#dare I say I enjoyed this doctors trip

[ghostickle]

Never in my life have I had a doctor call me the right name AND pronouns especially without me having to talk to them first I’m so happy

[plathfiles]

Ok but what if Felix x fem!reader and Oliver is tryin to kill her first yk but fails like maybe Felix walks in and Oliver tries to lie n cover it up type of thing or that reader just ended up in a small coma? Am I ok to request this?

please i love this, honestly a sucker for angst so thank you for sending this to me 😵🫶🏻

i hope you enjoy xx

❧❧❧❧

pairing: felix catton x fem! reader

warnings: attempted murder, physical abuse, angst but with a happy ending, oliver is his own warning. lmk if i missed anything

masterlist

You had found out Oliver’s secret. He was lying to Felix and everyone about his family.

One day you and Oliver were sun bathing, waiting for Felix to return from a discussion with Farleigh. Oliver was wondering what was taking so long so he went over to where they were. He’d left his phone on his chair and it started to ring.

It was his mother. Curious, you answered the call. That was when you found out everything. The lie about his Father, his financial status, everything. You were in shock and also angry. How dare Oliver take advantage of Felix like that. How dare he take advantage of your friendship.

You planned to confront him and that’s exactly what you went to do. Walking back into the castle, you saw Oliver walking up the stairs.

“Hey Ollie!” You shouted. He turned around and looked at you with confusion. You tossed him his flip phone.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” You asked, your protective side coming out.

“Y/n, you’re acting strange. I don’t know what you mean?” Oliver said, although on the inside he was nervous.

Oliver and you were both on the stair case, he was above you and you were closer to the ledge.

“I know you lied. I know everything! About your father and where you come from. You’re a fucking liar, Ollie,” you said, looking up at him defensively.

With him being on the stairs, he was taller than you. Oliver walked down a couple steps, to match your eyesight.

“How could you have possibly found out?” Oliver asked, his voice now lower and more intense. It wasn’t a denial and you took a step back.

“Your mother called. She wanted to send you a card for your birthday,” you snapped.

“You should be careful. You might trip,” Oliver said. He needed to get rid of you. Or else you would mess up his plans.

You stood your ground, “I’m going to tell Felix. In fact I’m going to tell everyone,” you said lowly, looking directly into Ollie’s eyes.

In an instant, Oliver’s hand went around your neck, choking you. “You are not going to tell a soul. Is that clear?” He asked, almost teasingly.

You panicked and tried to pull away from him, but when you did you fell down the bottom of the stairs. Everything went pitch black.

At that moment, Felix and Farleigh had walked into the room. Farleigh only saw you fall but Felix saw Oliver’s hand around your throat and then saw you collapse down the stairs.

Felix’s heart broke, seeing you unconscious at the bottom of the stairs.

“Oh my god! did you push you her?” Farleigh yelled in shock.

Oliver looked at Farleigh and Felix. “It was an accident. She was going to attack me,” Oliver said, trying to play the victim.

Felix didn’t care though, he knew what he saw. And he wanted answers. But first you need to go a hospital.

“Y/n, baby please wake up,” Felix said, hovering over you on his knees. He lifted your head up and some of your body but you were out cold.

“Felix I—,” Oliver began to say, but Felix looked up at him in pure anger.

“Go. Now. Before I do something I’ll have to cover up,” Felix threatened. If looks could kill then Oliver would be a dead man.

Farleigh called Elsbeth and Sir James and the family immediately called the fastest doctor they could find.

That was the thing about being rich, you could get anything delivered to you at any time.

One of the guest rooms was turned into a hospital room. You still hadn’t woken up and Felix wouldn’t leave your side. The doctor said you weren’t in grave danger. But just in a small coma because of the impact of your head hitting the stone floor and the loss of oxygen from being choked.

Felix was angry at Oliver. Oliver had went to his room after Felix threatened him. Duncan had locked the door.

Felix would get his answers soon. But he knew he wouldn’t believe Oliver in the slightest. He had no right to put his hands on you.

Felix stayed by your side the entire night. You still hadn’t woken up and he was worried you never would. He took your hand and squeezed it comfortingly, he needed you to know that he was by your side.

Then, as if you’d felt Felix’s touch, you slowly opened your eyes.

“Felix,” you said, your voice soft and hoarse.

Felix’s heart leaped and he smiled when you awoke. “Y/n, darling. I’m here,” he said, softly.

“Felix,” you said, beginning to cry. You thought you were going to die. You didn’t know Oliver could do those horrible things.

“Shh it’s okay, lovely girl. I got you. You are safe,” Felix comforted. “I’m not going to let anybody hurt you,” he insisted.

Your stomach filled with butterflies and a small wave of comfort washed over you.

“But Oliver—he, he’s not who you say he is,” You said, looking at Felix like you would need hours to convince him.

But Felix wanted him out of the house for just purely putting his hands on you. When hearing this though, Felix raised a brow.

“How do you mean?” He asked. And you explained. The call with his mother, the confused questions you asked when you heard that his father really wanted to see Oliver.

Felix’s face broke and grew in concern. He felt like an idiot. How could he have put his trust in such a person? How could he have let someone like him anywhere near you?

“I’m so sorry, Felix. I know you two are close,” you said, tears streaming delicately down your face.

Felix shook his head. “Don’t apologize. I should apologize to you. I’ll fix this. We’ll have Oliver out of the house by the end of the day,”

“And when we return to Oxford?” You asked, Felix wiped your tears away with the pads of his thumb.

“We won’t see him back at Oxford, I promise,” Felix replied. “Get some rest. I’ll be right here and I’ll protect you.”

You nodded and closed your eyes. As soon as you fell asleep, Felix called his father into the room. Felix never left your side but told his father that Oliver needed to be removed from the house and a restraining order needed to be placed on him.

Felix would never let anything like this happen again. Not to the people he loves—especially you.

[ukiiseikou]

these hands that saved me, they're so fragile.

tartaglia x gn! reader. when you take a hit for him. he's referred to by his real name here.

you wouldn't really call yourself a fighter per say, more of an scholar or explorer. but like everyone else in the village, you knew some basic self defense - like how to hold a bow properly and the best way to wield a knife and cut through flesh. when you finally started dating ajax, he taught you how to throw a punch properly, with your fist as tight as possible and not with your thumb tucked into your palm, "because it'll break that way".

he's brought you on several trips already - fatui missions, you know, but he swears he has the time to lounge around and accompany you on your survey of various local offerings, and he makes well on his promises, despite the bruises and extra cuts he has to go through to clean up in time. you always scold him - don't go into a battle without a clear head! - but he laughs and says that it'll be a waste to come all the way here with his favourite person and not enjoy it.

you know he has his fair share of enemies - people who would do anything to take his head off. ajax jumps at any chance to fight - like a wolf that just learnt to bare it's teeth and fight tooth and nail with reckless abandonment. he comes home bloodied and bruised nine times out of ten, always with an apology hanging by his lips as you sit him down and wipe away the splash of blood on his cheek.

you've had your own close run-ins with his foes - even after ajax made an example out of the first group that dared to touch a hair of you, the fatui's enemies pinpointed you as the weakness of the eleventh harbinger - a surefire way of getting under his skin and catching him by surprise.

"i'll protect you," he murmurs every so often in your ear at night, arms tightening around your waist as he buried his head in the crook of your shoulder, "i'll be your knight."

"i know, ajax," you've always whispered back, smoothing back ginger curls and leaving a tender kiss on his forehead.

so that's why you didn't second guess yourself and threw yourself in the line of an arrow heading towards him in his blind spot. a sniper perched in a tree that quickly slinked off when the arrowhead pierced the flesh of your shoulder and you cried out in pain.

the overwhelming sensation of pain overtakes all your senses, you can barely hear ajax call out your name and you don't register him catching you in his arms and frantically patting you on your cheek. the taste of blood fills your mouth and your eyes water at the sensation - and smell of iron in the air.

your vision fades to black.

"i'll keep an eye on them. thanks for coming around, doctor."

ajax's voice finally makes it over the noise and his face finally makes it into focus in your vision. you vaguely register that you're on a bed and you can't feel the entirety of your left side.

"ajax?" you manage to croak out. you hear frantic feet against the floor and his face pops into view, brows drawn together in worry. the bed creaks under his weight as he sits on the bed beside you, leaning over your body.

"the doctor said that most people usually take 3 hours to wake up," he mutters, and you manage to catch it as he scans over you with scrutiny.

"guess i'm not most people," you manage to raise your right arm to give him at quick tap on his hand, which immediately moves to grasps yours and give you squeeze.

"does it hurt?"

"not really. can't feel it at all, actually."

he lets out a satisfied hum, before his blue eyes turn steely again.

"what you did was stupid. why did you do that - for me?"

"hey," you muster enough strength to squeeze his hand back in response, "it goes both ways, ajax. if you were me, you would done the same."

he fumes, because he knows you're right. he would rather throw himself to the flames than to watch anyone hurt you, and he knows that if he starts scolding you all you would do is do the same thing back to him.

he settles for sighing, playing with your fingers.

"i only wish it didn't have to be that way. i'm sorry, it's all on me. i should've been better."

he places your hand on his cheek, feeling the warmth against his skin.

"ajax," you say softly as his eyes close, "i told you before - i chose to be with you. i knew what i was getting into. so don't say sorry, okay?"

you watch as he inhales, then exhales, again.

"you really are the best, you know?"

not my best work but i suddenly felt the urge. like or reblog if you enjoyed thank you~

[lesbianpepsi]

'Cause I'm a jealous, jealous, jealous girl

Pairing: Tara Carpenter x Fem!reader

Summary: A visit to the doctors was only supposed to bring good health, not jealousy.

Warnings: dislocated ankle, tripping, swearing, jealous tara...?, bad writing, not proof-read

Words: 6.634k (ik.)

A/N: i fucking suck at summary's. but on a happier note i've finished all my exams, yay. my enthusiasm can clearly be detected. my first shift at a new job is tomorrow and i am shitting dicks from nerves, it's at a icecream shop but that doesn't make me less nervous rvkjnoxnoa. anyway, hope you enjoy this!!<33

part II

“It cannot be topped. The Babadook is top tier and nothing will change my mind.” 

You rolled your eyes as you turned your head to look at Tara, raising your eyebrows slightly. “You’re such a snob when it comes to horror it’s unreal.” Tara gave you a fake hurt look at your comment, you could tell she’s faking it since the girl has a small smile on her pink lips.

“How am I a snob just because I enjoy horror movies that aren’t teens getting killed at a camp that has some cheesy name like ‘Camp Cover.’” 

“Don’t you dare disrespect Friday the Thirteenth or Sleepaway Camp like that!”

Throughout your and Tara’s walk around Central Park the topic of horror movies has been one the two of you debating on. You taking the side of defending slashers meanwhile Tara taking the side that elevated horror is much better. 

Did you expect your peaceful walk with your crush best friend would turn into a horror movie debate? No, but it didn’t surprise you either. In fact horror is what made you and Tara even become friends.

You had been at a party and after a while it had died down and you ended up with a group of people sitting in the living room putting on a horror movie. After a few arguments on what to put on everyone decided to simply put on the latest Halloween movie, Halloween Ends. 

You weren’t particularly enjoying the film much and ended up chatting with a girl named Anika while the movie played. At the halfway mark of the movie a poor drunken soul asked a question that ended up turning into a full on debate in the group. 

“Who would win in a fight, Micheal or Jason?”

Almost immediately after the person uttered those words people started voicing their opinions.

“Micheal obviously, he’s been in the game longer than Jason.” 

“Micheal. Literally nothing kills him meanwhile Jason has been killed a shit ton of times.” 

“Jason is a mommy’s boy who didn’t even show up till the second movie. Definitely Micheal.” 

You were alarmed with the amount of comments made slamming Jason, so naturally you went to defend him. Your strongest argument was the fact Jason was factually stronger than Micheal, something everyone had to accept. 

“Sure Micheal did crush someone's skull with his boot in the twenty eighteen Halloween, but in Jason Takes Manhattan Jason literally punched a guy's head off. Jason would destroy Micheal.” 

You knew you were on the right side since even horror nerd Mindy agreed with you before going on a much longer speech. 

Not long after Mindy had finished her speech most had either gotten bored and left or decided to head home anyway. but a small group of you still stayed to finish the movie, one of those people being Tara. 

“I bet Mindy’s glad somebody else agreed with her.” Was the first words Tara ever said to you. To which you replied with. “I’m just surprised how many people underestimate Jason.” 

And the rest is history.

You became closer with Tara and all of her friends and after a few months even snagged the ‘best friend’ title, but it only took you a few weeks for Tara to snag the ‘crush’ title for you, something you’d take to the grave. 

On this particular sunny day Tara has begged you to join her for a walk, in the beginning you declined since it’s boiling and would’ve much preferred to stay inside in your room reading. Unfortunately for you, you and Tara both know you can’t say no to her. 

That’s how you and Tara ended up walking around Central Park talking about random things until the topic of horror movies came up.

Tara rolled her eyes as she shook her head in amusement, staring up at you as the two of you walked. “Alright then, what’s your top three horror movies then?” She questioned with a raised eyebrow, her smile turning into a playful one.

“Easy. You’re Next, My Bloody Valentine and,” You pursed your lips as you tried to think of your third favourite names such as Bride of Chucky, Ready or Not, Stab, Evil Dead, Halloween, Friday the Thirteenth swirled in your mind until one particular movie landed in your mind. 

“Hush.” You finally added with a confident smile, taking a few extra steps in front of Tara as you turned your entire body to face her, walking backwards. “You’re Next has one of the best female leads who fights fucking back and even kills the douchebag brother with a blender. Iconic. My Bloody Valentine is easily one of the best horror movies that came out in the eighties, tied with Sleepaway Camp and The Thing. For the eighties the gore is insanely well done and its plot and acting is just spectacular.” 

You took a second to catch your breath before you began to talk about your final favourite horror movie. 

“Hush is one of the most underrated horror movies in history, don’t even try to change my opinion on that.” Tara lets out a small giggle that makes your heart skip a beat at the angelic sound. “Its plot is downright scary and the acting by Kate Siegel is truly out of this world for this role of Maddie. An intense movie that in my opinion was one of the best one of that year.” 

As you carried on talking the more engorged you got into the topic meaning you simply got even more excited like a puppy getting a treat. Your smile at its best as you walked with a slight bounce, your eyes focused on Tara’s dark chocolate brown ones. 

“Honourable mentions are definitely the classics such as Halloween, Stab, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the Thirteenth and Nightmare on Elm Street. Without a doubt each movie holds one of the most infamous horror villains ever made. Micheal Myers, Ghostface, Leatherface, Jason Voorhees and Freddy Kruger. Even if you don’t like horror you still would know those names.” 

Just as you finished your sentence you went to turn back around to actually look where you’re walking, you spun around quickly as you tried taking a step forward. Apparently your pain couldn’t handle the simple task which inevitably ended up with you falling to the ground, landing on your ankle funny. 

You groaned as you could feel the harsh pain in your left ankle already, looking down at your legs before you turned to look for Tara who is crouched next to you already, a worried look on her face.

“Are you alright?” She asked in a rushed tone as she looked you up and down, a small frown tugging at her lips. The small crease between her brows told you she’s worried, one hand behind your neck and the other on your side confirming that thought. 

You give a stiff nod as you push yourself up with your arms, biting at your bottom lip to not let out a strangled yell at the pain radiating from your ankle at the movement. “Peachy.” You mumbled through clenched teeth as you give her a non-convincing smile. 

The brunette gives you a ‘are you being serious’ look as she swiftly moves one of her hands to grab yours, the feeling of her hand in yours erupting butterflies to go off in your stomach.

Not the time to have a gay panic, you mentally yell at yourself.

“It’s just a scrape, Tar.” You reassured as you manoeuvred your right leg to try to stand up, Tara swiftly stood up herself as her grip on your hand only tightened. The second you moved your left foot the pain increased, you bit at your bottom lip roughly to stop yourself from screaming. 

Deciding to simply fight through the pain you placed your right foot flatly on the ground, ready to stand up. You look at Tara who looked down at you with an even more worried expression than before.

 “Help me up?” You asked which she did, she began pulling you up slowly until you had to place your left foot flat on the ground to stand up, deciding to bite the bullet your roughly moved your foot to place it flat. 

The second you felt your left foot make contact with the ground you stood up quickly, tears swelling up in your eyes at the immense pain radiating from your ankle.

“Y/n I don’t think it’s just a scrape.” The worried Tara announced as she took a step closer to you and placed a hand on your shoulder comfortingly.

You smiled softly at her as you shook your head ‘no’. “Alright then a bruise, which is still manageable.” Tara gave you a pointed look as she gazed into your eyes, her soft dark brown eyes making your knees feel weak. 

“I don’t believe you.” She states.

“I’m fine. I swear, T.” You replied as you squeezed her hand in reassurances, trying to ignore the horrible pain in your ankle. You didn’t want to worry the girl even further.

The smaller girl insists on a silent staring content as she challenges you, if you back down that means she’s right and you’re wrong, if she backs down that means she’ll drop it for now. Your gaze never breaks as your eyes bore into hers, an eyebrow raised challengingly. 

Tara shows no sign of backing down either with her own brows raised as she stares at you, her lips pulled into a straight tight line. The deadpan glare really reminding you of Sam.

The pain from the ankle radiated higher up the leg with much more fierce pain which forced you to hold back a whimper at the pain, at the feeling of pain you relent and back down from the contest, breaking eye contact first.

“Fine, you win.” You grumble, crossing your arms over your chest like a child losing a game. Tara’s grins smugly as she sticks out her tongue to get all the glory possibly at the small win. “I knew I’d win.” Tara says her tone dripping with smugness, oh the things you’d do to wipe that grin off her face.

Luckily you didn’t have to do anything since Tara’s eyes suddenly widened as if she just remembered why she was competing in the first place. “Shit your leg.” She mumbles mostly to herself as the worried look replaces the one of victory. 

The brunette glances around the park and notices a bench not too far away from you two. You watch as she mutely nodded her head to herself as she planned a plan in her mind, her head turning back towards you a few moments later. 

“I’m gonna carry you to the bench and then I’ll check your ankle.” Tara explained as she took a few short steps closer until she’s invading your personal space. You give the Carpenter girl an amused smile. “Okay then Doctor Carpenter how are you planning to carry me over when I’m literally taller than you.” 

“I could carry you if I wanted to.” She remarks as an offended look appears on her face, her own arms folding over her stomach. You rolled your eyes as you let out a huff, without much more explanation you wrapped an arm around Tara’s shoulder, pulling her in. 

Ignoring the sudden warmth you feel in your cheeks you raise your left foot off the ground, using Tara to lean on. “C’mon,” You mumble as you begin to hop forward with your right foot. Tara immediately complies and begins walking with you, her own arm tightly wrapped around your waist, her free hand raised to hold your hand which dangled off her shoulder, something that most definitely didn’t help the blush on your cheeks.

Damn your gayness. 

After a handful of grunts, a few stops and a thousand “Are you okay?” from Tara the two of you reached the bench, Tara making sure to lower you down slowly. 

Sitting down you could feel the throbbing pain in your ankle as if it had another heartbeat there. Clenching your jaw you look at Tara who is kneeling in front of you, one hand on your calf and the other near your left foot.

“I’m going to take off your shoe okay, I promise I’ll try my best not to hurt you.” Tara affirmed softly as her eyes gazed up into yours not trusting your voice you gave her a curt nod signalling her to go ahead. 

As she untied your shoe laces you began to loathe your past self for deciding to wear converses. Every small movement she did the pain only intensified making you flinch or let out a pained moan. 

“Sorry,” Tara apologised as she began to take off the shoe. The throbbing pain in your ankle only got worse, you raised your hand and bit at your knuckle harshly as Tara kept apologising as she took the shoe off. 

The second your foot was without a shoe you could feel a slight relief but the pain didn’t change much. “Jesus Christ.” Tara gasped as her delicate fingers gently wrapped around your calf. You let out a humourless chuckle as you looked down at Tara and your swollen ankle. Your ankle had already began to swollen as a nasty dark purple began tainting the skin around it, you grimaced at the sight of your fucked up ankle.

“Maybe it isn’t that bad?” 

_________

“-severely dislocated ankle.” 

So it was as bad as it looked.

You sighed as you glanced over at Tara who is standing next to you paying much more to what the nurse said than you. Her worried look hadn’t slipped away for a second ever since Sam dropped you two off at the hospital, in fact you’d say it’s probably even gotten worse.

The older Carpenter sister couldn’t come in with you two since she had a shift at the bar she worked at.

“You’ll be given crutches to help you keep weight off the ankle as well as an ankle brace that you’ll have to wear for a few weeks. Medication will also need to be taken three times a day with each meal.” The nurse listed off in the most montoned voice you’d ever hear, seriously, it competes with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Terminator. 

You nod your head weakly as Tara nods her head curtly, an appreciative smile forming on her lips. “I’ll make sure she takes them, thank you.” 

The nurse mumbles something under her lips before turning to glare at you, her blue dull eyes void of any emotion. “The doctor will be here in a minute to give you some painkillers to ease the pain.” 

“Okay, thanks.” You replied with a small smile, the old nurse glare got even colder before she abruptly turned her back and walked away. You sigh dramatically as you lean your head even further on the thin hospital pillows, looking over at Tara who’s already right by your side. 

“I can’t believe you got so excited over horror movies you sprained your ankle, that is more nerdy than Mindy.” She teased in a playful tone as she slightly leaned on the side railings of the bed, her eyes focused on your face. You could tell she’s trying her best to try to find humour in the situation rather than turning into a worried mess.

You let out a laugh of disbelief at that smirk toying at your lips. “I could’ve cosplayed as Jason and broken my arm over getting so excited and that still wouldn’t be enough to beat Mindy.” You retort in the same playful tone as you pushed yourself further up on the bed, flinching at the pain radiating from your ankle at the movement.

“Once you’ve gotten your painkillers we can leave, we’ll just stop by my apartment so I can get a few things then go to yours.” Tara declared as her hand moved to lay on top of yours, her warm hand warming up your cold one. 

You tilted your head to the side like a confused puppy at her words. “What do you need from your apartment?” You asked, flipping your hand over so you could lace your fingers with Tara’s. 

Tara’s eyes averted from yours and flickered down to your linked hands, the tip of her ears turning red at the contact, you couldn’t help but feel a surge of hope at her reaction. The brunette stared at your hands for a few moments as if she had completely forgotten you asked her a question.

You smirked as you gave her hand a squeeze making her eyes snap back to yours straightaway with an embarrassed smile on her face as she let out a dry cough. “What?” She stuttered out.

“What do you need from your apartment?” You repeated for her sake, the smirk never leaving your lips. “To get some spare clothes, charger, headphones and my spare inhaler.” 

“I already have a spare inhaler at my apartment.” You say right after she mentioned the spare inhaler. Tara’s eyes softened even more at that, her nervous smile turning back into that sweet smile that made your heart beat increase. 

Something you became incredibly aware of as the monitor to your heart started becoming louder and more frequent. 

“Really?” She asks as her eyes flicker over to the monitor before coming back to you. You nodded your head. “Yeah just in case of an emergency or you’d forgotten yours at home.” You answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

Before Tara could reply, heavy footsteps are heard walking towards the two of you, both of you snapped your head towards the noise and that’s where you see the second most gorgeous human being on earth. 

(Tara obviously being first)

The doctor had long black hair that reached a few inches below her shoulders, her eyes a dark brown colour that almost looked black. The woman looks around thirty years old, one or two barely noticeable wrinkles on her face. With or without she had your gay heart speeding at the sight of her. 

She strutted closer to the two of you with a warm smile on her lips with a clipboard in the clutches of her right hand. “Y/n L/n?” The doctor asked in a raspy voice that told you she’s most definitely smoked a handful of times in her life, the thought somehow made the woman even hotter to you.

“Yes.” You stuttered out, starstruck at the pure beauty of this woman. She flashed a grin as she started to prepare the IV for you. “I’m Doctor Edwards and I’m going to give you some painkillers to ease the pain, is that okay with you?” She confirmed which you could only dumbly nod at.

The older woman let out a low laugh at your reaction which made heat rise to your cheeks at the sound. Jesus who knew older women had such an effect on you? 

A tight grip on your hand made you let out a low whine as you turned to look to your side to see a not so happy looking Tara Carpenter. Her smile had completely vanished and her soft looking lips pulled into a tight line. 

“You okay?” You whispered to Tara bringing her glaring eyes away from the doctor and to look at you. She replied in a curt nod as her features slightly softened at the sight of you. 

Before you could reply you felt a cold hand graze across your elbow, firm fingers taking a tight yet somehow soft grip on it. You turned to look back at the Doctor Edwards who is now closer as she prepared to insert the needle attached to the IV full of fentanyl in you.

“This might feel a bit uncomfortable honey.” She told you as her eyes glanced towards yours, your heart monitor frantically picking up at the fact this practical milf just called you ‘honey’. The dark haired woman smiled reassuringly at you as she positioned the needle at the top of your forearm. “It’ll be over before you know it.” 

“Okay, thank you.” You croaked out as the grip in your and Tara’s interlocked hands got even tighter. This time you squeezed back as you felt the needle start to stab into your skin, you’d never been a fan of needles. 

“You’re doing so good for me honey.” Doctor Edwards encouraged in a honey sweet voice that would attract bees.

God is she trying to kill me, you thought to yourself. 

After a few seconds you could feel something flow into your body which made you grimace at the feeling before you eventually relaxed as the pain instantly started to calm down in your ankle. 

“All done.” You turned back to look at the doctor who took a step back moving to grab her clipboard and scribbled a few things down on the paper. “I’ll be back in a few minutes to see how you are and then you’ll be good to go.” 

“Thank you so much.” You replied as you gave her a smile, the painkillers coursing through your veins soothing you. She looked at Tara and gave the grumpy looking girl a smile before she took off to deal with other patients. 

You sighed in relief.

“So unprofessional.” Tara mumbled next to you in a low voice. 

Your brows furrowed together as you turned to look at her, that annoyed look still on her face. “How was she unprofessional? She was lovely and gave me sweet drugs to ease the pain, what’s not to love about her?” You defend as you look at her. 

Tara scoffed as she dropped your grip and crossed her arms over her chest like an angry toddler being told ‘no’. “She was flirting with you. She’s the doctor and you’re the patient, that’s beyond unprofessional.” Tara argued back, dropping to sit down on the small one person blue chair next to your hospital bed. 

You could already begin to feel the effects of the painkillers, must’ve been a high dosage, you thought. You cocked your head to the side as a teasing smile complimented on your lips. “If she was then I might ask for her number before we leave.” 

“No!” Tara said a bit too loudly making you let out a giggle. Damn, how strong was the dosage? 

“Why not? She’s the first woman in months to actually flirt with me.” You retorted as Tara’s stare hardened as her eyes glazed over to the doctor a few beds down talking to another patient in a leg cast. 

Tara looked back over at you as she tried to think of a suitable reason why you should reject the apparent flirting doctor. You smirked as the silence filled up between Tara and you telling you that Tara didn’t have a solid reason for you to not ask the doctor out. 

Your eyes slowly averted to the older woman who had a soothing smile on her lips as she talked to her patient, you could tell she actually cared for the people rather than just taking the job for money. 

“I just don’t think you’d be a great match that’s all.” Tara’s voice piped up resulting in your eyes glancing back over to the sour looking girl. The strong painkillers already having an effect on you, boosting your confidence and lowering your care as a teasing smile emerges on your face.

“You didn’t even speak to her, how could you tell she isn’t good enough for me?” You pressed, wanting to get a bigger reaction from her. You’re no Emily Prentiss at reading people but even you suspect that Tara Carpenter seemed a little bit jealous. 

The thought egged you on to try to get the green eyed monster to erupt in hopes of the girl maybe actually doing something rather than sit there seething with jealousy. 

Tara shrugged her shoulders as she bit the inside of her cheek, a bad habit you’ve noticed she keeps doing when she’s either annoyed or stressed. She doesn’t give you a verbal answer as her eyes refuse to make contact with yours. 

“Alright then,” You begin as your eyes gaze into Tara’s side profile, she glaring at the innocent wall rather than looking at you. “If she isn’t a good match for me, who would be then?”

“Anyone else.” Tara replied swiftly as her eyes maintained on the wall. 

You nodded your head weakly to yourself, the teasing smirk still on your lips. “Anyone else?” You repeat her words as she hummed in agreement. “So do you think Quinn would be a good match for me then? Quinn has great humour, she’s a part of the friend group so you can trust her and she definitely knows how to please someone in bed.”  

Tara still refused to look at you as she spat out her answer. “Quinn is a heartbreaker and prefers to have flings rather than stay in a relationship.” 

“No Doctor Edwards and no Quinn, how about Sam then.” Tara’s head snapped to glare at you in such a fast movement it looked like she could get whiplash from it. She shook her head curtly. “No.” Is all she says in a low voice. 

You let out a laugh as mischievousness swirled in your eyes as they locked with Tara’s dark brown ones. You bit at your lower lip for a second before speaking. 

“Well who then? You?” 

The annoyed glare on Tara’s face dropped as a stunned one supplanted it. Her eyes widened as her once tightly pulled together lips now relaxed, her dark chocolate eyes melting as they didn’t tear away from yours. A scarlet red hue of a blush accompanied her cheeks the longer you gazed into each other's eyes.

A lazy smile complimented your lips as you raised your eyebrows at the girl, silently asking her ‘Well?’. Tara stayed quiet. She didn’t nod her head, she didn’t shake her head either. All she did was gaze at you and your lazy grin.

Her mouth opened but no words were uttered, she looked like she’s mimicking a fish. Tara shut her mouth back closed and stayed like that for a few moments before she opened her mouth again, more prepared to say something this time.

“Are the painkillers working, Y/n?” Doctor Edwards interrupted as she appeared from thin air, standing next to Tara whose glare instantly focused on the doctor. You couldn’t help but let out a giggle at Tara’s pissed off look as you turned to look at the older woman. 

You smile loosely as you give an awkward thumbs up to her. “Superb, doc, now I understand why people like them so much.” She chuckled as she nodded her head stepping closer as she pulled the IV needle from your forearm, a small dot of blood appearing at where the needle once was. 

You stared in awe as she moved to grab a cotton ball from her trey of medicine on the other side of the bed, pressing the ball against the blood before she taped it there with medical tape that made sure it stayed there. 

She smiled kindly at you before she checked your vitals quickly, once done she took a few steps back to get a good view of you. “You’re good to go, Y/n. I’ll write you a prescription for your medicine and get you your crutches and then you can leave.” 

You sighed in relief as you nodded your head giving her a thankful smile. “Thank you, I’m pretty sure you saved my life.”

She shook her head as a raspy laugh escaped the older woman’s lips. “I think that’s a little bit over the top but either way it was my pleasure.” Before you could reply a cough is heard from next to you. 

You turn to look at Tara who is now standing up and much, much closer to you now. A fake sickeningly sweet smile plastered on her face as she looks over at the doctor, her hand on your shoulder. 

“Thanks for all your help doc but we should really get back home and make some dinner.”  Tara says in an even more sweet voice that you just know is fake. Your eyes avert back to the doctor who has a smile on her lips as she looks between you and Tara. 

She hums as she takes a singular step back. “Don’t worry honey I know you two just want to get home and get into bed together and sleep after such a stressful day. I’ll be back shortly with the crutches and prescription.” She promises as she turns on her heels and exits the room to do what she just said. 

“Bitch.” Tara grumbled next to you as she glared at the woman walking away. Her fake smile vanished into thin air. You roll your eyes as you carefully push yourself to the edge of your bed, stiffly moving your legs off of the bed. 

“There’s no signal inside the hospital. Do you wanna go outside and call Sam? She’s probably finishing her shift around now since we’ve been here for hours.” You asked her, as you moved your left leg back and forth steadily, sighing at not feeling much pain anymore due to the painkillers. 

“Okay, I’ll be back in a second. Do not leave this bed.” Tara demands with a threatening point of her index finger that simply makes you giggle, raising your hands up with a goofy grin on your face. “Wouldn’t dream of it.” 

Tara stares at you for a few moments before she hurriedly walks out of the room, taking her phone out of her pocket and already trying to call Sam. You didn’t look away at her retreating figure until she was fully out of your view, only then turning your head away. 

“She has to be jealous, there’s no other explanation for her behaviour.” You tell yourself as you observe the seat Tara was sitting in a few minutes ago. 

“Oh she’s practically the green eyed monster honey.” A voice says from behind you. 

You jumped as you snapped your head to look in the direction of the voice to see Doctor Edwards standing there holding crutches and a small slip of paper. You sighed dramatically as you dropped your head.

“How the fuck do you move around so quietly? You’re like a cat.” The woman chuckles as she walks in front of you presenting you the crutches. You smile weakly at her as you take them, quickly putting your arms through the holes and gripping the grey handle. 

Slowly, you push yourself up until you’re fully standing up, your left foot hovering off the ground as you bend your knee. “The older I get the quieter my steps become.” She replies stretching her arms to your sides ready to catch you in case you’d fall.

You smile bashfully at her as you steadied your stance. “Well you don’t look a day over twenty five.” You compliment her, your voice coming out much stronger and confident that you anticipated. 

These painkillers are really having a toll on me.

“I think the drugs are really starting to hit you now, sugar.” She says as if she heard your thoughts, her eyes glanced away from yours to behind you for a second before they smoothly returned to yours. 

The older woman leans closer until her mouth is not too far away from your ear, in a whisper she says. “Tell her the truth.” You quickly put the pieces together and guess what she’s talking about. “What if she doesn’t like me back?” You questioned worriedly in a whisper.

She lets out a low chuckle as she pulls away looking behind you once again but for longer this time. “I know the look of love as well as I know the look of jealousy, dear.” You turn to look at what the older woman is already glancing at; not surprisingly you see a proper pissed off looking Tara near the doorway. 

You smile happily at Tara as you retrieve the prescription from the doctor’s hand, gripping it in your non-dominant hand. Glancing back at the woman she steps aside gifting you a soft smile. You wordlessly nod at her before wobbling over to Tara, grunting at every hop you took with the crutches. 

Tara snaps out of glaring and briskly makes her way over to help you, that gorgeous smile not showing on her face. 

“Sam will be here any minute.” Tara confirmed as she took the slip of paper from your clutches to give you more of an advantage. You mutely nod your head at her words.

__________

By the time you and Tara left the hospital, having to take one too many stops since you were struggling with the uncomfortable clutches as you felt more and more tired with every passing moment, Sam is already there in her car. 

The car ride to the Carpenter’s apartment was filled with low music from the radio and no small talk being made. You sat in the back with your crutches while Tara and Sam were in the front. You took that time to check your socials and ramble to Mindy about your massive gay panic at the hospital. 

Before you know it you’ve stopped at the Carpenter’s household and now just arrived at your apartment complex. Flinging the car door open, you grunt as you lean out of the car putting on the crutches, Tara somehow appears in front of you and guides you to stand up with much less of a struggle. 

You give Sam a wave and a smile as you hop over the driver’s side window where Sam has rolled down the window. “Thanks for the lift, Sammy.” You mumble tiredly to which Sam rolled her eyes at. 

“Don’t call me that.” The older Carpenter sister grumbles in her usual grumpy tone. You grin lazily as you take a small step backwards. “You know you love it.” 

“I don’t. I hate it as much as I hate you.” Sam said as she shifted the gear stick as she started to drive off. “Love you too, Sammy!” You yell as she drives off, giggling like a child when Sam’s hand emerges from the window flipping you off. 

“Let’s get inside.” The tired Tara says from behind you, her hand pressed against your back gently. You turn to look at her letting out another weak chuckle. “Please.” 

Tara smiles softly at you as she begins walking by your side into the apartment complex. Taking the elevator, the two of you staying in silence the entire journey until you both arrive at your apartment, Tara unlocks the door with her spare key and walks in first flicking on the lights as she holds the door open for you. 

You smile appreciatively to Tara as you wobble over to your bedroom, desperate to get to your bed. Tara closes the front door before she follows you into your bedroom, dropping her blue backpack on the floor outside your bedroom before entering. 

“Oh sweet bed how I have missed you.” You murmured against the pillows your face dug deep inside of them, your forgotten crutches thrown on the floor beside your bed. You feel a dip in the bed at the side of your head, you roll over to lay on your back as you look at Tara sitting beside your head. 

“You can’t sleep in those, Y/n, you need to change out of your jeans.” She reminds you in a knowing tone causing you to let out a loud groan, covering your face with your hands. “But I just sat down.” You say in a muffled voice behind your hands. 

Tara laughs sweetly as you feel her weight move off of the bed, her footsteps telling you she’s headed towards your dresser. Peeking through the crack of your hands you see her pull out your favourite pyjamas. 

Is it completely childish? Yes. Do you care? Not at all. 

The brunette pulled out your deadpool pyjamas, the set being your all time favourite piece of sleep clothing. She throws it over at you before heading towards the door, leaning against it as she turns to look at you once again. 

“If you need help just yell my name.” She offers before silently leaving and closing your door quietly. You sighed as you sat up grabbing the clothes that landed on your lap. 

You took your time changing into the pyjamas. Taking off your shirt and bra and replacing them with the red oversized deadpool shirt took a few seconds at most. The real challenge being taking off the thick long grey boot on your leg foot before slowly shuffling out of your jeans and into the sweats. 

Once changed and the brace back on you move to lay back down on your bed, your eyes fighting the urge to shut with every passing second. Right as when you start to feel yourself drift off to sleep a knock is heard at your door. 

“Y/n? You good?” Tara’s muffled voice is heard through the door. 

You smile as you nod your head as if she can see you. “Yeah you can come in if you want.” Tara quickly takes up on that offer and re-enters your room with a small smile on her face as she walks over to you. 

She had also changed into her pyjamas which consisted of an old shirt she stole from you which practically devoured the girl’s figure. You couldn’t help but grin at the sight of her in your clothing. 

“How’re you feeling now?” Tara asks as she sits down near your head once again, you look up at the sitting girl with a smile. 

“You never answered my question.” You tell her, completely ignoring her question. The Carpenter sister faintly cocks her head to the side with confusion clear in her eyes. “If you’d be a good match for me.” You add as you blink slowly at her. 

Tara’s breath hitches. Her eyes averted from yours to look at the doorway. “Do you still feel high from the painkillers?” She questions back. 

You giggle as you nodded your head, raising your hand and hovering your index finger over your thumb. “Just a tiny bit.” Tara scoffed a laugh as she nodded her own head weakly, finally looking back into your eyes with hers. 

“Then you probably won’t remember this in the morning then.” She mumbles mostly to herself with a smile. Tara sighs as she leans down to give a soft kiss to your forehead, your ears burn at the feeling as butterflies erupt in your stomach at the feeling of Tara’s unbelievably soft lips. 

“If you remember that in the morning I’ll tell you.” She whispers against your temple before she pulls away, making you frown. Tara gets up from the bed and retreats back to the door making you even more confused.

As if reading your thoughts Tara leans against the doorway, the light from behind her shining around her figure. “I’m sleeping on the couch tonight and don’t even bother trying to make me sleep in your bed since you need the space with the brace.” 

You let out a huff at that, not agreeing with Tara’s words at all. You hear her chuckle as she pushes herself off the doorway. “Goodnight, Y/n.” She says. 

“I’ll remember in the morning.” You say confidently as you lay your head back down on the pillow, your eyes lingering on Tara still in the doorway. “I hope so.” Tara whispers before exiting the room and closing the door shut silently. 

“Me too.” 

_____________________________________

A/N: part 2 anyone?👀

[obsidianimagines]

Don't Mention It

The Doctor discovers that the two of you have a shared hobby

Twelve x gn!reader

Warnings: None

You realized it probably wasn't the best idea to touch The Doctor's guitar, but when you got ready for the day and entered the empty console room to find it sitting there unattended, you couldn't resist. After all, sometimes it was simply better to seek forgiveness than to ask for permission. Surely he wouldn't be too upset if he found out, and if he was, you could handle him.

After turning the amp down a bit, you sat on the steps, holding the guitar as you settled into place. Without having to think much about it, you began to play Purple Haze. You were a little out of practice, but it felt nice to strum out a tune.

Before you could move onto another song, you jumped at the sound of The Doctor's voice. "What are you doing?"

When you looked up, his piercing blue eyes and very serious brows were focused right on you. You hadn't even heard him get close.

"Playing guitar. Well, your guitar." You slipped the strap off of your body and handed the instrument to him. "Sorry."

"You never told me you could play." He'd actually been quite surprised at the fact that your playing sounded pleasant, as opposed to the nails on a chalkboard he'd heard when Clara once picked up his guitar.

"I'm sure I have. You probably weren't listening."

"I'm always listening," he said, sounding almost offended.

"You're joking, right?" You stood up from the stairs with a sigh. "Anyway...yes, I play. I just haven't had much time between travelling with you and working whenever I'm back at home. When I hear you playing, it really makes me miss it."

How The Doctor hadn't put the pieces together long ago, he didn't know. When you stopped everything and watched him play, he'd always assumed you were just impressed by his great skills. And maybe it was a little bit of that, but it seemed there had been some longing, too. You were enjoying the music and wishing you could be playing yourself.

The Doctor looked down at the guitar he still held in his hands, and you were caught off guard when he offered it back to you. "I'd better not find even a scratch on it. If I do, I'm dropping you off at home."

You knew he wouldn't do such a thing, but you still intended to respect his request, gingerly taking it from him and putting the strap back over your head.

As The Doctor turned to the console, you sat down once again and played the first thing that came to mind.

It had been a few days since your last trip with The Doctor when he finally showed up again. You weren't sure how long it had been for him—you never were—but he didn't seem any different.

He played his guitar as he pondered something you couldn't even begin to guess, filling the TARDIS with what you recognized as I Will Dare by The Replacements. An odd choice, you thought, yet that didn't stop you from listening intently.

The Doctor abruptly stopped the tune to put the instrument down, and he was gone from the console room before you could say anything. You sighed in disappointment. You quite liked that song after all.

You continued where he'd left off, humming and tapping your fingers against your thigh.

Moments later, The Doctor came back, holding a guitar case in his hand. You frowned at the sight, because even though he probably had several scattered around the TARDIS, he seemed to prefer the Yamaha that still sat in the console room.

It was even more puzzling when he gave you the case.

"Did you...buy me a guitar?"

"No, no. I didn't buy it. I don't buy things." The Doctor walked over to the console, pretending to look at something on the screen and at least attempting to be out of hugging distance. "A friend gave it to me in the 1960's, and it's been sitting around here ever since."

"1960's?" Very carefully, you placed the case on the floor, opening it to find a beautiful vintage Stratocaster. One very much like Jimi Hendrix used to play. Knowing the man who had given it to you, it was the genuine article.

Without noticing the way he'd been watching you, you closed the case back up and practically ran to The Doctor, throwing yourself at him in a hug. The impact and the way you pushed him into the console knocked some of the wind out of him. "Why does there always have to be hugging?!" He struggled to exclaim as you squeezed him tightly.

"I really can't help it right now." You kissed his cheek and gave him one more squeeze before mercifully letting him go. "Thank you, Doctor. Seriously."

"Don't mention it. Really. I only wanted to stop you playing mine so much."

"That won't be a problem. Believe me."

Returning to the case like a giddy little kid, you took the guitar out and hooked it up to the amp. You missed the small smile on his face as you began to play a song for him.

The Doctor didn't plan to tell you that he had only acquired the guitar after your previous trip.

[chishiyaisasnack]

Shower time

Here’s a fic that I’ve been working on for a good while now and I’m finally content with posting it. It’s sfw even though it’s a shower scene. Mostly fluff (?) and a tiiiiiny but of angst.

Disclaimer! This story is based in the Borderlands and it mentions blood, wounds and trauma from it. It’s not about how they got injured, but more so very mildly describing that they are injured. I consider it sfw but it does contain nudity since they’re taking a shower, but I’m not describing bodyparts or anything. Also, small references to sex just for humor, but there is no smut whatsoever.

Oh, and the reader doesn’t know that Chishiya is a doctor.

I’ve written and am posting on mobile so I’m sorry for any formatting issues.

”I’m going to take a shower.”

With strong steps - actually more like a wobble - you walked into your room at The Beach, Chishiya following close behind you, watching your every movement just in case you would trip over your own feet, like you already had done about 30 times since you left the game area. It had been a rough one and it had left you wounded, exhausted and a bit lethargic. Not to mention the strain it had taken on your mental state, like the games always did, but you had turned off your feelings for now and had only one goal in mind: a long, warm shower to wash off all the remnants of the game.

”No you aren’t, it can wait until tomorrow.” Chishiya sounded like he always did, bored and condescending, but you knew that there was some worry in there somewhere. Otherwise he wouldn’t have bothered to follow you all the way back to your room, offering to catch you when you’d eventually fall.

”I feel gross. I’m covered in … stuff.” Blood. You were covered in blood. You raised your arms to make your point clearer, in case he missed what an absolute mess you were right now.

”Fine. Come on then.” Chishiya sighed, walked around you, and went towards the bathroom while you stood confused, watching him open the door and look back at you before stepping inside.

”Wait, what?” you asked, eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. Why was he joining you?

With slow steps you followed him, wondering if he got the wrong idea. He was gorgeous, but sex was the last thing on your mind, especially shower sex. Didn’t he say that you were in no condition to even take a shower to begin with? You stopped in the doorway and waited for a response.

”You most likely have a concussion, you’re wounded and you’re exhausted. You’re going to collapse by yourself.” He turned on the shower and let the stream of water fall, waiting for it to turn hot.

”Okay, okay, doctor.” The smirk you got back confused you even more. Did he have a thing for being called ’doctor’? It wouldn’t suprise you, he was a mystery. But even him would surely have preferrences. Wait, why were you thinking about sex again?

You shook your head as you walked inside the bathroom, limping past Chishiya as he was making his way out again. Or so you thought. In the corner of your eye you saw him stretch, but it wasn’t until you turned around that you saw what he really was doing.

”Uhh, why are you taking your clothes off?” Your eyes widened as his hoodie hit the floor. He had no shame, appearantly getting naked with you without warning was completely normal in his world.

”I’m getting ready to help you when you realise that I was right. Don’t worry, I won’t join you until you ask me to. Which will be soon, so I’m preparing for that.”

You didn’t know if you should feel thankful or offended by what he said.

Chishiya however, smirked again, cocking an eyebrow at your dumbfounded look. He was enjoying this. While still looking at you he started to pull down his shorts. Your eyes were fixed on the pile of clothes he had created on the floor, which thankfully wasn’t added with more pieces since he decided to keep at least his boxers on. The daring look he had on his face when you turned your eyes back up was annoying. Did he like that you were looking at him? Not that you were looking at him like that anyway. You just wanted to take a shower. Or so you told yourself.

With his shirt and pants off he sat down on the toilet seat, turning around so that he had his back against you and the glass wall of the shower.

”Go ahead” he said, a hint of amusement hiding in his voice. ”I won’t look.”

”You better not” you huffed back at him, watching him carefully while you started to remove your own clothes, ripped apart and stained with blood. Instead of putting them in a pile you threw them straight into the trashcan. Once removed, you looked into the mirror over the sink and you almost gasped at how wounded you actually were. Cuts and bruises covered your arms, legs and back. Patches of your skin were stained red, even your face still had traces of blood left on it. You looked terrible.

Sighing, you stopped studiyng yourself and looked over your shoulder. Chishiya was still sitting with his back against you, shoulders rising and falling slow with every breath, the muscles of his back tensing when he moved. He looked soft. You wondered what he would look like wet.

No! This was not the right time to daydream about Chishiya and his pretty back, his blonde hair that fell in waves over his shoulders, those shoulders that probably would feel great to hold on to while your lips were… Oh, for fucks sake, just get in the shower y/n.

After disrupting yourself from your thoughts you made your way into the shower, closing your eyes as the water started cascading down your body. The glass wall seperating the shower and the rest of the room was conveniently half covered with frosted glass so that it covered most of your body, from your shoulders down to your knees, making you a bit less embarrassed over being naked in the same room as him. Being naked in front of someone when it wasn’t sexual wasn’t your idea of calming, and even though he had no shame, you still had. This was too intimate, too casual. But if it was what it took to take a shower then you’d do it. Even though you didn’t like to admit it you did trust Chishiya to treat you with decency and respect. He might be considered one of the people you shouldn’t trust in the borderlands, a bad person perhaps, but not bad enough to overstep someones boundaries like this.

”Let me know when you need me.” Chishiyas voice rang somewhere in the distance. Not even a ’if you need me’. He was too confident and it just made you even more stubborn. You were definitely able to take a shower by yourself, you were damned to not let him win this one, you told yourself while reaching for the soap. With unsteady hands (no, they absolutely weren’t unsteady because you were tired) you started to scrub the dirt off yourself, one part at a time. You hissed whenever you discovered a new wound you weren’t aware of and eventually the pain from it made you a bit dizzy. No, you could do this.

You clenched your jaw as you continued, slowly moving from head to toe, covering yourself with suds. Finally, everything you could see and feel was gone, so you let the stream of water fall over you once again, closing your eyes, enjoying the warmth that it gave. You felt your muscles relax, your breathing slowing down, your eyelids getting heavier…

”Chishiya…” you mumbled weakly, mad that he was right, again.

”I’m here.” A voice right behind you made you jump. You turned around and swung your fist towards him, ready to punch him out of pure panic, but he caught it before it landed on him. The borderlands had really done a number on you, you were constantly prepared for survival and appearantly even Chishiya was a victim of your anxiety. ”Calm down, it’s just me.”

”How long have you been standing there?!” You wobbled to the side as you tried to fight your bodys urge to fall onto the ground from the sudden movements. Chishiya steadied you by holding your upper arms, and helped you turn back around so that your back was facing him again.

”You moved slower and slower so I was ready when you called for me. I haven’t been standing here ogling.”

”So you have been watching me?” You didn’t even think about the fact that you probably flashed him completely just now. Well, if he saw something he didn’t care about it, which was comforting in this situation.

”Of course. I couldn’t see anything other than your head anyway. It wasn’t quite the show you think it was.” Chishiyas voice was dripping with amusement.

Once again, you didn’t know if you should be thankful or offended.

”Give me the schampoo bottle.” Chishiya asked, or rather commanded, reaching his arm out next to you so you could hand him the bottle. Once he got it you could hear him shake it before opening it and pouring out some of the liquid in his hand, followed by a low thump as he put it on the floor behind you.

Slender fingers moved over your hair, softly massaging it with his fingertips, giving you full body shivers from the way his fingers drew circles between the strands. It felt nice. Safe. You couldn’t help but to close your eyes again and just relish in the warmth radiating from his hands. He was so careful with how he touched you, slow and gentle while he worked his way through all of your hair.

A part of you wished that he would step closer so that you could feel the warmth from his body wrap around you, so that you could lean back and relax in his arms, just enjoying how your body would feel so at ease while being comforted, but you had no idea how to ask him for that without it sounding sexual.

”Shower head, please.”

You did as he asked and handed him the shower head, turning up the water pressure while doing so to make it easier for him to rinse.

”Close your eyes and bend your head backwards. Tell me if you feel dizzy.” Chishiya didn’t sound so stern this time. His words were soft and comforting, asking you to trust him. So you did.

He rinsed your hair in silence. One hand holding the shower head while the other one kept massaging your scalp, making sure to rinse out the schampoo properly. Even though you desperately tried to relax and just enjoy the feeling of being taken care of, you couldn’t stop your emotions from seeping back into your mind. Pictures of the game were flashing before your eyes. People screaming. Fighting. Lasers going off.

”Chishiya…” you whispered, no longer able to stop thinking about what had happend earlier.

”Mhmm..?”

”There was a child there tonight.”

He didn’t answer but you could feel the movements in his hands stiffen as he continued to rinse your scalp free from schampoo.

”I didn’t know that there were children here” you continued, trying to get the thoughts out of your head so you wouldn’t be tormented by them during the night. ”I thought maybe we were sent here to repent or something like that, that we were getting what we deserve. But why would a child deserve this? Even if we are all randomly sent here, without any reason behind why it’s us in particular, why would they choose a child?”

”…I don’t know.” He sounded emtpy when he answered, not that you were expecting his words to be comforting. They rarely were. There was a long pause before he spoke again. ”Did the child make it?”

”Yeah…” A shiver ran trough your body when Chishiya stopped rinsing your hair, already missing the heat from the water. Another thump came from the floor when he put the shower head down. ”Some of us worked together and protected him as much as we could.”

”Do you have conditioner?” he interrupted, sticking his hand out next to you so that you could hand it to him. You placed the bottle in his hand and watched him retrieve it. A click of the bottle cap was followed by another thump when he put it down on the ground. You wondered how many times he must’ve stared at your ass by now.

”Anyway,” you continued, shaking the image of him smirking at your butt away. ”That’s why I look like this. I took the hits for him.”

”That sounds like you.”

You hummed at his words. It was reassuring that you were considered to be a nice person, even in this hellscape.

Gentle fingers threaded through your hair again and you leaned into the touch. It went by faster this time since he didn’t need to scrub, although you wished he would keep doing this for hours. Every time he let go of you - this time to pick up the shower head again - the ache in your body took over, making you tremble ever so slightly even though the steam from the hot water was surrounding you. You were relieved when you felt the water against your back, contently closing your eyes and bending your head back into Chishiyas palm.

”I envy you sometimes.” Chishiya mumbled, so quiet that the sound of the water almost drowned it out.

”You do?”

”I wouldn’t have helped someone else if it meant that I would have to work for it, let alone get hurt from it.” Chishiya paused briefly, like he was choosing his words carefully. ”Especially not a stranger. You didn’t think twice about doing so.”

”I don’t believe that.” You cut him off before he got the chance to put himself down even more. ”You’re better than you think, Chishiya. Just look at what you’re doing for me right now.”

”I’m washing your hair, I’m not saving you from dying.” You could practically hear him rolling his eyes.

”You don’t have to save me from death to help me. This is helping me. Besides, from the sound of your attempts to stop me from showering, I could die in here if you didn’t help me.”

”Maybe I just wanted to see you naked” Chishiya joked with such a monotone voice that anyone else would think he was serious, but you knew better. Well, if he was serious he had gotten his wish - paired with a fist coming at his face.

”Right” you snorted, too tired to laugh. A blush still crept over your cheeks, imagining his eyes on you in that way. ”Keep telling yourself that if that makes you feel better.”

”There” Chishiya ignored your answer and handed you the shower head. Cold air rushed to your skin as the water left it, leaving you almost begging for him to continue. Would it be so bad if you did?

”You can turn off the water now. I’ll get you some towels. Stay there.”

With a pout you put the shower head back into it’s place and turned off the water. Behind you, you could hear how Chishiya was gathering towels from a drawer, his footsteps making their way back over the tiled floor that would be cold and uninviting for your own feet in a second.

”Lift your arms a little.” You did as he asked and lift your arms halfway up, stopping waist high, only to see Chishiyas arms poking out from under them, holding up a towel that you thankfully grabbed a hold on and quickly wrapped around yourself to try to regain some of the warmth that the shower had given you.

”You’re safe to turn around now.”

”Thank you” you quitly replied as you gently spun around, just to be met by a still undressed Chishiya with his own towel hanging around his neck and a soft expression on his face. If you didn’t know better you would think that he was worried about you.

A smaller towel was in one of his hands - which soon landed on your head, covering your face at the same time. Your sour expression that was revealed as you peeled it off made him grin.

”Do you want help to dry it?” He asked, eyes shiny from amusement, and watched as you stubbornly started to squeeze the ends of your hair, too tired to lift your arms up and dry it completely.

”No, I’ll just put the towel over the pillow when I sleep. It’s fine” you replied, following his example and put your own towel over your shoulders. The chill in the air was starting to really get to you, and you decided that you couldn’t get to the bed fast enough. Just thinking about laying down, surrounded by warm covers, maybe even a pair of socks on your feet at first, burying your head on the pillow…

”The wounds on your back looked fine but I still need to cover some of them with bandaids. I need to examine your front too. Let me know when you’ve covered up so that I can check your arms, legs and stomach.”

Ugh, why did he have to interupt your dream about your bed with another naked request? You just wanted to sleep.

”I’m sure I’ll be fine Chishiya” you groaned back at him, slowly (and unsteadily) making your way past him and towards the bed. You could see the light at the end of the tunnel, just a few more steps and you’d reach the doorhandle, that doorhandle that would open the gate and lead you straight towards the nice, warm, fluffy….

You groaned even louder when you felt a hand grip your arm, stopping your weak attempt to get out of the bathroom and keeping you still while Chishiya made his way around you so that he was facing you again. That calm face was back and you didn’t like it.

”Please, Chishiya, just let me sleep” you pleaded but to no avail.

”Come here.” You had no choice but to move after him, not being strong enough to even attempt to break loose from his grip on your arm, that was keeping you somewhat steady as you plopped one foot in front of the other until you reached the end of the bathroom. Then - lo and behold - Chishiya opened the door and led you out into the hotel room, making your way straight towards the bed. Right as he reached the foot of the bed he stopped and slowly turned the two of you around in a circle so that your back was now facing the bed, and then pushed you back so that you fell down on the soft duvet cover with a yelp. It felt like heaven to finally lay down, like a cloud was enveloping you and taking you with it to the land of dreams.

”Where are your underwear?” Chishiya once again interrupted your inner monolouge.

”Why? Wanna see them so badly even though you’ve already seen me naked?” You rolled your eyes and leaned your head to the side so that you could watch him dig around in a dresser until he grabbed the first, best pair of panties he could find and threw them at you.

”Put them on please, unless you want me to examine you naked. I’m fine with either way.”

You just huffed at him, secretly liking the playful look he was giving you. When he turned his back to you, you managed to shuffle around and get your panties on, just to let your legs fall back down onto the bed with a loud thump. God, you were exhausted.

”I’m done, doctor.” Once again, he reacted with a grin and you were now positive that he had some wierd doctor patient kink and that you were so going to make him confess that. A mission for another day.

Chishiya sat down next to your legs and reached over them to pick up a first aid kit you didn’t even know was laying next to you. Was he a wizard too?

You kept still, listening to the opening of packets, a liquid poured onto what you imagined was a cotton ball, and then your own hiss as he touched the first wound on your leg. It wasn’t the liquid that hurt, it was just the tender touch from the gauze he dabbed against your skin that hurt enough to make you wince. He must have started on a bad one.

”Try to keep still” he murmured gently, sounding like he was completely occupied with his task of tormenting you just a bit more before letting you sleep.

You stayed as still as you could, trying to concentrate on his hands and fingers working their way over your legs, dabbing it with the liquid, letting it dry, then putting a compress and some adhesive tape over it like a home made band aid. His touch was so gentle that it was barely there.

Your eyelids turned heavier with every touch of his fingertips and even though your wounds were stinging, his warm skin eased the pain afterwards and comforted you without knowing so. Before falling asleep you murmured a ”thank you.”

The last thing you remembered was the feeling of being enveloped in something warm, probably the cover that wasn’t underneath you and a soft whisper.

”You’re welcome.”

[thebisexualdogdad]

John Constantine x male!reader x Zatanna Zatara headcanons

*Matt Ryan as Constantine and Jade Tailor as Zatanna*

● 3 magicians/occultists sure make for a hell of an interesting relationship

● traveling around the world keeping the paranormal and supernatural at bay

● and always enjoying a good drink at the end of the day

● or before noon if it's just that kind of day

● which it often is because exorcisms can take a lot out of you

● going to Zatanna's magic shows and proudly cheering her on from the front row

● and always volunteering yourselves when she asks for audience participation

● John still gets a kick whenever she cuts him half

● when you or John annoy Zatanna she just casually drops a spell to turn you guys into rabbits

● "what did we do this time??"

● "you guys ate my leftovers again that I clearly labeled were mine!"

● Zatanna also has to stop you and John from doing stupid shit like when you drunkenly dare each other to try on doctor fates helmet

● "come on Z we weren't really gonna do it… again"

● Zatanna is extremely protective of her boys

● you've seen a lot of scary demons in your day but none are more terrifying than Zatanna when you or John are in danger

● John taking you and Zatanna to punk shows

● Zatanna pushing John into a mosh pit as a joke but he actually had a blast

● "bloody hell loves did you see that! That was awesome!!"

● stealing John's trench coat to mess with him

● "I would be mad because no one touches my coat but damn do you look good in it"

● and then one time you did a spell to swap John's and Zatannas outfit

● John was loving it "I mean it's a little tight on the boys but my ass sure looks good" he says as he's proudly checking himself out

● you've been banned from pretty much every movie theater because of John talking during the movie

● "he's the killer it's so obvious" he says as he throws popcorn at the screen

● "how can I be disturbing the other guests when this movie is bloody garbage!" He yells as you three are being escorted out by the usher

● it's not uncommon for one of you to find your partners surrounded by old books

● "what are we dealing with this time?"

● "not sure yet but in the last month there's been four mysterious deaths in Louisiana that we need to go check out"

● "I'll call Abby to see if she and alec can meet up with us, maybe they've heard something"

● "not that bloke again, he smells like a damn swamp"

● "John..."

● taking turns on who gets to be in the middle when you sleep

● but John always has to be the little spoon

● he refuses to be anything but the little spoon especially after sex

● and damn is the sex good

● using spells to make sex last all night long

● along with magically enhanced sex toys

● like self binding scarves

● magical wax that alternates between being hot and cold for the ultimate temp play

● or John being able to feel you inside him while you're fucking Zatanna

● Zatanna chanting spells that makes your bed float into the air

● you and John are sure to keep Zatanna thoroughly satisfied

● and Zatanna knows her way around a strap whenever she's in the mood to top you two

● John loves it when he gets a good pounding from both you and Zatanna

● and he will happily take one of you in his mouth while the other rails his ass

● lots of adrenaline filled sex after jobs go wrong and one of you nearly dies

● and pulling over to the side of the road to have sex in your car mid road trip to your next job after two of you have been fooling around in the backseat or one of you teasing the driver from the passenger seat

● so much sex around your magical safehouse in Atlanta

● which occasionally results in the unleashing of evil spirits when you accidentally knock over an mystical artifact

● "Oh that could have been really bad"

● "yeah we really dodged a bullet there but can you get back to going down on me now"

[lawsvalentine]

Getting High With Them • OP Men HC • (SFW)

Fem!reader

Characters: Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Law

CW: drug use, cursing, humor, some fluff, slightly suggestive on Sanji’s and Law’s

Cee’s Note: Just vibes. This was really fun to write. Hope y’all enjoy!

Luffy

A newbie to weed, so when it hits it hits HARD

Mf thinks everything is so fucking funny when he is high

You could say a knock knock joke and he is on the floor wheezing

He’s the type to say the most random shit while high

“Y/N, isn’t it crazy that water is like wet air”

“Luffy, what-“

MUNCHIES! Somehow manages to be even more hungry than usual

You two are so obnoxiously loud like the whole crew can tell you two are high

He will say everything he is thinking about so don’t be surprised if he blurts his feelings out to you without a second thought

Zoro

We all know Zoro can hold his liquor but weed is a whole different story

Mans can barely function when he is high

Has the signature stoned look that looks like this

Completely spaces out, good luck trying to have a conversation with him

You wave a hand in front of his face “Earth to Zoro?”

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

He passes tf out within the first two hours of your smoke session

But don’t worry his cuddles make up for it

Sanji

He is surprisingly chill asf when high

He has smoked weed a couple times before with some chefs at the baratie so he’s not too foreign to it

One of the perks of getting high with the chef is he will whip up whatever you want when you have the munchies

Ya’ll be having the most deepest conversations about the meaning of life while high

Sanji already found you beautiful when sober but there is something about you when he is high that finds you breathtaking

“Am I high, or are your eyes sparkling right now, Y/N-Swan!”

“Nope, your just high, Sanji”

Oh and for some reason, weed makes him even more horny so you two end up having high sex after every session

Usopp

Paranoid AS FUCK

Mans is tripping out BAD

“Y/N!!!! MY THUMBS ARE GONE!” He says waving his fists in your face.

You gave him a blank stare as you unclenched his fist revealing his thumbs

“Oh….”

Now granted, you already knew Usopp’s claims of being a stoner was bullshit but you were curious to see how far he would take his lie

Mans could barely roll his blunt properly sgdjdj

When you and Usopp’s high was wearing off, you told him he didn’t have to pretend to be a stoner

He admits he was only trying to impress you and make you think he was cool because he had a crush on you

Law

This man right here is a COMPLETELY different person when he is high

Like a full 180

Mans is smiling more, cracking jokes, and dare I say actually laughing????

“WHO ARE YOU, AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH LAW?!”

Law just chuckles at your outburst, causing your eye to twitch, not believing what you are seeing

Perks of getting high with a doctor, he is also your supplier

He’s got the GOOD SHIT if you know what I mean

Law is a lot more bolder with PDA when he is high

Whether it is his hand on your thighs or you sitting on his lap

Just like Sanji, weed makes Law more horny than usual, so if you’re on his lap you will definitely feel his dick get hard

[charliedawn04]

Secret Santa :

A Doctor House x Reader story part 2

(A lot of people asked for it. I delivered. 😁)

Dr House had tried to find you again, but you had succeeded in remaining hidden from him ever since your last encounter. He would say he was impressed, if it didn't leave him extremely frustrated. It almost seemed that you had the power to stay invisible. It was you who decided to come to find him at the end, at the request of Dr Cuddy who was tired of Dr House pestering her about you.

Unfortunately, it was a bad time to reappear, as Dr Cuddy had refused Dr House all of his requests to leave work early this week and he rolled his eyes when he saw you.

"Oh great ! Dr Cuddy sent me her domestic poodle to help me. What are you going to do ? Bark at me ? You're not even a real doctor. You're just an extra-cash baby-sitter." He snapped at you. Your smile hurt your cheeks as you tried to hide your annoyance and remain polite.

"Now, Dr House. I won't allow you to insult me. I am a pediatrician. Yes. But, I am also as much a doctor and a human being as you are." You pointed out and Dr House rolled his eyes.

"Oh great. Do I get bonus points if I act like I care ?" He came into your personal space and dared thrust the handle of his cane in your chest. He then leant forward, so close you could actually see the anger in his eyes. "…Or, are you going to run away from me again, miss coward ?

Okay. That was the last straw. You grabbed his cane and tripped him up with it. He seemed shocked for a second before you glared down at him. Your eyes were unforgiving and even though House was no saint, he had to admit your look was rather impressively intimidating.

"I am a certified pediatrician who spent more than 6 years in a shitty medical school to become an underpaid employee at a hospital where the only good doctor is also the hugest douchebag I've ever met in my life...I will NOT let you insult me. Or undermine me. Wanna make yourself useful ? Do your damn job, and stop wasting my time." You seethed. Dr House and his whole team were stunned at your outburst and you knelt before him before telling him what Cuddy had told you. "Also, from now on whenever you’ll have a complaint to make, you'll have to refer to me. Dr Cuddy is extremely busy and she doesn't have the time to speak to you about your 'breaks' or about our little conflict."

Dr. House glared up at you, his expression a mixture of shock and anger. Nobody had ever had the guts to call him out like that before, especially not a 'pediatrician' who was supposed to show him respect and gratitude for the privilege of working with him. You smiled at his wide eyes and dumbfounded expression. You then stood back up before sending a glance towards his trainees who had been smart enough to remain a step away from the obvious tension-filled situation between you and House.

"Careful. There's a step. And it bites." You told them before glaring one last time at Dr House. You then purposefully stepped over him to walk away. He waited until you were out of view before smiling and crawling to get back his cane.

"I like her..." He voiced out loud and the three med-students behind him sighed in unison before Cameron said with a hint of exasperation in her voice.

"Of course you do…"

House looked back at Cameron and his other trainees with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"What ? I do. There's nothing wrong with enjoying a good fight once in a while, isn't there ? You could learn a thing or two from her, too."

His other two students, Chase and Foreman, exchanged a skeptical look between them but didn't comment further on House's statement.

Later that day:

You had heard an earful from Dr Cuddy about the "situation" between you and House. It had ended with a long monolog on the need for a good relationship between co-workers and even though you had no intention to apologize to the man, Dr Cuddy deserved it. She had put up with House for years without losing her cool. You could hold on for a few seconds...You hoped.

You knocked at his door and waited a few minutes before sighing. Obviously not here.

Welp. You tried.

You turned around to leave when the elevator rang and the doors opened to reveal Dr House. You both seemed to be surprised upon seeing each other, but Dr House then looked at the buttons on his right and you didn't need a magic crystal ball to know exactly what he was thinking of doing.

"Don't…" you instructed him, but he only looked back at you with a small smirk before pushing the closing button of the elevator.

"Oops." He said before waving you goodbye, but he didn't expect it when you suddenly darted forward to jump inside the elevator before the doors could close. You panted loudly before glaring up at House who was holding tight on his cane, as if he was expecting you to take it again—which made you feel a little bad.

House and you stood there in silence for a few moments, both panting slightly from the sudden rush of adrenaline. The tension was palpable, and House couldn't help but feel a sense of amusement at having successfully tricked you into being alone with him in an elevator.

He raised an eyebrow at your glare, a hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Well, well, well. Look who's come back for round two."

You closed your eyes and sighed. You knew you had to swallow your pride this time around…

"I...I wanted to apologize." You uttered when your breathing was back to normal and Dr House seemed surprised. Now, House had been expecting a lot of things that night, but receiving an apology from you was not one of them. He turned towards you to find you staring at him and tilted his head—searching for the reason you would be apologising.

"I would love to gloat, but I'm afraid I have no idea about what part you are apologizing for exactly ?"

You stayed silent for a moment until you clarified.

"I...tripped you. It was neither professional, nor a good way to show good will so..." you took a big breath before repeating your earlier attempt at an apology. "I'm sorry, and it won't happen again."

Dr House seemed to finally realize what you were apologizing for and was about to answer when the doors opened and you noticed you were both still on the same floor. You sighed when Dr House walked past you to get to his office. You followed him and he let the door open for you to enter his office. He walked a straight line to the coffee machine and while he was making it work, you gave a quick glance around. No pictures. No portraits. Only medical books and other studies or old TV shows on the subject.

You couldn't help it and quickly made a psychological profile.

Hermit by the way he was snapping at his own co-workers. Workaholic with his impressive collection of works on the medical field. Detached, as he made sure not to bring two cups for the coffee he was making, probably because he didn't have one—or didn't see you as important enough to get you the other one he owned. No current relationship by the cruel lack of any personal belonging other than his cane and mug.

"Don't apologize for something I liked." He finally replied while his eyes slightly creased in amusement. He was still still near the coffee machine—struggling to get it working. Your eyes widened as you tilted your head quizzically at him.

"...What ?"

House grunted in frustration as he continued to fiddle with the coffee machine, trying to get it to work. He knew it was a battle he was losing, but he refused to give up.

"What ?" he repeated. "What isn't clear about 'don't apologize for something I liked' ? I enjoyed our previous encounter as much as you did, if not more. You made my day more entertaining than it usually is."

You frowned in incomprehension and House noticed. He sighed and sat down in front of you.

"Look at me. What do you see ?" You arched an eyebrow, but still did as he asked and gave him a good once over.

"A very infuriating overconfident man with a lot of personal issues." You told him frankly, but it didn't make Dr House any less happy about it. He liked frankness.

"You don't see a cripple." He finally told you and his answer made your eyes grow wide in surprise and he must have seen the confusion in your eyes as he clarified.

"When you tripped me, you didn't think about the fact that I was a crippled and feeble old man. You thought 'let's put that bastard back into his place'. This is why I'm not upset." He then seemed to think about something else before adding with a light teasing smirk. "Also, I like when women put me in my place. If you ever find the urge to 'sweep me off my feet' again ? Don't hesitate."

He winked cheekily at you and somehow, a grateful smile drew on your face. You thought you had somehow succeeded in finding a deeper side to Dr House, but he had to bury it under sarcasm and very bad flirting to deflect it. You rolled your eyes and stepped out, but a smile still appeared on your face when you were sure he couldn't see you. He was an arsehole. But, he was also a good guy it seemed...

House leaned back in his chair, looking very pleased with himself. He couldn't help the small glimmer of self-satisfaction that crept into his expression as he watched you turn to leave. He had a feeling this 'apologetic' visit would not be the last time you and he would cross paths.

He took a sip of his coffee, wincing as he swallowed—the machine had managed to brew it so weak, it was almost like hot water. House sighed and reached for his cane, knowing that he had a long night of pain and case files ahead of him.

A few days later :

Yeah...No.

Scratch that.

Dr House was every bit the annoying smarty-pants know-it-all you had made him out to be.

You had found a way to stay away from Dr House at lunch and it involved volunteering to the children's aisle for story time. He wasn't comfortable around people—and especially children. You had to see him wait for you at the door and bit down on your lower lip in order not to burst out laughing as he was standing there, obviously waiting for you to finish so he could complain to you about his after-hours and ruin your lunchtime.

Until one day…

"Miss Y/N ! Who's that ?!", one of the children asked you and you were about to answer that he was a doctor, but quickly reconsidered. You then had an idea as you saw multiple of the kids staring back at House. They seemed to be in a staring contest, until Dr House stuck out his tongue at them and some laughed. He then turned away and pretended to be occupied with a medical article he had surely found in the waiting room. You leant forward to answer the child with a small mischievous smile.

"This is Dr Hugs. And he LOVES hugs, isn't that right, honey ?!" Dr House who hadn't followed the conversation hummed absent-mindedly—unaware of the multiple pairs of curious and sparkling eyes on him now. The time he had caught up with your words, it was too late.

"Wait...No. Nononono !" He tried to protest, but he was suddenly surrounded by a dozen of children, holding onto him while giggling and who eventually made him fall backwards under their weight. You sighed and stood up to leave, letting Dr House at the mercy of the children. He raised a hand above the swarming form of little hands and arms to reach out to you.

"Dr Y/N ! Get back here this instant !" You pretended not to hear him and laughed before making your way to the coffee room.

"Thank you so much for replacing me during my coffee break, House !"

"Y/N !" He shouted one last time, but you closed the door behind you.

House growled as he sat on the floor, surrounded by dozens of children who had latched onto him with their chubby little hands. If hell had a feeling…that was it for House. He struggled against the weight of their bodies, trying desperately to fight his way out from underneath them without hurting them. One cheeky little kid had even climbed onto his back, making it nearly impossible for House to move…He had to fight to free himself and escape.

5 minutes later :

Dr House slammed the door of the coffee room with such force, he startled everyone in the coffee room but you. He was quite a sight to see with his hair disheveled, clothes in a disarray from the gripping and grabbing of little hands and his eyes screaming bloody murder as they finally settled on you. You had never seen anyone trudge so fast with a cane before and when he stood before you, you raised your eyes innocently at him with a small smile.

"What's the matter, House ? Did the little ones cause you trouble ?" You took another bite of your sandwich and it tasted a thousand times better now that you knew Dr House would never come to your work space again.

However, you didn't think he would be so mad as to slap the sandwich off your hands. You momentarily mourned your beloved sandwich, but quickly returned to the furious doctor above you. He suddenly leaned forward and his eyes stared at you with such intensity, you could hear his teeth clench in frustration.

"You. Are. Insufferable." He spelled each word carefully, as if they would make any more of an impact on you if uttered slowly. He then grabbed your arm and your chest made contact with his sturdy one as he pulled you up.

"If it's a war you want, I'll make sure to make your life hell." Your smile faltered slightly at the way his eyes were so wide, you could actually see each careful streak of his pupils. He was dead serious, and you wondered for a second if you had gone too far ?

"Listen, I..." You tried to tell him—but he interrupted you.

"Don't. Don't apologize when you don't mean it. Lying makes you look ugly." He then left without another word and you knew you should have felt bad about torturing him, but you couldn't help it. It was just too tempting. You bit your lower lip in order not to laugh as you spotted a colorful drawing of a flower at the back of Dr House's neck. You knew that the nice thing to do would be to tell him, but you had never pretended to be nice. Instead, you only sighed and picked up your half-eaten sandwich to drop it in the trash.

House stalked back to his office, muttering under his breath about the insufferable woman who had dared to leave him in that hell room. He felt utterly humiliated and pissed off—a combination that was never a good thing. He sat down in his chair with a thump, still muttering to himself. As he did, he noticed a strange feeling on his neck. He reached back and found a piece of paper stuck to his skin.

He pulled it off and his eyes widened as he saw the colorful drawing of a flower. He immediately recognized it as a drawing made by one of those devilish little children who had pounced on him in the pediatric waiting room.

House's face darkened in anger as he thought about you and your role in this whole disaster. He crumbled the paper in his hand and leaned back in his chair, trying to calm down. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the feeling of humiliation. He was a brilliant doctor, a legend in his field—and he had been brought down by a couple of kids and their i sufferable caretaker.

He crumbled the piece of paper in his hand.

This. Was. War…

A few days later :

It was almost strange. You had received no complaints about House for days now and when it was usually you who tended to avoid him, it seemed he had put in the extra effort this time. You hadn’t heard a squeak from him—not even to ask for more days off. It was…quiet. Too quiet.

Dr House was in your teaching room—the one you used to talk to the children or teachers cane to give them lessons.

He had a thousand of paper planes and you already knew what he was planning. You sighed.

House grinned as he carefully folded more paper planes, his fingers working expertly to create the perfect aircraft. He had spent hours cutting out colorful pieces of paper and meticulously working them into the perfect shape, and now he had a veritable army at his disposal.

When he glanced up to see you enter the room, that mischievous gleam was back in his eyes. "Ah, Y/N. Just the person I was hoping to see."

You glared at him warningly

"This is my work place, House."

House chuckled as he finished folding a paper plane and began testing its flight stability. "Ah, but Y/N," he said, his voice laced with a hint of mock sadness. "I was just looking for some company. Surely you wouldn't deprive a cripple of some much-needed human interaction, would you ?"

You were about to reply when the children came in for their lesson of the day.

As the children entered the room, their eyes widened in surprise and excitement at the sight of the paper airplanes. They immediately ran towards them, snatching them up and launching them into the air.

House watched on with a smirk, clearly pleased with his impromptu distraction. He turned to you, his eyes mischievous and his face betraying his triumph.

You glared at him once more.

"You…"

House grinned back at you, his expression smug and victorious. "What's the matter, Y/N ? Are you upset that I managed to bring a touch of fun to your boring lesson ?"

As the children continued to chase each other around the room, launching paper airplanes and screeching in excitement, House leaned back in his chair and chuckled.

You turned around to write sentences on the board, but you then felt a paper plane land against your back. You immediately turned back towards Dr. House.

He sat there with a look of casual nonchalance, but his eyes betrayed a hint of amusement.

"What ?" he said, feigning innocence. "You didn’t think I would simply sit by and watch without participating in the fun, did you ?"

You rolled your eyes before looking at the children.

"Come on, children. The lesson is starting now. You will be able to play later."

The children groaned in disappointment but reluctantly put their paper planes back onto the table before taking their places around it to start the lesson.

House sat there with a smug expression, clearly relishing in his little victory. He knew he had managed to disrupt your lesson, even if only for a few minutes.

You turned towards the children.

"So…today we will start with each of you telling me how you are feeling."

The children perked up at this, happy to engage in the activity.

One child spoke up eagerly. "I feel happy."

Another child raised their hand. "I feel excited."

And so it went for a few minutes, with each child taking a turn to share their emotions. However, as the last kid was speaking, House suddenly interjected.

"What about boredom, though ?" he asked, looking directly at you. "Surely someone must feel bored."

You shot him a sharp look, but a few children nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I’m bored," a little girl said.

"Me too," another child chimed in.

You sighed, frustrated at House’s constant attempts to derail your lesson.

"How about we play a game. You will each have a card with an emotion on it. And you will have to play that emotion to your neighbour. Without showing him or her your card, got it ?"

The children nodded eagerly at this, excited to try a new game. You handed each child a card with an emotion on it—there were joy, sadness, anger, disgust, fear, and surprise. Once everyone had their cards, you gestured for them to begin.

As the children began playing their emotions, their faces twisted into exaggerated expressions that brought laughter to the room. However, House, who had been watching the game with a critical eye, suddenly stood up and interjected.

"This game is utterly meaningless," he said. "What's the point of expressing emotions if they're not genuine? These cards are nothing more than a surface-level representation of real emotion. It's like trying to capture the essence of a person by looking at their social media profile."

You glared at him.

"It is an exercise, House. Those kids need to have a laugh and express themselves. Now sit down and zip it."

House grumbled but reluctantly returned to his seat, muttering under his breath about 'ridiculous games' and 'waste of time'. However, the children had not noticed his interruption and continued to play the game, laughter filling the room once more.

You smiled until Dr. House decided to make his presence known once more…

"MISS ! MISS ! QUESTION !" Dr House raised his hand like a child and you held back from rolling your eyes

"Yes, House." You replied—restraining a heavy sigh.

"HUM...I WANT TO GO POTTY, COULD YOU PLEASE HELP ME ?!"

You rolled your eyes and shook your head in disbelief.

"You're a big boy, House...I think you know how to find the bathroom on your own."

He exaggerated a pout.

"But…I need urgent assistance."

You rolled your eyes and couldn't help the smirk that spread across your face. House was clearly up to something.

"What kind of assistance ?" you asked, trying to hold back a chuckle. "Do you need me to hold your hand and aim for you ?"

House looked at you with mock outrage. "I'll have you know that I have excellent aim," he said, feigning a wounded look. "And I don't need your hand-holding, though I suppose I could use an escort to make sure I don't end up in the ladies' room."

The children snickered at the exchange between you and House, clearly entertained by the shenanigans.

You shook your head, trying to keep a dignified expression. "Very well, House," you said, pretending to be serious. "I will escort you to the restroom. Just try not to cause any mischief on the way."

House grinned victoriously as he stood up, leaning heavily on his cane. The children giggled at the sight of the grumpy doctor being escorted to the bathroom.

You looked back at the children.

"Keep playing and then, we’ll have a drawing session."

The children nodded and returned to their game.

You led House to the restroom, taking care to support him with your shoulder. He limped heavily on his cane, though you sensed his exaggerated limp was likely for show.

House feigned innocence as he hobbled along beside you, his cane clacking on the floor.

"I simply needed your assistance, Y/N," he said, his voice laced with mock sincerity. "You should be honored to be the one chosen for such a sacred task."

The children couldn't hold back their giggles, watching the scene unfold before them.

As you reached the restroom and helped House inside, you rolled your eyes once more. "Oh how gracious of me to be honored with this privilege," you said sarcastically. "Now hurry up and do your business, House."

You waited outside, leaning against the wall, trying to contain your annoyance and amusement.

Several minutes went by and you started to get impatient. "House, are you okay in there ?" you called out, wondering what on earth he was doing in there. Was he really just using the restroom or was he up to something again ?

"Almost ready," House called back through the door, his voice laced with a hint of mischief. "Just a minute."

After what felt like an eternity, the door finally opened and House reappeared, a mischievous smile playing at the corners of his mouth. He gestured for you to follow him. "Come on, Y/N. I need a hand with something."

You glared at him warningly.

"House…"

"Don't worry, Y/N," he said, his voice tinged with a hint of playfulness. "This isn't a prank, I promise. I just need some help with my leg. It's been bothering me more than usual today."

You raised an eyebrow, unable to tell if he was being genuine or not. Knowing House, it was just another way to make fun of you. You started walking away.

As you turned to leave, House suddenly winced and let out a cry of pain. He stumbled, his cane clattering to the ground as he clutched his leg.

"Y/N, please—" he gasped, wincing from the pain. "I really need your help. I'm not faking it this time."

You looked back at him, torn between your skepticism and your sense of obligation to help. Maybe it was a genuine pain, or maybe it was just another one of House's tricks. But either way, you couldn't just leave him there, could you ?

You sighed and got back to him, kneeling beside him.

"Okay okay…Show me."

House let out a groan as he pointed to his left thigh. "It's just throbbing," he said through gritted teeth. "I think it's because I pushed myself too hard today."

You gently ran your fingers over his leg, feeling for any signs of swelling or discomfort. As you did, you couldn't help but notice the way House stiffened at your touch. It was a small but noticeable reaction that seemed to betray a hint of vulnerability beneath his usual gruff exterior.

You started stroking the area and sighed.

"Do you take medication ?"

Dr. House gritted his teeth, clearly trying to hide his pain. "Yes, I do, but it's not enough sometimes," he admitted. "The painkillers help, but they don't completely take away the pain."

"And no," he added, anticipating the next question. "I'm not addicted to vicodin."

You frowned at him.

"I…wasn’t gonna say that."

You blinked twice.

"Are you ?"

House looked at you with a mixture of surprise and annoyance.

"No," he snapped. "I may be in pain, but I'm not some junkie looking for his next fix. I take what I need to function, but no more than that."

He pushed you away, clearly irritated by your question.

"I don’t see why it matters anyway."

You frowned.

"It matters cause those things ain’t always good. Side effects and whatnot…"

Dr. House rolled his eyes.

"Spare me the lecture," he grumbled. "I know all about the side effects of the painkillers. I've been dealing with them for years. But the thing is, the pain is worse without them. So I have to make a choice - deal with the pills and their side effects or deal with unbearable pain every single day."

You sighed before sitting down next to him against the wall.

"…What happened ? To your leg…"

House looked at you for a moment, contemplating whether or not he wanted to share the story. Finally, he relented.

"I had an accident a few years back," he said, his voice soft. "I was hit by a car while I was riding my bike. My leg was shattered and they had to do several surgeries to try to put it back together."

He winced at the memory, the pain and the trauma still fresh in his mind. You hummed and lolled your head to look at him.

"…Just between us. I ain’t got nothing against cripples. I know how my first reaction might have been misleading but…"

House raised an eyebrow at you, surprised by your sudden show of kindness.

"No insults about my cane ? About my limp ?" he asked, a hint of disbelief in his voice. "Color me surprised, Y/N. What happened to the girl who loved to torture me ?"

You grinned.

"She took a walk."

House smirked back, appreciating your quip.

"A walk ?" he asked, his voice layered with sarcasm. "You took a walk and now you're suddenly a saint ? Miracles do happen.”

He leaned back against the wall, his expression softening a bit. "Look, Y/N. I may be crippled, but that doesn't mean I want pity. I'm the same old House, no matter what my leg looks like."

You scoffed.

"Yeah. Arrogant. Grumpy. Pain in the ass…I know."

House grinned at your remark, appreciating your honesty. "You forgot brilliant, genius, and the best damn doctor this hospital has ever seen."

He stretched his leg out slightly, wincing at the pain. "But you're right about the arrogant and grumpy part, I guess."

You grinned and chuckled.

"…Nah. If anything I’d attack you on your age."

House scoffed at your joke, his ego clearly touched by the comment.

"Oh please, Y/N," he said, rolling his eyes. "You think my age matters ? I'm like a fine wine, baby. I only get better with age."

He struck a cocky pose, clearly enjoying the banter. "I've got decades of experience under my belt, and I can still run circles around any of those young whippersnappers."

You rolled her eyes and closed your eyes as you leant your head back against the wall.

"…Run. Right."

House chuckled, knowing fully well the irony of his comment.

"Okay, okay," he said. "Maybe not 'run'. More like limp, hobble, or possibly even crawl."

He let out a deep breath, his cocky facade slipping slightly.

"But the point is, I may be older, but I've got the brains and the wisdom to make up for it."

You grinned.

"You got smarts. Yeah. But wisdom ?"

House raised an eyebrow at your skepticism.

"Of course I have wisdom," he said, his voice tinged with indignation. "I've seen and experienced more than most people will ever see in their entire lives."

He gestured to himself, emphasizing his age and his position as a doctor. "I've been a doctor for decades, Y/N. I've treated patients, made life-saving diagnoses, and solved some of the most complex medical mysteries this hospital has ever seen."

You tilted your head to look at him.

"And yet…You still aren’t satisfied."

House's expression darkened slightly, recognizing the truth in your statement. He sat in silence for a moment, contemplating whether or not to delve deeper.

"You're right," he finally said, his voice husky. "Despite all the successes and accomplishments, there's still something missing. It's like a void within me that can't be filled."

He let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders dropping as he spoke. "I don't know what it is. Maybe it's fame, wealth…or just the thrill of solving puzzles."

You hummed and House chuckled bitterly.

"But maybe the problem is me, Y/N," he said, his voice tinged with self-deprecation. "Maybe it's in the nature of my character to never really be satisfied. Perhaps I'm always chasing after the next big thing, the next challenge, without ever stopping to appreciate what I have."

He ran a hand through his hair, his frustration and uncertainty palpable.

"You have a child ? Some say that you get satisfaction out of that…" You suddenly asked. It took a moment for you to realise that he probably didn’t. "Right…Stupid question."

House chuckled grimly, grateful for the distraction from his dark thoughts.

"No, no children," he said, his voice tinged with a bittersweet note. "No wife either. Can you see me as a family man, Y/N ? Settling down with a cute little house and a white picket fence ?”

You shrugged.

"Maybe. Some really mean bastards got themselves a woman…Everything’s possible."

House laughed at your remark.

"You’re not wrong," he said, a spark of amusement in his eyes. "Some real bastards do manage to find love and settle down."

He gestured to himself. "But me, I'm a different breed. I'm not made for that whole family-life thing. My relationships are like my patients—transient."

"Weren’t you and Cameron a thing at some point ? Or you and Cuddy ?" You asked.

House rolled his eyes, remembering his past romantic entanglements.

"Cameron…we had a fling. It was short-lived and ultimately pointless." he said, his expression hinting at a hint of regret. "And Cuddy — that was an on-again, off-again disaster. Our relationship was like a rollercoaster with more lows than highs."

He shrugged, his expression guarded. "What can I say ? I'm not good at relationships."

You grinned.

"Shocker. Who wouldn’t like that prickly personality of yours ?"

House glared at you, his grumpy exterior momentarily revealing a hint of amusement.

"Oh, please," he retorted. "My prickly personality is just part of my charm. People love a challenge, right ?" He raised an eyebrow, clearly not deterred by your teasing. "Besides, who needs relationships and all that messy emotional stuff when I've got puzzles and medical mysteries to solve ? That's where the real fun is."

You nodded before standing up.

"Guess so. Now if you’ll excuse me, I got the children to go back too. My patients."

House stood up too, leaning on his cane for support.

"Don’t let me keep you," he said, his voice tinged with a hint of disappointment. "Those little brats must be missing their arts and crafts session by now."

He started walking away, but not before turning back and giving you a smug grin. "See you around, Y/N."

You looked at him and your eyes lowered to his leg. You knew you shouldn’t say anything but…

"Your leg…Is it any better ?"

House grinned, clearly enjoying your concern, albeit reluctantly.

"Better ? Better ?" he mocked, feigning a dramatic limp as he walked away. "Oh yes, Y/N. I'm cured. Why, I can already see myself doing the Macarena and running marathons."

Despite his sarcastic tone, there was a hint of amusement and perhaps even a flicker of vulnerability beneath the facade. In his own way, House appreciated your concern.

And to both your surprises, you laughed.

House froze in his tracks, his surprise evident on his face as you burst into laughter.

"Did you just laugh ?" he said, sounding genuinely taken aback. "Did a genuine laugh just escape your lips ? Maybe I was wrong. Maybe you're the one who needs a CT scan."

You couldn’t stop as you doubled with laughter as the image of a Dr. House doing the Macarena kept repeating in your mind. House's surprise quickly turned into annoyance as you continued to laugh uncontrollably.

"Oh, very funny," he retorted, his voice laced with sarcasm. "You know, I try to be serious and show a moment of vulnerability, and all you can do is burst into laughter at the thought of me dancing the Macarena."

He rolled his eyes, but there was a hint of amusement lurking beneath his grumpy exterior. You stopped laughing and shook your head.

"I would pay good money to see you dance. Any dance actually…"

House looked at you, torn between irritation and amusement.

"Oh, I bet you would," he replied, rolling his eyes. "Just so you could have a good laugh at my expense. But you'd be sorely disappointed. I'm not known for my dance skills."

He gestured to his cane and his hobbling stride. "Unless you count a pain-filled limp as a dance move."

You smiled.

"Heck. I’d indeed pay to be a witness of that."

Dr. House grinned at you and arched an eyebrow at you.

"Fine. But, I warn you. My services aren’t cheap. I charge $200 for a dance with the cane, $300 and I’ll bring out the wheelchair."

You couldn’t help but chuckle at the ridiculously exaggerated prices.

"Two hundred for a cane dance and three hundred for a wheelchair performance ? You're clearly overestimating your performance skills, Dr. House," you replied, your tone tinged with amusement. "But considering your medical expertise and my appreciation for entertainment, I might be tempted. Just name the time and place."

Dr House huffed.

"As long as you pay me ? I’d dance in a room full of interns…"

Your eyes widened and sparkled as a wicked idea bloomed in your head.

"Christmas party. In two weeks."

House raised an eyebrow, intrigued by your suggestion.

"Ah, the annual Christmas party, huh ?" he said, a sly grin on his face. "Crowded room, full of uptight staff members and their painfully forced holiday cheer. Sounds like the perfect environment for a little humiliation if you ask me."

He chuckled, clearly enjoying the idea. "You've got yourself a deal, Y/N. Just make sure you bring your wallet. Payment upfront, of course."

Your grin widened.

"You got yourself a deal, House."

House nodded, his own grin mirroring yours.

"Excellent," he replied, a hint of excitement in his voice. "I'll start planning my performance. The cane, the wheelchair…maybe a cane-dance-wheelchair combination ?"

He chuckled, clearly relishing the thought of his impending performance. "And don’t worry, I'm already counting on that payment. I want all those crisp bills in my pocket before I start dancing."

You chuckled and extended your hand forward.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Dr. House."

House extended his own hand and shook yours firmly.

"Likewise, Y/N," he replied, his voice carrying a hint of amusement. "It's not often someone is willing to shell out serious cash just to see me make a fool of myself. Maybe there's a bit of sadism lurking behind that innocent smile of yours."

You winked playfully at him.

"Just your humiliation and pain can bring me pleasure, House."

House laughed, clearly enjoying the banter.

"I should’ve known," he said, his voice laced with amusement. "You find joy in my suffering. Well, get ready, Y/N. In two weeks, you’ll have your fill of laughter at my expense. Just don’t forget to bring your wallet. I’ll make sure to give you a performance worth every single penny."

You smirked.

"You better not disappoint me, House."

House raised an eyebrow at your sly remark.

"Disappoint you ? Me ?" he exclaimed, feigning offense. "I’ll have you know, Y/N, that I always deliver on my promises. In two weeks, you’ll witness a performance that will go down in the history books. Your cheeks will hurt from laughter, and your wallet will be considerably lighter. Don’t you dare doubt my abilities."

You nodded in agreement before turning around to leave.

"Two weeks, House ! Two weeks !" You reminded him.

"Two weeks, Y/N," he agreed, his voice tinged with anticipation. "I’ll start practicing my moves. It’ll be a Christmas party no one will forget."

You both smiled to yourselves as you walked away.

[plothooksinc]

If you’re still taking prompts for the No Rest For The Weary adjacent fic, can we see the guys’ first trip back to Hueso’s pizzaria? With or without April and Mayhem tagging along?

Also, I just found the series and binged it in like 2 days

I'm glad you enjoyed it, anon! Because I can't shut up, you get the weeks preceding it too-- (Note: if the formatting is wonky I apologise but my first attempt to post it took every single space out, hngngngn) Niño idiota: >> aww dont sweat it bm ill be back to dazzle your customers soon!!   

The message came in at lunchtime, and he didn’t see it until the rush had been and gone.  Hueso scowled down at it as if Leonardo had personally insulted him and tossed it into the corner of the kitchen.  Their first day re-opened was chaotic, with many customers seeking a sense of normalcy or not having access to their usual haunts—he’d like to say he was thinking of them by reopening so quickly, but in all honesty, Hueso was a businessman (and previously a pirate to boot) and knew the best way to recoup his loss from the enforced closure was to take advantage of the mess.  That it was also an excellent way to take stock of who had come through the invasion unscathed had nothing to do with it, of course.

He didn’t get back to his phone until late in the evening, having fielded a number of annoying encounters along with customers over-ordering pizza like the invasion was just taking a brief intermission—and dealing with Hop, who timidly called him to make sure the ‘crazy lady with the knife’ was nowhere in evidence before he dared to front for his shift—and by then he was exhausted.  But Leonardo had messaged him again—with a nonsense string of kissy faces and hearts followed by a row of question marks, and he sighed.  A five year old’s need for validation, honestly.

Hueso: >> 💀💀💀✨✨

The boy seemed like his normal self.  He told himself it was less of a relief and more of an annoying reminder that his break from seeing one of his most destructive customers-slash-temporary-waiters was destined to be a short one.  He should take advantage of it while he could.

He didn’t hear from Leonardo again.

Days later, he attempted a call and found the phone was out of service.

He was not worried.  One of the boys would surely come by for pizza now that he was open and he could make polite inquiries.  Asking after a customer’s health was permissible.

(Michelangelo had said he was recovering.  The phone was purely a coincidence.  Leonardo had merely forgotten to pay his bill like the irresponsible boy he was, or he had been using it before being cleared by doctor’s orders and the phone had been confiscated with great prejudice by his brothers.  That was all.)

--------- 

He did not see a single turtle in his restaurant.  

He did, however, hear from someone else; a phone call that took him by surprise, coming in on the main delivery line and asking to speak to the manager.  He came to the phone already annoyed, anticipating some complaint of my pizza is cold, or your special mystic sauce is flirting with my roommate! (It wouldn’t be the first time.  Sometimes his ingredients were very fresh.)

“This is Senor Hueso and I am busy,” he said curtly.  “Your complaint had best be of a suitably drastic nature.”

There was silence for a moment, and then a woman’s rueful voice.  “Ah.  Welp.  You weren’t a hallucination after all, huh?”

It took him a moment to place her, and then Hueso blinked and retreated into his office, closing the door behind him.  “Mrs O’Neil?”

“Just Carol’s fine,” she said.  “You, uh… I’m just trying to ground myself?  A little?  Things have been weird.”

“And so you decided to call the skeletal owner of a mystic pizzeria to feel normal again,” he said drily.  “I see. It makes perfect sense.”

“You’d be surprised.  Listen, I have two reasons to call—I know you’re busy so I won’t keep you tied up.”

He found he didn’t mind, actually.  It was rare that a human willingly associated with the yokai, though it spoke volumes that the two humans he’d found that would do so were related to each other.  “Go ahead.”

“First was just to, uh, touch base?  And make sure you got my message, and—I meant it.  You helped out a lot.”

“You are welcome, Senora.”  He nearly added any time, but frowned and thought better of it.  Hueso did not wish to encourage anyone to rely on him.  That was foolish.  “And the second?”

There was a brief pause.  When she spoke again, she sounded almost sheepish.  “...yeah.  Uh… it’s another stupid question, probably.”

“Of course.”  He braced himself for another inane question about skeletons.

“Yeah.  Does your, uh… pizzeria… even though we’re human, um—”

He blinked.  

And then, almost against his will, he smiled.  

“Senora, that is a stupid question.  Kindly remember all the times my employees have delivered to your daughter.”

“Oh, thank god.  Or...whatever you guys believe in—”

“Quit while you are ahead, perhaps.”  But now he was outright amused, leaning back in his chair.

“Yeah, noted.  Okay.  So some more spicy chicken…?  Two, I think.  We’re at a hotel right now, will that be a problem?”

“Not at all.  I will pass the order on to the staff.”  He hesitated.  “At a hotel?  Your apartment is a lost cause?”

“For now.  April’s, uh, friends?  Are paying for us to stay here, and I guess they’ll give us the all clear. Hopefully soon.”

Ah.  Sometimes it did, in fact, pay to ask sociable questions.  He leaned forward, voice rising eagerly.  “You have met her friends? The—” Turtle boys.  He stopped himself from saying it, because in all likelihood she had not met them and, annoying though they may be, that was a secret he would keep.

“No.” She paused, and then added shrewdly, “But April is staying with them, and I’m sure she’d have said something if they weren’t doing okay.”

He wasn’t sure April would have said anything at all, actually, given how tight-lipped she’d been on the topic of both mutants and yokai.  But knowing that she was staying with the boys did give him some level of reassurance that they hadn’t just vanished from the face of the earth.  

“Gracias,” he said anyway, and reached for his notepad.  “I had lost contact with them, so was… curious.  Tell me your hotel and room number and I will get your order ready.”

--------- 

His delivery girl came back with a hotel business card in one hand, Carol’s mobile number scrawled on the back, and a brief message:

Just in case. I’ll ask April about them in the meantime xx Carol

Well.  That certainly was an offer.  A perceptive woman, indeed.

He tucked the card into his business card book, face down so the message was hidden.   

--------- 

Perhaps Leonardo was avoiding him.  

The idea filled him with annoyance.  He also knew it was extremely unlikely, but he far preferred this irritating potential reason over anything more serious.  Hueso let himself believe this for a day and a half before he had to acknowledge that, foolish though the boy might be, he would not avoid the pizzeria just because Hueso had made a comment about an extra shift to pay for damages.  He would own up to it, if only to make childish comments about how much Hueso could rely on him and filch extra slices of garlic bread when he thought nobody was looking.  And potentially cause even more damage, because that seemed to be par for the course these days.  

The thought made him smile faintly-- until he realised he was very close to daydreaming about Leonardo accidentally trashing his pizzeria, and he nearly snapped poor Hop’s head off when he fumbled a serving a few moments later.  What a ridiculous thought.  (And he was annoyed at himself, not the staff, so he made sure to let Hop leave a few minutes early as an apology.)

Perhaps Leonardo had attempted to open a portal while concussed and had accidentally stranded himself in some remote farmstead.  That seemed as likely as avoiding him.  Or he had been portal jacked by pirates, and any moment now Piel would open the door to his restaurant and drag the turtle in like some waterlogged kitten, draped in seaweed and clinging to his ridiculous sword and wearing both those ridiculous eyepatches again, good grief what had the boy even been thinking (clearly he hadn’t been) and Leonardo would beam at him and launch into a tale of all the mermaids he’d met and flirted with until Piel dropped him mid-spiel and stormed out again.  

Perhaps he had quite deliberately portalled his family to Tahiti this time to recover in luxury.

...doubtful.

Perhaps…

Perhaps he was thinking about this too much.

Hueso put it aside and went to serve the family of googlyschmootzes that had just arrived and didn’t think about it again.

For a good twenty minutes.

--------- 

He broke.

Hueso: >>Buenas noches, Carol.  Could I ask if you have any word? >>This is Senor Hueso.

Senora O’Neil: >>Evening!  I will see what I can do.  I’m sure they’re fine.

-------- 

They were not fine.

Carol did not text him.  But the following evening, his waitress Gloriana knocked on his office door to tell him that one of the turtle boys had arrived and was asking for him, and he barely let her finish before Hueso was moving past her and through the kitchen at a speed a little too risky for an area full of sharp implements.  

April was at his front counter, peering listlessly at one of the menus, and he took a moment to observe just how tired she looked before he took in the hunched bulk that was Raphael slouching next to her, and he froze.  He already knew April had been injured—had seen her arrive with her face a mess, knew about the attack—but it was the sight of the large snapper that made him feel the first unfamiliar touch of… anger.  

Fear.  

Raphael’s arms were thoroughly bandaged, swathed above his plastron and neck, and his eye was covered in a patch that made him think nonsensically for a moment, ah, so it was pirates after all.  But it was the large chunk missing from the curve of his shell that horrified him, the sight of a near miss that was far above and beyond their usual shenanigans.

They are children, he thought.  This is too much for children.

If Raphael was the only one to visit him, how badly off were the others?

He did not ask.  Instead, Hueso regarded them with a face he hoped was impassive, and tugged the brim of his hat down slightly.  

“I see life has not been kind to you lately,” he said.  “I hope you do not think this entitles you to a discount.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” April said politely, but the knowing smirk that curved onto her exhausted face warned him ahead of time.  “Especially as we’re not here for pizza.”

...ah.  Carol had ratted him out.  Very rude, considering he had not once mentioned he was concerned.  He flicked his gaze to Raph, who gave him a wan smile of his own, blinking slowly with his one good eye as if he were considering going to sleep right there at the counter.  

Hueso sighed.  It wasn’t the end of the world.  

“I suppose you had better come through to my office.”

--------- 

April’s nose was newly bandaged and her bruises were that particular array of colours that always arrived in the process of healing.  That was something, at least, though Hueso couldn’t help but note the smaller bandage patch behind one ear.  She had been hurt more since he last saw her.  Perhaps they all had.  It made him fret over Leonardo’s last message and out of service phone all over again.  

“My doctor insisted on checking it out, but it’s all healing well,” she said, taking the mug of coffee from him. She was sitting on one edge of the worn couch he kept in his office, slouching against its side with a carelessness that made him wonder how long it had been since she’d slept well.  Raphael was taking up the rest of it, sitting there with his hands clasped on his knees and clearly trying not to fidget.

“I did not ask,” Hueso said levelly, and held out another mug to the turtle.  He didn’t seem to notice.

“No, but I ain’t blind,” April retorted.  “Mikey’s right, you are a big softie.”

He sighed.  “A terrible slur upon my reputation.”

“Sure it is.” She grinned over the rim of her mug, and elbowed Raph in the side, who started and then finally noticed Hueso’s outstretched hand.  “Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with us.  Right, Raph?”

“Right,” Raph said automatically, taking the mug.  Then he blinked.  “Wait, what?”

Dios mio.  Hueso raised an eyebrow.  “Raphael.  How long has it been since you slept?”

“Uhhh…”

The fact that he trailed off and frowned spoke volumes, and Hueso sighed again.  Well, he hadn’t been fooling them anyway.  Or, at the very least, he hadn’t fooled April.  He turned on his heel and went to the cupboard. “I assume your mother asked you to stop by.”

“You assume right,” she said, relaxing back with her coffee.  “Guess I’m doing a proof of life tour today.  I checked in with her, she asked me to follow up.”

“I see.  I feel you should have left this one home to sleep.”  

Raph frowned at that.  “Yeah, well, this one thought April could do with company.  It’s been a, uh, week.”

That gave him pause.  “Does this ‘a, uh, week’ begin before or after the zombie attack at the O’Neil apartment?”

“Man, don’t ask him to count days at this point,” April said wryly as Raph took on a more confused expression.  “Just assume things have been chaotic as hell since the day the sky opened up and rained bubblegum on us.”

“Such a misleading way to describe an alien invasion.” Hueso snorted, hiding his worry.  Not that it seemed to matter with this company.  “That almost sounds cute.”

“Never had bubblegum in your hair, huh.”

Hueso served her with A Look.  “In my clearly bountiful hair?  No.”

Then he threw a blanket from the cupboard across, hitting Raph in the face, and pointed.  “You, nap.  You.” To April. “Tell me what has happened, and why Leonardo’s phone is out of service.”

Raph blinked as the blanket slid off his face and landed in his lap.  “Wait, it is?”  And he started to fumble for his phone, until April put a hand gingerly on his shoulder.  “April?”

“Yeah, uh, it’s okay,” she said, eyes wide.  “We didn’t know it was out of service, but it makes sense.  I remember the last place he had it.  I think Leo needs a new phone.”

That was at least vaguely reassuring that Leonardo was alive and in need of technology somewhere, but April’s dancing around the point only served to irritate him.  “You are both very tired, it seems, if you did not realise before now.”

“Yeah well, you try dealing with two invasions in the space of a week,” April shot back.  “Leo’s phone getting eaten is kind of less important than, you know, Leo himself.  And Mikey.  And everyone losing their freaking homes and—”

And Raphael put out one of his giant hands to settle her back on the couch before she could get to her feet, grimacing faintly at Hueso, and he put up his skeletal hands in a gesture of apology.  

“I did not mean to imply any stupidity,” he said faintly, reeling a little at the sheer amount he needed to unpack in that small rant.  “I am merely… concerned at how exhausted you are.”  There, now he was being honest.  What was the world coming to?  He didn’t know where to start, so he started with the most bizarre.  “His phone was eaten?”

“It wasn’t me,” Raphael muttered, and April broke into a laugh before she could help herself, slapping a hand over her mouth.  

Hueso texted a message out to his kitchen staff and took a seat, feeling far more brittle than he had a few minutes ago.  Teenagers.  Very tired teenagers.  The laugh had sounded less amused and more borderline hysterical, so when he spoke again, he was as gentle as he could be.

“Perhaps you ought to start from the beginning.”

--------- 

Gloriana knocked on the door ten minutes later with a platter of cheesy bread sticks and spicy meatballs.  By then, April had finished telling him about the attack on the lair, Agent Bishop’s involvement and mistakes, and Leonardo and Michelangelo’s rescue.  The mention of Bishop would have set his hair on end if he had any; he was familiar with the man, given his restaurant straddled the line between the Hidden City and New York, and there had been harassment before certain rules were put in place and Bishop promptly lost interest.  

Raphael had fallen asleep during April’s spiel, and she had tucked the blanket over him without so much as a pause and carried right on, and the practised move was doing something unfortunate to Hueso’s emotions.  Or perhaps that was just the realisation of just how terribly things had gone after Leonardo’s last message to him; how close the family had come to tragedy.  

They were children.  

(Also, Leonardo’s phone being eaten by a possessed train was nowhere on his spiralling bingo card--)

He took the platter with a nod of thanks and closed the door, sliding it onto the coffee table in front of them.  April needed no encouraging and snagged two breadsticks with the flash of a grateful smile.  He sat and politely let her wolf them down before he spoke again.

“They are all right now?”

“Mikey just overextended himself and is sleeping it off,” she said, and he wondered how much of an understatement that was.  He did not pry.  “Leo’s… not doing great, given the timing, but he’ll be okay with time.  Might be a while before he’s back to pester you, though.  Or take any shifts.”

“I will somehow manage without this added disruption in my life,” he said with a straight face.  He was partly relieved; mostly, however, he was quietly calculating just how hurt the boy must be to be gone for a while.  To be taken straight from a hospital bed before he had a chance to recover-- “And you say both of these aliens are now dead, yes?”

“With extreme prejudice,” April said with satisfaction.

“I am sure my customers will be relieved to hear the danger has fully passed, then.”  He sipped his tea.

“Oh yeah, sure.” She grinned at him, snagging another bread stick.  “And I’ll let Leo know you were worried about him.”

He frowned at her over his cup.  “You will not.  He is insufferable enough as it is and I will confess to nothing.”

“Hmm, I dunno…”

“I can still charge you for those bread sticks you are eating.”

“Man, you think my silence can be bought?”   She waved at him with the bread stick in question before biting it in half, and he sighed.

“I was under the impression humans were easily corruptible, yes.” 

“Oh, we totally are.”

The O’Neil women were definitely going to be headaches in his life, weren’t they.  Hueso found he wasn’t particularly annoyed by that fact, but he made sure to sigh again.  It gave him an opening in any case. “Would you like to take some food home with you?  The family must surely be quite exhausted, if they are all dead on their feet like the two of you.”

“That would be amazing and my lips are sealed,” April said sunnily.  “Only can we get stuff that isn’t pizza? We kind of, uh, wanna hold off on that for a bit.  Long story.”

Odd.  But he didn’t care enough to question it.  She had overloaded him with enough stressful exposition already.  “I will put together some other options.  It...may take a while, if you care to rest until it is—”

A green hand landed flat on top of the meatball pile, and they both jumped.  And watched as Raphael grabbed a full handful of meat and shoved it into his mouth, chewing slowly before letting out a snore and sinking back into sleep again.

Well, then.  He was beginning to understand why Raph had defended himself about eating phones.  

“Does he do this often?”

April cackled.

--------- 

Mayhem was in his kitchen.

Having a staring contest with Hop.

Hueso counted to ten.  And then tapped the rabbit yokai politely on the shoulder, pretending he didn’t see the boy jump more than strictly necessary.  “You have work to do.  I will deal with the interloper.”

Hop nodded vigorously and then took off the front counter, stumbling over his own big feet on the way out the door.  Hueso sighed.  And took his place, staring down the tiny yokai with the most unimpressed look he could manage.

Mayhem stared mildly back.

“I am going to put together some pasta and burritos for the Hamatos,” Hueso said finally.  “When I am done, kindly make sure it gets back to wherever they are staying and deposit the two in my office directly into their beds.  Then I will consider us even.”

Mayhem tilted his head as if he couldn’t possibly know what Hueso was talking about; as if the little sneak hadn’t dumped humans in his lap not one week before.  His tail dipped off the ledge he was sitting to wave dangerously close to a pot full of bubbling mince.

Hueso pointed a finger bone at him.  “Do not threaten me, pequeña mierda.  I know where you came from.”

Mayhem stuck his nose in the air and turned away.  But his tail curled around him obediently and his ears twitched back.  

Just so long as they were agreed.

--------- 

April was snoring on top of Raphael when he returned.  He took a picture, careful to cut Raphael out of the shot, and sent it to Carol.

Hueso: >> You told her I was concerned.  A lie and a terrible betrayal.

Carol’s response took a while in coming.  He wondered if she was laughing at him.

Mrs O’Neil: >> Which is it? 👀 A lie or a betrayal it can’t logically be both 

Hueso: >> We will have words about this later.  For now, I am sending your daughter home to bed.

Mrs O’Neil: >> Gracias, Senor.  

--------- 

Knowing the family were okay did set his mind at ease somewhat.  His restaurant seemed much quieter without the turtles coming through, but it wasn’t as if Run of the Mill was a picture of serenity without them.  Not with his customer list including mob bosses and smugglers and the occasional pirate, but largely his customers knew very well to treat his restaurant with respect and cause no issues (providing, of course, he did not double-book certain parties ever again.)  

Life settled into some semblance of normal over the next week as the invasion became more distant; for the majority of the yokai it had been merely a source of hushed gossip, trapped as they were quite safely in the Hidden City’s lockdown.  (Hueso was under no illusions.  If the invasion had not been halted on the surface, the Krang would have found them all eventually.  He kept that to himself.)

Carol messaged him some days later, minutes after closing, and he glanced down at the message and couldn’t help his faint huff of amusement:

Carol: >> YOU DIDN’T SAY HER FRIENDS WERE GREEN >> also thank you for the complimentary cheesecake how did you know

Hueso: >> I didn’t say they were human, either. >> I have my ways. You can work them out yourself I’m sure.

Carol: >> A lie and a terrible betrayal!!! >> You saw the delivery address.  More stupid questions?

Hueso: >> I do not think that is the clever retort you think it is.  I neither lied nor betrayed.  I am an honest man* >> * Terms and conditions apply >> Also yes, but you are welcome.  Your home is intact?

Carol: >> For the most part.  Some minor repairs needed.  >> The boys are fine.  I only met one, but he’s charming in an awkward sort of way.  They’re coming for dinner next week!

Ah.  Hueso closed the door to his office, leaning against it, and felt… lighter.  That was promising.  In more ways than one.  If the boys were going to a family dinner, they were okay.  And Carol had met a turtle and invited him to dinner.  Truly, a unique human being.  He suspected he was going to enjoy their conversations.

(He wondered if she threatened the turtle with a knife first.)

Hueso: >> All of them?

Carol: >> As far as I know.  Does that help?  Would you like me to pass on a message?

“Like you did last time?” he muttered.  But he appreciated the offer even so.

Hueso: >> That is quite all right.  If they are well enough for dinner, I’m sure I will be seeing them myself sometime soon.  Gracias.

He saw the dots come up and vanish again, then reappear, and he waited patiently.  

Carol: >> You’re welcome 🥰

He wondered what she had been typing.  But his curiosity was only mild, and it had been a long day; Hueso collected his briefcase, checked in with the closing staff, and made his way home in a surprisingly good mood.  

--------- 

The following weekend, he woke to find she had sent him a picture.  He opened it over breakfast and promptly spat milk across the table.  

It was a picture of April, holding up her phone with a wide grin, her camera panned back to catch Donatello perched on the back of a couch like a menacing and mildly deranged vulture.  Those strange machine hands of his were extended down with markers in their pincers, scrawling on the side of a sleeping Leonardo’s face.  Michelangelo was leaning over one side of the couch with a marker in his hands but it looked like he was laughing too much to contribute, and he could just see Raphael—a much less exhausted and less bandaged Raphael, for which he was quietly relieved—looking at the camera with a grin and gesturing at his brothers, his mouth smeared with… chocolate?  That was probably chocolate--

Carol: >> Proof of life 🎊🎊

Hueso: >> A terrible invasion of their privacy.  

Carol: >> I’m innocent!  My daughter is the fiend here.  You don’t hae to worry, I didn’t say a word >> *have

If Leonardo was sleeping at this dinner, he was still healing—but clearly in safe territory, if his brothers were… well.  Being brothers.  He’d certainly woken up several times as a child to find his bones decorated in all kinds of rude messages.  Hueso grimaced at the memory and took a closer look.  

The boy had lost weight.  Not enough to be frightening; enough that Hueso contemplated whether he could get away with inflicting more food on them without the repercussions of Leonardo’s smarmy grin and assumptions.  Probably not.  Besides, he had faith that Carol would have fed them well and Michelangelo was an excellent chef in his own right.  He was not needed here.

Hueso: >> Gracias. >> Is it all right if I print this?

Carol: >> You may do with it what you like.  April knew what she was doing.

Like mother, like daughter.  The girl was a menace.  But in this case… he smiled and tucked back into his breakfast, wiping up the spilled milk with a napkin.  April was all right.  He would have to let her know that her family was welcome at his pizzeria, provided they were not easily shocked by some of his clientele.

--------- 

Carol🗡️: >> Maybe a quieter night.  Do you have quiet nights?

Hueso: >> First Wednesday of the month is Human Night Out.  It only attracts the younger yokai.

Carol🗡️: >> Sounds ominous.  Human Night Out?

Hueso: >> Wherein we hide all traces of the Hidden City and pretend we are a human pizzeria.  There are costumes.

Carol🗡️: >> ...that’s actually something yokai are interested in?

Hueso: >> You don’t have theme nights in your own restaurants?  The younger yokai are fascinated by humans.  The older… not so much.  It is quieter.  There are ‘exotic’ dishes which I think you would find fairly mundane.    The yokai would think you were just in disguise.

Carol🗡️: >> Okay that’s amazing.  Don’t you lose money though?

Hueso: >> Not when people pay a premium for the exotic dishes.

Carol🗡️: >> I detect a con.

Hueso: >> I’m sure I have no idea what you mean.  Booking for 7pm?

Carol🗡️: >> We’ll be there.  I’ll review your exotic dishes.

Hueso: >> I’ll give you a discount for your first time if you review them positively.

Carol🗡️: >> We’ll see 😁

--------- 

[unknown number] >> I know I know youve been so worried about me I amhere 

Hueso: >> New phone, who is this

Niño idiota: >> Ohohoho OUCH we gotta work on ur meme skills u did it wrong

Hueso: >> I’m sure I don’t care.

Niño idiota: >> well when u decide u do care as u inevinnev something something do its ‘new phone who dis’

Hueso: >> ‘inevitably’.

Niño idiota: >> that’s what i said >> anyway sorry i was out of touch i lost my phone??  prolly left it somwhere u know how it is >> I owe u a shift just lmk when

Hueso is typing… Hueso is typing…

Niño idiota: >> did I break u with like responsibillity want me to be an idiota just to balance things??

Hueso: >> I will not need anyone for a few weeks.  But do not think you are off the hook.  I am sure I can find something tedious for you to do. >> You are already an idiot no need to rub it in.

Niño idiota: >> u love me and u know it

Hueso: >> Debatable.

Niño idiota: >> Debatable!!!  thats not a no u no

Hueso: >> Get some sleep and learn to spell.  I am busy.

Niño idiota: >> ✨🎊👏👏😘😊😏 >> in that order or

> Read 3.48pm

Niño idiota: >> you leave idiota on read???  rude tbh jail bla bla bla >> 🥺🥺🥺 >> 😎see u soon✨

--------- 

“—get it, but I wish you’d told me before this!”  The voice was whining and petulant and very, very familiar. He felt a Pavlovian sense of annoyance rise up almost as fast as the sheer relief, and Hueso opened the kitchen door a crack to peer out.  

Sure enough, there they were.  Finally.  Leonardo was leaning against the closest booth to the alleyway portal, but he was on his feet and that was good enough.  Michelangelo was latched onto one arm and Hueso couldn’t tell if it was clingy affection or for extra stability.  Perhaps both.  Leonardo’s pout was ridiculously overdramatic, which told Hueso the boy was perfectly fine with whatever he hadn’t been told, and if he had eyes, he would roll them.  Teenagers. 

“Sorry, Leo, we kinda forgot.”  Raphael rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.  The eye patch was gone with no sign of wounds beneath.  “It was a spur of the moment thing, but the kid’s never had pizza, so—”

“Nah, I get it,” Leo said, waving his free hand.  “But I’m totally complaining about this injustice for the rest of the night, just so you know.”

“Oh nooo, a surprise no one could have foreseen, however will we manage your-- oh wait, I have headphones.” Donatello, moving around them with a look of complete disinterest and his phone in his hand.  

There.  All four of them.  

Hueso breathed.  Hop had already picked up his notebook and was rounding the counter; he managed to catch him by the shoulder before Hop could get further (another jump, were all rabbit yokai so anxious or just this one?) and took the notebook from him, gesturing with his bony chin toward the kitchen.  The message was clear:  trade places.  

Then he waited until all four were seated—pretended he wasn’t paying attention to the way Michelangelo helped Leonardo into the booth—and sauntered over, the picture of nonchalance, grateful that his voice was dry as the desert when he spoke.  “Ah, my most destructive customers.  I thought it had been quiet around here.”

Donatello didn’t even look up from his phone, which was the very picture of normal for him.  But the other three did, with Raphael and Michelangelo throwing him cheerful smiles.  Leonardo lit right up with a flash of teeth in a smug grin that said he was about to say something incredibly obnoxious.  Good.  Business as usual.  Even if he wasn’t currently flailing at Hueso with his usual dramatics, which he suspected meant the boy was still sore, at the very least.  

“Bone man!”  Leonardo beamed, then sprawled in the booth with a barely-there wince, propped up by his little brother.  “Toldja it’d be soon.  Miss me?”

“Yes,” he said flatly.  “But my aim is getting better.”

Donatello snorted at his screen, and Leonardo made a face.  “Seriously?  That’s like… so old, you need to hang around someone younger with better jokes—”

“Someone like you, perhaps?”  Hueso pinned him with a look, tapping his notebook.  “You seem to have forgotten where I heard that from in the first place.”

“Memory issues,” Michelangelo said solemnly, pushing Leonardo delicately upright again.  “Concussions will do that to ya.”

Hueso raised the notebook to hide his smile as Leonardo shot him a betrayed look.  “You told him?”

“I’m sorry, was that meant to be a secret?”  Donatello glanced up finally.  “We’ve been incommunicado for weeks after an invasion and he called you while you were sleeping it off.  What do you think we told him?”

“I told him, technically,” Michelangelo said cheerfully, “But it’s okay, Leo!  I didn’t tell him anything else! Pinky promise.”

Raphael raised a hand sheepishly.  “Yeah, uh, but April and Raph might’ve...”

Leonardo’s expression flickered from surprised to guilty to mildly distressed before it settled on the sulkiest frown he’d seen on the boy yet.  “Well, that’s not fair.  I was gonna like… derail him with tales of our epic adventures and everything, and you beat me to it.”

“I think the word you’re looking for is ‘regale’, Nardo.”  

“Derailing may still happen,” Hueso said dryly, tapping his finger bones on the edge of the table to get their attention back.  “If you intend to continue this fascinating conversation rather than order your food?”

“Hah,” Leonardo muttered.  “That’s totally what I meant—”

“Hush up,” Michelangelo said, leaning past him.  “I’m hungry.  Can I get the mystic lasagna?”

He took their orders after that, watching them carefully as they talked.  Raphael’s eye was a little red, but was tracking correctly and obviously focused.  A good sign, he hoped.  Donatello seemed utterly like his normal self, and Michelangelo was wearing what seemed to be compression gloves.  Leonardo… was still thin, and looked very tired, but Hueso had seen him far more exhausted.  There were splashes of vivid colour creeping over the top of his shell which he couldn’t help but stare at, trying to work out what they were.  

Leonardo tilted his head at the curiosity, and then smiled more genuinely, twisting slightly so that Hueso could get a better look.  “Like it?  My little brother is awesome, as usual.”

“And don’t you forget it,” Michelangelo huffed, but he was grinning as Hueso stared at the beautifully painted marigolds, petunias, and tulips winding their way across Leonardo’s shell.  

The boy was an impressive artist; not just for the careful love and detail on such an unusual surface, but the way he’d crafted his art to disguise injury.  Because Hueso had to pay very close attention to see the repair job to the shell beneath.  

The damage had been… extensive.  He’d thought Raphael’s shell had been bad; no wonder he had been incommunicado for so long.  

Leonardo’s smile shifted strangely on his face, and he sounded almost uncertain.  “What do you think?”

Ah.  It was hard to translate what Leonardo really wanted to hear.  But given the way Michelangelo had gone so far to hide this injury… he leaned back again, humming thoughtfully.  “I think the next time I would like new art for the restaurant, I should see if your brother is free.  It may perhaps be a less destructive option than waiting tables.”

Leonardo grinned in pride as Michelangelo brightened next to him.  “Really?  I would love to do some art for you, Senor Hueso!  I could bring my portfolio next time!”

“You have a portfolio?” Raphael looked confused.  “Wait, what’s a portfolio?”

“It’s a port just for me, duh,” Leo drawled, and then reeled back as Donatello threw a wad of napkins into his face.  “Hphh!”

“That was terrible and you know it.”

“It was pretty great, actually.”  Leonardo spat a piece of napkin at him and smiled lazily.  “You’re just jealous I thought of it first.”

Donatello resolutely ignored him and turned to Raphael.  “It’s a collection of sample works that illustrate an artist’s skill and range.”

...had they forgotten he was here?  Typical.  He coughed loudly, and watched them all swivel back to him attentively.  “Yes, bring your portfolio.  I suppose I am interested.  The flowers look very lovely.”  He paused, but in the end he couldn’t resist.  “Though it does make you look like you’re about to be thrown at a wedding.”

“Sounds like a fun sport,” Donatello drawled.  “Let’s get Kendra married off so we can bowl Leo at her bridal party.  If she has enough friends for that.”

“Can—can we wait until he can survive that first, Raph would like not to panic all over again—” 

“Why should Leo get all the fun?  I’m the small one, let me be the bouquet!”  Michelangelo had literal stars in his eyes.  “I’d love to be a bunch of flowers.”

“Yeah, but you can hardly paint your own back, Miguel.”

“Challenge accepted.  This bitch yeet!”

“Okay, one:  language, and two:  even Raph knows that’s not how it goes—”

“What’s wrong with yeet?”

“Leonardo--”

Maybe he shouldn’t have made the joke.  Hueso sighed heavily, and this time it didn’t stop them from continuing on with... apparently inventing a brand new hobby.  Teenagers.  But lively ones, and he would rather they were here giving him a headache than go through the weeks of quiet that had preceded this one.  

“I’ll take your orders to the kitchen,” he said, and turned on his heel.

“Hey, wait—”

There was a tug on his sleeve, and he turned in surprise to find Leonardo half out of the booth and trying to keep his balance; Michelangelo had an arm wrapped around him to stop him falling, but was still arguing with the others.  Apparently he’d lunged to get Hueso’s attention without thinking it through.  Good grief.  He stepped forward and put his bony hand under Leonardo’s elbow, gently pushing him back into his seat.

“Do not do that again,” he said quietly, and Leonardo made a sheepish face.

“Sorry.  I just wanted to, uh…”

He trailed off.  Hueso raised an eyebrow and waited patiently until he glanced away.

“Did we worry you?”

What an odd question.  Or rather, what an odd delivery.  He would have expected Leonardo to be smug, taking it as proof of their friendship, but Leonardo seemed more anxious about the prospect.  And Hueso thought back to their text conversation.  To the boy’s completely nonchalant dismissal of his silence and missing phone.

“Only a little,” he said, voice mild.  “In truth, I was more impressed by the tale.  One could say that you and your brothers acted like…”  

And Hueso smiled.  Pointedly. 

“...champions.”

Leonardo mouthed the word back in confusion, before realisation lit his face.  Hueso took advantage of the pause to move away, heading for the kitchen with his notebook, listening briefly to the conversation behind him--

“Raph!  Raph!  Hey, gimme a lift, I need to go check the Wall of Champions—”

Hueso vanished into the kitchen and passed off their order to his kitchen hands.  He only had two photos of the boys, after all.  One was still quite firmly pinned to the Maze of Death cheaters wall.  The other--

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?”

His staff shrank back; both at the yell and at Hueso’s wide grin, which admittedly looked downright unnerving on a living skeleton, he could admit--

“Omigosh we’re champions!”

“With this photo!?  YOU’RE DRAWING ON MY FACE!”

“Well, someone had to.  I, at least, look suitably championlike—”

“You look like a deranged gremlin is what you look like.  Couldn’t he, like, edit out the chocolate first?”

“I mean, it could be worse, Leo!  We could have been drawing something that wasn’t PG-13.”

“Where’s April?  I’m gonna kill her.” Leonardo was wailing.  “She sent this to Hueso!?”

Hueso swept through the kitchen and into his office, shutting the door behind him so that nobody could hear him laugh.

[borrowedtimeandspace]

The Question

AU: A Patient, and Time (Donna AU); set some time after A Whole Lot of Precious Time

Note: Hope y'all enjoyed the comfort...

~~~

“No, no, it's not that I don't understand the threat, the Doctor insisted. “I get it; temporal displacement weapon, you point it at people so they do what you want or else they're, as it says on the tin, displaced in time. What boggles my mind is why you've added a wheel to it. Aren't fidget spinners a bit 'retro' for the 51st century?”

The terrible smirk on the face of the crisply suited man before the Doctor didn't falter even a hair. He continued to hold the deceptively dangerous device so casually in one hand, letting his thumb flick its shiny new wheel up and down at odd intervals. Not a thought was put into the action.

“Time… It's a funny thing, isn't it, Doctor? Suppose you'd know, the great and powerful Time Lord that you are. I should think you'd be more aware than anyone that in this day and age, temporal displacement is becoming a bit of an empty threat. What with vortex manipulators being a dime a dozen, it sort of takes the severity out of it. Just trace back the setting, or strong-arm the one with the weapon, and you'll find them eventually.”

It was all the Doctor could do to not roll his eyes at the man's monologuing. He'd prompted it, after all, and it was what he wanted. A distraction.

Alaric Edwin didn't have nearly half the planet under his thumb simply by having an odd, tricked-out relic in hand, after all. He'd come into political and social power by manipulating the populace with his network of tech worming into the vast majority of people's heads. A network powered by the master control at the far end of the room in which he and the Doctor now stood.

All eyes were on the two men, any hired (though to be frank, they were also enslaved) guns trained on the Doctor and awaiting the signal of their commander. Edwin, confident as ever, wasn't worried. 

No one but the Doctor seemed at all aware of the tiny woman sneaking from shadow to shadow along the edges of the room.

Zepheera had jumped at the opportunity. For how tight the security was in this base of operations, it all but ignored smaller life forms. Even carrying the tiny but incredibly powerful EMP device the Doctor had given her, the four and a half inch tall borrower was able to avoid tripping any alarms. She could get in close to the master control and shut it all down long enough for the Doctor to make sure it could never come online again.

It was the Doctor's job to make sure she got there.

Once in a while, he could catch the slightest glimpse of movement in the corner of his eye, but he dared not look for fear of blowing her cover. The Doctor only noticed because he had grown so used to a borrower being around, and as far as he could tell, Mr. Edwin was so locked in his own world that he had no concept of anything or anyone else. And the Doctor was determined to make sure it stayed that way.

It was just a shame that getting him to brag about his toys was apparently the way to do it.

“But, with this,” Edwin continued, lifting the temporal displacement weapon so that the newly added wheel was prominent, “it's all random. Even I don't know when exactly I'm sending someone once I fire it off. And the very next second, well…” He gave the wheel another pointed spin. “Then it's gone. No way to trace anything back, no way to know. Nice and clean, you see? Even torture won't get anyone anywhere since I literally do not know, myself, where I'm sending people. I've even lost track of which direction takes someone forwards in time or backwards. Really turns what was once a weapon of waning relevance into something…truly devastating, if I do say so.”

The Doctor’s eyebrow quirked. “And that just works for you?” he asked, deadpan and unimpressed. In his peripheral vision, he could see the faintest movement against the side of the master control. Good job, Zepheera, he thought, just a little longer… “Not nearly enough to point guns at people, is it? Is that what you do all day, come up with endlessly creative ways to threaten people who are already in your thrall?”

“You know, I grow tired of all your questions, Doctor,” Edwin sighed. “They're not nearly as entertaining as they were. I should think the time has come for me to begin asking the questions. For instance: How is it that you think you're going to put a stop to my operations here? You've come all this way, I can only assume that is your goal.”

Behind Edwin, Zepheera's heart was in her throat. This was hardly the first time she'd taken on a task that separated her from the Doctor, especially since Donna’s loss. Her drastically smaller size lent her to very different strengths than her Time Lord friend. He'd been nothing but encouraging, if a tad protective when she first started actively taking such initiative.

The adrenaline coursed through her veins, powering her climb. If she pulled this off, millions of people would be set free from imprisonment in their own mind. She knew firsthand what a terrible fate that was, and helping put a stop to it was what kept her moving forward.

It was slow going up her climbing rope, but Zepheera finally pulled herself up to the titanic machine's console. Leaving the grappling hook and line behind, she began sprinting toward the center. Along the way, her fingers fumbled to remove the straps keeping the electromagnetic pulse device attached to her back. She abandoned the fiddly latch and simply yanked the device over her head.

The Doctor clocked this movement, and tossed his hands in the air. “Well, I'm only a concerned passer-by. Just reckoned I'd scope things out as I stumbled in, plans aren't really my forte–”

“Couldn't agree with you more,” Edwin cut in, whipping his head around in time to lock eyes with Zepheera, her arms full with the little device. 

Her steps faltered for a split second at the sight of being caught, but she quickly redoubled her efforts. Frantically, Zepheera slammed her hand down on the button that would begin the thirty second timer on the pulse. 

Edwin's thumb flicked the wheel.

Zepheera tossed the device as far as she could throw it and made a mad dash for her hook.

Edwin's arm whipped around and he squeezed the trigger on his weapon.

“Zepheera!”

It all happened far too quickly for the Doctor to stop it. A bright flash of blue light leapt from Edwin's hand and collided with Zepheera. She didn't have time to scream before the beam consumed her whole. 

In less than the blink of an eye, Zepheera had vanished completely.

Edwin's thumb once again flicked the wheel on his device with a pointed whirrrrrrr. The only sound the Doctor was consciously aware of anymore.

That smug smirk was in full force as Edwin turned back to the Doctor. “Would you like me to repeat the question?”

The Doctor didn't respond at first. He stood frozen, staring at the last spot he'd seen his friend before she was tossed into the temporal wind. And at first, Edwin took pride in shaking up the Time Lord so visibly, and was willing to wait for it all to sink in.

Then that gaze slid slowly to lock with Edwin’s, and suddenly he was the one frozen in place.

Anger wasn't all that could be found in those eyes, and Edwin could almost see for himself what they saw when they looked at him. It wasn't just the dismantling of his plans. It was the complete and total destruction of everything Alaric Edwin was and ever would be, along with anything and anyone bearing his name. Oblivion in the truest sense of the word.

The wrath of the Time Lord, whose lip curled with utmost disdain as he growled; a low tone that went well beyond seething.

“Oh, big mistake.”

[quite-right-too]

Prompt: “Wait, you can hear me?”

It wasn't unusual for Rose to stay in the console room while the Doctor worked on the TARDIS.

In fact, he found that he quite enjoyed the company.

She would sit on the jumpsuit, reading a book she carefully picked from the library. Occasionally, she would come by and sit with him. Legs dangling off the grating and under the time rotor where the Doctor would be fixated on some minor issue that, due to his procrastination, had turned major.

"What're you working on?" Rose asked. She couldn't help but stare, however, at the state he was in. On his back, his intense concentration exuded a level of confidence she loved to see. He had forgone his usual brown pinstriped jacket, wearing just a light blue button up shirt. His sleeves were rolled up to just past his elbows and his tie was removed, leaving the first two buttons on his shirt undone and exposing just the barest amount of chest. His glasses were perched precariously on his face, sonic between his teeth, as his hands were buried in the underside of the console.

Removing the sonic from his mouth, he continued to fiddle with the wires above his face. "Ah, nothing too important." The Doctor winced as sparks flew over him. "Just trying to tune up the multi-loop stabilizer. It had become a bit detached from the synchronic feedback circuit and has been why we've had some increasingly bumpy landings."

"So it's not just your bad driving?" Rose teased. He rolled his eyes as she grinned down at him.

"I am not a bad driver. I'm a brilliant driver, actually."

She scoffed. "Are not! Dare I remind you about about the trip to see Ian Dury in 1979 which turned into fighting literal werewolves in 1879? Or what about-"

The Doctor cut her off abruptly. "Wait, you can hear me?"

"Of course I can. You're laying right there?"

"Rose," the Doctor said, siting up and pulling himself up from under the console to sit next to her. "You don't understand. You heard me. What did you hear?"

Sighing, she stared him down. "Doctor, I just heard you say that you're not a bad driver. 'M not hard of hearing yet."

"The problem, Rose," he stated seriously, "is that I didn't say that out loud."

Send me a sentence prompt and I’ll write you a TenRose ficlet!

[the-lost-girl-in-the-tardis]

A piece of me. A part of you.

Pairing: The Doctor x reader

Reader type: Gender neutral

Song: Roslyn- Bon Iver

Warnings: N/A

An: It has been a hot minute lol. I'm thinking about doing a mini series of various one shots with a specific type of reader in mind. This is mostly just a quick idea of sorts to figure it out. I'll be tagging all of these ones, if I do it, as readerreader until I figure out a better name lol. Anyways enjoy this one! Any feedback is welcome!

"Just because you are soft doesn't mean you are not a force. Honey and wildfire are both the color gold."

- Victoria Erickson, Edge of Wonder: Notes from the Wildness of Being (via woodlandfawn)

"Are you mad at me?" You asked. Your voice wavered. Spoke the pain you felt.

"Mad?" The Doctor asked softly. Held you closer in his arms. "Why would I be?" He trailed off. Pulled your hand into his. "Y/n." A whisper. Your name is uttered in such soft reverence.

"Please Doctor." You sounded meek. Tired. God so tired. "Tell me." You look up. Your damp cheek still pressed to his chest. "Please."

He brought your hand to his lips. Layed a kiss on broken and bloody knuckles. His jaw clenched. His eyes soft as he looked at you. "Never. Not of this."

.

.

.

He held a lifetime of sorrow. Carried it in a body hewn of ancient stone. Drowned in a pain beyond your comprehension. The Doctor has faced beings claiming God has spoken to death and was spared her hallowed curse. Yet he came out the victor. The lone man in a blue box condemned to live out a life loss and ruin.

There are times you catch a glimpse of him. Genuine moments of his joy. Of his love for learning. Such as now. On a cool, crisp day. Breathing in the mountain air of a foreign planet. He speaks to you, almost tripping over his own tongue as he tells you of the planets history. Its people. He tells you of events as if he has lived them. And perhaps he did. Watched as the first mountains formed.

Did he hold his breath as the first green sprout rose from rich soil? Did he know of that tree? Breathed in the air it gave as it towered miles high into the air? The crown of it touching the clouds. Daring to break the atmosphere and touch the stars just as he did.

You say nothing. Hold his hand while he speaks. You look into eyes that have seen both the birth and death of the universe.

If you listen. Catch your breath. You can hear the TARDIS. The cry of alien animals. Although the Doctor would tell you that "You are just as alien to them as they are to you." You smile at the memory that thought brings up. On a far warmer planet that had a sky of deep violet hues.

Your face warms when the Doctor waves a hand in front of you.

"Are you even listening? I am being very clever you know." You chuckle. Slightly embarrassed at being caught lost in your thoughts.

"I am. I promise. I just." You pause. Get lost in the look he gave you. One brow rose and a flicker of a smile on his lips before he looks away.

You would give anything to see yourself through his eyes. To see what he saw in you. To know what he deemed worthy enough to keep you around.

"Come along then." The Doctor pulled you towards a worn foot path. "There's a town nearby that I want to show you. It has the nicest little shops." Slowly he fades out. Eyes following the curve of your profile. Lost in the look of your eyes. A fresh view in the planet he often visited.

Yet you were the first companion he brought here. The first to view this small piece of peace he so desperately clung to. And he showed you as if to say. Here I am layed bare, open. See the part of me that I keep hidden. Please notice the peace. The untainted memory he so desperately held onto.

His own lips copy the curve of your smile. Finding his own happiness at your joy of another alien world. Caught in new sights and smells. He watches as you call out. Greet people unknown to you.

You have grown since you've first met. No longer cold and calloused to the world. Finding your own softness after being walled off for so long.

You nod as you pass yet another. The people of this planet range in brillent hues of blue. Each of them shifting darker in shade as they age. Their "hair" was a tuble like tendrel that they held great care for. They decorated them with jewels and golden clasps. Horns sprouted from the tops of their heads. Curling like a rambs as they grew older. From this was draped a sheer fabric. A religious practice for some. They have four arms. The bottom set wrapped around their torso when not in use.

You nod your head at a passing couple clothed in deep green hues. A child between them skin such a pale blue it was almost white. Your head nods. Eyes closed. The Doctor copied you from by your side.

A polite greeting that they copy in turn. They tell you of festivities being held in town. An important one for them. Something only held every one hundred years.

These people live for centuries. A long life of peace and deep appreciation of the arts and sciences. They yearn and crave knowledge.

The Doctor grins. Laughs and waves goodbye at the family and pulls you further down the path. Through fog covered trees and over a stone bridge. His hand still in yours as you reach the town.

And oh it was stunning. Filled with the laughter of children and foreign food wafting in the air. Sweet and aromatic. Spice intermingling with the pine like scent of the woods.

What you could only call orbs floated high into the hair. Multi colored balls all shades of the rainbow

Children ran past you. The Doctors hand slipping from your own. His gaze follows the children running towards the bridge you just crossed. Their laughter rung. High and bright.

With a hand between your shoulders the Doctor leads you towards various stalls. Having you try different foods. Drinks. Even getting you a trinket or two. Silver bangles on your wrists. A new ear cuff shaped like a dragon from Earth's folk tales. Takes that held some tune of truth to them.

The day blends into the night. Your full. Body satisfied by a different blend of food. Even so you held a warm drink in your hand. The Doctor had lead you to a high hillside above the town. The two of you sat on dewy grass beneath twin moons.

You shivered. Wishing you had brought a warmer jacket. You took a sip of your drink. Sweet and almost chocolaty. It was caffeinated almost like a coffee. You bumped your shoulder against the Doctor who in turn nudged you back. "Why did we come up here again?" You asked. The Doctor smiles.

"They hold a light show. Drape thier bodies in the floating lights you've seen all night. " His voice is soft. Far off in a memory. One you're soon about to make. "They dance. Tell the story of their people. It's a long one. Sad and filled with pain and trauma. But they tell it. Teach their young about their history and just how difficult peace was to achieve." He begins to add more but stops when the dancing begins.

Light waves. Rolls across the town like water on the ocean. Breaking and scattering when it hits the edge of their home.

They dance and sing. So much pain and sorrow held in their story. It calls out to you. Transfixes you. It also speaks of hope. Of faith.

The Doctor says nothing. Watches you as you watch the town. Colors dance across you skin. Flash in your bright eyes. You face is soft. Small minute expressions only he could see. He has seen this a thousand times and will a thousand more. But he thinks. Just this time. He is seeing it for the first time again through you. And it stills his hearts. Warms his chest.

He sees a part of himself in you. A desperate need to learn. To see. And he knows you see yourself in him to. The hurting. The pain. The coldness. Often he wonders how the both of you got along. How the both of you balance each other out.

You got to grow softer. Learn to give a kindest you so desperately fought for. Learn to give it to others so that you to may get it.

The Doctor got to see things in fresh eyes. To relearn the reason why he ran off in that blue box in the first place. He saw a piece of himself in you. And perhaps you part of himself in you.

[evil8keta]

sorry, this is pretty short. my brain is tired and i wanted to write something silly but all i can think of is violence

mercs x reader who wants to fight them... like, for fun

SCOUT

- you asked him if he wants to play fight with you and he immediately agreed. he's often done this with his brothers but with you he might actually go feral and accidentally kill you or something. jk but you can tell he's really having fun lol

SOLDIER

- doesn't understand. what do you mean PLAY fighting? you don't play when you fight, it's a serious thing!!! you gotta explain to him by saying that you basically go nice on your opponent. so you guys do fight and actually have a wonderful time but it ends with soldier getting too excited and bonking you with his shovel. oops. nothing a quick trip to medic can't fix! also, soldier wants round two

PYRO

- ohhh they are very nice :) they agreed for some silly play fighting and actually went very easy on you. the whole experience was quite cute actually and ended with you both cuddling because you were tired. pyro really enjoyed this so chances are they might suggest play fighting themselves in the future

HEAVY

- does NOT fight. heavy is scared of hurting you, he knows you're strong and tough but he would still rather not fight you, even if it's just a game. however if you still wanna fight he will just let you punch him and crawl all over him. it doesn't hurt him at all because you're so tiny. also it looks very funny

DEMOMAN

- hey seems fun! demo agreed and not gonna lie this can either turn into a fluffy scenario where demo throws you over his shoulder and marches around with you while yelling about how he won the fight OR demo gets too unhinged and uses a whole damn bomb on you. oops you both turn out injured, so you both gotta go to medic now. neither of you regret it though

ENGINEER

- was a bit confused at first, like you fr just walked up to him like "hey engie wanna fight :D" like that was the most normal thing to say. he stared at you for a while, but to your surprise he smiled and agreed happily to some play fighting! he thinks the whole experience was very fun and silly and wouldn't mind to do this with you more often!!

MEDIC

- sorryyy but you probably won't get him to play fight, he thinks it's kinda below him. he's a distinguished doctor, and you want him to play fight with you??? anyways. you started a tickle fight with him because how DARE he deny your offer of play fighting. medic is ticklish asf so of course you win

SPY

- like medic, this mf refuses your offer to play fight and says it's childish. however if you still want to know what it's like to have a spy killing you experience you can try to annoy him enough that he just starts chasing you around the base with his knife. it's more fun and gives you a rush of adrenaline because spy actually wants to kill you help

SNIPER

- is unsure at first. it took him a lot of convincing but eventually he gave in and agreed to play fight with you. needless to say he had the time of his life and also went a bit... overboard? he didn't really hurt you, but you DID underestimate his strenght a little. bro is pretty strong for a guy that shoots people from long distances. ever since then you had a bit more respect for him lol

[smurf4006]

A long overdue concert review incoming!!

Finally watched Suede performance live for the first time in 2024. Never in my life like even once would I think it was possible. You could say I’m a casual listener. The 1st song that got us hooked was actually ‘Obsessions’ way, way back when they released the single. When we found out they were coming to our country via instagram, we were elated & excited that it was held at Zepp. It was gonna be an intimate gig with smaller crowd & great ambience. Right when they opened the ticket queue, I immediately surfed the website & bought a pair of electronic tickets with QR codes. Ah gone are the days when we had to physically line up to buy tickets. Well except BMTH, it was so easy to get it.

Historically like other veteran fans, our playlist was full of Suede songs during our university days before graduation. The only way we could get in touch with their fans >12 years ago was thru tumblr. (However it’s sad that f*ckyeahneilcodling was deactivated coz the Italian girl admin was so sweet & friendly!) Currently we subscribed to Apple Music, I’m sorry it sucks to get paid 0.000000001 cent for each stream but I ain’t got no place to store physical CDs no more :(

Back to the live performance, I came with an unfairly low expectation. Thought they're gonna play whole setlist of new songs that most of us hadn't heard of. Maybe Brett will get tired of us eventually & smash some of the front row's iPhones through Simon's cymbals? What if Neil pass out suddenly onstage coz he had MECFS? Will Mat's bass drown & ended up buried in all that noise? Richard's fine I guess, he's an impeccable guitar demigod who never seemed to make a mistake. At times during our short road trip, I joked with ageist nuance on how we were on our way to see a bunch of old men who thought they could still rock it.

Boy was I mistaken. They opened with Turn Off Your Brain & Yell & it was the most energetic performance I ever seen. I'm the most irregular concert-goer who had only attended to a few local artists, Muse, Placebo & MCR; so I might be a little biased towards Suede but they are so underrated it’s maddening.

Brett's thunderous vocals echoed through the hall & stunned us all. How did a 57-year-old bloke manage to sing with his whole heart & emotion like that? I was perplexed on how they always sound better live than a studio record. Anyway, they played a lot of classic oldies we were familiar with. I almost cried of happines ala fanatic Swiftie when they played Life is Golden coz it was sucha beautiful song. It was also the first time I saw a frontman would wade through the crowd & allowed them to hold the mic & sang? Dare you to point me at least one frontman who’d be so intimate with his crowd coz there’s no others like Brett Anderson. He’s special in his own way & is irreplaceable. The security was somewhat complacent or relaxed most likely coz the civilized crowd did return Brett’s mic after the song was finished.

It was a bit comedic seeing Neil switching instruments time to time but yet I can’t stop wondering how did he heal his MECFS? I have acquaintances with MECFS & they shared how debilitating the disease was. Made you feel more sympathetic coz decades ago most doctors would brush you off & their diagnosis would lean more towards psychiatric disorder.

Throughout the 20-track setlist, I was amazed at how the band literally came back from the dead. I’m pretty sure they were split once & I didn’t know they reunited in 2010. Maybe I was aware maybe I wasn’t ah who could remember when you were so busy with life.

Thanks again Brett, Mat, Simon, Richard & Neil, the crew, roadies whoever for making the gig a dream come true. The jetset touring lifestyle is exhausting but I knew you guys are enjoying this journey too. While I wished they play Heroine, The Power, By The Sea & The Chemistry Between Us, there’s also an array of songs that my brother had wishlisted too like Killing of a Flashboy. I did remind him that he could always drop a comment for song request on their social media like instagram? We both were never fond of Drowners, Animal Nitrate & Metal Mickey thus guessed we were the younger generation who didn’t dig the Bernard Butler era. Their hardcore fans loved it though as evidenced by the roaring crowd that night.

It was worth the half-days we took off from work. Will we go again if they ever come back? Absolutely. I’d even go as far as to suggest them to do a Vegas-esque residency .

P/s: my photos were all blurry coz I was quite afar away; we are in our 30s who preferred leatherette comfy seats on the pretentiously elitist balcony which dampened our concert spirit. At times we did wish that we were down there but I was petite like Sabrina Carpenter who could not see anything in the standing zone. Not uploading any video, there’s always youtube for those who wanted to check them out.

[bellysoupset]

Hi Soup~

I'm so behind with my comments, but I don't want you to get bored of me writing basically a novel every time I send an ask to you and flood your inbox. 🙈

So I will try to be "short" (and fit everything into 1 or 2 asks) but no promises 😅

I'm so excited to read about Jonah's (and Leo's) trip with Angie. Angie is a sweetheart. She loves Jonah so much, it comes through your writing so vividly. I enjoy getting to know Matteo and Jackie as well. The whole debate about Jonah going on this trip at all, the brief wedding planning, the worrying, and caretaking in this whole storyline are just amazing. I love that Jackie is acting like a mother hen not only with Jonah but with Leo as well. She knows what she wants, and even Jonah doesn't dare truly arguing with her - it's so nice to see her telling Jonah he is her child in her house and not a doctor, and that she would be taking care of him. And Jonah acting like he doesn't enjoy the attention is just perfect. Plus the whole Leo got sick then John got sick and even while John got sick, he was jealous of Luke taking care of Leo. Pure comedy. I can't wait to read about the rest of the trip.

As for Bell and Luke, I know you already wrote a fic with Bella not believing him when he is sick, but this new one was just so good to read. Poor Luke having that migraine. I'm glad Bell apologised. I just love their dynamic so much.

Plus Luke finally using his full name while working? He has so many opportunities now. What are you planning?👀

Also, I live for Luke being jealous of whatever Vince and Max have going on.

Can't wait to have Wendy join the club (but like, just a little. Max needs everyone in his corner).

The smut? The face time thing between Wen and Vin? Oh boy, you are doing things to me. You are writing these scenes so well, they are 🔥

(I feel like Wendy needs a bit more attention in terms of stories, so I will try to come up with a prompt.)

I don't think I need to say anything about the Vin and Max developing enemy-turned kinda colleague kinda crush dynamic. I absolutely adore it. The birthday fic? Thanks for giving Max a memorable - in a positive sense for once - birthday. Even though he still ended up puking, I'm glad he could enjoy himself. It was so nice of Vince to take him out, and even have back up plan for a back up plan. Max deserves it soo much.

Oh and Soup? Boring and your stories will never ever fall into the same category!!

The variety, the character development, the plotlines? They are one of a kind and always will be. I hope you will be here writing for us for at least a hundred years 🥺🙏🏻

I also hope I didn't miss anything. If I did, just know that I love it anyways.

Sending lots of love and a mountain of self-confidence your way

- 💜

See you're behind commenting (literally not a thing, any comment in whatever story makes my day!!) and I'm behind answering my inbox, I'd say we're even 😂

I'm having a lot of fun writing the extended relations of each characters! I'm going slowly so Jonah, so far, is the one with the most people in his corner, but I do plan to add some secondary characters for the others as well! I think it makes them so much richer and gives me many scenarios to explore! Writing Angie and Jackie has been a blast, since each one of them brings out a completely different side of Jon. I'm planning to have a story in the future with Jasper, we'll see how that goes!

DJSFLKD Wendy joining Luke's club of jealousy! LMAO that would be very funny, just the two of them in a corner glaring daggers in Max's direction. Not very realistic, Wendy is not a jealous girl, if anything realizing Max is crushing on Vince would make her sooo smug, not jelly, but this is a fun scenario.

🙈🙈🙈 I'm soo happy you're enjoying the teasing smut, both Vin/Wen and Bella/Luke, I love writing these sexy little ficlets!

And 💜! Don't you DARE think I'd ever get tired of your comments, not just the compliments, I genuinely love knowing how you are and the little side quests of your lives! How's university, what are you guys watching, I love learning you're well 💕💕