#most of the time gods give you a tiny bit of their energy

[ssantisheep]

Okay so last night i dreamed that in jjk kids were bonding with Gods to like fight evil people and like through an error in summoning Yuuji summoned and bonded with Sukuna who pretended to be the Gods of Sweet. In reality Sukuna was the God of pleasure. You know, especially flesh pleasure ? Sex but also War kinda deal. It is kind of nebulous but now i kinda want to write it!!

[pumpkinbxtch]

Hi!! I loved your aftercare hcs! Could I do a request where the reader is babysitting Estelle for the night since Paul and Sally have gone on a date and Percy comes home and finds reader and Estelle asleep cuddled up together?

girl's night

• the reader babysits Estelle and Percy finds them asleep.

— percy jackson x mortal!reader

warnings: none

a/n: hello! What a nice request, I hope I did it justice. 😭 Also, thank you!

It all started with a:

— Yes, Mrs. Jackson. I'll be there, don't worry.

Because it was your chance to gain Sally Jackson's trust. People who know her know that this opportunity is like gold, something not even a god would dare mess up or decline. But beyond that (since she was practically your mother-in-law), you cared about something else: Estelle.

Your boyfriend’s little sister. She was tiny, still unsteady on her feet, but already full of energy, and you loved the idea of bonding with her from such a young age. So, that's how you ended up agreeing to babysit her for a night while Sally and Paul went out on a date, which you thought was admirable and exemplary, that romance never dies even after starting a family.

You wondered for a moment if life with Percy would be like that too. Despite his life as a demigod and the differences between how you two were raised, you could see his dream of living peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones. You wanted to believe that when he talked about those hopes, you were included, and of course, you were.

You wished he could be with you, but not even Percy knew you were going to babysit Estelle. You saw him too worried about godly issues and his college graduation, even though he was on break. But you knew that life never stopped and you didn’t mind as long as he let you help, even if it was just by listening.

— Darling! — Sally Jackson exclaimed as she opened the apartment door, and you stood there, mouth agape. She looked stunning in a red dress, reminiscent of that movie "Me Before You." Paul peeked through the door while adjusting one of his funny ties.

— Mrs. Jackson — She chuckled, preferring you to call her Sally, but you couldn’t drop the formalities.

They showed you what there was to eat, talked a bit about Estelle’s schedule, but after that, they just looked at you with a confident smile.

— You'll do great, dear — Paul said, kissing Sally's forehead. You couldn’t understand how they could entrust you with their most precious thing without giving strict rules.

— Her bedtime? — The question seemed funny because they just shook their heads.

— Estelle doesn't struggle much with sleep; it’ll be obvious when she’s tired.

And when they left the apartment, you looked behind you. There she was, waving her tiny hand while giggling.

— It's just us, Estelle — You said, sitting next to her as she kept watching something on TV, something more important than your obvious nervousness.

You wondered if she would just watch the screen the whole time, if you only had to give her snacks when she got hungry and make sure she slept at a decent hour. You were pondering this when you felt a tug on your hand. You looked at her, and she was shaking some coloring pages and a worn-out crayon. Where had she gotten that? When?

She said something you wanted to interpret as, "Let's color, and you'll like it, or I'll tell everyone you're no the one for my brother." Well, maybe not, but it felt like that.

You picked her up and took her to the wooden table where the family usually had dinner, making her comfortable with some pillows to adjust her height. But even then, Estelle stood up and started coloring.

You had your own page and couldn’t remember the last time you colored, so your hand moved a bit clumsily, and being so focused, you didn’t see her hand make you go out of the lines. You looked at her, and she grinned widely, but you knew she didn’t do it on purpose; she was just calling you to see her progress, a scribbled bear with at least five different colors. You smiled genuinely and gave her a thumbs-up, which she took as the best critique of her art.

The night went like that, and you never thought such a small child could teach you so much.

When you made cookies, seeing her face reminded you of the joy in just making them, not so much eating them or how they turned out.

When you watched her favorite cartoons, you remembered what it was like to watch something without guilt or the worry that you should be doing something better or more productive.

When she decided she wanted to dance, you remembered that music could be missing, but never the attitude and good moves.

Estelle ended up holding your hand as you regularly straightened the cushions and rug, making sure nothing was too messy. When you smiled, she did too, and she didn’t let go of you all night.

Finishing up washing the dishes, you looked down to see Estelle next to your feet, sitting on the floor playing with some toys while waiting for you. You stopped to watch her for a moment, seeing so much of Sally in her, but also unmistakable traits of Paul, and in her attitude, you saw Percy. Maybe because he was her big brother after all. Estelle brought her little feet together and touched her toes, lost in whatever a child her age might be thinking when you saw her rub her eyes. That was your signal.

— Estelle — You called softly, and she looked at you with sleepy, shiny eyes. You extended your arms, and she got up to do the same, and you picked her up, rocking her, but she seemed to realize what you were trying to do.

— No — She said clearly. You were startled as she hid her face in your neck, clinging to you. You weren’t an expert, but you knew what it meant, so you sat down with her on the couch, placing her properly on your lap.

— It’s okay — You lied, feeling bad about it even though you knew you had to. You put on a new movie to make her think she’d stay awake, but your trick was to make her fall asleep, though you didn’t plan on falling asleep yourself. You hugged her and got comfortable, the best cuddle ever because she kept holding onto you as you slowly closed your eyes.

You never heard the key in the lock, the quiet footsteps on the floor, nor the warm greeting from your boyfriend, who wasn’t expecting to find you cuddled up with Estelle on the couch, sleeping soundly.

— Babe? — He asked softly, checking to see if you were really asleep. He set the keys down and took off his hoodie, dirtied from some... incidents.

His blue eyes scanned the apartment for his mom or Paul but found no sign of them, leading him to realize why you were there. He walked over to you two with quiet steps until he was face to face with an image no one could take from him. Two of his favorite people, seemingly fond of each other, filled his heart with love, and he kissed both your foreheads. Unfortunately, you woke up, and he couldn’t help but pout.

— Sorry — You mumbled, blurry-eyed and disoriented from your nap, realizing it was Percy. He was smiling, kneeling at your level.

— Percy — You murmured, rubbing your eyes and feeling another weight on your chest, going rigid as you remembered. Your boyfriend noticed your fear of waking her. He extended his arms and picked up Estelle so you could get up normally.

— Having fun without me? — He asked with his sister on his chest, rocking to keep her in the land of Hypnos. You stretched, smiling sleepily.

— There was no way to tell you — He nodded, seeing your phone on the carpet, feeling a bit bad for not being able to carry a phone to stay in touch. He often spent days away, and no one knew where he was, not even you.

— I’ll put Estelle to bed — He whispered, and you nodded, struggling to keep your eyes open in his direction, making him chuckle. Before leaving, he leaned in with his sister in his arms to kiss you.

— Be right back.

You nodded and stood to check the living room. You only had to straighten the cushions and put the chairs back in place before Percy hugged you from behind. At his touch, you hummed, feeling a wave of sleepiness brought on by the calm of having him there, finally safe.

— Hey — He greeted, still whispering, and you rested your head on his shoulder, giving him enough space to plant a warm kiss on your neck. With no immediate response from you, he held you tighter and kissed your cheek, wanting to support you so you didn’t have to put in so much effort.

— I’m okay — You said, realizing what he was trying to do, but he quickly lifted you bridal style, making his way back to the couch.

— Shh, I’ll take care of you. — He soothed while sitting with you, and you wrapped your arms around him, sharing your sleepiness. You rested your head on his chest, and he pulled the blanket from the corner to cover you both.

You sighed calmly, almost falling asleep when you sniffed your boyfriend's shirt once, twice, three times. Groggy, you kissed his cheek and whispered in his ear

— You smell like monster, Percy Jackson — He smiled, and you mirrored it.

— Things got tough — He said slowly, resting his cheek on your head, almost stumbling over words.

— Hmm — You hummed starting to fall asleep, and you both did it.

[jarofstyles]

Periwinkle- Indigo 6

Hello my loves! Here is part 6 to indigo. We're getting somewhere.. hehe.

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Indigo Masterlist

WC-3.1k

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Y/N’s swollen lips were a reminder of the man who had just dropped her off, her body feeling weightless as she did her skincare with a fluttering still calming in her stomach. 

Her date with Harry made her feel completely and utterly… high. Cloud nine, soft cushions catching her as she fell. The trail that his finger had followed the side of her cheek as his gentle kisses had spun her head around left a skin deep buzzing she could still feel an hour later. The most incredible date ended with another kiss against her door, the feeling of him against her thigh and the whine she had emitted when he tore his mouth away to try and keep control of himself. A whispered promise of texting her as soon as he got home had been his goodbye, paired with a chaste kiss to her nose before he jogged down the stairs and watched as she made her way inside. He didn't pull away until she had looked out the window and waved to him. 

For a man who had been so shy previously, his kisses had knocked her on her ass. 

She had felt him staring, his eyes burning into her face half the time. While she hadn’t felt particularly upset that he wasn't paying attention because he was too busy looking at her, it was a little funny and a smidge intimidating. He was studying her expressions thoroughly, eyes catching her tiny micro movements. She’d never been studied like this.

“See something you like?” Y/N laughed, slowly turning her head to met his eyes. There had been a miscalculation in just how far her face had been to his, her breath catching in her throat as she realized just how close they were when her nose accidentally nudged his- but he didn’t make a move to make any distance between them. 

“I do.” He said softly, lifting the fingers from her arm to brush the hair that hung in her face. “I can’t get over that you… that you said yes and that you’re letting me close to you. I’ve been a little enamored with you for a while so please forgive me for staring.”

And god, if that didn’t melt Y/N completely. 

“It’s okay.” She whispered back. “I don’t mind. Just wanted to make sure you were okay. I…” She paused for a moment, leaning into his hand. “Same, kind of. I felt weird for having a crush on you despite it all but it was just something telling me to give you a chance. I’m really happy that you like me back.”

She watched his eyes search her own, fingers curling around her jaw and visibly swallowing as he opened his lips. “Can I- Would you like me to kiss you?” He questioned, feeling it in the air. Being this close, the feelings between them both made the air a bit thicker despite the chill in the air.  Her nod was slow, leaning slightly into him and lifting her chin up, looking between his eyes and his lips. 

Harry had been given permission, and he was taking it. The first one slow, their lips melding together as his thumb stroking the very corner of her lip. Pulling back for a moment, there was a moment that they took a breath and she knew he was going to ask if it was alright, but she didn’t want to talk. She wanted more of this feeling. 

Like pins and needles but in a good way, heat in her stomach and ears and a need to get closer to him, buttoning their lips together again and lifting her blanket warmed hand to his cool neck, holding the side of it as she kissed him back with an energy that she hope conveyed how she felt. It was an addictive feeling, this man’s lips. Something she had felt so guilty about thinking of prior, but her newest obsession. 

Harry let out a little groan that had gone straight between her thighs, gently moving her to get closer to him as he shifted to his side for easier access. His body was warm and solid, making her feel incredibly safe and comfortable in his arms. She couldn't remember the last time- or any time- she felt this happy to be in someone’s possession. 

Getting into it, it shocked her how thoroughly he kissed. It felt like she could feel his emotions, his intentions. The promise laid into the kiss that he liked her, he was going to take care of her. His thumb brushing over her chin and slowly dragging her lip down with the force, making her mewl as she turned and slipped her leg over his thigh. It was instinct to want to get closer. If they weren’t around other people, she would be tempted to crawl into his lap. Especially since his other hand had held the side of her neck so gently, so sweetly with his thumb running up the base- god, it was making her ache. 

“I know, sweets.” He mumbled against her lips, his own heart pounding in his chest. The movie was fully ignored me the only sounds he could hear was their breathing and his pulse in his ears. He finally was getting to kiss her, but he couldn’t let it go too far. Not only because of the setting, but because he really wanted to prove to her that he wasn’t just in it for the sex. “But there’s people around. We can..” he cleared his throat quietly. “I’ll kiss you as much as you want, but you’ve got to keep it quiet.” He rubbed his nose against hers, the next words impulsively slipping out. “As much as I like to hear your pretty noises, I don’t want the rest of them to.”

As if those words would make her want to shut up. If anything, they quickened the burn between her thighs, the flames shooting up to her belly as she reconnected their mouths again and pressed closer to him so she could try and muffle them. He didn’t know about her fantasy for public play but she would keep that tidbit hidden for now. 

They’d kissed and kissed and kissed until it was over and Y/N had felt dizzy, the lights for the field turning on and her eyes felt like they were swimming. Any semblance of lipgloss had faded and smeared between the two of their mouths, a flush slightly coating the man’s cheeks. He was so cute to her, his sudden shyness as if he hadn’t said flirty things in between kisses. She was obsessed with the way he felt, the way he grabbed her and held her where he wanted her. It was a contrast she enjoyed thoroughly. 

He drove her home with a smile on his face as he played Hozier’s first album, giving her a lovely soundtrack to observe him with as the wind chilled her face a bit. The giddiness had settled fully in her stomach, though, when he had reached to her thigh and took her hand in his own. It felt real, her body tingling as he stroked his thumb over the back of her fingers. The sweetness of the gesture made a squeal crawl up her throat she worked hard to extinguish, only barely succeeding. This had been a dream date, one for the books, and Y/N wished she could have extended the night further, but he had been adamant that they’d not done anything else tonight. It made her think, her smile soft as she floated through her apartment with Harry’s sweatshirt he’d pulled from the back of his car for her on the drive hanging on her body. Tying her hair back into a single braid, she climbed into the bed after brushing her teeth and setting her laptop to charge. It had taken her the most restraint she had ever felt when she heard her phone buzz 5 minutes ago to not dive out of the bathroom to grab it from her bedside table and pouring over the text- but she had done it, and her self control that had persevered in her bathroom had crumbled as soon as she pulled the blankets over her bare legs. 

H: Hi. I’m home :) Thank you for coming with me tonight. 

Y/N: Are you kidding? It was the best date I’ve ever had. 

Y/N: I really enjoyed it. 

H: Good. It was a long time coming, at least in my head. 

H: Do you think you’d like to go on another one? I’m not sure if it’s too early to ask, but I have to admit that I’m hoping to plan the next one really soon. 

Her heat swelled as she fell back into the pillows, kicking her feet with a grin. He was seriously asking? It was a given. She’d nearly climbed his body when he kissed her goodbye. It was a relief that she wasn’t the only one who felt sadness at the unknown of when they’d see each other next. He wanted to plan the next one already? And what constituted really soon? She nibbled on her bottom lip as she laid back against the bed, letting her warmth slip into the linens.

Y/N: Yeah. I’d really, really like that. 

Y/N: How soon? 

H: In a few days? 

Y/N: ooooh, eager? 

H: I mean… Yeah. I am. If that’s too soon, I’m sorry. I just had a really good time and I like being around you. 

Y/N: I was just teasing!! It isn’t too soon at all. That sounds good, perfect actually. 

Y/N: And I had a really good time and like being around you too, fyi. 

Her eyes narrowed at her screen as she debated going a bit further in teasing, not wanting to scare him off but gage where he was at. Was he someone who could handle more banter? He’d kept up quite well before but this was more.. Heated. 

Fuck it. 

Y/N: And I really liked how you kiss… So I’m not going to complain. 

The three dot bubble came up and disappeared. And then it happened again, and once more over a period of three minutes, and Y/N had just started panicking slightly about mentioning it when her phone buzzed in her hand, spooking her slightly. 

H: Same. It was the best I’ve had. Was all of that ok, though?

H: I know you reciprocated but I just want to make sure you were okay with that sort of stuff. I really want to get to know you, but I am extremely attracted to you, Y/N. 

The flushed girl smiled at her phone like an idiot. Of course he had to be attracted to her- he had her convinced he hated her because she was too cute and he didn’t know how to act- but seeing it laid out like that, experiencing him asking her again if she had been alright with it was more care than she was used to. Perhaps it was sad, bare minimum, but knowing he actually cared made her happier than she cared to admit. 

Y/N: It was amazing, Harry. Seriously it was more than okay with me. I would have said so otherwise. 

Y/N: I really enjoyed it. I mean, you had to basically pry me away to leave, so… haha. You’re a gentleman.

H: Okay, good. I wanted to make sure. But I am happy to hear you think I’m a gentleman. That was what I was going for. You deserve the best shit

H: Prying you off was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done but I want you to be sure about me before we do anything

The sentiment was nice, but Y/N knew she liked him a lot and wouldn’t regret sleeping with him. Harry was already showing the qualities she wanted but perhaps he was right. Maybe it was better for them to wait- although… 

Y/N: I wouldn’t have regretted anything, if that’s what you’re worried about. However, if you want to be a gentleman, I don’t mind a bit of edging. 

That’s where Harry coughed on his tea, eyes watering as he read the last sentence of her message. Was she trying to make this hard for him on purpose? He was trying so hard to keep his head on straight, but it was hard when she had  been whimpering for more, her foot rubbing over his leg, fingers gently playing with his hair. If he’d had his way, he’d have taken her against her front door- but Y/N wasn’t just a hookup. She was someone he could see for a long time, if she let him. 

H: Don’t be bad, Sweets. 

Y/N: Hm.. Ok. I can be good, for you. 

Harry let out a groan, rolling his head back at the message. She could be good for him? Well, that was incredible to know. Was she not normally good? This was a side of Y/N he hadn’t been familiar with, her soft spoken stories and giggly jokes not hinting towards any sort of dirtiness. This was a new side that had been shown to him, and he should be a bit ashamed of how intrigued it made him. 

Y/N: I do feel like…. 

H: Hm? 

Y/N: I do think you would like me to be bad sometimes, though. 

H: How do you figure? 

Y/N: You’ve been nothing but sweet to me since we connected properly, so gentle. It’s a mindfulness.  But… IDK. There’s something in my gut making he think maybe that isn’t all there is. 

It was interesting to him, considering he had thought she was all good, perhaps a little vanilla, but he of all people should have known not to judge a book by its cover. Although, he had to admit that the direction of the conversation was making it harder and harder to say goodnight as he had originally anticipated. She had baited, and he was biting. 

H: Well, you wouldn’t be wrong. I like bad sometimes, but I’ve enjoyed your behavior so far, Sweets. 

Y/N: I am fond of that nickname. I am a sweetheart, I dare say. 

Y/N: And I think I’m sweet in all the ways. 

H: Y/N… 

Y/N: H?

H: Please, darling. I’ve been doing so good with being a gentleman. 

Y/N: Who said that’s what I want right now? 

Y/N: You’re the one who gave me blue balls. 

Harry sputtered out a laugh despite his active ignoring of his cock beginning to thicken in his boxers. She was cute, but she was testing him. Harry wasn’t any sort of Christian Grey, but he did enjoy a bit of an acquired taste in the bedroom. He wanted to introduce her to it slowly, but she was testing limits. And damn it, Harry was too fucking curious for his own good. 

H: Oh? And how did I do that now? Quite an accusation. 

Y/N: You kiss me the way you do, stroke over my neck and in my hair and do that little smile against my mouth and you think I’m fine???!?!!

H: I mean…

Y/N: You know what you’re doing. Luckily, I like you. And like I said, Edging can be fun. 

H: So can overstimulation, but they both can be punishments, can’t they?

The man swallowed, setting his phone on his knee as he clipped his hair back, turning his television on low. He had just gotten off in the shower before she’d replied, and now he was feeling it again. Just a few minutes of talking and she had managed to make him achey. How was this fair? What god had to be playing with him? 

Y/N: Ohhhh… breaking out more terms. 

H: Yes. You started it, though. 

Y/N: Nope. You did when you kissed me. 

The smile was familiar now, usually painted on his face when she was involved. She’d been moving further and further into his mind, taking up more real estate without his permission- but he didn’t mind. Focusing on the sweet, gorgeous girl was much more fun than anything else he had been storing up there. 

Y/N: But if you want to wait to talk about that sort of stuff, we can. I won’t be too bad tonight. 

H: I’d say you already have been. It wasn’t easy for me to pull back, like I said but… I’d like to do things right with you.

H: Plus, I want to see you squirm when we talk about this stuff. I’d much rather watch you go shy on me. Such a brave girl on the phone, but I know next time I kiss you you’re going to remember this and I need to let you know- as much as I really, really wanted to just follow you inside and dip my hand between your thighs to see just how wet and hot you got for me, I think you’re going to thank me for it later. I’ve only so much control.

Harry had been poked with a stick, coated in temptation to devour her and he had resisted,  but if they talked about this now? 

H: Not to mention, if we talk about it I will be more apt to jumping in my car and coming to you to do exactly as we talk about. So, let’s keep it PG for tonight. Sound good, Sweets? 

It was such a hard thing for him to do, dying to spread those pretty, soft legs open for him and sampling the honeyed cunt that would be waiting for him- but he wanted to be the guy that Y/N deserved.  He wanted to do  the flowers and chocolate sort of shit, prove how much he actually liked her. He liked her enough to restrain and make sure she felt confident in her decisions, not just something in the heat of the movement. 

Y/N: fine, fineeeeee. I’ll put my halo back on. 

H: There we go, angel. Good job. 

Y/N: I aim to please

H: You need to go to bed, and so do I. You’ll wake up with our next date details. 

H:I had an incredible time with you. 

Y/N: Me too. Goodnight, Harry. Thanks for taking me out. 

H: Always. Goodnight, Sweetness. Hope your dreams are sweeter than you. xx

[mentos-or-mentoes]

My God, just recently I watched Hotel Hazbin, and it just amazed me! Especially Cannibaltown and its inhabitants, they are all so cute, aristocratic and at the same time deadly!

So based on this I came up with an idea.

What if we take the Reader, who is also the leader of a small settlement of cannibals isolated from everyone, who are followers of the red crown, who miraculously managed to survive and hide, isolating all the settlements from everyone and waiting for the prophecy and the lamb to happen, which will free “the one who waits.”

It would be very interesting to see how the already defeated five bishops who are in the cult of the lamb accidentally stumble upon a settlement where Narinder’s followers still live, who eat the flesh of "heretics" and those who want to completely destroy Narinder's legacy. At the same time, they still continue to remain like one big friendly family, with their own manners and friendly character)

(I apologize in advance, because English is not my native language, but I hope I conveyed the essence correctly)

This wont be headcanons. mainly because i don't know exactly how i'm supposed to write this as headcanons. But i hope you enjoy!

I havent watched Hazbin Hotel yet, but i will try my best to make something somewhat like you asked.

Cult of the lamb ex-Bisops + Narinder / TOWW x Reader who is a Cannibal leader.

(this will be with the bishops in follower form).

Narinder / TOWW

Narinder was out gathering some meat for the cult per the lambs request when he suddenly heard a sound from somewhere. It was loud, maybe a shout? A cry? He didn't pay much attention to it at first. But curiosity got the better of him. When he went to investigate the general area, all he could find was some red robes and the remains of a (newly dead) body. It had definetly been a planned attack, that much he was sure of. It was obvious looking at the robes, it didn't have as much as even a singular scratch on it.

Suddenly he heard a noise, Narinder got ready to fight but was met by a seemingly innocent, joyful smile as you, greeted him. You offered him shelter and food for the night and he accepted the kind offer, not wanting to stay out too late.

Upon arriving at the little cult, he was surprised. Everyone seemed to be running around, playing and just having a fun time overall. You didn't have much of anything, yet everyone seemed perfectly fine. Nobody was even remotely sick, or lacking in nutrition. This did make him slightly suspicious. You told him that you'd have to go take care of some ''buisness'', he didn't really care too much, but he did keep an eye on you to make sure you weren't scheeming anything. A bit later, you came back, soaked in blood, and a bone in hand, ruínging a bell. It was then you announced dinner was ready, as well as in a slightly saddend tone announcing that a dissenter who was especially troublesome had been taken care of.

Narinder immidietly put two and two together, and realized that the dissenter you were talking about, was now the meat in the bowl of stew sitting in front of him. He freaked out a little and questioned you about it, You calmy told him that it was how things were around the area, thoose who failed to follow the teachings of the red crown, would help the faithful, by giving them energy, and filling their tummies. You also informed him that, after having to hide as a result of his excile, that rescources were not easy to come by, so it was how things were, and that everyone was fine with it, even scrapping together some vegetables for thoose who'd prefer not to indulge in the cannibalism. Most did so there was enough for a good bit of vegetable stew for him and a couple other followers who simply were too disturbed by the concept but didn't want to leave the cult.

Narinder couldn't help but feel as if he was falling for you, a tiny bit. A sweet, kind leader who wasn't afraid to do what had to be done. Fufilling your own needs first, but making sure everyone felt comfortable after your needs were met.

Narinder would start visiting your little cult whenever he was snet out to get anything for the cult. and if you were up for it, he would be more then willing to ask the lamb, if your cults could kind of join together, your cult taking care of the dissenters who'd keep dissenting no matter what. He'd one day confess his love for you while you two were enjoying the guts of an outsider who had tried to harm your followers, It was a bit akward, but you just gave him a quick kiss, and if you decided to pet him then he'd practically melt into your touch.

Heket

Heket had thought that all cults worshipping the red crown other then that god forsaken lambs cult had died out. She had done so much to try and stop it, yet it seemed near inevitable.

She knew Anura the best so, naturally she took almost every opprotunity to go there, mainly to get away from the cult. One day she had heard a noise comming from a bush. Not afraid to fight, she got ready to take on whatever would jump out at her, After a bit nothing happend. She stopped for a second wondering what it was, before continuing to walk. Suddenly, she heard a soft, quiet, humming. It sounded nice, Heket went to investigate the sound to find you minding your own buisness. She knew something was off, she could tell very easily, but she couldn't quite put a finger on it. You introduced yourself to her, showing her around your cult, and talking about the history behind it

She was just taking a walk in Anura, gathering some mushrooms for the cult, when she saw you. Her whole view of you changed that day. As you were cleaning out the blood from the intenstine of a follower, whilst another of your cult members were chopping up the flesh, and another was boiling the sausages that had been stuffed with meat, and twisted to make hotdogs. You asked your friend if she was hungry and offered her a sausage. She accepted and then the little ''secret'' you had was out.

Heket was definetly amused at how your cult was. Everyone knew eachother and cared for one another like family, yet, every time you made your followers eat the flesh of the people they once knew, they seemed to only get more faithful. You even had options for thoose who didn't want to. Truly a place for everyone. upon revisiting the cult she asked you about it, and you told her that, after worshipping the red crown was forsaken, you and your followers had to go into hiding. And therefore you had to do all things nessecary to survive. If one member was caught, then surely everyone would be dead. so scavaging for plants, seeds and other things like that was out of the question, instead having to settle for whatever was available. Thats when you told her of how, thoose who dissented too much would either end up having to rot in a cell somewhere or you and the rest of your cult could get some use out of them, via cannibalising them.

She didn't really think much of it (She probably ate a couple of dissenters too back when she was a bishop herself). You treated thoose who had passed, and thoose who had been faithful with respect. promising to give them a proper passing, and not eating their remains, no matter how desperate things got. One day while at the cult you were even serving up a follower who had tried to sneak into the catacombs to try and take the meat from a passed elder. You of course didn't tolorate that in the slightest bit.

The day she asked you out, she had planned to cook a meal for the two of you, to eat alone. You seemed to read her open as a book because the second you two were alone, you gave a quick little kiss on the cheek, and confessed your love for her, right then and there.

Leshy

It was a cold, stormy night. And out on a journey to find his eye, Leshy was slithering around. When suddenly he tripped over something. He was met with somewhat of an embrace, rather then the cold dirt, as you greeted him. Offering to help him around, and to help him try to find his missing eye. You took him back to your cult, where everyone gave him a warm welcome, You gave him some soup. Leshy however, having a very good smelling sense to make up for his lack of vision, could immidietly smell that something was off. You, knowing that he couldn't see and wanting to try and calm him down fro, thinking you were trying to poison him, just told him that it was the meat of a worm follower who had recently started to dissent alot. On one hand it calmed him down a bit, that he wasn't being poisoned. On the other hand, it freaked him out even more how casually you just talked about turning a person into soup.

You told Leshy that, nobody would hurt him, and that you'd make sure of it. Your calm energy, and words of comfort definetly helped him out. The kindness of your followers towards him despite what he did, made him feel welcome

when he asked exactly who you and your cult was worshipping, he got surprised at the fact that you also worshipped the red crown. Not that it wasn't a possibility, but most people who had worshippec the red crown had been found, then put to the blade. He himself witnessed almost every single of its followers die infront of him. To think that you and this cult of atleast 60 people had hidden that well from him, and his siblings, just surprised him.

His amasement at how you handled, well, everything! You almost managed your cult better then he did when he was a bishop. You made sure everyone was comfortable, And that no boundaries were overstepped, as long as the followers of the cult were to be faithful, and respectful towards others. Your willingness to help others, both inside and outside of your cult, as long as your, and your followers needs were met, definetly lead to him developing some feelings towards you.

He'd start visiting more often, especially after getting his eye back, You'd make sure to avoid having him around especially gory sacrifices or executions, if we didn't want to see them.

Leshy would one day just, go up to you, kiss you, then wait to see how you'd react. When you kissed him back, immidietly followed up by a hug, was definetly one of the happiest moments of his life.

Kallamar

Kallamar was just on a walk to calm himself down, when he saw you, he immidietly panicked. You just saw him, and casually waved with someones severed hand. His screams could be heard all throughout the old faith. He was practically unable to move, And he was terrified the second he realized, that you, were only getting closer. By the time you were close enough to actually talk to him, he was practically on his knees just begging you to not hurt him. You reckognized him as one of the four bishops that had tried to kill you and your followers back when Narinder was banished, Didn't stop you from trying to calm him down, and telling him that you weren't gonna be hurting him any time soon.

He was shocked that a cult like yours was still going, especially after everything he and his siblings had done to try and eradicate any evidence of the red crowns existence. Turns out, you and your followers had been living far back in the caves, worshipping the red crown the entire time. Knowing that the prophecy of the lamb, that would free your great leader, would one day be fufilled. You had basically managed to make a secret society, but with everyone being cannibalistic.

You were terrifying, yet, oddly comforting. You made Kallamar feel like he was in danger, yet safe at the same time. It seemed you had affected you followers in the same way, with them gladdly following your word, doing as you said happily, both in the fear for their lives, but also out of will. Everyone knew eachother down there, and it gave people less reason to dissent. Thoose who did, would lose their life, as well as make everyone around them have to lose someone close to them. It hurt you and everyone else, what you had to do for survival, but it was nessecary. They understood, and everytime food was getting low, many people would be willing to offer themselves up, for the sake of everyone else.

Kallamar would never confess his feelings to you, but you became an unofficial couple because, his crush was clear as day to everyone around him, including you. so you just started being romantic, and started dating, no confessions needed.

Shamura

Shamura didn't leave the cult too much, not without someone by their side atleast. They however do have a tendency to just, wander off to god knows where. It was on one of theese times, that they stumbled upon what they at first thought was the cult of the lamb, because of the robes. Upon seeing a bunch of new faces, they started to think otherwise. You however, were kind, and accepting of them stumbling upon your little settlement. Offering them something that could remind them of their days in power, Something akin to eating the dissenters of their cult, for power.

Shamura could immidietly tell, that something, was different, about the food they were being served. After asking you, they found out that an outsider had tried to attack some children, much to their mistake, so you simply took care of them, and served them up to preserve space. It made sense, as the area had not much if anything at all to grow crops at, so having to provide for a whole cult would be difficult without some other food source. You started talking about how, it had been a family tradition, that you had brought with you as a solution to providing food and taking care of dissenters in the cult, at the same time.

You decided to try and teach them a bit about how to use every bit of the body for different dishes, and what nutrition, the different body parts had. It was knowledge Shamura hadn't heard of before. but something they'd love to hear more about, learning every single bit there was to know about the body, and surviving in places with close to nothing.

Your cult being the only remaining that worshipped the crown before Naridners excile, meant you had lots of ''Forbidden'' knowledge. Almost anything related to death, or the afterlife was something anyone in the cult could talk about for hours on end, regardless of if it was an adult or one of the many children. You knew how to preach, and you did it startingly well.

Shamura could see your cult and the lambs, merging together, or yours potentially growing bigger. Your charisma, your soft, gentle voice, your aura, everything was just so, calm and caring about you. And to think that you were possibly one of the most brutal leaders out there when you wanted to be or needed to be, it was seomthing that they knew was the sign of a great leader.

They would bring some books and some tomes from their cult one day and ask if you wanted to read with them, you accepted, and you two spent the evening together, cuddling, and enjoying eachothers company.

[hyperactively-me]

I know its super serious in kastron rn but imagine graves gifted reader her own puppy to train I know it would be hilarious 😂

oh my god i am obsessed with this!!!!!! i recently just got an 8 week old mini goldendoodle puppy so now we're like twins 😁 also, this won't fall in chronological order with the list i have going on, so this will be placed in an "extras" category! this new category will most likely be requests and/or works that i can't really find a good place to put them in chronological order!

king!ghost x reader -- puppy love ** extras

warnings: none

"So... what do you think, your majesty?"

You look at the small English springer spaniel puppy cradled in Graves' arms.

You can't help but smile at the sight of the adorable puppy nestled in Graves' arms. Its eyes, wide and curious, meet yours, and a tiny tail wags with boundless energy.

"Oh my gosh, she's so cute," you gush, reaching out to gently stroke the puppy's soft fur. "But, what's the occasion?"

"She wasn't responding well to the training for hunting, but I reckon she would have a better time inside the castle." With a shrug, he explains further, "But I also figured you could use a bit of company, your majesty. A loyal companion, perhaps."

Missing the way he looks at you smugly, you dote on the little spaniel.

"Hi baby," you coo softly, coming closer to pet the dog. She licks your fingers hesitantly, nuzzling into the palm of your hand.

"See? She loves ya already. Not surprised in the slightest."

You laugh awkwardly at that comment, but decide to brush it off. Graves has always been a bit peculiar to you, but now that he's giving you a puppy, you can't help but brush past the fact. You exchange a glance with Graves, his eyes holding a hint of something you can't quite place.

"Well, I appreciate the gesture, Graves. She's adorable," you say, smiling genuinely.

Graves chuckles, his eyes flickering with amusement. "Just a gesture of goodwill. Not a problem at all."

"Can I hold her?" you ask, looking up at his eyes.

"Why, of course," he says, flashing you a million-dollar smile. He lifts the puppy into your hold, making sure she's settled in your arms comfortably. As you cradle the little spaniel in your arms, you can't deny the growing joy in your chest. The puppy nuzzles against you, innocent and sweet.

"She's got a calm demeanor, perfect for keeping you company," Graves remarks, watching the interaction with an amused glint in his eye.

You chuckle, enjoying the warmth radiating from the small bundle in your arms. "Thank you, Graves. It's a thoughtful gift."

"Anything for you, your majesty," he says, inclining his head slightly. "Now, I'll leave you to get acquainted with her. I'm sure she'll keep you company well. Don't hesitate to reach out to me with any questions. I am the expert, after all."

You give him a lopsided smile, "Yup, noted. Thank you again."

Graves bows respectfully and turns to leave, leaving you alone with the puppy. As he walks away, you catch a shadow of a smirk on his face, but you shake off your apprehension, attributing it to his usual nature.

Excitement bubbles within you as you go to show Simon your new spaniel puppy in your arms. The joy radiates from your face as you rush to find Simon, eager to share the news.

Entering his private study, you find Simon engrossed in a letter, his brow furrowed in concentration. You clear your throat, and Simon looks up, his gaze meeting yours. Then his eyes trail to the puppy resting in your arms.

You can't contain your enthusiasm. "Graves got me a puppy! Look at her, Si, isn't she so cute?"

Your eyes are sparkling as you present the adorable little bundle of fur to Simon, hoping he shares in your excitement. The puppy wiggles in your arms, tiny tail wagging energetically.

Simon's gaze flickers from the puppy to you, a mixture of surprise and something you can't quite place crossing his features. "A puppy? Why?"

"He thought I could use some company," you explain, your excitement undiminished.

"Use some company—? But you have me?" Simon's reaction is less than enthusiastic.

You chuckle at Simon's slightly grumpy response. "Of course, I have you. But Graves thought a puppy would be a nice addition to the castle. And look at her, isn't she so sweet?"

"Graves, huh?" he mutters, a hint of grumble in his voice. How he wishes he thought of giving you a dog before Graves did.

You raise an eyebrow at his tone. "What's wrong? He's just being thoughtful."

Simon leans back, crossing his arms. "I dunno. He's always got something up his sleeve. He's a valuable member of staff here, I'll give him that. But he's just a bit... slinky."

You understand Simon's skepticism, given the tension that has always existed between him and Graves. You try to reassure him, "I know, but Simon, it's just a puppy. Look at her, she's harmless and absolutely adorable."

Simon's eyes remain fixed on the puppy, his expression still guarded. "I dunno about this, love. What's the real reason Graves gave you a puppy, hm?"

You sigh, realizing Simon is probably just jealous. "Si, he said the puppy wasn't responding well to hunting training, and he thought she'd be happier in the castle."

Simon grumbles under his breath, but he relents a bit. "Fine, but keep an eye on that dog." And I'll keep an eye on Graves, is what he wants to say, but he bites his tongue.

You nod, understanding Simon's concerns, and decide to change the subject. "Oh my god, isn't she the cutest thing?"

Simon rolls his eyes, but there's a warmth in them as he looks at the playful antics of the little spaniel. "Fine, she's cute."

He stands up from his desk as you circle around to him. Simon's expression softens, and he reaches out to gently pat the puppy's head. The puppy, sensing his mixed emotions, snuggles against Simon's hand, as if trying to win him over.

"Do you want to hold her?" You hold the puppy closer to Simon, who can't resist the charm of the tiny spaniel.

Simon hesitates for a moment, then nods. "Yeah, alright."

As you carefully transfer her into Simon's arms, you can't help but coo over how cute they both look. The puppy seems to work her magic on Simon, melting away his reservations, at least for the moment.

The small spaniel squirms a bit in Simon's arms, but soon settles, gazing up at him with trusting eyes. Simon, despite his initial resistance, finds himself chuckling as the puppy licks his fingers with enthusiasm. You notice the way his eyes soften, crinkling in the corners as he smiles.

"Such a sweet girl," he murmurs at the puppy, stroking her head gently.

"You should see yourself right now," you squeal giddily, the sight of a little puppy in your husband's arms making you melt.

Simon chuckles, "Yeah, she'll fit in here. Gonna train her well. Maybe she can be something like a guard dog."

. . .

A few weeks have passed, and training Stella has been nothing short of rewarding.

She's been such a good dog, already living up to Simon's expectations. He's such a softie with the dog, and you love to tease him about it.

Graves had shown up one day, inquiring about your puppy and how she's been getting along.

"Stella's been listening to my commands more easily these days," you say, kneeling on the floor as you pet Stella.

Graves nods thoughtfully, hands clasped behind his back as he observes Stella. Simon stands right behind you, arms crossed over his chest as he sizes up Graves.

"Indeed," Graves responds, his gaze focused on Stella. "She seems to be adapting well, better than she would have been in the fields. A fine addition, wouldn't you say, your majesty?" He looks up expectantly at Simon.

Simon grumbles a bit, trying to maintain a composed demeanor. "Yes, I do have to say she's quite lovely."

You continue rubbing Stella's belly, keenly aware of how Simon stands rigid beside you.

"So, because you're here, Graves, any tips on training? Or have I handled it quite well myself?" Simon asks, pride laced in his voice.

Graves, unfazed, chuckles. "Well, I'm always here for advice, your majesty. But it seems you've got everything under control."

Simon smirks, feeling a small victory. "That's what I thought."

You roll your eyes at Simon's response, hitting him in the ankle with your fist to get him to knock it off.

Graves smoothly shifts the conversation. "Training a dog is a team effort, wouldn't you agree, your majesty?"

Simon raises an eyebrow, catching the nuance in Graves' words. "Indeed, a team effort. We all contribute."

"Absolutely," you chime in, giving Simon and then Graves a pointed look. "And Stella is thriving with both of your contributions."

Simon scoffs under his breath, but doesn't say anything further.

Standing, you pick up Stella, holding her close to your chest.

"Thank you again for coming to check up on her, Graves. I appreciate it."

Graves offers a gracious nod. "It's my pleasure, your majesty. Stella is in good hands, I can see that."

Simon, still slightly on edge, adds, "And we're quite capable of taking care of her ourselves."

Graves raises an eyebrow, a sly smile playing on his lips. "Of course, your majesty. I never doubted that for a moment."

You shoot Simon a look, petting Stella.

Graves clears his throat. "In that case, I'll be on my way. But do let me know if you ever need any assistance, your majesties."

As Graves exits the room, you turn to Simon with an amused smile. "You know he's just messing with you, right?"

Simon grumbles, "I know, but he always has to have the last word."

You shake your head, handing Stella to Simon. She latches onto him, cuddling into his muscled arms.

"I still don't think I've ever seen anything cuter in my whole life," you say, your gaze fixated on Simon holding Stella.

"Get the court painter, it'll last longer."

"Ah, such a good idea Si! How does Thursday sound?"

"What? No—"

- - - - -

(masterlist)

[solar-wing]

⚣ Magical Lessons in Ass-Whooping ☀️

⚣☀️ A/N → If you remember, this was like a snippet out of a story I was going to write for Conner x an original character. Haven't decided if I'm going to continue it, but I definitely want to write my scenarios and shots like this. Hope you guys enjoy it for those reading the first time and even those reading a second! WARNINGS: Canon-Typical Violence, Tension, Implied homewrecking

⚣☀️ Summary → Considering you've spent your entire life learning and studying magic from the moment you could utter your first words, it'd make sense for you to eventually start teaching and helping others. Especially those who are currently providing you refuge as things back home are a bit dangerous. But, one of them is going to learn that our knowledge is not just limited to thaumaturgy and the arcane. 'Talk shit, get hit' is a global phenomenon.

⚣☀️ Words → 2.8k

REBLOGS & replies are greatly appreciated, please! 💛

⚣ ENJOY ☀️

“And just make sure to control your breathing…you got it!” You cheered.

A bright glimmer enveloped the room as little wisps of light started appearing around the room, forming tiny butterflies. You’d been helping Zatanna train and master her magic while also teaching her some new tricks. 

You hailed from a hidden kingdom, created from a divine gift bestowed on to your ancestor from the powerful deity linked to the sun. This power continued to pass on to their descendants, every eldest child in your bloodline blessed with the power of our solar system’s star, making you and your ancestors some of the most powerful beings to live in existence.

It was a heavy responsibility, bearing the mantle of the ‘Child of the Sun,’ being able to control such a potent and raw energy inside you. From the moment you were old enough to even say your first words, you’d been in magical training and studies to ensure your mastery of your powers. You could blast bad guys and restore an entire city with your magic by the time you were five years old.

And now, you were teaching others!

“Oh my god, I actually got it! Thanks, Y/N.” Zatanna cheered, wrapping you around in a hug.

You returned it joyfully before separating, “It’s as I mentioned previously, magic is special to us all. It lives all around and inside us. Everybody has their own individual sense of magic. Some just know and are better at channeling it than others.” You explained.

“Oh, I get it! Like a magical DNA print,” M’Gann summarized. She and Artemis were standing to the side watching the lesson you were giving Zatanna, both wanting to learn more about the mystic arts.

You smiled at the Martian’s words, nodding your head, “Exactly! Magic forms differently in everyone and changes itself as we grow and change ourselves. That’s why it’s important to find your source and learn how to connect it with a strong emotional foundation, and boom… You’ve got magic.”

Your hands glowed as you raised them to the air, a bright spot at the top of the cave forming that shined like the sun before bursting, releasing dancing rays of light swept across the room along with the little wisps of butterflies.

“So, what’s your source? If you don’t mind me asking,” Artemis inquired as the magic dissipated.

“Not at all,” You replied with a smile, “Well, obviously, being the whole ‘Child of the Sun’ thing, my source centers around that, the Sun and its solar energy.” You waved one of your hands, a light trail tailing behind as you summoned a bright illusion of your solar system’s central star.

The girls had to cover their eyes a little bit since even as a magical illusion, it still hurt their eyes. It felt so real, it was almost as if it was generating its own heat as well, warming the air around them.

“Ooh, like Superman?” M’Gann asked.

“Close, but not exactly. My source is the sun, so my magic manifests and channels itself as pure light granting me the enhancements and abilities that come with being, well, ‘light.’ Superman relies more on the radiation from its solar energy, another ability I may possess,” You answered.

Your new friends paused at that, “Wait, huh? What do you mean?” Artemis asked.

You considered for a moment if you should share this information as it was technically confidential and only privy to those of the royal family and their most trusted attendants. You figured there couldn’t be any harm in sharing this bit of information as it wasn’t like it could spell the end of the world or anything.

“A group of royal scholars and sorcerers have dedicated themselves to studying the magic and power behind the Children of the Sun since my great-grandfather’s reign. They’ve studied its different forms and how it’s moved down my family’s line over generations, noting its different strengths and weaknesses. They’ve also cataloged the different abilities it creates over time,” You explained, the teammates hanging off your every word.

“One of the scholars recently made a discovery that linked solar radiation with one of the spells I learned as a kid that can create daylight at night. When they discovered this connection, they explored more on the topic, finding that many of my spells and powers also give off their own form of radiation similar to the sun’s solar radiation. It’s led them to theorize that my ancestors and I may possibly have the ability to utilize the sun’s radiation to our advantage.”

“Wait, you’re saying you can manipulate solar radiation?! Does that mean you could take down Superman if you wanted to?” Zatanna asked.

You smiled at their surprised faces, “I’m not sure since it’s a new theory and will take time to study. Plus, I’ve never actually tried before. Hopefully, I never have to. At least with that kind of scenario,” You responded.

“Never have to what?”

You and the girls turned around to see the other guys coming down the hall, assumingly having entered the base from the ‘front door’ as M’Gann likes to call it. Conner looked at the girls and you with his arms crossed, his usual deadpan expression sitting on his face as he waited for an answer.

“Where did you guys go?” Zatanna asked, ignoring his question as Dick, Wally, and Kaldur made their way to the center of the training floor, Conner standing a little further back.

“We had a little team outing with just us guys. Hope you ladies weren’t too bored without us.” Wally smirked.

“We weren’t, as a matter of fact. We had Y/N here to keep us company since you all apparently didn’t want to include him on your little guy’s trip,” Artemis replied with her own smug smile.

“Oh really, what did you do? Sit around and do rain dances to call on the Lords of Make-Believe?”

“Wally,” Kaldur scolded.

“What?” He questioned, seeing how everyone was giving him unimpressed looks, “You all know I still don’t buy into this magical woo-hah babble. I’m a man of science who believes at the end of everything, there’s always a logical explanation.”

You raised an eyebrow. 

“Oh really,” Your face growing a mischievous smile. “So, can you explain how we’re all fully clothed and you’re standing in your underwear right now?” Everyone missed the slight glow in your irises as you cast your magic in your head.

Wally looked confused before he looked down and realized he was standing only in his underwear, his clothes vanished into thin air with his heart and rainbow-colored boxers on display for everyone.

“What the- Y/N!” He shouted before running off, his face burning red as a tomato while your friends laughed.

Artemis had her hands to her stomach before wiping away a fake tear, “Oh, that was more entertaining than anything I’ve seen in my life. Thank you for that, Y/N,” She grinned.

You gave a mock salute with two fingers while everyone was still laughing when Wally came back, now dressed in a new outfit. Everyone except Conner, who held a glare on his face that you could tell was in your direction. For whatever reason, you didn’t know and chose not to care.

“Why didn’t you invite Y/N on your outing if it was just for guys?” M’Gann asked.

“Because it was a team outing, and despite rumors to the contrary, Y/N is not on the team,” Conner voiced with an indifferent tone.

Your friends all frowned at Conner, not appreciating his sudden attitude toward you. Even Wally looked surprised by his little outburst while Zatanna spoke up in your defense.

“Well, that seems stupid. I wasn’t on the team yet when M’Gann invited me to your school’s Halloween dance. Why should Y/N be any different?” She remarked, crossing her arms. M’Gann nodded in support, her face signaling her disapproval of her boyfriend’s actions.

“We didn’t really think about that. It was more of a decision on the spot when Wally expressed his desire for a bite to eat,” Kaldur explained, with a genuine tone of regret in his posture before turning to face your direction, bowing his head. “My apologies, your Royal Highness. We meant no offense.”

“Speak for yourself,” You heard Conner mutter under his breath.

You ignored it, focusing back on your friend. “Ah, don’t worry about it, Kal. I had fun training here with the girls anyway. And I told you, it’s just Y/N. I’m not the Prince of Amun here, just a regular guy who happens to be bunking with you.” You said. Kaldur smiled in return, appreciating your forgiveness.

“Yeah, a regular guy who needs attendants waiting on him and personal guards always watching his behind,” You heard another snide comment from Conner, who was looking at the two guards standing by the opening to one of the hallways leading into the cave. Your patience also vanished into thin air by this point.

“Conner, that’s enough!” Kaldur ordered, but you were fed up.

“Is there something you need to get off your chest? You’ve been acting pissy with me since I got here, and I’ve had just about enough of it,” You snapped at the Kryptonian.

“Oh, the oh-so-regal prince actually has a backbone? Please…” Conner said, deeming you not worth his time.

“Yeah, the oh-so-regal has a backbone and will happily whoop your ass with it,” You called out after him.

The room went quiet, M’Gann now looking worried as Conner turned around to face you, a jeering expression now on his face.

“Oh really? You’ll ‘whoop my ass,’ huh? Tell me how exactly you plan to do that. With a little song and dance? A show of special effects and illusions. Or will you use your little guards in their shiny armor to fight for you? I could take them and you down without lifting my pinky toe.” He teased, slowly walking towards you until he was standing in your personal space, his arms crossed against his wide chest.

You didn’t have to turn around and see how Atlas and Samar, your two guards in mention, were standing at attention, more than ready to disprove Superboy’s insults. You raised your hands silently, signaling them to stand down. You could take care of yourself.

“Hmm, you may be right about that,” You replied calmly. Everyone except Atlas and Samar looked taken aback at your words. Conner still held a cheeky smirk, even though you could spot his somewhat quizzical look behind his eyes. “So, I’m sure you stand ready to prove it then.”

“Ooooo…” Artemis said, ever the instigator.

“Someone’s getting called out! Whatcha gonna do?” Wally shouted, joining in with the archer.

Though he appeared unphased by your friend's teasing, he considered your words, “Fine, you’re on.” He answered.

A devious smile appeared across your lips, your guards looking at you with knowing grins. Everyone cleared off the combat circle as Kaldur loaded up the sparring protocols. You and Conner stood on opposite sides of the training floor, waiting for Kal’s signal.

“This isn’t going to end well, is it?” You heard Dick ask on the side.

“Nope.” Zatanna said.

The floor brightened beneath you as Kaldur started the program, signaling it was ready.

“Who are you betting on?” Wally asked.

“Oh, Y/N 100%,” Artemis replied.

“I’ll bet you $20 bucks Conner beats Y/N in 15 seconds flat.”

“Hmm, $40 bucks says Y/N knocks out Conner in 10.”

“Deal.” Wally agreed, shaking on it.

M’Gann stood next to Kaldur, watching her boyfriend with a chagrined look. She wasn’t happy with his behavior, becoming suspicious since the team’s mission to Liza during your kingdom’s anniversary celebration and your birthday, leading to your temporary move to Happy Harbor in the Cave after rebels made an attempt on your life.

“Hope I don’t end up as the focus of your next album after this. Though, it’d be nice to say someone’s writing songs about me, even if it’s angry ones.” Conner mocked.

“Oooh, good one Con!” Wally cheered, Artemis rolling her eyes with a scoff.

You didn’t respond, letting him have his fun. You were about to make him eat his words anyway.

“Begin,” Kal said.

You stood in your spot, waiting for Conner to make his move. He cracked his knuckles before charging at you with his usual loud grunt. You side-stepped his attack, leaning and turning on your back foot while swinging your other foot around into his back, sending him flying only to land on his face. Even though he landed outside the battle ring, an interface popped up that spelled his name, and next to it, read the word ‘FAILED’ in red.

“HAH! That’ll be $40 bucks,  please.”

You heard Zatanna and Dick clapping behind you while Kal just gave you a nod of approval.

“Looks like you lifted more than your pinky toe. I’m sure you can do better than that tough guy,” You taunted, hearing Atlas and Samar snickering on the side.

Conner pushed himself off the ground, grumbling in frustration before turning around. He huffed in anger before his grimace turned into another smug grin, “Cute. They teach you that in etiquette class?” He mocked. 

You returned your own playful smile, “No, actually, Atlas taught me that during one of our combat lessons. You could learn a thing or two from him. Your form is terrible,” You remarked.

You heard the others laughing behind you, Conner’s face going red before he brushed past you, bumping your shoulders, “Let’s go again.” He stated.

“If you insist.”

When Kal signaled to go again, you chose now to charge at Conner, faking him out when he swung at your left. You ducked under his fist, bringing your body down before sticking your leg out to swipe him from under. He fell back against the ground with a grunt, the interface popping up again next to his face announcing his quick failure.

“Samar taught me that one. Hmm, are you sure you’re good at this? Quite frankly, I was expecting more.” You said while standing over him, hands held at your side.

You reset again for a third round. You amused yourself, allowing Conner to believe he was holding out for a bit before you ducked under his fist again, standing back up behind him, pushing your hands on his back to shove him forward.

He almost lost his balance but managed to stay up. 

He turned around to see you waving your fingers at him in a teasing manner. He charged at you again while swinging his arms together to trap you in a bear hug. When he got his arms around you, your body broke apart like shattered glass, dissipating into the air. 

Conner looked confused until he heard you ‘Yoo-hoo’ behind him, turning to see you launching at him with another kick across the face. He fell to the ground, the interface once again signaling his defeat.

He growled in anger before he looked up to see you standing over him again, “If it makes you feel better, I’ll let you get a hit in.”

He huffed before grabbing your ankle, yanking it out from under you, making you fall on your butt. The interface popped up next to you with your name now signaling the word ‘FAILED.’

“How was that?” His cheeky smile returned.

“Cute. They teach you that in anger management?”

Conner looked confused, “I don’t go to anger management.”

“Clearly.” You responded.

The others expected Conner to blow up at you (the boy did need anger management), but to everyone’s shock, he just smiled at you. Before standing up and reaching his hand down to help you up.

You stared at his hand for a moment before taking it, letting him pull you up to the ground.

You both stared at each other for a bit with no words said until you heard a throat clearing beside you, realizing the team was still here. Artemis smiled knowingly at you while Dick, & Zatanna looked uneasy. Kal scratched the back of his head awkwardly while Wally looked confused. M’Gann held a sullen expression on her face, clearly not happy.

You felt heat come up your face before clearing your throat, “I’m gonna head to the beach to do some meditation. See you guys later.” You said before turning away, your body vanishing in a flash of light. Conner looked confused when he saw you disappear, not understanding what happened. He saw Atlas and Samar shaking their heads at him before heading down the hall towards the garage exit to catch up with you. Still not getting what happened, he turned to see his friends giving him sour looks causing him to frown in return.

“What!”

☀️ | Conner Kent/Superboy | ☀️

☀️ | Masterlists | ☀️

[thevulturesquadron]

Hello! 👋 Could you list some of the best comic books that explore the Rogue/ Magneto relationship?

Hey there!!! 👩‍🚀 Oh gosh! With pleasure! I might be a bit rusty because I haven’t gone through older Marvel comic books in a while and also because I am not up to date with the recent years of X-Men comics BUT there are still a couple of issues that are very dear to me when it comes to Rogue & Magneto, so happy to share:

It all started in the year 1981:

1. Uncanny X-Men #269 ; Uncanny X-Men #274 & Uncanny X-Men #275 (1981, Written by Chris Claremont) [The story is pretty self-contained to these 3 issues and it all starts with Rogue realising that her Ms. Marvel powers are gone and Carol Danvers somehow has her own body now. (a very simplified context of what was going on in that era with the X-Men) I absolutely love Rogue in these issues. She has sass and personality, and she still carries a lot of her energy from the 80s.]

2. X -Men Volume 2 (Issues #1 - #3) - (1991, Chris Claremont) [They meet again after the events in the Savage Land, now on opposite sides.]

3. Magneto Rex: Issues #1- #3 - (1999, Joe Pruett) [This miniseries… is a bit weird and needs some context. It’s at a time where Marvel really wanted to have Magneto return to his evil ways and be a villain for the X-Men (regardless if it made sense or not). Not one of my favourites and generally can live without but it’s a ‘next stop’ in their interactions, so adding it to the list.]

4. Then we have X-Men Legacy! ( 2008, Mike Carey) [This one is a chonker, and to make things worse it is connected with other series running at the same time. It has pieces of Rogue and Magneto through the entire run but all in all, the story sees them reunite under the same team in Utopia (starting with Legacy #231). The full run of Legacy can be difficult to follow up on but if you have the time, it’s really worth it. It’s also the first story in YEARS where Rogue is allowed to shine and do her own thing. If you need a more detailed list of what issues are really worth reading, in what order and what is happening in between them let me know and will be happy to write down a breakdown!]

5. Memorable mentions in the main series: There are quite a few tiny bits about them in the comic books but here’s a list of issues that give more context to how they interact and how they feel about each other:

a. Marvel Fanfare #33 - (1982, Chris Claremont. I love Rogue in this one and it’s such a nice example of what a good and powerful duo they can make. Something that is later explored in Legacy as well. b. Legacy #223 (during Rogue’s journey to control her powers) we have a glimpse of how she remembers and sees Magneto’s presence in her life. c. Magneto #10 (2014, Cullen Bunn) - Similarly, a glimpse into Magneto’s mind on how he remembers Rogue and the impact their connection in the Savage Land had on him. d. Mr & Mrs X #6 (2019) - there is a page between Rogue and Magneto where, in all that mess, at least Magneto’s honest feelings for her and his care for her happiness shine through.

And last but not least, Age of Apocalypse. [This is a completely separate timeline that the comic books liked to visit from time to time. In this universe Rogue and Magneto are pretty much in love and married but… it’s a very tragic universe. Original series started in 1995; then it got revisited in 2005 and again in 2015… I think? The series… is far from perfect, there are so many things that can be described as unhinged (dialogue included) but, there is so much love for these two characters and I absolutely recommend it if you are ok with investing some time into reading it, and most of all if you are ready for a real heart break (again and again).]

Hope this helps! Happy to go into more details or put aside a cleaner list if interested! 💜

There are a couple other mentions in the comics so in case I missed something important I will summon one of the gods of endless knowledge when it comes to X-Men to correct or add to the list: @maedelin

[astrok1dz]

❤️ Glad you’re back! ❤️

I can’t remember your request guidelines rn so I’m gonna play it safe. Coddling and complimenting Eddie? 👀

RRRAHHHH THAT WAS QUICK!!!!!!! ALR, YES. Eddie needs to be spoiled and just. so much attention. I am very much willing to give that to him. that being said

cw: Eddie being traumatized (duh), a bit of angst, a dash of relationship issues, dw they fix it, happy ending, fluff

Never Too Much

-----

okay so bc of Eddie's past, we know he most probably has a lot of trouble getting into relationships, let alone romantic ones.

so when he met you, and obsessed over you, of course, he felt so lucky he could even breathe the same air as you

but nothing good ever lasts for him, everything is ripped away from him by this god forsaken city. he tries not to get too attached (and fails miserably) so he's shy for longer than he should be.

he's just trying to be prepared for when you'll leave him.

he's absolutely surprised when you don't

he doesn't say anything, of course, but he's just utterly confused

how? how didn't you leave him? all this city had taught him was how he wasn't good enough, how he was different, and how different people, people like him, don't get anything nice. don't deserve anything nice.

you notice this. you always do. it's not hard to tell when he's overthinking. he'll stop and take deep breaths or immerse himself in puzzles, but you're working on communication

you decide to start coddling Edward. to spoil him a little bit.

it doesn't even have to be something big, he'll be grateful for whatever you give him, although he doesn't quite know how to tell you or thank you properly

Eddie hadn't been your Eddie for the last two weeks or so, consumed with work and his plans to cleanse the city. He hadn't had the energy to be quite romantic or intimate lately, so things had been a little colder than usual. It hurt. Did he not love you?

One day you realized your mistake. Eddie? Your Eddie worshipped you. Sure, he could have his bad moments and want some time to himself, but after all the neglect and abuse he'd lived, he probably wanted to be coddled. He just was too embarrassed to ask you to do it. No wonder things had been like this. It was your turn to take the lead.

Now you knew, and you decided to take matters into your own hands. For the last couple of weeks you had been thinking of little ways to make him feel better, and today would finally be the day when you unleashed them all onto little unsuspecting Edward.

You hear the creak and slam of the door to your apartment. In comes Edward's tumbling silhouette, shuffling around to plop down on the couch next to you. Your sweet boy, all tired from work, all tired from this city. He always was.

"Eddie! Oh honey I missed you so much...", you coo, and his heart melts, because although he knows you adore him, he's used to having his absence not quite matter.

He's silent as he shuffles a little closer to you, and you immediately receive him with open arms and an inviting hug.

"Tough day?", you ask, and he nods. You do as well, and hold his shoulders.

"I got a little surprise for you, c'mon, follow me", you tell him. He looks at you, eyebrows knitted in confusion. You help him get up and slowly peel off his jacket, take his hand, and lead him to your bathroom.

He doesn't even get to see what it is before a sweet aroma invades his nostrils. Your tiny bathroom, adorned with scented candles, bubbles and rose petals floating on your tiny tub (if you could call it that).

What?

He looks at you, confused. Why would you do this? Why you, such an angelic being, the antithesis of this dirty city, do this for him, a broken man?

"I- you didn't-", he starts.

"I didn't have to, I know. But you've been so stressed lately and I wanted to help you relax...", you explain kindly. You start shredding your clothes, ready to enter the tub with him. You extend your hand to him, and he feels as if he's being dragged to the pearly gates of heaven.

"Besides, I've been missing you so much... I wanted you all to myself a lil' bit...", you say, and ignore the sting in your eyes. You really did miss him so so much...

"You can have me all to yourself whenever you want (Y/n)...", he stutters out, feeling guilty.

"Oh...", you let out. There he was, so kind, so sweet to you, so unapologetically yours.

"Well, in that case...", you say, almost seductively, but cover up a little once again when you remember your appearance. You were so busy planning this whole thing for today, you hadn't even shaved, you hadn't taken care of yourself. It felt overwhelming. What if your appearance ruined this whole things for him?

"Shit- I didn't- I forgot to- Sorry-"

He stares at you, but his eyes sparkle and his round face is flushed as if this was the first time he's ever seen you (which you both know is not the case).

"You know I don't care about those things. I want to see you...", he says, taking your hand. He looks at you, eyes full of adoration. His hands make their way to your waist and caress it gently, bringing you closer. He leaves a chaste kiss on your lips.

A few happy tears escape your eyes. There he was, the Eddie you've been missing. You help him undress, hands sliding lovingly over every inch of skin you know he's not fond of. Eddie. Your Eddie, so soft and round and most of all, so gentle.

You both get in the tub, cuddled up together. You don't even need to say a word. You both occasionally ask each other questions regarding doubts or insecurities, and reassure each other. When you're both satisfied with each other's answers you share the silence, snuggled up.

"You're so pretty, Eddie... my baby..."

He shivers, and you keep going.

"I love you, Eddie. You're kind and so so sweet. You deserve this, Eddie"

You notice by the way he shakes that now it's his turn to cry, happy cry, of course.

"My baby, you're so strong... You're safe here, you're okay. I love you Eddie, I'll never leave you". You coo.

He sobs, feeling free to break down in your presence. You kiss his tears away.

"Th-Thank you... you're too good to me... you do too much...", he hiccups.

"Oh, but don't you get it, Eddie? It's never too much", you reply, and for the first time, he begins to believe it.

[bunitivity]

Sanji hemming and hawing to himself about his sudden inexplicable crush on Usopp in the kitchen late one night only for Luffy to walk in on him and hear everything. And he’s like great now everyone is going to know and tries to threaten him into silence despite knowing full well that Luffy cannot keep a secret to save his life. And Luffy is like relax I would never tell on you and I can keep a secret as long as no one asks point blank and who in the world would even ask him something like that if ever lol.

“Sometimes I forget that you can be mature sometimes.”

“Thanks.” Luffy grins as he picks his nose.

“You’ve the grossest man I’ve met.”

Luffy just laughs.

This turns into Sanji now confiding in Luffy about all his love troubles big and mundane whether it be about the fact that he accidentally brushed fingers with Usopp or some other lovesick Sanji nonsense. Luffy is not thrilled at first because of his short attention span and restless energy but fortunately Sanji quickly figures out just how to keep him around long enough to get things off his chest with just the right amount of finger foods.

So it starts with Luffy just sticking around just for the food and then because there’s something so fascinating endearing even about seeing Sanji actually in love. It’s so different from the way he usually fawns over women. So much more vulnerable and earnest and Luffy can’t just look away. So much so he even sticks around after Sanji has stopped feeding him snacks which is his usual signal that Luffy can go now.

He also finds that he really really likes hearing about Usopp through Sanji’s eyes because he’s usually right and true. Usopp really is the most amazing most perfect person ever. And he tells Sanji as much. Talking about the things he personally likes about Usopp. “I just really like his laugh and making him laugh and stuff like that.”

Sanji stops cold.

“Wait are you in love with him??”

Luffy’s first answer is “No” then “wait” then he thinks about it for a few seconds and goes “oh yeah I guess I am.”

“You guess??”

“Never really thought about it before.”

Sanji puts his head on the table. “I cannot believe this.”

Luffy blinks dumbfounded still licking his empty plate. “Hwat?”(what?”)

“I cannot believe you would do this to me.”

“Do what?”

“I trusted you!”

Now Luffy is truly and well lost. “Sanji?”

“Do you even know what any of this means?”

Luffy knows nothing. “I don’t think I understand anything.”

Sanji whips up his head to glare at him. “That means we’re love rivals!”

Luffy frowned. “You mean like you and Zoro?”

“No! God forbid! What I mean is that we can’t both like Usopp!”

”Why not?”

“Because he can only like one of us obviously.”

Luffy frowns. “Says who?”

“Says everyone!”

Luffy just wrinkles his nose and picks the crumbs off his plate.

“Which means!” Sanji continues. “That we can’t have any of these secret rendezvous anymore since we’re enemies now.”

“Nooo! But I love my little secret snack time with Sanji! They’re always so fun!”

Sanji’s heart gives an involuntary skip but then he twists his lips. “You’re just saying that because I always give you food.”

“That’s true but-“

“Get. Out.”

Then he very unceremoniously kicks Luffy out of his kitchen.

They don’t spend time apart for too long because Luffy is a fucking pest who won’t leave him alone and he plays dirty by sending Usopp as an intermediary to fix things between them and how could Sanji say no to him? (he does very loudly and harshly at first just to waylay any suspicions that he might be soft on him before folding almost immediately after). He might also have missed Luffy’s company just a tiny bit but he would sooner fall on one of mosshead’s stupid swords than admit to any of that.

Now that they know they’re both in love with Usopp their little rendezvous changes from Sanji just one sidedly talking at Luffy yapping away about his feelings to Luffy actively participating. He doesn’t talk as much nor wax as poetically about all of Usopp’s virtues like Sanji does but he does learn a lot about Usopp through him. The more childish and rambunctious side that Luffy brings out whenever they’re together and just falls that much more for him.

Also seeing the usual very unaffected and confident Luffy so aware of his feelings(and blushing! Something he never thought would ever see) just plucked on his heartstrings. Spending time with his quote unquote love rival turned out to be a lot more fun than Sanji could ever have anticipated.

There’s an easy camaraderie underlined by something more as they fall back into their old routine. Expanding beyond their(Sanji’s) hopeless romance. Just growing closer and becoming more fond of each other.

But then everything comes crashing down all at once.

Sanji is just watching them one day. Luffy and Usopp being chaotic and fucking insufferable. He sees the way Usopp’s eyes shines and the way he smiles at Luffy and realizes oh he’s in love with him.

Sanji knows he should be happy for him. He knows Luffy would be if the shoe were on the other foot. But he just can’t. He feels utterly betrayed and so fucking devastated and Sanji just hates him. Any fond feelings that he might have been growing for his captain shrivels up and dies.

Luffy is surprised when Sanji suddenly shuts him out of nowhere. He can tell it’s way worse than it was last time but at least last time he had known why Sanji had been pissed at him. Last time he was at least talking to him if only to tell him to fuck off. Now there’s just this veneer of professionalism as Sanji keeps him at arm’s length as if they’re nothing more than captain and cook. Acting as if he’s nothing more than a subordinate who just works for him. Calling him captain in that cold and detached way and never by his name. And Luffy hates it.

So of course he has to confront him about it.

It takes a lot of cajoling to get it out of him but Sanji eventually gives and lays into him about his absolute betrayal and cusses him out for getting ahead of him and making him look like a fool because he might not know but Usopp was definitely in love with him. But then he sees the look on Luffy’s face and something in Sanji just breaks. 

“You knew.” Luffy tries to look away but Sanji pushes. “You already knew he liked you.”

Luffy finally looks at him grimacing. “Why does it matter?”

Oh that hurts. 

“Because that means that you two are going to date now and there won’t be any room for me.”

“No!” Luffy looks aghast and tries to reach for him and Sanji flinches away. “There’s always going to be a room for you!”

There’s something about the way he says that that has Sanji’s heart seizing up but surely not?

“Luffy do you…like me?”

And then he smiles like Sanji had hung all the stars in the night sky and Sanji has to clutch his chest to prevent his treacherous heart from bursting free and leaping right into Luffy’s thieving hands. Fuck.

“Of course.”

“And not in a friend way but-“

“Sanji.” He stills him so easily with just the strength his voice and a gentle hand on his cheek. “I love you.”

Hearing him actually say it does unimaginable things to Sanji’s heart he might actually keel over and die.

But then he remembers and he retreats from Luffy’s hand. “And you love Usopp.”

“Yes I love all of you. Sanji, Usopp and Zoro.”

“Zoro? Zoro?? Where the fuck did Zoro come from???”

Luffy gives him a funny look. “Zoro has always been there.”

“You can’t-you can’t just do this-date all of us at the same time!”

“Says who?”

There’s this question again. Does he really think he can just do whatever he wants whenever he wants? Of course he does. It’s Luffy.

“Because then it wouldn’t mean anything. If you really love someone you would want them to feel special and loved. You would want to put them before anyone and anything. They should be your everything. There’s a reason people look for The One.”

Sanji doesn’t like the way Luffy looks at him. Like he’s seeing Sanji hadn’t meant him to.

Luffy shakes his head and is about to say something more bullheaded and untrue but Sanji can’t hear any more of this. Of his wild fantasies. He doesn’t like the way it gets his hopes up. It’s just cruel.

“Just choose me.”

“What? But what about Usopp and-“

“I’ll always love him but Usopp obviously doesn’t like me but you like me and I like you so-“

“You like me?” The dismay that had been slowly building on Luffy’s face is immediately washed away and replaced by that bright brilliant smile and Sanji can’t help but blush as he feels all that adoration suddenly shine down on him.

“Yes. So instead of all these needless complications and love triangles -love squares?- We should just keep it simple and date each since we already know that we like each other.”

All that adoration and fondness abruptly ebbs away and Sanji is left standing cold and adrift.

“But-“

“Luffy,” Sanji takes his hands and forces himself to look into his clear and steadfast eyes. “Just choose me.”

Sanji sees the indecision in Luffy’s eyes and knows. He could never choose just him.

What else could Sanji have expected from the man who took the world by storm. Who seeks to stand atop of the world. Luffy wants to be the freest man in the world of course he wouldn’t just settle for Sanji. No one ever does. It’s so arrogant of him to think he could ever deserve all of the love and the attention of the man who is destined to be king of the pirates.

So Sanji lets go and walks away.

Of course it’s in that moment that he walks in on Zoro and Usopp hooking up and just screams.

[novthewolf]

Two’s company, three’s a family - Part four

Summary : As a cupid, an angel of love, your mission was to make sure everyone was paired up with the right person. Yet you couldn’t get your two most ancient clients to finally end up together. And despite the 6,000 years spent on the case, you couldn’t bring yourself to give them up, oblivious to the reason...

Pairing : Aziraphale x Crowley / GN!Reader x Crowley / GN!Reader x Aziraphale (polyamorous relationship).

Parts : First - Previous - Next

Masterlist : Here

Warnings : foul language, gun use (none violence), mild nudity (chest), description of a scar, adapted non-con touching, slow burn, english isn’t my first language.

Words : +4k

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

(5 years later)

Okay, let's go through the plan one more time: You had successfully made them head to the park and sneaked on them with the blindness spell. Now all you had to do was send a wave of empathy and tenderness their way to set the mood, then tiny little memory balls of their favourite moments together. You had tried to send them a huge orb, the happiest and most wholesome memory they share, but it didn't result in the desired effect. No, you had struck them with your arrows, and instead of finally confessing, they went to grab a bite and called you to join them. The facepalm was so audible that it worried them.

You grunted discreetly and took a deep breath. Let's do this. You sent the orbs their way and waited for the right moment to shoot. In an effort to calm your nerves and heavy breathing, you closed your eyes and threw your head back to watch the ever-changing clouds. Their backs were riddled with arrows, and that was not enough to complete their bound. One might argue that this bond might not be as physical as others, that it was platonic, or that it was deeply spiritual. But you were a love angel. Maybe a bit atypical, yes, but a love angel nonetheless. You knew what type of relationship they shared: it wasn't passionate or sexual, but there was deep and affectionate love. The one who lasts Why else would they still be stuck together ?

You were a lot more serene now, as you caught a whiff of compassion coming from below. You soared up in the sky and slowly backflipped mid-air, enjoying the reassuring scent of fudge and marjoram. A few minutes passed before you detected the smell of snowy nights: worry. You sighed and landed.

Okay, let's try again.

Bow in hand, the strongest of your arrows grazing against the wood and the cord. The rough material digged in your fingers as you sought the pain to distract yourself from your thoughts. Instead of staying behind, you stood up in front of them, with enough space between the three of you. You stretched your arm, and you felt the muscles of your back tensing and flexing in a soft burn. You steadied your breath and focused on the goal. You kept your head high as you watched. It was thick yet vaporous and deeply stunning. It didn't have a colour, and they didn't really need it; it was already beautiful just the way it was. You just need to seal it.

And without further ado, you shot them right in the sternum. Striking right in the heart was definitely not recommended; the reaction might be too strong and violent to bear. It was equivalent to using a dagger. You shivered at the thought. But it would be the subject of another chapter.

You observed the bound ripples, both of their energies intertwining. The bound gained light as the two were talking about God knows what. But the smell of snowy nights remained. So you gently sent a wave of peace their way to sooth things down.

However, like every previous attempt, it didn't work out. It was like it wasn't enough ! Every time the light reached its peak, it would immediately die down without any reason. And it had been like this for 6,000 years. Understandably, you were slightly irritated. You stared at the pair with wide eyes. You were boiling with exasperation, and the repressed squeal that threatened to pass your lips was the perfect summary of your annoyance.

Oh, just end up together already ! What's stopping you ?

Hands and eyes twitching, you morphed your bow into a machine gun and absolutely gunned down the two out of pure frustration. You twirled around them so many times, hitting them in the shoulders, stomach, thighs, etc. You knew it was foolish and counterproductive, but you just... You felt so overwhelmed. You growled.

How can someone be so dense ?

For fuck's sake!

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

After running in circles like a goldfish in its tank for about twenty minutes, you finally felt dizzy enough to let yourself collapse on the ground and throw a tantrum like a child. Soon enough, you got up, face blank, after your nervous breakdown. You decided it was of no use anymore. Maybe you were just incompetent, not strong enough to complete a bond between an angel and a demon. And the thing is, you can't just ask another cupid to help you out. As helpful and understanding Mihael is, she still wouldn't accept to sort things out. It wasn't allowed. So maybe the best thing is to just let things be. You looked up to their banch and inspected them. Azirphale was seated on the left side, and Crowley was in the middle. He seemed to sit pretty straight too, not that it really mattered; it was just a rare sight.

You shook your head. Contemplating things from afar had never been your thing, whether you were stuck in heaven or right now. You enjoyed spending time with them so much. And if you couldn't seal their deal and the end of the world was approaching, the only thing you could really do was, well, be by their side. So you called off the spell and climbed up to their little spot.

"Y/N ! Oh, it's good to see you ! We were wondering where you were." Aziraphale got up to greet you. Yeah, you kind of disappeared for the last five years...

"I haven't seen you for a while; how've you been ?" Crowley asked, and he slouched back a bit to look up at you.

"Heh, fine. My department was quite demanding recently. Sorry, I couldn't help you more with the kid."

You sat next to Crowley, with the angel doing so as well. You hold back your laughter at the image of three birds on a wire, watching the world from afar.

"Oh, don't worry, the kid's perfectly normal." Aziraphale chirped, proud of their work.

"Well, we've done everything we can." He tilted his head towards the young boy and his mother. Wow, you didn't even notice them. Careless was what you were.

"So, all we've got to do is wait for his birthday?"

Crowley simply hummed in response before crossing his arms. You looked over at Aziraphale when you caught the scent of worry, grapefruit, and oregano—the smell of nervousness. You sent a soft wave of reassurance his way.

"The hellhound is the key. Shows up at 3:00 on Wednesday."

"R-Right... You've never actually mentioned a hellhound before."

Cough. Thank you, Crowley. Really helping.

"Oh yeah. Yeah, they're sending him a Hellhound to pad by his side and guard him from all harm." He stated as if it were a matter of fact.

"Aw, what a nice gift... And thanks for the heads up, by the way." You glared at him.

"Oh I would have loved to warn you, sweetheart. If only you had shown up a little bit more often..."

You two simply stared at each other in a childish competition. In the end, you grunted and rolled your eyes. Mmph.

"Well, won't people remark on the sudden appearance of a huge black dog ?" Aziraphale asked. "His parents, for a start ?"

"Don't think so; I'm sure if you pressed your ear against theirs, you could hear the sea..."

"They're right; no one will notice a thing. It's reality, angel." He held his breath for a second. "And young Warlorck can do what he likes with that, whether he knows or not."

A heavy silence fell between the three of you, your apprehension clear.

"It's the start of it all: the boy's meant to be named." Hum..."

"Widow Maker, or Throat Ripper, or Black Death..." You started to suggest names. You liked Black Death, actually...

"Well, aren't you creative?" Aziraphale eyed you.

"But !" He exclaimed to gain your attention back. "If we did our job properly, then the boy would send it away unarmed." He explained.

"What if he does name it?"

"Then we have lost; he'll have his powers, and Armaggedon will be days away.."

You knew he was just pretending his indifference, but it never failed to surprise you how good he was at it. Aziraphale brought his hand to his face and rubbed the sides of his nose. He exhaled loudly before talking.

"There must be some way of stopping it."

You hummed in agreement. Though Crowley seemed to already have planned something too. He turned to Aziraphale first.

"If there was... no boy, the process would stop."

"Yes, but there is a boy." He pointed towards the boy. You spotted him behind the trees as well.

"Oh yeah... He's writing a rude word on a description of a dinausor." You mumbled. Maybe you could have taught him a thing or two about being furtive.

"Well, there's a boy now." He rolled his eyes and turned to you. "That could change." You knew he was implying something. You just couldn't quite put a finger on it.

You shot him a quizzical look, asking for more information.

"Y'know, something could happen to him."

You observed his features for a few seconds... Yep, you were still not good at solving riddles. With a bit of a pout, you shook your head, showing you didn't get it. In response, Crowley growled, threw his hands in the air, and slammed them on his thighs.

"I'm saying you could kill him !" He alternated between Aziraphale and you, awaiting your reaction to the obvious.

"Oooh..." Mmh. Yeah, killing wasn't really your thing. You'll have to pass on that one.

"I've never actually killed anything." He scanned the area to avoid the idea itself. The poor thing It's hard to believe that he was originally given a flaming sword.

"I don't think I could." The last word was almost strangled in his throat. He was so wan... The thought of killing a child made him ill. It sickened the three of you, actually. You smelled the dread on Crowley too.

"Not even to save everything ?" The demon kept staring at him, pressuring him to consider the idea.

"One life... against the universe ?"

You heard him grunt so softly, and you got scared he might faint. So you tried to calm things down.

"Mh.. If this, uh, Hell Hound doesn't find its master or vice versa, maybe it could stop the process too." You nudged your elbow against his vest.

"Right, yes. We should be there ! Y/N and I could stop the dog." He gestured your way with a big smile painted on his face. His brown/green eyes suddenly lit up as an idea flashed through his brain. "In fact, I could entertain."

"Oh no, no, please no."

"Oh yeah! That would be so cool. You cheered and got up from your seat. You loved his magic tricks! And even if he hadn't performed publicly in a while, Aziraphale would usually show you his progress when you would find yourselves alone together.

"Yes ! I just need to get back into practise." He pulled out a coin and immediately dropped it.

"Oh no, no. Don't do your magic act."

"Psst, don't ruin it. C'mon, scoot over!" You pushed him a bit with your hip. He made an offended sound but did as you said.

Azirphale rolled the coin a few times, faking its disappearance. You giggled at his expression of astonishment while grumbling in the background.

"Please ! I'm actually begging you." He said this as you captured the falling coin. "Ugh, you have no idea how demeaning that is."

Rather than listening to Crowley's incessant pessimism, Aziraphale stood up and tried to impress him by pulling the coin out of his ear.

"Woah !" He whispered.

"In your finger." Ever so pragmatic. You growled, but the angel was more patient.

"No, it was in your ear!"

"It was in your pocket."

"It was, mh, close to your ear."

"Never anywhere near my ear."

Disappointed, Aziraphale returned to his seat next to you. You nudge your shoulder against Crowley's.

"You're no fun." You smirked.

"Fun ?" Aziraphale hummed while looking away.

"It's humiliating! You can do proper magic. You can make things disappear." He tried so hard to convince him; that was also amusing to watch.

"It's not as fun." The angel grinned his way. Crowley simply scoffed.

"Make you disappear." He waved your way. You stuck your tongue out.

Mmph !

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

(Wednesday)

The hellhound was a minute away. Your clammy hands tuck behind your back. The rough fabric of the black security suit triggered the small nerves in your fingers, making them spasm. You inhaled deeply and held your breath for a minute. Anticipation had you chocking; exhaling was so painful. You groaned, annoyed by your own anxiety.

"Where has he got to? Is he in here, somewhere?"

You felt your lips twitch upward. Aziraphale was tapping the top hat with his wand, glancing at the children to catch their reaction. But there was no point; the sea of children was bored to death.

"What's this?" He reached into the hat and slowly grabbed the bunny. Yes, you gave it to him. As well as the dove. Which you haven't seen in a while...

"Could it be our dear old furry friend, Harry the Rabbit?" You glanced at him to show how gently he handled the critter. You hummed and nodded. You sneaked a bit of food from the nearby buffet. Crowley was eyeing his watch, his brow raised. You sighed.

"You're rubbish." Warlock asserted himself rudely. Adorable little thing.

"Excuse me, excuse me." Another kid called out, "He's right, you know. You are actually rubbish." Backing up your friend—how sweet!

Quietly, you heard Crowley count down. You tensed up and smelled myrtle and dust make their way to your nostrils. Breath. Your teeth glared, and your jaw was hurting, but you couldn't care less.

"Three, two, one..."

...

Woah.

You kind of felt like an idiot standing there, ramrod straight, awaiting something that either took its sweet time or was simply not coming at all.

Heh.

Yeah, let's not tempt the devil.

You abruptly sent a wave of mischief to the closest kid around. And so began the end of Warlock's birthday; may it rest in peace. You dodged the food as much as you could, but you still received cake on your neck and cheek. The bunny was still hopping around, and you quickly seized him. Shouts and screams filled the whole tent as you joined Crowley outside. Lucky for him, his white suit was as clean as could be. A cake flew by, but the redhead hastily put his hand on the back of your neck and helped you escape it. How kind.

Finally, you stopped at the Bentley, wanting Aziraphale to catch up with you. You softly put the rabbit down close to the hedge. Mmh. Be free, little buddy.

"It was all a bit of a disaster, I'm afraid." He was himself covered in cake and cream.

The angel was searching for something through his sleeve.

"Yeah, maybe it wasn't the best plan." You rubbed the back of your neck.

"Nonsense. You gave them all a party to remember." He opened the car door and grabbed a tissue. He wiped the bit of cream off your cheek. Your lip twitched, and you looked over at Aziraphale. Still, you accepted the tissue to clean your throat. He shrugged.

"The last one any of them will ever have, mind."

He opened the door for you, but you kept staring at Aziraphale, who pulled the dead dove out of his sleeve. M-My baby. Your lips quivered, and the angel's eyes were terribly filled with guilt. Rusty metal and tuna, ugh. He swiftly turned the dove on its back and tapped its chest. Miraculously, the bird woke up, and Aziraphale gently helped it take off.

The angel gave you a sorry smile, but all you gave him was a sharp look. And, stubborn as you were, you kept staring in the back seat. Crowley chuckled.

"I told you putting it up your sleeve was a bad idea."

Aziraphale just grunted and took his place in the passenger seat. With a sigh, you let yourself fall back.

"It's late." You simply said:

"It's five p.m." Crowley simply answered.

"Not that, the Hell Hound." You bolted up and rested your arms on both of their seats; your hands brushed against their backs.

The demon incites you two to stop talking. Instantly, the radio sizzled. Both angels went silent as a voice called for Crowley.

"Hello Crowley."

"Mh, hi. Who's this ?" You unconsciously grabbed the side of Aziraphale's collar and started twirling it around.

"Dagon, Lord of the Files. Master of Torments." Heh, sweet job.

"Yeah, just checking in about the Hell Hound..."

"He should be there by now."

You were a fool. That is what you three were trying to confirm by exchanging glances as you realised the huge mistake you had made. Aziraphale and I looked frantically all around the car to maybe catch a glimpse of black fur.

"Why ? Has something gone wrong, Crowley?"

"Wrong ? No, no. Nothing's wrong. What could be wrong?" He bit his upper lip. "Oh no, I see him now, yes. What a lovely big hellhound!"

Oh for the fuck of...

"Yes, okay, great talking to you." He finished before exhaling the breath he'd been holding.

The three of you look straight ahead, mouths agape. You were ready to laugh and cry at the same time. Seriously ? Why did this have to be so complex too? The angel slightly turned his head towards you.

"No dog." Aziraphale said, despondent.

"No dog." You said, glazed. You slightly turned your head towards the demon. "Wrong boy."

"Wrong boy." Crowley said, Gloomy.

You leaned your head against the window and closed your eyes. In the corner of your eyes, you saw the little rabbit jumping around; you also spotted a small snake and a swallow looking at them from above. You chuckled at your lack of attention.

Your life has never been a long, quiet river; why would it change now ?

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

The rain leisurely dropped on the bookshop door. You couldn't take your eyes off the street; all the humans were walking through the droplets, trying to escape something that would stain them anyway. Still, the colourful way they have to shield themselves from it is so particular and beautiful. Your eyes caught the sight of a couple hiding beneath their shared umbrella. Laughing, nudging each other, kissing... How could you not want to save those precious moments?

"Y/N ? Do you plan to leave already ?" Aziraphale asked from behind you.

You turned around and sent him a reassuring smile. No way. The carpet fell soft on your bare feet. Nice change, given that the last time your skin touched this floor, your cheek burned from rubbing the rugged fabric. You snatched Eden's brush and called for her as you sat down.

"No, don't worry. I won’t leave, especially since Armaggedon is days away and you'll need all the help you can get." You winked as you stroked your miniature cow's fur.

"I can't believe we lost the Antichrist," Crowley groaned. His forehead rested on his hand in a dejected manner. "Why did the powers of hell have to drag me into this anyway ?"

Aziraphale disposed of three glasses next to the bottle before picking it up and serving the drinks.

"Well, don't quote me on this, but I'm pretty sure it's because of all those memos you kept sending them, saying how amazingly well you were doing."

He gave you your drinks and sat down. Crowley scoffed.

"Is it my fault they don't check up ?" You gently slaped his hand—he kept messing Eden's coat—and murmured : 'pet her head'. He tsked. "Everyone stretches the truth a bit in memos to head office."

"Yes, but you told them you invented the Spanish Inquisition." Aziraphale reminded.

"And started the Second World War." You added, taking a sip of your drink. Crowley's nose scrunched, not ready to admit anything.

"So the humans beat me to it. That's not my fault."

You and Aziraphale shared a knowing smile and look. The angel shook his head and bowed his head to drink. Yet you not only heard sipping but also sniffing. You directly glanced at Crowley.

"Something's changed." He stated it darkly.

"Oh, it's a new cologne. My barber suggested it.

"Not you. I know what you smell like!" Crowley snarled and kept sniffing around. You didn't think much of it, actually. You could smell emotions, so it was totally possible for Crowley to at least remember his linked smell. One day, after a few drinks, he confessed that Azirphale's scent was cedarwood and sundae. The smell of comfort—it's just so cute! He even surprised you when he told you your scent was valley and nectarine, because, you know, you've always been a meadow person. Meh.

Crowley froze.

"The hellhound has found its master."

"Are you sure ?"

The tension rose again as the angel asked with dread.

"I felt it. Do you really think I would lie to you ?"

"Well, obviously. You're demon. That's what you do." He didn't really mean it, but the grapefruit smell couldn't fool anyone.

"No, I'm not lying. The boy, wherever he is, has the dog. He's named it." He sighed. "He's coming into his powers."

"We're doomed." You squeezed Eden. She mooed, agitated by your fear. Crowley petted her head.

"Well, then, welcome to the end times."

You all cheered for that.

Fuck...

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Sleep was just a bastard, wasn't it ? You didn't really need it, but it allowed you to free your mind from intrusive thoughts. It just kept slipping away from you, leading you to lay there on your bed, the blanket barely covering you.

Inhale, hold, and exhale.

You were tapping your heart rhythmically. It was the most efficient method you found to calm yourself. If you're wondering, no, you shouldn't feel this way. You shouldn't feel anything at all. Especially you... No fear, nervousness, joy, or anything! Not because you were a cupid... Your emotions should only be put in the background but still be there. But it would only apply to you if you have... You just wish you hadn't lost it. A single tear rolled down your cheek. You did your best to keep the memories away. It just hurt too much.

You couldn't help but scratch your scar. If Aziraphale saw the extent of your wound, he would never let it go. Almost your whole arm was covered with the same scar. It runs diagonally from the shoulder down to the upper arm, marked by a combination of raised and discoloured tissue. The pattern was irregular, a mixture of claws and mild burns. The skin around the scar might be slightly darker and sometimes lighter. The weird mix of smoother and rougher textures as the scar tissue blends with your normal skin has always disturbed you.

"You know what ? You should just cut it and get a clean one. Your arm is just plain disgusting." A voice mocked you from your window.

You knew who it was, and you were even surprised. You sat up and sighed. Just your luck... You were too emotional for this.

"Hello, Adriel." You were absent and vague.

"So, how have you been doing ? Still empty, as always ?" His back collided with the window frame. Just go away.

"I am fine. Thank you. I too hope you are doing well." You looked straight. His face was too punchable for his own good.

"Yeah, yeah.. So ! Are you ready for war ?" He was so eager to mock you. "Remember: you don’t attack us; you know cupids, okay?" His smile was so fake, you wondered if his heart was broken. He scooted down on your bed, too close to you. Honestly, you were not bashful, but your bare heart was just too exposed, and his hands were too unpredictable.

You were running out of time. And fucking patience.

"Wow, I'd never seen what your heart looked like before!" He laughed while openly stirring at it. "It's so disturbing; can you even look at yourself in a mirror?"

Still, you knew what to expect from Adriel. Cruelty and absolutely no consideration for others. Apart from Mihael, obviously.

Your grip was iron, and your eyes were made of ice. You couldn't take it, not tonight. He wouldn't get his filthy hands on your heart.

"I'm going to fight for my side, Adriel. I hope you'll be ready to fight for yours." You growled. He gasped and freed himself from your hold. His pink eyes scanned yours, but you didn't look away. He tumbled back, landing on the window frame.

"D-Don't ever touch me again, you freak !" He spat, disgusted and terrified. You watched as he flew away, but no smile managed to appear on your lips.

You're right... I can't bear to look at my heart; I'm too afraid to find every bit of it crumbling down on your hands.

But I would be damned if I didn't use the remaining pieces to feel the love those two have for one another.

You laid back, caressing softly from the side of your heart to your belly. You didn't know love angels could so strongly bind and love others, but you're so glad you do.

Your mind finally drifts away, and you finally sleep. Rocked by flashes of Aziraphale and Crowley and... the surprising smell of love.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Oh, Y/N... What happened to you ? U,w,U

Hope you enjoyed it ! Bye !

Parts : First - Previous - Next

Tag list : @legendary-maddie @kpop-athena @drugs-for-memes @emo-queer-boi @cunning-girl @mochikofi @brain-has-left @cup-of-tee007 @anonymoussherlockandmarvelgeek @somekale08 @liyacreate @msyolocat-blog @scoliobean @notahappystan @nebulagoddess @ray-rook @brain-has-left

[beatrixstonehill2]

"Uncle Bryan! Oh my god I'm so happy you came! Have you heard the good news?" Staci asked, coming out of the water, bubbly as can be.

"You look as stunning as ever, Staci! And no..... what news?"

"Awww, I'm glad mom didn't spoil the fun! I'm detransitioning!"

"Wow, congratulations! That's so wonderful to hear--I was gonna say your voice sounds a lot deeper than I remember. Damn you've been living as a girl most of your life. What made you decide to detransition, darling?"

She shrugged. "I dunno! My boyfriend really wants to see me go through male puberty. We were only dating a month at the time but he's soooo into the idea of me living as a boy I decided to try it out for him!"

"Damn, he's a lucky guy. I'm glad you're open to trying this for him. You're gonna make a super handsome boy."

"Awww, thanks! He did warn me when we started dating that he's more into guys than girls and I told him it wouldn't be a problem, if he really wanted I could always detrans!"

"I'm so happy for you, I think you're gonna love being a guy, sweetie."

"I think so, too! Look at this!" Staci took out her cock, fully erect at eight inches. "I've only been on testosterone and steroids for three months and my cock has grown five inches! Look at how thick it is!"

"That's incredible! I remember you prancing around in those tiny tennis skirts last summer, that little cock of yours looked so stunted and limp. It's great to see you getting to enjoy a nice, full-fledge erection finally, and I bet your orgasms are so much more intense since you started detransitioning!"

"They. Are. Incredible!!! I jerk off like ten times a day, no lie, and I still have tons of energy for my bf to, well, have his way with me!"

"He's sounding luckier by the minute. Don't spoil him too much! You already look so much more masculine, your beard's even starting to come in."

Staci blushed. "I know! I'm getting a bit dysphoric but my bf wants me to let my body hair grow, and to rock stubble, but he's cool with me still dressing fem, of course! Oh, that reminds me.... I have a request!"

"What's that, darling?"

"Well..... I wanted your blessing because they were a gift. And I'm so happy you bought them for me when I turned 18! Those first two years of college wouldn't have been the same without them...."

"I think I see where this is going...."

Staci bit her lip, softly pumping her growing cock. "Please, Uncle Bryan, may I have the implants you bought me removed so I can get top surgery?"

"Of course, they're yours to do with as you please and if you want to get rid of them, by all means! I'd love to see you get your breasts removed if that's what you and your boyfriend want!"

"Yeah he's kiiiiinda grossed out by big boobs. He told me when we started chatting on Tinder and I assured him I could always get my implants taken out, I just needed my uncle's blessing, since they're a gift. He'll be so relieved I won't have boobs anymore! I'm kinda bummed they'll be gone but I just love pleasing him....."

"And that's what makes you a good girlfriend--well, boyfriend. I'll have to get used to you being a boy!"

Staci jerked her cock harder. "Me, too...... would you by any chance like to give me my T shot? It's that time of the day..... you can inject my testosterone and steroid shot right into my cock if you want..... just don't be surprised if the injections make me cum, they have that effect..... I think it might be fun to show you how my bf injects me...."

"I'd be honored to, I could use some bonding time with my new favorite nephew, after all."

[magicalrocketships]

Remember that de-aged Max fic I posted 1200 words of and was DEFINITELY absolutely not writing any more of?

Anyway I absolutely wrote more, but this is set six years earlier and is a little study in contrasts, because this time it's mostly about tiny Daniel. Here you go:

Daniel goes small early in race week in Malaysia.

Max sees the commotion over by the drivers' rooms, and then he sees someone going for one of the Go Small kits that hang under first aid kits and by fire extinguishers the world over. They are simple, mostly fold-small extremely stretchy t-shirts and drawstring stretchy shorts with these weird adjustable shoes that can be fastened to fit to most feet. He assumes it's one of the mechanics or engineers and doesn't think much more about it, and then he overhears someone saying for god's sake keep him out of Max's eye-line, don't want the poor kid yelled at for getting in his way.

Max does not feel like that is very fair. He would not yell at a child. He only gets mad with stupid adults, not little kids. It is not his fault that so many people are stupid.

But then he spots a curly haired baby Daniel clambering up on to the tool table to reach for the chocolate bar that one of the mechanics has sneaked into the garage and Max spotted hidden away earlier, and he shouts, "Daniel, no."

Baby Daniel immediately freezes, hand outstretched, knees perched wobbly on the edge of the workbench. He peers guiltily over his shoulder, but Max is already half way across the garage, looping an arm around Daniel's waist and stopping him from tumbling off.

"I wanted the chocolate," Daniel tells him. He does not flinch away from Max's touch, and consents very easily to Max helping him down from the workbench. He is not in the least bit bothered by being told no. He does not seem afraid at all.

"It is a Snickers bar," Max tells him, "and you are allergic to nuts, little Daniel. Also it is not yours and climbing on things in the garage is dangerous."

Daniel's little bottom lip goes out. "I'm not scared. And I can eat nuts."

"Hmm," Max says. Daniel cannot eat nuts, no matter what face Daniel is trying to pull right now to pretend he can. He might die and that would be very bad, not just for the space-time continuum but for Max in particular, who likes having Daniel as a teammate. He considers. "Are you hungry or are you bored?"

Daniel's face lights up, which is how Max ends up sitting in the hospitality area with Daniel sitting next to him, feet swinging, as Daniel eats a sandwich and talks with his mouth full and tells Max about going karting with his dad. It is very cute because Daniel is very cute, all curly hair and no fear and looking around at everything. He must see all the bewildered faces of everyone walking by and seeing Max hanging out with him, which is not fair because Max likes kids and is good with them. They are mixing Max from the track up with Max in real life. Daniel beams at him with mayonnaise on his chin. Max wipes it off with a napkin.

When Daniel has finished eating his sandwich and has drunk his juice and eaten a blueberry muffin he manages to get literally everywhere, Max takes him back to the garage and they get Daniel settled in the cockpit of his very own Formula 1 car and baby Daniel is incandescent with joy. Then they walk down the paddock, and everyone comes to see Daniel because everyone loves Daniel and tiny, curly haired Daniel is excited and interested and brave. He is not shy at all, not like Max was when he was younger. The only exception is when he sees Lewis with his dog, Roscoe, and then he hides behind Max with his hands on Max's hips and peeks out from underneath Max's arm. Lewis picks Roscoe up and waves his paw in Daniel's direction, and Daniel dives behind Max's back before he sneaks his head out, and gives Roscoe a very little wave back. Then Daniel holds Max's hand for a bit before going back to running around him in circles because he has too much energy for such a little boy. Some of the photographers take pictures of him, and when they get back to the Red Bull garage, Daniel is carefully settled on top of a stack of tyres so that somebody else can take pictures. Daniel demands Max be in one of the pictures with him, and he rests his elbow on Max's head and Max laughs as they take the photo.

It is a very nice day and little Daniel is very cute and he skips around Max asking him questions and peering into things and trying to climb on anything within climbing distance.

He passes out face first on the sofa in the driver's room, and suddenly Max feels the overwhelming compulsion to squeeze his eyes shut, and when he opens them again, it's not a seven year old Daniel staring back at him, but a teenager, with spots and braces. He devours a burger and fries in about four seconds flat that someone brings him from hospitality, and he's just asking if he can go in the car again when Max has to squeeze his eyes shut. When he opens them, it's just normal Daniel, sitting on the sofa in his very stretchy Go Small outfit, and grinning.

"That was so cool," Daniel says, laughing. "Thanks for keeping me company, Maxy-Max. When it's your turn, you'll have to come hang out with me, I'll return the favour. We'll have a whale of a time."

"Yes," Max says. "Okay."

&&&

It is six years later when there's a little knock on Daniel's apartment door.

Daniel, not entirely sure he actually heard anything, and especially because no one called up from the front desk downstairs, opens his door expecting nobody to be there.

Instead, there is a little red-cheeked baby Max, struggling to hold up a pair of too-big shorts and drowning in a t-shirt. His socks are falling off his feet. "I am Max Verstappen," Max tells him, shy and awkward. He has one hand pressed to the back of his neck, scared and unsure.

Daniel's face softens. "Hello, Max," he says. "I know who you are. Why don't you come in, and we'll get you all fixed up."

Max, uncertain and very small, steps inside.

&&&

Again, thank you to Lena @stolemyhheart for making sure it read okay and Em @powerful-owl for letting me have her best de-aged verse ideas and talking about this with me for ages. For a fic I'm absolutely not writing, I sure know a lot about what happens at every stage of it.

Edit: there's more of this verse here.

[snoopledrooplecheesedoodle]

I have a question for your cat ocs, do they actually have a full on cat form they can turn into at any time? Or is it just their ears and tails that show? I feel like if they were to follow us home they could just easily transform into their cat form and pretend to be some type of stray cat to easily follow us lol

Yessssssssssssss Anon they have full cat forms and some of them do use their form to stalk you.

Tw: Mostly fluff but it does mention stalking, possible kidnapping, drugging, and nudity. Don't read if you don't like.

Uses their cat form:

Macchiato (she's a full-grown cat but this gives Macchi energy):

• Why should the fun stop at work? Macchi wants to be around you 24/7, all day every day.

• She was taking a walk in cat form just to stretch her cat legs, when she sees you. Immediately runs up to you all excited and talking your head off. However, she's in cat form so all you see is a friendly calico meowing continuously at you. Girl legit forgot she was a cat for a sec.

• Was about to shift back (girl don't do that you'll be naked) when you pick her up a coo about how cute she is. Yes, she is your good girl! Please keep scratching under her chin. You're taking her home, yes please do (make her your wife(don't))!

• Runs around your tiny apartment looking at everything. It all smells like you! You find it amusing because you don't know its Macchiato.

• Probably turns back when you're sleeping so she can hold you in her arms, boy are you surprised when you wake up!

•"Morning (Y/N)~, why are you frightened it's me your precious kitten. You should let me sleep over more!"

Matcha:

•Tries to respect your privacy, they really do because their deity deserves it. However, they give into temptation watching you go about your day!

•Shifts into a majestic Russian Blue and follows you down the street, oh you are so heavenly, so god-like, so perfect.

• Poor bastard (gender-neutral) purrs so loud that you hear them and turn to see the most beautiful cat in a while. It's got such beautiful blue-gray fur and shimmering green eyes. Of course, you fall in love at first sight (not with them just the cat form). You scoop Matcha up in your arms and pet them gently.

•They're trembling which you see as fear but it's actually pure excitement and love. You touch them so gently with your holy hands, how could they not wish to lay and your feet and worship you?

•Should you bring them back to your apartment they will treat it like a temple. Tentatively walking around as if they are not worthy (they don't feel worthy), you feel upset because you think Matcha's been abused.

•Will accidentally shift when you try to bring them into the shower with you. This is all happening to fast first they're in your abode and now you'll allow them to peer at your divine figure. Matcha transforms which causes you to scream as Matcha is now in your apartment, naked, and face down ass up on your bathroom floor.

• "Please my divinity, punish me however you deign fit. I-I should not have the privilege of seeing you in your natural state. Just don't leave me."

Cookie and Muffin (imagine a bit of gray on one and another gray one with a bit of white):

• Cookie and Muffin regularly slip into cat form to steal food from customers, so yeah, they have no problem shifting to spy for mama Sugar.

• They love being held but suddenly feel the urge to wriggle like worms and may even bite you just because they have that feral energy.

• They're small enough to just slip into your bag but get noticed pretty quickly as they couldn't stop bickering about who was stepping on who's tail. You open your bag to reveal two adorable kittens hissing at each other.

• If you take them into your house, oh boy, will you regret it. Have zero manners like come on Mama Sugar raised you better than that. Scratching up furniture, knocking over breakables, and climbing on all the kitchen counterspace.

•You probably will find Sugar nonchalantly invite herself in to collect her naughty little ones (she hired a private detective to find out where you live). "There are my darling angels, did you cause much trouble for (Y/N)?" Don't worry the woman will buy you newer and higher quality items to replace the damaged ones (what do you mean that had sentimental value, darling don't be crazy).

• The twins will make a habit of following you back to your apartment, so Sugar can have some one-on-one time with you. Oh, the twins miss you dearly when your gone, spend some time in their lavish house so they don't have to take such drastic measures. You're not leaving that house though anytime soon.

"Meowwwwwwwwww (translation: baba come play with us)!"

Croissant (Not exactly the cat that Croissant is but hey it's adorable):

• Is it even a question mans is such a stalker, also you are more trusting of a seemingly innocent cat that is standing on a fence.

• Will make a note of your routine and write it down later, freaks the fuck out if you deviate slightly, you'll get hurt if he's not there to protect you.

• When you notice him, he freezes unsure of what to do, did you know it was him? Bros about to jump ship. "Hey, little guy, aren't you cute?" Cute *insert computer dial up noises*

• Doesn't notice you taking him home until his paws hit the wooden floor. How did he get here? He stands unsure of his ability to explore your home. The delusion meter rises when you look at him, you must know it is him and you're inviting him to live with you right? A delusional Croissant is a dangerous Croissant.

• Turns human as well on complete accident and is horrified. Maybe you kissed his cute little nose and now you have a very naked, very flustered Croissant on top of you. He covers his skinny torso because he's ashamed of his flabby belly.

• "Don't look (Y/N) I'm not in the best shape right now, I don't have much time to exercise with all the studying I must do! Please could I have some clothes so I can leave, I promise to leave as long as you promise you won't abandon me."

May use it:

Donut (I know it's not a munchkin cay but bear with me):

• He doesn't immediately jump to stalking you because he believes the two of you are already lovers, any rejection on your part is you just being shy.

• When you lock him out of your apartment for the fifth time that week his wicked brain starts turning. If you won't let him in as a hybrid, maybe you will if he's just a sweet kitty cat.

• Turns into a kitty and meows pitifully for you to let him in (he hid his clothes somewhere else). You hear the cries of one of your favorite animals and quickly pull it inside, so it doesn't get reported by your neighbors. Donut smirks as you unknowingly let the little freak back into your apartment.

• You set the cat on your lap and coo at him for being cute and he just soaks the attention up like a sponge. Tell him how much you love him! He also can finally bury his head in your chest without you slapping him away, this is complete bliss.

• You come back into the room and almost drop the plate of salmon pate when you see Donut sitting on your couch in his birthday suit confidently. "Ooh is that pate? Lovely you're always thinking about me." You definitely smack the crap out of him for this little stunt.

• "Ouch! (Y/N) you're being so rough, I don't know if I can handle it~ Okay, okay, I'll leave but I need to borrow some clothes real quick."

Cocoa (Couldn't find a Burmese GIF so just imagine a Burmese peering through the weeds):

• Girlie pops doesn't want to have to be a cat as she prefers talking to you and clinging to you. However, sacrifices must be made in the name of protecting her best friend.

• Strolls around with a swagger in her steps and if you notice her won't stop rubbing against your legs, got to make the others know that you're her friend not theirs.

• Girl follows you through the front door of your apartment before you push her outside. How dare you push her away from you?! Don't you care?

• Will hold a grudge for the action you've committed even though you don't know it was her. Hmph, she doesn't want your attention so go away! If you leave, she will scream at you for not caring though.

• "I don't want to go shopping with you I'm busy...okay I really do but please try not to ignore me so much! You mean the world to me after all!"

Butch (Chin scratches for best boi):

• On the surface Butch may seem like a cold and stoic bodyguard who dislikes you immensely. He originally did but you're so infuriating (cute) that he can't get you out of his head. You're leaving? Alone? At night? No way let him come with you!

• Very insecure about his dog form as he was used to doing both hybrid and dog fights when he was younger. He's got a big chunk torn out of his right ear and visible scars all over his body. It goes without saying he won't do it for a while.

• However, there are a few ways to convince him that you need him to protect (follow) you. One, Shopkeeper manipulates him into spying on you and reporting back to them. Two, you come to the cafe injured one day and he feels terrible seeing you wounded. Three, he caves to his desire to make sure you're safe at all times.

• You see this mistreated looking dog following you and you immediately coax him towards you. Butch is hesitant as others have harmed him before in this form, but he knows you are far too kind (that's why he must protect you).

• You take him to your house and give him heaps of love and snuggles that he is not used to receiving. He might actually cry because he's never felt so loved before. He melts into your arms and you bed if you'll let him snuggle with you there.

• You wake up with a firm chest pressed against your back and see a face you never thought you would see willingly near you. You try to escape but his grip tightens.

• "Please just five more minutes... I just want to hold you."

Won't:

Sugar:

• A mature and sophisticated woman of her age believes stalking is beneath her. Why do that when she can pay others to do the dirty work for her?

• When the twins follow you in cat form, she is frustrated with them for invading the privacy of your home. However, she realizes this situation can be used to her advantage and orchestrates more scenarios like the first one.

• She is able to get this one-on-one time with you that she craves. You both sit on the couch, and she wraps her long white fluffy tail around your waist to pull you closer. She can't seduce you with her kids around, but she will leave you wanting more.

• She'll guilt trip you into visiting her luxurious mansion to see the twins more often. Her kids adore you so why deprive them of quality time they desire? She sets her plan of making you her house spouse into motion.

• "Oh, my naughty little kittens have strayed to your abode once more. They just love you so much...and I do as well."

Cappucino

• This fluffy bastard is too lazy to even shift most of the time. All they want to do is sleep and be with you. Stalking is out of the question as like I stated before their apathy for strenuous activities (outside of the gym) prevents them from invading your privacy.

• If turning into a fluffy and cute kitty will get you to stay than they will consider it. Hey, they don't mind, they get to sleep, and you get to pet them.

• They'll probably fall asleep in your bag in cat form and wake up in a strange new environment. Have their crazed fans finally kidnapped them? Well hopefully there's a comfy bed. They then catch a whiff of your scent and feel like moving to find the source. You are sound asleep in your bed after a long day at work, you look so alluring in your sleep.

• You probably wake up to the soothing thrum of Cappuccino's purring and feel a plush figure on top of you. You almost scream as you see Cappuccino in all they're naked glory staring warmly down at you with their sky blue orbs.

• "So annoying being this loud in the morning, if you don't quiet down pillow I'll take my own measures. Either way I get to enjoy something."

Shopkeeper:

• Shopkeeper doesn't need to stalk you as they have eyes and ears everywhere in this city. They know where you are and who you're with, so don't be surprised if they happen to be there too.

• If they absolutely need to have someone spy, they'll send Butch, he loves both of you so it's a win (he's such a good pawn). If he refuses they'll persuade someone else.

• Like to have you at their apartment above the cafe because they control everything in their house. Shopkeeper will also spend time with you in the cafe if you don't feel quite comfortable yet.

• Rest assured that you will end up in their apartment as their loving spouse one day. If you don't like the apartment, they can buy a bigger and better place just for you (say the word and it's yours unless it's your freedom). For now, they smile and chat with you as you sip their coffee. Hope you don't mind the calming affect it will have on you.

•"Dear you look tired, let's get you to bed. No don't even bother going to your place it's way too far for the state you're in. My apartment is upstairs, and I don't mind caring for my favorite customer.

[thesirencult]

Astrological Predictions I Wrote Down Last Year Which Are Still Relevant- and will continue to be!

Note: I'm not here to spread fear and anxiety. Bad aspects do not exist. Our lives and the way the Art Of Astrology is expressed in our reality is a mix of different colours and vibrations. These predictions have been made with my own personal way of interpretation so please don't ask how I came up with some things. Don't drive yourself crazy trying to see the "mechanics" and "practical details" behind the predictions, simply read them and see if intuitively you vibe with them. Keep in mind these are written in a "personal notes" style so it is a tiny bit chaotic!

A year ago I did not post any content about astrology and tarot online, at least at this scale. Posting these personal observations is not a way fro me to "toot-my-own-horn". I'm actually quite skeptical about Astrology's capacity to "predict" but right now, looking at those notes it is apparent that most of those things have already manifested or are beginning to take form in our physical reality.

Enjoy and let me know what your thoughts are about what's coming.

2023 MAJOR ASPECTS

Pluto In Aquarius (23/3/2023, 3 months and then again in 2024): 20 year cycle, society, tech, consciousness, innovation on STEROIDS, last time 795,819, 1781 -> discovery of uranus, islamic/arab domination in north africa, fall and rise of dynasties in europe (foundations of europe as we know it now, al-Khwarizmi founded the field of algebra

Saturn In Pisces (7/3/2023, 26 february, may 2 2026): structuring the "unstructureable"

Jupiter In Taurus (16/5/2023-25/5/2024): wisdom of nature, stay ready/still, green

17/7/2023 -> N.Node in Aries/S.Node in Libra: love-war, Ares-Aphrodite, war between the feminine and the masculine. Fall of red pill and radical feminism, individual vs parrtnership.

Where Jupiter goes, Saturn follows. Dune, The Hermit energy. In the past few years with Jupiter in Pisces and Aries disillusionment was IN! Fights through screens (Aries), were just another day. Saturn clears the way after Jupiter's orgy. Dreams NEED a practical use (note from now : we have this whole hustling culture thing of set goals and be practical, we are basically trying to give structure to our dreams and create a step by step path to our vision). Example: astrology, NFTs and crypto, drugs, manifestation, art -> how are they contributing to our society and the betterment of it? Dissolving-then Forming-> identifying, dreaming-act/plan -> success. Only through the loss of individual power we realize we are nothing without a link to the rest of "life". Submitting to something greater/ fear (misty) of something destroying us or confronting external life. Sacrifice/Servitude. Who are you when stripped away from the world? (prison): stripped off the matrix/network, inner contemplation, power to serve to experience unity, science+spirituality meeting. loneliness + isolation = going deeper within,monk mode. developing a conscious ego. Information utilized/weaponized to help/guide the masses. Increasing consciousness and broadening the mind. We are realizing we are experiencing the "shadow" not the "idea" (Plato/Jung/archetypes)/Antigone-> divine law / human law/ loss of faith and search dor a new framework of values. Discipline in meditation, yoga driven towards God. Fight between atheism+spiritualism/nihilism+purpose. Turning inside because you lost faith, there you will find God and meaning. The form has outlived its usefulness -> conflict with the status quo and law. No church in the wild/godless. Saturn's death by Jupiter (taurus = structure).

Transformation of rules, social norms, ideas of humanity and how we use science+technology to manifest those ideas. Social + technological REVOLUTION. Renaissance. Turning to humanitarian, liberal arts/spreading knowledge-teaching. Astronomical discoveries, vaccines/antibiotics(shortages?), innovations in trade, change in the way religions and churches are structured as well as other organizations. More open. Blockchain. "Anonymity" but transparency. 48 laws of power, the prince. philosophy-> utilitarian/kant/pure reason. "how to maximize happiness for the majority. streamlined techniques. Pluto in Aquarius will bring the desire to reform. After 2044 these changes will be established. Everything will be brought to the surface. going deep and facing demons. PROMETHEUS MYTH , FIRE -> DARK SIDE OF TECH (note: AI). decentralised internet, open sourcing, energy. YOU CAN'T REACH GOD THROUGH TECHNOLOGY/CAN YOU? Grid failures+extreme weather. Internet cables connecting countries -> separation from WEB -> Who are we? power over...= domination / power with...= networks Pluto -> Πλούτος, abundance but can turn to greed -> eruption -> realizations. Society = individuals -> change= self change!

Society is going to turn its hopes, wishes , knowledge, resources and tech powers towards abundance and sustainability. Physical environment = abundance. I'm seeing a rise in holistic+cyclical approaches, natural medicine and art expression close to natural processes. Expect movement from big cities to the countryside and creation of luxury reatreats/hotels close to nature-sustainable.

source:thesirencult

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL

June 2023 Wk 2

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Step By Step (Tues WeTV & Gaga) ep 7 of 10 - I really adore the family/household dynamics in this show. All the relationships between siblings are so well executed. All the tension and sub text and covert glances in the first “modeling” sequence was so good. I really want to watch the BL within this BL. Bruce is THE BEST. Jeng shutting down everyone with a cool few words is genius (especially given the curt sharp flat way he speaks Thai). Why does nobody have parasols or sun hats or sunshades or sunglasses or anything? I’m actually not mad about seeing an attempted reunion with the ex, bc we are getting to see both that (and how) they once were good together, and also the cracks that drove them apart (and will not allow them to ultimately be together a 2nd time around). I do feel sorry for Jeng, he moved too slowly and lost the 1st round. The captions were not good in the trunk seen, but trust me it was totally hilarious. 

La Pluie (Sat iQIYI) ep 7 of 10 - I finally figured out why I am so tense around this show. In openly taking to task and challenging the soulmates trope, this narrative is telling viewers not to trust it’s core trope - which means we cannot trust the main couple to end happily, nor can we trust those characters who believe most strongly in fated mates (Pat & Mai). This means I, personally, not only can’t rely on an HEA but (as someone who also does not believe in soulmates) I am not entirely sure I even WANT an HEA. This has NEVER happened to me before. It makes me uncomfortable because that’s a core part of my identify with these shows. I mean, good job La Pluie, but also.... huh. Back to this ep: Uh oh. The crush is obvious and the soulmate knows what’s up now. The sex scene twist was v interesting, v gay, and v unusual in a BL. Unfortunately it’s still a BL so the faen fatal just HAD to appear. Will there ever be one out of Thailand where this trope doesn’t show up? Next week is the tried & true uke damsels off into the woods alone. Sigh. 

Our Skyy 2 (Bad Buddy & 1k*) eps 12-16fin - Jimmy, baby, why so hot in an engineering smock? Please have mercy. Aw, Marc is back in yet ANOTHER BL. Definitely the current record holder for most BLs at any one time. (His filming schedule must’ve been insane at the beginning of this year!) PatPran are still great, and their eps this had me hooting with laughter (startling the cat). I forgot how much I enjoyed this show and cast. (Ohm looks great with longer hair, but also he’s lost a lot of weight. I hope he’s OK.) OhmNanon give pitch perfect LTR energy. Throwing EarthMix into the, erm, mix is fun if awkward. NO SINGING. 2 damsels in the forest! Also PatPran = geniuses at mock fighting. So much flirting. It was all quite adorbs. But me-thinks Chief & Tian have been eating moonlight chicken. Full review below. 

Be My Favorite (Fri YouTube) ep 3 of 10? - was enjoying it up until the last bit, why so digusted by smooches? Bad GMMTV no green tea for you. Trash watch here! Rollercoaster about to go DOWWNNNN. 

Luminous Solution (Sat Gaga) ep 3 of 6 - I still only like the high school characters + Dome (WHY so gorgeous?). Is he a magical spirit too? Also, the subs were well off kilter. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Our Dining Table AKA Bokura no Shokutaku (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 10 fin - God they’re so cute. This show used the manga as a storyboard, so I knew the “crisis of faith over possibility of loss” would happen. Still in live action this felt tonally off. While understandable given Yutaka’s character, and ultimately particularly important for the dad and a relationship with the family, I don’t know we needed it in this BL. The book does have a better ending second scene, but it wouldn’t be possible to do it on screen easily. Ultimately, this show had a simple, touching, quiet end to it. That’s very like the show as a whole. I did love it - it’s been top of my list all along. Full review after the special airs. 

Love Tractor (Korea Weds iQIYI) eps 1-2 of 8 - I LOVE IT SO MUCH. IT IS EVERYTHING. SHUT UP I AM FERRIL FOR THE BEAUTIFUL CITY BOY AND THE YOUNG FARMER. Come on. Korea. SRS? Plus some language play? I just go die now. 

Star Struck (Korea iQIYI & Gaga) ep 7-8 fin - Man this was a difficult show for me. I know we’re supposed to identify with HanJoon but I really felt for YooJae. I’ve been in his position more often than I care to count, and it’s terrible to lose a friend because they caught feelings and you did not. It’s an awful thing to hold a friendship hostage on condition of a romantic relationship. Especially if the other person is not sexually interested in you! All that said, the boyfriend ep was okay. Not sure I believed in this relationship, but it was cute enough. The final ep was (how do I put this?) a loser. We spent a lot of time with terrible home lives and then a semi happy for now final scene? Whatever. Full review below. 

Vian the series (Vietnam YouTube ) ep 6 of 12 - somehow I keep missing this one, I’ll catch it next week. 

Naked Dinner AKA Zenra Meshi (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 9 of 12 - I think the Taiwanese boss is my favorite character. Japan rarely (if ever ) trots out the faen fatal trope. I mean I named it with a Thai word for a reason, it’s not from origin yaoi at all. Yet still there she is. Sigh. This show. 

Stupid Genius (Vietnam Fri YouTube) ep 1 of 6 - RL Studio (Stupid Boys Stupid Love) bringing us yet another high school set VBL. It’s actually not bad. I see a lot of common faces whom I’ve enjoyed in past VBLs. 

It’s Airing But ...

House of Stars (Thai Mon iQIYI) 12 eps - I bounced at ep 3. Will binge if told it is worth it at end.

Stay (Pinoy YouTube) 7 eps - It’s mostly in English and set in LA so I’m not bothering but the first one did drop.

Ever After (Pinoy ????) - I got nothing. 

Takumi-kun Series 6: Nagai Nagai Monogatari no Hajimari no Asa (Japan Sun ????) 10 eps - NO ONE ASKED FOR THIS and no, I have no idea where to get it, why would I? (Say it with me everyone: Oh Japan, must you?*)

Boys Love Omegaverse (Japan ????) - honestly tho? Who tf cares? You’ll still tell me if you find it, because inquiring minds... Irony of this airing at the same time as Takumi-kun. Full circle much, Japan? 

Tin Tem Jai Special (Thai ????) - honestly I checked Gaga & iQiyi in my territory (craptastic hotel) and neither had it listed so I quickly gave up. I mean OF COURSE I WOULD LIKE TO SEE Lee Long Shi in a bathtub, who wouldn’t? But... 

Just because I didn’t watch the special doesn’t mean I can’t gank Lee Long Shi wearing nothing but soap bubbles for you. 

I’m not a monster. 

Ended This Week 

Our Skyy 2 final 4 eps thoughts: This was an interesting combination, and don’t get me wrong I very much enjoyed it, but it felt like the story was carried by PatPran’s characters while the setting and narrative followed an ATOTS arc - ultimately disjointed. OhmNanon are so bold and vibrant they’re too stark a tonal contrast to EarthMix’s more refined and elegant approach, so for me the screen presences and the style of story clashed. It was like a bouquet made up of tulips & roses: they are both flowers and they’re both pretty, but I feel like they actually belong in different vases. Still, enjoyable. And I got a crying kiss. Always makes me happy. Definitely the best of this bunch, and probably the best Our Skyy (and I genuinely loved both the NLMG historical installment and SOTUS.) 8/10 

Star Struck. A friends to lovers story that felt more friends to tolerant yet disinterested partner. It was more about challenges with parents and class strife. I would’ve been disappointed if the show hadn’t come out of nowhere so I had no expectations. But as KBLs go, don’t bother. 6/10 

Next Week Looks Like This:

Starting:

6/15 Tokyo in April AKA Shigatsu no Tokyo wa (Japan Gaga) 8 eps - Based on a yaoi, this is a reunion romance that takes place in an office. Japan does Our Dating Sim? Yes please.

Still Coming - June 2023

6/22 About Us but Not About Us (Pinoy movie from 2022 on Prime) - A professor grieving the loss of his partner meets an ambitious literature student.

6/24 Why You (Khmer BL ????) - Billed as a horror romance, not sure if this is a movie or a series where it will air... nothing except that it exists.

6/24 Tie The Knot AKA Under the Same Sky (Pinoy movie on Prime) Trailer - I guess Prime is coming for our Pinoy BL? From OXIN Films (Rainbow Prince), announced for 2022 based on a true story, Briggs's family runs a bridal business but he has never had a chance to fall in love until he meets Shao, a groom to be.

6/25 Dinosaur Love (Thai iQIYI) Trailer 5 eps - from Ultimate Troop about a uni student, Rak, whose partner cheats on him with Rak's best friend. This gives bad boy hazer Dino an opportunity to hit on Rak at last. From The Yearbook people so I will not watch this as it airs. After Remember Me? Never again with them.

2023 forthcoming BL master post (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED)

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Bruce is so damn fantastic in this show.

Consent comes in all different forms. (both Step by Step) 

Fight fight fight!

Sex sex sex blow job! (both La Pluie) 

Smartest boy in the show. 

Not enough InkPa... never enough. Never never never! 

Love the suit.

All from the Our Skyy 2 BB + ATOTS cross over. 

(last week)

Current Kpop earworm? IVE’s I Am

[naughtyneganjdm]

On the Run - Chapter 14

Summary: The aftermath of Negan, Joel and Y/N's showdown with Philip is revealed.

Characters: Joel Miller (The Last of Us), Negan (The Walking Dead), the reader (OC, third person), Bill (The Last of Us), Frank (The Last of Us), etc.

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47007172/chapters/124696753

Warnings: Swearing, angst, etc.

Notes: This is the final chapter of this story. Thank you to anyone who read this and kept up with it. There are a few "cameos" in this chapter.

Desperation. Flashing images in an out. A strange pressure flooded Joel’s head as people were surrounding him. Occasionally his eyes would flutter open and there was a blinding white light flooding his eyes with people talking. Everything felt so surreal. It was so hard to stay awake. Only small moments of consciousness were taking place and he could only interpret so much at a time. There was an ache that filled his body. His limbs felt heavy and it was hard to move.

“We’re losing him,” a voice called out making Joel groan out loudly, his head tipping back when he felt someone’s hands over his body. Dropping his head to the side, he forced his eyes to open. Blurry images surrounded him, but when an image finally came to, he heard the sound of a heart monitor flat lining. It was then he saw that it was Negan at the other side of the room they were in. Doctors were surrounding Negan desperately trying to work on him at the same time while others were helping Joel. 

“Negan…” Joel tried to lift himself up, but there was an invisible force keeping him down on the table. Wincing out in pain, Joel was doing everything that he could to move but his energy was completely depleted. Someone was attempting to silence him to get him to relax but seeing Negan’s lifeless body had him desperate. “Please…”

“Calm down Mr. Miller,” a blurry face coached him and he tried to shake off the feeling of passing out again.

“He needs me,” Joel tried pushing at the hands over him finding himself infuriated that he didn’t have the strength to go be with the man that had saved his life. A frustrated roar escaped him when his eyes started to black over. Even fighting as hard as he could to stay conscious, it was a battle he could not win. It was inevitable. The sensation was too strong and Joel fell back unconscious.

By the time he was finally able to come back to, Joel felt the soft stroking of fingers over the back of his hand. Twitching his fingers made a nervous sound fall from the throat of the person beside him and he forced himself as hard as he could to open his eyes. Just a little bit.

“Hey you,” Y/N’s voice surrounded him. Hearing her made him suck in a sharp breath of air. God, he felt too weak to even interact with her. Leaning in closer to the bed, her fingertips traced in over the side of Joel’s face and he leaned into her touch. “It’s good to see you awake.”

“Is this heaven?” Joel grumbled eliciting a tiny laugh from her in response. “It’s fucking bright. And you’re here. So I just assumed.”

“Smooth,” she commented sliding in closer to the edge of the bed. Keeping his eyes open hurt. It was so bright and it was giving him a headache. His throat was incredibly dry and he was just doing his best to stay awake. “How are you feeling?” 

“Terrible,” Joel’s voice was rasp and he spoke in a soft whisper. There was no reason to lie. He felt like shit. Everything ached and he had never felt this weak before. “I feel like I was hit by a truck and then rolled over by a steam roller.”

“Well you were shot three times,” she reminded him making Joel toss his head back and groan out. Everything hurt, but the thing that hurt the most was undoubtedly his leg where Philip had shot him. It was in the thigh and there was a strong ache that flooded up toward his hip and down that leg. “You lost a lot of blood too.”

“My leg is fucked,” Joel lifted his head slightly only for it to fall back into the pillows again because he barely had the strength to even speak. If this was the kind of pain Negan had after being shot the first time, he wondered how Negan was able to make it through like he did. Gazing back, he looked at the IV that he was attached to and huffed. “How the fuck did Negan make it through without high grade pain medication the first time he was shot?”

Saying that out loud made him let out a worried exhale, his head tipping to the side when he looked to Y/N again, “Negan? Where is Negan?”

“He’s not here,” she whispered and Joel let out a sharp exhale remembering what he had seen earlier. At least what he thought he had seen. 

“What does that mean?” Joel pushed trying to lift his head up again to level himself, but he fell back against the bed when he didn’t have the strength. “I need to see him. I need to…”

“Hey,” she stood up from the seat she was in when he wiggled about trying to pull himself from the bed. “You’re going to overdo it. You went through some surgery earlier and you’re still weak. Probably heavily medicated too.”

“Shit…” Joel felt the room spinning around him again and he winced. Clutching to the side of the bed he was trying to focus to keep himself from passing out again. So badly he wanted to be awake, but he was failing miserably.

“Relax,” Joel felt Y/N helping him back into laying down when the darkness started to surround him again. Even after fighting hard to keep himself conscious, he lost. The last thing he felt before he passed out again was the firm grasp Y/N’s hand had with his. This constant in and out was terrifying, but that comforting hold was the only thing keeping him from being scared.

Gasping out, Joel’s eyes finally snapped open fully and he had no idea how many hours had passed, but thankfully it was a whole lot darker in the room that he was in now. It took a while for him to completely come to but when he did, he saw the machines that were surrounding him. Lifting his arms up, he noticed all the wires that were attached to his body along with the IV that was in his arm. Huffing out loudly, he was uncomfortable seeing that he was alone.

Gazing around the room, he noticed that there was a curtain up between him and what he assumed to be the other patient he was sharing a room with.

“Tough guy is finally awake,” a nurse entered the room making Joel’s head lift up from the bed. His throat was dryer than before. It felt like a desert inside of his mouth and he shakily reached up to stroke over the front of his neck making the nurse smile. “I can’t tell you how many times I had to force you back in that bed. You’re a stubborn one.”

“I hate hospitals,” Joel announced making the woman snicker while she was checking his vitals.

“Everyone does,” she countered with a shake of her head writing down a few things.

There was a silence that followed and he heard the sounds of the machines beeping. Cringing at the sound, Joel closed his eyes tightly and grumbled to himself.

“Is this hell?” Joel wondered knowing that he was in exceedingly large amounts of pain and this whole scenario was like hell for him.

“I guess that depends on who you ask,” she gave him a big smile but Joel frowned in response.

“Can I have some water?” Joel requested of the nurse looking around to make sure that there was none there in the first place. “My throat is incredibly dry.”

“Sure thing. Give me a minute,” she set something down and walked out of the room leaving him to himself. Looking around, Joel was disappointed to know that he was alone. Earlier he had Y/N with him and he felt comfortable. Now he just felt uneasy and very alone. When the nurse returned, she had two cups of water and went to the other side of the curtain to set one down before returning to him. “Do you need help?”

“No,” Joel shook his head trying to push up onto his elbows, getting into place when she handed him over the paper cup that she had brought with a straw. Swiftly drinking down what she had brought him, Joel had never been so thankful to have a drink of water in his life. “Thank you.”

“How are you feeling?” she stepped beside the bed looking Joel over when he wiggled trying to find a position where he felt comfortable. 

“Like shit,” Joel was blunt making her chuckle.

“You’re being hailed a hero. You know that?” she spoke and it made Joel cringe.

“I’m no hero,” Joel explained with a huff hating to even hear something like that. That wasn’t the whole point of this thing. “I take it my name made it to the news?”

“Kind of hard for it not to be. You and the others brought down the man that was projected to be the next governor of this state. Since Philip Blake was exposed across all of the news media there has been multiple things that have come out about him,” the nurse informed him while she checked on his IV bag. Shakily Joel set the cup of water down on the table beside him and got comfortable again. “We’ve had to keep the FBI in the waiting room, been throwing out reporters and you guys even had Ezekiel Payton showing up to thank you.”

“Maybe I should have died,” Joel buried his head in his hand hearing her let out a confused sound. All that really mattered is that he was able to help Y/N, but he knew that by having his name in the news that his private life was going to be incredibly public. And then it would be known that he was dating Y/N who was one of his students. “That means there are some things that are going to come out about me that are going to get me fired from my job.”

“I can’t see anyone firing someone so many consider a hero,” she combated back with him, her fingers curling around the side of his bed. “You’re a celebrity right now.”

“Great. That’s what I always wanted,” Joel snorted his eyebrows bouncing up when he stared out into the empty hallway seeing only nurses passing. At this point in his life Joel just wanted to be left alone so he was not looking forward to whatever he had waiting for him after this. “What happened to the woman that was with me? Y/N Blake.”

“They were running some tests on her. She refused to have anyone look at her until about thirty minutes ago,” the nurse answered him making Joel grumble and pull himself up in the bed as much as possible. “The woman didn’t want to leave this room.”

“What about Negan?” Joel questioned feeling his chest ache when he thought about what he had seen previously. At this point he didn’t know if his mind had made up what he had seen or if it was real. It could have been a memory that his own mind conjured up, but he had to know. “I was in and out for a while. And I thought I saw him die.”

“Uhm,” the nurse swallowed down hard, her eyes lowering and Joel felt his heartrate quicken. “I’m surprised you saw that. I think they were doing their best to keep you under while they worked on you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone fight so hard to stay awake. Like I said, you’re a stubborn one.”

“So Negan died?” Joel blurt out in a panicked tone, his throat tensing up and he felt chills flooding throughout his body. All at once he felt like he was going to throw up and pass out all over again. The room was spinning and he didn’t know how to react. “What…what happened?”

“He did,” she waved her hands about in the air making Joel feel a range of emotions that he couldn’t quite explain. Dropping his head into his hands, Joel found himself overwhelmed with an incredible amount of emotions. He fought so hard to save Negan at the end and to hear that he failed broke him. A pained sound fell from his throat when he dragged his fingers throughout his hair tugging on it. “I take it the two of you are close?”

“It’s complicated,” Joel dragged his hands down his face knowing there was no way to really explain his relationship with Negan to someone who wasn’t part of it. Hearing the sound of the curtain being pulled back made Joel lift his head. His heart skipped a beat when he saw Negan in the bed beside him. There was so much more attached to Negan compared to Joel. Clutching the sides of the bed, Joel pulled himself up further and watched closely to make sure he saw Negan’s abdomen moving when he breathed. Turning his attention to the heart monitor, Joel let out a shuddering exhale and he shook his head. “I thought you said he died.”

“He did,” she explained when Joel tried to pull himself up from the bed and she attempted to stop him. “You’re going to open your wounds if you get up the wrong way. Everything looks promising with him. They were able to bring him back and he needed a lot of things done to get him where he is right now, but he’s here.”

“What is wrong with you?” Joel snarled looking to the nurse who threw her hands up in the air in a defensive manner. “You tell me that someone who is important to me is dead when he’s very much alive.”

“No, I told you that he died. He did,” she corrected Joel after it was visible that he started to get angry with her over what she said to him. “In fact he did several times. They were just able to bring him back. We’re lucky to have him here. This guy kept fighting. Something wanted him to be here.”

“Can I see him?” Joel asked of the nurse making her fold her arms out in front of her chest. “Please.”

“Honey, this is probably the closest you are going to get to seeing him right now. You can’t get out of your bed and he can’t either,” she reasoned with Joel hearing him grumble. When he attempted to move from the bed, she stopped him again. “If you move you could start bleeding again and you could injure yourself even more. You don’t want that.”

“Then help me,” Joel requested of the woman making her huff at his demanding tone. “Please.”

“I can move your bed slightly closer to his, but that’s all I can do,” she explained to Joel making his glare deepen and she shook her head. “You can glare at me all you want Mr. Miller. That’s not going to change the fact I could get in trouble by moving you.”

“Fine,” Joel agreed getting comfortable in the bed again for her. More than anything he wanted to get up, but with her stressing that he couldn’t made him assume something really bad could happen if he did. It took a few minutes for her to get him closer to Negan’s bed. He would have preferred to sit on the edge of Negan’s bed to see him, but this was the best he was going to get. Outstretching his hand, he was able to place his hand over Negan’s making the woman gaze between the two of them.

“Oh, I get it,” the nurse let out a long exhale holding her hands up in the air. “You should have just told me. I would have understood.”

“You don’t understand,” Joel stammered pulling his hand away from Negan realizing what she was assuming about them. “You don’t…”

“No, it’s okay. Don’t worry about it. It’s not my business,” she checked one other thing before heading for the door. “Just hit the big red button if you need something. You’re on some serious pain medicine right now, so I don’t expect you to last long.”

Instead of saying anything more, Joel’s dark eyes gazed over at Negan to see his chest rising and falling very slowly. Clearing his throat, Joel thought about what happened previously and he outstretched his hand to place it over the back of Negan’s hand. Stroking his fingers over the flesh, Joel gazed over the wires that were covering Negan and sighed.

“It’s illegal to sexually assault a disabled man when he can’t protect himself,” Negan’s deep, raspy voice filled the air making Joel’s brown eyes lift to see that Negan’s eyes were barely open. A weak smirk tugged at the corners of Negan’s lips making Joel roll his eyes. When Joel didn’t pull his hand away, Negan’s fingers hooked with his making Joel clear his throat uneasily.

“How are you still alive you stupid bastard?” Joel’s voice was broken showing that he was emotional making Negan’s lips part and his head tipped back. A pained sound fell from Negan’s throat making Joel sit forward, his fingers hooking tighter around Negan’s.

“I don’t know,” Negan dragged out every single word, his Adam’s apple bouncing in his throat when he grumbled to himself. “I think they told me I did die.”

“I saw it myself, but I was barely conscious,” Joel explained feeling his chest aching at the thought of what he had seen. There was a silence that filled the hospital room and he let out a whimpering breath. “I am so fucking sorry Negan.”

“For what?” Negan muttered with a groan. His free hand placed in over his abdomen, his head turning to the side so his eyelashes could flutter somewhat open. There were dark circles under Negan’s eyes and the color was drained from his face.

“For thinking that you could have been the culprit behind all of this,” Joel confessed slowly pulling his hand from Negan’s and he grabbed the sides of his hospital bed. “It’s my fault that you got shot and died, multiple times. You almost left this world because of me. You shouldn’t have stepped in front of that bullet for me.”

“I didn’t do it just for you,” Negan shook his head, his words coming out slow and quiet, but extremely raspy. “I also did it for your daughter and for Y/N. They both love you. You’re meant to be here. I made that choice long before that moment. If it was between me and you, it was always going to be you that would be saved.”

“But it would have never happened if I just believed you. Instead I let Simon sway me into believing that you were behind everything. I should have known the whole time,” Joel searched for the right words feeling incredibly guilty that Negan was like this in the first place. “You were bleeding so much and…”

“Don’t,” Negan hushed Joel hearing him uncomfortably trying to think of things to say to explain how he was feeling. Shakily reaching his hand out, Negan grabbed a hold of Joel’s hand and weakly squeezed at it. “It was Simon. Not you. I’d make the same choice again.”

“This is my fault,” Joel insisted with a hurt sound and Negan’s head dropped further back into the pillows while he held onto Joel’s hand. “I should be the one that’s there. Not you.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Negan scoffed, a smirk tugging over his exhausted features showing that he wasn’t mad at Joel. “What happened? Where is Y/N? The last thing I remember is getting shot.”

“She’s okay,” Joel assured Negan noticing that Negan could barely keep his eyes open, but he was doing his best to try to stay alert. “It was Philip. He was behind everything. It was a ploy to gain sympathy for votes.”

There was a silence that followed and he looked to see that Negan was breathing heavily. It was obvious that Negan had fallen back asleep. That would have to be something he was told again. Giving Negan’s hand another firm squeeze, Joel got more comfortable in his bed again knowing that he was fatigued himself and should rest. Which is what he did.

“Time for one of your tests,” a voice boasted making Joel’s eyes snap open, the room was blurry around him and he could feel someone’s fingers hooked with his. Looking to the side, his eyes finally came to see that Y/N had stuck herself between the space that was between him and Negan. Her head was dropped forward and she was visibly sleeping. Even with the nurse ready to take him, he couldn’t help but be enamored with Y/N. 

“Hey,” Joel spoke softly, his fingers squeezing tightly to hers making her very lazily lift her head up. Shaking her hand once more made her eyes flutter to an open and he offered up a weak smile when she saw him again. “You doing okay?”

“Physically, I’ve been better. Mentally, unsure really,” she explained tipping her head from side to side. Joel smirked, his head nodding once while his chocolate brown eyes gazed over her. “When I know the two of you are well and out of here, I’ll be even better.”

“What about you?” Joel tried pulling himself up but he was still incredibly weak which frustrated the hell out of him. There was a lot of bruising done to her face from when Philip had struck her with the gun. It made her shrug her shoulders and he frowned.

“I had a concussion, but let’s be honest…I got out of the situation a whole lot better than you and Negan did,” she pointed out lifting his hand up to her so she could press a kiss over the back of it. “Don’t worry about me because I’m going to be good. Because of you…because of Negan.”

“We really have to get you to your test,” the nurse interrupted them causing Joel’s eyes to dramatically roll. His jaw flexed, his dark eyes gazing over at the woman who had already stressed him out a few times today.

“It will be okay,” Y/N slightly laughed, leaning forward to press a kiss over his temple. Closing his eyes firmly, Joel leaned into her kiss and sighed. “I’ll be here waiting for you when you get back. I have some things that I want to talk to you about. One thing I think both you and Negan need to hear.”

“Is it bad?” Joel wondered making her bite down on her bottom lip and tip her head side to side. “Tell me before I go.”

“It’s something that should probably wait until we’re all out of here to be honest,” she released his hand to brush her fingers through his dark hair. “Get your test done and then we can talk.”

“Thank you,” the nurse started to unlock the wheels of Joel’s bed, nodding down toward Joel. “This one is grumpy.”

“You haven’t seen grumpy,” Joel scoffed in response. With his attitude, a laugh escaped Y/N’s throat and she tried to hide it by covering her mouth. Amusement flooded her knowing that Joel could get grumpy and she found his warning to be silly. He was still Joel after everything.

Watching them pull Joel away, Y/N sighed and kept her fingers still hooked with Negan’s. Turning the seat toward Negan’s bed, she watched the way that his chest weakly rose and fell. Her throat tensed when she heard the sounds of people in the hallway. Getting up from the chair, she headed over to close the door and shut the blinds to give them some privacy. Once she reached the side of his bed, she thought twice before sitting down. Moving to the side that had less wires to contend with, she very carefully lowered down on the side of the hospital bed with Negan. Resting at the edge, she cuddled her head cautiously over the center of his chest and closed her eyes.

Listening to the sound of Negan’s heart beating, she felt herself getting emotional when she thought about what they had told her. Negan died several times in surgery and the fact that he was still here was a miracle in itself. There was a big chance she could have lost Negan, hell she almost did and it terrified her. She was afraid to take her eyes off of him and not to be close to him after what she learned.

“Are you crying?” the familiar, deep, raspy voice was weak but loud enough for her to hear. Lifting her head, her eyes connected with Negan’s barely open hazel eyes. Reaching up, she tried to brush away at the tears that were over her face. “Hey,” Negan shakily lifted his good arm to stroke away at the tears himself. “Why are you crying?”

“Because I love you, you idiot,” she whispered making Negan smile and nod. “I almost lost you. Several times. Waiting while you were in surgery was the worst feeling in the world. All I could think about was all that blood. How pale you were…”

“It’s okay,” Negan hushed her when she started sobbing remembering what he looked like in the warehouse. Seeing how emotional she was getting had his eyes tearing over. Sweeping his thumb in over her jawline, she turned her head into his touch and his lips parted. “I can tell you what happened when I died. It’s kind of a funny story.”

“Oh?” she whimpered, her bottom lip tremoring when Negan took in a sharp breath.

“Yeah. I met death. I woke up in this dark place and he told me he was going to take me somewhere,” Negan began, his Adam’s apple bouncing in this throat when her eyes narrowed. Negan was talking slow and quiet, but he had her full attention. “We started walking and I kept asking questions. So many in fact that I annoyed him. He told me I talked too much. Said that he didn’t want to take me to the other side because I was too fucking annoying. But I was curious about the whole death process. Every time he sent me back, I would struggle to go back to him so I could get as much info as I could.”

“Jesus Negan,” she rolled her eyes knowing that he was making a joke when his laugh followed, but he let out a pained sound when he laughed too hard. “You almost die and you’re cracking jokes.”

“It’s a believable story,” Negan suggested watching her shake her head. Resting against his chest again cautiously, she was happy to see that he was still capable of being that smart ass she grew to love. With her close, he found himself stroking his fingertips over the back of her neck. Cuddling his chin in over the top of her head, he cherished the warmth of having her near. “Actually…I don’t know if it was my conscience trying to comfort me, but all I saw was you. Your smile. Your eyes. And I was content. Whether you were my happiness in death or you were the thing that brough me back, all I saw was you.”

Lifting her head showed that what he had said caused her tears to return. Sliding in closer to him, she palmed in over the side of his face. Leaning down to meet his lips in a faint, gentle kiss she knew that what he had just said touched her heart in ways that no one else could. The taste of their tears lingered over their lips while she kissed him. Soft sweeps of her fingertips over the side of his face made his lips part. Pressing her forehead to his, she continued to tease her fingers through his short beard. Awe flooded her veins with the way he cuddled in closer to her.  

“I’m so sorry Negan,” she could see that he was confused what she was apologizing for. Stroking her fingers over the back of his neck, she nuzzled her nose in against his and frowned. “I was so blind to everything. There was a small amount of time where I actually believed Simon and it was so wrong of me. I love you. I love you so fucking much and I don’t know why I would have believed him.”

“You were scared,” Negan hushed her, stroking his fingers down over the side of her neck. “I get it.”

“Nothing scared me more than almost losing you,” she responded letting out a whimpering breath when she pulled back enough to look him over. Hooking her fingers with his, she bit at her bottom lip and felt her chest tightening. “There is no me without you.”

“You had Joel,” Negan reminded her and she shook her head, bringing his hand up to press a kiss over the back of it. “You would have been alright.”

“No, I wouldn’t have,” she claimed, holding his hand close to her cheek. “I’ve been thinking about things. I love you both. I do. I can’t hide that. But there is one thing you have over Joel.”

Staying silent, Negan’s eyes searched hers while she cried harder and it broke his heart to see, “You loved me throughout everything. Whether I was with Joel. Or I was with you. If I was crazy. If I was normal. If I was being hunted. If I almost died. You were always there. Loving me. It didn’t take something monumental for you to know that you loved me. You always loved me. Your love is the purest form of love I’ve ever felt in my whole life Negan. You took care of me and were there for me when no one else was. I love Joel. But he doesn’t make me whole. You do.”

With his bottom lip tremoring, he lifted up to the best of his ability to meet her lips in a lingering kiss. Pulling back slightly, the warmth of his breath lingered over hers while he tremored, “But now you can be with him. Your father is out of the picture, you can be with Joel and his family.”

Sweeping her thumb over his bottom lip, she hushed him and brought him to her in another kiss. Over and over again, he kissed her until the sound of a knock on the door was heard making them look to see that someone was standing at the entrance after they opened the door.

“Hey there,” a boastful voice began when they noticed the face of the man they had seen on the news many of times over the last couple of months. “I’m sorry for interrupting something special there. I’m Ezekiel Sutton. They just let me into the back for the first time and I wanted to come thank you. I already spoke to Ms. Blake and Bill, but not you…”

“Thank me? For what?” Negan repeated, his eyes narrowing looking between both Y/N and Ezekiel. 

“Aren’t you Joel Miller, the hero?” Ezekiel questioned making Negan snort when he lazily tipped his head back to look at Y/N who shrugged.

“No, I’m Negan Smith the zero,” Negan responded with a chuckle after Y/N poked him in the side.

“Joel is presently getting some tests done, but he’ll be back soon,” Y/N explained knowing that she would rather have some alone time with Negan, but she understood why Ezekiel was eager to thank Joel and Negan.

“Hey now. You’re not a zero,” Ezekiel stepped forward making Negan’s eyes return to him. “You took a bullet for someone you cared about. I heard the story. You’re their savior. And without you, none of this would have happened. I would still be prime suspect for this whole thing.”

“I’ll accept that. Joel can be the hero, I’ll be the savior,” Negan faintly whispered with a smirk seeing Ezekiel pat him on the thigh before stepping back. “Thanks for doing your best to try to make me feel better. I get it that Bill and Joel were the main heroes…wait…Bill is alive?”

“Oh,” Ezekiel closed his hands together, his features getting tense. “I guess the two of you have a lot to still talk about? They said one of you was still unsure of things. I’ll come back later when you’ve had some time to yourself to learn everything that happened.”

“That’s probably a good idea,” Y/N waved when Ezekiel back stepped out of the room leaving the two of them alone in the hospital room.

“What happened after I passed out?” Negan wondered, his eyebrows arching in curiosity seeing her take in a sharp breath.

“Well,” she paused thinking about the timeline of events. “To sum things up. After you passed out, Joel shot Simon in the stomach and tried carrying you out. Someone shot him in the shoulder and you both fell. Simon was still alive and someone shot him in the head. It was my dad that did it,” she informed Negan seeing his face twist with confusion. “My father said that he thought Simon was acting strangely and he helped Joel pick you up. I let curiosity get the best of me and I used the combination that was my father’s to open that safe. And it was my dad the whole time that was running this thing. When he knew I figured it out, he shot Joel in the leg. Near his thigh area. And you both were on the ground bleeding out…”

Hearing that it was her father made a frown flood over Negan’s features and he squeezed his fingers tightly with hers, “My dad tried to persuade me with money. When I said no, he tried to persuade Joel. And Joel shot him. He’s still alive, but he’s in jail because Bill was still alive. He was wearing a bullet proof vest. The pain from it just made him pass out. He has a nasty bruise to show for it. The cameras picked up everything and it was streamed to the media when my dad confessed everything. I guess killing me was a sure shot that he was going to win because people would have sympathy for him. No negative press would come from him kicking me out of the family.” 

“I’m so sorry,” Negan breathed out slowly, shaking his head when he thought about everything. “It makes sense at the end of the day but I hate it.”

“Me too, I can’t say I’m surprised it’s him though. I thought it would hurt more, but I think I know he’s this kind of person and I’m just numb to the pain,” she whispered feeling her chest aching at the idea that her own father wanted her dead. “He told me that he paid my mother off to disappear. You’re the only person that has never left me.”

“And I never will if I have the choice,” Negan swept his thumb in over her bottom lip urging her to lean down close to him again. Passionately he kissed her, his fingertips caressing over the side of her face when the sound of the door opening was heard again. “Jesus Christ. The world doesn’t want me to kiss you.”

“Hey! You’re awake!” Frank boasted making Negan chuckle against Y/N’s lips when they parted. Behind Frank was Bill who was following him in. Y/N got up from the bed eliciting an upset sound to fall from Negan’s throat. “After everything we heard, we’re glad to see you!”

“I’m dying inside right now,” Negan groaned out, his eyes following Y/N’s movements. Frank moved beside Negan’s bed to sit on the edge of it when Bill stepped to the bottom of the bed. “So you had a bulletproof vest, huh? That would have been useful.”

“I only had one,” Bill grunted under his breath causing Negan’s thick eyebrows to bounce up and he rest his head further back into the pillows. “I didn’t think it would get to you two needing one. I’m sorry I didn’t prepare better.”

“It’s alright,” Negan closed his eyes, his Adam’s apple bouncing in his throat. There was a dryness in his throat and he looked to the table beside his bed noticing the water that was there. Going to reach for it, he let out a pained noise that made Y/N step closer to the bed. Moving around the bed, Bill grabbed the water for him and handed it to Y/N who helped him sit up enough to get a drink. “I just fucking hurt and can’t feel my left leg, but I survived. Fucking…kinda.”

“You can’t feel your left leg?” Y/N blurt out surprised to hear that from him and he nodded his head. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I can’t feel my left leg,” Negan stated simply lifting his head up slightly to see that Frank was poking at his leg. A grumble fell from Negan’s throat making Frank’s eyes lift and an innocent smile spread out over his features. “No, I couldn’t feel you doing that.”

“What about this?” Frank continued to poke at certain places over Negan’s left leg until Bill’s fingers loosely wrapped around Frank’s wrist to stop him. Lifting his stare, Frank frowned and looked to Negan whose right eyebrow was arched. “That was inappropriate. I’m sorry.”

“Did you tell the doctor?” Y/N wondered making Negan shrug his shoulders before letting out a tiny yelp when Frank started poking at his right leg.

“I felt that one,” Negan alerted Frank who threw his hands up in the air, standing up from the bed. “I told you, it’s just the left.”

“I just wanted to make sure,” Frank bit down on his bottom lip noticing the glare that Bill was giving him. Heading over toward the corner, he took a seat at the chair that was there letting out a sigh. “It’s just the left.”

“Just the left,” Negan repeated noticing the worry that was in Y/N’s eyes when she gazed him over. “Y/N, it’s just a leg. I’ll tell the doctor when he’s here next, but I’m sure I’m fucking fine. Don’t worry about me.”

“I’m going to worry about you,” she declared hooking her fingers with Negan’s. If Negan couldn’t feel his left leg, it made her worry. Considering that Negan was shot in the back made things even more worrisome for her. “You not being able to feel your leg is a big deal Negan.”

“I’ve been in bet, it could be a pinched nerve,” Negan reasoned with her, the lines in his forehead growing when he tipped his head back to stare up at her. “Don’t worry about me.”

“But you could also be paralyzed in your leg from being shot,” Frank threw in the idea that was worrying Y/N. “Can you move your leg?”

“I think so?” Negan looked down at the blanket that was over his legs and he was able to slide his leg up partially but it took a whole hell of a lot out of him. “I don’t think I should be moving much because of my back.”

“I think you’re right,” she agreed with him noticing that his cheeks had flushed over with red.

“Maybe you should get some rest? We were just heading out, we just wanted to check on all of you before we did. I need to sleep. All of the interactions with all of these people have been overwhelming,” Bill announced hearing the sound of wheels turning and they saw Joel returning from his tests. “Hey, there’s the big guy.”

“Hey,” Joel’s overwhelmed expression lightened seeing both Bill and Frank. “Are you leaving?”

“We are. I’ll be back tomorrow to talk to Y/N about the job and everything else,” Bill placed his hand in over the center of his chest making a confused look flood Joel’s features. “You didn’t tell them?”

“Neither of them have been awake long enough to know anything,” Y/N explained with a long sigh bringing both Joel and Negan’s attention to her while the nurse got Joel’s bed resituated. “I was working with the FBI on things with my father earlier. Bill and I were the two talking through things. They excused both of you for the things that happened because catching my father meant a lot of their cases could finally have endings. Since I’m in control of my father’s estate now, everything belongs to me. I gave them free range to look for whatever they wanted. Now, I just hired on Bill to work for me. That way things get done right.”

“Makes sense,” Joel grumbled under his breath noticing the way that Bill and Y/N hugged when Bill and Frank were preparing to leave. “I didn’t think you worked for anyone Bill?”

“I can make exceptions for people that I like,” Bill pulled back, to look over Y/N and he squeezed his fingers in over her shoulder. Frank gave everyone a hug before joining Bill at the door to the hospital room. “We’re glad you’re all alive. You’re family now.”

“Thank you, Bill,” Y/N gave them a nod knowing that they would have been nowhere if it wasn’t for Bill. “I’m still here because the two of you. If you weren’t here, none of this would have ever happened. I love the both of you.”

“We feel the same,” Frank gave her a wink, urging Bill to follow him out into the hallway leaving the three of them alone finally in the hospital room after Y/N closed the door behind them.

“Are you going to be in trouble for the things that your father did?” Joel finally spoke up letting curiosity get the best of him.

“They were done by him. I’m just going to help the FBI with what they need to know,” she looked between the both of them and sighed. “It means the houses, the money, the cars, the businesses…they’re all mine now. And I intend to sell most of them. I don’t want the memory of my father to always linger. This tragedy. It’s something I want to forget. I just want to be left alone and live my own life. I want to help people. In ways that my father never did.”

“I’m proud of you,” Negan spoke up, his fingers closing tightly around hers. Lifting her hand, he deposited a kiss over the back of her hand. There was a look of awe in her eyes while she looked him over and he could see that she was getting emotional. “You’re nothing like him.”

“There uh…there is something I need to tell the both of you,” she announced, her left hand sliding down in over her abdomen. “They were running some tests and…”

“You might want to hold off on whatever you are going to tell them because I have to take Negan to get a few tests done,” the nurse interrupted and she noticed the glare that she got from all three of them. “You all have that dirty look down well.”

“Fine,” Y/N sighed, her throat tightening up when she shook her head slowly. “Negan isn’t able to feel anything in his left leg. Whoever you have to talk to about that, please do.”

“Y/N,” Negan grumbled when the nurse started unlocking the wheels of his bed. “Are you okay? I’m going to be panicking until I know.”

“I’m fine Negan. It’s no big deal,” she whispered in an assuring tone giving his hand one final squeeze before the nurse left the room with him. Once they were alone, Y/N turned on her heel and sighed loudly. Heading to close the door, she could see that Joel’s dark eyes were watching her every move closely. “I want to talk to you about something.”

“The thing you were just trying to tell us?” Joel inquired, his head tipping back when she sat on the edge of his bed.

“Not that, that’s something you both need to hear,” she hushed him stroking her fingers through his messy hair. The motion drew Joel’s eyes to close and he hummed with the way that she was making him comfortable. “Joel, I know this is very bad timing and you might hate me forever for this but you deserve to know. You needed to know back then really and this is something that I have been afraid to tell you…”

Joel’s eyes fluttered to an open, his dark eyes focusing on her and his hand grabbing loosely to hers in a supportive fashion. A shuddering exhale fell from her throat, her eyes burning over when she tried to gather the strength to tell Joel, “Around your birthday, I found out I was pregnant. I promise you I was doing everything I was supposed to. I was taking my birth control. I didn’t miss any doses, it just happened and…”

Instead of interrupting her or speaking, Joel waited in the moments that she had to take her breaths to get herself gathered. His fingers tightened around hers, his eyes tearing over while she finally confessed to him the thing he heard her telling Negan at Bill’s home, “I was just so scared to tell you Joel because you got so mad at me anytime I told you that I loved you. I didn’t know what I was going to do. I was trying to figure it out. How do you tell a man who gets angry at you for saying you love them that you are pregnant with his baby? So I decided not to tell you. If you thought me saying I loved you was too fast, then I knew you would think the baby was too much. And I worried about your job, my father, if the media found out…” she took in a sharp breath feeling Joel’s fingers sliding in over the side of her face caressing over her jawline. Seeing that he was crying too made her let out a whimpering breath. “I wanted to tell you. I was going to tell you but I started getting bad cramps and then I started spotting. I never had the chance to tell you because I had a miscarriage. I was so scared about everything, Poppy let me use her name to hide everything from my dad and…I’m so sorry. I should have told you. I should have told you the moment I learned out about it and I didn’t…”

“Please don’t apologize,” Joel whispered, his lips parting as he let out at tremoring exhale trying to keep his emotions together himself knowing that she was breaking down before him. This was something that she had kept to herself for so long and it made him feel so guilty. “I’m not mad at you. If anything, I’m mad at myself. I’m so sorry that you didn’t feel like you could come to me. That’s my fault. Not yours.”

Allowing Joel to pull her in against his chest, Joel held her tightly to him wincing through the pain it caused his shoulder and his arm because in this moment she was more important. Kissing at her forehead, Joel stroked his fingers over her hair and let out a pained sound, “I’m so sorry. You should have never had to face that alone. You never did anything wrong…”

“I should have told you,” she pulled back enough for him to caress away the tears that were over her face. Shaking his head, his nose nuzzled in against hers while his rough fingertips traced over her flesh. “You had every right to know, but I was so scared…”

“The way I treated you was so wrong,” Joel confessed rubbing his cheek in against hers in a moment of affection. “I’m so sorry I let things get the way they did. You were the best thing that happened to me since Sarah. I was so blind to that. Please know that. I was the one that was wrong Y/N. Not you. It was me. I started this relationship out of the idea of something that should have never been. I just never expected that I was going to fall in love with you. Because I did. It was hard not to. You make my life so much better. You’re the missing piece of my puzzle that makes me whole.”

Hearing that made her tip her head back to look him over. Lifting up enough, Joel brought their lips together to kiss her in hopes of taking away her pain. Pulling back made him let out a surprised sound when she looked away from him. Trying to urge her to look back at him, he watched her getting up from the bed to head over to her bag that she had with her. After digging around for something, she returned to the bed with a piece of paper that she handed over to him.

“What is this?” Joel tipped his head to the side, letting out a surprised sound when he saw that it was a check written out to him. “Y/N? What is this?”

“This is all the money that my father screwed you out of. Maybe more, but I want you to be able to start over. I want to make things right,” she explained noticing the color draining from Joel’s face realizing what she was doing. “Now that I’m in control of everything, I think it’s the right thing to do.”

“This is too much. I can’t take this…” Joel went to hand the check back over to her and he saw the way she shook her head. Her eyes were red and she was still crying. They both were, but he felt his body tensing up and he didn’t know how to respond. “I don’t deserve this. Not after what I did.”

“Yes, you do,” she forced him to keep the check, his eyebrows furrowing while he stared out at her with surprise. “After everything you and Sarah went through…after everything you did to keep me safe, I don’t think this is enough.”

“You being alive is more than enough for me,” Joel set the check down in his lap, his fingers tracing over the side of her face in attempts to get her closer to him. Lifting up from the bed, his lips hovered over hers and he watched the way her eyes came to a tight close. Finally bringing their lips together, he kissed her passionately with everything that he could muster up. Moving back just enough to talk to her, he made her shiver with the way his lips were still teasing at hers, “I don’t need this check.”

“I’ll be offended if you don’t take it,” she countered making him grumble under his breath but it made her smile. “Add more to your business. Pamper your daughter. Pamper yourself. Do whatever you need to do. Just live happy Joel. My family held your family down long enough and you deserve the happiness that was stolen from you when you were younger. You really do.”

“I have that happiness,” Joel alerted her, his thumb sweeping over her bottom lip while his chocolate eyes connected with hers. “Sarah makes me happy. You make me happy. I don’t need the money to make me happy.”

“The money helps,” she hushed him, resting her forehead against his while she cherished the warmth of him before her. Closing her eyes, she knew that not long ago this was everything she would have loved to hear and more. “I love you, Joel Miller.”

“I love you,” he repeated, pulling her in closer to him so she could rest her head against his good shoulder. Stroking his fingers over the back of her neck, he cuddled his head in closer to hers and sighed. “With that baby, we can try again. We can make it right…”

“Joel,” she breathed out, lifting her head to see the seriousness in his expression. “What about Sarah? Your family? I thought with my father, your family would never be safe.”

“Your father is going to be behind bars and honestly? I’ll take care of both you and Sarah,” Joel offered, his dark eyes searching hers knowing that they were both so emotional right now as it was. “I know I’m capable now and I know that loving you is more important than that constant fear of what if. Our baby deserved to have a life in this world and it’s not fair that it didn’t. It won’t be the same but we can bring another life into this world. Balance things. Make it right…”

“And what if it’s Negan’s baby?” she muttered, her eyes lifting to stare out at Joel making his breathing get louder. Swallowing down hard, she noticed the expression in Joel’s eyes change when she sat up on the bed and he looked down.

“Are you…?” Joel breathed out, his eyebrows furrowing and he let out a shocked breath when she nodded. Parting his lips, he wanted to say something but instead he moved forward on the bed reaching out to her to bring her to him so he could eagerly kiss her repeatedly.

“Joel,” she placed her hand in over the center of his chest, her face twisting with confusion. “I don’t know who the father is. And it’s not time to celebrate because the same thing could happen…I don’t want to celebrate ahead of time…”

“I don’t care. I don’t care if it belongs to Negan because…” Joel thought about what he was saying and he grabbed her hands tightly in his. “Because we’re a trio. That’s what we said then and that’s how I feel now. I’m okay with sharing daddy duties with Negan. I think he would feel the same way.”

“Did I hear my name?” Negan’s raspy tone surrounded them making her look back over her shoulder noticing that they were wheeling Negan back into the room. Seeing that they were both emotional, Negan let out a worried sound. “What’s wrong?”

“We need to talk,” she announced standing up from the bed to only let out a loud exhale when a knock on the door was heard.

“Knock-knock,” a southern drawl surrounded them and it was a voice she really couldn’t place. Gazing back over her shoulder, the steel blue eyes weren’t familiar either and it made her turn on her heel. “I don’t mean to interrupt you, but I have some people that would love to see you, Joel.”

“Daddy,” a voice boasted when the stranger stepped aside allowing a young girl to run into the hospital room. Feeling her throat go dry, Y/N watched the way that Joel threw his arms up and the girl desperately crawled into his arms to hug him. Burying his head against the side of the young girl’s neck, Joel cried along with who Y/N was able to gather was Sarah while they held onto each other. Tommy followed into the hospital room behind her and Y/N felt uncomfortable knowing that Joel’s family was there. Sarah’s cries were heard with her head buried against the center of Joel’s chest.

The stranger moved around her and stepped in beside Negan’s bed. There was tension between the two of them when he dragged his fingers across the edge of Negan’s bed, “What did you get yourself into now Negan?”

“Trouble, as always,” Negan grumbled lifting his hand toward who she gathered was Rick Grimes. “Thanks for taking care of them Prick. We’re even now.”

“Eh, I don’t know, I’ll think about it,” Rick’s face scrunched up, his head tipping from side to side. “You may have saved my daughter’s life, but I did watch that family for over a month. They pretty much became our family too.”

“Was Michonne mad?” Negan inquired with his nose wrinkling.

“At first, but then she understood. Judith and Sarah immediately bonded and connected,” Rick recalled what had taken place in the time that he had protected Joel’s family. “I don’t think anyone was ready to say goodbye when I brought them here to the hospital. We all kind of connected I suppose.”

“Rick?” Joel’s voice called out pulling Rick’s attention away from Negan. With a nod, Rick confirmed that it was him and Joel gave him a nod when he held onto Sarah for dear life. “Thank you. I don’t know how I can repay you.”

“It’s no problem. My family loved having these two around. I’m sure they will be eager to have you guys back sometime soon. And you can come too,” Rick suggested with a wink, his big, blue eyes returning to Negan. “Maybe it’s time to take a break after this? Relax for a while?”

“I think I’m going to have to whether I want to or not,” Negan confessed shaking Rick’s hand once more. “You take care of that family Prick. Take care of yourself.”

With a final nod, Rick finally turned his attention to Y/N who felt incredibly out of place, “I’m glad this guy was able to do a good thing in his life and keep you safe. We were all really worried for some time there.”

“Thank you,” she felt her face hot when Rick shook her hand and headed for the door. With one final tip of his head, Rick left them alone in the hospital room and things felt overwhelmingly different now.

Watching from where she was standing, Y/N felt her heart skip a few beats seeing Joel urge Sarah to look at him. Whispering softly to her, Joel smiled and peppered kisses over Sarah’s face while cupping her face in his hands. It made Y/N look down and she swallowed hard. Suddenly she felt out of place and didn’t want to interrupt them so she moved over to the seat that she had been in originally pulling it in closer to Negan’s bed. With a small exhale, she felt Negan’s hand stretching out to place over her shoulder and she reached back to place her hand over his.

“I missed you so much. When I heard the news, I didn’t know if you were okay or not. There were all these reporters trying to talk to Uncle Tommy and I when we got here,” Sarah explained to Joel speaking so quickly while he nodded his head trying to keep up with her. “I just got so worried about you. We’ve never been apart this long.”

“And we never will be again baby,” Joel promised, leaning in to press a kiss over Sarah’s forehead. Pulling her into a hug again, Joel stroked his fingers over the back of her neck and his dark eyes connected with Tommy’s giving his younger brother a big smile. “Hey little brother. You doing okay?”

“Better than you,” Tommy’s thick southern accent rumbled when he reached down to press his fingers in over Joel’s good shoulder. “I know you wanted to make a name for yourself big brother, but you didn’t have to go and get shot to do it.”

“Oh ha-ha,” Joel rolled his eyes, his nose wrinkling in amusement when Tommy’s gaze shifted to Y/N. “Y/N? This is Tommy. Tommy, this is Y/N.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Tommy stepped in her direction, outstretching his hand toward hers. Standing up, she accepted Tommy’s handshake and she felt embarrassed of how she was meeting Joel’s family for the first time. Tommy’s dark eyes looked her over and he held his arms up. “How about a hug? I feel like we’re all family in some sort of way after everything?”

“Are you sure?” she muttered only to be pulled into a big bear hug from Tommy making her let out a surprised sound but she allowed the affection from the stranger that she felt like she personally already knew from Joel’s stories about him. “I’ve heard a lot about you too.”

“All horrible things just so you know,” Joel piped in and Tommy rolled his eyes when he stepped back. Shoving his hands into his pockets, Tommy looked to Joel and nodded his head toward Y/N. “Sarah baby? You know the woman I told you about that night? This is her. This is Y/N.”

Looking in the direction that Joel was nodding his head, Sarah got up from the bed and moved across the hospital room to wrap her arms around Y/N’s mid-section to immediately hug her. Not sure how to respond, Y/N looked to Joel for confirmation that it was okay to hug her. When he gave it to her, she wrapped her arms around Sarah and felt the room spinning around her. For so long she dreamt of what it would be like to meet Joel’s family and here she was finally doing it.

Something caught Sarah’s eye when she reached for Y/N’s wrist and pulled back to look over that Y/N was wearing the bracelet that Joel had given her, “You’re wearing the bracelet that I made you.”

“Oh, yeah,” Y/N offered a weak smile seeing that Sarah was in awe seeing that. “I haven’t taken it off since your dad gave it to me on the night of my birthday. It was probably my good luck charm to be honest with you. So thank you.”

“I think that was my dad,” Sarah noted making Joel groan on the other side of the room. “But I’ll take credit with the bracelet. I knew my dad really liked you so we wanted to give you something special on your birthday. And I’m glad he saved you because I think he might love you.”

“Smooth kiddo,” Joel huffed from where he was on his bed watching Sarah shrug her shoulders. Noticing the way that Negan’s head was hanging down, Joel cleared his throat and pointed in the direction of Negan. “There is someone else I want you both to meet. That man right there saved my life. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here right now. Negan took a bullet for me.”

“I’ve heard a significant amount about you too in passing,” Tommy commented making Negan smirk when he approached the bed. “Not always the best things at first, but after this whole trip and event, it got better. Thank you for saving my brother’s life and taking care of him.”

“He did a pretty good job taking care of himself,” Negan accepted Tommy’s handshake and sighed. Negan’s hazel eyes looked to Sarah who was standing beside Y/N eyeing him over curiously. “Your dad is a hero you know?”

“He was always my hero,” Sarah replied, stealing a look back at Joel before rushing forward to give Negan a hug. It surprised Negan at first, but he loosely wrapped his arm around Sarah to return the gesture. “Rick told us that you were the reason he was taking care of us. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Negan gave her a wink when she stepped back and away from him to run back to Joel who eagerly accepted her back into his arms. Joel, Tommy and Sarah were having a moment together and Negan could see the discomfort in Y/N’s eyes. Outstretching his fingers, he skimmed them over Y/N’s and she turned to face his bed. “You doing okay?”

“I’ll be fine,” she assured him with a wink, her fingers hooking loosely with his. “It’s just not how I thought things would be.”

“Life has been really different from what I expected lately,” Negan agreed with her letting out a fatigued sound knowing that he put more energy into today than he was really prepared for. “I need like a ten-day nap.”

“We’re going to go for a quick walk to the cafeteria. This one refused to eat until she saw her dad,” Tommy reached out to place his hand teasingly over Sarah’s head. “Do any of you want something? We can bring it back.”

“Coffee would be great,” Joel suggested making Sarah gag at the idea of coffee and he chuckled. “I could use it baby girl.”

“We’ll be right back,” Tommy gave them a wink and grabbed a hold of Sarah’s hand leading her out of the room and down the hallway.

“You wanna tell me what you were talking about before they came in?” Negan suggested finally interrupting the uncomfortable silence that had taken place between them after Tommy and Sarah left the room.

“Oh,” she breathed out standing between the two of their beds. Uneasily shifting her feet, her hand slid in over her abdomen making Negan’s head tip to the side. “They ran some bloodwork on me to check things before they did a few tests. And I uh…I’m…”

There was tension in the way that she was trying to explain things, but Negan just wasn’t catching on. With the way his jaw flexed and his hazel eyes narrowed, she felt her heart racing and the room spinning around her, “I’m pregnant and I don’t know whether you or Joel is the father.”

“Is the baby okay? I don’t know what happened to you while I was unconscious but you look like you got knocked around,” Negan immediately blurt out, his hazel eyes filled with worry when he attempted to push himself up into a seated position on the bed. When he couldn’t he let out an annoyed breath and reached for her. “Did they say if the baby is okay or not? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just got hit in the face and I fell, but as far as they’ve said they say the baby is fine. It’s early in the pregnancy anyways,” she rambled noticing the way that Negan looked up at her with worry in his eyes. “You aren’t upset about this?”

“Why would I be upset?” Negan breathed out, his thumb stroking over the back of her hand. “You should be sitting.”

“Negan, I’m fine,” she blew off the idea that he had something to be worried about with her being pregnant. “I just thought you would be upset that I don’t know if you or Joel is the father. I think I got pregnant between the time I slept with Joel at that first motel and then you at the next. I don’t know whether it’s you or him that is the father.”

“It doesn’t matter who the father is. All that fucking matters is that you and the baby are okay,” Negan insisted, his eyes seemingly worried when he looked to her abdomen. Outstretching his hand, he traced over her abdomen with the back of his hand making her take in a long breath of air.

“I told you,” Joel commented from where he was seated on the bed staring out at the two of them. Joel reached for her fingers and hooked them loosely with hers. “It doesn’t matter who the father is. I think I speak for both of us when I say that we don’t care. We only care about you.”

An emotional sound fell from her throat with the two of them holding onto her hands knowing that she was scared to tell the both of them what she had discovered when she had taken her blood work previously. After hiding the first baby from Joel, she knew that she didn’t want to have this one be something she kept from them.

“I was thinking…after we get out of here. How about you come over to my house and we have an official meeting the right way? We can all have dinner. Tommy and Sarah can get to know you. We can do things the right way. Like a couple should,” Joel pulled her slightly to him making her move away from Negan in that moment to look down at him. “We can get them used to the idea of being a family because that’s what you always wanted. Right?”

With Joel’s chocolate-colored eyes hooked on her, she could feel her heart racing and she swallowed down hard. Looking back at Negan, she noticed the way the coloring drained from his face and he was looking down.

“While that sounds great Joel,” she stepped back and away from Joel, her hand reaching out to hook with Negan’s surprising him. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she felt her throat go dry and she reached out to brush her fingers through Negan’s hair. “I kind of promised someone that I would go on a trip with them to a secluded island for a while.”

“But…” Negan began feeling chills flooding throughout his body knowing that Joel was finally offering her the thing that she had always wanted in being with him. “You can have everything you ever wanted before this started.”

Tipping down, she whispered in Negan’s ear making him lean in closer to her so only that he could hear her, “I choose you,” she tipped back watching the way that his bottom lip tremored when she leaned down to steal a faint kiss from his lips. Nuzzling his nose in against hers, Negan cherished the warmth of her near and let out a trembling sound. “It’s always been you.”

“I love you,” Negan breathed, pressing his forehead to hers finding happiness in the fact that she made her choice between the two. Stealing a look at Joel, he could see that Joel appeared to be crushed seeing the two of them together. “Honestly? I think there is enough room on that island for both Joel and Sarah. Don’t you? That’s if Joel is interested. The three of us are a trio, remember?”

“You’re okay with that?” Y/N’s lips parted feeling like the two of them were asking her to make a choice between them in the last few hours and she thought she had made the right one after everything that happened between them.

“It’s what makes you happy. You love me and you love him. You don’t have to choose,” Negan promised, his thick eyebrows bouncing up when he looked to Joel who seemed to swallow down. “Right Joel? It’s all three of us. Together then, together now, together in the future. We make a good team.”

“As long as that’s what she wants,” Joel gave a nod, his lips parting when he saw her smirk and nod herself. “Then I’m good with that. Sharing the both of you is better than losing the both of you. I don’t think I could lose either one of you right now.”

“Plus I don’t think I’m ready to go on a trip to an island,” Negan input his thoughts on the situation, his eyes linking with Joel’s. “Dinner at Joel’s might be easier to obtain. And I understand if you don’t want to involve me with your family. It’s a weird situation.”

“No, I want to,” Joel declared, his Adam’s apple bouncing in his throat when he gave a firm nod. Adjusting on the bed, he pushed himself from the bed onto his good leg hopping over toward Negan’s bed where the other two were. “Don’t tell the nurse I just did that because she would kill me…”

“Joel,” she reached for the IV that he was attached to pulling it closer to the bed so it didn’t fall. “You’re insane.”

“We know this,” Joel agreed with her, reaching out to place his hand in over her abdomen making her let out a shuddering breath. “I don’t wanna know who the dad is. I’m fully prepared to be a co-father if you two are okay with that.”

“We have to bring this baby into the world first,” she reminded them when Negan placed his hand in beside Joel’s making her heart skip a beat. Placing her hand over the both of theirs made her take in a sharp breath.

“We accomplished this together,” Negan pointed out, forcing himself up enough to press a loving kiss over her cheek. “I think we can make this work.”

“I love you both,” she whispered, lowering her head in so she could cuddle it beside both Joel and Negan’s. After almost losing both of them she was so scared. So scared of losing the life she had learned to love and appreciate. Losing the people that meant everything to her. “So much.”

With the two of them close and comforting her, she felt like everything was right in the world. Everything was the way it was meant to be and with them by her side she wasn’t afraid to be alone in this world anymore. Because anything that came their way? They could take on. Together.