#rather than standing back with his hands on his hips & proudly exclaiming “& see kids that's why crime doesn’t pay!”

[batbabydaily]

detective comics #68: the man who led a double life

[starlingflight]

James Sirius’ First Display of Magic

It was a small gathering by Weasley standards. Arthur had been simply delighted by the Muggle barbecue gifted to him by Harry and Ginny as a late birthday present and had immediately sought to try it out. 

Molly, possessing years of experience with Arthur's experiments had insisted on forgoing the invitations to the rest of the family until she could be certain he knew how to work the contraption now taking pride of place in The Burrow's back garden. 

Harry had offered to take the kids home for dinner, but Arthur had been adamant that he, Ginny and the kids stay and appreciate the gift they had given him. 

"I think dinner's going to be a while," Harry muttered to Al as he settled beside him on the picnic blanket Ginny had laid on the ground only a few minutes ago. 

The news didn't seem to concern Al who was much too busy picking up sticks and twigs from the grass beside them and comparing them before throwing away the ones which, Harry assumed, had been deemed unworthy.

A bottle of butterbeer floated across the garden, coming to a stop in front of Harry's face. "Thanks, Molly," he called, plucking the bottle from the air and tilting it in the direction of his mother-in-law who was standing by the back door, holding a cauldron cake just out of James' reach. 

Harry took a long pull from the bottle, closing his eyes for a second and appreciating the crisp spring breeze upon his face and the aroma of newly-bloomed snapdragons drifting to him from the flowerbeds. 

His peaceful reprieve did not last long. The sound of Ginny's exasperated voice drifted to him much as his butterbeer had done. 

"Dad, it'll be so much quicker to use your wand." 

 "It's a Muggle barbecue!" Arthur cried. "We must use matches, Ginny!" 

 Harry grinned to himself, able to imagine, without opening his eyes, the frustrated expression currently adorning Ginny's face. 

 "Wand," said a much closer voice and Harry felt something sharp poke him in the ribs. Albus grinned up at him, waving his latest stick wildly through the air. "Wand," he said once more. 

 "You've got a wand, have you?" Harry asked, smiling proudly at him.

 Al nodded as he continued to wave the stick with abandon. His eyes focussed on the tip of the ‘wand’; his round cheeks turned red from the effort of concentrating.

 Harry continued to watch Al, listening to Ginny and Arthur’s increasingly frustrated conversation until, finally, there was a whoop of joy and he turned to see the two of them hugging. Flames danced upon the coals and the smell of smoke began to drift across the garden.

 It was at that moment that Al, seemingly bored of his stick, threw it carelessly to the side and took off, running as fast his pudgy legs could carry him towards the opposite side of the garden where a particularly grumpy looking group of gnomes had just popped up from a hole in the dirt.

 “They bite, Al!” Harry shouted, hauling himself up from the picnic blanket in order to chase after his son.

 Al shrieked loudly as he ran, obviously too overcome with excitement to listen to his father’s warning. Fortunately, the noise alerted Ginny to his presence. With a speed that had been honed over her years as a professional Quidditch player, she turned and grabbed Al before he could reach the waiting pack of gnomes.

His capture did not seem to bother Albus, who squealed loudly as Ginny proceeded to throw him into the air before catching him securely against her chest.

“Where are you off to?” She asked Al as Harry reached her side. “Was Daddy not paying you enough attention?”

 “Daddy was giving him plenty of attention,” Harry said, reaching over and taking Al from her. “I’m just not as interesting as garden gnomes, apparently.”

 “I’ve been telling you that for years,” Ginny said, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

“Would one of Nanna’s cauldron cakes hold your attention?” Harry asked, ignoring Ginny as he turned his attention to his son who was wriggling in his arms, desperate to get away.

 “You’re going to spoil his dinner,” Ginny warned.

 Harry looked up from Al and smirked at her. “Who’s the boring one now?”

 Ginny rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him. “Naughty!” Al declared, pointing a stern finger in Ginny’s direction.

 “Yes,” Harry agreed, already turning away from Ginny and carrying Al towards the table set up near the back door where Molly and James still stood. “Your mummy is very naughty.”

 James was still jumping, though it seemed he had worn Molly down some time ago, judging by the traces of chocolate smeared across his face.

 Harry settled Al into the highchair beside the table, securing him with his wand before reaching over and placing one of the freshly baked cauldron cakes arranged in the centre of the table on the tray before Al.

 It was impressive how quickly Al managed to make a mess. Harry watched as he succeeded in smashing the majority of the cake between his hand and the tray. “See, you won’t ruin your dinner like that,” he muttered.

 His attention wandered from the destruction Al was wreaking upon Molly’s baked goods, to James, who was still hopping like a kangaroo in front of Molly.

 “I can jump higher than Louis!” James declared.

 “Well, Louis is a few months younger than you,” Molly replied fairly, her hands on her hips and a look of amusement on her face.

“I can jump higher than you!” James said, as though he had not heard Molly at all.  

 “Of course you can!” Molly said through a chuckle. “Nanna’s can’t jump!”

 James paused for a moment, as though considering his grandmother’s words. A hand reached up absently to brush through his unruly auburn hair. He turned, fixing Harry with a questioning stare. “Nanna’s can’t jump?”

 “No,” Harry said seriously. “Everyone knows that.”

 The doubt disappeared from James’ face immediately, apparently trusting that if his father said that Nanna’s couldn’t jump it must be true.

 “I’ll show you,” he said decidedly, turning back to Molly and taking her hand.

 “It’s no use, James!” Molly protested. “I simply can’t jump!”

 “It’s easy, Nanna” James said dismissively. He tugged on Molly’s hand until she bent her knees. “Now, jump!” James instructed, launching himself into the air.

 Molly stood up straight once more with an expression of faux concentration. Her feet did not leave the ground. “I told you, Nanna’s can’t jump!”

 “Nanna,” James said, his expression more serious than Harry had ever seen it. “That’s silly.”

 Harry caught Ginny’s eye from across the garden; they grinned at one another before Ginny’s hand moved to her mouth to conceal her laughter.

 “Try again!” James said, pulling on Molly’s hand once more.

 This continued for some time. James, apparently unwilling to accept that his grandmother would never be able to do something as wondrous as jumping, became increasingly erratic in his movements until Harry had to move Al’s highchair further away, lest he fall victim to one of his brother’s flailing legs.

 “Give it up, James,” Harry said eventually. Just watching his son bounce up and down endlessly was beginning to make him feel exhausted. “Nanna’s can’t jump, there’s nothing to be done about it.”

 “One last try,” James said solemnly, widening his eyes and schooling his features into an expression that neither Harry nor Molly had ever been particularly good at saying no to.

 “One last try,” Harry agreed through a sigh.

 James crouched low, his bottom only inches from the ground as he gestured for Molly to follow his example. Molly bent her knees in a rather more dignified manner.

 “One…Two…Three!”

 This time, Molly jumped, her feet leaving the ground by mere inches. James, however, did not have the opportunity to savour his victory. His own jump had been more powerful than anyone would have rightly expected. Harry watched, his heart crawling into his mouth as James soared higher and higher, until he came to land upon the roof of The Burrow.

 “Merlin!” Molly exclaimed, her hands flying to her face. “He hasn’t done magic before has he?”

“James!” Harry yelled, jumping from his seat at the table; barely hearing Molly’s question. “Don’t move! Stay right where you are!”

 James’ laughter was audible even from a distance, his wide smile of delight was easy to see.

 Harry was a fully trained Auror, he had extensive experience in dealing with high pressure situations, but seeing his son balanced so precariously on the roof had made him blind with panic.

 “I’ve got him!” Harry heard Ginny call, though he was unable to tear his eyes away from James to look at her.

 He withdrew his wand from his pocket, willing his hand not to shake as he held it poised, ready to cast a cushioning charm should James slip and fall.

 A moment later, Ginny appeared, hovering in front of James on one of the old broomsticks from the shed. Harry watched intensely as she gripped the broom between her thighs and scooped James off the roof, seating him firmly in front of her.

Ginny landed smoothly on the grass in front of him. Al applauded his mother’s daring rescue attempt enthusiastically and Harry felt his heart begin to retreat back into his chest as James' feet touched the ground once more.

 “Did you see that?” he asked, looking excitedly between Molly and Harry.

 “I did,” Harry said faintly, lowering himself back into his seat before his legs gave out beneath him.

 “Now you know,” Molly said, giving Harry a satisfied look as she patted James lovingly on the head. “What you lot did to me when you were younger.”

 “Burgers are ready!” Arthur called triumphantly, seemingly having missed the commotion owing to the excitement of his new barbecue.

 “Sorry doesn’t quite cut it, does it?” Harry said.  

[saphirered]

Every Second Counts

A little Mollymauk x acrobat!reader that’s been floating around my head. I hope it turned out well. 

You’d been with the circus for a while. You’re part of the family. You are the prime example of agility over strength in appearance but that doesn’t take away from the fact you have muscle control some may ever only dream of. While you are less of a contortionist you’re still very flexible. You could say you’re more of an acrobat. Your circus family is also aware you have an affinity for being sticky-fingered. Your light and quick movement has helped you lighten the pockets of individuals many times before. You have the face of a talker. Attractive as your tongue is quick and you are not afraid to put that charm to good use. All these traits gained you the interest and undivided attention of Mollymauk Tealeaf. 

The man knows little shame and doesn’t hold back when he’s actually telling the truth. He was never shy to make his attraction to you clear but never put pressure on you or have expectations. If you liked him, then you did, and if not so be it. If you told him you liked him, great, if not, that’s fine. If you wanted him not to be affectionate towards you, hug you, sit close to you, pull you into his lap or sit down in yours, he won’t. Molly is aware there’s a difference between pushing the line and crossing a boundary. He’s respectful of those hard boundaries and won’t cross them. 

You’d catch Molly sitting in the audience section of the tent while you were rehearsing for the night when he wasn’t on duty for something. When he was, and Gustav would find him he’d be scolded and told to go back to work, many things to be done before the shows. You’d blow him a kiss when Gustav would threaten to get Yasha or Bo to drag him out, a threat the man would make good on and therefor Molly had to leave one way or another. He’d prefer to leave with his dignity somewhat intact. 

Whenever he could, he’d enlist you to go into town with him to attract an audience for the show. If you had other things to do priorly, they’d somehow already been done or someone else would be doing them by the time you were ready to do them. You had to compliment Mollymauk’s efforts just to spend more time with you. Trickery, bribery and other methods of persuasion were not out of the question to reach this goal. You had to compliment his efforts. 

You never minded any of these things as you enjoyed spending time with Molly. The only hindrance standing in your way had always been your responsibilities and him changing them so they would align, had to be a blessing. Whenever he was successful persuading Orna, one of the most difficult to persuade to switch with, he’d pick you up and spin you around proclaiming proudly he had done it again. 

Your relationship is very organic and in the moment. You’d say you’re in a relationship but neither of you would say you’re boyfriend/girlfriend, husband/wife, partners, friends with benefits or anything alike. You’re you and he’s him. You care about each other, love each other, you spend time together, hug, cuddle and kiss. You’re affectionate, sleep in the same spaces, and sleep together. You do all the stuff couples would do but neither of you ever cared to define your relationship. You’re you and he’s him and that’s all that mattered. This arrangement works for both of you and neither of you feel the need to define or change it.

You’re practicing as the tent is being set up by the heavy lifters. Camp is already sorted so you found yourself with some free time you put to use to warm up a bit. Using one of the smaller tall poles secured you climb up onto the top. You stand on one leg the other parallel to the ground, jump and switch legs, one leg up straight into the air moving your body down until your palms touch the pole. You move your balancing leg up as well and shift the weight to your arms, kicking legs forward, backward and repeat one-handed. You switch to balancing on your lower arms and keep going through the motions to warm up. You hear a whistle. 

“While I’d hate to interrupt, Gustav says you’re with me, dear.” The familiar lavender tiefling smiles looking up at you. You sit down one leg over the other and smile back at him.

“Oh really? Gustav said so? How much did that cost you?” You say innocently. 

“Only three days of dishes and I washing Desmond’s costume after closing night.” Well, at least that wasn’t the worst. 

“Did Gustav tell you I’m free until tonight or did he forget to mention that.” Your smile changes into a grin as Mollymauk frowns.

“That bastard…” You hear him whisper under his breath at the realisation he got roped into cleaning duty for nothing. 

“Come on, let me make good on your deal.” You wrap your legs around the pole and lean backwards. Molly lifts his hands above his head high enough for you to grab them. You hold on and release the pole balancing solely on his hands as he takes a few steps back before you flip over and land on your feet on facing Molly. 

“Thank you. Shall we?” You kiss his cheek grabbing his arm and pulling him along towards the town. 

——————————————————————————

You’d been informed the town houses some dirty rich folks and it’s noticeable by the fine silks and flashy jewellery. Good reason to have increased the ticket price for the shows. Molly and you go around talking to groups and individuals alike, handing out flyers and persuading them to come see the show. You managed to get some excited folks to come see the show but for some more hardheaded individuals you had to throw your charm into the ring. A husky voice, fake interest, a touch of the arm and a bat of the eyelashes got you very far. 

One rather grumpy individual took a bit more to persuade and neither of you were willing to put in the effort after the good round you’d already had. But you did catch a flashy ruby ring and golden bracelet. With their attitude you found yourself justified to relieve them of these possessions during your pitch, for their own good of course. Only later the mention of that person’s name confirmed them to be an entitled asshole day and night, justifying your actions even more in your mind. Molly knew you took something on your little field trip but didn’t know what and you intended to keep it that way.

The night after the show Molly is cleaning dishes with the water from a nearby stream. You make your way over inspecting the stack of clean bowls, plates and cups.

“Came to see my good work?” He scrubs another bowl, checking it and putting it with the pile. 

“No. Desmond told me some of them want a second round after all so they need their dishes back. Mollymauk groans, takes the towel and throws it at you. You catch it before it hits you. 

“Rude! I’m just kidding, well half kidding. I managed to persuade them to leave the leftovers for breakfast tomorrow to spare you more dishes.” You take a bowl from the stacked clean dishes and begin drying it. Molly bumps his hip into yours. 

“If I didn’t know any better I’d say you’re the real devil between the two of us.” Molly hands you the next dish stealing a kiss. 

“Oh shush. You know I’m a saint.” 

“A saint of thievery, deception and trickery.” He points an accusatory finger at you and you slap it away.

“But a saint no less.” You counter grabbing the pointing finger. Molly pulls you closer and kisses your hand giving you one of his trademark charming looks.

“Are you going to tell me what you took earlier today?” He leans in close placing one hand on your hip and swaying slightly in a dancing motion. You deliberate for a second before you hold his chin between your fingers until he’s millimetres away from your face.

“Back to the dishes Mollymauk.” The demeanour drops and you the victor of this little game between the two of you as you take a step back, pick up the cloth once more and continue drying the dishes. The accusatory finger returns and pokes your side.

“Hey, it was a team effort so I have a claim to fifty percent of what you got!” You innocently continue your job, or well, Molly’s job.

“Whatever you say, darling Mollymauk.” You grin as he flicks water at you. 

“You are infuriating.” He exclaims as you finish the dishes and return them to their place.

——————————————————————————

The next few days consisted of Mollymauk continuously bringing up ‘his share’ of the find but you played along innocently talking around in circles. You had plans and when they’re completed you’ll share them but for now, a secret they will remain. He had tried going through your things when unpacking some things for you, something not done secretly but you humoured him and let him try anyway. Coming to the conclusion it wasn’t among your things and definitely not on your person, or he’d definitely have known, he tried to interrogate you to see if you had given it to someone else to hold onto. Gustav, Yasha, Kylre, and even little Toya told him anything. The downside of your little family; they lie for their own if they have to and are experts at keeping their mouths shut. 

You’re going off into town to check on your project. Sneaking away was successful with the help of Yasha keeping Molly busy for the day to the point where he couldn’t get out of it. You’d make sure to pick her up some flowers on the way as a thanks. 

Next stop; the jeweller. You had melted down the gold and taken the ruby out of its setting but you didn’t have the tools to cast anything let alone make moulds so you had to outsource. Luckily the jeweller was more than happy to help you fashion what you wanted made for a generous price, one you were willing to pay to get what you want. Today you got to pick it up. It came out exactly how you had hoped it would. Paying and thanking the jeweller you picked up some flowers and gathered some from the road on your way back. 

Back at the camp you saw Yasha and Molly sitting together while he played with his cards. You approach them handing Yasha the bought bouquet and gathered one.

“Thank you for keeping him busy for a bit, Yasha.” 

“No problem. Thank you for the flowers. They’re very pretty.” She gets up, picks up her sword and goes off to see what else needs to be done leaving the two of you alone. 

“So I have to do dishes for 3 days and clean Desmond’s costume and you get away with a bouquet and some wildflowers? You sure you’re not the one with the devil’s tongue, love?” You give him a wink. 

“I’m off to practice. Can you behave and entertain yourself for the next hour or so?” 

“Of course I can but I make no promises that I will. Have fun.” You kiss his cheek walk backwards and give a little wave as you go towards the big tent to practice your set for the show. 

——————————————————————————

Warm up went well, your usual set too but the new one you’re working on is still a bit tricky to figure out. You don’t fall or anything and your moves are on point but it’s still lacking a sense of consistency and fluidity. You’d have to blame your thoughts being elsewhere. You try for the so-many-eth time you’ve lost count. Cartwheel flip centre stage, pointe landing, bow, aerial flip forward. Good. Entrance on point. Reach stage left, stage right, pirouette pointe spins, silk ropes lower, wrap arm, and up. 

You continue your routine, twisting and turning, dropping and climbing using the silk ropes, swinging around, performing intricate and impossible moves for eyes of the untrained individual. When you’re practically upside down in a split towards the end of your time you watch Mollymauk enter the tent and plop down. You continue your routine regardless making brief eye contact with him. He claps whenever you finish a set like the audience would. 

Final move you drop down from the top of the aerial silks but stop just before you hit the ground. You vault back up until your feet touch the ground and take a bow ending your set. Molly claps again and you’re about to climb up when he rushes over so you halt. 

“So have you decided yet? When I’ll get my share? I’ve been wanting to buy something but am short on coin. I could really use it.” He tries to persuade as you step up close to him. 

“Patience dear. When you’re ready I’ll give you your share.” You give him a light peck that he turns into a deeper kiss. Deciding to use this opportunity you stealthily begin wrapping the silk around his waist. You break the kiss and stroke his cheek. 

“I think I’m ready. Isn’t that worth something?” You laugh at his attempt. You know he isn’t really interested in the gold. His own curiosity is just getting the better of him and making him antsy so this whole thing is more of a game to him than anything else and he still thinks he can be the victor. Little does he know… At the minimum this could be considered a draw, at the most, your win. 

You begin taking steps backward away from him towards the stage entrance of the tent. He steps along with you. At least he does until the silks hold him back. You laugh as Molly looks confused for a second until he realises what you did. 

“Very funny love.” You reach into your pocket producing a couple of gold coins and hold them up in front of him just out of reach. 

“Are you, love? You seem to be a little tied up.” You tease watching him untangle himself. Once he does a comes for you reaching for the gold. You side step out of the way. 

“Try again.” 

“Missed me.” 

“Almost.”

“Oops.” 

You speak through giggles as tries again and again to get the coins but you’re much faster. Having run enough circles you climb up the rope just out of his reach hanging upside down, the coins just inches from his finger tips. 

“We have got to stop meeting like this Mr. Tealeaf. Imagine what people might think.” You gasp sticking out your tongue.

“You and I both know neither of us care what people might think. Now you’ve had your fun. I concede. You win. I admit my defeat.” You take the coins back and put them in the pouch and allow yourself to slide down and right way up again in a split between the two silks. You reach into a different pocket and hold your hands behind your back.

“I said I conceded didn’t I. Or would you prefer me to beg at your feet too?” He jokes as you take your sweet time. 

“You don’t sound opposed.” You blow him a kiss. 

“Never.” He stands close enough for you to lean a hand on his shoulder. 

“Close your eyes Molly. I have a surprise for you.” Molly closes his eyes but you see him peak so you flick his nose. This time he closes his eyes proper. You take out the trinket you had made from the bracelet and ring; a beaded gold chain with a rayed sun and ruby centre stone, and begin attaching it to the other jewellery around his horns. You give him a kiss to signal he can open his eyes. 

“What did you-“ You flick at the new addition to his collection. 

“A little gift. I thought you’d prefer it over the coin. Though if you need the coin you can borrow mine.” Molly inspects the sun and recognises the ruby cut. 

“You little-. Have I ever told you how much I love you?” He peppers you with kisses as you lower yourself out of your split and to the floor. 

“Many times but I don’t mind being reminded of it.” You give him a smug smile as he pulls you in a deep kiss. 

“I love you.”

“Love you too.”

When you pull apart Mollymauk places another kiss to the top of your head and you lean your head against his shoulder living in the moment. You stand in each other’s embrace for what feels like an eternity, yet still an eternity too short. Every second is as valuable as the next so you bathe in each moment you get. You’re you and he’s him and that’s all you’ll ever need. 

[notchesandbullets]

Saving Her (Ojiro Mashirao x Wolf!Reader)

Part 6: Shopping for clothes, food court and boba experience served with Ashido’s endless shipping and topped off with an incredibly protective Dadzawa.

Word Count: 5.8k

After another hour of shopping around the huge mall, Aizawa decided now would probably be a good time to try and round his students up. Since if there were any problems tracking down those problematic and ridiculously talented children, he could deal with it before it got too late and past their curfew.

Besides, you still needed clothes and he was not equipped to handle that. As Kayama said, he had the fashion sense of an emo teenager going through his rebellious phase. The thing was, she had been saying that since she met him, so it lost its effect a long time ago.

"Heeyy, Ojiro-kun!! Y/N-chan!!!"

The both of you turned around to see Uraraka waving enthusiastically at you. Yaoyorozu and Ashido were with her, along with Shoji, Asui and Hagakure coming from the opposite direction.

Ojiro had spared his teacher from having to call all of them and simply sent a message in the group chat.

You didn't even want to know how often they used it based off of the glance you got when he pulled out his phone and let you see. In the span of the six-inch screen, you had caught a glimpse of topics ranging from food to homework to bodily functions and your head was spinning.

Aizawa sighed boredly and you threw him a sly side glance as Jirou, Kaminari and Ojiro ran out to meet the rest of the group once the boy by your side ensured you would stay with the only one responsible here.

"You're not really tired, are you, Aizawa-sensei?" You asked cheekily, skipping over to him.

He huffed out a laugh as he leaned against the wall. "You're cute, kid. Cut it out."

"I can't help it~" You whined, pouting childishly.

You protested as he ruffled your hair. Unlike when Ojiro did it, he was rougher and always messed it up. Nearly patting it down so it laid flat, you glared and the nerve he had to laugh outright at you had your mock frown wavering into a bright smile.

The sound made your eyes sparkle happily and he caught on quick.

"You did that on purpose, kid." He stated with a sigh, already feeling himself succumbing to your adorable nature.

No one should be that cute. It wasn't good for his heart.

He raised an eyebrow at you as you scuffed your feet on the ground, a cheeky smile still plastered on your face.

Aizawa ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head slightly. You were cute, even with how reluctant he was to admit to sometimes. Damn, he was getting a soft spot for you.

But the instant Ashido cooed, he returned to his stiff, normal, rugged teacher self.

"Alright, get going." He said dryly, gently redirecting you towards Ojiro who was holding out his hand to you before following. "We don't have all day."

"Technically, we do." Kaminari whispered in your ear and you giggled, covering it up with Aizawa fixated a glare on the two of you.

You held up your hand in surrender. "We are innocent."

"Yeah, yeah, likely story." Aizawa didn't believe you for a second. "Just go."

You skipped on ahead, Ojiro glued to your side. The girls flocked around you, Yaoyorozu leading the group to a different clothing store that she and her companions had been at earlier. This seemed much more suited to you, not to mention, a lot more affordable.

You were picking out a couple of things that seemed nice but you were really taking a gamble. You never had been clothes shopping before and weren't really sure what to expect. People mostly dressed you in whatever they wanted you to be presented in.

Luckily, Yaoyorozu swooped in to help.

Ojiro was surprisingly pretty knowledgeable about fashion too and when asked, he had blushed before proudly gushing about his little sister who he usually took on all her shopping trips when their parents were busy working. She had quite an acute fashion sense.

A huge pile of clothes later, you were shoved into a fitting room, with Shoji, Kaminari, Ojiro and Aizawa all waiting outside like some kind of odd band.

Either that, or a very disgruntled dad who was forced to tag along with all his unusual children.

The girls were gushing over each item that you put on, rushing out to get different sizes if the ones they picked didn't fit, making you show the boys and guardian everything that you liked.

You tended to gravitate more towards comfy clothes but there were a few Yaoyorozu and Hagakure found that were both beautiful and versatile. Those were an immediate yes from Aizawa and Ojiro, wanting you to have as much variety as possible.

Everything the girls had picked out that you show them complimented your figure beautifully but was still modest.

While you weren't looking, Shoji had selected some shoes for you, noticing that the ones you had one were practically falling apart on your feet. They were sturdy but had a geometric pattern that you found you rather liked a lot.

Thanking him, you beamed and he hid a smile.

Aizawa paid for all of it without batting an eye and you felt guilty for making him spend his money.

"You're not making me do anything, kid." He called out, as if he could read your thoughts. "I'm doing this because I want to provide for you, not because I feel forced to, got it?"

Besides, he had more than enough thanks to his hero work and teaching at the school. He rarely splurged on anything, the last thing being his old yellow sleeping bag which he had gotten years ago.

This wasn't even going to make a dent in the funds he had saved up.

You sniffled, nodding once. His bluntness took you by surprise but you concealed it well. You had no idea he could be so caring. You were overwhelmed by his generosity and the kindness of the people that surrounded you.

How did I get so lucky? What did I do to deserve this?

Aizawa's hands grasped empty air where the bags had been a minute ago, glancing at his students who were now in possession of your newly purchased things but shrugged, leaving them to it. Less work for him.

He watched them stumble one after another, all of them eagerly making their way to the food court. He checked the time on his phone, suppressing a yawn. It was about time to eat anyway.

Finally. He could sit down and take a nap.

You yelped as Ashido suddenly grasped your arm, pulling you along and you stumbled a few feet before righting yourself. Your hand slipped out of Ojiro's and you shouted in surprise as she took off like a racecar.

"Wha... Where are we going?!" You exclaimed as she sped ahead, dragging you along with her and leaving everyone else in the dust.

She excitedly pointed up ahead and you followed her finger.

"What's 'bubble tea'?" You asked innocently, never hearing of it before.

Your friend gasped in shock that you had never had the pleasure of experiencing the best thing in the world but then the wicked smile that crossed her face as she got behind the line was borderline evil.

"Oh, you're going to love this!!" Ashido said, her eyes gleaming.

When it was your turn, Ojiro finally caught up to the two of you. He was out of breath but all the tension in his body dissipated as he spotted you, safe and sound next to the pink girl. Unknown to you, he had zipped after you the second your hand slipped out of his but he had gotten swarmed by the crowd and lost sight of you.

Thankfully, Ashido hadn't taken you too far.

You squeaked, drawing your hands into your chest as you were crushed to his chest. "O-Ojiro-kun?"

"Geez, Y/N." He breathed, exasperated. "Don't scare me like that."

His scolding was light since he obviously knew it wasn't your fault but he was still concerned. You mumbled an apology and he hastily corrected his mistake, reassuring you that you didn't do anything wrong and you sank into his embrace, relieved.

Seeing as how it was your turn to order, he reluctantly let you go. You wandered up to the counter to shyly ask the barista what was good for someone who hadn't tried boba before and the girl launched into an advertisement of all her favorites.

Ojiro was busy sending a quick message to Aizawa to let him know that he had found you when Ashido slinked into his field of vision.

She bumped his hip with hers, pumping a fist into the air. "Oh, lighten up Ojiro, she's safe with me!! I won't let anybody take her!!"

She knew of the people after you but she had no idea about the incident that had occurred inside one of the stores just hours ago. As Ojiro clued her in, her eyes went wide and filled with guilt.

"Holy... I'm so sorry, I had no idea." She said, shoulders dropping as her usual energy dulled down. "Is she okay?"

Ojiro nodded, not once taking his eyes off of you. "Yeah, she was a bit shaky at first, but who wouldn't be? I think she's okay so long as we don't leave her."

Ashido nodded understandingly.

Seeing as how you were having trouble deciding what to get after a multitude of options from the enthusiastic barista, you turned back to Ojiro helplessly.

He slid up behind you, hands on your waist as he rested his chin on your shoulder.

"Can we please have one regular milk tea with tapioca, a chai milk tea, and a taro milk tea with no ice, half sugar and tapioca, please?" He requested of the nice girl behind the counter, squeezing your side to let you know that everything was alright and you relaxed in his embrace.

Talking to strangers freaked you out even though she seemed nice enough. You just didn't like looking like an idiot who didn't know what they were doing, lacking the social skills everyone else seemed to have no problems with.

Ashido beamed, hopping over from looking at the menu to where the two of you were standing.

"No way, you remembered my order?!" She shrieked in disbelief and awe as she heard the complicated order. "Ojiro, you're amazing!!"

You had to agree with that statement. She proceeded to tell you of the time when she ordered it back when they were at Yaoyorozu's house to study for the upcoming exam, saying that there's no other way he could've heard it if it wasn't from back then.

You latched onto her story as if it was the most incredible thing in the world.

As Ojiro paid for the drinks, you helped carry them back to the table where Aizawa was sitting, Ashiso slurping on her drink already with a dazed look of joy on her face.

The underground hero looked out of place with children, families and teenagers milling around him.

He was sitting at a table by himself with several huge bags from various stores, most of which were very girly in design, signifying everyone's purchases. Seemed like everyone had left their stuff with him. You felt kind of bad but he looked like he didn't care so you suppressed it.

You set down the cups, glancing around the packed food court.

"Where's everybody else?" You asked.

Aizawa gestured to the ramen stands on the opposite side of the food court. "It's close to dinnertime, so they went to go get some food."

On cue, Ashido's stomach rumbled loudly.

"Oops." She grinned, tossing the now empty cup in a nearby trash can. "That's my cue!!"

Your eyes were as wide as saucers. "You finished it already?! It's been two minutes!!"

Flashing you a megawatt smile, she flounced off in another direction, presumably to get some food.

Uncertainly, you sank down in a chair across from Aizawa. Now that you thought about it, you were kind of hungry, but this was normal. All you had to do was not think about it and then the urges would go away.

Eventually.

You really didn't want to ask them to buy you anything, they didn't owe you anything and they've already done so much for you. One day without food wouldn't kill you.

Aizawa could read you better than that.

"Ojiro."

The boy looked up as his teacher called his name.

"She's hungry. Go get some gyūdon for her." Aizawa instructed without batting an eye at your flabbergasted expression.

It would be easy enough on your stomach, since he was sure you lacked the proper nutrients you needed for a girl your age. This would suffice for now until he could come up with a meal plan for you to get adjusted to your new normal. He was not going to have you starve from now on.

Nodding once, Ojiro sped towards where they were selling it but not before his teacher halted him to hand him ¥10,000. His eyes widened as he took in the hefty amount.

He looked mildly uncomfortable. "Aizawa-sensei—"

"Get something for yourself too, I don't care what you choose." Aizawa interrupted swiftly, his hard stare leaving no room for argument. "Make sure it's an appropriate enough meal for dinner though."

As Ojiro left to go hunt down some gyūdon, you swung your legs happily, beaming at the gruff man sitting across from you. His rough exterior and indifferent demeanor hid it well, but you still saw it. That softness in his gaze when he thought no one else was looking. He loved his students.

"Stop that." He said flatly as he caught you staring but you just giggled.

"I can't help it." You countered, resting your chin in the palm of your hand, your ears swiveling easily. "It's cute."

Aizawa snorted at that. "Enough, Y/N."

You conceded but the laughter in your eyes didn't fade and he shook his head, already done with your antics.

You knew exactly how much you were annoying him, which is why you were surprised when he suddenly asked you,

"How are you doing with all of this?"

He scrutinized you closely and your mouth opened and closed, at a loss for words. The possibility of you having done something wrong crossed your mind and your anxiety spiked.

Glancing down, you squeaked. "What do you mean?"

His eyes narrowed at you and you gulped.

Aizawa sighed, running a hand through his hair. He should've phrased it better. He knew by now you were insecure of your place, still figuring things out for yourself. His class had been a culture shock to you.

"How are you adjusting?" He corrected himself quietly, studying your facial expressions.

You contemplated his question before giving your answer.

"I think I'm doing okay," You said slowly, scratching your fluffy ears in thought. "It's been kind of weird having a place to call home and people who actually don't see me as a pet but it's nice."

Aizawa's jaw ticked and he clenched his hand into a fist at your honesty, overcome with the sudden urge to hunt down the Quirk Traffickers right then and there. He was taken aback by such a strong feeling.

The last time he felt something like this was when the League of Villains threatened his students at USJ.

Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself down. He was a pro, he knew how to handle himself better than this.

However, all logic and reasoning fled the instant he saw it.

Aizawa moved faster than you could blink, catching the wrist inching towards your ears in an iron grip and stopped them from making contact.

"Don't touch her." He seethed, warning coming through clear as his eyes flashed red, the pressure on the boy's wrist making it clear that he would snap it if he so much as looked at you again.

As a pro-hero, he wasn't allowed to threaten them with bodily harm, but he couldn't help the anger that bubbled up when the gang of boys tried to lay their filthy hands on you.

"Are you okay?" He asked again but for a different reason than before as security intervened and took over.

You nodded, slightly dazed at how fast it happened.

You hadn't even sensed them behind you, caught up in your conversation with him that you had lost awareness of your surroundings. You felt a bit ashamed of your own helplessness but grateful that he had protected you. Your ears were sensitive and touching them was an intimate gesture reserved only privileged for certain people.

"Do you want to leave?" He asked caringly, eyes concerned, not taking any measures to hide his worry.

You shook your head. You weren't that shaken up. He took care of it before anything even happened. You almost were completely unaffected.

"I'm okay..." You mumbled, fiddling with your hands in your lap as your fingers shook. "Thank you, Aizawa-sensei."

He nodded to you before sinking back down in his chair. You picked up where he left off, asking about his well being. He seemed surprised to hear you ask about him but he answered that he was fine.

You seemed disappointed in his reply but before he could follow it up with a very brief elaboration, you cut him off.

"Do you think anyone will want me?" You asked, tears pricking the corner of your eyes as the more recent development started to catch up to you.

You were sure that if you didn't have these ears and tail that people wouldn't just try to touch you out of nowhere. You were sure that if you had a different quirk, maybe your parents wouldn't have given you up.

"What did I do wrong?" You whispered brokenly.

Aizawa's heart shattered as he heard that. "You didn't do anything wrong, kid."

You sniffled, ears drooping sadly. "But... But if I—"

"It's not your fault that they left, they were shitty parents for leaving you." He interrupted brazenly with a fire that took you aback as he swore in front of you. "You deserve someone better than people who leave at the drop of a hat."

He seemed like he was speaking from experience but you didn't pry further, certain he was already uncomfortable with all your anxiety and insecurities.

"You didn't have to do all of this, you know." The defeat in your small voice made him bristle.

Who the fuck treated you so bad that you didn't expect decent respect and kindness?

"You signed the paper but you don't actually have to do any of the stuff it says." You continued quietly, not noticing how the man across from you was shaking with anger. "I can find another place to stay, you won't have to pay for anything, I can manage on my own. I don't want to be a burden to someone as nice as you."

If he was angry before, he was livid now.

You jumped as he suddenly stood up, chair falling over from the force, drawing the attention of a couple of bystanders.

He strode over to you, crouching down in front of you. The bags piled high on the table obstructed the view for most of the people around you and they begrudgingly went about their business when he glared at them.

You, however, couldn't look away.

"You better listen, kid, because I'm only going to say this once." Aizawa ground out, jaw ticking. "I didn't sign that agreement out of pity. I signed it because I want you to be able to live a life not hindered by fear. I don't want you to have to live looking over your shoulder everyday because you're scared you're being followed, that's why I signed it."

You were at a loss of words by how passionate he was. The emotion cracked his steady tone and betrayed his true state. He was frazzled by your half-conscious words you spewed out, taking them to heart and relating to you on another level entirely.

"Were... were you..." You trailed off.

You couldn't bear to say it.

But he shook his head. "Not Quirk Traffickers. But I was raised by people who weren't exactly kind or the forgiving type."

He didn't divulge anything else and you didn't point it out, knowing he said that to you more for your own benefit rather than your own. Similar to you, he didn't seem like he wanted pity. He said it so that you saw that he understood.

"You're not living out on the streets. I'm not doing any of this because I feel like I have to, I told you, I want to do it." He ran a hand through his hair, sighing. "Look, kid, you might not see it yet, but I actually don't mind taking care of you, okay? If you find someone else you want to live with, that's fine."

You were about to object that you couldn't envision someone caring for you like he had but you couldn't get a word in edgewise.

"I will talk to them first, though, before you go with them." Aizawa continued authoritatively, slipping into da— teacher mode. "If they're unsuited to care for you or if they're criminals then you can't go with them until they prove to me that they can take proper care of you and keep you safe. If you— Why are you laughing?"

You had doubled over in a fit of giggles, tears leaking out of the corner of your eyes as you laughed uncontrollably.

He lifted an eyebrow, unamused. "Kid, what are you doing?"

You bit your lip but your eyes creased, giving your smile away. "I-I can't breathe!!"

It took a couple seconds and several deep breaths but you finally got ahold of yourself and cleared up his confusion.

"It's just... you sound a lot like a dad, or at least, I think that's what a dad sounds like." You tapped a finger to your chin thoughtfully, mulling it over.

You completely missed the way he froze when he heard you say 'dad'.

Swinging your legs, you ducked your head. "I... I know I didn't say this before, and you could definitely say no if you want to!! But, I-I d-don't really want to have anyone else be my guardian."

Aizawa was able to breathe a little bit better after hearing you say that and his eyes softened.

You squeaked as his hand plopped on your head, ruffling your hair and being careful not to knock into your ears.

With great difficulty, he held back a smile. "Alright, kid, we can do that."

Your ears perked up and he gave you a lopsided smile, but the fondness in his gaze was unmistakable. Goodness, he would put away all the villains in the world just to see you this happy.

"Really?!" You practically shouted and he chuckled, not even caring about the dirty looks the two of you were getting as a result of your loud volume.

He shrugged to hide the skip his heart did when you looked up at him so lovingly. "Sure, I'll talk to Principal Nezu later and see if we can work out a more permanent arrangement."

"Adoption?" You asked curiously.

The innocent question sent his heart rate spiking and he nearly choked on air. You had no idea just how bad he wanted to adopt you.

"Don't you want me to foster you first, kid?" He joked but it came out strained.

That was a pretty big decision to make and usually the adult was the one to decide to take on a kid. For you to bring it up so casually caught him off-guard.

You frowned, pouting slightly. Maybe you moved too fast. Obviously, he wanted to see if he could even handle a mutt like you before he even though about adopting you and—

"Stop that."

His sharp command whistled through the noise in your head and you blinked, focusing on his face and wincing at the intensity of his narrowed eyes.

"Whatever you're thinking, I didn't suggest fostering because I don't want to adopt you. I just want you to be sure you want to have me as your... parent." Aizawa finished, unsure if he had earned the right to call himself your dad yet.

He shuffled over to the other end of the table and righted his displaced chair. "You'll turn 18 soon enough and by then you could live on your own if you want."

Ah, there it was.

Your expression cleared. He was worried you wanted him to adopt him only to find out you guys couldn't get along for whatever reason and then up and leave. Whether it was you or him doing the leaving, it would impact you both and he didn't want you to make a mistake you would regret.

Adoption was a serious decision and it wasn't like either one of you could get out of it if it didn't work out.

You weren't completely oblivious. You knew there was a chance of this failing, but you were willing to take this chance and he was willing to accept you into his life more permanently.

To know that he was thinking of you first only sealed the deal.

You swallowed hard. You only had courage to say this once.

"I don't remember my parents or what they were like. I only know what it's like to have friends because Ojiro-kun showed me how. I don't know what to expect when it comes to having a dad to depend on or anything like that." You took a deep breath, growing quieter. "But... I do want someone like that one day."

Even if it didn't come right away. You could wait. You waited an eternity, what was a little longer?

Aizawa nodded, understanding where you were coming from. "Well then, I'll talk it over to Nezu and make sure my adopting you won't affect you getting into UA."

Your jaw dropped to the floor. "What?!"

"Uh huh," He clicked his tongue absentmindedly as he scrolled through his texts on his phone, completely disregarding your shock. "He said you could enroll in the general studies but off the record, you'll be taking hero courses."

They didn't want to attract the traffickers' attention. They would keep you under the radar as much as possible while you attended.

Pocketing the handheld device, leaned back in his seat. "You're a good kid, Y/N."

You beamed at him and he cracked a smile. No matter what you went through, you always seemed to bounce right back. No matter how bleak the darkness was, your light burned even brighter.

One day, you were going to be a force to be reckoned with. He could already see it.

"You'll still have to take the entrance exam." He stated and you nodded eagerly.

"I'll do my best!!" You cheered.

He chuckled, folding his arms over his chest. He had no doubt about it.

By the time Ojiro got back to your table, he was surprised to find you and his teacher conversing as if it was the easiest thing in the universe. He was certain Aizawa didn't have it in him to openly express emotions other than exhaustion.

Well, that and boredom.

Ojiro tilted his head at the two of you in confusion, holding a tray that contained three bowls of steaming hot food. "Did I miss something?"

You bit your lip to suppress a smile and Aizawa raised an eyebrow but neither one of you answered him.

Setting down the tray, he served the food. His gaze fell on your tail, which was happily swishing behind you and he decided that it didn't matter if you didn't want to tell him, he was just glad to see you enjoying yourself.

Your mouth watered when the food was set down in front of you but Aizawa was surprised to find three helpings of gyūdon rather than just two.

Reaching into his pocket, Ojiro pulled out the remaining yen he had stuffed there earlier to his teacher and your eyes went wide.

Similarly, Aizawa's eyes narrowed in suspicion at the amount left. There was no way there should be this much left after buying this much food.

"Ojiro..." He warned with a sharp look, daring him to confirm his suspicions.

The boy had an apologetic look on his face but stood fast. "I used your money to pay for Y/N's but I used mine to buy ours."

Before his teacher could say a word, Ojiro rushed out. "You haven't eaten anything yet so you must be hungry too!! I'm sorry Aizawa-sensei, I just thought—"

Aizawa held up a hand to stop his rambling. He was nearly as bad as Midoriya.

"It's fine. Thank you." The man said curtly, reaching over the table to split a pair of chopsticks for you. "But you're not allowed to do it again."

"But sensei—!!" Ojiro protested.

Aizawa gave him a look that shut him up quickly.

You had been trying to ignore their disagreement. Tension never did sit too well with you and even though you knew that Aizawa wasn't really mad at Ojiro, you couldn't help but flinch at their raised voices.

So when they finally took notice of your unease and quieted down, you could focus all of your attention on satisfying your rumbling tummy.

You stared at the big bowl before you. Rice and beef soaked in aromatic broth had you salivating. Garnished with steamed edamame and a sprig of parsley, the beef bowl almost looked too good to eat.

But it smelled so good.

You were about to take a huge bite when Aizawa firmly instructed you to blow on it first. Pouting, you did as you were told and by the time you did eat it, you didn't burn yourself.

You laughed at him sheepishly as he sent you a knowing glare afterwards, knowing full well that you would have burned your tongue in your eagerness if he didn't stop you.

Kicking your feet happily, you took a sip of bubble tea for the very first time, beaming brightly at the two of them as the sugary drink flooded your taste buds.

You almost poked a hole in the straw with your canines by accident when you bit down in your haste to chew the tapioca pearls.

Ojiro looked on excitedly as you experienced boba for the first time, matching your energy and Aizawa's gaze was soft, fatherly. But he was not going to admit that to either of you.

You wiggled in your seat, vibrating with energy after that meal and the drink that you counted as an unofficial dessert.

Aizawa even ate, begrudgingly, but it still counted since you refused to give up on him.

You were slightly concerned when he still didn't touch his food even after you and Ojiro were almost done with yours. The way he picked at his food disinterestedly was a bit alarming. It was as if he hadn't been doing a good job of taking care of himself.

You frowned as you watched him longer, only for nothing to change.

Aizawa had been startled when you grasped onto his arm, pleading with your eyes for him to eat what Ojiro had so thoughtfully bought for him, saying that you were worried about him. He had tried to shove you off, change the subject or even get Ojiro to pry you off of him, but you persisted.

Finally, Aiawa sighed, giving into your puppy eyes and ate his portion.

You cheered, high-fiving Ojiro, the victory in your eyes not dimming even as he fixated a glare on the two of you.

It lost its potency as you flat out ignored him, giving all of your attention to the blushing tail boy beside you.

Everyone else that came with you to the mall had finished eating faster than the three of you did since they had gotten theirs earlier, so they went looking for you. Imagine their surprise when they saw their teacher laughing for the first time after you cracked a joke.

The girls had gathered around you and you had to admit, while you never had gyūdon before, it was now your favorite food.

You had waited to try the bubble tea until Ojiro got back, unsure which one was yours at the time since they were vastly different in color and you didn't want to accidentally drink the wrong one.

Aizawa was no help since he didn't drink that stuff so you were forced to wait until your friend returned.

Of course, this led to you trying to guess which one Ojiro had intended for you while he was still gone, your guardian looking on in amusement as you went back and forth between the two options. You weren't even trying to make him smile and yet, he couldn't help it.

Aizawa shook his head at you when you had practically pounced on the cup as his student pointed out which one he had ordered for you, his amusement only increasing when you drank it so fast that it almost came out of your nose when something he said made you laugh.

You cried at the uncomfortable sensation, willing it to go away as everyone chuckled at the expression you were making.

Ashido gave you a hug to make it go by faster. But once you could breathe again, a sly smirk crept up her face as Ojiro offered you a sip of his.

You were curious so naturally, you accepted. Only after you took a sip did Ashido crack.

"That counts!!!" She shrieked excitedly, Uraraka and Hagakure squealing alongside her and you were left in the dark.

"Huh?" You squeaked, blinking down at the drink in your hand, wondering if you had done something wrong.

You glanced at Ojiro but he looked just as puzzled as you.

He shrugged at you helplessly, turning to the pink girl practically vibrating in the chair she had stolen. "Mind clueing us in?"

The smile on Ashido's face could only be classified as devious. "YOU KISSED!!!"

It was indirect but it still counted!!! And she was going to milk it for all it was worth.

Ojiro nearly choked on his saliva and you violently coughed, the boba going down the wrong way as she declared it so loud every single one of the surrounding tables heard her.

Aizawa almost fell out of his seat.

Needless to say, for the rest of the time you were there, Ashido wouldn't let it go and relentlessly teased the two of you until you were both cherry red from embarrassment, refusing to look at each other.

But as you filed out of the Kiyashi shopping mall back to the car, his tail crept around your waist to guide you in the dark and you couldn't see it, but his bashful smile matched yours all the way there.

Taglist: @katsukis-sad-angel​

[kulaykape]

Ina Kingsley x MC: The Proposal

Consider this a gift to @kaitlynliaofanxx for losing- I mean competing with me in our little Ina Kingsley smut off haha. And thank you to @citybornchick for all the help!

tags: @sakaily @samanthadalton @jenxespinoza @domakir @thedaft1 @hellyeah90sbaby @thepotatobleh @nydeiri @astrangeandunusualgirl 

---

You will always be a part of me… 

I am part of you indefinitely…

Girl don’t you know you can’t escape me, 

“Ooh darling, ‘cause you’ll always be my baby~!” Aliyah hit a sick… okay, I’m not sure what that dance move she did was, but it was definitely sick (but also certainly didn’t fit a love ballad). Leon perked up from the couch, nose pointed up as he sniffed the air curiously. 

“What’re you making, Ali?” He asked, his curious gaze turning towards big sis. 

“Baked salmon and rice,” Aliyah replied proudly. Her food skills were almost as limited as Ina’s, but she could manage this. And bonus points for the way Leon’s face lit up. 

“I loooove baked salmon!” He exclaimed, bouncing up and down on the couch, “Wait, why’re you making that? What’s happening?” Kiddo was too smart for his own good. 

Aliyah exhaled a nervous breath as she put down the oven mitt. “Tonight’s the night, kiddo,” she said, walking towards the couch. And Leon knew exactly what that meant. 

His grin grew even wider- which was honestly concerning for his bone structure- as Aliyah sat down next to him. He crawled across the couch to sit next to Aliyah, dangling his feet over the edge of the cushion. “Can I see it?” He asked. 

Aliyah reached into the front pocket of her jeans, pulling out the little velvet box carefully. She opened it up a little bit, and Leon let out an awed ‘woooah’ as the gem glimmered and winked at him. “You think she’ll like it?” Aliyah asked. And maybe she shouldn’t have stocked too much credibility in an seven year-old’s opinion, but the vigorous nod that Leon gave reassured her just a little bit. 

“It’s… shiny,” he said, “That’s a good thing, right?” 

Aliyah laughed as she looked at the ring with a nod. “Not too shiny though, right? Ina might not like that…” it was a thin, twisting golden band, wrapping around a silver gemstone. Tiny little emeralds lined the band. Subtle, but it spoke its value. Aliyah let out a shaky sigh as she tucked the ring away once again, rubbing her sweaty palms on her jeans. 

“Ooooh,” Leon said, “You’re nervouuuuus.” He poked Aliyah in the shoulder. Aliyah shot him a smirk, pushing him away by his face. “Ack!” Leon bounced off the couch but was quick to recover. He launched himself into Aliyah’s side, tucking himself under her arm, “She’ll say yes, Ali.” 

“I hope so, kiddo,” Aliyah replied, squeezing Leon closer to her side, “I really, really hope so.” 

“So when you guys get married,” he started. Aliyah blushed, rubbing the back of her neck. She was trying very hard not to think that far ahead. She might combust. “Does that mean she’ll be my auntie? And Charlotte will be my cousin?”

Aliyah chuckled, ruffling his hair. “Not quite, kiddo. She’ll actually be your sister-in-law,” she explained. Leon made a face, as if that was unfathomable to him. Aliyah made a similar face as well as a realization hit her. “And that makes Charlotte your… niece-in-law, I guess?” She pursed her lips, “Huh.” 

The ringing of the doorbell jolted both Diaz’s from their relatively odd thoughts, and Aliyah returned to her on-the-edge-of-a-mental-breakdown persona before standing up. 

But Leon was faster. He dashed towards the door, leaving a breeze behind to mock Aliyah with. “Hey!” Aliyah exclaimed, “Leon, don’t open the door-”

Too late, seven year-olds didn’t listen to anyone. Leon swung the door open and didn’t so much as spare a look at the person on the other side as he threw himself into their arms. 

“Inaaaaaa!” Leon all but yelled. And thankfully, that’s indeed who it was on the other side. 

Ina grinned as she readied herself. And, per the usual, Leon rocketed himself right into her arms. He slung his arms around her neck with a big grin. 

“You always smell nice,” he said as Ina carried him in. And he was right. 

And, okay, Ina couldn’t not laugh. “Thank you, Leon. I smell better than Aliyah, right?” She asked as she kicked the door closed behind her. And since kids don’t lie, Leon nodded vigorously. 

“She smells like coconuts. And I don’t like coconuts. How do you sleep in the same bed as her?” Leon asked, generally unaware that he’d just roasted Aliyah three times over. Aliyah shot him an unappreciative look as she trudged over. 

Ina smiled apologetically at Aliyah as she approached. She shifted Leon over to one arm, wrapping the other around Aliyah’s waist. “I like the way you smell,” she said. 

“You’re obligated to say that,” Aliyah retorted. Ina rolled her eyes sportingly while Aliyah grinned, then pulled her closer for a quick kiss. Leon gagged, turning his face away. Aliyah laughed plottingly, taking a hold of Ina’s face and placing sloppy kisses all over her. 

“Eeeew! Gross!” Leon exclaimed while Ina laughed. He began to flail about, “Put me down, put me down!” 

Ina eased him to the floor where he took off running for the couch, and promptly buried his face in the corner of the cushion. Ina turned her attention to Aliyah, stroking a hand over her cheek. Okay Kingsley, tonight’s the night, she thought to herself. Aliyah reached up to squeeze Ina’s forearm, with a little more urgency than usual. 

“How was your day?” Ina asked as Aliyah led her into the kitchen. 

“Without my love? Dreadful,” Aliyah replied dramatically as she bent down to pull the salmon out of the oven. Ina laughed heartily, giving Aliyah’s hip a squeeze as she passed. She thought that was funny? Good. Be funny tonight. Be hilarious, Aliyah gave herself a mental pat on the back. “Hey, uh…” Aliyah turned around. 

Ina’s brows raised expectantly, “Yes, sweetheart?” 

She calls you sweetheart. Dude, you’re her sweetheart. You’ve totally got this. 

“I’ve totally got… what?” Ina asked, her brow furrowing slowly. Aliyah’s face turned red as she realized she’d said that last part out loud. 

“U-uh, nothing, sorry,” Aliyah cleared her throat, busying herself with cooling the food. Ina turned around to look at Leon, shooting him a questioning look. He simply grinned at her, snickering diabolically. 

Ina was a woman who got answers if she wanted them. And so she went over to the couch to sit down next to Leon. “Mind letting me in on the secret, Leon?” She asked. 

“What secret?” He replied, blinking. 

Ina laughed. Yep, definitely a Diaz. “You’re a smart boy, Leon. But I’m smarter,” she ruffled his hair playfully. “Ack! Why does everybody keep doing that?!” He exclaimed, scrambling away to the other end of the couch. 

“Go on, spill, what’s got Ali so nervous?” 

Leon scoffed. “Ali doesn’t get nervous,” he fired back, “She’s just… uh…” seeing as he was still just a seven year-old, his argumentative abilities didn’t extend much further. He turned to look sheepishly at Ina, then quickly looked away again. He couldn’t help but feel like Ina’s eyes were too sharp, like she knew something he didn’t (which, well, was true). 

“Alright, dinner’s served up!” Aliyah called, peering into the living room suspiciously. Ina had that look in her eye, like she was looking for something. And Leon looked scared shitless. “Ina, stop interrogating my little brother.”

“What makes you think I was interrogating him?” Ina asked, lifting Leon up onto her back before striding back into the kitchen, “We’re friends, there aren’t any secrets between us.” She shot Leon a look over her shoulder, and Leon gulped back a Diaz-worthy snarky remark. 

Aliyah looked unconvinced, but didn’t push any further. The three of them sat down to eat. Well, Ali and Ina sat down to eat. Leon was just inhaling the food. 

“Slow down, kiddo,” Aliyah said. Leon did not slow down. She sighed, shaking her head while Ina shot her a sympathetic smile. Aliyah ducked her gaze away again, rubbing her hands against her jeans again. Why am I so sweaty? She’s not gonna say yes if I’ve got sweat stains! Or maybe she would… unlikely, though. 

Ina kept a careful eye on Aliyah as she took a bite of the food, then her eyes widened. “Wow Ali, this is,” she cleared her throat, “You cooked this?”

An offended look passed over Aliyah’s face, and she didn’t hesitate to look at Ina now. “Unlike someone, I can handle something a little harder than grilled cheese without burning my place down,” she quipped. Ina grumbled, looking off to the side. 

But when she looked at Aliyah again, she noticed her staring- rather intently- at something in her lap. 

...oh. 

To be honest, Ina should’ve known practically when she walked through the door. Leon was never that excited to see her. And he was also usually quicker to spill Aliyah’s secrets to Ina (that one about how Aliyah used to write anime fanfic? Nothing could buy the unadulterated glee Ina had felt). Only something of this magnitude would hush him into silence. 

Ina felt for her own velvet box in her jacket, letting out a subtle breath of relief. 

...well, it looked like she’d definitely be getting a fiance by the end of this night. 

She nudged Aliyah’s knee under the table, smirking at the way she jolted. “Everything alright, baby?” She asked. She knew how it made Aliyah melt whenever she called her ‘baby’. And she seemed to physically turn a little mushy right then. 

“Yeah, uh, everything’s great. Peachy,” she replied.

Peachy?! Who the hell says that? 

Ina held back a laugh for Aliyah’s sake. “You’re sure?” She asked. 

“Yep,” Aliyah replied quickly. 

“...Are you absolutely-”

“Oh my god, eat your food, Ina Kingsley.” 

Ina chuckled before doing just that. She couldn’t help but squeeze her fork a little tightly with excitement. She tried her damndest to not think any further ahead than tonight, lest she lose control of herself and demand that Aliyah proposed right then. 

Dinner finished up quickly since apparently everyone at that table was starving, and they all moved to the living room. Leon popped on his favorite movie (and not so secretly Aliyah’s too), and found himself dancing to the opening song of Lilo and Stitch in front of the TV 

Aliyah handed Ina the cup of coffee she’d asked for, an ungodly amount of espresso shots to boot in it. “One caffeine genocide,” she quipped as she sat down next to Ina. 

Ina laughed softly, accepting the drink gratefully. She scooted closer to Aliyah, who snuggled into her side in response. Aliyah looked up at her, biting her lip nervously as she watched Ina’s smiling visage carefully. Ina wrapped an arm around Aliyah’s shoulders, pulling her closer and inhaling the top of her head. She let out a content sigh. “I don’t know what Leon’s talking about,” she said. 

Aliyah laughed, squeezing Ina’s thigh gratefully. The two of them glanced at the TV, that of which Leon had yet to move his face more than a foot away from yet. 

It was at the scene where Nani, Lilo and Stitch were surfing with David at the beach. Ina looked down at Aliyah with a smile. “Can you do that?” She asked. 

“What, surf?” Aliyah asked. Ina nodded. “A little bit. There weren’t exactly a lot of real waves at Myrtle Beach,” she chuckled. Ina hummed, drumming her fingers on Aliyah’s stomach subconsciously. 

She smirked a little bit, tilting her head to spare Aliyah a glance. “Do you think Nani and David got married?” She asked. 

Aliyah’s eyes seemed to bulge for a second. Leon looked over at them at the word ‘married’, his mouth in that ‘uh oh’ shape. Aliyah cleared her throat, quickly regaining her bearings while Ina cackled internally. “Uh… p-probably?” She replied. 

Ina turned her eyes back to the television, but she could still feel Aliyah’s nervous gaze on her. “It’s an interesting idea, isn’t it?”

“What is?” 

“Marriage,” Ina said. Aliyah started once again. At this point, Ina didn’t know if Aliyah was even trying to hide it. “Spending your life with one person is certainly quite the endeavor,” she continued, then glanced at Aliyah, “But given how people still keep marrying, I suppose it’s worth the effort at least some of the time.” 

Aliyah’s internal thoughts looked like that confused lady doing math meme as she blinked- several times- up at Ina. But Ina kept her eyes on the TV. No. There’s no way she knows, Aliyah thought, Leon didn’t tell her. Not this. 

“Hey, babe, um,” Aliyah went. Was now a good time? It certainly sounded like it. 

Ina’s eyes swiveled back on Aliyah once again, and the look in them knocked the air out of Aliyah. There was something expectant about her gaze. Something knowing. And dare Aliyah think… a little hopeful. 

“Do you want more coffee?” She blurted. 

Ina looked down at her cup, which was still mostly filled. She laughed softly, shaking her head. “I’m fine for now, sweetheart,” she replied, “Thank you, though.” Aliyah couldn’t help but sulk a little, slumping against Ina’s side at her own shortcomings. 

Did you just pussy out? The devil on her shoulder exclaimed in her thoughts. Oddly enough, the devil seemed to be the one that wanted to get married the most earnestly. Stop being a wuss! You’ve got a whole speech and everything prepared, use it! Aliyah had forgotten about the speech. She felt around her back pocket for the slip of paper. 

No, it’d look dumb if she did that… but maybe she could catch a glance? 

A commercial break interrupted the movie, and Leon finally sat back down on the couch as the ads ran through. Ina’s eyes flickered at a jewelry commercial passing over the screen. She stole a glance at Aliyah, who had an enigmatic look in her eyes. 

Ina probably shouldn’t have messed with her any more, bless her nervous heart, but she just couldn’t help herself. “One thing I never understood about engagements is all the jewelry,” she said. 

Aliyah’s eyes widened as she snapped her head to Ina. “Really? Why?” She asked in quick succession. 

“They lack practicality,” Ina replied, “Besides, rings can be dangerous.” Aliyah looked like she was about to have a meltdown. Ina was having way too much fun with this. She turned to Leon, who was watching the whole interaction with a confused face. She leaned closer to him and whispered so only he could hear, “I know, Leon.”

He pouted a little as he looked at Ina. “But I didn’t tell you!” He whispered back. 

“I’m smarter than you give me credit for,” Ina replied with a grin, “Could you give me a moment with Ali?” At that, the light seemed to return to Leon’s eyes. He hopped up off the couch and stood in front of a hilariously distraught Aliyah. 

“Ali, Ali, Ali,” Aliyah felt a poking in her side. She was about to scold Ina for jabbing her, until she saw who was actually doing it. “Can I go play drums?” He asked. 

Aliyah gave him a look. “If you promise to stop stabbing me with your phalanges,” she said. Ina snorted at her use of the word ‘phalanges’. 

“I promise!” 

“Go to town on ‘em,” Aliyah said. Leon gave a little cheer, before dashing for the studio room that Aliyah had only recently sound-proofed. Aliyah arched a brow at where that sudden request had come from, and only just missed the look that Ina and Leon traded. 

Before she could contemplate any further, she felt herself being pushed back down onto the couch. Two steady hands gripped her shoulders, before a pair of soft lips claimed hers. Aliyah chuckled slightly into the kiss, tangling a hand in Ina’s hair. At the very least, she could be confident in this respect. 

Ina’s hands drifted down her body, stroking her neck, her shoulders, her arms, before coming to rest on her abs and hips. Aliyah hummed in satisfaction, cupping Ina’s face and pulling her even closer. 

She let out a soft groan as Ina slid her tongue inside her mouth, nipping and teasing as their tongues twined together. “Don’t start with this…” she murmured. 

“Mm… and why not?” Ina replied, “Is there something important we need to discuss?”

Aliyah’s eyes flickered open for a moment. “Oh, uh, no…” she replied, pulling Ina back into the kiss to buy herself some more time, “Just… Leon’s in the other room…”

“That never stopped you,” Ina retorted, “Are you sure you don’t have something to say to me?” 

Aliyah pulled away from the kiss, resting her hand on Ina’s chest, over her heart. She looked up at Ina with those eyes that she adored, and Ina couldn’t help but stroke her thumb over her eyelids while Aliyah scrutinized her. 

“I don’t know if I can,” Aliyah whispered. Her throat closed up a little bit, her fingers curling nervously on Ina’s chest. 

“What’s the worst that could come of you asking?” Ina replied, her voice just as soft. 

Aliyah didn’t have to search her eyes much more. “I think you know.” 

Ina’s fingertips stroked down Aliyah’s cheek, and then rose up to intertwine with the hand that was on her chest. “And I think you know that I’d probably say yes,” she said. 

Aliyah inhaled sharply as they sat up. “...what are my chances in percentages?” She asked. 

Ina threw her head back and laughed heartily, still holding tightly onto Aliyah’s hand. “Ask me, and you’ll find out,” she replied confidently. Aliyah looked off to the side, blinking as if she were struggling to remember something. “What’s wrong?”

“I had a whole corny monologue prepared and everything,” she explained, laughing as her ears turned red. 

But Ina shook her head. “No corny monologues. Just you,” she held Aliyah’s hand over her heart once again, smiling at the wide-eyed look sent her way, “And me.” 

Aliyah relished in the feeling of Ina’s heart beating under her hand for a long moment. How was it so slow and calm? Regardless, she was glad that it was as she felt it ebb away at the tight hold of anxiety around her nerves. She inhaled deeply, eyes closed, before opening them and looking Ina in her eyes. Fierce and determined, but soft and sincere per the usual. Her words came out in a soft lull. 

“...Will you marry me, Ina Kingsley?” 

Ina grinned as she slipped the velvet box out of her pocket, and knelt in front of the couch. Aliyah’s jaw dropped like an anvil. 

“Only if you marry me first.” 

Aliyah looked between Ina and the ring; a silver and gold piece with a topaz gemstone. “That’s not how it works, you dork!” She exclaimed, before throwing herself into Ina’s arms as she laughed. The two of them crashed to the carpet, holding each other tightly as if they’d never let go. And for the most part, they didn’t want to. 

“Is… is this happening?” Aliyah asked as she pulled away a bit, straddling Ina’s hips. Her breath started to quicken as oxygen became harder and harder to inhale, “Are we… did you… how did you know I was going to propose?” 

“I didn’t,” Ina replied with a grin, sitting up to pull Aliyah into an embrace, “I was planning on doing it tonight. But I never thought…” she pulled away just enough to cup Aliyah’s cheek. She smiled with the most tender affection Aliyah had ever seen, and would ever want to for the rest of her life. 

“You didn’t say yes yet, you know,” Aliyah murmured. Ina borderline wheezed. 

“Yes, sweetheart, I will marry you,” and she said it with so much determination that Aliyah felt the wind leave her once again. She grabbed the ring box that had clattered to the side, pulling the ring out. She took Aliyah’s left hand gently, and slipped the ring on her. 

Aliyah bit her lip as she looked down at it. 

“Oh Ali, don’t cry,” Ina cooed gently. Aliyah realized that she was doing just that, and moved to wipe away her tears vigorously. Ina held her hands tightly, rubbing her thumbs over the back of her hands.

“Sorry, sorry, I’m just,” Aliyah chuckled, “Really happy.” Ina smiled, holding out her left hand in reply. Aliyah plucked the ring out of the box and slipped the ring onto Ina’s slender finger carefully, leaning down to kiss her hand. “I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you so much,” she dove into Ina’s arms once again, pushing her onto her back on the carpet, “And I knew you were lying about not liking jewelry.” 

Ina laughed as she wrapped her arms around Aliyah’s waist, rubbing her back. “I couldn’t resist the look on your face,” she said, and then kissed Aliyah’s temple, “And I love you too. More than you’ll ever know.” 

Aliyah perked up, tilting her head to look at Ina. “Forever?”

“And every moment after.” 

…

…

…

CRASH! 

Both women yelped at the sound of a cymbal being violently struck, scrambling to their feet. A pitter patter on the floor followed, and the door of Aliyah’s music room swung open. 

“DID YOU GUYS HEAR THAT?! THAT’S THE MARRIAGE CYMBAL!” Leon said, pointing back into the music room, jumping on his feet, “I’M GONNA HIT IT EVERY TIME SOMEBODY GETS MARRIED!” Then he sobered for a moment, “Wait, you’re both getting married! I have to hit it two times.”

Aliyah laughed, burying her face in Ina’s shoulder as Leon ran back into the music room, and promptly hit the cymbal again. “No wonder we didn’t hear anything. He was eavesdropping the whole time,” she said.

Ina chuckled, “Of course he was.” She took Aliyah by the hips, leveling her gaze with hers, “So. Can I begin to preemptively call you Mrs. Kingsley?” 

Aliyah’s face slowly broke into a grin. “You most certainly can.” 

~end~

[walkerwords]

“Survivors” Daryl Dixon x GN!Reader

GIF CREDIT: http://gph.is/2h2hmM4

Request from anonymous: hi! i really love your writing so i was hoping i could make a request. could you do a daryl x reader where he meets reader at hill top when jesus takes them there for the first time. she’s like the person who handles a lot of their defense and she’s really tough and badass and she doesn’t really trust any of them yet. only if you want of course! 💘💘

Word Count: 2230

Warning: None

Song I Wrote To: “Mustang Kids” by Zella Day

Note: I did end up making this GN. I am going to try and get more GN fics up, but I do tend to write with a more female centered voice and always have, but I am workin on it! Anyone have some tips on writing for Gender Neutral?

------

Daryl didn’t like Jesus, he didn’t trust Jesus, and he definitely didn’t want to meet any more of his people. 

However, they needed food and Rick decided to accept the invitation. Daryl kept telling himself that he wasn’t going to play nice with the new people and that this was just going to be a transaction, nothing more.

After rescuing some of Jesus’ people on the road, the group headed into what Jesus had introduced as The Hilltop. Daryl wasn’t thrilled when their people suddenly began pointing spears at them. As soon as Jesus defused the situation, they walked through the tall gates of Hilltop and were surprised to see a semi-thriving community. 

The Hilltop was vastly different from Alexandria. It looked as if the community lived more in the past rather than the present. Where Alexandria had solar panels, running water, and modern-day houses, The Hilltop focused on trailers, a blacksmith, and a large Colonial house that stood proudly at the center. 

“That's called Barrington House,” Jesus explained, “The family that owned it gave it to the state in the '30s. The state turned it into a living history museum. Every elementary school for 50 miles used to come here for field trips. The place was running a long time before the modern world built up around it. I think people came here because they figured it'd keep running after the modern world broke down. Those windows up there let us see for miles in every direction. It's perfect for security. Come on. I'll show you inside.” Jesus gestured the group forward and they followed, keeping their hands on their weapons. 

As everyone moved into the house, Jesus explained more about how they used the former museum and how they planned to grow Hilltop even further to account for the future. As he finished explaining the living situations, a new voice cut into the conversation. 

“Jesus. You're back. With guests,” an older man said as he stepped out of a room on the main level. Jesus gave Rick a look that said ‘here we go’ and then turned to pleasantly greet the newcomer. 

“Everyone, this is Gregory. He keeps the trains running on time around here,” he introduced. Rick decided to take the high road and go and introduce himself when Gregory cut him off and offered the group a place to wash up. Michonne was wary at first, but eventually, some people took him up on the offer, but not before Rick took Maggie aside and told her that she should be the one to speak to Gregory first. 

As Maggie began negotiations with Gregory, Abraham and Daryl stood watch by the front door. While Jesus had been telling the truth about who the man was they saved, the community’s doctor, and that Hilltop was an actual place and not a trap, Daryl had relaxed slightly. However, he was still not dropping his guard completely. 

When the front door to Barrington opened, Abraham stood up straighter. As the door shut, Daryl finally got a look at you. Just by the way you stood and examined Abraham, Daryl knew you were someone who held authority. 

“You must be the crew that Jesus brought in,” you said, a slight twang to your voice. It wasn’t as thick as most Southerners, but Daryl could tell that you had picked up on the accent from just living down South. 

“Abraham Ford,” Abraham introduced. You shook the hand he offered, returning his strong grip with one of your own. 

“I’m (Y/N),” you said, “I’m the one behind all the defenses here.” 

“I do like someone who can be strategic,” Abraham said with a nod of approval. He then nodded towards Daryl and you turned to greet him, however, you did not offer your hand as his own stayed by his side. “That’s Daryl.” Dixon nodded to you and you returned the gesture with a small smile.

It wasn’t much but it told Daryl that you were attempting to show that you weren’t there to fill them with lead, considering the Glock on your hip. In fact, that was the first gun he had seen since walking through the gates. 

“Speaking of Jesus,” you continued, “know where I can find him?”

“He’s with your boss,” Daryl commented. 

“Gregory?” you asked and he nodded. You sighed with a roll of your eyes. 

“Not a fan?” Abraham asked, easily reading your body language. 

“Gregory is an imbecile who thinks he can run this place better than Jesus and I,” you said, lowering the volume of your voice. “Word of advice, listen to Jesus before you listen to our ‘boss’. I’ll talk to him later.” With another nod, you turned on your heel and walked right back out into the sunlit community. Abraham then grinned at Daryl. 

“Okay, them, I like.”

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

After the meeting with Gregory, Maggie and Rick looked at Daryl with a look that said “this isn’t going to be easy”. 

Daryl had figured as much. While Gregory thought about a few things, Jesus invited the group to take a turn about Hilltop. After vaguely learning about everything that was going on around the area, Daryl didn’t want to think about having to fight again. He had done enough fighting since Atlanta. However, he also knew that Alexandria was a good thing for them and Rick was willing to do whatever it took to keep their new home. 

Daryl walked with Michonne, Rick, Jesus, and Maggie, taking in everything that was going on. He could see Sasha and Abraham ahead of them, their tactical eyes scanning everyone and everything. 

“If ya ain’t supposed to have guns,” Daryl said, pulling Jesus from his conversation with Maggie, “why does (Y/N) have one?”

“You met (Y/N)?” Jesus asked. 

“They were lookin’ for ya,” Daryl explained.

“Ah, well they’re head honcho around here,” Jesus explained. “They’re former military and they know how to keep us safe. Without (Y/N), this place would have been overrun a long time ago.” 

“If you have them,” Maggie said, “why do you still have an issue with whoever is messin’ with you?” 

“Our enemies’ guns are bigger,” Jesus said with a sigh. “(Y/N) keeps theirs hidden whenever they come around and only ever takes a shot when it’s absolutely necessary.”

“Secret weapon,” Michonne said with an impressed look. 

“More like secret Nuclear Bomb,” Jesus said. Daryl didn’t like the thought of an unknown enemy, nor did he like that The Hilltop was being run by an apparent moron. Gregory reminded him of the Governor but without the intelligence and military-grade weapons. 

The mystery threat became very real when a sudden commotion drew Daryl and the others to the main area.

“Ethan, what happened to everybody else? Where's Tim and Marsha?” Gregory was asking a man that had just returned to Hilltop. 

“They're dead,” Ethan said. 

“Negan? 

“Yeah.”

“We had a deal!” Gregory exclaimed. Rick looked at Daryl with wariness, causing the latter to shrug. 

“He said it wasn't enough. Was the drop light?” Ethan asked. 

“No, of course not,” Gregory said, but Daryl could sense a lie. 

“They still have Craig. They said they'd keep him alive, return him to us, if I deliver a message to you.” 

“So, tell me,” Gregory urged. Instead of answering the man approached his leader and frowned.

“I'm sorry,” he said before sheathing a blade into Gregory’s abdomen. Chaos ensued after that.

Across the yard, you watched on with an exasperated expression on your bored face. This wasn’t the first time inner fighting had happened and you were honestly tired of it.

You watched as the woman you heard the leader call Michonne, take one of your own to the ground in a single move. Daryl had taken down another who went for Abraham and in a major shock, the leader, you believed his name was Rick, slit open Ethan’s throat. 

It wasn’t until the ground was covered in blood that Jesus finally noticed you. “A little help would have been nice,” Jesus said. You pushed off the post you were leaning against and approached the body on the ground. 

“Cowboy here had it handled,” you said and then pulled your knife and stabbed Ethan in the head. “Besides, he was an asshole anyway.” Jesus sighed and then helped get Gregory to Dr. Carson. Glancing around at the new people, you weren’t sure what they were thinking.

However, you knew right then that even after knowing Negan, Rick was the scariest man you had ever met. “If it’s any consolation,” you said approaching the bloodied leader, “if it came down to a fight between you and the big bad, my money’s on you.”

---------

Later that night after Jesus had finally explained who Negan was and what the Saviors had done to The Hilltop and other communities, Daryl needed some air. 

He walked around the community as Rick and Maggie talked with Jesus, trying to make a plan who would then talk to Gregory. Essentially, Alexandria was willing to take out the Saviors if The Hilltop was willing to share its resources. Daryl was also willing to bet that Rick would throw in a few extra guns if it meant the group got both food and allies. 

As Daryl approached the main gate, he saw you standing on the watch post, a pair of binoculars in your hand. He hesitated for a moment before tightening his bow on his back and climbing the ladder.

It wasn’t just that you were a warrior in the new world, but Daryl felt drawn to you because he could sense that you were like him. Someone who had seen horrors before and after the end of the world. It was rare when someone came out harder on the other side rather than breaking down. He respected that greatly. 

“Lookin’ for anything in particular?” Daryl asked. Dropping your binoculars you shook your head. 

“Never really am,” you explained. “The Dead tend to keep their distance this far from larger plains and forests. As for people, well, they don’t come around since the Saviors put their boots on our necks.”

“Jesus explained who they were,” Daryl said, leaning on the makeshift railing. 

“Real sons of bitches,” you said. 

“You gonna lead any of yer people in the raid?” Daryl asked. 

“I ain’t goin’,” you said, taking a swig from a flask on your hip. You offered it to the archer who shook his head. In the dark of the night, Daryl looked dangerous. You could tell by the way he watched the others around your home that he was a hunter. He may have just hunted animals back before the Turn, but now he had other targets in mind. 

“Why not?” he asked. 

“I prefer to be on the defense rather than the offense,” you explained. “Especially when it comes to these assholes.”

“Sometimes you gotta do both,” Daryl said. You laughed under your breath. Daryl reminded you of your old Sergeant. He was always telling you similar things when you were in basic and then more so as you moved up the ranks. 

“You seem like a smart man, Daryl,” you said and he raised an eyebrow. “Try not to die, will ya? We need people like you.” 

“Ya just met me,” Daryl said. “How can ya tell what kind of person I am?” he asked. Your brow furrowed as you thought about his question. 

“I’ve known people like you,” you explained. “Survivors.” Daryl nodded and thought about all the survivors he had met and how they were now dead. Shane, Dale, Lori, Beth… he didn’t think it was enough to just survive anymore. Which is why he was willing to go along with the raid, kill as many Saviors as possible if it meant that his family could be safe. 

“What about you?” Daryl asked. 

“What about me?” you asked, staring out over the dark landscape. 

“You a survivor?” 

“So far,” you agreed. “I managed to tough it out this long without getting my throat torn out so I suppose that’s a start.”

“Have ya always been here?” Daryl asked, gesturing to Hilltop. 

“No, I stumbled across Jesus one day. Needed a place to go, told him I could fight and so he offered me a place to stay for the night. Then, I just never left. Figured someone should be able to keep these people safe and Jesus couldn’t do it alone.” 

“Right with his Ninja moves that look like somethin’ from a damn old action movie,” Daryl said with a snort. 

“Seen those, have you?”

“Unfortunately,” Daryl sighed. 

“He’s a good guy. Knew that the moment I met him.” 

“So, yer good at readin’ people, are ya?” Daryl asked and you nodded. 

“I am,” you admitted. 

“And what’s yer opinion on me?” he asked. You were quiet for a moment and then decided on telling the truth. 

“I don’t trust you, any of you. At least, not yet,” you admitted. Daryl seemed happy with that answer and then gestured to the flask. You handed it to him and he took a pull. 

“Good,” he said, staring off into the night. 

“Though,” you said, “I think you and I are going to get along just fine.” 

“Don’t count on it,” he said with a scoff. Smiling at him, you took another pull of your drink, relishing in the subtle burn. 

“I never do.”

TAGS:  @thanossexual​ @felicisimor​ @yes-sir-hotchner​

[adrenameg]

may can I ask you for a request about Danny and Frank, who both have the same crush and react like dumbasses bc they both wanna impress their crush (if you want, you can decide who will win this rivalry and get the girl haha would be cute 🥺)

this is a cool idea i like it!!! i couldn’t decide who i wanted to get the girl but if it were me i’d enjoy the ending :)

hope you enjoy ❤️

OURS: Danny Johnson & Frank Morrison x reader

Your eyes darted between the two killers, who were having some sort of stand off, you wasn’t quite sure why. The Ghostface pulled out his large knife and shoved it in the Legions face, clunking against his mask. The Legion gripped his pocket knife and acted out some sort of move with it. They both then looked at you, as if asking you to comment on what the hell you just witnessed. You ignore them.

Taking in your surroundings, you were confused as to why you were in a trial area with two killers and no other survivors. You could ask the two idiots why you’re here, but they most likely wouldn’t tell you the truth. An annoyed sigh left your lips as you turned you head back to face the killers who seemed like they were trying to get your attention.

“Call me Danny” The Ghostface said as he moved closer to you, placing his hands on his hips.

The Legion scoffed and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’m Frank. Ignore this douche”

“Who’s name do you prefer?” Danny asked, stepping even closer to you. You took a step backwards and frowned at him.

“Huh?” You barely even had a chance to speak before Frank butted in.

“Obviously mine, Danny is basic” Frank chuckled slightly.

“And Frank is for the elderly” Danny crossed his arms. What are these two up to?

“Why am I here?” You ask them, but they completely ignore you, going back to their argument. Danny threw his mask to the ground and with a smirk on his face, turned his head towards you. Your breath hitched in your throat as you gawped at his handsome face. You were completely entranced until you noticed Frank ripping off his mask beside Danny and shoving it into the pocket of his hoodie. He was just as good looking as Danny, and you couldn’t decide who you wanted to look at more.

“I’m better looking, aren’t I? Beautiful?” Danny rasped as he cupped your cheek. The way he spoke to you and touched you made your heart race.

“Oh come on, stop trying to sway her towards you!” Frank exclaimed, pulling Danny off of you.

“I don’t need to try, she already prefers me, can’t you tell?” Danny stood up straighter as if he was squaring up to Frank. “So you can go now”

“Are you kidding me?” Frank laughed. He moved his body closer to yours, giving you the most lustful look you’d ever seen - it even made you shiver. “See” Your mouth was agape as you watched the two men fight over you. You quickly realised they were both trying to impress you and win you over. Unfortunately for them, you wasn’t interested and you just wanted to get out of here, no matter how much your body was screaming out to stay. As you tuned back into the conversation, you rolled your eyes at what they were now fighting over, who was the better killer.

“Can you get the survivors down on the floor with one hit without a totem? No? Didn’t think so!” Danny flailed his hands around and also his knife, which was kind of scaring you.

“Well, no, but I can hit multiple people in a matter of seconds causing them to stop working on generators” Frank said rather proudly, though, you wouldn’t say he should be proud of that.

“You’re pretty annoying” You told Frank as you folded your arms and looked over at him.

“Ha!” Danny laughed, clapping his hands together.

“I don’t know what you’re laughing at, you’re just as annoying and a little creepy too” You raised your eyebrows at him.

“Pfft, who does she think she is?” Danny growled, shaking his head and walking closer to Frank.

“That bitch thinks she better than us” Frank commented, tilting his head rather menacingly.

You shift on your feet, feeling rather uncomfortable at the fact the two killers had now turned on you. It was kinda your fault, but you’d hoped it would just make them help you get out rather than do whatever they were now planning to do. Danny and Frank spoke amongst themselves for a long time, and you didn’t know why you were even waiting for them to finish their conversation. You should’ve left a while ago without them noticing. As soon as they turned their faces away from you, you attempted to slip away silently and scope for an escape. Except, Danny reached out and grabbed your arm tightly as soon as you moved one of your feet. He somehow knew what you were planning to do.

“I think she needs to be taught a lesson” Frank said as he pulled his mask back over his face.

“We don’t mind sharing, do we?” Danny added, as they both started to corner you. This couldn’t be good.

“Not at all” Frank replied, gripping your other arm tightly, making it certain you couldn’t even try to escape now. Danny now had his mask back on, and you gulped as you stared into the bottomless pits of his eyes.

“W-what are you going to do?” You stumbled over your words, fear creeping up inside of you.

“Oh, you’ll find out, all in good time” Frank informed you.

“But, your ours now” Danny whispered into your ear, causing goosebumps to rise on your skin and your hairs to stand up.

You had no clue what that meant, or what it was going to mean for you in the near future but you certainly didn’t want to think about it.

[beeblebrox-be-damned]

Drive Him Crazy (Part 7)(A bit of Christmas Fluff!!)

Dark!Alpha!Steve Rogers x Omega!Reader

Christmas normally gets me really down (moreso than usual), so I wrote bit of Christmas fluff to cheer myself up. More to come later uwu

Without the lab to go to, you were at a loss of what to do. Over the next month after the incident, you spent your time trying out various hobbies.

Sewing was a bust. It seemed you fingertips were magnets for the sharp ends of needles. Knitting went in much the same way, though the needles weren’t as sharp and mostly you just got your hands tangled in yarn. It seemed that everything you tried was either too boring or too frustrating to keep up with.

As the holidays drew nearer, you made up your mind to take up cooking. You were decent, but you were sure you could improve. Surprisingly, you took to it fairly well. Steve seemed quite impressed, and the domesticity of it was quite pleasant for both of you. At times Steve almost felt like he was back in the 40’s, with a doting housewife and baby on the way. It was addicting.

The domestic bliss carried over into the rest of life too. You threw your heart into being the best Omega you could, since you couldn’t distract yourself with working outside the home. Days spent cleaning, something you used to hate, now were rather enjoyable. You could work without Steve hovering over you as though you were made of glass. 

One month before Christmas, you decided you wanted to decorate. With quite a bit of cajoling, you managed to get Steve to relent to your whims. A trip to the store, with Steve accompanying you protectively of course, yielded strings of lights and classy ornaments, as well as a few other odds-and-ends. (Which included a very odd little kit that Steve insisted on getting but would not let you see yet. All you got a glimpse of was the silhouette of a very pregnant lady on the package cover.)

Of course, no homey Christmas is complete without a tree. Clutching Steve’s hand tightly in your own smaller, mitten-clad one, you trudged merrily through the snow. The Avenger’s Compound was located on many acres of woodland, which included many stands of evergreens. You had been fine with settling for a plastic tree, but Steve insisted upon having an authentic pine.

Breath clouding in front of you, you turned and looked at Steve. He was carrying an ax, sharpened and ready for whichever tree you determined to be suitable. Unbothered by the cold, he wore a plain plaid shirt covered with a thick jacket you had forced him to wear. Snow flakes settled in his hair and the scruff of a beard he’d been cultivating. You wanted to kiss him until each one melted away.

You, unfortunately, were dressed very heavily. Steve wouldn’t let you out of the compound into the bitter winter air without every stitch of winter wear you owned covering your body. You had protested, but he was every bit as stubborn as you and won out eventually. Your jacket puffed out everywhere, and he had cheerily forced a hat upon your head that even covered your ears. You swore you looked like the Stay-Puffed Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters, much to your chagrin. When you had said this, Steve only grinned and patted your belly, telling you it looked terribly cute.

The snow wasn’t too deep, thankfully, or your legs would’ve hated you. You were in good shape, you were an Avenger after all, but the layers of heavy clothing, huge snowboots, and the baby-weight you’d put on were all very hindering to your general movement. Finally tired of walking, you stopped and plopped down on a fallen tree after swiping some snow off of it.

“I’m done walking,” you huffed, “we can find a tree here, yeah?” Steve glanced around the small clearing you’d entered, nodding.

“Looks good to me, little one. See anything you like?” He gazed over the trees, taking off his jacket so he could better maneuver his ax. His muscles rippled beneath his shirt delectably as he tested the weight and swing of the tool.

Your tongue swiped over your lips as you watched him. “Well, for one, you standing right there in front of me.” It was no secret your libido had been sky-high as of late, something Steve often took advantage of. 

He grinned and shook his head. “Woah there little girl, it’s too cold for that kind of talk.” He stretched one more time, just to tease you. “I meant, do you see a tree you like?”

You scanned the area, finally settling on a modest sapling. It was around six feet tall, not too big or too small to make a good Christmas tree. It was coated in snow, but the green needles peeked out at you invitingly. You lifted your hand and pointed, then realized it was probably a bit hard to see where you were pointing considering it was a bit hard to see your fingers, removed your mitten, and pointed again. “That one looks nice. What do you think?”

Steve walked over to the tree, brushing away snow. “Looks perfect to me,” he said, clearing snow away from the tree’s base. 

“Are you sure it isn’t too big? We walked quite a way and I don’t want you to have to carry it so far if it’s too much,” you fretted. Steve chuckled.

“Honey, this tree is tiny. I’ll have no trouble with it.” He took a swing at the tree’s base, making a sizable dent at the first try. “Y’know,” he said as he worked, “once I carried Bucky two miles in two foot-deep snow?”

“Really? Dang. What happened?” You leaned over as a wood-chip flew past your ear. 

Steve laughed, beginning to explain the story as he finished cutting the tree and the two of you trudged home. “Well, you see, Bucky had gotten a bit too tipsy the night before at the base…”

Steve made sure both you and the tree made it home in one piece. By the time you got back, all the snow had fallen from its branches, leaving it ready to be decorated. Once the two of you had wrangled it in and out of the elevator and got it into the apartment, you were buzzing with excitement. While Steve situated the tree in its water-filled base, you set to work unboxing ornaments and lights and tinsel.

The tree looked perfect. You and Steve had worked for over an hour to get it decorated just right, the display looking stunning. You grinned as you looked at your handiwork, handing the star to Steve. “One last touch.”

Steve pressed the star back into your hands, then grabbed your hips and lifted you easily. It wasn’t that far to the top, and you were light as a feather. You placed the star on the tree, connecting it to the strand of lights so that it lit up too. Steve sat you back down, wrapping his arms around you and resting his chin atop your head. “Perfect, ‘Mega. Good job.”

You grinned at the praise, a chill of happiness shooting up your spine. You tilted your head backwards and planted a kiss on the underside of his scruffy chin, then wriggled out of his grasp. You reached for a strand of unused tinsel, winding it around your neck like a fancy feather boa. You shot Steve a playful look, grinning. He shook his head and laughed, then a look of excitement flashed over his face. “I’ll be right back,” he said and left the room.

He returned a moment later with an unopened shopping bag. “Sit down and close you eyes, okay?” You looked at him warily, but sat back on the couch and let your eyes fall shut. You heard the rustle of packaging and raised your eyebrow. “Just what are you up to, Rogers?”

“Hush and let me work,” he said. You could practically hear his shit-eating grin. You flinched and giggled as he pushed your shirt up over your belly. You felt something cold on your belly, and you yelped. It tickled, whatever it was. “Hold still, little one,” Steve said, concentrating.

The ticklish torture lasted several minutes. Finally, Steve sat back and let you open your eyes. You snorted as you looked down at your belly, laughing.

The kit Steve had gotten was a Christmas-themed set of skin-safe paint, intended to be used to decorate a baby-bump. Steve had done just that, painting a large green wreath with a red bow on your skin. In the center was something you couldn’t quite read all the way. Steve grinned.

“It says ‘Alpha’s Christmas present’,” he said proudly, a mischievous glint in his eyes. You smiled, face burning with embarrassment and affection for the valiant Avenger.

Before you could react, Steve had whipped out his camera, snapping a photo of you. “I plan to get one of these every year,” he said, swiping his tongue over his lips. You raised your eyebrow.

“Every year?” you asked incredulously. Steve had talked like that before, but it was during coitus and you’d never thought about it seriously. 

Steve smirked and nodded, standing up and pulling you to your feet. “Every year,” he said, planting a quick kiss on your nose and then a longer, more sensual kiss on your lips. “Now, how ‘bout you let alpha get a sneak peak at his present?”

You blinked, stepping back and trying to process what you’d just heard. “Steve, every year? That’s a bit much, don’t you think?” You could hardly imagine it, bouncing young pups on your hips while struggling with more on the way.

Steve frowned, nudging you to sit back down on the couch. He kneeled in front of you, kissing your painted belly. “No,” he stated simply, “I don’t.” He trailed kisses down your belly, leaning you back so he could reach every bit of the skin between your navel and pelvis.

“B-but, I can’t take care of that many,” you stammered. You’d be overwhelmed, and likely never able to return to work as an Avenger.

Steve chuckled, reaching the rim of your sweatpants and tugging them down your hips, your panties traveling shortly behind. “Yes you will, Omega. And I’ll be there to help.” His lips ghosted over your folds, his breath warm against the sensitive skin.

“But you have work!” you exclaimed, shaking your head. “I can’t take care of that many kids every day, especially not if I’m pregnant. I have a hard enough time doing regular tasks as it is without having to worry about taking care of pups!” Your belly was quite a struggle to work with as it grew.

Steve smiled and placed a firm kiss over your clit before he rose and pressed a kiss to your lips. “You won’t be alone all day,” he rumbled, nipping your lower lip. “I’m going to cut back on missions.” His hands caressed your swollen breasts, teasing your sensitive, pert nipples through your shirt.

You raised your eyebrows. “What? But the team needs you. They need me too, we can’t just abandon that!” You pushed at his shoulder, trying to stave him off while you discussed this matter.

With one hand he unzipped his pants, baring his cock. He rubbed himself as he smiled at you, groaning as he spoke. “Omega, I’ve made it clear you aren’t going to be back on missions for a long, long time. I already told the team.” 

Your jaw dropped. “You wha- ah..!” Your protests were cut off as he parted your legs and entered you in one swift motion. You fought back a moan as he rocked his hips.

Steve’s lips found your’s once again as he started to fuck you roughly, getting his point across. You were his. “And with all the new members, I only need to go on major missions. Maybe twice a year, or even less.” His hands locked on your hips as he rutted into you.

You whimpered as his thick, pulsing cock massaged you walls, dragging in and out of your soaked cunt with a learned precision. He knew every part of you, every place to hit in order to drive you towards your climax. “I’ll be here for you all the time,” he rumbled, his lips dragging over yours, “with all our pups. It will be perfect.”

His lips found your bond-mark, mouthing the sensitive scarred area. You shivered and whined, melting beneath him despite yourself. The sensations were clouding your head. “St-eve,” you panted, “I-”

“Shh,” he soothed, silencing you once more with a kiss. His thumb rubbed your clit. Tears gathered in the corners of your eyes as waves of pleasure washed over you. Your body jerked and your walls spasmed, milking his cock. He spilled into you with a loud groan. “Shh, it’ll be okay, ‘Mega..”

Knotted and unable to separate, Steve lifted you up and laid back on the couch, sitting you on top of him, straddling his hips. His hands kneaded your sides as he admired your painted, burgeoning belly. “It’ll be perfect, Omega,” he repeated. “A perfect family.” TAGLIST:

@stupendousshepherdloverpony @imsonick @auroussss

[talkfastromance4]

5sos Christmas Playlist-- Day 4 ‘I’ll be Home for Christmas’ Ashton

Day 4!!

Obviously had to end it with my man. If you’ve read any or all of these little one shots, thank you! and i hope you all have a wonderful christmas if you celebrate!!

Word Count: 1,988

Warnings: none just dad!ashton

Enjoy! :)

Masterlist

Day 1 Michael

Day 2 Luke

Day 3 Calum

_________________________

Christmas Eve will find you where the love light gleams, I’ll be home for Christmas if only in my dreams

Christmas was always special for you and Ashton. It was when he proposed to you six years ago and when you’d first told him you were pregnant a year after being married. It was a time for family, love and memories. This year was a little different. 

You had decorated the house alone this year for what with Ashton flying from LA to New York to London since Thanksgiving. The band was doing promos, interviews, appearing on almost all the Late shows and performing at two Jingle Bell balls. 

You baked cookies with your three little ones and made sure to send their frosting-and-sprinkle covered faces to Ashton, with some videos. Fletcher, your oldest at four who was a mirror image of Ashton, was more than happy to help his younger brother and sister. Henry just turned three and Ivy will be turning one come January so you had to help her a little bit more but it was still fun with all three of your babies. 

All five of your stockings hung on the fireplace, the tree was adorned with soft white lights and red and green ornaments. A little village was set up in the main foyer which the kids loved to watch as the tiny figurines skated on the ice, or the train rolled in and out of a tunnel. 

The house was warm and full of holiday cheer but with Ashton being gone you felt his absence. 

“Mama, can we call Daddy?” Fletcher asks you as you place the plethora of sugar cookies into tins for later. 

“Sure baby, let’s see if we can get him on video,” you smile snapping the lid on one container and grabbing your phone. “Come on Henry, let’s call Daddy.”

“Dada!” he exclaims sliding off the kitchen chair. His blond curls bounce at the back of his neck as he follows you and Fletcher into the living room, Ivy on your hip. 

Your two boys huddle next to you while you reposition Ivy into your lap and you press the FaceTime button under his name. The mirrored versions of you and the kids reflect back at you before his smiling face appears. The boys shriek along with their father in excitement for finally seeing each other. You laugh as Ivy makes her own loud noises trying to get in on the fun. 

“Hi honey,” you smile once everyone has calmed down a little. 

“Hi babe,” he greets with a grin then looks at each child individually. “Hello my babies, what were you doing that made your faces all messy, hm?”

“We made cookies for Santa!” Fletcher exclaims. His dark blond curls frame his face making him look more and more like Ashton, dimples and all. 

“You did?! I hope you saved some for me,” Ashton smiles. 

“I helped Henny with his frosting,” Fletcher says proudly.

Hearing his nickname, Henry perks up and smiles at Ashton who coos back at him. 

“Hi buddy,” Ashton laughs happily at his shy boy. 

Fletcher is Ashton’s mini me and Henry is you to a T. He has your hair and eye color and the same soft, kind demeanor. He’s a little charmer though and you think he knows it because he smiles and giggles when he’s doing something he shouldn’t. 

“Did you like making cookies with mama and Fletch?”

“Yeah! I did the-the spinkles!” Henry responds joyously. 

“And he did a very good job,” you smile pressing a kiss to his head. 

“I can’t wait to eat them. How’d my little Ivy Rose do with the decorating?” Ashton turns his eyes to Ivy who is chewing on her fingers, her big hazel eyes staring at Ashton. She’s still only has soft little hairs on her head, their little bald baby but her features are pretty half and half of you and Ashton. 

She’s got Ashton wrapped around her tiny little fingers. 

“She ate it mostly,” you chuckle rubbing her soft head. “But I think she had fun.”

“When are you coming home, Daddy?” Fletcher asks leaning on your thighs. 

You can visibly see the change in Ashton’s features at your son’s question. You had a feeling this year would be a little different because of the release of the new album approaching, but you waited to let Ashton explain. 

“Hopefully soon, bub,” Ashton sighs, “there’s a lot of snowstorms and that doesn’t make it safe for flying. But you, mama, Henry and Ivy will have a great Christmas and you’ll show me everything you got from Santa, yeah?”

“What if Santa brought you on his sleigh!” Fletcher exclaims and Henry yells ‘Santa!’ in excitement. Ivy shrieks again with her brothers, her little hands waving in the air and almost knocking your phone from your hand. 

“Shh, shh, inside voices please, babies,” you hush them with a smile readjusting your grip on the phone. 

“I don’t think Santa has room for me,” Ashton laughs. “But I promise when I’m home we’ll have a second Christmas, okay? Can you go play with your brother while I talk with mama?”

“Okay, Daddy,” Fletcher says and kisses his hand in Ashton’s direction. “C’mon Henny.”

“Bye boys, I love you. Be good for mama,” he waves before kissing his hand as well. Henry tries to copy his father and older brother by kissing his fist. 

“Bye Dada!” Henry smiles then takes Fletcher’s hand letting him lead him upstairs to their room. 

You sigh sadly resting your chin on Ivy’s head. Ashton is sad as well. 

“I’m trying, angel, I really am. No flights are going out right now because of the weather,” he explains. 

“I know you are,” you nod, “and I’d rather you be safe on the ground. Christmas is going to be a little altered this year, that’s all.”

He stares at you and Ivy for a moment. “My beautiful girls,” he hums, “I miss you all so much. Maybe we can FaceTime tomorrow before the kids’ bedtime?”

“Of course we can,” you smile. “We miss you, too. How are the guys holding up being away from home?”

“Same as me, I guess. We’re all homesick. I’l be--” he stops mid-sentence looking up at someone behind his phone. “All right. Baby, I gotta go, the car’s here but I’ll call you tomorrow?”

“Okay,” you nod smiling softly. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. Bye Princess, Dada loves you,” he kisses his hand waving his fingers to Ivy who coos at her dad. 

You hang up then sighed once more, rocking Ivy in your lap as you allow yourself to be sad at this moment. You had to keep a brave face on for the boys because they’ll be more upset if they see you upset. 

********

Like the rest of your and Ashton’s traditions, you held Christmas Eve dinner with the other wives and kids of the band. The newest addition to the 5sos family was baby Stella, Luke and Sierra’s adorable little girl. You all took tons of photos of all the kids together so the guys wouldn’t feel left out on tonight’s festivities. 

After dinner you all gathered in the living room with cups of hot cocoa and mini marshmallows while The Polar Express played on the large screen TV. Just after the hot chocolate song there’s a knock and ring at the door. 

“Who could that be?” Crystal asks fluffing the blanket over her and the twins. 

You get up from the couch with Fletcher hot on your heels. Ashton has told Fletcher that when Daddy’s away it’s Fletcher’s job to to protect his mama, brother and sister. Fletcher took that responsibility very seriously.

You push Fletcher behind her as she opens the door and sees Santa standing there.

“Santa!” Fletcher exclaims popping out from behind you.

“Ho, ho, ho!” Santa bellows heartily rubbing his belly.

“What are you doing here, Santa?” You ask narrowing your eyes. 

“I was informed that there are some good little girls and boys here without their Daddies for Christmas,” ‘Santa’ winks an all too familiar eye at you. You gasp quietly as he bends down to Fletcher’s height. “Can you go tell everyone to close their eyes for Santa’s surprise?”

“Okay, Santa!” Fletcher runs into the living room telling everyone to close their eyes. 

Behind ‘Santa,’ Luke, Calum and Michael appear with big grins mumbling ‘Merry Christmas’ happily to you as you step aside to let them in. They shuffle past you into the living room. You close the door and ‘Santa’ grabs hold of your waist just as Luke shouts “Open your eyes!” and shouts of happiness are heard.

“Santa has a special gift for you, Mrs. Irwin,” Ashton says in your ear. The fuzziness of his artificial beard tickles your ear. 

“Yeah?” you grin spinning in his arms then tugs his beard down so you can you see his face. “Am I on the nice list?”

“Gimme a kiss and I’ll let you know,” he smirks already leaning forward to give you a kiss. 

His arms tighten around your waist as the kiss deepens, his lips soft and cool. Regretfully, you pull away with a smile. 

“I’m so glad you’re home, but you have three little babies who want to see you, too,” you stroke his cheek gently. He squeezes your waist. 

“I’m dying to see them, too. We’ll continue this later, yeah?” he kisses you again, his tongue teasing yours deliciously. 

“Yes sir,” you say breathlessly watching him yank off the Santa suit. You raise your eyebrows at him in confusion. 

“Don’t want them catching Mommy kissing Santa Claus, right?” he grins tossing the outfit in the closet behind him. 

He kisses your cheek then grabs your hand moving into the living room. Hugs, kisses and chatter are still being exchanged then Calum says something to Fletcher who’s in his lap. 

“Daddy!” 

“Dada!”

Both boys leap off the couch and laps of uncles darting into Ashton’s outstretched arms. 

“My boys!” Ashton says giddily, hugging them close and kissing their heads. 

“Daddy, Santa was here!” Fletcher informs him.

“I know! He gave me and your uncles a ride here,” Ashton tells them brightly. 

“He did?!”

“Wow . . .” Henry sighs and you laugh at the wonder of your sons’ reactions. 

Ivy wails from her spot next to Sierra and Luke who’s cooing happily at Stella. You retrieve Ivy from the couch pointing to Ashton. 

“Look who’s here, baby. Is that Daddy?”

“There’s my princess!” Ashton smiles rising from his boys’ heights. He holds out his arms and Ivy wriggles in yours until Ashton has her. 

She hugs his neck tightly then lifts her head to look at him with a big smile as he murmurs, “hi” and she flings her arms around his neck again causing him to laugh. He rests his head on hers rubbing her back. 

“My sweet girl,” he hums kissing her peach fuzzed head. 

Eventually the movie resumes play and you’re seated next to Ashton with your boys between you and Ivy fast asleep on Ashton’s chest. Henry has his head in your lap, he’ll be dozing off soon as well since you’re playing with his hair. 

You feel Ashton pinch your ear lobe lightly, you turn to him and he mouths ‘I love you.’

“I love you, too,” you whisper.

His fingers rub the back of your head and you smile, your body filling with warmth and happiness that your family is together for Christmas. Your stomach does a little flip thinking of the small present that’s sitting under the tree for Ashton.

It’s a picture of you and the kids wearing special shirts. Fletcher has the number one, Henry with a number two, Ivy has the number three and on the belly of your shirt is the number four that you’re pointing at with a big smile on your face.

[ericsonclan]

The Gift of Giving

Summary: Everyone gathers at Ericson's Diner to celebrate with a Christas party and Secret Santa.

Word Count: 3190

Read on AO3:

“Shit,” Violet muttered, trying her best to reach the top of the Christmas tree and place the star. Why did Louis have to buy such a huge tree for the diner? Even standing on one of the restaurant’s chairs wasn’t enough to get her to the top of the tree. “Stupid kids running around when they should be eating and shit,” Violet grumbled. It had been hard enough getting this star up the first time. Doing it again because of rowdy customers pissed her off.

Suddenly she felt her legs rise off the chair. Violet let out a little squeak of surprise before looking down and seeing her girlfriend smiling below her. Prisha chuckled. “Sorry for the scare. I figured you could use a hand,”

“Thanks,” Violet murmured, feeling rather flustered at the feeling of Prisha’s hands on her waist. She hadn’t known she was this strong. The extra few inches gave her enough height to safely put the star back in place. Prisha promptly lowered her to the ground, her hands hovering on Violet’s waist for a second longer.

“Hey, you two!” Louis exclaimed, striding into the room in a Santa costume, a bounce in his step. “Oh, Vi, you got the star back up! That’s great! Thought I’d have to ask Mitch or Marlon to do it before the party started,” Louis’ arms were full of all sorts of presents which he deposited on one of the booth tables. “Care to help me stack all the center tables to the sides? The others should be coming any minute now!”

“Where are Brody and Clem?” Violet asked, looking round the room as she picked up a chair to start stacking. “They just finished their shift too so they said they’d be sticking around,”

“They’re helping Ruby and Omar finish the final details on the party snacks. They’re gonna be delish!” Louis licked his lips excitedly. He toted a table by himself across the room before returning for another. “I’m so glad the snow slowed down outside! I was starting to get worried that half of the staff would miss out on their final Secret Santa gifts if they couldn’t make the drive in,”

“If that had been the case, we simply could have left the presents in their cubbies in the break room,” Prisha stated.

“Noooo,” Louis pouted. “It’s not the same if you don’t get to see the reactions!”

Violet cast a knowing smile her best friend’s way. Louis never changed. He always loved gift-giving most of all out of any part of Christmas. Letting out a small grunt, she lifted a set of stacked chairs and walked quickly toward the far wall. Louis had said he wanted to make a big circle with all the staff for the gift exchange so they’d need all the floor space they could get.

“Awesome!” Louis looked at their work proudly, his hands on his hips. “Now onto the music. Prisha, can you help me connect my iPod to the diner speakers? I put a special playlist together for tonight,”

“Of course,” Prisha headed with Louis over to the bar where the speaker system was, leaving Violet on her own. It was only a few seconds though before Brody and Clementine strode out carrying trays of Christmas cookies and hot cocoa. They still had the antlers on from their shift today. Violet felt lucky she’d been able to wriggle her way out of the seasonal uniform changes Louis had instituted. These two didn’t seem to mind though.

“Hey, Vi,” Brody said cheerily, setting the hot cocoa down on the next booth over from the presents. “You’re not dressing up for the party?”

Violet shrugged, tapping her Christmas nametag that was emblazoned with holly. “Got my Christmas decoration right here,”

Clementine placed the cookies down as well and joined them. “What are we talking about? Secret Santa gifts? I got my person something I’m hoping will blow their socks off!”

Brody smiled shyly. “I don’t want to brag, but I think I did pretty great too. How about you, Vi?”

Before Violet could answer, Louis came running over, wildly waving his hands. “No telling who you got for Secret Santa! It’s supposed to be a surprise till the last second!”

“Chill, Lou,” Clementine chuckled, slipping her hand into his. “Everything’s still hush hush. You make a very cute Santa, by the way,”

That got Louis distracted. His face heated up and he looked flustered, murmuring something about how Clem looked even cuter before tugging on one of his dreads.

Violet smirked. She’d tease him if she didn’t know it’d be thrown back into her face tenfold. Maybe sometime when Prisha wasn’t around to be used against her she’d bring this moment up.

Suddenly the front doors burst open and a flurry of wind and snow whoosed into the restaurant. Mitch strode in, bundled from head to toe, Marlon following close behind him. “We made it!” Mitch announced, stomping the snow from his boots before heading into the main part of the diner. “It snowed a shit ton today, but the roads are still clear enough to make it through. Are we late?”

“Nah, we’re still waiting on the twins, Renata and Aasim,” Louis walked forward to greet his friends only for his eyes to widen in excitement as he noticed Rosie beside Marlon. “No way! You brought Rosie?”

“Yep! I hope that’s OK. I made sure she went to the bathroom before we left so she should be good for the whole party,” Marlon chuckled as Louis was already on his knees before Rosie, laughing as she licked his face.

“This is gonna be our best party yet!”

“Now that we’re here it will!” Renata’s voice was heard from the service hall before the double doors burst open and she strode through with a proud smile, Sophie and Minnie walking side by side behind her. “Let the fun begin!”

“Awesome! So we’re only missing Aasim then. Hope he won’t be long,” Louis took out his phone to check for messages,

“Oh, you don’t have to check, Sug,” Ruby said, coming out from the double doors with Omar by her side. “He gave me a call about a half hour ago, said he’d be a bit late. But he’ll be here in time for presents.”

“Well, ok then. With everyone else present, let the festivities begin!” Louis did a dramatic twirl before tossing his Santa hat high in the air. “First game of the night: the limbo!”

There were plenty of games to be played at the Ericson’s Diner Christmas party. Those who wanted to like Louis and Renata participated in all of them while some of the quieter staff members stood off to the sides and enjoyed the music, conversation and snacks. Sophie found herself constantly torn between games and snacks and could be seen running back and forth, her mouth full of treats before she joined in on bowling for snowmen or blindman’s bluff.

Eventually once everyone was full of cookies and cocoa and the Christmas games had reached a lull it was time for Secret Santa. Aasim had snuck in at some point during the festivities, giving Ruby a quick kiss before settling into a booth with Omar to chat. Louis called everyone to sit in a circle and place their gifts in the center. He then stood by the pile of presents, making sure everyone was seated before clearing his throat. “Now that everyone is present, we can enjoy all the presents! Now, let me just reach into my handy dandy Santa cap which I’ve filled with everyone’s names, and the first one to go is… Clementine!” Louis held up the name proudly, displaying it to everyone before flashing a grin his girlfriend’s way. “And whose secret Santa were you, my sweet?”

“I was Aasim’s secret Santa,” Clementine gave a nod to her friend, sharing a smile before she stood to grab his gift. “I hope this isn’t something you already have and I just didn’t know. I thought it was pretty cool,”

Aasim took the present and unwrapped it, his eyes widening with interest as the gift was revealed. “An electronic notebook!” He squinted as he read the text on the back of the box. “Save digital versions of your planner pages to popular cloud services like Google drive, Dropbox, Evernote, box, OneNote, Slack, iCloud, email and more,”

“I figured this way you won’t have a ton of notebooks to look through if you want to reference something. You can just have all your information in one place,”

“Thank you, Clem. What a thoughtful gift,” Aasim looked down at his new notebook happily, clearly intrigued by it.

           Louis reached into his Santa hat, giving it a dramatic twirl. “Next up is… Sophie!”

           “Oooh, that’s me!” Sophie exclaimed, jumping up from her spot and scurrying over to her gift. I was Ruby’s secret Santa!” she dropped the gift into her friend’s lap with a bright smile.

Ruby let out a little grunt as the package plonked down on her legs. “Oof, heavier than expected,” She unwrapped her gift and revealed an unusually shaped baking tin. “Now what do we have here?”

“It’s cookie shot glasses!” Sophie exclaimed, bouncing on her feet excitedly. “So you bake the cookies in the shape of teeny shot glasses then instead of alcohol you do shots of milk!”

“Why, that’s quite the unique gift!” Ruby chuckled, setting the tin beside her. “I’ll be sure to put it to good use this Christmas,”

“Yeee, you like it!” Sophie did a happy little twirl before sitting back down.

“Two secret Santas, two awesome gifts! Let’s keep up the trend!” Louis declared. Shuffling around the cards in his hat, he drew the next name. “Oh, Minnie! Right after your twin!”

“And my twin’s the recipient of my gift,” Minnie replied, calmly rising to grab her gift.

“I knew it was you!” Sophie exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “I just knew it!”

“Bet you don’t know what I got you though,” Minnie quipped, handing over the gift.

It was an album of photoshopped pictures of the twins and their family and friends. The once normal photos were now crazy pictures of them on the moon or as cats or with everybody at Ericson’s Diner but the twins were huge and held the rest of the staff in their hands. Sophie gasped and giggled at each and every picture as she flipped through the book. She cradled the album in her arms, her smile vibrant. “I love it! You’re the best, as always!”

Minnie shrugged, a small smile on her lips. “Knew I had to nail it considering I should know you better than anyone else,”

“Ahh, sisterly love. Is there anything better in the world?” Louis wiped a mock tear of his own from his eye before continuing. “Next is... Clem! Oh wait, that can’t be right. One sec…” Rummaging through the hat, Louis tossed out the names he had already drawn. “Ok, we’re all in the clear. And next is… Mitch!”

“I got Renata,” Mitch stood up and snatched his gift, tossing it over to the brunette. “Don’t know what sorta shit you’re into but I thought you’d like this,”

Renata tore into her present excitedly, tossing the wrapping paper dramatically to the side. She let out a loud gasp. “It’s henna!” She held up the henna kit for everyone to see. “This is awesome! I’m gonna put tattoos all over my face!”

“Hell yeah,” Mitch nodded in approval.

“Please don’t,” Ruby said, looking concerned.

Before Renata could come up with a retort, Louis had moved on to the next secret Santa. “Violet! It’s your turn to shine!”

Violet silently shuffled to her feet, silently grabbing her gift from the pile and handing it to Omar. “Here. I hope you like it,”

Omar carefully undid the wrapping paper. His eyes lit with interest as he unveiled his gift. “Texan Cooking: 101 Recipes. Thank you, Vi. I don’t have anything like this in my collection yet,”

A small smile alighted on Violet’s lips. “I’m glad,” Without another word she returned to her seat next to Prisha but a second later Prisha’s name had been called.

Prisha rose and took her present from the dwindling pile. “I was Louis’ secret Santa. I tried to pick something I think you’d quite enjoy,” Prisha carefully handed over a small square present.

Louis opened it with care, finding a cardboard box inside which he also opened with caution before his eyes lit up in wonder. In his hand he held a tiny silver piano. Intricate silver details decorated its entirety. Turning it over, Louis rotated a small lever. “La Vie En Rose” began to play softly. Louis’ eyes welled up with unshed tears. “It’s beautiful, Prish,” He stared at the gift for several seconds, long enough to make it clear he was utterly distracted.

Clearing her throat, Clementine gently took the hat from her boyfriend’s hands. “How ‘bout I take a turn, babe?” Louis nodded silently and took a seat in the circle, still lost in admiring his gift. Prisha was practically beaming with pride at the success of her gift.

“Alright, guys,” Clementine went digging in the hat and pulled out a new name. “It’s Brody’s turn!”

Brody bounced up from the floor, looking excited and nervous as she picked up a rather large present. “I was Mitch’s secret Santa,”

“No way,” Mitch exclaimed, his eyes large. “Then that time you were asking for gift ideas…?”

“I was shopping for you,” Brody nodded, smiling proudly. “Here ya go!”

Mitch ripped off the wrapping paper and let out an impressed whistle. “Dr. Gross’ Candy Lab Madness. No way! You get to make your own candy?”

“Yep! I figured you and Willy would have fun working on it together,”

“This is the shit! You’re totally coming over to make this with us too!”

“I can’t wait!” Brody leaned over to plant a kiss on her boyfriend’s forehead then took her seat beside him once more, blushing as Mitch softly wrapped an arm round her waist.

Clementine smiled over at her friends having their moment before continuing. “Next is Ruby!”

“I had Prisha,” Ruby declared, rolling onto her feet and picking up her gift before walking over and gently placing it in Prisha’s hands. “I hope I got the right size,”

Prisha looked intrigued by the statement. She opened the present to find a pair of crimson faux leather gloves inside. “Why, Ruby, these are extraordinary!” She pulled one on, admiring the craftsmanship. “And they fit perfectly! Thank you!”

“I’m glad. They look lovely on you,” Ruby smiled warmly before returning to her spot.

“Alrighty, next up is Renata,”

“I got Marlon!” Renata shouted. Crawling forward, she grabbed her gift and chucked it at the blond’s head.

Marlon caught the package with ease, opening it quickly. His face lit up with excitement. “Matching sweaters for me and Rosie!” He immediately got to work helping Rosie who was laying between him and Sophie get hers on. “Thanks, Renata! These are the best!”

“Worth every penny,” Renata grinned proudly.

Clementine grinned as they all admired Rosie in her new Christmas sweater. “Cute. Alright, Aasim is up next,”

Aasim grabbed a slender rectangular present from the pile before clearing his throat. “Minnie, I was your secret Santa. I hope you enjoy what I selected,”

Minnie took the gift that was handed her and calmly unwrapped it. A smile came to her lips as she held up the gift inside. “It’s a collection of Disney songs arranged for the guitar. Thanks, Aasim. These’ll be fun to try out,”

Aasim nodded in approval, clearly satisfied that he’d chosen well as they watched Minnie flip through the different songs with interest.

“Next is Omar,” Clementine declared, dropping the slip of paper to the ground. “We’re down to the last few,”

“I was Brody’s secret Santa,” Omar rose to his feet and carried a small present bag over to his friend. Brody reached inside and pulled out a CD. “Oooh, you got music for me to listen to on my drives?”

“Not quite. It’s actually music to sleep too. I remember you mentioned sometimes you have a hard time getting to sleep so I figured a collection of nature sounds would be nice,”

“That’s so sweet, Omar! Thank you, that’s really thoughtful,” Brody’s smile was warm as she got up quickly to hug her friend. Omar returned the hug warmly before walking back over to his seat on the floor.

“OK, last one, guys,” Clementine said, looking at the small present wrapped in dark blue, star-filled wrapping paper. “I bet we all know who that goes to. Louis, take it away,”

“My secret Santa giftee was Violet!” Louis chirped. Leaning forward, he got a hold of his gift and slid it across the circle to his best friend. “Go ahead, Vi. Open it!”

Violet opened the gift with caution, not wanting to mar the wrapping paper but feeling self-conscious of all the eyes on her. Inside was a jewelry case. She opened it to find a delicate charm bracelet with two charms upon it: a golden sun and a silver moon.

“I know you don’t like dealing with jewelry, but for this I figured you’d make an exception,” Louis explained with a grin.

A small smile was on Violet’s face as Prisha helped her put the charm bracelet on. “It’s really cool, Lou. You’re right. I will wear this,”

“Yipee!” Louis threw his arms up in the air in celebration. “And with that everyone- wait a minute,” He paused, counting out the presents on his fingers before looking toward his other best friend. “Marlon, we missed you! And the one person who hasn't gotten a gift is..." Louis' eyes widened in horror. "Clem! Oh shit, did we forget Clem? Was she here when the names were drawn? There's no presents left! What are we gonna-"

"Lou, chill!" Marlon said, jumping up to his feet and walking toward the bar. "I didn't add the present to the pile since I didn't want it to get damaged. It's right over here," He emerged from the bar holding something in one hand behind his back. Walking over to Clementine, Marlon raised a finger. "Close your eyes and carefully hold out your hands,"

Clementine did as instructed, her eyes squeezed tightly shut in excitement.

Marlon placed the present into her hands then quietly returned to his spot. "OK, now open them,"

Clementine opened her eyes and looked down and her hands, oohing in excitement when she saw what was there. "Is this a venus fly trap? I've never seen one in real life!"

"Yep!" Marlon grinned proudly. "I heard you and Violet talking about how badass they were in the break room a few weeks ago and I knew it'd make the perfect gift! Had to be careful with it though - it needs to keep warm and have lots of humidity if possible so I didn't want to wrap it and have it wilt. I hope it's not too hard to take care of,"

"I'll take the best care of it ever!" Clementine declared, her eyes shining with determination. "Thanks, Marlon!"

Louis' smile was soft as he watched his girlfriend tenderly trace her fingers along the leaves of her new plant. “Alright, and with that the secret Santa gift exchange is over. But the fun continues!” He jumped to his feet, grabbing his Santa hat from Clementine and putting it back on his head. “Who’s ready to party?”

“Wooo!” Renata cheered, joined quickly by Sophie.

The party picked up again quickly, everyone resuming their previous roles of joining in games or participating in snack-filled conversations. The party would continue for as long as they all wished. They enjoyed each other’s company, so knowing the staff it would probably go on for quite some time yet. That was fine though. They were all energized by the presents and fun, each of them feeling their own excitement as Christmas grew ever nearer. It was another successful Ericson’s Diner Christmas party to close out a great year.

[zootopiathingz]

Oppression (A Bug’s Life AU)

Description: You know the story. Now get ready to see it again in a whole different light.

On an isolated island lives a kingdom of ant/human people, who struggle to harvest enough food for themselves and their allies, the Grasshoppers. After a young and clumsy inventor causes an incident that puts the kingdom in danger, the Queen's council allow him to search far off the land to make allies with warriors. But after realizing he hired street performers by mistake, he and the newest allies must keep up the act to save the kingdom.

Chapter I: Small Issues

We are not stronger by our number, but rather by our bravery.

Light was only provided by the rising sun on the hot summer morning. Everyone had already begun their daily routines by then, and most of it was cleaning their houses, and of course, gathering food for the offering. Something they dreaded but wouldn't dare express apprehension about. This was something that most had been doing since they were young.

The island wasn't too large, but it was expandable enough to sustain life for the kingdom. Most of it just consisted of the village and the castle. The village was for the harvesters, the teachers, and sadly, the homeless. Most everyone lived in that part, and while doing their best to keep it clean, failed to keep it beautified. It wasn't the worst it could be, though. As without the Grasshoppers' protection, they would be in much worse, more horrid conditions.

The castle was huge, and though very old, was in excellent shape. The marble floors, the golden thrones for the royal family, the large bedrooms, and so on. There was plenty of room for almost everyone in the kingdom, but the only residents were the queen, the two princesses, the council, and servants.

The queen ruler of the island for as long as anyone could remember. She had more power ever since the disappearance of her husband. She was old but very beautiful and surprisingly optimistic and laidback. Despite the conditions her kingdom was in, she didn't focus on the negative aspects of life. She laughed and made jokes, she had a smile that lit up a whole room.

Her daughters were much younger and just as beautiful. Princess Atta was the eldest, soon to be queen herself. She was barely older than a teenager and had the body and the beauty of a goddess. However, she wasn't as positive and calm as her mother. In fact, she was the opposite. She was always worrying about something, never seeing things the way her mother or sister did. Perhaps it was the stress of taking over soon, or the alliance with the clan of grasshopper hybrids. But she was always stressed.

As for the youngest, Princess Dot was not even nine-years-old yet. She was shorter than most kids her age, and despite being royalty, she was always being picked on by classmates. She attended an elementary school in the village, despite her sister's attempts to try to educate her herself. She liked to be positive and carefree like her mother, but it didn't help that everyone was always telling her what she could and could not do.

The offering was a large collection of food, mostly by the harvesters, near the edge of the island. It was piled up and mostly contained fruits and crops, but had some meat and desserts made by the chefs as well. Every year on the summer solstice, the Grasshoppers would arrive at the island to eat the food that had been offered to them, not even interacting with the island's inhabitants, and leave not long after. It was apart of the deal that the clan's leader and the queen made years ago. The ant hybrids offered them food in exchange for protection from outsiders. The history of this exchange was dark, and no one dared to speak of it.

The royal family would often supervise the offering, especially on the day of the Grasshoppers' arrival. They had to make sure it was perfect, or lord only knew what would happen. This was really the only time Princess Atta ever left the castle. Otherwise, she was hidden away in her bedroom or throne room. Her mother and sister would often walk through the village together, and Dot would attend her classes every weekday. But Atta lived a different life, a life she chose to keep to herself.

The sun was rising rapidly it seemed, mainly due to the tension and anxiousness in the air. Everyone felt it, but no one would discuss it. All the harvesters were in line, dropping their food onto the pile before going to collect more in an exhausting cycle. Princess Atta and her mother were standing not too far in front of it, being shaded by their servants while the council was supervising everyone.

Atta watched as the sun was rising higher, getting closer to noon. And she knew exactly what that would mean. She was nervous, despite knowing the process wouldn't involve any interaction with the Grasshoppers at all. She would constantly glance back at the ocean for any signs of boats arriving their way, even though there was already a look-out team at the coast that would blow their horns when signs of the clan were visible.

"Oh dear," She paced back and forth, rubbing her hands, "They'll be here soon.”

"You will be fine, dear." Her mother said calmly, walking over to try to relax her poor daughter. She waved her hand to dismiss the servants from shading them, in which they obeyed immediately. She took Atta's hand and stepped away from the offering, "There is nothing to worry about, honestly. It is the same process year after year. They come, they eat, they leave. We do not even have to greet them. We've been doing this since you were young."

"Yes, I know." The princess sighed, nodding. "I suppose it’s because I will be taking your place soon, and if anything goes awry, it will be all on me. I do not know if I can take such pressure."

The queen sighed, "It's not an easy job, I understand. I was just like you when I was your age. That cautiousness and unwillingness to fail is what makes a good leader. But what also makes a good leader is confidence. You need to trust in yourself that when the time comes, you will know what to do."

Atta nodded again, "I understand, Mother. I shall try." Though, she knew her mother had a point, she knew that self-confidence was something she never had a day in her life. And she wasn't going to obtain it so easily through a pep talk.

The queen smiled as she picked up her beloved dog, Aphie, a chihuahua/aphid hybrid. "If it makes you feel any less worried, my little Aphie here believes you will do a marvelous job. Is that not right, baby?" She asked, holding the dog up with pride. Atta chuckled, knowing her mother had always been fond of Aphie since forever. She wasn't much of a dog person, but whatever made her mom happy made her happy, too.

"Ditch Dot!" A boy yelled to his friend as they sprinted passed the royals, utterly ignoring the workers walking in a line. But surprisingly, they didn't bump into any of them.

"Hey, come back here!" The young princess yelled, quickly trying to chase after them. But she wasn't as fast as they were. She attempted to use her wings to lift her off the ground, but they failed to even raise her for a second, causing her to land on her knees.

"Dot!" The queen exclaimed, somewhat angrily as she and Atta walked over to her.

"Yes, Mother?" Dot asked dreadfully, already knowing she was going to be scolded for her actions.

"What have we said about trying to fly?" The queen asked rhetorically, "You are far too young to even be trying! Your wings have to grow in first."

"But Mother—" She was about to protest as she stood up properly, brushing dirt off of her dress.

Atta sighed, "Dot, you are a young princess and your wings are too little—"

"I was taking to Mother." Dot said to her sister, putting her hands to her hips. "You are not the queen yet, Atta! I do not have to listen to you!"

The queen bent down to pat her youngest's shoulder, "Now, now, Dot, be nice to your sister. She's under a lot of pressure and she does not need that kind of attitude."

"It's not my fault that she's so stressed out!" Dot scoffed, rolling her eyes.

Atta sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Yes, I know, I am not the best at handling pressure. I'm always acting like the sky is falling."

"Uhh..your highness?" Spoke Thorny, a prideful member of the council. He was in charge of counting the food to make sure they had the amount that the Grasshoppers' demanded. "We have a small issue."

"How small?" Atta asked warily.

He pointed over to a certain harvester, who was carrying a large amount of grain and fruits in his arms. And everyone immediately knew exactly who it was, and why this wasn't such a good sign.

Oh god no. Atta thought with dread, deciding to see what was going on. She plastered on a fake smile as she walked over to him, Thorny and another council member, Cornelius, not too far behind her.

Atta approached the harvester she recognized, "Flik, that's quite the amount you have there. How did you manage to collect all of this?"

Flik was someone that everyone knew, but nobody liked. He was always the one to make elaborate plans that never worked and make inventions that backfired horribly. He was clumsy and a little naive, but smart when it came to technological advancements that no one wanted. He was young, about the same age as Atta but slightly taller and not as pale.

He smiled brightly, just as he always did upon seeing her. "Oh, Princess Atta! I collected these by using my new invention for harvesting crops. We almost never have any time to collect food for ourselves, since we spend all season gathering for the offering! But this shall speed up production!"

"Another invention..?" Atta asked, failing to keep her fake smile. She didn't want to be rude to him, but even she knew his inventions never worked and were ultimately useless.

"Yes! Oh, and I made something for you, too!" He said proudly, quickly placing the food down to grab something out of the bag on his back. "Since you are going to be queen soon, you may use this to oversee production!" He explained as he pulled out a moderately sized telescope, with a small carving on the side. "It works fairly well, and I made it green since I know it's your favorite color!"

"Uh..that's very kind of you, Flik," Atta said, unsure on how else to respond. But she really needed him to cooperate and collect food the way everyone else was. He could be goofy and clumsy any other day of the year, just not today.

Flik peered through the telescope as he pointed it at her, seeing close-up to her gorgeous face. "Why hello there, Princess! My, aren't you looking lovely this morning!" He said in a playful tone, then put it down as he blushed, "But of course, one would not need a telescope to see that."

Thorny walked over and snatched the telescope from his hands, tossing it aside. "Alright, that's enough from you! The princess does not have time for this nonsense!" He said angrily, having to look up at the young man since he was taller, "You wish to help us get this done?"

Flik nodded, somewhat nervously from the man's tone.

"Then dispose of whatever you made, get back in line, and collect the crops like everybody else!" Thorny exclaimed sternly.

"Like everybody else!" Cornelius repeated, stomping his cane down.

Flik looked over at Atta, who nodded at him to do as told. "I-I'm sorry. I did not mean—" He said, then sighed as they all pointed for him to leave. "I was just trying to help." He murmured as he walked away.

Dot looked down at the telescope that Thorny tossed, then back up at Flik as he left the council. She frowned and picked up the telescope, managing to sneak away from the council as they walked over to the offering.

"New way to harvest." Cornelius scoffed, "Why, we've been harvesting the same way ever since I was an infant!"

[staticscreenwriting]

All you have to be is here - Part 3

Synopsis: Billy has fucked up and has to do 60 days of community service at a home for troubled kids and youth. Working with the kids there makes him learn a lot about himself. Also there’s a girl there his age who’s smile is phenomenal and who is way too nice to him.

I guess I should mention there’s a lot of angst in this. Talk of substance abuse later on, physical abuse, emotional abuse. All that kind of gnarly real life stuff. It deals with kids and teens struggling with a a shitty family life so be aware of that.

Part 3 of ?

Part 1 // Part 2 //

[additional note: I am German. Sometimes I get the tense wrong or make mistakes. I am useless when it comes to punctuation. Go easy on me, please.  I’ll make a header image at some point.]

I never really ever felt so adored before Never really ever felt this type of vulnerable Don’t have to hide, don’t have to fear All you have to be is here Never really ever felt so adored before And I said I wanna feel like this forever Even if forever’s just for now We’re on fire, let us burn As the outside world, it turns We are here and alive In our corner of time Forevermore

The rain knocks heavily against the windows of (Y/N)’s flat as Billy slowly strolls around the living room. 

“ Feel free to put on some music, there should be a tape in the player “ (Y/N) hollers from the bathroom. The door is slightly ajar and Billy can just about catch a glimpse of her lathering her lips in a bright red color. 

There’s a cassette player on a side table, next to some books and some picture frames. It’s held together by entirely too many pieces of shiny grey duct tape. Billy wonders just how well this thing is still working. Then again, he of all people, should be the expert on broken things working just fine.

As he presses play the opening chords of Bennie and the Jets start filling the room, making Billy screw up his face in disapproval. 

“ Elton John ? “ he asks, raising his voice a little to make himself heard over the music.

“ Fuck yeah, he’s a musical genius. This song is so catchy. “ 

He’s about to skip the song, hoping the next one to be something more suitable to his taste, when he sees her through the crack of the open door. She’s dancing along to the song, mouthing the words and shaking her hips as her hands work on styling her hair.

He stops himself, keeps the song on, if only to see her move like that. She’s cute and who is he to deny himself the pleasure of seeing a cute girl dance. And to deny her the pure joy of listening to a song she likes.

His eyes drift towards one of the picture frames, it’s made of dark wood and it looks quite heavy. In the picture there’s a little girl with a bright smile and a gap between her front teeth. Those eyes staring back at him, he’s seen before. He looks at them every time he arrives at HHTCY. She looks happy in this picture, there’s a bunch of daisies in her hair and she’s holding onto a popsicle. Next to her is a woman who has the same hair color and the same smile and she looks at the little girl with an adoration he’s hardly ever seen in a person before. 

“ That’s my mom. I mean — it’s pretty obvious but yeah. That’s her, “ (Y/N) speaks up from beside him. She’s all done up, her lips a cherry red color and her hair styled to perfection. She looks great, he thinks. Then again, she is naturally that pretty so this shouldn’t be a surprise really. 

There’s a lot Billy wants to say then, most of all he wants to ask what happened. To the happy girl in the picture and the mother that looked at her with love that is almost palpable through a photograph. You don’t ask people that though. You don’t ask people why they used to be happy and why they aren’t anymore. The woman in the picture though, she doesn’t look like someone who’s kid would have themself emancipated at 15. It looks like another life all together. 

Billy wonders if his mom ever looked like someone who’d abandon her family. Who’d leave her son with a cruel cruel man. A man she knew was gonna turn her son into a monster. He wonders if other people saw that in her, a woman who’d run. He didn’t. Maybe he was just too young or maybe he just didn’t want to see it. Or maybe mom was just good at hiding the person she truly was. A quitter. Not a mother after all.

The unshakable truth is that she’s gone god knows where and he’s not going to find an answer to any of his questions so it’s best to lock those thoughts up in a chest and bury them deep inside himself where no one can find them and none of it can hurt him. Not anymore. 

“ You ready to go ? “ he asks, trying to steer the conversation into another direction. Any other direction.

- OOO -

Tina Warren lives at the end of a cul-de-sac. Her light blue house with the white columns and the big front lawn stands proudly in a sea of several other houses that look exactly the same. Like little doll houses mass produced for the perfect suburban family to spend their perfect life in these walls. Billy thinks it’s a bit ironic. He knows that Tina’s dad fucks his secretary and that her mother throws back diet pills and painkillers as if they’re tic-tac. 

But it’s alright, right ? As long as the lawn is exactly the height it’s supposed to be and the paint on the door doesn’t chip and everyone is smiling. God, all of this is so fucking fake. It all feels artificial and wrong. Plasticy. As if someone took the town and replaced all the residents with barbie copies of themselves.

“ Is this Tina’s house ? “ (Y/N) voice janks him from his thoughts.

“ Yeah. You know Tina ? “ 

“ I mean, I don’t know her personally “ (Y/N) replies and shrugs her shoulders making the slightly too big denim jacket slide down her arm a little, “ I’ve heard of her though. Her uh — skills are quite talked about. Also I’ve been to a party here before. Don’t think I ever talked to her though. “ 

Tina Warren thinks her pussy is magic. Thinks that once she sleeps with a guy it inevitably turns him into a lovesick fool for her. That, he knows, is bullshit. It’s not as magical as she thinks it is and everyone is either too nice or too desperate to tell her otherwise. And really, he respects her for her decisions in a way. People, Billy believes, should be able to fuck whoever they want if no one gets hurt in the process and both parties are willing participants. He just hates the fact that Tina makes a big deal out of nothing. Hell, she showed up at his fucking house when he didn’t call her back after — well afterwards.

The house is filled with people, most of them Billy recognizes from passing them in the hallways or staring at the back of their heads during class. None of them are his friends though. He had friends in California. Real ones. Ones that — that tried to see the good in him. That knew and wholeheartedly believed there was a person in him that wasn’t just the monstrous creation of his father’s rage. 

He had friends. Past tense. None of them called since he’s moved here so he assumes the don’t care so much anymore. 

As he walks through the house, (Y/N) on his heels, he can feel the crowd’s eyes on him. When he first arrived here, he thrived at the admiration. He liked when the girls threw themselves into his arms and how the guys seemed to look up to him. The novelty of it all has worn off a while ago though. Now it’s a nuisance. The guy they all seem to admire ? That guy is an absolute asshole and Billy hates him. Though that’s the role he’s played since a very young age, since he was left to face his nightmare all alone. That guy is tough, he’s cold and bulletproof. 

If that’s the guy he needs to be to survive, it’s who he will be. Doesn’t mean that’s who he wants to be though.

He maneuvers his way into the kitchen which is way less crowded. As he takes a beer from the counter he can tell why, they’re lukewarm. Disgusting. 

“ This is honestly the worst punch I ever had “ (Y/N) exclaims and Billy looks up at her, standing by the bowl of punch, red solo cup in her hand.

“ Beer is lukewarm “ 

“ Ok great so it’s either pisswarm beer or terribly mixed punch. So much to chose from “ (Y/N) chuckles before grabbing one of the beer cans. 

“ I’d rather drink this than whatever that concoction pretends to be. Whoever mixed that has no taste buds, I swear “ 

As if on cue, Tommy storms through the door, throwing his arms up above his head all the while sloshing his drink everywhere. “ Hargrove ! “ 

“ Tommy. “ 

“ Hey man, have you tried my punch yet ? It’s real fuel, my man. Real fuel. “ 

Tommy’s punch, huh ? That explains a lot. Where Tommy is loyal to those he thinks will benefit him, he is dense as a poundcake. 

“ Dude this punch sucks. “ 

Tommy turns towards (Y/N), who he hadn’t seemed to notice just a minute ago and now she was occupying his full attention.

“ Who are you ? “ 

“ (Y/N), who are you ? “ 

“ Tommy ?!” 

“ You say this as if I’m supposed to know. Either way, Tommy, your punch tastes disgusting. “ 

Tommy looks at Billy as if asking for help which only earns him an indifferent shrug from the boy. 

“ It’s not. I uh — I’ve only heard good things before. People like it. “ 

“ Or they just don’t wanna hurt your feelings. Taste it man, it’s shit. “ 

To Billy’s surprise, Tommy actually walks towards the bowl and pours himself a cup of punch only to screw up his face in disgust at the first taste of the sugary liquid.

“ You might have a point. “ 

“ What did you put in there ?” 

“ Uh — everything. “ 

“ Everything ? “ Billy asks, inserting himself into the conversation for the first time since it started.

“ Yeah. Just poured in whatever I could find in my dad’s liquor cabinet. Rum, Vodka, cointreau. “ 

“ Jesus christ “ Billy scoffs and takes another sip of the lukewarm bear.

“ Thomas my friend, maybe you should let other people handle the punch next time. Or at least stick to one kind of alcohol “ 

Tommy nods and reaches for a can of beer “ I guess. “ 

As he leaves the kitchen, Billy can’t suppress the chuckle leaving his lips. 

“ He’s not usually this reasonable when I tell him he’s being a dumbass. “ 

“ Probably because you tell him he’s a dumbass. Also you’re not nearly as cute as me. “ 

She has a point there. Not that he’s ever going to admit it. But she does have a point.

“ Ah shit “ (Y/N) cuts in before Billy can even reply to her comment.

He follows her eyes towards a group of people entering the house. Two of them he’s never seen and the other one is Keith Kinsella. Keith is rich, that’s all Billy knows. He’s rich and his mother drives a Porsche that he gets to borrow every once in a while. 

“ What are we looking at ? “ Billy asks, unable to figure out the shift in mood just then.

“ Keith “ 

“ Why are we looking at Keith ? “ 

“ He’s my ex boyfriend and I don’t wanna have to socialize with him. “ 

That is something Billy hasn’t expected. Keith is so — so Keith. He is one of Hawkins typical rich kids who seem to think a bad hair day is the end of all things. A kid who seems so fundamentally different to (Y/N).

“ Keith ? Keith Kinsella. “ 

“ Look I am not judging your taste in girls, alright. I — he was nice. Then he fucking cheated on me like the pig he is. That’s how I know people from Hawkins High. Keith introduced them to me when we were together. Even introduced me to his other girl, although I didn’t know at that point that that was what she was. I gotta get outta here. “ 

“ You wanna leave ? “ 

“ Nah. I just need to get some air. Just — just come find me when you’ve got enough of this. “ 

With that she finishes her beer and grabs another can before rushing towards the back patio doors leading outside where the rain had stopped a while ago.

Billy tries to mingle, tries to enjoy his night. It just all feels wrong. Like the shine has washed off and all that he’s left with is a dull hollow feeling. All these people don’t give a shit about him and he doesn’t care about them either. It’s nothing personal, really. If this was another life where time hadn’t made him numb and bitter, maybe he’d be friends with a bunch of them. It’s not a different life though. It is here and now. 

He moves around the party clouded in a haze. It’s like for the first time since he’s arrived he finally sees his situation for what it is. A desperate measure to cope with his emotional turmoil. He doesn’t like these people, the music sucks, the punch is toxic and the beer is lukewarm. And when before he could push all those thoughts to the side, he can’t do that any longer. Whatever has shifted in him makes him painfully aware that none of his coping mechanisms work anymore. There’s no desire in him to drink his pain away, to fuck a random girl and forget about life for a short moment. He just wants the world to stop for a single second. To be able to breathe. 

It’s about an hour later that he steps onto the back patio, the same beer still clutched in his hand. It’s a warm night and he should be able to see the stars though the backyard is illuminated by all kinds of fancy garden lights and he can hardly make out a single star. He wonders if rich people like the Warren’s just don’t give a shit about trivial stuff like looking at the stars. Maybe the artificial light means more to them. He wonders if they know what they’re missing out on. 

There have been countless night, back when things were — different. Nights that Billy has spent in his back garden sitting beside his mom and looking at the night sky. And she would tell him stories about all the different constellations. Looking back now, half of her stories were probably made up bullshit, but Billy liked them anyway. They always fascinated him. It felt like the world was so much bigger than he could even begin to grasp. He truly believed there was more out there than the tiny house he was stuck in, where anger lived and sadness and yelling. Always yelling.

Now the sky is just a sky and stars are just stars and made up stories don’t give him hope. Looking at the sky now makes him feel very small. Very insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

(Y/N) sits at the end of the patio, legs tucked beneath her, can of beer by her side.

“ You alright with some company ? “ 

“ The company you ? “ 

“ Mmh. “ 

“ Then sure. Sit down. “ 

They don’t talk for a moment, just take in what lies before them. A lawn that looks like a carpet it’s that neatly cut. It’s bordered by perfectly symmetrical hedges and at the far end of the garden there’s a wooden pedestal that proudly presents the family’s own hot tub. 

“ Do you think people live here ? “ 

“ Huh ? “ 

“ I mean — “ (Y/N) starts then takes a breath as if considering her words carefully “ — do you see people actually going about their lives here. Pigging out on chinese takeout on their white suede couch and having a water balloon fight on this lawn ? “ 

“ Not really no.” 

Because it’s a fucking doll’s house. A movie set. People put on a show. They always do. 

“ Me neither. I know I am always wishing for better things. A better job, a better apartment, a better car. But honestly, looking at this makes me cherish what I have. Maybe materialistic things really aren’t all that matters. “ 

“ I like your apartment. “ 

He really does. It’s so unapologetically her. She’s present in every corner and every crack. Her personality floods the halls and makes them — hers. And he is forever envious of that. 

“ Yeah ? Well the couch is yours whenever you feel like staying over. “ 

Being welcomed into someone’s life is a weird feeling that Billy has entirely forgotten about until just now. He’s so used to being a footnote in someone else’s life that it makes him feel strange when someone deliberately and consciously chooses to welcome him into theirs. 

“ Your cat needs to learn how to respect personal space first. “ he laughs but really he already looks forwards to sleeping on her tiny couch again.

“ Can’t believe you dated Keith Kinsella of all people. He’s — he’s Keith.” 

“ Yeah so ? “ 

“ You ever met a single guy called Keith who didn’t turn out to be a complete dumbass ? Like a massive fucking idiot ? Have you ever met a single Keith you could trust ? “ Billy asks, raising his eyebrows in question.

(Y/N) screws up her face in confusion for a moment then shrugs her shoulders “ I guess you have a point. “ 

“ I always do, babe. “ 

“ Do you huh ? Well I’ve never met a William I could trust before either. “ 

“ Good thing no one ever calls me that. It might as well not be my name, honestly. William is a little kid somewhere in California, chasing seagulls by a beach and listening to his parents argue. I’m Billy. Just Billy. “ 

“ Well, “ (Y/N) exclaims and pushes herself to her feet before reaching out his hand “ I think just Billy is a pretty decent guy. So does just Billy wanna get the fuck outta here ? “ 

When he takes her hand, the world for a small moment feels like it allows him to breathe. So he takes a breath wishing things could feel like this forever.

- OOO -

After assuring her multiple times that he’s only had half a lukewarm beer and is okay to drive, Billy and (Y/N) cruise around Hawkins for a while with no place to go, no direction, no destination. 

That’s until (Y/N) makes him stop by a gas station and wait in the car as she goes inside. She doesn’t answer any questions about why and what but honestly, Billy doesn’t care. He’s just glad to be spending time with someone that a) doesn’t hate his guts and b) isn’t so dull and boring it makes him want to bash his head against a wall repeatedly. 

A glance at the clock in his car tells him that it’s just a few minutes to midnight. How ironic. A gas station of all places huh ? It’s weirdly fitting.

(Y/N) hurries back into the car, a small plastic bag clutched in her hand.

“ What’d you get there ? Condoms ? “ 

“ No you asshole. I’ll show you in — a minute and 12 seconds. “ 

“ That’s weirdly specific. “ 

“ Uh-huh. Well can you do me a favor and close your eyes for a moment. ? “ 

“ Why ?” 

“ Billy, “ she says and looks at him in that specific “just do it” kinda way that girls have perfected over the course of time “ can you just do as I tell you, please. Trust me! “ 

Trust. It’s been a while since Billy trusted a person. And that turned out to be a complete shit-show. So for a second he hesitates. Though as he looks at (Y/N) and the honesty in her eyes he can’t help himself but close his. Can’t help himself but to trust her.

She fumbles around with the bag for a moment then the clicking sound of a lighter echoes through the car. “ If you burn my car you’re toast. “

“ I’m not an idiot. Okay turn around — now “ 

The car is illuminated by the shine of a single candle stuck onto a Twinkie. (Y/N) smiles the biggest smile he’s seen her smile in — well ever since they met. 

“ Happy Birthday, just Billy. “ 

Billy Hargrove turns 18 years old in the parking lot of a gas station while some shitty pop songs plays on the radio and a girl he hardly knows hands him a birthday cake substitute made out of a Twinkie and a pink birthday candle. 

Billy thinks this is probably the best birthday he’s had in a while. 

“ How do you know it’s my birthday ? “ 

“ Told you I read your file “ she laughs and nods towards the Twinkie “ make a wish. I have approximately 12 seconds until the wax starts dripping onto my hands so — please. “ 

Looking at the candle, Billy remembers the first Birthday wish he’s ever consciously made. He remembers it so vividly because it’s been the same one ever since. He was 5 and mom had gotten him a really cool race car themed cake from the grocery store. It was white and red and yellow and there were lighting bolts on it and a toy car. He loved that cake, thought it was so cool.

He remembers sitting by the kitchen table, cake stood before him, candles burning. He remembers looking up at his mom who smiled with a smile that rivaled the sun in its radiance. Then his eye drifted towards Neil. Neil and his ever present scowl. His inability to show even the smallest amount of compassion. Of love.

5 year old Billy closed his eyes and blew out the candles wishing one thing and one thing only. To never become his father. 

As he looks up at (Y/N) and her smile and her gorgeous eyes he thinks that maybe it’s time for a new wish. So instead of wishing to not become Neil, he wishes to be Billy. Just Billy. A better version of the person he is right now. One capable of great things. One worthy of being loved. 

A version of himself that deserves (Y/N). 

Billy looks back down at the Twinkie. It’s probably the best present he’s received since his mom has left. And that says a lot because he hates Twinkies.

But it’s a present given to him solely because (Y/N) thought it would make him happy. Because she wants to let him know she’s thought of him on his birthday. 

Whenever he gets presents from Neil, for his birthdays or Christmas, they come with scowls. They’re empty gestures that are meant to keep up the image of a perfectly normal, perfectly happy family. They’re usually accompanied by a talk about how disappointing Billy’s been lately. 

Presents are not fun in the Hargrove household. They’re reminders to keep the image up. Reminders that things could be so much worse. Only could they really ?

“ Do you not like it ? “ (Y/N) questions.

He doesn’t think there’s words to express just how much he likes it. Not the Twinkie but the gesture.

So he doesn’t say anything. He pulls her closer and kisses the top of her head. As if he’s known her all his life. 

Maybe that doesn’t matter though. Maybe all it needs is a few days for someone to become an important part of your life. Time is relative anyway, isn’t it ? Time doesn’t fucking matter. 

“ No I love it. Thank you, (Y/N)”.

For everything.

- OOO -

The skies open up again at exactly 1:34. Billy looks at the clock just when the rain starts pouring down on them. They’ve spent the last hour and a half munching on various snacks (Y/N) has purchased at the gas station and talking about various people from their High schools. 

“ What about Tina then ? “ 

“ What about her ? “ (Y/N) answers around a bite of an oreo cookie.

“ What’s your take on her ? “ 

She shrugs “ I guess she’s kinda unconventional compared to some other girls around, like — I don’t know, Nancy Wheeler ? But I mean, good for her. Right ? If that makes her happy who am I to judge her for that. She seems fine with how things are going and I think that’s respectable. “ 

“ Alright. I agree. “

“ Course you do, you fucked her. “ 

“ Maybe I didn’t “ 

(Y/N) only raises her eyebrow.

“ Ok, yeah I did. “ 

“ I’m jealous of Tina. “ (Y/N) confesses, looking at the raindrops racing each other down the windows. 

“ Because I had sex with her ? “ Billy questions, unable to keep the smirk of his lips.

“ No. No not because of that. I — I envy the way she gets to experience things. She just does things. She’s fearless. She doesn’t constantly have to question herself about every little thing she does. You know ? She gets to try things out and properly figure out who she is. “ 

“ And you don’t ? “ 

“ I’ve been living on my own since I was 15 and even before, things were — difficult. I don’t have the comfort, the stability to try stuff and figure things out as I go. I have to pay rent, I have to keep my job and make sure my grades are up so I get to keep living the way I do right now. I have to be a responsible adult. There’s no room for me to mess up and make mistakes and learn from them. I always have to have a plan and stick to it and make sure that I do things right the first time. I don’t have parents to fall back on when I fuck up. Sometimes I feel like this whole situation, the emancipation and all that is more restrictive than it is liberating. Sure, I’m good with how things are I just — envy people who get to be teens during their teen years. Who get to mess up and not fear that the consequences might ruin their life. “ 

He’s never thought of it like that. Ever since she has told him about her situation he’s been nothing but envious of her. But this is a whole new perspective and for the first time Billy realizes that maybe not everything in her life is as great as it seems. 

“ Olivia Newton-John “

“ What ? “ 

“ You asked me about my childhood crush the other day. It was Olivia Newton-John. Mom had me watch Grease one day and I — pow. Little Billy didn’t know what hit him but it hit him hard. “ 

“ She’s pretty. “ 

“ Yeah, but I’m more of a Michelle Pfeiffer kinda guy these days. “ 

“ You’re ridiculous is what you are “ she says with a smile. He decided then that her smile if probably one of the best smiles he’s seen in his 18 years on this earth.

“ Hey Billy ? “ 

“ Hmm ? “ 

“ Do you wanna stay on my couch tonight ? I just — it’s your birthday and I don’t want you to be sad or go home to a situation that doesn’t make you feel completely and utterly happy. Because that’s how you should feel on your birthday. I’ll even make you pancakes and bacon. “ 

He doesn’t need pancakes or bacon. All he needs is a place where he’s wanted. That’s all he needs to be happy and that is just what she’s willing to give. 

“ I’d love to. “ 

- OOO -

As Billy settles down on her couch, he can hear (Y/N) softly humming along to the radio while getting ready for bed. 

It’s that annoying “Only You” song playing, the Alison Moyet version. Though with (Y/N) singing along while wiping makeup from her face, it’s suddenly way less annoying.

“ Have you ever thought about doing that for a living ? “ Billy asks, hoping she can hear him over the music and into the other room.

“ Taking off my makeup ? “ 

“ Singing. “ 

“ Oh I — oh no. I have to pay rent remember. Can’t be going out there chasing dreams that don’t come true anyway. “ 

It breaks his heart a little, to hear her say that. It’s not like Billy has a bunch of big dreams he wants to accomplish but he also doesn’t have a talent that lends itself as the basis of big dreams. Back when he was really young he always wanted to be a professional surfer but that dream was squashed when mom left and he hasn’t been on a board since. Sometimes he wonders if he’s even still able to surf properly. 

“ I think you should. You sound good ! “ 

“ Even when singing cheesy pop songs you don’t like ? “ she teases. 

“ Don’t be annoying — but yes, even then “ 

Especially then, he thinks, because she makes them less cheesy and entirely more bearable. He keeps that to himself though.

“ Alright, whatever you say. “ she brushes him off with a smile and goes back to cleaning her face though he swears once she continues she sings just a bit louder.

- OOO - 

The racoon is staring at him. He’s 100% sure. It’s staring right into his soul. Dr. K is ramblingon about one thing or another but all Billy can focus on is the stupid taxidermy racoon and the fact that his little beady glass eyes seem to be able to swallow him whole and figure out his deepest darkest secrets.

“ Billy ? “ 

“ Huh ? “ 

“ I said I would like to talk to you about your community service. How do you like it ? Please talk me through a typical day of yours. “ 

Billy pulls his glance away from the critter and towards the doctor before him. It’s his second session and he really wants to be here just as little as he did the first time. It’s not like he’s gonna pour his heart out to this guy anytime soon. To Billy this is a waste of both their time.

“ I get there, we usually set up some things for either arts and crafts or some other group activity. We sit there during those and listen, sometimes I don’t listen I’ll be honest. Afterwards we clean up. Then we have lunch. Then we — “ 

“ Let me interrupt you there “ Dr. K says moving his too big glasses down the bridge of his too big nose. “ You keep saying we. Who is the other person involved ?  “

“ (Y/N) “ 

“ And (Y/N) is … ? “

He doesn’t want to talk about (Y/N). Not because she’s not important or because he’s ashamed or anything. But (Y/N) is the one good thing in his life right now his — his friend ? She gets him. She understands and most of all she doesn’t judge. He doesn’t want to share any of that with Dr. K or anyone else. This is his little piece of happiness and he’s not ready to show it to the world.

“ She’s just (Y/N) “. 

And that’s all she ever has to be.

[ofbeastsandwizards]

This Is My Mess - Part 2 [Avengers x Teen! Reader]

Series Master

Timeline is a bit jumbled, because I don’t really know how many days have passed in the movie, and I’m too lazy to do 5 minutes of research.

Summary: The reader, a teen marvel addict who is *kind of* badass, gets transferred from the real world dimension to the Avengers’ dimension, ends up helping to defeat Loki’s army of Chitauri.

Warnings: Swearing, Violence.

I’m writing the rest of this mini-series in 1st person.

————

The information hit me like a truck. I began to space out, taking shallow breaths. Finally, I broke from my trance and shook my head. How was this even possible? 

I reviewed my memories. Okay, so. A woman who looked exactly like me but older tried to kill me by pushing me off a building...wait. She was going to jump anyways...the portal must have been right off the building!

I grinned to myself at my realization, before an overwhelming sadness overtook me. What about Nana...? I sighed, and looked back up, defeated.

At least I knew the Avengers like the back of my hand. If it was 2012, and I’m in Stark tower, and not Avengers Tower, and Pepper seems to be with Tony, than this must be around the time of the first Avengers movie. I stood up. I probably shouldn’t fangirl anymore about this. I decided to wait until later to tell Tony about my dimension traveling. But whatever happens, I needed to stay with the Avengers. Because if anyone could help me figure this out, it would be them. 

First, I needed to find out how long I had until Tony joins in the fight to stop Loki. I stood from the bed, slightly dizzy. With a large step, I made my way to the door. Placing my hand on the door handle, I turned it slightly and pushed open the door. On the other side, was a long, white walled hallway that led to the elevator. To my left was a stretch of hallway that led to another doorway.

Quickly, I made my way towards the door and quietly, I opened it. On the other side was Tony Stark’s penthouse, but it was extremely dark, save for the lit hologram screen of Tony’s computer. I cautiously made my way inside, when I noticed Pepper, standing at Tony’s desk, starring at me wide eyed.

I slowly shut the door, and offered a cheeky smile. 

“I thought I told you to tell JARVIS to come and get me?” She asked. 

I stopped for a moment. “Well, uh, you did. I just...didn’t listen.” 

She smirked. “You remind me of Tony.” I grinned. I didn’t quite know how to take that. 

I walked a bit further into the room. “So, you ready to go home?” She asked. I bit my lip.

“Well, see that’s the thing.” I stated. I guess I’d be telling them after all. “I- I don’t have a place to go...” I muttered.

Pepper tilted her head. “Hm? What was that?”

I took a prolonged breath. “I don’t have a place to go!” I blurted. Pepper looked at me with raised eyebrows. 

“Oh.”

I sighed, and slumped against the wall. “Well, you can stay here until Tony comes back. He’s just getting the tower ready to run on the Arc Reactor.” I nodded. 

“It’ll work.” I mumbled. She tilted her head, and smiled. 

“I like you’re optimism.” 

I shrugged, and slid down the wall, sitting on the floor cross-legged. Then, I heard Tony’s voice over Pepper’s screen. My heart practically leapt out of my chest at hearing it. I mean, yeah. I get it, I’ve heard it before. But never in a million years would I expect to hear his voice in real life.

The two talked for a moment, as the lights suddenly flickered on, and I got  good look around. Pepper was still talking, and I glanced out the window to see something red and shiny flying toward us. I swallowed my fears and stood up quickly. 

I rubbed my eyes, and watched as the suit landed on the landing pad, Tony’s robots getting to work on taking off his suit. I stared on in awe. 

Tony entered the room, and glanced towards me momentarily, as I fidgeted with my hands.

“Levels are holding steady, I think.”

Tony smirked. “Of course they are, I was directly involved. Which brings me to my next question: how does it feel to be a genius?” 

I watched the two curiously, already knowing what was going on. But a few minutes later, I couldn't help but laugh at the situation. Tony glanced to me. 

“Oh, who do we have here?” He asked. I froze, completely shocked he had even mentioned me. Pepper smiled. 

“This is [Y/n], the girl I found outside, remember?” Tony looked towards Pepper.

“Yeah. I remember.” Tony then looked back at me. “Why are you still here though?” He asked, rather harshly.

I shrugged. “Beats me, Mr. Stark.” I decided to throw in a reference he would never understand, at least not yet. Tony raised an eyebrow. “I’m still wondering why I’m even here in the first place.” I crossed my arms.

Tony narrowed his eyes. “I don’t know if I like you, or hate you.”

I let a casual smirk fall on my lips. “Hate’s a strong word, Mr. Stark.” 

Tony looked slightly annoyed by my attitude. Perfect.

 Tony decided to ignore me, and went back to talking with Pepper, while I walked towards the window, and stared out, examining this dimension’s New York, which wasn't all that different. 

Then, JARVIS came through the line. “Sir, the telephone. I’m afraid my protocols are being overwritten.”

“Stark, we need to talk.” My heart jolted at Coulson’s voice, and I frowned. I still can’t get over how sad his death was. I turned away again, not paying much attention to the conversation, until Phil came out of the elevator. 

“Phil! Come in!” Pepper exclaimed, getting up to greet him. 

I smiled as I mouthed along to Tony’s words. “Phil? Uh his first name is Agent.” I giggled. Tony turned and pointed a finger at me. “You, need to stay quiet. This is adult talk. No giggling.”

I snorted and nodded. I watched the exchange, examining everything. If this was a one time thing, I want to embrace the moment as much as possible. I sighed, slightly excited to join the Avengers on their mission. No matter how much I hate Loki in this movie, I know it wasn't him. But still, I needed to help defend the earth, and they could use another pair of hands, no matter how small.

Then, I heard Phil acknowledge me. “Uh, who’s the kid?” Phil asked awkwardly.

I smiled. Tony sent me a glare. “She’s nobody.”

“Uhm, excuse m-”

“Ah! What did I say?” 

I crossed my arms again. “No giggling. I wasn't, I was talking, smart guy.”

Tony sighed, and turned around, visibly aggravated.

I tuned out once again, going back into my own little world of thoughts, trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I jumped dimensions. Then Tony and Pepper made their way back to the computer. 

Then, they kissed, and I audibly gagged, despite how much I shipped the two. PDA was just gross. Tony shot me another dirty glare. I stuck my tongue out childishly, and placed my hand on my hip.

He rolled his eyes. Pepper said her goodbyes, and left with Phil, without further explanation. Tony looked over the Tessaract, worriedly, he then started working a bit, and talking to, presumably, himself.

Then he turned his head. “So, when exactly are you leaving?” 

I sighed. “Uhm, I’m 15, Mr. Stark, not 22. I can’t just walk around at Night.” 

Tony rolled his eyes. “Oh please. Seriously, can I call you’re parents?”

“My parents are dead.”

I stated, emotionlessly. 

Tony looked on with wide eyes. “Oh.”

“Since I don’t have anywhere to go, you’re officially my supervisor.” 

“Uh, no. Where I’m going, will get you killed. You’re going home.”

“I don’t have a home, so I’m going with you!” I argued. 

Tony shook his head. “Listen, Kid, you’re not cut out for what’s happening. It’s better if you don’t know.”

I laughed. “You don’t know anything about me.”

“Yes, I do actually. I know you’re a 15 year old girl, who does not want to get herself involved in this.”

I rolled my eyes, rather aggressively. “But, I do, Mr. Stark. The Avengers are the only people who can help me!”

Tony stopped. “Wait, how do you know about the Avengers?” He asked.

I leaned forward, using my arms to gesture where he was when he was talking earlier. “Because you were talking about it right in front of me!” I yelled. 

Tony pursed his lips. “Okay, okay, this is fine.” He took in a sharp breath. “Why exactly do you need our help? What, you want an autograph?”

I groaned. I couldn't tell him yet. It needed to be everyone. “No, I don’t want an autograph, Mr. Stark. I need- I just...I can’t tell you.”

“Why not?” He asked, crossing his arms. 

“Because you won’t believe me. At least, not yet.”  Tony looked confused. “What do you mean, not yet?” 

“I know everything that will happen, alright! I know about Loki, and the Tesseract! I know the outcome, and I know everything!” I exclaimed. 

Tony stopped. “So, you can see the future...?” 

I sighed. “Yeah, something like that...I guess....” 

“You, guess? You either can, or can’t.”

I threw my hands into the air in defeat. “I don’t know! I can’t see the future, I just know, because- I can’t tell you yet!” 

Tony sighed. “Okay, fine.”

“Great!”

“But, you have to understand that what I’m going to do, is extremely dangerous.”

I crossed my arms, giving him a challenging look. “Oh, I know.” I smirked. “My dad was in the FBI. We trained everyday, on hand-to-hand combat. I know how to operate several types of firearms, I know how to weild a katana, courtesy of my mom, I can use knives, know how to safely use a grenade, and have almost killed several people. On accident of course, I was only defending myself.”

Tony looked partially astonished, and partially scared. I pulled out my pocket-knife, and threw it in the air, gracefully catching it in my palm as I flicked it open. 

“See?” I was smiling now, and Tony let out a single breathy chuckle. 

“It seems you’re more than qualified then.” 

I smiled proudly. “I know.”

“You’re really making me sick of the sentence ‘I know’, by the way.” 

I shrugged, and put my pocket-knife away. “So! When do we start?”

“Tomorrow.” He paused. “Can you jump from buildings?”

I nodded slightly. “If they aren’t extremely high, I guess. And, y’know, won’t get me killed.”

“I make no promises.”

I rolled my eyes. “Gee, thanks.” I looked around awkwardly. “You do have weapons for me, right? I can use basically anything. A stick will do.”

Stark looked to me, “Kid, I got weapons. You don’t have to use any sticks.” He chuckled. “You said you can use a grenade?” 

I smiled mischievously. “O-ho, yeah!”

————

I dunno, did I make this one too short? 

You can ask to be tagged when the next chapter comes out!

Tags: 

@amillionworlds

@ewitsceleste

[ezmodo]

Dancing for Dunces

Surveying the room from her seat, Weiss was genuinely impressed with Atlas Academy’s school dance. The hall was spacious, the music tasteful, the food and drink more refined than she expected from a military school. Even the decorations were adequate, lack of doilies notwithstanding. There was one glaring issue, however.

“I’m going to kill that dolt.”

“Which dolt is that, Weiss?” Yang asked from across the table, her knowing grin adding to Weiss’ mounting frustrations.

“Her. Him. Them!” she fumed, angrily whipping her hand towards the two sources of her irritation.

On the far side of the room stood Ruby Rose and Jaune Arc, hiding behind the punchbowl.

---

Weiss didn’t think her friends appreciated just how much work went into setting this up for them. She didn’t organize the academy’s social, no, but she did everything else in her power to make the night memorable for her team, some of which required some uncomfortable visits home. Her team didn’t have clothes suitable for a dance and she wasn’t about to let them wear borrowed formal military uniforms for the occasion. But with thankfully just one promised appearance at a future function of her father’s choosing, Weiss had access to the Schnee wardrobe and, most importantly of all, Klein.

She gave Yang and Blake free rein and naturally they went for matching ensembles. Yang chose a surprisingly modest black gown that went down past her knee while Blake chose a rather risqué halter dress, a stunning yellow piece that showed more than Weiss wanted to see from her teammate outside of a changing room. Yang certainly appreciated it though, loud and often. Weiss was happy for her friends, she really was, but couldn’t they show some restraint? Ruby’s mock gagging every time they started up mirrored Weiss’ thoughts on the matter. No one wanted to see their family acting like that. Just imagining Winter in such a scenario was enough to cause the bile to rise to the back of her throat.

For Ruby, Weiss had to take direct control. Left to her own devices, Ruby would have shown up in her hood and combat boots. Or, more likely, not shown up at all and stayed in her room to play video games instead. Which wasn’t an option, naturally. Ruby would have a magical evening even if Weiss had to drag her kicking and screaming into it.

Weiss chose for her a simple off-the-shoulder dress, a deep red to match her hair. The bodice had a tasteful bustline and the skirt was suitably “poofy”, to use Ruby’s vernacular, for her partner’s tastes. A silver hairpin kept her hair neat and out of her eyes. Weiss had wanted to include a stole as well for Ruby to wrap about her shoulders, to round out the look and provide her partner with the bit of comfort that she knew losing her hood would cost her, but Nora had fought her on it. Let those puppies breathe, Nora had argued. Weiss was scandalized, but Nora insisted she just meant her shoulders.

New knowledge of Jaune’s possible...proclivities made Weiss consider adding a heavy winter coat to all of her outfits.

She left Jaune himself in the care of his teammates and Klein. Nora aside, she could trust the two men to smooth out the rough edges of the moronic knight into something presentable. She had only two instructions for them. One – do something, anything, with that disaster he called hair; and two – pin a red rose to his breast. They had settled on a simple tuxedo and bowtie, the only color coming from the lovely red rose standing out proudly on his chest.

As she watched Ruby and Jaune gawk at each other when they first met before the dance, Weiss just knew the night was going to be a rousing success.

---

This is an unmitigated disaster… Weiss thought sourly as she watched her partner take a drink from the same empty glass for the fifth time in the last ten minutes.

The night had started so promisingly. She was initially worried that they’d be too flustered to talk, too dazzled by her and Klein’s perfect makeovers, but a timely joke from Yang snapped Ruby and Jaune out of their respective stupors long enough to bring back their usual dynamic. The group made their way to the hall and quickly secured a table and the two dunces actually tried to sit separately before she and Nora boxed them in. Was Jaune too stunned by Ruby’s elegant beauty? Was Ruby put off kilter by Jaune managing to look almost halfway dashing? A dinner full of quick peeks and long sideways stares confirmed the theory in Weiss’ mind.

As soon as dinner was cleared away Nora leapt to her feet, grabbed both Ren and Oscar by the collars, and dragged them away shouting that “this was happening”. Yang and Blake followed, telling the remaining three that they’d save them a spot on the dance floor.

This was it. Jaune would offer a hand to Ruby, which she’d accept demurely, and off they’d go to share a magical evening that they both thoroughly deserved. At least until Jaune mumbled something about dancing “requiring proper hydration” as he fled from the table. Ruby was quick to follow, offering her own squeaky excuse before stumbling along after him, faster than Weiss had ever seen the girl move in heels. They’d been at the punchbowl ever since.

Face in her hands, Weiss finally realized the fatal flaw in her plan. She wasn’t dealing with normal, sane people. She was dealing with Ruby Rose and Jaune Arc, the two biggest dorks to ever come out of Beacon Academy. Weiss had so graciously presented them with the best night of their lives, so easy to grasp that they could practically fall into it, and they had made it awkward.

They’d even spoiled the hard work she and Klein put into their appearance. Ruby had taken the hairpin out at some point and now half her face was hidden behind her red fringe. Jaune’s own hair had transformed back into its usual messy mop from the boy constantly running his hand through it while his bowtie hung loose and crooked from constant tugging.

“Why are they being so difficult?” Weiss groused, glaring at the pair across the room. “You’re at a dance. Dance.”

“Chill out, kettle,” Yang joked, earning an icy glare from the heiress.

Yang laughed uneasily before adding, “You know Ruby’s not into stuff like that, right? Maybe she doesn’t want to dance.”

“Nonsense,” Weiss scoffed. “Every girl wants to dance with the person they like.”

“They certainly do.”

Blake snuck up behind Yang and ran a hand down the girl’s arm as she joined her partner at the table. Weiss fought the urge to roll her eyes. These two…

Yang grinned dopily at Blake before turning back to Weiss. “What’s the big deal anyway? They’re having fun.”

She’d allow that. Even from across the room she would occasionally hear one of the two laughing, Jaune with his heaving guffaws and Ruby with her high pitched cackling. They’d occasionally bump hips or elbows with each other, starting an impromptu “fight” that would end with them standing just a bit closer than before.

It was cute. It was endearing. It made Weiss grind her teeth in frustration. They were so damned close but neither would take the first step.

“How goes the mission, Ice Queen?”

Nora announced herself loudly, Neon in tow, as they joined the group at the table. Neon sat to Yang’s left while Nora joined Weiss opposite them.

“Where’s Ren?” Blake asked. It was strange to see Nora without the boy, especially on a night like this.

Nora harrumphed as she crossed her arms. “He took over Oscar’s dancing lessons. Apparently I was going to  ‘break him’ and ‘scar him for life,’” punctuating each complaint with air quotes.

Weiss looked back to the dancefloor and sure enough, Oscar and Ren were moving back and forth in a simple waltz. Oscar’s face burned red from embarrassment while Ren, unflappable as always, quietly offered direction as he allowed Oscar to lead him around the floor.

“Mission?” Neon asked, leaning eagerly across the table. “What mission?”

Weiss simply hooked a thumb towards the pair across the hall.

Yang explained. “Weiss wants my sister and Jaune to share a magical evening full of dancing and awkward se-”

Yang just managed to keep her seat as Weiss’ glyph rocked her chair back dangerously.

Neon laughed as she watched the two leaders chatting at the punchbowl. “They both the shy type or what?”

“Shy and awkward and dumb,” Weiss growled.

“Then just give them a little push,” Neon offered with a shrug. “Spin the bottle, seven minutes in heaven, recreational dru- I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” Neon jumped out of her chair, hands raised defensively as Weiss rose threateningly to her feet.

“I’ve got it!” Nora exclaimed. Jumping to her feet, she dragged both Neon and Yang into an improvised huddle as they whispered.

After a minute of excited conspiring, the three girls all raised their heads in confidence with a unified nod.

“Got any hot friends to do the job?” Yang asked, grinning up at Neon.

“Babe,” Neon said, wrapping an arm around Yang’s shoulder and pulling her into a friendly side hug, “all my friends are hot.”

Yang was oblivious, but Weiss didn’t miss the angry twitch of Blake’s ears.

Luckily, Neon practically hopped away before a cat fight (literally in this case, Weiss supposed) could break out with a happy “leave it to me!” before disappearing into the throng of dancers.

“What are you two scheming?” Weiss asked suspiciously.

“Simple, Weissy. The quickest way to get a huntress to pounce is for another huntress to threaten her prey,” Nora stated matter-of-factly.

Before she could puzzle that one out, Weiss noticed a girl approach their table. Tall with long brown hair, rather ridiculous curves, and a dress that made Blake’s look modest, the girl looked more like a model than a huntress.

“Hey,” she greeted the group. “Neon sent me. Apparently there’s a hunk looking for a dance?”

“Yup! Tall blond dude by the drinks,” Yang said, pointing discreetly towards Jaune. “Can’t miss him.”

The girl nodded and made her way towards the leaders. She stopped briefly, adjusting her dress in ways that showed even more skin, and sashayed her way towards Jaune.

Weiss sputtered. This was their master plan? To have some...some hussy steal the target of her partner’s affections right in front of her? Unacceptable. She made to stand but was grabbed instantly by Nora, who pulled her back to her seat.

“Have some faith, Weiss. You’ll see,” Nora said with a pat on her back.

She watched the seductress approach the table where Ruby had just told some joke that had Jaune wiping a tear from his eye. The girl centered herself, cocked her hip, and made a show of clearing her throat. The leaders looked to their new arrival and simultaneously froze, probably when the harpy asked him for a dance. Weiss’ hands clenched into fists, nails digging into her palm as she watched some stranger break her best friend’s heart.

Until Jaune’s head suddenly snapped to Ruby, surprise evident on his face even from a distance. His gaze slowly shifted down and that’s when Weiss noticed – Ruby’s hand had found his. Ruby offered some hurried excuse and promptly started dragging Jaune after her out towards the dancefloor. The brunette sent to steal Jaune turned towards their table with a thumbs up raised high which both Yang and Nora returned with gusto.

I can’t believe that actually worked, Weiss thought as her eyes followed the pair squeezing by other couples out on the floor.

“All’s well that ends well,” Nora chirped happily. “‘Bout time I go find my man.”

“Ayup. Sis won’t let anyone take her sweets.” Yang stood, offering a hand to Blake. “Up for another dance, kitten?”

Blake rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide her blush as she took her partner’s hand.

Weiss stood as well, straightening out her dress. I suppose I should get a dance in as well. Maybe Nora will let me borrow Ren for a song…

She turned towards the dancefloor and froze when she saw Ruby pinching her nose.

Did that idiot Jaune seriously…?

A goofy grin broke out on Ruby’s face as she raised her free hand and pantomimed sinking to the floor, wiggling all the way.

“The swim huh? Talk about a blast from the past,” Yang laughed.

Jaune looked like he was trying to knee himself in the chest as he ran in place.

“Ooo! Count me in!” Nora shouted, brushing past Weiss on her way to the dancefloor.

Weiss buried her face in her hands and let out a long suffering sigh.

Idiots. I’m surrounded by idiots.

This wasn’t romantic. This wasn’t magical. This was tomfoolery.

Dragging her hands down her face, Weiss finally noticed her partner smiling at her. With an exaggerated wave, Ruby beckoned her to join them.

They were her idiots at least.

[queenofcats17]

I Guess I Have Another Grandpa Now?

@pipesflowforeverandever made a series of posts about her Vampire!Gin and I wanted to write it so bad.

The Vampire!Gin AU is directly connected to @aceofintuition ‘s Werecat AU. Which is why Snowy, Joy, and Ana appear in it

It was late at night and I was walking home. My club had gotten out later than I’d anticipated, so I was walking home in the dark. Technically, I could have taken a bus all the way home, but it was a nice night so I thought I’d just walk home from the train station. I needed the exercise anyway. My earbuds were in and I was quietly singing along to the song that had come on. It was a peppy one that made me pick up my pace. I was cutting through the forest preserve since I didn’t get many chances to go through it. It was a beautiful night. The moon was shining amongst a series of glittering stars in the dark velvet sky, a warm wind blowing through the trees. I exhaled slowly, allowing myself a smile. Nature really could be so amazing sometimes. 

Suddenly, a flash of white caught my eye and my breath caught in my throat. A little white bat was flying toward me. I immediately stopped in my tracks, taking my earbuds out and watching as the teeny bat flew down. I’d never seen a bat in real life before. They just didn’t live in my area. Instinctively, I cupped my hands so that the little bat could settle in them. It landed in my hands and I let out a small squeak. It was so small, its fur so soft. 

“Hey there, little guy,” I whispered, bringing my cupped hands up to my face. I could have sworn it was smiling at me as it made cute little squeaking noises. 

“Aren’t you just the cutest little thing?” I cooed, shifting the bat to one hand and tapping its little nose with one outstretched finger. It almost seemed to giggle, wiggling a bit and making happy sounds. I let out a small squeal, rubbing it against my face. I knew it was probably dangerous to be fondling a bat like this, but it was so cute!

“You’re so cute.” I kept rubbing it against my cheek. The bat made more happy noises, or at least noises I hoped were happy. Then it flapped its wings and flew out of my hands. For a moment, I thought it was going to fly away. Then it started pressing little kisses to my cheeks. 

“Hey!” I giggled. “What are you doing?” The bat didn’t pause, continuing to plant little kisses all over my face. It was an interesting feeling, being kissed by a bat. It honestly tickled a little bit. I giggled louder, scrunching my nose up and closing my eyes. After a minute or so, though, the kisses changed. They no longer felt like bat kisses, but more like the kisses a human would give. And I could have sworn someone was holding my face. 

When I opened my eyes, the bat was gone. But there was someone who was still kissing all over my face. An older man, maybe 50 at the youngest, wearing a red and white suit and a top hat of all things. His skin was pale, almost unhealthily so, and he had rather vibrant orange hair. He was kissing all over my face in the way a grandparent would kiss their grandchild. He did look kind of like a grandpa with his circular glasses and wrinkles. I let out a small squeak, jerking away. The man looked rather disappointed.

“W-Who are you?!” My voice went up an octave.

“Ah! How rude of me! I didn’t introduce myself!” The man exclaimed. “My name is Joey Drew! Although, my friends tend to call me Gingersnap. Gingie seems to have stuck the most, though.”

“How- Where did the bat go? Are you the bat?”

“I am.” He nodded, smiling brightly. He had a nice smile. A kind smile. He looked like a kindly grandpa. No! I couldn’t be sucked in by his charm! This was a strange man!

“How were you the bat?” I demanded. “People can’t just turn into bats.”

“Yes, that is true,” Gingie replied with a mischevious sparkle in his eye. “But I am no ordinary person.” I stared blankly at him. He stared expectantly back at me.

“I don’t know what that means.” I finally said.

“I’m a vampire!” He smiled again. Now that I looked closer, I could definitely see what were probably his fangs. Quickly, my fear and apprehension turned to interest. 

“You’re...a vampire?” My voice was quiet, almost reverent. I’d always been such a fantasy nerd, and I thought vampires were just the coolest thing. Although, this guy didn’t really seem like the kind of person I pictured when I thought of a vampire. 

“I didn’t know vampires were even real,” I whispered, then my eyes widened and I stumbled back. “Wait, are you going to try and suck my blood?! Please don’t kill me!”

“Of course not!” Gingie looked rather offended at the idea. “I only drink from animals and willing humans! And never enough to kill anyone!” I stayed where I was, still nervous. He may have seemed sweet, but he was a vampire. Vampires were dangerous. At least, all the vampires I’d read about were dangerous. Gingie’s expression softened and he took a step closer. 

“My dear girl, I truly don’t want to hurt you.” He smiled gently. I was about to reply, but then my stomach growled loudly. I closed my eyes, making a small whimpering sound. Seriously?! I was totally messing up my chances of this vampire thinking I was cool. He probably thought I was a dork. When I opened my eyes, he had a disapproving look on his face. 

“Have you not eaten yet?” He demanded, arms crossed. 

“Um...No?” I smiled sheepishly. “I was, uh, headed home to eat.”

“My dear, it is almost 8 at night!” He huffed. “This cannot stand!” He grabbed my arm and started to tug me in a direction that was not toward my house. 

“Where are we going?” I asked, feeling my heart rate beginning to speed up in panic. Was I being kidnapped? Was he going to eat me?! He’d said he wouldn’t, but vampires were dangerous!

“A friend of mine lives close by,” Gingie said brightly. “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if we dropped by for dinner!”

“It’s okay, I can just get food at my house.” I tried to pull away. “I don’t want to be a nuisance.”

“Nonsense!” Gingie scoffed. “It’s no trouble! He’ll be happy to see us, I’m sure!”

I was dragged to a nice little house in the suburbs, one that looked a little bit like my own. Gingie waltzed up to the front door and knocked, a huge smile on his face. It was opened by a beautiful woman with a child at her side. She had dark skin and brown hair, which the girl beside her shared. One difference, though, was that the little girl had blue eyes. 

“Grandpa Gingie!” The little girl exclaimed, throwing herself at Gingie. 

“Hello, my little jellybean!” Gingie scooped her up in his arms, spinning her around. The dark skinned woman smiled softly, noticing me after a moment. 

“Hello.” She said. Her expression changed to one of slight resignation and amusement. I wondered if this was the first time Gingie had brought someone to her house. 

“Hi.” I waved awkwardly. “I-I’m sorry. I hope I’m not intruding.”

“Don’t worry. You don’t have anything to apologize for.” She assured me. “He probably dragged you over here, didn’t he?” She glanced at Gingie, who had transitioned into holding the little girl in his arms, asking her how her day had been.

“He, uh, he did.”

“Well, if you’re here, you might as well come in.” The woman stood aside, allowing me to enter. I walked in behind Gingie, more than a little nervous. I really didn’t want to be a nuisance to these people. I didn’t even know them! I didn’t even really know Gingie!

“Who was at the door?” A man’s voice came from the kitchen area. 

“Just Gingie.” The woman replied. “He brought a friend.”

“Oh for crying out-” A man stormed out of the kitchen. Like the girl and the woman, he had dark skin. His eyes were blue like the girl’s, and his hair was strikingly silver, even though he didn’t look all that old. He was very tall and very angry looking and I squeaked and shrank back a bit. Thankfully, though, the man’s anger didn’t seem to be directed at me. He marched up to Gingie, hands on his hips. Gingie quickly handed the little girl off to her mother.

“You’ve gotta stop picking up these kids! One of these days, someone’s going to call the cops on you for basically kidnapping them!” The man said, sounding rather like a scolding parent. He was a parent, from what I could tell. I couldn’t help but giggle a little at this. 

“I did not kidnap her!” Gingie frowned. “She hadn’t eaten and I said she could get some food here, that’s all.” The man sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“Do you even know her name?” He asked. 

“Of course!” Gingie replied. “It’s...” He trailed off, slowly realizing he’d never asked what my name was. 

“My apologies, but I don’t believe I ever asked your name.” He smiled sheepishly toward me. 

“It’s Fiona.” I tried to stifle a laugh, but it slipped out anyway.

“Well, it’s lovely to properly meet you, Miss Fiona.” Gingie took my hand, shaking it enthusiastically. “This is my friend, Snowy!”

“We’re both named Joey Drew, so we use nicknames to distinguish ourselves,” Snowy explained, still watching Gingie with weary resignation. “Sorry he basically kidnapped you.”

“No, it’s okay,” I waved my hands in an attempt to deny the apology. “I don’t mind. I’m sorry for intruding.”

“Like I said before, you don’t have anything to apologize for.” The woman said. “Gingie was the one who dragged you over here.”

“This is the lovely Ana!” Gingie gestured to her excitedly. “She and Snowy are married.”

“I’m Joy!” The little girl proclaimed proudly.

“It’s nice to meet you all.” I managed a smile. 

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Ana said. I felt a bit better about being here since she didn’t seem all that bothered by my presence. Clearly, Gingie had done this before.

“This is like Francine all over again,” Snowy muttered, sighing heavily. “Do you need to tell your folks where you are, kid?”

“Oh! Yeah!” I fumbled out my phone. “They’ll probably get worried if I’m not home before 10.” I typed out a message and sent it to my parents. While I did this, Ana, Joy, and Snowy started setting the table and getting the food out. Gingie stood by me, rocking on his heels and humming. 

“Are you sure this is alright?” I asked quietly as I put my phone away. 

“Oh, it’s fine.” Gingie waved a hand. “Snowy will make a big deal about it, but he doesn’t mind.”

So, I ended up having dinner with Gingie and Snowy’s family. Joy insisted I sit beside her so that she could ask me questions. She was especially cute, so I didn’t mind. I’d never really been sure how to interact with small children, but I was going to do my best.

“You have really pretty hair.” She said. “Are you magic like Grandpa Gingie?” I’d gotten my hair dyed purple recently and it always seemed to delight small children.

“Uh, no, I’m not.” I smiled apologetically. “I’m just a regular human.” Joy nodded solemnly, one hand on her chin.

“That’s okay.” She finally said, putting a hand on my arm. “Not everyone can be magic.” I tried very hard to keep a straight face.

While we ate, I told them some basic details about myself. Where I was going to school, what I liked, a little about my family. Snowy kept looking pointedly at Gingie, especially when I mentioned that I only lived about 20 minutes away. Once dinner was over, I got up to leave when Gingie caught my arm. 

“I apologize for being forceful.” He said. “But I would very much like to meet with you again. Your work sounds wonderful!

“Oh, um, okay?” I smiled nervously. “Do have...a cell phone or something?”

“I just got one!” His face lit up. We exchanged numbers and I was sent on my way. Honestly, it had been a pretty weird night. 

[firegrilled]

Mommas’ Boys - Part 4

@erejeanweek2k19 Prompt: Formal Wear

Summary: Homecoming has arrived and neither Eren nor Armin know who Mikasa’s date is. Carla enjoys her son’s shock when their guests arrive.

Part 1 | Part 5

“Come on, Mikasa. Who’s your date to Homecoming?” Eren asked, crossing his arms.

“Eren, stop prying and don’t wrinkle your suit!” Carla warned him, waving her finger at her son. “I’m sure you’ll find out whenever he comes to get her tonight.”

“Can’t be Connie cause he’s going with Sasha… Maybe Floch? God I hope not. And it can’t be Armin for obvious reasons.”

“Eren stop trying to guess and just wait,” Mikasa shook her head. She didn’t bother to make eye contact with her adopted brother while she finished applying her eyeshadow. “I’m not going to tell you.”

“Well whoever it is better treat you good,” Eren frowned. Not that Mikasa needed any defending but the thought of someone mistreating her stirred his fury.

“I don’t think she would’ve asked them out if she didn’t think they would do that,” Armin chimed in from the doorway.

“Them? Did she ask a girl?” Eren wondered, quirking an eyebrow. Rather than give it much thought his eyes fell to his best friend. Armin wore a light blue button down shirt with a navy blue tie. Eren’s heart skipped a beat at how cute he looked. “Looking good, ‘Min.”

A pink blush dusted Armin’s cheek at the compliment.

“He’d look even better if he wore the outfit his grandpa picked out for him,” spoke a deeper but distinctly older voice from behind Armin. An older man emerged with a wide smile, placing his hands on Armin’s shoulder. “Isn’t that right, ma’ boy?”

“No one wears sweater vests anymore, grandpa,” Armin sighed.

“I disagree! Gentlemen of class still wear them proudly,” Armin’s grandpa laughed heartily, gesturing to his own sweater vest.

He walked into the room with his grandson trailing in behind him.

“Armin can wear what he likes,” Eren shrugged, taking another quick once over of Armin.

At that comment, Armin’s grandpa stepped forward and loomed over Eren.

“And what are you intentions with ma’ boy, Eren? Just ‘cause you’re now in the neighborhood and I’ve known you since you were a tadpole don’t think I won’t judge you any less if you-”

“Grandpa!” Armin interrupted, his face a deep red. “We’re just going to Homecoming! This isn’t a date!”

“He’s made advances on you, ma’ boy! I’m just saying-“

“I’m going to give him the best night of his life,” Eren answered, looking Mr. Arlert in the eyes.

A wide grin broke across his wrinkled face.

“That’s what I like to hear! Mikasa, make sure they don’t get in trouble. Oh, and that’s a beautiful dress. Red really is your color.”

“Of course, thank you,” Mikasa smiled, glancing down at her low cut dress.

A knocking at the door drew the attention of those in the now crowded bedroom. Everyone looked to see Levi dressed in a suit with a pristine white shirt and black tie in the hall.

“Mikasa, your date is here,” he informed her.

“Thanks, uncle,” Mikasa smiled. “Can you tell him I’ll be down in a few minutes?”

“Sure, I can do that,” Levi returned an uncharacteristic smile.

As Levi turned to go down the stairs, Eren and Armin both jumped to their feet to see who Mikasa would ask as a date to Homecoming.

Carla wasn’t too far behind since she knew there’d be another guest to attend to as well. She descended the stairs in time to see her son’s jaw drop and Armin go wide-eyed. Walking past the two boys she went to greet her two guests.

“Welcome to our home,” Carla spoke, her voice warm.

Eren barely kept his voice down as he vocalized his shock.

“K-K-Kirschtein?!” Eren gawked at the boy and his mother.

Jean wore a scowl, along with a crimson button down and black tie.

“Good to see you too, Jaeger,” Jean replied.

Eren’s shoulders slumped as he hung his head. “Mikasa asked you? You weren’t even on the list…”

“List? What list?” Jean narrowed his eyes, unsure how to process that statement.

Armin giggled, taking a seat on one of the sofas in the room. He explained, “We had a bet going to try and figure out who was Mikasa’s date. You never crossed anyone’s radar.”

Jean rolled his eyes, going to take a seat by Armin. “Just cause the entire grade hates me doesn’t mean I can’t get a date to Homecoming.”

“They don’t hate you, they fear you. There’s a difference,” Eren grinned. He joined the other two on the couch. “No one’s ever crossed you since you pulled that stunt last year. Mina, Thomas, and Franz never knew what hit them.”

Jean’s scowl faded into a smirk at the memory. “They deserved it. Trying to make fun of you for your dad was bullshit and I told them that. I don’t regret fucking them over.”

“Jean, language!” Celine snapped at him, causing him to straighten up in his seat.

“Yes, maman!”

Celine shook her head, turning to face Carla so only her friend could see her wide grin.

“Boys,” Carla whispered.

“Yes, yes, but I have to at least try,” Celine stifled her laughter. Her eyes bounced around the room as she took in the details. Plenty of seating, lots of pictures of Carla and her kids, a few decorations, and of course the remnants of the luxurious furniture of her previous house. “This place looks a lot more like home than the last time I came here.”

“A lot can change over a year. You really should visit more often, you live just a block away!” Carla said, placing her hands on her hips. “Just because you’re my boss doesn’t change the fact we were friends well before that.”

“True, professionalism and social life blur together so much these days anyways,” Celine sighed. “I’m glad you’ve adapted so well.”

“Thanks again, truly. I wouldn’t be this well-adjusted without your help. Or theirs,” Carla gestured to Levi and Armin’s grandpa who were lost in their own conversation.

“It’s what friends are for,” Celine stated, placing a hand on Carla’s shoulder.

“So,” Eren spoke. “I thought you did that because they posted all that stuff about you in the halls.”

Shaking his head, Jean explained, “Nah that was just the final nail in the coffin. I don’t care what people say about me. I tormented enough people in the school that no one really likes me anyways.”

“Oi, Kirschtein,” Levi called out, grabbing the attention of the boys on the couch. “All that shit you said about those brats, was it all true? I’ve always wondered.”

Celine and Carla paused their conversation as their curiosity got the better of them.

Smirking again, Jean shrugged.

“Some of it sure but adding a little exaggeration to the truth can do a whole lotta damage.”

“Wait, so did Thomas actually screw his teddy bear?” Eren asked, leaning into Jean’s personal space.

Jean snorted.

“Hell no, but now everyone thinks he did.”

Levi laughed loudly at that.

Despite being over a year later, Celine was still impressed with her son’s brash behavior that day. His revenge was brief, public, and cut deep. She almost felt pity for those three kids if they she didn’t know what they were like.

Walking over to the couch, Levi positioned himself over Jean and placed his foot on the leather cushion between Jean’s legs. He rested his elbow on his elevated knee and glared down at him.

“While I do like your spirit I will warn you. If you ruin my niece’s night I will come for you like a hawk. I know where you live and where your locker is. You better have the best intentions,” Levi threatened, his glower draining the blood from Jean’s face.

“Y-y-yes, sir!”

“Good,” Levi smiled again before dropping his leg and walking back over to Mr. Arlert, who nodded in approval.

Celine hid her giggling behind her hand. Although Levi was barely over five feet she respected how he always managed to make his presence intimidating.

As if on cue, the clack of heels drew the boys’ attention to the stairs.

Mikasa descended while holding her long, red dress just above her feet so she didn’t trip. She wore her usual stoic expression but the light blush added some color to her usual pale skin.

Jean’s eyes widened, swallowing at the sight in front of him. His hands started trembling so he shoved them under her his thigh.

“Hey, Jean,” Mikasa greeted cooly.

“H-hi,” Jean stumbled over his reply, infinitely thankful his voice didn’t jump an octave.

Celine’s heart skipped a beat at her son’s display. Bittersweet memories crept into a smile on her face, expressions that she hadn’t seen in almost two decades now danced across her son’s as he took in Mikasa’s beauty.

“You are your father’s son,” Celine mumbled, not noticing Carla’s eyes glance at her for a second.

“Okay, picture time!” Carla announced. “Jean and Mikasa, please stand right in front of the mantle.”

Nodding, Mikasa strolled over to the fireplace.

Jean almost tripped while standing up but Armin quickly caught him.

“Thanks,” Jean whispered to him, earning a nod from his friend.

The pair stood side by side in front of the mantle, inches apart. Jean wore a nervous smile while Mikasa kept her usual stoic expression.

“Get closer and put your arm around her, Jeanbo. This isn’t a family picture,” Celine waved a hand at them.

A deep blush colored Jean’s face red.

“Mom!”

“What? Get a move on, your ride will be here soon.”

Taking a deep breath to calm the butterflies in his stomach, Jean looped an arm behind Mikasa’s back and rested his hand on her hip. He gently pulled her closer. To his shock and joy, Mikasa closed the distance between them and leaned into his shoulder.

“Perfect,” Celine exclaimed as she clapped her hands together. She pulled out her phone and started taking pictures next to Carla. The pair took their sweet time trying to find the perfect angles.

Meanwhile, Levi glared daggers at Jean who did his best to ignore the icy stare of death.

Armin laughed at the display going on around him but his eyes fell to his date, who he found also gazing at Jean. He followed Eren’s eyes to Jean’s outfit. Despite the loose fitting jacket and pants, Jean really did clean up well.

“I thought I was your date,” Armin whispered to Eren, nudging his side.

Eren jumped in his seat, pink tinting his cheeks lightly.

“Y-you are!” Eren defended himself.

“Jealous of Mikasa?” Armin teased his best friend. Rarely was Eren ever flustered and Armin intended to milk the moment.

“Of horseface? As if,” Eren shook his head, vehemently denying the thought.

“I can hear you,” Jean snapped at the pair.

Before the situation could escalate, a knocking at the door drew the high schoolers’ attention.

“I think your ride is here,” Carla announced, finally done picture taking.

“Our ride? Isn’t your mom driving?” Jean asked Mikasa.

“Nope, there’s a reason my uncle is dressed up,” Mikasa informed Jean as she walked over to the door.

The door opened to reveal Erwin Smith dressed in a light blue button down shirt with a black tie, all underneath a sweater vest. Behind him the kids could see a minivan parked in the driveway.

“Hello, Ms. Ackerman,” their principal greeted. “I’m here to take my date to Homecoming.”

“One thing first,” Mikasa spoke, her voice low. “What are your intentions with my uncle?”

To Be Continued