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kiame-sama · 3 days

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Humans Are Extinct (Yandere!TWST x Fem!Reader) Monster AU pt 6

(Quickly running out of Monster men drawings to use as my chapter pictures. May be a hot minute until I get the next chapter out since my laptop can barely stay conscious long enough to draw another one and I want to only use the monster AU versions of the characters for this series.)

Warnings; multiple yanderes, platonic yanderes, romantic yanderes, monster AU, eating Humans mentioned, more AU history, Cater is not having a very Cay-Cay day, food is an excellent way to bring groups together, Fauns, Satyrs, Kelpies, Crow Fae, Unicorns, Water Nymphs, vampire bats, dragons, cervitaurs, Raiju, Mermen, Cecaelia, Gnolls,

~~~~~~~~

Lunch finally rolled around and you were surprised that Ace and Deuce had actually taken Trey's words seriously and accompanied you to classes. Ace had loudly complained about his volunteering for a little bit but once he saw how many students actually took an interest in you, he stopped complaining and started viewing the task as a kind of important role only he could do. Naturally, Deuce was far less irate about the situation though there were times he almost came across as a punk when it came to others trying to harass you. Both had adjusted well to being around you and come lunch Deuce was actually taking pride in explaining things to you.

"-and that's what makes Fauns different from Satyrs."

"So Fauns are the nicer version of Satyrs?"

"For the most part. Satyrs are known for being loud and always wanting to fight-"

Ace cut Deuce off, shoving an uncooked carrot into the Faun's mouth to silence him. You had seen the two interact and you got the distinct feeling that the Faun and Satyr had more of a brotherly relationship with one another. Where they both had different personalities, when they did agree on something it was practically a law to them.

It was fascinating to hear that these monster men had similar names to the mythical creatures from your world and you wondered why such an overlap existed. Maybe the Humans from your world did interact with this world in the past, or maybe it was just a coincidence. Still, it seemed almost too close to be mere coincidence.

"Anyway, now that Dunce here is done talking-"

"You know my name is Deuce-"

"Like I said, now that Dunce is done talking, I have questions for you, (Y/n)."

You almost laughed at the back and forth banter of the two Goats- Faun and Satyr respectively- as their voices fumbled over one another. Truth was, you had been expecting far more questions than the few they threw at you between classes, so now was as good a time as any to ask.

"Okay, what do you want to know?"

"So, you don't have magic? Like, at all?"

"No magic whatsoever. Where I came from, magic is a myth and no creatures have magic."

"Okay. But how do Humans survive? No horns, no claws, nothing to protect themselves from bigger creatures."

"We make weapons. I know you all have bows, arrows, and knives, we have the same. Guns too, but I haven't seen any guns used here."

"Wait, what is a gun?"

"Basically an automatic bow that fires little pieces of metal using explosive powder that needs a spark which launches the metal through their target."

Ace seemed almost excited by your vague explanation of a gun, opening his mouth to ask you another question. His voice died in his throat as his gaze locked onto something behind you, prompting you to turn around to look at whatever it was that had unsettled Ace.

Standing not too far from you was the large figure of the Horse-man Trey. Ace told you he was a Kelpie, but you just couldn't make that connection seeing as he looked like a big white horse and not a water kelp-horse like Kelpies were supposed to be. He was clearly making good on his threat to check in as he approached you with a patient smile on his face.

"Hello (Y/n), have Heartslabyul's first-years been adequate guides for you today?"

"Yes. Grim doesn't even have to try half as hard to keep me safe now and I haven't been late to any of my classes other than the first one."

Trey gave a genuine smile at this, nodding his head as he was pleased to know his choice had been a good one. Seeing the centaur made you wonder about Cater and what may have become of the air-head student. In some ways, you worried asking would have a negative effect, but you were so curious you couldn't help but inquire about him.

"So... What happened to Cater?"

"He is being dealt with by the Headmage. He's lucky he isn't going to get expelled for what he did, but once the Headmage is done with his punishment, he's going to be turned over to Riddle."

"Is Riddle mad about all of this?"

"Well... I actually haven't told Riddle yet. He has a short fuse and isn't going to take Cater's actions well, especially since he asked both Cater and I to protect you if we happened across you. Odds are Cater is going to be collared and kicked out of his room for the foreseeable future."

This made you frown in contemplation at the prospect of the Red-haired student being punished too harshly. Though you were upset Cater took photos of you without asking and likely set several poachers on your trail, you didn't want harm to come to him. Sure, he was stupid and made a stupid choice, but he shouldn't be hurt or kicked out of his home for it.

"... If he is kicked out of his room, is there anywhere else he can go?"

"No. Riddle is very strict about rule-breakers being banned from the dorms so long as they have one of his collars on, and most other dorms aren't keen to house a student that isn't theirs. He's probably going to be sleeping in the Heartslabyul lake if Riddle doesn't ban him from there too."

The morality of the issue weighed on you and made you worry about the ditzy redhead. Though you didn't really trust Cater or his clearly impaired decision making skills, you still felt like he deserved basic decency despite his actions. You knew firsthand how the creatures that lived around campus were genuinely terrifying and dangerous, so you didn't want him thrown to the metaphorical or actual wolves.

"Can... can Cater stay in my dorm?"

Your question earned you several dubious looks from the Goats and Trey as if you had grown another head or said something unhinged. Even Grim had to pause his hesitant raw veggie medley- the only thing the cafeteria served today- to stare at you in surprise.

"You- you want Cater in your dorm? Why?"

"Well, it wasn't like he knew what he was doing was bad, and I don't think he should be left outside for his poor choice."

"(Y/n), do you realize how vicious poachers are in Twisted Wonderland? You will be hunted every moment of every day because Cater couldn't keep himself from posting you to that stupid Magicam app he is obsessed with. The second you are unguarded you will be attacked. The Headmage is even considering assigning Sam and Vargas to your dorm just to make sure poachers can't get in, or even moving you to Diasomnia so Malleus can protect you. I don't think you understand just how seriously we need to take your safety."

"I'm just a Human though, I'm not a princess or someone important. Why all the fuss?"

Your comment made Trey let out a long and exasperated sigh, his gaze leaving your confused form as he tried to keep in mind just how new you were to their world. Humans were never just Humans in Twisted Wonderland, and them simply dying out has made a far felt ripple in the history of every known species. For so long, so many species had adored and tried to protect Humans, but even they couldn't save the fragile species from the hunger so many magic users had for their very flesh.

Most things in the technological realm and cooking realm- pastries and phones included- only existed because Humans led the way to them being invented. Even now, technology has been mostly stagnant for over a hundred years with only the Shrouds having any aptitude as far as advancements were concerned. Trey himself had Humanity to thank for his family's bakery and the many cuisines local to the Queendom of Roses.

"(Y/n), Humans have never been 'just Humans' to us. Maybe to Sunset Savana, but never to the Queendom of Roses. Even Briar Valley had laws in place to protect your kind from everyone else. I get you may not understand it, but compared to most other species, Humans were better than most in the emotional and critical thinking department. It was Humans creating new inventions, coming up with unique ideas, and above all else, peacekeeping between the various species and races to the point they were called Beast-Tamers. Most wouldn't even speak to their Fae counterparts until Humans got the two to interact amicably."

You were somewhat surprised to hear all of this, having been under the impression that Humans were mainly pets to the other species. It was interesting to hear what Humans were credited for and that despite all they did to help, they were still hunted as food until extinction. The few from Savanaclaw you interacted with had been both sides of the spectrum of threatening you or being peaceful to you and it made you wonder just what kind of species were still keen to get a taste of your forbidden flesh.

"Honestly," Trey continued, "I wouldn't be surprised if several Kingdoms and Queendoms sent ambassadors to take you away from Night Raven for your own safety. I just know the international law makers are going to have a field day the moment it becomes common knowledge that you're here."

It made sense that Trey was stressed about this, you knew from your own home how aggressively endangered and near-extinct species had to be protected, but you still felt Cater shouldn't carry all the blame. If it wasn't Cater, it would have been someone else. Just because he was the fool to do it first didn't mean that others wouldn't have tried or succeeded in the same endeavor.

"Still, if he gets kicked out of the dorms tonight, will you at least tell him I will let him stay with me?"

"If you really want me to," he sighed heavily, "I guess I can tell Cater about your offer. I won't tell Riddle though, knowing how that Unicorn is, he will actually harm Cater for even thinking about taking shelter with you after what he's done."

~•§•~

"HE DID WHAT?!"

Riddle was beside himself with rage and even stomped his hooves against the marble floors of the Headmage's office, almost cracking the stone with his rage. Cater was trying to sink into his chair and hide from the Sophomore Housewarden who was beyond the point of furious with the water Nymph. Not only did he get a dressing-down from the Headmage, but he was going to be thrown at the mercy of his own Housewarden who was known for being an absolute hard-ass on rule breakers.

"It wasn't like I was trying to target her! I just-"

"SILENCE! YOU WILL SPEAK WHEN SPOKEN TO, CATER DIAMOND!"

The firm tone Riddle used made Cater shut his mouth and bow his head, trying to avoid upsetting the Unicorn further. There was no way he would be able to go back to his room at this rate and odds are he would be sleeping in the forest if Riddle had anything to say about it. Plus, he still had that essay to write for Trein that was due tomorrow.

"He apparently took a selfie with (Y/n) and posted it to Magicam with hashtags indicating she is Human. By the time I got him to delete the post, it had been downloaded several thousand times. Since then I have already received a call from the Royal Sword Academy Headmage to confirm a Human lives here now, and what we as the heads of our schools can do to protect her. No doubt representatives from Briar Valley and the Queendom of Roses have already been dispatched and will arrive on the island soon enough, not to mention how many poachers are likely on their way here as we speak."

Cater knew how upset Riddle was given the fact the Unicorn's horn was humming loudly with magic and the Unicorn himself was a bright red. Things really weren't coming up Cay-Cay today.

"OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!"

~•§•~

You felt a bit more comfortable with the school as a whole by the time classes had finished for the day. Practical Magical Theory was an interesting class, even if you really didn't have the faintest idea what they were talking about. According to Ace, you were lucky you didn't have Flight Class because there was a high chance you wouldn't be able to participate in the class itself. Still, you were happy to have a moment to let things settle down for a bit.

Ace and Deuce walked you to your dorm, but had been called to Heartslabyul by a quick text from Trey, leaving you alone in the dorm with Grim. Despite the beginning of the day being an absolute wash, the rest of the day hadn't been too bad. It was around this time you decided you may as well start on making some dinner. You could hear Grim's stomach growling already as you both went to the kitchen.

"Are you gonna make something good like you did for breakfast?"

"I'm going to try to."

"What are you gonna make?"

"Well, I was thinking we have the stuff here for a really nice soup-"

You were promptly cut off by the Kitchen door swinging open with a loud bang. Clearly, you were going to have to tell the professors or even the Headmage Crow about securing that side door given how it had already been used twice by others seeking to get into your dorm. Luckily for you, those that walked through the door had at least two familiar faces in the group.

"Sorry for interrupting," Lilia called out, happily making his way over to you in an almost bouncy gait, much like a bird hopping around, "hope you don't mind I brought Malleus, Silver, and Sebek too. I heard one of the Heartslabyul students blew the whistle on you being here in NRC. Figured you could use a bit of extra protection in case any poachers try their luck. Besides, the nest here is just as big as Malleus' nest in Diasomnia."

It was then Malleus spoke, his voice a deep rumble in his chest as he looked over you.

"They will not lay a hand upon my hoard without paying with their lives for such a transgression."

It was clear the Dragon was not happy with the events that took place and he seemed to be quite content claiming you as one of his Hoard. When Lilia explained it to you last night, apparently the moment Malleus decided he was adding someone to his Hoard, he became extremely attached to that person and would even become violent in their defense. Given the way others talked about him, he must have been a genuinely frightening and powerful person to command such fear and respect.

"... So does that mean I'm making soup for all of you or..?"

"If you don't mind. I certainly want another bite of your cooking, (Y/n)!"

Lilia took his perch back on the counter and swung his feet, seeming rather impish and almost childish in his behavior. You just shrugged and nodded, gathering enough ingredients to feed the group several times over. Your hope was that there would be some left over for you to take during lunches. As nice as it was to have raw foods once in a while, you'd rather your meals be cooked.

Grim clearly only trusted Lilia and sat next to the Bat to watch you bustle around the kitchen. He even let out a soft purr when Lilia began to pet his forehead and ears. Where you would have scolded them for sitting on the counter, it wasn't like you didn't have enough counter space already. Starting the broth and preparation was rather simple for you and it was clear those standing around you were keen to watch you prepare the soup.

"(Y/n)," Grim meowed, "where did you learn to do all this fancy stuff?"

"Humans usually cook their food. So I just learned while growing up. Of course there are some things you can have without cooking, like a sandwich or a fruit salad, but most big meals are better cooked. Now, that doesn't mean every Human can cook well, but most are good enough at it."

"So does that mean I can have more of the food you cook?"

"Like a bigger portion? No. But you will always get to have some of whatever I make, okay?"

Grim purred loudly at this, his face lighting up with an excited smile. Clearly the little creature was pleased with your arrangement even if it meant he had to go to boring classes with you. The food was absolutely worth it and he got to sleep in a mountain of pillows and blankets after a long day. It was all way better than the hole in the ground he occupied when he wasn't actively running for his life before he met you.

Once you got most of the soup started, you knew it just needed to be covered and cooked, listening idly to Lilia talk with the others about the events of breakfast and the Gnoll that invited himself in. It was when you finally got this moment that you took a good look at the other two visitors who were either Silver or Sebek, seeing as Lilia didn't point out who was who.

Much to your surprise, one of them reminded you of the Kelpie and Unicorn you had met earlier but he had an obvious three point antler rack attached to his head. His lower half was that of a reindeer and was fairly fluffy compared to the short coats of the Kelpie and Unicorn. Part of you wanted to test if he was as soft as he looked, but you figured it would not be considered appropriate to pet him.

The second new face was an almost canine like man with pale green hair that was slicked back and spiked up at the ends. His eyes were intense as was the apparent scowl that held his features, two sharply pointed dog ears atop his head. Bright yellow-green eyes tracked your every move and regarded you with as much curiosity as you regarded him. The similar medium length tail fur swayed lazily as his tail slowly began to wag when you looked at him.

The soup was beginning to smell rather good and it was clear four of the five others in the kitchen were taking note as they occasionally sniffed the air. Lilia, Grim, Silver, and Sebek were clearly keenly interested in the scent but it was Malleus' behavior that caught your attention. Instead of sniffing or lifting his nose as the others did, his forked tongue slowly slid from between his lips like a snake as if he were tasting the air. You almost laughed at the oddly reptile behavior before his gaze suddenly snapped to the door of the kitchen.

Standing in the doorway was a curious looking man that seemed to have fins on the sides of his head. His almost scaled skin had a kind of faint green tint to it with intense blue undertones, his eyes being two different colors with the right one being a pale gray and the left one being a bright gold. Atop his head were tousled blue-green locks with a singular black stripe that crossed over his forehead above his left eye.

"Oya, it seems I'm not the only one with culinary interests. Apologies for intruding, but the lovely smell drew me in. Would you mind telling me what it is you're making?"

You were surprised to see the almost Fish-like man despite how polite he was being with you. Instead of hopping in to defend you, Lilia looked at you for what you wanted to do with this interloper. Malleus seemed rather keen to rid you of this newcomer's presence but you held up a hand to stop him from acting. Part of you worried this new visitor was dangerous, but because he was wearing a school uniform you figured he was just another student.

"Soup?"

"... May I ask what kind?"

"Only if you tell me your name first and what you were doing around my dorm."

"Ah, forgive me. It seems in my haste to get to the heart of the matter, I forgot my manners. My name is Jade Leach, I'm the Vice-Housewarden of Octavinelle. I'm going to assume from your appearance you are the highly talked-of Human now living on campus. Azul informed us that you would be remaining here for the time being. As for what I was doing, I am rather interested in the foods that grow wild above water, so I was out gathering some mushrooms to sample."

He lifted the foraging bag that hung over his shoulder, showing you the contents within. He was right in that he had gathered up a fair few number of mushrooms and there were several that you actually recognized. You were no master of mushrooms- of course- but you still recognized a few species that were safe for you to eat, seeing several button mushrooms among the many gathered.

Those would be great in the soup you were making, and it was early enough that you could add them right in and they would cook just fine.

"Okay, Jade. I believe you were at least out gathering mushrooms which is innocent enough. I'm actually curious if you wanted to trade for some of those button mushrooms you have, they'd go great in the soup I'm making. In return I'll tell you about it and you can have some to eat if you'd like."

Jade actually seemed to brighten up at this, his smile becoming less strained and his expression smoothing from the stressed way his brows had been pulled together. It was almost as if he had been wanting to ask for some soup but was far too polite to actually inquire. He nodded and set his bag on the counter, letting you pick out the little rounded white mushrooms from the selection he gathered.

"I'm quite partial to the cuisines the different kingdoms have to offer. Rare as it can be to find those who are masters of their craft, I would still like to sample the meals above the ocean waves. I would be grateful for whatever knowledge you can share with me. It isn't every day that someone adept at cooking graces this school."

"Hey," Grim interrupted loudly as you set to dicing the mushrooms, "that's my Hooman you're talking to! She only cooks for me, but I'm kind enough to share with all of you. Don't forget it, got it?"

Jade gave a rather patient simper to your primary companion, resting his right hand over his heart in an almost polite gesture.

"But of course. I'm simply interested in learning to make such meals for myself. I'm certain Azul and Floyd would be keen to taste such a wonderful smelling dish."

This seemed to satisfy your little companion as he nodded with a pleased smile, watching you add the mushrooms to the rather large pot you decided to make the soup in. Thankfully it was a cauldron type pot made for cooking soups over firepits. The fire so dutifully warming your meal crackled pleasantly even as you stirred the bubbling mixture.

"Do you want to ask them to come over, Jade? I made way too much. Honestly, everyone here could all have a bowl, a second bowl, and I would still have enough soup for the rest of the week. I think I went a little overboard in the food department. Should have probably started with a smaller pot, but we're already this far..."

Jade seemed surprised at this, but nodded respectfully and pulled out his phone. You were curious just what Jade was as you really hadn't seen many fish-men during your day, but you weren't going to ask him. If he wanted to tell you what he was, that was his business. Didn't make you any less curious though.

"If you're certain? I'm sure Floyd will be thrilled to have something new to try. He doesn't like some mushrooms, but I don't believe he has tried the ones you've selected, and he certainly hasn't tried cooked mushrooms yet. Azul may try to heckle you into a deal, however. He is always looking for new ways to improve the Monstro Lounge."

"Yeah, of course I'm certain. I offered, didn't I?"

He nodded and began tapping away at his phone, but Lilia seemed rather keen to speak up. The Bat had been listening keenly to the conversation and felt he needed to make himself clear to the notoriously crafty student.

"If Azul threatens (Y/n) or tries to force her into a deal, we will have more than a few problems, understood?"

"He is aware. Believe it or not, those of us from the Coral Sea are actually quite fond of the legacy of Humans. Even Floyd has been babbling excitedly about meeting (Y/n) here."

"That's right, Humans were popular among the various merfolk kingdoms. You all even have a famous story involving the mermaid princess falling for a Human and joining him on land."

"Yes. She struck a deal with The Sea Witch to gain legs she could use to dance for the Human man she fell in love with, too bad the deal didn't hide her gills or fins though. Still, the Human loved her."

You listened to the conversation as you stirred the soup, glad that all of the flavors seemed to be coming together rather well despite the large amount of food you found yourself making. Judging from the conversation Lilia and Jade happened to be having, Jade was a Merman of some kind and apparently Mermen were one of the 'safe species' for Humans to interact with. Though you knew not to judge an individual by the species, it did put you at ease to know he was one of the safer ones.

It was as you were taste testing the soup that the door to the kitchen once again flew open as another visitor invited themselves in. It was offical now, four times proved it was far too easy to get into your dorm through that door. Maybe Lilia would be able to fix it for you, or Malleus seeing as Lilia said it was the Dragon who had mostly fixed up your current abode.

"(Y/n), you're an absolute angel! I thought I was going to have to sleep in the woods once Riddle temporarily banned me from Heartslabuyl! He won't even let me sleep in the lake even though I'm a Lake Water Nymph because of what happened. You believe me when I say I didn't mean to put you in danger, right?"

Cater had thrown himself at your feet, holding onto your legs as if he were some abandoned pet seeking shelter from a blizzard. Around his neck was a thick metal collar that extended out to the sides in black and red colors, forming a heart-shape that locked in the front with a golden and black padlock. He was careful not to get in the fire that was dutifully cooking your soup even as he groveled at your feet.

"O-oi! What's the big idea with everyone coming in that door? It's dangerous to leave that thing unlocked."

"That's what I'm saying! So much for protected and safe with that thing in here."

You couldn't help but slightly grin at Grim as he voiced your own concerns out loud. Lilia simply regarded the door, snapping his fingers to close it as a large metal bolt affixed itself to the door before clicking into place.

"There. Now it can't be thrown open anymore. But why is Cater here? Cater, when did Riddle collar you and why?"

Cater seemed to realize there were others standing around you as he suddenly straightened up, clearing his throat and taking several steps back from you. He tried to play off the desperate display he had just shown and was failing miserably. Cater looked much worse for wear than you remembered him being and you genuinely began to hope the Unicorn hadn't actually harmed the ditzy redhead.

"Well... I may have 'accidentally' posted a picture that told everyone that (Y/n) was a Human and was on NRC grounds, but I totes didn't realize it would put her in danger! Honestly!"

Lilia's bemused smile almost instantly fell away into a glare as he regarded the man standing by your side. You added a bit of salt to the soup as you wated, watching the thick broth bubble and roil with vegtables and diced meat. There were a lot of things you could do in that moment, but something told you it was best to let Lilia handle this situation.

"And what did you think was going to happen, Cater?"

"Tbh, I thought that I would just get a follower count boost and everything would be fine. The Headmage and Riddle sure made it clear I was wrong for thinking that. Lessons learned!"

"It only cost us the safety of the last Human left in Twisted Wonderland."

"I said I was sorry!"

Everyone except Cater seemed to be exceptionally upset as they all glared at him, making him duck behind you as if you were the best shield from their rage. You just let the tall student try and fail to escape the ire of the others. For once, a polite knock came at the kitchen door, breaking off the aggressive staredown taking place.

"Hey, why are we here, Azul?"

An almost sing-song voice hummed from somewhere on the other side of the door, prompting Jade to walk over and open the door for who you assumed to be the two he was talking about. In strode a rather lovely looking man with snow-white hair and shining mauve blue eyes hidden behind thin framed glasses. Around his face were lovely and intricate black markings that reminded you quite a bit of the tentacles of an octopus. Behind him lumbered a rather tall man who almost looked identical to Jade if not for the swapped eye color and slight difference in height.

"We're here because Jade told me there is a profitable venture to be had and I am not going to miss out on this chance to make the Human's acquaintance, Floyd."

The shorter one hummed in a smooth voice and you almost giggled at the rather fact-of-the-matter tone that the white haired one spoke with. You felt it was safe to assume the rather lovely man was Azul and the near identical to Jade fish-man walking with him was Floyd.

Floyd almost made a show of sniffing the air, following his nose to where you stood in front of the pot of soup, watching him curiously. Once his gaze fell on you a wide grin overtook the slight frown he had been pouting with. You could see the way his eyes trailed over your figure due to the bright yellow of his right eye highlighting his pupil as it darted up and down.

"Ne ne, what is such a cute little Shrimpy doing this far above the water? You're so small I just want to squeeze ya."

He took a single step towards you and this seemed to be enough for the two- Silver and Sebek- to suddenly intercept him with swords drawn, creating an 'X' that blocked the tall Merman from approaching further. It was more than a little surprising to see weapons suddenly drawn, but maybe you shouldn't be all that surprised. Lilia did say he came over to guard you again and even brought the others for the same purpose.

"Hey, I'm not gonna hurt them, I just want a little feel on if Shrimpy is as soft as they look!"

"Floyd, that's enough. She was polite enough to allow me to invite you and Azul over and she is quite the rare specimen, you can't threaten her so casually and expect those guarding her to not be upset."

"I didn't threaten, I just said I wanted a big ol' squeeze."

"Same difference where you are concerned."

"Eh, you're so boring sometimes, Jade. Anyway, what is Shrimpy making over there? Smells good~!"

You were stunned at the almost aggressive behavior from Floyd given how calm and level headed Jade had been thus far. Maybe it was just a quirk of Floyd's to be a little more hands on than others. It honestly made you glad to know your self-appointed guards took their task seriously as they still refused to let the large Merman near you. Speaking of your guards, Floyd didn't seem put off by their aggression in the slightest and almost seemed amused by them as if it were all one big game.

Tension was thick in the air as the almost aloof Floyd smiled at you, watching you grab several bowls and begin ladling out ten total servings. You were not really all that surprised when there was still more soup to go even after you filled enough bowls for yourself and the ever increasing number of guests.

Maybe you were right to make so much after all. Hopefully your surprise guests had all shown-

"Why is the door locked? Hey, Human, I smell food in there! I already ate all the Dandelions from this morning! Can I have some of whatever you're making? Please? I'm starving out here."

Peaking through the windows to the kitchen was a familiar grizzled muzzle of the Gnoll you had met that morning. Ruggie was staring with those unsettling bright blue eyes and you were unsure if you wanted to laugh or scream. You scolded yourself in the back of your mind, remembering that animals would often return to places if they were given food prior and no doubt the Hyena man sought to do the same.

"Should I let him in, (Y/n)?"

Lilia asked, eyeing the lock on the door as Ruggie began to loudly whine and cackle for attention. You just sighed and nodded, knowing the Hyena wasn't going to leave now that he knew there was food ready and waiting just inside.

"May as well."

The Gnoll was quick to enter once the door opened and he happily grabbed one of the ten bowls, immediately scarfing down the soup without even glancing at the now large group of men standing in your kitchen. You didn't bother offering a spoon to Ruggie as it was clear he didn't need or want one. Despite the odd group that had gathered under your roof- technically it was the school's roof, but now wasn't the time for semantics- they all seemed keen to dig in when you passed out the bowls.

Getting yourself a bowl- seeing as Ruggie had taken one of the ten- you were able to finally take in the meal of your labors. It wasn't half bad and those button mushrooms added just the right earthy flavor that really brought the soup together. All of your visitors clearly liked the soup as well and Grim was the first to ask for seconds.

"Miss (Y/n)! This is a fantastic meal! I don't think I've had such flavors in anything I've eaten before! I would only think a meal from my liege could possibly taste better!"

"Sebek," the white haired one interrupted the shouting one, "you don't need to yell at her."

"I'm talking at an adequate volume, Silver. You dare say this meal isn't divine?"

"That's not what I said at all."

Lilia giggled as the two odd characters argued, hopping off the counter to serve himself another helping of the plentiful soup. Despite the absolute lack of respect for your personal space they all seemed to share, you couldn't help but smile as well. The many men you had met were odd and so unique in many ways but none of them actually seemed all that bad once they relaxed and got talking.

Maybe these monsters weren't as monstrous as you thought when you first met them. Hopefully their worries of poachers would just prove to be worries, but you knew you weren't truly safe yet and anyone could be a threat if they genuinely wanted to be. You just hoped there wasn't another shoe waiting to drop on your peaceful evening.

~•§•~

"Trey?"

"Yes, Riddle?"

"Invite (Y/n) to tomorrow's Unbirthday party. It has become rather clear to me that no one can look after her the way the Queen demands, so I will step up and take on that task."

"Riddle..."

"She will be safe with me, I will do whatever it takes to ensure it."

#kiame-sama #yandere #x reader #yandere x reader #reader insert #tw yandere #yandere twst #yandere twisted wonderland #my monster au #twst monster au #Humans Are Extinct TWST AU

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clrasecretdiary · 1 day

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Why does she give a damn about me? | Spencer Reid x Reader

cutesy, cheesy fluff

In wich Spencer thinks reader is out of his league but she could not be more into him.

Content: Garcia is a queen as always, sunshine!reader

Warnings: Maybe some light lack of self steem from spence, but nothing crazy!!

He was used to it at this point. Being the weird kid in high school and college, Spencer never really expected anyone to be into him and, after being rejected a couple of times, he had practically closed himself off in that sense. But then, you came into the picture.

You are one of those girls that everyone seemed to gravitate toward, not only because of your beauty but because of your essence. You were genuinely kind, smart and good with people in a way he wished he was, maybe that’s why he was so drawn to you, you had all the qualities he wished he had and being close to you made him feel complete.

Needless to say that he was in love with you, it had started as an admiration and when he realized he was thinking about you all the time, but he was sure you would never be into guys like him, he was sure you’d never see him as more than friends.

–

You had joined the team a few years ago, you were excited to finally be doing what you really wanted when you joined the BAU, going out in the field and being on cases instead of just working a desk job all the time. When you first met the team, everyone seemed very welcoming but you felt yourself especially drawn to Spencer out of all people, at first he seemed distant but with time you noticed how sweet he was and how much he cared for everyone around him and god that man was so funny, you loved his weird science jokes and his magic tricks. How were you supposed to not fall in love with him? You asked yourself that question every time he brought you coffee in the morning or went on his rambles about some random thing.

After a particularly intense inquiry from a very drunk Garcia in one of the girls' nights she organized at her home, you told her your feelings for Reid and she made you swear you would act on it.

“Garcia, I'm not confessing. He's not into me like that, i’ll just ruin our friendship”

“Oh honey, he practically kisses the floor you walk in, he follows you around the office like a lost puppy and practically kills any officer that dares to be the tiniest bit mean to you. There’s no way he’s not into you, at least try pretty please” She says, doing puppy eyes at you. Garcia took her job as a cupid very seriously and was not going to let this be her first fail.

“Alright, i’ll try but if he ends up hating me you’ll have to bake me cookies everyday until i die” You say rolling your eyes and finishing your glass of wine.

“Ohhh i’ll be cooking cookies for you guys wedding!”

–

So, here you are holding his favorite order from the local coffee shop and gathering the courage to press the button to the elevator

“Hey are you fine?” A familiar voice calls you, when you turn around its spencer.. Great, guess you’ll have to do this right now

“Oh hi yeah, I was just um… meditating”

“Did you know meditanting has been proven to increase your memory and is also great for reducing anxiety. I really should start doing it, what method do you use?” Spencer says while pressing the button to the elevator

“Ummm breath in, breath out i think” You say, unsure how to respond

“That's actually one of the best ways as it oxygenates your brain and helps it work better, it can also help you feel more calm since deep breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system that sends a signal to your brain to tell the anxious part that you're safe and don't need to use the fight, flight response” He says, doing the little smile and head nod thing he always does after info dumping.

You smile back at him, as you both enter the elevator and press the button to the BAU floor.

“I brought you something” You say, handing him the coffee shop bag

He opens it and smiles at you “I can’t believe you remembered my favorites, thank you so much” You love that smile so much, all you can think about is how perfect he is and how there’s no way you can continue on without dating this man.

“Actually, I need to tell you something spence… I was thinking, maybe we could go out together as like, a date or something” You say, already blushing from the embarrassment you felt and how scared you were that he did not reciprocate the feelings.

“Really? Of course i want, to be honest i’ve wanted to ask you to be honest but i thought you’d never see me like that”

“Are you kidding me spencer? I’ve had a crush on you since we first meet”

The elevator gets to the office, and you both walk in blushing and joking about how you two were so blind to each other's feelings. As you get in, garcia passes by you two stopping to stare

“There’s something happening here…” She says, pointing between you two and pressing her eyes together as if she’s profiling you two

“I asked him out”

“Oh my god finally, you see? I’m always right, I don’t even need to ask what he said, look at Reid, he’s glowing, ohh i’m so happy” She says, walking out to probably tell the news to everyone on the team.

#spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid x you #spencer reid x bestfriend!reader #spencer reid x fem!reader #spencer reid x y/n #criminal minds #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid x reader fluff #spencer reid one shot #spencer reid x self insert

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pedroshotwifey · 2 days

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what about a drabble about a first date with logan who's trying so so hard to have manners and be a gentleman but he's nervous and keeps messing up and its so adorable and cute????? of course reader tells him to chill out and be his normal fucking self because that's who she likes. I felt so bad for him in a clip that's circulating on tiktok where someone says to him that he's not the kind of guy they'd take home bc that's only for good guys

Okay so I loved this so much and then I got excited ab writing Logan and it turned into more of a fic than a drabble, but here it is 😭

First time writing him so I hope it sounds alright! I did use a little something from the recent movie to add a bit of oomph to the ending. Again, thank you much for this request, it's so cute 🥰

Just realized I made it an f!reader insert, but if you want to message me, I can easily switch some things around and repost if you want a diff reader!

The Right Guy

Pairing: f!reader x Logan/Wolverine

W/C: 1.1k

Fluff/diet angst, Just a few F bombs here, nothing bad (they told me absolutely no coke)

******

You scold yourself as you check the small watch on your wrist for the tenth time in ten minutes. In your defense, the time is absolutely crawling by. Logan should be here for your first date in about five minutes, and you’re nervous as hell.

You’ve been crushing on him since you were hired at the mansion a few months ago, so since he asked you out a week ago, your stomach has been constantly swarmed by butterflies. He’s sweet, funny, carefree, but mature—and not to mention sexy as hell. You really don’t want to mess this up.

Lucky for you, it seems that he feels the same. He tends to be a little more nervous around you, his blush more prominent when you tease him. It both comforts you and gives you confidence. He seems to genuinely like you for who you are.

Because of that, you decided to wear your favorite dress for your date. He told you he’d be taking you to a restaurant, but didn’t get specific, so it was honestly the safest choice anyway. It’s one of those that could be casual just as easily as it could be fancy. A few well-selected pieces of jewelry can make a world of difference, after all.

You glance in the mirror, and then back at your watch. It’s right as the long hand makes a round to signify that it’s two before seven that you hear a sharp knock at your door. You jump up from your seat, slightly startled. If anyone had been in the room with you, you'd probably be embarrassed.

Thankfully, since you’re home alone, you ignore the scare and head for your front door. You take one more deep breath and pull on the knob to reveal your handsome date. You look Logan up and down, expecting his usual outfit—blue jeans, a white shirt, and either his leather or jean jacket. What you get instead, is a suit. You have to make a physical effort to not show your confusion. Okay, maybe you expected a nicer shirt or something—ironed jeans if he really wanted to go crazy—but a suit?

“Oh, hey!” Unfortunately, it’s a bit harder to keep the confusion out of your voice. Don’t get it wrong, it’s nice of him to try to dress up for you, and he does look very nice, but he doesn’t look like Logan. Your eyes catch on his hair—the usual tufts you love so much look to be somewhat flattened by a gel.

It’s while you’re distracted by this that he reveals a hidden hand holding a bouquet of flowers—your favorite, actually. So why do you feel almost…disappointed? No, that can’t be it. It’s so cute that he’s putting all this effort in for you, but you really just want the normal Logan.

“Oh, wow,” you say, trying to shake off whatever this strange feeling is. “Thank you, Logan.”

You carefully accept the flowers and step aside to let him inside while you put them in water. It’s strange that he hasn’t said anything else yet. Wait, should you say something? No, he usually says something. There’s usually a joke cracked by now. It’s weird that he’s not, right? Ugh, maybe it’s you being weird? The awkward tension between the two of you is suffocating.

You’re almost disoriented with your overthinking as you move about your kitchen, pulling down a vase to fill with tap water. Logan, of course, notices.

He softly clears his throat. “Everything alright?”

You set the vase down on your island and look at him, lips pursed. Should you say something? Well shit, he probably sees something wrong by now—you’re staring at him like you want to say something. Damn it.

You open your mouth and close it again. How do you even say what you want to say though?

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” you lie. Right to his face.

You smile and walk back to him, trying your best to ignore the expression on his face. Great, now you’re being weird, too. Why the fuck is this weird?

You breathe out as you close and lock your door, mentally prepping yourself for what you’re really hoping will be a good date. Logan’s waiting for you next to his—

Car?

Where the fuck is his bike?

Whatever—it doesn’t matter, it’s fine. Everything’s fine. It’s probably just in the shop or something.

You give him a tight-lipped smile as you walk to the vehicle, and he opens the passenger door for you. You slide into the seat and wait for him to shut the door before exhaling again. This is all very sweet, but you’ve got to say something.

You stare at him as he gets into the driver’s seat. Again, he notices. There’s a thick, momentary silence.

“Look, bub, whatever it is, I—”

“You’re not acting like you,” you blurt.

He stares at you for a second, but you’re pretty sure he knows exactly what you’re saying. You’re pretty sure that’s exactly what he’s trying to do.

“Logan, you don’t have to put on this show for me,” you say as gently as you can, though it comes out maybe a tad aggravated.

He lets out a slow exhale through his nose and closes his eyes for a blink. You feel bad pointing it out, but there’s no way you can go through a whole date with this stiff act. He opens his eyes back and you offer him a sympathetic smile, your hand reaching out to cup his jaw. He leans into your touch, his own hand coming to envelop yours.

“I want to go on a date with the Logan I already know, with his bike, and his blue jeans—you move your hand to his hair, messing it up enough to loosen the gel hold—and his crazy ass looking hair.”

He huffs a laugh, looking at you with tired eyes. You understand how much he must have stressed over all the little details he put in for you.

“It was very sweet of you to do all this, but you don’t need to perform for me, Lo.”

He nods slowly, taking a moment to think over everything. “It’s been a long time since I took a chance with somebody,” he confesses, his gruff voice holding an emotion that makes your heart ache for him. “I wanted to be the right guy for you.”

Your stomach flips. “Logan, you are the right guy for me. You’re always the right guy.”

Before he can say anything else, you lean forward and plant a kiss on his lips. Surprise halts him for a second, but he’s quick after to reciprocate, his lips moving slowly but passionately with yours. One of his large hands snakes behind you to cup the back of your neck, the other gently tilting your chin.

You kiss until you’re out of breath, and when you pull away, you let out an airy laugh. Despite the suit, he looks like your Logan again. Wild hair, wild eyes, pink in his cheeks.

“C’mon, Romeo,” you tease. “Let’s get that damn jacket off and order a pizza and beer.”

#logan howlett x you #fan fiction #logan howlett x fem!reader #logan howlett #logan wolverine #logan x reader #the wolverine #wolverine #deadpool and wolverine #wolverine x reader #fluff #logan fluff #friends to lovers

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perfectlysanexd · 1 day

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I haven't done one of these kind of posts in a while, but the expressions in Rebirth were top notch, and I wanted to talk a bit about and analyze Sephiroth's different smiles, both pre and post Nibelheim.

Nibelheim itself is difficult to gauge, because SOLDIER Cloud is actually Zack, and furthermore, some of it is definitely his own wishful thinking. But one thing you can say for sure, is that they portray that Sephiroth, despite being so emotionally weary, still summons up the energy to smile at his friend.

As soon as he turns away from Zack, his smile falls, and he doesn't give one to the Mayor at all.

However, when he turns back to inform the men that they're free until sundown, he summons up another smile for them. I don't think that he's just attempting to keep their morale up, he genuinely has affection for Zack, and cares for the others. He respects them for their service, putting their lives on the line for what they think is a good cause, and Sephiroth—as we saw in Ever Crisis—learned to be a compassionate person, who cares about the lives of others, even enemies.

Of course, he's deeply distressed during this time, the despair is eating him alive. Even Cloud acknowledges(despite having not known Sephiroth on a personal level) that he just wasn't himself once they arrived. But I'm not going to talk about my theories on all the Jenova stuff right now, that's not the focus here. Even at the window, you can tell he's feeling off, but when he turns to Zack, he attempts to smile again.

Sephiroth has never enjoyed his fame, and as we learned in Ever Crisis, he didn't choose it; Shinra made up bogus achievements and declared him to be a hero before even his first field assignment, as part of their recruitment campaign. Can't argue with results, I guess—it certainly got Cloud to join up out of hero worship, right? In EC, Sephiroth admits that all he ever wanted was to be normal, something that he knows he can never have. How sad...

So when this man wants to take his picture, it's no wonder that he's over it by then, and tells him no. And rather politely, too, all things considered. But even before that, he smiles and tells Zack that as long as he does his job, their young tourguide will be safe.

But as soon as he turns his back and walks away? Yeah, that smile immediately fades.

Which certainly doesn't change when the guy takes his picture. But of course, when Zack asks Sephiroth to pose for one, he just can't say no, even though he's not super happy about it. Anyway, he continues to smile at Zack for the duration of their journey up Mt. Nibel, making an effort to talk and even cracking a couple jokes, just trying to be a good leader and keep them in good spirits.

And of course, there's the very sad bridge part, where you can tell that he's genuinely upset that he failed to save the other infantryman that got washed away. He searches for him, but comes up empty-handed. Still, he smiles for Zack and teases him about a performance assessment, since their morale is quite low now, but they need to keep going.

Honestly, the Nibelheim part of Rebirth really did an excellent job of portraying Sephiroth's inner struggle. For reference, there are only 3 points in Remake, I think, when Sephiroth drops his ever-present, sometimes affectionate(towards Cloud) and often unhinged, smile: First, it's replaced with sheer rage as he kills President Shinra.

Second time, is when Aerith has a Cetra moment and suggests that his entire existence is "wrong".

And the third time is when he holds out his hand to Cloud at the Edge of Creation, and is rejected by him.

Anyway, back to Rebirth. Ignoring the bizarre smiles he showed us as Nibelheim was burning, as if he was in a trance and just not all there(that's a subject for a different chat), post-Nibelheim Sephiroth's smiles are interesting, too, if we consider what kind they are, depending on who he's dealing with.

For people he hates, like Tseng, it's much more unhinged looking, and very cold. You can tell there's a certain measure of satisfaction from shanking him, haha...

For someone like Aerith, who...I wouldn't exactly say that he hates her, but she's definitely in the way. I would almost say that he considers her to be actively preventing Cloud from recovering his true memories, leading him to remain as merely Sephiroth's "puppet", but that's a theory for another day. He looks at her coldly, as well, but it's a bit different. There's a bit more respect there than there was for Tseng.

And then there's Zack. Actual Zack. I feel like, deep down, he still cares about him, and has no intention of killing him. I almost sense a little...regret? Maybe? Hm. It's definitely a bit warmer of a smile. And of course, although he had many opportunities to get rid of Zack, he doesn't. Instead, he sends him off into the space between worlds safely.

And of course, last but certainly not least, is the way he smiles at Cloud. I know, I know. "But Sane, you like sefikura, so you're biased!" Look, I won't deny that. However, when you really look at it and compare his smiles, which is what this is all about, his truest smiles are always saved for Cloud. He has 2 different "flavors": pure affection and cruel affection. (There are also a few pity smiles, I think.) The former is used most of the time, whenever Cloud is in his sight, and the latter is used during moments when he's trying to control/influence him. I would almost say that he's...satisfied, yet regretful at the same time?? Like these:

And now, let's contrast that with his more genuine, affectionate smiles for Cloud... (The first shot here ⬇ can be contrasted with the shot 2 up from the bottom there ⬆, as the one above is when he's calling Cloud his puppet, and the one below is when Cloud goes to attack him and he opens his arms wider for the incoming uh...embrace.)

Remake had many interesting smiles from him, too, but that will have to be a different post, as this already has 30 screenshots. Anywho, you're free to draw your own conclusions, and not everyone reads faces in the same way, so maybe I'm nuts. Who knows? Either way, I hope you enjoyed this random, indulgent, very long post, haha. If you made it to the end, you're awesome. 💕

All screenshots were taken by me on my PS5. I won't ask for credit on them, since literally anyone can take an identical shot if they pause at the right second. (The exception are the 3 Remake shots, which were taken on PC with mods and the freecam. For those, I would appreciate credit if you use them anywhere, since I don't watermark them.)

#sephiroth #final fantasy vii #cloud strife #sefikura #rebirth

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lee-laurent · 2 days

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Picture Perfect - Luke Hughes

Summary: There was a reason that Tori and John broke up. Was there not?

content: children, angst, fluff, mentions of breakups, kissing, mentions of sex but no actual smut, mentions of pregnancy, crying, oc x ex!john marino

wc: 4.5k

notes: PART 8!! we're wrapping up guys! there are gonna be 10 parts, so the end is in sight. so happy that ppl have enjoyed this series!! :)

John's shirt was soaked, but he really couldn't have cared less. He was spending quality time with Riley. Getting to spend more time with his son than he almost ever had.

Riley giggled, launching his rubber duck off the faucet and into the bubbles below. He turned, making sure that his dad, who was sitting on the floor next to the tub, had seen the splash that the duck at made.

"Oo' watchin', Dada?" Riley beamed, clapping his hands as the duck resurfaced.

"I am! Very impressive, bud," he chuckled, scooping up some of the bubbles and placing them on Riley's head. The toddler giggled again, smacking the water with his hands. John lived for moments like that. Moments where he wasn't a professional hockey player. Moments where he was one thing and one thing only--Riley's dad.

"More! More!" Riley demanded, scooting forward to put the duck back on the faucet. He gave it a little push and it fell into the water with a plonk. His giggles filled the room again, kicking his legs to make waves that the duck "surfed" on.

John couldn't help but wonder how many moments like that he'd missed because of his career. How many bathtimes? How many storybooks? How many nights spent cuddling because Riley couldn't sleep? How many nights spent ridding the closet of monsters? Sure things with Tori were complicated, but he didn't want to miss out on those moments anymore.

"Alright, Ri-Ri, time to wash up before Mama gets on our case," John said, gently pulling the duck from Riley's grasp and reaching for the washcloth.

"Noooo, more ducky!"

"Hey, hey, no pouting. If we wash up fast and get all clean, maybe Mama will let us watch Scooby Doo before bed. What do you think?"

Riley blinked, considering the offer before finally nodding. "Otay, Dada."

John smiled, relived that he didn't have to deal with a tantrum. He reached for the Spiderman themed "no-tears" shampoo and body wash. Riley giggled as John created a mohawk using the watermelon-scented soap.

"Rockstar Riley."

"Woc-staw Wiley."

"That's right, Rockstar Riley," he said, carefully washing the suds out with a cup of warm water. The bath was winding down, and Riley seemed far more relaxed since the promise of watching Scooby Doo.

Once Riley was clean and towel-wrapped, John hoisted him out of the tub, careful to balance him on his hip as they headed to the bedroom. Tori met them in the hall, smiling when she saw Riley's sleepy eyes peeking out from under the towel.

"Looks like bathtime was a success."

"Yeah, we had a blast," John replied, rocking the bundled toddler back and forth.

"Watch 'Ooby Doo!" Riley piped up, his voice full of energy despite his half-closed eyes.

"Alright, but just one episode. Bedtime is soon."

"Otay, Mama."

Once pajamas were on, they settled into the living room, Riley snuggled between his parents on the couch. John sat back, his arm on the back of the sofa, while Riley rested his head on Tori's chest. His eyelids grew heavier with each passing moment but he refused to fall asleep.

"This... this feels right," John said quietly, more to himself than anyone.

"Yeah... it does."

The credits rolled and John picked up a sleeping Riley. "I'll put him down."

"He, uh, he needs a sleep sack... so he doesn't climb out."

"I know, Tori. He's slept at mine," John grinned, shaking his head.

"Right. I... I forgot."

"I'll be back."

"Night, Ri-Ri. Mama loves you," she mumbled, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

"You heading out?" Tori asked, pausing the episode of Gossip Girl she had put on.

"I, uh, I assumed I was sleeping over."

"Sleeping over?"

John rubbed the back of his neck, "I just figured, since Ri's asleep and I did last night... maybe I'd stay again tonight."

Tori stared at him a moment, processing his words. Having him stay the first night had been because she needed him for support, the second night had been a moment of passion, but a third night? That felt different in her mind. It felt like they were sliding back into something they shouldn't. Especially since she and Luke hadn't officially... broken up.

"John... I don't know if that's a good idea."

"Why not? I mean, Riley's asleep, and we've had a good couple days. Why make things harder?"

She sighed, pulling her legs up against her chest. "It's not about making things harder. It's about... what's right. We haven't really talked about what's happening between us. And I don't think we can just fall back into this without figuring things out."

"I'm not saying we have to figure everything out tonight, Tori. But things have been working well. And I've missed so much not being here... I just-"

Tori swallowed, guilt twisting in her chest. She missed the simplicity of having John around too. The easy routine, the helping hands when it came to having a toddler, the family dynamic she'd always wanted for Riley. But what if their old issues snuck their way back in?

"And Luke," she said softly, not meeting John's eyes. "Things with Luke... we haven't officially broken up."

John tensed, "Right. Luke."

Tori winced at the bitterness in his voice. "It's complicated, John. You know that."

"It's always complicated with him, isn't it?" John muttered. "You're not with him, but you're not breaking up with him either. Meanwhile, you're having sex with me. I'm trying to figure out where I stand. Am I supposed to just wait around, Victoria?"

"That's not what I'm asking for. I just... we need to slow down. For our sake. For Riley's sake."

John just exhaled sharply, crossing his arms over his chest, but gave a nod. "I get it. You're right. I just... I need to be here, Tori. To be with Riley. To be with... I'll go. But I'm coming over after the game tomorrow night."

She stood up, walking him to the door, hoping that she'd made the right decision. "Thanks for understanding," she murmured.

"I'm always here for my son. Just, uh, I'll text tomorrow."

"Okay. Night, John."

"Goodnight, Tori."

It wasn't until she heard the click of the lock that she felt like she could breathe. She went into the kitchen, popping open a bottle of wine, before settling back onto the couch to finish her show. Why couldn't her life be easier?

Tori woke up to Gossip Girl still playing on the TV. She blinked, groggy, realizing that she had fallen asleep on the couch. The empty glass of wine on the coffee table in front of her, a reminder of the emotionally charged conversation she'd had with John.

She stretched, rubbing her temples, but before she could get up to make herself a cup of coffee, Riley's voice echoed from his bedroom.

"Mama! Where Dada?"

Tori felt her heart sink. Riley's voice was getting louder, more insistent, and the last thing she wanted to deal with was a tantrum. So, she pulled herself up from the couch and made her way down the hall.

"Mama's coming! Mama's coming, baby!"

She opened the door to find Riley standing in his crib, his hands gripping the wooden rail, eyes wide and expectant.

"Where Dada?"

"Dada went home, sweetpea. He had to get ready for his game today."

"But who play dinos?"

Tori lifted him from his crib, holding him close. "I know, Ri-Ri. We'll see Dada soon, I promise."

"'oon?"

"Yes, baby. After his game, okay? He loves playing with you, remember?"

Riley nodded, "Play now?"

Tori hated this. Hated how complicated everything felt. She wanted Riley to be happy, to have the world he deserved--one where his dad was there when he wanted. But things didn't fall into place that easily. Last night had reminded her of how stubborn John could be, but maybe he could get over that for Riley.

"How about we eat breakfast first? Then maybe we can call Dada?"

"Otay."

Tori placed him in his high chair, getting him a bowl of cheerios and blueberries together. She knew deep down that he'd play with them more than he'd eat them, but she really wasn't in the mood to make pancakes or waffles.

"Mama?" he asked, sticking cheerios to his spit covered hand.

"Yes, baby?"

"Dada come home?"

She sighed, "We'll see him soon, Ri-Ri."

"'Uke?"

Tori nearly dropped her mug on the floor, her breath catching in her throat. She hadn't expected Riley to ask about him, especially when he seemed so fixated on his dad. She turned to look at him, placing her coffee down for safety.

"Luke?" she repeated, brushing his curls from his face.

Riley nodded, poking at another Cheerio. "Dada no play. 'Uke play?"

His innocent question cut deeper than she had expected. He had grown fond of Luke, and Tori now had to face that fact that Luke had been more than a casual part of Riley's life.

"Luke's... busy right now, baby."

"'ockey?"

"Yes, Luke's busy with hockey. So, he's not coming over today."

Riley's face scrunched up in disappointment, but he didn't press further. He instead just grabbed a blueberry and squished it under his finger.

"Don't play with your food, Riley. It's for eating."

"Otay," he replied, clearly not listening as he squished another berry. Tori just rolled her eyes, letting it go. She grabbed her coffee, leaning against the window. She had already felt bad about asking John to leave the previous night, and now Riley was asking for not just his dad but also Luke. She felt so stuck, like she was being pulled in two directions at once. On one hand was John, the father of her child. On the other, Luke, who had shown her a different kind of love, one that made her feel seen. Like she was more than just Riley's mom.

Her phone buzzed and she picked it up, hoping it would be Luke. But her prayers remained unanswered... it was just John.

Hope Ri slept well. I'll be by after game, like we talked about.

They hadn't really "talked" about it. He'd just kind of stated that he would be by after the game. It didn't really seem like Tori had much choice in the matter.

"Mama! Dinos?"

She shook herself from her daze, grabbing a washcloth to clean up Riley. "Dinos it is."

When 7 o'clock rolled around, Tori had Riley sat in the living room in his 'Marino' jersey, playing dinos with the game on the TV. Even though he seemed only interested in his toys, Tori knew that the moment he heard John's name or his face flashed across the screen, his eyes would be glued to the TV.

Riley looked up, waving his dino in the air. "'Ook, Mama! Dino 's gonna eat Dada! Nom nom nom!"

"Oh no! You better tell dino to be nice to Dada!"

Riley made the dino "apologize," then went back to his game. John was out there, doing his job, being his best self while she sat at home and tried to put her life back together. The image of John being a larger-than-life hockey player conflicted with the John that she knew. The John that she fell in love with.

The game announcer mentioned John's name, and Riley perked up just as Tori expected. "Dada on TV!" he squealed, scrambling to his feet.

"Yep! They said Dada's name, huh?"

"Dada 'gon score?"

"Maybe." She wasn't really sure how much of the game Riley truely understood, but seeing him light up when John played brought a smile to her face.

It was funny how after years of being with John and then being friends that she still found it surreal to watch him on TV. To know that thousands of people knew his name and went to watch his team play, while she sat at home with their child at her feet, talking about how he was going to be just like Dada when he grew up. She'd always respond with "I bet Dada would love that." Although deep down she didn't want him to end up "just like" John. Sure things had been better recently, but John had his flaws. She just hoped that they could keep making things work for Riley.

But she also didn't want to lead him on. She had Luke to worry about, he--

"'Ook, Mama! Dada skatin'!"

"Yeah, baby. He's skating fast, isn't he?"

"Fast! Dada super fast!" He grabbed one of his dinosaurs, making it zoom across the table. God, could Riley possibly admire John more? He was like a fucking superhero to the toddler.

A commercial break started and Tori stood up to grab herself a snack.

"Riley, do you want a--"

Her phone buzzed. Probably just John again, giving her an update on the game.

Hey, we need to talk. I'll call after the game?

Luke? Why now? Why did he want to talk now?

"What, Mama?"

"Sorry, Ri. D'you want a pouch?"

"Yes p'wease! Pouch!"

Tori continued to stare at her phone as she grabbed Riley a fruit pouch from the cupboard. Luke's text felt like it was staring into her soul. Why had he decided to reach out halfway through a game? Had John made a comment, said something he shouldn't have? All the possibilities and she wouldn't get an answer until after the game.

She took a deep breath, then placed her phone face-down on the counter, grabbing herself a bowl of Goldfish crackers. Riley was happily bouncing around to the music playing in one of the commercials. If only she could be so relaxed.

"No more phone for the rest of the game," she mumbled, taking the pouch to Riley.

"Tank 'oo, Mama!"

"Of course, baby. Is Dada back on the TV yet?"

"'Uke! I see'd 'Uke!"

"You saw Luke on the TV?"

"Yes! In jail."

"In jail?" she furrowed her brow. What in the world did that mean?

"Yes, 'Uke in jail."

"I-" then the screen flashed to a furious looking Luke sitting in the penalty box. Of course Riley thought that was jail. John had probably taught him that, she rolled her eyes. "You're right. Luke is in timeout."

"He be bad, so they put him in jail," Riley nodded, making his dinos fight.

A few moments later, Luke skated back onto the ice. It felt weird watching him on the TV too. Like he was even more distant, more unreachable. The man who had become such an important part of hers and Riley's lives, now felt like a complication that she didn't want to deal with.

"'Uke is free. No more jail," Riley pointed, singing 'no more jail' to himself a couple more times.

"That's right. They freed him from timeout."

Tori spent the rest of the game on the floor with Riley, trying to keep her mind off things. And it worked, the rest of the game flew by and before she knew it, John was knocking at the door.

She forced herself to stand up, smoothing down her Devils t-shirt as she walked to the door. With a deep breath, she opened the door. John stood there in casual clothes, opposed to the suit that the Devils had posted a picture of him arriving in. His hair was damp from the showers, a reminder of the game that he had just won.

"Hey! Did you guys watch the game?"

"Yeah, he was glued to the screen everytime he heard your name," she smiled, motioning towards Riley, who was now busy making his dinos 'free' each other from jail just like Luke. "He was excited."

"Hey bud! Did you watch Dada on the TV?" John asked, scooping up the toddler.

"Dada went 'uper fast! Like zooooom! And then Dada win! And then my dino eat 'oo, Dada!"

"What?! Dino ate me?! You gotta be careful with those dinos, huh?"

"It's okay. I kiss it better," Riley grinned, pressing a kiss to John's cheek.

"Aww, thanks, Ri-Ri. I feel all better now."

Riley squirmed out of John's arms to go back to his dinos. Tori caught John's eye and for a moment it felt just the way it did when Riley was first born.

"You gonna stay for a bit?"

"Yeah. It'd be nice to play with him for a bit before bed."

"Perfect. I--"

Her phone started buzzing rhythmically. Someone was calling her. Luke was calling her.

"Shit. I gotta take this. I'll be right back," she forced a smile, taking her phone down the hall to her bedroom. "Hey."

"Hey. I, uh, sorry for texting during the name, but we need to talk. I've been doing a lot of thinking."

Tori sat on the edge of her bed. She had been expecting this, but now that it was happening, she didn't know how to respond. "Okay. What's on your mind?"

"I... I know things have been weird lately. I needed time to think. And I'm sorry I aired you for so long. But I need to know if we're still on the same page here, Tori. If this... if we still have a chance."

Tori swallowed, glancing at the closed door. John was out there, playing with Riley, and the reality of the situation felt heavier than it did before. She hated that no matter what, someone was going to get hurt.

"Things are complicated right now, Luke. I care about you, I do. But John... he's Riley's dad--"

"And you feel like you owe it to Riley to make things work with John," Luke finished for her, his tone clipped. "I get it, Tori. I do. But you need to figure out what you want. What's going to make you happy. Not just Riley."

"I'm a mom, Luke. Riley's happiness comes first. H--"

"Is that why you slept with John?"

"What?"

"Heard him talking to some of the other guys about it. Were you going to tell me?"

"I was going to tell you. I just didn't know when... or how. It-- it was just kind of happened. And we've been on this weird break, so--"

"So you decided that because I wasn't there, you'd sleep with your ex. Great. Do you have feelings for him, Tori? Is that what this is?"

"I don't know."

"You don't seem to know much, d'you? D'you know if you love me? Or is that still up in the air too?"

"Luke--"

"I don't know why I even called you. Call me when you figure your shit out. Until then, good luck."

The line went dead. Luke's words hit like a punch to the face. She blinked back her tears, refusing to have a break down right now--not with John and Riley both a few feet away. She didn't know what she wanted, and that was the truth. But hearing him throw it back at her didn't feel very nice.

Figure your shit out.

He was right. She couldn't keep doing this. Dragging two people she cared about--Hell, three people. Riley was part of this too--into a mess she made because she couldn't make a decision.

She composed herself, making her way back to the living room. John glanced up at her. He could see right through her fake smile. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing. Just, uh, just some stuff with Luke."

"If he makes you upset, why are you still wasting your time on him?"

"John. Not in front of Riley."

"They put 'Uke in jail, Dada," Riley decided to join the conversation.

"Yeah, you're right, Riley. Luke got a penalty," John had to keep himself from sighing listening to his son mention his mother's boyfriend.

"But you no in jail."

"Mhm."

"You was good."

"It's past time bedtime, Ri-Ri," Tori cut off, sensing that she and John weren't going to accomplish much with Riley in the room.

"Dada read cat-pilla?"

"You want Dada to ready you 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'?" Tori asked for clarification.

"Uh huh."

"Alright. Let's go brush our teeth and get in our jammies. Then Dada and you can read." Tori picked him up and headed down the hall, John following behind. Once they'd settled on a pair of blue pajamas to wear under his sleepsack, he cuddled up with John on his rocking chair. He continued to babble about Luke and being put in jail. Talking about how bad guys go to jail. John sat there with an unreadable expression on his face, holding the picture book that Riley had requested.

"Okay, Ri. That's enough talking about jail. Let Dada read."

"Otay. 'oo stay Mama?"

"No, Mama's gonna go take a bath."

"Say 'goodnight' to Mama."

"Night, Mama."

"Night, baby," she responded, blowing him a kiss.

"In the light of the moon, a little egg lay on a leaf," John read aloud, Riley tracing little patterns on his dad's arm.

Tori double-checked that his nightlight was plugged-in before making her way to the bathroom for a much needed hot bath. She turned on the hot water and let the room fill with steam. She even poured in lavendar bath salts because it was one of those days. As she slid into the warm water, she could still make out John's voice reading out "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." It felt like everything was okay. Like they were a real family again.

But deep down, she knew that wasn't true. Luke's call had been a wake-up call. She needed to stop the indecision. She couldn't ignore the cracks forming around her. John was Riley's father, and he'd been there for her. Well, sort of. He was there for Riley, who was an extension of her. Luke had come into her life and been there for her. Not just for Riley, but for her. No questions ask. John always asked questions. He always had a motive behind his actions, but not Luke. Luke cared about her in a way that she wasn't sure John did. Sure, she was the mother of his child, so he'd always have some love for her. But she found it kind of convinent how he'd only tried to push more into her life once she started seeing Luke.

After what felt like an eternity with her thoughts, there was a knock at the bathroom door. "Ri's down for the night."

"Thanks."

"Mind if I hang out for a bit? Talk?"

"Uh, yeah, give me a minute."

"We can talk in there if you want."

"John..."

"Right. I'll be in your room."

"Thanks."

She sank deeper into the water, trying to get a few more moments of peace before she had to talk to John. Figure your shit out. No more limbo. It was time to face reality, no matter how uncomfortable it was.

She dried off and wrapped herself in a robe before finally heading down to her room. John was sitting on the edge of the bed, his hands resting on his knees.

"So what's on your mind?"

"I don't want to push you, V. I know things have been complicated and I don't want to make them harder. But I need to know where we stand. With Luke in the picture, I just... I can't keep pretending everything is fine."

"I get that. And I can't blame you for wanting answers. I just, I need to figure out what's best for Riley, for me. For everyone."

"I'm Riley's dad. Am I not what's best for him?"

"You know that's not what I mean, John. We'll always need you. You're his dad. And seeing the two of you recently, it... it's been so amazing."

"Victoria. I need to know what you want, though. Not for Riley. For yourself."

"God, you sound just like Luke," she threw her hands up.

"Why? Because we both want you to care for yourself too?"

Tori bit her lip, a lump rising in her throat. She had been asking herself the same questions for weeks, and now, sitting there with John, maybe things were become a little more clear. She cared about him. Hell, she loved him and she loved the family that they could be for Riley. But that wasn't enough, was it?

"I do care about me. But Riley comes first. And I thought... maybe we could try again, for his sake. But then, there's Luke. And he's been there for me, John, in ways that you... you haven't been in a long time."

John's jaw tightened, but he didn't interrupt.

"I feel like you've only really tried to be here for me since Luke came into the picture. And... that's not fair to any of us. I don't want to force something just because... just because we have a child together. I need to feel wanted for me... not because I'm Riley's mom."

John exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "I get that. And you're right, I... I wasn't always there like I shoul've been. But I'm trying now. I want to be there for you, for Riley, because I care about you. Not just because of him. But I can't wait around forever while you figure this out."

"I want to believe you, John. I really do. But... we haven't worked for a reason."

"Tori, I--" His words caught in his throat. "I know we haven't worked in the past, but things change. People can change. I'm trying. I am."

She didn't doubt that he was trying, but it was too late now. The damage had been done. And Luke had finally shown her what real, true love looked like.

"John--"

"I can't just walk away from this, from us. Not without knowing we've given us a real second chance."

"I don't know if... if there is a second chance here. We've tried so many times, but it's always for Riley. It's never for us. Us doesn't work, John. We... we work as co-parents, but we don't work as us."

"Tori, please..."

"John..."

"So that's it? You're choosing Luke?"

"I'm choosing what feels right for me. I can't keep pretending there's something here that isn't. I can't pretend just for Riley."

"But Riley needs us. Together."

"Riley needs us to be good parents. And we can do that without being together. We can give me stability, love, everything he needs. Everything you've been giving him the last few days. He needs that John to be around. I know work is draining, John. I can't even imagine what it's like being a professional athlete. But the John that's been here the last few days, playing and reading books to our boy. That's the John he needs all the time."

"You're right. I just... I haven't been ready to admit it."

"You're a great dad, John. And Riley is always going to need you. I will always need you here as his father. Luke isn't going to replace that. But we need to stop holding onto the past. It's time to move forward."

"I don't want to lose you guys."

"And you won't. We'll figure this out, John. Together, as Ri's parents."

"Yeah. As Riley's parents," John nodded, his voice hoarse.

With that, John leaned down and pressed a kiss to Tori's forehead before making his way to the door. Tori stood there, watching him go, feeling both the weight of what she'd done but also the relief that she was no longer trapped in two seperate worlds.

Now she needed to let Luke know that she'd figured her shit out.

#nhl imagine #nhl fic #hockey imagine #hockey fic #luke hughes #john marino #njd imagine #luke hughes imagine

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inhuman-obey-me · 2 days

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Celestials and Saltiness: Lessons 48/49

HAHAHAHA of course while we had irl stuff going on and couldn't go through the lessons for a couple weeks, was when the Big Stuff drops. But we have caught up, and hoo boy, there is plenty to discuss. So let's discuss! Strap in, it's a long one.

(MAJOR spoilers for NB lesson 48/49 below the cut)

The Situation

Let's start with what's actually happening. Hey, remember when the devs decided Simeon is a human now as punishment over the whole stealing the Ring of Light situation? SURPRISE, they've decided he's becoming a demon after all! You know, like all of us fucking expected of what happens to angels when they are punished and fall? Yeah, that.

As it turns out, despite the whole "I'm human now" gradual reveal across two whole fucking seasons, they've now decided this has been going on since basically all the way back to his human world cafe days in OG Season 3 to say he was starting to become a demon even back then, or at least so Solomon theorizes. So...basically the entire length of his "human" punishment thus far. Cool, cool, we're sure that's totally not a retcon due to the devs realizing they wrote themselves into a corner. Definitely had a plan all along, that's why they bought themselves 2 seasons of Nightbringer time travel shenanigans of time before getting into this. Totally.

Anyway, setting aside the salt (for now), we are told that this demonic aura has been starting to appear whenever he feels deep emotions, somewhat similar to how power manifests for the brothers. Solomon tells us that it's because Simeon has a unique ability to access his latent power - which is an interesting little tidbit to note, as it implies that they took away his angel powers but he has his own inherent powers which he was just never able to access until now. We have long held the headcanon that God artificially limits angels' power, so it's very interesting to us to see that it may be suggesting something similar here.

On a related minor worldbuilding note, this does confirm the detail that celestial power has a distinctly opposite feeling than demonic power, meaning that their magic and powers are not neutral. And we also get an in-game reminder that demons do not like angels, so in this situation, it would be expected that an average demon might think an angel deserves to fall and want to torture/kill them if given the chance.

By the way, all of this is going on during the Science Fair Chemistry competition specifically, which is...an interesting parallel to say the least. Chemistry is the science concerned with matter -- including its composition, structure, and how it changes down to the molecular level. We've always been of the opinion that Simeon just turning into a human was odd as it's been established that demons and angels have different physiology in comparison to humans (like how Demonus can get both demons and angels drunk, but doesn't affect humans). Simeon turning into a demon with the absence of his angel powers makes sense.

Celestial Realm Reactions

Now, the consequences.

First, let's look at the political implications. Diavolo, Barbatos, and Lucifer know that this does not bode well for relations between the Realms. After all, what will the Celestial Realm think, having one of their own turning into a demon after they sent them to the Devildom for the exchange program? Especially considering everything that happened with Lucifer and the Great Celestial War, it would be very easy to point a finger at Diavolo and the Devildom for being a corrupting influence.

Lucifer also mentions that Simeon is currently not allowed through the gates into the Celestial Realm without first obtaining forgiveness. However, that status as a human is an ongoing punishment (think of a kid being grounded by parents), not a one-and-done thing, opening up an implication that this transformation is not necessarily intended to be permanent. That's also totally not a retcon, we're sure! If he turns into a demon, that challenges the supposed punishment and calls into question which realm actually has a claim to him -- in a situation where both answers would have precarious implications for Diavolo's peace plan.

So, that's the Celestial Realm as a whole, on a political level. But let's take a look at the individual angels we know too, shall we?

First, there's the big question mark of Michael. We know that he's the one who called Simeon back to the Celestial Realm about the Ring of Light, and we also know that he is in fact the one Simeon stole it from. However, Lucifer assumes Michael is planning to bring Simeon back to the Celestial Realm when he gets the chance, so it seems like he was not actually the one to decide on this punishment and may actually be working to end it. And interestingly, this would not be the first time Michael has acted on his own to seemingly try to cancel out a punishment from God -- as a reminder, he also went off to the Devildom disguised himself as Raphael to try to invite the brothers back at the end of NB Season 1!

Considering Lucifer's insistence that Father would never forgive him, plus his Cocytus punishment at the end of NB Season 2, it does seem like Michael probably didn't have permission from God to go inviting them back. If he's also looking to reverse Simeon's punishment, that would show a surprising rebelliousness from the top angel of the Celestial Realm! So it will be interesting to see how Michael's role in this whole situation unfolds.

Then, we have our sweet baby angel Luke -- who ends up crying himself to the point of passing out when he finds out. He's grown a lot since he first arrived to the Devildom, no longer thinking that all demons are inherently evil monsters -- but he's still very proud to be an angel. He loves Simeon dearly, as the one who has acted as a parental figure of sorts for him this entire time. Luke is adamant about protecting and helping Simeon in any way he can, even if he's not sure what can really be done.

However, this sets up quite the conflict for the poor boy. He was too young to know Lucifer and the other brothers at the time of the Great Celestial War, so this is his first time reckoning with an angel he's known personally becoming a demon. And on top of that, this began with the Celestial Realm's decision to punish Simeon for taking the Ring of Light -- saving MC and Lucifer, and stabilizing MC's "ring" to essentially save all of the Three Realms.

In other words, Simeon is becoming a demon now for saving everyone. So it begs the question -- will Luke, who has unquestioningly believed in the Celestial Realm until now, start seeing his home in a different light after all of this?

Then there's the next-youngest angel, and the newest in the cast -- Raphael. We didn't see too much of him, but we get enough that it's clear he's not taking this news well either. It's assumed he was suddenly called to the Celestial Realm because of this development, though we don't know exactly what they say to him about it, and when he returns, he's in a daze. We see Mephistopheles being the one to actually first run into him and try to talk to him, but he is mainly met with a very out-of-it angel, and he then takes him out to have his family's special Demonus because it's clear Raphael is distressed. In another scene, we see Thirteen run into a now spaced-out Mephisto and he asks her a "hypothetical" -- what happens when an angel reaches their limit? Also, Solmare, are y'all setting up RaphaelxMephisto as a ship?

And then, of course, we have the angel of the hour -- or rather, ex-angel. And Simeon's reaction to this change is...not so bad, actually. It's one of understandable confusion but also a kind of near acceptance. We've always been convinced that the reason Simeon was demoted after the Celestial War was because he stayed neutral and refused to fight. And how Simeon discusses the past in Lesson 49 suggests similarly -- he has always had regrets over not joining Lucifer, because he couldn't. Now that it seems he is possibly turning into a demon, he can't help but wonder how things could have been different if he had.

He mentions how he feels less unsure about this than turning into a human, as he always did want to be closer to the brothers, and didn't like that he was different from them. In that sense, turning into a demon doesn't seem so bad to him -- though he also doesn't have control over these powers yet, so he needs to be careful. And, if you choose the "are you a bad boy at heart" option, he mentions that maybe his loyalty to the Celestial Realm is lacking -- pretty understandable, after all he's seen from them and all they've put him through...!

And Then There's the Shady Sorcerer...

Now, that's all complicated enough for that delicate, delicate balance between the Celestial Realm and the Devildom, but let's not forget there's one more realm in the "Three" Realms, with one very conspicuously powerful representative here in our cast.

And so, where is Solomon in all of this? Well, we know he placed a protection charm on Simeon to protect him when it was thought that he was a "defenseless" human, so that even if a lesser demon messed with him, they'd be in for a world of pain. He was also, it seems, the first one to notice Simeon starting to transform into a demon, but kept that information to himself until confronted about it. Lucifer opens up to us that he can't help but wonder if there's some kind of connection between the sorcerer's activities back in the human realm and Simeon's predicament, feeling some doubts even if it seems everyone relies on Solomon and trusts him. And after all, Lucifer would be a demon with a good reason to distrust Solomon, since the sorcerer has long been after a pact with him, even on top of all the many powerful pacts he already holds with others.

Lucifer brings up some of his concerns to Solomon by asking him why he's been going back and forth to the human world so much -- to which Solomon answers that's making some preparations for unlikely scenarios. He insists it's not important, but we wonder...

Back in OG Season 2, Solomon knew about MC's "ring" which was putting the Three Realms at risk, and he secretly swiped the Night Dagger from the Reaper's Cave as a potential solution. His top priority, as we've seen, has always been protecting humanity from the battling influences of the other two realms. We know that's also part of his mysterious deal with Nightbringer.

So what possible plans and preparations could Solomon be making, and for what unlikely scenarios? Another war? Another imbalance of power? We'll see what awaits with this whole new situation...

#hey if any of you devs are fans reading our shit right now you should just hire us already :)#obey me nightbringer #obey me nb #omnb #obey me nightbringer spoilers #obey me #obey me!#obey me swd #obey me shall we date #omswd #obey me simeon #obey me luke #obey me raphael #obey me michael #obey me solomon #obey me analysis #om! simeon

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alphajocklover · 2 days

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Hello, I'm a skinny guy and I'm tired of getting bullied. I hope that my shy nerd brother can become a big buff muscular bouncer who always protects me and loves me. Do you think it's possible?

This is a tough one. The problem with your request isn’t that you want your brother to be transformed into a jock – though to be honest transforming your own brother into a different person against his will for your own benefit is pretty horrible, even for the world of transformation. Ignoring the moral issues, the real issue is that you want him to protect you. You don’t just want him to be a jock, you want him to be a jock who is loyal to you. You want him to be a jock who protects you, a self admitted nerd. I don’t think I have to tell you that most jocks don’t protect nerds, even their brothers.

Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of nice jocks out there, plenty of athletes who are decent guys. But most of the methods I’ve mentioned up until now don’t turn their victims into realistic, real life jocks, they turn them into stereotypes. Himbos, douchebags, dumb jocks. With how complex people are, transformation methods often have to use stereotypes, since it's easier to change a person into a stereotypical archetype than it is to turn a person into an entirely different and complex person bit by bit. So, most people who are transformed into jocks are stereotypical jocks, and stereotypical jocks hate nerds. Even if he stayed a generally nice guy, there's no guarantee he’ll protect you against his new jock friends. What you need is a way to ensure loyalty, a way to instill loyalty as part of the transformation. Lucky for you I happen to have something perfect for that. As much as I hate to use EB Jewelry products now that they’ve started actively trying to stop me from reporting on them, their dog tags might be the best way to get what you want.

The concept behind the dog tags is pretty interesting, even for the transformation community. Unlike most things EB Jewelry sells, these only come in pairs, and If someone puts one of these Dog Tags on, they’ll be transformed into a dumb, buff, stereotypical jock, but they’ll also become completely loyal to whoever is wearing the other dog tag. Both have to be put on at around the same time to make the connection though, or for any transformation to happen.

The dog tags are a very powerful transformation artifact, so powerful that EB Jewelry doesn’t actually sell them, and instead keeps them just for the executives. But my Uncle was able to get his hands on a few pairs, and I’m willing to part with one. Kind of.

See, well I’m usually willing to help people with their transformation questions, I try to avoid helping someone transform someone against their will. And transforming your own brother against his will? That’s really not cool in my book. But I don’t know everything about your situation, and I might be wrong. So I’m giving you a chance.

Here's the deal: I’m going to send you the dogtags. But I’m not going to tell you which one is which. When you put on the dog tags, there will be an equal chance that you’ll get the jock bodyguard brother you’re dreaming of, or that you’ll be the one that gets transformed into your brother's loyal jock bodyguard. If you’re so willing to change your brother, you should be willing to get changed too. This way it’s fair. This way, you’re both taking a risk.

Even I don’t know which of the dog tags you’ll get, but either way one of you is getting a loyal, loving jock brother, and either way those bullies are going to think twice before they mess with your family again.

#muscle growth tf #muscle tf #jock tf #jock transformation #jockification #nerd to jock #EB Jewelry tf

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suzukiblu · 1 day

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Thank-you sentences for derpsheep behind the cut; weird amnesia Timberkon. (( chrono || non-chrono ))

“You can recognize their heartbeats?” Bernard asks incredulously–that is a very creepy and invasive thing to recognize about someone, much less be passively listening to, what the fuck–and then frowns. “Wait, got back from where?”

“Long story,” Superboy mutters. “Alternate realities were involved. It sucked. But I got back here, and it’s supposed to be right, and there’s people I recognize, but there’s . . . different people, too. And no one here recognizes me. And I thought . . .”

“That you were either totally insane or just stranded in the wrong reality for no discernable reason with no idea how to find the right one?” Bernard assumes.

“That, yeah,” Superboy says tightly. “Definitely that.”

“Good news, I guess, if you are insane, it’s a shared delusion, and if you’re in the wrong reality, so am I,” Bernard says. “Because again, I definitely remember you. And Hawaii. And Superman being dead. And like, all that shit in general. Also you kinda died that one time too? There was a statue, I’m pretty sure. Actually I think there were two.”

Superboy’s smile is tight and humorless, and he digs his fingers into the inside of his wrist. Bernard has no clue how a dude in such severe and obvious distress can look so fucking good about, like . . . literally everything he’s got going on over there. It’s a lot of “everything”, is all. Superboy is a lot no matter what, obviously, but still. Like, extra a lot. Secret bonus levels of a lot.

A lot.

“I mean, there used to be,” Superboy says, and the pained smile he’s wearing turns–bitter, kind of.

Fuck, Bernard feels so bad for this dude. Like so many levels of so bad.

“Don’t take this the wrong way but I need to google some shit,” he says as he digs his phone out. Tim is clearly taking his sweet-ass time in the bathroom, and since he isn’t actually in there waiting for Superboy, it’s gotta be a Bat thing, which usually gives him a good fifteen or twenty minutes of fuck-around time before Tim makes it back with the weak excuse du jour. Or, like, three and a half weeks, one very memorable and kinda fucking awful time that Bernard had spent wondering if jumping into the timestream was how vigilantes ghosted you. “And maybe check some forums or something.”

“I don’t think ‘is this weird dude at the boba shop crazy’ is gonna pop up on Bing, man,” Superboy says, still wearing the same bitter smile. Bernard wonders why he didn’t just go to the Justice League and explain himself to them. Like, they’d probably believe him, right? Or at least they wouldn’t instantly not believe him; they’d check things out or whatever.

Alternately, though: half-Kryptonian full-telekinetic with Lex Luthor’s DNA and Superman’s face who doesn’t even know if he’s crazy or not.

So like . . . that seems like an awkward conversation to have with Superman, maybe, Bernard allows. Or just fucking agonizing and terrifying and wildly, wildly likely to end in one of those stupid misunderstanding-based super-fights and, like, maybe also getting drop-kicked into the Phantom Zone because said stupid fight would be against Superman and that is, apparently, what Superman usually does with supervillain Kryptonians. And probably Superboy is having some very understandable issues about getting drop-kicked out of reality right now, if that’s a concern he’s had. Which–the Phantom Zone isn’t the same thing as an alternate reality, as far as Bernard’s aware, but also what the fuck does he know about the Phantom Zone?

Bernard googles, in quick succession: Superman’s death, the Phantom Zone, and Superboy. He gets a ton of articles and photographs and blog posts with absolutely zero trace of Superboy in a single one of them, a lot of contradicting intel about what the hell the Phantom Zone actually is, and also some blurry candid photos of a ten year-old in ripped jeans and an S-shield hoodie that he’s never seen before in his life.

. . . so that’s weird, yeah, Bernard observes, blinking down at his phone.

“Huh,” he says, brow furrowing. “Hey, should I know this kid?”

“Did you literally just google ‘Superboy’?” Superboy asks, which is notably not an answer to Bernard’s question.

“Obviously, yeah, the entire internet is in my pocket, why would I not do that,” Bernard replies reasonably, still scrolling through random photos of this completely unrecognizable kid. Said kid continues to look like a total fucking stranger and Bernard continues to have zero clue who he is or why he’s wearing the “S”. Another clone, maybe? Like, an even mini-er mini-Super? Bernard can’t see his face all that clearly in any of the pics, still, but he’s at least got Superman’s coloring, it looks like.

“Because Tim would give you shit about it, probably, I don’t know,” Superboy lies, because he very obviously does know. Probably better than Bernard does himself, come to think of it, which is kind of a weird thought but also, like, an obviously objectively true one. Superboy’s spent a lot more time with Tim than he has, even having been, like . . . unrealitied and all.

God, that is still so disturbing a concept, too.

#timberkon #bernard dowd #kon el #conner kent #superboy #wip: weird amnesia timberkon #derpsheep

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morgana-lefay · 2 days

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Gotta agree with you! Till has just the perfect amount of body hair! Not too much and not too less! Just perfect!

Hello, Anon! :) I had this sitting on my drafts since April! 😱 Apologies! But I think it's never too late to discourse over Till and his hairy chest and so I decided to finish my answer (I ran out of image space back then). So let's go. First of all, glad to meet another "the perfect amount of body hair" appreciator (for some context, it came from this post) and thank you for bringing this subject to me, which allows me to expand my research further more (meaning, I now have an excuse to post more glorious topless Till 🤷🏻‍♀️. As if an excuse was needed for that in this house, but anyway...). Let's start from the beginning. Our guy seems to have always been a hairy one and, thankfully, 90's Rammstein were ever so naked, so we can appreciate it evolving.

1994...the beginning of it all. Till sports a muscular, hot as hell, body (but again, not too much, just the perfect amount) and a fairly distributed body hair between chest and belly. 10/10, would put my hands all over it. [Bonus look: 1994 Till, just casually hanging around backstage, half-naked, with suspenders on. I accept and embrace this look 👇🏻.]

1995, the year it all disappeared...(for a breef while)

If the information was correct, first one is from November 3rd and second one from December 10th. I guess in the second photo he had already shaved for the Seemann music video, which leads us back to this:

(side note: this post, by @tipsywench described this video hilariously on point. Also open the second picture for chest close-up, where we can see it's not 100% shaven/already growing back).

Seems it was short lived, as in December 19th, hairy belly and chest peeking out again, so back to our regular program.

1996, the happy trails continue.

1997-1999 - Sehnsucht Era

Not sure if it's because of the light in the photos, the water and sweat or if he actually shaved a bit at times, because in some he looks hairier than others.

2000-2002 / Mutter Era There's a lot of changes in the hair department in this Era, but more in haircuts than the rest (but that's subject for a different post).

2004-2005 Reise, Reise Tour (or the Era where everyone looked incredibly hot in their BDSM/Gothic looks)

2009 - 2011 | LIFAD Era (another personal favourite of mine)

Boobs are changing and it looks like there's more hair in the belly area.

2011-2012 Made In Germany

Turning 50, our guy seems to have become more shy on stage and the MIG Era was the last one he graced us with a full shirtless version, unfortunately.

From 2015 on, we got very rare occasions to appreciate his hairy chest, now turned grey.

What is also important to notice for our "perfect amount of body hair" research, is that there's no back or shoulder hair.

(I don't know if it's the image quality, but it actually looks like he shaved his legs in that fishing one)

#till lindemann #rammstein #holy shit this took me almost 6 months to put out. What the hell? 🙈#hope you get to see it Anon #hairy chest appreciation post 🖤#asks

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faeriekit · 2 days

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So, I've been thinking about working in a library. I know you took Library Sciences but what other courses/qualifications did you need, and could you please give me an opinion on why I should/shouldn't go into this field? Thanks

So, firstly, I didn't just take a couple library sciences courses; I had to finish a Master's degree in library and information science after my bachelor's. This was a two-year course if one went full time, which most people do not. Most people spread it out over several years...but I was paying out of pocket and the tuition fees build up the longer you take to finish your degree.

Real talk; it's very hard to break into libraries as a career. The easiest way in is networking. I will always, always, always recommend volunteering at a local library before you decide if this is the life path for you because the idealized work of what a library is supposed to look like almost never matches up with reality. The library is largely patron-facing customer service and possibly event-planning if you end up being roped into providing programming for the library as a responsibility. Most people think you can just sort of hide in the stacks and shush people, which... 😅

All my info is largely going to be US specific since I went to school and work here but working in a library, unless you're in a labor-starved area, is almost always going to be tough monetarily. You are a public servant. The easiest jobs to get in a library are the most labor intensive and may be only available part-time, even if they do not require an MLS or MLIS. Library jobs are chronically in short supply. Some people look for ages before they even land an interview, nevermind actually landing a job they compromise to take. I worked my way up from part time to a library student to a full on librarian, but that took time and resources and stable housing and a Master's degree and money I had saved up from a job where I had very little expenses at the time, AND I did it during the earliest parts of covid where a loooooot of people very swiftly retired. If you want a library career where you have enough money to support yourself long-term, can pay your bills, and get a pension, it is highly likely that you are going to need a Master's Degree in library science. Otherwise, you're going to be in a department where you don't need one but are limited in how far you can rise up ladder without one, like circulation (book movers) tech (tech) or administration (back-end business stuff).

So. Barrier for entry is pretty high.

I love working at the library and everything it entails. It's customer service, but I never have to sell anything to patrons! I love recommending books to kids! I love reading to them! I love visiting schools! I love doing crafts with the kids! I love setting up crafts for the kids!! I love picking out what we do for the next season! I love filling the bubble machine! I love setting up for the library's halloween party, and getting to see all the outfits! I love dressing up! I love seeing the new kids books when they come out! I love my coworkers! I love the building the library is in! I love that I work (relatively) close to home! I love the people I meet and the kids I get to watch grow up!! I see the babies turn into people and get all sassy and playful and start reading different books! I love my job!! (*turns into goo*)

Ahem.

So, between all that and the government pension, there's a lot going for a librarian job. I know other people love other parts of librarianship, like the archivists' satisfaction at maintaining and preserving their collection to the love and empathy adult services has for their adult students and aging patron base. I know that circulation loves being the movers and shakers and arbiters of access for the entire library-- and hell, if it had been financially viable, I would have loved to stay a circ employee. There are other back-end jobs in libraries too, like tech support and administration, although they never really see the patrons or books on the floor.

Ultimately, your career choice is up to you. I just want to let you know the risks before you pursue a library degree, since that's no guarantee it'll get you the job environment you like. Also there are a lot of weird things that happen in libraries— like midway through this post I had to stop because a random lady came up and asked me to start her crochet project...? She had no way of knowing if I even knew how to crochet. She just guessed. Whack.

Anyway, my realest advice is, before making any decision, to volunteer in a library for a while. You'll meet local library workers to network with, get used to the flow of the job, and have something to add to your resume for long-term benefits and maybe a letter of recommendation from the library down the line. Either you'll like it, or you won't! Either way,though, you'll still have something new to your resume.

Good luck! 📚 There's a lot of things to love about libraries, but uh...times is hard lol

#library posting #faer winds

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stomach-rental · 21 hours

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Hey everyone! Sorry for having taken so long to get back to it, but. Uh. It turns out that the job market is horrendous right now. I've decided to make due with it by offering commissions again, but now through a much easier to implement system on Ko-fi!

If my handwriting is at all hard to read, all of the details can be found transcribed at ko-fi itself.

Feeling the fall spirit? If you theme your commission based off of fall, the harvest or Halloween, you can use the code AUTUMNTIME at check out to get 15% off of your commission! 🍁🍂 You MUST use this code to receive the discount.

And of course, because you all are the community I started in, I have your secret menu. Check down below to see how the secret menu works.

The secret menu can be accessed as an "add on" to any commission size that allows it. For example, let's say you wanted to get a headshot, but you wanted a tiny to be in their mouth for a cool mawshot for both of them. Rather than selecting "additional character", you would simply select the option for the MEDIUM RARE add on and fill out the form as if you were getting an additional character with it.

This highlights the character size difference but can make it quite a big file that is harder to see the smaller characters, since the cut away is right on their body.

The only option that works differently is for Full Body. In full body, rather than having the more zoomed out version showing the other character who's stomach or mouth you're inside, it instead zooms in to focus on the full body of the character involved, having the stomach or mouth act more as a background or an environment they're in. Sort of like this.

Sketches include no shading, "colored" pieces will actually be shaded rather than colored because I love doing shading for stomachs and mouths.

Tell me what you want the character(s) doing, and let me know what the size difference is! Is one character a giant? Is one a borrower? Can they shift? How big are they compared to actual stomach size? Is it painful in the position they are in? How do they feel?

All vore pieces have automatic saliva/drool added for realism, but you can ask to have it removed! I will always do it on a separate layer, so, easy removal.

You can ask for fearplay, foodplay, drinkplay, full size, half size, digestion, whatever your heart desires so long as it isn't sexual or fatal!

You can also ask for g/t very easily to be added to any commission by selecting the add on closest to the size difference between the characters. The percentages are already calculated for you!

#drawns #commissions #safe vore #nsx vore #e a/t #extreme cuddling

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dwobbitfromtheshire · 2 days

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Let's Just Breathe

A/N: Had this in my drafts for a while, finally decided to finish it.

Chrissy and Eddie had a moment at the picnic table, and then everything went to shit. Chrissy died. Eddie got accused of her murder and he was hunted down for it. When all was said and done, when the world was saved, Chrissy came back. Chrissy and the others hadn't really been dead to begin with, so it made it easy to clear Eddie of all charges.

Meanwhile, Steve and Eddie formed a connection when Steve carried him out of the Upside Down. Chrissy had watched from Eddie's hospital bedside as they started to fall for each other. Chrissy was just happy to have Eddie in her life, even if it was only as a friend, so she put her feelings for him on a back burner and let it cool. Slowly, Steve became part of her life, too, along with Robin and the rest of the party.

FIVE YEARS LATER. . .

Chrissy was now living in a shared apartment with Robin and Vickie. After everything that happened, they were all still a little codependent, and Chrissy doubted that would go away, not that she would want to. She actually felt like she had a real family and was even okay with being the fifth wheel. It was luck that they found two apartments for rent in the same building that they could afford, especially since they were across from each other. They had to practically beg Chrissy to come with them. She was very much a part of their group, after all.

"Gahh!" Eddie yelled as he walked into Chrissy's apartment.

She had just gotten home from teaching dance class to a bunch of four year olds and was now relaxing in front of the TV when Eddie came in. He plopped down next to her, pouting and sniffling. Chrissy turned off the TV and turned to him. It was still odd to see him with short hair. They had agreed to donate their hair a while back for children with cancer during a time when they didn't have money. It eventually became an annual thing. Eddie had just cut off his hair along with Chrissy and Vickie, so now they both had short hair. Robin and Steve's hair was still very long. Eddie's hair was starting to grow out a little.

"What's wrong, Eddie?" Chrissy asked.

"Ugh!" Eddie exclaimed again.

"Yeah, you said that when you came in," Chrissy replied.

"The denied our adoption application, and I think it's my fault although they didn't say that," Eddie said, rubbing his face with his hands.

"I didn't know you guys were trying to adopt," Chrissy said.

"Yeah, it was going to be a surprise when we got approved, but it looks like that's not going to happen," Eddie said. "Steve deserves to be a dad. He would be a great one, and I want to be a dad, too. I don't think it's going to happen, and it's my fault, Chrissy. I know it."

He was crying now, and Chrissy hated seeing him cry. If she could do something about it, then she would. She would totally give them a baby. . . Wait, she could give them a baby.

"Where's Steve?" Chrissy asked.

"Cooking angrily," Eddie muttered.

Chrissy pulled him up and started dragging him out of the apartment. Eddie yelped. She barged into their apartment, startling Steve, who had been sniffling at the stove. She closed the door behind Eddie.

"There are other ways to have a baby other than adopting," Chrissy said.

"Well, Eddie and I can't exactly do that. I don't know if you noticed," Steve said.

"I could give you guys a baby," Chrissy said.

Eddie choked on his saliva. Steve quickly turned off the stove and spun around to face Chrissy.

"What?" Steve asked. "You want to have sex with one of us?"

"I mean, it doesn't necessarily have to be that way. I mean, unless you want to. I was thinking more like a turkey baster, but I could have sex with one of you. . . Or both," Chrissy said.

"Both, huh?" Eddie asked.

"Well, I mean, you wouldn't be able to really know who's baby it is if you guys wanted to keep it a mystery. Doing it with both of you, it would be like both of you were making the baby. If that makes sense," Chrissy said.

"And there isn't anything in it for you if we did it that way?" Steve asked as he moved closer to her.

"I would be lying if I said that I never thought about it," Chrissy blushed. "But I know that you guys really want a baby."

"So, you'd really do this?" Eddie asked as he moved closer to her as well.

"Yeah, I'd do anything for you two. You'd make really great dads," Chrissy said.

"Well, you know if we did this, we wouldn't leave you out of this," Steve said.

"What?" She asked.

"You want to have a baby, too. We'd think you would be a good mom, too. . .unless you'd think it would be too weird," Eddie said.

"I wouldn't have offered if I didn't want to do this," Chrissy said with a smile. "Do you guys want to do this?"

Eddie and Steve shared a look before grinning wildly. Eddie hugged her tightly before pressing his lips to hers in a hard but gleeful kiss. Eddie moved back and let Steve do the same.

"But, you know, we don't have to do this right now," Steve said. "We could give it a few days."

"Well, that wouldn't make sense," Chrissy said as she began to unbutton her shirt. "It's perfect, actually, I'm ovulating as we speak. Oh. . .that's right, I took off my bra when I got home."

She slipped off her shirt and let it fall to the floor with an innocent smile. Eddie smirked at Steve before picking up Chrissy, letting her legs wrap around him.

"Steve, guide us to the bedroom," Eddie said.

Eddie smashed his lips to Chrissy's with Steve’s hand on his back, leading them to the bedroom. They fell on the bed, Steve falling with them.

A COUPLE OF MONTHS LATER. . .

Chrissy had been sent home early due to the fact she had thrown up even though she felt better once she did so. She entered the apartment to find Robin and Vickie curled up on the couch. It was their day off.

"You're home early," Vickie said.

"Yeah, they sent me home because I got sick. I'm pretty sure it was because of something I ate. I feel fine now," Chrissy said as she plopped down on the recliner.

"Well, I've been meaning to talk to you," Robin said, turning off the TV. "You know, we said a while back that we needed some alone time. It was just to celebrate Vickie's birthday. We love having you around."

"Of course, I know that," Chrissy laughed.

"Oh good," Robin said, relieved.

"I think Robin was worried because you've been spending a lot of time with Steve and Eddie," Vickie said.

They hadn't said anything to them about what they've been up to. She wasn't sure how they would even take it if they even knew that she was sleeping with them to help them make a baby. Although, the last few weeks have been great, and she tried not to get her hopes up, but it felt like she was slowly becoming a part of their relationship. When they weren't having sex, they were cuddling and kissing as well as holding hands. Sometimes, they just lay in bed and talked. Steve and Eddie even took her out to eat, calling it date night. Would that all be over once she got pregnant?

"I like spending time with them," Chrissy said.

"You've been spending the night," Robin said, narrowing her eyes at her. "I think I just figured out what's going on."

"You have?" Chrissy asked, her eyes wide.

"You guys are throwing me a surprise party for my own upcoming birthday, aren't you?" She asked.

"Yeah, that's it," Chrissy laughed. "You figured it out."

"Great, now, I'm going to tell you exactly what I want, and then you're going to casually mention it to the guys like it's your idea," Robin said.

"I feel like that's cheating. It ruins the point of a surprise party," Vickie said.

"Babe, it's already ruined. Chrissy already told me," Robin said. "This way, I get what I want."

"I guess it's going to be Eddie and Steve, who are the ones who will be expecting the surprise," Vickie said.

"It serves them right for stealing our roommate from us," Robin said.

Expecting. The word Vickie said swam around in Chrissy's head, and she gasped. Oh, she was an idiot. A very late idiot.

"Are you okay?" Vickie asked.

"Yeah, I just realized something," Chrissy said and got up. "I got to go!"

They watched her leave and Robin frowned at her girlfriend.

"Maybe you're also right, Vick, maybe she does have a secret lover," Robin said.

She had been gone for a long time. Chrissy had returned a while ago, but now she was sitting in her car, hoping for a positive outcome. She let out a breath and climbed out of the car. When she walked into her apartment, Eddie and Steve were there. Robin had her back to the door as she talked to them.

"Look, I'm really worried about her. She just took off, and now we don't - ," Robin started.

"I'm right here. No need to worry," Chrissy said.

"Chrissy, what the hell?" Robin asked.

"Are you okay?" Vickie asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Excuse me, I drank a bunch of water earlier, so. . . I need to use the bathroom," Chrissy said and most past them.

"Why are you going into the bathroom with a plastic baggy?" Robin asked and turned to the men. "Do you have any idea what this is about?"

"No clue," Steve shrugged.

Chrissy, meanwhile, bit her lip as she watched the clock on the bathroom wall. Please, please, please! She closed her eyes for a moment and took a calming breath before opening her eyes again. What are the odds, though, that it would happen on the first try? Dustin would probably be able to tell her. She ignored Robin knocking on the door and then the sound of Steve scolding her.

"Robin, privacy!" Steve exclaimed.

"She's been in there for a while!" Robin yelled. "I feel like you know something that I don't."

"I know about as much as you do," Steve said.

"Ha! You said about! Which implies that you know more than me!" Robin exclaimed.

"Maybe I know less than you do. Did you ever think of that?" Steve asked.

The kitchen timer that Chrissy had bought went off with a loud ding.

"Is that a fucking kitchen timer in there? Is she cooking something in the goddamn bathroom?" Robin asked.

Chrissy sighed and peered cautiously at the sticks on the counter. She squealed in delight and grabbed a stick off the counter. She opened the door to the bathroom and right into the hallway where everyone had gathered. She looked at Eddie and Steve. She beamed as she held up the white plastic stick.

"I'm pregnant!" Chrissy exclaimed.

Eddie and Steve froze for a moment before letting out a loud holler. They hugged her tightly, pressing kisses on her cheeks and then in her hair. Eddie pulled back before kissing her deeply and pulled away to allow Steve to do the same.

"What. The. Fuck?!" Robin exclaimed.

"Oh, Steve and I got your roommate pregnant," Eddie said, his eyes filled with tears.

"Explain, please," Vickie said.

"Well, you see Vickie, sometimes when two men love the same woman - " Eddie started to explain to Vickie.

"She knows how sex works, you dingus! She's a master at it, in fact," Robin exclaimed. "What she wants to know is when Chrissy joined your relationship."

"Oh, when the adoption fell through a couple of months ago, and she offered to carry our baby. We decided all three of us should just do it the old-fashioned way," Steve said.

"And it just felt right that she become a part of us too," Eddie grinned.

"So. . .Do you guys really want me to be with you?" Chrissy asked.

"Of course, did we not ask you?" Steve asked.

"No."

"Shit. . .baby, do you want to be our girlfriend?" Eddie asked.

"Yes!" She exclaimed happily.

Steve and Eddie hugged her tightly. When they moved back, Robin slugged them both in the arms before hugging them both.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me you guys were trying for a baby," Robin said.

"Well, I didn't want you to get disappointed when it didn't happen. I know how badly you've been wanting to wear that 'World's Worst Godmother' shirt since you found it in that store a while back," Steve said.

"You're a good platonic soulmate. . .well, sometimes. . . You're sleeping on the platonic couch for lying to me," Robin said.

"Congratulations, Chrissy!" Vickie squealed as she hugged her.

"Thank you," Chrissy said.

"Are you hoping Eddie's the biological father? I would, I couldn't imagine how you would be able to push Steve’s square headed baby out of your hoo-ha," Robin said.

"Hey! If my mother could do it with baby me, then so can Chrissy!" Steve exclaimed.

"Didn't your mother have to have surgery down there?"

"That was not my fault! That was for cosmetic reasons only!"

"I'm not worried," Chrissy giggled. "They both put in the work at the same time. They're both the father."

"Hey, what if they're twins? What if Steve’s the father of one and Eddie's the father of the other?" Robin asked.

"Don't be ridiculous, Robin. . . That would never happen. . ."

A FEW MONTHS LATER. . .

". . . I can't believe Robin was right," Chrissy pouted.

"She happened to be right about it being twins, sweetheart, not about the other thing," Eddie said. "And you said that it doesn't matter, right?"

"Yeah, it's just . . . " Chrissy trailed.

"She's gotten quite annoying riding high on that ego boost of hers," Eddie cackled.

"Yes! Now she's saying she can see the future!" Chrissy exclaimed. "I love her, but I am not naming one of our kids after her just because she can see it happening."

"I think you're just annoyed because you know it's definitely going to happen," Eddie said. "Or is it because you can't find a thing to wear?"

"Nothing hides my stomach!" Chrissy exclaimed.

She was standing in what was now their bedroom. She had moved into their apartment shortly after she found out she was pregnant. So, now Steve and Eddie's bedroom was hers too. Chrissy was standing in her bra and panties, looking at her reflection in the mirror. Eddie was sprawled out on the bed, watching her. Steve was busy at Robin's, helping Vickie put the finishing touches for Robin's birthday party.

"Why would you want to hide it? Weren't we planning on telling everyone when they got here?" Eddie asked.

"Yeah, but not today. As annoying as she is right now, today is her day. It's all about her, and I'm not going to step on that," Chrissy said.

"Well, that's awfully sweet of you, baby," he said. "But I don't think you have any clothes that will hide them."

Chrissy glared at him before marching over to the closet and pulling out a giant white coat. She slipped it on.

"Oh, yeah, what about this?" She asked.

"Okay, that's Steve’s parka, and you look like a marshmallow," Eddie said, and she glared at him. "But a very cute and delicious marshmallow."

She took off the parka and put it back in the closet. She cradled her bump as she felt the babies move within her.

"They're moving. Hi, babies. Do you want to say hi to Daddy?" Chrissy cooed at her stomach.

She waddled over to him while he sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed. Eddie flashed his dimples as he placed his hands on her stomach, placing a kiss on in it.

"Hi, babies. It's Daddy. Papa isn't here right now. He's busy setting up for Auntie Robin's party. She's very demanding, but you'll find that out," Eddie sighed happily. "I know Mommy is probably going to miss having you live inside of her, but I can't wait to meet you."

"I can't wait either," Chrissy said and paused. "I think I'm just going to choose something comfortable but first. . . "

She sat down on his leg, straddling it as she kissed him deeply.

"I don't think we have time for this," Eddie said as he broke the kiss.

"Of course, we have time. They're not even finished setting up yet, and the party is right across the hall," Chrissy said in between kisses.

She rocked her hips, grinding against his leg.

"What about Steve?" Eddie asked.

"We've done this without him before," Chrissy said.

"Yeah, and he was extremely pouty," Eddie said.

She pressed her knee against his crotch and moved her lips to his neck.

"And isn't he just so cute when he pouts?" Chrissy asked.

"Yeah, he is . . . Okay, fine, let's be quick," Eddie groaned.

Chrissy pulled away from him and stood up.

"You know what, I'm suddenly not feeling it anymore," she said.

"Chrissy!"

"What? Is there a problem?"

"Yes!"

"It sounds like a problem you need to fix."

"Baby!"

"That's what you get for calling me a marshmallow," Chrissy pouted.

Eddie stood up, glared at her, and went into their en suite bathroom. Steve chose that moment to come in.

"Did I miss something?" Steve said.

"She's a devil of a woman, Steve! We're never getting her pregnant again. The baby hormones made her even more evil!" Eddie exclaimed and Chrissy giggled. "Oh, god!"

"Well, I recognize that sound. Starting to guess what happened here," Steve said.

"He called me a marshmallow," Chrissy said.

"Well, then he had it coming," Steve said and then laughed when he realized what he said.

"Oh, very funny, Steven! Don't you dare laugh at my suffering!"

"Having trouble finding an outfit?" Steve asked.

"Yeah," Chrissy said.

"Well, what about this top and this skirt. It's the same material that you said feels good against your skin," Steve said.

"Oooh, and the colors actually do look good together! That wasn't an outfit ten minutes ago, and then you come in here. . .it's an outfit! My hero!" Chrissy exclaimed, kissing him.

Steve grinned and leaned next to the bathroom door, rapping his knuckles against the door.

"Hey, we're done setting up. What about you? Did you finish?" Steve asked, and Chrissy giggled as she got dressed.

"Asshole," Eddie said as he opened the door, and then he saw Chrissy. "You look beautiful, darling."

"And comfy. Still mad at me for being evil?" Chrissy asked.

"No, in fact I love you more for it," Eddie said. "Menace."

"Takes one to know one," Chrissy said, and Eddie kissed her deeply.

They were, of course, the first ones there, seeing how they were just across the hall. She had been quite energized and excited for the party but now suddenly she was starting to feel a little tired. Chrissy yawned and then covered it up with a laugh when Robin came out of their bedroom wearing her World's Worst Godmother shirt.

"What? Well, I figured I would put this on since you're planning on upstaging my party with your pregnancy announcement," Robin said, and Chrissy cursed. "What? I was joking. I love that you're announcing you're having my god children at my party."

"No, it's not that, I'm just feeling tired all of a sudden," Chrissy said.

"Well, you're growing two life forms inside of you, I expect you're tired a lot," Robin said.

"Well, why don't you take a nap in your room - I mean, the guest room. People won't be here for a while," Vickie said.

"We'll wake you up when they're all here so that way you can just tell the story about how this happened all at once," Robin said.

"Smart," Chrissy said. "I think picking out clothes and messing with Eddie just wore me out."

"What did she do to you?"

"Nothing!"

When Chrissy woke up from her nap, she had to pee. She made her way to the ensuite bathroom, and when she pulled her underwear down, she discovered blood. Her mouth opened in a silent scream, and she quickly pulled her underwear up. Just as she was about to leave the bathroom, she heard Steve come in.

"You need any help, baby? Robin says she is not going to explain her shirt until you come out. Dustin thinks she's trying to bring back the whole "Steve is a mom" joke. Honey?" Steve asked.

"Steve. . .I'm bleeding," Chrissy said, as she tried so desperately to stay calm.

She could feel her heart race rapidly in her chest, and everything felt cold. What if she was losing the babies?

"Shit. Okay, don't panic," Steve said softly. "We're going to get you to the hospital, and everything's going to be okay. It's probably just spotting, but I think we'll both be relieved if a doctor tells us that. Okay?"

"Okay," Chrissy said softly.

"I love you," Steve said, cupping her face. "Breathe with me."

Eddie walked into the bedroom as Chrissy breathed with Steve.

"If you guys are fooling around without - what's going on?" Eddie asked.

"I need you to remain calm, Ed. Chrissy is bleeding, and we need to take her to the hospital," Steve said in a steady voice.

Calmly and smoothly, Eddie picked Chrissy up in his arms, cradling her to his chest. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and buried her face there, breathing in his scent to calm her down. Steve opened the door, where everyone was waiting for them.

"Is Chrissy okay?" Joyce asked.

"We have to take her to the hospital," Steve said. "She's bleeding."

"The babies!" Robin gasped.

"Don't you panic. If you panic, I panic," Steve said with tears in his eyes.

"Babies?!" Dustin asked, and everyone started talking at once.

"We don't have time for this," Eddie growled. "Robin, explain it to them."

Steve and Eddie moved out the door quickly with Chrissy. It left Robin and Vickie to explain the situation to the party. They stared at the group, and for once, they were speechless. It was Nancy who snapped them out of it.

"What babies are they talking about?" She asked.

"Uh, the babies Chrissy's pregnant with," Robin said. "Twins."

"Who's the father?" Jonathan asked.

"Uh, Steve and Eddie," Vickie replied.

"She's a surrogate?" Joyce asked.

"No," Robin said, shaking her head and wishing she had gone with them.

"They all put in the effort," Vickie said.

"What the hell does that mean?" Hopper asked.

"Well, sometimes when two men love the same woman . . . " Robin trailed off.

"Okay, so they all had sex," Hopper said, squinting his eyes at them.

"Are they all together?" Mike asked.

"Yes."

Once that had been explained, everyone started worrying about Chrissy. Argyle was trying to get everyone to relax, but not even his comforting presence could get them to. Suddenly, it felt like the world was ending all over again. Wayne, of course, had been the last to arrive and the last to know. He had burst out of there as soon as he was told and left for the hospital to be with his kids. The others would have followed if there hadn't been other kids here who were just as worried. Claudia stood next to Dustin and hugged him tightly. They were all legally adults now, except for Erica and Holly, but they were still all very young even more so when someone they loved was in trouble.

"Is there nothing that I can do?" Jane asked her mother.

"The only thing you can do is wait," Joyce said softly.

And wait, they did. The food was untouched, but Vickie made sure to preserve them. No one felt like eating or partying, and they all sat in uneasy silence. Eventually, Eddie and Steve came through the door with Chrissy, with Wayne following behind them.

"The girls are fine. It was just spotting," Eddie said, tears in his eyes.

"Oh, thank God!" Robin said and hugged them tightly before suddenly pulling back. "Wait. . .girls?"

"We're having girls," Chrissy said.

"Oh my God! We're having girls!" Robin exclaimed and hugged Steve tightly.

"We're having girls!" Steve exclaimed.

Everyone took turns to hug them all. Dustin clung to the three of them the most, tears in his eyes.

"I'm going to be an uncle!" Dustin exclaimed.

"Happy birthday, Robin," Chrissy said teasingly.

"Best birthday ever," Robin said tearfully.

"Congratulations, Chrissy," Nancy said with a smile.

"So, how exactly did this start?" Hopper asked.

"Well, when two men love the same woman. . .," Eddie started to explain, and Wayne promptly slapped him upside the head.

"Well, Steve and Eddie's application to adopt got rejected, so I volunteered to be their surrogate, but it turns out they both wanted more. . .we all wanted more," Chrissy said. "Especially me, I've been pining for Eddie for the last five years."

"Okay, you did NOT tell me that," Eddie said.

"I didn't?" She asked.

"No, you did not," he said.

"Well. . . Would it make you feel better to know that I've been pining for Steve for even longer?" Chrissy asked.

"No!" Steve and Eddie exclaimed.

"Well, we're here now," Steve said with a sigh as he pulled his partners to him. "That's all that matters."

MONTHS LATER. . .

Chrissy was starting her eighth month of pregnancy when her mother decided to visit. It had been years since she had last seen her, and she had hoped that her mother had changed. Her hopes had been dashed, however, when she opened the door.

"You and your children are going to burn in hell," Laura said, and Chrissy had slammed the door in her face. "CHRISTINE! You open this door! It's bad enough that we haven't seen you in years! It's worse that we had to hear about it from someone else that you're living in sin with a couple of f - "

Laura hadn't been able to finish the sentence because Chrissy had opened the door and punched her mother in the face. Laura fell to the floor, dazed, as her nose began to bleed. Chrissy took the opportunity to call the cops and then went back to her mother.

"Eddie and Steve are the best things that have ever happened to me. I am in love with them, and they are in love with me. I couldn't ask for better fathers to my children. They have made me happier than you and Dad ever did. They're my family, not you," Chrissy said. "I had really hoped you had changed. . .and by the way, your precious little girl isn't quite straight either. . .that's always been the case. I've fucked men. I've fucked women. I even fucked one of my fellow cheerleaders right in your bed. Have a nice life, Laura."

The entire exchange had wiled up the twins, and they kicked at her stomach as she waited inside for the cops to show up. Chrissy placed a hand on her stomach to calm her girls down before collapsing onto the couch to cry. The cops had left after gently questioning Chrissy and escorted her mother away, as she refused to leave, just as Eddie and Steve were coming home. They stumbled over each other as they tried to get to her even though she wasn't going anywhere at all. Chrissy couldn't help but laugh at them as they knelt in front of her.

"Are you okay?" Steve asked.

"I'm fine. Better than ever, actually," Chrissy grinned. "I got to punch my mom!"

"I didn't even know your mother was visiting," Eddie said.

"She called a while back, and I completely forgot," Chrissy said. "I didn't remember until after you left to pick up Wayne. . .uh, where is uncle Wayne?"

"I ain't as young as I used to be, darling," Wayne said as he came through the door. "Your fellas ran as soon as they saw the cop cars. So, you punch your mom, huh? Don't get up."

Wayne walked over to Chrissy and hugged her tightly.

"Yeah, she came for a visit, and I thought we could patch things up, but all she did was tell me that our children were going to hell. She was about to call Eddie and Steve a very nasty word, so I punched her, and then I told her I wasn't exactly straight myself," Chrissy said.

"What a bitch!" Eddie scowled and then his face softened. "Your mother, not you!"

"I knew who you were talking about, Eddie," Chrissy laughed.

"It's a shame that your mother is so full of hate, but one day, she's going to regret losing you," Wayne said. "You're a wonderful girl, and you're going to a better mother than she ever will. I'm so grateful to think of you like a daughter and so honored that when your kids are born, they'll get to call me Grandpa."

"Thank you, Uncle Wayne," Chrissy said as she cried.

"I love you, darling," Wayne said and pulled a bag out of his luggage. "Got you something for the little tykes."

"It's little hats!" Chrissy shrieked when she pulled two pink and red hats out of the bag.

"I figured they could start their own collection if they wanted to," Wayne said.

"You are not going to turn our children into hoarders. . .oh, but they're so cute!" Eddie exclaimed. "They're so wittle! Stebe! Wittle tiny hats for their heads!"

"I see that," Steve laughed in amusement.

"You guys are all that I need. You, Vickie, Robin. . .everyone. . .you're my family," Chrissy said. "I haven't needed my mom for a long time, and I am happy that I closed the chapter on that part of my life. I love you."

Later that night, after having dinner with the guys, Wayne, Vickie, and Robin, Chrissy was sprawled out on the bed with Eddie. He had fallen asleep across her stomach after reading to the babies. Steve had just finished cleaning up in the kitchen when he came into the bedroom to get ready for bed. Steve turned to Chrissy as he slipped off his pants.

"Are you sure that you're alright?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, I mean, I'm a little sad for her. She's always going to be this hateful woman, and she's just choosing to live her life like that," Chrissy said. "I don't want to do the same as her, so I'm not going to be angry with her, I'm choosing not to give a shit. If that's how she wants to live, that's on her. I'm going to focus on the wonderful life that I fought to have. . . That I continue to fight for. Our girls have plenty of women in their life to look up to."

"And the most important woman in their life, you," Steve said as he crawled across the bed to kiss her and then kiss her stomach.

He moved Eddie so he wasn't sleeping across her stomach, and Eddie flopped over on his side in his sleep.

"You're looking incredibly sexy tonight, Steven," Chrissy purred. "Want to do it against Eddie's back again?"

"What?!"

"Ha! I knew you weren't really sleeping," Chrissy said.

"I was until Steve moved me," Eddie said and flopped around to face them. "Please, tell me that you guys never fucked against my back while I was sleeping. . .Please tell me you're joking."

Chrissy and Steve giggled.

"Christine! Steven!"

A FEW WEEKS LATER. . .

" . . . Traitors, the lot of you!" Robin yelled.

"Oh, come on, you knew this was going to happen," Steve said as he packed up a box. "I know we put this off as much as possible, but we needed a bigger place for the babies."

"And Eddie's personality," Chrissy said as she waddled out of the bedroom.

"Oh, if you didn't look so adorable in those overalls of yours, I'd get you, Cunningham," Eddie said.

"Put me to work, boss," she grinned.

"You're already doing something," Eddie said. "You're creating life, and the doctor told you to take it easy."

"He also said that I can move around," Chrissy said.

"Mm, I just know the thing you can help me with," Eddie said.

He flicked on the radio and pulled her into his arms. Fire and Rain had just started. Chrissy bit her lip. Her favorite song. She didn't complain as Eddie her close and started to sway, singing along to the song. Chrissy smiled and laid her head on his shoulder. It was a bit difficult with her enormous belly, but they made it work. This would be the last time they would dance in this apartment.

"How is this helping you?" Chrissy asked.

"It's helping him get out of working," Ronnie's voice floated in. "We didn't come all this way just to watch you use your pregnant girlfriend as an excuse to get out of packing."

"I would never," Eddie gasped, and Chrissy pulled back to look at him.

"You so would," Chrissy said.

Gareth, Jeff, and Frankie had come in behind Ronnie to load up more boxes in the moving van downstairs. Ronnie had offered help immediately when she heard that her best friend was moving. She hadn't been able to get out of work lately, so she had taken the opportunity to see her best friend.

"I have done a lot of the packing while you've gotten all nostalgic and distracted by each little thing you put away. How about you pack and I dance with Chrissy?" Steve asked.

"Ugh, fine," Eddie sighed and pulled away. "Our lover doesn't want us to be together."

"I guess that makes us forbidden lovers," Chrissy teased.

"Christine! You know my romantic heart can't take it when you say such words!" Eddie exclaimed. "I'm supposed to be packing!"

Steve laughed as he pulled Chrissy into his arms, hugging her tightly as they swayed.

"I can't believe you're leaving us!" Robin exclaimed.

"They're not leaving us, babe. They're moving into a house with a yard. Don't you want our goddaughters to be able to run around?" Vickie asked.

"Don't try to be logical with me when I'm trying to be irrational," Robin said, and Vickie laughed.

Chrissy laughed with Steve, and she looked at him fondly. God, he was cute and funny. He's so amazing with kids already. They both were going to be such amazing fathers. She was so glad she could do this for them, for all three of them. She couldn't wait to see them in action, but she was also going to miss being a home for their kids. Even though the journey had been difficult and scary, she loved every minute of it. She was grateful that she had Steve and Eddie by her side.

"What?" Steve asked. "Do I have something on my face?"

"I love you," she said.

"I love you, too," Steve said, smiling softly at her.

"I'm going to miss this place," Chrissy said. "It was our first home together. This is where you two got me pregnant."

"Yeah, I'm going to miss this place too," Steve said.

"You guys did a great job knocking me up," Chrissy giggled. "You did it very well."

"Yeah?" Steve smirked. "You liked that, did you?"

"Very much," she said, sighing happily. "I'm going to miss being pregnant."

"Well, you know, if you ever want to do this again, it's always been your choice," Steve said.

"Well, not right away. . .but I think you should get pregnant next," Chrissy said with a teasing grin. "You'd look beautiful."

"Hell, yeah, he would!" Eddie exclaimed.

"Get back to work, Munson!" Robin yelled and Eddie hissed.

"I can't get pregnant," Steve rolled his eyes.

"We still have no idea what those bat bites did to us!" Eddie exclaimed.

"Munson!"

"You are not the boss of me, woman!" Eddie yelled. "That title belongs to Chrissy and Steve."

"Get back to work," Chrissy and Steve said, laughing.

"Yes, dears," he said.

Chrissy laughed, and she kissed Steve, sighing as he wrapped his arms around her to deepen the kiss.

"Hey!" Gareth yelled, causing them to break the kiss. "We did not come here to watch you two have sex!"

"Hey! You don't see me complaining whenever I watch them together!" Eddie exclaimed and cackled.

"Shut the hell up, Eddie, you're not funny," Gareth yelled and Chrissy laughed again.

With all of them helping out, they got everything packed up quicker than they thought they would have. Chrissy leaned against the moving truck, pressed between Eddie and Steve, staring at the apartment building. They each had a hand under her stomach, relieving some of her pressure.

"This is it. . .," Chrissy said tearfully.

"It was a good five years," Eddie said. "So many memories. . .so many fights. . . So much great sex. . ."

"Eddie!" Steve scolded.

"Remember when you rescued those puppies off the street, and it turned out to be coyotes?" Eddie asked Steve.

"Excuse me, that was you," Steve scoffed.

"Oh, yeah," Eddie said.

"Those puppies got into our apartment, and they peed all over Robin's shoes," Chrissy giggled.

"I guess you could say she was pissed," Eddie said and they laughed.

"Remember the Italian guy Chrissy dated?" Steve asked.

"Oh, God, I hated that guy," Eddie said.

"What? You did?!" Chrissy asked.

"Yeah, we both did. Turns out we were both jealous," Steve said. "I can't believe we didn't see it then."

"Better late than never," Chrissy said and sighed. "Remember when Robin put Nair in Steve's shampoo and blamed it on Eddie?"

"What?! That was you?!" Steve and Eddie shrieked.

"Oh, I thought you told them," Chrissy said.

"I might have forgotten to tell them," Robin said, smirking.

"Steve made me sleep on the couch for like a month!" Eddie shrieked.

"Yeah, it was hilarious," Robin snorted.

"Where was I for all of this?" Vickie asked.

"You were visiting relatives. I got bored," Robin said.

"Yeah, I'm never leaving you alone again," Vickie said.

"Oh, how awful for me," Robin said with a grin. "At least she's not abandoning me like you guys are."

"Stop being dramatic, Robin," Steve scoffed. "We're not even moving that far away."

"Whatever, Steven, I'm over it," Robin said, rolling her eyes, and then she grinned. "We've already replaced you, anyway."

"What does that mean?" Steve asked.

A loud honking startled them both. Chrissy looked around the moving van and was surprised to see Argyle's yellow van behind them with another moving truck behind him. God, she was surprised that Argyle was still driving that thing. Argyle popped his head out of the window.

"Happy moving day, brocachos!" Argyle yelled.

He got out of his van while Nancy and Jonathan got out of the moving van.

"You gave our apartment to Nancy, Jonathan, and Argyle?" Steve asked.

"We're in love!" Argyle yelled.

"You copying us, Wheeler?" Steve asked as they moved closer. "You know they say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. You really want to be me!"

"In your dreams, Harrington!" Nancy taunted and Steve groaned.

"You're never going to let that go, are you?" Steve asked.

"Nope!"

"We figured our shit out long before you did," Jonathan said. "We just didn't tell anyone."

"Well, I hope you guys enjoy living there," Eddie grinned. "I know we did."

They gave the place one last look before thanking everyone before heading off to their new house.

A FEW DAYS LATER. . .

They hadn't gotten settled very long before Chrissy's water broke, and she went into labor. It was a grueling process for her. It was a while before they actually took her to the delivery room. She had to watch as several women went before her. Finally, several hours later, Chrissy was pushing, and the doctor was between her legs, prepared to catch the first baby.

"You're doing so great, honey," Steve coached. "Just breathe."

"I AM FUCKING BREATHING!" Chrissy screamed and then she paused, crying. "I'm so sorry, you don't deserve that. I love you. You're doing so great as well."

As she pushed, she grabbed a hold of Eddie's shirt, and he let out a cry of pain.

"MY CHEST HAIR!" Eddie screamed.

"WHAT CHEST HAIR?! YOU'RE NOT STEVE!" Chrissy yelled. "YOU THINK THAT HURTS - oh, baby, I'm so sorry. I swear I told myself I wasn't going to be like this - OH FUCK, THIS HURTS! JESUS H CHRIST!"

Chrissy rolled her eyes and for a moment she shared a smile with Eddie. Yeah, he was definitely rubbing off on her. The first baby girl came out and Eddie scurried over to watch over them while they cleaned her off. Steve stayed with Chrissy, holding her hand as they took care of their daughter. A few minutes later their second daughter was born and residing next to her sister. A moment later, Chrissy was holding both of them in her arms and she couldn't stop crying. She never loved anyone the way she loved these babies.

"I'm sorry, Steve and Chrissy," Eddie sniffled. "I love them more than you two now."

"Totally understandable, I definitely love them more than you two," Steve said as held one of their hands.

"You should hold them," Chrissy said.

"Okay, no, I'm definitely going to break them," Eddie said and wiped away tears. "Who decided that I should be a father?!"

"We did," Steve and Chrissy said.

"You're not going to break them," Chrissy said. "I love you; you're going to be a great father. Pick up your daughter."

Eddie nodded and picked up his daughter while Steve picked up the other twin. Chrissy smiled as she watched them both. Yes, this was definitely the best decision she had ever made.

"Steve, baby," Eddie sniffled.

"Yeah?" Steve asked, his voice thick with emotion.

"Is this what being mugged feels like?" he asked.

"What?" Steve and Chrissy asked in confusion.

"I'm looking at her and I want to give her everything that I have," he said. "Yeah, this is definitely a stick up. My sweet little heart thief."

"I had no clue where that was going," Steve cried. "But that was so sweet! We've just been mugged."

They were all laughing when Wayne, Robin, Vickie and Ronnie came in. Chrissy was glad that Ronnie was able to stay just a few more days.

"You ready to meet your grandkids, Uncle Wayne?" Eddie asked.

Wayne had already been crying. Chrissy could tell by his red rimmed eyes.

"Who's this little darling?" Wayne asked.

"This one is Wynona Robin Harrington Munson," Eddie said. "Chrissy came up with Wynona, it was the closet name to Wayne that she could find."

"Oh, sweetheart, you didn't have to do that," Wayne said.

"I wanted to," Chrissy said.

"You mean a lot to all of us," Steve said. "Of course, you're in there too, Robin."

"Oh my god! Okay, I'm going to be cool, I'm going to be cool," Robin said and looked at Wynona over Eddie's other shoulder. "Hi, baby birdie."

"This little girl is Elizabeth Veronica Harrington Munson," Steve said. "If anyone was wondering."

"Veronica?" Ronnie asked with wide brown eyes, that were so much like Eddie's.

"You think that I'm not going to name one of my kids after my own platonic soulmate?" Eddie grinned. "You've been my best friend since we were eight years old. Of course, it's Veronica."

"Oh, hell," Ronnie said, her eyes filled with tears and taking off her corduroy ball cap.

Chrissy smiled, surrounded by most of her family, and she couldn't help but think about how they all got there. She wondered if they had all gotten there sooner if she had been quicker in asking Steve out before he asked out Nancy. Sure, she would have gotten with Steve, and getting with Jason would have never happened. Maybe if she hadn't listened to her mother and continued hanging out with Eddie at the talent show, but she couldn't dwell on that. . .they were all here now. Despite all of the heartache that happened, everyone came out on top.

"Is it just me, or does Wynona look like Eddie and Elizabeth look like Steve?"

"Robin!"

. . . Oh, I'm a lucky man to count on both hands, the ones I love. Some folks just have one. Yeah, others, they got none. Stay with me. Let's just breathe.

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rey-jake-therapist · 14 hours

Note

We better get some real good Saurondriel content in the finale, because if the showrunners have been trolling and baiting us all this time and we’ll get Galadriel outright resisting Sauron and cast him away with Nenya or some Marvel-type sh*t, a huge chunk of their audience will be pissed.

I don’t understand what they are playing at here. Yeah, the kiss was strategic and not romantic, but wtf would they have that happening on-screen? No one will be happy about this scene, not the shippers (Elrond x Galadriel will), not the (actual) lorebros, and even the casuals might cringe. I would have picked a kiss between Galadriel and Adar any day, over this.

Ok, you may have seen my opinion on the kiss already : I don't mind it at all and I think it was very well done, in a way that there was no confusion possible about its nature. Now I can see many are confused anyway and it's understandable, but I found it the most platonic that a kiss on the mouth can be, and Galadriel's reaction said it all : "bro what?" was what her face said. She looked as stunned as if her own brother had kissed her. If you look closely it's very clear that he's gving her something, so she was also surprised by the subterfuge. And Elrond says, "forgive me," before doing it. Of course he's asking that because he regrets how he treated her, but I think it''s also a pre-apology for what he's going to do. To warn her that he's about to do something WEIRD and that she must play along.

It's quite confirmed by Morfydd Clark in the BTS interview : she said that Galadriel didn't think Elrond would be so bold (in the sense: bold enough to risk it all to allow her to escape, I think); when the interviewer expressed her surprise, Robert laughed goofily (he's so adorable, I can't). Then they were asked what he was doing, to which they answered: "he was giving her a pin!". End of story. There was no reason to talk about it more because it was all that it was.

So to be clear, I didn't intepret it at all as "Elrondriel baiting". Are there really many shippers, anyway? Everybody knows that Galadriel will become Elrond's mother-in-law, even the showrunners ackowledged that fact in an interview. Since the beginning their relationship is sibling-coded.

Why making it happening? Because otherwise the audience wouldn't understand how he gave her the pin in the first place. He couldn't put it in her hands because there was no way to do it discreetly. Kissing her was the only way, truly.

Personnally, I would have preferred it if it had been the Orc who discusses Adar's orders who would have released her, but well, they went for that instead... There was definitely a desire to surprise the audience and see their reaction. I must say my first reaction was a big "yikes!" because it really felt as watching two siblings kiss, and I'm pretty sure it was how most people reacted.

I keep seeing this kiss being accused of "breaking the lore", but it doesn't break anything. They didn't get married suddenly because Elrond kissed her to give her a pin... I must say that when I've read about the leak, I didn't believe it because in my view, it would make their relationship awkward and ambiguous. But I didn't imagine that it would happen in front of witnesses, because there was no other choice! For some reason, I thought that Elrond would sneak into Adar's camp and kiss her to give her the pin while he could give it to her in a completely different way. In this case, it would have felt awkward and would have inserted some unnecessary drama into a plot that doesn't need that.

An Adar/Galadriel wouldn't make any sense whatsoever, imho. Shipping them is very cool and fun, I found myself imagining scenarios where a romance between them could actually work, but it's not at all what the show is heading for.

No one can say how episode 8 will turn out, if it will be satisfying for the Haladriel shippers or not... We can now be quite certain that the kiss that Morfydd hinted at was this kiss, so there won't be a Saurondriel kiss. But is it really that surprising? We talked so much about the possibility that I caught myself hoping for it, but tbh I'll be content if their scene is emotional and isn't limited at "I hate you! I hate you more!" and useless fighting.

The only hope I have for Haladriel in episode 8 is that Galadriel realizes that Sauron didn't fake it all with her. I don't know how they'll manage that, but it's the most we can truly hope for, imho. The showrunners said episode 8 would be emotional... Now we just can wait and see!

#ask answered #trop spoilers #trop season 2 #elrond #galadriel #haladriel #saurondriel #sauron x galadriel #galadriel x halbrand #kissgate

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lottins-only · 1 day

Text

I love you, it's ruining my life | Part V

pairing: Kylian x black!fem!Reader

word count: 4.5k

part one, part two, part three, part four

V. May 2024

She’d gotten the invitation in the mail a few weeks ago, a creamy white envelope announcing the upcoming wedding of Julien, a childhood friend from Bondy, to his fiancee of several years. Seeing his name on the paper had brought a smile to her face; it had been years since she’d seen him.

She’d be in Paris to visit her parents anyway, it would be a crime not to go.

She’d quickly written to him to say congratulations, and Julien had texted back a thank you. Moments later, he’d texted her something she’d expected.

Not sure if you’re still in touch with Kylian, but if you can let him know about the wedding, that’d be great. We haven’t seen each other in ages!

Unsurprisingly, the response she’d gotten from Kylian was a firm and resounding no.

“Why not?” She’d asked over the phone.

“Because of a lot of things, Y/N” There was a lot of chatter from Kylian’s end, she had caught him just as he’d entered the locker room after a grueling match.

“Well, what are those things?” She’d asked.

“I can’t just go to a wedding” He’d grumbled. “Haven’t been able to do that in years, in fact. I have to think about bringing security and all that stuff”

She’d expected he’d say that, so her response was quick. “So bring your bodyguard. I’m sure Julien and his fiance won’t mind”

“And let someone leak a story to the press about how I’m a stuck up asshole who brings a hundred people with him everywhere he goes?” He’d snorted. “No thanks”

She’d rolled her eyes. “I don’t think anyone we grew up with would do that, Kylian”

“How would I know? I haven’t spoken to those people in years”

“I haven’t either.”

“Exactly” He’d said. “Let’s just not go. It’s Ousmane’s birthday party that weekend anyway. Actually, he said to tell you that you should come”

She’d frowned. “So you’d rather go to a party than to your childhood friend’s wedding?”

“It’s just a wedding Y/N” He’d said, his tone weary. “People get married all the time”

She couldn’t believe how mean and dismissive he was being.

“And get divorced all the time” He’d continued, letting out a humorless chuckle. “The stats on that are crazy, actually. Someone should let Julien know”

“What? Kylian, that’s so harsh. Why are you talking like that?” She was starting to get angry now.

“I’m not being harsh. Just honest” He’d said “Look, the last thing I need right now is to go to a public event, okay? I’m sick of people asking me about where I’ll be next year, and I’m sure as hell sick of having a hundred cameras pointed at me”

“Ok, then.” She said, her irritation evident in her voice. “You have fun at the party. I’ll go to the wedding.”

“But–”

“Tell Ousmane happy birthday for me”

He’d paused before responding with a resigned “Fine”

They hung up after that, goodbyes curt. She didn’t know what was going on with him, but he’d been very tired and irritable lately. He called less and less, and took longer to text back whenever she reached out. She suspected it had to do with his contract with PSG, which she knew was nearing its end, but they didn’t speak about things like that. If he had news, he’d tell her. So far he hadn’t said anything, which meant things were probably still up in the air and it was troubling him. She’d chalked it up to that, and was therefore able to quickly move on from the conversation.

The day of the wedding arrived, and Y/N found herself at the crowded venue of the wedding reception, wearing a silky blue dress she’d bought a long time ago but had saved for an occasion like this. She was seated next to Manon, a girl who used to live two doors down from her, and Anna, who she knew was Kylian’s first kiss and who she’d consequently been very envious of as a pre-teen. It was great catching up with the two and reminiscing about the old days. It turned out Manon worked in marketing while Anna was a tattoo artist.

“So, are you and Kylian still friends?” Anna asked, taking a sip from her drink. The toasts had been made, and dinner had been eaten. They were now watching the bride and groom take the floor for their first dance.

“Yeah” She said. “We’re still friends”

“Well, wave him over then. He looks like he’s lost” Anna nodded towards something behind her.

Y/N whirled in her seat. Sure enough there was Kylian, his head down, weaving his way through the tables. People looked up to stare with hushed gasps as he passed by them. Y/N raised her arms to wave, and thankfully his bodyguard noticed and started guiding Kylian towards their table.

“Hi” Kylian said, smiling tightly as he pulled a chair and took a seat.

“Hi” She said. “I thought you weren’t coming”

He shrugged. “You were mad at me”

“And I was right to be” She said, smiling despite herself. He looked handsome, she could tell he’d gotten a fresh cut.

“Sure” He rolled his eyes before turning to their tablemates. Anna and Manon were briefly starstruck as he greeted them, as if they forgot they’d grown up with him. The initial awkwardness wore off quickly though, and before long they were all chatting animatedly.

“Remember when you two–” Manon chuckled, gesturing between Kylian and Anna.

“Ah, yes. When we dated for a whopping two days in the seventh grade” Anna laughed. “I do remember that”

Kylian laughed along with her, shaking his head in embarrassment.

Y/N couldn’t help but snicker. “Two days? What happened?”

Kylian opened his mouth to respond but Anna beat him to it. “We kissed one day, and then the next day was valentine's day. I found out he gave you a card, while I got nothing. So I dumped him”

Y/N gasped, elbowing Kylian. “Oh my god, I remember that. Those anonymous valentine’s cards we did in class. That was the first year someone sent me one, I was dying to find out who it was. I didn’t know it was you”

“Oh, we all knew” Manon said while Anna nodded in agreement.

“Everyone knew he had a crush on you” Anna said. “At least everyone except for me. I found out after the whole card thing”

Kylian said nothing, keeping his eyes trained on the bride and groom as they swayed.

“Okay, so what happened after that?” Y/N pressed. She was flushed. If only her twelve year old self had that information. “Did you two ever talk again?”

Kylian finally turned to her, a hint of a smile on his lips. “Not really. I acted like it never happened” He grimaced at Anna. “Sorry about that, by the way”

Anna laughed. “You were the ultimate heartbreaker, Kylian!”

He chuckled, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes that made Y/N’s heart skip. “Yeah, well, I got my karma back, don't worry.”

“What do you mean?” Anna asked curiously.

He hesitated before answering. “I’ve had my fair share of heartbreaks, is all”

Y/N looked down at her lap, idly fiddling with her jewelry. The cynic within her had convinced her that Kylian didn’t care for her in that way. She’d allowed herself to believe he wanted her only for her body, just another fleeting fling in a long line of them. But his behavior over the past couple of months had made it clear that her own insecurities had clouded her judgment. She had the person she cherished most right in front of her—the boy she had loved since she was twelve—and yet she had pushed him away.

As she watched the bride and groom twirl, doubt grew inside of her. Was that kind of love even possible for her? Could she ever meet someone she cared for as deeply as she did for Kylian? The thought felt almost laughable. In her heart of hearts she knew that there would never be anyone else who could fill that space in her life.

Suddenly, the DJ switched to an upbeat song and people started to flock to the dance floor, eager to join the bride and groom. Manon and Anna went off as well, leaving just the two of them at the table.

Y/N nudged Kylian gently.“Dance with me?”

He looked at her with an apologetic look, wordlessly shaking his head no. He looked tense, evidently very aware of being in public.

Y/N visibly deflated. She wanted to be in on all the fun, but Kylian clearly wasn’t up for it. Oh, well. He did come here for me. I don’t need to make him even more uncomfortable, she thought.

She smiled tightly at him, hoping he couldn’t see her disappointment. But of course he did.

He hesitated before grabbing her hand and standing up, pulling her out of her chair. “Let’s go”

She grinned, her heart fluttering as they made their way to the dance floor. Sometimes, when he did things like this purely to make her happy, the walls she’d built around her feelings for him would break down, sending her heart into a joyful spin.

They got to dancing, laughter bubbling between them as she playfully teased him about his abysmal dancing skills.

“You just want me to be publicly humiliated huh?” He grumbled, a mock pout on his face.

Just then, the song changed to a slow ballad. They froze, exchanging uncertain glances. It was only couples around them now, slowly moving to the romantic song playing.

“What now?” Kylian asked, his voice low.

She stepped closer, wordlessly wrapping her hands around his neck. Her breath hitched when she felt his hands land on her hips. They swayed to the song, shifting their eyes away from each other whenever their eye contact got too intense. His fingertips on her hips felt like they weighed tons. She wondered if he wanted to kiss her; she knew she’d let him if he tried. She’d fantasized about it more times than she could count.

Suddenly, she bumped into someone’s back. They’d been so focused on each other they’d completely lost track of their surroundings, it seemed. She turned around, ready to apologize, but froze when she saw who it was.

“Lucas?” She said incredulously.

He had a different haircut than the last time she saw him, but it was definitely him.

Kylian's grip on her tightened slightly. “You’ve got to be kidding me” He muttered under his breath.

Lucas’ eyes lit up in recognition. “Y/N, wow. How are you?”

“I’m good” She said, forcing a smile.“ Crazy running into you here”

He smiled a fake smile, pointing to his dance partner, who she hadn’t noticed until then. “My girlfriend is co-workers with the bride”

She greeted his girlfriend, who was nice enough.

“So you two finally got together, huh?” Lucas said. Y/N could tell he’d had a little bit too much to drink by the way he was swaying on his feet. He leaned closer to Kylian, making it known the next part was just for him. “Better have her on a tight leash, or she’ll start emotionally cheating on you”

Kylian recoiled at his words. “That’s not a bigger red flag than breaking up with a person over the phone, or thinking of women as animals you put a leash on” He gave a pointed look to Lucas’ partner. “He’s in the habit of doing that, by the way”

Poor girl looked like she wanted to disappear.

Y/N felt disgusted. “Can we not do this here?” she said to Lucas. “It’s a wedding.”

Lucas shrugged, unfazed. “Just looking out for the guy. He should know what he’s getting into.”

Kylian stepped closer, a protective stance forming. “She can speak for herself, Lucas. And right now, she’s not interested in your opinion.”

Y/N suddenly noticed that some of the wedding guests had their eyes on them, clearly having noticed Kylian on the dance floor. They had their phones out, no doubt ready to send social media ablaze with pictures of Kylian and a ‘mystery woman’. Without thinking, she stepped away from Kylian and his hands fell away from her hips.

He gave her a hurt look, confusion etched on his face. “Y/N…”

“There you go!” Lucas laughed. “She doesn’t even want you to touch her”

Kylian gave Lucas the dirtiest look she’d ever seen him give to someone. “Fuck you”

He turned on his heel and strode away without waiting for a response, his bodyguard trailing closely behind him adding a dramatic effect.

She made to follow him, but he disappeared into the crowd quickly. She turned to Lucas angrily.

“You’re disgusting, you know”

He opened his mouth to say something, but she stormed off.

She found him taking pictures with a group of people, dimples and charisma on full display. Someone even pulled out a jersey—though she couldn’t quite fathom why someone would bring that to a wedding. Still, he signed it with a gracious smile, effortlessly charming everyone around him.

“Kylian” She said as she stepped closer. “Can we talk?”

“Sure” He said, his smile fading slightly as he excused himself from the group.

“Look, I’m really sorry” She said. “It’s not that I don't want to be seen with you or anything. It’s just –”

“No, it’s fine” He said unconvincingly.

“It’s not fine” She said earnestly. “That was really inconsiderate of me. Especially since you were standing up to that asshole for me. Thank you for that, by the way”

He shrugged. “That’s what he deserved”

My sweet Kylian, she thought.

She enveloped him in a hug, taking in the smell of his cologne. He hugged her back, albeit somewhat hesitantly. She could tell something was still bothering him.

“Kylian, are you okay?” She asked, pulling away. “You’ve seemed off for a while now”

“I’m okay” He said, looking at the ground. “Just a bit stressed is all”

She looked at him empathetically. “Tell me”

“Well, for starters, I shouldn’t be in public right now”

She frowned, feeling guilty. “I know, it’s a lot–”

“No, it’s not just that. That I can prepare myself for.” He said. “It’s because there’s a video announcing my departure from PSG that’s going to be released–” He paused to look at his watch. “-- In about 20 minutes, so…”

She stared incredulously. “What?”

“I said there’s a video–”

“You’re leaving PSG?” She said in a hushed yet raised tone.

“Yes” He affirmed.

“And it’s going to be announced in 20 minutes?”

“Yes” He repeated.

“And you’re in a packed wedding full of proud Parisians” She stated the obvious. “One week after crashing out of the Champions League”

He nodded, then yelped when she smacked his arm.

“Kylian, why the hell did you come?”

“Because I wanted to make you happy” He said simply, rubbing his arm.

She didn’t know whether to smack him again or kiss his beautiful lips. She decided on neither.

“Let’s get out of here then” She said, already dragging him to the exit. “Before the video is released and all hell breaks loose”

“But we haven’t even talked to Julien!”

“You’ll send him an expensive gift” She said, sounding determined.

He chuckled, letting her lead the way.

They were in his car, his driver speeding away from the wedding venue. She watched him look out the window, the city lights casting a yellow glow over his skin. He looked less stressed, but she still thought there was something going on with him.

“So, where are you going?”

“Hmm?” He pulled his eyes away from the window, seemingly jolted out of his thoughts.

“Where are you going to play next?” She asked.

“Take a guess”

“Uh, let’s see, Leeds United?” She teased.

He rolled his eyes. “You know where”

She squealed, launching herself across the backseat to give him yet another hug. “Real Madrid? Oh my god! Congratulations, Ky”

“Thanks” He giggled, hugging her back tightly. “I’m really excited”

“You should be! This is your childhood dream” She pulled back to look at him, her eyes wide with excitement. “Remember that winter you abandoned me to go visit them?”

“Well you’re getting back at me for that now” He said with a sad smile.

“Hm?”

“You’re moving back here” He clarified. “While I’m going there. You’re the one doing the abandoning this time”

“Oh” She said, understanding. “About that, I, uh–I’m not moving anymore”

He froze. “What?”

“ I mean, I was going to, but… things changed. I got a promotion at my job, and the pay raise means I actually get more than what I’d earn at the new job here, so I told them I’m not gonna go for it”

He lets out a strange laugh. It’s near hysterical, but it stops as abruptly as it starts. “So you’re not moving back? You’re staying in Madrid?”

“Yes” She said slowly. “I’m staying in Madrid”

“Cool” He fidgets in his seat, his fingers tapping lightly against the armrest “Great”

He looked out the window again, then turned back to her, his face breaking into a huge grin.

“What?” She giggled. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I’m just really happy you’re staying”

“Why?” She knew why, she just wanted to hear him say it.

“I wanted better for Luna” He exhaled loudly, as if this was a concerning issue he’d thought long and hard about. “ I hear the cat food here sucks”

She burst out laughing. She didn’t know what, but she could tell something just shifted between them.

“You know, I haven’t been back in a while” He said. “To Bondy”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah” He said thoughtfully. “You just reminded me, when you mentioned that time I went to visit Madrid”

“Why don’t we stop by?” She said, her eyes lighting up.

He paused for a moment, contemplating.

“I don’t have anywhere else to be. Let’s do it” He said finally.

He told his driver, and they went on their way. They sat in silence for most of the drive to the suburbs, both lost in their own thoughts.

“Oh!” Kylian’s eyes lit up suddenly. He pulled something from the console. “I forgot to give you this”

“What is it?”

“Belated graduation gift” He said as he handed her a small gift bag. She’d graduated from her masters program a couple weeks ago.

She beamed, pulling out a jewelry box from the bag. “You didn’t have to” She cooed.

“Liar”

“You’re right, I love gifts” She grinned.

Her eyes widened when she revealed the pair of earrings. “ Kylian, wow”

She looked at him in disbelief as she held up the jewelry delicately. “They’re so beautiful”

“I got them from Cameroon, when I visited last year” He explained.

There was a card nestled amongst the wrapping of the earrings, small enough that she almost missed it.

“Oh, there’s a card” She said as she picked it up.

Kylian’s eyes widened, reaching out to take it from her hand. “Wait, no—”

She leaned away from him to avoid his grasp, her smile almost fading as she read what was written:

“Y/N,

I don’t know if you’ll ever see this, but right now I’m in Cameroon, and I’m heartbroken.

Maman thinks I should call you. Tchaga and all the others think I’m annoying because all I do is sulk.

We visited a traditional market today. I saw these earrings, and I thought of you immediately. They’re made by female artisans, which I think you’ll like.

I love you, I think it’s ruining my life.

–K”

She looked up, the last sentence reverberating in her head, almost drowned out by the pounding of her heart.

She didn’t know what to say, just looked at Kylian, who was avoiding her gaze.

“I forgot that was there” He said quietly.

The car came to a halt just then, and Kylian’s driver let them know that they’d arrived at their destination.

They found themselves at the park they frequented as children, where they spent countless afternoons and evenings. They took a seat on a bench, facing a gaggle of children playing football. The park was otherwise empty save for a couple other wanderers, which was unusual for a summer’s evening. Y/N wasn’t complaining though; fewer people meant less chances of Kylian being spotted.

They seemed out of place in their formal clothes; her in her silk maxi dress, and him in his suit. She stole glances of his side profile as they watched the kids’ game, marveling at his beauty: his big brown eyes, the strong nose he’d inherited from his mother, and those pink, pouty lips. More than 10 years of knowing him and yet he still managed to take her breath away.

He turned to her suddenly. “What’s on your mind?”

She decided to be honest. “I was thinking about how pretty you are”

“Pretty?” He chuckled.

“Yeah. Pretty”

“Don’t think anyone’s used that word to describe me before” He said.

“Well I have” She said. “Many times before – in my head”

“Me too,” He admitted, his gaze warm. “I’ve called you pretty. Also many times —in my head.”

She grinned at him. It was impossible not to. “Speaking of pretty, I want to try those earrings!”

She pulled them from their box, quickly removing the ones she was already wearing and carefully putting on the new pair. Kylian took an exaggerated double take, his eyes widening. “Qué hermosa!”

She snorted. “ Working on your Spanish, I see”

“I’m already fluent, cherie” He winked at her as he pulled out his phone and quickly snapped a picture of her.

A loud cheer erupted from the kids; someone had just scored a goal. Y/N and Kylian briefly turned their attention back to the game, smiling at the infectious joy of the kids as they rushed to one another for a group hug. The celebrations gradually faded, and the children returned to their positions to continue the game.

She swallowed hard. “Did you mean that?”

“Mean what?” Kylian dragged his eyes away from the game. It didn’t matter if it was being played by a bunch of 10 year olds, football was still his favorite thing. It was quite endearing, actually.

“What you wrote on the card” She said quietly.

“Yes” He met her eyes. “I do”

“What did you mean– what do you mean when you said it’s ruining your life?” She asked.

He took a deep breath before answering. He had a pained look on his face. “It’s just – I don’t know, it feels like torture sometimes, not having you. First it was the whole time you were with Lucas when I was pining after you, and then it felt like I had you, but you ran away. Let me tell you, those couple months after that when we weren’t speaking were the worst of my life.” He took a shaky breath. “And whatever we are now, just friends, it’s never going to be enough”

“Kylian..”

“And I was speaking to Papa” He continued, ignoring her. He scooted closer to her, eyes so intense. “He told me to take a leap of faith. To cut out all the bullshit and tell you I love you. So here I am, I guess. I want you to tell me what you truly want. Not what you think you should want, or what other people want for you. What you really, really want. Because if it’s me? I’m all in, Y/N”

He took her hand, gently opening up her palm. “Because you’ve had my heart here” He traced his index finger over her palm. “Ever since I met you at my birthday party all those years ago. It’s always been you for me. There will never be anyone else”

Y/N didn’t respond immediately, lifting his hand that was on hers to her lips and kissing his trembling fingers. “Just so you know, I’ve wanted you as long as I’ve known you. And you’re right, maybe all of the excuses I was telling you and myself were lies. Because I was scared. I thought if we did this and it didn’t work out, I’d end up losing you forever. I didn’t want that, Ky. But how would we know if we don’t try? We have to try, right?” She paused. “I really want to try”

Kylian let out a relieved laugh at her words. They were so close to each other, their faces mere inches apart. He cupped her face with his hands, caressing her cheeks in a way only he could. She closed her eyes, basking in his touch. She felt gentle kisses on each of her eyelids.

“Yes” She heard him murmur. “I want to try”

They closed what little distance was between their lips, kissing passionately. All the tension, all the unspoken feelings that had been brewing for ages seemed to dissolve in that moment. It felt like releasing air after holding her breath for a long time. It felt like relief.

“Wait, there’s someone taking pictures” Kylian muttered as he pulled away.

“I don’t care” She said, chasing his lips with hers.

To her annoyance, he pulled away again. “But you–”

“I said I don’t care” She mumbled, kissing him again. She felt him smile against her lips.

They left the park after the game ended, satisfied and at peace. Hands intertwined, lips swollen from kissing. She thought about the kids that they used to be, the ones who used to run to the very same park everyday after school. Oh how they’ve grown, how they’ve changed.

Inside the car, she turned to him, her heart steadying after a long while of drumming loudly. “So, what now?”

His gaze was unwavering. “ No more running away.”

"No more running away" She repeated softly, leaning her head against his shoulder and closing her eyes.

A/N: Aaand thats it folks. hope you like this last part <3 i'm working on an epilogue though so stay tuned for that. as always lmk what you think in the comments or in my inbox. thank you for reading!

tags: @kyliansonlygf @ynkfreeastheocean @scottishthistle @user6373738 @lucysantos6-blog @tuliptopiasstuff @kennasutopia @cinderellawithashoe @akiracim @kymb-10 @germanapples @ariesmai @edgyficuselastica

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