#how to keep bugs out of vegetable garden

[gardenholic]

8 Best Organic Ways to Control Pests in the Home Garden

Pests are a gardener’s worst nightmare. They damage and destroy once healthy plants within a short period, ruining all of your hard work. Many pests are resistant to conventional treatments, which is why learning organic pest prevention methods are essential. Preventing garden pests needs to be the prime focus for all gardeners, regardless of whether you practice organic gardening. We know that…

[transboyswitchytales]

And Everybody Loves You

Agatha All Along Week!

First day is Jealousy Prompt!

@agathaallalongweek

Agatha x Reader x Rio

Agatha is chronically jealous! How do her girlfriends handle it?

Mention of Smut but no Smut (sowy) / Cute fluff / BELTANE (Celebration) / Billy being their son moments / Polyamory / Missing Nicky / Hickies / Jealousy of course / Cuteness / Depression mentioned / Rio should sing to Reader all the time / Snacks / Witchy fun / Coven Found Family Moments / Lilia is the absolute best and I'll fight you if you disagree / Are these even warnings anymore ?

MDNI

Happy AAA Week guys!!!

My Masterlist

Jealous. 

Polyamory was something you’d experienced before. You’d dated in threes a few times in fact, centuries ago.

Agatha Harkness, a centuries-old witch, had not. And it showed. 

And more importantly, Agatha had never learned how to share. I don’t just mean in a relationship. I mean that if you put your witch girlfriend in a sandbox, she’d probably bite a kid, again.

So when Rio and you, on a Saturday morning, when a sleepy Agatha was grumpy and didn’t want to get up, you went to a local bakery early. 

You came back to an even grumpier agitated Agatha. Rio set her keys down in the bowl and started in on Ags.  

“Oh my god, you are ridiculous. We brought you a dirty chai with pumpkin, even though you swear you hate pumpkin spice. ANNNnnnd we got you a chocolate donut detective!” Rio waved the white bag and the drink at Agatha. Who didn’t budge, but she reached for the cup. 

Rio pulled it back and shook her head. Agatha’s smirk emerged, and she leaned in and kissed Rio in gratitude, and only then did Rio give your grumpy girlfriend her breakfast. 

These moments happened a lot, which was silly because you all worked hard to communicate, ok, you worked hard for everyone to communicate.

 But you all wanted to have equality and no one left out. You had rules and things you didn’t do without each other.

One of those things was not watching your TV shows without the other person. You’d learned this the hard way. 

You and Rio had been watching Twilight Zone reruns, you were drawing and Rio was being your big spoon. 

Agatha came in from the basement where she’d been working on magic. She eyed the screen before you or your girlfriend could welcome her back into the land of the living. From being in the basement for hours. But Agatha turned hurt cold in her whole being. 

“You're watching TV without me?”

“They’re from 1959, Ags, these episodes are all reruns.” Rio teased, which wasn’t the right thing in that moment because Agatha’s lips pursed, and she glared at Death. 

“I was a little busy in the 50s! I missed them. You are watching TV without me! That’s against the rules!” Agatha would never like to be considered a person who whined, but that was exactly what was happening. 

“What? No way! This isn’t one of ‘our shows.’” Rio threw back, and that started the argument for an hour. 

You realized in that moment it wasn’t a matter of what show it was, it was being left out. 

Agatha was chronically jealous. 

The TV was no longer something you and Rio did without Agatha. Which was hilarious because Agatha didn’t even want the TV in your home. And now she owned it, like a kid who licks a cupcake to own it. No one else could touch it.  

You could name a million times these tense times came into view. 

Agatha was a control freak, and Rio and you just kinda understood that it wasn’t actually about Twilight Zone or baked goods. Agatha hadn’t been wanted by her own mother. 

And she forgot sometimes that you and Rio wanted her more than anything. 

So you and Rio would wordlessly communicate through the space and make little changes to keep Agatha’s safety. 

You were hunched over in the backyard picking vegetables from the garden you and Rio tended to. The sound of the sprinklers in the neighbor's yard and crickets starting up before the sun even set. 

That’s when you felt the depression bug creep in. You pushed it down. 

You pushed it down as you three made a large dinner. Working hard to fake it until your mind would catch up to the new idea. You got a few long glances from Agatha and Rio but you worked hard. 

Two days had passed and Rio had to work, so you and Agatha were going on a walk. 

You were doing ok, not great, but ok. 

And then you saw a kid who looked like Nicky. Your heart dropped.  

You calmly asked Aggie if you two could go home. Your girlfriend wasn’t stupid. But she laced your fingers together and walked you home. 

You took off your outside clothes and dove into the bed. And you stayed there for the rest of the day, and the night, and the next morning, and that afternoon. 

Agatha brought food and endless mugs of tea. She held you, and kissed your head. She tried to get you out of bed. But you were glued, you didn’t want to worry, Agatha. 

But you just couldn’t try anymore. 

You didn’t have the fight. 

The black dog had won, and you were letting it feast on your bone marrow. 

Around 3pm, you heard the door open again, Agatha hadn’t really left your side except to maek you tea. But she’d gone downstairs an hour ago and not returned. 

And when the sound came from teh floorboard you hated yourself for her worry. And you tried to pretend you were sleeping, knowing it would never work. But the bed dipped, and you flinched. You didn’t want to keep feeling this way and you didn’t want the unending shame for the look on Agatha’s face. 

But you felt another set of hands. One you’d known for a long time too. 

“My love, my sweet carino, it’s one of those days, huh?” Rio says, and you flip over and grab her shoulders. Rio lies down with you. And you cry from deep inside, and Rio doesn’t shy away, doesn’t tell you that Nicky is gone. Doesn’t remind you how long it’s been since he died. She just holds your body, like it’s sacred. 

When you finally stop sobbing, you pull back to look at her eyes. 

“You got here fast. Did Agatha tell you to come home?”

“I was in Mississippi, a guy got eaten by a tractor, blood everywhere. He kinda looked like a tube of toothpaste splattering.” Rio tells you, and you laugh at her dark humor. You put your face into her neck, and she rocked you. 

Rio whispered a song to you, one she’d sing to you when she dropped her work to come home. You’d played it one day, and Rio had told you it’s how she felt when she knew you or Agatha needed her. 

She’d drop her work and get to you two as fast as she could. So when she sang it, your heart broke in two. 

‘Cutting through the country, on my way to you

Runnin' out of Reds, comin' up with truths

I'm cutting through a cornfield, talkin' to myself

Hookin' up with strangers, askin' them for help

You reveled in Rio’s voice and her tender touch, and your body relaxed for the first time. Since you’d been on your walk. 

Waitin' for forever, waitin' for your call

I know it sounds crazy, we could have it all

If you needed someone, if you needed proof

I'm cutting through the country, I'm on my way to you

You bit your lip, and Rio kept singing to you. Knowing that you needed to hear it, needed to hear her. Need her.

I'm cutting through the country, listenin' for you

Someone I could trust, wishin' it was us

Yeah, nothin' lasts forever and everybody dies

I don't wanna leave, unless it's here with you tonight

And I'm pullin' from a bottle, flippin' on my phone

Lookin' for a life, lookin' for a home

Cutting through the country, call me when you're up

Nothin' lasts forever, but I'm not in a rush

Every day's a movie and I've already seen

I'm cutting through the country, I might fall asleep

Wake up in a cartoon, fallin' through the earth

Give me somethin' real, babe, and nobody gets hurt’

She stopped when you turned to look at her once more. 

“Agatha really called you, huh?”

It felt strange because Agatha was so good at soothing your frustration. But Nicky was a hard thing for any of you to talk about. You wondered what drove her to ask Rio for help. Because she couldn’t mourn with you? No, Agatha had mourned with you plenty. 

“Ags may be chronically jealous. But she loves you more than anything, Sweets. She’d give up her powers forever if it meant you didn’t feel another moment of pain. She knew you needed me, too. She can’t always communicate the right thing, hell I fucking can’t either. But you are so important to us. So I’ll always drop everything, and Agatha will break her pride and call me.”

Rio told you, and your bottom lip wobbled, and Rio’s face softened even further as she hugged you back to her chest.

You got out of bed that night and ate dinner at the table with your girlfriends. You sat on Agatha’s lap as Rio picked a scary movie. Agatha’s hands held you tightly, and you knew she wanted to say a million things. But her hands worked against your skin and you didn’t need her to speak a word.  

It was quickly Beltane, time the only thing that was constantly passing. 

And you were loving going to this huge witches' gathering. You knew the coven was too, but Billy had never been to a Beltane celebration. 

So you pulled him into little witches' booths and bought him cobbler and new rings. Explaining the fruit in it was important for Beltane and the whys. Lilia was running a tarot booth, and you’d brought her iced tea and poppy lemon cake. She’d kissed you and given you a big hug. Wishing you a happy, fruitful Beltane. 

Rio and Agatha held hands and walked behind you as you gushed over the history of Beltane to Billy. Who was just as bubbly, he’d bloomed this year into a more confident witch. Agatha told you it was because of you, but you didn’t take the compliment at all. 

But Billy had sort of adopted you three as his parents now. 

And you tried not to cry every time he asked to stay the night, or called you when he was upset. He’d ask you questions about how to have a healthy relationship, he loved Eddie. You talked for him for hours.

But he also adored Agatha for all her faults and sharp edges. Sometimes he’d come over and sit with Agatha and they talked into the wee hours of the morning. She taught him more magic, and he was respectful and eager to please her. Agatha always tried to hide her pride but you saw it. 

You also saw how Rio warmed to your favorite teen.

 It started small, she’d noticed he loved tomatoes. She had some in the garden, no big deal. But when you walked into the yard one day and noticed five new tomato varieties being planted, you knew Rio loved him. 

Slowly, Billy stopped being afraid of Rio too. Instead, he learned from Eddie how to make his Nonna’s family traditional tomato sauce. And he jarred it and brought it back to Rio. Who had never received a gift from a child before. She’d been worshiped by deities and you and Agatha had bought her thoughtful things over the years that she cherished and kept. 

But a child had never looked at her without fear, except one. And now here was Billy, looking at her with big eyes and dark curls. And she swore to protect him in that moment. 

And he kept bringing her things. A comic book with a lesbian in it, a button that had a skull on it, a bunch of taco’s from a taco truck he followed online. And in turn, Rio started to talk to him more and more. It was a gorgeous thing to see. 

You grabbed Billy’s hand in the sunshine and guided him into the next book. Jen wasn’t working it, but it was her company. You eyed the candles, and you and Billy sniffed each one and decided which one was the best. 

You looked over your shoulder to see Rio calmly talking to Agatha. Who was anxious, you eyed them, but knew that Rio could handle whatever had upset your girlfriend. 

The sun dipped down quickly, and you’d all eaten so much good food. The maypoles were being put away, and the bonfire was being built. Children were blowing bubbles and they floated like fairies in the sky. 

“So do we have to be naked?” Billy whispered to you, and you laughed at him and his blush. You were sitting on a log together as Rio and Agatha found some fun alcoholic floral drink that was being served in celebration. Nothing like drunk witches before a bonfire. Witches were throwing logs on the fire, and you two watche,d waiting for the rest of your coven to come join you.  

Jen and Alice were probably fucking in their car. But Lilia had gone in search of a ‘gift’, and you weren’t sure who it was for. 

“No, honey, we don’t have to be naked. We’re just here to celebrate. Witches aren’t here to judge each other, they’re here to give tribute to new beginnings. Beltane is to ask for new things, but to celebrate the coming of spring and a fruitful land. We are here to give back.” You explain to him, and Billy drops his head against your shoulder. He’d become way cuddlier in the last few months. And your heart ached for him. Wanda would be so proud. 

“Who are you going to give tidings to?” He asked, and it reminded you so much of Nicky and his first Beltane. You let yourself feel the overwhelming love for both of your boys. 

“Well, I always start with my sweet girl, Death. But Flora naturally and I never forget, no matter what time of year, to give a gift to Hecate. What about you?” You ask him, and his eyebrows scrunch, and he thinks hard before responding. 

“Belenus,” Billy said, the Celtic god, and you loved that he had such knowledge now. 

“That’s a great choice.” You tell him, and you hear Agatha and Rio before you see them. Rio plops down next to Billy, and Agatha sits next to you. Her hand goes to your thigh, and it’s a claiming touch. 

Rio reached across the teenager to hand you a pretty purple drink. You took it, thanking her and taking a sip. It was good very sweet and strong, and you made an appreciative noise. Agatha kept on hand on you as she sipped her own a little faster than you were. 

“Can I have one?” Billy eyed how Rio was double fisting two drinks. 

“Absolutely, when you are twenty-one, I’ll take you out and buy you shots. Until then, you can drink water or the kids made lemonade.” Rio answered like the Dad, and you felt warmth at the domesticity of it all. You and Agatha didn’t even step in, Rio ha,d and it was adorable. 

“Not even a sip?” Billy tried again. 

“Pet, if you keep this up you won’t get the strawberry funnel cake,” Agatha warned him, and she sounded so much like a mom. And Billy didn’t fight it anymore, but you saw him experiencing the love in her words. Someone to watch out for him, to tell him no. It was a beautiful thing. 

Alice yelled across the way to Billy she had two strawberry soft-serve ice creams in waffle cones. Billy hopped up out of the seat and ran over to her. She handed him one and then affectionately brushed his hair out of his eyes. He needed a haircut from Jen soon. 

You all loved him. 

Agatha’s nails dug into your thigh a little, and Rio scooted to close the distance between you two. Both girlfriends sandwiching you in the middle. Much like they did every night in bed. 

“Aggie, what’s wrong, baby?” You asked and took a sip of the strong drink.

Agatha’s face fell into your neck, and she stayed there, inhaling you. Agatha wasn’t worried about people seeing you two cuddle. You were life long partners.  

“Someone’s a little touch starved for you, you’ve been paying a lot of attention to the coven today. And I think our witch is feeling a little needy.” Rio whispered so other witches walking by wouldn’t hear. A few stopped to look at you three, obviously aware of your reputation. No one knew who Rio was, which was always annoying and hilarious. 

But you and Aggie, were witch killers. And after all this time you still got dirty looks and snide remarks. But Agatha hadn’t told you no on coming to this event. Knowing you loved to celebrate the old holidays. 

But her hands ached for your body. 

Setting your drink down between your barefeet. You ran a hand through Agatha’s dark locks and kept her in your neck. 

“Do you wanna follow Jen and Alice example and go fuck in the car?” You asked, and Agatha snorted in your neck. Rio’s eyebrows raised in intrigue, and she hoped Aggie was about to say yes. 

Nicky had been conceived on Ostara, you’d not carved runes. You’d said no spell and no incantation. He’d been born from love. Having your nose and optimistic attitude, Rio’s dimple and mischievous nature, and Agatha’s brilliance and her ability to love deeply. 

Nicky was perfect. The best of all three of you. 

You were a little nervous to fuck on a holiday, especially one for fertility. But if Agatha needed you, you’d never deny her. Agatha’s nose brushed against the sensitive spot on your neck, and you shivered. 

“You don’t want to leave Billy for too long,” Agatha answered, and you knew that wasn’t what she wanted to say. There was a whole coven here for him. 

“If my witch needs my fingers, you only need to accept my invitation.” You tell her, and Agatha takes a minute before nodding. You three stand, grabbing your drinks, you excuse yourself. 

It takes about two hours, not what you’d planned but your body is thoroughly fucked. Agatha steps out of the car first and she uses a pencil to put her hair up. Big love bites clearly scattered over her neck and chest. You weren’t much better; you had more bites, and they were already dark purple. 

Rio wiped her mouth on the back of her hand to get all the evidence off. She reached into the back of the car, grabbing four sweaters and handing you and Agatha each other’s clothes. You wore Aggies deep purple sweater, and she wore your dark maroon cable knit. Rio pulled it over her baggy dark fern colored sweater on. It had frayed over the years and bits of yarn stuck out. She looked gorgeous. They both did. 

You all walked back into the cool night air. It had gotten dark while you were….busy in the car. 

When you came back to the outdoor venue, you saw Alice and Lilia holding Billy as Jen worked with the kid's corner to make sure that baby witches were grounded during all this energy play. 

Rio put a hand on Billy and he turned and grinned at her in greeting. She thoughtfully handed him one of her baggy sweaters, it was a dark blue and it had a few white sigils for warming in it. You loved that sweater so much, there was something so parental about Rio keeping the teenager safe and warm. 

Walking up to your fortune witch and grabbing Lilia’s shoulders, she turned to you and kissed your cheek affectionately. 

“Wondered when you three would finish.” She teased and then bent down and took out a flower crown from her bag of goodies. She placed it onto your head, and you had to bend down because she was so short. But she curled your hair behind your ear and then beamed at you. Lifting your chin up so she could look at you.  

“You are one beautiful witch, doll.” Lilia complimented you and you felt it warm your body. 

“Lilia-”

“Hush, you look fantastic. The giant bruises on your neck look like you’ve been fighting a vampire. But besides that, you are…gorgeous inside and out.” Lilia grabbed both your forearms and leaned in like she was telling you a secret passed down for centuries. 

“Thank you.” You whispered back and turned to see Agatha and Rio beaming at you. 

The flowers in your crown were a mixture of Nicky's favorite wildflower to pick in the forest, Agatha’s secret ingredient in her perfume orchids, and Rio’s water hemlock, a poisonous plant that she planted in every home you’d ever lived. And your favorite big Alaskan daisies that’s stems weave through each flower. 

Lilia was good. 

Your girlfriends both came over and kissed each of your flushed cheeks.

You all sat as the celebration began, and people danced in all ways around the fire and chanted. It was gorgeous, and a glow illuminated off their bodies. Lilia and Alice were explaining what was happening to Billy. 

You weren’t watching the witches now, your eyes were up at the full moon. You were watching as the magic of all these witches did what it did in Old Salem. They were ‘drawing down the moon.’ So it looked bigger and bigger, like La Luna wanted to dance with the witches herself. 

Agatha was watching you and one of her hands brushed your hair to the side, and she held the back of your neck and you closed your eyes at the sensation of her fingers. She was leaning in to kiss you or whisper something and someone cut your moment short. 

“Hey! You are fucking gorgeous wanna come dance naked with me?” This witch asked you, and she was very beautiful. Her red hair was wild, and little braids were in between her thick locks; they had baby’s breath in their strands and feathers. She was already naked, and the curtains did match the drapes. Her large rune tattoos framed her muscular arms. 

“She’s fucking taken, go find a loose witch that’ll lift her dress for you silly hag.” Agatha snapped and snarled like an animal, and the poor witch froze for a minute in fear. Before making a great imitation of Thumper and running like a rabbit back into the night. 

Before you could say anything, the coven erupted into laughter. 

“She had no idea she’d just hit on Agatha Harkness, woman!” Alice cackled out as Billy grabbed his sides, and Lilia’s laughter made people turn and stare. Rio’s hand fell over her mouth as she found it hilarious as well. 

“I don’t see the humor in this!” Agatha chastised her coven which was erupting at the seams. Perhaps it was all the energy in the air, the magic, you told yourself. But Agatha glared at them and you moved further into her embrace kissed her long and slow. 

“I like you jealous. I’m yours, though. I didn’t wanna dance with her, I only want to dance with you and Rio.” You tell her, and Agatha softens like butter under your words and gentle touch on her body. 

It’s dawn by the time it all ends, and you are sobered up enough to drive your girlfriends home. You offer to take Billy, but he’s asleep on Jen’s lap, and she shakes her head. Alice and Jen take him back to their house to sleep off all of that magic high. Lilia steals his phone and hands it to Alice, not able to really work technology well. She texts his mom to let him know the change of plans. 

Rio guides your body in your mutual tired state.

“Coffee first?” She asks, wondering if you wanna make a stop. 

“Home.” You say eyeing an exhausted Agatha who climbs into the back seat and lies across the leather. She doesn’t put her seatbelt on, which is terribl,e but you and Rio can’t find it in you to wake her and make her do it. 

You drive home slowly and carefully. You get into the house and rest your flower crown on the kitchen table. The three of you move into the bedroom, shed your clothes, and climb in to cuddle. 

You wake hours later, and it’s deep in the afternoon, and you yawn. Agatha kissed your forehead and you smiled. 

“Wanna take a bath with me?”

“Yes, please,” it sounds like an amazing time. The smell of campfire and ash sliding off your body. Agatha did her amazing talent of making a bath smell sinful and look like a scene in Game of Thrones. You both slid in and Agatha was happy to press your back against her bare chest as she used a hand towel to scrub your arms. You closed your eyes, still sleepy after your nap. 

Aggie talked to you softly in the space about her first Beltane with you. One where you’d stolen her heart and she teased you about never giving it back. 

“It’s mine.” You told her and she kissed behind your ear. 

“In this life and the next.” Agatha promised.

You were both feeling a contact high between your naked bodies pressed together and the intoxicating scents in the tub. The undtertone of sexual tension was dilicious. Turning slightly you angled yourself so that Agatha could kiss your lips in a slow dance. 

You were both rudely interrupted as Rio walked in. 

“HEY! I didn’t get invited to bath time!”

Yeah, Agatha was jealous. But you might have forgotten to mention so was Rio. 

Rio was very jealous. A lot. 

Death was huffing at you both irritated at not getting her bubble bath moment too. 

“Rio the tub is not big enough for three! And you took a shower-” Agatha tried to reason with her toddler of a girlfriend who folded her arms and glared at you both. 

“WE HAVE POWERS! MAKE A BIGGER TUB! I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU!” Rio started to shout and you just smiled. 

Jealousy was woven into your life yes, but the love was behind every inch as well. 

Agatha took the wet washcloth and threw it at Rio’s face who started to take off her clothes and Agatha shouted at her. She had one foot in the tub and Agatha was trying to push her out. Soap and tub water splashed over the side and all over the bathroom floor. 

“IT’S TOO SMALL OF A TUB!”

“MOVE OVER!”

“YOU ARE ALL SWEATY!”

“YEAH WELL I’M GONNA GET CLEAN AREN’T I!”

[scarlethexelove]

War

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Word Count: 561

Summary: How does Wanda handle you and your plans for the small war you plan to wage.

Warnings: A little cussing, slug death, mostly just fluffy

A/n: Ok so this is so not totally based on me, nope not at all.

NO ONE IS PERMITTED TO STEAL, COPY, OR REBLOG MY WORK AS THEIR OWN

The sound of a scream pulls Wanda out of her book. She would know that scream from anywhere. Panic sets in as she tosses her book to the side and rushes out of her chair.

“You mother fucker!” You curse. Wanda looks through the window and sees you holding up a leaf from one of your many plants.

This year you had decided to grow flowers and have a vegetable garden. What was only supposed to be two dahlia plants turned into fourteen. Not to mention the thirty plus vegetable plants.

A smile spreads across Wanda's face as she watches you. “You are so fucking done.” You grumble, placing the leaf down and walking inside. She wonders what you are up to, so she heads towards your makeshift garden.

By the time she gets there you have already made it back outside with the salt shaker in your hand.

Wanda opens the door behind you which you don't even notice. “You are so dead and this means war.” You say as you shake the salt on the tiny creature.

“Detka?” Wanda can't help the chuckle as she watches you jump and turn around to face her. The salt shaker is still slightly tipped. “What's going on here?”

You huff. “War. There are slugs and ants in my dahlias. Slugs and bugs on my cucumber and broccoli.” A pout forms on your lips which just has Wanda cooing.

“Awww my poor baby. It's there anything I can do to help?” Wanda asks. She has loved seeing you so excited for your garden and hates to see you upset.

“Mmm I need some beer for slug traps. Oh and maybe a pie pan to put it in. Then I need some cotton balls to make up the ant bait. Then I need some kind of special soap and a spray bottle for the bugs.” Wanda smiles and nods along. “I want to try to keep it natural.”

“Alright detka. How about I drive us to the store and buy you all the stuff you need.” Wanda asks and you nod. “Okay moya lyubov', let me get my stuff and we can go.”

“Thank you Wands.” You say lightly bouncing on your toes. Happy that she wants to help.

As Wanda drives you both home from getting the supplies you need plus a few extra things you ramble on to your girlfriend.

“I've always wanted a garden.” You turn to look at her. Your eyes filled with excitement. Wanda is so happy to see you so happy. “Maybe next year I can do more. Make it bigger.”

“Of course we can detka.” Wanda smiles as she sees your little happy wiggle from her peripheral vision.

“And and and maybe one day have a big garden with raised beds. Maybe some chickens. Oh and maybe even a little farm stand. You can help bake cookies for it.” You're excited at what could come next, outshining the earlier frustrations.

“That sounds lovely moya lyubov'. I would love that. Getting to bake with my favorite girl.” Your giggles are infectious as Wanda joins in.

Wanna will do anything to see you happy and to make your dreams come true. A garden and farm stand sounding to be like some work but the most satisfying endeavor. Something that you can do together.

A new dream to achieve together.

[theweightofmercy]

good for you - a joel miller fic

after three years away in los angeles, you return home in austin to spend the summer with friends & family. what comes as a surprise is the new way you're treated by joel, a close family friend. something in the air has shifted and you're not sure what.

{ chapter one }

my first fic ever written! this will be a multi part series.

pairing: dbf!joel miller x fem!reader

warnings: no outbreak, age gap, reader is early 20s while joel is late 40s, angst, joel is a dick, this chapter is really slow (not sorry), no smut, 3k words.

divider from @lavendergalactic

You shuffle across the worn kitchen tile, mind still foggy of somnolence and eyes half closed. Making way to the kitchen table, you squint across the room to the time-stamp on the oven – 3:07am. It certainly wasn’t your intention to be awake again at this hour, you can blame the recurrent situation on the slew of nightmares you’ve been having for the past week and a half. 

You pull out a chair from the table and let yourself slump down (quiet enough to keep your dad from stirring in the room above). You let out a small sigh of frustration and prop your elbows onto the table, letting your head fall into your open palms. You’re exhausted. It’s entirely reasonable to believe you’ve only gotten about twelve good hours of sleep in the past ten days. 

It’s the first week of June, school is out and you���re back home with your dad for the summer. It’s been three years since you’ve been home. I guess you can say you’ve just been busy with life out in LA. You’ve been back home for almost two weeks but have yet to see any familiar faces besides your dad’s and Marcy’s.

As if on queue, you hear the quiet pitter-patter of her paws against the floor. She takes her position atop the aged rug, cuddled up next to your feet. You don’t miss how she bumps into the leg of the table first; she’s getting older. 

Your dad had asked if you would help him with his vegetable garden once you were back in town and of course, you agreed. Even though you know how he gets when something isn’t done exactly how he wants it, (and he knows you're not the greatest listener) you agreed. He misses you. You miss him. You owe him for the time you’ve been away, often getting too caught up with school and work or just the general hustle of college life to text back or call. 

Marcy whines under the table and you peek down at her. “What’s wrong, honey?” you say softly, half expecting an answer. You frown slightly when you receive no reply. It was worth a try, you think. You stand up from the table and walk toward the back door, Marcy in tow. You open the door, now only separated from the back porch by the thin screen door. You shiver as the wind picks up slightly and nestles itself across your skin. “Please make this quick, Marce,” you say as you swing open the screen door, letting her out to do her business. You stand there outside the door, arms wrapped around your shoulders, trying to keep in whatever body heat you can while carefully observing the dog from the porch. 

You feel slightly vulnerable standing here, in only one of what you assume to be an old t-shirt from your dad and a very unsexy pair of underwear. The porch light is on, illuminating your position. You spend more time swatting tiny bugs out of your face than you do actually watching the dog. It’s all wooded area behind your dad’s house but you can’t shake the feeling of someone being able to see you. You’ve been a little paranoid since the nightmares started, always someone chasing or watching you. “Come on Marce!” you whisper-yell from where you’re standing. It’s cold as shit out here. 

You make your way back upstairs to your bedroom, Marcy following closely behind. You pass by your dad’s bedroom and can hear his snore from the hallway. You stifle a laugh as you pass and shut your bedroom door behind you, crawling into bed once more. The sweet puppy joins you, taking her usual spot next to your feet. You fiddle with the hem of your blanket for a while, mind drifting back and forth between various thoughts. You eventually fall back to sleep, the lack of it finally catching up. 

You wake the next morning to the sound of obnoxiously loud voices downstairs. Your eyes aren’t even fully open before you can tell who’s talking. You groan loudly and roll onto your stomach, pulling the pillow down over your head. Marcy whines at the bedroom door. “5 more minutes, please, Marce,” you mumble into the mattress. She whines again and paws at the door. You let out a sigh and peer at her from where you’re oddly sprawled out under the blankets. Fine. 

You slowly, very slowly, drag yourself out of bed and pull on a pair of pajama pants. You pull your hair back out of your face and open the door for Marcy. You can still hear the voices downstairs, it’s your dad, Tommy, and Joel. If it were anyone else you probably would have showered and changed clothes before heading down, but you’ve known the Millers for years. Your dad and them have a construction company together and you’ve been close with Joel’s daughter for as long as you can remember. She’s a few years younger than you but the bond you have is unbreakable.

You walk downstairs and go straight for the coffee pot on the kitchen counter, not even bothering to reply to Tommy’s “Hey kid!” from the living room as you pass. You pour yourself a cup before the party of men decides to join you in the kitchen. You grin slightly as you lean against the counter, sipping coffee, and pretending to hate the way Tommy pulls you in for a side hug, rustling your hair playfully. Joel and your dad take their seats at the kitchen table, still immersed in their own conversation. 

“Where the hell you been, kid?” Tommy asks, joining the others at the table. The focus of the room now turned to you. You shrug and shift your weight uncomfortably and stare down at your coffee, some of the grounds have floated to the top. This isn’t a great topic to start the day with.

“Seems like you’re enjoying the fancy-pants art school out in LA, huh?” Joel answers for you. “No time to come home anymore?” You look at them, guilty. You don’t have the patience or energy to deal with this intervention right now. You scoff slightly and glare daggers back at Joel. You can’t tell if you imagine the way his eyes linger on the exposed skin of your collarbone for half a second too long. 

Your dad frowns and is almost glaring at you, “You know I told her to stay close to home… just had to go and follow those big dreams.” You sneer at him again and push away from the counter, walking toward the hallway. Your dad had always hated the idea of you moving across the country for school. In a way, that only fueled your instinctual teenage rebellion. "I don't wanna be stuck in this shit-hole town like you three forever," you say playfully, heading back upstairs.

You hear the men’s conversation resume as you enter the bathroom, the house small enough that you can tell how quickly the conversation switched from you to the job they’re currently working. 

You take extra time in the shower for no particular reason other than the fact that it’s a Sunday, and that’s about all the excuse you need for a self-care moment. Your mind slips back to the men at the table, their condescending tone regarding your choice to move still stings. Especially from Joel. He’s never been one to judge your plans, hell, he was the one that practically pushed you onto that plane. You don’t understand his sudden change of heart that he portrayed downstairs. 

You’re excited to see Sarah today; you haven’t seen her since you’ve been back home and she’s been making sure you don't forget it.

Sarah: When are you coming over??!! 6 min ago. 

Sarah: Istg if I knew you weren’t in the shower right now I’d come over there and drag you out of that house myself. 2 min ago. 

You take time getting ready, trying to pick out something to wear that would impress Sarah. She’s only 5 years younger than you but still, teenagers are intimidating. Sarah and Joel moved into the house across the street from yours when you were about 10 and two years later your dad joined the partnership of Miller’s Construction. Joel has always been like a dad to you in a way, making sure you were fed and looked after during summer sleepovers with Sarah as children. Tommy has always been much less of a father figure, often getting himself in trouble and needing Joel's help out of a bad situation. You think of him more like a really obnoxious OLDER brother.

You moved out to LA for change when you graduated, the goal of obtaining a master’s degree in fine arts. Being from the south you’d always hear, “An art degree ain’t gettin’ you nowhere, kid” or “Don’t know why you’re wastin’ money on a bullshit degree like that…” mostly coming from estranged people you know, your high school friends, their parents, but mostly your dad. You don’t care, you never did. You were going to do what you wanted, how you wanted, and you weren’t going to let anyone get in the way of that. 

It’s nearly 2:00pm before you make your way across the street to Sarah’s. She has the door swung wide before you even step foot in the driveway. “Jesus, you been watching me from the damn window?” you shout to her as you approach. “Pretty much.” she says with a smile as she practically suffocates you with her hug. “I’ve missed you.” she whispers into your shoulder. You try to ignore the way her voice gets caught in her throat. But you’re quiet for a second, giving Sarah what she needs. Then finally, “Come onnnn, it’s only been three years!” you say with a small smile and playfully shove her off. 

The two of you spend the next 8 hours talking, laughing ‘til you cry, and overall debriefing the past three years; Sarah’s going to graduate high school next year, you’re going to graduate college, you hear all about the boy she’s been sneaking out with on weekends, and you tell her about all the crazy parties and people you’ve met out in LA.

Some time later, you’re sprawled out on the floor of her bedroom flipping through a magazine while she doodles in her notebook on the bed. After a few silent seconds, “You’re not moving there permanently when you graduate, right?” she asks quietly. You pause; you’ve not really given it any thought before. “I don’t know.. I haven’t had to think about that yet.” Sarah keeps her eyes glued to her notebook and nods. “Guess you should probably start thinking about that.”

It’s around 2:00am when the front door of Sarah’s house shuts with a loud thud. Loud enough to wake you. You’re partly thankful, partly annoyed. You were having another nightmare, but one of those where you can’t get yourself to wake up from. You shift on the floor and sit up, rubbing your eyes and look over at Sarah, who’s tangled in the blankets on her bed. Your back is killing you, you didn’t plan to crash on Sarah’s bedroom floor. 

You stand and gather your phone and keys from the nightstand before making your way through the house to the front door. You hear faint shuffling and clinking of glass in the kitchen on your way, so you stop in, knowing it could only be one person. “Joel?” you say, flipping the kitchen light on. Joel startles slightly at your voice and turns to face you from the counter, eyes squinting at the sudden light. “What are you doing up so late? Isn’t it past your bedtime?” you joke, hiding a smile behind your palm. “Could be askin’ you the same question.” he grumbles, reaching into the cabinet for a (presumably) whiskey glass. 

Not in the mood to talk tonight, noted.

“Well, I’m just leaving. Didn’t mean to fall asleep here,” you yawn, turning to move toward the front door. You see him reach for the bottle of honey-colored liquid and pour himself a glass. He hums slightly in response before putting the bottle back and facing you again. “I’ll walk you back over, s’ too late for you to be out alone anyways.” You scoff, slightly offended that Joel thinks you can't handle yourself on a 30 second walk across the street. Joel walks past you and toward the front door, slipping his boots on. “Don’t worry about it Joel, I’m good. It’s just across the street.” You motion to your dad’s house across the way as follow him, shuffling your shoes and jacket back on. 

Joel grumbles something unintelligible. When you turn to open the door, Joel’s already there and heading outside. You roll your eyes and make a stabbing motion with your keys behind him.

The two of you walk down the driveway together in silence until, “Sarah’s really missed you.” You swallow feelings of guilt and start to feel a pang in your chest. “I know.” 

You notice the oh so slight stumble in Joel’s walk, and given the smell of him you’re sure he’s been at the bar for a few hours prior, with your dad or Tommy surely. “Guess you think you can just leave your life here behind, and start fresh out there?” Your eyes snap over to Joel and you halt. You’re standing in the middle of the road.

 “What is your problem?” you ask, watching as he steps onto your dad’s driveway. "All that shit you gave me this morning? And now this? I thought you were on my side here." He turns and looks at you, his face glowing under the nearby streetlamp. You’ve never noticed the way his eyes soften under amber lighting or the delicate way they crease in the corners, and you don’t know why now has to be that time. You don’t understand the look in his eyes. He looks almost... hurt?

“Seems like you’re doin’ just fine out there. New friends, new job. Three years without visiting your dad, and Sarah? You’re breakin’ her heart.” All you can do is stare at him, deadweight in the middle of the road. 

You don't know if you’re confused or angry. Maybe both. “C’mon get out of the damn road.” he says as he reaches his arm out to you.

"I don't need your fucking help," you spit at him.

You don’t move. Why is he acting like this? He’s half the reason you found the courage to leave in the first place. “You have no idea what I’m doing with my life, for myself,” you say staring him down from the street.

He brings the glass to his lips again, “I’d say that’s the exact fuckin’ issue then, wouldn’t you? All the time I spent helping you prepare to move, convincing your dad to let you leave in the first place. And you can't even spare a call back home? Too good for us lowlifes out here, huh?"

You glare at him and push past him, not wanting to hear another word that he has to say. You knew coming back home would have it's consequences. You just didn't think it would be Joel giving you the shit.

“Three years and not a weekend back home? No holiday or birthday surprises for your dad?” you hear Joel as you make your way to the front door, tears welling in your eyes. You’re not sure what feeling you can associate them with. 

I don’t owe anyone an explanation, you think to yourself. Except you do. You know you do. You did plan on making frequent trips back home. But life was different once you started school and work, you simply didn’t have the time. That's what you tell yourself. You tried to keep in touch with Sarah and your dad, made them both promises that you’d come home to visit soon... none of which were actually fulfilled until now.

You reach the front door and pause before you go in. Joel is still standing in your dad’s driveway, you can feel his stare burn into the back of your head. You turn to face him, keeping distance. Joel stares at you, you can’t bring yourself to look him in the eyes. “The last time Sarah told me you were coming down was ‘round Christmas.” Joel states, glass empty.

Your face flushes, you can feel the guilt practically seeping out of your pores. You’re thankful for the dim lighting of the street lamps and the distance between you two. “I planned on coming,” you’re quiet for a moment, careful what you let slip. “Something came up.” Joel half nods and you think you can hear a faint scoff. He turns around and starts back across the street. “Yeah… planned on coming the year before too, right? Something come up then too?”

You give no response, turning around and walking inside. You don’t stop to listen for the sound of your dad’s snoring or the pitter-patter of Marcy’s feet. You just walk to your bedroom and shut the door quietly, slipping into the plush nest of blankets and pillows. You lay there, eyes open, unable to focus on anything other than the guilt and betrayal pounding in your chest.

You wish you could explain the real reasons you never came home. Why all communication was so limited. The wound is just too fresh to delve into again.

You’re still half awake when dawn breaks, needing the rest but not wanting to succumb to the possibility of another nightmare. Your mind is still on Joel and the abnormal way he was speaking to you, the smell of whiskey on his clothes, the way he would stare a little too long at your exposed skin under the streetlamp.

You understand why he would be frustrated with the situation, but this all just seems so blown up. Something is different, he’s not the same Joel that you left knowing, three years ago. He seems… darker? Moody. A whole lot more asshole-y than you remember. He’s definitely not the same man you looked up to as a young girl. 

The sun is almost fully risen when you finally doze off. 

okay, hi! this is the first fic i have ever written in my life so please be kind :') i am so excited to continue this storyline, please let me know if you have any advice or recommendations! & if you would be so kind as to reblog this story i dearly appreciate it x

[deerbourne-if]

How the ros would react to a grown up Bug who thinks that mc is her parent bringing their partner to the house so mc and ro could met them

Cuuute!

-Silas glances from the clock to you, and then back to the clock. He even checks his watch as if that might change something.

"Si," you tease, reaching over to put a hand on his arm. "They'll get here when they get here."

Silas leans back into his side of the couch, smoothing his hands over his thighs. "Why am I nervous? Are you nervous?'

You grin. "Bug likes them - if she approves, I'm pretty sure we will, too."

Silas nods, but that doesn't stop him from glancing at the clock again.

-Annika is dusting the photo frames. Again.

"Sweetie," you begin, trying to keep your smile in check. "There isn't a speck of dust in this house."

Annika turns on you with a half-smile, half-grimace. She puts aside the duster to reach out to you. You go to her, wrapping your arms around her and letting hers cup your face.

She doesn't have to say anything for you to know what she's thinking. That Bug is everything to the both of you. That she's scared of losing her.

You kiss Annika's cheek, brushing your nose against hers. "Trust her," you whisper, knowing she will.

-Vardah is calmly flipping through the glossy pages of the art book you keep on the coffee table. She's flawless, as always; her tousled bob covers her cheek, hiding her from your gaze.

You reach out, tucking the hair behind her ear. Behind the swinging earring of polished pine and jade.

Vardah smiles, tilting her cheek into your hand, but she doesn't look up from the book. "What is it, habibi?" she murmurs.

"You look like it's any other Friday."

"Isn't it?" she hums, nuzzling your palm, kissing the fleshy bit between thumb and forefinger. "Bug and pizza."

"And Bug's partner. A partner we've never met."

Vardah's smile widens. "It'll be fine," she says. "If they aren't worthy, I'll handle it. You know that."

-Hunter has been baking for three hours. Homemade bread to go with herbed butter and spicy oil. A mix of meat and vegetable pastries. Bite-sized fruit tarts. Slender, lacy cookies with a matching creamy dip.

"Babe, I'm pretty sure this is way more than four people can eat."

Hunter doesn't even glance up from where he's piping the macrons. "Whatever we don't eat, I'm sending home with Bug."

"God, her roommates might love you more than I do," you tease, coming up behind him to kiss his shoulder and wrap your arms around him. "Are you nervous?"

"I'm always nervous," he reminds you.

"I mean, more nervous than usual?"

Hunter pauses his work, considering. "No, not really. Bug has good taste."

Bug does have good taste. You smile, pressing your cheek to his shoulder and closing your eyes. There's no reason to be nervous.

-Jordan's foot sways left to right, right to left. They're as blank-faced as usual, but there's a tenseness to their shoulders that you haven't seen in a while. Not since they were the sole security guard for an entire commune.

"You good?" you ask.

Jordan glances toward you, their smile loose. "Just trying to decide if I should wear my gun or leave it casually on the coffee table."

"Oh God," you snort. "Don't be that person. The parent that has to throw around their weight."

"Aww, but I'd be so good at it," Jordan winks.

You grin, leaning back into your chair. "Don't embarrass Bug. Last time you did, she wouldn't talk to you for a month."

"That was not my fault," Jordan says - not for the first time. "That friend of hers was getting perilously close to kissing her, and she was not old enough."

"She was sixteen, Jordan."

"Yeah. A baby."

"She wasn't a baby - she had a car. And that friend of hers was a good kid."

"Not good enough for our Princess."

"Who will be good enough for her?" you press.

Jordan smirks. "No one."

-Nadia spends the afternoon in the garden, deadheading the bushes and using the blooms to create small bouquets. You watch her put these bouquets in small vases, humming as she fills them with water and a little clear soda.

"That's a lot of flowers," you note when she places the twelfth and final vase. This one sits prominently on the coffee table, the scent of lavender and roses filling your nose. "They're going to think you're a florist."

Nadia smiles a little, taking a sprig of lavender from the bouquet and twining it through one of her twists. The purple blooms are gorgeous against the white strip of hair running through the black. "I want to make a good impression. Make the place feel warm. Cared for."

"I think we manage that on our own, but I get your point." You pat your lap. "Come rest. You've been up all day."

Nadia does as you ask, perching her slender body against yours and placing a kiss on your neck. "Are you worried?" she asks.

"Nah," you say, peppering kisses to her face and making her squirm. "Bug knew to trust you right away - I think she knows who to give her heart to."

Nadia's smile is soft, loving. "Smooth talker."

You wink and kiss her until a knock on the door forces you up for breath.

"We can pretend we're not home," you say, now single-mindedly staring at your partner's mouth.

Nadia snorts, smacks you, and gets to her feet. Straightening her clothes, she asks, "Ready?"

You let out a breath and nod. "Ready."

[skelliko]

Tokyo revengers |°-context: you visit your grandparents at the country side and he willingly taged along

๑-featuring: kazutora, chifuyu, baji

°- Kazutora Hanemiya

• he had to get used to it for a while but afterwards he'd actually kinda enjoyed it

• would stroll around and admire the wide fields bigger than a football stadium in awe, he'd also lean against a tree or something and have a peaceful moment for himself while enjoying the birds chirping

• would give random scary looking spiders the most basic names like Dave and think it's funny (it's actually pretty funny)

• liked sitting by the furnace to put wood in to heat up the house, even if he did burn himself by accidentally touching the hot metal by the sides, he still liked being taught how to use it and be in charge of it

• got distracted for some time by sitting on the grass and watching a snail slowly move it's small body over a large rock, he was there for 7 minutes before he realised what he was doing, and the snail still hasn't gone over the rock since it decided to go in multiple random directions in the same spot- he was tempted in flicking it off with his finger but chose not to

• hated waking up in the morning tho, he was way too tired to keep his eyes open for more than a few seconds

• would he come back? it's not exactly his thing but if he were to pass by the area then he'd happily wonder about a little while

°- chifuyu matsuno

• he'd be enthusiastic about the amount of cows that are on the fields, the second he saw one cow he yelled out "cow! :o" but then when he saw a whole field of em he yelled out again "more cows! :D"

• beautiful sunsets over here and would take multiple photos of the sky

• would crouch down and inspect an odd insect that he's never seen before and think that he discovered an undiscovered bug and give it a whole scientific name that just consists of random phrases conjoined together and is hard to pronounce the second time

• at first he liked being given a job that included a lot of physical work but after a while he grew to dislike it, he still tried to finish it so that your grandparents wouldn't hate him for it - but the naps afterwards were delectable

• got woken up in the middle of the night and just sat there in bed for a while almost mesmerized by how dark it was, like- pitch black

• enjoyed the home grown fruits and vegetables, there was a clear difference between store bought compared to grown in the garden/field - he took a liking to the yellow apple tree most due to how sweet and semi soft the apples are

• would he come back? potentially if he wouldn't be put to do heavy work, he enjoys most of the other stuff tho

°- Baji Keisuke

• would pet the neighbours cats that are wondering about and try and feed them ham or something

• sits outside somewhere enjoying the breeze and the chirping birds in the distance, usually you wouldn't be able to hear this many birds all at the same time anywhere else other than the country side, not even in a nearby forest

• he'd be pretty chill at staying the night and enjoy looking at the stars since you can't see them clearly in the city

• mosquitos love him for some reason and he hates that he gets bit easily, only thing he hates about being here

• enjoyed chopping the wood with an axe to later use to heat the house up, he was pretty good at it as well but he was only allowed to do it a few times before the axe got taken away cause he nearly hurt himself. got kinda disappointed by that.

• would he come back? definitely, it's not a life style he'd want to commit to but for a short while he'd be chill with it

 ♡--

[khaire-traveler]

🌲 Subtle Pan Worship 🌿

Take a walk/hike in nature

Take regular breaks from screens; get some fresh air

Go camping out in nature; focus on the wildlife around you; look at the constellations at night

Learn how to safely forage

Get a candle that reminds you of him (no altar needed)

Keep a picture of him in your wallet

Wear jewelry that reminds you of him

Pick wild flowers; press or dry them

Start a garden; tend to a plant

Decorate your space with vines, leaves, and the like; maybe fairy lights with bugs, flowers, or mushrooms on them

Have imagery of fauns, goats, forests, meadows, pan flutes, sheep, wildflowers, or mountains around

Have a stuffed sheep or goat animal; have a stuffed animal of any forest, meadow, or mountain creatures

When you're anxious or afraid, go to the forest or to nature; spend time outside, and breathe; you will be ok

Learn about local fauna and flora

Collect animal bones from nature (please thank the animal's spirit beforehand); make sure to safely handle them; link to some safety tips when handling fleshy remains

Cook with homegrown herbs or produce

Drink a natural herbal or produce beverage; fruit juice works but has high sugar content, so just be aware in case that's an issue for you

Fall asleep/meditate to the sounds of a forest or general wilderness

Pick up trash in your environment

Support environmental preservation organizations, animal sanctuaries, or animal shelters/rescues

Feed neighborhood dogs, cats, birds, etc.

Volunteer at an animal sanctuary or animal shelter

Go outside of your comfort zone; if you're afraid of doing something, do it scared; it could work out far more beautifully than you ever imagined

Learn how to play panpipes; own panpipes in general

Light a bonfire with friends in the wilderness (SAFELY!!!!); share scary stories, especially those y'all have directly experienced

Plant seeds, especially the fruit of vegetables you've eaten; give it new life

Research coping skills for stress, fear, or anxiety; try some for yourself

Keep a dream journal specifically dedicated to nightmares; try to interpret them; what are they trying to tell you?

Explore the areas nearby you, be it nature or otherwise; acquaint yourself with the unfamiliar

Get comfortable with the concept of the unknown and uncertainty; remind yourself that you need not know everything in order for it to work out in your favor

Address the uncertainties in your life that cause you the most stress; find your own answers; topics like death, the afterlife, the long-term future, etc.

Play with your pets; spend time with them

Keep your pet healthy; feed them good food, take them on regular walks/exercise them, keep them up to date on vaccines, etc.

Do something fun and new with your partner (or alone); try something exciting or scary that you've always wanted to try

Use natural herbs and remedies to address minor health issues, such as stomaches or sore throat

Try urban exploring - the practice of visiting abandoned places, especially those that have been reclaimed by nature

Face your fears; learn to work through them

Recycle; reuse things that don't need to be immediately disposed of; use compost for your garden or nearby plants

Take time to be alone and decompress, especially after a long day

Cook a good meal for someone in need

Cook a good meal for you or your loved ones

-

This list still feels pretty short to me, so I'll likely add more in the future. For now, this is my list of discreet ways to worship Pan. I hope this is helpful to someone, and take care! 💚

Link to Subtle Worship Master list

[lostinwildflowers]

A Little Dirt Never Hurt Anyone, Right?

Sierra Six x Reader

Summary: You can't wait to show Six what you've worked on for the majority of your day, but he's not on the same page as you.

Word Count: 5.5K

Warnings: Some big girl angst, harsh language/swearing, Six MAYBE is a little OOC, hurt/comfort

A/N: Here is another part of The Gray Scale, a collection series that I'm writing when I feel like it! I let the angst call to me on this one, I really needed to hurt my feelings... GET THIS MAN ON HIS KNEES OKAY - Birch<3

Wind chimes dancing lightly in the late afternoon breeze draw your attention to the front porch. The white farmhouse door is propped open to let in fresh air while you work in the kitchen, the cool air circulating around the house.

You did keep the screen door closed, however, as you didn't want to endlessly chase down bugs and whatever bird flew in. A quick glance at the clock hanging on the wall tells you it's just after 5 o'clock.

Six should be home soon.

The thought brings a smile to your face, and right on cue, you can see Six's old Chevy truck pulling up the driveway. Gravel spits and pops underneath the tires as you catch sight of his left arm hanging out of the window.

It was too nice of an afternoon not to enjoy the breeze, after all. Your smile widens as you stop working at the sight of the truck halting in front of the house, and you can just barely hear the engine cut out a moment later.

The truck is a bit rusty and has some chipped spots of paint, but every day you watch it successfully take Six down the road to the cattle farmer next door. The older gentleman needed help maintaining the farm, and he paid Six handsomely for keeping up with the farm equipment, moving the cows, and completing any odd jobs that always needed to be done.

It wasn't much, but the farmer was nice, and so was his wife. The farmer had immediately taken a liking to the former assassin, and the wife enjoyed sharing her recipes with you. They were kind to keep Six employed, and for the moment, life was okay after escaping the CIA with Claire in tow.

The dull sound of the truck door being shoved closed draws your attention, and you notice Six had shut it a little uncharacteristically hard. It makes you blink in wonder, your smile faltering ever so slightly as you try to brush it off.

Instead, you focus on the vegetables set out on the counter in front of you - freshly picked from your garden, and some still dotted with bits of dirt and grime from the enriched soil.

You've gathered up carrots, zucchinis, and squash from your garden, gently washing each in the sink to rid them of their dirt. Just as you finish setting the final squash out to dry, you can hear the screen door at the front of the house snap shut.

You have to swivel your head to look over your shoulder, but you can see Six's tired figure hunched over in the doorway. Hurriedly, you set the vegetable down and duck out of the kitchen to make your way over to him.

With your smile regaining its joy, you catch the edge of his gaze and hum out, "Welcome home, Six." Your head cocks cheerfully at the end of your words, your eyes flitting over him out of habit.

His blonde hair is tucked under one of his ball caps, holding the thick locks out of his eyes. There is some dirt on his blue jeans and boots, but nothing that seems out of the ordinary.

The bearded blonde hums in acknowledgement of your greeting, setting his work boots on the bottom shelf to avoid tracking in too much dirt. The simple response isn't unusual, so you pick up the slack as you step to the side and ask, "How was work on the farm today?"

Six lets a groan slide from his lips as he shucks off his jacket, the thick muscles in his arms flexing tenderly from throwing bales of straw all day. His back faces you for a moment as he turns to hang the jacket up, but he grunts lowly, "Just another Thursday on the farm."

There's a bit of a bite to his voice, and it takes you aback slightly as you watch him turn to face you. When you regain eye contact with him, you can see the worn-out look on his face. Maybe it was just a long day.

You try to push the thought out of your mind and hike a thumb over your shoulder to motion to the kitchen behind you, "Do you want to see what I've been working on today? I think it's pretty cool."

Six raises his brows in interest and offers a tight-lipped smile as he shrugs, "Sure, Y/n/n." The nickname slides off his lips with ease, and it makes your heart flutter in your chest as you glance away.

Shyly, you grab hold of his bicep and playfully tug him toward the kitchen, a small skip in your step. You lead him over to the counter where your haul of vegetables awaits, and you look over them proudly before glancing up at Six.

When your (colored) eyes land on the bearded blonde, his blue gaze is trained on the tiled floor near your back door, which is also propped open. The screen door there allows him to see the few steps on the backside of the house that lead out to your garden.

But there, on the tiles just inside the door, are a few small clumps of drying mud. And before you can notice what he's looking at, you hear him mutter quietly, "You didn't clean up that mud?"

At the sound of his voice, you follow his gaze to the ground, and a pang of bashful guilt washes over you as you slowly release his arm. You scratch at your cheek as you reply a little less enthusiastically, "Not yet, I was just finishing up cleaning these vegetables, and then I was going to mop."

You chuckle awkwardly as you motion to the dirty ground, "I guess I lost track of time for a little bit." Six doesn't respond, but glances from the floor to you, and then back to the floor.

Then, his gaze narrows as his voice turns a bit sharper, and he pushes, "Is that my jacket?" On a chair next to the back door, one of Six's black and red tracksuit jackets lies crumpled over on itself. The arms of the jacket are caked with drying bits of mud and pieces of shredded weeds, while the body of it is smeared with dust and grime.

It was truly soiled.

A sharper pang of guilt floods over you as your gaze settles on the jacket, and you instinctively wrap one around around yourself. You wince slightly as your fingers rub at the skin on your opposite arm, and you shrug defeatedly before mumbling, "Y-yeah, it was a little windy earlier when I was weeding, so I just threw it on for a bit."

You look back at Six just in time to see his jaw clench and his eyes flit from the dirty jacket back to you. There's a mild annoyance on his features, his brows knit into a slight frown. But he lets out a silent sigh through his nose and nods once to himself, wiping at his face.

You can't quite make out the mumble he lets out under his breath, but you try to brush it off as you turn to the counter in front of you. With a smile beginning to curl on your lips again, you grab one of the zucchinis that had been drying, and you offer it to him proudly.

The bearded blonde looks at the vegetable in your hand and lets his eyes flutter closed before taking a deep breath. A moment later, he blows it out of his mouth before opening his eyes and glancing sharply at you, grunts, "This is why you tracked in all of that dirt and ruined my last clean tracksuit?"

His words come out a bit harsh, and you pull the vegetable back toward your chest with a frown of your own. You blink up at him in slight confusion and reply, "Well, I told you this morning before you left that I would be harvesting a bunch of stuff from the garden today. This was one of the ripe ones."

Six swallows thickly and points toward the chair, huffing, "So you couldn't dirty up your own jacket?" He stares at you for a second before pulling his gaze away, muttering a quiet, "Geeze," under his breath.

Guilt seems to eat at you now, and you take a step away from the bearded blonde. You lower the vegetable and shakily set it on the counter before mumbling, "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I can run a load of laundry now and throw it in."

While you speak, Six skirts around you and walks over to the chair, avoiding the dirt on the ground. He pauses next to the chair and calls over his shoulder, "No, I think you've done enough for the house today."

You blink at him silently as hurt washes over you. That was a bit uncalled for. A lump forms in the back of your throat, and you glance around as you try to come up with something to say, but he's not done yet.

Six leans down to pick up the soiled jacket, and he sneers, "God, all I wanted to do was come home from work, take a shower, and put on some clean, comfortable clothes," more to himself than anything.

But, with a harsh glance, he lifts the jacket higher in the air for you to see, and chides, "But no, you just had to go cake dirt and muck all over my last tracksuit jacket with your stupid garden."

The cruelty of his words hits you like a bus, and the lump in your throat wells up as tears burn at the edges of your vision. Your hand shakily slides from the countertop and wipes at your cheek as you sniffle and retort, "Well, I was trying to harvest food for us from my stupid garden so we don't starve to death."

Six points to the vegetables on the counter with his free hand and scoffs, "With those? They would hardly feed a person for a day." The insult hits you square in the chest, and you feel defensiveness bloom inside you as you raise your voice, "I'm trying, okay!"

The bearded blonde lowers the jacket back to his side and looks at you incredulously as he shuffles on his feet. He raises his eyebrows and retorts, "You're trying? All you've managed to do today is dirty everything in the house with slop and mud, and soil clothes that aren't yours!"

At this point, you can't help but blink rapidly to try to clear your blurry vision, Six's broad figure blending in with the house as you repeatedly brush tears from your cheeks. You take a step away from the counter and shoot a glare at the vegetables on the counter that you had been so excited to show him.

"I said I was sorry! I didn't realize it was going to be such a big deal," you start, your voice cracking as you fight off the sob you know is rising in your chest. Six just stares at you for a moment as his jaw clenches again, and he looks away from you and mutters, "You are unbelievable right now."

Then, he mumbles to himself, "I don't know why you thought coming with me and Claire was the best thing for you."

Everything pauses. Your mouth falls open in pained awe as you stare at him from across the room. His broad figure seems so far away, the cold look in his eyes putting a million miles between the two of you.

The best thing for me? I was thinking of you and Claire, the thought scrapes across your mind. It was never about me. I wanted the two of you to be safe.

Your eyes narrow as you blink past another set of tears, and with a quick wipe at your cheeks, you whimper, "If you want me to leave, just say so, and I'm gone." Your voice gives in at the end of your sentence, and you are left with Six's scathing gaze watching your figure.

"As long as the dirt is gone and you leave my clothes alone, I don't care," he all but growls out.

The air flies from your lungs like you've been punched in the gut, and you take a staggering step backward at his words. He... didn't care if you stayed or left? After everything the two of you and Claire had been through together?

You reach your hand up to briefly cover your mouth as a sob rips its way out of your throat. It takes you a moment, but you manage a quick breath, and you reiterate, "You don't care?"

Six tightens his grip on his jacket before motioning toward you with it, and snaps, "Isn't that what I just fucking said?" A beat passes, and he rubs at his face again with his free hand, massaging at his temple.

"I can't do this," he huffs, his hand dropping against his side with a dull thwap, "I'm getting a shower." However, you move before he does, your body unconsciously shuffling toward the front door as another sob breaks through your lips.

Your tearful gaze flits over him one more time, taking in the hostility in his stance, the scorn in his eyes. He didn't want you here. Then, you turn away from him and break into a run toward the front door.

You crash through the screen door as the lump in your throat breaks, sobs heaving from your chest as the flood gates open. Unsteady footsteps carry you across the front porch and down the stairs. Despite your focus being on running away, you can hear the door clicking closed behind you, and that's enough.

With your body running on memory, you focus on stumbling down the slope off to the side of the house that leads to the barn. Meanwhile, inside, Claire has popped her head out of her room after the yelling ceases.

When she sees Six, a slight frown sets on her face and she states matter-of-factly, "That was harsh, even for my standards." At that, she turns back around and disappears into her room.

The bales of alfalfa underneath you dig at your jeans and prick at your hands, but you can't bring yourself to care. You had managed to make it into the wooden barn without tripping over yourself, your sole focus finding somewhere safe and away from prying eyes.

The tackroom near the front of the barn was too easy, and you didn't feel like bothering one of the horses by sitting in one of their stalls. So, you had gone deeper into the barn where you and Six had thrown down this week's hay, the bales stacked high up to the ceiling.

Then, with as much strength as you could muster, you moved a couple of bales to create a small nook in the tower of hay, shielding you on either side from unwanted viewers. Directly ahead of you is one of the horse's stalls, but the bay gelding is just quietly munching on some grain, paying no attention to you.

As you climb into your hiding spot and tuck your legs up to your chest, your mind seems to give in, swirling with bitter frustration. I'm just trying my best. I really didn't think borrowing his jacket was going to be such a big deal.

A cry rips itself from your throat as another thought hits you. Obviously, you didn't think. You shouldn't have used his jacket without asking; it's obviously special to him.

You pull your chin to your chest as you curl up into a ball, doing your best to block out the rest of the world as you weep.

All you were trying to do was provide for Six and Claire. Yes, Six worked just down the road and made most of the money that the three of you lived off of. But the two of you had saved some from your time spent with the CIA.

Now, though? You couldn't get a normal job.

You didn't exist in the real world. You had completely wiped your file before going on the run, so no one knew anything about you. You couldn't exist; otherwise, you could get caught, and Six or Claire would have to deal with your consequences.

So, you did what you could to provide for the three of you. Tending to the household was the main one, but you had recently tried your hand at gardening. You figured growing whatever foods you could would save you money in the long run.

It was worth a shot, right?

The bay gelding in front of you paws at his stall door in annoyance when he finds his grain is all gone, the noise making you lift your head up to stare at him. A shaky breath falls from your lips as you watch him for a moment, your mind going into overdrive.

Was it smart to go on the run with Six and Claire? Probably not. But now what am I going to do? Should I try to make a new, fake identity and live somewhere else? I would be homeless for a while. Could I survive that?

The thoughts come spiralling at a rapid rate, and it makes your head pound as you brush tears away from your eyes, the skin there growing tender and raw. Deep down, there was no need for Six to be as cruel as he was about your simple mistake.

That much, you do know.

Despite that, you don't know what to do, so you shuffle again to get comfortable on the hay, the alfalfa poking at your arms when you cross them over your chest. You take a deep breath to try to calm your breathing, Six's words echoing in your head over and over again.

I don't care.

All you've done is dirty everything with slop and mud, and soil clothes that aren't yours!

So you couldn't dirty up your own jacket?

You shut your eyes in an attempt to help yourself push the thoughts away, but it doesn't seem to work. With your actions and Six's words eating at you, all you can do is sit silently and watch the sun sink through a window from the comfort of the barn.

The moonlight is streaming through the windows of the barn by the time you wake up with chills running through your body. You have to peel your eyes open and blink a few times to focus your vision on the warm-toned lights that are still on from the afternoon chores, lighting the center of the barn aisle.

With a quick peek out from your cubby in the hay, you peer out the main door of the barn toward the house. The lights are still on up there, and it makes a lump form in the back of your throat.

You clear your throat and glance away as you shuffle lightly, a groan falling from your lips as you wipe the crusties away from your eyes. Your arms beg to stretch a moment later, so you extend your limbs as a shiver runs up your spine.

Goosebumps rise on your skin as the chill of the night sets in, and you hum as you let some of the tension leave your body. The sound of the horses munching on their hay puts you at ease for a moment, watching them as you try to relax from the stress of the day.

The stress of the day.

The thought makes you sigh and sit up straight, your fingers searching for your phone in your back pocket. When you don't find it after a moment, your eyes flutter closed as you internally curse.

It's still up at the house.

You mull over what to do for a second, but you freeze when you hear the sound of footsteps approaching. Boots. Men's boots. Your heart jumps to your chest as the first thought hits you - someone from the CIA is here to get you.

But then, you barely peek your head out around a bale, your face shadowed by the strands of hay. There, in the entryway of the barn, you can see Six's figure ducking into the tackroom. He reappears a moment later, and your eyes narrow as you take in his appearance.

His blonde locks now fall loosely over his forehead, seemingly washed and air-dried with no styling. A soft-looking pair of navy sweatpants hangs low on his hips, a gray t-shirt of sorts covering his torso. His fleece lined jacket is slung over his bulk frame, so it makes it hard to tell.

You watch him silently, watching as he walks over to the first horse and pets the mare on the nose, whispering something indistinctly to her. She snorts a second later, turning her head away to search for more hay.

The simple action makes a smile tug on the corner of your mouth, and you lean back into your hay cubby a moment later. Unfortunately, you just barely graze a loose flake of hay, the blades of dried grass drifting to the floor with a quiet hiss.

Your eyes snap shut as an annoyed grimace settles on your lips. Shit. He probably will have noticed it. You sink as far back into the bales of hay as you can, keeping your breathing shallow in hopes that he'll give up and leave.

But you aren't that lucky.

"Y/n?" you hear his voice call out huskily, "That you?" Fuck him and his impeccable observation skills, you curse internally. It's been a couple of months, and he still can't forget any of his training.

But neither could you, though.

You painstakingly tuck your aching legs closer to your chest, and you take a deep breath in through your nose before holding it. You can hear his footsteps get closer, his boots barely scuffing the ground.

Then, you see him.

He's walking along the side closest to the horse stalls, his eyes scouring each stall and horse to see if you are hidden among them. The entirety of the barn aisle separates you two, and you pray he won't look at the haystack.

The bearded blonde stops in front of the bay gelding, offering him a flat palm. The horse sniffs at his hand for a moment, and you can hear Six mumble, "Must have just been you, huh, buddy?"

The gelding pulls away for a second and lifts his head straight up into the air. Six frowns at him for a moment before following the horse's line of sight.

With a single glance at the stack of alfalfa bales, Six notices some have been displaced, and there is a gap in the middle of the pile. Then, he squints slightly before his blue gaze brightens in interest.

There, you watch him with a defensive scowl resting on your face, your body curled up into a ball at the back of the pile. He notes the puffiness around your eyes and in your cheeks, and he flattens his back against the stall door.

He instantly raises his hands in surrender as he gazes at you, his mouth slowly working on a piece of gum tucked into his cheek.

"I'm not hear to yell at you or to argue," he says slowly, like he's talking to a scared animal. He swallows thickly when you don't respond, and he gently lowers his hands to his sides where they clench into fists.

The bearded blonde sniffles once and then starts, his voice rough, "I just-" but he pauses as he tries to find the right words, "I just wanted to make sure you didn't leave."

You glare at him and hiss through gritted teeth, "If I recall, you don't care if I stay or go." You throw his words back at him with venom, hurt evident in your voice as you watch him slightly sway side to side.

You can see Six wince at the harshness of the words, and his mouth parts as he once again tries to come up with the right thing to say. He lets out a sigh and his eyes flutter shut, his right hand releasing from a closed fist to wiggling next to his side, then clamping shut again.

"Look, I'm sorry for what I said," Six murmurs, his eyes blinking open after a moment to find your tense figure hasn't moved. You see a vulnerability in his eyes, but you aren't sure if you can trust it.

Even though you want to.

When you don't say anything, he takes that as a sign to continue, "I do care if you stay or leave. I need your help to take care of Claire, this place." He dejectedly points at himself and glances at his feet as he mumbles, "And me."

A scowl still rests on your features as you watch him, but a harsh wind rips through the aisle of the barn. It picks up old pieces of straw and hay, and somehow manages to cut through your little nook of protection.

Chills run wild up and down your nerve endings, shivering at the frigid sensation that seems to rock your body. At the sight of your body quivering, Six immediately starts tugging off his fleece-lined jacket. His fingers work at tugging his arms out of the sleeves, and he steps forward away from the stall door as he urges, "Here, take my jacket."

He watches your arms fold around yourself tighter, and he says softer, "Can't have you getting sick." You recoil as he offers the jacket to you with an outstretched hand, flattening yourself against the pokey bale behind your head.

You angle your chin away from him as you spit out, "No thanks, I'll just get it dirty." At your response, Six's arm wavers in the air before he drops it back to his side, the expression on his face one of pain. The jacket almost drags the ground, but Six doesn't seem to care as he watches you.

A thick moment of silence goes by, and then he murmurs, "I guess I deserve that one." You just shoot daggers at him with an icy gaze, and Six shuffles uncomfortably on his feet as he tries to come up with something else to say.

"I'm sorry," he manages to blurt out, "For all of it. There is no acceptable reason or excuse for the way I talked to you at the house. You were just... trying to do your part to keep us alive, and I berated and belittled you for that."

The harshness of your gaze softens into more of a frown, but you don't interrupt him as he continues, "And I know it's not an excuse, but I had a rough day at work. We lost a calf today, and the cow wasn't doing well when she realized it was dead."

He rubs at the back of his neck with his free hand and looks at the ground, muttering, "I let it get to me more than I should." The bearded blonde kicks at a rock with his boot and then shrugs, "Between that and the stress of not knowing if someone is hunting us down every minute, and trying to make ends meet, I've... been stressed out."

Six glances back up at you and sighs with a slow blink, "But that doesn't justify me treating you like that." Tears have started to burn at the edge of your vision as he spoke, and now they stream down your cheeks as you manage to croak out, "You were cruel."

Guilt floods Six's face wholly as he takes a step toward you, and when you flinch, he instantly pauses. He gives you an understanding nod and murmurs, "I was. I'm sorry."

You let a sob out and then hiccup between ragged breaths, "All I was- was going to do was show you what I- I harvested. I was just t-trying to provide f-for us."

Six's brows knit together as his expression softens even more, his features laced with remorse. He cocks his head slightly to the side as his voice grows thick but quiet, "I, know." There's a hitch in his voice, and then you hear him sniffle again.

He takes a quick breath and then he confesses, "I know you were. I know you work hard at trying to keep us fed and taken care of. And I shouldn't have called your garden stupid. It's not."

Your legs ache from being trapped close to your chest, and you slowly shuffle to sit on the end of the bale. His words ring in your mind as your face catches in the light of the barn, and you lower your gaze to avoid looking at him.

With a quick breath through your nose, you mumble out, "I shouldn't have worn your jacket without asking. That was selfish of me." You glance up at him and give him a sad, upturned smile with your mouth and shrug, "I'm sorry."

You see the resolve in Six's eyes crumbling, and at the end of your words, it crashes. His hand clamps around his jacket harder, and he takes long, fast strides to cross the barn aisle.

The bearded blonde lands in front of you and instantly drops to one knee as he sets the jacket on the hay next to you. There is a pleading look of sorrow on his face as he murmurs, "No, no, don't be sorry. I'm the one at fault here, Y/n."

He hesitantly offers you one of his hands, and you stare down at his extended palm with uncertainty. There is a silent plea in his stormy blue gaze, and you can't fight your will anymore.

You gently rest your hand in his, his skin warm and rough against your own. It makes your body tingle, but you try to push it out of your mind when you see him shuffle closer and he admits, "Yes, I was upset that what I wanted to wear when I got home wasn't there."

His blue gaze dances between yours before continuing, "I wanted to wear one of those tracksuits because now that we are free, I can choose what I want to wear." You watch him carefully, and he lightly squeezes your hand and then sighs, "And it just blew my fuse, and I took it out on you."

The pad of his thumb brushes over the back of your hand, and he glances down at your intertwined digits before mumbling, "If it were any other day, I probably would have thought it was cute, knowing you were wearing my jacket all day."

This makes your cheeks burn in slight embarrassment, your frown giving in to let a minuscule smile rest on your lips. Six clears his throat and then glances back up at you, and you can tell he's serious when he tightens his grip on you and implores, "I want there to be another day where you wear my jacket."

There's a meaning behind his words that isn't lost on you. Please don't leave.

You take a sharp breath and hold it as your mind seems to swirl, but looking deep into the depths of Six's eyes, you know there is only one way to go forward.

You loosen your grip on his hand and slowly tug your fingers away from his. You see a crestfallen look crash across Six's face, and you swallow thickly as you watch him stare up at you.

The lights catch the corner of his blue gaze, and there, you can see them shining with water that hadn't been there a few moments ago.

Then, you lunge forward. Your arms wrap around Six as you bury your face in the crook of his neck, your body crashing into his. He's quick to respond, his arms catching you with ease and wrapping snugly around your waist.

You can feel a shaky breath leave his chest as he rests his head on top of yours, and you tighten the grip your arms have around his neck. There is a silent intensity to the hug - one that screams of apologies, but also whispers of forgiveness.

Six is warm and real under your touch. Yes, he's flawed, just like every man is, but ultimately, he recognized his wrongs and came clean about them. But with the bearded blonde blinking away tears of his own, you know that the former assassin has a heart in his chest that cares for you.

And for tonight, the dirt coating his knees and the hay falling onto his jacket isn't harming anyone. Tonight, the dirt might just be okay.

[leafie-draws]

plant care masterpost ⋆˚✿˖°

part 1 Types of Plants: plants come in all shapes and sizes and each plant has specific needs! so here's some quick tips to keep in mind while picking out a little plant friend!

a general rule of thumb when choosing a plant is considering how the plant thrives in it's natural habitat and providing that with your care, whether it's in a sunny spot in your window or in your garden outside. Succulents and Cacti need more sun and dry conditions than tropical plants that enjoy more wet and humid conditions. keep this in mind while growing many different types at once!

if growing plants in a terrarium make sure there is plenty of light and air circulation to prevent moisture buildup and rot. do not seal the plants inside! you'll want to be able to remove them in case they get sick.

all plants have unique grow-times and dormant periods. for example plants native to the northern hemisphere go dormant (hibernate) while plants in the southern hemisphere are growing, and vice-versa. plants in their peak grow-time require more water and care than dormant ones.

some tropical plants have very specific needs; like staghorns, orchids and air plants so I recommend researching those thoughroughly before getting one.

I don't have a lot of experience with trees, fruits and vegetables so I'm skipping those for now.

Watering: the amount of water a plant needs depends mostly on what type of plant it is and which climate it's in. remember that growing plants need more water and dormant plants need less!

plants only drink when they're awake! roots are most active during the daytime so water your plants in the morning, afternoon or evening. watering at night will cause too much water to sit in the pot and will rot the roots.

tropical plants are picky needy guys and enjoy very damp, humid, rainforest-like conditions. humidifiers help keep moisture in the air as well as routine misting with a waterbottle, just make sure there's proper ventilation so the plants aren't too wet for too long.

arid plants like succulents and cacti are pros at storing water and need less watering than other plants. (I water mine every 2 weeks. 3 weeks in the winter.)

no plant likes having wet feet! make sure your pots and containers have drainage holes to allow airflow to the roots and so excess water can escape.

it's always better to under water than to overwater! it's easier to save a dried-up plant than a rotten one. so if your plant seems sick it's better to hold off on watering it for a while.

most plants die from getting too much water! overwatering leads to rot, infections, mold, and even attracts bugs! it's a bad time! so only water your plants when the soil is dry and make sure there's proper drainage.

an overwatered plant will look sickly. it might turn yellow or pale, drop it's leaves, or be squishy to the touch. some plants like succulents or cacti may have swollen, cracked stems from absorbing too much water.

an underwatered plant will look droopy and the leaves will feel dry, crispy or wrinkled. water the plant throughroughly until water drains out of the bottom of the container and give it some time to recover. if your plant is severely dehydrated you might want to completely soak it, spraying the entire plant and putting the pot in a basin or tray of water so it can absorb water as needed.

Soil: the type of soil depends on the type of plant, but all plants require nutrients in order to grow. it's important to use well-draining soil and provide airflow to the roots.

typically you want soil that's a mix of organic matter and grit (like pumice or lava rock.) the organic matter provides nutrients while grit helps keep the soil loose so it doesn't compact and rot the roots while watering. (I've been using Bonsai Jack's gritty mix for years and I swear by the stuff.)

keep in mind that thick, organic soil holds water longer than a loose, gritty mix and takes longer to dry out so you should water your plants less. likewise, gritty mix drains faster and may require more watering, especially in the summer.

seedlings require more nutrients and have less developed roots so highly organic soils or coco coir works best. (more organic matter = more prone to rot though so be careful!)

worms are friends. like seriously. earthworms in your pots are a good thing! not only does it mean your soil is rich in nutrients plants love, but worm tunnels help create air pockets in the soil so your plant's roots can breathe easier and helps prevents rot. they won't hurt your plant at all and only eat decomposing matter. if you don't want them in your house though they'll do wonders for your garden!

[rjzimmerman]

We like this "chaos gardening" approach, which has been our approach for last few years. We allow the native plants, however they arrived in our yard (bird poop, wind), to grow without paying attention to where they are, what they are crowding out, minimal watering and feeding......chaos. We leave the plants be after they die in the autumn/winter, providing shelter and food to the wildlife, and then in spring try to create some order by cutting the dead stems back down, but......watching the new growth sprout as we cut!

Excerpt from this story from EcoWatch:

If the idea of meticulously planning and caring for a garden brings you nothing but stress, this gardening trend might bring you nothing but joy. 

Chaos gardening is a laid-back (and haphazard) approach to gardening, built on the notion that you can garden without expensive tools or extensive know-how, and that embracing the unexpected and unplanned can yield beautiful and bountiful results. 

If you’re looking for a reason to let go of the rules and let nature work its magic, look no further.

It started off as a TikTok trend, but chaos gardening is becoming a more practiced method of planting. It was even featured in some displays at the 2023 Chelsea Flower Show in London. 

And, it’s exactly what it sounds like: rebelling against tidy gardens and strict rules about how a garden needs to be organized. It brings to mind an unbridled, colorful countryside of tall grasses and wildflowers, but one that fits in your backyard. 

Many chaos gardeners choose this method for its convenience, minimal maintenance and lower financial commitment. Starting seeds indoors takes some planning and know-how, and buying starts at the garden center can get pretty pricey pretty fast. Instead, the trend entails basically throwing seeds around (with some mindfulness for location) and seeing what takes. It’s not only for flowers, but also vegetables, groundcover and more. 

Chaos gardening also follows the research showing that plants growing in isolation are more susceptible to diseases and pests, and plant diversity can be very beneficial to soil health.

Many deliberately-planted garden plants do provide pollen and nectar to pollinators, but a chaotic garden without strict plots or plant varieties and greater variety might attract more pollinating birds and insects to your yard. Inviting these creatures into your space helps support a biodiverse local ecosystem, where many plants thrive and provide resources for mammals, insects and birds. Especially if the plants and seed heads are left in the garden after the growing season ends, they can become a habitat for overwintering species like ground nesting bees and beetles. 

Including native plants in your chaos garden is especially beneficial. Native wildflowers, grasses, perennials and groundcover plants are already suited for the conditions of your home environment, meaning they’ll need fewer inputs – often including water – to thrive.

While it brings many environmental benefits, traditional gardening isn’t without its harms: plants from the nursery like vegetable starts or small annuals often come in unrecyclable plastic containers – which can amass by the hundreds for a large garden project. Synthetic fertilizers and pesticides meant to keep out unwanted critters and weeds can have wide-ranging impacts on the ecosystem, including keeping the good bugs out. And a lack of plant diversity in gardens doesn’t support a biodiverse yard. Chaos gardening might be able to alleviate some of these drawbacks to strictly traditional gardening, while still bringing beauty and joy to your space. 

[tomorrowsgardennc]

it's (a little overdue but still) time to...

✨️ plant garlic ✨️

good news is with garlic's extremely long growing season, there is a lot of buffer to when you can plant your garlic. october through december, actually - as long as it's a few weeks before your first frost. BUT, a long buffer also means a lot to do to prep for it and a longer time to keep them happy. so let's break down how to keep garlic fed for the next few months.

🧄 step 1: compost

because of garlic's long growing period, it makes them heavy feeders of nutrients. along this growing journey will be many steps to giving them fresh nutrients, but step one is making sure they get a small but steady supply as they grow. wherever you plan to plant the garlic, top it off with a small compost lasagna. since this is an established bed (my oldest bed, actually) i kept my compost lasagna ratio a little on the lightsr weight side-of-things. very thin layer of tree mulch on top of the old soil, kinda mixed in even. then a layer of green (i took the sweet potato vines as i harvested the potatoes in the bed next to this one) and waited about 2 weeks to let them de-moisturize and also because of health reasons but whatever. on top of that, i added a mix of green and brown grass cuttings, some fallen leaves thrown in there too. this was the thickest layer at about 3 inches. the penultimate layer is about 2ish inches of a mix of old soil and peat moss. after planting the bulbs, i added the thinnest layer of leaf mulch, but this is not necessary. the only reason i added this last layer is because we have been going through a prolonged drought, so i wanted a layer that will keep that soil moist as long as possible.

🧄 step 2: fertilizer soup

now for me, fertilizer soup is a diluted fish emulsion solution. that's it, mostly because i am lazy and also because it's the most common method. @gardening-guy is trying out a banana peel fertilizer soup when they started their garlic (oli got the bulbs from my shop, so tbh only difference so far is the fertilizer soup recipe. and oli started a month ago. not a competition.) oli's garlic has already started to pop up, so that means the fertilizer soup did it's job - penetrate the tough outer skin the garlic bulbs got when curing and gave them a burst of energy to get things growing. let me know if you use a different fertilizer soup recipe. as long as it's high in potassium, you'll be good to go. oh, and make sure it soaks for 24 hours. that cured skin is pretty thick.

🧄 step 3: companion planting

while garlic is a heavy feeder, that doesn't mean they're introverts. a lot of websites will tell you garlic deters pests from other plants, but legit for real right now go out to your garden and tell me if you smell garlic once it's planted. you don't, and the bugs sure don't. so ignore that part and plant winter vegetables alongside your garlic that wants nitrogen AND grows above the soil line. garlic wants all the potassium, and you don't want to disturb the garlic bulbs under the soil line. winter vegetables you can harvest by cutting are the best. i have pink celery that i am btoh harvesting and letting go to seed in one bed, so no disturbance there. this bed i seeded with all the viola seeds i have hoarded over the years alongside beets i am letting go to seed. beets are NOT the best companions if you are going to harvest, but since i am using them as seeders then it is fine. i haven't figured out what the companion plant will be in the third garlic bed, but other choices are lettuce, cabbages, collards, broccoli, kale... anything leafy, really.

ok, remember when i said make sure the companions are ones where you can harvest above the soil line?? it's because once you do so, those roots left behind will decompose and give the garlic another slow feeding of potassium! the plant gobbled up all the nitrogen, and because their roots are relatively thin they are quick to compost and add potassium back into the soil. crazy, eh??

🧄 final step: waiting

and honestly... this is the hardest step. especially for me, the world's most impatient farmer. but the good news is that while you wait there are two more key points of when to refeed your garlic:

between bits of heavy frost - typically around end of january or february - water the garlic with a ton of that fertilizer soup recipe you used before. the bulbing hasn't started yet, but this will keep those roots growing despite the soil temperature. and if you are more up north than me, add a thick layer of mulch or straw to help keep that soil temperature from going too far past freezing.

the last time you'll want to feed your garlic will be the end of winter. this is when the garlic bulbs really begin to bulbate... bulbge? bulb out?? none of that sounds right... either waaaaay. to get the biggest bulbs possible, you want to give them the highest dosage if potassium possible - and that's in the form of ✨️potash✨️ which... turns out to be just a fancy word for wood ash. burn some wood in a fireplace or firepit, burn your unpaid medical bills, burn your student loan reminders, burn anything that is paper or wood. don't mix with anything else, and REALLY DO NOT use the leftover charcoal from a grill. this potash needs to be as pure to potassium as possible. so no burning your yaoi/yuri mangas to hide from your partner, either.

and before you know it... those 3/4lb of garlic bulbs you started with turn into 5lbs of garlic. we shall meet again next year around april or may to discuss ✨️ the curing of garlic for long-term storage ✨️ until then, happy winter!

[familyvideostevie]

october fourth

day four: sirius black sirius watches you garden | early relationship, fluff | 1k

Your phone rings when you’ve got one hand in dirt up to your wrist. You manage to pull it from your pocket with your free hand and answer, glancing at the name and smiling when you realize who it is.

“Hi, Sirius,” you chirp.

“Sweetheart,” he says. “Why does it sound like you’re a million miles away?”

The pet names are new. You’ve been together for just over a month now and you love it. He’s tough on the outside, this leather-clad boyfriend of yours, but he’s really a bit of a clown and a very sweet one at that.

“You’re on speaker,” you tell him. “I’m in the garden.”

It’s a lovely fall day, sun high in the sky and not too windy, so you’ve decided it’s the perfect time to sort out the plants for the spring. You’re almost done with your trays of crocuses and you’ve yet to start on the lilies. The garden is small, sure, but you love how colorful it gets once things start to bloom. You’re considering making room for a vegetable patch, too.

“It’s cold!” Sirius sounds offended that you’d be outside when such a thing is true.

“I know,” you say. “But it’s not that bad. And I really do need to get these bulbs in.”

“These…what?” You’ve explained gardening to him maybe a hundred times but his brain is a bit sieve-like. You adore him.

“Flowers, Sirius.”

“Oh,” he says. The phone makes a shuffling sound like he’s moved you to his other shoulder. “I was imagining you planting light bulbs for a second there.”

You hum. Maybe the garden shop will have alliums you can get in at the corner of the raised bed.

“Do you want help?” he asks, bringing you back to the phone call.

You laugh and picture him scowling. “We both know you’re not going to kneel in the dirt with me, Sirius,” you tell him. He huffs. “But you can come keep me company if you like.”

“Oh, so you’ve inviting me to watch? How sexy.”

You pull your hand from the dirt and look down at yourself. “Yeah, real sexy. I’m a bit sweaty and I’ve got dirt under all of my fingernails.”

“Filthy girl,” he coos. “Tell me more.”

You laugh. “I’m going to hang up now.”

“I’ll be there in 15, you green thumb, you.”

You tuck you phone back into your chest pocket and keep at it. Gardening is something you’ve taken up in recent years as an attempt to find a hobby that soothes you. You love working with the ground, love seeing how you can plant things that encourage the birds and the bugs. You love picking flowers for your friends from your own garden.

Sirius finds the whole thing endearing. He’s not really an outdoor boy, though he has no problem getting into whatever sports match he and his friends decide to fool around with at the park or the beach. He likes to take you on dates to movies and down winding roads on his bike to see nice things. He’s a mystery you’re really enjoying unraveling.

You whistle a tune as you work, not paying much mind to the sputtering of the bike you know to be his come down the street. He’ll find you.

“If you told me you were wearing those, I’d have been here much faster.” You turn around and see Sirius stood on your lawn, hands in his pockets, smirking. You’re wearing overalls that are way past due for a wash and frankly make you look like a gnome but he’s always loved them.

“Oh, please,” you say. “You’re just a flirt.”

He walks over to you and stands so that the sun doesn’t shine in your eyes. He’s clad in his usual all black and leather jacket, hair wild around his shoulders from his helmet. “You look…” he starts, chewing on his lip.

“Dirty?”

“Pretty,” he says. He fishes a bandana from his back pocket and crouches to your level, a hand held out for your face. You tilt your chin up for him and he cups it, wiping what must be dirt from your cheek with the cloth before leaning in to kiss you.

“Hello,” he says when he pulls away.

“Hello.” You feel like a flower around him, blooming brighter and bigger than anything else in your garden.

“Tell me what you’re planting?”

“I’ve just finished,” so say, “so good timing. Help me up?” He stands and holds his hands out for you. You wipe them on your overalls as best you can before he hauls you to your feet. He’s been here quite a few times but you give him the tour of your small garden, telling him all the things you’ve got planned. Flowers and herbs and even vegetables, bird houses and a little bench and a tiny scarecrow in a few weeks. You lose yourself a bit as you explain. Something you like about Sirius, something you noticed immedietly, is he’s game to be excited about anything you’re excited about even if it’s not his thing. Flowers aren’t very punk rock but he’s never told you he isn’t interested.

Right now, however, he’s not looking at any of the things you’re pointing at. “Sirius,” you scold. “Appreciate my garden.”

He’s looking at you. “I’m appreciating the most beautiful flower in the garden, love.”

You laugh, tilting your face up to the sun. “That was awful.”

Sirius grins and his eyes crinkle at the corners. “Yeah, it was,” he says. “Not one of my best. Still true, though!”

“Yes, well, let’s see if it’s true come spring,” you say. “The flowers are really going to be quite lovely.” You don’t realize until after you’ve said it that you’ve implied that you’ll still be together come spring. But Sirius seems pleased. He tucks his hand into the gap in your overalls so he can touch the exposed skin of your hip where your top has rucked up.

“Don’t hold your breath,” he says. “I know beauty when I see it.”

thank you for reading <3 reblog, send feedback, general masterlist here! promptober masterlist, find all fics under #fvspromptober23

[edwin-paynes-bowtie]

Seems this was a popular concept! ❤️🧡💛

@angeldaisies @rhiannons-bird @tiredandoptimistic

HERE WE GO!

Cordelia deeply enjoys gardening. She has a massive garden outside Curzon Street and grows flowers, fruits, and vegetables. For one of their anniversaries, James builds her a greenhouse so she can grow those that thrive in different climates, too.

James really does not enjoy getting his hair cut. He puts it off and puts it off for long periods. This is partially inspired by a CJ comic from several years ago, but I think it continues well into adulthood. He just doesn't like the feeling of it being clipped evenly and hitting the nape of his neck. He only gets them when Cordelia insists he should, which isn't often because she loves running his hands through his shaggy hair.

Matthew broke into Buckingham Palace once. He used the grappling hook that he frequently used to break into the Institute. The hook wound up hitting a bedroom that turned out to be the King's, and he could not see it since it was glamoured. He did hear the clank, though, and when Matthew ascended, he was treated to the sight of a pajama-clad King Edward with his haunted-looking eyes bugging out of his head. He immediately realized he fucked up, slid back down the rope, and went to find James to share his misadventurous plight.

Thomas has a nervous tic where he scratches his nose. Alastair finds it incredibly endearing. Over the years, as he becomes more confident with himself, the habit fades. He periodically still does it, and every time, Alastair feels his heart glowing.

Alastair wakes up in the middle of the night frequently because he's hungry. But he doesn't really think. It's somewhere between sleepwalking and waking up in the middle of the night. He's neither asleep nor awake. He goes to the pantry and eats Thomas's food without fail. They have had many an argument over this. Somehow it always ends in Thomas buying Alastair more food when he goes to replace the food he ate for himself.

Anna has a little collection of eclectic buttons that she keeps in a small box. They're not normal buttons - they're genuinely the weirdest ones she can find. They're all odd shapes, or they have intricate patterns on them. One's more holes than plastic. She likes how oddly interesting they are.

As a girl with a parrot, we know Ari likes birds. But did you know that she also enjoys bird-watching? Well, she DOES! She drags Anna on a birding vacation to California one year, and they see tons of local bird varieties. Anna finds that she, too, very much enjoys birds after this.

In addition to chemistry, Christopher has a penchant for baking. After all, they're basically the same thing - a series of reactions that produce a result. He's an extremely good baker and enjoys treating his friends to homemade cookies and cupcakes. He takes special care to learn his friends' favorite recipes, and he makes a mean Charlotte Russe for Matthew. It's incomparable.

Grace is able to experiment with fashion more after Tatiana dies, and she collects an impressive collection of earbobs. Some of them look nice on her. Some of them are themed, like Christmas ones that look like little icicles and presents. Others are extremely ugly, but she likes wearing them. After all, she doesn't need to look flawless anymore.

[friendlyrandomperson]

Nice to meet you again.

Part twenty-two!!

Knock knock knock

Small footsteps approach the door cautiously, the hinges squeaking slightly as the door opens, revealing one eye of the star. The girl yelps, slamming the door shut before opening it once more and clearing her throat nervously.

“Mailman.”

“G’mornin’ Miss Starlet!”

Sally opens the door, inviting Eddie in with shame written all over her like Eddie’s lines in his script.

Eddie smiles gently, holding his teacup in both hands and letting the steam warm him.

“Thank you, Miss Starlet.”

“Don’t mention it, Mailman, Dear.” Sally sips her tea, crossing one leg over the other.

“Dear? Somethin’s off. She ain’t ever called me that before.”

“I wanted to…”

Sally blows little flames out of her nose, similar to the top of a campfire.

“Apologize.”

Eddie’s eyes enlarge, almost comically so, as his mouth opens, closing again in a manner similar to a fish. An apology was definitely not what he had prepared for. He had prepared to be kicked off of the play entirely, perhaps even forbidden from future plays as well.

“I-“

“So, I am…”

The silence coats the air between the two, uncomfortable and far too new for both of them.

“I am sorry for being rude to you, Mail- Mr. Dear.”

💌

Contrasting the star and the mailman, Julie and Frank sit on the entomologist’s porch discussing random topics with the Butterfly Weeds.

“Uh-huh… OH!”

“What did they say, Julie?”

Julie snickers, holding her left hand to her mouth as she shakes her head no.

“What do you mean no?”

Frank looks over at the Butterfly Weeds with one side of his eyebrow raised, causing Julie to fall over laughing.

“Julie just what is so funny?”

Little did he know, the Butterfly Weeds are the gossipers of the flowers in the neighborhood, which is how Julie knows everybody’s business in full detail.

So, when Frank mentioned the new feelings towards Eddie the night prior while giving the flowers their routine check-in, they all decided it would be a better idea to keep it to themselves until Julie came around the next day. Of course, many of the flowers could tell. Lyco and Sol were the first to notice, after Frank’s outburst at the previous play. They were not gossipers, however, and they remained silent. A whole love story is playing out before them, and it is nice to watch without commentary from the other plants.

Then the Lavender at Eddie’s Post Office noticed. They knew Eddie was interested in Frank long before the man figured it out himself, the way he would gush over Frank’s ability to handle bugs, his sophisticated behavior, and everything about him that came to mind. The plants placed bets on when he would figure it out. The lavender closest to the door won the bet, and now has bragging rights to the Rainbow Monster. Luckily, this particular lavender respected Eddie’s privacy and refused to call him out until he says it is okay to do so.

That stopped neither the lavenders nor Frank’s vegetation from yelling across the neighborhood to talk about Frank and Eddie, so Julie caught on quickly after a rude awakening at four in the morning by shouts of who will say something first.

“No, Eddie will confess first!”

“No, Frank will confess first!”

Julie walked outside in the cool night and walked to Frank’s house, opened the gate with her spare key, and sat in front of the garden, talking to the plants for a while and getting an understanding of why everything was yelling.

She agreed with the lavender in the end, to the garden’s dismay.

So, what did the flowers say that has Julie laughing and crying?

“By the way, don’t tell the vegetables, but the Lavenders are right.”

💌

“Well I uhm— I forgive you, Miss—“

“No, no no, it cannot be that easy.”

“Pardon?”

“You’re just going to forgive me?”

“Yes ma’am!”

“Not even an I told you so?”

“No ma’am.”

“I really have underestimated you, Mail- Mr. Dear.”

[sleepystarryskies]

just saw your reply and id love to hear regressor kate headcanons if you have any!!! she’s my absolute favorite :3c

I had so much fun doing these thank you for asking, i love regressor kate too!! currently rewatching hawkeye and it’s probably one of my favourite shows within the mcu !!

Little!Kate Bishop Headcanons

🏹 When she’s feeling small i think she likes to go by Katie

💜 I think she’s had some form of regression since her early teen years, due to trauma. But she’s insecure about it and hides it from her mum, locking herself away and such.

🧸 She’s got a stuffie dog called ‘Pluto’ which she’s had since she was really young which is her favourite thing ever when shes small. Has had many meltdowns when its missing or it needs to be washed.

🐕 She’s quite open about her regression within people she trusts a lot as she gets older, I think Clint would find out after the shows set/christmas time.

⭐️Yelena would eventually know and become the best auntie ever even if little katie is nervous around her at first.

🏹 Clint definitely got her one of those bow and arrow sets for kids with the velcro targets for a birthday as a joke but she loves it and uses it all the time.

💜 She’s a talker, when shes slightly older in her age range (5/6) she will talk about anything and everything, tv shows, her stuffies, her next birthday, i mean anything!!

🧸 When she’s feeling younger (1-2) she babbles, random words or just making noises or blowing raspberries for the fun of it- she’s a baby why shouldn’t she?

🐕 She’s an energetic kiddo, loves to run wild in the park with Lucky the pizza dog, climb trees and scare the daylights out of Clint by doing so.

⭐️ When her energy runs out or she’s feeling younger she loves to nap with Lucky, and this girl can sleep anywhere, the sofa, her bed, the floor, lucky’s bed if its big enough- anywhere if shes comfy enough.

🏹 Poor baby does have nightmares sometimes though, but luckily enough if she’s feeling small she’s usually hanging around with Clint or Yelena who can help. Laying with her, playing with her hair, or Yelena talking to her in Russian oddly helps.

💜 She’s so fussy when she’s little, Clint has to sneak vegetables into sauces and cut fruit into cute shapes for her to eat. Yelena’s not so fussed, she will happily let the girl live off of mac n cheese and juice.

🧸 She eventually meets Laura who loves little Kate, but they aren’t as close as Kate is too the other two, she’s able to babysit if neither are available though.

🐕 Clint’s kids love Kate when she’s big or small, they play with her either way as she’s usually in a toddler/kid space around them, and they love how an adult will play dress up or run riot in the garden with them.

⭐️ As much as she goes by Katie, Clint often calls her ‘kid’ or ‘kiddo’. Yelena calls her ‘Kitty’ while big Kate insists she hates it, little Kate is another story, she loves it.

🏹 She is an outdoorsy kid, loves to play in the mud, jump in puddles after it rains, and make little houses for bugs in cardboard boxes.

💜 This girl chews, a lot, her sleeves, her nails, even poor Pluto’s ears have faced her teeth. She has a few pacis but i don’t think there her first choice as she can’t talk with them, so Yelena gets her some chewy necklaces which she loves -especially one in the shape of a pizza!!

🧸 Yelena braids Kate’s hair a lot, either due to Kate wanting them to match, or she needs to calm down and the feeling helps her relax.

🐕 As much as she loves being outdoors, if its too rainy or cold she stays indoors as she doesn’t wanna get sick. Clint will make fun shaped pizza’s with her, and Yelena will happily get a bit messy painting or doing crafts with her to keep her entertained though!

_______

That’s all i could think of at the moment, hopefully thats what u wanted and feel free to ask for other characters/send more requests!!!

[nagito-kissmaeda]

Community Gardens - Komaeda/Reader

CHAPTER ONE [here]

CHAPTER TWO

Word Count: 4837

Contains: No warnings as of yet Summary: You were a member of the reserve course before everything went to hell. Now you're helping the Future Foundation by tending to a small farm on Jabberwock Island, the real Ultimate Farmer was busy, so you will have to do.

The last member of class 77-B has just woken up, and he has questions.

AKA: A talentless reader teaches Komaeda about the smaller things in life, and maybe they fall in love.

Read on Ao3

You are elbow deep in dirt when he comes up the pathway to the garden plot. Most of the 77th class have been polite enough to you, but it was very rare that you got a visitor because the garden was pretty out of the way. It was fine really, it was going to be a while before any of the vegetables you were planting would even start to sprout so there was no reason for visitors. Hinata would drop by every now and again, though it always felt like it was out of obligation more than genuine concern. So seeing the figure in the distance slowly coming closer is a real shock. 

You tip the brim of your straw hat up so you can take a look at your visitor. It’s someone you’ve never seen before, and with the small number of people on the island, that was an exciting development. You give him a warm smile and a small wave as he comes to a stop at the edge of the garden bed.

His brow furrows and his mouth pulls into a tight line, “Who are you?”

You laugh, “You must be the last one to wake up! Did Hinata not warn you about me before you started your walk?”

“I...no, he didn't.” He crosses his arms, and the sunlight bounces off the back of his metallic hand, “Hajime is in a meeting.”

You clap a palm to your forehead and laugh at yourself, “Silly me! I forgot it was meeting time, how do I keep forgetting something that happens once a week?” You take a moment to bring yourself up to your feet, dusting the dirt off of your overalls, “Did they let you leave early?”

He laughs breathily, “no, that's not it. I wasn't invited.” He swallows, looking down at the ground, “I'm not sure they've all forgiven me for…”

“Oh.”

He doesn't need to finish. The specifics of what went on in the Neo World program were not divulged to you, but you know enough.

“Well, i’m sure they'll come around eventually. Tsumiki had to drop by to check on a nasty bug bite I got a few days ago and she said that everyone was already starting to warm back up to her.” You smile up at him, “You’ll be okay.”

He doesn't say anything, he just blinks at you slowly, his white hair blowing in the breeze. You clear your throat, “well, since you're here. Do you think you could water the seedlings as I plant them? I'll finish up much quicker if you're happy to help.”

“Um.” He looks around for a second, seeming hesitant to answer, “...sure.” 

“Thanks! Two hands make light work, you know?” You hoist the full watering can up from the ground and pass it into his awaiting hands. The handle clinked against his metal palm, “And your name - It’s Komaeda, yeah?” 

“Mm.” He replies, “Komaeda Nagito.” 

“Okay! Well, we need to move onto the empty plot up the back, follow me!” You say, and start walking. Komaeda is a decent bit taller than you, but it feels like his steps are laboured, he'd probably only been awake for a few days and had just re-learned how to walk.

“You never answered my question.” He says

You look at him over your shoulder, his face is already turning a little pink from the sun, “what question?”

“I asked who you are.”

“Oh yeah. Sorry. I can be forgetful sometimes.” You crouch down to the ground and dig a small hole in the dirt before grabbing a seedling and burying it inside, “I'm from the Future Foundation, I stayed behind to get the farm set up so you guys will still have food if something goes wrong with a shipment. Water that one, but be careful not to drown it-” you point to the seedling you’d just planted and then move onto the next, “I should only be here a couple of months longer.”

“Oh! The ultimate gardener! What a hopeful talent!” Komaeda says, watering the seedling before giving you a blinding smile, “nurturing life itself! What could possibly be more hopeful than that?”

“Oh no! Please don't misunderstand. I'm not an ultimate.”

He blinks at you, “not an…”

“The ultimate farmer is on the mainland. Somewhere near Kyoto.” You wipe the sweat from your brow and look up at the sky, watching the clouds pass over the sun, “the ultimate botanist didn't make it through the riots and the ultimate gardener was in Australia last we heard. The Foundation did ask if they wanted to come, but the answer was a no and they weren't going to force them.”

You give Komaeda a polite smile, “I'm just a regular person who likes gardening. That isn't so bad, is it?”

___

Komaeda comes back the next week. You don't ask if he skipped the meeting or if he still wasn't invited, because either way you are glad for the company. He grabs your watering can again and starts following you around as you check on all the seedlings you had planted the week before, he doesn't have much to say. He seems content to water your plants as you walk from plot to plot, it’s good he’s here, the plants do need diligent watering. The sun on the island is always hot and there hasn't been a drop of rain in the month or so since the foundation left you on the island.

“You said you aren't an ultimate.” Komaeda says, snapping you from your rhythm. Today is less labour intensive, so you are wearing a knee length sundress instead of your overalls. Komaeda is still in jeans and a coat, you are worried about him getting heatstroke. 

“I did.” You reach out and finger the leaves of a particularly sad looking carrot, “it sounds like you have a question. Go on, don’t be shy.” 

He nudges you out of the way so he can give the sickly carrot some water, “I didn’t know the Future Foundation hired those without talent.” 

You laugh at that. A gentle chuckle that rises up from your chest, “Every business needs someone to get the coffee, and there are only so many ultimate personal assistants in the world.”

Komaeda is listening carefully, his head cocked gently in a way that makes the sunlight glint off his hair. 

“I think there were about 50 of us normal people in the building, but there must be more out in the field and across the globe. There aren’t nearly enough ultimates to fill every spot at the foundation, and some of them wouldn’t even help us much. Hiring an ultimate firearms expert to file taxes would be a waste, you know what I mean?”

“Hm.” Komaeda says in lieu of a real reply. His lips are pulled tight and his brows are drawn, he is thinking a lot harder about this than you had expected him to. So hard that he loses focus on the plants he is watering.

“Hey.” You start, reaching up to place a hand on his cold metal wrist, “I think that one has had enough.” 

His eyes flick to the carrot he is drowning, and he wrenches the watering can away, Looking at the soaking patch of soil with an expression of forced acceptance, “Ah. My apologies. I’ve ruined your garden...not that it comes as a surprise.”

“We’ve all killed a plant. Gardening is a crapshoot.” You gesture widely to the rest of the plot, “that’s why you plant so many! Kill one plant, kill a hundred, it doesn’t matter. There will still be plenty left.”

He laughs bitterly, tucking his free hand into his pocket, “not if I kill them all.” 

Your heart reaches out for him. For the sad boy who thinks he is so cursed that one drowned plant foretells the death of a thousand. Whatever happened inside the simulation was none of your business, But you can’t help but wonder if it made him like this, or if this is how he has always been. A gust of wind picks up and blows past the garden, picking up dirt and leaves as it swirls past you and through Komaeda’s hair. He is very pretty, you decide.

“Unless you decide to stomp on every plant, you aren’t going to kill them all.” 

He meets your gaze, his mouth curled in an imitation of a smile, but you can see his eyes are sad, “with my luck...you never know.”

___

It is a few weeks this time before you see him again. His green coat is rolled up to the elbows and there is an ill fitting wide brimmed hat on his head, it looks like his hair is all squished underneath it. As he comes closer you notice that the skin on his face is flaking.

“Sunburn?” You ask

He looks away sheepishly, “Mikan wouldn't let me outside again until it went away.” 

“Dr. Tsumiki to the rescue! Good on her!” You exclaim, jumping up from your spot in the garden, “can I...take a look?” 

“Mikan already checked on it this morning.” You can hear the creak of his metal hand clenching and unclenching at his side, “she’s the ultimate nurse, she won’t have missed anything.” 

“I know, I know. But I took a first aid course in middle school, so don’t doubt my expertise.” You chew on your lower lip, squinting up at where the sun disappears behind Komaeda’s head, “Please. I just...I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

He raises his hands, almost like he is planning to shove you away, but then he lets them drop, “hm. Okay.” You take a step towards him, the top of your head only reaches his collarbones. His eyes flit between you and the middle distance as you draw closer and he gives you an uneasy smile, “everything accounted for?” He asks.

You chuckle, “yeah, your nose didn’t burn off or anything. Did Tsumiki give you sunblock? The hat won’t be enough.” 

“She did. It smells weird.” He crosses his arms in front of himself as you continue examining the flaking skin on his face, “can I ask you something?” 

You make a sad noise at a particularly large skin peel under his left eye, your hand itches to touch it, “uhhh. Sure.” You manage, forcing yourself to look him in the eye. 

“Did the foundation scout you? Or did you apply?” 

“Uh, both? Sort of.” Your hands are getting fidgety, so you clench them at your sides to keep them still, “i was actually a student at Hope’s Peak in the reserve course and they were running through the list of students to see if anyone survived. Last they heard um…” you try to focus on anything but Komaeda’s intense eyes, “last they heard, it was just me. I mean, I’m sure there are others who maybe evacuated or didn’t answer the phone. It can’t actually just be me, right?”

“How did you make it out?”

You sigh, “I didn’t. I was sick with the flu the week the riots started, and once my parents heard about what was happening they didn’t let me go back to school.” You can feel your voice getting shaky, “lucky break, huh?”

“So the rest of your cohort died in the name of despair, while you sat at home in bed, huh?” His eyes are cold as he looks at you. His vitriol is palpable, “am I getting this right?” 

You shrug one shoulder, “pretty much.”

His eyebrows jump up at that, “you admit it?” 

“Yeah, no reason not to.” You kneel down to the ground and start absentmindedly weeding around a strawberry patch. They are growing nicely, and it doesn’t look like any birds have been trying to eat them either, “I know that it wasn’t technically my fault what happened there, but the fact that one small change would have left me in the same boat as the rest of the reserve course, well…” you pull back some of the leaves, and smile at the sight of tiny green strawberries just beginning to grow, “I’ve been trying make my good fortune worth something. That’s why I joined the foundation, and why I decided to stay here and help all of you. I know I don’t have a talent, but there are plenty of things I’m good at! So I think that doing my best to bring hope back to the world in whatever small ways I can, is better than doing nothing at all.”

“But surely you must understand that any meagre hope you bring to the world will be inconsequential compared to the deeds of ultimates.” Komaeda replies, staring down at you. With you crouched low in the garden bed and his already impressive height, he makes an intimidating figure. You swallow, “Doesn’t that upset you? Don’t you feel worthless?”

Something clicks into place when he says that. His tone has changed and he sounds far away, like he is talking to someone else. You feel yourself soften, “Why should it upset me?”

“Huh?”

“I can't sing well enough to perform in a stadium, but my voice is perfect for lullabies. I couldn't cook in a five star restaurant, but my class loved my brownies.”  You smile up at Komaeda, you can't help noticing he looks radiant in the sunlight, “I once watched the ultimate farmer plant a pumpkin under concrete and it still managed to grow straight through. I could never do that, but what I can do is grow enough food for you and the rest of the people on this island. Hope is still hope, even if it’s small. Right?”

Komaeda just stares at you for a few seconds, All is silent but for gulls and the ocean off in the distance. one curl of hair has escaped from under his sun hat and it flutters in the light breeze. Your heart is racing when you realise how desperately you want to tuck it behind his ear. 

Then, finally. He moves. He crouches down at your side, close enough that you can see flecks of gold in his eyes, “can you teach me?” 

“Teach you…?” 

“How to garden.” He rests his elbows on his knees and leans in to take a closer look at your crop, “I’ve looked after a few pot plants in the past, but when you leave we’ll need someone to look after the farm so-“

“That’s a wonderful idea.” You said, beaming at him, “I’d love to help!” 

“I hope I won’t be too much of a burden.”

You rest your hand on his and for some reason his skin feels electric, “Komaeda.” You breathe, and his eyes meet yours, “You could never be a burden.”

___

“Nice shirt.” You say the next time Komaeda comes to visit. When he expressed interest in helping you garden, you’d told him that he absolutely couldn’t show up in his big green coat unless he wanted to ruin it and pass out from heatstroke. Sending new clothes over seemed to be very low on the foundation’s list of priorities, so the other folks on the island spent a lot of time raiding the old Jabberwock island gift shop.

Komaeda’s new shirt is at least three sizes too big, he has it tied in a knot at the right hip to keep it from hanging down to mid thigh. The front of it reads in a bold bubblegum font, “Jabberwock Rocks!”

He laughs, “It was the only one left that wasn’t in kids sizes. Just my luck.” 

Most of his white hair is pulled up in a high ponytail, but some of the shorter bits at the front are hanging in his eyes. He lifts one arm up to tuck some behind his ear and the shirt creeps up a little on the side he’s knotted. You see a flash of his skin, it’s suddenly hard to swallow. 

“Oh, i wasn't trying to be facetious. I mean it, you look comfortable.”

He shrugs one shoulder, “It is comfortable I guess, even if i am swimming in it.” 

“Well that’s good, because we’re actually doing some more planting today.” You gesture for Komaeda to follow you as you head out towards your newest garden bed, you’d spent the last three days tilling and fertilizing so it was finally ready for seeds, “It’s not a huge plot, and with you here I’m sure we’ll be finished nice and quick!”

He tilts his head at you, for some reason you find yourself taking notice of the way the large shirt dips under his collarbone. You swallow, “I thought you were done with planting?” He asks

“Oh, I was! This is just for my own enjoyment.” You reply, bending down to grab a spare trowel and a collection of seeds to pass to Komaeda, “We’re planting flowers. Sunflowers specifically.” 

“Just because you like them?”

“I mean mostly because i like them. Tanaka also came by a few days ago looking for a more sustainable food source for his hamster- ah sorry. Dark Devas of Destruction.”

Komaeda nods pensively, “And they can eat sunflower seeds. I do remember him mentioning that.”

“So yeah, two birds one stone.” You crouch down and work on planting your first seed, gesturing for Komaeda to do the same, “I think it will be nice for you guys to have something pretty on the island. Sustainability is all well and good, but most people wouldn't want to live on tofu alone, if you know what i mean.”

He follows your lead, crouching down opposite you and copying the way you plant the seeds. Albeit slower and with shakier hands. They’re very nice hands, his fingers are really pretty. You feel your cheeks burning from more than just the sun, and quickly direct your attention back to the soil as you move onto planting the next seed. 

“Have you…” Komaeda starts, still too focussed on his planting to look at you, “ever wanted a talent?”

“Of course I have. I get a little caught up sometimes in who i am supposed to be, and what my path in life is and I wonder if maybe having a talent would give me some clearer direction.” Komaeda is looking up at you now, there's a smudge of dirt on his cheek, “I’m not always that philosophical about it though, I get jealous like everyone else does. I try not to let it bother me too much, when I can, I work on focusing on the good parts of being talentless.” 

“What good parts?” He says, it sounds more like a dismissal than a legitimate question. You have learned not to take these jabs of his to heart, it doesn't seem like they’re really directed at you.

“Well, even though i find myself a little directionless from time to time. The fact that my future is entirely my choosing is a luxury that most talented people cannot afford, even if they would like it.”

Komaeda scoffs and wipes his nose with the back of his hand. There is more dirt on his face now, “What reason would an Ultimate have to squander their talent?”

“Just because you’re good at something doesn't mean you enjoy it.”

“ Enjoying it, is beside the point. If you are gifted with an Ultimate talent, it’s your duty to use it to bring hope to the world.” He’s stopped gardening now, gesticulating wildly with his hands, sending dirt arcing off into every direction, “If you don’t use your talent, you might as well just be-“ he stops himself, as if he just remembered who he is talking to.

“Talentless?” You offer. Smiling softly.

“I-“ he turns his attention back to the soil, “yes, talentless.”

“People are worth more than their talents.” You say, moving onto planting your next seed, “Did you know that Tsumiki is learning to knit? Last time i saw her she was halfway through making this wobbly little purple scarf, it was her first try and she was so excited. Why should skill mean anything if doing something makes you happy?” 

He doesn't reply, he’s looking up at you now and it feels like he is peeling back your layers with his eyes. You find yourself turning pink under his gaze. 

“You should ask her about it next time you see her. I think she wants to show other people.” You laugh a little, tucking some hair behind your ear, “I mean, she took the time to show me, and I’m not even her friend.”

“Aren’t you?” Komaeda asks, tilting his head to the side.

You scoff, “No. I’m just a worker bee, I don't expect any of you to be friends with me if you don't want to. Anyway, if you want a more straightforward answer to your question, Yes I've often wished I had a talent.” you laugh quietly to yourself, averting your eyes as you feel yourself going red, “I’ve always wanted to be the Ultimate Songwriter, i uh…I really like love songs” You turn to Komaeda and smile, “What about you?”

“Huh?”

“What about you? What do you want your talent to be?”

His brow furrows, and he frowns, “I have a talent. It may be paltry compared to the hopeful talents of my classmates, but i have one. Don’t reduce me to your level.” He crosses his arms, eyes glinting with vitriol.

You laugh, “You misunderstood my question. If you could have a different talent, what would you want it to be?”

“What? I- I don’t-“

You give up on planting for now, crossing your legs and tucking your hands in your lap, Komaeda is practically squirming, “Come on, you can do it! Picture you get to meet yourself from another universe, what talent do you want him to have?” 

Komaeda just stares at you, eyes wide. For a moment you think you’ve said something wrong, that you’ve offended him again. His mouth opens and closes, trying to find the words but unable, his hands are shaking, “He’s-“ 

His chest is heaving and what almost sounds like a sob hiccups in his throat as his arms wrap around himself. Trying to curl up inside of a coat that he isn't wearing, “He’s-”

It’s like something inside him snaps back into place, he shoots back up from the ground and turns away from you. For a moment you forget yourself and reach out to him. He leans away from your hand, panic visible on his face, “I have to go. I’m sorry.”

The wind is blowing gently and the sun is setting behind the trees as Komaeda walks off into the distance. You’re still sitting in the dirt, heart racing in your chest with the gravity of the moment that almost was. The stars, the planets, the whole universe stops, and you realise you are in love with him.

___

It isn't Komaeda who comes to visit next, but Hinata. You feel guilty at the way your heart sinks when you see him walking up the path, he’s wearing one of the shirts he thrifted from the giftshop, a hideous orange hawaiian affair decorated with apples and bananas. The shirt is like a beacon, you know it’s him from a mile away. 

You’d spent all night pondering your next conversation with Komaeda, what you were going to say. You wonder if there has been a shift in your relationship after that moment you stepped over the line in the sand. After he left , you didn't attempt to follow. If he needed space you weren't going to stop him. You just hoped he would trust you enough to come back.

“Good morning, Hinata.” You say, pulling yourself up from the ground and dusting the dirt of your overalls, “everything okay?”

“Oh, uh, yeah. Everything’s fine.” He tucks his hands in his pockets and takes a quick glance at your garden, “plants growing alright?”

You nod, “it’s slow going, I’ve been watering every day but there hasn’t been any rain.”

Hinata cringes, rubbing the back of his neck, “sorry I couldn’t help. I’m still...getting the hang of him.”

A few days after he woke up, Hinata had attempted to, as he described it, ‘wrangle Kamukura’ and use some of his talents to force it to rain. There had been a very quick and very aggressive torrential downpour, and then five hours straight of snow. After that it seems there was an executive decision to keep Kamukura locked away for now.

“I spoke to Souda about an irrigation system. He’s been scavenging for parts but he said it will

Probably be a few weeks, maybe a month.” You shrug one shoulder, “I just need to keep everything alive until then, it’ll be okay.”

“Thanks for giving him something to do. He was getting a little restless.” Hinata laughs to himself, “Kazuichi can be a nightmare when he’s restless.”

“I’m glad to be useful, even if it just means keeping Souda busy.” You smile and wipe your brow with the back of your hand. The sun is relentless as always, “Did you need something from me, Hinata? I doubt you just came by to chat.”

“Oh, uh yeah.” He starts, “The foundation sent the karaoke set that Ibuki has been begging for since day one.” Hinata smirks wryly at the thought, “So we’re having a party on the beach tonight.”

“Oh!” You say, “That’s nice, i hope you all have fun!”

Hinata blinks and clears his throat, “I’m inviting you.”

“Inviting me? You don't have to do that!” You say, heading a little further down the plot to water some more plants “I’ve been learning how to cross stitch so I have plenty to do tonight.”

Hinata’s red eye is boring into you. Your heart races. There is a secret that you haven't told even Komaeda about, a secret that maybe even the Future Foundation doesn't know, a secret that Hinata himself seems to have forgotten, so you swallow the thoughts down for now. It would be a waste to bring them up.

“Everyone is going to be there, that includes you.”

You smile, it’s nice of him to try and include you in the group. You know better. The class of 77-B has been nothing short of welcoming, but you are not their friend, “I’ll see what i can do.” he turns to leave, but right as he does you have a sudden thought, “Oh, Hinata?”

“Mm?”

“Can you tell Komaeda i said hello?”

Hinata blinks at you, “Tell...Komaeda…” he shakes his head, “Wait, is this where he’s been disappearing to?”

Your heart sinks like a rock in your chest, “He didn't tell you?”

“He didn't tell anyone.”

You try to swallow the lump in your throat, but all you can think about is Komaeda keeping you like some shameful little secret. You force a smile, “Dont worry about it, then!”

Hinata’s brows draw and he takes a step closer to you, “Wait, I have questions.” he sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, “Has he been treating you okay?”

“Of course he has.” You tilt your head to the side, confused, “He gets a little rude sometimes, but i'm not sure he entirely means it.”

“Nothing...weird?”

Now you’re really confused, “No. Nothing weird. He’s quiet, contemplative. He mostly just asks me questions.”

The tension leaves Hinata’s shoulders and he nods, “Okay. Good. I-” He crosses his arms and averts his eyes, “I’m worried about him. He’s been, I don't know, withdrawn? Since he woke up, I haven't had much time to talk to him about it. That is if he would even listen to me.”

“Hinata. I know-” You sigh, wrapping your arms around yourself nervously, “I know that what happened in the program is none of my business, and that there must be a reason the Foundation didnt tell me everything but-”

Hinata holds up a hand and says, “I’m gonna stop you there. You’re right that it’s none of your business, and i would honestly prefer you didn't know if you didn't have to.” he exhales, “but if Nagito wants to tell you, I’m not going to stop him. I’m just not sure that should be my choice to make.”

“I don’t think i want to ask him.”

He huffs and rests his hands on his hips, “Yeah, i probably wouldn't either. Look, it uh- it was kind of fucked in there, you know? I just want to make sure everyone is doing okay now that we’re out, so if you notice anything strange-”

“I’ll tell you.” your eyes are feeling heavy, and you suddenly realise that you are trying not to cry, “Don't um...don't tell Komaeda i mentioned him. I think he would prefer no one knew that he was coming here.”

“Sure…” Hinata replies, he sounds uneasy, maybe even a little confused, “I’ll see you tonight, yeah?”

You nod. 

Hinata leaves. 

You don't go to the party.