#sniffles. sobs. anyways. update over

[99probalos]

(through sounds of chewing on a mouthful of cinderblock) ummm. 70sgi update

things are going slow. ill be real with you all. i'm working more on the outline than the actual story itself these days & polishing things up so they flow better and rounding out the ideas of these characters in my head which is good... im also drawing quite a bit mwahaha. but college is kicking my ass ill be so fucking real and true

please pray that my english class lets up on the ABSURD pace its going at . so that i can have more time to write. i'm like writing a few sentences each week its so bad guys. but anyways. Anyways. thank you to everyone whos standing by (T_T)... i really wanna get more done believe me. siiiiiigh...

[vagabond-umlaut]

hey, where is the pomegranate tree?

unstoppable force, aka kore, aka gojo, meets immovable object, aka hades, aka you— nothing can ever go wrong from this collision, trust me— n-o-t-h-i-n-g.

▸ gojo satoru x fem!reader; hades and persephone retelling [with a twist ;))]; 1.2k wc; stubbornly persuasive gojo; the reader is js so tired and annoyed [and tired]; enemies to lovers vibes[??]; talks of marriage and children; gojo thinks you are a fool, he is the real clown here

▸ pls don't glare at me if there is more than one inaccuracy here, haha. anyways, the header is from pinterest, the divider is by @benkeibear and the characters used ain't mine. pls don't plagiarize, translate or repost this. enjoy reading! ❤️

▸ update: this fic is now part of a series!!! wreaths of asphodel 😊😊

"you shall spend the rest of your days in tears."

you're foolish; woefully so, gojo thinks, carefully observing you from his place on the chaise lounge, smiling while you continue seething, "and there will be no one who can save you. neither a hero nor a god. neither demeter nor zeus. no. one."

"but why do you think i will need saving, my rose?" the endearment rolls off his tongue like honey, the taste sweetening at the way your pretty lips dip into a deeper frown, "you're not a monster, are you?"

"no!" the defensive reply comes in less than a beat. though the words following it sound a tad less bold; it seems as if you're trying to make yourself believe and not scare him.

"i'm someone far fiercer— hades. the goddess of the dead. the queen of the underworld— and the cause for your misery should you choose to vex me any further."

"aw, no," gojo cries, decidedly making a show by slapping a hand over his eyes and faking a sniffle, "why must the only woman i want as my wife see me as an annoyance?"

then lets his hand drop down to the cushion, willing his eyes to well over with pitiful moisture. "as the god of life, i've only ever given and given– be it grains or fruits or vegetables or flowers– without asking anything in return— yet the first and only time i ask..."

he doesn't bother finishing his sentence, choosing to sob to add to the tragic atmosphere— though that doesn't mean he doesn't note the war of emotions on your face:

pity, confusion, anger, again confusion— you're so easy to read, to steer. very foolish, really.

"you'll not like living here," you eventually break the silence hanging within the room. your voice is much softer now; the god wonders if you sing. if you do, the muses will certainly be put to shame... "your days will be spent in utter boredom and gloom and tears–"

"– and no one can come to my aid then: yes, thank you," he interrupts you, more than a little tired, "you've driven the points too well into my head– so much so that i'm surprised there isn't a gaping hole in there, oozing blood and my brains. but why must you think i'll need rescue, huh??"

if a smidge of force escapes into his words, gojo decides not to pay it any mind— though only until he notices the small flinch you give– his insides twist and torment, quite inexplicably, thereafter.

"okay, look," he says, getting up from his slouch to move near you, but stops on catching the warning glint in your eyes.

"first of all, i'm not some damsel in distress being whisked away in a chariot here– i came here by own volition. and i'm offering my mind, body, heart, soul– the special package that i am, in fewer words– to you, by my own volition. why shall i want anyone to rescue me then?"

"besides," he proceeds to add, allowing an easy smirk to form on his face, "you're just the cute little goddess of the dead– not at all scary like your brother used to be; though i guess you try to imitate him in your glares, don't you? sukuna was quite notori—"

"don't you dare utter my brother's name, foul olympian," a quiet growl slashes gojo's comment, sending it plummetting to the ground— and making him understand why you, the inconspicuous, sheltered sister of the vicious former holder of the name 'hades', was given the crown, in the aftermath of your brother's banishment– instead of the several more well-known candidates...

"i apologise," gojo offers in the very next instant, making it as genuine as he can, "i never meant to upset or offend you. i'm sorry if i did."

you just stare at him for a beat, gojo watches, before your shoulders lift then fall in a sigh. the fire burning in your aura abates by a pinch.

sighing once more, you finally break your silence, "It's okay, and um– suppose i too should apologise. you might be an olympian but you're not as foul as them, no. please forgive me for calling you so."

"no problem, my rose," the god is quick to accept your words with a wave of his hand and a beam, further widening when he notices the sliver of smile on your countenance, "but does this mean i appeal to your tastes? i mean, you called me 'not as foul as them', didn't you?? did you just accept my hand in marriage, then???"

"no, i didn't..." your subtle smile disappears swifter than it appeared. a half of gojo's floral crown, quite inexplicably, wilts on the table before. he watches your eyes fall to it, then snap up to meet his.

"do you love me?"

not yet, but he thinks he can. you might be an idiot but you certainly aren't an unlovable idiot— and one voice in his mind murmurs, those precious, innocent looks of yours aren't even the main reasons why...

the god shoots back a languid smile. "if you want to see me in love with you, so be it."

"that's neither 'yes' nor 'no'," you point out, frowning, before vaulting your second query of the evening, "if we get married, do you want to have children?"

it won't be very unfavourable, if you both do... with the vivid colour of your eyes, or the adorable shape of your nose, or the radiance of your skin, or the— "if you want, i shall be happy to assist," he ekes out with a meaningful wink, albeit he doubts how much of it reaches you.

you're very foolish, after all... and no– it's not because of the awkward way he says it– no! not in the slightest! he wasn't fumbling at all!

you wrap the shawl tighter around your shoulders but don't move any further away, gojo notes. the same way he does the slight tint in your cheeks when you roll your eyes with a scoff.

"you're unbelievable, kore. truly, terribly unbelievable." you press the pads of your thumbs over your forehead before releasing it, gaze an unprecedented mark of sharp when it settles on his face.

"is there nothing you want from our union, eh? i refuse to believe you wish to marry me without any demands, as if on a mere whim– but if it is so, i ought to warn you, kore: my answer is and will always be one firm 'no'."

your words mustn't ignite this odd restlessness in him. they certainly mustn't— still, gojo finds his chest tight and the air heavy as he grins back and says, "i only want to be your husband, your majesty... but if that is too much for you right now–"

the stretch on his lips simmers down to something smaller. yet truer.

"i want you to call me by my name. my real name. can you do that, my rose?"

you don't say anything in response for a long while. so long, in fact, it makes the god wonder if you are ever going to reply to his request.

perhaps not, he thinks quite a bit down-spirited when you suddenly turn on your heel and with a swish of your long shawl, stride out the rooms– o-oh.

you stop just as abruptly at the threshold. a complicated grin shining on your face as you twist to look at him over your shoulder then say:

"good night, gojo satoru. pray the ghosts prowling these halls don't eat you up ere dawn."

you're gone not even few feet away from the door, before gojo falls face-first into the bed, the entire room suddenly erupting into thousands of roses in all colors ever seen. [lolol, he is such a loser for you! xD]

▸ masterlist

[hectorthedoggo]

I will put this in ao3 and edit when i have the means to. but. @kani-miso it's 0009 sibs i thought of you and decided to make this 🎀🎀

UPDATE I ACIDENTALLY DELETED THE TAB WITH MY EDITS AO3 is going to kill me

“Alright. Milgram's up.” The creature stayed. Es stayed frozen from where they were sitting on the couch. Oh God. What's the consequences of my verdicts?

Wait. Up? This is Trial 2?

They disregarded that. It must be a mistake.

If these verdicts even are mine, I can’t tell. I've been dreading this. I'm scared. They clutched their arms, trying to gain some warmth, some friction, for what was to happen next.

Jackalope narrowed his eyes at them. “A nervous one, aren't you now. Anyways, so since the administrators decided that you were too unstable, you'll go free. Congrats.

Oh yeah, and the verdicts didn't really have consequences, it was just a little social experiment. It doesn't matter. Good luck surviving in the real world!”

What. What the heck is he talking about? “Wha- What do you mean- Who's the admin- wah!”

They felt a pulling sensation, and suddenly, they were standing in a Walmart™ parking lot. The only other person nearby was Mikoto Kayano.

But, nobody was dead. He was in his original clothes, but. Wait, where are we? What's this big sign that says ‘Walmart’?

What is a Walmart, and where the hell did Milgram go?

They also had a little pack with them, and upon opening it, there was a little message printed out. Nothing else.

‘mikoto is your legal sibling btw. gl lmao be glad I even gave you this note ur probably my favorite warden - Jackalope (professional child neglecter)’

At least the pack looked cool looked cool…

Es was about to have a mental breakdown. Why did Milgram leave me like this? Is this what I am to them?

“Woah, what happened?” Mikoto wondered, “Hey, Es. Did you do this? Is Milgram over? Did they identify it to be a mistake?”

They started shaking. They threw me out like garbage. I…

“Es?”

They sniffled at the situation. I’m… garbage. Because, as my usual logic says, I am what Milgram deems me to be.

“I- I have no idea…” they extended the last vowel to emphasize how little idea they had.

They threw the note on the ground --- or at least tried to, it just flew away, right into Mikoto’s hands ---, and started to sob.

The tables had turned. Mikoto looked like he knew why he was here, Es didn’t (nande boku ga koko ni iruyo). It was genetic.

Meanwhile, Mikoto had gotten the note, and he read it. “Wh- huh?”

He stared over at Es. “Es, this is a mistake, right?”

“That is the least of my worries right now, pudding boy!” they snapped at him, instead channeling their sadness into aggression.

He completely disregarded their feelings, to the point where he might not have even heard them. “Right… my mom did mention that our father got remarried. Wah, Suu! You’re my little sib!”

He went up to their grieving form, and gave them a little fistbump, lifting up their unwilling arm to do so. Why did he do that? Last time we touched, John was beating the shit out of me.

A random car pulled up into the Walmart™ parking lot, and the window unrolled. 

It was a woman with brownish hair, who looked like Mikoto. “Oh, you’re the other sibling that your father was talking about. You two can just get in the back in the car, your sister’s taking shotgun. Nice to meet you!”

Why the fuck does Mikoto’s sister have a shotgun? Are they all like this?

Mikoto followed in with them, and buckled in. Es had no idea what was going on.

They could not find the seatbelt, too busy processing the upheaval of their life in the past 5 minutes.

“Yo, sib. The seatbelt’s over there.” Mikoto smiled and gave a thumbs up, like a reliable older brother. “I saw it.” I did not see it.

They touched it, and got stung by the heat. Their, wait, no, Mikoto’s sister turned back at their sound of pain, turning off her phone. “Ah, yeah. It’s summer, don’t touch it.”

They scowled, forgetting their dread in the face of the overheated car seatbelt.

The car chimed, and the keys jingled. “Alright, folks! You two seem pretty tired from wherever the heck you disappeared to. Would you wanna go home, or get some ice cream?”

The sister turned around, and smiled a little wide. “My dear siblings, do you know the answer? There is a correct one.”

Es scowled. “What the fuck is an ice cream. Why is the cream ice?”

“Are you serious?” She scrutinized their face, finding the truth, “Step on it, Ma.” She went back to her phone, probably texting her friends about this weird kid in a warden outfit that was apparently her sibling now.

Mikoto looked over at Es and shrugged, like a comical cartoon character. Like a ‘what can you do?’.

I won’t allow these insolent- wait, these aren’t prisoners. Unless the sister girl did something with that shotgun of hers. It would run in the family, I guess.

Wait, that would mean that I’m also violent. Nevermind.

The 11th cell came to mind, and they dismissed it. Wrong kinda fic, buddy. We staying fluff here.

“So, Mikoto. And, what’s your name?”

“Es. I think?”

The woman put on her strict mother voice. “... okay. Mikoto and Es. What was so important that you had to completely disappear for like a years. No note! Job gone! You could’ve died, for all I knew! Es, sweetie, I’m sure it was Mikoto’s fault. He’s such a bad influence.”

Es raised their hand to ask a question, slightly flustered from the pet name. She indicated that they could speak.

They decided to just reveal it all. “Um, Mikoto committed murder… eh, Mikoto, he has DID and was stressed from his job, hence the murder. And I was the warden of the prison that held him and 9 others.”

Mikoto lost all of his composure at all of his darkest secrets being revealed, the dramatic guy he was. “What… Es, don’t… I… that’s not… I don’t have DID? I was doing… I was doing just…”

He seemed a little overwhelmed at the prospect of having to unpack all of the luggage that Es laid out, so another guy came out. “I am not straight. Oh- sorry, hi, I’m John. I’m the guy who totally committed the murder 100% trust guys c’mon vote mikoto innocent 2024-”

I already had to deal with that yapping last interrogation. Es shut him up with their hand. He waved it away. “If you’re gonna say that shit about Mikoto, Es hasn’t been going to bed at a healthy time or eating healthy.”

They were betrayed at his reveal. “I can’t believe you.”

“We’re going to fix that, Es. You’re going to get the regular kid treatment.” The mother nodded, eyes steeling. Oh no, not the normal teen treatment!

John had some other stuff going on behind there. Maybe Mikoto’s cheesiness had rubbed off on him. “As soon as we get out of this car I’m giving you a hug.”

“Is that a threat?”

“Yes.”

Speaking of unwarranted physical contact. “Oh yeah, mo- Mikoto’s mother, um… John beat me up in Trial 1.”

“SNITCH?!”

“What’cha gonna do about it?”

“Give you another hug.” He deviously grinned, knowing that wasn’t the answer they expected or an answer they liked.

“I won’t allow it.” But, they weren’t the warden anymore. They couldn’t deflect affection as well as they used to.

The sister was unbothered by this discourse. Perhaps it hasn’t quite set in. “I guess I got two extra surprise siblings. Cool.”

-

When they got to the ice cream store after a prolonged amount of awkward silence, the moment the car doors opened, the chase was on.

Es nearly ran into oncoming traffic to escape any chance at being loved, as one does, but John grabbed them and lifted them up by their elbows, giving them a hug once they were out of the street.

“Jeez, you’re light. C’mon, we’re getting ice cream and you aren’t gonna kill yourself.”

“‘M not!” They kicked their legs to try and get the man off of them. But, they had about the strength of a 5 week old kitten compared to him, without the claws.

He plopped them down, Es seething about their lack of power they had here.

The sister turned off her phone, finally, and turned to Es. “Okay, I just wanna make sure. Were you joking earlier about not having ice cream before?”

“I’m the prison warden of Milgram, I don’t need-”

She interrupted them before they could start monologuing and crying about how Milgram didn’t exist anymore. “You’re getting Birthday Bash.”

“What- but it’s not my birthday?” It could be, for all I know, but she’s doesn’t have to know that.

“Ok, what is your birthday?” Dammit.

“Great question!” Es stared into space, tone full of sarcasm. Milgram never tells me shit.

“Mikoto or whoever the hell you are, do you know their birthday?”

“Nah.” John responded. “By the way, um, this kid was the one who named me John, because they thought it would be funny to be a know-it-all and reference some English name.”

She looked over at Es. “No offense, but you suck at naming. I think we were all thinking that.” We…

Es tried to defend their horrible naming skills. “What?! Who else was gonna name him?”

Mikoto’s mother decided to join in the conversation, but left after putting her two cents in. “Me. Or Mikoto, since he’s where John came from.”

John smirked. “See, Es! But the name has stuck, so you owe me.”

Es crossed their arms, huffing. “I don’t owe you anything. You beat me up that one time, so if anything, you owe me!”

He couldn’t exactly find a defense for that, so he took their hat off their head and held it as high as he could reach, exposing their hat hair. “Hey!”

They jumped to get it, but to no avail. They looked pathetic.

Meanwhile, Mikoto’s mother and sister had already gone in to order. Order, like what a judge says?

It’s all a law reference.

John grinned. “You're a silly little creature, Suu.”

“You're not Mikoto, stop that.” I do not like that weird ass nickname.

He put on an innocent face. “What do you mean? I'm Mikoto, and I love my company so much! Hahaha, I would never commit murder. This must be a mistake!”

Es was somewhat surprised. “That's stuff he actually said in his first trial, how did you get it so accurately?”

“I hear this guy's internal monologue.”

That’ll do it. “Ah.”

 He threw their hat into the air while they were distracted, and they stepped back in surprise. He caught it. “Nice hat.”

“Get away from-”

The rest of the family brought over ice cream, and Es was handed a mash of colors in theirs that seemed unnatural.

“Is this food?”

“Eat it.” John asserted.

They shrugged. If this is poison, at least I don't have to worry about Milgram and all that stuff.

Worst case scenario, it doesn't kill me and it tastes bad. I'm not sure what my best case scenario is. Dying? It tasting good? We’ll see.

They bit down on the food with aggression, and it tasted… amazing, other than the fact that it was cold.

“What the heck is this? In a good way?” They temporarily forgot about their slight suicidal ideation.

“Bro has never heard of the wonders of overly processed foods…” the sister commented, smirking.

Why is she calling me bro? Huh? If I question her, will she bring out the shotgun? I'm scared of her. She’s my older sister now, isn’t she…

To be honest, Kotoko was scarier. I’ll be fine.

She wasn’t addicted to her phone, though… wait, right. Kotoko kinda was.

They grinned, and momentarily forgot their troubles in the face of their action. I’m so much better than these people. This tastes good. Mmm… ice cream… I like it…

They did get a brain freeze, and brought their hand up to their forehead in pain.

They got their head patted by John, who had somehow consumed his (larger serving of) ice cream. “Do you want the rest of that?”

“Yes?” They answered.

He grabbed a spoon, and took a bite of their ice cream. “Wow, this tastes nice.”

Es disliked the younger sibling experience. “Give me my hat back. I didn’t forget about that.”

“No.” However, he made a mistake: it happened to be in grabbing range. They quickly snatched it, and grinned in pride.

But, while they were distracted with John, they forgot about their other older sibling, who took a sizable amount of their precious ice cream.

I just discovered ice cream. Will they stop stealing it?

-

They were next in a car, making sure to avoid the seatbelt this time. About ⅓ of their ice cream had been usurped, and they didn't have the strength to defend it.

But, it wasn’t that bad. These people are nice…

I… I guess this is my life now? It’s not that bad.

Finally, there were no catches to this fact.

They would have to buy new clothes, the warden outfit was scratchy.

[tinylilacbun]

Pairing: daddy!john b x little!reader x papa!jj

Warnings: age regression, some cursing

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ ♡ ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ���

You were standing before the entrance of the country club, hands shaking and tears forming in your eyes while you call John B, anxiously waiting for him to pick up.

Just seconds later you hear him on the other line. "Hey baby..." He trails off, waving JJ over to him as he hears you starting to sob instantly. He puts you on speaker, trying to calm you down. "Baby, breathe. Are you hurt?"

"N-No..." You sniffle and both boys sigh in relief.

"Okay, can you tell me what's going on?" He asks, JJ pulling his hat off while pacing back and forth, desperate to know what or who made his girl upset.

"I-I was servin' one of the guests and-and he was bein' weird and tw- tried to touch me! I was bein' nice and told him not to...b-but later my boss came to me and fired me bee! Didn't do anythin' wrong-" You sob, hoping nobody hears you right now and he could hear your speech slurring a little and knows you're fighting to not slip in public.

"Mother-" JJ starts and John B gives him a warning glare, sending him off to get the keys for the Twinkie.

"It's okay, bun. Where are you right now?" He sounds calm but also he was boiling with anger, knowing that creep probably told your boss some shit, threatened or bribed him to fire you just because you told him no.

"M'outside before the entrance..."

"Alright, stay there. Me and papa are on our way, 'kay?" You didn't answer but John B knows you were nodding your head.

As soon as JJ was sure you weren't on the phone he started cursing and ranting while getting in the drivers side of the van. "I swear- imma beat the shit outta that asshole. How dare he? Fucking kooks-"

John B tunes him out, more focused on texting you to make sure you're alright and keeps you updated on how far away they are.

Soon enough they spot you standing before the country club, hugging yourself sadly. John B quickly goes to the back and slides the door open, jumping out to embrace you.

He scoops you up, getting back in the Twinkie he slides the door close before sitting down and cradles you in his arms. He brushes the strains of hair that stuck to your wet cheeks to the side, looking down at you with a comforting smile.

"M'sorry-" your bottom lip quivers and you went to hide your face in his chest.

"Hey, you don't have to be sorry at all. It's not your fault, okay? Neither of us are mad at you." He assures you, wiping the one tear from your cheek that slipped. "Right, JJ?"

"Huh- oh hell yea! We're proud of you for standin' up for yourself, cupcake. If something like that ever happens again you have my full permission to slap that person." JJ says catching you smiling a little through the rearview mirror, giving you a wink.

John B just rolls his eyes but doesn't say anything as your giggling at JJ's antics was better than seeing you cry. As much as he's the more responsible one he can't deny that he wishes you spat in that creeps face. Anyway, it was a shit job either way.

Maybe he can talk to Mr. Heyward about giving you a mini job.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ ♡ ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

Taglist

For everything:

@my-river-lilly @pauntedblacknails @fanfictioniseverything @devilslilbabysblog @buckymydarlingangel @hallecarey1 @daybreakwinter @loveshineslikethesky @wandaslittlewhore @vase-of-lilies @white-wolf1940 @simpingbutch @mischiefsemimanaged @alina02 @teddybearsgrr @doozywoozy @angelbabydoll28 @glxwingrxse @lilymurphy03 @veryvaughnny @lokigirlszendaya @youngstarfishdinosaur @little--baby--bear @minideathgoddess @rach2602 @aagn360 @gh0stgurl @flourishandblotts-inc @fluffyblanketgecko @lovelyy-moonlight @yoruse @kissforvoid

For JJ:

@chiaraanatra

[geeminz]

ᯓ A CHANGE OF HEART // giselle x oc ; smau

02 | stay

↳ in which: mihye has been secretly dating giselle, her best friend’s older sister, for four months. what happens when their relationship turns toxic, and their secrets become public?

taglist: @thefckghost @emphobics @jisooftme @xszn @gtfoiydlyj @wonysugar @bluhuir @baewonlove

a.n i am SOOOO so so sorry for the late update T^T school was super demanding last week (and the week before that) and i really had to focus on finishing some student council duties first because we had one of our massive events last week! i'll make sure to make up to those who really waited a long time for an update by giving you guys a double update! anyway yeah, that's all! hope you enjoy this next one. comments would be appreciated too, if it's not too much of a hassle! :D okay byee

“hey.” mihye opens the door for taro, revealing her puffy red eyes and similarly red nose to one of her bestest friends, shotaro. 

“damn, mihye. what the hell did giselle do to you this time?” taro asked, his eyebrows crunched up in concern as he gently placed the bags full of soju on the floor. his arms reached out to mihye to wrap her around his embrace. mihye wails out on shotaro’s chest.

“she got mad at me… i don’t exactly know why, but she’s not replying to me and i don’t know what to —” mihye chokes as she sobs, and taro couldn’t help but to click his tongue at the state of his friend. his hands rub the back of mihye’s back as he tried his best to provide comfort to her.

“it’s okay, hye… breathe. let’s go in first and then let’s talk about it, okay?"

——————————————————————————————————

“so let me get this straight… she got mad at you because you hung out with your best friend, which is… her sister?” taro asked, genuine confusion and disgust painted on his face. the two were currently positioned on the bar of mihye’s apartment — taro was mixing the drinks together in a pitcher while mihye sat on one of the bar stools.

mihye nods, and taro shakes his head. “dude, she’s crazy.”

“i really don’t understand her taro. so i texted her earlier to try and get her to come over so we could talk and make up, but she’s not replying. and then i saw her posts and she’s out drinking with her friends.”

taro sighs in disapproval. “y’know what hye? let her drink with god knows who. who even cares?”

“me, taro. i care.” mihye tries to reason.

“so what? if she drinks, then you drink too.” taro said, and hands mihye a shot of his mix. “here you go. taste test.”

mihye sniffles before taking the shot and downing it. “it’s really good, taro.”

the guy smirks. “i know right? now we’re ready for the rest of the evening.”

mihye watches taro as he pours himself a shot of his own mix and then hers, smiling sadly as shotaro raises the glass towards her. mihye clinks the brims of their glasses together before downing another shot.

“holy shit, this is good.”

“for real. i can’t even taste the alcohol.”

“okay! let’s get fucking drunk hye.” taro encourages the girl, but mihye just gives him a look — one that shotaro knows all too well.

“many have tried, taro. but i never get drunk.”

“that’s why i’m gonna try my fucking best to be the first guy to get you drunk.”

“that sounds really horrible if you take the context away, taro.”

“just drink, hye. stop thinking so much.”

“fine.”

——————————————————————————————————

15 shots later, and shotaro had already shut down on mihye’s couch. mihye purses her lips as she watched her drunken friend mumble out some slightly comprehensible phrases.

“how come… you’re not drunk?” taro slurs as he pulls one of mihye’s throw pillows near his chest.

mihye shrugs as she gets up. “dunno. but you are. so go to sleep.”

“mmmph! no!” taro wails like a kid not getting what he wanted, and mihye smiles to herself at how ridiculous her friend looks.

“i’m grabbing a blanket for you.”

“girl!”

“what?”

“...”

mihye shakes her head at shotaro’s antics — the guy was sooo going to get a horrible hangover tomorrow. shotaro rarely drinks — hence his horrible tolerance, but whenever he gets unbelievably drunk, he doesn’t really cause a mess or a scene, so mihye was okay with taking care of him. although it would tire her out considering how heavy she felt right now — literally, with the amount of alcohol she drank. 

mihye turns down the volume of shotaro’s music — he said that it’d help the alcohol hit mihye stronger (fun fact: it didn’t do a thing to mihye) — and leaves the living room to go grab a blanket from her closet.

when she returned, taro’s already snoring softly on her couch. mihye helps him get more comfortable — she places a pillow underneath his head, and covers his limp body with her thick blanket. the girl quietly cleaned up the place — picking up the used glasses, the pitcher and the chips they couldn’t finish, and placed them all on the counter of the bar. mihye washed the glasses, placed the pitcher in her fridge, and put the chips in a sealed container to maintain their crispiness. after, she sweeps the floor, and turned her diffuser on.

after finishing her impromptu chores, mihye started to get ready for bed, taking a shower and changing into her pajamas. picking up her unchecked phone to scroll through twitter for a bit, mihye’s eyes widened as an unexpected notification pops up from the top of her phone.

“shit, shit!” mihye panics at giselle’s text. she hurriedly slips on her slippers and sprints out her room and towards the door.

why is she here? she’s not supposed to be here!

in her mind, mihye could already count the many ways that giselle would scold her for having a guy over. giselle wouldn’t care if shotaro was mihye’s friend, or that he was aro-ace — giselle would only be able to think that despite everything, shotaro was still a guy. and guys… well. guys can do a lot of wrong things.

even so, mihye was not mentally ready for the anger that giselle would unleash upon her when she sees a drunken shotaro on mihye’s couch. she’d already gotten shit for hanging out with kazuha, how much more if giselle sees a drunk shotaro in her house?

despite fearing giselle’s anger, mihye takes a deep breath and opens the door for her.

and boy, was giselle drunk.

“hey.” giselle says, leaning on the frame of mihye’s door. she reeks of alcohol, and her bangs were sticking to her forehead — a small testament of just how sweaty she was. mihye ignores the faint shade of lipstick on giselle’s cheek (probably washed out by her sweat) and pulls giselle in as quickly as she could.

but once mihye does, giselle’s legs fail her and the older girl falls on mihye, her entire weight collapsing on mihye. the two fall harshly on the floor, with giselle’s sweat sticking on mihye’s freshly showered skin.

“gi! ow…” mihye groans, whisper-shouting at her drunk girlfriend. giselle only hums some incoherent words at her.

“hmm… don’t…”

“gi, please — get up.” mihye tried to push giselle off of her, and managed to get her to roll over after a few weak and unsuccessful attempts.

“hye…” giselle mumbles with her eyes closed. mihye gets up to try and bring giselle towards her room, where the younger girl could properly clean her up, but giselle’s heavy body made it difficult for her.

“gi, please… cooperate with me here.” mihye is frustrated with how heavy her girlfriend was when she was blackout drunk. mihye wraps giselle’s limp arm around her neck, and grabs giselle’s body with her other arm to get her up. it was difficult, but mihye was eventually met with success when she finally managed to support giselle’s entire limp body upright.

“mm…” giselle kept mumbling, and even though mihye could feel that giselle was trying to talk to her, the younger girl felt that it was more important to get giselle out of her sweaty clothes and dress her up into something more comfortable for sleep.

the younger girl dragged her girlfriend all the way towards her room, and once more into her bathroom. mihye’s battle with giselle’s unconscious body was even more difficult though, as there was less room for her to wiggle around without unintentionally hurting her girlfriend.

“gi… can you just try to sit up for me?” mihye pushed down the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes now. 

you can’t cry now, mihye. giselle needs you.

giselle is unresponsive, as mihye expected it. so she tries to comfortably place giselle on the surface of her bathtub, before taking a breather.

she’s so drunk. how the hell did she drive all the way here if she was this drunk?

mihye pushes down the thought of giselle’s vehicle back to the depths of her mind in order to focus on taking off the sweaty clothes from giselle’s body. she makes sure to keep the giselle’s car keys somewhere safe and dry, before proceeding to give giselle a shower.

it took mihye at least an hour to get everything done — giving giselle a shower, dressing her up in sleep clothes, and placing her on mihye’s bed. afterwards, mihye grabs her jacket and runs to the nearest elevator to check on giselle’s car in the basement of their condo building.

giselle’s gonna be so mad if her car got scratched or something.

once she gets there, she meets the security guard in charge for tonight, and he gives her a lengthy lecture about how a car should never be parked in the middle of the lot.

“it’s a huge inconvenience for all the other tenants here, young lady!”

“i know — i’m really sorry sir. it won’t happen again. i promise.”

“tell that girl who parked here to never do that again. i get that she’s drunk, but if she’s that drunk, she should’ve taken a cab or something. don’t let her do this again, and especially not in this building!”

“... yes sir, i understand. i’m really sorry. i’ll remind her.”

mihye reparks the car — properly this time, and not in the state that giselle left it in. she sees the scratch on the car, and anxiety bubbles in her stomach.

giselle’s going to be so mad. sure, she did this to herself by driving all the way here while drunk, but still.

i don’t like it when she’s mad.

mihye gets back to her apartment, spent from all the things she had to do in the span of a single night. at this point, she was so fucking tired, but she knew she couldn’t rest yet. she showers again and changes her clothes, as giselle’s sweat from earlier had rubbed off on her clothes.

“mi… hye?” she hears giselle call out from their bed. mihye closes the door of her closet, and approaches giselle.

“mihye…” giselle mumbles out once more, and mihye feels a pinch somewhere in her heart as she takes a closer look at giselle’s serenely sleeping body.

how can she still make me feel this way despite everything…?

mihye lays down in front of giselle, and she sees giselle’s hands moving, inching — she was probably reaching out for something. or maybe someone.

sighing, mihye takes giselle’s hands into her own, and rubs circles on top of giselle’s palm.

“mmm… don’t… leave… me…”

tears threaten to spill from mihye’s eyes upon hearing those words from giselle’s lips.

“s… stay…” giselle says once more, and just like that, mihye’s heart decides to beat for giselle again.

mihye presses a gentle, chaste kiss on giselle’s forehead before wrapping her girlfriend’s body around her arms. mihye falls asleep, with a single tear escaping and running down her cheek the moment she closes her eyes.

go to: masterlist | next

[carmens-dolls]

💤🙃😭🤗

THEY NEED THEM ALL

THATS... QUIYE A BIT... BUT OK

Emojis:

💤- an extra few hours of sleep

🙃- shomeone to share their suffering with

😭- a shoulder to cry on

🤗- a warm hug

Caroline

"Thank the Lord..." She sighed, gladly taking it and sleeps for several hours.

I mean... she has Thomas from when he lost his arm. It was more tragic for him.

and 4. She leans into an embrace with you, silently sniffling as she tried to hold back her emotions.

Thomas

"Oh, thank you so much.." he smiled. "Goodnight.." he proceeded to sleep through half the day.

He does have Caroline. The two have their fair share of tears shed together.

and 4. He hugs you tight, not ecen caring about the flow of tears running down his face. "T-thank... thank you" he muttered between sobs, glancing to you with his weary eyes.

Mr Sappy

"Thanks... Cassie has been so much lately" he chuckles, smile fading slightly. "Where is that little monster anyways-"

[I mean... he dont suffer much. One oc without trauma. Should i give him some? /j]

[Thus he wouldnt cry much.]

He embraces you with a softening smile, as he was never the type to back down from a hug.

Edith Boris

'Thank you, thank you!' Edith signs, Boris hiding his smirk. "Thanks, we'll need it."

The two have eachother as best friends. Edith was never one with a bad background, but so she comforts Boris in his times of trouble.

[For Boris] "I dont need you.." he said with a cracking voice. "I dont need anyone." He stubbornly tried to hide how he felt, but was begining to fail as he mumbled.

[For Edith, bc Boris would refuse] She embraces tightly with a wide smile, feeling as though a child comforted by her mother once more.

Clementine

"Oh? I will then... thanks." She lied in bed unable to sleep for 3 hours, but eventually did for a long while.

She visits Emmanuel every 2 weeks to update him on her state and well being. And sometimes (when permitted) stays over a few days. When experiencing the past, he always helps to ground her.

and 4. She began to practically sob into your arms, muttering indistinctly before calming slightly. "I... i don't know w-why he hated me..." She cried (mentioning Rigel).

Bruce

"Finally.." He sighed, slumping into bed and knocking out for the next 13 hours.

He has... no one.

"No." He said, voice shaking. "Get the fuck out of here."

He simply stared at your open arms with slight disgust. "What?"

John

"You sure?" He asked. When confirmed he sighed with a smile of relief. "Thank you.."

He has his sister and mother. He would never wish to lay the burden of his past onto Evangeline, so he's never told her.

and 4. He hugs you tight, shutting his eyes though breaking down still. "I'm sorry.. I'm such a failure."

Carmen

"I don't need sleep" She said, grinning. "Buuutt i suppose i can." So she did and pulled a new record of 4 days straight.

She has no one, thus forcing her trauma into the lives of her creation.

"I'm good" She said, dismissing you despite the trauma build up. It was so much, she didn't seem to care anymore.

She firstly attempted to refrain from the hug, but failed, and stood awkwardly as you held her.

Maddie

"Oh uh.." she stood silent a moment. "Thanks." She did take the sleep and got a full night's rest.

She has John, he's a good friend of hers. And her background isn't too much, but she doesn't overwhelm him with hers.

and 4. "Thank you so so much..." she said, hugging you tightly.

Cedric

"Ive got people to heal and a family to care for, i never sleep" He joked. "But thank you for the offer."

He shares with his wife the loss of their eldest daughter.

He kindly refuses. "But you can for my wife. She'll appreciate it more" he smiled.

He accepted the embrace and pulled you in tightly. "Thank you.."

[mykingdomforapen]

chapter 10 of "courage of stars" will be coming next week and guys, I'm so nervous. I am so excited and I'm so nervous. This chapter is many things. It's where I got to do some things I've been really wanting to do. It's where I cross a point of no return in the story. I got to try a different style. It's where the line blurs between fanfic and a genre that I respect and fear.

It's also a huge factor in why this fic is rated M. Hoo boy.

So! In lieu of updating today, so that you won't have to face a three week wait afterwards, here's a fun little drabble/filler episode:

-

When Lu Guang was four years old, he lovingly killed three tadpoles. He had scooped them from the pond in a plastic cup and brought them home happily, convinced he would raise them into froghood. By Thursday, all three of them floated lifelessly in the surface of the bright blue tub in which he housed them. His mother poked them curiously with a chopstick while he sobbed into his grandmother's lap.

"Don't be so sad, Guangguang," Maamaa crooned as she patted Lu Guang's head. "You tried very, very hard. We all know that you did your best." 

"I killed them!" Lu Guang wailed into her skirt. "I just want them to be frogs and now they died!"

"Oh, A Guang," his mother said as she furtively plucked the dead tadpoles into a bundled newspaper for a more discreet funeral. "This is a good learning experience, right? Now you know what not to do with a frog. See, it's good to learn with the wild tadpoles, before you spend money on a pet. You know better for next time not to use tap water."

Lu Guang sobbed louder ("I meant it to be comforting!") until Yeye came home. Maamaa intercepted Yeye before he walked through the door and sent him on a mission to bring home steamed bai tang gao as a consolation, and Yeye beelined to the nearest vendor to bring home a steaming, buoyant cake of tangy sweet rice. Lu Guang chewed on it sullenly on the living room sofa after bidding the dead tadpoles goodbye into the storm drain.

Yeye sighed as he sat next to Lu Guang, stroking his grandson's little head.

"You know," he said, "when I was little, my father raised bees."

Lu Guang blinked up at Yeye with teary eyes.

"Honeybees?" he asked.

Yeye nodded. "My father was a very adventurous man, you know. A scholar, but always enjoyed the outdoors. He got it in his head that he would like to try raising a colony of honeybees. I was so excited to help him. I thought we would have hives and hives of bees, but what do you know! Only a month or so of having the bees, one day they all flew away. The queen said, no more! I was so disappointed."

Lu Guang sniffled. Yeye scratched the back of Lu Guang's head.

"After that, we stuck with chickens," Yeye said lightly. "What do you think of chickens, A Guang?"

Lu Guang shook his head.

"I like frogs," he whispered.

"You want to try raising frogs again?"

Lu Guang nodded. Yeye smiled crookedly.

"Ah, well," he said. "Chickens are smelly, anyway."

-

For Lu Guang's seventh birthday, his parents took him to the pet store.

His mother had promised him a pet frog for when he turned seven, partly because she had assumed he would grow out of frogs in three years' time. She was a woman of her word, though, when she noticed him checking out library books about frog care and frog types when he hit age six. When asked if he wanted to invite friends over to play, he shook his head and asked to go to the pet shop.

So on Sunday when Ba and Ma were off work, they took Lu Guang to the best-rated pet shop in the city, four subway stops away from Peidi University. Lu Guang was shaking with anticipation as he counted down the stops, donning his frog bucket hat in celebration and looking away solemnly when teenage girls cooed at him. All he could think about was his dream coming true.

“Now, A Guang,” his mother said breezily as she took Lu Guang’s hand to wade through foot traffic. “When you pick a frog, you have to make sure it isn’t poisonous, okay? Mommy is afraid of poisonous animals.”

“I don’t want a poison dart frog,” said Lu Guang, albeit with reservation. “They won’t have them in a pet store.” 

He did not know what sort of frogs were available in the pet store that Ma and Ba were taking him. Ba, in all his practicality, had assumed that they would go to one of the street markets and pick up a frog that was meant for the dinnerplate. He expressed mild surprise when they turned left to the subway station, so Lu Guang knew Ba wasn’t going to be any help in asking for clues. 

“All right, Guangguang,” said Ma as she ushered Lu Guang into the pet store. It was a corner shop with clean glass windows, full of tanks and cages and colorful habitat accessories. Colorful parakeets squawked and glittering snakes coiled under sunlamps, and Lu Guang’s little heart began to race with anticipation. “Only one frog, do you understand?” 

Lu Guang nodded, his eyes as wide as coins as he stared up at the tall towers of tanks. There were saltwater coral fish dancing among anemones, drowsy tarantulas (Ma squeaked at the sight of them), sunbathing turtles, bearded lizards, and–

Lu Guang felt his jaw drop. 

An Amazon milk frog. 

It was just at eye level with Lu Guang, so that when he pressed his nose to the glass he was eye to eye with the docile pale blue frog. It perched on a rock under the sunlamp, milky blue and content to stare back at Lu Guang. It was perfectly patterned, gummy blue webbed feet, and a lipless mouth that promised simplicity. 

It was, in short, the most wonderful creature that Lu Guang had ever seen. 

He stood up on his tiptoes to get a closer look at the frog. Its tiny breaths puffed in its throat in a fascinating rhythm. It was like seeing a real-life Doraemon in Lu Guang’s eyes, or Sun Wukong–a fairy-tale celebrity come to life, except instead of comic books it was Lu Guang’s frog encyclopedia. Lu Guang knew its habitat, its life cycle, its favorite foods, and now he could behold one with his own eyes. 

Seven minutes passed, and his mother touched him on the head.

“A Guang, there are other frogs you should look at too,” she said.

Lu Guang shook his head. He pressed his hands against the glass. 

“Aiyah, A Guang, not too close.” 

Lu Guang moved his nose a millimeter away from the glass, leaving a smudge. His mother looked down at him with a crooked smile. 

“Is this the one you want, then?” she said. 

He looked up to his mother and nodded. Ma turned to Ba and tapped the price tag. Ba nodded solemnly and undertook the task of haggling (unsuccessfully) with the store owner. 

“Let’s pick out a tank for him,” said Ma. 

She took Lu Guang’s hand and tugged him towards the habitat shelves, but Lu Guang refused to budge. He glued himself to the spot, maintaining unbreakable eye contact with the milk frog. 

“A Guang, come on, now,” she said. “We have to give him a home, don’t we?” 

Lu Guang huddled closer to the tanks. He was convinced that if he were to let the frog out of his sight, some other seven-year-old boy would swoop down and claim the frog as his own. 

“Ba is buying the frog right now, see?” Ma said, pointing to Ba who was conceding to the original price of the pet store while he pulled out his wallet. “There. Let’s choose a tank.” 

After another minute of convincing, Lu Guang finally followed his mother to pick out a proper tank for his frog. He picked out the soil, cleaned rocks, plants, and water source that would all go into his terrarium, but it wasn’t until Ba handed to Lu Guang a plastic covered cup with his milk frog sitting politely inside did Lu Guang feel the surge of joie de vivre. He hugged the cup to his chest, whispered his thanks to his father, and then burst into tears, precisely in that order.

-

Thanks for indulging me with this little drabble, gang. Who knows, since I'm kind of keeping up this 2 week streak for the rest of the update schedule, you might see the return of Frog Guang's adventures again...after all, if you've been on my tumblr for some time, you may recall that I have a headcanon that Lu Guang has beef with one of his cousins.

Until next week!

[happilysmythe]

i love you, i'm sorry.

t. frederic x female mc

word count: 1,495

requested: yes || no

summary: one word to describe the past year? bliss. that's what you and trent have experienced. that is, until one night when he gets a call. you know — the call, the one saying he's been traded, and, well...you don't want to move.

A/N: heeeeey everybody 🌚 swear i'm alive and well! my absence has been a mix of writer's block, business, and hockey hell. what even is the 2024-25 season. anyway i'll shut up but i'm back! send in a request if you'd like :D i'm also thinking about posting my kpop fics so if anyone's down feel free to send a request ok thank u bye

“Trent.”

Your voice was a weak whisper, which accompanied your pale face and trembling frame.

You were sitting on the couch before it happened. Your couch, to be exact. You decided that you wanted to cook your boyfriend dinner at your place instead of going out, and he happily obliged. Your body was nestled into his as you sipped a glass of red wine post-dinner and admired the fireplace before you. When his phone rang, you had just lifted the half-empty glass to your lips.

I’ll only be a minute, he told you when he stood up to take the call, and you nodded, opting to reach for your phone and scroll through your socials while you waited. It wasn’t the first time there was some hockey-related call coming his way, and you learned in your ten months with him not to pry, because it usually wasn’t about you, anyway. Your feed was full of updates and reporters, mostly, so you figured you��d catch up. That being said, you typed the password in and opened your phone.

Your eyes lost all of their life when you read the first post on your feed. Your heart sank, and you could’ve sworn that your phone had never left your hand so fast.

Traded, the caption echoed in your head. Traded to Edmonton. The post slowly burned itself into your memory as you repeated it for what seemed to be the thousandth time in your mind. You felt dizzy as if your drink had been laced with a psychedelic, only this was far from a fucking trip. You wished you were hallucinating.

Hearing Trent Frederic will be traded to Edmonton.

You set the glass on the table and finally scrambled to your feet. Stability didn’t come naturally to you, but it wasn’t important. You had to see him because you knew exactly what that phone call was, and it would be about you this time.

You padded to the bedroom, where he stood with his back to you. His body was entirely still, his phone still up to his ear. He mumbled a soft okay, barely audible enough for you to hear, and slowly lowered the phone. His arm hung dead at his side. That was when you weakly choked out his name.

He slowly turned to face you. His eyes were glossed over, and his body was tense, his hand barely keeping the cold metal in its grasp. His chest rose and fell with every unstable breath. You took one reluctant step closer. He tossed the phone away and closed the remaining distance, enveloping your body in his arms. His hold was at first so tight that you struggled to breathe properly, but even as you melted into his hold, it couldn’t go back to normal. You were sobbing into his chest, and you felt him sniffling all the same above you.

“Trent,” you repeated. “Tell me that call was denying it, and it was a rumor.” Pain laced your voice, and it only hurt him more that he couldn’t tell you what you begged to hear. “Please,” your palm banged against his chest, and his arms held you tighter.

“I can’t,” he whispered. “I wish I could.”

Your fingers curled around the cotton shirt he wore as your tears formed small stains in the fabric. “Two days. You only have two days to pack up your things and leave?” you croaked and looked up with glassy eyes. “I only have two days left with you.”

“I know,” he frowned, lifting a hand to your cheek and cradling it gently. Had the situation been any less finalized, it would’ve soothed you more. “I’m sorry.”

“I can’t uproot my life, Trent,” you muttered. “My whole life is here. Or…was. My job, my friends, my family,” you paused, “and you.” A tear ran down your cheek, and his thumb brushed it away. “I can’t leave. There's too much of my life here.”

“But I have to,” he finished your thought with a confirming nod.

This wasn’t a new concept to you, especially not after watching so many of your friends leave in the last year. In short, it wasn’t a possibility you ruled out. You loved your boyfriend, but he had a short lifespan with the team, and you had to accept that early on. But you weren’t like some of the other girlfriends; you couldn’t just up and leave with him at your leisure. You were from Boston, and everything you ever knew was there. When the day inevitably came, it would never end with you giving up everything you worked for. And Trent knew that.

“I want you to go alone,” you finally told him, stepping back and flattening your palms on his chest.

“What?”

“I can’t go with you. You know that,” you sniffed, wiping the skin beneath your eyes. “But I refuse to tie you down and hold you back. I want you to go without me. And I want you to meet someone who,” you hesitated, choking on your words, “...makes you as happy as you made me. And be happy with them. Okay?” Your eyes watered again, despite your effort to suppress your emotions. You wanted to stay strong, but it was almost too difficult.

“No,” he shook his head. “I’m not doing that. That's stupid.”

“Trent, I can’t anchor you here. You don't deserve that.” Your eyes locked with his as you swallowed thickly, trying desperately to muster the courage to say what you knew was the truth. “This isn’t your home anymore.”

He stepped back and breathed out, his hurt visible in his eyes. “Just like that, you want to give this up? Because I have to be further away?”

“I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to leave here, okay? I know it sounds dumb, but I just—I don’t know. It hurts enough that I have to lose you, but it will hurt even more to always watch you from 2,000 miles away. It's not fair to you."

“Hey,” he sternly said, taking your hands in his. “Look at me.”

You obeyed without hesitation, slowly looking up and letting your eyes fall on his.

“I’d rather be 2,000 miles away than never see you again,” his eyes bored into yours, conviction bleeding through his words. “We’ll make it work. I’m not asking you to surrender your life and move to Canada. I’m just asking for you to work through this.”

“Trent…”

“I love you,” he cut you off, “and you know you don't have to write this off. You need to decide if what you want here is the life you want, because I think all you're chasing is security." He breathed, "But if I’m wrong, and you’d rather choose the safe option, I’ll walk out that door right now."

He was right, and you knew it. You were too scared to leave the place you grew up in. You didn't know much else, and you didn’t want to. But amongst that, you didn’t want to lose everything you worked for. Your job meant so much to you, and you were scared to lose it. Trent could provide for you, sure, but you weren’t dependent. The idea of always being cooped up inside and never working upset you. You never wanted to feel like a trophy piece, and he always ensured you never were.

But where did that leave you now? Stuck between leaving the life you always knew behind, or giving up the person who made you happiest, all because you got involved with a player with an unstable future in Boston.

Had you known that you were tangling yourself in a web of what-ifs a year ago when you first met him, perhaps you wouldn’t have made the reckless decision to open that door and spend the night with him? Or maybe you would have, knowing how content you'd be.

That was your decision right there.

“I don’t want to let this go,” you finally whispered.

“Then don’t.”

You wrapped your arms around his neck and buried your face in his shoulder. He meant too much to you to give up as easily as you were going to. “I’m sorry, Trent, I just—I’m gonna miss you.”

He breathed softly, his fingers gently stroking your hair. “You don’t have to come with me yet.”

“Not yet, but I will. Eventually,” you told him. “You're right. I need to stop choosing the safe option. I'll never be satisfied that way." You took a deep breath and swallowed. "I need to live my own life. That starts with leaving here."

He smiled. "That's my girl."

"Real talk, though...Screw Edmonton.”

He chuckled, “Yeah?”

"Yeah. I am never becoming an Oilers fan. Just you." You pulled back to look at him, your arms still wrapped tightly around him as if he’d disappear if you let go. He really was gorgeous. “I love you,” you murmured.

“I love you, too.”

[littlerat2]

Premonitions

Chapter 1: Blood and Ash

WARNINGS: Blood, death, nightmares. I think that's it? But! As always, please lemme know if I should add any others :)

Summary: The start of something horrible.

AO3

Words: 507

Author's Note: Thank you so much to @logan-the-artist for beta reading this fic for me! This is quite short. For that I apologize, however the chapters to come should be longer! I will probably be quite slow updating this, but i promise I will update it eventually. If that ever changes, I will be sure to let y'all know! <3

“I warned you,” Virgil started, shaking his head and blinking back tears. He kneeled beside the bloodsoaked prince, taking his head in his lap. “I said loving me would get you killed.” He tried to bark out a bitter laugh, but it came out more like a sob.

Roman just offered a bloody, but genuine smile. “Wasn’t it worth it, though?” Though his eyelids drooped, and his chest heaved out ragged breaths, he looked like there was nowhere he’d rather be.

“Nothing is worth losing you,” Virgil whispered shakily. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t look at Roman’s perfect, bloody lips curled in such a sweet smile. He couldn’t watch his cloudy, green eyes drift over his figure. He couldn’t watch Roman die.

He broke down sobbing into Roman’s shoulder as he clutched him close to his chest.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry! I-I’m so sorry.” He pulled back to look at Roman’s face, and Roman took this as an opportunity to wipe his tears away with a shaky hand. His blood colored Virgil’s pale cheek crimson.

“Don’t cry,” he said softly. “It’s okay.”

“It’s not! You-you’re gonna die!” He pressed his forehead to Roman’s. “I told you this was dangerous. I-I knew it was. But I let you get close anyway. God, I-... Roman, I-I’m so sorry,” he wept. His lungs burned, both with the panic of losing Roman, and the ash that quickly got swept up into his lungs. They sat alone in a burnt building. When did they get there? Virgil may have known at some point, but right now he didn’t remember. He didn’t care. All that mattered right now was the man rapidly dying in his arms.

“If I could go back,” Roman heaved. “I’d do everything the same.”

“You’re- you’re dying, Roman! It’s not-”

“I got to meet you,” Roman said with a grin. “I got to love you.” With shaking hands, he pulled Virgil’s body closer to his own. “I love you so much, Virgil. Tell Remus I love him. Patton and Logan too. You’ll be okay. All of you-”

“Stop it, Roman! Stop! You’re- you’re accepting it! You can’t- Just- hold on. I-I can-” Virgil choked on his words, the thick, ash-filled air filling his lungs with every breath.

“You can’t stay here. There’s nothing you can do,” Roman said softly. “Tell my stories. All of them. I don’t- I don’t care what you have to do, just… Get 'em out there.” He smiled, tears rolling down his cheeks. “I love you.”

Virgil watched as the light faded from Roman’s emerald eyes as he exhaled. Clutching the dead man to his chest, he wailed. All color and life draining from his world.

“I love you too,” he sobbed. “I loved you so, so much, Roman. More than you’ll ever know.”

Sniffling, Virgil set the dead man’s head in his lap, brushing aside chestnut strands of hair out of his face. “I’m sorry.”

Then, he woke up. Sun shining on his face, and the still-breathing body of his boyfriend beside him.

If you'd like to be added to the taglist for this fic, please send an ask! :3

[triptychgrip]

Chapter 3 preview of Put It In Reverse For Thirst: my story about married Viktuuri writing a role-reversal fanfic

I love writing established Viktuuri stories, as it's a way for me to envision how comfortable Viktor and Yuuri would have grown with one another through the years, post-canon. I've especially had a blast writing this meta story, 'Put It In Reverse For Thirst', which is the cringy title that Yuuri and Viktor give the role-reversal fanfic that they write and then proceed to roleplay.

The premise of their fic is one where 23-year-old Viktor Nikiforov has just finished performing Eros in competition for the first time, after a year-and-a-half of working with his coach/idol: retired "Living Legend" Katsuki Yuuri.

And though Viktor gives the program a stellar debut, he's confused as to why Yuuri is so reticent in the Kiss and Cry. In misinterpreting the literal waves of sexual tension emanating from his coach, he believes that Yuuri is embarrassed by his performance. When he proceeds to confront him over his hurt feelings, their subsequent conversation takes a very sappy (and steamy) turn, which, of course, makes for a dynamic roleplay situation.

Chapter 3 might be my favorite to write so far, as it'll contain the extremely sappy love confession (which, of course, makes real life Viktuuri emotional when they're reading it). I wanted to post a preview, below -- FYI, anything in brackets with big spaces before and after is their fanfic, to distinguish from their 'real life' conversation -- which I hope piques your interest.

I hope you'll consider checking this story out, or my other Yuri!!! on Ice work!

---------

[Knowing what he knew now, that he must have seemed so diametrically opposite to what Yuuri had been expecting, which was the charismatic and gregarious Viktor Nikiforov in those banquet photos…

Well, the subsequent realization stole his breath. 

Because it meant that Yuuri had seen him at his very worst, fully in the throes of his grief and depression, and had chosen to keep coaching him, anyway. Indeed, to keep coaching him long after the parameters of their relationship began to change, and once Viktor gradually found his way back to himself. 

Did that mean what he hoped it did…what his hammering heart so fervently yearned for?  

That somewhere along the way, that Yuuri had grown to realize that he needed Viktor, too? And, that just as Viktor’s heart grew ten sizes every time he opened up and discovered that Yuuri [Y: his Yusha] would meet him where he was, that perhaps it was the same for him, in turn?]

Viktor knew he’d failed to hide his sniffling when Yuuri paused to hug him (for what felt like the seven thousandth time, tonight). 

“S-sorry, Yusha,” he whispered, actually having to bring a hand up to his mouth to try and quell the noise. “I guess the floodgates have really opened up.”

“Silly, what is there to be sorry for?” his spouse asked in reply, sounding equally choked up. “As if I could ever be upset with you for being so moved by anything, but especially this? It might be a role-reversal, but this is still our story.”

Viktor nodded, expelling a noise that was half-laugh, half-sob, his embarrassment vanishing when he observed the way that Yuuri’s eyes were similarly brimming over with feeling. 

“I think we should update our tags,” he tearily mumbled, happily rising from his seat when he saw how Yuuri had scooted his chair back and extended his arm out in invitation. “After the ‘Men Crying’ tag, we could write in ‘and you might, too, if we did this right’.”

His husband made a sniffly noise of assent and tugged him onto his lap.

“Excellent idea, Vitya,” he affirmed, before encircling an arm around his waist and trying to coax him to rest his head against his chest.

“Can you take this off?” Viktor asked, tugging at the lapel of his suit jacket. “I don’t want to get snot and tears on it.”

Yuuri just gave him a knowing smile before doing as he’d asked, and he knew that he’d been found out; it always made him feel more grounded when he could listen to Yuuri’s heartbeat. As he lost himself to the steady thud in his ear, they both tried to compose themselves. 

His love returned to reading a few minutes later, propping the current page of their draft in between two paperweights so that he could still hold onto him with both arms.

[“It’s suddenly very obvious to me why you came after seeing the video Georgi uploaded, but why did you let me stay in Hasetsu, afterwards?” Viktor shakily demanded, stepping out of Yuuri’s blissful hold. 

“The Viktor Nikiforov that you danced with at the banquet, the one that made you feel alive…that’s the version of me you were looking for when you first came to St. Petersburg and then arranged for me to come back with you to Japan.”

It was a statement, not a question. As he looked into his coach’s bottomless gaze, he dared not read into the burgeoning softness in it.]

[irukerudo]

[Update] WIP sneak-peak; Overwhelmed | Rob (Extinction) x Masc!Reader

This is an update! Of sorts. Still a WIP, just currently up-to-date at where the story's at; 810 words and counting, I've over doubled it since the last post :)

@gothushi

Icarus stumbled, collapsed onto the couch as tears welled in heavy eyes. They were exhausted, head full of cobwebs and limbs weighed down with led. It wasn’t long later that a hand, large and warm, landed lightly on their back.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Rob uttered gently, rubbing their aching back and working out the knots with careful kneading. Icarus’ voice cracked with a pitiful little mewl, shoulders shaking as they pressed up into the touch. “Y’tired?”

Icarus nodded, sniffling and hiccupping as Rob gently rolled them over and sat them in his lap, holding them close. Pawing lightly at his chest, needing to be closer, Icarus tucked their head into Rob’s collarbone with another shuddering sob.

“’S alright,” Rob cooed, and shushed Icarus gently as they blubbered something mostly incoherent about being tired. “I know, I know.. I’m here, baby, I’ll take care of you.”

Icarus hicced, curled up against Rob as they were picked up and carried to their shared bedroom. The overwhelmed younger man sniffled, rubbing weakly at their eyes as they were laid down on the bed, and Rob’s lips pressed to their forehead with a gentle, soothing murmur. One hand cupping the back of Icarus’ head, the older cradled them close, curling up around his little partner; Icarus was still shaking, still crying— their hazy mind was running a mile a minute, spiralling out of their control, and they needed their Daddy to take care of them.

“R-Rob,” Icarus sniffled, clinging tighter to him, blunt nails scraping for purchase against his back, “Daddy, please—” don’tleavedon’tleavedon’tleave—

A pair of lips silenced them, warm and gentle and just a bit chapped as they pressed against their own. With a whimper, Icarus relaxed; just a little. It was easier to forget the staticky buzzing in their ears, their brain, when Rob was the one monopolising their attention.

“This alright, love?” He questioned gently; his hand had slid up under their shirt just a little bit, resting lightly on their hip as his thumb rubbed soothing little circles into their skin. Icarus nodded, melting into him with another hiccough— and again he shushed them gently, a kiss pressed to their forehead.

“P-please,” Icarus pleaded meekly, and Rob conceded. He was gentle, carefully untangling their arms from around him despite the almost wounded noise they made and coaxing their shirt off with a low, almost purr-like croon. They exhaled a soft whine as the pad of Rob's thumb brushed over a pert nipple, watery eyes fluttering a little as they arched up into the touch, and Icarus sniffled a little as Rob kissed them again.

Rob's lips ventured down, pressing adoring, open-mouthed kisses to their sensitive skin, and his efforts were rewarded with a choked little gasp that died on Icarus' tongue with a little hum. A trembling hand, the one that wasn’t tangled together with Rob's own larger, more calloused one, clutched weakly at his good shoulder; their breaths left them in little puffs and sniffles, the occasional hiccough or whimper, and Icarus watched with wet, half closed eyes as their older partner kneaded lightly at their chest.

Sky blue eyes were gentle, loving as Rob peered up at Icarus to make sure they were still okay, warm enough that tears welled anew in the younger’s eyes. Free hand trailing down, rubbing light, soothing circles into their empty stomach, Rob leaned up to kiss them once more, murmuring a question against their lips that Icarus couldn’t quite catch— but they nodded anyway, sniffling again. With skilled fingers, Rob undid Icarus’ pants, their hips raising in a pitiful attempt to help him pull them off; he was unfathomably gentle when the aforementioned article of clothing did come off, though, their underwear coming off alongside it and both being abandoned somewhere off to the side as one of his hands found purchase on Icarus’ thigh, thumb brushing lightly over the sensitive inside.

“Mhn..” Icarus squirmed a little, cheeks dusted red despite their still damp cheeks: they were bare now, Rob’s eyes roaming over them before meeting their own once more, his face pulled into that gentle smile Icarus loved so much. He pulled away again, just briefly, as he stripped himself of his own clothes.

Rob’s tanned skin rippled as he did, muscles toned by years of demanding field work and flexing as he pulled his shirt over his head; the scars on his left side, once horrible gouges smoothed over with years passed, stretched and pulled a little with the motion. He seemed to almost shimmer in the dim light that filtered through the curtains— sweat clinging to his skin, his clothes and hair, remnant evidence of the work he’d been doing in the backyard earlier. He smelled... Well, if nothing else, he certainly smelled. It was something Icarus found soothing, though, something so inexplicably Rob that it was just yes.

[tiredofthehumanlife]

I went to see Barbie the day it came out in theaters and it destroyed me (positively) but guess who's going to see it in theaters for a second time tomorrow

Update: it was twice as devastating the second time. I fully sobbed. I could hear other people sniffling at the end I felt weirdly bonded with all these other people I've never spoken to before like our shared experiences with misogyny and the pain the patriarchy has caused us made all best friends sobbing over the PG-13 Barbie movie together anyways I handed the girl next to me a tissue and cried for thirty minutes after I left the theater, popcorn was good tho

[ssparksflyy]

Hiii! Would it be ok if I requested some Jason Grace x reader hcs? Maybe like Jason was having a terrible day (like to the point of tears) and reader comforting him? Thank you in advance if you decide to write this!

(Ps: I love how you write Jason sm agejzejetjfj)

ask and thou shall receive ༉‧₊˚.

i'll catch you, i'll catch you‧₊˚✩彡

pairing: jason grace x gn!reader warning(s): sad jason :( word count: 1.2k a/n: hi! tysm for requesting <33 sorry it took me a minute to get this out, whenever i had motivation to write, i couldnt, but then when i could, i didnt have motivation?? idk. also ik u said hcs but i wanted to turn this into a regular fic so i hope u dont mind, enjoy!

if there was one thing jason had perfected over the years, it was hiding his emotions.

from a young age, jason was shoved into a role of leadership. he knew that if he wanted to be trusted and taken seriously as a leader, he couldn't show any sign of vulnerability.

he knew that he gave others hope, that they looked up to him. in times of despair, he was their saving grace. jason was always the shoulder somebody could cry on if they needed to.

so it happened naturally. he was always too busy to care for his feelings. and it wasn't like anybody truly cared or noticed if his smile wasn't as bright anyway.

while out and about with others, jason was always happiest guy you'd ever meet. while alone, he was a wreck. he could only push down his emotions so far for so long.

often times jason was haunted by grief. haunted by those he couldn't save in battle. people always thought they never got to him, but really, they ate him alive. he always asked himself what he did to deserve to live while others didn't.

other times he was just so tired. some days were better than others, but those days that didn't go as planned left jason feeling exhausted.

today was one of those days. everything about today just wasn't going to well for jason, and now, in the dead of night, he was able to go back and replay his day.

as jason lay sprawled out on his bed, he felt tears brimming in his eyes. he took his glasses off and placed them on his bedside table. he just wanted to curl up into a little ball and disappear.

once the tears started, they didn't want to stop. his tears fell like the raindrops racing down his window. lightning struck as a sob escaped his lips.

jason lay in a fetal position, facing his wall. he felt his eyes begin to droop, tired from a long day and crying, but quickly sprang open when he heard quick knocks on his window.

he quickly snapped up to check who it was, jumping out of his bed. he quickly sniffled and wiped his face as he walked over to the other side of his cabin, over to the window.

you stood outside his window with an umbrella, a smile on your face.

jason returned a smile before opening his window. he hadn't expected to see you tonight, but he was glad you were here.

you quickly climbed in through the window and landed with a small thump. you quickly closed your umbrella and leaned it against the wall.

"hey" you said, breathlessly. that window had no right to be so hard to climb through.

"hey, didn't think you'd be stopping by tonight" jason replied, with a small smile.

"i know, i wasn't gonna, sorry. but i couldn't sleep and i just got an update on the whole clara situation," you said quickly, as your smile disappeared and was replaced with a confused look on your face, "are you ok? your eyes and nose are looking a little red."

you stepped a little closer to jason and cupped his cheek with your hand. he was unable to meet your eyes as he slowly placed his hands on your hips.

"yea, no im fine!" jason said, an obviously fake laugh escaping his lips, "i was, um.. doing weed."

"seriosly? 'doing weed?'" jason thought, cringing at his words.

you too cringed at his response. "jason.. hun, you don't 'do weed', you smoke it. and it leaves a smell. the cabin smells normal. seriously, what going on? you know you can tell me anything."

jason let out a small sigh and continued to look down, refusing to meet your eyes. he wanted to tell you how he was feeling, he knew he could trust you. he loved you and you had always been there for him during difficult times, so why was it so hard for him to talk to you about his feelings?

he felt a sob building in his throat. he bit his lower lip in attempt to keep it in, but couldn't help it. when the sob escaped from his lips, so did the tears from his eyes. his grip tightened on your waist as he pulled you in closer.

you stood there, stunned for a second, but quickly recuperated. you hugged jason back tightly. he placed his head in the crook of your neck, and every time he let a sob out, your heart began to ache even more. you had no idea he felt anything like this. to you, jason was always shining like a diamond. you should've known diamonds were made from pressure.

you stood there holding jason until his sobs stopped. he took a step back as he lifted his head up from your neck and sniffled as he said, "'m sorry-"

you stopped him with a shake of your head, "no, there's nothing for you to be sorry about, im sorry i didn't know how you were feeling."

tears were still streaming down his face, and his eyes were red and puffy. you took his hand and led him over to his bed. you sat down crisscrossed on his bed, and he sat across from you, your knees touching each other.

you held his hand up to your lips and placed a small kiss on his knuckles. jason remained silent, allowing you to lead his every move.

"do you want to talk about it?" you asked softly.

jason nodded his head slowly and let out a shaky breath before saying, "i guess, i-" he paused for a second before continuing, "i just get kind of tired of being the person everyone looks up to. and i know, that may sound bad, but sometimes i just want a break, you know? and i feel like i can't get that because everybody is looking up to me."

you nodded your head, showing him you were listening.

"overtime it just builds up, i guess. most times im fine, but i dont know, sometimes, like now, it just hits me. straight punch to the face." he said, making his spare hand into a fist and making a small and soft punch motion, "a-and i just get so overwhelmed."

a few more tears slipped from his eyes as he squeezed your hand. his eyes unable to meet yours once again.

you squeezed his hand back and raised your spare hand to his face to cup it. you leaned forward and kissed away the tears that fell from his eyes. soon, they stopped falling.

you sat back down. "thank you for telling me, lightning." you whispered, "im sorry you have to go through that, i wish i had known. next time you feel overwhelmed, you know you can tell me."

you found your other hand softly playing with his hair. you knew it calmed him down, based on the way his shoulders relaxed and he leaned into your touch, you knew it was working.

"let me know anytime you want to talk about something, okay? i love you, jason" you said, softly.

jason leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on your lips, "thank you, (name), i love you too" he whispered.

a/n pt2: hello again! tysm for reading, i hope u enjoyed !! just wanted to say that requests are closed rn but will be open again once i catch up! have a good day / night ! go watch the shrek musical rn

peace from manhattan

percy jackson

[avastyetwats]

Stede grabbed onto Charles’s hand that pushed on his chest, preventing him from moving any further. His attempt to shove it away was weak, futile, and even if he wasn’t badly injured, he wouldn’t have been able to do much against him anyway. Charles was far stronger, far bigger, but it didn’t stop Stede from trying. The thought of Izzy, alone and injured, filled him with enough determination to try, to get to him. Just thinking about Izzy at any time, filled Stede with strength and inspiration. Motivation and determination. He was a source of all that for the Captain and so much more. “I don’t-… I don’t care! Please. He shouldn’t be alone. I’ve got to see hin. Got… to see for myself.” He was starting to sweat now, starting to pant, and everywhere he’d been injured and stitched was stinging, the pain worsening with every second. Unfortunately, the pain and exhaustion won out and he collapsed back onto the bed, throwing an arm over his eyes with a heartbreaking cry.

But then Charles is praising him, calling him brave and it helps calm the blonde's cries. He removes his arm from his face, eyes red as he looks up at Charles. "Do you... do you really mean that?" He sniffles, then nods in agreement. Izzy wouldn't want him to cry. He was right. He needed to be strong. Not just for Izzy, or for himself, but for the entire crew. Which was his next question. "My crew... are they alright? Please tell me no one got hurt." Oh, god, he couldn't stand the thought of any one of them having gotten hurt or killed. He was ready to sob again if that happened. They were his family.

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

"Even in his sleep, he hurts himself." James says with a snort, forever impressed - and amused - with the somehow-pirate-Captain Stede Bonnet. He and Charles were standing at the door of the room Izzy was in and Charles just finished updating James on Stede's condition, making sure to mention the fact that he rolled out of bed and hit the floor. Only Bonnet would. He kisses Charles not just once, not just twice, but three times before his lover heads down the hall, leaving James to return to the room Izzy had been asleep in, having taken care of him the past couple of days. Bonnet woke up first, but only for a bit before he passed out again and Izzy hadn't yet. Until now...

He hears his voice and returns to his bedside, clean bandages in one hand and a bucket with water and a washrag in the other. "Not him. Sorry to disappoint," James responds with a smirk, relief visible all over his face at the fact Izzy had finally woken up. That was a good sign. Thank fuck. "He's alright, though. Sleeping in the other room again. Charles is with him now," then he follows up with another, 'he's alright'. To both reassure Izzy he was alive and okay, and because, well, it was Charles that was with him now. The man that didn't like Bonnet once upon a time and threatened to kill him once or twice. But only because the blond Captain annoyed the fuck out of him. Probably still would, but at least now it would be al little different. A little better.

"Take it easy, alright? You got badly injured in the fight. Think the explosion did the worst of it, the fire, too." Both men had suffered some burns on their skin, but nothing that wouldn't heal, thankfully. "I was just about to change your bandages.

Charles could only let out a dark chuckle of amusement at the question. “ Not this time. “ Maybe there would be another time he finished off Stede Bonnet, but for now he was simply watching over and taking care of him. All of his questions were reasonable but grating, the pirate placing his cigar in a nearby ashtray so he could wring a cloth out in a nearby basin. Then, he brought it to where the blonde lay, placing it on his forehead with care.

“ Taken you three days to come to. Might take a little longer for Hands. He had some nasty burns. Thought it was from the building, but Teach told us he was hurt in an explosion first. “ Which, said a lot. The one legged pirate has been injured by the blast in the cave, then fetched Stede out of a burning building before succumbing. “ He’s a tough little bastard. “

“ We did. Flint’s fine. A few bruises and wounds but nothing like the likes of you two. “ Charles once again grabbed his cigar, taking a long drag and blowing rings of smoke into the air.

[wingedquill]

notes on survival (a preview)

so i blacked out and wrote like 4K words of a new fic concept. I don't think I'll be posting it on ao3 until it's entirely done (really do not need another currently-updating WIP) but wanted to share the first little bit on here with y'all (CW: kidnapping, violence against children) ---

Here’s how it starts, for Steve:

He’s ten.

He’s riding his bike. It’s a bit late in the day, but not that late, not nearly his curfew. The sun is still high in the sky, and he can hear kids shrieking with laughter a few streets over. They’d invited him to play with them, but he’d turned them down cause he wanted to check on the tadpoles he’d found in the pond last weekend.

He gets to a stop sign. A car pulls up next to him: old, gray, forgettable. The windows are down, but it’s summer. It’s normal. He wouldn’t have thought twice about it.

A bang. A scream. 

“Help!” a voice shouts from the trunk. “Someone help!”

The driver looks over. Makes direct eye contact with Steve.

He knows, even as he starts pedaling, that he’s not gonna be fast enough.

***

Steve can’t really remember a time when he’d been un-messed-up. Not clearly, at least. He has the vague, stretched-summer memories of baking cookies with his mom, of somersaulting off the diving board at the public pool and getting yelled at by a lifeguard, of hiding in the woods simply because it was the best way to avoid his chores.

They’re nice memories, he thinks. Part of him wants to put them in a box and never touch them again. But they’re nice.

He’s good at pretending they’re all he’s made of.

But now he’s here. Walking through the woods. He’s not avoiding his chores but he’s also not hiding, and that’s probably the only reason why he’s not vomiting into the underbrush. Nancy’s hand is cold in his, and it’s enough of an anchor.

He’s not alone.

“Will!” he yells, his lungs burning with the force of the yell. “Will!”

He wonders if he got a search party like this.

***

They’re bumping down a road that’s more potholes than asphalt. The other boy won’t stop hyperventilating.

“I’m sorry,” he sobs. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, if I hadn’t—”

“It’s okay,” Steve says, because that’s what you’re supposed to do when someone apologizes. You’re supposed to accept it. 

He doesn’t even know what the boy is apologizing for, not really. He isn’t a kidnapper. He hadn’t tied Steve up and stuffed him in the trunk. He had only screamed for help. That’s what you’re supposed to do.

“I’m Steve,” he says. It’s important that the other boy knows his name. Vitally so. The man who took them isn’t gonna care, and he needs one person here who cares about him.

The other boy sniffles against Steve’s shirt.

“Ed,” he chokes. “I’m Ed.”

***

He’s cold. He’s tired. He’s gasping for air and his sides are on fire. 

Second verse, same as the first.

“We gotta get your shirt off,” Robin’s telling him. “We need to, Steve, your dirty, lake-gunk sweater is embedded in those wounds, I don’t want you getting a massive infection on top of rabies. That’s like, for sure definite dead.”

He drags himself out of the hunting shack and into the Upside Down. Eddie and Nancy are huddled together by a fallen tree, Nancy giving him a quick rundown of how the hivemind works. Neither of them are looking.

“I can’t,” he chokes anyway. “They’ll see–they’ll know.”

Cross your heart and hope to die.

She bites her lip. She looks like his mom had, when she’d told him he wouldn’t be seeing Ed again. Like she’s cutting off one of his limbs to save the rest of him.

“Steve, they won’t care,” she lies.

He shakes his head.

“I’ll chance the infection,” he says. “I mean it Robin.”

She closes her eyes. Scoots around to the other side of him, putting herself between him and Eddie-and-Nancy.

“I’ll dress the wounds quick,” she says. “And give you my overshirt. That okay?”

He takes a deep breath. Hunches in on himself. He’s always been a bit too good at making himself unseen. A bit better than he would like.

“Okay,” he agrees.

***

“They’re looking for us,” he whispers. 

He tucks his face into Ed’s shoulder, wishes they could hug. A hug would make this better, he thinks, if he could just get his arms around to the front. If he could just hug, and be hugged, he’d wake up. They’d both wake up.

They’d both be at home in their beds. They’d be safe. Mom would make him hot chocolate like she always does after nightmares, and he’d check to see if the robin’s eggs outside his window had hatched, and he’d be okay.

“Yeah,” Ed whispers back. “Yeah, they are.”

Around them, the car’s engine roars.

[chaotic-super]

Live With Me - Chapter 13

Read it on AO3 here!

Upon Lucy’s guidance, Lena is taking Kara home. She doesn’t think it’s going to help anyone if she stays at CatCo because honestly, there’s nothing Kara can do there. She can’t work on any new articles until her name has been cleared, a task that Cat is currently working on.

Kara is sitting silently in the passenger seat while Lena drives, her face obscured from her so she can’t see the forlorn look she’s got going on because she’s all too aware of how much Lena hates seeing her sad. Lena can sense it though, she knows she can because whenever it’s safe to do so, she reaches over and rests her hand on her thigh, just above her knee as though to remind Kara she’s doing it to comfort her, not to hint to anything else, not that Kara would have thought that anyway but it’s little things like this that make her realize just how lucky she is to have Lena fighting in her corner each and every day.

 “I know we’ll probably figure it all out and I know we have a really good team but this one scares me," Kara admits, her voice so quiet Lena has to strain to hear it.

There’s only one appropriate and truthful response. “It scares me too. Terrifies me actually.”

Kara finally turns her head towards Lena and lets her see her tear-stained cheeks. “Before, they took my home, my privacy, my safety, a lot of things. Now they’ve taken my reputation and my name. There’s not much more for them to take and I can’t have them take you, Lena. I would die.”

“Nobody is taking either of us from each other. I would fight every last one of them to the death before I let that happen, darling. I love you too much.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.” Lena holds Kara’s hand tightly in her own pulling it to rest on her own thigh so Kara can keep a grip on her even when she has to let go of it to drive safely. “I will always be with you and I will always protect you, no matter what.”

“I love you.” Kara’s words come out wet, broken almost, yet decisive.

“I love you,” Lena says, the truest words ever spoken.

-

Lena bundles Kara up on the couch with some random documentary set on the TV for them to use as background noise. Both of their phones are on the coffee table in front of them, both facing up with their ringers on so they can hear them when they inevitably get calls to update them on their situation. For now though, they just have to wait. At least cuddling on a couch in a mess of blankets isn’t the worst way to wait for news that could hit them like a bullet to the brain.

Kara is clinging to Lena like she might disappear at any moment and periodically sniffles. Lena can’t help but think that it’s about time she gave in and let herself be something other than brave. Even when she was in the hospital, she was too busy being brave to admit to her true feelings, the fear she must have felt, is still feeling. It’s all toppled her over the edge now though, she’s there.

She’s tucked into Lena’s side, her cheek pressed to her shirt and her chest heaving as she tries to control her sobs that just won’t stop no matter how hard she tries.

Lena’s heart is breaking. She can feel the rhythmic movement in Kara’s shoulders as she cries silently and the way she’s pressing herself into her side with such force. There’s nothing she can do at this exact moment that could make her feel better because what’s out there is out there now, they can’t go back in time and stop Snapper from doing what he did, no matter how much they wish that were possible.

One phone lights up and plays a cheery little tune that is far too happy for the situation followed by the other phone and both of them launch themselves forward so they can grab their respective phone. They almost fall off the couch completely since their legs are tucked beneath them but luckily, Kara manages to slip one foot free that stabilizes the entwined pair.

Their brief panic about falling flat on their faces is pushed aside quickly in favour of reading the new message that’s sitting on both of their phones from Alex.

Cat is calling an emergency press conference in two hours. You’re welcome to come or to stay home, no pressure. She’s telling the whole story and then releasing the original article on the CatCo website for all to see.

Lena peers over at Kara’s screen to see if she got the same message too. “What do you think?”

Kara sighs, pushing her phone back onto the coffee table. “I think that if we go we’ll be a zoo exhibit for everyone to stare at.”

Lena doesn’t follow Kara’s lead with the phone, she keeps hers firmly in her hand so she can respond to Alex’s message. “We can just watch it from here, it will be on pretty much every news channel there is anyway.”

Kara nods. “Yeah, I don’t think it would serve us well to go, besides, I don’t want to be in a crowded area out where anyone could try and kill me again. Do you?”

At the very thought, Lena’s eyes grow wide. “I hadn’t even thought about that. You’re not leaving the house, in fact, I think I’m going to wrap you up in bubble wrap and keep you tucked here where nothing can ever hurt you.”

“As lovely as that sounds, that’s also kind of creepy.”

Lena’s nose scrunches up adorably. “Yeah, I guess it is. We’ll settle for blankets then.” Lena tucks the blanket around them a little better from where it slipped from them moving to get their phones. “I’ll let Alex know we’re staying here.”

“Thank you.”

Lena kisses her forehead in lieu of a response, glad to see that the tears have slowed to nothing and her cheeks are finally drying.

Kara makes a point of focusing on the TV screen, watching as they are shown a pyramid in a shot that was obviously taken by a drone by the high angles and swooping shot. It’s impressive. Two hours is a long time when you’re waiting for something so she’s set to keep her ass parked here and just mindlessly watch this documentary that actually looks kind of interesting.

As for Lena, she doesn’t care where she is as long as she gets to stay by Kara’s side. It seems as though every time it seems as though the whole mess of a situation can’t get worse, it somehow finds a way, the goalposts moving every time they are almost at the end. It’s impossible for them to come up with a reasonable way to end this.

-

They wander back to the couch, a cup of hot tea each in hand. Kara was going to go and make it alone but Lena refused to leave her side, not that she was admitting that, she just offered to help and refused to take no for an answer. Kara could see right through it but she certainly wasn’t going to complain, nothing makes her feel safer than when she’s with Lena. She’s always been her home, the place she’s most comfortable, now, she’s just spending as much time at home as she can, letting the warmth calm her.

The TV is switched to the news so they can be ready to see the press conference live. They still have a few minutes so Kara sends a quick message to Cat to wish her good luck and apologize for not being there in person.

Cat totally ignores the apology but does respond to the message.

Only talentless people require luck.

“I don’t think we need to worry too much, Cat’s in fine form.” Kara tilts her phone screen towards Lena so she can see the message.

Lena snickers. “Good, let’s see if she can use her Cat Grant charm to win a few people over.”

“Normally, I’d say that she’s going to ace this but she’s going up against the government, that’s a huge undertaking that might be too much for even her.”

“I think that if there’s anyone that can go up against the government, it’s her.”

Kara hums. “Probably. It’s still a massive undertaking though.”

Lena sips her tea this is still way too hot and burns the tip of her tongue. She grunts at the searing pain. “Ow, that’s hot, don’t drink it yet.” She places her cup down. “You’re right though, it is a massive undertaking.”

Their attention is grabbed by the news anchor on the TV as they start talking about the article and the press conference.

“A shocking article was released by CatCo magazine, specifically written by the CEO Cat Grant, and it was one shocking story of a reporter abusing their power in the press to get their partner, a very prominent CEO, the head of L-Corp, ahead. We’re going to be diving into the full story so stay tuned.”

“Well, that’s not a good start.”

“They’ll change their minds once Cat has spoken. They can’t hold her to words she never wrote and she’s going to publish the actual article too so they will see the truth.”

Kara frowns, her lips pulled down and her eyebrows furrowed low. “As long as they don’t see the truth and assume it’s not just some elaborate cover-up and they assume that Cat is in on it, effectively ruining her reputation and her career too, oh god, I can’t let her do this.”

Lena grabs Kara’s hands as soon as she starts frantically searching through the mess of blankets to try and find her phone so she can call Cat and try and talk her out of speaking, not that it would do any good because Cat would probably tell her to shut up and leave her alone but because Kara is getting herself panicked and it’s not going to help.

“Stop, she won’t change her mind. She knows the risks, Kara and you know that she’s not just doing it for you. She’s doing it because above all else, Cat values journalistic integrity and the pursuit of the truth. She’s not going to let someone publish lies under her name so we just have to sit back and let her do her thing. It’s all we can do.” Lena finds her phone first and moves it aside so she can’t grab at it.

“But—”

“No, no buts. We have to let Cat handle this one.”

Kara’s lips pull down so low that Lena has to stop herself from laughing at how much she looks like Grumpy Cat, it’s adorable.

“I’m nervous,” Kara admits. “I’m so scared of what’s going to come from this press conference and I know that I shouldn’t care what people think of me but the thought of so many people hating me and thinking I set this whole thing up just to help you get ahead with L-Corp makes me really uncomfortable.”

Lena leans her head against Kara’s. “That’s normal, darling. It upsets me to think about all the people that hate me just because of my family name and I know that I shouldn’t care what people think but it still hurts. It’s perfectly normal to want people to like you and it’s perfectly ok to be feeling what you’re feeling.”

Kara’s face is scrunched as she’s deep in thought, only smoothed out when her attention is grabbed by the press conference starting.

Together, they track Cat’s movements across the stage, barely blinking all the while. She stands up behind the podium looking ten feet tall, just radiating pure confidence, her face a show of rage and frustration, something a lot of the press they can see are clearly taking note of, some of them even looking afraid.

Cat doesn’t answer a single question that is being thrown her way, instead, she starts off with a speech explaining exactly what happened starting with the article that was published, the way it was changed and then released, and then the true story. She doesn’t pay attention to the people calling her a liar or even the people cheering for her, she just announces that the true article will be published in due course and then leaves the stage, letting everyone left there sit in the aftermath of the bombshell she just dropped on them.

“Well, I have to give it to her, that woman certainly knows how to give a speech.” Lena mumbles.

“Damn. I’ve seen her give a great number of speeches and talk at an ungodly number of conferences but that was one of her best.” Kara mumbles.

The screen changed from showing the podium to flickering back to the news anchors sitting behind a desk. They look dumbfounded and one is fidgeting with a stack of papers in front of them, smoothing them out and making sure they are all lined up.

“Well, that was quite the story, let’s discuss the two sides of the story.” One announces and Lena shuts off the TV.

“I don’t think we need to watch this now. Drink your tea and let’s wait for any word from our people over at CatCo.”

Kara leans over to get her phone from the other side of Lena. “Or we could just call—”

“Nope.” Lena moves it further away. “They have a lot on their plates. We either wait for them to call us or we go back to the office so you can see what happens first-hand.”

Kara grabs her cup, downs the contents in one go and stands up. “Get that booty moving then, I want to see how it all plays out so let’s head back to CatCo.”

“I was afraid you’d say that,” Lena replies, her face the epitome of unamused.

Kara drags her up, pressing her cup into her hand to drink. It’s still slightly too hot but at least this time it doesn’t burn her mouth.

Before Lena can stop her, Kara is rushing upstairs to the bathroom to freshen up, probably so she can fix her eyeliner which is smudged from where she was crying earlier. It’s pretty obvious that she’s skipping back to the Kara that is burying herself back into her work rather than letting herself get caught in the riptide of despair.

Lena trudges after her, walking in as Kara is reapplying her makeup, her hands steady and her breathing even. If Lena didn’t know better, she’d think that Kara is the most put-together person on the planet. “Hey, we don’t have to, you know? We can just stay in and not think about any of it for the rest of the day.”

“No,” Kara says firmly. “I need to do this. I need to be there and fighting for myself and for the truth. I can’t leave this unfinished.”

“Have I ever told you how brave, kind and admirable I think you are?” Lena’s eyes are soft as they bore into Kara’s through the mirror as she looks over her shoulder and sweeps her pretty blonde hair to one side. She presses a single kiss to the space between her neck and her shoulder.

“I wouldn’t mind hearing it again.” Kara smiles, tilting her head to one side as Lena’s chin comes to rest on her shoulder.

“Well, I think you’re the bravest, kindest, most admirable and loving person I’ve ever met and I love you.” Lena presses chaste kisses to her cheek.

Kara turns her head enough to look her in the eye without using the mirror. “I’m afraid you’re mistaken; I believe you’re the person on the planet with the best of those attributes. I love you too though.”

Lena giggles. “I’ll agree to disagree. Now, come on, shift your butt, let’s get going.”

Kara rolls her eyes and finishes up, letting Lena pull her by her hand all the way to the car and huffing when she has to let go so they can get inside. Once they are on their way, Kara calls ahead to Alex so they can come into the building through the back since the whole front side of CatCo is littered with reporters, a sight that is kind of strange given that it’s literally a media company, how they think they’ll get a comment from them knowing that they are professionals in the business is crazy.

Nia is waiting for them just inside and snaps the door closed behind them as soon as they are through it so nobody can sneak inside or follow them. “Are you guys ok?”

“We will be,” Kara answers. “Is everyone upstairs?”

“Yeah, they have sort of made basecamp in your office since it’s the most private. Sorry about that.” Nia looks kind of awkward telling them that.

Kara starts up the stairs. They have to get up a couple of flights before they can get to the elevators. “That doesn’t surprise me in the slightest. Come on.”

It might only be a couple of flights of stairs but all three of them are breathing heavily by the time they are up them and unfortunately for them, they don’t get the elevator to themselves, a few of their co-workers also heading up to the bullpen too.

They side-eye them, not saying a word, and it makes them a little awkward but Kara gets it, she’d probably be doing the same thing if this happened to someone else in the office. It’s a very strange thing to happen and there are no set rules for how someone should respond to it, it does sting a little anyway though.

Once they shuffle out of the elevator and through the bullpen, they see looks of confusion and pity being thrown their way from every direction but nobody says a word to them, there are a few whispers between desks but that’s it. They head up to Kara’s office, letting themselves in to be greeted by Cat glaring at them for entering without permission before realizing who it is.

“Oh, so you have returned. I wasn’t sure you would.”

“I felt like I should be here. This is my fight as much as it is yours, Ms Grant.”

Cat hums thoughtfully. “I guess it is.”

Kara nods firmly and looks around at the three other people she has yet to greet, Winn, Alex and Lucy. “Hey, guys.”

“Hey,” Alex calls out, patting the empty seat beside her since she can’t sit in her own office chair because Cat is there and is obviously not about to move for her. “Come sit.”

Kara does as she’s told, nodding to the chair opposite her and beside Lucy for Lena to sit down too, which she does, daintily crossing her legs and placing her purse down beside her in a manner totally different from the way she so carelessly snuggled up to her on the couch earlier, her badass CEO façade in place to show that she means business.

“So, where are we at?” Kara asks.

“Well, we’ve hit another brick wall,” Alex replies carefully. “We’re trying to gather as much proof as we can because while we’ve persuaded a lot of people that we’re telling the truth, just as many people are calling for more information because of who we’re fighting. Not a lot of people want to believe that you’re being targeted and given your family, Lena, people really want to believe that you’re doing some shady shit on the side.”

“That’s not surprising.” Lena sighs. “I better make a couple of calls to L-Corp and make sure I’ve got my bases covered there.”

“You can use the office I’ve been using in the legal department, come on, I’ll show you where it is.” Lucy offers, standing to direct Lena there.

Lena looks over her shoulder at Kara, asking her a silent question.

“I’ll be fine. Go.” Kara sends her what she hopes to be a reassuring smile.

Lena smiles at her, nodding. “Ok, I won’t be long.”

Cat groans the second the door shuts behind them. “The pair of you are disgusting.”

“Thank you,” Kara says, understanding the statement for what it is, a comment on how openly they love each other and the levels of love there are between them.

“Mmhmm. Now onto business. We no longer have the footage of Snapper breaking into your office.” Cat’s eyes go cold. “Witt’s computer thingy was wiped clean remotely.”

Winn pipes up. “It’s Winn and it was my hard drive. Do you still have the USB drive?”

“Yeah, I hid it.” Kara shrugs. “It’s best it stays hidden until we actually need it because if they can wipe data remotely, we don’t want to plug it into a computer that can get hacked at any second.”

“Good point.” Winn mumbles. “I can probably secure a computer but it will take me a long time to do. My laptop at home is pretty secure but would still need more protections, this is the government we’re talking about, not just some newbie hacker.”

“I actually might know someone that can help.” Nia pipes up.

All eyes turn to Nia, the woman standing beside the door looking skittish, her fingers laced together in front of her.

Kara tilts her head curiously. “Who?”

Nia shrugs. “My boyfriend.”

Cat tuts, leaning back in her chair. “I don’t think your boyfriend is going to be of any help, Bambi. Your pretty brown eyes might get him to help you download Netflix onto your laptop for you but I doubt he can prevent the government from hacking into our data.”

Nia clears her throat and looks down at her shoes. “Actually, he works in IT…for the government. His entire job is protecting computers from hackers.”

Cat jumps to her feet. “Why didn’t you say so? Get him here now.”

Nia startles and for a second, Kara thinks she’s about to jump two metres in the air from the shock of Cat’s sudden movements but she just fumbles with her phone and skedaddles out of the room just as Lucy returns.

“Some people sit on their resources for far too long.” Cat mutters, sitting back down. “Lucy, what is our current status with the public?”

Lucy looks down at the tablet in her lap that she’s been using to track the outcome of the press conference. “Well, it looks like people are slowly being swayed, especially by the fact that the article was in your name and you were the one to renounce it but there are still sceptics. There’s a lot of people crying out for proof though so we need to get Nia’s boyfriend on the case as soon as we can because the longer we take, the more people will get sceptical of our story.”

Alex breathes out heavily, drawing everyone’s attention, at which point she looks around confused. “What?”

“You’re being all huffy,” Kara answers.

“Well sorry being worried about my sister being framed for something she didn’t do.” Alex snaps before letting her shoulders sink. “Sorry, I just don’t know how to help you.”

“I know.” Kara leans into her side, wrapping an arm around Alex’s shoulders. “Why don’t you take a break? Maybe call Kelly?”

“Don’t try and use my girlfriend against me.”

Kara holds her hands up. “I’m not, I just thought it might put you in a better mood.” Alex frowns and her grumpiness is evident to everyone. “Just go. Maybe stop by a vending machine and get me a snack on your way back too.”

“Fine.” Alex leaves, her feet being extra stompy.

“Your sister is a piece of work.” Cat comments.

“I know. She’s great.”

Cat lets out a non-committal grunt and Lucy hides her snickers behind her hand. Kara is oblivious to their reactions, her focus shifting to some random puzzle game she has on her desk. She picks it up and plays with it for a few minutes while Cat types away at her laptop doing god knows what and while Lucy scrolls through comment after comment about everything that’s going on, screenshotting certain ones every now and again.

The soft melody of Cat’s fingers across her keyboard helps Kara to relax, the sound on the verge of prompting her to close her eyes and take a nap where she’s sitting, something she’d never be allowed to live down if she did. “Is there anything I can do?” She questions after a while. “Maybe I can help Lucy with tracking the public’s reactions?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. “Lucy clutches the tablet to her chest; somehow afraid Kara will be able to see the screen even when she’s halfway across the room. “Not all of the comments are nice, Kara.”

“Oh.”

Cat sighs. “If you want to be helpful then go and get the articles to be approved for tomorrow’s issue, I have only got so much time to keep this damn company going and we can’t falter on our publishing schedule, even with a missing, traitorous editor-in-chief. You’ve seen me do them thousands of times, you can help me complete them so tomorrow’s issue comes out as normal.”

Kara’s eyes light up. This isn’t just a job that will allow her to keep herself busy, this is the kind of job she’s watched Cat do countless times when she was her assistant, the kind of job Cat did herself most of the time because she scarcely trusts anyone else to do. Even with Snapper as her editor-in-chief, she would still often go over everything that had been approved and even some that were rejected so she can make her own decisions. Sure, she’s going to do it under Cat’s watchful eye but all the same, it’s a privilege.

She can’t help but think it’s born out of pity but honestly, she’s just so happy to be able to play a part that she can’t even find it in her to care so she rushes off to go and get the markups.

“Lucy, go with her.” Cat demands, not looking up from her screen.

Lucy would argue because she’s a lawyer, not an assistant but she’s being paid really quite well and well, she does care about Kara a tiny bit. That and Lois would kill her if she ever found out she wasn’t treating her husband’s little cousin right, so she stands up, drops her tablet on the chair she just vacated and speed-walks after her.

Kara flits between offices, gathering the articles that had been left on Snapper’s old desk. It seems that nobody knows where to put them so they have just been piling them there. There are a lot of them but that just means she gets to stay busy for longer so she cracks a tiny smile as she takes them.

As she’s coming out of the office, she sees a few people side-eyeing her, probably because she’s holding their articles when at the minute, a lot of people don’t even trust her with her own, but she ignores them, even jauntily waving at a couple of people that aren’t giving her the stink eye.

She gets a couple of waves in return, even winning a couple of people over with her kind eyes and natural charm. It’s as though people were expecting her to have gone full evil supervillain or something.

Lucy stays a few steps away from Kara, just watching as everyone on the floor eyes Kara up curiously, all of them trying to figure her out and being unable to. She does find it amusing to see Kara make them go from suspicious to subdued in just a fraction of a second though, it’s unlike anything she’s seen in a while. If she ever had to defend her in court, Kara is the kind of person that could win over a jury easily, not that she wants to see Kara having to defend herself in court, she’s too pure for that.

Kara heads right back to her office where Cat has moved her laptop to one side of the desk so Kara can perch on the other side of it with enough space to put the articles down, which she does and grabs a pen, getting right to work reading each one and separating them into piles of which are good to go, which are good if they have a few edits, which aren’t good enough to print and which are maybes.

The task works wonders in taking Kara’s mind off of everything well because she’s so focused on trying to make sure she does a good job. It works so well, in fact, that she barely registers Lena returning and sitting down just behind her until her hands are on her shoulders, just a light weight to announce her presence.

Kara recognises the gesture, it’s the same one she uses when she’s making breakfast in the morning with her earphones in so she doesn’t wake Lena up with her daily pump-up playlist that consists of a lot of Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys.

“Hey, everything ok at work?”

Lena opens her mouth to speak but then snaps it closed when she sees Cat tuck her hair behind her ears and peer at her. “I’ll tell you later.”

Cat rolls her eyes. “Whatever you say is off the record.” She waves her hand at them, unhooking her hair from her ears and setting her sights back on her work.

Kara looks between them, squinting at Cat for a moment before nodding to Lena to say that it’s safe for her to talk.

“L-Corp is in the shit,” Lena says bluntly. “It’s not looking good for us with everything that has happened, a lot of investors believe the fake article but luckily, I have a good legal team of my own which means that we can go for Lucas Carr ourselves and because CatCo isn’t at fault, he is, we can go after him directly without dragging CatCo through a horrendous legal battle, one that will go over better if a certain CEO would back us in our defamation lawsuit.”

“Whatever you need, it will help clear CatCo of any wrongdoing too. CatCo can’t sue any employees, it’s part of the contract, but there’s nothing saying I can’t be called as a witness, right Lucy?”

“Yep.” Lucy pops the ‘p’, barely listening, registering the words only after she’s responded, “I mean, I’ll have to look into it, get the whole legal team involved, but most likely, yes.”

Kara and Lena share a look and Kara cracks a smile. “A lawsuit proving that what he did was nothing more than defamation would be a great way to clear both of our names.”

“Sounds like a win-win to me.” Lena smiles, bumping her shoulder into Kara’s. “Anyway, what are you doing?”

“I’m going through articles for tomorrow’s issue.”

“Isn’t this usually done a couple of days in advance?”

“Well, as you can imagine, Ms Luthor, when one of your star reporters is framed as being corrupt, it can mess up a schedule.” Cat snipes, her tone sharp.

Lena clears her throat uncomfortably. “Right, ok.”

Winn sneezes loudly from the corner where he’s been huddled up on his computer and it makes all of them jump, his presence forgotten because of how quiet he’s been. He pulls his earphones out and looks up apologetically. “Sorry.”

Cat waves him off and he meekly sinks back into his chair, trying to go back to when he was practically invisible just as he was before. He’s working on trying to figure out how his computer was wiped. He’s pretty good at hacking but whoever it was that got into his data must be some god-level robot of a person. It’s kind of scary actually.

“So, what are we doing about the problem at hand?” Lena asks, a little confused by how quickly everyone goes back to what they are doing.

“Waiting for Nia to come back with her boyfriend. He’s a government hacker person, he’s going to protect a computer so we can plug in the USB with the proof of Snapper being an asshole into it without it being wiped like Winn’s computer was.”

Lena feels like she’s five steps behind them but nods, just accepting that she doesn’t really have a clue what’s going on. “Ok, I guess I’ll just work on some emails then.”

Kara encourages her to do that with a smile and a gentle rest of her head against Lena’s shoulder before she gets back to what she’s doing again.

-

Nia walks in with a smallish-looking guy with thick brown hair strolling in right behind her. “This is my boyfriend, Brainy.”

He waves at them; his movements are stilted and odd. “Querl Dox, my friends call me Brainy.”

“You’re an odd little man.” Cat states. “You can protect a computer?”

“I can.”

Lena looks between him and Nia. “Are you sure we can trust him? He works for the government, right?”

Nia doesn’t get a chance to stick up for Brainy because the man is speaking up for himself. “I can assure you that while I work for the government, I have no part in any schemes, I offer my services to you because I have a great deal of care for Nia Nal.”

“You…right. Ok?” Lena doesn’t have a clue what to make of that but while he is kind of weird, Nia is looking at him the same way she looks at Kara so whatever, he can give it a go.

“Which computer would you like me to protect?”

“Winn?” Kara calls out, rolling her eyes when his eyes remain fixed on his screen. “Winn?”

Brainy points to Winn’s computer. “This one?”

“Uh, yeah, that one, I think,” Kara confirms and flinches when without another word, Brainy walks over to Winn and snatches the computer right out of his hands.

He jumps up, ready to chase after Brainy. “Woah! What are you doing?”

“I am protecting your computer.” Brainy states bluntly. “May I have a desk to sit at?”

Kara looks around. They really need more desks to work with. They can easily fit three in here. It’ll be a squeeze but they can manage it. “Yeah, hey, Lena, want to come and find some desks to move in here with me?”

Lena looks up from her phone. “Yep, just let me finish this email.” Her thumbs work frantically, tip-tapping against the screen for a few long moments before she sends off the email. “Ok, I’m all yours.”

Together, Kara and Lena go off in search of more desks. There are plenty of chairs so they just need two desks, which shouldn’t be too difficult, there’s one in Kara’s old office that’s still empty so they can just go and grab that one to start with.

As they reach her old office and squeeze inside, taking the few boxes of old files and things that are apparently being stored in here now off of the top of the desk, Lena asks, “I’m not sure about that Brainy guy, what do you think?”

“I’m not sure I’m the best person to judge anyone given that I was friends with James and worked closely with Snapper on multiple occasions and had no idea about anything they were doing.”

“You shouldn’t hold that against yourself, you’re not the only one that didn’t see it coming. I didn’t see it, Winn didn’t, even Cat didn’t and she’s Cat motherfucking Grant.”

Kara snorts. “Don’t let her hear you calling her that.”

Lena shrugs, “It’s fifty-fifty on whether or not she’d love it or hate it.”

“Probably…I think Brainy seems alright.”

“Me too.” Lena smiles. “I’m hopeful.”

“I’m trying to be hopeful too.”

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