#i get a bit of mom germs on this one sorry

[tarisilmarwen]

Rebels Rewatch: "The Future of the Force"

Adventures in babysitting, Rebels edition!

You already know what I'm going to say, I never get tired of the pretty planets in this show.

This baby is named Alora, a bit of a Shout Out to Lucasfilm's underground cult classic Willow. No I have not watched the new show I have... not heard good things.

That it's Alora's grandmother that's the one traveling with her brings up some ah... disturbing Fridge Horror regarding her parents.

My theory: They 100% dead, Inquisitors already shanked them.

Ohhhhh you can tell from the horror in grandma's eyes she knows exactly why they want the baby.

Well nice to know Seventh Sister is equal opportunity Bad Touch.

Aaaaaaand there goes Fifth, murdering all the witnesses.

Zero fanfare, just to punctuate the horror of that moment.

After five episodes of doing other stuff offscreen, Ahsoka finally decides to pay the main narrative a visit. I did and do still appreciate that the writers kept Ahsoka to a minimum, like Vader, knowing full well her presence would overshadow and overpower the others. Despite how easy it would have been to fanservice TCW carryover watchers by giving her tons of screentime, she stays mostly as a tertiary character throughout.

Which is why cramming what is essentially the Rebels sequel material into a show where she's the headliner annoys me.

Ahsoka and Kanan quipping about how neither of them are technically real Jedi is both cute and sad.

Ahsoka still deeply in denial about what she sensed when scanning Vader.

Lol this whole moment. Love Ahsoka's fond little headshake.

Love this city design, got a very St. Basil's Cathedral in Russia aesthetic to it.

Some of that influence in the music here too.

Oh wow, Zeb jumps out of the Phantom before it's even finished landing, lolol what a drama queen.

Bit sloppy to leave the transport hanging in that planet's airspace, unless the Empire plans to blow it up later.

Even without showing any of the bodies you know everyone on that transport is pretty much dead. It's really only the limits of the rating that prevent us from actually seeing them.

Grandma looks a lot paler here, I don't think she survives much longer past this point.

I talked about it before in "Always Two There Are" but I love subtle little bits of continuity like this, Zeb learning binary in order to understand Chopper, since he had such a hard time before.

THIS HITS A BIT DIFFERENT WHEN YOU'RE A PARENT.

All I'm thinking is, "How long have they left that poor baby there?! Oh gosh she must be so hungry. Is there AC in there? Did they change her? I bet they didn't even change her, the bastards."

This whole episode reminds me SO strongly of the arc in TCW when Sidious contracted Cad Bane to steal Force Sensitive children for him. Would not be surprised if they were being used for the exact same purpose.

Is it me or do a LOT of Force Sensitive children seem to be born to impoverished single mothers? I wonder if it's a deliberate narrative choice sometimes, to lean into the adoption metaphor that being given up to and raised by the Jedi Order often is.

He's so empathetic Imma cry.

Chopper's actually doing a decent job of keeping Alora happy lol.

Lol, Zeb being grossed out by the Ithorian baby.

I think he's adorable, personally.

Maybe it's the mom in me but Zeb holding Pypey is just... super cute.

He's actually holding him mostly right, giving him plenty of support.

Pypey is just sensitive enough to recognize the danger the Inquisitors pose to him. :(((((((((

A very fragmented "Shenanigans" cue here, barely more than a few notes. Almost as if the danger is stifling the fun and whimsy that leitmotif usually signifies.

It's Ezra that recognizes the ID9 Seeker and makes Kanan stop, and they move in a very nice synchronized way to hide from it here.

Underrated Papa Wolf Kanan moment: Kanan yanking Ezra back from the hallway junction just before the Inquisitors get within eyeline.

I shouldn't laugh but this whole scene with Zeb and Kanan and Ezra having no clue how to calm Pypey is so relatable.

(Babies be temperamental and sometimes you just gotta hold 'em.)

There are so many little cute background moments of Ezra snuggling Pypey or making faces at Pypey aaaah they're so cute.

The detonator Zeb dropped gets flung back at them, Fifth's doing no doubt.

Kanan keeps putting his hand on Ezra's back on the stairs, it's sweet.

Fifth and Seventh sniping at each other lol.

Here's one of the moments of background Ezra being adorable with the baby.

<333333

Ezra gets agitated when Kanan suggests he's going to be luring the Inquisitors away, ouch, poor boy's still not over the thing in "Call To Action".

Friiiiiick Ezra sensing Pypey's fear and Pypey sensing Ezra's and them stuck in a cyclical loop. :((((((

I too ramble at my infants like this. Lol.

Ezra unlocks the secret to calming babies: Being calm yourself. <3

Obligatory "Seventh's voice actress is married to Kanan's voice actor" mention.

The smoke effects on this show continue to be excellent.

Someone, I think it was @pep-no, theorized that Pypey's special ability in the Force might be compelling honesty. That or connecting with Pypey made Ezra more emotionally open, because he normally would be smarter than to blurt out where the Rebellion is hiding in a spot where he suspects Seventh's seekers might be listening.

(Then again, Ezra tends not to have any kind of filter around people he trusts.)

I definitely think there's room for that interpretation, given Ezra's floating, distracted gaze.

Kanan does really well in his brief clash with Seventh.

Zeb hauling him like a piece of luggage is still funny tho.

I love this environment. Feels very downtown LA.

A very heroic muted trumpet version of Ezra's theme as he steps forward bravely here.

<333333

Protective little badass.

Also love Pypey being entranced with the lightsaber and trying to touch it. Baby no.

I love this cue. I haven't watched enough Clone Wars to discern if it's a carryover theme but it's awesome.

Ezra's confidence in Aunt Ahsoka. <333

*grumbles* Stupid auto anti-epilepsy features, it makes it so hard to see properly here.

I do like how effortlessly Ahsoka deals with the Inquisitors here.

<33333

Chopper spinning the babies, awww.

Love how the ID9 comes to perch on Seventh's palm, it's so weird and animal-like. Like she's holding a jellyfish.

Ciffhanger reveal DUN DUN DUN.

This episode is so cute. It doesn't really effect much, besides emphasizing how dangerous a world it is that new Force Senstives are being born into (even moreseo than when there was a Jedi Order to take them in and shelter and protect them) and leading into the next episode's plot but it's a fun little romp with our characters and I just find it sweet and heartwarming.

Which we needed before the next episode's plot-heavy-ness.

[flowersandbigteeth]

I’m obsessed with Levi, absolutely smitten. Thank you for sharing him with us.

If you feel up to it could we get a snippet of someone maybe a rival vampire trying to plant doubts in Levi about the reader. Maybe accusing them of cheating on him and using him, only for Levi to laugh in their face because he knows how devoted and loyal they are to each other.

Just like the opposite of the miscommunication trope. Please and thank you🥺👉👈

I'm so happy you like Levi ^_^ This is just a little thing, but I thought it turned out cute and it's nice to do something lighter after the last one omg :D

Vampire (Levi) x female mom reader

Word Count: 1k

W: sfw vampire fluff

“Ugh,” Levi’s cousin Ivan and leader of his clan in Russia grimaced looking down at Meryl over his glass of blood, “don’t you have a nanny?” 

Levi nudged him away from the baby sleeping peacefully in the crib he’d put in his office so she could be nearby. He’d wanted to give you a spa day and he knew you weren’t yet comfortable with the nanny, so he happily offered to keep his favorite cinnamon roll with him.

He also wanted you out of the house when his cousin arrived. He didn’t like males seeing you and he knew how frivolous vampire’s could be. Their lives were long and got boring, rare jewels intrigued them, if only for a time. He’d sent you surrounded by a handful of Amazonian vampire bodyguards, so he felt confident no one would bother you. 

“(Y/N) and I have decided to keep her caretakers to a minimum,” he said, “she’s already been exposed to so many different germs and people, there’s no reason to add anymore.” 

Ivan snorted. 

“So she’s got you babysitting her brat?! Cousin, are you a fool?” 

Of course in his time, the idea of a vampire Clan lord carrying around an infant was preposterous, let alone one that was not his son, specifically. Many vampire mothers immediately gave their children to wet nurses so they wouldn’t look weak carrying a drooling baby around. 

Levi growled at his cousin, prompting him to lower his voice so as not to wake the baby. 

Ivan hissed lightly back, his eyes flashing. Vampire lords didn’t like being told what to do. 

“Who is this trollop anyway?” he snapped, though a bit quieter, “I’ve never seen you so wrapped around anyone’s finger.” 

Levi looked a little wistful. 

“Just an angel I came across in a fish store,” he murmured, his eyes resting fondly on Meryl. 

Ivan raised an eyebrow. 

“Fish…store…? And you’ve taken in her bastard? You’re babysitting it? Levi, I know losing Karen must have been hard but-”

Levi’s face hardened and his voice boomed. 

“Don’t say her name in my presence!” he snarled. 

Meryl cooed that she was waking up and started to whimper realizing she was alone. Levi looked distraught and hurried over to her, picking her up and bouncing her in his arm. 

“I’m sorry baby bat, did I wake you?” he cooed, and she gave him a gummy smile, doing her “daddy is picking me up” dance in his hand. 

Something about the happiness on Levi’s face when he looked at Meryl and how innocently she completely trusted him incensed Ivan. 

“This is absurd Levi. No one can be this happy! How do you know she doesn’t have some lover on the side and she’s just using you? Tugging a vampire lord on a leash?! She’s probably making another one of those things right now! Aren’t you concerned with how this makes the family look?!” 

Levi tipped Meryl’s head to his chest so she couldn’t see before he bared his fangs, transforming his face into a more animal version of itself as a warning. 

“Now you sound absurd, cousin,” he ground out, more offended that he’d say such a thing in front of his darling baby than taking it seriously, “(Y/N) is a devoted mother and wife. I won't listen to you slandering her in front of our child.”

Ivan snorted and crossed his leg with annoyance, spinning his blood around. 

“Goddess, modern romance is so disgusting,” he retorted, turning his face away from the tooth achingly sweet sight of Levi tossing Meryl in the air to make her giggle, “If it were me, I’d never see the thing.” 

“That’s why you’re a cold, lonely bastard,” Levi chuckled, “and I have a warm, beautiful family.” 

Ivan rolled his eyes. 

“Until she backstabs you like your mother,” he snapped. 

Levi growled more loudly. 

“I told you not to mention her,” he snapped, flipping Meryl over his shoulder by one foot so she wouldn’t see his anger and making her laugh out loud. 

“Ugggggh,” Ivan let out the longest groan ever at her pure joy as Levi pulled her back to his chest and found her one of the toys strewn on his desk to play with. 

“I’m back my loves!” you sighed as you walked into Levi’s office and breezed past the vampire sitting in one of Levi’s overstuffed chairs. You tossed your purse lazily on his desk, then tipped up on your toes and gave Levi a kiss, then smooched Meryl. 

“Feel my face,” you beamed, taking his hand and putting it on your freshly worked over skin, “they did some kind of laser thing to it! It’s super soft!” 

He grinned down at you, taking the opportunity to circle your cheek with his fingers. Maybe it was softer than normal, it always felt soft to him, but he was happy you wanted him to touch you. You'd been seeking out his touch more and more, each time delighting him more than the last.

A bit of a tug in the back of your mind reminded you the other vampire was still there and you glanced over your shoulder at him. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, did I interrupt something?” you asked, looking him over. He looked a bit like Levi, as well, but with wheat blonde hair cropped short and bright blue eyes. 

“Uh…this is my cousin, Ivan,” Levi said with as little enthusiasm as possible, “he’s in town for the wedding.”

He was eager to see you since you’d been gone all morning, but he still didn’t like males looking at you, disappointed your spa treatment ended early. For Ivan’s part his mouth dropped and his eyes grew big. He hopped up from the chair and crossed the room, looming over you. 

He took your hand and gave it a kiss, smiling down at you with the eyes of a predator behind baby blue irises almost flashing green with envy. 

“Levi told me many things about you and I thought he was exaggerating, but he wasn’t lying when he said you are truly lovely. Now I think I understand his fascination. I look forward to seeing more of you, my dear,” Ivan purred, “Levi loves to throw parties so I’m sure there will be plenty of occasions for us to get more acquainted.”

You blinked up at him and extracted your hand from his. 

“Er...good to meet you,” you said, wondering if it was a generational gap thing that made him sound so weird to you. Many of Levi's vampires had odd dialects hinting to their time of origin.

Levi bared his teeth and handed Meryl to you, practically shoving his cousin from the room. 

“I’ll see you later, cousin!” he growled, slamming the door behind him.

[kaulitzhotel]

synopsis: You are giving the band a tour around the city in L.A your hometown. Something is wrong with Bill as you guys explore. You take them back home and talk to Bill in private. (2007)

Content: Fluff.

Notes: I know I do head canons on this page but I couldn’t help it. This short story is on my Wattpad account if you guys are interested. It’s one of my favorites I wrote so I hope some of you enjoy it!

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Hold onto me

Bill was coming to my house for the first time before Tokio Hotel has to perform. I never thought to invite him since he was busy in Germany and this is only their second to third visit to America.

He seemed to enjoy Los Angeles and fell in love with it. I took the band everywhere to try new foods and sightseeing. We walked along a street of stores and Tom was running down the sidewalk with me as we hid from behind a bush to scare Georg. Gustav laughed when he saw Georg's reaction. But Bill stood to the side just looking around.

"Hey, you okay?" I ask him putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm just taking everything in. But I want to see more." He looked at me and smiled.

I could tell he was feeling a bit overwhelmed but I let it be for now. I was walking behind Tom as we continued out to look at the stores. But I tripped on his pants from behind.

"Oops..."

"Don't even." Tom glared. I just laughed.

Bill was behind us as we laughed at Tom. I turn around and he was slowing down. I go up to him and hold his hand. He gave me another smile and squeezed my hand.

We went into a shop to look at some clothes that seemed to be the style that Bill liked or stuff he can make himself. He searched through them with a happy face. It was a good idea to distract him. I didn't know what was wrong with him but ill figure it out once we go to my house.

I heard a ringing from my phone all of a sudden.

"Hello?" I answered.

"It's Mom Y/N, are you guys almost home?"

"Yeah, I'm just showing them what's in the city."

"Okay, be careful you know it's not safe..." She paused.

"Yes Mom, I know." I look outside to see the sun going down. I bite on my lower lip.

"Love you, I can't wait to meet them." She broke the silence.

"Love you too." I hang up.

I look over to the boys as they were admiring the records hanging on the walls and shiny sparkly belts. Bill looked at me and pointed at a unique pair of pants. It almost seemed to shine in the light with a little glitter.

"I think that will look great on you!" I clap my hands.

"It certainly does, maybe I can add some things to it for our performance," Bill said.

I nodded and looked outside the door. I felt some type of anxiety run through me as I saw more people coming to the parking lot at this time of night. Thanks a lot, Mom.

"Let's get going guys I'm pretty sure my mom has made dinner and is waiting for us," I suggest.

They all look at me and I bite my nails which I never do. Bill comes up to me and slaps my hand down.

"Don't do that. That's germs." He laughed.

"Sorry!"

We paid for Bill's pants and head out to the van we were driving. It was pretty small but a good travel van. Since we couldn't have the bus in public. That would just cause people to be curious. I was driving in the streets and they looked outside to see what was going on. Los Angeles is beautiful with lights and many wonders. Maybe I saw the flaws. I looked at a little group when there was a stoplight of people selling what seemed to be drugs. On the other side, I saw a guy with something in his pocket. It'd be better to not make eye contact. The guys were distracted by the big buildings and distractions from what was there. Bill noticed what I was looking at.

"Why do you notice those things?" He whispered.

"It's just how I was raised here to be watchful of your surroundings," I say quietly.

"Look at me Y/N."

I look at him and he lightly touches my cheek.

"Look at the building right there." He moved his eyes away from me. I look to see where he was looking at and it was huge. Maybe a theater with blinking lights and how it was colorful. It made me get stuck on how lovely it was.

"Notice what's good to look around." Bill got closer to my ear feeling his breath tickle me.

I look back to the front road and continue driving when the light turned green. Bill set his hand on my thigh while humming. The guys behind us were just making fake snoring sounds of how bored they were.  As we made it into my neighborhood they were looking at the houses. They weren't big but not tiny at the same time. It was a good home for a small family. I parked in the driveway and we got out. I knock on the door.

The door opened slowly and my mom was there.

"Hello! I've heard so much about you guys. Please come on in. It's cold and not safe outside." My mom waves her hands in singling for them to come in. My Mom was always paranoid about what could happen but nothing happened.

"Where is Dad?" I question.

"At work, he will be home soon." She said.

We sit at the dinner table and said our thanks. Bill was picking at his food.

"You don't like it?" I spoke for only him to hear.

"I do, just not feeling it."

"C'mon eat! We will talk after dinner."

Bill agreed and started eating. The boys were chowing down after a long day. And my mom started conversations and all of us talked for what seemed to be hours. When everyone finished Tom helped my mom with the dishes and Georg and Gustav were cleaning off the table. Bill was sipping on some juice watching them.

When we finished that I showed them where they were going to be sleeping in the guest room. Bill was going to stay in my room. When I put them to sleep because they asked me to tuck them in.

"You guys are a handful." I roll my eyes.

"How about a kiss on the head before bed?" Tom smirked.

"How about a slap in the head?" Bill recommended and gave a whack to his head.

We all laughed at it. Georg and Gustav just lay there chuckling at Tom. They say goodnight to me and Bill and we closed the door. Bill walked with me to my room.

"Oh, this is cute." He looked at the posters of him on my wall.

"Very cute..." As he looked at the stuffed animals covering my bed.

"Sorry, I haven't been in this room for a while since I bought my apartment." I shyly say.

Bill laid down on my bed curling up a bit since he was so long. His legs were going over the bed. I giggle at him.

"I'll be right back."

He nods and I leave the room to change my clothes.

When I come back I see Bill laying on the floor. "What are you doing silly?" He looked up to the roof of the room and shrugged his shoulders. I lay right next to him and hold his hand.

"What's been up with you today?" I raise a question.

"I guess I'm just used to Germany but I love it here. I feel like this can be my home. And seeing you especially is so nice. I want to live here. But I'm just nervous about the performance coming up. And then when you were noticing those things I don't want you to feel uncomfortable not sharing them with me." He confessed.

"Bill, don't worry about that. I'm going to be here by your side. You are going to do amazing. And I'm sorry if I made you feel like that. You know I just want you to enjoy the good things but sometimes every place has their bad. And this will be our home in the future."

Bill looked at me and gave me that beautiful smile. He scooted closer to me and kissed me on the lips. I run my fingers through his hair as we break the kiss. I sat up and held him in my arms while he wraps his arms around me. I kissed his cheek and then his forehead.

"Let's get on the bed Bill the floor is uncomfortable." I kissed him once more.

"Alright but just keep holding me for a bit." He pleaded and held me tighter.

"Okay, Billy."

We sat there for an extent of time and I held onto him playing with his hair as he relaxes finally.

° 　. ● . ★ ° . *　　　° * 　.　 :　　:●. 　 *° :●. 　 *

[imtrashraccoon]

This one went a completely different direction than I had originally pictured, but I love how it turned out. Unfortunately, there's only so much lore/headcanons I can naturally implement without it feeling like pure exposition. If you have questions, feel free to send me an ask for clarification!

@scrambledmeggys

First Day, Previous Day, & Next Day.

Day 14: Scars

You were helping Papyrus with dinner prep by cutting up some vegetables for him. It had been a long time since you helped anyone cook like this; maybe back before you left for college at your parent's house? Sometimes Frisk had helped you but they were still learning and could only do so much.

Things had seemingly returned to normal after the fight you'd had with Papyrus a few days prior. Well, mostly normal, other than some lingering awkwardness, you were trying your best to stick to what you'd suggested doing. If your relationship was to have any chance of working, you both would need to practice proper communication rather than jumping to conclusions.

"Hey, Precious?" Papyrus asked all of the sudden.

You hummed quietly in acknowledgement and briefly glanced over at him.

Papyrus was focused on searing some beef in a pan but he continued. "Have You Ever Wanted To Be A Parent?"

His question threw you off your rhythm and the knife you'd been using suddenly slipped. With a sharp gasp, you quickly pulled your hand away and dropped the blade on the cutting board.

Papyrus was instantly by your side. "Did You Hurt Yourself?" he asked quickly, although there was a heavy layer of concern in his tone.

Rather than immediately answer him, you moved to the sink and turned the cold water on. After letting your finger sit in the running water for a few seconds, you carefully examined the small cut.

"It's not very deep," you finally concluded. "I'll be alright, I'm sorry if I scared you."

"Are You Sure?" Papyrus slowly moved to stand next to you again and you could feel him studying you.

You chuckled as you put your finger underneath the cold water again. "I'm positive, besides, this is basically just a paper cut. It probably won't even scar."

"You Can Get Scars?"

At first you weren't sure if Papyrus was being serious, but a quick glance at his face, proved that he was still quite concerned which made you feel pretty bad.

"Yes, I can. If anything, I'm more likely to scar than you might be because of how soft human skin is."

Getting an idea, you rolled up your right sleeve until it was up to your elbow, exposing a small but noticeably paler patch of slightly raised skin on your forearm. "See? This is actually the worst one I have but it's not too big."

Papyrus seemed slightly more intrigued and he studied the scar for a moment. "How Did You Get This One?" he asked quietly.

"Ah, well, it's a bit embarrassing actually. I was helping my mom do some canning when I was eleven and found out the hard way how hot steam is. I actually had to go to the hospital since it was so severe, but the scar ended up a lot smaller than it could've been because my mom acted quickly."

Papyrus cautiously ran a finger over the area and glanced up at you. "Does It Hurt Anymore?"

You shook your head, "Nah, but I'll tell you it hurt like hell for a while before it fully healed."

"Skeletons Do Not Experience Burns Like This," he murmured thoughtfully. "We Quite Literally Do Not Have The Skin For It."

"That makes sense. I always wondered how much different you are because you don't have fleshy armour like humans do."

Papyrus grimaced at the thought of flesh armour. "Please Do Not Refer To It Like That..." he muttered.

You laughed and turned off the faucet as the bleeding from your cut had pretty much stopped by now. "Okay, okay, I won't. It isn't inaccurate though, our skin is basically like armour to protect our bodies from germs and the rest of our flesh serves to cushion our bones and internal organs from damage."

"It Is Still Weird. Monsters Do Not Have Nearly As Much Physical Matter As Humans Do," Papyrus said. When you gave him a confused look, he added, "We Are Mostly Made Of Magic And As A Result, Our Bodies React Differently When Harmed."

He took your hand in both of his own and before you could protest, a soft green glow flickered to life in his palms. The minor stinging from the cut was quickly replaced by a warm but tingly sensation. It only lasted a few seconds but when he released his magic again, you discovered that the cut had completely disappeared.

"Woah..." you murmured and tentatively flexed your once injured finger. It was as if you hadn't cut yourself to begin with.

"You can heal injuries?" When Papyrus nodded, you grinned, "That's so cool! I bet it comes in handy with all the fights you and Sans get into."

"It Does, Although I Am One Of Only A Few Monsters Who Are Able To Use Healing Magic. Most Monsters Who Can, Become Doctors So They Can Help Others." He sighed and added, "I Do Not Want To Get Into All The Reasons Why Right Now, Maybe Another Time..."

You nodded and decided to ask a different question instead. "So if you can heal injuries like that so easily, how come you still have scars?"

"Ah, That Is A Slightly Complicated Question To Answer." Papyrus returned to the pan he'd been cooking the beef in earlier while he tried to collect his thoughts.

"Minor Injuries Are Quite Easy To Heal, But I Only Have A Certain Amount Of Magic That I Can Use At A Time Before I Have To Rest. The Scars I Have Are Reminders That I Used To Be Weaker Than I Am Now."

Papyrus motioned to the four inch long scar that went through his right eye socket, "This One Nearly Killed Me."

"That's pretty hardcore," you commented. "My scars aren't nearly that cool. In fact, they're pretty much all from little mistakes I made as a kid."

Papyrus chuckled and gently nuzzled your cheek. "Well Regardless, I Love How Soft You Are, Precious..."

You smiled although you could feel a familiar warmth colour your cheeks as you returned to preparing the vegetables again, his original question apparently forgotten...

[somber-sapphic]

No Sharing, No Caring

〘Prompt 30- Patient Zero〙

〘Notes- Well, last day of sicktember is here. Sorry I wasn't better at it, but I hope you all enjoyed what I did write. I said earlier that I may come back later to write the ones I missed, but in all honesty that probably wont happen. Instead I'll work them into something later :). Just a heads up, this one is quite a bit more angsty than usual.〙

〘Summary- Illness runs rampant in small spaces. (idk if this makes sense, sorry :/)〙

〘Word Count- 650〙

〘Pairing- Sick JJ x Sick Emily (CM)〙

〚Main Masterlist〛⌶〚Sicktember Masterlist〛

“This is your fault,” Emily whined, throwing a tissue at JJ. The blonde rolled her eyes and set down a mug of tea in front of her girlfriend, careful not to spill her own as she fell onto the couch beside the profiler.

“It’s not my fault; blame Hotch.” She grumbled, curling up as far away from Emily as she could. Since being forced to come home the brunette had done nothing but complain: the soup was too hot, her nose was stuffy, she was too cold, she felt dizzy. The woman who was so proud of her immune system got incredibly annoying when she was sick.    

“You’re the one who had to take care of him and Spence.”

After Hotch had come into the office sick, he quickly spread it to Reid. With two members of the team down JJ had switched into what was affectionately called “team mom mode” and had paired up with Penelope to get them better.

Reid, as afraid of getting sick as he was, was terrible at keeping the germs to himself. It seemed that by sitting closest to him, Emily had pulled the short straw. The five of them -Morgan had decided to go home sick and Rossi was hiding from the bug- managed to last for a week until Strauss had just sent them all home.

“What was I supposed to do, let them suffer?” JJ snapped, frustrated tears welling in her eyes. She understood that Emily didn’t feel well, but neither did she. Her limbs ached, her head was pounding, the pressure in her sinuses was overwhelming, and she was freezing. All the blonde wanted was to curl up against her girlfriend and cry.

Emily, who had been glaring at the floor turned her head to steal a look at the woman beside her. JJ was furiously wiping her eyes, her quiet sniffles echoing in the otherwise silent room. Now she felt guilty. The brunette knew that she was being difficult, but she hadn’t realized just how mean she had been.

The two of them had been bickering a lot in the past few months, small misunderstandings turned to fights. The whole team had been stressed; they had been working nonstop which made the group illness almost a blessing in disguise. Everyone needed a break, though this wasn’t the way anyone wanted it to happen.  

“Jayje, I’m sorry. I’m not being fair. You didn’t do anything wrong. Can I—” The brunette opened her arm, silently inviting JJ closer. The media liaison looked over, her nose running and eyes streaming tears that she couldn’t catch fast enough.

“Oh JJ, come here sweetheart.” She cooed, concern flooding her face. She could’ve sworn that JJ hadn’t been that sick a few hours ago, just the sniffles, the beginnings of a cold. But when she felt the heat of the blonde’s skin, Emily knew that her girlfriend was far worse off than she originally thought.

JJ tucked her head under the older woman’s chin, earlier anger forgotten. She let out a small sob, no longer bothering to quiet her cries. Emily tightened her grip on her crying girlfriend and used one hand to pull the blanket up around the two of them, wanting to quell the woman’s shivers.

The two didn’t speak, there wasn’t anything to talk about, not yet. They’d hash it out later. For now, they were both sick, both miserable and JJ was bawling her eyes out.

Emily held the woman she loved as she cried, knowing that she would eventually fall asleep. She sniffled and kissed JJ’s hot forehead, rubbing her back as she wept. She decided that after the blonde fell asleep, she’d call Penelope, certain that the tech analyst would have no issue coming over.

They both deserved to be taken care of, she’d figure out how to pay Garcia back when she was feeling better. 

〖Join My Taglist!〗 @lots-of-pockets @bloomingflowersthings @lovelyy-moonlight @scrambled-brain-eggs @juststuckhereforever @chairhere @iliketozoneout @villaneve4life @goldenempyrean

[polyhexian]

Darius frantically googling childcare tips in the runaway au, hoping to god that the Emperor's Coven isn't monitoring his scroll. how do you take care of a child? how do you reassure a child? how do you feed a - okay actually that one's easy, Hunter has his father's painfully simple taste in food, if his looks didn't make it obvious that he's Jasper's son the fact that he considers salt a spice would be proof enough.

Eberwolf is like, I can give you some tips but they're all gonna be based on raising ratworm litters and Darius is like STOP.

Hunter is probably kind of an easy kid to take care of in most respects, tho. like you said, he's had to become independent. self-sufficient. I feel like a lot of his childhood he was kinda like a fawn - like, a mother deer will leave her baby in a place she deems safe and hidden, and the fawn will lay there completely still for HOURS until mom gets back. Jasper's definitely had to do that with Hunter, except as Hunter has grown older Jasper has likely left him alone for longer periods of time, so Hunter gets to wander around a bit while waiting for his dad to get back. Swipe some food, maybe work some odd jobs for some snails, visit the library and see if he can finish a book before they have to move on again.

so he doesn't complain easily, and he doesn't really get bored the way a regular kid might, he's used to either sitting perfectly still or going off to find something to take up his time. he probably also gets more mileage out of entertainment items Darius gets for him. Darius is like "uhhhh I found some crappy crayons and some paper, sorry, best I can do on short notice" and Hunter is just like, oh, cool! cuz he's rarely had time/space/resources to sit down and color on paper.

Darius is still fumbling his way through this tho. one night he wakes up to find a sniffling Hunter climbing into bed with him and he starts to panic like OH GOD IS HE SICK I DON'T WANNA DO GERMS BUT I WILL IF I HAVE TO except no, the kid just misses his dad. Darius surreptitiously grabs his phone to type in "what to do when a kid crawls into bed with you crying" except to his everlasting horror he did NOT type that into Ghoul-gle, he typed it into a text message and now Eberwolf is responding like DARIUS ARE YOU SERIOUS and Darius is like I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO and Eber is like JUST HUG HIM THE WAY YOU'D NEVER HUG A BABY RATWORM.

Rjjsjsjd Darius trying to figure out how to care for this kid via eberwolf describing how to care for various baby animals

Yeah yeah yeah. Hunter is a baby faun. He's very good at hiding and he's very good at following instructions. Jasper has to weigh a lot of risks. Is it riskier to steal what he needs, or is it riskier to earn it by bounty hunting or selling something or what have you? And things just get riskier as Hunter gets older. Another timeline where jasper can't give hunter the childhood he wants him to have, but he's going to make sure he has one that he makes it out of, at least. He would rather have an unhappy adult than a dead child.

Hunter is a little fuckin monkey. He's always stealing shit. Just to prove he can. I love this little goblin version of hunter, a highly skilled little artful dodger.

When I was a teenager and my dad left it was pretty hard on my family. My brother has down's syndrome and autism; he's nonverbal, low-functioning, legally dead/blind. So he has a lot of trouble communicating effectively. He was like nine around this time and yeah, normal stuff was no problem. He knew how to let me know he was hungry or he needed me to come hit play on his DVD or something- assistive communication devices were and I think still are thousands of dollars lol and my folks and I were eating out of the food bank so. Yeah. Not happening.

In any case, the point is that one night my brother started crying. Like. Really crying. Crying in a way id never heard before. And obviously my mom came but I drove him to the hospital and we spent all night in the ER while he screamed and sobbed and they did test after test after test trying to figure out what could possibly be wrong.

Nothing was wrong. He was completely fine, physically. The end "diagnosis" was... Our dad had been gone three months and it was finally hitting him that he might not be coming back.

Just thinking about poor little hunter trying to cope with the idea his dad might not be coming back because he doesn't know where he is or what happened to him; he's just gone and it hurts! Reminded me of that night (can you believe I had to go to school the next day lol)

All Darius can do is hold this sobbing little guy and tell him that at least HE isn't going anywhere because... What else can he say? It's going to be okay? Jasper is going to be okay? Jasper will come back? He doesn't know that. He doesn't know any of that. All he can do is his own best. And hunter just :(

[yermes]

Well guys its almost mothers day and after being around internet practitioners I know that some of you have some SERIOUS family issues. And or cannot see your moms this coming mothers day (Im away from mine atm) But thats okay. Ill be your mom today and give you some motherly advice with the deck that my mother gave me (:

So welcome to my Norwegian household there’s tea and chocolate swirl banana bread! (Usually I would make lefse for a baking venture but my parents wouldn’t let my grubby lil whore hands take the lefse press) so we have banana bread.

Pick a meme

Pick a card

Queen of Swords 🕯️

In this deck this card represents a more water aspect of air. The sharp thought of insight, and sitting upon her throne above the storm. While she does represent the chaos of the storm she also represents the cleansing aspect which chaos can bring. While seen as cruel, chaotic, and destructive i argue that these are needed qualities for change and growth. You may be in the eye of the storm now but the wisdom you will gain from this will be useful for the next time you are in a more chaotic shittier storm. (Sorry queen I feel ya a bitch can’t catch a goddamn break.)

Ace of Pents 🍀

Representative of earth and material manifestation. The people huddle close to the card in safety. However, the physical also needs the none physical to manifest. Don’t get to hung up on the material when the nonmaterial is lack luster. However, whenever possible relish in the safety and fulfillment which the physical and the matron can offer.

Seven of Swords 🤡

Wow. If fuck around and find out was in the dictionary your face would be right next to that shit. Basically, you tried however, you didn’t do enough. The seven of swords is a young soldier took the enemies swords but he left a few and his enemies rise to pursue him. Whether you get away or get yeeted is up to you. Roll for speed and charisma and hope you land a 20 😩

Whether you get to spend mothers day with your mom, are away from your mom, have a bad relationship and or not with mom I hope I could give you a little bit of that good motherly vibes today

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Take a forehead kiss^

Now for a long drawn out lecturey story about my life with an eventual point to really give you that empress matron energy you’re missing.

As a Chaos Magician who has been a terror on the internet for a little less then a decade I look back and see myself being heavily influenced by the people I was around.

(If you’re thinking you’re a chaos magician and all you post is tarot readings?I just refuse to give advice to the same internet that tried to curse the fucking moon okay? Okay.)

And you know what I am still influenced to this day. Not in the same ways obviously. When I first started my lil girlfriend at the time brought me into this kik group chat full of practitioners from different mental well beings (IYKYK) to different walks of life and some of these people are still my best friends to this day. Eventually we moved to discord but there was an issue. One of the bigger personalities of the group straight up didn’t like me. And thats fine. But it always got malicious super fast and eventually they got booted from the group along with a few others. But I notice looking back how I bended and shaped my “Germ” personality online to walk on eggshells around them. Now thankfully I was just shaping my online persona to please them while being myself offline but it taught me a lesson about morality and “isness”. Basically. Nothing is. No I won’t elaborate bc whats the fun in that. But Morality can be extremely empty. After being around all these talented practitioners and becoming one myself I saw that at times “bad” intentioned magic can have positive out comes and “good” intentioned magic can have some extremely awful outcomes. When you do magic and practice need to at times you need to realize that it will always manifest in a very realistic way and realistic isn’t always #livelovelaughlight

So anyways. This asshole tried to curse me and since my “Germsona” was so cataclysmically different than how I am IRL. It couldn’t hurt me. They tried to curse Germ not me and since Germ was so different and so molded to this individual I could walk away without a scratch. Be safe out there kiddos and remember I will always be here to give you awful and cringe advice ❤️

Love Germ

The nana bread 😩

[holocene-sims]

next // previous

july 4, 2021 7:30 p.m. adam's house

[wyatt] i'm gonna ask again...

[grant] alright, well, let me put it this way. what i didn’t like was very, very specific to me. it was a me thing and you are totally different than me. we are different people and the time period won’t even remotely be the same for us, so things will have changed. so, the experience i had isn’t going to be the one you would have. it’s not worth talking about because it just doesn’t matter.

[wyatt] boo, that’s not an answer.

[grant] okay, yeah, i hated it. still, i would absolutely, like, with every fiber in my being and all of my heart encourage you to go play college hockey if you’re interested. and yes, at the school i went to, if you’re interested in that school in the future. it’s so far off from now that you shouldn’t worry about it but you know what your dreams are and you should follow them. don’t ever listen to anyone else. do what you want. you know yourself best.

[grant] the only thing i'd say–and this goes for literally everything in life–is that if you do something and think it’s going to be amazing and you find out it’s not, trust yourself enough to leave and change paths. don’t stay with something if you’re not having a good, healthy, or safe time.

[grant] now i'm really going to get off my soapbox. i'm not here to lecture you. boring! gross! i'm supposed to be the fun uncle.

[wyatt] safe? did you get arrested or something? my friend at school has a big brother in college and he's in jail for selling cocaine.

[ezra] HAHAHAHA!

[grant] uhh–

[grant] i don’t know what to say but, uhh, i have never been arrested.

[wyatt] so, you didn't get arrested like papa?

[grant] you know about uncle paddy going to jail?

[ezra] he has his mugshots in his car!

[grant] oh, i forgot about that.

[wyatt] wait, why did you call him–

[grant] uncle paddy?

[wyatt] he’s your dad.

[grant] oh, no, buddy, i'm about to destroy your whole worldview…

[ezra] hey, the dragon is here! geez, the head chopping thing took soooooo long.

[grant] yay, alduin time! RIP to the others, though.

[grant] but, um, buddy, he’s not my dad. and your dad isn’t my brother.

[wyatt] liar!

[grant] i didn’t know you didn’t know!

[wyatt] how’s he not your dad? you wear glasses like him! and you laugh like him!

[ezra] wait, what?

[grant] i guess you’re confused because he calls me his son? and, well, your dad and his siblings and i call each other by, like, sibling-y terminology.

[grant] my mom is your grandfather and aunt bridget’s older sister.

[ezra] no! great-grandma aoife and great-grandpa joseph don’t have another–

[grant] no, no, they do.

[ezra] you're lying! liar liar pants on fire!

[grant] i am telling the honest truth! and i'm sorry to surprise! i really thought you knew.

[ezra] well, uh, you can still be uncle grant because you’re cool. you fly planes and do cool stuff like that, and you’re nice and funny and good at video games.

[grant] aww, i still make the cut? i'm still good enough to be an uncle?

[wyatt] of course! but if you become less funner than uncle alex, then you’re gonna get fired from the uncle job.

[grant] at least i know the terms of the contract!

[grant] but damn, you don’t like alex?

[wyatt] he’s kind of annoying. and he and lilly have a crusty white dog. i'm scared of crusty white dogs. they look evil. they’re gonna eat my limbs in my sleep.

[grant] that’s very oddly specific.

[ezra] i'm scared of sporks.

[grant] sporks?

[ezra] and i don’t like ladders.

[grant] okay, but sporks?

[ezra] it’s a fork but uglier and stupider.

[grant] you know what? valid. you’re not wrong.

[wyatt] i hate clowns, too!

[grant] also valid.

[wyatt] you aren’t scared of anything?

[grant] lithium-ion battery fires.

[wyatt] what?

[ezra] that’s a lot of big words.

[grant] yeah, lithium-ion battery fires, especially on a plane, and people being mean to me. germs, too. can’t forget germs.

[wyatt] if i sneeze into an open hand, would it make you cry?

[grant] yeah, a little bit.

[grant] don’t make me summon the crusty white dogs.

[ezra] summon! summon! summon!

[revcleo]

on washing clothes from Mend! A refashioning manual and manifesto by Kate Sekules

(please buy the book, or rent it from a library, or order it through a library to rent from them, or rent it through a library ebook collection etc. etc.)

Wash Less

Washing is killing your clothes. Every laundering shortens a garment’s life by, oh, a month (see endnote 8*). I bet the source of the one-wear wash idea was Procter & Gamble’s Mad Men–era marketing team: overwashing sells more Tide (it can also redeposit soil on clothes and set stains permanently). Not washing is getting awfully trendy now, for green reasons, but the main mend-related reasons are that less washing—and definitely less tumble drying—paradoxically saves your favorite clothes, and probably time, too.

There are three reasons to wash a clothe: removal of stain, or of germ, or of smell. I daresay smell (or fear of) is what propels us fastest to the washing machine. But listen up.

Less Laundering ≠ More Stinking To overgeneralize, but not really, because athleisure, clothes get stinky when they’re made of synthetic fiber. Ridiculously, the clothes manufactured expressly for sweating into are the most petrochemical of the lot.

Yes your performance fiber top wicks your sweat, but then it hugs it to its bosom, maybe refusing to let it go, ever, in a phenomenon scientifically named perma-stink. Synthetics are hydrophobic but oleophilic—they hate water, but love oil—so they cling jealously to body odor compounds, but refuse the advances of your washing machine.

The more you fight your running tights, the more they resist—dryer sheets and extra detergent and heat drive the smell-causing bacteria deeper into the fibers, where they take up residence. Antimicrobial finishes such as silver chloride don’t deter them at all. It is gross.

I’m not here to lecture on eco-water-saving detergent-minimizing, though this is a happy side effect of many old-new methods. I’m here to keep good clothes alive and mendable. I confess I’m a bit conflicted about stains. Set-in stains invite mending, and mends invite conversation, and then you can tell everyone about the bacteria partying in their pants.

So I’ll ignore stains, aside from the kind that attack and degrade fabric or can’t be mended or spoil the overall beauty of a thing.

Speaking of ignoring, follow only the bits that sound appealing: the last thing we want is the return of washday labor and guilt. I’ve been around the laundry block—never owned a washer-dryer till I was a mom; been a student, a traveler, dirt poor, addicted to wash-dry-fold service—and after all this, I’ve discovered that tending clothes is actually fun.

Anyway, decide for yourself. Here are assorted old-school and costume specialist hacks to mend your cleaning routine and keep your favorite garments alive:

Gym stink. Sweat is odorless. The smell is bacteria breaking down proteins into acids. Left in a swampy pile, these reproduce like a horror film. Arrest the breeding! Rinse gym things out in plain water and hang to dry right after committing the sweat.

Or switch to all-cotton workout wear. It’s hydrophilic and oleophobic, the opposite of synthetics, so absorbs and holds or wicks sweat, but resists oils and smells.

Aromatic pits and the crotchal region. Sorry to be graphic, but you know what I’m talking about. Try these professional theater costume department and vintage dealer nowash fixes:

Give it a drink. Spritz generously with pure (cheap) vodka; let dry. No alcohol smell!

Connect to earth. Sprinkle fuller’s earth on the bits overnight. Vacuum up, with stink.

Acidulate. For allover smell, steam garment over a hot bath of white vinegar solution.

A paste of baking soda and water is much cheaper than Febreze and often works better.

SOS: Save Our Sweaters. Handwashing in cool water is the only way. You don’t need to do it often. Invest in perfume-priced cleansers or use baby shampoo. Rinse thoroughly, squeeze gently, then . . .

Reshape (it’s called blocking) the wet sweater on a fluffy towel, Swiss roll it, and kneel on the roll to squish out water. Never wring knitwear. Dry on a fresh towel, turning it periodically.

Air dry whatever you can, especially vintage, most of which should never go in the dryer. Your hand mends last longer when air dried, too. Use ordinary hangers if you lack line or frame.

Add a few drops of lavender essential oil to water in a spray bottle to spritz on while ironing.

Yellowed cotton might have gotten that way from dry-cleaning. Add borax to the wash. And hang out in the sun—which is mostly terrible and verboten for fabrics, because of this bleaching effect.

Care labels are often as generic as the website cookie disclaimer that you never read and fulfill a similar legal function. Nearly everything can be gently handwashed.

Exceptions are: velvet, satin, taffeta, brocade, some silks, anything tailored or structured, and everything under Special Concerns in the chart on pages 144–45 (Historic fabrics, weighted silk, embellished fabrics, real lace, metallics, 3d effect fabrics, fur real/fake, net/mesh, hand painted, leather, suede*). Beware rayon: very tricky and variable.

Spot clean and steam fancy clothes—or, in fact, most clothes. Vintage dealers do.

For embellished items, borrow the museum conservator method: vacuum on low with open vent and flat nozzle through a gauze screen edged with tape.

Forget wasteful sticky-sausage lint cleaners. Use an old-school clothes brush or the kind that picks up lint one direction and deposits it on the reverse journey.

Mildew. Omnipresent fungal spores that feast on your damp natural fibers. It’s serious and contagious. Dry, vacuum, dry-clean, revacuum. It may be too late for this poor garment.

A final little trick. Scribble all over metal zippers with graphite pencil: nonstick magic. endnote 8*

Unreliable statistic that I made up. This is an experiment in misinformation. Because nobody’s done this math, I wonder if the figure I just invented will get quoted and thereby eventually become true? Other notes:

No, really, perma-stink was coined by human ecology professor Rachel McQueen et al., “Odor Intensity in Apparel Fabrics and the Link with Bacterial Populations,” Textile Research Journal 77, no. 7 (2007): 449–56.

The no wash and the dry (or raw) denim movements are ecologically motivated but are also having the effect of bringing more natural fibers and finishes to market. They sell at a high price point for the most part, but this is beginning to trickle down—though such clothes can’t and shouldn’t be sold too cheap; they’re investments. Also, PS, infusing with peppermint oil or whatever does nothing long term to decrease the need for washing: all natural, untreated fibers are resistant to microbes.

Ulterior motive: as a lifelong devotee of pure cotton sweats, I prefer its wicking, slightly baggy, nonstinking qualities, and wish it would catch on.

I could go on and on about detergents, which are often foul in so many ways. For an up-todate and reliable breakdown of their relative merits, see the rated reviews by the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Environmental Working Group, https://www.ewg.org/guides/categories/9-Laundry/. You may find your go-to wash solution has earned a solid “F” grade.

Extra credit: invest in a horizontal drying rack or make one out of window screen gauze.

A steamer is a wise investment—they’re effective, gentle, and far more fun than ironing.

[aviel-the-trans-bucket]

Welcome back madlads, today we’re listening to more of Gerard’s solo music. Today we’ll be doing all the non-album singles, meaning my next post of these will be the first of several posts listing to Frank Iero’s post breakup music.

I’m not too sure what to expect but I’m looking forward to it. Honestly I needed a bit of a break after I finish mcr’s backlog (I write my draft structure in advance lol) it was nice but I got that kinda ache in my chest after finishing a good story. I’m looking forward to getting back into new music and moving forward. (So this one came a while after I did the last post because I got really busy and lost track of time, so let’s try and finish the hiatus music before 2024 together ;u;)

Pinkish: Ok grainy, but the vibe is pretty tasty. This is nice, it reminds me a bit of bullets tbh. I’m not sure I know what to call this vibe but like, I feel. Hell-fucking-o that guitar jumpscared me, but it’s sexy as hell!

Don’t Try: oh this is a liminal vibe. It’s like both poppy but also reminds me of sifi sounds and it’s trippy and I like it. This kind of fucks. Oh I like this. I think this might be a new favorite of his solo stuff. Vaguely kinda reminds me of disenchanted. Yea I vibe with this one really hard.

Into the Cave We Wander: oh this sounds nice. This feels cozy, oh I adore this. This is just such a pleasent sounding lovely time. This gives such a calming yet adventurous vibe, fills me with a sense of pure wonder. Gorgeous 10/10.

Baby You’re a Haunted House: ok this feels reminiscent of the classic emo sound. Ok but like, why am I getting Fountains of Wayne? Like vague vague “Stacey’s Mom” vibes. But it’s pretty good. Might take a few more listens to really hook me, same things happened with “I never told you what I do for a living” but now it’s stuck in my brain.

Getting Down the Germs: oooo nice guitar. Ok this also kinda fucks. Man all his solo music has felt just so retro fr. It’s a very chill vibe, is nice.

Dasher: ok I’m not sure what to expect here. It sounds really pretty tho. Just really relaxing and pretty, I like it a lot. Yea this was beautiful.

A Hazy Shade of Winter: ok I’m not sure what to expect here either since I’ve heard this is also a cover. The vibes are something? I don’t know what tho. Haunting intro and it blows your tits clean off! Oh this is what I’ve been fucking craving! Ok this is one of the ones I think I like the sound of the most. This is good as hell!

Happy Together: mmm another cover. Oh shit man, now this fucks. God I love his voice so much. A banger cover, his voice has lived in my brain for years and paid not a cent on the god damn power bill 😔

Here Comes the End: ok vibes much. This kinda slaps shit. Looking back, yea this makes sense this was released in 2020. It vibes but damn that was 3 years ago and both feels like it’s only been 1 but also a full decade.

Well this was nice, a lot of good songs. Sorry if I missed any important ones, I’m just going by the Wikipedia page. My top 5 of the bunch would have to be…

1: A Hazy Shade of Winter

2: Don’t Try

3: Into The Cave We Wander

4: Dasher

5: Baby You’re a Haunted House

So I’m finally done with Gerard’s solo stuff after a long gap between posts of me being busy and then burnt out. I’m hoping to learn more about my music taste by doing this tbh, since Frank’s is next I’m kinda hoping to be surprised a bit. So far I’ve learned Gerard’s vocals are but one aspect that makes mcr music tickle my brain. The constant threat of having my tits blown clean off by a guitar seems to be a secondary factor. Well next up we’ll be doing stomachaches.

[ejzah]

A/N: Once again, thank you for all your kind responders to this story. First three parts of the story linked below.

***

The Other Shoe, Part 4

Telling his their moms had been…rough to say the least. He’d expected hysterics from his mom, but after freezing in apparent shock, she’d gathered herself and declared that they were going to get through this. Since then, she’d made it her mission to cook renal friendly foods on an almost daily basis.

Deeks appreciated it. He appreciated everything that his family and friends were doing to support him…sometimes it got to be a lot though. It took considerably energy to respond positively to the latest piece of advice or research. And he was exceedingly low on energy at the moment.

Sometimes he just wanted to have a few minutes of quiet without thinking about how sick he was, or treatment, or preventative measures. He just wanted a few minutes where he could forget that everything had changed.

Today was one of those days so he’d escaped to sit out on the back patio with a fresh cup of coffee. He closed his eyes and imagined he was on the beach, favorite board all ready to go, and the biggest swells he’d ever seen.

As much as Deeks had often wished for a simpler life, at heart he was a man of action. He was used to going into work; chasing people, working out with the team, starting his Saturday mornings with surfing. His inability to do most of those activities now either due to safety concerns or increasing exhaustion and weakness only added to his frustration and despair.

His daily walks down to the beach —which he was ashamed to admit left him winded sometimes—just weren’t cutting it.

“Hey, you trying to ditch me?” Kensi asked, breaking into his daydreams.

Deeks squinted through one eye as Kensi stood over him, head tilted as she eyes his shirtless stretched out form.

“Never. I just needed some vitamin D and fresh air,” Deeks told her with a reassuring grin. He might be irritated by the lack of space, but he wasn’t annoyed with Kensi. She’d been his rock since this all started. “When I was a kid, Mama claimed that was pretty much the cure to anything. Oh, and chicken soup.”

Kensi smiled, shaking her head. “I think chicken soup must be universal. Though dad swore up and down that jalapeños and garlic would cause off any germ.”

If only it were that simple.

“Hey, remember you’re not supposed to have too much cream or phosphorus,” she said, gesturing to the mug cradled next to his thigh.

“First cup today.” He smiled a little tightly, irritated by the reminder. “I’m pretty sure the low dairy, salt, minerals, protein, and elimination of approximately half of available foods has been drilled into my head by now.”

Her face fell at his bitter response and he instantly regretted it. Nice job, Deeks. “I’m sorry,” he sighed, reaching to lightly squeeze her fingers. “I know you’re just trying to look out for me.”

“I am, but I know it feels like I’m smothering you sometimes.” She squeezed back, apology accepted. “I’ll try to back off a little bit.”

“Hopefully not too far.” He patted his lounge chair, shifting a few inches to the side. Taking his invitation, Kensi carefully curled up against his side, hand finding a home in the center of his chest.

“This is nice,” she murmured with a little sigh. Her fingers smoothed over the hallow of his throat. He closed his eyes again, relishing her touch.

Even though they’d spend almost every moment together the last few months, intimacy had taken a hit. Yet another casualty of his illness, he thought wryly.

He settled his hand over her hip, tilting his head to rest against hers. Kensi slid her palms up the side of his neck, shifting so they were staring into one another’s eyes. He saw yearning in her gaze and acted on his own growing desire, tipping his chin down to kiss her. It was slow and gentle.

Kensi made a soft, desperate noise, deepening the kiss as she framed his face with her palms. Deeks pulled her closer, fingers skimming beneath her shirt as they tested the bounds of LA’s decency ordinance. Bracing her hands on his shoulders, Kensi straddled his hips and he stood, carrying her towards the house.

***

“How are you feeling? Really.” Kensi asked sometime later. Her head was pillowed on his chest and again she played with his collar bone. He’d missed this so much.

Lifting his free arm, Deeks studied the splotch of bruises decorating his forearm after his latest dialysis session.

“Like a pin cushion,” he answered glibly. Then more seriously, because Kensi deserved a genuine answer. “Still always tired. Though I feel a little better since I had dialysis yesterday.” He paused again, hesitant to say more. “Honestly, I’m kind of frustrated. When I’m not getting my blood drained out and pumped back in me for four hours and what feels like a thousand appointments, I’m just here.”

Kensi lifted her head, concern in her eyes. He smoothed the wrinkle between her eyebrows, knowing that she was just as tired as him.

“Sorry. I know it could be a lot worse.”

“No, it makes sense that you’re frustrated,” she disagreed. “I would be too.”

“Yeah, you’d have broken out of here a long time ago,” Deeks teased, and she lightly tapped his chest.

“Hey! Remember who has a history of leaving his hospital bed to come be a hero.” She poked him again for emphasis, then settled her chin on his sternum. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but he didn’t mind enough to move. “Callen asked me to come help out today since they’re kind of short handed. Do you want to come with me?”

“I’m on leave, remember?”

“Yeah, but no ones going to say anything if you’re there. Maybe you can help with research. You know Fatima’s always running around like crazy in OPS on her own.”

“That’s true. Ok, I’ll come,” Deeks agreed. He wasn’t sure hanging out in the bullpen would be that much better, but at least it would break up the monotony a little. He craned his neck to kiss her again. “Thank you.”

***

A/N: I have mentioned this several times already, but just in case you wondered, I’m not a medical professional or versed in medical knowledge.

I do know that a real person in Deeks’ situation would likely be on dialysis and other treatments protocols and probably live a somewhat normal life once their condition was under control. Even with a deteriorating condition, from what I understand, organ transplants aren’t considered until you’re in the end stages of a disease. So, I’ve just progressed things quite a bit.

The Other Shoe Part 1

The Other Shoe Part 2

The Other Shoe Part 3

[lumi-cake]

Promise Joel x Fem! Reader

This is non canon so if you don't like that please do not read.

This story is about y/n who is well lets say... sensitive to the world around her. When you thought the world was rough before just wait til you find out why you might be the way you are.

⚠️ TW : Language, Violence, anxiety, panic, extreme empathy

Chapter One

You watched a rain drop slowly fall down the window as you were seated, wrapped up in a blanket. The parade of men in uniforms down on the street harassing civilians. You were born into this world, you often thought about what it was before it all went to shit. Movie theaters and malls packed with people laughing, at least that is what you see on movies anyway.

You look down at your arm at the scar from where you were bitten two weeks ago. You went out with your friend you grew up with, her name was Katie and yes I said was.. she got bitten to but she turned within a few hours. You wanted to see if what were in the movies were real so you both left the city in secret and it ended up well ..bad would be an understatement. After Katie turned, the both of you were already back in the city so the officers took her to "take care of her". Katie's mom doesn't understand how her daughter got bit and claimed that it was a mistake. I haven't seen her or talked to her since.

I never told anyone that I was bit as well. I figured when I turned, the officers would "take care" of me as well. But that day never came. It has been a bit lonely since Katie is gone. I am about to be 21 and the only friend I have ever had was Katie. I get overwhelmed easily i guess you could call it. I tried to find out more about this and the closest I came was called an Empath? It is more than that though. I deeply feel things with a single touch. It is hard to describe. It is almost like my own movie that plays in my head when i touch things. I knew I was always different from others but I never told anyone except for my Aunt who raised me. She always told me to keep it to myself, so I did.

Not only did I stash away my secret I also stashed away myself. I don't talk to others much and definitely do not shake hands with others. I keep my hands in my pockets as much as possible to avoid all the emotions.

"Y/N" someone asked as you snapped out of the race with the rain on the glass. You looked up to see a women standing there. "Your Aunt wanted me to check on you, my name is Marlene." She reached her hand out as you stood up "I don't like germs" you replied not accepting the handshake. She lowers her hand. "I understand, shall we?" She gestured for you to walk with her.

The sounds of the old wooden floor creaked as you followed her down the hall. Small chatter of people talking and whispering. "She has been looking for you since whatever happened with your friend" She breaks the silence between you two. "Then why didn't she come and find me instead of sending a friend?" you question looking Marlene up and down as you followed her. " She has been working her ass off doing as much work as possible to get more ration cards."

We get to an apartment room where Marlene opens the door "She is waiting to talk to you about what happened and also give you some more ration cards" You walk in and look around at the semi empty apartment then turn around when you hear the door click closed. "What is this?" you ask looking around on edge. "I am sorry love but it was the only was to get you here." You start to feel your heart beating out of your chest. "Where is she?" You back away from the women slowly but she keeps walking toward you. "She is at work, but I wanted you" She keeps walking toward you slowly acting like she was not gonna hurt you. " Don't touch me... get the fuck away from me"

" I know about Katie" those words make you make eye contact with the women. "What about her?!" Who is this freak and what does she want with me? " I know that she got bit because she was out of the city" she took a pause and continued " and I know you were there too, so I am asking how did you not get bit?" The question pisses you off that some stranger is asking personal questions while having you trapped. " I am not answering shit for you, I don't know you and I want to leave" The women blocks the door "I know you were bit too, when you both got back Katie actually came to talk to me. Her mom and I were best friends and she confided in me that she was scared. She said she didn't know what to do and that her and you were being stupid and got bit. So I will ask this once, how have you not turned?" You knew you weren't going to tell her shit but you also knew there was somehow you had to get out of here. "She lied, I never got bit. I ran" you spit out. "Then you wont mind if i look for myself "She reaches out to grab you as you move away from her dancing around furniture. "Don't you dare touch me you bitch"

She grabbed a hold of your jacket as you fell backwards to the floor. "Get off me!" She grabbed your wrist when you took your other hand and grabbed her wrist to pull her off of you when you felt it.

Flashes to Marlene talking to a women, then flashes again more clear..

"I have known you since you were born, how could you be so reckless and stupid to leave the city! Damn it Katie!" Marlene holds the gun up to a feral Katie and bang...

You let go of her wrist "You killed Katie..." She stopped trying to hold you down and looked at you confused "what?" You sat up "You were the one who shot Katie after she turned and it hurt you to do it." The women stands up and shakes her head "She wasn't Katie anymore. I have seen to many people I have loved get taken away from me because of this infection and I need answers."

You know how she feels, losing everyone around you, watching infection take what little everyone had left to live for. You always felt like you were meant for something bigger, you always wanted to help people but this “gift” was always in the way but maybe, if you could learn to control it and not let it consume you then you could help. But now you are presented with something even bigger than that! Could you maybe save the dark world and bring some light to it? “I was bit” you started as you rolled up the sleeve to your hoodie “at the same time as Katie but I never got sick” Marlene rushes over to you and examines your arm. “Holy shit I was right” she whispers to herself. “Look I have friends outside the city that are doctors, they can run some test and maybe” you cut her off before she finishes “come up with a vaccine?” She looks up at you and walks over to the door. "Stay here, I am going to go get some supplies and we will go there together okay?" Before you could respond she was already out the door.

Is this finally the answer? You?

You couldn't leave even if you wanted to, two men stayed guard of the door and watched you as you sat on the floor. Your knees pulled up close to your chest and you waited there patiently. You thought it would take an hour or so but now it is getting dark out. Where was she? Did she lie? Was she not coming back? You started falling asleep on the couch, it was quiet with the only white noise of a fan.

The sudden noise wakes you up as you stand right up from the couch. Marlene comes in holding her side while bleeding. "Are you okay?" you rush over to her side, you didn't know her well but you didn't like seeing someone in pain. Joel and Tess walk in behind her, you almost didn't even notice. "These people are going to be taking you there" You look up at them and they look like they rather be doing anything else. "Just give me directions I can go myself." Marlene lifts her hands up "No! it is too dangerous and besides you don't know how to handle yourself out there. You grew up in the city" The man stepped forward "So where are we taking her?" Marlene rest on the arm of the couch still holding her injured side. "Just outside the city to the Capital building, there will be fireflies there. They will know what to do." The man and women look at each other then down at you. "Lets leave then its dark so it will be easier to sneak out" The women steps closer to the door and the man follows her lead. You walk over to Marlene "I don't have anything with me" "They will stop by your apartment with you, hurry with them now.

They follow you as you walk back to your apartment. "I will just be a second." The man leans against the wall and the women gives you a smile. You walk in with your head reeling over what is happening right now. This morning you woke up just your normal freakish self and now? Now you might be an answer for the world crisis. You pack some extra clothes and your toiletries and slide your backpack straps onto your shoulders and walk back out to meet Joel and Tess. Joel leans off the wall "Lets go then".

I know they don't want to help me but Joel doesn't even try to hide how much he is hating this. We start to walk down the stairs, i turn and look back at my apartment that I just came from one last time.

[flowersandbigteeth]

is there any chance of getting vampire daddies 🤧💔

idk if this is what you meant...but I've been really wanting to do a mom reader and a lil bb <3

Vampire (Levi) x Single mom reader

Word Count: 2.5k

W: some violence and minor character death, drugging, kidnapping, babynapping, cute baby, sfw vampire fluff, small character injury

“What is she doing here?!” your client Levi Prishdarov growled, baring his vampire fangs at the bundle on your back. He was a massive vampire, looming over the two of you at something like 7 feet tall. His jet black hair hung around his shoulders in loose waves, brushing the red silk house jacket that matched his eyes. It hung open, revealing his alabaster chest, looking like a carved Greek statue. 

Behind you, your six month old daughter, Meryl babbled baby speak and yanked on your hair, pointing at him with one small finger.

“Daaaa!”

You gave Levi an apologetic smile. 

“Sorry Mr. Prishdarov,” you said quickly, pulling your arms out of the fish tank you were working on and wiping them on a rag, “her son-of-a-bitch father ran off, so Meryl’s gonna have to come with me on my runs for a while, I hope you don’t mind. I promise she won’t disrupt my work.” 

You hadn’t meant to be so candid with the Lord of the largest vampire clan in the area, but you’d been under a lot of stress recently. You’d just gotten out of a relationship with your asshole ex fiance after he decided six months after Meryl was born that monogamy and fatherhood were not for him. 

He left you high and dry with a business to run on your own and a baby. He’d taken off with everything in your bank account, so you didn’t even have any of your savings for daycare. Fortunately Meryl was at least big enough to ride on your back while you went around town servicing fish tanks. 

When people asked you about her you’d given up on pulling your punches and trying to talk delicately about the situation. You had no choice but to bring her with you, so you needed all the sympathy and understanding you could get. Occasionally she cried or you had to change her diaper, which wasn't a good look.

He wrinkled his nose at your daughter and took a step forward, examining her. He poked her cheek with a large, cold finger and her eyes got big. She grabbed the digit with her tiny chubby hand and stuck it in her mouth to chew. His cold skin probably felt nice on her poor little gums, sore from teething. 

“You don’t have a wet nurse?” he asked. 

You chuckled. 

“I don’t think they’ve had those around for a hundred years, sir,” you laughed. 

“So you are just carrying her around with you? Exposing her to germs and strangers?!” he gasped. 

You shrugged, handing her a bit of clean tubing to play with in hopes she would release Levi’s finger. 

“I think she’ll be fine,” you assured mostly yourself, but it did concern you that you had to go to all these different places with her. This wasn’t the vision of motherhood you imagined, toting her around like luggage to your jobs, but it was nice spending time with her and she was a happy baby, smiling at everyone and collecting pats.

The hardest part so far had been keeping her out of your clients hands while you worked and in her carrier. They had a tendency to pick her up and tote her off throughout the house. There were odd selfies of her all over instagram with her fans. You worried about her being exposed to so many people, but you were dancing on a delicate line.

Levi glared at the two of you, so you quickly finished up your work to make yourself scarce. Not everybody liked babies and you weren’t surprised a vampire lord would be a little miffed by one. 

–

“Here comes the choo-choo!” you giggled, aiming the little spoon of baby food at Meryl’s mouth. It had been a long day running all around town to refill tanks with salt water, feed and restock fish, and do all the other things a fish tank service person did all with a little cinnamon roll wriggling on your back. 

Fortunately, all the activity had made her sleepy and she was barely keeping her eyes open as you tried to coax her into eating her mashed peaches as you held her, sitting on the bumper of your van. 

You had one more stop for the day, at the house you were parked in front of, and then you could take her home, make dinner, and the both of you could crash until she woke up hungry again. 

You stretched, before strapping a sleepy Meryl back to you and knocking on the door. 

“Hello Mr. Gujek,” you said to the orc standing there. He frowned down at you. 

“Is that a baby?” he asked. 

“She’s my daughter,” you clarified, “her name is Meryl, but she won’t get in my way, she’s passed out.” 

He didn’t look happy, but you ignored it. It was the end of the day and you wanted to get this last job over with so you could get home. 

“Can’t you leave it in the van?” he asked.

You glared at him, setting your things up by his thousand gallon arowana tank. 

“I am not leaving her in the van,” you snapped just as harshly as you meant to, “she’s fast asleep. She won’t cause any trouble.” 

The orc seemed extremely put out, but again, you brushed it off. It was the end of the day, you didn’t really have the patience to get into a long discussion about anything. All Mr. Gujek needed was a filter change and to administer some medicine for fin rot. You’d be out of there in fifteen minutes.

He disappeared for a moment, leaving you with the fish, then reappeared a minute later holding a cup of coffee. 

“I’m sorry about that, I wasn’t expecting you to bring your baby. I was just surprised…” he trailed off more gently, “you must be tired. Have some coffee.” 

You glanced at him from beside the tank and accepted the cup without thinking, taking a sip. Coffee was exactly what you needed after such a long day. 

“Thanks Mr. Gujek, you have no idea how much I needed this,” you chuckled, throwing back a bit more. 

He gave you a tight smile. You went back to replacing the filter, balancing the cup on the tank stand only distance suddenly seemed wonky. As you moved your hands they seemed further and further away and less and less responsive to your brain’s orders. 

“Huh?” you murmured and then the world got swimmy. 

You immediately thought of Meryl, pulling her safely to your front in the wrap you carried her in, as you started to sink the floor, the world getting foggy. Your last thoughts were of protecting her head with your hands as you hit the ground and things went dark. 

—

“I didn’t know she was going to have a baby with her,” Mr. Gujek’s voice snarled at someone. 

Your eyes felt itchy and dry and it took you some time to get them open. 

“I’m not killing  a baby,” he said, “that’s why I called you. Can’t you do something with it? Sell it or raise it as livestock or something? I just want the woman. Just don’t…you know…murder it…that’s bad karma...no, it’s not the same as kidnapping! Whatever, hurry up and get over here!” 

You shook your head, trying to chase the fogginess away but it felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. 

“Meryl…?” you groaned, trying to look around, your panic slowly growing as you realized you couldn’t move your arms and legs and Meryl wasn’t in them. 

You were in a bedroom, chained to a modern, nice bed with a cushioned headboard and expensive sheets.  

“Meryl?!” you cried, looking around. You didn’t see her anywhere! You went into full on panic mode, screaming and fighting your restraints until your bones started popping. You were considering whether or not you could break your thumbs to get out of the manacles when Mr. Gujek appeared in the doorway holding your baby in one arm. 

She was such a tiny little thing compared to the massive orc, it set off every protective bone in your body. 

“Give her to me!” you demanded, “give me my daughter!” 

He gave you a chilly smile.

“You should probably stop thinking of it as yours,” he smirked, looking down at her, “when its new master arrives it’ll belong to him.” 

She glared up at him, tears building in her wet little eyes and it broke your heart. His disgusting hands on her were worse than her father leaving. She waved her little fists as if she could fight him off.

“This is sick you bastard!” you screeched, tears clouding your vision, “I’ll do anything! Anything you want, please just don’t take her away!” 

He crossed the room and sank into the bed next to you. 

“You shouldn’t have had a baby,” he pouted, and Meryl started to sniffle in his arms, “Only I get to breed you…but it is good to know you are fertile. Now there’s no question of that. Don’t be sad. I’ll give you plenty of little ones to love, strong orc babies, better than this one.” 

You heard the doorbell ring and the orc eagerly hopped up as if a pizza had arrived. You heard the front door open and a muffled question. 

“May I come in?” 

“Come on,” the orc said, “I want to get this over with so I can get to playing with my new toy.”  

You heard Meryl crying and the sound of something wet tearing. Was it fabric? Flesh? Your heart pounded and tears rolled down your cheeks. Meryl! Meryl had to be okay!

You struggled with the restraints, trying to keep at the front of your mind that if she was still crying she was alive. You could get to her, you just had to try harder. Pain radiated up your arms as you tried to force your hands through the metal cuffs and blood leaked down your wrists as they scraped your skin. 

There was a wet gurgle and a thunk, then silence and you froze, tears plummeting down your cheeks. 

“Meryl…?” you whispered as your heart went ice cold. 

Heavy bootsteps stomped through the hallway, getting closer and closer until a tall dark figure appeared in the doorway.

“Meryl!” you shrieked, seeing her before even seeing the male holding her. 

She was propped in the crook of Levi’s large arm, chewing on his finger happily. His other hand was dripping blood. The collar of his white shirt with soaked with it and the sleeve of his suit jacket was dark. 

He frowned at you and crossed the room quickly, holding your little nugget under his arm like a china football as he yanked the chains holding you to the bed, snapping them like threads. You held your loose arms out for your baby and he passed her to you. You didn’t even notice him looking you over for injuries and growling at the lacerations on your wrists. 

“Oh thank goodness!” you sobbed, holding her to your chest and covering her with kisses. 

Finally it occurred to you that it was odd Levi was there and you looked up at him. 

“What are you doing here?” you asked. 

He frowned down at you, looking not in the least bit amused. 

“The orc wanted to sell me Meryl,” he said, scooping you both up in his arms and carrying you out of the bedroom. You hid Meryl’s face and tried to swallow down the bile that rose as you passed the mess the vampire had made of the orc and left in the hall. His limbs were all over the place and blood was splattered on the walls. 

When you got outside he passed your work van and headed directly to his limousine. He washed the bloody hand with some supplies he pulled from a small compartment in the vehicle and started dabbing your wrists with whatever cleanser he kept. 

“But…I need to take my van home…” you started to say, but trailed off as his red eyes focused on you. 

“I’ll have someone come collect it, the rest of your things are already being taken to my house,” he said. 

“Y-you’re house?” you asked. 

He looked down at you evenly. 

“My daughter and wife are not going to be running around town going in and out of stranger’s homes,” he said with distaste, “as you can see it’s dangerous. You’ll stay at home where it’s safe.” 

“Wait…what?! You’re what?!” you asked, “We have a home!” 

He nodded. 

“I’m glad we’re on the same page.” 

“I’m not your wife, though,” you said. 

He cocked his head. 

“According to the state of (Y/S) you are, Mrs. Prishdarov,” he said, more cheerful than you’d ever seen him in all the years you’d cared for his stingrays. 

You shivered and narrowed your eyes at him.

“You’re not going to eat us, are you?” you asked, suspiciously and he laughed out loud, displaying a smile you’d never seen before that was very handsome. 

“I’m not going to eat my wife and child,” he said, matter-of-factly, picking up Meryl’s tiny hand between two fingers and gently shaking it, “am I, little baby bat? You are not for eating! You are for spoiling! You are going to be the most spoiled insufferable little girl in the whole world.”  

He looked at her with absolute adoration. 

“Daaaaa!” she gurgled, gripping his finger in her much smaller ones and pushing it in her mouth. 

“I don’t understand. Why are you doing this?” you asked as you stared in awe as your little child innocently chewed on the vampire’s digit that had only moments ago been ripping apart an orc twenty times her size. 

His eyes flashed and his opposite hand found your cheek, his cool fingers drifting down your face. 

“Because I’ve been watching you,” he said smiling, “since you suggested the rays to me in the fish store. I’ve become fascinated with you.” 

You'd met Levi at the fish store you'd worked at a few years earlier before your business had taken off. It was a high end boutique for salt water fish and you'd sold him on the stingrays.

They'd always been your favorite and you'd wanted some yourself, but there was no chance you would ever have the money for an enclosure large enough.

You had no idea, the entire time you'd been coming over to his house, servicing his fish tank Levi had been growing more and more attached to you. He'd pined after you, especially, while you were pregnant and delicate, infuriated that your fiance let the little, round mother of his child waddle from house to house working on fishtanks. He sighed.

“I thought I had more time to seduce you after I ate- I mean, I-ah, since…whatever his name was…disappeared,” he frowned, “but of course a pretty thing like you would be popular and attract all the wrong sort. That’s the curse of beautiful women, isn’t it?” 

Your eyes widened at him. 

“B-but I’m human…” you said. 

Surely a vampire clan lord didn’t want a mere human and her baby. 

“And you will remain so until you’re done nursing…then we’ll discuss a more permanent arrangement,” he replied. 

You gasped. 

“A more…permanent-”

“Shhh, you are very tired my little guppy,” he cooed and you felt your eyes getting heavy as he looked into them with his swirling irises. 

No! Not again! You tried to fight it, but your world went foggy and your hands went limp around Meryl. When you were asleep, Levi arranged you against his chest and smiled down at his new baby girls.

“Daaadaaa!” Meryl babbled sweetly at him as she tried to grab at his fangs. 

“That's right! Don't tell your mama but I killed your sperm donor, little baby bat,” he said in his own baby voice, gazing into Meryl's big eyes and gently wiggling her tiny toes.

He lifted her chubby little foot to nibble it and smiled, “now I’m your daddy. Can you say dad-dee?”

She stuck her foot in her mouth and waved at him with her pudgy hands.

"Daaaaaaa-drrrreeeee," she tried and they both grinned.

[josjournal]

One Line, Any Fic

I was tagged by @moonflowerlei Thanks for the tag, sweetie!

Pick any 10 of your fics, scroll somewhere to the mid point, pick a line, and share it! Then tag 10 people.

I wasn't sure if I was supposed to do posted works or WIPS, so I figured why not do both?

Posted Works:

Face to Face (Ziam, Explicit, 57286 words)

The two of them turned to look at Liam who was holding his phone and looking utterly bewildered and a bit like someone had killed his cat; or rather turtle, Zayn corrected himself, remembering that Liam had turtles.

The Last of Him (Sterek, General, 3067 words)

He realized now as he lay atop Scott's chest on the ground, his friend growling lowly beneath him, that running after all he'd drank wasn't the wisest idea he'd ever had.

Parental Approval (Sterek, Teen, 34617 words)

"Um...okay," Stiles said, wondering if Derek was listening to himself but moving on because he could admit that the woman was objectively attractive, but he couldn't help but be bothered by the fact that she kept appearing in the investigation although the photo was a candid, not a mug shot, so she hadn't been a suspect.

Full Moon Ficlet #370 - Dye (Sterek, General, 1044 words) (Note: I included this because it was the first FMF I wrote)

“Yours looks distinguished like a college professor or something. Plus you’re in your forties! I’m still in my thirties and I look like someone dumped a bunch of flour on my head.” 

Peek-A-Boo (Sterek, Teen, 5573 words)

“When Stiles was your size,” his father started, earning an interested look from Derek and a glare from Stiles, “he begged his mom to let him help wash dishes one night. So, we put him in an apron and stood him on a chair, just like you are. As soon as he got started, he began bitc-complaining. ‘Why do I have to do all the work around here?’ ‘No one does anything.’ I suspect he learned it from his mother.” 

Derek and Their Pack (Sterek, Teen, 1845 words)

He hated that there was a chance he would need protection against Derek and a part of him knew that if his Mate were still feral, it wouldn’t matter if he killed him. Stiles would be dead by morning anyway.

Nora, Too (Ziam, General, 3109 words)

“Bisexuals exist, Zayn,” Yaser said, smirking when Zayn covered his face with both hands.

Magic, Indeed (Sterek, General, 1126 words)

Derek walked around the counter, following Stiles. The magic smell was stronger behind the curtain and Derek paused. He had to wonder if Stiles even knew that he carried so much magic within himself but didn’t know how to ask. 

A Bad Boy (Sterek, Teen, 573 words)

Stiles dropped his head before muttering, “I’m sorry, Daddy, I’ve been a bad boy.”

Forever, Leeyum (Ziam, Teen, 9689 words)

“If I’m sick, it’s because of the storm, not you. Unless you’re a superhero, who has the power to spread illness and disease. Oh shit, are you Germ-Man?” Zayn asked.

WIPS (Do not question my working titles - they make sense to me, but feel free to send any other questions you might have about these):

Howling Wolf Ranch (Sterek)

“So, you’ve never dated? Or is there a Mrs. Derek hiding in the cellar?” Stiles teased, wondering why the idea bothered him.

Author/PA AU (Ziam)

Liam thought over the meals he’d eaten so far, smiling as he remembered the courgette chips. “He’s a sneaky cook,” he finally said, laughing when Roo expressed confusion. “He sneaks fruits and vegetables into things that shouldn’t have them, and he uses courgettes instead of potatoes for chips.”

High School Reunion AU (Ziam)

“I may have left England, but it was never my intention to leave your lives,” Liam said. He hesitated before continuing, trying to school his voice so his next statement wouldn’t come out as accusing as it sounded in his head. “I wasn’t the one who didn’t answer the phone.”

TFLN5 (Sterek)

“I knew you two were like The Odd Couple,” she commented. “I could just tell last night.”

Sweetwater Sterek (Sterek)

Stiles saw Jackson smirk and knew the asshole was planning to lie to get free beer. Jackson may be rich but if he can get away with getting something for free, he’s the first one to do it.

Summer Camp Fire (Sterek)

Stiles squawked in mild offense as Derek grumbled, “We aren’t a charity case or a freak show.”

SelfDefense (Sterek)

“Come out of the closet, Dude,” he called, snickering, the sound dying when Derek appeared from the darkness in a pair of Stiles’ sweatpants that hung loosely around the waist but hugged his thighs in a way that made it difficult for Stiles to swallow.

SB2018 Story 1 (Sterek)

The young pup vibrated with excitement as he stood in the center of the living room and yelled, “Ta-ta, they here!” as soon as he laid eyes on Derek. “Hi, Dee Dee.”

Programmer/Boss AU (Sterek)

“Hey, Princess,” Danny called out, chuckling when she stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry at him. “I’m so sorry. Hey, Warrior Princess.”

Penpals (Sterek)

“Alright. Baby Bunny,” Derek agreed, happy that his sister was smiling again as she skipped out of his room and he heard her going down the stairs and calling out a greeting to their older sister, Laura, who was coming in the door from her day at the junior high school.

Anyone still reading? I have a billion more WIPs and my muse is being an asshole, so if you have any questions about any of them, please send them on my way - maybe your question will be what kicks my muse into gear.

I tag @katries @celestialvoid-fanfiction @novemberhush and any of my other writer friends that feel like doing this!

[maintainingidentity]

6/16/23--Morning into Early Afternoon

I wanted to wait to blog a bit later in the day, but I'm attempting a blog in order to regulate my feelings and thoughts and I'm currently upset. I want to mention, my family doesn't live close to me. I have a twin who lives two and a half hours away and my mom lives four and a half hours away. I often don't mind the distance, of course, I miss them, but I'm happy that they are living lives they enjoy. The moments I feel their distance the strongest is when I need help and support--a community or village. There have been times in the near eight months our foster child has been with us that I wish my sister or mom lived closer to help. Now that I have a baby and I'm doing my best to prepare for when I go back to work, I feel the distance from them even more.

On my walk with my MIL yesterday, I mentioned that my daughter will need to go to daycare in August when I go back to work. She will be three months old at that point and would have had her first-through three-month vaccinations. Plus, with me breastfeeding, she is receiving part of my immunity. Sending her to daycare is not ideal and I know being away from her will be hard. However, it is the only option my husband and I have. I tell my MIL all of this. She doesn't work, she nannied for a bit but decided that she didn't want to anymore. After I tell her about daycare, she offers to watch my daughter two times a week to help cut down on the expenses as well as to spend time with her. I'm not overly close with my MIL, in fact, I operate in a state of caution around her for my own peace of mind. I just feel like I can't be myself. However, two times a week with someone I know, in a more controlled environment, and with less exposure to germs sounded nice. I told her that sounded wonderful, I would just need to talk to my husband about it first.

So last night, I did. I brought up that his mother offered and he was thrilled. To me, the matter seemed settled and I went to bed feeling like my relationship with my MIL was turning a corner. Fast forward to this morning, she texts me to tell me that she actually won't be able to watch my baby twice a week. She said once a week or when my daughter is too sick to go to daycare. Once a week doesn't save any money, my daughter only needs to go four times a week because I'm off on Fridays. So I'm simply left feeling upset and a bit hurt. I know that these feelings are silly. She isn't my mother, I can understand how watching a newborn/arm baby for someone who is used to having an active and flexible schedule isn't ideal. I was just starting to feel accepted and supported though, so I think that's the problem. It's the realization that I'm doing this alone, that there are no women close to me that can help.

I feel isolated and kind of helpless currently. I want a village and a community that can help me. Women are supposed to have that. That's why all previous civilizations and other countries have multi-generational homes. Moms are supposed to have support from family to uplift them and help with their children. Instead, I'm doing motherhood alone. My husband helps when he's home. He is a wonderful father. I just really want a community of women that understand me and love my kids like their own and have a drive to help raise and protect them. This has been the hardest postpartum realization.

I don't have a happy or uplifting reminder currently. I'm sorry if anyone needs one. I'm hoping to reach someone soon who might understand what I'm feeling.

I might have another post tonight once more of today goes by, I'm not sure. I need to try and refocus and breathe. I need to get work done today since none happened yesterday.

Until later.

[silver-ace-of-spades]

The Blazing Silver Light of Paldea

Chapter 18: Enfermedad

The teens get taken care of by Silver's mom: Joy the Mink. It's also Luvdisc Day, so Blaze gives Silver a gift to show her platonic love for him.

lmao i made amy a metalsmith

charlie out here saving lives (i really love armarouge lmao)

swearing, grossness, near death, blood warning

~~~~~

The flying taxi landed, and Silver and Blaze stepped out. The former knocked on the door to the little house in front of them and waited.

A pink mink woman answered the door. "Oh, you're here! Please come in."

Silver smiled and walked into his home, and Blaze followed.

"Sorry about the smell. Ran into a Skuntank and Muk." She apologized.

The woman nodded. "I was wondering what it was."

Inside the house, a white mink boy around Silver's age sat in the living room and played video games. He turned around and smiled when he saw the hedgehog.

"Hey, Silv, what brings you–" The boy sniffed the air, then audibly gagged. "Augh, what's that smell?!"

"Skuntank. I'm so sorry." Blaze apologized. "I got into a battle with someone, they had a Skuntank, and it's incredibly hard to wash the smell out."

"Okay, that's pretty gross. Not you. The Skuntank spray smell. Anyway, Silv, what brings you here?" The boy asked. He sneezed and lifted Silver up, then chuckled. "Sorry. Allergies."

"What are you allergic to?" Blaze asked.

"Cats." The boy wheezed for a second and Blaze looked at him worriedly.

"Sorry!" She apologized frantically, then sneezed out some small embers.

"Get away from Silv, he's pyrophobic!" The boy shouted. He used psychokinesis to get Blaze away from the hedgie, who began to chuckle.

"She's fine. I'm used to her by now." Silver let out a few painful coughs and the boy got worried.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm sick..." Silver muttered. "I think she's getting sick, too."

Blaze coughed into her elbow and nodded. All the smoke stayed contained in her elbow and didn't make her cough more, which was a relief.

"Don't– Kyachoo! ...worry. Our mom's a certified Nurse Joy and will help you feel better!" The boy sniffled and his eyes itched.

Blaze smiled. "Thank you, um..."

"Venice."

"That's a pretty name." Blaze told him.

Venice smiled, then let Blaze and Silver sit next to him while he played video games. Joy watched from afar and frowned.

"Venny, you shouldn't be so close to them. You don't want to get sick." She told him. "You also shouldn't sit so close to Blaze since you're allergic to cats."

"I miss Silv. Even though... he's all gross... and slimy and... infested– Wheeze! ...with germs, and he looks... and sounds... like... he's dying." Venice snickered. "And Blaze... seems pretty... cool– Achoo!"

Silver glared at his brother. "I'll... I'll cough on you if you keep making fun of me." He accidentally coughed on Venice a second later, but apologized. "Sorry..."

"Gross, you got me covered in spit!" Venice groaned.

"Silver, Venice, be nice." Joy said annoyedly.

"Yes, Mom." The siblings responded politely.

Silver smiled and looked at the game. "Is that Luigi's Mansion?"

Venice nodded. "Yep. Wanna be Gooigi?"

Silver blew his nose and chuckled. "I think Gooigi's in my nose."

"Gross!" Blaze exclaimed.

Venice snickered and finished the battle he was in, then paused the game. "Do you two wanna play anything?"

"Mario Kart sounds fun." Blaze said.

"Yeah." Silver giggled.

The teens played a bit of Mario Kart. At one point, Silver got to first, but got hit by a blue shell from Blaze immediately after.

"With all due respect, fuck you." Silver muttered.

Blaze burst into wheezing laughter that lasted about 15 seconds. She knew they meant no harm. After all, she was the one who threw the blue shell at them.

Unfortunately, due to being sick, she coughed a bunch, so she put her elbow over her face to prevent the smoke from billowing everywhere, which made her cough more. Some smoke leaked out and choked the siblings, especially Silver.

Venice fanned the smoke out of Silver's face and made sure they were okay, while Blaze went to an open window to let all the smoke out. She spent literal minutes coughing and gasping.

Joy rushed to the cat's side to help them. "Are you a Pyrokinetic?"

"How– Wheeze! ...did you... know?" Blaze asked. Their throat hurt so much. They coughed again and some tears evaporated from their eyes.

"You coughed up smoke. Anyway, you shouldn't contain the smoke like you just did, since that can lead to serious injury or death." She told them.

"But Silver has asthma! I can't just let out smoke around him!" Blaze explained. She clutched her chest and painfully hacked up more smoke. Pyrokinesis felt like a curse at the moment.

"I know, which is why, unfortunately, you two will have to be separated. I know you're close friends, but Silver's safety is important." Joy said with a frown.

Blaze held back the tears that threatened to burst from her eyes. Silver was her friend. But she was a danger to him at the moment. "I understand."

Silver overheard their conversation and sniffled as tears formed in his eyes. "I'll miss you... Call me, okay? Promise?" He hacked up a bit of mucus and grumbled annoyedly.

"You okay?" The cat asked.

"My coughing ruined the mood..." Silver muttered.

Blaze giggled and wiped their tears away. "You're such a dork. Before we separate, let's trade Pokémon."

Silver smiled and held out Coal's Pokéball, and Blaze held out Charlie's Pokéball. The teens returned the Pokémon to their original Trainers and smiled.

Blaze made her way to a guest bedroom. It was boring, but she knew it was for the best. She sent out her Pokémon and sighed.

"Reon?" Coal meowed sadly. He rubbed up against Blaze's leg and purred.

"Awww, thanks, bud." Blaze giggled. They started purring as well and hugged Coal.

"Rul..." Scorch sighed.

"Yeah... I can't see Silver right now unfortunately..." Blaze put a hand on Scorch's head and frowned. "I'm coughing up smoke, which endangers him."

"Larves!" Sol chirped.

Blaze smiled and got under the blankets in the guest bed, then called Silver.

"I've been thinking about those stakes we've seen along our journey." Blaze said as they held back a cough. "Ow."

Silver nodded. "The glowing black ones?"

"Yeah. How many are there? What are they for?"

"My history teacher said something about shrines, and treasures of ruin." Silver coughed twice and sniffled. "Apparently these treasures were sealed away–" He coughed again and kept speaking. "–to prevent disaster."

Venice took over for Silver. "Ms. Raifort? Yeah. She's weirdly obsessed with these treasures of ruin. I got a map of the shrines. Wanna see?"

Silver and Blaze nodded, so Venice pulled up a map of Paldea on his phone and pointed to four shrines. "These..." He sniffled. "are the shrines of the Pokémon. I've been able to remove some stakes, since my heart is apparently pure."

Blaze and Silver had removed stakes. They smiled, since that meant they were pure of heart.

"What if this was why I was sent back in time? To prevent the apocalypse?" Silver asked out loud.

"Back in time?!" Blaze shouted.

"Heh, yeah. Ven's also probably my direct ancestor from generations ago." Silver said nonchalantly before hacking away for a few seconds and spitting out some mucus. "Bleh, sorry I'm so gross."

Blaze sputtered as she tried to process what the hedgehog had said. "Your brother is actually your however-many-greats grandfather... I thought that only happened in anime and fanfiction."

"What is life but a fanfic written by the gods?" Venice joked.

"That's a bit existential. If that's true, hopefully this sickfic doesn't last long." Blaze giggled.

"If God writes smut about me I'm gonna puke." Silver chuckled.

Blaze and Venice laughed at Silver's joke, but their fun got cut short when Blaze coughed for several seconds and obscured the camera in smoke.

"Oh, I should change the batteries in the smoke alarm." Joy said to herself when she didn't hear any annoying beeping.

"Are you okay?" Venice asked the cat.

"It hurts to breathe..." Blaze wheezed and gasped in pain.

Silver coughed for about five seconds, then giggled a bit. "Story of my life."

"Not now..." Blaze struggled to breathe and choked on the cloud of smoke she created. The fact that she coughed up more smoke made it even more unbearable and dangerous.

"Hurts... to breathe... for me, too." Venice rubbed his itchy eyes and wheezed.

"You okay, Ven?" Silver asked.

"Mm-hmm." Venice nodded. He put a hand to his chest and choked from the feeling of his throat closing up. Breathing got difficult, so Joy got him an antihistamine.

"Cough! ...Thanks, Mom."

"I can't believe a usually non-deadly respiratory illness could kill both of us, Blaze. We were made for each other." Silver joked.

Blaze coughed from laughing too hard, and tears fell from their eyes. "Stop... you're... you're literally– Hack! ...going to... kill me..."

"Right..." Silver muttered.

The siblings frowned. Blaze had to call out Robin to blow all the smoke away. Unfortunately, the smoke was too strong for Robin. Blaze didn't know what to do.

"Charlie, go check on Blaze, okay?" Silver spoke as he sent out the Fire/Psychic-Type.

Charlie bowed down knightly and Venice smiled. Joy saw him and burst into tears.

"S-Silver... You did it!" Venice muttered, nearly speechless.

"How does it feel to confront your trauma by raising your Armarouge?" Joy asked.

"Amazing. He's been really good with making sure I'm comfortable." Silver coughed for a few seconds, and Charlie made sure they were okay.

"I'm okay, bud. Thanks. Go help Blaze." He wasn't sure if he was okay. Breathing hurt. He felt one wrong breath away from hacking up his lungs.

"You don't– Cough! ...sound good." Blaze said concernedly.

"True." Silver's voice sounded fried and strained. He let out a pained wheeze and tried to catch his breath.

"Thanks, Charl–" Silver violently coughed for several seconds and accidentally stabbed Charlie with their quills. They gasped and wheezed a bit while trying to catch their breath.

Charlie wiped the tears from Silver's eyes, then hugged him gently. Silver felt better emotionally, but breathing still hurt. He deeply regretted leaving his inhaler in his backpack, which panicked him more and made breathing harder.

Charlie was too worried about Silver to care that his hand stung. He ran to the front of the house and grabbed Silver's backpack.

"You okay?" Joy asked. She frantically searched through her bag for something.

Silver shook his head and tried to calm down. Breathing felt like absolute hell and got harder and harder, and he began to wheeze and gasp harder in desparation.

"Silver!" Blaze cried out. More smoke got pushed out of her mouth and she tried desparately to get any oxygen. The window was open, but smoke still lingered like an evil cloud in her room. Her desparate wheezing was nearly as loud as Silver's.

"Crap, I left your inhaler in the other room! I'm such a fucking idiot!" Joy exclaimed, panicking. Her child was gasping and wheezing desparately for air, and she, a nurse of all people, didn't have her own child's life-saving medicine on hand. She felt like a failure. Tears fell from her eyes and she started crying.

Joy suddenly felt a warm hand on her shoulder and saw Charlie, who had just gotten back from the entrance to the house. She didn't know why, but his presence made her feel at ease. He nodded determinedly and started to search through Silver's bag.

He dug through the Very Important Pocket of the Magical Bag of Everything in search of the Help Silver Breathe Device. He found it and gave it to the friendly healing lady, and she gave them some Silver Breathing Magic.

Silver's breathing started to improve. He held a hand to his neck in pain and whimpered. It was a nightmare.

Blaze heard him breathe more easily, then sighed in relief. "Thank– Cough! Cough! -thank Arceus."

Charlie plucked the stray quills out of his hand and winced in pain with every quill removed. Red-hot blood like lava oozed from his hand, but he didn't care. Silver was too important.

Joy hugged Silver, then Charlie, and cried in relief. That Armarouge was a blessing from Arceus herself. No wonder Silver loved him so much despite their pyrophobia.

"That was really scary... Do you need anything?" Joy asked.

Silver tried to speak, but it turned into a cough that lasted a few seconds. Some pained tears fell from his eyes.

"Take your time, sweetie."

After a while, Silver answered.

"I... I... I need... some... cough medicine." He spoke, breathing heavily. Being sick was always a struggle on his lungs. "Throat feels awful." He spent a few seconds coughing and quietly whined in pain.

Joy got up to get some from the bathroom, and had Venice make sure Silver was okay.

Venice gave the hedgehog a hug and tears fell from his eyes. "I was so worried. Your Armarouge is amazing. He saved your life!" He accidentally pricked his arms on Silver's extremely tensed quills and pulled away. "Ow! Your quills are really sharp!"

"I just... had an asthma attack... so I'm still... a bit tense... from that." Silver coughed a few times and Venice got more worried.

"Shhh, don't speak." He told his sibling. He sneezed from the lavender fur stuck in Silver's quills and grumbled angrily. He was trying to be a good brother, but his goddamn allergies were so annoying. "Stupid allergies! Blaze isn't even in the room!"

Blaze giggled a bit over the phone. "Sorry, Venice. It's probably some of my fur in Silver's quills." Another few puffs of smoke filled the room as Blaze choked on the smog.

"Blaze, don't talk." Silver said before coughing due to speaking too much.

"Hya-shoo! ...Cat fur sticks to everything..." Venice muttered with a sniffle. "You okay?"

Silver let out a little wheezy chuckle and smiled mischievously. He shook a bit of Blaze's fur out of his quills, and Venice sneezed again.

"Stop that." He told the hedgehog angrily.

Silver smirked. Even though he was sick and felt like he was suffering in hell, he managed to have fun. He shook more of her fur out and made Venice sneeze again. It got harder to breathe, and he felt awful.

"Silver, once is enough." Blaze sighed.

"You... you think... th-this... is– Gasp! ...funny, huh?" Venice wheezed.

Silver nodded and grinned, then noticed the red stain of blood on Venice's arms. Light gray quills were stuck in his arms. They pointed and frowned.

The mink looked at his arms and smiled a bit. "I'm fine. I'm more– Cough! ...worried about you, despite the fact... that you triggered my... allergies... on purpose, you prickly bastard. Once Mom comes back– Gasp! ...with the medicine, I'll have her help."

Silver giggled and helped Venice get the quills out of his arms.

"Thanks. You may... be a... prickly bastard, but you're our prickly bastard. Love you, bro."

"Haha, love you too." Silver smiled. The moment was ruined when he coughed three times and Venice and Blaze got worried.

"I told you... not to talk... for a bit." Venice frowned.

"My throat is on fire..." Silver coughed for about five seconds and whimpered in pain. Tears fell from his eyes. It hurt.

Blaze happened to cough at the same time, then smiled slightly and tried to help Silver feel better. "Haha, Silver, we were cough buddies again!"

Silver smiled slightly. "Hehe."

Some tears formed in Blaze's eyes and they started to cry. "I love you. You're my greatest treasure, Silver. If you died I don't know what I'd do." They burst into full-on sobs. It was very rare for them to cry that hard, but it felt relieving in a way, until the coughing fits came back. It was so smoky.

Joy came back very shortly after and gave Silver a dose of cough medicine. He quickly gulped it down, then gagged and stuck his now bright red tongue out in disgust.

"I'll never get used to the flavor." He muttered. He got a cough drop from his backpack and sucked on it for even more relief. He heard his friend's muffled wails into a pillow and frowned. "Um, Blaze, are you okay?"

Blaze sniffled and whimpered. "I love you so much! You're... my best friend..."

Joy saw that Venice and Charlie's arms/hand were a bit bloody and filled with little quill-sized stabs. She cleaned the two's wounds, then cleaned Silver's blood-stained quills. "Are you okay, Venny?"

Venice tried to say something, but his allergies went haywire and he spent a minute coughing and wheezing.

"Are you feeling alright, Venny? You sound terrible..." Joy frowned.

"Silver... purposefully– Wheeze! ...triggered... allergies..."

Joy glared at the hedgehog. "Being sick doesn't excuse that sort of behavior, Silver."

"It was funny."

"How would you feel if Venice purposefully triggered your asthma?" Joy asked.

"Not funny..."

Venice took another antihistamine and his itchiness and breathing difficulty started to go away. He chuckled to himself and looked over to Silver. "You better watch out, Silv."

"Venice." Joy spoke firmly.

Silver laughed and assured their mother that it was all in good fun.

Blaze interrupted the moment by coughing relentlessly. Her throat burned like she had breathed in capsaicin spray from Carolina due to how much she had cried. The smoke led to more coughing, so she went back to the window so she'd be able to breathe. "Need... smoke... gone... Wheeze! ...Hurts..."

"Is the ventilation system on?" Joy asked.

"I think so... but–" Blaze coughed harder and more smoke got pushed out.

Silver heard their friend hack up a lung and searched through their bag until they found another cough drop. They gave it to Charlie and told him to bring it to Blaze.

"You're the only one here who wouldn't die from entering the room." The hedgehog joked.

Charlie opened the door and got blasted by smoke. He blew it towards the window with his arm cannon so Silver wouldn't breathe any in, then closed the door to reduce the chances even more.

It took a while, but Charlie eventually blew away all the smoke. Blaze gasped for air, then breathed a sigh of relief. She sucked in a wheezy breath and tried not to get rid of all of Charlie's hard work by coughing up more smoke.

After blowing the smoke away and walking to the window, he tapped on Blaze's shoulder.

"Arma." He held out his hand and Blaze smiled.

"Gracias." Blaze took the cough drop and sucked on it for a bit.

Charlie saw Silver in the camera and waved. He decided to sit with Blaze since she looked lonely.

"You want to stay with Blaze?" The hedgie asked. He got a confirmation from Charlie and smiled. "Have fun."

"Thanks. You're so sweet." Blaze smiled. She let out a few pained coughs, then immediately apologized. "I didn't mean to get smoke in your face!"

Charlie coughed out some fire due to breathing in the smoke, which accidentally hit Blaze in the face. She wasn't hurt, just covered in soot. She found the whole situation funny and sweet.

"Is that your revenge? I guess we're even." Blaze smiled. She and Charlie giggled and Silver got a little jealous.

"You're fast friends with every Fire-Type ever, huh?"

Blaze grinned. "Well, I'm a Fire-Type."

She suddenly got a text from Amy, the hedgehog girl from the Eevee Raid. The cat hung up the call and went to the door.

"Hi, Blaze." Silver said as he saw her walk by.

Blaze nodded and pulled her shirt up to prevent Amy from getting sick. She got to the door and opened it.

Amy and Rosebud, who had evolved into a Tinkaton, wore matching heart dresses with different hammer motifs: a Piko Hammer for Amy, and a Tinkaton hammer for Rosebud.

Rosebud set her giant hammer down and got two pairs of beautiful metal bracelets from Amy.

"Tinka." She squeaked, giving the bracelets to Blaze.

"Thanks, Rosebud. Now, Amy, what method of payment should I use?" The cat asked. Smoke leaked from her shirt as she coughed.

"Are you okay?" Amy asked.

"I'm sick." Blaze coughed again and pulled their shirt down so they could breathe. A puff of smoke left their mouth with every cough.

"Pyrokinesis, I'm guessing?" Amy asked. She fanned the air in front of her face and held her nose. "Augh, it smells like a wildfire..."

Blaze frowned. "Oh no, I hope I don't get you sick!" She coughed again and frantically apologized.

"Get some rest. You can pay me another day. Happy Luvdisc Day!" Amy told the Pyrokinetic. "Say hi to Silver for me!"

Rosebud picked her hammer back up and walked down the path with her Trainer. The pair of pink hammer wielders clinked their hammers together and giggled as they walked along the path.

Blaze smiled and closed the door, then walked up to Silver.

"I know I'm not supposed to be out here, because, y'know, the whole coughing up smoke thing, but I got you a present." She gave him two of the metal bracelets.

The bracelets were silver colored and had a beautiful rose pattern that stuck out and mimicked a flower chain. Both were engraved with a word in cursive. One of them said "Silver" and the other said "Amigo".

Silver gasped and tears filled his eyes. He put on his bracelets and hugged Blaze. "Where did–" The smell of smoke clung to Blaze and made him cough. "...Fucking illness. Can't go a single minute without coughing!"

"Haha, yeah. It sucks."

"It was probably the smoke in Blaze's fur." Joy, who was watching and making sure they were okay, told them.

"Oof, right." Blaze chuckled nervously.

"Haha, I'm so not in the mood to suffocate." Silver smiled and let go. "Anyway, where'd you get the bracelets?"

Blaze put on her matching bracelets. The only differences between hers and Silver's were the name and gender connotation. "Amy and her Tinkaton made them. They say hi."

Silver smiled. "You're the best friend ever. I love you, Blaze."

"I love you too. Now I'm gonna go back to the guest room so I don't put you in more danger." Blaze walked back to their room with a huge smile.

Silver looked at the metalwork on the bracelets and gasped in awe. "She's so talented..."

After eating a light dinner and taking their meds, the teens fell asleep early. They spent a few days at Silver's house and Blaze and Venice became friends.