#can you imagine after all these years of trying to love on your children (ESPECIALLY your oldest one) you get told that you failed abysmall

[americanprometheuss]

aegon saying (in episode 8) that whatever he does, no matter how hard he tries, would never be enough for alicent literally stabbed in me gut. because here’s her firstborn son, her FIRST child, the very best and very worst parts of herself made human - and he’s saying everything that she’s said to otto before.

he’s begging for love and attention and to be let go from the chains of his duty, and what does she do? she ignores aegon’s pleas for freedom and mercy in favor of her and her father’s political agenda.

and i feel like there’s something so gut-wrenching and poetic - in a darker sense - to see this character you watched grow up (alicent) ultimately treat her child, who - emotionally - is a carbon copy of herself (aegon), the same horrifying way she was treated.

[baldursgate3tempobsessed]

K follow me Astarion just sees tav like loving on children wherever they go and hes like?????

And tavs like ive always wanted my own child but i didn't wabt to ask you with every

This sends poor starion into a crisis does he was children how many

I think I have followed you. Let's see!

So for this one we got a lil time jump, ambiguous and vague setting and timelines with game spoilers present. M/F pairing because that is my go to and pregnancy is mentioned. Vampiric pregnancy also so there is some weirdness there (i made it up no idea if it's dnd accurate). Vague Tav backstory of a wonderful mother and going off to become a cleric.

~

Astarion was well used to your antics by this point. You had a severe lack of instincts linked to self-preservation, which led to a consistent pattern of doing, frankly, stupid shit. Stupid, but kind. Nothing that Astarion hadn't adapted to, after nearly two years of being attached at the hip you became pretty attuned to your lover's personality.

He could even go as far as to say that he had grown to love your annoying predilection for pious morality. Perhaps he loved talking you out of certain virtuous dangers more, but still. He appreciated who you were, he adored who you were. But Astarion was no saint, despite his insistence on attaching himself to one.

Which is exactly why he was far from amused when you signed him up to babysit a couple of brats. All for acquittances he barely cared about.

But you at least had the good grace to look guilty, "I didn't mean to! But she looked so tired and she said their anniversary was coming up and it's not like we got anything for their wedding-"

That was a nice try, one that Astarion wasn't falling for, "We didn't know of their existence when they got married darling. Just because I can't remember their names doesn't mean you can trick me."

"I'm not trying to trick you!" You whined, arms crossed as you pouted. It sure felt like a trick, especially when Astarion knew that you were well-aware how easily he fell for your sulking. Adorable little monster that you were, "It's only three kids and a baby for one night, it won't be that bad! You don't even have to help-"

Astarion rolled his eyes as he sat next to you on the bed, "I didn't say I wouldn't help."

That seemed to do the trick to get the pout off of your face. You perked up immediately, looking at him like you couldn't quite believe it, "Really?"

"Yes, really," Astarion sighed as you tugged you closer. Sure he liked to bitch, but he really would do anything for you. Even extremely annoying things like this, "I'm not going to sit back and feed you to the wolves."

"They're not wolves! The oldest is barely five," You laughed as you let him manhandle you, settling you into his lap, "And I am sorry, I really wasn't thinking. I promise it won't happen again."

Astarion doubted that, not when he was well-versed of your weak spot for children. No matter where you went you couldn't help but fawn over them, not to mention the insane lengths you would go to keep any child safe. It was a complete and utter blind spot, your kindness extending to them all, even the little scam artists and hellions.

It was sweet, if not extremely worrying at first. Astarion had been terrified of you finding out his past. The things that he had been forced to do, the innocents whose lives he had destroyed. But not only did you find out, you were forced to see it. Both of you were, and it had been worse than anything Astarion could have imagined. He had always found a slight comfort knowing that those he captured would at least die quickly, that at the very least they wouldn't suffer the same agonizing fate as he, just an agonizing death. But no, even that small comfort had been a lie. The horror of finding them all down there has yet to be matched. He had never felt more self-loathing, more pure disgust than the moment he had found those children, tortured and pale, all because of him.

How you didn't see him for the wretched thing he was after all that, Astarion wasn't sure. But he was grateful. You were too good for him. A fact that he was devastatingly aware of, but that wasn't going to stop him from keeping you.

He still thinks about it on occasion, despite the fact that he had done all he could to right his wrongs. They all at least had a chance now to have a life worth living, Astarion could only hope that it would be used. Their future was out of his hands now, a small comfort.

But despite his complicated feelings towards children, he was more than capable of handling them for one evening. And in all honesty, he truly didn't have to do much. He was on self-mandated baby duty, because of course you had to help out the infant that would scream bloody murder unless it was being held. Keeping her tucked against him was a move of self-preservation, if he ever wanted to retain his hearing.

Most of the night was spent amused as he watched you entertain a gaggle of toddlers. You were so... creative with the ways you could defuse their antics. It came to you so naturally, nearly like you were a born mother yourself. It wasn't exactly surprising that you were fantastic with children, he had seen it time and time again. Arabella, Mol, Yenna, all of which still wrote you letters, visited occasionally. Staying forever attached, even from a distance.

Now that Astarion thought about it, it was odd that you weren't a mother. Odder still that you hadn't never even brought up the possibility of having children together. You were usually so open with your wants and always encouraging the same from him. Just one more thing he loved about you. But... why hadn't it been mentioned? Astarion had always assumed it was because you didn't truly want any of your own, that you enjoyed their fun innocence while avoiding the more laborious responsibility of raising them.

Though watching you take care of them all, changing diapers and negotiating silly arguments with a soft smile of your face had him rethinking his assumption.

"You're good with them," Astarion said eventually after you had successfully set the older three down for the night, the baby still stubbornly clinging to him, "I don't think there's a child we've met that doesn't adore you."

You laughed quietly, walking over to kiss him softly on the cheek. Your eyes wandered to the sleeping infant in his arms, still holding a piece of his shirt in it's little fist, "You don't seem to be too bad with them either."

"Newborns don't know any better," Astarion dismissed as he tried to put her down in their borrowed crib. Tried and failed, considering how the thing immediately started to whine the second he attempted to pry it's little hand away.

Oh for fuck's sake. Astarion wasn't even going to try and argue. Instead he unbuttoned his shirt and let it fall into the crib with her, seemingly doing the trick of stopping her from waking completely.

When he turned back you were staring at him with soft eyes, looking lovestruck at the simple act of him laying a child down, "Looks like she has pretty good taste to me."

"I don't think your judgment should be trusted," Astarion huffed as he walked over to you, grabbing your hand to drag you to the bedroom. He glanced back at you, his heart nearly skipping a beat from the sweet way you kept looking at him. It had his mind wandering again, those questions still nagging him.

Questions that he didn't have the courage to ask until dead of night, when he had you half asleep against his bare chest, "Have you ever thought of having children?"

He hadn't meant to blurt that out in the middle of the night, but Astarion apparently had a knack for starting important conversations at inconvenient times. Not that you minded.

You just cuddled into him closer, nodding against him with a sigh, "I've always wanted my own children. My own mother, Gods bless her soul, made it all sound so magical. Pregnancy, the early years, puberty, all of it. She loved it all. And I guess it rubbed off on me. It used to be all I could think about, before real life got in the way."

Astarion listened, a little annoyed at himself for not putting the pieces together sooner. You had talked so lovingly about your late parents, how you always wanted to be like your mother. Of course you would want children. How had he not connected the dots?

"But then I went off to the temple," You continued, "I completed my training, went off into the world to do good, blah, blah, blah. You know the story."

"So you grew out of the idea?" Astarion asked.

"Not exactly," You admitted, sounding a little guilty, "But I would never ask that of you love, it's not something you have to worry about."

That-what?

Astarion stared down at you, brow furrowed, "What do you mean?"

"I mean I know that the topic of children is... difficult for you. Considering everything you've been through-"

"I think you mean to say everything I've inflicted on others," Astarion interrupted, unwilling to allow himself grace. Especially when it came to the children of the Gur, "It was much worse for them than me."

You nodded, knowing better than to try and fight him on that particular topic, "I understand, but my point is that I can live without them. You're all I need."

It was comforting to hear, an immediate balm to a brand new set of insecurities that Astarion hadn't been prepared for. But even so... he hated the idea of you sacrificing even more for him. It felt wrong, "But-"

"But nothing," You interrupted softly, setting a quick kiss to his mouth, I'm serious Astarion, you don't need to worry. I'm happy, I love you, and everything is fine."

"I love you too," Astarion murmured, at a loss to say anything else. But the conversation didn't end there.

Astarion couldn't stop thinking about it, even long after the temporary children were sent back home. ou seemed so... sure that he didn't want children, and a week ago he probably would have agreed. But that was back before he knew that he was actively keeping you away from something you wanted. Something you had dreamed about since you were a child. And it felt wrong to be the reason for that, so, so wrong.

He didn't even know if his true feelings on the matter were real. He didn't want children for many of the same reasons he never wanted a partner. The attachment to another was dangerous, he was beyond unequipped to deal with others, let alone care for them, and the entire ideology behind love was ripe for manipulation and heart break. But then he met you and everything changed. Suddenly, caring for another didn't feel like a weakness, it felt like the strongest aspect of his entire self. Taking care of you wasn't an unwanted duty, it was intimacy. Something that he now craved. If all of those steadfast ideals could fall apart simply through meeting you, whose to say he could even trust himself when it came the thoughts around having a child?

Would having one truly be so bad? A little piece of the two of you, alive in the world? And perhaps children were annoying but... Astarion would be lying if he said he didn't have a soft spot for them. He had kept his distance before, but now he was fully confident that he wasn't a danger, no with Cazador burned to nothing bus ash and his own bloodlust well controlled. And it's not as if he was incapable of being a father, worse men than him did it everyday.

It was a confusing place to be, this tightwire of indecisiveness. Confusing enough for him to start a bit of research. He was vaguely aware that it was possible for his kind to breed, but finding out the details was disheartening, to say the least. First he had to parse out the different horror stories of babes eating their way out of their mother's wombs with actual facts, which wasn't exactly pleasant. But the truth was that it was more than possible for the two of you to have child together. It had the potential to either be as noneventful as any pregnancy, with the cavate that the babe coming out looking slightly... dead wouldn't be a permanent state of being. Or it could be as risky as carrying a child could be, with pains and complications galore, even legitimate worries of internal bleeding from the wretched thing prematurely growing claws. Not to mention the occasional, intense blood lust that could occur, an experience that Astarion would prefer you didn't have to go to.

Looking into the reality of the choice didn't help as much as he had assumed it would. If anything it just made the whole situation more real. Even if he wasn't a vampiric spawn, childbirth was risky. Maybe not as risky for you considering how Astarion would move the heavens and hells to get you the best care possible, but still. The thought of you passing, leaving him alone with the child you wanted and would never see, would destroy him. Completely and utterly.

But then again... there was the magical alternative of everything working out just fine. The two of you were both beyond lucky in that regard, considering how you'd overcome mind flayer parasites and fought and won against a near god. It was more than possible that everything would be fine, that you would have a beautiful pregnancy that would end in an even more amazing child. Then two would become three, a family of his very own.

That... didn't sound too bad. Astarion was torn. On one hand, he was almost certain that he was willing to go through with it. Not just because he loved you and wanted you to be happy, though it was the main reason. But also because... he could be a part in making something good. A child that would never suffer the way he did, the way countless others had. One who would be loved, who would have the help they needed for their inevitable unholy hungers. Someone precious for the two of you to fret over, to adore and care for. He... wanted that. Or at least he would if you still did. Now if he could just figure out how to bring it up, maybe something could actually happen.

But luckily enough for him, you did the job for him. He had been pouring over another book dedicated to recording the births of Dhampirs in the area, only to be distracted by you loudly sighing behind him.

"What's wrong love?" Astarion asked, his eyes still scanning the page in front of him.

"Oh I don't know," You sighed, rounding the corner to sit on the edge of his desk, "I just can't help but wonder when you're going to explain why you've suddenly become obsessed with parenting books. And..."

You trailed off, ignoring his surprised expression to read the cover of what was in front of him, "'Vampiric and Mortal Love & The Spawn They Create'. It's not exactly your usual reading material."

Part of Astarion wanted to be surprised that you had already figured him out. He had at least been trying to hide things from you slightly, not that it mattered when you could read him like a book. And he supposed that blatantly reading things like this in front of you would eventually have an effect, even if he tried to obscure the titles.

But that didn't stop him from stuttering through a response, "Well-I, okay. I've just been thinking about options lately. Which you can't really do if you don't understand what they are. Hence the books."

You frowned at him, one leg crossed over the other, "Star, I already told you that you don't need to worry-"

"But I want to worry," Astarion interrupted, deciding that ripping the band-aid off would be the best course of action, "And if there is something I can be doing to make you happier than I should at least consider it."

"I'm not going to force you into this for that," You said softly, reaching out to twine his fingers against yours, "This isn't the kind of thing you do just for someone else."

Astarion was aware of that, there was an important truth to your words. But... "What if it wasn't just for you?"

You paused, your brow furrowed as you stared at him, "What do you mean?"

"I mean what if, and consider this purely hypothetical, what if I wanted one as well. What then?" It was as far from hypothetical as Astarion could get, but by the look on your face it didn't seemed like that needed to be clarified.

You swallowed, looking just shy of hopeful as you played with his hand, "I... well. I guess in that case we would have a lot to talk about."

That wasn't quite the answer he was looking for. He pressed on, "So if in theory, I did want one. Would... you still be interested in having one?"

With me?

He left that part unsaid as he waited for an answer, uncharacteristically nervous as you mulled it over. But you were smiling, bright and wide, giving his hand a little squeeze as you spoke, "I think that would be the only scenario where I would want it. If that's something you wanted."

"I think it is," Astarion answered honestly, done with being coy, "I don't know how, I... I'm not quite sure how I feel about you carrying something that could be dangerous. But... in general yes. I think I want this. I do want this. With you and only you. Whenever your ready."

The next part Astarion did see coming, his arms already open by the time you launched yourself at him. You straddled his lap, kissing every part of his face as you babbled, "We can wait! It doesn't need to be now but-I just-yes! Adoption, childbirth, I don't care. All I need is to have them with you. That's all I want."

"And that I can give," Astarion laughed, delighted at your reaction. He still had concerns, plenty of them in fact, but they were hard to consider when the woman he adored was so ecstatic.

He gripped your chin, chuckling at the whine you let out for him interrupting your onslaught of affection. You didn't have to wait long, not when he directed your mouth against his, kissing you deeply as a new wave of exciting, and slightly nauseating feelings worked through him.

He didn't know exactly what was going to happen in the future. He had no idea if he would be a good father, but he knew that he would try his damndest. He didn't know how the two of you would even procure a child, but he did no one thing.

With you by his side, it would work out. All of it, no matter how hard the road turned out to be. And that was all that mattered.

[demigoddessqueens]

Lucifer SFW

Just some A-Z SFW for the occasional adorkable King of Hell

Here on masterlist 10

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Super affectionate!! Peppers you with kisses and everything

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

Chances are Luci would meet you if he’s ever visiting Charlie at the new hotel and sees you as one of the sinners living there

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

He’s the cuddle bug master, just holding onto you like glue

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

I’d imagine as King of Hell has others for domestic tasks, but he enjoys the domestic life and wants that peace and love with it

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

Oh he will NOT be handling breaking up well AT ALL 💔 like we’re talking tears and asking “did I do something wrong?”

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

Man’s still wears his wedding ring after a seven years divorce/separation, he makes good on his commitments

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

Very gentle and loving, there’s an air of love to his aura around you.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

Those anaconda squeeze type of hugs and burying his head in your neck/hair.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

Oh he wants to say it first so bad, but it all depends on when and how YOU want to say it, and Luci respects that

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

Short fuse jealousy! Anyone so much as looks at you if you’re together and they’re getting smoted

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

Passionate, deep kisses or quick little pecks

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

Has a bit of an awkward charm to him that may be hit or miss with some kids

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

Mornings are total “let’s just lounge in bed” all day type of thing

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Nights are intimate and sweet, spending time together over a glass of wine

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

I’d feel Luci would open up faster to you than you would, part of his loneliness, but he respects your boundaries

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

He’ll only be “angry” if someone tries to pull anything with you, but has considerable patience with you.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

Luci can rattle off facts about you like it’s nobody business, just speaking about you adorably and what he loves about you

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

The first time you said “i love you” to him, he said it first a while back in the early stage

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

Given how he is with Charlie, you are also important and incredibly precious to him and wants to protect you

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

You’re getting the full Royal Treatment from him. Gifts, candies, conjured flowers and trinkets and whatnot

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

Maybe being a bit overly jealous or possessive of someone

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

Well he is in charge of the Ring of Pride so he has to look good, especially if you’re coming over

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

In a way, yes. Lonely and a bit like “do you not like me anymore?”

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

If you’re a cooking type, I’d imagine Luci has a bit of a sweet tooth and loves all your baked goods

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

Maybe like an overly nonchalant person or one who doesn’t communicate or open up themselves as he does

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

Sleep starts off with cuddles, maybe some spooning, you as the big spoon most of the time

[bakugoushotwife]

kinktober day thirteen: somnophilia kink

>>> y'all i worked breeding into the plot again officer take me away!! i just love soft and domestic sho, and it also totally feels like something he'd love!!

>>> starring: shouto todoroki x curvy!fem!reader >>> cw: fingering, oral (fem receiving) somno, breeding, reader hates working lmfao, creampie obviously, mating press. >>> wc: 2.6k >>> event masterlist

 shouto loves relaxing. he was sure this was something everyone enjoyed, until he met you. you seemed to stay occupied at all times, delving into hobby after hobby to keep yourself busy. being professional heroes was draining enough, he thought, so why were you indulging in running clubs and extra gym sessions? why did you spend more time learning new recipes and anxiously cleaning the house these days than lounging in bed with him watching tv like you used to? of course, his first assumption is that he has done something to push you away or upset you, as he’s prone to doing. he’s naturally aloof and a bit distant, all things he tries to push past to connect to you, the only person who makes him feel warmth were his coldness usually lies. you know how he is, how he can come off a bit frigid and almost mean without thinking about it, or how he struggles to read your body language and cues—always missing the hints you throw him. you’re used to it by now, far more accommodating than a grown man like him deserves, so he figures this time he needs to get to the bottom of this and make it up to you and prove he can be in tune with your emotions too. 

you had grown restless, but it wasn’t all your husband’s fault. you felt so out of place these days, feeling awkward in your own role in life. you enjoy being a hero some days, other days you can hardly motivate yourself to get out of bed. work had become monotonous and meaningless, the streets of japan were safer than they had been in years past, so most of your days were spent patrolling and training if they weren’t consumed in paper work. you felt stagnant, and things were only complicated further by your conflicting emotions. all your friends from school were retired to spend time with their families or in the process of retiring to go home and take care of their parents or kids—and then there was you. a family would be…perfect, but it was a touchy subject with shouto and you didn’t want to press the matter just because you needed a change in life. so yes, you started tinkering around with hobbies to try and get your mind off of things, knowing you had accepted the possibility of not having children when you agreed to be his misses todoroki. he hadn’t taken the possibility completely off  the table, but you knew he wanted to broach the subject whenever he was ready. so you started using the home gym a little more, picking up books your girlfriends recommended, even working on your cooking skills all in an effort to feel something other than bored.

you didn’t associate your issues with shouto, still acting as normal as possible in other regards other than your drifting away. you really didn’t think he’d notice given the lack of emotional fluency he had, hoping if you could replace the void growing within you that everything would go back to normal and you could be as happy as you were five or ten years ago. but he had noticed, of course. he missed his wife alongside him, but it wasn’t his fault that he had trauma associated with family and was unsure of himself as a father. it certainly wasn’t his fault that when you got married right out of high school you hadn’t cared—knowing that you love him either way. this is still true, of course, but back then you hadn’t imagined  you’d feel this way, this tired of the life you worked so hard for. so ready for the next chapter, especially as ochako welcomes baby midoriya number two and you’re left in charge of the elder brother at the hospital. 

the little boy was only about four or so, absolutely adorable and the image of his father. he was a giggly kid, clinging to his “auntie” with excitement to meet his baby brother or sister. ochako called as soon as she was sure she was in labor, and you dropped everything to go support your closest friend, not that you needed an excuse to leave work early anyway. shouto was still working, of course, as a top five hero he was often kept busy. but that left you to wrangle the toddler on your own. it was way easier than you expected, even with the energetic little boy bouncing all over the waiting room waiting for his dad to come get him. he still conversed with you and ate his lunch like a good boy—though that’s because his parents were so good at raising him, but what would you expect from them? 

all the day proved to you was that you weren’t just making up solutions to your problems, having a family really is what you want. but still, you love your husband more than this want, so you’ll double down on your hobbies until you find something that sticks. 

he reads your texts over and over, waiting on you to get back from the hospital. he had set up a date, truly romantic when he tries to be, and when bakugou answers his calls. following his advice, he had your favorite dinner made and the dining room table was intimately set. ochako had her second baby, and that threw a minor wrench in his plans even lthough he was overjoyed for them, and for you for being their dependable friend in that moment. he sits at the table, all the food keeping warm in the oven as the wax of the candles starts to wane. he had flowers, wine, all the things he knew to try and connect with you and get to the center of your sleepless nights. 

when you walk in, he stands, smiling sheepishly. you smile back, though it doesn’t reach the entirety of your eyes. then you notice he’s guarding the table, and you creep closer. “hey, honey.” 

“welcome home, sweetheart.” he nods, stepping aside to show you the lovely dinner scene just for you. your heart melts a little at his effort, knowing it was always a great show of his love to do something like this, much preferring cuddle sessions and shared showers over grand displays of affection. 

“aw, shou.” you pout, giving him a big hug, “this is so pretty, to what do i owe the pleasure?” you giggle like everything is normal. he hums in thought, slender arms holding your waist as he stews over what to say. 

“you’ve been distant as of late.” he says without a trace of malice or disappointment. his words catch you by surprise–he did notice. he lets you go, pulling out your chair and tilting his head for you to sit. “why?” 

you clear your throat and sit, any charade you wanted to drum up crumbling in your brain. you can’t lie to him, but how could you approach this without feeling like you’re betraying his trust and wishes. you sigh. “i… i’ve just been trying to find new hobbies.” 

“you’re hardly sleeping, and i feel like i never see you anymore.” he frowns, making his way to the oven to retrieve the dinner the chef made. “what is it really, sweetheart? do you feel as if you cannot talk to me? is it something i’ve done?”  

you chew the inside of your lip as he assembles food on your plate. “i don’t enjoy hero life anymore. i’m ready for the next chapter, to feel important for other reasons.” you reply, not wanting to make him at fault for your whirlwind feelings as of late. 

he takes in what you say, smart enough to connect some dots. the picture you sent him of you holding baby midoriya in your arms and big brother proudly sitting on your lap was the happiest you’ve looked in some time. “the next chapter…as in, motherhood?” 

you look up at him, studying his mismatched eyes for a hint of how he feels. you sigh, “i know, i know. i guess that’s why i’ve been a little withdrawn…i feel bad about it, i know what you want.” you chuckle sadly, sipping at the wine provided. “really, i’m trying to get over it, i guess. maybe we could get a dog?” 

now he was disappointed. not in your desires, but that you put his possible feelings above your actual ones without ever speaking to him about it. just like you, he had changed as well. he wasn’t the same unsure eighteen year old he was when you married him, and though he still held trauma from his childhood, he had long accepted the concept of being a father since you were by his side. he could do anything if he was with you. he cuts into the meal and gives you a sympathetic glance. 

“you should have told me. a family…i think i’m ready for that, if you’re saying you’re ready to stay home in that way.” he hums, knowing you wouldn’t put yourself in harm’s way after becoming a mother. you gape at him, replaying his words over in your head. 

“wh–i don’t want you to do it just for me.” you double down, blindsided by his revelation. had you really put yourself through all of this for nothing? 

“i would do anything for you.” he replies instantly, and he meant that with no restrictions. “but i had considered it again around the time izuku welcomed his first.” 

“meaning you were ready four years ago?!” you almost cry out just from the shock alone, and he chuckles softly. 

“not ready to have one then, but i knew i would want some eventually. now is a good time. we’re stable. you made me nervous.” he sips at his wine, eating his food nonchalantly. 

“i made you nervous? i–” you sputter, still grappling with the fact that shouto was more than willing to try for a baby. 

“i thought i messed up, you were drifting from me. i wish i had known all you wanted was a child.” he hums thoughtfully, a full plan coming together in his head to comfort both of you. “and you haven’t been getting enough sleep for weeks, so i’ll make sure you get both tonight.” 

you took that to mean that he’ll fuck you to sleep, another thing he’s prone to do at times. so you shower and meet him in bed, trying to repress your giddiness. you didn’t notice the devious smirk your husband gave you as you sink into his arms. he pulls the blankets over you both, leaning in to give you the routine kisses before bed, and then he turns over like he’s going to sleep. 

you look at the ceiling in the dark with confusion. did he forget or change his mind? 

“you have to go to sleep before i’ll give you that child, sweetheart.” he speaks into the night, making your heart pound with a mix of frustration and intrigue and warmth at how he cares for you, as worked up as you were for him now, you groan and turn over. your brain is quiet as it’s your heart that races for once, and eventually you’re able to drift to sleep. 

he waits a few hours to make sure you’re good and asleep, his whole plan would be ruined if he woke you up. shouto loves you more than anything, and he hadn’t been exaggerating when he said he was worried. you had to be well rested, especially if you hoped to give him a baby after all. so only when he hears your quiet snores and deep breathing does he scoot closer, gently positioning you on your back. you dressed in a little nightgown in anticipation of him anyhow, so it was easy for him to locate your waiting bundle of nerves. he rubs you carefully, drawing small circles over your hood as you squirm the slightest bit beside him. he slides his fingers down to the familiar hole beneath, nodding at the feeling of slick appearing, your sweet body was responding to him. he crawls between your legs and carefully pushes your nightgown up over your chest, completely bewitched at the sight of your nipples perking up and goosebumps covering your perfect body. 

he thinks it’s almost ridiculous to think he wouldn’t want children with you. you’ve been in his life since his ua days and no one knew him like you did. you were someone so clearly meant to be a mother, it would be a crime not to give you the family you deserve. he easily parts your thighs, massaging and kneading the thickness he finds there as he lowers his face to your slick cunt. he’s always so gentle, but no time more than now as he hopes to remedy all your problems in one fell swoop like a good husband should. he laps at your center, angular nose bumping against the sensitive clit nestled above until he can hear your breathing change. he didn’t think he’d like it this much, but knowing that your body responds to him even subconsciously has his dick growing in his pants. you taste just as good as usual, growing wetter against his face with every passing second. he slides his fingers in, needing to know when you came. you spasm around the digits as his mouth focuses your swollen clit, and he knows you won’t take much longer. he may need his time understanding emotions and the like, but he knew your body like he knew his own. a few more flicks of his tongue over your nub and pumps of his fingers tickling your insides has you unraveling, and even in your sleep you look majestic cumming on his face. 

he shoves himself out of his boxers, admiring the way you still jerk when he presses his his fingers to your sensitivity. he draws your thighs around his slender hips, angling his pretty cock to your folds. he nuzzles the length along your folds to coat himself despite the pre oozing from his pink tip, taking a second to enjoy that sight in and of itself. then he sheaths himself, careful not to hiss too loud. you feel amazing, clenching him so tight even in the r.e.m stages of sleep, it’s almost too much for him to process. this was the first attempt at a baby, a family he never imagined himself having until he married and matured with you. it’s intoxicating, really, the way he rocks his way into your waiting pussy, silky walls guiding him in and out without any resistance. he has to bite down on his lip not to grunt and moan at how you feel, promising himself that he’d stay quiet and fill you to the brim. he pushes your legs to your chest, watching your face for any signs of discomfort. you only pant softly as he draws in and out of you, figuring this deep angle would be the best for his seed. 

all you did was follow his orders, getting the rest he demanded in exchange for his cum, even though he really won in the end. getting you to sleep, getting to see your body recognize and beg for him, getting to shove his cock deep and impress himself on your womb was more than a fair trade. a soft grunt slips past his lips as his hips stutter. his balls feel unimaginably heavy and then they don’t, his heavy load being fucked even deeper by the determined man you married. even when his warmth pools around his own dick as it goes soft inside you, he doesn’t quit, rolling his hips until he’s too sensitive to continue. 

he’s the one that doesn’t get any sleep that night, watching you sleep with his seed tucked in you only inspired him to take breaks and keep pumping you full, resigning himself to rest hours later  when he can’t possibly cum anymore.

[alien-magnolia]

Tonowari: Burning For You

Fic description: 18+ MINORS DNI. Plot involved as well. Breeding kink, slight implied d/s dynamics, daddy kink, service kink, free use, primal, omegaverse. As you go through one of your most intense heats yet, your loving mate helps you through your pain, in a way you’ve never imagined. Au: Tonowari and hyperfem! Na’vi reader have a few kids and are already mated, exploring their deeply romantic and spiritual connection during her heat. Wc:5.7k

“When the blood burns, how prodigal the soul lends the tongue vows.”

-Hamlet, Act 1.3.115

Metkayina Village: 08:00

The sun glazed and glistened on your blue skin, as your long hair flowed behind you in the reef. You were trying your best to calm down, to relax your body. First your arms, your legs, your tail. You were one with the water. Eywa was watching over you.

Everything was okay, yes?

It might have been. Your eyes jolted open, adjusting to the sunlight reflecting on the azure waters, adjusting your flower that was in your hair. You had to look your best, after all. It might have been fine — until you felt a sharp pang in your lower abdomen and back. Could it be? You were under the impression that your heat was only a few days away. Yet here it was — starting early.

You quickly call your ilu, riding it to the outskirts of the side of the reef, to a little hidden alcove right outside where the calm reef met the roaring waves of the ocean. You spoke to your mate through the bond— showing him where you were.

Whenever your heat or his rut came, the both of you had a place to hide, to let your carnal desires consume the both of you.

You pet your ilu as it felt your pain, disconnecting your queues. You managed to crawl inside the warm, almost hot pool of water in the alcove, as you ran your fingers over your songcord, remembering the time you mated for the first time, in this very cave. It brought you comfort.

You clutched your stomach harder, wincing. You wonder how Tonowari has dealt with your children in order to come see you here.

~ Metkayina Village ~

It has started to rain heavily. Tonowari puts his long hair in a bun, as he shushes your two little children: a four year old and a three month old, letting them know that their grandmother will come take care of them: the former Tsahik. She arrives, and Carrie’s them further into the hut. Tonowari helps tuck them in under a blanket.

Blankets were rarely used, yet they served a good purpose when it was a bit cold and rainy. The man then races to his tsurak — clicking, calling it. He jumps on with his powerful legs, a look of worry on his face as he races to the alcove.

—————————

You sit in the warm water, now shivering. The pain was even worse. You hear the shriek of the tsurak as your mate steps into the alcove. “Mawey. Mawey, my love, it is heat, yes?,” he asks, stepping towards you, a caring and concerned expression on his face. You nod, looking up into his eyes. He shushes you, as his big hands wrap around your body, one placed on your belly, massaging it where the pain should be.

“Wari…it hurts. Tsahelyu…please..,” you quietly ask him. He smiles, and obliges, wincing, connecting your queues so he can take your pain away. You sigh, leaning into his wide and muscular chest, tracing over the tattoos on his arms. You feel a pair of lips on your cheek and neck, his gentle kisses as a way to calm you more.

“Mawey, ma sevin (pretty.) I am here now. I always will come to help my mate, especially when she is in heat. When she looks so beautiful…and smells it too..,” he trails off, giving you another wet and warm kiss on your cheek, with a hint of a little growl behind his voice. You feel his fangs start to nip at your ear.

“Olo’eyktan always takes care of his mate, my flower. You just stay there, be good for me, yes?,” he asks, you feel more of his sharp fangs with the more nips and kisses he gives you.

“Ma wari, okay. Please… hurts..,” you breathily moan out, feeling a bit more than bothered by his bulging biceps around you, and his wet kisses trailing down to your neck.

He gruffly inhales, scenting you. Your heat must have gotten to him — made him feral for you. That’s what you loved the most about mating cycles. The passion <3 how well he took care of you.

“So beautiful. Soft. Just what I need after a hunt, ma yuey (flower),” he whispers to you as his large hands start massaging your hips, manhandling you closer to him, his large chest pressing against your small back.

His thick arms make you feel so safe, as you lower your head back into him. You feel a rumbling in his chest that makes you want him desperately, his long hair on your shoulders, his blue eyes intensely focused on his prize: you.

His arms trail down towards your legs, forcefully spreading them open, your thighs hanging limp over his forearms as he inspects his panting and moaning prey <3

“My yuey smells so good. Your heat, just for me, yes?,” he taunts with his deep voice and a bit of a growl, his hands manhandle you onto his lap, legs still spread, a thick finger or two begins exploring your hot and wet pussy <3

His fingers were just what you needed, you began to rub yourself against them, itching for that kind of relief. Your usually teal blue complexion was a bit darker now, tongue out, panting.

You knew he loved seeing you like this.

“Taking your warrior so well, ma mate, my bunny. Your heat is so strong this time, ma yuey, you smell so good, so ready for me, to breed you…,” he whispers with a hint of a growl again.

You can barely respond, getting so much pleasure from humping and riding his fingers like a feral animal, tongue out, eyes closed, that you didn’t notice when his bulging biceps came to push you up and off him, grabbing you by your hips and pushing you down on your stomach.

“Does my mate want to be bred like the good little one she is?,” he taunts, running his humongous hands over the back of your hips and ass, groping it so tightly that you thought you saw stars. Connected by tsahelyu, he felt your mind swimming in thoughts of blank desire, white, hot, burning.

You mindlessly nod as you instinctively arch your back up for him to see how ready you were. You just wanted your womb to be full of him, of his throbbing cock. Nothing more. You wanted it minutes ago.

He growls again, roughly pushing his huge body against your backside, the both of your tails intertwining. You can feel the muscular back of his thigh against yours, keeping you in place for what’s about to come. His cloth comes off. You turn around.

“Ma yuey. Eyes forward,” a very low and serious tone rang out from him. His face was stoic. You knew better. You quickly turned your face back around to the slightly dripping water of the alcove. Tonowari was usually level headed and friendly, calm, and welcoming. That is what made him such a wonderful Olo’eyktan and leader. Such a wonderful mate to you. Yet — you did not want your mate angry. You did not like him when he was angry. Your heat; unfortunately, usually induced this state for him.

He growls this time, louder, claims you, his mate, his prey, with a bite to the shoulder with his sharp fangs. You wail out a moan, as you feel his throbbing balls up against your hot cunt. Without warning, he thrusts his entire twelve inch length into you, stilling for a moment to enjoy the heat of your cunt.

“Haaah…,” he trails off, clearly loving how welcoming your heat induced pussy was to his length. You feel him throb and pulse inside you, you felt so full, so full of him, you squealed and moaned as you squeezed around him in an attempt to get him to move.

“Patience, ma munxtate,” a warning from him, alongside a slap on the ass. “Yes, ma Olo’eyktan,” you answer back, as obedient as you could. “Good. I want my beautiful mate on her best behavior, yes?,” he asks, warningly. You nod, as he bends over, his face next to yours, giving you a little nip on the ear.

“Stay.” One word with a serious undertone to it. You were not to move, no matter how rough he used you. Eywa — you loved being his little toy, especially when you were in heat.

“Ma wari. Please…please..,” you begged him, you wanted him to start moving, to start pounding into you like the insane beast he was. He didn’t move. You were about to cry, until you squealed when he pulled you into him, now his large body was laying down on the floor of the alcove, in the water. Your backside on top of him, cock intact, inside you.

He started moving. One thing you loved about him — he was big. Not just big, not just more than average than another na’vi. Huge. 12 inches — yet the girth. The girth he had was insanely wide, perfect to go alongside his plump ballsack <3

Here was this girth, pumping in and out of you, his knees bounced your tiny body up and down on his cock. You were about to explode with white, hot, pleasure. You loved being forcefully rocked on his huge length, that reached so deep inside you — like you were his puppet, under total command and control. His control.

You were his — undoubtedly.

His cock started drilling into you deeper, until you felt that tightness coming up in your belly. His fingers were gripping your arms and neck harshly, keeping you in place for him to use.

“That’s it, syulang. Come for me, my mate, mother of my children,” he coos at you, his squared jaw and face full of adoration. His bulky arms continue caging you into his body, as you keep cumming, screaming, chanting his name like it’s your mating vows…

Wari, Wari, Wari.

You were his.

Even after you came, he kept going. Chasing that high, using you to bring him to finish. After he was done, he took you by the hand, and led you to his now flaccid but still inflamed cock. “Lick, my yuey. Clean me.”

You obeyed, arching your back, squatting on your knees, puffy pussy on display for him. He growled a bit again, infatuated by your position.

You make slow, little, kitten licks at his cock, making sure to get every last drop. You felt so full, with his cum in your womb <3

“My mate. My little one. You did so good,” he reassures you. The soft and gentle giant you knew as Tonowari was back. With your heat at a bit of a standstill due to his wondrous skills and technique, you felt more normal, and so did he.

“Wari. Need to sleep,” you softly whisper back, and he obliged, taking you up into the haven of his wide, warm chest, and you lay your head down, listening to his heartbeat. “Muntxatan. What about the kids?,” you wonder, as you start to get a bit drowsy.

“Not to worry. They will be fine. My mate needs me now more than my children,” he reassures you, as he starts gently and tenderly braiding your hair. He gives you a forehead kiss as you drift off to sleep in his arms.

The storm intensified as the sun set over the azure waters. With you in his arms, he stealthily rides his tsurak back to the village, when all are fast asleep. He exchanges a stern glance with the night watch villagers at the bay of the reef, and carries you inside to the marui. <3

Nobody needed to question where the Olo’eyktan was. They knew what his priorities were.

A/n: pls support a writer and reblog <3 enjoy besties

Avatar tag list: @aerangi @jake-sullys-whore @drinking-tea-and-be-obsessed @brioffthegrid

[pinkthrone445]

-The most wonderful time of the year?-

Pairing:Melissa Schemmenti x Reader

Gender: hurt, hurt.

Warnings : (+18) strong words, fights.

Summary:Melissa makes the worst mistake of her life by letting you go when things don't go the way you wanted them to.

Hello! I hope you had a great Christmas! I'll continue with the requests but I wanted to write something painful too between all the horniness hahaha

*I didn't had much time to check for spelling errors, sorry.

Another year, another Christmas at the Schemmenti family's house, there were too many guests, and every room was filled with conversations and laughter, some room was heard with shouts of argument that quickly turned into laughter and hugs as everyone was too drunk to have a serious fight or remember why they were fighting.

You really enjoyed Christmas like that, full of people, food, happiness and the magic that children believed in about Santa. Living away from your family was difficult, but spending it with Mel's family helped alleviate some of the homesickness. Everyone treated you like one of the family, the kids loved you to come to the house, and they stole you most of the night to play with them. Melissa's mother loved you and always made you your favorite dessert. Everything was perfect, being among such a big and loving family, made you want your own family with your girlfriend.

Everyone stayed at Mel's mother's house to feast together in the evening and open presents the next morning all together around the big tree.

After dinner, one of Mel's nephews, Polo, asked you to sit on the couch so you could read him a story, which you happily did. The little boy was curled up on your chest as he sucked on his finger while you read the story they had chosen. Mel was watching you read to him and caress his little head while she drank wine with her sister at the table, when the little boy was almost asleep, she got up from the table and sat by your side hugging you with one arm on your shoulders, the little boy smiled at his aunt and closed his eyes again, falling fast asleep on you as small snores came out of his mouth. Carefully you kissed his forehead and snuggled him closer with the blanket and then looked at your girlfriend

-"Mel... I want one"-you whispered and she laughed looking at you

-"If you want, we can come and see him more often, he loves being with you"-She responded whispering so the little one sleeping in your arms didn't wake

-"I'd like to, but I was talking about a baby of ours... I know how much you love big families and so do I, I would love to have a baby together... Can you imagine him running and playing around the house, filling every corner with drawings and laughter"-You whispered and excitement began to be heard in your voice-"Taking him to school together, watching him grow, teaching him to live and love... Can you imagine all that? Our little family?..."-you smiled looking at her, but she didn't smiled

-"Honestly, no... I never thought about a family bigger than what it's with you and me..." -she answered truthfully

-"Never?"-You asked disappointedly-"I've thought about it many times, especially when I see you interacting with children... Or when you hug me and caress my stomach... Can't you imagine it growing, letting our love grow more making us bring it one more life as a result of that love we have for each other? It would be beautiful..."-You smiled again hoping to get her excited, but she just laughed

-"Our life is beautiful and perfect just the way it is, we don't need a child for that... What are you going to do when I'm older? Change the diapers of both of us? Please hon, don't talk nonsenses"-She joked trying to make you see how ridiculous the situation was, but that only made you feel sad

-"Yes, you're right, it's silly"-you replied and got up from the couch coming out of the red-haired woman's embrace-"I'll go take Polo to his room to sleep"- you whispered before leaving your girlfriend alone in the living room.

You and Mel had been together for almost 5 years, it wasn't the first time you mentioned to her about starting a family, before she said maybe later, but now was the first time she told you that the idea was silly and that hurt more than the other times she said she would think about it later.

When you left little Polo on his bed, he smiled and snuggled up with his teddy bear, for a few seconds you looked at his pajamas and how it matched yours since Mel's mother gave everyone pajamas to match... Polo was the son of one of Mel's cousins, one who was almost the same age as her and yet decided to adopt to have a child... You knew that Melissa would use the excuse she always used when she didn't want something, that she was too old for that, that changes were difficult for her, that at her age people would make fun of her and all that stuff she always said, she always had an excuse to say no to the things you wanted to do and she didn't. And it's not just talking about an important topic like having children, it was about everything, even going out dancing with you... But you did compromise what you liked to do things she wanted instead of looking for a stupid excuse every time you didn't like something she picked to do.

Sadness was turning into anger the more you thought things through. Passing through the bedroom door and seeing that Mel was settling in for sleep, you decided to turn around and go to the living room again, sitting quietly and thinking as you watched the campfire slowly burn away. You sighed and hugged your legs trying to get the sadness out somehow, while you loved being with Mel's family, you also missed yours, right now you needed to talk to your sisters or someone to see if wanting kids while she didn't want to was being selfish.

Without noticing, a few tears escaped your eyes as you stared at the campfire and every sock hung on the fireplace, the children had been put on smaller, very cute socks. Everyone was already asleep and lying down, the silence wasn't helping your mood much.

You were startled when you felt someone hugging you from behind the couch, when you felt your girlfriend's perfume you recognized her, but that didn't change how you felt

-"Are you okay?... Why don't you come to bed? Why are you crying?"-she asked softly so as not to scare you

-"I'm fine... I just... I guess I miss my family more than I thought..."-You whispered and tried to get away a little but she wouldn't let you

-"Oh baby... We can go with them the next holidays if you want to... Let's go to bed, it's cold and tomorrow we have to get up early to open the presents..."-She insisted and you sighed

-"I just want to stay here a little longer..."-You answered and she kissed your forehead

-"Please, you know how hard it is for me to sleep if you are not by my side... If you want tomorrow we'll call your family so you see them but let's sleep now..."-She insisted and you turned to look her in the eye

-"Mel... Why you don't want to have children?..."-You asked with real interest, maybe it wasn't just her age, maybe there was another reason and you just wanted to know

-"Please, again with this?... Does Christmas make you so nostalgic that you feel like that emptiness is only filled if you have a children?" - she asked in a harsher way than she wanted, her choice of words hadn't been the best-"Look hon... Before, when I was with my ex husband, I did want children, but not anymore, not after him and the divorce, not after so many years already passed. The more and more time passed, the less I wanted to have children, they just make things more complicated... It is not true that a child helps to improve a relationship, they only occupy your time and take you further away from your partner, I have seen it a thousand times in my family. I know it seems like a nice thought to enlarge the family, but it's not. It's not something I want in my life, and you have to respect that... I know I told you before that maybe in the future but the truth is that I was waiting for you to lose your hope... But now I'll be honest with you, I don't want children and I'm not going to want them at any point of my life"-The redhead spoke firmly, crossing her arms and making you feel small

-"And what about what I want?"-Your voice came out weaker than you wanted, but you felt weak and your voice showed it, so did your teary eyes-"Why what I want can never come true?... When I proposed to you, you said no... And now with the kids... Even when I asked if we could adopt a pet you said no using a stupid excuse. If I'd known before that you didn't want to do this..."-Your voice broke out because you got a lump in your throat and Melissa became more serious than she already was, seeing your weak form

-"If you had known before that I didn't want children what? What would have been different?"-She asked with annoyance in her voice and you sighed, why she was the one who was angry if you were the one who was being denied what you wanted?

-"Maybe if I'd known before that we didn't have the same goals, I wouldn't have let myself fallen for you this hard... Maybe I wouldn't be so in love with you, Maybe I would have looked for someone who would be happy to commit to me and start a family with me or marry me... -You whispered, avoiding her gaze. She stared at you, surprised by your confession. Standing there with her felt painful at the time, so you walked past her and upstairs crying leaving her there.

When you got to the room you saw the redhead's things on the bedside table next to her side and sighed, you decided to leave the bed for her to sleep well and you took your pillow and blanket and went to sleep in the children's room on the carpet.

That night you barely slept and very early in the morning the children woke you up to open the presents. Practically pushing you to go down with them.

When you got downstairs Mel was already there with two cups of coffee, hers loaded black and yours with marshmallows, but you didn't drink it, not because you were angry, but because you didn't have an appetite. The children made you sit between them and Mel sat at the other end, which did not go unnoticed by her mother who was used to Melissa being on top of you hugging you. As the children and everyone opened their presents, you forced a smile when you opened your presents or the children showed you theirs. At all times you avoided your girlfriend's eyes, even when she opened the gift you had given her, even when you had to explain to her that if she shined the flashlight on her cell phone through the necklace it would project a picture of you two surrounded by I love you in different languages. Now it hurt to say I love you, not because you didn't feel it, but because after last night's conversation, something felt different even though you couldn't know what it was.

Later in the day, everyone went out to play in the snow and you went out specially to take care of the kids that were enjoying their new presents, you were surprised to see when your girlfriend approached you and asked to speak privately.

Before you could say anything, she started to speak

-"I was thinking all night... I don't think it's fair for me to keep you from the things you want to do... I think I'm being very selfish, that's why I'm letting you go, so you can find someone who wants to do the same things as you"-She spoke hurriedly, afraid that her voice would betray her

-"What? What are you saying Melissa?... Are you breaking up with me?"-You asked in disbelief

-"Yes, so you can find someone who wants to have kids, pets, to marry and all that stuff that you want and I don't..."-She replied earnestly, and you laughed without happiness, your eyes were watery

-"Really? Would you rather break up with me than commit to finding a solution that works for both of us? To compromise something so we could both be happy? You're unbelievable Melissa"-You responded angrily before walking past her crashing her shoulder on purpose before entering the house to get your stuff.

Mel thought she was doing the right thing, that this was what you wanted, letting you go so you could go looking for someone else to accomplish the things you wanted. What Melissa didn't understand was that you wanted those things but with her, not with someone else.

Crying, you packed your suitcase and left the house, taking advantage of the fact that everyone was playing outside so as not to make a big fuss and have to explain to everyone that Melissa had just broken up with you, none other than at Christmas when you were away from your family and didn't know who else to turn to .

That was the last time the redhead heard from you, when she got home your things were gone, all traces that you lived there were gone, you had only left the void behind you and the photos of the two of you hanging on the wall, the only proof that had been left that you had been there.

Melissa's mother had given her a big reprimand when she found out what had happened and how stupid her daughter had been to let you go, but by the time she tried to call you, you had already changed your number. She also tried to contact your family to find out where you were, the only thing they told her was that you had moved in again with them and that you didn't want to hear from her anymore.

Melissa spent months, years regretting everything she had done, she lost everything because she didn't want to give up a little for you.

5 Christmases Later

The last day of school before Christmas brake, Melissa walked into Barbara's classroom to see if her fried was ready to go.

-"Barbara, do you want me to warm up the car?"-The redhead asked and her friend looked at her with a little boy about three years old sitting on her lap

-"I have to wait a few minutes, his mother called me and said she was running late because her work shift at the hospital was a little longer, we are waiting for her to arrive..."-The brunette explained, holding the little boy sitting on her lap, who was painting with crayons on the teacher's desk. The redhead smiled tenderly seeing the concentration of the little boy, there was something about him that generated a lot of affection for him-"It will only be a few minutes, she it's coming"-Barbara begged to wait for her with a smile

-"Mama it's coming"-The little babble while still painting, the redhead smiled as she heard his sweet voice

-"Mama it's here!"-You said agitated seeing Barbara with your child-"I'm so sorry miss Barbara, I tried to get out earlier but when it's Christmas a lot of fireworks accidents happen and they held me longer... Thank you for taking care of him"-you said sincerely, approaching the desk and smiling as you saw how your little one ran into your arms

-"Mama! I missed you!"-Your little one screamed running with his short legs and hugging you tightly.

-"Please sweetie, it's not a bother, he's very well behaved"-Barbara responded, and you breathed a sigh of relief.

On the other hand, Melissa, who was behind the door you had entered through and therefore you had not noticed her presence, could not believe that you were there. Your face had changed a little, you looked older, more experienced, but your smile was the same, it just got brighter when you hugged your little one.

Your son took off the hospital cap you were still wearing, forgetting to take it off in the hurry with which you had left, and put it on his little head making you laugh.

-"Thank you once again Barbara, it's been hard to adapt again since I came back... Thank you for your patience... Merry Christmas, say Merry Christmas to your teacher baby" - You told your son and he smiled at Barbara with his eyes half covered by the bonnet

-"Medy Chistmas Baba(Barbara), the dawing I was making it's fo youuuu, byee" - Your little one spoke excitedly to be with you and you smiled as you turned around to leave, but your blood ran cold at the sight of your ex-girlfriend in front of you. You sighed and walked past her whispering a Merry Christmas to her too before exiting the classroom. The redhead was just lost and confused to see you again that she couldn't say anything to answer or move to go after you.

[mikareo]

⌗ SEASONS OF LOVE ₊ ˖ ་. a 呪術廻戦 miniseries

“ ࣭⸰ ★ HOPELESS ROMANTIC ; geto x fem reader ⠀ ꒰ . . episode four ! ꒱ . . . word count; 0.9k ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ᯇ leaves are falling, and he is too

⊹ ⠀⠀ with so many love stories on the shelf, geto feels his heart being influenced. if he's going to fall in love with anyone...it's you.

contains; geto suguru x fem reader, university (year 2) au, fluff, swearing, friends to lovers, love triangle

⋆⋆⋆⠀ ⠀pm or send ask to join/be removed from taglist,, ⋆⋆⋆⠀ ⠀link to miniseries masterlist

"suguru how do you expect me to read when my heart is in a million pieces?"

he doesn't think he's ever met a person as dramatic as you are.

"these books can't teach me how to get laid."

it's kind of cute, though. annoying...but cute.

with the november breeze sweeping the leaves from every tree on campus, winter is approaching fast and geto feels like your irritation towards gojo is at an overwhelming high. there really isn't anything he can do about it. after all, he wasn't there when you oh-so-spontaneously confessed your undying love for satoru on halloween; to which you received a brutal rejection...this is why geto doesn't date— especially why he doesn't date in a world run by satoru gojo.

now, geto has done his very best at trying to distract you from the devastating heartbreak that comes with loving his best friend. there have many so many girls before you who've tried to get on with him after being ignored by the white haired boy; which is extremely insulting that any of them thought geto would be an easy target or a second option to satoru. when geto does fall in love, he hopes that it'll be with someone who chooses him first. someone who doesn't even consider their other options and believes that he's the only person in the entire world who can fit with their uneven puzzle piece. clearly, gojo isn't the person to fit with yours.

"maybe you just need to sit down and be silent?" he purses his lips in annoyance, trying his best to focus on the words of poetry and rhyme. poems are the language of love. you could take some advice from these lines. "you're talking so much that you're not even enjoying the book."

you groan. "this book is boring. who the fuck reads poetry for fun?"

um. he does.

the glare he sends your way is intimidating, but also gentle. "what would you like to read instead? since you're such an avid reader?"

his sarcasm is meant to be insulting.

a mischievous smile creeps into the corners of your lips; smile likes yours used to scare him as a child after having seen alice in wonderland one too many times. he never understood the other children's fascination with a purple, talking cat. it's just weird. "how about this one!"

the book your present to him isn't anything he's read before. actually, it's something that he hopes to never read ever. "you're kidding."

"dead serious!"

how is a cheesy romance supposed to make you feel better?

"that's just going to make you feel worse, y'know." he gently takes the book from your hands and shuffles through the pages. with his head nodding along to each words his eyes skim, it's painfully obvious that you're going to read this book imagining the male lead to be satoru. "you have such an active imagination, you'll be heartbroken all over again."

with his words, your smile melts and geto knows he's right. "satoru is a lost cause in the romance department." he explains, scooting a little closer to you and rubbing your knee. the two of you have been seated on the floor of the lovely little bookshop near campus for an hour now. you're practically the only two people in the entire store, which has made this fake date feel a little more real. "i promise that you're better off dating anyone other than him."

you don't move away from the comfort of his palm, and instead lean into it; but your words are in defense of gojo. they always are. you can't seem to find it in your heart to let him go— no matter how awful of a rejection. "he's not a bad guy. he just needs a little help learning how to love."

the look in your eyes is earnest and geto sees that you believe your statements with your whole heart.

"i can be the person to help him learn."

there's no physical tell that you're upset, but he can somehow sense that you're about to cry. maybe it's the way you slightly tensed up with your body rejecting his soft touch or the way your gaze refused to meet his; no matter, he's going to cheer you up anyways. there aren't many people that geto can make smile— but somehow, in the past four months of being your friend (?), you've become the only person he cares to cheer up.

he murmurs your name in the most comforting, gentle voice that anyone's ever spoken to you. "you are the most talented, most interesting, and most extraordinary person in the universe; and you are capable of amazing things—"

"because you are the special. suguru, i've seen the lego movie. you're not being slick." aw man.

your tone of voice is irritated, yet you still laugh. yes, geto knows that might possibly have been the stupidest and cheesiest thing he's done in his whole life, but he doesn't care. he made you smile. him! not satoru. geto suguru made you smile. it's not something he'd win an olympic medal for, though in his mind it's worth more than that. he doesn't know when you became so special to him. he doesn't know how you managed to creep your way into his heart and cause this embarrassing blush to consume his cheeks; and he isn't bothered to figure it out.

he doesn't want to rejoice in your heartbreak...however, there is a tiny part of him that's happy satoru doesn't love you back.

maybe it's finally time suguru gets to be loved.

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[look-at-the-soul]

Hola, Mar! ❤️❤️.

I'm here to sending you a request. Tommy telling his kids (it can be both of them, or just Charlie or just Ruby) a story about his mother. We know he didn't have good memories about her especially because what happened, but maybe, he remembered something maybe a bedtime story (or a recipe, music, etc) and he tells them about her. The kids didn't know her, but after that moment maybe they can imagine how their grandma was ❤️.

My dear Flor @justrainandcoffee thank you so much for sending this request!!!! I knew I had to make it extra special since it’s part of my Grandma’s series 👵🏻♥️✨ so I didn’t want to rush it. This made me go back in time to our endless sleepovers, it made me think of her. I hope you enjoy this 💕

Special thanks to @blondie-22 for creating the BEAUTIFUL moodboard, like always you capture the exact essence of the story 🥰

Edit: A/N part of this story is inspired by a song called Toy Soldier by Martika

Word count 1,172

Toy Soldier

The bedroom door cracked louder than Tommy expected, he cursed himself internally because it was late and the house was quiet, the last thing he needed was to wake up his wife.

But she was already up and leaned against the window, the shadow of her frame only visible under the moonlight. Frowning, he stopped taking off his suit jacket midway when he noticed something was under the blankets of his bed.

“Why are you up?” He whispered.

“Charlie’s having trouble with bedtime.” She replied back. “He thinks there’s a monster under his bed.” She then added but also gave him a warning look so he better wouldn’t laugh it off.

“There’s no such thing.”

“They wanted to sleep here for reassurance.” Y/N placed her hands on his chest to lean in for a quick kiss. “He was so scared last night.”

“Daddy?” Ruby’s small voice broke the silence of the room.

Charlie stirred and his eyes fluttered open.

“Go back to sleep.” Tommy urged them.

“There’s a monster under my bed, I heard noises.” Charlie assured him.

Sitting next to his son, Tommy caressed his blonde hair in a loving way.

“I can assure you there’s no monster under your bed, son.” Tommy explained in a calmed tone.

“But I heard…”

Tommy shook his head gently, knowing it was a good time to share a fond memory that suddenly hit him hard. After being pushed back to the farthest place of his mind for years…

“You’ve nothing to worry about,” Tommy assured his boy, then turning to face Y/N he invited her over the bed, “you want to hear what really is?”

“I do Daddy.” Ruby replied while Charlie nodded.

“It’s the toy soldier.” Tommy assured his kids. Then clearing his throat he continued. “All toys come up to life around three in the morning, when the house is quiet and you and your sister are sleeping, they start playing by themselves. But when you wake up, they stop because you must not see them.”

His voice and the fabulous tale he was narrating had both his children and Y/N captivated.

“But how do you know?” Charlie asked trying to understand.

Tommy raised his eyebrows, taking his time to explain it properly.

“Well, that’s ‘cause when I was about your age, I heard noises in my room too.”

Y/N noticed the emotions shining in his eyes and his voice.

“And you had toys like mine?” Charlie asked but Tommy shook his head.

“No, I had a horse made of wood, uncle Charlie made it for me.”

Ruby was in awe. “Like a real horse?”

“Yes but a small one, I carried it everywhere.” He relaxed against the pillows, Y/N knew his childhood wasn’t easy, he was forced to mature earlier than other kids.

“So one night I was terrified and went to sleep with my Mum and she told me it was my toys playing.”

“And she told you how did she know?”

“No, she didn’t.”

And both kids went on to ask a million more questions about their grandma, a loving figure they never got the chance to meet. To Tommy this meant much more than he could put into words, he went on to describe her features, mannerisms and and few secrets, so his kids could feel her close to them in some way.

He didn’t know, but through them and their curiosity, he was healing a part of his broken heart by remembering the good moments, her legacy.

Y/N could see the way their imagination was running wild trying to put a face for such mysterious woman, trying to think of what was like to be on road forever stuck in a caravan as they said, asking how she could ride bareback a horse without falling.

Tommy rarely talked about his mother, it had always been something that was buried deep inside his heart, a very sensitive topic, Y/N knew how much it had hurt him to lose her at such young age. Not having her when he needed her the most definitely left a permanent scar in his heart. Y/N wondered how different would Tommy be under another circumstances.

And by the way he described his mother, Y/N realized he looked so much like her instead of his father, which given the circumstances, was a blessing. Although, thanks to Polly who took the role as a mother figure for the Shelby siblings, they had managed much better than if Arthur Sr. was in charge.

“Why can’t we play with them?” Asked Ruby with a deep frown.

“Because after playing with you all day, they get to work by playing, the soldier gotta watch out the fort right?” He stared at Charlie. “And your doll has to drink some more tea, ey.”

Then, a gentle smile played on his lips.

“So you gotta go to sleep to let them play, so they can enjoy their own time.”

“That’s why I heard noises.” Charlie seemed to think about it for a second.

“Yeah.” Tommy winked at them.

“But my teddy stays with me all night.” Ruby stated.

“Hmm he’s gotta take care of you.”

“Can we stay here? So they can play?” Charlie’s eyes sparkled.

Y/N nodded feeling touched by the way Tommy managed to help Charlie leave his fears behind. Loving the way his innocent mind was processing everything.

“Of course, now just let’s all squeeze in together.”Tommy proposed. Feeling Y/N’s hand touching his hand, he looked up at her.

Soon both kids were fast asleep. The story about their toys playing and making noises was the explanation they needed to hear, to feel Tommy’s reassurance.

Y/N observed her husband taking off his clothes, hiding the gun in a drawer and coming back to bed. Thinking how of course not everything is as it should be, and the kids would realize of the truth one day…but she was more than happy to enjoy that little moment in their own little bubble while it lasted.

“That was beautiful.”

He nodded in agreement. He rarely allowed himself to have moments like these, but he felt the need to open his heart with his own happy memory with his mother, gone too soon. She had missed a lot of important events in his life that he was determined to try to be there for his children.

And at least, he could honor her memory by sharing some stories like the one where the toys start playing after midnight.

Turning off the lights of their bedside tables, Tommy drifted to sleep right away and saw the image of his mother wrapping her arms around a younger version of himself protectively, answering all the questions he had about how could his horse toy could not move during the day, or how would drink water if the river was so far away… and he saw her in his dreams smiling adoringly at him before kissing the top of his head.

Grandma series

Tommy Master list

Tag list: @lyarr24 @runnning-outof-time @cillmequick @datewithgianni @cloudofdisney @onlydeadcells @gretelshelby @garrison-girl-08 @lespendy @fastfan @stevie75 @prettylittlehoneyeyesxoxo @esposadomd @forbidden-forest-witch @ange-thoughts @moral-terpitude @elenavampire21 @forgottenpeakywriter @thenattitude @winchestergirl22 @zablife @elk96 @blondie-22 @imichelle-l-rigby @allie131313 @already-broken144 @peakyscillian @babaohhhriley @shaddixlife @sloanexx @sydneyyyya @adaydreamaway08 @pono-pura-vida @kmc1989 @thomashelbyswife @darleneslane @lauren-raines-x @everythingelseisextra @mariaelizabeth21-blog1 @lau219 @red-riding-wood @ironpen @holacia3

[ourflagmeansheartbreak]

All the gentle little ways Nandor has been showing his love [spoilers s1-s5]

I talked about this before, but the glitter painting. Can you imagine this giant ancient warrior who used to slaughter people for fun now slaughters people for food on daily basis, sitting down with a painting of him and a picture of Guillermo in front of him trying to recreate… a glitter painting?? For his friend??

Him trying for citizenship test. He said in the interview with the camera that he “obviously just gonna hypnotise the man to get his citizenship”. Yet he sat down, what was probably for hours, studying with Guillermo. And for why if he knew he’s going to just hypnotise him? Perhaps because he’s majorly detached from humans and his idea of managing to spend time with one human he feels certain… connection to, is to create a false pretence to spend time together? Just to hear him talk a little longer?

Speaking of talking, on more than one occasion has Nandor asked for Guillermo to just… talk. Especially when he’s going to slumber. Not knowing Guillermo has ulterior motive, he was more than happy to hear about some movie he saw. And he’s so passionately listening to it as well. Or just whatever he’s thinking in general. In very few cases has he stopped him, it’s usually others that do. Not Nandor.

Not turning him into vampire. This might be debatable, but the reason as we saw in the finale was obviously because he didn’t think he can… be one. He was waiting for him to get tougher. But he never did, simply because that’s not who he is. And him saying that vampirism is a curse and he could not burden him with it? Nandor has been unhappy being a vampire for a WHILE and the idea of subjecting someone he cares about to it… must have brought him a heart ache. Something Guillermo never got. Nandor wanted to be a father and he was so sad his children were afraid of him after he turned.

Guillermo has yelled, cussed at Nandor many times and once even slapped him (hard if I may add). Nandor never got mad or upset, if anything he usually agrees with him. The most he has reacted to it was “your tone was disrespectful but you’re right”. Not to mention Guillermo tried to kill him three times now, and if anything it seemed like… Nandor gained some respect for him. And that makes sense, he’s a soldier, he used to measure respect by the blade and body count, but it also seemed like he gained more than just respect for him.

Nandor likes it when Guillermo stays until he’s fallen into slumber. He asked him to stay because… Guillermo is probably the only person he feels safe with. He even asks “what is this feeling I’m feeling” because he’s too detached from it and he trusts his judgment.

Whoever annoys Nandor even a little he either hypnotises them or just simply tries to kill them (remember Topher? He liked him quite a bit but he attacked Guillermo and then annoyed him and he tried three times to kill him. The only time Nandor wanted to kill Guillermo was when he disobeyed him by turning himself into vampire behind his back.

In the “reunited” episode, Guillermo was swearing and yelling at everyone and then he fell through the floors, Nandor didn’t even stop to think, he just yelled out “Guillermo I’m coming!” And jumped in immediately. Man didn’t even doubt it for a second. Then this ancient warrior sat down to dry him off and ask “how are we feeling”. YOU GOTTA REALISE HIS DAILY LIFE IS KILLING PEOPLE AND HE SITS HERE IN FRONT IF THIS MORTAL AND TAKES TIME TO DRY HIM OFF.

In the “mall” episode Guillermo said he’s going to get footlocker, Nandor didn’t know what that was, he’s 700 years old what the hell does he know about foot locker? So he gets a huge case for Guillermo. The foot locker. The bitch really sat down and thought about what the hell that is and he got the closest thing he could think of.

I made a whole separate post about last episode as a whole, because it was Nandor’s love letter.

This ancient warrior, who kills people every day, killed thousands of people, has a soft spot for one mortal who brushes his hair so gently before he goes to slumber. They’re in love. You can’t deny it.

Am I reading into details? Yes. It’s a show, that’s what I do.

[ennabear]

hii !! 🫶🏻 just discovered your account and i love it !! :) i was wondering if you could write some more headcannons about ellie? like, what job would she do? etc. i like to think that if she existed today, she'd probably be an illustrator for children's books !! that'd be so cool, tbh. i can see her making books about space or dinosaurs, and going to book fairs at schools to meet kiddos and talk to them about it. (crossover with professor!abby who used to teach little kids 🫶🏻🫶🏻) aah. sorry for rambling. but like, i just think ellie would have a blast if she existed today. like with all the museums ?? all the new ways to make art ?? but anyway !! what are *your* headcannons for modern ellie !! 🪐🫶🏻

modern!ellie’s job!! (hc) 🦕

thx for the request bae cause this made me smile so big. i have SO many hcs for modern ellie like i’ve been waiting for this moment!!!!! also dw about rambling i love to hear your thoughts 🤗

ok for starters i think ellie would be a nerd in high school. i know that some people headcanon her as a jock or a stoner (and that ellie has a special place in my heart) but i definitely think she’d be the opposite tbh. i imagine her with only a few friends (dina, jesse, cat). and i also think she’d have insanely good grades because she’s just smart like that. and all of her teachers love her because even though she’s quiet, she’s really kind and creative.

also i think her family would be just her and joel and maybe a dog. like imagine her spending her weekends getting guitar lessons from joel and then taking her dog on a walk and documenting it in her journal. she would fr have such a blast!!!!

for college i definitely think she’d major in astronomy/astrophysics or maybe art history?? and in her last years of college, she’d get a job as a secretary for a science museum. honestly, she didn’t hate it, but she was super jealous of the tour guide because she got to take all of the cute little kids on a walk and talk about the fun stuff while ellie had to sit behind a desk all day. but after begging her supervisor enough, she’d get promoted to tour guide after the mean old lady who used to do it retired.

and guess what??? the kiddos loved her!!! she always made sure the kids were having a great time and she knew a lot about what she was talking about, whether it was dinosaurs or planets or volcanoes. and the joke book came everywhere with her!! absolutely nothing made her happier than hearing the little monsters giggling and squealing about a joke that wasn’t even that funny.

abby and ellie would become good friends because of the time abby took her class to the museum on a field trip. they ended up actually really liking each other, especially because they had so much in common. and sometimes after work they’d meet up at a bar and talk about life, it was nice for them to both have a new friend who was equally as nerdy.

ellie would be a tour guide for quite a few years while abby got her doctorate. a few years after abby became a professor, ellie tried out illustrating a childrens book for a local visitor at the museum who was really fond of ellie. it was nothing too big, but she was really proud of it.

after she finished the drawings for the book, she wanted to try writing one of her own. so she decided to write a textbook for kids about dinosaurs with her own illustrations and a joke on every page.

safe to say it was super successful!!! she ended up going to local elementary schools and educating the littles about the different types of dinosaurs and each era they lived in. and you better believe old man joel was so proud!!!! his little girl ellie that he used to take to dinosaur museums was now writing her own dinosaur books!!!

i think eventually she’d quit her job at the museum and focus on being a writer full time, along with keeping art as a hobby. and i can 100% see her getting married and adopting a kid just like joel adopted her, and she’d pass on all of her science knowledge to her mini self. also i think she’d mainly only write science textbooks for kids, but may end up publishing a sci-fi novel or two.

i think that’s all :3 thanks for the ask sweetie pie ilysm 🫶

daily click / israeli themes in tlou

[buckrecs]

Single Mom!Reader

masterlist | req masterlist 

bucky with kids🥺

ONESHOT

Feel Like Baking Love by @wehaveabucky-archive

you forget the most important part of your kids birthday party; the cake. but thankfully, a local patissier is more than willing to help you in your hour of need

Marley by @leascorner

Eventually, Bucky gave his deepest secrets away and you let him know yours. Her name was Marley.

Can I call you dad? by @winvterstan

You and Bucky have been dating for eight months. One day your four years old daughter has an interesting request for Bucky.

Who’s That? by @imagineaworlds

A Bucky x single mom reader and the reader brings him to dinner.

good morning by @buckybarnesdiaries

after a mission in Europe, you come back to the Avengers Compound, being received by a lovely surprise.

Playdate by @becca-e-barnes

You’re a single parent to an outgoing little boy called Oliver. On the first day of school he makes a new friend, Thomas Barnes. Both Thomas and his dad Bucky come over for dinner.

incandescent glow by @allyouneedisbuck

bucky barnes has a knack for finding warmth. his job as a firefighter. steve and nat and their unwavering warmth and kindness. you, and your daughter, and the sunshine filled smiles and laughs. he’s just trying to figure out how to tell you he wants it all with you.

Operation Get Mr Bucky and Momma Together by @golden-barnes

Bucky doesn't play favorites but Amaya is definitely his favorite, especially because her mom is hot.. Cue a 6-year-old trying to get Bucky to be her dad. (Teacher!Bucky)

goodnight kiss by @alisonsfics

bucky stays over at your place because he’s having work done on his apartment. he gets to hang out with you and your son.

What’s on your back? by @itsbuckysworld

“Show me what’s behind your back.”

Catch Me If You Can by @buckyalpine

Maybe he isn’t so bad.

Disney Princesses and Dog Tags by @buckyalpine

My Mom Thinks You’re Hot by @bluehourbucky

your son tries to set you up with an avenger in a grocery store

apartment 4d by @sunmoonandeddie

There’s nothing Bucky loves more than the widow down the hall and her son.

family additions by @ezm-imagines

reader's daughter calls bucky dad for the first time.

SERIES

The Slip Up by @justkending

After a last hurrah to graduating college with a future to be a family practitioner, a little slip up happens… Seven years down the road, just when things just now seem to be going smoothly, Y/N approaches that slip up from all those years ago. She’s not looking for anything right now. She is just where she wants to be in life. It seems the universe has a different idea though. One called James Barnes.

Yours, Mine, Ours by @coffeecatsandcandles

Bucky Barnes has been raising his girls, Rebecca and Winnie, for the last two years. He'd lost all hope of falling in love again until he met you, a pediatrician with two children of your own- Elliot and Willow. He falls in love and he falls hard, but the challenges of being single parents still weigh on you both at times. Luckily, you'll always have each other.

Redcove Harvest by @iwillbeinmynest

Farmhand!AU and SingleMom!Reader

The Lucky One by @avengerofyourheart

As a single mom with a jerk of an ex-husband, you’re doing your best to run the family business all on your own when your mother hires a mysterious man with a troubled past to help out. He just might be what you need in your life, but will his secrets bring you together or tear you apart?

Grant | 2| 3 by @coffeecatsandcandles

Bucky finds out you have a son from a previous relationship.

Love At First Grade by @buckysimp101

When father and first grade teacher Bucky Barnes ends up with Avery L/N in his class, the daughter of the “ruthless” CEO of L/N Enterprises, he's in for a surprise that's sure to change his life.

Part of a Family | 2 by @onceuponastory

After Y/N is abandoned by her boyfriend, the father of her 8 month old son, her best friend Bucky comes to the rescue. The same Bucky who’s been in love with Y/N ever since he met her.

Blue is for Ben by @writerlyhabits

Bucky has a meet-cute with you as you're waiting for the elevator in his building, and he's instantly captivated by you.. and your son. What lies in store for the super soldier as he falls head over heels for the single mom who lives just down the hall? Or finds himself wanting to hear about four-year-old Ben's day at school…

My Little Hero by @bucky-bear-barnes

Bucky stumbled upon a sweet young girl defending his honor. And finding out that her mom is the lovely single mom he always kind of liked.

From Left Field | 2 | 3 by @ofstarsandvibranium

chubby Bucky falling for a mother.

The Road Goes Ever On and On by @rocketrhap3000

Life as a single mother of a three year old certainly has its struggles. But when a sweet stranger makes his way into you and your little boy’s life, a one of a kind connection sparks.

[nyx-is-missing]

SUNSET PART 2

Or a pretty bad doctor

Clarisse La Rue x Cassandra De Young (oc! Apollo's kid)

Summary: Clarisse is going to colect her dept, by treating her wounds with a very bad doctor. Or the one when Clarisse likes to taunt people.

Warnings: that time when you actually stop to think about your own life, mentions (one) of blood, confident Clarisse (she likes to taunt pretty girls, even when they are bad doctors)

(We actually get a clarisse pov today!)

Part 1 is here!

There were exactly seven demigods in the Apollo's cabin this afternoon.

An absurdly low number for a summer everyday, but considering im early, this must be common.

I've never seen camp so empty, its feels like another reality if im being honest, nobody saw when me and Clarisse walked in togheter, nor when she walked with me to the front of my cabin, and dropped the suitcases on the grass and started to walk towards her own cabin.

"Hey Clarisse! ....thank you! I wouldnt have made it withou-" she turned her head to me

"You owe me, dont forget that."

Like she would allow me to, why children of Ares got no patience? Or like, actually willingness to be sociable? They cant act like that with everybody, can they?

This was the first time i actually got space in this cabin, as well as the first time i could pick my own bed and place all my things calmly, is this how castor and pollux live everyday? Lucky them.

I mean, i love my siblings, but we are too many to such limited space.

And as much as that does leads us to somewhat funny situations, we are still too many, with too few bathrooms and mirrors.

Being like this allowed us to breathe, and think slowly, as if a person who lived his whole life in the busy city moved to a town who was mostly farm.

And that was when i started to miss the mess my siblings made when we were all togheter, when i actually had time to stop and think.

I cant even imagine the things my grandpa is saying about me, how he must be trying to poison the family against ourselves, he does that even when the smallest things dont go his way, and right now, the whole family must think of me as if i am Queen Mary I, and they are the protestants im trying to burn alive.

I didnt go to dinner that night, nor to the campfire, i wouldnt manage to eat without feeling dizzy after, and i was sure i was not in the mood for singing that night.

I just showered, put my pajamas on, grabbed a book, layed on my bed and hoped that time ran faster.

Coming to camp earlier had its benefits, at least to me, pick the bed, be aware of any new faces earlier, train more (with people who could actually be named opponents, wich just meant they had better sense of combat than a inflatable doll from a gas station) and of course, run away from insufferable family members who i had to face for nine months, to see more insfferable family members who i'll still have to face for three months.

Funny.

I just wouldnt expect to see her there too.

She always likes to spend some days of her rich girl summer life in her family's yatch, or shopping..not that i keep track of her life, i know very little, but i do know that she likes to get to camp when its already messy, people all around, shooting arrows, swimming, painting, fighting, singing and all, but this year she was here early and with a strange look on her face.

It was just..weird.

I didnt felt right.

But what surprised me the most was she asking for my help, and being in dept with me.

She didnt even looked at me in a normal day.

I think there is something to do with her family, they look at me, almost always with a ugly face, and then they keep her away from me.

So, she speaking to me was a surprise.

But to be honest, if i hadnt saw her earlier, i wouldnt even know she was here, i mean, she didnt left her cabin all...not that i kept track of that, but still, unsual, especially for a Apollo kid, they always love to be out and about under the sun.

But then, the whole afternoon? Nothing

Dinner? Nothing

Campfire? Nothing

At night when i went to practice a bit more with my sword? Nothing

She better not have run away, because she is still in dept with me, and im going to collect it right now.

It was late, but the cabin still had a small light coming from inside.

Strange, all of the cabins had their lights out, they were sleeping.

I knocked on the door, waited and knocked again, after a few seconds a sleepy Cassandra oppened the door, rubbing her eyes and taking a few seconds to realize what was happening.

Then she looked down, and saw me holding my own arm to stop the blood.

"Already?" She looked at me again, and started to tie her hair up, it always amazed me how in every situation she was her.

If people didnt knew she was a demigodess, they would probably think she never even stepped in earth ground, that she never had to share, or suffered any problems at all, her family raised her to be little miss perfect, and little miss perfect she was, even when what she was wearing looked like it came straight out of a beach party, she made it look like designer clothes, she looked expensive, always.

"You said whenever, today is whenever too" i said, walking in when she stepped aside to give me space to enter. "Wait, where are your siblings?"

"We were only in seven today, and since the camp is empty, they are probably sleeping with their friends, or boyfriend and girlfriends." She looked around, probably for a first aid kid.

"What about you? Nobody invited little miss magazine cover for a sleepover?" She grabs a kit and sits at one bed, starring at me...oh right, i sit down by her side.

"Im not in the mood for that tonight, Clarisse"

"Based of the fact you are still fully d-"

She stomped her feet on the ground

"Do you always have to be like this? Thats why my family wont let me talk to you! Im not in the mood for jokes, for sleepovers and specially for us to keep stinging each other" she oppened a little alcohol bottle, to clean the wounds i think.

"Oh they wont let you? so you wanted to? That-AH WHY?" I screamed when she just poured the alcohol straight into the cut

"Okay that didnt hurt....a lot, youre being dramatic, also, enough of that talk" she said while cleaning my cuts with a piece of cotton. "Now, we dont have nectar or ambrosia in here, and going to the infirmary is to risky..but you have small cuts, i think this will do....dontfinditweird... please"

"Why would i find it weir-" i was cut mid sentence by her giving a small kiss in my arm, and starting to bandage me right away, though i did saw some of my cuts getting better. "Im sorry, you do that since when?"

"Its..been a time, i just never used it because, you know, going around kissing random demigod's wounds would be, weird and unhygienic" she holded a finger up, and then a second, as if counting the reasons. "But hey, you are all set, and you should go, before anyone notices the lights on"

"Hey they were on before i even came in" i got up, and so did she, gathering all the used stuff and throwing them in the bin by the side of the bed.

"True, i was reading before, and fell asleep...i guess thank you... in a certain way, if you hadnt came here they would stay on the whole night and the chance of my siblings getting caught being out of the cabin was huge.." i looked around, "The song of Achilles" was it was half open on one of the beds.

"Greek myth retelling?" I ask walking towards the door, she just hums in agreement.

"A pretty good book, you should try to read it...i dont know if you like books very much but.. yeah"

"Maybe, tell me when you finish it, ill see if im in the mood for it" i open the door and put a step outside, but before i trully left i said "You are a pretty bad doctor, you know? Not even treating all the wounds, my lips are also cut" i watched her face go from confusion to realization in a second

"Clarisse! you-"

I slammed the door.

[madame-fear]

— the velaryon boys as dads | .·:*¨༺ headcanons ༻¨*:·.

♡ JACAERYS : ♡

• best. dad. EVER. 💕

• Literally, he would be so attentive to you and your needs from the moment you were pregnant, to the day the child was born.

• And the day the child was born? AHHH literally bought the best maesters of all Westeros to assist you with your birth. Jace would be by your side the whole time, making sure you feel comforted by his presence, and to hold a tight grip on his hand if you needed to.

• The second he heard baby crying filling your chambers, would've made him forget about the rest of the world right there, an overwhelming happiness consuming him. Would literally stare at the baby with heart eyes as he holds it in his arms, rocking the child back and forth gently.

• If the child's a boy, he will make sure to teach his beloved firstborn son how to be a proper King. Will teach him sword training, High Valyrian, how to properly treat ladies, all those type of things.

• If the child's a girl... oh boy. Saying he's overprotective is an understatement at this point. He will also teach her things like he'd teach his son, but he'd be more soft and a complete gentleman with her.

• Offers to brush and braid her hair, gifts her jewellery and new dresses, takes her dancing (especially when there's a boy that's staring too much at her in front of him)... basically, he'd fully spoil and pamper his princess.

• Jace is the type of dad to send death glares to every single boy that lays their eyes on his daughter for 0.0001 seconds. No doubt at all.

• With either case, he'd LOVE to take his children for rides on Vermax. Teach them how to speak to dragons, how to train them, how to ride them, etc.

• Tons of kisses and cuddling with his children, hell yes! Also, awfully overprotective dad, no matter the gender of the child, actually.

• When the child says it's first word, I can definitely see him briefly freezing, and then goofily smiling, and turning around to look at you to see if you heard the same thing, or if he's imagining it.

• DEFINITELY ASKS HIS CHILD TO REPEAT THE WORD AGAIN HAHAH

• If he needs to scold, he will do it immediatly. But having such a soft spot for his babes, afterwards he'll apologise to his children for such scolding, but will let them know he only does it because he loves them, and is doing it for their wellbeing.

• Has heart eyes for the beautiful family he's created with you. 🥰

• Supreme brave fiercy dad™

♡ LUCERYS : ♡

• Ahhh, our soft, precious baby boy. Where to start with him?

• Honestly, the very first second he found out you were with child, he would've panicked the shit out of himself. Mainly because both of you were still a young married couple, and clueless about parenting.

• Even if he was awfully terrified of the idea of having to father a child, Luke would still be a very loving, and caring partner. Always making sure all of your needs were properly fulfilled, and would also be extremely protective of you.

• The day your child was born, he would be absolutely FREAKING out, but would try to keep calm just because he knows you're dreadfully suffering through the birth. So, much like Jace, he'd stay by your side, offering you his hand, and whispering sweet words to help you calm down.

• Of course, the second he held his child in his arms right after the birth, he was completely over the clouds with his newborn baby... but his mind couldn't help but wander about the future: how the child will be raised, how is he or she going to feel about duties as a Lord/Lady, scolding, teenage years... etc, etc, and a looong etc.

• *sigh* I can definitely see him asking to his mother, Queen Rhaenyra, for some good parenting/raising advice. And she will gladly give the two of you recommendations on how to raise a babe more than gladly.

• Honestly, kind of gives his children all the liberty they could ever possibly desire. He knows the stress about having to take such important royal roles, such as that of being a Lord/Lady, so he will allow his children to give up on titles if they wish so.

• Much like Jace, he will also train his child (boy or girl) to learn High Valyrian, ride and talk to dragons, learn the history of Westeros and Old Valyria, proper manners, and also, sword training.

• Though, when it comes to swordtraining I feel like the one who takes care of that is Uncle Jace – he's better with swords than Luke, honestly.

• In the particular case of the child being a girl, Luke will obviously also be protective of her, but not overprotective in an extreme case, like Jace would be with a daughter. I feel like he'd give his daughter more freedom when it comes to boys, as long as she takes proper care of herself.

• Again, much like Jace, throughout his daughter's entire life, he'll show her how a boy is supposed to treat her: hair brushing and braiding often, takes her dancing, in her early childhood he'd sit her on his lap and would read her fairytale books, gives her advice on boys and dating, gives her gifts and flowers, etc & etc.

• But, if someone has the audacity to disrespect or harm his girl (or boy, actually) in any possible way, despite not being the best fighter in Westeros, he won't mind in fighting that person.

• ^^ Definitely takes Jace, Arrax, and Vermax with him.

• CHILD CUDDLING. HELL YES. Especially when the child is a baby, he will absolutely not leave his baby's side, and will love to pamper & spoil them. ♡

• Luke will definitely be... awful at scolding. He just can't see himself doing it, so that task passes to you, sorry! :")

• Is the type of dad to cry at his child's first word. I just know, trust me. Will try to deny it, but much to his dismay there were too many witness to confirm his crying hahs

• Sweetest and most fun dad ever !! And that child is definitely daddy's girl/boy. <333

♡ taglist : ♡

@jjamieberry @anemicroyalcore @countsmoon @tickle-euphoria @beeebo234 @damatheirin

[rocknrollbabe14]

You Make Everyday Feel Like It's Christmas (Joe X Reader)

You Make Everyday Feel Like It’s Christmas

Summary: It’s your second Christmas with Joe. Christmas has a new meaning for you this year. But you’ve always loved this time of year. But this time, you want to bring a little holiday cheer to your fiancé. Joe doesn’t “hate” Christmas but he’s not quite feeling up to it this year. Can you manage to get him in the Christmas spirit? Or will he be a scrooge?

Prompts: Shopping, “I cannot believe you’re making me go shopping on Christmas Eve.”// “Don’t be a Scrooge.”// “I’m freezing, come warm me up.”// baking

Rating: 18+ (for the fact at the end, it alludes to premarital sex) 

Also, special thanks to @josephs-quinns for making my header and making my visions come to life. Love you ❤️❤️❤️

You were never one to put off Christmas shopping. Matter of fact, you thought people were crazy for waiting until the very last day to finish their Christmas shopping. The thought alone made your stomach twist with anxiety, making it feel like it was bubbling up into your throat. How could people be so calm when they were working against the clock to make last minute Christmas magic happen? You had never understood it—until now.

“I can’t believe you’re making me go shopping on Christmas Eve.”, Joe groaned as he slid on his peacoat, fixing his scarf just perfect around his neckline. 

The weather in London was absolutely frigid in comparison to what you were used to in the United States. Moving to London to be with your fiancé was something that you never imagined would be on your bingo card. But, here you were. You had been together for almost two years now and you knew that being engaged in under two years sounded a little bizarre, but Joe had claimed he knew from the beginning that you were the one for him.

You knew how it sounded. It sounded very cliché looking back, but you loved him and you were happy with him. This was only the second Christmas you both were spending with each other. Tomorrow’s plans were clear. You were spending half Christmas Day with his mom and his stepdad and the other with his dad and his stepmom. Joe never really had talked a lot about his parents divorce and how his childhood was. 

Fortunately, you couldn’t relate. Your mom and dad had been happily married for thirty years. The plan was to fly in and see them the week after Christmas with Joe in tow. At first, you weren’t sure how your parents would take you moving to another country to be with your fiancé. However they both were supportive of your relationship.

They had always been supportive of you and your decisions throughout life, making comments that they had raised a smart daughter, you had your head on your shoulders, etc. All the ones most parents said about their responsible children. It made your feel good, made you feel like you had completed your due diligence of being their child. 

You rolled your eyes playfully at Joe before laughing lightly. “Come on, babe. Don’t be a Scrooge.”

Joe sighed lightly. “I’m not being a Scrooge. Just wondering why we waited until the absolute last minute to buy my mum and dad’s presents along our mate’s.”, he tried to feign a fake smile and chuckle. 

Something with his energy seemed off, but you couldn’t quite place your finger on it. 

“They were your friends first. And you can’t show up to your parent’s houses empty handed.”

Joe held your peacoat, helping you slip into it. One thing about him was certain. He was a gentleman. 

“It’s going to be so busy.”, he groaned lightly. 

He wasn’t doing such a great job at hiding his disdain for the holiday activity you both were about to take part in. 

“Why don’t we just try and make the best of it? You know I hate waiting until last minute to do anything especially Christmas shopping. My anxiety is through the roof.”, you admitted as he grabbed the door knob, opening the door to your all’s house that you shared.

Immediately, you both felt the nip of the winter wind causing you both to grimace. You pulled your peacoat tighter, beginning to button it quick and in a hurry. It was something you had learned to do in the past year of living here.

“I’m going to try.”, he looked at you. “I started the car so it’d be warm for us.”

“Thanks.”, you smiled softly as he let you out the door first, carefully locking it behind you both.

He rushed down the steps in order to make it to the car before you did. A smile came across your face as you remembered why. Him being the gentleman his parents had raised him to be, there was no way you were opening your own car door. He never gave the opportunity for that to happen and he wouldn’t either. It was something that was important to him, just one of the many he ways he showed you he cared. 

You looked up at him, feeling the cold air nip at your nose. He finally gave you a soft smile as he opened the car door, making sure you got in safely, and closed the door once he mad sure your appendages had made it safely into the car. You watched him through the defrosted windshield coming over to the other side, wasting no time in getting before shutting the door. He rubbed his hands together easily, shivering lightly. 

Joe wasn’t usually affected by the cold. He was used to it, being raised in London and all. Winters were harsher there. He had told you that before you moved to be with him. He was brutally honest about everything before allowing you to move to be with him. But you respected that. 

“Cold?”, you asked lightly.

“I’m freezing.”, he admitted with a soft chuckle as he leaned over, giving you the perfect position to kiss him in. “Warm me up.”

He flashed his puppy dog brown eyes at you playfully, the ones he used when he was being a little cheeky. You’d never admit it with words, but he already knew that he could win you over with that look. 

“When we get home.”, you smirked back at him before leaning down and giving him a kiss. 

“Fine.”, he feigned being hurt. 

You smirked over at him as you linked your phone to his car. One way or another, you were determined to get him in the Christmas spirit no matter what it took. Scrolling through your phone, you decided on a song finally to kick off the car ride. The beginning notes of “Like It’s Christmas” by the Jonas Brothers came on, causing you to begin giggling to yourself. Joe shot you a look immediately, a coy smirk working its way across his lips.

“Really?”, he asked through a small laugh.

“Come on, babe. It’s one of my favorites.”

“I’m aware, love. Just didn’t know we had to endure the boy bands along with the other chaos surrounding today.”

Your eyes panned down to your lap, trying to ignore the pang in your chest. He didn’t mean it like that, did he? Shaking your head lightly, you continued to try and convince yourself that he didn’t mean it like that. The happy, bright Christmas music continued to play in the background but now you weren’t really in the mood to sing now. Joe’s grip tightened on the steering wheel as you all continued to the mall. You were beginning to wonder if this was the best idea. But you were determined to put him in the Christmas spirit. That was your ultimate goal. 

“I’m kidding.”, he choked out.

But you didn’t really feel like he was joking.

After a little convincing, he finally got you singing even if he wasn’t doing much of it himself. 

As Joe searched for parking, you could begin to tell his patience was beginning to wear thin. He swore a little, a few obscenities coming out of his mouth at how crowded and congested it was. Once he noticed you had heard him or was watching him, he abruptly cut them short. He was trying his best for you whether you knew it or not. He was struggling to be in the spirit this year but how could he tell you? The answer was simple. He wouldn’t. 

It had taken a week or two after Thanksgiving for him to finally get his ass in gear and help you put the tree up. He remembered you saying back home, you usually put the tree up after Thanksgiving. Like literally the night of or the next day. He could remember laughing, thinking you were a little obsessed with Christmas but he found it cute, if he was being honest. It’s part of what made you—well, you. He didn’t understand what was really going on with him this year. 

But he didn’t have much time to think about that as he shifted the car, placing it in park and eyes panning over to you. 

“Ready, love?”, he asked with a sigh. 

“Yes.”

"Here goes nothing.”, he smirked easily. 

Westfield was always busy. But it was especially busy at Christmas time. Today, was no exception. Maybe it was even worse. Joe was going to go with worse. 

“So where are we going first?”, he asked, grabbing your hand lightly. 

“Uh—what about we hit up Burberry? Weren’t you wanting to get your dad a new scarf?”

Joe shrugged. “I guess.”

“You guess?”, you repeated back. “Joe, I need you to help me here. You know your family and friends better than I know them. I get we’ve been together almost two years but you know more of what they like.”

“Sure, we can get dad a new Burberry scarf Sounds good, love.”

Entering the mall, Joe could feel his blood pressure rising. It was so crowded—especially to be Christmas Eve. Hadn’t people finished already? They should have, you all included. Joe began to tug at his scarf lightly, feeling as though it was choking him. He needed to breathe. 

“Can you at least give me some input? Gifts are special. I love gift giving. It’s my love language.”

Joe also loved to give—taking his friends out to eat or cooking a meal, buying you things here and there just to show you he loved you and cared so you were confused as to why he was being indifferent now. 

“I know, love.”

You sighed lightly as you felt like you had to practically drag him into Burberry. The employee greeted you both, asking if you were looking for anything specific. You explained you’d like to find a scarf for your future father in law.  She led you to the patterned scarves, leaving you both to make the decision on which would fit Joe’s dad the best. 

“What about this one?”, you turned back to show him the archived beige cashmere scarf. 

“Yeah, looks good.”

Joe barely flicked his eyes up from his cell phone. 

“Joe.”

Joe’s eyes pulled up from his cell phone once again.. “I said it looks good, love. I’m sure he’ll love it.”

You huffed lightly in frustration before closing your eyes and trying to remind yourself what today was about. Yes, Joe was being totally intolerable right now but you were still very much in the Christmas spirit and you were not about to let him ruin that for you. You would convert him before it was all said and done. 

Picking up the scarf, your voice came out sharper than you had intended. “Okay, let’s checkout.”

What was so important on his phone that it couldn’t wait? This behavior was very unusual for him. He never let anything distract him around you—not his phone, not anything. He followed you to the counter, wasting no time in handing you his wallet to pay for everything. Sighing, you forked over his debit card and watched as the cashier swiped it and handed it back to you, allowing you to place it back in his wallet. She asked if this was a gift (it was a different associate than earlier) to which you answered yes. 

Proceeding, she asked if you all wanted it gift wrapped. Once again, you found yourself being the only one to answer her question. It was as if she could sense some tension between you both. 

“Finishing up last minute Christmas shopping?”, she tried to make casual conversation.

“Yeah, we’re usually never this late.”, you fake laughed. 

She sensed it. “It happens to the best of us.”

“It does.”, you agreed, almost gritting your teeth and hoping Joe could hear the annoyance laced in your voice. 

“Here you are. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thank you for shopping with us today.”

A fake smile spread across your lips. “Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you as well.”

Once again, Joe was not interacting with you, this only causing for your blood to boil further.  However, he finally put his cell phone away for a few minutes. You were glad—because you were afraid you would have said something you may have regretted. You didn’t want to fight with him today. Sure, every couple has their disagreements but which ones argue near Christmas time? You didn’t want you all to be the one. After taking a small break to run to the restroom and talk some sense into yourself and attempt to give him the benefit of the doubt, you felt a little more positive. 

“So what all do we need?”

“What do you mean, love?”

“What all are you planning on getting everyone? All we have so far is a Burberry sweater for your dad.”

“Uh, let’s see.”, Joe began. “I guess we can get Wes some top shelf booze.”

“Okay. That leaves Ollo and your mom.”

“I’m not sure what to get Ollo.”, Joe admitted. 

“Doesn’t he like photography?”

Every answer that you were getting from Joe was like pulling teeth. It didn’t—and shouldn’t be this hard to pick up gifts for your loved ones. You spent a lot of time throughout the year thinking of the perfect gifts to give everyone in your life. You didn’t understand what was holding him up. Finally, you decided to help him. 

“What about a new sleek leather camera bag?”

“Yeah, that’s good.”

Good. That was the best adjective he could come up with to describe what you considered to be a very thoughtful gift for his friend. The rest of the day felt almost like agony. You all had spent more time than you had intended at the mall, totaling five hours in what could have only taken a couple of hours. It was five-thirty, almost six. The mall was closing at six. Joe carried most of the bags. It seemed like it was totally against his will which only dampened your mood further. 

You all had gotten Ollo his leather camera bag, Wes his top shelf booze, and his mom a Gucci scarf and gloves. 

“Ready to go, love? They’re closing in thirty minutes. And I don’t know about you but I’m so ready to get out of here and head home.”

“Yeah.”, came your short response. 

You were at the end of your fuse. Walking towards the exit, Joe attempted to grab your hand with his free one. Loosely, you allowed him to intertwine his with yours, hoping he would get the hint. But it didn’t seem that he had yet. The winter wind nipped at your nose as you all walked outside to the car. Joe let go of your hand to unlock the car door. And before he could even attempt to come to your side and open the door for you, you beat him to the punch.

Frustrated and hurt didn’t even begin to describe your emotions right now. Joe looked confused as you slammed the door shut lightly, grabbing your seatbelt and fastening it. You watched in the mirror as he shook it off and loaded all the bags inside the car before getting in himself and starting the car. Your phone automatically linked back up, Christmas songs beginning to play in a loop. You were no longer in the mood to be joyous and in the spirit. 

“Love?”

“Hm?”

“Are you okay? You seem—off.”

Joe tried to start the conversation lightly, easing into it. 

“I’m fine.”, you insisted, crossing your arms.

Your body language definitely indicated otherwise. 

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”, you snapped, almost instantly regretting it but it was enough for him to stop prodding. 

The rest of the car ride home was in silence other than the radio playing upbeat Christmas songs. Ones you would usually sing along to, but not today. Not now. Ten minutes away from home, you cut the radio off  and let the rest of the ride be in complete silence. Joe knew he had fucked up and in a big way. The sun had set by the time you all pulled into your driveway. The outside light illuminated the driveway as he placed the car in park, shutting it off. 

You wasted no time in unbuckling and grabbing your fair share of presents to carry inside.

“Do you have the house keys?”, you asked dryly. 

“Yeah, here.”, Joe handed them to you and he could have sworn you almost ripped them out of his hands. 

He watched as you marched up to the door, unlocking it, and disappeared inside. It took him a few minutes to catch up, but when he entered the house he noticed you had set everything down on the couch and had disappeared into the bedroom. The door was closed. His brown eyes panned to the Christmas tree, the one you always plugged in as soon as you all arrived home from whatever errands you had to run. It sat in darkness. His heart sank knowing something was wrong with you. 

He sat the armful of presents on the couch beside your pile before he hurriedly kicked his shoes off, racing to your all’s shared bedroom. He turned the doorknob but it didn’t open. 

“Baby?”

No answer. You had never given him the silent treatment before. Sighing, he tried the door again but to no avail. It was obvious you didn’t want to be bothered. What had he done that was so wrong? He needed to figure it out and fast. Walking back over to the couch, he sat done on the section that was clear of the pile of presents. What could he do to fix whatever he had broken? The house was silent. The silence only feeding into his dilemma. 

He didn’t have much time to wallow in his woes before his phone dinged. Wasting no time, he picked it up and looked at the name. Wes. 

-Hey. What time are we doing dinner Tuesday?

Joe typed back quickly. 

-We were thinking around six. Does that work?

A swoosh indicated his message had sent. 

It was just a few seconds before his phone dinged again. 

-Sounds good. Finish up your last minute Christmas shopping with Y/N?

He sighed before typing back.

-Yeah, we did. But I feel like she’s mad at me.

-How come?

Joe sighed, beginning to text with a recount of the day. He started from the very beginning and worked his way through your all’s entire day. Joe’s heart sank into his stomach, realizing where and how he had probably went wrong once he saw the entire day in a tangible, typed messaged. From the beginning, he hadn’t seemed very thrilled that you all were going last minute Christmas shopping. Then, he wasn’t exactly thrilled with your music choices. 

-I know Christmas is usually hard for you and it’s not exactly your favorite. Especially since your parents divorced. But it sounds like she was really trying to include you and make you happy this Christmas. It’s your first as an engaged couple.  She may feel like you could care less and she’s hurt by that. 

-How do I fix it?

Joe felt stupid even sending that question to Wes. But he needed an idea where to start. 

-Give in and get in the Christmas spirit. 

Wesley made it sound so easy. But before Wesley could even respond, Joe had an idea brewing in his head. He had been really shitty in the fiancé department today, especially when you tried to include him in the sing-alongs in the car, picking out his friends and family’s Christmas presents (which you helped put a lot of thought in, proving you cared about them just as much as he did), and just making the best of  the day together with someone you loved. 

Rising from the couch, he went over and plugged the tree in. It instantly lit up the small corner of the living room, making it feel more cozy and comfy. He admired it for a moment, the glare of the lights on the tree reflecting on the various pictures of you both hanging on the wall. In all the pictures, you both looked so happy and in love. Step one was complete. 

Joe’s phone dinged again, reminding him that he hadn’t viewed the message from Wes. But he didn’t think he needed to. He knew what he needed to do. Making his way into the kitchen, he flipped on the lights and pulled a few ingredients from the fridge before slipping your very merry apron on. You had a special one just for the holidays to make things a little more festive. He couldn’t help but chuckle under his breath. It made him smile. You did the cutest things. 

His mom always made the best gingerbread cookies at Christmas time. And he was about to attempt to recreate that recipe. They probably wouldn’t be as good as hers, but it was worth a try, right? He had made them with her most of the time, especially when he was a little boy. It was time to keep the tradition alive. What else could be better to set the mood than putting on a little Christmas music? 

He turned on the playlist you had made, specifically for the holidays. You had shared it with him on Spotify. The festive music began filling the house as he mixed the ingredients in a bowl, landing the flour everywhere but where it needed to go. The kitchen almost looked slightly hazy, causing him to laugh lightly. He had to admit this was kinda fun, making him feel a little warm and fuzzy inside. All he needed was you to make this feel complete.

Another idea popped into his brain, one he could maybe use to coerce you out of the bedroom. You loved hot chocolate. Swiss Miss was your favorite with the tiny little marshmallows but you always added some more to give it the perfect amount. Digging in the cabinets, he found a packet. He followed the instructions and heated up a cup of hot water before mixing the packet of hot chocolate mix into it. He managed to find your stash of mini marshmallows and poured a few into the cup, making it look like something out of Hallmark movie. 

He had paused his baking because he needed you to help him finish them. It didn’t feel right to continue on without you. Grabbing your cup of hot chocolate, he closed his eyes and attempted to talk himself up before reaching the bedroom door. He knocked gently. 

“Love. Can you open up?”

A few seconds went by and he wondered if you were going to let him in or continue to shut him out. His hope was fading, a sigh escaping him as he almost turned to go. But you opened the door, sniffling lightly. 

“Joe?”

“Yes, love?”, he spun around carefully, keeping the hot chocolate from spilling. 

“Did you make me—hot chocolate?”

“I did.”

“You added the marshmallows just like I like them.”

He laughed nervously. “Of course I did. I know how much you love them.”

You smiled lightly, your sniffles fading. He could tell you had been crying and that made him feel even worse. It was like a dagger through his heart. He hated seeing you sad and didn’t even want to think about you crying. 

“Look, I’m sorry I’ve been a jerk today. I wasn’t the best fiancé. And for that, I’m sorry. Christmas has just always been a difficult time for me.”, he looked down nervously at his feet before looking back up at you. 

Your face was sympathetic. “Joe.”

“And I realize you were just trying to make me feel better and include me in the holiday festivities. I’m very sorry I was such an ass today.”

“Joe.”

“I love you baby and I just—”

“Joe.”, you spoke louder, trying to gain his attention, finally succeeding even if you had to interrupt his sentence. “Are you making something gingerbread or are you burning one of my candles?”

“I’m attempting to bake using my mother’s recipe for gingerbread man cookies. It only seems fitting you help me—if you want to.” 

“Of course, I do.”, you came closer and leaned in, placing a kiss on his cheek. “And can I have my hot chocolate before it becomes cold chocolate?”, you teased.

“Yeah.”, he laughed nervously before handing it to you, you following behind him.

You noticed he had plugged the tree up, giving light to the living room. It was one of your favorite things at Christmas time. Seeing the tree light up the room in almost complete darkness. 

“You plugged the tree in?”, you asked, taking a sip of your hot chocolate.

It felt like a warm hug. 

“I did.”, he smiled back at you, the sparkle finally in his brown eyes. 

“And you’re playing my Christmas playlist.”

A smirk was creeping across your face. 

“I am.”, he smiled back at you. 

You couldn’t help but smile as you followed him into the kitchen, noticing all the ingredients and gingerbread cookie cutters on the counter hidden in a pile of flour. He was really trying and that meant more to you than anything.

“Christmas has just been hard for me since my parents divorced. I’m sorry—it’s not fair to you. I just remember the holidays being difficult because I had to split time between both sides of my family and between both parents. They love me and I’m thankful for that—I even feel selfish for feeling this way but it was hard when all my friends got to celebrate with their perfect families.”, Joe began rolling the dough out. 

“I’m sorry that it’s been difficult for you, babe. But we have each other now. We’re family—we can start our own traditions. We can see your parents but maybe set some traditions up just for us?”

Joe looked over at you. “I’d love that.”

“Yeah? Me too.”

“Maybe soon we can make these with our kids.”

You giggled. “I’d love that. So much.”

You both leaned in and shared a soft, tender kiss. As you both pulled away to admire each other, your favorite modern Christmas song came on. The one from earlier, the Jonas Brother’s “Like It’s Christmas”. Joe couldn’t help but begin to smirk as you both pulled away. 

The snow on the ground, love in the air

The sleigh bells are ringing

This is what it’s all about

The fire is warm, the angles are singing

Joe watched you intently, smiling from ear to ear as he watched you begin singing the lyrics. It was a matter before he joined in on the second part. 

And I don’t want to miss a single thing

Don’t wanna put end to all this cheer

But as long as you’re with me, it’s always the time of the year 

You both sang the chorus, looking deeply into each other’s eyes as you continued to work on cutting out gingerbread men. 

You make every day feel like it’s Christmas

Never wanna stop

Feeling’ like the first thing on your wishlist

Right up at the top

I can’t deny what I’m feeling inside

Nothin’ fake about the way you bring me to life

You make every day feel like it’s Christmas

Ever day that I’m with you

“You do know the lyrics.”, you teased him, taking another sip of your hot chocolate while raising your eyebrows. 

“Only because it’s true.”

“What’s true?”

“You make everyday feel like it’s Christmas. Like you’re the best present I’ve ever received and you make me the happiest man in the entire world and I can’t wait to marry you.”

“I love you.”, you sighed dreamily. 

“I love you too.”

“Wanna start on that new tradition?”

“And what’s that?”, Joe teased.

“Well, if you’re serious about making these cookies with our own babies in a few years.”

“I’ll meet you in the bedroom.”

“By the way, the holiday apron—very sexy.”, you smirked, sitting your hot chocolate down.

[setsugekka]

『atarashī 』 ; 02

❝ something brewing ❞ | mlist  ｡

student!hongjoong x fem!reader, husband!yeosang x fem!reader — drama, dark romance, mystery, heavy sexual content [4,5k wc] ch cws: talks of pregnancy, trying for a baby, and some of the deeply inherent societal misogyny that can come along with that for women of a certain age.

"When do you think you're coming home?"

With a glass of red wine in hand and winding down from a long week of work, you lean into the cabinet of your kitchen—a forkful of fried rice shoveled into your mouth after the sentence leaves it and your phone set atop the counter—the often missing husband on speaker from the other end.

"Hard to say, might be a few more days to get some paperwork settled, I have a couple more meetings I need to attend and then who knows what might pop up in the meantime, between all of that. You know I miss you, right?"

In theory, yes, you do.

But you don't want to fight, don't want to turn this evening into another one that ends up like so many others, like your birthday days ago. So, you fight back the disappointed sigh, force a chipperness to your voice that probably sounds fake even to the man on the other line, if he knows you as well as he should by now.

"I know you do, I miss you too. I love you."

"I love you too. Enough about my work, how is the new bunch of art hipsters?"

You take a hefty swig of your drink.

"Same as always, I'd say. There's a few that seem really promising already, a couple of the actors are incredibly impressive, one reminds me of my grandmother, actually. I hope she sticks with it, especially."

Yeosang huffs out a laugh on the other end, as if amused by the thought of it.

"Any problem children this year?"

Another mouthful of food down and a shrug that you know your conversation partner can't even see, you answer.

"I don't think so. There's one guy who can't seem to get it together enough to close it out, bombed out of a bunch of other schools in what would appear to be spectacular fashion, but I don't think he's going to be a problem to anyone except for himself. It's really no skin off of mine nor the Akademiya's back if he can't focus enough to graduate."

"Maybe he just needs some inspiration," Yeosang says, though there's a pointed mischievousness to his tone that makes his intent in saying such a thing evident before even going as far as to explicitly say as much. "Maybe he'll like to take you as his muse."

"And I'm sure you would find that just so amusing, wouldn't you?" you jokingly reply back. "Painfully cliché, isn't it? Besides being a happily married woman, I have no interest in fraternizing with the students of the Akademiya, I would imagine it to be largely frowned upon."

"I would imagine so, though equally as much desired by some as a result of that. Don't you silly, artsy types enjoy those sorts of clichés more often than not anyway?"

Yeosang says it in a way that's meant to be comically enjoyed by the both of you; a cute banter between husband and wife, though it always comes off as anything but to you. A point of contention in your relationship for as long as you can remember, your husband's unwillingness to relent as far as his perceived pointlessness of the arts as a whole—the irony embedded within then—when he decided upon marrying a woman so devout to them.

Something that over the years fell to the wayside, however, and you can't quite parse through how much of it has been on account of yourself, or on account of his disapproval of it. Never any outright condemnation of your enjoyment, but equally as much unwilling to ever make himself available to you in such a way.

Silly, artist types, as he would always call them. Not to be taken seriously, not to be regarded as anything more than children now existing well into adulthood but unwilling to cast aside the immaturity that still resides deep within them.

And so, cast it aside you have. Buried deep down, not to be revisited. To be ignored completely and forever.

"Yes, well," you start, pouring yourself another glass of wine, this one fuller than the last. "We do, but not when it results in undesired, real world consequences. I have no inkling of desire for a student five years my junior and with little to nothing going for him."

"You know, speaking of," Yeosang says then, a change of subject sitting at the tip of his tongue. "I've been thinking that maybe it's about time we start trying for a baby."

Your blood runs cold at the mere mention of it, frozen in place and almost certain that you've heard wrong. Surely not.

He must pick up on the hesitation despite the very few seconds of silence that pass through the line. You hear him sigh—like he's disappointed in the fact that you're not jumping at the potential opportunity—which dumbfounds you, because why on earth would you?

"It's been seven years now, I just thought—" he pauses, probably rethinking the course of his thoughts before picking back up again and deciding against the topic entirely. "You know what, forget it. We'll talk about it another time."

"Sorry, I was just...surprised. You brought it up so suddenly."

"It shouldn't be sudden given how long we've been married. We were meant to be on the same page about this. You're thirty now, I'm not saying that you're running out of time but—"

But he is.

You close your eyes, try to pretend that this isn't happening right now with another long sip of wine. Why on earth would you be jumping at the chance to have a baby, knowing perfectly well that in doing so you would effectively be rendered to paid-for-single-motherhood with the frequency in which your husband is not around.

The thought of it makes your skin crawl. You can't say that, however. There's a lot of things that you simply cannot say to him.

"I know, we should talk about it when you're home though. Over a nice dinner and a bottle of wine, perhaps?"

"Are either of those things likely to have you getting off of your birth control?"

You've been here before: the dead end of any particular conversation topic with Yeosang. Where further discussion on the matter nearly impossible to reach any sort of positive result. Best to back down now, nothing good will come of the rest of your evening over the phone together.

"I'm going to head into the office early tomorrow to get a little bit of extra paperwork done, still a lot of small things that need to be done around the theater hall," you say. It's not entirely a lie—fully intending to do just that—but more than anything and most importantly, it's an excuse for you to end the phone call. "I should probably get to bed."

"Yeah, me too. I'll call you tomorrow when I have some time. Get some rest, I love you."

You say you love him back, but in times like this, you aren't quite sure what the words are meant to feel like anymore.

Nine in the morning echoes through the narrow, ornate halls of the theater building—an otherwise quiet emptiness that emanates around you on account of the students' typical disinterest in being there on the weekends. You understand the feeling well, though often unable to turn yourself off in quite the same way.

Balancing a small stack of papers and folders in your arms, you make your way towards your office. Phone calls to make, contractors to meet, signatures to sign—another full day of mundane tasks ahead of you with little to no reprieve in sight.

Dull. A lifeless existence you've resigned yourself to over the years; tending to a building that most lack care for, little to discuss with anyone most nights, and especially not your husband.

Amid quick strides across vermillion carpet, as you pass one of the closed doors to a smaller theater room—a small noise heard within, like a conversation being held between people. Words spoken and muffled by the large, wooden doors; you can't make them out even when you pause and press your ear closer towards it, but more than that comes to shock at someone else being on the premises aside from yourself.

You inch closer yet, slowly, and just before your head makes contact with the obstruction, it opens.

A cuss escapes you on account of the impact—it's sudden and hard enough that it has you stumbling back and dropping the handful of things that you've been carrying—papers scattering, you hissing, and the sound of a man hurriedly rushing to your aid in the aftermath of the flurry.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry—"

You rub your forehead with your palm, wince at the pain, crack your eyes open finally to see who it is that you have to wish only the worst things upon for having you end up like this.

He reaches out toward you, albeit awkwardly, unsure of what to do to help. While your vision focuses on him, he instead must decide on gathering your things—it's more helpful, surely.

"I didn't think anyone else was here, I was told no one else was here on the weekends."

"Yeah, well," you groan first, finally focusing on the sight of Hongjoong finishing his self-imposed task and then settling on his knees before you. "Typically there's no students here on the weekends. What are you doing here, anyway?"

Handing you the stacks of papers, Hongjoong smiles. As if knowing something that you do not.

"You were eavesdropping, weren't you?"

You glance up at him through your eyelashes, meet his eyes for a long moment and then bring yourself back up to your feet. He follows suit, watching you all the while.

"I would hardly call it eavesdropping when I'm the one tasked with making sure this place stays up and running. If I hear something suspicious, then I'm going to investigate it."

His smile widens.

"Was met with a sudden wave of inspiration for a garment, I don't have a dress form at home, and I was told that this space is available whenever to students. So, I came."

There's a few beats of silence that wash over the both of you—eyes glued to each other’s as if engaging in an unspoken game of chess. The first to relent unabashedly the loser, though you're not quite sure what winning might entail either.

You clear your throat, the weight of his gaze upon you feeling heavier and heavier with each passing second. Shuffle where you stand, dropping your eyes to the floor.

But you can feel that he is still watching you.

"Is that not true?" he asks, a hinting in his tone indicating that he knows the answer already.

"It is, you are welcomed to come and go as you please as a student of the Akademiya."

"Perfect," Hongjoong replies, airy, plain lips still painted with a slight smile. "Are you interested in costuming?"

The sudden tangent takes you by surprise, becoming painfully aware of the weight of the items still hanging in your arms as you give your brain a moment to play catch up with all of the bizarre things that seem to be unfolding around you. Frankly, if you didn't know any better—you might think the guy to be lightly flirting with you.

Hongjoong seems to notice as much, reaches out to take the stack once again and instead of holding onto it, sets the pile onto a stray chair that's hanging in the hallway just beside them.

"Lemmie show you something."

His hand reaches out behind himself—fingers brushing against your own in an effort to guide—you pull away just after, creating space between you even though you accept the invitation to follow him through the doorway and inside of the room. It's small, much smaller than the others that line the halls, and little more resides inside other than a dress form with fabrics draped over it, numerous swatches decorating a handful of chair-tops, and a large sketchbook sitting open in full display on the embarrassingly dirty floor.

Something that must have slipped past you in your attempt to tidy up the place for the school year ahead, you apologize to him for the inconvenience—tell him that you'll have it taken care of today—though he seems none bothered by the fact at hand.

Hongjoong's hair is cleaner today, more finely cared for and parted down the middle. Brushed, better put together than how he typically presents during the school week. Clean, fitted jeans and a nice blazer over his shirt. It's nothing fancy, but he looks nice.

"You didn't answer my question, by the way," he says suddenly, your attention snapping back to him and out of your thoughts about him. "About costuming."

"Oh, right," you acknowledge, though your attention is split between the conversation and any other tasks that may need taking care of. "A little bit. It's not something I've ever given a lot of attention to I suppose."

Hongjoong glances over his shoulder at that, seemingly amused by it. "Acting then?"

"Painting, actually."

"Ah," he sighs, bending down to the floor and picking up his sketchbook. He hands it to you. "Done anything in this place?"

Taking the large book of paper from him, you look up at him, then glance down towards it.

"A couple of things, though you'd never know it."

Hongjoong's attention to you falls away once again, hands reaching up to wind into the fabrics pinned onto the white dress form that stands in the middle of the room—back to work, as if you're not even there at all. In that time, you flip through a couple of pages of what he has given you; drawings and loose, messy sketches adorning the papers in numerous colors and outlines, but always beautifully connecting into something that shines against the bland background.

You blink a couple of times, in something of a bit of shock at what you're seeing. You glance up towards him once again—none of his attention given towards you or what you may think of his work—hands still busy winding, pinning and tying in front of him.

"These are good," you say, quietly, not wanting to interrupt his process. "Really good. How is it that—"

You catch yourself halfway through the thought, curse yourself for having even started to say it as you continue to look at him and the way his eyes sling to the side to meet yours.

"That I've not managed to graduate yet?"

"I'm sorry—"

Hongjoong laughs, takes a pause from his work and shakes his head. "It's okay, it's a fair enough question."

Waltzing across the path that separates the both of you and stepping over a small collection of fabric swatches, Hongjoong takes the sketchbook back from your hands, glances through a couple of the pages himself as if not having seen the things that rest inside for himself in quite some time. A trip down memory lane, as it would seem, and a small glimmer of what one might read as hope sparkling in his eyes as he looks at what he's done throughout the years.

"I wouldn't say that the issue is so much my talent; my raw, innate ability to create, to make something beautiful. Attention to detail, finding the divinity in something—or creating it—has never been the problem. Rather, there's probably a part of me that's absolutely terrified of the commitment of moving onto another chapter of my life."

You smile, let out a small laugh at it all. "That's a lot of words to say you're a commitmentphobe."

He shrugs. "Change is scary, unless it's temporary enough that the only thing that results from it is blowing up some major facet of my life."

"I'm sure your girlfriend loves that," you joke in response. Both of your eyes meet after, Hongjoong sets the sketchbook down onto the floor and slowly makes his way back to his work at the dress form as you continue to fumble over your words. "Or boyfriend, or whatever."

"Don't have one," Hongjoong says, sticking a pin between his teeth to hold onto. His eyes narrow then in a way that you've become bizarrely accustomed to in such a short amount of time spent with him—devilish, something lightheartedly coy and almost flirtatious in delivery. "What about you? Betrothed to anyone or just this place?"

"Married, actually," you reply, an uncomfortable tremble to your voice. Hongjoong's unrelenting stare remains steadfast on you all the while. Little time passing but feeling like far more. "Not to this place, to a man."

"That's good, I'd be worried for you if you weren't seeing anyone or anything but this building."

"Yeah, well, my husband spends most of the year traveling for business so—" you pause, close your eyes and re-center yourself. "Sorry, not really appropriate conversation to be having with students, is it?"

Hongjoong chuckles under his breath, still tending to his craft and seemingly wholly unbothered by the topic brought before him.

"Well, you're not my professor, you don't even work for the Akademiya, and thus I'm not your student," he pauses again, pulls a pin from between his teeth and sticks it into a fold of blue chiffon. "Besides, I'm twenty-five, you don't exactly have to shield my young, innocent eyes from the horrors of adult relationships. My parents are divorced, I've been through a fair share of my own in the meantime."

Silence takes the room then, and while you grant yourself some time to watch the man earnestly tend to his artistic craft, it's not long until you remember the fact that you have tasks that require your attention today as well.

"I've got to get going, I have work to do."

The man doesn't reply, another fold of blue chiffon pinned to the dress form as you bid him farewell.

Later that evening, the wind blows cold through the moistened streets of the city as you make your way through winding passages of parked vehicles and unpleasantly placed construction signs. The misplaced leaves blow violently around you, lodged in your hair and stuck to your coat before you're able to finally make your way to the destination that awaits you.

Seonghwa stands just out front of the dimly lit bar like a beacon of comfort, a soft smile greeting you once you bring yourself up the steps and inside of the building with the door held open by him.

Inside, the warmth of a fireplace and a small amount of other patrons welcomes you in much of the same way that your friend just had. Your first time here, though you're already pleased by the sights of a candlelit ambiance and intricate, decorative little knickknacks all lining the walls for as far as the eye can see. To some perhaps it is crowded, overbearing—but for you, it feels right at home.

"Weather is horrid," Seonghwa says as he slips ahead, motions for you to follow him towards one of the tables at the back of the room. "Hadn't planned for that when I asked you if you'd like to come out."

The two of you sit and a member of the staff is quick to come and take your orders, disappearing just as swiftly as they had come.

"It's okay, I needed the distraction anyway, I've been bogged down with work back at Aurelia. I'm still not quite sure how so many things break down in the small time between semesters."

"It's an old building," Seonghwa begins, cut off by the waitstaff returning with your drinks then carrying on with the thought again. "Things are going to break, unfortunately. Speaking of, how are the new underlings?"

You laugh at the nickname given to the students, as if they are your own and thus under your thumb. Coffee mug in hand, you take a sip and look carefully to Seonghwa across the table—studying his face as if in search of something. He notices it, features twisting into confusion and reels back slightly.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"We've been friends for a long time, right? I can...talk to you about things."

He glances around the both of you, still searching for something and nothing all at once. The answers to the question and what's going on at this table, presumably, he won't find them though. "Yes? Why?"

You set your mug down, lean forward across the table a little bit more to close the wide distance between both of you.

"There's one student, a costuming major—"

"A man?"

"Yes."

Seonghwa flinches visibly at the reply.

"I think he's taken some sort of...particular interest in me, for some reason." You take another sip from your mug and watch on, awaiting a response from the man across the way.

He takes a few seconds of silence, thinking over what you've said most likely. His eyes drop to look down into the liquid of his glass, and then flicker up to meet your expectant ones.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Sighing, you lean back into your chair lazily. "I don't know, I think it's intriguing. I don't know why he would, but he is fascinating."

A single eyebrow quirks up on Seonghwa's face. "Does he know that you're married?"

Part of you wonders if he's asking you, or reminding you of the fact.

"Yes, I told him as much."

"Did he seem to...care much for that?"

"In what way is he meant to care for it?"

To that, Seonghwa sighs heavily—pulls himself forward across the table much like you had only moments before and laces his fingers together like a man intent of delivering an important presentation of some sort. Or perhaps lecture is a better, more apt word.

"In much of the same way that you are. I know that with Yeosang gone much of the time it gets lonely and the prospect of new and exciting attention is likely nothing short of intoxicating, but the stakes are rather low for whoever this student is—" Seonghwa pauses, allowing the emphasis on that particular word to sink in even further before carrying on. "It's probably not a good idea to pay it much mind."

"Are you done?" you ask. Pointed, annoyed but not wanting to let it show in a way that may sour the mood of the evening any more than Seonghwa has already allowed for. "I said that I found it intriguing, not that I was considering slipping between the sheets with him, my God."

It feels as though the entire room quiets once the two of you finish with those words shared. Seonghwa leans back in his chair again, takes his glass into his hands and brings it up to his lips before muttering his apologies through it and towards you.

"I'm sorry, it's just that as your friend I know how difficult the past few years have been for you—with your job, with your marriage—it's easy to let things slip through the cracks once they're there at all. I wasn't saying it as a judgement upon you."

You blink slowly, frown at him and reach a hand across the table in request for his own. He's fast to take it, curling your lips pleasantly the other way.

"I know. Truthfully, I look at the guy more as a little excitement in my life; like visiting the pet store and watching the bunnies hop around knowing full well that you have no intention of taking one home."

Seonghwa laughs at the comparison. "Does he know that he's a bunny in your life?"

"I don't think he thinks he's anything in my life, and he would be right about that."

Nodding in acceptance of the answer, the waitstaff come with a small loaf of cut, buttered garlic bread in a wicker basket for snacking. You're quick to take one into hand, Seonghwa a bit slower, still with more on his mind to question you with.

"How is Yeosang, anyway? Still gone I presume?"

You nod much in the same way. "He doesn't know when he's going to be able to come home, nothing unusual there, I suppose. Actually, he recently brought up something..."

Words trailing off into nothingness at the end, it piques Seonghwa's curiosity just that much more than it normally might. He takes a bite into the bread, mumbles through a full mouth.  "Brought up what?"

"That he wants to start trying for a baby soon."

Seonghwa reels—lip turning upwards into an ugly sight as if the very thought of it disgusts him.

"A baby? He's never even here, what's he want to have a baby for?"

Your demeanor gives off a silent understanding of I know, right? but you offer him a verbal reply along with it.

"That's sort of how I feel about it."

"That's the most insane thing I've ever heard," he says, taking another bite of the snack food in hand. "Guy spends maybe a quarter of the year at most in the city and he wants to get you pregnant. For what?"

The question isn't intended for you, not exactly. It's intended for a man who is not there to answer it—expelled into the ether with no hopes of a response—not that you nor Seonghwa think you will be sated by any possible reply that you could come by.

"Well, you didn't ask, but don't do that. I'm not really up for playing husband like I know I'd get stuck doing in the event of you getting pregnant."

You roll your eyes. "But playing husband comes with so many perks."

"College was a long time ago," Seonghwa replies, knowingly perfectly well the implications of your past together with him that you are alluding to. "I had my fill of you then, you're of far more use to me not on your back."

Feigning an offended gasp, you halfheartedly toss a napkin across the table at him—the both of you laughing.

"Seriously though, Yeosang needs to spend more time home and fucking you. If you're coming onto me again, and being woo'd by a young twenty-something student from the Akademiya then there's a lot of problems going on within the marital residence."

"I wouldn't sleep with you again if I was injected with poison through my cunt and the only antidote was kept in your dick," you insist plainly enough, and now he is the one drowning in pretend-hurt from across the way.

Leaning over the table again, Seonghwa smirks at you—looking positively evil over the flickering of candlelight that resides beneath him and in the middle of the table.

"Ah, but if it's in an Akademiya student’s dick, well then—"

Fingers dipped in your water glass and quickly flicked into the face of your best friend, he flinches with shock at what you've done to him—how could you—he hatefully whispers through a laugh that you both carry between yourselves.

Unlikely that you're to live this one down, that much is for certain.

a/n: ah geez the trouble is brewing! enjoy the calm before the storm yall because it’s gonna get crazy and fast. if you have stuff to discuss, my ask box is the best way and i’m always happy to talk about the stories and characters! other than that, hope you enjoyed, thank you for reading, and see you next time!

[fancifulplaguerat]

Need to rant about the Marble Nest because I just. I cannot get over it. It is everything to me. Every time I hear “Birdies... birdies... Gather ye here...” I want to eat door hinges and run up the walls and put myself in a blender

There’s something utterly tragic to me about the image of Daniil lying in bed delirious and feverish and dying while these children who care about this weird Capital doctor so much are trying to break his fevers like he taught them to, and it fucks me up even more considering when Spichka asks Daniil who looks after him when he’s sick Daniil just. Doesn’t answer him. And the narrator’s line (I love that they got Martin Cooke he absolutely ate and imo elevates the entire game) “a warm, dry hand seemed to have touched your forehead soothingly. It’s going to be all right” OH MY GOD I just. I can only wretch and sob about the fact that Daniil is being taken care of and at least for a moment he feels like it’s all going to be okay, exactly as he’s been saying throughout the beginning. Also when the narrator says “Somewhere, bells are chiming, softly. Bells are chiming around the marble nest. The bells, are chiming, softly.” Not only does Cooke’s delivery make me feral beyond words (particularly that last one where he whispers ‘softly’) but I mean. surely this is referring to Daniil hearing his own goddamn funeral bells which just SCREAMING CRYING BITING SCRATCHING COMMITTING UNSPEAKABLE ACTS. 

Plus when Spichka warns Daniil against giving Shrew nuts because, as we learn, Shrew wants to let Daniil die. I unfortunately can’t find the exact quote but I believe Spichka says smth about how Shrew doesn’t think it’s right for Daniil to suffer as he is (there is blood in my mouth !!!!!). She clearly just wants Daniil to rest and not be in pain anymore; she thinks she can create a Focus so she can still talk to him. I’m also Highly Emotional about Spichka because he’s so adamant about Daniil continuing to live, even if it’s just in his fever dream, this poor kid just wants Daniil to keep going. These kids have known Daniil Bitchelor for all of ten days and they care about him so much !!! 

I’m also hung up on everyone telling Daniil that he doesn’t know how to die properly, especially when Aspity likens him to a child covering his eyes because he doesn’t want to see the truth, which gets me too because it makes me think about how defeated and afraid Daniil probably is when he realizes what’s going on. I think it’s even more tragic in the sense that Daniil is dying having failed to meet Simon and save Thanatica, failed to prove death can be conquered, and couldn’t even protect the Town from the plague, either, and I can’t imagine Daniil would handle any of that well. I feel like he’d think everything—plague and all—was his fault, especially with the context of the Executor/Death saying, “Who was the murderer: a sickness that let no second go to waste—or you, who bothered not to hurry? I think it’s the latter.” 

Also when Daniil does agree to die properly and the Executor tells Daniil “Give me your hand,” and Daniil can say “Here it is”,,,,,, Yes I am being dramatic but actually it makes me insane to imagine Daniil finally taking Death’s hand after fighting it for so many years. Even though I love this horrible little man with all my heart, I disagree with his whole “no more death” thing. I’m not going to like. Expound on my philosophy about death here aafnkgk but suffice it to say I like the idea of Daniil accepting that death is not something that can be defeated; though, I don’t think his idealism is useless or a negative trait, only that it has to be tempered with some realism. 

So here is as good a point as any to scream about endings. 

It's a cycle. A pause. Things will change. And the day starts anew.

That. Tjat second sentence is lodged in my cortex and it is not coming out I ougghh I love stories that repeat so much. And I’ve played the Marble Nest just. Too many times (and I’ll do it again) and I might be imagining it, because I’ve never seen anyone else talk about it, but every time I’ve gotten a different ending the game is a little different when I play it again. I find that extremely immersive if I’m not just gaslighting myself, because it puts the player in the same situation as Daniil, with things changing subtly; you get to accompany Daniil on his Fun Fever Delirium Death Adventure. On the one hand I think it’s a little painful that Daniil is going to just live in this delirium forever, but on the other one, I like how Daniil’s decision to repeat the day encapsulates continuing to fight for life, even if it seems hopeless or in vain.  It feels very “Do not go gentle into that good night / Rage, rage against the dying of the light"

And finally The transition is real, and the timeline continues. So does the entity I call myself.

I don’t want to get into meta too much, but. I kind of like this line knowing people have written/drawn/etc. endings to this nightmare where Artemy saves him with panacea (Magpie Crown’s “Conjunction of Spheres” animatic !!). All these different endings people have given Daniil’s story in general. This is silly but I like to think of it as yeah, The Powers That Be played a cruel game with you, but other people are kinder to you (or make you suffer more, depends on their persuasion). Your story keeps going, depending on who picks up the thread, you’re going to keep going. 

Anyway everyone go watch CodexEntry’s video on the Marble Nest <3