#if people start shouting at me you’ll be blocked

[child-of-peace]

No one asked me for my opinion on why I think JK Rowling is a hypocrite, but I’m gonna give it anyway.

(This is something I’ve been thinking about for well over a year, and it’s something I have struggled to put into words until now.)

Harry Potter, and hear me out here, is the perfect allegory for transgenderness (I know, that’s not a word). To explain this, let me draw the parallels between types of wizard/witch and genders.

Purebloods: Cis women, born into the wizarding world, entirely magical.

Muggles: Cis men, born into the muggle world, no magic to speak of.

Halfbloods: Non-binary folk (like me!) or intersex folk, either raised in the muggle world like Harry (AMAB) or raised in the wizarding world like Tonks (AFAB).

Muggleborns: Trans women, born into the muggle world, entirely magical.

Squibs: Trans men, born into the wizarding world, no magic to speak of. (This one works too well, since, just like squibs, trans men are often forgotten about in conversation.)

So, by these standards:

Blood traitors: Trans allies (the Weasleys, the Potters, Sirius Black, Andromeda Tonks).

Pureblood supremacists: Transphobes (Bellatrix Lestrange, the Malfoys, in Rowling’s opinion the entirety of Slytherin house).

And now, onto the reason why JK Rowling is a hypocrite: Hermione and Lily are both “the brightest witch[es] of their age”. And yet they are muggleborns. At no point did she deny them their witchhood. In fact, she went as far as to say the people denying them their witchhood (pureblood supremacists) were bigots who were actively making the world a more dangerous place. The pureblood supremacists were spreading misinformation, claiming that muggleborns weren’t real wizards/witches and wanting them out of Hogwarts and out of the Wizarding World. Sound familiar?

Muggleborns are magical beings, that can’t be denied. They may have been raised in muggle society, but they aren’t muggles. And she points out that the Wizarding World is kept secret from the muggles because of past violence, but she shows a lot of muggles who are supportive of magical beings (Lily’s parents, Hermione’s parents, Jacob Kowalski, literally any muggle who willingly married a magical being). And in spite of that past violence, she still points out that muggleborns belong in the wizarding world. And as for our squibs, not much is said about them, but Filch is the caretaker of Hogwarts and Arabella Figg is a wonderful person who always looked out for Harry. They understand the struggles of magical beings, but they aren’t magical themselves. They look after their peers. JK Rowling tells us that these people are (for the most part) good. They may not have been born into those worlds, but they aren’t actually wrong for it. And yet it is our antagonists, the pureblood supremacists, who see them as wrong. The muggleborns “don’t belong” in wizarding society (neither do the halfbloods really) and the squibs are “defective”. Sound familiar?

Rowling is upset at being “cancelled”, when she raised us to do just that. Pureblood supremacists belong in Azkaban, right? And even the children (Slytherins) who are just spewing the hate their parents taught them belong in the dungeons, right? And everyone else (the blood traitors, the halfbloods, the muggleborns) is supposed to cheer on as they’re taken away, right?

Draco gets punched, turned into a ferret, flung around by a hippogriff and we’re supposed to see it as justice. We’re supposed to laugh. That’s what she taught us to do with bigots. But now that she’s the bigot, we’re supposed to continue to worship the ground she walks on? Not likely.

To be clear, I don’t want people doing to her what her characters did. She is still a human being deserving of basic human respect (even if she won’t afford us that same respect). Don’t buy her books or her merch (and if you have to, don’t buy it firsthand). Don’t give her more of your money. But don’t send her death threats or hate mail or turn her into a ferret either.

All I want is for her to acknowledge her role in our story. I want her to admit that she is the very villain she warned us about. That she is the monster she taught us to be wary of hiding under our beds. Because how else are we supposed to interpret her actions?

[postmortemnivis]

no grave can hold my body down, i'll crawl home to her.

simon really meant it, every bit of it, he’d come back to you somehow. he would find his way back to you. wether it was walking through the front door quietly not to wake you up in the middle of the night or cold in a coffin. he’d rather have you hold his dead body than not to have you touch his skin ever again.

that’s what simon was thinking about as his ear ringed so loud he couldn’t focus on his surroundings. he looked up at the sky, so blue it almost didn’t feel right. why so blue when so much blood was being shed?

he occasionally would feel the ground he was laying on tremble, maybe a hand grenade, maybe a body falling next to his. the smell of gunpowder filled his covered nostrils and he could feel his lungs collapsing on themselves from the thickness of the air he was breathing. his eyes weren’t doing good either, filled with dust and sand from the dry earth.

it took him a few more seconds to focus his eyes on something, something that possibly wasn’t moving, his head spinning each time he tried to sit up. something was weighting on his legs, holding him down. he struggled to raise his torso and groaned at the sight of a large body blocking him. he let himself fall back down.

he was ready to go, a sharp pain to his side telling him he wouldn’t last long alone. he’d been through worse, way worse, the scar provided by the meat hook was proof of that, but something was telling him this was as bad. he was ready to go.

the only thing he could think about in his last moments was you. he thought he could see glimpses of you, maybe your hair in the corner of his eyes or he’d hear your laugh as another fire shooting started. his eyes searched for you frantically. he wanted to tell you to leave immediately, scream it at the top of his lungs, but his voice was caught in his throat and you weren’t really there. his mind just playing cruel tricks on him.

your name was repeated like a mantra in his head, repeating it so many times it almost lost a meaning. almost. a prayer, a chant. he sure needed to pray, for you.

he had been shelving the thought that tormented him for months. he wanted to go and confess his sins, he almost felt the need, his palms itching with haste anytime he thought about it. years had passed since the last time he had set foot in a church, so many that he had almost forgotten the reason for the visit. the ghosts of the past never abandon you, especially if they are people you love, especially if they are family, the innocent. its always the innocent who pay the highest price.

‘i wonder what she’s doing now, who’s gonna knock on her door and tell her im gone.’ he thought. ‘hopefully price. he’s the one with tact and the most considerate. he’ll help her when i’m gone, keep an eye on her.’

the sweet smell of your hair replaced for a moment the one of blood and gunpowder, your laughter still echoing in his ears. he pictured your sweet face and big innocent eyes looking up at him.

“promise me something?”

“mhm?” he hummed, surprised you were still up. his hand hadn’t stopped caressing your hair since you laid down on his chest, your hand resting on his collarbone as your ear listened to his calm heartbeat. “yeah, anything.”

“promise me you’ll always come back.” you whispered in the dark room. “promise me, simon.”

he nodded, taken aback by your request. you weren’t the fondest of his job, he knew it, he hated to concern you like he did.

“yes.”

“promise.” you urged. “please.”

he bent his head down and kissed the top of yours, his arm sliding down your back and drawing you closer by your waist. “i will, love. i’ll always come back to you.”

you sighed, the knot of thoughts in your worried head began to untie. “mh.”

“better now?” he softly asked. his voice was hoarse from his constant shouting orders at the obstreperous recruits. you gave a short nod. “i mean it.”

he groaned as he managed to get the body off of himself, struggling to get on his knees.

fucks sake, he couldn’t let you live with him gone like this. it was selfish of him to leave you in such an abrupt way, really. he tried to push away the image of you opening the door to find price with a carton box filled with simons stuff from the barracks with the balaclava and skull mask on top and your knees hitting the floor before he could even say anything.

his legs didn’t feel like they could hold his weight up, he immediately fell to his knees as he heard another rapid fire too near him for his liking. his gun was long gone, he had to manage to survive alone, again.

“crawlin’ it is.” he breathed as he started to drag his tired body with the strength of his arms alone. you had always praised his strength: he could lift you with one arm alone, you loved to be held and hold on to his arm anywhere and at anytime. that was the main reason he always pushed for more while training, and the motivation your sweet compliments always gave him now were gonna save his life. he made a mental note to kiss and hold you a little longer and tighter if he ever made it home alive.

he could see the building his team was supposed to meet up in case things got bad. it looked so far away that it was alarmingly close. maybe it was just his messed up vision, a mirage, but he could swear he saw you from a window looking at him, urgently motioning him to come.

he brought the thick balaclava above his nose so he could breathe better and as enemy gunfire continued to flow, he kept his head low as he moved dead bodies from his way.

he could hear your voice calling for him and he wanted to call you for you back, but the noises of the battlefield were hurrying him to get to the safe zone first.

he stumbled by the door as he brought himself up, one hand stabilizing him as he held on to the doorframe as the other went to press on his wound.

“lt!” johnnys voice called before he rushed to help him. “ye cheeky bastard, i told them not to leave yet, to wait for ye.”

“gaz saw you get shot.” price swung simon’s arm over his shoulder in order to help him to the nearest table, where he laid down.

“he saw that right.” simon bit the inside of his cheek as price inspected his wound, pressing on it. “is he a‘ight?”

“he’s fine, hit his head but had his helmet on, he’s getting checked out by the medics.” price informed him as simon winced at the sharp pain. “there’s at least two bullets in here, didn’t pass through, stuck.”

“just take ‘em the fuck out.” simon groaned. “how’s it lookin’?”

“you’ll live.” price patted his shoulder in comfort before he went to call a medic.

“we really thought we’d lost ye there, lt.” johnny’s face was glowing with sweat and blood, the black war paint smudged messily all around his face and his mohawk dusted.

“helicopter’s leaving in thirty, boys!” price’s baritone voice called from the other room.

simon scoffed, sighing and closing his eyes, finally letting himself relax as your figure started to fade from the corner of the room where it’d been standing, silently looking at him. “won’t lose me, can’t wait to go home, johnny.”

[quin-ns]

Neighborhood Dilf (Joel Miller x Reader)

Word count: 2.7K

Summary: joel finds out he has a nickname and he asks you what it means

Tags: pre-outbreak this is a happy fic guys!! I didn’t specify a year but let’s put it at 2000 for funsies so sarah is like 11 and joel is like 30ish. also fluff, humor, flirting, age gap, goofy plot (I don’t know what this is honestly), joel being the definition of a dilf and not knowing it, crushes, overall cuteness. also suburbia

A/N: I saw a tiktok where someone said they just knew joel was the neighborhood dilf and they were so real for that I had to write it. and no I don’t care that the word was popularized online we’re using it here. I’m here to provide a cute fluffy fanfic not a historically accurate one lol. also sorry if your name is bee, I tried to come up with a name for the friend that was a nickname so if it was someone’s actual name they could just imagine their full name (I overthink)

cross-posted to ao3 • tlou masterlist • main masterlist

The loud music coming from outside woke you up from your afternoon nap. After spending a semester at college struggling to find even an hour of sleep, you were taking as many of those as possible. You were a little grouchy at first as you threw your covers off and stormed to your window, but quickly calmed down when you realized it was the annual block party your neighborhood hosted during the summer.

You’d gotten an in-person invite from Bee, another girl home from college who you’d been friends with in high school before going your separate ways. You still kept in touch since she was nice enough, which is how you found out her family was hosting this year. She’d confided in you personally that she would quote “go crazy if it was all kids and old people.”

As you looked out into their front yard, which was diagonal to yours, you saw that’s pretty much all it was. Since you were such a good friend, you decided that you’d go. 

You were getting dressed (at a leisurely pace) when your phone started to ring. You picked it up from your desk after you pulled your pink sundress on and flipped it open. The caller ID read Bee’s name and you answered, ready to tell her you were on your way.

“He’s here,” she said, sounding mistified, before you could even open your mouth. 

“Who?” you wondered, furrowing your brows a little to yourself as you went to the window.

“The neighborhood dilf,” Bee replied under her breath. 

The nickname made you laugh. It reminded you of high school. It had started as a joke, something you had started calling the new guy who’d moved into the neighborhood with his daughter a few years back. Later you found out his name was Joel Miller, but the nickname spread like wildfire to all the other girls in the neighborhood and it just stuck. 

Everyone knew about it; the girls of course, their confused parents, jealous boys who thought Joel was stealing their attention—the only person who wasn't aware of the moniker (as far as you knew) was Joel. Well, you hoped his daughter didn’t know either. Thankfully, after time, everyone forgot that you had started it. It was a bit embarrassing.

You walked away from the window to your closet and slid on your flip flops—it was summer in Texas, after all.

“You need to get over here, Y/N—what?” the last word sounded distant from the phone. “Yeah, she’s supposed to be on her way,” Bee replied, but to someone else.

“Um, hello?” you asked, waiting.

Bee was quiet for a few seconds, then whisper shouted into the phone, “you’ll never guess what just happened!”

“Let me guess, Joel just walked up and professed his love for you,” you teased, laughing at your own joke. “What, were my parents asking for me or something?” you guessed for real that time, recalling the small bit you had heard her say.

“Unfortunately no, and also no,” she sounded a little too disappointed about the first part, which made you chuckle again. “He did just ask me about you though.”

“Who?”

“The dilf.”

“Just use his name,” you told her with a roll of your eyes, heading out of your room to the stairs. “Wait.” You stopped for a second. “Joel asked about me?” 

“Yeah. I changed my mind, you’re not invited.”  If it wasn’t for her obvious sarcasm you might’ve thought she was serious. “He heard me say your name and asked if you’d be here soon. I—hey!” she yelled, causing you to pull the phone from your ear for a second. You continued your descent down the stairs as she yelled something about ‘kids’ and ‘stay out of there’. “I gotta go,” she said suddenly, then hung up.

You just shook your head with a small, amused smile and left your phone on the counter. Stupid dress and no pockets. 

You headed out the front door and walked across the street towards the party. 

It was in full swing. Music, games, food table—it looked like something out of a magazine. The Grants had a huge front yard—it was one of the nicer houses in the neighborhood—and it seemed like everyone was there. There were kids running around, adults all mingling—some sitting at the fold out tables, others walking around, others chasing their kids—there was also a group of dads surrounding the grill. You glanced that way and didn’t see Joel. You wondered where he was and if you should find him, but Bee found you first.

“The kids aren’t supposed to go inside alone and two of those little jerks went into my room,” Bee complained right away, straightening out her white blouse over her jean shorts. Her pinned back brown hair was a little messy, though. You wondered what happened, which she quickly answered. “I saw them jumping on my bed through the window.”

“Sounds like fun,” you commented sarcastically. Bee looped her arm through yours. 

“My dad set up ring toss and it’s all little kids, I don’t wanna be the only adult playing. Come on.” She dragged you along in that direction and you willingly went with.

You saw a few kids from the neighborhood playing, mostly the preteens who were too old for hopscotch but whose parents had told them they weren't old enough for the mini golf (one of the boys had overshared that little comment). 

“Y/N!” a girl's voice called. You looked that way and saw Sarah Miller walking towards you. A few days out of the week when her dad was working late, you’d go over to their house and keep an eye on her (before you left for college). It was the easiest babysitting gig you ever had; she was polite, always did her school work, and hardly caused any problems. Her dad had raised her very well. 

She looked older than you remembered her being, but you had been gone for both fall and spring semesters—well, you had been home for winter break briefly, but not enough to see anyone other than your parents.

“Sarah, hi!” you greeted, accepting the hug she offered when she got close. “How are you?”

“Good!” she said with a smile. “Are you guys gonna play with us?” she asked you and Bee. “I keep beating them and it’s not fun anymore.” 

You and Bee both laughed at that. “Sure, why not.”

“It feels weird playing with her after talking about how hot her dad is,” Bee whispered in your ear when Sarah went first. “You think he’ll come over here?”

“And what would you do if he did?” you challenged while hiding a chuckle, raising your brows at her.

“Um, probably nothing,” she admitted, cheeks a little pink. “He’s fun to look at though.” 

You hummed. “You’re not wrong.” 

The two of you played a few rounds of ring toss, although Bee got very bored quickly. “Can we go get some drinks?” she asked after not that long of playing.

“Sure,” you decided. You waved bye to Sarah and the others as the two of you walked off towards the cooler.

Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed some of the other girls in the neighborhood that hadn’t been in attendance before. For a couple that you knew, it didn’t seem like their scene. 

“What are they doing here?” you asked Bee.

“I may or may not have also told them the neighborhood dilf was here. They, uh, wanted to… see him,” she answered, avoiding eye contact.

You raised your brows in slight disbelief. “Are you serious?” 

“I wanted more people our age here,” Bee defended. “I wasn’t sure if you were even gonna show.”

You scoffed out a laugh. “You’re ridiculous,” you told her.

You reached the cooler and knelt down. You handed Bee a water, but she didn’t accept it. You looked up at her.

“Keep an eye out for the dilf, I haven’t seen him in a while. I’ll be right back,” Bee told you, taking off before you could say anything. You guessed the bathroom given her speed walking inside.

You laughed a little to yourself as you stood back up. You kept the water for yourself. You looked out amongst the crowd, realizing you were now on your own while everyone was in groups. You saw a couple people you were friends with and thought of maybe going up and joining them, but someone else spotted you first.

Joel Miller, the aforementioned neighborhood dilf, was walking towards you. Bee would be jealous, especially if she knew you and Joel were actually friends.

You had thought about telling Bee and some of the other girls that you were friends with Joel, given how much they just loved to gossip about him (how he was still single, how he looked really good in his pajamas getting the mail, that one time he took his shirt off while mowing the lawn—that was a big day) but then you thought better of it, not wanting to be run out of town by a jealous mob.

You were already getting glances by the time Joel stopped by your side so maybe your humbleness was pointless.

“Saw you all alone, thought I’d come keep you company,” Joel broke the ice with ease.

How long had he been watching you? The thought made your cheeks feel warm.

“Wow, what a gentleman,” you teased lightly, causing Joel to chuckle.

“I try,” he joked back, shooting you a small wink.

When you had first met Joel you were nervous around him. It was much easier to talk to him now that the two of you had become friends rather than acquaintances. He was an easy guy to get along with and you found yourself genuinely enjoying his company rather than just gawking at him in his yard from your window (like you used to do in high school). Your crush hadn’t disappeared though, so you joked around with him as a way to keep things casual and avoid getting in your own head. 

“Sarah told me you were finally here, she was happy to see you,” Joel mentioned with a light smile.

That made you smile back. “She’s a sweet kid,” you told him. “I was happy to see her too.”

You fiddled with the water bottle in your hand as you spoke, trying to unscrew the cap. The stupid thing was stuck and after a few seconds you gave up.

Joel gave you an amused look, glancing between your face and hands. “You want help with that?”

“Yes, please,” you handed it to him. “There you go again, proving chivalry isn’t dead. Thank you.”

Joel unscrewed the cap with ease and handed it back. “Happy to be at your service.”

“So, you guys been here a while?” you asked, sparking up conversation.

“Not too long, only an hour or so. It’s been fun though,” Joel explained. “More for Sarah than for me,” he admitted, glancing around to find his daughter. He spotted her and she waved, then continued playing with her friends.

“Why’s that?” you wondered, looking up at him just as he looked down at you. 

“Just… I mean, everyone is nice and all,” he started. “But I just feel like I got nothin’ to talk about with them, y’know? Except you.”

“Really?” You tried to not sound too thrown off by that, but you didn’t know he felt like that. It was interesting to say the least. 

“Is that such a surprise?” he wondered, raising an eyebrow curiously.

You shrugged. “Maybe a little. I get it though, I haven’t really talked to anyone other than Bee yet.”

“I don’t know if you’re friends with them, but I saw a bunch of girls your age walking around,” Joel said as a suggestion. 

“Nah, I’d rather just talk to you,” you said casually, before you could even think about what you had said. The look on Joel’s face changed a little, like he was trying to bite back a bigger smile.

“Well, that’s nice to hear,” he said after a moment. Your eyes met his and the way he looked at you made your heart skip a beat. You had to look away to be able to breathe, almost certain you were reading into things. You really, really did not want to be disappointed.

“Hey, can I ask you something?” Joel said, making you realize you hadn’t spoken yet.

“Sure, yeah.”

“You know… young person lingo, don't you?”

You laughed at the awkward wording. If it had been any of the other adults here using the word “lingo” you would’ve cringed, but there was something cute about the way Joel said it. You tried to snap that thought out of your head.

“Mostly, yeah,” you replied with a little chuckle paired with a curious tone. “What’s up?”

“Do you know what a dilf is?” he asked bluntly. That alone told you he had no idea. 

You were so stunned, all you could think to say was, “why?”

“Well, those girls I mentioned… I overhead some of them calling me that,” he explained, his eyebrows furrowing a little. “It’s not bad, is it?” 

Was this karma coming back to you for starting the nickname? It wouldn’t have surprised you. 

“It’s not bad, no,” you assured while also avoiding the main question.

“What is it then?” Joel’s interest was piqued now and while you couldn’t blame him, you also couldn’t think of a way to make this not weird.

“It’s an acronym,” you started. Joel watched you intently, waiting for an explanation. “It means dad I’d like to…” you trailed off, hinting at him the word to fill in the blank.

Joel just looked even more confused. “To what?”

Somehow he made cluelessness incredibly attractive.

Screw it, you thought. This was already weird. Rip the bandaid off, right? “Fuck,” you finished before you could think better of it. 

“Oh,” he stated. You knew it took a second for realization to hit. “Oh. So that means they, um,”

“It’s basically like saying you’re hot,” you explained, filling in when he couldn’t. You hoped he wouldn’t find it insulting or anything like that.

Joel looked a little bashful but found amusement in the situation nonetheless. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You should,” you suggested, then sipped your water. You looked out at the people milling about rather than meeting his gaze.

“Do you think I’m one?”

You nearly choked on your water. “What?”

“Sorry,” Joel apologized quickly, trying to laugh it off. “I shouldn't've asked that.”

“It’s alright,” you assured him. You paused for a minute, contemplating what you might say to that. You got a rush of bravery. “If you’re asking if I think you’re attractive… the answer is yes.”

Joel couldn’t hold back his smile. He tried, but it was a failed effort. It was like he was trying to contain his anticipation. “What about if I wanted to ask you out? What would your answer be then?”

“Yes.”

Joel grinned. “I was hoping you’d say that,” he admitted. 

“Dad!” Sarah’s voice caused the two of you to look away from one another. You saw her running up to you guys and hoped she hadn’t heard a word of your conversation. “Can you come play with me? Mr. Grant just set up a bean bag toss!” 

“Sure, kiddo,” he told her. She grabbed his hand and started to drag him away. 

You smiled a little to yourself at the interaction—he was such a good dad.

Joel slowed her down a little bit to look back at you. “I’ll call you later, okay?” 

“Sounds good,” you replied, chuckling lightly. 

The Millers disappeared into the roaming people. You tried to follow them with your gaze but your attention got torn away.

“Waiting in a line for the bathroom in my own house is messed up,” Bee said, popping out seemingly out of nowhere. “What’s got you so happy?” she wondered, eyeing the smile on your face that couldn’t be erased.

“You won’t believe what just happened,” you replied. A part of you still couldn’t believe it. “I’ve got a date with the neighborhood dilf.”

joel taglist: @the-ice-frozen-ground-red-rose @dontphunkwithmylove @cilliansangel @amethystwonders11 @frogsmuahh037 @andy-rocks @melllinaa @alitaar @melanie451 @b00kw0rmsworld @reverieisaway @avengersfan25 @aheadfullofsteverogers @strangeh0rizons @spideysimpossiblegirl @shannonmariebee

if you would like to be added to the joel taglist just send me an ask or a message! <3

[kquil]

POLY MARAUDERS | 18:39 ⏤HEROES IN TATTOOS

01 : RESCUE

SUM. : walking home late from your shift at the pub, you get followed and chased by a crazy drunk. thankfully, you run into the three men running the tattoo and piercing shop down the road

TAGS. : muggle au ; modern au ; tattoo artist sirius ; tattoo artist james ; piercer remus ; protective marauders ; tatted up marauders ; biker sirius ; fluff

WARNING : attempted assault (not explicit + nothing happens) ; stalking behaviour - please stay safe lovelies

LENGTH : 1.3k

NOT PROOFREAD OR EDITED

You typically didn’t care much for catching the late shift since you didn’t live too far away from the pub, if you were slow it only took 15 minutes. Most of the walk home was also along the main, where other people could see you so even though it was dark, you still felt safe. You’ve always made it home without feeling at risk of any attack for the last four months, ever since you started working, until tonight. 

It was a regular night shift at the pub, you couldn’t count how many people you served but you made sure to flash your sweet smile for some extra tips here and there. You greeted the regulars and had their drinks prepared for them before they even made an order and occasionally engaged in some idle chatter when you found some free time. It started off well until one of the more difficult regulars came in and started causing a ruckus three pints down. He always tried to get handsy with you but you had your co-workers, manager and the pub goers there to keep him in check so he never got very far. The bastard had left an hour or so before he knew your shift ended so you didn’t think you’d see him again but he had been waiting for you across the street outside and now you were desperate to get home and away from his distressing company. 

But what then?...If you went home he’ll know where you live and god knows what he’d do if he knew that. Your heart stuttered in your chest and your breath caught in your throat from the disturbing images that thought brought on. You won’t ever let that happen, especially since you lived with your friends and would put them in danger too. For now, you’ll take the long route home and maybe find a turning you can run down to escape him in.

Making the turn for the long route back home, you wrapped your coat tighter around you and sped up your pace only to feel your stomach drop at the sound of the footfalls behind you also accelerating. This can’t be happening. There were tears in your eyes as you looked ahead and resolved to start running as soon as you caught most of your breath back. The streets weren’t as busy tonight so people were scarce, which spiked the fear and adrenaline in your veins, heart hammering in your chest. 

“Ay! Slow down will ya’! I just wanna talk sweetheart!” the man shouted suddenly, his smug tone illustrating his malicious grin behind you. The suddenness of his yell shocks your nerves and shoots you forward into a sprint when you realise how much closer he was than you originally anticipated. The terrifying pursuit was on. 

His verbal assaults flew over your head. You blocked them out because your heart was pumping so fast from the adrenaline and fear, your only focus was on keeping up your pace and looking out for anyone that could help you. Just as you were beginning to lose hope, you looked up to see three men exit the tattoo and piercing shop (The Marauders) you walked past when you had more time to get to work. The bulkier one wearing glasses was locking the door as a tall brunette stood by his side with a hand in his pocket and the last man with his black hair up in a small bun made his way over to lean against a parked motorbike, his helmet propped up on the seat beside him. 

“Help!” you call out immediately, desperation and anxiety evident in your voice as your legs sped up to reach them faster, “Help me, please!” The tears had spilled over now as the man behind you also sped up and started shouting louder. The man who had been leaning against his motorbike shot to his feet and opened his arms up for you to run into, which you happily did. At that moment, you had never felt such relief in your life and sobbed freely into his shoulder, “please help,” you cried, “m-make him go away,”

“It’s okay, sweetheart, it’s okay,” the biker whispered into your ear, pulling you close by the waist as his other hand gently caressed the back of your head. With you locked in his arms, Sirius steps back some more and moves to put himself between you and your pursuer. 

Panting the drunk bastard pulled an unconvincing friendly grin, “Come on now, guys-”

“Shut it mate,” peering over the biker’s shoulder, you see the brawny man in glasses snarl at the drunk, his arm muscles made taut as he folded them across his chest, flexing his tattoos, “you better fuck off before things get dirty between us, alright?”

“You’re misunderstanding,” the drunk hiccupped and continued, “you see, she’s my girlfriend and she’s just bein’ dramatic aint ya, sweets?”

“That doesn’t matter,” the tall brunette piped up and stepped forward, towering over the disgusting man, “she clearly doesn’t want to be around you right now so you better do what the lady says and get!”

“She’s a little liar is wh-”

“Don’t even try you sick bastard,” James shouts, grabbing the guy by the collar and pushing him back, “we know that you’re the liar here so you better leave the pretty lady alone or else I’ll start swingin’”

Struggling to push James off, the man eventually scrambles away and almost lands face first into the pavement, “You’re bunch o’ pricks!” 

“Yeah yeah yeah, shove it up your arse, dickhead, we don’t care,” the one in glasses waved off and, together with the brunette chased away the poor excuse of a man. 

“Don’t worry, love, he’s gone now…” Sirius whispers comfortingly beside your ear and leans back to take a look at your face with a sympathetic pout, “you’re gonna be okay,” he wipes away your tears and tenderly tucks a loose strand of hair behind your ear. The affection brings a soft smile to your lips and you thank him sincerely in a meek voice, which he smiles at in return. 

“You okay, doll?” James asks, brows furrowing in concern as his anger gradually subsides. He couldn’t believe any man would do such a thing to a lady. The bastard probably grew up in a swamp of some kind with no manners, James truly hopes he gets run over.

“Y-yeah, a little bit,” you smile at them with a grateful nod, “the adrenaline is still there but I’ll be fine,”

Taking in your shaking shoulders, Sirius gives you a tight squeeze and pats your back reassuringly, muttering under his breath, “There, there love,” thankful for his actions, you lean your head against his shoulder and breath in his scent of comfort and safety - leather, green soap, musk and smoke. 

“Well, at least you’re not hurt,” Remus smiles but in his eyes there is still evidence of his earlier rage. He can’t imagine the amount of fear you had to have experienced from such a chilling affair, he feels somewhat protective of you now, especially when you look so small and compliant in Sirius’s arms.

“We’ll walk you the rest of your way home, okay?” James gently insists with a subdued grin, appreciating your cute face when you pull away from Sirius’s shoulder to stare at him wide-eyed.

“Y-you’d do that for me?” you bite your lip, feeling tears well up from how fortunate and relieved you felt. 

“Nonsense, dove,” Remus smiles warmly at you, “it’s not any trouble, it would be more for us since we’d be worrying about you all night, otherwise,” comforted by their reassurance, you let them walk you home and gave them each a hug and one last word of thanks at your doorstep before you waved them off and slipped inside. Safe and sound, you smile to yourself at the thought of your heroes in tattoos. 

NEXT : 02 | THANK YOU

A/N : im practically exposing how james, sirius and remus are comfort characters to me. please stay safe my loves and this is not me trying to romanticise stalking or assault in any way

NAVI. | HEROES IN TATTOOS SERIES

[leahsgirl]

blind date | leah williamson x reader

in which you and your fellow england teammate are set up on a blind date. no warnings, just pure fluff really.

i’m having such major writing block right now so hoping this pulls me out of it or i’ll scream. 💪

-

“wit woo!” your roommate alessia hollered as you finished putting on your earrings.

“do i look okay?” you did a full spin, showcasing the tight fitting black dress you had on that fell just above your knees, gold heels on ur feet, gold jewellery and your hair that flowed below your shoulders in loose curls.

“you look gorgeous - your date won’t know what hit them.” the blonde replied with a smirk, coming over and fixing your necklace so the clasp didn’t keep slipping to the front.

“can’t believe youse have bullied me into this.” your national teammates had made your love life the new topic of interest since you was ‘hot and single’ and should ‘get out there more’.

while they raised a good point, a blind date is the last thing you wanted considering you was probably the most socially awkward person going when meeting new people. not to mention; your teammates planned it which in itself is enough to make you not want to go.

“you’ll have a great time, wouldn’t be surprised if you hear wedding bells at the end of it.” the forward winked having way too much fun at this whole scenario.

“calm your horses russo, i don’t plan on that for another five years.”

seeing the time you scramble to get your belongings and find your car keys. “right i’m off wish me luck!” you shout out as you close the front door.

from the adress that tooney had messaged you beforehand you found yourself outside a small restaurant at the end of a street. it looked nice and welcoming from the outside to be fair.

now when your teammates said blind date, you didn’t expect to walk in to sheer darkness, bumping into something as soon as you entered the premises.

“name.” what you can only assume was a waiter asked. “oh sorry; y/n.”

“ah right this way miss - if you could just place your hand on my colleagues shoulder and we’ll guide you through.”

following the man’s instructions you lightly gripped the man and was led into a separate room which was still as dark, but you could at least hear voices of other customers there.

“your seat madam, your date should arrive shortly.” great you thought, first one to arrive which only meant more nerves could inevitably build up.

trying to burn some of the time you felt the table, getting to grips with where the cutlery and place mats were.

“miss your date has arrived, please take a seat.” the man motioned to the booth not that anyone could see it. “thank y- ah shite!”

“are you okay?” you asked after hearing a slight bang.

“yeah just banged my pissing thigh on the table.” the voice was one of a woman’s, also one that was incredibly familiar.

“not the best way to start a date eh. i’m leah.”

“shut up!” alessia’s playful comments and expressions, teammates overwhelming interest, the whole blind date notion in general now making a whole lot of sense.

“wow can’t say i’ve ever had that greeting.” the england captain a little confused.

“no leah it’s me, y/n.”

“piss off.” you could hear the disbelief in her voice, she too apparently well unaware of the obvious set up.

“take it you were also forced to go on a date with a stranger.”

“oh i’m so going to kill georgia for this.” leah scoffed before pausing “not because the date is with you! i just mean the whole deceit in general.”

“don’t worry i’ll be planning lessi and tooney’s revenge after.”

“gotta give them credit though, they’ve paired two incredibly hot women together.” leah was smirking while you was essentially swooning over the fact she called you hot.

“yeah but why? it’s not like you like me romantically or anything.”

just before leah could reply one of the waiters returned to the table “can i get you ladies something to drink?”

“erh i’ll have a margarita please.” you deciding on the same thing and ordering it.

“well we may as well treat this as a date considering that’s what we’re here for.” there was a brief pause. “so y/n, what do you do for a living?”

you laugh as you engage in her playfulness. “i’m actually a professional football player, both man united and england.”

“oh wow that’s cool, do you like it?” the older girl asked faking curiosity, resting her chin on her hand as she moved closer.

“it has its ups and downs, there’s this girl on my national squad though who is super competitive - she cried when i beat her at mario kart.” you beamed knowing leah would not appreciate the bringing up of her defeat.

“hey you said you’d let that go!” breaking away from her ‘never met you before’ character. “sorry.” (you wasn’t sorry at all).

“okay my turn; do you have any hobbies?”

“i’m quite good at kicking a ball around too to be fair.” you quirked a brow. “oh are you?”

“yeah if you google leah williamson you might see some of my skills. i’m also very good at sudoku.” the blonde wasn’t lying considering you’ve watched her play it hundreds of times, you yourself never being able to grasp the game.

after a bunch of easy, lighthearted conversation, food had arrived, leah opting for a steak and you on pasta.

“oh my god this is to die for.” having your first taste and the flavours melting on your tongue. “you’ve gotta try this.” you move your spoon towards the blonde’s direction “that’s my eye babe.” she said with a laugh, your cheeks immediately flushing at the embarrassing miscalculation and pet name. “shit my bad.”

“mhm your right, might have to swap plates.” leah acknowledging the how delicious it was.

“back off williamson.” you reply sternly as you wack away her hand with the back of your unused fork.

time was going by pretty fast, the pair of you fully present and engaged with each other. you didn’t even bother looking at your phone which now had a build up of messages off your friends asking how it was going.

maybe you both were a little tipsy when leaving the restaurant after splitting the bill, having taken a tumble up the step.

the cold breeze was like a harsh slap to your face once outside, a large juxtaposition from the building that was warm and cozy.

“wow.” a stunned leah stood behind as she took you in. “what?” having now taken notice to the blatantly obvious staring from the arsenal player.

“you. you look incredible.” her eyes racking every single inch of your body. “i’ve never really seen you this dressed up. it’s hot.”

“y’know being showered in compliments by leah williamson isn’t half bad.” revelling in the smooth girls words of praise.

“and yet i don’t get a single one back.” jutting out her lip and faking hurt which only made you laugh and roll your eyes.

“i guess you do scrub up okay, the outfit is a solid 9/10 i’d say.”

“we’ve got to improve on those compliment skills.” the blonde scoffed.

“can’t say anything too nice, that ego of yours will human combust.” you say already aware of the defenders cockiness/arrogance. “i’d say my ego is the perfect size thank you very much.”

“okay well thanks for this ‘date.’” using your hands to air quote. “-i’ve had a good time.”

leah smiled “me too.”

you stop for a second almost hesitating doing something before ultimately deciding against it, bidding your goodbye as you turned on your heel to make your way back to your car.

“y/n wait!” jogging to catch up with you, the blue-eyed girl grabbed at your arm making you stumble back and face her. “what’s up?”

her gaze flicking between your eyes and lips as her heart pounded out her chest “i forgot to do this.”

said barely above a whisper, her lips found themselves pressed against yours. the touch so light almost like she was afraid she’d scare you away.

that couldn’t be further from the truth though, with you reciprocating the kiss by deepening it as she moved her hands so they wrapped around your waist.

pulling away youse both had rosy cheeks and heaving chests, smiling dopily at each other.

“get in!” “fucking finally!” the pair looked around for the sudden screams, shock plastered on your face when you see ella and georgia peeping out behind a wall.

leah following your gaze and spotting the teammates “have you guys been watching us?!”

stanway was the one to reply “only the last five minutes; never knew you had that game within you lee.” winking, referring to the public display of affection youse just gave.

“it was so fun to see y/n swooning.” tooney added laughing menacingly.

you and leah lock eyes, sharing a look both of you seem to understand. “shall we get our revenge?” the captain asked slyly, you agreeing immediately.

taking notice of the devilish grins that were plastered on the pair, georgia and ella looked uneasy, starting to retract slowly but surely.

“come here you little shits!” running after the girls while they squealed like little kids, making their getaway.

[auras-moonstone]

hits different — ethan landry

word count: 1,464

pairing: ethan landry x fem!reader

summary: ethan starts to feel insecure in his relationship with y/n so he breaks up with her, leaving her a mess for the first time.

author’s note: i literally wrote this in ten minutes. i don’t know why i write faster when it’s not a request 😫 i hate myself. i promise i’m working on the requests but i’m having writer’s block with them 😬.

Y/N HAD A REPUTATION THAT PRECEDED HER. She only had had one boyfriend, and moved on pretty quickly with another guy. She hadn’t been in a serious relationship since, just mere casual Kens she would switch and then ghost after a couple of weeks of dating.

Hence why Chad was so hesitant when the girl told him her and Ethan were going on a date. “Y/N, why him? He’s the sweetest guy ever, I don’t want you to break his heart”

“Chad, he’s not a baby” Y/N laughed. “He knows how this works, and he was the one who asked me out. So, relax”

“Fine, just be nice” Chad warned her.

“I’ll be extra nice” she winked, making him do a face of disgust.

“Ready?” Ethan asked nervously as he walked down the stairs. He was wearing one of his adorable collared shirts, jeans and a jacket. “You look beautiful”

“Thanks, Eth” she blushed, and Chad looked at her in surprise. Y/N blushing? That was new. “You look very handsome, as always”.

“Okay. Bring him before curfew, okay?” Chad said jokingly.

“Of course, sir. I’ll bring him before midnight” she followed the act.

“Stop it you two. Let’s go, Y/N/N” Ethan grabbed his date’s hand and led her through the door.

Soon after their date, they started dating. Everyone noticed there was something different with Y/N this time, she actually seemed invested in the relationship. No one could deny that sparks flew around the couple every time they were together.

As it had always been before, people still flirted with Y/N—only she didn’t seem to be interested. She would always brush everyone off. Yet, Ethan couldn’t help but feel insecure. In his eyes, everyone was a better match than him and he was waiting for the time Y/N would walk towards him and tell him their time was over. So, instead of being brave and express his fear, he chose the cowardly route and broke things off before she could.

Gossip travelled fast, and no one could believe it until Y/N’s appearance pretty much gave it away. No one had ever seen her in such devastating demeanour after a break-up.

“It’s okay, Y/N. Love is a lie, anyways” one of her friend told her. “There’s a party tomorrow, why don’t you come? It could help you get your mind off… things”.

Y/N sighed “I’ll think about it”.

SHE DID END UP GOING TO THE PARTY, ONLY TO WASH HER HANDS OFF THE MEMORIES OF THE FAILED RELATIONSHIP. She planned on gluing herself to the drink table and drown in alcohol until she could forget about the tall boy with brunette curls that haunted her mind all day.

“Oh, okay. Holy shit” Chad said when he caught her drinking a can of beer in one sip “He really made a mess of you” he whispered.

“What?” Y/N shouted, not being able to hear because of the music. “Wait… Chad! What are you doing here? I didn’t know you were coming”

“Oh, you’re very drunk, jesus” he muttered. “Yeah, I came with E-“ Chad stopped himself, definitely not a good idea to say his name.

But Y/N wasn’t dumb, she knew exactly what he was going to say “With Ethan. Where is he? No! Actually, please don’t tell me. I don’t want to know if he’s with other girl… but is he? Oh god, I’m going to throw up”

Chad held her hair as she kneeled in front the nearest toilet. “I’ve never seen you like this… moving on was always easy for you”

Y/N started crying “Because they were not him, Chad. It hits different because it’s Ethan”

“Okay, okay. You’ll be fine” he hugged her as she sobbed. “Where are your other friends? The ones you came with?”

“They left me, said I was slurring his name too much”

“Do you want to go home?” Chad asked.

She was about to respond when the tune that started to sound caught her attention. It was Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! by Abba. The song she and Ethan always sang their lungs out to while they drove around the city. “They’re playing our song, Chad”

“Oh, god. We’re definitely going”

“Nothing has ever felt so wrong. Why did he break up with me? I though he would be the one” her glossy eyes and crest fallen expression made Chad feel sad.

“I don’t know, Y/N. I thought the same thing” Chad said in all honesty as he guided her to his car. He laid her on the backseats and closed the door.

“Chad? What are you doing?” Ethan looked at him confused. “You forced me to come to this party and now you’re leaving?”

“It’s an emergency”

“What’s wrong? Who is in the backseat?” Ethan asked confused.

“Um… it’s Y/N”

Ethan froze, the mention of her name made him vulnerable “Is she okay?”

“She’s just drunk… she threw up. I’m taking her home”

“I’m going with you” Ethan said, walking to the passenger seat.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea. I don’t know why you broke up with her, and is not the best time to discuss it, but she’s hurting a lot”

“She is?” his voice already unstable.

“Yeah. Look, if you are coming to fix things, then get in. If you plan on going just to leave again, please don’t” Chad said. “I’m just going to say this, pretty much everyone in college noticed it, but she loves you, Ethan”.

Ethan didn’t hesitate to open the door and get inside the car. He had been stupid, but he was going to explain himself and hope Y/N would take him back.

Y/N WAS SLEEPING ON HER ROOM, AND ETHAN WAITED ALONE IN THE LIVING ROOM, REHEARSING THE SPEECH HE HAD MENTALLY PREPARED. And then his attention was caught by an artifact laying on the furniture, next to the TV. It was the necklace he had gifted her on her birthday, it had a locket the shape of a heart and inside was a picture of them. He took it in his hands delicately and cried. He cursed the space he thought he needed—he missed her more than words could describe.

“I cried over your hat the other day” Y/N’s voice resonated in the room. Ethan brushed the tears off and looked at her, even with her mascara all smudged and her messy hair, she was still the most gorgeous girl he had set his eyes on. “I suppose you’re here to talk… and although a part of me is just in desperate need of kicking you out, I want to know what went wrong. Because I’ve been trying to make it make sense ever since you walked out from here that night, but I just can’t”.

“That’s because you did nothing wrong. It’s all me, in my head” Ethan finally said, putting his hand on the cushion next to him, signalling her to sit down.

“What do you mean?” she asked, sitting next to him. It had been so long since they were this close. She missed those eyes and hair she had only been seeing in her dreams.

“I got insecure… every popular, handsome guy would flirt with you and I just thought… that’s it. Y/N is going to realize she’s out of my league and leave me. And I couldn’t bare to listen to that…”

“So you broke up with me?” Y/N asked in disbelief.

Ethan nodded, absolutely embarassed “I know I basically put you in jail for something you didn’t do. But the voices in my head were so loud… I’m sorry about how I handled things”

“I understand” she said after a while.

“You do?”

Y/N nodded “I just wished you’ve talked to me, so I could tell you that you’re the one that I want. I would’ve fought your doubts and show you that I love you, only you”

“I’m sorry that I hurt you” his voice broke. “Will you forgive me?”

“Only if you promise me you’ll come to me when you have these thoughts” she said, grabbing his hand.

“I promise” Ethan intertwined their fingers “Are you still mine?”

“I’m still yours” Y/N smiled and climbed onto his lap to give him a hug. They both cried in each other’s arms. “I love you, Eth”.

“I love you too” he smiled against her chest. “Not that I don’t enjoy your hugs, but why aren’t you kissing me right now?”

“Because I threw up a couple of times” she laughed. “I’m going to take a shower”.

“Okay, I’ll make you something to eat” Ethan smiled, not getting the hint.

“Babe, I’m kind of inviting you to join me”

And then Ethan took her hand and dragged her upstairs so fast they almost tripped.

[arysbruv]

Brotherly help

The new assassin on the block, you had been tasked to a quick mission with the infamous Lemon and Tangerine. Unbeknownst to you, you accidentally gain a crush on one of the brothers, so what else can you do other than enlist the help of the other one?

Pairing: tangerine x reader

Warnings and whatnots: Jealous!Tangerine

You had a dilemma. A dilemma that included being paired with a set of twins who were incredibly skilled, one of which you had the misfortune of crushing on.

You were a relatively new assassin, but you quickly made your way up in the ranks. That was why you were paired up with Tangerine and Lemon.

It felt odd, to work with them. They were nice, but you always had a sick feeling with them like your heart dropped to your stomach when you saw them. Especially when you saw him. You’ve only worked with them once, during the Bolivia job, but the feeling still remained. Eventually you deduced the problem.

You had a massive, giant crush, on Tangerine.

“Everything alright there?” Lemon asks you as you sat next to him, tapping your fingers on the table. The bullet train moved fast, making you nauseous. It didn’t help that you were sitting face to face with Tangerine. His leg was practically brushing yours and he didn’t even seem to care! He seemed fairly calm.

“Yeah I’m fine… Motion sickness ya’know?”

Tangerine raises an eyebrow at you, his eyes piercing into your soul like he knows you’re lying. You give him a tight lipped smile, before looking at the White Death’s son.

“Is he gonna be okay?” You ask, trying to change the topic.

“He should be awake in a few hours. Nothing to worry about, love.”

You hated it. Hated when he called you that. Hated when he called other girls that. Love. What a disgusting word.

“I need to go to the washroom.” You say, standing up curtly and making your way to the washroom, hoping that they thought you were going off to vomit your guts out; maybe you were.

You stood in the washroom, staring yourself in the mirror before splashing your face with water. You grip onto the sink, before looking up and promptly screaming at the man in the mirror.

“Goddamn it Lemon! Don’t sneak up on me like that!” You shout.

Lemon doesn’t say anything, only closing the door behind him and locking it. You tilt your head at him.

“Is everything alright? Why are you so off? You’ve been like this since the start of the job.”

You should’ve known he would’ve found out. You should’ve known from the day he called you an Edward. He was weirdly good at reading people, even more so with classifying them as Thomas The Tank Engine characters.

“I’m fine…”

“Don’t be a Diesel.”

“I’m not being a Diesel!” You scoff.

“Then?”

You stare at Lemon, who looks at you expectantly. You try to think through all the possible possibilities that could happen if you told Lemon you had a crush on his brother. Would he tease you? Be disgusted? Eh, who cares, you’ll still get your money, and what’s a bit of humiliation.

“I may or may not have a thing for… Tangerine.” You spill out.

Laughter fills the washroom and you can feel your cheeks heat up. “Shut up!”

“You have a crush on my brother? Oh my, it was so obvious. Please, is that what you’re all worked out about?” Lemon asks, regaining composure.

“Yes, now shut it. I don’t need to embarrass myself any more than I already have.”

“Well now wait a bit, I can help you with this situation. To be honest, I do think Tangerine has a slight thing for you, only he’s too ignorant to realise it… So let me help you.”

“Are you serious?”

“Deadly.”

“And how exactly are we gonna get Tangerine to realise he has feelings for me?” You ask, suspicious. Lemon gives you a smile.

“We make him jealous.”

This was an utterly stupid idea but it might just work. It was easy; laugh and smile at all of Lemon’s jokes and stories and just be unusually touchy with him. Still, you felt like an idiot doing this and Lemon could sense it. Lemon had asked if you were okay with it and you had agreed. So here you were, executing this dumb plan.

You walked back to the table where the Tangerine was sitting, your arm looping with Lemon’s and your other hand, caressing his shoulder. Lemon sat down first, and you squeezed in next to him. Tangerine looks at the both of you with a confused and suspicious expression. He turns his attention to you.

“Are you alright love? You spent a long time in the washroom.”

That pet name again. You try to hide how flustered it made you feel. You smile at him.

“Yeah, just some stomach problems. The train is going too fast. Thankfully, Lemon gave me some medicine to help me get through it.” You give a sickeningly sweet smile to Lemon, hoping your time learning to act will come in handy here.

“I see.” Tangerine says, glancing at Lemon and then you. His face was slightly unreadable, but you can see a hint of confusion behind his eyes.

“Well when you both were doing God knows what, the White Death here still hasn’t woken up. So, I think we have a long while until he’ll be up.”

“Well, what should we do then? To pass the time?” You ask, looking at Lemon.

“Ah well, there’s nothing much to do is there? We can’t exactly walk around since we don’t want the little old son over there to die.”

You giggle at his comment, and in the corner of your eye, you could see Tangerine’s hand flex. He doesn’t say anything, continuing to observe the both of you. You still sat unnecessarily close to Lemon and you could see it was taking affecting Tangerine.

“Oi, why are you lot sitting so closely together?” Tangerine finally asks. A part of you is happy that he finally asked. His voice sounded deep and his eyebrows furrow.

“Are we?” You say, moving a bit further away from Lemon but still sitting relatively close to Lemon. Lemon looks at you. “I mean, is there a problem with sitting this close with him?”

Tangerine bites the inside of him cheek. “No. I’m just asking why you both are all over each other.”

That was fast. Was he already jealous?

“We are not!” You scoff, leaning back and crossing your arms over your chest.

“You are!”

You glance at Lemon, who gives you a quick thumbs up from under the table.

“What the hell- What the hell is happening with you both? What are you doing?” Tangerine asks, glancing under the table.

Lemon gives you a look before excusing himself and leaving to the washroom. You look at Tangerine who stares at you.

“What? Are you not gonna follow him? Hm? Make out with him?” Tangerine asks, a hint of anger and jealousy in his voice.

“Even if I did, why do you care?” You ask, tilting your head at Tangerine. Was Lemon right? Did Tangerine actually like you? You thought Lemon was only joking.

Tangerine didn’t answer your question, looking away from you.

“Tangerine. Tell me. Why, why in the world do you care? Why do you care what I do?” You press, leaning over the table, staring into his eyes. You feel the embarrassment and nervousness rise through you but you were too close, you couldn’t just give up.

“Tangerine. Why would you care? Tell me.”

“Because I like you alright!” He finally admits, aloud. He looks back at you.

“Is that what you want to hear? I like you. Goddamn it, I think I’m in love with you and I can’t stand the fact that you seem to like my brother more than me so just shut it and piss off.”

Your eyes widen, as you lean back in your sit. Tangerine also leans back, realising what he had just said. You didn’t know what to said. He had just admitted it.

“&#!@ I shouldn’t have said that.” You hear him mutter under his breath. “Just shut it alright, if you like my brother I won’t get in your way but-“

“I like you too.”

His eyes widen when you say that, he looks at you, confused and bewildered.

“Guess the cat’s finally out of the bag hm?” Lemon says, appearing beside the both of you. Tangerine looks at Lemon before finally realising what had happened.

“You cheeky bastard.” He says to the both of you.

You give him a smile. “Oh well, it was the only to make you admit it, no?”

“Great, now that’s all dealt with, please hold your flirting until the end of the mission.” Lemon says to the both of you.

Tangerine smiles. “You know for a fact you can’t stop me.”

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

WIBTA for completely ignoring a very long and thought-out apology message?

TL;DR: Abusive ex sent me apology after two years of silence and I’m not sure I want to acknowledge it.

So I was in a very abusive relationship with my ex for around a year. I’m going to try not to go into too much detail, but I tend to ramble and this is a hard topic for me so I’m sorry in advance if this ends up super long.

When we started dating, it was great for the first six months or so. I noticed certain things that made me question if she could have BPD (intense jealousy, sudden mood switches, impulsivity, self-destructive behaviour) and encouraged her to speak to her therapist about it. She eventually did and was diagnosed with BPD, but she wasn’t able to get on medication for another few months. After that, everything seemed to just… completely spiral. She started to control who I could speak to (I was only allowed to be with friends for an hour, and if I was even a few minutes late she’d be blowing up my phone accusing me of cheating etc. and ignoring me for days), she wanted me to cut off every friend who didn’t like her or warned me about the relationship and would accuse me of disrespecting boundaries if I objected, she would shout at me 24/7 (e.g. we’d be talking fine, she’d tell me she had a headache, I’d say I was sorry, and she’d suddenly be yelling that she didn’t need my pity and that I was patronising her), she constantly tracked where I was and who I was with, she lied to me constantly about things both major and minor, and by the end of it she was physically aggressive. This eventually culminated in her cheating on me, me giving her another chance (zoinks), and her cheating on me again less than a month later with a man she knew had SA’d me in the past. After that I just couldn’t take it anymore and finally got the courage to leave.

This unfortunately made everything worse. She split on me - basically a BPD thing where your opinion on someone goes from love to hate or vice versa in an instant - and she made it her mission to make my life hell. For almost a year and a half after our breakup, she was sending things to my house, to my family’s houses, she was stalking my social medias and sending me death threats from burner accounts, all of her own social medias became solely dedicated to talking about me, and then the worst part - she knew I wanted to go to college to become a primary (elementary) school teacher, and so she called up the college I was going to attend and told them I was a pedophile. She went all out with this accusation and was posting it all over Twitter, messaging my friends, getting her friends to post it - it was crazy. Thankfully it did not actually affect my education because I explained what was going on and I had evidence that things she was saying happened were false, but it was a super terrifying and stressful time.

While that was going on, she used the fact I was an SA victim against me - at one point she told me to “shut up and go get raped again”, and another Tweet she made accusing me of being a pedophile was followed up with “Shame you’ll never get that teaching job, I hear they’re not so kind to people like you in prison”.

Making everything more confusing is the fact that every few months it’s like she’d switch back - she’d send me an apology message, tell all her friends it was a lie, get back in contact with me and tell me she was on meds and going to therapy and everything was getting better, and then a few weeks later she’d be posting about how abusive I was again and blocking me everywhere. It felt like there was nothing I could do - if I ignored it, she’d step it up to get a reaction, and if I did acknowledge it, she’d step it up anyway because I was reacting.

Finally, FINALLY, I threatened to get a restraining order and everything stopped.

Almost two years pass and nothing. I’m now happily engaged to a wonderful girl who was my best friend throughout that whole relationship and knew exactly how affected I was by it. I’m going to therapy, was diagnosed with PTSD, and have been slowly moving on. I still have nightmares about her, and sometimes things will get me (e.g. a few months ago I saw someone who looked like her on TV unexpectedly and had a panic attack), but things are good. Much better. I was thinking of it all much less, I wasn’t dedicating energy to it, I wasn’t even angry or upset anymore, it was just a past lesson I’d learned and didn’t need to worry about anymore.

Then last week I wake up to a message. Again, it’s been two years.

Now, this message was LONG. It was from my ex, apologising for everything she’d done. It was a genuinely nice message and clearly had a lot of thought in it. She said she knew it was selfish to message me when I’d moved on but that she had things to say for her own peace of mind. She said she was happy to see I was engaged, that she’s done a lot of self-reflecting and healing. She said she tried to date again and ended up “karma’d “ - that the relationship was scarily similar to ours but with her in my shoes this time - and that it had made her realise just how disgusting her actions had been and how badly she’d fucked me up. She made it clear she wasn’t looking for forgiveness or to reconnect, just to apologise.

Part of me is mildly skeptical because of the fact she’d apologised multiple times before and it never stuck, but the two year gap and the way it’s phrased makes me believe this is truly genuine. She seems to have matured and changed as a person.

Thing is, I just… can’t bring myself to respond. Every time I go to do it, I remember things she said or did to me and just can’t. I feel like if I just responded and said no hard feelings and explicitly told her I have moved on and am doing better, I could give her the same closure that this apology might eventually give me. It would be closing this chapter for good for both of us and I could just never think about her again.

And yet I just. Haven’t. I’m scared to open the window of communication again in any way, I’m scared it’ll be taken back, I’m scared that this will take me back to square one because she’s put herself back in my life (even tangentially) and now I’m thinking about her again after so long of trying so hard to heal.

So WIBTA if I just… didn’t acknowledge it? If I let her essentially wonder forever it it was ever seen or read because I just don’t know what to do about it, even if I’m potentially keeping closure from her for my own comfort?

What are these acronyms?

[lewisvinga]

fight in the stands | neymar jr x fem! reader

requested; yes !

request; Neymar and gf where maybe she gets harrassed in the stands because she’s you know famous

note; im so bad at titles lol , but my requests are closed, meaning i won’t take any rn😩😩guys😩😩 i have a lot rn n i wanna work on them before accepting anymore 😔😔🙏🙏

masterlist !

You regretted getting a normal seat at the stadium instead of taking Neymar’s offer of premium seatings. At first, everything seemed fine. You had a blast cheering for Neymar and PSG. They were winning 2-0. By the end of the first half, there were already arguments starting between the fans.

The arguments continued well into the second half. The other team managed to catch up as time passed. In the last 2 minutes, Neymar manages to score again, securing their win. At first, you were ecstatic for your boyfriend but that feeling ended when you hear more arguments.

You suddenly hear multiple people call your name. They recognized you. Of course they would, you’re a famous model and the girlfriend of Neymar. You knew that it was time to leave so you quickly collect your stuff. You tried to make your way out of your row but people kept blocking you. They seemed to be mad at you for Neymar scoring PSG’s winning goal.

You started to panic as you exited the row. You only had to make it up the stairs to get to the exit and all of it was over.

Neymar was watching from the field. He saw how worried you were and quickly makes his way to where you were, ignoring security calling for him.

“Fuck you and fuck Neymar!” Someone shouts. You felt someone tug on your hair and you tripped down on the stairs. Sharp pain shoots up through your arm. The pain was so unbearable that you couldn’t help but start to cry.

Neymar heard your cries of pain and ran even faster to you “Hey! Get away from her!” He shouted as he pushes people away. He quickly helps you stand up and holds you by your non injured arm. “Come on, meu amor, we have to get out of here.” He whispers to your ear. He holds you close to his chest as he leads you to the exit. Security helped escort the both of you to somewhere safe.

Neymar tried to comfort you, but you couldn’t pay attention due to how much your arm was hurting. He rushes to the hospital knowing that your arm was most likely broken.

You finally made it to the hospital and the doctors had checked up on your arm, confirming that it was indeed broken. They put a cast on it and left the room, leaving you and Neymar alone.

“What were you doing in those seats?” He asks, running a hand through his curls. “Meu amor, I told you that you should take premium seatings.”

You let out a deep sigh, keeping your eyes on the cast covering your arm. “Didn’t think a fight was gonna break out. It was so scary, Ney.” Tears filled your eyes as you remember the events that happened a few hours before.

Neymar quickly sits by your side. He gently grabs your chin, making you look at him. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there sooner, amor. Next time, you’ll get premium seatings. Don’t fight with me on this.” He chuckles as you pout and nod in reply. “I was scared something happened. I’m glad you’re safe now.”

He leans over and pulls you in close, giving you a loving kiss on your lips. “I’ll be there to protect you next time, but let’s hope there is no next time.”

You let out a small chuckle as you rest your forehead against his. “My protector.”

[anystalker707]

Little secrets

Pairing: Roronoa Zoro x [gender neutral] Reader Words: ~ 3 800 Summary: Zoro always insists a little too much that they stop by a specific island then disappears until they need to leave again. What's going on? Tags: Sub! zoro, dom! reader, embarrassed zoro, pet names, very fluffy Somewhat inspired by @sinsterdarling 's fanfic Not proofread Probably ooc characters, bc im also very dumb MASTERLIST

          Zoro's eyes narrowed a little as he finally saw the island in the distance and, as much as he could feel certain relief, something also twisted inside his chest because the ship just couldn’t meet the shore soon enough. His grip around his swords was almost too tight, hurting his palm a little until he was forced to let go and find something to do until they reached the island, but it still felt like an eternity until it was finally time to toss the anchor down in the water.

It felt good to finally be on land for once in a while, to have firm ground under your feet. A quiet sigh of relief escaped Zoro's nose as he looked around, tucking his hands into his pockets.

Zoro yawned, watching the others stretch, and check their surroundings. It wasn't much different than the last time they'd been there. The stands near the shore sold fresh seafood, the reason of the incessant shouting of prices and products to attract the high volume of people that walked by. The island wasn't just the Strawhat's usual destination. A few other ships had docked there, being loaded or already leaving to the open sea without the worry of being stopped by the marine. Truly a paradise if it weren't so offhand because of their new routes. Zoro almost had to insist a suspicious amount for them to make a stop there.

The weather was quite nice. It was hot enough to take a bath in the warm sea water, but not too hot that you'd feel like in hell after standing under the sun for longer than five minutes, with a heat that was soothed by the soft breeze. Soft white clouds adorned the blue sky, once in a while blocking the sunlight for a few minutes. It felt perfect. Almost like a home.

"Hey." Zoro attracted their attention. "We are leaving just tomorrow, right?"

"Most likely." Robin hummed and nodded along with Luffy after the two shared a look.

"Right," Zoro exhaled. "I'll meet you tomorrow. Don't bother looking for me or anything, I know my way around."

“Are you sure? You don’t even know left from right.” Sanji clicked his tongue as he shook his head.

“And you don’t even know your own name the moment you see a woman!” Zoto shouted, his hands balling into fists by his sides.

Sanji groaned, eye twitching, and sucked in a breath just to interrupt himself the moment Luffy steps in between the two. “Ohh, look at that! Sanji, do you think you can prepare me something with that?” Everyone followed the direction he pointed at to see a proud man selling octopus that looked better than most of what they saw around.

“Tch.” Sanji sighed. “Of course. Let’s go.”

Zoro turned on his heels to start his own little journey, but stopped when he heard his name being called. Nami stood there with some papers in hands, raising an eyebrow at him. “Are you sure you’ll be fine, Zoro? Where are you even going?”

He rolled his eyes with a soft sigh, though all he bothered doing was to glance back at her. “I will be fine. Let me go, I don’t want to lose any more time.” 

“Ohh, Zoro is full of secrets!” Usopp told Chopper, who giggled along with him. As much as these comments had Zoro’s muscles twitching for him to hit their heads so they’d shut up already, he didn’t want to waste more of his precious time on the island. He closed his eyes for a moment and took in a deep breath so he could focus again.

Right. He was supposed to walk to the right until he saw a sorta alligator–shaped rock, then turn left and follow up to the woods. There was a red ribbon attached to the tree next to the way he should follow—a red ribbon along with some carvings, which sight already almost had him blushing. Swallowing thickly, he glanced around to make sure no one had followed him. There truly wasn’t anyone, but he still held his breath as making his way further down the trail into the woods.

Everything was fine until the way divided itself in two. Zoro didn’t remember whether he was told to go down the way with the tall tree or to avoid it. He stood there for a long moment, just staring at the tree while trying to remember what he had been told. First, alligator rock, then red ribbon, then... tall tree or not tall tree? Fuck off, why was it so difficult to remember? Well, it must’ve been tall tree, right? Or else he would’ve been told to follow the pebbles’ side.

With a shrug, Zoro took the right side and just kept walking, but... Something felt a little off. The ground was muddy, and he was sure it wasn’t supposed to be like that.

“Fuck...” Zoro clicked his tongue, turning around to follow the way back to that intersection. Maybe it really was about avoiding the tall tree direction. Who knew, huh. Now, he just needed to find that intersection and... No way he had walked that much away from it, so why did it never come?

Okay, it didn't seem good. Zoro stopped and scratched the back of his neck as he observed his surroundings. He couldn't see anything after a certain distance because of how the trees embraced the area, so returning to his starting point seemed a little out of question at the moment. The view was beautiful, either way, with the sun poking in through the leaves of the trees, but it was difficult to appreciate it with all the thoughts rushing through his head. Maybe he could set a direction and just walk because he would certainly reach somewhere at some point. Either way, he continued looking for something familiar on his way, walking a little slower than the last time, paying attention to every single sound and detail.

"Oh, what a good surprise!" The sudden voice had Zoro jumping, turning around abruptly, just for the tension to wear out at the moment he saw a familiar face there, giving place to a nice sensation as he felt his heart flutter. It was as if his body had its own mind, taking Zoro to them in swift steps. "Hi! How are you?"

No response came, instead only a warm hug that had both of them content. The world seemed to fall quieter once Zoro found them. His cheeks felt warm when he pulled away and looked at you, eyes flickering over each inch of your figure to take in the sight he had missed so much. His hands held onto your upper arms maybe a little tighter than needed, but he couldn’t risk letting any second near you go unused.

“How are you doing, pretty boy?” You repeated yourself with a soft smile as you gazed at Zoro—he always loved the way you looked at him, as if he was worth something. “I missed you.”

Zoro hummed almost inaudibly, finally nodding. “Doing well, yes. What about you?” As much as you knew it, he wanted to say that he missed you as well, to tell how much he had insisted for his friends to stop by at the island again, but the words just stopped at his throat and left him with an embarrassment and guilt that barely let Zoro look at you in the eyes.

“Fine, yes, but better now that my pretty boy is here with me.” You had a soft smile on your features. Your hand cupped Zoro's cheek softly so you could press a kiss to his face, which made him press his eyes shut for a moment as his cheeks burned hotter. "Come on, I will prepare you something to eat. You must be tired." Your hand fit just right around Zoro's, warm and protective.

Zoro hummed softly, ignoring the fact he had been walking in a completely different direction the whole time. His eyes fell to your other hand, seeing a large shopping bag. "Do you want help?"

"No, darling, it's fine." You smiled softly. "We're almost there, either way."

The place you lived in wasn't too modest nor too luxurious, with enough space for your whims and very well kept. It was almost a cottage, both for its aesthetic and also the way it was situated in a nice clearing with a lake near it, in the middle of the woods, a good distance away from anyone else. You also cultivated a few plants, so there was a beautiful flower garden by the front and a small vegetable one by the back. It was one of the most beautiful sightings for Zoro.

The house still smelled just like he remembered. Not much had changed either since the last time he'd been there, saving for a few of the furniture that changed place and the new decoration.

Inside that bag, you had food, which you carefully put away while Zoro made himself home. He couldn't help but to spot some ingredients for his favorite dish. It was almost as if you knew he was coming, and he wouldn't be surprised if you really did.

There, surprisingly, was a place where he could feel comfortable without his swords hanging from his waist. Not only did he know that you were strong enough to face any threat that attacked the island, but he was also sure he would be one of your priorities when it came to protection.

Zoro didn't really know what to do with his hands as he sat on the kitchen table, watching you assemble ingredients and stir pans until a few plates were set in front of him. There were pancakes, toasts, fruits, honey, hot chocolate, coffee, milk...

"Thank you." His voice was small and quiet, but still made it to your ears and snatched a soft smile from you that made something bubble up inside his chest. Zoro was quick to start eating, balancing it between eating it all at once because of how hungry he was and savoring each bit because he didn’t have the opportunity of eating your food everyday. Fingers touched the hair on the base of his neck, running through the short green strands in a soothing motion that had him closing his eyes for a moment whilst leaning into the touch. His eyes parted open to meet yours—you had a cup in hand while observing him quite adoringly. It somehow made him feel small, though not small as in when he met with an enemy who was resistant to his swords, but as in a way he could be held in someone’s palm knowing he wouldn’t be crushed.

“Is it good, honey?”

He swallowed. “Yes. Thank you so much.”

The constant rush Zoro’s life was in seemed to take an eventual pause when he was there, that small house in a little island making him feel so loved and protected as if it were a palace filled with gold and protected by a thousand gods; so being with you was something like finally allowing himself to rest and feel the weight on his back and chest without feeling guilty that he was somehow losing time.

A soft crack came from Zoro’s back as he groaned while throwing his intertwined hands above his head to stretch. The couch was way too comfortable, but he couldn’t sleep, not right now. He wanted to enjoy every little second with you, more and more, and just being pressed to you didn’t work. A whine almost escaped his throat with it. Almost. Instead, it was a soft him of appreciation because of how your lips met his.

The kiss was slow, but still very intense; the reason and the reward for escaping every adventure alive and in a whole piece, even if the times Zoro showed up to see you had more and more time between each other. He deepened the kiss at that thought, feeling a shiver run down his spine at how your hand met the side of his neck, letting your thumb run against his jaw soothingly.

“Tell me, honey,” you whispered against his lips before kissing your way down to his jaw. “Tell me where you’ve been and what you’ve done.”

A breath caught in his throat until he could finally get used to the soft touches. “I’ve been to somewhere called Skypiea and— And we met another god,” he told.

          “I don’t know if you have ever noticed this...” Usopp attracted everyone’s attention, or at least had Nami, Robin, Sanji, and Chopper looking at him while Luffy wolfed down all the food they’d ordered from a local restaurant. “...but Zoro disappears every single time we come here. What do you think he is up to?”

Because Nami had insisted they ate some of the local cuisine, they ended up looking for a restaurant where they could take a break from their shopping and goods-hunting and sit down to eat, checking what they’d gotten already and what was still to be found. Sanji didn’t seem exactly pleased with it, but ended up going along with it. 

“He is running away from working! He didn’t even take the list of stuff we need to find!” Nami slammed a fist against the table, having Chopper lean away a little with wide eyes, an opposite to how Robin just chuckled.

“Secret mission!” Chopper spoke up, raising an arm. “Or he just goes off somewhere to sleep!”

“Or maybe he sees someone. Or avoids someone.” Robin smiled. “He wouldn’t insist for us to come here just so he could sleep, don’t you think?”

Chopper gasped. “You’re smart, Robin!” He snatched another chuckle from her.

“Of course she is! Only she could think so reasonably!” Sanji nodded frantically.

“I suggest we confirm it,” Usopp chuckled as he rubbed his palms together. “We should follow him!”

“I’m in!” Chopper raised an arm again, almost jumping on the chair, whilst Sanji shrugged.

Nami stared at Usopp for a moment, lips pressed together as she contemplated whether she agreed with it or not. It wasn’t much of her interest what Zoro was doing since he always came back when it was time to leave, but now that Usopp had brought it up and they started making theories... She would be pleased to kick his ass once she found him sleeping somewhere to avoid the job all of them had to do. Or even annoy him for any embarrassing hobby.

“Okay...” Nami nodded.

They had to find Zoro first, that was the hard part. He didn’t come back to the ship at night, so maybe he would come back the following day to make sure they’d leave or stay for a little longer. They needed to keep their eyes wide open for any moss-head.

Luffy was intrigued, an arm over his chest and a finger under his chin while observing whatever food some random old man prepared in front of him, promising it was the best meal in the world. Maybe Sanji could do it if Luffy memorized all of the steps. There were tomatoes, a random fruit, some seasoning...

"Hey, Luffy."

"Hi, Zoro," he replied, voice distant.

"Are we returning today for real?" Usually, they never returned on the day they decided at first because there was always something missing, but Zoro better confirm if he didn't want Nami complaining the whole time and intereupting his precious naps.

"Hmmm... no," Luffy mumbled, "Usopp mentioned something about finding someone..."

Zoro raised an eyebrow, but settled down for not asking anything, only humming with a nod. Luffy barely paid attention to anything normally, so now it would be impossible—he gasped as the man finally handed him the food and started wolfing it down immediately, so Zoro just didn’t even try and started walking away. He wouldn't get lost his time, hopefully. You had given him a paper with the directions.

Luffy had finished eating when Nami approached him, sighing. "Hey, did you see anything?"

"Uh, yeah. Zoro was just here asking if we will really leave today, but I told him not yet," Luffy explained with his hands on his hips.

"Zoro?!!" Nami gasped as she threw her hands in the air, frantically waving for the rest of the group to come by. "And you didn't even call us?! How long has it been?!"

Luffy shrugged. "A couple of minutes."

"There's still time!"

The group left, ignoring the old man madly shouting at Luffy for not paying a thing, but they were already too far and too worried to care about it. The shouting mess tudned quiet at the moment they caught on Zoro's track, standing all together and following him in small steps to make sure he didn't notice he was being followed. Either way, it didn't seem like he would notice them that easily, no—he would eventually pause and rub the back of his neck, muttering to himself and the piece of paper that he held in hand.

"Why does he have that bag? Where did it even come from?" Nami narrowed her eyes, balancing on her toes with Chopper on her back. The six of them crouched behind a bush in a poor excuse of hiding.

A light brown bag hung from Zoro’s back, one that couldn't be theirs. They'd never bought that thing.

"He has a map in hand, I believe," Usopp hummed, rubbing his chin. "Do you think he is delivering something?"

"Looks like it," Chopper muttered, and looked at the others. Robin just gazed at each of them with a light entertained smile on her lips. Sanji, on the other hand, never let his gaze leave Zoro; Chopper could faintly hear him grumbling under his breath about how Zoro preferred to work for others rather than helping them and not even share the berries he earned.

Robin chuckled a little. “Well, let’s hope he really doesn’t lose himself, don’t you think?”

“He must be already lost!” Sanji clicked his tongue.

The way was a little agonizing. The destination never came and they almost had heart attacks whenever Zoro turned around to remake his way because he’d taken a wrong turn—it was hard to know if he even knew where he was going.

Now, Zoro had been stopped for over five minutes already and had no sign of going anywhere so soon. Nami broke the silence with a groan, “we should just confront him already! Z—”

“Zoro!” A voice called, having the six of them jumping and shutting up while they looked around for its source in the direction Zoro turned to. “Over here, honey! I knew you’d get lost!”

“Sorry!” Zoro clicked his tongue, folding the map to shove it in his pocket as he finally started walking again. “I did get everything, though! Check if it’s exactly what you wanted, or else I’ll go back!”

“I knew it!” Sanji shook his head, exhaling.

Once Zoro was a good distance away, they decided to follow him, stopping by the last bushes and trees around the clearing. Their chins fell simultaneously at the sight of the cottage—vines with light purple flowers crawled up the creamy walls, but the ones on the garden could almost be found in all colors, and Luffy already licked his lips at the sight of watermelons growing strong around the side of the cottage.

“Wait... who is that?” Usopp narrowed his eyes as he lowered his binocles, taking a closer look at you. He pressed his lips together, trying to figure out whether you were someone familiar or not.

All of them gasped in unison, however, at the sight of Zoro throwing his arms around your neck while you held onto his hips, pressing a kiss to his cheek before your lips met in a soft kiss. “Thank you,” you said softly. “Do you wish to prepare a cake with me? I would appreciate your help, it seems like we are going to need more food today.”

Zoro furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at you, pulling away a little. “What do you mean?”

“Well, it seems like your friends have found their way after you.” You smiled, tilting your head so you could look past Zoro at the group poorly hidden there. Zoro’s eyes widened at the same moment he whipped his head around, cheeks burning crimson at the sight of his six followers, who sweatdropped, mumbling incoherent excuses.

“What the fuck are you doing here, you idiots?!” He shouted, making you laugh.

“Aw, c’mon, it’s not bad to have visits once in a while!” You pressed a soothing kiss to Zoro’s cheek. “C’mon! Don’t be ashamed, come in!” Waving, you invited them to approach so you could make it into your place.

Weird was an understatement. Who could even imagine they would see Zoro stand there in an apron with you standing behind him, guiding his hands through kneading the dough. Whatever was going on among the others, was just white noise in the back of his mind since time with you was more worth it than whatever the six idiots would tease him for, he could deal with that later.

Everything was already in the oven when you served them more of the tea and biscuits to distract their hunger while the food was still being prepared. “Make yourself home,” you reminded them while serving Robin.

“Your tea tastes very good, (y/n), thank you for it!” Robin smiled before she took another sip of it.

“Why, thank you!”

“But who are you?” Chopper still seemed a little scared, feeling extra small as he sat between Sanji and Usopp for safety reasons. “Wh—Why haven’t we seen you before?”

You shrugged a little, humming. “I’m not sure, but I remember meeting my pretty boy when he got lost around here.” Your fingers ran through the short green strands, worsening the almost permanent blush Zoro already had.

“Pretty boy, hm?” Sanji smirked.

“You’re just jealous you have no one, you perverted cook!” Zoro shouted, standing up and leaning across the table in Sanji’s direction.

“Jealous? With Nami and Robin?” Sanji shouted with a scoff, mirroring Zoro’s position.

Nami rolled her eyes, not even trying to say anything because she wasn’t the one embarrassing herself in someone else’s house, either way.

“Well, it is nice to meet all of you!” You smiled, pouring more tea into the cup that Luffy extended to you. “I have heard a lot.”

“I hope he actually said something good!” Nami gave Zoro a side eye, though it was more of a glare that had him growling.

“Of course!” You chuckled with a nod.

“Hey, Zoro,” Luffy spoke up, “what’s that on your neck? Did a mosquito bite you or something?”

Zoro seemed confused until his eyes widened and converted his neck immediately, blushing profusely. “You idiot!!!”

.𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟.

[mochi-owos]

Meeting genshin men at your local grocery store?!

Childe, Itto, Kaeya, Alhaitham, Ayato x Reader

To be honest, the job itself wasn’t too bad. Pretty normal actually. Aside from the few weirdos that have been walking in lately..

Inspired by @abyssruler’s 7/11 Diaries! (One again written in the depths of night, so I apologize for the errors and tbh it’s kinda bad 😰)

Childe:

You could do this! Self belief! Stay awake! Your shift was almost done, 2am on the clock and two more hours to go. Everything was pretty mundane, occasionally mopping the floor, checking the stock, handling the (basically unused) register— all mundane with the lack of people. But today a real odd ball walked in: ginger hair, roughed clothing, tussled hair, and oh- the massive nose bleed dripping down onto his clothes.

He walks through the store so calmly - it’s almost startlingly - he strolls through the isles putting random items, then walks up to the counter. He grins, "Well hello there, I didn’t know such a pretty thing would be working at a time like this." He says, all while blood is still dripping down his nose.

You blink once, you blink twice, you take the basket and start scanning, "It’s too early in the morning for this.." You mumble, tired eyes fumbling with the unreasonably items. The prices of each individual item would send you into cardiac arrest, but all in all? Fucking nuts. How does he even have money? Have you seen the economics state of the world?

Your words only make him laugh, as you look up at him your gaze fuses on his bloody nose, "You’re bleeding."

"I know." He smiles.

"O," You blink slowly once more. "Want a tissues or something?”

He raises a brow, "Ha! You’re pretty funny, you know! Most workers get scared!" He laughs, watching intently as you pack away his items handing them to him.

You look him in the eyes, "I don’t get paid enough."

From that day since he’d often come to the store chatting with you, all while buying odd products. At this point you were starting to think it’s all to speak with you, I mean— Instant rice and pickles? You raised a brow, almost like a mind reader he spoke,

"My friend dropped his phone in the toilet so we’re doing the rice method, and the pickles is for me, nice snack."

Isn’t the rice method supposed to be bad? “Why don’t you just go to a repair shop?"

"Hes quirky like that."

"Just leave."

At some point you started seeing him outside the shop, he also goes to the same university as you. Which did make sense seeing at though he looked your age, but what surprised you the most is that he’s pretty well know. So now you started to wonder how you hadn’t heard about him. Maybe it’s because you have no friends— that’s a problem. You’ll need some of those.. you guess. Now that you think about it, you never got his name. How odd.

Itto:

It was very much valid for you to assume that the man before you was drunk. He was awfully loud (so much so you could hear him from five blocks down), he talked funny, and so did he act the same.

As you tiredly rub your eyes you to try shake yourself awake, there was still so much time until work was over. And with the shouting going on outside it was actually quite easy, most would be worried of a murder being what’s taking place outside but it was awfully normal for such screams, also the sound of drunk laughter easily disproves the thought of murder. A man -easily 7ft tall, White hair, super buff, his hair oddly whisked - trudges in, panic written all over his face. "WHERE IS YOUR RICE?" He asked anxiously.

"Excuse me?"

"I NEED RICE FOR MY PHONE." He jumped around in place, you point him towards the section and he runs off, few of his friends snicker while some look worried.

You wait around at the counter, it takes him a few minutes to gather what he needs, next time he comeback he has at least four small bags of rice and bandages. As you ring him up you hear the man speak with his friends,

"Do you think it’ll work?" One of his friends ask.

"I think so! I got the premium rice, and I think the bandages will work too!" He smiles.

"For.. your phone?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Nothing.." his friends mumble, stifling a laugh.

You simply shake your head at such idiocy, but then again you can understand, repair shops are unbelievably expensive and half the time it gets even more broken. But your action seems to have caught the man’s attention, gawking he turns to his friends, “THEYRE SO HOT.”

From that day forward he constantly visited the shop, goofing around in the store in attempts to get your number.

"So, you like jazz?" He has this odd smirk on his face, almost as if that was his attempt to finesse you.

"Yes."

"Ah. You were supposed to say no."

"Sorry?"

Soon, Itto (his name, he had written it on a piece of paper and whilst paying for his newest purchase slipped it in) started being able to spot you on campus, following you around like a lost puppy. Perhaps you’ll slip in your number next time you give him change.. perhaps.

Kaeya:

To Kaeya you were hot, really fucking hot. Though you were kinda invisible that added to your charm, that or he just had a thing for total losers, he couldn’t tell. And for the most part you weren’t entire invisible, often seeing your name on the first board after grades come out, or even seeing you enrolled in competitions, or he’d see you studying in the library - looking so adorable- writing away at your notes. He thought you were utterly ethereal, and the need to get to know you was insatiable. His friends quite literally needing to hold him down from running up to you and scaring you away. So come to find out lovely ol’ you works at one of his favourite convince place he already had a plan brewing.

You drearily watch the clock, your body feeling as if it's numb. Your hands lazily drawing circles on the counter, starting to regret the fact you decided to work the graveyard shift. The ringing of the store bell waking you from your hazziness, a man dressed nicely came in: blue hair, blue eyes (odd combo, to be completely honest), dressed in what looked like ballroom clothing, his expression of.. smugness? Unyielding.

As you wait to ring him up you take out your phone and start scrolling through it, but soon you here light steps approaching placing your phone back in your pocket and take the items and start scanning. All as you do so the man watches you intently, and little too much.

”Can I help you with something, Sir?"

He raises a brow, "Sir? You don't think I'm that old, do you?!" He cried.

"No, Sir. I'm required to do this."

"So you think I look nice?"

"Sure."

"Would you go out with me?" Was that really his attempt at rizzing you up?

"Please just take your items and leave, Sir." (I'm saving you the embarrassment -and myjob-)

He couldn't stand it, no, he was determined-- he will rizz you up. You have to give him a chance! And so whenever you had a free moment you would see him walk up to you, it’s not that you minded his unbreaking tenacity, it was quite admirable actually.

"Hey!" He ran up to you, waving his hand. He stops in front of you weaving, "Trying to run away from me?"

"No. I’m hungry."

"Ah! The allow me to do the pleasure and buy you lunch."

"If you have money, sure.”

You were oh so happy, free food truly did taste the best. So while he got to know you you got full - and happy - tummy. Maybe you’ll actually let him take you out.

Al Haitham:

See, typically you were fine with customers, but this time you were utterly enthralled by this.. this asshole with a stick up his ass. You’d love to hop over the counter and give him a wack, but you refrain from doing so— he looked rich, and he was buff, you most definitely could not take him in a fight.

"It’s 14.55."

"I’m aware."

"I am in a rush, please let me pay already."

"Im sorry, Sir. I’m required to ring this all up."

"But I already told you, it’s 14.55." His eyes looked a bit agitated, his arms crossed.

"Sir, I am just doing my job."

"K."

To be honest, you didn’t really know what was coming out of his mouth after that, nor did you care, you simply nod, most of the “conversation” you looked at his.. uh, breast(s) pocket. You’d never see him again, what’s the harm?

You were wrong, so undeniably, unbelievably, wrong. Exactly 5 hours later you’d see him at the gym, staring at you, approaching you- wait, approaching you?? You look around the room, what do you do? How do you seem like you’re busy? Pull out you pho-?!

"Hey."

"Hello..? Do you need something?"

"Do you need help?"

"No."

"I’m helping you anyway."

"O."

And workout buddies you came to be, often meeting him during your workout sessions. You never really needed his help, but with his insistence you agreed. Sometimes even studying together.

"Are you stupid?"

"I think so, I’ve been talking with my doctor lately and-"

"I didn’t mean it literally."

"Ah."

With exams coming up you’ve been seeing each other a lot more, and the study areas have been a lot more.. romantic? Close, cool mood lighting, cold- sometimes even his own house. But then again, maybe it’s just you.

Ayato:

This was absolutely fucking nuts. This guy was decked out— SO BAD. The Ayato Kamisato, one of the richest bachelors was before you, you couldn’t help but be a bad bit taken back. But regardless you tried your best to scan all his odd items.

For a hot bachelor his grocery items were really weird, and so fucking expensive you felt your heart clench.. you’ll need a break after this, maybe even a smoke (you’ve never smoked in your life and if you were to you were pretty sure you’d have an asthma attack).

His gaze wondered you curiously, has you handed him his groceries he smiled, leaving a.. 100$ TIP?? WHAT THE FUCK. WHERE DOES HE GET THIS MONEY? I THOUGHT WE WERE IN A RESCISSION. WHAT. Your eyes were massive, looking back up at him, "Uhm, Sir. I think you misplaced this bill.." as much as you wanted to keep it, you had morals (sadly), holding yourself to high principle.

"Oh, that was no mistake. I appreciate the fact someone like you is working at such an hour. Have a lovely morning." He waved and left.. someone like me? Is that an insult? Does he think I’m poor?

As you pondered what he meant you started seeing him more, and more. Always leaving a massive tip, does god.. love me? Your reactions always brining a smile to his face, and conversations with you always left him with a swelling in his chest, you were awfully funny.

"Here, a tip."

"Am I.. in more debt?" You tilt your head, "Do you want something from me?" Your eyes widen, "Is this perhaps your way of buying me? Is that what rich people do..? That’s what’s I heard.." mumbling the last part you look into the floor, bringing your hand up to fumble with your lip- in deep concentration.

He was so weird, people said he was cool. From what you can tell all he is a weirdo. Who tips this much? Who buys this much weird stuff? Isn’t he rich? Why doesn't he just get someone to get him groceries? Why does he look at you weird? Honestly, if he kept giving you this much money you might as well become his sugar baby (not that you would mind).

[writeforfandoms]

Warrior Song 6

Find the series masterlist

This chapter is like 10% plot and 90% fluff. That's it. But that's all this entire story is so this is on brand.

Warnings: Swearing, fluff.

Word count: 2.3k

You saw John at least briefly every day for the next three days. He brought you coffee one morning, and pulled you away from medbay to make sure you ate lunch.

And then his big trick was on the third day. He caught you right at the end of your shift at medbay. 

“Come with me,” he rumbled, looking down at you, shoulders very straight.

Well, that was a bit foreboding. “Okay,” you agreed slowly, stepping up next to him and allowing him to lead the way. “Although I’m pretty sure as a civilian I can’t get court martialed.” 

“What?” He looked down at you again, the frown clear in his voice. 

“Just joking. You look so serious.” 

John huffed his version of a laugh but didn’t say anything else. Instead he took you to HQ, and motioned you to enter first. Shooting him one last wary look, you did. 

The rest of Blue Team, Fernando, and the three highest ranking officers all waited there. You paused, alarm bells going off in your brain, before a subtle nudge to your back got you moving again. 

“This is all of them, Chief?”

“Yes, sir.” He stopped next to you, more or less boxing you in between himself and Fernando. 

The CO sighed but nodded. “Very well. I understand most of your choices.” His gaze lingered on you, doubt clear. You almost got your hackles up, but Chief intervened.

“She’s a knowledgeable medic who is uniquely equipped to handle potential needs in the field. She’s taught the techs everything needed to continue the operation of base.” Chief didn’t look at you at all, attention focused on the CO. 

Who merely stood quietly for nearly a full minute (you counted) before nodding. “Very well, agreed. You’ll provide updates when you have them.”

“Yes, sir.” 

“Get whatever you need, I expect you all to head out in the morning. Dismissed.”

Chief left first, and Fernando ushered you out ahead of him. You held your tongue for the moment, knowing better than to question what the hell was going on while in the CO’s office. 

So you waited until you were outside.

“What the hell is going on?” you hissed, looking between Fernando and Chief. 

“We’ve been reassigned,” Chief answered, not even slowing down as he walked towards the Pelican. “We are to find out more about this installation and what makes it different.” He paused for a moment. “We are also to eradicate any Banished we come across while investigating.” 

“Okay,” you said slowly, stopping outside the Pelican and watching as Blue Team all started to move crates inside. “So why am I here?”

“Chief.” Fernando sounded disapproving, putting his hands on his hips. “You didn’t ask her?” 

“Nope,” Joy piped up. “Not even close.”

“Someone better explain soon or I’ll start shouting,” you threatened, glowering. 

Chief stopped in front of you, blocking out the rest of the world and speaking quietly. “You are a valuable asset, and would be a help in the field,” he said, lowering his voice further. “I believe you’d enjoy the experience.”

You eyed him, trying to figure out if that’s all it was. “There are other medics,” you said slowly, testing. 

“I don’t trust them.” He held very still, watching you.

And it only took you a moment before warmth bloomed in your chest. “Oh.” You smiled up at him. “Well, why didn’t you say so?”

“You’ll come?” He sounded just as cautious as you had moments ago, testing.

“I will. Oh, wait, I need to grab things! You should have given me more warning, now I’ll have to do this the hard way. I’ll be back!” You dashed away, already going through what you could bring from the medical supplies and what you’d need to grab. 

And damn it all if you weren’t going to bring a few little comforts for people, too. If anyone deserved them, it was that group. 

It took longer than you wanted to admit to get everything, but you did it. One crate was your contribution to the contents of the Pelican, with a basket balanced on top with a few things you needed. 

“What did you find?” Joy asked from Chief’s helmet. A moment later he turned to look, holding out his hand so the little hologram of the AI could form over his palm.

“A few necessities, some medical things, extra clothes, bandages. Things like that.” Still, you couldn’t quite keep the hint of pride out of your voice. 

“Sounds like you did a lot!” Joy smiled at you. 

“I did pretty well.” But your smile was still satisfied. “I suppose I should try to get some sleep.”

“We’re leaving bright and early,” Joy told you. “So don’t be late!”

“I won’t,” you promised. “Night.” You nodded to her and to John and headed back to your room. 

This would be the last time for a little while that you had real privacy, after all. 

It was with a bittersweet sort of excitement that you left your room that morning, your tablet in hand, a few last-minute gifts from Carter and Lindsay in a cloth bag. 

The Pelican was oddly quiet, but then, everything had been packed up yesterday. The Spartans had wasted no time in making ready. So you took a few moments to just look. The Pelican was definitely scuffed up, but reliable. Much as it pained you to admit. 

Someone came up behind you and stopped next to you. Green armor in the corner of your eye had you relaxing. 

“Ready?” John asked.

“As I’ll ever be.” You shrugged. 

John nodded, and a moment later his hand covered yours, the undersuit warm and a little rough against your skin. “Thank you. For coming.” 

You looked up at him, briefly wishing you could actually see his face, especially with your own so vulnerable. Then you smiled, just a little. “For you? Of course I’d come.” 

He nodded once, slowly. “We’ll be leaving shortly.” He didn’t release your hand for another moment, though, sending your pulse fluttering. 

And then he was gone, to get the others or do his own last-minute prep, or whatever. You made yourself comfortable on the Pelican, as much as you could anyway. 

Fernando nodded to you as he headed up to the pilot’s seat, and Blue Team settled on the craft as well. You closed your eyes as you felt the ship lift up off the ground. A moment later there was a big hand on your shoulder, helping hold you steady. 

“It’s not long to the first base,” Joy said, and you weren’t sure if she was talking to you or to Blue Team.

“What exactly are you looking for?” You didn’t open your eyes yet, but you definitely felt better this time. 

“Well…” Joy trailed off, and you did open your eyes then to find her hologram looking up at Chief.

“She’s involved now,” Chief said, low and almost relaxed. “You can tell her.”

Joy turned back to you with a smile. “We’re looking for evidence of what the Endless are! The Harbinger kept talking about them, but we don’t know yet what she meant.” 

You blinked, very thoroughly confused. “Uh. I think you’re gonna have to explain a little more than that.”

“What do you know?” Joy tilted her head to the side.

“We’re on a ring in the middle of nowhere,” you drawled, dry as dust. “Stuck here without any functional slipspace drives. The Banished had control, but don’t seem to anymore. I assume that would be the work of you three.”

“That’s right!” Joy shrugged. “While we were fighting the Banished, we met the Harbinger. She wasn’t Banished, but something else. And she told us about the coming of the Endless.”

“So, probably a bad thing,” you guessed, leaning into John’s hand on your shoulder as the Pelican swayed. 

“Probably!” Joy agreed, far too chipper for the subject at hand. 

You snorted quietly. “Sounds fun,” you drawled. “Just don’t expect me to shoot anything.” 

“Don’t worry, he’s really good at that.” Joy jerked her thumb at Chief, and you couldn’t help but laugh quietly. 

“So I’ve heard.”

“Who knows, maybe you’ll get a chance to see for yourself.” Joy shrugged. “We’re almost there.”

You lifted your head, surprised. That had been faster than you thought, and smoother. Either the distraction from Joy worked, or Fernando was actually normally a good pilot when not having to avoid obstacles. 

“Coming up on the LZ, Chief,” Fernando called back. “All quiet here.”

“Copy.” With one last gentle squeeze to your shoulder, John let go and moved to the back of the Pelican. The other three Spartans rose to join him as the ramp lowered. 

They left quietly, without fanfare, weapons on their backs. You crept over to the edge of the ramp to just look, quietly awed at the beauty of this place, as well as the visible Forerunner technology. It was daunting but also intriguing. 

You’d always been too curious, even as a child. It was something you hadn’t grown out of. 

“Hey, Fernando?” You turned to look when you heard the pilot approach. “What do you know about the Endless?” 

He looked around before he flopped down to sit on the floor of the Pelican. “Better get comfy,” he warned you. 

Time passed faster than you would have guessed, the two of you going back and forth on ideas about who or what the Endless might be, where it might be, and why this Halo was different. Neither of you were experts, of course, so the discussion did devolve into increasingly outlandish theories. 

But it did keep the two of you busy through the day while Blue Team was gone. Fernando started showing you how to do maintenance on the Pelican, too. An exchange, he claimed, for teaching him about plants. 

You doubted you’d ever have cause to use this information, but you obediently paid attention and followed along with the lesson. 

The two of you were bent over some wiring under a front panel when the COM crackled to life. 

“Echo-216, we are en route to LZ.”

“Copy that, Chief. LZ still quiet.” 

“Copy.” 

You raised an eyebrow at Fernando. “All business, huh?” 

Fernando shrugged. “Sometimes he banters. Usually after he’s shot a bunch of things.”

“Must’ve been quiet, then,” you said, nodding sagely. “Boring.”

“He’ll be insufferable,” Fernando agreed, beard twitching with his grin.

“You are still on open COMs.” 

The deadpan drawl made you and Fernando both freeze, looking at each other with wide eyes. Then you cleared your throat. 

“Well, someone has to keep you entertained,” you managed. Fernando clamped his lips together to attempt not to laugh. “Left up to you, I bet it’s just a silent march back, no fun at all.”

There was a soft sigh, and what sounded like a muffled snicker. 

“Cut the chatter,” Chief ordered, though he sounded amused himself. 

This time, Fernando reached up to slap the button himself to turn off COMs. You were too busy cackling to pay attention. 

“No wonder he wanted you along,” Fernando muttered, still grinning like a loon. “You sass him.”

“Yup.” You grinned, leaning back. “Look, he’s got more than enough people that are just in awe around him and don’t treat him like a real person. I figure if sassing him makes him feel more human, I am more than happy to help.” 

“You’re also just sassy in general,” Fernando pointed out.

“That too,” you agreed easily. Standing, you stretched out your back with a low groan. “I need to stretch my legs.”

Fernando lifted a hand to show he heard, already working on putting the panel back on. So you left the Pelican, taking a little walk around. This part of the ring was pretty, with waving grasses and trees in the distance. It was still odd to look up and see the rest of the Halo in the sky. 

You heard them before you saw them, the heavy armor making them more audible as they approached. You turned briefly to wave to them before you turned away again, looking out at the view. A little stream burbled its way through the grass, soothing and simple. 

“How did things go?” you asked, feeling the ground shake a little under your feet as John approached. And you knew it would be John - the others had no reason to come talk to you. 

“Fine. Quiet.” He stopped next to you. 

“Get any leads?” You looked over at him, leaning a little closer. 

“Affirmative.” 

You huffed softly. “We leaving immediately, or in the morning?” 

That made him pause, and he looked down at you before looking over at the Pelican. The rest of the team were checking their weapons and gear. 

“We’ll leave in the morning,” John decided. “Have you eaten?” 

“I should be asking you that,” you grumbled, though you smiled up at him. “I’m sure the answer is no since you were in a potential combat zone. You lot are in charge of plates and utensils, I’ll whip something up. We have a few fresh things we need to use up first, anyway.” 

He nodded but didn’t move just yet, so you waited. His hand raised slowly, bypassing your shoulder this time to cup your cheek delicately. Your breath caught in your chest at the tender gesture and you leaned into the contact. For a moment you wondered about doing more, about leaning up closer, about putting your hand over his and leading him somewhere–

And then his helmet dipped, shoulders hunching as he leaned down to press the helmet very gently to your forehead. 

Without a word, he straightened and walked back to the Pelican, leaving you with butterflies in your stomach and a ridiculous smile on your face.

[look-at-the-soul]

The choice

Tommy Shelby x reader

An evening at Arrow House (2K followers celebration) my dear Lee @zablife I love the theme you choose for this celebration and congratulations once more for reaching 2K followers! That’s a bunch and you deserve each one of them and even more! THANK YOU for sharing your incredible talent and kindness in this fandom, I’m so grateful to have met you on here ✨

Request: From anon, darling I don’t know a lot about the super hero world, but this idea kind of sounds similar (?) I hope so! Please let me know what you think and feel free to send another request if you don’t feel pleased with this

Summary: Tommy is losing Ruby from consumption, so he rushes to ask for help to a woman he had heard owns some kind of special power. But changing the course of things around has consequences.

⚠️ Mentions of people passing away, spirits, Gypsy curses, witchcraft.

Word count: 2,118

This had to be a mistake.

God, no please no… anyone but his little Ruby.

His hands were shaking, his stomach in a tight knot.

“I want another opinion.” His statement was adamant.

“Mr. Shelby I wish I could give you a different diagnose, unfortunately-”

“Nevertheless I want another opinion.” Tommy stated firmly and left the Doctor’s office without another word.

He’d pay anything to make Ruby feel better.

Torn between the common sense and this need to get answers, he suddenly remembered of a woman Polly was always going to, she had told him a couple of times she owned a special power but he was skeptical about it.

Stopping his car at the modest neighborhood, Tommy’s hand wrapped around the steering wheel tightly. Knuckles white from the force, he was fighting the tears back.

“Go inside Tommy.” Polly’s voice took him by surprise, moving his head up, he found his aunt sitting in the backseat.

“Pol.”

“You’re running out of time, Thomas.”

In a blink she was gone and Tommy felt his chest heavy.

Clearing his throat, Tommy knocked on the door and took a step back, but no one opened so he waited a few more seconds until he noticed the small curtain moving abruptly.

“I don’t owe the Peaky Blinders anything.” A female voice shouted from the other side of the door.

“I need to talk to Y/N Y/L/N.”

“You’ll led me to trouble, Mr. Shelby.”

Tommy started banging on the door desperately, forcing her to open up before the entire block could notice.

“My aunt, Polly Gray talked to me about you.”

“I only helped her sew a few buttons.” She covered her face under the hood of her cape.

“No… you helped her to see Anna one more time, you helped her to say goodbye to her daughter.” He pointed out firmly, breathing heavy, heartbeat drumming against his ribcage.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She was shaking her head profusely, and in a hurried attempt, she tried to close the door, but Tommy’s hand made it impossible then he squeezed his shoulder in the small gap between the door and the doorframe. “Mr. Shelby!”

“I need your help… please.” He struggled with his voice, shoulders tense. “My daughter is sick.”

He never asked for help, never begged for anything.

But a lot of things were different lately.

“My daughter, Ruby s-she is sick, the doctor said it’s consumption.” He looked away as his eyes filed with tears. “And I think she’s cursed.”

“I’m really sorry to hear this, Mr. Shelby… unfortunately there’s nothing I can do, I’m just a seamstress.”

Tommy tried to look at her, but she was hiding her features behind the shadows. The small hopes he had been holding were shattered in mere seconds. He was lost for words, felt helpless, powerless.

“My aunt said you have some kind of power, guess she was wrong… anyways sorry for bothering you.”

She reached out her hand for him as he turned around, noticing the worry in his voice, his request seemed genuine and it was so so hard to watch him leave defeated.

Even though she had the best intentions to help people in need, sometimes she got in troubles for that same reason. Just like everything, there was good and bad in witchcraft, it wasn’t something to take slightly or as a joke, you don’t want to mess up with a spirit. Having the power to change the course of life was something she had taken seriously and used her gift with caution. But she needed to be careful. Loads of witches had been hanged or burned alive for this exact same reason.

To keep her mind busy, she started working on the jacket resting by the chair, it was from her neighbor, the poor man lost his wife weeks ago and when she heard the news and rushed to the house next door, Beth demanded to let her rest in peace, she had already dealt with enough problems all her life to make her come back from the death. But before Beth left, she pointed at the jacket and showed her a hole in the pocket, so here she was hunted down by her restless soul for almost a week for not sewing it yet.

“There you go Beth, you can now rest in peace.” She exhaled loudly and left the jacket by the door, to give it to Harry in the morning.

Turning around, she gasped as another restless soul took her by surprise. “Fuck.” She covered her heart with the palm of her hand as the soul approached her.

“I need to ask you for another favor, Y/N.”

“Polly you shouldn’t be here.”

She was used by now to seeing the souls of people who passed away already, they were everywhere, looking for the chance to communicate with those who they used to love, she was just an instrument, a bridge for them and those who were still alive.

“I know darling, but you really need to help my nephew… little Ruby she’s been feeling poorly.”

“Polly I can’t change the course of life and death, you know that.”

“Are you sure? She’s just a girl, a great kid… she has big dreams, a bright future in Hollywood.”

“If I promise to check, will you let me sleep?”

“Thank you.” Polly smiled and disappeared in a blink.

But of course, Y/N wasn’t able to rest for a minute, all night tossing and turning in bed, hunted by the sadness she found in Mr. Shelby’s eyes as he asked for her help. So it was still early when she left her home and headed to the hospital, rushing past the empty corridors, packed with all the souls stuck there, trying to reach for her to make contact with their loved ones, asking for mercy, some of them didn’t even understand they didn’t belong to this world anymore.

But soon she found the room she had been looking for, a beautiful girl with dark long hair resting with an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth, battling with some cough. Sensing someone approaching, she rushed to hide around the corner of the hall, catching the fabric of a black coat, she observed the man who visited her last night, getting rid of the gloves and taking a deep breath he closed his fits tightly as if he was trying to collect all the strength from the world before entering his daughter’s hospital room.

Tiptoeing, Y/N got closer to the door and her heart broke into a million pieces as she heard his words.

“My little girl, I’d give anything I own to see you well and healthy, you know that?” He was holding of her small hands, not wearing anything for protection. “Anything, this life… it doesn’t makes sense without you. I’m so sorry for getting you involved in this bloody curse, my little love hang in there for me, will ya? I’m going to look for Esme, she’ll now what to do.”

And as she saw that imposing and relentless man break down and cry by the feet of his daughter’s hospital bed she knew right there she had to do something.

Or at least try to.

Y/N hid in the corner again as Mr. Shelby stormed out of the room.

It took her a good part of the day to get to the girl, since a couple of nurses walked into the room after Mr. Shelby left, then a slim, tall woman entered wearing a mask, her eyes were teary and she was holding a handkerchief. She brushed the girl’s hair and held her when she started coughing badly. It was until the Doctor called her to her office that she left, giving her the opportunity to step in.

Eventually, as she reached the bed, Ruby opened her eyes.

“Are you here to take me to heaven?”

“No, Ruby I’m here to cure you.” She smiled as the girl nodded.

*****

“Where the fuck have you been?!” Lizzie exploded, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Tommy stopped, rain pouring down heavily. His heart stopped beating, blood ran down to his body, he felt dizzy and angry.

The nightmare finally became a reality, he had been dreaming of this for so many nights, Ruby was gone. His daughter was gone.

Lizzie hit him in the chest. “Ruby, Ruby she’s so sick and you left us alone!” She charged against him again.

At least she was still alive.

Leaning against the closest wall, Tommy felt like he didn’t have anymore strength left in his body, legs giving up and he slid down to sit on the step. Noticing Lizzie’s breakdown he could only wrap an arm around her shoulders in some kind of comfort.

Looking up, his eyes found a shadow at the other side of the street, someone with a long cape with a hood stared at them. He had to blink a couple of times to register what was happening, but she walked away before he had time to react.

“Mr. Shelby? Can we have a word in my office please?”

“What happened?” Demanded Lizzie standing up.

“It’s about your daughter, sh-she’s cured I don’t understand how this happened, there’s no medical evidence of her illness anymore.” The Doctor took off his glasses and wiped his chin.

Tommy couldn’t believe what he just heard, there was no medical evidence of the damage the consumption could’ve left in Ruby’s lungs, she was sitting on her bed with a wide smile on her face trying to hide the fact that she wanted to jump on the hospital bed and leave already to go home, Tommy rushed to her side and cupped her face between his shaky hands. Was he dreaming of this moment?

He looked from the Doctor to his daughter again in disbelief.

“I’d suggest a couple of days to run more tests.”

“Ruby, Ruby.” He chanted, feeling like his heart could come out of his chest any minute now. “Yes of course, Doctor.”

As Lizzie proposed she should stay for the night with her daughter, Tommy agreed and left the hospital but instead of heading home, he drove somewhere else.

Almost an hour later, he was knocking on the door, the place was only illuminated by a small lamp. His hands were shaking, he wanted to kick the door already.

“Mr. Shelby it’s so late.” Y/N stated but moved to the side to let him come in.

And for the first time, he realized of her features consuming a few seconds to fully take in her. Beautiful and delicate features. It was like getting a sharp hit in the gut. Her beauty was out of this world, he took a step back as he wasn’t prepared to find such rare and unique beauty in one person. Lavender pupils staring back at him, he had never seen another pair of eyes like those guarded by thick eyelashes a deep contrast to the pale skin but in complete harmony with the curly dark locks around her shoulders.

“I’m just here to give you this.” He took a small sack from his pocket, he opened and showed her gold.

“I can’t take it.”

But he pressed one more time. “Please, it’s the least I can do.”

Y/N shook her head folding her arms. “Mr. Shelby I’m not supposed to change the course of things. It’s a delicate thing to do to take a soul from the death and now I’ve to ask you one thing.”

“Anything.”

“You have two more sons…” he just heard about Duke thanks to Esme, but immediately he knew he had his blood. “Which one of them will you give me?”

Tommy looked at her in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

“I stopped Ruby from dying, it’s a life for a life. Which one of your sons will you give me in exchange for your daughter’s life?”

It was one of the hardest things to do, but she had to in order to keep the spirits at bay.

Swallowing hard, Tommy felt a vein pulsing on his forehead.

Y/N looked at her hands for an instant.

There was no way he could choose between Charlie and Duke, they were opposite in so many ways but they were both his sons, and he loved them more than he could express.

“Can you take mine instead?”

“Yes… but what about your wife?”

Tommy shook his head, still too startled by her to form anything coherent. Her cold palm came to rest on his cheekbone, in a tender motion.

“I’ve been waiting all my life for you.”

****

Master list

A/N: I’ve always wanted to write something like this! The idea felt so easy, I tried to create a mix between a good witch and a medium (if you don’t believe it’s just fine) but I’ve always found so intriguing those people who have the gift to communicate with people who passed away… if you liked it and you have a couple of minutes don’t forget to leave your valuable feedback ♥️

Tag list: @lyarr24 @runnning-outof-time @cillmequick @datewithgianni @cloudofdisney @gretelshelby @gypsy-girl-08 @lespendy @onlydeadcells @fastfan @stevie75 @prettylittlehoneyeyesxoxo @esposadomd @forbidden-forest-witch @ange-thoughts @moral-terpitude @elenavampire21 @forgottenpeakywriter @thenattitude @winchestergirl22 @zablife @elk96 @heidimoreton @imichelle-l-rigby @allie131313 @already-broken144 @peakyscillian @babaohhhriley @shelbydelrey @shaddixlife @sloanexx @sydneyyyya @adaydreamaway08 @pono-pura-vida @thomashelbyswife @darleneslane @everythingelseisextra @kmc1989 @mariaelizabeth21-blog1

[kaminocasey]

25 Days of Life Day: Day 2 - Hot Cocoa with Cody

A/N: I've decided to dabble with a Modern!AU bc I've never done that before. So, here is this. I hope it's alright!! Big shout out to @idledreams because this wouldn't be what it was without her! I'm planning on making another part for this. And perhaps a series, POSSIBLY. Either way, very excited for you to read this!

Warnings: 18+ MINORS DNI; Professor!Cody x College Student!Reader (About to be done with his class). So if that's not for you, I completely understand!

WC: 1.6K

The line in Java Hut’s is incredibly long this morning but it’s not that big of a deal because you have about another hour before you have to be in class to take your history final. And since campus is only a few blocks away, you pull out your book as you stand in line to wait. 

Having just started the book last night before bed, you were eager to pick it back up this morning. Unfortunately, you’d forced yourself to put it down and go to sleep so you’d be well rested for your last final of the semester. But since you’ve got the time to kill…

About five minutes into reading, you hear a familiar deep voice in your ear. “Last minute studying for your final?”

You look behind you and see your history professor, Cody. The incredibly hot professor who you’ve been crushing on since the first day of the semester. 

“Oh, hi.” You feel yourself go warm in the face and show him your book you’re reading. “No, actually. The Secret History.” 

“Good read.” He smiles that heart clenching smile and you nod in agreement. “First time reading it?” 

You nod. “Mmhm.” 

“You’ll have to let me know what you think.” He smiles down at you and you hope to god that your jaw isn’t on the floor. 

“Uh, yeah. I definitely will.” You tell him, trying your best to not freeze up. 

You’ve never spoken to him outside of the classroom so this is new to you. And despite how uncool you sound right now, you rather like it. It’s way tamer than the fantasies you have at night of him.

“Next!” The barista breaks you out of the spell his warm brown eyes are holding over you. 

“Right.” You chuckle, turning to order.

“Ours are together.” Cody tells her from behind you.

You can feel his warm chest against your back and it takes everything in you to not lean into him. He smells warm like sandalwood and leather. 

You look up at him and start to protest but the look he gives you looks final and you nod, murmuring your thanks with burning cheeks as you turn back to the barista.

“A large hot chocolate, please.” You smile. 

She smirks, knowingly at you. 

“Hot chocolate, huh? Sure. Make it two. Thanks.” He bumps his elbow into your side, teasingly.

As you move out of the line to go wait for your drinks, you find a sofa by the window, noticing the snow coming down. It’s your favorite time of the year and you’d do anything to live somewhere where it looked like this all year round. 

“Not a coffee drinker or is it just a seasonal thing?” He rests an arm around the back of the sofa, which also happens to be around you as well. 

You’re not complaining.

“No, I’m afraid not. Just a little too bitter for me.” You shrug, pulling your foot up under you, making you accidentally lean a little closer to him. 

He doesn’t seem to mind, thankfully.

“Too bitter…” He muses, clearly amused.

You’re trying to figure out what to say to him without sounding like an idiot. He’s probably one of the smartest people you’ve ever met and you’ve found yourself dreading the end of the semester, because that means you’re not going to see him again. 

“I’m… going to miss your class.” You tell him, looking from the window back to him.

“I’m going to miss having you in my class.” He smiles, kindly. 

“Eh. You’ll have another star pupil next semester.” You shrug, hiding a grin.

He chuckles. “I suppose so…”

Your stomach drops at his words.

“But that’s not why I’m going to miss you.” He leans in, whispering.

You feel your lips part and suddenly his lips are so close to yours when you turn your head, you’re caught off guard by the barista calling out “Cody!”

“Be right back.” He winks and walks back toward the counter. 

You try to still your pounding heart before he comes back, to no avail. Does he know the effect he has on people? On you? 

Of course he does.

When he sits back down, a little further away than before, he hands you your hot chocolate with a playful look.

“Here’s your warm chocolate milk.” He grins. 

His smile sets your insides on fire and you shake your head with a soft laugh.

“You tease but at least it’s better than that bitter bean water you drink.” You shrug, making him laugh boisterously. 

It’s probably the best sound you’ve ever heard, you think to yourself while you softly blow into the mug before taking a sip. When you look at him again, his eyes are on your lips and you take a napkin off the coffee table and dab at your lips. 

“Do I have something on my face?” Self consciousness creeps in and he gently pulls your hand away from your face.

“No, your face is perfect.” He rushes out, then pauses when he realizes what he said and lets go of your hand. “I’m sorry.” 

You shake your head, letting him know it's okay. 

Does he feel this spark too? 

“Growing up, I lived with my grandparents. I was incredibly close with my grandmother…” You start to tell him. “The first day that the weather turned cold in November, she would keep us home from school. She called it a mental health day and would put on Christmas movies and make a bunch of baked treats and hot chocolate of course. She never drank coffee.”

“Wow. Sounds like she was better than me.” He smiles, teasingly.

“Different instances. She didn’t need the coffee.” 

“And I do?”

“To grade a couple hundred papers? Probably.” You shrug with a smirk. 

“So, I take it that teaching isn’t in your future.” He sips his hot chocolate, trying to hide a face of distaste. 

It’s clear this man survives on coffee. 

“I’m sure you could probably get them to spike it with coffee if you ask nicely.” You tease.

“Chocolate coffee does not sound enticing.” He shakes his head, but he glances up at the barista, clearly debating it. 

“I think that might be the only way someone could get me to drink coffee.” 

“Hold on.” He puts his finger up with a smirk and walks up to the counter where they call out orders and flags down the barista, saying something to her that makes her glance at you with raised eyebrows and he shrugs.

You look at him with narrowed eyes and he throws you a wink, making you feel like the hot chocolate is suddenly burning you from the inside out. You glance at your phone, realizing you have thirty minutes until you have to get to class, and as if he has the same thought process, he glances at his watch and then back at you. 

He pulls out his phone, leaning on the counter waiting for the barista to come back and types something out for a moment before putting it back into his pocket. 

Your phone chimes, indicating an email and you open it.

Hello World History 401 students, 

Out of the goodness of my heart, and in the spirit of the holidays, today’s final will be canceled. Enjoy your break.

-Prof. Cody

Your head whips up so fast, you nearly give yourself whiplash. He just canceled the final… To spend time with you? Your chest clenches just in time for him to come back with two cups of coffee and he hands you one. Yours is significantly lighter than his and you debate which question to ask him first.

“I told her to make it taste the least bit like ‘bitter bean water’ she could.” He grins. 

“You canceled the final.”

“I did.”

“Why?” 

“I’ve always envied Santa Claus. Giving people what they really want for Christmas.” He shrugs, taking his cup of black coffee, pouring it into the hot chocolate and stirring it. 

You watch him take a sip and he sighs with dramatic delight. 

“Much better.” He nods. 

“Cody. The final.” You can’t even focus on the hot chocolate.

He shrugs. “I’m enjoying our conversation.”

“You can’t just cancel a final-”

“Oh really? Why did I go through eight years of school, if not to be able to make some kids’ day by canceling a final?” 

“Cody…”

He sighs your name and the way he does sends your heart into a fit of wild pittering that you’re pretty sure you’re not going to recover from.

“Listen. If you really wanna take the final, here.” He pulls out a small stack of papers out of his briefcase and hands them to you. “But, you’ve already passed in my mind, so I don’t know if it’s even worth the hassle.” 

Your eyes skim over the page. “A… B… A…”

He snatches the papers back, shoving them back into his case. “Insufferable.” 

“All I hear is that I’m the best student and deserve an A.” You shrug, finally taking a sip of your hot chocolate coffee and then immediately spit it right back out. “This is awful.”

“What?! It’s barely coffee!” His eyes crinkle, hearteningly.

“Nope. Bad.” You shake your head, putting the mug down on the coffee table. “We just ruined a perfectly good cup of hot chocolate.” 

“I’ll buy you another.” He offers.

You shake your head. “Not necessary. I have a different idea.” 

You stand up and put your coat on, slinging your bag over your shoulder and offering your hand out for him. 

“Where are we going?” 

“Just trust me.”

He grabs his stuff and takes your hand with a wide grin. “Lead the way.”

TAGS: @twistedstitcher27 @rebel-finn @rexandechosandwich @madameminor @dumfanting  @corona-one @tecker @ladykatakuri @brynhildrmimi @the-sith-in-the-sky-with-diamond @zoeykallus @maulslittlemeowmeow @littlemousedroid @arctrooper69 @rexxdjarin @padawancat97 @hated-by-me @sleepingsun501 @idledreams @redheadgirl @themcuwriter @ashotofspotchka @sunshinesdaydream @crosshairsimp73 @ariadnes-red-thread @rosmariner @heyitsaloy @starstofillmydream @high-ct5555 @echos-girlfriend @sleepywych @nekotaetae @justanothersadperson93 @aconstructofamind @book-of-baba-fett @chopper-base @palliateclaw @501st-rexster @dead-poolz @nahoney22 @where-is-my-mind-tho @jediknightjana @erishimoon @witching3 @queen-of-many-fandoms @wizardofrozz  @burningfieldof-clover @rebelsriley

[thatone-brightstar]

More than all the stars (Carmy Berzatto x Fem!Reader) (The Bear & The Fox Series)

Prologue: "'best natural lighting' or whatever..."

Words: 1.8k

summary: This is a story about love.

a/n: Hi, I'm back! (did ya miss me?!) Enjoy a lil preview of part III and remember comments are always appreciated! P.S. if you haven't read part 1 or 2. Here's a link to both!

The Bear & The Fox (Carmy Berzatto x Fem!Reader)

Before You (Carmen Berzatto X Fem!OC)

There’s a slight tremor to your hands, clinging tightly to the worn down synthetic cover of the steering wheel, while the pillow under your thighs lifts you up enough to see over the hood.

“Whenever you’re ready, babe.” Carmy speaks softly over the rumbling engine, one hand cupping over your static knee.

“I know just- gimme a sec.” You answer nervously and take your hands off the wheel to dry out the sweat then readjust them with a loud exhale. “Okay, okay, okay- I got this.”

“Yeah you do…” 

His reassuring tone has you slowly pressing on the pedal, tires turning over the cold asphalt and finally moving out of the spot you’ve occupied for the past fifteen minutes. The streets are deserted and you’re thankful Carmy chose the early morning to finally eradicate your fear of driving. You can hear the snow crunching under the tires as the car moves slowly- not daring to press the pedal any harder- and your dread slightly spikes, but his soothing touch chases the anxiety away.

“Look- Bear, look I’m doing it!” You rejoice at the halfpoint between your building and his. Granted, it’s only five blocks, but it’s more than you’ve driven in  a year, so you’ll take a win where you can get it.

“You’re doin’ real good baby, just a few more blocks...” He encourages in the sweet tone reserved only for you, the one that has you clutching to the wheel and your foot pressing harder over the petal. 

“Sorry-that one’s on me-” Carmy apologizes once he notices your flaring cheeks and hides his amusement behind the sleeve of his navy sweater. “Try slowin’ down a bit for me, can you baby?” 

“Carmen!” 

“Sorry-sorry” He repeats between choked laughs, though you know he isn’t in the slightest.

When you finally reach the snowy sidewalk of his building, you push out a deep breath you didn’t know you were holding and turn the keys to kill the engine. Instead of stepping out into the cold, you take in the calming silence with a pleased smile across your face.

“Told ya you could do it.” Carmy says towards you, a replica of your small triumph etched on his own face.

His hand reaches up to brush over your warm cheek with his thumb and your body subconsciously gravitates towards his touch.

“You ready?” He whispers, too soon.

“No.” You answer honestly, making his chuckle. “But, we must-”

With another sigh, you quickly turn to kiss the base of his palm, then move to pull the door open. Before you slam it closed, a loud metallic bang vibrates over the roof of the car and makes you clutch a hand over your heart and turn to the source of the noise.

“Richie, carajo! Are you fuckin stupid or what?!” You shout once you spot the man bent over in laughter, standing behind you with his hand flat over the roof.

“My bad, sweetheart- just couldn’t help it-” Is all he can manage to say. You smack the side of his arm, though you doubt it’ll do anything under the multiple layers of his jacket, it still makes you feel better.

“Cousin, I told you -don’t go ‘round callin’ people sweetheart okay, it’s fuckin’ weird-” Carmy calls out, slamming his own door.

“Alright, Jesus! Fuckin’ morality police- I wouldn’t have come, cousin, if I knew you’d be up my ass before dawn-”

Richie steps away to let you open the back door and start pulling boxes that you push in his direction, but that he doesn’t begin to take, instead hiding his hands in the pockets of his coat.

“Why did you come then… exactly?” You ask, annoyed.

“Did you see us- did you?!” Your mother’s vibrant voice rings from the end of the street, waving her hands as high as the puffy jacket permits her. “I was waving but you didn’t see!”

She has too much energy for the time of day, in big comparison to a barely awake Joshua carrying a few stuff behind her.

“No, ma. I was too busy trying not to crash…” You answer, eyes narrowing over the sudden change in Richie’s posture.

“Again?” Joshua mumbles and you throw a middle finger through the open car door as you keep pushing boxes out to his stagnant feet.

“Yo- you gonna help out or not?” Carmy says to him and that finally snaps him out of his lost gaze.

“What- oh, ye-yeah, totally. That’s what I’m here for, cuz. Y’know… purpose.” Richie responds with a smile and new found enthusiasm and piles one box over the other, then picks them up with little effort and follows your brother and mother through the opened building door.

“Oh, I can’t believe my baby’s moving out! I remember when she was the size of…” Her voice trails off once they begin to climb the stairs and you and Carmy are left with a few boxes on the street.

“In fear of grossing myself out-” You say, shutting the door and rounding to Carmy’s side. “-you don’t think your cousin’s got the hots for my mom… do you?”

“What? N-no, no I don’t think so...” He answers, though the way his mouth is sealed in a tight line gives him away. You stare blankly at his expression, eyes dead straight until he breaks. “Yeah uh… I think he does.” He confesses.

“Dammit.” You mutter, leaning on the cold vehicle and crossing your arms. “I knew it- it’s so fuckin’ obvious-”

“-so obvious.” Carmy agrees. “Y’know, I didn’t even ask ‘em to come help…”

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah.”

“Then how’d he-”

“-I dunno.”

You stare at the door for a few more seconds while your boyfriend picks up the last of your stuff. “...he’s so weird.”

His eyes follow yours to the door, then sighs “...yeah” and moves to the entrance.

You can hear the voices emanating from the apartment while climbing up the last few stairs. There’s a lot of senseless arguing that you can’t quite make out even as you fully enter the room. You also don’t understand why Syd’s standing on the footrest of the kitchen stools, failing to guide Richie and Joshua while they move Carmy’s couch around. 

“No-see, this is why I told you it was a bad idea- there’s no space-”

“-There is, just- help move the tv over-” 

“-How’re you gonna move a couch where there’s no space, Richie?-”

“Cousin! Cousin, help me out here, push the tv over-” Richie shouts once he spots Carmy crossing into the room.

Instead of inserting yourself into the mess, you round the kitchen bar and drop the box of art supplies beside the steaming pot of fresh coffee. Your grandfather hands you a full mug, eyes staring amused at the arguing men as he leans to your side so you can place a chaste kiss on his cheek.

“Everyone’s too passionate this morning…” You mutter, blowing over the rim of your mug.

“Y’know what, fuck it-” Syd throws her arms up in surrender and hops off the stools, moving behind the bar, beside you. “- I tried to stop ‘em.” 

“What is he even trying to do?” You ask, attention heavy on Richie’s mannerisms, while your grandpa hands Syd her own mug.

“He wants to fit your easel beside the window cause he says it has the ‘best natural lighting’ or whatever….” She answers before taking a sip and your heart warms at the sweet gesture.

You all watch them move around for a while longer, the scene reminds you too much of the monkey exhibits at the zoo and you try to disguise your amusement with a series of coughs. 

“Aún te puedes arrepentir…” Your grandfather whispers beside you, making Syd snigger over her coffee. “...también te casas con la familia, eh.” He adds and points to Richie with his head.

“Ay papá, aún no se está casando con nadie.” Your mother whispers from behind, giving him a gentle pat on the arm.

“Yeah and they’re not really cousins...” Syd adds.

“Oh, it is just a saying, dear.” He clears and turns to you, two hands softly cradling your shoulders. “Segura que estarás bien?” He asks in a more serious tone.

You inhale deep and nod with a smile. One of your hands raises to caress his fragile skin. 

“Lo estaré.” You mouth soundless. “He’s a good one.” You add with a wider grin.

He makes a sound similar to a hum and pulls you deep into his arms. You breathe in the familiar smokey scent while controlling the prickling sensation behind your eyes.

“I just want to make sure-” He says, pulling away. “-you two are not the best at picking them out.”

Your mouth falls open, and before your mother can begin to argue, he places his hands over her shoulders and begins to push her out of the kitchen. “Okay! Everybody who does not pay rent here, out. The best guest is the one who does not overstay their welcome, so dale pa’ fuera.” 

He must have been a sheep herder in another life, because in a few seconds, the couch was dropped and a group of bodies occupied the outdoor hallway. 

“Be good, okay? Call me if you need anything.”

“Mami, I’m not even in a different zip code.” You say between strands of wild hair that try to fall into your mouth.

She lets you go from the tight hug, only to pull Carmy down into her embrace. He’s taken back by the sudden action but does his best to reciprocate her kindness.  Once she lets him go and the goodbyes drag on until they’re out of view, your shoulders finally drop with the weight of a deep exhale. Carmy locks the door behind you, stopping at the end of the hallway to assess the damage 'Hurricane Richie’ has caused. His couch is perpendicular to its original position and the tv has been unplugged and pushed far away from the corner where it used to rest. Your easel, however, sits pretty beside the closed window, angled in direction towards the slow rising rays that start to peek through the curtains.

Carmy’s strong arms wrap around you from behind, followed by his warm chest on your back and scattered kisses over your messy hair. A tiny smile begins to grow as you melt into his touch, eyes closed.

“Y’know, you could’ve told him we’re planning to move anyway.” You voice quietly in the finally peaceful home.

You can feel Carmy shrug his shoulders and exhale a soft laugh into your hair. “He needed something to do.”

His hands feel hot once they come in contact with your skin under his sweater. Kisses travel south into the valley of your neck, golden strands tickle the side of your cheek and make you giggle in his hold, while the familiar warmth blossoms to the surface of your chest.

*********

Taglist: @pearlstiare @teteminne, @beebslebobs, @harrysmatcha, @yum-yahgurt, @pussy-f41ry, @kirakombat, @redsakura101 , @hobisunshine13 and that’s it lmao

[galaxiadreams]

The Final Blessing-

. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ .. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ 

Warning: blood, death, angst

Synopsis: the archon war was cruel, in order to save your people and Zhongli, you broke his contract...

Word Count: 686

a/n: Hiiiii!!! This is my first post of writing on tumblr(there maybe some grammar mistakes etc.) pls enjoy! constructive criticism welcomed! I hope to post more writing in the future!

. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ .. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ 

. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ .. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : . . ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ 

The sky was painted red with blood, smoke and ash falling all around her. She lay on the ground along with her fellow soldiers, eyes trying to focus on the gray snowflake drifting above her. Ears ringing, she tries to push herself up, up to fight again. But not a muscle in her body would allow that. She could hardly breath and felt so tired. How did she end up like this? Another body fell beside her, she strained her neck to see an arrow edged deep into his left eye, blood streaming down his face like tears. She remembers now, he was her Head General. Memories flood her with emotions, excitement, anger, horror, and hopelessness. It was the Archon War, a war for the strong, a war for the greedy, a war that will only end in loss. 

She looked up at the pink clouds slowly rolling across the blood orange sky. Gosh, dusk never looked so serene and beautiful… A shadow blocked her view, golden hair flowing around the figure. 

“Have you come to kill me, Morax?” Her voice was tiny against all the chaos around her. 

“Yes,” Morax replied. His response sent her heart plummeting down further than the abyss. “You violated our contract and endangered my people” Oh Celestia, what great irony to be killed by the one you were trying to save. 

Turquoise tears streamed down her face, she scoffed, “Of course, the emperor of contracts shows no mercy to those who break his flimsy paper contracts.” 

“You know very well of what you did.”

“Yeah, trying to protect my people and yours from treacherous death! I was trying to save you! You know I had to do it!” The Goddess of Spring shouted, voice cracking as more tears streamed down her face, “Please, Moarx…” 

The Geo Lord raised his metallic spear, its intricate carvings gleaming in the sunlight. “Y/n… I –” 

“Save it…promise me you’ll take care of my people, please promise me that people will remember me…don’t forget my love for you, please.” she begged, her eyes locking to his watery golden ones. Those Golden hues held so much pain, anger, and desperation; even with a face scrunched up in pain, his beauty never ceases to amaze her. The way his yellow patterns shaped his face, the way his sharp yet curved nose sets perfectly between his eyes…those lips that once whispered praise and promises of a glorious future, the ones that melted her heart and soul. 

“I promise.” he whispers, staring into the star filled eyes of his lover, he brings his spear down. The speed of it ignites the air with fire, as it hits her heart, a shockwave tore through the battlefield. Knocking everyone down in its path. 

The Geo Archon fell to his knees beside her body, her fresh blood painting his robes red. Her blood seeps into the ground of this barren land, destroyed by death and the vengeful energy of dead gods. Moarx has never felt what a stab to the heart truly meant till this moment, his body rocked with sobs as he felt a dagger tearing his heart apart. 

Watching his tears falling to the ground with his head down, a warmth suddenly starts to seep into his knees. Greenery starts to cover the dusty ground as flowers and grass emerge, blanketing the land around him with spring. Moarx raised his head to look at his lover…her soft green hair spreading around her body, his eyes soaking every single up and down of her angelic face as golden dust floated up from her skin. His eyes trail down to his golden spear lodged in her chest…a warm spring breeze hugged him. 

The Battle around him stopped as every monster, man, creature, and god marveled at the new scenery around them. Green fields and meadows spread around them endlessly, peace and tranquility filled their hearts, trees covered with blossoms of every color sprouted from the ground…. This is the final blessing of y/n, Goddess of Spring… a safe heaven in the middle of a war of gods, paid by her blood. 

. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ .. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒