#oh ! i also made a chicken coop

[janggtoco]

i want everyone to know that despite playing minecraft all day i have made minimal progress in my solo world — and that’s ok

[babiebom]

Heyyy! I was wondering if u could do the bachelors & bachelorettes reactin to / dating an s/o who has really intense nose bleeds when they're stressed. But plot twist bc this is literally the norm for the farmer bc they have crippling anxiety, especially social.

Thank u sm!!

A/N: I don’t know why I thought this was funny??? My anxiety just makes my stomach upset but a nosebleed in front of everyone like some sort of anxious demon is funny. Not the clean up tho. I’ve never had a nosebleed but I know they bleed SO MUCH. Also no problemo!!! Always glad to get requests!! I did different things (so not just stressed because I would’ve written the same thing for anyone I made crush aspects as sort of for stress too lmao) for each hopefully they’re good enough!

Tw: cursing, blood, anxiety, the nose bleeds are VERY dramatic because it’s fiction lmao. Physical fights(in Leah’s part), arguments(in almost all of them). Pierre hate Pam hate(kinda) Demetrius hate Morris hate. And Kel is gender neutral! let me know if there’s anything else to tag!

Wc: idk lmao hopefully at least 100 words for each

Stardew Masterlist

Sebastian:

Just frowns

Actually helps unexpectedly

….we can never talk about this happening again if you want……

It’s not often that you get to see the towns resident emo, even after visiting Robin multiple times for various building needs. So when you wander into the house, looking for Robin so you can upgrade your coop, seeing him makes your brain malfunction.

“Oh…hey farmer.” He greets, moving past you to head further into the house. You blink for a second before returning the greeting, watching as his dark hoodie disappears behind a wall.

You try to force your breathing to slow down. There is absolutely NO reason you should be this worked up over a literal one second conversation. While you sit with your thoughts, foot steps fill your ears and the sight of Sebastian returning from wherever he went makes all of your progress regress. “So…you here waiting for my mom?”

You nod quickly, clearing your throat, “yeah…um…just need to upgrade my chicken coop.”

“Oh well, she’s not in today. She usually goes to Pierre’s store to work out with the other moms.”

You frown to yourself, how did you miss that she wouldn’t be in today? Damn now all you can think about is how you just made a fool of yourself. Lost in your thoughts, you miss that Sebastian had cleared his throat a couple times until he waves a hand in front of your face.

“If you want, I can take your order and tell her when she gets home later. That way she can get started tomorrow.”

“Would you?” Your heart flips as you perk up. Was he usually this nice? You kinda heard from Robin herself that Sebastian never really interacted with people he wasn’t already friends with.

“Yeah sure.” He shrugs and moves to go around the counter, setting his slowly cooling food down. “Okay so she usually charges 10,000g and you have to have 400 logs of wood and 150 things of stone. Sound right?”

You nod and hand over the bag of money. The second your hands touch it’s like your body decided it couldn’t handle anything else from him. Luckily he just takes the money and pretends like your nose hasn’t become a geyser as you scramble to try to keep the blood from dripping all over their furniture.

Sam:

WOAH DUDE IS THAT LIKE….NORMAL?

it’s like from a movie or something

Is overall sorta scared but at the same time thinks it’s cool

“And this is how I do a kick flip!” Sam shows you skateboard trick after trick and honestly you can’t get enough of it. It wasn’t a secret that the both of you had crushes on each other, and even now it was very obvious by how you were watching him do his tricks that you had feelings for him. Yet still you two weren’t in a relationship, just sort of friends who like each other in a romantic sort of way.

“You’re so cool!” You clap as he lands another trick.

“And you’re cute!”

“What?”

You freeze in your spot and watch in confusion as he sort of freezes midway through his next trick and crashes to the ground. His words echo in your head, making your face heat up and your heart soar. He smacks his face on the ground, sending you into a panic because now all you can think about is how he thinks you’re cute, and now how he probably has a concussion from hitting his face directly onto the concrete.

When he lifts his face off the ground, you’re kneeling next to him, trying to check on him. His forehead is bleeding, his nose is bleeding, and so is his mouth. You shriek and try to go through your backpack to see if you have anything to help him. You didn’t.

You already know where this is leading, and you let out a groan of annoyance right before your nose starts leaking just like his. His eyes widen and he lets out a loud laugh. Maybe you two can move out of the weird friendship you have after all.

Shane:

Would just stare silently

Like no comments no nothing

Doesn’t even act like it’s happening

Having a part time job at Joja Mart during the winter is one of the absolute worst ideas that you’ve had in a while. But you didn’t make a lot during your first year of farming. Stacking the products onto the shelves, your only saving Grace is the fact that you’re allowed to have earphones in. Except for the fact that Pam is now standing next to you asking loudly about where something is. Shane is stacking the shelves behind you.

“I don’t know Pam…the alcohol is probably on the wall in the back.” You frown at her. She obviously knows that you don’t know this store that well, you were a FARMER that NEVER shopped here before. She rasps out another question and it takes everything in you to not snap at her. Trying to calm yourself of course there’s gonna be something else that makes you lose your mind. That something is Morris, coming over and being the absolute WORST and in turn making Pam LOUDER and more insistent.

He’s lecturing you, Pam is agreeing with him way too loudly, the music on your headphones is now overwhelming instead of calming, and the sound of random things in the market is making you want to bite a chunk out of the loaves of bread in front of you, plastic and all. With everything building up inside of you, you already know what’s going to happen. It always happens, but instead of excusing yourself you stand there, staring Morris down as the blood begins to flow from your nostrils.

Pam yells out curses and Morris begins to stutter, but behind them Shane just stares for a second before continuing to work. When you’re finally left alone with him in the aisle as your two stressors hastily take their leave, all he does is let out a dry chuckle.

“Sam has a hell of a mess to clean up…”

Alex:

Oh DUDE your nose is like….LEAKING

Doesn’t help

Just watched and comments

“AND THEN HE HAS THE NERVE TO TELL PEOPLE THAT MY HARVESTS ARE HIS BUT HE ONLY DOES IT IF ITS GOOD!” You rant to the brown haired boy, pacing back and forth in his room. Thankfully both Evelyn and George were out so you weren’t bothering anyone except for the man in front of you.

You huff and puff as he watches, slightly amused slightly concerned. Alex wasn’t the best person to go to when you’re upset unless it was something absolutely devastating. So being in front of him now, complains about your farming woes meant that he was only half ass taking it seriously. “You should go and speak your mind.” He says.

Turns out you should NOT take advice from Alex. Standing in Pierre’s shop, you’re staring him down angrily, anxiety creeping up your throat from you trying to will yourself to call him out on his bullshit. The older man just kind of stares at you in confusion because all you had done was shout his name angrily as you entered the shop then stand in front of him seething.

“You….you…..” you point a finger at him. This was the moment, the moment you stand up for yourself and tell Pierre how HORRIBLE he is!

But of course things don’t work how you want and your nose gushes out blood all over the counter before you can work yourself up to the point of accusations. With a gasp you run out of the shop, hoping that he would keep his mouth shut with Alex running behind you laughing. Again, NEVER let Alex talk you into anything.

Elliott:

Panics

How do I help PLS LET ME HELP

Everything probably gets messy

Fishing had never been your favorite pastime, but now trying to fix up the community center you had to. Unfortunately Willy was gone and couldn’t properly teach you even though he had gifted you an old rod of his, so the next best thing is getting your boyfriend to teach you since he does fish often. Now you stand on the docks, waiting for a fish to bite the hook.

“Keep calm, the fish can feel your fear and it makes them upset.” Elliott spoke. In all honesty you didn’t even know if that was true or not, but you take in a breath to calm down. You did not want to be here all day you had cows to pet.

The second your line begins to pull you try to pull the fish in. And you succeed until it comes time to unhook the eel you managed to catch. The eel is slimy and slippery and all around not a good thing to try to grip. A shriek leaves your lips and the eel struggles, Elliott tries to help you but is also struggling to catch hold of it. And now your nose is bleeding adding another layer to the already hellish experience.

You’re unhappy, the eel is unhappy, and Elliott is unhappy. After what seems like an hour, the stupid thing slips out of your grips and back into the ocean, washing your nose blood off of it and splashing you with saltwater. 0 out of 10 you will not be trying again.

Harvey:

Calm but concerned(after panicking for a second)

Has a doctory approach to it

But is secretly like WTF inside

Your heart thumps in your chest as you sit on the clinic bed. It’s been a while since you’ve been in Harvey’s clinic, having taken a break from the mines, and somehow this seems more shameful than having been beaten almost to death by living slime. Your hands bleed into the cloth you have pressed into it. One of the pigs knocked you over into the broken fence you were in the middle of fixing. Now you sit waiting for the good looking Doctor.

When he walks in he’s all smiles, tapping his clipboard with his pen. “While I’m sad to see that you’re injured, I’m glad to see it isn’t from those mines again.” The eye contact he makes with you makes your heart twist for a second.

He starts speaking of all the shots you need and the antibiotics you need to take, rust poisoning is quite serious you know. “Now,” he says, moving towards you, “let me see your hand.”

Your heart thumps erratically at the close proximity of him and you. You only really ever got to see him this close when you were half dead and barely conscious. His face is much too close for you to be able to do anything but focus on how pretty his eyes are, and how fluffy his mustache is, and how…

“OH MY DEAR YOBA” He yelps and jumps away from you. It takes only a second after him to realize what’s going on, and now your furiously wiping away at your nose with your hands instead of with the cloth, and he’s trying to get something on your nose to catch the blood. It’s a disaster, really. But at least you’re already in a clinic!

Penny:

Probably panics

Doesn’t know how to deal with it

Would try to help though

The warmth of the pool in the spa did nothing to ease your nerves as you waded in the shallow end of the pool. Penny had invited you to come sometime after 7 pm, and when you had arrived she was already waiting for you, kicking her feet in the pool. The thought of her asking you here made your stomach turn, did you do something wrong…? Was she inviting you here to tell you she hated you or something…? You had grown close to her over your time here and would hate it if she thought you were too much or something.

“Do you know why I invited you here?” She asks, moving closer but keeping her eyes on the water.

You shake your head, “I’m not exactly sure, no.”

She frowns and sighs at you, meeting your eyes for a fleeting second then looking elsewhere. “Really? I thought you would’ve noticed by now…” her words trail off and her eyebrows furrow.

The next few seconds are ones that you simultaneously want to remember for forever and forget. She confesses her feelings for you. Feelings that you obviously reciprocate, and the emotions in you mix and grow, rising up your throat as if you were a volcano of conflicting feelings. As soon as you open your mouth to tell her that yes, you like her too, her face morphs into one that’s horrified instead of hopeful, disgusted instead of smitten and you realize a second after she does that your nose is spouting red, dyeing the water you both were swimming in.

Penny shrieks for a solid second before trying to scramble out of the water as fast as she can. You do the same, swirling the red around the pool as both of you splash trying to exit the now crime scene looking pool. When you get out of the water, she’s holding a towel right in your face, smooshing it so hard you can barely breathe and now your nose is throbbing with slight pain. “What do we do?!” She asks moving about quickly. She’s so confused that she just keeps walking and turning as if she’s remembering and forgetting things at the same time.

You just tilt your head downward and cringe inwardly, this was not the way to get a girl to like you. “It’s fine…I’m fine,” you say voice nasally and muffled. “And I like you too by the way.”

Haley:

confused staring

wtf is happening

Actually speechless

It isn’t every day that you get to talk to a beautiful blonde. It isn’t even every day that you talk to anyone. So when she approaches you on one of your trips off of your farm you couldn’t help but feel like either everything is out to get you or that you’re up on your luck. You don’t really know for sure, it honestly depends on how things go.

“Hey farmer!” She smiles as soon as she stops in front of you, the feeling of your stomach twisting makes you want to vomit in all of your nervousness. “I have a favor to ask you…”

“Yeah?” You ask trying to keep your cool. “What is it?”

“I would totally love love LOVE you forever if you could bring me an amethyst? It’s for Emily’s birthday and I don’t really like Clint so I don’t wanna buy anything from him. I’m willing to pay 150g!”

You cough into your fist, nodding along and taken aback by how casually she’s speaking to you. Before you can accept doing her the favor, the horrified look on your face makes your words falter.

She looks absolutely horrified, and touching your hand to your face you can feel why. Your nose started dripping blood, and by dripping you mean you can now feel it running down to your chin. A flurry of curses leave your mouth as confused noises leave hers. It's not much of a surprise that this has happened, but man did you wish it wasn't in front of her.

Emily:

Surprisingly chill about it

Probably has a weird story about a nosebleed or something

Actually helps

You sit at the bar alone, upset at a horrible farming day. You tried your best, you really did, but those stupid ass crows actually ate ALL of your seedlings. Or…almost all of them but that’s basically the same thing! There is no way you’re gonna make enough to make it through winter comfortably. You told Emily exactly this, appreciative of her listening ear in the middle of her busy shift.

“You know they probably didn’t mean it…or maybe they did,” she sucks in a breath eyebrows furrowing as she thinks, “you know crows are very smart they probably know that you’re using that land to farm and stay there because of all the free food.”

“But it’s not free!” You exclaim, throwing your hands up in annoyance, “I have to buy those seeds! They’re just putting me into debt!”

She hums and nods, wiping the bar next to you where a person had just left. You had only a couple months left until the snow started falling and making it virtually impossible to grow anything. The little plants you had left you had to fight the crows for. And by fight I mean you angrily swung a broom at the with the intent of scaring them (not hitting them that’s mean). Still the growing anger inside you was not easily crushed by her warm and quite frankly outlandish words. No, in fact your anger grew the more you thought about it.

You felt it coming before anything had even exited your nose, hurriedly snatching the rag from Emily’s hands. Damn now you would have to buy the bar a new one. She just blinks then nods as if your nose becoming a bloody waterfall was normal.

“You know…nose bleeds cause by stress is usually because your heart rate and blood pressure increase and it causes your blood vessels to dilate!”

You stare at her before laughing. Maybe she was helpful after all.

Abigail:

WOAH

WTF

WHAT DO WE DO?

You stand in front of Pierre in front of the shop, arms crossed as you watch his face grow redder the longer time goes on. “-IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH MY DAUGHTER?” You’re not really listening to his tirade, over the whole ‘protective dad’ thing.

“Dad I’m an adult! You have no say in who I date!” Abigail yells back, face equally red. Who would’ve known that he would have a problem with the farmer he rips off constantly dating his daughter?

He yells out more reasons that the two of you shouldn’t be dating, and in turn points a finger into your chest roughly. You sputter out an offended sound, moving away from him. “Don’t touch me!”

“You shouldn’t be touching my daughter!”

“What? Dude we just started dating, you’re weird as hell!”

The arguing only gets worse from there, accusations flying around and now an audience comes with the drama. It’s almost too much for you to handle with now Caroline, Harvey, Haley, and the Milner family standing and watching the chaos. “Abby let’s just go to my place…” you try suddenly feeling the need to escape and no longer feeling the ‘fuck you dude’ attitude.

“No! He needs to understand that he can’t control my life!”

It’s like a volcano in your body and just like a volcano your nose begins to erupt. Now you’re screaming, Abigail is screaming, Pierre is screaming, the Mullners are screaming. Could this get any worse?

Turns out yeah, it can get any worse, like a family fight worse and now all of you are sitting in Harvey’s clinic. At least you aren’t the only bloody one now.

Maru:

Is surprised

Also forgets what to do

Would probably make things worse

Maru talks about robots and space the way you would talk about her: totally and completely enamored. You sit on her bed listening to her talk about her newest invention, some sort of robot that can cook and clean and basically be a free maid. You laugh and move your arm to get in a more comfortable position to watch her. Unfortunately your arm had other plans and smacked hard into her bed post. Groaning out in pain, your eyes close and begin to water from how much your elbow hurt.

Demetrius is in your face before you even realize that he was in the room. You yelp out in surprise as he starts ranting about you ruining his daughter’s future. You blink in surprise and try to retreat back into the mattress. What was happening. You can hear Maru screaming over his words but your ears feel like they’re filled with water.

“We’re just friends!” You find yourself shouting. Like damn is the man insane? It wasn’t the first time he’s gotten upset at you over Maru, but it was the first time that he was absolutely losing his mind.

“Dad stop!”

Time froze for a second as you and Demetrius stared at each other, Maru standing near him. Breathing in you can taste blood in your mouth before your nose starts bleeding, yet you can’t bring yourself to do anything but sit and catch your breath.

“Oh my god!” Both Demetrius and Maru exclaim moving around the room trying to find something to help. You couldn’t help but feel annoyed at him acting concerned now.

Thankfully Maru looked cute trying to help you which at least made things a little better.

Leah:

Is also freaking out on the inside but calm on the outside

Helps you with tissues

Is understanding

Going on a date with Leah is a dream come true. There’s paint, wine, food, and you’re sitting in the prettiest meadow you’ve ever seen, well it’s pretty because Leah is there and she’s pretty and you’ve been here multiple times because it’s near her cottage but it still looks different today.

You sit, paintbrush in hand, laughing at something she’s saying. It’s fun and if she hadn’t have asked you would’ve spent the day farming like usual, this little break was needed. The day couldn’t be ruined, absolutely nothing can ruin it.

Okay, one thing can ruin it and that one thing is Kel coming and ruining everything. The argument that ensues is one of the worst that you’ve seen. Kel tries to walk up on you(translation: Kel wants to fight you), Leah stops them but in turn gets into a fight with them which causes you to actually get up and try to defend her.

You kinda block out until you can hear Kel call out “I made your nose bleed bitch!” Which again causes you to want to drown in your anger.

“My noses is bleeding because I’m stressed, stupid!” You back. It’s obvious Kel hadn’t been able to hit your nose so claiming to be able to hit you so hard your nose bleeds isn’t even possible. It’s almost childish how the two of you argue.

Leah finally gets Kel to leave and hands you a bunch of tissues as she sits you down on the now rumpled blanket. As the two of you catch your breath and calm down, you find yourself smiling at her behind the wad of tissues catching blood flowing from your nose.

At least the situation would be funny in the future.

[angel-of-the-moons]

Chocolates vs Aliens

Eddie/Venom x Pregnant!Fem!Reader

TW/CW: Fluff, details of pregnancy , childbirth mentions. Venom loves babies! This! Is! A hill! I will die on!

A/N: The winners of the poll! I'll do the Moon Boys next! Also okay its not a drabble but enjoy this hot word vomit asdfghjkl idk should I make a part 2??

🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫

"SHE IS OUT OF CHOCOLATE?!" Venom's voice boomed inside his head.

"Relax, buddy, we can hit up the 7/11 down the street." Eddie scoffed, adjusting his wireless earbud. Thankfully it looked like he was on the phone, so he could talk freely to Venom without anyone thinking he was insane.

And well, he kind of was, a tiny bit.

Just a tad...

"BUT I CAN SMELL IT!" The symbiote whined childishly as Eddie scooped the frozen egg rolls into the wiry basket looped over his arms.

"Yeah yeah, I know. Mrs Chen could have eaten the last one, Vee. Just chill. How about some chocolate ice cream?" Eddie grinned at the pun.

"No! We always get brain freezes!" He entity huffed.

"Because you scarf down the whole tub in one go." Eddie chuckled.

Venom grumbled again, and a tendril snaked out from beneath Eddie's sweater and dropped a box of brownie mix into the basket. "Fine. I can settle with these."

"Whatever you say, love, but you're helping me bake the shit." The man shrugged in reply as he remembered to grab a carton of milk. He'd need some eggs, too... Well, at least his landlord let him move the chicken coop to the roof in exchange for some free eggs.

Those chickens were fat and spoiled, and Venom loved the little critters dearly, which Eddie always found humorous. Now, whenever Eddie made the joke of turning them into KFC, Venom would be aghast and headbutt him, citing that Sonny and Cher were his "babies".

He'd been talking like that a lot lately, Eddie realized. Venom apparently had a paternal streak in him. Eddie noticed that as well when Venom would find homeless kids or runaways, helping them and trying to seem as non-threatening as possible, even going as far as to change his fangs so they were blunt. (One of the kids assured him that was far creepier than the monster fangs, which made Eddie nearly keel over in laughter...)

"Deal." Venom purred happily, the tendril receding back to slip beneath Eddie's shirt and wrap around him like a hug.

"Alright, alright." Eddie chuckled, grabbing an extra box just in case as he walked around the shelves, sparing a glance at his phone to check the time.

"Eddie." Venom's voice said.

"What?" Eddie lifted his gaze, feeling Venom's haste flood him and put him on alert.

His eyes trailed the store until he landed on the checkout counter, where you were sitting. Not Mrs Chen, but cute, innocent, blissful you.

You were happily munching on a chocolate bar, one of the very ones Venom wanted. It would seem you had claimed it, eating the sugary morsel happily.

"Oh." Eddie mumbled.

He felt it as Venom seized control of his legs suddenly, sending him forward in jerking motions until he practically ran into the counter, making you jump in surprise.

"Oh! Sorry!" He smiled awkwardly, a faint blush to his cheeks.

'Venom, quit it! I'll get you chocolate later!' He said mentally to the alien inhabiting his body.

"No, Eddie. Wait."

"I, ah... Got a bit sidetracked and tripped over my feet." He added.

You smiled at him, "Oh, god. Yeah, I feel you. Lately it's like dragging my heels through wet cement." You chuckled.

Huh. You were... God, you were cute. He could tell even Venom thought so. With your cute fluffy turtleneck and your hair all done, your cheeks nice and rosy from the blush you'd applied.

Which... brought up the question.

"I've never seen you 'round here before." Eddie commented. "Mrs Chen is usually the only person I see in here..."

"Oh! I'm new in town, I live just down and street and she saw my situation and offered me a part-time here. I have a work from home job and everything, but ugh, just staying cooped up inside is so boring!" You say the last part with a groan.

"Damn, would've been nice if she offered me that job a couple years ago." Eddie chuckled.

You giggled a bit at him and looked at his basket, "Is that all for ya, hon?"

"Oh, yeah!" Eddie said, carefully organizing the things onto the glass counter. His eyes flicked to the candy bar you were still steadily breaking pieces off of.

"Bit of a sweet tooth, huh?" He teased.

"Ugh, god... lately? Yes! The craving for it has been absolute hell." You sigh exhaustedly. "Almost everything in my apartment is chocolate flavored or scented now!"

"... Cravings?" Eddie echoed, raising a thick brow.

"Okay, I know what you're thinking and no. It's not "that time of the month" like your brain is probably saying." You snort.

Eddie watches as your hand trails down to your midsection and you pat your belly beneath the plush fabric of your sweater, where a gentle swell stood out a bit more prominently as you smooth the fabric taut over your stomach.

"I just have a certain little jellybean who thinks they can dictate what mama wants to eat all the time. And apparently, chocolate is what's on the menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And... in between." You chuckle.

"OH." Eddie and Venom thought in unison.

"That's why she smells like that!" Venom barked, realizing the underlying scent of chocolate on you was laced with something else. Hormones. He was picking up on those, too.

"Oh! Uh, congrats!" Eddie said, clearing his throat awkwardly. "I'm sure you and your, uh, partner are probably super happy, huh?"

"Oh, no, it's just me." You smiled with a hum, taking another little sweet square between your lips.

Eddie's brow furrowed. "What?"

"Okay, so I'm not gonna be rude, but I will explain." You snicker. You seemed infinitely patient and polite about the subject. Apparently this very thing must be a common occurrence with you, that random people must constantly ask this same question, and how tiring it surely must be to answer it again and again...

"No, I don't have a partner, husband, or anything. No daddy."

Eddie awkwardly pointed to your belly. "Then how did y'know... that get in there?"

Eddie controlled the flinch he wanted to make when Venom pinched him. "You did NOT just call her baby a THAT!"

"Yeah, yeah I know. But there's something everyone forgets, and that it doesn't always "take two to tango"." You smile at him again, ringing up his items with one hand, chocolate still clutched firmly in another.

"I decided that I wanted to be a mom. But I didn't want to just go out and get pregnant willy nilly. I have a good job, steady income. But I don't have time to date and there's always the concern that I'd be left a single parent if whoever I was with decided parenthood wasn't for them, y'know?"

Eddie nodded patiently as he and Venom listened to you with rapt attention.

"I went to a fertility clinic, did what the doctor said, then had my egg fertilized with a sperm donor. And then boom," You point to your belly. "Jellybean."

"Oh, that... Yeah okay I forget fertility clinics are a thing." Eddie laughed, shaking his head.

"Well I'm glad you're so open-minded about it!" You grin. "Most people judge me and go "oh your baby needs a father!" and the ever so classic "you don't even know who the father is?" line."

Eddie frowned, and he could tell even Venom was irritated on your behalf. "You don't need to have a partner or spouse to raise a baby. Seriously. What is this, the 1940s?"

"I knoooow!" You giggle again. "And besides! I can support me and my baby just fine, and I'm already happy and so far the pregnancy has been a breeze!"

Eddie could feel a tugging sensation from Venom. The symbiote was curious, and wanted to touch. But Eddie knew that was not only rude as hell, but to some people, socially unacceptable if you don't know the person or ask permission first.

"How uh, far along are you?"

"I just hit my second trimester." You chirp proudly, patting your belly. "The baby's tiny, but I'm finally showing, now."

"Ohhh." Eddie snapped his fingers. "Hence "jellybean", right?"

"Yes!" You laugh.

Eddie pulled out his card and swiped it to pay for the groceries. "It's a cute nickname. Have you thought of any names yet?"

Your brain did a record scratch, and Eddie could see the look on your face.

Nope. Not at all.

You hadn't thought of a damn one. Especially because you didn't know the sex of your baby yet.

"Uh...."

Eddie started snickering at your expression, "Ahhh. My bad." He shoots you a cocky grin, "If I can recommend a name, Eddie is a pretty strong one!"

"Weak." Venom mocked.

"Eddie?" You echo, blinking.

"Oh, don't listen to him, girl." Mrs Chen snorted as she walked up to you two, whacking Eddie with a rolled up newspaper. "This boy is nothing but trouble!"

Her words were jabbing, but not spoken without affection, so you could tell they had a history together.

"Ow! Hey!" Eddie pouted, rubbing the top of his head.

"Oh please, I'd need to shoot this out of a cannon to dent that hard head of yours!" She huffed with a smirk, crossing her arms.

She tilted her head and noticed the candy bar in your hand, and made the mental connection with Eddie and Venom. Riiiiiight. Venom needed chocolate. Mrs Chen tossed it to you when you started scrolling through your phone for door dash orders for chocolate cakes from local restaurants to sate your cravings.

"Oh, right. Sorry about your chocolate fix." Mrs Chen replied, her gum smacking softly. "Gave the lady one to help ease her stomach."

The flush to your cheeks made Eddie smile as you looked at the candy in your hand. "I'm sorry!" You sputtered.

"Hey, man, you got a baby in you. You can't exactly tell the little, uh.... eh. The little person they can't have it?" Eddie struggled. He wasn't sure how the whole cravings thing worked, honestly. Would you indeed cry if he didn't accept your offer? Would your baby get hungry? Was that a thing? He knew jack and shit about babies in general, man.

"Pff, moron."

'Parasite.'

"I AM NOT A PARASITE!"

"Oh, I know but uh..." You say, your eyelashes fluttering as you think, looking from Eddie to the bar in your hand. You decided to finish breaking off the pieces you were working on, and extend your hand giving the rest to Eddie. "Here! I'm good, if I need more I can nab some from the gas station down the street."

"Oh! Uh... I don't wanna, y'know. Take anything from you and your baby." Eddie said, waving his hands.

"Eddie, if you refuse to take it, she could cry." Mrs Chen teased. "You don't want to make a pregnant woman cry do you?"

Eddie's face was hilarious as panic started to bubble up within him as he looked from you, to your outstretched hand, to Mrs Chen, who stood as proud as can be at the chaos she had just sewn.

"Hey! I'm not that hormonal!" You retort to the older lady. But... you deflate a tiny bit. "...Okay, well not yet but still!"

Eddie was still going through the moral dilemma of accepting the kind gesture vs taking candy from a literal baby in somebody's womb.

Venom made the choice for him, extending our Eddie's hand and letting him take it.

"I, uh... Thanks." Eddie blabbered quickly.

"Now let's go home before you make an idiot out of us further." Venom cackled gleefully at the socially awkward situation.

Eddie grabbed the plastic bags and gave an awkward wave and a smile before skittering out of the store with his tail between his legs.

"Geez, he needs to get laid once in a while." Mrs Chen scoffed, going over to check inventory.

You barely had a moment to collect yourself, stopping before you laughed so hard you peed yourself.

That was the first time you and Eddie ever met. It would not be the last.

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Eddie shopped at Mrs Chen's place pretty regularly, her prices were easy on the wallet and she was close by to he and Venom's apartment.

You steadily built up a rapport with Eddie over the next two or three weeks. Venom was inexplicably drawn to you, wanting to constantly convince Eddie to touch your belly.

Eddie kept reminding him that it was frankly rude as shit to do that, and that hell, it would probably make you uncomfortable.

Not long after that, Eddie and Venom discovered--to Venom's utter glee--thay you lived in the same building, the apartment just above his. They found this out when Venom insisted on making sure you made it home after your shift at Mrs Chen's ended, knowing how vulnerable a pregnant lady looked to crooks and criminals.

Twice Venom caught and ate the brains of lowlifes who tried stalking you.

Venom, despite you not knowing of his existence, was fiercely protective of you. And... well he liked you. They liked you.

Eddie hated how quickly both he and Venom became infatuated with you, listening to you talk about your baby, your cravings... They could tell you were lonely despite your cheerful demeanor. Yes, Eddie and Venom had each other already, but they quickly thought about adding you to the mix.

But again, you didn't know about the alien slime monster living inside of Eddie. That subject would have to definitely wait...

He would check on you, leaning his head out his window on occasion to talk to you as you looked up, it brightened up the monotony of your at-home life in between work, asking about how you were feeling as your pregnancy developed. He even texted you lists of different baby names and their meanings to help you out!

When he first asked you out, you were floored. You've never met a man who was interested in a woman pregnant with somebody else's baby, before. You've heard about it sure, but... You were more surprised anyone was interested in you while pregnant with some guy's baby. Let alone your cute downstairs neighbor who apparently babied his pet chickens that were kept on the rooftop.

He even introduced you to them! You didn't hold them of course, for fear of bacteria, and chuckled as he furiously disinfected himself before even coming within three feet of you, all for you and your baby's health.

A man who was sweet, considerate, caring and he loves animals? Add the looks to that bill and that was a difference you were willing to pay. How was he still single?!

But... Well. That changed after your first date, and he was glad you accepted it all.

And it wasn't long after that (several weeks actually) you discovered he wasn't, in fact, single. He didn't have a girlfriend or anything but he certainly had a partner.

Said partner... was some kind of ooze-critter that lived inside of him. And you only found this out when you came home from a late night convenience store run for some triple chocolate chunk ice cream, walked into your apartment...

And saw him.

Venom, in his hulking form, stood awkwardly in your apartment, looking like a deer trapped in headlights when you flicked your lights back on, the ice cream in your bag forgotten.

As your door slowly swung closed due to angled flooring, you opened your mouth to scream.

Venom cut you off, his massive hands shooting up and he waved them, "DON'T SCREAM!"

You snapped your mouth shut, your teeth making an audible click as your heart hammered in your chest.

"We were worried! You weren't responding to our texts or when we knocked on your door?" His deep and rumbly voice growled out.

You shudder at the timbre of his voice, eyes never once leaving the rows of jagged fangs in his maw. You drop your plastic bag and step back, covering your belly--now very prominent as you were later in your term--protectively.

That seems to... upset him? He frowned, looking at the carpet as he lowered his hands, his large eyes narrowing as he carefully thought, trying to think of ways to alleviate the fear bubbling through you.

He took a slow step towards you, like you were a frightened animal caught in a trap that he had to be gentle with, lest you struggle or flail and get hurt.

"We were worried about you. We--" His head snapped to his left and he snarled. "Yes! "We"! You were worried, too! Don't try to say you weren't!"

You watch, in shock as he has essentially a one-sided argument with himself, getting exasperated, saying the word "love" and "dear" here and there.

You stayed, scared, until the ugly sensation of your nausea reared its ugly head and you dropped the plastic bag, literally shoving past this gigantic creature in a mad dash to your bathroom or you were gonna blow chunks right then and there.

You didn't even shut the door before you collapsed to your knees, hugging the bowl as you heaved the contents of your digestive system into the pearly white porcelain, leaving what could only be the Venom, the creature that supposedly stalked your city eating people, in your living room.

By the end of the nausea fit, your eyes were watery, your nose was runny and your face blotched with color, the whites of your eyes glassy from the strain. You felt lightheaded and dizzy as you rinsed your mouth with water right from the tap, gargling and spitting until the foul acidic taste went away.

You felt your now empty stomach growl and your first instinct was to go get food and eat again, to replenish the energy you just spent hurling everything you ate that day.

But then you remembered...

The big guy.

You didn't have any sort of object to wield as a weapon, so you merely sheepishly peeked around the corner, watching as the creature called Venom gingerly moved about your kitchen, things that looked like tentacles reaching out and grabbing a cup, some ice, and a can of ginger ale from your fridge and pour it into the cup; all the while making a sandwich. Nutella with your banana/mango spread. A favorite you'd started to enjoy in the past week.

But the only person you ever told that to was...

You froze when he turned around, locking eyes with you as he set the food on your breakfast island, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

"We... We know that you're probably hungry after... So we figured..." He said, gesturing vaguely to the food and drink in front of him.

"How do you know..." You breathed.

His colossal shoulders heave as he sighed, walking around the island and over to you, stopping just a mere few feet away.

"Promise not to be mad? Or scream?"

You weren't sure why in the hell he asked you that, but you felt already too far gone into shock to really argue. Plus, throwing up took all urges to scream from your poor sore throat.

So, you nodded.

"Okay."

You watched as the strange black goo peels back layer by slinking layer, until a man is revealed beneath.

But it's not just any man.

It's fucking Eddie. Your neighbor-turned-recent-boyfriend.

"You--!"

"We can explain! Just please, please don't be mad at us!" Eddie winced.

You felt another dizzy spell start to hit at this revelation. "How long--"

"A few years. Look, we planned on telling you. It's just... not tonight. When you didn't answer my texts or calls, I got worried and..." He sighed.

You watched as Venom's head moved out from behind Eddie's shoulder to peer at you, the thick black goo that made up the appendage holding his head up moving almost like water. He offered you a smile, and part of you wished that'd solve the tension in the air, to assuage your increasing confusion. But sadly, it didn't.

"Vee didn't want to fucking wait an extra ten minutes when you didn't answer the door and climbed through your window, which you should start locking I mean I know we're on the upper floors with no balcony or fire escape, but it's still a safety concern and with the baby--"

You interrupted Eddie's rambling. "Vee?" You echo.

"Uh--okay. That's what I call Venom when he isn't being an incorrigible shithead. Or a parasite who takes control of my body." Eddie sighed.

You almost laughed when Venom headbutted him in the side of his head.

"Stop calling me that! It's rude!" Venom snarled.

"No, what's rude is breaking into somebody's apartment!" Eddie retorted, jabbing a finger at Venom. "We talked about this!"

"You were worried, too!"

"Yes but I wasn't going to crawl through her goddamn window!"

Your eyes darted from one to the other as they started bickering like a... like a... Oh.

Yeah. It was after a two hour long conversation that Eddie told you everything. About his ex, the Life Foundation, finding Venom, fighting Riot, then the whole thing with Carnage, Venom's offspring... and of course, their actual relationship with one another, now. They argued like a married couple because they basically were one, complete with... well. You weren't ready in the current situation to imagine how the bedroom situation worked between them, yet.

You took it better than he expected. Way better.

"Honestly.... The only thing scarier than Venom is childbirth." You said, sitting next to him on the couch, your hands on your belly.

"...Eddie." you said slowly.

"Uh--yeah? What's up, sweetheart?" He asked awkwardly, Venom's eyes immediately drawn down to where your hands caressed the bump beneath your thin t shirt.

"How come you haven't asked to touch my belly yet? I'm... surprised. I've had random people come up to me and ask, but not... you."

"Wait... uh. So. You're giving... Permission?" Eddie asked, blinking his big, ridiculously lashed eyes at you.

"Well, yeah, and--"

"FINALLY!" Venom hissed.

In a black blur, Venom lurched forward over Eddie's shoulder, straight for your tummy. He pressed the side of his head against your belly, tendrils of his strange slime-like flesh wrapping around your midsection; listening to the baby's heartbeat and feeling for any movements.

Eddie meanwhile, looked equal parts horrified and embarrassed as he facepalmed, blushing all the way to his ears. "That's why. He's been fucking obsessed with you and your baby since he first realized you were pregnant."

You looked down as the symbiote cuddled you, and by extension, your baby, your jaw agape at how he was purring while he nuzzled into you.

"...That's why you're always so concerned about me?" You asked dumbly, blinking over at Eddie, who gave you an awkward smile and shrug in reply.

"Yeah, hate to break it to you, doll, but... Vee has kinda... claimed you two." He said.

"Claimed me." You repeated.

"Yeah. He has this thing... with kids?" He rolled his hand to try and think of words to describe it. "He's overprotective. He's the same with Sonny and Cher, it's just... he doesn't interact with many pregnant people so when he met you, that weird little drive kicked in. The fact that we both started feeling something for you outside of that kinda blindsided us, but..."

"So what?" Venom scoffed, resting his chin on the curve of your belly, looking up at you with a grin. "This is our baby now, and we will protect the both of you."

"Venom!" Eddie snapped.

"You claimed us?" You were having a difficult time wrapping your head around this. All of it. The whole situation in general. First your boyfriend has a boyfriend who technically isn't a boy but identifies as one because gender was a foreign concept to his species, they were together before they met you, Venom is a literal alien--

And now... was he saying...

"L-Look, I know it's early on and we haven't been dating long, but..." Eddie rubbed his sweaty palms on his faded-out jeans.

"Are you two saying... that you want to be with me? Rest of the pregnancy, birth, and all?"

The hell was your life, some kind of weird, cheap, sci-fi romance novel? The dashing, handsome alien(s) swoop in and offer to help raise your baby? What kind of parallel world were you in?

Eddie was quiet, and Venom merely stared at him, before looking back at you.

"Yes." He said. "Eddie is too much of a pussy to say it, but he likes the idea of taking care of a tiny you."

"Venom! Fuck! Stop calling me that!" Eddie snapped at the symbiote as he protectively snuggled your tummy.

Venom merely stuck his tongue out at him, "I will when you stop calling me a parasite!" He looked back up at you, giving you the best rendition he could of a hurt puppy. "Do you see how he talks to me? Despicable!"

You snorted a short laugh before you could stop yourself, and covered your mouth.

"Hah! See? She thinks I'm funny! So shut it!"

"Oh, my god, that does not count--"

"Yes it does I already won." Venom said contentedly.

"Look!" Eddie groans. "Just... We are willing to be with you. Take care of you, and help with the baby. If... you'll have us. I know this whole situation is weird, but..." Eddie trails off, looking at you hopefully.

The decision wasn't as difficult as you thought it'd be. Eddie and Venom haven't given you a reason to be afraid--other than scaring the shit out of you earlier because Venom apparently has fucking anxiety--and, well... They were so sweet, and gentle... And if Venom doting on your unborn baby currently was any indication, the affection would probably increase a hundred fold after your little bundle of joy arrived.

"Okay." You said.

All the tension seemed to drain from Eddie's body and he sighed, a relieved smile blooming on his face as he looked at you with a look in his eyes that had your heart doing a little flip in your chest.

"Thank God..." Eddie sighed happily.

Venom grinned widely at you, before shooting back to Eddie and seizing the body again, his inky black mass covering Eddie entirely.

Your couch creaked under the added weight of Venom's increased mass as he leaned over, dwarfing your whole body as he wrapped his thick, tree-trunk arms around your tinier body, nuzzling into your cheek before giving you a kiss. Thankfully no tongue, because you thought you'd probably choke if he did that.

When he pulled back, your face was flush at the boldness of his actions, and looked up at him as his opalescent eyes narrowed sweetly down at you.

But something Venom said clicked into your brain, finally, once it rebooted from the kiss.

"Venom, you said you two wouldn't mind helping raise a tiny me." You began. "But I don't know if I'm having a boy or girl, yet."

"Oh, we can." Venom grinned. "I could tell when I was holding onto you. It was easy."

"What?!" You sputter.

"You're having a little girl, by the way."

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You booked an appointment two weeks later. And damn, Venom was right. You were having a girl! At least the naming situation was easier, now that you narrowed down the sex.

Many people said you and Eddie were moving fast, but you ignored them because they didn't know the real situation. Your apartment was bigger, two rooms, one for you (and now Eddie and Venom) and the other was the nursery for the baby.

Eddie was affectionate, but Venom was downright clingy. He was almost always wrapped around your belly in some way or another, purring as he used his weird slimy body to massage you. He helped with your back strain surprisingly, how he would massage you. Eddie proposed maybe letting Venom bond with you for the remainder of the pregnancy to ensure safety and good health, but Venom shot the idea down himself.

He explained it like it was a bit like an organ donor match, if you weren't a match for him you could get sick, or God forbid both you and the baby could die. And to Eddie's surprise Venom made the nature decision to settle for massaging your back and tummy to ease the strain.

Venom jumped at the chance to rub your coconut oil into your belly to help ease the risk and appearance of stretch marks, too.

Through the mood swings, crazy cravings and nesting phases and all, you two boyfriends stayed with you through all of it. Several times you woke up to Venom and Eddie cooking in the kitchen, making sure you had a decent breakfast in the morning.

The only problem was... well. They cooked like broke college boys. So, you spent time giving them cooking lessons, which was one of the funnest things you'd done in a while. The messes were worth cleaning up, the cute recordings you made were memories that'd last a very very long time.

Nighttime cuddles were great, Venom slinking beneath the blankets to wrap around both you and Eddie to snuggle, massaging you the whole night. It really helped when he would conform a certain way so you could lay on your side comfortably and ease the strain on your poor spine and hips.

Who needed a pregnancy pillow when you had a symbiote, right?

Eddie and Venom read up as much as they could on the subject of babies and childbirth and to say Eddie was terrified was an absolute understatement. The photos and diagrams alone had him chewing his nails (getting a swift smack from Venom) and he felt himself getting queasy when he found out that apparently you would be delivering the placenta as well?!

How much did you have to go through, making a tiny human?!

This whole situation amused the fuck out of you, however, as you'd done all this research and merely accepted it. A bit of blood, etcetera after delivery seemed easy to deal with given you've dealt with your period since puberty and that alone was a mess by itself...

But watching a man learn more about it? Oh, it was hilarious.

But hey! They were excited for a cute little baby girl to snuggle and kiss!

One night, you were laying in bed as you scrolled through various baby items online, saving a few cute things for later. Eddie had his head on your shoulder, watching a movie, with an arm draped over your belly, now painfully (sometimes literally) obvious bump, feeling the baby shift and move around as she kicked inside of you.

Venom had encapsulated Eddie's arm, his massive hand stroking your tummy idly.

Apparently, a thought had been bouncing around in Venom's brain and he finally decided to ask it. His head morphed from behind Eddie and peered over at you.

"The baby is a girl." He said.

"Yeah, Venom, that's been established." Eddie snorted, moving until his cheek was resting on your chest.

"Eddie, that's mean." You chuckle, running your fingers through his hair. "Venom, continue."

"Thank you, sweet thing." Venom purred at you, shooting Eddie a glare afterwards.

"But anyway... If the baby is a girl now..." He tipped his head to the side. "What if the baby decides or realizes when she's older that she isn't one? Or either?"

You lower your phone, eyebrows raised at the gravity of his question. Even Eddie sat up on his elbow to look at Venom, surprised at the depth of the question coming from his symbiote. Honestly though, the subject made sense coming from a species that technically didn't have genders in the first place...

Venom seemed happy with your reply, and looked to Eddie expectantly. He already knew what his opinion was, but he wanted him to say it out loud for you.

"Well..." You begin. "If she decides she wasn't born the right gender, or feels like she's neither, or even leaning on both scales... I won't have a problem. I just want our baby to be happy and healthy, not conformed or trapped in any way. That includes the identity she will have as she realizes things about herself."

"Well, I don't have room to talk on gender identity." Eddie snickered. "Considering how you didn't really decide to go by male pronouns until you bonded with me and stuck with that identity because it fit for you... so, yeah. Whatever the baby decides when she's old enough is fine with me."

You grin and kiss Eddie on his temple, ruffling his hair as Venom nuzzles into your belly.

Yeah...

Safe, happy, and loved. That's what your baby would be, no matter what. With her two weird dads and her mom who puts up with their nonsense.

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Cant help but notice krubus stardew in the requests,,, so if i may,,,

How about a oneshot/headcanons, whichever ya think works better, for a farmer Reader who's roommates with Krobus, and Shane ends up visiting the farm, and accidentally finds Krobus and the reader is trying their best to calm the situation down or smthn? :]

Ofc you dont have to do this!!

Salt anon (have a good day also!!! always lovely to see ya on my dash :] )

YES MY TWO FAVES <3333

Got carried away but I had so many ideas for this one

.......

'I should check the coop. The void chicken could be hungry, and [y/n] may appreciate me stepping up. But...what if a human saw me? Oh Yoba...I hope there's no surprise visitors today..'

As Krobus paced around your cabin, he kept looking outside the window at the snowfall, the coop just within his sights. It was the second day of winter, and all of the animals you've been raising were huddled inside for the season, the hay keeping their bellies full.

But something told him that the void chicken you recently introduced to the farm felt lonely, a misfit among the "normal" chickens. She wasn't too sociable around them, and that worried Krobus.

Of course he, of all people, could understand why.

To this very day, the shadow monster couldn't fathom why you'd take him into your home..when his existence alone scared humanity and could damage your reputation with the town.

What would the villagers think if they learned you're housing a beast who once dwelled in the mines?

Many weren't anywhere near as brave as you were when it comes to venturing deep into shadow monster territory....and the few who had the guts to made it their personal mission to slay as many of his people as possible.

Or at least..what remained of them after the elemental wars.

Surprisingly enough, some of the brutes began visiting your farmland at night, and Krobus would see them hiding in the foliage, behind trees..or even rummaging through your crops, yet never taking anything for themselves.

He wishes he could greet them normally, ask what drew them to the surface, or try to reason that you're a good human who shouldn't be attacked.

Yet in the back of his mind...he feared being branded a traitor for siding with the species that hurt so many of his own people.

What would they do if they noticed his pendant and realized a human gifted it to him?

Surely they would freak out, coerce him into coming back to the mines where it was "safe"...or worse, they'd kill you and make him watch. He couldn't let his presence be known, lest they discovered you were housing him and destroyed the life you built here.

You would think he betrayed you and brought a siege upon your land--after all you've done to shelter him from the cruelty of the world.

Not even Yoba would forgive such a sin.

Even though he felt his connection with his people drifting with each passing week, he was content with his choice to live with you. He wouldn't trade your kindness and generosity for the world.

Plus, you've told him over and over that you knew what you were signing up for. You knew it when you first bought a void egg from him. You knew it when you and the wizard broke up his fight with Dwarf. You knew it when you created a space in your home that suited his environmental needs.

All he could offer you was a stardrop in return, but it was more than enough for you.

Krobus vowed to contribute to the farm's many tasks how ever he could..when it safe for him to step outside of course.

On this cold winter's day, he figured checking out the coop would be a great first step.

He peeked into your bedroom, discovering you to be sound asleep and looking rather peaceful.

Indeed, it was a stark contrast to how battered and bruised you were last night, having returned from the Skull Caverns at midnight. None of his people ventured there, considering the desert climate would be unbearable for them to live in, but while sharing meals he'd listen to your tales of serpents, mummies, and even dinosaurs living down below.

By comparison..the monsters in the mines seemed tamer and were somewhat civilized, and at his request you managed to avoid fighting them if you could.

The beasts you encountered in the Skull Caverns were brutal and unforgiving, and you had no choice but to defend yourself.

This trip in particular took quite a toll on your body, as you had to use a warp totem to get home...and even then, you were limping from sheer exhaustion. So much so Krobus had to assist you up the stairs and into your bed. He ran the the risk of being seen, yet his concern over your health took priority.

Sleep didn't easily come for him, but it only did after he prayed and thanked Yoba for bringing you home.

He didn't like the idea of you pushing yourself to work so early in the morning, so he decided he'll help lighten that load.

Starting with the coop.

Opening the door, he breathed in the crisp winter air, relieved to not see any humans in sight. There was your pet, who was initially frightened by his sudden arrival, but now warmly greeted him as they climbed the steps.

Krobus laughed softly, crouching down to pet them. "Good morning, little one." He whispered. "Enjoying the snow? I like it very much..but I can't say our chicken friends will agree."

He stood and continued on his way to the small building, eager to check up on your animals and see to it that they're fed.

But unbeknownst to him, a human arrived onto your farmland at that same moment, only seeing a dark figure creeping into the coop.

And he just so-happened to be the man who cared for chickens more than life itself.

......

Shane arrived at your farm, holding a small envelope with a letter inside. It contained a recipe for some dessert--not one that he made or discovered, of course, but rather one he tore out of a magazine.

His first thought was of you, knowing you liked gathering fresh produce and made your own meals..compared to him, a lazy bum who microwaves processed garbage in a plastic dish and called it "dinner."

It wasn't much, but it was the least he could do for a friend who pulled him out of such a dark place..

You were taking a shortcut to the sewer when you found him near the cliffs...where he was truly at his lowest. He doesn't remember much of what he said, but you told him that he considered ending his own life, yet changed his mind after you told him some comforting words.

All the strength you've gained down in the mines allowed you to drag him to the hospital, where you stayed by his side the entire night. Even when Harvey assured you he'll be okay, you refused to abandon him.

Shane never thought anybody in this town would care if he just up and disappeared, yet despite his rudeness towards you...you managed to break down his walls and show him that you cared.

And all it took were some peppers, pizza, eggs, and stupid amounts of persistence.

It really hit him that he almost did something he couldn't reverse..and he never wanted you, Jas, or Marnie to see him get that bad again.

So he promised to make some serious changes, see that counselor Harvey recommended to him, and cut back on the hours he spends at the saloon after work.

The last time you both talked, you mentioned Robin upgrading your coop's space, and Shane was thrilled. So he figured he'd come visit and see how the animals were doing in this cold weather.

He was also curious about that "void egg" you got from a merchant...and he wondered who it was if not Marnie.

Obviously he'd feel like a jerk if he came emptyhanded, or awkward if you weren't actually home right now, thus he decided to bring the letter and recipe just in case. A small surprise "gift" for you to come back to later.

As he approached your mailbox, however, he noticed a dark figure opening the door to your coop. He couldn't tell who it was as they quickly went inside, as though afraid of being seen.

Maybe it was the lack of sleep making him see things, but-

"Huh? What kinda tracks are these..?" He looked down, finding footprints in the snow that didn't belong to any human's.

In fact, they seemed to have clawed toes..

Just like a monster's.

At the saloon, you recounted tales of how you've encountered slimes, plant monsters, bats, and even shadow creatures on your farmland at night--as well as your adventures down in the mines with skeletons, ghosts, and more.

Most of the regulars were 99% certain you were drunk, but others believed your stories and were fascinated by them, as you'd show them gems as proof of your excursions. Sebastian in particular was intrigued by the frozen tear you discovered, flattered that you allowed him to keep it.

Shane, on the other hand, merely dismissed your tales with a "buh" and an eyeroll before sipping away at his beer. He was never a strong believer in the supernatural..convinced that only slimes, rock crabs, flies, and bats dwelled in the mines and nothing else.

Living Skeletons? Metal Heads?? Shadow Shamans???

You HAD to be either drunk, on drugs, or both at the same time.

Although he's become more open-minded to your stories since befriending you, he was still skeptical...yet the footprints he was seeing in the snow didn't match up to any animal he knew in the valley.

Whatever it was, it must've figured out that your coop was an all-you-can-eat-buffet.

That thought alone made him break out into a cold sweat, picking up a stone before rushing towards the building. He didn't hear any noise inside, and that made him all the more concerned.

You helped him when he needed it most, and now he'll repay you by defending your chickens...even though he knew nothing about fighting monsters.

Upon opening the door, he was stunned to find a shadowy humanoid creature holding your void chicken in its arms. It had a goopy smile on its face, looking down at the bird-

Before there was a furious shout.

"HEY! Put that chicken down!"

.........

"HEY! Put that chicken down!"

Just as you were tuning into the Oracle's channel on TV, you were startled by the sound of Shane yelling at someone-

Wait..

'What's Shane doing on my farm? And at this hour, too?? I thought he sleeps in all the time..' Your eyebrows furrowed as you looked around the house.

"Krobus? You in here? I may have a visitor."

No response.

You checked the monster's room, and sure enough didn't find him in there.

Normally he'd freak out and hide beneath your bed if he even caught a glimpse of a human outside. You'd always tell him ahead of time if a friend was coming to visit just so he knew when and how long to stay hidden.

Of course, you never liked having to keep Krobus a secret, yet you understood why he believed that was for the best. He was so, so afraid to go with you even after gifting him the void ghost pendant--a precious amulet from his culture, symbolizing unity and devotion to another.

His worst fear was you being shunned and getting hurt because of him. But you promised to make things work, and so far you've had no problems.

The only other place he'd go besides your cabin was the coop, having grown fond of the animals there and the void chicken you were raising. The winter allowed him to bond with them.

But if he's there right now..and you just heard Shane yell, then-

'Oh fuck.'

Throwing on your boots and jacket, you rushed out the door, damn near slipping on the pathway to the coop.

You opened the door, finding Shane staring down your terrified roommate with anger, ready to throw a stone at who he believed was a monster trying to eat your livestock.

But as he reeled his arm back, he was confused by your hand grabbing his wrist. "Huh?! Hey! Let go!" He grunted.

"Shane, what the hell are you doing?!"

For a moment, he blinked and stared at you as though you had several heads. "What does it look like? I'm....that thing was trying to eat your chickens!" He pointed to Krobus, who was now curled up in the corner, having let go of the void chicken long ago.

"That's one of the monsters you were talking about, right? Don't you have a sword or something that could-?"

"He's not a threat."

Shane froze. "..huh?"

"His name is Krobus. He's a shadow person I met in the sewers." Letting him go, you opted to stand between the two. Krobus immediately got up and latched onto your shirt, hiding behind you for protection.

"The sewers? Jas and Vincent said they saw a monster through the grates, but I thought it was some imaginary friend."

"Well news flash, he's real. And right now he's more scared of you." You huffed. "Now please..put the rock down."

After some hesitance, he complied and dropped the stone. "Fine..sorry. I thought it--he was trying to-"

"I would never harm one of Yoba's precious creatures!" Krobus snapped, despite his voice trembling. "Especially not one that [y/n] so lovingly raised."

"You...understand what I'm saying?" Shane looked astonished.

"Of course.." The shadow monster calmed down a little, but redirected his anger to you. "You..we had an agreement. You promised to tell me if someone was coming."

"I didn't know he was here at all." You frowned. "You could've told me you were checking out the coop."

"But you were so weary from last night, and I thought you'd appreciate sleeping in-!"

"Look..if it helps, I can just leave and pretend none of this ever happened."

Both of you looked at Shane, who was slowly making his way to the door, only for him to stop as you sighed.

There's no way you could hide this now..

"Stay. This isn't something you can "pretend" never happened. Let's all head back to my house and I'll explain everything. Maybe we can come to an understanding without any violence. Whatdya say, boys?"

Shane and Krobus briefly glanced at each other, before silently nodding.

.........

"So basically...you got chased out of your home by Dwarves, had some great war with them, got cozy in the sewers...and [y/n] just...stumbled upon you?"

"Erm..slight correction, the local librarian had a key to the sewers, which [y/n] obtained. And only then they stumbled upon me-"

"After I donated like 60 artifacts to the museum, of course." You added on as you stood by the oven, watching the timer.

For a brief moment, you looked back at the two people sitting awkwardly at the table:

Shane, who was still wondering if the shadow monster sitting across from him was really a monster, a hallucination from his withdrawals, or just..someone in a SUPER convincing costume.

And Krobus, who stared at this scruffy, tired man who desperately needed a shave and a new jacket--the only other human he's spoken to aside from you and Rasmodius.

"Wow..I'd say I need a drink, but um..I'm in recovery right now. So I gotta cut back on those." Shane admitted, scratching awkwardly at his hair. "Do you like living on this farm with [y/n], Krobus?"

"It was...a difficult transition. Something I never expected to happen." He fidgeted with the pendant around his neck. "Our existence..terrifies humans. They attacked us when we came to the surface to make peace, so we stopped and hid back underground. We learned the world wasn't kind to those who were different. But [y/n] showed me that not all of them are like that...and I'm grateful for all they've done for me. I don't regret my choice.."

Then he looked to you, suddenly bashful. "A-As long as they don't regret it, of course..sometimes I feel like all of this is a dream. Or some foolish prank.."

"It's no dream or prank, Krob. I have no regrets becoming your friend." You smiled and patted the monster's head reassuringly, before glancing at Shane. "Just like I don't regret befriending this guy."

"Yeah..I was uh..in a pretty bad place myself." He mumbled, suddenly finding the weather outside more interesting.

"You said your name was "Shane", right?"

He blinked, looking back to Krobus. "Uh yeah?"

"Did you know that means "gift from Yoba"?" His eyes lit up, smiling from ear-to-ear as he clasped his hands together. "You should be proud of it! You are a blessed child of.....um...what's with that look?"

Shane's expression abruptly shifted to one of discomfort, and he couldn't help but shrink back. "Did..I say something wrong? W-Was I out of line?"

"No, no. I probably should've mentioned this sooner, but I'm actually atheist."

"....as in...you don't believe in Yoba?"

Reluctantly, Shane nodded and averted his gaze once more, expecting some kind of lecture or change in his friendly tone that would make this his first and last conversation with him.

Nobody liked it when he mentioned how he stopped believing in Yoba long ago, especially after what happened with Jas' parents and how his life just plummeted into a downward spiral since then. He feels like his name was cruel joke, and he had a pit in his stomach whenever he was reminded of it.

So now he was fully expecting this devout monster to spew something vile and call him a "horrible nonbeliever"-

"Why the guilty face?"

"..wha?" He did a double-take, seeing Krobus' smile return.

"I've observed humans long enough to understand their religious preferences, or lack thereof. We have our beliefs, and you have yours..and that is okay." He reassured. "No need to feel ashamed, Shane."

It took the man a few moments to process his words..before a small smile appeared on his face as well, shoulders less tense than before. "Whew..thanks. Seriously..you're somehow more understanding than all the people in my life." He chuckled dryly.

Krobus was about to respond, when the ding from your kitchen timer made the two pause their conversation, seeing you take something out of the oven.

It was a dessert that had a shimmering purple hue.

"Oh hey..you actually made it?" Shane blinked. "The infamous "Strange Bun"?"

"Yep! It actually looks pretty.." You smiled, setting it on the stove so it could cool down. "I almost don't wanna eat it...but I'm sure we can split it three ways."

"I recognize that dessert." Krobus gasped. "It's considered a delicacy among my people! How I've longed to taste it again....but how did you come to possess its recipe?" He looked to Shane, who simply dug out a crumpled magazine page from his pocket.

"Right here. It looked good, and [y/n] likes cooking stuff and finding the ingredients themselves..so I figured it's something new they could try."

"And it came out fantastic." You chuckled, bringing over plates of the strange bun and sitting down at the table, passing them to your friends. "Dig in, boys."

While Krobus was actively drooling and devouring it with his bare hands, you took a few bites and instantly felt rejuvenated....whereas Shane kept awkwardly poking at it with a fork, eyebrows furrowed.

"You sure this is safe to eat? Like..I'm not gonna keel over, am I?"

"...you're acting like Jas when she doesn't wanna eat her vegetables."

".....shut it." With a grumble, he rolled his eyes before finally taking a couple bites. You and Krobus watched him in anticipation, studying his reaction.

Only to be met with disappointment.

"Eh..I think I'll stick to frozen pizzas, but thanks. Here. It's all yours." He pushed the half-eaten bun towards Krobus, who gleefully finished it up.

"Thank you..this was delightful." The shadow monster swallowed, looking up at you both, frowning slightly. "But I do fear..now that one more person knows of my existence, word may spread to the town and-"

"I won't tell anyone."

"....really?" He looked at Shane, surprised.

"I used to not believe in "shadow people"..I actually thought you guys were just stuff of fiction. But no, you're actually pretty cool. And...I get that feeling of being stuck in a dark place, thinking you're a pest and a burden who has no future to look forward to. It sucks, but [y/n] here..." He paused and gestured to you with a smile. "They pulled me out of that funk, and it seems they'd pulled you out of one, too."

"They have..I-I find this hard to believe, but it seems we have more in common than I first thought." Krobus chuckled softly. "I'm glad we could come to an understanding, and that you embrace my existence, Shane."

"Yeah, uh...glad you can..embrace mine as well." He mumbled, already kicking himself mentally for how weird that sounded. "But tell me..you like caring for chickens, too? I saw that one with the black feathers and red eyes."

"Indeed, that is a void chicken! I've carried their eggs for ages, but the mines weren't suitable enough to raise chicks in. Then [y/n] showed me the coop, and now I know they're in good hands."

"Ah...did you wanna meet Charlie sometime? Or one of my blue chickens?"

"......chickens can be blue?" Krobus had such a starry-eyed look, as though he had just been told the secrets of the universe.

Meanwhile, you were just cleaning the dishes, listening to their conversation delve into chicken care, eggs, and more. And you could only smile, glad to see that your monster roommate was finally warming up to humans.

Only a select few will get to see him, as you didn't wanna compromise his safety...

But for now, Shane is the only one you could trust.

[drabblesandimagines]

Sweet & Salty

I'm feeling a bit sad today so wanted some comfort... Sebastian x (afab) reader, Stardew Valley, Fluffity fluff Warnings: Mention of recreational drug use

-

It’s been a day. You’d sat down heavily on your porch steps, trying to keep the tears at bay. You should probably go mope in your bed, instead of staring at the land that is causing you so much distress. Despite your carefully placed scarecrow, you must’ve miscalculated the distance because the crows have still had a go at your most recent plantings and that’s hard-earned money down the drain - again. You’ve been here two months now and, surely, by now you should know better. The farm has been somewhat transformed since you arrived - a mass of weeds, stone and dead branches - but it’s nowhere near how you remember it in your grandpa’s heyday. He would’ve never made such a rudimentary error in his scarecrow placement.

Some of the fences around your crop patches have started to erode too – it won’t be long until they need replaced, but you’re trying to save up your wood supplies to put in a coop from Robyn. You desperately want to add chickens to the farm as eggs would be steady income – or at least you reckon – but you also don’t want them pecking at your crops alongside the crows, so having a fence seems important too. Your endless to-do list swirls around your head again. Why’s everything so hard?

It's not just your failings on the farm on your mind, but also your lack at making any real friends around here. Shane glared at you this morning as he headed off to work. That’s not unusual, despite your best efforts of a smile and a friendly greeting. Then Haley looked you up and down, judging your dirty dungarees. You’d only popped into town to get some seeds from Pierre’s. It didn’t make sense to get changed… Elliott is sweet but locked away in his cabin most of the time, Emily in her own little world… Sebastian, Sam and Abigail have invited you to play pool with them, but they’re such a tight-knit group and you always feel like you’re missing out on the joke, especially when you were partnered up with Sebastian. He’d been teaching you how to hold the cue correctly, leaning over you, his breath tickling your ear. Sam and Abigail kept nudging each other and whispering, but you couldn’t catch what about and it was clear Sebastian was becoming irritated. You’d begun to think they were making fun of your abysmal pool skills.

Ugh. Your emotions are a rollercoaster and the twisting pain in your stomach reminds you why – stupid period. It emerged with a vengeance this morning. It had stopped in your last months of JoJo Corp. There was no chance you were pregnant, your last intimate relationship fizzling out a year previously, though you’d taken tests just to be sure. The doctor in Zuzu City said you were stressed, burnt out… that it would return once you were feeling better in yourself. So why had it returned now, of all times? You feel more stressed and burnt out than ever before, regretting ever moving here. Why did you think you could become a farmer…?!

The barrier finally breaks and you let out a sob, hugging your knees.

To your shame, there’s a scuffing footstep and your heart stops as you look up, worried who’s seen your breakdown.

“Sebastian?” You sniff. You’re tempted to rub the tears from your cheeks but maybe he hasn’t noticed in the evening light. The black-haired man is standing there looking sheepish, a brown paper bag from Pierre’s clutched in his hands.

“Er, hey…” He’s not meeting your eyes. Poor boy probably wants to run. “Sorry, I… I was just leaving Sam’s and I didn’t want to go through town and see everyone, so I thought I’d take the scenic route back home through your farm…”

“Oh.” You mumble, waving him on. “That’s okay. Go ahead.”

He takes a step as if to go on his way, but then hesitates. “Are… Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah,” you plaster a smile on, which you’re sure makes you look ridiculous as the stupid tears are still flowing. “I’m just being silly. Don’t let me keep you.”

He stares at you for a moment, before a sympathetic smile graces his lips. “You’re a terrible liar, you know?”

“I’m not ly- Ow!” You flinch as your stomach cramps terribly and you squeeze your arms around it, hoping in some way it might alleviate the pain.

Sebastian is suddenly at your side – the paper bag from Pierre’s dropped to the ground. He’s kneeling down on the first porch step with a frown on his face. “Whoa, are you hurt? I can get Harvey…” His hand hovers over your arm,

“No, honestly, I’m fine…” You try and wave him off again with one hand, the other arm still wrapped around your stomach.

He stares at you, a raised eyebrow. He seems to be putting the clues together – the wincing, clutching your stomach, the tears… He nods, making up his mind and gets to his feet, picking up the discarded bag from Pierre’s as he does so.

“Come on, let’s get you inside.” He offers you his free hand.

“Thank you, but I’ll be okay. You get on home…”

“Farmer, I know I’m probably not the person you want to see right now, but let me help you out, okay? I can’t go home and just leave crying on your porch.” He waves his offered hand again. You look at Sebastian, hesitantly. He looks genuine, at least, but there’s something a little off about him tonight… Heck, you’ve already made a fool of yourself enough, so what’s one more thing?

This time you accept his hand and he easily pulls you to your feet and leads you up to your door. He opens it – you’d easily adapted to the habit of leaving the front door unlocked since moving to Pelican Valley.

You go to open your mouth, to tell Sebastian thank you, but he can go now. You’re inside, you’ll go to bed and pretend this never happened.

“Sit down.” He orders, pointing at your bed. “You like hot chocolate, right?” You wonder how he knows that, how he knows you have a stash. Had you mentioned it at the saloon before? “I’ll make you a cup.”

“But you don’t know where…”

“I’ll find it. Sit!” He pushes you gently towards the bed and you do sit, keeping a wary eye. To be honest, it is quite easy to find your cups and kettle. Robyn had advertised an extension to you but you don’t even want to think about the price and the materials needed. For now – perhaps even for the rest of your life - you’ve got a cupboard filled with crockery and silverware. The fire’s roaring away, you’re thankful you’d lit it earlier to try and make it cosy ahead of going to bed later on. The cabin always had a slight chill at night. Sebastian retrieves a mug and spoon, scooping the hot chocolate powder into the mug, fills the kettle with water from the jug you keep besides the cupboard, before taking it over to the fire to heat.

“Do you have a hot water bottle?” He asks over his shoulder.

“Huh?”

“Hot water bottle.” He enunciates.

“Y-yeah, I think it’s under my bed. Let me…” Before you can bend down, he drops to his knees and Sebastian is now crawling under the bedframe to retrieve it. You pull your legs up off the floor to the bed, not sure what to say.

He reverses back out, holding the fluffy hot water bottle in the air triumphantly, and gets back to his feet. “Finally, where do you keep the snacks?”

“I don’t have any. Sorry, I wasn’t really expecting to entertain.”

“Not for me,” a chuckle – it sounds a little odd coming from him - “..for you!”

“For me?” He’s acting so weird.

But he’s not listening, already rummaging around the brown bag from Pierre’s. He walks over to the sofa and empties the contents besides you – there’s a couple of packs of chips, cookies and candy. “Ta-da!”

You look at the assembled junk food and back up at the black-haired man, noticing his blood-shot eyes.

“You’re high.”

Sebastian laughs again, rubbing the back of his head. “Guilty. Is that a problem?”

“No, it just… explains a lot.” You wince again as the kettle on the fire whistles. Sebastian grabs the mitt you keep nearby for that exact purpose and places it on his hand, removing the kettle from the fire and placing it down on the hearth. Methodically, he pours some hot water in the hot water bottle, tightening the cap, before pouring some in in the cup he retrieved, stirring the hot chocolate powder until it dissolves. Once he seems happy with his work, he brings the two over to you on the bed.

“Okay, since you worked out my thing, it’s my turn. Time of the month, right?” He flops down next to you on the bed, ripping open a bag of chips. “My sympathies.” It feels surreal as he holds the bag towards you and you take a handful – maybe junk food would make you feel better, and the warmth of the hot water bottle is soothing too now against your sore tummy.

The only sound for a few moments is the rustle of the chip package and the crunching of said chips. You take a sip of hot chocolate, probably a weird combination at that moment in time, but it’s working.

“Sebastian…”

“Mm?” You’ve caught him with his mouth full.

“How are you so good at this?”

“Erm…” He swallows. “Well, I guess cos I have a sister and a mom… and a friend named Abigail.” He replies in a teasing tone. “Maru and Abi usually just get super pissy though. Mom’s the crier.” Sebastian leans forward and grabs the blanket off the end of your bed, throwing it over the both of your laps in a smooth motion. Who knew he could turn into a right chatterbox? “Wanna watch some TV?” He picks up the remote control and turns it on without waiting for a response, flipping through the channels. “Do you have a preference? Nothing deters Abi from horror, Mom and Maru go chick-flick mad…”

You burst into tears again.

“Whoa, okay, no TV! That’s fair too.”

“N-no, it’s n-not that.” You let out a shuddering breath. “Why are you being so nice?”

“Because we’re friends…?”

“No, everyone hates me here.” You know you’re being irrational now, but the floodgates have well and truly opened.

“Come on, you know that’s not exactly true.” His face looks serious now.

“It is. I don’t know what I was thinking – I worked in customer support, why did I think I could farm the land? I’m going to be broke by the end of winter if I lose another batch of crops and this town is so tight-knit that they’re never going to like me being here.”

“I like you being here.”

“No, you’re just saying that because you feel sorry for me.” You go to take another handful of chips, but he snatches the bag out of your reach indignantly.

“I am not.”

“You are.” You clip back.

Sebastian lets out a huff in frustration and he acts before he can even consider the consequences. He puts a hand on the side of your face, turning it slightly and presses a gentle kiss on your lips for a moment or two, immediately causing your tears to cease.

“Would I kiss you if I didn’t like you?”

“I…” You don’t have any words.

He swipes his tongue over his lips. “Mm, salty. That’s not how I expected our first kiss to go, I’ll be honest.”

“Our first kiss?” Your face is on fire. It has to be on fire, why else would it feel so hot?

“Yeah, well, I told you I like you, didn’t I?” He grins, before it drops. “Though I’ve just realized that you probably don’t like me like that, I’m high, and now I’ve made this a hundred times wor-…”

You cut him off, caressing his lips with your own for a moment.

“No. I like you too.”

“Well, that’s that settled, then, isn’t it?” He leans back, a smug look on his face before he grabs the packet of candy. “Shall we see what a sweet kiss tastes like next?”

-

Masterlist . Requests welcome . Ko-fi I'm also running an event for x reader fics to celebrate 200 followers, so please check it out and send in your requests.

[buffysimonriley]

[ coffee ] • harvey

synopsis - you bring harvey some coffee during his busy work day.

pairings - harvey/reader.

warnings - none, just pure fluff.

fancy buying me a coffee? | requests: open.

the sun beamed down through your bedroom window and onto your face, your eyes fluttering open at the sudden change in light through your closed lids. you squinted in an attempt to let your eyes adjust to the sudden light flooding through your bedroom. it was then that you realised your curtains were open - something that wasn't possible unless your partner, harvey, had woken up before you. you turned over to see your boyfriend was no longer sleeping peacefully besides you. "must have gone to work," you yawned to yourself, stretching out your stiff limbs as you spoke. you threw your legs over the edge of the bed and dangled them before planting them firmly into your cosy slippers which lay on the bedroom floor. you hopped off the bed and made your way into the kitchen to make yourself some breakfast. you grabbed a glass out of the cabinet to pour yourself some water and when you did, you placed the glass gently on the dining room table only to be met with a note scribbled in harvey's handwriting.

my dearest y/n; i watered the crops outside for you this morning in hopes i could make your day a little bit easier. oh, and i also fed the chicken and the cows - you just need to collect their eggs and milk! have a great day, see you later. i love you, harvey xx

you smiled as you read the note before holding it to your chest and sighing happily. you often found yourself wondering what you had done so far in life to gain somebody as caring and loving as harvey, which was exactly what you were doing at the present moment in time as you placed the note back on the table and turned your attention back to the task at hand: making breakfast. "maybe i should bring him some coffee," you mumbled as you scrambled yesterday's eggs. you knew harvey was working really hard as of late and you rarely got to see him, by the time you finished your duties on the farm and he finished work you were both just too tired. you, more times than not, would find yourself in bed before nine pm snuggling as you fell asleep. you nodded to yourself in agreement as you finished making your breakfast. todays plan: water the crops in the greenhouse, collect the chicken eggs and cow milk, make mayonnaise and cheese and then take harvey some coffee. you ate your breakfast and made your way back to your bedroom to get ready for the day. you dressed yourself in warm clothes, after all the cool autumn air had started to creep in.

recently you had had your grandfather's greenhouse repaired and renovated so the majority of your crops were inside. you had an abundance of them but mainly you had planted ancient seeds, after all they caught a pretty penny when you made their fruit into wine - which was something you planned on doing when you could make yourself a few kegs. now, you were fully wrapped up and made your way outside, admiring the rapid pace in which your pumpkins were growing. you smiled to yourself and made a mental note to thank pierre for the recent fertiliser you had purchased. thanks to him, your pumpkins would be ready and in perfect condition in time for halloween! you continued your brisk walk to the greenhouse and entered. upon entering you were met with your crops, all growing at different paces, but looking healthy nonetheless. you were overjoyed when you had noticed that some of your ancient seeds had fully grown, a big cheeky grin covered your lips. you watered the rest of your plants before you picked what you were able too and made your way to the selling bin where you gathered your latest crops. mayor lewis would appreciate this harvest for sure!

you then made your way over to the chicken coop. you petted your chickens, giving them some love before collecting their eggs. You had two mayonnaise machines and gently placed two chicken eggs into them. you would come back for them later. you made your way over to the cow barn and did the same thing: you petted your cows, giving them some love and milked them. placing the milk into the cheese machine and making a mental note of coming back for the final product later in the day. you returned to the selling bin and placed the remaining eggs and milk in there for mayor lewis to collect later in the evening.

"that's enough work for now," you smiled to yourself, clapping your hands together in pride. you had only been living in pelican town for a year and a half, but you were happy with the progress you had made in that time. especially since your grandfathers farm had been in such an abysmal state when you had arrived. you admired your crops outside once more before you turned and made your way back into your cottage, dead set on delivering coffee to harvey at work.

you turned the kettle on, grabbed an insulated thermal cup and your jar of coffee. you placed three scoops of coffee into the insulated cup and three spoonfuls of sugar, knowing harvey liked his coffee surprisingly sweet. you carefully poured the boiling water from the kettle into the thermal cup once it had boiled and then poured in a splash of milk, just enough for your boyfriend to appreciate the bitterness of the coffee but also the sweetness of the sugar. once you had completed making his coffee, you put the lid on the cup to keep it hot and grabbed the pre-made sandwich he had made from the night before that he had, of course, forgot to take with him. then, in the flash of an eye, you were on your way to the clinic.

on your stroll into town you were stopped by the residents of pelican town. many just saying 'hi' and asking how life on the farm was treating you. of course, as usual, you were friendly and polite. you loved the residents of pelican town like they were part of your own family - your grandfather definitely had discovered the perfect place to start a farm. the kids ran over to you and gave you a big hug, offering you flowers they had picked from the ground as a token of their appreciation for you - after all you supplied a lot of the crops around pelican town for people to make their food!

"ah farmer y/n!" mayor lewis exclaimed as you walked up to the clinic. he was waiting outside, looking at the notices on the windows. "how are you?"

"i'm good thank you mayor lewis," you replied with a courteous nod. "how are you?"

"no complaining here," he responded. "may i ask what you're doing here?"

"of course. harvey left before i awoke this morning. i thought i would bring him some coffee during his busy day."

"how thoughtful of you," mayor lewis smiled. "well, i won't keep you any longer. have a fantastic day."

"you too, mayor lewis," you smiled back and watched as he walked away.

you entered the clinic to see harvey behind the front desk. he looked up as the front bell rung, a huge smile plastered his face when he saw you standing before him. "y/n my love!" he exclaimed. "what are you doing here?"

"i brought you some coffee," you smiled holding up the thermal cup. "and also the sandwich you forgot to bring with you this morning."

"you are so thoughtful, give me a second," he responded before disappearing into the back. a few seconds later, harvey emerged from the back and at the front of the shop. no longer barricaded into the front desk, harvey walked over to you and wrapped his arms around your body. he pressed a soft kiss to your forehead and smiled, taking the insulated cup and sandwich out of your hands. "thank you, my dear."

"you're most welcome, my love," you responded, reciprocating the hug once your hands were free of the items.

"i didn't want to wake you up this morning," harvey said. "you were sleeping so peacefully, i didn't have the heart to disturb you."

"it's okay harvey," you replied. "thank you for watering the crops outside and feeding the animals this morning."

"it was my pleasure," he responded, nodding his head. "i hope it made your morning a little bit easier."

"it did," you smiled.

"have you eaten today?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. you nodded in response and harvey smiled in response. "good. you need to keep your strength. especially with all that hard work you do on the farm."

harvey placed the thermal cup and sandwich on the front desk before turning to you again with his arms outstretched for an embrace. your heart fluttered as you walked into his arms, wrapping your own around his waist fondly. although he never wore cologne to work, he always smelt so good and you melted into his touch. harvey's hands rested on the small of your back as he pressed continuous kisses to the top of your head. "i miss you," you mumbled into his chest.

"i miss you too," harvey whispered. "but i have a surprise for you."

"what's the surprise?" you asked excitedly, pulling away from the embrace to look up at your boyfriend with wide, excited eyes.

"well, i was going to save the announcement until i came home tonight but," harvey did a small little drum roll on his knees before he announced. "i'm off work for a week after today!"

you gasped in excitement. "really?" you exclaimed. harvey hummed and nodded in response. "this is amazing news!"

"i know," harvey smiled. "i was thinking maybe we could go out for something to eat tomorrow evening, you know, spend some quality time together after your duties on the farm are completed."

"i would love that," you responded. "it's been so long since we have had a date night."

"it's been too long," harvey agreed. "i will make a reservation at your favourite place during my lunch today."

"my favourite place? really?" you asked as you raised your eyebrow.

"of course! why?"

"isn't it a bit pricey?" you asked sheepishly, looking down at your feet.

"nothing is too expensive for you," harvey replied, taking your face in his hands. he cupped your jaw with his fingers and stared so deeply into your eyes you couldn't help the blush that appeared on your cheeks. "you are so beautiful."

"and you," you poked his nose. "are so handsome."

"thank you, my love," harvey whispered. "for coming to see me. you've definitely broken the day up."

"i'm glad i could make your day a little bit nicer," you smiled. "but i must be going now."

"you must?" harvey asked with a pout.

"yes! i'm going to buy some seeds from pierre and plant some more seeds before autumn is over," you sighed.

"any idea what you're going to get?" harvey asked in a futile attempt to make you stay a little longer - he knew you loved talking about crops, seeds and anything to do with the farm in general.

you shook your head. "i want to plant more pumpkins, but i think we have enough for halloween," you chuckled.

"maybe some grapes," harvey mused. "i do like the grapes you plant."

"grapes it is then," you laughed. you pressed a quick kiss on his cheek before you turned to leave, however you were stopped in your tracks by harvey spinning you around.

"give me a proper kiss before you leave me," he pouted again before pressing his lips to yours softly. the pair of you closed your eyes as the kiss intensified, Harvey licked your bottom lip as his favourite way of asking for entrance into your mouth. you smiled and nodded slowly, opening your mouth and allowing his tongue to manoeuvre inside. just as quickly as the kiss began, it was over as the pair of you were interrupted by the nurse.

"excuse me," she whispered shyly. "i hate to interrupt but, Harvey, you have an appointment in five."

harvey pulled away from the kiss and sighed as you finally opened your eyes, a blush spreading across both of your faces. "i-i better be going," you stuttered, only for harvey to nod in agreement.

"thank you again for bringing me my coffee and sandwich my love," he whispered before placing one last kiss on your lips. "i'll see you at home tonight."

"see you tonight harvey," you smiled before exiting the clinic.

you made your way to pierre's now set on grabbing some grape seeds to plant for harvey. whilst there, you thanked pierre for the fertiliser you had used and had a quick chat before making your way back to the farm where you got to work planting the grape seeds. finally, you watered them and made your way inside to do some overall household chores like laundry and washing your dishes from this morning. you were excited for harvey's week off to say the least and excited for what the week would bring. for now, you simply relaxed and waited for your boyfriend to return home where he showed you just how grateful he was for your visit today.

[mediocre-stories]

I’m Proud of You

TW: mentions of alcoholism, mentions of depression, mentions of death

Authors Note: finally time for some fluff! This story is based off of Shane’s 8 heart event from Stardew Valley! I hope you all enjoy and, as always, feel free to leave any constructive criticism! Thank you!

It had become a routine for Shane to stop by the farmhouse every Friday after his counselling appointments in Zuzu City.

In the summer you would make a pitcher of iced tea, and the two of you would sit out on the steps of your porch, basking under the sun and sipping on the sugary liquid. As the chill of fall began to fill the air, you switched to meeting inside the farm house. Instead of iced tea, you made hot coca, and instead of the porch, you sat on your couch in front of the fireplace, listening to the crackles and pops of the wood burning as Shane spoke.

He told you about his childhood, how he grew up with parents who expected the best from their only child. He told you how he left home at eighteen. He enrolled under the buisness administration in college, under his father"s wishes, but he quickly learned he hated it. He dropped out after two semesters and never looked back. Once his friends, Jas' parents, passed in a car crash, his alcoholism started. He moved to Stardew Valley after he gained custody of Jas, knowing that he couldn't take care of her on his own. You listened, only inserting your input when you felt it was needed.

You also talked about yourl life on the farm, your childhood, and your past in the city. You laughed at how you piqued Shane's interest when you mentioned your chicken coop.

You liked the friendship you were building with Shane. He was a good person to talk to. He seemed to be the first person in the town to actually listen to you, and you appreciated it.

The last time he visited you, he mentioned he had a surprise. He told you to swing by his house the next day. He seemed nervous as he told you this, fidgeting with his fingers and looking at his worn out shoes. You found yourself thinking he looked cute.

The next day came. After you had finished your morning chores, you headed towards Marnie’s ranch. You entered and were greeted by Jas, who sitting on the couch in the living room. She turned to face you and gave you a small, shy, smile.

“Hi Y/N”

“Hi Jas! Is your Uncle Shane around?” You watched Jas’ eyes sparkle with excitement.

“Oh! Are you here for the surprise?”

“I am!” You smiled.

“Come with me!” Jas leaped up from her spot on the couch and grabbed your hand. She led you out the back door of the ranch. You entered a pasture, there was a small chicken coop to your right. Jas led you towards the coop. You entered the small building and there was Shane, standing on a ladder with his back to you. He was covered in splotches of red paint and his skin had a thin sheen of sweat covering it.

“Uncle Shane, Y/N is here to see you!” Jas chirped.

Shane turned around and gave you a crooked smile. He climbed down from the ladder and approached Jas, ruffling her purple pigtails.

“Thanks kiddo, run along and play now okay?”

Jas nodded at her uncle and left. Shane turned to you.

“Hey Y/N…” he looked nervous again, just like he did when he was standing on your porch the day before, “are you ready for the surprise?”

You gave him a smile and nodded. He bent down and picked up a small object. He held it gently in his hands, as though it would break at the slightest touch. He approached you softly.

“Okay, hold your hands out.”

You did as you were told, cupping your hands out in front of you. He placed the small object in your hands. It was soft and warm. When you looked closer, you realized it was a baby chick, only, instead of being white or brown, this chick was a vibrant shade of blue. You stared at the little life you held in your hands in awe. Shane scratched the back of his neck.

“So… what do you think?”

“She’s beautiful, where did you find her?”

“She’s one of my special blue hens. I’ve been raising them in secret for the last few months. I - well- I won’t be living here forever and I wanted to pass something onto Jas. I’ve been teaching her how to care for them. I want to contribute to the world somehow, even in a small way like this.”

You nestled the small blue chick in your hands as he spoke.

“Shane?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m proud of you”

“I- thank you Y/N. That means more than you know.”

[lulublack90]

Prompt 4 - Hair

@jegulus-microfic March 4 Word count 983

Previous part First part

It took them a week to figure out where the chamber was, and that was only because Pandora came floating in while they were arguing back and forth about where the entrance could be. 

“It has to be in the dungeons. That’s where the Common room is.” Evan had argued. 

“Yeah, but where could it be? It’s all classrooms down there.” Barty was getting frustrated at their lack of progress. Pandora had peered over at all the notes they had spread over the floor and said. 

“Oh, the entrance is in the second-floor girl’s bathroom.”

“Yeah, sure, it is Pandora.” Evan rolled his eyes at his sister. Pandora flicked around, her hair billowing behind her with the sharp movement. 

“There is a snake carved into the tap of the sink, and moaning Myrtle was killed the last time it was opened when Tom Riddle was at school.” They all stared at her. Regulus pulled out his mirror and flipped it open. 

“James, we think we’ve found it.”

So now that’s where they stood. Regulus, James, Sirius, Barty, Evan, Pandora and Lily. Seven people who had left Hogwarts years ago and who shouldn’t have had any reason to be in that bathroom. 

They all had some sort of blade made of goblin silver. Luckily, there were enough old families in the group that they managed to scrounge enough pieces. 

Sirius also had a small bag strapped to his hip. It had one of his expansion charms on it. They’d been down to Hagrid’s chicken coop and stolen two roosters. And put them in it. 

The trouble they were having now was that none of them spoke parseltongue, so they were having trouble getting the chamber to open. That’s when moaning Myrtle appeared. 

“Ooo, it’s the Black brothers.” She cooed. “What are they doing here with all their friends?” 

“Hi, Myrtle.” Sirius grinned at her with his best smile. It was one he’d used many times to get what he wanted. “We’re trying to get into the secret chamber but can’t seem to open it. Do you know how?” He twirled a lock of his hair around his finger as he batted his eyelashes at her. 

Regulus hadn’t known that ghosts could blush, but apparently, they could. Myrtle’s ghostly pallor brightened under Sirius’s gaze. 

“There was a boy right before I died. I think he opened it. He said something in another language.” She floated closer to Sirius. 

“Can you remember what he said? It’s very important, Myrtle.” Sirius asked, keeping his voice soft and husky. Myrtle glowed even brighter. She opened her mouth, and she let out a strange hiss. Immediately, the sink behind them started moving, and a sliding passageway was revealed. 

Sirius looked at the ghost with wide eyes. “Myrtle, you’re amazing.” He grinned a real grin this time and lifted a hand to cup her cheek. 

Apparently, ghosts could also swoon. They left Myrtle floating horizontally along the floor as they clambered down the chute, one by one. 

“I’m so telling Remus about that,” Regulus whispered to his brother once they safely made it to the ground. Sirius shrugged. 

“It’s for the good of the cause. He’ll understand. Beside’s, he’d have to see me to be mad at me anyway.” Regulus had touched on a sore spot, and he knew it. Fenrir had been very possessive of Remus, only letting him leave when Voldemort requested the Wolves at a meeting. 

Remus hadn’t looked great the last time Regulus saw him. He was skinny, and his clothes were tattered. He hadn’t said much about it when he’d come and stood with him, Barty and Evan. The other wolves were keeping a close eye on him.

Regulus, had a plan to get Remus away from the pack for a bit, but it would have to wait until after they fought the Basilisk.

“You okay, love?” James had come up behind him and wrapped an arm around his waist. Regulus let himself relax into James’s touch just for a second before he untangled them. 

“We need to get moving.” He said as he squeezed James’s hand. “Don't forget to either keep your eyes closed or make sure you don’t look into its eyes. If you do, you’ll be dead.” He raised his voice so the others could hear him. 

“Wow, great pep talk there, Reg. Really feeling confident after that.” Barty groaned at him. Sirius slapped him on the back before Regulus could say anything to him. 

“Come on, Crouch. If everything goes right down here, we’re going to be legends.” Barty turned to grin wickedly at Sirius. 

“Let’s go kill this bloody snake.” 

The group walked cautiously down the stone passageway. It was littered with bones, and there was no way of moving without the sound of cracking bones echoing off the walls. 

The passageway went on forever. Turning this way and that, before they came to a wall blocking their way emblazoned with two entwining serpents.

“How do we get through that then?” Lily asked, running her hand over the stone. 

“Probably the same as the sink,” Pandora moved to stand beside her and hissed the same way Myrtle had. The snakes began to move, and the wall split in two. It moved out of sight, leaving the way before them clear. 

The chamber finally opened up. They all paused on the edge, looking at the pillars, each with a snake carved into it. 

“This is it,” Regulus said, his voice barely a whisper. He looked into James’s eyes. “I love you.” James smiled down at him and ducked his head, kissing Regulus softly. 

The other couples followed suit. 

“Alright enough, or I’m going to feed myself to the Basilisk!” Sirius complained. The others pulled away from each other, looking sheepish. 

They walked forward into the middle of the chamber and watched as a statue of Salazar Slytherin slowly opened its mouth.        

Next part

[sgiandubh]

Thirst

I just made the huge mistake of taking a stroll down the comment rabid hole (pun totally intended) on Instagram and I am very tempted to say something along the lines of 'don't try this at home'.

I mean, I knew Tumblr is OTT and X is gladiatorial, but to be honest I had no idea Instagram could be at the same time LOUD, jejune and raunchy.

Louder than a floral dress at a funeral, y'all. Compared to what I could see, C's comment threads sound like a Victorian parlor chit-chat.

It felt like landing in a chicken coop, but make it international:

No, #silly - it's a selfie. Also, why should he (or us, by the same token) care she's late for the gym (some A-class ass-kissing there, too).

A Frenchwoman: 'my big teddy bear' 🙄 (also slang for a middle-aged, hairy and yes, fat guy - but let's not insist). At the same time, someone in America spit out her (sweet?) tea, bless her heart. The third comment is a kind, decent person (no wonder, she's a vet student), lost in an ocean of drooling.

Yet, this remains unparalleled:

I am not asking 'who are these people', because even sarcasm must have limits. I am rolling my eyes and telling myself he can't possibly enjoy this. After just three minutes of scrolling, my head started spinning with nausea: there is something cannibalistic about all this. Oh, no, no, no: he can't possibly enjoy this.

Yet, here we are. And sugar on top, someone we all love to hate chiming in:

(bless him, he did not answer)

I am at a loss. The worst of it? I bet whatever you want many of these women don't read the books, watch OL for the biceps only and don't even buy the booze.

Why, oh why, then? Who the hell told this man this is the way to make it?

I almost forgot - nothing better than the resort's sales department intern to add even more smoke and mirrors to the game, as in 'not a latergram' (my right foot):

I am probably naïve, but I don't care. This is so wrong and unfair, in so many ways, I can't and don't even want to start counting.

[morgandoesstuffsig]

Hello! I have this idea/request for sagau loosely based off of me and my friend’s dynamic where there are two separate creators. Like, not two reader clones or smth just two separate people, either of them can be reader, or both??? Idk, just do whatever you want with this idea :)

They both play genshin, and both of their accs r self aware. One of them is a whale who has all the characters and plays everyday. However, they dont know much about building characters because their fav part of the game is the lore and knows a lot abt it and always talks while playing. The other is a f2p that plays for several weeks straight before taking along break, and only has their fav characters (COUGH wanderer COUGH) and they are the type to never speak AT ALL while gaming. They also have more of a meta player mindset while building their fav characters and doesnt care for much for the lore.

I just like to imagine how the genshin cast would react to them in coop, especially for the first time. Just seeing one of them rant to the other about the lore or seeing one of them one shot all the enemies. And imagine two if the same characters from the different accs meeting each other.

absolutely love the idea of two wanderers as that silly little fucking spiderman meme

also there's scaramouche instead of wanderer for now for the plot

DOUBLES! ft. scaramouche and albedo

c.w // spoilers for sumeru quest and scara's backstory, heavy(?) angst in scara's part, pet names BECAUSE I CAN!!1!11!! GRAHH

start under cut

ALBEDO

"What are these talent levels?? Why'd you crown Albedo's normal attack? It's the most useless in his kit- you know you should've leveled his Skill, right?" You said, while you looked at your friends Albedo- it honestly hurt to look at.

"Uh.. Yeah, I totally knew that.. I just was.. testing it.. out..?" Your friend mumbled into their mic, obviously lying.

Meanwhile, in one of your worlds, two Albedos were silently watching the other.

'Why is there another me? I could've swore I killed Dorian.. but he also has a star mark. It looks exactly like mine.' They both thought to themselves.

Eventually, one of them spoke out.

"Who are you?" Albedo said, staring at the other blankly, the smallest bit of confusion and fascination only seen if you truly tried to look for it hard within his eyes.

"I am Albedo."

"I am also Albedo. Are you sure you're really 'Albedo'?"

"Are you sure you're Albedo?"

This went on for a while.. neither of them were like this usually, but the other just wouldn't give up. Both were persistent when curiosity had peaked, and this just got very interesting.

end : 1/2

SCARAMOUCHE

"...well, that was one hell of a boss fight.." You mumbled under your breath.. you had barely managed to make it out of Scaramouche's boss fight alive-- half of your characters were dead, and the others were barely hanging on by a thread-- you truly need to thank the ancient Genshin cooks for Sweet Madames and Chicken Mushroom Skewers..

"It sucks that Scara really thinks that about himself. I mean, sure, he was abandoned by Raiden, but not because he was weak or anything. It's really because she just didn't want to control every aspect of his life, but there are of course, better ways she could've done that. You do have to understand that both made mistakes that lead them to where they are now, and..." You went off on a ramble, and unbeknownst to you, a certain purple-haired boy was listening to everything that spilled from your lips.

Everything he's ever known and believed in-- it was all just.. just a misunderstanding? He felt hopeless all of a sudden, he felt like falling.. and he did.

That's when you looked back at the screen, suddenly knocked out of your rambling state and (semi)yelled out, "Oh shit, ain't nobody gonna catch him?!" ...and nobody did. You silently flinched at the sound of the impact-- even through a screen, you could tell that hurt horribly.

"Oh no, poor darling.." You mumbled sympathetically as you read each and every word stated and said during the 'quest,' just like you did with each and every other one. You knew all of this yet you still felt so sad for the poor puppet Scaramouche. He really didn't deserve any of that, you thought to yourself as you wished you could've done something, or that you could do something.. if only it weren't through a screen.

Scaramouche hated being pitied, but maybe.. maybe if it was you, he didn't mind, and maybe he felt a small sense of pride because it meant in some way, and at some point, you cared for him.. and that filled him with more joy than either of you realized, and much more joy than you ever will even think.

end : 2/2

[madsfrank]

'*•.¸♡ 𝕬 𝕾𝖍𝖔𝖙 𝕲𝖑𝖆𝖘𝖘 𝖔𝖋 𝕭𝖔𝖚𝖗𝖇𝖔𝖓 𝕻𝖙. 2 ♡¸.•*'

-ˏˋ Directory ˊˎ -ˏˋ AU ˊˎ -ˏˋ Pt. 1 ˊˎ -ˏˋ Pt. 3 ˊˎ

Pairing II Cowboy! Carlos x Fem! Reader

SFW II Angst, Fluff, City-themed reader

WC II 1.7k

Content II X reader, country motif, ranch, farmland

Synopsis II Living with your relatives in the country wasn’t going to be easy. Your nearest neighbor was a rancher a few miles down and better yet, her cows constantly got loose on your property. Maybe the only plus side was the young ranch hand who came to retrieve them.

Just like you predicted, the muffled caws shook you from your slumber. The rooster had awoken extra early, you think, just for you. How…great.

The sun had barely risen above the horizon as you got up to peer through your blinds. It’s early rays drew everything across the ranch in this pale, golden glow. Almost as if everything was in a haze.

Slipping off your nightgown, you carefully selected a pair of jeans and a flannel you wouldn’t mind getting dirty from one of your traveling bags. Two months here would also mean a new set of ranch clothes soon.

You family was already awake. Making themselves coffee and throwing on their boots. Your uncle offered you some dark roast, which you gladly accepted. Coffee wasn’t always your favorite, but something about the chill of a morning this early and the scent of the land around you made it all the more appealing.

After your core had been warmed, your aunt tossed you a work hat. Your first gift on the ranch. You nearly chuckled, the hat was a cowgirl hat! Did they actually wear these on a daily basis?

The answer was yes, as your aunt slipped on her own and led you to the stables.

Your families ranch had a multitude of building, but the stables had to be the most ornate. They were painted like a classic barn, with a tall roof and heavy oak doors. It was furthest from the house, butting up to old wooden fence post, connecting your property to your neighbors.

“Now I know your excited to meet Rosie, so I figure I’ll start you off by familiarizing you two. Why don’t you take that brush over there,” she pointed to a shelf within the stable, “and giver ‘er a good brushing.”

You nodded, making your way over to Rosie’s part of the stable as your aunt headed off to the chicken coop.

Her sliver coat was impeccable, it was short, but yet wonderfully patterned and you began to wonder how any animal could form something so beautiful.

Taking the brush, you slowly approached her. The Turkoman was gentle as could be, easing down so you could have access to her neck.

She took to you well. You moved slow and calmly. All the while cooing the creature. You had become so invested in caring for her that you failed to realized the bells approaching the nearby fence.

“MMMMMOOOOOOO”

The noise startled you, and made you squeak, earning a neigh from Rosie.

When you moved out from the stable, you saw a caw had made it’s way into your property, you assumed through a break in the fence a few feet down.

“Just who are you now?” You smiled, the cow looked back at your with big, brown doe eyes.

“Hey new-girl!”

A young man was pacing toward you at the fence. Stopping to catch his breath at the post.

“Sorry for bothering you miss, my mama’s cows don’t really listen to our herd dogs.

You looked up at the man. He was young. About your age, with long curly locks that seemed to cover his eyes almost entirely.

He was big too, well-built from years of labor. A pair of leather gloves covered the hands that leaned against your fence.

You stared at the man for a moment, there was a certain charm to him you couldn’t place, almost as if he talked too loosely for a stranger.

“Oh no, it’s alright, I was just taken care of the horses,” you pointed to Rosie.

He leaned forward on the fenced and lifted one of his hands flat in the air.

“Well, it’s still my cow, new-girl. I didn’t want her to cause no trouble,” he chuckled.

“So I guess we’re neighbors, huh?”

“That depends, You livin’ here?”

“For the summer.”

He stood up again, smiling slightly before dipping into thought.

“Not gonna lie new-girl, I feel like I’ve seen you before…” he questioned.

“Well, I used to come around here as a kid. I’m staying with my aunt and uncle.”

“(Y/n)?”

He knew who you were?

“Yeah that’s me.”

The neighbor’s smile then grew warm.

“It’s me, Carlos. Miss Oliveira’s kid. One of ‘em,” he was practically beaming with excitement now, recognizing you almost instantly.

You remembered Carlos now, one of they brothers you sometimes played with as a kid.

“You’re one of the boys then, huh?”

“All that’s left. Rico is still here, we help mama around the ranch. Some of my older brothers got their own place now or went off to work.”

You looked past him into his property. It spanned forth miles. Embracing the large stone and board ranch house. It was much wider than your own, with thick smoke puffing out from the chimney.

Carlos noticed your action and moved out of your line of sight.

“Haven’t changed much. Mama keeps that fire going every mornin’ and night since I was little. You prolly remember that.”

You changed your sight to look back at him.

“I remember you and your brothers would race each other down the hill over there.” You pointed to a long dip into his property, spanning the length of it’s southwest side.

Carlos scoffed a bit, shaking his head like he was remembering his childhood years.

“So where have you been all these years, (y/n)?”

“I’ve been away for collage, back home in New York.”

“Yeah, I remember you being a city girl. Didn’t you once end up hitching a ride on mama’s cows?”

Your face turned beat red from embarrassment and you angled your head to the grass.

“Oh, uh—yeah. That was me. Heh,” your voice was shaky and quiet. Obviously reminded of how embarrassed you were to be cleaned up by your neighbor’s mom.

Carlos could sense he asked something wrong and quickly corrected himself.

“N-no! I mean it was cute…er like, you know, like kids do.” Now he was embarrassed.

You cleared your throat and realized that you were both dodging each others gaze.

“Well I should—”

—get going”

You both spoke at once, apologizing profusely.

He nodded, spoke a quick goodbye and turned on his heel to leave. Meaning you were back to taking care of Rosie. Cooing her once more.

By the time you had finished conversing. Your aunt had come to collect you for more tasks throughout the day. None quite as interesting as your chat with Carlos.

You quickly followed your aunt and uncle across the property, serving for your orientation.

Shoveling shit was the worst. The pitchforks you had to use were old and splintered, but, your aunt had promised you would get to herd afterwords. She said it was just like all those old cowboy movies too.

After piling the goat crap into a bucket and removing it, your uncle met you at the heavy wooden doors.

“Well,” he hummed, “since I reckon you take to Rosie so well, how about you take ‘er out herding. Your aunt will show y’a how.”

You were practically beaming with excitement as uncle Mark led you back to the stables. He began to explain how to saddle her. Taking one of your aunts saddles from off the wall and securing it. He also changed Rosie’s stirrups into a custom set-up that you wouldn’t struggle with.

“Now, you were too little last time you were here, so your aunt will teach you some basics on how to ride. For now…hop on.” He pat Rosie behind the saddle and handed her off to you.

After hooking your leg around the saddle, Rosie began to strut off to the open land, heavy with different kinds of goats all running about.

Clara met you halfway from the house, on an older morgan she called Missy. She thought you how to control Rosie through example, all the while strutting forward into the open field of goats.

“Don’t give her too much pressure on the bit now. Just keep ‘er head up a little…like that, you’re a fast learner, girl!” Your aunt cheered.

You and Rosie were agreeable, it helped that the horse already knew what to do. She wrapped around one side of the field and your aunt took the other.

“Now,” She shouted, “the goal is to get them heading to the barn. Take the side opposite to me, circle ‘em, ‘n turn the herd around.”

The pair of you were off, making quick work of shifting the herd. Rosie already knew what to do, making your work rather simple. Aunt Clara led while you followed. Moving the goats orderly. Returning them to the barn.

Rosie kept to the rear the whole time, up till the barn doors has closed.

“That was fun!” You laughed, cheering for yourself.

Aunt Clara praised you, having learned so quickly. She helped you off the horse right after, and guided you both back to the stables.

“Saw you talking to the neighbors boy,” she prodded, “he’s a cute one, and a hard worker too. Takes care of most of that property for his family.”

You didn’t know why, but you found yourself blushing as you recollected your time spent with Carlos. You found yourself commenting on how nice it was to speak to him.

“I’ll tell you what,” your aunt paused for a moment, “I have some extra goat’s milk…I’ll have you send it down. Give you a chance to catch up with ‘em.”

You found yourself blushing once again and agreed. Had you really enjoyed talking to him that much?

Most of the mornings tasks were over now, leaving you and your aunt to return to the farmhouse while she began packing up goat’s milk in some ribbon.

“Why don’t you go get changed, hon. Can’t have you lookin a mess.” She winked.

A wave of nerves washed over you as you returned to your room to clean yourself up, suddenly worried about meeting his mom and him again. Would She remember you? Your head was spinning with thoughts about what you would say or how you would act when-

“Well hurry up now! Milk ain’t getting any colder!”

[barkspawn]

I desperately need the "Why dont you go marry them if you like them that much?" "...Are you jealous?" "Am not." prompt with Sebastian😫😫

I made myself laugh with this one

Amelia and Shane were hard at work all morning getting the coop ready to house chickens. Well, Shane was doing most of the work and explaining every detail to her. Everything from feed to love made its way into the discussion. She hadn't realized how passionate Shane was about the things he enjoys; in this case, chickens. She asked questions along the way, wanting to be a good chicken mom. 

Despite her best efforts, her mind wandered to later that afternoon when she was going to hang out with Sam and Sebastian. She had been growing increasingly excited to do so, having developed a bit of a crush on Sebastian after she ran into him in the rain one day. They shared a heart-to-heart and it changed so much about her view of him. She'd always thought he was attractive, sure, but he was also grumpy and tried a little too hard to be cool despite being around friends who were most times definitely not cool. 

Since the talk though, she understood. He wanted to be sure that he fits in and that there was no room to be rejected. He often felt as if that were the case in his family, which broke Amelia’s heart. She assured him that it would be something he'd never have to worry about with her, so if he needed to just… Let the facade down and nerd out or just vent, the farmhouse was always open. He had come over fairly often too, pacing on her porch in frustration with Demetrius and how his mother couldn't stand up for him when she knew that's what he needed. He’d get overly excited and need to talk about a new book in Cave Saga X (which he was happy to find out she liked too), and sometimes he'd have horrible customers. The most recent time he came over, it was a customer who screamed at him and was genuinely hostile over the color of the font on her website. She was paying well and he had to drop her. 

She took a chance and hugged him that night. She thought he might have never let go, just relishing in the fact that someone cared enough to try. 

Oddly, though, he left as soon as the hug ended. She assumes it's because he felt emotional or that he felt like he let his guard too far down, but she didn't know. She just knew that her heart had started to swell for this man. But she'd get over it. 

“Earth to Amelia?” Shane called, a handful of hay in his hand as he waved it. 

“Shit, sorry, Shane,” she gave him a genuine apologetic smile, “just a little distracted, I guess. What were you saying?”

He explained his point once more before they worked, finishing the preparations in the next hour. He agreed to bring two chicks in the morning and went home, a small pouch of peppers in hand. 

She made her way up to the house, taking in the vastness of her farm and how far it's come. As she turned her attention back to the cabin, her eyebrows shot up in surprise. Sam and Sebastian sat on her porch, Sam in a chair and Sebastian laying in the small, chair-like hammock. He looked so comfortable she was almost jealous. 

“Oh, hello, boys,” she called, chuckling as Sam jumped up and leaned on the railing, waving excitedly. 

“Ameliaaaaaaa,” he called back, pouting, “I know it's supposed to be later, but we're bored out of our minds.”

“I pretty much live in a state of boredom,” Sebastian chimed in, just loud enough for Amelia to hear. She was suddenly hyper-aware of how dirty and sweaty she was. She gave them both a small wave as she leaned on the banister as Sebastian finished, blowing smoke he had inhaled through his cigarette, “so Sam was bored.”

Sam threw a gardening glove at Sebastian, laughing as it drew out a surprised scoff as it smacked him in the chest. It left a large dust mark that he tried to brush away, “so not cool,” he mumbled.

She shook her head and opened her door, gesturing inside, “you guys are welcome in. You know Loaf missed you,” she looked at Sam, who had become a fast friend with her corgi, Loaf, “and I actually made some sashimi to bring for you later if you're hungry, Seb.”

Sam had run inside, and the excited barks from Loaf blended with Sam’s praises. Sebastian stood out of the hammock, struggling as everyone does, though he smiled at her, “sashimi, huh? That's one of my favorites, how did you know?”

“I'm just good like that,” she teased, following him inside and going to her mining bag by the door, fishing out a frozen tear and offering it to him, “just like I know you love these.”

She smirked as he took it, his touch delicate as he looked over the cool stone before looking down at her, surprised, “I do. Thank you. Really.” 

She smiled and nodded before turning toward the restroom, pulling her curly (and very tangled) hair down from her bun. 

“Make yourselves at home, alright? I am covered in dirt and smell like hay, so I need to shower. She backed into the bathroom, pointing at all of them, “it better not be a wreck when I come out of here.”

Sebastian smirked and walked over to the couch, contemplating getting the sashimi, but wanting to share with Amelia. The fish isn't easy to come by or filet… And he appreciated her. Sam took Loaf outside to run around (and not be destructive), while Sebastian lay on her couch, tossing this weird, sticky ball thing that Amelia ordered as a joke to throw at his ceiling, hoping they'd fall randomly on him in the day or even when he was sleeping. He cursed the high ceiling in his room. 

The little things were fun though. You just throw them up, they stick, then they fall. Easy, mind-numbing things to get lost in thought. 

He’d been over here tons of times now, bitching and moaning about everything that brought him down, whether it be a particularly shitty customer or Demetrius. She was always there to listen and, often, in the middle of the night. 

The last time he was here was when she hugged him. He hadn't been hugged like that for as long as he could remember. Abby and Sam would throw their arms around him for photos or as thanks for a gift. But Amelia held him. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, her head on his shoulder, and just held him there. 

And he didn't want to let go once he wrapped his arms around her and rest her head on hers. She smelled mainly of lavender and honey, mixed with the scent of the hay she had begun to lay. 

It calmed him immediately and he was sure she felt his heart racing. Until he realized the situation he was in and fled. He thanked her and went home, his breathing ragged as he panicked on the mountain path. 

He really, really liked her. 

He continued trying to distract himself from those ideas with the ball, Sam coming back in just as Amelia came out of the bathroom, fresh in pajamas as she towel dried her hair. 

Just don't look at her. Don't think about her. Be cool. 

She came out and plopped onto the armchair across from the couch, legs tucked under her and raising an eyebrow at Sam, “and where is my dog?”

Sam raised his hands in defense, “he's on the porch in his bed. Safe and tired.”

Amelia laughed, looking over at Sebastian before rolling her eyes, you kept those silly things?”

He continued starting up, refusing to be caught off guard by one, “of course. It's easy, repetitive, and mind-numbing enough to distract from any real issues.”

She flinched at that, concerned it meant he was mad about the hug… But he held on so tightly. 

“So, Amelia, you've hung out with Shane for like three days!” Sam (sort of) chimed in, moving away from that conversation to another, less tense one. Sebastian scowled, glad no one could really see his face as Sam continued, “something going on that you're not telling us?” 

Amelia was taken aback by the question as the soft thumps of the ball hitting the ceiling grew a little louder. Sebastian wasn't trying to throw it harder, but here he was. 

“No, Sam,” she laughed, more awkward than convincing, “he's super nice once you get to know him! He's helping me get ready for the baby chicks to come tomorrow morning.”

The noise grew louder, no one noticing as Sebastian spoke, his tone colder than he meant for it to be, “so once you get past him telling you to fuck off, you just buy him pizza and beer until he's nice to you?”

She stared over at him, Sam's eyes shooting to him as well, shocked. Amelia couldn't help but smirk, grasping onto her suspicion, “well, yeah, he was kind of a dick at first, but he's getting it together! Quitting drinking, taking care of all of the chickens. He's really good with Jas–”

“Why don't you go marry him if you like him so much?” he murmured as he threw the ball up once more, though it seemed to stick a little more than he meant for it to. 

“Seb, dude…” Sam started, thinking the same as Amelia. She held her hand out to stop him as she shifted to face Sebastian. 

“...... Are you jealous?” she asked, her trembling voice masked only by a bit of a teasing tone. 

Sebastian sat up, his hand supporting himself as he shifted his position to face her, his expression a mix of panic and forced confusion. 

“What?” he looked over at Sam for a moment who had an incredulous look on his face. Immediately, he turned back to look at Amelia. He couldn't hide the crimson in his cheeks, his voice a normal tone despite his demeanor, “jealous? Why would I be jeal– ah, fuck!”

With a small smack sound, the ball finally released from the ceiling, landing on the top of Sebastian's head. Oddly, he was thankful. His hand moved to touch the spot, chucking the ball at Sam as he absolutely lost his mind in laughter, nearly falling over. Even Amelia’s hands held her side in laughter as she managed, “oh shit– worth every fucking penny.”

After a few seconds, even Sebastian had to laugh at himself. 

The three of them hung out for a few hours before the two men stood to leave. Sam’s arms flung around Amelia in a bear hug, “Goooooooodniiiiiiight!”

She yelped, but ultimately laughed as he set her down. 

Sebastian gave his signature smile and wave, not quite meeting her eyes as they headed for the door. 

“Hey, Seb,” she called after him, Sam stopping outside of the door, “I want to ask you something if you can stay for a minute?”

She was suddenly nervous as all hell, watching as he turned to look at Sam, who smiled and gave a shrug, “I know how to get home. Text me, dude,” he pointed at Sebastian, waving bye to Amelia, “you too, Amelia!”

They both gave their goodbyes before Sebastian stepped back in, shoving his hands in his pockets as she started, her voice too soft, “are you hungry?”

He blinked, looking over her face as she bit her bottom lip, a nervous habit. 

“Uh, I guess a little?” his brows furrowed as he walked to the kitchen island, leaning on the outside while she went to the fridge, pulling out the sashimi and offering a smile.

“It's fresh from this morning… I don't want it to go to waste,” she placed the small plate before him, a set of bamboo chopsticks resting on the side. He leaned on the counter across from him  

Despite himself, he smiled, picking up the chopsticks, “you really went all out, huh?” he tapped the little metal cup of soy sauce in the middle of the plate. She felt her cheeks go warm. 

“I want to make sure I can do the dish justice! And given your expertise…”

He laughed, eating the first bite, his hand over his mouth while he chewed. 

Dear Yoba. 

He closed his eyes for a moment and let out a noise not too far off from a moan, her cheeks growing even warmer as he opened his eyes and nodded, “Ames, this is fucking incredible.”

She laughed shaking her head and rolling her eyes, “okay, I'm glad you like it but there's no way it could be incredible,” her voice tapered at the end as he pointedly picked up a piece and held it over the soy sauce. 

“With or without?”

“Seb, I made it for–”

“With or without?” he asked, his voice more firm. She couldn't protest if she wanted to. 

“I uh… However you eat it?”

He chuckled and dipped it in just enough to add flavor before holding the chopsticks, hand cupped underneath to prevent dripping soy sauce. She went to reach for it, but he pulled it away, shaking his head, “not with your fingers, dingus,” he teased before holding it back out, “I'm not gonna stab you or anything, I promise.” 

She laughed and rolled her eyes before leaning in and eating the roll, chewing slowly as he studied her face for a reaction. He gave her an expectant look as she finished chewing. She paused for a long moment, her heart choosing her next words without consulting her mind. 

“I'm not into Shane like that.”

His smile faltered as they stared at one another, both of them seeming to hold their breath. He relented after a moment. 

“Okay…” he didn't know what to say. He wanted to not care, but he found himself relieved. 

She bit down on her lip, her heart sinking as she thought she misread him earlier, ”just… Letting you know.”

“I'm glad,” he nearly choked on the next bite, “wait, not glad you don't like him, glad that you told me?” he managed, finally bringing a small smile back to her lips.

She reached out and took his chopsticks, eating another piece with an appreciative hum. Though, she did rather like being fed to be fair. 

He faked offense before she gave them back. They finished the food like this, not realizing it was growing past 2 am. 

Her eyes widened and she stood, frowning. 

“Oh Yoba, it's 2 in the morning,” she looked at him, eyes wide, “how are you even going to see to–”

“Ames, I've gone home this late before, I'm okay,” he reassured her with a smile, stepping toward the door. She took a breath, nodding. 

“Right. I.. Never paid attention to the time the other night…” her voice quieted as she inadvertently brought it up, “I'm really sorry if I crossed a line, Seb.. I just knew what I'd need and I guess I–”

He reached out to touch her shoulder, effectively quieting her, “don't tell anyone, but it actually was really nice.”

A smile formed as she looked up at him, relieved beyond words. He hummed a quiet, “C’mere,” before using the hand on her shoulder to draw her into another hug. They both held on tight, exhaling the tension in a deep breath. 

After a long moment, he spoke, his voice almost inaudible, “I am glad you aren't into Shane.”

She could feel his heartbeat as she was sure he could feel hers. She squeezed a little tighter than before pulling back and looking over his face before leaning up to press a gentle kiss to his cheek. 

“I'm glad that you're glad.”

If his face weren't red before, it burned crimson now, his freckles almost completely hidden in his blush. Still, he smiled, backing up before turning toward the door. 

“Good night, Ames,” he hummed as she leaned on the door frame to watch him off. She smiled, giving him a small wave as he made his way down, turning around as he made it a few feet past the house, “actually, Ames?”

She arched her eyebrows, stepping out for a moment so she could see him better, “hmm? Everything alright?”

He ran a hand back through his hair, still taking small steps back, “wanna grab dinner with me sometime?”

Her smile grew as she watched him, “are you asking me on a date,” she teased, her inflection like that of before. 

“And what if I am?” she could hear the smile in his voice as his steps backward toward the path were as slow as he could make them. 

“I'll make us some more sashimi and I'll come to meet you by the lake. When?”

“Tomorrow? Around 4?” 

“I'll see you then,” she laughed, calling back as she walked into the house, “now turn around before you bust your ass!”

He laughed, the sound echoing over the farm.

[chaotictarlos]

Can you talk more about the dinner scene and the tags you have in that post?

Hell yes I can! I love that scene so much. (post in question: https://at.tumblr.com/chaotictarlos/704992524491800576/9pael9up6i14) I do have to apologize in advance because I'm about to ramble a lot and probably say a lot that you don't care about but I have a lot of thoughts about this episode.

So I firmly believe this episode and scene are vital in Tarlos' growth as a couple. It was a needed scene and even more of a needed moment between them.

TK comes in, right, and he's all like "hi baby" and answers Carlos' question about how the meeting was and while we as viewers can see that there is definitely something off about Carlos, TK doesn't see it yet. Not until he goes to kiss Carlos on the cheek and Carlos doesn't react and when TK says that what he's made smells amazing, Carlos says it's just chicken.

But it's the way he says it. I don't know about you but I've used that tone. It's my "I'm upset right now and I want you to ask but I also don't want to talk to you because I'm upset at you" kind of tone. It's the type of tone that, imo, a person uses when they're fed up and just done with a situation.

It's this moment that TK realizes, oh something is wrong. Here's a cute little gif just because. You can see TK realizing that Carlos is not okay. Like he barely says a word to TK and doesn't offer him food and we all know that acts of service is part of Carlos' love language. He's always feeding TK and his friends. It's what he does.

And TK is like, okay, need to figure out what's going on here.

I really love this moment, TK leaning against the doorframe and you can see him thinking things through and giving Carlos the space to talk first, to bring up what's bothering him so that TK can do something to fix it.

(side note for a moment for how from the time he sits down to the end of this scene Carlos' looks so small. He's not a small guy but here we see himself physically shrink into himself, making himself smaller and try not to take up so much space. It's like he's hoping that if he takes up less space than he can be what TK needs him to be, what he wants TK to need him to be.)

And then Carlos, our passive-aggressive king, goes "oh should I'm sorry, should I have been cooking for two? I figured by the time it was 8 o'clock you and Coop stooped for omelets."

And there it is, the one thing TK needed to make the situation click.

Carlos is holding onto a lot. We know that he's an anxious person, and as a fellow anxious person, I feel for him so much in this scene. We don't get to see Carlos' anxiety a lot. He's internalized everything about the situation with TK and has tried so hard to find ways to help because that's what he does. That's what I would do. He sees a situation, he sees the love of his life hurting and having to navigate being back to square one and having to regain his years of sobriety and Carlos so badly wants to help.

That's why he stays up and reads articles and tries to find solutions. It what he does. He takes care of people he loves. And in this case he can't do anything and it kills him.

It makes him feel so utterly hopeless. And I'm saying that as someone who has been in situations where all I've wanted to do is help those I care about and I couldn't. I felt useless.

And right now, Carlos feels useless but he doesn't know how to say that.

So it manifests in passive-aggressive ways, such as not making TK dinner.

And even though he's being passive-aggressive, he's still so willing to make TK something if TK says that he hasn't ate. Because at least it would mean that TK needed him for something.

And just, the way TK gives him space, gives him a chance to bring up what's wrong because they both know something is wrong just really gets to me. He doesn't push right away, allows Carlos the room to bring it up himself if he needs to.

And when he doesn't, TK asks him.

And Carlos does what I always do, what everyone always does:

"Is something wrong?"

"No"

Because of course, he's not going to outright admit to something being wrong. That would be too logical.

And then slipping in that he knows that TK called Cooper at three am and that is one of the roots of Carlos' problem and why he's upset. In TK needing someone, instead of rolling over and waking Carlos up, he reached out to someone else.

And Carlos can't understand why he did that. Because for Carlos, he would turn to TK if he needed someone in the middle of the night. It makes sense to Carlos to reach for TK, because they're partners so he can't wrap his mind around why.

And the way this entire scene is handled and how TK handles it, just shows so much growth, imo.

And then TK does this little nod, because now he's caught up and he knows somewhat what's going on. I also need to point out that, faced with this confrontation he doesn't run, he doesn't try to deflect but stays and talks to Carlos.

I like how TK asks if Carlos is mad at him for calling his sponsor because he's trying to narrow things down. And of course, Carlos isn't mad at him for that, he never would be mad at TK for calling his sponsor when he needs to. What Carlos is upset about is that he wasn't TK's first choice. And he can't understand that.

It seems so simple, even though it's not.

And Carlos is sitting there, fighting with his anxiety, fighting with his doubts, fighting these internal battles that he hasn't let TK in on because he doesn't want to burden TK with them. (of course, I could be projecting my own anxiety struggles with this but it fits)

The line that gets me every single time in this scene is "just trying to figure out what my place is"

Because he doesn't know. His love language is acts of service and he's being denied being able to do that - not intentionally, of course - so he doesn't know what to do. He doesn't know where he fits into TK's life in this moment. If he can't help TK than what's his point? What role is he supposed to play?

And god damn, I feel that so fucking much. I feel for Carlos. I feel the insecurity he feels here. I feel the anxiety. The hurt that he feels. They're all such valid feelings too! Like he's valid for where he's at and what he's feeling. He's human. He's allowed to be upset. He's in a situation that he has no experience with and it's upsetting.

The love of his life was just forced to overdose, to break his sobriety and Carlos so badly wants to fix it but he can't and he's not sure what he can do. He hasn't been told his place in this. He just wants to help and he can't and he feels useless.

"just trying to figure out what my place is" is a plea for TK to tell him what he needs. It's Carlos, being vulnerable, asking TK what he wants from him.

And when TK tells Carlos he wasn't the one he needed to talk to, Carlos takes that personally because he doesn't understand. He thinks it's because he's not enough for TK. That he can't provide for him all the ways that Carlos thinks he's supposed to.

We romanticize this notion that our significant others are supposed to be the be-all, end-all for us. We're supposed to turn to them for everything. We're supposed to help them through their darkest times and have them help us through ours. It's beaten into our brains from the time that we are kids that our SO's are the perfect other half, that "you don't need anyone else other than your partner" and that couldn't be more wrong. Our support system can not and should not begin and end with our significant others.

And knowing that Carlos' parents are traditional, he probably learned that too.

When TK says that, it's like conformation to Carlos that TK doesn't need him and that's not what TK is saying at all.

And then, we have TK telling Carlos that Cooper's straight and I've seen people give shit about that line but I think it's valid.

TK's been cheated on and you bet your ass that's now a fear of his and with Carlos being so upset that TK is reaching out to another man in the middle of the night, spending time with him - and while he has valid reasons and he's not sneaking around or trying to do anything - TK can see that it might not look that way and even though Carlos hasn't said he's worried that TK is cheating, TK wants to reassure him that he's not.

And I think that's very valid of TK. He recognizes it before it's even an issue because it shouldn't be an issue and he wants Carlos to know that he doesn't have to worry about TK getting feelings for his sponsor.

And I think it's also a subtle way of TK telling Carlos "you're not being replaced."

Also this:

"I don't think you're cheating with the guy TK."

"Not physically."

Because we've all heard of emotional cheating. I know this part isn't a favorite of people's and I've seen a lot of people have problems with it but it was needed. They needed to have this bit of a conversation for both their sakes. Carlos needed that reassurance even if he acts like he didn't. I don't think at any point Carlos thought TK was cheating, but it's still a thought that sometimes crosses the minds of even the most logical individuals.

"It feels like he's getting getting pieces of you that I don't."

"You don't want those pieces."

"I do. I want all of it."

"You have all of me, Carlos."

I keep saying it, I know, but this exchange, it's just so much. Carlos feels so much and it's so fucking beautiful. TK knows what he needs, he knows that those darker pieces of himself aren't pretty, they aren't good and they aren't easy to deal with and he doesn't want to burden Carlos with them. They're hard pieces.

But he's trying to tell Carlos that he gets the pieces that matter. He doesn't have to have the dark parts, the parts that ache for a fix, the parts that make him shake and itch for another high. Carlos doesn't have to have those parts because they'll just worry him. TK does give Carlos all of him, and him not getting the pieces where TK is desperate for a fix isn't bad.

Because TK isn't treating Carlos like his sponsor or therapist. That's not Carlos role in his life. Carlos isn't his sponsor and he isn't his therapist. TK has people who fill that role.

And then, the heartbreaking line of Carlos saying "I'm not enough, you mean."

In this one case, he's not and I love that TK affirms that and then explains why. He's not saying that Carlos isn't enough for him to be mean or to hurt Carlos, he's saying it to try and get Carlos to understand that sometimes TK needs people that has been in that situation. That knows what it's like to be high, to be addicted to drugs, to spend their time trying to find the next fix.

It's not bad that Carlos can't fit that role.

And, I don't know, they just do it so beautifully here. TK gets riled up, he gets a little emotional and his voice isn't perfectly calm but he's also upset but not trying to show it. It's here that he, imo, tries to get Carlos to see that this entire situation isn't about Carlos.

TK's addiction isn't about Carlos. It's not something that Carlos can fix and TK needs Carlos to understand that and I think the way TK explains it here is so right on. It's kind, but firm. It's an explanation that does tell Carlos that no, he's not enough but that's okay because TK has people to help him with that.

TK has people that help him get home because he wants to come home to Carlos.

"And if that means sometimes I'm late getting home just know it's only so I will get home, Carlos"

That line will always be a favorite of mine. I think it sums it all up so perfectly. He's doing it all - calling his sponsor, staying out late at meetings, taking extra time with Cooper - so that he will make it home to Carlos, the one he loves and wants to spend his life with.

TK can't and doesn't want to burden Carlos with all of that dark because he knows how impactful it can be on a relationship. It's not Carlos' job to shoulder that burden and he shouldn't have to. He might think he has to, but he doesn't, and TK knows that.

That line just sums it up so well, and even though Carlos doesn't respond, it's obvious that he gets it. He gets it even more when he comes home and TK is there, hurting and shutting down, and Carlos' experiences first hand that TK needs more.

Coming back to my original line, I know I've said a lot and if you've read this far thank you, but this was vital to their relationship. It showed growth in both characters. It showed TK not running, but sitting down and having a needed discussion. It showed Carlos being vulnerable, letting TK in, letting his walls down.

It's truly a beautiful scene that I think says so much about their relationship.

It speaks a lot about where they were and where they're at. It's amazing.

This touch, this kiss, the way TK smooths his hand down the back of Carlos' head was such a simple, subtle way to say "It's okay, we're okay, I love you and it's going to be okay."

I really wish we had see the conversation they have after this - because I fully believe they have one and maybe I'll write it - because I don't think they're ones to go to bed upset or angry.

[nichoskittycorner]

In the Coop (Farm Hybrid AU)

>> Expanding the farm was always part of the plan, but expanding the family wasn't… oh well, this seems to be a pattern 

Word count: 3.8k

A/N: Meeting Taki the chick! A purely fluff piece that I had a lot of fun writing <3

 After Nicholas had joined your little duo, there were now more hands to help around the farm. Euijoo had a friend to be around when you weren't there and extra help so the work day ended sooner. 

  Granted, Nicholas was a bit of a 'lazy bones' and could be found lounging around anywhere before the work started. Sometimes in his cat form so he was more well hidden. Euijoo always being the one to lecture him and has to drag him to his post. 

  It turned into a bit of a game for the feline. Hiding in more intricate places and meowing and hissing loudly when caught. Turning into a puddle of fuzz and attitude as Euijoo carried him. 

  But when you would approach him, Nicholas would instantly be up and ready to help. He only admitted it to you but he enjoyed teasing Euijoo and having him carry him around. His confession made you laugh and there was a silent agreement to keep it between you both. 

  As you all adjusted to a comfortable routine, you also formulated a plan to expand your ventures. Why not-? The fruit harvest was good but it wasn't a year-round thing. A plentiful season would help get you through the off-season but it was better to still have a source of income year round. 

  And so, you brought up the idea of raising chickens and selling the eggs. Nicholas thought it was silly but Euijoo actually started to make plans. Where you could get some chickens, should they build the coop yourselves, how to store the eggs, and how you guys would balance the responsibility and maintenance. 

  That's the great part about Euijoo. He was always thinking ahead and was such a great help whenever you needed him. You pat his fluffy hair, making him smile warmly. His tail swung happily as you praised him. 

  Nicholas didn't intend to pout but it sure was obvious. Crossing his arms and looking away as his face burned red. Upon noticing this, you used your free hand and pet him as well. 

  "You're a good boy too Nicho." Nicholas nodded, trying to keep a cool expression but his fuzzy bits gave away how happy he actually was.  

  Although you had been distracted by offering out some pets, it seemed the plan would be set. The farm would be getting some feathery friends soon. 

  >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

  Within a few weeks, you had managed to get a nice chicken coop built and had some chickens on the way! They were supposed to be delivered later this afternoon so the final touches were being reviewed. 

  It was painted a cute blue and white with a little fence surrounding it so they couldn't just run off into the sunset. You hoped they couldn't just chew a hole through it either…

  Well, your worrying seemed to make time fast forward, before you knew it a knock resounded from the door. You made it to the door first, much to the discontent of your protective friends. They still watched over your shoulder as you spoke to the friendly man at the door. 

  You showed him to the backyard where the chicken coop was already prepared. He was quite impressed with the preparedness and how nice the place looked. Expressing his relief that his chickens would be going to a nice home. 

  Your heart swelled with pride upon getting his compliments. He even returned your smile but it quickly faded with the glares burning into him from behind your back. Not like you didn't notice, you just thought it was funnier to not acknowledge their overprotective nature in this moment. 

  After helping move the chickens and giving you a quick tutorial on how to handle them, he bid his feathery companions goodbye and left you all to get acquainted. 

  From outside the fence, you watched the chickens and the little chicks with them move around and get familiar and comfortable in their new home. Walking around, pecking at the ground, and some even staring at you with curiosity. 

  With Nicholas on your left and Euijoo on your right, you all started to take turns naming them. Most of them were silly or cute but it was all in good fun. 

  But what seemed to be a new routine, Euijoo was staring quite hard at one of the chicks. Resting your hand on his shoulder, you felt his body jump from underneath your touch. 

  "What's wrong? You found a new rival or something in a chick?" Euijoo burned red in the face and shook his head. You giggled and reached over, picking up the yellow fluffy ball of feathers that Euijoo's eyes were trained on, and sat down. 

  The chick wasn't fidgety and actually seemed to enjoy resting in your lap. Chirping a bit and closing his eyes as you pet him softly. "Oh, what should we name him? I think he might be a house chicken!" 

  Nicholas leaned over and gently petted the chick, making his feathers rustle a bit but he settled. "He's a cute little thing. Deserves a cute name too. Like Maru-" 

  The chick ruffled his little feathers in obvious disapproval. Both Nicholas and Euijoo were surprised by his reaction. But one of them cooed at the little fluff ball and the other stared in surprise.  

  "Well, I think Maru is cute." You smiled and kissed his forehead, the chick calming instantly. It seemed like he accepted the name as you set him back into the pen with the other chickens. 

   With the help of Nicholas and Euijoo, you managed to corral the chickens into the coop and close the door. Bidding the new family members goodnight and heading back inside. 

  As you got settled for the night, Nicholas shifted into his cat form and jumped into bed with you. Curling up into your neck and purring. 

  Euijoo on the other hand was pacing back and forth by the foot of the bed. Deep in thought as he marched circles round and round. 

  "What's up Juju?" 

  "Just thinking is all. Did any of those chickens seem strange to you guys?" 

  You and Nicholas looked at each other before facing Euijoo once again, conveying the same wordless idea, 'I didn't see anything'. 

  Maybe Euijoo was going crazy. But he knows he smelled something off with one of them. Not only smelled, but one of them acted strange. Or maybe he was just overthinking. After all, he's never met chickens before. How could he decide what was normal? 

  Still, he remained a bit on edge. Noticing this, you opened your arms to him. Never being one to reject your affection, he easily slid into place and snuggled into your embrace. 

  "Now rest up you silly cow. You'll see your fluffy friends tomorrow, bright and early." Euijoo huffed but relaxed anyway. Quickly drifting off to sleep with his mind full of chickens.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

    The next morning, Euijoo was up and outside earlier than usual. The sun was barely peeking over the horizon, giving the dark blues of the sky a slightly orange tint to it. 

  He could barely sleep the night before. And now checking the time, he decided to take a walk to clear his mind. His steps were slow and lazy as he sauntered through the rows of orange trees. A slightly citrus scent mixed with the crisp morning hair relaxed his nerves. 

  His fingers brushed into the leaves, collecting tiny drops of the morning dew on his skin. Fluffy tail trailed behind lazily drawing the path which he took in the dirt. 

  Euijoo was curious and slightly distraught. Was he really overthinking this? They were just some chickens - even if one of them was a hybrid or something, what's the worst they could do? 

  They're all balls of feathers- maybe one can bite pretty hard but with Euijoo's strong physique due to his cow genes, he would be fine with protecting you and Nicholas… that's if Nicholas wanted to be protected. Not that he cared if he didn't- but Euijoo felt obligated to anyway. 

   By the time Euijoo reasoned with himself and returned to the farmhouse, the sun had risen more now. Bathing the day in a brighter yellow but still not having completely risen over the horizon. 

   You and Nicholas had just stepped outside. Nicholas stretched out, letting out a typical loud cat yawn and extending his claws before shaking himself back to normal. “Ah, Juju! There you are!” Nicholas waved enthusiastically before hopping off the porch and jogging to close the gap. 

  Pulling Euijoo into a side hug, slinging his arm over his shoulder, and dragging him along towards the chicken coop. 

  “Hey! At least give me a moment Nicho-” 

  “Nope. You had us worried for a minute there so no moment!” 

  Euijoo groaned, loud enough for you to hear. You couldn't hold back your laughter as you followed behind them. Their banter filled up the once quiet morning. 

   The whining stopped suddenly when Euijoo finally had the coop in full view. He couldn't be seeing this correctly- How in the world was there a chick on top of the coop?! 

  Detangling himself from his feline friend, he rushed forward and scooped up the chick before it could move. “Gotcha! How in the world did you do that?!” 

  He held up the fluffy yellow bird to his eye level- was he trying to intimidate a chicken?... 

   Nicholas was sure he had lost his mind at this point. Approaching him and taking the chick out of his hands. “Euijoo relax- you're scaring the fluff ball.” He scolded sarcastically as he petted the chick, getting little chirps of satisfaction in response. 

  Euijoo burned red in the face. There's no way he looked that crazy! Looking to you for help or to confirm his suspicion. You gave him a small smile and pat his fluffy ears. “Okay, I'll admit, it is a little strange since I'm sure we closed it up last night. Maybe we just missed one and he got up here to stay safe last night.” 

  That did sound reasonable but Euijoo wasn't completely convinced yet. Watching as you cooed at Maru. “You poor thing, you must've been so scared! We'll make sure to get you in the coop tonight okay?” You placed a kiss on his feathery forehead. 

   “We can go over this later- for now, we still have work to do today!” Nicholas and Euijoo both whined- which you knew they were only doing to be bratty. They never had an issue with actually working. Well, Euijoo didn't at least. 

  Setting Maru into the grass, he chirped again and rubbed against your leg before hopping away and pecking into the grass nonchalantly. 

   You giggled and opened the coop for the others to come out. Euijoo and Nicholas took on the duty of feeding and changing their water as you got a count on the eggs that were laid overnight. 

   It was always comforting to work with these guys so closely. Even if words weren't spoken, you all felt a sense of closeness through the sweaty and dirty work. 

  Speaking of closeness, Maru was rubbing against you the entire time. Bumping his soft little head against your hand or into your leg so you would know he was there. Following you around from nest to nest and even tried to follow you out of the pen when the chicken duties were complete. 

  Maru seemed to almost sulk at you leaving, making you giggle and wish you could take him with you. But you needed your hands free and as small as he was, you were sure something would snatch him up the second you turned your back. 

  Euijoo raised an eyebrow seeing the chick react in such a way. Nudging Nicholas slightly with his elbow to get his attention. “Do you see that?” 

  “Yeah, a really enthusiastic chick…” 

  “Almost, human like you would say?” 

  “... Maybe you've been in the sun too long Ju.” 

  “Oh come on!” He flicked his tail harshly, whipping his friend in the back and making him jump. Falling down dramatically and meowing loudly in fake pain. 

   “Oh the pain! Betrayed by my closest friend! Ah, I can see the light now-” Clutching his heart and clinging to Euijoo's leg with well-practiced flair. 

  Euijoo rolled his eyes and squatted down. Picking up the cat hybrid by his waist and tossing him over his shoulder with ease. “You're beyond a drama queen, you know that?” 

  Nicholas just started purring in content, relaxing as he was carried to the next task. Wagging his tail slowly as he enjoyed the free ride to the orange grove. 

   You had been following close behind them at this point. Enjoying their playfulness before joining them. Leaning against Euijoo's free side and practically dropping your weight on him. 

  He didn't need to ask any more questions after seeing your pouty expression. Scooping you up by the waist and tossing you over his shoulder in a similar manner. Carrying both you and Nicholas over his shoulders like neither of you weighed anything. 

  You couldn't help but giggle when Nicholas winked at you. Petting Euijoo's soft ears to thank him, watching as his tail wagged in response as he said nothing. But you all knew that his face was burning bright red as he marched on wordlessly. 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

    Days passed and Euijoo still had his eyes trained on Maru almost 24/7. Watching every little move that fluffball made with close scrutiny. 

  Even when you and Nicholas would play and entertain the little bird, he was watching. Maybe he was overthinking (again). But his gut was right last time, so he was sure he was right again. 

  He didn't think he meant harm, just that he would prefer to know the truth of his identity. Euijoo was naturally cautious so this wasn't strange. But once he had his answers, he was the biggest sweetheart around. 

  Heck, his walls were already crumbling the more time that went by. He would find himself cooing and petting his soft feathers, giggling when he tried to flap his little wings to get up to your faces, and would only fall over time and time again. 

  He brought such joy into your lives in a way that the other chickens didn't. He was really special, bearing such a sweet soul in him. 

  And as much as Euijoo was ready to accept that maybe he was just a special chicken, his gut feeling was finally proven right. 

  It was a cool and cloudy night, a gentle breeze swaying the fields of distant wheat in a soothing chorus. The three of you decided to enjoy some nice drinks out on the porch and unwind. 

  At some point, you decided to take a walk around the farm, never actually getting tired of the view and ambiance. It put your soul at ease as you made the usual route. 

   Even if you started the walk alone, your two guard dogs known as Euijoo and Nicholas weren't far behind. In a rare moment, they were quiet as they followed behind. Not out of some bitterness but the world called for stillness and so they would respond as such. 

  Nearing the chicken coop, you smiled fondly taking in the memories you all had already built here. But the moment was cut short when you saw something that never was there. 

  Sitting on the top of the coop, was something that resembled the form of a human. Resting peacefully as their nose pointed towards the sky. They hadn't noticed your presence and you were baffled on what to do. 

  Was this some trespasser? Someone who was lost and decided to rest here? Or maybe a thief who was beyond terrible at their job? 

   You had frozen, allowing for the pair behind you to catch up. Taking notice of what you were seeing, they formulated a plan. Nicholas could silently approach from behind with Euijoo close behind, restraining them until you had your answers. 

  You wanted to help but you knew it was better to not get in their way. They had their nerves about them but something primal took over when it was time to protect and defend. 

   The plan was put into action, Nicholas stalking quietly towards the figure with perfect grace. His steps were silent and careful as he moved closer. 

  His nose twitched with the familiar scent of the coop, trying to push it out of his mind to try to catch the scent of the stranger instead. But yet, he couldn't distinguish a separation. 

  He could be unnerved about it later- he needed to secure them first and ask questions later. Once he was close enough, he got into position- squatting and flicking his ears back. 

  Clearing his mind, he flexed his claws and pounced. Tackling the person off the coop and to the ground. A loud squeak left the stranger in surprise as Nicholas pinned them down. Euijoo springs into action and aids him in holding down the stranger. 

  “Ah!? What's going on? Let me go!” The voice was definitely young as they squirmed in their grasp, not even budging a little bit. 

  You came around to see who the stranger was- only with the bright moonlight to illuminate their face, you tried to see who they were. 

  Your eyes landed on a round-cheeked, bright-eyed blond boy. His face seemed to be stuck in a pout as he tried to break free still. Giving up once he realized they wouldn't let him go so easily. 

  “Who are you, and what are you doing here? This is trespassing you know.” 

  “Nu-uh! I live here!” The boy nudged his head in the direction of the coop. 

  The three of you froze. Nicholas dug his nose into the boy's hair and down to his neck as he sniffed intensely. Pausing before trying again. 

  “Did you catch something Nicho?” His tail twitched as he tried to put words together, his eyebrows knotted in thought.

   “I don't get it- he really does smell just like the chickens. Specially-” 

  “Maru. Right?” Euijoo finally chimed in. Letting go of the boy's legs and standing to join you. Nicholas was a bit more cautious in releasing him, still holding his arm to ensure he didn't run. Sitting him up so he could speak better.

  The boy nodded eagerly. “Yes! I'm Maru- well Taki, but you call me Maru!” The way his head bobbed made you realize a part of his hair stood up like little feathers. It was cute but you needed to focus.  

  “So you are a hybrid? Prove it-” Nicholas didn't even get to add on a potential intimidation threat before the boy shifted into his familiar fluffy yellow form. Chirping and flapping his wings eagerly before turning back. 

  “See! See! I told you! I promise I didn't mean to cause trouble.” He sulked a bit, making your heart break seeing it. 

Euijoo patted his head, moving his hair so it was out of his face. A wide grin spreads across his face before turning to you and Nicholas. “I told you.” 

   You giggled and Nicholas rolled his eyes. “We can debate your hybrid radar later, for now, let's focus.” 

  Taki was really cute, and he didn't look like he meant any harm. “So, how did you end up with the chickens?” You asked as you dusted him off a bit. 

  “Oh, that- they're like my family! I lived with them for a long time. My actual family are chicken farmers, but I wanted an adventure. So I told them and they agreed and now I'm the guardian of the coop!” His chest puffed out proudly, only now did you realize his little tail feathers flicking around as he spoke. 

  “Hm, now that you mention it, I did find it suspicious he was the only male in a coop full of female chickens-” 

  “You just noticed everything don't you detective bovine?” 

  “Maybe if you weren't spending your afternoons napping all over the house, you'd notice a thing or two as well.” 

  The two continued to bicker as you focused back on Taki. “So, why didn't you show yourself sooner?” 

  Taki shrugged before his feathers flicked again. “I don't know. I don't know how I would say anything either?” 

  Fair but still, you felt bad that this young boy was just spending all his days and nights out here without anyone knowing he was here. “Well, I'm glad we found you. Do you wanna stay with us?” 

  He thought for a second before turning down the offer. “I can't, I have to stay here and protect them-” 

  You rested your hand on his shoulder, massaging it slowly to ease his tension. “Don't worry Taki, they're safe here. And you can watch sometimes, but every night is simply insane.” Giving a lighthearted chuckle to raise his mood, the boy started to think once again. 

   “Well um… I suppose.” 

  “Perfect, you'll even have your own room and I hope you like cuddles-” You whispered to him before pointing at the bickering pair, “-they're huge cuddlebugs too believe it or not!” 

  Taki giggled and you couldn't help but coo at him like you've done countless times before. Pulling him into a hug and petting his soft hair. Helping him up and heading back towards the farmhouse. Telling the boy about his new home as you both went in. 

  Completely forgetting about Euijoo and Nicholas still bickering in the coop as the night droned on and you welcomed the newest member home. 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

     The next morning, you showed Taki around his new home in the early morning. You planned on showing him around the groves, the greenhouse, and even the barn. His post would mostly be chicken care and protection so he just needed to be familiar with the place. 

  As the two you walked and chatted, you had your arm around his shoulder protectively- where such an instinct came from, you didn't know. But Taki leaned into your arms and even let you poke his cheeks, which you were sure would turn into a habit.

  They were just too soft and squishy and you loved them and him already. Talking as you circled back to the coop to drop off the adorable hybrid for the day. 

  Although, you were met with a pretty neat surprise. Exactly where you had left them the night before- Euijoo and Nicholas were still there, now asleep but cuddled up together. Tails wrapped up together as their arms hugged one another tightly. 

  They looked so cute you wouldn't have imagined they were bickering only a couple of hours ago. Faces smashed together by the cheeks as they were probably complaining up until the very last second as exhaustion took over. 

  Taki looked perplexed but you waved it off. “Maybe we should come back later. Wanna help me tend to other things in the meantime?” He nodded without hesitation, allowing you to snap a quick photo as you headed back inside until they woke up. 

[drabblesandimagines]

Rubber Duck

Pairings: Sebastian x Reader

Wordcount: 1195

Sebastian had said he’d come round for a movie tonight but it was now past 7pm and he was yet to materialize. You had rang but it had gone straight to voicemail – he was pretty bad at charging the thing. Maybe he was asleep? You thought about ringing the house phone, but you knew that would involve Robyn going downstairs and Sebastian felt self-conscious about that, so you settled on walking over to his house.

It was summer, so the evening was light enough for you to take the back route to his house in under ten minutes, rather than going through town and definitely getting waylaid with everyone else you'd no doubt bump into on a summer's eve. You also thought in case he was now rushing over to yours, you’d at least collide.

As you approached the house, you saw your boyfriend leaning up against a tree out of eyesight of any windows – deep in thought as he puffed away at a cigarette. It was the one thing you didn’t like, but he was working on cutting down at least.

“Hey, good-lookin’!” You called when you got close enough, startling the black-haired man. He blushed – god, you loved when he got all flustered – and he bent down and retrieved the soup can from the trunk that he used to stash used cigarette butts. Although he would joke about it, really the last thing he wanted to do was burn down the place.

“Y/N, hey…” he smiled shyly, pulling you forward for a kiss. He’d also switched to menthol cigarettes after you’d confessed you hated having to wait for him to have a mint or brush his teeth to kiss him after he’d partook. “Where are you off to?”

“Did you forget?” You frowned.

He stared blankly at you for a moment before cursing. “I’m so sorry, is that tonight? I completely forgot. Ugh, I’m such an idiot…”

“Hey, it’s okay,” you interrupted, taking hold of his hand. “It’s fine, the evening’s still young. What’s got you so worked up anyway? I tried calling but your phone was off too.”

“I can’t get this piece of the module working. I’ve spent all day on it and it’s still not doing what I want it to. I’m meant to have it in tomorrow morning. I’m really sorry, I’m gonna have to cancel on you and spend the rest of the night trying to work it out. I only came out here to see if a smoke break would reset my mind.” He let out an exasperated sigh. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’m a terrible boyfriend.”

“Only I’m the judge of that, and I disagree. Please, how many times have I cancelled our plans for a farm emergency? Remember when I made you spend the whole evening finding the chickens? A terrible boyfriend would never."

You were meant to head into Zuzu City for the evening on his motorcycle, but when he’d arrived to pick you up he’d found you in a complete panic. Something had spooked the chickens and a few had failed to return home. You couldn’t bear for them to spend a night out in the open and the result was you and him trawling Cindersap Forest in the pitch black tracking them down, eventually collapsing in bed at 3am after safely returning them to the coop.

“How could I refuse when you were sobbing about being a terrible chicken mama?” He jabbed you in the side, teasingly.

“Chicken Protective Services would’ve been right on me!” You chuckled at your own joke. “Can I help in any way? I’m no coder, of course, but…”

“Thanks, but it’s okay. I’d ask you to come in but trust me, it’ll be boring and I’ll just be muttering angrily to myself about why the stupid thing doesn’t work.”

An idea suddenly popped into your head. Back in the dark days of working in the Joja Corporation offices, you’d overheard a couple of the developers chatting at the water cooler as they filled up their cups in the 2.5 minute hydration “break” you were allowed. One had been grumbling to another about some of his code not working. “Gotta rubber duck it, man!”

“Oh, please,” the other sighed. “No-one really does that.”

“They do, and it works.” He stressed in reply, before they headed back towards their computers.

Upon return to your desk, you’d quickly pulled up a web search for “rubber duck coding” and read an article about the so-called rubber duck theory, where programmers would read aloud code, or the process of which, to a non-judgmental rubber duck and, more often than not, the error would reveal itself.

“Well, what if I’m your rubber duck?”

He raised an eyebrow at that.

“I mean, I heard about this thing years ago – rubber duck theory?”

“Oh…” He smiled. “Yeah, I’ve heard of it.”

“Well, I can be your rubber duck! I know about as much about coding as a rubber duck does, but I could smile back…? At least give it a go,” you pleaded, grabbing hold of his hand and squeezing. “I hate to see you so frustrated.”

“It’s worth a shot, I guess… I’ve tried everything else. Only if you're sure - you’re gonna be so bored, Y/N.”

“I don’t know, you listen to me ramble about farm stuff all the time. Plus, I’m never bored when there’s such a cutie to look at.” Sebastian’s face flushed pink once again.

“See, that’s gotta stop. Rubber ducks do not flirt.”

“Maybe I’m a themed rubber duck, they have those, you know?”

He grabbed hold of your hand and started pulling you up towards his house, “No, I’m pretty sure this theory only works with a standard rubber duck.”

“Ugh, fine. I promise to be a normal, stoic rubber duck.” You held up your free hand in an oath as your boyfriend unlocked the front door and led you down towards his bedroom.

--

It took a couple of hours but you stayed true to you word and only smiled, with the occasional nod as Sebastian took you through all the code, explaining what he was trying to achieve in complete layman terms - briefly explaining arguments, algorithms, arrays, functions, variables – until he paused mid-sentence and scrolled back a couple of lines.

“Ugh, it’s right there!” He typed furiously, explaining what had gone wrong. You really hoped he wouldn’t ask you to reiterate the problem because it had gone right over your head at the speed he’d explained it… After a moment, he enthusiastically hit enter, running the module and beamed.

“There – finally! Ugh, that’s a relief. Thanks, sweetheart.” He got up and sat next to you on the bed and leant in for a kiss which you happily accepted, before pulling back after a moment, a curious look upon your face.

“What?” He frowned.

“Just thinking about that if rubber ducks don’t flirt, how can they kiss?” You pondered.

 Sebastian rolled his eyes before patting you on the head. “Good rubber duck.”

“No… I’ve changed my mind. I think I’m ready to go back to my human life.” And you pinned him down on the bed in a passionate kiss.

[imtryingmybeskar]

Come Home Chapter Sixteen

Joel Miller x F! Reader

Word count: 4360

Joel is still not himself, reader decides she'd rather not deal with his moods and infected abound in the woods...

Warnings for swearing and canon typical violence.

Come Home

Chapter Sixteen- Try And Try

Avoiding Joel was easier than you thought it would be, and you suspected that was because he was avoiding you too. You had no idea what excuses he was feeding Ellie about why there had been such a dramatic shift in your interactions, but you ensured that you kept yourself busy enough that they could at least partially be backed up by the fact that you really didn’t have much time to yourself.

Farming was not something that you had ever attempted in earnest before and it was easy to slide into the rhythm of it to forget your other troubles, though the work itself was backbreaking and intense. You learned about calving and farrowing, how to prepare the land for intensive crop farming, helped to fortify the paddocks and fences around the pasture, repaired chicken coops, dug drainage ditches and fetched and carried an endless supply of tools to the blacksmith for repairs and upgrades. On a smaller scale, you also started your own compost heap, began to tend herbs and chilli plants in your own house and garden and every time you went out on patrol you ensured you came home with as much foraged fruit as you could.

Ellie was distinctly disgruntled that you seemed to take to the fields in a way that she could not, but she threw herself into her assigned chores with you, the promise from Maria that she would be allowed to accompany you to hunt outside the walls a powerful incentive. She was running a gamut of emotions of her own about what was going on, spanning quiet confusion to evident exasperation, and it hurt you to see her like this. It had been three weeks since you had returned, and during that time she had made various attempts to wheedle information out of you – asking leading questions, dancing around the subject, but you kept your silence about it all. Joel was her father, you were her friend. It wasn’t your place to tell her the events of the museum trip, and you didn’t want to broach anything around the subject too deeply anyway in case you accidentally let something slip about her birthday surprise.

“Did um…did you and Joel fight?” Her voice breaks into your concentration as you crouch before a particularly fiddly bit of broken chicken wire and you stand straight, stretching your back and wiping the sweat from your brow before answering her now direct line of questioning.

“No. Why?”

“I dunno. Just seems like you’re not coming around as much anymore.”

This was true. The very few times you had gone over to spend an evening with them, you had made yourself scarce after Ellie had made her usual excuses to leave. She seemed to be the only glue holding you and Joel together right now, and you had no real desire to be around him if she wasn’t there. He was beyond taciturn now, he was actively surly. Giving clipped, begrudging, surface level conversation that was usually polite but never warm.

“No, we’re good. We’re just both busy right now. Springtime,” you add by way of weak explanation.

“And he seems a little more…on edge than usual.”

“How do you mean?”

“He just…I dunno…he’s just more irritable than usual. And you haven’t been on patrol together in ages. He’s always with Tommy and you’re always with Vanessa.”

“Well, I think the dam is playing up again,” you answer. “Tommy needs all hands that can be spared to make repairs. You know Joel is good at that stuff.”

Ellie rolls her eyes. “Oh come on. I’m not stupid you know.”

You sigh deeply and cast around to find a way to explain what has happened while still not quite understanding it yourself.

“I know you’re not. You’re one of the smartest people I know. We haven’t argued, I promise. The dam really does need work and spring is one of the busiest seasons. We just don’t have time to hang out right now.”

“So why’s he so pissy recently?”

You resume crouching in front of the chicken coop and bend to your work again. “That you will have to take up with him. I have no idea what goes on in that head of his.”

If you were honest with yourself, you had noticed the change in him that Ellie had. He stamped around town with an air of grumpy malice these days, though you had been telling the truth when you said that you didn’t understand why. You had been racking your brains, trying to think if you had said anything that might have upset or offended him on that night, but had come up short every time. From what you could tell, he had woken up in a bad mood to relieve you of your watch and never really come out of it. The only conclusion you could draw was that he was pissed off at you, and you could think of only one event that might have precipitated this change in attitude. Well, if he was going to act like a dick about the whole thing, you were going to give him as wide a berth as you could. You even briefly considered moving into a different house, but the thought of starting all over again and getting used to a whole new living space was so exhausting that you dismissed it almost immediately.

There had only been one encounter where you had come into close proximity with him alone in the time you had been back in Jackson and it had been painful in several ways. You had been about to take your horse out to go scouting with Vanessa. The stables were fairly dark at the best of times, so you hadn’t seen him until you had moved right into the building and your eyes had adjusted from the bright spring day outside. He was clearly just on his way out somewhere himself as he was adjusting the straps of the saddle as you approached. You stopped still, freezing as if there was a brick wall ahead of you instead of the man you had once wanted to be so close to.

“Oh. Hi,” was all you could manage in your surprise.

“Hi,” he said shortly, giving you the briefest of glances before turning his attention back to his horse and dismissing you from his gaze.

The silence that fell was, inevitably, awkward. Your brain was screaming at you to fill it, to say something, anything. Ask about Ellie. Ask about the dam. Ask how his latest guitar project was coming along. But your mouth wouldn’t obey the commands of your mind.

“Guess you’re here for Amber,” you ventured. Fucking STUPID thing to say you internally berated yourself.

“Yup.” The brevity, the coldness of his tone hit you in the chest with force. This was far beyond even the aloof Ruggedly Handsome you had known. This was sullenness bordering on being actively rude and the hurt of it flared your anger in your chest. You hadn’t said anything more, merely prepared your own horse, and you hadn’t even spared him a glance as you heard him lead Amber away into the street beyond. You had tried. Poor and pathetic as the attempt had been, you had still tried. He had shut you down entirely. He was now actively ignoring you, or was so distant that he might as well be. And you weren’t willing to keep trying if he was going to behave like that.

On the day that you’re due to take Ellie hunting you’re up bright and early to make your preparations. You’ve ensured that your bows are in top condition, that you have a good supply of arrows for the both of you, and that your back up weapons are also fully loaded and well maintained. You had hopes that you might shoot some rabbits, but just in case larger game was taken down you had sourced a sled from a neighbour, their ten year old happy to loan it now that there was no snow to play on. Just as you’re finishing packing some food for you both, a knock comes at the door.

“Come in,” you yell, assuming Ellie will come bounding in demanding to know why you aren’t ready yet. But instead –

“Hi.”

Joel’s soft voice comes from behind you, startling you so badly that you drop the knife you’re holding to the counter with a clatter.

“Hi,” you reply as you turn around, trying to keep the puzzlement out of your voice and face. Was this the start of what you feel was a well-deserved apology? Would you accept it if it was?

You allow your eyes to linger on his face. He looks more tired than usual, as if he’s not been sleeping well or pushing himself too hard when he’s awake. The fingers on his right hand are drumming against his thumb in a seemingly unconscious gesture as his eyes search your kitchen floor for something – answers to some question you couldn't fathom, or courage perhaps. Your heart softens, just a little at the sight of him so worked up and the fact that he had finally come around to visit you. Would he…maybe want to come out with you both? Recreate for the springtime those heady winter days when the three of you would escape for a few hours at a time to go to skate on the frozen pond?

“I uh…I just wanted to ask…” He trails off looking embarrassed, one hand coming up to scrub at the back of his neck, his eyes still downcast.

“Yeah?” you prompt, softly. You’re willing to forgive his weird behaviour. You realise that you always were. You just want him back in your life. To help fill your hours with laughter and jokes and friendship instead of constant work to block out the swirling eddies of painful emotion.

“I wanted to ask…are you sure about today?”

The question shocks you from your place of wistful yearning to have the old Joel back and deposits you straight into irritation with his current iteration, a development which you are entirely unable to hide in your voice given its abrupt incursion.

“What do you mean?”

“Well goin’ out alone with Ellie. Are you sure it’s such a good idea?”

What the actual fuck? After everything was he seriously still questioning your competency? Your ability to protect Ellie?

“Worried about my panic attacks again?” you ask, not bothering to keep the whip of snark out of your voice.

“Not just that,” he replies smoothly, and the calm tone of his own voice only serves to fan your irritation into anger. “She’s not been outside Jackson much since we got here. I’m just concerned-“

“We’ll be fine, Joel,” you retort in a snappish tone. “And if you really don’t trust me to protect her, then you can be the one to tell her she can’t go.”

“Wait, what?!”

Ellie is standing in your back door. You hadn’t even noticed her arrival, so focused were you on your anger at Joel. He suddenly looks even more weary, and every bit his age as he turns to talk to Ellie.

“I just think-“ he begins.

“No, Joel. Fuck that. She goes out on patrol just as much as you do now. You trusted her enough to go with her for months. And me? Who the fuck took care of you while you were fucking dying in some basement? I did. I hunted for food, I got you fucking medicine, I sewed you the fuck up. I saved your life and I kept us alive. So don’t fucking give me this shit about not being able to deal with stuff out there!”

Ellies shoulders are heaving with angry breath, her eyes spitting furious sparks at Joel. Meanwhile at the mention of their shared past he sets his jaw and you can see him grinding his teeth, biting back whatever it was he truly wanted to say to her in favour of attempting to keep his temper under control.

“And what the fuck happened then?” he asks, his voice more dangerously low than you have ever heard it before. “You nearly got raped and murdered by some goddamn cannibal freaks.”

You can feel how wide your eyes have gone at these revelations flying back and forth between them. They have never talked in depth about anything that had occurred while they had travelled together and to hear it pour out like this all at once was dizzying.

“And I escaped and fucking murdered them first!” she hurls back in a fury. “And why the fuck do you suddenly care anyway? I tried to ask you if you were okay with it and you shut me down and told me to ask Maria. Who said yes. So I’m fucking going.”

She stalks past him without sparing another glance in his direction, grabs a quiver of arrows and stamps through the front door without another word, leaving a ringing silence between you in her wake. Your anger has dissipated in the face of hers, simply unable to stand against such fury it has been swallowed up like a beach under a tsunami.

Joel is still staring at where she stood at the back door, his own shoulders heaving with his effort to keep himself under control, fists balled at his sides.

“I’ll take care of her, Joel,” you say softly. “I promise, nothing will happen to her.”

His eyes dart to you, almost as if he had forgotten you would be here in your own house. You think you see his features soften for the briefest moment before his eyes turn to flint again.

“It better not,” is all he growls before he stamps out of your back door, leaving you feeling like you’ve just been snatched up and thrown down hard by a short lived yet incredibly vicious tornado.

The ride out isn’t exactly the pleasant day you’d hoped for, despite the fact that you do manage to achieve your objective and take down a few rabbits between you as you ride through the glorious spring landscape. Ellie is still angry and alternates between sullen silences and muttering curses that you assume are directed at Joel, but might just as well be aimed at you or the world in general. You allow her time and space to calm down, but her anger seems to draw from a never-ending well and you have no idea what to say to make it better.

Finally, she snaps.

“Okay, I’m fucking sick of this shit. What the fuck happened between you two?”

“Nothing!” comes your automatic response, and you cringe slightly at how defensive the word comes out.

“Yeah? Fuckin’ sounds like it,” she retorts, angrily.

“Really. Nothing,” you insist, your voice now flat and neutral.

“Then why are you both being so goddamn weird? You can’t be busy all day every day. I know you have some evenings free. You just choose not to come over anymore. And as for him…fuck! I’ve not seen him like this since Boston. Since…since Tess…”

She trails off, her voice soft with pain and the inkling of what she thinks is understanding and you decide that you too have had enough. If Joel wants to be moody and silent, fine. You weren’t prepared to risk your friendship with her any longer by following his lead and you decide that bluntness is best at this point, reasoning that some of the truth of the matter might begin to more quickly heal the wounds that have opened up between you.

“When Joel and I went out together,” you begin, noting the way her eyes dart warily to you, “We ended up speaking about Tess. And Jacob. Who was kind of my Tess.” Her eyes have grown wide and sad and true understanding now begins to tinge her gaze.

“I’d never told anyone about Jacob before,” you continue. “And I get the impression that Joel doesn’t speak much about Tess either. I’m sure you know yourself by now that grief does odd things to people. Makes them act in unexpected ways. It was only after we spoke about her that he began to shut me out. Whatever he’s going through, maybe it’s to do with that.”

Her face hardens as she listens. “So…you knew you two weren’t okay. That it was more than just “being busy”. Why’d you lie?”

“Because it’s his business, something he’s going through and if he needs to put some distance between us, then I respect that. I thought that if I just gave him enough time we’d get back to normal again. But it’s getting worse. And as much as you’re my friend, you’re also his daughter and I don’t want to do or say anything to interfere with that relationship. I can’t talk to you about his problems because if he wanted to talk to you about them, he would. It’s not my place to be a go between. Besides, he won’t talk to me about them anyway. Or anything right now.”

Ellie gives a disbelieving snort. “You think he’d talk to me about shit? Maybe you don’t know him. And you know I’m not his actual daughter, right?”

“I think that little display from you both in the kitchen would suggest otherwise,” you smile, and you’re relieved when she gives a slightly embarrassed smile in response.

You ride along in silence for a while until Ellie pipes up again.

“You know he likes you right?”

“Are we doing the fucking high school shit again?” you groan.

“No, I just mean…he’s happier when you’re around. And whatever’s going on with him, I think it’s worse because you two aren’t hanging out anymore.”

“I can’t make him talk to me, Ellie.”

“No. But I can.”

You shake your head. “Don’t. He’ll work it out and come around.”

“He’s the most stubborn bastard I’ve ever met!” she exclaims.

“Well, you’re not wrong there,” you sigh. “Look, if it gets too much you know you can always come to mine, right? I know you’ve got your own space, but if you want company that is less grumpy I’d love to have you over. I uh…I miss you.”

Ellie smiles softly at that despite herself, and looks down at her horses mane bobbing in front of her.

“You miss him too?”

Now it’s your turn to look away. “Yeah. I do. I don’t make many friends. It hits hard when there’s one fewer around.”

She makes a noise of irritated disgust.

“You guys are so stupid. Both of you moping around. Why don’t you just talk to him?”

“When I try to talk to him he barely speaks to me,” you reply.

“Not about stupid shit. Ask him what’s going on. Make him tell you. Just fucking…I dunno, hit him till he talks.”

“You want me to punch information out of Joel Miller?” you laugh incredulously. “What, should I tie him to a chair too?”

“Okay, maybe not that,” Ellie says, rolling her eyes. “But you gotta do something. What, are you guys just gonna live next door to each other and never talk again?”

“Depends on him I guess-“ you begin, but quickly fall silent as Ellie waves an arm and then points through the trees.

A magnificent buck is standing amongst them, perfectly placid, perfectly still, and watching you with mild disinterest. Your eyes meet Ellie’s and hers are sparkling with anticipation. The deer decides you are far enough away not to be a threat and begins to root at the earth around the trees with its nose.

“You think we can take it?” you whisper, not daring to turn your head toward Ellie in case the movement spooks it.

“Yeah,” she breathes.

“Those antlers though,” you say dubiously. “We’re going to have to get it good, else we’ll be in trouble.”

“It’ll be fine,” she reassures you. “I’ve taken bucks by myself before.”

You both move slowly and in synchronicity, taking your bows from your backs and nocking arrows to them.

“Aim for its neck,” Ellie instructs, and you follow the wisdom in her suggestion. She counts down softly from three and on the word “Go” you both let loose, your arrows speeding with sure death toward the animal. They fly true, one striking it near its shoulder, the other into its neck. You suspect Ellie’s aim was the better of the two.

The buck bellows its pain and rage and begins to run, hobbled a little by its injuries.

“Come on!” Ellie shouts, and you take off after it through the trees, following the trail of blood that it leaves behind. It was far enough away, still fast enough on its feet and the budding forest is enough of an obstacle to humans on horseback that you ride for longer than you expect. Long enough that you hear a familiar scream echo across the landscape.

Fuck. If the infected reach it first they will render it inedible. If the infected reach you first you will have far bigger problems. How many there are will determine if you run or fight. And while Ellie can take care of herself you are still responsible for her. If it comes down to it, she will need to run while you remain to fight. These thoughts blaze through your mind in seconds and you cast around, looking in the direction that you think the scream came from while also still trying to follow the blood trail. You can’t see any infected, and the sound was far enough away that you have a little time, but you’re still not happy about the pressurised situation.

“We try to outrun them,” you yell to Ellie over the sound of the horses hooves. “Get to the deer. Tie it to the horse. Get out of here. I’ll cover you if they come.”

“Okay,” she says, her face betraying the anxiety that her voice does not.

The horses crest a small hill and the buck is there at the bottom, collapsed to the ground and finally defeated. You draw up sharply beside it and jump down, working together to retrieve the arrows, heave the deer into the sled and secure it with rope. But before you can secure it to the saddle, you catch movement from between the trees. Well, you did want a moving target you think wryly as you take aim with your bow again.

“Ellie, go!” you command her. “I’ll take care of them.”

In your periphery, you see her vault gracefully into the saddle and you breathe out to steady yourself, aiming at the head of the runner as it advances. A few more figures are further behind but gaining quickly as they also sprint full pelt toward you, and you hope to whatever passes for God these days that they don’t choose to follow her.

The runner goes down before you ever loose the arrow, and you realise Ellie is still there, also with her bow and beginning to pick them off from horseback.

“Get out of here!” you cry, before your own arrow hits one in the neck, dropping it as it advances.

“There’s not that many,” she pants, letting fly again and hitting a third in the face.

“I don’t fucking care. Go!” you reiterate.

“I’m not leaving you!” she yells back.

The horses are beginning to panic at the noise and the disruption and you hope that they won’t decide to flee before you have dispatched all enemies. A fourth goes down. A fifth. And then…sudden stillness and peace except for the pounding of blood in your ears and the heavy breathing of you both. You take the opportunity to draw your gun just in case this is merely a lull rather than cessation.

“Fuck,” Ellie says shakily as she dismounts again. “Fucking assholes.”

You’re inclined to agree, but you don’t intend to let her know.

“When I say you go, you go,” you frown.

“I helped!”

“You did, but I could have coped. What the fuck would happen if you got hurt out here?! Apart from anything, Joel would never let me see you again. That’s if I didn’t have to put you down because you got infected, of course.”

“Not gonna happen,” she says sullenly, her face set in a mask of defiant anger. Her resistance to believing that she could get seriously hurt out here sparks your anger, and you begin to question whether Joel was right about letting her out of Jackson. Perhaps she really wasn’t ready for the responsibilities it entailed.

“Of course, because no one ever gets bit out in the world,” you snarl, your fear for her honing your anger even sharper. “This whole time it was all just some collective delusion-“

Your sarcastic tirade is interrupted by another flash of movement behind her and you shove Ellie sideways forcefully. The infected still has your arrow lodged in its neck as it reaches for you, hungrily seeking to make more of itself. You punch it hard in the jaw and it rocks backward, but remains on its feet. As you raise your pistol it sways back toward you, lunging with arms outstretched. You step backward and stumble, and when you fall it feels like the world moves in slow motion. The disgusting, bloody, fungus infested face of the ex-person above you, the landscape moving until you could see too few trees and too much sky. And then pain. A sharp, biting, insistent pain in your shoulder that spreads a numbness across your back and arm. Your vision grows super sharp for just a moment, painfully so, the sun above making the blue of the sky and the fluffy white of the clouds stand stark against one another before blackness crowds the edge of your vision.

The nightmare face above you. A scream of fearful rage. A muffled bang. The sharp copper tang of blood. Cool patters across your face and a spreading warmth below you. And then…darkness.

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