#i will be starting conversations and becoming acquaintances with everyone (<- was already doing that.)

[inkats]

why am i not vibing.

[rafecameroninterlude]

can you pleaseeee do some angst with pogue!sweetheart!reader, like she overhears some of the girls at the country club talking about her and saying things like “i don’t know what rafe see’s in her, she’s still a pogue.” and rafe possibly reassuring her? thank you!

warnings: bullying (?), classist comments, slight fluff

a/n: i got carried away (like always lol) leave requests if you’d like!

“rafe, as much as i love you, i don’t think i can stand out here much longer.” you fanned yourself, using your hand to block the sun from hitting your face. rafe and topper were currently playing golf while you played cart girl for them, the summer heat quickly becoming far too hot for you to handle. rafe paused their game, jogging over to you as he took his wallet out of the pocket of his pants.

“start up a tab at the bar, go ahead and cool off, baby.” you accepted his card, silently asking ‘are you sure?’ before he pressed a kiss to the corner of your lips. “go, on.” rafe reassured you, smiling to himself as he watched you make your way inside the country club.

you couldn’t help but sigh in relief when a gust of cool air blew past you, immediately ordering a virgin piña colada as you took a seat at the rather empty bar. rafe loved to bring you over to the country club, especially since you pretty much knew everyone from all the times you came to sell your baked goods, although it wouldn’t hurt to make some actual friends instead of acquaintances.

speaking of friends, you spotted a table not too far away, all three girls already looking at you before you smiled at them. no one smiled back. clearing your throat awkwardly, you fiddled with the rings on your fingers as you waited for your drink to be made. “you see rafe out on the golf course today? he is just so handsome.” oh, god. your breath hitched, your heart dropping as you continued to listen in on their conversation.

“he is! why he’s dating some pogue baker girl? i’ll never know.”

“that’s literally her over there.”

you shut your eyes, wishing the ground could swallow you whole. “i mean.. she’s pretty and all, but at the end of the day she’s still a pogue.” the girl’s laughter echoed in your ears, your skin flush with embarrassment. “well, it’s obvious that she’s just a charity case. rafe probably feels bad for the girl.” the way they all collectively agreed with one another made tears prick at your eyes.

just when you thought the comments couldn’t get any worse, your jaw nearly dropped to the floor at the next accusation. “maybe he’s paying her to have sex with him or something. i could imagine she has to scrape for some kind of change if she lives on the cut.” you were crying now, refusing to let them see any kind of tears running down your face. “one virgin piña colada.” the bartender placed the pretty drink down in front of you, a round of laughter erupting from behind you.

“a virgin piña colada? what is she? twelve?”

deciding you couldn’t take it anymore, you left a cash tip on the counter and muttered a ‘put it on on rafe cameron’s tab, please.’ before leaving without sparing them a single glance. to say you were mortified would be an understatement. rafe was probably going to freak out once he saw that you just up and left, but you couldn’t bring yourself to stay there another second.

you didn’t even make it out of the parking lot when you heard rafe’s voice calling after you. “y/n!” he was panting when he finally got to you, “hey, wait a second baby.” you quickly wiped your eyes before turning around, your boyfriend immediately sensing something was wrong. “woah, woah, what happened?” rafe tucked your hair behind your ears, cupping your chin before using his thumbs to stroke your tear-stained cheeks.

“nothing, i just don’t feel so good-”

“it’s not that.” he cut in, eyes flickering between yours. “what happened?” rafe asked once again. you knew it was impossible to lie to him. “tell me, baby, so i can fix it.” his jaw clenched, blue orbs wide with concern. you laughed bitterly. “you can’t fix girls who gossip.” at your words, rafe blinked before looking back at the country club. “are you talking about the snobs at the table near the window?” rafe took your silence as his answer, nodding slowly before draping an arm across your shoulders.

“what did they say?” his voice was eerily calm as he walked you two over to his truck. “it’s stupid, really.” you sniffled, letting rafe place you in the passenger seat. he kept the door open, leaning on the frame as he took your hand in his. “tell me.” rafe’s voice was stern, his chest rising and falling with each breath. you sighed, avoiding his gaze as you spoke. “they said that you have to be paying me to have sex with you because apparently i’m ‘scraping’ for change since i live on the cut.”

rafe’s jaw ticked, his eyes narrowing as he took your words in. “is that it?” he cleared his throat, his vision slowly blinding him with white hot anger. “they also said that they couldn’t understand why you would want to be with a ‘pogue baker girl’.. maybe their right.” rafe’s head shot up at your last statement, his face twisting in confusion. “what are you talking about?” he took your hand in his.

“i’m not even worth half of what these girls are,” you bit your lip to keep yourself from crying again, “i don’t have rich parents, i don’t have a trust fund that ensures i don’t have to work a day in my life, who am i kidding?” you shook your head. rafe studied you for a moment. “you know what you do have?” he lifted your chin, “a heart.”

“that’s something that no amount of money can buy. you have something priceless, y/n. you carry it with you everywhere you go.” rafe pressed a kiss to your temple, mumbling a ‘i’ll be right back.’ before he shut your door. you were a mess after that, his words not only being a comfort to you, but affirming.

rafe was gone for a few minutes before he strided out of the country club, a new piña colada in his hand. “here. now we sit and wait.” you took the drink from him, taking a sip as you watched two security guards escort the group of girls out. “what did you do?” you relaxed in your seat, glancing between rafe and the scene before you.

“got them blacklisted from the club. their parents aren’t as rich as you think.” he laughed, moving his attention to you. “don’t ever question yourself like that again. please.” he turned the engine on. “where are we going?” you asked. “we are going to go get you your own card, with your own little ‘trust fund’, alright?” he nodded.

“you’ll never have to worry about anyone talking like that about you ever again.”

[msschemmenti]

emily’s song

emily prentiss x reader

prompt: emily has been away on a case and she comes back to her girlfriend in her apartment cleaning early saturday morning to old 90s RnB love songs. and she’s educated and serenaded on the kind of love of her childhood.

a/n: can i interest anyone in a self-indulgent fluff drabble from my notes app? linked all the songs. and a surprise at the end. not edited at all and way longer than i intended.

emily sighed as her to her apartment door came into her vision. she and the team had been off in the texas heat chasing down another serial killer. two week away from home was already taxing enough but it was the first time she’d been gone this long as a girlfriend. emily had been seeing y/n for about six months now and she’d finally worked up the courage to make it official four weeks ago.

y/n was a childhood friend of derek’s who had moved up to DC earlier in the year. derek invited her out to drinks one night to help her get acquainted with the Virginia social scene and it didn’t take long for her to catch emily’s eye. she’d wowed the team with stories of her life in the south, had eased into a casual girls night invite the next time all of their schedules were cleared, and even got a laugh out of hotch. she unknowingly demanded the attention and interest of every room she entered. emily had been sucked in during their first meeting like everyone else, but that paid off in a way no one really saw coming.

y/n had excused herself to get another drink from the bar and as soon as she reached the bar a man twice her size sidled up next to her. derek was focused on a girl and everyone had dissolved into their own conversations in her absence but luckily emily had been keeping her eye on her for the entire night. emily did the whole knight and shining armor bit, rescuing her from unwanted attention and that had really been the start of everything. it started very casual, almost just friendly for the first couple of months. texting during the day, a quick lunch on a weekend, very casual. until emily got hurt on a case and derek let it slip to y/n. after that very minor injury (in comparison to everything emily had experienced in the past) the younger woman made it a point to check in with her everyday. emily had essentially become her best friend in DC— next to derek. and the fact that she found emily extremely attractive did nothing but fuel her actions. and just like that y/n wormed her way into emily’s most used contact and most seen friend. their schedules hardly aligned but when they did, they made it a point to get together. and now almost 7 months later, they were officially dating.

the team had initially hoped to wrap this case up in three days tops but when the killer extended his cooling off period they were forced to extend their time in texas. when she realized she wouldn’t be back she asked y/n to stop in to feed sergio while she was away. they’d both exchanged keys two weeks earlier under the guise of y/n needing emily to water her plants and with the access it just made sense.

it was nearing 10am when emily finally made it to her door and pushed the key in the lock. expecting to meet a dark and silent apartment she was very shocked to hear music flowing through the walls and lights on everywhere. the song playing was unfamiliar to her but she what was familiar was the voice singing along to the song. she quickly disarmed her alarm and slipped out of her shoes. she definitely hadn’t expected her girlfriend but she wasn’t mad about it at all.

“babe?” emily called into the apartment as she shrugged her go-bag off her shoulder as well.

“bathroom!” y/n called, before going back to singing along. emily followed the sound of her voice and grabbed sergio on the way and leaned against the doorframe of her ensuite.

“what are you doing?” emily asked as her eyes swept the room to find y/n on her hands and knees in the bathtub. y/n staying the night was already a surprise, but she really hadn’t been expecting her to be cleaning her apartment.

“it’s saturday baby.” y/n answered matter of factly.

“well yes, that’s true. but why are you scrubbing my bathtub right now?” emily asked in confusion. “is this your way of subtly telling me im a slob?”

y/n chuckled softly and leaned back to meet emily’s eyes, “no. this is just how i start my weekend. and i figured you wouldn’t mind coming home to a clean apartment.”

“huh, you do this every saturday?” emily asked curiously as she moved to perch on the bathroom counter.

“yep, been doing it since i was a child. every saturday my mom would wake us up, turn on her favorite songs and put us to work. we’d get to start the week in a clean house and it was a sort of symbolic cleansing of the week. i guess it kinda stuck with me.”

“so it’s a learned behavior.” emily hummed as she scratched behind sergio’s head.

“okay miss profiler. it’s my routine. i didn’t mean to fall asleep here last night but since i did i figured i’d do a lil cleaning before you got back.” y/n said climbing out of the bathtub to stand between emily’s legs.

emily smiled and released sergio to settle her hands on y/n’s waist, “well how much have you done?”

y/n smiled and pulled the rubber gloves from her hands, “i spent most of the morning in your bedroom, specifically your shoe closet.” she teased as emily rolled her eyes. “since i’m done in here i’ve just gotta finish in the kitchen.”

“how long have you been awake? do you wake up this early every saturday?” emily asked incredulously.

“not always, it’s just how i was raised baby. come on, i’ll make you something to eat while i finish up.” y/n smiled and patted emily’s hip.

“she cooks and she cleans?” emily teases following the younger woman into the kitchen.

“housewife training.” y/n winked, focusing on piecing together something for them both to eat.

as emily watched y/n work, she took the time to listen to the music that had been playing through the apartment. the songs had to be old. they didn’t sound like anything she’d heard on the radio within the last ten years.

“have you ever loved somebody so much it makes you cry? have you ever needed something so bad you can’t sleep at night?” y/n sang softly as she scrambled eggs. her hips swayed softly to the beat. emily watched and listened closely. over the past couple of months emily had grown to love y/n’s singing voice but she’s never heard her sing songs like this.

she plated the food and brought the plates over to the island where emily sat watching. y/n paused her singing to plant a soft kiss on emily’s lips then slid onto the island stool next to her to dive into the food. the song came to an end and faded into another, instrumentally specific and again about love.

“what are you listening to?” emily asked after spending most of their impromptu breakfast staring at y/n’s mouth watching her sing along to love song after love song.

“this song is addicted by sisqo.” y/n answered easily as she washed dishes.

“sisqo? as in thong song sisqo?” emily asked.

“yep! same album, just not on this playlist.”

“and what exactly is this playlist? i haven’t known a single song since i walked through the door.”

“not a single one? now that’s just wrong.”

“i can tell they’re older love songs? RnB? 90s?” emily deduced.

“are you using profiling to figure out what we're listening to? you’re almost as bad as the people who shazam songs in the car instead of just asking.” y/n laughed. “if you must know, this is my emily playlist.”

“i have a playlist?” emily asked cheeks tinting with a blush.

“you do. a playlist full of songs you’ve apparently never heard before.”

“well how do you decide what songs go on this playlist?”

“well if i hear a song and picture you— it gets added. something about the lyrics ‘just take my love baby, because you are so dear to me.’ just scream emily prentiss.”

“you have a playlist of love songs about me?”

“i’ll try not to be offended that you don’t have one for me.” y/n teased but moved to bring her phone over to the profiler. “take a look.”

emily rolled her eyes at the tease but picked up the phone trying to distract from the blush taking over her cheeks. she scrolled studiously. it really was a playlist with her name on it. brandy, monica, aaliyah, mariah carey, jodeci, and more. emily smiled softly at just the titles of the songs and turned her warm eyes on the younger woman wiping the counters down.

“you wake up every saturday and clean while you listen to songs that remind you of me…” emily allowed a smirk to color her words in an attempt to hide just how bashful she was actually feeling. she’d never really experienced this kind of outright proclamation of love.

y/n clocked emily’s blush and deflection almost immediately and made her way over to the older woman with a soft smile. she swiped her phone and put on one of the songs.

“someone’s playing cocky to deflect but i’ll let it slide if you dance with me.” y/n extended her hand to emily and pulled her to her feet easily. the pair slotted together in a familiar dance. y/n’s arms wound around emily’s neck pulling her close and brought her lips to her ear. the song forever my lady swelled through the apartment and the lyrics caught emily’s attention.

“so you’re having my baby, that reminds you of me? you trying to tell me something?” emily snickered squeezing the younger woman’s waist.

“not that part particularly but you never know if that’ll change. just listen to the other words.” y/n prompted placing a kiss to the skin beneath her ear. “forever my lady. it’s like a dream. i’m holding you close , you’re keeping me warm. if this is ecstasy.” y/n sang quietly to emily as they swayed. as the song continued, emily’s heart swelled. she’d really lucked out in the romance department with this one.

“you know you’re quite romantic.” emily whispered as the song came to an end and faded into another.

“only for you baby, only for you.” y/n smiled and pulled back to press a sweet kiss to emily’s lips.

emily made a mental note to start her own playlist.

here’s an edit that basically inspired this whole thing :)

[sunflowersandsapphires]

If the Sun Starts Setting

Of Oak and Ivy, Chapter 7

Series Masterlist         Next Chapter

pairing: Matt Murdock x fem!reader 

summary: In college, Matt Murdock had two best friends, Foggy Nelson and you. However, life had no intention of letting you graduate with him. When he reconnects with you in adulthood, he is troubled to see the hand God has dealt you and vows to use every tool at his disposal to save you from damnation.

warnings: Swearing, family drama, characters celebrating Christmas, mom with terminal illness, crying mentions

a/n: Sorry to post this so late everyone! I have had the WORST brain fog today. I hope you enjoy! As always, comments and reblogs fuel me!

After just one semester of law school, the drive between suburban Connecticut and the Columbia campus was one you were becoming well-acquainted with. It wasn’t unbearably long, nor flooded with traffic on a dark Sunday evening. Headlights of oncoming vehicles painted swatches of light against the navy sky, a semi-urban work of art unlike anything you’d enjoyed before. Usually, it was a sight you took the time to admire. However, this particular evening you were unable to focus on anything but the tinny voice bubbling out of your phone’s speaker. 

Gritting your teeth and rolling your eyes to the heavens, you cursed the universe for a moment, tuning out the man on the other end of the line while you did so.

The sharp call of your name across the speakers regained your attention. ”Are you listening to me?“

Your father's inflection was grating on the best days. After three weeks spent waiting on him and your two ungrateful siblings while they preached about the importance of family during the holidays, you were ready to scream with every word he spat at you. The two hour drive back to campus was supposed to be the growing light at the end of the tunnel. Instead, you'd spent the last third of it arguing with your father about healthcare charges.

”Yes, I'm listening.“ ‘Unlike some of us’, you thought to yourself. ”As I said, that charge was for her brief hospital stay over Thanksgiving. I've already paid it and it might take a week or two to reflect—“

”This is a debt collection notice, hun. That means they didn't receive the payment yet. Which means they'll be coming after me when your mom inevitably cannot pay.“

Contemplating banging your head against your steering wheel just to remove the memory of this conversation, a flash of movement across the parking lot caught your eye. Expression softening, you almost sobbed in relief when you caught the two beaming expressions of your friends waving from the exterior door. Unfortunately, your father wasn't quite done arguing with you.

”Dad, I understand you don't want to be on the hook for this—“ ‘Not like you would be anyway.’

”I most certainly do not.“ He interrupted. Once again ignoring his rambling, you snatched your backpack and exited your car, slamming the door with a bit more force than usual.

”Dad, just forget about it, ok? I'll deal with it, just—“

”Well, clearly you won't deal with it in a timely fashion, which is why I'm calling...“ ‘Was he trying to kill you? It sure felt like it.’

”Ok, well I just got back to school so I need to go now.“ You tried to nudge him into polite farewells as you practically sprinted across the pavement towards your friends. As expected, he didn't take kindly to being rushed off the phone.

”Of course you do,“ He laughed incredulously. ”You know, this is your mother's livelihood we are discussing. It wouldn't kill you to be a bit more compassionate.“ ‘You're one to talk asshole.’

”You're right. I'll try to work on that this semester,“ You remarked drily. ”Gonna go inside now. Bye.“

Not bothering to listen to the screaming that answered your callous goodbye, you hung up, breaking into a strained smile as you greeted your boys. ”Why hello there, strangers.“

As if he didn't just witness you walk literally and figuratively closer to a breakdown, Foggy squealed, nearly taking you to the pavement in a tackling hug. “Welcome back, bug!”

“Christ, Fog, you're gonna crush her.” Matt laughed, hearing you grunt as you fumbled to stay upright with Foggy coiled around you like a boa constrictor.

“I missed you too, Fog.” You murmured, tears welling in your eyes at the sensation of being embraced.

You had missed them. Deeply and almost pathetically. After an entire semester at each other's sides, the few weeks in your hometown for Christmas had felt like an eternity.

After Matt and Foggy had been struck with the campus flu, the rest of the semester passed in a whirlwind. The two clingy boys had unsurprisingly infected you, meaning you were unfortunately sick for Thanksgiving and had to remain on campus to avoid passing the virus on to your immunosuppressed mother. Matt had been incredibly apologetic, and plagued with his typical Catholic guilt, so he'd stayed with you while Foggy returned to Hell's Kitchen for Turkey Day.

The next few weeks were spent cramming for finals and, eventually, celebrating the end of your first semester at Columbia—which you had all, amazingly, passed. Leaving for the lengthier winter break had been an abrupt end to the joy you felt over your grades, however.

You returned to New Haven a day earlier than expected to sit in the local hospital's oncology ward with your mother. While you were ill over Thanksgiving, she'd had a recurrence of stage 3 pancreatic cancer, which meant more frequent trips to see her doctor as well as numerous bills that neither of you could afford. Because of her declining health, your father and siblings had come to Connecticut for Christmas. The extra company meant that your holidays–which were meant to be a time for recuperation following a strenuous first semester–had been frustrating to the point of tears. Which, embarrassingly enough, Matt had been burdened with when you called him to complain.

The two of you called multiple times a week, exchanging stories and annoyances just like you did when you were living within a few blocks from each other. But it didn't stop you from missing him and Foggy fiercely for 24 excruciating days.

Swallowing a lump of pent up emotion, you huffed out a shaky exhale, your breath clouding in the frigid winter air. “Ok, Fog. You know I love you, but it's cold as fuck out here.”

“Right! Sorry.” Foggy withdrew from the embrace, blushing furiously as he scratched at the back of his neck.

Immediately replacing Foggy in front of you, Matt took a chance to hug you quickly before pulling you inside. “Glad you're finally here, I thought Nelson here was going to combust.”

Letting Matt usher you inside, you heard Foggy's baffled scoff. “Do I look like a patient man to you, Murdock?”

Matt smirked, “How would I know?”

You and Foggy both groaned loudly, looking to each other for support as Matt cackled. “C'mon, you set that one up perfectly. What's a guy to do?”

“You should've heard him over break, bug. He was driving my poor mother towards a stroke, I swear.” Foggy shook his head in feigned irritation.

“Oh please, she loved me.” Matt shoved his roommate, nearly bowling the three of you down the staircase as you trudged toward their room.

“I bet she did.” You snorted, “You probably dialed the charm up to 11.”

“Try 15.” Foggy remarked, unlocking the door and shoving it open.

Ignoring the jab, Matt held out a hand for your bag, allowing you to slip out of your coat and shoes.

“Who were you on the phone with?” His question was meant to open the can of worms in a structured way, rather than answer his own burning question. He’d bet dollars to donuts that it was–

“My father.” Came your fatigued response, confirming his suspicions. Your words were tinged with a bitterness that he’d expected, but they held a deeper upset thinly veiled by your exhaustion.  

“Is everything ok?” Foggy asked quietly, his brow pinching with worry as he studied the bags under your eyes. The blond was less informed on the hell you’d been put through over the last month or so, only picking up bits and pieces if Matt relayed them.

With a groan, you collapsed unceremoniously onto Matt’s bed beside him, leaning heavily into him as one of his arms fell across your shoulders. “Of course, it’s just…it wasn’t the pleasant send off I was hoping for.”

Your pulse jumped when you spoke, steadying out as you reached the end of your sentence. Matt already knew that things weren’t “ok” with your mom or your home life in general, but he blinked in surprise to hear the disappointment that coated your words as you referenced your father’s curt goodbye. Making a note to bring that up when you seemed more inclined to be vulnerable, he rubbed a palm over your arm in a comforting gesture.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I wish it had been better.”

Huffing a tiny laugh, you let your head fall against his shoulder. “Me too. How were your holidays?”

“Pleasant.” Matt murmured at the same time Foggy clapped his hands together.

“Fantastic! I forced Matt to watch all of the Star Wars movies with me and we ate our weight in cookies.” The long-haired boy explained with genuine enthusiasm. As he began to recount the escapades from the annual Nelson holiday party, your eyes flicked upwards to look at Matt, whose arm was still moving slowly across your shoulder and back as he caressed your sleeve. His eyes were trained forward, but a muscle in his jaw twitched as you focused on him, so you had a sneaking suspicion that neither of you were listening to Foggy’s story. You’d forgotten how well he could read you, until he gave you the option to pretend everything was fine with your dad.

He knew it wasn’t, and you did too. And maybe shoving that shit deep down and pretending it didn’t exist wasn’t a healthy way of handling it, but if you met Foggy’s worried gaze right now it would make you cry, which you were not prepared for. So, whether it was a wonderful coincidence or Matt could truly read you like a picture book, you were thankful for his deflection.

Smiling softly, you looked back to Foggy, listening to him talk about his drunk aunts fawning over Matt and feeling the thick tension bleed out of your shoulders.

Eventually, Foggy took a deep breath, slapping a hand to his forehead. “Woah, head rush!”

Matt chuckled, “You didn’t even stand up, buddy. You ok over there?”

“Yah, I’m fine! Just excited!” Foggy waved a hand, unfazed.

“And I can’t wait to hear about everything, Fog. But maybe we should take a break for presents?”

“Presents?” Foggy’s eyes widened along with his grin, his behavior as animated as a child’s at the mention of gifts. “Why didn’t you lead with that?”

You laughed, prying yourself out of Matt’s secure grip and opening your bag. Tossing two wrapped bundles across the room and onto Foggy’s bed, you set the other two in Matt’s lap.

“Merry Christmas, my lovely Musketeers!” You giggled as Foggy mime-fenced toward you. As soon as the blond was finished beating you in the imaginary sword fight, he eagerly tore into the glittery wrapping paper. Next to you, Matt looked much more apprehensive about the packages in his lap.

“Go on, Matty. Open them!” You encouraged, bumping his shoulder with your own.

“But we don’t have anything for you,” Matt’s lips curled into a pout, looking like a sulking kitten as he trailed a single finger along the crisp edge of the parcel nearest to his hand.

You rolled your eyes fondly. The poor kid had a strong enough sense of justice for the whole campus. ”Matty, we're in college. And I'm the only one with a job. I didn't expect you to get me anything.“

”But—“ Matt argued, but you cut him off with a laugh.

”No more buts! I got these presents for you because I wanted to, not because I thought I’d receive something in return. Please open them?“ Though he couldn't see your face, you batted your lashes and widened your eyes, hoping he could sense the pleading expression.

With a frown, he nodded once, carefully peeling the tape from the paper as if the task required surgical precision. Grinding his teeth as the paper crinkled raucously, he slid the first gift out of its casing carefully, as if he was expecting it to shock him if he moved too quickly. Withdrawing a lump of the softest material he'd ever felt, he ran a thumb over it, trying to decipher what it was. The strip of wool was composed of thick braided stitches, promising to retain warmth in even the most bitter winter weather.

”A scarf?“ He asked, his lips pursed into a small, surprised oval. A rosy blush dusted the tops of his cheeks.

”Yes! I made one for you and one for Foggy. Except yours is a deep red and his is orange.” You spoke softly, smiling over to where the longer-haired boy was wrapping the length of yarn around his neck triumphantly.

“Our favorite colors.” Matt murmured, his fingers still tracing the fuzzy stitching. “You remembered?“

”Of course I did, trouble. That's important information. I'd be a fool to let it slip through the cracks.“ You hoped the joke would make him laugh, but he continued to stare blankly at the scarf as if it was an animal that had just died in his arms. ”If you don't like it, I can take it back, and donate it or something–“

”No!“ Matt looked up, horrified, clutching the scarf to his chest. ”No, I love it. I just...“

Turning his face back to his lap, he licked his lips before continuing. ”I've never gotten something like this before. I don't know what to say, is all.“

”No need to say anything, bub. I'm glad you like it.“ You rubbed your palm over his arm, mirroring his actions from just a moment ago.

Still focused on his own gifts, Foggy's excited screech startled both you and Matt. ”NO WAY!“

Turning to you with a dropped jaw, Foggy shook his head. ”There is no way you got this.“

”What is it, buddy?“ Matt asked, his lips curled into a soft smile as he heard Foggy open a hardcover book eagerly.

”A first edition of The Fellowship of the Ring!“ Foggy was practically giddy, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he rifled through the pages. ”How did you even get this?“

Grinning at him, you giggled. ”My mom has a friend with an extensive book collection and asked where we could find one. Turns out, the friend had one of her own and was willing to part with it for next to nothing. Guess she owed my mom a favor.”

Diving across the room to crush you in another hug, Foggy kissed the top of your head. “Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!”

Laughing brightly, you struggled to shove your friend off of you. When he was this worked up, Foggy had the tenacity of an overexcited golden retriever. As usual, Matt helped release you from his clutches. ”You're welcome, Fog. I wanted to get you a nice copy since you lost the one you brought to school.”

“I'd say you accomplished that, my lovely jitterbug.” Foggy ruffled your hair, retreating to his bed and launching himself onto the mattress–the rusted springs creaking in protest.

Giggling at him, you turned back to Matt. “Alright, Murdock. Your turn, again. After this, I promise never to put you through this torture again. Until next year.”

Matt groaned in response, snatching the second gift with more vigor. “Let's get this over with.”

Approaching the gift with the same systematic tactic as the first, he slid the paper off of the box without a single tear. Setting the wrapping aside, he opened the cardboard package and pulled out his real gift.

“Ok so, I'm not sure how helpful these will be,” You warned, fidgeting with your hands as he ran his fingers along the band connecting the ear pieces. “But, they're, um, noise-canceling headphones?”

Matt's breath caught in his throat. He was overwhelmed with guilt and affection and surprise at the present, all words of gratitude pulled back down to his vocal chords as he focused solely on not bursting into tears.

Over the past few weeks, the Nelsons had been kind enough to invite him to stay and celebrate with them. He was flattered, and so thankful, but he wasn't used to so many...people. During a few of your phone calls over the break, he'd mentioned that the excessive stimuli, mainly noise, had been getting to him and giving him headaches. And rather than chastising him for being ungrateful, you'd listened and sympathized with him over the phone, ultimately buying him a solution to the issue with your own money.

Sure, there was no guarantee that these would work for his heightened senses, but you didn't know that. And the idea that you were willing to go to such immense lengths to ensure his comfort...it was evidence of a love he hadn't experienced in a decade.

“Are you ok? Did I do something wrong?” Your worried murmur broke his train of thought.

“No,” He choked out. ”No, they're perfect. So is the scarf. Thank you, bug.“

”Of course. Merry Christmas, Matt.“ You kissed his cheek gently and he felt a flush crawling up his neck. Wrapping an arm around you, he tucked you close to his chest, hand cradling the back of your neck.

”Merry Christmas, sweetheart.“

The two of you sat there in silence, holding each other close for a minute before your phone rang. Sighing deeply, you rested your head against Matt's shoulder as you fumbled for your phone. Thankfully, the screen displayed your mom's contact information, not your father.

“Sorry, trouble. I have to take this.“ You squeezed his arm, pulling out of his embrace and stretching as you stood. ”I'll be right back. Hopefully.“

Smiling at your near-groan, Matt jerked his chin towards the door. ”We'll be here.“

Slipping into the hallway, you lowered your voice. ”Hey mama, everything ok?“

”Hey baby, everything's fine, just had a couple questions for you about bills.“ Her sweet voice was strained and you could practically see her flicking her gaze to meet your father's, his metaphorical gun to her head as she made the call.

”Ok,“ You ground out, trying not to snap at her when she wasn't the reason you were frustrated. ”Um, what questions did you have?”

“You did pay the one from November?” She asked, predictably.

“I did. It'll reflect soon and Dad has nothing to worry about. The bill is attached to our names, not his. That's why Collections isn't writing to him.“ You explained as calmly as you could, knowing that she was aware of this already, but probably had you on speakerphone. ”Was that all?“

”Not exactly.“ Her tone shifted, pitching lower and sounding almost embarrassed. A crackle rippled over the line and suddenly your father's gruff voice replaced the one you adored.

“You need to come home next weekend to help your mom with the next round of billing. I've run out of time off and can no longer assist.” He commanded, the ‘compassion’ he held for her livelihood nowhere to be found.

‘Oh because you were so helpful this month when you were ordering us around.’  You griped internally. “What round of billing? The one from Thanksgiving–”

“Was four appointments ago. These things aren't free, you know. They’re wanting us to pay for them.”

Both you and your bank account were intimately familiar with the steep cost of her treatment. Inhaling deeply, you paced a few steps from Matt and Foggy's room. “I know they aren't free. We signed her up for a payment plan two weeks ago that offers a deferral–”

“She was denied.” His laconic answer made your spirits plummet as time came to a halt. Your pounding heart froze in place, dread creeping up your spine. 

“What?” On the off chance that he was being unintentionally misleading, you needed to clarify.

Your mother's apologetic voice came over the line once again. ”I wasn't accepted into the financial assistance program, baby. But, it's ok! I can pick up more shifts–“

”No!” You exclaimed, the shrill edge of your cry echoing down the hallway. You tried again, digging your nails into the flesh of your palm as you fought to keep your voice steady.

“Don't...you don't need to do that mama. I don't want you to overwork yourself. I'll come home on Friday and we can talk about options, ok?“ You bargained, running through your work schedule in your head to create a plan.

”Are you sure, honey? Won't you be busy getting a head start on the semester?“ 

Blinking back tears at her obvious care for you, you cleared your throat before answering. “It’s alright, mama. It’s just syllabus week, I’m sure I’ll have time to come home and sort things out.”

“She’ll make time.” Your father’s promise was more for your mom than you, but it felt like a swift kick to the gut all the same. 

Because you would make time. You had to. No one else would. You were your mom’s last line of defense. Prioritizing yourself and failing to be there for her wasn’t an option you had. The emotional burden you were carrying felt impossibly heavy, as if there was a line of anvils across your shoulders and chest, slowly forcing the oxygen out of your lungs until you perished. 

“Of course I will. I’ll see you this weekend, mama. Love you.” You choked out, slapping a palm over your mouth before you broke. 

“I love you too, baby. Have a good week at school!” You could picture her tired smile as she wished you a proper goodbye, the image cracking your composure. 

You hung up before the first tear rolled down your cheek. Dropping your face into your hands, you bit your lip to stifle a sob, letting the tears flow silently instead. Falling back against the wall behind you, you let your legs give out as you collapsed to the disgusting dorm hallway carpet. 

The blood rushing in your ears drowned out the noises drifting through the thin walls, an urge to scream churned in your chest. Ugly, rage filled sobs were barreling up your throat, desperately trying to claw their way out, to make your pain known. Hunching over your knees in a pitiful crouch, you shielded your face with your arms, preventing any passersby from seeing your much-needed meltdown. 

Choking out a breath around another half-smothered sob, you nearly screamed when a warm hand landed on your shoulder. Looking up frantically, the outburst downgraded to a strangled whine when you saw Matt’s furrowed brow directed at you. 

Wordlessly, he sank down beside you, opening his arms with a frown. Throwing yourself into his embrace, you couldn’t help the hideous sounds that escaped you as he enveloped you in his muscular arms with ease. Tucking your head under his chin, you shook violently against his chest as you bawled. 

“I can’t do this, Matt. I can’t–” You gasped out, your breath stuttering as you wept forcefully into his shoulder. 

Shushing you gently, he rubbed circles into your back with his large hand.

Whimpering at the touch, you wiped at your tear-streaked face furiously. “”I’m barely an adult. How am I supposed to do this?” Your voice shattered around the words, throat constricting with anguish.

“I don’t know,” Matt cooed, stroking a fresh pair of tears away from your skin with his thumbs. “But I’ve got you, sweetheart. We’ll get through it together.” 

Burying your face into his neck miserably, you shuddered with distaste. “I can’t ask that of you.”

“You don’t have to ask.” He whispered gravely, pressing a kiss to your crown. 

With that promise, your brain seemed to shut off. Your tears gradually slowed to a halt, leaving you dazed and exhausted in Matt’s lap. Heaving out a shaky exhale, you closed your eyes, letting his soft touches wash over you like the tides. Kissing your forehead tenderly, Matt cupped your cheek. 

“Why don’t we go sit somewhere softer than this shitty floor, hmm?” His small question was meant to make you laugh, but your fatigue had chased away every other emotion. 

Nodding softly, you let Matt pull you from the ground and back into his room, welcoming the darkness after the harsh fluorescent lighting of the hallway. Sliding off his glasses and placing them on his nightstand, he guided you to Foggy’s bed. The blond frowned at you, setting his book aside. 

“You ok, bug?” He asked, sitting up to inspect your puffy eyes.

Shaking your head tiredly, you crawled onto his mattress and let him wrap you in a hug. Matt, with an impressive amount of agility, somehow leapt onto the bed behind you, snaking his arms around your middle so that you were sandwiched between him and his roommate. You listened to their steady breathing, letting the sound lull you into a more peaceful state of mind. 

Tangling his fingers with yours, Matt’s lips scratched over the back of your head. “Fog, think you could read some of your book for us?”

“Uh, yah totally.” Foggy pouted, gaze still lingering on your drained face. “Let me just find my page.”

The combination of your worn-out consciousness and the comforting presence of your two best friends was dangerous. Your eyes fluttered shut and you could feel yourself drifting off. 

As if reading your thoughts, Matt kissed your hair. “Go on, sweetheart. We’ve got you.”

Squeezing his fingers, you stopped fighting the darkness pulling at the edges of your vision, drifting off into a dreamless sleep. 

Taglist: @eugene-emt-roe@abbyhaslongshorts @mrs-bellingham @abucketofweird @yeonalie @jadeunstablexx @spider-murdock @0ctober-writes @danzer8705 @mattmurdockstateofmind

Please tell me if these tags aren't working for you all because Tumblr has been acting up :/

[weirdsht]

Disillusioned 18 . Heterogeneity (3)

a/n: my fav chapter is the one after this hehe, but y'all have to wait until wednesday (unless you're reading this after I already uploaded it lol)

tags: overprotective people around reader, sick reader, fluff overall

English isn’t my first language so there will be grammatical errors

Pls don't repost my work anywhere without my permission

Constructive criticisms and any kind of interaction are more than welcome

Requests are currently closed but my ask are still open (read pinned)

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_____ thought their headaches and worry would end when Cale woke up after 15 days. The healer is used to the rigorous schedule the commander has whenever he wakes up after fainting. Understand that there’s a lot to catch up on, especially this time since Cale was gone for so long.

Everything had been smooth sailing. There are still a lot of things to do at Mogoru but Jack and the others can handle it. 

Finding the Mercenary King was also easy. In fact, he was the one who showed himself in their inn. Making a deal with him was even easier. As well as getting to the Wind Island. 

“Uhm so you’re telling me the owner of my ancient power is not supposed to talk to me and tell me the race of every single being I encounter?”

“...At least yours don’t have full-blown conversations about bread with you.”

Well, there’s a discovery that Cale and _____ are odd. Apparently, you’re not supposed to hear voices when you have an ancient power…

But aside from that everything else is smooth sailing.

Things started going south when Cale entered Wind Island alone.

Day 1:

Everyone is relaxed albeit a little worried for the young master. However, everyone trusts that he will be fine as he always has been.

Day 2:

Same as yesterday. Everyone is doing their own thing while waiting for the young master. However, _____ thinks that the group is doting on them more than they used to. They aren’t sure though.

Day 3:

Cale is supposed to go back, but there’s not a single sign of him yet. This made everyone in the group tense. Nonetheless, all they can do is wait.

Day 5:

The ambience in the boat has become scary. Not surprising as Cale is 2 days late now. Everyone is still sweet in front of _____. In fact, they have definitely become more doting and protective towards the healer. 

Like they can’t even take a single step forward without someone trying to assist them or asking what they need. At first, it confused _____, but they figured they were probably acting that way because of Cale’s absence.

However, that’s just towards _____.

They are so snappy with Bud. The poor man can’t even take a single breath without being told off. The only time he isn’t getting scolded is when _____ is talking to him.

So _____ took this chance to get acquainted with the Mercenary King. The healer explained to the man how everyone was just on edge because they were worried about the young master.

Day 7:

It’s been 4 days since Cale was supposed to come back. Everyone had decided that if he still didn’t come back in a few hours then they would go to the island.

“Not _____-nim. Please stay here in the boat where it is safe. I promise to come back and bring back Cale-nim”

At this point _____ is used to the group coddling them. They figured it’d either end or dwindle once Cale came back. So they just let everyone be.

Meanwhile, the healer and Bud got acquainted pretty well. It helps that their abilities are similar to each other. Talking to each other is also mutually beneficial to the two. Bud gets to talk to the only person who’s not inherently vicious in the boat. While _____ gets a distraction from the abundance of worry they are feeling.

“I have to ask Medicus-nim, what’s you’re relationship with Cale?”

Bud once tried calling the healer by their first name… never again. The looks he got from everyone were not worth it.

Names aside, the mercenary king is curious about the relationship of the two. In his opinion, _____ is the most protected after Cale. There’s gotta be a reason why that is.

“Me and the young master are friends. However, I am technically working under his orders right now.”

It doesn’t look like that to Bud but sure.

In addition to that, the blue-haired man doesn’t miss the way everyone else softens while _____ is speaking about their relationship. Something is going on that these two young masters don’t know.

However, Bud doesn’t pry. Instead, he lets the conversation die there and opts to wait for Cale silently.

Sure enough, the redhead prevails as he always does.

He came out just before the group was about to attack the island. As soon as he got out he purified the island before desperately eating apple pies like his life depended on it.

“...Cale, you do know that you’re still going to faint right?”

_____ is currently beside Cale thanks to Raon’s floating spell. 

The man in question just ignored the healer and continued gobbling the pie.

“If you don’t stop eating you’re gonna faint with a soggy apple pie in your mouth.”

Munch

Munch

Cale continued ignoring _____.

“Everyone, the young master is going to faint with an apple pie in

3…

2…

1”

True enough Cale fainted like a machinery out of mana after _____’s countdown.

Meanwhile, the healer who’s borderline making fun of Cale could be seen giggling.

Bud doesn’t know why and his afraid Ron and Eruhaben are going to kill him if he asks.

Their way back to Bud’s hometown was quiet. Everyone seemed accustomed to this and already knew what to do with Ron leading everyone.

All of them got to work as soon as Cale was resting on a bed. 

Well almost everyone.

When _____ tried to go out to help Beacrox, Eruhaben just used his mana to steer the healer back into the room. Once the healer was back in, Ron wrapped a blanket around them before guiding them to a comfy couch that had been moved beside Cale’s bed[1].

“Wait I want to help too–”

Ron ignored the healer as if they didn’t even say anything.

“A bed big enough to fit the two of you would be better but this couch would also suffice.”

“Why am I lying down too? I didn’t even use my powers–”

At that moment the children spoke up.

“Lemonade gramps, I think kind _____ forgot that their body is weak!”

“That’s true nya! It also looks like they forgot they’re still healing!”

“Go lie down nya.”

It took _____ a moment to realise what the three were talking about.

“Are you guys talking about what happened in the Caro Kingdom? That’s like a month ago. That wound is all healed up.”

“Yes it has been a month since then but your healing journey has been stunted since you used your powers while we were at the Empire. In addition to that the sea breeze is cold. It’s not good for your weak body.”

“But Eruhaben-nim I’m really okay–”

All it took was one exasperated stare from Eruhaben to make the healer clam up and lie down on the spacious couch. After they did the golden dragon sighed as if he had just dealt with a toddler throwing a tantrum.

True enough _____ developed a fever just a few hours after that. Their body couldn’t handle both the weather and the stress so it decided to break down the moment the healer got to relax. Good thing the group was already expecting this and has prepared everything a sick person would have needed.

At some point _____ tried to argue that maybe they’ll get the kids sick. So they should just let the healer recover in another room and maybe check on them from time to time. However, the children averaging 9 years old retaliated by putting on masks and casting a shield. (A bit overboard in _____’s opinion but when has not Raon been overboard.)

Just like that the two young masters slept for three days.

If on one of those days Cale’s hand twitched and placed itself on top of _____’s hand, then no one said a word.

And if they see Cale continue to hold _____’s hand after he woke up first? No, they didn’t.

[1] if you can't visualize it, just imagine a big couch that's the same height as the bed and then it's side-by-side so the couch kind of looks like an extension of the bed. basically the two + the children are all sleeping beside one another lol

[nyrobnua8983]

SCP staff reaction to you [1/2]

Female Gender Reader, She/Her

A girl, of average height, walked into a fairly warm room through large iron-gray doors, which, as always, were guarded by 4–6 security personnel for the safety of the newly built zone with 8 floors, located deep in a forest and far from any village or something similar. Y/N was wearing only a small robe with the SCP Foundation emblem, a black shirt, and light jeans. A colorful ribbon adorned her neck, holding an old barcode with information about her and her photo. As she quickly stepped into the cafeteria, almost everyone turned to look at her. And so her story began...

Dr. Clef

Perhaps he was the first to notice you or pay attention, but he certainly won't be the first to approach you and get to know you better. Initially, he will observe you, your behavior, your social interactions, and your daily habits. Clef had already heard about the incident at the zone where you worked, so he will approach and introduce himself to you, God willing, 2–3 weeks after you arrive here. Here's how it will happen:During lunch, you, as usual, sat at a separate and empty table to eat without unnecessary conversation and not disturb anyone, be it with their work or just your presence. But Clef thought otherwise and invited you to join a table with Kondraki, Iceberg, Brother, and a few others. Since his reputation wasn't the best in this place, you started to decline, but over time, you agreed and joined them.

*Conclusion*: "She's too timid! Like a little bear cornered and told she's about to be killed. I even like it. We can scare her well with Bright and see how she reacts."

Dr. Kondraki

Since your old pass didn’t work in the new zone and you couldn't open doors or anything like that with it, you were sent to Dr. Kondraki to get a new one.When you entered his office, you immediately noticed the various butterflies that were initially flying around the guy at the table but then flew up to you and began to hover around, studying you."Alright, let's do this quickly, and then we can get back to our business.""Uh-huh."Sitting down on one of the chairs and making a serious face, Kondraki took all the necessary photos, and finally, Y/N received a new pass.

*Conclusion*: "She's just a regular girl. Maybe we'll start talking, but it's unlikely since she's too skittish."

Dr. Glass

Your acquaintance happened when you first entered the cafeteria for Foundation staff, where all the scientists were sitting at that time. Your first task was to give Dr. Glass your character profile and a psychological report from your previous zone. It seemed simple, but Y/N couldn’t figure out where he was among everyone! A small panic ran through your body, but you had to keep it together. Quickly scanning the room, you still didn’t know who you were looking for, so you started praying and rereading the documents in your hands, waiting for a miracle.And then it happened! Dr. Glass approached you."As I understand it, you’re Y/N. I’m Dr. Glass, nice to meet you! According to the plan, you need to give me some documents," said the blond guy quite kindly and calmly, which made you smile involuntarily as you silently handed him everything he asked for."It’s clear what we’ll need to work on, but we’ll manage, won’t we, Y/N?"You awkwardly nodded in agreement and started listening to what he had to say.

*Conclusion*: "Well, Y/N is a sweet girl, but she was too frightened and didn’t speak when I approached her. Maybe it’s the result of the incident at zone XXX?"

Dr. Bright

Remember how Clef mentioned he might scare you along with Bright? I’m sorry to say, that thought will become a reality and be the reason for your frequent visits to the medical wing for tranquilizers. In his defense, Bright will say there’s no rule against "scaring or joking around with Dr. Y/N." But don’t worry, Dr. Glass will calm you down, and Dr. Gears, if possible, will protect you from any prank and might even punish Bright. By the way, regarding the rules... they might add something concerning you, but that’s not for sure.Your introduction, as one might expect, didn’t go smoothly. Bright intended to splash Dr. Kondraki with water, but you were the first to walk through the door, holding completed documents in your hands. All the work you had put in went down the drain, and on top of that, you had to go change into new clothes. To your surprise, you didn’t have any extra lab coats yet! They just hadn’t issued you a spare one yet, so you walked around without it and got a minor reprimand and a ruined mood for the rest of the day.

*Conclusion*: "I can’t help but laugh at her reactions to my jokes! You should’ve seen her teary eyes when a bucket of cold water was dumped on her."

Dr. Gears

A kind uncle who saves you from Bright and Clef's "funny and not-so-funny" jokes, Gears can warn you in advance of their plans if he finds out, or after the prank, he’ll help you recover or stand up if he’s nearby. If not, then you’re [CENSORED].The most he can do is talk to them or try to punish them if possible.Even if he doesn’t show his concern or sympathy for you, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel it deep inside. He’s really fed up with those two and their stupid and ridiculous ideas, but unfortunately, there’s nothing he can do about it.

*Conclusion*: "I always save her and help her avoid pranks in advance, and if I’m not around, I talk to Bright later, and we quickly resolve the issue."

[arioloyal]

[[Sepandarmazgan]](King baldwin iv x reader)])

Part2

[Jerusalem- 1182]

Sibylla's pov:

I wasn't there the day that the young traveler appeared on my brother's path with her long hair and strange black clothes. I had gone outside Jerusalem with some of my companions to meet balian. When I came back, I realized that the story of my younger brother's acquaintance with that stranger has become a new topic for any conversation.

All the people were asking one thing: who is this girl who is not known where she came from?, what is her origin?, how come the king of the holy land took her seriously and almost bowed to her?...

Since I have been used to seeing everyone bow to my brother since childhood, I never thought that one day he would bow to someone as a sign of respect. He only bowed in supplication before the statue of Jesus during worship, not before lesser and ordinary persons. That's why I didn't believe what I heard. But when I returned, Raymond confirmed the matter, and as I've never heard such a loyal person tell a lie till this day, I was forced to believe that Baldwin had kissed the stranger's hand at court, in front of everyone.

Besides, as Tiberias said, this uninvited guest who seems to be y/n of Persia, is destined to stay with us from now on.

Who is this stranger who suddenly came down from the heaven with a basket and just appeared in front of him? I wanted to look for her and see her with my own eyes. As soon as I saw Tiberias, I asked him: "Then why can't this girl be found?"

Tiberias silenced me by whispering: "Shh...his majesty and Lady y/n have gone to that bedchamber and closed all the doors."

From a distance, their voices sounded like whispers, but it was impossible to understand what they were saying. I was going that way when Tiberias stopped me again.

:"You better wait Sibylla, they don't want to be disturbed."

Guy de lusignan's pov:

...the long days in Jerusalem are not easily over. But they did not come out, the next day was the same, the next day again...how many words did they already have to talk to each other? What could the king of Jerusalem have in common with an ordinary person?

...One week passed, another week was the same... The servants and physicians lined up behind together every day and left the that leper's medicine , fresh bandages and food behind it and left. Although every day more delicious food was cooked than the day before, baldwin and y/n seemed to eat nothing but a piece of wheat bread and a bowl of milk and left the rest behind the door.

The order of the court was messed up. Every day that passed, I became more nervous and curious; I'm always calm, but this time it was different. At different hours of the day, I would stick my eyes to the door and look inside the room. I eavesdropped tirelessly every day. What if this girl knows about the caravan that Reynald and I robbed? as that orange-colored traitor said: "You should be afraid of famous people"...

But in any case, I did not see anything special. The curtains were drawn halfway. Except for the few words I stole in the air, the only thing I could hear was endless whispers. When there is nothing to see or hear, a person starts to fantasize in his mind. Maybe something has happened to the girl...

Once, Sibylla surprised me while I was listening to the door. she was angry and surprised. I think she also came here out of curiosity and wanted to know what kind of long story this is. Honestly, women are naturally curious. they can't help it.

My princess's eyes became like wild cats and she whispered her words in my face angrily.

:"You have no right to eavesdrop here. Since when did you worry about your king? You are not even allowed to enter this corridor."

Thank God I always keep my excuses in my pockets already: "Your lover now has the support of your brother. I have thousands of Knights and Templars at my disposal, and I have the power to do anything without his permission, but before that, I must remind the king that I am asking for your hand in marriage, otherwise your son's rule will be nothing but destruction... I came to talk to him, but it seems he has a beloved guest who never gets tired of being with her almost a month everyday..." I don't know why, but suddenly I laughed at the thought of it. wondering what just happened there...

(To be continued...)

[justmystyles]

Hey, you are literally one of my favorite writers out here. I honestly love every piece you've written, it's just all really really really good. (guess I am not as good with words as you, oops)

Anyway, I am so glad your requests are open. I was wondering if you could write something where the reader comes from a difficult family. emotionally abusive mother, distant father, eldest daughter syndrome, all that jazz.

So she's sort of moved away but still keeps in touch with her family cuz she does sorta love them but it's hard. So it's like she's got some body image issues and she's closed off, pretty funny but likes to use humor to hide her feelings, has a lot of acquaintances but doesn't like sharing herself with people much (why do I feel like I am describing someone specific lol)

And one day it all just becomes too much ig. I don't know exactly how the story goes, guess I am just looking for some comfort. had a weird few days.

Honestly, love you work. You're great. Thank you for reading that bs. Doesn't matter much if you decide to write it or not. You're already perfect. <3

Let's talk about this ask I got a few weeks ago, shall we?

First of all, I am honored to be considered one of your favorite writers on here, your words are so sweet and I love you.

Now, getting down to business, this ask genuinely made me cry because I know this reader. I am this reader and it was truly terrifying that a stranger on the internet described me so well to me. As soon as I read this, I knew it was going to be my next series, and after weeks of taking down notes and ideas, I finally started actually writing it today.

It'll still be a bit before I start putting it out there, this premise means so much to me that I want to really take my time and do it the justice it deserves, but I have included a little teaser for you below the read more so that you can get a taste of what I'm working on. I've also tagged my tag list peeps so that you all can see what I've been up to.

I'll still be working on NYIML and the other asks I have (if you sent me one, I love you and I'm working on it, please be patient, life has kind of blown up over the last week or so).

You would watch on in awe, watching the music come to life, watching Harry work. From time to time, you would meet his gaze, noticing a softness in his eyes that warmed your insides. You brushed your feelings off, reminding yourself that Harry was just a kind person. He probably looked at everyone like that. He would often invite you to join the group for lunch, or drinks after a successful session. You always declined politely, certain he was just asking to be polite. 

But Harry wasn’t just asking to be polite, and those looks that he threw in your direction were different than the way he would look at anyone else. He was fascinated by you, he felt like he needed to know more. When he met you, he thought you were beautiful, and the refreshments that you had laid out showed how kind and thoughtful you were. But he knew there was more to you, and he couldn’t wait to find out all of it.

You truly were the studio mom, always making sure everyone had what they needed. You would bring coffee and breakfast in the morning, make everyone’s lunch orders, or reservations if they decided to go out. But you would never join them. He found that curious, but also disappointing. He understood if you wanted to focus on work while you were all locked away in the studio, hoping to take those lunches and extra curricular times to get to know you, but those moments never came. 

He had asked your coworkers about you, hoping to gain some kind of intel that could help him break the ice. Everyone told him how sweet you were, always asking about them and their goings on, but often changing the subject when the conversation would turn to you. He also learned about how funny you were. He would have never guessed, based on how quiet you’d been around him. He figured some of that was because of his celebrity status, he was used to people being shy around him, but they would typically warm up over time. You hadn’t. 

There was a bit of worry in his mind that maybe you had an issue with him. You weren’t cold with him, you had always been incredibly kind in your interactions with him and that threw him for a loop. He racked his brain, trying to think of anything he might have said or done to upset you, but nothing came to mind. Perhaps you just weren’t a fan of his? Whatever it was, he was determined to figure it out. 

One afternoon, he was coming back from lunch and he overheard you talking to someone in one of the studios. He lingered by the doorway, he knew eavesdropping was wrong, but he was desperate. 

The conversation wasn’t much, you were just talking about a television show, but he heard the excitement in your voice and couldn’t help but smile. You sounded so cute. And then you laughed, and he could have died right there on the spot. You had an incredible laugh. He wanted to do anything to be the reason that beautiful sound came out of your mouth. 

Harry was so distracted that he didn’t notice that you were coming out of the studio. You weren’t expecting anyone to be standing there, so you bumped right into him. 

“Oh my gosh, I am so sorry Harry.” Your eyes were wide with panic.

He put his hands on your shoulders to steady you. “Don’t be. That was on me. It’s what I get for zoning off in front of doors.” He chuckled. 

You smiled politely and nodded at him. “Are you okay? Do you need anything?” 

“I was actually hoping to talk–”

He was interrupted by the ring of your phone. You pulled it out of your pocket and saw your mother’s name flash across the screen. “Crap, I’m so sorry it’s my mom. Do you mind if I take this?”

“No, not at all. You should always take calls from your mum.” 

“Right,” you scoff. “You’ve never talked to my mother.” You answer the phone, walking away quickly. 

He noticed your posture stiffen when you answered, and he hoped everything was okay. Once you were out of sight, he left, returning to the studio. “Y/N is taking a phone call, she’ll be right back.” 

When you finally returned, you apologized with a smile on your face, but Harry could see the sadness in your eyes. You took a seat at the computer, and he came up behind you, placing his hand softly on your back. You subconsciously relaxed into his touch. 

“Is everything alright?” He asked. 

You put on your best fake smile, which he immediately saw though. “Yeah, thanks.” 

He wanted to press, but he knew it wasn’t the right time or place. He also wasn’t totally sure you even liked him.

@allthelovehes @ameerakane20 @ash-craze @bethanysnow @blue-ballad @blueraspberryreader @brightlightsinlife @creativelyeva @cute-as-ducks420 @deannaard @fanficismydrug @gem1712 @golden-hoax @gothmingguk @groovychaosavenue @hillzrry @iceebabies @indierockgirrl @jerseygirlinca @jng4kook @jooniesbabie @kaverichauhan @laurxn-robinson @lexiecamposv @likeapplejuicenpeach @lilfreakjez @mrs-anna-styles211994 @n0vaj3an @potterheadandsherlocked @rach2699 @ravenclawdirectioner @stylesfeverr @superchrystaldrug @tenaciousperfectionunknown @tiaamberxx @thechaoticjoy @theekyliepage @walkingintheheartbreaksatellite @youknowwhaaat

[marvelslut16]

Acquaint Yourself With The Avengers

Prompt number: 29 "That's all? Easy."

Fandom: Marvel

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!reader

Rating: E(veryone)

Word count: 4.2k+

Warnings: Maybe some swearing. Slow Burn? Reality TV show hate. Bucky (and readers') self hatred. Talk of death.

A/N: Hey guys! I feel like I've been gone forever- work is killing me! But I'm back for Fictober and I'm really hoping I'll finally do the whole month. This is part 1 of 2 I think- but I'm open to writing more in this universe. Part two will be up in a few days if not tomorrow. I have never watched a reality TV show, so please bare with me for the mistakes I no doubt made.

“This has to be a joke,” you deadpan, throwing the joke of a contract onto the table in front of you. Steve murmurs in agreement on your left, and an increasingly uncomfortable Bucky shifts in his seat to Steve’s left. “Tony, reality shows are crap. What were you thinking?”

“This is coming from higher up than me,” he rubs his temples, giving away his exasperation. Over the years Tony started to slowly step out of the spotlight, no longer seeking out media coverage. “It’s directly from Fury, and the few Congress members that are still on our side. Since the Accord drama our ratings have been dipping, we need them to see that underneath it all we’re just human.”

“And if I don’t agree to it?” your voice hardens as you have a staring contest with the billionaire. 

“Then you’re out.”

“So you’re telling me if I don’t exploit my life, if we all don’t exploit our lives- we’re kicked to the curb. Just like that? Years of work and helping people just flushed down the toilet?” you’re on the verge of angry tears.

Your mother had drilled into your brain since you were a young impressionable child, that reality shows were trash, that they did more harm than good. The worse things people did on these shows the more famous they got, it teaches young children that they’ll get rewarded for their bad behavior. You wonder what she would think of you now, about to agree to become that trash just so you can continue to help the people that are bound to talk shit about each and every one of your friends online. 

“I agree with (Y/N/N),” Steve finally speaks up, quickly glancing at Bucky’s clenched fists. “Bucky shouldn’t be subjected to having twenty cameras shoved in his face, not so soon after rejoining society.”

It’s been a month since Bucky came to live with everyone at the newly built compound, he had spent the previous three months after the Accords in Wakanda receiving the best help Shuri could provide. You wouldn’t say that you and Bucky are friends, but you two are definitely friendlier than he is with most of the team. You’ve never pushed him to talk, you two can sit in peaceful silence, something Sam does regularly because of his experience with PTSD and the benefits of talking about it. 

“You’re just worried that more people are going to start speculating that you're dating him,” Sam joins the conversation, referencing the newest gossip article published today. Some ‘news’ site wrote a fifteen paragraph article speculating on a non-existent romance between the super soldiers, stemming from one single photo of Steve standing half in front of Bucky and pushing a camera out of his face on the way into a restaurant- for a team dinner. 

“On the topic of relationships, I don’t really want a bunch of cameras in mine and Clint’s,” Natasha speaks up from the other side of the table, Clint nods along.

“The last thing people need is hours of footage of Vis and me to analyze and bully us about, I already get enough judgment and hate,” Wanda adds, crossing her arms over her chest. Vis rests a comforting hand on her soldier, he’s learned enough about human emotions- especially Wanda’s- to know not to add anything. 

“You guys are overreacting,” Sam rolls his eyes. “Plus this could be a good time to promote things we’re passionate about, like group therapy for Veterans.” 

“It sounds fun,” Thor booms, you roll your eyes. No one will say anything about him, he’s conventionally attractive, has a sexy accent, and he’s a literal God. He has nothing but adoring fans. 

“All publicity is good publicity,” Tony grimaces. “We can’t go any lower, we’re already at the bottom of the barrel.”

“Peter’s lucky he’s a minor and anonymous,” you pout, out of the corner of your eye you can see Bucky crack a small smile. With that one final comment you're signing the contract, because at the end of the day you’ll do whatever it takes to be able to help those in need. Everyone has a similar vein of thought, all signing their own contracts. 

Later that night you're sitting in the living room with Bucky, the News is playing in the background, but neither of you had been paying it any mind. You’re too focused on coming up with worst case scenarios about the impending reality show. Bucky can practically hear the gears whirring in your head, he keeps glancing over at you to make sure you're okay. Not that you notice because you're too wrapped up in your own little world. 

“What if they edit it to make one of us the villain?” you ask out of nowhere, this is the first time you’ve broken the peaceful silence in the months you’ve been sitting with him. “Sorry, forget I said anything, I’m gonna head to bed.”

“It’ll be me,” Bucky whispers when you stand up from the couch. “They’ll take this opportunity to show everyone what a monster I am.”

“You aren’t a monster Bucky,” you squat down in front of him when you see that he’s staring at his lap. “You can’t be blamed for what Hydra made you do. And anyway, they usually pick an unsuspecting person on one of these shows and edit it so their words and actions are all twisted. They ruin people’s characters, not make hard hitting political statements.”

“You think they’ll target you?” he asks it like it’s a question, but it’s more of a statement. 

“Yeah I do,” you sigh, standing up and plopping on the couch beside Bucky for the first time. “I’m mysterious, or at least that’s what Tony and Peter keep telling me. I don’t have a big social media presence, I do my best to avoid the paparazzi when I go out, and I very rarely speak at press conferences. If they don’t make me the villain, I’m worried they’ll hyperfocus on me until I slip up and become one.”

“I think it’ll be Vision, since he’s a robot,” Bucky adds after a minute of silence, and you can’t help but smile at him.”

Before you know it, Wednesday rolls around, and the fifteen person crew shows up to invade your lives. You start to get overwhelmed by the ten cameras they are setting up, two in a confessional area, and the other three in the living room where you are all supposed to do your opening scripted talk- where Tony will explain why you guys are doing the reality show Acquaint Yourself With The Avengers. On top of those cameras, the crew are setting up hidden and security cameras to catch the action when they aren’t there filming on the main ones. Once you're all seated on the couches- your stuffed between Bucky and Sam- the PA, Alice, comes over to talk to you all.

“So filming will happen Thursday through Tuesday most weeks, unless a big event falls on an off day, crew leaves by ten PM at the latest, and the hidden cameras will go dormant after midnight. No children will be in the final product- as requested by Scott, we can evaluate on a case by case basis if any of the rest of you choose to have children down the line and want to show them. Are there any questions?” she asks, but gives a look that screams not to ask any. “Well if there aren’t any, we should get to shooting, we’re already twenty minutes behind.”

You say your two scripted lines in the beginning scene and then zone out through the rest, you’re a little worried your face will give your lack of enthusiasm away, but none of the crew says anything so you assume you're fine. Soon enough, you're dismissed, but not allowed to go far because the first interviews for all of you are about to take place in the dining room. You and Bucky both stay firmly planted on the couch while most of the others go to the kitchen to get something to drink, or lurk in the dining room to watch said interviews- Steve being the first to be interviewed. 

“Just act like the camera’s aren't there,” you say unhelpfully when you notice his gaze shifting uneasily from one camera to the next. In reality you too are struggling with them watching you from every possible angle. 

“That’s all? Easy,” Bucky deadpans, a laugh bursts out of your mouth and his eyes twinkle.

“Did you just make a joke,” you laugh again, this time far quieter. For the first time since the camera crew arrived you forget they’re there, too lost in this one real moment with Bucky, too lost in his gorgeous crystal blue eyes. It’s the first time you’ve ever seen him let his guard down with anyone other than Steve. 

“And if I did?” he asks playfully, leaning in closer to you, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. 

“Then I’d say do it more often, it’s a good look on you,” you grin back at him, and you're only broken out of your trance when Alice calls for Tony. 

She calls you after Tony, hair and makeup come rushing over to give tiny last minute adjustments to your appearance after you're seated in front of a ring light. You start to fidget with the hem of your shirt as the PA flips through her paper to get to her list of questions about you, the suspense just making your anxiety skyrocket.

“To start off we’re just going to ask some easy and basic questions to get you warmed up. So (Y/N), you’ve been with the Avengers since it was first formed, tell us what that’s been like, and make sure you put the question in your answer.”

“I’ve been with the Avengers since 2011, I was the second one Director Fury recruited, right after Tony. I’ve loved all of the good deeds we have been able to do for people all over the world, and I’ve made some lifelong friendships too. It’s amazing being able to do something you love with the people you love.” 

“Good good,” Alice nods, looking down at her questions. “Now tell us how you feel about all of the new auditions to the team since then, and don’t hold back.”

“We’ve had some pretty great people join since the seven of us were originally put together, not only are they good, friendly people, but they are also all very skilled at what they do. I love watching the team grow, it just means that we have more skills and manpower to be able to help even more people,” Alice rolls her eyes at your response.

“For this next part we’re going to put up article headlines talking about how you’re the most private Avenger, even more so than Natasha. So just tell us why you’re so private.”

“There isn’t all that much to say, I’m just a private person,” Alice makes a keep going gesture from behind the camera. “I’ve always been pretty private and I was only thrust into the limelight when I joined the Avengers Initiative. I do my job to help people not to get recognition, that’s what my career has always been about. I never felt the need to post a lot of selfies online or make a tweet about the workout I just did. People are allowed to do those things, and there’s nothing wrong with that, I’ve just never understood why people would care what I’m doing in my day to day life.”

“Do you feel safe in the compound?” the question comes out of left field and you aren’t sure why it’s being brought up.

“Of course I feel safe! I’m in a highly secured compound with my fellow Avengers, there’s nothing safer.”

“One last question, everyone is dying to know, what’s your relationship status?” Alice even seems like she’s interested in the answer.

“Like I said before, I am a very private person, but I suppose I could answer this. For the whole two people wondering about my relationship status, I am single at the moment. I’ve just been really focusing on my job, and I’ve learned that people don’t necessarily like coming second to my job and my friends.”

“Thank you,” Alice smiles. “Can you send Bucky over next?”

You do as you’re told, search out Bucky and send him on his way to the dining room. Instead of heading to sweet freedom, your room, you loiter and watch Bucky’s intro interview. “Sergeant Barnes, what has it been like joining the Avengers and how has everyone treated you?”

“It’s been okay and mostly everyone-” Bucky gets cut off by Alice.

“Make sure you put the question in your answer.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Bucky is clearly starting to get agitated with all of the focus and cameras on him.

“Say something like joining the Avengers has been really good, it’s helping me get better with teamwork again blah blah blah. The team has welcomed me in and it’s reminiscent of my time in the Army, something like that,” Bucky gives one nod, turning back to the camera in front of him. 

“Joining the Avengers has been really good, it’s helping me get better with teamwork again,” you bring your hands to your mouth to stifle your laugh at Bucky repeating you word for word. “The team has welcomed me in and it’s reminiscent of my time in the Army.”

“Okay,” Alice draws the word out at Bucky’s lack of originality. “Who would you say your best friends on the team are?”

“Steve,” Bucky responds without thinking, and Alice tells him to mention at least one other person. “Other than Steve, probably (Y/N).” 

You're shocked, but flattered, by his response. Sure, he may have just said that because you were right there and staring at him, but maybe he meant it. Maybe all of those nights on the couch with him meant something to him.

“Oh really?” asks, clearly liking whatever spin she’ll eventually put on this conversation in editing. 

“Yeah, she um, she was the first one to really welcome me and spend time with me,” he rubs his neck nervously. 

“Just like (Y/N), you’re really private too,” you take a step forward seeing that the questioning is starting to put Bucky on edge. 

“Cause it’s no one's business,” Alice, thankfully, doesn’t push. 

“Are you ever worried you may do something to put your team members in danger?”

That’s enough!” your voice comes out firmer and louder than you imagined it would, drawing the attention of the rest of the Avengers. “Bucky isn’t going to sith there and take your abuse, his interview is done.”

You hold your hand out to him, and he jumps to grasp it, gripping it like it’s his lifeline. You’ve never touched Bucky before, and you keep your brain from running at how warm and nice his right hand feels in your own. You lead him out of the room, away from the prying eyes, and the now constant camera presence. You pull Bucky to your favorite room in the compound, the library. You deposit him on the comfy chaise lounge in the middle of the room while you go grab two books. You come back with Harry Potter for you, and The Hobbit for him, you had heard him talking to Steve about the movies once and learned he read it back in the day. 

Little do you know, the littlest action of knowing Bucky’s favorite book on top of the way you stood up for him out there means more to Bucky than he’ll ever know how to express. It thaws his frozen heart just a little.

[pomegranate-pen]

Hi iv really enjoyed your lackadaisy writing and was wondering if you’d be willing to write dating headcanons for Mordecai Heller?

He’s one of my favorites atm

A/n: hey everyone!! hope you're all having a good day!!! so a lot fo you requested mordecai dating headcanons, so here it is!! this will probably be the last headcanons I'll do, and I'll now stick to writing scenarios while also my main focus being continuing my fanfics. also going to start making up the plot for the potential rocky fic. though that all may come out in summer, since I'm slowly but surely exam seasons. anyways- hope you all enjoy this!!

Mordecai Heller x gn! reader general

-Mordecai is definitely cold toward you the very first time you meet. He will not speak to you about himself or his interests, he will keep the conversations short and straight to the point and he will not care about a single thing you do, only he will be annoyed when you do a task wrong.

-If you’re a regular of sorts, or someone who will become his partner or co-worker, then you’ll learn a few more bits and information about him and if stayed long enough, you will get a few more lines other than orders about what he feels about a certain subject matter or a few other workers around here (mostly complaints about the Savoy siblings, given how much he has to spend time with them on the daily). even then, he merely considers you an acquaintance. And it will take many years and much more meetings for him to see you as a friend. and when it does happen, it is subtle, but the conversations are more apparent, and your opinion on different matters is valued much more.

-Being his lover, however, will take much longer, and needs a much more deal of spending time and getting to know him. Which can be hard given how closed off he is about his life and past. Despite that, it’s not an impossible task. Rather, it’s made extremely difficult due to Mordecai’s own lack of interest in such things, his trust issues, and a bundled amount of feelings of unworthiness towards such a thing as love. He believes he doesn’t need it nor does he deserve it, and he doesn’t mind either of those.

-However, though his feelings are completely uninterested in such matters, that doesn’t mean he won’t fall for someone, which in this case, becomes you after half a decade or so of being friends with him. 

-the first to realize their feelings is most likely you. since Mordecai will first assume that his emotions towards you are just ones out of the care and respect he has for you as a friend. If you realize them, you must keep quiet about them for the most part, since Mordecai won’t really understand why there would be such a feeling harboring between you two, and he must process his own feelings himself before accepting yours. When he does realize them, oh boy, it’s rough. He feels guilty for loving you, because he doesn’t trust himself with any intimate relationship. Given how his friendship went with Viktor, he was already extremely hesitant about the idea of another friend, now, a lover and a partner, someone that he needs to trust and share a part of his life with, and they must do with him, is frightening and confusing to say the least. As said before, he doesn’t believe he’s worthy of such things. And now that he wants it from you, he feels like a villain of sorts. Taking something that doesn’t belong to him in the first place.

-It will take quite a few months for him to accept these feelings of his, almost half a year even. You seriously need to be very patient with him, something that he will appreciate the world of when you do. his confession is short, and straight to the point. Though, a few ticks of stress and anxiousness can be seen in him. For example, his ears are twitching here and then, his tail is flicking up and down in his seat and he cannot for the life of him seem to stare at you in the eye for more than three seconds. His words are quick, and his tone is a bit clumsy for a guy like him. at the end of it, the flicks of his tail are quicker in speed, and now, he’s looking straight at you with a hesitant look, as if he’s regretting the confession already a second after it’s done.

-He’s calmed down and surprised when you do accept his confession, and he’d not know what to do at that point. he’d nod his head, clear his throat, and thank you. “very well then,” his ears twitched a bit. “ I suppose we’d have to…plan a date now?” 

-It takes him some time, but with some help from yours, he finds, in his opinion, the true meaning of dating someone. It is not about dates and being over the top like he presumed, yet it is a way of spending time and enjoying each other’s presence, and being loyal to one another for more than anyone else. 

-So as you can guess, dates are quite rare. He never sees the point in it, though if you want such an activity to happen every once in a while, perhaps with a bit of pleading and coaxing you’ll get him to begrudgingly get time out of his day to do such things with you. yet, even though he seems annoyed by the entire occasion at first, you find him calm and even smiling at some point the more time you spend with him on the said dates.

His love language is spending time with one another. Though at the start of the relationship, miscommunication will be common, since Mordecai isn't one to speak about his feelings, if you try your best to tackle it healthily, your relationship with him will be all about communication and it will be the very reason why it’s so strong at the end of it all. It also makes him see communication as the most important part of the relationship, so he’s completely honest, brutally so at times. 

--The love language he’d like to receive most is the same, though he does get a bit flustered anytime you use words of affirmation and compliment him, then quickly denies your compliments or thanks you for them. 

-Not at all a PDA person, nor is he a physically affectionate guy in private either. He doesn’t like physical contact, either finding it too stuffy or too warm for his liking and just not being in much of a mood for it most times. Though, if in a situation you truly seem like you need a warm embrace or a hand to hold, he wouldn’t mind giving that to you, though he’ll be a bit flustered and quiet the entire time while doing so. He wouldn’t ever say this out loud, but his favorite act of affection from you is when you kiss or peck his cheek. It's surprising to him and it makes him melt a bit, being treated with such softness is quite rare in his life, so he doesn’t know what to do when you peck him, but his heart is beating so fast he can’t focus. He could only look at you in shock and touch the cheek you have kissed in instinct. Give him a forehead kiss and you’ll have an extremely quiet Mordecai awaiting you. he’s processing every second of that quick kiss and he’s speechless by how much it moved him.

 -Word about your relationship will never spread out, since Mordecai is extremely private about such things. No one realizes you two are dating unless one of you says so. The only ones who do notice by connecting the dots themselves are the Savoy siblings and Viktor. 

-Whether you like it or not, information about Mordecai’s family will mostly never be revealed. You’ll most likely just know that he has two sisters, but that is all he will ever tell you. and in fairness, he never tries to force you to speak about yours either, so it’s a mutual agreement at times to just avoid the topic unless it is deemed necessary by a dangerous circumstance to be said. 

-He doesn’t have many hobbies, but if you still try to enjoy a few things he does such as reading the same book he has on his shelves, you’ll be met with a cautiously excited and info-dumping Mordecai who starts debates and discussions with you about which part of the books you enjoyed and detested.

-He’ll try to indulge a bit in a few hobbies you have as well, but he’ll probably not get much invested in them. Though, he still sees it as a worthy journey, since in the end you were smiling and excited when explaining things to him.  

-Mordecai feels much more comfortable ranting to you than anyone else. So most times when he comes back from work for the day and has a weekend to look forward to, he spends that time drinking tea with you while speaking about anything and nothing that is on his mind. Treat this like it was diamonds in a mine full of charcoal. because not everyone has the luck to meet this side of Mordecai Heller. He’s more expressive when he’s with you, more open with his emotions, which means the level of trust he has with you is most than anyone else’s.

He’ll listen to all your rants and complaints as well, and if needed, he will give honest advice for your problems. Don’t expect any comfort, though. Because he isn't the best one for such things and he makes that clear all the time before you start your rant. 

-Wherever you live, whether it's in a separate apartment from his or if you’ve moved in with him, it will be extremely clean. Whether it’s because of his actions or yours, a completely clean and tidied-up house becomes the absolute norm in your life. If you were one who never really cared about those things, well, you will have to at some point for his sake, since he’s always extremely uncomfortable in messy areas.

 -Mordecai Heller loves you, but he won’t ever verbally say it. yet, you’ll always know that, because his actions speak much louder than words ever can, and you understand every word he's saying when he’s making tea for you or asking about your day, speaking to you on the daily or just sitting next to you. you know he loves you, and you know he loves you back. and perhaps, that is why this relationship worked in the first place. It will have its hardships, yes, but like any other relationship, it doesn’t mean it won’t have its good moments either. 

[conra]

So what are your thoughts on any or all of the TCOFS characters we know of so far?

I'm definitely going to talk about a Blonde Lady who is supposedly an adult Bonnie Rivera.

I'll start from the beginning, where they show how the guys are going to shoot the movie "Murder Mill" in an abandoned building owned by the former Frank Stone, and after a while they are joined by Bonnie, who initially found out about all the plans by eavesdropping on her brother Jeinie's conversation. Obviously, Cristina has a bad relationship with Bonnie, since she was not initially taken to the shoot with her, I think it's because Cristina has a loving relationship with her brother. But nothing remains, and Bonnie is allowed to walk together in an abandoned place, of course, on Jainey's initiative. And at the moment of inspection and filming, the guys realize that what is happening is real and no one is pretending, someone somehow opens the very portal to the DBD universe, (perhaps by mistake of one of the characters) and everyone except Bonnie gets there.

After that, around the campfire, we are introduced to Augustine Lieber, whom I consider to be a kind of curator of this game, they say that she is related to this portal and knows about all this and will say that the traitor is still in the human world, and agrees to "help". we, well, you know, like Eliza Vorez, collect various artifacts that have already been shown in the demo version + I think there will be cassettes/films predicting a possible future.

Further, I do not presume to assume how everything will develop, a lot of time has passed since those events, and we get acquainted with a new teenage character similar to "Kaytlin 2.0", who, after leaving the cinema, falls into the hands of presumably the same blonde lady, presumably 40-year-old Bonnie, who considers the latter a suspect in what happened in that very cinema and "Kaytlin 2.0" admits that strange things are happening in the cinema,but believes that it was a dream , an adult Bonnie guesses what's the matter, and they go to Stan to figure out the whole situation. It is implied here that the tapes of the film that Linda shot were preserved by Bonnie but somehow got into the cinema.

Blonde Lady can really be a grown-up Bonnie, after what happened she could completely change both externally and in character, for example, become more compassionate, which demonstrates in relation to "Kaitlin 2.0" and clearly does not want her to experience the same events. And I think she has the motivation, with the help of a teenager's vision, to help sort out this whole portal topic and find a way to bring everyone back.

Okay, thanks for asking me the question, and I apologize for the long answer. I hope you enjoyed my ''wonderful thoughts.''

[aettuddae]

funky — chapter 16.

➵ synopsis: aeri takes her members to a music festival to introduce them to her newly made friend, jeon minki, the front person of a popular rock band in south korea. after seeing minki, karina, aespa's leader, becomes completely starstruck with the rockstar, and decides to find a way to make them fall in love with her, even though minki is the most clueless person in the universe.

masterlist | prev | next

[written chapter]

jimin was doing her best to stay calm.

she kept frantically running her hands through her clothes, anxiously trying to keep her image neat and pretty. she was taking big breaths of air, as she stared down the hallway where the special guests would be arriving.

that date on the aespa tour was not one of the main ones, so there weren't many people personally invited by the members. aeri had gotten tickets for her friends that day, as it was the only date they were all free to attend. in fact, they had to travel a few couple of hours to get to the location of the event.

some of the girls' acquaintances started to show up and come up to congratulate them on the show, but the leader was distracted and nervous, so even though she was talking to them and thanking them for being there, she wasn't paying enough attention to anyone.

at times she couldn't help but feel that her behavior was a little ridiculous.

she was so anxious about seeing this person again who, as all her friends kept repeating, she didn't know at all.

what was she going to do if they ended up hating each other after having a proper conversation?

she knew things about minki, about their personality, that aeri had told her. minki through aeri's eyes was pure sweetness. but what if they turned out to be someone completely different through her eyes?

these thoughts occupied a lot of time in her head since the day she first saw them, and they tormented her the most in that specific moment.

but then, a shout of excitement was heard across the room they were in, with somi's distinctive tone of voice, and when she turned to look, there was no more noise in jimin's head.

everything became quiet, peaceful, when she saw minki standing walking relaxedly following their sister, who was running around ecstatic to see her best friend.

yes, maybe they didn't know each other well enough, but the mere fact that after weeks of thinking only about this person, she finally had them in front of her again, gave her a great sense of relief.

her anxiety was calmed by the thought that she would finally have a second chance to talk to them.

the group of people walked into the room behind the younger jeon sibling, and approached their friend to greet her, but she was already trapped in the arms of the taller one.

like the social butterfly she is, yunjin quickly approached jimin.

"oh my god, hi!" she wrapped her arms around the girl for a moment and patted her back "the concert was great, we had a lot of fun." she pulled away.

around the two began to gather the members and aeri's friends who couldn't talk to her, as she was being showered with attention by somi.

a conversation quickly began, the topic of which varied between compliments from the guests and comments regarding the show.

"yo, and what's with the bob girl...?" gyuvin asked.

"what did i do?" minjeong put a hand to her chest, slightly offended, as if gyuvin was accusing her of something.

"he means the hologram." and there it was, that was the first sentence that had come out of minki's mouth, followed by an adorable giggle.

jimin couldn't hold back the smile that broke out at that sound, but stopped when she felt yizhuo pinch the skin on her back, and let out a short squeak from the pain, which got everyone's attention.

"are you okay, karina?" said hendery alertly, to which jimin nodded laughing at the embarrassment and unseriousness of the moment.

"karina?" repeated minki pinning their gaze on the girl, who instantly felt as if she stopped breathing. "is this the girl you thought was in love with you?" they looked at their friend in disbelief.

but the band member was completely unaware of the fact that everyone around them knew perfectly well who jimin liked, except them (and most of the funky cat club band).

"can you forget about that?" pleaded hendery covering his face so they couldn't see him "it was a moment of ultimate stupidity, as i usually have them."

"now i understand why aeri said you had to have a lot of confidence in yourself to think this girl likes you." commented somi's older sibling and laughed lightly.

at this everyone felt absolutely silent, staring at them stoically. jimin felt like she might faint at any moment, she was even shaking. not a very cool moment of hers.

yunjin, being perfectly aware of what this question would generate, gave a mischievous smile and, feigning innocence, questioned, "what does that mean?"

"that she's too pretty to like hendery's incel ass." they explained nonchalantly.

no one had time to react because yizhuo let out a squeal of excitement for her friend. but minki wasn't supposed to know it was excitement, so the girl started waving her hands in the air and kept squealing, creating an alibi.

"a mosquito, sorry." she quickly excused herself.

"anyways, lol before hoes, bro." added minki causing the tension in the air to dissipate and everyone want to punch them.

jimin even thinking for a second that maybe she didn't actually like them.

"hey, minki-ah, did you tell jimin unnie how much you liked her solo song?" exclaimed somi joining the conversation.

"oh! it was awesome, i kept repeating how great the song was." admitted the older one specifically addressing the aforementioned "i really like your voice color."

"thank you." she mumbled somewhat shyly.

minki was about to turn to talk to their friends, but turned again when they heard the girl speak again.

"i..." jimin wasn't a shy person, but at that moment she was having a hard time getting the words out of her throat "i didn't tell you at the festival last time," she continued "but i really enjoyed your band's music."

translated, what jimin really wanted to say was: "i really liked you."

"i've even been listening to your songs after that."

"really? wow!"

at first, jimin was embarrassed to confess this to the elder, but when she saw that light in their eyes and the smile that took over their face, she felt happy that she had the courage to say it.

"thank you, i'm glad you like the music we make." they leaned their body slightly forward, showing gratitude with their body.

having made minki smile was enough for jimin to define that as their favorite stop on the tour.

everyone continued to chat with each other, and all her friends got to hug and compliment aeri when somi finally left them. some got along well with the aespa members, including minki, who discovered they had a lot in common with minjeong, who they ended up exchanging numbers with.

[genshinimpactlife]

Hi hi!!! I love your writing a lot, it’s been really satisfying my fluff cravings lately! I hope you’ve been well, and that life is treating you kindly!

How about Kazuha, Thoma, and Kokomi with a cat-like reader? They have some animal features like ears and a tail, and maybe even nails that are slightly pointier than the average person! They’re a pretty reserved person when they’re first getting acquainted; polite, quiet, not unfriendly but not really going out of their way to make conversation, either. But once they warm up to each respective character, they’re a lot more chatty and playful, and once they start dating they turn out to be a total cuddle-bug who loves giving and receiving affection, and will even purr softly sometimes.... Im very soft for this stuff man ;w;

If you decide to take on this request, have fun with it! Either way I look forward to what you write next! Take care! 💕

Cat-Like Reader

Kazuha is a traveler. He's met all kinds of people, and he wouldn't be shocked by seeing someone with cat-like features.

Kazuha wouldn't make a big out of it and treat you just like he would anyone else.

He would immediately notice how reserved you are and take his time getting to know you.

Once he started breaking through your shell and seeing how playful and chatty you could be, the two of you started getting close.

Only then would he ask more questions about things like your ears and tail.

When your friendship started becoming something more, Kazuha was very blunt about his feelings and told you early on how he felt.

Oh he adores how cuddly you have become since then. He loves curling up with you every night, holding you close.

The first time you started purring was quite a shock for him, but he found it relaxing after a while; it helped lull him to sleep most nights.

Thoma thought that your ears were fake when you two first met.

"Wait? They're real? That's so cool!"

We know this boy loves animals, so he was already curious about you and your cat's features.

"Hey KittyCat, how are you?"

He didn't seem to care at all that you were more reserved and quiet at first. He got you talking surprisingly quickly with how bubbly he is.

As he got to know you, he asked you many stereotypical questions, but it was all out of genuine curiosity.

"Do you like fish? What about yarn?"

It wasn't long before you started falling for Thoma and his good heart, and he felt the same way.

When the two of you are relaxing on the couch, your head resting on his chest, he gently rubs your ears.

He loves how cuddly and affectionate you are. It doesn't matter if it's public or private. He will hug and kiss your cheek in front of everyone.

Kokomi is the most forward of the three when it comes to asking questions.

She's extremely curious about your ears and tail and how else you may be like a cat.

Kokomi is very patient and would take her time slowly breaking you out of your shell.

Once the two of you grew closer, she loved going on walks with you and just chatting the entire way.

She gets excited seeing how much you have changed since you met. Knowing you two are closer makes her happy.

The feelings you shared came naturally like you were destined to be together from the start.

After a long day of work, her favorite thing in the world is the hug you give her when she arrives home.

Feeling your purrs rumbling in her chest when you hug or cuddle is something she can't get enough of it.

When she has to leave, she loves to kiss your forehead and squish your ears once.

I'm so happy to hear you like my writing <3 I'm doing great, I hope you are doing good as well! I hope you enjoy!

Tag List Link

@rainbowleo @okadahimeko @0-kuki-0 @cyberpandas-blog

[marymary-diva17]

welcoming old friends and acquaintances

female spider

This is modern adaptation of where I belong

Life can always be hard and easy, for anyone when things haven’t gone so well. That was very true for a girl had been living a good, life until it all came crumbling down. That was her one part of her life, as she soon started over thinking the ones from the past will stay there but it seems like faith was not working that way.

Myla “ …….” myla is laying in her bed in the morning as her phone alarm started going off, she soon open her eyes and got up turning off her alarm.

myla " time for a brand new day" myla laid in bed a bit longer until she finally decided to get put of bed, and get ready for the day or maybe halfway ready. She was playing a video from one of her favorite channels that she use to watch with some old friends.

myla " ......" the last past years of mlya life had been hard on her but she soon found some change, that had made everything better. Once she was ready she made her way downstairs still listening and watching the video.

myla " breakfast" myla had grabbed some cereal and sat down at the kitchen table, once her breakfast is ready she started eating. The home she now lives in is bigger then her home from years ago, after moving her with her father the rest of her family life had changed dramatically.

myla " haha very funny" soon myla had heard someone coming down the steps, she soon looked up to see her mom standing there.

varrang " hello sweetie you are already up"

myla " good morning mom" Varrang had become myla stepmom after marring myla father Quaritch, while other would call Varrang her stepmom she had become her mom.

Varrang " your dad out for his morning runs with your uncles and aunts"

Myla " that sounds like them"

Varrang " I would of come along with the others but a call had come on the phone"

myla " dad understands mom"

Varrag " I know he does and this does allow them to do more extreme stuff" myla and varrag laugh as someone soon open the sliding door near the kitchen.

Quaritch " oh good my favorite girls are here"

myla " hey dad"

Varrang " hey honey"

Quaritch " you still watch the channel after all this time sweetie"

myla " yeah I still like this channel and even due what happened in the past was bad along with sad I still love these videos"

varrag " that good"

quaritch " how was the phone call"

Varrag " long but more will be spoken later after everyone arrives"

quairtch " good because these talks needs to happen"

myla " what going on" myla looked at her parents as they looked at each other and soon her.

Quaritch " a meeting between the adults of the clan here and elsewhere, something has come up at needs address"

myla " okay"

Varrag " don't worry my daughter the great mother will shine her light on us and keep us safe"

myla " yes mother" the rest of the morning had gone good, as the afternoon soon reached and the meeting will be happening soon. As varrang and Quaritch seem to be having private conversations, about what had been mentioned this morning.

ding dong

Myla “ I will get the door” myla had went front door and soon opens to see all her uncles and aunts.

Lyle “ hey kid”

myla “ hey uncle Lyle and everybody else”

Z dog “ hello sweetie it good to see you are up and about”

myla “ I’m always I'm come inside mom and dad, will over here soon”

Lopez “ thank you”

Prager “ let’s hope this meeting will be beneficial”

myla “ oh so you all know about the meeting as well”

Lyle “ yes we do”

Myla “ do I need to be worry about the meeting, as it seems like I should be worried about everyone tone”

Oing “ everything will be fine sweetheart we are just talking with other clans, to reach a agreement about something”

myla “ okay”

Quaritch “ good you are all here we just nee to get everything together for the meeting”

varrnag “ before everyone else arrives here”

myla “ I can help set up anything and I promise to stay out of way, when the meeting starts mom “

Varrang “ thank you for being helpful honey and if very much appreciated” myla had smiled and nodded her head she soon, helped get the home ready with everyone else for the meeting. The guests had come and myla greeted them alongside her family.

Myla " I'm going for a walk"

Quaritch " are you sure you want to do that you can hangout in the basement and watch tv or hangout in your room"

myla " I will be good dad I'm might also stop by the outlets as well, I have my wallet on me along with AirPods I will be good"

varrang " okay but be home before dark young lady"

myla " yes ma'am" myla soon put on her shoes before she left the house heading out on a walk, but she was still wondering what the meeting was about anyways. It very import on how everyone had gather at the house.

myla " whatever is about it go everyone worried and mom doesn't seem very happy" myla was walking around listening to her music when she noticed, the house that had been on sell were now sold.

myla " oh well there are gossip going around that those houses and other stuff had been sold I wonder who brought them ... this might be interesting" myla was walking pass some shops along with other important places as well.

????? " myla" myla soon stopped dead in her tracks when she heard her name getting called, she soon looked back to see someone from her past.

myla " tuk"

????? " tuk what are you carrying on about and dont be yelling so ..."

tuk " come quick myla is here she is here come and see" soon myla had been greeted by her old friends as they rush to see, what tuk was carrying on about. To see that the little girl is speaking the truth as you are really here.

kiro " myla"

myla " hey long time no see"

lo'ak " you are really here we thought we wouldn't see you again, after you moved away"

kiro " I'm so happy to see you do you live in this neighborhood"

neteyam " we didn't know you will be here when we moved her with the family and clan, this is so surprising"

myla " well life full of surprise"

aonung " hey guys what going on here we have been looking for you ...myla" myla soon notice more friends from her past are here as well.

tsireya " myla" tsireya soon hugged the girl happy to see her after her being gone for so long.

rotxo " wow did you all know she will be here"

sully kids " no"

kiro " we can't believe you are here when you and your dad left no one knew where you had gone"

aonung " as no one seem to care about them leaving along with the rest" aonung was soon smack on his shoulder by neteyam who glared at him.

aonung " sorry"

myla " it okay"

kiro " myla we know things didn't end ...."

Jake " hey kids us adults had talked and decided take out will be good, as it will take to long to set up the kitchen to cook ... myla"

tuk " dad look myla here"

myla " hey mr sully" Jake looked shock to see the girl so are all the kids as well.

????? " ma Jake have you spoke to the kids what do they ..." soon myla looked up to see neytiri and her mother standing there, they had become shock to see the girl.

????? " hey Jake we came by to ... myla"

???? " what going on here .... myla"

???? "that girl what is she doing here" myla soon noticed the other adults from her past had come by, she had once idolize them but this days seem to be gone for some of them.

myla " hello everyone"

neytiri " what are you doing her girl havent you and your family done enough to us, did you get my kids to tell you that we are here"

tuk " no mama she was walking pass the house when I saw her"

Jake " neytiri be nice she just a teen she means no harm"

neytiri " I know her well enough"

myla " I'm not here for trouble"

ronal " neytiri has rights to be mad and worry knowing your family bloodline and that past with you and our children"

tonowari " ronal this time for new start for us all"

ronal " not when she her she has done nothing but brought trouble and danger"

myla " what don't I make you all an offer here right now I stay far away from you and your families, and seeing that you are all here meaning your clans are here as well along with grace group as well"

kiro " myla no that not fair we can't do that to you"

myla " it for the best as I wish not to bring any trouble or danger to anyone"

norm " myla no please it has been hard on us all during these last couple years"

myla " I know it has as I was hard on me as well but I will not use that, to gain any support and empathy from anyone"

mo'at " you seem to be doing well child a new look and everything, the great mother has shine bright on you"

myla " thank you mo'at and it seems like she had looking out for you all as well ... good now if you excuse me I will be taking me leave as I don't wish to ruin anymore of your evening ... there are some good places here to get food if you want to know"

tonowari " thank you"

tsu'tey " why don't you have a meal with us or we can give you a ride home .. it to late for you to be out here alone"

myla " thank you but I ...."

????? " myla" soon everyone looked to see a car had parked near them, soon the car window rolled down a bit.

???? " I saw you here and thought you will need a ride home, knowing your dad will not want you out her so late"

myla " oh yes thank you"

norm " wait do you know his driver"

myla " yes I know the driver" myla soon open the car door and soon got inside, as she soon closed the door right away.

myla " bye everyone"

kiro " bye" the group of old friends seem heartbroken they finally had her back in their lives, and now they are losing her once again due to the behaviors of adults. The car widow soon rolled up as the driver didn't feel like looking at the adults anymore.

myla " thank you for the save there uncle Roio" the car soon took off leaving the area.

Roio " anytime there had been reports coming in about what was going on, and I came to get you before my sister or your dad got here"

myla " that not good"

roio " nope and knowing my sister she not going to let this slide" myla had nodded her head now know her past was here, there was no getting away from it. The duo soon arrived at home once they walked into the home, it was easy to say that everyone might know of the whole interaction that had taken place. The meeting had gone on for a bit longer until it came to an end, everyone soon bide goodbye. later that night.

Varrang " may we come inside and speak with you"

myla " yes"

Quaritch " so you saw the sully family and company"

myla " yes and I'm guessing they are ones that brought the emptied houses, and some of the labs spaces along with maybe other places"

Varrang " yes the clans had offered to give them places to stay for a while here, and for a good exchange among all the clans and people"

myla " Neytiri and ronal were not happy to see me"

varrang " yes I know that and we will deal with them later on"

myla " i want to feel happy to see them but I'm still upset and hurt, thing didn't end well most of them think me as some bad child"

quaritch " sweetie you have nothing to worry about while we are here, and the rest of our family and clan"

myla " yes dad"

Varrang " good now come on I had order dinner and it will be here soon, family dinner are always good for us" the family had dinner together once it arrived, myla was deep down praying everything will go well for her in the days to come. She knew she couldn't stay away from the ones of her past forever, as sooner or later she will be meeting them once again.

[bearlytolerant]

Fandom: Starfield

Rating: T

Pairing: Sam Coe x f!Spacefarer

Word Count: 1241

somewhere close to me

Sunset washes the balcony in warm orange hues where Sam leans against the railing, sipping from his glass of Chandra Melbec. Wine isn’t his regular go-to. But this one isn’t half bad. The waiter’s description—if he’s remembering correctly—was a full bodied red wine with notes of chocolate and fresh earth.

Apparently he likes the taste of bittersweet dirt.

The sight of Shepard’s hand lingering on a very tall and very bald man, he does not like so much. Not that he blames the man for doing so. Shepard is a sight to behold and it isn’t fair.

“Hey, you look just like Sam Coe.” Everything in him wants to ignore the comment. But he plasters on a charming smile and turns to address the gala attendee. Just a kid, maybe pushing twenty, probably not unlike him at that age. Most likely being dragged around and forced to attend fancy events, riding the coattails of his wealthy parents. Sam softens.

“You know, I get that a lot.”

“Huh, weird. You’re not him though, right?”

“What if I told you I am?”

“Nah, you look too old to be him.”

Doing his best not to laugh he tells the kid, “well, we don’t all age gracefully.”

The kid stares at him a little dumbfounded but then his eyes light up and his mouth kinda hangs in an O as he processes the information.

“You are him! Can I get a selfie?”

Sam obliges, setting his glass of wine on a nearby table. Smiling big, the kid pulls out his phone and snaps a shot of them side by side. “My grandma’s going to love this! Thanks man!”

He wanders off and Sam sighs. Honestly, he never considered he might be popular amongst the elderly. Learn something new everyday.

Sam grabs his wine again. Takes a sip. Swirls the glass and watches the kid move on to the next conversation. Then his eyes drift back to Shepard where the tall man’s hand is settled just above the swell of her ass. His fingers barely graze the exposed skin on her back and he practically chokes on his next sip of wine.

It’s none of his business but his feet are already carrying him over there.

Shepard is all smiles, more than she usually is. “Oh, Sam, this is Dalton Fiennes, Ryujin’s Chief of Security. This is—“

“Akila’s very own Sam Coe,” the stoic man says while sticking his hand out.

Sam switches the wine to his other hand. There’s a little surprise that this man—Dalton—would be familiar with the Coes. Maybe his fan base consists of more than just grannys. Or, more likely, it’s his job to know anyone and everyone worth knowing. His job to stick his nose where it doesn’t belong. He extends his hand to Dalton. Of course, the guy’s got a firm grip. It’s crushing but at least Dalton’s large and surprisingly soft hand isn’t on Shepard’s back anymore.

“So how did you two meet?” Sam asks, trying not to be too obvious as he flexes his fingers.

Shep says, “you know when you and I first met and I had just started working at Ryujin to make ends meet?”

Sam nods.

“There was a bit of a security issue which required us to work closely together. I was able to become well acquainted with Dalton through that.”

The emphasis isn’t lost on him nor is that smile that’s thrown at Dalton.

“Have to applaud her. Without her assistance, Ryujin would have had an insurmountable mess to clean up. She’s truly a unique and remarkable woman.”

“I wholly agree,” Sam says.

“Keep the praise coming, it’s nice to have the ego stroked every now and then,” Shepard says with a small laugh.

“I would gladly give you well deserved praise all night.”

Sam nearly chokes again, the wine burning as it goes down. They don’t notice. He watches as the two of them exchange a meaningful glance and then she looks away, taking a sip from her own glass of wine. Sam wants to tease her and he would if they were alone. Or maybe with their friends. Certainly not as the third wheel to whatever dynamic he’d found himself in.

The half beat of silence is interrupted when Dalton says,”excuse me. It appears I am being summoned.” He’s looking past them, listening to someone speak on his earpiece. Then he gives Shepard a charming smile and brushes his fingers down her arm, briefly squeezing her hand before letting it go. “It was lovely seeing you here tonight, Zero.”

Her name is a number and Dalton makes it so intimate and personal. Sam practically has goosebumps on his arms and he’s not even the intended audience.

“Hopefully, I will have the pleasure of crossing your path again.”

“Likewise. Have a wonderful evening Dalton,” she says.

Sam’s heart is in his throat. He downs the other half of his wine in an instant and follows Shepard back to the balcony.

“Was it just me or was there some heat between you two?”

It’s not some and there’s no question. But how else is he supposed to ask if she’s taken and that’s his competition?

Shepard’s cheeks are a lovely pink and he doesn’t remember ever seeing them like that before. She’s not really the blushing type. Usually she’s the one causing the blushing.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

Sam leans over the balcony railing, though his attention is fully on Shep. “So you two—uh—“

“Do you really want to go there?”

“We don’t have to. But I would like to remind you of a certain someone who was really pushy on the subject of Jacob Coe.”

“Fair point.” She sighs. “It’s a yes—after I stopped working there. I—he, well.” She clears her throat, lost for a moment in what he can only assume is a memory. The blush blooms brighter, and she chuckles a little.

There’s a moment of regret as he hangs onto her every word. Not sure if he can handle the details that she might lay on him but to satisfy his curiosity, he needs to know.

“The simplest answer is we were—something but weren’t cut out for that something long term. Mostly myself to blame for that.”

He silently thanks whatever gods might be out there for sparing him.

She breathes deep and meets his gaze. “I realized that it wasn’t fair to be with him when I’m madly in love with someone else.”

“Oh.” Sam deflates.

Who the hell is she in love with? Someone from Constellation? Another random person that he has yet to meet? Even though a tiny voice in his head hopes that someone is him, he doubts it could be. But he doesn’t ask and she doesn’t tell. Everything about her is unreadable. Still, he thinks of the kiss on his cheek earlier. Makes him wonder. But he’s seen her kiss Walter on the cheek too. Something like that isn’t enough to go on when making bold and grandiose declarations of his—feelings. Not to mention—oh no—the revelation dawns on him. Did she see him as another father figure?

Though time suspends for him, everyone around them is shuffling to their seats. The gala performances are to begin. There’s more food to eat, wine to drink.

“Come on, let’s go find Walter and Issa.”

Sam follows, setting his muddied mind aside, hoping for something stronger than a glass of wine.

[sgiandubh]

Jottings: Season 7, episode 6. A woman is... possibility

Contrary to what I usually do in here, just jotting down spontaneous impressions of the episodes, with no great pretension to anything, I had to re-watch Where The Waters Meet three times over last week. And it was all my fault, because this is truly a good and dense episode, that could have very well ended this half-season.

It also becomes more and more clear that my decision of not reading these damn books was a very poor choice. Probably because the storyline seems cramped, at times, I find myself gliding through moments and scenes with the very unpalatable sensation of bagging a munro without the right equipment. Not a good picture, I know. But bear in mind I just started Drums of Autumn and it already reads like a root canal intervention - sorry for the book purists. I should, however, hope to somehow catch up before part B of the season: no promises, though. If, by any stretch of my vivid imagination, I start to hear Herself's screechy voice in my head while reading, it immediately goes down the drain, despite my best intentions & effort.

But I digress. While Fort Ticonderoga is being evacuated with the help of the friendly Cherokees and their lightweight canoes, in Lallybroch there is a bit of fussing over Jemmy's cursing in Gaelic at school. Which leads to Roger being invited to give a wee lecture on the topic by a very enthusiastic Headmaster and yet another (Lord in heaven and all His cherubs) constipated domestic conversation with SS. The only cheerful thing about her is that self-assertive fringe, so 80s I could cry (I hate the Eighties with the passion I worship the Sixties, heh). And her grabbing me by the sleeve (Hello, people! Lookie here! I can haz acting! I am acting! ) every single time she has more than three lines on air is distracting and, again, annoying.

Walter Woodcock's demise instantly took me to Season 1, when that proud Scot was killed by the boar and Claire helped give him the good death he deserved. Not surprising at all, since the whole OL dynamic is a pendulum between loves, timelines and worlds.

The new Rollo dog looks less direwolfish than Rollo 1. #GoT, stopped watching upon Khaleesi's arrival at King's Landing. Never looked back.

Rob Cameron, you antagonist, you. That new acquaintance you instantly find too pushy not to feel suspicious about, and yet you can't afford to be irrationally rude to. Also, with no SS in sight, RR is pulling off his scenes quite fine & dandy, and with ease. What is that woman's dark secret? How can that be? Court is still in session, on this one. But give me more Hunters and less #Broger, dear God. I would take it any day, any way you see fit. I will be nice to everyone and take my vitamins. I will even consider jogging. But get them off my back, for Christ's sake!

Vandervaart. Consistent. Present. Owns his game. Elegant. Loved every single moment (Your servant, Madam - especially and for obvious reasons). A very, very good cast honoring both J and LJG. I can only fawn and paeans are not really my specialty. But I continue to be impressed and confident and I see great things for this talented kid.

Spoiler: I said yes, Claire. And just like that, with the click of the rifle's hammer, he tells her their whole world is yet again thrown upside down. Theirs is a dense scene, clearly dominated by S, whose mastery of voice and expression is once again flawless and thoroughly appreciated. She follows, at a - by now - completely symbiotic pace, but make no mistake: he gives her the cues. And I would take that subtle, unspeakable tenderness any day, gladly, if the writer's final choice was not to insist on what might be - perhaps unjustly - construed by some as geriatric porn. He still looks at her like that.

For that only, if not for all the rest, I will continue to watch it until the end. Because I feel you morally lose the right to criticize the moment you throw the towel and your opinion suddenly turns into bitching. Something I will most probably never do, as far as OL is concerned.

Onwards to Dreaded Seven. Let's see if I can be properly disgusted by poor acting yet again.

Credit given to @flllk. B&W is a great idea - the right kind of depth