aimarketingrobot

[laiosynth]

come away, oh ghostly child... (pt 3)

(PT 2 <-) (-> PT 4)

Dick lays in bed.

Phantom is tucked into his side, snuggling into his warmth. Dick doesn't know what to do. Whenever he moves even a millimeter away from the child, Phantom whines and snuggles back in, searching for comfort.

He supposes it's his fault. He'd brought the boy home, unsure what the protocol was for a ghost child. He'd laid the boy down on his bed, getting undressed and changing into pajamas before plopping down, intending to get up after a second and find out what to do.

That was when the boy had struck. Now he's here, stuck. It's like when a cat lays on your lap. It would be sacrilege to move and disturb them.

Sighing, Dick uses the hand on his free side to grab his phone. He's lucky it's close, or he'd be fucked.

He calls Babs, linking the audio to the comm still in his ear.

"Hey Dick, what's up?"

"Babs. I have a... situation."

"A situation, huh? Would this have anything to do with the call I got from Jason laughing his ass off about you taking after Bruce?"

"Damnit, I told him about this in confidence! Asshole. And he claims he's not a gossip."

"So, you've acquired a child."

"A ghost child, who can apparently turn into an alive child. Still confused about that."

"Hold up. You never said anything about a ghost. You're telling me you have the ghost kid who's been haunting Gotham for the past 3 months?"

"That I am."

"And said ghost kid turned into a living kid and fell asleep on you."

"Affirmative."

Babs sighs over the line.

"Go to sleep, Dick, and worry about it in the morning. Usually, I'd say something different, but you sound dead tired. Get some sleep, and hopefully, the kid will, too. We'll just hope he's there in the morning."

-

Dick wakes up, not realizing he'd fallen asleep. A glance at the phone in his hand tells him it's 7.

When he moves, he's interrupted by Phantom snuggling into his side again, chasing after his warmth.

Dick wastes no time in scooping the boy up to hold on his hip, which seems to work fine because Phantom doesn't protest.

He doesn't bother trying to change- still in his pajamas, he heads out to his kitchen with Phantom on his hip. He rifles through his fridge, looking for anything suitable for a young child- he has some eggs that are miraculously still good, some fruit he bought the day before, a pack of bacon, and some bread. Why is his bread in the fridge? He doesn't know. Ask past Dick, who probably made this choice while sleep-deprived.

Time to find out if cold bread makes bad toast.

Dick sets about making breakfast one-handed- he starts by putting the bacon on. While that cooks, he puts the bread in the toaster, then he scrambles the eggs. The eggs are finished quickly, so as the toast finishes and the bacon sizzles, he begins to dice some fruit. As he plates the breakfast, Phantom begins to stir, probably smelling the bacon and eggs.

Just as Dick sets the breakfast on the table, Phantom wakes up with a big yawn.

"Morning, sleepyhead. I made breakfast."

Phantom, still half asleep, nods and wiggles, so Dick sets him down in the chair, pulling his own chair out to sit across from the boy.

Phantom stares blearily at his breakfast, a fork in his hand.

Then he lights up.

"The- the breakfast has a smiley face!"

"Yeah, buddy, it does," Dick smiles, just the tiniest bit proud that his idea had cheered the boy up- the breakfast was a slice of toast with bacon in the shape of a smile and two strawberry slices for eyes. The scrambled eggs and other fruit sat on opposite sides of the toast.

"That's so cool!"

Dick smiles, and motions for Phantom to eat up. The boy obliges, digging into the fruit first. Dick eats as well, somewhat thankful for having something other than cereal for the first time in what has to be a month.

"My name's Danny," Phantom- no, Danny says unprompted.

"It's nice to meet you, Danny. I'm Dick."

Danny smiles and says, "Big Brother Dick!"

Dick blinks.

"No, buddy, I'm not your big brother, just Dick."

Danny's smile falls.

"But Gotham says... she says you're my brother, she says you're safe. You're my big brother, Gotham says you're her kid same as me!"

And oh, the boy is close to tears- what is Dick supposed to do here?" Deny or play along?

"Sure then, buddy. Yeah. I can be your big brother."

And there's that smile again- oh, what has Dick just done?

-

tags: @basilf1res @angelheartgamer @justgray15777 @terzatheunderscorerima @phantom120 @undead-essence @crazydoughnutlady @big-flrda-kys @rangerhorsetug @shamelessstudenthideout @nonbinary-disaster @keegan-parker @i-am-the-asian-persuasion @terrasolstice @eonic @mayoota-blog1 @theonewiththegays @glitchedchaos

(hopefully i got everyone!)

-

bonus sketch:

[maraschinomerry]

Hi! Could you please write a Lockwood x reader fic involving the prompt: You aren't well, but you don't want to skip training and make them worry, so you continue on as usual, thinking it's not that serious. But that's proven wrong when you faint right in front of them mid-fight. Mixed with the dialogue: "You hold it like this and- why are your hands trembling?" Thank you in advance! 💙

Pretty Boy

Pairings: Anthony Lockwood x gn!reader

Content: mild swearing, whump (fainting as in the prompt), mentions of not eating or sleeping, cute flirty ending

A/N: thank you for such a great request!! I've actually also just got over being not well while I was writing this (I'm fine now and wasn't this bad!) so it was weirdly cathartic 😅

Word count: 2.3k

The blissful quiet of the kitchen at 35 Portland Row was shattered by an incredibly loud, almost violent sneeze. You threw your arm across your face just in time to catch it. That was weird. You never sneezed.

"Bless you," Lockwood frowned over the top of his magazine.

That was day 1.

On day 2, you were all out on a case, in a dilapidated Victorian house. In a divide-and-conquer strategy for such a big place, Lockwood and George had headed upstairs while you and Lucy stayed on the ground floor. Fumbling around in the dim light of the dining room, Lucy threw open the curtains to let in what was left of the evening sun, accidentally unleashing a cloud of dust which shimmered in the beam of your torch. You both coughed a little in surprise.

Your coughing didn't stop for the rest of the night.

Day 3 was spent relaxing, recovering from getting home in the early hours of the morning after a gruelling fight with a pair of Type Twos. Or rather, everyone else was relaxing. You were in your room, fluctuating between wrapping your shivering form in your duvet and throwing it off so you wouldn't melt into a puddle. The bowl of soup you'd made yourself for lunch grew cold where it sat untouched on your bedside table.

A sleepless night heralded the arrival of day 4. Your symptoms had mostly abated by the evening, and you desperately hoped to claw back a few hours of rest. By dinner time, bleary-eyed, you forced yourself downstairs to try and get at least one meal of the day. Fortunately, the kitchen was empty, so at least you didn't have to explain your recent lack of presence to anyone. Unfortunately, none of the contents of the fridge were even remotely appealing right now. You settled for a slice of toast which you took back upstairs. Two bites in, you felt your stomach flip. Great. The rest went straight in the bin.

A gentle knock sounded on your door the morning of day 5, after another night of tossing and turning without ever drifting off.

"Yeah?" you called wearily.

Lockwood poked his head in, dressed in a loose Henley T-shirt and sweatpants. "Morning. Just thought I'd check you were alright, you didn't come down for training." Oh shit. You and Lockwood had been doing weekly training together for months - it started not long after you joined the agency, when he'd come down to the basement for practice and found you already there, and you'd ended up sparring. It had happened a few more times, and eventually you fell into the habit of both going down on Friday mornings so much it became an unofficial appointment.

"Oh, sorry," you swallowed a yawn. "I lost track of what day it was. Give me five minutes."

"I sort of assumed you weren't coming down dressed Iike that." He nodded to your fuzzy pyjamas with a smirk, and you tugged shyly at the hem of the top. "Have you had breakfast?"

"Yeah." That was a lie. Lockwood studied you for a moment, and you wondered if he could see right through you, but then he nodded to himself.

"Alright, see you downstairs." He began to leave, but popped back at the last second. "I'm not saying the pyjamas are a bad look, by the way, they're cute, just maybe a bit warm for fighting in." He grinned again, and disappeared. What was that supposed to mean?

—

Five minutes later, as promised, you traipsed down the basement steps in runner shorts and a tank top. This was the last thing you wanted to be doing right now, but you loved getting one-on-one time with Lockwood and knew how much it would hurt him to break the tradition and how concerned he'd be about you if he found out you'd been ill.

Lockwood gave you another puzzled look. "Are you sure you're okay?" He'd seen you this low energy before, but normally only the day after a case.

You gave the most convincing smile you could muster. "Fine. What's the plan?"

He furrowed his brows once more, before apparently deciding against whatever he was thinking. "Okay, there was a new move I figured out on the last case. I thought I could teach you and see if you think it's any good?" That last part sounded so open and vulnerable. You could imagine what he was thinking - was it a fluke? Was it him overselling his talents? Did it look ridiculous? He got like that sometimes, needed snapping out of it. Reassuring. Your smile was more genuine this time.

"Sounds good, it certainly seemed effective."

You tried your best to concentrate while Lockwood demonstrated the move, really you did, but you were running on empty and the basement was so delightfully cool. Maybe if you just lay down on the floor for a bit, you'd sort yourself out.

"Did you get that?" Lockwood's voice cut through the fog of your thoughts, and you dragged your eyes up to meet his, which were nodding to your hands. You hadn't the slightest idea what it was he expected you to have got.

"Uhh…"

To your relief, he mistook your distraction for confusion and stepped closer to help, carefully off to one side to avoid the blade as his hands rested over yours.

"You hold it like this and- why are your hands trembling?"

You barely registered the alarm in his voice, or the uncontrollable tremor that was indeed present and spreading up your arms. Nothing in your body seemed to be responding properly any more. Did you still have hold of the rapier? Why was your chest so tight, not allowing any air in? An invisible wad had trapped in your throat, and you desperately sucked in a breath through your nose. Gosh, Lockwood smelled good. Lavender and bergamot. And he was pretty, too. So pretty. Those deep dark eyes, gazing at you with so much longing. No, not longing. He didn't do that, did he? Plus, he was frowning too much for longing. Concern? You didn't like it when he frowned. You tried to pout, but your lips didn't move. That was annoying. So were the lights. Had they always been this bright? It hurt. Everything hurt. You needed to leave. Now.

Panic took hold of the last working corner of your brain and sent a jolt of electricity down to your legs which finally reacted, carrying you shakily towards the stairs. You muttered something incoherent, mouth not quite as functional. The effort drained the last dregs of energy, and your legs stopped working again.

"Whoa, whoa-" a voice behind you gasped, hasty footsteps echoing. Who was that? There was someone else down here, wasn't there? You couldn't remember. Wait. There was a pretty boy, right? He seemed nice. You tried to tell him you were okay, you wanted to. As you pitched backwards, the silhouette of the pretty boy swam into view, blocking out the harsh lights above. That was better.

Everything went black.

—

You were laying somewhere warm and soft. That was odd. And it was less bright behind your eyelids. Where were you? Hadn't you been down in the basement? With the cold floor and the cold lights… and the pretty boy? Was he still here?

You tried to call out for him, succeeding only in a groan. The surface beneath you shifted by your feet in response, and your eyelids fluttered open a fraction. There he was. Framed by the golden rays filtering through the window behind him and dappling across his dark hair.

"Hey, pretty boy," you murmured. Proper words; that was more like it. Next step: opening your eyes fully.

Ah.

The pretty boy was Lockwood, brows knitted upwards as he shuffled further up what you gradually realised was your bed.

"Hey." His voice was thick, with the hint of a shake. "How are you feeling?"

You groaned again, moving to sit up. Lockwood instantly reached out, one hand on the small of your back and the other lifting the pillows to prop up behind you. "Been better."

Under any other circumstances, you think he'd probably have laughed. As it was, he huffed out a breath and you spotted a brief tic in his jaw. "That's a mild way of putting it. You collapsed in the middle of training. I had no idea what happened, I thought…" His gaze dropped to his lap as he trailed off. The silence clenched tightly around your heart. Eventually, he spoke again, still not looking at you, voice cracking and barely above a whisper. "I was so worried about you."

The tension in your chest pressed down further, and you thought you actually heard your heart shatter.

"Hey, Lockwood, look at me." You raised a hand, still trembling but for an entirely new reason, up to cup his cheek. At last, he looked. Those beautiful dark eyes were watery, and his nose ruffled as he tried to hold back the tears. "I'm okay, see? I'm here, I'm okay, and I'm so sorry for making you worry."

A warmth spread over the back of your hand as he brought his up to meet it. His fingers curled over yours, thumb rubbing calmingly across your knuckles. Whether the calming was for you or him, you couldn't say. "But are you sure you're okay? People don't just collapse like that, and you've been out all day." Your eyes widened a little as you glanced at your alarm clock. Almost 6. Wow.

"Honestly, it's nothing serious. Kind of stupid, actually; the irony is it all happened because I didn't want you to worry." That made him chuckle. That was promising. You continued. "I was ill - I don't know if it was a cold or flu or what - but that wasn't great to begin with, and then with it ruining my ability to eat and sleep I just… didn't have anything left to give."

You don't know what reaction you expected from Lockwood: frustration, confusion, disappointment perhaps. You certainly weren't expecting him to look quite so… guilty? "Why didn't you say something when I came to find you? We could have cancelled training." It came out sharper than you were expecting. Oh. There was where the guilt came in.

"I didn't want to break the tradition."

"To hell with the tradition if this is what it does to you!"

You faltered. Was it just your current condition, or had your mouth gone very dry? "Wait, I'm sorry, I didn't mean…" You took a steadying breath. "It's not just that. I don't mean it like it's some obligation. I love our sessions! Getting to have that time just for us, having it be our thing, it's the highlight of my week. And it's been a pretty shitty week so I wanted this one thing to be nice."

The fire in Lockwood's words died out, and he almost visibly deflated. His free hand reached up unexpectedly to brush a strand of hair from your face.

"Well, I'm glad it means that much to you, but next time will you please tell me when something's wrong? I can survive missing our date more than I can survive missing you."

Hold on.

You were definitely still ill. Your cheeks felt warm and your heart was pounding against your ribcage. That was the only possible explanation. Definitely nothing to do with the fact that the boy you'd been in love with for months had just called your training sessions a date. Oh god, you'd infected him too, his face was flushed. "Date?" you breathed.

"Only if you want it to be, of course, I don't want to jump to conclusions. Although you did call me 'pretty boy' barely five minutes ago, so I'm sure even George would agree with the legitimacy of my hypothesis." Oh, how you'd missed seeing that smirk he'd grown all of a sudden.

"I'm not entirely sure you can take the high ground on this one, love, when you said even more recently how you couldn't survive without me."

"I think so long as I'm right I can. Especially since, if we're going off who said something last, you couldn't even argue without calling me love."

"I wish we were still holding rapiers, I've got a chance of beating you at that."

Lockwood laughed, all earlier emotions replaced with nothing but tender affection. "Get some sleep, and then we can test that theory." He made to leave, but where your hands were still entwined you tightened your grip a little.

"Will you stay? Please? In case I didn't make it clear enough with fainting, I haven't been doing so great at the whole sleep thing."

When he nodded, you wriggled over to one side of the bed, allowing him to slip under the covers behind you. Everything about him felt cosy, and you snuggled towards that feeling. It took him aback for a moment until he draped an arm over your stomach, gently tugging you closer so the two of you slotted together like you'd been designed to fit one another from the start. His breath tickled your ear, but its constant rhythm slowed yours in turn. Your eyelids grew heavy.

"You know," you mumbled sleepily, "you could take me on a proper date. Only if you want to, of course, wouldn't want to jump to conclusions."

He squeezed you playfully. "I think I've got enough evidence to consider it. Lunch tomorrow if you feel up to it?" You hummed a contented agreement. As your eyes drifted shut, a feather-light kiss pressed against your temple. "Good night, love."

"Good night, pretty boy."

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for rearranging my brother’s groceries?

I (22M) am a senior in college, and my brother (18M) is a freshman at the same college. I’ll call my brother “Drew.” We’re living together in an apartment close to campus.

Drew and I have never been super close, since we don’t have a lot of interests in common, but we got along pretty well until now. Our parents thought him moving in with me would help him get settled, and I agreed. However, it seems that while Drew has been enjoying his newfound independence from our parents, he’s forgotten that he’s still sharing a living space.

I’ve been living away from my parents for the past two years now, and when I did live with them my room was down the hall from Drew’s so I didn’t hear him much unless our doors were both open. However, at our apartment we share a wall that’s way too thin, so I can hear him talking on the phone. He’s always been into gaming which I never had a problem with, but nearly every night he’s up till 2 or 3am chatting with his online friends. I think it’s great that he has these people, but I have morning classes and need to go to bed by midnight. Drew’s classes don’t start until the afternoon.

Before anyone says to just communicate, I have. I told him that the sound is bothering me and asked if he can try to keep it down after midnight. He kind of brushed me off and quieted down for a few nights, then went right back to normal. I asked my parents to talk to him but they said that this is up to us to figure out. I’ve tried earplugs, white noise, etc and none of it has helped. After our second chat didn’t go anywhere, I decided I would have to do something else.

My first thought was to eat breakfast loudly, but Drew is a very heavy sleeper so this had no impact. I thought about unplugging the router when I go to bed, but figured he would just turn it right back on again. Finally, I came to a solution.

For many years, Drew has always had the same breakfast of eggs and toast. He always eats his eggs in a very specific order from the carton. I decided that for every night he keeps me up late, I will start rearranging his eggs in the carton. The first day I did this he didn’t notice, since he was already running late for class. The next day, however, he texted me very angrily. I told him that until he stopped keeping me up late, I’m going to keep moving his eggs. I kept this up for a week before he started hiding his eggs further into the fridge.

At this point, I decided to escalate a little. Along with moving the eggs around, I started swapping the positions of his bottles and cans one at a time. Still no progress, and the tension in our place was getting more and more intense every day. I even started rearranging the slices of his bread when finally he blew up on me. He told me that having to hunt down his groceries in the fridge every day was making him extremely stressed and interfering with his classes. I replied that not being able to sleep was stressing me out as well. He told me that since a lot of his friends are in other time zones, super late at night is the only time the can talk. At that point I had to go to work and I got a text later from our mom asking me to please try to be more understanding. I don’t feel like I’m an asshole since I already tried to communicate clearly, but what do you guys think?

TL;DR Brother keeping me up past my bedtime, tried to talk to him normally, he didn't listen, so I'm rearranging his groceries as revenge

What are these acronyms?

[sailing-on-a-puddle]

A Double Decker Sweetapple slice

@womble1 wrote a lovely Sweetapple slice earlier this week and it inspired my writing muse (it's been asleep for a while) so here's a part 2 😊 think of it like a slice with two layers, or a double decker slice.

Alex isn't mine, he was created by @gumnut-logic and I'm just a little obsessed and love this pair. Nutty I hope you like Virgil getting his hug.

As ever this is m/m fic so if not your thing scroll on by. This one is a little bit angsty and very, very soppy.

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

Virgil ran through his post flight checks without really thinking.

The rescue had been an easy one, especially for him. Thunderbird Two had essentially provided a taxi service for Thunderbird Four, but all Gordon had needed to do was rescue a couple of people from a boat.

Occasionally he wondered if the world had become too reliant on having International Rescue and didn't bother to provide a rescue service or safety precautions.

Wow, he was feeling grumpy. Perhaps that wasn't surprising. He'd got out of bed in the middle of the night to rescue people. 

And he'd been on a rescue the night before which meant he'd missed his date with Alex.

He missed Alex. 

He thought about going to get Alex right there and then, but then he remembered it was still very early morning and chances are Alex wasn’t up yet.

Sleep, then see Alex. He’d be better company.

With that thought, he trudged up to the comms room to find Gordon showing Scott, who was the only other person up at this stupid hour, the holographic film of Virgil missing the grip bar on launch. 

Crap, he’d forgotten about that. He scowled at Gordon, then Scott for good measure, muttered some expletives to himself and stomped off to bed. 

Sleep, then go and get Alex. Today could only improve.

– – – –

Some time later Virgil began to wake up. This felt like a better time to be awake. He rolled over in bed and sighed.

Then he felt a hand playing with his hair.

“Hey Sleeping Beauty.”

Virgil half opened his eyes to find Alex lying on his bed facing him. 

“I started to think you might never wake up. Honestly it might have been 100 years.” Alex kissed Virgil's cheek. “You are very beautiful.” 

Virgil's brain tried to wake up, smile, open his eyes properly and show how happy he was Alex was there, but that didn’t happen quick enough. “How did you get here?”

Alex laughed, did a slight clear of his throat, and then replied in a deeper voice than normal and with an alarmingly accurate American accent. “Good morning Alex. It’s lovely to see you. How has your week been?”

Virgil giggled, pulled Alex closer and kissed him. After pausing for breath, he said “Well I don't have to ask you after that perfect impression do I?”

Alex smiled, and after another kiss, “I've had a good week thank you. And Gordon brought me. He said you were really grumpy and needed cheering up, which I'm hoping I can do. I didn't realise how long you'd be asleep though else I might have taken him up on the offer of breakfast first. You hungry?”

“Mmmhmm” Virgil replied, but then flopped backwards into his pillow.

Alex laughed. “I'll get the breakfast, you wake up a bit more” Alex offered. He gave Virgil another kiss on the forehead then climbed off the bed and headed for the door.

– – – –

Virgil decided that he needed a shower which had the added benefit of waking him up. In waking up he also realised how much he needed to say sorry and thank you to Gordon, for being so grumpy and for getting Alex.

He'd wrapped a towel round himself, but then he felt those hands again.

He knew he'd used too much cream last time, but he was hoping to spend the day with Alex without anybody needing rescuing and he really wanted Alex to have the perfect day, especially after cancelling on him the day before. He applied a small amount of the cream and rubbed it in as much as he could.

He found Alex sitting on his couch eating a slice of toast. He smiled and went over to the breakfast tray, feeling Alex's eyes watching him the whole time.

Always nice to know Alex still fancied him after all these months.

He went to pour himself a glass of orange juice, but he couldn't grip the lid to open it.

Stupid hand cream.

He tried again. Nope.

Then he felt a pair of long arms wrap round him from behind, open the orange juice, pour a glass and put it down. Then Alex's head rested on his shoulder. “Are you OK?”

“I was hoping you didn't see that.”

“If you want me to not see things you probably shouldn’t walk around in just a towel so I'm staring. You OK?”

“Promise you won't laugh?”

“Promise.”

“I can't open it because my hands are covered in hand cream and I've got no grip.”

“ Oh.” Alex still had his arms wrapped around Virgil but met Virgil’s hands with his own. “Were they sore? Can I kiss them better?”

“No nothing like that. I just …” Virgil trailed off, but then he realised he didn’t want to explain the actual reason. He’d wanted it to just happen and his hands become soft without Alex realising anything had changed.

He turned to face Alex and looked up at him. He hoped Alex would just somehow forget the conversation if he changed the focus.

“Nothing. It's fine.” Virgil stood up on his tiptoes and kissed Alex, then carried on getting his breakfast.

They had a wonderful day. Virgil hadn't any particular idea what they'd done, but he knew he felt so happy. The exact opposite of last night.

It was so soppy but he didn’t care.

Evening and they were busy doing some work on Thunderbird Two. Brains had said he would do it but Virgil still liked to do the work on Two whenever he could. It also gave him an excuse to serve Alex coffee from The Coffee Machine.

Whilst they were both sitting on the floor working on a very shiny but incredibly intricate looking engine part, Alex inevitably forgot he was holding a cup of coffee. Thankfully Alex only ever used a mug with a lid because of his clumsiness, and Virgil instinctively caught it and handed it back to him, along with the slight smear it acquired from the engine grease on Virgil's hands.

“Thank you” Alex said with a sheepish smile. Then “that's better.”

Virgil looked at him blankly. “You prefer your coffee mug with added greasy stains?”

“No, though I don't mind. What's better is you catching coffee cup whilst your hands are covered in mechanical grease without worrying about what people think of them.”

Virgil looked at the floor. Clearly Alex hadn't forgotten about this morning. “Not people. Just you.”

Alex didn’t respond, and when Virgil looked up Alex was looking at him with an arched eyebrow.

Virgil sighed. “Doesn’t it bother you that my hands feel like sandpaper sometimes?”

“Well they don't, but it wouldn't bother me if they did.” Alex put his coffee cup down on purpose this time, swung his legs over the top of Virgil's and pulled him closer.

“Your hands are amazing. Look at all the many talents you have. Artist, rescue operative, pilot, engineer, pianist and antidote to my clumsiness to name but a few. They're all made possible by your hands. If you want them to be softer that's fine but please don't change on my part. I love you just as you are.”

Virgil felt every worry and bad feeling of the last 24 hours melt away. “You really wouldn't change anything about me?”

“Oh I didn't say that,” Alex replied. “You snore like a jet engine.”

“Hey! You said I was Sleeping Beauty earlier!”

“You were.” Alex grinned. “You just needed a mute button.”

Virgil grinned back, then both burst into a fit of giggles. Virgil decided the only way to end this was with a very passionate and purposeful kiss, and Alex seemed only too happy to reciprocate.

[sweetloleepop]

𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑶𝒍𝒅, 𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑵𝒆𝒘, 𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑩𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒅, 𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑩𝒍𝒖𝒆

Chapter 5: Routines

Synopsis: As (Y/N) gets used to living with Erwin, she's made a new routine

Pairings: Zeke Yeager/Reader, Erwin Smith/Reader

Tags: Modern AU, Arranged Marriage, Additional Tags to be Added, Reader is kind of a dandere, Erwin Smith is mean, slow burn, fluff

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4

a/n: I'm sorry for the long wait!! The weather's been incredibly hot, it made me melt down-

Wordcount: 1.2k

As days go by, Erwin and (Y/N) had made a routine. (Y/N) finds that Erwin gets up at 5 and leaves at 6. She tried to make him breakfast on the first few days but Erwin told her that she doesn’t need to as he could just bought himself food on his way to his office.

(Y/N) would always see Erwin out before going back to sleep. She gets up at 8 and starts eating breakfast. She’ll then go for a walk to the park, grabbing yet another coffee and some bread to eat whilst she sat on a bench.

At lunch she’ll cook herself a meal again and eat in their kitchen, sometimes in the living room while watching a movie. She cleans, naps, read or walk around the house when she gets bored. There are lots of snacks in their pantry so she’s barely actually bored. She likes to eat and watch and that, she does.

She starts preparing dinner at 5pm, sometimes going out to buy some ingredients from a nearby mini mart. Erwin goes back at 5:30 or 6pm and they’ll share their dinner at 7. (Y/N) liked this routine that they had, she gets to relax and do the things that she likes. When she has the time, she’ll bake some cake, cookies or just make some desserts.

||

Today, (Y/N) woke up just in time to cook breakfast for both herself and Erwin to eat. She heard the shower running which indicated that her husband is already showering. She entered the restroom and brushed her teeth and washed her face.

She headed downstairs to the kitchen, looking out for something to cook in the pantry. She decided to toast some bread, cook a couple of pancakes and eggs and bacon. She also brewed tea for her and Erwin to share.

Not long after she finished preparing everything she has cooked, she heard footsteps coming down from the stairs. Erwin’s perfectly shined oxfords clicked beautifully upon contact with their tiled floor. He looks as presentable as ever. Well, he always looked so presentable and handsome and smart and (Y/N) counts herself very lucky to wake up next to a very charming man.

“Good morning!” (Y/N) cheerfully greeted.

“Good morning,” Erwin replied.

“I cooked pancakes with chocolate inside, have a taste” (Y/N) said before sliding the plate of pancakes near Erwin.

“With chocolate inside?” Erwin asked with one of his thick eyebrows up.

“Mhm”

Erwin took one onto his plate and sliced it. He watched as melted chocolate overflow through the sliced part of the cake. He took a bite.

“So, do you like it?” (Y/N) asked, feeling a bit anxious.

Erwin chewed the food and swallowed before he answered, “Hmm, it’s sweet.”

“Do you not like sweet things?” (Y/N) asked with a worried tone. She’s afraid Erwin wouldn’t like what she made for him and get upset with her. ‘No, no, no, Erwin is different. Very different from my father.’

Erwin must’ve sensed (Y/N)’s anxiety as he once again spoke, “It’s not bad, you should have a taste if you haven’t yet.”

“Oh, sure.” (Y/N) said as she placed a pancake on her plate before slicing it and taking the slice into her mouth.

“Mm. It is very sweet,” she said, “and not so bad.”

(Y/N) finished the pancake before sipping her tea. Erwin did the same. They ate silently before Erwin stood up from his seat.

“I have to leave now, I still have meetings to attend to.” Erwin said as he grab his case and an envelope before heading towards the door.

“Oh, alright. Take care!” (Y/N) replied as they walk through the halls. As usual, (Y/N) walked him out and waited until his car is out of her sight. (Y/N) sighed as she closed the door, she’s alone.

To not bore herself in the house, she started doing her daily routine. She’s too awake to sleep again so she decided to clean the house. She started to vacuum the living room’s carpet before she started sweeping the tiled floor around. Next, she mopped the floors, making sure not to leave a single spot dirty. After cleaning the living room, she cleaned the kitchen. After cleaning the kitchen, she cleaned the second floor.

She doesn’t find it hard to do so since the house is mostly clean, she just cleans them again slightly. After she mopped the second floor, she entered hers and Erwin’s shared room. She analyzed the room for any dirt or mess but she didn’t really spotted anything so she rested a bit before heading to the shower.

The shower was nice and warm. (Y/N) made sure to clean herself as thoroughly as she did the house. She got out of the shower looking fresh and relaxed. She put on her most comfortable clothes on before she headed downstairs, made herself a cup of tea and watched some movies on the television.

She slept when the movie’s over. Cleaning the cup and the center table before she fell into her slumber. When she woke up, she took some time before getting up. She used her phone, played some games before deciding that the weather isn’t too hot for her to go out then.

She takes long walks in the park. Grabbing coffee and snacks at the nearby café. After that, she heads home just in time to make dinner.

For that night’s menu, she cooked lasagna and made a vegetable salad. For dessert, she made mango graham cake and put it in the freezer. She made sure to turn the temperature lower for the cake to harden faster.

||

Upon Erwin’s arrival, everything is almost ready.

“Welcome back!” (Y/N) greeted him with a smile.

“Thanks. I’ll go upstairs for now and have a change of clothing, I’ll see you later” Erwin replied.

“Sure.”

After Erwin changed his clothes, he headed back downstairs to the living room. He sat down at the sofa before opening the television. He is watching the news. (Y/N) served him some tea since she thought, ‘he had a long day’.

Erwin thanked (Y/N) before sipping the tea. It made him release a sigh of relief. He’s finally home and comfortable –Well, not really. He’s been restless for some very personal reason. They haven’t talk for a while. ‘I should contact her.’

||

“Erwin. Erwin, dinner’s ready” Erwin felt as (Y/N) softly patted him. He must’ve fallen asleep. He stood up and cleared his throat.

(Y/N) served dinner for both her and Erwin before they finally ate. (Y/N) noticed how tired Erwin looked so she broke the silence between them.

“Erwin, are you alright? You seemed very tired.”

“I’m okay. Today has just been long”

“Okay… Take a good rest after this, will you?” (Y/N) gently asked. Erwin noticed how soft (Y/N) spoke. Her voice feels calming, it sounds like the water flowing through a river, it looks like slowly melting butter.

“Sure.”

||

(Y/N) got out of her dressing room, she just finished freshening up. She looked at Erwin, he was already sleeping. She trudged towards the bed and carefully sat. She looked at Erwin once again and noticed how Erwin is hugging himself. (Y/N) chuckled, ‘he’s cold.’ She grabbed the blanket and covered Erwin with it. ‘That should be good.’ She thought to herself before laying down, facing Erwin.

“Good night, Erwin” (Y/N) whispered and gave Erwin a small peck on his cheek before finally letting herself fall asleep.

[aceofbooks]

Afternoon! For the asks games, may I ask

8, 13, 27, 46.

thank you!

Hi Eliza! Hope you had a good day! 🩶

-- -- --

8. How many water bottles are in your room right now?

Zero! Husband and I each have an insulated cup with a lid (keeps the cat from knocking them over 😂) for water in the middle of the night, but neither of those are really water bottles (they're at max 12 oz too, so I'm not cheating by refusing to label a giant thermos as a water bottle 😂). As for my office, I have a coffee mug and a glass of water. I don't have an assignment right now, so I don't have my water bottle with me!

13. When was the last time you ate?

I'm eating right now! A toasted plain bagel with creamy peanut butter and a couple slices of bacon. I have it almost every single day. (When you sent this ask, I hadn't eaten since about 2:30 AM, which was a couple scoops of strawberry ice cream and some hot fudge before going to bed.)

27. About how many hours of sleep did you get?

Didn't fall asleep until probably 5....? Woke up at 7:30 with Husband.... And didn't fall back asleep until after he left at 8:30.... And then woke up with my alarms at 9, 11, 1 and 2. So 8 if we're being generous.

46. Your favorite holiday film?

Which holiday are we discussing? Because I love Rise of the Guardians, but that's "technically" an Easter movie (like Frozen is "technically" a summer movie). I do really enjoy Christmas with the Cranks. Oh! Also, The Year Without Santa Claus! Prep and Landing are a series of shorts from Disney that I find very charming. I really want to watch Violent Night, but I've forgotten about it the last two years, and it feels wrong to not watch it around Christmas. And the Winnie the Pooh holiday specials have my whole heart.

-- -- --

Thank you for stopping by! 🩶

Weirder asks

More Ask Games!

[theshimadaslovers]

Hanamura's Vigilante; White Dragon, Part 2

Summary: A white dragon is terrifying Hanamura's city, no one knows where it belongs or how does it exist and now, he's is your house.

Genre: Romance, fantasy, drama

Warnings: for now, none.

*You sat in front of the dragon that gave you his paw gentle in your lap*

You- Ok…this may hurt a little bit, but you're a big strong boy, right? *The dragon only sighs* First, I need to clean and it looks a little infected.

*You pick up the hydrogen peroxide to clean the area and the cotton, wetting it with the hydrogen you started to clean gently*

Dragon - *growls in pain*

You- You're doing good~ *you smiled not taking the eyes from the paw* This will be fast, is a deep cut but do not need stitches. Now I just need to put the anti-inflammatory and dressing, then you're done.

*You do the procedure carefully and the dragon stand still feeling a little bit of pain showing his teeth and growling , but nothing more, you knew the pain. You sang a song to try to make him not to pain attention to the pain and it actually worked! The dragon raised the ears and looked at you kind surprised, almost like obssesed with the melody in your voice, doing small cute noises*

You- There we go! See? You didn't even move! Remember do not touched own the ground yet, let it rest. *The dragon nodded and you laughed *You look like human listening to me! I can't believe that a dragon can understand me. So, are you gonna stay or fly? *The dragon only laid down right down and closed his eyes* Actually, you can stay…you must be exhausted, being famous is not that easy, uh?

*You get up and get inside the house leaving the door unlocked and appears at the window to check him out, he just open his eyes laying his head on your direction*

You- Good night, mister Dragon. *You smiled and he answered with the cute noise* If I see you tomorrow, I check your paw and if I do not…be careful next time and be far from humans, not all of us are trustworthy.

*You tried to close the window but he really broken, is not working at all and you just laughed at him. You took a hot shower now making you head being chill with the idea of a fucking dragon in your yard…and you talked to him...and took care of him, more realistic than this to believe, impossible. You went to bad and of course, dreamed with your new friend, Mister Dragon, you flied with him, big adventures and at the next morning, you think that is maybe not so bad have a dragon as a pet. Crazy idea, but cool.*

*After getting up from bed and put a clothe to go work you went to the kitchen to eat the breakfast. Make the coffee e started to prepare the two slice of toast as always. You went to the broken window and looked outside and…the dragon is not there anymore. Well, he make his way back home, you hope so. You sigh and ready to turn back to your toasts, you see the door a little bit opened, the to the yard. You just closed and turned back, you knew that did not locked so it may be the wind, is a very light door. Put the coffee at the mug and ready to drink…but you heard a snoring the sofa…a…snoring…a HUMAN snoring*

*You froze and slowly went to the tv room and spot a leg in the backrest of the sofa just chilling…and…sleeping deeply. You came closer and spot a…man…a naked man, well, the sofa cloth being used as a blanket, couldn't actually see the thing, thanks God. You immediately pick up a pillow and ready to punch him, but was kind afraid…he's strong…a lot of muscles… but then, you look at the door that was opened before and well, the dragon was not there…could that be? The man snored loud scaring you and right away punched him up with the pillow, the man screamed and fell to the ground*

You- WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!

Hanzo- WAIT! Wait wait…! *He cover the intimate with the blanket and he looked at you scared* It started to get cold and I went inside! That's all!

You- How dare you…?!

Hanzo- The door was open! I needed to get inside, I'm so sorry! I was planning to go away before the sunrise, but I got to sleepy to go!

You- In a girl's house?!

Hanzo- I..! Wait, is me! *He get up still holding the cloth in front of him*

You- YOU'RE NAKED! *You throw the pillow on him and blush covering your face*

Hanzo- IS ME! Is me..! The…dragon.

You- …. *slowly took the hand off your face and staring at him, trying not to look down…come on, is not easy* What?

Hanzo- Mister Dragon?

You-…but you're human and the dragon is a fucking dragon, how's that possible?!

Hanzo- Don't panic! Please…! *He shows the hand that was with the bandage* See? The bandage you made. Is me! *Silence and you keep staring* Is crazy, but trust me…! And you saved me, thanks to you I'm alive.

You- Alive?

Hanzo- I was being hunted by some stupid military forces… they want me alive and that's why I got hurt. One of the flying omnics shot my paw trying to stop me from flying and run away.

You- You ARE the dragon…?!

Hanzo- And that's what I just said. *sighs*

You- What the hell…?!

Hanzo- I know, but I can explain later for you.

*Your cellphone started to ring the alarm to open the coffee shop*

You- Dammit, I'm late! *you ran to get the coat*

Hanzo- Late? *he watches you running* Late for what, lady?

You- Work! *you came back* I make some coffee and toasts! Hope you like it! See you at 6pm or not, just don't mess with nothing, ok...? Wait, you have a name, right?

Hanzo- Ah is actually Hanzo Shimada, can I go with you?

You-...? To my work? Are you sure? After everything...

Hanzo- I rather stay with someone I trust then by myself.

You- Right...you...*you looked at him up and down and blush* You need some clothes.

Hanzo- *Looked at himself* Indeed...

*While you look for some oversized clothes, he wants on the door still covering himself*

You- Everytime you transform...you lose your clothes?

Hanzo- They ripped off...is not a very pleasant view.

You- And whenever you're, If you transforms into human again, you're...naked? *You find some clothes and gave to him, he only nodded answering your question* Oh...

Hanzo- I'm at my house when I turn to human again, but this time went a little different I presume...

You- Well...I'll wait for you, the next bus will be here in half hour, so... I'll wait for you.

Hanzo- Wait...

You- ...yes?

Hanzo- Please, what is your name? I would be grateful to know who is my savior *smirked*

You- Y/N *you smiled at him and blush* Well, it was kind a adventure, but I'm glad I helped.

Hanzo- Beautiful name and my name is Hanzo Shimada, if you want to call me Mister Dragon, I wouldn't mind *both giggled*

You- I like Hanzo more...But for sure I'll keep calling you Mister Dragon *you smiled and close the door to let him put the clothes*

*He's quite handsome...right? Handsome and very nice, and...well, he's physics is also quite admirable, only another word for sexy or hot, he's both*

*Hanzo appears with the clothes that actually fits pretty well on him, oversized clothes will never be a mistake. At the bus stop, you both went silence for a while, but Hanzo was kind fussy*

Hanzo- *trying to speak something while you keep eye on the clock in your cellphone* ...! Ah...excuse me, is just...I'm just a little unquiet about the fact that you're act more calmly that I expected, lady.

You- Mm? Oh...Well, I was almost panicking when I saw a naked man in my coach, but I'm more chill knowing that is the dragon that I took care.

Hanzo- Well...I'm happy to know that I'm welcome, but...the dragon thing, doesn't scares you?

You- Mm...*I looked at the distance thinking* Nah...Is just...confusing, but fine. I mean, you're a dragon and this is so cool! I don't want to sound childish, but...is cool! I felt that we created a bond while I was taking care of you. *laughs* I don't know how or why.

Hanzo- *Remembers her singing while doing the bandage* Well...I can imagine why.

You- Really? Why?

Hanzo- I...*clears throat and blush* I also felt some kind of thing when you sang to keep me calm while doing the bandage. It was actually hurting a lot, but...you kept me calm the whole time.

You- Oh! That's nice! *you felt an excitement*

Hanzo- I should thank you somehow.

You- No no no! That's not necessary, Mister Drag...Hanzo!

Hanzo- You kept me safe there and I slept well after a long journey running away from the military. I couldn't even wake up in the morning to come back home, or try...*his stomach starts to growling in hunger* I...I'm so sorry...!

You- *laughs* Good for you that I have a cafeteria. I'll feed you there, don't worry.

Hanzo- I don't have my money with me now, but definitely I can pay you later!

You- Don't worry about that, I just want to make you feel well and safe, ready to go home.

Hanzo- I appreciate you...*he smiled at you*

*after half a hour, the bus came and both went go the cafeteria. Some people was waiting outside, especially...the group of girls that was fascinated with the dragon case; they saw you coming with Hanzo and ran to you*

Girl 1- Lady! Did you see the news?!

You- Now?

Girl 2- Last night, they spotted the dragon here! In the city!

Hanzo- Ah... *feeling nervous and trying to hide behind you* A dragon?

Girl 1- *looked at him up and down and smiled* Your boyfriend?

You- What? *looked at him behind you* No! No no! Just a...friend! From high school!

Girl 3- Oh girls, please, don't start to flirt with elder men! Not again!

Girl 2- Look, we only live once! And he's hot...! *whispers*

Hanzo- I...I'm sorry, if you excuse me, about this dragon...how and who spotted?

Girl 3- An old lady in the street behind where the dragon landed. She live in a second floor of a house on top or her store, so she saw perfectly the house he stays the whole night.

You- ...perfectly? *almost panicking inside*

Hanzo- The house he stays?

Girl 2- Yeah...You guys are ok?

You- Yeah! Is just...scary! A dragon on the city?! How crazy!

Girl 3- Oh! The police will search the house today! *she get excited looking at the phone* Who lives on that house must know something!

You- ....*looked at Hanzo and only sighs, then go back to the girls* I'm sorry everyone, but I came here to pick up some things, I won't be able to open up today.

Girl 2- Really? Something happened?

You- My...my friend will stay at home cuz his...brother has died unfortunately...

Hanzo- What...?! *Try to speak but you only step on his foot* Agh!

You- And he's staying at my house for a while. Is pretty sad...*you sighs* I hope you all understand, I do also knew him.

Girl 3- My condolences! *Look at Hanzo* It must he so hard and painful...

Hanzo- Yes...very painful...*He said feeling the pain on his foot*

*You both get inside the store and lock the door. You take a deep breath*

Hanzo- My brother?!

You- I needed to do something! They're going to my house! The neighborhood will sell me to the police!

Hanzo- But why ny brother...?!

You- You have a brother?

Hanzo- Yes! He passed away...!

You- ...oh...oh my goodness...! *you covered your mouth in shock* I'm so sorry...! I...! Oh my God, this is was a huge mistake...! *you at in a chair*

Hanzo- No no, it's fine... how could you know something like that? I overreacted, I should apologize.

You- I'm so sorry, Hanzo... I'm feeling awful!

Hanzo- No no no! *He crouches in from of you* Don't feel! It's ok! I just felt surprised! I'm not mad or sad, ok? It's fine. *holds your hands* But right now we need to focus...the police will try to find you.

You- What should we do?

Hanzo- The only think we can only do at the moment; run away, we need to get out of this city.

You- But...I can say that I didn't see nothing or I wasn't home! I can't just leave everything behind!

Hanzo- I'm a dragon with almost 4 feet tall, long and white, impossible to not hear or notice. Listen to me, you saved me and I want to save you too, is what a least I can do! They won't believe in you, trust me. They'll have footage on cameras from last night and will ask the neighbors, everybody!

You-...*sighs feeling confused* After run away, what we gonna do?

Hanzo- I don't know...but we need to hide. Come with me, please.

*You looked into his eyes and sighs*

You- Promise me that everything will be ok.

Hanzo- I promise. I won't let you fall in the wrong hands.

Continue...

Art by: Koettboid on DeviantArt

Notes: Just warning again that English in not my first language, so sorry for any grammar errors, sometimes I need the translator help xD

[one-sad-human]

•Worth It• Duff Mckagan

Pairing: Velvet Revolver era! Duff Mckagan x Younger! Reader

Requested? Nope!

Theme: Little bit of everything/???

Warnings: Language, panic attacks, anxiety references, drug references

Word Count: 3k

A/N: Fic 2 of 2! This is the longest fic yet! Took a different approach to writing this one, hopefully it payed off. Let me know if you guys liked it or if I wasted my time with this one lol.

     You had met Duff in a coffee shop in LA. It was crowded and you were lucky enough to snag a chair before the lunch rush. Duff wasn't, and asked you if he could sit at your table.

     You grew up with Guns n Roses, bought his solo album the day it came out when you were just 15, and now listened to Velvet Revolver faithfully. To see your idol, your celebrity crush stand right in front of you holding a cup of coffee and a scone sent you for a loop.

     "Of course," you had said, starry eyed. You were only hoping he was as kind as the interviews made him out to be. Maybe have a conversation with you and be polite for a while before leaving and never seeing each you again. That would be good enough.

     It didn't end with a coffee, it had just begun. He asked for your number, and you stared at him for a moment thinking you had imagined it. That was until he tilted his head a little and looked at you with a nervous expression. He backtracked and you immediately stopped him.

     "No! I mean— yes! Yes, you can absolutely have my number." You scrambled for a pen and paper and ended up scratching your number on a receipt from the record store. You shook so hard you could barely get the numbers down.

     Out of all the record store receipts you've stuffed into your bag, the one you gave Duff Mckagan had to be the one for when you bought Velvet Revolver's 'Contraband.' He didn't say anything, just smiled and promised to call.

     You honestly didn't think he would've. You played it off as just him trying to be nice. It didn't stop you from answering every call you got for the next three days, however, even if you recognized the number as the tax collector you'd normally never answer.

     But then he called.

     "I tried calling sooner, but I kept calling the wrong number. You don't have the most eligible handwriting," he had told you. You laughed but really, you were in shock.

     You set up a date at the fancy restaurant downtown that always intimidated you. You didn't say anything though, even though you knew you wouldn't want any of the overpriced food and you'd end up eating something you couldn't pronounce and was two portions too small. Maybe even hit up a fast food joint afterwards.

     When the day finally came, you couldn't even figure out what to wear. You couldn't tell if you looked underdressed or like you were trying too hard. Did the clothes even fit the right way? What would Duff think? Would he even care?

     All questions were answered when you left your house. Duff was leaning against his slick car parked in your driveway, a button up that was barely buttoned and dress pants with boots. He stared at you and you wanted a hole in the ground to shallow you up until he smiles.

     "You look gorgeous," he said. You blushed and grinned, thanking him before saying that he looked great too. He drove you to the restaurant and on the way, you talked about music.

     You shared some of your favorites, he adored how well rounded you were. You liked pretty much everything from punk rock to the mellowest of mellow. Duff mentioned some of his favorites, some you made sure to remember the names of so you can check them out.

     When the ride was over and you finally got to the restaurant, your previous fears came back. Duff reassured you looked better than 90% of the people there and you knew it wasn't true but it made you feel better anyway.

     Your eyes widened to the size of saucers when you saw the prices of the food. You knew it'd be pricey but you thought there'd be more options that stayed within two digit numbers.

     Duff saw your panicked expression and said not to worry, he'd pay. It didn't settle your nerves enough and when the waiter came, you ordered the cheapest and simplest thing you could find.

     "Chicken noodle soup?" He teased. You shyly looked down and shrugged. "This isn't your scene, is it?"

     "Not exactly, no."

     "Want me to be completely honest with you?" You nodded. "It's not mine either."

     That's all it took for you and Duff to scramble sheepishly out of the restaurant. You both shared a laugh in the car and went to Burger King. It was much more your speed and, as you'd find out that night, Duff's too. You suppose all the money he's had since such a young age didn't completely change his ways. He was like a kid trapped in a 40 year old man's body.

     You'd thought at first the age gap would feel strange, after all, you were 15 years younger than him. But after that night, it was barely noticeable. Funny looks from strangers every once in a while was nothing.

     By the second date, Duff was already aware fancy spots weren't your forte. He told you it was a surprise and to wear something cozy, as LA nights got chilly.

     He packed a picnic basket and drove you out to the most beautiful flower field you had ever seen at sunset. It was secluded and high up, giving a perfect view of the city skyline. After gawking and taking in the sights for a few moments, you regained your ability to speak.

     "It's gorgeous. Pretty far from the city, did you take me here to kill me?" You joked. He laughed and rolled his eyes. His lighthearted laugh sent sparks straight to your heart, and you decided that it was your favorite sound.

     You unfolded the blanket Duff brought and you both sat down. You ate the sandwiches and sliced fruit Duff packed and talked. You talked about everything, from your family to fears and insecurities.

You told him how you suffer from nightmares. Flashbacks from your broken childhood coming back to bite you in your sleep. Duff shared how he's suffered from panic attacks since he was a teenager. You felt you knew each other for years.

Neither of you felt weird for sharing and neither made the other insecure. You were completely open and honest with each other. It was strange, you've never connected to quickly and effortlessly with someone before. Sure, you've had men in your life, but never had you clicked with someone so fast, never had you fit with someone so perfectly.

Hours passed and it felt like minutes. Only did you realize how late and how exhausted you were when you saw most of the city buildings light have gone off for the night. The city that didn't sleep was dark.

"I should get you home," Duff said to you.

"Will you stay the night?" You felt a little silly for asking. Were things going too fast? Would he even want to stay over?

He agreed, and that's how your first night together went. You both stayed up even later and had more lighthearted conversations, unlike the ones that partook at the field. Like how one of Duff's first jobs was at a bakery and could bake a mean cake and how you can't cook to save your life.

You ended up waking up without remembering falling asleep. You're head was placed comfortably on Duff's lap while his head was lolled back against the couch cushion. He looked so serene and peaceful you couldn't help but smile at the sight.

You made toast and somewhat successfully cooked some eggs and bacon. It might have been the first breakfast in years that didn't end with the smoke alarm going off.

Duff eventually wandered into the kitchen and you both ate. By the time he left, another date was already set up. He was like a drug an you were already hooked.

Months later and the addiction still wasn't kicked. You didn't want to, and Duff didn't seem to want you to quit either. You both soaked each other up like the sun on a warm day.

You had almost weekly dates and you stayed over each other's houses almost every other day. Duff did have his kids some days, though, so some days dates were cut short or Grace and Mae slept over his house and you wouldn't see each other.

You were always understanding, his kids came first and you'd never blame or get upset about it. It's something Duff admires about you, your never ending understanding and empathy for him.

One of those days where Duff stayed over at your house started normal. He cooked dinner and you washed the dishes, and then you put on an old Ramones concert you had on DVD.

You were laying on his chest, his fingers running through your hair when all of a sudden, he tensed up. He quickly stood and excused himself to the bathroom. You frowned but before you could think much of it, you heard a loud bang and something clatter to the ground.

You jumped up and rushed to the bathroom. You swung open the door because you were perfectly aware the lock hasn't worked since you moved in.

Duff was sitting on the floor, a pill bottle laying on its side not far from him. You quickly spot the name of the medication and identified it as your anti-anxiety pills. You shoved them aside and sat next to Duff.

He was sweating bullets and his skin felt cold and clammy, his breaths were labored and heartbeat was loud and pounding erratically. You coax him gently to take deep breaths, holding onto his hand tightly and talking quietly.

"I'm sorry, they come on randomly sometimes," he apologized after he'd called down, but you quickly shushed him. You reminded him of just how many nightmares he'd comforted you for and he stops feeling so bad about it.

     It was always a true partnership with Duff. Never had you felt you gave or took too much, it was always equal. Always a two way street, with everything.

That wasn't the last panic attack you had to help him come down from. Later down the line you've gotten better at calming him down and learning his triggers, even though sometimes they really do come on suddenly without reason.

A year into the relationship was when you met Grace and Mae. They were young and didn't completely understand why their parents weren't together anymore, so it took them a while to warm up to you. Luckily, they eventually came around.

Duff and Susan met up regularly to discuss their kids and co-parent properly. And while you had all the reason to be jealous of your boyfriend with his ex wife, you never did. You had complete confidence in him, he was honest and loyal and you doubted he'd ever hurt you purposely.

That's why it destroyed you when he left you. Tears were shed from both parties as he gave his reasons for breaking up with you. His insecurities he tried his best to bury had come to light and nothing could change his mind.

You thought you were completely honest with each other, but you suppose his doubt in his relationship with you was the one thing he kept secret. He had somehow convinced himself you'd be better without him, between the constant touring and the baggage that came with him and his kids, he finally buckled under the weight and stress.

You had tried to convince him that he was worth it, but if Duff is one thing it's stubborn. The best relationship you'd ever have and the best year of your life went down the drain within the matter of one conversation.

You were down in the dumps for days. You barely left your bed and didn't ever leave your house. You were in a depression and couldn't get out. A few of your friends eventually found out what had happened and broke into your house and shoved you into the shower before taking you to your favorite Chinese restaurant.

You felt like a disaster. Your hair was ratted despite the shower and you refused to put real clothes on, instead wearing sweatpants and a shirt Duff had left behind. You were a mess.

The hole in the wall restaurant was never busy but always had the best food. You were almost happy your friends dragged you out of your home until you saw Duff sitting at a table, eating egg rolls and lo mein.

You've came here together all the time. The high sodium in the food always made him sick to his stomach and you'd always end up giving him nausea remedies and tea. He never changed his order though.

You locked eyes with him for a while. Dark bags were under his eyes and he looked more pale than usual. He looked as terrible as you felt. You weren't sure if you were spitefully glad he felt awful or if the despair on his face just made your heart break further.

When you couldn't take his intense jade stare anymore, you looked up at the menu. The next time you looked back he was gone, you weren't sure if he was really there at all or if you were finally losing your mind for good.

     Another week crawled by. You got better enough to continue working. You had to pick up extra time for calling out for a few days after the breakup. You wouldn't say things were going well, but you weren't crying in bed every day all day anymore.

     You had constant dreams about him. Some were nice, ones where he didn't leave and you were together, holding each other tightly. Most were nightmares, flashbacks of when he left. You didn't have him to comfort you anymore when you woke up soaked in sweat and tears, and that might've been the worst.

     Another week went by, and you were starting to get back into the swing of things. You still thought about him, even silly little things reminded you of him. Like when you would catch a sniff of freshly baked sweets like he'd bake you or certain songs playing on the radio. It also didn't help that you ran into people wearing Guns n Roses shirts on the daily.

     You also refused to get rid of anything he'd left behind. Tee shirts, guitar picks he left from when he'd play for you, or CDs from bands he introduced you to. Reminders of what you lost were scattered around your home but you couldn't bring yourself to do anything about it.

     Suddenly, it's been a month. You weren't over him, but you had a feeling you'd never be completely. He was something special, you can't forget things as special as your relationship with Duff.

     His items still weren't thrown out or returned, instead all packed in a box sitting in your closet. But you'd be lying if you said you would never reach into the box to grab a shirt to sleep in or a CD to listen to when you needed a reminder of the good times. You were making progress though.

     You decided to leave your house one evening. You were feeling especially terrible and wanted to take a walk to clear your head. You went to the coffee shop you had first met Duff in. Maybe it was a mistake to go and get a flood of memories but you couldn't stop yourself.

     You sat in a seat near the window and people watched, taking occasional sips of your drink. It was quiet except from the talk of the workers and the hum of the overhead speakers.

     There was a sudden squeak of a chair of hardwood floors and it broke you out of your daze. You snapped your gaze up to meet the very familiar green eyes you've been trying to forget.

     "Can we talk?" He asked, and you couldn't say 'no.' Duff sat across from you and started off by apologizing.

     He said he wanted to talk to you sooner, but was too afraid you wouldn't want anything to do with him. You rolled your eyes at that, if only he knew just how much you missed him.

     He then started from the beginning and explained why he made the decision to leave you. As it turns out, it was mostly because of stress. His bandmate Scott was having problems with drugs and the flashbacks from his GnR days frightened him. He was worried he would end up relapsing and he didn't want to drag you down with him.

     Combine that with all the troubles that came with dating a single father, and he couldn't take it anymore. He felt too guilty.

     It all seemed like ridiculous reasons to you. Even if he had made the mistake of falling off the wagon, you still would've stuck with him. And you didn't mind his kids at all, after nearly a year of knowing them and you were very close to them.

     "I love you, Duff. I wouldn't have left you over that, I'd help you through anything. And I love Grace and Mae, too," you told him.

     "I know, but I didn't want you to have to deal with all that baggage." You frowned at that. You reached your hand across the table and grasped his, squeezing it tenderly.

     "You're worth it."

     After that day, you and Duff started seeing each other again. It wasn't the same as before, but maybe even better.

     You were more transparent with each other. If one had a worry or problem, you'd go to the other. You talked everything through with him and he did the same. Even if it seemed insignificant, talking everything through never failed to make it better.

    You were happier and healthier than ever before. Sure, there were a roadblock or two, but they only made the relationship even stronger, and you wouldn't have changed a thing about it.

[writenaw]

it's a normal day today, a rainy one though.

eversince i started my fitness journey, and lost 22 pounds in 2 months, normal days for me became working out and meal preps, so let me just share to you the meals i reveled on today. i usually eat only two meals a day because i'm doing intermittent fasting (16:8 at the least). i am also not much of a breakfast person, even eversince-when i had morning classes. i also usually don't snack in between meals, happens very seldom.

i woke up at around 1:40pm today, later than my usual 12 something noon, because i slept super late- it was around 6am, afaik. being lazy because of the comfy bed weather, i didn't immediately get out of bed but just stayed under my blanket for long. it was a quarter to 3 when i had the will to stand up, went straight to the dining table to check what my mom cooked for lunch.

to my surprise, she cooked something healthy today (people here prefer fatty and processed food), it was egg and bittermelon stir fry. happy because i didn't have to do any cooking, i just had to prepare the rest of my meal. after i threw 2 slices of bread in the oven toaster, i made myself my usual coffee which is a mixture black coffee, cinnamon powder, and lots of ice. there you have it, a balanced meal composed of a cup of stir fry, a serving of toast, and my cold caffeine booster.

not much of a story to tell in between my meals, only my afternoon workout. 2 hours after my first meal, i decided to have a 30-min full body hiit workout. tired yet recovered from being out of breath, i found the comfort of my bed after my cooldown exercises.

6:30 pm, marked as the time when i have to go to the kitchen and prepare my second meal. after getting what i need from the fridge, i started cooking. came up with having diced cucumber and boiled eggplant salad with spiced vinegar as dressing, tofu and grated carrot omelette, and a serving of toast for my last meal of the day. missed having tofu around, i haven't had that for quite a while. i'm glad i had a fulfilling meal♥.

that's it for today, happy because i ate healhy yet tasty meals. i really am determined in keeping the macros (carbs, fat, and protein) present and having vegetables every time to keep my meals balanced. i also may be doing a 20-min bed workout (when i get too lazy) or standing exercises later before going to sleep.

[troubled-tums]

When A turns the key and steps in, wheeling their suitcase in behind them, they don't realise that anything is wrong at first. The TV is on, things are otherwise quiet, and their partner B can't be home yet from work, they think. That's before A hears the groaning and sniffling from the bathroom.

A steps closer. B has a sensitive tummy, and A thinks that it's possible they ate something wrong. But as they set down their keys and toe off their shoes, that's when they realise the big problem. On the counter is a small stack of take out receipts, all dated for late into the night. Sighing, they head for the bathroom.

The door isn't locked. "Sweetheart?" A calls. "I'm home." B looks up from their perch on the toilet, their eyes red-rimmed and watery, and attempts a smile. Then, their face contorts and a splashing sound is heard.

"Sorry," B groans weakly. "I'm not feeling very well." A loud burst of gas rips its way out explosively, and B whimpers. "I had to call in sick today. Thank god its the weekend tomorrow."

"Let me see," A coaxes. Though they're tired from their business trip, their partner clearly needs some tender loving care. "I saw the takeout receipts on the counter, baby. Have you been eating nothing but takeaway?"

B uncurls, letting A take a look at the bloated swell of their upset belly. It gurgles angrily, and B doesn't bother to hold back a pained sigh. Gently, A starts to palpate B's lower abdomen.

"I've been putting in a lot of overtime," they confess. "I've just been rushing out of the door in time to go to work because I'm so tired from the night before. When I do get home, nothing is open, so it has to be takeaway. Ooh..."

A sighs, half in exasperation and half in tender sympathy. It looks as if they really can't leave B alone. While they were together, A had gradually convinced B to start eating regular meals and sleep earlier. It seemed like that had gone out the window the moment A had left for a week. B's belly burbled beneath their hand, and B bent forward with a choked moan. More soft stool pattered its way out, punctuated by painful sounding little emissions of gas. It continued for a while, and A was concerned at how hard they could feel B was pushing beneath their palm. A few long minutes later, B finally slumped to the side, exhaling noisily and heavily, reaching out blindly for the pack of wet wipes.

A furrowed their brows. "You must be in a lot of pain," they murmured. "I haven't seen you use the wet wipes in a while."

"I've been... Well, I kept feeling constipated throughout the week, but it's usually diarrhea when I finally go," B admitted. "I've been so bloated, and then when it hits and I have to go, I have to run or else I don't make it! Oh, A, I'm so sorry..." B sniffles and grabs A's hand, although they bow their head in shame.

"Shh, shh. I do wish you'd taken better care of yourself, but I'm not upset with you. Why don't you get cleaned up while I hop in the shower? You can join me if you'd like, then we'll watch a bit of TV before we go to bed." B nods, face aflame as A tilts their face up to kiss their forehead gently.

Bonus: B's tummy wakes them up in the middle of the night, and A rubs it for them until they run off and have more diarrhea.

Bonus 2: the next morning, B doesn't particularly feel like eating, but A makes then some toast, eggs, and slices fruit. B's stomach starts churning again after they drink some coffee, and they fidget miserably until A realises they're uncomfortable. B farts loudly and turns crimson, hugging their belly, which is still a little bloated. A palpates their gut until the cramping forces another huge fart, this one causing a tiny amount of mess to seep out. They barely make it to the toilet before the floodgates open.

Bonus 3: after yet another near accident, A suggests a pull-up just in case. B had last needed them months ago when they'd caught a nasty stomach bug, to avoid accidentally soiling their clothes.

[insideofmyownlittleworld]

DEAR Pro Ana or Mia advocates.

I used to be one of you to a degree, I talked myself down constantly, I followed your tips and tricks of weightlessness, but I never made a blog. But ana and mia have nearly killed me, in fact it's nearly killed me 3 times, I never was in the hospital with an IV and feeding tubes, but I did pass out every single day for a week straight, I felt my heart physically skip beats after purging and when I had fevers and refused to eat or drink anything due to fear of weigh gain.( I have a cardiac disorder fyi. But this does happen to people that don't.), but it nearly killed me. It nearly had me take my life countless other times.

But here's the kicker, you're all gonna say that won't happen to me.... no I play it safe. So did I. I'd always eat something a day, whether it be a apple or half a slice of toast, I'd have something. But now I'm 18, this'll be my 4th year battling bullima, my 8th with an eating disorder. I had one as a child yes but your posting, your commentary on the "perfect body" caused me to weigh 98 lbs at the beginning of my freshman year of college. When all my friends weigh 120-140... I am and was the size of my boyfriends 11 year old sister practically. Then when I was regaining some weight, I started losing hair. There will be a photo, the only photo on this post of the hair loss. Now it started small, a few miniature clusters here and there, but now it's where it is now. The bundle you see maybe look like much for 1 or even 2 times a day, but this is the 7th time today I've had to brush my hair because the hair was physically terrifying to see being pulled out by my hands. I do this 7 times a day every day, for around 2 months now. I've been pulling larger and larger clumps out of my hair. I've tried vitamins for it, I've tried shampoo and more. I don't have large bald spots yet but they are slowly forming, I've found 3 today alone.

Go ahead and say it won't happen to me, but if you continue on with your disordered and bad eating ways and knowing you can pull out of it, do it please. I thought I was in control for 8 years... I thought if I lost 5 pounds here or 10 pounds there, I'd be happy. I never was happy and the weight always came back. You're never in control until you look at yourself and actually recognize you're beautiful. Now I'm going to have my hypocrisy moment, because I'm going on day 2 of not eating because I had 3 slices of pizza and didn't purge...day 2... I've been awake for nearly 48 hours straight and I haven't eaten more than a small half spoonful of ice cream. You're never in control, I'll admit right now I'm not in control, I'm letting myself fall. But I am trying to pick myself up... that's why this post is being made. I need people like me back then to realize, you'll destroy yourself going down this path. You'll wind up not being able to even wear a baggy sweater without feeling as if you are huge, you won't be able to look at your stomach for 3 years. You will cry yourself to sleep over the fact you ate 8 grapes and freak yourself out so much that at 3 am you're trying your hardest to throw them up... even if you ate them 6 hours ago...

That is what this does to you. Your breath will stink, your nails will be yellow, you'll grow extra hair, you'll lose hair, you'll want to die, you'll forget how to be a person outside of your habits. Hell it's taken me 5 years just to be okay eating thanksgiving and not freaking out about having the smallest portion. Please before you get hospitalized or worse die... get help pull yourself up and find things that make you happy and feel alive. Fine a support system it's not impossible you can.

This be the hair bundle, imagine this combines with 6 more just like it.