#have to get groceries now so we'll see how he does while I'm away

[furshrimps]

Guess Sammy has snow gastritis again 🥲 Just threw up the treats from earlier and had some really watery diarrhea. He'd had somewhat runny poo this afternoon already. But other than that he seems fine, still running around yelling at me and all, so I'm not really worried to much.

Am I going to feed him this evening or do I better postpone until tomorrow (probably the latter just to be sure)? And which protein source am I going to give him if chicken/ poultry is not an option? Or maybe I'm just going with potatoes and carrots at first and later mix in the usual soaked kibble. Provided it's just for a day or two it shouldn't be a problem.

[quirkless-accident]

Toddler's Day Out

This one was DM'd to me a while ago and now that I've got a bit more time on my hands, I'm actually able to finally write it. Enjoy!

----------

Shouta Aizawa is nothing if not patient. He has to be to have the jobs that he does. However, his patience is running thin due to a certain loud blonde that's very audibly freaking out next to him. And don't get him wrong, Shouta's freaking out too. He's just better at controlling it.

"Mic, we'll find him," Shouta says, peeking down an alleyway. The chances of their runaway is slim to none, but it doesn't hurt to be thorough. Except that it does, every time he looks down one and they don't find him.

Their day had started out normal. They were going grocery shopping for the teacher's dorm, and since Danny needed to pick up a few things from the electronics store right next door, they let him tag along.

Mistake number one was not sending one of them to go in with him.

Shouta and Hizashi had been in the middle of checking out when Danny had come through the automatic doors with a brand new box in hand and a grin on his face when someone had bumped into him.

Several things happened all at once.

Danny was turned into a toddler, and the person who had bumped into his student picked him up and carted him off as another accomplice used his quirk to make several smoke screens, causing Mic's voice to shut down due to the smoke inhalation, and blocking Shouta's vision at the same time.

They ran outside as fast as they could to try and catch a glimpse of the kid, but the kidnappers were long gone.

So, here they were, looking for a toddler in the alleyways while practically every hero in this particular zone searched for the kid. Including the majority of the U.A. who seemed more than a little overprotective of their resident Casper.

Shouta just hoped and prayed that the kid was alright. He couldn't even imagine the kind of twisted shit the villains could be doing to him right now.

----------

"He won't eat it," Misaki, the smoke bomber, said as he waved a piece of toast in front of the toddler's face. The little guy just glared up at him though, nose turned away from the food. "Don't kids like toast? I know my niece went batshit for it."

"He's a kid," Hina, the one who had turned the boy into a toddler, replied without looking up from her cell phone. After a moment, she growled with frustration before slamming her phone down into the old couch cushions. "Our buyer said he's running late and won't make it today. We'll have to keep an eye on him for a little while."

"Which means feeding him," Misaki said, turning around to face his partner in crime. "Kid needs a healthy snack."

"And you think toast is the answer?" Hina asks, exasperated beyond belief. Misaki just shrugs and takes a bite of it before turning back around to offer it to the kid they just stole.

Only to find that he wasn't there.

Misaki looked around for a moment, but found no trace of the kid. He stood back up and looked under tables and chairs, behind the couch, and in the bottom cupboards. He wasn't anywhere to be found.

"Uh, I think we got a problem, Hina."

-------

Danny was having the time of his life. Or, at least as much as one could when they were three years old and had the power of a god at their fingertips.

Danny hadn't wanted any toast, simple as that. He wanted to go outside and play, so he just...Did. Going through the wall had been easy, and he had laughed uncontrollably as he saw the people moving around on the ground, looking like tiny colorful bugs. Not falling immediately was also pretty fun. In fact, he could go even higher!

Danny grinned and flew to the bright orange beam held up by several wires. It was just like the one on the playground that he dances on with Jazz. Or maybe it's like the see-saw, he thinks, as the end of it dips under his weight a little.

He's really high up, but he's not afraid of falling. He knows how to catch himself. And he knows that if he gets a scratch, his mom will come and kiss it all better.

So he shakily get to his feet, swaying with the wind, and sticks his arms straight out like Jazz taught him. The beam was wide enough to where he didn't really need to put one foot in front of the other, but it was more fun that way.

The wind is strong today, and that makes it a little harder to stay upright as the beam moves with it, but he manages like the bog boy he is. It's way more fun this way anyway. The normal balance beams at the playground were too easy.

"Wh-hey!"

Danny looks up, confused as a hero running along the rooftops spots him. He says something Danny doesn't care about, a hand on his ear, before he's jumping up on small trampolines made of light to get to him. But Danny just keeps walking.

A couple of things happen next.

Danny moves forward, intent on making it to the end. The hero, not expecting this, ends up hitting the part of the beam where Danny had been standing. The force makes Danny lose his balance completely, and he tips over the side.

The hero lets go immediately, saving himself with one of his light trampolines, but the kid has disappeared. There's no body falling down, no splat on the pavement, no anything.

"Hey!"

The hero whips his head around, only to come face to face with a very pissed off three year old. His arms are crossed and his face is puffing out as he glares at the hero.

"Kid! Oh, you can-hey, come here, kiddo! We can get you back home, safe and sound, yeah?"

"No! I don't wanna go with you! You ruined my game!"

"Awe, I'm really sorry about that, Buddy. But when we get you home we can play a new game. How does that sound?"

"No! I don't wanna play with you!"

And before the hero can do anything, the kid disappears.

----------

The phone rings, stopping Hina and Masaki in their tracks. Hina looks down at her phone, her face going pale as she looks back up at Masaki. He makes a motion for her to answer it.

"Hello? Oh, Plasmius! So glad that you could make the rendezvous after all! Oh, no, everything is fine, no need to worry about us! Yep! We'll have the kid to you at eight! See you then."

Hina looks down at her phone, looking even more dejected than she had a moment ago.

"Eight? Seriously? That only gives us like, three hours to find the kid!"

"Well, we better get to looking then, if we wanna get paid!"

"You may also want to be a little more quiet next time you're talking about your kidnapping victims."

Hina and Masaki whip around, only to come face to face with Present Mic and Eraserhead. Neither of them have any time to react as Eraserhead moves, faster than anything they've ever seen before. Once the villains are unconscious, Eraserhead turns to Present Mic, an eyebrow raised.

"Plasmius? Does that name sound familiar to you?"

"Yeah, but I can't place where. Maybe the Little Listener will have some answers once we get him turned back to normal."

----------

Danny yawns as he tips backwards, catching himself mid-air so he's floating, looking up at the sky. He's only like that for a moment before there's a large shadow looming over him. His face is covered in flames, and he looks like the actual devil.

Danny bursts into tears and flies away, Endeavour chasing after him.

----------

Shouta swings from lamp post to lamp post, gritting his teeth at the incompetency of other heroes. He's one kid. Sure, he's got superpowers, but how hard could it fucking be?

Case in point, as he swings around the corner of one building, something small and cold crashes into him, sending him sprawling on the sidewalk. In his arms is Danny, crying his little heart out.

Shouta cradles him, and rocks him back and forth as relief floods his veins. he ignores the civilians giving him confused and/or dirty looks as he sits in the middle of the sidewalk trying to calm the kids down.

After a couple of minutes, Danny sniffs and leans back, rubbing the tears from his eyes. Shouta pulls out a handkerchief and wipes the snot from Danny's nose, making the kid scrunch his face up in a totally not adorable way. No, Shouta doesn't know what you're talking about, shut up.

"All better?" He asks, his voice low and calm. Danny just nods, and lets out one massive yawn, leaning back far enough that Shouta has to catch him. "Is it nap time?"

Before Danny can give any kind of answer, the number one hero comes barreling down the sidewalk.

"Come back, you little brat! Time to go home!"

Danny stiffens in his arms and buries himself in Shouta's chest before disappearing, though he doesn't leave the safety of Shouta's hold.

"Endeavour," Shouta says, picking himself up off of the ground without the use of his arms. "I think you've done enough damage today. Besides, I got the kid."

"Hopefully the brat listens to you," Endeavor huffs.

"Don't misunderstand me, Endeavor. This conversation isn't over. You've just done enough damage for one day."

He doesn't bother waiting for a response as he shifts Danny to one arm and fishes for his cell with the other. Once he has it, he contacts everybody who's on the lookout that they don't need to search anymore.

Shouta's got his kid back, and that's all that matters to him.

-----------

Danny groans as he wakes up, blinking stars out of his eyes. Above him is Mr. Aizawa and Present Mic, who's cradling his head as he slowly sits up.

"Geez, what happened?" Danny asks, rubbing the back of his head. "And where are we? I thought we were at the grocery store."

Mr. Aizawa and Present Mic share a long look, communicating with no words, before his teacher sighs and helps him to his feet.

"Well, Kid, you've had a very eventful day."

[maximumkingdomstarlight]

Arrogant hearts

chapter 10

After a good night's rest, you were bright again. you sighed softly with a small smile playing across your face as you remembered your date, which made you text him thanks and an 'enjoyed last night' before hearing a loud commotion outside. again? you walked over to the door and opened it to see Itadori and Kugisaki on the ground while Fushiguro was looking down at the two fighting with a sigh. 

"Y/N-sensei, Good morning," Fushiguro said with a head bow, which you returned with a small smile. 

"what's wrong?" you asked while looking at Itadori standing up and dusting his clothes before he gave his hand to help Kugisaki, which the girl swatted while rolling her eyes.

"Gojo-sensei gave us his card to go grocery shopping, and they are fighting for it," Fushiguro said while glaring at the two and holding out his hand for them to give it back to him.

"Oh, he did? why does he need you to do grocery shopping?" you asked curiously with a small tilt.

"Sensei didn't tell you? we are going to make meatballs today, so he gave me the card, but Kugisaki grabbed it from me saying we could eat out with it" Itadori said the last part with a small pout 

"well, since he gave it to us saying we could use it however we want, I was saying we could do that too... oi, Itadori, don't make me look like the bad guy now," Kugisaki said while glaring at the pink haired boy.

Fushiguro sighed and looked at you, his eyes begging for help as he held out the card to you. you laughed and took the card from his hand.

"we'll buy the stuff for the meatball recipe, and I'll treat you tomorrow for dinner... I wanted to do that for some time anyway" You smiled

Kugisaki quickly wrapped her arms around your arm, and stuck her tongue out at Itadori with a sarcastic smile, making you laugh softly.

"Thank you Y/N-sensei," Kugisaki said with a smile. which the others too said just after.

"I... might not be able to treat you guys to great places like Gojo-sensei, but I'll try to" You smiled awkwardly. 

"It's fine, food is food, the restaurant doesn't have to be fancy" Itadori replied with a bright smile. you felt your heart getting warmer at how kind he was... "thank you for understanding" you smiled and ruffled his hair. 

"of course, the guy who ate fingers doesn't care about that," Kugisaki said while rolling her eyes "Are you playing favorites, sensei?" Kugisaki asked with a playful huff, not hiding her smile.

"I don't think so?" you replied with a chuckle "Then, grocery shopping, did you decide who's going or are we all going out?" you asked while looking at the three.

"since we need to clean the plates and stuff, it's better if someone stay," Fushiguro said while thinking. 

"Okay, then... two will stay, two will go to buy groceries, how's that?" you questioned, and the three nodded.

"Itadori and Y/N sensei should go, me and Kugisaki will stay," Fushiguro said and looked at the two.

"Why should I stay?" Kugisaki asked with a frown as she took her arms away from yours.

"I don't want to hear you lost the card on the street after fighting for it again" Fushiguro replied with a shrug "Just do as I say, it's the best way to finish this quickly" he added.

"I'm fine with whatever Fushiguro say," Itadori said while stretching his arms.

And there you were, walking along with the pink-haired boy. "do you and Kugisaki usually fight for small things like that?" you asked with a small smile.

Itadori looked at you and chuckled "well if I say 'right', it's surely 'left' for her" 

"Oh, so it's your usual bickering" you laughed "It's good to fight, actually... that's how people get close" you added with a soft smile, as you gazed at the road under your feet.

"Really? do you have a friend like that?" he asked, beaming. he didn't know much about sorcerers, but he wanted to know more about people close to him.

"I... do, I still do, but she's in the USA," you said with a small nod.

"ah, right... do you miss her?"

"I do, sometimes..." you sighed with a smile, remembering your last year at high school in the USA "We even pulled from each other's hair while fighting"

Itadori's eyes widened before bursting out laughing... which made you laugh as well. He wiped the tears from his eyes as he finished laughing. 

"And you are best friends?"

"yup," you said proudly while puffing your chest. he chuckled again as you guys entered the store. 

"Well, I should pull Fushiguro's and Kugisaki's hair when we get back to the school," he said while taking out a cart with a grin.

"Please don't tell me I was your advisor for that" you replied with a giggle.

"we'll see," he said while pushing the cart while chuckling, he put some stuff into the cart as you guys walked through the isles.

"to how many people are you going to make this, Itadori-kun?" you asked while walking next to him, feeling useless of coming since you had no idea about cooking. You lived your whole life with your parents, so you didn't need any cooking skills.

"hmm... I didn't think much about it, maybe ten or twelve?" he shrugged slightly.

"Fushiguro-kun, Kugisaki-kun, you, me and?"

"the second years? Maki-san, Inumaki-san, Panda... they'll join us for sure"

"that makes 7, what about the other 3?" you asked while looking around at the boy who was measuring rice. 

"Gojo-sensei" he replied. he was focusing so much on the rice.

"but he told me he'll be out for a mission, did he say he'll be back quickly?" you asked as you took the bag from his hand and put it to the cart carefully making the metal cart clink.

"no idea" he shrugged again, making you nod slowly.

"it's better to have more food than not eating enough," you said making the teenager chuckle.

"yeah, true" he nodded.

after buying everything, you guys made your way back to the school, slowly walking up the hill. suddenly Itadori's phone beeped, making you look at the boy who was carrying more of the bags, that too, heavier bags, since he insisted on that, you just let him take the bags with a small sigh. 

"it's Todo" he mumbled with a small frown as he looked at the phone from one hand, all the others in the other.

"Todo?" you asked, furrowing your eyebrows as you tried to remember where you heard the name.

"Todo Aoi," he said while putting his phone back in his pocket. "don't you know him?"

"Todo...Aoi, huh? ah, a first grader, right?" you asked, remembering how Nanami had told you about the incident about the night parade through a call.

"yeah, yeah" he nodded "You know him then?" he asked.

"no, Nanami told me about it," you said while shaking your head slightly.

"oh? You know Nanamin?" 

"Nanamin?" you laughed "You call him that? Well, yeah, I know him, he was my classmate when I was a student in the Tech" You shrugged with a small smile.

"mhm, I call him Nanamin, but that's surprising... I didn't know that you guys were classmates" he smiled.

"Well, yeah... you are new here, and I wasn't here for a long time either"

"Now that I know, we should call him to join us," he said while putting his hand in the pocket, trying to take out his phone again, more enthusiastic than when he saw Todo's message.

"I'll tell him, if that's fine with you," you said, seeing how he was struggling with all the bags and his phone. he nodded. "yes, please, sensei" he smiled awkwardly.

you nodded with a small smile before taking your phone out and calling the blond man. as the pink-haired boy watched you as you guys walked.

"Hello? Nanami... we are going to have dinner, the first years are cooking, wanna come?" you asked and waited for him to reply.

"suddenly?" he asked.

"hm, come on... the students would love to have you here" You glanced at Yuji, who was looking at you for any sign of acceptance from the stoic man you were calling.

Nanami sighed softly, "fine, count me in"

"yes! See you tonight then, bye," you said with a nod to Yuji. making the boy bounce his steps in happiness.

"hm, see you" you heard from the other side of the line. "goodbye" 

you hung up and smiled at Yuji, "Mission accomplished" 

"well done, sensei" Yuji smiled back.

and when you got back to the dorms, Fushiguro and Kugisaki were already finished with the dishes, they were scrolling on their phones while waiting for you two.

all of you wore aprons and started cooking under Yuji's orders.

"Hey! wash the onions before cutting them, okay?"

"make sure to wash them like this" 

"Hey, why are you slacking off when I am doing this?"

"these onions are making me cry"

after hours of cooking and a lot of scolding from the boy to you, Fushiguro, and Kugisaki, you guys finished making dinner. after all the ingredients were ready in the hot pot, you guys quickly got refreshed and wore fresh clothes before waiting for the second years and Nanami to come. It didn't take much time for them to come. So you all sat down together.

when you sat down you suddenly remembered the credit card...

 "Itadakima-" everyone said loudly but was cut off by the owner of the credit card.

"you forgot the money provider? I'm disappointed" the white-haired man said while sitting done next to you with a small smile as he set two big bottles of Sake (rice wine) on the table.

[under-sedationnn]

the arcana: main six reacting to injured! reader

anonymous: Could u do m6 reacting to mc coming home injured? I want some hurt/comfort >:))

Warnings: talk of being injured, blood. if that bothers you or tiggers you in anyway, please scroll away! i want this to be a safe place, only :)

thanks for the request anon!! i hope you enjoy!! <3 requests for the kissing prompts and physical affection prompts are STILL OPEN. please send them in with the character of your choice (which could be any character from any series i write for) and i will create an imagine!! thanks and happy reading!!

- tries his very very best to stay calm

- you can see panic bubbling under the surface

- faust is on high alert

- slithers around your shoulders and squeezes you for a hug

- "friend! hurt!"

- doesn't immediately ask what happened, just gets you to a comfortable place to be cleaned up

- then, and only then, will he brave to ask what happened to you

- or who did this to you

- wipes the blood from your skin with very gentle swipes

- winces when you wince, and apologizes profoundly

- "Y/n, how did this happen? i thought you were just taking a quick trip to the market."

- "i fell in the market, tripped over a stone"

- "and nobody helped you?"

- in this case he's disappointed with the bystanders, but does not become angry

- in a situation where someone hurt you?

- oh god

- "Y/n, how did this happen? i thought you were just taking a quick trip to the market."

- "yeah, well, somebody had their eye on the same apple i picked up. somehow, though, they managed to push me to the ground and steal it from my hands."

- i don't even think he would know what to say

- and asra is not really the type to march out into the streets of vesuvia and seek to challenge the one who hurt you

- but he would certainly hold a grudge against whoever it was if he did find out

- and would feel absolutely awful about letting you get hurt

- his mind would race about the possibility of losing you again

- because he simply can't handle it

- and what if that person had been particularly violent or malicious? what if you had been taken??

- you'd have to comfort the hell out of him to make sure he knows that you're okay

- "asra, hey, i'm fine! i can handle myself, you know that"

- "you're right, and i know you're right. it's just hard"

- "it's still hard for me, too. the market still makes me a little nervous and i got caught a little off guard, is all"

- that would make him feel better

- would finish patching up your wounds and would make sure to bring you to julian the next day if they were too bad for him to fix or needed stitches

- would also create a special brew to help with the pain and ease you to sleep

- "why don't i go down to the market tomorrow?"

- "why? so when you pick a fight over apples, i can pay you back for all of this high quality medical treatment?"

- "well of course, surely you didn't expect all this tender love and care to be free" *wink*

- panicked doctor mode enabled

- immediately begins checking you over, asking questions

- something tells me it would be a head injury of some sort

- "oh darling, what happe- you're bleeding!"

- "julian, i'm okay! it's just a little scratch"

- "no no no you might need stitches, come sit down. i'll go get my kit!"

- there's really no use in arguing

- he has cold ass hands, so he tries to warm them up before he begins suturing the wound

- tries to be gentle, and his expert hands move quickly without any snagging

- "so, how did this happen?"

- his voice is literally trembling

- "well, i was in the clinic grabbing the list of ingredients we need for our next grocery trip and there was a puddle of... something on the floor. i slipped and hit my head on the corner of your desk"

- immediately thinks it's his fault

- like "oh shit i should have cleaned better that could have killed y/n and then what would i have done-"

- doesn't necessarily voice this, but you can tell by the silence that follows that he's feeling really guilty

- would kneel for you, head on your knees

- "y/n, i am so sorry"

- "juli, it's really okay, i should have watched where i was going"

- "i'll make sure to clean better from now on, okay?"

- would guard you throughout the night in case of concussion

- nurse juli <3

- but let's say someone had put their hands on you

- would patch you up the same way, and apologize profusely for not being there with you

- tuck you into bed and fetch mazelinka to keep an eye on you throughout the night incase of a concussion

- would most definitely be self destructive and seek that mf out

- maybe not successfully, but would try his hardest

- "i'll be back in the morning, get some rest"

- "I can find them myself if I want to, you know"

- embarrassed blush

- because he KNOWS you can take care of yourself

- "of course, but right now you're hurt. as your partner, i will do what must be done on your behalf darling"

- probably shows up the following morning with battle scars of his own

- the guards found you in the garden, passed out in the maze

- blood trickled down your arm, a large gash marking your bicep

- ran you up to the palace and immediately to the medical wing

- them]n nadia gets word

- the calm, collected queen act disappears

- abandons anything she's doing, anybody she's talking to

- "we will finish this at a different time, i have more important matters to attend to"

- she is so worried and it's honestly adorable

- very much giving "where tf are they?" energy

- god i love her so much

- anyways um

- asks the nurses over and over what happened, if you're okay, etc.

- watches the physicians and nurses like a hawk as they clean the wound and suture the cut

- and they're so intimidated lmao they never come face to face with her literally ever

- brushes your hair back from your face as they do so

- holds your hands

- would demand that you be brought to her sleeping chamber

- so that's where you wake up! how cute

- she's laying beside you, her brows furrowed

- maybe even her eyes are a little hazy

- "y/n, sweetheart, do you remember what happened?"

- patiently waits for your answer, you're still a little groggy

- you were either attacked by an animal and passed out from the fright

- or you were attacked by an armed person and was knocked out

- either way, the guards are on it

- nadia isn't letting whoever or whatever did this get away without a fight

- the palace is meant to be a safe haven for you

- for the both of you

- "well, don't you worry, we'll take care of that"

- you try to sit up but she won't let you

- "oh no, you must stay down, y/n. you are possibly concussed from the fall"

- "oh okay, sorry"

- "is there anything i can get you?"

- the countess of vesuvia, serving you in your time of need

- "just some water would be nice"

- "of course, i'll have some brought up right away"

- i literally feel like he would just start crying straight up

- cause like he has some problems anyway

- he big sad boi

- and you coming home to the hut bleeding from a gash in the arch of your foot is not helping

- picks you and carries you to the bed without a word

- just starts examining the cut

- inanna is also very concerned

- she licks the blood from the cut, she's trying to be helpful

- meanwhile muriel is stumbling around the hut looking for anything to stop the bleeding, disinfect it, bandage it, anything

- but he's not the best about keeping that stuff in stock

- keeps looking back at you with worry in his eyes

- he doesn't know what to do

- "muriel, let me see if i can contact asra. maybe he or julian can bring me a salve. i'm pretty sure i'm gonna need stitches"

- low-key makes him feel worse

- cause he feels like he's unable to care for you and keep your safe

- even tho this was just an accident

- he's breathing really fast, his anxiety creeping

- agrees anyway, but goes to get them himself

- "i'll be back soon, just keep this piece of cloth pressed against it"

- cause you're bleeding like a lot

- inanna stays behind

- he returns very quickly with julian in tow, though he doesn't look happy about it

- leaves the hut without another word

- julian gets to work immediately

- "so, you cut your foot i see"

- smartass.

- "yeah, muriel always tells me to put on shoes when i walk in the woods but i love to feel the grass beneath my feet"

- julian chuckled at this

- "and i'm assuming you, what, stepped on a rock?"

- "...yeah, sliced it right open"

- after julian is done cleaning up the cut, he tells you to just stay off of it for a while and make sure it doesn't get infected

- once he's gone, muriel trudges back into the hut

- "muriel, baby, it was just a cut it's not a big deal"

- but his eyes look hurt, and you beckon him toward the bed

- "hey," your hands on his cheeks, "i'm okay, really"

- "sorry, i just got scared. blood is still a trigger for me and since you got hurt in my woods, i felt like it was my fault"

- "muriel, of course it wasn't your fault"

- he really needed a hug

- after this instance, he made sure to keep medical supplies in the hut and you promised to try and wear shoes in the woods more often than not

- "i'll try my best to be more careful. deal?"

- sweet lil smile

- "deal."

- "oh my god, y/n, what the hell happened??"

- you were tending the garden

- without her supervision

- and the garden sheers might have sliced into the palm of your hand

- deep

- brings you over to the sink and runs water over the cut, covering it with a towel when the dripping blood had been washed away

- girl is on the move

- cause she knows what to do! love that

- low-key a main reason why julian managed to live as long as he has

- pepi is curiously perched atop one of the counters, peering down

- finds her personal first aid kit she had stashed in the bathroom

- guides you over to sit on the counter while she tries to figure out what to do

- "damn, you really cut yourself, y/n"

- "sorry! i think i just got a little carried away"

- she giggles at that, though she is still worried about the fact that it won't stop bleeding

- gently wraps the cut in gauze and adheres it together

- places a kiss to your fingertips

- "all done! no more gardening for you!"

- "hey, why not?"

- "well you don't want that cut to open back up again and again, do you?"

- "no"

- "alright then," she smiled, moving to put away the first aid kit again, "and we're going up to the palace medical wing first thing tomorrow morning to make sure it's not infected"

- eye roll

- "yes ma'am" you mocked

- even though you know it's just because she loves you

- "but since you got hurt, you want me to bake you some cookies?"

- "only if you let me eat the dough!"

- good god do i love this man

- but he is so self-absorbed it's actually insane

- and I feel like he wouldn't even notice at first

- cause he's too focused on himself

- gazing into the mirror without a care in the world when you walked in

- "y/n, thank goodness you're home, how do you feel about these pants?"

- you just hobbled to the nearest seat, hand resting over the gash on your knee

- mercedes and melchior were lazing across a rug at the base of his mirror, their attention set on you

- "u-um, yeah, they look good"

- literally just trying not to bleed out, over here

- "good? oh really, now, y/n don't they look amazing?"

- "yes, they look ama- ow, damnit"

- then he turned around

- immediate shock and worry! oh no oh no y/n is hurt!

- mercedes and melchior walked over first, whining as they took in the cut, brushing around the edges

- lucio raced over, squatting down in front of you, and began examining the cut

- "hey, hey, what happened?"

- "i accidentally tripped on my walk in the garden and scraped my knee on the cobblestone"

- he was lightly touching around the cut, gauging how sensitive it was

- when you flinched he stopped, looking into your eyes with a soft "sorry"

- "i think i need to go to the palace infirmary"

- "oh there's no need, i can take care of you!"

- you were not convinced he could take care of you, at least not well

- "uh, lucio, are you sure?"

- he looked slightly offended, at that

- "you know, y/n, i did fight in battles at one point. i have not only tended to my own wounds, but the wounds of others, as well"

- you giggled at the thought

- "much to your protest, though, i'm sure"

- he moved to the small cabinet of medical supplies in the ensuite to your bedroom, returning to your side with it in hand

- "at points, but i don't mind helping you in the slightest"

- for all of his antics, his soft side was enough to make you fall in love all over again

- and although i know he would take care of you in literally any situation, i can't say for certainty that he would stick around and place nurse lucio for long if a person had hurt you

- attacked you

- much like nadia, the guards would be sent out without a second thought, lucio leading the pack in the search for you aggressor

[andysbubba]

home to me

↳ andy let you go once, he doesn't wanna lose you again

a/n: a little series? this one's probably gonna have another chapter or two hehe <3

𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲'𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 | 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

---

Andy's stomach churned when he sees you. In a very good way. It's been a good two years since the break up and he can barely believe that he's seeing you right then and there— in the corner of the cafe that Andy knows you love going to. Your voice made his heart flip. It's so goddamn beautiful and Andy misses it so damn much.

He doesn't even know why he's so stunned at the sight of you. It's the only reason why he's there— why he's always going there almost every weekend, hoping to get a glimpse of you sometime. You're in the fuzzy, furry jacket that you're always wearing on chilly days, your hair pulled up with a claw clip and your laptop right in front of you with a cup of coffee right by the side.

He tried to get over you, he really did. But even after all the women he met after you, no one made him feel the same way you did. The butterflies in his stomach he gets just talking to you like some teenager, or how his heart just flutters when you smiled at him with that beautiful grin.

Andy couldn't help but look at you every two minutes, while he's waiting in the queue for his turn. He's thinking of what to say if he even has the guts to walk up to you and say hi.

The break up wasn't necessarily bad... it was mutual. Kinda. You were in the middle of your studies and you just wanted to focus on doing well and getting your masters. It's not that Andy was a distraction— really, he actually helped a lot. But between studying and trying to make sure you don't abandon Andy, you realised that taking a break would be good for the both of you.

You were young, only 24 while Andy was 14 years older than you are. He's so mature and wise that you just felt that you just wanted to grow as your own person before you and Andy took it any further and got more serious. You thought that you'd work on yourself, fixing up your flaws and make yourself just grow into a better version of yourself. And as much as Andy disagreed, he didn't want to force you to keep being with him. He thought that maybe, you both could just grow as time passes, and that you can change right next to him.

But he just agreed with you, because he definitely does not want to pressure you into being in a relationship with him no matter how much he actually wants you to stay with him. So technically, it was a mutual break-up to you. But he didn't really feel the same.

And unsurprisingly, Andy simply cannot get over you. Two years passed, and he just wishes that you're by his side again.

"Hi! What can I get for you?"

Andy snaps out of his trance, stepping towards the cashier and ordering his coffee to-go with a bagel as well. He takes a quick glance at you before he decides to change his mind. "Actually— I'll just have those here."

Wait— you recognise that voice.

You instantly glance up from the screen of your laptop, watching the familiar back and broad shoulders standing at the cashier. Holy fuck- Andy?

Your gaze turns back down to your laptop, your mind trying to decide between approaching him or just letting him go... again... like you did 2 years ago. He still fits into those polo tees like a glove, the jeans barely doing his ass justice but it really accentuates his goddamn thighs.

Fuck. Two damn years and you still have it bad for him.

"Can I join?" Andy glances down at some blueprint or floor-plan thing you have on your laptop. "Unless I'm interrupting— you look busy."

"Andy—" You turned to him and back to the opened floor-plan on the screen. "No, no. Hey-" You lowered the screen and put it aside, leaving some space for Andy. You gestured at him to join you in the booth.

Andy takes up the offer, setting the cup in his hand and the bagel right in front of you before he slides in. "Hey,"

You let out a breathy laugh as you look at him, fidgeting with your fingers underneath the table. "Been a long time."

"Yeah," He nods, offering you one of his adorable smiles as he rests his forearms on the table. "I stopped seeing you around, thought you moved away."

"I thought you did— till I heard the news talking about one of your cases." You retort, lips curling into a soft smile. "How've you been, Andy?"

"Same old, y'know. Long hours at the office and takeout nights. Nothing really changed." Andy grins, "How's everything goin' for ya?"

Oh— and he definitely isn't wrong when he said 'nothing really changed'. For this 40-year-old man to still look like the Andrew Stephen Barber you met like 4 years ago? Phew.

"Uhm- pretty good! I'm uh- I just signed a contract with Perkins and Will."

Andy's lips curled into a wide grin. "You did it!"

He remembers?

Your head tilts as you look at him. "You remember?"

"Of course, hon. That's your dream firm." He reaches over table and pats your hand. "I'm happy for you, Y/n."

"Thank you, Andy," You brush a hand through your hair, eyeing Andy in his whole polo tee and jeans glory. "I'm surprised you aren't working on a Saturday morning,"

Andy lets out a laugh at your words, "Yeah- I just thought, y'know. Uh- I'm old enough to stop being such a workaholic."

You raised a brow at that, "Andy, you aren't old." You give him a suggestive glance as your eyes trace his whole figure. "Definitely don't look like it."

"I'll say the same thing for ya, Y/n." Andy didn't bother hiding his gaze either, eyes trailing down your body till it's back up to your face. "Two damn years and you still look as gorgeous as ever, sweetheart."

A breathy laugh leaves your lips. "Always as flattering as ever, Mr Barber."

"You know I'm an honest person, sweetheart." Andy winks before he takes a sip of his coffee.

You hum as you run your finger on the edge of your own cup. "I remember you telling me that all lawyers are really good liars."

You love how familiar this feels. It's like nothing has changed and both of you are back in 2019. Good, good days. Letting Andy go was a dumb move on your side, you realised that pretty soon after the break-up. You should've known that you and Andy would've made it work someway, somehow.

"C'mon, honey. Y'know I can never lie to you." The wide smile he has on his lips is as charming as ever and god if it doesn't just make you fall in love again- as if you ever fell out of love with him in the first place. Andy clears his throat, a hand inching to the back of his neck and softly rubbing the spot. You instantly realised that he's a little nervous. "You dating anyone?"

You let out an almost silent snort, scoffing at his question. "Ya think? I just called you hot five minutes ago, handsome."

Andy takes a bite of his bagel, looking up at you through those goddamn long eyelashes as his mouth moves to chew the food and those fucking pink lips making you stare at him like a horny teenager.

"You've got to stop staring at me like that, sweetheart." He warns, but the glint in his eyes is telling you that he really doesn't mind you staring him up like that.

Your brows raised immediately in defence. "Like what?"

You tried your best to fight the grin fighting its way to form on your lips. But Andy is a goddamn lawyer, after all. He knows his shit and he knows that you're just being a tease.

He huffs, brow arched as he looks at you. "Like you wanna eat me." He replies shortly, lips curling into a smirk. "Cause I was planning to take this slow after 2 whole years. And you aren't helping."

You hum, picking your cup up and taking a sip from it, hiding the grin forming on your lips behind the cup. "You can still wine and dine me if you wanna." You set the cup down and lean forward, head tilted to one side with your head resting in your palm. "But y'know, I'm pretty impatient."

Andy laughs, backing away from you and resting back against his seat. "Guess it's good that I've got enough patience for both of us, huh?"

You laugh at his words. "We'll see, Mr Barber."

He takes your words as an invite to ask you out. "Dinner tonight? My place."

You playfully rolls your eyes, ignoring the little flutter in your heart. "Who's impatient now?"

"It's a yes or no question, sweetheart."

"Still that cute little loft?"

"I'll text you my new address later."

You couldn't fight the grin forming on your lips. "It's a date."

---

He was at the grocery store when he pulled out his phone and goes to your contact to shoot you a text. It has always been there, saved and never deleted. He didn't want to get rid of the hope that he might have you back.

Andy: 242 Warren St [sent 3.24pm]

Andy: See you tonight, sweetheart. [sent 3.25pm]

You didn't reply so Andy just assumed that you read it. He's looking forward to seeing you again tonight and he's excited.

---

It wasn't till you got home that you realised that Andy doesn't have your new number.

-

LOL I LOVE CLIFFHANGERS.

thanks for reading and uhm come join my taglist if you liked this little chapter? I'm definitely looking forward to writing this one.

do tell me what you think about this, lovelies! i'm kinda excited to see where this goes

-haney

taglist: @milea @ajeff855 @fanofalltheficsx @justile @christowhore @amelia-song-pond @melissad1974 @thegirlwiththeimpala @bval-1 @suchababie @ephemeralfics@franzliszts-wife @tenaciousperfectionunknown @hallecarey1@paintdripsandbrownies-blog @notbrooklynsblog @perfect-peter@alwaysclassyeagle @coffeebooksandfandom @gitasor @mansaaay @iguess-vall @feralherbs @kaiparker-avengerssmut

[fanficimagery]

Misery Business pt. I

Imagine moving in with the Molina's after an incident back home. Instead of being angry, you realize this is your second chance to be truly happy and you really hope it goes better than your first attempt.

Words: 6.1K Author's Note: I'm a sucker for three idiot ghost boys which is why I'm back, only in this imagine everyone is alive. Yes that includes Rose Molina as well :) Soulmate!AU too so have fun with that. FYI, Y/N will be "musically talented" but since I can't write music to save my life then "Y/N's music" will come from a little band that goes by the name of Paramore and by James Arthur.

Julie and three of her best guy friends are in the family studio outside, writing and jamming and just having the time of their life. Alex, Reggie, and Luke are about two years older than Julie, but the boys overlooked the teeny tiny age gap because her killer voice was exactly what their band was missing. The entire high school knew exactly who the boys of Sunset Curve were so they were all surprised when they took sophomore Julie Molina under their wing and rebranded their band.

Julie's family was very supportive of her music, especially her mother Rose, and she let Julie and the boys use her studio whenever they wanted so long as they all kept up their grades. They're usually left alone when Julie and Luke are in writing mode, so it's a bit of a surprise to see Ray and Rose entering the studio.

Alex is the first to notice them, nudging Reggie and gesturing to Mr. and Mrs. Molina, and then Reggie tosses a pillow at Luke's head to get his attention. Luke's rather rude remark is on the tip of his tongue, but his eyes widen upon seeing Julie's parents.

"Jules. Julie!" He hisses. "Your mom and dad are here."

"Hmm. What?" Julie finally looks away from her journal, her eyes widening before a beaming smile breaks out. "Mami! Papi. What brings you two here?"

"Hey mija," Ray says. "Can we talk real quick?"

"Of course!"

She glances at the boys and they're quick to start packing up, but Ray gestures for them to stay put. "It's okay, boys. You can stay for this."

Rose smiles. "After all, you are family too."

Every time Rose or Ray mention that the boys are family, they can't help but smile goofily. None of the boys have the type of relationship with their parents that Julie has with hers, so they're all grateful the Molina's accept them as if they were a Molina as well. Julie smiles as the boys, who are all practically older brothers to her, gather around her and Luke to hear what's going on.

On his way further into the studio, Ray grabs a chair for Rose and she takes a seat while Ray stands behind her, gripping the back of her chair. "Okay," he exhales a little roughly, "so you know the drama your cousin went through a few months ago?"

Julie frowns. "Yeah."

"Well it seems Y/N isn't doing so well," Rose says. "Your tía thinks a change of location is what's best for her."

"Y/N wants to move here?"

"Well not exactly," Ray says. "Y/N doesn't know. If we agree to take her in, then Y/N will be told of her relocation."

Julie nods, looking thoughtful. "Okay."

"Okay?" Ray muses. "What does okay mean?"

"Well I'm assuming you're only telling me because you never make a big decision without seeing what me and Carlos think," Julie says and then smiles brightly. "I love Y/N. Carlos loves Y/N, so I know he already voted yes."

Rose chuckles. "He did. I believe his words were I will throw down for Y/N any day of the week. Bring her home."

Julie snorts. "Of course he did." Then after glancing between her mom and dad, she nods with a gentler smile. "Whatever she needs. I'll even decorate the guest bedroom for her."

"That's nice, mija." Ray then looks over the boys, eyes settling on Reggie. "No flirting."

"I- what?"

"No flirting!"

Luke and Alex snort as Reggie gasps in mock outrage, but everyone knows Reggie is the one to flirt first and ask questions later. Ray and Rose laugh as they ready to leave the studio, Rose walking over to kiss her daughter on the temple before disappearing after her husband.

As soon as the teenagers are left alone, the boys whirl on Julie.

"So who's Y/N?" Alex asks, smiling innocently.

"And what was the drama a few months ago?" Luke wonders.

Julie glances between all three boys before sighing. "I'm only telling you this because it's highly likely she'll be coming soon." She has their full attention. "Y/N is my older cousin. Last year she met her soulmate."

"Aww," Alex coos.

"Or so we thought."

His smile immediately falls. "Oh."

Julie cringes. "Yeah. Apparently some new transfer student at her school liked my cousin so much that he decided he wanted to be her one and only. Really creepy dude," she says. "So somehow he figured out what her words were and made sure those were the first words he spoke to her." Their eyes widen. "When she spoke to him in return, he memorized the words and had them tattooed on. Then he refused to let her see the words, under the guise that they were in a private spot she couldn't see until they got to know each other better, until they healed."

"What the hell," Luke breathes. "That such a-"

"Dick move," Reggie mutters.

Alex nods in agreement. "Yeah. What they said."

Julie smiles sadly at her friends. "She was with him for a year before he met his real soulmate and then he tried to juggle them both. Y/N was really torn up about it."

"Who wouldn't be?" Alex says. "That is so messed up."

"It is. But if there's one thing I know about my cousin it's that she doesn't want people to tiptoe around her." Julie grins then. "So be yourselves like you are with me, just don't flirt with her."

Alex stares down his two guy best friends until they huff and nod in agreement. "I think they can handle that."

Stepping out of the Uber in front of your tío's house, you're grateful you stopped being annoyed with your mom for making you move long enough to accept the money she transferred into your bank account. The ride from the airport to the Molina household wasn't exactly a cheap one and you regretted not letting your family pick you up when you saw what you owed.

But now you're here, one duffel bag hanging from your shoulder and a medium-sized suitcase sitting by your feet. You only have a moment to take it all in before the front door is opening, and your tío and tía are exiting the house to greet you.

"You're here!" Rose smiles and is quick to pull you into a hug. "How was your flight?"

"Decent. Just a little turbulence. I might have barfed. Twice."

Rose and Ray laugh, and then Ray's tugging you into a hug of his own. "We're so glad to have you, mija. Julie and her friends have just about finished with your room. They're really excited to have you here."

"And I'm excited to be here." Pulling out of the hug, you're met with two identical expressions that practically say Are you really?. "Well now I am." All three of you chuckle. "I was a little upset at the short notice, but I'm totally over it. I am a little tired though, so yeah."

"Oh. Of course. Just head on up, mija. You know where the guest bedroom is," Rose says. "Ray and I need to go get some groceries for tonight. Does arroz con pollo sound good?"

You groan quietly. "It sounds fantastic. My mom could never quite make it like you do."

Ray laughs. "Well my sister is not the cook she claims to be. Now go on. Rest up and we'll see you for dinner."

As Ray and Rose take their leave, you grab your suitcase and drag it inside behind you. You can hear laughter coming from upstairs so that's where you head towards, and you're not surprised to see Julie, Flynn, and who appears to be Julie's bandmate Alex tacking up some fairy lights and draping them across your headboard. The bedroom, which was usually bare except for the bed and dresser, has many of your personal things scattered about that had been shipped a little over a week ago now. However the sheer black curtains, the maroon comforter bed set, and the lights they're hanging up are all new.

"A-hem." You clear your throat, smiling when all three teens freeze and turn towards you. "Are you guys seriously having fun without me?" The blonde boy grins as the two girls squeal, you dropping your duffel bag next to your suitcase just as Julie and Flynn launch themselves at you. Your arms are spread wide as they wrap themselves around you and you bring your own arms down around their shoulders to squeeze them in return. "Did you girls miss me?"

"Uh duh!" Flynn is the first to retort.

Julie pulls back just enough to look you in the face. "We're going to have so much fun."

"So much." You can't help but chuckle, your attention then sliding to the quiet blonde. "Alex, right?"

He smiles. "Yeah. Hi. It's nice to meet you."

"You too, man. I keep up with the band on Youtube and can I just say that you absolutely kill it on the drums? I mean holy shit. You're awesome!"

Alex blushes as Julie points at him. "See! Own your awesomeness. My cousin thinks you're cool, therefore you are cool."

Both girls finally release you, Flynn stumbling back to sit on the edge of what is now your bed. Julie stays right where she's at, arm wrapped around your waist as you both stare at her bandmate. You nod and smile at him. "You really are. We definitely need to jam some time."

Alex seems to perk up then. "Y-You're into music too?"

Flynn snorts. "The Molina's are all freakishly talented. I'm almost jealous."

You roll your eyes fondly at Flynn. "Shush. You're talented in other areas." Then looking at Alex, you grin. "I sing and write. Not as amazing as Julie, of course, but I can hold my own. I like to perform-"

"Just not in front of an audience," Julie muses.

"-and just let go. The rush of it all feels good." You turn to pout at your cousin. "And yeah, not in front of an audience of strangers." You stare at Alex once more. "Friends and family is fine, just not like a legit stage. I'll projectile vomit like that one girl in Pitch Perfect." All three teens snort, that movie having been popular with all of them.

Alex then grins. "We'll definitely have to jam then once you're settled in."

A brief moment of silence descends upon the room, but Flynn is not having it. She claps her hands once, garnering everyone's attention. "So before we get comfortable, lets address the elephant in the room." You groan as she smiles broadly. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine, guys."

"Really? Your sudden move states otherwise."

"Flynn!" Julie scolds. Alex seems to freeze, his gaze darting between you and Flynn.

Flynn grimaces as she seems to think she's crossed a line, but you merely roll your eyes. "What exactly did my mom tell your dad?" You turn to ask Julie.

"Um," she gulps and fidgets in place. "I was just told that you weren't doing so good after everything that happened."

You snort. "Seriously?" Julie nods and you chuckle, shaking your head. "Guys, I'm fine. Honestly! I got over the heartbreak like a week after it happened and then I was just pissed off. But my friends helped me realize some things and I'm good now."

"But then why did your mom say you weren't?" Julie wonders.

"I love my mom, but she's a moron," you say. You drag Julie over to your bed, kicking off your shoes along the way and crawl to sit against the headboard. Julie does the same and you gesture for Alex to join Flynn at the foot of your bed. He does, smiling to be included. Once everyone's settled, you say, "So Jerry, who was the guy pretending to be my soulmate," you explain for Flynn and Alex, "has been trying to get in contact with me ever since I blocked him on everything I could. A couple weeks ago while I was out partying with some friends, Jerry and his soulmate were at the same party I was at. I didn't notice them, but they noticed me and they somehow managed to come up with the idea that I was stalking them."

"What a bitch," Flynn immediately blurts. Alex nods along with her.

"Anyway, Jerry's soulmate confronted me and I was completely blindsided by how angry she was with me. I mean, Jerry's the one who tricked me! Not the other way around." You shake your head in annoyance. "She made some hella stupid accusations and she threw a punch."

Julie gasps. "She didn't!?"

"She did. Now I'm not stupid, so I let her hit me a couple of times before I took my first swing. Fortunately for me, she clawed me," you pull your shirt down to show them three marks just above your cleavage, "and she was arrested when the cops got there. After giving my statement and getting statements from the witnesses, they determined I acted in self defense and let me go home. Mom took the little altercation as me spiraling and acting out, so she shipped me off."

"Jesus," Julie sighs. "That's messed up."

"It really is. But oh well. What happened, happened, and now I get to live with my favorite people."

All four of you laugh before Alex gestures towards your chest, sobering up some. "I have some cream that you can use so it'll fade the scars. My soulmate likes to skateboard and he gets pretty banged up every now and then so I keep a stash of that stuff for him."

You smile fondly at him. "Yes, please. The first time my real soulmate sees the girls," you shimmy your chest just the slightest, "I don't want him to see my battle wounds."

Julie swats you with the back of your hand and you laugh at her exasperated expression as the other two break down into giggles.

Lounging around in your room, you ask Julie about her other two bandmates but Alex tells you they had family obligations they couldn't get out of. Carlos gets dropped off by his friend's mom and he joyously jumps onto the middle of the bed when he realizes you're finally there. So that's how Ray and Rose find the five of you, laughing and joking in your new room before dinner is ready and making plans to hang out the following day when everyone could meet up.

After explaining to your tío and tía the real reasoning your mother had you sent away, it was like a weight was lifted off their shoulders and they were more at ease in your presence. You laughed at their sheepishness, at how they thought they had a rightfully heartbroken teenager on their hands with no clue how to ease said heartache. But when all was said and done, everyone seemed to be themselves around you.

Alex had shown up that afternoon, soulmate in tow, and immediately you asked to play with Willie's hair. Both boys had laughed, Willie agreed and readily sat on the floor between your knees as Julie and Alex Facetimed Flynn about any upcoming open mic nights they could book. Willie had a box of random hair supplies in his lap and you saw how he kept running his fingers over a feather and some small silver hoops. Without even asking him, you grabbed a couple of silver hoops, a feather, and set them aside. You had him tilt his head and he did so without questions, closing his eyes as you started to part and section the hair on the right side of his head. Alex smiled every time he looked over at the two of you and you happily gave Willie three thin braids about five inches long before letting the rest of his hair hang loose. The two outer braids had the silver hoops clipped in and the braid in the middle held the feather you had braided in with a thin leather cord. When you were finished and then combed out Willie's hair one last time, you told him you were done and had to bite back a laugh at the way Alex gulped. Willie eagerly went to check himself out in the mirror, beaming at his reflection before turning around and pulling you into a hug.

While your tío Ray and tía Rose worked, and Carlos spent time at his friend's house, you and Julie ordered in some pizza for yourselves, Alex, and Willie. They had no plans at all for the day so the four of you went out to Rose's studio garage when Flynn finally showed up.

Flynn has the bright idea to do karaoke, pulling out the equipment and setting up a laptop Julie had in the studio for this occasion.

Flynn killed it on Nicki Minaj's Starships, you and Julie sang Mamma Mia and were joined by a very enthusiastic Alex. Willie absolutely refused to sing, but that was okay because he knew the choreography for Backstreet Boys Everybody and you eagerly pulled him up to dance with yourself and Julie. Tío Ray and Tía Rose showed up with Carlos in tow, and you and Julie laughed joyously as her parents sang through Journey's Don't Stop Believin'.

Everyone was laughing and having a good time, but as the sun was going down the parental figures went inside to talk through dinner ideas and clean up a little.

You ask Julie if she has any originals you have yet to hear, but as she goes to go grab a journal Alex speaks up. "What about you? You said you wrote, right? I need to hear an original."

"I, uh, sure." You shrug. You turn towards Julie, eyeing the laptop. "Are my instrumentals still on there?"

She grins. "Yeah. Can I choose?"

"Go for it." You get up to go see which song of yours she's going to choose, smiling softly when you see her choice. Alex is practically bouncing in his seat, Willie is shaking his head at him in fond amusement, and Flynn looks torn between recording with her phone. When you nod at her, she beams and gets ready to hit record on her phone.

"So before Julie hits play, I just want you guys to know I wrote this song while I was Jerry. He absolutely loathed it when he first heard it because he thought I was singing about someone else." You huff a laugh. "The song was honestly about a couple on a TV show I got fixated on, but he didn't believe me. So anyway, I might be a little rusty, but Julie loves it so here goes nothing.

Julie hits play. The violin starts and you smirk when you see Alex's eyebrows raise. Then the drums, guitar, and bass kick in and his eyes widen just as his jaw drops when your attitude completely changes.

"I'm in the business of misery, let's take it from the top. She's got a body like an hourglass, it's ticking like a clock. It's a matter of time before we all run out. When I thought he was mine, she caught him by the mouth."

You keep singing, singing to Julie, but then it goes silent before the chorus kicks in and you find yourself back to back with your cousin as she joins you. "Woah, it was never my intention to brag. To steal it all away from you now. But God, does it feel so good 'cause I got him where I want him now. And if you could, then you know you would 'cause God, it just feels so.. It just feels so good."

Willie whoops and you laugh your way through the next few lines, rocking your shoulders and even throwing in a couple of head bangs for good measure.

But then the music quiets just so and you face the boys. "I watched his wildest dreams come true and not one of them involving you. Just watch my wildest dreams come true. Not one of them involving.." You head bang now, twisting your head back and forth so your hair wildly flips back and forth. Julie plays the air guitar and you're laughing, having made yourself dizzy in the process. But then as one particular part comes up, you sidle up to Julie's side, your face just inches from the side of her own face as she stares forward. "Woah I never meant to brag, but I got him where I want him now."

Your chest aches from putting your all into your own song, sweat beading at your hairline as you jump around dancing. You're exhausted by the end of the song, but it's well worth it to see Alex's gobsmacked expression.

The studio falls silent, but it's Willie and Flynn who jump to their feet. Their utter amazement and joyfulness makes you a little sheepish, but then Alex is standing to his feet. "Holy shit."

"Right?" Julie cackles. "I've been begging her to play live with us for one song, but she won't."

"Are you frickin' kidding me?!" The new voice has your head snapping in it's direction, the boy in a leather jacket and red flannel wrapped around his waist staring at you in wonder. "What is it with you Molina's and your musical talents?"

Your face flames at his praise, eyes then darting to the boy with shaggy hair and a sleeveless shirt gaping at you. You chuckle nervously and Julie wraps an arm around your shoulders, grinning as she introduces you. "And here we have Reggie and Luke. Guys, this is my cousin Y/N."

"Dude, will you marry me?" Luke's words make everyone laugh out loud, but you freeze.

Julie, having felt you tense up, stares at you. "Y/N? Are you-"

But you cut her off, eyes solely on Luke as you say, "Bro, don't call me dude." Your mocking tone makes Flynn snort.

Not only is it Luke's turn to freeze, but so do Alex and Reggie. Their eyes widen as they stare between you and Luke, your heart beating triple when you realize just who this is.

"Oh my god," Alex mutters.

"Oh my god!" Reggie exclaims, smile instantly beaming.

"OH MY GOD!" Julie shouts, arm tightening around your shoulder. "Did he just- did you just say.." You nod, your breathing becoming a little erratic. Julie notices and turns you so she grips you by the shoulders and you're staring directly into her face. "Hey, it's okay. You're fine. Luke's one of the good ones."

You gulp. "I- it's not that," you murmur. "But he said.. and I need to see-"

Before you can finish, the presence of said boy is right next to you and Julie. You startle at his appearance, but then he's holding out his arm between you and your cousin and you glance down to see the words that have been stamped into his skin since the day of his birth. There on the space just below the crease of his elbow are the words bro, don't call me dude.

You laugh, a little wetly, but no one dares to call you out on it. Instead, you turn and lift your shirt so he can see his own words stamped on your ribs. A faint touch has you flinching away and giggling, and Julie snorts as you pout at Luke who seems to realize you're ticklish.

"OH MY GOD! YOU GUYS ARE SOULMATES!" Flynn shouts. "THIS IS SO COOL!"

And just like that the tension is broken, everyone laughing and cheering. You're having trouble holding Luke's gaze, his crinkled eyes and swoon-worthy smile making you want to reach out and hug him. So when you see his fingers twitch and tap out a beat against his leg before he clenches his fists closed, you cave and pull him into a hug. He hesitates a moment before he sighs, wrapping his arms tightly around you in return.

"Hey. ¿Qué está pasando? (What's going on?) Rose wonders. Apparently the cheering had caught tía Rose and tío Ray's attention.

You and Luke break apart, but your arms remain touching as you both stare at Julie's parents like you'd been caught doing something wrong. And since the two of you can't seem to form words, Julie giggles before filling them in. "Luke and Y/N are soulmates. They said each other's words."

Ray and Rose immediately look at you in shock, and you can feel your face heating up. Slowly, you smile at your tía's concerned expression and immediately she's beaming as she makes a beeline for you. "Mija! That's wonderful news." You laugh as she hugs you and then laugh even harder when you see your tío Ray clamp a hand down on Luke's shoulder. Then releasing you and turning towards Luke, tía Rose smiles as she opens her arms wide before moving in to hug him. "I'm happy for you too, mijo. Welcome to the family." Then pulling back, she says, "Not that you weren't already part of the family, but you know."

Luke chuckles, ears turning red. "Thanks, Mrs. Molina."

"Well this is a cause for celebration," Ray says. "Anyone feeling up to pasta?" Julie, Flynn, and Reggie all whoop in unison. "You going to join us, Willie?"

Willie, never usually around for long periods of time with Julie's family, is surprised to be invited. Alex beams at his soulmate and Willie knows he can't say no. "Sure, Mr. Molina. Thanks for the invite."

"Great," Rose smiles. "Well now that that's settled, I'm going to go make a reservation so we don't give the hostess a stroke when we all walk in. Everyone has two hours before we leave."

Tía Rose and tío Ray congratulate you and Luke one last time before they take their leave. Everyone follows after them, excitingly talking outfit choices, but Reggie remains by the opened doors smiling between you and Luke. A second later, Alex returns and marches a reluctant Reggie away.

Now that it's just you and Luke, the two of you laugh nervously.

"So.."

"So.." You both laugh nervously again and then you're groaning. "This is so weird, but like I'm also really excited."

Luke loses some of his nerves and his shoulders slump. "Really? You're excited?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

He turns sheepish then, averting his gaze as he shoves his hands into the front of his jean's pockets. "Julie might have explained the shitty thing your ex did and yeah. I would understand if you weren't stoked to meet me on your second day here."

He's so genuine in his explanation that you can't help but mentally swoon at this boy before you. You're not sure where the sudden confidence comes from, but you're grateful for it when you step closer and take his face in the palm of your hands so he's staring right at you. "Okay one, my mother didn't properly explain why she moved me here. I'll fill you in later, but I'm telling you right now it's not because I'm heartbroken or anything. And two, I am stoked to meet you. You wanna know why?" Luke can only nod as he pays close attention and you grin at him. "Because the moment realization sunk in, everything just felt.. it felt-"

"Right?" He asks, voice low.

You nod. "It felt right. There was no uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach, there was just elation. Like I found something I didn't know I was looking for until you uttered the words etched on my ribs."

Luke slowly smiles and you let your hands fall to your sides, leaning in and quickly kissing his cheek. "Now come on. We need to get ready for tonight."

His cheeks turn red almost immediately, but you don't say anything as you grab his arm and drag his hand from his pocket. Then clasping his hand within your own, you drag him out of the studio and up towards the house.

Dinner was quite the affair, everyone pushing you and Luke next to one another at the table and cooing over how adorable you two were. Even his parents, Emily and Mitch, had been invited along and everyone smiled throughout the entire dinner. The table was quite loud, but not a single customer nearby or the waitresses could blame you when Reggie loudly explained that they were celebrating newly found soulmates. There was even applause that had you and Luke turning red in the face and then trying to aim a kick at Reggie's shin under the table. Unfortunately, Alex took the brunt of both kicks.

When the weekend was over, Luke and the boys stood by your side on your first day of school. The band had quite the following and those fangirls of theirs were not impressed to see you and Luke hand-in-hand. It was a bit daunting navigating the hallways with a majority of the school's population looking down their nose at you, but then Julie, Flynn, and surprisingly Carrie Wilson (your cousin's arch-nemesis) came to your aide. You understood Julie and Flynn's protectiveness, but Carrie's was a shock and she merely flipped her hair over her shoulder while giving the excuse that no one should be shit on just because they found their soulmate. The girls were stunned, but shrugged it off and let Carrie do what Carrie wanted to do.

Tía Rose and tío Ray saw a lot more of Luke at their home, but didn't put up any fuss. The only thing they asked was that if they were alone in the room, then the bedroom door was to remain open at all times. And not wanting to disappoint them, you and Luke abided by their rules. Because being with Luke.. it was the complete opposite than being with Jerry. There were no nerves, no second guessing, and no jealousy. You were happy to be with Luke and vice versa, and either of you could go out with friends with no twenty questions about who you were going with and where (Jerry seriously did a number on you).

You became Julie and the Phantoms number one fan, alongside Willie and Flynn, and sat up in the loft with Willie while the band rehearsed downstairs. The times you did go downstairs after rehearsals and Luke bounded over to you like an eager puppy, you had to fight the urge to chuck something at Reggie and Julie when they cooed over how cute you were together.

Luckily for you, Luke wasn't into PDA other than hand holding or hugs. But it still didn't stop your friends from mockingly groaning for you to get a room when Luke would hug you from behind and stay there with his chin hooked over your shoulder.

Today is one of the rare days the band left Luke alone so he could spend the time with you, but you're stuck doing Algebra II homework and Luke is going through one of your old writing journals for abandoned lyrics to give him inspiration.

You've been stuck on the same problem for what feels like twenty minutes when you hear Luke sharply inhale. You glance up at him, watching him read through something that's clearly caught his attention. You can't help but grin at his look of concentration and then his expression falls and your heart suddenly aches.

Luke glances up and you gulp. "What's this?"

"What's what?"

He glances back down at the journal in his hands before looking at you once more. "Something titled Train Wreck. It looks like a completed song."

Your expression completely goes lax then. "Oh. That's, uh, I wrote that a while back when my mom and dad were going through their divorce." You close the math book in your lap and hesitantly meet Luke's gaze. "That was not a fun time for all involved. My mind was kind of.. messed up back then."

Luke gulps. "I don't want to seem inconsiderate of what clearly was a dark time for you, but this- this is really good, Y/N. Do you have a melody for it?"

You huff a laugh, shaking your head in fond amusement. Only Luke would be this invested in a song. "I do. I think it's on the laptop in a password protected file.."

His eyes light up. "Can I hear it? You don't have to, I just-"

"It's fine." You get up, heading over to the laptop and powering it up to find what you need. After a bit of searching, you find it and open it up. Letting the melody play, you look up at Luke. "I won't sing the whole thing, but I'll sing a portion of it."

He eagerly nods. "I'll take anything."

You smile at him, nervously taking a seat on a crate in the middle of the room. He finds another crate and places it close to you, wanting to be as close as possible. You close your eyes, smiling, and let the melody wash over you as the lyrics come back to you in a flash. Your heart beat is beating double, but you inhale deeply and let it out slowly.

Losing yourself to the music, you mouth the lyrics to yourself until letting your voice ring out. "Underneath our bad blood, we've still got a sanctum. Home, still a home, still a home here. It's not too late to build it back 'cause a one in a million chance is still a chance, still a chance and I would take those odds."

You open your eyes, chest aching as all those feelings from so long ago come rushing back and make your voice just that much stronger. "Unbreak the broken, unsay these spoken words. Find hope in the hopeless, pull me out of the train wreck." Luke grabs your hand and you squeeze it for all your worth as you keep looking forward. "Unburn the ashes, unchain the reactions now. I'm not ready to die, not yet. Pull me out of the train wreck. Pull me out, pull me out, pull me out."

You meet Luke's gaze then, a little surprised to see his eyes red rimmed and teary through your own blurry vision. "You can say what you like, don't say I wouldn't die for it. I'm down on my knees and I need you to be my God, be my help, be a Savior who can-"

Your voice cracks on the next word and Luke tugs on your hand, pulling you into a hug. A sob escapes your throat as you cling to Luke, but you quickly stifle it against his shoulder. As the melody plays out, you press your forehead to his shoulder before pushing back and sniffling. "I, uh, I'm sorry about that. Everything came rushing back and I-"

"Don't apologize." Luke catches your face in the palm of his hands, thumbs brushing away your tears before his lips press against your forehead. The action is so soft that your expression crumples momentarily, but you quickly mask it when Luke pulls back to catch your gaze. "That was amazing, Y/N! So amazing. And I'm sorry it brought up bad memories, but.. wow."

You huff a laugh, pulling back so you aren't hunched over. Luke, however, refuses to stop touching you and catches your hands within his own. "I should have guessed you'd be easily impressed."

"For you? Always."

You shake your head, grinning. "You're so freakin' cheesy, Luke Patterson."

He chuckles and again you're hit with a sudden boost of confidence that you lean forward, one hand finding the back of his neck so you can bring him to meet you halfway in a kiss. He smiles against your mouth, but the smile quickly falls the second you tilt your head to deepen the kiss. Unfortunately, just as the tip of your tongue flicks against his bottom lip, you're interrupted.

"Can we come in now?" Reggie's voice rings out. "I really wanna give Y/N a hug after hearing that song."

"Reggie!" Julie scolds.

You and Luke pull apart laughing. You both straighten up and look towards the door just in time to see Reggie rubbing at the back of his head as he walks in with Alex and Julie behind him. Hand in hand, you and Luke stand up and chuckle at Reggie's put out expression.

Had you known that having a soulmate felt exactly as you feel right now, you would have known something was definitely up back home with Jerry. And though you will always hate your ex for tricking you the way he did, there's an ounce of gratefulness for the misery he put you through because had he not then you wouldn't have moved and met your true soulmate.

[morganaspendragonss]

so so many thanks to everyone who read even one of these stories. i am forever grateful for all the support i've received; every comment, every kudos, every reblog, every like - they all mean so much. i'm overwhelmed, honestly, but in the very best way. ily all 🥰

day one: against all odds (we're still here) for @trkstrnd

Carlos will hate himself for it later, but he’s so focused on his task that the screech of tires coming around the corner barely registers as a blip on his radar. He doesn’t notice anything until TK suddenly barrels into him, throwing Carlos to the side just before something else, something heavy, crashes into them with a blinding flash of pain, and then—

Nothing.

*

a simple trip to the grocery store quickly turns to disaster for tk and carlos

day two: out, damned spot for anon

TK wakes up gasping, choking on air. The sheets are suffocating him and, when he tries to free himself, they only seem to get tighter. The hands reaching out for him, trying to calm him, are the final straw; TK throws himself from bed and sprints to the bathroom, slamming and locking the door behind him as he collapses against the sink.

On some level, he is aware that the hands were Carlos’s, that the sheets were theirs, that his hands are clean, and that the dream was just a dream.

But they weren't always that way.

day three: the meetings for those in my wake for @freddieholic

For years after the divorce, Gwyn came to learn that any call from Owen was almost certainly bad news, and almost always about their son. Things have been better in the three years since her time in Texas, which is why she thinks nothing of it when he calls just after she’s put Isaac to bed for the night.

“Owen, hey,” she greets. “What’s up?”

The silence she’s answered with is the first sign that something’s wrong.

The sob that follows is the second.

“Gwyn, it’s TK. He's... They think we should say goodbye."

day four: a friend in me for 📍 anon

Carlos has come to see Nancy as a force of nature, a woman who will let nothing and no-one stand in her way, whether that’s out on the field or during a game of Monopoly. But, right now, as she sits hunched over in one of the interrogation rooms, shock blanket around her shoulders, he's never seen her look so small.

or

the story of how nancy and carlos become the new champions of 126 games nights

day five: truth is heavier than fiction for anon

Carlos pauses with his hand on the doorknob, taking a moment to prepare himself before going inside. TK’s shift finished an hour ago and he’d texted to let Carlos know he was home, which means Carlos is going to be walking right into a conversation he’d rather avoid.

Not that he’d have much choice either way; he might be able to cover his cracked and bruised ribs for a little while, but the arm in a sling will tell on him as soon as the door opens. Carlos doesn’t want to hide his injuries—they’ve had enough conversations in reverse on that theme to make him a hypocrite if he did—but he may have made some choices that he doesn’t particularly want to go into right now. Not while he’s tired and aching and just wants to cuddle with his boyfriend.

He blows out a breath, then opens the door, bracing himself for TK’s reaction.

“Hey— Shit!”

day six: slowly, and then all at once for @pragmaticoptimist34

The realisation that he loves Carlos hits him like a bolt out of the blue.

And at the worst possible moment.

We are getting updates on the active shooter situation at the Four Seasons Hotel. Austin Police Department have closed off the area and officers are currently preparing to enter the building to detain the suspect. It is as yet unknown if there have been any civilian casualties, but—

“Paul, turn the damn TV back on.”

“No.”

*

five times tk can't admit his feelings about carlos, and one time he finally does

day seven: the promise of tomorrow for anon

Up until five minutes ago, Carlos had been terrified of never having TK in his arms again. Now, the thought of letting him go scares him just as much, and TK seems to feel the same, if the way he’s clutching at Carlos’s jacket and pulling it tight across his back is any indication.

Carlos hugs him close, sinking down to his knees as TK falls into the chair behind him, letting the rest of the room fade away to nothing as he realises that they weren’t too late—that TK is here, with him, alive and mostly whole.

day eight: we'll hold each other soon for @221bsunsettowers

“Be careful, please,” TK said, smoothing down the lapels of Carlos’s shirt. “Whatever happens out there, whatever you have to do, just promise me one thing. Promise you’ll come back to me.”

Carlos knew better than to promise something like that, and TK knew better than to ask it. But because it was him, and because it was TK, Carlos just nodded and leaned in to press a kiss to TK’s temple.

“I promise,” he whispered, pulling away.

It's the last good memory Carlos has, and he's going to hold onto it for as long as he has left. If he's going to die, then the last thing he wants to see is TK's smile.

day nine: now i am just but the wayward man for anon

Ben is glaring at him again.

Klaus is very familiar with this specific glare—it’s the one Ben breaks out when Klaus is being ‘stubborn’ and ‘stupid’ and ‘a fucking asshole junkie with no self-respect who only cares about the next high and, really, it’s a fucking miracle you haven’t gotten yourself killed yet, Klaus’.

He has to hand it to him. Ben really does have him down to a tee.

*

winter is approaching and klaus has nowhere to go. his siblings are his only option—meaning he effectively has no options.

day ten: i can't imagine my life without you for 📍 anon

It had come completely out of left field—one minute everything was fine, the next Carlos had turned to him with guarded eyes and a clenched jaw, and said six words that sent TK’s whole world crashing down.

“I think we need a break.”

*

nobody likes to be asked 'trouble in paradise?', particularly when the answer is yes.

day eleven: start again from the beginning for anon

Owen trusts his son. He’s watched TK fight his addiction and stay sober for the last six years, and he has faith that he can handle himself.

But when TK doesn’t show up for work the night after proposing to Alex, Owen knows that something is wrong. After all, they've been here before.

day twelve: let me love you when your heart is tired for anon

TK knows it’s going to be a bad day from the moment he opens his eyes. Slowly, slowly, each twitch like he’s moving mountains, he inches his hand blindly across the bed to reach out for Carlos. If he can just feel his boyfriend, if he can just see him—

But, of course. Carlos has a shift today. TK has a vague recollection of him getting out of bed at five this morning, rousing him with a shift to the mattress and a gentle kiss on the forehead.

If this were a normal day, he might smile at the memory.

day thirteen: couldn't utter my love when it counted for 📍 anon

TK takes his time in the bathroom, stopping to stare at his reflection in the mirror for several minutes and trying to talk himself down from any more-than-friendly feelings towards Carlos.

Later, they’ll tell him that this saved his life.

But that won’t be for a long time, until after the smoke has cleared and the dead have been counted and the statements have been taken. For now, TK steels his resolve and nods at himself, then turns to the door, a hand reaching out for the handle.

That’s when the explosion rips through the building.

*

after the boba date, tk lets carlos go. they're friends, which is working just fine, until a horrific accident threatens to take even that away from them.

day fourteen: if i walk out the door (a thousand eyes) for anon

TK gets this feeling sometimes, a sort of prickling at his back, like someone’s behind him, breathing down his neck. At first, it was only a once-in-a-while situation, so he thinks nothing of it; when it becomes an everyday occurrence, he starts to wonder, but he’s probably just being paranoid. The shooting, kidnapping, firehouse explosion, and the fire at his and Carlos’s house had all taken their toll, and TK’s just generally more on edge these days.

He doesn’t tell anyone about the feeling, not even Carlos. There’s no reason to fuck up everyone else’s peace with something so stupid. It’ll go away eventually; TK’s sure of it.

That is, until one of the lots just down from the firehouse gets occupied.

day fifteen: find you here inside the dark for @fanfic-corner

Yaz has walked this room too many times to count now; she’s traced her fingertips over the walls, searching for any cracks or crevices to indicate where there might be a door.

If the Doctor were here, she’d have her sonic out by now, spitting out words, only half of which Yaz could understand. She’d find a way out in no time. Or, if not, at least she’d be here. Talking a mile a minute, probably annoying the hell out of their captors. Yaz can almost hear her now—

Wait.

She can hear her now.

day sixteen: accidents happen for @ilovemosss

So, Jason reflects, it may not have been the best idea to take Pythagoras out training while they’re all suffering from a severe lack of sleep. Being the more logical of them, Pythagoras, to his credit, had attempted to talk him out of it, but Jason ignored him.

He very much regrets that decision now.

day seventeen: you and me (moving through this world as a two-man team) for @laelipoo

TK does not have a crush on the 126's latest hire.

Carlos Reyes: an Austin local, an incredible firefighter, and—objectively speaking—the most beautiful man TK has ever laid eyes on. Which is, in fact, the entire point; TK has eyes and, yes, he will use them to sneak a look or two when he’s suddenly sharing space with a man who looks like a Greek god.

That does not mean he has a crush, Paul.

(and, sure, maybe he does sometimes dream about how soft Carlos’s lips look and the little blush he gets when he laughs and those little flecks of gold in his eyes, but he’s only human)

(how TK knows about the gold in Carlos’s eyes is none of anybody’s business)

day eighteen: in perfect harmony for @anyotherheartwilldo

Here’s the thing—Carlos doesn’t believe in signs. He used to when he was younger, raised on his abuela’s stories, but as he’d gotten older his father had taught him that what mattered was the choices he made. He’s the only one who has a say in the way his life turns out, and if he wants something, he has to put in the work to get it.

But there comes a point—namely, after his fifth thwarted attempt to propose to TK—when he begins to wonder if the universe really does have something against him.

*

proposing to tk proves far more complicated than carlos had first thought.

day nineteen: whatever here that's left of me (is yours) for anon

“Are you…” TK leans closer, peering at the hoodie Carlos is wearing, and—yep. “Why are you wearing my hoodie? Was there nothing in your size from the crew? You should have said something. We can fix this, you don’t need to be uncomfortable.”

There’s a beat, and then Carlos, studiously avoiding TK’s gaze, clears his throat. “It smells like you.”

*

post-2.12, carlos finds comfort in tk's hoodies.

day twenty: can't smile without you for anon

Carlos would be lying to himself if the possibility hadn’t occurred to him before. He has always worried for TK’s safety, and the knowledge that a serial killer is on the loose in Austin has sent that worry skyrocketing. Especially because he’s the lead detective on the case; he’s spent hours poring over horrific crime scenes, examining all the facts until they’re burned into his brain.

Admittedly, the killers seem to be mostly indiscriminate in who they take, meaning the chances of it being TK are slim.

But there’s still a chance.

*

a before, during, and after of tk's kidnapping in a hole where your memory goes

day twenty-one: lately you've been searching for a darker place to hide for @freddieholic

“Can I ask you something else?”

TK stiffens at the sound of Mateo’s voice, a nervous note to it that wasn’t there last time. Something tells him he knows exactly what Mateo wants to ask; still, he turns to lean against the counter, crossing his arms as casually as he can manage. “Sure.”

“Are you…” Mateo trails off, biting his lip and avoiding TK’s gaze. “I mean, do you… I mean—”

“You can say it, you know,” he interrupts, not unkindly. “If you want to know if I’m thinking about heading out and getting high, then just ask.”

*

five times tk turns to unhealthy coping mechanisms when he wants to use + one time he finally asks for help

day twenty-two: know me crazy, soothe me daily for anon

It had freaked Carlos out the first time it happened.

“It was a seizure,” TK explained, after Carlos had finished telling him about it. TK had been disoriented and confused for about ten minutes after, and couldn’t even remember half of their earlier conversation. “I… It’s because of the drugs. They fucked something up in my brain, especially after my first overdose, and now I get seizures occasionally."

*

in which carlos gets a little over-protective and tk is mildly exasperated

day twenty-three: lover, be good to me for anon

Carlos holds his arms out, and TK comes willingly, setting what Carlos now recognises as a tray of food carefully on the bed. “What’s this?”

TK stares as if it’s obvious. “Date night.”

“What?”

TK pauses, then gasps. “You’re right.” He pats himself down frantically, then pulls an object out of his pocket with a dramatic flourish. It’s a little electric tea light—real candles long since banned from the bedroom—and Carlos watches in bemusement as TK flicks it on and sets it down on the tray. “Now it’s date night.”

*

his fiancé being bed-bound isn't going to keep tk from date night

day twenty-four: bring you in from the cold for anon

As a cop, Carlos has always been uncomfortably aware of his own mortality. He’s considered his own death more than is probably healthy, but when you’re facing down the barrel of a gun almost every single day, it’s kind of forced on you.

He’s imagined himself being shot, stabbed, strangled, and everything in between.

But he’s not sure he ever pictured dying in a walk-in freezer after getting trapped there by mistake.

day twenty-five: heaving through corrupted lungs for anon

TK is itching to go home and check on Carlos, to make sure he’s still breathing and actually resting like he’s supposed to be. On the other hand, Carlos would probably kill him if he left work, illness be damned. It’s just… Carlos had looked so ill that morning, skin ashen and voice all but gone, and it had taken a lot of convincing for TK to still go to his own shift. He’d insisted on making sure Carlos had all the blankets and water and snacks and anything else he could possibly want, but even so, he’s still uneasy.

His gut is telling him that something’s wrong, and TK doesn’t think he can ignore it for much longer.

*

when carlos falls ill, they think it's just a bad cold. but when tk goes to check on him, he's in for a nasty shock.

day twenty-six: slowly becoming lovers for @pragmaticoptimist34

Things don’t get fixed overnight. They agree to give them a shot, but that doesn’t change the fact that TK is still reeling from his break-up and overdose, nor that Carlos is still hesitant and afraid of pushing too hard at once.

But, slowly, they get to know each other. And, slowly, they start to fall in love.

*

tk and carlos, getting to know each other and falling in love

day twenty-seven: and curse the gods for @girlwhowasntthere

Jason knows what it is to be cursed.

day twenty-eight: ignoring every warning for @moviegeek03

TK is fine.

He is absolutely, 100% fine.

And, sure, maybe he’s not supposed to be at work right now, and maybe his hand hasn’t fully healed yet, but it’s nothing. His doctor cleared him to go back to work, which means it’s healed enough, and TK is certainly not going to admit defeat no matter how much he's hurting.

day twenty-nine: can you beat back the night? for @girlwhowasntthere

He misses the bard. Geralt won’t admit it, not even to Roach, but he misses him. After months—years—of Jaskier’s constant chatter and the sound of his lute, the silence, once valued above all else, is too much.

It’s been months since the dragon, since Geralt lost both Yennefer and Jaskier in one fell swoop. He’s cursed himself many times over for the words he said—to both of them—and cursed himself more for the mistakes he made to get in this position in the first place.

*

this is the lot of witchers, to be alone.

day thirty: ease my mind for @silvarafael

Briefly, Carlos considers calling TK and telling him about the accident. But… He only broke two of his fingers and it barely even classifies as a minor injury in his book, so there’s really no reason to bother his fiancé while he’s still on shift himself. He pockets his phone then looks around to figure out where the exit is.

Only, an all-too familiar laugh distracts him from his task, drawing his attention to the nurses station.

Where TK is standing, smiling as a nurse swats at him for stealing one of their lollipops.

Carlos is, beyond doubt, fucked.

day thirty-one: scars turn to memories for anon

Their front door is open. It’s wide open, and the wood of the door frame is broken, splinters littering the driveway and the floor of the front room. TK’s heart stops in his chest as he surveys the scene, his brain going blank, struggling to comprehend what he’s seeing.

Everything is quiet in the front room, not even a table setting out of place. TK creeps further into their home, his every nerve on edge as he barely breathes for fear of alerting whoever’s here of his presence.

And then, he remembers.

Carlos was off shift tonight. He was here. Alone.

[charliedawn]

Imagine Alice coming back to you after being away for a long time

As soon as you are home, you don't notice the shadow standing in your living room as you put your groceries on the table. You still have your earphones on and Alice doesn't want to disturb you. Finally, you look up and freeze on the spot as you see the woman of your dreams, standing there, as beautiful and surreal as you remembered her. You stand there for a few seconds, wondering if you are dreaming ? However, when you see her smile at you and open her arms wide, you don't waste any time before running towards her to embrace her.

" You're here ?! You're really here ?!"

You don't let her answer before kissing her passionately. Oh..How you've missed her tender lips and lovely golden eyes..She reciprocates before taking a step back to look at you with a small smile.

" Yes. I'm here. And I'm never living your side again."

You gently cup her face and she smiles tenderly at you.

" I missed you, my flower.."

You smile happily and nod before guiding her towards the couch so she can tell you everything that happened to her during her absence. You never met the Cullens, but you knew Bella and she usually came to you for advice, as she was the only one who knew about your relationship..

" So, did Edward succeed in staying away from Bella ? I saw her at school today, she looked so sick. She was in an even worse state than me. Are you going to stay ?"

Alice smiles through your questions without interrupting you and leans towards you, as if she is going to tell you a secret.

" Edward was in a very bad state too..He still thinks he can control love. But, he doesn't have the gift to see what is ahead, and I know that it is inevitable. We don't control who we fall in love with. We can just accept it. Those last few months have been a torture for me, and I'm so happy to be back.."

However, you nervously twitch your fingers together and she senses your uneasiness. She sneaks her arms around your neck and whispers.

" What is it ?"

You sigh, of course she would notice..

" I..I know you said it wasn't the time but..I still want to you to give me the bite, and meet your family. We could spend more time together, and I wouldn't be forced to stay hidden."

She frowns and takes a few steps away from you before looking at you with seriousness.

" We already talked about this. It is not time yet.."

You run your hand through your hair frustratingly and ask impatiently.

" Then when ?! I'm tired of waiting, Alice. It's great when you visit and all, but..I want to meet your family and follow you wherever you go. I love you."

Her eyes soften at your last words and she takes your hands in hers gently.

" I love you too. But..it's too soon. You know that Edward and Bella are already a big deal. Do you imagine the shock for my family if they knew that not one, but two Cullens are in love with a human ?"

You know that of course..but it doesn't mean the pain in your chest leaves whenever Alice is away. You take her in your arms and she snuggles against you like a cat.

" If only I wasn't so afraid of what the Volturis would do to us if they knew..I'm not afraid of dying, not really. But, I'm afraid they'll take the person that I care about the most away from me.."

She tenderly strokes your chin and gives you a sweet kiss on the lips before leaning back down.

" There is nothing I cherish more on this earth than you."

You close your eyes and gently run your fingers through her hair, something you came to get used to as it always seem to calm you both. She suddenly stands up and looks at you with a bright smile.

" But, we could go shopping together ?!"

You groan and bury your face in your pillow. You knew she would ask..Goodbye hoodies and normal pants..

" Noooo..You always end up buying me things that I never wear.."

She giggles excitedly before taking you by the arm to make you stand up as well.

" Oh, come on ! The cowboy-hat was cute !"

You roll your eyes playfully before answering her sarcastically.

" Yeah..I especially liked the part with the two very glittery sparkly antennas.."

Alice can't help but laugh at the memory, your shoulders had been covered for a long week afterwards. She still had the hat actually. However, she stares at you with big puppy eyes and you can't help but agree.

" You're a little demon..You know that ?"

She only smiles mischievously before winking at you and dragging you to the car waiting outside.

"~I know."

She replies in a sing-song voice before you both enter the car.

When arrived, you can't hold Alice back as she drags in every single shop she wants. She squeals nearly at each article while showing it to you with stars in her eyes.

" This ! It would look so good on you !"

Don't misunderstand, Alice has incredible taste. She is a fashion queen. But, for some reason, when it concerns you, she can't help but find everything good on you. Absolutely everything..

" Get out!"

" No!"

" Why not?!"

" Because I look ridiculous!"

" Oh come on! I'm sure it's not that b..!"

You suddenly open the door and get out with the t-shirt saying "Sorry can't. My girlfriend said no". She has to stop herself from bursting out laughing while you roll your eyes dramatically.

" See ?! Ridiculous."

You repeat, but she only grabs a t-shirt and goes in a nearby dressing room to get changed as well. When she gets out, she does a superman pose with her fists on her hips and a large proud smile on her face while you read what's written on the t-shirt.

" My boyfriend is a badass.."

She smiles even wider before taking you by the hand to the cashier. This is how you end up wearing those shirts all day, walking hand in hand in the mall. However, suddenly, Alice freezes and you quickly notice that it's because a group of teenagers that are staring straight at you both with frowns on their faces. You quickly understand that they must be in Alice's class. You try to reassure her by squeezing her hand slightly, they would probably ignore you and get on their way..However, you hadn't planned on one of them to actually approach you. A pretty fair-haired girl with very pale skin. She smiles and says hi to Alice that is obviously embarrassed.

" Hi Alice. Who's this ?"

She asks before turning towards you.

" Hi Nina..This is Y/N. A friend."

Okay. That stung. But, you force yourself to swallow your pride and shake the hand of Nina. However, you quickly see the girl's eyes do the math when she notices the t-shirts and your hands, still intertwined.

" So, little Alice found herself a friend then ? How nice.."

The way she tells it makes you think that she doesn't think any of it the things she said. You glare at her, but do not let go of Alice's hand. You even take a brave step forward and look down at the woman.

" Yeah. I'm her friend. And you are ?"

She only chuckles before looking up and down at you with obvious disdain.

" Just a girl that doesn't like the two of you together. Can't you see that she's a freak ?! Come on. Hang out with us instead.."

You ark an eyebrow and almost laugh at the proposition.

" Can't you read ?"

You show the t-shirt with a small smirk.

" My g..friend said no. Now, could you just back off ?"

But the girl stays put and only crosses her arms. You then see her gang circling you and one particularly muscular teen stepping forward to put his hand on her shoulder defensively.

" Everything' alright, babe ?"

He looks at you intentively and decide to hold his gaze. You couldn't fight vampires, but you could still beat a human..or you hoped. You take Alice's hand again and she squeezes yours lightly. She couldn't fight, you knew that. This is why you had to protect her. However, after a few seconds of stare-contest, Nina only smiles, as if satisfied, and only shakes her head negatively.

" Yes, everything's fine. I'll leave you two be."

To your surprise, she smiles genuinely at Alice before saying.

" He's a good guy."

Alice quickly comes back to her usual joyful self once the girl says those words and she then drags you towards the car before you can ask what that was all about. As soon as you're in, you want to ask her if she's okay, but she only jumps in your arms and buries her face in your chest. You are surprised for a moment, but finally wrap your arms around her with a worried frown.

" Hey..Are you okay ?"

She only nods before looking up at you with her bright golden eyes sparkling and a huge excited smile.

" I had a vision..They're going to love you ! I'm ready !"

You let out a sigh of relief before tightening your hold her and letting out a small laugh at the sudden news before asking.

" So..should I wear this shirt for the meeting day ?"

She seems horrified by the proposition and shakes her head vividly.

" Oh no ! In the Cullen family, everyone is fashionably styled ! We'll just have to find you a suit or something and..!"

You kiss her sweetly to stop her from getting too fat in her thoughts and she chuckles before melting into the kiss.

"..Or we can just do that.."

You laugh and kiss her even more until you need air. Suddenly, someone's voice makes itself heard just outside the car.

" Friends, huh ?"

You both look outside and see Nina standing there with a big smile on her face and her phone in hand. Alice gets out of the car and you want to get out as well, but Alice smiles reassuringly at you, assuring you that there is no problem. You can feel the tension. However, you are taken aback when they start smiling at each other. Suddenly, Nina looks straight at you with an eyebrow raised and asks with a certain apprehension.

" So, it's him ? He's the one ?"

You don't understand until Alice nods and turns towards you with a big smile.

" Yeah. He's the one, Rosalie.."

Rosalie ? You don't understand right away, but you manage to connect the dots pretty quickly. Pale face. Golden eyes. Rosalie Cullen..This meant that..You open your eyes wide at the realization and get out to see the rest of the group she was with a couple of feet away.

" Wait..You're the Cullens ?!"

They all seem to be amused by your reaction as you awkwardly try to tame your disheveled hair and hide the t-shirt by zipping your hoodie.

" Nice to meet you all..I thought I would be a bit more prepared but, like that's fine too."

You say politely, trying to hide your embarrassment and some of the members laugh while others only smile understandingly. They each present themselves and you finish by whispering to Alice.

" You could have told me..I thought there were some bad people from your school..You didn't even have any vision, did you ?"

You ask knowingly and she only smiles widely before kiss you on the cheek.

" Nope. I just thought it was the moment..You're right, I've kept you in the dark for too long. I also wanted the reaction of my sisters and brothers before presenting you to my parents.."

You sigh loudly, understanding now why Alice had dragged you away so quickly, before looking at the group and asking with a hopeful smile.

" So, did I pass the test ?"

It's the muscular man that steps forwards and answers you with a wide smile.

" With flying colors, man. You're very cool. I especially liked the part when you stared at me dead in the eyes. I could totally snap your neck but, I admire the courage. I knew at that moment that you would protect Alice with everything you got. We needed to know that you would be willing to protect our baby sister, as human or vampire. So, you pass. It's a yes for us."

You smile when he extends his hand towards you and you chuckle while shaking your head at the mad theatrics.

" Me who thought Alice was exaggerating when she told me that you were pretty intense.."

" Well, better get used to it. Once the Cullen clan approves, you are family."

Rosalie says with a small smile and they all nod in agreement.

" Do you love her ?"

A guy who you think is named Jasper asks while eyeing you suspiciously. You look back at Alice and smile widely, knowing the answer and confidently replying.

" With all my heart."

They all smile and Alice suddenly yells with a fist raised in the air.

" Well, what are we waiting for ?! Carlisle and Esme are waiting for us."

You open your eyes wide as the whole gang seem to kidnap you in their family van.

" W..Wait! I thought I would change first !"

You scream while trying to get out of their grip, but they don't listen to you and Emmett even laughs.

" And miss Carlisle's face when he sees you ?! Ah ! Not a chance !"

Emmett says while pushing you inside. Alice tries to reassure you by giving you a quick chaste kiss on the lips.

" Don't worry..They'll love you. I know it."

Welp, looks like the Cullen family adopted you..Congrats. You passed the test. After such a long wait, it is finally time for your great adventure.

This was a request from @werewolf-himbo. Hope you like it !

[maplecornia]

chapter 34

𝔞/𝔫: this chapter will be in 3rd person POV

𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔡 𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱: 3.45K

𝔤𝔢𝔫𝔯𝔢: romance | slice of life | fluff | angst | bts x female!reader | ot7

𝔰𝔲𝔪𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔶: You watched them from the sidelines ever since you were a young teenage girl. Now you’re grown up, they’ve returned after 2 long years and everything has changed. What happens when you pull back the mask and find the darkness within? What happens when you see that they’re broken?

𝔴𝔞𝔯𝔫𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔰: cliffhangers | angst | fluff | slight mentions of self hatred | depression | mental health illness | self harm | occurs in the year 2024 | set in a timeline where BTS went to the military together | slight language

tags: @kookaine | @fangirl125reader | @kookiebbyxx | @taradevonne | @rae-bear | @mangminnie | @pixiekooo | @cana

When was the moment he realized things were broken?

Driving down the dark streets, his hand clenches on the wheel of the car. Memories of past smiles, foreign whispers of love, someone's hand holding his while he couldn't feel more alone...

Maybe he always knew.

Maybe he just didn't want to admit it to himself.

Pausing in front of a stop sign, he looks over as his phone buzzes, a message popping up on the screen. He doesn't bother looking at it, he knows it's not going to say what he wants it to say.

Watching the blinking lights at an empty street, he considers running it. There's nobody else around. No one would even notice. Even if he somehow did get in an accident would it matter? At this point is there anyone left who cares? Once the light changes green, the thoughts disappear as though they had never existed in the first place.

Jimin, you knew this would happen eventually.

You made this game.

"Yen, what's your secret?"

How is she able to smile so brightly? He sees the darkness in her eyes, he sees the way she disappears into herself, he sees the struggle inside her as she fights to be happy every day.

So why? How is she so strong?

Why can't I be that strong?

Jimin thought he would be able to forget everything. He thought it wouldn't matter. All he wanted was someone to be beside him. All he wanted was to not feel alone. He didn't think that having someone beside him, knowing that they didn't love him, knowing that they were using him for everything else but love...

He didn't think it would make him feel cold, almost isolated.

And yet, he still doesn't want to let go.

When his phone buzzes once more, he looks over at the passenger seat, not paying attention to the road. He doesn't notice as he comes across another intersection. He doesn't notice the crosswalk, nor the woman who is crossing. He’s too focused on the name that flashes on his screen. Debating in his strangled min whether or not to answer.

When he reaches her, just a few feet away, may it be fate or destiny he turns away from the phone just in time to see the woman. Adrenaline pumping violently through his body, his eyes widen as she turns, hearing the roar of the engine and the screech of the tires. Instinct taking over his body, Jimin slams his foot on the brake, the car managing to squeal to a stop, just a few inches away from the frozen woman. In the few moments it takes for him to register her face, he's able to discern one thing.

Bright luminescent green eyes.

In the silence that follows, Jimin breathes heavily, looking over his wheel almost hesitantly. He doesn't know if he hit her, all he's aware of is that she can no longer be seen through the windshield. Fear erupting in his nerves in waves, he frantically unbuckles with shaking fingers, opening the door and dashing to the front of the car. The buzzing phone now forgotten.

He pauses for a moment taking in the scene.

The good news is that he didn't hit her.

The bad news is Jimin quite possibly terrorized her beyond reality.

She’s fallen to the ground, bags of groceries scattered around her, her eyes wide and her entire body shaking. Her hands wrap around the gravel on the ground as she shivers, her lips moving as tears start to appear at her eyes, but no sound can be heard. Jimin notices the scratches her knees have endured from the fall, the way dark smudges of pavement have mixed with the tears on her cheeks, and the small drops of blood dripping from her hands so brutally ripping through the pieces of gravel and dirt.

Sighing, he kneels beside her, trying to gather her attention. It proves to be quite difficult considering the way her eyes are locked on the headlights of the car just a few inches away from her. She shivers as she contemplates how she could have died just a few moments ago and finds the thought far too horrifying to comprehend. Fear paralyzing her like a virus, Jimin has to take her by the shoulders to gather her attention.

And there they are again. Brilliant green eyes, golden flecks scattered within her irises. They meet his deep cinnamon ones, a spark reflected between the two of them. A spark only the heavens could have seen.

"Are you okay?"

Once Jimin speaks, in a soft hushed tone, the woman breaks out of her reverie. Her eyes well up in unspoken terror, and she starts to shake even more violently at the sight of someone next to her comforting her.

Why is it when we are at our most vulnerable, we find ourselves breaking when there is someone there to hold us?

Noticing her shivers, he removes his jacket and places it across her shoulders, trying desperately not to falter at the sight of panic in her eyes.

"It's okay, I'm here."

.

.

.

"Yes, I know I'm late but I'll be there soon."

Needless to say, Jimin finally figured out how to answer his phone.

He paces a few feet away from where he left the shivering woman, his heart clenching and unclenching in distress. When did it become such a chore to talk to her? When did he start regretting every moment spent with her?

Half listening to the pressed voice on the other line, he glances at the woman who pulls his coat tighter around her body, her face pale and eyes darting around in frantic panic. At the sight, his heart tightens in pain and he struggles to shove down his guilt.

It doesn't help matters when he hears the words on the other side of the line.

"What?"

As though he were stuck in a lucid dream he tries not to let the disappointment eat at him. It's not a big deal that she ate without him, after all, he was running quite late...

Why does it bother him so much?

Why does the thought make him feel alone?

Oh, I don't know Jimin, maybe it's the fact that she used you.

Again.

Your money, your love, your dedication, your time.

It was all a waste after all.

"No, it's fine. We'll see each other another time."

Jimin clenches his jaw at the sound of a male voice addressing her on the other line. Suspiciously close, dangerously close. Jimin doesn't bother asking who it is. He already knows the real reason. Taking a deep breath, he tries his hardest not to give in to the tears.

God, you're pathetic aren't you?

"Okay. I have to go now, but I'll see you soon."

No, you won't.

"I lo--"

The line cuts off before he can finish his sentence, and Jimin would be lying if he said he wasn't surprised. He holds the phone up for another moment as though waiting for a phantom to whisper the words he so longs to hear. Biting his bottom lip when it's clear they won't come, he pockets his phone and turns back to the woman on the bench.

Would she treat him the same?

If she were in this situation, what would she do?

Jimin knows these are desperate, ridiculous questions to ponder, but he can't help himself. He's too lost, too broken to wonder anything else. Snapping himself out of his thoughts, he walks towards her, settling onto the bench seat beside her. He knows she overheard the conversation, he knows that every time he looked at her she glanced away as though being caught in a trap.

At this moment, however, he finds it very hard to care.

"Was that my fault?"

At the question, Jimin smiles almost bitterly.

"No, it was mine." He leans his head back, sighing as he stares at the dark sky. "I should've expected it."

At the nearly dejected statement, the woman can't help but look at him with concern. She recognizes the look in his eyes. The dark swirling pit of nothing. She's seen it reflected in her own. She hesitates before speaking once more.

"If you need somewhere to be, I'll be fine." Jimin looks her way incredulously, at the glance, she smiles nervously finding it hard to meet his eyes. "I can wait for a bus on my own--"

When she glances back his way, she doesn't expect him to be so close.

His face nearly inches away from hers, she could almost swear that her heart stopped for a fraction of a second from the shock. It's not a normal occurrence to have a nearly perfect man inches away from you.

But then again, what part of this situation is normal in her eyes anyway?

Oh God, all I wanted was to get some groceries.

Jimin stares at her with an unreadable gaze, his piercing eyes staring deep into hers. Perhaps it's an attempt to see into her soul, to find some part of her character reflected within him. There has to be a reason she looks so familiar, some form of explanation for why he feels as though he's known her all his life.

Why is it so comfortable to be around her?

"What is your name?"

The woman looks up at him with wide eyes, the iridescent green nearly blinding Jimin of all reason.

"Jocelynn."

Sliding his hand on the back of the bench as he leans closer to her, she avoids his eyes. Inwardly she prays that he doesn't hear her heartbeat increasing every second he is close to her.

"Jocelynn." At the sound of her name on his tongue, her stomach turns in on itself. Looking back at him she is surprised to find that his gaze has never strayed from hers. "You know that when it's this late, it's not smart to be on your own right?"

His voice is deep and husky, drawn to a near whisper that is hardly distinctive but manages to move every possible emotion present in her heart. Raising an eyebrow, Jocelynn tilts her head slightly.

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"You were alone."

If she expected him to be flustered, she couldn't have been more wrong. Instead, his eyes darken once more and he smiles half to himself.

"Maybe I don't want to be alone."

Another second, maybe Jimin would have leaned further. Another second and maybe he would have placed his lips on hers. Another second and perhaps he would have been able to forget just how empty he was, as long as he was holding another in his arms.

But when he sees the sad conjecture hidden within her eyes, he can't bring himself to use her in that way. For some unknown reason, he finds that he can't hurt her even if it means he'll feel whole.

Coming to his senses, he pulls away. The same space that was between them a few moments ago, opening once more. He leans forward resting his arms on his legs, his hands clenched tightly together, his heart playing games with his mind.

She's just a stranger, someone he met by some strange coincidence of the skies.

And yet, he can't bear to see that look in her eyes.

"You never told me your name."

Jimin turns to Jocelynn, raising an eyebrow incredulously.

"You don't know me?" he murmurs, obviously surprised, and probably wondering if she's lying. Jocelynn in turn rolls her eyes at the assumption that anyone would be oblivious to who he was, and Jimin can't help but feel amused.

"So what if I do? It's polite to introduce yourself to strangers you nearly run over." Jocelynn responds, her eyes glinting mischievously and Jimin can't help it.

He laughs.

Jocelynn smiles at the sight, almost proud that she was able to leech that out of him. After a moment, Jimin turns to her and extends his hand her way.

"My name is Jimin." When she doesn’t take it right away, he raises his eyebrow at her. In turn, she rolls her eyes before intertwining her hand with his and shaking it. Jimin can't help but think that her hand is soft, comforting, almost made to fit with his. Inwardly, he chastises himself for thinking that way.

When will he remember that fate and destiny don't exist?

Hasn't he been taught that enough?

"It's nice to meet you Jimin."

When she says his name, it's almost as though some invisible bind around his heart has been released. He's able to breathe for the first time, he's able to forget everything he's been harboring deep inside. Almost as though a simple utterance of his name on her tongue has set him free.

"I'm sorry I ruined your date." Jocelynn apologizes before pulling away, and Jimin considers scrambling to hold her hand tightly within his own. In order to refrain himself, he scratches the back of his neck as he shakes his head.

"It's not your fault, don't worry." He reassures her, and she bows her head, smiling to herself. Sighing, Jimin looks back up at the stars, finding it fascinating the way they can shine so bright from so far away. "If I'm being honest it was probably ruined before I met you."

"Do you mind saying why?" At the thought of showing her that vulnerable side of himself, he can feel the darkness start to taint the inner corners of his heart.

Why is it so frightening to reveal one's weakness?

Smiling almost bitterly, he avoids her eyes as he answers her.

"Have you ever had a relationship where you know you're being used, but you stay in it because you're afraid of being alone?"

Jocelynn flinches at the description, being reminded of a time way back where she had exactly that. Painful memories she had thought she had since buried ever since he was removed from her life. Moments she thought she had left behind the moment she promised she would move on.

"That's my relationship." Jimin continues, Jocelynn listening quietly beside him. "I mean it started nice enough. The usual honeymoon phase. She was sweet and funny. To top it off she was just drop-dead gorgeous, I thought I hit the gold mine. The luckiest guy in the world."

Though he doesn't look her way and she doesn't make a move to comfort him, somehow her presence beside him makes things easier for him. He doesn't feel as though someone is violating his memories, he doesn't feel as though she were a stranger. On the contrary, he feels as though this were a normal thing, as though he had been confiding in her all his life.

"Until I saw that she was only happy when she was taking from me. She used me for money, sex, love..."

It was all a lie.

Even now, Jimin can't bear to utter the words, instead they hang over his head. Unspoken but the reality hitting him like a grenade.

"Yeah, she was sweet all right. Like poison."

He laughs bitterly, shaking his head at himself. He never knew self-deprecation could hurt this much. Slowly building up each day until he threatens to break.

"I don't even know why I'm telling you this. I don't even know you."

It's strange, he can't even confide in his friends. He doesn't even feel as though he's able to talk to Tae like he used to, why is it so easy for him to talk to Jocelynn? A person whom he met on a chance encounter, someone whom he didn't even know the name of until just a couple of seconds ago. They are little more than strangers, so how is this so easy?

At the question, Jocelynn smiles to herself, remembering something she had heard once before. From a mere child, and yet it was a child who was the first person to teach her she was never truly alone.

"Sometimes it's easier to talk to those you don't know. They don't have room to judge, they don't know what you did wrong or where you messed up. You may never see them again, so what harm is there in talking to them? That way you don't have to deal with the baggage following you around."

Jimin looks at her with surprise and finds that her gaze is far away. Those green eyes that are so calm and serene are now filled with unspoken tears and sparkling gems of pain.

"I'm not going to say some crappy thing like 'why don't you just leave' or 'she's toxic just drop her' because I know how hard that really is." She takes a deep breath to steady her nerves before continuing. "However, I know what it's like to be used and endure pain because you don't want to be alone. So I will say something to help you make up your mind."

When she meets his delicate tawny eyes with her tender green ones, he finds himself struck speechless. She looks at him almost as though she were afraid he'd break. As though he needed a shield to protect him at all costs and she would be willing to be that shield.

Since when was it Jimin who needed protecting?

"You deserve better."

"What?"

Jimin seems shocked, almost baffled at the notion. Jocelynn smiles almost bitterly to herself. Is that what she looked like when she was told the same thing? Was it so hard to believe that someone like her could deserve to be happy?

"No matter what you may tell yourself, you deserve love. You deserve to be loved. No matter what you think you may have done or how scared you are of being alone, you deserve to have someone reciprocate the love you give to them." Jocelynn holds her hands tightly together as she speaks, an attempt to refrain herself from reaching over and taking his within hers. Though she longs to give him some sort of comfort, she has to keep her distance. "From the way you're describing it...this relationship doesn't sound like it's love."

The silence that blossoms between them is one not easily broken. It's a silence filled with unspoken emotions, late realizations, and hard-won ignorance crumbling. When Jimin looks at her, he admires the way her face shines in the moonlight, her hair that tumbles down around her shoulders, the way she exuberates calm serenity that never thought he'd find.

Almost as if she were an angel sent for him.

When the bus pulls up in front of the two of them, Jimin finds that he doesn't want her to be a stranger. He doesn't want her to leave. He wants her to be around him, he wants her to know his burden. And above all...

He doesn't want to hide anymore.

"Just...think about it okay?" Jocelynn stands, sliding the jacket Jimin gave her not but a few moments ago off her shoulders and offering it up to him. "Here."

He sits there for a stunned moment, staring up at her and the jacket. Within his mind, he makes a quick decision, one that he sincerely hopes he doesn't regret.

Standing, he pushes the coat back to her and smiles.

"Keep it." He murmurs as her emerald eyes widen, a soft rosy hue threatening to erupt on her cheeks. Smiling to herself, she nods, holding the jacket close to her chest, before stepping back toward the bus.

"Thank you." She whispers back, turning on her heel and boarding the bus.

Leaving Jimin alone.

As the doors close, and the familiar hiss exuberates from the vehicle as it pulls away, Jimin stands there. He watches Jocelynn walk down the aisle, before settling into a seat beside a window. She presses her cheek against the cool glass before turning back to the jacket she holds in her hands. Jimin sees as she smiles to herself before holding it close to her heart, her face buried deep within the fabric.

He doesn't notice the grin on his face as he witnesses the pink blush on her cheeks, and the wide smile on her face as she pulls away. Her eyes sparkle with a joy he's only seen on TV screens, and in the back of his mind, he wonders if it's possible to keep that smile to himself. He wonders if she'd be willing to stay by him forever.

Then the bus is gone, she's gone, and he's left in the dust of forgotten memories and broken tears.

"No..." He murmurs, a smile playing at the memory of her green eyes.

"Thank you."

note: NEW CHARACTER ALERT!!! This character has a lot of background to do with Yen, which will be revealed later. I really like this chapter and enjoyed writing in a different POV for different characters. I think this is a nice view into Jimin's side of the story and hopefully we can expand on it soon. Anyways! Thank you for reading and I hope you've enjoyed!

chapter 35 here

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[i-dont-want-your-hysteria]

Too Daze Gone (Joe x Reader)

(Happy birthday to me! You’re all going to suffer. This is a little something that I wrote over 2 1/2 years ago based on a concept that I thought of three years ago; one of the first ideas I ever had for a Def Leppard fanfic. I made some very minor edits to it ((since I’m not 17 anymore)), and honestly, this is still one of my favorite things that I’ve ever written. But I know you guys are gonna have my head for it later...)

Prompt: It’s December of 1989. You and Joe are recently married, the world has now officially entered the post-Hysteria era, and- well...

-----

December 1989

The soft morning sunlight was seeping through the plane’s window right next to you. Joe’s head was resting on your arm, and you used your opposite hand to stroke his hair soothingly. He had one hand on his stomach, along with his green eyes closed and shut away from the world. The plane was flying steadily now, but your minds were anything but steady at the moment. There was so much to say, but no place or time to say it. It was almost as if you two were having a telepathic conversation; there was so much thinking between you both, yet nothing was being said.

“You alright, Joe?” the voice of a London guitarist broke your attention from the window. He’d strolled over to the seats where you and the man in question were sitting, and let his concern get the better of him.

There was far too much concern going around today, so Phil's question was rather unnecessary.

“Oh, he’s fine,” you answered sweetly, knowing that Joe didn’t want to answer, and also not wanting to give Phil any hint to your invisible nerves, “He’s just feeling rather sick is all.”

Phil sighed, “Ah, yeah, the turbulence wasn't the greatest.”

You decided to go along with Phil’s theory of why Joe wasn’t feeling well. After all, it was believable.

“Yeah, we haven’t been awake that long, either. You know how he can be in the morning. He’s just sick of the day, really,” you lightly joked. Today was not necessarily a good day for jokes. There was a deep, underlying sadness beneath the surface of everybody's tone no matter how much they joked around.

“Oh, so he’s got morning sickness, I see?” Phil joked along, trying to lighten the universally tense mood, “Well, congratulations on the pregnancy, Joe.”

Your heart jumped and you forced a chuckle at the statement. You felt Joe’s heart jump, too.

“Thanks, Phil,” Joe cracked a gentle smile for him as he walked away. You could feel how forced the smile was as Joe slowly reached out and squeezed your hand. He was definitely more worried than you.

“Shh, I know. I’m worried, too,” you whispered to him so quietly that you could barely hear yourself, “But we’ll deal with this later.”

~18 hours earlier~

You weaved your hands together with the utmost anxiety as you waited for Joe to get back from a small trip to the supermarket. As you waited, there was no stopping the racing thoughts in your mind. Once one thought appeared and rooted itself within you, it was impossible to keep it from rolling into a snowball of others. It was driving you absolutely mad on the inside. Keeping calm on the outside, however, came rather easily. It almost felt like second nature at the moment. Of course, you knew that was all going to change the second Joe got back.

Everything was going to change the second Joe got back.

When he did come back, you immediately stood up and went over to him, trying to be casual and lighthearted.

"Hey! How was the store?" came the greeting from you. Your voice was nearly on the verge of breaking from the tension of the whole situation.

"A fucking treat," he grumbled sarcastically, putting four bags down on the table, "The whole bloody place was packed, the service was piss poor, traffic on the way back, you name it."

You kissed him on the cheek for a few seconds in consolation, quickly making his small dimple appear as a result. Normally, it melted your heart to see him smile, but this time, it made it almost vibrate with worry. It hurt to see him happy now, since you knew it wouldn't last long.

He turned and put his hands on your waist, "I suppose it was worth it to get back to you, though."

You wrapped your arms around his neck, quickly pecked him on the lips, telling him, "You're too kind. Now let's see what you've looted up on-"

Desperate to distract both of you from each other, you turned to the grocery bags and started to pull the items out. You did it in a sped-up manner to keep your hands from shaking too visibly. You had no idea when to mention what had to be mentioned.

"I'll tell you what," Joe spoke up, his annoyance still audible in his voice, "The service down there was so fucking slow. Took me a half hour to get four bloody bags worth."

"I'll say you took a while," you impulsively decided to create a segue- any segue- that may get you closer to your fated subject. You blurted out "You’re late."

As he continued pulling out the groceries, he cocked an eyebrow, and asked without looking at you, "What do you mean I’m late?"

"Just, you're late, that's all," you shrugged, the anxiety overwhelming you more. It was getting close to the subject now.

"I'm not late," he chuckled, still not looking up or fully understanding you. You both often liked to joke and tease each other, so this wasn’t anything strange to him.

"No," you stated calmly, going completely motionless with fear, “But I am."

He didn't completely comprehend what you had said. He began to put away the groceries and asked you obliviously, "What do you mean you're late?" Late for what?"

You pressed on, remaining rooted to a motionless state and staring at him, "No, Joe... I’m late."

"You mean that this month you didn't get your-" he started off normally, but then paused as the penny dropped. He froze, and dropped the can he was holding. Your heart sank in your chest at his reaction. Now was the time to talk about it, and you could sense it wasn't going to be pleasant. Part of you began to think that this is how it might end for you two.

He turned around, looking almost mortified and whispered, "Oh my god... are you...?"

"I don't know..." you were shaking now, "I'm just assuming."

For a moment you both stood there, staring at each other, lost for words.

Another impulse suddenly arose within you, and you blurted out again with a wavering and worried voice, "I-I hope I'm not, Joe, and I know you don't want me to be, either, because now is not a good time for this to be happening! You’re at the peak of your career, and we’ve got the new album on the way, then you'll be on tour again- and-"

"Hey, hey, shh," Joe moved forward and put his hands on your arms, "Calm down... it's okay, it's okay. First of all, who ever said I didn't want this? You can't just assume that I wouldn't be okay with it... and I'm not mad- really, I swear! Second of all, this isn't set in stone yet. We'll have to find out if you are first, and if you are, we'll... then we'll make it work out somehow. Don’t think too much just yet; try to relax.”

You blew out a shaky exhale and muttered, “Yeah, okay...”

“Have you been sick?"

"No, but something just feels... off."

"How late are you?"

"About a week..."

"Have you been this late in the past, but gotten your period anyway?"

"Yes..."

"Then we don't know for sure," he kissed the top of your head, embracing you and reassuring, “So what if you're late? That doesn't have to mean anything! I'm worried, too, but we can't just jump to conclusions like this. I wouldn't even put the stakes at 50-50 right now. All this worrying is probably over nothing. You could just be overthinking."

You turned your head and attempted to look up at him to say, "But this is a child, Joe... if there's even a small possibility that this child exists, we've got to assume that it does... we can't just ignore it for too long."

"You've got a point, you've got a point, but just for a second, genuinely consider the possibility that you're not-" he didn't dare say the “p” word, "-you know..."

You sighed into his shoulder, fighting back against tears that wanted to fall, "Okay, okay, you could be right, but there's so much that might have to be done- we can't just put this off..."

"We can until we know for sure," he suggested, "If it's worrying you so much right now, then I'll run out to the corner store and pick up a test. We can sort this out once and for all. How long did you wanna wait before taking a test?"

"I don't know, I don't know," came the drawn out reply as a few tears spilled from you, "Maybe a day or two or three, but I'm just getting so worried that it might be true, I can't wait anymore."

"Okay, then you won't have to wait anymore," he tilted your chin up to give you a quick and thoughtful kiss, then wiped away your tears, "I'll run to the store quick and buy us a test. Is that okay?"

"Yes, please just do it. I'm sorry- you just got back from the store and-"

He laughed and squeezed you tighter, swaying with you in his arms, "Ah, don't worry about it; it's a necessary trip now."

"You're taking this a lot better than I thought you would."

"What'd you think I was gonna do? Leave you?" he chuckled lightheartedly, though he guessed exactly what you were thinking.

You faked a chuckle in reply, "Yeah, kinda... I had a lot of time to overthink everything."

"Well, would you leave me? Especially if I were in your shoes?"

It was your turn to squeeze him tighter (and laugh into his chest), "Joe, if you were in my shoes, I think we'd have a real problem."

"Oh, I know, I know- but apart from that- would you leave me?"

"Of course not..."

"Exactly. You wouldn't leave me, so I definitely won't leave you. You know we've always looked after each other, and I still plan on holding up my end of the bargain."

He kissed you again, longer this time, before softly assuring you, “I love you. Don't ever think that I’d abandon you to raise a child on your own, cos' it'll never ever be a possibility. I'll be here no matter what. Positive or negative."

***

Positive or negative, indeed, you told yourself as you wearily gazed out of the plane's window. You still weren't completely sure how to feel about the outcome of the previous day, but- as you told Joe before- you had to deal with it later. There were more pressing matters currently at hand. Your previous issue could wait for an extra day or two. The more serious problem that you all were on your way to currently needed the most attention. This particular problem also seemed to outline a theme for the past 24 hours; accidental life or accidental death.

~17 hours earlier~

You both sat on the bathroom floor in quiet anxiety. Your hands were joined in a world of worry. At the moment, it was impossible to tell who was more worried, since neither of you could bring yourselves to speak.

The longest two minutes of your lives were currently taking place. The test was sitting on the counter of the sink, and neither of you were counting down to when you could look at it again. Every now and then, a reassuring thought would come to mind that you were all worked up over nothing. After all, Joe was right; you barely had any evidence other than the fact that you were late, so you couldn't just assume the worst. On the other hand though, you couldn't help but feel that there was some impending doom about to come, almost like you felt it instinctively.

With you both being scared shitless at the moment (and not even trying to hide it), you sensed that deep down, both of you knew what the result was going to be. Neither of you wanted to admit it, though.

A few rooms away, the phone suddenly sounded off, shattering the tension and making you both jump. It was almost like a form of divine intervention to prevent you from thinking any more. Almost immediately, Joe lifted his hand away and quietly said that he'd answer it. He stood up and left, leaving you alone with a possibly huge revelation sitting on the counter a few feet away. However, that would no longer be your biggest concern, for you could easily overhear Joe talking on the phone.

"'Ello?" he answered before pausing and replying anxiously, "No, I really don't have a minute... I can't say, but I don't have time to chat. You alright, mate?”

There was an unnerving pause before you heard Joe ask, "Why?"

There was an even longer pause before he spoke again. Your heart was pounding more. That gut feeling that your lives were about to change for the worse grew enormously without warning. On top of that, you suddenly realized that it had been well over two minutes at this point. Your future awaited you now.

"Fuck... oh my god..." Joe's voice was a lot more quiet now, "...oh my god, is he...?"

Now, you began weaving your hands together, slowly growing more and more impatient and worried.

"Dammit," Joe said a little louder, "We'll we've gotta go, then. We've gotta go as soon as possible. What about Rick and Sav...? Alright, then. We'll meet you there tomorrow morning- I've really gotta go and tell Y/N right now. I'll call you in a bit. Yeah, alright... just try and calm down, mate- okay? See ya, then."

As soon as he hung up, you heard him rush back to the bathroom.

"Y/N, he huffed before he was even in the room, "Y/N, something's happened and we’ve gotta-“

He froze in the doorway upon seeing you now standing and completely covering the test in your hands.

"No," he moved forward and put a hand on yours, "Please don't look at it yet; something awful's happened and I don't know how much sudden news we can take at this point. Did you look at it?”

You shook you head, not breaking eye contact with him, "No, but now I'm too scared to take my hands off. What's happened?"

He came right out with it, "Steve's been found unconscious at a bar in Minneapolis. They took him to a hospital, he’s in intensive care and... and he’s pretty bad.”

Right then and there, you dropped the test in your hands with a gasp. You were speechless, but part of you couldn't help but ask, "Is- is he gonna make it?”

You suddenly saw tears in Joe's eyes when he answered, "I don't know... he won't die unless we knock some fucking sense into him! That was Phil who just called, and he sounded scared shitless..."

"W-well what are we gonna do? Is anyone going to see Steve?"

"We are. Tomorrow morning we're flying out with Phil, Mutt, Tony, and Peter."

"Wait, what about Rick and Sav?"

"They both can't make it on short notice. We're gonna have to give Steve a beatin’ over the head from them.”

Just like that, you forgot all about the test on the floor. Steve was dying, and that was enough to flood your mind. You wanted to cry, you wanted to hug Joe, you wanted to scream, and most of all, you wanted to see Steve and sob your brains out to him.

"He's never gonna get better, is he?" you quietly asked, not particularly looking for an answer. Joe shrugged and sighed, running his hands through his hair.

He coldly chuckled in a quiet voice, "Not unless we keep drilling it into his head that he's gonna kill himself!"

Hanging your head out of astonishment, you sat on the counter, realizing that this was the biggest blow to your lives since Rick’s accident.

At least, it would be until you saw the result of the test on the floor.

"Joe..." you whispered to him, staring down at your hands, "Should we look at the test? Should we wait until we get back?"

Joe did nothing more than stare at you, frowning nervously. He moved his own hands forward, placed them on top of yours, and took a deep breath.

“We’re only gonna be more worried if we wait... so we might as well settle things now.”

Joe slowly got on his knees, and felt on the floor for the test without looking at it. When he located it, he rose back to his feet, and brought the test forward. He kept it covered with all his fingers wrapped around it to conceal the verdict.

Blowing out a trembling breath, you looked at him as he did at you, and he gently unfolded his fingers from the test. You both simultaneously looked down to see the clearly marked result. In that second, you were fairly certain that life would never be the same.

In fact, you were positive.

***

“Now is literally the worst possible time to talk about this, Joe,” you whispered again so no one else on the plane could hear, “It can wait a day or two. We’ve got to worry about Steve first."

Joe nodded a little, agreeing with you, “Okay, I suppose it can wait.”

“Don't stress yourself out so much; it's literally making you sick. Besides, I’m the one who’s supposed to be sick,” you chuckled, “That’s not your job.”

“Oh shut up,” he laughed a little, “It really is the turbulence… and the fact that Steve’s… and you’re… and I’m surprised you’re not this overwhelmed.”

You sighed and turned your head towards the window, “Yeah... I’m really surprised, too. This is gonna be one hell of a story to tell this kid when they’ve grown up...”

“I feel sorry that their story had to start out like this,” Joe put another hand on top of your already joined hands with a guilty exhale, “With such bad timing...”

As you watched the illuminated clouds move on by the window of the plane, you couldn’t help but think that things truly would be okay at one point: like that maybe this wouldn’t be such bad timing after all. Things would all work out eventually. How far away that merciful checkpoint was, you’d never be able to guess.

***

Later that day, you found yourself sitting in a circle of people in a rather pleasant-looking and sunlit room. For such a nice day that it was, nothing about the day seemed to fit the mood the weather provided; the universe simply wouldn’t allow it. Now was the time for the serious matter you came for; you were desperately trying to help Steve.

“Steve, you’re scaring the shit out of us,” Phil read bluntly from his letter to his best friend, trying not to let soft emotion seep into his tone. He knew he needed to be stern, but caring towards him.

The whole time he spoke, you wanted to devote all of your attention to him and Steve, but soon found that you couldn't. The constant thought of your unborn child was first on your mind, and although you didn’t want that taking over your thoughts, it was beginning to eat you alive. You almost felt like you couldn't hold the secret back any longer, despite only knowing for a day. In any other circumstances, it would have been so much easier to keep it secret. Today, however, was the worst possible day, with the worst possible scenario.

Every now and then, Joe would look over at you to see how you were doing, and turn back to not be conspicuous to everyone else. You could practically sense his growing worry. Going on in this manner for so long was starting to make your own unstoppable thoughts bubble to the surface. You couldn't hold out for much longer, and was even starting to think outside the box about your while situation. Was being with child really a problem? Did it have to be a bad thing right now? Could you actually find a way to rip some positivity from it all and shed some light on this situation?

That's when it hit you.

When Phil was done his speech, some silent tears were shed by everyone in the circle (including Steve). Near silence commenced afterwards (which only reminded you that there was no distraction from your thoughts now). You reached out to Joe slowly, and took his hand in a tight grip without looking at him. While you felt his eyes on you, you didn't dare look at him.

"Has anyone else got something to say to add onto that?" Peter softly asked, looking around the circle. Your heart began to pound; an opening for you was coming.

Phil slowly began to comment, looking at his feet, "Well, there's nothing I can say to get the point across any more. We can beg and plead all we want but the point still stands, Steve. I know you're not a fan of us guilt tripping you to hell- but we don't want to beat you up; that’s not what we came here to do. We love you, mate... so it doesn't matter whether or not we guilt trip you by saying we're worried sick, or- or..."

"I'm pregnant," you stated simply, closing your eyes and squeezing Joe's hand. While you didn't see it, you felt Joe inhale and look at you instinctively. For the single day that you were aware of your condition, you and Joe had feared the "p" word, and avoided using it at all costs.

Phil didn't entirely comprehend what you said, and kept talking on, "Exactly, even if we said that-"

"No-" you sat up in your seat and opened your eyes, now shaking again, "I mean... I'm pregnant."

You looked over at Joe, who seemed tired, yet understanding. Your eyes went down to his hand as you corrected yourself, "We're pregnant."

All eyes were on you now, but no one had any inclination to speak for a moment.

“Are you serious?” Mutt broke the silence in astonishment, “You're fucking with us right now, aren't you?"

“She’s not,” Joe shook his head, still fixing his loving eyes on you.

Steve looked at Phil and stated coldly, "I thought you said you guys weren't gonna make stuff up to guilt trip me."

"Does it look like I'm making this up?!" you snapped at him, anxious and shameful tears brimming your eyes. You looked around at everyone, landing your eyes on Steve.

"So you're serious?” he asked softly, frowning as he flicked off ashes from his cigarette, “You really are pregnant?”

You nodded, trying to hold yourself together.

“When did you find out?” Peter inquired gently, coming off as the most calm member of the group.

Your voice began to break as you told him with a sad chuckle, “Yesterday... we were waiting for the result of the test right when you called, Phil...”

Phil's eyes lit up at your statement, and he apologized, "Oh- fucking hell... Joe... you even said you didn't have time to talk... and what I said on the plane this morning- must've only made things worse... guys, I'm so sor-"

"That wasn't your fault, mate," Joe smiled sadly, "There's no way you could've known."

"It was just bad timing," you stared at Joe's hand in yours, feeling him shaking as well.

No one spoke for a while after that; no one could think of the right thing to say. It seems you both had scared them all into silence (even more than Steve had). Everyone in the circle couldn't speak because they no longer saw you and Joe the same way. A minute ago, you were still Y/N and Joe. Now, you were mum and dad. The others didn't know how to speak to those strange new people just yet.

“Well, congratulations, for one thing,” Tony broke the silence with a soft smile. A few muffled chuckles and agreements went around the circle, but it wasn’t what you or Joe wanted to hear.

“No, no, that’s not the point,” you threw your hands out in frustration, “We never even planned on telling anyone today! Don’t you guys see how suddenly life can come and go? Twenty-four hours ago Joe and I didn’t even have a child, and now we do. Twenty-four hours ago, we didn’t even think that there was a possibility of you dying-“ you pointed at Steve, giving him your own furious input, “-and now there is. It’s just all so surreal, but no matter how bad the timing of your life is, there’s always time to fight for survival. And that's exactly what we need to get a grip on right now.”

Steve put out his cigarette at this point, looking as if he were genuinely listening to you now more than ever.

“And I guess timing was a real bitch to us today,” you put a hand on your abdomen for the first time since you found out, addressing Steve directly, “But I’d say now you’ve got a little bit more to fight for. Just think about this whole situation; it’s not exactly a tale to be proud of. If this story keeps getting worse, and this is how it ends for you- I don’t want that to be the story of Uncle Steve. I want our child to be born into a world where you're thriving- where they... where they actually have an Uncle Steve."

You had hit a nerve (or a soft spot, to say the least). Before you even realized exactly what you had said, everyone in the circle was crying, including you and Steve. Joe looked at you with his face smothered in tears, but smiling, no less.

The seven of you remained like that for a minute or two, absorbing what had really hit everyone hard, and quietly crying your brains out.

Steve didn’t raise his head to ask you with heartfelt astonishment, “...Uncle Steve, really?”

“C’mere, you fucking idiot,” you sprang to your feet at one point and rushed over to him, taking him in your arms as he stood to take you in his without the slightest bit of hesitation.

“I love you so much, Steve,” you sobbed into his chest, “And I will always care about you. You mean so much to me, and I know you’ll mean so much to the baby, too.”

One by one, everyone else in the circle joined in the hug, each of them murmuring their love to Steve in their own affectionate way. Once you were all broken up, Joe embraced you himself and kissed you over and over again.

“Hey, back off from her,” Mutt teased, “Haven’t you done enough?”

“I still can’t believe you knocked her up,” Phil sighed with happy disbelief, “That’s something we only ever joked about!”

“Yeah well, it doesn’t have to be seen as a joke anymore,” Joe put his hands on your hips and smiled, tearing up all over again, “I’m gonna be a dad...!”

Peter chimed in, “Now that’s a bit scary.”

“It’s not scary,” you chuckled, stroking the back of Joe’s head, “It’s exciting! Timing is a bitch... but I think I’m ready for anything time can throw at me, now.”

Reaching that point of acceptance was a day-long journey that you thought would never have a final destination. All was nearly well in that moment where you and Joe hugged with a seemingly-changed Steve standing by. Right then and there, the future seemed bright for everyone; including your unborn child. An eternity went by in those two days you were gone for, and even though the next day you found out that your test result was a false positive, and Steve only lived for about another year, that false positive seemed to be just what you all needed to keep the world at bay.

The end

[spicyizuku]

—𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙢𝙤𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 | 𝙠.𝙨.

genre: fluff

pairing: sugawara kōshi x gn!reader

warnings: none

summary: your fiancé is one of the many that have to teach during a pandemic. It's caused him to overwork, so you try to get him to relax.

word count: 1.4k

The pandemic has been hard on him.

Every night he crawls into bed later and later, exhaustion visible in the tension of his body. It worries you, but Kōshis efforts with online learning will not be stopped by your concern.

Trying to teach elementary students through a screen is probably the hardest thing Sugawara has done in his adult life. Every week he tries methods to increase retention and every week he fails. Kids can't sit still for hours and it's unfair for a school to think they can- it frustrates him to no end. A few times a week you have to listen to your fiancé rant about how unsustainable this method of teaching is- he always gets red in the face when he thinks about his students that don't have access to functional internet. You help him as best as you can- figuring out ways to get his kids access to education, going on countless runs to drop off school supplies at every home- but you have a job too, so you can't put in as much time as you want to.

And the worst part is watching him tire himself out and succumb to irritation when he so dearly loves those kids. You thought maybe teachers would be able to have more breaks during quarantine, but you regularly find him working on lesson plans well past midnight.

The kitchen lights are dimmed as he sits at the island. Elementary Education textbooks and lesson plans litter the countertop. You cleaned the kitchen earlier so he didn't have to worry about the mess. You both had home offices, but Suga's favorite workspace has always been the kitchen. In the afternoon, He'll usually work on plans while you busy yourself by making mapo tofu.

Depending on the day the kitchen could be filled with laughter and conversation or comfortable silence. Its been more quiet, lately. It's hard for the two of you to be excited about life when you can't even go outside. Your weekly grocery shopping together has been replaced by delivery, movie dates cancelled, meetups with old friends rescheduled months out. You two had planned for a vacation, but that was easily forgotten about when cases suddenly went from dozens to thousands. Hell, even wedding planning was abandoned.

You watch him shuffle in his seat, busying yourself with getting him a glass of water.

Even when tired, he looks beautiful. His long eyelashes flutter as he tries to stay awake, his chin resting in the palm of his hand. He looks soft- contacts abandoned for large rimmed glasses. He's wearing a faded crewneck you got him a few years ago, sweatpants too big for him and mismatched wool socks. When he looks up from his laptop, greeting you with a tired smile, your heart lurches. Whether in sympathy or adoration, you don't know.

You make your way over to him, slippered feet shuffling quietly.

"You know what time it is, love?" You say softly, placing the glass of water down before leaning over him and pressing into his back. He whispers a small "thank you" and you hum. You wrap your arms around his shoulders and run a hand down his chest. Its nothing more than grounding, just present, a reminder to him that says hey, i'm here. He relaxes and leans back into your touch.

"Time for you to get some rest." He responds. It almost sounds like a command.

"Not without you."

His shoulders shake as he huffs in laughter. Something about it tells you that he already knew exactly what you were going to say.

"I've gotta get this done."

"It'll be there when you wake up."

You press your face to the crook of his neck, leaving a few soft pecks. His shoulders droop and he lets out a barely audible sigh. He doesn't want to lose to his exhaustion, but you're the only one in the room that knows him going to bed is nothing if not a win.

"I'll lose momentum." He turns his head slightly to acknowledge you.

"Never in my life have I seen you lose drive. Your energy is unparalleled."

"So you know that I can't give up now."

"You're not giving- Thats not what I meant and you know you're exhausted." Your reply sounds exasperated.

"Yes, beloved. But-"

"Kōshi."

He pauses. You run your hands down his arms as you continue.

"Don't mistake hard work with overworking. 'nd don't mistake taking a break with giving up. You gotta relax, baby."

He stays silent, still leaning into you. You take it as your cue to continue.

"How about we both lay down 'nd I help you relax, hm?"

Suga's eyebrows raise almost involuntarily. You let out a half-suppressed laugh.

"Not like that, you absolute horn dog. Just a back rub- in the morning I'll make you miso soup and you can go back to work. I just want you to rest. You've been so tense for so long, Kōshi- It's worrying me."

He pulls away, but your separation only lasts for a few seconds as he turns completely to face you. He brings his hand to your face, lightly running a thumb along your cheekbone.

"I don't want you to worry. I'll come to bed- just let me clean this all up, okay?" He almost sounds guilty.

You smile, "Don't, then you'll have to set everything back up in the morning. C'mon-"

You pull him out of his chair and the two of you quietly make your way to your bedroom. Kōshi all but collapses on the bed, burrowing his face into a pillow and groaning in relief. He grunts lightly as you climb into bed and on top of him, straddling his back as you lean over and press a kiss to the top of his head. He lifts off the pillow to rest his head on his arms, face turned enough to find you in his peripheral.

"Close your eyes, dearest." You say as you raise his shirt up slightly, just over his lower back. You run your hands up and down his back, he hums.

"And what if I want to see your pretty face? You're enchanting-" When he responds your face starts to heat up. It's crazy how he still knows what to say to get your heart racing.

"Sap-" Your response is quiet, and he does as he was told earlier.

Your hands slowly make their way up his back as he melts into the mattress. All that can be heard is the soft whiring of the ceiling fan and Kōshis sounds of contentment. You try to work through knots as gently as possible, but he groans in discomfort as you press your thumbs into his skin. His grunts quickly turn into sighs of relief when you finally work through tense muscle.

You get the opportunity to watch him slowly relax. His breath deepens slowly. When you work over his spine he struggles to hold in a whine.

"Y/n"

"Yes, baby?" You go back to running your hands up and down his back. He sighs as you press a kiss in between his shoulders.

"love you,, so so much-" He slurs, and you know you finally got him where you want him.

"I love you too, Koshi."

"Can't imagine life without you- y'make me so happy." His voice is barely above a whisper. Your heart swells in adoration. He's always been such a sweetheart- but its almost maximized when he's at his most relaxed. You're suddenly reminded of how lucky you are to have such an affectionate partner. A life partner.

"Please don't waste your talent."

"Hm?"

"By not becoming a masseuse- you're a god at this."

His comment makes you snort. "Go to sleep, love. We'll talk about my future in massage therapy in the morning."

"Over miso?"

"Over miso."

He gives you a small grin, his eyes still closed. You didn't know he could melt into the mattress any more- his breathing deepens and his facial features slowly relax. Before you know it, He's finally asleep.

You roll off of him as gently as possible before curling into his side, finally noticing your own exhaustion as you force your eyes to stay open. You pull a blanket over the two of you and sigh, listening to your fiancés soft breathing and letting it finally lull you to sleep.

The love you two shared over this night will not be forgotten.

Thanks for reading bestie ❤️ requests are open nd id appreciate feedback!! have a lovely day <3

[sunflowersunshinevol6]

What A Feeling

Harry skips an important press conference with One Direction, deciding he'd rather go on a road trip with his best friend

A/N: might make this a series. Let me know your thoughts

He shut his phone off, tossing it away. He didn't want to look, see all the texts asking him where he was, why he wasn't at the conference. When the cab stopped outside his hotel he hopped out quickly, running into the building to find Y/N and tell her his plan.

Y/N was hanging out in her joined room when Harry came in. She usually came with him to the states when One Direction had conference's or tour's. She was his best friend and he said she was his 'piece of home'.

"Harry?" Y/N said, a look of confusion on her face as he began to grab her things, shoving them into a bag. "What's going on?"

"We're leaving."

"What?"

The paparazzi had triggered it. This sudden need to get away from it all. He had been taking a picture with a fan when they shouted at him about being a sex symbol. He was tired of it. He never asked for that. He loved women sure, but would never disrespect them. Not on purpose. He needed a break. From all of it.

"Harry slow down." He paused, Y/N's hand finding purchase on his arm. He looked at her with glassy eyes. "Talk to me."

"We don't have much time."

"Please?"

"Alright." He slung her bag over his shoulder. "I'm tired Y/N. Of all of it. The game, the harrassment. I'm exhausted. I just want to get away for a while, drive down to Mexico....are you coming with me?" He asked the last part quietly. He would never force her to go. But he needed her and he knew she would.

Y/N could see the desperation in his eyes, the exhaustion. He worked so hard and all people saw was his body, his date's. Some fans even thought they were dating. Not that she'd object, but she was his best friend first. Always.

"You know I'll follow you anywhere." She responds, her voice reassuring him. He grabs the room key, slipping it into his pocket.

"Quickly. Before someone sees."

"I don't know where the hell he is. Call again." The boys watched as Management flailed, trying to find Harry. He is course, had confided in them his plan, and though they weren't thrilled, they understood why he needed it. When management asked they acted dumbfounded.

"Okay boys when they ask, tell them Harry's sick. "

The convertible was nice, light blue, top folded down, 1965 mustang convertible. Y/N was in love with it as she ran her hand down the length of the car.

"Ya like this one?" Harry asked, grinning at her from the other side of the car. She nodded.

"Very much so." He paid cash, not wanting management to be able to trace him. They controlled everything, but he'd be damned if he let them find him now.

They threw their bags into the back, climbing into the front and sliding across the bench sheet. Harry put the key in the ignition, the car came to life with a purr.

"Damn. Listen to that Y/N." He grinned at her cheekily, excitement dancing in his eyes. "Did you ditch your phone?" He asked.

"Yes, but Harry what about Gemma and your mom?"

"We can find a payphone?"

"They still have those?" He chuckled, pulling away from the car lot. The reality of the situation, however exciting it was, started to wash over Y/N.

"Harry?"

"Hm?"

"This is crazy, you realize that?" He doesn't say anything, just puts his sunglasses on, fingers drumming against the steering wheel. "We're not prepared."

"Where's the fun in that? We're being spontaneous."

"But how do we know where we're going? And we don't have food-"

"Y/N." Harry turned his head to look at her as he stopped at a stop light. "Haven't I always taken care of you? No matter what?"

"Yes Harry but-"

"Relax," he said, turning to look at the road again. "Everything's gonna be fine." He pulled a folded up map out from beneath his butt. "We're doing this the old fashioned way love. Gonna drive down from New York to Mexico. Maybe even further if we want." She watched his fingers flex on the steering wheel. "Jus' need a little break is all....I'm glad you came with me."

Y/N smiled, relaxing into the seat. Harry reached out, holding his palm up, she weaved her fingers between his, gripping his hand tightly.

"No distractions, no rules to follow. Just me, you and the open road."

"That does sound really nice." Y/N said wistfully.

"Yeah it does." Harry agreed.

They stopped at a grocery store. Harry let Y/N go in. He didn't want to be noticed. While she was gone he worked on a playlist for them, music to rock out to while they drove, writing down the tapes they should get the second they found a record store.

While he did that he didn't realize the world was in an uproar. 'Where's Harry' trending worldwide as people searched for him. Louis had managed to get ahold of his mom. He kindly explained the situation and though she was angry she understood and she knew he would call her when he got the chance.

"I got the provisions." Y/N said, handing Harry a bottle of water as she got back in the car. Harry was eyeing the map now, the sun was starting to set. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"If we go here," Harry pointed at the map, showing her, "we got a straight shot. Not much fun I think. But if we go through here," he dragged his finger along the map. "We could see some mountains and things I think."

"That'd be fun." Harry smiled.

"Yeah?"

"Harry this is your trip." She placed her hand on his knee. "This is what you need. We'll do it your way." He pursed his lips, brows furrowing in thought.

"I think....I think we should take the long way. Enjoy the scenery." Y/N smiled, taking the map from him.

"You drive and I'll man the map?"

"Always a team player." She giggled as he turned the car back on, loving the way it roared to life.

"Only with you."

[strongsassysexysloane]

Seventh Day of Twelve - A Soundtrack to your Curious Mind

See below link for previous days drabbles

When it's a quiet day at home surely they couldn't get away with sneaking another gift under your nose.

. . . .

For a Monday morning it really didn't feel like one. First, you got to sleep in, second was that there actually wasn't a call in, nothing. It was sweet, the kind of morning where when you wake up with the feeling of being late for something and then realising you have nothing to worry about and roll back over. And that's exactly what you did. You didn't fall back asleep however, just laid there thinking over the past week, a smile curving your lips with the memory of each present.

The chocolates were amazing, the flowers were surprisingly wonderful, you'd never say no to free coffee or food. The gloves were sweet but necessary and the photo was special, the perfect addition to your desk. Everything was personally picked and picked especially for you. There was that warm and fuzzy feeling again.

You rolled out of bed with the feeling that it was finally the weekend. Putting on a pot of coffee to brew you wondered around the house. Taking in the morning rays mixed with the icey chill of the new layer of snow over night.

While the coffee was dripping you opened the front door to retrieve your paper. The wide grin appeared on your face once more as you found a small brown box lying on top of the morning News with an envelope attached. You ripped open the envelope to find a typed letter.

Dear y/n,

Here's a little something I thought you'd like. I hope your CD player still works.

Thinking about you,

Insert who you hope it is here.

You laughed at the last part. There was no hint to point you closer to the person you hoped it would be. Although one thought came to mind, this was hand delivered so it couldn't be Jack.

Your heart dropped a little at the thought.

You put the letter aside and looked at the gift inside. The CD was in a paper sleeve with hand written list of songs. It was a mix of everything from P!nk, Walk Me Home to Wonderwall by Oasis and a few you hadn't heard of before. It was an interesting mix, you hadn't gotten a mixed CD in we'll ever so this was a bit special. The handwriting on the sleeve didn't look familiar, you could pick Jack's handwriting up easily. It was cursive but messy, this was cursive but neat and less slanted than her's.

You sipped your morning coffee and had a piece of toast while examining the letter and CD more closely.

Later you found the CD player was tucked away in a cabinet along your hallway. You grabbed it out when a thought came to mind. You weren't quite sure why it hadn't earlier, which made you put on another pot of coffee to get the brain ticking quicker, but they knew you had a CD player. The last time you had it out was at your 90's themed birthday party. There was a lot of people from work there that night so now your options were a little more varied. Your mind, more like your heart, kept pointing out that one of those people was Jack. However Jack was in NOLA, was it such a crazy idea that she had gotten someone else in on the plan?

No, she wouldn't do all this.

You slipped the CD in and blasted the tunes while you did a few chores to get your mind off the mystery person. Music always helped getting the hard jobs done and the songs were really good. Some you hadn't heard in years.

It wasn't until around lunch time that you finally texted Jack.

- How's the food coma going? :P

You didn't have to wait too long.

- Almost comatosed but the case keeps distracting us. How's your day off? Got any new surprises?

- Sounds like you might be there for longer than you thought. It's good, got the chores done and dusted while bopping along to my new tunes that my secret Santa left me.

- Secret Santa hey? Thought you had a secret admirer.

If only. You kept that thought to yourself and the one question that you really wanted to ask her and went with...

- Trying not to get my hopes too high. Still can't figure out who it is.

The replies stopped, along with your heart but you got on with the rest of your day which consisted of nothing much more than checking your phone every other minute even though you turned the volume up. You popped on a movie while flicking through your phone.

Half way through the movie your phone started to vibrate and you got all excited thinking it was a certain blonde. It wasn't but you weren't complaining either.

"Hey Kase, what's up?" You smiled, pausing the movie and getting up for a drink of water.

"Jimmy and I are going for breakfast tomorrow and thought you might want to join. It's all good if you don't, being your day off an all." Her tone was chipper, you knew she was at work, she'd helped with the case on Saturday but got an early mark and had to come back in today to wrap everything up.

"Work or no work a woman's gotta eat."

You heard a chuckle through the line. "You sound like Bishop and Jimmy."

"He said a woman's gotta eat?"

"Something like that. Meet you at the Diner around 7?"

You held in the sigh of being up so early but agreed and said your goodbyes. It was early for a weekend for you but seeing two of your favourite people outside of work made it worth it. Taking your tall glass of water, you sat back down on the couch and continued the movie. The next vibration on your phone came through minutes later.

- Sorry, got a lead. If this pans out I might be home sooner than expected but don't get your hopes up. I still need to find Ellie a present that's allowed on the plane. Dwayne doesn't think I'll be allowed his gumbo.

You laughed at the thought of Jack trying to carry a bowl of gumbo onto a flight just for Ellie. If she could take it with her she probably would.

- That's exciting, my hopes are under control. I can only wish for one thing at a time right now. I'm sure Ellie will be happy with a candy bar from the airport.

Ellie would be happy with any sweet she got. You both knew that but you knew Jack wanted to get her something specific. Something she couldn't get in DC.

- That's understandable but it is Christmas time. Miracles do happen, looks like I'll be home in a day or two. Looking forward to seeing you...

You over thought the last sentence for too long and now felt weird about what you might send as a reply. You were looking forward to seeing her too but could you say that? You wanted to kick your brain for this.

- I like this kind of miracle. Hope everything goes to plan and I can see you at work in a few days. It's quiet without you.

Simple but had meaning if you read between the lines which you know Jack does.

The texting continued on into the night. She even sent you another picture of her dinner which only made your sad salad even more sad. You would definitely need to do some grocery shopping tomorrow but nothing you could cook would live up to anything Jack was eating down south.

. . .

This one didn't seem to flow as much as I liked but I have work early and wanted to get it up at the usual time.

Hopefully you all like it :)

[topsytervy]

Valentine's Day ~ Topper Thornton

Blurb: Valentines Day with Topper

Word Count: 1,291

Warnings: swearing, mentions of period and period symptoms(very small and does that need a warning?), spelling/grammar mistakes, i think thats it.

~~~~~~

Topper tied up your hair for you as you sniffled. 

"It hurts so bad." You mumbled.

"I know sweetheart." He kissed the top of your head.

This wasn’t exactly how Topper planned spending Valentines with you but it's not like you could exactly tell your period to wait a day. 

Technically, your period was supposed to come next week but it decided to bring the misery early and day one always seemed to be there worst with cramps that felt as if someone had one of those squeegee mops and they were trying to get as much water as possible out.

But make it 30 times worse and with spikes instead of a sponge.

You squeezed your eyes together as another cramp came on, making you curl even farther into your fetal position as a tear slid out.

Topper lightly ran his fingertips up and down your back slowly,  hoping to bring some comfort.

"I'm sorry, Top."

You felt horrible for this. Topper had planned out an entire day for the two of you and you were in too much pain to move.

"Hey, it's okay, beautiful. It's not your fault." He reassured you, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

"I just- you had all these plans and everything and it was going to be perfect and now we can't do anything you wanted to do and-and-" you felt tears fall down your cheeks and Topper was quick to scoop you into his arms.

"Don't even worry about it. At least we still get to be with each other today, right? I'll doordash us some food and we'll just watch tv all day. It'll be just as good as what was planned." Topper wiped at the tears that were falling as he held you, still rubbing your back. "What do you want today to eat, gorgeous?" 

You thought about your options before speaking. "Italian sounds good." You sniffed.

"What do you want, baby?" He asked, pulling out his phone so he could start the order.

"Spaghetti and breadsticks." 

"Alright." Topper kissed the top of your head before starting the order.

He let you choose what to watch to some extent, telling you that anything sad was out of the question. You nodded and scrolled through Netflix, ultimately deciding to settle on The Great British Baking show so that way you didn't miss much plot if you ended up falling asleep.

Towards the end of the first episode, Topper was informed the food was here and excused himself to grab it before bringing it back to your room.

"You wanna try getting up and eating at your desk or do you want to stay where you are sweetheart?" Topper nodded to the desk that sat against the window.

You sat up, hands immediately going to your stomach at the pain that shot through your abdomen. "I'm going to sit at my desk. I'm not going to eat spaghetti on my bed."

You made your way over to your desk and Topper moved whatever study material was there onto your bed and then placed your food in front of you.

He handed you a fork and water that he snagged from the kitchen before coming upstairs and then sat on your floor, eating his own food as his eyes went back and forth from the tv to you.

"What's wrong?" You asked after a few minutes.

"Nothing, baby. I was just thinking about drawing you a nice, hot bath. Does that sound good?"

You nodded as you shoved a forkful of food into your mouth and Topper smiled. "Alright. Just let me know when to start the water."

You nodded again and continued eating, Topper and you exchanging comments about how good some recipes look and who you think was going to win and who you wanted to win.

Topper finished his food first and went out on a search for candles when you told him he could start filling the tub and set them in the bathroom before lighting them. He plugged in the little wax melter you had in there and turned it on to let the wax in there begin melting. He left the clothes and towels for you to pick out and turned on the water, adding your favorite bubble bath and making sure the water was hot enough to help you relax but not enough to burn your skin off.

"Alright, baby. Now you just relax in the tub for a while. I'll be right back." He told you as he finished your food. 

You nodded, not really bothering to ask where he was going but smiled when you saw the lit candles. You stripped from your clothes and slowly lowered yourself into the water, letting out a sigh as you felt your muscles relax. 

Meanwhile, Topper went up and down each and every aisle in the grocery store, grabbing every snack he knew you liked along with a tub of vanilla ice cream and a bottle of root beer for root beer floats. He stopped and grabbed some Tylenol and Tylenol PM for your pain before walking to where the store kept their flower bouquets and teddy bears for Valentine’s Day. He did one last walkthrough of the store before deciding he had grabbed everything and proceeding to checkout.

He snuck back into your room with a vase from the kitchen and everything he bought, minus the ice cream and root beer, and placed the vase on your desk. He took his water bottle and emptied it into the vase before putting the flowers in. He walked to your bed and layed out the snacks for you to see before sneaking off into the kitchen yet again.

You finally decided that it was time to get out of the tub. The water was getting cold and you had caught yourself nodding off once or twice and thought it was best to not fall asleep in the tub, especially when Topper had left and, as far as you knew, hadn't returned yet.

You pulled on your comfiest pajamas, including Topper's hoodie you were given one night when it had started to rain unexpectedly and you were wearing a white tee-shirt. That was before you two had started dating and you just kept forgetting to return it. When you and Topper officially started dating, you didn't really see any need to keep it stashed in your closet to return it to it's rightful owner. 

You walked out of your bathroom, tossing the dirty towel and clothes into the laundry hamper before looking at your bed. 

You smiled at the bear and snacks that were now on your bed and turned to grab your snack stash bin when you saw the flowers on your desk. You gasped slightly at the beautiful bouquet as your feet brought you over to where they sat, bringing your nose to the flowers to inhale their scent.

You hummed softly and looked up when you heard Topper enter your room.

"You didn't have to do all this, love." You told him woth a small smile.

Topper just shook his head. "I wanted to make this slightly more bearable for you." He walked over to you and handed you a cup. "Speaking of which, your root beer float, my love."

Your smile widened as you took the cup, bringing a hand up to cup Toppers cheek before placing your lips onto his for a short sweet kiss.

"I love you so much." You whispered to him.

"I love you just as much if not more." He told you before bringing his lips back to yours.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Y/N/N." He pulled away this time, placing a kiss to your forehead.

"Happy Valentines Day, Topper."

~~~~~

[papergirllife]

To Draw A Bigger Picture

Chasing The Flames Chapter 9

When the movie finished, Jaemin was going to ask your opinion on the movie, when he noticed you had fallen asleep on his shoulder.

Just as Chenle was about to scream about something yet again, Jeno shut him up, muffling his loud voice.

" Y/N's asleep. Be quite. "

"Do you think we should wake her up? "

" It's already 11 plus. I don't think it'll be safe for her to go back home alone now, just let her sleep. " Renjun said.

Jaemin picks up Y/N, bridal style, and carries her into his and Jeno's room.

" We'll share. I'll let her sleep in my bed. " Jaemin said to Jeno.

Jeno separated their beds that were previously placed together, as Jaemin lays Y/N gently down the warm sheets.

I woke up on a warm bed with a fluffy blanket draped over me. I was clueless at where I was at, until I remembered falling asleep during the movie.

I rolled over to the other side to see Jaemin awake on his phone.

" Jaemin? "

" Y/N? You're awake? Do I need to get you anything? Water maybe? Do you want a change of more comfortable clothing? "

" Yeah, sorry. I'm so clumsy, I shouldn't have fell asleep, now I'm a burden to you. "

" It's fine, Y/N. You're not a burden, it's nice that you're sleeping over. We haven't had guests before. "

Jaemin said as he was looking for some clothes in the wardrobe.

Jaemin passes me a pair of sweats and a sweater and tells me to change in the bathroom.

When I put on the sweater I realised it was a Balenciaga sweater.

I walked out of the bathroom to see Jaemin holding up a cup of water for me, I gratefully took it and took a large sip.

" Jaemin, this is too expensive for normal people like me to wear. You should've given me something else. "

Jaemin looks at me with a comforting smile on his face.

" It's okay, Y/N. I rarely wear this anymore. It looks better on you anyways. Keep it. "

" But... "

" Uh, uh, no buts. Head to bed, or you'll be tired tomorrow. "

I climbed back into bed, secretly thankful for the good material of the clothing for keeping me warm in this chilly night.

" Jaemin? "

" Hmm? "

" Talk me to sleep. "

" What do you want to know about? "

" How did you get together with Jeno? "

The both of you were whispering, in fear of waking up Jeno who was sleeping on Jaemin's side, but I couldn't hear everything he said, so Jaemin pulled my bed closer to his.

" It wasn't a spur in the moment thing, it was more of a gradual built up of feelings, since we've known each other for a long time. We didn't really consider dating girls because of the risk, we're both bisexual. Us getting together was something that was fated to happen I guess, haha. Even though we didn't have any other choices, we never took it as a last resort. It's a blessing if you ask me, finding a sweet guy like him. He might seem aloof or shy sometimes, but he's a hopeless romantic deep inside. "

" You guys look really good together. "

" Really? Thank you. We should get some sleep. Goodnight, Y/N. "

" Goodnight. "

" You guys talked and you didn't wake me up? " Jeno shook his head in disbelief.

Jeno woke up to a scene that made him felt left out.

Y/N was cuddled into Jaemin's side, apparently the small little gap didn't do much difference.

" We should wake her up. "

Jaemin shook his head, disagreeing.

" If we do that, she'll feel embarrassed. Why don't you lie down next to me? Wait for her to wake up and act like this didn't happen. "

" She'd want that? "

" She's still confused about her feelings I think, it's best we don't push her like that, she might shy away if she wakes up to us needing to explain. She'll feel guilty. "

Jeno was grateful for Jaemin's skillful way of reading people's emotions, and laid back down the bed, an arm slinging over Jaemin's waist.

" I'd like to wake up to this again. "

" Me too, Jeno. We'll just have to wait and treat her better. "

When I woke up, I could smell a nice cotton scent, in my sleepy state, I nuzzled my nose to the source of the scent, but instead of a blanket or pillow, my nose hit something hard.

' Wait. Where am I again? '

' Dream's dorms, right. I'm sleeping on the couch? No, I remember Jaemin moved me to the bed. Wait, that's it. Jaemin's sleeping beside me. Oh shit. '

I slowly opened my eyes to see Jaemin sleeping peacefully right next to me.

I gently untangled my arms from his embrace and backed further away from him.

When I was at a safe distance from Jaemin and Jeno, I quickly got off the bed into the connected bathroom to splash some water on my face to stop it from heating up.

After checking my appearance in the mirror, I padded out of the bathroom back into their room.

The both of them were awake now, looking at their phones.

" Sorry. Did I wake you guys up? "

" Nah, we just got hungry. We have a new toothbrush in the cupboard under the sink, use it. "

" Thank you. "

When you finished washing up, you walked to the kitchen to see Renjun cooking.

" What's for breakfast? "

" Egg sandwich. "

" This looks good. Smells good too. "

" Wait till you try it, Y/N. It's the best. "

" Yes, coming from our demanding food critic, Park Jisung. "

" I got the recipe from Birds of Prey. "

" Wow, no wonder it looks and smells so good. I love bacon. "

Suddenly I felt a hand placed on shoulder, I turned my head back to see Jeno smiling at me.

" Morning. "

" Morning, you look nice, with the glasses. "

" Really? I didn't like the way I looked with them. "

" Don't worry, your fans like them. "

" Why are you so sure? "

" According to your fan accounts. "

" You've been keeping tabs on me with fan accounts? "

' Shit. I can't let him know that I'm following his fan accounts. '

" N-no. I just so happened to have read that from somewhere. "

Jeno had a knowing smile on his face, but he didn't seem annoyed that you were low key fangirling over him.

" Just text or call me if you want to know what I'm up to. "

He then grabbed an egg sandwich and sat down on the dining table.

I could feel the tension between the both of us. Or was it my own imagination?

It's probably my own assumptions in my early morning hazy mind.

" Y/N, take one. Be careful, it might still be hot. "

" Thanks, Renjun. "

I took a bite into my sandwich, the bacon had just the right crunch and the eggs and cheese were as soft as clouds.

" It's perfect, Renjun. "

" Glad you like it. "

I moved to the dining table to finish up the sandwich. When I sat down, with my mouth full of sandwich, Jeno took a photo of me out of the blue.

" Jeno! I look like shit in the morning. Why did you take a photo of me? "

" You don't look like shit. You look adorable, with your cheeks full of food. "

" Oh god... Here's comes the first cursed photo of me within 2 months of knowing you guys. "

" You haven't even looked at Jaemin's. Let me show you. "

" Yah. Stop right there, Lee Jeno. Don't ruin my reputation of being the cutest in NCT Dream. "

Jaemin said as he sat down to have breakfast.

Jeno did a puking face at him and continued eating his breakfast.

Not long after, we sat down to play Jenga in the living room.

Donghyuck was cursing at the blocks when they fell in his hands while Jeno kept winning.

When it was around noon, you packed up and papered to leave.

" I'll leave the extra groceries here for the next time you cook, maybe I'll pop in soon. "

" You better, Y/N. Before Chenle and Jisung eat everything. "

" Yah, Renjun hyung! "

As I stepped out of their dorms, I heard footsteps following me out. I looked back to see Jeno and Jaemin smiling at me.

" We're walking you to the bus station. "

" It's fine, Jaemin. It's still early, I'll be safe. Plus I don't want fans to spot us and get the wrong idea. "

" Okay, but give us a call when you're home. "

Jaemin was about to reject my idea, but Jeno beat him to it.

" Will do. "

" Bye, Jeno, Jaemin. "

" Bye, Y/N. "

I walked to the bus station reluctantly, not wanting to leave them.

" So, do the both of you consider today a success? "

" Chenle ah, you're too young to ask these things. "

" But Jeno hyung, I'm 20. I'm an adult. "

" Lele ah, you'll always be a baby in our eyes. But Jeno I think it's fine to tell him anything that's PG13. "

" I'll buy you coffee afterwards, Jaemin hyung. "

" Okay, fine. To answer your question, yes. I think today was a success. "

" Do you think she likes you guys? I think she does. "

" How are you so sure, Chenle ah? "

" Just a gut feeling. Plus, she looks at you and Jaemin differently from how she looks at us. Focus on the eyes, hyung. "

" The way you said that would've made any girl running for the hills, Lele. "

The next day I went into the office, I was greeted by Mr Kang beckoning me into a meeting.

" What's this meeting for? "

" Dream's comeback. From the looks of it based on what the marketing team has been working on, it's going to be one of the best projects we're going to be working on this year. "

After the meeting, it has been concluded that Mr Kang and I are going to be a part of the photoshoot, the stages and the music video, it's going to be my first time working with video making, making me giddy inside.

I immediately went to Dream's recording room to tell them about the good news.

As I walked in, Jeno was in the studio, recording his lines. He looked really serious and professional, just like when he modelled for you.

Butterflies erupted in my stomach as I thought of that day in their dorms, the way the three of us were cooking just gave me so much domestic feels towards them.

I snapped out of my thoughts as I heard someone call my name.

" Hey,Renjun. How's the recording going? "

" It's great. The concept is cool and we're getting both singing and rapping parts in the album. "

" Wow, that's going to sound fresh. Chenle must be really happy about getting a chance to rap. "

" Yeah, he's nervous though, he's been practicing for a long time now. " Renjun said as he points towards a rarely quite Chenle sitting on the couch, practicing his lines.

" Oh, I won't disturb him then. How about Jaemin? "

" He went out to buy coffee, Jisung and Hyuck tagged along. "

" And this is his? "

" Second for the day. "

" That boy seriously has an unhealthy obsession. "

" For now there's three things he's obsessed with, coffee, sugar, and Jeno. "

" Not a balanced meal if you ask me. "

" He never listens. It's great of you to drop by. Who are you looking for? "

" Oh, right. I just got the news that I'm going to be involved in your comeback for both photoshoot and mv. "

" Really? That's great. "

" The pay is great too. I'll take you guys out for lunch after your first win. "

" I'll hold onto that. It's lunch time now. We're ordering take out, want some? "

" Sure. "

Suddenly the door burst open, and Jaemin comes storming in with open arms and one of the brightest smiles I had ever seen, enveloping me into a hug.

" Aww, Y/N came to visit us. We missed you lots. "

" I missed you guys too, but if you don't let me go I'm going to die from lack of oxygen, Nana. "

Jaemin let's you go and opted to put his head on your shoulder, sipping his coffee.

" What did I say about too much coffee, Jaem? "

" Last one for today, I promise. "

He suddenly shoots up from his spot and goes over to the plastic bag.

" This is for you, hot cocoa. But you're sharing half of it to Chenle. "

" But...

" No buts. I won't be able to sleep tonight if your lactose intolerant acts up. "

He says as he pours you your portion of the drink.

" How did you know I was here? "

" I texted him. "

" How was your day, Y/N? "

" I just finished a meeting with the marketplace department and they decided that Mr Kang and I are going to be heavily involved in your comeback. "

" Really? "

" Yup. "

" That's great. I hope we're doing field trips for photos again. "

The way Jaemin looked at me like he has stars in his eyes was a sight to behold, but that's normal, for his natural flirty behaviour, I pushed those feelings deep down. I can't fall for Jeno and Jaemin, that's wrong, they're together.

I drank my hot cocoa in silence, a small frown tugging at the corner of my lips.

" Take out's here. I'll go collect it. "

" Y/N? "

" Jeno. Was recording smooth? "

" Yeah. Better than what I had expected. "

" Lee Jeno always has high standards. He's been cooped up in there for too long. "

" I just wanted to try different styles. I'm really hungry though, is the food coming soon? "

" Yeah. Renjun just went out to collect it. "

" Don't be too hard on yourself, Jeno. You need rest too. "

" I will. Don't worry. "

Jeno reached a hand up to pat my head as he sits on the couch opposite from me, his eye smile evident.

I really hope I'm not blushing now, it'll be too embarrassing to show up in front of them ever again if I did.

When Renjun came back with the food, I quickly placed down the money for the food and made up an excuse about a non existing meeting that needs me there in 20 minutes.

I grabbed the lunch box and left all of them after bidding hasty goodbyes.

When I reached my desk in the office, I was relieved to have got myself out of this mess that I put myself into, slumping into the office chair with a squeak.

' When will I ever get over with my schoolgirl crush towards them? '

[chanlixformysoul]

Romantic aren't we? [ Chanlix ]

rating: explicit

word count: 1791

chapter: 1

summary:

➥ Chanlix being soft (and kinky)

song recommendation:

estimated reading time: 13.8 minutes

  ｡:°ஐ (❁ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈) ｡:°ஐ

It was a normal winter evening in Seoul, cold air violently traveling throughout the city. Chan and Felix went out shopping, they had to go because they were running out of necessary things like bread, milk and all that stuff. The short trip to the grocery store down the street of their condo building was accompanied by the cutting sharp cold wind.

Shivering, Felix felt his hands clutching the grocery bags through the little pink fluffy mittens. He was wrapped up in at least three layers of clothing, mittens, a big scarf that covered his mouth and nose and wool beanie. Chan was walking besides him holding his left hand. He could feel his freezing hand through his mittens, Felix remembers telling Chan to wear some of his mittens but Chan was quick to deny it saying that his hands were going to deform the cute mittens.

'Chan, aren't you cold?' Felix asked, raising his head, Chan could only see his beautiful eyes and he started smiling at his lover's cuteness.

'Yea, it's freezing outside, but we're here.' Pulling out the condo keys, scanning the little keycard that allows access to the condo building they finally step inside. Going to the escalator quickly. Felix presses the buttons so they could get as fast as possible in their apartment. Finally hearing that little ding from the escalator, the door opens and they start running down the hall. The sounds of laughter, rushed footsteps and key jiggling alongside with the rustling of their totter bags that hosted the fairly large capacity of the products that they had bought was heard in the large hallway. Chan was fiddling with the keys trying to unlock the door as fast as he can while Felix stopped running, gasping for air. After 5 seconds the door of their apartment was unlocked, warmth trying to escape through the door but Felix and Chan were fast inside closing the door with the keys behind them.

Both of them slid off their shoes, put the bags full of groceries in the kitchen and started to undress. Chan went to the thermostat, setting the heat up with a few degrees higher.

'Channie, can you put away the groceries while I start the bath?' Felix said, as he began to say place the products from the totter bags on the big kitchen island. Chan peeked his head from the laundry room, nodding as he made his way besides Felix.

'Do you want to take a bath?' Chan asked as he opened the cabinets, arranging the products.

'Yeah, it was so cold outside, I was freezing the entire time. You should've worn warmer clothes, Chan.' Felix said sighing and hugging the older. Chan sneaked his hands under Felix's warm sweater, touching his bare back. Felix shivered when Chan's hands made contact but he melted into the older's touch. Sliding his little hands to rest on Chan's abs, the older only gave him a chuckle.

'Want to bathe together, hmm, sweetheart?' Chan asks as he nozzles his nose into Felix's neck slowly pecking it and sucking on it. Felix let out a soft moan as he nodded slowly looking into Chan's eyes.

'Alright, you can go turn on the bath and I place everything then. Go before I can't stop myself.' Slowly nodding and chuckling Felix made his way to their bedroom bathroom. He started to fill up the big bath with really warm water, adding some bubbles and essential oils. After five minutes of waiting, Felix stopped the water and went into the kitchen. Chan was reading something on his phone as always because he was a huge fan of reading, one of his favourite hobbies actually, and that can be seen throughout the big shelfs full of books that were placed all around the house. Felix slowly made his way around the kitchen sneaking behind Chan as he started kissing his neck.

'The bath is ready, come and join me.' He says with a low voice near Chan's ear.

'Romantic aren't we?' Chan said laughing and turning around and picking Felix up by his butt. The younger wrapping his legs around Chan's torso while putting his hands around the older's neck. Walking to their bathroom, giving his lips a few pecks, Chan put down Felix and started undressing the both of them. Clothes were everywhere but on their body.

'After you.' Chan said as he looked at Felix's bare beautiful body. Felix slowly sinks into the warm water and Chan goes right after him. Putting his hands on Felix's shoulders, slowly massaging them, working on the tight knots, kissing down the honeyed skin and sucking small hickeys on it. Moans echoed through the bathroom, fingers tracing each other's skin, Chan dipped his long digits on Felix's collarbone, creating an incoherent pattern, a hand pinching his nipple turning into a burning pink.

'Can I wash your hair, baby?' Chan asked, slowly kissing and nibbling his earlobe.

'Yes, please.' Felix said in a short breath not being able to contain his moans.

Gentle fingers massaged his scalp, bubbles forming as the scent of the shampoo was getting stronger. Chan rinsed Felix's hair and then he leaned in to kiss his cheek.

'You're cute, you know that?' Felix only giggled, bringing a hand on the others cheek to kiss him on the lips. As they both deepened the kiss. They both washed themselves after a heavy make out session. When Felix stepped out of the bathtub to wrap a towel around himself there was suddenly a sound. Chan was quick to step out the bathtub and wrap a towel around his waist. The light in the bathroom went out, leaving the two boys surprised.

'I think there is a power outage, do you want to light up some candles?'

Felix quickly nodded, wrapping his arms around the older and pressing his face in his chest.

Chan just stood there and admired his lover. Dripping water coming from his wet locks, his collarbone so prominent and the younger's honeyed skin looked so inviting, making Chan feel like it's a blank canvas ready to be painted, in this case with marks.

Chan began playing with Felix's wet locks, combing his way through it.

'Where are we placing the candles?' The younger said looking up with such innocent eyes. His freckles had never ever looked so beautiful then they did in that moment, his eyes never shined so brightly, stars could be clearly seen in them.

His whole face was Chan's universe, from the constellation of freckles to the stars in his eyes.

Chan sure was a lucky man.

'Is there something on my face?' Felix said clearly confused, bringing a hand to wipe his cheek.

'Yea, Chan whispered, my universe' he began snickering.

'Oh my god, you're so embarrassing' Felix said through laughter, slowly hitting Chan's chest.

'I'm this sappy for you only' (such a sappy sappy boy, stan Red Velvet) Chan said while smiling down at Felix.

'Let's go change please, I can listen to your pick up lines in the dressing room too.' The younger stayed turning on his heel and heading towards their bedroom. Chan just followed behind like a big puppy.

'Do you think I'll catch a cold if my hair is wet? I don't want to risk it, you know how I get when I'm sick.' Felix said with a sigh.

'I mean I can dry your hair with a towel so it's not that wet, but I'm worried about the temperature in the house too, the heating system works if it's plugged in and there's no electricity so I think it's going to be a cold night in the apartment too.'

'So much for having a peaceful Friday.' Felix looks down as he puts on one of Chan's sweatshirts.

'It's ok, don't worry, I'll dry your hair and then we'll set up the candles. I got some pastries too this morning so we're all good.'

'Thank you, Chan, you know I love you?' Felix said making his way towards his lover.

'I know that, bub, I love you too' putting their foreheads together, Chan lightly pecked Felix's lips, but the younger seemed to seek for more so he kissed Chan this time slipping his tongue in the older's mouth.

'Slow down, Lix, let's get you all dry and after the power is back we can do whatever you want, how does that sound?' Chan leaned closer to kiss Felix's nose and freckled cheeks.

'Okay, whatever you say.' rolling his eyes, Felix made himself smaller and hugged Chan.

The older felt like he could melt whenever Felix hugged him, so he wrapped his arms around his lover and took a deep breath.

'I love you ,Chan, so much'

'I love you too, Lix, you make me so happy you can't imagine.' Receiving another peck, Chan was caught off guard and started blushing.

'Awww is Channie blushing? Let me kiss it away.' Felix began giggling while kissing the older's face.

'Ok ok Felix let's get you dry now' Chan said, while laughing.

'Ok, but after we cuddle, right?' looking sternly at the older with a finger pointed towards him, Felix pouted.

'Yes, sweetheart, now let's get you dry'

After drying both of their hair, the two made their way to the fairly large living room.

Getting a pack of candles from the cupboard, Felix set them down on the counter and the little coffee table and lighted them up.

The scene was breathtaking. The soft flames of the candles illuminating the beige living room alongside the white kitchen, the sound of their record player playing Hold On by The Internet (I love that song so much), the smell of bergamot traveling through the whole apartment. It was a dream come true.

It was their euphoria.

Taking Felix by surprise, Chan slipped his hands on the younger's waist pulling him towards his chest.

'Shall we dance, angel?' Chan said, stating in Felix's eyes. Taken aback by the sudden movement, the younger blushed, keeping his gaze down and then laying his head on Chan's chest mumbling a small 'yes'.

'Is someone flustered?' Chan said while snickering. Felix just pushed himself more into the older's chest giggling. Chan was hugging Felix while swaying from side to side softly singing along the lyrics.

And as long as you're with me

I'm definitely

Yours for the takin'

Don't be mistakin'

And as long as you're wit' it

I'll be committed to you

Stopping for a moment, Chan cupped Felix's face and stared at him before continuing signing.

You got me on a cloud nine, baby

Feels almost like a dream

Finishing up with a kiss the younger just looked at his lover in awe.

  ｡:°ஐ (❁ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈) ｡:°ஐ

my ao3: Mrs_SnowPitch

my wattpad: ChanlixForMySoul

my masterlist: iza’s masterlist