#knew her parents loved her! i don't know if she *ever* came to terms with how she was born and how they didn't need to choose her then to

[quietwingsinthesky]

Hiiiii! So, a few days ago you were talking about the whole thing with Amy, Rory, and River. And when I saw those posts a thought arose in my head and I wish to share it with you.

Since River grew up with Amy and Rory as Mels. And Mels was Amy's best friend do you think that they ever talked about children? Since I know that it can come up when talking with friends, and like... do you think that Amy might've ever expressed whether or not she wanted children?

And if she didn't, that Mels would've had to listen to her mother say that she doesn't want children? The idea is so heartbreaking and sooo interesting.

What do you think about it?

no, no, see, you're so right and this drives me wild.

because, the way i see it, i don't think amy wanted children. she's somewhere on the 'hasn't thought about it' to 'vaguely negative feelings about it happening' range to me, which falls sharply into 'Not Happening Ever Again' post-s6. (specifically, in terms of having a kid herself, even if she could, i really don't think she would. i do love that she and rory end up adopting a kid later, because that does make sense, for amy pond who grew up alone in one universe with her family swallowed by cracks in time before the doctor helped her set it right again, for her to want to make sure another child won't be alone in the world like she was. getting off-track here.)

and that's so. because the first real memory river/mels has of amy is of amy shooting at her. and depending on how well the silence fucked up the rest of her memory, it might be one of the very first memories she has at all. that's how she met her mother, crying for help and getting a bullet instead. her mother tried to kill her, so of course, you have to think. she must have needed to hear that she was wanted, right? even if she was taken away, even if amy shot her, at some point, melody must have been wanted?

river is good at getting people to do what she wants, but she is very, very bad at subtlety. and mels is younger, has less practice, so when she wants to know this, she's just going to ask. blunt and quick, easy enough because amy's used to the way mels will open her mouth and you just have to be ready to roll with what comes out if you want to keep up. it's why they're such good friends (like mother, like daughter.)

they're nine, and mels asks if amy wants kids, and amy wrinkles up her nose and says she won't have time for children, obviously, once her raggedy doctor finally comes back. they're fifteen, and amy and rory dance will they-won't they in a way that makes mels twitchy to watch, and taunting amy about wanting to have rory's babies is a good way to get on her nerves. but amy calls her gross, tells her she's got more life planned than children would leave room for, and besides, imagine her, a mom? it'd be a disaster.

mels does. a lot. she looks at her mother and just sees her best friend instead. she's not even sure what she wishes was there, but. maybe amy's right. and besides. imagine her, a daughter, instead of the ticking time bomb she really is? it'd be a disaster.

they're sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, and on. mels stands on the outside of a love story that births a universe. and her. how do you compete with that? not that she would know, not yet, she hasn't been there. but it doesn't make her feel any less alienated when amy and rory talk in whispers about a half-remembered world that's bled through to this life, about roman soldiers and boxes and the big bang of belief.

all these memories, they never mention children. on amy's wedding day, she's different, not like someone remembering a dream but someone who lived it. rory stands straighter, won't leave her side, and they're both so much older than they were yesterday. maybe now, right? a wedding's as good a time as any to decide you want kids.

mels not being at amy & rory's wedding is such an obvious lazy way of them trying to explain why they totally didn't just throw this plot twist together at the last minute that i'm not even going to acknowledge it. of course she was at their wedding. she's their best friend. there's too many people around the doctor, and she wasn't ready today of all days, so despite this horrible burning need under her skin to strike, she stays her hand. doesn't let him dance with her because she might just tear his throat out if he gets too close. stays with amy and rory as the maid of honor should. she must have been there for the awkward questions that always gets asked, 'so, any plans for a baby?' 'when am i getting grandkids?' 'oh, you two are going to have gorgeous children together.' standing a few feet from amy in her wedding dress and watching her mother tense and grit her teeth and brush off the questions. watching her look nervously at rory but never ask if he means it when his mom asks him if he'd prefer a son or a daughter, and rory answers 'either one, some day, not anytime soon.'

god i'm just going on and on, aren't i. but really, what's it like to know that amy never changed her mind. the next time she sees them, she's already been born and stolen. i don't like let's kill hitler for. so many reasons. but there is something compelling about how recklessly river lashes out at the world, at the doctor. even her sacrifice at the end is almost suicidal, throwing all her regenerations into this man without knowing if that will even work or if it might kill her to do it. but it makes more sense in the context of someone who has reached the end of a long, long wait for some kind of indication, any kind, that her mother wanted to have her. and finally been told, no. she didn't choose melody.

[gojos-thot-patrol]

Now Presenting...

Starring Frat Boy!Sukuna and Virgin!Reader

A modern day college AU in which the reader is a young adult just now starting to shrug off their sheltered youth. And Sukuna is more than excited and willing to help lift that burden off your shoulders. Warning: this fic contains smut, loss of virginity, drinking, enemies to lovers, fingering, cunnilingus, semi-public sex, use of pet names and unprotected sex. Reader discretion is Advised ;p

Honestly, you really could not believe you dated this dunce. You remembered the break up like a trauma. Staring at his popcorn ceiling as he told you he simply couldn’t get past the fact you didn't want to sleep with him. He didn’t want to be with a prude. At the time, it crushed you. But now, as you sat at your desk, pouring red ink over every love letter he ever sent you, you couldn’t help but feel thankful you didn’t lose your virginity to him.

“What are you doing?” Your roommate asked as she walked into your shared dorm.

“Grading my ex’s love letters.” You said without looking away from your task. The awkward beat of silence that followed proved that she was not expecting that answer.

“Why?” She asked. You simply shrugged. To grieve, you guessed? 

“I felt the overwhelming need to correct his grammar.” You could hear her ask why again before she asked it. “I plan on sending them back.”

“You really need to get laid.” Your roommate laughed.

“He hasn’t gotten higher than a d on any of these.” You muttered, “A d Mei.”

“You need some D” Mei chuckled, going and sitting on her bed. “I could get you laid ya know.”

“I don't want to get laid.” You reminded her. That wasn’t quite true. You did want to get laid, you just wanted to do it on your own terms and you didn’t think that was a lot to ask for!

“Well do you wanna come to a party with me tonight?” Mei asked with a smug smirk. “Alpha Beta Omega house is hosting a party tonight, you should come! ABO has all the hottest guys ya know.” You did know, and while the thought was rather enticing, you were never really big on partying. You came to college to get your degree for fucks sake!

“I don’t know Mei,” you sighed, “I hate parties…”

“Oh come on, it’ll be fun!” Mei tried to sell it. “Please! Don’t let me go alone, that would be a dick move, ya know?” She pouted, giving you the puppy dog eyes that roped you into every party you had been to since starting school. You sighed in irritation, knowing it was useless to keep fighting.

“I’ll think about it, okay?”

♥️♥️♥️

Ryomen had no fucking idea what he was thinking when he signed up for an 8 am class, but if he could kick his past self’s ass, he would. He didn’t think he had been on time for this class even once. He tried everything to wake himself up. Putting his phone on the other side of the room, sleeping with the curtains open, drinking vodka instead of whiskey, all of it was about as effective as putting dry socks on a drowning man. 

He walked into class already twenty minutes late. He felt all eyes fall on him, which was fair considering he had interrupted the lecture. He ignored it though, confidently and nonchalantly walking to the nearest empty chair. A chair that just so happened to be next to you. 

You felt your heart do level 11 gymnastics in your chest as the Ryomen Sukuna sat next to you. You hated how attracted you were to him. He was everything your parents had ever forbid you from going near. 6 '4 and nothing but a wall of muscle, you couldn’t help but feel like his face full of sharp tattoos just emphasized how soft his puppy-dog-eyes were. It made you want to run your fingers through his soft pink hair. 

Suddenly, your keyboard had become the most interesting thing in the world. Your eyes burned holes into your computer as you prayed that Ryomen wouldn’t look at you, or worse talk to you. You found him attractive, yea, but you also knew he was bad news. He was a member of the ABO fraternity and was known for being a womanizing piece of shit who often defaulted to calling you “woman” when he forgot your name. The man was a walking talking red flag factory and to desire him was to desire madness and hurt. You should want nothing to do with him.

And yet.

“Hey, do you have the notes?” Ryomen asked, looking at you from the corners of his eyes and ho-ly shit. Fuck whatever the fuck the professor was going on about, you now had his full attention. He fully turned to you, taking you all in. If Ryomen had to describe his dream woman, he would simply pull up a picture of you. A reluctant innocence clung to you, begging him to find the delinquent underneath it all. He didn’t know what he was thinking, signing up for an 8 am class, but he would kiss his past self if he could.

“Yea, for sure.” You muttered, biting your lip as you pulled up your email. He showed you his laptop so you could get his email straight from the source, and thanks to technology, he had the notes in seconds.

“Thanks, you’re a lifesaver.” He smiled, showing his unusually sharp canines. You thought that you were done with this interaction, thankfully, but then he kept going. “So, are you going to the ABO party tonight?”  He asked. 

“I don’t know,” You shrugged, “Parties aren’t really my thing.” Of course, you probably spent most of your life sheltered, too scared to disappoint your parents to ever rebel. Ryomen wanted your rebellion more than he wanted to pass his finals. 

“You should go,” Ryomen whispered, “I bet you’d be really popular.”

“Yea, and by that you mean men would be drooling over how bad they want to fuck me, right?” You scoffed, forgetting yourself. He did in fact mean that by the way, but this response from you is not what he expected. You kept him on his toes. You intrigued him. “Now, just why do you think I’d want that?” You asked.

“So you’re worried about creepy dudes?” Ryomen asked, raising an eyebrow. “Alright then, Come with me then. Be my date.” He smiled that fang filled smile that was quickly burning its way into your heart.

“No.” You said plainly.

“Oh come on,” he damn near begged, “You get to go and have fun without the fear of creeps, because I’ll be protecting you, and I get to show up with a beautiful woman on my arm, it’s a win-win!” You weren’t sure when it happened, but class had ended and others were leaving.

“And just how do you plan to protect me from creepy guys when you are the creepy guy?” You challenged.

“By out creeping them.” Okay, even you had to admit that was funny. Ryomens smile widened as he realized he had gotten you to laugh. He won. 

“Ryomen, let’s go!” Someone called for him. Ryomen looked to the door and found his friends standing there waiting for him, Geto looking particularly annoyed. “We’re going to be late for class.” Geto said, annoyance dripping from him. 

He quickly scribbled down his number into his notebook, ripping the page and putting it on your computer. “Just think about it and call me, yea? I’m excited to take you.” He winked as he rushed to join his friends. 

You stared at the number for a few seconds after he left. You felt like the number was taunting you, yes, but also enticing you. It showed you a night of fun, excited passion that you had never experienced before but so desperately missed. It showed you a taste of freedom and rebellion. Doing something bad, knowing it was bad, and doing it anyway because it was so intoxicating. It showed you everything you wanted and more. 

You threw it in the trash on your way out the door.

♥️♥️♥️

You sighed as you stared at yourself in the mirror. The white tennis skirt Mei Mei had picked out was far shorter than you wanted, and the pink sweater was far tighter. You tried to put on a pair of stockings to compensate for the shortness of the skirt, but, all they did was accentuate your legs. You couldn’t believe Mei had convinced you to go to this stupid party. 

I mean, you could. It wasn’t hard, she offered to do your calculus homework for a week, you would have killed your mother to get out of having to do calculus for a week. But when you agreed to let her pick out the outfit, you had never expected—or prepared—to wear something so….

Sexy. That's the word you had been looking for, you looked sexy. You had never really dressed up before, sweatpants and t-shirts were typically your uniform. You were surprised at the way your body worked for you when you let it.

“Are you ready yet?!” Mei asked 

“Yea, I’m coming.” You said, finally pulling yourself away from the mirror and joining Mei by the door. She gave you another once over, smiling in satisfaction as she did. The outfit she’d picked out had really come together. 

“You look good,” She nodded. 

“Thanks,” You shrugged, trying to hide your slight embarrassment. You weren’t used to compliments. Mei nodded one last time before ushering you out the door. 

“Hey, Mei?” You asked as the two of you started the walk to the ABO Frat house. 

“What’s up Y/n?” She asked.

“You’re not going to leave me alone, right? Like, we’re actually gonna hang out and protect each other tonight?” Mei gave you the warmest, most reassuring smile you had ever seen.

“Of course Y/n. I won’t leave your side for even a second.”

♥️♥️♥️

You regretted every decision you had ever made in your life that led to you coming to this party. The music was way too loud, the drinks were way too strong (thanks Nanami), and the people were way too obnoxious. Mei had abandoned you almost the moment the two of you had walked in the door, making you realize you really needed to get better friends. It wouldn’t have been that bad, except some asshole that smelled like corpse had decided, against your will, he was taking you home tonight.

He wouldn’t leave you alone. You’d tried everything, complete disinterest, telling him you had a boyfriend, hell even telling him you were gay! Nothing would deter him. You even tried to go to the bathroom to try and lose him and he just fucking waited for you outside the bathroom door. This Mahito motherfucker was really starting to freak you out.

“You’re really pretty, you know that?” The ragdoll yelled in your ear, sending a fog of rotten breath over your face. You didn’t hide the disgust you felt as you looked for an out— any—to get out of this situation. 

“What do you say you and I get outta here?” He asked. As he did, he put a singular hand on your waist. The moment he did, your head filled with sirens and screaming, every true crime podcast you had ever heard, willingly or not, replayed through your head and you were never more sure that this man had women tied up in his basement. Your adrenaline spiked as you looked for any way to get him to properly fuck off.

Ah-ha!

“Babe!” You yelled, all smiles and cheer as you ripped yourself away from Mahito and ran to Ryomen. Mahito followed, like the idiot he was, but this time you somehow knew you’d be fine. Ryomen looked confused at first, then noticed the corpse walking with you and it all clicked. He smiled back at you, more warmly than you ever expected, 

“Hey! Babygirl!” He called out, holding out his arm so you could bury yourself into his side. The girl he was talking to was very very confused, but decided to remove herself from the situation before she got caught up in any drama. Shout out to her.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you, where’ve you been?” He asked, leaning down and kissing your forehead to really sell it. You considered slapping him, but, figured that would break the illusion, so you settled for giggling instead. 

“I’ve been trying to get rid of this creep.” You said, your eyes darting from Mahito to Ryomen in a very Help Me way. Ryomen looked at Mahito and all of the warmth instantly left him. It sent chills up your spine to watch him go from joking smiles to cold stares. The light left his eyes as they narrowed and you were sure his features somehow got sharper. Or maybe that was the tattoos.

“Have you been fucking with my girl?” he asked. The emphasis he put on “mine” sent chills of a different kind through you. Oh, you liked that. You really liked that. You pressed your thighs together to try and take your mind off the feelings between them, and took a drink of your vodka redbull to try and cool down. It didn’t work. 

“Well, I- I mean, I-” 

“I-I-I.” Sukuna mocked, “You didn’t have any trouble talking to my girlfriend all night, why’re you having trouble now?” Danger radiated off of Sukuna like a match in a room full of methane, waiting to be lit. It was the kind of danger that drew you in, no matter how much you resisted. It felt inevitable. “Come on man, if you’re going to be a fucking creep you might as well say it with your chest.”

“I’m not a creep!” Mahito tried to argue.

“That's not what she said,” Ryomen said, holding you just a little bit tighter, sending sparks throughout your body again. “So what, you’re calling her a liar?”

“Well, no, I-”

“You say I alot.” Sukuna said, taking a sip of his drink to really show off his disinterest. “You know what I think?” He asked. “I think that you should get the fuck out and go the fuck home before I rip your larynx out of you via your asshole.” He threatened. It was such a ridiculous tough guy line that normally you would have laughed, but, somehow he sold it hook, line, and sinker. You could see that fact alone in the now bleached white face of Mahito. 

Sukuna looked into his cup, determining he was going to need a refill. “You have exactly 45 seconds to leave before I turn you into pie filling.” He said without looking at the smaller man. He finished his drink and looked back at him. “45, 44, 39-”

The count down did its job wonderfully. Mahitos ass was kicked into high gear. You could see in his eyes he was hearing the same sirens you were earlier as he ran to find the front door, desperate to get as far away from the monster that was holding you as soon as possible. You, on the other hand, were feeling the exact opposite effect. You wanted to be even closer to him than ever.

“So, why didn’t you call me?” Ryomen asked, looking down at you. Somehow, all the ice in his eyes had defrosted, leaving him with his warm puppy dog ones. You realized that you were in danger rather quickly and detangled yourself from his arm. 

“Oh, because I threw it away.” You smiled. The liquor you had been drinking was officially flowing through your veins, and quite frankly, you didn’t really care about decorum. Ryomen blinked at you, fully processing what you said.

“Why?” He asked. 

“Because, while you may not be a creep, Ryomen, you’re still a womanizing fuck boy that never had any real intention of starting a relationship with me. Am I right?” You asked, batting your pretty eyelashes at him. Ryomen couldn’t help but smirk. Damn, you really had him pegged, didn’t you? He was growing fonder and fonder of you by the minute. 

“You’re right.” He admitted, taking a step closer to you, “But, I gotta say, I respect you having the balls to say it to my face. Makes me think you might actually be worth getting to know.” Which was the closest Ryomen could ever get to saying ‘I find you at least intriguing and would actually be interested in a relationship.’ You just smirked at him and hummed. 

“But are you worth getting to know?” You asked. Before he could answer, Mei had suddenly returned from the astral plane, you fucking guessed. Of course she would be nowhere to be found when you needed her, but show up to ruin things right as they get interesting. 

“Y/n!” She laughed as she came downstairs, “We’re playing seven minutes in heaven upstairs, you gotta come play!” She said, giggling as she grabbed your arm.

“I can think of nothing more opposed to my soul.” You said plainly, taking your arm back. “Getting sweaty in a dark closet with a stranger? Sounds like hell.”

“Sounds pretty fun to me.” Ryomen said. It was a dangerous gamble, but if the cards were on his side he could just end up being the stranger getting sweaty with you in a dark closet. 

“You would, mega creep.” You scoffed, semi-jokingly.

“Come on Y/n, what's the worst that happens? You end up making awkward chit chat for seven minutes in a closet? Come on!” Mei groaned.

“If they make you uncomfortable, yell herpes and I’ll come kill them for you.” Sukuna offered. “Your safe word is herpes?” You questioned. 

“Can you think of anything that kills the mood faster than the thought of herpes?” Ryomen asked. Alright, fair enough Ryomen. 

“Come on Y/n, please come play? It’ll be fun!” Mei begged. You sighed, wondering when you planned to stop making bad decisions tonight.

“Okay, fine. I’ll play.” You groaned while both of your companions cheered. In a flurry, you were being whisked away up the stairs, both of them trying to get you in the game before you had a chance to back out. You were reminded once again that you hated college parties, walking into a smoke filled dorm room lit by led lights and adorned with a weed pride flag. 

“Love that you can tell what part of this room was decorated by Gojo and what was decorated by Geto.” Mei laughed as she led you to a group of young adults sitting in a circle. 

“Overhead lights are the devil!” Gojo yelled, throwing a chip into his mouth. A not at all shocking amount of people in the group of (Probably neurodiverse) stoners agreed with him in hums and cheers. You sat down next to him, Mei sitting on the other side of you and Ryomen  taking a free spot in the circle somewhere across from you. 

“Who’s in the closet now?” Sukuna asked. As if summoned by his question, Nanami and Shoko walked out of the closet, both of them on their phones. 

“Geto’s turn.” Shoko said. Mei scoffed at them both.

“Weren't you making drinks, Nanami?” Mei asked as Geto spun the bottle.

“I was..” Nanami assured her, “I got bored.” The bottle landed on Gojo, and everyone let out childish woos and whistles. Geto and Gojo both grinned like fools as they rushed to the closet, the two of them always excited to feel each other up. Honestly their participation in this game took you a bit by surprise. What if one member of the couple didn’t get the other?

“God they need to just get together already.” Ryomen muttered, rolling his eyes. What?! They weren't together?! Before you could express your shock, a very loud, very breathy moan left the closet door, filling you with second hand embarrassment for the two. The rest of the crowd ate that shit up though, shouting encouragement and wolf whistling. Even Ryomen was laughing with the crowd when he caught your eyes.

He raised an eyebrow at you. “What? Voyeurism not your thing?”

You looked at him in annoyance. “Why would it be anyone's thing?”

He shrugged in response. “Performance is performance. People will do anything for attention.”

You raised an eyebrow at him now. “Would you do anything for attention?”

He smirked at you. “I’d do anything for your attention.”

Your silent conversation was interrupted by another loud moan, this time courtesy of Geto, and the crowd went wild again, shouting vulgarities at them. You began to wonder if this was typical of them, or if they were— as Ryomen suggested— putting on a performance. You got your answer as the timer rang, marking their seven minutes as up. They exited the closet with a flourish, bowing for the crowd and showing off their messed up clothes and hair. Was this the appeal of seven minutes in heaven? You didn’t understand party games.

“Alright Ryo, your go.” Geto laughed, giving fistbumps and highfives while he sat down. Ryomen rolled his eyes. “Don’t call me that, Gene Simmons” He growled at him, before giving you one last look and spinning the bottle. You were mildly curious to see where the bottle would land, already feeling bad for whatever poor schmuck that got locked in a closet with him. 

And then the bottle landed on you. Cheers and hollars surrounded and pounded in your ears. Your body was in super-hyper-defense mode which…was really just an oncoming panic attack. Of all the people you imagined being shoved in a closet with, Ryomen Sukuna had never crossed your mind. You were going to be in a small, confined space with him, all alone, where you’re literally expected to at least make out. You were electrified back to life as a hand fell in front of your face.

You looked up and saw the hand was attached to the grinning face of Ryomen, fireworks exploding behind his eyes. “You coming baby girl?” He asked with a wink. You didn’t have to. You could have turned tail and run away, out of the party and back to your dorm. That was actually what you probably should do, it was the safe option! The one that would make your mother proud. 

You took his hand, sending the crowd into yet another tizzy. But this time, you heard none of it, your mind focused entirely on Ryomen. He squeezed your hand reassuringly as he led you to the closet and smiled almost comfortingly. You didn’t know his smile could be comforting, thanks to the fangs, but it was. All of it felt very…off, coming from Ryomen, probably the least comforting person at your school.

He pulled you into the closet, pulling you close to his chest as he pulled the door closed. A lot of pulling was going on. You braced yourself for war, for him to kiss you. You closed your eyes tight, feeling your entire body tense but…nothing came. He didn’t kiss you. In fact, he let go of you. You opened your eyes just to see him leaning against the wall of the closet, staring at you with his hands in his pockets.

“You…didn’t kiss me?” You questioned, just for him to raise an eyebrow in confusion.

“No? You didn’t want me to.” You weren’t sure why, but that assertion upset you. How dare he claim to know what you wanted?! You didn’t even know what you wanted!

“You don’t know that.” you scoffed, causing him to laugh.

“Oh please,” He shriveled into what (You hoped) as an overly dramatized rendition of your body language from seconds before, “Doesn’t necessarily scream ‘Kiss Me’.” He chuckled to himself, shaking his head. You crossed your arms, but, you knew he was right.

“It’s just…I’ve never done this before.” You tried to explain. 

“You’ve never been kissed?” He seemed genuinely shocked.

“No, dipshit, I’ve kissed people before! I’ve just never played seven minutes in heaven.”

“Oh, yea I could kinda tell,” He admitted with a shrug, “You scream sheltered kid. I bet even now, as a grown ass adult you’re still too scared to rebel against mommy.” The way he said “mommy” struck you. It was soaked in condescension and mockery. You hated that he was right. You hated that despite the fact you were fully grown getting a college degree, you still heard your mothers voice in the back of your head every time you wanted to do something even a little bit rebellious. You were willing to bet no one else had that! You bet Ryomen didn’t have that.

“I am not!” you lied to him.

“Oh yea?” He challenged.

“Yea!” You asserted.

“Then prove it. Kiss me.” he said. Ryomens eyes burned into yours as he stepped forward, slowly closing the already small gap between you. His presence was intense and all consuming and hot. You could feel him burning you away from the inside out, as if he was a raging inferno and you were just a piece of tissue paper caught in his wake. He had a smirk that just screamed I know I just won and it drove you crazy because he was right! He was either right or he got the kiss you knew he’d been chasing all night. Well fuck it. There was only one way for you to win here too.

You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss. Ryomen didn’t skip a beat, pulling you even closer to him and pushing you against the wall, the soft thud sending the drunken crowd outside the door into hysterics. Your fingers tangled in his hair and his hands slid up your shirt to grab your bare skin. He bit your lip, making you gasp and giving him room to deepen the kiss.

Your head was spinning with excitement and panic, your breathing becoming harsher by the minute as he moved to kiss your neck. Your ex had never kissed you like this before. So desperate to have you, as if you were the most desirable being on the planet. It excited you, electrocuting your nervous system with every touch, pull, or bite. Despite your better judgment, a moan escaped you, sending the drunken crowd outside the closet into another bout of hysterics.

Your body reacted to him in ways that it had reacted to nobody else before, you needed him. He grabbed one of your thighs and rested it on his hip, his hand sliding under the hem of your skirt.

“Ryomen..” You moaned out, soft enough not to feed the masses.

“Say it again.” He purred.

“Ryomen.”

“That's seven!” Gojo called, pounding on the closet door, startling both you and Ryomen. He pulled away just in time for Gojo to pull the door open, a smug smirk plastered on his face. “You two love birds have fun?” He teased. Sukuna rolled his eyes, his annoyance with being interrupted evident.

“Not as much fun as you and your boy toy.” He scoffed, grabbing your hand and pulling you from the closet. The crowd of drunken young adults had grown, meaning the crowd of people wolf whistling and cheering (jeering?) had grown. Embarrassment exploded from your chest. What the hell were you thinking?! Kissing Ryomen?! You silently scolded yourself.

You didn’t even fully process that he had dragged you from the dormroom until you were in a new one, this one seemingly vacuumed sealed away from the party. The art on the wall queued you into the fact that this was probably the room Ryomen and Nanami shared. 

“Ryo?” You asked as he pulled you into the room and locked the door behind him.

“Nicknames now huh?” He chuckled, “That's cute.”

He locked the door. He locked the door. You may have been a sheltered kid, but you weren’t dumb. You knew what a locked door met at a frat party. The realization sparked your nervous system into high gear and you felt the need to press your thighs together again.

“I’ve never done this before.” You told him quickly.

“What, sex on a first date?” He asked, wrapping his arms around your waist again. You’d…hardly call this a fucking date, but that was an issue for later.

“No, sex.” You told him. He actually backed away.

“Really?” He asked, more shocked than you would have liked. “Hey, look we don’t have to-”

“I know we don’t.” You cut him off. “I want to.” He smirked almost proudly as he closed the gap between the two of you once again.

“I knew I liked you.” He purred. Before you had a chance to ask what that meant, his lips had crashed into yours, pulling you into another heated kiss. It was like the two of you physically couldn't get enough of each other, like you’d simply stop breathing if you weren’t kissing. It sent your head into a heated flurry, making you feel light. He pressed you into the bed, wrapping one of your legs around his hips as his hand slipped underneath your skirt, his fingers tracing the now translucent spot in your underwear. 

Another moan escaped you, sounding far more desperate than you would have liked. “Needy, are we?” Ryomen chuckled, pushing your panties to the side and running two fingers up and down your slit, collecting the sticky lube. You wanted him so bad it hurt. Your body felt flushed with hellfire and you couldn't help but wonder if he was this cocky with every girl he brought to his bed.

“Yea,” You moaned through a heavy breath, “You gonna take care of it, or whaa-” Your quip died in your throat as he buried two fingers into your weeping pussy, up to the knuckle without even a warning.

“What was that doll?” He teased, curling his fingers up to perfectly hit your g-spot and send you astral projecting into the ninth dimension. Was this what you were missing out on? Your hands fell to his shoulders, clinging to him for dear life as he curled his fingers again. This was a completely new type of pleasure for you, one you couldn’t get from your own fingers or a toy. You were hooked on it, you needed more of it. You started grinding down on his hand, chasing the high he was more than obliged to give you. 

“Feel good?” He purred. You nodded helplessly, your brain too mushy to make words. “Want to feel even better?” His smirk was wicked. You didn’t have time to process it though, or even answer the question before he removed your panties and ducked his head under your skirt, his lips quickly finding your clit. The new sensation was your tipping point. The fire in your veins overtook you, your head felt like it was made of cotton, and the tension that had been growing in you was reaching a breaking point.

“R-ryo,” You panted desperately, “I-its too much, I-” Your pleas for mercy are cut off as he slips another finger into you, shooting sharp tendrils of pleasure throughout your body, finding every last inch of you. Your brain was mush and your nerves on high alert, feeling every single one of the pink haired man's movements.

Your entire body felt tense as heat continued to pool in hot waves in your stomach, every curl of his fingers, every swipe of his tongue bringing you one step closer to the brink. You had never wanted anything so bad in your life. Your hands tangled in his hair, subconsciously pulling him closer to your needy cunt. Ryomen very much obliged, giving you everything you wanted and more.

“I-I, ah-!” all of the intense feelings were building into a crescendo inside of you, your small boat in the ocean of oxytocin and euphoria was capsizing. All at once your body seized, you thought you whined out his name but you weren’t sure. Pleasure came rolling over your entire body in seething waves, filling all of your senses and leaving you shaking like a chihuahua. 

“You're beautiful when you cum.” Had to be one of the weirdest compliments you had ever received. You lifted your head off the bed to see Ryomen wiping his mouth off. He stood up, taking off his shirt, and holy shit. You don’t know why the thought never occurred to you that the tattoos would be on his chest too. They covered his face, they were on his arms and wrists, why wouldn’t they be on his chest? It made you wonder where else they were.

“Enjoying the view?” He asked, knowing full and well you were. You looked away in embarrassment, just to feel him grab the hem of your sweater. “I showed you mine, let me see yours” He teased, pulling the pink top off of you. His reaction gave you your confidence back plus some. You felt emboldened by the way he beheld you, like you were Venus herself. You smirked as you took off your bra, exposing your chest to him.  

“Enjoying the view?” You asked. 

“Very much so.” he said in a rush before his eager, hot mouth wrapped around your right nipple, his hand coming up to play with the left. You had never imagined having your tits played with would feel so good. Maybe it was just the effect Ryomen had on you. But his actions left you whimpering softly under him, unconsciously bucking your hips to make some friction. He noticed the command he had over your body, the way you melted into him. He knew you were his, he just had to seal the deal. 

He pulled away, undoing his belt and jean buttons to free his cock. You bucked your hips at the view again, feeling your cunt clench around nothing. He was bigger than you expected, thick and long. You’d probably have been a little bit intimidated if you weren’t so desperate to feel that high again. He fisted himself with one hand and clumsily rubbed your sensitive nub with the other. But it wasn’t enough anymore, you needed him. 

“Ryo, please..”

“Please what Y/n?” He smirked. He knew exactly what you wanted. But, he wasn’t going to give it to you that easily.

“Ryomen, please, I need you.” You whined, not wanting to say it outloud.

“I’m right here baby girl, what do you need?” His grin was wicked and still full of mirth. You were starting to hate him again.

“Ryomen please, I need your cock, I need you, I need you to fuck me.” You blurted out all at once, your mouth moving faster than your mind did. His grin turned into a full on smile.

“Well, then why didn’t you just say that?” He laughed as he lined himself up with your soaking cunt.

“I di-AHH!” You screamed as he pushed his fat cock into you, the collision with your cervix jolting you into a state of hypersensitivity. You clung onto him desperately, your cunt clamping down around him, trying to push him out and pull him deeper all at the same time. You felt helplessly stretched out underneath him, your mind trying to find your body.

“Relax for me baby,” Ryomen moaned into your neck, kissing it softly. Easy for him to say! He wasn’t just impaled! You took deep, jagged breaths, to try and reregulate your fried nervous system. You took in the smell of pine and cigarettes, the almost comforting feeling of his body flush with yours, and the near tenderness of the kisses he was trailing along your neck. It was a beautiful caricature of intimacy, really.

Finally, you had relaxed enough around him for him to move. And move he did. To his credit, he tried to take it slow. He tried to be considerate of your virgin status (well…former virgin status) and not hurt you. But, Ryomen was not the slow gentle, “making love” type and before he knew it, he was chasing his high with a ferocity that left you weak under him. 

You weren’t complaining though. His thrusts were intoxicating, the curve of his dick hitting your g-spot with every thrust of his hips. He was stretching you to the point of delirium, feeling a rush of ecstasy every time he moved inside of your velvety walls. Your head was in heaven and your soul was in hell. Everything was all at once too hot and too cold, overwhelming. The waves of euphoria were building up inside of you again, a string tangling over itself again and again until it was taunt. 

One of his hands moved to massage at your clit again, coaxing your climax out of you with every stroke. You were speeding at 160 miles per hour off of a cliff and there was nothing you could do to stop it. Your mind was filled with nothing but Ryomen Ryomen Ryomen as electricity and pleasure coarse through your body. It felt like you were an electrical fire underneath him, no longer just tissue paper but an inferno in your own right.

“Ryomen, I’m-!”

“I know.” He said as he continued to chase both of your highs. The way your cunt clenched around him, pulling him back in with every thrust told him everything he needed to know. “Cum for me.”

Your body was under his command whether you liked it or not. You came undone around his cock, the string finally snapping as you drove off the cliff with no hesitation, and into your grave and erotic bliss, pleasure overtaking your body in waves. Your entire body shook under him as the intensity of your climax overcame you. He wasn’t far behind with the way your velvety walls were clenching around him, pulling his own orgasm from him. He came deep into your cervix, overflowing you and making you pray you wouldn’t have to deal with the consequences later.

You both stilled for a moment in the afterglow. As he pulled out and managed to collapse next to you, not on top of you. What did you do now? You could still hear the party raging outside of the door, but the last thing you wanted to do was rejoin it. You looked over at Ryomen, still trying to regulate his breath next to you.

You moved yourself to rest your head on his chest, figuring that was what couples do in movies after sex, right? For a second, you thought he was going to push you off. But, he didn’t. Quite the opposite really, he wrapped his arm around you, pulling you closer. 

“Sooo,” He said, finally breaking the silence, “Do you want my number again?”

・┆✦ʚ♡ɞ✦ ┆・Part 2 Out Now! ・┆✦ʚ♡ɞ✦ ┆・

[bibbityboppitybillyharvgrove]

Always There - Chapter Three: S.Snape

Summary: Y/N Potter was left with a baby to care for after her brother and sister-in-law were murdered by Voldemort. One person was there for her, a person she didn’t expect but soon became her comfort person, Severus Snape. During Harry’s third year at Hogwarts and her third year as Herbology professor, a few old friends come around again. Y/N has to handle the feelings of these old friends being around again as well as handle her feelings for a certain potions master all while she tries to hide these things from her godson.

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Pairings: Severus Snape x Female Professor Reader, Potter!Reader x friend!Remus

Chapter Warnings: Female Reader, Potter Reader(No physical description of reader) probably shitty writing, Harry growing up in a loving home, mentions of death and murder, mentions of Azkaban, shittyly written angst, mutual pining, Wormtail, Remus is kinda a dick but redeems himself

Series Warnings: Female Reader, Potter Reader (No physical description of reader) probably shitty writing, OOC Snape, Harry grows up in a loving environment, mentions of death and murder, poorly written angst, Remus is a shitty friend, poorly written pining,

Please let me know how I can improve my writing and being more inclusive to POC as I am whiter than white. Please also let me know if I have to add more to the warnings! My messages are open as well as my asks!

I am starting a taglist so leave either a comment or something in my asks if you would like to be tagged in any of my works or just this series!

Author's Note: Please let me know how I can improve or if you find any errors! Correct me, don't be afraid to! I want to improve my writing and become a better writer so any feedback or advise is welcomed!

Word Count: 2968

My asks are open for questions, suggestions and feedback!

Feedback is welcomed and encouraged!

Enjoy!

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To say that Y/N was deeply hurt by her nephew was putting it nicely. It was quickly approaching Christmas, the Potters usually opting to stay at Hogwarts, this year that was still the case, however the aunt and nephew were not on speaking terms. During the holiday, Y/N spent her day in her room, laid up in bed staring into the fire crackling inside the room. She hadn’t even left the room for breakfast, or lunch and now it was close to dinner.

She heard a knock on the door but ignored it, knowing it was probably Severus or Minerva trying to get her to eat again, the two had been switching off checking on her since her argument with Harry. She knew that they were just trying to help but she couldn’t be bothered. The knocking came again, Y/N opening the door with the wave of her hand. She hadn’t turned to look at whoever it was, she didn’t even say a word. Too much was running through her mind, she always tried to run from her thoughts but sometimes she just couldn’t help it.

“Darling, I brought you something to eat. And someone would like to talk to you if you’re up to it,” Severus spoke gently. She still hadn’t acknowledged the man nor the other visitor that joined him. “I don’t think she’s up to it. Maybe another day.” Instead of hearing footsteps leaving, she heard footsteps getting closer, stopping at the edge of her bed. Remus’ scarred face came into view as he sat on the floor next to her bed. 

“C’mon dove, talk to me. Tell me what’s wrong.” Remus was met with no answer, it was like she was in a catatonic state. She wasn’t reacting to anything, everyone was getting so worried that they were about to get madam Pomphrey. “You really think James would want you to act like this?! No, he would want you to talk some sense into Harry! He would want you to get off your ass and do something about it!” Remus was yelling at her at this point.

“Don’t yell at her like that!” Severus snapped at him. 

“Don’t you dare talk about James like that ever again! Don’t tell me how to parent Harry, you lost that privilege when you left!” Y/N screamed at him, shooting up in her bed so she was sitting up. Remus had a smirk on his face, he knew just how to break her when she needed to be broken.

“My work here is done, see you later Snivellus,” Remus said before getting up to leave the room. However, the door slammed shut when he opened it. He turned to see Y/N standing up and stalking her way towards him.

“Don’t you dare talk to him like that ever again or I swear to Merlin your furry little problem will seem miniscule,” Her voice was threatening as was her stance. 

“Okay now dove, relax. It was harmless.”

“I don’t care, I hear that cruel name come out of your mouth ever again, it will be that last thing you ever say.” Severus’ face felt hot, his heart picking up speed, nobody had ever defended him so fiercely in his entire life.

“Let’s go take a walk to calm down a bit, darling. You haven’t been out of bed in a couple days,’ Severus chimed in, it was his attempt to diffuse the situation which seemed to work because she backed away, finding her robe and a pair of slippers and putting them on. Remus had taken this opportunity to leave the room, the pair being left alone like they enjoyed being. The two professors were the kinds of people that tended to like being alone, however, when the two were together they were happy as could be, they enjoyed each other’s company.

Severus escorted her out of her room and led her to the gardens. The air outside was cold but welcoming, snow coating the ground, snowflakes falling sporadically around them. Severus had wanted to know what was going on in her mind so he asked, Y/N answering him truthfully. “The whole thing with Harry was kind of a kickstarter to it. The holidays make it worse though, I know James was a complete ass to you but he was my brother. He was my best friend and it still hurts a lot to not have him around during the holidays, y’know? Christmas was the best time of year for my family when we were kids, everyone would be at the house, Sirius, Peter, Remus, mum and dad would be home and me and James would have a blast. Getting into the firewhiskey and playing stupid muggle games. I miss it,” She rambled.

“You are allowed to miss your brother, you knew the best parts of him whereas I knew the worst parts of him. I want you to know that you can come talk to me whenever, don’t let these things pile up to the point where you don’t get out of bed. I care about you Y/N, quite a lot so I want you to talk to me when you need me, when you just want to say something that comes to your mind, come to me,” Severus replied, his voice had changed, it was almost softer when he was speaking to her. It was almost like if he spoke too loud or too harsh, she would break.

“Did the coldest professor of Hogwarts just admit he cared about me? Who are you and what have you done to my Severus?” She joked, his heart skipping a beat when she said ‘my Severus’. Merlin, did he want to be hers and her his. She took note of the silence and the hint of red on his cheeks, a smirk coming to her face, “Did I just make you blush? Severus Snape can blush?”

“You’re a pest, you know that?”

“Only to you, but that doesn’t answer my question, Severus. Don’t avoid it.”

“No, it’s from the cold, are you happy with that?” Severus asked her, he knew that she knew he was lying. She could read the man like a book but she decided to let it go. The two of them continued their walk, Y/N shivering slightly when a particularly bitter gust of wind blew through them. Without even thinking, Severus took off his cloak and put it around her shoulders. Her heart picking up speed at the action, now it was her turn for her face to get hot.

“Won’t you be cold?” She asked him, concerned, about to take off the cloak. Severus placed his hand on her shoulder stopping her movements, her heart skipping a beat once again at the slightest touch.

“Don’t worry about me darling. I’m okay,” He smiled at her, his heart was warm with the care and concern she showed for him. She was one of the most selfless people he had ever interacted with. As they walked, the pair seemed to get closer and closer together, talking about anything and everything, their hands brushing often, their feet moving in sync. Before their hands could smack into each other again, Severus took her hand in his, gripping her hand firmly but not too tight, she could easily pull her hand away if she wanted. However that was the last thing she wanted to do, instead she squeezed his hand and gripped it just as firmly, much to his enjoyment. 

As they made their way back inside in a comfortable silence, Y/N heard squeaking by her feet, so she looked down. It was Scabbers, Ron Weasley’s pet rat. She stopped in her tracks to avoid stepping on the old rat, bending down and picking him up in her free hand. She got a closer look at the rat and almost dropped him in realization. “Oh my Godric! Peter Pettigrew! Severus, it’s Peter! His animagus was a rat and he looked exactly like this when he transformed!” She exclaimed, holding the rat close to her body no matter how much he wiggled and tried to get free. 

“Are you sure? He’s supposed to be dead and this looks like Weasley’s rat,” Severus replied, trying to talk her off a ledge even though she wasn’t on one. She was sure, 100% sure it was Peter. She gave Severus a look before dragging him to the headmaster’s office, knowing he’d be there. Once they had made it into his office, she presented Dumbledore with the rat.

“Why are you giving me a rat Y/N?” He asked the Potter woman in confusion.

“It’s Peter Pettigrew! Severus, get some veritaserum, please. I need answers,” She replied, her voice filled with desperation. Severus gave Albus a look telling him to go along with it before getting a vial of the truth serum.Although Severus had complete trust in Y/N, she had been through a lot as of late so he was a little unsure, however when, the woman pulled out her wand and gave it a wave at the rat who quickly turned into a man, he was shocked. Him and Dumbledore had a look of surprise on their faces, the potion master’s quickly turning into pride because Y/N stuck to her gut and trusted her instinct.

“Y/N, little Potter, dove, how are you?” Peter rambled as Dumbledore sent an urgent notice to the Minister of Magic. Peter was put into a chair, hands and feet tied to the chair so he couldn’t flee. Remus bursted into the office with the Minister in tow.

“Give him the serum Severus, we have some questions that are needing answers,” Dumbledore spoke. The black haired man walked toward the former rat and forced some of the serum into his mouth and down his throat. They asked a few baseline questions, asking his name, where he had been for the past 12 years.

“Who was the secret keeper for my brother and Lily?” Y/N demanded.

“It was me. Sirius was never secret keeper, James thought it would be too obvious.”

“You sold them out! You were the one who got James and Lily killed! I’m gonna fucking kill you!” She screamed at the man, a pair of arms grabbing her and pulling her away from him.

“Calm down, love, please. We need to get your answers, right? You need to keep calm so you get them,” Severus told her gently, her lips brushing her ear as he spoke, the action making her shiver slightly. She listened to his gentle breathing which acted as a soothing agent to her, keeping her as calm as she could although her heart was racing and being weighed heavy with guilt and betrayal. She felt guilty because for all of these years, she had believed that Sirius had sold out James and Lily when it was really Peter, who was right in front of her for the last three years. She felt betrayed because she had trusted Peter and believed the man to be dead but it turned out that she was wrong about that one. 

“Did Sirius kill those muggles?” Remus asked him.

“No, that was me. I framed him,” Peter admitted. With his answers, the minister deemed Peter Pettigrew a criminal with the sentencing of a dementor’s kiss. He was set to get the kiss in three days' time, for the wait he was to be  put into Azkaban. 

She felt dizzy, as if she couldn’t keep herself on her feet once she saw Peter get taken away, Remus and Albus following behind. The slytherin noticed this and grabbed her at the waist before she could fall. “Love, stay awake, open your eyes, come on,” She heard his voice but he sounded like he was underwater. She looked up at Severus, panicked.

“What’s happening to me? Sev, I’m scared,” She whimpered, Severus's heart breaking at the sound.

“It’s okay love, you’ll be okay. I’ll take you to Poppy, she’ll make you better.” After hearing his voice, she succumbed to the darkness, falling limp in his arms, causing the professor to panic. He picked her up and rushed to the hospital wing, he knew she would be okay. She would be okay.

****

Y/N hadn’t woken up until the day before New Year’s Eve, she was unconscious for 5 days. Severus, Harry, and Remus refused to leave her side. Severus had a serious chat with the Potter boy about the way he had treated his aunt as they were waiting for the herbalist to wake up.

“I hope you realize the amount of stress your aunt was under and the distress this childish argument caused her. She cares about you quite a lot Potter, you are the most important person in her life and you hurt her quite deeply. When she wakes, I expect you to fix it, if you don’t you’ll have to deal with me,” Severus explained to the boy he got to watch grow up.

“Yes uncle Sev. I’m sorry,” Harry replied rather guiltily.

“It’s not me you should be apologizing to. And it’s professor Snape when we are on school grounds. Only uncle Sev outside of school.” Harry just nodded and returned to his aunt’s side.

Whilst she was out, they had found Sirius Black and deemed him a free man. Double checking when he agreed to take truth serum in front of a courtroom before he was actually set free. He had yet to visit Y/N, Harry and Remus, unsure of how the two would feel about him after being away from them for 12 years.

When Y/N began stirring, the three wizards got excited, all of them straightening their posture and watching her intently, waiting to see her eyes open. When they finally did, Harry practically threw himself onto his aunt, apologizing profusely, refusing to let go of her. “My boy, I forgive you. You felt betrayed, I understand that. I should’ve told you about Siri to begin with instead of hiding it,” Y/N explained tiredly. She gave her nephew a kiss on the cheek before he sat back on his chair and gave his uncles a chance to say hello to her. Remus was next. “Moony, I’m sorry for acting like such a bitch. You’re still my brother, you always will be.”

“Don’t you dare apologize dove, I deserved it. I left and it wasn’t fair to you, you lost James, Lily, Sirius and me within a few days. I shouldn’t have left and I’m so sorry I didn’t realize it sooner,” Remus explained. She opened her arms wanting a hug from the man which he gladly gave her. Once the two friends released each other, it was time for Severus. Remus and Harry decided to give them a little bit of privacy, leaving the room but peeking into the hospital wing to spy on them. Severus using the muffliato spell he had created so the two couldn’t hear what they were talking about.

“Sev, are you okay? I bet that was a lot for you to witness, huh?” She asked the long haired man.

“I should be asking you that, love. How are you feeling? Do you need anything?” He asked.

“I just need you, can you lay with me so we can talk?” Instead of verbally answering, he did as she asked, laying himself down next to her on the small bed. Because the bed was so small, she had turned on her side, scooting herself closer to him until she could lay her head on his chest, his arm closest to her holding her body close against his side, his fingers tracing absent-minded shapes on her back.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Severus said, “You gave me quite a scare.”

“I’m sorry, I honestly don’t know how it happened, did Poppy say why I passed out?”

“She said your body was too tired and malnourished to handle that amount of stress so once your adrenaline wore off, you collapsed.” She hummed in response, nuzzling her head into his chest a little more, listening to his heartbeat, it was soothing her and putting her back to sleep. “Still tired love?”

“When did you make that switch?” She questioned out of the blue.

“What switch are you talking about?”

“The switch from darling to love. When did that start?”

“I don’t know, I hadn’t even noticed. Do you want me to stop?”

“No, I quite like it. Now I need a new thing to call you. Maybe handsome? No, how about honey? I like that one, what do you think honey?” She thought out loud. As soon as the term passed her lips, his heart sped up which made her smile at the sound. “Sounds like you like that one,” She teased although her heart, too, sped up when he called her love or if he looked at her a certain way. Instead of him replying to her teasing, he tilted her head up by grasping her chin gently and guiding her to look at him. The two of them hadn’t noticed but they were leaning closer together. As soon as their lips touched, all thoughts and ailments felt like they had melted away. They were just focused on each other, how their lips felt together after pining after one another for so long.

They got interrupted by a black dog jumping onto the bed, growling at Severus and showing its teeth to intimidate him. Because the two were startled apart, Y/N didn’t get a good look at the dog until her heart had stopped racing and the blissful feeling started to fade. She looked into the eyes of the dog before realizing who it was.

“Sirius Orion Black.”

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@acupnoodle @chxelsxaa @fluffyrat365 @fanficwriter5

[bippot]

Pretty please write a Mike Schmidt for me, my sweet dear friend that has made it very clear to me that she's back in her Josh Hutcherson phase? I know that you want to! I'll love you more than I already do ☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️

I love the Josh Hutcherson renaissance! I've been seeing more Future Man love and content out there and that's great! It's one of my favourite shows. And there something about the FNAF movie that just has crack in it or something cause I've watched it 3 times in the past week.

Summary: Mike and Abby move into a new apartment with a new neighbour, but Mike's old mundane responsibilities still persist. That's okay, his neighbour and her dog are prepared to entertain Abby for as long as he needs.

Additional Tags: Moving, Babysitting, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Caretaking, Minor Spoilers, Mike Schmidt Needs a Hug (Five Nights at Freddy's)

Full Masterlist - here

The Schmidt siblings returned to their home after the events at pizzeria and Mike immediately knew that they had to move. The sight of his aunt's dead body on the floor was something that would stick in his brain for a hot minute, and truthfully, he'd seen far too many corpses in the span of 24 hrs than he ever thought was possible.

Vanessa's stabbing and Aunt Jane's murder was reported to the police by the Schmidt's as being done by the same killer - because it kinda was, but also not, but it was thanks to his murderous influence so yeah - although the killer in question hadn't been found when the cops did a sweep of the pizzeria.

So, Mike found a small apartment not that far from Abby's school and they began the process of settling in there. He assumed they'd live in their childhood home until Abby was grown up and wanted to go away to college or get a place of her own, but that wasn't the case.

This new home was smaller and cheaper than the old Schmidt residence, plus it didn't come with a lifetime of memories attached to it. It was an improvement, Mike had to keep reminding himself of that fact as he hauled what few belongings he had left into the back of his car.

All the stuff that wouldn't fit had been sold off and Mike was sad to see a lot of his parents stuff go but it helped him acquire some well needed pocket cash for gas or whatever school supplies Abby needed. Whatever was left was transferred into room 34 of the Greystone apartments.

It was a long process, mostly because Abby was at school and the only other person who'd Mike would ask to help was still recovering. That meant that he had to lift every single box up three flights of stairs since the elevator was currently broken. Or, at least that was what he thought.

After making three trips, door 32 opened and a sweet voice asked, "Would you like some help?" Mike nearly dropped the two boxes he'd stacked precariously in his arms as he spun around to put a face to the voice.

Just his luck! His neighbour was a total babe. To anyone else that would've been excellent news, but to Mike, this ensured that he'd be nervous as hell when entering and exiting his own apartment because his mind would have to be alert in case she wanted to talk to him and get a response that was more than incoherent mumbling.

Look, he wasn't a socially awkward guy. Socially avoidant was the term he preferred. He could hold a conversation with a person, with a woman. With a woman he found attractive on the other hand? Well, he hadn't done that in a while. He was more than a little rusty.

Thankfully, this neighbour didn't seem to notice how weirdly out of his depth he felt. Instead, she nodded towards the boxes he'd been piling outside his front door. "Need a hand with those?" she inquired, voice smooth and melodious like an angel.

He swallowed hard, feeling stupid, but somehow answered anyway, "If you don't mind, yeah, please." It came out sounding like he was choking on his words which, given that he had formed coherent sentences in her presence, was the best he was going to get for now.

"Do you have a U-haul truck full?"

"I, uh, folded the seats down of my Accord and shoved, yeah, shoved e-everything in the back."

"Oh. Smart." She closed her door and gestured for them to start walking towards the exit, and he was happy to oblige. "I'm Y/N, by the way."

"Mike."

Mike wanted to say something, to strike up some really interesting conversation that would have her hanging onto each word he said with rapt attention - but his words died before he could utter them. There were just... no words, no topic of choice, nothing. His tongue was glued to the roof of his mouth. If he tried to speak, he might choke and die.

That would be bad. Really bad.

Y/N didn't seem to mind. She could talk for the both of them, it seemed. Honestly, he wasn't sure what she was saying. He wasn't focused on that. No, he was focused on everything else about her, every movement, every breath, the way her hair fell in her eyes, the way her lips curled into a half smile whenever she made a joke and how it curled even farther up when she laughed. He couldn't stop staring.

Sometimes, he felt like he was a bit of a weirdo. It was a conscious effort of his to notice as much as he possibly could about someone he's meeting for the first time and doesn't understand yet, but there were times - far too many times - when he zeroed in on details that didn't need that much scrutiny. Like, why did she have a very faint scar on the inside of her right bicep? Or pen on her left wrist? Or why was she looking at him like she had asked a question and was waiting for him to respond?

Oh. Because she had asked a question and was waiting for him to respond.

That'll do it.

"Sorry, I totally spaced out. What, umm... what did you say?"

"I asked which car was yours."

It was obvious. It was the Honda they were standing in front of that was filled with cardboard boxes.

"Yeah, this is it. Here we are. This is my car."

"You don't say."

Before Mike could stop himself, he rolled his eyes. It was a good natured, amused roll, but a roll nonetheless. He smiled to himself as he opened the boot and began taking out all the boxes he deemed worthy of carrying to his apartment on this trip.

Together, they got everything from the car into his apartment without too much fuss. It took a while so there had been a few awkward silences, but Mike was slowly progressing in his effort to talk to her without tripping over his feet and ending up flat on his ass. He managed to get his words out without making a complete idiot of himself. It was slow progress, but progress nonetheless.

By the time his belongings were safely in his apartment, it was time to pick Abby up from school.

"To say, to say thank you, would you - you can say no, obviously, - Abby and I are going to order pizza for dinner as a celebration of this place. And because we don't have any groceries yet. If you'd like to, yeah, I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you wanted to join us?" he blurted out in one large breath as they stood in their opposite doorways, half in half out of their living rooms.

"I'd love to, but I'm busy...doing things. Doing stuff."

"Oh. Yeah, of course. Maybe, yeah, maybe another time, then?"

"Uh... Sure, sounds good."

They both looked awkward, and neither of them moved for a beat too long until Mike realised that if he didn't leave soon, he was going to be late for pick up. He gave her one final shy wave before rushing to the stairwell.

Abby wasn't told about the nice, pretty girl from next door that he'd been an idiot in front of so when they'd returned from grocery shopping the very next day and Mike was talking to some lady in the newly fixed elevator, she was a little confused. Because she knew her brother. Her brother didn't get people he'd never spoken to before to smile at him like that.

"Hi Mike," Y/N greeted softly as they approached, giving the dachshund at her feet a gentle tug so he'd give the siblings more space to stand. "I'm guessing you went grocery shopping."

Correct. The hand that wasn't holding Abby's had three heavy grocery bags in it.

"Y/N, hey!" Her brother grinned in a way Abby had never seen before. His cheeks flushed slightly and he cleared his throat, his grin turning shy. "This is Abby. This is my sister Abby."

Something akin to relief flashed across Y/N's face. "Nice to meet you, Abby. Mike mentioned you yesterday, but he didn't tell me how cool your shoes are." She crouched down to pretend to get a better look. "Cupcakes are cool."

Abby giggled at the compliment and pushed her nose into Mike's side. She wrapped her fingers around the edge of her brother's bicep and at the fabric there so he'd lean down for her to whisper in his ear. "She asks, can she pet your dog please? Pretty please?" he repeated. "Why she couldn't ask you, I don't know."

"Tater here would love to be petted."

On cue, Tater barked excitedly and wagged his tail at the prospect of being fussed over. Abby cooed loudly and reached out her hand to pet his head. As soon as her fingertips touched his fur, he leaned into her touch and licked her hand enthusiastically. Abby shrieked in delight at the attention, her small hands flailing wildly for a second before reaching out to stroke Tater's ears. Mike could see the joy in the kid's bright eyes and it sent warmth pooling in his chest.

With Abby occupied, Y/N felt the need to clarify, "I was under the impression yesterday that Abby was your girlfriend."

"Ew, gross."

"That's why I was weird about the pizza. I didn't want to third wheel, you know? Sorry I jumped to a completely wrong conclusion."

At that, the corners of Mike's lips twisted upwards. His shoulders relaxed a fraction as he breathed a quiet sigh. Thank God he didn't weird her out with his odd behaviour.

"No, no, I get it. I'm a guy and I mentioned a girl. It...it makes, well, it makes sense to jump to conclusions, actually." A spark of boldness appeared all of a sudden and forced him to inquire, "Would you have stayed if I had made it very clear that Abby is ten years old and my sister?"

"I would've." Y/N replied instantly. Not missing a beat, she added, "I love free pizza," with a smirk.

Ding. They reached their floor and went their separate ways for now. Abby had to be told quite a few times to stop stroking Tater and come inside, but she was reluctant to. That dog had charmed her to the core, it seemed. Eventually, Abby reluctantly complied and followed her older brother into their apartment.

No more than ten minutes later, Y/N heard someone knocking on her door and opened it to find little Abby on the other side all by herself. "Hey Abby, you okay?" Y/N asked with a warm smile.

"Can I play with Tater some more please?" The little girl put on the most cutesy, pleading smile she could muster and batted her eyelashes in order to make it all the more convincing.

"Did you ask your brother?"

"He's in the shower."

So that's a no. Y/N pursed her lips as she thought of a response. Obviously, Mike would freak out if the child in his care was at a stranger's place without his permission. She had no idea about Abby's temperament either. Would she scream and shout if she wasn't given what she wanted? Would she beg? Or would she just be content and go back to whatever she had been doing in her own home?

"Let me just get a lead." Y/N disappeared from view for a minute and Abby was fully prepared for disappointment so she opened the door to her apartment, just listening for the sound of Y/N's door locking. Yet, she was soon reappearing with the weiner dog on a leash.

The pair sat in their opened doorways and fussed over Tater with enthusiasm only children possessed, ignoring the occasional looks from their neighbours who had to step over the situation to get to their homes. The corridor was filled with girly giggles and the occasional happy yap from the puppy as it happily accepted each scratch and pat Abby gave him.

Mike came out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist and was fully expecting to walk into his room to get changed directly afterwards. That didn't happen straight away. He noticed the opened door before the chatter and rushed to check that his sister was safe and still in the confines of their new home.

Maybe she was talking to those dead kids again. That was not something he needed right now.

"Abby?" he called out tentatively, but upon hearing no response other than more giggles, Mike stepped closer to the door and was rather confused as to why his sister was sitting in the doorway.

Y/N's eyes widened the moment sexy, dripping wet Mike appeared in view. She gulped nervously and took in his attire for a split second, trying her best not to stare too openly at his body. It was a struggle at best and she had to take a deep breath.

"Look Mike, Tater can do tricks!" Abby cheered happily when she noticed her brother coming closer. "Tater, play dead."

The dog did exactly as the girl said and rolled onto its back, exposing his belly in a way that was just asking for rubs. And Abby was overjoyed to give them to him. Mike couldn't help chuckling at the sight of his sister, who he was pretty sure had instigated all of this, laughing like crazy as she scratched Tater behind the ear, his tongue hanging out of his mouth while he let out pleased barks.

"You're such a good boy," she praised, patting his head gently and causing the dog to roll over again. "Can we get a dog?"

"Well, uh-" He paused, "Can we have this conversation when I have clothes on?" The girl frowned but nodded her head nonetheless. "Great. I will do that then. I'll get some, uh huh, I will stop being so naked now. I promise."

Subtly, Y/N hid her laugh behind her hand as she watched the scene before her unfold. It was adorable watching him struggle to find words.

Sitting together and playing around with Tater in their doorways became a daily occurrence for the girls. Abby would get home from school and count down the minutes till Y/N came back from work, only to turn to look at her brother expectantly. "Can I?" she'd ask every time, and he'd say yes every time. It became a routine between them, one that gave Mike free time to look for a new job.

And eventually, he did find one. It wasn't exactly ideal. The hours were long and overlapped with after school time, but it was in the day, and it ensured that they'd get 20% off their groceries. The supermarket in town was looking for shelf stockers. The pay wasn't spectacular, but it was liveable. There wasn't much customer interaction. His main focus was to refill the shelves and that was it, nothing beyond that.

No animatronics. No ghost kids. No serial murderers - as far as he knew. And definitely no Balloon Boy.

Originally, he wasn't going to take the job. But, he happened to mention it to Y/N one day and she immediately tried to squash his worries. "I can pick Abby up from school on my way home from work and she can hang out here until your shift is over. No biggie," she reasoned, placing her hand reassuringly against his bicep and flashing a smile at him. Mike was hesitant, at first.

On the other hand, Abby was not. She loved being in Y/N's apartment. It looked nicer than their apartment because Y/N had decorations and nicknacks to look at, and a sofa that was far more comfortable than the old, busted one they had, and Tater was there with all his toys and treats. And Y/N had cable too so that meant they could watch Malcolm in the Middle when it was on.

Abby was planning to grab onto this opportunity with both hands as soon as it presented itself.

Y/N arrived at Abby's school and was greeted by the child running towards her excitedly. Her backpack thumped along on her back loudly and her curls jumped as she bounced up and down, clearly very excited to spend her evening with Y/N (primarily Y/N's dog, but hey).

"Hi Y/N!"

"Hi Abs, you ready to go?"

She nodded frantically, a huge grin forming on her cheeks as she handed Y/N a piece of paper. "I drew this for you!" she informed proudly, pointing to a cute little drawing of a very familiar looking puppy curled up in his doggy bed.

Looking at the drawing, Y/N's eyes softened. "Wow! Thank you! It's really, really really good," she praised with genuine happiness as she ruffled the top of Abby's head. "Do you think Tater will like it? Shall we show him?"

That question was all it took to convince the girl to be well behaved and not complain about traffic they had to sit through to get home. She just bobbed her head along to the radio softly, tapping her feet along to the beat on the ground. By the end of the journey, she even began humming to the tunes, making sure to keep her voice quiet enough that she thought Y/N wouldn't be able to hear her singing. Y/N could.

"I missed you!" Abby squealed as soon as she saw the dog lying on his side asleep by the living room couch. She quickly hopped on the floor next to him and started stroking his soft fur. "Tater, wake up so we can play," she whispered, petting him under his chin and hoping he might at least stir awake. After a few more seconds, he finally stirred awake, his little tail swinging from side to side the moment he realised who was stroking him.

Tater attacked Abby with wet, sloppy dog kisses, causing her to giggle uncontrollably at every lick. Y/N stood beside the couch and laughed at the scene before her. The little girl was a picture of pure joy as Tater licked and slobbered all over her face, causing her to fall backwards onto the carpeted floor and cry out in delight.

If anyone deserved to be spoiled rotten, it was Abby. In fact, both of the remaining Schmidts deserved to be fussed over and Y/N was prepared to do just that to them for as long as they allowed her to.

Mike arrived home from his shift at the grocery store tired and sore. Most of his day had been spent lifting boxes from the storage room out onto the floor with only a single person helping him. And it hadn't helped that his coworker was an older lady - she was kind to him but there was no way she was carrying half of this shit - so he literally did all of the heavy lifting. His back ached badly, which didn't help his mood in the slightest.

However, as he entered Y/N's apartment - they no longer knocked and just walked in these days - and was faced the sight of Abby grating cheese at the kitchen counter as Y/N warned, "Careful of your fingies, don't wanna accidentally cut yourself. Take it slow, honey."

A sweet smile stretched across his lips as he closed the door behind him and made his way towards the two women. Neither of them seemed to notice, clearly too engrossed in preparing their dinner to see as he silently leant against the kitchen door frame and watched them carefully.

At some point, Y/N had braided Abby's hair and obviously Abby wanted to return the favour but wasn't all that good at it as the end of Y/N's locks were all bushy and tangled, the ends curling up into knots and sticking out from underneath the bobble. He chuckled to himself quietly, thus gaining the attention of the both of them instantly.

"How long have you been there, creeper?" Abby asked, giving her brother a dirty glare and earning her a chuckle from him once more.

"Long enough," he replied and shrugged his shoulders. "What are we cooking?"

"Y/N's teaching me how to make Cowboy Pie."

His eyebrow raised in amusement. "Is that so?" he hummed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Why do you never want to help when I cook, huh?"

"You don't cook. You just heat stuff up."

"Oh yeah? I see how it is," he snickered, but was quick to ask, "Well, you two need any help?" and turned his gaze to Y/N, who simply shook her head.

"Go relax. We've got this," she said dismissively, waving him away with the wooden spoon still in her hand. "Don't we, Abs?" She poked the nodding girl in the cheek affectionately. "See? Everything is alright. Go sit with Tater."

She gave him a gentle push with her hip, prompting him to move into the living room without another word. He sat on the couch and placed his bag by his feet, letting out a huge sigh as his ass hit the soft cushion. He rested his elbows on his knees, placed his chin on his palms and leaned forward so he could see into the kitchen.

Watching the duo cook together was mesmerising. A warm feeling filled his chest and spread throughout his entire body - like fire but not uncomfortable, more comforting, like home. Y/N had such a loving smile on her face while Abby looked content and beamed whenever she was allowed to stir the pot or throw in the ingredients. They were like peas in a pod, Y/N taking care of everything and doing all the things that included knives while Abby tried to follow instructions.

He was completely lost in the scene in front of him until something small and furry pressed itself against his leg. He glanced down and smiled upon seeing the dachshund's black nose pressing up against the side of his pant legs. The dog wagged his tail and then looked up at him, staring with his wide brown eyes, almost pleading for attention. Mike couldn't say no to Tater so he bent down to scratch gently behind his floppy ears.

"Hiya, boy," he murmured happily. "Us guys have got to stick together, right? Can't let the girls boss us around now, can we?" Tater barked and wagged his whole body as if to agree with him.

That meal had to be the best he'd ever had, or at least remembered having. It was mainly potato, sausage, beans and cheese, but somehow, they'd managed to make it taste extra good. Tater was given a sausage or two, so he was beyond happy and fell asleep directly after dinner.

Abby was in a similar state. She'd cleaned her plate then asked for more, which was fine because there was leftovers for her to get through. Her belly was full and she was exhausted, so that meant she could probably sleep through the night. She even fell asleep against Mike's shoulder half way through the episode of Family Feud.

Honestly, Mike was close to dozing off too but kept himself awake long enough to pick his sister up and carry her to her bed. "She's out like a light, how did you do that?" he asked Y/N curiously, his arms wrapped around Abby so she didn't fall out of his grip and slump to the corridor floor.

"It was all Tater," she joked, gesturing towards the passed out puppy lying on his back between the gap between the two couch cushions. "Same time tomorrow?"

"Yeah, yeah please."

"Goodnight Mike," Y/N smiled, moving in to peck his cheek before disappearing behind her door.

Once she was gone, Mike released a large exhale through his nose, his eyes now wide open and fixed on the crooked 32 number plate on the wood. He wiggled one hand free and straightened it up, then brought his fingertip to where her lips had just been on his skin and smiled faintly.

"Goodnight Y/N."

Every day was similar to that one - obviously there were slight variations where Abby didn't eat as much, or Tater decided to be yappy that day, or Y/N didn't feel like cooking and ordered something in, or Mike was grumpier - but they were all better than before. Their lives weren't exactly perfect, but this was close enough, really.

For now.

"My boss offered me some more hours, just in time for the holidays - and it's a big upgrade in pay -"

"That sounds great, Mike. What's the 'but'?" Y/N frowned as she placed some freshly cooked lasagna on a plate and placed it in front of Mike.

"It's night shifts and a weekend or two." He shoved a fork full into his mouth, chewing it slowly before swallowing and continuing, "You've done so much already and asking you to look after Abby for the entire night... it's too much, you shouldn't have to-"

"Mike-"

"I'll pay you. I promise. Abby told me she wants that Robotic Puppy thing for her present and that's $40 and I said I get that for her to make up for the fact I won't let her get a real dog. Factor in groceries. And bills. And..." he began mumbling to himself, working out all the math in his head. He'd never been all that good at maths.

There was a beat of silence before Y/N let out a small chuckle. "Mike," she sighed again, placing her hand gently on top of his, "It's okay. Really, it is. This isn't a big deal at all. I love spending time with Abby and she loves sleepovers."

Recently, there had been a development in Abby's social life; one that involved more hanging out with her friend outside of school. The new friend had been a late addition to the class and was rather shy, so when she spent her time reading right next to where Abby was drawing, they began their quiet friendship.

"And the weekends?"

"Well, I get Sundays off and Saturdays she can come to work with me. There's always a bunch of kids her age in the library on Saturdays. Yeah, it's all the nerd kids," Y/N explained with a laugh whilst pouring two glasses of wine and handing one to Mike. "Relax, Mikey."

With a final deep breath, he nodded his head, his expression changing as he took a sip of wine. "Okay," he breathed and smiled softly. "Thank you. For today. And last week too. And all the times before that."

"Yeah, no problem," she shrugged casually and sipped from her glass as well, trying her hardest to keep the flush off her face.

Working nights again was not something Mike thought he'd ever do again, yet this time, the scenery was far less alive. No, instead it was just dark and cold. And this time, he actually had job responsibilities and couldn't fall asleep at a desk. He had to lift and sort and clean and sweep and tidy and organise and price check and restock. It was boring, mind numbing and absolutely exhausting and he just wanted to go home to sleep and forget about it all.

What was waiting for him when he got home was something else. Something different, something better.

After putting Abby to bed, Y/N had fallen asleep on the living room sofa, a blanket draped around her and a book about to slip from her fingers. Mike knelt beside the couch and grabbed the book and placed it on the coffee table before giving in to the temptation to brush her hair behind her ear, letting his fingertips linger on her cheek.

"Mike?" Y/N murmured, her eyelids fluttering slightly as her eyes met his own, causing him to bolt away and stand up straight.

"Oh! Sorry," he stuttered, clearing his throat. and scratching at his cheek with a little too much force. "Um, sorry. Didn't mean to wake you."

Y/N yawned and stretched, leaning on her elbow and resting her head on her hands as she regarded him. "How was work? Anything interesting happen?" she asked quietly, her voice still sounding sleepy. She ran a hand through her messy hair, messing it up even more and looking adorably groggy, and he had to admit it was kinda hot.

"Not really. The same as usual just at night, I guess."

A hum left her throat and she closed her eyes briefly. When they opened again, they were glimmering with sleepy tears, making them sparkle beautifully. His heart swelled with so much emotion, he couldn't help but stare at them and sigh.

"Abby is -" She yawned again. "Abby's is in my bed. You can leave her there if you want," she murmured, her voice fading to barely a whisper. "You tired? You look it."

"Yeah."

Thanks to the darkness of the room and the bagginess of his clothes, he had the same general shape of a teddy bear - all soft and curly with big brown eyes. That paired with Y/N sleepy kind of not fully woken up state meant that she whispered, "Come here," and held her arms open invitingly. He hesitated for a moment, before finally deciding that he couldn't turn this opportunity down. He crawled onto the sofa and lay down next to her, putting as much distance in between their bodies as he could, which wasn't a lot.

It would've felt awkward to anyone else, but for the two of them it was natural; comfortable and intimate. Y/N snuggled up next to Mike until her head rested comfortably on his chest and he put an arm around her, pulling her as close as possible.

"Y/N?"

"Hmmm...?" she hummed sleepily, her hands coming up under her chin on his chest, looking up at him through her lashes. He looked at her, mesmerised by the gentle glow of the light emanating from the tv screen behind him, before gazing down at her lips, feeling a blush creep up on his neck. He licked his lips nervously and swallowed thickly before he could think twice about what he was going to say next.

"I like you," he admitted bluntly without any preamble, and his eyes widened slightly as soon as the words were uttered. They flew past the tip of his tongue, begging to leave him, and the truth was out there now. In the open and therefore there was no backing out. "Jesus, that made me sound like a middle schooler."

Y/N blinked several times, processing what he said, before smiling warmly and reaching up and stroking his cheek gently. Mike's eyes fluttered shut at her touch, and he leaned into her hand with a contented sigh. "I like you too," she whispered, her smile growing wider and her thumb brushing along his cheek bone tenderly.

"So, um, should we maybe..." he started awkwardly, unsure where he wanted things to go from there.

"In the morning?"

"Good idea."

They fell asleep almost immediately after saying goodnight, holding each other tightly as they slept in a dreamless slumber. A slumber that was cut short when Abby woke them up with a very loud gasp, waking the both of them up. They rubbed at their eyes with the heels of their palms and looked over at Abby who stared at them with wide eyes.

Cheeks flushing red under his sister's scrutiny, Mike burrowed his face in Y/N's shoulder, who just chuckled and curled her hand into his curly hair.

"What's the time, Abs?"

"7:23" came the reply as she pointed at the digital clock on the wall above the TV.

Mike let out a groan of annoyance and pushed his nose further into Y/N. It seemed that once he got some affection, he didn't want to let go. She didn't seem to mind though and laughed softly, shifting a bit to accommodate him.

Or was it to accommodate Abby?

Because Y/N offered, "Well, it's Sunday and there's enough space for three so wanna join, honey?" and Abby was jumping at the chance, clambering on the couch until the girl was lying entirely on top of her brother like a weighted blanket that got slightly heavier as Tater joined in too and curled up between his knees. He grunted at the unexpected cuddle pile but got used to it quickly.

"What do you want for breakfast when we get up?" Y/N asked Abby, stroking her hair away from her face as the child yawned.

"Pop Tarts?"

"I second that," Mike mumbled.

"Pop Tarts it is then," Y/N agreed with a small nod

Somehow, life had got even better.

[deliasbabe]

I'll Travel Far Beyond the Path of Reason (Take me back to Eden)- Cordelia x reader (Part 1)

You and Cordelia get into a fight and you are attacked by witch hunters. If you couldnt tell by the summary, heavy HEAVY angst.

I've been working on this for over a year and if I don't post it now I'll continue to tweak it until the end of time. Enjoy babes and I'll see you for part 2!

Words: 8.6k

Warnings: Violence, Blood, ANGST, drugging, drug & alcohol use, PTSD

How could you have been so stupid?

It had started off innocently. You had always played the good cop to your supreme’s bad cop. She dispensed the punishment, stern but always loving, and you spared the girls from it as much as possible. It had become sort of a banter between the two of you, the way you would intercept the issues before they ever reached her office door, correcting the situation so well she only ever heard about it months after the fact in hushed whispers. She would always scold you, but there was a hint of a smile only you could see, and she never was mad for long. So, when the girls called you the other night and admitted they messed up, you climbed out of bed and drove across town without a second thought, and without waking your sleeping girlfriend.

You thought it was simple, they snuck out after curfew, went to a party, and drank a bit too much. But when the cops knocked on the coven’s door two days later, your girlfriend was blindsided, and you had learned their little screw up wasn’t so little.

Grand theft auto, to be exact. Seems they had left out the part where they took some asshats car for a joyride and crashed it, but that was after he had been a little too handsy with the youngest and tried to spike her drink. You called it penance, but your girlfriend called it-

“A felony, Y/N.” She spat, “They committed a felony, and you kept it from me.”

“I didn’t know all of the information.” You argued, “All I knew was they snuck out and needed a ride.”

“You still should have told me. I’m responsible for those girls.” Cordelia fumed, “I know I let you get away with it before, but this is too far. What am I supposed to tell their parents? That their own teacher helped them leave the scene of a crime?”

“Once again, Dee,” You lamented, “I didn’t know. They kept that tidbit of information private.”

It was supposed to be date night, the one day a month you could manage to drag your workaholic girlfriend from her office and away from her responsibilities. But she was seething over her glass of red and you couldn’t seem to get a word in edgewise, so you quickly came to terms with the fact that it wasn’t going to be a pleasant evening, even if you were at one of the nicest places in town.

“You know that doesn’t matter.” She spit, “They could go to jail.”

“What would you have done if you’d known?” You asked, already knowing the answer, “If I had woken you up, what would you have done? Woken Mallory up so she could reverse time and make sure the whole thing didn’t happen? Magically move the dented pieces back into place? You couldn’t have done anything.”

“Don’t be condescending.” Cordelia growled, “You aren’t supposed to keep secrets from me, that’s not how this works. Especially when it comes to the girls. You should have said something.”

“So you could yell at them for sneaking out? So, when they did it again, they’d be too scared to call?” You asked, Cordelia shaking her head.

“They still lied to you,” She bit, “So your plan seems to have some flaws.”

“They were scared.” You argued, “They knew if they told me everything, I would’ve come to you.”

“You should have come to me regardless.” Cordelia spat, “I’m the headmistress of this academy and your supreme.”

“And I trust you with my life,” You said, “But right now you aren’t really showing your level head.”

And oh boy, if her eyes could shoot daggers, you’d be bleeding out on the floor. She scoffed, her jaw clenching and grinding as she mulled over her response. Normally, she would roll her eyes and grin at the joke, but she simply shook her head and grabbed her things, leaving the restaurant without another word.

“Delia…” You called after her, but she didn’t turn around, and your waitress was on you before you could even think to go after her, “I guess I’ll take the check.”

When you reached the parking lot, your car was gone, and you lolled your head back and let out a frustrated grunt as it started to drizzle. The symbolism wasn’t lost on you, walking across town in the rain only to come back with your tail between your legs. She was putting you through the ringer for this one, and while you couldn’t really blame her, she also wasn’t being completely fair. Not telling her the girls had snuck out was on you, one hundred percent. But you weren’t a mind reader, and you had absolutely no way of knowing the girls weren’t being truthful, you were just as surprised as she was. But still, you knew she needed someone to be angry with, now that the damage was done.

Still, an hour long walk in the now pouring rain seemed a bit excessive. The woman was blessed with the ability to transmutate but still left you stranded just to prove a point. You were lucky you had been in the city long enough to know your way around, especially at night. The choice to avoid the French Quarter added about twenty minutes to your trek, but it was the smarter option, given the string of muggings that seemed to plague the location, although the extra time didn’t help you escape your thoughts.

You and Cordelia had never fought like this. Sure, you bickered, but all it took was one well timed joke and the feeling was fleeting, replaced with poorly hidden smiles and ticklish sides. The arguments were meaningless, spurred on by minor miscommunications or the occasional poorly timed joke, never like this, if anything they were humorous. You knew Cordelia was protective, that she’d do anything for her girls, and you had grown to love her mama-bear tendencies, but she had never turned them on you.

You turned down an empty alley, a shortcut that would spit you out a few houses down from your destination, your desperation to get home overpowering your hatred of tiny, cramped, dimly lit spaces. You walked quickly, looking over your shoulder at every step, terrified that you would turn around and someone would be chasing you with an axe like the movies.

You glanced forward, a few more steps and you would be free, but as soon as you approached the exit, two men stepped into your view, and you stopped on a dime, “Going somewhere, witch?”

Witch Hunters.

Since the coven had gone public, more men were willing to join their ranks, and you turned on your heel and booked it the second they stepped in your direction. You never were a star athlete, though, and soon enough you were being pulled to the ground and restrained. You fought against it, earning a set of knuckles to the left side of your face, and you felt his ring scratch down your cheek as you tasted blood. You felt their hands everywhere, holding you down as three more blows hit, your stomach, the side of your ribs, and another to the face just for good measure. You tried to focus, but complete panic overwhelmed all your senses. You knew how to handle this. Cordelia had worked with you and trained you until you could do it in your sleep, but with the adrenaline pumping and the blood rushing through your ears you couldn’t seem to remember it at all, all you knew was that you had to get home to Cordelia to warn her, you couldn’t keep something from her again.

Somewhere in the haze you caught a flash of silver, a searing pain, and then the hands were gone. You didn’t remember pulling yourself up, but as you were dragging yourself back towards the house, you did remember having to dislodge your feet from under the dead bodies. It hurt to breathe, to stand, to move, but you mustered up what energy you could as you pulled yourself up the steps of the academy, wiping at your face as you spotted your car in the driveway, only for your hand to be covered in blood.

Your vision grew hazy as you reached for the doorknob, and you clumsily felt around till you were met with the cold, metal object, unable to trust your own eyes. You pressed your weight into the door, practically falling through and barely catching yourself on the entryway table. You spotted your lover in the kitchen, her back to you as you attempted to right yourself, “Dee…”

“I’m not talking to you.” She said shortly, shaking her head.

You lost your balance once more, falling into the wall this time. “No, Delia…” You tried again, your voice sounding strangled.

At the drop in your tone Cordelia was alarmed, shoulders squaring as she whipped her head around to meet your eyes. You didn’t think it was all that bad until you saw her expression, the way her eyes bugged out in horror, mouth gapping as she traced your form up and down, before her eyes landed on your stomach. You followed her gaze only to see a knife, and suddenly you were falling down, down, down.

You were pulsing in and out of consciousness, the world turning into a stop motion film. You saw her moving towards you, then she was on top of you, mouth forming around words and phrases you couldn’t seem to comprehend.

“What… Can you… Hold on… Stay with…”

You felt hands, first two on your face, tracing your cheekbone and calming you down. Then, you felt them everywhere, lifting you, and you fought against them with whatever strength you had left, deep laughs invading your mind as you felt those hands grip tighter and tighter. But then the rest of the hands were gone and there were those hands again, on your face and so soft, shushing you and lulling you into some limbo you didn’t know if you ever wanted to reach, running through your hair and grabbing your hand as you finally let the dark win.

“Just let it happen.”

Murmurs of familiar voices drew you into some semblance of consciousness. You couldn’t identify who was speaking, and for whatever reason, your eyelids felt like lead, unable to let even a sliver of light in.

But you could hear, the rustle of hair brushing against fabric, the tap of shoes.

“Not now.”

“You need to eat; it’s been two days.”

Then, a tone you recognized, still pleasant, but just enough bite to get the point across.

“I said not now.”

You tried to wiggle your fingers, flex your hands, show any sign of life, but there was some sort of disconnect between your body and mind, and it drove you nuts. Were you dead?

At the sound of the voice again, you wanted to reach out, to provide some comfort, but you couldn’t, and it made you want to scream. You were always claustrophobic, but this was a million times worse. You could feel your panic rising, the heat in your body constricting your lungs until you felt like you were suffocating. You heard a sound you couldn’t recognize, then the shuffling of feet.

“What’s going on?”

Then that voice, high pitched and panicked, “I don’t know.”

“Is she in pain? Do I need to get Mallory?”

That name, you knew that name, but why?

There was a pinch, then every nerve in your body was searing before going numb, the voices fading as you were desperately trying to claw your way back, losing your grip and falling into nothing once again.

When your eyes opened, the light blinded you and made your head throb, forcing you to shut them again. Slowly, you cracked one open at a time, trying to make sense of your surroundings. There were a pair of heels discarded by the bed, and the steady pounding of footsteps, one right after the other, a pause, and one right after the other again. You tried to lift your gaze up, only to be met with the glaring reflection of the sun rays in the mirror, and you shut your eyes and burrowed deeper under the covers. The footsteps stopped at the sound, stuttering against the hardwood, only to pick back up a moment later.

You cracked open one eye and looked down at the end of the bed, your girlfriend traversing the length of her bedroom, arms crossed, and a red thumbnail pinched between her teeth as she stared at the floor. You watched her for a moment, hair mused and lipstick smudged, wearing your favorite dress, and it almost brought a smile to your face, but then she turned around and you saw the dark maroon stain and everything came rushing back as your eyes snapped open.

She hadn’t changed, hadn’t washed her hands. The shoes discarded by your bed were the ones she was wearing, probably chucked to the side once the pain of the pacing had become too much to bear. You bit back tears, swallowed down the terror, and tried to speak, but your throat was dry and hoarse from the screaming. Your mouth moved over empty words, trying again and again until something finally fell out.

“You need to eat.”

Her gaze met yours, hands falling to her sides, but just as quickly as the relief had come, it was replaced by something haunted. She stepped towards you, arms reaching for you, then falling, then reaching again, until she settled on grabbing the sheets next to you, fingers fidgeting in the cotton. She met your eyes, looked away, looked back again, before choosing to stare at the headboard, “How are you feeling?”

You went with a joke, hoping to ease her discomfort, “Like I got stabbed.”

There was no laugh, no smile, not even a twitch at the corners of her mouth. You reached for her hand, rubbing your thumb along the back, but she pulled it away, smoothing out the wrinkles in her dress as she stepped back. “I’ll get you some water.”

“Delia…” You called after her, images racing through your mind of the last time she left you alone, causing your heart to bang in your chest, but she was already out the door, her feet tapping on the stairs, growing quieter with each passing second.

When she finally returned, it felt like an eternity had passed. She handed you the glass without even sparing you a glance, searching the room for a moment before she returned to your side with full hands. The glass between your lips was quickly replaced by a thermometer, a blood pressure cuff slipped up your arm and squeezing as you whined in protest.

“Shh,” She chided you, her voice absent of any of the warmth that used to feel like coming home, “Your blood pressure is still elevated.”

“You need to eat.” You said again, only for her to ignore you, so you settled for questions, anything to make her actually talk to you. “How long was I out for?”

She glanced up at you, looking perplexed for a moment before shaking her head and refocusing on the task at hand. “Four days.” She finally said, her hands reaching for the nightstand and coming back with a vial.

“Is everyone ok?” You asked, watching her draw the liquid from the vial up into a syringe.

“The girls are fine.” She answered, too focused on checking for air bubbles to even spare you a glance. Something was wrong, you felt it in your bones, but she ducked and weaved through every emotion.

“Are you ok?” You asked, reaching for her but coming up short as she stepped back.

She looked at you then, eyes hazy as she shook her head, “I’m fine.”

“You don’t seem fine.” You challenged, only for her to glare at you.

“You need rest.” She said, her eyes leaving yours once more, lifting your blanket and repositioning your leg, “You’re still healing.”

You felt tears burning behind your eyes, the fear still lingering that if you dared to sleep, you wouldn’t wake up. “I want to talk to you.” You said, trying to ignore the way your voice cracked as you grabbed her arm, halting her movements.

Her face fractured then, but only slightly, and you swore you heard her sniffle back tears. You thought you had her, but then she was reaching and prying your fingers off of her, the alcohol wipe drying your skin and burning your nostrils. “You can,” She murmured, shaking her head once more, “After you rest.”

You shook your head as she uncapped the needle, trying to wriggle out of her grasp, but within moments you were frozen in place, the needle pinching your skin and warmth quickly spreading through your veins, making your body go limp and your eyes droop. “But…” You began, fighting to keep your eyes open, your mouth moving. She shushed you, bringing her hands to your face and pressing her lips to your forehead, but you knew it was only to placate you, to give you a sliver of hope that everything was alright.

Over the next few days, you barely saw her, despite being stationed in her bedroom. The girls came and kept you company, but every time you would ask about Cordelia, they would dance around the subject, sharing glances you couldn’t quite understand and making some excuse about paperwork before changing the subject entirely. They did their best to keep your spirits up, but they knew they weren’t who you wanted, and you tried to ignore the pitiful looks they threw in your direction when they thought you couldn’t see them.

The only time you saw her was when she was administering your medication, coming up with every excuse to not be able to stay during the day. She promised you more time in the evening, only to knock you out the moment you dared to ask about anything outside of the weather.

She wasn’t sleeping, you knew this because you lived in her bed and she wasn’t in it. That, and you had spent enough time studying her face over the past week that you noticed the bags under her eyes becoming darker and darker. She had finally changed her clothes, but you didn’t know how, given that she avoided you for a majority of the day. Maybe she was grabbing them after she forced you into unconsciousness, or maybe she stockpiled them in her office. You grew to hate the sunset, the orange haze making your skin crawl at the thought of what was to come. You felt violated from being forced into submission, and as the days dragged on, you couldn’t help but feel the fear that lodged itself in your throat every time she would appear.

A week in, you broke, curled into a ball with tears streaming down your face as you begged, but she just reached for the vial once again, murmuring something about how your body needed rest, always more rest. She reached to stabilize you and you retreated, pulling your legs close to your body and pushing further and further up the bed every time she would bridge the gap, almost knocking yourself to the floor in the process.

Cordelia didn’t understand, brow pinched together as you begged, “Please, just talk to me.” She shook her head imperceptibly, eyes blank as she reached for you again, and you shrieked, launching yourself off the bed and onto the floor, “No!”

Cordelia stared at you in shock, her eyes scanning your face for some semblance of reason, but you weren’t even looking at her, eyes trained on the syringe as your face contorted in fear. She followed your line of sight, then looked back at you, her stoic expression splintering as the realization dawned on her. The syringe clattered to the floor, and you finally tore your eyes away, staring back at her with that same terrified expression as her eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry.” She choked, shaking her head as she forced herself to look away, her voice dropping to a whisper, “I can’t do this.”

You didn’t say anything as she walked out, couldn’t bring yourself to stop her, and as you sat on the floor and waited for someone to find you, you finally came to terms with your new reality, with the idea that even if you wanted it to, things would never be the same. You didn’t know how long you had been sitting there, but eventually Mallory picked you up from the floor and got you back into bed, foregoing your nightly medication. As the night drew on with no sleep in sight, you found you craved it, at least it was peaceful, unlike the war raging in your mind.

Something changed that day. The oblivion you once fought tooth and nail to stay out of had become your safe haven. By the time Mallory had visited you the next morning, you had demanded it, morning, noon, and night. You didn’t see Cordelia once in the week that followed, although with how much you were sleeping, you wouldn’t have noticed even if she had payed you a visit, although you doubted she did. Your supreme had always prided herself on her communication, but you knew her well enough to know that when it came to the hard things, it was the first to go. You didn’t know what you would say if she did decide to talk to you, didn’t know if there was anything to say.

Once they were sure you could manage to get around on your own, they let you return to your room, forcing you back into reality and removing every coping mechanism you had. You kept to yourself for the first few days, downing Benadryl like it was water and sleeping through most of the day. On the third day, you managed to stumble down for dinner, only for the seat at the head of the table to remain empty the entire time. The girls were all thrilled to see you, talking your ear off about all the things you had missed, but in your haze you could barely pay attention.

From the little you did hear, it seemed your supreme had found a way to solve your dilemma, convincing the man to change his story and drop the charges in exchange for a brand new, much nicer car. A quick and dirty fix that was so unlike her, you had to wonder what state she was in when she gave the green light. You told yourself it didn’t matter, that what was done was done, but when you went back to your room it was all you could think about, staring at the ceiling for as long as you could manage before you were reaching for the Benadryl once again.

You ran out on day four, and with it, so did your patience. You had cried and wallowed and overthought for weeks on end, an endless pit that did nothing but drag you down. You couldn’t live that way anymore, so you left your room, taking up residence in the common area and hoping the chatter would keep you grounded. You talked and laughed with the girls, but no matter how hard you tried, it all felt forced, a failed distraction from the emptiness that took up residence inside your chest. The harder you pushed, the worse it felt, and by the time dinner rolled around, you had reached some fucked-up form of acceptance, resigning to the fact that you probably wouldn’t ever feel whole again.

You saw her then, at the head of the table, talking quietly with some of the younger girls, and you forced yourself to keep your head down, pushing at your food, afraid that if she met your eyes, she would bolt again. It didn’t matter, she didn’t look in your direction once, not even when your youngest student, Lottie, called your name and asked you both to watch an incantation she had just learned, or as she called it, “A magic trick”. Despite the tightness in your chest, you couldn’t help but smile at the innocence there, the way everything was still so new to her and full of wonder. You wished you still had that, like you had when you first came to the academy, before you learned of the consequences.

Cordelia was the first to leave the table, and the tension was palpable. You could feel everyone’s eyes drift to you, only to look away without a word. You grabbed your dish and headed towards the kitchen, depositing your untouched dinner in the trash and your plate in the sink.

“Well look who’s back to the land of the living.” You heard Madison call out from behind you, turning to face her. Madison was never one to beat around the bush, and you waited for the question to cut you like a knife, “Did you and Foxxy break up?”

You ground your teeth, jaw muscles flexing and releasing as you contemplated your answer, only to be hit with a punch to the gut when you realized you didn’t have one. You thought you had accepted it, whatever it was, but your eyes were glassy against your own volition, stomach twisting into knots as you spit out, “I don’t know.”

Madison’s smirk fell, the prideful look in her eyes replaced with something you couldn’t read. She didn’t push like you expected, she just nodded, and that was all you needed for your world to crack open, any strength you had left spilling out and vanishing. You grabbed your shoes and keys, heading for the door as they called out for you, saying you couldn’t leave, you weren’t strong enough yet, you could get hurt, but you didn’t care.

You didn’t care if your stitches ripped and you bled out in the middle of nowhere. You didn’t care if you were hit by oncoming traffic and left to die by the side of the road. You didn’t care if you fell off a cliff and they had to fish your body out of the river. Everything, your entire life, your entire world, was gone. There was nothing left for you, it was taken, and you didn’t care what happened next.

You arrived at the swamp with nothing but a bottle of whiskey. Misty had taken you out there once to gather mud, told you how sometimes it was the only place she could go to clear her head, her sanctuary, and you thought it might help, but as you downed the bottle and laid on her bed, you couldn’t help but feel like you were desecrating sacred land. You didn’t know how people did this, how they just kept going and moved on no matter what horrors they faced. You laid down and stared at the stars and cursed the world for spinning, for time moving, because you hadn’t moved in weeks. No matter what you tried, you were still trapped in that alley, in that bed, and nothing could pull you out of it.

Well, something could, or someone, maybe, if they tried, but even that wasn’t a sure thing. You would be an idiot if you didn’t acknowledge that this was more than just an issue with Cordelia, that even if you did talk, even if you did work it out, it wouldn’t fix everything.

But at least you wouldn’t feel so alone.

When you walked through the doors three days later, she was talking with a student at the foot of the stairs, her head raising involuntarily at the sound and her eyes locking with yours. You looked away quickly, leaving your muddy shoes by the door and depositing your keys on the counter, and by the time you went to head up the stairs to shower, she was gone.

She didn’t come to dinner that night, nor the night after, and despite the girls knowing enough to not ask questions, you could hear the faint whispers when they thought you weren’t paying attention. Lottie, however, wasn’t privy to this social knowledge, and she told you everything. Apparently, the three days you were gone was the most time that anyone had seen the supreme in a month. She was back to her usual self, she even started teaching classes again, but the second you came back, she disappeared once more.

You booked a ticket home that night for the following week, quietly packing your things over the course of the next few days. You didn’t know what the future for you held, but you did know you wouldn’t find any closure here, and you weren’t willing to continue subjecting the girls to whatever this was. It was too much, and you couldn’t take it anymore, you needed to get out.

You did your best to avoid telling the girls, not wanting to cause yet another spectacle for them to gawk at, but they seemed to figure it out anyways, and you weren’t sure how. They asked questions about your return, you did your best to dodge them, and for a few days it worked, until the older girls cornered you two days before you were set to leave.

“When are you coming back?” Zoe asked, trying to be delicate as she rephrased the question for the 50th time.

You sighed, “I told you, I don’t know. This isn’t as big of a deal as you guys are making it out to be. I just have some things to take care of.”

“Cut the shit, bitch.” Madison sneered, rolling her eyes, “We’ve all seen the way you and our dear supreme have been skulking around. Are you coming back or not?”

You didn’t want to tell them the truth, knowing if you did then Cordelia was sure to find out about it. You didn’t know what would hurt worse, knowing you left and didn’t give her a chance to fix it, or her finding out and doing nothing. But these were your friends, and despite wanting to have control over the situation, wanting to have the chance to break your own heart, you couldn’t lie to them. “I don’t know.” You finally said, “I don’t think so.”

Madison stared at Zoe with a raised brow, the two having a seemingly silent conversation over your head, but Zoe simply nodded and smiled at you, “Ok, that’s all we needed to know.”

They helped you pack, spent every meal with you, and even slept in your room, wanting to see you as much as possible before you left. It was a little strange to you, but you didn’t necessarily mind it, especially once you realized that the more time they spent with you, the less time they had to talk to Cordelia. They planned a movie night send off for you, gathering all the girls in the living room and handing out popcorn and snacks. After the first movie, you went to the kitchen to grab a glass of water, Madison calling out for you.

“I left a twelve pack of coke in the greenhouse,” She yelled, “Can you go grab it? We’re almost out and I’m too lazy to get up.”

You rolled your eyes but complied, shaking your head as you wandered out toward the greenhouse, smiling to yourself for the first time in weeks. With the way the day had gone, it had almost made you feel guilty for leaving, almost made you change your mind, but the second you stepped through the greenhouse door, a familiar pair of eyes reminded you exactly why you were going.

When she glanced up at your smiling face you swore you saw a flash of happiness, but it was gone in a moment, replaced with that same look that had been haunting you for weeks, like you were intruding on something, but you still hadn’t figured out what. You felt your cheeks catch fire as you cleared your throat, not wanting to make this any more uncomfortable than it had to be, “Sorry, I just need to grab something, and I’ll be out of your hair.”

Cordelia nodded, eyebrows furrowing as she glanced back down, and you felt your nerves prickle beneath your skin, anger swirling in your gut at her display of confusion, like she was clueless.

Still, you didn’t want to cause a scene, didn’t need the added weight to carry with you, so you bit your tongue, heading towards the opposite side of the greenhouse once you spotted the red cardboard. You walked back towards the door with your head down, trying to leave the situation as quickly as possible, hand on the knob and pulling, only for the door to not budge, smacking your head on the glass. You stepped back, grabbing the knob and tugging again, but the door still wouldn’t move. You stood there awkwardly for a moment, not wanting to ask for help with something as simple as opening a door, but when you heard the blades of grass shuffle and the hushed whispers, you audibly groaned.

Cordelia glanced up, but only momentarily, “Is there something wrong?”

You sighed, “The door won’t open.”

You glanced back right as Cordelia looked up, her tone airy in that slight tell of annoyance, “Just open it.”

You glared back at her, “You try it then.”

She shook her head, “Just unlock it.”

“I can’t.” You huffed, crossing your arms and tapping your foot.

Cordelia sighed, “I meant…”

“I know what you meant.” You shot back, obviously annoyed. You were doing your best to keep it together, to act cordial, but it was difficult when Cordelia was treating you like a first-year student. “I can’t. My powers have been…” You explained, biting down on a sigh, “Temperamental, lately.”

That seemed to peak the supreme’s interest, her head tilting as she took a step towards you, “Temperamental as in you’re going to rip the door off its hinges?”

You huffed, choosing to stare anywhere else that wasn’t her, “Temperamental as in they don’t work.”

You didn’t think much of it when you heard her start to walk closer, knowing she wanted this conversation to be over just as badly as you did and was probably looking for a way to get you out of there. You didn’t expect to feel her cold fingertips graze your stomach, finding the hem of your shirt and tugging up as you whipped your head towards her, instantly batting her hands away. She glared at you, reaching for the hem once again with one hand, “We might not have gotten all the silver out.”

You grabbed her wrist, halting her movements, and glared back, “I seriously doubt that’s the issue.”

She sighed, pulling her wrist from your hand as she stood up straight, and you swear you saw her roll her eyes, walking towards the locked door and focusing. You could hear the lock click, but when Cordelia went to turn the knob, it wouldn’t move. She tried again, jiggling the knob in case it was stuck, but it still wouldn’t budge, so she resorted to yanking, only to hear Madison call out, “We enchanted the locks, bitch!”

Cordelia stood there for a moment, dumbfounded, before you heard her also groan, and you couldn’t help but snicker at her frustration, at realizing what you had already known. She turned briefly towards the sound, before sighing and returning to her workstation and resuming whatever she was doing.

At some point, you started pacing the length of the room, arms crossed as you waited for the girls to give up, knowing they likely were standing outside and listening to the whole thing. You didn’t know how long it went on for, but your patience was growing thin and your steps were becoming firm, stomping back and forth, back and forth.

“What are you doing?” Cordelia finally sighed, glancing up with her jaw pitched forward, another tell of annoyance.

“Contemplating murder.” You sassed, Cordelia shaking her head as she tried to focus.

“Could you stop?” She asked in that same airy tone, “You’re distracting.”

You chuckled darkly, “What are you going to do? Knock me out again?”

She rested her hands on the table, her face unimpressed and her tone painfully even, “You needed the rest.”

Another snide laugh fell from your lips as you turned on your heel, still pacing as you mumbled, “Don’t tell me what I fucking needed.”

“You were seriously injured…” Cordelia sighed, like she was scolding a child.

You whipped back towards her, eyes blazing as you bit, “I needed you.”

“I was there.” Cordelia said, shaking her head for what felt like the millionth time.

“No, you weren’t.” You shot back as the supreme sighed.

“I’m sorry if I offended you or hurt you…” She began, but you couldn’t stand to hear it.

“Don’t give me that bullshit, Cordelia.” You interjected, Cordelia throwing up her hands.

“What do you want me to say?” She asked, like you were being unreasonable.

You stood your ground, digging your heels in as you fired back, “Something that doesn’t sound like you’re reading from a script would be nice.”

“I’m not!” She yelled, throwing her head back as you resumed pacing once again, trying desperately to keep yourself in check so you wouldn’t explode.

She watched you pace, back and forth, back and forth, waiting for what she knew was coming, what she couldn’t avoid. It took you longer than she expected, a million questions pilling up on the tip of your tongue, one after the other until they all started to slide out like an avalanche.

“Are you still pissed off at me? Is that what this is?”

“No, I’m not.”

You turned on your heel, staring at her once again, your tone exasperated and snappy, “Then what the hell is it? Because you can barely stand to look at me.”

“I am looking at you.”

“No, you aren’t.” You shot back, “You haven’t for weeks, you haven’t talked to me…”

Cordelia sighed, asking again, “What do you want me to say?”

“Something.” You spit out, your volume increasing, “Anything!”

You stared at her for a moment, waiting, but she just stared back, mouth gaping like she couldn’t even begin to fathom how you both got into this situation. You turned away again, biting down on a scream of frustration and resisting the urge to bang your head against the wall until you knocked yourself out. You didn’t know if you wanted to burn the place down or burst into tears, but you could feel the pressure building in your chest, and you were terrified of the outcome. The words fell out of your mouth before you had the time to register them, “Is it because I failed?”

You could hear the confusion in her tone, “What?”

You swallowed down the tears that threatened to fall, cursing yourself as you turned to face her, “I failed. You taught me how to deal with witch hunters. We went over it time and time again, and I still couldn’t…”

She couldn’t stand the sight of your watery eyes, training her gaze on the table as she croaked out, “No, god no…”

“Then what is it?” You asked again, whatever fight you had left in you disappearing, “Because I’ve been wracking my brain for weeks now, looking for some kind of reason...”

You watched her crack, just a bit, nose twitching against the ghost of tears as she shook her head and stuttered, “It’s not your fault, none of it is your fault. It’s…”

She stopped and shook her head, bracing herself on the desk as her chest heaved. You gave her a moment, not wanting to screw anything up when you were so close to getting the answers you had been searching so desperately for, but when she didn’t move to continue, you prompted her, “It’s?”

She looked up at you then, really looked at you, with tears in her eyes, moments away from spilling over, and you stepped toward her on instinct. She looked back down, clearing her throat as she tried to right herself, “It’s not your fault, it’s mine.”

You stepped toward her again, not sure you heard her right, “What?”

“It’s my fault you got hurt.” She clarified, and you shook your head, unable to speak, but she silenced you regardless, “I took the car, I made you walk home. I wasn’t thinking clearly, and you had to pay the price.” You shook your head, still unable to find your voice, but then you heard hers, weak and broken, “And I can’t ever express to you how sorry I am for that.”

“You didn’t know…” You squeaked, “You couldn’t know…”

She shook her head, “It doesn’t matter. It’s my job to protect my girls, all my girls, and I failed. I failed to protect you.”

“You- You saved me.” You stuttered, and the supreme shook her head.

“I fixed the damage I caused.” She sneered, but you knew her tone wasn’t directed at you.

“Delia...” You tried, taking another step towards her, but she held out her hand.

“If I can’t prioritize the safety of the girls over my own emotions, I’m no better than my mother.” She spit between gritted teeth, looking away to wipe at a tear once she saw your hurt expression.

You shook your head, “You could never be your mother.”

She shook her head, but didn’t respond, so you stepped forward, closing the gap between you and reaching for her, but she pushed you away, and that’s when it hit you.

She wasn’t trying to hurt you, she wasn’t punishing you, she was punishing herself. All this time you had been flipping your brain inside out, trying to find the meaning behind every look, every blank expression. But she wasn’t looking at you in disgust, she was in pain.

But the way she was looking at you now, you knew that look, had seen it time and time again, when she wanted something but couldn’t bring herself to ask for it, so you did. “Delia? Kiss me? Please?”

The look morphed as her brows pinched together, her eyes going dim as she shook her head. You begged and pleaded, wanting nothing more than for that look to return, for her to touch you and hold you and for everything to be ok again, but she wouldn’t relent. As soon as you started pleading, she stepped back and looked away, unable to bear the sight of you.

Something finally snapped, and everything you had been pushing away for the past month came rushing in like a tidal wave. You felt it buzzing in your chest, creeping up and up and up, spreading out to your limbs and making your entire body burn. You stalked towards the door, tugging on it again and again and again, bracing your feet on the walls and putting your whole body weight behind it. You looked ridiculous, but you didn’t care, you couldn’t care.

At some point, Cordelia must have turned around, watching you struggle for a moment before she finally spoke, “It won’t open.”

“I don’t care.” You seethed, “It needs to.”

You settled for sitting on the ground, bracing yourself against a table and kicking with your feet, “You’re going to hurt yourself.”

“I. Don’t. Care.” You spat, punctuating each word with a kick. When that didn’t seem to work, you settled for throwing your entire body against the door, hoping if you couldn’t break the lock, then you could at least crack the doorframe.

“You are still healing.” Cordelia said, walking towards you and reaching, but you batted her away, “You shouldn’t be doing any strenuous activity for at least another two weeks.”

You finally stopped, your body vibrating as you stared Cordelia down, “I don’t care. I have a plane to catch tomorrow.” Her brow furrowed, and you turned back towards the door, banging on it with your fists, “I have things to do!”

“Where are you going?” Cordelia asked, arms crossing.

You turned back towards her, throwing up your hands, “Home, Cordelia. Where else would I go?”

You watched her face contort, watched the hurt flash across her eyes, and you couldn’t stand it, “Don’t look at me like that.”

Cordelia scoffed, beginning to grow defensive, “Didn’t you want me to look at you?”

“Not like that.” You bit, “You don’t get to look at me like that, like I’m hurting you. Not after what you did.”

“According to you, I didn’t do anything.” She snapped, and you knew she was baiting you now.

“Exactly. You did nothing.” You spit between gritted teeth, whipping around and punching the door as hard as you could.

“You’re bleeding.” Cordelia stated, staring at the smear of blood on the door, then glancing at your busted knuckles.

“Good.” You bit, punching the door again, and a third time for good measure.

“Stop.” She called out sternly, but you were too far gone to listen, hitting, scratching, clawing, and kicking the door repeatedly as you lost it completely, “Stop!”

“I need to get out of here.” You huffed, “I need to go home.”

Your face smacked against the door as you slammed against it with your shoulder, tasting blood as you swallowed down the tears that were forming. Memories ripped through your mind in quick succession, a blow to your face, a kick to your ribs, and then the room constricted in time with your lungs, the walls moving closer, and closer.

You started screaming at some point, you felt it, but you could barely make it out in between the gaps in your heartbeat that was pulsing in your ears. You threw yourself against the door, harder and harder as the tears flowed in lava rivers down your face. Cordelia reached for you, shushing you and grabbing the empty space as you pulled away, screaming about home, how you needed to go home, get on a plane and never come back. How she hurt you and she didn’t care, she never cared, how all of this was a mistake, how you were a mistake.

You felt her hands grab you quickly, spinning you around before you could push her away, and then her lips were on yours and she was kissing you hard, hands pushing and pulling and grabbing anywhere they could reach, leading you away from the door and bumping into anything in your path. She kissed you like she was starving, teeth clashing and biting, nails scratching and pinching and ripping, but you were the same, and now that you had her, you couldn’t let her go. You let every part of her invade your senses, her wet cheeks pressing against your own, her gritty hands and cold rings and the taste of red wine on her tongue.

You didn’t come up for air until she pushed you against the opposite wall, lungs burning and desperate for oxygen, but even as she pulled back, you leaned forward, not wanting to face whatever came next. Your chests heaved into one another as you both stared wide eyed, and in that split second of nothing it all came crashing down. You watched her, watched her watch you, felt her chest push against you and a sob tear out of her throat, and you followed right behind her, closing your eyes as you braced for her to pull away, leaving you cold and empty once again.

Instead, she rested her forehead against yours, whimpering I’m sorry, I’m so sorry and I love you over and over and over again as she pressed her mouth to yours, pushing air into your lungs and sucking it right back out, her hands on your forearms, anchoring you in place. You held onto her hair like a lifeline, your legs giving out from exhaustion and suddenly you both were falling, but she didn’t let go.

You landed on your knees and collapsed into her, her arms wrapping around you as she pulled you to her chest, her lips pressed to your forehead and fingers carding through your hair as she whispered that same mantra, over and over and over again. You didn’t know what she was doing, didn’t know if she knew what she was doing, but with every pull of her fingers it felt like your memories of the past month were being extracted one by one, racing across your vision as the tears gave way to wails of anguish, her own cries increasing in time with yours. You felt it all over again, every ounce of emotion like it was the first time, and you didn’t know how she was doing it, or why.

When it was over, you had nothing left, no tears, no voice, no screams, nothing. You looked up at Cordelia in a daze, but she just smiled sadly back at you. You tried to speak, but your brain was fried, exhaustion quickly taking over your senses. Cordelia looked down at you knowingly, her fingers running down your cheeks as she shushed you, but you shook your head, afraid that if you gave in, you would wake up alone. She shushed you once more, kissing your forehead as she whispered, “I’m not going anywhere, it’s ok.”

[topguncortez]

“ god, i’m a mess. i cried yesterday while watching an advertisement for fence paint. hormones are something else..” Jake opposite attract world, she’s pregnant with the twins?

pairing: Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x shy!female warnings: Hangman A/N: Currently working on a little write up about all the Seresin kids and making little intro one-shots to for them. I gotta work on the timeline and all that. This little Opposites Attract world is becoming bigger than I thought and I love it:)

prompts list!

It had taken Jake less than a day to come to terms that they were in fact except not one, but two more additions to the Seresin family. Him and Y/N decided to tell the kids first, Alex and Olivia were excited, but little Eli didn't quite understand what was happening. Then they told they told their parents. Both sides were shocked, and thrilled knowing that there would be more little Seresins to love. The dagger squad however. . . were relentlessly teasing Jake.

"Damn Bagman, you need to get cut."

"Poor Y/N, haven't you put her through enough."

"It's lowkey gross to know that you two are still banging."

But everyone was excited for the couple. They all knew how much Jake and Y/N Seresin loved their kids, and even though it was completely terrifying for them, they would handle it. They always figured it out.

The first trimester was always hard, but with twins, it seemed to be worse. Y/N could hardly leave her bed, Jake was terrified when he got a call from Alex one day saying that Y/N had passed out in the bathroom. He was thankful that Alex was old enough to know to call 9-1-1 and walk to the neighbors house, Mrs. Wanda, and get help. Y/N was then put on bed rest and given medication to help with the morning sickness.

As she moved into the second trimester, along came the mood swings, and they seemed to be worse than ever before. Jake thought he could handle it, he had spent over a decade having children with her, and even before that holding her and tending to her while on her period. But these twins were putting her through the wringer, and Jake was starting to doubt his cool, calm and collectedness.

"Just tell me what you want!" Jake sighed, getting annoyed.

"I don't know!" Y/N sobbed out. She had been crying for over twenty minutes. It started with tearing up at the fact that one of her plants had started to die. It was Jake's fault, he forgot to water it one day when she was still pretty sick, and it had never completely came back. Then it went to her being mad that there were no more unfrosted strawberry poptarts. Now, it was that he got her pregnant again.

"Baby, I can't fix something that I don't know is broken."

"NOTHING IS BROKEN JAKE! YOU GOT ME PREGNANT!"

"AND I SAID I WAS SORRY!"

"GO AWAY!" Y/N pushed herself up from the couch, which proved to be somewhat difficult due to her growing belly. Jake tried to reach out to help her, but she smacked his hand away. Once she got up, she waddled down the hallway to their room, and slammed the door shut.

"You pissed her off."

"Eli!" Jake scolded his three year old, "Language, mister."

"Sowwy!" Eli yelled, and took off down the hall towards his mother.

"God, if you're listening, please don't give me two more girls. I'm not sure I can handle it," Jake whispered, turning his face towards the ceiling.

Jake waited about ten minutes before walking down to their shared bedroom. He knocked on the door and opened it softly, his heart softening at the sight of his wife and his youngest son cuddled up together in bed. They were watching some dumb reality TV show, and Eli seemed more invested than Y/N. Jake walked over to the bed, and climbed in behind his wife, placing his hand on her belly.

"I'm sorry for getting mad at you," Jake said, and kissed her cheek.

"Please don't apologize, cause I'm going to cry again," Y/N said honestly, “God, i’m a mess. I cried yesterday while watching an advertisement for fence paint. Hormones are something else this time around."

"You might be a mess, but you're my mess," Jake said that stupid cheesy line with a stupid big smile on his face, "I love you, and our babies so much. I know it can't be easy, but you're doing amazing, sweetheart."

"I try," Y/N said, and looked over her shoulder at her husband, "Can you go get me nuggies?"

Jake laughed, "Grilled or regular?"

"Regular. Oh and-"

"A peach milkshake, I got it," Jake kissed her lips and crawled out of bed and headed for the door.

"I love you!"

"I love you more!"

"Not possible!"

[zerozeroren]

Are there plans for the marital status? 👀

It's not all sunshine and rainbows in SophieTony kingdom

Long-ish post incoming:

Of their very few tension points, this one is definitely the worst. Sophie does not want to be married.

It's actually a very emotionally raw place for her to be in. She's very passionate about never entering marriage, because she's never seen a successful one. Her parents' marriage ended in a messy divorce that somewhat traumatised her, and then her dad remarried, and it got even nastier. He, being the bastard he is, held the marriage over his new wife's head, in a "Oh you don't like something? Well deal with it because you're not getting away from me now!" sense. And this entrapment that both her mom and stepmom went through became one of Sophie's biggest subconscious fears. So she doesn't view marriage as a happy union of loving hearts, more like a cage where dreams go to die.

Tony, on the other hand, really wants to be married. He romantisizes it like crazy and can't wait to become a husband to a wife, so after a certain point in their relationship he started dropping "hints". Sophie tried her best to turn them into a joke, like, "ha-ha, I already tie the knot on you every Saturday night, what else do you want from me", then explained about common law and that there's no need to get married to share property or whatever and that he was already in her will (that certainly was a fun conversation), but that's not what Tony wanted in the first place so it all fell on deaf ears (also, Sophie didn't really go into much detail in regards to her family life, so Tony did not make the connection until muuuuch later). Sophie's micro-rejections hurt his feelings but didn't deter him, because he can be quire stubborn at times (always getting what you wanted does that to a person sometimes).

So for quite a while the two of them were stuck in this tug of war, him pushing, her not wanting to budge, tension rising and rising every time. Eventually it all came to an open confrontation, where Sophie finally stopped sugar-coating and dragged him through the mud for pushing her towards something she didn't want. Was he really just interested in the status not the relationship itself? Did he want her to marry him under pressure, knowing she wasn't eager to do it? Would he be happy like this?

Funnily, deep down the both of them knew that if he kept at it, she'd eventually cave, because Sophie loves him and doesn't want to lose him after all, and this would be a sacrifice she'd be willing to make for his sake, but this exact realisation finally got through to Tony and made him understand what a jerk he was being to his favourite person in the world, and that he doesn't want to manipulate or pressure her into anything. So he chose being with her on her terms, because he was already happiest he's ever been with Sophie without a marriage certificate.

Safe to say Sophie got a lot of apologies.

(and they eventually did get married when they were 30-something and Sophie worked through a ton of her own issues with Tony by her side through thick and thin)

[navarice]

my dearest fellow mdzs stans, i really don't want to spoil anyone's fun but sometimes some things must be said. please do NOT mistake fanon characteristics for canon characteristics because by GOD is it frustrating to dissect a character when all anyone wants to do is blindly turn away from the very vivid and metastasizing flaws.

jiang cheng is an extremely complicated character, and that's why we love him. but by god, he is a jealous, self-victimizing asshole with a massive inferiority complex who likes to torture (probably) innocent look-a-likes of his (as far as he knew) dead adjacent family member. jesus christ this isn't some simple case of miscommunication (well it is but, you know no amount of communication will ever mend the giant chasm that developed between them. especially not with asians raised within the most classical case of asian parenting, i mean come on now) but a matter of deep and intense self-loathing developed since early childhood projecting violently outwards. let me be clear. he hates wei wuxian. he loathes him. he wants to kill him with his own hands again and again so some part of his convoluted sense of justice and superiority will be fulfilled. he's a classist, a bully, and abusive to everyone around him. ong at the end of mdzs, i was nearly crying tears of joy when jin guangyao flayed him flat on his ass bc that man needed to hear it. he needed to feel it. he needed to stop blaming others and blame himself.

and!! he's homophobic!! the entire cultivation world is, yes, but he's the only one we see give wei ying and lan zhan active shit for it!!

point is...his complexity makes him interesting. as a child, he was pretty alright tbh. he was understandably upset when three of his dogs got taken away and he saw his dad give a completely random kid such a gentle hug when jiang cheng never received one so far. he was a kid, and it was sad and helped the readers get a glimpse at the already dysfunctional family dynamics before wei ying came into the picture. as an adolescent/teen, yes he had a lot of unresolved rage and inferiority issues building up when he was constantly being compared to wei wuxian by his mother and not given enough reassurance from his father (once again, all present before wei ying...everyone just likes to dump the shit on him bc it's easier to point fingers at others than at yourself). perhaps he could have turned out differently if literally either of his parents stepped up and took accountability. however, after the burning of lotus pier? after the golden core transfer? after wei ying stuck around as his subordinate just as he promised, and protected jiang cheng like he promised, and defected just to save the yunmeng clan's reputation so jiang cheng doesn't have to put up with the other clan's shit, still continuing to keep his promise? after wei ying's death? idk abt y'all, but all bets are off bro.

mxtx makes it a point to make him so irredeemable. he's an exploration of what can go wrong if you let your traumas, self-hatred, and revenge fantasies blind you. he has the worst traits of his parents for a reason, directly contrasting with the other sibling, who is a perfect picture of eldest daughters born into a dysfunctional family. jiang yanli has the best traits of her parents (in terms of compassion and standing up for her family), but the family dynamics also made her the way she was. the responsible, the mediator, the occasional mother, stepping in where madam yu cannot.

there's just so much potential to hold him accountable buried under the pretense of misunderstandings and kinnie moments. he just had so many chances, more than any other character, to make a different choice. to actually look past his misgivings and unlearn the bad habits he used to protect himself as a child. i'm not saying he has to magically heal from all his traumas, but at the very least know not to be like his parents. but he wasn't written that way. because that is what happens when you give into your insecurities and generational trauma.

bottom line: jiang cheng is a fantastic archetype that needs to be explored in all his authenticity, including his moments of loyalty and cruelty.

[mrswolffs-blog]

Didn’t Know: Jimmy Uso x Black!Reader

TW: Mention of miscarriages, please note that I don't hate Trinity❤️

Being the ex-wife and mother to the twins of Jimmy Uso, otherwise known as Jonathan Fatu, has never been easy. Y/n and Jonathan met during their time in High School and dated until they were 22 years old when they found out that they were expecting, they got married in a courtroom per her request which made Jon's family hate her even more since they had already thought she wasn't right for him. They ended up staying married for five more years before Jonathan met Trinity through his mom and aunts, and he officially started dating in secret with his family knowing yet no one told Y/n as they wanted her to be hurt if she was to catch them. A few months went by until Y/n caught them in their matrimonial home committing adultery. That was officially the end of their marriage after it was explained that his family was the one who set them up to date and he fell in love with her.

Today is yet another birthday for the twins and so Y/n had to deal with being around her toxic ex-in-laws. The party had already started and everyone had now gathered around to watch the kids blow out their candles and cut their cakes. Once that was done, both parents stood behind their kids for a group picture that obviously no one wanted copies of and so only Y/n was given one. The party continued on as the kids and their cousins went playing, eating while others were busy petting the animals from the petting zoo. A bit of an argument was going on as Y/n sat at the table with all the other adults, yet she paid it no mind and continued to listen to the music coming from her AirPods.

The mumbling which was actually yelling continued for a few more minutes until it suddenly went quiet after someone seemed to have mentioned something horrific about her; causing Y/n to look up to find all eyes on her, the one pair sticking out the most was her ex-husband's who looked at her with tears in his eyes as he walked slowly towards her. "Get up" Jonathon calmly ordered her, as he pulled her away from the crowd and into the house upstairs into a private room. "Jon what's wrong? You're scaring me" Y/n tried finding out the problem but was met with silence as Jon sat down on the bed and began to cry. "What happened while I was in the road?" he asked finally breaking the silence. "Do you want the truth?" Y/n asked softly in which Jon nodded for her to continue.

"While you were gone, your family never helped me. I was left on my own to study, work, take care of the house and the kids. They never visited me unless it was to get something and when they did show up, they'd abuse me verbally, mentally and physically yet I said nothing as I wanted to keep the peace with your family. I struggled a lot but made it work though many of the times, I was on the verge of giving up. Then came the disappointment of having eight different miscarriages while you were away. Throughout the years of you being on the road while we were married, you'd come home and we'd get down, I managed to get pregnant eight times but ended up losing them all before I got the chance to tell you, with two of them being the result of your mom and aunts ganging me because they didn't want me to go full term. The kids knew, your mom, wife and aunts know because they found me in pain a couple of times, but no one else has ever been aware. I screamed and wailed in pain while in the hospital, begging for them to call you but they'd just hit me in the pelvic area making it worse. I didn't say anything because they threatened me not to" Y/n explained to her now ex-husband who was not only silently crying but was also infuriated as his palms were now fists.

Jonathon said nothing as he got up and made his way towards his bag on the chair in the living room, taking out a file and walking straight into the backyard towards his family. "Jadian, Jayla? Let's go." he called out to his kids before turning to his wife Trinity. "Please note that since I've given you this envelope, we are now completely divorced, due to our marriage being void from me not signing my previous divorce papers; it means that I am still married to Y/n and as for my so-called mom and aunts, don't expect to see me, my kids or y/n at any future family gatherings as what you've done is completely unforgivable and I will not tolerate such evil." he spat at them with venom before hugging his brothers and cousins, taking his kids and heading to the car to settle them in.

Jonathan then made his way back into the house, going up to the room he left his wife in to find her crying to herself. "Hey mamas whatchu crying for?" he asked as he brought her into a hug. "I just feel like I failed everyone. I couldn't keep my family together, I was only able to give birth once during my pregnancies and so I couldn't give you the big family that you desired" Y/n cried into his shirt, frustrated with herself. "Y/n I want you to listen to me, you did not fail anyone, our family was never apart cause even though I was with her my heart was and still is with you. It was my fault for listening to my family and breaking us like that, but I promise you it won't happen again. We'll leave here and go back to Tampa where I bought us a new home and we'll never see them again." he comforted her as they made their way to the car, where they drove off to their new chapter leaving all the negative behind.

[theficplug]

Nights Like This.

Carmen Berzatto x Black Reader

Summary : A fluffy little look into Carmy helping his fiancee after a girls night out.

Warnings: 18 + as always, no actual smut just slightly sexy moments-loads of fluff though.

unedited. sorry, i know i'm still rusty lol, i hope you like it still.

(watch The Bear , it's so good and Jeremy Allen White / Ebon Moss-Bachrach always eat up all their roles.)

“I want you to have fun tonight. Call me when you’re ready for me to pick you up baby. You got your pepper spray? Did you charge your phone? ” Carmy anxiously asks against your lips with a final kiss.

“Baby, My phone is fully charged. I’ve got the pepper spray and the lipstick knife that you got me last weekend. It’s okay, I’m okay. What are you gonna do tonight?” You ask, nuzzling his nose and he shrugs.

He then leans his head for a moment like he's weighing his options. 

Ever the old man. If you knew your man well enough, you knew that he'd probably be at home with a wine older than both of his parents and he'll be yelling at Beat Bobby Flay. Or something along those lines.

“Probably watch Iron Chef or some shit until I nod off. Richie wanted me to come over for some football game, but he knows I don’t watch sports like that. I only ever really watched it with Mike- Go go go, they’re waiting for you. Say hey for me and call me when you’re ready. No Ubers or Lyft or whatever the fuck it’s called. I’ll come scoop you up.” He insists again and with that you’re giving him one final kiss before you’re being pulled away by your girls. 

He didn’t trust Ubers or any of that stuff late at night and always insisted on taking you to and from your night outs with your girls. No matter how tired he was from being at work all day. 

The night was beyond fun because you hadn't seen your girls in forever and of course you were going to celebrate Davena's birthday on Throwback Night at your favourite place. The lot of you settled on going as Destiny's Child.

Hours later when your feet were aching and the room felt like it was moving like a Tilt-A-Whirl and all the uncles had came out two stepping towards you and your friends. You knew that it was time for Kelly Rowland to head out and home to her man. 

You pulled out your phone to call your fiance. And the press of a button he was outside waiting for you and your friends within the next 15 minutes. 

“Heeeyyy Carmy. I'm gonna get Luke to come around tomorrow to take a look at that stove. It might be time to do a replacement.” Davena says entering the car

"Hey, okay, yeah. It hadn't been changed since like '03 anyways so it's time. It's the one that Michael loved, and it was like the only stove he cooked on 'cause when the place first opened he was broke as fuck and couldn't afford more. But I'm tired of that shit nearly catching on fire every time Syd turns it on." he answers and earns a chuckle from her.

“How you doing Carmy? You still trying to learn how to make gumbo? I told you that an Italian boy from the Chi don't know nothing about that. You need to get my grandma up in your kitchen, but she's never giving that family recipe up." Naomi teases as she sits back in her seat.

"No doubt, No doubt. I wouldn't even dare ask Ms. Monroe about that. I learned my lesson from the peach cobbler." he says and they both laugh for a moment thinking about her grandma asked Carmy to buy a peach cobbler from the store to bring to the cookout instead of making one because she didn't believe that he was actually a chef.

They always joked and chatted like this back and forth like brother and sisters and you were grateful that they got along like family because they hated your long term boyfriend before Carmy with a passion.

In all fairness , his family and friends watched you like a hawk as well until they realized that you were damn near perfect for him. You were Carmy's first serious relationship so you understand their caution and concern.

It took one time for them to sse the way that you and Carmen interacted and they just knew that you two were meant to be.

“Boy, you should’ve seen how she busted her ass coming outside to you. Talking about my mans outside.” Naomi jokes as she pretends to fall over in her seat.

They all talk at once slightly slurring their words as they enter the car with you .

You, took the passenger seat while they piled into the back still laughing at you holding onto Robin so that you didn’t completely fall down. 

“See, I wasn’t going to say nothing about you throwing ass on Mr. Leprechaun but- sis next time I’m going to need you to turn around and see that it’s not us.” you reply to Naomi before she shakes her head in disgust. 

“His , ‘where’s me gold’ looking ass almost gave me a damn heart attack. Y’all wrong for that one.” she says throwing a peanut from her bra at the back of your head. 

"We got him out of there when we realized , didn't we?" Robin says still laughing and wiping at her smeared corner of her eyeliner.

Carmy smiles sleepily at you while stopped at the red light and lean over for a kiss. He sucked on your bottom lip for a moment tasting the remnants of the sugary drinks and peanuts from the bar when you leaned back to hiccup.

“The girls wanted to stay over tonight and go home in the morning?” you question and he nods, tapping his tattooed fingers on the steering wheel to the music with the other resting on your inner thigh. 

“That’s fine. We’ve got the pull out and then someone can take the air mattress that’s still up from the last time Tiff put Richie out. So it all works out.” he answers and you turn up the radio as Davena starts singing along to the song. 

You know that it’s a successful girls night out when you, Davena, Robin , and Naomi are in the car singing along loudly and off tune to Keyshia Cole after countless fruity colorful drinks that snuck up on you way too quickly. 

“LOOOOOVEEE. NEVER KNEW WHAT I WAS MISSING, BUT I KNEW ONCE WE START KISSING-” all 3 of you sing as you point at Carmy and he just laughs sleepily while shaking his head at y’all putting on a full concert in his small car. 

“Love you though.” You whisper to him as he nods and gives your thigh a small squeeze.

The car ride ended quicker than expected as the 5 of you made it to your shared apartment with Carmy and he immediately began to set things out for them.

You not only loved how he has been a gentleman to you for the past 4 years of you two being together but also the way he treated the women in your life. He was always polite, loving, and kind to your mother sister and friends. 

He found multiple blankets in the storage closet with pillows and laid them out before sluggishly turning towards the group with your purse and heels in his hands. 

“There’s blankets on the couch. I made lasagna earlier. You are more than welcome to it. Just please keep it down for me. I have an early morning, thank you. Goodnight crew." Carmy says quietly to the group before heading off to the bedroom. 

“OKAY, LASAGNA.”

“They really could not cook at that place because everything they offered was either cold or cooked too hard.” 

“ We love you Carmiiiinnnee” they call out to him.

 “Right back at you.” he responds quickly before finally making it to the bedroom and sliding off his shirt. He sits on the bed and watch as you wobble and scurry around the room. 

You grab clothes for your girls to change into before making your way into the bedroom after Carmy.

He smiles at you for a moment getting wrapped up in watching you before stretching and moving to the bathroom to find your cleanser.

Your heart melts when you notice Carmen was prepared for you to return home. He had a cold bottle of water set out for you, meds, a night gown, peppermints, and your makeup remover wipes. This man is truly one in a billion let alone one in a million. 

“Come to the bathroom so that I can help you.” he calls out to you while looking through the cabinet to find your cleanser. 

“I also have your robe right here if you don’t feel like wearing anything tonight. I mean- I’m not complaining if you don’t want to.” he states half jokingly as he stoops down once you reach the bathroom to rub your aching foot a little before switching to the other one. 

He moves back up to slowly making his way up your legs as his hands find the button to your mini skirt  and you shimmy it down your legs along with your panties.

You notice how his eyes are following the curves of your body as if he’s seeing it for the first time.

You don’t miss the way that his fingertips ghost up from the bottom of your stomach and up your sides to slide off your top and then to unstick your boob tape. 

You hiss for a second and he gives you a small chuckle and faint pout. 

“Aww baby, I’m sorry. I had no other way to get it off. Let me kiss it better?” he asks in faux concern.

He just wanted to take the moment to get his lips on you. 

The mix of the way he’s eyeing your breasts and putting his pouty pink lips all over your glistening bronze skin has got you on go.

His tongue briefly swirling over the now hardened little dark brown bud while your hand makes their way to the back of his head, flushed against the soft waves to steady yourself. 

You moan softly and wobble over slightly,  leaning over and putting all of your weight onto him tiredly. 

Carmy laughs for a moment before remembering what he was initially supposed to be doing in the first place. 

You let him sit you on the bathroom counter and watch him leave and re-enter with the water and meds. 

“I know you're sleepy but you’re going to have to let me get this off of you because if I don’t get this makeup off of you and put your bonnet on for tonight. A very happy drunk you will turn into a very upset hungover you in the morning. I’ve got to be at the restaurant early tomorrow. I don’t want you crying into my chest telling me about how much your head hurts. Then they’re gonna be on my ass for missing the meeting ‘cause you know I can’t leave you like that. You know Syd is the only one I trust with the place but they don't listen to her. Drink your water and then close your eyes so I can take your lashes off." Carmy says finally while putting the cold bottle of water to your lips. 

“Wish Syd would've gone out with us tonight... Hmm, Yes, Chef. Love it when you take care of me. Always take good care of me". You purr teasingly while running your fingertips up and down his bare belly and then down to the inside of his boxers and sweats, sending slight shivers up his spine. 

“Stop that shit. Ferma quella merda (stop that shit). ” He repeats half heartedly, swatting your hands away and stepping back slightly to keep you from palming him. 

You could tell that your antics were getting to him while he tried to focus on washing your makeup away because his breathing quickened and his heart began to beat a mile a minute. 

“You don’t want it?” You ask slightly, separating your legs for a moment and he looks down, contemplating while licking over his bottom lip. 

He brings one hand over your thighs giving the thick soft skin a squeeze before dragging his hand between your legs letting his fingertips dip into you slightly.

You instantly scoot up against his hand, thighs locking around it like a vice.

Carmen lets out a long drawn out sigh at how wet you are while shaking his head. 

You place your hand over his before working your hips against it and yours finds its way inside of his boxers to palm him again. 

"What's got you dripping like this already, pretty?" he asks quietly taking his time his fingers exploring and moving without haste inside of you.

Carmy removes his hand and licks his fingers clean before taking your hand out of his boxers with a soft groan. 

“I know. I know.” he coos to soothe your protesting . You look at him with a frowned expression and it takes everything in him not to laugh at you sitting on the bathroom counter stark naked, mostly drunk, and pouting at him like he had just offended you. 

He ignored you staring daggers into him as he put the minty toothpaste onto your toothbrush. 

“If you start some shit- you know that i’m not going to be able to finish it. Not with you like this. Come on, I have to be up at 4 tomorrow. Stop pouting and gimme kiss.” He asks with his lips puckered out and you take the opportunity to lean up and kiss him until he’s moaning softly against your lips, then kiss all over his face. 

“Thank you baby. Open- ahh.” He instructs and helps you brush your teeth  gently before that post-alcohol breath starts to hit different. 

"I promise. Tomorrow after work, I won't even make dinner because I already know what i'll be eating all night. Deal?" he offers feeling bad that you're now trying to give him the puppy dog eyes.

Carmen couldn’t help but to laugh at your antics because if sober you knew that you were being all sappy and affectionate she would go through the floor. 

"Deal. Wanna taste you too though." you finally respond.

You were eyeing him and taking in his mousy brown hair and his slightly tired eyes and puffy kissed bitten lips. He looked so beautiful like this.

A moment where he isn't stressing about 9,000 other things. 

“Gonna marry you and have all your babies. You know that? If we have a boy. We have to name him Michael. ” you say to him , half awake at this point. 

He knows that you’re tired and drunkenly saying what’s on your mind but the fact that you wanted to name your son after his brother made his heart feel like it was going to leap through his chest.

He knows that Michael would’ve loved you. Carmen's sister and his entire family adored you already as if you were their own. 

You were the reason why he began to rebuild and repair the relationship between them that was strained long before the grief. 

He knew the moment that you walked into the restaurant with all of your color samples and designs for the remodel that you were going to be it for him.

Call it fate, divine timing, luck, or whatever else. You two got on from the moment he sat down across from you in the booth. 

By the end you two had long forgotten that the purpose of the meeting was to talk about interior design and renovations. You were too busy telling him that he hadn’t lived until he tried Ethiopian spaghetti.

You two didn’t stop talking until well after the restaurant had closed and everyone had gone home. But, not before Richie yelled “wrap it before you tap it, cousin” from outside of the restaurant window and you both turned to flip him off. 

You two were friends for a long while and it took everything to convince each other that it wouldn’t end in disaster before you both just gave in to the inevitable of falling in love. 

Even as the restaurant's changes came to an end. The bond you two had forged so quickly within those months was just getting started.

“Gonna make me a husband and a daddy? How did I get so lucky, hmm ?” he asks, leaning down to nuzzle your nose and your neck. 

After brushing your teeth and completely taking off your makeup Carmy places a final kiss to your forehead and lips.

 “Let me see you, my pretty baby.” he coos , holding your face in his hands.

“You always take good care of me baby. Love you so much.” you mumble half asleep as he slides the silk gown from the counter onto you. 

You place your head against his chest to hear his heartbeat. 

“‘That’s what I’m supposed to do because I love you too. Always gonna take care of you. Come on, let’s get you to bed, pretty.” he responds, sliding the bonnet onto your head and tucking it up so that it doesn’t irritate your ears.

He had finally got you into bed and spooned comfortably in his arms.

It took him all of 10 minutes of humming and letting you trace his tattoos for you to fall asleep, snoring softly.

He didn't bother even bother to turn on the t.v. because he already knew that he'd be following shortly.

Both of you grateful that you get to be husband and wife officially in 4 months time. 

[starry-blue-echoes]

Thoughts on Jonathan and George's relationship:

Honestly, George always meant the best for Jonathan. Even when he was harsh he was trying to push Jonathan to be better as best he could, and he took a knife for Jonathan in the end- but still, it wasn't great for Jonathan.

But on the other hand, the dude was not equipped to handle this alone I think. With Mary's sudden and unexpected death, especially with my headcannon that the Joestar Family Neurodivergence came from her side, with the total lack of knowledge on that kind of thing in that era, he would have been hard-pressed to do better.

Then add in Dio, and hoo boy. He's not equipped to handle being a good parent with regards to Dio's trauma either, especially when he doesn't even know it exists, but he can't not take in Dio either, given the alternatives are Not Great and his own kind heart.

And Jonathan's feelings are... complicated. There's frustration at never quite seeming good enough, at the favoritism towards Dio, but also, he still loves George, still misses him after he dies. And for a long time, he probably internalizes a lot of it, thinking it was somehow him and not George.

It takes a long time for him to come to terms with the fact that even if George couldn't really have done much better, that doesn't affect the fact that Jonathan still deserved better. And I don't think he really internalizes that until he's raising George II and thinks about what George did with him from that perspective. (Though at the same time, he can see how, if he didn't have the knowledge he does about how his brain works differently from lived experience... he can see why George did what he did, even if it was dead wrong.)

Honestly I think the whole Jonaeriwagon trio might end up sort of reparenting themselves as they raise kids together- Jonathan realizing that he deserved better than what George did, even if George was doing as best he knew how, now Jonathan knows better, and can treat both his kid and his own inner child with that new knowledge and kindness. Speedwagon makes sure the kids have everything they want or need, spoiling them with gifts and love while also confronting how the scarcity he grew up under affected him, and starting to learn to treat himself now that he has the resources. And Erina, more headcannony, but empowering the kids to have more control and agency over their lives than she had, being dragged around continents with her dad, and that inner core of steel starting to become something she's more comfortable showing and working with as she teaches the kids to do the same.

I couldn't have worded it better myself and also I'm losing my mind (/pos) over these beautiful Jonaeriwagon headcanons because Y E S

the way I've always been thinking of George is sort of a "You Tried Your Best But It Was What You Thought Was Best." I don't doubt he loved Jonathan and Dio, but what he saw as helping them ultimately did cause a lot of harm

but also now I'm rotating so many soft things as they raise George II together-

Jonathan indulging George's interests, reading up on them so they have things to talk about, listening to him as much as he can to his son never feels unheard or shoved to the sidelines or like nobody believes him

Speedwagon always making sure George has what he needs but also teaching him how to value and safe guard what he has, giving him tips on the ins and outs of the seedier parts of the world in case he ever gets in a rough spot so he won't be caught off guard

Erina making sure it's absolutely clear that no matter what happens, no matter what embarassing or terrifying thing could be done to him, they will always love and respect him and that he could come to them for help, how he always can say no and fight back if he feels it's approprate

[lunar-years]

Okay so usually I don’t send asks, but this is the week for having thoughts about Jamie’s mom and I am having a lot of them. I always got an estranged vibe from the way he talks about her, mostly from 1x06 (“I don’t think she would be, lately”) but also a bit from the way he describes the second Amsterdam trip. While they’re obviously very close, I think their relationship would inherently be kind of complicated: either Georgie 1) knew Jamie was being abused and didn’t/couldn’t do anything to stop it; 2) didn’t know and Jamie spent several years keeping a pretty massive secret — though it's something they’re able to talk about openly in 3x11; or 3) some combination of 1) and 2).

My headcanon is that they were very close when Jamie was a kid but that things became much tenser between them once James came back into the picture. Given that Jamie’s character arc is essentially him going from the kind of person that his father wanted him to be to the kind of person that his mother wanted him to be, and that his father has apparently done some things that he’s grateful for (based on the “thank you” part of “fuck you” and “thank you”), I can picture Jamie, maybe some time in his late teens, siding with James over Georgie at a time when she might have been coming to terms with and moving on from James’ influence in her life in the way Jamie is in 3x11. This is a bit more speculative, but this is also when I imagine her and Simon getting together — he and Jamie seem to get along well enough, but they don’t necessarily seem close (Simon gets a handshake instead of a hug, for instance), and Jamie only ever brings up his mom and his dad when he talks about his childhood, so I don't think he had any part in raising Jamie.

Anyway, love your writing! :) 

I love sooo much of this anon, it's like an echo of my own thoughts! :) I'm extremely glad we got to meet Georgie. I rewatched the episode tonight and gosh it's such an excellent one, she is excellent. Their talk was amazing.

Anyway, sorry this is so long, but you're certainly correct that it's thinking about Jamie's mum week. Here is my personal interpretation of their relationship after a day of contemplating it:

For your first paragraph on the extent she knew about Jamie being abused, my gut instinct is leaning towards option #3. Surprisingly I'm still headcannoning a lot of the backstory I wrote for them (prior to this ep) in one of my fics that featured a lot of Jamie's mum. Basically, I agree they were very close when Jamie was young, but James Tartt Sr.'s return created some new chasms and distance between them that lingered for years from Jamie's teenage years onward. I also think there's still some hints that point towards potential instability with James trying to win back Georgie and possibly being successful, i.e., Jamie's parents being on and off for a while, causing additional tension and underlying strife. Like, I really do feel there were a few very bad, formative years in there for Jamie.

Also it's highly likely Georgie was herself a victim of James' abuse. So I think, in a sense she did know there was probability his behavior was extending to their son, too. But I don't think she would have known the full extent of it (I don't believe, for example, a teenage Jamie would have come home from Amsterdam and told her what happened there. Maybe she didn't know how physically abusive James Sr. was to Jamie, either).

Him and his mum were still close in a sense, but it was strained closeness because there were so many festering secrets between them. It can be really difficult to pull out of an abusive situation even when a child is involved, so of course there's the chance that Georgie did know everything and simply couldn't get her and Jamie out of it. I have a lot of grace for that, but personally, I didn't get that sense from them. I think there would be more strain still between them in the current timeline if that were true. Instead, I think keeping secrets -- perhaps even knowing the other was keeping secrets, but pretending otherwise and never asking as a barrier for self-preservation -- protected their relationship in a way and has allowed them to get back to where they are now.

Like, when Jamie was first at Richmond and being a prick, I think there may actually have been genuine distance between them (I view the bonfire scene in the same way as you). In attempting to be the person his father wanted him to be, we know canon Jamie believes he forgot about making his mum proud. I imagine he distanced himself from her deliberately during that time especially because there was a part of him embarrassed or ashamed by who he had become, knowing he wasn't the best version of himself that she would want him to be.

I'm kind of liking the idea that they've only regained the very close relationship we saw onscreen since around the time of Jamie's second time at Man City onwards, and that it was only after Jamie started talking to a therapist that he was able to finally open up to his mum about his dad and the truth of everything that went down between them. They're extremely close again now, like they were when he was young, and he's finally at a place again where he can tell her everything, even what happened at Wembley...all of it.

For what it's worth, I interpreted the "thank you" part of Jamie's thank you/fuck you (imagined) speech to his father as less that Tartt Sr. has done specific things Jamie is grateful for, but more so that his father's general existence made him the person he is, and he is finally at peace with that. Thank you for giving me every reason to be a better man than you, sort of thing.

As for Simon, I agree completely. I'll echo the thoughts I read in a post I reblogged yesterday: Georgie waited until Jamie was stable and moved out of the house before getting serious with and settling down with him. To me Jamie not having a father figure in his life at all until James Tartt Sr. came back into the picture is an extremely pivotal part of his character, so it's engrained in me that it was just him and his mum for most of his childhood. I did not at all get Stepdad vibes in the sense that Simon had any part in raising Jamie. However, I do think it's nice they seem to get on well and that they have their own sort of bond now.

(Obviously this is all fully speculative, but that is what I have come up with, and it explains all the various ways Jamie has spoken about and interacted with his family in canon in the way that currently makes the most sense to me.)

[larcenywrites]

HCS with young tony absolutely nervous with the first date with his soon-to-be girlfriend and asking his parents for some advice, they're all proud of their son being in love, and then tony introduce them to the reader? We need more family tony content

If you still take requests for hcs, of course :)

AAAAAH super cute 😍 Young Tong especially deserves more family stuff 🥲 and cute dates :) so I kinda got carried away

Warnings: mostly she/her pronouns/terms used for reader | cute!

Nervous First Dates

💠Tony isn’t a nervous person.

💠Okay, he is a nervous person, but no one’s supposed to know that, least of all you

💠You’ve more than likely already had plenty of encounters and hangouts, and while it’s not exactly abnormal for him to get with (or hookup with) whoever’s been able to entertain him for longer than a day or two, this is probably the first time he’s ever been so nervous

💠He’s usually so confident! He knows what he wants and when he wants it! And all he ever has to do is outright say it with that cocky grin and a tone just provocative enough to keep them on their toes, and he can get whatever he’s after

💠But somehow this is different. Maybe he let it go on for a little too long before deciding to actually do anything. He let you bite back too many times, and let you make up for it with a playful smile that shyly turned away. He let you tag along without even asking, and spilled far too many secrets. He got used to you being there- and he didn’t even have to peacock around to do it!

💠He also finds himself wishing you were around more often. He's never felt so lonely in bed at night! Or, for once, wishing he had someone to talk to while he's up late at night tinkering with something. Sometimes he does something that he knows you would have laughed at- god, he's down real bad, huh?

💠Yeah, yeah, he knows. He has a crush or whatever 😒 He doesn't need to be told. He could feel the unfamiliar heat in his cheeks when he mentioned your next outing should be somewhere nice, like uh, ahem, like a date. He still kept up that usual confident demeanor, but you knew him well enough by now to see through it (not to mention the very obvious blush on his face)

💠His mom already knew what was up tbh. Every time he came home, he had something to say about what he did today, but it wasn’t as much about the very mundane thing he did as it was about the fact that he did it with you ;)

💠So when he comes home, earlier than normal one night, and is stuttering to answer his mom's usual question, she's more than a little worried

💠"Uh- I asked her out and," he starts, getting pitiful. "I don't know what to do."

💠"Don't you... always go on dates?" His mom knows he's, ya know, rather promiscuous, but that's beside the point! Tony knows what he's doing, surely??

💠"Yeah, but- this one's different!" He’s kinda cornered himself here because he's done lots of mostly fancy dates and "dates" that were really just, uh... in bed, so nothing really feels good enough for you. Sure, you probably won't care or even know the difference, but he knows, and he wants it to be special >:(

💠"Since when do you have trouble talking to girls?" His father's sarcasm chimes in from the hall.

"Oh, don’t listen to him," his mom brushes it off for him, trying to wipe that frown from his face. "He pretends like he wasn't nervous on our first date, too." Tony doesn't really want to hear about that, but he smiles anyway.

"Honestly, Tony, it sounds like she'll enjoy anything."

"What, 'just be myself'?"

"Haven't you already been doing that?"

💠He stares at her as if she just told him some world-changing secret. He has just been himself! And the setting didn't seem to matter-- you flirted back all the same! But while that does make him feel better, it still doesn't help his current predicament. "Okay, but where do I take us?"

💠His mom sighs, but is willing to try and help him out 😌 But idea by idea, no is starting to sound like a word that doesn't even exist. His mom sighs again, a little less willing to help him out. She's glad and all that he's finally trying to put effort into love, but he still has to actually do something. “What’s her favorite colors?” She asks suddenly. Now Tony’s even more confused. Favorite color- What? Why? Uh,,, He’s pretty sure he could guess from the clothes you wear and the color of the pen you always choose over the others when you sneakily draw smiley faces on the corner of his papers during lecture.

💠"What if you made a little bouquet with some of the flowers in the garden," she suggests. While it's a great start, and would be pretty romantic of him,,, well, it would kinda set the scene for something pretty romantic, too, huh 🤔

💠Well, he has a few days to decide, and he still has to act Cool and Normal around you! You likely share a class or campus, live nearby, or maybe even frequent the same areas, soooo he can't just hide away and prepare. Your smile is a little different, and you seem to lean in a little more when he makes you laugh. Normally he's the one that has them all flustered, but this time he's the one that's hot and bothered! If he's already like this, how is he supposed to survive an actual date??

💠Well, now it's the morning of, so he better learn quick. And he also better learn quick how to arrange flowers 🤧

💠But he did a pretty decent job, if he does say so himself! Little ribbons and all :)

💠He's probably bugging the hell out of his mom. What should I wear? Does this look okay? Help me roll up this sleeve :( Wait- I think I want them down, actually...

💠He's never overthought every little thing like this. Is he just being silly? Probably, but cut him some slack. He's never really felt like this!

💠He's praying no one else opens the door but you. He's not ready to meet any family or anything! He's already stressed as hell!

💠He's relieved when it is you that opens it, and can't really think of anything to say other than "hi". Come on, he's cooler than this!

💠But you can probably only giggle and say hi back, and immediately notice the flowers in his hand. Which he looks at for a second as if he forgot 😅

💠"I, um- I made this. With some of the flowers in our garden." Wow, he sounds so fucking nerdy rn. "So it's probably not the prettiest," he jokes half-heartedly to try and save himself (when he doesn't need any saving). Tony just doesn't realize how cute he really is tbh. You're already close enough and both obviously into one another, so don't be shy to give him a kiss on the cheek to show your gratitude ;) If you do, it'll definitely shut him up and keep a smile on his face the rest of the night, but it won't exactly quell any of that nervousness 😥

💠Don't worry! The car ride will feel a little more comfy and be like normal!

💠He probably did decide on a more upscale restaurant, but one with a nice patio because it's a little more quiet on the outside, and he thought the string lights were more cute than fancy. And the flower in the little vase is (hopefully) your favorite color! But he's probably a little stiff again :( Is it okay? Are there enough options? He's just going to overthink everything he's doing again

💠So it's going to feel a bit awkward when he doesn't really know what else to do after! Or maybe he did have something planned, but honestly just derail it! Go get ice cream or whatever you would prefer at the place you've both been to before that's nearby! And it's still a nice evening with the sun out, so you could sit at one of the umbrellaed tables in the park you've probably done homework at or something. Anything that will convince this man to chill out! Because it doesn't have to be something stiff and fancy to be perfect or romantic :) Honestly he only really knows how to showboat around, and that's usually why people enjoy his company, so he just needs to learn. Tbh you can probably blame that behavior on his parents, but that's all he's every really seen, after all! That and movies, but he's probably afraid those arcades or drive-in movie dates make him look silly or juvenile, but he'll learn to lean into them later 😉

💠Even if you know where it is, bring up the big fountain in the corner of the park but that you "can never remember exactly where it's at." He knows where the big fountain is! Let him save the day, so to speak 😌

💠Of course he won't act as excited as it made him. He'll be very cool about it. "Oh, I think I know where it is," he says casually. "I might even have some pennies to throw in." While you're busy listening to those words and starting to fall in step (honestly more busy with the eyes looking down at you), he so carefully sneaks his hand into yours and laces his fingers with yours and leads you along. He does it so naturally, no hesitation. You barely have time to register it! Yeah, okay, so maybe it makes it obvious he's done this before, but don't let that discourage you! No one else got a homemade (and homegrown) bouquet, first of all 😘

💠The rest of your time is spent... almost like usual? It's relaxed and quiet, with the usual flirty banter snuck in and jokes while you people-watch. Except this time he sits a little closer, and you're absentmindedly (or boldly) playing your fingers over his... which is cute and all, but he can only focus on so many things at once and it's more than a little distracting! But then when he finds distraction in the coldness of his ice cream, then you're distracted by that tongue-- NO ONE WINS

💠Once the sun is low and you've finished up, Tony reluctantly brings it up that he should take you home, but not before he hands you a penny with a playful grin, and you each flick one into the water (and Tony might manage to miss the first time 😅)

💠But once you're home, he'll be pretty hesitant to let go of you're hand once you reach the front door 💔 But honestly you probably are too. Let him know you had fun tonight and that usual smug grin will spread across his face as if he wasn't a wreck for the last hour or so, but you have to admit that there's always something so charming about it 💘 Kiss him on the cheek and, while that smile won't fade, the uncharacteristic pink tint coming to his cheeks will give him away 🤭 But don't tease him about it! Maybe you can later, though...

💠Sigh. It may be hard to read that face, but his dark eyes almost always tell all and always want more 🥺 If you're up to it, lean in a little closer and not-so-subtly glance down to his lips. He still might hesitate when he starts to lean in, but he'll get there 😌 It's not that e doesn't want to, or thinks you don't want to, but he's worried and overthinking about rushing things because he doesn't really know how that works either, and he's pretty used to skipping right to the point after dates but he doesn't really wanna do that this time 😩

💠But he stops overthinking when you kiss him back with a hand on his cheek and one still in his hand, and it's probably the most innocent and giddy he's felt in this position 🥺 You'll probably have to be the one that pulls away first ngl, but there's still something he wants (and no, it's not what you're thinking... though he wouldn't necessarily argue...)

💠"Uh," he starts, looking away a bit awkwardly and clears his throat. "Would you want to be my girlfriend?" There's a bracing upturn to his tone. How could you say no to that face? Of course you say yes, with a few, probably painful, bashful smiles and looks exchanged. And honestly it's a huge weight off his chest because he realizes he's been thinking about it for like, weeks before he actually decided he wanted to ask you out. He was worried about rushing things or whatever, but- this is different!

💠He's probably expecting another kiss, and maybe you are too, but keep him on his toes! Give him a mission for next time! Give him an almost sultry "goodnight, Tony" and play with the tips of his fingers before you let go. Leave him as a melted puddle at your door 😇😘

💠He has to walk by the kitchen to get to his room, but his mom's been keeping a lookout and catches him before he can speed away. He's usually not so flustered and jumpy, so she's probably a bit worried. And her many questions don't help! "Did she like the flowers?" "Did it go okay?" "Home already?" "Did you ask her?"

💠He can really only answer yes to all of them, and very stiffly as if he's done something wrong! And let's be honest, it's kind of hard to talk about these sorts of things to nosy parents 😅 even though he regularly tells her, like, everything

💠You're likely going to be invited over for dinner pretty soon, which might feel a little intimidating considering who his dad is? But then again, you're dating his son, who isn't exactly some guy from down the street, either, so

💠But they're pretty nice! Well, his dad might be a little distant, and honestly thought this was all a bit silly since... well, you know. Maria, on the other hand, is going to talk your ear off! Don't worry if you're more on the quiet side. She can just fill in with some embarrassing story or another instead! And even if you are quiet around new people and places, she can most likely get you comfortable enough (or at least make you laugh a lot)! Honestly, Tony might even be a little jealous... and you guys are laughing at him 😖 Even Howard probably feels a little bad 😅

💠Maria might also make a joke about how she thought you two were already dating, with the way Tony talked about you all the time ;)

💠Tony won't leave you alone with anyone just yet (besides, what other secrets will mom spill in his absence 😩). He'll stick around and probably help her with the dishes anyway while you may or may not already have the family photo album 🤭

💠This time you're the one that has to bring up that it's time for you to go, with plenty of social graces from Maria about how good it was to meet you and have you over and to come again. And she's not at all keeping an eye on the front door while you two share goodbyes, and that kiss you withheld from him last time 😏 and another one, just because he felt bad at dinner 😌

💠Eyes are already on him when he comes back through the front door, as well as a very sly grin on her face.

💠"Why are you looking at me like that?"

💠"I'm not looking at you like anything."

💠Tony's already stalking his way back to his room, but he knows his mom has something on her mind.

💠"I think she's very nice," she says fondly before going back to whatever she was doing. "And I think you're both pretty cute together, too," she slyly tags on. Tony wrinkles his nose and looks away, but he can't not smile at both approval and praise

💠It may take a few more dinners, but once Maria has you alone, she'll definitely have you just as embarrassed yet proud when she starts talking about how glad she is for her son to have found someone 💛

💠Aaaand maybe after a few more dinners, even father dearest starts to warm up to you a little more!

[aita-blorbos]

AITA for lashing out at my little brother? (TW death, s//c/de)

I.. there's a lot to summarize. I'm not sure if I would want to talk about it too much, and I don't want to make this a vent post. But I would have to at least talk about some of my problems to explain, so please excuse my burdens

During this time, I fell into a huge state of depression. Someone I really cared about had recently died from her own wishes and I didn't know how to deal with it. I couldn't get up from bed for almost a year. Almost everything was a huge task for me. I couldn't talk and u could barely eat. It was so weird... my own little brother had to take care of me. Sometimes I feel like he was forced to grow up a little bit just because of me... I'm sorry. He would bring me food to bed and I wouldn't even eat it most of the time. It was very stressful for all of us and I was being selfish while he was just trying to help.

Things weren't changing. Ever day I just got more and more miserable. Another thing is that I didn't feel like I deserved anything. All of my family would constantly take care of me as if I were an infant. I love them but I felt like I didn't deserve it.

I didn't feel a twinge of joy in so long. And at times all I wanted to do was scream.

And sometimes I felt like it was my fault she died.

Everything was just so overwhelming.

At one point, my brother came up to my bed and handed me over some food. I didn't respond at all. I knew I was being rude but during this time I just really, really couldn't talk or eat. I really couldn't socialize. I just needed to stay in bed. Maybe even starve myself. I didn't even feel hungry. I didn't feel anything but pain.

Then he said something that I just... that I just couldn't believe.

I love my little brother. He's amazing and he always tries his best, especially when it comes to helping others.

But he can be really, really blunt.

And oblivious.

When I didn't talk back to him, he said how she would hate to see me like this. The one i loved. The one that died.

I just sort of... snapped. It was so sudden. I know how he didn't mean anything bad, but it was just such a sudden attack from his part.

I had already blamed myself for what happened to her, and he just spelled it out, right there, for me.

I started yelling at him. I couldn't control myself. I started insulting him. Now that I look back at it, even if he tried not showing it, he was definitely hurt by it. I said some pretty nasty things. It was the first time I got out of bed. The sheer anger, grief, just.. everything, all that energy combusted into one sudden outburst.

He didn't deserve it. He was just a kid trying his best. He was just trying to help me. He didn't see how what he said could've hurt me.

But it did.

So much.

Not long afterwards, my parents rushed into the room and hugged me. They haven't seen me like this in ages. But then I saw him just standing there in shock. I could see his tears forming as much as he tried blocking it out.

I hugged him and it was fine. From then on, I started getting back to my old life again. I studied and did chores again. Nothing could ever be the same again, but at least I got the slight energetic push towards.. the right step?

Well, it was certainly better than how I was before.

It's been years since then, we never bring it up and we're on good terms, but I still think about it. And I'm scared it damaged him. I really shouldn't have snapped at him. I'm just wondering if my actions are excusable at all..

Aita?

[dumbass-tumbler-cryptid]

I love Mama's Boys!!!

What would Quaritch had said in Chapter 9 when they had there fight if instead of Spider start to fight him he argue with him so more and said?

You think I don't known that?then laugh dry.My foster parents they ain't shit. They tolerate me at best on a good day.Nobody wanted to raise me so nobody did raise me. Jake is mostly likely gone. It for the best.

Interesting question.

For context for everyone else that fight went like this

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

   This time Quaritch openly watched Spider as he struggled to wash his hair, his fingers constantly getting caught in tangles, mats and occasionally sticks and leaves. The clear neglect pissed him off and he knew Paz would have been too. Paz had worn her curly hair like an onyx crown, taking incredible care of it. She was so proud when their son had gotten her hair texture, caring for it just as well as her own. And now here was her baby boy, with mats and leaves stuck to his head. 

  Quaritch wadded closer “Why do you even wear your hair like this?” As he asked he picked up one of Spider’s locs in disgust before he was batted away with a snarl. 

  “Why do you care?” Spider said, becoming tense and defensive.

   Quaritch gave him a hard look, scrutinizing him, before a wicked smirk spread across his face in relezation. “You're copying Jake ain’t y’a.”

   A little color rose to Spider’s cheeks but he didn’t drop his guard “So what? Jake is a good man. He’s Toruk Makto. He’s …

   Spider was cut off by Quaritch’s laughter “he doesn’t give a shit about you kid.”

   Spider looked as if he’d been slapped “that’s not true.” But his voice betrayed him.

   Quaritch got serious. “You know it is. If Jake cared about you even a little bit, he would have organized a party to get you back by now. Or even just dropped you some kind of a lifeline to get you out of this. Has he done that Spider?” The boy's silence was all the answer he needed. “That’s what I thought. Emulating a man that couldn’t care less about you. It’s just sad.” Spider lost his temper, and rushed him, beating his fists into Quaritch's torso as he screamed. They were pretty solid blows but they did little to hurt his Na’vi body. Quaritch scruffed him, and threw Spider down, back under the water. He turned away and climbed out of the river, to the sound of his son shouting cures in both English and Na’vi. 

   Let him throw his tantrum Quaritch thought he can be mad all he wants. Deep down he knows I’m right.

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

Now Spider did kinda later agree to this a few chapters later when he cut off his dreads thus letting go of his hero worship of Jake but if he came to that conclusion on the spot during this fight I imagine it not going very well. Quaritch for one would be pissed on Spider's behalf to hear his neglect laid out like that and want to talk and comfort Spider but also I don't think either of them would want to have that kind of discussion in front of all the other recoms. They'd probably still need time to go off by themselves, process their thoughts and then later on - maybe that night, maybe a few nights later- they have a sit down discussion about it. It would definitely help them bond but I don't think it would create any radical changes, not at first at least. Spider would still be loyal to his friends and to Eywa. There is no way he would ever abandon that, even if Quaritch treats him better than Jake does. Quaritch on the other hand is very attached to his mission. It will take a LOT to break him from it and make him see a different perspective but I do think seeing his son's perspective, bonding with Spider, and coming to terms with what really matters to him will be the start of his transformation and this kind of discussion with Spider could facilitate that.

[m0nsterjuice-art]

I know you've probably been asked this several times too many, but how did Springs take the idea of queer people?

I know the movement was gaining traction when he was alive, and he was a scientist by nature, so how accepting was he initially? Did he ever try to deadname Alex?

I know he's quite the traditionalist twat, but considering his current status as Alex's boyfriend, if he wasn't originally the most accepting at first, what might it have taken?

oh I'm happy you asked!

So Springtrap/William was initially hesitant growing up, occasionally having feelings but still repeating the bigoted ideas his parents said. That is, years until he became close with Henry. While one-sided, William came to terms that he was indeed in love with this man, and he was bisexual.

When his wife eventually left him (she was suspicious of him sneaking out constantly, and when he tried to change the subject by coming out as bisexual, she was not accepting) he started to experiment more, he frequented gay bars and meet-ups, having an underground double-life (nothing new for him) and keeping it pretty under wraps, with the exception of the occasional employee.

During his time, he did indeed meet trans people, as they've always been around. So when Alex came out to him initially back in Fazbear's Frights, he knew and it didn't deter him, but he does sometimes have questions

This topic will be touched with Hare-brained, but I'll leave this planned dialogue from it :)

Alex: listen, I've been thinking. I get it, I get the whole "your business is your own" thing. I'm the same way. I'll be real, I have stuff about me I keep to myself too.

Springtrap: really now?

Alex: yeah. like, I'm.. uh.

Springtrap: yes? do tell.

Alex: I'm trans. I'm a trans guy. I don't really talk about it unless I have to, people tend to not be all too accepting.

S: trans as in transsexual, yes?

A: outdated term, but yeah.

S: really now?

A: yeah, see. he lifts up his shirt to show his top surgery scars

S: I-I appreciate you opening up to me like this, but please have a bit more modesty- oh my..

A: heh, can't let you blow a gasket huh?

S: do you plan to have-

A: naw, naw, I only wanted top surgery, I'm fine with how I am right now. That I'm not showing. Unless, you want me too, anyways.

S: wha- ah, Uhh..

A: it's ok man, you can drop the act. I know.

S: ?!?...

A: Don't act all surprised, you've been checking me out since you first tried to kill me, dude. I know

S: ....

A: You were around in the 80's right? That wasn't a good time for people like us, it's ok. You're safe with me though.

S: ...When I used to go out at night for my experiments, my wife grew suspicious of me. I couldn't just tell her what I was doing though, I couldn't have her risking anything. So instead, I told her a different truth to sate her suspicious. I told her I loved her, but I also "played both teams", as they say. She ended up leaving me then and there. I never saw her again.

A: here. hands a whiskey flask

S: wha- WERE YOU GOING TO DRINK ON COMPANY TIME?

A: you want it or what big guy?

S: ....

S: drinks

S: alright, no more. We have work to do lad. and… thank you. For listening.

A: Well, thanks for sharing, and for accepting me. :)

____