#but like she really deserves a holiday or something at least a day off she must be exhausted

[badxwolf]

I hope they are paying Rose Tyler well she’s been working extra hard at haunting the narrative lately

[priniya]

🔮 OPPOSITES ATTRACT

synopsis. a quiet slytherin and a loud gryffindor find themselves on a chilly evening, which results in something unexpected — at least for people around them. the oldest weasley’s daughter finds herself infatuated with nott’s only child and vice versa, even if their worlds seem so different, being apart just doesn’t feel right.

notes. theodore nott x weasley!reader. slightly sunshine x grumpy (pretend you’re a ginger if ur not). part 2 containing the date, thoughts?

theodore nott never thought he would be given a chance to love and be loved, upon all the terrible mistakes he has made. and maybe it seemed silly for a sixteen years old to say, but with an upcoming war, he wasn’t so sure if he could live through it.

theodore nott never thought he would have someone to call his own, someone to help him, when times get tough or someone who would understand him wordlessly. to be fair, theodore nott never thought he deserved anything like that, so the surprise on his face, when he found someone who was involuntarily willing to be his person was enormous.

he was walking around the crowded streets of the city, the dim lighting allowing him to see muggles running around with different expression on every other face he has passed — some of them were happy, cheering the slowly creeping holiday on them, some of them were exhausted and/or angry, probably from trying to find a perfect gift for someone and failing. just watching them gave him some sort of comfort, he had never had to look for gifts too much, his father wasn’t keen on being all festive and christmas was just any other day. the exception itself was looking for presents for his friends, which never had troubled him so much he looked exhausted.

he was in his thoughts, when he felt like he collided with someone. his eyebrows were squinted as he looked down on the red-haired girl, whose face was all red, either from cold or embarrassment. though, there was something so familiar about the girl that made him study her face for a brief second, the tea stain on his unzipped jacket didn’t seem to bother him at all, not as much as the familiarity of the girl.

“oh my god, i am so sorry, sir.” she let out ashamed that she didn’t look where she was going and that she probably ruined someone’s evening with her no sugar, lemon tea. it was then, when the familiar girl finally gave up and looked at the person she rudely bumped into.

“nott?” her words weren’t coated with layers of disgust and regret that out of all the people in london that night, she bumped into theodore nott. her words had surprised and confused undertones, almost as if she didn’t mind seeing him there. now, he obviously recognized his attacker — y/n weasley, a girl he sits behind in history of magic, a twin sister of potter’s best friend, someone who should hate him with burning passion.

“are you alright?” redhead’s question took him off guard.

theo was expecting something else, like a mockery of the fact that he was walking amongst muggles without hexing them all. though to be honest, theodore never hated muggles, well, yeah, he said some stupid shit, when he was younger and he was far from proud, but it was the need to appease his father. he definitely didn’t expect to see the worried manner in her, her brows scrunched as she tried to read his emotions, while standing in front of him in silence.

“theo…?” repeated y/n. he wasn’t alright and he didn’t know if he should show it. for merlin’s sake, he really wanted to get so much things out of his system, but venting to a weasley? he knew better than that — she would probably go around, and spread out the word about everything she heard from him.

nott was about to mumble something in response, when her eyes flickered with concern, demolishing all his justification why shouldn’t he talk to her for longer than needed. she was genuine, not caring that ron and harry weren’t on a good terms with him, she wanted to know, and help if possible.

so, theo simply gave up the act. “uh, no. not really.” he confessed, confirming all the suspicions she got to gather from observing him for a few minutes, when he thought of an answer. her expression changed from concerned to slightly sad, even.

before the boy could realize, he was sat in one of the small coffee shops beside her, a half empty, steamy cup of hot chocolate in his hands as they talked. something was so incredibly off about the way they conversed, first time in a while, he never wanted to conversation to end, just like when he was talking to his friends. his body itched at the thought that soon both of them would have to come to their respective houses and the talk would be just a memory that never happened again.

he had to admit that y/n’s presence was soothing. it was like the smell of a freshly printed new book, a cigarette on a foggy morning, a sensation of someone’s nails gently scratching the inside of his palm. the last one was a habit his mom developed to calm him down before she died, leaving him with an aching need for someone to find out about his perk and do it when he needs.

her muffled laughter filled his ears as he watched the girl cover her lips with a palm, he couldn’t help but smile. the gloomy atmosphere that he brought with his tiny vent was long gone, since she declared it her mission to make him feel better. so, since he wasn’t a big talker himself, she let him listen to all the stories from when she was growing up. even though he never experienced a family like hers, a family that cared for each other, it was comforting.

his eyes darted to the clock hung up on a wall, followed by hers and a long sigh that left his lips. his fingers ran through his curls as he parted his lips to bid goodbyes, though y/n was faster. “we could meet up here some other time, if you want.” she gave him a shy smile, the one he never thought he would see on her face.

y/n weasley wasn’t the shy type of girl, she was a big talker, a smart-ass with witty comebacks and a obnoxiously loud aura coating her small frame, though right now, upon his gaze that wandered around her face for quite some time now, she grew shyer.

“uh.” stuttered theo. “yeah, i guess it’s a good idea.” his reply made her smile go bigger, and in the back of his head, it felt like a reward for the decision he just made, some kind of reassurance that he did something good.

“perfect.” she grinned, taking the two of their cups and taking them to the shop’s kitchen, revealing that either she works there, or she’s just insanely crazy for barging into someone’s workplace as an unwanted stranger. “there’s a fireplace in the back.” weasley added, taking his hand in hers before he could even refuse (he wouldn’t though).

the tips of her long nails gently grazed his palm, when she led him the back, greeting a few of her coworkers. her touch on his skin ached, almost burnt, although if that’s what the insides of a normal, fireplace without floo powder felt like, he could grow to like it, only if a part of her body was pressed against his. few minutes later theo’s hand felt empty as he watched her disappear in green flames, having bid their goodbyes.

***

theo hated that feeling. this warm, strange feeling that coated his heart whenever he thought about the obnoxious gryffindor, who he met at those muggle streets. nevertheless, he found himself unable to think about someone else. he was replying to a letter pansy has sent him, and the only thing he had on his mind was y/n, he wondered if ginny told her about her little getaways with theo’s best friend, if all her brothers got back to their house, and — if she thought about him.

his hands throbbed. his fingers wrapped tightly around the quill, before putting it down on his deck. why on earth would he text her? it was one accidental meeting at some crowded street, one conversation that shouldn’t mean anything to them.

nott squeezed his eyes, the muscles on his face tensed as he focused on the paper in front of him, scribbling down a few words in his neat handwriting. a long sigh has left his lips, his eyes tracing the sentence he wrote for her. shit, why would he even do that? if any of his friends knew, he’d have been doomed — one weasley hanging around their friend group was enough, but he didn’t want to push draco nor blaise’s limits.

on a christmas’ eve, he went out for another walk, slightly hoping in the back of his mind that he’d accidentally bump into her again. this time, theodore would make sure to hear her laugh more often, to see her teeth, when she smiles or to watch as she gets shyer upon his gaze on her face.

his feet got him into a familiar looking café, his eyebrows scrunched in confusion — he couldn’t pinpoint from where he knew the place — and looked around. then, he heard it.

“theo!” a female voice rang in his ears. the boy turned his face, a smile slipping onto his lips as he realized where he was. the god damned café y/n was working at. “what can i get you?” a grin spread across her face, visibly delighted to see him there, almost as if she hoped for it.

her forearms laid on the counter as her body leaned a little closer, her hair pinned up in a ponytail that probably got ruined during her shift from running around the place, having a chat with each customer every now and then, a pinkish tint on her cheeks, maybe from the heat in the back or maybe, because he was there.

it took him a second to realize that he was staring with his mouth slightly parted. “uh—” he stuttered, getting a small, barely audiable giggle in response. “i just came to see you.” he blurted out. thank god his ears were covered by the beanie, because just by saying those six words got him all flustered.

“theo.” his name sounded so well coming from her. theodore wanted to hear it again, again, and again. it was melodic, like most beautiful song he’s ever heared. how could he get so whipped after one hangout?

“i hoped you’d come by.” she confessed shyly. “i have something for you in the back, could you give me five minutes? i gotta tell the manager i’m taking a break.” she beamed at him sweetly, rushing off to the back, taking off the green apron that hung on her waist in the meantime.

when she came back, she was still wearing the café’s shirt with a small, green logo, black jeans, and was carefully walking towards his table with a neatly wrapped package and on a top of that a plate with a big piece of some sort of chocolate cake, two drinks (the same as last time), and a cookie. her hair wasn’t in a ponytail anymore, ginger strands falling into her shoulders as she gave him the sweetest smile he’d ever seen.

“you– you got me something?” a question left theo’s mouth, leaving him all surprised — the strange feeling warming him up from the inside. he took a big sip of the hot chocolate in front of him, hardly minding that he burnt his tongue, he didn’t want to say anything stupid. “y/n, we talked once and you… got me something?” he asked once again, not believing his own eyes.

the girl just smiled wider, passing the box towards him. “uh. yeah.” she answered, shrugging. “last time, you said that you never really celebrated christmas the right way, so… please open it.” she tried explaing herself, but gave up at the end, pushing the box further with her fingertips. “please?”

shit.

if she didn’t ask, if she didn’t give him those eyes and that smile. maybe he would be able to refuse, think of some lame excuse that wouldn’t hurt her feelings and give her the box back. but y/n was so sweet, and thought of him hard enough to prepare him a gift.

for half a second, theodore could see something flicker in her eyes, when his lean fingers gently pulled the green ribbon, ripping the gift paper afterwards. the gift turned out to be a sweater, a hand-made one that made the feeling come back to him.

the sweater was dark green, in the similar shade of his tie or the snake symbol on his robes, it had a large, dark blue letter T with a silver outline. his eyes scanned the piece of clothing, the corner of his lips going slightly upwards. “you got me your mom’s iconic sweater?” asked theo.

his mind was filled with different thoughts and emotions right now. he could never call y/n weasley a sweet girl, not because it wasn’t true, but because it would be an understatement — she was the sweetest, or at least somewhere in that range. his cheeks almost hurt from smiling at her, and never in his life nott had felt it.

“actually…” her cheeks started getting a little more pinkish than usual. “it’s based on my mom’s sweaters, i did it on my own. it might not be perfect—" y/n started rambling in nervousness, afraid that the boy won’t be happy about getting a meaningless piece of fabric from her.

“y/n, i love it.” theodore’s words were like honey to y/n’s ears, she gave him a small smile, not really expecting him to gently grab her hand out of sudden. the reason behind it? even theo didn’t know (probably to ease her nerves).

when he realized what he did, he wanted to take his hand back and mutter a quiet apology, the crime scene awkward as much as only possible. although, from the corner of his eye, he noticed that the pink on her face intensified, few more minutes of skin-to-skin contact, and she would turn into a tomato, so his hand stayed on hers, taking the chance and intertwining their fingers together.

“would you– uh,” the redhead started, stumbling over her own words, easily losing focus, each time his thumb stroked her hand, a tiny smirk hovering over his lips. “like to, uh, come here once in a while, you know… until the break’s over? keep me company, maybe?”

and he did. how couldn’t he? this girl was constantly on his mind ever since she bumped into him on the streets and spent literal hours at the café.

although, beside just keeping her company during the winter break — but also at school. he grew so fond of her (and believe me, it worked both ways) that cutting their fresh friendship short was something he couldn’t let happen. so… even though her younger sister was already swaying her way into theodore’s friend group, y/n seemed like a different topic.

theodore nott liked sharing. as unbelievable as it sounds, he really did. whenever he had something he enjoyed, he was willing to share, he was the type of person to give away his last cigarette to one of his friends, but the thought of sharing y/n weasley never crossed his mind. he wanted her all to himself, so… their hangouts always contained just the two of them.

small study dates in the library, late night walks around the courtyard, meet-ups in the room of requirement, picnics in the astronomy tower, while smoking some pot and cigarettes together.

back then, it felt strictly platonic. even if they called it their little dates, nott had a feeling they weren’t moving past the friendship line, while his emotions towards the girl were getting more and more serious. nevertheless, theodore was confident, but not confident enough to ask her out — to confess his silly crush without the fear creeping up on him that y/n would reject him and turn his dreams into nightmares.

***

the weather outside was getting better with each day until spending time inside the castle was unbearable. it was around the time, theo decided to finally push his luck and ask the girl of his dream out. ever since he woke up, he was nervously fidgeting with everything that got to his hands and when then classes were to start, it only got worse.

“you alright, theo?” a whisper left y/n’s mouth as she stood next to him in potions, her elbow nudging him lightly, trying to catch his attention.

merlin. the way his name sounded so wonderful on her tongue. if it wasn’t for the small attention-grabber, he would definitely accidentally ignore the question to daydream about how sweetly her voice is.

“no, i mean– yes, yes i am.” he stuttered. “i just– can i ask you a question?” she nodded, making his stomach turn around. “would you, uh– like to go out to hogsmeade with me? like on a date?” the question left his lips.

his throat went dry as he waited years for an answer (which was actually just about two seconds, theo’s brain just got really dramatic from stress), legs giving up, so he had to lean his palms on the table.

“f’course.” weasley grinned, not minding the blush that spread all over her face, just from the ask. “i thought you’d never ask, really.” she giggled, turning her eyes away for a second, before flashing him another beam of hers.

nott’s face was now bright pink. “i– what?” he was struggling to form a logical sentence. “you wanted me to–?” the boy was supposed to finish his thought, though it didn’t really sit well with snape who interrupted their little talk, postponing it until the evening.

the two of them were walking somewhere outside, laughing about something so insignificant, when the situation from classes popped into his mind. “so… about that date. you really want to?” asked nott.

he expected any kind of answer — yes, no, maybe, you should guess, nah — whatever was only possible. however, the feeling of her lips on his wouldn’t cross his mind. she kissed him. y/n has kissed him, leaving him breathless, when she pulled away.

“does that answer your question?” redhead chuckled, her fingers still curled up against the collar of his white shirt. he shook his head, still mind-blown. “yes, theodore faustus nott, i was dying to hear you ask me out on a date. whatever we have between us, i wanted it to move forward and go on a date with you.”

she laughed. “you really think i’d spend hours crotcheting a sweater for a guy i met few days earlier if i didn’t feel something? theo, i almost passed out when you touched my hand months ago.” another laugh left her lips that were now so close to his, clouding his mind with one certain thing.

upon hearing all those words, the boy couldn’t stop himself anymore, he pressed his mouth against hers, savouring the moment. cherishing the fact that she wanted him like he wanted her.

“the date is still a thing, yeah?” y/n smiled as her nose brushed his.

“you’re gonna love it.” he answered, grinning.

[sadesluvr]

"Santa, Baby" - A Mike Schmidt blurb

After years of hating the holidays, Mike gets a Christmas miracle.

A/N: Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays everyone! 🎄✨ This is just me writing a silly little blurb bc I’m sad yet obsessed with the idea of spending the season with Mike and Abby. They deserve the world :’)

Set in the 2000’s like the movie.

Word count: 463

Tags: FLUFF / GN! Reader / Not much really / Mike gets to be happy for once

Mike couldn’t remember the last time he enjoyed Christmas. It was no secret that it was difficult for him, working a minimum wage job with two mouths to feed didn’t leave much room for luxury dinners or fancy gifts, but it didn’t mean they didn’t try. They always put up a tree, a few decorations, and Abby got at least one present…Other than that, they spent the actual day watching whatever was on TV and listening to the radio. Then, he was usually back to work in a few days.

He hated not being able to give Abby the holiday she deserved. It killed him to think that the kids at her school would talk about all the cool things they got, whilst she got barely anything. 

He couldn’t even remember the last time he received a present. 

This Christmas was different. It was his first with you, someone who happened to have money at your disposal. Ever since you'd visited their house, you’d made efforts to turn it into a home - replacing the curtains, buying a new fridge - even spoiling Abby with art lessons. At first, Mike had been hesitant; but he saw the way that Abby smiled just a bit brighter, and the way slept just a bit easier, and slowly gave into the idea of being spoiled.

“Open it!” You buzzed, Santa hat bobbing slightly as you handed a large box to him, Abby engrossed in her new toy, but glancing up briefly to watch the interaction. Mike raised an eyebrow, blushing even at the idea of having a gift. Slowly, he tore off the wrapping paper, and his Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat as he realised what it was.

“It’s a PS2!” you buzzed happily. “I remember you talking to me about how much you loved to game and had an NES when you were a teenager…I know memories of that time aren’t the best, but maybe you can make new ones..?”

Mike felt the tears well in his eyes, clenching his jaw as he trembled. 

You’d listened to him. Not only had you listened, but you’d remembered. You’d cared enough to go out of your way and get something that connected his past and present, when you could’ve just as easily got a cashmere sweater.

He felt twelve years old again; wasting hours in front of a tiny TV, shoving popcorn into his mouth as a gamed. His mom never understood the appeal.

With shaky hands, he looked up at you. You’d even bought him a game alongside it.

Smiling, you felt your heart break just a little, but you could see that he was practically screaming thank you. 

“Go ahead,” you smiled, watching as Abby rushed over to admire Mike’s new gift. “I’ll watch the food,”

[ginevrapng]

𝐖𝐄'𝐑𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆!

(𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐎𝐍𝐄)

pairing: george weasley x reader, ron weasley x reader

word count: 3.0k words

contents: swearing, a couple suggestive comments, reader wears a bikini at one point, chubby-coded reader, drinking, percy (he deserves a warning), reader not specified what hogwarts house they were in, no use of y/n, british idioms, phrases and slang words

a/n: this was originally a one-shot about george but as i kept writing i decided i wanted it to be a short series that also included ron and the possibility that the reader may up with him. this isn't a love triangle fic! there is no triangle!

summary: you're an honorary member of the weasley family and have been for years, you're one of ron's best friends and are very close. everyone thinks and teases you both that you're dating or have feelings for each other. this muddles up things as george feels guilty about his own feelings.

<< part two | masterlist (check out my poll for this chapter)

you became an honorary member of the weasley family when you were in your third year at hogwarts, after meeting ron and afterwards meeting his family. now you probably spend more time with the weasley's than you do your own family. when you attended hogwarts you spent the summer holidays with them. it's been years and you've formed a bond with all of them, you care about them and they care about you. little did you know george cares about you in a different way than the others do.

ginny and fred often tease you and ron asking about when your wedding will be, while you flip them off and ron tells them to "bloody fuck off." whenever you see bill he asks if ron has finally had the balls to ask you out and sometimes you even worry that molly may be planning the wedding, no matter how many times you both insist there is nothing going on between you two the weasley clan make it their goal to not listen.

"i don't know why you all bang on about us. i fancied hermione for years. we're not dating, she's not my girlfriend!" ron shouts while throwing something at fred as he easily doges it.

looking up from reading the new muggle book hermione let you borrow you say with a fake teasing scowl, "who's 'she', the cat's mother?" ron glares at you in warning to tell you to shut up causing you to laugh.

george plops himself next to you on the sofa and looks at the book you're reading. "why're you readin' in the middle of the day? you normally read at night." he asks while looking over to you, blocking your vision of the page with his head.

pushing his head away with one hand he grins. "because hermione's lending it to me. that means i only have like a week to finish it before she wants it back."

"hey!" hermione shoots you a look, causing you and george to chuckle.

the person who believes you and ron the least is george, he knows you're not a liar, you would never lie but he worries that ron wants to keep you secret and not treasure you the way you deserve to be treated. he worries that your feelings towards his younger brother are unrequited and he'll end up breaking your heart. he would never voice these feelings out loud but you're always on his mind. he does feel guilty because he knows that you likely are dating ron but that doesn't stop his heart skipping a beat every time you smile at him or his stomach fluttering with butterflies anytime you brush up against each other.

he tries his hardest not to stare at you but it's hard, especially when you decide to sit opposite him at the dinner table, it's torture. he steals glances at you when he thinks no one is looking, your cute chubby cheeks pressed against the palm of your hand while your elbow is resting on the table and you're looking entirely unimpressed with what percy said. sticking your tongue out at fred from across the table whenever he teases you for liking 'really weird food' and how you don't like 'normal' food. sneakily threatening ron when you think molly isn't looking, pretending to stab him in the eye with your fork.

the whole time he thought that no one notices how he feels about you, he should know better by now with fred around. you've seen how george looks at you too, when you want to admire him secretly but you find that he's already looking at you, causing you to quickly look away but you figure george would never look at you in any other way than his brothers annoying friend or like a younger annoying adopted sister, no matter how much you wished he'd see you as more.

sometimes you think you have a chance with him but those cases are rare and they're gone as quickly as they come.

one summer you all went down to the seaside, wanting to spend some time at the beach, while you all complained about how hot it was in the car and annoyed because not all of you could apparate yet, so you had to be boiled alive in the car. when you finally got to the beach you all changed as soon as possible, wanting to get cooler and strip off the extra layers you were all wearing.

normally you would have had some insecurity about wearing a bikini but in those recent years you'd became more comfortable in your body and you knew that none of the weasley's would judge you. and after you, ginny and hermione went shopping the week before to buy swimming costumes you were more than content with your recent purchase and happy to wear it. your costume was fairly simple, it was really cute. your stretch marks and soft stomach visible while wearing the bikini, you thought you looked rather pretty though.

you glanced up after getting changed to see harry gawking at ginny, you went up next to him and flicked his nose. "eyes up front solider." harry blushed and turned away from you both making you giggle.

you feel eyes on you and think it's likely one of the girls but looked to see george as he was marvelling you and for a second you swear he was looking up and down your body, focusing on your plush thighs. your body bursts out your chest but you worry that he isn't looking at you with fondness and instead the opposite, thinking you don't look good, that is until you saw his eyes and his dilated pupils and mouth slightly agape. if you were braver you would of said something similar to what you said to harry but alas you're not so you settle on. "georgie, are you okay?"

he snaps out of whatever he was thinking about and grins at you. "'course i am, shortcake." you have a craving for shortcake once and eat only shortcake for a 5 days and you are forever condemned to the nickname forever. at least it's better than ronniekins or weatherby you suppose. george walked up to you and for a second you thought he might just pull you closer to him and hug you, instead, it felt like a bucket of ice cold water was dumped on you as he ruffles you hair and goes to get a drink from the cooler. hopes crushed.

"you look nice," ron tells you picking up a couple drinks, going to hand one to you.

"gee, thanks ronald. i might just fall in love." you roll your eyes playfully. he presses the ice cold drink against your arm causing you to yelp. he runs off before you can do the same while you swear at him.

george watches the interaction and his heart hurts, he wants to joke like that with you, he wants you to tell him you love him. he looks away and tries to clear his head. he doesn't want you to think he isn't okay.

another time while you both were still attending hogwarts george asked you if you were going to hogsmeade that weekend and you declined saying you had to study. " 'shame, i'll miss you." you spent the whole week thinking about that. he will miss you, not we will. the day everyone goes to hogsmeade you can't concentrate in the library, you try to but you can't, you had a huge essay due the following day and you'd barely begun it. instead you're rethinking what george said over and over again. you decided to pack up your things early after only an hour of studying and head to hogsmeade to meet everyone.

you were unsure of where everyone would be so you search around to see if you can spot anyone. you spotted george in the three broomsticks opposite a girl you've never seen before. you were about to walk in to talk to them until you saw them holding hands as george places a kiss on her knuckle. you froze, i guess he didn't miss me that much. you turn back around and walk straight back into the castle hoping no one sees you, luckily they didn't and they're none the wiser as you pretend you've been studying all day and george never mentioned the girl. fake smile plastered on your face as you hear them talk about their day. hopes crushed.

this pattern has been going on for years now where you think maybe he might look at you the way you look at him, every time he proves you wrong. when you get too in your head you think about how attractive he is compared to you, how you could get lost in his deep chestnut eyes and his chiselled jaw. how you want to run your hand through his pretty red flaming hair and kiss the freckles on his broad shoulders that he has from playing years of quidditch. god you want to kiss him so bad.

now though you're getting ready for the night, there was a vote and the majority dictated a muggle club, so you're all getting ready and tonight you're going all out.

"you look beautiful." you hear ron say as you walk down the stairs with harry nodding in agreement getting an amused smirk from you. ron smiles at you and you get reminded about how sweet he truly is and about how much he's grown in the last few years, especially when you think back at the disaster of the yule ball when he was still hung up on hermione and treating padma patil like shit. maybe in another life you and ron would of been together.

"aw, thanks ronald. be careful though, i might think you do actually want to date me," you tease.

"piss off." he mumbles and you swear you see a light blush causing you to chuckle. you hook your arm around his and wait for the stragglers (i.e hermione who is still doing her hair.)

when you walked down those stairs george forgot how to breath. you looked absolutely stunning with your dress accentuating your curves, clinging to your body in all the right ways and your hair framing your face. george couldn't look away you. wide hips he wanted to grab and hold on to and thick thighs that he wanted to feel wrapped around him. your pretty eyes gazing at ron, pissing him off. george's mood switched up quickly after that, body tense and jaw clenched as he sees you chuckle at whatever ron stupidly said. his eyes hardened stare when he watches you hold onto his arm.

the whole night he doesn't take his eyes off you as you dance and drink and sing along to the muggle songs you recognise. everyone notices, you notice, ginny notices, hermione notices, even oblivious ron and harry notice it. george gets teased most of the night about it, especially by fred, who whenever comes over to get another drink after dancing with a group of girls calls him "loverboy" and an "idiot, jealous, fool."

he knows that you must know that he's watching you no matter how many drinks you've had you must be able to tell, and you do but you assume it's something like last time and you don't want him to do something like ruffle up your hair again, especially when you've spent so long doing it. you don't want to ask him and realise that he's judging your outfit or that he doesn't think you're pretty enough to stand and dance with the rest of you. you don't want to know what he's thinking this time. your hopes on his feelings towards you were crushed long ago after multiple events so you do you best to ignore him, knowing that eventually some gorgeous girl will get his attention, little do you know that you already have that.

so you dance the night away, ron spinning you in his arms while he complains that if you keep drinking at this rate he'll have to carry you home.

ron moves your hair to the side over on one shoulder so you can hear him better as he talks into your ear and pressing your soft frame against his. "s' you gonna tell me why george is looking at you like." he spins you around again.

"honestly, ' no idea. tryin' not to think about it. just want to dance with you."

"i can definitely do that." he grins as you carry on dancing and swaying together.

george didn't think he get more angry, that was until he saw ron brush your hair away from you and whisper in your ear. he thinks you're both incredibly too close together, he knows he has no right to be angry. he thinks there is something going on between you two but that doesn't mean it doesn't boil his blood to see you two all over each other.

"gonna go get us more drinks 'kay? you want the same?" ron gently takes his hands of your waist and asks you.

"yes please ronnie." you reply, slightly stumbling without ron behind you to balance you.

ron watching this, smirks. "i'll be right back. don't fall over 'right. after this one you'll be drinking water." you stick your tongue out in response causing ron's smirk to widen.

george watches ron make his way to the bar and he considers going up to talk to you, to compliment you, to spend time with you while everyone else is busy, you've barely spoken together all day. the decision is made for him and stopped as harry comes up to talk to him and he sees ginny and hermione make their way over towards you.

when he looks over to see you again you're dancing with the girls and singing to a song he's never heard of before, he wonders if ron's heard it, if you've showed it to him before. if you like it so much you're singing it at the top of your lungs, you must really like it, probably enough to show ron. george isn't listening to a word harry is saying but he can't stop the grin that appears on his face, watching you jump and dance and sing. 'if you wanna be my lover. you gotta get with my friends.' his grin disappear as he see's ron behind you with two drinks in hand finishing of the lyric with you, "make it last forever. friendship never ends." you wrap your arms around his neck after spotting him, slightly spilling both of the drinks and take your one.

the night ends a couple of hours later, you slightly sobered up, tipsy instead of drunk, with ron sticking to his guns and only letting you have water. near the end of the night you end up leaving the dance floor exhausted from the dancing and pulling ron with you knowing that the only reason he was still on the dance floor was because he didn't want to leave you on your own while you were drunk in case anything happened to you. leaning on his shoulder and softly singing the songs you know you cuddle up to him. he pulls you both back on the booth so you're comfier and wraps his arm around your waist.

you both sit in comfortable silence as you watch everyone, at the same time spotting harry trying to hopelessly flirt with a girl that looks like a carbon copy of ginny causing you to laugh. "i had no idea ginny had a twin." you joked making ron burst out laughing. you pull on his shirt to get his attention, "love you ron." kissing your forehead he tells you he loves you too.

weirdly enough harry ended up the drunkest out of all of you, normally the drunkest title gets handed to you or ginny. tonight the title was handed to harry with george and ron staying the most sober.

trying to stumble into the burrow as quietly as possible was a harder feat than you thought, fred chuckling at your attempt to try not to trip over anything. "fuck off." you tell him, louder than you probably should have but lacking volume control due to the alcohol.

you make your way up the stairs with the help from ron and begin to walk into ron's room. "what'cha doing? you stay in ginny's room remember." he stops you from moving any further.

"but i want cuddles ronnie!" you whine in your drunken state. harry hearing this laughs uncontrollably at the scene of you trying to slip out of ron's hold to get into his room.

"shut up harry." ron hisses trying to deal with his two of his drunk best friends. "bed. now. we'll cuddle tomorrow."

"promise." you hold out your pinky finger for him to take.

he takes your finger, "promise. get some sleep."

"mm, 'kay. night harry!" you quietly call behind ron say in a sing song voice before ron shushes you. "night ronald." both harry and ron wishes you goodnight and you turn to tiptoe into ginny's room.

that's when you see george still on the stairs, watching you. for the first time tonight you've looked at him and he realises that absolutely anything could happen yet if you'd look at him like you are now then everything would be okay. george clears his throat and goes to say goodnight. to say how beautiful you looked tonight. how he missed speaking to you all night. "night george. sleep well." you walk past him and kiss his cheek, he audibly gasped but you were too tired and tipsy to notice. you go into ginny's room and leave george standing on the stairs, taking in how soft your lips felt against him and how he could still smell the drink you always get. george holds his hand against where you kissed him and beams before entering his room.

[nex-is-sleeping]

Happy Valentines Day !

This post will be my Valentine's special, a huge load of headcanons for a lot of Sonic characters and maybe a little fic, idk- But without further ado, Lets go !!!

Sonic

•He would be really excited for Valentine's !!!

•The pet names he'd use are love/babe/baby

•Sonic is the type to take you out, like on a little romantic picnic.

•He'll make sure to bring your favorite food and drink ! And for himself obviously some Chili Dogs and Pepsi (His favorite drink is Pepsi bc I said so)

•After, You two will lay down and look at the clouds ! Or, if it's night, stargaze !!

•Today he will be spoiling you and you have no way of stopping him.

•He'd lavish you with compliments and affection

•"God, how did I end up with such a beautiful, handsome, pretty, amazing, and overall perfect partner ?"

•"I love you so much, babe !!!!"

•As I said before, it's puppy love 24/7 with Sonic

•He just loves you so so much- like he would do nearly anything for you.

Tails

•He'd be so stressed out to be honest 😭

•The petnames he'd use are darling/hun/honey

•Tails just wouldn't know what to do for you.

•So, he went to his best friend, Sonic, for help !

•Sonic wasn't much help either.

•In the end, he would make this mechanical heart that would open up, and inside the words are "I love you, Y/n !"

•Please compliment him on it !! He worked really hard on it and tried to make it perfect. Perfect is the only thing you deserve, nothing less !

-

Knuckles

•Knuckles would have so many ideas !

•The petnames he'd use for you are babe/hun/sweetie/love

•You two could perhaps go to the theater ?

•Or or, a movie night at home !

•You two ended up at home, watching your favorite movie with your favorite snacks and drinks.

•Knuckles argued with the characters in the T.V. can you blame him ? They where going the wrong way !

•After the movie was over, you two built a pillow fort, and ended up sleeping together in it- JSKDKFKG

-

Amy

•SHES BEEN PLANNING FOR WEEKS OMFG

•The petnames she'd use are love/darling

•Amy loves Valentine's day and it's also her favorite holiday !!

•She'd bake you your favorite pastry

•She had to make sure it was perfect ! Every little detail mattered if it was going to be given to you !

•She'd also spoil you- She would give you tons of presents !

•Not only with gifts though, with compliments too !

•"I love you so so so soooo much, darling !!"

•"I wouldn't trade you for the world !"

•She truly means everything she says and loves you with all of her heart <3

-

Silver

•He'd take you out to a nice restaurant for sure !!

•The petnames Silver would call you are darling/my love/baby/sweets

•He'd take you to his favorite, Olive Garden he lives off of those breadsticks

•Order whatever you want ! It's his treat !!

•Silver will pay. No matter how much you insist, even if it's just a penny.

•You make him so nervous, but it's the best kind !

•He'd definitely sneak a bite off of your plate

•If you got spaghetti, he'd try to do the lady and the tramp thing, yk when they both eat one pasta noodle and end up kissing ? (He'd miserably fail)

•He'd give you so many kisses anyways ! Why ? Because you deserve it, dummy !!

-

Blaze

•I headcanon her as aro, so I don't have much for her, sorry 😭

•Her petnames for you would be love/darling/treasure

•You guys always spend the day together on Valentine's because that's actually the day she asked you out !

•Her love language is gift giving, so be prepared to be overloaded with gifts-

•But her top thing is flowers ! All in purple, white, and in your favorite color !

-

Shadow

•He'd prefer something just you and him

•His petnames for you are My Love/Babe/Starshine

•Shadow LOOVES cooking, but doesn't admit it.

•He'll surprise you with a dinner he made himself !

•Saying everything was perfect was an understatement to say the least, I mean, why wouldn't he make the best dinner for his love ?

•You will catch him several times throughout dinner staring at you

•"Why wouldn't I stare at the prettiest thing in the world ?"

(I MADE MYSELF SO FLUSTERED WRITING THAT LINE AAA)

•He literally did everything for you that day

-

Rouge

•You two would have a date at home !

•Her petnames for you are sweetheart/babe/baby/jewel

•She would put on a playlist that she herself made

•And you two would slow dance together !

•She really wanted to do something that involved in you two getting close together, her love language is physical touch after all

•She did that little dip at the end of the playlist and kissed you, and WOAH

•"I had such a fun time tonight, my jewel, we should do this more often <3"

•You two ended up cuddling the rest of the night

-

And that's all !! I really do hope you all enjoyed ! Have a great Valentine's day !!! And remember to request !!!

[varpusvaras]

There was a call coming through an outside line.

A priority call, Index noted, but not an emergency one. He glanced at his current ongoing tasklist, and as it was going slow at the moment (The Royal Guard, even after integrating many of the former Guard vode, really didn't get hurt a lot), he accepted the call.

"Oh, Your Majesty", he nodded his head as the call connected. "How can I be of help today?"

"Good morning, Index", Breha nodded back at him and smiled pleasantly. "I would like you to look up something for me, if it's not too much."

"Of course" Index said. "I'm assuming this is about Fox?" He was already opening Fox's files that he still had saved on the system.

"Yes", Breha said. "You have shared all of the information about his health during his service on Coruscant, but I was wondering if you had any files on him before that?"

"I have his training performance reviews and everything the medics on Kamino have written up", Index answered. "Was there something specific you wanted to know?"

"Do you have any information on when his birthday is?"

Index paused.

"I'm sorry?" He asked.

"Oh, right", Breha frowned just a little and maybe for a second, barely. "You had a different term for it, correct? Decanting date? I apologise for assuming anything."

Oh, right, indeed. This was not the first time someone had asked for their decanting dates while calling them birthdays, but it had been a while since the last one.

"I'm afraid that information was not extented to me on his files, when I became the CMO of the Guard", Index said. "It is considered to be part of the initial product line control infromation, and not health."

Now she did frown a lot more and a lot longer.

"I'm assuming I need to ask for that information from Kamino?" She asked.

"Most likely, yes", Index said. "I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help."

"No, no, you have helped plenty", Breha smoothed her expression again and then smiled at him. "Thank you. I was just filling out more paperwork, and well, of course we want to celebrate it with him. Though I do need it otherwise as well. The birthdays of the Royal Family are considered national holidays here."

Right. Index had to smile a little. Being a person and Royalty on top of it came with a lot of weird things, didn't it?

"I see", he said. "Well, once you know, would you like to relay the information forward? I'm sure the Guard and the rest of Fox's brothers would also love to celebrate it."

"I will", Breha gave him one last smile. "I will talk to you later. Have a nice rest of your day."

"You as well", Index nodded. He got back to his slow work after, though couldn't help but think back to the call for the rest of the day.

It would be nice to know when he had entered the world for once and for all. Kamino would just probably be a bit...difficult, when it came to releasing any information to anyone. Well, if anyone could get anything out of the long-necks, it would be Fox's riduurs. Stubborn they were, all three of them.

---

"What are you doing?"

Fox watched as Bail almost jumped on his chair.

"Ah", Bail said, blinking rapidly for a moment, before he seemed to gather himself enough to turn around in his chair and smile at Fox. "Hello, love. You startled me a little."

Fox raised his brow.

"If me walking into the room and speaking in a normal tone was enough to startle you, then it means that you are too tired and need to stop working", he said. "Do not make me a hypocrite."

"You wouldn't be a hypocrite", Bail said. "You have been so good with your work hours now."

"Yes, because you two keep dragging me off if I work even a couple of minutes overtime." They sure did. Every single time, with pleading eyes and soft smiles and gentle hands and words, telling him that you have already worked enough, please take at least a little break, you deserve the rest after all, please come here. "So I would be a hypocrite if I didn't do that as well. It's almost 1 in the morning. You told me you would be in bed soon over four hours ago."

He had fallen asleep for a couple of hours, and woken up to being cold and to an still empty bed.

Bail glanced at his desk. Fox decided to be a bit unfair.

"I came to Coruscant to see you", he said.

Bail sighed.

"Of course, my love", he said, finally getting up. "This has just...taken a lot of time."

"I'm sure", Fox said. Most things in Bail's line of work did. "What is it about? Short version."

"It's about getting the Vode an access to all their own information", Bail said. "Kamino is still on the stance that it can't make the information regarding cloning public, and thus is witholding all of your personal information on that basis. We're trying to argue that it's not about making the cloning information public, it's about giving you all the access to all the information regarding yourselves. Since, you are, all now considered sentients, and it's against the Republic law to withold personal information from any sentient being. Kamino can argue that it's not in the Republic officially, but they have gotten so much Republic funding and have a seat still in the Senate, that we think it's irrelevant if they are officially a member or not."

Fox nodded, slowly. He had not even thought about any of that, if he was being completely honest. There had been a lot of things to think about after the War, and access to some information he had not even thought existed had not been in the forefront of his mind.

Though, now, he thought it was only fair to have that. Even if he didn't think there was anything important in there for him, it could be more than beneficial for others.

"That is nice of you", he said, reaching up a little to press a kiss to the corner of Bail's mouth. "I appreciate it. But now, I would also appreciate my husband coming to sleep with me."

Bail laughed a bit.

"I'm coming", he said. "I'm sure the temperature of the bed is too low for your liking."

Fox rolled his eyes at the teasing look Bail was giving him.

"Damn right it is", he said. "So come on, I need it heated up."

---

There was a sound of movement coming next to her.

"Breha?" Fox's low, sleepy voice called. "Why are you up?"

Breha instantly lowered the brightness of her datapad.

"I'm sorry", she said, quietly, to not to wake Fox up more. "Just a little schedule issue I started to think about, nothing more."

"Okay", Fox mumbled. Even in the dimmer light, Breha could see him watching her. He looked utterly adorable like this, his hair ruffled from sleep and the blanket wrapped tightly around him all the way to his shoulders. His forehead was almost touching Breha's hip from how close he was laying to her, unconsciously always seeking her or Bail out.

Thank you, she said in her head to the Force, thank you for giving me not one but two cute husbands.

She quickly returned to her datapad, signing off the messages and plans she had open on the screen, and then closed the device. She pulled her own blanket up and laid down. She bit back a laugh when Fox immediately shuffled even closer and partially wrapped himself around her.

Breha pressed her head against his chest and listened to his heartbeat and already slowening breath, and despite the excitement running laps inside her, she let them lull her into easy sleep.

---

Fox woke up to a hand running gently down on his hair.

"Good morning, love", Bail's voice came from beside of him, and Fox opened his eyes.

He was met with Bail's smiling face. Fox blinked a couple of times, chasing off the sleep from his eyes.

"Morning", he answered, still a bit confused. "...when did you get here?"

He had spoken with him last night before going to sleep, and Bail had very much been on Coruscant then. But here he was now, very much so, on Alderaan and right in front of him, sitting at the edge of the bed.

"Just now", Bail answered. "I landed less than half an hour ago."

Fox smiled.

"That's nice", he said, because, it really was. It was always nice to have Bail and Breha both with him. "A nice surprise."

"It was supposed to be", Bail said. "Just for you, and I do have other surprised with me for you as well, though I those are more commonly called presents."

Now Fox was confused again.

"For me?" He asked. He finally sat up and rubbed his eyes. "What's the occasion?"

"Oh, nothing much", Bail said, with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Just your birthday."

Fox stared for a moment, his still half-asleep brain catching up to what was said.

"My...what?" He asked then.

"Your birthday", Bail repeated. "The bill of releasing your personal information for yourself went through last month. We as your next of kin had an access to the very basics, which included your decanting date."

Fox...didn't know what to say.

So, he first checked the date.

It was a strange feeling, to suddenly know that in this very day, he had come out of his growth tube, probably screaming his lungs off. Fox had known vaguely when it had happened, of course, as they had all been strictly grouped up with other vode of similar age, but still...the exact date had been unknown to him. Up until now.

Fox turned back towards Bail, who was still smiling, just very softly now.

"Happy birthday", Bail said, and leaned to press a kiss on Fox's forehead.

Oh. Fox suddenly felt- a bit emotional. He had never had a birthday before.

"Thank you", he said, and if Bail asked, he could pass on the scratchiness in his voice being because he had just woken up.

"Oh, we're awake now?" Breha was standing in the doorway to their bedroom, with a little tray in her hands. "Breakfast will be a bit later at the terrace, but bringing caf to bed on one's birthday is the spouse's job."

Bail moved out of the way a little, so Breha could lay down the tray in front of Fox on the bed. She had brought out his favorite cup. It was such a small thing, and Fox used the cup multiple times a week, but...

Breha leaned closer and kissed him on the cheek.

"Happy birthday, my love" she said to Fox's ear, and Fox really had to blink a few extra times.

"Thank you", he said, and took the cup. There were two other cups as well, and Breha took one, once she had climbed back onto the bed. Bail took a moment longer to go and open up the rest of the blinds on the windows, to let the bright, white morning light into the room fully, before he also sat back down on the bed and took a cup for himself.

"Your brothers will be here a bit later", Bail said. "I know most of them have been bursting at the seams for having to keep this a secret for a while now."

Oh, that Fox could imagine. He snorted.

"I will tell you now, somehow that is all my fault", he said. "For daring to be born on this specific date and not knowing it already."

Breha and Bail both laughed at that, and Fox took a sip from his caf. His favorite blend and a lot of sugar. Of course it was.

He smiled into his cup and definitely was not too emotional about it.

---

Fox opened the file.

There was a lot, and it seemed a lot of it was just about his very specific genetics and his cellular division during the embryotic stage. He skipped over those. He skimmed the pages about his growth once had started to resemble a human more, how he had gotten all of his organs and limbs and fingers and toes and everything just in time just like he should. A healthy, prime product, they called him.

Then he found what he had been looking for.

CC-1010 - Decanting Measurements and additional information

Height at the time of decanting: 52.3 centimeters (converted to the Republic Standard Unit of Measure)

Weight at the time of decanting: 3.389 kilograms (converted to the Republic Standard Unit of Measure)

Reflexes optimal, reactive to the standard. Initial eyesight and hearing tests passed up to the standard. Lung capacity optimal, vocal response as expected upon decanting, slight difficulties in quelling the vocal responses by the staff present. Activity high after decanting, the range of limbs optimal and up to standard. Additional note: activity above the standard after decanting, difficulties in securing the movements while transferring

Fox couldn't help but laugh. He really had come out to the Galaxy screaming, and, apparently also kicking.

Yeah, that sounded just right.

[steveharringtonat3am]

Steve Harrington x fem!reader

word count: 1.7k

When the first package appears on Steve’s doorstep, he thinks it might be a mistake. He hadn’t ordered anything, not in a while. It’s quite clearly addressed to him, pink marker stating ‘To Steve Harrington.’ So he takes it inside to inspect.

It’s definitely in spirit of the holiday’s. It’s wrapped neatly with a pink ribbon that Steve almost feels bad for having to undo. The brown wrapping paper is covered in red lipstick kisses and further inspection reveals they’re real. His face warms at the idea of someone kissing all over this present, just for him.

He does his best to preserve the paper, smoothing it down next to him as he focuses on the main event. He opens up the box, smiling instantly when he sees the contents. Inside lies a stack of vinyls from his top artists. He doesn’t even remember mentioning wanting these to anyone, but he can’t contain his happiness.

As Steve carefully lifts out each vinyl, admiring the album covers and running his fingers over the smooth surface, he can't shake the feeling of curiosity tinged with excitement. Who could have sent him such a thoughtful gift? His mind races with possibilities, but he can't seem to pinpoint who among his acquaintances might have known his taste in music so well.

As he sets the vinyls aside, he notices a small note tucked beneath them. With a curious grin, he picks it up and unfolds it. The handwriting is elegant, with a hint of playfulness in the loops and swirls of the letters.

Dear Steve,

I hope you like the vinyls. I wanted to do something special for you for Valentines day, because you really deserve it. We’ve known each other a while now and I’ve been too afraid to admit my true feelings for you. Our friendship means the world to me and if you don’t feel the same, I understand.

Lately, you've been on my mind more often than usual, and I couldn't let the opportunity pass without letting you know how much you mean to me. There's something about your presence that brightens even the dullest of days, and I wanted to let you know that you make me happier than I thought possible.

I hope these vinyls bring you just a fraction of the joy you bring me. You deserve it more than anyone.

With love,

Your secret admirer

Steve's heart skips a beat at the mention of a secret admirer. A rush of warmth flows through him, and he can't help but smile at the thought of someone thinking of him like this. He wonders who this mysterious admirer could be. Theories float around in his head for a bit. One name in particular surfaces for a second but he quickly pushes it away. He doesn’t want to get his hopes up like that. Not just yet.

With a grin, Steve decides to set aside the mystery for now and focus on the joy of the gift itself. He carefully places the vinyls back in the box, already looking forward to playing them later and letting the music fill his room with love and warmth.

“I just don’t know who it could be!” He laments to Robin as he stacks videos absentmindedly.

“I think that’s the point!” She rolls her eyes, having heard about this for the past three hours of their shift. He drags himself behind the counter, drumming against the surface as he thinks. He doubts it would be any of his ex girlfriends, and it would have to be someone who knows him well.

The image of her pops up in his brain once again, smiling and laughing at one of Robin’s jokes. But it can’t be her.

Right?

It’s the last hour of their shift, the store is empty and both Steve and Robin and mind numbingly bored. When the bell chimes, he’s relieved there’s at least something to do. When he locks eyes with the very person he’d been daydreaming about, he nearly falls off his chair.

“Hi!” Robin greets her, elbowing Steve for staring.

“Hey guys.” Her smile is so pretty. She’s looking at him and he knows he should say something but he really can’t think. Luckily, Robin saves him.

“Are you here for Pretty in Pink again?” The question makes her smile wider and Steve’s heart nearly stops.

“It’s a good movie!” She defends herself as Robin heads to the aisle to find it for her. The action leaves the two of them alone together and he can barely think. She’s wearing a pretty red lip colour, and a very distracting rose perfume, he notes. It might be clouding his mind because he feels drunk on it.

“Is your shift almost over?” She asks politely. It’s basic small talk but he jumps on the chance to talk to her.

“Yeah! Can’t wait to get home. I’m actually-uh-waiting for something.” He realizes halfway through his sentence he probably shouldn’t mention the secret admirer to her. What if she thought he was taken?

“Oh, like a package?”

“Something like that.” He smiles, feeling the heat of embarrassment crawl up his neck. Luckily, Robin arrives with the movie in hand.

“Here you go!” She checks her out quickly, and soon enough she’s waving goodbye and getting into her car. Once she pulls away, Steve lets himself weakly slam his head into the counter.

“She thinks I’m a loser!”

“Well…she’s not far off”

When he finally gets back to his tiny apartment, he can’t believe his eyes. Another package sits by his door. He’s quick to scoop it up, hurrying inside.

It’s packaged similarly to the last one and he removes the kiss covered paper as gently as possible. His heart races as he opens the box, eyes widening in excitement when he sees what it is.

Inside the package is a vintage Polaroid camera, just like the one he had admired in the window of a thrift store months ago. He runs his fingers over the sleek design, feeling a rush of gratitude towards his mysterious admirer.

With trembling hands, Steve picks up the camera and examines it closely. It's in perfect condition, as if it had just been plucked from the shelves of a brand-new store. A wave of curiosity washes over him as he wonders who could have sent such a thoughtful gift.

There's a note tucked inside the package, written in elegant script that makes his heart flutter.

Dear Steve,

I know you’ve been wanting a polaroid camera, so I hope you enjoy this one. You always seem to see the beauty in the most simple things. I’ve never met anyone who is as observant and caring as you are. It’s one of the reasons I can’t get you out of my head.

I hope I’m not being too forward with these gifts. I know you may not believe it but you deserve the world. You’re so sweet and thoughtful and always put everyone before yourself. I just wanted to let you know that I’m always looking out for you.

With love,

Your secret admirer

He holds the letter close to him, the faint sweet scent intoxicating to him. As he puts everything away, he allows himself to think. He needs to know who this is, no matter what.

The next day, he switches shifts with Robin. His secret admirer seems to know his work schedule, so changing it up is sure to have them right on his doorstep. For extra precaution, he sits against the door, ears alert and ready for any package drop off.

A bowl of cereal, five comics, and three pillows later, he hears shuffling. It’s quiet enough but the distinct sound of wrapping paper has him launching himself up and nearly pulling the door off its’ hinges.

He nearly scares the soul out of her. But it’s her. Wide eyes and bright lipstick and rose perfume. Steve can barely believe it. But the brown package in her arms finalizes it. For a moment, they stand in silence.

“…You’re supposed to be at work.” Is all she can say.

“Traded with Robin.” He states, not quite sure if he’s dreaming.

“…I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have-I’m just gonna go actually.” She turns to leave but Steve’s arm shoots out to stop her.

“Don’t go! Just…come inside?” He pleads. She bites her lip while she thinks, before nodding. He kicks the pillows away, clearing a path for her. She takes everything as she walks in and he briefly kicks himself when he notices the mess in various areas of his apartment.

“You saved the paper?” She turns to look at him, standing next to the stack of neatly folding wrapping paper.

“Well yeah…” His brain feels like mush at this point. She’s here. Standing in his apartment.

Oh my god she likes him. SHE likes HIM.

He might faint.

“I’m really sorry if you don’t feel the same. I just-I really wanted to tell you. I felt like you had to know.” He’s never seen her like this, but he supposes this is new territory for the both of them.

“Of course I feel the same. I-I’m honestly in shock that you feel this way about me.” He hadn’t realized how close they were standing now. Had her eyes always been this gorgeous?

“How could I not?” She pushes a piece of hair away from his eyes and the next thing he knows, he’s kissing her. Everything locks into place instantly and he feels like he’s floating.

When they finally break for air, neither of them can stop grinning.

“So…do you want to be my Valentine?”

“Absolutely.”

[sweetspidergirl]

A Tangled Web (Spider HRT Story)

Chapter 2:

My car pulled up to an empty parking space in front of the local recreation center. The grey, nondescript building was something I really only glimpsed at when passing by during my commute to work, back before I started working from home and started living like a recluse. Maybe if I had gotten myself a membership there I wouldn't have spent most of my adult life wallowing in my own regret and self-hatred, and wouldn't have needed to change my species.

Therian Support Group, Every other Monday at 6 PM! Snacks and drinks provided! Temp. is 72°F/22°C! Those questioning are also welcome!

The flyer sitting beside me in the passenger seat read the same information it had when I first received it last year, complete with the same image of a black dragon therian giving a thumbs up in approval. I had been putting off going to the support group for a good two weeks since my appointment with Dr. Erian. Part of it was because of the holiday season and assuming no one would be there during that time, but the bigger reason behind my reluctance was the fear of what everyone there would think of me. I had no knowledge on therian culture apart from the occasional news article and gossip Elisa told me from her clients. At best, I would come off as a clueless moron. At worst, a bigot.

With the turn of the new year, I decided to swallow my fears and actually work on improving myself. I could've easily just taken the pills and continued my antisocial life. However, I would still be in the same position I was prior to my change, just in a new body. I was going to prove to the doctor that I truly deserve to be a spider, and that started by becoming part of the therian community.

I had only just gotten my first dosage three days earlier. For how much spider HRT was supposed to change my body, it was a bit surprising that all I got was a month's supply of circular white pills in a standard translucent orange bottle, with the only instructions given to take one pill a day. Not helping matters was the lack of any substantial changes to my body. Sure, I was on HRT for less than a week, but I figured there would be something. Enough to at least start feeling like I was becoming a spider.

After enough procrastinating, I stepped out of the car and entered the lobby of the rec center. Almost immediately upon entering, I noticed sheets of paper taped to what felt like any surface they could be taped to, with giant red arrows pointing to what I assumed was the gymnasium. Already, I debated turning around and heading home. Maybe I should just come back when I've done more research on therians, or at least when I look more like a spider and less like a human. My car's right there, after all. I just have to go back the way I came and-

“You here for the meeting too?”

I nearly jumped out of my skin at those words. I turned around frantically, getting a good look at the person behind me. She looked to be around my age, maybe a bit younger. She too had brown hair and blue eyes, though the former was done up in one long ponytail instead of carelessly cascading past the shoulders. The red, long-sleeved shirt and black pants looked a lot like the casual garb I would throw on for social situations, like what I was wearing right now. If it weren't for the more laid-back, confident aura she exuded, I would've assumed I was looking in the mirror.

“Hey, you okay? I'm not that scary, honest.” The woman spoke again, confused and possibly a little concerned at my behavior. I tried my best to reset my mind, focusing on her words.

“Oh, uh, yeah, sorry about that. This is my first time here and I didn't wanna get lost.” I answered finally.

“Yeah… I imagine it's really easy to get lost with all those arrow signs. Name's Echo, by the way.” Echo responded. She may dress similarly to me, but our personalities couldn't have been farther apart. “Anyway, the meeting's about to start soon. We should go inside.”

With that, Echo ushered me through the double doors into the gymnasium. Any chance of turning back was gone now. Swallowing the newly-formed lump of anxiety in my throat, I made my way towards the ring of plastic folding chairs set up in the middle of the empty basketball court, sitting next to the only person there that I was vaguely familiar with. Nearby was a cooler filled with ice and various beverages and a small folding table with small bags of chips and other snacks set up on it. As I sat down, I noticed that there were a few different therians already seated and talking with each other. They looked much further along in their transition than I was, more clearly resembling a rabbit, cat, and mouse respectively. I should have introduced myself to them, but my stupid anxiety got the better of me once again. I just quietly accepted the bottle of water Echo offered me and waited to be done so I could return to the safe familiarity of my apartment.

“Alright. It looks like everyone's here.” A different therian spoke up as approached us. She was a dog therian with brown eyes and primarily brown and white fur. Fluffy brown hair topped her head, almost blending in with the fur. I assumed she was a Border Collie. She had on a nice blue dress that added an air of professionalism that wasn't too overwhelming.

“Welcome to the therian support group. My name’s Domino. I've been on dog HRT for three years at this point. I hope you all had a good holiday season.” The dog therian, Domino, said as she took a seat at one of the empty chairs. “I see we've got a few new faces here, so I think it'll be a good idea for everyone to introduce themselves to the group so we can get to know each other. Oh, Echo, would you mind starting us off to maybe make things less tense for the newcomers?”

“You make it sound like we're in rehab, but alright.” Echo replied before standing up. “You all probably already know this, but I'm Echo. I helped Domino set up this group, and I've been on dragon HRT for… probably a week at this point?”

“Oh, congratulations Echo! I was wondering when you were going to get started.” Domino exclaimed happily. She and the rest of us clapped as Echo took her seat once again. In hindsight, I should've expected Echo to be on humanity removal therapy too, but I assumed she was just an ally. She didn't show any signs of being on HRT that I could notice. No scales or horns or sharp claws or anything. Maybe she was hiding them under her clothes, but I wasn't going to investigate.

The rest of the group introduced themselves one after the other, talking about how long they were on their respective HRTs and answering some questions that were brought up. I stayed quiet and listened on as I drank from my bottle of water. Given how small of a group we were, it didn't take long until I was the only one who hadn't introduced themself to the group. All eyes were officially on me.

“Do I, um… do I have to?” I asked quietly.

“I mean, I suppose no one's forcing you.” Domino answered. “If you don't feel comfortable then I suppose you don't have-”

“Come on… you can't have seriously gone all this way to just sit here and listen.” Echo interrupted. “If you were strong enough to come here, surely you could manage a couple words. We're all therians here, after all.”

I looked at all the expectant faces around me, waiting in anticipation for my response. I could hear the pounding of my heart through the quiet stillness of the gymnasium. No matter how much I wanted to, I couldn't leave, nor could I curl up in fear and hope everyone would leave me alone. With a few deep breaths, I began to speak.

“My name is Taylor Thompson. I have been on Spider HRT for a few days, and… I'm not sure what else I can say here. I'm not really too familiar with therians, and, yeah…”

It took what felt like forever before anyone spoke up. In my mind, I felt like I had somehow screwed up, that I had made a fool of myself. I was about ready to grab my belongings and head home before Domino spoke up.

“Well, we're happy to have you in our little community.” Domino said with a supportive smile. “And we'll be happy to answer any questions you might have about therians.”

Echo nodded in agreement. “Yeah, and if anyone gives you a hard time, just let me know and I'll give them at least one black eye.”

“Let's maybe not go that far, Echo.” Domino responded.

I started to tear up at the positive affirmation given by Domino, Echo, and the other therians in attendance. Their kind words of approval were what I needed after weeks of uncertainty regarding transitioning. I didn't really speak much more over the course of the meeting, but I was feeling more comfortable there. I even managed to ask for Domino and Echo's phone numbers at the end of the meeting so I could keep in touch with them, something I never imagined doing prior to coming out of my shell. Maybe Dr. Erian had a point about going out and making friends.

Once I got home to my apartment, I flopped backwards onto my messy bed and pulled out my phone. I saw several messages from Elisa, asking me how the meeting went. With a smile, I started texting back, telling her all about my wonderful experience.

---

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NEXT: Coming Soon

[hellfireloserclub]

Better late than never. I got at least one in for the holiday season!

Day 31 of @steddieholidaydrabbles new-year/resolution

Rating: T warnings: fluff, post traumatic stress, apocalypse I guess?

Doomsday clock

“New year, new me.” Steve grimaced as the clock clicked closer to midnight. As far as he was concerned this party should have been over hours ago, more of a wake for the traumatic year that was 86 than a new year celebration- hold on no they were seeing out 87 now weren't they -The apocalypse really threw off the concept of time.

It wasn't even like he could drink in the new year like the others.

Both him and Eddie were stone cold sober, thanks Vecna, as if destroying their lives hadn't been bad enough. He had to go and take away the comfort of alcohol to numb the trauma. But hey he had some awesome scars, that totally made up for it, right?

The rest of the party were enjoying the party. But he saw it behind their eyes, the childhood that had been taken away, the lost time, the lost chances.

He had slipped away so Robin could finally shoot her shot with Nancy.

He knew it should feel something, regret? Lost opportunity? But he felt nothing. Just empty. His best friend deserved the world, she didn't have to get dragged into this disassociated state with him.

Let her find love.

He had felt Eddie's eyes on him as he excused himself from Joyce's front room, desperately in need of nicotine and to shake himself out of the depressing fug he had dragged himself into.

It didn't surprise him when Eddie followed.

They stood in silence leaning against the railing,watching through the glass as the others passed around drinks, laughed, and smiled as the alcohol did what it was supposed to. Even the kids had been allowed drinks under supervision.

What did it matter, Hawkins was a lawless town. Erased from maps and atlas, a mystery that would disappear in a few years never to be spoken of again.

It didn't exist.

But they did.

The ones who survived. The damned. The cursed and forgotten.

He hadn't meant to utter his words into the silence between him and Eddie, but it had happened anyway.

“New year, new you?” Eddie always made sure that Steve could see his lips when he spoke, not hiding behind the lengths of hair that had slowly begun to grow back to the lengths that Steve had grown to envy, back before.

Before the end of everything. Before and After. Everything divided straight down a burning red angry line that had ripped the world apart.

Eddie watched as Steve stubbed out his cigarette before turning his attention back fully to Steve's face. Steve's eyes traced the scar that ran across the other man's chin, it was quiet enough outside in the frosty air for him not to need to look at Eddie's mouth as he talked to follow the words. But addiction is a cruel mistress.

And, ever since Eddie army crawled back from Hell itself, Steve had been just that. Addicted.

Eddie had buried under his skin and become as much a part of his life as breathing.

Obviously, Steve hadn't told him that.

Couldn't bring himself to burden the man with the shallow empty shell of what he used to be. Scared, broken, deaf and all the other fun stuff that came with being the human shield, one concussion away from the bitter end. Human chew toy, a disfigured jumpy twitchy mess.

“Yeah, new-year resolutions, traditional shit. New year, new me” Eddie stubbed his cigarette out in the ashtray between them. Still watching Steve, as Steve watched him.

“Shame. I like, this you.” Eddie shrugged, hovering just outside of Steve’s personal bubble. Even now unsure if he should or would be let into Steve’s space. “What if you have a personality transplant and you turn back into a douchebag jock? That would never do. I have standards sweetheart. I could never…”

“You could never, what?” Steve watched as Eddie chewed on his bottom lip, his face schooled into the picture of innocence. Without the sound cues Steve was lost to read his expression, but there was something akin to mischief in the other man's eyes.

“It’s not midnight yet, my new year's resolution might change in the-” he glanced at the clock through the large glass doors. “-next seven minutes. You know me Stevie, I’m unpredictable, I zig when I should zag. Plus a New You might severely derail my immediate future plans."

Many things had changed in the After. Eddie was different, less opinionated, no need to fight for the attention of his peers, here in the ashes of a failed civilization, everyone was created equal. Yet sometimes he still spoke like he was leading a campaign or like his words needed to be deciphered with a cryptograph or a cypher. Used as a shield and a way to deflect. He talked in riddles, and tonight the topic of his enigmatic words was evidently Steve himself.

“When have you ever done anything because of me? Mr free will.” Steve found himself stepping forward, letting Eddie into his safe space. The other man seemed to be gearing up to something. So Steve waited.

Eddie tapped his lips in thought and Steve let the movement draw him in.

“Well let's start with a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away when I decided to not stab a bottle through your vocal cords. Kind of a turning point in my life that has sent me hurtling down a path towards this new years resolution if I’m honest.” Eddie stepped closer, it was getting harder for Steve to focus on his lips now, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. The way Eddie was looking at him now was almost animalistic, and Steve had never felt more like prey.

“I mean I chose to follow you out here at- “ he checked the clock again, “- five minutes to midnight and freeze my ass off- a commodity I have little to spare in the first place- to maybe, just maybe be in the right place at the right time for once. Each choice has brought me here. To you. So yeah, I’d say a lot of you, influences a lot of me. Especially your new year's resolution, if it means you’re going to go changing- ” he gestured wildly in Steve’s direction. “-Any of this.”

“Is that so?” Steve looked into the kitchen, his chosen family milling as they jostled to have a drink in their hand as the clock struck twelve. “So I have two minutes to change the world? Talk about a doomsday clock.”

“This isn’t about the world. It’s just about you and me. No doomsday clock needed.” Eddie stepped closer. “Just maybe a new watch battery, so I don’t run late for the date I was gearing up to ask you on. But you know that was the old Steve. Like I said, new Steve might be a douchebag.”

Eddie was stupidly close now.

“How about this?” Steve nudged Eddie's nose with his own, “I ask you out now? And neither of us make resolutions? They're kind of stupid anyway.”

Eddie's eyes studied his own. His pupils danced as he tried to focus on Steve who instinctively lent in.

“Hate to rush you Eds, but you have about thirty sec-” Eddie bit the end of his nose, causing Steve to jump back in shock.

“Don't you doomsday clock me Harrington.” Eddie warned a damn right dangerous look in his eye. Goddammit that shouldn’t do things to him but a blatant want was bubbling in the pit of his stomach.

“Twenty seconds.”

“I think I can just fit you into my busy schedule.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Fuck resolutions then.”

[malarkgirlypop]

MEDIC! Part 33 (Donald Malarkey x Fem!OC)

Whoops I was supposed to post this ages ago, also all my promises of fixing the situation may have been a small lie. But I'm sure you will all forgive me!

Based on the HBO show and the actors who portray the characters, not hate to anyone involved.

Tag list: @imusicaddict, @b00ks1ut , @mstiemountainhop, @awaterfalls anyone else please let me know.

The CO’s had kept quiet about my outburst, which I was thankful for. But they now also avoided me, like Don. There was nobody else to blame but myself. I sighed, massaging my temples with my fingers, the stress of the war was supposed to be over, but here I was making it harder than it needed to be. 

I hardly saw the rest of the troops often, they were so busy with training and when they were finally done, all they wanted to do was sleep. I was back to my loner self. 

My strolls had turned into hike’s, I walked as far and as long as I possibly could until the sun started to dip behind the mountains. 

I strolled through one of the small villages, it was one of the more busy places. It was always hustling with life, with markets, shops and bars that lined the street. 

“Emily?” A feminine voice called to me. I glanced over my shoulder to find one of the field nurses that I always spoke to when I went to the aid stations. 

“Ruth!” I beamed at the pretty lady as she approached me. When she was close enough she pulled me in tight for a hug. We hadn’t seen each other in a while due to no one really needing to go to the aid stations. 

“How have you been?” I asked as we pulled away from each other. 

“So good, this is like a mini holiday! They don’t have much for us to do, so most days the girls and I just sightsee, before they decide they want to ship us all home again.” Her smile was infectious, I found myself grinning back at her. It didn’t help that this was the most human interaction I had gotten in a while.

“Oh well you deserve it. You ladies worked so hard.” I said as I squeezed her hand. 

“What about you? Do they still have you working hard?” She asked. 

“No, there is nothing much for me to do. The men are all busy training for if they are needed in the Pacific.” 

“Gosh those poor men. I hope they don’t have to go, I heard it was diabolical over there.” Ruth shook her head, a worried look crossed her features. It didn’t last long as she turned back to me and gleamed. 

“You know what, the girls and I are going out for drinks tonight!” Ruth’s eyes lit up as she told me. 

“That’s so fun!”

“You should come along. All the nurses would love to see you, and it’s just us, so we can have a girl’s night.” Ruth took hold of my hands and squealed with excitement. 

“Me?” I asked. 

“Yes of course. We all went out yesterday and came back with gorgeous dresses. So we are ditching the uniforms and going all out. Please say you’ll make it!” Her face watched me eagerly. 

“I can come. I think I have a dress somewhere, but I don’t have any makeup.” I thought back to the dress that Renee had given me, which felt like years ago. I hoped that it was still in one piece, I hadn’t looked at it since she had given it to me. 

“Why don’t we buy some?” The brunette pointed over at one of the shops that lined the streets. I hadn’t gone into any of them since I didn’t have any money.

“I would love to. But I didn’t bring any cash with me.” I grimaced at her. “Plus I don’t have much. I send it all home.” I lied. 

“That’s no bother, it’s on me.” She didn’t let me utter another word dragging me along behind her. 

We spent an hour in the shop as she swatched at least every product. Ruth said she wanted me to have something to bring home. 

“Lipstick, mascara and eyeliner!” She begged. 

“I can’t let you buy all of that for me, it's too much.” I tried to get her to put back the items but she moved them out of reach from me. 

“No, it’s the necessity for a night out. I picked out the prettiest red shade that will match your complexion so well!” Ruth popped off the cap of the lipstick, twisting it out of the tube. 

“Come on Emily, you’ll look so pretty, you might even catch a good looking man or two.” Ruth winked at me. I hid my laughter behind my hand. 

“Fine!! But you’ll have to let me buy you a drink.” I would have to steal some cash from Lieb or someone, I would give them all of the smokes I had stashed away. 

“Deal!” Ruth nodded in enthusiasm as she trotted off to the counter to pay. 

I said my goodbyes, thanking Ruth again for all of the goodies she had brought me. She had told me she would send a car around 5 o’clock to come pick me up from the base. 

We parted ways with a hug and ‘see you later’. 

************************************************ 

I touched up the lipstick that Ruth had kindly brought for me. She was right, it did suit my complexion. I had never been one for bright colours, I felt like it drew too much attention, I normally avoided it. But with the soft blue dress Renee gave me, it made me look that much more put together. 

I had showered and shaved, even going as far as styling my hair. Not that I could do much with it, my curls had gotten so long that they nearly touched my butt. 

I had taken the sides that framed my face and pinned them up, sporting a half-up half-down look. I left small curls around my features that sat on cheekbones, giving me a softer appearance. I applied a generous amount of mascara and tight-lined my water line, making my lash line appear thicker. I didn’t need to wear blush. My pale skin always had rosy cheeks and a sunkissed nose. 

Standing back, I took in my appearance in the mirror. A girl stood in front of me, one I hadn't seen in a long time. She looked young and pretty, surely that wasn’t me. 

I brushed the non-existent lint from the front of the dress nervously fidgeting. What would people say when they say me, I wonder if they think I’m trying too hard? 

Renee’s dress was beautiful. The material was satin so it shined in the light. The sleeves came above my elbows and were slightly ruched down the seams, same for the neckline. The material was pleated at the tops of my shoulders that continue down to under my breasts, which accentuated the curves of them. The fabric parted in the middle, letting my cleavage slightly show. The waist hugged mine, giving me an hourglass shape, the skirt then cascaded down to just above my shin.

I looked so elegant.          

My watch read ten to, so I got a move on. Stashing the cash I had nicked from Lieb in my bra, before taking one last glance in the mirror before heading out the door. 

I made it to the street where the car would be coming to collect me. I was early, so I stood on the side of the road letting my mind wander. I was away with the fairies, I didn’t notice the men had all finished their training for the day and were making their way back home. 

“Guten Tag, baby doll.” I heard from behind me. I turned around to find a smirking Lieb, I gasped in shock taking a step back. His face dropped, mirroring my horror. 

“YOU’RE A GIRL!” Lieb yelled, pointing at me. I looked at the man incredulously.  

“What?! Lieb, what the fuck.” I tried to get him to keep quiet, bringing my finger to my lips. Lieb continued to gape at me. 

“I’ve always been a girl, what are you on about!” I growled at him, trying to keep my voice low. I didn’t want all the unnecessary attention. 

“No, you’re not a girl all the time.” Joe tried to counter. 

“I am always a girl. What do you think when I put on my uniform I magically grow a cock and balls?” I quipped at the speechless man who was still staring at me in disbelief. 

“Ew, I thought you were someone else Em.” Lieb said astounded. I scoffed at him. He pretended to give a disturbed shiver. I think he was more weirded out that he had flirted with me. 

“Just tell me I look nice, you dick.” I shook my head at him. 

As luck would have it the rest of the Easy men strolled right past us. Lieb and I spotted them at the same time, I waved my hands in front of me trying to stop what I knew was about to come next. 

“LUZ COME LOOK AT THIS!” Lieb cupped his hands around his mouth, echoing his voice across the distance. The group walking with Luz turned their attention onto Lieb, who enthusiastically waved them over. 

Luz came bounding towards us, as the rest of the men slowly made their way behind him. George glanced at me, giving a polite smile and turning to Lieb. His head snapped around to look at me again, doing a double take. 

He gawked at me for a second before sobering. A charming smile plastered itself onto his face as he closed the distance between us. 

“Oh my who is this pretty dame?” Luz bowed like an idiot. George took my hand and kissed the back of it, grinning up at me like the Cheshire cat. I pretended to swat him away. The rest of the men had finally made their way over to us.  

“Darlin’ don’t you look beautiful.” Bull beamed at me. 

“Thank you Bull. See Lieb, that is how you pay a woman a compliment.” I smiled at Bull as he winked at me. Lieb rolled his eyes, sending me his signature smirk. 

Babe scared the living daylights out of me as he sprinted towards me, not looking like he was about to put the brakes on at any point. I squealed as he grabbed my waist, hoisting me up above his head and spinning us in a circle. 

“Look at you Em.” He placed me back on the ground keeping his hands on my waist, I grinned at him.

“Someone taking you out?” Lip asked from behind as Babe stepped back. The men grew quiet, their brains firing all at once. Before I could answer there was an uproar of sound from the guys. 

“Who’s the man? Is he picking you up? Is it Malarkey?” Lieb asked sternly, the other men doing the same. 

“Where are you going, why do you look so nice?” Babe's voice was overlapped by the other voices. 

“Malarkey never mentioned he was going out tonight?” Lip mumbled. I looked around at the men as they rambled on. 

“HEY!” I pulled their focus back onto me.

“Firstly it’s none of your goddamn business, but if you must know, no I am not going on a date. I am going out for a drink with the field nurses to a local pub. I don't know the name, and their car is coming to pick me up in about 4 minutes, so you all need to scram.” I took a breath after I answered all of their questions. 

“And no Malarkey is not going to be heartbroken, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I looked towards Lip who smiled at me. No one had caught on that we were fighting, since they all thought I was going out with Don tonight.   

I watched Luz turn in a circle looking for said man. But he was nowhere to be seen. 

“Don’t you think he should see you before you go?” Lieb asked, tilting his head as he did so. 

I didn’t get time to answer as a car horn honked from behind me. Ruth waved at me from the passenger seat, smiling brightly at me. 

“Em, get in.” 

I waved back at her, nodding my head. I turned to the men standing in front of me. “I’ll see you all later. Don’t wait up!” 

The men said goodbye as I headed towards the car, climbing into the back seat where a few of the other nurses sat. I turned and gave one last wave to the group on the side of the road as the car pulled away from the curb.

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

Chapter 34

[angel-of-the-moons]

I love your work sm love every update you post!!✦

Could we get some fluff of Peter B? Maybe like the reader has a really rough day at work and I just so physically drained Peter just takes care of them?

(Sorry if this is bad this is my first time requesting!)

YESYESYESYESYES I'M SO HAPPY SOMEONE FINALLY REQUESTED PETER B AND TYSM

Bunny Slippers

Peter B Parker x Reader

TW/CW: None, just some fluff!

🍼🍼🍼🍼🍼🍼🍼🍼🍼🍼

When you came home looking... well, down in the dumps, Peter felt his Hubby Senses tingling.

They were like his Spidey Senses, but for being a husband! Hah! Get it? Ah, right--ahem--anyways...

"Hey, honey, you okay?" Peter asked you, walking up behind you and kissing the top of your head.

"Yeah, I'm just... Had a really bad day today. Just... Ugh. Karen after Karen after Karen." You groan, almost feeling close to tears as you remember getting back to back one-sided screaming matches from the angry customers over things that weren't even your fault.

One guy came and screamed at you over something he ordered from a different store! And he still had the gall to demand a discount and refund from yours!

Peter, ever the sweetheart, wrapped his arms around you and swayed softly back and forth.

"Mayday's asleep. You go on and take a nice hot shower." He says to you.

"But dinner--"

"I can handle dinner, babe." He says, giving you another sweet kiss to your head. "You go relax for a bit."

"Pete..."

"I mean it. Don't make me use my puppy eyes on you!" Peter warns with a waggle of his brows.

You can't help but do anything but smile at his humor and relent, slipping your shoes off and trudging into the bathroom for a much-needed recharge.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Peter went into action. He started pulling out all the ingredients for your favorite meal and made sure he measured each ingredient perfectly.

After all, you having a bad day? His main mission now was making sure you ended the night with a smile. He knew you felt doubly bad as well, for not being able to kiss Mayday goodnight before she drifted off.

He hated seeing you upset. It was one of the worst things he ever felt when you would come home with your bottom lip poking out, your eyes glistening and sad...

You needed a different job. Maybe he could do some asking around, get one with an easier load, better hours and better pay... Because you two also had a baby to raise. She needed stability and you working so much made you feel inadequate as a parent, he could tell by how sadly you smiled when you held Mayday in your arms; how badly you wished you could be with her more.

He made a mental note to start looking online for you as soon as he got the chance. You deserved to work somewhere they knew your worth as an employee and coworker, not tossing you into the meat grinder for pissed off customers who, frankly, could have avoided troubles had they read their warranties or even directions on their purchased products regardless.

And with the holidays coming up, the mental strain from all that was piling up, and up, and up, and...

He sighed softly as the food was finishing up cooking, and he carefully ran to your bedroom, pulling out your comfiest pajama pants, fresh pair of undies, and one of his own shirts for you to wear when you got out.

He was still super duper stealthy as he slipped into the bathroom (almost choking on the amount of steam that invaded his lungs) and slipped the clothes in for you while taking up your uniform and dropping it into the laundry basket for him to do later.

After all, you needed a hell of a break, and chores were the least he could do for everything you already do.

He checked on Mayday through the baby cams, and smiled softly as she kicked out a little foot from beneath her blanket.

He loved the both of you, so so much. He still couldn't believe how lucky he was to have the both of you in his life.

Peter still couldn't believe you gave his dorky ass a shot that very first time he asked you out.

God, that felt like a lifetime ago.

He was shaken from his thoughts when the egg timer went off and told him the food was ready.

And frankly, it looked goddamn delicious.

Don't let it go unsaid that Peter B Parker knew his way around a kitchen. Sure, he ate like a pig (sometimes) and has gotten far too used to a diet of pizza and fast food...

But he sure knew how to cook when it came down to it. And nothing made him happier when he saw a grin break out on your face at the sight of your favorite dish.

Hell, he didn't even notice that you'd walked out of the bathroom until he turned around and almost tossed the rubber spatula he had in his hand across the kitchen.

How you managed to sneak up on him and not trigger his Spidey senses was a damn mystery.

"Aw... Pete..." You said, looking at the (admittedly messy) kitchen, seeing that he was cooking for you.

"I'll clean it up!" He says, sticking the spatula in the sink. "Been multitasking."

He sauntered over to you, proud as can be as he slipped his arms around you and tucked you against his chest.

"You didn't have to..." You start to say.

"Nah, I wanted to. And you deserve it, especially after the day you've had. Give me a hundred angry Goblins any day of the week." He snorts, breathing in the lingering scent of your body wash and soaps.

"At least I can punch him. But an angry customer? Phew, no way. I'd crack."

You can't help but laugh, the sound muffled by his fuzzy bathrobe.

"Yeah. They're terrible. Wanna switch jobs for a day?" You joke.

"Yeah no offense babe, but that's gonna be a hell no from me." He grinned down at you.

The two of you share a quiet laugh and chaste kisses, before he turns away from you and gets your plate ready.

"Bone apple the teeth!" He said, grinning like a ridiculously goofy shark.

"Pete!" You snort around a mouthful of food.

"Yeah yeah, I know I'm hilarious, but it's nothing to get choked up over!"

[stupidfateheadcanons]

oh i 100% want to know who you think would unironically wear christmas sweaters/and or ugly non denominational ones (and who is easily bullied into wearing them)

Karna

is canonically autistic about crabs due to their warrior prowess and ability to face their enemies head-on, making a santa-crab sweater the perfect choice as he tries to fit in with chaldea for the holidays.

does not understand why Ganesha makes that Face about it, and later asks his master if they're aware of the significance of the number 420.

Santa Karna

Has learned how to be more properly Festive, in his perception of the word festive, so his wardrobe gets an upgrade. Also, he's told he's not allowed to attend the Chaldea Holiday Party in his normal Santa Getup. Da Vinci said something about how 'even Santas deserve a day off during the holidays', but she really just wanted him to not get Into It with Santa Quetz.

It fails.

Percival

Nice, tight fabric that fits snugly over his abs.

Food-themed to delight him as a provider of delicious meals and protection.

Really, just imagine that hunk of man-meat coming up to you with a plate of biscuits and gravy while wearing this. Wouldn't it be heaven?

Vlad (Berserker)

Would not wear something joke-themed or silly -- at least in his perception. This garment is obviously ridiculous, but he perceives it as proper holiday cheer and a work of art that he crafted himself.

Vlad (Lancer) would also wear ugly Christmas sweaters, but that's more dependent on the vibes of his Master, imo.

Blackbeard

He's been waiting all year to bust this baby out.

Like really, look at him. He's so happy and enriched.

Elizabeth Bathory

More like a sweater-dress than a Christmas sweater, but she'd wear it to the holiday party with a cute pair of tights, chunky shoes, and little candy and present decorations in her hair. Glitter would be everywhere.

Believes caroling is something like a 'mobile idol concert.'

Emiya

Someone in the extended Emiyaverse makes him wear it, and he puts up with it with a little grumbling. Particularly if it makes his Master and the kids happy.

Kijyo Koyo

She thinks she looks VERY hip and cool.

Koyanskaya

Dobrynya makes her wear it.

Himiko

Enjoys that the little balls bob and shine in the light when she sparkles. Keeps feeling the tinsel and laughing to herself.

Converts her Himiko, himiko, himi-himi-ko to the tune of jingle bells to amuse herself.

Fergus

Do I really even need to say anything here?

Gilles de Rais (Saber)

Okay I'm gonna be real, I woke up and this was on the document, so I was like, 'okay, I GUESS this is what Gilles rolls up to the Chaldea Holiday party wearing????'

Seriously. I don't even remember who to blame for this. Did I do it?

Jalter

Okay, I don't really actually see her wearing this, but it'd be REALLY funny if she did.

Honorable Mentions

Castoria

Wears ugly christmas sweaters every day but christmas because they're cheap and warm. does not know who jesus is.

David and Romani

Much to Romani's chagrin, it is apparently a family commonality to wear stupid Hannukah sweaters (which I am told exist at Target, even if I've never seen one in the wild.) Romani also acquires/makes one for Mash, which she is very happy about because it makes her feel like she fits in. :)

Martha

Has a custom red, white, and green Happy Birthday Sweater. She makes Tarasque wear one too. :)

Rin

Kirei buys her ugly christmas sweaters. rin does not wear them.

[shadamyheadcanons]

Headcanon #291: Day After Valentine’s Day

((Better late than never, right?

Cross-posted along with its prequel on AO3.

This is the sequel to Headcanon #289, but you don’t have to read that one to understand this one.

You should anyway, though. It’s a good one, if I do say so myself.

Also, these Archie panels are relevant, oddly enough:

^ From issues 22 and 24 of Archie’s Sonic Universe comics. This isn’t even the funniest thing that happens in that arc. A+))

--

Amy rounded the corner of the snack aisle at the grocery store, dragging her feet as she went. Her eyes ran lazily over the foods until she reached the section she was looking for.

She sighed as she perused the wares in front of her. I thought Valentine’s Day would get more bearable over time, but I feel even more drained every year. She held herself as she looked past heart-shaped boxes of chocolate and conversation hearts, hoping to find something a little less specific to the holiday. Her expression tightened. It’s the day after, but I still feel lonely. Will this ever get any easier? She smiled wryly when she spotted a rose-shaped hunk of chocolate. At least there’s always my favorite tradition: half-price Valentine’s candy on the 15th.

She reached out for the chocolate rose. Just as she was about to put her fingers on it, though, another gloved hand got there first.

She jumped. “Oh! Excuse me, I--” She stopped when her gaze trailed up the person’s arm, noting the black fur, red stripe, and eventually a head of spiky quills she knew all too well. “Shadow?”

He held her gaze, his slightly widened eyes being the only indication of his own surprise. His gaze flicked back over to their hands. She removed her hand from his and smiled sheepishly. “Sorry about that!” He nodded in affirmation and removed the chocolate rose from the shelf.

Noting he’d brought neither a cart nor even a basket, Amy couldn’t help but ask, “What are you shopping for? Just that?”

He nodded again. “Candy’s always half-price the day after Valentine’s Day.” He peeked at her nearly empty basket. “You?”

“Heh. We had the same idea. It’s a tradition for me,” Amy admitted, examining the shelves once more. She felt her shoulders droop.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Shadow was still watching her. She put on a smile once more. “Might as well make the most of it, right?”

His expression didn’t change. He kept watching her for several seconds. Then, he glanced down at the rose he was holding and handed it to her. “Here. You should have it.”

Taken aback, Amy glanced between him and the shelf. “But that’s the last one! You got to it first, so you--”

“Take it. You deserve it more.”

He waited, hand extended, while she hesitated.

Is he...trying to make me feel better?

Eventually, she gave in. With a laugh, she took the rose from his hand. “Okay, okay, if you insist.” She carefully placed it in her basket, smiling to herself. “Thank you, Shadow.”

He nodded absently, his attention now back on the shelves of candy. Amy shuffled her feet. “Sooo...how was your Valentine’s Day?”

He hummed softly, not looking away from the shelves. “I looked after Omega to make sure he didn’t burn the house down.”

Amy scoffed. “Why would he do that?”

“He hasn’t liked Valentine’s Day ever since Blaze got with Silver,” Shadow explained, picking up a couple of alternately-colored chocolate bars--one pink, one purple.

Amy frowned and thought back. “Hang on...” Her eyes bugged out. “You mean that time years ago when Omega kept fawning over Blaze because she was good at burning things? He still...?”

Shadow snorted quietly. “Yeah...he never really got over that. He’ll be alright, though.” He put back the purple candy bar and gazed at the pink one in his hand. “It’s just tough when you’re stuck on the same person for a long time.”

Amy’s face fell. I know that better than anyone. How many years have I been stuck on Sonic? She rubbed her upper arm. I’ll never call it a waste, but...

“...Amy? Amy?”

She flinched and shook herself off. “Oh, sorry! What did you say?”

“I asked what you did yesterday,” he clarified, looking at her sideways.

“Oh, right! Uh...Cream and I normally celebrate PAL-entine’s Day,” she joked, “but this year, she actually had a date! Can you believe she’s that age already?! I can’t!”

“But what did you do?”

Shadow’s blunt question made her deflate. “Ah, I just stayed in this year. Nothing too interesting,” she mumbled.

His frown deepened. “By yourself?”

Amy huffed. “What are you trying to say? So what if I didn’t have a date on Valentine’s Day? I’m not gonna cry about it!”

Shadow’s face was unreadable. He just stared at her for a while, long enough to make her nervous. He scratched his chin.

Suddenly, his ears perked up. “You owe me.”

Amy was dumbfounded. What is his deal?! First he gives me the chocolate he wanted, then he shows actual concern for me...only to judge me for not having a date and claim I owe him...? “For what?!” she demanded.

“It was last year at Rouge and Knuckles’ wedding,” he explained. “You promised you’d teach me how to bake cookies, but you still haven’t.”

She could only stare at him blankly. That didn’t explain anything! Now I’m even more confused! She shook her head and took out her phone to open up her calendar. “Uh, okay...when--”

“Today.”

She frowned, looking up from her phone. “Today...?”

He gave a curt nod. “I’m a very busy person, so it has to be today.” He averted his gaze and crossed his arms. “Unless you’re busy with something.”

Amy paused. She looked down at her basket, which held only chocolate and a bottle of wine. She thought back to the movie she already had set up at home, a romance she knew would just make her cry. She chuckled to herself and shook her head.

You know what? Fuck it.

“Alright, alright, fine...but we’ll have to stop by the baking aisle first.”

--

The two of them arrived in Shadow’s kitchen with a green flash. “So what do we do first?” Shadow asked.

“Before any type of cooking or baking, you should lay out every ingredient you need just to make sure you have it all.” Amy started laying out the groceries on the counter. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten halfway through a dish, only to realize I forgot something basic. One time, I got halfway through making sugar cookies before realizing I was out of sugar!” She giggled at the memory.

“Hmm...I hadn’t thought of that,” Shadow muttered.

Amy watched as he laid out the eggs and butter. That’s the first thing anyone learns about cooking! He really didn’t have anyone to teach him, did he? Her sad frown turned determined. Well, that’s what I’m here for!

Shadow’s voice snapped her out of her reverie. “Is this everything?”

Amy scanned the counter. “Hmm...butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, baking soda, salt, flour, aaaand...chocolate chips! Yup! We’re all set!”

Shadow squinted at the ingredients. “Don’t we need a mix or something?”

“Nope! Not if you’re baking the right way,” Amy assured with a cheeky wink. “We’re baking from scratch, just the way Vanilla taught me. It’s all up in here!” She tapped her forehead proudly.

“Huh.”

Amy gave a quick nod. “You’re learning from the best!” she insisted. She approached his stove. “First, you need to preheat the oven. Do you know how to do that?”

She inwardly cringed at her own question. Of course he knows how to preheat an oven. He owns an oven.

Shadow hesitated, though. He joined her in front of the stove and squinted at the console. “Is there a specific button for that...?”

Amy just stared. Chaos, it’s worse than I thought. She took a deep breath and smiled. “Nope! You just turn the dial here. We’re gonna want 350 degrees.” He watched closely as she turned it.

Then, his eyes lit up. “Oh, I’ve done that before. I remember now.”

“Oh, good!”

He nodded with authority. “My microwave died a few years ago, so I had to heat my Hot Pockets in the oven for a couple days until the new one came in.”

The hint of relief Amy had begun to feel immediately died out. She resisted the urge to facepalm.

“Great!” she blurted out instead, returning to the counter. “We’ll need a large bowl, a mixing spoon, and measuring tools.”

Shadow returned with a bowl and a spoon--both a little small for Amy’s taste, but they’d get the job done--but then he got stuck. “When you say ‘measuring tools,’ you mean...?”

Amy frowned for a moment, then perked up. “Oh, right! We’ll need to measure cups, teaspoons, and a half teaspoon.”

His face remained blank. “Yeah, so?”

There was an awkward pause while Amy tried to figure out where she’d lost him. “Y’know, like...little cups and spoons to measure out the cups and teaspoons? They usually come in little collections.” His face didn’t change. She pursed her lips. “They nest with each other in sets,” she tried.

His eyes widened. He zipped off and returned with a set of measuring cups and spoons. “Is that what these are? I didn’t know cooks actually measured, I thought those were just ballpark suggestions.”

Amy stared at Shadow. He stared back.

Don’t laugh. Don’t laugh. Don’t you dare laugh at him!

She covered her face with her hand. Her smile was strained from holding back laughter. “Yep! We have to make sure all the proportions are right.”

“Ah...that explains a lot.” He looked away. She sorted through the nested cups and kept an eye on him while he continued. “So how come Rouge doesn’t measure when she cooks? She says she just kind of puts in what ‘feels right.’ She left these behind when she moved out, but I never saw her use them.”

“It’s a little different with cooking. If someone has enough experience, they can sometimes get away with it there,” Amy explained. “But you can’t do that with baking! Everything has to be exact, or it won’t come out right.”

“How come?”

Amy pursed her lips while she sorted through the spoons. “There are more chemical reactions involved.” He perked up at that, so she added, “Baking is chemistry, and the ingredients are materials. If you use the wrong ratios or mess with the procedure, the results will be completely off. It’s easy to get things mixed up, too.” She held up the tablespoon and teaspoon utensils, pointing out the similar abbreviations on their handles.

Shadow examined them for a moment, then scoffed. “Hmph. This’ll be easy. I’m a science experiment myself, so I can’t screw this up.”

Amy’s grin widened at his confidence. “Is that how it works? You’ve got it all figured out now?”

“Of course.” He took the teaspoon from her hands. “If you use this much, you get the Ultimate Life Form, but if you fuck up and use this much...” he continued, picking up the tablespoon, “...you get a giant lizard.”

Amy snickered at first, then burst out laughing when the punchline fully hit her. She leaned her head on Shadow’s shoulder as she cracked up, the way she often did with close friends. She could feel his body shake as he chuckled quietly at his own joke.

I wish more people knew how funny Shadow is. Whenever I tell people he makes jokes, they never believe me.

She straightened back up as she calmed down. By then, his gaze was serious and intent once more. Her bright smile remained as she returned to the task at hand.

She leaned in toward Shadow, and he mirrored her action. In a comical stage whisper, she confided, “Now...don’t tell anyone, but I actually cheat a bit with this next part.” She winked.

His subtle but surprised expression made it clear he was taking it entirely too seriously.

She giggled. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. Most people wait until a little later to add the eggs, but I put them in first just in case I crack any eggshells into the mix. It’s easier to get them out if there’s less in the bowl.”

“Oh.” He nodded seriously. “That’s a good idea.”

“It’s just experience.” She waved it off casually, though she couldn’t help but feel flattered at the compliment. “I do this with Cream, too. It took her a while to get the hang of cracking them cleanly.”

Shadow opened up the carton of eggs so Amy could take out two of them. She held one of them over the counter. “Some people crack them against the edge of the bowl, but I crack them directly on the counter.”

“How come?”

“I’ve found it helps keep the eggshell together more,” Amy explained. “If you crack it against an edge, some of the bits separate out and get stuck on the yolk in the middle.” She lightly smacked the egg against the counter, then lifted it over the bowl and easily spread the shell apart, allowing the insides to spill out into the bowl. She tossed the eggshell into the sink. “See? No sweat!”

“Hmph.” Shadow picked up the other egg. He scrutinized it so closely that Amy had to hold back a laugh.

“I can do the second one, too, or you could take a crack at it.” She giggled at her own pun. “It’s up to you.”

Shadow snorted. “As if the Ultimate Life Form would have trouble with such a simple task. I’m built for precision. Physical dexterity is my specialty.”

“Prove it.”

He met her teasing smile with narrowed eyes. He scoffed and turned his attention back to the egg. After squinting at it for a moment longer, as if trying to glean its secrets, he whacked it against the counter just as she had, using exactly the right amount of force. He held it over the sink and expertly spread the shell to let out its contents, as if he’d done so a million times. He tossed the empty shell into the bowl with a brand of confidence only he had. He crossed his arms and puffed out his chest proudly. “Hmph.”

Amy stared at the bowl. She glanced into the sink, then looked back up at Shadow. A few seconds passed while she waited for it to sink in.

Shadow stared at the eggshell sitting in the bowl. His expression didn’t change as he let out a quiet, “...Oh.”

A loud bark of laughter burst from Amy’s lips. She bent down at the waist and held her stomach as she cackled.

Shadow’s expression turned sour, and his ears reddened in humiliation. Amy covered her mouth and rested a hand on his shoulder to ground herself.

“Oh, Shadow, I’m sorry! I--pfft--I can’t help it, that was just too funny!”

He didn’t look placated. She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “It’s alright, Shadow. Cream did exactly the same thing when she was first starting out!”

Shadow’s ears perked up, and his expression softened. “Really?”

Amy nodded. “She was so proud of herself, too! But then it hit her, and...” Amy devolved into laughter once more, letting out an involuntary snort.

“Let me guess: she did that thing where she gets embarrassed and puffs out her cheeks?”

Amy gasped. “Yeah! How’d you know?”

“Hmph. I see it all the time when I babysit her. She did it the last time I saw her. Vanilla teased her about someone she knew from her art club.”

Amy giggled. “I bet that was her date from yesterday. It’s cute, isn’t it?”

He nodded. A tiny, lopsided smile graced his face. Amy couldn’t help but grin herself.

He doesn’t smile often, but it’s so nice when he does.

His fleeting smile made way for a determined frown. “I’ll be cracking the other egg. I need to redeem myself.”

Amy snickered under her breath at his overly serious demeanor. She extracted the eggshell from the bowl and disposed of it in the sink. “Be my guest. We’ve got ten left just in case!”

“I won’t need more than one.”

His confident declaration proved to be correct as he cracked the next egg with skill and efficiency, dropping the components in their correct places this time.

Amy nudged his upper arm. “You know, you really are good at that. Most people take a while to get the hang of it.”

“Naturally.” He held his nose in the air. A moment later, though, he muttered a hasty, “Thanks.”

Amy smiled. She picked up the largest measuring cup. “Next, we’ll need butter, white sugar, and brown sugar.”

Shadow handed her the white sugar. He took out a stick of butter, then looked at the measuring cup in confusion. “Ah...how do I...”

Amy pointed to the measurement lines on the side of the wrapper.

“Oh! So...”

“You need to soften it first. Microwave it for a few seconds, but don’t let it burn!” she warned.

“Hmph. I’ve got this. I’m an expert with the microwave.”

Amy almost laughed, but when she saw the sincere look of pride on his face, she held it back. God, he’s serious, isn’t he?

She shook it off and glanced around. “Do you have a knife?”

In a split second, he was back by her side with an assortment of knives in his hand. “I have steak knives, butter knives, paring knives, boring knives, carving knives, utility knives...plus Swiss army knives, combat knives, serrated and beveled edges--”

Amy laughed. “Why am I not surprised that this is the most well-stocked part of your kitchen?” She plucked the butter knife from between his fingers. “This’ll do.”

He zipped off to return the others and returned to her side. “Why do you need a knife?”

Amy dipped the cup into the bag of white sugar. “To get the amount just right.” She lifted the cup to the edge and carefully scraped off the excess with the knife, then dumped the remaining sugar into the bowl. “See?”

Shadow nodded. “Can I try?”

“Mhm!”

He mimicked her motions with the brown sugar, deftly leveling it off and dumping the sugar into the bowl. He nodded his head once in satisfaction.

“Nice! You’re a natural!” she praised.

He opened his mouth to reply, but then his nose twitched, and he dashed over to open the microwave. He retrieved the bowl of now half-melted butter.

Amy’s eyes widened. “Wow, that’s perfect! Could you really tell just by smelling it?”

“It’s subtle, but it’s there.”

He poured the butter into the bowl, spreading it out evenly over the sugar. She scratched her chin. “You’ve got a steady hand and a strong nose. You could be a really good chef if you wanted to, you know.”

He lifted his shoulders. “Maybe. It hasn’t really been a priority for me.” Before she could say anything in response, he put the bowl back down and asked, “What’s next?”

“We need to mix it all together.” She glanced around. “I don’t suppose you have an electric mixer, do you?”

In response, Shadow held his communicator up to his face. “Omega, are you busy? I need your assistance.”

Amy cocked her head, so he explained. “I don’t know if Rouge took it with her or not, but I can’t find it. I hardly used it as it was, though, so I’ve been taking another approach.”

The metallic clanging of Omega’s footsteps approached. He paused in the doorway upon seeing the two of them. “GREETINGS, AMY ROSE. SHADOW, WHAT IS MY MISSION?”

Shadow inclined his head toward the bowl. “We need to mix these ingredients.”

“UNDERSTOOD.” Omega held up one of his clawed hands. He pressed a button on his arm, and his hand started spinning, his sharp silver fingers whirring around at an alarming speed.

Amy cringed, head filling with images of sugar, eggs, and butter being flung from the bowl at high velocity to coat the walls of the kitchen. “Ahhh, just one sec!” she cut in, stepping forward to take ahold of the bowl herself. “We might want to be a little more careful.”

The high-pitched whirring stopped. “WHY?”

Amy picked up the spoon Shadow had given to her earlier and started stirring the mixture vigorously herself. “It’s easier to keep things under control if you stir by hand. An electric mixer can help, but the manual approach might be better for now.”

She eyed Omega’s knife-like fingers warily. Not to mention safer.

Omega watched awkwardly as she stirred. “Sorry to call you in here for nothing, Omega,” she apologized. “I hope we didn’t interrupt anything important.”

“I WAS ENGAGING IN TARGET PRACTICE TO TEST THE NEW MISSILE LAUNCHER G.U.N. INSTALLED FOR ME.” Omega’s eyes glowed with excitement. “ITS DESTRUCTIVE POWER IS EXHILARATING.”

Shadow reached for the bowl in Amy’s arms. She handed it over, and he took over the stirring for a while as he spoke. “It’s a good thing the training area’s soundproofed. Personally, I think G.U.N. went overboard.”

“THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS ‘OVERBOARD’ WHEN IT COMES TO DESTRUCTIVE POTENTIAL, ONLY POWER AND THOSE TOO COWARDLY TO WIELD IT.”

Shadow snorted, and Amy giggled.

Omega changed the subject. “WHY ARE YOU NOT TRAINING AS WELL, SHADOW? IT IS SATURDAY AFTERNOON. YOU TRAIN EVERY SATURDAY FROM 1 PM UNTIL 4 PM. ANOMALY DETECTED.”

Shadow’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t look up from the bowl. “I can train later. I’m in the middle of something important.”

“YOU ARE A CREATURE OF HABIT. THIS BEHAVIOR IS HIGHLY ABNORMAL. SHALL I CONSULT A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL?”

Shadow’s stirring grew faster. “I’m fine. I don’t get sick.”

Amy glanced back and forth between Shadow and Omega, confused.

“YOU HAVE NOT SKIPPED A TRAINING SESSION IN FOUR YEARS, THREE MONTHS, THIRTEEN DAYS, AND--”

“Ah--I think it’s mixed well enough!” Amy cut in, taking the bowl from Shadow’s hands. She smiled sheepishly up at Omega. “Do you want to bake cookies with us, Omega? It must be lonely training by yourself.”

Omega’s cooling fans sped up. “I AM FINE! I REQUIRE NO ASSISTANCE!”

Amy flinched, but Shadow just held a hand to his forehead.

Omega tromped back toward the door. “I AM AN INDEPENDENT ROBOT! I AM PERFECTLY CAPABLE OF BURNING THINGS ALONE!” His metal footsteps retreated down the hall.

Amy winced as she realized the sore spot she’d just hit. “Poor Omega.”

“It’s gotten a lot better,” Shadow muttered, leaning toward her to make himself heard. “The first year, I had to remind him that Silver can stop bullets and crush metal.”

Amy’s face twisted in sympathy, but then she smiled up at Shadow. “I’m glad he has you to look after him!”

He shrugged it off. “I just do what I have to for public safety.”

Amy giggled. She picked up the vanilla extract. “This next part is always a little nerve-racking for me. If you add even one extra drop of vanilla extract, it can ruin the whole thing. It’s that strong! So..” She found the teaspoon and pressed that and the vanilla extract into Shadow’s hands. “Can you? Please? You have steadier hands than I do!”

She looked up at him with the cutest, most endearing expression she could muster.

He just gave her an unimpressed look, then sighed. “You can put the puppy-dog eyes away. I can handle this.”

She squealed happily. “Yes!” She directed him to pour in two teaspoons. He stirred it all together while she took out the baking soda and salt.

As she guided him through the next few steps, she couldn’t help but notice just how intensely he watched, the way he was hanging on her every word. It wasn’t a feeling she was used to. After a lifetime of being the silly girl with a crush, the tagalong who followed Sonic around, the one whose feelings were a little too big...it felt as if everyone treated her like a naïve little girl who knew nothing about the world. She couldn’t count the number of times her friends and foes alike had disregarded her feelings and input.

Even her “little sister” thought she had her head in the clouds.

But as Shadow watched her, focusing on everything she had to say, she felt none of that. In fact, it occurred to her that he’d never made her feel that way. Every word she’d spoken to him had been given a level of care and consideration she never got to feel with anyone else.

“What’s next?” Shadow asked.

Amy thought back, checked all the ingredients, and grinned. “That’s it for prep! We just have to bake them in the oven now.” After checking to make sure the oven was preheated, she opened it and slid in the first tray. Shadow did the same with the other. She set the timer for nine minutes. “This recipe usually takes ten minutes to bake, so I set it for nine minutes and check on them a little early so they don’t burn.”

Shadow’s gaze was fixed on the timer. “Why don’t you just turn the heat higher? It’d make them cook faster.” He reached for the temperature knob.

“No!” She stumbled over to grab his hand. “That’s not how it works!”

He paused and looked down at their hands. His eyes turned...mischievous? “How come? It’s at 350 degrees, so why not 700 degrees for 5 minutes?” He reached for the knob with his free hand.

She immediately grabbed that hand, too. “NO! You’re going to ruin our cookies!”

“1400 degrees for two and a half minutes. 2800 degrees for one minute and fifteen seconds.”

“Stopppp!” Amy cut in, though they were both laughing by then. “If you bake them faster at higher heat, then the outside will burn and the inside won’t cook all the way through.” He nodded in response, still paying rapt attention even through their laughter.

Her giggles quieted, and she could hear his own low chuckles under his breath. She decided she liked the sound.

“Mmm?”

A soft sound drew their attention from the floor. A pink Chao was peeking around the corner, its eyes focused on their joined hands. Its emote ball had formed a curious question mark.

Shadow released Amy’s hands and made his way over to the Chao. He squatted down next to it and held out a hand. The Chao put its paw in his and gazed up at Amy, clearly skeptical.

Amy could just barely hear Shadow’s voice as he spoke to it. “Do you want to say hi, Rosie?”

The Chao looked back and forth between the two hedgehogs. After a moment of contemplation, she bobbed her head.

“Good.” Shadow led the Chao into the middle of the room. He stopped, leaving extra space between Amy and the Chao. “Rosie, this is Amy. She’s a friend of mine.”

Amy squatted down to the Chao’s level, just as Shadow had. She smiled disarmingly and waved. “Hi!” she greeted, keeping her voice quiet. “It’s nice to meet you!”

The Chao shuffled over to hide behind Shadow’s feet. Shadow kept an eye on her, but he didn’t pressure her to respond to Amy. Instead, he just waited. After about ten seconds, Rosie peeked out from behind Shadow’s foot. She waved a shy paw at Amy. Amy beamed.

So cute!!

Shadow nodded in approval and gestured down at the Chao. “This is Rosie. I adopted her from the shelter last week.”

Rosie kept her eyes fixed on Amy. She sucked on her paw. Shadow leaned in to exchange a few words with the Chao. He stood and retrieved a bowl and a few spices from his cabinets. He took out a couple square fruits from a basket Amy hadn’t noticed before. She watched in fascination as he chopped up the fruits, then scraped them into the bowl along with a dash of nutmeg and a dusting of cinnamon. He stirred the concoction as he made his way to the kitchen table. Rather than remaining on the floor to eat as most Chao would, Rosie climbed up to sit on one of the chairs. Shadow allowed her to do so, though he spotted her to make sure she didn’t fall.

Amy cocked her head in confusion. What is going on? Why didn’t he just pick her up?

Rosie’s tail wagged happily. Now fully focused on the food, she dug in while Amy watched, baffled.

Shadow walked over to stand by her side. “Rosie’s...been through a lot,” he muttered. “She needs support that other Chao don’t. And she’s picky.” He chuckled once under his breath. “Kind of like me.”

Amy’s gaze drifted from the happy Chao up to Shadow’s face, which showed a small, fond smile. Her heart melted.

This guy doesn’t know the first thing about cooking, but he figured out just what spices to use to take care of a Chao who needed his help. He’s been looking after his silly, lovestruck robot friend for years. He happily babysits Cream. He’s made it his entire life mission to protect anyone who calls this planet home.

And...come to think of it...

“Shadow...is this really about cookies?”

Shadow immediately stiffened. His wide eyes slid over to Amy’s knowing smile with trepidation. His jaw clenched, and he crossed his arms tightly in front of him. “Well...” he croaked out. He scratched the back of his neck and looked away.

He sighed. “You...you looked so sad. I couldn’t...”

She remained silent. His shoulders dropped, and he met her eyes once more. “I know you hate being alone.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but he stopped her.

“I can tell.”

She waited. Eventually, he continued.

“I’m not good at cheering people up. But...I thought if you didn’t have to be alone, then maybe you’d feel a little better.”

He kept eye contact. Her heart gave an odd lurch. “Shadow, I...” She trailed off and bit her lip, then asked, “Can I hug you?”

He nodded. She pulled him into a tight hug, tucking her head under his chin. She felt his arms wrap around her, tentative but reassuring, and she buried her face in his soft chest fur. “Today was wonderful. Thank you.”

He didn’t reply, but he gently cradled the back of her head and held her closer.

Just as she was noticing how warm he was, the oven let out a series of loud, piercing beeps, making her jump. She could hear Rosie whine in discomfort at the noise. Shadow immediately let go and made his way to the stove. He turned off the timer, opened the oven, and reached in as if to grab one of the cookie sheets.

“Wait, stop!” Amy cried out, jumping forward to grab his hand. “You’re gonna burn yourself!”

“I heal quickly. It’s not a big deal.”

“Yes it is! It would still hurt!” She sighed and checked the cookies. This guy...

She closed the oven door. “They should stay in for another minute.” She reached for the timer, but Shadow stopped her, nodding toward Rosie, who still seemed shaken by the noise. Amy looked up at Shadow again.

You know how to take care of just about everyone...except yourself.

Maybe it’s about time someone returned the favor.

Amy pursed her lips. She mulled it over, then spoke.

“We could hang out again some other time if you want. I could teach you how to cook some other things.”

His eyes widened. After a few seconds that felt far more nerve-racking than Amy had anticipated, he lifted his shoulders. “...I guess I could use the help.”

She half-smiled. “I’d be happy to, though I’d understand if you didn’t have the time. What with you being such a busy guy and all.”

“I don’t have much spare time. But if something is important to me, I’ll make time for it.”

Amy could read between the lines.

I’ll make time for you.

She clasped her hands together in front of her and beamed. “Does next weekend work for you?”

He took out his phone to peruse his calendar, then nodded. “Sunday at exactly 5:15. Don’t be late.”

“Of course I won’t. It’s important to me, too,” she replied with a wink.

--

Amy waved to Shadow and left, bringing half the cookies with her. Shadow took a bite of one from his own stash, savoring the soft texture and sweet flavor.

“Ah?”

Shadow peeked down to see Rosie was pointing to Amy, shooting him an inquisitive look.

“Hmph.” Shadow sat down beside Rosie and scratched under her chin, enjoying the contented noise she made. “Someday I’ll tell her...but today, she needed a friend.”

--

((Most of Shadow’s failures are mistakes I personally made when I first started baking, and I actually do crack the eggs first like Amy does here. It’s probably not “standard,” but I think it should be! I’ve also only ever made cookies with a mix before, not from scratch. No shame! The recipe I looked up for this headcanon is located here.

Fair warning: I have no idea whether that recipe is any good.

If you want to read more about Rosie, she originally appeared in Shadow Sitting. Shadow first adopted her in A Rosie Outlook.))

[misskattylashes]

An open letter to whoever wants to read it...

I don't expect anyone to read this, I just wanted to get my feelings off my chest. I also dont expect anyone to agree with me so don't start having a go. This is genuinely me trying to process my feelings.

I am so disappointed in Alex. And this is actually just a reflection of my own expectations. I was so proud back in May when Louise had tried to allude in her stories that they were on holidays, only for Alex to rock up in London a couple of days later with Miles in their matching jackets at the Scott Walker concert. He looked so happy and relaxed, and I suppose my inner shipper kicked in and I hoped he was finally sticking two fingers up at what I think has become a bearding narrative.

There has been no sign of Louise during the UK tour - even Sheffield which was attended by friends and family and surely after 5 years together she should be considered family. And it wasn’t as if she had any commitments. It seemed she was just wandering around Paris taking pictures and getting her hair cut.

Miles on the other hand has been behaving like someone who is loved up, sharing romantic songs and even called Alex a sexy motherf*ckr on live radio. I was living in my own stupid hope that they were slowly preparing to come out. Or at the least the whole Louise thing was over and we could draw our own assumptions. Especially seeing as yesterday Miles posted a video of him on the Eurostar saying he was going back to London and put the two turtle emojis.

Then today we get a post from Louise declaring how she was getting the star treatment on the Eurostar, and a caption saying something like baby I miss you I want to kiss you. Which brought me back down to earth with a bump. The shit charade is still on. And lucky me...I will be there in London to witness it. Alex will probably be on edge like he was when she was in Paris and fuck up. But of course everyone will think it's romantic and cute.

I disappointed in him not having the courage to put an end to this.

But maybe I am more disappointed in myself. I am usually a cynical person but the love between Miles and Alex seems so romantic, and Miles is so sweet, he deserves happiness. But maybe I really have just been shipping two men who once loved each other but are now happy just being friends.

So I don't know why I feel so miserable. They're all strangers. I like to think of myself as a feminist, but there is still part of me who like fairy tales with happy endings and I created my own Milex fairy tale.

But I still can't help but be cynical. Glastonbury is coming up and I have a strong feeling Miles will come on for 505, so of course let's make sure for this week Alex is seen out in London with the girlfriend, taking photos with fans who can go on how lovely she is blah blah to keep up the hetero narrative so when Miles comes on stage...well it's just two old friends.

Sorry for the ramble. Please just scroll on. I just wanted to get this off my chest.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for wanting to meet my QPP and going out of my way to try to do so after they’ve said no?

Okay, so. This is a very complicated situation, I’ll try to offer as much details as I can, but I am currently running off a fresh four hours of sleep and I am dead on my feet.

Me (18 genderfluid) and my partner, X (17 nb) have met almost three years ago on Tumblr. We have become really close in that time, and I asked them to be my QPP last year.

We’ve never met irl, because of the simple fact that we live on different continents and were both until this summer.

Well, as it happens, X’s parents decided to take him on a trip overseas in august. As soon as they learned this, they told me and we both freaked out.

Because the trip would put him and me only a two hour flight away. I immediately asked my parents if it would be possible to do something about this, fully expecting to be denied.

However, my parents not only Agreed, they helped me devise a full timeplan and schedule and find plane tickets and a hotel.

I told this to my partner excitedly and they were obviously excited, I was, too. Since it was a family trip, they had to ask his parents, though. One of them was completely fine with it, but the other just said no.

It was made worse by the fact that it was a step-parent to X.

Usually, I am a very calm person, and am able to accept a logical argument. But there was no apparent reasoning behind the step-parent saying no. At least not one that me or X could see.

I cried for the entire day after learning of this and I just couldn’t calm down. I was so close to meeting the most important person in my life and it slipped out of my fingers right before it became a reality.

Anyways, it pissed me off beyond reason and I booked the tickets, hotel and invited my mom for an impromptu three day holiday. Obviously, she knew why I was going, since she helped with the planning, so she agreed.

My partner learned of this, obviously. I told him as soon as I decided to do it, but because of timezones, they were already unavailible when I told them.

So I flew out yesterday. I should probably mention that I will be paying everything back to my Dad, who bought the tickets, which will be almost the entirety of my savings.

I gave an option to X. If he wants to meet, I’ll meet with them, if not, I’ll leave it. Yesterday, he wasn’t sure. We discussed it for a long time, I cried again.

I was emotional, sleep deprived and in a completely different country, so I was mean. I tried not to be, but I did say some things that I regret. I apologised immediately, but still.

Mostly, I was asking about why he’s scared to meet. I won’t elaborate on the reasoning, since it’s his own bussiness, but Basicaly, it was his parents. Because they hadn’t Agreed to the meeting.

Well, I begged him to at least try asking again and went to sleep.

X texted me whilst I was sleeping, saying he discussed it with his step-parent and tried to convince them to let us meet.

However, this is where their step-parent finaly revealed their reasoning.

The trip they are on is meant as a sort of ‘goodbye’ trip for X, since he’s turning 18 next year and for whatever reason, they don’t expect him to be very happy to spend holidays with them again.

Yea, I know, I’m being sarcastic and salty, but I think it’s deserved. Why Oh why would your child want to cut contact with you once they turn 18, you shall never know.

In any case, I learned of X’s family’s plans for the following day and it was a thing that I Also really wanted to do (since I did give him the option to tell me yes/no for the meeting I turned the trip into a holiday with my own mom). I have been super excited to do this during the trip and it just so happened that the weather was perfect for the activity as well, so I just decided to go Anyways, much like with the trip.

My main motive was absolutely the trip itself, but the possibility of running into X Also influenced my decision.

We didn’t end up meeting, but if we did, it would’ve Caused trouble for him and they already said no to meeting me.

I understand that everyone’s boundaries and fears are different and I try and respect them, but I’m so frustrated with this situation, because were our situations reversed, I would’ve met with X, whatever the consequences.

So. AITA?

What are these acronyms?

[lovingdabeessss]

i have to ask ur thoughts on this bcs i saw it from someone also crying abt in on twitter. so, yangs reaction to missing rubys birthday bcs she was super depressed + ruby leaving

🥺🥺🥺

Why would you do this to me!!!!!!!!!

GOD

Aaaaaaaaaaaaa

Ok well

I think they’d both be really really upset about it

Yang and Ruby have never spent so long apart and they’ve definitely spent all their birthdays together and I can imagine Yang tried to make Ruby’s birthdays extra special

I personally believe when they were kids after summer died birthdays became kinda forgotten about like most celebrations

But i think Yang would try and keep it alive for Ruby

I think maybe ruby’s birthday was the first thing the two of them genuinely tried to celebrate after summer died and so it’s special for them

I’m personally not sure If Halloween is truly celebrated in remnant or not I know it was in Chebi but that’s not cannon and they don’t exactly have like and of the possible origins but if they do actually have it or their own stand in (because it makes sense for them to have something similar a holiday to be happy and dress up as grim to try and scare them off) then it’d make rubys birthday something easy to remember even if qrows on a mission so he can get home in time to celebrate and while ruby’s gone on a her own mission it’s a painful reminder she’s without Yang and yangs without Ruby

If it’s not a real holiday in the Ruby universe then there’s a possibility ruby missed her own birthday

Stressed out and without someone to remind her or celebrate it it slips her mind

Yang wouldn’t miss it tho

Maybe she sits in rubys room and spirals into herself because she can’t be there to celebrate her sister’s birthday

Maybe she gets up that day seeing the date and for a second being excited to celebrate her sisters birthday deciding to make her cookies or something before she wakes up and then remembering that she can’t do that

That ruby’s not here and even if she was Yang couldn’t make her anything because she’s not used to only having one arm which would make it almost impossible for her

Yang being disabled in a way that makes her unable to possibly ever do her job again after the disaster that caused it also shut down communications with the place that could give her a prosthetic she’s been abandoned by everyone she was friends with or they’ve died and she can’t even blame them cause she couldn’t even make sure her sister got her birthday celebrated properly

And ruby so deserves a nice celebration after everything

Maybe she hopes qrow will celebrate it in yangs absence

She probably doesn’t have a lot of hope for him though

I think Yang makes sure they celebrate it when they reunite maybe she gets the whole crew into it and they make a day of it

Maybe Blake tells ruby happy birthday when she comes back or gets her a little trinket and that’s one of the things that makes Yang trust her a little bit more

Bonus

I think Weiss celebrates it too she wishes ruby a happy birthday from her house shaped prison and imagines how that’d go down if everything hadn’t gone wrong with Yang making a huge deal out of everything and Blake helping her out laughing at yang being so over the top and spending the day together and so Weiss would be really excited about them deciding to celebrate it after being reunited even if its without the full family team

Also hc Yangs birthdays were often forgotten by everyone because Yang and ruby were a little young to constantly remember the date and tai was busy with his crippling depression and qrow was busy going on his long missions for ozpin so she’d probably celebrate it whenever qrow next came back if he remembered it or they’d just realize it had past and Yang would say she’s that old and when they got old enough to remember the dates and everything Yang still didn’t care much but ruby did and would try and make sure they celebrated it at least a little