#i have answered this before but i couldn't find the post sadly

[milkweedman]

hi, sorry if this is something you've answered before, but how did you get started with spinning? and do you have an reccs for beginners? i'm not a fiber arts person (yet) but i think the skills are mind-blowingly cool. i have a few friends that are into crochet also and while i don't do so i think it would be nice to be able to make them yarn etc :)! thank u <3

Hi ! I got started with spinning about 5 years ago now--I ordered a turkish spindle and some andean highland wool from knitpicks, tried it out, and really sucked.

Like. really sucked. couldn't even make bad yarn bc it just kept falling apart (due to undertwisting ! if your yarn is falling apart in your hands, it's undertwisted. there, i just saved you about a month of misery, if you're me lol). Put it away for a while, tried again, was still bad at it, rinse and repeat for about a year. eventually something clicked and i started being able to make more than like, an armspan of yarn before it became disastrous.

not saying it's that hard for everyone (i've watched some people pick it up in like... 5 minutes), or that it'll be that hard for you ! that's just how it went with me.

I do have some recs for beginners which will hopefully help ! (i didn't have this community on tumblr at the time, and didn't know there were forums on ravelry, so i had no community help or knowledge, which did not work in my favor).

Get a basic drop spindle with a hook on the end, if you can. Drop spindles come in many different forms, but the two main categories are top whorl and bottom whorl (meaning, where the circular whorl is placed on the shaft of the spindle). top whorl spindles spin faster but for a shorter period of time and can be more unbalanced. bottom whorl spindles spin slower but for longer, and are typically more balanced (physics, idk). everyone has their own preferences--i tend to recommend bottom whorl spindles to beginners because it kind of slows the process down, which can be helpful. if you've got a little extra money, buying a top whorl and a bottom whorl spindle could be a good idea. they're pretty cheap on etsy, esp if you get a very plain and simple one and just decorate it yourself.

spindle weight matters a lot. the heavier the spindle, the thicker the resulting singles will be. (singles are what you spin first, then you ply them together if desired). the lighter the spindle, the thinner the singles. this means if you get a very heavy spindle and try to spin something fine on it, it'll likely snap under the weight. and if you try to spin something thick on a light spindle, you'll be constantly flicking it and not adding very much twist (so it may just fall apart into sad fluff). my favorite all-purpose spindle for yarns that won't be particularly thin weighs about 2 ounces (55 grams). that will be too heavy for fine yarns, but works well for making like, worsted weight 2 ply. i would recommend a spindle somewhere in the 1-2 ounce range (30-55 grams) for a basic beginner spindle. once you get the hang of it feel free to go for the very light spindles or the heavier plying spindles.

don't buy roving for your first fiber. almost everyone does that, and many people end up with really low quality (and sometimes even compressed or partially felted) roving. roving can be great for spinning once you know what you're doing, but it's kind of... uniquely unsuited for beginners, in my opinion anyway. firstly because it is the most common preparation, it's not really treated with care by many companies when it comes to storage (hence the compression or felting). secondly, it's really easy to felt it in your hands when you're doing the beginner sweaty-hands-deathgrip-drafting-with-all-your-might thing (i'll get to that later). thirdly, again because it's the most common prep, there's a thriving market of garbage shitty roving, and it takes a little experience telling the difference between decent stuff and garbage stuff based on an internet page. I would highly recommend spending a little bit more money on a batt. this is like a large pillow of carded wool, which you pull strips off of to spin. they are sold in a far less-compressed state (which makes for easier spinning) and are, as far as im aware, made by humans with experience, rather than machines.

the breed matters a lot when it comes to spinning. some breeds have finer, more slippery wool, and some have grabby wool. grabby wool is better for learning (it means less of your yarn just slipping apart and breaking). some good beginner breeds are shetland, corriedale, jacob, romney, or other similar wools. the fiber market is inundated with merino (either a great thing or a source of misery, depending on who you ask), which is not a particularly good beginner breed (it's definitely on the slippery, finer side).

once you've got all your materials, it's spinning time ! find a youtube tutorial or a written tutorial (check your library for books on spinning. i have no recommendations--i did not learn from books). you could also check and see if there's a spinner's guild in your area. it depends on the guild (some are kind of, uh... snooty, for lack of a better word ? most seem pretty friendly and happy to help newcomers) but you might be able to show up to a meeting and get some help. ideally get some practice with the spindle first though.

lastly, some tips for spinning. A) keep the fiber supply held loosely in your hand, or better yet, draped over your hand so that the fiber you're drafting is only held in your fingertips. if you hold it tightly you won't be able to draft evenly. you may also compress and/or felt it by holding it, especially if your hands are sweaty. B) try spinning using the 'park and draft' method while you are learning. this is where you add a bunch of extra twist to the already-spun yarn (or leader, for the first length), pinch the twist to hold it in place, and draft fiber, allowing the twist to travel up the wool as you draft it. this is a good technique for learning because it isolates the actions of spinning, letting you focus on one part at a time. trying to keep the spindle going while drafting when you're brand new is not easy, and can lead to a lot of frustration and mistakes. once you've got the hang of drafting, then it's a great time to figure out how to do it all at once. C) work slowly and thoughtfully while you learn. what you're doing at first is twofold: you're figuring out the process and what works and what doesn't, but you're also building muscle memory, which is what spinners (really, pretty much everyone who practices hand crafts or hand work of any kind) rely on. i can get high af and zone out and spin and end up with a usable (sometimes even pretty good) yarn, because even when my brain isn't working, my hands know what to do. this is not the case for someone without the muscle memory. pay attention, step away if you get frustrated, and work slowly. as you build muscle memory, it will become easier and easier. D) your first yarns don't have to be good. they don't even really have to be yarn, as such--if you ended up with something thats rope at one end and thread at another, that's ok ! you're learning ! the purpose of your first yarns is just to teach you how to spin. if they look like shit, it's ok. (mine looked awful, for the record ! i don't think i've seen anything quite as bad as my very first yarn, actually. wish i'd kept it though xD)

hope this was helpful ! there's also this post about how to tell if your yarn is under or over twisted, which might be of use, and this post about finishing your yarn as well. and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me or another spinner (the overwhelming majority of us are very happy to help a new spinner) for advice or help !

[helloalycia]

𝐌𝐘 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑'𝐒 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃 [𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄] — 𝐉𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐈𝐄 𝐓𝐀𝐘𝐋𝐎𝐑

one / two / four / masterlist / wattpad

summary: you find out the reason why Jeff cheated, you and Jackie start to spend more time together and a familiar face makes a return...

warning/s: mentions of cheating.

author's note: here’s part 3! glad you’re all enjoying this one and sorry it’s posted a bit late, i’ve been fasting so time has been a whirlwind lately lmao

After reconciling with Jackie, our relationship returned to normal, or at least as normal as it could be now that she wasn't dating my brother.

Whenever we saw each other around, she'd smile or greet me, and I her. We'd make small talk every now and then, and I accepted that this was how it would be from now on. There was no need for her to make an effort with me anymore, as sad as that was.

One day after school, I was practicing with the Music teacher and school orchestra for the school play that was happening next month. It was relatively new, but I was enjoying it. Afterwards, as I was walking to my car, I noticed the Yellowjackets leaving the field and heading in the same direction. That was where I saw Jackie, chatting with Taissa but waving at me when she saw me. By chance, we fell into step with one another.

"Hey," I said with a smile, before glancing at Taissa. "Hey, Tai, how are you?"

"Good, just tired from practice," she said, returning my smile. "You?"

"Band rehearsal," I answered, motioning to the guitar case on my back. "Tired too."

She snickered. "Nice." Then she looked to Jackie and added, "Wanna give me your bag and I'll meet you at my car?"

"Thanks, Tai," Jackie said to her, before she jogged off to the parking lot to throw their bags in. Her attention returned to me as she said, "So, band rehearsal?"

"It's for the school play," I clarified.

"You? Acting?" she teased, and I rolled my eyes playfully.

"Hilarious," I said, shooting her a look. "I'm in the orchestra."

"Ah, that makes more sense," she played along. "Though seeing you up on stage in some Shakespearean garb would've been quite the sight."

"You wish," I mumbled, making her laugh. "So, how was practice?"

She shrugged. "Not bad."

But judging by the sideways glance she gave to Shauna, who was walking to her car also, I knew things weren't great.

"Everything still weird?" I asked sympathetically.

Jackie sighed, pushing her hair behind her ear. "Yeah. How could it not be? I lost my best friend and boyfriend in one fell swoop." I frowned, unsure what to say to make her feel better, but she shook her head and tried to change the subject. "It doesn't matter anyway."

"It does," I said softly.

"It's just awkward at practice now," she admitted. "And it's not supposed to be. I'm the captain and I can't even look Shauna in the eye. I'm still upset, but what can I do? I have to get over it for the team."

If Jeff hadn't gone about this the way he did, none of this would be happening. Would he have done something different if he knew the repercussions of his actions?

"I'm sorry," I said, smiling sadly. "I wish I could help somehow."

She relaxed her shoulders and gave me a small smile. "You are."

I disagreed, but she was stubborn, so I didn't comment.

"Anyway, I'm tired from practice now, but we haven't had a proper catch up since...," she started, but paused, unsure how to mention the cheating thing. "Yeah. Do you want to come 'round to mine tomorrow?"

My eyebrows raised, not expecting her to say that. And as much as I wanted to accept, I couldn't tomorrow.

"Not to sound like a nerd, but I have homework," I said with a slight chuckle.

"Oh, I can help," she offered, before smiling cockily. "I've done it all before, remember?" I laughed at her eagerness, and her amusement was replaced with sincerity as she continued, "Just because Jeff isn't in my life now, doesn't mean you don't have to be. I'm still here for you, y'know."

Hearing her say this warmed my heart and put any doubts I had about our relationship to rest. Maybe I wasn't just Jeff's little sister after all.

"I know," I confirmed. "I'm happy to stop by tomorrow. Thanks, Jackie."

She flashed me a smile, and I tried not to get distracted by how beautiful she was. Jeff was pretty stupid, wasn't he?

—

As time went on between Jackie and I, it felt like we actually became friends and not just circumstantial acquaintances. I tried my best to be there for her, both because I wanted to be and also because it felt right after my brother was the reason for her hurt. She never visited my place because Jeff lived there and she didn't want to see him, so I'd stop by hers if we hung out outside of school.

She never spoke more on the Shauna/Jeff situation, even when I knew she hadn't properly talked to either of them since finding out. Despite it all, I knew she missed Shauna, her best friend, but it was all still fresh and I just guessed she was bottling it away for now. I wondered how long she'd last like that – maybe forever – until she finally broke.

A few weeks later, a month after they'd broken up, I was watching a Yellowjackets game with Jeff at school. As always, they'd dominated the game with a 3-0 advantage and the crowd were on the pitch celebrating in no time. My plan was to congratulate Jackie, glad she'd worked on whatever problems had been developing in practice, when I noticed Jeff had wandered off in a different direction. I didn't really pay him much attention as I scanned the pitch for Jackie.

"Jackie!" I called over the noise of the crowd when I spotted her.

She wasn't looking at me, her expression dropping as she looked right past me. I followed her gaze, realising she was staring at Jeff who was hugging Shauna. I raised my brows with surprise, not realising they'd made it official now, and then he kissed her and she let him and I didn't know what to think. It felt inappropriate considering everything, but they didn't seem to care. Maybe they'd deemed a month long enough before going public.

I looked back to Jackie, whose jaw was clenched as she glared at them, and then before I could go to her, she stormed off angrily. I cursed inwardly, glancing at Jeff and Shauna once more – they hadn't noticed, too enamoured by one another.

Following after Jackie, I ran off the pitch and saw a streak of blonde heading back into the school. Worried, I chased after her, catching sight of her running down the hall.

"Jackie, wait up!" I called after her, breathless. Geez, was I really this unfit?

She kept running, going to the locker room and slamming the door behind her. I sighed, letting myself in, and she spun around at my entry. Tears were streaming down her face and she hastily attempted to wipe them away, making my chest hurt.

"What is it?" she asked calmly, though her hands were shaking.

I frowned. "I didn't know he was... seeing her now."

Feigning indifference, she said, "What does it matter? Obviously it was going to happen. They didn't fucking cheat for nothing, right?"

"Not so soon though."

She smiled bitterly, squeezing her hand into a fist as she tried to collect herself. But the tears were welling in her eyes again, and then she suddenly punched the locker angrily.

"Fuck him!" she yelled, startling me, before hitting the locker again. "Why does he get to be happy when I'm not?! How is that fair when he did the bad thing?!"

I let her calm down, figuring she needed to get her frustration out somehow, and then she frowned to herself, lips trembling.

"It's not," I agreed. "You're right."

She hugged herself, tears rolling down her cheeks silently. "If I'd just slept with him, if I hadn't waited, maybe he'd...," she began to mumble to herself, but stopped.

I was both grossed out and furious when I heard this. I'd never known the reason for their breakups, but this wasn't what I'd expected. And now Jeff had got what he wanted whilst Jackie was left to question everything. God, if I wasn't annoyed at him before, I definitely was now.

"No," I told her, irritated, but at my idiot brother. "That's not the right way to think. What he did was horrible. Whether or not that was the reason, he shouldn't have cheated. He's a coward, Jackie, and you shouldn't be here upset thinking about what ifs."

She shook her head, voice stuck in her throat, and then looked at me with glistening eyes. It broke my heart, seeing a usually confident and sure-of-herself girl broken at the hands of some guy.

"Oh, Jackie," I said sympathetically, stepping forward to hug her.

She fell into my arms, hiding her head in my shoulder and sniffling quietly. I didn't let go, one arm around her as the other rubbed circles on her back.

"You deserved better than him anyway," I told her quietly, lips moving against her hair. "I love him, he's my brother, but it wasn't right what he did."

She didn't reply, but she didn't make a move to leave either, so we stayed like that until I led her to the bench between the lockers, still entwined. Her sniffling lessened and the wet spot on my shoulder grew cold when she finally pulled back; her hand found mine and she didn't let go.

"Thank you," her voice came out as an unintentional whisper, making her clear her throat. "Things have just been so hard. Shauna was my person, and I'm just– I'm so hurt by her actions."

"I can imagine," I said, squeezing her hand gently. After a pause, eyes taking in her red, swollen ones with concern, I asked, "D'you think you'd ever forgive her?"

She exhaled shakily. "I don't know."

I nodded, waiting for her to take a breath. She let go of my hand finally, wiping away the remaining tears on her face before growing embarrassed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to cry on you," she apologised. "You definitely didn't sign up for this."

"It's alright," I assured her. "I'm just worried about you."

She looked down at her hands, knuckles red from punching the locker. "All that talk about me being there for you and, really, it was me who needed you."

I cracked a small smile in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Well, the extent of your support was tutoring me in French, and you're shit at that. Pas bon du tout (not good at all)."

She let out a laugh, and it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. Making her laugh after she'd just cried, admiring the way her eyes glistened with tears but in a way that made them sparkle because of her momentary happiness... I'd never seen anything like it.

"I'm gonna pretend I understood that," she spoke with a raspy voice, before hugging me once more.

"C'mon," I encouraged, standing up and pulling her with me. "This isn't how you should be celebrating your victory. You're the team captain for crying out loud!" She smiled, and I continued, "Don't you usually go to those after parties?"

She pushed her fringe from her eyes. "I'm not really in the mood. Shauna and Jeff will probably be there...”

"Okay, how about celebrating with the girls?" I asked, not wanting to upset her so quickly.

Judging from her expression, I knew they'd be at the party too, so that was out. I pursed my lips, trying to think of a way to cheer her up, and then decided to just do it myself.

"Right, get ready and then meet me outside," I instructed.

"What?"

I was already heading to the door as I answered, "I'm taking you out. My treat."

She tilted her head, giving me a knowing look. "You don't have to do that."

I shrugged. "I want to."

She sighed deeply, smile curving on her lips gratefully.

As promised, I took Jackie out that evening, treating her to some ice cream at the fancy parlour in town and buying her whatever she liked. We talked about everything and anything, and I hoped that, for at least a moment, she could forget all about Jeff and Shauna.

—

It took a while after Jeff and Shauna had gone public with their relationship for Jackie to finally accept it and try to move on. Personally, I don't think I could have had it in me to be the bigger person, but when Jackie came to me telling me she wanted to clear the air with them, I knew she'd made up her mind.

Ultimately, it was her choice and I was happy that she finally felt like she was in a place where she could move on. Whatever she'd said to them had done wonders for her, as she no longer avoided my house anymore when she wanted to hang out, and I sometimes saw her talking to Shauna without staring daggers into the side of her head. It was progress I never thought I'd see.

Shortly after that, Shauna brought it upon herself to try and fix things with me. We'd never talked much before, but since she was Jeff's new girlfriend, she must have felt she needed to make things right. That was one awkward conversation, and I was still upset at her for how she'd handled the situation, but I knew that if Jackie could forgive her, then so could I.

So, that was how everything had settled into a new 'normal'. My friendship with Jackie had grown stronger and I was on somewhat good terms with my brother and Shauna, and I guess that was all I could need right now. Of course, that didn't change the fact that I still had a massive crush on Jackie, and anytime she'd show any interest in me, I grew flustered.

Take this one time when she was sat in the school theatre, waiting for me to finish up practice for the school play after school. It was in two weeks and we were doing final run-throughs with the music and acting together. Jackie was only here because we had plans to grab food afterwards, since she'd finished soccer practice today too.

After what felt like forever, the Drama teacher finally dismissed us all and I joined Jackie by the exit.

"That was actually pretty good," she said when she saw me, nodding to the stage where the other students were finishing up.

"It's not a bad play," I said with a shrug, before shouldering my guitar case. "You planning to get tickets?"

At this, she looked to me with a smirk. "Well, of course. Gotta support you, right?"

She was teasing me and I began to grow warm at the way she was staring at me, and then she was grinning at my reaction and I avoided her stare. Times like these were when I really wished I could get over her.

—

I was cleaning out my bedroom, per my mum's request as she wanted to do a spring clean even though it was the middle of the summer, when I heard Jeff calling me from his room.

"Coming!" I called back, before dropping what I was doing to see what he wanted.

If my room was a tip, his was much worse. But when he saw me, he had a neatly collated box of items in hand, holding it out to me.

"What's this?" I asked, accepting the box that he practically thrust in my arms. When I looked inside, I saw some girly items that definitely weren't his.

"They're Jackie's," he answered awkwardly. "It's just some stuff she left behind that I never got around to returning. I'd go, but I think it might be better if you do."

"Right," I breathed out, before nodding. "I'll sort it."

He offered me a small smile. "Thanks, Y/N."

I gave Jackie's house number a call, ending up in a polite conversation with her mother who loved to talk my ear off and, of course, ask about Jeff who she still wasn't letting go of. After I finally got to the point of my call, she encouraged me to stop by so I thanked her and made my way over to the Taylor residence, only planning to make a quick trip.

When I rang their doorbell however, nobody answered. I rang it another time and even knocked a few times, but there was nothing. And then I fell silent as I heard a faint beat playing from somewhere. Following the sound of the music, I found myself walking around to the garden, realising there was a pool party going on. The Yellowjackets were all here from what I could see, some lying on sun beds whilst others played in the pool. Music was blaring from some speakers and they all seemed to be having the time of their life in the sun.

"Y/N, hey!" I heard Jackie, and searched the space to find her in the pool.

My mouth went dry when I saw her climbing out, only in her two-piece swimwear. As she approached me with a smile, I was certain I'd forgotten how to breathe, unsure where to look because it all seemed inappropriate. Her hair was wet, water droplets rolling down her tanned skin, and I wouldn't have been surprised if I had a heart attack from how hot she looked there and then.

"My mum said you were stopping by," she said, wiping her face with the back of her hand.

I looked at her eyes and only her eyes, hoping my face wasn't as hot as the sun felt right now. "Yeah, I rang the doorbell but nobody answered."

"My bad, sorry," she said with a laugh. "I'm having a team pool party. Team building and all that. The music must have been too loud."

"It's all good," I said quickly. "Erm, I've got some of your things. You left it at ours when you were... yeah."

At the implication of Jeff, her smile faded naturally. Glancing at the box, she nodded gratefully.

"You alright to follow me?" she asked, grabbing her towel from the chair.

"Sure."

As she led the way, some of the girls said their hellos when I walked past, and then Jackie led me through her mansion of a home before settling in the kitchen.

"You can just leave it on the table over there," she said, nodding to the dining table whilst drying herself with her towel.

All I could do was nod as I went to set it down, and then she was suddenly behind me, the scent of chlorine and suncream washing over me.

"I was wondering where that necklace was," she said with amusement, looking over my shoulder and down at the necklace at the top of the box.

I shivered at how close she was, acutely aware of her minimal clothing and trying so hard not to let my eyes wander.

"You seem nervous, are you okay?" she asked, before walking to the fridge. "You want a drink?"

I swallowed hard, shaking my head. "No, sorry, I've gotta go finish cleaning the house with my mum. It's just hot out."

She smirked, clearly aware of the effect she was having on me, but I was too flustered to comment on it.

"That's too bad," she said with a pout. "You can stay if you want."

I waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, it's a team thing. I'll be okay."

She chuckled, eyeing me curiously, probably noticing the way I couldn't even meet her gaze anymore. "C'mon. I'll walk you out."

I followed her as she led me back into the garden, where the others were still having the time of their life. Jackie stopped and flashed me another picture perfect smile.

"Have fun cleaning," she said, patting my shoulder. "Maybe next time, yeah?"

I nodded, suddenly finding the space behind her head very interesting. She hugged me, making me freeze at the contact of both her body and the water on my clothes. She had to be doing this on purpose, surely.

"See you later," she said sweetly, eyelashes fluttering.

I nodded, quickly backing up, and stupidly almost slipping into the pool as I grew distracted by her yet again.

She laughed, warning, "Be careful!"

I smiled awkwardly, before taking extra care to leave without making even more of a fool of myself. Could you blame me? The last thing I needed right now was to be in close proximity of a half dressed Jackie Taylor.

—

Jackie Taylor was on everyone's radar, even when she was taken by Jeff, so I should have expected someone to make their move once enough time had passed since their breakup. Still, knowing it would happen didn't make it any easier to witness.

There was a fair in the park and the band and I had secured a gig there, playing a few sets during the evening. We played some covers and a few originals, the first we'd ever performed that I'd written. It was surreal, but everybody seemed to like it which made the smile permanent on my face the whole time.

After our first set, we all went offstage to take a quick break, and that was when Jackie found me. It was the first I'd seen her all evening, since she'd arrived with her friends and I was busy up until now.

"Y/N, you were amazing up there!" she complimented as soon as she saw me, pulling me in for a hug.

"Thanks, Jackie," I said appreciatively, returning her hug. "How long have you been here?"

"Your whole set," she said with a smile. "And would you look at that – I finally heard some original songs."

My cheeks grew warm as she shot me a teasing smile.

"I don't suppose you'll tell me who they're about?" she asked innocently, giving me her best puppy dog eyes.

"You supposed correctly," I retorted with a knowing look, making her curse quietly with defeat. I laughed and added, "Look, I appreciate your curiosity, but maybe they're just songs, d'you ever consider that?"

She eyed me suspiciously, smile ever present. "I guess... but I've got my eye on you, Y/N."

I rolled my eyes lightheartedly, hoping she couldn't hear my heart racing in my chest. Green-brown eyes met mine, sparkling with mischief, and I forced myself to endure, not wanting to raise suspicion. Hopefully she'd never find out they were all about her.

After chatting with her on my break for a little longer, I rejoined the band onstage and performed a few more songs. It was easier to spot Jackie in the crowd now that I knew where I was looking, and she looked so cute as she stood there with her friends, dancing along to the music. It was almost a dream, and then it wasn't. Because as I was performing, I noticed some guy talking to her, the flirting very obvious even from where I was stood.

I tried to stay focused, purposely avoiding looking in her direction, but I couldn't help myself. My eyes would drift back over to her, and that damn guy was still there, trying his luck as she entertained it for a bit. I knew I never had a chance with her, but seeing the girl you liked chatting to another guy was always a kick in the teeth, especially when it meant she wasn't paying you any attention anymore.

After a few more songs, the band and I called it a night and wanted to enjoy the fair together. Jackie was still being talked to by that guy, so I attempted to ignore it and focused on having a nice night out with my friends.

After playing a few carnival games and going on some rides, Jackie found me again, standing with my friends as Y/BF/N bought some ice cream for herself.

"Hey, guys, nice performance tonight," Jackie complimented the others, who chorused their gratitude. She added, "You mind if I steal Y/N away for a bit?"

"Oh, no, go for it!" Tommy insisted with a grin, tugging the others away before I could protest.

I sighed as Jackie flashed me an enthusiastic smile. "I've been dying to go on the bumper cars. Wanna come?"

"I, er, I'm not really in the mood," I said, possibly being a little petty but I couldn't help it, I was just sad.

"Oh, c'mon, it'll be fun!" she exclaimed, shaking my arm. "You're not seriously gonna leave me hanging, are you?"

I chewed on my lip as she watched me hopefully, and it only made me realise how stupid I was being. She couldn't help it if a guy wanted to hang out with her, and I definitely had no right to be jealous. I'd watched her be my brother's girlfriend all these years, surely I could live with the fact that she'd inevitably get another boyfriend and I'd never have a chance with her.

Before I could give in and agree, the guy from earlier approached us again, checking Jackie out in a not so subtle way.

"Hey, Jackie," he said with a smile, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, jealousy returning in an instant. "You wanna go on the ferris wheel with me?"

I crossed my arms and looked away momentarily, anticipating the part where she'd say yes and this would all be for nothing.

"I appreciate you asking, Matt, but no thanks," she said politely.

"Oh," he said with surprise, and then grew awkward, probably not expecting her to decline. "Okay."

He left soon enough, embarrassed, and I glanced at Jackie with suspicion.

"Why not?"

She looked back to me, quirking a brow. "Huh?"

I motioned in his direction. "Why didn't you wanna go with him? He was flirting with you earlier, wasn't he?"

She suppressed a smile, eyes meeting mine with amusement. "Because I'm trying to hang out with you, idiot, if you'd only say yes."

My gaze flickered to the ground sheepishly as she let out a quiet chuckle.

"Bumper cars," I confirmed. "Sure."

Her smile widened. "Awesome. C'mon."

I let her drag me to the bumper cars, lightening up as we spent some time together. The longer the evening went on, the less this 'Matt' guy was gnawing at me, because Jackie chose me and that was something, right? We went on rides, played some stupid fair games at her insistence, despite them definitely being rigged, and she forced me to win her a prize even when I lost several times. But all in all, she was happy, and so was I, and I suppose that was all that mattered in the moment.

—

The first night of the school play was finally upon us and I was backstage getting ready when Jackie paid me a visit, surprising me with a bouquet of flowers.

"These are for me?" I asked with genuine surprise.

"What is it they say in showbiz? Break a leg?" she asked rhetorically, before laughing at her own joke.

I smiled to myself as I looked down at the flowers in my hand. "Jackie, they're beautiful. Nobody's ever got me flowers before."

She tilted her, confused. "Well, that's not right."

I chuckled, gaze falling to her. "Thank you."

Heart warming in my chest, I pulled her into a hug with my free hand, grateful for her support.

"You deserve it," she said simply, before squeezing me tight then letting go. "I should go find my seat. I'll be right at the front where you can see me."

I laughed. "I'll keep an eye out. Thanks, Jackie."

She flashed me a smile before leaving to find her seat, and I couldn't stop smiling as the Drama teacher briefed us once more before final call.

The show went on with few hiccups, probably the best run we'd ever done, and the audience seemed to love it, giving us a huge round of applause. When the orchestra got their own special shout-out, I caught sight of my family in the middle, applauding, and then Jackie, who was cheering me on so loudly at the front that I couldn't help but flush with embarrassment.

Once the curtains closed, the orchestra had to go backstage for another word with the teachers before we were finally alright to leave. I found my family waiting for me at the back of the theatre and walked by the other students receiving praise from their families.

"There she is!" Jeff exclaimed when he saw me, grabbing my shoulder and squeezing it supportively.

I smiled as my parents pulled me in for a hug and congratulated me on the show.

"Thanks, guys, thanks for coming," I said gratefully, looking between them all. "You really didn't have to. I wasn't even in the show."

"Nonsense," my mum said with a wave of her hand. "You played beautifully, sweetie."

I breathed out deeply, both embarrassed and appreciative of their support. And then Jeff's expression dropped and I realised Jackie was approaching, flashing my parents a smile.

"Jackie, how lovely to see you," my mum greeted her. "You're here for Y/N too?"

"Yes, she did great, didn't she?" Jackie asked, putting an arm around my shoulder playfully.

"She did," my dad replied with a proud smile, before raising the flowers Jackie got me in the air. "And thanks for the flowers. It was kind of you to get them for her."

"Anytime," Jackie said with a shrug, before looking to me. "Are you free now or d'you have plans?"

Before I could respond, my mum insisted I celebrate with Jackie, trusting her. Since her breakup with Jeff, Jackie was still a favourite of my parents, understandably so. After saying our goodbyes, I was left with Jackie, who seemed excited about something.

"What are you thinking?" I asked her with amusement.

"I wanna hang out, my treat," she said nonchalantly.

My smile grew. "Seriously?"

She linked arms with me and began leading me to the door. "Seriously."

And that was how we ended up at the arcade that evening, with Jackie keeping to her word and rinsing all her pocket money on the arcade machines that were definitely a waste but she didn't seem to mind. We played air hockey, skeeball, a zombie shooter game and a bunch of other stuff that I didn't think she liked, and it was awesome.

After spending over an hour messing around, she generously bought me dinner there, some burgers and fries, and I was certain I was dreaming.

"You have your own ketchup, y'know," I said with raised brows when she dipped her fries into mine.

"I ate it and there's none left in the bottle," she claimed, before going in for another dip.

"Then ask for another bottle!" I exclaimed between a laugh, pulling my tray away.

"Quit being selfish!" she retorted with a grin, before leaning over the table to land a swipe.

"Jackie!" I scolded, and she winked as she ate her fry.

I rolled my eyes at her petulance before recognising someone behind her, approaching our direction. After a double take, I realised it was Eve Perkins, captain of the Lions soccer team and the girl Jackie utterly despised. The memory of the party from last year came to mind, including the whole argument I had with Jackie afterwards, and I suddenly prayed Eve wasn't here to cause trouble.

"Okay, don't freak out, but Eve Perkins is heading this way," I said calmly.

Jackie was surprised, straightening up in her seat and dying to turn around, but she kept her cool. "I won't."

"So, let me get this straight," Eve said as soon as she stopped by our table, looking down at Jackie with irritation. "You freak out at me for hanging with a sophomore, only to hang out with her yourself? What? Was her brother not enough?"

I almost choked on my drink at the abruptness of her words, worrying when I saw Jackie beginning to clench her jaw and fix Eve with a glare.

"Firstly, that's none of your business," she said lowly. "And secondly, you bitch."

I sighed inwardly, already expecting an argument, and Eve laughed bitterly.

"Tell me, Jackie. You still worried we're gonna beat you next week?" she asked condescendingly.

"Not worried at all," Jackie said through gritted teeth, reaching for her drink to calm down.

Eve smirked with satisfaction before looking to me. "Y'know, it's a shame you're hanging out with her still. You were cute. And you definitely deserve to be more than Jackie's sloppy seconds."

Mean girl fighting was never my thing, and I was stunned into silence at how rude Eve was being, clearly because of some unresolved business with Jackie. I was also a little embarrassed at what she was implying was between Jackie and I, unsure how to respond.

"Fuck you," Jackie said instantly, not at a loss for words, and it made me realise just how quickly things had taken a turn for the worst.

"Okay, how about we just leave it?" I said, looking between them both before settling on Eve with pleading eyes. "Please?"

Eve seemed to give in, rolling her eyes before walking off to rejoin her friends by the arcade machines. I sighed with relief before returning my attention to a distracted Jackie.

"Are you okay?" I asked with concern.

She breathed out slowly. "Yes. Sorry."

"It's okay. I'm just surprised Eve reacted like that. It came out of nowhere."

"I'm not," Jackie mumbled under her breath, only confirming my suspicion of some unfinished business between her and Eve.

I chewed on my lip, still a little concerned, but then she met my eyes with apologetic ones, expression softening.

"I'm sorry she said all that," she said sincerely, though her cheeks were tinged pink. "You're not my... it's not like..." She was struggling, eyes flittering around uncharacteristically, before she finished, "You're more than my sloppy seconds."

Realising why she was awkward, I began to chuckle. "Jackie, I know. I don't believe what she said. And besides, no sloppy seconds would be treated as wonderfully as I have tonight."

She hid a smile as she nodded. "Right."

It was easy for things to return back to how they were after that little interruption, and Jackie and I finished the rest of our meals in peace. Once we were done, I grabbed our trays to throw in the bin and she waited for me by the door. As I was dusting my hands off, I felt a presence beside me and looked up, not expecting to see Eve yet again. I hoped she wasn't here to start another argument, especially because I knew I'd lose it.

"I meant it when I said you deserve better than Jackie Taylor, you know that, right?" she said with a quirked brow.

I frowned. "That wasn't very nice. Jackie's a good person."

Eve snorted in disagreement. "Sure she is."

I shifted my weight between my feet awkwardly., "Look, your feud is your feud. I'm not gonna get involved."

She shrugged. "Fair enough. Sorry for involving you."

I nodded appreciatively, and she gave me a small smile.

"See you around, cutie."

Again, I was speechless as she walked away, wondering if she was trying to mess with my head to somehow get back at Jackie. Either way, there wasn't reason for me to see her around since we went to different schools, so I didn't let it worry me too much. Instead, I returned to Jackie who was glaring at Eve from across the room.

"What did she want now?" she asked with annoyance.

Not wanting to give her more reason to be frustrated, I said, "She just wanted to apologise."

Jackie glanced at me, unconvinced, but I shrugged and held open the door for her.

"Let's get you home, Jackie."

Thankfully, she didn't question me.

[luvrxbunny]

my love

Pairing: Post-outbreak!Joel Miller x F!Reader

Summary: Joel tells you that he loves you for the first time.

Warnings: 18+ MDNI, brief mentions of oral and fingering,  piv, unprotected sex, hair pulling, overstimulation (lmk if I forgot anything)

WC: 3.4k

A/N: This one is kinda short and like half flashback and the ending feels off but enjoy? *distant sobbing* 

It happened the first time you had slept with him. The night was long awaited by you because Joel had insisted on taking you on three dates first. The first one is chaste, solely for getting to know each other. You had pointed out that you already knew him but he said it didn't matter. The second one is when he finally kissed you. The two weeks that went by between dates had been torture to you, all your advances being softly denied by Joel. On that date, the third date is when Joel had, at long last, accepted your invitation into your house. 

There was a lot of foreplay, Joel had made you cum with his fingers and his mouth before even taking his pants off. Even once he did take them off he ran back to his car to grab a condom, insisting on it. It was heaven once he finally started fucking into you, it took you a little longer to cum, having lost some sensitivity from your two other orgasms but Joel was able to keep up. He never made you even start to think that you were taking too long, he was perfect and came at the same time as you. You had watched his eyes shut lightly, still watching you as he groaned out your name, his hips bucked softly into you. He huffed out a small laugh as he got off of you, he removed the condom quickly and pulled his underwear back up. “Was that okay, baby?”

“Fuck yeah, it was!” You rolled over and placed your arm on his chest, to rest your chin on it. “Very worth the wait.” He chuckled and rubbed his hand up and down your back. “Would… would you agree?” You asked him nervously.

“Oh yeah, honey. You know I would.” He said with a laugh. You smiled at his answers and relaxed into him, you nuzzled your face into his chest and brought your leg up over his thighs. Once it was in the position you wanted, you noticed something press against your knee.

It confused you at first, you assumed it was just his stomach or something. But then you noticed how tense he was, and that he was holding his breath You lifted your head off of his chest to look at his face just to find him already watching you. His eyes gave him away, unnecessarily guarded and wider than normal.

You moved your leg away, your eyes still watching his face as you removed the blanket. You almost stopped breathing when you saw him, still hard in his briefs. You backed away, removing all contact with him. You started curling in on yourself, suddenly aware of how naked you were. Joel's "orgasm" played in your head over and over, the thought that you couldn't even make him cum once after he made you cum three times embarrassed you to no end. The idea that instead of continuing he just gave up and faked it, had your heart shattering inside your chest. Your arms crossed protectively over your chest as you looked around nervously. “What the fuck?” You asked with an incredulous laugh. 

He started breathing again, fast as he sat up. “Honey.” He spoke softly, his hands reached out to your arm but you backed away. You pulled the sheets up to your neck and scooted away, suddenly self-conscious. “No, c’mon, baby it’s not-” He sighed defeatedly and dropped his hands back down to the bed. “It’s not like that. I’m just-” He sighed again and drew back, his hands folded in his lap, his eyes were cast downward. “There’s just some things a little uh… wrong with me.” He chuckled sadly.

You waited for him to continue talking but he just shook his head down at his lap. “Joel, you need to explain yourself now.” His head snapped up at you like he forgot you were there. “Yeah I- No, I know that…” He dropped his head and sighed to himself. “I’m just workin’ up the courage.”

You sat there in silence for a little while before he turned to you and started talking. 

“I’m... unable to cum uh- sometimes. It’s not… uncommon for me. I need you to know that it has absolutely nothin’, and I mean nothin’ to do with you, or my feelings for you. If this-” He gestured to his general crotch area 

“If this was based on how I feel about you I would’ve cum 5 times by now but-” He took a deep breath and shook his head at himself. “Unfortunately, it’s not. I get… a little too in my head, especially in this situation. I just wanna make sure you’re feeling good and- and comfortable and-” He took another breath. 

You could tell he was getting flustered, he started rambling a bit, getting off track. “It just- I end up unable to… finish. It doesn’t matter how good it may feel or how fucking... badly I want to” His gaze drifted up from his lap to your lower stomach, even though it was covered by the sheet.   

You scooted closer to him and took his hand in yours to comfort him as he finished talking. “It happens when I get stressed too… I’m not stressed right now.” He added quickly. “I’m just in my head a little, that’s all.”

You had comforted him the rest of the night but you know he still felt bad, you know because you guys did nothing sexual for the next three weeks after.

It’s been seven months now and Joel is very comfortable with sexual activities. He’s fucked you countless times since but you can count on one hand how many times he’s actually cum. You try not to let it eat you up. Joel always reassures you, he reminds you that it's okay, that he doesn’t really need to cum anymore, that it has nothing to do with you and he just wants to make you feel good. It doesn’t stop the guilt though, because you can’t ignore the fact that you’ve never actually made him cum. The few times he’s cum were all times where he was the one touching himself and you were around or talking him through it. That little fact makes it very hard to believe it has nothing to do with you.  

This morning Joel had woken up a little horny. You woke up to him hovering over you, kissing along your neck, whispering little praises into your ear as he ran his hands up and down your body. 

Over an hour and three orgasms later Joel is still fucking into you with the same rigor he started with. 

“Fuck! Joel keep- right there.” Your voice dies as you moan out Joel’s name. He smiles down at you and grips your hips tighter, pulling them off the bed to meet his. “You’re feeling good, honey?”

You reach a hand up to paw at his chest, raking your nails down and leaving red streaks in their wake. “Feeling so fucking good, Joel.” Your thighs are shaking from where they rest on his hips, he brings his thumb up to your clit, trying to get you to cum around him again.

His hand is immediately pushed away by you with a loud whine. “T-too sensitive, baby, but I’m close.” Your hand reaches up at Joel and he leans down for you. You wrap your hand behind his neck and pull his body into you. “I love you so much, Joel. You feel so good- making me feel so-” You cut yourself off with a moan and kiss him. 

You’ve said ‘I love you’ to Joel before. He didn’t say it back and you adamantly assure him that he doesn't need to. You understand that loving is hard for him, with all the people he’s loved and lost, you can see why it would be hard for him to love again. You just needed him to know how you felt about him, you don’t need anything in return.

He leans down to bury himself in your neck, his arm coming up behind your head to cradle it. He starts stroking your hair softly as you mumble in his ear. “You’re so amazing, Joel, so perfect. Always making me feel so good, so cared for.” You moan out his name as he hits your G-spot perfectly. Your hands tangle themselves in his hair, pulling him out of your neck and forcing him to your lips. Joel pulls apart when you clench down on him, pushing a gasp from his lips.

“You fuck me so well, Joel. I can’t even make myself cum as hard as you can.” Your brain has shut off by now, three orgasms and one approaching finally taking their toll on you. You’re rambling off every thought that pops into your head and Joel loves it. He still has his face in front of yours as he moans in response to everything you say. 

“I love you s’much, Joel. I don’t care about what anyone says, you’re an angel. S-so good..” Your sentence morphs into a groan as your pussy pulses around Joel for the fourth time this morning. 

“Holy fuck, darlin’. You’re killin’ me.” His voice is strained when it comes out, hot and raspy against your face, ending in a groan. His cock is throbbing inside you as you squeeze and cream around him. “Keep talking to me, baby. Gimme one more and I’ll stop.”

You moan painfully at the thought of cumming again but the idea slowly becomes more and more appealing as he keeps thrusting into you. “Okay. Okay, Joel. Whatever you want, whatever you need.” Your hands desperately scratch at his back, earning more moans from his as he buries his face in your neck. He groans desperately and his hips speed up as he soaks in everything you tell him. 

“Treat me so well, baby. You’re so amazing, I love you so much.” You mutter into his hair as his skin slaps against yours, creating a clapping noise in the room along with the sounds of your soaked pussy but all you can hear are Joel’s moans. His hips are pistoning into you, your whole body moving with the force of them. “Joel fuck k- keep going- oh fuck. Right there, my love. Holy shit, you’re incredible.”

Joel’s hips lose rhythm at ‘my love’ but quickly fall back into his previous pace. He's groaning out your name into your ear as you moan and whimper against him. He hears your moans speed up, knowing that you’re getting close to your fifth high of the morning.

He can feel the pride swell in his chest at the thought that he had brought you to five orgasms in one morning. He feels something flood him, taking over his bloodstream and filling his veins. He feels his cock twitch and his heart begins to race.

He knows you felt him twitch by the way your moans pick up. They’re only getting higher in pitch and more frantic. Your legs are twitching back to life and pulling him in with what little strength they have left. You’re muttering into his ear, something like a whimper that resembles a plea. 

“I love you so much, baby. Fuck- I’m gonna cum so hard, love.” Joel groans into your ear.

Your reaction to his words is visceral. You note the shake in his voice and unleash a screaming moan as you cum around him. Your whole body tenses as your eyes roll back into your head. Your legs lock around him and hold him in place as he twitches inside of you. He’s moaning into your neck as you cum around him and you feel his muscles start to tense. His hips thrust shallowly and curtly, and he can feel his balls throbbing as you whine. He turns his head to whisper to you, “I love you so fuckin’ much” and erupts.

It’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever witnessed. His head comes up from your neck to press a desperate kiss to your lips while he moans. You can feel wetness touch your eyelids and cheek, where his eyes rest as he presses his face into yours. His cock is spurting inside you, filling you to the brim with his pent-up cum. Joel is trying to keep quiet, he’s biting his lip and groaning with each pulse of his cock. You bring a hand from behind his head to place it on his face, your thumb on his bottom lip and pulling it out from between his teeth. The action has his eyes rolling back and a distraught moan releasing from his throat. His hips stutter against yours again as a new wave of cum empties inside you with a painful groan. 

You watch his face contort in pleasure as he overflows your pussy with little teardrops on his eyelashes. If you could cum again, you would be. You can feel his cum start to drip out of you, down your ass, and onto the sheets, joining the puddle of your cum that already resides there. You pull his face to yours and place a kiss on the corner of his open mouth while he whines out for you. You kiss down his neck as his hips twitch against yours, his cock is drained, weakly twitching inside you but he can’t bring himself to pull out yet.

One of your hands is running up and down his back while the other is scratching lightly on his scalp to calm him. He’s taking deep, shaky breaths as his arms begin to shake. He lowers himself to you slowly, placing all his weight on you like a blanket. You giggle happily and kiss his forehead softly. You both stay like that for a little bit, waiting for his hips to stop stuttering into yours.

“You okay?” You ask gently, still rubbing his back. His breathing still hasn’t evened out, he gasps gently at the sound of your voice and nods against you. You’ve never seen him like this, all fucked out… You love it. “Good, baby. You wanna roll over so I can clean up?”

His eyebrows furrow in confusion before he rolls over to his side of the bed, pulling you with him. You giggle at the sudden change in position, now on top of him. His side is relatively untouched by either of your cum. You instantly spot a flaw in this solution and speak up. “Okay, but I still have cum on me, sweetheart.” He’s breathless at the nickname and frowning at the rest of your words. 

“Just stay.” His voice is gravelly when he speaks, rough from all his moans and groans. It relaxes your whole body and you bury your face in his neck, giving into him way too easily. “Thank you… I love you.” He says the last part like a whisper and a smile forces its way onto his face when he hears your small gasp in response. 

“I love you too, Joel.” You whisper back at him before you both drift to sleep, satisfied with the morning, with the day... satisfied with your lives, as long as you're together.  

Thank you so much for reading!! Please please please give any feedback you may have! I want it all!

[nottapossum]

WIP Wednesday!

Tagged by the wonderful @the-flaming-nightmare

Most of my current WIP's are almost done! So I wasn't sure which one to post...

So I'm posting one that will take a bit to get out there.

~~~Past:~~~

“I need you to be on your best behavior, young man. Most people wouldn't be so generous to take us both in.” She tells him, holding his hand. “We're both very lucky.”

They had to leave very quickly last night, they didn't even take his cat with them…or his father.

“Yes, Mama.” He says to her.

He hopes his cat will find them, someone needs to feed him.

The house was huge, he's never seen one so big before. It was big and white, had the biggest porch he'd ever seen, and the roof was bright blue. How many people lived here?

Mama stopped at the door to straighten his jacket. “Alright.” Her hands are placed on his shoulders, her smile bright. “Smile big now, we want to make a good impression. Don't we?” She asks.

He listens and smiles bright as Mama rang the doorbell.

A white lady answered, looking tired yet enthusiastic. “Betty, hello.”

She spoke so kindly… It's weird.

“You're here right on time.” She says.

“Hello, Mrs Anderson.” She says, placing a hand on his shoulder again. “This is my son-”

“Alastor!” Mrs Anderson smiles. “Wow. The way your mother talked about you, I thought you must be a baby. But look at you, so grown up.”

“Hello, Ma'am.” Alastor says, smiling, offering his hand to her.

The lady smiles and shakes his hand back. “What a polite young man you are.” She says. “Your mother raised you well. How old are you?”

“Yes, Ma’am.” He says. “I'm eight, Ma'am.” He's nervous, not used to talking to people like her.

“Betty, call me Nancy. You act as if we hardly know each other.” She says. She places her hands on her hips and turns to Alastor. “And that goes for you too, young man. I'm Mrs Nancy, ma’am makes me feel old.”

Alastor was confused, his mother never mentioned her before, but Mrs Nancy acts like they've been friends forever.

“Come on in, I'll introduce you to my kids.” She says, gesturing for them to follow.

She leads them both inside.

The house was beautiful, like a palace. What kind of people lived like this?

“My husband Harrold will be home tonight, I advise you to keep Alastor in your room when he's home.”

“Don't worry, he won't be seen.” Beatrice promised. “Did you hear that?” His mother asks.

“Yes, Mama.” Alastor says.

“This is my Son Harry, and my daughter Christy.” She introduced.

“Why do they look like that?” Harry asks, pointing at Alastor.

Nancy hit the back of his head. “Ow!”

“Harry, that is no way to talk to someone!” She scolds.

“It's just the help.” He says.

“Go upstairs to your room.” Nancy says. “Right now.”

“Fine.” Harry says, marching up the stairs.

“I'm sorry about him.” Nancy says. “He gets his manners from his father.”

“Don't even worry about it.” Beatrice says.

“Let me show you your room!” Nancy says. “Follow me.” She says.

Christy said nothing, only stared at Alastor with confusion.

Alastor didn't say anything though, just kept following his mother.

Nancy shows them to a single bedroom with a bathroom next to it. “Sorry it's so small, we're not used to having more than one person here at a time.”

“Alastor and I are used to sharing.” His mother says. “You're doing us a huge favor, I couldn't thank you enough.”

“Of course.” Nancy says. “I wish I could do more. I'm really sorry about what happened, I-”

“Nancy.” His mother interrupts, gesturing to Alastor.

Nancy nods. “Right, uhm. If you need anything, let me know. Work starts first thing tomorrow. I have a list of the meals and chores that need to be done. But tonight, I want you two to just relax.” Nancy tells them.

His mother nods. “Thank you.”

Nancy smiles sadly at Alastor, like he was hurt in some way and she was trying to make him feel better…

What was going on?

Nancy left, and his mother was unpacking some of her things. “Help me make the bed.” She tells him.

Alastor does as told and takes the sheet to help. “Who was that lady? And why was she so nice?” Alastor asks.

“Nancy was my friend if you must know.” She says.

“Friend? How?” He asks.

“My mother was her nanny. Me, Nancy, and your aunties grew up together.” She explains.

Alastor nods. “Oh…”

“What is it?” She asks, seeing the look on his face.”

Alastor shrugs, not sure how to say it.

“No, none of that, tell me what's wrong.” Beatrice says.

“I don't like it here.” He says. “The people act strange and look at me like I'm deceased.”

“Just give it a chance, Alas.” She says, running her fingers through his curls. “Maybe you'll end up loving it.”

Alastor doubted that very much.

But he was willing to give it a try…

For her sake.

“Why did we have to leave?” Alastor asks.

“Well, your father didn't really…he-” she struggled to say

“Just tell me straight.” He says. “I want to know the truth.”

His mother sighs and pulls him closer, holding both his hands. “He didn't want us anymore. He wants a new family…”

“Oh.”

“But that's okay.” She says. “We don't need him or anyone else. We were fine before him, we'll be fine after him too. Understand?”

Alastor nods. “Yes, Mama.”

His mother hugs him tightly…

Alastor sighs. He'll never see his cat again.

Possum:

I'm not entirely sure how much of this will actually see the light of day, but let me know your thoughts on it.

I'm kinda nervous about how to write Alastor's past. I have ideas, but I'm not sure how they'll be received since they're so...dark. and Alastor is so loved, lol 😆

Everyone wants to see him suffer, right? Lol

Tagging anyone who wants to do this!

@todayimfour @attagirljessy @abby5577 @trophyxtissues2 @ask-dusty-boy @legeufygeuber100 @im-not-paying-my-taxes @babiegurlmuffin

[thelittleliars]

Divorce Party

Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Warnings: mention of divorce, fluff?

Words: 1.4K

Summary: Your ex wife Natasha attends your most recent party as you just got freshly divorced from Carol.

AN: I can't seem to find an ending for Chapter 3 (P.S. I Want You) so it might take even longer than expected but it'll be one hell of a long chapter. I also have like 2-3 one shots almost ready to post!

"I don't get why you're throwing me a divorce party. Carol and I separated on good terms." You shouted it over the music to your best friend Kate, who planned this party with the help of Yelena your other close friend. She was also the sister of your first ex-wife Natasha Romanoff. The two of you married young, it felt right at that time but you both slowly saw that it was a mistake to get married so fast and young. Though non of you actually regretted the marriage. 

Kate scoffed. "We don't celebrate your separation Y/N. We're celebrating the start of your new beginning!" You still heard her cheerful voice over the loudish happy pop song that was currently playing. All of this made you wanna fleet fast, the good mood of the others wasn't something you needed right there, all you wanted to do was lay in bed and come up with an answer to why you couldn't ever keep a girl. 

Your latest marriage with Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel was something so unexpected. You met her first after Thanos' snap and hit it off right off the bat. At the start she often times came back to earth, visiting you as much as she could before you decided to join her adventures through the galaxy. The two of you dated for a long while before marriage even came up but once it did came up you two eloped. But soon afterwards you missed the earth and the people on the planet. So Carol and you tried long distance again with you visiting her in the galaxy a bunch of times. At one point after undoing the snap, both of you realized that just didn't work anymore. 

Your second marriage was bad timing, but you believe that there had to be more than just that. Sharon was an amazing lover, sadly her good heart that you loved most about her got her in trouble. She helped Captain America during the Civil War which made her a fugitive. Your wife was a wanted criminal, you didn't mind since you knew her honest and innocent intention of helping an Avenger but she had to hide for an unknown period of time. As time went by, growing apart naturally happened.

And there was your first marriage, your first true love Natasha Romanoff. It all started off as a cover for her to be in the country. Marrying such a goddess was not something you wanted to decline. You soon fell in love with her but she didn't, especially not with the amount of trauma she had but you didn't care. The patience and understanding you had gave her time to adjust and heal. She fell for you too and it was a bliss. Your marriage was far from perfect with you both being so young and naive and making mistake after mistake but it wasn't toxic nor did you guys made each other feel anything but loved. Reality hit hard soon and you both struggled with the weight of the world and the relationship on your shoulders. 

Why couldn't you ever keep a girl tied to you? Why was the timing always wrong? What did the universe had against you loving women? 

The misery had to be written over your face since Kate suddenly jumped up and down, trying to get you in a good mood. "Oh c'mon! Celebrating new beginnings is not bad." She was right but it still didn't help you and your failed marriages. And as if things aren't bad enough already,  Natasha appeared next to you right when 'Hips Don't Lie' by Shakira started playing. It was your and Nat's song. She recognized the song immediately and raised her eyebrow at you. "The universe has it out for you today huh?" 

You groaned, not sure if the noise covered it up. "It's all Kate's fault!" She jokingly put a hand over her heart. "First of all, RUDE. Secondly, blame it on the universe and not me. Thank you very much." Natasha giggled at your interaction. "I'm glad it's Kate's fault! I haven't seen you once in the last 5 years." That made you stop in your track. You took a long look at her from top to bottom. She was as beautiful as she had always been but she got more stunning and hot. You saw the wrinkles under the eyes from the heaviness of the snap, you knew what she sacrificed on earth since you were always near Carol when their virtual updates happened. You always felt guilty for not being able to help the ex-assassin back on earth but she also always assured Carol that she did not need more help down here.

The redness of her hair was now back again. The last time you saw her it was with short blonde hair so you did not waste a minute to tease her about it. "Finally back to red? Sick of the blonde?" She put her hand to her hair and with one swift motion the bun was undone and you could see the blonde ends of her hair. "I couldn't decide so I let my hair grow out. Now I have the best of both worlds!"

You gave her a honest smile. "Looks great on you! Though I prefer short hair on you." Natasha didn't know how to come up with proper words so she smiled back at you. Her eyes were intensely on your face, trying to memorize every little new detail she either forgot or missed over the years. Then her stare moved down towards your chest that was exposed in the black top you decided to wear. Though you guys never had sex, with the amount of time Natasha stared at your boobs she knew for sure they got bigger. Hell your whole body had changed over the span of 15 years and she didn't mind it one bit. It was the opposite instead, it intrigued her even more. The thought of exploring your body gave her a huge surge of desire. When she looked back into your eyes you saw the lust in her forest green eyes. Her gaze got you all flustered but also aroused. "Nat, stop it." She knew exactly how her gaze affected you but she didn't stop, plus in addition all she did was having that shit eating teasing grin on her face that got your heart going faster. "Has anyone told you how attractive you are?" She whispered in your ear as if it were a secret.  For you, it seemed like it was another attempt to get you all hot and bothered and it worked. Her raspy voice with her warm breath gave you shivers before your whole body heated up and you couldn't stop wondering what it'd be like to have her whisper more dirty words to you. "Fuck." You said as you bit onto your bottom lip. 

Before anything could go further, Natasha's sister appeared and interrupted you with no shame in the world. "If that isn't my ex sister in law Y/N -" She stopped herself since she did not know with which last name she should address you. "Which last name do you prefer now?" The redhead groaned at her sister's attempt of cockblocking her. You gave Nat a little nudge as a sign for her to behave. "Y/L/N. I don't think I'll ever marry again. Marriage is just not for me." 

"That's a shame. I really thought you'd be up to marry Natasha a second time so that we could be a family once again. I miss those times." You gave the younger sister a sad smile. "Sorry to crush your dreams. Though after the divorce, I never saw you any less of family. That is still holding up our promise to be sisters forever." 

"Sometimes labels doesn't need to have the legal aspect in order for it to be true." Natasha told her younger sister.

"This is getting too sappy for me. I'm gonna go find Kate Bishop." And with that the blonde sibling left. Nat and you look shocked around, only realizing now that the archer wasn't around anymore. When did Kate leave you two alone? How come non of you noticed it? You started to laugh at the ridiculousness of everything. Natasha joined in but it died down soon afterwards, leaving you both smiling at each other. The moment of sexual tension was gone now but the spark between the two of you definitely was not.

[loveandleases]

And just when I thought Chris and Jade can't get any worse 💀 My soff MC is gonna need so much emotional supp.

Also, I saw the NSFW asks you answered and it got me wondering 👀

WARNING: Contains sexual details

So imagine, in rela stage, the ROs told MC they'll be coming home from (trip, work trip, something overseas-related, etc) at a certain date...But sadly, it got delayed! That's fine, of course, right?

Nupe - because MC and RO hasn't gotten laid in weeks and so MC has no choice but to 'cheat' on them...with their sex toy!

But in the midst of MC masturbating while wearing their RO's shirt/top (or even sniffing it while masturbating), turns out, RO came early to surprise MC! Which led to them witnessing MC squealing out their name just as MC reach their orgasm, still unsatisfied because of how much they miss RO and need them so badly.

How would the ROs react? 👀

So since my quandary of when NSFW hour is, this is definitely a 6:09 post <3. Below the cut (it's very long, I couldn't help it!)

❤️ Cam - He drops the camera equipment on the floor, closing the door with his foot behind him. He looks around the apartment, noticing all lights are off, except the bedroom light.

He begins making his way through the hall and quickly opens the door, though who is surprised more is hard to tell.

As his name escapes your lips, your body shakes as it is overcome by your orgasm. That's when you two lock eyes. The grin that overcomes his face is more devilish than you've seen Ardent give the neighbor down the hall.

"Cam! I..you came?" Your voice is hoarse as you pull down the shirt you were wearing, Cam's of course. The toy that had brought on your orgasm, tossed to the floor in your attempt of hiding what you were doing.

"If anyone came here babe, I think it was you." He looks at the toy on the ground and then at you. "My favorite shirt looks better on you though. "

You watch as he begins pulling off his shirt, next his jeans and boxers.

"It's not what it looks like you know." It's very much what it looks like, and even you can't deny that it wasn't enough, that the longing you've experienced these past few weeks have been unbearable.

"You know I used to think about catching you like this. About hearing you say my name."

The smile he gives you is loving, as he bends over to kiss you. The first kiss in weeks, and it's needy. "I've missed you."

"Prove it." you challenge, brushing the messy red hair out of his two-toned eyes. It's going to be a long night.

💙 G - They had been gone to some work conference for several weeks, while you're nightly talks have been good and well. The need inside you can't handle it anymore.

You're wrapped in their white jacket from work, the smell of them clings to it like it does to the pillows. You find comfort in it, since you can't find it in their arms. They said it would be several days before they can get home.

So imagine your surprise, as you moan their name as you climax when the door opens and you're met with a quirked brow.

You sit up, placing the toy to the side, as if it was simply there this entire time.

"What're you doing? Don't stop." They whisper, and the way their breathing gets deeper and they lick their lips, you know they want to see just as badly as you do.

I forgot they liked this.

You meet their gaze, pulling off the jacket slowly as you spread your legs, giving them the best view.

You grin as you hear them gasp, clinching their hands.

"A show for a show." you tease, and they nod walking over to you to, letting you help pull of their clothes.

💚 Kara - "Fuck, Kara!" the words have barely left your mouth when the apartment door opens and she sees you on the couch.

Her eyes were glued to you, to the toy between your legs and the sheen of sweat on your skin. You flush under her gaze, you know how Kara gets when you do something without her, at least without her permission.

"Sweet thing, I was barely gone a week and you couldn't last?" It's as much a joke as it is a threat.

You gulp, the presence Kara has when she is in her dom mode does little to calm your nerves. In fact, it sets them on fire. Because only one person is allowed to make your back arch when you orgasm is her, not the toy she likes to use on you.

"Now what will I ever do with you." the smirk on her lip shouldn't work for her, but it does. The way her eyes trail your naked skin.

"Kara, I was ju."

She quiet's you with a kiss, her tongue sliding along your lips before parting them to graze against your own. Her hands clinging to every curve of your body as if she is trying to remember the shape, the taste.

💛 M - "Holy shit..holy shit. Fuck, I'm sorry I should have knocked. I didn't I just. I mean it's our apartment so why should I. Oh my god that's hot." if M's face gets any redder, you might have to seriously be concerned for their health. They fidget turning away and then back unsure of what they should do, what they can do.

"Hey, it's okay I just. I missed you so I, well." It's all you can say as you try to fight the laugh bubbling up your throat.

The awkwardness shouldn't be as enjoyable as it is, but knowing how flustered they get makes you want to tease them worse.

You stand, letting the sweater you had been wearing slide down your frame. This freezes them in their spot. The gulp you hear sounds painful, and their shaking makes this all the more fun.

"I thought you liked toys?" you tease, as you let your arms wrap around them trailing up their back slowly.

You can feel them nod, feel their body tense. "I just, I wasn't expecting it. I mean this only happens in por.."

They stutter slightly, not finishing their sentence as you drop to your knees. Undoing the button on their pants. "Do you want to use them on me?"

They can't meet your gaze, but the whimper and nod they give is all the confirmation you need.

💜 Isaac - It's been several minutes since they caught you. You're not sure if you should feel curious, anxious, or all of the above? They still haven't said anything, instead, they've been looking for something in the closet.

"Can you please say something?" you yell, making a move to get off the bed.

As you raise to get up they walk back in, motioning you to sit down. "I was looking for this." They hold up a silk scarf, rubbing it between their hands.

"For?" you tilt your head.

"You silly." Isaac winks at you as they sit on the bed, it dipping under their weight.

They place a hand under your thigh lifting it, wrapping the scarf around it as they do so. They push you back their nails softly scratching down your inner thigh before kissing just shy of your hip bone.

Your hand finds its way to their neck scratching them, then up into their curls, and you pull slightly as they playfully nip along the sensitive skin of your pelvis.

The groan that escapes them goads you on, pulling harder as they lower their mouth.

🖤 Ardent - "For fuck's sake, give a guy a heart attack. I thought someone was in here with you when I heard you moan, til' I heard my name." he runs his fingers through his hair, pinching the place between his eyes.

"Learn to knock or something." you straighten the oversized shirt, covering up your ass. You might have orgasmed but you weren't done not by a long shot.

"Oh? Knock, on my own bedroom door?" Ardent swears under his breath. "It's been three weeks and you want me to knock?" He shrugs, making his way back to the door.

"Don't!" you yell after him, and when he turns to grin you glare at him. You're too turned on for cat and mouse, any other night fine, just not tonight.

"Why not? Use your words, kitten." he makes his way toward the bed, running a thumb along his lower lip. If someone could be devoured by just a look, you would be right now.

"You know why."

This annoys him, it's been too long for both of you, and he might just have to spank the brat out of you tonight. Ardent bends down, pushing you back onto the bed, before trailing his hand down your chest. "Tell me." He growls.

As his fingers graze along the top of your pelvis he stops and looks into your eyes. He won't give you what you want if you don't tell him.

You shake your head, you know you should give in, know you want him.

He smirks at you and presses his hips against yours, you can easily feel how much he wants you. "Do it, and I'll let you have a taste." The words are lost between kisses, between Ardent biting your lip.

(i'm totally debating starting commissions if ppl want either way phew this was a lot to type.)

[mrswolffs-blog]

It’s Over Now : Lewis Hamilton x Black!Caribbean!Reader

Please note: Both Lewis is 22 & Reader is 20 as the story takes place in 2007.

Lewis and I have been dating since he was 16 and I was 15 years old. We came a long way as I juggled with supporting him with racing while focusing on my studies, as he tried his best to make it to Formula 1. Over the years, our relationship has been through a lot of milestones that almost ended everything; from me not being able to attend races to him not being able to be there for me when I needed him, yet we managed to pull through.

However, for the past few months, I have come to notice that he has become distant once more, but not just any normal distant; the distant when someone is no longer interested and is just going along with anything. I also noticed how my fingerprint for his phone was deleted so that I no longer had access to the contents and that he stops answering phone calls in my presence, even if it has to do with work. All this adds up to one answer: Another lover had entered the chat.

I stayed up at nights next to him staring off into the dark room as I try to find a calm way address the matter, yet no rational way of what came to mind wouldn't end in a screaming match between us. I cried silently as I watched him peacefully sleep, wishing he would hold me as he used to before she came along. I got up, grabbing my pillow and left for one of the guest rooms to sleep as I had promised to accompany him to his race tomorrow.

The morning sun had hit me just as the smell of tea took over my nose and I got up to get ready. Meeting Lewis downstairs he handed me a plate. "Good morning, babe where'd you run off to last night?" he asked as he placed a light kiss to my forehead. "I went to sleep in a different room because I wanted to watch the television" I responded. We ate in silence and left the house arriving a few minutes before he was due to arrive. Angela came to help as she gave me a hug, yet she signalled something to Lewis that I couldn't quite understand but chose to ignore it.

The day went on easily as the race was exciting with the competition among Lewis and Fernando in which Lewis had won. I was standing at the barricade waiting to hug him when he approached, yet I was surprised when a tall brown-haired woman who looked way older than us, pushed me to the side and enveloped him into her arms tightly. I then knew that she was the one who had taken him from me as I slowly walked towards his driver's room with Toto walking slowly behind me. "I'm sorry Y/n I kind of saw this coming, but I didn't expect it in this way" Toto said as he gave me a comforting hug. "It's okay, I knew this was happening, just not with whom. I'll forever love and support your team Mr. Wolff" I reassured him as I made my way towards the hospitality.

Two hours later, he was done with all the necessary post-race duties, He found me sitting and watching a cartoon. "Hey-" "How long has it been?" I asked cutting him off. he looked at me sadly as his head hung low. "I'm sorry, it's been going on for the past 10 months. I wanted to confess but I just couldn't, knowing it break you" he explained softly as tears started falling from his eyes. "You knew it would break me and yet the best way you could alert me of it was to have her pushing me down and swapping saliva with you in public before my very eyes?" I asked him calmly as I got up and stared into his eyes. "I get it that this is over now, but promise me that you would never treat any other woman the way you just did to me?" I asked and his tears started falling harder as he nodded speechlessly. I hugged him, inhaling his scent for the last time before placing a kiss to his cheek and walking away out of his life as I never made contact with him again. I went back to our previously shared home, picking up my already packed bags and made my way to the airport as I boarded my flight back to my home in the Caribbean, making sure that he never has any type of future contact with me.

[galaxygorl-does-stuff]

✨🌈darly boxman lore dump🌈✨

for those of you who don't know, The Darly Boxman Show is a short video made by gooseworx prior to tadc (you should watch it if you haven't already pls its really good, cw for eye contact)

it's connected to the Pink City universe (so like elain the bounty hunter and stuff) and is an in-universe kids show that follows Darly Boxman, Mimlimim, and milkpooch as they do weird stuff

more under the cut because this is going to be long

if you're reading this then beware you are about to dive into my crazed ramblings about a guy who has a lot of shit going on actually

actors in the darly boxman show

So, as mentioned before, the darly boxman show is a show in the pink city universe starring Darles nemeni as darly boxman, Thlouretta Gudds as mimlimim, and milkpooch as itself

(image 1 bright colors cw and image 2 eye contact cw)

milkpooch and mimlimim look the same out of the show, but darles looks a little different:

you may be wondering, "his normal eyes look so much friendlier than the box eyes why'd he do that lol" and the answer is.....

✨⭐nobody knows⭐✨

his eyes just kinda change when he puts on the box, its some "wacky cartoon logic that can't be explained" according to gooseworx

Hoonis Boogie's obsession

Hoonis boogie is the moon looking guy hugging the tv (see below). He is the host of the annual ghost of the year event. Hoonis most likely constantly rewatches the show, and wants to be "as good a host as [darly]." (sadly I couldn't find much information on this)

Darles nemeni's daughter

darles nemeni had a life apart from the darly boxman show (more or less), so lets talk about that. Starting with the fact that he has a daughter (:0 whoag) and her name is Bep nemeni

Darles mainly wanted a child to continue his legacy with the darly boxman show. Bep didn't like this and now runs an adult talk show and loudly hates kids shows.

Comic gooseworx made about darly and bep here <- link

What happened to darles

You may have noticed I said darles *had* a life apart of the darly boxman show. If you skip past the credits of the youtube video, there's a message.

The current pink city year is 2025. Darles has been missing for ~20 pink city years.

There are canonically 401 darly boxman episodes in universe and the show was running for ~15 years

However, signs are pointing to either darly coming back or hoonis going missing with him.

Since we more or less know how the eyes work with the box head, it's likely that hoonis and darly will interact at some point.

here's some more trivia that I couldn't figure out how to work into this post:

it's a kids show that wasn't really a kids show

I hit the image limit but at some point gooseworx drew darles being dragged somewhere screaming "no I don't wanna go to therapy" with the caption "he was on the verge of a creative breakthrough"

Anyway yeah darly boxman lore post because I'm fixating a little bit yay

[fannyrosie]

I've followed you for quite a while and I've always loved your style plus I lived vicariously through your life in Japan lol. I'm sorry if you've already posted this I couldn't find the post but I was wondering why you left Japan. It's my dream to live there one day and I was curious what it was like.

I have answered that in my Instagram Stories, but here is the long story version (TL;DR: I came back mainly because of my poor health):

I left Japan after 6 1/2 years for several reasons, but one the main reason is because of my health. I've never been the healthiest person, even before moving there (I was even dubbed "the sick one" at my old job because I often had to suddenly leave work in the afternoons). I was constantly tired and had really bad abdominal pains. I saw several doctors in Montreal, and all I managed to get was a diagnosis for IBS and anxiety. However, I was functional most days, and managed to work and live relatively normally, as long as I rested a lot and stuck to my FODMAP diet.

During the few first years of my life in Japan, my physical health remained that way, with some random very bad health periods, but overall, I was fine. I even started to workout regularly to improve my posture and muscles. However, from 2020 onwards, my health declined significantly. On top of my worsening IBS, I started having really bad spine pains, radiating to my head, chest and arms, and making me so tired I had to take several days of rest every time I went out. I started to catch every little virus I got in contact with, and had to avoid taking public transport the most I could. I was working from home, and walked a lot, so that was manageable, but it made me more isolated.

I saw several doctors, but even though they did blood tests and x-rays, they couldn't find anything and just assumed it was stress. After reading about EDS, I thought I might have that (since I am also hypermobile), and had to wait 7 months to get an appointment at Todai's hospital. However, on the day of my appointment, I got told that Todai only deals with EDS related to heart issues, and my tests were all normal, including my x-rays. That was in June 2022, and was the final straw, as it proved that even the most advanced hospital in Japan couldn't help me. By that time, I had to wear a back brace to do the most basic things, like laundry or going to the supermarket, and was taking painkillers every day. I had to stop working because I couldn't work on my computer for more than 2 hours a day. Obviously, no work=no money.

Coming back to Québec, I had to wait 3 months to get back on the public health system, and as of today (6 months after being back), I managed to get x-rays and MRI showing I have: discopathy (degenerative spine disk disease), osteoarthritis (degenerative joint disease), several herniated disks in my cervical region and pinched nerves due disks collapsing. Basically, I have the spine of a 70 year old. I have been referred to a physiatrist, but we all know that Québec's public health system is very slow. so God knows when I'll see one. Nevertheless, they found something, which is better than all the doctors in Japan who told me it was just stress. Japan sadly has a big culture of having to "endure" pain (mental or physical), and it shows in their medical system.

Due to the degenerative nature of the illnesses they found up to now, my health is constantly getting worse. I used to have good and bad health days, but now, I have more bad health days than good health days. I still take painkillers every day and wear my back brace to do normal tasks, but most days, these are not enough. I am trying to make the most of my "good" health days by dressing up and doing nice things, but I never know how I will be the next day (or hour).

I had to take two breaks writing this; hopefully it makes sense haha

[s0ulsniper]

Helping you.

Donnie x afab!reader

Summary: In which you show up unannounced stumbling into the lair when the turtles thought you were an intruder.

Who: Donnie x afab!reader

Hey guys, I got this inspired idea from a Twitter post I ran across, sadly cannot find it again though.

I was thinking of doing the same idea with the other turtles? If you would want that please comment and I'll do it. :)

ੈ✩‧₊˚*ੈ✩‧₊˚*ੈ✩‧₊˚*ੈ✩

the boys were spending their Saturday night the way that they always did.

pizza, games, more pizza, and more games.

except donnie was the only one being a party pooper, worried about his girlfriend.

it wasn't that sometimes you were busy and couldn't answer for awhile, no, it was that before you randomly stopped you sent him a series of weird texts. which all just consisted of mumbo jumbo.

ੈ✩‧₊˚*ੈ✩‧₊˚*ੈ✩‧₊˚*ੈ✩

(8:37 pm) - ( my y/n <3 ) - ydjk wheaste uids haoaprnubg donni hqwlp

(8:37 pm) - ( my smart boy ) - what?

he worried.

(8:40 pm) - ( my smart boy ) - y/n are you okay? where are you?

seen.

(8:46 pm) - ( my smart boy ) - y/n, darling what's going on?

(8:53 pm) - ( my y/n <3 ) - shredder

his heart almost stopped beating.

ੈ✩‧₊˚*ੈ✩‧₊˚*ੈ✩‧₊˚*ੈ✩

he frantically jumps over the couch and runs to his room, his computer already on.

he works his magic to track your phone through your information but before it could finish he hears his brother yell for him from the other room.

"DONNIE !" leo yells and he scrambles out of his chair, almost falling face first into the pavement.

"what? what happened?!"

his brothers are lined up ahead of him, weapons drawn. their breathing suggests someone's there, that the motion detector must have went off.

but before donnie could get ready you limp out of the shadow, the giant pipe squeaking as you walked.

his eyes widen, you looked horrible. hand clutching your sides, with brushes and blood dripping from places he has nightmares about.

you look faint, your eyes seemed almost lifeless when donnie ran to you and scooped you from the ground.

his brothers have just a similar reaction, trying to figure out what happened, how to help you, and who to kill.

they looked so scared, not knowing what to do but donnie did.

he sat you to lay down on the counter, ordering leo and mikey to get supplies while raph alerted master splinter.

"wha- what happened y/n- what?" he fumbled over words, you were stripped to your tank top and shorts while he scanned you for injuries.

his mind was racing.

master splinter and raph ran into the room while Mikey and Leo poured the supplies on the counter.

for the first time, for a split second donnie swore he saw worry on master splinters face.

"I have got this under control, I'll call you boys back in when I am done."

with that donnie feels himself being dragged out by his brothers, just realizing he was holding his breath.

he sat for hours it felt, elbows against his knees staring into the walls.

never had he frozen when someone needed his help, he always managed something.

but he didn't, when the person he loved the most he felt needed him.

he feels someone sit next to him on the couch, a hand grip his shoulder.

"she's awake." Leo sighs.

that's all he needed to power his body, he plows through everything in his way until he gets to the door, calming his composure.

the door is silent, small creeks are heard.

"y/n?" he calls, shakier than he liked.

"right here don." you croak.

he steps in and walks to you, you look better than you did but you still look horrible.

your sitting on the counter, back resting against the wall.

he stands in front of you, hesitant to touch you but when you reach for him he embraces you like he won't ever see you again.

"don- donnie... you're crushing me baby-" you wince out.

he pulls away quickly, a worried expression makes you laugh a bit. but horribly, your side churns every time you move a muscle in the region.

"ouch." you grab at your side.

he looks down and frowns, seeing the blood stain but the evident gauze poking from the bottom of your rolled up tank top.

"it's gonna make a sick scar." you pull up your tank top, and although he can't see it he knows by the size of the gauze that it could've been way worse. the bandage starts at your bellybutton and ends somewhere close to your spine.

but he smiles at you despite all that has happened, because no matter what, when you're smiling he is too.

"I'm so sorry n/n that I wasn't there to help you. what happened?" he apologies but you shake your head.

"how would you have known don? it's not your fault my love." you reassure him before trying to explain what happened.

you feel him grab your hand for support, his other resting on the side of your thigh while he stands between your legs.

"shredder... I guess he found out my schedule or something- he sent in a few of his goons. I was walking back home and I knew someone was following me but I could barely even type... before I knew it, shredder slashed me with his blade in the corner of an alley when I did comply with his threat." you explain, your voice shaky. "he was gonna try and kill you don- I couldn't. he was going to kill you all."

you pause when you feel donnie wipe a tear from your cheek, his expression as sweet as ever.

"I couldn't let him... I wouldn't be able to live with myself if he found you guys. he was gonna kill me don. and I was okay with that if it was to protect you guys. but with some miracle I was able to escape, I really don't know how I pulled it off." You finish.

at this point you were both crying. you felt donnie hug you again, seeing his brothers and master splinter behind him looking at you with sad eyes.

they felt like somehow it was their fault, and they felt horrible.

"I will never let anyone hurt you ever again." donnie preaches. "I'll kill anyone who tries."

"yeah dude, we're gonna beat em up!" mikey yells.

you laugh , genuinely while you clutch your side. you hoped you would rip the stitches.

for the rest of your recovery donnie never left your side, like a lost puppy he follows you around because he was serious about never letting you get hurt again.

anyone who looked in your direction got an eyebrow raise and dark eyes.

even if they had no bad intentions, they would definitely scurry away as soon as possible.

ੈ✩‧₊˚*ੈ✩‧₊˚*ੈ✩‧₊˚*ੈ✩

TAGS 🏷️:

[thetopazdragon]

If you go to the search bar and put #soft/fluff prompts or anything really. It has a ton of posts full of ideas <3

Anxiety Comfort from... Bakugou?! (Bakugou x Demon Quirk Reader)

(Your name is Nova!!)

I am currently having a really bad anxiety attack so I'm gonna writ e this and pray to Apollo that this helps- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You were a new transfer student at UA High. Your daily life as a transfer... Sadly, it was almost wholly stereotypical. You had no friends; People either bullied you or avoided you, as if you had some sort of weird disease. That "Disease", to you, was your own quirk.

It definitely didn't help that you had soul-crushing anxiety.

More often than not, you would find yourself having horrible anxiety attacks that you couldn't stop. You'd hide in an empty classroom and just shake, unable to cry or speak or move, oftentimes curled up under a desk or in a closet to feel some sort of safety before you could collapse.

Medicines never really helped either; all they did was keep your quirk from spiraling. But today, you forgot your meds.

This time started the same as the rest. The hall got too busy too quick, and you couldn't brace yourself for the wave of students shoving past you. You felt your horns begin to sprout from your forehead, your tail sprouting from your back. Your quirk was activating. Your teeth began to sharpen, and you began to panic.

You moved as quickly as you could, cutting through the crowd towards an empty classroom before anyone could see your features. You slammed the door behind you as fast as you could, feeling your airways closing as you began to hyperventilate. You felt your heartbeat quicken, diving into a closet across the classroom. Unbeknownst to you, this particular classroom was a common study space for the one and only Bakugou.

He set his bag down on a desk, grumbling about "Useless deku" and how "dunceface" had ruined his training, which you had come to realize that these lovingly adorned nicknames were for Izuku Midoriya and Denki Kaminari respectively.

You tried to stay quiet, hiding as far back in the closet as you could; yet you still made something fall over. Bakugou looked up, suddenly stopping his grumbling as he looked towards the closet. Your anxiety worsened, making your breathing heavier and faster.

You heard slow, purposeful footsteps as Bakugou closed the distance between himself and the closet door. You had fully activated your quirk, yet were petrified. you couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't cry or escape.

As the door slowly opened, Bakugou's eyes landed on you. He saw your trembling form, his eyes wide and shocked, before turning into a burning scowl. "Who the f*ck are you, extra?!" He suddenly shouted, and it made you flinch.

Then it hit him.

He immediately went to his backpack, grabbing something. You shut your eyes tight, afraid he would hurt you. But when you opened them again, he was crouched in front of you, holding out what looked to be a bar of chocolate.

"Well? Eat it." He growled, sounding seemingly annoyed, yet his face showed gentleness, or at least, what gentleness it could.

You whimpered, unable to move to take it. Katsuki took note of this, as if understanding completely. He opened the chocolate, breaking off a piece. "Here. Open your mouth." He commanded gently. You obeyed as best you could, opening your mouth as he put the piece to your lips and slowly fed it to you. The sweetness of the candy melted in your mouth, distracting you from your panic.

"What are you doing in here, dumbass? Its not safe to hide where nobody can find you." He said, his gruff voice sounding kind and gentle as he prods you for an answer. You move your eyes to the classroom door, and he scoffs.

"Yeah. The halls can be a real pain in the ass." He remarks, before giving you another piece of chocolate.

He slowly coaxed you into calmness, rewarding you with the chocolate as well as some pats on the head and a squeeze on your hand as you made progress. He made sure you were comfortable, breathing slow and relaxing as your anxiety calmed and your "demonic" features went away. When you could finally move, then eventually speak again, you introduced yourself. He let out a chuckle.

"Nova.... Sounds like a boring name." He says, before standing up suddenly.

"Katsuki Bakugou. I'm gonna be number 1."

You nod; as you stand up, he pats your head.

You both get ready to leave, knowing class will begin soon and the halls were now clear. When you reached the door, Katsuki grabbed your arm and made you look at him one last time.

"Oi do me a favor, extra." He barks, "Next time you got a problem, dont hide, got it? Come right to me. I'll help."

You had no idea, but you were soon to become his new dream.

[cantsomeoneelsedoit]

Ch 53: Have Any Black Tea?

Latla is trying to keep Bunny from dropping the core while Fuuko helps Andy get up. Everyone else is doing post-battle things, but Rip is just staring sadly...

Andy's making a point that the six of them didn't just win the battle-- all six of them survived, even Akira.

Rip tells Latla to take the Soul Caliber that remained after Anno Un disappeared, and Fuuko surprises Rip by thanking him and suggesting that he should join the Union.

Fuuko's a very motivated recruiter! She's like a corporate headhunter or a college recruiter. Rip, we offer competitive performance bonuses!

But that's just how Fuuko is! She always wants to work things out and resolve differences. She has a real unconditional love for others.

Rip had tried to recruit them when he visited them at Chikara's school, but his motivations were probably not based in his love for humanity--just look at how he treated Sean after recruiting him! Rip only wants allies to help him achieve a certain goal:

"From Under her" lol

He's not wrong. Juiz has kept a lot of information from people while expecting them to risk their lives for her cause. She's tried to shoulder it all herself, and in a way she's treated her team as if they couldn't handle the truth or might throw a wrench in her plan if they knew the truth.

And speaking of honesty, Rip and Fuuko are having a really sincere conversation right now! Neither she or Rip hold grudges, it seems.

Latla's "..." is interesting. She's basically devoted herself to Rip and yet he considers someone else to be his everything. Rip and Latla seem like a couple sometimes, but she knows that his heart belongs to her sister and that Leila is his true goal. Poor Latla!

Bunny returns Fuuko's gun and Autumn's core, which have been put into white spheres that Bunny labels with a squeaky marker, which is a cute detail.

Fuuko makes amends with Bunny and uses her catchphrase back to her. She's always so good with kids!

Latla hands Fuuko the broken pieces of the G Liner pen. Rip had only told her to get Soul Caliber, but she made a point to get the pen also and to present it to Fuuko. That's really thoughtful of her--she knows how painful loss can be and how keeping a memento can help. After all, Rip wears the earrings that Leila wore.

Rip asks Andy who Anno was and Andy answers that he was a Negator with the power Unknown. Once again, Andy is great at figuring out other people's abilities. He analyzes everything to try to discover what rules govern their power.

Rip says he hopes they meet again, and then Fuuko collapses in exhaustion onto Andy's chest. Oh yes, she does.

YES! Cuddling outside of battle! It's finally happening!

"Only ten years'' is still a crazy long time to be inside the hyperbolic time chamber book. Now they know each other even better than before and can work together seamlessly. Also, Fuuko's not as embarrassed to be close to him anymore and it's just so sweet how much they trust each other.

Juiz and her team are still in Taipei hunting UMA Summer. She's also still looking damn cool in her regular Union uniform.

The team is fighting some sort of little round creatures (Juniors?) that are causing chaos. She explains her theory about Akira.

UMA Information sounds kinda cheap tbh. How are you gonna put all that information inside "something" and then not reveal what or where that "something" is?! Juiz is right--God is actively working against humanity.

And then God takes it one step further-- even if you DO manage to find the artifact, you'll be stricken with a Negator ability that prevents you from sharing it. God is such a whiny baby. A goalpost-mover. A cheat!

That fits in with my theory that UU is about writing. Authors often nerf situations or characters because they've written themselves into a corner or have poorly set up a plotline. I'm not saying Tozuka is a bad author, btw (I think he's a genius) but this does reflect the way audiences react when things like that happen in manga.

But Akira found a way to work around the obstacles God had given him and used a loophole to get his message to the Negators. I like to think that God had no clue what Akira/Anno were up to because they thought they'd been successfully fridged.

We get another adorable page and a gag that gives our stoic Juiz a sweat drop of concern.

Say what?!

Andy didn't offer any clarification.

She tells them to head to Taiwan to help fight UMA Summer. The little round creatures are definitely up to something!

A friend??? And also, she looks great in that coat.

The story cuts to a snowstorm in the mountains. Someone has been watching the battle with Autumn.

Someone who uses a speaker to communicate is talking to another person. It seems they want to come down harsh on Rip's team, but the other person defends them.

Oh snap, it's Billy! He's the "friend" Juiz went to meet. Billy says he already sensed that she'd arrived. Interestingly, they both realize the importance of Fuuko's power.

We're also reminded that Billy can see now since there's two panels of him side-eyeing Juiz.

Billy and his accomplice are sitting around UMA Burn's core to warm themselves. They must be searching for UMA Winter, but they certainly don't look to be in any hurry. Is there anything she could say to change his mind at this point?

Masterpost

🍀☠️🍀☠️🍀☠️🍀☠️

PS: I couldn't help but notice all the pretty pretty bishounen Rip panels in this chapter. Tozuka is definitely doing this on purpose! He revealed that Rip is only a villain in order to save a person who's everything to him, then drew him looking all dreamy for half the chapter lmao. The perfect formula.

Anyway, I made a gif for the Rip lovers out there. To You, From Me!

[amenders93]

3 Weeks till Chicken Run 2!!!!

No relationship is perfect; we all know that. Not even in the movies or on TV shows either. We've all seen it happen and we've all been there too. Every relationship can have a little bit of a setback that can put the whole thing into perspective. For example, you may think you know someone well but then you discover something about them that you never expected and it makes you rethink everything you thought you ever knew about them or maybe even how you feel about them. For this week's post, we are going to review the times that Rocky and Ginger were apart. This all happens the next morning after their rooftop moment when Rocky tries to tell Ginger the secret he's been hiding from everyone including her but unfortunately, he just can't get the words out. That's because Rocky is realizing he's fallen in love with Ginger and he knows how much his contribution means to her. He doesn't want to hurt her so he's forced to make the biggest, toughest decision he's ever had. But could it also be the biggest mistake he's every made? And what about Ginger? She's falling in love with Rocky; how will this affect her too?

Let's pick up the next morning when Ginger is energetically hanging up Rocky's poster outside of hut 17 with all the chickens surrounding her. They were all excited to finally see their charming last hope demonstrate his flying technique. Today is the day they're going to fly, up and away from their horrible prison after so long. Ginger is excited to see the rooster she's falling for in action; she tells the others to start warming up and that she'll get Rocky. When she reached Fowler's hut, she knocked on the door and opens it, expecting to see Rocky's charming smile and his handsome face. But to her shocked surprise, the room is empty; Rocky is gone. Ginger's heart dropped to her feet.

Looking around the room, her eyes lit upon the torn piece of paper on the bed. It was the same paper that Rocky held in his hands the night before. Sitting on top of the paper was the medal that Fowler had given to Rocky. He left it behind because he felt that he didn't really deserve it. Ginger sadly walks over to the bed, picks up the medal and looks at it, wondering where Rocky was and why he had left. Then she notices the paper; maybe it holds an answer to the questions gnawing at her mind. Oh boy; here comes the big reveal 😳. Ginger picks up the paper, slowly unfolds it and stares at it in disbelief. She has just gotten the biggest shock of her life!

We now find Ginger walking back to where the hens were waiting. As she walks by them, all their smiles dropped and part ways to let Ginger by them. They could tell she was upset with her sad, wide eyes looking only forward, towards the poster of Rocky flying. With her shoulders hunched and dragging her feet, she raised the bottom half of the poster, matching it to the top half that was hanging up. It was the bottom half of the poster that she had found on the bed. And on it was a picture of a cannon - the cannon out of which Rocky had been fired. There was a lightning flash and a thunderclap, illuminating the shocking reveal. Then, as the rain began to fall, they start to lose hope again, even more so than before.

Ginger was starting to feel the same thing, for the first time ever. Lifeless and speechless, she stared at the poster, tears filling her eyes and her beak quivering. She finally knew the truth; the big secret that Rocky had been trying to tell her last night at the dance party and later on the rooftop. Rocky couldn't fly after all; he was part of a chicken cannonball circus act. Ginger feels utter betrayal and is frustrated at him for being a traitor, but she's also frustrated at herself for not finding out sooner and being blinded by his charms just like everyone else. She loses all hope and wants to forget about Rocky entirely. We don't see it happen but I bet you that as the rain falls, Ginger's tears are falling down her cheeks showing just how sad and angry she is about Rocky right now. Sad about him leaving and angry at him for lying to her 🥺.

At that same moment, Rocky is standing on the crest of a hill on the road outside the farm, looking back at it. Guilt was not a feeling that he was used to having, but he was sure having it now, even more than last night. Even though he has fallen in love with Ginger, he knew how much his contribution meant to her and therefore makes the tough decision to leave the farm immediately without her knowledge in order to avoid confronting her and hurting her feelings after calling her out on her brutal honesty. I mean, can you blame him? Rocky was in a lose-lose situation so either way he was going to lose something. If he told Ginger the truth, he'd lose her. But if he didn't tell her, he'd have his dream girl but he'd lose his self respect. I know it was wrong of him to leave without talking to Ginger, but he had sacrificed his love for her by doing so, even if it meant that he would never be truly happy again 🥺. Rocky reminds himself that he was trying to do what he thought was the right thing and just hangs his head in shame and continues to walk down the long stretch of road - alone.

Meanwhile back on the farm, Ginger is sitting on the ramp onto hut 17 and staring at the ground, totally depressed. The other chickens were still huddled around the poster too shocked, stunned and dumbfounded to move. They all turn to Ginger for a new plan but Ginger, with her hopes dashed, breaks the bad news to the hens. Their only way out of the farm now is smothered in vegetables, marinated in gravy and wrapped in pastry. Actually the pastry part was Ginger's saying but I added the vegetables and gravy parts 😉. Without Ginger's dreams to guide them, the hens begin to squabble which turns into an all-out mud fight. When Fowler steps in to break it up, he gets in on the fight too when Bunty challenges him after she flings his precious medal into the mud.

Ginger, meanwhile, isn't slinging mud. Instead, in the middle of the chaos, she was having a thoughtful moment. She sees the medal in the mud, picks it up and stares at it, remembering about how Fowler always talks about his days in the RAF. Ginger silences the fighting and asks Fowler what the RAF is, with the old rooster explaining that the RAF stands for the Royal Air Force. When she also asks him what "the old crate" he also keeps talking about is, Fowler takes her and the others into his hut where he pulls out a photograph out of his footlocker and shows it to Ginger. The photo was of a WW2 Royal Air Force bomber airplane. As Fowler once again launches into one of his long-winded explanations, Ginger wasn't really paying attention - because she was once again coming up with another idea. She tells the chickens that they're still going to fly out; they're going to build an airplane just like the one Fowler used to fly.

With no time to lose, the chickens all get organized with everyone lends a hand. Mac will handle the engineering, Babs will handle the manufacturing, Fowler as the chief aviation advisor and Bunty providing the eggs to give to Nick and Fetcher for gathering the tools and supplies they need to build the crate. That entire day, while the chickens built the crate, Mr. Tweedy is in the barn trying to fix the pie machine. There was one close call when they thought the machine was fixed but all it did was squirt out hot gravy at Mrs. Tweedy, ending up with her painfully kicking her husband. Even though they still had more time, Ginger wasn't taking any chances. She walks among her troops and encourages them to keep going with their tasks, feeling proud of the amazing enterprise they had pulled together out of nothing.

But then when Ginger compliments Babs on her progress, Babs calls back, "No problem, doll face". Ginger walks out of the hut, her smile faded away. What Babs said had suddenly hit her: she actually missed that big dope calling her doll face. Ginger is realizing that even though she wanted to forget all about Rocky, she couldn't help but miss him. She missed hearing his voice, seeing his handsome face, and just being with him entirely. She looks at his circus poster still clinging to the wall, wondering where he had gone. At least we now know how Ginger really feels about Rocky. Even though she was mad at him, she still loved him with all her heart. If only he were here with her ❤️.

Meanwhile at that moment, Rocky was out in the world, riding along on a tricycle. A radio was strapped on the back and it was playing his favorite song "The Wanderer" by Dion. He is singing along with it as he pedals down the road. Pretty soon, he stumbles upon a large billboard. A moment later, he stops the tricycle, pedals backward and stopped in front of it. Our dashing rooster looks up at the billboard. It read "Mrs. Tweedy's Chicken Pies" and showed Mrs. Tweedy all made up to look very charming in her gingham apron. But yet only those who truly knew her would notice that sinister something lurking behind her little smile.

This advertisement starts to remind him of the hens once again, especially Ginger. It also reminds him of how much he cared about the chickens back on the farm, how much Ginger's dream of freedom for her and her friends really meant to her, and most of all, how much he really did love that determined and spunky hen. Rocky is now beginning to question his decision to leave Ginger, Fowler and the other hens in their time of need. He starts to feel absolute shame in himself. How could he leave when he was their best hope? His empathy for the chickens begins to grow even more. Rocky is now making another big decision; one that will surely change everything. I just hope this new big decision is better than his first one 😒.

During the time they have spent apart, Rocky and Ginger had plenty of time to think about how much they truly meant to each other. With Ginger, when she discovered Rocky's terrible secret, she first felt heartbroken that he was gone, but then she felt betrayed and frustrated that she allowed herself to be blinded by his charms and not finding out the truth sooner. She lost all hope and wanted to forget about Rocky entirely. This was easier said than done because she gets reminded of him again in the midst of everyone building the escape plane, with Babs uttering in response to her, "No problem, doll face", just like Rocky used to do. Ginger realizes at this point, she misses him greatly for he had made it into her heart and she couldn't help but fall in love with him. That cocky yet charming rooster had become a big part of her life and now he was gone. Don't worry, Ginger. Your Prince Charming will return; love always finds a way. Especially if it’s true love ❤️.

With Rocky, he had considered all the hens his friends, thought of Fowler as a father figure and even had fallen in love with Ginger. Unfortunately because of the immense guilt he felt about the big lie he has kept from everyone and knowing that he was falling in love with Ginger, he knew how much his contribution means to her. Therefore, he made the tough yet stupid decision to leave the farm immediately without Ginger's knowledge in order to avoid facing the spunky hen and breaking her heart after calling her out on her brutal honesty. Well you did anyway, you big dope 🤦🏼‍♀️. Rocky thought that he could move on with his life now that he was free, but he soon discovers that freedom can be a lonely road to follow, especially after seeing the billboard. All that does is remind him of Ginger and the other chickens again and that he made a big mistake to leave the farm when they truly needed him. Rocky is now starting to listen to his heart and not his head, and his heart is telling him that his friends needed him. Especially how much he truly missed Ginger; he still loves her with all his heart ❤️. What do you think he's going to do this time?

Anyway this is my tenth weekly Rocky/Ginger moment post commemorating the upcoming sequel to Chicken Run. I hope you enjoyed this post. There will be 2 other posts about the first film coming up in the future. Waiting for this long-awaited sequel may not be easy but these posts are making it easier as the release date draws nearer. But now the wait is almost over!!!!

[alltheficsiwant]

Gummy Bears

Gummy Bears | A 🦊Foxy and 🐺Wolfy One Shot

Warnings: Nothing. This is just pure fluff.

Rated: For Everyone

Summary: Bucky isn’t really a big fan of your dietary consumption. To be honest, he thought, despite the nerdy exterior, you would be conscious about those things. You just scream it but then he gets to know you and has the privilege to spend a whole day with you. Bucky was proven otherwise as he watched you consume copious amounts of chips, red bulls, and your self-proclaimed favorite, gummy bears. So when you run out of it, Bucky, despite the protest of his stomach and six-pack abs, would do anything to get you your precious Gummy Bears.

A/N: This is my first time posting a story. This is a Mafia!Bucky x Reader. The reader is presumably female but I tried my best for a gender-neutral approach. Please do not repost to other sites! Reblogs and comments are much appreciated.

P.S. A few changes has been made :) But not much only adding the nicknames that has been declared to a one shot related to this universe. Check out: When Foxy meets Wolfie. - J💕

Bucky doesn’t know anymore. It was supposed to be simple, an easy job to do. Search for it and get as much as he can. Apparently, it was bad timing to find it at this time of the year. He couldn't help but grunt as he glared at the near empty shelf. Running a hand through his now growing hair. 

He huffed and looked at his right to see Steve intently looking on one of the shelves. His big arms swarming through it trying to find the one thing that Bucky wanted to have right now.

“Had any luck?” Bucky asked and Steve grunted a no. Bucky almost, almost, whined out loud with the ridiculousness of the situation he is in but instead he growled. Scaring the mother and her child who is reaching towards the shelf beside him. For God’s sake, why is all of it no where to be fucking found?

“Stop scaring the damn patrons Buck,” Sam’s amused voice came in, making him sharply look to his left as he saw Sam walking back to him, empty handed.

“I don’t care. I need to find it,” Bucky grunted and side stepped the petrified mother and son to walk towards Sam. His eyes glaring in frustration and anger. Sam, used to the looks and not deterred by it just stood there with an amused smirk.

“It’s Halloween, what do you expect? It's either that or the chocolates,” Sam supplied trying to appease Bucky.

“But the chocolates are still very much in stock while the one we are trying to find is nowhere to be found,” Steve unhelpfully supplied. Not really attuned to Bucky’s anger despite witnessing it for the good 28 years of being friends. Sam hissed at Steve who finally looked up from his rummaging to see Bucky fuming. 

“Great comment Steven,” Sam said as he turned to Bucky who clutched his hair now in frustration. 

“Fuck, this is the tenth fucking store,” Bucky mumbled and Sam was about to reach out to stop Bucky on making himself bald. A familiar ring tone started to play in Bucky’s pocket as he pulled it out. Brendon Urie’s voice blasted through the speakers as he sang into the unknown. Bucky, oblivious to the shock of his two trusted men, immediately answered the phone.

“Did you find some, Wolfie?” A small voice spoke before Bucky could even talk. Bucky can’t help but sigh sadly as he closes his eyes and presses the pad of fingers over it.

“Hey Foxy, I haven’t found some yet. We are just going to the last–”

“It's okay,” Your voice cut him off. It got a bit lower now and fuck, you sound so fucking sad that it made Bucky clenched his jaw in frustration. Wishing he was there to comfort you.

“No baby, its not–”

“It’s my fault anyway,” you continue to mumble. He could hear some shuffling on the other side. His mind can’t help but conjure the image of you probably moving from your couch which was the last place you are at when he left towards the bed. Your eyes are downcast and a bit sad. Fuck, Bucky wants to go back to you at the same time wanted to get what you wanted. “I should have brought them before Halloween week. I thought it would have lasted until next week,”

“Come on Foxy, it’s not your fault. I’m going to find you one. I promise just wait—”

“No Bucky, it's okay. Just come back here please?” Bucky bit his lip at your request. “It's okay, I still have some Lays in here. I’ll be fine,” your voice loses that bit of sadness in exchange with the soft and sweet voice you coax Bucky with. A weakness of Bucky that he happily told you after the both of you slept together for the first time. “It’s just some stupid gummy bears and besides its childish,” You added.

Bucky huffed as he looked back at Steve and Sam. Steve is back at the shelf and haggling with some patrons if they see any more gummy bears in the store while Sam approaches an employee. “But baby, I promised you I will find one. It's not childish,”

He can hear you huff on the other side of the phone before talking. “But?” You trailed off extending the u’s in the word. Bucky can’t help but roll his eyes at that.

“But even though it's unhealthy and not really good for your body. You love those stuff and I told you when we got together that I would give you anything you love and need,”

Bucky heard you sigh affectionately. “That is such a cheesy thing to say Bucky Barnes your reputation as the big baddie is waning,” 

Bucky chuckled. “What can I say? I like being cheesy with you,” He teased, making you giggle on the other side of the phone. “Though if you say that to anyone, there will be consequences,” he mused as he lowered his voice. Trying to implicate the things he would do to you. Things he plans to do to you all the damn time.

You giggled “But seriously, just come back here. It's just gummy bears.”

“But that’s your favorite–”

“I have a new favorite now and that is one big beefy mob boss named Bucky Barnes.” You told him and Bucky bit his lip trying not to scrunch his nose at the cheesiness of the line.

“Okay, I can see it now, that is just a cheesy thing to say,” Bucky can’t help but say and he smiled as he heard your laugh.

“Now you know how I feel but seriously. I want you back here now Wolfie,” You told him and Bucky sighed. Defeated, because he knew that is the one request above every request you can make that he can never say no to. 

“Okay, but we will hit this last store—”

“FOUND IT!” Sam cut Bucky’s line as he turned to see Sam with a basket half full of Gummy Bears.

“Baby you heard–”

“Sam found one?!” You squealed and Bucky couldn't help but laugh at your reaction.

“I thought I’m your favorite one?” He teased you as he mouthed a thank you to Sam who dragged Steve towards the cashier to pay. Steve, who apparently, made a shopping trip of his own grabbed a couple of kit kats and cadbury eggs that undoubtedly wild end up in his and Sam’s pantry for a couple of weeks. 

“Yeah, but Gummy Bears, Wolfie! Gummy Bears!” You exclaimed happily. “It actually helped me complete the prosthesis you are using now, Mister,” You added.

Bucky shook his head as he walked back out towards his bike to wait for Sam and Steve with the purchases. “I seriously got beaten down by mere Gummy Bears?”

You hummed and Bucky made a sound of being offended. You giggled but then you went quiet suddenly making Bucky straightened.

“Foxy? Are you still there?”

“Yeah, just had this feeling of being grateful,”

Bucky’s brow scrunched at the sudden turn of the conversation. “What for?”

“Nobody really goes to great lengths for me just to get me gummy bears,” you started as he heard you shuffling around again. “You really are different from what they tell about you Bucky Barnes,”

Bucky couldn't help but smile as he looked down at his feet. “You just realized it now, doll?” His Brooklyn accent peeked through as he cockily said it.

He heard you groan. “Now I just fed your ego, great.” You told him bitingly and Bucky can’t help but laugh. “Thank you Bucky, not just for the gummy bears but for everything.”

Bucky is now itching to get home to you as he just wants to smother you with kisses and maybe urge you to do something else with less clothing but instead he settled for a few words. 

“Anything for you, doll. You know I’ll do everything and anything for you,”

“Ditto,” you replied and Bucky can’t help but chuckle. There was a moment of silence as Bucky’s mouth twitched. The two of you haven’t said those 3 words yet but you and Bucky always settled with the phrase. But now, the urge to tell you those 3 words came stronger but before he could speak out about it you spoke again.

“But Gummy Bears are still my favorite. So get back here Wolfie so I can thank you properly,” You shyly suggested and Bucky can’t help but smirk as he saw Sam and Steve finally coming out. He aggressively started to sign to Sam to hand him over the Gummy Bears.

“Oh Foxy, I’ll be there 5 minutes tops and when I come home I think I can make you reconsider me,”

[aka-efirg]

sooo i wrote the thing i was talking about in this post and wow did it take more time to write than i planned. honestly i blame enzo, he talks too much and has too many opinions

so context for the fic, damon has been having lots of flashbacks from the previous timeline and nightmares these days so he has more and more trouble to appear fine and sometimes everything is too much for him

it's also happening after season 3 with main differences:

-alaric didn't die and get turn into an enhanced original vampire because damon kept an eye on him and made sure he didn't die more than he already did before coming back so ester couldn't corrupt his mind

-elena still gets turned into a vampire but still no idea how it happened since there was no super evil alaric to kill

-mason didn't die as well (or maybe he did, haven't decided yet) (but if he doesn't die, he will totally bitch with damon about katherine and how she manipulated them and made them fall in love with her. it's how they bonded)

-no idea what happened with ester and how they got rid of her

and during season 4 where they are trying to find the cure (jeremy is one of the five)

also damon has marks that look like burn scars on his arms and his back (hellfire) and a symbol on his chest (emily's mark to send him to the past and to protect him because him being in the past could count as being a disruption to natural balance)

Seeing Damon, seated cross-legged on his bed with fingers tightly pressed against his temples, is sadly unsurprising but nonetheless worrying. He knew it was bound to happen with how Damon spent the whole day zoning out, eyes looking at things that weren’t there, brows slightly burrowed as if he was fighting a headache. Enzo knows he is the only one who noticed—or maybe not, if the occasional glances the witch kept sending the older vampire’s way were any indication, and Enzo absently wonders what she sees, because he knows she can’t perceive what he does—

(the hurt, the despair and the guilt, the blood, the death and the fire)

so he wasn’t surprised when he witnessed Damon leaving the living room, so silently the only reason he noticed was because he didn't take his eyes off the older vampire. It took almost twenty minutes for the others to notice the oldest Salvatore was no longer with them and for Stefan to worry about where he was. At their questioning glances, Enzo simply stated that Damon was in his room before leaving as well.

(Sometimes Enzo wants to shake the younger Salvatore so hard, wants to crack his head open while screaming at him to just look at his brother, to see how much he’s hurting, all the things he hides behind sarcasm and apathy and monstrosity. He wants to gouge his eyes out just so he would have a reason to not see. And other times he wants to tear him apart because he can’t help but reminisce about hope and faith slowly shriveling as days and months and years accumulated, as blood kept pouring and screams became better than silence—because if he screams it means he is still alive it means you haven’t lost the most important thing you have left in this instant)

After closing the door as silently as possible, Enzo takes in the heavy air in the room, feeling like ozone and something electric, magic but not before focusing on his friend, his tense form on the bed, his breathing deliberately slow, sharp contrast to his heartbeat, too fast for a vampire. Slowly, Enzo walks closer to the bed, making sure to make some noise. Even if he’s sure the other vampire heard him, he doesn’t want to risk having a cornered, distressed Damon near his throat. When he notices Damon isn’t reacting save from a little tightening of his shoulders, he sits down on the mattress and waits.

“I’m fine.”

Enzo takes the time to look at his friend’s face, thin lips, burrowed brows and tightly closed eyes. In sum, in pain.

In sum, perfectly, absolutely fine.

Not even bothering to answer—did Damon really think he would believe him—, he edges closer and only then is he able to see the light, barely perceptible tremors that run through Damon’s arms, more noticeable around his hands where they’re pressed hard against the skin.

“Damon.”

The other vampire doesn’t answer, just curls a bit on himself, bringing his knees higher and his elbows closer to his body. Removing his shoes (because Damon will absolutely chew him out if his mud-covered boots so much as touch the silk covers, well… he will when he doesn’t look like a particularly sad puppy, as blood-sucking as he is, one scream away from collapsing into itself and—great now he just wants to hug this metaphorical puppy), he makes himself comfortable on the bed face to face with the older vampire waiting for him to acknowledge him.

When Damon realizes that he is not leaving and that he will not win at the waiting game (Enzo has plenty of experience in waiting and Damon is not particularly known for his patience, quite the contrary), he finally opens his eyes to glance at the younger and Enzo nearly wishes the other stayed how he was. He knows the look Damon is sending him is supposed to be a glare, to convey his annoyance at his presence but all Enzo can see is the shine. Gleaming blue eyes looking at him and… fuck he didn’t think it was that bad.

Damon must read something on his face because his eyes harden, a sneer appearing on his lips.

“I’m fine. Go away.”

Enzo has to act quick if he doesn’t want Damon to completely close himself off.

Suddenly Enzo wants nothing more than take every single person who made Damon so cautious and insecure about his hurts and vulnerabilities the simple thought of having them feels like a weakness, of showing them a burden, and tear them to shreds, piece by piece so they can feel every hurt, every tear they forced Damon to keep for himself. He wants to watch them burn, helpless and begging for mercy. And okay, maybe this is a bit extreme, but he spent seventy years being tortured, cut open, reduced to nothing but a mass of bones and blood. He long lost faith in mercy, leaving him only with a rage so intense and unending he wants to put the world on fire, scorching it into nothingness, just to sit on its ashes (or maybe dance, Damon has always loved dancing) and revel in the resulting absolute and beautiful desolation.

(When Enzo is left with nothing but fierce everlasting rage, he needs to unleash it because he knows, otherwise, it will simply consume him and everything around him. But—

—his torturers are all dead. Enzo remembers the ravages Damon left when he came back and rescued him, the complete destruction of everything Augustine represents, in pieces, covered in red and burning so hot he could almost feel the flames licking at his body, but this time, a promise of freedom instead of a promise of pain and blood.

—no matter how much he cursed the man, hated him with a searing, blinding passion, Enzo has long accepted he could never harm Damon. No matter how much he tried—and tried he did—. So many times (too many times part of him cries) he found himself looking down at the other vampire, straddling him, a stake pressed on his chest, tip piercing the skin just above the heart. Just one pressure and the wood would slide right through the bone. Blue eyes looking up at him, blankly, calmly, just waiting to see what he would do. So accepting Enzo wanted to scream at him to defend himself, to stop making himself so vulnerable. To do something because he left him to die, he killed one of the most important people he had and he shouldn’t accept to die. He doesn’t have any right to let Enzo kill the last person he has left. He did scream a few times, eyes burning with tears, until his throat was so sore the only sounds that left his mouth were rasps of rage and despair, and all he could do was throw the stake so hard against the wall it exploded in thousand fragments before collapsing, curses on his lips and apologies and regrets on Damon’s.

So while he doesn’t care whether the world burns and crashes, he will be damned before he lets anything happen to Damon. If he can’t direct his rage to the ones who wronged him—all dead and ashes and unable to harm them anymore—, he has no issue focusing it on the people who hurt his person.)

Distractedly wondering if it would be possible to resurrect one Guiseppe Salvatore, just to have the pleasure of killing him atrociously, Enzo practically jumps on the other vampire, taking his wrists into his hands. The glare Damon sends him is ferocious, and Enzo is sure if he were anyone else, he would have lost a few fingers for his trouble. When he’s certain he actually won’t lose any part of his body, he slowly lets go of the other’s hands and moves until he finds himself behind Damon, against the head of the bed. Even though the older vampire is watching him, he still lets a soft noise of surprise when arms grip his waist to pull him against the other’s body. He fights the hold for a moment until the younger vampire tightens his arms and drops his head against shoulder.

For a moment, everything is still and silent except for their breathings, one calm and deliberate, the other rapid and jerky until it progressively slows down. The shaking doesn’t stop though and when Enzo notices the tight grip Damon has on his own arm, hard and grinding—he is surprised the bone hasn’t given way yet—, he places his own hand on the other’s to make him relax his grip.

He turns his head, his lips barely touching the other vampire’s skin, but he still feels Damon react, how he inhales abruptly and presses himself more against him.

“It’s okay.” And he drops a faint kiss where the shoulder and the neck meet and Damon simply… stops. Falls further into Enzo like a puppet with its strings suddenly cut. A whimper escapes his mouth, something like a sob. Enzo kisses him a second time, this time on the neck, right on the pulse point. “I’ve got you.”

The next kiss lasts longer and, after removing Damon’s hand from his arm, he starts rubbing his thumb on the already healing bruises, feeling the sharp and still-getting-used-to contrast between cold and warm.

(This is something new. Where now sit marks—burn scar-like—, Damon’s skin is an interesting and unnatural mix of cold and warm skin. Vampires and undead cold. Humans and living warm. The first time he noticed it, he wasn’t able to contain his curiosity. But, when he questioned it, Damon shut down. Frozen and staring into space, watching things only he could see. He stayed like that for almost one hour, not even realizing how long he was in this state nor remembering what the question was. It was enough for Enzo to know not to ask about it again.)

His arm still around Damon’s waist now sits under his T-shirt, gently stroking his ribs, enjoying the light shiver that follows his hand. His lips stretched slightly, and he knows Damon felt it because he hears the beginning of a growl that ends up in a strange and entertaining mix between a groan and a moan when he starts dragging his nails instead. Enzo lifts his head, laying his cheek on the other’s shoulder, when he feels Damon turning his head. Placed like this, their noses bump before they can look at each other. When their eyes meet, Enzo smiles at the glint of amusement in Damon’s eyes. Because he much prefers this to the empty stare the blue-eyed vampire has been displaying all day, he slightly moves his head, rubbing their noses together once again. He is rewarded with a small chuckle, barely a sound but here in the way Damon’s lips stretched up a little and his eyes lighted up for a second. Feeling a bit lighter than when he entered the room, he can’t resist pressing his lips against the other’s and revels in the soft moan of surprise he gets in response. Damon doesn’t reciprocate, but he feels him relaxing, heartbeat finally calming down to a vampire-normal one.

When they separate, and since they’re already all feeling and soft, he murmurs a faint “I love you” and—wow the look he gets is so precious, so fragile it is heartbreaking.

(Seriously, tomorrow the second-class scooby gang (Yes, Enzo thinks pettily, they don’t deserve Capital Letters.) better be on their best behavior, or heads will be rolling.)

“I love you.” He repeats, making sure to look the other in the eyes, and kisses him one last time before repositioning himself behind Damon, bringing him closer. The other vampire leans against him, grabbing the hand next to his arm and starts playing with it. With the way he seems too focused on their linked hands, Damon must be thinking about something. Used to him sometimes needing time to organize his thoughts before speaking, Enzo simply waits for him to be ready to speak. Absently he goes back to stroking the other’s ribs, head resting against the headboard and his eyes closed.

Somewhere between his thoughts about the probability of making Stefan disappear without Damon noticing (zero percent) and if cheese chips and chocolate ice cream would make a good combination (the idea has some merit), Damon stopped fiddling with his hand, dragging his forefinger the long of his fingers instead. Enzo gets distracted by the change and almost misses Damon speaking.

“I love you too.”

Well, speaking might be the wrong word. The words are said, barely a whisper. And without his super-hearing, he would have missed them. Before he can respond, he feels Damon tensing a bit before he moves, so that they are facing each other, more or less with Damon still seated between his legs and his own arm around the other’s chest.

His eyes meet blue eyes, intense, filled with determination.

(God, Enzo loves these eyes. Haunting unforgettable breathtaking eyes.)

“I love you too. I know I don’t say it often. But I do.”

(Be still, vampire-heart. No need to beat like a normal human one.)

“I know you do. You made it pretty clear from the moment you came back to rescue me.”

That seems to take Damon by surprise who can’t help but blurt a stunned “What?”, eyes wide open.

“I mean I didn’t let myself believe at the beginning because… well obvious reasons,” and Enzo is pleased to see the other is not looking away for once, despite the flicker of shame and guilt that still flashes in the blue eyes. “But trust me, thinking back about it now, it’s really evident. You came back. For me.” Enzo takes the way Damon opens his mouth, probably ready to refute what he is saying, and glares at him. What he wants to say is hard enough. After a few seconds of hesitation, he takes a breath. “We talked about it. Several times. You know what I think and you know I forgave you. The thing, Damon, is yes I was angry and hurt and I felt betrayed. But there were days I was… not happy but relieved you could say. Because you got out. Because, deep down, I knew if you hadn’t left me, you would have got captured again and it would have meant the year prior would have been for nothing. That whole year, starving like I never did, always feeling on the verge of desiccation, would have been in vain. Plus, who knows what they would have done to you after you killed every attendee at the party. They were vicious afterwards.”

(And they were. The year that followed the massacre at the New Year party was atrocious. The scientists who survived or who weren’t there felt vindictive—like they had any right—and they took it out on him. He was an easy target for their revenge. The experiments became harsher, unforgiving and downward crueler—something he didn’t think was possible after fifteen years in their clutches. And if the physical torture wasn’t enough, he was feeling hurt and betrayed in the worst way possible. And so angry. There were days he was so furious the pain of the experiments barely registered. He would spend these days on the operating table planning how to take revenge on Damon in the most brutal and devastating way possible.

He knew everything about him, it would have been so easy to ruin him irreparably. Because Damon, for all he appears callous and impervious, cares. So much it is ludicrously frighteningly simple to hurt him.)

“But this is not what I was getting at. I mean, we can talk about it again. If you want. But another day. When at least one of us is emotionally able to lead this kind of conversation. What I wanted to say originally is… you came back. And no matter how angry, hurt or relieved I was that you weren’t there with me anymore, I still hold that hope that you would. Come back I mean.” For some reason, Damon looks particularly stricken at that, something heavier than guilt shining brightly in his eyes and Enzo almost wants to ask about it. Doesn’t because he knows Damon will not answer. “Of course, the hope I had that you would rescue me flickered a lot. Some days I felt ridiculous thinking you’d save me because I saw you turn your humanity off and you probably thought I was dead. But some days I was thinking to myself that maybe today would be the day you wake up and realize I didn’t die that day and that you’d come.” Unable to look at Damon for his next words, Enzo lowers his head, staring at their linked hands instead. “These days were the worst.” At the sharp inhale from his ex-cellmate, he stares down more intensely. “Because at the end of the day, I was still in this cell and I felt so stupid. But as stupid as hoping was, it… helped me. In some kind of cruel way. Because, if I had hope, I had something to hold onto. I couldn’t keep relying on anger to survive. I would have gone crazy. Lost myself in ways everything they did to me would never have. But, these last years, it was getting harder and harder to hold on to something positive. The fatigue, the pain, it made it easy for all the negative emotions to break through. Even then, I was losing my grip on them. And all of a sudden, after fifty years, you are here. You are standing in front of my cell, covered in blood. Then, you open the door and I’m out of the cell. I’m walking through the lab and there is blood and bodies everywhere. Until you shoved that guard at me so that I could drink, I was still persuaded it was a hallucination. A very elaborated one my brain conjured to… torture me more I guess. Damn, I don’t even remember where I was getting, but the bottom line is you came back when I thought you wouldn’t.”

When he finally looks up, he swallows. Damon looks devastating, he can practically see his heart breaking in his eyes. Enzo hesitates. He didn’t mean to make Damon feel worse. Maybe he should have waited for him to be emotionally more stable. Releasing the other’s hand—and pretending not to hear the wounded sound at the action—, he puts his two hands on Damon’s cheeks, making sure he is looking at him.

“You came back and got me out when you could have left me there,” Enzo can’t help but feel a bit relieved when he sees the other frown, protective anger in the lines of his face. “And then you didn’t leave me alone, you stayed, and you took care of me.” Dark eyes stare straight into wide blue ones. “At first, I thought it was out of guilt, and maybe it was, partially. But I know you. Guilt alone wouldn’t make you stay or help. Or keep still while someone is pointing a stake at your heart.” The last part is said with a bit of reproach despite Enzo knowing it is useless. Damon has something akin to a martyr complex but instead of the whole thing about sacrificing himself for people’s sake, he is willing to die if he feels he deserves it. In a fucked-up way, despite how it angered him at the time—still does to be honest—, Damon not trying to defend himself and looking ready to accept whatever punishment Enzo had for him, even death, was what convinced him Damon was earnest, made him realize how important he was to him.

(He swears, people who say Damon is unable to feel any sort of remorse have never seen him actually deal with guilt. Probably because it presents itself as recklessness and stupid impulsive decisions. Ordinary Damon things. But the thing with guilt is that Damon takes all of his worst traits and makes them worse.)

Because Damon has a thing about deals and debts. He particularly noticed it these last months, seeing him interact with people who are not himself nor doctors and their assistants. How he would carefully formulate his sentences, always letting himself some ground to defend himself if something goes wrong. How he would retaliate if he thought someone wronged him, or someone he cares about, one way or another. And okay maybe what he considers as wrongdoings is very subjective, but meet them and you find yourself confronted with a particularly violent and vindictive vampire. Enzo would have thought the others would have noticed it at this point, particularly the wording thing. But since he has arrived, they were still as careless as ever with their words and as clueless about Damon’s.

He is pretty sure the only person who caught on is Elijah, but it is probably because the Original vampire is as careful as Damon with his phrasing. Hell, the two practically made a game out of it, see who will be able to outword the other first without anyone noticing it—except Enzo who usually watches the two going at it with amusement. And keeps score. At the moment, they’re tied. Damon won the last point after the questioning and suspicious look Klaus sent his brother. (The victorious subtle but not really smirk Damon sent to Elijah made Klaus glance pointedly at the younger vampire. All it did was make Damon smirk more obnoxiously, this time mockingly at the hybrid. Enzo was already planning how to steal Klaus’s blood to cure the idiot from werewolf venom.)

“You don’t make a habit of showing your caring unless you actually do care, and even then you have to know what to look for. And you haven’t stopped since then. You think I haven’t noticed how you always seem to have blood bags close at hand. How you always make sure to be between me and the biggest threat in the room—which, I see how you keep flicking your eyes between me and Stefan, as if you don’t know whom to stay close to. Sometimes you look like you’re one blink away from kidnapping us out of the situation. Or one of us so that you can completely focus on the other. It’s cute in a way. Pretty sure Stefan thinks it’s unsettling the way you stare at him, but at least I get to laugh at his growing paranoia.”

A small laugh escapes Damon’s mouth. This little feud between Enzo and Stefan never stops amusing him.

“I love you. And I know you do too.” Right, this is what it was about originally. “You show it to me every day. I don’t need you to say it all the time.”

Damon simply stares at him in response, a small frown appearing between his brows. “It doesn’t mean I couldn’t say it more often.”

“And it is nice hearing it. But it doesn't mean I need to hear it, you already show it to me every time, every day.” When he sees Damon's brows furrow deeper, lips thinning in displeasure, he adds. “Stop being a stubborn dolt and just accept it.”

Now at the risk of incurring Damon’s wrath, Enzo's lips turn up in a small smile at the face the other vampire is making—which is not a pout because big bad vampires do not pout. (And it's not big bad wolfy who will disagree. His expression when he was told by his brother that his idea of turning Mystic Falls inhabitants into vampires so the littlest Gilbert could complete the map better stayed an idea was not a pout. Enzo sometimes looks at Damon and Klaus and can't help but laugh because no wonder these two can't get along, they're just too similar in the worst possible way.)

“I’m not saying all this to make you feel better. I am telling you. I have never doubted it. Believe me, when you’re being all you,” at the confused tilt of head he gets, he simply smiles, “it’s not hard to tell. I mean, even your brother knows you love him and you are a lot meaner with him. And… and I have no idea what we were talking about but I love you, you love me, we love each other, it’s nice.”

Damon raises an eyebrow, all judgment and wow, Enzo can see the resemblance between both Salvatore with this expression. “It’s nice? Really?”

“Shut it! I didn’t really plan on being all emotional today.”

The light amusement on Damon’s face straight away dies out and Enzo kind of wants to hit himself for it.

“Sorry. Today just felt… too much.”

Enzo smiles sadly and cups Damon’s face with his left hand, making sure to look him in the eyes. “Want to talk about it?”

The answer is obvious on Damon’s face, but after sighing, he still answers. “I thought I was doing okay, but they started talking about the most efficient way to kill as many supernatural creatures as possible. And it was too much because they are basically talking about mass murder and, I mean, I don't particularly care but… I don’t know, today I didn’t feel like listening anymore.”

“Well, if it makes you feel better, there was no progress on this front after you left. Doubt there has been any since I left.”

“Give them a few hours, they’ll come up with something. They can be particularly ruthless when it comes to their interests.” With a slight frown, he adds. “I better find a good place to hide the stake.” At Enzo’s questioning glance, he says. “I don’t trust them with something like that.”

Something in the way Damon said this sounds strange to Enzo. But aware the raven-haired vampire will not answer him, he doesn’t push. “What about your human buddy? Can’t he dissuade them from doing anything stupid?”

“You really think they’ll listen to Ric? I mean, Jeremy might but that’s all. And even then, the others can easily talk him into whatever shitty plan they think up. Believe me, it’s easier than it seems to convince little siblings to do what you want.”

Seeing how just thinking about what the Scooby Gang could come up with seems to suck out all of Damon’s energy, Enzo brings his other hand to the other’s face before kissing him. Damon instantly relaxes at the contact and leans forward to deepen the kiss. Thanks to their dampened need to breathe, the kiss lasts a few minutes during which Enzo lets himself think of nothing. Simply Damon seated between his legs, solid and real. His hands holding the dead-cold skin. One of Damon’s hands resting on his hip and the other gripping his knee. Enzo lets a moan escape when he feels Damon’s hand slides under his T-shirt, rubbing slow circles with his thumb. Feeling the other’s lips stretching into a smile, Enzo retaliates by biting them, fangs out, savoring the taste of blood on his tongue and the grunt accompanying it.

Finally breaking the kiss, Enzo’s attention zeroes in on the already healing bite and resists the urge to reopen it. A temptation starting to be too strong when Damon almost makes a show of licking his lips to get rid of the blood. So instead, Enzo focuses on the blue eyes already looking right at him. He lets himself a few seconds to lose himself in being Damon’s sole focus, gently stroking his cheeks, watching how the raven is leaning in at the movement, not breaking eye contact. He smiles, a tiny little thing, when Damon turns his head, taking his thumb in his mouth to nibble at it, not even piercing the skin. Sometimes Damon has the cutest little habits.

“Feel like doing anything?”

Damon lets his thumb go and stops to think, observing the younger vampire closely—probably (certainly) to determine what Enzo wants—so Enzo makes sure to keep his expression open, letting him know that the choice is entirely his, that he is okay with whatever he decides. After several seconds of scrutinizing, Damon seems to come to a decision. Still fixated on the other vampire, he slowly shakes his head.

“Not really. Not today. Can we just…” He seems to hesitate—shy as Damon Salvatore should never be—before gesticulating his hand between them and the bed.

Enzo doesn’t wait to agree, having immediately understood what Damon meant.

(Someone needs to remind Damon that it is alright to simply want to cuddle without sex involved. That if he wants someone to hold him, he just has to ask.)

(Realizing that the love of your life you spent a century and half trying to save from a fate worse than death lied to you and only used you for sex had certainly led to some serious self-love issues. Enzo would really like to have more words with Katherine Pierce. In retrospect, maybe he should have burned her the first time he met her. Because she damaged Damon so deeply Enzo has a visceral need to hurt her. And Enzo could appreciate the irony)

“Yeah, we can.” Letting the other go, Enzo takes his place back against the headboard and puts his arms around Damon’s waist when the older vampire pushes himself against him. Damon immediately grabs one of his hands in his before he starts playing with it. When Enzo doesn’t feel the other vampire relax after a few minutes, he puts his free hand on Damon’s tight, stroking the covered skin. At the light tensing of the man in his arms, Enzo begins to delicately put kisses on the exposed skin in front of him. He keeps doing so, butterfly kisses on the neck, nothing more, and his hand rubbing lazy circles on the other’s tight, not moving higher or lower, until he feels Damon slowly relaxing in his embrace once he is certain Enzo has no intention of going further.

The air around them feels lighter and lighter every second Damon unwinds a bit more until Enzo doesn’t feel like he’s about to be struck by lightning anymore. Instead, all he feels is warm contentment, and he lets himself be lulled into a soft feeling of security he doesn’t think he has ever been able to feel until Damon. Because there is something about the older vampire that makes him feel safe, that tells him he can let his guard down because he knows the other won’t let anything happen to him.

“How about we stop existing for a few hours?” Damon simply hums in response. “No original vampires, no magical map, no cure, and more importantly, no teenager drama. Just you and I between four walls, against the outside world.”

“At least there is no cement wall between us.”

“At least there is nothing to prevent us from cuddling.” He lets a short laugh escape at Damon’s groan.

“Please don’t call it that.”

“I’m calling it how I see it.” To emphasize his point, he tightens his hold and shoves his face in the junction between Damon’s neck and his shoulder. “I’m cuddling you.”

“You’re strangling me. You planning on letting me breathe at some point?” His only answer is the tightening of the grip around him, efficiently constricting his lungs. “Very funny.”

The dry tone only causes Enzo to drop a kiss on his neck followed by a nip right on his pulse point. “You don’t need to breathe.”

Damon huffs before slapping one of Enzo’s legs. “I do. And I’ll need to, eventually.”

“Admit we’re cuddling and maybe I’ll let you.”

“Maybe?” The clutch Damon’s in tightens a bit more.

“I’m very comfortable in this position.”

“You’re trying to crush my rib cage.”

“Cuddling.”

“Cuddling does not involve broken bones. Nor asphyxia.”

“That’s what you think. You just haven’t cuddled anyone in a long time.”

“We— You’re the one who spent decades as a rat lab, what do you know?” He simply gets a hum in response. “Plus, I’m the one who was stuck with a clingy angel-faced little sibling.”

“It was like two centuries ago. Doesn’t count.”

“It was never-happened ago for you. I win.”

“Okay little spoon, whatever you say.”

“How do you even know about that?”

“I’m catching up on modern slang.”

“Please, never say that word again. It sounds wrong coming from you.” Enzo decides to not answer and instead bites the skin on Damon’s neck before sucking. The other vampire inhales sharply. “If you’re hungry, there is blood downstairs.”

Enzo lifts his head to place it on Damon’s shoulder. “And risk bumping into the gaggle of murderous babies. No, thank you.” He sweeps the room with his eyes. “You should have blood in your room. Why don’t you have blood in your room?”

Damon doesn’t answer, preferring instead to settle more cozily against the younger vampire with a faint sigh of content. Enzo adjusts his grip until they’re both comfortable. Damon takes his hand once again, fiddling with his fingers and his ring. With Damon’s fixation with his hands, Enzo is half worried Damon is going to steal them. Or his ring. Damon looks like the kind of person to steal jewelry because he likes it.

After a few minutes of silence, Enzo leans his head toward Damon, chin hooked on the other's shoulder, a small smirk on his lips. He can feel Damon shift at his movement. “So,” from the way Damon freezes, he probably already knows he won't like what he'll hear. It simply makes his smile widen. “What about snuggling?”

Without missing a beat, Damon answers. “I'm disowning you. Starting now and ending never.” But, despite his words, he doesn't move. On the contrary, he leans further backwards and Enzo can't resist. 

“Looks like to me you do want more snuggles.”

With a grunt of disgust, Damon makes a move to extract himself from the other's embrace cuddle but Enzo tightens his grip. “Okay, okay, no cuddling and no snuggling. Just you and I against the outside world.” Despite his words, he makes sure to snuggle the other vampire as close as he can. “So, what do you say? We pretend the outside world doesn’t exist and we stay here where nothing can reach us?”

“I like the idea.”

Enzo smiles and starts stroking Damon’s arms with the tips of his fingers until the other is completely relaxed and nearly asleep. He drops a small kiss on Damon’s lower jaw and shifts a bit so they are both comfortably settled. He waits until he’s sure Damon is asleep before picking his phone to write a quick message to Alaric to tell him to not bother them until at least midday the day after. Message sent and not waiting for the confirmation the hunter saw it, he puts the phone down, adjusts his grip and lets his head fall against the headboard, listening to Damon’s breathing gradually lull him into sleep.

They have tons of problems to deal with, but for now, he’s content enough to ignore them. They’ll have all the time to worry about them tomorrow. And the day after. And every day that follows. His last thought before succumbing to sleep is wondering if he'd be able to convince Damon to ditch Mystic Falls and its seemingly never-ending troubles.

END

so this ends up being longer than i planned, sorry for that but i hope you liked it i had fun writing it

i'll probably edit and post it on ao3 at some point, there are stuff i haven't been able to fit here so we'll see

also damon might seem a bit out of character but you should remember that the guy came back from a future where he saw everyone he loved die and he was having a bad week

[hedge-rambles]

Terrible isekai guides you might meet

Ok I keep thinking about that post about someone not believing the stupid rules of the fantasy land they're in I reblogged the other day and I'm now trying to think of just terrible options for meeting your guide to this new world when you get isekai'd.

The conspiracy theorist: You've got no background here, so sadly it's not your fault you don't clock that the faun you met after walking through that magic wardrobe is actually a nutjob.

You're quite a way into your quest to defeat the dark lord before you find out he's really a duly elected politician and probably does not, in fact, keep a dungeon full of tortured gnomes beneath his castle.

"Yeah, if you believe the establishment" says the faun, rolling his eyes. With hindsight, you recall the fact he lived alone in a shack in the woods and how perhaps you should have thought more about that.

The helpful AI: You awaken in a futuristic looking facility, your last memory is of sticking a fork in the toaster like your mother always told you not to. There's a console to your right, and the text is in your own language! "Hello, how may I help you today?" the speaker announces in a friendly tone. You tentatively say "where am I?", but are still surprised when the voice answers.

They've clearly improved things a lot since your day, but it's still embarrassing how long, and how many failed solutions to problems it presented, before you finally twig that it's still just an LLM. They've got the voice tone right, and the speech is far more natural, but it's still basically a hallucinating predictive text machine. You begin to doubt everything it's told you.

The confident idiot: Look, it's not their fault they never got a decent education. Just like it's not your fault you don't know enough about this place to know how wrong they are. Maybe the moon here really is a projection on the sky? It's not, and they've clearly misunderstood something they once heard about how the light of the moon is actually reflecting off it, but you weren't to know that. I mean, you just saw a fucking unicorn, all bets were off.

Sadly for you, the helpful young man who found you lying in the middle of the road and nursed you back to health, is kind of an idiot. Helpful, has the best of intentions at heart, but still an idiot. And worse yet, he's just intelligent enough to make logical leaps from all the information he's misunderstood over the years. Everything he taught you is like 40-70% right, or close to right, and you realise it's probably going to take twice as long to unpick which of the things you learnt were true and which bits weren't.

It's five years later, and you're still stuck in that strange world, you're used to it now, this is your home. In the tavern one evening you take a moment to lean over to a trusted companion and utter the stupidest sentence you've ever said: "So, uh, weird question but...do unicorns actually have venomous horns?"

The cultist: Yeah so uh, listen they seemed so nice when they met you! The friendly woman in the shining white armour, who couldn't do enough to help this lost stranger in her land.

Later you learn the visual shorthand here is a bit different to the one you grew up with and you've joined the great war between Good and Evil on the side of Evil. Whoops.

The skull-helmeted warrior-priests of the squid god are the good guys. Actually, it makes a sort of sense when you think about it, that the guys with the lion motif on their breastplates are the bad guys. Lions will eat humans; squid are mostly just delicious. And of course a cultist is friendly to a lost person seemingly with no connections, that's how cults work back in your world too, dummy. Shame they want to "end the world in blood" and all that.