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brabblesblog · 5 months

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Ch 7: And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine for my beloved.

Astarion has ascended, and she has stayed with him. Life in the Crimson Palace isn’t as idyllic as it seems. Is there a chance for their relationship to go back to how it was? Or is it too late for the Ascendant and his consort?

This series is about Ban, my Tav, and the Vampire Ascendant. Will be angst and smut, with sprinkles of fluff.

This fic is a softer take on Ascendant!Astarion and of the changes he undergoes after the rite. Can Ban handle the change, and if a chance came, would she choose to run? And can the Ascendant win her back in time? Inspired by the concept of vampire wives and that IGN interview with Larian that discussed the ascension.

Professionally edited by @editing-by-night

It is the day of the party, and Astarion slowly begins to find the side of himself he’s long hidden slipping out. Ban is all too happy to help.

Read on AO3.

Masterlist.

The party was about to start.

Ban had yet to show up to the ballroom, and Astarion felt himself getting impatient. As he waited, his mind drifted back to earlier in the day, when she’d arrived in the carriage he’d sent for her, dressed in the simplest clothes he’d seen her wear in a while.

Without his input, she had shifted back to her old wardrobe, dressing down and picking more utilitarian styles, even in public. When he’d welcomed her into the palace, he hadn’t been able to help but curl his lip at her choice in clothing.

“My love. Why don’t you change into something more comfortable? Your clothes are right where you left them.” One glance at her face shut him up and ended that line of inquiry.

He wanted to hover over her, follow her around the grounds to see her reaction to the gardens and the other finished rooms as she walked through them. The palace had been her pet project for so long that he was quite sure that as much as she claimed to hate it, there was some affection there. However he held back, instead walking with her to their former bedroom.

“You are, of course, free to roam the grounds. You could take a walk in the gardens. The flowers are in full bloom.” He made no offer to join her.

She opened the door and headed inside, then blinked in surprise.

Is that…?

Yes. It was.

That ragged, dirty blanket he’d dragged along throughout their adventure. She hadn’t seen it since…

Since he’d ascended.

It was now laying on the floor of the bedroom, along with a pillow. It was cleaner now, having been washed at least, but it was definitely the same blanket, down to that small tear on the corner.

Before she could speak, Astarion walked in briskly and turned to face her, hiding the view of the blanket behind his legs.

“I’ll have your tea and lunch served wherever in the palace you wish to dine. Simply ask anyone, and they will provide. I will personally be overseeing the preparations for tonight, but I shall be in the dining room at noon. You’re welcome to join me.” The words came out in a nervous rush.

Ban bit the inside of her cheek, weighing her next move. She took a step forward and closed her eyes briefly. Just a quick test, she told herself. Her hand reached out before she could think too much, taking Astarion’s hand in her own.

His first instinct was to flinch. He braced, fully expecting to hear the loud bang that would accompany his body being flung away again, but it didn't happen. His eyes widened, meeting Ban’s as she opened hers.

“Just testing it,” she said, “Wouldn’t want to go to the ball unprepared and have you flying in front of everyone. That would be humiliating.”

He managed to muster enough presence of mind to nod, but hadn’t said much else. She touched me. He looked at his hand in hers, feeling her palm. She turned her hand to lay on top of his, her fingers finding his pulse.

His heart was racing. He couldn’t hide it from her, just like he couldn’t hide the blanket on the floor, or his desperate, pitiful need for her. He was frozen, a war raging in his head. The Ascendant wanted to grab her, kiss her, take her, but Astarion - her Astarion - won out.

He cleared his throat. “Does this mean that the spell is gone? I can touch you?” He heard the nervous lilt in his voice, but he couldn’t keep it out.

“Yes, but I can bring it back up the moment I want to.”

Their hands were still linked, her fingers still feeling his pulse. Before he’d ascended, she had always liked listening to his heart, at the way it sped up, just for her.

He covered her hand with his, sandwiching it between his palms. She had derailed his train of thought yet again. He had been planning to be his usual self today, but she had wormed her way through the chinks in his armor with one simple gesture.

She had touched him willingly. And then she’d held his heart in her hand. He despised it, but at the same time also reveled in it.

Ban saw it, how his gaze went from their joined hands to her face again, his eyes round and wide. It was a look she hadn’t seen often since his ascension and it melted her traitorous heart. She decided to give him a little break from the intimacy, an out so he wouldn’t get overwhelmed and lash out.

“Is the offer of better clothes still available? I think I wouldn’t mind roaming the gardens for a little bit.”

He relaxed, content to slip his mask back on again. That had felt a little too raw. “Of course. I have made some alterations to the clothes you left here, pet. I hope you don’t mind.”

He reached for the nearby closet, opening the door and taking out one of her old outfits without even looking. It was the most recent piece he’d added embroidery to in his free time. He held it out for her to see.

The backless extravaganza, the vendor had called it. They both remembered purchasing it when they’d first made it to Baldur’s Gate. Astarion had wanted to steal it for her, but she’d made him purchase it instead. The memory made him smile wistfully.

“Just buy it,” she said, laughing. “Or else I’m not wearing it.”

He scowled. “Darling. You know the coin I’m buying it with is stolen, right? What difference would it make?”

“I like the idea of you parting with your coin for me.” She wiggled her eyebrows at him playfully, and just like that, he reached for his coin purse.

“I hate you,” he mumbled as he paid.

Releasing the memory, Astarion raised the pant section of the outfit. The right leg now had roses embroidered on it. Ban took it from Astarion’s hands, holding the work closer to her face. She’d known he enjoyed embroidering, and had seen it on his clothes and underwear before, but she had never seen him engage in it since the rite.

It was beautiful, and she didn’t mind saying so. “You do very fine work,” she said, her hands reverent as they ran over the flowers. “Thank you.”

If only he had done this type of thing before she’d left. But it was too late for that now.

The side of his lip curled up in a half-smile. “I had some time on my hands,” he said simply. That, and too many things to forget.

As Ban moved to put the outfit on the bed, she walked past Astarion and saw the blanket again. Carefully she leaned down, picking it up along with the pillow. He almost protested, but stopped as she placed them on the bed along with her outfit.

“The floor never did wonders for your back, Astarion.”

His eyes darkened a little, feeling a bit cornered by the path the conversation had taken. He crossed his arms over his chest, closing himself off.

“The pretty thing I brought home last night wanted to sleep over, so I let him kip out on the floor.”

Considering that the bed was pristine and not slept in, Ban highly doubted that but merely nodded. The Ascendant straightened up.

“Well.” He clapped his hands together once. “I shall be off, then. I hope to see you at lunch.”

As he turned to leave, Ban gripped his wrist. The touch made him shiver involuntarily, the sensation sending a jolt of electricity through his body.

She leaned in, smiled, and kissed his cheek - his reward for behaving relatively nicely today.

It was a quick, chaste move, but Astarion felt like he might swoon. He mastered himself swiftly and looked at her with a smirk.

“What was that for, my treasure?” His voice oozed with false, playful innocence, as he attempted to sexualize the moment in order to process it. He could not even begin to think about it in other terms without falling apart.

“Just a taste, my lord, of things to come your way if you behave.”

The Ascendant bristled. How dare she dangle herself and her affection in front of him like that! He deserves it - is even possibly entitled to it. But he knew that if he pushed back, she'd just bring her wards up and he wouldn’t be able to touch her again. He would probably rather die than have that occur.

The spawn deep inside him also knew it was a sign of trust from her. The fact that she had touched his hand and kissed his cheek of her own volition could be the first step in winning her back, and he wasn’t about to squander that.

“I’ll play along if it’s worth the reward.” He deftly maneuvered himself so that he was leaning over her, invading her space, a subtle but unmissable attempt to shift the tide of power his way. “What… can I expect to receive?” He trailed a finger over Ban’s shoulder to her collarbone.

“You’ll have to find out when you earn it,” she said simply, meeting his gaze head on. She no longer cowered or bowed to the Ascendant’s will, and to his surprise, he found that resistance overwhelmingly attractive.

His eyes locked onto her lips for one second, letting her know exactly what he was thinking. Then he pulled away. “I’ll see you at lunch.”

He’d been perusing paperwork at the dining table when she finally walked in. Astarion immediately put the parchment down and let his eyes roam over her body, taking in the sight of her in the skintight outfit. Every muscle and curve was very much defined with little left to the imagination, which was exactly why he had wanted to steal the ensemble for her in the first place.

He aimed to say something a little sexy and teasing, but ended up being sincere. “You look beautiful.”

She beamed at him, a smile that instantly made him feel a little too pliant and soft. He stood to pull a chair out for her, much like he’d done when they’d still lived together.

She sighed as she sat. “The gardens are amazing. Exactly how I imagined them to be.” Ban looked a little rueful, and Astarion took that moment and decided to press his advantage.

“They’re still missing something,” he mused, keeping his tone light as his fingers snapped together and the servants quickly served Ban her lunch and tea. “This whole palace is missing something.”

She laughed, a sound he realized he would willingly lay down his life to hear again. “Before you say it’s missing me, Astarion, do know that I am extremely aware of when you’re fibbing.”

“Flattering you isn’t exactly lying, Ban,” he corrected, “I merely say what I perceive to be the truth.” He picked up his fork and began to eat his lunch, an appetizer of fresh salad as his first course. “The Crimson Palace does miss its mistress. It needs your touch to be a home again.”

He offered her a small grin, but it was less teasing and more pleasant than the ones he’d thrown her way in recent memory. He’d slipped last time, told her he missed her, and he was trying not to have that happen again. This new, unflinching resistance to his will both vexed and enamored the Ascendant, so much so that he found himself willing to do almost anything to have her back. He wouldn’t concede to letting the spawn inside him free rein, but he was more than willing to make concessions. Instead, he decided to take measured risks, allowing himself bit by little bit of vulnerability.

She looked around the room, in no hurry to settle in to eat her own salad. Although the taste of mortal food was flavorless and unfulfilling, it wasn’t repulsive and she did occasionally indulge, just to keep some sense of normalcy. But she didn’t look forward to it, either. Her observations turned up no significant changes to the room. The table was still too big for the two of them, but it didn’t feel as isolating as it used to.

Astarion watched her begrudgingly begin to eat, then frowned. “I have an idea,” he said. He’d been doing an awful amount of thinking in her absence.

He tapped his temple, a quick indication of what he was about to do, then reached for her mind. As she let him in, he took a bite of his own meal, letting her perceive what he could taste as he ate.

Her eyes widened in surprise, and not just because he'd thought of doing this when it had not even occurred to her; but because of why he was doing it. Something to think on later. For now, she chose to enjoy the moment, eating her salad and letting his taste buds do the work for her.

With her salad quickly finished, she severed the mental link. He paused, the sudden emptiness in his mind a little unpleasant, but he didn’t react. He looked over to her and was surprised to see something he hadn’t seen in ages - affection. It had been so long he almost didn't even recognize it.

“Thank you,” she said, for the second time today. It was almost odd for Ban to be doing so. Their relationship had taken such a horrible turn that every single favor each did for the other had been balanced and counterbalanced on a scale of favors and resentment. This was… refreshing. And sure, there was the promise of something at the end of it all, but really - Ban knew she’d end up with Astarion deep inside her anyway; she knew he knew this too. And so all these favors he’d been doing felt all the more sweet, especially since both the embroidery and the food tasting idea were obviously not off the cuff things.

Astarion offered her a crooked, goofy smile in response, for a moment utterly disarmed by her. That smile, the one she had only ever seen when he was still her Astarion, erased all sense of control she had; she leaned closer to put a hand on his knee.

The contact made him freeze, and immediately he waved a hand at the staff waiting nearby, a gesture that told them to clear the room. He turned to her, the smile turning into a more predatory grin.

“Have I behaved enough then, Ban?”

She silently scanned his face, then picked up her goblet and downed her actual lunch - fresh blood. Her tea remained untouched.

“The day isn’t quite finished yet. However, I’m sure a small aperitif wouldn’t go amiss.”

With her impressive strength, she turned Astarion’s chair towards hers. He was taken off guard. Months of having her acquiesce to his every whim and seeing her do little more than lounge around the house had made him forget just how strong his consort was. His breath caught in his throat, and he was stunned for a moment, unsure if he wanted to fight her or if he wanted to fuck her. He thought it was probably both.

His hands wrapped around each arm of the chair, as if he was holding on for dear life. She saw this and knew she’d won this round. Ban stood, parting his legs with her thigh, moving in close and leaning down to kiss him roughly.

With his head tipped back to accommodate her lips, Astarion groaned weakly when their tongues made contact. It had been so, so long. His cock began to harden, and he couldn't help the jerk of his hips, rubbing himself on her thigh. Immediately she drew her leg away, stepping back, and he growled at the loss of contact.

“Don’t be bad and ruin this, Astarion. Remember - I can end this the very moment I decide you’ve gone too far.”

The reminder was enough to cow the Ascendant, much to his shock. On a surface level, he thought he should fight back - this was not how things usually went for him. In fact, this had never happened, save for the times when he’d been forced to endure it for some of Cazador’s victims. But deeper within him, he felt an odd sense of ease - that he wouldn’t have to think or decide how to go about this, that Ban could and would guide him through it all.

A rather belated moment of clarity hit him then. Had he allowed her to have him like this back then, had he offered her his submission, shown her vulnerability in at least one area, their love might have not become so barren. She might never have left in the first place.

He forced his hips to still, staring up at her as she broke their kiss. That cocksure look in her eyes made his own cock throb, and he bit back the moan that was about to escape him. Ban saw him bite his lip and snickered. Before she proceeded, however, she leaned in, her expression shifting to one of concern. When they’d lived together they had made love every night and they had indulged in similar play, but the roles had been switched. She tried her best to do what he’d done for her back then, even though she hadn’t exactly appreciated it at the time.

“Are you amenable to this, Astarion? I need to know, or we can’t proceed.”

He understood the question, understood that she wasn't asking if his ego could take it. She was asking if he could handle it.

He gave her a nod. “I’m sure. To be honest, darling, I’ve barely experienced it this way. But better you than anyone else.”

Darling. Ban was pleased. He almost never used her old nickname, not if the Ascendant could get away with using pet, or treasure.

She nodded, then continued, “We need a surefire way for you to tell me when you’ve had enough. Shall we use the word I used before?”

Another nod from him and she was satisfied. Wordlessly she spread his thighs further apart with her hands, then knelt in the space between them.

Astarion looked down at her, his shirt suddenly feeling too hot and constricting, his cock fighting against the cloth of his trousers.

The only sound that came from his mouth was a broken groan, and she laughed again. The sight of him like this - legs spread and pliant, cock throbbing, waiting for her next move - it was something she thought she'd remember for eternity.

Ban moved forward, getting up on one knee to mouth at his jawline, tracing sloppy kisses down to his Adam's apple then to his collarbone. He shifted his torso closer to her, giving her access. The scent of bergamot filled her nose and she inhaled deeply; he had always smelled like home.

“Be a sweetheart and keep your hands on the chair.”

Astarion was only able to nod yet again, as her hands found the buttons of his shirt and slowly undid them. There really wasn’t much thought left in him, just her. Her presence, her hands stripping his clothes off, and that almost painful pulsing in his cock.

She finished undoing all the buttons and paused to admire her handiwork. “Beautiful,” she breathed, “I’ve wanted to do this since the fitting, Astarion. I won’t hide behind false words and bravado like you do. I missed you.”

His eyes locked on hers. He wanted to say it back, but the walls were still there. Instead, the Ascendant whined. It was a desperate, undignified sound, but he preferred to show her his lust rather than the contents of his heart.

That low whine sounded like music to Ban. She ran a hand down his chest, down to his abs, and then lower, wrapping her fingers around the outline of his cock. He gasped, his hips fighting the urge to buck, his body trembling with the sheer effort of it.

Ban rubbed him through his trousers, and she felt dampness where his tip was, an obvious sign of how much he was aching for her. She flicked her eyes up to his face, and the look of wanton desire and need on it was almost too much.

“Do you want me to suck you, my lord?” She teased. She squeezed a little roughly, eliciting another sweet groan from his throat.

“Yes.” The word came out in a hiss as he fought down his instinct to push back and reassert dominance.

“Repeat after me, then. ‘Ban, my love, please suck my cock’,” she said, still stroking him slowly, thoroughly enjoying the sight of him so desperately needy for her. She was wet too, but she could attend to her own needs later. Besides, this was only the start.

“Ban… my love. Please. Suck my cock.” He gritted out through clenched teeth. He found that it was getting easier and easier to relinquish control as he parted his legs further and shifted forward on his chair.

“Very good.”

She moved to undo the buttons of his trousers, reaching in to free his aching cock. The first contact with the chilly air made Astarion hiss, his head already sensitive and still leaking. A bead of precum formed at the tip, and Ban watched it for a moment, then leaned forward to playfully lick it up. The salty, musky taste was almost too good to resist, and for a moment she fought the urge to take all of him in immediately, anticipation and games be damned.

“Ban,” he gasped out as her tongue made contact, his voice a little higher than it usually was. He had his pride; he wouldn’t ever beg unless she forced him to. But the way he said her name was more than satisfactory to her.

She chuckled darkly, looking at his face. She made a point to lock eyes with him as she finally opened her mouth and slipped him inside, inch by painstaking inch.

The sight of her, of his beloved, taking him in almost made him come on the spot. It had been in his fantasies ever since she’d left, but the reality was utterly different from his dreams and memories.

Before, he had fucked her mouth, grabbed her hair while he pumped into her throat. But now he daren’t even move, knowing that if she chose, this would end painfully and embarrassingly for him. All it would take would be for her to think of rescinding her consent and he’d go flying. So he held still, refusing to analyze why it felt so right to surrender to her, to let her rule over him like this.

“You’re thinking too much,” she said, pulling away for a moment. “Just enjoy it.”

He hesitated briefly, opening his mouth as if to reply, but she swallowed down his cock again and his words were lost to a loud, needy moan.

Ban sucked his cock the way she knew he liked best, her tongue running over that delectable vein at the top, and then sliding to put more focus on the tip. She could feel and taste him leaking still, his flavor filling her with want. But she knew she had to be patient.

Astarion throbbed in her mouth and whimpered again. The trembling of his body told her that he was getting close to losing control, and she stopped her ministrations. “You can’t come,” she said, “Not until later. Like I said, this is only a taste.”

He managed to glare at her, but there was little heat in it. He swallowed and then spoke. “Then I won’t.” He couldn’t help but challenge her a little, however, lips curling as he continued. “But I’m sure you won’t be able to resist yourself, pet. You’ll want me to come.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Ever the brat, hm?” She playfully slapped a thigh. “Seems like you’re done playing, with that tone you just took.”

Ban pulled back, satisfied with her handiwork. Astarion’s ass was as far forward on the seat as possible, cock still rock hard and proudly jutting out from his hips. It was glistening, slick with her saliva, twitching at the loss of stimulation and the cold air rushing over it.

Astarion was still glaring at her, but he huffed in resignation. “Fine. I’ll…” he had to fight himself for a split second, “I’ll do better later, little love.”

Despite himself, he’d been enjoying her dominion over him immensely. As she pulled away, he exhaled roughly, knowing by her gaze that he had little choice but to wait. He wrapped a hand around his cock, feeling its velvety length throb in his grasp. He was momentarily tempted to just come this way, but he knew that if he waited, the reward would be all the sweeter. So instead he tucked himself in, buttoning up his trousers, realizing he didn’t really mind having to wait.

Ban watched this with dark amusement. “I finished my lunch,” she said, showing him her empty goblet. “But I wouldn’t mind tasting more food again, if you don’t mind.”

Astarion smiled. He didn’t mind at all. This, he could easily give her. As he buttoned up his shirt and called for the next course, they linked minds.

The rest of the meal was spent in companionable silence, the sharing of sensations taking precedence over anything else. Astarion made sure to chew slowly, savoring each morsel for her.

And if she could also read his deeper thoughts? If she could read how much he’d enjoyed having her take control and dismantle his ego?

Maybe he didn’t mind that very much, either.

Tonight could prove eventful if he could keep his wits about him, and he swore to all the gods that he would. He couldn’t afford not to.

Bringing his mind back to the present, Astarion watched as the guests started mingling and the wine started to flow. The Vampire Ascendant, dressed in his blood-red suit, stood away from everyone, near the ballroom door, waiting for his beloved.

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hannibals-favourite-meal · 1 year

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Impeachment Part 1

Rick Grimes x plus size reader x Daryl Dixon

Alpha!Rick Grimes x omega!reader x Alpha!Daryl Dixon

Everything was gone and destroyed but she was still theirs

Warnings: this one’s angsty, death, presumed death of reader and unborn baby, walkers, past violence, pregnancy

WC: 3.3k

Minors DNI

The Trial

Michonne had gotten Carl to smile again and for that, Rick would be eternally grateful. It had been hard seeing the boy so heartbroken, he had already been through so much, lost so many people that the beautiful smile that looked so much like Rick’s only appeared on the rarest of occasions.

Daryl walked silently beside him, the joy radiating from the boy barely breaking through the huge wall of ice he had built between himself and everyone else and Rick knew why, it was the same reason he constantly had a pit in his stomach, an overwhelming sadness invading his soul. They hadn’t found her.

The change in her scent became prominent about one month after her heat had finished. It became more milky and flowery instead of the usual vanilla and with a quick exam done by Hershel, it was confirmed. She had been pupped. Daryl had hugged her tight and hadn’t let go for a solid four hours after she told him. Both alphas had stepped up and agreed to be the father of the baby, no matter who had sired them, though each had a secret hope that it was their own pup in her belly.

That night, Rick asked her to mark him. It was rare for an omega to claim their alpha but not entirely unheard of. “We are equal omega. We’re partners and I want to prove that.” The alphas let her take the lead. For the first time, they allowed her to ride them, to control the pace as she sank her teeth into their mating glands. It was perfect.

Everyone doted on her constantly, the anxiety from Lori’s unfortunate pregnancy rearing its ugly head once more. But with almost daily checkups and the best prenatal Daryl could scavenge, people settled down and the excitement of another pup became palpable. Y/N often had to escape back to her nest to get away from people who wouldn’t leave her alone. Carl or Judith went with her if her alphas were busy, the former being greatly excited at the prospect of being a big brother again, even if he didn’t outwardly show it.

Things were amazing until the sickness came. In a single night, an entire cell-block was dead and even more infected. She and Judith were immediately rushed into isolation, Carl begrudgingly staying by their side, even if he was chomping at the bit to help his father. Then, just as hope rekindled with Daryl finding the life-saving medicine, the Governor returned.

Through the madness of the firefight and waves upon waves of the undead, the pack was separated and presumed the others dead. Rick and Carl had found Michonne, then Daryl, then Terminus happened.

Terminus burned behind them as they walked through the woods, the sounds of the explosions still ringing in their ears. “It’s right here.” Daryl pointed out the place where they had hidden their guns before being captured, and quickly dug them up.

Rick wanted to go back, exterminate the rest of them, but looking at his pack, his resolve wavered. They all looked so tired, covered in walker guts and sweat, and they were completely unarmed and unprepared if that hoard decided to make its way back towards them. Part of him knew he was just angry he had let someone take advantage of him and they all nearly died as a result. He knew that he just wanted to go back and see if you had been there, if she was one of the unfortunate souls being lured into the trap of perceived safety.

Daryl could sense his distress, and knew they were both feeling the same thing. “We gotta stick together.” His shoulders slumped and he ran a hand over his face. “Fine, we just need to find shelter for the night, then we move on.” The creaking of branches behind them had Daryl whipping his head around, only to be met with the sight of the matriarchal omega awkwardly standing between the trees, his crossbow in her hand.

He ran at Carol, embracing the older omega as Rick walked up cautiously behind him. “Did you do that?” His southern twang is more prominent with the emotion of finding another pack member. She tearfully nodded and embraced the other alpha, he quietly spoke into her neck. “Thank you.” As they separated, she looked up at him, a small spark of joy lighting in her gray eyes. “You have to come with me.”

As the pack came over the hill, they were met with the sight of Tyresse walking out of a dilapidated cabin, baby Judith tucked safely in his arms. Rick immediately dropped his weapon, almost stumbling in his hurry to get to his daughter, Carl and Sasha following closely. The alpha pulled the pup from the beta’s grasp, almost collapsing to the ground with sheer relief.

He held both of his children close, vowing never to let them from his sight ever again. The pack watched on, small smiles coming over their faces at the reunion. However, a sour taste built up in the back of Daryl’s mouth. His omega would’ve never left Judith alone, she was her baby just as much as the one in her belly. “Where’s my omega?” He growled.

Carol’s smile dropped as her trembling fingers reached into her pocket. “I’m sorry, this was all I could find. It was outside the prison.” In the palm of her hand was the small friendship bracelet he had given to the younger woman when they were courting. The blue threads, picked out specifically because they matched his eyes, were dirty and covered in brown blood. The little sunflower charm which Rick had given her to put on it, was scratched up and also stained red.

Daryl felt his heart shatter in his chest. He fell to his knees, the bracelet clutched tightly to him as he howled in pain. She was gone, his omega dead, his pup dead. Rick’s head shot up, eyes widening as he felt the heartache through their bond. His brother was near hysterics, crumpled on the ground, the trail of tears creating clean tracks down his face.

It was jarring to see the normally stoic hunter display so much raw emotion. Carol tried to wrap an arm around his shoulders but he shook her off, snarling, his inner alpha telling him that she was going to take the last thing remaining of his omega. Everyone backed away from him while Carol lowered her head in submission, not wanting to upset him further.

A little chirp broke him from his grief. Rick knelt in front of him, hand on his shoulder as Judith reached out and touched Daryl’s face. Her big eyes seemed to stare into his soul as her chubby hand, still miraculously covered in baby fat, stroked his cheek. Rick tilted her forward so she could crawl into the archer’s strong arms, resting her head on his collarbone. The scent of milk and flowers comforted him, it was the same smell she had.

He could vividly remember being curled up with her in her nest, the late afternoon sunlight making everything warm and calm, her scent permeating his senses, making him forget the horrors of the world for just a moment. He held Judith tight to his chest, her breathing settling him. “She’s-“ His voice was broken, weak.

Rick sighed. “I know but we need to keep going. When we find somewhere safe, then we grieve but we have to keep going. It’s what she would’ve wanted.” He was just as heartbroken as his brother but as the head of the pack, he wasn’t allowed to be weak, not anymore. The shock of Y/N’s death would hit him in full later, but for now, he shoved those feelings down as far as he could, taking the other man in his arms for a brief moment. “We’ll be ok.”

——————

Daryl fiddled with her bracelet which he had tied around his own wrist. The building horde of walkers that had been behind them was setting him on edge. He knew that all of them were too tired, too dehydrated to deal with them, so they just kept walking, hoping for some sort of reprieve.

They had been on the road for weeks, slowly making their way to D.C. The losses of Tyresse and Beth weighed heavily on all of them. Sasha seemed to be teetering on the edge, with Bob and Tyresse gone, it seemed there wasn’t much for her anymore. Daryl knew without Rick and the pups, he would be in the same position. He probably would snap soon, his alpha was constantly tearing at the barrier he built in his mind. He was grieving and in pain but Rick was right, that didn’t matter at the moment.

Michonne had been trying to keep the kids distracted through all of it. Her bond with Carl let Judith warm up to her as well, and through some bad jokes and silly faces, she got them to smile. Those smiles lifted a weight from Rick’s chest even as the stress of passing through the high walls was creating a dark feeling in the pit of his gut.

Alexandria felt like a joke. How could one community survive all of this practically unscathed when everyone else had lost so much. Christ, even the people in here didn’t know how to deal with walkers. It was too much like the old world, too safe. The people were too nice, too comfortable.

It was almost voyeuristic, the way Deanna filmed all of them, asking invasive questions while relaxing on her couch like it was normal. “I’ve noticed you and Rick both have a mating bite.” Daryl subconsciously pulled his vest tighter over the juncture where his neck and shoulder met, shooting her the dirtiest look he could muster. “Are you two a pair?”

“Don see how that’s any o yer business.” She shrugged and crossed her legs, relaxing further into the couch she was sitting on.

“The two of you are close. It was only a natural question to ask.”

“Yeah well ya don need ta know.” Deanna raised her hands in surrender.

“Fine. I think we’re done here anyway. You can go.” He practically vaulted over the desk in his attempt to leave and rejoin the group. He felt trapped in this stupid house, in this community.

By the way Rick was standing, shoulders slightly hunched, vein in his forehead popping, and avoiding his brother’s eyes, Daryl knew he was asked a similar question about his mark. With a silent nod, the alpha told his lesser they would discuss it later when there were no prying eyes or ears. They were naked without their weapons, even within the obviously strong walls, all of the survivors were unsettled.

Daryl’s blue eyes constantly scanned the surroundings, unconsciously pulling his shoulders back so his chest was fully inflated, making him look bigger. Aaron walked out of the house last, Deanna standing in the doorway, observing the pack dynamics of the group.

She could see the pairs, Glenn and Maggie, Abraham and Rosita, but with the two lead alphas, there was a piece missing. She knew their bites couldn’t have been from each other, it was too small but they were identical, obviously having been done by the same person. Her chest ached at the thought, she was fiercely protective of her own omega and couldn’t imagine what she would do if she lost him.

Maybe they could restart here. Get some kind of comfort from the safety of the walls, keep the pups safe. They would be an asset once they settled. Aaron led them away, towards the empty houses in the back of Alexandria, she’d drop by later to check in on them.

The yowling coming from below the building Aaron had identified as the infirmary, was off-putting. It sounded almost pained. “I’m sorry about that.” Aaron seemed almost bashful as he walked the group by the house. “Who’s in there?” Rick was on edge in this new environment, and the strained screams set him off even more.

“We’re not sure. Eric and I found her about a month back. She’s pretty much feral but no one wants to give up on her.” Yet, Aaron didn’t stop, he led them on like a museum tour guide. No stopping for questions, don’t touch the exhibits. They were led to the outskirts of the town, far enough away from the others that they couldn’t pose a threat, but close enough that they could be watched. “Here’s where you can stay tonight, Deanna will find jobs for you all so you can spread out a bit more.” Carol took the lead as they filed in.

“Thank you so much for this, it’s nice to finally feel safe.” Her head was bent demurely, fingers twisting around each other, a shy smile on her face. Aaron seemed to relax a bit with her admission, laughing awkwardly and rubbing the back of his neck.

“It’s really no problem. You folks have a good night.” Daryl recoiled at his friend’s crocodile tears, he wouldn’t admit it, but her suburban housewife act was thoroughly disturbing. Rick gave the recruiter a nod of thanks. Aaron positively beamed at her sentiment. “I’m glad I could be of help.” With a polite nod, he left the pack to their own devices. As soon as the door was shut, all eyes snapped to Rick.

“We need our weapons back.” Maggie leaned against the kitchen counter, Glenn sliding his arm around her, kissing the small claiming mark on her shoulder. “We need a plan.” He added.

They all gathered around the brand new kitchen, still wary, and slightly offset by the cleanliness of the house. Eugene unconsciously stood near Abraham and Rosita, as Michonne took her place beside Carl and Noah. Rick and Daryl were at the front of the group, the latter's eyes still darting around, trying to assess possible threats.

“It’s a smart idea for us to be in the same house, at least for tonight.” Stick together, no one goes anywhere without a buddy. The rules were the same as the outside, that’s how they would stay safe and more importantly, not lose anyone else.

They spoke in quiet whispers, too worried about listening ears and watchful eyes. And yet, Rick looked around his pack and noticed the exhaustion that seemed to settle over them like a raincloud. He sighed as he watched Carl’s head nod forward for what must’ve been the tenth time, his sheriff hat almost slipping off.

“We need ta get some rest. Daryl and I will take first watch.” Surprisingly, there is no fight. Michonne slipped Judith from his hold and led the others to the living room, they followed obediently, too tired to argue. But Carol stayed behind, still at her place by the kitchen entryway.

She looked so much older now, her eyes darker with a pain neither man could understand. “Just these walls won’t protect us and you know that. These people are too ignorant of the world out there.” Daryl crossed his arms over his chest, his omega’s bracelet catching the fading light of the sunset.

To think yourself safe and protected after all this time with only a 15 foot steel wall and a gate keeping out the world was foolish. It had been almost 2 years since the world fell, there was no telling how many walkers were out there now, how many Terminuses, how many Governors. The people of Alexandria were delusional and that made them dangerous.

Rick crossed his arms over his chest, chancing a brief glance at his partner before turning back to the omega. “We need proper weapons. Guns. But Daryl and I can’t go out, it’ll be too suspicious to have two alphas roaming around after dark.”

Carol smirked, her lips turning up in a small smile that Rick knew well. “But a meek omega looking around, needing some air, wouldn't call any attention.” Immediately Daryl answered.

“No.” His answer was final, no room for debate. But she ignored him, instead, she did up the buttons on her shirt and smoothed down her hair. It was almost magical the way she shrunk in on herself, the fierce lioness they knew so well disappearing behind hunched shoulders and downturned eyes. But to Rick, she looked like a predator waiting to pounce.

“I’ll be back in an hour with whatever weapons I can get. Don’t wait up pookie.” And she slipped out the door, quiet as a mouse.

Rick could hear the others settling down in the large family room, Judith making little squawks in response to her older brother’s muttering. It was a comforting white noise, the pack was alive, they were protected. “I don like when she does tha.”

The lead alpha clapped Daryl on the back as he walked past, smiling to himself. “C’mon we all need some rest.” With one last glance at the door, the archer followed.

——————

None of the pack could sleep. It was surreal to be safe for the first time in forever, to have access to (hot) running water, ready food, and actual beds instead of the flimsy mattresses in the prison, or even just the ground. But now, after being freshly showered with a roof over their heads and food in their bellies, sleep wasn’t coming.

Daryl was leaning against the entryway to the living room with Rick, watching over their pack as they settled. Rick couldn’t help but smile as he watched Carl play with Judith on the floor. The pup was smiling and giggling at her older brother who was leaning over her cot, fist clenched tight around his index finger, laughing every time he moved which caused her pudgy little arm to shake up and down, shaking her whole body.

“We’re safe here right?” The alpha wondered aloud, rubbing his freshly shaven jaw. Daryl only grunted in response. “We need somewhere to stay. If we can get back those weapons, we have a chance here. A real chance to live.”

“But can we do it without her?” Their hearts ached. It was finally settling in, that they were alone again, that they lost something they would never find.

“She woulda liked it here.” Daryl picked at his nails, still caked in dirt.

“Yeah she would.” The hope that the city had given him earlier was quickly dying as he got lost in his thoughts. Rick finally allowed himself to breathe. He couldn’t hold it in any longer, the tears quietly slipped down his cheeks as he thought of her, of her last moments alive. Were you trying to run? Trying to find him and Daryl? Did she fight through the hordes? He couldn’t stop the flashes of images behind his eyes if he tried.

Her smiling face. Walkers devouring a body. Her body arching in pleasure below him, sweat dripping down her skin. Dead hands clawing, pulling her apart as she screamed for him. The way she practically glowed in the moonlight as she danced with him on the farm. He knew Daryl could feel everything he could through their shared bond, he focused on the good, how she would run to him every time she saw him, how she coddled her pups.

The hunter’s fists clenched tightly into fists and his jaw locked. Rick opened his mouth to apologise but then, the front door swung open, revealing a greatly disheveled Carol.

“Carol?”

“Rick, Daryl. You need to come with me now.” She was trembling with excitement and fear, a little smile breaking through her usually schooled expression, her white hair mussed up from running her fingers through it.

“What’s goin’ on?” Rosita’s voice was thick with sleep, rubbing her eyes as she leaned against the fireplace where she had set up. Glenn and Carl also looked up, one of the last few still on guard.

“Please, just, I need you to trust me. This is important.”

She turned to leave once more but Daryl grabbed her arm. “Tell us.” None of them heard the creaking of the floorboards until another voice spoke from behind the matriarch.

“I hope I’m not interrupting.” Deanna stood in the doorway, her expression guarded, locked onto Carol. “I just wanted to see how you were settling in.”

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astarionfixation · 3 months

Text

Am I Fu**ing Insane !?!

A multi chapter adventure in Astarion's mind

Chapter 2 - +As if I had been kissed by mint leaves all over+

Rating: eventually Explicit but just a lot of mind tease so far.

Word count count: 2.3k

Pairings: Astarion X OFC Tav

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54356776/chapters/137824306

I have a quite serious praise kink. Which also means compliments in the forms of tags and/or comments might very well spur me to write and post more

Teaser:

In an exasperated sigh he breathes in again and all the effort he put into keeping lucid since he got back into her room is crashing down upon him. The nauseatingly spiced mix of wine and flowers assaulting his senses once again, and her breath caressing his face as he just now realises he must have leaned in without thinking. *As if she’s not been a damned little inconvenience already!* But that’s when she begins stirring and the image of the moment when he was just that close to her a few hours prior, flashes in his mind again. Her warm fingers on the back of his neck as traitors ready to find a spot to bury a dagger *I should know! I’ve played this game before, you hussy! better than you ever will!* Those fingers seemingly trying to grasp at him just before a soft whiff of that intoxicating scent escaped her lips when she hummed, barely intelligible: Stay.

Chapter Two - *as if I had been kissed by mint leaves all over*

Notes: *Astarion's Thoughts* +quotes from her journal+ "audible dialogue" -remarks-

aul iasa nha tho is Elvish for "in vino veritas", otherwise said "In wine there's truth" or the general idea that people are much more guileless when intoxicated.

He must’ve read those pages so many times that it’s surprising how they have not been worn out. And the fact he doesn’t technically need to sleep surely hasn’t helped the surprise quickly turn to addiction.

*How could I have not noticed?!*

The tightly kept book gave him more access to her mind, her actual thoughts, that any connection the worms might have forced them to share, and that’s likely why everyone promptly agreed to stay out of everyone’s business for the time being. And it wasn’t quite like he meant to break that deal, he was just severely unprepared for what he had found in that insignificant shiny little volume. All handwritten. By her.

Along with the odd note of information gathered during the last few days, the pages were filled mostly with just her reflections, clearly never intended for eyes that were not her own deep ones, eyes he never felt lingering on him more than the time it was necessary to be called for duty, to be addressed as politely as an accidentally forced companionship put them together. And he was supposed to know, to see, to read people and understand how to play them as if fiddling with an instrument he himself had built from scratch! The countless souls he alone had enticed and played every key, including -especially- the dark, heavy ones. Then how could he have missed the eyes she had been looking at him with? How could he have missed the intention? How could she have walked this earth without a tenth of the time he had and compete with his own ability to mask and dissipate any impression of sentiment or feeling?

He started to genuinely wonder if there could have been a mistake, perhaps she had been keeping the little metallic book for someone else *and yet I saw her and her damned quill on it! I saw her unimpressed and vacant eyes!* while clearly less than a day ago her thoughts must have been so focused on him they should have burnt a hole in his back:

+I cannot cope with the heart rending clench, from my stomach to the tip of my hair, diffusing a cold, quivering heat as if I had been kissed by mint leaves all over in just a moment, every time his voice pours, like honey, into my ears+

He found himself catching breath he didn’t need for hours, disgusted surely by the idea that she kept him in her mind so often, yet compelled to scrutinise every single line, with no chance to concede that even just one word she spent on him could have gone amiss. He had dozens of pages to commit to memory before sunrise, now that his plans toward individual freedom had suddenly fallen apart. There was no tadpole solution, no way to charm and dominate the worms, nothing to guarantee he could remain himself while still feeling the warmth of the sun on his skin.

*Nothing to guarantee the warmth of her skin if her thoughts get consumed until there’s nothing left of her*

And he has to shake his head physically from the thought because *why!? Why would she be the issue now!?* when he has his own thoughts, his own brain to worry about, his own survival as the only thing that has kept him unnaturally alive for over two centuries, well before she was barely an idea in her parent’s minds!

His arm pulls back and the book’s metallic cover hits the door he’s still sitting against. He should be throwing it with such force that would destroy that little insignificant piece of paper conjuring all kinds of soft, enticing visions, while none will help with their shared issue: they are all on borrowed time.

+it was a good delusion of power, as if anyone could really be just... So mature for their age... But that's another story, I don't like the stories of my memories, read in hindsight…+

And that’s what froze him in place. She doesn’t spell it out but just reading the words pulls his stomach just the same, he knows that feeling, the lulling comfort that the idea of pleasing a tyrant and taking each beating as a compliment will do. His eyes close and this time the little precious book is brought to his chest, just where his heart last beat all those centuries ago. And his tintless eyebrows furrow, his usually graceful traits tighten in what is almost a grimace, teeth clenching as his head shakes once more, but this time it’s because his own memories made stories out of his delusions of power, when no matter the amount of sacrifices he brought back every night, neither his body nor his mind were spared the abuse and humiliations from his cruel Master. Cazador’s looming body flashes behind his tightened eyes.

*Fourth: thou shalt know that thou art mine.*

The rules of his master played like an obsessive charm in his head over and over, and then it’s kinder, it’s easier to embrace what felt like the only power he had, seducing and pleasing whilst hoping for the lesser beating.

It does not matter that air is not needed now, because the sharp intakes cut through his lips and down to the bottom of his lungs, and his lips pull almost as if from muscle memory and like he so often did before. To please and appease him, to make the punishment shorter and numbing his own mind for longer.

And all of a sudden it all stops. His arms feel as if they are strained by efforts he does not recall, the heavy door behind his back certainly not as comfortable as the bed in front of him and

*oh yes, the little useless book*

The book that gave him no more freedom he had the night before. He would throw it mindlessly but his hand finds a way to just leave it to rest on the floor, while with an agile movement he’s back on his feet, and in a moment he’s theatrically falling on the bed, face hitting the pillows first, and a long unnecessary breath empties his lungs with the last remnants of something that reminds him of mulled wine and flowers.

—-----------

The noise of boots outside snaps him out of his trance just when the last of the candles must have burnt out as a swirl of smoke still rises in the otherwise darkened room. Voices muffled behind the door tell him his companions are only now getting to their beds which means not much will be expected of him that morning.

*Thank fuck!*

His arms move the pillow around to bury his face onto it and hoping to fall into trance again when a deeper sigh rises from his chest, and he knows. He knows what he has to do to avoid any consequences to befall upon him. Never before a sleight of hand has failed him so spectacularly and now he's not only stuck with the merry fellowship of warmbloods ignorami

*no closer to understand and control the worm in my head*

but now with the knowledge that their pretty, little accidental leader has had her eyes fixed on him way more often than he ever realised.

*Shit… does she know?*

And with that thought he rolls on his back, the crook of his elbow sheltering his eyes and with a final exasperated sigh he pulls himself up. Even in the darkened room he can see the metallic cover trying its best to reflect whatever resemblance of light it can catch. His long, delicate fingers pick it up and he finds himself almost laughing at himself

*You thought this was going to be your freedom and now you're just more chained to her them*

Of course he's just stuck being a monster, what did he expect? He gathers the book in his hands and not far, discarded by the door, he finds the small lock, the mockery of having to use his lockpicking skills to put it back together does not escape him.

Once the lock is back in place there’s only one thing left to do. His resignation has almost taken over if it wasn’t for that tinge just at the bottom of his stomach that wishes for him to destroy the book, destroy the room and have splinters find their way under his skin so that maybe, hopefully, the pain will take his attention away from the spectacular failure he is.

*serves me well for conceding anything to hope*

In a flash he’s out of his door, gliding through the shadows. The corridor should simply bow to his graceful presence as he approaches her room. Again.

His hand pushes the door slightly and in a moment he’s in, this time making sure the lock is turned just to avoid any sudden interruption, and within a few seconds his senses are assaulted once again by that scent that makes him feel both a drunkard and abstinent by necessity more than choice. A sigh is the loudest noise he allows himself to make as he exhales: the less he has her scent in his lungs, the easier it will be to ignore it.

Her breath is deep and regular which gives him information enough to carefully reach for her bedside table where her bag was discarded, and indeed, it’s still there waiting for him, half open. The little book still in his hand and he’s just about to place it back there

*Like absolutely nothing ever happened*

And in that moment he realises, as soon as it’s back, it’s gone. His one window to her unadulterated thoughts is gone. The one access he has ever had to someone, anyone’s actual idea of him that wasn’t serving a purpose or trying to extort something from him. If her behaviour had fooled him so completely then it was reasonable to consider the possibility she never intended to act upon any of her reflections, and the book held so many he found himself cursing the fact his elven life ended earlier and lasted much less than his immortal one, before he could learn how to commit to memory more enduringly that the last few hours perusing the little tome allowed him.

*nasty little tease! letting my mind slip that far back!*

His head shakes slightly and a bitter smile pulls the corner of his lips. There’s no point crying over spilled milk again. His hand doesn’t even touch the bag, but the book is back in it, as if it never left. With his body crouched next to bed he can see the look on her face, the look of someone who has really been peacefully resting for the last few hours, completely and utterly unaware about how she has taken that peace almost directly from him: he should have rested, he should have gone hunting and the mere thought reminds him of that dry, stinging feeling in his throat. But instead of satiating his hunger, gaining any ounce of strength back, any semblance of mortality, he just wasted the entire night on that vexatious little book that she guarded so intensely for absolutely no reason.

*Nothing no one of value in it!*

*As if she’s not been a damned little inconvenience already!*

But that’s when she begins stirring and the image of the moment when he was just that close to her a few hours prior, flashes in his mind again. Her warm fingers on the back of his neck as traitors ready to find a spot to bury a dagger

*I should know! I’ve played this game before, you hussy! better than you ever will!*

Those fingers seemingly trying to grasp at him just before a soft whiff of that intoxicating scent escaped her lips when she hummed, barely intelligible: Stay.

And she might just have given him an excellent solution. Out of that image it finally dawns on him:

*For all she knows, I have never left*

As if the mystification of the last hours had never happened, he can just slip back into the flirtatious role that she last remembers, and at that, he whisks himself up and his leg gracefully drapes over hers so that in the next moment his body is now behind hers, without so much as a breath *or heartbeat* skipped on her part. She wanted him to stay didn’t she? In hindsight it’s just like they say *aul iasa nha tho in vino veritas*. And now her tipsiness really reads as someone’s infatuation, he had confirmation from her own well guarded thoughts, her fingers and heart committing words to paper that would have kept being nothing but denied by the demeanour she carries herself with, except for last night.

*And isn’t it going to be a delight to coax the truth out of her own lips, when I already know I have her protection, before I even had a chance to persuade her so*

That is the first time the realisation dawns on him: no matter how well she hides her feelings, he is already under her skin, there is nothing that he can’t convince strangers to give him, the knowledge that

+he’s on my mind, really almost all the time+

And *oh! What a terribly applicative concession!* He knows, before he even thought to strike, that he will hit the target in the perfect bull’s eye. The attainment of that awareness almost lets him enjoy, for the first time, fully, completely, the exhilarating aroma that she emanates, because in due time, understanding how that little precious tome has opened her mind, her actual mind, to him, he now knows.

Before he has to ask.

He will taste her.

Because she already says yes to him in every thought of hers he occupies.

#astarion #astarion ancunin #astarion x oc #astarion x reader #baldurs gate astarion #bg3 astarion #bg 3 #bg 3 fanfic #astarion fanfic #astarion x tav #astarion bg3 #baldur's gate fanfiction #am i fucking insane astarion fanfic

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rootsofdread · 1 year

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Hi! I just found your blog(? is it called a Tumblr? a blog? I still don't know) and I love it! I'm sort of an on-and-off Dead by Daylight player, but seeing this great thing you've got going on here makes me kinda want to go play more.

I dunno if this is an acceptable request, but: how would the denizens of the Fog feel about a friendly and helpful dog!Reader?

For the killers, the faithful companion is leading them to injured survivors and also barking at people who try to sneak by (though likely not always successfully, since the Fog is likely messing with their senses), maybe even knocking things out of survivors' hands because they're a mischief maker.

For the Survivors, the friendly pooch is leading injured survivors away from the killer and to healers, picking up and bringing them dropped items, and barking at stalking killers to warn the people it cares about.

Everyone needs a friendly animal sometimes, I think. There's something really nice about petting a fuzzy friend when you've had a bad day, and I feel like being in the Fog probably means you have a lot of bad days.

most people call them blogs hehe! this was honestly such a fun request to do though, i was delighted seeing it in my inbox!! very unique and fun to write :-D!!

Jake Park:

Jake had long learned to be wary of animals — creatures, more like — found in the fog. So he was understandably skeptical when he saw a dog sniffing around in the distance. He was sure he’d see you transform into some grotesque monster. He was shocked to see you lead the killer into a trap he had set up earlier in the trial, jumping over it while they stepped into it.

He knew you’d be next if they caught up to you. He whistles to get your attention and makes sure you run away with him, ahead of him, even. There’s something strangely freeing about being with an animal again, to him, running with one and feeling like he’s truly in the wild again.

You help him a lot with building make-shift traps and getting items together for himself and his teammates. He never has to worry about being unprepared with you around, he can tell you to go find something he needs, and chances are, you’ll be back with it in no time. You’re often more helpful at times than his teammates are.

Jeff Johansen:

Jeff couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw you walk up to him while he was working on a generator. A stray dog. He was sure you were a figment of his imagination — but attempts to snap himself out of it proved futile. But he still wasn’t too sure, of course, he figured you must be something conjured by the Entity to mess with him and other survivors.

But he began to trust you more when you lead him into a nearby out-of-sight corner just as the killer skulked by. He was in disbelief that you knew they were coming before he did, and seemed to figure this must mean you’re here to protect him rather than mess with him.

That said, he often spends more time protecting you than you do protecting him. He tells you to run and takes chase from the killer before they find you, and he’s thankful when you decide to listen instead of continue to follow him; he wants you to help everyone else when you can’t help him. You’ve brought him happiness and he’ll protect you at any cost.

Max Thompson Jr. / The Hillbilly:

Max doesn’t have a great track record with animals, and he nearly killed you when he first noticed you during a trial. The incessant barking is almost what did it — but then he noticed you were clearly barking at something. A bush? No, something inside the bush. He could hear something.

He swung his hammer into the greenery and collided with flesh. An injured survivor had been hiding from him, and you led him straight to them. He seems to decide for himself, maybe you can be useful. He lets you follow him around for the rest of the trial, occasionally looking over his shoulder to see you wagging your tail.

He eventually becomes much more attached to you, thinking of you more as a pet than a convenience. He can frequently be seen petting you and throwing you treats after you help him catch survivors, and perhaps, on occasion, he lets you lay your head in his lap while the two of you rest after a long trial.

Anna / The Huntress:

Of course, Anna had seen animals in the fog; the nasty creatures the Entity had spawned. They’re easy pickings, a fun activity for her when she’s not in a trial. She was surprised when she lobbed a hatchet at you and you actually dodged it. She knew you were smarter, a different kind of animal. A real animal, like from before.

Believe it or not, she was actually delighted to have found a real animal in the fog. She loved animals. And a dog, too — she always wanted a dog, particularly for hunting, but she had heard what great companions they make. It was never a secret how much she’d always wanted a friend.

She immediately takes to you and lets you come with her. She loves having an easy way to pinpoint where survivors are with you, letting you run off into the trialgrounds and alert her to the exact locations of them, occasionally even dragging injured survivors straight back to her. You’re rewarded with treats from her hunts.

#inbox #jake park #jeff johansen #max thompson jr #dbd anna #dbd imagines #dbd x reader #dbd x you #gender neutral reader #jake park x reader #jeff johansen x reader #max thompson jr x reader #the hillbilly x reader #dbd anna x reader #the huntress x reader

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komotionlessqueenmm · 4 months

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Imagine # 1,058

Picture NOT mine.

Year posted - 2024

Rating - SFW

Reading time (roughly) - 9 minutes & 40 seconds

Is Billy awful? Yep. Do I care? Nope. It's Bill Paxton, so I could care less. I'd still let him hit it. I made the reader a singer in this story, and I wrote with the idea that your a singer similar in style to Lana Del Rey. But you can imagine whatever you'd like, because I never describe the music. I just feel that some of Lana's music fits real well with him.

Also if you've not seen this episode, you can find it here on YouTube. And if you're curious what season and episode it is, its from season 5 episode 5. "People who live in brass hearses" is the name of the episode, and it aired on October 13, 1993. If you'd rather check out the wiki talking about this episode, you can find that here. Also Billy is most definitely OOC.

"You'll really like her Billy, she's real nice, and pretty too!" Virgil beamed at his older brother, who'd just gotten home from prison earlier that day. "Yeah?" Billy smiled softly at his brother's enthusiasm, glad to finally be home, and back with his numbskull of a brother. "Yeah. She moved in next door a few days after you were sent to prison." Virgil yammered on and on about how he met the lovely girl from next door, and how much she helped him while Billy was gone. "If she's so great, then why'd she help a goof like you?" Billy teased his brother while playfully ruffling his hair. "I told ya Billy, she's real nice. You'll see." Virgil promised, continuing to lead his brother to their destination. "Where exactly are we going?" Billy asked as he took in his surroundings, not much had changed from the two years he was gone. Aside from a house or two that had been demolished, and a few businesses changed to something else. "She's a singer Billy, and she's got a show tonight. I thought you might like seeing her sing." Virgil explained, his words having caught Billy's attention.

"Why do you want me to meet her so bad? And see her sing?" Billy asked, pulling Virgil's arm, to get him to stop and answer his questions. "Well... (Y/n) doesn't have a boyfriend... And I was thinking..." Virgil looked away in embarrassment, trying to avoid actually answering his brother's questions. "You were thinking?... What come on spit it out already." Billy urged Virgil with a small sly grin, though he already knew where this was going, he wanted to hear Virgil say it. "Well I was thinking maybe you could be her boyfriend." Virgil said as he nervously rubbed his arm. "Virgil you sly dog you." Billy's grin widened as he playfully wrestled with his brother, which made Virgil laugh excitedly. "I told her all about you Billy, she was always smiling when I talked about you." Virgil added when Billy let up the playful banter. "Was she now?" Billy slung his arm around Virgil's shoulders. "Well then what are we waiting for?" He added as they continued walking to the bar. Virgil told Billy all about her on their way to the bar, trying to describe her appearance as best he could.

But by the time they reached the bar, Billy was woefully unprepared for just how pretty the young singer would be. They had gotten comfortable at the bar, ordering beers, and waiting patiently for the show to start. When the lights dimmed and a melodic music began to start, a hush came over the crowd, and everyone's attention turned to the stage. Then out she walked, the star of the show, in all her glory. Glimmering under the warm glow of the stage lights, her smile brighter than the sun itself. Billy nearly choked on his beer when he laid eyes on her, his jaw dropping as she crossed the stage with graceful steps. Her red dress hugging all the right places, and her jewelry sparkling like stars in the night sky. Billy could have sworn his heart stopped in his chest, from the very moment she began her first song. Her voice enchanting his very soul in ways Billy never could have anticipated. "See I told ya she was pretty." Virgil smiled brightly at his brother, happy to see that Billy apparently approved of her.

"No kidding." Billy chuckled, unable to draw his attention away from the enchantress on the stage. Her words rang in Billy mind, and the things she spoke of began painting a picture in his mind. A picture of him and her together, slow dancing together chest to chest, as she sings to him of her love and desire for him, and him alone. Song after song went by, and Billy found himself growing increasingly impatient about getting to actually meet her. His leg bouncing when she spoke to the crowd about how the next song would be her last for the evening. Her eyes swept over the crowd as she spoke, and when she spotted Virgil, and the man sitting beside him, her eyes visibly lit up. Sparking hope and desire within Billy's heart. She shot a quick wink their way, before starting her last song for the night. Virgil chuckled at the way Billy toyed with his appearance, happy to see that Billy was eager to meet her, and make a good first impression.

The show was now over, and Virgil and Billy eagerly tried to meet up with her outside of the bar. But unfortunately for them, a rather large crowd had formed around the young women, who smiled politely and thanked everyone for their kind words. "Fuckin people." Billy grumbled under his breath, growing increasingly impatient with the unwanted delay. Billy perked up a bit in anticipation, when he noticed a visibility drunk man push his way through the crowd to her. He made unwanted advances towards her, and she tried pushing him away. No one seemed interested in helping her, and that only increased Billy's anger. Similar to the drunkard Billy shoved his way through the crowd until he reached her side. And without a word he pulled back and swung, knocking the man unconscious in one hit. Protectively putting his arm around her waist, and pulling her into his side.

"Scram you vultures." Billy hissed at the crowd, who grumbled in annoyance, but complied none the less, dispersing in less than a minute. "My names (Y/n)." She peered up at Billy, who grinned at her words, holding her a little tighter against his side. "I'm Billy." He flashed her a charming smile, his chest swelling with pride when he noticed the blush dusting her cheeks. "Hiya (Y/n), the show was amazing tonight." Virgil cut in with a bright smile. "Oh thank you Virgil, I'm glad you enjoyed the show." She smiled at her friend, breaking away from Billy to pull Virgil into a quick hug. When she pulled away from her hug with Virgil, Billy noticed the shiver she gave from the chill in the night air. And without a second thought, she shrugged off his prized leather jacket, and slung it across her shoulders. (Y/n) turned to him with a bashful smile, thanking him in a soft tone of voice. "Mind if we walk you home?" Billy asked. "How do you know I didn't drive here?" She asked with a small grin. "Because there are no more cars in the parking lot." Billy pointed out, making her grin widen. "Well then in that case, I'd love it if you'd walk me home." She mused as she took his hand in hers.

Billy and (Y/n) took the lead, and Virgil followed closely behind them, smiling brightly at the sight of his good friend, and brother getting along so well. "So you've been looking after my baby brother this whole time huh?" Billy asked, smiling down at her. "Oh well Virgil was doing okay on his own. I just helped around the house, cleaning up a bit, cooking, shopping for groceries with him, and helping him manage his bills. Really it's what any good neighbor would do, and he's a sweetheart so I enjoy spending time with him." She explained with a fond smile. "Well I think little old Virgil got lucky to have such a generous neighbor such as yourself. And I got lucky to meet the beauty looking out for him." Billy flirted making (Y/n) giggle softly as she leaned into his side, grinning when he casually wrapped his arm across her shoulders. "Who knew you'd be such a charmer." (Y/n) mused as she peered up at him. "And who knew you'd be such a dame." Billy countered before suddenly sweeping her off her feet, and into his arms making her squeal in surprise.

"Billy!" She cried out with a laugh. "Can't have you walking through a puddle now can we?" Billy asked as he turned her attention to the large mud puddle in the broken portion of the sidewalk. "My hero." She leaned into his hold, again making his chest swell with pride. "Anytime babe anytime." He grinned still carrying her despite being well passed the mud puddle. "Hey (Y/n)." Virgil called to her. "Yes hun?" She turned her gaze to him, peering over Billy's tattooed shoulder. "Would you... Would you maybe be interested in dating Billy?" Virgil asked. His words made (Y/n) giggle bashfully, hiding her face in Billy's neck for a moment. Billy was unbothered by his brothers blunt question, but he was definitely curious about what (Y/n) would say. "Yeah what do you think darlin'?" He inquired with a grin. "Well... Yeah I think I might... He's just my type after all." She grinned at Virgil who was beaming with excitement. "Good to know." Billy muttered before planting a quick kiss against her cheek. (Y/n) again bushed and hid her face in Billy's neck with a bashful giggle.

Buy me a coffee sometime? ☕️

(Click the coffee for my Kofi link, IT'S NOT NECESSARY BTW.)

Billy is such a weirdo with his whole butter obsession, but again it's Bill Paxton so I'm in love.

Also I doubt this one will get much attention, considering how obscure it is, but that's okay, I mostly just write for myself anyways in all honesty.

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allsadnshit · 5 months

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I had a terrible nightmare last night that my bosses were my old art teachers in school and when I realized that I knew it was going to be unfair to have teachers so biased against me and all I wanted to do was draw and none of the other students would stick up for me or believe me that I was being treated badly in fact they were mocking my frustration and saying how easy the class was so I went to the supervisor to tell them I just needed to be excused from that class and could take any other one in its place and she started pulling receipts saying id done this too many times before and it was a boy who cried wolf situation that had absolutely no substance anymore and I was clearly the one making the problems and wouldn't be believed by anyone given my history of always getting bad blood with people

I kept begging everyone to see that I wasn't asking for anyone else's punishment and I wasn't trying to get people to be angry about what I was angry about I just wanted to be able to leave a situation that is unhealthy for me but they kept laughing in my face and saying I had no where to go

I woke up feeling so so sick. Everything with my job in real life feels it's escalated even though I've tried to handle things as well as I could and went to therapy before making any decisions to make sure what I wanted to do was aligned with sincerity and myself and when I tried to call my co workers to tell them i was demoted and to not keep working on the specialty drink ideas I had given the shop before finding out I wouldn't be paid on them they had me on speakerphone and my boss heard me saying I was demoted and they quickly hung up to avoid conflict and when I called them back I told them sorry yeah it's awkward but it's not a secret and I am not hiding something this is just actually the situation and that hanging up and bolting probably looks more suspicious than just telling them.

Then last night after I told my bosses I want my Sunday shift covered (cause I need more time to think about things and how I want to handle them and going in and working with them right now is not okay for me) the husband responded in a separate text which was weird and just said sure but that we should all talk if I need to do things don't fester if I have something I need to say. And I do, and I will but I need time to because half the problem is that they sprung the whole conversation and demotion on me without any warning like didn't even tell me we would be talking about it that day so I was so unprepared and it was really unfair to me. I muted the business and the other bosses instagrams i follow from seeing my story cause I want some privacy from them whether I'm having good days or bad days I just don't want them having access to me right now with everything going on and so they started lurking on my story from a secret account I didn't know the husband even had and I only caught it because he watched a story of mine for the first time and so quickly after I posted it that his name wasn't just lost in the views and I saw it. It was so off putting and like clearly they've never done that before so it wasn't normal and felt so invasive since they clearly realized I had blocked their other accounts from my story...

I'm going to probably have to be unemployed for MONTHS when I quit and I'm not trying to spite anyone I am trying to have some self respect and uphold the boundaries I have with myself about what treatment I will allow and what energy I'm willing to give to businesses that profit off it but don't appreciate it.

I've never ever ever quit something like this before but I know it just won't sit right with me to stay just for the sake of the money and peace it's just going to become worse and I need to walk away but I feel like none of my peers are gonna have my back.

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mermaidchan05 · 3 months

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Vesuvia Weekly: "We're going to Disney World!"

(Insert "When You Wish Upon a Star" audio here)

I guess this one kinda looks like the "explaining our world to the M6" prompt if you squint?

Yeah I don't know how to explain the real world to people in the real world, so... imagine a scenario where the M6 has somehow been transported to our world, and then introduced to movies. And upon being introduced to Disney movies specifically, clearly the next step is a trip to Disney World. Here's some headcanon bullets for how I think a trip with the four main LI's I write for and their loves would go!

Julian (and Damian)

Julian is living.

Seriously this is one of the best days of his life.

He knows theater magic, and he just stepped onto the world's biggest interactive stage.

It's extra magical with Damian there.

Thanks to Damian (who is a gamer at heart), Julian now knows as much about computers as he possibly can, so “this ride goes this way because of a computer command” makes perfect sense to him and it is wonderful.

He was very nervous about going on the Haunted Mansion at first, and if he had just gone unprepared he would have hated it. But he had Damian by his side, and Damian has all the behind-the-scenes information. He’s talking Julian through every single trick and story concept, and it is fascinating.

Julian is entranced by the Pepper’s Ghost effect now and he’s going to try it out the second he gets home.

Get this man on Pirates of the Caribbean, stat!

Julian sees Flynn Rider in the parade and starts rambling about whether or not he could pull off a part like that.

(oh no now everyone is going to be introduced to the idea of cosplay...)

Asra (and Meleia)

Best day of their life Part 2: Electric Boogaloo

Asra practically needs one of those child leash backpacks he is looking at everything.

There is so much to see and so much to do and everything is beautiful and fascinating and you walk down the street and end up in an entirely different world...

It's practically as fun as exploring the Magical Realms. And here he has sights and activities and food that he's never even dreamed of.

But the best part for him is just reveling in Meleia’s joy.

Meleia loves Disney. She loves Disney World. And she adores sharing all of her favorite rides and shows and restaurants with Asra.

And Asra loves seeing her so happy. The two of them are basically wrapped up in an endless feedback loop of childlike wonder and whimsy and it’s incredible.

While they see the benefit of skipping the lines, Asra can also thoroughly enjoy just interacting with all the fun queues. Catch them almost stalling the line to spot every single one of Tinkerbell’s hiding spots and play with his own shadow in the Peter Pan’s Flight queue.

(Since it's his favorite Disney movie according to the og devs) Asra absolutely goes on a hunt for every single possible piece of Emperor’s New Groove merchandise he can find. Comes out with a surprising amount of it despite no one else actually seeing anything. Where did this come from, Asra?

Collects those little plushies with magnets that can sit on your shoulder. Has a new Shoulder Buddy for every day of the trip.

Nadia (featuring a brief appearence by Portia and Chimalus)

Nadia is the Ultimate Planner

She loves puzzles, she knows all about how to organize people, and the gang just dropped the world’s biggest organization puzzle right in front of her.

She is on it.

There’s a long list of things that everyone wants to see? And they have a limited time to do it all? No problem.

She did the research. She found the best possible times to get everything done. And now she has a color-coded schedule, complete with contingency plans.

She could have just done one of those fancy VIP tour things, but this is much more fun.

She knows exactly how to Navigate the parks despite never being there before.

Disney World has a gift shop practically around every corner. This is the perfect place to spoil all of her friends.

She will find a way to secretly buy things for everyone. Sometimes even while they are all exploring the same store.

Gets the perfect fancy dining reservations.

Absolutely sets aside time for people to break off into smaller groups.

Since she knows that Chimalus doesn't do loud noises, and Portia desperately wants to see the fireworks, Nadia would absolutely book one of those fancy Dinner and Fireworks experiences where you can admire the show from a safer distance while also enjoying delicious food.

She makes several mental notes for the next Masquerade. New goal: Outdo Disney. If anyone can pull it off, it's Nadia.

Portia (featuring a brief mention of Chimalus)

One might think Portia would be the second person you’d want to give a child leash-backpack to, but no.

She’s not going anywhere without "dragging" as many people alongside her as she can.

In a beautiful world where the original Fastpass system is still in place (because it was scientifically proven to be the Best One) Portia is the one running to the kiosks to get The Perfect Fastpass.

This girl has never been on a trip like this, but she has still somehow mastered the art of the Disney World Mom Bag.

Ponchos for the rain? In there. Bandaids? Covered. Snacks and water bottles? Oh, absolutely.

She even brought ear protection for Chimalus, so nothing could stop them from enjoying every experience.

Absolutely cries over the fireworks.

She has also discovered the joy of a camera. She will find time to take the best possible pictures of everyone, and no one knows how she pulls it off.

For Portia, this isn’t just a place where all those fun new movies she’s just learned about comes to life, it’s the place where some of her favorite childhood stories are actually real. And she loves it.

Has about a million ideas for writing her own books when she gets home. Chimalus highly encourages this and can't wait to read what she comes up with.

#vesuvia weekly #educate the m6 #(okay only kinda sorta but still maybe it counts lol)#fun with headcanons #finally my knowledge of disney world comes in handy lol

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sky-the-trans-guy00 · 1 year

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Her PR Guy-Chapter 1

Disclaimer

I wrote this story with a trans male insert because I, myself, am a trans dude, and there hasn’t been a whole lot of content in this fandom for trans men. Without further ado, this is my debut story.

Y/N’s POV

I met Kristie while working in Gotham’s Public Relations Department. I was a recent college graduate with a passion for sports and storytelling, yet I had little to no idea what type of world I was stepping into. My job was to run the social media accounts and help craft stories that would captivate fans and media members alike. What I didn’t realize at the time, is that my story would be worth telling someday, too.

***

It was my first media day working for Gotham, and I was totally freaking out. I mean, this was my dream, one that I had fought tooth and nail for. I had never dared to imagine this possibility, but here I was, and I felt woefully unprepared.

Get it together (Y/N)! You worked so hard to get here, and we got this. Yael believes in you, and you can conquer anything you set your mind to. You wanted so badly to have a fresh start, so take advantage of it!

I went over to the players and introduced myself, "Hey everyone, my name's (Y/N), my pronouns are he/him, and I'm your new PR guy." A lot of the players seemed stunned, probably because I'm a guy working for an NWSL team, so I decided to clear some things up. “I’m also a proud trans man who knows that the future is female, especially in sports. I’ll be mainly working with the photographers and videographers to get content for our socials, but I’m here if you need anything.”

Kristie’s POV

“Did anyone else find him super attractive, or is it just me?” Kristie said.

“He’s definitely a cutie,” Ali said and Lynn nodded in agreement.

“He could be just what the doctor ordered, with your recent breakup and everything,” added Midge.

“He’s easy on the eyes, that’s for sure,” Kristie responded while looking at you as you walked away from the team, ”Let’s just hope he isn’t a fuckboy.”

***

Y/N’s POV

It’s been over a month since I introduced myself to the players, and I can’t get Kristie Mewis out of my head. She’s been flirting with me since we met, but I can barely function in her presence, not to mention I literally work for the team. Before I can get too in my head about it, I get a call from my buddy Alex.

“Hey (Y/N)! How’s the new job going?”

“It’s going well,” I replied, “I think I have a crush on one of the players, though…”

“I fail to see the problem, bro,” said Alex.

“You are a hot, eligible bachelor, and any girl would be lucky to have you. You even told me that two of the players are married, so workplace dating is obviously not a problem.”

“Yeah, but I’m not trying to deal with another Karen incident!” I exclaimed.

Karen was a close friend of mine in college who really fucked me over. I managed her campaign for Student Body President, and when she found out I had a crush on her, she flipped out and cut me off, but only after I helped her win the election. She ignored me for weeks following her win, and when we finally spoke about what had happened, she told me she thought it was best that we ‘keep it professional.’ To add insult to injury, all of our mutual friends decided I wasn’t worth sticking around for. I tried to take the “high road” and didn’t tell anyone my side of things until it was too late and they had already taken her side.

“How long are you going to let Karen control your life? You can’t keep giving other people your power, bro.”

I knew that he wasn’t wrong, but I wasn’t ready to let go of the past.

“Yeah, but this girl is so out of my league it’s unbelievable. Not to mention, I’m pretty sure she has a girlfriend!”

“You sure about that (Y/N)?”

“Not entirely, but why would she date a loser like me when she has her pick of almost every queer athlete?”

Much to my chagrin, I was not athletic by any means, which was definitely an insecurity of mine. Deep down, I still felt like the sad, closeted, insecure kid with no friends that I was in High School, despite all of my work in therapy.

“You may not be athletic, but you’re super kind and loyal as fuck. Trust me when I say that what you think you may lack in physical attractiveness pales in comparison to the type of person you are. You’re full of green flags— except for your inability to take a good selfie, which most people find endearing. Face it (Y/N), the only thing that’s standing in your way is you. You control your own destiny, and you my friend are a catch; remember that.” Said Alex

“Thanks for hyping me up, my guy. I’m going to talk to my therapist about this.” I said.

“As you should, (Y/N)! I’m here for you if you need anything, and I’m only one call away. You got this homie.”

I ended the call and reflected upon Alex’s advice.

Everything you want is in reach and ripe for the taking! You got this (Y/N), I thought to myself.

#woso x reader #woso imagine #woso fanfics #kristie mewis x reader #kristie mewis #kristie mewis imagine #uswnt imagine #uswnt x reader #transmasculine reader

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sarahsmi13s · 1 year

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Picture Perfect Tattoos

(not my gif)

pairing: bradley ‘rooster’ bradshaw x tattoo artist!reader

characters: bradley bradshaw, the dagger squad, mickey ‘fanboy’ garica, jake ‘hangman’ seresin, goose and carole bradshaw (mentioned)

warnings: fem!reader, language, canon character deaths (carole and goose), reader’s mother was a marine, parental death, memorial tattoos, if i missed any i apologize

word count: only ~8.5k (i thought it was higher than that but i still apologize)

quick summary: bradley had always wanted something to memoralize his father, but he could never come up with anything he liked. until he meets you, a local artist that can relate to him on a level not many people can.

*********

Rooster had always thought of getting a tattoo in remembrance of his father. But he just didn’t know what to get.

He had gotten one for his mom when she had passed. The one for her was easy, her handwriting. “You got this! Love, Mom” was tattooed on his wrist. It was a copy of a sticky note she had put in his baseball bag for an away game she couldn’t make it to. He pitched his best game that night and has held onto the note ever since.

But for Goose? He wouldn’t know where to start. He could get so many things. He just didn’t know what would really show him who his dad was.

Rooster had always felt like if he wanted a tattoo, he needed to have it planned out and ready. He hated feeling unprepared.

“Why don’t you just get a goose tattooed on you?” Hangman suggested casually as he sipped his beer. Everyone else at the table looked at him with wide eyes before looking at Rooster. “You know, he’d actually find that really funny.” The other pilots relaxed, they weren’t sure what grounds the two were on considering the last time Hangman had the balls to talk about Rooster’s father nearly got them both kicked off the mission.

Rooster shook his head, and rubbed his nose as he sat up, “But seriously, I want something that really represents who he was. Or at least who he was to me.” He brandished his wrist to the group, “Like this. My mom wrote me a note and stuck it in my baseball bag. I pitched my best game that night, so I kept it with me. I still have it. But paper only lasts so long, I wanted it in the sky with me but I was too afraid I’d lose it if anything happened.” The group nodded, small smiles on their faces.

Bradley had always been a private person. Sure he was outgoing and could bring life to a party if he needed to, but he didn’t get close to people. So him sharing that little detail about his life showed them that he was letting down his walls.

Fanboy spoke up, “Why don’t you just get a consultation?” He said it like it was the most obvious option. Phoenix nodded, “Yeah, that’s actually a really good idea!” Rooster’s brow furrowed, “A consultation?” Fanboy nodded and sat up a little more, “Yeah, I mean, you know what a consultation is, right?” “Of course I know what a consultation is, Garcia. But they do those for tattoos?”

The WSO laughed, “Yes! I actually went to one the other day and the artist was really cool, she nerded out with me over some things and it went really well. She had a few designs drawn up the next day and I go back to her on Saturday. I could give you her card if you want?” He was already reaching for his wallet, but Rooster held out a hand. “Give me a day or two to think about it and I’ll get back to you.” Fanboy nodded and got up to pull Fritz, Bob, and Omaha into a game of pool.

Everyone got up and went off to do their own thing, leaving Rooster to sit and observe.

He lifted his bottle to his mouth, finding it empty. He pushed himself up and walked to the bar to get himself another.

When he gets to the bar, the bell rings. He smiles and claps his hands, scanning the crowd for the poor soul that broke a rule. He spotted someone laughing with their phone in the air, bingo.

“What can I get you, Rooster?” Penny asked, leaning against the bar. “Just my usual, please.” She patted the bar, and was off to get his drink. Rooster turned and leaned against the bar, just watching the crowd but avoiding looking at his fellow pilots so he didn’t have to bring them a round.

His eyes landed on the back widows, watching the families on the beaches packing up as the sun began to set behind the water. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a girl on a table out back.

There was nothing really special about her appearance, she wore a university sweater and sweatpants with her hair pulled back out of her face in a messy bun. But compared to the girls on the inside of the bar, she stood out. And Bradley was entranced.

“Here you go, Lieutenant.”

Penny’s voice pulled him back. He smiled at her, “Thanks Pen.” She smiled and turned to walk away, but he spoke again. “Hey, who’s that girl outside?” Penny followed Bradley’s finger and spotted her. She smiled fondly, “She comes in all the time. Sometimes she’s here with friends, sometimes by herself.” Rooster nodded, “Does she always sit outside when she’s here by herself?” Penny shook her head, “Not always.” He nodded and looked back out at the girl.

Even now, Penny could tell Bradley wanted to talk to her. He was obviously hesitant, not knowing the perfect way or moment to approach her. Same ole Rooster.

She smiled, “Hey, I’m a little swamped here with these drinks and she ordered cheese fries, I’d hate for them to get cold. Would you take them to her for me?” Rooster turned his head to her, “Uh, yeah, yeah sure. What’s she drinkin’?” Penny chuckled, “Water mostly. She had an Angry Orchard when she got here.” Rooster nodded and watched Penny walk to the kitchen to grab the food.

When she brought it back, she added a glass of water and a bottle of cider. Bradley nodded and headed to the back door.

Penny smirked and turned to Mav, who arched a brow at the look on her face. “What’s that look for?” She just shook her head and moved on.

********

You had been sitting outside the Hard Deck for a little bit now. Just watching the waves and the sunset, trying to find inspiration.

“Oh my gosh, brain, why can’t you just work?” You groaned, dropping your pencil onto the picnic table.

“Don’t be so hard on her, she’s doing her best.”

You gasped, startled by the new voice. “I’m sorry,” he laughed, sitting the tray he had down. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” Laughing as well, you shook your head, “No, it’s okay. Just-” You sighed, not really knowing what to say.

You laughed again and got off the table, sitting in the actual seat. You looked down at the tray and saw the cheese fries. “Oh, yeah, Penny sent me out here with those. Some poor soul left their phone on the bar, she got swarmed.” Smiling, you looked up at him, taking in his appearance.

He was a pilot, that much you could tell by the tags over his black t-shirt. You’d seen him around the bar before. He’d caught your eye the moment he came in, but you had been too nervous to talk to him.

“Thank you…” Your arched brow prompted him to fill in the blank. “Rooster.” You nodded, smiling. Of course, you already knew his name, well his call sign at least. But you thought it weird to just say it, he didn’t know you.

He smiled, “You’re welcome…” He copied your previous action. “Y/N.” He repeated your name and you're certain it gave you heart eyes. “Mind if I join you?” You gestured to the space across you, “Not at all.” Rooster sat down and surveyed your set-up.

“So, you totally don’t have answer and can just tell me to fuck off,” Rooster started, taking a sip of his beer. “But, why are you outside? Alone?” You shrugged and took a gulp of the cider he brought you, “I needed a change of scenery. Artist block thrives when you look at the same four walls.” “So you picked a bar?” You smiled, glancing inside to see groups of friends laughing or engaged in friendly competition. “Not just any bar,” you said, turning back to Rooster. “I picked The Hard Deck.”

The way you said the bar’s name with such pride and fondness had Rooster’s heart beating out of his chest.

You grabbed a fry, carefully moving it so you didn’t get any cheese anywhere before shoving it in your mouth. After swallowing it, you spoke again, “The atmosphere here is just phenomenal. It’s warm and inviting, the owner works here and she does a damn good job of keeping people in line.” You looked back out to the shore, the waves frothing seafoam onto the sand.

Rooster’s breath caught in his chest at the sight before him. The golden hour sun was hitting your face beautifully, it made your hair shine and caught the different shades of (h/c) in it.

He snapped out of his trance when you moved to face him again.

“And the view is just gorgeous,” you looked at him when you said that, trying your best to be subtle but obvious at the same time. Hoping that he would question whether you meant him or the beach. He seemed caught off guard but played it off, smirking behind the rim of his bottle, “I’ll definitely agree with you on that one.” You giggled and grabbed another fry before turning to your sketchbook, typing something on your laptop.

Rooster cleared his throat and pointed to your sketchbook. “You working on something specific?” You shook your head, smirking a little bit as you looked up at him before going back to your paper. “Not at the moment, no. Just trying to get the juices flowing.” You pointed to the fries, “Feel free to take some.”

Bradley watched you work, his eyes taking in everything on your face from the way your nose twitched and your tongue pulling your bottom lip between your teeth. He saw your brow furrow before you sighed and sat back.

You groaned and ran a hand down your face. “Everything okay?” You rubbed your eyes before turning back to him, “Yeah.” He hummed, “How long have you been staring at that screen?” “A few hours? Maybe.” Rooster reached over and slowly shut your laptop, obviously giving you the opportunity to stop him.

“How about you take a break? At least from the screen.” You smiled, “Probably should take a break from all of it.” You closed your sketchbook and placed it on your laptop, facing Rooster to give him your full attention. “And getting to know someone new might be a good source of inspiration.”

He smiled and from there you both talked about yourselves. Taking turns asking questions and getting to know each other.

******

Before you knew it the bar’s crowd was thinning and you hadn’t stopped smiling.

“Rooster!” You both looked towards the door, seeing a tall blond. The blond smirked and leaned against the door, “Oh, was I interrupting something?” As you went to shake your head, Rooster nodded and spoke up, “Yes, Hangman, yes you were. We were having a very engaging conversation.” He pushed himself off the frame, plucking the toothpick from his mouth, “I’d say. You’ve been out here for hours.”

Your brows shot up as Rooster turned to you. Both of you glanced at your respective watches. “Holy shit, we have been talking for hours.” You smiled at him, “Hours well spent, I’d say.” Rooster smiled at you, “Agreed.”

Hangman looked between you two, smirking to himself. “Well, I’m glad you got the foreplay out of the way. But Penny wants to close up, so go pay your tabs and then you can go at it. I’m going home.” He patted the wood and went in.

You laughed to yourself and packed your things into your bag. Rooster frowned with worry, “Hey, don’t mind him, he’s just-” “Being Hangman?” You asked with an arched brow, humor in your voice. He chuckled in relief that you weren’t upset. “Yeah.” You nodded, “I’m sure my friend would have said the same thing.”

It was silent as you shouldered your bag and you both walked in.

He opened his mouth, but you spoke first. “Look, Rooster, I really did have a good time talking to you. But I don’t just want to be a hookup, I don’t think you want that either. Or at least I hope that’s the case.” He nodded, “Well you’re right. I don’t want this to just be a hookup. I really enjoyed talking to you.” You smiled, “Good.”

Penny walked over to where you both were at the bar. She had a playful glint in her eye, “I was wondering where you disappeared off to. Here to pay your tab?” “Yes ma’am,” Rooster said, pulling out his card. “Put Y/N’s on mine too.” Penny nodded and smiled, “I’ll get right on that.”

You shook your head, “You didn’t have to do that. Pen-” You lifted your hand to grab her attention, but Rooster pulled it down. “I know I didn’t have to. I wanted to.” You pointed a finger, grinning, “I’m paying next time. Non negotiable Lieutenant.” He hummed, “We’ll see.”

A plastic tap on the bar pulled you and Rooster from each other. “There you go, Rooster. Y/N, when will I get the pleasure of seeing you again?” “It wouldn’t be as special if I told you, would it?” She laughed and you sneakily grabbed your receipt. “I guess not. Y’all have a good night.”

Bradley nodded at her before gently cradling your arm to lead you outside.

“Which one’s yours?” You pointed to the black 67 impala. “Holy shit, you’re serious?” You nodded, smiling, “Oh yeah. But I only drive her occasionally. My dad got her for me.” You unlocked it and slid your bag across the seat, before closing it and leaning on the car. “I’ve got a Tacoma at home I drive most of the time. It’s easier to find parts for that.” Bradley scoffed, “Tell me about it.” You giggled and glanced around the parking lot. “Which one’s yours?” He pointed to his Bronco. You nodded in appreciation, “I guess I’m not the only one with good taste around here. 75?” He nodded, smiling fondly, “Yeah, it was my dad’s.”

You nodded and turned to open your door, but Rooster beat you to it. “Thank you, Roo.” “Of course.” You reached over to your bag, turning your back to Bradley, and grabbed a pen, some cash and the receipt from before. You wrote down your number on the receipt and folded it over the money to conceal it. You put it in his shirt pocket, “Here’s my number. Text me when you get home, okay?” He chuckled, “I thought I was supposed to tell you that?” “We text each other, Roo. It's a mutual concern.” He nodded and smiled, “Right. Have a good night, Y/N.” You started your car as he closed the door. “You too Rooster.”

He watched to make sure you made it onto the road safely before going to his vehicle.

Bradley climbed and pulled the folded up paper you put in his pocket. It felt thicker than he thought it should have been. He read the note on the receipt. ‘I had a great night. Text me when you get home. Keep the change ;)’ His brows furrowed in confusion and he unfolded the paper, finding the cash in it. He laughed and shook head, sliding both back into his shirt pocket and heading home.

*******

Rooster texted you when he got home and called when he got your text that you made it home. Over the next two days you talked and texted when you had the chance. And he had invited you out for drinks on Saturday. But you had to decline because you had work.

And Bradley was a little mopey because of it. “Hey, what’s got you so down man?” Phoenix asked at lunch. “He’s upset ‘cause his girlfriend can’t come to drinks tomorrow,” Hangman said with his mouth full. Phoenix arched a brow at her friend, “Girlfriend?” Rooster shook his head, pointing his fork at Hangman, “She’s not my girlfriend.” “Not yet.” “I’ve known her for two days!” Coyote sat up, “Wait, is it that girl you were talking to the other night?” He nodded, “Yeah. And she’s really cool, I kinda want to see what you guys thought of her before I actually took her out. But she’s got to work and might not be able to come out tomorrow.”

Fanboy straightened up, “Oh, yeah, I might be late tomorrow. I’ve got an appointment with my tattoo artist.” “That’s right, you told us about that the other day.” “Speaking of,” Hangman turned to Rooster. “Have you given any thought to Fanboy’s offer?” Rooster tilted his head, trying to remember. “The consultation with my artist?” “Right! Right, uh, yeah. What the hell, you know. Worth a shot.” Fanboy fist pumped. “Actually, I’m gonna call her right now. And I’ll get you all set up for tomorrow after me. Sound good?” Rooster nodded, “Perfect.”

Mickey pulled out his phone and called the tattoo shop.

*******

You sat under a LED light, the sleeves of your flannel rolled up to your elbows.

“You’re doing so good, keep it up, I’m almost done with your linework.” You praised your client as they sat still as you tattooed their ribs down to their hip. The phone rang but you didn’t get up to answer it, letting the front desk handle it.

“Y/N, it’s for you!” “I’ll be there in a minute!” You filled out the last line of the butterfly.

Turning off your machine, gently patted their leg. “I’ve got the black outlines done, I’m gonna take that call and you can do whatever you need. Go to the bathroom, smoke, get some food, what have you.” They nodded and gently adjusted their shirt, “My partner’s bringing pizza.”

“Ooooh, hope he brought enough to share!” Your coworker and friend, Finn, said as he tattooed his client. “Hush, Finn-” “Actually, he is. I had them get one of everything.” Your jaw dropped, “You’re kidding? Really? You guys spoil us!”

“Y/N, the phone?” You pulled off your gloves, “Right!” You picked it up, “Thank you for calling Island Ink. This is Y/N.” “Hey, it’s Mickey!” You smiled, “Hey, Mick! What’s up?” “I just wanted to know if you had any open slots after me tomorrow?” You pouted as you tried to remember. “I’m pretty sure, but just let me check real quick.” You jogged over to your desk.

You pulled your planner out of the wall basket and opened it on your desk. You hummed as you found the date, “Yes, I’ve got a slot open after you. Why? Do you need to move it back?” “No, no. I’ve actually got a friend that is looking to get a tattoo. He’s not really sure what he wants, has to have a plan and all that.”

You stood up and grabbed a pencil, “Well, if it has significance, they’re best to be thought out and planned.” “Exactly, so do you think you could get him in after me tomorrow?” You smiled, “Of course, what’s his name?” “Bradley Bradshaw.” You hummed, nodding as you penciled him in, “Okay, Mr. Bradshaw is set for tomorrow.” “You’re the best!” “Tell your friends.” “Thank you.” “Of course, fly safe Mick.”

He hung up first and you gave the phone back to the front desk. Before you called your client back over you cleaned up your station.

*******

Mickey slipped his phone into his pocket, smiling victoriously. “You’re in! Just come in tomorrow with me. We’re just going to pick which one I want and then go over the price and time frame. So it shouldn’t take long.” Rooster nodded, “Thanks man.”

*******

Rooster followed Fanboy to the tattoo shop the next day.

When they pulled he noticed that there was only a blue Tacoma in the parking lot. “Where is everyone?” He questioned when they got out. “Oh, yeah, she’s the only one here on Saturdays. Does it for military workers so they don’t have to rush around to leave work.” “Oh, that’s cool.”

They walked in and the floor was empty. The bell on the door chimed to let whoever was there know someone came in.

“I’ll be out there in just a second!”

That made Rooster pause. He knew that voice. He had heard that voice on the phone for the past three days.

Only to cement his suspicions, you walked out from a back room, most likely an office, with papers in your hands.

You wore something casual, wanting to be comfortable but stylish at the same time. Just a simple pair of leggings and the sleeves of a worn out, bleach stained shirt were cut off and a plaid shirt was tied around your waist.

Rooster stopped walking completely and took you in. You had ink up and down one arm in a sleeve and little tattoos on the other one. Through the hole in the shirt, he could see tattoos on your ribs, and he was sure if you were wearing shorts, you would have tattoos littering your legs.

You looked up and made immediate eye contact with Bradley. You gasped quietly and nearly dropped the papers in your hands. “Rooster, hi!”

Fanboy looked between the two of you, connecting the dots. “Wait, Rooster, is Y/N the girl you’ve been talking about the past couple days?” Rooster blinked, getting himself out of the daydream he was in to look at Mickey, “Yeah.” He looked back at you, “You didn’t tell me you were a tattoo artist.” You shrugged sheepishly and pushed your hair behind your ear, “It never really came up. Much like your name, I assume you're Bradley.”

You had never heard his name, only his call sign, around the Hard Deck. And it hadn’t come up over the past few days.

He just smiled, “Yes ma’am.” Fanboy waved his hands in the air, “Wait, how did you not tell her your name?” He shrugged, “Never came up.” You cleared your throat, “Mickey, let’s get started. Bradley, you are more than welcome to look around, get a drink from the fridge or pull up a chair at my desk.” He nodded and started to look around, seeing portfolios on the coffee table and some pieces on the walls.

A few minutes in and Bradley was sitting next to Mickey at your desk and was flipping through one of your books, listening as you went over pricing and time frame for each tattoo option.

“Hey Bradshaw?” Mickey nudged Rooster’s knee. He hummed and looked up. “Which one is more ‘Fanboy’?” Rooster sat up to get a better look at the photos. “Well, they both scream ‘Fanboy’.” “Okay, but if you had to pick one.” “Garcia, this is going on you, get what you would be happy with.” Mickey groaned, “But I’d be happy with either one of these! I’m way too indecisive for this.”

“Well,” you started, gaining both men’s attention. “Both of these would take the same amount of time to do. I could maybe combine the two. Like I could….” Any words you said after that were lost on Bradley as he watched you get so into your work.

He was brought back by Mickey. “So, we’re talking same price and same time frame to get the best of both worlds?” You nodded, “Yeah, it may take a little longer to get started. But I could work on it tonight and send it to you and see what you think?” You neatly put the rest of the ideas in a desk drawer. “Yes, that would be perfect. Thank you so much, Y/N.” Mickey held his hand out for a handshake but you slapped it away and gave him a hug, “Of course.”

You smiled at Bradley, “Let me get him settled and then we can talk about you.” He nodded and took the seat Fanboy was sitting in. You went over to the register and handled that. “Okay, are you staying for this?” He shrugged and checked his watch, “I got time.”

Sitting down at your desk, you grabbed a notebook and flipped it open to the next clean page. You wrote Rooster’s name at the top before looking up at him, “Let’s get started.”

You twirled the pencil in your hand, “Okay, so, have you gotten a tattoo before?” Bradley nudged his nose with his knuckle as he sat up a little more, “Yes, I’ve got one on my wrist. I got it when I was 18. So, it’s been a while.”

Biting your lip, you held out your hand, “May I take a look?” He shrugged and placed his wrist in your palm, “Sure.”

You ran your thumb over the ink. “She had beautiful handwriting…”

Your compliment was breathy, but full of fondness.

Rooster smiled, “Yeah, yeah she did.” He looks from his wrist up to your face, eyes scanning your features.

In this moment, Fanboy felt like a third wheel. Seeing you two look at each other the way you were looking at each other, he thought it better to leave. Also this tattoo was very personal for Rooster; it’s for his dad, someone he had limited memories of and also talked little about.

He told Payback to call him and get him out of there.

When his phone rang both of you looked at him. He answered it quickly, “Hey PB! What’s up?” You watched him nod along to whatever was being said. “Well I’m with Rooster right now.”

Rooster waved his hand, “If you gotta go, go.” He looked at you, smiling, “I think I can handle it from here.” Mickey nodded, “Okay yeah, I’ll be right there.” He hung up, bid farewell and promptly left.

You and Rooster shared a look before laughing. “He is something else,” you said, shaking your head. “Yeah, he sure is.”

You let go of his hand and grabbed your pencil. “So, tell me what you want to get.” “I don’t know, honestly,” Rooster chuckled, looking at his lap a little sheepishly. “I’m sorry, I usually have things like this prepared…” “It’s okay, that’s what these consultations are for. Let’s try a different avenue. Why are you wanting to get another tattoo?”

Bradley clenched his jaw a little, swallowing, “My dad. I want to get a memorial tattoo for him.” You nodded, giving him a small smile in understanding, “Alright, that’s a start.” You wrote that down.

You tapped the paper with your eraser, trying to figure out how to phrase your next question. “What was he like?” You decided on just asking it as gently as possible.

Rooster chuckled a little, sighing at the end, “From what I remember… he was the life of the party, goofy, loud, bold…” You looked up at him, watching his face as he spoke. You could see the pain matched only by admiration.

“How old were you? When he passed…” “4, he was in a training accident.” You rested your arms on the desk. “I’m sorry, that must have been confusing for you. I know it was confusing for me,” you said.

Now, to be clear you didn’t mention that little fact about yourself to make it about you, but simply to show Bradley you could relate and sympathize.

He seemed to realize your goal and gave you a small smile, “Only a little. My mom had always been honest with me about things. But she made sure that I knew how much he loved me, loved us.” You nodded, smiling at him.

Bradley cleared his throat, “Do you have any memorial tattoos? Maybe you could help give me a direction to go?” You nodded, getting up to get closer to him. You sat on his left side and faced him.

Holding out your left arm, you exposed the tattooed dog tags on your bicep with a hand-written quote and signature accompanying it.

Upon closer inspection, Rooster saw that it was signed ‘Mom’.

“Your mom was in the military?” You nodded, smiling a little, “Marine Corp.” “What happened?” You tensed a little and Bradley noticed. “I’m sorry that was-” You shook your head, “It’s okay. She was in a bombing, died on the medevac. I was 5.” “I’m sorry.” You waved it off and sat back down, “It was a long time ago.”

“Tell me about your dad, or at least what stands out the most to you.”

The smile that graced Rooster's face was contagious. “He loved to play the piano. Remember when I said he was the life of the party? That’s why. He’d sing and crack jokes, everyone liked him.” You smiled, “He sounds like a great man, Rooster.” Bradley nodded, “He was.”

You wrote down piano, given that it was something they had in common. “Did he have a favorite song?” Bradley nodded, “Oh yeah, he had a lot of favorites. But-uh…” He trailed off for a second, a bittersweet smile making a short appearance.

“One of the last memories I have is him playing ‘Great Ball of Fire’ on the piano; with me on top of it singing along with him and my mom, my uncle and whoever his fling was at the time.” You both chuckled at the last part. You wrote that down too.

As you wrote little notes down, Bradley noticed a polaroid photo sitting on your desk. He picked it up and looked at it.

It was a photo of you on, what looked like, a dorm bed. You had less tattoos than you do now, but you look more or less the same.

“That was when I was in college, those were the days.” He could hear the fond smile before he looked up and saw it. “You look beautiful.” He watched the blush creep up your cheeks before smirking and looking back at the photo.

His cocky smile turned into a soft smile as he remembered his father. “My dad loved polaroids, he said they capture natural beauty in its purest form, that they memorialized a moment in a way no digital camera ever could. I couldn’t tell you how many polaroids he had of him and Mav up in the sky, or of me when I was barely walking, or of my mom when she was mid laugh.”

Tears had stung your eyes a little as Rooster confided in you.

You wrote down ‘polaroid’ and circled it. This was something you felt needed to be in the tattoo.

Rooster was still looking at the photo when he noticed what you were wearing. “Are you wearing a Hawaiian shirt?” You looked back at the photo, “Oh yeah, I wore it to bed a lot, or when I woke up.”

That put way too many thoughts in Bradley’s head.

He put the photo back, and leaned his arms on your desk. He tried not to be nosy but he couldn’t help but to glance at your notes.

He watched you place your pencil down, “Do you have any photos of him?” Bradley nodded, “Yeah, uh, just a second.” He pushed out of his chair and went to his Bronco.

When he came back he had a photo in his hand.

You gingerly took it when he handed it to you. He chuckled and rubbed his neck, “Unfortunately it’s not a polaroid. But it’s the only one I have on me.” You smiled a little and looked down at the photo.

It was a black and white photo. Nick was posed stoically in front of his plane, and you glanced from him to Bradley. “You look like him,” you said with a smile, gently sliding the photo across the desk.

Rooster chuckled and slid the photo into his shirt pocket, “I get told that a lot. I’m starting to question whether or not it's a compliment.” You smiled, “Oh it’s definitely a compliment.” Bradley arched a brow, “Are you hitting on my dad?”

Your face fell and you pointed an accusatory finger at the pilot across from you, “That was a trap.” He broke out into a laugh and you began to laugh as well.

“Oh!” Rooster reached into his pocket for his phone. You waited patiently as he scrolled through his photos. “Here,” he turned his phone around to show a photo of a photo, it was his parents and him when he was young. You held out your hand for him to place it in your hand. You took in the details, Carole wore a colorful dress, he wore a striped shirt, and Goose wore a Hawaiian shirt covered in hibiscus flowers.

You smiled, head tilting slightly, “You know, you really do look like your dad, but I can see your mom as well.” You gave him his phone back, picking up your pencil to jot something down.

Bradley’s brows raised in surprise, no one had ever told him that- save for his aunts probably. But it wasn’t something he heard often.

“You think?” You nodded, “Oh yeah, your curls and the way your eyes crinkle in the corners when you smile. But that smile is all your dad.” He smiled at you, a full genuine smile. “That one right there,” you smiled back.

Then an idea popped into your head, “What’s your favorite flower?” Bradley looked genuinely baffled by your question, “You plan on getting me flowers, Y/N?” You shrugged, “Maybe. Answer the question.” He chuckled, “Hibiscus, they were actually my dad’s favorite as well. They just help me feel close to him. But the amount of wildflowers I picked up when I was a kid was insane.” You smiled at him and quickly wrote down ‘hibiscus’ in your notes.

You sighed contently, “Okay, I think I’ve got a pretty good idea of how to approach this. I’ll try to get some sketches done within the week and get back to you when I have enough.” You both stood. Rooster wiped his hands on his jeans, shaking his wrist to adjust his watch, “You know how to get a hold of me.” You smiled, “I do. Let’s get you settled.”

After he paid for the consultation and you gathered your things, you both walked out.

Rooster stood guard while you locked up the shop. “Hey, thank you for today and taking time to really sit down and talk it out with me.” You turned and smiled up at him, blushing slightly at how close you were to him, “Of course. A tattoo is a big thing, not everyone can just find something and go with it. Especially something as important as this.” Bradley smiled and opened his arms, offering a hug.

You smiled and hugged him, “I’ll talk to you later Bradley.” He rubbed your back and gave you a quick squeeze. “I’ll text you later.” He walked you to your truck and held the door open for you, helping you up into the seat.

As you started your truck, his phone went off.

“It’s Hangman, hold on.” He answered it, putting it on speaker, “Yeah?” “Hey, where are you?” “I just finished my consultation, why?” “Well, Garcia’s already here so I figured you’d be with him.” “Oh he left early.” You both heard the man pause, “So you were left with the artist by yourself?”

Both of you could hear the suggestive tone in his voice.

“Hi, Hangman,” you spoke up, a playful smirk on your face.

“Bradshaw! You didn’t tell me I was on speaker!” Then it clicked, “Wait, was that the girl from the Hard Deck?” “It is, good ears.” “Well, in that case, take your time Rooster. Bye.” Jake quickly hung up.

Both you and Bradley lost it.

When you calmed down, he checked his watch, “Hey, it’s still pretty early, do you want to head to the Hard Deck? Let me properly buy you a drink this time?” You sighed and you watched his face fall. “I’m sorry-” “No, it’s okay.” “It’s not that I don’t want to, because I do. But I need to get Mickey’s tattoo finished and then get started on yours. I really am sorry Bradley.”

He smiled softly and gently pushed hair out of your face, “Hey, don’t sweat it. Maybe we could go to lunch tomorrow?” You smiled, nodding, “Yeah, that sounds nice. Or… you could come over and have a drink at my place? Order pizza or something. I make mean mac and cheese.”

“It’s not Kraft is it? If the powder isn’t mixed in well enough the texture just- blegh,” he said, obviously teasing. “Kraft? What do you take me for? It’s shredded cheese and bowtie noodles. Only the finest for you,” you teased right back, gently punching his shoulder. “I look forward to it.”

He closed your door as you rolled the window down, “I’ll follow you?” You nodded, “Try to keep up.” You winked and he shook his head, chuckling as he patted the door, “I’ll see you there.”

********

After dinner and a few beers, you and Rooster moved to the living room.

You sat up in the corner of the couch, your work iPad in your lap as your stylist bounced between your pinky and thumb. You had both tattoos Mickey picked on the coffee table and side by side on your screen.

Bradley watched fondly as you worked. Watching you intently as you pulled your bottom lip between your teeth. Watching your blue-light glasses constantly moving from the top of your head to the bridge of your nose. He thought it was cute that you got so focused, seeming to forget he was there as he watched Magnum PI on your TV – the Tom Sellek version, not the reboot.

“Finally, I finished!” You called out throwing your arms up as you dropped your things onto the table. Rooster sat up, “Can I see?” You smiled, passing him your iPad, “Yes!” He smiled and took it, looking over the perfectly merged tattoo for Fanboy. “Holy shit, he’s going to love this,” he complimented as he gave you the device back.

You smiled and sent it to Mickey, relaxing back as soon as it was confirmed to have been saved and sent.

Humming you sat up, your back popping as you stretched. “Snap, crackle, pop over there,” Bradley laughed. “Oh ha ha, you sound like my dad,” you laughed back reaching for your sketchbook to start on Bradley’s.

He rested his hand over yours on the book, “Hey, you just sat there for two hours working on that. Take a breather. You can start on mine later, I don’t mind waiting.” “Are you sure?” He nodded, “I’m sure. Just relax for a minute.”

You nodded and stood up. “I’ll be right back, I need to change.” Rooster nodded and watched you leave.

He sat back on the couch, just watching TV when something caught his eye. On a bookshelf next to your TV looked to be a photo album.

Being nosy, he stood up and went to look through it. As he did he saw a bunch of photos of whom he assumed were your parents. Younger versions of them, and then photos of you when you were a kid. Photos from when your mom came home from deployments when you were barely 3.

When he turned a page, a photo caught his eye.

At first glance, he could have sworn it was you. Everything about it screamed ‘you’. But when he looked closer, more specifically at the date on the photo, he realized that this was your mother.

“I see you found my album.” He jumped at the sound of your voice, turning around, book still open in his hand. You were leaned against the wall, hands in the pockets of your sweat and oversized t-shirt thrown over your top half.

He fumbled around for an apology, “I’m sor- I just saw it- I didn’t-” “Rooster,” you smiled at him, easing his nerves instantly. “It’s okay. It’s not a big deal. If I didn’t want people to see it, I wouldn’t have put it where it was within reach.”

Bradley’s shoulders relaxed and he smiled, glancing back at the album. “You look a lot like her, your mom.” You walked over and looked at the polaroid. You smiled at it, it was the last photo you had of her. “She was gorgeous,” he said, looking at you, watching your eyes as they teared up. You let out a watery laugh, “Yeah, yeah she was.” You sighed a little, “That’s the last photo my dad took of her.”

He noticed your bottom lip begin to tremble and he put the book back. He wrapped his arms around you and pulled you to him. You welcomed the warmth with ease, gently crying against his chest.

“I miss her a lot. But I’m glad my parents took the time to make sure I had good memories and to capture what they could.” He squeezed you a little bit, showing you that he understood.

He grabbed the book again, “Why don’t you tell me about them?”

********

After talking for hours about memories of your mother, and him throwing in his own about Goose. You asked him to stay and once he agreed you both fell asleep on the couch.

The next day you spent a lot of time together, watching TV, he helped you clean, you got Fanboy set up for his appointment. You had breakfast and lunch together.

You had decided to rearrange your room, and Bradley provided his assistance.

As you cleaned and reorganized you found a polaroid camera your dad had gotten in the 80s.

“Bradley! Holy shit! Look what I found!” You ran up to him and showed him the camera, “This was my dad’s, he gave it to me when I moved.” Bradley carefully took it, but the excitement on his face mirrored your own, “My dad had this exact same one. I ran out of film for it though.”

You smiled and held up the box you had, showing him the unopened packages of polaroid film.

“Holy shit… Are you serious?” You nodded, smiling, “Every time we hang out- we use this camera or one of the other polaroids I have and take photos when we believe we should.” He nodded, “Hell yeah!”

******

It had been about two weeks and you were still struggling on Rooster’s tattoo. Everything you came up with, you weren’t happy with. You’d show Rooster from time to time if he was around- which he usually was. Everytime he said he liked it, but he could tell that you thought something was missing- that it wasn’t perfect.

You lost count of how many ideas you cycled through, all differing in styles.

Nothing seemed to fit.

Until you were tattooing another client Friday night.

She was getting a tattoo of Spider-Man holding up a camera, but he was framed by a polaroid style frame. “Oh my gosh….”

Your client looked at you, worried something was wrong with her tattoo. “What’s wrong?” You shook your head, “Nothing, nothing, I’ve just been stuck on this other client’s tattoo and I think I just got the perfect idea.”

Later that night while you were at the Hard Deck, playing pool with Phoenix when Rooster came up behind you. “Hey, pretty baby,” he kissed your cheek. “Can you not kiss up on Y/N in front of all of us?” Fanboy teased, bringing his drink to his lips.

You rolled your eyes and smacked his arm, making him yelp and hiss. His tattoo was still sensitive. “It was a cheek kiss.”

Rooster laughed and intertwined his hand with yours, “Hey, can I talk to you outside for a minute?” It was mumbled in your ear so only you heard it. You nodded and passed your cue to Yale.

When you got out to the back deck, Bradley turned to face you.

“What’s up?” You asked gently, giving his hand a small squeeze. “It’s nothing serious, I promise. I just wanted to ask you in private,” he assured you. You nodded, “Okay.” “Why did you ask me to bring my dad’s tags?”

You sighed a little, “I was wondering if I could borrow them until tomorrow afternoon? You can totally say no and I’ll understand.” “Can I ask why?” “For your tattoo, a really cool idea struck me at work today, but I physically need the tags to do it,” you explained, making sure to tell him your exact intentions.

“I can go into more detail, but I want it to be a surprise. You’ll get them back tomorrow night,” you held up your pinky. “Marines honor.” His eyes widened slightly at the promise, but he nodded and locked his picky with yours.

He pulled the tags out of his pocket and placed them around your neck before tucking them into your (his) sweatshirt. He kissed your forehead, “I trust you.”

********

The next morning you were out and about early. You had to run by the flower shop and then go to the Hard Deck before Penny opened.

“Hey, Pen! It’s me!” You shouted as you came in. “Y/N, good morning!” She stepped out from the back, “How are you this morning?” “I’m good, I just need to get one photo. So hopefully it won't be too long.” She waved her hand, “Take your time.”

You nodded and set your stuff up. You placed both the branch of hibiscus flowers and Goose’s tags on the keys.

Stepping back you took a photo with your dad’s polaroid. You let it process before touching your props. “No, that looks weird.” You adjusted and repeated.

You’d do that about 8 times before you finally got the perfect photo.

You knew before the image became clear that this was the one.

*****

Later that night, you and Rooster were at your house.

He was lounging on the couch when you came in, a mischievous grin on your face.

Bradley skeptically chewed his popcorn, “I don’t know how to feel about that look yet.” You padded over to him, “It’s good. I promise.” You held out the tags, “First, like promised, here are your dad’s tags.” He took them and placed them around his neck, “Thank you.” You shook your head, smiling, “No. Thank you.�� You pulled the photo out from behind your back. “Look!”

Rooster could feel your excitement as he took the polaroid from you. His eyes scanned it and he fell in love instantly. “It’s a beautiful picture. If it were possible, this is what I would have tattooed on me.”

You smiled and sat down, “Well, it’s a good thing you said that, because that’s your tattoo design. All I need to do is add a few more finishing touches.”

He looked at you, speechless for a moment before finally sputtering out a thank you and kissing your cheek.

“How does tomorrow sound?” He raised a brow, “Isn’t the shop closed on Sundays?” You shrugged, “Normally, but Finn is tattooing his old college buddy tomorrow so I figured that I could bring you in.”

He smiled, getting lost in your eyes as you looked up at him. “Do you do this for all your clients?” You shook your head, smiling brightly up at him, “Just you.” “Well, aren’t I special?” “You are, Bradley.”

If Rooster didn’t pay so much attention to your voice, he never would have caught the adoration in it.

He smiled at you again, placing the photo on your work folder before turning to you. “Thank you, Y/N. It really means a lot to me that you took so much time out of your life to do this.” “Of course I would, this is the first tattoo in a long time that I’ve ever felt personally connected with. I just knew I had to get it right.”

Bradley swallowed before he continued, “I think it's pretty obvious that over the course of the past month-” “I like you too, Bradley. A lot.” He sighed, his hand moving to cup your face, “Can I kiss you?” You nodded, “Please do.”

Smiling, his hand slipped to the back of your head, fingers gently tangling in the locks as his lips molded against yours.

******

The next morning, he was in your chair.

“You’ll only feel a little pinch man, it’s not too bad,” Finn said from his station. “Focus on your client Finn.” You rolled your eyes at your friend. “I would but he’s not as pretty as yours.” You arched a brow at him, “You really make it hard to believe you're straight sometimes.”

You all laughed as you focused back on your boyfriend, “But seriously, it shouldn’t be too bad. Let me know when you need a break okay?” He nodded, “Yes ma’am.” You gave him a warm smile before kissing his lips.

You prepped the area and placed the stencil on his forearm. “We’re gonna be here a while so, seriously Bradshaw. If you need a break, tell me.” He kissed your temple, chuckling, “I got it.”

Then you began and you were right, that tattoo took you nearly all day.

“It’s a good thing I added numbing cream before we started,” you laughed, as you cleaned it.

Bradley looked down at it, smiling at the blue of the hibiscus flower stood out against the brown on the piano. “It’s fucking gorgeous.” You smiled, holding up the original photo, “Want to do a comparison?” He nodded and you sat the photo on his arm underneath it. “Holy shit… if my skin wasn’t sore and puffy, I’d almost think it was the same photo.”

He looked up at you again, “Thank you, so much Honey. I love it.” There were subtle tears in his eyes, but you didn’t mention them opting to just kiss him instead.

Chuckling in surprise, he quickly reciprocated before standing up slowly.

You went to your desk to grab the fresh, clean roll of cling wrap and cut off a piece to wrap around his arm. “I’ll make sure you take proper care of that,” you said, going back to your desk.

That’s when you noticed it.

Finn had managed to find your old polaroid on your desk and snapped a beautiful moment of you and Bradley as you tattooed him.

You were tattooing him and he had obviously said something that made you laugh. Your head was thrown back and Bradley had this look of pure adoration on his face as he looked at you. “You look like your mom there,” he pointed out over your shoulder. You glanced back at him and then the photo, “And you look like your dad.”

You would take that photo home and put it in the album you had right in between a photo of your parents and a photo of his parents.

********

thank you guys for making it to the end!

i have plenty more ‘x readers’ in the drafts so if you want more let me know

and my asks are open, feel free to request what you would like to see next

feedback is greatly appreciated!

tags <3: @roosterscockpit

#bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw #x reader #tattoos #tattoo artist!reader #top gun imagine

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thatonecurlygirl · 2 years

Note

after watching steve talking about six little nuggets it reminded me of your dad steve fics. can you write more about it please? i love your writing <333

Fandom: Stranger Things

Pairing: dad!Steve x Reader

Word Count: 1.4k

Fresh out of High school Robin, and Steve went from working at Family video with you to volunteering most of your time at the high school that was turned into the Hawkin’s Disaster Relief Shelter. The three of you seem to have a habit of losing your jobs. When the end of the world is at your doorstep, people don’t tend to worry much about renting movies.

Robin is mucking it up with Vickie — who definitely likes boobies — while you and Steve are trying desperately to hold back a secret you’ve been keeping for a handful of months now, but as the days drag on it gets harder and harder to do so.

“You okay, babe?” Steve leans into your ear, “You’re really red.”

“Yeah,” You nod, pushing the sleeves of your sweater up your sweaty arms. “Yeah, just a bit warm in this thing.”

“It is August and you’re in a sweater. When are we—” Steve trails off.

“Soon. Now I’m going to go cool off in the back.” You kiss Steve’s cheek and make your way to the walk in freezer in the kitchen.

This walk in freezer has been your sanctuary and hiding place since your baby bump had actually started to show. You make your way to the very back, where all the frozen vegetables are being stored. The chill of the refrigerator isn’t much relief so you take ahold of the bottom hem of your sweater, fanning the cool air up underneath the baggy garment.

You are wholly unprepared and not nearly quick enough to cover up before door opens and Robin waltzes in. She’s saying something over her shoulder as she walks in, but stops mid sentence and allows the door to slam shut behind her as she takes in the site of you.

“About this.” You say awkwardly, hand clenching the bottom of your shirt and frozen mid air, showing the obvious baby bump you’ve been hiding.

“Y/n, you’re pregnant, like, super pregnant!” Robin exclaims.

“Shhh, Robin, hush.” You wave your hands in attempt to quiet her.

“How far along are you?” Robin asks with eyes wide, staring at your now covered stomach.

“Twenty-one weeks.” You mumble.

“Five months! You’re five months pregnant and didn’t even think to tell your best friend?”

“Robin, we were waiting for the right time.”

“Right time, my ass.” You turns quickly and peeks her head out of the freezer. “Harrington, here, now!’ She shouts.

Robin does have a point, she is yours and Steve’s best friend and should have been the very first person to know, but with Eddie dying and Hawkins being the very publicized “portal to hell” you’ve been adamant about finding a proper way and time to tell all your friends.

“What did you do to her?” Robin tugs Steve into the walk-in by his wrist, pointing straight at your stomach.

“About that.” Steve nervously scratches the back of his head, refusing to look up at Robin.

“Five months means you got her pregnant while in high school?” She gasps, suddenly putting together how the timing adds up.

“Technically, I wasn’t in high school. Steve got held back, remember?”

“Thanks for pointing that out, Y/n.” Steve rolls his eyes. “Look, we are sorry Robin. We should have told you sooner.”

“Damn right you should have!” She huffs before slowly breaking out in a smile. “When are you going to tell everyone else?”

“Tell everyone else what?”

You all jump and turn to look at Dustin who now stands inside the walk-in with the three of you, confusion written across his face. With a small sigh of defeat, you slowly lift up your shirt to show your baby bump and watch as Dustin’s jaw drops.

“I’ve always wanted to be a big brother!” Dustin exclaims once he’s recovered from the shock. “We can tell everyone at dinner tonight!”

“Just keep your mouth shut until then, Henderson.” Steve warns, pointing a long finger at him.

“My lips are sealed.” Dustin mimicked zipping his lips closed and tossing the key over his shoulder.

“Well, Aunt Robin, since we are on the topic—” You smile and glance up at Steve to continue.

“You want to be in the room when Y/n, pops the little sucker out?” Steve asks.

“Are you kidding me? Of course!”

“Good, I’m going to need someone to hold my hand when Steve passes out.” You giggle and gently bump into Steve teasingly.

“We should probably get back to work.” Dustin points to the door over his shoulder.

———————

You and Steve pull up to the Wheeler house with a hesitant sigh. This is the moment you’ve been pushing back since you found out you were pregnant, not because you don’t want your friends to know, but because you are scared of your friends’ reactions. There is one friend you are most nervous about telling, Nancy. Nancy and you had been friends for a while and is also Steve’s ex. Nancy and Jonathan are head over heels in love with each other, but sometimes you see a flicker of longing in Nancy’s eyes. Sure, there hasn’t been anything between Nancy and Steve for a while now, but they once shared a love for each other and you are afraid that Nancy will be angry that her friend swooped in and got with her ex and is now having his baby.

“You ready?” Steve pulls you from your thoughts.

“Now or never, right?”

“They’re definitely going to find out eventually when we are toting baby Harrington around, or until Dustin or Robin blab.” Steve shrugs.

“You’re right.” You rub your hands across your belly.

“I know,” He smirks and points a finger at you. “Stay here so I can open your door.”

Steve quickly jumps out of the driver’s seat and runs around to your side of the car, pulling open the door and extending his hand to help you out. Steve can be sweet like that, a total gentleman. He can also be a total ditz, but this is not one of those moment. It’s moments like this that show you exactly why you fell head over heels in love with this big haired sweetheart.

“Come on babe and little babe, let’s go.”

Robin and Dustin are at the door waiting for you, swinging it open and excitedly pulling you and Steve into the house. “We have everyone downstairs!” Dustin exclaims.

“No sweater?” Robin asks.

“Why hide it, the point is to tell everyone right?” You smile.

“That’s my girl.” Robin pats your back.

Dustin and Robin guide the two of you down to the basement of the Wheeler home, announcing your arrival as they do so.

“Does this mean we can finally eat?” Mike groans, nearly drooling over the boxes of pizza sitting in the middle of the coffee table.

“Sure as hell hope so, I’m starving.” You chuckle, patting your stomach as you finish descending the stairs.

“Y/n, gets first dibs on the pizza!” Robin shoots Mike and Lucas a warning look.

“What! Why?” Mike whines.

“Because she has a little Harrington on board.” Steve casually announces.

All eyes immediately turn to you and fall on your growing baby bump, eyes wide and all jaw dropped to the floor, it was so quiet you could hear a rat licking eyes in the humid heat of this late summer day. You watch Nancy’s eyes leave yours and she turns to Jonathan.

“What the fuck?” Mike breaks the silence.

“Mike!” Nancy scolds.

“How pregnant are you?” He ignores his sister.

“Five months!” Robin shouts, hands on hips, just like Steve stands. The two of them have taken up eachother’s habits.

“You’ve kept this secret for five months?” Will asks astonished.

“Surprise.” You say cautiously.

“Congratulations.” Nancy smiles and embraces you in a hug.

“Thanks.” You smile, hugging her back.

“The real question here is, what’s the name going to be?” Lucas asks.

Steve motions for you to take a seat as he grabs a couple pieces of pizza , setting them on the coffee table in front of you. A small smile plays on his lips as he nods for you to tell what the two of you had decided.

“Steve and I decided that if we have a girl, her name will be Edie Maxine Harrington.” You look between the group, all with joy filled yet somber looks. “If it’s a boy Eddie Maxwell Harrington.”

“Those are great names.” Nancy smiles softly.

“Yeah,” Jonathon agrees.

“Max would be happy for you two.” Lucas says with a sad smile.

“Eddie too.” Dustin nods.

“Wait until Hopper and Joyce find out!” El shouts in excitement. “They’ll be so happy too.”

“Can we eat now?” Argyle asks, staring at the pizza..

“Yes!” Everyone says in unison.

______________________

Steve Harrington taglist:

@xicarcalii @asheseiler @loulouloueh @lacunaanonymoused

#stranger things #stranger things x reader #stranger things fandom #stranger things fic #dad!steve harrington #dad!steve x reader #steve x reader

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simslegacy5083 · 2 months

Text

NSB (Straud Legacy) Gen 9 Ep 42: Breaktime Begins

The Story of a Family

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

Luigi had a much better relationship with his father than some. He was very proud of the school/life balance he’d maintained since promising Peachy that he would take better care of himself. However, as finals approached, he found himself feeling unusually unprepared and he didn’t like it!

The morning of his exams found Luigi frantically trying to cram last minute knowledge into his brain. Suddenly nothing else seemed as important as maintaining his high GPA. After all, he had not just his family, but also his watcher and their friends, to impress!

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

After a grueling couple of days of stress Luigi got his end of semester report card.

He was glad to see that his overall GPA had remained high, but he knew he’d need to do a little better next semester to keep it that way. The “ugly” B- in his robotics class clearly showed that he’d let himself slip a little too far onto the “life” side of school/life balance.

Taking care of himself and controlling his anemia was not negotiable, but otherwise he resolved to focus more on his studies again after the break.

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

Luigi was ready to buckle down and get his grades back up, but for now it was time to move into his new room at the boardinghouse and start cramming in some last-minute practice for the big game.

He got Chubbs settled in their new space and caught his friend Bonnie in the middle of making him a surprise welcome cake in the kitchen!

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

He got a bit of scuffle practice in, but then Great Grandpa Don invited him to join their gaming group at a local nightclub.

Dancing, friends, and a bar? Luigi felt compelled to say yes and head out immediately. There was always tomorrow to do more studying.

As they waited for Denton and the rest to arrive, Luigi invited the eldest Lothario to take a seat while he mixed him up a fancy new cocktail he’d just learned to make in his independent study mixology class. Who said that liberal arts degrees don’t teach critical life skills!?

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

While Luigi was mixing up his special cocktail Don took a minute to take a call. After a few brief, monosyllable replies he hung up and shocked Luigi by bursting out with a string of forbidden words colorful enough to match his grandsons fancy drink!

Seeing the look on Luigi’s face Don quickly apologized. He’d recently gotten back onto the dating scene following the passing of his wife Yvette. He’d gone on several wonderful dates with the very promising young sim on the phone but suddenly she wasn’t interested anymore.

He’d tried to convince her that age (and body count) was just a number, but she still drew the line at that number reaching well into the triple digits.

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

As he finished the cocktails, Luigi waved to Denton and settled down next to his grandfather at the bar to commiserate about relationship troubles.

Leaving out some of the more embarrassing details he filled Don in on his own “false starts” in the love department. He just wanted to find a relationship like the one his dads had been lucky enough to secure. It would also be great if he could do it a little more quickly than his Papa had managed.

Don smiled, advising his grandson to keep his eyes open and keep putting himself out there. You never could tell when “the one” would walk into your life. Don reminded the young man that Peachy and Jack hadn’t expected to fall in love at first either. Sometimes love was a surprise to everyone.

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

As the rest of the club trickled into the party, Don clapped his descendant on the shoulder and stood up to visit the dance floor.

They were both sure to find love again sooner or later, but for now it was time to “ride the rainbow” of Luigi’s colorful and intoxicating refreshment and dance all their cares away to the funky beat.

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

View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

#sims 4 #sims 4 challenge #sims 4 legacy #sims4 #sims 4 nsb #sims 4 not so berry #sims4nsbstraud #sims 4 let's play #sims 4 gameplay #sims 4 lets play

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warmaidensrevenge · 2 years

Text

Eddie Munson x Plus size reader

This was a request by @salenorona23

Brief description: I want to request a Eddie munson x plus!size reader. Of where the reader is Dustin's adopted sister and she has powers and she gose into the lake with them and like saves them from the bats and they are like surprised bc they didn't know she had powers. but Eddie is like in love with her more so he tells her he loves her and that he has since middle school. (you don't have to do it i just wanted to request something)

Alright I'm excited. Here we go. Also I got some info from the secret circle. I think that's what it's called.

If you want to read my other work you can find it HERE

Warning: cursing, mentions of drug use and smoking. Not proof read and no word count.

🦸‍♀️🔥🖤

You didn't know why or how it happened but as you sat there in a police station at 11 years old you became an orphan. You never understood how your house caught on fire killing everyone but you. Until you were in an orphanage. A stupid older boy pulled your hair and a fire started on his pants. It was you. You started it. Realizing it was your fault that your family died. It was your emotions that did it. So you folding in yourself. Doing your best to control yourself. But the day you found out you were getting a perminate home you started a fire on your bed. It was small enough that no one noticed. You honestly wanted to die. You didn't want to hurt anyone else. But the Hendersons where a very nice family. Dustin being the best nerdy brother you've ever had.

You didn't have friends growing up. Until Eddie Munson found you on the swing set by yourself. You were humming something when he approached and sat on the swing next to you.

"Hey whatcha doing by yourself?"

"Just swinging" you shyly replied

" I'm Eddie."

You smiled. But didn't say anything

" well aren't cha gonna tell me your name"?"

You didn't say anything afraid to develop an uneasy feeling.

" well if you don't want to tell me. Then maybe I'll just call you loser."

You laughed cuz you were a loser. And since then that's what Eddie called you.

...

It was your freshman year in highschool when something changed. You were sitting in the cafeteria with the hellfire club listen to Eddie talk about D&D. He said something about powers that his character had. You felt this pain in you stomach. It hurt so bad . When the trays on the table started to shake. Everyone thought it was an earthquake. But you knew. It was you. So you got up and ran to the bathroom. It turned out you had finally became a woman. Well you were very unprepared for this situation and you need to go home. You heard knocking on the door. you asked the person to go away afraid what might happen to them if you lost control.

"Hey I saw that you had blood on your pants. I thought you might need some help."

You opened the door to see Robin. She had a concerned look on her face. She handed you a pad.

" I have to go home. I don't have any extra clothes."

She nodded and walked behind you to your bike. You thanked her for her help and rode home. You explained to Mrs Henderson what happened and she told you to shower and that she was gonna go out and get you supplies.

Why was this happening to you? What was it? You could make things happen. And you didn't understand why. Countless days went by in the library looking for answers.

You weren't sure if what you read was the reason you started noticing things. But you kept on seeing repeating patterns. Numbers mostly. When you got hurt you would heal incredibly fast. When you touched fire it didn't burn. A pure white cat came to you one night. It was weird. Like you knew she came for you. You asked Mrs Henderson if you could keep it but since she was allergic you weren't allowed. So you would feed it and do your best to take care of her. Whenever you were upset or sad the cat would find you. She calmed you. It was one night reading 'The complete book of black magic and witchcraft' that you understood what was happening. So the first thing you need to do was control it. And make sure no one ever found out.

Working on chants and spell work you were able to suppress your ability. Finally able to have a semi normal life. But that's when the bullying start.

Comments on your overweight self was all to unnerving. Your chants needed help to force away the power that was growing in you. That's when the candles came into play. But what helped completely ease your nature for long lengths of time was Eddie. You guys were good friends since the swing set. You spent a lot of time together. But the relationship was entirely platonic. It was your senior year and Eddie's 3rd time around when shit hit the fan.

So much was going on that you had no idea what was actually brewing just underneath the surface. People were dying and words about monsters were rumored. Something was happening in Hawkins and you could feel the pot about to boil over. But with no clue what to do. You searched and search but to no avail.

It was one day that you overhead Dustin on the phone talking about needing El and her powers.

Powers there was someone else with powers. You sat down on the privacy of Dustin's room to ask him for the truth. When he explained all that had happened these past years. You were overwhelmed by uncontrollable urge to run. And when you made it outside you started to levitate. Just as Dustin came out you fell to the ground. You explained that you just fell with Dustin not really believing you. You need to find Eddie.

You heard the screeching of tires coming to a halt in front of the house. You were sitting on the front steps smoking. You watched Eddie stumble out of his van holding his acoustic guitar.

" Hey loser what's going on?" Eddie said while sitting next to you.

" I umm I had an anxiety attack." You lied

You never told anyone about the shit you were going through. But for some reason even though Eddie knew you well. Well enough to know you when you were lying he never pressured you to tell him anything. He was always so thoughtful that way. It was the reason you got so close to him. He was always so nice to you. When times got bad that your incantations wouldn't work you would always find yourself in his trailer smoking weed and listening to him play. He was the only person able to calm you enough to surpress the growing pain you felt when you didn't use your curse. You remembered the first night you stayed with him. You were freaking out about something someone said about your thunder thighs when you and Eddie went to a movie. The person sitting next to you was complaining about your thigh touching there's. You were visibly upset that you left before you felt things start to unravel in yourself. Eddie found you in the parking lot leaning against his van smoking. You notice some blood on his rings and a few cuts on his hand. He must have gotten into a fight. He always did that. Not fight much but definitely gave people an earful. But this was the first time he hit anyone. That night you helped him clean his rings and wounds until it was too late to go home. Uncle Wayne was off that night so sleeping on the couch was out of the question. But Eddie's bed wasn't a better option. He had a twin bed. There was no way you both could fit on it. But you did try. Eddie noticed you were uncomfortable and made the decision to sleep on the floor next to you. You told him that you didn't want to take his bed from him but he wasn't having it. You woke up the next morning with Eddies face incredibly close. He looked so serene. Beautiful.

The next time you stayed Eddie had a bigger bed. You figured the floor must have really felt like shit for him to go out and get another bed. Eddie would never tell you he got it because he wanted to sleep next to you.

As you listen to Eddie play his guitar, you watched his hair get caught in one of the strings. You helped him untangle it and help put up his hair in a messy bun. You smiled at your work as you sat in a chair on the corner of your room that was mostly meant for jackets or unfolded laundry. It was getting late and Eddie was going to go but you asked for him to stay. He had never stayed the night in your room. Always either with Dustin or the couch.

"What about Mrs Henderson?"

"Please she knows we're are just friends." You said while heading to your dresser. You grabbed a long shirt and an old pair of P.E shorts. Normally you wouldn't wear bottoms but when you were with Eddie you did.

"I'll be right back." You left to find something for Eddie to wear. Pulling out a pair of pajamas bottoms and a shirt from Dustin draws. You watched as Dustin was in tranced by talking to his girlfriend Suzy.

" Here hopefully they fit." You handed the clothes to Eddie before Turing back to your clothes. You pulled off your shirt with your back towards Eddie. Pulling on the long shirt. You reached to take off your bra and tossed on your chair. Unbutton your pants taking them off and pulled on the the shorts. You always changed in front of Eddie never thinking anything of it. You turned and saw Eddie avert his gaze.

" Umm I'm gonna go to the bathroom." He announced.

You nodded as he practically ran to the restroom. You got under the covers. You lit a small black candle and said a chant to help repel your power. Blowing out the candle it relight itself. Fuck you were really out of it tonight. You put the candle in it's holder when Eddie came back in. The pajamas bottoms were high waters on him and he didn't have a shirt on. Guess it didn't fit. Your eyes ran over his chest and saw a medium size Celtic shield knot on his right shoulder. You remember when you convinced him to get it. It was his protection sigil from you. You never knew if you could complete control yourself but you knew you didn't want to hurt him. So that was the only thing you thought of without Eddie getting suspicious.

You gave Eddie a forced smile and turned your back to him to sleep. You felt Eddie get comfortable next to you. You heard him blow out the candle covering your room in complete darkness. You said a silent prayer for the candle to stay off and it did.

" G'night loser."

You smirked "Night fucker."

...

The next day you were at lunch listening to Dustin's trying to explain to Eddie how they need to postpone the cult of Vecna. You weren't really interested in D&D. It hit a little close to home. So that night you just went home.

The morning Dustin woke you telling you what happened to Eddie and Chrissy. And that he was missing. You knew exactly where he would be. When you and the others finally found him he was scared shitless. He was in trouble and you didn't know what to do. While he laid low you brought him food and clothes.

" Eddie are you ok?" You said over the phone.

"Yeah think someone is coming. I gotta go."

Eddie hung up the phone and you went to find Dustin. He was with Eddie at skull rock later that day. You hugged Eddie so tight when you found that he was safe. Holding his hand you heard something about a gate. And went with the others to lovers lake. You watched as the boat holding Nancy, Steve, Robin and Eddie. You stood back because you didn't want too much weight on the small boat.

You cleared your thoughts watching the boat fade into the distance.

"Elements of sun, Elements of day. Please come this way. Powers of night and day I summon thee, I call upon thee. To protect them! So mote it be!" You recited 3 times while the kids watched you. You felt a gust of wind pass you towards the lake. You were pacing. The only sounds that filled the night air were crickets and the rubbing of your thighs. You had a thought that you could never sneak up on anyone with your thighs rubbing so loud.

It was only a few minutes when Dustin said Steve came back up. But not even a minute later something pulled him back in. You pulled the binoculars away to watch as Nancy dove in after him. With Robin following.

"Eddie don't." You mumbled. And watched in horror as Eddie looked over to your direction just before he fell in.

It was about 2 minute before you felt the gust of wind return to you. They were unprotected. You had to go help. You looked back at Dustin saying I love you. Then turned back to the lake.

" Oh, Angels, give me the power to fly and fly" You said and wind lifted you carrying you to the boat. "Earth pull me down and guided me to my love ones."

You held your breath as you dropped into the water. You were pulled thru the water to a big red crack. You made it to the surface. Hearing screams and grunting.

"Oh, Angels, give me power to fly and fly" you repeated. You were lifted from the water and taken to the fight. " Make earth pulled me down." You landed on your feet weighed down by the water in your clothes. You saw Steve all bloody and everyone fight these winged creatures. But they were being overwhelmed. You heard Eddie scream your name but you ignored him.

"Ignes dissipare et Vallum" you yelled at the top of your lungs. Everyone turned to you as flames started to surround you. A tornado of fire spun furiously around you. Closing your eyes you channeled the heat towards the animals. Screeching and thudding filled all of your ears as they burned.

You felt completely drained after that you fell to your knees. You never used that much power. You let it take over you. When you looked up you were met with big brown eyes and frizzy curls.

"Y/n? What-"

You were breathing heavily. " I umm I'm sorry. I had to save you..."

Eddie pulled up your chin giving you a kiss on the cheek. He helped you to your feet. Everyone was looking at you. You could tell they were a bit frightened.

" I uhhh I'm a carline." You muttered exhaustedly.

" What is that?" Nancy asked

" A witch."

" A sorcerer?" Eddie sounded confused.

" Kinda" you replied

"What the hell!?" Steve and Robin said in Sync.

"I umm yeah I don't know what to say." You looked towards the ground. When you heard Steve whimpering. You moved to him but he stepped back. " Please...I can help."

Steve looked at you confused but mostly afraid.

" I'm not gonna hurt you. I just want to help."

Steve nodded and you held your hands ghosting over his wounds.

"Y/n?" Eddie said softly but you ignored him again. You needed to focus.

"By earth and air, by fire and water. So shall you hear my call. Powers of birth and rebirth, powers of silence and peace, Heal thy body and mind."

You said this 3 times when you opened your eyes you saw the blood flow back to the wounds and heal closed. Steve's eyes watched in disbelief. You felt your body tremble. You couldn't stay awake anymore. And when you woke you were in Eddie's trailer. Eddie was sitting next to you on the floor holding your hand.

"He loser. Thought we lost you."

You grunted trying to sit up with Eddies help. You were freezing and dirty. You just wanted to go home.

...

You got off the phone after talking to Dustin. He was safe at the Wheelers. You found a note on the fridge that Mrs Henderson was at the casino for a few days. So it was just you and Eddie in the home. You went to your room with Eddie staring at you. You explained that you were gonna shower and he could have next.

Your hands were trembling as you did your best trying to wash of the scum. You heard a knock. Eddie asked if you were ok because you were in there for an hour. You came out wrapped in a towel and met Eddie in your room. The silence was more than awkward.

" So uhhh this whole time you uhh could do that" Eddie finally broke the tension. You nodded as you sat next to him on the bed.

" It why I need to stay as calm as possible. I can't fully control it."

A few seconds of quiet filled the room.

"It's why I suggested the tattoo." You pointed at Eddie's shoulder. " To protect you from me."

Eddie shifted a little. " You won't hurt me y/n."

"You don't know that."

Eddie turned to you and pushed your hair behind your shoulder. He placed a soft kiss on your hand.

" Thank you for saving us. Uhh for saving me."

You gave him a small smile but that was quickly gone when Eddie pressed his lips to yours. You hesitate for a second before pushing him away.

You stood up gripping your towel. " Uh what was that?"

Eddie sighed and his knee started to bounce.

"Eddie?"

" I-i like you. I mean I have feelings for you."

Your eyes widen at his words. Wait what?

"Uhh.... we're friends Eddie." You didn't know what else to say.

" Yeah I know. But since I saw you on the swing when you were in 6th grade I've liked you."

Eddie got up and came towards you but you held up your hand and Eddie froze. You kept him from moving closer.

" Eddie no. I can't. We can't." You let go of him.

"Why?"

"It's not in the cards for me. Don't do this. I need you. But as my friend. Nothing more ok."

Eddie was obviously frustrated but he didn't press you. He never did, on anything. That's why you loved him. He left to shower as you got dressed and went to bed. In the morning you found him on the couch. Needless to say it was awkward as fuck but you both tried to act like nothing happened.

...

The time came for the plan Nancy came up with to destroy Vecna. With your powers they knew to have you as back up. So before you left Eddie and Dustin in the upsidedown you looked back at Eddie and went to him. You pulled off his necklace and put a clear quartz crystal next to his pic.

You repeated your protection spell while touching the crystal.

" Please don't do anything stupid Eddie. I can't protect you if I'm not here."

"y/n I lov-"

"Don't." You cut him off and left.

...

Killing Vecna was a battle especially the tentacles but you managed to hold them off for the others to complete their mission.

You guys made your way back to Eddie and Dustin when you saw Eddie on the ground.

No you stupid fuck! You ran to Eddie. He was gone. Blood had started to dry.

" No Eddie. No! Fucking stupid." You cried holding him. You look at Dustin who was in shambles. He was holding Eddie's necklace.

"He took it off. Why would you take it off?!" You screamed at Eddie's lifeless body. Hitting him on his chest. Dustin's sobs filled your ears.

"No. You don't get to leave me. You hear me fucker! You don't get to go. I love you..."

You closed your eyes and prayed for silence. And it came. You held Eddie and took the crystal away from Dustin

" Sorem est...Sorem est....SOREM EST!" You said over and over again until you had nothing left. You fell over Eddie still mumbling the incantation. When you felt something leave you. It felt like the life was being pulled from you. Your body shook and kept shaking until the feeling stopped.

Breathing heavily you heard the best thing you could ever hear.

"Hey loser" Eddies strained voice filled your ear holes.

@b-irock @potatos-library

#eddie munson #eddie munson x female original character #eddie munson x plus size reader #eddie munson x you #fanfic #eddie x reader #stranger things #eddie my beloved

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