She’s still considerate about the people living next door, but at the same time, she has a thing for doing it in the studio so she can be as loud as she wants, much to Namjoon’s — and his private tracks’ — chagrin.

Wild card: if it weren’t for his jealousy and his position, Namjoon would love to fuck Vixen in a room full of strangers, just to show how good he can make her feel, and to enjoy just how deranged she would get once adrenaline started kicking in. Claiming her in a semi-public context would help him sate his possessiveness for a good while. Vixen instead would love to go to a BDSM club with Namjoon and watch scenes from other people — maybe, potentially, join? — she most definitely wishes she had done stuff with a girl before getting with Namjoon.

X-Ray: Namjoon is packed. Length is not exceedingly more than average. But match that with more than impressive girth? That’s a wild ride. It most definitely takes a stretch. Vixen has rather small boobs — but she’s more than stubborn to make up with a full, round bubble butt.

Yearning: at the beginning they go pretty wild. Vixen is used to getting at least an orgasm before falling asleep — every night. Of course that tones down once she gets with Namjoon, especially since she learns to prefer quality over quantity and he refuses to get stuff done in ten minutes. She easily slips into a two to three times a week regimen, but deprive her for longer than ten days and she’ll feel neglected. Of course she’d take care of herself, but that doesn’t mean she wouldn’t start drifting away as she’d feel emotionally neglected too. Namjoon considers himself happy as long as he can have a full weekend of fucking: he tends to cram all the sex in days where he can relax since during the week he’s often too tense to initiate anything sexual. But he wouldn’t deny it if the fancy struck him.

Zzz: He falls asleep like a bear. He goes positively lethargic the moment he hits the bed after cleaning up. Vixen finds it extremely endearing. She usually takes longer, but not too much. She likes cuddling him while he’s sleeping.

[milkybonya]

Butterfly

order 015, anon: large banana milk tea with lychee jelly and pudding for Asahi

Warnings: some angst (injuries, crying mentions) and food mentions

Summary: a coffee shop! enemies to lovers! soulmate!au all in one where Asahi, an expert barista and newbie!y/n's supervisor is easily angered by small mistakes, but ends up falling for his new employee as they begin to hone their craft, and even more so when he discovers the butterfly birthmark at the nape of their neck which matches his own.

*disclaimer! i'm not a barista but am writing using the minimal experience i have acquired after working in a place that makes coffee but isn't as artsy as a coffee shop,, so please forgive any inaccuracies!

[a/n] Alex if u see this LOOK IT'S A COFFEE SHOP AU HHH

After being lucky enough to get hired on the spot at your city's most famous coffee shop, you walk in on your first day, excited to make coffee and serve customers. The day does not greet you well, though, as your already nervous state is worsened when your supervisor and coworker, a dashing young man with black hair parted around his face, gives you a hard time.

Asahi is extremely cold and quiet, only yelling when he speaks to tell the employees to do their job right. He yells at you twice: once for forgetting to clean the steamed milk frother, and another time for when you serve the customers coffee that isn't fresh.

It leaves you feeling jittery to a point where you continue to make mistakes.

"[y/n], finish that order and meet me in the back," Asahi tells you, his voice completely emotionless.

Once you join him in the back, you find him sweeping, his hair falling in his eyes and prickling his nose. As soon as he notices you're there, he puts the broom away, pushing the hair out of his eyes before he turns to face you.

"[y/n], I realize that it's your first day, but you're doing an absolutely terrible job," he says.

"Our work here is more fast paced than you think, and if you can't handle it and keep getting nervous and slipping up, then I don't think we can keep you here."

Your bottom lip begins to tremble hearing the harsh criticism on what is only your first day, but luckily, a coworker who overheard everything steps in.

"Hey, Asahi! Big boss man, calm down. It's only their first day... stop being so hard on them," your coworker says, placing an arm around you.

When you look to see who it was, you discover that it's Junkyu, your bright and happy coworker who always does his job with a smile. Even just seeing him makes you smile, and he smiles back at you, patting your head.

"[y/n] is doing just great, so you can shut up!" Junkyu huffs, dragging you out and back onto the floor.

You may wonder why Junkyu was being so rude to his boss, but Asahi and Junkyu are actually close friends, so it's okay for them to get mad at each other like this.

"Don't listen to Asahi. He's like an old man sometimes," Junkyu says.

"And it's okay to get nervous! I was spilling so many things everywhere on my first day. Just take your time..." Junkyu explains, showing you how to do all the things that you messed up on before.

Asahi watches from the other side of the shop, feeling angry at the sight of Junkyu being so close to you, for some reason. He also thinks... he sees something on the back of your neck that matches his own birthmark, but he shrugs it off, telling himself he's just seeing things.

-

With the worst luck, you continue making mistakes every time Asahi shows up, and he scolds you for it in front of your coworkers and the customers each time. Sometimes, you have to rush to the break room to catch your breath and even cry it out, stare yourself down in the mirror and tell yourself that you're doing a great job.

"You're doing great, [y/n]! Don't worry about Asahi... you're doing great," you say.

Asahi, who is in the back of the shop in search of coffee grinds, overhears your pep talk and smiles to himself, immediately frowning as soon as you step out of the break room and face him, though.

"What are you doing? Get back out there!" he says.

You leave quickly and don't notice Asahi smiling at the way you waddle towards the front.

-

Despite being nervous at the beginning, your barista skills improve rapidly. You're able to master latte art after only a week and a half, creating pretty designs that are different for each customer. Your designs gain popularity and the shop grows busier with people waiting for you to hand them a pretty latte that you've designed.

Asahi still doesn't seem to want to give you praise of any sort, though, as he constantly points out your mistakes.

"It looks good, but does it taste good? You clearly went too heavy on the milk."

Even his your coworkers grow tired of Asahi, and everyone starts calling him angry bird Asahi behind his back with the way his eyebrows are pointed in a frown each time he comes to scold you.

For you, though, it doesn't matter anymore. You've found something you love and are improving in it rapidly, so Asahi's bitter attitude can't harm you anymore.

-

One short-staffed day, you're alone, closing the shop alongside Asahi. The two of you clean up in silence, save for Asahi's hushed hums as he sweeps.

Not noticing a paper bag on the ground, you trip on it and fall on your knees and hands.

Your yelp leaves Asahi rushing over, even though you thought he would just ignore your pain.

"[y/n], what happened?! Are you okay?" he asks, leaning down.

He pauses midway, staring at the back of your exposed neck. His fingers reach out in disbelief to touch what he sees, but he doesn't want to make you uncomfortable and stops himself.

A butterfly birthmark, just like the one on the back of his own neck. A shared butterfly birthmark in the same location: a sign of soulmates.

"I'm okay, I'm okay. I just tripped.

"Y-you're not bleeding or anything, right?" Asahi asks, suddenly breathless.

"Nope, all good!" you say, standing up and feeling confused at Asahi's flustered state.

"Are you okay? Why do you seem so panicked?" you ask.

"I'm... I was just worried that's all," he quickly says, returning to where he was sweeping.

He really found his soulmate despite not believing in the butterfly soulmate thing anyway....

-

Asahi is really weird around you for the next week, not scolding you anymore but just being super quiet and seemingly cautious around you. Everyone is confused as to what happened to angry bird Asahi, and feeling a little worried yourself, you approach him in his office on your break one day.

"Is everything okay, Asahi?"

"Hm? Yeah... why wouldn't it be?"

"I don't know... you just seem more quiet than usual."

Asahi stares at the ground, wondering if he should tell you about your shared birthmarks.

Ah heck, let's just go for it, he thinks to himself.

He swivels around in his hair, turning his back to you and holding up his hair at the back of his head.

"Does this look familiar to you?" he asks, pointing to the birthmark at the nape of his neck.

You gasp, feeling the back of your own neck.

The birthmark looks exactly the same...

"Wha-?"

"I don't know what to do. Because frankly, I don't believe in any of this soulmate crap, but we're really soulmates..." Asahi says.

Your eyes, on the other hand, are sparkling. You've believed in soulmates since the beginning and always wondered who would have the same birthmark as you. It's weird to think that angry bird Asahi is your soulmate, but you don't want to lose this chance.

"What else do we do but go on a date!" you say, hugging his arm out of excitement.

Asahi glares at you and you pull away, clearing your throat.

"Friday after work! Wait for me and we'll go somewhere," you say, excitedly leaving Asahi's office.

He places a hand on his heart, feeling it beat a little faster than usual.

-

Friday, you notice Asahi's hair is looking a little different - all straightened, neat and tidy. Asahi also doesn't fail to notice that you're looking a little fancier than your usual self. Even Junkyu bothers you about it, asking why you look really prim and proper today.

When Asahi's shift ends, he has an hour to kill until yours does, so he spends that time in his office at the back, watching you make pretty drinks with you latte art through the security cameras. He has a full view of your butterfly birthmark and suddenly wonders what it would be like if he was able to kiss it.

Finally as soon as your shift ends, you rush out, forgetting to say goodbye to everyone unlike you usually do, but also forgetting to punch out. Asahi reminds you to do that as soon as you step into his office. The way he smiles when you swing open the door, his teeth peeking out while his eyes hide away, makes you feel like he's happy to see you... though he's just giggling at your mistake.

Once you're punched out and ready to leave, you step out of there and take the bus to an art gallery that you've always wanted to explore. You notice Asahi staring down into your lap as you ride the bus, shyly looking at your hands, fidgeting his own and then looking away. You become the brave one for the both of you and take his hand in yours, smiling at the window when he looks at you.

You take your time looking at the artwork, both of you quietly walking while holding hands. You only talk to ask each other if you're ready to move on to the next piece.

After some time, though, Asahi speaks up and asks you if he can take a photo of you standing in front of a butterfly painting.

"Just keep looking at it and I'll take a photo from the back."

Once he stands behind you, you feel awkward and stiff in front of the camera, and it probably shows, as Asahi asks you to relax.

"Just be like you usually would!"

You try your best and Asahi eventually takes the photo.

"Can I see?" you ask him.

"Later," he says, smiling down at his phone.

On the floor below the gallery, there's a place to grab food and the two of you do just that, gushing about how cool the art in the gallery was and what your favourite pieces were. Asahi tries to imitate this robot statue you saw made of metal, and it makes you laugh so hard that you almost get kicked out.

"Asahi, I never thought you would be this fun," you say.

"Well, at work I do have to be somewhat professional," he says, smiling at you.

"At work you're just a jerk," you mumble, thinking Asahi can't hear you, even though he does.

He decides to stop being so hard on you at work, and actually follows through. Work becomes more enjoyable without angry bird Asahi and with all of the dates you go one with Asahi after work. Eventually, the two of you start to officially date, and Junkyu is shocked to his core.

"H-how did this happen...? And why did no one tell me!" he screeches when he finds out.

-

Asahi presses his lips to the back of your neck in the dark of the room, his lips curving into a smile when he hears your giggle.

"What are you doing, Sahi?"

"Something I've always wanted to do," he says, burying his face into your chest.

It's his turn to giggle as you run your fingers through his hair, tracing his butterfly birthmark with your finger.

[flooffybits]

If You Can Hear Me

Idol: Dreamcatcher

marshmallow: Helloo, can I please request a Dreamcatcher 8th member scenario where reader has a rough past and is going through a lot, and the members know it. But instead of worrying the others, she writes all of her emotions and stories into multiple songs without then knowing. But when she left her laptop, the curious members take a look inside and are amazed at how beautiful the songs are. Thank youu.

Warning: mentions of depression

☕buy me a coffee☕

Gahyeon quietly padded outside her and Handong’s shared room, only to sleepily enter yours and Yubin’s. Seeing the two of you still fast asleep, she silently made her way over to your bed, glad that you didn’t have the top bunk as she wordlessly joined you in bed.

The sudden movements caused you to groan before you looked down to see a mop of dark brown hair all over your chest. Adjusting your position and reaching to push the latter’s hair away, your bleary eyes soon make out the maknae’s features before letting out a breath.

“Gahyeon?”

But the younger girl only grumbled as she buried her face into your neck, giving you no proper reply before you heard her silent snoring. And due to your tired state, you simply adjusted the sheets around you before going back to sleep, this time with a clingy and tired baby in your arms.

The next time you wake up, Minji is giving your shoulder a little nudge with a bright smile adorning her features. "Good morning!" She greets and you blink a few times before yawning, stretching your arms in front of you before you realize that Gahyeon was nowhere to be found.

Instead, Yoohyeon had taken her place.

“I thought Gahyeon was here.” You mutter while rubbing your eyes, though your other arm draped loosely around the snoring puppy. Minji chuckled before she placed a kiss on the top of your head. “She got up a while ago. Yoohyeon, I’m not sure when she came here.” Your leader explains and you can only nod your head, because this wasn’t exactly anything new to you.

Lightly tapping her back, you make sure to wake Yoohyeon. But when she refuses to get up, you merely move her so that she’s laying in your bed instead and Minji watches with amusement swimming in her eyes before stepping back and heading for the door. “You have a schedule after lunch. Don’t forget.”

You lay there for a few more moments, waking yourself up, before finally moving to stand, stretching your arms over your head and letting out a sigh. When you look back at Yoohyeon, you let out a small sigh before reaching to pull the covers over her so she was more comfortable, fixing one of your pillows so she would cuddle that instead.

Peeking at the top bunk, you smile when you see Yubin fast asleep, knowing she had stayed up much later than you. You reach to gently pat her head before heading to the bathroom so you could freshen up for the day.

When you reach the living room, you’re not too surprised to see Siyeon, Gahyeon, and Minji already up and about. And it doesn’t take long before Bora comes to join you, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she greeted you with a good morning.

“What time are you heading out, unnie?” Gahyeon asked while munching on her pancake and you check your phone for the time. “Well, hopefully after eating. But considering the traffic, I just might have lunch after my schedule.” You explain, making Siyeon pout as she shook her head. “You have to eat properly. We don’t want you getting sick.” She scolds lightly.

“Siyeon is right. You haven’t been eating much, lately, and we’re close to having another comeback.” The leader stated softly and you purse your lips slightly. “I’ll prepare something for you, so promise me that you’re going to eat at least on the way to the location.” Bora seemed to have sensed your hesitance, and seeing the look on your face, she decided it was best not to point it out, and instead decided to compromise.

Your shoulders visibly relaxed and you eventually nodded your head. “Okay.”

The four exchanged looks before letting the tension eventually pass and Bora was soon working on getting your lunch ready. And when Yubin woke up, she had silently joined and helped the older woman in preparing your food when she found out what the other was doing whilst Handong joined you in picking out your outfit.

“I’m worried about her.” Minji breaks the silence a few minutes after you had bid them goodbye and exited the dorm. “Why?” Yoohyeon asked when she began to fill her plate with her own food.

“Unnie has been withdrawing from us a lot more.” Gahyeon says with a frown, voicing out what was on the majority of their minds.It was no secret to them how you were struggling with certain things. While you often portrayed yourself as a calm and collected person in front of the audience, the girls knew more than that facade and how your demons were much louder than the screaming of the crowd during your performances.

You just had a great way of keeping them under wraps.

“Has she shown any signs of it getting worse?” Handong asked your roommate and the younger woman shook her head. “Unnie’s just been quieter than usual. She’s been writing a lot, too.” Yubin answers when she recalls how your conversation at night gradually decreased and you had resorted to writing in your notebook or laptop.

“Has she mentioned anything?” Minji asks carefully, only to receive another shake of the head, and that was worrisome enough on its own. Without having much of an idea what was bothering you, none of them knew how to help or what to do.

“I wish she didn’t feel like she can’t come to us.” Siyeon quietly mumbles while leaning against Bora’s side and the older girl nodded her head. “I just hope we can help her; make her feel less of a burden.” The dancer mumbled softly while she gently patted Siyeon’s hair.

Not wanting to worry further, the girls decided that it was best to end the discussion there, though they do promise to do the best they can to make sure to help you in any way possible.

..

“Are you sure you’ll be fine on your own?” Yubin asks when she watches you getting ready to leave, somewhat in a hurry. “I’ll be fine, Dami. I promise I’ll be home with all of your favorite snacks and drinks.” You reply, checking your wallet and then shoving it inside your pocket before putting your coat on.

“Stay safe!” Bora calls out to you when you open the door, struggling to put your shoe on and making Gahyeon laugh at your slightly clumsy display. “You have a curfew!” Siyeon adds and you look at her over your shoulder, causing Yoohyeon to crack up this time, before shaking your head.

“See you, love you!” You tell them right before shutting the door and the girls are once again left without you.

Yubin sat by the stairs that led to her bunk and she swung her legs a bit while observing your shared room. It was neat like always, remembering how you wanted to keep the room tidy for the two of you, knowing how Yubin wasn’t exactly too comfortable with a messy room.

Though when Yoohyeon comes inside to check on her, she’s not too surprised when the girl knocks over the pile of clothes you’d left on your computer chair, probably planning on cleaning that up when you return.

“It wasn’t me!” The taller woman immediately shouted before scrambling to pick your clothes off the floor and Yubin sighs before hopping off her bed and then helping her best friend clean up the mess she created.

“What did you do this time?” Handong asked while peeking inside the room and Yoohyeon pouts when she folds the shirt in her hands. “I swear, it was an accident.” The Chinese woman playfully rolled her eyes. “It’s always an accident with you.”

While the pair was busy arguing, Yubin silently placed your clothes back on the chair, only for her to notice how you had left your laptop on when she saw the light near the power button still on. It made her smile a bit with how your urgency had caused you to forget some things, so she moved to turn it off.

But as the screen came to life, she was surprised to see your notes open with various words and phrases written in them. Yubin knew that you often wrote, but she didn’t think you had turned your thoughts into songs, seeing as you’ve never shared anything about song writing.

She knew that it was wrong to snoop through your things, especially ones as personal as these, but each line written captured the emotions she didn’t think she’d find from you made her read more and more of what there was on display, and her silence was soon noticed by the other two.“Dami, what’s that?”

Yoohyeon’s brows pinched together before she and Handong locked eyes for a brief moment, and then moved to stand behind the younger woman, checking to see what had her so distracted.

“This is…” Handong’s eyes widened a bit when she realized what it was she was reading, but much like the other two, she found it difficult to tear her eyes away, too.

The three of them spend longer inside your room and the rest of your members start to wonder just what it was they were doing. So when they go to check, they’re all surprised to see the three still huddled in front of your laptop.

“What are you doing with unnie’s laptop?” Gahyeon questions as Siyeon purses her lips. “What’s wrong?” They spot the tears Yoohyeon was desperately trying to wipe away when she read more of your songs, but it was all in vain.

“I didn’t know it was this bad…” Yubin quietly muttered to herself, but it was loud enough for everyone else to hear. “What’s bad?” Bora asks curiously when she lightly patted Yoohyeon’s head in comfort for whatever it was that had her looking so upset.

But Minji speaks before anyone else answers. “You shouldn’t be looking through Y/n’s stuff like that.” She says sternly, but even with that, she admits that she’s just as curious as the rest of her members. “I know but… you have to see this.”

The four newcomers exchange looks and, eventually, they take a quick peek at the currently opened file, but Minji was far more reluctant due to the invasion of your privacy, but seeing the way her members’ expression shifted, her curiosity eventually got the best of her and she walked over, noticing as Siyeon wiped a tear away from her cheek before she took a seat.

Minji wasn’t sure what to expect when she viewed the screen, but as she let out a slow exhale, she let her eyes scan through the contents of your most recent work and it was then she understood what had caused two, now three, of the members to tear up. She felt herself choke up with the message left in your words.

Do I have to keep pretending?

Or is an echo all I’ll ever be?

Tell me could you really love me

When I’m nothing but a shell of someone I can’t be

When she sees the next one, it’s only then that she notices that there are dates on when you started each song and notes on when you had updated them. The next one was a newer work compared to the one she read earlier.

Now it’s not too late

I only have you, save me now

Tell me if you can hear me

Please come and let this nightmare end

She couldn’t finish the whole song, tears blurring her vision before she carefully shut your laptop and pushed it aside, making sure that it would be in a safe place on your desk, before she got up and faced everyone.

“We’ll talk later.” Her voice was barely a whisper, but given what they just found out - what you felt, they all understood and each departed for their own rooms to think and reflect on what they could do before you arrived home.

..

Trudging up the stairs to your dorm, you let out a heavy sigh, hoisting the bags you had that contained the girls’ food and drinks like you promised before leaving. You were exhausted after meeting with your parents, both physically and mentally, but you were just glad to be back home with your members.

Balancing the bags with one arm, you unlock the door and head inside, kicking your shoes off before you ventured further inside, only to frown at the silence that enveloped your usually loud and bright home.

“Guys?” You call out, confused by the lack of people, but the only person you notice is Minji, who was sitting in the living room with a contemplative look on her face and you slowly put the bags down.

“Unnie, where are the others?” You ask her, noting her silence and the unusual blank look on her face. It worries you, so you look around, only to see everyone’s doors are closed.

The unease builds in your chest, but you push forward as you take a hesitant seat across the older girl. “Is everything okay?” You ask carefully, and she finally lifts her head, surprising you when you see her slightly reddened eyes.

“Y/n, I want you to be very honest with me.” Her voice is like a plea, and her words make you antsy but you nod either way. “Of course, unnie.”

Whatever it was that was upsetting her involved you, you assume. And judging by the lack of your usually loud members, you think that they’re aware of what the problem is.

“Are you happy?”

The question catches you off guard and your eyes snap to your leader’s face, wondering if this was some sort of trick question, only to see nothing but desperation and sadness etched on to her features.

But still, the question makes you go quiet and your hands rest on your lap.

“I...” She licks her lips, almost as though bracing herself before Bora opens the door to her and Yoohyeon’s room. “Jiu wanted to say, we saw some of the things you wrote.” She explains despite the look her friend gives her and Yoohyeon quietly shuffles out of their shared room.

“We understand that you’ll be upset, but we have been trying to understand what was going on with you.” Minji sighs, seeing no more reasons for hiding. “We know that you're dealing with so much, but recently we’ve been feeling a little out of loop, and we had no idea how to help.” Yoohyeon elaborates with a nervous look in her eyes, still feeling guilty for having gone through your personal documents.

The next door to open is Siyeon’s and then Handong and Gahyeon’s. Yubin doesn’t wait either because she’s soon out of your room and joining you on the couch.“We’re asking this time… are you happy?”

You look to each of your members faces, feeling a little overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events that you feel a lump forming in your throat.

It was true that you had been suffering from depression, but you chose to keep that confidential and refused to let it be known to the public, but the girls knew.

They saw you every day and they could see it whenever the thoughts and whispers got a little too louder for you to handle. And while you would confide in them the first few months, everything felt much heavier for you that you felt like you were holding the team back.

“I… I don’t-”

“We won’t be upset, Y/n. Whether it’s a yes or no, we understand. We just want to help you.” Handong says softly when Yubin carefully reaches for your hand and slowly laces her fingers with yours.

You pause, your gaze falling to the floor as you gathered your thoughts before the weight of the past month finally settled on your shoulders. You’ve been busying yourself ever since your parents decided to come and visit you that you didn’t have the time to properly assess the situation.

You so desperately tried to throw it out of your mind, but now as your members finally sat you down and asked you how you felt, you could actually feel the weight crumbling down on you that it was nearly suffocating.

Arms are quick to envelope you from behind and the scent of Siyeon’s shampoo greets your nose. She doesn’t say anything, but it’s clear what her intentions were.

“I want to be…” You mumble quietly, squeezing Yubin’s hand when Siyeon rests her cheek on the top of your head. “There’s a lot that I want to just… shut out, and I can’t seem to do it and everything just piles up that I don’t know what to do or where to go.”

The crack in your voice resembles the ones in their hearts at the sound of it.

“You’ll always have us, unnie.” Gahyeon quietly tells you as she rounds the couch and sits on the opposite side of Yubin. “Gahyeon is right. You have seven people waiting for you and ready to catch you whenever.” Bora tells you with a kind smile, reaching to wipe your tears and cupping your cheeks.

“If you decide that you need a break and just breathe, we’ll be here to help you. You can lean on us if you feel like it’s too much for you. And if you decide that a… h-hiatus is what’s necessary, then we can respect that, too.” Even saying the word had left a sinking feeling in Minji’s stomach, but it was your well-being she wanted to prioritize before anything else.

You look at your leader and chew on your lower lip as your members could all see the conflict on your face.

While they didn’t like the idea of a hiatus, they understood that it may be what you needed the most right now. But that decision was mainly up to you and they could only support you whether you wanted to push through with it or not.

However, you don’t think that you were willing to give up after how far you’ve come. After everything you’ve been through, you doubt that you could actually pull through without your members by your side.

They’ve helped you become the person that you are now - cheered you up and encouraged you when things seemed hopeless and you were left with nothing but the harsh criticism of your family along with the nasty comments left by people online.“I don’t want to go on a hiatus.” You shake your head. “Things are hard, I know, but I don’t want to just throw in the towel after all that we’ve been through, especially when we’re scheduled to start for the next comeback.” You tell them when Gahyeon places her hands on your other arm.

Yoohyeon purses her lips together, tears already in her eyes before she’s blinking them away the best she can. “You don’t have to push yourself because of that, everyone will understand!” She exclaims and you shake your head once more.

“I’m not doing it for them.”

They pause at your words and Yubin feels as you hold her hand tighter in your grip. “I don’t want to keep doing this just because of them. I want to do this because it’s me, because I want to prove to myself that I can keep going and that I can make it.” You explain with a determined look in your eyes, that despite the dullness in them due to your exhaustion, there was still a little bit of spark that just needed more room for it to reach its full potential.

“Are you sure?”

You pause for a brief moment, but when you look back up, you offer them a smile. “Do you think I can show them some of what I wrote?”

That was enough of an answer that had all of them smiling, pride swelling in their chests as you all soon prepared for the upcoming comeback.

[katzkinder]

Little Boy Blue

Mahiru is tired.

Kuro can see it, in the way his folding isn’t as neat, in the way the vegetables in their dinner aren’t as uniformly chopped, in the way his head bobs during school lessons, his laughter isn’t as loud, how he doesn’t check half so well before he crosses the street and needs the ever watchful hand of Sakuya to drag him back from the curb, a shout on the subclass’s lips, scolding and fussing about the car that had just whizzed past their little group.

Mahiru is tired, but he refuses to rest.

And it’s driving Kuro mad.

It’s as Mahiru is jerked and prodded, worried and fussed over by his trio of school friends, that Kuro makes a decision.

His Eve will get some sleep, whether he wants to or not.

Thankfully for him, he knows Mahiru wants it. The frustrating part is that his stupid, incredible, wonderful human doesn’t think he’s earned it. Not yet. Not when there was still more to do.

Which meant, joy of joys… He needed some help.

Good thing he had three ready made volunteers right there with him on the curb.

Now to convince them.

***

The easiest part, by far, was getting them to go along with his plan. Slipping into Mahiru’s bag to use the cellphone Tooru had bought him (every time he thought about it, he still couldn’t believe it. His own phone, his own clothes, his own games, his own… Everything, really), he sent a single text to three different numbers.

Mahiru’s exhausted. Help me get him to chill out?

The hard part…

“Hey, Mahiru! It’s been a while since we all last had a sleepover, right?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, it has…”

“Since we’re already going to be walking you home to make sure you don’t wander out into traffic…”

“It was an accident!”

“Party at Mahiru-sama’s place~!”

“Would you stop with that stupid… Fine! But Sakkun is paying for the food!”

… Wasn’t actually that hard? But, well. Leave it to the grungy joker to just… Steamroll his way into Mahiru’s place, invited or not. And become a steamed cabbage in the process.

The power of Mahiru-sama is frightening indeed…

***

The first order of business when the five of them arrive at Mahiru’s apartment is taken care of handily by, once again, Sakuya.

“Pizza time!” he crows, tapping the order into a website Kuro only vaguely recognizes the name of. It’s not a delivery app, but the website’s own page, and while he’s busy with that, Kuro hops out of Mahiru’s bag, ready to go fetch blankets and pillows from the linen closet in order to set them all up.

Except Mahiru’s two human friends beat him to it.

All the better, he thinks, as he hops up onto the couch to watch them spread things out right in front of the TV. The living room is small, the area they’ve chosen to occupy even more so, but it’s what he would have chosen for Mahiru, too, to cram them all together, to surround his Eve with the simple pressure and warmth of his loved ones crowded close.

Not for the first time, and certainly not the last, Kuro is so… Grateful for Mahiru’s friends. Before him, and even after him, they will love Mahiru like a brother, like a family, know him in ways he can’t, the same way Gear knows him in ways Mahiru never will.

And that’s fine. To be known is to be loved, and more than anyone, Mahiru deserves it.

“Mahiru, can you help Ryuu-chan? I’m gonna go make sure Sakuya doesn’t burn your kitchen down trying to make popcorn.”

“Hey! I’ll have you know, I’m always the one who makes the popcorn when Shamrock can’t!”

“And how much of it do you burn?”

“Less than you, so nyeh.”

… Maybe he should go watch them.

“Ah, Kuro, don’t get your fur on the counter!”

“Can’t deal…”

At the least, Mahiru seems to already be feeling better. It’s like magic. The best kind Kuro has ever seen.

***

Kuro spends the night as a cat, nestled in Mahiru’s lap or lying across his back, little paws kneading his Eve’s flesh and purring up a storm, extra sweet and extra soothing, while the other three pile around them. Mahiru is… Quiet. But not a bad quiet, no. A good quiet, letting the presence of the other people in their home wash over him, their bickering and their teasing, not a host but just a friend, just another kid, a kid with greasy fingers and a half drunk bottle of cola and two boxes of extra large pepperoni pizzas with cheesy bread set out before them.

“Where the heck do you find these pizza places I’ve never heard of?” Ryuusei asks after a particularly long cheese stretch has him craning his head back and holding his arms out, making the other three laugh, “This is great.”

“Vampire SNS,” Sakuya tells him proudly, and snickers once more at the tongue click it nets him.

Much to Kuro’s surprise, after building their little nest, the green haired vampire had graciously given up his preferred spot next to Mahiru without a word, instead settling himself shoulder to shoulder with the short one, Ryuusei, while he and Koyuki had pressed themselves up against Mahiru like they were trying to merge with him. It’s a tangle of arms and legs, like cats lying one on top of the other, physical closeness that speaks volumes of the emotional one they’ve cultivated with each other, and which they were slowly, Kuro felt, trying to ease him into.

It was a strange feeling. Being included.

But it wasn’t one he hated by any means.

Ryuusei flops his head against Mahiru’s arm, cheek squishing ridiculously as he squints at the screen. “Who picked this again?”

The crunching from Mahiru’s right stops, and a bowl of half eaten popcorn, buttery and with the perfect amount of salt, is nudged his Eve’s way. Wordlessly, Mahiru grabs up a big handful of it, stuffs it in his mouth with a knowing little smile, a sort of carelessness Kuro can never seem to invoke on his own.

The shuffling of fabric, and Koyuki leans onto Mahiru’s shoulder as well, the barest hint of a pout to his voice. “Does it matter? Even bad movies are fun when we’re together.”

“You’re cheesier than this pizza,” Sakuya teases, and Mahiru grins, laughs, finally says something, the exhaustion all but gone from his voice.

“That means Koyuki definitely picked it.”

“So you’re the one responsible!” Ryuusei shouts, and Koyuki flicks popcorn at him, bounces it right off his head.

“Shut up! You can change it, y’know.”

“Well, we’re already this far in,” Mahiru muses, and Sakuya quietly plucks the floor tainted popcorn up to place on a napkin, “Might as well finish it.”

Kuro is… So glad that Mahiru has friends who can do this for him. To do the things he can’t. This sense of total normalcy, of being just another teenager… It’s not really something he can help with. Not really. He knows he’s the type to overthink, to become discouraged when his efforts don’t get immediate results.

But now Mahiru is laughing again.

It’s everything he could have asked for.

***

Hours upon hours later, the only light in the room is from the flickering TV screen, and the only sounds are the soft breaths of four teenage boys, fast asleep right there on the floor.

Kuro finally rouses himself, gets up, stretches, and carefully picks his way down Mahiru’s back. Only then does he allow himself to transform back into a human, cracking his neck, his back, and sighing heavily at the relief it grants his stiff joints.

It’s time to get to work. All that effort would be meaningless if Mahiru woke to a mess, so clean up crew Kuro shall be.

First go the soda bottles. Back into the fridge, without a label or a care for who had drunk from what, because it’s not like those four cared anyway, but Mahiru hated to waste food. Honestly, Kuro was in agreement on that much, but especially when it came to his favorites. So, twisting each cap tightly back into place, he made sure to set them up in plain sight so that they’d be finished in the morning (and if not by their owners, by him), blocking the light of the fridge with his own body and the tails of his coat so as not to disturb the quartet of friends.

Next were the pizza boxes. Each one was completely empty, but that was no surprise, given that there were two shared between the five of them. Even the little banana peppers included had been devoured. If Kuro had to guess… Mahiru. For some godforsaken reason, his Eve adored things that set his mouth on fire, and no amount of “it’s not that spicy!” would change Kuro’s opinion that Mahiru, sweet faced, stubborn, wonderful Mahiru, just wanted to see what the fires of hell tasted like.

(And maybe he was a bit of a baby when it came to peppers, but clearly that wasn’t his fault)

Onto the counters the pizza boxes went.

Next came the bowl of popcorn, filled with nothing but unpopped kernels, then the plates, then the napkins, then the painstaking process of picking up every infernal piece of popped corn that had been jokingly thrown about between friends with zero thought for who would have to clean it up all up.

Considering how many Sakuya had tossed, he had a feeling the other vampire had known Kuro would take it upon himself to tidy up their garbage, and found himself cracking an annoyed, if fond, smile.

Little brat.

Mess more or less taken care of, Kuro had one last task to complete, and fetching the fluffiest quilt he could find from the closet that hadn’t already been used to pad out the hard tile in front of their TV, he carefully, carefully, spread it out over the pile of sleeping boys. Not a one stirred, not even Mahiru.

His smile turned ever so slightly bitter.

Well, that was fine. That was good, even, because it meant that, more than he’d thought, Mahiru had needed this night, this little slice of being normal, of simplicity.

Looking at each face in turn… He thought that maybe, all of them had.

Himself included.

Tucking himself into the crook of Mahiru’s neck was easy, a warm, furry weight that had his Eve curling up even more, ever so slightly, setting off a chain reaction as each teenager also shifted, one or two murmuring in their sleep, shuffling closer to each other like small birds seeking safety and comfort during a storm.

And that was fine, too. Kuro would watch over their dreams, every one.

Sleep tight, guys. Sweet dreams...

[haikyuu-appreciation-club]

hi taylee! can i please emergency request some haikyuu!! characters comforting an s/o who has had a really bad week and just needs a really long hug and to cry? maybe with yachi, kita, kuroo, and yamaguchi?

if you’re uncomfy writing any of those characters i also love asahi, tsukki, daichi, and iwaizumi as a backup! <3

thank you.

- Yachi, Kita, Kuroo, & Yamaguchi Comforting Their S/O After a Bad Week -

warnings: a few cuss words???

genre: comfort & fluff

a/n: excuse how shitty these are, i haven’t written hcs in a vv long time sooo i’m rusty :( i hope they bring you comfort none the less <3 also i apologize for any spelling/grammar mistakes

- Yachi -

yachi could tell that this past week had been rough on your part

the struggles you had been going through recently were clearly written on your face, yet she was nervous to approach you about it

she was scared she would do something to make your situation worse or say the wrong thing and end up hurting you more then you already were

however, when you arrived at her house with tears crawling down your cheeks she knew that her fear was inferior to what you were going through

as soon as you stepped foot through the door she gently gripped your hand and pulled you to her bedroom, the familiar scent of her perfume filling your senses as you down on her soft sheets

she immidently sat beside you, bed dipping to accommodate for her small figure as she wrapped her arms around your neck in an embrace

taking this as an invitation to indulge in her presence, your own limbs immidently found their way to her waist, burying your face into the crook of her neck and letting your tears flow freely

as you sobbed, she whispered soft words of comfort, thin fingers gently making their way through your hair in attempts to calm you down

soon enough your breaths slowed to a steady paced, tears long since dried and now staining your cheeks as yachi placed a soft kiss to your forehead

“i’m here if you wanna tell me about whatever’s bothering you. Oh, but if you don’t that’s okay too! i just wanna make sure you’re comfortable-”

a soft laugh escaped your body as you pressed a kiss to her lips to put a halt to her rambling

“i appreciate it, but i don’t think i want to talk about anything just yet.”

she nodded in understanding, shooting you a smile before grabbing your hand and gently tugging at it

you quirked an eyebrow at her antics before slowly pushing yourself off the bed and following her footsteps towards the bathroom

as soon as the two of you reached the doorway, she walked in front of you and dug through her bottom drawer, eventually pulling out a tube of overnight face masks and an applicator before eagerly shaking them in front of your face

a grin found its way to your face as you playfully rolled your eye and walked further into the restroom

yachi giggled in delight and patted the bathroom counter, insinuating for you to have a seat

once you did she unscrewed the lid of the face mask and let some of the product fall onto the applicator before tilting your head to the side and placing gentle strokes upon your cheekbones

she repeated the same the movement all across your face as she rambled on about a show she had been watching earlier and how the main character reminded her a lot of you

you smiled as the words flowed past her lips, meeting your ears like a sweet melody that you’d never get tired of hearing

the two of you soon switched places allowing you to return the favor and apply her face mask, listening to her laugh as she claimed how cool it felt upon her soft skin

after the two of you had finished, you took some silly pictures in the bathroom mirror before walking back towards the living room

you strolled over to the couch to pick out a movie as yachi sifted through her pantry for some snacks

the rest of the night was spent snuggled up by your girlfriend, laughing at the movies in front of you as the both of you stuffed your face with snacks

being in her company felt like a breath of fresh air after being buried by everything you’d been going through and in that moment, you couldn’t be more greatful for the girl sleeping soundly beside you

- Kita -

kita had noticed your disheartened state right away but he didn’t exactly make it a point to bring it up to you or ask about it

he figured that you would come to him with whatever was burdening you on your own time so he opted to giving you some space

but when you came walking through his front door on the brink of tears he knew that you needed him in that moment

he rushed over to your broken figure as you collapsed into his embrace, immediately letting your fingers find their way to grip his shirt as kita’s hands lightly tugged your head against his chest

you sobbed for what felt like hours, allowing yourself to let go of all the pent up emotions you’d previously held as kita soothingly rubbed a warm hand up and down your back

once you’d your wails had reduced to nothing but sniffles, kita pulled you away from his grasp and used his thumb to wipe off the remaining tears that clung to your cheek before cupping your face in his hands

“do you want to talk about it?”

you shook your head, too exhausted to replay the events that had been piling up this past week to your boyfriend

kita nodded in understanding before pushing himself off the floor and reaching a hand out to help you up

you gently gripped his hand in return allowing him to pull you up and guide you towards the kitchen

it was neat and tidy, just like the rest of kita’s home but the one thing that stood out was the small pile of dishes that sat next to the counter

it may have seemed strage to other’s but kita always saved one chore in the house for the two of you to do together when you visited

it was one of the ways he enjoyed bonding with you and reminded him that he’d be able to do these things with you for the rest of your lives

he lead you over to the sink before placing a soft kiss to your cheek and turning on the warm water from the faucet

you smiled over at his as he handed you a dish and the two of you began to wash the remaining silverware that had been left

it was comfortablely quiet at first, the sound of water running and sponges scrubbing were the only noise that filled the atmosphere

but soon enough silence turned to small chit chat which turned to laughing and giggling as you dried the dishes together

although your week had been absolute hell, being able to spend time with the one you love definitely made up for it

- Kuroo -

kuroo had always had a knack for reading people so when everything began going downhill for you, he noticed quite quickly

he knew this week had been giving you hell, watching as you strung yourself very thin as you tried your best to juggle the numerous bumps in your road

it hurt him to watch you become so overwhelmed, especially as you sat on his couch, scrolling through your phone with a quivering lip in attempts to not cry in front of your boyfriend

he sighed as he sat himself down beside you, wrapping an arm around your shoulder and tugging you into his chest

“Quit doing that.”

“Q-Quit doing what?”

he looked down at you with a soft smile adoring his features before placing a kiss to the top of your head

“Acting like you can’t let yourself cry in front of me”

at that, one blink was enough to allow the tears you had been holding back to run freely down your cheeks

kuroo held your head in his hands as he rocked you gently back and forth

his body was warm, and the way you swayed in his embrace reduced your hiccups and cries to nothing but soft whimpers

the two of you sat for a moment in each other’s arms before you heard a chuckle escape kuroo’s lips

he untangled your arms from his torso and cupped you cheeks in his hands before squishing them together and beginning his main method of cheering you up

“You are, my fire..”

“Testuro-”

“The one, desire..”

“Testuro i swear if don’t stop sing-”

“Believe when i say, i want it that way.”

he stood up abruptly and extended a hand out to you before skipping over to the chorus

you laughed as he dramatically serenaded you, providing an entire performance to see you smile

at the end of the day, you knew your boyfriend would forever be by your side, even if he was a huge dork

- Yamaguchi -

yamaguchi had his suspicions about your decline in mood

you tried not to openly express how the hardships of this past week had affected you but he could see through the front you put up

it broke his heart that you were going through a tough time but he didn’t exactly know what to do to make you feel better

you hadn’t reached out to him or given any obvious hints that you were struggling so he didn’t want to jump to conclusions or make you feel as though he was being overbearing

but on your walk home from school one day, as tears were threatening to spill from your eyes, yamaguchi pulled you to the side and wrapped his arms tightly around you, deciding he couldn’t let you go through things on your own any longer

“y/n, is everything okay?”

you shake your head as tears start to spill from your eyes, timidly returning his embrace as you clutch into his sweater

he felt his own share of tears pooling at the brim of his eyes as he traced random shapes into the small of your back, pressing an occasional kiss to your shoulder

once you had calmed down, yamaguchi intertwined his fingers with yours and dragged you down the path opposite from the direction you normally headed home

“tadashi, where are we going?”

“you’ll see.”

after a bit of walking, and yamaguchi humming one of your favorite songs along the way, the two of you reached a nearby convenience store

you looked at yamaguchi in confusion earning a chuckle and a wide grin from your boyfriend as he pushed open the door, holding it open for you as you walked inside

the two of you walked to the snack isle where yamaguchi began to pick up some of your favorites snacks earning a soft smile from you

“babe, what are you doing?”

“um, well i figured we could get some snacks and then watch that show you’ve been wanting to see? only if you’re up for it though.”

you began to tear up once more at his considerate actions before pulling him towards you and catching his lips in a loving kiss

you knew in that moment that as long as you had yamaguchi by your side, he’d be able to show you light in even the darkest of times

[jbbuckybarnes]

Scared & Sacred - Ch. 2

Pairing: Din Djarin x Reader Description: The Mandalorian had helped you while you were hunted for your family name and you had grown a little closer over the months, but you didn’t expect THIS. How was this possible after just three times of getting so close to him. You had to find a nurse as fast as possible. Warnings: pregnancy, angst, lots of emotions, canon typical violence, fighting

M A S T E R L I S T

Chapter 2 - The Letter

Every night you prepared some more food in little portions to keep you alive on the journey you would start soon. You had three pairs of every clothing in a compartment that you would put into a bag, bought another bag on the last planet to put the food, water and a blanket in. Even got a cheap med pack on the last planet. On the next planet you‘d leave. You‘d find someone to bring you back to that harmonic place where the nurse droid told you that you were expecting.

„Cyare?“ You closed the compartment as you heard him come closer. „Hm?“ You looked up at him in front of you, holding a fuzzing Grogu. „Something‘s upsetting him.“ Arms reached up and grabbed Grogu out of Din‘s gentle grasp. „Hey, sweetpea, you‘re safe here. We won‘t let anything happen to you, yeah?“ You tried to calm him a bit. It worked a tiny bit, but he wiggled free again to sit on your lap and nuzzle into your belly. „Better?“ You chuckled and got a coo of agreement, making you chuckle. Eyes wandered up to the Mandalorian again, „It‘s okay, he can sleep here.“ It would be a nice last night having Grogu sleeping right on top of you, showing love to his sibling. You started to notice that region of your body growing harder to the touch. „Do you mind if we share?“ Din‘s modulated voice reached your ears. „I‘d prefer sleeping alone, if I‘m being honest.“ You answered softly, shutting him out of your heart and bed. „Did I do anything to upset you? You‘ve been very distant since we left Arcaro.“ That was the harmonic planet, you saved the name internally. „I miss your touch.“ „Oh, no no. Just having a lot on my mind at the moment. Going through memories of my childhood and all.“ That was only half a lie, so you didn‘t feel very bad. „If you need to talk, you know I‘m there.“ You nodded softly, starting to hear Grogu snore. „Get some sleep, Din. You have people to hunt tomorrow.“ You smiled and saw him nod before heading off to his cot.

You couldn‘t sleep with the journey ahead on your mind, so you grabbed a piece of flimsy and started writing a letter to Din that you would leave behind, attaching your soup recipe that the kid liked the most. You put it in an envelope and put it between your pillow and the mattress. Shortly after the exhaustion of the day got you to fall asleep for a few hours. 

Din and Grogu were hunting for a Corellian woman while you got the last important pieces for your journey and the ship. You filled up the food supply, bought another melee weapon and you found a very used vest that would hold off blaster shots that you put on under your gown. Once all of that was done you checked through your backpack and side bag and put them on your body. A deep breath went through you as you looked around one last time. This was a great home and protection for a while, but it was time for another chapter in your life. You‘d miss Grogu a lot, as well as the beskar armored man with the patience of a Jedi.

You headed down the main street of the city to find a ship you could fly with all the way back towards the planet of Arcaro. You ended up meeting a woman that used to be a fighter for the Republic. Hated the Empire and thought bounty hunters are annoying. Seemed safe enough. As you took off she asked, „What‘s your business here?“ „Leaving behind the people that helped me run from the people that hunted my family because I‘m with child and they weren‘t ready to accept that kinda life.“ You kept it short but clear. „Damn, that sounds like a lifestory if I ever heard one. Who knocked you up?“ She was direct. Reminded you of Cara. „The man that protected me for the last months. Very kind, kind of emotionally incompetent, definitely wouldn‘t take the news well.“ „I see.“ She nodded before jumping into hyperspace. She knew you had the credits to pay her, everything else was just listening to your interesting story and getting a good tip for a market.

— POV CHANGE —

Din stepped into his ship with Grogu. It was dead silent, not completely unusual. What was unusual was the fact you didn‘t react when he called out „Cyare?“ The child in his arms cooed in confusion and looked up at him with a frown. „She might still be caught up on the market. We‘ll wait.“ But even that plan fell away once he had fully arrived home and opened the compartment that you had fully stocked before leaving. „Oh, I‘m having a bad feeling about this,“ he whispered to himself as he closed the compartment and put the scanner on his helmet on. Only your footsteps, no others in sight. That didn‘t make sense. She never really went on walks, when she did she always was back in time to welcome him. He followed the steps and arrived in another hangar. „Hey, you there!“ He pointed at the slightly intimidated man near the hangar. „Y-Yes?“ „Have you seen a human woman in white and blue gowns, a green bag and braided hair? This big, cloak is blue too, with white details on it.“ „She went through here, yes.“ „Did she seem afraid?“ „No, she was acting normal. Talked to a woman that frequently takes travellers with her to other places. Seemed to be ready for a trip.“ „Dank ferrik! Thank you.“ NOW he was a different type of concerned. Why did you leave? Willingly! He scanned over the holopad the man held, taking in the information on it that he hoped was about the ship you were in.

When he got back he noticed one of his weapons missing in his arsenal, your blue blindfold on the co-pilot seat and everything neatly cleaned and organized in the kitchen. This was starting to kill him from the inside out. What had happened? What would make you get up and leave on purpose? From the man you loved and the child you cared for so much? He checked your bed. It wasn‘t made. The only thing in here that wasn‘t neat and tidy. And there he saw it, something sticking out from under your pillow. His mind went back to the time he found a little booklet there. A booklet about human children, medical stuff. He took off his gloves and grabbed the flimsy, opening the envelope he held in his hands shortly after and noticed it was a letter addressed at him.

*Dear Din, I know this might be confusing. That I‘m gone now, that I went without telling you. I know it‘s dangerous out there and that you are a big reason I‘m still breathing, but I couldn‘t bear the idea of making a decision benefiting you and leaving me lost. When you told me you weren‘t ready for a child, I knew I had to leave. I won‘t decide against it and I didn‘t wanna hear from your voice that I shouldn‘t keep it. I‘ll miss you. I‘ll miss Grogu. He‘ll miss his unborn sibling too. I know how excited he was for it. I‘m content with knowing that the child was created out of love. Two months and about a week ago. I hope that gives you rest about the situation. I‘ll go back to Arcaro. The place with the beautiful market and one of the best nurse droids I‘ve ever met. I‘ll figure out where to go and how to be on my own from there. I hope you don‘t mind that I took one of the weapons you barely used in the last months. Have this recipe for Grogu in return, he loves it the most and sleeps the best after eating it. Love, Y/N*

Din was drowning in an ocean of feelings. He wanted to cry, scream, beg, jump in happiness and yearned to have you in his arms. Oh, how much he wanted to have you in his arms right now. How much he wished you would‘ve told him that day. He would‘ve pushed away all your doubts. He would‘ve worshipped you, your body, the wonders happening inside of you. Instead you were running from him like he was some disgusting monster. 

He sat down in the pilots seat with Grogu on his arm and the letter in the other hand, setting it down gently and punching in the coordinates to the planet you mentioned. You‘d arrive there after him if he did this trick right. 

— POV CHANGE —

You gave the Republic lady a big tip and a hug. „It‘s rare to meet someone to talk to like this. Thank you for the ride and the long talk.“ You smiled at her and she grabbed both of your arms gently. „I land here every now and then, so if you ever see this piece of metal land, say hello.“ She grinned and let you go.

You stepped down the ramp of her vessel to see the market you loved so much fairly empty. It was really early in the morning on this planet. You got closer to the market and saw how some vendors currently refilled their little shops. „Where do you think you‘re going?“ A dark voice was audible behind you. It was familiar. „Kuuvi?“ You turned around to the man that has been hunting you for a year now. He used to be a good friend. „Yes, it‘s me.“ You turned around to him with a smile. „How have you been?“ You asked as if he didn‘t have the capacity to kill you right there. „Eating good, having a nice ship, good people around. How about you?“ He shrugged. „Except for the nice ship I can only say the same.“ „Where is your tin can?“ „Oh, he‘s just getting some supplies. Looking for a better ship at the moment. Razor Crest is great and all, but it gets crammed in there.“ You chuckled. Being royalty made you a master of lies sometimes „Twi‘ku still wants you on his doorstep.“ He gave a dirty grin. „You still work for that half-rotten idiot with bad rates? Moff Gideon would pay you so much more, I mean he‘s the source.“ „Either would pay me enough to retire if I deliver you.“ „Well, would be against the code of any guild.“ „Huh?“ „Pregnant women aren‘t allowed to be hunted.“ With a sweet grin you watched him realize the information you had just dropped and frown, enough distracted time to run one of your knives through his throat. He grabbed after you, getting out his vibroblade, but you had a gun trained on him in return, stepping on his lung and taking out the knife. „Traitor!“ You pulled the trigger and burned a hole through his heart. Two more men were running at you, one got a blastershot to the throat and the other got your new staff punched over the head.

You looked up to see people around the market hiding behind stuff, before hearing a saber lighting up behind you. „It‘s nice to see you alone for once.“ Moff Gideon. You were dead. You were so damn dead. „What do you want from me?“ you growled and heard him chuckle. „Not much, you just took something from me that you can‘t give back.“ „My brother killing your daughter isn‘t something that involves me!“ „No, but I overheard you are with child, so we might as well call it even.“ He charged at you with his dark saber, but just before it could hit you there was something big landing between you both.

„Nobody hurts my child.“ You heard his possessive and protective voice. „Oh, how sweet.“ He attacked Din ruthlessly, making you both step back further and further. Troopers came at you from left and right and you took out the second weapon you stole from Din, shooting left and right while leaned against his back. Behind you the saber strained against Din‘s arm guards. „Give up. You won‘t win this.“ Gideon hissed at him. You heard more jetpacks land behind you. Three blue Mandalorians landed in Din‘s sight behind Moff Gideon. „You have something that‘s mine and you better give it to me.“ You heard a familiar female voice. „Bo-Katan Kryze.“ His voice was somewhere between a chuckle and an unsure shakiness. There were no living stormtroopers anymore in just seconds and the four Mandalorians closed in on Moff. His saber not working on their armor. „Any last words?“ Bo-Katan asked with a serious voice. „They‘ll never stop coming for you. For your children, your family, your friends, your religion. They will always watch.“ Din put a blaster shot through his head from a low angle, „Psycho.“

He turned around to envelope you into the safety of his arms, „Cyar‘ika!“ You were shaking and gripping onto his cape, „I‘m okay. We‘re okay.“ „You can‘t just run off like that.“ He sounded wound up, probably thinking about what would‘ve happened if he hadn‘t arrived in time. „I thought-“ „Your thoughts aren‘t the reality. You really thought I‘d tell you to get rid of your unborn child. I told you children are seen as sacred in Mandalorian culture.“ You looked behind him and got a nod from a helmetless Bo-Katan, „We‘ll get this done, go talk.“ Din tightly put his arms around you and you shot up into the sky before landing on top of a building. His hands, freed from gloves, wandered over your cheeks. „I wish you would‘ve told me. I wish so much that I could‘ve been able to tell you to stop worrying and I wish you would‘ve been able to see me jump in joy at the news. I know we don‘t talk a lot, but this was the time you should‘ve talked. If I had said something negative you still could‘ve left.“ Your lip started trembling, he was right. You were so dumb for doing this. „Hey, no no, I understand why you did it, cyare.“ His helmet touched your forehead. His hands wandered down your sides, „Can I?“ You nodded and felt his hand wander over the hardened skin on your lower belly. He went on his knees before you, hands on your hips before they wandered to his helmet. „Din, no.“ You whispered and heard the hiss. „I thought about this for a long time. There is not one way, there are multiple ways that all have the same core. Look at Bo-Katan, Boba, all these people we met. I grew up in a version of this religion that doesn’t work for me anymore, I don‘t want that to be our child's life too. I want to live it our way.“ And with that the helmet came off. „They are gone, no one can hurt you two and Grogu anymore.“ „But the Empire.“ „We‘ll deal with it.“ The helmet went down and you could finally see his face. Soft face, with harsh features, smiling, „Besides. You looked pretty hot fighting off those idiots.“ „Wait till I break your hand while delivering the child.“ You chuckled with tears streaming down your face. He was so beautiful, so gentle. His nose pressed against your belly, his grip on your hips tightening just enough for you to feel even safer. „Where‘s Grogu?“ „On the ship, probably eating all the supplies.“ You both chuckled and enjoyed the moment for a while longer. „I can‘t wait to meet you, ad‘ika,“ he whispered to your unborn baby. There was so much love in his eyes that you started crying again. „Oh, cyare.“ He took your face in his hands with a caring frown on his face. „Don‘t mind me, just hormones.“ You chuckled to lighten up the situation. „My riduur.“ His bare forehead met yours. „Huh?“ „It- It means partner.“ He said it with such an innocent unsureness that you had to whisper a small, „Oh, baby.“ „I‘ll open up to you more, yeah? We‘ll find a good planet to stay.“ „I like this one so much.“ „I know, cyar‘ika. But maybe we should go to Sorgan for a while before coming back here. Grogu will have children to play with and you will be able to relax.“ His thumbs still caressed your cheeks. „Okay, my knight in shining armor.“ You smiled and kissed his nose, before taking his helmet and putting it back on his head.

You flew back to where you had fought, finding Bo-Katan with the dark saber. „I can rule over Mandalore again and you both are more than welcome there once it‘s done.“ She sent you both a smile. „We might take you up on that.“ You smiled back at her. „We‘ll clean this up and make sure nobody else is hunting for your children. We owe you for finally having this in our hands.“ She held up the saber. „Thank you,“ Din said sincerely and nodded before you said your goodbyes and went back to the ship.

You found Grogu arms deep in a jar of nectar. „Oh Grogu.“ You giggled and he turned around with his signature coo, ears falling at being caught. „It‘s alright, but don‘t do it again. You wanna see your dada‘s face?“ You asked picking him up, cleaning him with something from one of your bags. His eyes got wider and his ears perked. You let down both your bags and the cloak before turning around to Din. „Ready?“ You smiled and he nodded before taking off his helmet. The child gasped and reached for his face, so you held him up to it. He babbled while touching all over his face, Din chuckling and intently listening. Had he always looked like that beneath the helmet when talking to Grogu? „Dada.“ His and your eyes widened at that. You turned Grogu around to look at you and praised him, „Good boy, you love your dada so much, don‘t you?“ A tiny giggle came from his body before he wiggled again. „You wanna say hello to your sibling?“ Another squeak. You sat down on the floor, so did Din while also losing some parts of his armor. He watched as the child put his hands on your belly and closed his eyes, you felt the gentle tingle again. His tiny green nose nuzzled into your skin right where he felt his sibling through the force. „You‘ll see it in a couple months.“ You smiled down at Grogu and gently touched his ears. He could sense that good things happened. That you both weren‘t as worried as you usually were. „Let‘s go to Sorgan and meet the children you like playing with, yeah?“ Another happy squeak came from the green child. „Ner aliit.“ Din murmured softly. You understood without asking. You were his family now and he was yours.

___

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[fatiguing-thoughts]

Healing - Chapter 3 - Paul Lahote x Reader

Surprise Time - Part III of the series 

Paul’s POV

When her tired voice pleaded with me to warm her up, to lay down next to her, I thought I was going to explode. 

It was beyond difficult to see (Y/N) struggle so horribly. To see her curled form under the sheets, to hear her broken voice. To know that I had to drag this poor girl out of bed would be beyond difficult.

Especially when she asks me to take a nap with her, how could I say no?

I turned the shower on for her, knowing it had been far too long since her last. I noticed the way her hair dulled, I wasn’t able to smell any of her soaps like I normally did.

Her tiredness showed on her face brutally. Though even the pure exhaustion and drained state didn’t dampen her beauty a bit. 

No, I still noticed the way her eyes managed to light up when she saw me; though it was far dimmer than ever before. I heard her heartbeat increase, her excitement growing. Albeit minimally while she was in this state, it still made me feel good in knowing that I could bring some life back into her. 

While I waited for her to finish showering, I found myself thinking about the same thing I always did when it came to (Y/N). I was in love with her, since we were kids. But.. nothing just ever happened. She got into a relationship and I... had relations. One thing that always drove me mad was that I wish I could tell her about the bond we shared, but the right time never came. 

I wanted to tell her when she first found out about the pack, about the entirety of the supernatural world. After all, this bond was the only reason I was actually allowed to tell her. I was thankful that it was her, though I hated that she was dragged into this crazy world. But having her by my side, even as a friend was heavenly. It only intensified my feelings for her. 

But at that time, she needed a protector after some rogue vampires were getting a little too cozy in the area. She was panicked out of her mind, I was standing watch outside of her house all night for weeks. At that time, she needed a protector. At that time, she was already dating Michael, who definitely hated my guts. He knew how I felt about (Y/N), but she didn’t think so. She was not only oblivious, but I knew she didn’t want to lose me from her life. While she was with Michael, she needed a friend. 

And right now, even after the asshat up and left, she still needs a friend. 

I’d be anything she needed me to be. 

I could just hope that one day we become something more, something I’ve always wanted. And I know she wanted it, too. She was just too scared, too scared to lose me. Too scared to lose us. 

No, now wasn’t the right time to tell her, but I wasn’t sure if there would ever be. I wanted (Y/N) to love me for me, she needed to heal. I know she does deep down, but right now she was far too clouded. 

I also needed her to know that I loved her for her, not because some bond told me to. It was just some intense icing on the cake. 

The sound of the water stopping dragged me out of my thoughts, bringing me back into reality. I decided to pick up the dirty clothes on her floor, dropping them into her hamper. I made her bed and simply tidied up her room. 

Anything to encourage a more peaceful mind. I knew that a neater environment would help her, messy environments will keep you down. She needed a fresh start, something to encourage her. I know she always felt a little better with a neat room, so I just tried my best for a few minutes. 

Hearing her soft footsteps approach the bedroom again, I smiled to myself. 

I thought about the way she looked with her wet hair hanging off her shoulder. The way she looked so great in just jeans and some t-shirt.

Wait. That’s my old t-shirt. I didn’t even think she still had it because of Michael. 

“What’s the plan for today?” She asks, sitting down next to me.

“Well, that’s actually a surprise. Let’s get going.” I smile, standing up.

“Thank you for like, making my room like not horrendous.” She smiles up at me. 

“I thought it would make you feel a little better to see a clean room.” I smile, reaching out to put an arm around her, giving a comforting squeeze. “As for the surprise, we should go now.” 

“Lead the way, Lahote.” 

We made our way out of her house, heading over to my truck. And then we were on our way.

“So is the surprise a different waterfall?” She asks, turning her attention away from the window. 

“If I told you, how much of a surprise really is it?” I smirk, looking over at her. 

“I guess you’re right.” She faintly chuckles. 

Even a faint chuckle was enough to give me hope, hope to hear her really laugh soon. 

“I usually am.” 

The drive was a little longer than anticipated, but watching (Y/N) point at every tree she liked, which was a lot of trees, I realized that the old (Y/N) shone through more often. She was finally healing.

I watched as she laid her head against the window, eyes shutting closed for just a moment. Relaxation taking over, slowing down her heartbeat. 

“We’re here.” I break the silence a little while later, stopping the car. 

“Where are we?” She asks, looking around. 

“Well, I told you I’d bring you to a waterfall. But the surprise is the hike to the waterfall, there’s some really cool stuff on the way.” I smile, helping her out of the truck. 

“Ooh, is it a big hike?” 

“A bit, but if you get tired I’ll put you on my back.” I shrug, nudging her lightly. 

“Sounds like a plan.” She chuckles. 

First stop was the labyrinth in the clearing on the way. About a mile and a half into our hike we stumbled across the stone covered floor. 

“Wanna see something cool? This was the cool surprise.” I smile down at her.

“I like cool things.” 

I led her over to the center of the circle, watching her admire the stone on the ground. Observing the woods around her. 

“So if we stand here in the dead center, everything you say will echo.” I smirk. 

“No way.” She nudges me with a smirk.

“Look.” I say, pausing before I spoke up. “Echo!” I yelled. 

I watched as her eyes lit up, a giggle escaping through the curl of her lips as the echo of my voice entered her ears. 

That giggle echoed throughout the labyrinth, sending blissful chills up my spine, a smile taking over my face completely. Her happiness gave me life.  

“Oh my god, that’s so cool, let me try. Uhh... Hi!” She yells, laughing at herself. 

When her echoes returned to her, she jumped up excitedly, practically falling into me. The desire to just hold here there was unreal, but she wasn’t ready for that. 

I wouldn’t dare, I couldn’t hurt her. I can’t cause her soul any more pain. 

The excitement in her eyes was priceless, something I hadn’t seen in a long time. It was something I’d do anything to see. 

After a few moments of us yelling to ourselves, laughing and having a little too much fun, we were suddenly silent. 

Her eyes met mine and I felt the world stop-- just like every time our eyes met. She looked like she wanted to say something, and her eyes held something more intense. 

But her wonderous eyes and increased heartbeat once ceased, as she realized how we both felt. 

Her lip began to quiver and her chest fell, as if someone took the air from her lungs. I noticed her nerves picking up, she grew afraid of herself, of her feelings. 

“Let’s go to the waterfall.” I suggest softly, nodding my head encouragingly. 

(Y/N)’s head nodded quickly and I felt her begin to calm down. So I led us to the waterfall. 

I watched as she clumsily made her way down the trails. I had to guide her at a few points, but overall she kept up pretty well. The sound of the falls entering my ears. 

“Wow.” She breathes out, walking closer. 

“Right? It’s really nice out here.”

“It really is, thank you.” 

“For what?” 

“For being here for me, for taking me here. Just being Paul.” She smiles up at me. 

“You don’t have to thank me, I want to be here for you. I care about you.” I smile, pulling her into my side. 

“It’s important to thank those who care for you.”  She looks up into my eyes, making me melt. “Thanking those who you care about it important.” 

“You’re right.” 

We sat, watching the waterfall and eating the lunch we packed. Though, it wasn’t too long before it was time to head back. 

The hike back wasn’t as long, but it was just as fun. It was nice to see (Y/N) looking alive, looking like what I remember. 

I watched as she grew tired by the minute, her steps slowing and her knuckles growing white from clenching her fists so hard. The way she was running out of breath. 

“Are you getting tired?” 

“No, I’m great.” She turns around, though her voice broke as she was out of breath. 

“Mmmhmm, sure. Sounds like it.” I tease. 

“Alright, fine. I’m a little tired.” She admits, looking at me sheepishly. 

“Get on.” 

I crouch down and stand in front of a rock, making sure it would be easy enough for her to get onto my back. 

“Are you sure?”

“Very.” 

Finishing off the hike with her on my bike was blissful. To feel her so close to me, her head resting on my shoulder, and her hands on my chest. Getting back to the truck was quicker with me walking, but if I was smart I would’ve walked a lot slower. 

I walked her over to her side, helping her in before getting on our way back to her house. 

“Thank you for today, Paul. I appreciate it.” She says, laying her head on the window. 

“Of course.” I smile, watching her eyes droop. 

The ride back was silent, as she had fallen asleep. But her heartbeat was enough noise for me to be happy. Waking her up didn’t really work all too well so when we got back to her house, I picked her sleepy state up and carried her into her house. 

I laid her on her bed and made my way to leave her house. 

“Paul, wait.” She whines from the bed.

“Yeah?” 

“Stay. Please.” She pleads. 

“Are you sure?” 

“Very.” 

I smiled to myself, making my way back over to her bed. I felt her arms wrap around me and pull herself closer to me. 

“You’re so warm.” She mumbles into my shoulder, nuzzling her face into me.  ___________________________ Word Count: 1888

[wheresmynaya]

Lost in the Lights Ch.18|Brittana

A/N - Just a little something that yall might find some comfort in today so I’ve written a short epilogue. I’m not usually one for fluff, but I figured we might need it. I’ve always considered writing as something I can do to uphold Naya’s legacy because Santana is apart of that legacy and here, she’s always living her best life.

Thinking of you all today 💙

Available on ff.net (x) ao3 (x) & under the cut!

Once again, Brittany finds herself standing alone in her bedroom surrounded by boxes. It’s a little weird seeing her room looking so bare, but this move doesn’t drudge up the same kind of mournful feelings the last one did. This time there’s excitement, there’s anticipation, there’s –

“Hey B,” Santana gives a little tap at Brittany’s bedroom door. “Need a hand?”

Brittany turns to find Santana giving her that same soft grin she has come to adore. She’s leaned against the door frame, clad in her jean cut-offs and a plain t-shirt, and Brittany’s never been so enamored.

“What?” Santana’s grin widens.

Brittany smirks, “Can’t I check out my hot girlfriend?”

Santana rolls her eyes although her cheeks flush, “Smooth as ever.”

“You know it,” Brittany winks before she goes to zip her suitcase. “You’ll be happy to know that I’ve finally finished packing my room. It’s been a super productive afternoon.”

Santana sputters out a laugh as she glances around Brittany’s bedroom. The walls are bare aside from a couple framed pictures Brittany couldn’t find it in herself to take down. The desk by the window is neat and tidy for once too, but what makes Santana stop are the two gold crowns hanging off of one of Brittany’s football trophies.

“Not taking these?”

Brittany turns to find Santana pulling one off and putting it on. She looks just as regal as she did on Prom night and it makes Brittany’s heart feel so full. She can’t help but reminisce at how beautiful Santana looked all done up – she really took her breath away that night.

“You’d love that, wouldn’t you?” Brittany teases, “Too bad Quinn will be at Yale. I’m sure she’s going to miss the constant reminder that we won instead of her and Mike.”

“I can still text her,” Santana quips as she takes off the crown and sets it down where she found it. She goes back to looking around the room again, “It doesn’t look like you in here anymore.”

“Yeah,” Brittany sighs as she looks around too. Her eyes settle on Santana and she begins to grin, “But it’ll be so much fun decorating our own place together. It’ll look like the both of us.”

“True,” Santana grins, “I can’t wait.”

“Me neither!”

“I can’t believe how fast the year went by,” Santana mentions, “It feels like just yesterday that I was jumping off swings with you.”

“You mean head-butting me?” Brittany jokes.

“That too,” Santana laughs, “And now we’re off to college…together.”

“Not just yet,” Brittany reminds her with a pat to her suitcase.

“That’s right,” Santana nods to it, “That everything?

Brittany looks down and smiles, “Yup!”

Santana eyes the lone bag warily, “You’re only bringing one?”

“We’re only going for two weeks,” Brittany replies with a giggle, “You’d be surprised how much I fit in here. Bikinis don’t take up that much space which is a plus.”

She looks to Santana again hoping to see a smile but instead she finds her worrying her bottom lip. It makes Brittany chuckle as she closes the distance between them. Once she’s close enough, her hands land on Santana’s hips.

“Don’t stress,” She tells her sweetly, “That defeats the purpose of a vacation.”

“I’m not stressed,” Santana shrugs, “I’m just wondering…if I packed a little too much now?”

Brittany only giggles before pressing a kiss to Santana’s lips.

“You’re cute,” She says.

Santana only sighs through her smile, “Can you tell I’m a little nervous?”

“A little?”

Santana pouts, “This is my first big road trip. I didn’t want to forget anything.”

Brittany wraps her arms around Santana, holding her close, “I’m sure you’ve got everything and if not we can always buy stuff. You know Florida does have a mall, right?”

Santana was a little hesitant about joining the Pierce Family on their vacation back down to Florida for Summer break because she didn’t want to intrude on their family time, she’s so considerate like that. Brittany couldn’t imagine spending two whole weeks without her though, even Pete and Whitney begged for Santana to go.

Plus, it was the perfect opportunity to show her around Brittany’s old stomping grounds and most importantly, take her to one of her favorite places. With all of that taken into consideration, Santana couldn’t find it in her to deny Brittany this. She also didn’t mind getting out of Lima for the Summer, beats tanning by the pool alone.  

“Babe, this is going to be great,” Brittany says earnestly, “It’s going to be relaxing and we’ll get to spend so much time together doing all kinds of fun things. It’ll be exactly what we need before we have to leave for Columbus, because you know once we get there it’ll be all work. I’ll have to start football training again and you’ll have cheer conditioning.”

“You’re right. Ohio State doesn’t mess around,” Santana nods as she begins smiling again, “This’ll be great. I’ve never been on vacation like this before.”

“Neither,” Brittany grins before grabbing her suitcase again. “Let’s go. We’ve got a lot of road to cover.”

\\

Brittany and Santana decide to drive Santana’s car down to Florida ahead of Whitney and Pete who are catching a flight a couple days later. They take several pit stops along the way, making sure to snap silly photos by all of the state line signs so Santana can text them to Maribel and Hector to keep them updated on their adventure so far.

It probably takes them twice as long to make the trip, but it’s well worth it when Brittany gets to watch Santana’s eyes brighten as they finally cross the Florida state line.

“It’s so much different than Lima,” Santana says as she stares out the window at all the passing palm trees, their fronds waving hello in the warm breeze as they drive by.

Brittany only glances over with this cheek-bunching grin before she’s back to concentrating on the road ahead.

\\

A while later, they pull up to the rental Whitney organized and this time Brittany’s the one who’s in awe.

“No way!” She exclaims as she triple checks the address her mom gave.

“What is it?” Santana questions.

“I used to point this house out all the time when we lived here,” Brittany tells her, “Pete and I called it the Unicorn House because of the pink shutters and the baby blue door. We always thought it was so cool, the most colorful house on the beach. I had no idea it was a rental!”

Santana smiles, “Well let’s go check it out.”

Relieved to stretch their legs and really start their vacation in the sun, Santana and Brittany make quick work of unloading the car and moving everything inside. Just like Brittany figured, the inside of the house was just as cool as the outside. All modern fixtures, colorful artwork decorating the walls, but the real attention-grabber was the view.

“Wow,” They said in unison as they approached the back sliding doors that led out onto the terrace. It was nothing but white sand and clear blue water.

“Let’s open it,” Brittany says and goes to pull open the glass door. There’s a light breeze and the scent of saltwater. Brittany smiles into it; she can’t believe how much she’s missed this.

Lima’s been great to her, it’s the place she met the most perfect girl ever, but this place will always hold a special spot in her heart too. As she glances to her side at her girlfriend, her smile grows because now she gets to share it with her too.

“What do you say we make a quick run to the shops so we can have breakfast out there?” Brittany suggest with a grin, “We can unpack and stuff later.”

“Sounds awesome,” Santana replies, “When’s your mom and Pete flying in again?”

“Tomorrow afternoon,” Brittany says as she gives a little tug at Santana’s shirt, “We’ve got the whole place to ourselves until then.”

Santana’s grin widens, “Even better.”

\\

They decide to load up on fresh fruit, because after so many hours of fast food and gas station snacks they are dying for something healthy. Together they walk the aisles hand in hand, stopping every so often to add something to the basket Brittany carries.

It’s not their first trip to the store together, but it feels different this time knowing that it’s just them. Everyone they know is back in Lima, so doing something like grocery shopping together in Florida makes them feel so grown up and independent.

For a second, Brittany wonders if this is what it’ll feel like once they move away together for college. She’s sure the novelty of it all is bound to wear off the more they do it, but for now she leans into the excitement of it. The thought makes her feel giddy inside because she can’t picture herself doing such a routine thing with anyone other than Santana.

“Should we get anything else?” Santana wonders after adding a punnet of blueberries to the basket.

Brittany looks at their haul so far and shakes her head, “Nah. We can just order take out later if we want?”

Santana nods and they make their way to the check out lane.

\\

Back at the rental, Santana’s in the kitchen getting all of their fruits washed and cut up when Brittany reappears clad in her bright pink bikini.

“Okay! Your turn,” She calls out as she makes her way into the kitchen.

Santana does a quick glance up to reply then does a double take when she sees what Brittany has on. Her jaw drops at the sight and she nearly cuts off a finger!

“Woah,” Santana says in time as her eyes rake up Brittany’s tone figure, “I was not prepared.”

“Should I put on a shirt?” Brittany jokes.

“No, no,” Santana’s quick to respond, “No shirts. You can stay just like that.”

Brittany blushes as Santana continues checking her out. It makes her feel warm all over and a little confident too because usually Santana’s the one getting her worked up. It’s a nice change when the tables are turned.

“So, you want to go change and I’ll finish here?” Brittany asks.

Santana’s still staring as Brittany comes closer. She doesn’t even blink until Brittany’s tapping at the bottom of her chin with this smug grin on her face.

“Hmm?” She hums, “What?”

“Do you want to go change now?”

Santana smirks as she pulls Brittany in and pins her against the counter, “It’s not really the first thing on my mind right now.”

“Oh?” Brittany’s grin turns devilish.

Santana bites her bottom lip as she plays with the knot at Brittany’s hip. “The extra football training you’ve been doing is really paying off. Like I’ve always thought you were the hottest girl to ever walk the surface of the Earth, but damn.”

“Go change,” Brittany tells her with a giggle. “We’ll never get to the beach at this rate.”

“Fine by me,” Santana teases as she wraps her arms around Brittany’s waist and starts littering her neck with soft kisses. “Like so fine by me.”

Brittany struggles because having Santana’s lips on her is always kind of like kryptonite, but her desire to experience Santana’s first trip to the beach outweighs spending the rest of the morning wrapped up in bedsheets. Call her crazy, but they’ve got all day to mess around meanwhile the sun’s only out for so long.  

“Baby, as good as this feels,” Brittany sighs as she pulls away. She stares down at Santana lovingly, “I really want to take you to the beach first. Just you and me.”

Santana cutely pouts and it has Brittany giggling.

“Come on,” She says with a little pinch at Santana’s side, “I think it’ll be worth it.”

“I think it opens up lots of opportunities to be a tease,” Santana complains jokingly.

“Good thing we won’t be far from here then,” Brittany winks in return.

\\

Once Santana finally got changed, she met Brittany back in the kitchen where the blonde had packed a bag with their breakfast and a couple bottles of water along with their beach towels. Brittany had her sunglasses sitting atop her head, her long blonde hair free from its messy bun from earlier.

“Ready?” She asked excitedly.

Santana only grinned as she reached for Brittany’s hand to hold and together they made their way down the wooden terrace steps until their bare feet met warm sand. Brittany was already headed for the coastline, but Santana stopping held her back. She turned, wondering if Santana forgot something, when she realized it wasn’t that at all.

Santana never felt the feeling of sand between her toes before.

A smile formed on Brittany’s face as she watched Santana wiggle her toes. It was only for a moment, a little excited squeak of a giggle escaping the brunette before she looked up again – ready to go. Brittany only wrapped her arm around Santana’s shoulders, kissing the top of her head as they started to walk again.

Picking the perfect spot was always something Brittany took pretty seriously, but on this section of the beach – any spot was perfect. They were just far enough away from the popular areas so it wasn’t too crowded where they were.

“I’ve never seen water so blue,” Santana admires as she stares at the crashing waves. “Beats the lake in Lima.”

“Definitely,” Brittany chuckles.

They end up laying out their blanket a few yards away from the water so they don’t have to walk very far to get in. While Santana smooths out the blanket, Brittany sets down their bag and starts to pull out their towels and breakfast.

Together, they sit side by side and share from one bowl Santana found in the kitchen. It’s a mix of all the fruit they picked up earlier and with their feet in the sand and the sound of the waves and seagulls in the distance they’ve never felt so at peace.

“Is it true that you have to wait thirty minutes after eating before you can swim?” Brittany wonders aloud. She’s resting back on her elbows, her legs outstretched but she’s still too far away to touch the water.

Santana shrugs, “I have no idea. Probably should though just to be safe.”

“True,” Brittany grins as Santana lies back too.

She’s already starting to tan and Brittany can’t take her eyes off of her. It’s almost like this is too good to be true and she finds herself reaching out to touch just to make sure.

\\

Once their thirty minutes are up, Brittany’s on her feet trying to coax Santana into the water but who knew she’d put up such a fight?

“We didn’t come all this way to just sit in the sand,” Brittany teases as she tugs on Santana’s hand, “Come on.”

“That water is about to be cold as hell. No thank you!”

“Hell isn’t cold, Santana.”

“You know what I mean,” Santana then gets up when she finally breaks out of Brittany’s hold, “Now way I’m getting in.”

“But it’s not even cold,” Brittany replies although she’s not really sure since she hasn’t tested it for herself. “Why are you picking right now to play hard to get?”

“You haven’t seen nothing yet!” Santana jokes before taking off.  

Brittany laughs the whole time as Santana ducks and dodges her advances until Brittany’s speed finally does her in. Soon she’s got Santana cradled in her arms bridal-style, carrying her towards the water like she weighs nothing.

“Britt! Brittany! Don’t you dare!” Santana chastises between laughs, “I don’t want to get my hair wet!”

Brittany only stomps her way through the water, “Who goes to the beach and doesn’t want to get their hair wet? That’s silly, San!”

“Me, that’s who!” Santana giggles but she stops putting up a fight and just wraps her arms around Brittany’s shoulders.

Their faces are so close with the way Brittany holds her that their noses brush when the blonde suddenly looks to her. Really, she’s checking if Santana’s actually being serious because if so then she’ll happily take her back to shore but if not it’s fair game. Instead though, she gets sidetracked by the brilliant smile she wears and how beautiful she looks with her hair down.

“I won’t get you wet if that’s really what you want,” Brittany says innocently but there’s a mischievous glint in her eye too.

She’s standing still waist-deep in the water and Santana’s butt is barely touching the surface. Brittany does her best to hop so that the incoming waves don’t splash her which is pretty nice of her with all things considered. She could totally be that person and drop her without a second thought.

“Well, when you say it like that…” Santana starts to smirk.

Brittany lets out a laugh before she leans in for a kiss.

It was meant to be a distraction, but it ended up way steamier than she intended as she slowly  sank to her knee so that they both dipped below the surface. She could feel Santana’s teeth sink into her bottom lip from the initial shock of the water temperature but then it was soothed by her tongue gliding over the nip.

“See?” Brittany teases, “Not that cold.”

Santana only rolls her eyes as Brittany adjusts her hold. She goes from cradling Santana to having her straddle her lap instead. It’s a much riskier position than before, but neither of them complain.  

As they get acclimated to the water, they slowly move from kissing to playfully splashing at each other as they wade around. They go back and forth like that for awhile until they move back to the shore to get their tan on.

“I’m having slight regrets that we’ll be going to school in Ohio,” Santana mentions awhile later as they lie on their stomachs, “Must be nice living close to a beach.”

Brittany grins, “So you’re liking your first trip then?”

“Baby, I love it,” Santana replies happily and leans over to kiss her cheek, “And I love you.”

“I love you too,” Brittany coos before she gets to thinking, “If you love it that much we can always transfer down here? I’m pretty sure there’s a few schools here that would love to poach me. You too.”

“So tempting,” Santana chuckles.

\\

They lie like that for awhile longer before the sun gets to be a little much and they head back to the rental.

It’s one of Brittany’s favorite feelings, that tiredness after spending the day at the beach, and she coaxes Santana into the shower with her to get rid of all the sand and saltwater. Despite finally getting each other this close without any barriers between them, they’re both too tired to actually make any moves.

Instead, they take turns standing underneath the cool water and washing off any residual sand.

Afterwards, they slip into something loose and tumble into bed with a yawn. They don’t even bother getting under the sheets first, their sun-kissed skin still warm from the shower. The just cuddle up to one another and doze off within minutes.  

\\

Hours later, Brittany awakes to Santana tracing her finger along the bridge of her nose. She blinks away the last bit of sleepiness and looks around the room, surprised to see it drenched in hues of orange and gold from the setting sun.

“I think you might’ve gotten sunburnt,” Santana mentions softly, “Your cheeks are a little pink.”

Brittany touches them bashfully, “Yeah. They do that after I’m out too long. Doesn’t hurt though, I put on sunscreen before.”

“Okay,” Santana smiles as her hand moves to rest on Brittany’s hip.

The blonde looks to the window, “What time is it?”

“Almost eight.”

“Shit,” Brittany curses, “I didn’t meant to sleep for that long.”

“It’s okay. You were tired,” Santana replies as she starts circling Brittany’s hipbone, “Hungry?”

There’s a familiar rasp in Santana’s voice and it has Brittany leaning in ever so slightly. She knows that tone, she’s been quite familiar with it since the night she won a championship title with the Titans. It’s come to be a favorite of hers.

“Starving,” Brittany smirks.

Santana bites her lip, “Good.”

“We can order a pizza,” Brittany husks as she slips her thigh between Santana’s, “I know just the place. They’re notorious for taking way too long but the pizza manages to always be hot still.”

“Perfect,” Santana smirks before she’s closing the distance.

\\

The next day, they have a bit of a sleep in due to their…activities carrying on pretty late into the night. Free house to themselves? Of course they couldn’t pass up the opportunity, but they’re well-rested and get up to do a tidy of the house before going to pick up Pete and Whitney from the airport.

Again, Brittany feels that same feeling from the day before when she and Santana were out shopping for breakfast. She can’t help but notice how easy it is for them to fall into such a domestic routine. It makes her feel so grown up, like it was just a couple weeks ago that she was graduating and sure she’s always been pretty independent but it’s different with Santana by her side.

When they get to the airport, they’re only waiting for a little while before Pete’s excitedly waving at them with Whitney trailing behind him. There’s hugs all around when they finally meet before they make their way to baggage claim.

“Did you have fun on the plane ride over?” Santana asks Pete.

“It was okay,” Pete shrugs, “Kind of bumpy but mom let me play games on her phone.”

“Nice,” Santana grins.

“Yup! Did you have fun driving here? Wait, did you guys go to the beach already?” Pete asks as he looks to his sister, “Britt’s cheeks are pink.”

Brittany’s eyes widen, “Uh…”

“We might’ve gone for a little bit,” Santana admits and watches Pete start to frown. He was pretty adamant about them waiting for him but Santana’s quick to recover, “But that doesn’t mean we can’t go again today! You’ll have to check with your mom first.”

Pete’s face fills with a mega-watt smile, so similar to Brittany’s it’s crazy.

“She’ll totally say yes,” He tells Santana, “Mom loves the beach too!”

“Sweet,” Santana grins.

“Alright, we just need to pick up the rental car and we’re out of here,” Whitney says as Brittany follows behind with Pete’s little suitcase.

“You didn’t have to rent a car,” Santana tells her, “I told you I was okay with sharing mine.”

“You’re too kind, honey,” Whitney smiles, “But I’m sure you girls will want to explore the area too.”

Santana just nods as Brittany comes up beside her, their fingers twining so casually.

“Speaking of rentals,” Brittany mentions, “I can’t believe you got the Unicorn House! It’s so cool.”

“We’re staying at the Unicorn House?” Pete asks eagerly. Brittany nods to him and he just about combusts, “No way! That’s the coolest house on the beach!”

“Totally,” Brittany winks, “It’s even cooler inside. Just you wait and see.”

\\

They all head to the rental house and it takes everyone no time at all before they’re making their way out to the beach. Everyone except Whitney who runs to the store for snacks and something to eat for dinner because apparently they can’t have pizza two nights in a row despite Brittany and Pete’s protesting.

Again, it’s nice to just lounge in the sun and cool off in the water whenever they want. Pete’s here too while Whitney’s at the store and Santana watches adoringly as he and Brittany toss their favorite football back and forth.

“Babe! Come play with us,” Brittany calls out to her as she tosses the football to Pete in a perfect spiral.

“Yeah! Come play, Santana!” Pete chimes in.

“I’m fine getting my tan on from here,” Santana answers then starts to smirk at Brittany. The way her muscles tense whenever she throws the ball or how her arms flex, it leaves Santana’s mouth dry, “The view’s not so bad either.”

Brittany lets out a laugh as she readies for Pete to throw the ball back. She’d have to agree about the view though, hers isn’t so bad too with Santana laid out in her maroon bikini on their beach blanket, skin glistening with sweat. She swallows dryly as her thoughts start to wander to the night before.

“Britt!” Pete shouts, “Look out!”

Brittany looks up and catches the football just in time before she’s thumped in the head with it. Good thing her reflexes are as sharp as ever!

“Careful baby,” Santana smirks before she’s rolling onto her stomach to even out her tan.

Brittany only narrows her eyes playfully before she’s throwing another perfect spiral in Pete’s direction.

\\

Once Whitney joins them, Pete goes from playing with Brittany to splashing in the shallow water with their mom. Brittany sits alongside Santana where they both share a bag of chips and watch Pete’s splashes get bigger and bigger.

“You’re so cute with him,” Santana mentions.

Brittany raises her brow, “Speak for yourself.”

Santana lets out a disbelieving laugh, “Right.”

“You are,” Brittany urges with a bump to Santana’s shoulder, “He loves spending time with you. Not as much as I do, of course.”

“Of course.”

“You ever wish you had a younger sibling?” Brittany wonders.

“God, no. Never,” Santana jokes before softening, “But seeing you two kind of makes me second guess it. Then again, Pete’s cool so you’re lucky.”

“True,” Brittany giggles. There’s another pause before Brittany speaks up again in a softer tone, “Thanks for coming out on this trip with us. I know you were a little iffy at first, but it wouldn’t be the same without you.”

“Thanks for inviting me,” Santana replies with this smitten little grin on her face. “We should totally make this an annual thing.”

“Coming back here?”

“Yeah,” Santana nods, “It’s like our reset button. No matter how busy or crazy it gets wherever we are, we can always come back here and just – reset. It would be nice.”

Brittany starts to smile. Santana mentioning doing something every year means she anticipates them being together for a really long time which duh but making plans like that in advance makes it all feel a little more real. She always thought her strong feelings might’ve been a little exaggerated since they’re young and love always feels so all-encompassing, but then Santana goes and says something like that.

This love, it’s bigger than she thought. Maybe it’s even one of those forever kinds of love and that kind of thinking makes Brittany happier than ever.

“We can totally do that,” Brittany agrees before she leans in for a chaste kiss. She can feel Santana smiling too against her lips and she’s never felt more complete.

Whatever this upcoming year plans to throw their way, whether it be on the field or in the classroom or even at home, Brittany’s totally ready for it.

Because together, well…anything is still possible.

[masterwords]

Grinding Halt

Notes: Just a very emo take on the aftermath of Revelations. I like to play around with Hotch and force him into situations where I can get feelers out of him, so this was just my way of doing that. I've got a bunch of asks and two full fics in progress but thought I'd share this, it's been sitting on my desktop mostly finished for a few weeks and I just decided to call it. (~3500 words)

Warnings: Nothing really, its pretty tame but I will tw migraine and hospital in the tags.

“Hotch, may I speak with you a moment?” Gideon asked, and Hotch nodded, aborted the walk back to his office and leaned in Gideon's doorway. Hot mug between his hands, he stood just over the threshold. He didn't want to come inside, he could feel the conversation before Gideon opened his mouth. Reid had been out of work a couple of days already and he'd avoided The Talk but it was coming now and he couldn't avoid it.

“What were you thinking?” Gideon asked, and Hotch sighed, cast his eyes to the floor. It was like being reprimanded by a grandparent, the people who smiled when you made mischief until you went too far. They were not angry, they were just disappointed. He was transported back to being a child racked with guilt already over doing something stupid and just as the wound had begun to scab over it was poked at, picked wide open again. There was less blood, but it hurt just as bad.

“I was thinking that they would understand,” Hotch attempted and Gideon raised his hand dismissively. Hotch felt the air as it left his lungs and found any return path blocked. He tried again. “They would see where I was coming from. Trust my hypothesis.”

“They trust you,” Gideon said, shaking his head. “That little game you played did serious damage to the team's morale. You're their leader, you tell them what you're thinking, you don't bait them into abusing you to make a point.”

“I realize - “ he began, but Gideon cut him off again. Hotch didn't think he'd ever been on the receiving end of Gideon's anger like this before and he didn't like it. He couldn't tell if it was truly anger, or possibly just morbid curiosity at the stupidity of his colleague. Gideon had only stared at him in that moment, rolled his eyes as the team gave Hotch the answers he never wanted to hear, didn't add anything to the pot.

“I think you need to take a few days off.” While Gideon was not technically Hotch's leader anymore, he was the senior Agent and if he had to pull strings he could. It would be easy for him to force Hotch to take time off, easy to force the whole team under investigation, he was hoping to avoid formalities though. "Now that you know what you know, you have some damage control to run. Take a few days to sort things out."

“We're already a man down with Reid out,” Hotch protested dully and Gideon looked down at his desk with a dismissive air, finished with the conversation. He didn't bother to look back up, to listen to the rest of what Hotch had to say and Hotch knew better than to try and defend himself further. He'd screwed up and Gideon had no patience for it. “Of course. I'll see you in a couple of days.”

“Morgan,” Haley said, opening the door. She looked frazzled, her hair pulled up in a messy ponytail, the kind that had started out neat and tidy but now fell half down around her face. Her eyes were tired, not just sleepy but really truly tired. He smiled gently at her, easing her into a conversation as he shifted his weight and leaned in the doorway. Beginning slowly, he asked her how she was, told her she looked great, easy little things to make her smile, lighten the mood. It wasn't often that he saw Haley anymore but he'd always liked her and he knew how hard things were for her, caught somewhere between loving Hotch and wanting out for her own sanity. In his heart he knew it was only a matter of time before she made up her mind and it wasn't going to be pretty when it happened.

“Is Hotch okay? Your text sounded urgent,” he said, pleasantries out of the way. He made no attempt to get her to let him inside, just waited for her. She was the one who had reached out, he reminded himself. She nodded reluctantly, stepping backward and beckoning him inside in spite of the state of her home. He could see toys on the floor, a basket of unfolded laundry spilling over on the kitchen counter, and only a lamp in the den providing any light other than the shaded windows to the house. Upstairs Jack was screaming, the sound echoing through the walls of the house. She wondered as she watched Morgan whether she had made the right choice, calling him instead of Gideon, or if she was somehow making things worse. The way her child screamed upstairs fed her urgency, her stress.

“He's had a migraine the last few days, I'm sure you guys have missed him...” she muttered, a hint of sarcasm lacing her tone, shaking her head. She didn't mean it the way it sounded. Then again, maybe she did. The look on Morgan's face gave her pause, let her know he was well aware of how she meant it. Clearing her throat, she continued. “Anyway. I called his doctor today, they're going to see him this afternoon I just have to find a sitter for Jack, or someone else to take Aaron. Jack is teething and I have to keep him away from Aaron, the noise, you know. I know it's still bad even when Jack is screaming upstairs but I don't know what else to do...he's just screaming and drooling and Aaron is...” her voice trailed off. Aaron is what? What would she even say? Morgan would figure it out on his own if he stuck around. He got the distinct impression that all Haley wanted was out – out of the house, away from her husband and Jack. He would help her the best he could, she looked desperate.

“I can take Hotch,” Morgan offered, skirting around the issue of the kid. He didn't do babies, wouldn't know the first thing about watching one or what he's teething actually meant, but the shrieking from upstairs was terrifying and he did know he wanted nothing to do with that. He'd worked with Hotch long enough to know his migraines, how they usually ran their course, figured he had better odds on that battle field. They usually didn't take him out of work, though, and it left him more than a little shaken imagining how it could be bad enough for him to take days off and go see a doctor. Gideon hadn't told them he'd forced Hotch to take time off, just said he was out. “I got it.” She regarded him seriously, pushed the hair back from her eyes and shrugged. She'd been hoping to offload the baby for a few hours, get some peace and quiet herself, but Morgan was the first person to even speak with her – both of her parents and her sister were avoiding her calls, no one wanted to take care of a teething toddler and she was desperate.

“Okay. Yeah, that'd be...yeah. Thanks Derek.” She skittered around the kitchen, found a pen and paper and scribbled down the time and the address and the doctor's name on the back of a receipt and handed it to Morgan with a forced smile. “Really. Thank you. He hasn't had one like this in...gosh, it's been years now. He probably doesn't need to see his doctor I was just worried...he's been on the couch since he got home on Thursday night and he has hardly been able to move, hasn't eaten, I just didn't know what else to do.” Morgan peered into the living room, everything was dark but he thought he could make out the faint outline of Hotch's foot on the arm of the couch, he was too tall to fit entirely onto just about any furniture.

“Mind if I go say hi?” Morgan asked and Haley shrugged, grabbing the laundry basket from the counter.

“Just keep your voice down,” she said and Morgan nodded, he knew. He watched her skip up the stairs and let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding before walking quietly into the front room toward the couch. The floorboards creaked beneath his heavy footsteps, he couldn't decide if it would be better to go slower or quicken his pace to lessen the noise. He could tell Hotch wasn't sleeping but his eyes were closed, forehead covered with an ice pack, blanket draped over him but half fallen to the floor. Cautiously he picked up the blanket, spread it out and tucked it around his friend's shoulders before sitting himself down on the coffee table. He knew Hotch hated when he sat there, made a point to do it just to irritate him most of the time, but now it was just necessary to get a good look.

“Morgan?” Hotch whispered, lips barely moving. His breaths were shallow, hesitant, ribs just barely expanding beneath the thin blanket. He nodded.

“Yeah, it's me,” he replied after a moment of silence. “Listen, I'm gonna take you to see your doctor okay?” Hotch hummed deep in his throat, caught somewhere between an acknowledgment and a whimper. Speaking made his head pound harder. Somehow, Morgan didn't need words, he understood clearly without them.

“Hotch?” Morgan asked, leaning close. “You're gonna come back right?” Out with it. He hadn't meant to dig right in, thought he'd wait it out, maybe vibe the situation, but seeing Hotch sprawled out on the couch, feeling the pain radiating off of his friend pushed him over the edge. He hadn't even had time to work through what happened to Reid and now he was thrust into some hell world where Hotch wasn't coming to work, no one but Gideon knew why, and it was just he and Gideon holding down the fort and pretending things were fine. Things were, most definitely, not fine.

“Morgan...” Hotch whined, raising his hand slowly to the ice pack on his forehead, slipping it off carefully. He tried to hold it, to move it, but it fell from his grip and he couldn't seem to figure out how to remedy the situation so he just froze in place. Morgan waited for the next words, hung on baited breath and when none came he felt his heart stop.

“Yeah?” he asked, trying to spark the moment again. Hotch moaned, lost for a time in the way his ears rang. The pain was unlike anything he'd ever known, so intense it made him sick to his stomach.

“Let's go,” he croaked, trying to sit himself up. Morgan reached out and took hold of Hotch's arm, groaning and shuffling until Hotch's weight was entirely against him and walked him toward the door. Hotch held one hand over his face, covering his eyes, pressing his palm into his forehead. He whimpered at the sunlight, pressed his face into Morgan's chest almost involuntarily, just to diffuse the light that shot like a dagger through his skull. Pulling Hotch into him, Morgan quickened his pace, his hand blocking sunlight and sound the best he could manage. They would end up early to the appointment. Once Hotch was in the passenger seat, shoulders slumped, head resting heavily against the cool window, Morgan sent a quick text to Haley to let her know they were leaving and backed out of the driveway. He wondered at that momentarily, that he was the only one with a code to the gate, felt the pang of guilt spread like a droplet of water on a lake. What he'd said, what they'd all said. It had been just a drop, and over the course of days it had gathered momentum and become a tidal wave of regret.

The waiting room was busy, children playing on a small table filled with magnets and sorting blocks in front of them. Morgan had checked Hotch in, seated them in a corner that was as far away from the noise as it could be but there wasn't much he could do. Hotch slumped over, his head in his hands, elbows propped on his knees. If there was another position he could have taken to look more miserable, Morgan wasn't sure what it might be. Without thinking, he placed his hand on Hotch's back, right between his shoulders, and let it sit there. The weight reminded Hotch he wasn't alone but did nothing to assuage the pain and nausea, nothing to drive away the nagging sensation that he wasn't enough and had, ultimately, failed. As a leader, as a husband, as a father. At least that was the impression that Gideon and Haley were giving him, and in his heightened state of pain and misery he was inclined to wallow there knowing it wasn't really true but lacking the energy to pull himself out of it.

“Why are you here?” Hotch asked, pressing his fingertips into his eyebrows to relieve some of the pressure building there. Morgan was silent, considering all of the ways this conversation could go. Ultimately he decided on simple.

“Haley asked for help,” he offered, rubbing his hand up and down Hotch's back now. “I help friends in need.” Hotch didn't respond right away and it didn't matter, the conversation was cut short there by the nurse calling Hotch's name, briefly triaging him there in the waiting area and sliding him into a wheelchair when she'd deemed him to be a fall risk. Morgan tried not to let it worry him, he knew it was a liability thing. An eternity passed before that same nurse came back into the lobby and asked him to follow her, told him they were sending Hotch down to the Urgent Care for some IV medications and hydration and walked him down the three flights of stairs to the new lobby where he could sit and wait some more. The same chairs, the same toys, the same sick children but this time in a basement with no real sunlight and he felt like he was suffocating. It was a helluva way to spend a day off, playing low quality solitaire on his phone. He was sure another eternity passed before a young man came and greeted him, a medical assistant in lime green scrubs and crisp white sneakers begging him to come back with him. Morgan followed dutifully, no idea what he was doing or where he was going and he didn't ask any questions. When they came to a stop they were in a large room full of beds, people miserably reclined on each hooked up to IVs with only a sheer curtain pulled between them, giving them the appearance of privacy where none actually existed. Morgan could see them all, and he could see his person on the end.

“This way, sir,” the young man said, guiding Morgan to where they had Hotch. He indicated to the chair beside the bed, told him he could sit, showed him the remote to work the bed and call for a nurse, explained that they had about an hour and then they could leave. Morgan glanced up at the bags of fluid, saline and something else, something yellowy tinted and Hotch looked somehow serene and miserable at the same time with his free arm thrown over his eyes, the other pinned against his stomach hooked up to the IV.

“Guess I was right to be worried huh?” Morgan asked once the young man left them alone. Hotch hummed, low and gravely. Morgan felt his insides twist. “Look. What we all said the other day...”

“Please don't.”

Morgan talked anyway, because he had to get it off of his chest. He kept his voice low, almost inaudible so no one else would hear, maybe so Hotch wouldn't even really hear. Hotch just sat quietly, in too much pain to talk, to join the conversation. He had nothing to say anyway, he wouldn't throw Gideon under the bus and tell Morgan he'd been asked to take time off, he would only groan every now and then to let Morgan know he was still alive, still listening to the man talk about the team and how guilty they felt. What JJ and Emily said had hurt, they were so sure of themselves and he hadn't ever considered either of those things about himself, but for some reason it was Morgan that had crushed him and he couldn't figure out why. Morgan had been careful with his words, he'd stayed away from absolutes, he'd padded his words and they hit harder anyway. He wasn't entirely surprised by them, he did his best to run a tight ship, yet he found the air sucked clean from his lungs anyway.

By the time they were cut loose, Hotch was lost to the world on painkillers and Morgan all but carried him back to the car after Hotch argued incessantly about another trip in a wheelchair. Two trips, he claimed rather belligerently, was more than enough for one day and he was fine. The ride home was silent, just the roar of the tires on the road to keep them company. It wasn't until Hotch was settled back into his nest on the couch, his feet propped up on Morgan's lap, that he made any real effort to speak.

“I'm not upset,” he whispered, adjusting the ice on his head. The medicine had taken the edge off, helped him feel almost human again, but the pain still throbbed behind his eyebrows. “I was. I didn't realize..." he cleared his throat and sighed. "But when Reid hugged me, told me he knew I'd understand what he meant...it didn't matter how I felt. It was worth it, and now I know. I'll do better. I have to earn respect and I haven't done a very good job of it.”

“Hotch, I've always respected you man. You get on my nerves, sure, but damn. Don't ever stop being a drill sergeant,” Morgan replied, smiling, drumming on Hotch's leg with his long fingers. “Sometimes my lazy ass needs it.”

“You aren't lazy,” Hotch whispered back, a hint of a smile turning up the corners of his mouth. Morgan just grinned and shook his head.

“Well, who knows, I might get lazy if you stop...”

“Doubtful, but point taken. Thanks Morgan.”

[melodiesofblueroses]

Can I request a Seiichiro with a reader who loves Cinnamoroll and they bond over it?

hello anon, hope you've been doing well!! I hope you don't mind, but I decided to write a fic for this rather than hcs. It is a bit long so apologies for that, but it was just too cute, and I couldn't seem to stop writing! Hope you enjoy 💕

»»————————-　♡　————————-««

-𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨: seiichiro x gn!reader

-𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘳𝘦: fluff

-𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵: ~1.9k

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“could you please give these to the student council president?” one of your fellow club members asked, shoving a stack of documents into your arms. it was nearing the end of the day, and all the members were helping to clean up the classroom before all going their separate ways. quickly scanning over them, you weren’t quite sure what they were for and why a small school club even needed that many papers, but you decided that it would be much less of a headache if you just complied. it’s not like they really asked much out of you anyway since you were simply another member, a mere single digit they could add to their forms. the only reason you were even in a club was because everyone was expected to be in one.

“um, sure,” you replied, trying your best to hold the heavy load of papers. it would surely be a nightmare to reorganize if any were to spill. the other member seemed to pay no mind and instead started to thank you for going through all of the trouble. it’s not like you really minded the task, however, so all you could do was awkwardly stand still so that you could ask them one more question. “could you point me in the direction though?” 

it was usually the captain or co-captain that often dealt with the student council president, and you’d heard quite a bit about him. well, for one, he was supposedly quite handsome, though that was currently the least of your concerns. from what you’ve gathered, the president was a dependable guy, someone who was loved by all. he always took on a task someone asked of him, whether it be too big or small. yet, he was also a bit frightening due to how uptight and strict he was with guidelines. at times, he was quite a pain to deal with, or so you’ve heard. it was rather frustrating to all of the other club captains as they had to redo their forms many times in order to hold up to his standards. in short, the president was a perfectionist. no wonder the captain of your club didn’t want to go deliver the documents today. 

you shuddered at the thought of meeting such a guy, terrified that he’d have you stay longer and redo the papers. you didn’t even know how to fill out the forms, much less what was even on them. as much as you wanted to simply leave the documents at the doorstep, you knew that the club was depending on you. besides, if the president was that strict, then he’d surely get mad at your club, and you couldn’t risk it disbanding. there really wasn’t much you could currently do, however, since you had just arrived at his office. deciding that it was better to get it over with, you knocked on the door a few times, opening and stepping into the room the moment you heard ‘enter.’

you thought that surely the rumors and gossip were exaggerated when you saw a young man sitting at a desk, smiling up at you as you entered the room. there was possibly no way that such a generous looking fellow was so stern. well, there was one thing they got right: he really did seem like a dependable man. plus, he was quite good-looking if you did say so yourself. awestruck, it took you a few moments to snap out of your trance once you caught yourself staring, fumbling over your words in embarrassment as you introduced yourself. 

“uh, i’m y/n l/n from the card games club. the captain asked me to deliver these documents to you.” stepping forward to the desk, you shyly handed over the large stack, trying your best to avoid his gaze. you really hoped that everything was in order so that you could get out of there as soon as possible. your delivery was supposed to arrive today, and you wanted to get home on time to receive it. 

“it’s nice to meet you y/n.” at the sound of his voice, you couldn’t help but gush a bit. you couldn’t believe that you’d fallen for a few false rumors. he was a total sweetheart! or at least, from what you’ve seen. “i’m seiichiro minamoto, the student council president, though i’m sure you already know that.” the laugh that followed after was loud enough to make your heart jump, taken aback by the sudden noise. it also sounded so hearty and warm, however, that you couldn’t help but be flustered. seiichiro was shaping up to be a great guy. “let’s see now…” he muttered to himself as he scanned over the papers you had brought while you stood awkwardly in front of him, awaiting any feedback. it surely was anxiety-inducing, especially for someone that had never interacted with the president before. 

as you stood there, fidgeting and playing with your nails, you began to survey the room and the table, practically anything to avert your gaze from the male that was currently looking over the documents. the first thing that you notice is just how neat and tidy his desk was, despite the numerous papers that filled it. there was a clear system in place, and it was the definition of organization, something that you could only dream of achieving. the next thing you noticed was the sheer amount of papers that sat upon his desk. geez, did he really have to read over all of that, on top of solving disputes between students? seiichiro was nothing short of a superhero. the final thing that caught your eye, and the one that you were most shocked to see was a familiar cute puppy keychain he had on his lanyard. 

“is that a cinnamoroll keychain?” you gasped, forgetting the fact that you had just interrupted the student president. if your captain or any other club member was there with you, they would’ve surely scolded you for speaking out of line, not that it even mattered at that moment. that fact slipped your mind however as you focused at how cute cinnamoroll looked. you were excited to have found another fan of the adorable mascot, though you really weren’t expecting it to be the rumored stern student president of all things.  

“hm? oh, you’re talking about this.” seiichiro took hold of the keychain and held it up so that you could get a closer look. he smiled at the mention of cinnamoroll, cementing the fact that he was a fan which only made you that much more excited. “i take it that you’re a fan as well?”

“of course! cinnamoroll and his friends are so adorable. who couldn’t not love those large flappy ears of his or that cute cinnamon roll tail?” you gushed, all your remaining nerves and anxiety vanishing as you talked about your absolute favorite character. all the rules of etiquette, or at least those used when talking to the student president, were immediately forgotten the moment you found out that he was a fan as well. you had a hard time finding other fans of the mascot that were around you since most people simply told you to grow up and to stop fawning over such a “childish character.” it’s not like you could easily stop loving him though, especially when he’s helped you through some of your darkest times. cinnamoroll was like a friend to you, and you couldn’t just abandon him. needless to say, their opinions really only made you feel bad about yourself, and your love for cinnamoroll only seemed to grow. but now you had found someone who you could gush about him to, and you could finally share your love for cinnamoroll with no judgement at all. “say, have you ever met him?”

seiichiro couldn’t help but chuckle at your enthusiasm. he loved it though. i mean, it’s not everyday that he found another cinnamoroll superfan, especially during school activities. from then on, he just knew that the two of you would get along really well, bonding over your love of the same mascot. “yep, i’ve met him many times at puroland.” he smiled as he recalled all the times he’s met cinnamoroll. those were all fond memories of his, and seiichiro never got tired of meeting him. cinnamoroll always managed to relax and reassure him that he could get everything done. with his workload, it got hard for seiichiro to continue on at times due to burnout, and visiting cinnamoroll was sometimes the perfect remedy (coupled with rest of course). 

“lucky,” you mumbled. you had to admit that you were jealous that seiichiro had gotten to see cinnamoroll before, and at puroland of all places! it was one of your dreams to visit it and stroll around the cinnamoroll area, topping it off with finally being able to meet him. but it was also so cool that you knew someone who knew cinnamoroll. plus the fact that seiichiro had such cool and cute merch made you slightly envious as well. seiichiro was just so awesome, unlike all of those stern and uptight rumors you had previously heard. how come no one ever told you that he was a cinnamoroll fan as well? you would’ve been able to befriend him much sooner if that was the case. “i wish i could meet him someday.” 

“hm, well then y/n, would you like to come with me to puroland saturday?”

it took you a good few moments for you to process what had just happened. was the student council president, the seiichiro minamoto, asking you out on a date? the handsome, cool, and dependable seiichiro; the one right in front of you? of course it wasn’t a date though, just a hangout between friends. but you were so excited at that moment that your brain didn’t register it as the latter. not only would you get to hang out with seiichiro, but you would also be able to meet cinnamoroll. it was killing two birds with one stone!

“i-i’d love to! if you don’t mind that is,” you exclaimed, the excitement and nervousness clearly heard in your voice. it had come out of the blue so it made you extremely flustered. “then we can eat at the cinnamoroll café too!! my treat.” you internally squealed as you thought of your cinnamoroll-filled day that you were to spend with seiichiro in a few days. there were many plans for it that were buzzing around in your mind, but you knew that you had to narrow it down to a few ideas. there was no way that you could fit everything into one afternoon. 

“sounds like a plan.” with another smile of his, you felt your heart pound and your face flush. how did you get so lucky as to snatch a ‘date’ with someone as cute as him? “let’s exchange numbers.” the two of you pulled out your phones and began adding each other to your contacts, messaging one another a simple ‘hi’ to make sure that you were talking to the right person. “we can meet up at the nearest train station from here if that’s alright.” 

“that sounds good!” needless to say, you were giddy about the entire thing, and so was seiichiro though he didn’t outwardly show it. a day filled with cinnamoroll goodness spent side-by-side by another fan was exactly what you currently needed. besides, it’d be a chance for the two of you to bond over a shared interest and grow closer to one another. everything about it was just perfect. 

you couldn’t wait until saturday came by.