#it’s so hard hiding **** **** from my parents and i know i should tell them soon but idk how

[barrenclan]

HI i just finished reading the comic and it's so so incredible!!!! your art is gorgeous and your work with the story is completely unmatched <3

I've been listening to the song Butcher Vanity by Vane Lily a lot and it strikes me as a Deepdark song!

Thank you! I'm so glad you like the comic. I agree, Deepdark's desire to kill and eat and never stop consuming is what defines him. I'll use the chance to share a PMV by my pal Katti, the creator of The Exiled comic who made a really excellent PMV with the song :)

I think someone else had the same idea as well, it looks like it's already been suggested before :) but yes it does fit very well! Any song about a land/town/etc that's been cursed and rotten forever works great.

Tell me now of the very soul that look alike, look alike Do you know the stranglehold covering their eyes? If I call on every soul in the land, on the moon Tell me if I'll ever know a blessing in disguise

The curse ruled from the underground, down by the shore And their hope grew with a hunger to live unlike before

I never knew this song was from the Justice League movie?? Wow, that's wild. It is a good song for PATFW as a whole.

Everybody knows that the dice are loaded Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed Everybody knows the war is over Everybody knows the good guys lost Everybody knows the fight was fixed The poor stay poor, the rich get rich That's how it goes Everybody knows

I have! In fact, the song "Hellfire" is the character theme song for Cootstorm. I made a drawing of it awhile ago.

Did you know that in fact someone made an animated video with Rainhaze to this very song? It's really cool, you should check it out!

Yeah, it's pretty Rainhaze! Especially in his post-Asphodelpaw murder manic phase.

If you knew what I knew, if you saw what I see You’d look through illusions, hallucinations, and lucid dream And I know that meaning can be such a pretty thing to keep But I got facts and I’m not afraid to use ‘em, take the good with the bad, take off the back you make a new front Some days I'm glad that I am a madman and I’d rather be that than An amicable animal, mild-mannered cannibal

Aww wait :(

Looks like the cat did a number on you Vienna, oh He took a brick off the side of the stoop Poor vienna It'll be over soon Your mamas waiting for ya But you're not coming home

Your mamas been so worried Cause you never came home Beneath the ground you're buried In memoriam

Yes I think it could be! Even more, I think it's exemplary of Deepdark's general charisma and desire to recruit people into Defiance, reminiscent of his speech from Issue 28.

You and me should go outside And beat 'em, beat 'em, beat 'em, beat 'em, beat 'em All pathetic flag waving ignorant geeks And we'll eat 'em, eat 'em, eat 'em, eat 'em, eat 'em

Come join the cause, come join the cause Who wants to come with me and come join the cause? Hide in the sky, hide in the sky Who wants to come with me and hide in the sky?

Oh, my mom loves this album, I grew up listening to it. This does remind me a bit of them, how sweet and sad.

And instead of saying all of your goodbyes Let them know you realize that life goes fast It's hard to make the good things last You realize the sun doesn't go down It's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round

Do you realize That you have the most beautiful face? Do you realize?

What a unique take on their relationship! I do like the theme of Ranger guiding Rainhaze's hand, and the parent-child energy is very interesting for them. Interesting take on Mordred, for that matter.

Guileless Son, I'll shape your belief And you'll always know that your father's a thief And you won't understand the cause of your grief But you'll always follow the voices beneath

Loyalty Loyalty Loyalty Loyalty Loyalty Loyalty Loyalty only to me

[thewispsings]

two people that matched each others freak | max verstappen

pairing: max verstappen x teammate!reader

summary: max verstappen and y/n l/n love to match each others freak.

liked by, carlossainz, maxverstappen1, redbullracing and 692,028 others!

yourusername: what an unfortunate series of events. first crash kinda nervous 🥰🥰@/carlossainz kill yourself for what you did to me.

view comments below!

user1: LMAO THE CASUAL SELFIE AFTER THAT BIG ASS CRASH ??

user2: carlos deserves way more then a 5 place penalty after that…

user3: no literally ??? y/n is literally BLEEDING !!

maxverstappen1: yeah @/carlossainz. KILL YOURSELF.

user4: you tell ‘em max 🗣️🗣️

user5: queens first crash and it’s not even her fault 😞😞

user6: queens first crash and she almost DIES

user7: carlos hate club reunite !!!

user8: oh let’s not…

user9: to quote y/n: “accidents happen. i know carlos didn’t get into his car with the intention of hurting me. there’s no hard feelings whatsoever.”

carlossainz: IM SO SORRY Y/N.

yourusername: i only take apologies in cash and gift cards xx.

maxverstappen: i only take apologies in cash.

carlossainz: why would i apologize to you?

maxverstappen1: because you almost killed my bestfriend.

carlossainz: do you accept venmo?

user8: max still calling y/n his bestfriend even tho they’ve been dating for two years now is so ??

user9: they were bestfriends for 6 years before that so..

charles_leclerc: give us a big scare there l/n 😬 happy you’re okay!

yourusername: thank you charles ❤️ but because you are carlos teammate, i feel like i am also owed compensation from you as well.

maxverstappen1: yeah leclerc! pay up!!

charles_leclerc: text me the amount 😞

user10: i love how max just goes along with everything y/n says???

user11: we love a man who matches his gfs freak ❤️❤️

liked by charles_leclerc, carlossainz, redbullracing, and 720,629 others!

maxverstappen1: thank you to @/charles_leclerc and @/carlossainz for funding our date night 💙

view comments below!

user12: NO WAY

user13: CARLOS AND CHARLES ACTUALLY SENT THEM THE MONEY ???

user14: this is so cute 🥹

user15: yns so pretty 🙁

maxverstappen1: the prettiest 💙💙

user16: i just looked at my bf and sighed

charles_leclerc: ofc!! cute couple 🥰🥰

user17: charles definitely has a favorite couple

user18: y/n, my favorite nerd

user19: max, my favorite nerd lover

user20: perfect couple

user21: i have a theory that y/n and max are so happy together because they genuinely compliment each other so well

user21: they literally clicked as soon as they met, and they have said that “they feel at home” with each other, they can be their true selves when they’re together

user21: conclusion; i’m lonely and i wish i had a relationship like this

carlossainz: you’re welcome ig. am i forgiven now?

yourusername: we’ll see!

liked by 284,029 others!

f1gossip: throwback thursday!!! throwback to when max and y/n broke the internet, by announcing they were both no longer virgins..through cake.

view comments below!

user22: oh yes the good old days

user23: been matching each others freak since DAY ONE

user24: back when ynstappen was still not OFFICIALLY confirmed

user25: you should throwback to when max refused to resign with red bull until they gave y/n a multi-year contract ☺️☺️

user26: this was a CRAZY day for f1

user27: this connected the dots for all the ynstappen shippers because they basically confirmed they lost their virginity to EACHOTHER!!

user28: did we ever find out who’s idea this was?

user29: a couple months ago it was brought up and max spoke: “i know lots of people think it was yns idea..but it was actually mine. i guess i was just tired to hiding our relationship, so i brought it up, and y/n thought it was hilarious.”

user30: my parents ☝️☝️

user31: from teammates, to friends, to bestfriends, to lovers. living my dream.

user32: them.

user33: if they breakup i will genuinely never believe in love ever again.

user34: them becoming bestfriends was so unexpected, but made so much sense.

user35: if it weren’t for the ice cream shop they never would have happened ☹️

user36: pls explain?

user35: this is when y/n and max had just started the season as teammates, max hadnt performed his best at one of the races, coming in at 6th with y/n behind in 7th

user35: after the race, y/n had unexpectedly asked max to go get ice cream with her at a ice cream shop nearby

user35: max, feeling like he didn’t deserve to celebrate in anyway, declined. but y/n persisted, basically pulling him into that ice cream shop

user35: that’s when max said he truly had the time of his life, he felt happy, even though his race went horrible, he said that he has so much fun with yn and that he has never laughed so hard; the start of ynstappen ☹️

liked by maxverstappen1, redbullracing, landonorris, and 729,624 others!

yourusername: siri, play nasty by tinahe.

view comments below!

maxverstappen1: listening to it right now!

maxverstappen1: oh wow

maxverstappen1: i like this liefde!! 💙💙

maxverstappen1: come to the room so we can listen together!!

yourusername: coming!! 💙💙

landonorris: you are aware you can text privately right?

user36: THE ICE CREAM SHOP PICTURE

user37: he looks so happy 😭😭😭😭

user38: sobs

user39: y/n healing maxs inner child is something i KNEW i needed.

user40: power couple !!!

danielricciardo: i been a nasty girl, i been a nasty girl

user41: i need someone to love me like max loves y/n

landonorris: whos gonna match my freak 😣

user58: ME I WILL PLS LANDO I WILL

user42: the first picture?? 😭😭

user43: omg the second picture. i’m going to throw up with joy. i love you guys.

user44: ynstappen ships used to PRAY for days like these.

liked by, yourusername, redbullracing, danielricciardo, and 829,924 others!

maxverstappen1: i’ll match her freak!!! i will !!!

view comments below!

user45: yes max, we know

user46: i just looked at my boyfriend and sighed

user47: the shirt???

maxverstappen1: @/danielricciardo thank you for the shirt :D i love it 💙

user48: i’m totally ready for max to wear that shirt on race day…

yourusername: the perfect photographer 🥰

maxverstappen1: it’s easy when my muse is perfect ☺️☺️

user49: that SHOULD BE ME.

user50: con🥹gra🥹tula🥹tions

user51: no one will ever understand how much i love this couple

user52: we love a man who matches his gfs energy ❗️❗️❗️

user53: so happy for you guys! haha. ha. ha. so happy.

charles_leclerc: beautiful shirt mate!

user54: the way charles and max still don’t follow each other but this is charles every time max post:

user55: oh! such a cute shirt! haha, ha, i’m so lonely.

user56: max could do better

maxverstappen1: kill yourself you worthless piece of garbage

user57: y’all saying you miss mad max but he makes an appearance every time someone says something negative about y/n 😭

. . .

notes: took a small break to enjoy my summer break start!! but i’m back, request are open !!

[queenofthequillandink]

Steph's new roommate's little brother was absolutely a meta.

The two of them weren't really trying particularly hard to hide it, but they weren't mentioning it either, so Steph just... followed their lead. Especially because Jazz, while a little neurotic, was a pretty good roommate and new some truly innovative things to make in the microwave with whatever was in their dorm fridge.

But anyway, back to the meta thing. Steph could totally back it up.

Jazz was from the Midwest somewhere, one of the "I" states. (Indiana? Illinois? Iowa? Steph could never keep them straight.) From the way Jazz talked about her parents and the things she said to Danny, Steph could tell that the Fentons still lived there and Danny with them. Yet at least four nights out of seven, without fail, Steph would come home from a long night studying or vigilante-ing to find Danny in their dorm room, usually passed out on the futon. As though Gotham wasn't halfway across the country from Indiana or Illinois or Iowa.

"Our parents are pretty loud," Jazz explained with a quiet grimace, the first time it happened. "Like 'keep you awake at all hours of the night' loud. I told Danny he could sleep here when he needs to, is that okay? Tucker's parents are great, but they'll kick him out eventually."

"As a sleep-deprived college kid, I wholeheartedly support sleeping wherever you can get it," Steph whispered back. "As long as he doesn't eat my half of the food, I'm not gonna tattle to the RA."

"Thank you thank you thank you!" Jazz squealed, flapping her hands. Steph darted a glance at the teenager passed out on their futon, but he didn't even twitch. "Oh, don't worry, you have to be loud enough to wake the dead to get Danny up," Jazz said with a smirk.

"Alright. Makes things easier, I suppose," Steph said with a shrug, moving to sling her backpack onto her bunk. "He gonna be here in the morning?"

Jazz narrowed her eyes as though Elder Sister Glare could penetrate dreams. Hell, maybe it could. "He'll be at school before you wake up, if he knows what's good for him."

School. Which should be halfway across the country. Sure. Well, Steph could recognize a topic that Simply Wasn't Spoken About and unlike the rest of the Bats, she actually respected her roommate's personal privacy. "Cool."

So. Definitely a meta. Teleportation, maybe? Or superspeed or flying, she supposed. Whatever it was, the kid was clearly only using it to get a good night's rest in a safe space, so it wasn't really Steph's business.

At least neither of them had noticed she was a vigilante. It was an impressive secret to keep in such close quarters, if Steph did say so herself.

~*~

Jazz had clocked that Stephanie was Spoiler in a week and a half. And it only took her that long because she was distracted by orientation. The girl wasn't exactly subtle. Especially not with her injuries. Jazz had three years of experience watching someone come home injured and try to hide it, and while she was better than Danny, it still wasn't good enough.

Still, Steph wasn't making a big deal of Danny portalling into their dorm half of every week. And, like she had with Danny, Jazz wanted Steph to trust her enough to tell her herself.

And if this meant that Jazz spent a good portion of her first semester figuring out the rest of the Bats' identities based on Steph's friends and acquaintances, well. That was between her and Steph's scary-but-sweet girlfriend who read her like a book as soon as their eyes met.

[samkerrworshipper]

have no fear

jordan nobbs x reader, leah williamson x reader, arsenal x reader

part 2 of beautiful girl series -> pt. 1 -> pt.3

warnings: drug addiction, drug use, angst, pain, mentions of sexual assault, little bit of fluff if you look really close

So with every last piece of strength that you had in your body, you pulled the door open.

“Hey chicky.”

You tried to smile at your ma, you did, but it was hard.

“Hey ma.”

You knew you had to look like a wreck, you hadn’t had time to look in a mirror on your way down, but you knew that you must look like a complete mess.

Jordan brought you into a hug before you could do anything about it her little arms squeezing your body as tightly as you thought she could manage.

She forced her way into the house before you could say anything about it, walking her way into the kitchen and leaving you close the door behind her.

“Le said you were out last night.”

You followed your ma into the kitchen, walking straight to the coffee pot.

“You want coffe?”

Jordan had always been the stricter of your two parents, probably because she saw you less, Leah was the one who had to do the hard yards, constantly fighting with you over the biggest and smallest things.

“Tea please, how late where you out till, who were you with?”

You turned the machine on, trying to hide your annoyance at the immediate interrogation.

“Did you come here to see me or question my choices?”

You pulled two mugs from the shelf, reaching for the kettle and pouring enough water in before reaching for a tea bag.

“I came here to see you chicky, and catch up with you, I want to hear about what’s been going on.”

You dropped the tea bag into the cup, reaching across the island to hand it to your ma.

“I was out with a few friends.”

You pulled your vape out of your pocket, hoping that it would help to soothe the insistent memory of the events of last night and push it from the forefront of your mind.

“What’s that?”

You looked up at Jordan curiously, one of your own eyebrows raising.

“What’s what?”

You looked back at the coffee machine, watching as your mug slowly began to fill up with the brown mixture.

“Since when do you vape?”

You pulled your mug out from the machine, setting down on the island so you were facing your ma.

“A couple of months, why?”

You reached for the sugar container, taking the spoon out of it and dropping two spoonfuls in.

“Does your mother know?”

The shock in Jordan’s voice was so obvious.

“Yup.”

It was all good and well for Jordan to judge Leah’s decisions with parenting you, but at the end of day she’d been the one to leave, refusing to take you with her, insisting that life in London was better for you and that passing you back and forth between Birmingham and London every week wouldn’t be fair, she left you.

“How’s football been?”

The pivot in conversation should have helped, but you knew that it wouldn’t as soon as the words had left her mouth.

“I stopped playing.”

Jordan frowned at you.

“Since when?”

You brought the coffee up to your lips, finding solace in the warm liquid.

“A while ago.”

You wished she’d drop the topic, she seemed to be becoming more disappointed by the minute.

“Why, you were great, you were one of the best a the academy.”

You were one of the best because Leah spent all of her afternoons coaching you, because she knew the coaches, because she knew what she had to do to make you better, not because you were naturally gifted or because it came easy to you.

“I didn’t want to.”

You ried to answer her with some finality, to make her drop it and move on.

“How about school, how are your gcse’s going?”

You wanted to lie to her and tell her it was good, that you were on track to get all A stars like you’d planned.

“I don’t think I’m going to do them, my attendance isn’t high enough.”

Jordan’s face plummeted, her jaw going slack as she looked at you.

“What? I thought you wanted to go to college, that you were planning on doing medicine or law or english lit.”

You hated that Jordan had this preconceived version of you in her head, from when she left, from when she used to travel every weekend to see you, when you were doing everything to try and be the perfect kid for the both of them.

“Plans change.”

You kept your eyes downcast, scared to look at her and absorb the disappointment.

“What do you plan to do, without an education and your football? Do you plan to just live with your mother forever? Do you plan to use her until she’s old and retired? You can’t just live your life like that chicky, you need a goal, a aspiration, something you want to do with your life.”

It was the same conversation Leah had tried to have with you, one you’d ignored.

“I know ma.”

Jordan looked at you with disapproval.

“It doesn’t seem like you do, what are your plans, what are you spending all of your time doing?”

Getting high, crying, regretting your existence.

“I don’t know Ma, look, you don’t get to come here for the first time in a month and try to act like you give a shit about what’s going on, Mom’s been through it and I’ve been trying to support her, I’ll figure it all out later.”

Jordan looked dismayed, to say the least, her finger twirling the teabag inside of her cup aimlessly.

“Lovey, your mom is in a lot of pain right now, she doesn’t deserve to be taken advantage of, I understand you might be going through your own pain but it’d be nice if you could try and be a bit better for her.”

You wanted to yell at jordan, tell her that you were hardly the fucking problem, but you couldn’t, not when everything that had happened in the last 24 hours was circulating non stop in your mind.

“Look, I understand that I’m not the kid you wanted, that I stopped playing football and I’m not doing what you wanted me to.”

Jordan stopped you before you could say much more.

“No it’s just that months ago you were fit, you were reading and writing and playing football, you were smiling and spending all of your spare time with your mom and now it’s like all of that’s changed and you’ve just become this person I don’t know anymore. Can you blame me for being surprised? This isn’t you, This isn’t my kid, this just isn’t you, chicky.”

You couldn’t look at Jordan, you just couldn’t.

“You have no fucking idea what’s going on, you’re never here, the only time you give a fuck about my life is when it’s convenient for you and when you get to judge it. I’m not your kid anymore, you don’t fucking love me, you haven’t wanted me for a long time.”

Jordan recoiled at your words.

“First of all, don’t swear at me, I hope you don’t talk to your mother that way. Secondly, that’s not true and not fair. I’m here as often as I can be. I love you chick, I just think you could be making better decisions. Where were you last night?”

You rolled your eyes, you felt frantic, you could feel your heart beating in your ear and the blood pumping through your veins.

“That’s such bullshit. Trips to Spain to see Lucy are more important then me, huh? Trips to Ibiza to hang out with Caitlin and Katie are more important than me? You criticise the decisions mom has made but you aren’t here, you don’t understand what it’s like.”

Your hands were shaking so badly you had to put your coffee down, the liquid having spilt slightly down onto the countertop.

“Where were you last night, lovey?”

The question made you feel like you needed to puke, and for a second you thought it was just a feeling, but then you felt the bile rising and you realised it wasn’t just a feeling, you were about to vomit.

You rushed from the kitchen as quickly as your weary body would allow, your legs shaking underneath you, threatening to give out, taunting you from below.

You made it to the toilet bowl just in time for your jaw to go slack and the bile that had been rising in your throat to splat against the porcelain. You didn’t look at it, you couldn’t, knowing that it was probably evidence of what had happened last night, the alcohol, him.

You didn’t need to see Jordan to know she was waiting at the door behind you. It was the last way you wanted to spend your couple of hours with her, but it didn’t really matter now you supposed.

You knew you were done when the pressure in your throat dissipated and you finally felt like you could breathe again. You pushed yourself up, flushing the toilet before turning around to look at Jordan.

Your Ma reached out for you first, her hand coming up to your face, gently pressing onto your cheek.

“It’s alright bubba, I’m here, you’re okay, I’m sorry.”

Jordan’s arms opened up and without hesitation you leaned in, seeking out comfort that you hadn’t felt in a long time. The hug didn’t provide the love you were yearning for, it didn’t soothe the part of you that was hurting, but it did patch a hole inside of you somewhere.

You were far taller than Jordan, but she somehow made you feel like a little kid again, your head coming to rest down on her shoulder.

“C’mon, let’s get you to the couch and we’ll talk, huh, one on one, no judgement.”

You felt eight again as Jordan lead you over to the same couch. You felt how you did when you were eight, when your moms sat you down and promised you that they would always be a safe space for you, that you could tell them anything about the past and they wouldn’t judge you and that they’d always be proud of you no matter what, you felt how you did at 12 when your moms sat you down to let you know that the academy had asked them if you wanted to play with them, you felt how you did at 14 when your moms sat you down to let you know that your teacher wanted to put you up a form at school. Except everything was different, it wasn’t your moms, there was nothing to be proud of, nothing for them to tell you you were doing good at.

Jordan sat you down, your head pressed to her shoulder.

“I’m sorry that I was rough on you, okay? I don’t know what’s going on, I’m not here as much as I should be. Can you tell me about last night, bubba, please?”

You didn’t get why she cared so much, your mom hardly cared what you did on your nights out as long as you were home by your curfew and stayed safe.

“I went to a party, okay? It’s no big deal.”

You heard Jordan exhale next to you.

“You didn’t do anything stupid?”

You wondered what Jordan would define as stupid.

“I drank a little, smoked a bit of pot, normal teenage shit.”

You wanted it to be the truth, desperately, but it wasn’t.

“That’s it?”

Jordan knew you were lying, she’d always been better at telling, Leah on the other hand wasn’t as practised in being able to detect when lies were falling freely from your lips.

“Yes, for fucks sakes.”

Jordan only tightened her embrace around you, bringing her as close to you as possible. Leah had stopped hugging you like this when she’d done her knee, it had become harder and she knew you were growing up, she didn’t think you needed her in that way anymore, she was so incredibly wrong.

“Okay, I’m sorry chicky, I’ll stop with the questions. Let’s just have a you and me day, huh? Like we used to. We can go to the cafe that you like and down to the beach, whatever you want, just a you and me day.”

You didn’t want any of that.

“Can’t we just stay on the couch.”

You heard jordan chuckle a little bit.

“How about we go and get breakfast and then we can have a movie day, or we can catch up on the episodes of Love Island, I haven’t gotten to watching the new season yet.”

You didn’t want to go anywhere, you wanted to stay in your safe space, up in your room on your windowsill.

“Do we have to.”

Jordan nodded from above you.

“Fresh air will be good for you. Plus, you want to get a mean hangover then that’s your own fault chicky, it’s best to learn the hard way. Head upstairs and get changed, I need to talk to your mom real quick.”

You wanted to stick around to hear what Jordan planned to tell your mom, but you didn’t want to wreck whatever you had going with her, so you just nodded your head and stood up, beginning the walk back up to your room.

You hated looking at yourself in the mirror.

Because you could act like you were fine, you could pretend you were put together and had your life together and fool yourself but as soon as you were forced to look at yourself it all was clear. There was truth in your eyes and the way they made your body look so vacant, so eerie, it was as if they were the sign that there was no life left inside of you.

You’d always felt out of place no matter where you were, like you never truly belonged. You’d always felt like you were one of those tragic people with no storyline, so you lived watching other people, living through them. To start with it had been your moms, watching how much they loved each other, how they looked at each other, how they spoe about each other, like you were a background character in their story. It worked for a long time, until it didn’t. Until they split up, until you were forced to heal all over again from the home that was breaking around you. All the things you’d been running from before them were back, and instead of feeling like you were safe you knew you weren’t, you knew that no matter how loved you’d felt for the longest time, you weren’;t anymore, you didn’t get to live vicariously through their love.

You scrubbed your face without any real care, scrubbing the makeup, mascara and tears from last night off of your face.

Once you were content that the were physically gone, even if it mentally didn’t feel that way, you stood up from the basin and dried your face, hoping the patting would somehow strip the pain that was painted across your skin, it didn’t.

You moved to your wardrobe next, picking out a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie, as well as your thickest winter jacket. It was the same thing you wore every time your mom forced you out of the house to go on some stupid errand with her or some random appointment. You picked out a comfy enough pair of trainers before pushing your hair into a bun and walking back down the stairs.

Your Ma was talking hushedly into her phone, and put it down as soon as she spotted you descending the stairs.

“Ready to go?”

You nodded, one of your eyebrows up in questioning as you stared at your Ma’s phone.

“I was just checking in with your mom, she says they should be back around lunch time.”

Then Jordan would leave, like she always did.

“I’m not a chore, if you don’t want to hangout with me then you don’t have to be here, I can be left alone for a couple of hours.”

Jordan exhaled, deep enough for a few seconds to linger.

“That’s not fair, I’m here kiddo, I want to spend some time with you.”

You pulled your vape out of your pocket, Jordan could tell when you were lying and you could tell when she was.

“No, you have to spend time with me until mom is back, there is a difference.”

In the beginning, Jordan would come down every weekend, no matter where her game was, just to spend time with her little chicky, as the months and year had passed though, her time with you had become shorter and shorter until you’d only see her if she had a game in London.

“I don’t care, I get it, you’re busy with your new life, it’s whatever. Let’s just get this over and done with.”

Jordan looked like she wanted to say something, but the frown you sent her must have been enough of a silencer.

The two of you walked out the front door silent, down the street silent, all the way to the cafe, completely silent, the only sound to be heard was the cars going by, the sounds of your breathing and the repetitive puff of your lips as you pressed the vape to your lips. If you couldn’t have drugs then it was going to have to do.

When you got to the cafe you had enough courtesy to shove it in your pocket, focusing your attention on your Ma as much as you hated it.

She ordered you your normal, you were surprised she remembered.

“How’d the game go last night?”

You hadn’t tuned into either games, you’d had other things on your mind.

“We drew, it was a good game though.”

You nodded, it didn’t matter much in the scheme of things, Aston Villa weren’t in a title race, weren’t in contention for a trophy of any kind but also weren’t at any real risk of relegation, they were just mid.

“How about mom?”

Leah wasn’t playing, but a part of you still cared about how her team had gone.

“They won, 1-2 to man city.”

You nodded, that was something.

Your food arrived which was a good enough distraction, both you and Jordan focusing your attention on the meals in front of you. A couple of years ago, all of your sunday mornings had been spent here with your two moms, nowadays if you went, which was rare, it was by yourself.

The meal went on in awkward silence, the both of you clearly unsure how to deal with the pent up awkwardness that had been developing since you’d left the house.

The meal dragged on until the two of you couldn’t pretend any longer and called it done, the two of you standing up and leaving in the same silence you’d entered.

You didn’t mind the silence, it hurt, but not in the same way that it normally did, you were less alone than normal, you felt less out of place then normal.

You were silently praying that your mom got home earlier than expected, to give you the same normal, painful consistency that you were used to instead of this, instead of whatever it is that Jordan was pulling out of you.

The two of you walked back to the house in silence, once upon a time Blu would have been walking in front of you, her little legs patting across the concrete, nowadays though Blu stayed in Birmingham, with Jordan. Leah claimed she didn’t have time for a dog, it had always been Jordan’s thing though.

When you got back to the house, you collapsed down onto the sofa, flicking on a episode of love island before opening up your phone and starting to answer the multiple texts which you’d been leaving on delivered.

First, you replied to your friends, letting them know you were fine and just needed to be home before your curfew, then your mom, letting her know you were fine. Once you were finished updating all of your people, you moved onto aimlessly scrolling, flicking through different social media posts.

Jordan eventually joined you on the couch, her attention on the episode.

You didn’t miss the way her eyes would stray towards you every few seconds, darting away from the tv screen to look at you. It seemed like she was hesitating to say something, like there words on the tip of tongue that she was too scared to say. Jordan was always the silent one, even as you watched your moms relationship die out, she was always the quiet one, Leah on the other hand was always the loud one, always trying to fix problems that were unfixable.

You wanted to prompt her, ask her what her apparent problem was, but you stayed silent, muzzling yourself for the good of keeping whatever peace there was between the two of you.

PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SEND ME YOUR PART THREE IDEAS, KEEPING IN MIND THAT LEAH POTENTIALLY FINDS OUT ABOUT RS WEED USAGE AND CONFRONTS HER ABOUT IT BUT DOESN'T KNOW ABOUT THE DRUGS

[lukehughes43]

AM34 Auston Matthews x reader

word count: 1,400 a/n: quick little blurb and or drabble thing of auston becoming captain because how could I not? warnings: none I think. maybe some swearing

You had never seen Auston this nervous before. Normally, he was relaxed, easy going, and tried not to stress about things very often. Only now he was busy pacing a hole in the floor of your shared apartment. 

“Aus,” you called, “there’s nothing to worry about. Everyone’s going to love you as their captain.” His attention turned immediately to you. His brown eyes searching your e/c ones. “Plus the decision has already been made. Brad wants you as captain. Craig wants you as his captain. And, most importantly, John has signed off on the idea to hand the captaincy over to you.” Before he could protest, you crossed the room to stand in front of him. Gently you reached up to cup his cheek, a smile forming on your lips, “You deserve this, love. You’ve worked your life to get to this moment.” 

Reaching up, Auston grabbed on to your wrist. Thumb working small circles against the soft skin. “I know I deserve it, and there hasn’t been a thought in my mind about passing the opportunity over, but I just - can’t believe this is happening.” His confession tugged at your heart. He had put his blood, sweat, and tears into becoming a Toronto Maple Leaf. Played in their first round series sicker than a dog, and still walked away as the MVP despite the loss. 

“Well you better believe it soon, because we need to leave in an hour,” you remind with a kind smile. “Can’t keep everyone waiting for the star of the show today.” Balancing up on your tiptoes you pressed a sweet kiss against his cheek. “I’m going to finish getting ready, and you should too.” 

It wasn’t long before the pair of you were seated in the front seats of his blue Porsche. Brian and Ema smiling happily in the backseat. While you focused on carrying the load of conversation, Auston’s hand had nervously worked its way into yours resting in your lap. Without missing a beat in the conversation about preparing your classroom for the up and coming school year, you squeezed his hand. A subtle gesture to show him that you were aware of the mixed emotions rolling off his body. “I’m sure the kids are going to love hearing about Auston becoming captain this year,” Ema smiled with pride. 

Laughing you nodded your head, craning your body to face the backseat. “That will surely be the talk of the first few days,” you agreed. “Although, any chance they get Auston normally gets brought up. They always beg me to bring him in for show and tell.” The comment drew a laugh from Auston’s parents, and an eye roll from the man himself.  But even he couldn’t hide the smile that was growing on his face. 

“Has he ever come in for show and tell before?” Brian asked.

“Once,” Auston replied, eyes glancing at his fathers in the rearview mirror before turning into the parking lot. “Only it didn’t end up as happy as a day as all the little second graders thought it would.” 

Confusion painted Brian and Ema’s faces, allowing you the chance to fill them in on the rest of the story. “A couple of tears were shed because some kids thought their show and tells weren’t as ‘cool’ as mine.” Grimacing you glanced over at Auston who was still wearing his smile. 

“Well not everyone can bring a sixty plus goal scorer, can they?” He chimed, earning a smack on the shoulder from you. 

Rolling your eyes you glanced back at his parents, “Of course they were all really excited and happy Aus had come in, but some of them felt overshadowed. So from now on if he wants to come visit, it’s on days when we don’t have show and tell.” 

“Well talk about a lesson learned the hard way,” Ema laughed. Nodding your head you agreed with the woman, turning to glance around the half full parking lot. “Well, I suppose we should head in.” Taking charge as always, Ema Matthews headed out of the car, her husband following her lead. 

You stole a glance at Auston to see him already staring back at you with those big brown eyes. “You ready hot shot?” Teasing, you pulled your interlaced hands up to your lips to press a kiss against his skin. “Because the whole hockey world is ready for you.” 

A slight blush dusted over his cheeks as he stared at you, eyes darting between the diamond ring resting on your finger and your e/c eyes. “You know, I think you might have said that to me once before,” he recalled with a smile, “maybe like, eight years ago?” 

“God don’t say that,” you groaned with a smile, “you’re making us sound old.” 

“Well, we are kinda old, baby.” The both of you fell into a small fit of laughter, seemingly lost in memories from prior years. It was only when your beloved nickname fell from his lips like honey that you both silenced your laughing. “What if I can’t be the leader they’re expecting me to be? What if, even after all this we still can’t beat Boston in the playoffs? That I - we never win the Stanley Cup?” Your heart squeezed inside your chest as you stared back at him. Searching for the answers that he so desperately needed to hear, yet couldn’t place them. “What happens then? If I can’t be a Leaf for life.” 

Taking both of his hands in your own hands, you faced him fully. Knees pressed against the center console, likely pulling the nylon fabric covering them. “Auston,” you breathed, “I have never met someone so right for a position of leadership as you. I love John, with all my heart, you know that. But baby, in this business changes need to happen. Different voices need to be heard, and right now yours is the guiding voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs. And it has been since you scored four goals in your NHL debut.” The old memory of his debut tugged a smile to the corner of his lips, but you knew he wasn’t fully convinced of your vision. “You have brought life back to this team, to this fan base. You’ve given something they haven't had in a long time: hope.” 

“How does that translate to me becoming the twenty-sixth captain in franchise history?” His voice held emotions you couldn’t quite place. Sadness, fear, uncertainty. All things you knew Auston Matthews hardly felt. 

Smiling you squeezed his hands once more, “My love, that’s one of the things most important about being a leader - a captain. You have to give your teammates, the ownership, and the fans something to believe in. Something to have hope for. You’ve given them that, and so much more Aus. There’s a reason you didn’t think about passing the opportunity over. There’s a reason John was more than willing to hand the captaincy into your very capable hands.” 

“Why’s that?” 

“Because you have been the voice of this team since your debut in twenty-sixteen,” you answered with nothing but certainty. “It was only a matter of time until this happened, this past season was the nail in the coffin.” Auston’s face contorted into disapproval while you laughed it off, “Sorry only reference I could think of baby. But it holds some truth to it. Losing to the Bruins in the first round, again, sucked. It fucking sucked. For everyone. You. Me. The team. But you pushed through so much to play in that series. You took control and put the team on your back more than once. Playing sick goes a long way, Aus. It showed everyone in that locker room that you’re here to win. You’re here to bring this franchise a Stanley Cup, and even if you’re on your deathbed you're willing to be the person that helps bring the team to glory.” 

Sighing Auston fell back against his seat. “Are you sure you aren’t saying all this because you’re my fiance?” His head lulled to the side to glance over at you with a soft smile. Leaning over the console you fixed the collar of his suit jacket, “No, I told you that you need to buy another suit because this one has been over worn because I’m your fiance.” Once the collar was laid flat against his body you looked to meet his gaze once more. “I told you all that because I’m someone who believes in you, Auston. Also someone who sees the greatness deep inside you.”  “I love you, you know that?” He asked, body leaning forward to meet you halfway. Smiling, you nodded, “I do know that.” Quickly you closed the distance between the two of you to press your lips against his. “Now come on, I want to see you with a ‘C’ on your chest, captain.”

[ericshoney]

Vaping ~ Brothers!Sturniolo Triplets

Summary: Since your brothers have been away in LA, you've started to mix with the wrong people, resulting in you picking up bad habits, your brothers soon find out about.

Warnings: swearing, vaping underage, shouting, crying, talks of bad friends, random names of friends, talks of bad habits, angst with a happy ending

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Nick, Matt and Chris moved to LA you found it hard. Justin obviously had his own life too, so it was strange not having any of your brothers around. Not having them around meant you struggled a lot, resulting in falling into the wrong group of friends and picking up bad habits.

The worst habit you picked up was vaping. Your parents didn't know that you kept it a secret. You would often sit by your window so your room didn't smell or hide behind school when you did it there.

That's where you were now. Standing behind the school building with your friends. You were vaping as you listened to your friend Jennie ramble on about your maths teacher.

"He's a fucking asshole, said I should start thinking of my future, like dude, I'm only sixteen!" She exclaimed as she puffed on her cigarette.

You laughed and kept taking hits of your vape. You then got a message from your mum saying there was a surprise at home for you.

"Well school is nearly over, I'm going to start heading home. See you later." You said to your friends.

They said their goodbyes as you slowly walked home. You took a few more puffs of your vape before hiding it in your pocket. When you walked into the house, you heard various voices.

"I'm home!" You called.

You then walked through to the kitchen and your eyes went wide as you saw Nick, Matt and Chris. They had called you over the weekend and when you asked when they would visit again, they answered with being unsure as they had loads of work, but now they were standing in the kitchen.

"Hey kid!" Matt exclaimed.

"Hey, your home!" You cheered, rushing to give them each a hug.

What you didn't think about at that moment was the smell of your vape. You only liked the sweet ones, but your brothers had good scenes and had been to a few classic LA parties, so they could smell a vape, alcohol and cigarettes from a mile away.

"New perfume, kid?" Chris asked you.

"Um yeah, trying something new." You lied, trying to drop the subject quickly.

Chris nodded and looked at Matt and Nick, who both looked suspicious too. They didn't say anything and thought to talk to you later.

You all chilled for a bit, you getting anxious as you felt the need for a vape break. Dinner soon rolled round, which distracted you for a bit, as you listened to your brothers tell you more stories from LA.

When you finished, you went off to your room. You sat at your window, vaping for a bit, when suddenly Nick, Matt and Chris burst in, catching you in the act.

"What the fuck kid!" Nick shouted.

"Shit." You mumbled, placing the vape down.

"So it's not a "new perfume", is it?" Chris called.

"I....No." You admitted, lowering your head in shame.

"Sit down. We clearly need to talk." Matt said, pointing to your bed.

You sighed and sat down on your bed, Nick sitting next to you as Matt sat on your desk chair and Chris stood up, pacing slightly.

"Let's start off simple, sweetheart. This has got to stop." Nick said, pointing to the vape.

"I know." You said.

"Why?" Chris asked.

"I...I just fell into bad habits. I started vaping mostly, if my friends had a party, I would drink. I know it's all wrong, but it was a way to cope." You confessed.

"Cope with what, petal?" Matt asked.

"Missing you." You answered, tears falling down your face.

The three shared a look, all feeling upset for you. They knew you missed them, as they missed you too, but didn't think anything like this would ever happen.

"Jennie started it, fuck I know I shouldn't have agreed to hang out with her, but I was desperate." You cried.

"Who's Jennie?" Chris asked.

"My friend. I met her last year, she has a few friends, some of which are out of school, she smokes and drinks. Fuck I'm such an idiot I should have never agreed to hang out with her. I'm such a dumbass." You answered, tugging at your hair in anger.

"Hey kiddo, calm down. Take a deep breath." Nick whispered, taking your hands gently, holding them in his own.

"What we're going to do is talk to mum and dad. Will they be angry? Maybe but if we explain everything, which we will be right by your side to do, it will be okay." He said.

"Will you promise to stop?" Matt asked.

"100%, I need a new way to cope." You answered quickly.

"We will help you, okay sweetheart." Nick said, making you nod.

"You could come back to LA with us for a while. You need a break." Chris suggested.

"For real?" You asked.

"We can talk to mum and dad, but I'm sure it will be okay." Nick responded.

You smiled softly and knew it would be hard, but your brothers were there to help you.

[chloe-skywalker]

Detention - Draco Malfoy

Draco x sister fem!reader

Warnings: Mention of Umbridge torture

Word count: 746

Summary: Umbridge doing the torture scar’s to Y/n Malfoy, and Draco’s pissed and tells their parnets.

Authors Note: Part 2? Where their parents got Draco’s owl and come to Hogwarts concerned and pissed? (& they find out why she got detention in the first place)

Harry Potter Masterlist

Masterlist

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

“Where have you been?” Draco asked as Y/n finally came and sat at the Slytherin in the great hall.

“Umbridge gave me detention for the entire month.” Y/n scoffed annoyed at the way things had become. School was where she felt she could relax some, since Malfoy Manner wasn’t a place of relaxation. But with all the changes school was feeling a lot like home.

“Why?” Draco furrowed his brow concerned and concerned and confused for his sister.

“She said it was because I kept my desk’s to disoganized.” Y/n shrugged not to sure why she got detention in the first place.

“Thats bull.” Draco scowled, his sister was always so clean and kept. Draco didn’t believe it for a second. Besides why would someone get detention for that?

“I agree.” Y/n nodded.

“At least its just a month.” He concluded hoping to ease her nerves that Draco was sure she was feeling. Knowing their parents were to hear of this and not be thrilled.

“Yeah.” Y/n sighed, hoping that the letter going home about this detention would get lost.

It wasn’t home she should of been worrying about as she soon learned. Once she started her series of detentions Y/n Malfoy found out who the true monster in Hogwarts was.

Detention was terribly stressful and anxiety ridden. On top of that she had gotten a letter from home that wasn’t the nicest ither. But from the words written it didn’t sound like they were told ‘why’ she was having detentions, and y/n felt like if they knew ‘why’ then they wouldn’t be nearly as mad.

But Y/n was to afraid to write back. What if it made things worse, what if Umbridge intercepted her letter?! No way, she couldn’t risk it and make her punishments worse.

But it was becoming increasingly hard to hide her hand from her brother. Their twin bond didn’t help and she could tell Draco knew something was up. Y/n was worried if she told him that he might view her as weak.

All that came crashing down around her one day in the library. Draco came storming in and headed straight towards her and sat down. Determined to get answers.

“What's wrong Draco?” Y/n asked once he sat down having watched his dramatic entrance, and noticing her antsy behavior.

“Why’s your hand wrapped?” He asked. It had been bothering him for awhile, he was already concerned about his twin 24/7. But seeing her hurt was ripping him apart on the inside.

“I got hurt.” Y/n cast her gaze downward, nervously picking at a loose thread on her skirt.

“How? Let me see.” Draco jumps immediately into protective mode, very concerned.

“Draco-”

Y/n tried to stop him but he had already reached foreward and grabbed abhold of her hand. Pulling off the bandage wrap and exposing the carvings into her hand that would definitely scar.

“What’s this?” Draco questioned with wide eye’s looking between Y/n and her torn up hand. Seeing horrible, nasty, un-true words carved into her hand made Draco want to cry. And with looking into his sisters eye’s seeing all the emotions and tears in them broke his heart. “Y/n, where’d you get this? Who did this to you?”

Y/n knew there was no point in trying to lie to him now that he’s seen the evidence. “Umbridge, and at detention. It’s her version of it.”

“This is unethical and torture.” He growled in anger that someone dared to harm his sister.

“Trust me, I know.” Y/n pulled her hand back and wrapped it back up again, so it wouldn’t get infected but also so no one would see.

“How many times?” Draco asked even though he knows he doesn’t want to hear it’s been more than once, he knows it’s been more than 1 time.

“4. So far. But I still have the rest of the month.” She told him shakily, nervous about having to go through more of this torture.

“I’ll tell father and mother about this. She’s not going to touch you again.” Draco states pulling her into him to comfort her, noting her shakiness, which he’s very sure was going to lead to a panic attack.

That night after dinner Draco wrote a letter explaining the situation to their parents on paper, and sent it around midnight to assure no one would notice anywhere in the castle.

Taglist:

@gruffle1 @padawancat97

[alittlebitofloveliness]

Grew in my Heart

It's finally done you guys!!!! This is my take on a foster Pony au, loosely based on this idea from @freak-l0rd-certifed. It's currently unedited but I'll post it here anyways, and then cross post an edited version on my ao3. @pepsicurtis asked to be tagged when it was done based on a snippet I posted earlier, so here you go. This is part 1, part 2 is fully written and will be up tomorrow.

***************

The lady on the other side of the room is watching him.

That’s okay though. Ponyboy is used to people watching him. Social workers, foster parents, group home staff, police. Everyone watches him all the time but nobody cares, cares for him or about him, so Ponyboy doesn’t mind this lady joining in. He knows he looks weird, with his sticky out ears and the patchy haircut Mr. Fuller gave him and the bruise around his eye. So he understands why this lady is watching him, and doesn't begrudge her for it.  Besides, she looks like a nice lady. Nice ladies don’t usually watch him. If they do they don’t usually look at him with the kindness glowing in the woman’s shining green eyes.

The lady smiles at him and he ducks back into his book, ears burning. She wasn’t supposed to catch him looking.

When he peeks over the top of his copy of Great Expectation a minute later, she’s still watching him, smiling in a way Ponyboy would call amusement if he didn’t know better. He quickly hides again, cursing himself for drawing notice. It’s never a good thing. Never. Better he stay quiet, stay invisible. Invisible kids didn’t get hurt.

He hopes Ms. Summers will come back soon and take him to wherever he’ll be staying next, if only so that he can leave the waiting room, escape from where this nice lady and her nice family are no doubt waiting for them to bring a brand new baby to adopt. Probably one only a few days old, something sweet and cute and new they could love and pamper. Nice people only ever came to the child services offices to pick up babies. Anyone who came to pick up kids was usually about as nice as the people who dropped them off. 

He goes back to his book. Usually it’s easy to escape into the story where he can pretend to be a knight or a hero or anything but stupid, small, unwanted Ponyboy Hewitt, but he can’t seem to concentrate today. It’s not just because of the nice looking lady with the green eyes who keeps watching him, keeping an eye on him the same way she’s been keeping an eye on the three boys who came in with her. His head is also aching something fierce. That last knock from Mr. Fuller was kind of hard. 

Hard enough Ms.Summers thought he should move again anyway.

“Quit fidgeting, Soda,” an authoritative voice from the other side of the room says, and Ponyboy can’t help but glance over. He tells himself it’s because the speaker was kind of loud, but he knows deep down that’s not the case. It’s not because the boy is loud, it’s because he’s cool. He’s a lot bigger than Pony is, and older too, with wavy brown hair and broad shoulders. He could probably look Mr.Fuller square in the face and never be scared, not ever. “We have to show we’re the perfect family or they won’t let us keep Johnny.”

“Really?” The boy who answers has golden blond hair and rosy cheeks with a dimple high in one corner. Pony never really understood what books meant when they talked about eyes twinkling until the boy had pranced into the office a few minutes before, looking like a prince straight from a fairytale. His eyes aren’t twinkling now though: instead, they’re shining with worry. His shadow, a smaller boy with jet black hair and tan skin, looks the same, eyes wide and terrified in his peaked face. “They can’t do that just ‘cause I’m sittin’ wrong, can they mom?”

He turns anxiously to the nice lady who smiles and smooths down his hair.

“Of course not honey,” she soothes, “we don’t gotta prove we’re perfect to keep Johnny, we just gotta prove we love him. And we do.”

She turns her smile on the dark haired boy who flushes and ducks his head shyly, looking unfathomably pleased. Ponyboy swallows hard and looks away, his own ears reddening. It’s not fair for him to hate the dark haired boy, he knows it isn’t, but it doesn’t matter. In that moment, he kind of hates him anyway. 

The woman’s gentle smile has confirmed what he suspected all along. She’s a nice mom, the kind he’s only ever read about in storybooks. She probably kisses those boys goodnight- even the big one, even if he pretended it wasn’t cool- and probably smells like cinnamon and bakes birthday cakes sometimes, puts bandages on cuts, and never slaps them, not ever. 

He wants Ms. Summers to come back. He wants to leave. He doesn’t want to sit here and watch a boy his own age get adopted by the kind of family he wishes he could have more than anything in the world. 

The blonde boy sticks his tongue out at the cool one and makes a fart noise.

“See Darry? They ain’t gonna take Johnny! You’re stupid and wrong!”

“Sodapop Patrick Curtis!” A man Ponyboy assumed must be the nice lady’s husband and the boys’ father boomed, “What have I told you about using that kind of language towards your brother?”

“That it's not how we speak to our family,” the blonde boy, Sodapop, says like he was reading off a teleprompter. Clearly, this was not the first time he’d heard that particular reprimand, “but dad, I was only defending my other brother.”

“Be that as it may,” Mr.Curtis said, “I don’t want to hear that language from you any more.” He sounded stern, but his eyes were still glinting proudly and there was a smile hiding somewhere near the corner of his mouth. Not a scary dad then. A good one.

“Yeah Soda,” the older boy, Darry, grinned, seeming unperturbed by the insult. He was real handsome, Pony thought. If he was Sodapop he’d never call that Darry boy stupid, not ever. “Save that language for socs. Or Two-bit when he’s playin’ poker against Dally.”

Sodapop laughed then, any traces of animosity disappearing, Johnny grinning quietly beside him. 

Ponyboy decides he’s done watching them be happy, and goes to the washroom.

He does his business, standing on tiptoe to reach the sink when he’s done because it’s meant for adults not for kids and there's no footstool. He can’t reach the soap, even when he jumps, so he just settles for rinsing extra long. The paper towel dispenser is also too high to reach so he dries his hands on his pants and goes back to the waiting room. 

“Oh honey, wait,” he doesn’t realize the nice lady is speaking to him until she’s kneeling in front of him, tugging his shirt from where he hadn’t noticed it had gotten twisted and tucked into his pants, pulling it out and smoothing it down nicely, “there you go. All handsome again.”

She smiles, looking like sunshine incarnate, and Ponyboy kind of wants to die.

“Thank you.” He mumbles, sure he must be redder than a tomato, then flees back to his chair on the other side of the waiting room. They’re all watching him now, the nice lady and her nice husband, and the three boys who are now all sitting in a circle on the floor, playing a game of cards. 

He opens Great Expectations to a random page and stares at it hard, trying very hard not to cry. He’s almost seven years old, he’s not a baby anymore. He will not cry just because one lady was nice to him and now her perfect family is staring at him. He won't. 

“Hi!” Suddenly, blonde, beautiful Sodapop is in front of him, grinning like Ponyboy is the best thing he’s ever seen ever, “I’m Soda. Wanna play cards with us?”

He wants to, more than anything, but he knows if he does it’ll just feel worse when they leave and he doesn’t go with them , or when Ms. Summers comes to drag him away to whoever will bother keeping him for the next few weeks, so he can’t.

He shakes his head, unable to actually say no, and Soda deflates, eager grin melting into an unhappy pout, shoulders curling forward, and the twinkle in his eye dimming. He looks like Pony just ruined his whole day with one shake of his head. 

“Ok,” he sighs, dramatic and world weary, and it would seem like an act if his eyes weren’t entirely genuine, “if you change your mind, you can c’mon over anytime. It would be so much more fun with another person.”

He rejoins the other two boys who shoot curious looks Pony’s way, but he ignores them, looking back at his book. He’s not reading though. He can’t. Instead he’s listening to the boys playing cards, wishing more than anything that he could join them.

“I win.” Dark haired Johnny proclaims for the third time and Soda throws down his cards with a dramatic groan, while Darry just laughs. He seems real nice, not like the big boys at the group homes who liked to steal Pony’s books and shove him around. He hadn’t gotten mad at Soda or Johnny even once, not even when they were playing Go Fish and Soda cheated by peeking at his cards. 

“You little shark,” Darry ruffled Johnny's dark hair, the smaller boy flinching a little before leaning into the touch, “how do you keep doin’ that, huh?”

Johnny shrugged. “It’s a secret.”

“You’re cheatin’!” Soda accused.

“Am not!”

“Are too! No one wins as much as you.”

“I’m just good at cards without cheatin’.”

Soda huffed. “You’re lucky you’re my brother now or I’d fight you.”

“I’d win.” Johnny boasts, and suddenly he looks fierce, chin jutting and eyes fiery, like every kid in every home who fought grownups and just ended up beaten down worse. 

“That’s enough,” Darry pulls the two apart, practically picking them each up with one hand, “quit arguin' or I’m putin’ the cards away.”

“No!” Soda throws himself to the ground, arm draped dramatically across his forehead, “I’ll die of boredom!”

“Then sit up and be good,” Darry tells him, and Soda scrambles to do as he’s told. Pony feels his own spine straightening. It’s just because he’s tired, he tells himself.  It has nothing to do with wanting Darry to look at him with the same approval he looks at Soda and Johnny with. He needs to stretch out a bit, that’s all.

“Y’know,” Darry says, disarmingly casual, easily shuffling the cards the way Pony always wanted to but could never manage, the movement too deft for his clumsy fingers, “there's so many more games we could play with four players.” 

If he didn’t know better Pony would swear Darry was looking at him sideways as he said it, grinning conspiratorially like they were sharing a joke. 

“Euchre…gin rummy…spades…signals…”

Pony’s heart jumped. He loved signals. 

It was practically another invitation right? And Soda had said he could join anytime if he changed his mind…surely one game wouldn’t hurt. 

He scoots forward a bit on the chair, considering. 

“Well?” Suddenly Darry- handsome, cool Darry- is grinning right at him, one eyebrow raised, “You in or not?”

And well….that was an actual invitation. From a big boy no less! Usually boys like Darry wanted nothing to do with him.

Pony could feel what was surely a far too eager grin spreading over his face and he nodded, quickly taking a spot on the floor in between Soda and Johnny. Darry’s grin turned triumphant, like he was the one who’d just been invited to play cards by a cool stranger. 

“Nice. What’s your name kiddo?”

“Ponyboy.” He mumbles, bracing himself for laughter that never comes. Instead Darry just nods, starting to deal cards with ease. 

“Tuff name. I’m Darry, and this here’s Johnny.” 

Pony offered a shy smile in response to Johnny’s friendly nod, earlier vitriol forgotten. It wasn’t Johnny’s fault he was lucky. Pony shouldn’t hate him for it. 

“You already met Soda.”

Darry gives Soda a fondly exasperated look, and Pony focuses very hard on the cards being dealt so he won’t have to look at their faces.

Unsure of what to say, he just nods. Luckily, Darry keeps talking.

“Well Ponyboy, I reckon since you just joined you get to pick the game.”

“R-really?”

“Sure.” Darry smiled kindly. Golly he was nice. “We’ll play a few rounds and then switch it up if any of us are getting bored.”

“Can-” Ponyboy hesitated. Darry nods, encouraging him to continue, “can we play signals?”

“Sure. You okay to be on a team with me?”

“Yes,” Pony could hardly believe his luck. Not only were they playing his favourite game, but Darry wanted to be on a team with him!

“Ok,” Soda chirped, “me’n Johnny are going over there so you don’t listen to us pick our signals like cheaters!”

“Soda!” Mr Curtis warned.

“I’m bein’ nice!”

Pony giggled. 

“Ignore him,” Darry advised, scooting over to sit beside him, “I wish I could say he’s just bein’ crazy ‘cause he’s excited, but the truth is he’s always like that. He ain’t really mean though, just has too much energy.”

“I know,” Pony tells him, “I seen mean before. He ain’t it. If he was mean he’d have taken my book or followed me to the bathroom and put my head in the toilet.”

A horrified gasp makes him jump. He’d momentarily forgotten all about sunshiney Mrs.Curtis, but now she’s staring at him in horror, eyes filled with rage. 

What did he do? Did she not want him to be telling her nice golden sons about stuff like that? 

“I-I’m sorry I-” he can feel his ears burning and wishes more than anything he’d stayed on that hard plastic chair where he was safe instead of getting drawn in by the light of the family in front of him. 

“Whoa, hey,” Darry catches him by the arm before he can scramble to his feet, grip not bruising like he’s used to but gentle, reassuring, “where are you going? We haven’t picked a signal yet.”

His smile is so hopeful. Hesitantly, Pony settles back down. 

“Ok.”

“Well?” Darry nudges him gently, carefully. It seems to Ponyboy that someone so big shouldn’t be able to do that and not hurt him just a little bit, but somehow Darry manages it. “What signal do you think we should do?”

Pony glances across the room at where Soda is gesturing exaggeratedly and talking at Johnny a mile a minute.

“Something small,” he decides, “something they won’t notice.”

“Good thinking,” Darry’s approval feels like sitting in the sunshine and eating ice cream and reading a book all at once, “how about…rubbing our noses?”

He demonstrates, rubbing a finger under his nose like he’s scratching an itch and Ponyboy nods, copying the action. 

“Perfect.”

He raises his left hand then. Taps his ear. Waits a few seconds. Taps his ear again.

“What are you doing?” Darry wonders. 

“I have a trick,” Ponyboy informs him.

“Oh?” Darry’s raising a single eyebrow again, looking intrigued. A swell of unearned pride starts in Ponyboy’s chest. 

“Yep,” Pony nods, “they’re watching us right now.”

Darry follows his gaze across the room to where Johnny is watching them out of the corner of his eye, while acting for all the world like he’s still focused on Sodapop. 

“So,” Ponyboy continues. He taps his ear again, “if we do a fake signal now, like we’re practicing, and then do it while we’re playing they’ll call signal and get themselves disqualified and we’ll win.”

“Huh,” Darry reaches up and taps his own ear, “good thinkin’ kid.”

Pony glows.

“We’re ready,” Soda announces a second later, dragging Johnny behind him, “and we have the best signal ever. You’ll never guess it.”

“We’ll see.” Darry challenges, flipping the first card off the deck, and the game begins.

Pony checks his own hand. Two jacks, a two, and a seven. Deciding to go for jacks he passes the two facedown and slides it left to Johnny, picking up the ten Soda placed down for him on the other side.

He passes and trades cards for a few seconds, managing to pick up a third jack on the way. When it’s been long enough it’s not suspicious, he reaches up and taps his ear, trying to make it seem like he’s scratching an itch.

The trick works. 

“Block!” Johnny cries triumphantly, pointing at him and Pony grins, shaking his head. 

“Nope!”

“What?” That’s Sodapop, “We’re out? But-but I’m with Johnny! Johnny always wins!”

“Guess not this time,” Darry grins, raising a hand. It takes a second for Pony to realize he’s reaching out for a high five instead of to cuff him, but when he does he reaches out eagerly, tapping Darry’s palm with his own.

“How did you do that?” Johnny wonders, head tilted in confusion, “I saw you tapping your ear earlier when you were making your signal.”

“It was a trick!” Pony grins. Darry is pleased, and they just won a card game, and no one here has gotten properly mad at him at all. 

Johnny shakes his head, grinning ruefully. “Well it was a good one.”

Soda declared he wanted a rematch, so they played a few more rounds, until Johnny figured out their trick and then both teams had so many fake signals and everyone was too scared to block anyone and could hardly remember their real signals from their fake ones. Darry was just proposing they switch to playing crazy eights when Ms. Summers hurried out of the office, looking harried as usual.

“Oh! Ponyboy,” She looks surprised to see him sitting on the floor, “don’t go botherin’ these nice folks now. I know you’ve had a long day, and I promise I’m workin’ as hard as I can to figure things out so just sit tight and be good a few minutes longer. I just got a few more calls to make and I’ll get you some lunch, alright? C’mon and sit properly now, that’s a good boy.” 

She pulls him to his feet, not roughly exactly, but carelessly, the way he’s used to, and he ducks his head, shoulders curling automatically as she frog marches him back to the plastic chair in the corner of the waiting room she’d parked him in at seven o'clock this morning.

“He ain’t botherin’ us!” Suddenly Soda is on his feet, glaring at Ms. Summers. “We invited him to play. We’re havin’ fun.”

“He’s really no trouble,” Mrs. Curtis smiles, placing a hand on her son’s shoulder. Her voice is as sugar sweet as ever but there’s something hard in her eyes nevertheless as she stares Ms. Summers down, “the boys are all havin’ fun playing together and I have no problem keepin’ an eye on him for you. He’s a good boy, like you said.”

She turns the full force of her smile on him, her eyes suddenly all softness, and Ponyboy finds himself wondering what it would be like if somebody looked at him like that every day, like he was something instead of nothing.

“Well, if you’re sure, I suppose that's fine. You be good Pony,” Ms. Summers says, and then she’s gone again, back into the office, back to making phone calls to find someone, anyone, willing to take him in.

Pony stands where she left him, half dragged across the room, lost in the waiting room he’d spend what felt like half his life in.

“That lady,” Soda says, “was a bitch.”

Darry’s eyebrows shoot up, and Soda grins cheekily over his shoulder in a way that says he fully expects a reprimand, but to Ponyboy’s surprise Mr.Curtis just nods slowly.

“Y'know son, I think in this case you might be right.”

“Don’t encourage him,” Mrs. Curtis says, but it’s so half-hearted even Ponyboy can tell. Her eyes are fixed on Ms.Summers’ door, lips pressed into a thin line, and Pony gets the feeling she’s real mad but hiding it real well.

“She don’t know what to do with me,” Pony finds himself defending his social worker. She ain’t mean really, ain't even a bad person. She’s just busy. Too busy to really care. “It ain’t her fault. I cause her a lotta problems.”

“I have a very hard time believing that,” Mrs. Curtis says, “I don’t think you could cause problems if you tried.”

He could. He wasn’t like Curly from the group home, who did everything he possibly could and then some to cause problems, but Pony did create them sometimes. One time he’d burned Mrs.Delvine’s sheets when he was ironing because she hadn’t given him dinner the night before. And he’d put half a shaker of salt in Mr.Fuller’s soup after he gave him this stupid haircut. But he never tried to cause problems for Ms. Summers and he still caused them anyway.

He shrugs. “No one wants me. It’s her job to find someone who’ll put up with me. I can’t blame her for bein’ tired.”

“You’re still a little boy,” Mrs.Curtis shakes her head, and usually Ponyboy hates being called little but he finds he doesn’t mind too much when she says it, “she shouldn’t be takin’ any of her frustrations out on you.”

Pony wants to tell her that his own mother didn’t want to be stuck with him so he can hardly blame his social worker for feeling the same way. He wants to tell her about how tired he is and how much his head hurts and how hungry he is. He wants to tell her a lot of things. He doesn’t.

“Oh honey,” he doesn’t even realize he’s crying until he’s wrapped in a warm hug, held protectively against Mrs. Curtis’ chest, his sobs muffled against the stretched collar of her pretty yellow dress. He’s sure he must be getting snot on her, but she doesn’t seem to mind, holding him closer when he starts to squirm away and apologize, cooing to him until he settles down, “oh honey.”

She scoops him up then, because she’s a grown up and he’s still pretty small for six years old, and she sets him on her knee and kisses his forehead, and even if it won’t last and he will never feel this again after today, for once he knows what it’s like to be comforted and loved by a mother. 

Golly he’s tired.

“You just have a sleep now,” she pulls his head down to rest against her shoulder, running a gentle hand through his shorn off hair, “you just have a good sleep and don’t worry about a thing.” 

He feels his eyelids drooping. She drops a soft kiss on his forehead, her fingers never ceasing their soothing motions in his hair.

“Everything’s gonna be okay, baby,” he hears her say as he drifts off, “I promise. Everything’s gonna be just fine.”

He sleeps.

[shadeysprings]

The Tears on Ivory

—Priest!Lee Bodecker x Church Pianist!F!Reader

Summary — The new priest of your church asks you to sing for him.

Warnings — noncon, public sex, face shot, religious references, and other dark themes. There may be more that I forgot so I ask that you read with caution.

A/N — Kindly blame @vellicore and @flordeamatista for such sexy sinful ideas. But I mean, who could even resist this belly daddy? Not me. No beta so may be sloppy.

As always, your feedback is highly appreciated and your reblogs would be amazing. And of course, I hope y'all enjoy! ❤️

A sense of unease washes over you when you see Father Bodecker standing by the royal doors, bidding the last child and his parents goodbye. Choir practice just ended and you collect your music sheets from the stand of the piano, yet you do it with haste, not wanting to be alone with him in the great hall. But the sound of the wooden doors closing is just as loud as your beating heart.

“Leavin’ so soon, Sweetheart?” His voice echoes through the night air and you turn to face him, watching as he slowly walks up to you.

“It’s gettin’ late, Father.” You tell him with a smile, doing your best to hide the fear that begins to bloom in your core. “My daddy wouldn’t want me stayin’ out too long. Says it ain’t safe for a lady bein’ alone in the night.” You explain, hoping that the mention of your daddy would keep him at bay.

“But you’re in the house of God with your priest. Ain’t nowhere safer than here, right?” He’s closer now, intense blue eyes trained on you and the smirk he sends your way brings a chill up your spine. You look away, not wanting him to see your dread, and focus on the white tab tucked underneath the collar of his black shirt.

“I hear you singin’ with ‘em kids—such a lovely voice you have.” You take his compliment but keep your guard up as you cradle your purse in your arms, keeping the bench between the two of you. “I want to hear it again. One of ‘em hymns for tomorrow’s mass.”

“I’d love to, Father, but—”

“You know, disobeying the will of the priest is equivalent to disobeying the will of God.” Your hand trembles with how he says those words, swallowing thickly as you try to calm your nerves. “You wouldn’t want that, do you? To disobey the Lord?”

You shake your head.

“Good girl.” The praise makes you feel nothing but disgust. “Now, why don’t you get back in that chair and start playing?”

And just like that, you do as you are told; setting down your purse on the side of the piano and taking your seat once more. Your spine tenses and your hands shake upon setting them over the keys when he goes to stand behind you, feeling the excess of his stomach brushing against your arm.

Just play, you tell yourself, and you hope then when you do, when you’ve done what is being asked of you, that he will leave you alone.

Ever since Father Bodecker - Lee as he likes to be addressed - arrived in your quaint town as the new priest, things for you have never been the same. The sense of trepidation never once came across your mind when you were first within his presence, but it soon blossomed, quite strongly, in your opinion, when you saw the way he looked at you each time you stayed behind to practice the songs for the mass. 

How his hands would mindlessly touch you, innocently from the outside looking in, but you know to yourself that they’re beyond appropriate especially for a woman as yourself and even more for the man of God. His lips utter words of vulgarity, ones you know someone of his profession should never say.

But what had you fearing his presence was once, before Sunday mass, while you were practicing the psalms on the podium, you saw him enter from your periphery and stood behind you, too close for your liking. You thought he was simply curious about what you were reading but such thoughts ultimately vanished when he pressed his hands on the wooden surface of the stand and you felt something hard dig into your backside. 

You’d only ever escaped when one of the parish volunteers arrived earlier than expected and you heard the growl of disappointment that he emitted. Yet you know deep down that won’t be his last attempt, especially after seeing the determination in his sapphire eyes, a promise of a next time. 

As you reach the end of the song, you startled upon feeling his hands rest on your shoulders, his thumbs massaging your muscles and his warm breath scattering against your cheek.

“You play so beautifully, Sweetheart. Singin’ those praises like an angel.” He’s so close and you feel your heart pounding wildly against your chest, panic completely setting into your bones. “Why don’t you sing another praise—for me this time.”

“I’d love to, Father, but it is already getting late.” You tell him as you move to stand from your seat but his hands keep you firmly still and you gasp in shock when he leans you forward, pushing you against the keys that cry upon being pressed. “Father—what are you doing?” You ask frantically, eyes wide in fear as you struggle against his hold.

“I just want to hear that sweet voice of yours.” His voice is laced with darkness and your knees almost buckle when he pushes away the bench from underneath you, hand lifting the skirt of your dress. “I wonder what other sounds you can make, huh? I’m dyin’ to hear.”

You claw your fingers against the piano when you hear the sound of his zipper being undone, struggling much more to set yourself free. But you’re rendered helpless against a man his size, his feet pushing your own apart and a gasp wretches from your throat when in one swift move, he’s inside you—your walls stretching in pain from his girth.

Tears spill from your eyes as he moves his lips in a sadistic pace, each of his thrust sending you shivers of agony, making every second of his assault unbearable. His groans mix with the sound of ivory and your pleas for him to stop, Father Bodecker panting and mumbling a slew of curses when he continues to plunge, harder and faster, unrelenting of his sinful intent. 

You beg once more, your nails digging into your skin as you try to push him back, but such a gesture is futile—benefiting him further as it allows him to slide deeper into your core that begins to grow damp with each torturous second. 

He calls out your name in the flurry of notes, his hips moving erratically that you feel something foreign, something new, something forbidden pull at you from within. You grit your teeth and shut your eyes as you endure the sins he brandishes on your soul.

But all at once, he’s gone and you’re empty, the walls of your abused cunt clenching around nothing. A grunt is then pulled from your lips when you're effortlessly pushed onto your knees and you stare up at him in horror when he grabs the back of your head, keeping you in place.

That’s when you truly see the devil he truly is. He’s no man of God but a spawn of the underworld.

He groans once more, his cock stiff and throbbing in his hand as he strokes it once, twice, seeing his eyes shut tight with his face twisting in bliss and you’re shocked to your core when streaks of hot, white essence paint your face.  

Disbelief engulfs you, along with anger and shame—that he would do this to you and in the house of the Lord.

A dark laugh escapes him as he looks down on you, his hand cupping your cheek as he smears his seed on your face then tapping the tip of his cock against your lips.

“Blessed are you among women,” He quotes. “And blessed is the one who has shared the seed.”

[notafunkiller]

somebody to lean on

Summary: Bucky gets a surprising phone call and finds out you’re in the hospital.

Pairing: director!Bucky Barnes x actress!reader

Word count: 2.4K

Warnings: 18+, age gap (r is 24, Bucky is 36), angst, teasing, language, pet names, boobs play, no mention of y/n.

story masterlist

Bucky Barnes masterlist

This is dedicated to @es1dit and @marvelouslizzie!

Please, do not repost or translate without my permission! I really hope you’ll enjoy it, I can’t wait to read what you think.

He can understand, right? He doesn’t even look that angry.

You sigh, trying to fix you T-shirt and hair before approaching them. You expected Steven to wait for you since he’s the one who drove you here, but Bucky? He was working for the whole day. Did someone from set call him? Do they somehow have his number?

You shyly step forward, and Bucky turns his head. It’s like he’s a different person. He looks so sweaty and tired and you don’t know if the filming was hard or it’s because he had to come here.

“Hi.” You welcome him and get on your tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “I’m all good now.” You try to take your bag from Bucky’s hands but it’s not possible, his grip is so tight. You look at Steven. “I’m all good, we can go back.”

“Look-”

“You’re not going back. Not today.” Bucky pauses after every word as if he’s trying to keep his composure.

“But I’m fine,” you tell him, trying to find his eyes. “I promise. I don’t want to delay anything.”

“It’s okay, they started to film with your double so no delay,” Steven gives you a sweet smile. “But you should take today off at least.”

“But-”

“Let’s go home,” Bucky answers without hesitating, and you don’t get to even say goodbye to Steven properly as Bucky simply leads you toward the exist.

“James...” He is so quiet that it makes you feel weird. “I’m sorry they called and interrupted you. I had no idea they will... they insisted to have this checkup, but the set doctor said-” you stop when he opens the door for you without saying anything. Was he even listening?

You get in and take your bag when he hands it to you as quickly as possible.

The last thing you want is to be a burden for him. You don’t want him to see you as a kid. And you don’t him to get called every time you do something. He’s not your parent.

As soon as he’s in the driver seat you try to reach for his hand. “I apologize a hundred times; I really didn’t want to disturb you. I know you are busy...”

Bucky lets out a puff and finally looks at you. “Is that it? You’re sorry for disturbing me as if you’re my employee?”

“I don’t know what to say.” You’re on the verge of crying now, and Bucky can see it.

“You got hurt.”

“I am fine...”

And you really are, you’re not lying.

Bucky sighs. “Just... let’s just talk home.”

His home that became yours too or is he going to drop you off to your apartment?

You cover your face, trying not to cry.

*

Bucky’s opening your door before you get to finish taking off your seatbelt. You let him take your bag and help you get out with a sigh.

“Thought you’re gonna drive me home.”

He looks at you with raised eyebrows. “We’re home, aren’t we?”

“I mean my apartment.”

“Is that your home?” You can sense the hurt in his tone even though he tries to hide it. He still cares at least…

“No, bubba, you are my home.”

His eyes seem slightly warmer as he takes off your coat and your shoes despite your protests, and then his.

“Are you gonna talk to me now?” You ask softly.

“You lied to me.” He isn’t accusing you, he simply states it. “And you hid. And you put yourself in danger.”

“James-”

“Let me finish, okay?” He’s looking at you without trying to pretend he isn’t about to cry. You fucked up... “You put yourself in danger, and I had no idea what you were even doing! I had no idea you even trained, I had no idea you had to be checked by the set doctor, then you went to a hospital.”

You bite your lip ashamed, but you don’t open your mouth. He asked you to listen to him.

“I went crazy when your sister called me all panicked, accusing me of not telling her you’re hurt!” He’s pacing around the living room as he speaks. “Natasha told her. Natasha knew... yet she didn’t call me. You know why?” He isn’t actually waiting for your answer. “Because she thought my girlfriend would call me first.”

“Jamie-”

“You didn’t call me.” He stops walking and kneels in front of you. “You didn’t trust me, did you? You don’t trust me. At least not enough to share this with me.”

“No, don’t say that, I trust you.” You reach to touch his face and when he doesn’t pull back. you cry happily that he didn’t reject you. “I trust you and I love you.”

“Then why did you not tell me, huh? You were in the hospital and I... I thought I’ll die. Right there on set. You have no idea what type of thoughts had been in my head. I thought I will never see you, and I didn’t get to say...” He closes his eyes. “Do you understand how fucking terrifying that is?”

You’re fully crying by now, imagining what he’s saying, picturing yourself in his place. You’d die, too.  Right on spot.

“I didn’t think. I wasn’t thinking like this. I wanted to prove that I can do this.” You take a deep breath. “That I can do a fucking fight scene. It’s just work. You’re so busy and... important, and you don’t have to deal with my silly work things. I don’t want to be your burden even though you didn’t make me feel like this. I didn’t mean to lie or worry you. I am dumb for not realizing how this is for you, but I wanted it to be a surprise. I wanted to push my limits. And I just slipped today. It’s not a big deal, I swear.” You keep stroking his cheek as you move your T-shirt up and your pants a little down with the other hand to show him your scratches and bruise. “It’s not that bad, see?”

He chokes, bringing his flesh fingers to your bruise before caressing your skin. You close your eyes enjoying his touch.

“You don’t have to prove any fucking thing, do you hear me? You’re incredible. You’re so smart and intuitive, and I am never fucking busy for you!” He sighs. “If that’s how I make you feel, you should leave me, okay?”

You open your eyes, panicked. “What? Are you breaking up with me?”

“You don’t deserve to live like this. You are not just enough, you are everything.”

“James!” You start sobbing, bringing your lips to his face, then down to his shoulder as you hug him. He’s absolutely the most wonderful person in the whole world, and he didn’t deserve this. “Don’t say that. Ever. Don’t ask me to leave you ever again!”

“You’re hurt.” He repeats.

“I’m sorry I hid it from you. It’s not something you did, it’s never about something you did, you’re perfect.”

Bucky snorts. “Lies.”

“Except for when you leave the lights on in the bathroom.”

This makes him laugh, and you laugh too, happy that he’s in a better mood. You do hate telling him to turn off the light every day, but that’s not the point.

“Please, don’t lie to me... don’t hide. This is unbearable.”

You lean back, letting him go. “I promise. I didn’t want to hurt or worry you. Or interrupt you.”

“Bubba, it’s work. It comes on second place. Always! I want... need you to call me. We are a team, not strangers.”

“I am sorry,” you whimper, emotional after hearing him. He’s absolutely right, you’re a team. He always got your back, and you got his.

“It’s alright as long as you understand what I mean. We can try to work on it together.”

You melt, looking at him, still not believing how beautiful he is. How smart he is. How he cares more about you than his job.

“You’re all mine,” you say without thinking.

“What?”

“You’re all mine and you care about me more than directing.”

“Did you really question that?” He asks surprised.

“I mean... you’ve been directing before you met me. That’s your priority because that’s your passion.”

“You are my passion and my family. You are my priority,” he says it so fiercely and firmly that the need to kiss him overwhelms you.

“God, you’re so hot!”

He smiles. That smile you love so much…

“How are you doing this? I cannot stay upset with you even for a minute.”

“I’m your family,” you proudly repeat and teasingly peck him.

“You are. You are my reckless baby.” He tries to kiss you this time, but you turn your head. “What was that?”

You giggle, and when he tries again, you give him your cheek. You know this is gonna drive him crazy a little bit, and that’s exactly what you want.

“This is not nice!”

“But you know what is?” You smirk. “You coming all over my boobs.”

His eyes immediately fall on them, and you make sure to push him further by getting your hands under your shirt, unhooking your bra and taking it off awkwardly but quickly before bringing your tits together and presenting them to him. “They’re all yours if you want.”

Your hard nipples are visible through the thin material of the shirt, and you see him fully distracted.

“Come on, daddy!”

“The buttons look quite sturdy.” It’s all he says before they’re flying across the living room; your shirt ripped and pulled until it reaches the floor. He looks drunk as he stares at your chest, and when he leans in, you grab your left boob and feed it to him before he can do it himself. You let out a long moan at the same time he does.

He places his head on your other boob, tickling you a little as he sucks on your nipple with desperation.

“God, sooo good!”

His hand on the side of you tit gives him more control, and you moan every time he squeezes and licks your skin.

“Daddy, please...” you didn’t know what you’re asking him to do. But you feel so sensitive and wet, and his tongue is incredible.

But he knows. He knows! He lets go of your nipple with a pop and turns to the other breast, giving it the same treatment, while, at the same time, he wraps his hand around your hair and pulls.

He tightens his grip, then loosens it. He’s playing with both: your nipple and your hair, and you’re almost floating.

“Pull h-harder!”

He doesn’t edge you, thankfully, even though you expected him to, and pulls your hair just the way you like it and brushes your nipple with his teeth at the same time before sucking it with force. And you come before you can warn him.

Your head falls back more and you instinctively wrap your hand around his hair, trying to keep his mouth there. As if he wanted to move…

“Thank you, I really needed that.”

Bucky understands he has to let go and he kisses your boobs one last time before you pull him up by the shirt until you can kiss him.

“I didn’t know you can come like this.” He looks like an excited kid. You had no idea, either. You never came while playing with your nipples only.

“I didn’t know, either, old man.”

Bucky groans. “Old man again?”

“My old man.”

He kisses your neck this time, careful not to leave hickeys. He did it once right before a filming day and you were so embarrassed when they had to put extra make up on, but it still didn’t get covered, so they gave you a polo T-shirt.

“You know I am gonna try this again, right?”

“Sucking my nipples?”

“And making you come.”

You smile, touching his bottom lip with your thumb. “Beginner’s luck.” You tease and he instantly gasps.

“You did not say that to your old man!”

He intends to tickle you, you can sense it right away, but he stops himself as soon as he notices your bruise on the hip. His face falls. Shit...

“Hey, it’s okay!”

“No, it’s not.” He leans in to kiss all over it so softly you barely can feel it.

“God, I love you. I cannot believe how soft you are right now after you pulled the shit out of my hair!”

Bucky’s eyes lighten as he looks at you. “You act as if you don’t want it rough. Do I have to remind you how you begged me to fuck your throat?”

You groan, feeling how your cheeks get hot as you remember the night he probably refers to You really did. You were so turned on by his look that you were ready to jump on him right there at the table. “You don’t remind a lady of things she does when she’s weak. It’s rude!”

“Weak?” Bucky laughs. “Then you are weak almost every day.”

“I love you and I am sorry.” You let your lips linger on the dimple of his chin that you adore.

“I love you, too.”

You look around. “You ripped my good shirt!”

“Not again,” Bucky snorts. “Why do you act as if it doesn’t make you horny, huh?”

“You cannot be serious. Of course not!” You’re lying through your teeth and he knows it.

“For this lie, I’ll tie up your hands nicely next time.”

“James!” You gasp. You wouldn’t be able to touch him. “You cannot do this to me!”

Bucky’s metal thumb touches your bottom lip.

“Keep going and I’ll blindfold you too. Then edge you, then-”

“I get it!” You interrupt him, aware of where this is going.

“Do you? Cause you’re quite a brat.”

“You love that I’m a brat, don’t lie.”

Bucky’s smile is so cute that it makes you smile, too. “I do. I really do, now let’s take a shower.

“What?”

“What what?” He asks you as he stands up.

“Aren’t you going back to work?”

“Nope.” He’s so casual as he says it, and you can’t believe it.

“Bucky...”

“It’s James, and I’ve already told them. Nick will take care of it, don’t worry. You’re my priority, I’ll keep reminding you until you stop forgetting.”

You feel yourself melting again.

[iamcautiouslyoptimistic]

🦅Russell Adler Headcanons

{Author's Note} Since I'm literally obsessed with this man, I thought I'd post my headcanons for him. All of these are based off of his canon backstory and character with bits of my own speculation thrown in so nothing should be too out of left field here. I may end up posting more of my thoughts on him soon so we shall see. Hope y'all like it and I'd love to hear what you think, as well as any headcanons you guys might have! Tagging @littlemissclandestine for this since she's an Adler fan. Let me know if I did this man justice lol🤭

‼️Content Warning: swearing, suggestive themes‼️

~ ~ ~

-Badass asshole

-Takes awhile for him to soften enough to really love someone

-Flirtatious jerk when he has a crush

-Shows he cares through small actions that can be hard to notice, as well as vague, rather backhanded compliments

-Shamelessly stares from behind those glasses of his

-Thinks it’s really cute when you wear his shades but would never admit it

-Stylish with heavy 70s influence

-Probably modeled for a male fashion magazine at some point LMAO

-Definitely knows how to dance

-Seems like the type to meme a bit on British people (specifically Park lol)

-Very sarcastic, sometimes to the point that you don’t realize he’s actually joking because he's always so monotone

-Secretly loves Belgian waffles (this is a reference to that one Bruce Thomas TikTok lol)

-Has a soft spot for the Beach Boys (I mean, look at that 🎶bushy, bushy blonde hairdo🎶 of his)

-Since so many people have asked and teased him about it (I see y'all in the fandom and I will not accept this slander lol) -> his hair isn’t fake, it’s actually pretty soft, very bouncy, he likes styling it

-Very particular about his appearance as it is one of the few things that he can truly control

-Prefers cats over dogs

-Can get obsessive about certain things and lose himself to them (i.e. his search for Perseus) -> Mason quote: “He spent so long searching for Perseus, he didn’t notice when he lost himself.”

-Still struggles with PTSD from his time in Vietnam, which, alongside his obsession with finding Perseus, is what led to his divorce

-Carries a lot of guilt and regret that he doesn’t like to acknowledge

-Started smoking to cope with the trauma of war, now has a nicotine addiction; when he’s really stressed, he chain smokes like a chimney

-Gets restless if he doesn’t have a cigarette

-Doesn’t sleep well and when he does, he usually wakes up every few hours

-Scars - Shrapnel? Abuse? Torture? Animal attack? No one knows and he’ll never tell

-Kiss or trace those scars and he WILL melt

-Difficult for him to let his guard down

-Has a tendency to isolate himself -> Mason quote: "You were never alone, Adler. Only in your own stubborn head."

-Always wearing those damn glasses cuz STYLE but also to hide his eyes to remain as a sort of blank, emotionless slate to other people

-Absent parents who never showed him real love or support as he grew up so he struggles to do the same for others -> they were the reason he joined the army as soon as he turned 18

-When it comes to cuddling, he loves holding you against his chest and running his fingers along your arm, cheek, or through your hair; small but intimate actions like that are his favorite

-Doesn’t like to show emotions at all, even during more intimate moments; he needs some coaxing to relax in that way, which takes time

NSFW Below👇🏻 (it's really not too bad tho)

-Sit on his lap👀

-Will pin your wrists during the sexy times🫣

-EDGING & OVERSTIMULATION

-After his divorce, he's tended to view sex as more of a transaction where both parties are fulfilling needs for each other so he'd be selfish at first but as your relationship progresses, he'd become far more generous

[rd0265667]

Ning Ning x Reader: Solo un'altra storia d'amore

Permanent Taglist: @cwpiqwon @justme-idle

A/N: Trust me, it all makes sense at the end

A/N: As always, thanks to best bro @1luvkarina. and the usual apology, my bad @slowlydifferentbluebird

“I’ll be there soon, sorry babe, there was a hiccup at work, boss needed us there, Lisa and I were needed for some last minute procedures. I should make it soon though.” Yi Zhuo sighed, though nodding.

“I understand, your job’s important. I’ll be waiting at the bench alright? Love you babe.” Yi Zhuo said, hanging up before sighing, “Got stood up?” Yi Zhuo turned to her side. “Nope, just…something cropped up at her work. She works at the hospital nearby, so whenever a new patient comes in, and they need all hands on board, well…yeh.” Yi Zhuo explained. “Perks of the job huh?” Yi Zhuo snickered “Yeah, something like that” “What’s your name? I’m Yi Zhuo.” She said, extending her hand to you. “I’m Y/N.” You shake her hand, shooting her a small smile. “You’re here often right? I pass by this bench pretty often when I visit Aeri at the hospital, and I see you almost every day.”  Yi Zhuo asked. “Yeh, this bench means a lot to me.” You say with a forlorn smile, drenched in nostalgia and loss. “How so?” Yi Zhuo asked, turning to you. “The school I was from believed that this bench was magical. No, I’m not joking.” You say with a small chuckle, seeing Yi Zhuo’s confused face. “This bench had special powers. We believed that this bench was where relationships were made. So all proposals happened here, first dates happened here. I guess the superstition wore off, I barely see any first dates here. Well, it worked for me. This is where I met my girlfriend.” You say with a small smile, though clearly hiding sadness in your eyes. “Oh? What’s her name? What’s your story? Everyone has a special love story.” Yi Zhuo asked, body fully turning to you now, clearly invested. “Oh, well, it’s just another love story. I called her Nini. She was…she was perfect. I met her on this very bench. She was always a loner in class, by choice of course. Half the cohort was obsessed with her, but she always preferred to sit alone. On the way home from school one day, I got tired, and sat here, on this very bench. I was reading one of my books, when she suddenly sat beside me. She insisted that she sat with me because she fell in love with me that day, but I know she sat with me because she was shocked to see someone else reading Journey to the West. Regardless of why she first sat with me, the bench worked. We fell in love that day. She was the sweetest. She’d bring me on the best dates, break the bank to buy me the best gifts, and when I insisted that it was too much, and that a small gifts would be fine, she’d hold my hand, sit me down, and give me a kiss on my forehead, telling me that I deserved the best, the world, the universe, and the stars beyond them.” You explain, causing Yi Zhou to smile. “That’s a nice story. Where is she now?” Yi Zhuo asked. “I’ll get to that…We loved each other, but it felt like the universe was against us sometimes. First off, her parents were against us. The first time we went out on a date, I insisted on sending Nini home. She didn’t outright decline, but I could tell she was uncertain. Turns out, her parents were staunchly against their daughter dating, especially someone like me. That was a hard pill to swallow for me. We went about our relationship like it was a shameful secret, as if we were unworthy of loving each other just because of who we are. Nini was always trying to maintain the peace between us, but as her parents always said, paper cannot wrap a fire, and the truth eventually came out, that Nini’s “friend over for revision” was actually dating Nini. Her parents were livid, and Nini insisted she loved me, but filial piety was important to her, and she couldn’t turn her back on family no matter how much she loved me.” You explain, downtrodden.

“That’s awful…I’m sorry to hear that.” “We didn’t break up from that, thankfully. When the new term started, I was selected for an exchange program to intern at a company in Singapore, for 2 months. It was a complicated period for us, still cooling off from that fight. We agreed to take a break, and reassess our relationship. So we didn’t contact each other for 2 months. I wanted to, so many times, interning was a pain in the ass, but I couldn’t. I had to give her space, for her to choose if she wanted to reach out to me. So I waited beside the phone for her, for 2 months, and for 2 months, nothing. I thought it was over. It felt like all of it was over, but then, as I stepped out of the airport, there she was, bouquet in hand, as beautiful as the day I met her, rushing at me to throw me into an embrace I’d characterise more like a bear hug. What about your parents? I asked her, and her smile shrunk, before putting a finger on my lips. That doesn’t matter, she said, but do me a favour, kiss me and make the bad thoughts go away.” You recall, a light blush on your face. “That’s sweet. How is she now?” Yi Zhuo asked. “I’m sure she’s doing fine.” You reply with a smile. “You’re not with her anymore?” Yi Zhuo’s eyebrows furrowed, having hoped for a happy ending. “Well, the universe has its ways. After graduation, we both got different jobs. I became a police officer, protecting and serving, while she became a social worker, helping those more unfortunate. Our jobs were fulfilling, sure, Nini and I both loved our jobs, but the job got overwhelming…Especially in my second year of the job, I got training to go Undercover. It was good, and it was exciting, but it only served to drive a wedge between Nini and I. We couldn’t live where I worked for fear that we met any of my shadier contacts. But that was where Nini worked, that’s where the kids and elderly she worked with were. She couldn’t leave. She asked me what was more important, my work, or her. I should have told her the truth. I should have told her that nothing was more important than her. But instead I argued. We fought over it, I wanted to help people, and you enjoyed using undercover work to bust criminals, but Nini hated it. She insisted that there were other ways to help people. Being a cop was dangerous enough already, she said,  but to effectively give yourself to the criminals, for your life to be snuffed out if you make a single wrong move, she couldn’t accept that, she’d insist. Then on and on our fights went. Then one day…a more unsavoury contact of mine saw me at the barber, and attacked us. I took him down, we both were unscathed, but that was it for Nini. She gave me an ultimatum. Her, or the job. And when I hesitated, she knew what she needed to know. She… She was gone the next day. I wanted to find her, hold her and apologise to her, but one of the gangs waged a war on us, so we had to respond. I was sent undercover, deep undercover this time. New identity, new person. Did some things I'm not proud of, but it worked, and I infiltrated their militia. That’s when I found out about it. Nini…she…umm, got in a car accident.” You choke on your words, looking down, trying your best to will your tears in.

“She lived, but she got hit on the head pretty hard. She lost her memories. When I heard that, I wanted to go back, find her, take care of her again, but my handler insisted against it. It would have not only hurt our case, but it’ll put both Nini and I in danger. Gangs don’t take kindly to rats, traitors or cops. Now try all 3 in one. By the time I finished the job, took the gang down, it was far too late. I found the hospital she was at, showed up with a bouquet of flowers, the same way she did at the airport, and also held a resignation letter from the force. I wasn’t sure if she had regained her memory yet, but I would have stayed until she did, then I would have shown her the letter, tell her that nothing was more important to me than she was. She was my sun, my moon and stars. When I walked out, I saw her with someone else. A nurse who worked at the hospital she was treated at. Nini looked so foreign yet familiar to me at that moment. She held the nurse, and looked at her the same way she once looked at me, love, adoration, and everything in between. I hadn’t seen her have that look in a long time. I hadn’t been worthy of her love. And after taking so long to find and go back to her, maybe I would never be worthy of her love. So I walked away, and let her go about her life. A new one, a happier one. One without me.” You explained, looking at Yi Zhuo with tears in your eyes. “That’s…I’m so sorry you had to go through all that.” Yi Zhuo said, patting you on the back. All of a sudden, your phone lit up, the sudden brightness attracting Yi Zhuo’s eye. The girl on your wallpaper looked very similar to her. Almost identical. “Sorry, I need to take this.” You say, standing up and walking a little to the side. “I’m here, are you done?” The voice rang through. “I am, and thank you for this. You don’t know how much this means to me.” You reply “Of course, you deserve as much.”

“Was that Nini on your wallpaper?” Yi Zhuo asked as you sat back down. For a moment, you felt panic rising in your chest, before stomping it down, regaining your composure. “Yep. She looks very similar to you, doesn’t she? I guess that’s why I wanted to talk to you about this.” You explain, causing Yi Zhuo to nod “I understand, it’s like I’m giving you another chance to talk to Nini again.” She says, causing you to shoot her a small smile. “Yes, something like that. If you’ll excuse me, I must get going now. I have some matters to attend to.” You say, standing and straightening your shirt “Wait, Y/N. I know it might be a little weird considering I look like her, but would you like to hang out. As friends of course, I’ll even introduce you to my girlfriend, I’m sure she’d love to have a new friend to make into a third wheel.” Yi Zhuo jokes, causing you to slightly chuckle. “Perhaps. I’ll be seeing you around, Yi Zhuo.” You smile, but turning away from her as soon as you could, trying to hide your tears. As you walked away slowly, you felt a strong urge to turn around. Say what you wanted to say. You hadn’t seen her in so long after all. And you missed her more than life itself. Who could live without their sun, moon, and stars. You missed her more than life itself, but this felt like a betrayal. You had made a choice, and she had allowed you to see her, but to go behind her back and possibly ruin everything? You clenched your fist tightly, unable to make a decision. You take one final deep breath. This was it

“I’m really glad you’re doing well Nini.”

[apomaro-mellow]

Whatever Stevie Wants 5

Part 4

Eddie sat on the floor, Vanessa before him as he changed her diaper, giggling at the man’s dramatics.

“Who’s the stinky one? It’s you! You’re so stinky!” He made a show of sniffing her wrapped up diaper and falling over to the stench, making her giggle louder.

Violet was crawling around, grabbing things that interested her before tossing them away, sometimes just barely missing her sister. Steve watched them, heart so full it was hard to imagine a parent seeing their pups any other way. How could anyone look at their own children and not see a precious gift?

Just as he was sighing, his phone rang and a chill ran down his spine, seeing that it was his mother. Steve walked off, ignoring as Eddie called out to him as he went into another room to answer.

“What do you want?”

“Hello to you too, son.”

Steve sighed, exhausted already. “You’re calling because you want something. Just tell me.”

“All I want is to tell you we’ll be in town soon. So are you going to house us in that musician’s house or do your father and I have to make other arrangements?”

“Oh I don’t know mother, I’ll have to ask my alpha permission. And I’ll have to warn you, he’ll probably say no. So let me just say no for him. No.”

“Oh don’t be childish. We’ll be flying in next week. Kisses.”

And then she hung up on him.

He wasn’t sure if he should talk about it at all, but there was no use hiding it. The moment he stepped out and crossed paths with Grant, he could smell the distress on him.

“What happened?”, he asked, making Eddie look up from his playtime with the twins.

“Did something happen?”

Steve sat down in the nest, smiling as Vanessa crawled toward him. “My mom called. She and my dad will be coming for a visit.”

He told them the whole conversation, repeating the news when Jeff and Gareth came down. He knew he was right to be cautious when the others shared his apprehension. He had talked at length about his life under his parents’ thumb. Steve had reached out several times before, during, and after his pregnancy and they had nary a word to say to him.

This sudden visit was suspicious, at least to them.

“Maybe they just finally got the stick outta their ass and wanna see their only grandkids”, Wayne suggested.

Violet had been using her dad as a jungle gym and her eyes got wide as she watched her grand-uncle.

“They’re gonna have their first word any week now and I need it to not be ass”, Steve said, only for Vanessa’s head to turn toward him.

“It’s like they know which ones are the bad words”, Jeff snickered.

-------------------

Eddie went with Steve to meet his folks at some bistro. It was upscale for sure. But the kind of upscale Steve had grown up in. 

“It’s nice to finally meet the alpha that snatched up my boy”, Layton said, clapping Eddie on the back while shaking his hand. It was the kind of nicety that hid a blow in plain sight. His father smiled while outright stating his contention with Eddie.

“Where are the girls? Are they with you?”, Margaret asked, looking around as if she missed them.

“They’re at home”, Steve said as they took their seats.

Eddie had actually buttoned up for this. It was a deep red, but the long sleeves hid his tats. They had to search deep in the closet for that one. 

“And this one, Eddie is the sire of your-”

“Just one of them”, Steve said. “Jeff is the sire of the other.”

Layton’s brow pinched in confusion and Eddie was a little mad at how similar he looked to Steve.

“I thought you had twins.”

“I do”, Steve confirmed, taking out his phone to find pictures. “It was one of those miracles.” He found one that showed Eddie holding Violet and Jeff holding Vanessa.

Margaret’s eyes got a little wide while her husband’s squinted. “Oh”, she said at first. “Well my my the world is, well it’s just full of little miracles isn’t it?”

“They’ll be a whole year old in a few months”, Steve said.

“And you’ve been doing the whole, rockstar thing still?”, Layton asked Eddie.

“Livin’ the dream”, Eddie shrugged. “I got the best job and the best partner in crime.” He kissed Steve’s cheek.

“Oh that’s sweet”, Margaret said. “Steve, have you heard from Nick Odell lately? He’s doing quite well for himself.”

“From Nicky? I haven’t talked to him since high school”, Steve said. 

“He took over his father’s business a year ago. And he has a house up in New York.”

“Good for him”, Steve nodded, knowing what she was doing.

Their brunch was fine, if a bit tedious. Whenever Steve showed no interest in any of the people his mother brought up, she just mentioned another. Even going so far as to give him the name of an alpha who was already married. But according to his mother it was a well known secret that his wife’s family was infertile, so it was sure to end soon.

Despite all that, they didn’t seem invested in actively making Steve end things with his pack. And how could he? A mating bite could be undone with an intense procedure, sure. But he had pups in the world now. 

So they agreed that they could meet the twins and did so at a public park. This time, Jeff joined them. He and Steve specifically talked and had a conversation about things his rich, conservative, traditionalist parents might say.

“It’s safe to say none of the alphas they ever tried to set me up with ever strayed far from a certain color palette”, Steve said as his mother and father walked up to the picnic table the five of them were sitting at.

“They’re just darling!”, Margaret exclaimed, reaching right for Violet, who was still in her carrier. “You must be Violet.”

“And this little filly must be Vanessa”, Layton said as he sat down across from them. 

Vanessa sat in Jeff’s lap, turning the pages of a children’s book took quick to actually be looking at anything on said pages. But simply doing the motions seemed to entertain her.

“Oh, she’s a little darker than the picture you showed us”, Margaret blurted out. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”

“Nothing wrong at all”, Layton agreed.

“It’s just that one can’t help but wonder what she’ll look like in a few months, or years even.”

Steve patted Jeff’s leg while Eddie looked like he wanted to snatch his pup from this woman’s arms.

“Yeah well, Jeff and I have been looking at our own baby photos to try and predict too, but it’s like she’s her own original person”, Steve’s smile was tight.

“But this little ball of sunshine is like a carbon copy of the Munson blueprint”, Eddie beamed at Violet and she returned it with a gummy smile of her own. “Her battery doesn’t quit and she uses that energy to be a little terror. She’s a devil of destruction, yes she is~”

Violet giggled even more as her dad tickled her and the conversation continued just a bit more easily after that. It was still a little stilted, but his parents didn’t say anything outright offensive. Steve didn’t know if he should feel upset that they gave more attention to Violet than Vanessa. It was almost like they weren’t quite sure how to feel about her or Jeff.

And Steve didn’t know how to feel about that. It was weird, this whole thing was weird. It would have been easy if they begged for forgiveness and resolved to be better parents and loving grandparents from now on. It also would have been easy if they just straight up insulted his family, throwing out slurs and classist ideologies so there could be a huge blow up that signified the complete end of their relationship.

But neither of those happened. They weren’t the best and they weren’t the worst. Steve said as much on the drive home, the girls fast asleep in their carriers.

“I mean, I’ve seen worse”, Jeff noted. “One time I dated this chick and her dad kept bringing up how dark our babies would be. Even went as far as to ask me to do one of those ancestry things.”

“Christ on a cracker”, Eddie said from the driver’s seat. “So we’re really doing this? We’re gonna let them be a part of it?”

Steve sighed and looked at his two girls. He wanted them to grow up surrounded by love, in all shapes and forms. “I heard people who were terrible parents sometimes turn out to be really doting grandparents.”

He didn’t want to look back and regret not giving his parents the chance if they were actually willing to put forth the effort. And all they were really asking for were grandparent privileges, visits, fun trips, that sort of thing.

“Alright, but if they kidnap you and try to brainwash you back into their WASPy life, you owe me ten bucks”, Jeff said.

Part 6

I'm kinda torn bc I have two plots in mind w/the Harringtons one is more down to earth, as I feel like most of this fic series has been while the other is the kind of melodrama that likes of which one would find in the tenth season of a soap opera. I guess read on to find out which I pick.

[only10th]

Todays thoughts!

Wangxian meeting at the mall, single mom wwx shopping for some clothes with his little radish.

Wei Ying had gone to the mall cause he needed to buy a nice outfit for a date he did not want to go to, but of course his shijie was the one to set it up for him. Something about being time for him to put himself out there, find someone to take care of him as much as he takes care of his son. He, of course, insisted that he was fine fairing on his own. If anything, the reason why Wei Ying didn't want to date at all is more of finding someone that would put the same love and dedication to A-Yuan as he does.

And he knows, from experience, that's hard if not impossible to find.

So cut to a very stressed and distracted Wei Ying looking through clothes while his son played hide and seek in the racks of clothes. He'd been making sure to see A-Yuan popping his head out through the clothesline with a bright smile that matches his own, every so often calling out to him if he noticed he was taking too long to pop out. At least one of them was having fun. This was the third clothing store he visited, and the frustration of not finding anything remotely nice, or something that matched his style, was taking its toll. At the end, he sighs with exasperation. He'll just have to call his sister and tell her that he's sick, or something.

"A-Yuan, come out. We're leaving." There's no response, "A-Yuan, did you hear me?"

His brows dip with concern, it did get too quiet at some point. The giggling and the scraping of the hangers had come to a stop without him noticing. "Mister, if you're playing a joke on your poor A-Niang we won't get ice cream." He mumbles as he looks through the rack, moving the clothes around in mild panic. A-Yuan is nowhere to be found.

Wei Ying is practically panicking at this point, frantically searching for his son, practically yelling his name. He's on the verge of tears as he passes the rows and rows of racks and fixtures. All logic and reason are thrown out the window. There's no way.. there's no way he lost A-Yuan. He's always paid attention, always told him to stay by his side no matter what. What the hell is he going to do? The worst scenarios start crossing through his mind, but he keeps searching. A-Yuan knows to stay put if he ever gets separated from Wei Ying, he knows to not talk to strangers but he's only a toddler. Anything can happen.

“A-Yuan! Where are you?!” Wei Ying calls as he jogs through the store.

~~~~

Cut to A-Yuan staring wide eye at a tall guy with honey eyes. They're both having a staring contest at this point. That’s not his A-Nian, A-Yuan thinks to himself.

"Hello?" Lan Zhan says with caution. When did this child get here?

The child pursed his lips, slowly retreating into the rack with blue sweaters he was browsing through. "I-I’m not supposed to talk to strangers."

Lan Zhan blinks, staying quiet before nodding in approval. The toddler's parents are smart. He should probably alert security, he looks around in search of security or a staff member. As soon as he spots someone, he starts to walk away to try and get their attention but a small hand takes a tight grip on his light cream trousers.

"W-Wait! Mister— My a-niang told me to stay put if I ever get separated... A-niang will find me soon. Please, don't go."

Scared pleading eyes stare at him, the man seems to think through it for a moment. The smart thing to do would be to report the missing child. But at the same time, he's not sure how he would handle the situation if the toddler were to start crying.

"Alright.” He agrees with a nod. Though, the toddler doesn't let go of his trousers for a moment. At least he looks somewhat more calm. "We'll wait for your mother together."

Not a moment later, Wei Ying runs past them, yelling A-Yuan's name. At first, Lan Zhan looks at him with confusion. The child didn't say anything about his dad looking for him, so instinctively he shields and conceals the toddler. You can never be too safe, he knows people can put any sort of act just to take a child away. However, the toddler scrambled past Lan Zhan's legs and shouts, “A-Niang!"

Wei Ying skids to a stop, whipping his head towards the sound of his son's voice. Relief floods through his body as he falls to his knees and hugs his toddler, so glad that he's safe and sound. At first he doesn't notice the man who had stayed with his son because he's too busy peppering kisses to A-Yuan's chubby cheeks and mumbling "Don't ever scare me like that again!" And “We've talked about this, don't leave my side."

While this exchange is happening, Lan Zhan Is just thinking. The man... that drop dead gorgeous man was the toddler's mother?

A-Yuan clings to Wei Ying's neck, rubbing his face on his cheek, “A-Yuan is sorry, A-niang. Please don't be mad."

The puppy eyes win Wei Ying over and he can't be mad anymore. Silver eyes quickly scan his child, making sure there’s no injuries. He hugs his little radish once more, only then is when he notices the man watching the whole scene, and he can tell he's kinda not knowing what to do with himself.

"Um... can I help you?" Wei Ying asks a little defensive while hugging his son closer.

Before the man can utter an answer, A-Yuan beams with excitement. “That gege helped A-Yuan wait for A-niang!"

“Oh. Is that so?" He says, silver eyes softening and shoulders letting the tension leave.

"Mn. My name is Lan Zhan." He introduced himself and woah, how could Wei Ying not notice how handsome this man was.

“Thank you, Lan Zhan, for keeping an eye on my son. I really don't know how to repay you…”

"A-niang, is this the gege you're meeting later?" The toddler looked at Lan Zhan with hopeful eyes. "Gege taking my a-niang to dinner?"

Wei Ying quickly gets all embarrassed, cheeks flushed red like the ribbon holding his long hair in a ponytail. “Aiya, aiya! Stop bothering the nice gege! I'm sure he has many things to do."

"But!” A-Yuan begins to protest with a pout.

"No buts." Wei Ying picks A-Yuan in his arms, letting some of his weight rest on his hip. Silver eyes meet honey ones. “Thank you, again. I-I gotta get going."

And Lan Zhan can only watch the pair walking away, saying something about "I told you to call me a-niang at home and baba out here." And "I'm never leaving you out of my sight again. You gave me a heart attack.”

He’s sure he hears the child, A-Yuan, mumble “But I like that gege…”

Lan Zhan turns around, shaking his head before continuing his shopping. His chest aches a bit cause he just met the most beautiful man he has ever laid eyes on... It's childish, but he can't help but quietly sulk because he was in fact thinking of asking him out but... it looks like someone had beaten him to it. Wait, he didn't even get his name. He sulks even more.

~~~~~

Back in Wei Ying's home, he was getting ready for his date. It shouldn't be too late to cancel, right?

“You look dashing!” His sister compliments with a soft clap. “Come now, don’t make that face.”

“Jie, I don’t know this man… What if he doesn’t like A-Yuan? What if he’s secretly an asshole?” Anxiety was clear in his voice, though it was quickly soothed when Jiang Yanli walked over and fixed the collar of his burgundy button up.

“You doubt your A-Jie will pick a good man for you?” She teases with a thin eyebrow raising in question.

“Not you… I don’t trust A-Sang.” He side-eyes his friend, who is sitting on the couch making faces to his baby nephew. “Are you sure it’s not too late to cancel?”

“A-Ying, you need this. I promise it’ll be good for you.” His sister reassures, gently patting his shoulders. She smiles softly at her younger brother. “I want you to be happy.”

“I am happy.” He reassures her

She chuckles, patting the top of his hand. “You know what I mean. YingYing, are you sure you don’t want me to watch over A-Yuan?”

“Nuh-huh, if I’m meeting this guy then he’s meeting a-yuan too. If he doesn’t love him then I won’t even give him a chance!”

“A-Ying.”

“I’ve made up my mind, Jie. Now, tell me A-Yuan doesn’t look like the most adorable gentleman you’ve ever seen.” Wei Ying coos as his son walks into the living room wearing a t-shirt with the print of a tuxedo. He picks him up and peppers his cheeks with many kisses.

Soon, they’re both arriving at the restaurant. At least the guy he’s meeting has good taste. Before they step in, Wei Ying sets down his son, going through the motions of fixing his clothes. “If you don’t like the guy, we’ll leave as soon as you want, okay? No one can pull my attention from my little radish.”

A-Yuan nods, and with that they both walked into the bustling restaurant. Wei Ying couldn’t help but to feel irritated at bit his sister and best friend. What the hell did Nei Huaisang mean that I’ll know when I see him? Would’ve been better if he just showed me a picture. He thinks to himself while rolling his eyes. Though, he couldn’t deny he was extremely nervous to meet this mystery guy that he had been set up with.

“A-Niang, look! It’s the nice gege from earlier!”

Wei Ying is quick to follow his son’s line of sight, and there he was. Lan Zhan sat at a tsks closer to the window, dressed up in a light blue suit with a light cream shirt. He knew Lan Zhan was handsome, but to see him in a suit? How the sleeves seemed hug his arms just tight enough to let you know the man works out. Before he knew it, Wei Ying was being tugged towards Lan Zhan’s table. “Hey, hey! Baobei let’s not bother the nice gege, he’s probably waiting for someone.” He tried to whisper, tugging his son the other way but they were already spotted.

“Gege! Hi gege!” A-Yuan chimes as Lan Zhan stands from his chair. Was he always this tall?

“Hi, Lan Zhan. What a coincidence! A-Are you here by yourself, or…”

He can see golden eyes scanning him up and down before landing back on his face. He can’t help but shift in place at the intensity of Lan Zhan’s gaze. “I am waiting for someone.” Lan Zhan responds quietly, gaze still on Wei Ying.

“Oh… Me too!” He’s quick to add before chuckling, “Well, you already knew that… A-Are you waiting for a date?”

Lan Zhan seems to consider his answer, and Wei Ying can’t help but to find it amusing at how deflated and defeated the other looks when he responds with a quiet “Yes.”

Wei Ying laughs once more, “Not really looking forward to it? I get it, my sister and best friend set me up for mine. I don’t even know who I’m supposed to meet! Can you believe they refused to give me his name? Or even show me a picture? They really took the definition of ‘blind date’ way too serious.”

Lan Zhan stares at him wide eye, and for a moment Wei Ying thinks he said something wrong. “No offense to whoever you’re meeting, of course! I bet they’re—“

“Wei Ying?” Lan Zhan takes a step closer towards him, but he doesn’t see himself taking a step back.

Brows furrow, “Yeah? Do… Do I have something on my face?”

“I’m meeting with Wei Ying… You are Wei Ying.”

The father can only look at the other in bewilderment, was… was Lan Zhan his blind date? No, this was to good to be true. A guy like Lan Zhan… he could have anyone, the man looked like a god! “Who set you up?” He decided to ask, if he’s says ut was Nei Huaisang then he really was having a date with Lan Zhan. There were no other Wei Ying’s around, not that he knows of.

Wei Ying can tell Lan Zhan is having the same train of thought. “My brother… He was convinced by a family friend that I should… attempt to meet new people.”

“Was it Nie Huaisang? Oh my god! That asshole set everything up!” Wei Ying exclaims once Lan Zhan confirms his suspicions, hands brushing the already messy bangs from his face, a loud laugh echoing through the restaurant. He winced, tho, when people enjoying their food shoot a glare at him. “I can’t believe this…Wait, if you knew my name, why didn’t you say anything earlier.”

Lan Zhan pressed his lips together before answering. “You did not give me your name.”

“Oh— I… Huh, I was really distracted. It would’ve made things easier for the both of us, huh?” Wei Ying smiles at him. “Well… mind if we join you, then? My treat, since you were my hero earlier and I must repay your kindness and patience!”

“Are we having dinner with the nice gege??” A-Yuan suddenly chimes, wide eyes darting between the two adults. Wei Ying smiles as he ruffles his hair.

“We sure are!”

“I knew it! The Nice gege is taking my a-niang for dinner!” The toddler soon clings to Lan Zhan’s leg, which caught him off guard.

“Aiya, A-Yuan! Where are your manners?” Wei Ying chides playfully, attempting to pull his son back to his side.

“I do not mind.” Lan Zhan responds with a smile ghosting over his lips.

The three of them sit at the table. Wei Ying talks away about anything and everything, and Lan Zhan pays full attention to every single word, attention unflinching. It especially melts his heart when Lan Zhan gives the same type of attention to A-Yuan, listening with much seriousness to all the stories he has to tell. He looks at both of them with so much fondness that he feels his heart bursting at the seams. Yeah… it was good he decided to not cancel the date.

[watermelongirl01]

Fresh Blood Part 2

Aaron Hotchner x fem!reader

Criminal Minds x Supernatural

Summary: Maybe your recovery was a bigger challenge for Hotch than it was for you.

Content Warning: Violence Explanation and a Worried Hotchner.

“Hotch.” A firm voice called from the door for the BAU leader.

Hotch turned his sight just to look at Rossi’s worried face. He got closer to embrace you into a strong hug, but quickly returned at the door waiting for Hotch. 

“Hey, how are you feeling?”

“Soon to be engaged.”

“What?” Rossi asked with confusion.

Hotch left the room at the right time, following Rossi’s steps down the hall.

“Do we have something new?”

“Her parents are on the way, they want to thank you.”

“For what?”

“You have to be kidding Hotch, you saved her daughter’s life, you realized first than anyone that she was missing.”

“And JJ”

“Yeah, but JJ didn’t shove transit rules down her ass just to get to her.” Rossi’s exasperation got the best of him earning Hotch’s severe look. “I can see you care.”

“She’s my agent, of course, I care.”

“Not like that, and I don’t mean to meddle in your business, but maybe after this, you should let yourself be happy, 'cause I can tell she cares too” Aaron furrowed his eyebrows.

“We’re not talking about that, Do we know something about her attacker?” Rossi sighed, feeling defeated.

“According to her father, Gordon is a hunter, great skills, but with questionable morals, and a few months ago he had an argument with a close friend leading him to prison, he thinks her daughter got caught in the middle of all.”

“I disagree, she said someone was in danger and she had to let them know.” 

“He was looking for something?”

“Possibly” Rossi nodded while reaching for his phone in his suit jacket pocket. “I’ll stay with her and try to get as much information as I can, you can leave with the team.”

“She’s giving you that much of a hard time?” 

“You are welcome to try and do it better.”

Both gentlemen walked straight into your room, finding you whispering into the phone.

“I’m fine, just a little dizzy, and at this point I don’t know if it is the concussion or the medicine cocktail.” You said ignoring the older man standing at your door. “No, Sammy, just promise me you’ll take precautions.” 

When you finally looked up at the questioning eyes staring, you let out a little yelp immediately hanging up the phone.

“Hi, Dave!” You eagerly greeted.

“Hey, feeling better?” You nodded. “I’m glad, you really scared us. We just wanted to know if you have something to tell us.”

“Yeah! Did you know that you cannot spell Hotchner without Hot?” You asked with a confident smile while moving your eyebrows up and down. “I personally think that maybe that's indicative of who’s the hottest on the team.” 

Rossi sent a questioning but funny look at you, but in your medicine-filled mind, you weren’t sure if you said something wrong or if he was offended by you not finding him the hottest. Hotch just didn’t know how to act, so he caught your attention by placing a hand on your shoulder.

“Don’t tell Morgan, he gets insufferable when you say he's not your type.” 

“She’s on strong meds.” Hotch assured while Rossi was trying to hide his big smile. “What David meant was, if you remember something of the man who hurt you.” 

“He said I was stubborn.” You shook your head in disapproval. “Rude, really rude.”

Maybe you deflected their questions many times or maybe your snarky comments had them tired, but Rossi left the room leaving you alone with Hotch, he didn’t pressure you into telling him the truth anymore, but after the medication started to leave your body, the reality punched you in the face, so it was inevitable to begin to cooperate with him.

“Thank you for saving my life.” You said.

“What did he want?”

“Information I couldn’t give him” 

“Would you tell me exactly what happened?”

An uncomfortable silence made a presence in the room, but you didn’t lose Hotch’s attention, not even for a second. You shifted on the bed trying to make yourself comfortable.

You shrugged your shoulders. “I don’t know, he managed to distract me, I should’ve known the open window was bait.” You hid your face in your own hands for a moment but immediately composed yourself. “I fell right into it and he disarmed me.” 

Hotch wanted to stop you, each word felt like being stabbed once again, but he needed to hear it so he could catch the guy. 

“I woke up tied to the chair, and now I’m here, I’m so sorry.”

“That’s not your fault, you did everything you could.”

“No, I didn’t, that’s why I’m apologizing.” You closed your eyes not wanting to see Hotch’s disappointed look. “I had the information I could’ve given to him, I chose not to.”

Hotch shifted, getting closer to you. “Why did you do that?”

“Because someone’s life was at risk.”

“So was yours.” You opened your eyes lightly looking at him with sorrow and he sighed with tiredness. “Does it have to do anything with the person you were on the phone with?” 

“Yeah, I had to warn them.”

“I get that” Hotch cleared his throat then placed one of his hands above yours. “I also want to apologize.”

“Wait, don’t do that thing.”

“That thing?” 

“Yes, the thing that you do when someone in the team gets hurt and you take the blame.” He looked the other way and let a little chuckle leave his lips. “He was determined to find me either way, tomorrow, after tomorrow, next week. He is to blame, not you.”

“You do know me that well, huh?” You flashed him a big smile.

“I mean, you saved me, I owe you a big one, paperwork is on me, next case.” He returned his gaze to you with a stern look. “Wait, I am going to get back, right?”

“Yeah, after two weeks on leave and one on desk duty.”

“Ha! So I’m getting paperwork either way, awesome.”

A comfortable silence flooded the room and at some point, Hotch’s and your eyes found each other. Hotch squeezed your hand.

“Would you promise me to take care of yourself more than you take care of others?”

“Right back at you, Hotch.”

“We can discuss it over dinner, I do owe you one.”

You shook your head. “I know what you’re doing there, you don’t owe me anything, you saved my life, Aaron.” 

“You’re so smart, huh?”

“Hey, I almost saw Coco people, and the nurse just refilled my medication cocktail, but I can detect self-inflicted guilt when I see it.”

“Would you say yes to dinner and listen to me for once?”

“No.” You made a sudden gesture with your hands, referencing your mind blowing.  “I know, shocking, but if I say yes, you’re going to believe I blame you, and I don’t.” 

He sent a little smile to you and leaned closer to kiss your forehead. “I’m going to catch him.” 

“I know.”

~~~

On your two weeks leave, you almost went crazy, you didn’t know if it was your parents treating you like a child, the Winchesters calling every five minutes to apologize or the members of your team taking turns to check your apartment every night.

“So, let me get this right, He was so sure Sammy was going to become a monster but he became one in the process.”

“And the one he hated the most, a vampire.” Dean’s voice said in the other line.

“That´s what I call divine justice.” You said while shifting to get comfortable on your bed, Not that you ever left it, but trying different positions on the mattress was your only way to have fun recently. “Now we know who is not going to hunter’s heaven.”

“What’s with you and heaven and angels lately? We are not going anyway.”

“We? Speak for yourself, Dean.”

“I don't think they will let in somebody who shot me on the feet when I was ten.”

“It was a mistake and I was six! It was my first time with a gun.”

“Well, now we know how good you are with guns, maybe you need another masterclass from me.”

“Hey, I had no chance with Buffy the Vampire Slayer right there, I was asleep. You know I need at least one hour to process I'm awake.” Dean’s laughter echoed in your cell phone's speakerphone

“Yeah, about that. Sammy and I were talking and although we hope this never happens again, we want to ask you to never place our whereabouts over your own life.”

“You know that´s not happening De, I'm never going to betray you like that guys.”

“Can we at least come up with a believable lie, so you don't taunt a guy with a knife in his hand again?”

“That sounds reasonable.” You agreed, and after some noises on Dean’s behalf, you found out that Sam was also in the room. “Is that Sammy? Put him in the phone!.”

“Hmm, about that.” You tilted your head on your pillow waiting for Dean’s answer. “He thinks everything is his fault and doesn't want to talk,”

“You Winchesters are something else, I swear to God, put him in the phone, I don’t care that he doesn't want to talk because he knows I’ll tell him otherwise but he’s too busy punishing himself.” You hear some noise in the other line.

“Hi.” Sam’s shy voice came to your ears. “I'm really sorry.”

“What’s with all the men in my life blaming themselves for all my mistakes, I must be irresistible.” Sam chuckled a little. “It´s not your fault Sammy.”

“He hurt you because of me.”

“He hurt me because he was a horrible man, and now he’s never going to hurt me thanks to you.”

Now you need to deal with the “Disappearing” of your aggressor, the last time he left a trace was at your building when the security camera from your lobby caught him leaving. You knew the truth, but saying “No need to search for my aggressor, he turned into a vampire and then got the headless horseman treatment by the Winchester’s hand.”  Wasn’t a normal thing to say, so you went along with the lies to your team and just let Hotch know there wasn’t a need for looking for him anymore.

~~~

You arrived at the building first hour on Monday morning, using crutches wasn’t your fashion choice, but it was mandatory for at least one more week by your Doctor. You limped your way to your office meeting with an excited Emily, a ready to hug you JJ, and a happy Penelope holding a cake, right in front of your door.

“Finally! My days of sneaking around to steal your snacks are over, welcome back!” JJ embraced you in a tight hug followed by a breathtaking hug from Emily. 

“Hotch forbid us from your office.” Penelope shrugged her shoulders.

“He did?” The three girls nodded at the same time.

“We missed you a lot around here.” Emily said after letting you go. “Hotch was in such a horrible mood.” You rolled your eyes.

“Aww, missed you just as much, girls.” You said with a big smile on your face, but quickly eying them with suspicion. “Are my snack drawers empty?” 

—-

After a warm welcome back from the team, and a quick trip to a different floor just to get the result of your psychological evaluation, at the end of your day, you found a man sitting on your chair waiting for you.

“Hotch?”

“Hey, I was waiting for you.”

“How did you know I was still in the building?”

“Well, one, I’m aware of everything that happens with my agents, and two, there was no way you would leave early.”

“You make me sound like a workaholic, and that’s you.” You accused while pointing your finger at him.

“Dear, you know the name of every security guard at every single shift change.” You’re not going to lie, the pet name made your heart beat faster.

“Oh oh, am I in trouble boss?”

“Not at all, I just thought that everyone welcomed you back with gifts but me, so I improvised my own way.”

“Oh my God, am I dreaming? please just pinch me to know.”

Hotch rolled his eyes blurting a chuckle while he placed a bag of food from your favorite restaurant on your desk. You were sure your favorite restaurant was your best-kept secret, and you were absolutely surprised when he placed your favorite dish in front of you.

“How did you know?” 

“I have my ways.” He said placing the food containers around.

“Penelope? That’s cheating.”

“Nope.” Hotch looked at you while offering you the seat. “We are going to be here for a while, you know all that paperwork, we might as well do it with a full stomach.” He simply said wearing a big smile from you.

You smiled at him. “Yes, Sir.”

What you didn’t know was that you calling him that way, also shifted something for Hotch even though he refused to admit it.

[nostxlgicrose]

☆ Star-Shaped Seelie ☆

Genshin Impact Ensemble x Child!Seelie!Reader

Synopsis: Who knew a wardrobe could hide such a big secret? You know, like completely altering your physical form and shoving you into a completely foreign world with no instructions! What could go wrong?

Note: Playing around with concepts and stuff. Crossposted on AO3 and maybe Wattpad later…first post on here too (idk what I’m doing on this app!)

Warnings: mild emotional neglect, affection-deprived reader, child reader, seelie reader, PLATONIC relationships, hilichurls, possible ooc (in the near future 😭)

Chapter 1: Coming Out Of The Closet

"Ma, ma! Look, I drew you something!—"

"Not now, [y/n]. I'm busy."

You puffed out your cheeks into a pout, sighing as you lowered your hands. You worked on this drawing for hours! Well, maybe it wasn't that long...but still!

You had even taken the time to colour it in with your crayons! And it was the one with sixty-four in one pack! Oh, well..it wasn't like it was the first time you had gotten brushed off.

It was disheartening, but you shook your head to snap yourself out of your daze. Right, you couldn't be sad! It wasn't like your parents were just ignoring you. They said it was work! And work, apparently, was really important. Even more important than you?

...No, no, they said they were working for you. That couldn't be right. It was in your benefit. How could you think any different? Surely, your Ma and Pa would call you ungrateful if you were to voice out your thoughts. You definitely didn't want that. Maybe you were just too young to understand.

Still, it didn't make it hurt less when you wanted to do things with them, but they'd be glued to their cell phones or computers. Though they'd tell you they'd listen to you later, they'd just end up collapsing on their bed the moment they finish. Or they'd be busy arguing, like always.

You'd wonder why they just couldn't just hug and make up! You've seen it in your shows multiple times, so why couldn't that happen?

When would you get your magical superhero to swoop down and solve the ongoing conflict? Maybe the hero was busy helping other children. But how long would you have to wait until it was your turn?

You were patient, and a good kid—promise!

Regardless, the lack of attention you received was incredibly disappointing, but, what could you do about it? You could only hope that your parents would one day hold true to their promises and spend some time with you.

"...Okay, can I show you my drawings after though?"

"Yep, yep." She didn't pull her eyes away from the screen as she waved you off out of her room. You knew very well it was all a lie, though. "Now go bother your father for now, okay?"

You brightened. Of course, there was your dad! Surely they weren't working at the same time! You rushed down the hall towards your father's study, the paper clutched tightly in your hands. Unable to contain your excitement, you practically slammed his door open.

Maybe you shouldn't have done that, watching nervously as he lurched up from his desk. It seemed that he was napping before you came in, at least, before you rushed in. Your shoulders were now tensed, as if bracing for the worst. "...Hi dad."

His eyes focus on you, and for a second, a flash of anger is clearly shown by the way his eyes narrowed. But it soon faded...slightly, maybe, as he fixed his hair and turned away from you. "What have I told you about running in the halls? And you slammed the door so hard the neighbours could probably hear you."

"Sorry..." Your shoulders sagged as you sulked, looking ashamed. But your father did not look, nor did he acknowledge your intention for being there. Instead, he waved his hand in a similar motion like your mother had done so minutes ago.

"It's already been done. I'm not angry, just a little disappointed, [y/n]." He sighed, and you could hear the faint scribbling coming from where he sat. "Run along now. Your aunt and cousins should be here any moment now."

You nodded, slowly closing the door and walking down the stairs. You felt a bit disheartened at your mother's indifference and your father's seemingly endless criticism, but you would slap your face to get yourself out of it. "It's okay...Ma and Pa are just working. Ma has an important meeting later, and Pa is just making sure I'm not being a bad kid. I just need...to be better."

That's what you convinced yourself it was, anyways, as you made your way to the living room and plopped yourself down onto the floor. Your crayons were spread out on the floor, ready for you to continue drawing. And so you did—you had a brand new sheet of paper, and you spent the next few minutes drawing as you waited for your beloved aunt to drop by.

Soon enough, the doorbell rang. You sprang to your feet, leaving your materials on the floor as you practically flew to the front door. You'd open it with clear excitement, already recognizing the certain knock pattern that hit onto your door.

"Milo!" You practically launched yourself at the boy, tackling him into a hug. You could hear giggles and laughter from the other kids, as well as one that sounded much older than the rest—you supposed that was your aunt.

The woman was rather tall, and she bore a great resemblance to your father. But instead of the usual frown he seemed to have, she had a warm, happy smile that you'd always see when she visited. "[y/n]! It's so good to see you! It's been a long time."

You released your cousin with a nod, placing your hands on your waist. "Yes! I missed you, Aunt Cass! And Milo! And Lily, of course!" You listed off, making sure not to forget any of your dearest relatives.

"I'm sure you did," Your aunt would chuckle, patting your head as she slipped her boots off by the rug. "Where's your father?"

Your demeanor faltered for a brief moment, reminded of the unpleasant exchange you had because of your excitement. "Working! Like usual! But it's okay, we just gotta be quiet."

Despite your attempts to hide your sullen expression, Cass could see right through you. Even if you hadn't said anything, she was well-aware of her brother's tendencies to work himself to death and (hopefully unintentionally) neglecting you in the process. Well, both him and his wife had this problem, because she had been more of a mother to you than your actual parents...which said a lot. What would've happened if she wasn't there? She didn't even wanna imagine it.

"Alright. I'm just going to talk to him, so you three play here and remember, if someone knocks at the door—"

"Don't open it and call you down instead," Milo sighed, clearly tired of the constant reminders. It was common sense, after all. His response earned him a ruffle through his dark hair, messing it up completely. He only swatted his mother's hand away with a whine, trying to fix it back to how it was before.

"Yep! And if someone breaks in, run to the kitchen, because that's where all the weapons are!" Lily piped up, while you only held your thumbs up in reply to it all.

"...What they said."

Your aunt would smile, laughing a little as she clasped her hands together. "Good! Now, I'll be right back!" She'd say, before retreating upstairs towards your father's study. Now you three were alone in the living room...

So, naturally, you decided to play hide-and-seek! Your house wasn't the biggest, but it had a lot of good hiding spots. Luckily for you, this round had you as a hider. Both you and Lily were hiders, while Milo would be the seeker. You were pretty good at seeking, yes, but hiding was much more fun.

"Remember, no peeking!" You reminded the boy as you and Lily glanced at each other with a grin. You were going to make this incredibly difficult for the boy, that's for sure.

"Yeah, yeah, just go!" Milo huffed, turning to face the wall with his hands over his eyes. The starting point was the bathroom on the first floor—and the moment he started to count, you two were gone.

The two of you were together, until Lily separated from you to hide somewhere in the kitchen. You, on the other hand, decided to go upstairs. If you were going to hide with Lily, you'd both be out at the same time; you had to think strategically about this.

You were about to run into your room when you caught sight of a certain door. It was the one that would lead you to the attic. Your eyes went from the door to the bathroom—then back to the ominous darkness leading upstairs. Well, you guys laid out general rules...like how outside was off-limits for obvious reasons, but they never mentioned the attic.

A small grin made its way on your face as you stifled your giggles, running up the stairs quietly. After all, you weren't sure how much longer you had left until the seeker emerged. You made it to the top, huffing as you looked around the area. It was mostly just boxes and old furniture, and your original plan was to hide behind or even inside one of the boxes.

Those plans would fade, though, as soon as you caught sight of something even better.

A closet! It was something that apparently belonged to a distant relative, but your parents didn't seem to care for it. The presence of dust was evidence of the neglect, if the fact that it was tucked into the attic wasn't enough proof by itself.

You wondered if you'd have a similar amount of dust on your surface if you were a closet, too. Your parents didn't seem to like entertaining your endless chatter, nor appreciate your wonderful masterpieces you drew with your almighty crayons! It's okay, though. They were the ones missing out.

Brushing away the thoughts, you leaped into the closet and coughed when you noticed the amount of dust that was inside as well. You expected it to be empty, but there were a few coats inside.

Well, you say jackets, but...they sort of looked like costumes. There were weird ones. Some were red and white with clover designs, while there was one that was white and black with gold plates on them. There were even more, but you couldn't even comprehend how some of them worked. It was really weird, but your confusion faded when you heard a familiar shout downstairs.

Right, you had a much more important objective right now! And if that was Lily's shrill scream that you had just heard, that means you were about to have two people looking for you. You had to act fast.

Throwing yourself into the closet, you closed the doors and adjusted yourself inside. When you backed further into the closet, you expected to feel the cool wood against your back. But you didn't—you ran into another set of strange clothes hung on a rack. That was strange—you swore you only saw one rack. Plus, this closet was pretty darn small! There was no way it could fit two long racks inside.

Or maybe it could. It just...kept going, like an endless hole. Although you originally thought you just got lucky with the density of the wardrobe, you began to wonder if there was even an end to the piece of furniture.

"Woah. Magical closet," You muttered as you ventured deeper into the closet, pushing aside the strange attire and taking a few steps in. Actually, were you even in the closet anymore? It felt more like a tunnel now. You paused when you noticed light peeking from the top, and you couldn't help but gasp in awe. "...Sparkly."

You pushed back the final set of clothes to the side, and—

"Woaw. It's grass!"

Now, if your cousins were hearing this right now, they most likely would've called you crazy. But you weren't wrong! Far from it. In fact, you were seeing a lot of grass right now. The moon was casting its soft light down on you from above. Strange...wasn't it? It was just the afternoon a few seconds ago. Was it night in the closet? Actually, were you even in the closet anymore?

You turned to look at where you came from, only to gasp. The closet was gone. Instead, there stood a stone archway...as if you had walked out of that instead.

"Am I dreaming?" You wondered aloud as you examined your surroundings. Suddenly, you felt a new weight on your shoulders. Or maybe you had just realized that your clothes were completely different now.

You were now wearing a golden-yellow poncho, with a golden fur-like scarf wrapped around your neck. Two yellow thin strands of strange material sprouted from the front of it too. You were also wearing some sort of yellow star pin that kept the poncho and scarf connected, and it was then you realized that it was glowing brightly.

Or maybe you were the one that was glowing.

"Gasp! I'm a big glowstick now!" You exclaimed, twirling around with a giggle. You watched as your clothes fluttered around with your movements, the ends glowing a faint yellow.

What a strangely intricate dream you were having. You never had this much of a vivid experience before, and it was exciting.

"Wait, if I'm dreaming, does that mean I could fly?" You asked no one in particular, looking down at yourself before beaming. Overcome with sudden determination, you crouched down to ready yourself. You then jumped into the air, trying to flap your imaginary wings. "Flyyy, me!"

...Nothing happened. You'd fall back on your bottom, and you groaned. "Ouch. Aw, man!" You huffed, standing up and dusting yourself off. "Hmm."

You looked around for something, eyeing the stone arch. Maybe you had to jump off something? No, but the arch was too high. Perhaps you should do something safer.

Your gaze fell onto the nearby ledge, and you'd inch towards it nervously. Looking down, you realized that it wasn't a big jump. You could probably land on your feet if you fell.

But suddenly, you were nervous. Heights were scary. What if you went splat?

"I can walk away and never learn how to jump," You mumbled to yourself. "Or I can be brave and do it! If this is a dream, I won't get hurt if I fall! Everything will be a-okay!"

(You seemed to have forgotten how you had just braced a painful fall seconds ago.)

"Ookay, here we go..." You sucked in a deep breath, squeezing your eyes shut. You just had to build up the courage. Remember, flying is easy in a dream! Then you could maybe fly into the night, and touch the stars! Submerging yourself in those thoughts, you opened your eyes and furrowed your eyebrows in concentration. "Wait, I should be cool about this. Hmm..."

You thought for a moment before a grin appeared on your face, and you cleared your throat. "Toooo Infinity, and Beyoonddd!!!"

You jumped.

Suddenly, you felt lighter. You were no longer falling, but instead, your feet seemed to hover above ground. Your eyes widened—you were really flying! It felt so real, too!

But for some reason, you felt smaller...

"Oh." It was then you realized your arms were really small. In fact—your arms didn't even look like your arms! They were small and yellow, and looked like jelly! You panicked, trying to get a good look at your new body, to no avail. What in the world was going on?

You looked around for a mirror. Were there mirrors in this place? No, but you caught sight of a nearby pond. You wasted no time and flew towards it, only to shriek when you saw the reflection.

You were...you were a small yellow blob! With bunny ears! And a four-pointed star for a face! You noticed you also had that same gold scarf around your neck, but that wasn't the most important aspect right now. You literally did not have a face!

"Oh no. I'm a tiny lemon jelly rabbit!" You cried out, only to hear incoherent babbles coming out of your—well, you didn't actually have a mouth...but still. "Oh no no, I'm a tiny lemon jelly rabbit that speaks gibberish!"

Your tiny arms clutched the small ears atop your head, trying to decipher what exactly you were made out of. You were terribly confused, but yet, excited at the same time. Did this mean you had magical powers now? You always wanted to have cool powers! Maybe you could fight bad guys, and—

A sudden force caused you to choke when you felt your little spirit body be snatched up by a pair of hands. Panic swelled in your tiny being, as you squirmed. 'Oh no. I'm dead, I'mdeadI'mdeadI'm—'

"Olah!" [Hi!] It was a scratchy voice—and it did not sound human, further solidifying your fears when you looked up to see your captor. It was a strange creature with a mask, and fluffy hair surrounding its head. For some reason you knew what it was...it was a hilichurl. "Kucha si." [Small thing.]

"I dunno what you're saying, Mister Goblin." You huffed as you relaxed in it's hold. You knew it was a hilichurl, but it looked like a goblin, so you decided to use that instead. It didn't seem like it was going to eat you like you thought it was, so you could maybe trust it. When you looked over the hilichurl's shoulder, you found that it was all alone.

"Yo movo, kucha tomo!" [You come, small friend!] It exclaimed, and you jumped when it began to run off. Oh well, guess it was taking you somewhere now. Was this considered kidnapping? Your parents made it seem like it'd be scary! This was really fun! You should get kidnapped more often.

Your new friend ran a good distance before making it to a rather strange building. It had engravings on it and glowed a faint red. You trembled a bit in fear—it looked scary. Were you supposed to go inside that?

Much to your relief, it turned away from the doors and instead, walked along the stone paths that were laid out nearby. It looked like he had a little camp set up near this big glowing building. And yet, this whole place seemed abandoned. You gazed up at the hilichurl sympathetically, patting its arm. "Your home is broken. It's okay though, I'll be your friend!"

You had said that because you assumed this poor thing was living alone. You were proven wrong, immediately, because you found more of these hilichurl creatures emerging from behind rocks and stones. They all looked...the same. The same mask, fur, and even clothes. If you were to examine them further, though, there were some characteristics that helped separate some of them...like how one had a clipped ear, or how one had three scratches etched into its mask. Some even wore different coloured bandanas on their body somewhere. But at first glance, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

Well, except for one, that was much bigger than the others. His mask was more defined, and had black fur. The axe that sat next to him was incredibly intimidating—you hoped you wouldn't anger it enough to become minced spirit goop. The hilichurl that held you was now offering you up to the big guy, and you could only shrink away as its gaze scrutinized your entire being. You kind of felt like Simba right now, except it wasn't on a cliff and to celebrate your birth. You felt like you were being judged...

"...Hi." You muttered, though your words came out as babbles and squeals instead. And yet, a small part of you hoped they'd somehow understand you.

The creature in front of you—a lawachurl, definitely (how did you even know these names?), suddenly reached out towards you. Was he gonna give you a hug?

You sparkled in excitement, your initial fear fading away. You loved hugs! And this big fluffy guy looked like a nice hugger.

"Mosi?" [To eat?] It rumbled, gaining a frantic shake of the head from the hilichurl that held you.

"Nye. Kucha...tomo!" [No. Small friend.] The hilichurl seemed to beam at their leader, presenting your little spirit body up to the lawachurl again.

"Yes. Tomo!" You had no clue what that meant, but just repeated the word you had managed to catch despite their clear inability to understand you. You wondered if tomo meant friend. Or best friend! You wouldn't mind having another best friend.

But the lawachurl understood the hilichurl, and you felt a small pat on the head from the big guy. It was a miracle you hadn't been squished to death.

"Dada!" [Very good!] The hilichurl cheered, as if it were happy your presence was accepted. You blinked curiously—huh, were you just adopted by Mister Goblin and his family?

It didn't show on your faceless body, but you could feel your subconscious smiling brightly.

Now that you thought about it...you were definitely winning that hide-and-seek match right now.

Note: i swear i hate trying to translate hilichurlian LIKE where is ella musk when you need her 😭😭

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