#so he suddenly wants to spend more time with him for substitute reasons

[noa-ciharu]

Istg one day imma write "antichrist Fuuma attends clamp campus high school and Seals are losing their mind" crack AU

[thenightfolknetwork]

My Da is a bit more…traditional then others. They wanted a baby, so they made a deal with a sapio woman interested in selling her unborn child for some riches, and then came me! I realize that’s not how things are typically done anymore since foster and adoption agencies have improved over the years, but it ended up fine I’d like to think.

When people learn that I’m a changeling it’s all “Oh no!  That’s horrible. I’m so sorry!” and I’m like, first of all, that’s kind of rude? I understand where the assumption comes from but come on now. Changeling rights have improved tremendously over the last millennia. I’m fine. I love my Da and I love my identity. I wouldn’t change either of them for the world.

Here's the rub though. Recently, I got put into contact with my bio father. I was really skeptical when I met him because, you know, changeling. A deal’s a deal. Egg donor got riches; I got a happy childhood. What more could you want, and why now?

Apparently, he didn’t know I existed.

My ED not only didn’t tell him about my existence, but also told him that the riches she got were from an inheritance from a distant relative. He only knows what happened now because they got divorced.

I’ve agreed to stay in contact for two reasons, I’m curious about my heritage and the poor bloke looked terribly lonely. It’s not his fault ED went behind his back. The thing is, he’s trying to act all…fatherly. Which, I get it, he technically contributed to my existence, but he’s not my parent, and I don’t want him to be.

It's not his fault he wasn’t there, but at the same time, he just wasn’t. My Da was. I only need one parent, and that position is filled. But, he is a nice guy. I've enjoyed talking to him and learning about the sapio side of my life. But it doesn't change the fact that I am and will always be a changeling.

How do I tell him that I don’t need a parent without making it sound like I want him to bugger off? I’m happy to keep him in my life, just not as a parent.

I think you're right to be concerned about maintaining proper boundaries here, reader. What happened to this man is certainly difficult and complicated, and I hope he can find people to support him through it. But, to be blunt, his emotional well-being simply isn't your responsibility.

It sounds to me as if both of you are approaching this new relationship with very different expectations, working from very different frameworks. You are happy to spend time with someone whose company you enjoy, and to learn more about this side of your heritage. Meanwhile, I wonder if his telling of events might be rather more dramatic – and possibly influenced by some unfortunate stereotypes.

I don't think your biological father is necessarily aware of this kind of prejudice. But without further information about how he has actively worked to unlearn the biases of the dominant sapio-normative culture in this country, I worry he might be acting from a place of unchecked assumptions and misapprehensions.

Sapio-centric culture often frames changelings, subjects of infant substitution and exchanged children like yourself as “stolen”. They are spoken of as being taken from their “real” families and raised by usurpers to the biological parents' rightful role. This often comes with the assumption that the child themselves would naturally wish to be part of their biological parents' family, regardless of the relationship they have with the people who raised them.

Your biological father may be imagining his sudden presence in your life as some kind of powerful reconnection with your “real” family, the revelation of your “true” father with all the emotional connection that implies.

But the role of being your father is already filled. You are happy and comfortable in your identity, and while it's nice to have made this connection, it doesn't mean you suddenly have to take on a heap of new emotional obligations towards the man.

A good first step is clarifying what your biological father wants to get from this reconnection. If he's interested in your for your own sake, and wishes to strike up a friendship with you as a unique, autonomous adult, that's all to the good. If he's asking you to solve his loneliness for him, though, you need to push back. That's not a reasonable thing to ask of a stranger, no matter what your DNA might be.

By all means, set your boundaries with kindness and with due regard for his vulnerable emotional state. But don't let that kindness falter into irresolution. You do nobody any favours by letting him take more from you than you're willing to give.

Communicate your expectations to him, and stick to them. If he behaves in a way that makes you uncomfortable, let him know what the behaviour was and why it was unacceptable, and that if he continues to behave in such a fashion you will stop spending time with him. The rest is up to him.

[aphroditeslover11]

The Feynman Affair

Here is the result of the poll from the other day.

A/N: As usual, everybody in this is fictionalised and based on the performances of the actors in the Nolan movie, if you don’t want to read this I am not forcing you so please simply scroll on. I am not brooking any arguments, most of us on here are just doing are here for fun, not confrontation. If you do want to read it however, welcome, I promise I’m not always this grumpy!

Warnings: period typical attitudes, alcohol consumption, suspicion of adultery, angst but a happy ending.

Your relationship with Robert was the best thing that could ever have happened to either of you, though you both acknowledged that it was bizarre in its beginnings. You were a political science student at Berkeley that he had met just before the war had started and whisperings had begun about he production of the ‘gadget’. You had hit things off really quickly and when Groves started talking about moving work to a more secure, remote facility Oppie knew immediately that he wanted to keep you by his side. He asked you to marry him shortly after that, having taken you to New Mexico to spend a few days just the pair of you at his ranch Perro Caliente. He was open with you about what was going to happen next in his life and that he knew Groves would let you nowhere near the project unless you were a married couple. You were anxious at first, Robert was a lot older than you and at a far more advanced stage of life, you also knew that you were going to have to put your studies on hold and the idea of becoming his little housewife was fairly unappealing to you. You kept all of these concerns to yourself though, knowing that if you said no that you wouldn’t see him for a very long time, which was the last thing that you wanted to happen.

Your differences were never really much of an issue, you had mixed in similar circles at Berkeley and he continued to make sure that you got involved in things at Los Alamos. He was far from controlling or misogynistic, getting you a job as an administrative assistant to help organise the chaos of the laboratory, hell, he even cooked on a regular basis. He made it perfectly clear to everyone that you were to be considered as his equal, an extension of him that was to be treated with the same respect. Robert did his best to make sure that you rarely felt marginalised due to your age or sex, little did you know this was because he was nervous that he was too old and out of touch, you were spending a lot of time working with younger men and he was beginning to feel a little threatened. He made sure that his insecurities stayed a long way away from you though, after all you never gave him any reasons to worry.

~

You were starting to spend more time with a young physicist called Richard Feynman, Oppie has seen something in him and gone to great efforts to bring him onto the project. He was in his mid twenties, close to you in age, and a gifted conversationalist. Judging by the gaggle of women that usually surrounded him, Robert also judged that he was considered fairly attractive by the opposite sex. Though Feynman had a wife who was currently in a hospital in Albuquerque and suffering from tuberculosis, this did little to settle his nerves. You always used to spend your lunchtimes together, you’d eat whatever sandwich you had made that morning, Robert substituting any food with a cigarette as had become his habit (which you hated). You had missed a few of these recently though because you “Got stuck in a meeting with Dick, he was having a rant about Groves, you know how we all feel about him.” Though he hated to admit it Robert was beginning to feel something more than just anxiety, he was jealous. Why did Feynman suddenly deserve to spend so much time with you when he was losing out on it? Did you find him boring and deliberately avoid him? Why had he even gone to the effort of talking this bastard into coming here in the first place?

~

Over the next few weeks things calmed down a bit. Robert had spoken to Rabi about his concerns, he was one of the few of Oppie’s friends who could tell him outright when he was being ridiculous and he had done so.

“But are you sure that she isn’t tiring of me?” He had said one morning, sitting in his office in the middle of a rare catch-up with his visiting friend and advisor.

“Oppie, don’t be such a fool. Y/n loves you, she still looks at you the same way she did when you signed your marriage certificate. Besides, Richard loves his wife just as much as you love y/n, he would never have an affair. You’re worrying about nothing.”

“You don’t think it’s my age, she doesn’t feel that I’m boring now that we’re living together?”

“No, but if that’s your worry then do something exciting. Have a party for your 39th and invite everyone, including Feynman. Prove to her that you can still enjoy yourself.” Oppie paused for a moment in thought before replying.

“Thanks Rab, I think I will.”

~

That was where he was now, a big party to celebrate his 39th birthday. Everybody was milling around, locked in various conversations. He had no idea how many martinis he had made that evening and the atmosphere was beginning to become a little more chaotic, the alcohol hitting everyone more quickly than they expected due to the altitude. You had been by his side for most of the night, sitting next to him for the meal and having your first dance of the evening with him, allowing him to lead you around in his favourite foxtrot even if you did tease him about being a bit behind the times. You admitted that you loved his old-fashioned foibles though, you said that it made you feel special. The event only started to go sideways after you and he had got involved in a group discussion, it had inevitably turned scientific and his attention was immediately focused on Rabi and his last posed question. He hadn’t noticed that you had left part-way through the discussion, now being nowhere to be seen.

Rabi twigged his friend looking around the room, noticing quickly himself what was missing. He also noted the Richard Feynman was nowhere to be seen.

“If you’ll excuse me, I think I’m going to go and fix myself another martini,” Robert said, downing the dregs of his previous one and walking in the direction of the kitchen.

“I think I’ll follow him, make sure that he doesn’t get lost on the way,” joked Rabi, following closely behind the host.

As soon as the pair made it to the kitchen Robert burst into an uncharacteristic rage.

“I knew that something was going on, I should have done something to stop her sooner, I just didn’t want to believe it. I could forgive her if she had been discreet about it, but really? On my birthday?”

“Oppie, calm down. I know that y/n and Feynman are both gone, but we don’t know where. They might not even be together.

“Well, where else do you think they could be then?” Even the level headed Isidor was having to admit that the prospect of your affair was becoming increasingly likely. The men suddenly heard movement from the room above them. Your bedroom.

At that moment there was nothing to stop Robert from tearing up the stairs, his friend in tow. He threw open the door to find you and Richard sat side by side on the bed, hunched over something between you with your backs to him. You both snapped around at the bang or your husband’s entry.

“Mr Feynman, would you care to tell me what you are doing in my bedroom with my wife?” God, you had never seen your husband this angry, he was positively seething.

“Dr Oppenheimer, I can assure you that nothing untoward is going on, we were merely…”

“Well, something certainly seems to be going on, don’t you thing Rab?” Robert cut him off.

“Robert, this is none of my business, I’m going to go back down to the party. I’ll keep everyone entertained so that you can take as long as you need up here.” He patted his friend on the shoulder in support, closing the door as he left.

“Now, I want to hear the truth. I’ve had my suspicions about you both for a while, but I suppose at least now I know for certain. Some birthday present.” Dick was trying to be a gentleman and take the brunt of your husband’s onslaught, you were trying to discreetly move the piece of paper that you had both been looking at.

“Sir, honestly, man to man, nothing is going on between me and your wife, I would never even want to touch her.” Oppie raised his eyebrows at that.

“So you fuck my wife and then have the balls to insult her. Stylish Feynman.”

“That came out wrong, I meant that I would never want to do something like that to my wife, I would never dream of jeopardising my marriage.”

“And yet you are happy to destroy mind?”

“Um… no, I…” you rolled your eyes at Dick, he was making everything so much worse than it already was.

“Shut up, you’re just making things harder you idiot.” Richard happily did as he was told.

“Robert, this wasn’t how I wanted you to find out, but…”

“So you are sleeping with him then?”

“No, would you please let me finish?” Robert had nothing to say to that, so your carried on. “For the last few months me and Richard have been working on something for your birthday. He and his wife write letters to one another, but they do it in code so that Groves and his idiots can’t understand it, they’re so thick that they still haven’t managed to figure it out. I know how much you miss your brother, so we managed to get some friends to ask Frank to write to you. Richard had his wife put it into code and send it to him so that you could receive it on your birthday. We came in here so that he could give me the decoded version to surprise you with later. Obviously you have ruined that, so you might as well have it now.” You walked over to Robert, holding the paper out to him. He was completely dumbstruck.

“I suppose I owe you both an apology then.” You knew how much Robert would hate having to put his pride to one side and admit that he was wrong. “Feynman, I’m sorry for doubting you and thank you for helping my wife.”

“No worries Oppie, I understand. I’ll leave the pair of you to it.” He stood from the bed, shaking his boss’s hand before exiting, still visibly shaken.

Robert immediately reached out to you, taking you in his arms.

“Love, I’m so sorry. This is all my fault, I was just nervous that you had grown bored of me and Feynman could have given you so many this that I don’t have.”

“Like what Robert?”

“Youth for one.” You suddenly started to laugh.

“What’s funny, why are you laughing?”

“You idiot Rob, did you really think I would have married you if your age was that important to me? If it will make you less nervous in the future, you should know that I prefer my men older, they tend to cause less problems. I would never even dream of having an affair.” Your husband relinquished his grip on you then, letting you move back to face him. His face was awash with shame.

“Can we forget that this ever happened? I just want things to go back to how they used to be.”

“I think that sounds like a very good idea,” you acquiesced. “Let’s leave that letter up here, put it under my pillow where I was going to hide it and I’ll give it to you later like I was planning to. Then we can head downstairs and pretend that this little incident never happened.” Robert did as you suggested, wrapping an arm around your waist before leading you out onto the landing.

“Oh, one more thing before we go back down. You can’t tell anybody about that letter or we’ll all be arrested.” Robert huffed at that.

“What on earth am I going to tell Rabi?” You chuckled at his deserved misfortune, kissing him on the cheek as you headed back down the stairs.

“That’s up to you, but it had better be something good!”

[klutzyroses]

Hii! I would like to request how would the ikevamp boys feel about a mc with daddy issues (with Comte,Vlad,Faust,Vincent and Arthur) Thank you in advance

*coughs awkwardly*...Well if this doesn't hit home a bit.

IkeVamp HCs: SO with Daddy Issues

How do they react to an so with daddy issues?

Suitors: Arthur, Vincent, Comte, Vlad, Faust

Warnings: Toxic parent-child relationships, implied abuse

Arthur

Oh luv...

Suddenly her past behaviour towards him makes so much sense.

She had been so off with him at first, to the point where he was almost under the impression that she hated him, that he had to wonder if there was a reason behind it.

Only when they have become closer did she open up to him about her complicated relationship with her father who, much like Arthur, was quite the playboy, but to a more extreme, reprehensible extent.

She speaks to him of the many times her father had missed an important event in her life, birthdays, school activities, because he had a mistress that he found far more important.

It saddens him to know that she felt so irrelevant in the eyes of the man who should have loved her the most.

But then...he isn't complaining about taking that position.

He is determined to make sure she never spends one moment question her worth.

He will certainly let her know that there will be no woman who will take her place in his life, she is his priority and she will be second to no one.

Vincent

He himself had a...contentious relationship with his own parents, thus, he is fully understanding of Y/N's ache.

Though, from the sound of it, her father seemed to be the predominant issue between her parents and his behavior was to a worse extent.

From being overly controlling to being downright militant, hearing how treated her hurts him in ways he couldn't imagine.

How could anyone be that way to his scatje? It's painful to think about.

He will do everything he can to let her know how special she is, how perfect, to him she didn't to worry about being a certain way. She could just be herself.

To prove it, he will paint her the way he sees her; As the perfect, beautiful sunflower she is. The way everyone else sees her. The way she deserves to see herself.

Just because her father was too blind see it, doesn't mean Vincent will allow her to be blind to her own shine.

Comte

His heart aches for his poor cherie.

When he learns of her childhood growing up with a selfish, narcissistic father, he feels slight anger and upset grow inside him for the man himself.

It may not be reasonable to hold any hostility for a man who isn't present, but he can't help it. Anyone who thoughtlessly hurts his cherie is no good in his eyes.

He, as something of a father figure to the rest of the mansion's residents, knowing how it feels to care for someone he is essentially responsible for, can't understand why someone would mistreat a loved one that way.

Especially a person as endearing and lovable as Y/N.

He knows as her partner, he can't actually fill the void of a father in his beloved's life, but he will more than make up for it by fulfilling her every desire. Physically and emotionally.

Y/N will never want for anything, whether that be a shiny pair of heels or just a long warm hug.

Is money a substitute for love? No, but spoiling her is as much a pleasure for him as it is for her, because he loves her.

Vlad

Knowing a thing or two about...less than present parents, Vlad sympathizes when he learns that Y/N's father was very much a non fixture in his daughter's life.

It makes him hurt for her when she tells him of how distant and neglectful her father was when she was a child, and had passed away when she had barely reached adolescence, leaving a larger hole in her life with his absence.

He listens carefully and comforts her accordingly before making a very...unexpected offer.

With his power, he is capable of allowing her just a little bit of escape. Just a brief moment of tenderness with her father.

The tenderness that he never gave her in life...

Whether or not she accepts the offer, Vlad means well. He himself is not her father, but he will do his best to close the gap he left in the heart of his beloved flower.

Faust

It may seem like he is somewhat indifferent to the fact that his guinea pig's father was an excuse of a human, but in truth, Faust is disturbed by what she has to say about it.

To hear her father was a verbally violent, hot tempered man that treated his daughter in such a unforgivable manner sickened him.

How appalling. He may not show it in any other way than to frown, his eyes glinting coldly.

He will plainly tell her that if the man was like that, there was no use in even saying she had a father to begin with.

Harsh way of putting it, but not completely untrue. Y/N was and is better off without him.

The memories hurt, the lost possibilities of reconciliation hurt, yes, but in the end he will make sure she understands that it was for the best that she will not see him again.

Now she can move on with people who actually care. Like him. And she should brace herself, because he has little to no intention of letting her go either.

🌸

[the-queen-and-the-king]

Substitution

Summary: Emily is in London and Mark wants to have some fun with her. She wasn't enjoying the moment much when she starts to imagine someone else with her.

Characters: Aaron Hotchner x Emily Prentiss (kind of)

Contents: smut, oral sex (f receiving), fantasy NSFW/MINORS DNI

PS : English is not my mother language so they are necessarily mistakes. Sorry about that.

___

                Mark had made it clear that he wanted to spend the evening having a good time with her. At first, Emily was reluctant. The day had been long and tiring, she was exhausted and her dearest wish was to slip under the sheets and fall asleep like a rock. Then she said to herself, "Why not?" It could add a positive note to this emotionally complicated day. So she had given in. She had answered his call, kissed him and let herself be led to the bed they had shared for several months. She undressed him and he did the same. He caressed her, and she imitated him. She kissed his chocolate skin, he suckled her bouncing breasts. He went hard, she waited for the rest. 

                For some reason she couldn't pinpoint – fatigue, perhaps – she wasn't any more excited than that by all the attention he was lavishing on her. She could feel his lips on her belly and his fingers grazing her inner thighs, things that worked in normal times, but nothing came. His phalanges then reached the edge of her intimacy and she flinched. Not because pleasure had suddenly surged through her, but because his nails were a tad too long. His keratin scratched her mucous membranes and it was unpleasant. She tried to modify her position slightly and he interpreted this as a request for a change of protocol. His mouth wrapped around her clit and she hoped for the little spark that would do them both a favor. In vain. Her heightened sense of touch there made her realize that his gums and teeth were rubbing against her vulva. Not a particularly exciting vision of this practice.

                In desperation, she pretended to moan, and Mark was clearly in awe. Soon he was inside her, and she closed her eyes. Her imagination thus began its work of restructuring reality. Emily tried at first to steer it towards a recent memory of lovemaking that she had enjoyed as much as her partner, but her brain came up with another suggestion. She soon saw a tall figure towering over her, his arms outstretched on either side of her head. She couldn't really see his face, but she knew who he was and she trusted him. The embers in her lower belly lit up immediately as he began to move back and forth between her legs. He was gentle, delicate and attentive to her reactions. That was good. The hearth inside her grew.

                He was now working harder, his breathing more ragged as the excitement grew in both him and her. His warm breath on her neck, her abdomen pressed steadily against his, his heat radiating from his athletic body; all this fueled her inner fire like never before, and the whimpers she emitted were now sincere. In fact, she was closing in faster and faster around this member that was prying into her intimacy. She encouraged him to go even further, to push even harder, to pick up the pace too. He complied with all her requests and the inferno spread through her veins. The orgasm knocked her over for a heartbeat or two, and then her back relapsed onto the mattress. A rattle of relief rippled in her ear as her lover died inside her. He trembled for a moment, and then rolled onto his side to avoid crushing her under his weight. She smiled, satisfied.

                She opened her eyes and observed her companion's profile. He was happy. He turned to her, gave her a blissful smile, brushed her cheek and came to kiss her. She let him do so before rolling onto her side to escape his gaze. He put his arm around her after folding the comforter over them and pressed himself against her, wishing her good night. She did the same, but didn't fall asleep right away. Perfectly awake in the darkness of this room, she blamed herself. Because the man she'd fantasized making love to, and who'd made her come, wasn't Mark.

___

That was short but that's all I can do right now (I'm kind of busy rn).

I'll be in holiday for some weeks so I won't post anymore smut for some times. I don't have much in my pocket anymore to be honest because I've got no time for it as I'm currently working on my new Hotchniss AU (and I can't stop adding chapters again and again... ^^; ). So I won't post much in the next weeks but don't worry, I'm still around.

[jaskiers-lutkulele-of-sex]

Omovember Day 01- while playing a game

(per @omowritingprompts omovember list for this year)

Stranger Things- Pre-Steddie,just a short one

.

Eddie is Pretty Sure that Steve Harrington is desperate to pee.

Look, does Eddie sometimes spend a little Too much time watching Harrington? Specifically Harrington's body?

Okay yeah maybe.

But if King Steve didn't want to be looked at, he maybe shouldn't spend so much of his life running around in tiny swishy athletic shorts.

Anyway, Eddie's not gonna, like, harass the guy or anything, not least because that would get Him beat up, if not worse.

He just, you know... he notices.

He notices Steve enough to know that there is something off about the way Steve's moving right now.

To be honest, Steve Harrington is the only reason Eddie's still in band- he'd much rather keep his free time for his baby... maybe he'd even do more homework, if he wasn't in band...

Probably not, but maybe!

Anyway, Eddie's man enough to admit to himself that the only reason he's still going to all the effort of band this semester is that it gets him a lovely court-side view of Steve Harrington and an excuse to watch every game the guy plays... without having to explain himself. To anyone.

So when they're not playing, Eddie has no reason not to engage in his third favorite past time- watching Steve('s ass).

Only, tonight, said ass is... well...

Steve's being a little weird.

See, Hawkins is short, tonight. Hawkins never does very well, despite how much of every game Steve carries, but on this particular night, not only are they short on players full-stop, but one of the players has been benched for an ankle injury, and another has been benched for cussing out the ref...

And so Hawkins has exactly as many players as they need not to forfeit.

Which means, no substitutions.

Eddie didn't watch Steve for all of the middle break, he was actually doing his job or whatever and playing the stupid fight songs and stuff...

But he did clock that Steve never went back into the locker room, he doesn't think.

Part of the time, Steve was talking to the sullen shithead who got ejected, doing his team captain duties, Eddie guessed, but Part of the time Steve was certainly almost definitely flirting with one of the cheerleaders.

So when the whistle blew and everyone filed back onto the court, Steve was already there, looking thrown by the sudden return of the rest of his teammates.

Eddie did clock the nervous look Steve shot the lockeroom doors .

Eddie also clocked the Three Separate times Steve jogged over to the coach during timeouts, and the increasingly stressed look on his face every time the coach shot him down.

And now, Eddie couldn't help but notice an extra spring, and extra bounce, in his lordship's stance. He was presumably standing wherever he was strategically supposed to, but he was definitely bobbing in place, bouncing on his toes...

on another person, Eddie might choc it up to nerves, or excitement. just someone anxious to get back into the game.

but Eddie's pretty sure he knows what Steve's "Normal" amped-up bouncing looks like, and it's not this.

Eddie is pretty sure in fact...

There's a play, or whatever, and Steve's got the ball suddenly, and he's moving quickly, and other players are rushing him, and he stops to throw the ball, and there are a bunch of guys all around him... and an opposing player basically smacks him in the gut.

Steve drops the ball, drops to his knees, and a whistle blows, and the guy that hit Steve is arguing, hands in the air, but Eddie is still watching Steve who...

Steve is sort of clutching his stomach... but he's, like, doing it with his arms, not his hands. His hands are lower, pressing against his upper thigh.

Eddie watches intently as another player comes over to help Steve up, watches Steve hesitate, watches...

Steve straight up grabs himself, before he lets himself be pulled up.

Oh yeah. Eddie's absolutely correct.

Steve Harrington definitely has to piss like a motherfucker.

[monty-glasses-roxy]

Good morning! I have discovered that all the stories that drive me up the goddamn wall in this series are written by the same fucking person.

Like, you're telling me... You had a dope as hell story like 'the Mimic' in the Nexie book... And you wasted all that time on antique furniture and unneeded exposition when you only have so many words for your short story? Are you for real?

Listen. This story could have been so fucking good and it pisses me off. If this had been standalone? With more time and a different author? Oh my GOD can you IMAGINE the impact that all would have had???

Like, imagine if we had more time with Edwin and David. Imagine if we got to see a strong, loving bond (which we sort of do but imagine if it had more time) between the two of them. Imagine if we could see the slow degradation of that bond, with Edwin getting more work done and David gradually starting to almost completely substitute his dad's attention for Mimic's. Imagine Edwin growing more of a fondness for Mimic over time. Imagine the living conditions improving with Edwin having more time and possibly money to do so, at the cost of time with his son. Imagine argument that highlights how David is feeling about all of this, or perhaps, Edwin finally setting time aside on his own to spend with David and suddenly realising that his son has somewhat moved on or compares him more to Mimic. Imagine that relationship starting to heal from this, starting to come back and Edwin making an effort to balance his time better...

Only for David to die in front of him.

And Mimic? Who was there when he wasn't? Who he'd designed to help not takeover? Who his son had compared him less than favourable to? Who is still repeating everything that David taught him?

There's your motivation. The memories that Mimic has that Edwin should have had.

Like are you shitting me?? The Storyteller came first with all its exposition, it could have leaned more into this. Have him investigate for the safety of the Plex, have him stay for the sake of trying to make things right. Let him have feelings, let him realise that Mimic is a living representation of his son, let him clearly try to fix the damage he's done, let him try and fix it with triangles and sticks to steer Mimic in the right direction.

Then let him get killed by the idiocy of a rich man that doesn't care. Let this fucking idiot rob Edwin of his last chance to reconnect in the only way he still can. Let the man in charge of Fazbear rob him of the chance to make things right because he didn't stay inline beneath his pristine shoes.

Do you see how fucking good this could have been if it had been given a real chance??? As it stands, we're just told about everything we should be shown, and then not told OR shown what needed to be to get any kind of big impact. It relies so hard on the uh oh scary robot stuffed a body in the fridge! aspect when it really didn't need to. The horror is in what has been done. The horror is in what has been created through grief and guilt. The horror is in the rich man taking joy in the death of a decent man trying to make things right, and dying to his own temper tantrum.

The horror is in realising that the thing that killed all the retrieval teams? The thing that we know is killing the kids in the epilogues? The one embodies the grieving rage of a father that's lost his son?

Is in control of the entire Pizzaplex. Just how many could it kill now that it has this power and no one to stop it? All it's going to take is the right prompting and it's all over.

Like, are you shitting me?? This could be one hell of a story and it's just... A soggy noodle of what it could have been. I want to read Tiger Rock in a minute because I've been robbed of the cool tigerbot this whole fucking time which was the only reason I was reading in the first place, but fucking hellfire man... This could have been so fucking good and Tiger Rock would be the best place to showcase the true extent of Mimic's reach now... But I'm not holding out hope it will ngl

[acacia-may]

For the four headcanons game, what sort of ideas do you have about Gauche?

Hi Erika! 💙 Thank you so much for the ask and for playing the headcanon game! I had to give these a little bit of thought, but I hope you will like them. 😊 Headcanons are below the cut because it's a little bit wordy.

(Warnings: death and blood are both mentioned).

Questions from this 4 Headcanons Ask Game

Headcanon A:  realistic

Gauche was close to both of his parents, especially his mother. They often praised him for being a good older brother and asked him to always look out for and protect his younger sister, Marie. This was one of the last things they asked him to do (shortly before their untimely death) which is one of the reasons why Gauche is such a protective sibling and why he feels so responsible for taking care of Marie.

Headcanon B: while it may not be realistic it is hilarious

Despite being a member of what is widely considered in the Clover Kingdom to be the worst Magic Knight Squad, Gauche had a small fan club that no one knows about except Gordon (because he is in charge of the squad's mail and answers their letters). His fans gush over the fact that he's "brooding" and "mysterious" and/or think he's very handsome. He has been growing more popular due to Gordon's responses to fan letters that paint Gauche in a very favorable light. [Unsurprisingly enough, no one from Nean is part of the fan club].

Headcanon C: heart-crushing and awful, but fun to inflict on friends

Gauche has learned how to function on a very small amount of sleep because he has recurring, extremely realistic nightmares about losing his parents and Marie and being absolutely powerless to do anything to stop it. He never tells anyone about these nightmares, but one of the main reasons he tries to be in constant contact with his sister is because it helps him cope with the nightmares and remind himself that they are just dreams and Marie is safe.

Eventually, these nightmares extend to losing some of his friends (i.e. Grey and Gordon) as well. He doesn't admit this to them, but some of his squad mates are surprised when Gauche suddenly starts wanting to spend a lot of time with them.

Headcanon D: unrealistic, but I will disregard canon about it because I reject canon reality and substitute my own.

Gauche has a bleeding disorder which causes his frequent nosebleeds. It also causes him to bruise easily and bleed excessively when cut or injured (due to lack of functional clotting factor), and this contributed to him ultimately losing his left eye.

[hekate1308]

Present Blessings, A Drowley Advent Calendar, December 18

Masterpost

Read it on AO3

Dean was pensive as they walked home – of course without having purchased a tree because Crowley had to put his foot down somewhere. “You know, they are all so happy.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I assure you that’s not true.”

He huffed. “You really do go out of your way to only see the bad, don’t you? I know that humans struggle a lot. That’s kind of the point, really.”

How nice to know that God was actually sadistic after all.

“But what I meant is… humans know this too. Hell, just look at your employees – Charlie and her mom’s story, Sam and his dad – between us, he was a real piece of work, not that I am supposed to say it out loud – but still – here they are, working away on making their lives better.”

That was certainly something that Crowley had never known about either of them.

“What I mean is, no matter what lives throws their way, humans just persevere. They go one and try to make the best of it. And Christmas… they just take it as a reason to be happy because they want to, because right there in the middle of winter, they can breathe and rejoice, if only for day. We don’t know anything like that.”

And suddenly, Cowley found himself wondering about Christmas in Heaven. Just another day, it must be. Just like he had kept it for years and never thought much about it. But he wasn’t Dean – he didn’t care about such things.

He didn’t.

He looked at the sad angel next to him and took a deep breath, telling himself he just didn’t want him moping around in his house tonight. “About that Christmas party… I guess I could go.”

Dean immediately brightened up. “Yeah?”

“I suppose I could stomach to stay for an hour or two” he conceded while still putting boundaries.

“Oh man, this is great! See, I told you, you just have to – oh, Hey, Red.”

Now, he had no idea who Dean would greet like this, only to realize to his horror that they had happened across Charlie Bradbury of all people. Now, she really was an excellent IT person, but by God, he also knew of her fondness for gossip, and that meant…

“Hey, Dean! Oh, good day, boss.” And of course her eyes were already flitting between the two of them, trying to find clues as to whey they would be taking a walk around town together.

Wonderful.

“We’re just enjoying the Christmas lights” Dean told her, while she was obviously drawing the only possible conclusion.

Now, Crowley was well aware that as an angel, Dean would probably not know what any of this would mean to a human, but he had to draw the line somewhere. He tried to think of an excuse, but Bradbury had worked for him for too long – if he claimed he was just helping out by letting Dean stay at his house for a while, she would undoubtedly still think –

There were up- and downsides to every kind of reputation, he assumed.

However, at the very least, she was then drawn into a conversation with Dean – or so he assumed, until Dean said, “And this one rather wants a slim tree.”

Now, he stood very firmly by the fact that he didn’t want any kind of tree, so he announced, “I never said that.”

And of course that had done it, because Bradbury was now clearly under the impression that not only that he and Dean were a couple, but that he had then made his – well, that he had done made Dean his PA just so they could spend more time together on the job, and he had always been firmly against this sort of private entanglements when it came to work.

“I don’t know, I’ve always been for living trees myself, but I’m just glad you’re not one of those plastic kind of guys” she said before remembering she was talking to her boss.

“I never take a substitute when I can have the real thing” he declared because he didn’t want er to think he was angry at her, again, she was probably the best IT person he’d ever had – and only caught Dean winking from the corner of his eye.

Oh, he knew. That bloody angel knew. He might not have been completely clairvoyant when it came to certain things, but this…

Well, two could play at this game. “Dean suggested I should visit our Christmas party this year… what do you think, Miss Bradbury?”

What he had assumed would end in Dean looking flabbergasted actually ended yet again with Crowley being the one to shake his head, because Bradbury enthusiastically agreed. “Oh, it’ll be great to have you, boss! Are Gavin and Fiona coming too?”

He decided to blame Dean. It was the easiest way of handling this.

[bad4amficideas]

How would the yandere Batboys (Separate and romantic) react to the reader having a stuffie that kinda comes to life and both of them are best friends?

Note: English is not my language, so I hope you will be understanding of any flaws you find.

Also I started thinking about my Earth 1T8 and everything got mixed up and *fantasy mode on*. Oh well, if you want it for that AU, some answers would vary so feel free to ask again.

Meanwhile and assuming you mean only the 4 Robins and maybe Batman only because Boys... oops, a lot of assumptions in this answer... tsktsk...

Damian Wayne/Robin

WhY a stuffe having to choose between Titus, Alfred (the Cat), Batcow, if it is to hug and cuddle when he's not there, and he gladly will talk to you for hours?

But is a stuffe, even if it breaks your heart if he has to dismember it for you to behave and give back what its his (your love and attention) he will. Sure Alfred (the Human) can sew it back?? Wonders, an hostage that cannot die or feel pain, sure father can said nothing about that.

Positive and negative reinforcement boy.

Tim Drake/RedRobin

Okay, it's clear that my Tim Drake hcs differ from the rest of the fandom. But if his wires are crossed, he is the most likely to get you an identical plush to the smallest scratch and say goodbye to the other. After all a stuffle that suddenly comes to life, suddenly can lose it *wash his hands*.

That said, considering that Tim spends more hours than healthy to vigilantism and that you are his favorite pillow and, Reader dear, he doesn't really demand that much of you, does he? As long as it doesn't interrupt your time together (and the teddy doesn't suddenly become human, he has cameras, he will know), the better. Like so his Reader is easier to lock up and isolate from the world because even if it is not their Minimum Human Needs TM would be covered.

Guilty trips, isolation, Stockholm syndrome.

Jason Todd/Red Hood

He doesn't care... at first, are you substituting me? later, especially if you don't reciprocate his feelings or play along. Kinda the grooming and propaganda one.

But I sincerely believe that he would "reason" with the stuffe for your sake before taking more damianrastic measures... with the stuffle, he would not hurt you!!! but that thing either changes theie attitude and stops stealing their darling from him, or it dies or whatever it does a stuffie.

Dick Grayson/Nightwing

Gashlighting! What one would have thought Tim would have done, but, alas. Persuading his Reader that that thing is evil. Gotham or not, the world in general weirddest things happen. Obviously normal it is not. Calling one of his magic users friends if the more traditional methods don't work.

Bruce Wayne/Batman

Bold of you to assume that he has had nothing to do with the stuffed having life (that man has material to blackmail Dr Destiny if he wanted so, Zatanna or Constantine are easy-peasy) and ofc can, not manipulate you, manipulate the stuffle.

After all, Bruce understands that with his "emotional constipation" and that he can be intimidating if there is a social difference or you met him as Batman and as your life is getting smaller and more isolated and empty of people (if he hasn't kidnapped you already) and you need someone when he's working and et all... well, you would want someone to make you feel better and everyone knows that this is the function of stuffes. And so he has more control of you. It is ALL planned. Sorry dear Reader.

Love bombing and power inbalance or whatever is called in english.

[husbandohunter]

May I request a Childe X Reader fanfic where the reader has been pushing herself too hard lately and so Childe has to forcefully get her to rest? ty

By my side [Childe x Reader]//Genshin Impact

Synopsis: You were an artist and he was an adventurer. Two people from vast backgrounds and Childe just wants to spend some time of his busy life with you. However, things didn't really go his way...at first.

(Childe x F!reader. Its all fluff)

(A/n): Perfect request anon. I too, would like to have a Childe in my life. Been getting 5-6 hours of sleep on average 😃😁. Yeah kind tossed some extra ideas with artist s/o, its a perfect reason for anyone to be busy.

============================

Once recieving the permission to take a week off from his diplomatic duties, the first thing Childe thought of was none other than his lovely significant other.

The harbinger knew quite well what lays ahead of his ventures to Liyue. During his quest for the archon's gnosis, he encountered many interesting events, such as meeting the rumoured traveller hailing from afar and a broke yet courteous man who turned out to be the ultimate ruler of this very country he walks upon then there was the battle against a dead god until he revived it using the sigil of permission. All of them were great additions to his story as Ajax the hero, something he always wanted to pursue since childhood. In which, also gave him something nice to write about when preparing letters for his siblings living back home. But little did the harbinger know that he'll one day bump into the heroine. A little too soon. Through your little art shop, he met you, a sweet and audacious woman with plenty of humour. That was how it all began.

While he strides down the streets between Liyue's exquisite buildings, Childe suddenly stops in his tracks and looks up to the sky. There, was painted a scenery of an evening dusk, sun rays relfected across until red and orange hues cast a river stream that led to the ends of the world. He watched the birds follow that streak like it was a path made for them to fly towards. A new adventure. You would have loved to captured this in your pictures.

And then he wonders, what might you be painting right now?

"Hey babe, I'm home~"

In a sing-song voice he calls out to you by your nick-name. You knew that Childe was an active member of the Fatui and that his time was limited, hence he made sure to write to you as well. Of course long distant relationships only makes the waiting more anticipated. When he does pay a visit, you'd run straight into his open arms, leaping off your feet to engulf him in one enourmous embrace. Then his hands will hold against your waist as he spins your round and around in the air, stealing the laughter out of your lungs before planting you back on the floor. Sometimes Childe would consider that being far away wasn't be such a bad idea as long as he was able to experience this, the harder the battle, the sweeter the victory. However...

"That's great."

He was met by a response similar to the wintry grace of Snezhnaya.

Huh?

All the fantasies he had from earlier shatters in the background as he stands there frozen. You didn't even spare a glance to the entrance, eyes still glued to the large canvas displayed at your front, too busy to even care. Childe clicks his tongue between the awkward silence with an uncertain expression. When there was no signs of initiation on your part, he shuffled his way to where you were and observes from behind.

"Well you're particularly quiet today," he muses to himself, placing a hand over his hip, "I guess that painting of yours must be really important then."

It was obvious that he was trying to nudge you into his favour. Something that you've found endearing was how quickly your boyfriend can be when he's in a needy state. So you quickly twisted over to peck him on the cheek before going back to work.

"That's better," Childe satisfiedly grins, "So who is this project for?"

"It's a commission requested by a wealthy family serving the Qixing. They're really influential in terms of the market and can really give me a competitive edge. I have to get it done in five days."

His tone flactuates as he squints his eyes, "Five days you say," he disliked the news of your schedule taking over his own, Childe only managed to take a week off and after that, he'll be away for quite some time, "Why don't you take a break? From the looks of your progress, it seems to me that you've been working on it for hours. I've got plenty of interesting stories to tell and you know, nothing can compare to sharing a warm meal within your company," he leans down to your ear level, "How does that sound?"

Several seconds went by as he waits for some sort of reaction, "Oh. Right," you blurted out and the harbinger only smiles, "I made some food earlier this morning. You can go help yourself if you're hungry."

Today was not his day.

Childe pulls out the wooden chair and slumps into the seat, a defeated huff escaping his mouth as he stared at the crystal shrimp placed on the table. It was hastily wrapped by plastic, most likely cold for a while, just like the romantic evening he had planned in his head. Normally you'll be sitting on the otherside while listening to the many tales he went through along the way. Although painting was your passion, it was undeniable that you also enjoyed his kind of lifestyle if you ever had the choice. He was rather surprised on how someone ambitious like him would end up with such a simplistic person but quickly accepted it as life was meant to be unpredictable, just the way he likes it. As Childe entertains you with his stories, he'll listen to your giggles amidst eating the homecooked meals that you both prepared together.

"I wonder if she ate already," he mumbled to his lone self. You most likely did but Childe knows you well. Artists are obsessed and they can go as far as to neglecting their own health for the sake of their masterpieces. Hence, he made sure to remind you to eat properly through the letters he wrote to you.

The harbinger takes a quick glance around the kitchen. It was a mess. The cupboards were slightly opened, metal pots were still displayed on the stone stove and the stench coming from the sink....

Childe pushes himsel up to see what was the cause.

Not even the dishes were washed.

Running his fingers through his bangs, he sighs wearily, "Old habits die hard huh?" And above all else, when artists are obsessed they also forget how disorganized they can become. Childe begins to roll up his sleeves before taking off his gloves. At times like this he'll have to pitch in and take care of it for you, "Looks like I'll be here for a while."

Throughout three sunsets and three moonrises, Childe had no option but to observe you from afar, minus the few attempts he made to regain your attention again. How you would go to bed much later than him, waking up before he opens his eyes and the effort he put into making your food only left with too many leftovers. It wasn't that you were unappreciative, instead, your mind had become too focused that your body was considered a second priority. Like anyone else, Childe genuinely thought you possessed great talent and supports you wholeheartedly. He loved it when you painted pictures just for him as if they were scenes coming out of his hero story, reminded by his adventures, capturing every detail. However he also needed to learn how to deal with this stubborn side of yours.

"Hey babe, I just finished preparing our dinner. Don't you smell that? Such a rich aroma, you should go eat."

"I'm busy."

Your diet were just small bites, the rest being substituted by coffee. Childe could clearly tell that you weren't getting enough sleep either as there were dark circles forming underneath your eyes and slowly, he was starting to become a little irritated.

Three hours passed midnight but you were still awake in the same place doing the same thing. Childe leans against the doorframe with arms folded, already changed into his sleeping clothes. He clears his throat to break the silence, "Ahem."

Your wrist hangs in mid air by the sound of a strange visitor, it was your boyfriend. Gaze in a daze, you lazily turned your head, "What time is it?"

"Way passed the sleeping hours as you can see," he points with his thumb at the table clock in a half-hearted manner, "You should already be in bed by now and don't think you can coax yourself out of the situation this time," his eyes parted in slits as he added with a smile, "Otherwise I might just have to force you myself."

You shook your head, "Give me one more hour? There's some finishing touches I really want to add so," clasping your hands together, you beamed sweetly, "Pretty please? I'll finish up soon."

"Oh really?" Childe challenges, head tossed back like he was interrogating you instead, "I believe that was also what you told me yesterday. And the day before? Adding up all of those days that would be.....four in total?" He deliberately counts upon his fingers before facing you again, this time his expression was slightly more serious, "As much as I find your determination remarkable, there are moments when you need to consider a sufficient amount of rest and this just isn't going to cut it."

"Four days already?!" You exclaimed, "Jeez, I don't even know if I'm halfway done."

Pressing his lips together, Childe glares in an acutely deadpanned countenance, it was also his time too, "Can't you ask this commissioner to extend your due date to next week? In your case, mora shouldn't be the issue since, well...you're dating me anyways."

It's true. Childe was the main reason why you didn't have to live as a starving artist. He had all your expenses fully covered from the marketing aspect to your residence, you simply chose to work out of pure will.

"I don't want to always rely on you so much," you confessed, "This commissioner could turn my whole career around. If I'm able to gain his favour, maybe I'll get promoted to a court painter for the Qixing! Who knows when there will ever be a chance like this again," pumping your fists, you spoke purposefully, "I'll pull an all nighters if I have to!"

Childe brings his hand to his forehead, you looked as if you were nearly about to collapse and yet still considering the option of an all-nighters? The harbinger should've detained you days prior before.

"Hm? Childe, what's wrong?" He suddenly falls deadly quiet and you watched him walk closer towards you, "What are--"

Hooking an arm behind your knees and the other at your back, your boyfriend lifts you up in one full swoop as he tossed you over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Guess we'll have to do things the hard way," he remarks cheerfully.

"W-Wait," you flailed your arms and kicked your legs but to no avail. Childe was an experienced combatant indeed, "Put me down! I have work to do."

Your protests fall upon deaf ears as the harbinger carries you to your room. You were oddly lighter than the last time he carried you, the strength less vigor than before, it was obvious that your body was in need of relaxation. He suddenly thinks there was a possibility that you would maintain this habit while he was absent.

I should probably visit more often.

Using his free leg to nudge the door open, he places you upon the shared bed in a gentle manner. You winced at the impact of the soft sheets, surprised by how much it affect you.

"There we go. All done. Man, you really are a stubborn one, aren't you. Makes me a little worried since I can't spoil you all the time."

He quickly invited himself to the empty space on your bedside and wrapped his arms around your figure, pulling you close and feeling you whole. Childe made sure there was no escape once putting his chin above your hairline so that you could feel his warmth as much as possible.

"This is--" you stuttered. His tactic was enough to make your limbs soften and you could almost hear him smirk into the distance, "This is cheating..."

"You think so?" He comments as if pledging innocence, "I don't know babe. Where I come from those who take the initiative are the ones who end up claiming the prize," pulling back, Childe takes the opportunity to observe your pouty face, "I don't make the rules. It's just how it goes."

You wanted to argue back but he suddenly took the bedsheets and covered both of your bodies with, completely trapping you with his presence. He snuggles into you further as if you were a bear made of linen and you felt the drowsiness taking over your mind. The way he gently pats down the back of your head was enough to instantly lull you into a deep sleep.

"Cheater," you mumbled.

He laughs softly, the rumbles emitting through his chest, "I love you too babe."

Even after you've let go of your resistance, Childe continues his actions until he was sure that you were resting. He had been longing to touch you like this since living a chaotic life only made peaceful moments much sweeter, "You're such a hard-worker you know that? I'm proud of you but you have to know when to call it a day," he whispers, "If not, how can I go on trips while knowing that you're still refusing to eat properly?"

You closed your eyes and said nothing in return. All your senses were too cloudy to come up with a reassuring response. Childe listens to the way your breath evens as you intake his scent during the process. It smelled like the soap you used in the showers, lotus leaves mixed with his own unique musk. You could only focus on him. His comforting embrace. His slightly accelerating heartbeat because you were together with him.

Letting out one final yawn, you succumbed to his spell and allowed your energy to drift away.

The corners of his lips tug upwards, "Sleep well princess."

Childe reaches over to your desk drawer and shuts off the alarm clock before turning over to face you again. He couldn't fall asleep immediately, not when he had to consider taking care of the commissioner who gave you an impossible deadline. But that will be saved for another day, for now, he observes in silent serenity.

If he were to quit his job for a year, what would his life be like?

Peaceful. Something opposite of what he was living right now. Something similar to the life he had back home. As you arrange the many paintings in your little home, he'll offer to help you among the places you couldn't reach. Without a doubt, Childe was far taller in comparison. Taking strolls into the streets and trying the new dishes the merchants came up with. Then in the evenings, you'll both go to dinner dates while listening to the storyteller revealing the rumours of the legendary Tianquan Qixing. Although Childe loved the adventurous life he led, he had to admit that your domesticity and family-bringing atmosphere was a tempting idea.

Maybe one day.

He lightly takes a strand that had fallen over your nose and tucked it smoothly behind your ear. The soft snores coming out of your parted lips caused his gaze to melt. And so he steals them with his own, placing a chaste goodnight kiss.

One day I'll be sure to bring my family here with us.

Closing his eyes, he joins you in your slumber, hoping to see all that he envisioned in his dreams.

[interlunium-opus]

No Place I’d Rather Be. [ Jay ]

[ Jay | fluff ]

Abstract: when you went to the library on the night when the Triennial Winter Ball was held, you expected to be all alone. But Jay, your best friend and the  campus heartthrob is somehow already there waiting for you.

You stared out of the corridors of windows as you ascended up the staircase of the desolated library, your eyes fixated on the bustling crowd outside. It was the night the Triennial Winter Ball was held: basically the night everyone looked forward to the moment they started university. Unlike how dark, drab and quiet winter nights in campus usually are — tonight, the campus was alight with festive lights lining up the path leading up to the grand hall and students filtering in, decked in their “Sunday best”, filling the otherwise quiet night with cacophony of laughters, chatters, and whispers.

Standing in contrast with the crowd outside was you, all alone in the dimly-lit library, decked in monochrome with books in hand instead clinking glasses and waltzing with others in an elegant dress. You sighed as you thought to yourself, who am I kidding, my introverted soul wouldn’t last a minute in there.

“You’re late today.”

You jumped, startled, dropping some of the books you were carrying. Given the context of tonight, no one should have been in the library right now. Especially not the campus heartthrob and the social butterfly, Jay Park.

“Jay?” You called out, squinting your eyes to get a clearer view of the tall figure at the end of the aisle. The dim-lighting were of no help at all but the blonde locks and the deep voice were a massive giveaway, “wait..what are you doing here?!”

“You look petrified to see your own best friend, it’s almost heartbreaking,” Jay muttered sarcastically as he made his way towards you before reaching down to pick up the books you had dropped.

“Well, duh, no one should be here tonight especially not you,” you retorted as you walked towards your usual seat at the corner, the one with the large windows and dimmest lighting, “people are going to think that you got kidnapped or something and oh God, the amount of hearts you’re breaking tonight with your no-show.”

“Well, what’s your excuse?” Jay raised an eyebrow at you.

“Jay, we have been best friends for almost 2 years now, you know why I am not there — I would just combust,” you said as a matter-of-factly as you took a seat.

“But it’s our final year, you’ve got to make it count — socially I mean. And come on, it’s the Triennial Winter Ball not some frat party,” he grumbled as he sat on the armrest of the chair next to you with his body facing you and arms folded. Being a massive extrovert with a lifestyle that tends toward opulence — tonight’s extravagance was right up his alley and all month long he had been endlessly badgering you to attend it. Being the massive introvert you are though, the ball is basically the last thing you would want to attend.

That said, as incredulous as the friendship between the two of you are to many people, you two are polar opposites that complement one another in a way that two differently-shaped puzzle pieces can only fit one another. Being a social butterfly, your individualism, rationality and brilliant intellect really stood in stark contrast with the homogenous crowd and superficial conversations that he constantly surround himself with. With an equally subtle sarcastic dark humor to match, a tenacity like no others and a brilliant intellect that constantly challenge and stimulates his mind — you’re like an oasis in the desert.

Likewise, Jay, too, was like a breath of fresh air to you. You have had some initial reservations about him though. After all, he was more known for his lavish lifestyle and the parties he throw. But beyond those such fronts, Jay was highly knowledgable with strong passion for what he believes in — qualities of which really matched yours. Not to mention, being pragmatic and rational himself, he was one of the rare few people in your life that you don’t need to put up a social filter for as he is always able to objectively understand your views and opinions.

That is how you two end up going from being touted as the “cursed” pairing that was doomed to fail when you two were first paired for a project in “Modern Political Thought” module, to the Dream Team that ended up trouncing everyone else’s project, attaining the highest score out of everyone in class. In fact, you two just keep on surprising everyone by becoming almost inseparable even after the module ended.

“Who’s to say a couple of drinks isn’t going to turn a ball into a frat party?” You shot him an incredulous look before turning your attention to the books you were flipping, “… exam is around the corner anyway.”

“1.5 months away,” he emphasized as he lowered his head down to your level, peeking over your shoulders to take a closer look at your notes, “Seriously? you’re skipping tonight’s extravagance and festivities for Multivariate Functions and Lagrangian? I’d have let it slide if you were working on a prose instead.”

“Well what’s your excuse for being here then? I’m pretty sur-“ you stopped mid-sentence, caught off guard by how close his face actually was to yours when you looked up to face him. Jay’s face as usual was unperturbed, his blonde locks softly framed his chiseled face and his lips was pouty in concentration as his eyes travelled from one end of your notebook to the other before he turned his face slightly and met your gaze. You swore for a moment you felt your heart skip a beat but the moment one corner of his lips lifted into his signature lopsided grin, that thought immediately disappeared as you knew he was going to say something sarcastic or dramatic.

“How can I be so selfish and party away when my best friend is all sad and depressed alone in this library?”

You scoffed, rolling your eyes, “Jay, as if-”

“Also,” he suddenly interjected, “the girl that I asked out for tonight rejected me so….”

“Wait, what?!” You gasped, “The Jay Park got rejected?”

“I know right. She rejected an offer that millions would have killed for,” he shrugged as he straightened back up.

“Exactly! who in their right mind would- anyway, at the risk of sounding insensitive, couldn’t you have substituted her with other girls? Like you said, millions would have killed to be your date — you can just pick and choose.”

“Wow, ____, you really have ice in your veins don’t you?” he smirked.

“Whatever, just being rational.”

“I know. I definitely could. I mean the head cheerleader asked me out too so I could have just accepted it,” he murmured, “but...” he paused, “as cringeworthy as this sounds, 80% of the reason why I really looked forward to the ball was because I was looking forward to spending it with the girl who rejected me. So without her in the picture, the whole vision just suddenly lost its spark. Like… I’d rather just spend time with her then whether it is at a ball or library or wherever.”

“Oh…” you managed, unsure how to react, “that’s kind of… deep I guess. Well yeah, I mean if you still don’t feel bitter over her rejecting you then sure, you do you, go after her. Unless of course she’s at the ball with someone else then maybe not…”

Instead of responding promptly as he usually does, Jay just heaved a huge sigh as if he was disappointed or something. His eyes glued onto yours as if trying to pry some information out of your mind, “You know you’re awfully dense. Have you ever thought that maybe you’re too studious that it’s beginning to cost you your social skills or something?”

Jay has always been blunt but tonight, it was just on a different level. It was almost like he was here to intentionally grate you as if someone was actually keeping score. You retorted, “Excuse me. Did you just come all the way here to push my buttons? Because yo-“

You stopped mid-sentence again when he suddenly leaned closer towards you, his hands on either side of you, one on the edge of your table and the other, gripping your headrest, “I am already with her right now.”

You furrowed your brows in confusion, your mind working on overdrive.

“Fine,” he uttered, ”let me spell it out for you — you’re the girl. You’re the one who rejected me. Twice.”

You opened your mouth to tell him to stop joking but his unperturbed facial expressions told you otherwise. Still in disbelief, you stammered, “No way — Me? When?! I mean we talked about the ball a couple of times but you’ve never… unless - wait… you were serious?”

You remembered it was a Saturday night, about 2 weeks ago at almost 4 AM when you and Jay was at the library burning the midnight oil. You were busy trying to finish up your Econometrics assignment while Jay, who had long given up with his Philosophy assignment, was engrossed in a movie marathon next to you.

“Ugh,” you groaned when your regression results turned ‘insignificant’. You turned your attention to the papers and books strewn across your desk, frantically flipping through the pages to see where the error could have been and how else can you rectify this.

“You need to sleep on it,” Jay murmured, casting worried glances at you, “You’ve been on it for hours.”

“I can’t,” you shook your head, your eyes scanning over your messy handwriting, “I’ll end up obsessing about it again at home so I definitely need to get to the bottom of this today, that’s the only way I can sleep.”

Jay sighed, pausing his movie and turning his attention fully towards you, “Fine. But you really need to reward yourself for working so hard this semester because otherwise, you’ll just burn out. Also, by reward, I did not mean hibernating.”

“Hmm,” you nodded absentmindedly when suddenly Jay snatched the pen you were using, “Hey ___ eyes on the person talking please. What did I just say?”

You rolled you eyes, relenting, “Something about rewarding myself and not hibernating — there, happy? Can I get my pen back?”

“Good,” Jay beamed, quickly pulling his hand away when you were about to snatch your pen back from his grasp, “The Triennial Winter Ball would be a good idea of a reward by the way.”

You scoffed, “Jay, that is probably your idea of a reward but it definitely won’t be mine. First, I’ve got to look all made up from top to bottom — that takes up too much resources for something an introvert like me possibly won’t even enjoy — that’s the equivalent of some floppy investment prospects right there.

“Secondly, I avoid crowds like the plague whenever I could help it and the ball has all the variables that could make me combust on spot: there are a lot people; a lot of emotions; a lot of expectations and — well, you get the picture.

“And finally, I would need to find someone to go with — again, too much trouble.“

“You have me, where’s the trouble in that?” he asserted, snatching your pencil case away this time when you were about to reach for it, “Just go with me then.”

“Yeah no that’s ridiculous,” you shook your head, stretching your hand out to him, beckoning him to give your stationaries back, “Stop playing, give me my stationaries back.”

Ignoring your demand, he pressed on, “Why is that so ridiculous?”

You sighed, “Because A) everyone wants a piece of you so B) I’d be burnt at stake if we do go together. And also C) You should spend that special night with a special someone, not your best friend — come on, Jay, you need to work on your prioritization skill.”

“Wait — that was meant to be it?” You shrieked as you recalled the memory, “I mean, it just rolls so casually in our conversation — I couldn’t have possibly picked it up as serious. Anyway, fine — when was the other time?”

“Just a few days ago when I was sending you home,” Jay replied as-a-matter-of-factly. Jay remembered skipping dance practice that night, earning an earful from the instructor the next day, just so that he can walk you home after your Students’ Union meeting with the president, Yang Jungwon.

“You’re really set on not going to the ball?” Jay asked for the umpteenth time and you nodded.

“What if I tell you that I know someone who is thinking of asking you out for the ball?” Jay prodded, stopping you in your tracks, “I’m serious.”

“Still no.”

“I have not even told you who he was,” Jay grumbled.

“Fine, entertain me,” you relented.

“Jungwon.”

“Jay stop messing around.”

“I told you I’m serious, geez,” Jay said exasperatedly.

“But why — what is that kid thinking…”

“I don’t know — maybe you should stop having some night meetings with him alone before it grows into a full-blown crush or something,” Jay shrugged before you smack him lightly on the arm. “Ouch!” he whined, “Anyway so? Will that be a yes or a no?”

“Of course no, Jungwon’s a definite no.”

“Well, I saved him from a heartbreak then,” Jay mumbled.

“Huh?” You stared at him.

“Nothing,” Jay quipped, smiling sheepishly. The truth was, one of the reason why he insisted to walk you home tonight was because he overheard Jungwon telling Heeseung this morning that he definitely would ask you out to the ball after the meeting, perhaps right after, perhaps while walking you home. Knowing that someone as upright as Jungwon was going to ask you out, Jay thought he should have been elated for this might mean that you will actually come to the ball. But somehow, like a broken record, the conversation kept on playing in his mind all day during his classes, accompanied with the 1001 likely scenarios of how you’d likely respond to him. By the time night has set in, all he knew was that he was dead set on not letting Jungwon ask you out to the ball, by hook or by crook. He did not fully comprehend why, perhaps he just did not like Jungwon, he thought. Or maybe, he didn’t like you with Jungwon together — or perhaps, he actually didn’t like you with any other guys. Fortunately by the time he had reached the Student Centre of the Campus, completely out of breath that is, he can see that you and Jungwon were still discussing the union project. Once the meeting ended, as indicated by Jungwon switching the projector off, Jay just barged in, announcing that he’ll take you home much to your suprise and to Jungwon’s dismay.

“Why not though?” Jay suddenly asked, “I mean accepting Jungwon? He’s like the textbook example of an ideal guy: cute, smart, upright, overachiever and whatnot”

“Well, my good friend has a crush on him for the longest time so that’s one big reason,” you explained, “also, we don’t even know each other that well on a personal level for me to say yes to.”

“Then would you go with me instead?” Jay suddenly grabbed onto your hand, stopping you in your tracks, “I mean, if you’re worried about having a good time, wouldn’t I be ideal then?”

For a moment, silence engulfed the two of you as you two stared into one another’s eyes. You opened your mouth to say something but immediately closed it, remembering how just this morning you overheard that the head cheerleader had asked Jay out, “Jay, just go with someone else more fitting okay? You don’t have to pity invite me or something, I’m fine. I heard the head cheerleader asked you out — isn’t that perfect? two campus heartthrobs together? You guys would be the talk of campus and the envy of many.”

Despite the praises, he could feel his heart sank. While it was not an explicit rejection, your nonchalance, for the second time, pricked him. Not one to be emotional, he plastered a smile as he slowly let your hand go, “Yeah, I guess.”

“Oh no, crap, I’m sorry Jay,” you sank in your seat as you stared at him in disbelief. No wonder, he looked so taken aback that night, you thought, and how cold he was the next day. “You know what, yeah I’m definitely dense — I think I traded my social skills for good grades. You can tease me with that all you want, I won’t even try to defend myself anymore.”

“Well, on the bright side, flirtations from others can’t get through to you — you’re like a fortress or something,” Jay chuckled, shaking his head.

“I’m sorry though really,” you bit your lip, apologetic, “What can I do to make it up to you? Oh you know what — that Michelin-starred restaurant that just opened up in the corner? How about I’ll treat you there for tomorrow? It’ll break my wallet but if it will unbreak what I’ve done to you -- I’d gladly commit to the splurge.”

“Oh come on, I’m not that materialistic,” Jay scoffed, “Do you mean it though, that you’ll do anything?”

“Absolutely,” you nodded, “Within moral and ethical bounds, that is.”

Suddenly Jay extended his hand towards you, beckoning you to take it. 

“You’re not dragging me to the ball right now right?” you took his hand and he pulled you up to your feet, leading you towards a more spacious area, “We’re underdressed for it Jay. I mean look at me, I’m decked in monochrome -- I basically look like I’m mourning.”

He chuckled as he pulled out his AirPods case, taking out one and gently inserting it into your ear before inserting the other pair into his, “Don’t worry, there are no dress codes for our own private ball.”

Soft music started to play through the AirPods, it was “Best Part” by Daniel Caesar ft. H.E.R. “Just dance along with me alright? I don’t need to be splurged on,” Jay’s hand slowly snaked over your back, pulling you close to him as he carefully yet smoothly guide you to the melody of the music.

“Well, gotta warn you though,” you smiled sheepishly, “I’m bad at this so don’t sue me if I step on your Pradas.”

“Fine, exclusively for tonight, I’ll put my Pradas at risk,” he quipped, his eyes glued onto yours, “Say, if you had known that I was serious — would you have said ’yes’ to me?”

You looked up, meeting his warm gaze which somehow, perhaps due to the proximity, was making your heart skip a beat, “I think so? I mean, I hate crowds but you would usually make me forget that I was in one. Also, you’ve always said yes to all of my weird adventures so I always feel like I need to repay you back in-kind if the opportunity arises.”

Despite always trying to keep his composure in the face of any nerve-wrecking  moment, Jay failed this time as he feel his smile widened while his heart raced uncontrollably. He couldn’t exactly pinpointed why: was it your sudden heart-fluttering words; was it the proximity; was it the the warmth that he could feel on both hands; was it the atmosphere; was it the fireworks that was starting to set off outside; or was it just you?

Suddenly, he thought in retrospect, he was glad that you had said “no” to him. He wouldn’t have traded the moment tonight, just you and him away from all the external noises, for a waltz in a crowded and noisy ballroom, even with all the glitz and glamour that it offers. In fact, tonight best represented what you meant to him, like that of an oasis in a desert, your presence alone is enough for him even if he has to search through the highs and lows for you -- it is just you who he’ll gravitate to eventually. 

_______

Author’s note: first imagine wheee! Hope you guys like this one :3

[space-mermaid-writing]

House Arrest [Loki X Reader] Chapter 1

Summary: You are Clint’s 'little' sister and actually a trained Shield agent. But you gave that up a few years ago and became a Chef, because you wanted a normal live. Then one day Natasha shows up at your door and takes you to the Avenger Tower for a while for security reasons.

Tags: Reader is an former Shield Agent, chef!reader, Reader Barton, 2012 Avenger vibes, everything is still alright, Slice of Life, Avengers Family, Loki has a good heart, still the god of mischief, Slow Burn, mention of food and cooking

Read it on AO3

Chapter 1: New Home

It's just before midnight when you finally get off work. You really like your job, but the hours are murder. Being a chef at one of the most expensive five-star restaurants in Philadelphia has its price. You take off your apron, which has hardly any stains from the last few hours on it, and throw it in the wash. The white jacket goes neatly into your locker and is replaced by a cardigan and a scarf. It’s a cool night. With a last good bye to your colleagues, who are still putting the dishes into the dishwashers, you make your way home.

The night is dark, but the streets are lit by lanterns and the windows of closed stores. Even if it had been pitch black, it wouldn't have worried you to have to walk alone through the empty alleys. Last year a guy had tried to rob you and threatened you with a knife. You had given him a broken nose and several stab wounds in the shoulder. After all, you had been trained at Shield. But the poor guy didn’t know that.

Half an hour later you arrive at your apartment. It's more functional than nicely furnished, and everything is a bit of a pick 'n' mix. But you don't mind it, because you spend most of your time at work anyway. At home you don't feel such great importance to culinary variety when it comes to your own food. A pizza or French fries with ketchup were always welcome. After all, you've been standing at the stove long enough at work. Tired, you decide to wait until breakfast for your next meal and, after a quick change of clothes, just fall into bed.

Fortunately, the next day is your day off. You make good use of it and sleep in. Afterwards you have an nice brunch with eggs, bacon and toast and after a short shower you go into town to do some errands. The sun is shining warmly from the sky and it's a beautiful spring day. If this holds up until the weekend, maybe you'd visit the weekly market and see what exotic and rare foods you can grab there. You love these little trips, even if you rarely find the time.

About two hours later and with three full shopping bags, you re-enter your apartment. It's on the second floor of a rather nondescript building, but the interior is very modern, with pastel-colored, high walls. You put everything in the kitchen cabinets and then brew yourself a tea/coffee, with which you make yourself comfortable on the couch and turn on the TV. It's time to relax a little. So you zap through the programs, watch the rest of an episode of your favorite series and then decide to watch a reality series, which is not exactly known for its quality but is entertaining. So the noon goes by until suddenly the doorbell rings. You get up to see if it's the mailman or a neighbor with a package. But a look through the peephole shows you that it is neither. Surprised, you open the door "Nat!" Natasha Romanoff is a friend of you and your brother, as well as the godmother of his children. But due to her job you rarely see each other. "Hey," she greets you with a small smile. "Can I come in?" "Sure." You lead her into the living room, where you turn off the TV. "What can I get you? Tea, coffee, milkshake?" "Coffee is fine." You disappear into the kitchen for a moment as she sits down in the armchair. Natasha was a rare visitor. Mostly she came with some news from Clint. You see him even less because he spends what little free time he has mostly with his wife and the two kids. Understandable. You don't hold it against him and try to visit them on holidays or for birthdays at her farm.

It doesn't take long until you return to the Russian woman with a new cup and some pastries and sit down on the couch again. "Well," you ask her curiously. "What do I owe the pleasure?" Natasha reaches for her cup. "It’s rather inconvenience. But first tell me if you’ve observed anything unusual lately." Questioningly, you look at her. "What do you mean?" "Nothing weird? You sure?", she asks. "Tell me what I'm supposed to have seen, please," you prompt her, both impatient and confused. Natasha gets right to the point. "You're being monitored." "By Shield?" "By Hydra." Stunned by this news, you remain silent. Natasha uses this pause to drink her coffee. "Oh, this is really good." But you don't listen to her at all, because various thoughts are circling in your head. And again you try to remember if you have noticed anything: same people you met, vehicles, anything. But you got pretty used to your life and didn't pay attention at these things. "Anyway, I'm here to pick you up. For your own safety it’s best if you stay with us for a while," Natasha finally breaks the silence and you look up. "What could Hydra possibly want from me? I don't know any internal secrets anymore. There are better to kidnap than me." "That's what we're trying to figure out right now." "Well, the danger doesn't seem to be acute", you note. "If they wanted to grab me, I wouldn't be sitting here by now. Thanks, but I decline and prefer to stay here. I have my job and the apartment." And now that you know what's going on, you can pay attention and take the necessary precautions, too. "Thanks for warning me." Natasha, on the other hand, doesn't look like she gives you a choice. "You know Shield has its ways to convince you?", she reminds you, but you shrug. Why would such a large organization bother with a single civilian like you? "What does my dear brother say about this matter?", you ask instead. "He hasn't been informed yet." Ergo, they deliberately leave him out of it so that he can't protest. You know this kind of approach of Shield.

Clint understands and supports you in your civilian life, even though he protested the loudest back when you announced your exit. "How’s he?", you want to know from Natasha, who is now finishing her coffee. "He's alive." That can mean just about anything from being happy and healthy to badly hurt but breathing. Better than being dead, you guess. "He's out in Africa with Steve right now." "Busy, huh?" "As usual." She stands up as a sign that she has nothing more to say for the day, and you walk her to the door, where you bid her farewell. "We'll talk again soon," she promises, but admittedly you have little desire to do so right now. "Sure," you reply and close the door behind her.

Well, that were some news. You put her empty cup in the sink and pause thoughtfully by the window. How could you have missed Hydra's agent, you ask yourself while glancing out. Your new life made you too comfortable. But it also takes up a lot of time and energy. And anyway, you dropped out because you didn't want to be cautiousness all the time anymore. You wanted a normal life with a normal job and normal problems. Away from agents, assassinations and super powers. You didn't want to check every day on your way to work if you were being followed, secretly monitored or if someone else was out to get you. That's why you’ve chosen this life. With a sigh, you sit back down on the couch. The past never leaves you alone, you guess. But tomorrow would be a long day even without these new old worries.

~~

The advantage of being a chef is usually that you don't have to get up at the crack of dawn for work. Most Restaurants open at noon, some even in the evening. So does the one where you work. There are preparations to be made before opening time, but you can still sleep through the morning, do some housework, and then head to the restaurant in the sunny afternoon. That's where the trouble starts, though. Just as you're about to open your locker to change your clothes, someone taps you on the shoulder. It's your boss, who hands you a letter. You can tell immediately from his serious expression that something is wrong. And when you open the envelope, you discover your resignation. You look up, perplexed, but you lose out in the following discussion. You don't even get a decent explanation, and that’s what annoys you the most. You're pretty sure your skills aren’t the issue, neither is the way you work. Nor the way you treat your colleagues, with whom you get along very well, even if the tone among cooks is a bit rough. You go back to your apartment, now in a bad mood. It‘s unbelievable! The sunny weather seems like a mockery to you now, and the people you meet along the way are in far too good a mood, in your opinion. It will be hell to find another good job as this was.

Arriving back home you immediately get more bad news: your landlord put a notice on your apartment door. The bathrooms in the building will get completely renovated soon and will be unusable for several weeks. Plus the heavy construction noise during the day. And the water would be turned off. It would be best to find temporary substitute apartment, so they recommend. "Haha...ha..." You laugh dryly and unlock the door. Was that a coincidence? When Natasha had been here yesterday? Probably not. You know Shield's methods and that it’s easy for them to take away your job and your apartment just to get their way. You have two options: either you accept the offer before Shield gets any more stupid ideas, or you run away and try to hide. With a sigh you go into your bedroom and throw a suitcase on the bed, in which you pack clothes, the most important documents and some things from the kitchen you need for work. Not everything fits, so you add a second travel bag. Meanwhile, you think about who you could complain to. Your brother was a favorite target of yours, but he a) had nothing to do with this matter and b) was not in the country. Which’s a shame, because you'd really like to have him by your side right now. If you wanted to complain to Shield directly, Fury would probably be the best person to do it. But you hold too much respect for him to vent your anger to him. Maybe just the next Shield agent who would come to you on this matter would have to step in. You know someone would definitely get back to you. With one last look around your apartment, you leave it and lock the door. Then you shoulder your bag and make your way out.

Just as you're thinking about getting a large coffee from Starbucks down the street, a red sports car pulls up to the side of the road. Natasha at the wheel. "Hmph..." You walk over to her and throw your luggage in the back seat. Then you take a seat in the passenger seat yourself. "Just for the record, I'm not happy with this." "I can see that." She tries to give a sympathetic smile, but you know this is just a job to her. "Well then, off to the Bat Cave, Wayne." "Does that make you Robin?", the Russian asks, driving off. "I guess", you reply snippy, not interested in keeping the conversation going. Fortunately, Natasha wasn't exactly the talkative sort either, so you have some peace and quiet to get your thoughts in order.

It takes you just under two hours to drive from Philadelphia to New York with city traffic slowing you down a bit. Otherwise, you would have arrived earlier at the former Stark Tower. It's been the Avenger Tower for some time now, but that doesn't make much difference, except that Tony Stark seems to be too lazy to put the remaining letters back on it.

Natasha parks in the private underground garage and you take the elevator up to the grand lobby. She tells you about the current residents here. There’s the usual staff, who are of course always present. Of all the Avengers, Bruce Banner is living here permanently. "He actually hardly ever leaves the lab," the Russian explains. "I'm currently living here, too. Every now and then Thor stops by, but mostly he prefers to explore the world. And his brother Loki is here. There have been some...problems with him and he's sort of under supervision here. Tony trusts technology more than Asgard. The owner of the house, by the way, is out visiting an outpost right now." "There are even Avengers outposts?" Natasha nods as she walks you down the halls to the living area. "But don't tell Hydra." "Sure", you promise unfazed. "Speaking of which, if I want to go out to visit someone, do I need a key or how does this work?" "It's better if you stay here in the house for now. It's for your safety, after all." "For how long?", you want to know. The answer is short. "As long as necessary." "So I'm sort of locked in here”, you state. That's typical Shield. As soon as there's any problem, an agent is sent in to put everything in solitary arrest or quarantine. As long as it’s shielded from the rest of the world. Natasha stops in front of a door that is now yours, but doesn't look directly at you, which as much of an answer as you get. "I'll be fine on my own now, thanks," you smile politely but not genuinely at her, and after she assures you that you're free to move around inside the building, you head off with your luggage in your new apartment.

[hermannsthumb]

Town council Hermann vs Alien Conspiracy Newt please!!!

THIS WAS FUN!!! inspired both by this tweet and conversations abt a newt/herm AU of that tweet with @k-sci-janitor (who also thought of the funniest sign newt made in this fic, aka the cheekbones one, and what his tats should look like). this is long sorry :/ gets a little spicy towards the end but nothing worse than a high pg13/light M

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

The evening of the weekly town council meeting, it pours like nothing else. Which Hermann figures is really quite appropriate. Loathe as he is to soak his trouser legs, trudge through the mud that used to be his front walk, and hold his umbrella for so long his arm aches (for the community center is a mere half-mile walk away that Hermann can't justify substituting with a bus), he can't imagine council meetings happening in any other sort of weather. In fact, they rarely tend to; their dreariness seems to be a necessity, part of the preparation, as if to put everyone in as miserable a mood as possible.

Hermann hates council meetings. He supposes he'd be more sympathetic towards the plights of his constituents—if one can call one's neighbors constituents—if he'd wanted the damned job in the first place. As it is, he feels a bit like he was conned into it. Hermann had been a lowly physics professor at the local community college, passionate about public education and funding for public education and all those proper sorts of things an educator ought to be concerned about, when he suddenly found himself seized with the idea of making a difference. So he ran for a head position on the council. And he won it. Only no one told him that the council deals a lot less with public education and a lot more with noise complaints, cul-de-sac bake sales, and raccoons in dustbins, which makes why he ran completely unopposed all the more obvious.

A fat raindrop explodes against the edge of Hermann's umbrella and splashes his glasses. Hermann grits his teeth and wipes them dry with the cuff of his sweater. Bloody meeting; bloody rain; Hermann just wants to go back home, and fix up a nice pot of herbal tea, and set a blanket in the dryer for ten minutes, and...

"Dr. Gottlieb! Hey, Dr. Gottlieb, wait—!"

A blur in an oversized yellow raincoat hurdles itself at Hermann from the stairs of the community center. Hermann considers pretending he is a different Dr. Gottlieb, one who certainly has no reason to know maniacs in raincoats, or maybe high-tailing it in the other direction. This is the other reason why Hermann loathes council meetings: Newton Geiszler.

The unfortunate thing is that Newton Geiszler was, at one point, a respectable academic type, and in fact one of Hermann's own colleagues at the community college. (Hermann only found this out after the fact—he does not make a habit of intermingling much with the biology department.) And Hermann does mean was. Around a year ago, Geiszler was asked to temporarily step down from his position after he suddenly and unexpectedly went off the deep end. He has not been asked to come back yet. And not without reason. "Dr. Geiszler," Hermann sighs. "I've asked you not to lurk about here like that. It's...unsettling."

"Sorry, man, sorry," Geiszler shouts. He stomps over and makes himself at home under Hermann's umbrella. Hermann's not sure how he's been managing to see anything, let alone Hermann approaching down the sidewalk: his glasses are completely fogged-up and rain-splattered. "Do you mind if—thanks, dude."

Geiszler flips his hood down. He’s short, only coming up to Hermann's nose, with stubble nearly overgrown to a full beard and a mess of wet brown hair. He shakes that hair now, like a dog, soaking Hermann in the process. Hermann growls. "I beg your pardon,” he says.

"Oops,” Geiszler says. “Sorry. Anyway, Dr. Gottlieb, I'm really glad I caught you, there are—there are some things I wanted to tell you about. Before the meeting. They're—hold on." He rummages around in the deep pockets of his raincoat and produces a damp notebook, which he begins to flip through frantically. "It's about—"

"I know what it's about," Hermann says. Geiszler fumbles to push his glasses back up his nose. "In fact, there are some things I need to speak with you about as well."

"You've seen them?" Geiszler says in a hushed tone.

Hermann scowls. "I certainly have.”

They first started cropping up in the forest around the little cabin Geiszler calls home. Then, like dandelions or bamboo, they spread fast and far—to the town commons, in the front lawn of the coffee shop Hermann frequents, in front of his house. Whenever Hermann dashes one down with his cane or hauls one off to a rubbish bin, two more only crop up in its place. It's annoying, frankly. As if Hermann doesn't have to deal with enough already.

3 ALIEN ABDUCTIONS IN ONE WEEK - WHEN IS THE COUNCIL GOING TO DO SOMETHING?, the new one sitting in front of the community center says.

It's better than last week's sign, Hermann supposes. THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE - AND HERMANN GOTTLIEB IS BLIND TO IT.

"You know you need a permit for those, Dr. Geiszler," Hermann says. "Or, at the very least, the council's permission. They're a public nuisance."

"My signs are a public nuisance?" Geiszler shouts. Hermann flinches back. Geiszler may be compact, but if he doesn't have the shrillest voice on the whole damned planet. "Open your eyes, dude! A dozen people went missing last month! The only public nuisance is whatever's coming from—" He bites his lip and jabs his finger at the sky, as if saying anything remotely akin to outer space would suddenly send fleets of UFOs pouring down from above. "And you're just letting them walk right fucking in."

“I thought they were flying in?" Hermann says. He raps Geiszler’s shin with the end of his cane. "Do get out of my way, Dr. Geiszler. The meeting starts in ten minutes, and you're welcome to air all of your grievances then."

Geiszler is silent as Hermann ducks around him and ascends the community center ramp. For a moment, Hermann thinks he may have won this small victory, and then he hears the wet slaps of Geiszler's rain boots against the pavement behind him. "Really funny," Newton says. "Real fucking funny, dude. I bet it'll be just as funny when they come for you next!"

Hermann unlocks the door. Geiszler waves a stack of black-and-white polaroids beneath his nose. "I took these last week," Geiszler says, and begins flipping through them as frantically as he had his notepad. Each one is blurry and indistinct, like Geiszler snapped them through a gauzy curtain with shaking hands. Hermann's not sure what he's meant to be looking at. "The day that waitress went missing from the bus stop. And two nights after that—your neighbor, the one who went outside to let his cat in and never came b—"

"Enough," Hermann says. He pushes the polaroids away, knocking two to the ground, and Geiszler scrambles to pick them up before they're ruined. "Dr. Geiszler, it is undoubtedly tragic that these people have—er—vanished, as they have, but continuously insisting extraterrestrials had something to do with it, and furthermore—" Geiszler opens his mouth as if to argue, but Hermann raises his voice and pushes on. "—furthermore, that I'm meant to do something about it, is completely—well, it's unhinged, frankly. I'm not law enforcement. Or the mayor. Or bloody—NASA. What do you want from me?"

Geiszler stares at him for a long time. He pockets his photographs. "They're gonna come for you," he says, ominously. "Just like they did for me."

The meeting goes off as expected, which is to say, badly. Hermann gets shouted at by nearly everyone in town, many of whom blame Hermann and his presumed negligence for the disappearances over the past year as well (blessedly, they don't also blame aliens), though many more of them blame him for more trivial things such as the broken water fountain in the commons or the library's slow wireless internet. Hermann can't decide which is worse.

As it is, when the clock strikes eight, he's more than ready to go home. "Right," he announces, standing up and making a show of tidying his meeting notes. They're already tidy: Hermann's notes are always meticulous. He continues—rather quickly, in case someone gets bold and attempts to interrupt him, "Thank you all very much for such a, er, productive meeting. I'll make sure to pass along everything you've said to the appropriate people. If there's nothing else..."

Geiszler jumps to his feet. A few people groan; Hermann has a feeling they're just about as sick of him as Hermann is. "Um, yeah, actually, I want to add something."

"No," Hermann says. “Dr. Geiszler, please, we can talk—”

"When we were outside," Geiszler continues anyway, raising his voice, "you asked me what I wanted you to do. Well, I just want you to listen to me! That's all! I have so much proof—so much I can show you—and you won't even—!"

"Proof?" Hermann says. "Your rubbish photographs?”

"It's not just the photographs! It's other stuff, too! Like—" Geiszler lets out a long, angry huff of air, and actually balls his fists up at his sides. Hermann has never seen him so incensed, not even when he accused Hermann of being an alien himself during a council meeting last summer. "Look, just come to my house and I'll fuckin' show you. Or are you that afraid of being—I don’t know, proven wrong?"

Part of Hermann is convinced that if he follows Geiszler out to his isolated cabin in the middle of the woods, it'll be the last thing he ever does. At the very least, he certainly has no desire to spend more time with Geiszler than he's already forced to. Yet—on the other hand—Hermann does not appreciate the challenge, nor does he appreciate being made to look like a fool by the man who chairs the local paranormal society. "Fine," he snaps, and Geiszler startles in obvious surprise. "Fine, you wretched little man. I’ll let you show me whatever proof you think you may have, so long as you take every single one of those signs down."

"Um," Geiszler squeaks. He clears his throat. "D—deal?"

Hermann seizes his cane and thrusts his chair back under his table roughly. "Well?" he says to the rest of the hall, none of whom have budged since Geiszler began shouting his head off. He scowls at the lot of them. "The meeting is over. You can leave."

It's Hermann's job to shut down the building each week, so he waits for the very last stragglers to toss out their paper water cups, shrug on their raincoats, and file outside before switching off the lights and locking up. He finds Geiszler lurking by a rather worse-for-wear green VW Beetle at the curb, the hood of his raincoat flipped back up over his hair. Hermann desperately hopes that the car isn't Geiszler’s. He is Hermann’s ride home tonight, after all. "I took the signs down," Geiszler says in a rush. "All of the ones around here, anyway. I'll have to do the rest tomorrow." He jerks his thumb at the backseat of the Beetle, where Hermann sees a haphazard pile of some of the 3 ALIEN ABDUCTIONS signs. His heart sinks. The X-Files bumper stickers should've been a dead giveaway, really.

"Thank you," Hermann sighs. "Well, let's get this over with."

"The heat is busted, so you might wanna leave your coat on," Geiszler says apologetically when Hermann manages to squish himself into the passenger's seat. The floor is a sea of empty Dunkin' Donuts cups, stacks of pulp science (or, if Hermann were to be less kind, pseudoscientific) magazines spanning back at least half a decade, and a pin-littered linen tote bag filled to the brim with boxed Annie's macaroni and cheese.

"Uh, sorry," Geiszler says. "I had to run some errands earlier. You can just—toss that in the back. Yeah."

The ride is short but bumpy, and though the removal of Geiszler's shopping bag offers Hermann more leg room, there is nothing that can make up for his tragically awful driving and his tragically awful CD collection. Hermann almost bolts from the car when they finally pull up at Geiszler's ivy-shrouded cabin, so relieved to have made it there in one piece that he's all but forgotten that he must now spend the rest of the evening with Geiszler, too. He remembers soon enough: another duo of aggressive signs have been pounded into Geiszler's mossy front path, TURN BACK NOW - ALIEN ABDUCTION ZONE, and a rather good sketch of Hermann beneath WHAT ARE THOSE CHEEKBONES HIDING? "That one's from the summer," Geiszler says sheepishly, kicking down the latter with the toe of his boot. "I keep forgetting to take it down. I don't still think you're an alien, by the way."

"Er, thank you," Hermann says. "I suppose?"

"They wouldn't be that obvious," Geiszler says, emphasizing the they with a meaningful glance up at the night sky.

"Of course not," Hermann says.

He's not quite sure what he expected Geiszler's house to look like. Some sort of—conspiracy nutter's den, perhaps, with aluminum foil hats and deconstructed radios and elaborate photoboards full of thumbtacks and red string. Or the interior of his car on a larger scale, with empty takeout containers and crumpled up papers on every surface. He's...sort of right. There's a noticeable lack of tinhats, but there are plenty of (modestly-sized) corkboards on the walls and multiple coffee cups peeking out of a recycling bin. The rest is merely precisely what Hermann would expect from an academic in his 30s: books, and mis-matching furniture, and a sink of dishes begging to be washed. It's...a bit disappointing, frankly. Though Hermann is rather impressed with the sleek telescope angled in front of the back slider door. Impressed, and envious. It's a very nice model.

"Make yourself at home," Geiszler says, unzipping his voluminous raincoat and tossing it, along with Hermann's, over the back of a worn armchair. He's wearing a pair of torn skinny jeans and a band t-shirt that reveals his heavily tattooed, and deceptively shapely, arms. Hermann tears his eyes away and forces himself to sit down at one end of Geiszler's couch. "I'm gonna make us some coffee. Do you want any sugar or non-dairy creamer?"

"No, thank you," Hermann says. "I don't drink coffee this late. It'll keep me up all night."

"Well, I hope so, that's kinda the plan,” Geiszler says. He rolls his eyes. “The aliens never come before at least midnight. Soy milk or almond milk?"

Hermann thinks, briefly and longingly, of his nice warm bed, the blanket he intended to toss in the dryer, and the herbal tea he won't be having after all. "Almond milk?" he hazards.

Geiszler stares at him in evident disgust. "Dude, I was kidding. You know how bad that shit is for the environment? It takes, like, a fuckin' thousand gallons of water or something like that for one carton of almond milk. It's insane. I mean, I guess it's still less water than what dairy needs, but there are plenty of better options."

"Oh," Hermann says. Hermann drinks skim milk. "I'm sorry. Er. Soy milk?"

As Geiszler fixes them mugs, Hermann begins to poke around some papers scattered across the coffee table. One is a list of names and dates, seemingly random, Hermann thinks, until he recognizes (scrawled in purple ink at the very bottom of the page) that of the gentleman who disappeared from his back porch just down Hermann's street. When he recognizes another—a teenager who worked as a barista at Hermann’s favorite coffee shop—he realizes it must be everyone who's vanished from town in the past year. Another paper has the same dates repeated, though not alongside any names—rather, bizarre little phrases like circling lights and that sound again. "You found my notes," Geiszler says cryptically, and then thrusts a mug out to Hermann.

Hermann takes the mug. A logo on the side tells Hermann it was from some academic conference in California ten years ago. "What are they supposed to mean?" he says.

Geiszler snorts. "Uh, I thought it was kind of obvious. Look—" He sits next to Hermann, far too close, and points at the column of numbers on the first page. "These are the dates when people have been reported missing," he says, and then scans his finger over to the second page, "and these are the dates when I've observed extraterrestrial—or at least, unexplainable—activity overhead. See how they match up almost perfectly?

"Mm," Hermann says. He does not. "So—if I am to understand you correctly—you believe that a, ah," he takes the page back from Geiszler, "a 'weird swoopy sound' from overhead had something to do with that poor young woman disappearing from a bus stop last week?”

"It wasn't just a weird noise!" Geiszler exclaims. "I showed you the pictures. I ran outside when I heard it, and thank fuck I had my camera, because I caught those lights just as they were leaving. And then what do I find out the next morning? There was another abduction, at almost the exact same time I saw the lights!"

"Ten miles from here," Hermann reminds him. "It would've had to have been a bloody fast ship."

"Yeah, no shit, Hermann," Geiszler says. "They're, like, fucking—mega-advanced lifeforms. They probably have the tech to vaporize the entire Earth if they wanted. Of course it was a fast ship.”

Geiszler is still sitting awfully close to Hermann. He runs very warm, unlike Hermann, warm enough to make Hermann warm too—like a scruffy, tattooed, freckled furnace. Yes, freckled, for Geiszler has the lightest dusting of freckles across his round chipmunk-like cheeks that Hermann finds inexplicably charming. He wonders if Geiszler would notice him loosen his collar a bit, perhaps take off his sweater. He really is getting quite warm. "So, I was saying," Geiszler continues, and though he speaks almost directly into Hermann's ear, he sounds as if he's a mile away from him. "Waitress at bus stop—weird lights over my cabin—waitress gone from bus stop. The proof is, like, undeniable!"

"Indeed," Hermann says.

He undoes the top button of his collar. He hasn't touched his coffee yet—he wonders if Geiszler even cares. The tattoo on Geiszler’s bicep, some sort of space tentacle monster, stares back at Hermann. "I'm telling you, man," Geiszler says, "this is no joke. They're taking people, maybe even for good."

They're gonna come for you, just like they did for me. When Geiszler began spouting nonsense about aliens last year, he was not booted from the biology department right away. Mostly everyone at the college, Hermann knows, tolerated his eccentricities on account of his admittedly brilliant mind and popularity among the students. The final straw came when Geiszler's extraterrestrial delusions (for what else could they be?) reached a new level: he showed up to campus in his pajamas one morning, raving that the aliens were not only zooming about over his house, but had actually abducted him the previous evening. "You seemed to fare alright, though, didn't you?" Hermann says. "When you were—ah—taken? They even dropped you back off in time for work. Quite courteous, I should think."

"That's—" Geiszler begins to shake his leg up and down, nervous energy radiating up his body and through Hermann's. He spills some of his coffee on the carpet. "That was—that was dumb. I got lucky. I think I was one of the first ones, you know? Because the disappearances didn't really get bad until, like, a month after that? I was in bed—and, and it wasn't like how it is in movies, I wasn't sucked up in a giant beam of light or anything like that, one minute I was there and then the next I wasn't, I was somewhere...else. And—uh. I don't really remember what they looked like. I tried to—sketch them out, but it was like trying to remember a dream, all the specific details about them just faded once it was over. But, um." He rubs the back of his neck, and Hermann is surprised to see him blushing. "Well, if I'm being honest, I think I kinda freaked them out."

Hermann can't help but snort. "You what?"

"I'm serious!" Geiszler shrieks. "I freaked them out. I was just really excited about it all. Like, dude, come on, I was abducted by aliens. How fucking cool is that? I just kept asking a bunch of questions, like, are you gonna probe me? are you gonna take me back to Mars or Jupiter or, like, I don't know, fucking Gallifrey? do you even understand what I'm saying, how do you communicate? and then the next thing I knew, I was landing on my ass in the school parking lot. They must've been observing me like I was observing them, like, they maybe knew I worked there? Anyway—" He shakes his head. "I tell you what, I'm real glad I decided to not just wear boxers like usual to bed that night. That would've been really embarrassing."

Bombarded with the sudden mental image of what Geiszler usually looks like in bed, Hermann (feeling rather warm again) tugs at his collar and clears his throat. He has certainly seen more than enough for the night, and if his mind is straying to something as prosaic as what does Dr. Geiszler look like half-naked?, it likely means it’s time for bed. "Er, right. Dr. Geiszler—"

"Just call me Newt, man," Geiszler says.

"Newton," Hermann concedes. It gives him a private little thrill. No one calls Newton Newton; it’s always either Newt or Dr. Geiszler. "Newton,” he says again, “this has been a very—illuminating—evening, but it's getting rather late, and I think you ought to drive me home before—"

And then Newton begins to take off his shirt.

Yes, a small part of Hermann's brain whispers traitorously, yes, yes, yes, even as Hermann recoils and stammers out, "Newton, what—?!"

"Oh, calm down, I'm not coming onto you," Newton says. He drops his t-shirt on the floor and jabs a thumb at his chest. His bare chest. "See, look. Proof."

Hermann's not sure what he's meant to be looking at. The giant Godzilla tattooed over Newton's pectorals? The flying saucer tattooed above Newton’s belly button? Newton’s nipple piercings? Hermann thinks he understands what an overheating computer feels like, an influx of too much information with processors unequipped to handle it. "I," he says. Newton’s belly button is not pierced. Hermann’s not sure why he thought it would be.

"Look at my chest, dude!" Newton says, tapping his skin insistently.

It takes Hermann a great deal of effort to pull his eyes away from the nipple piercings. In the dead center of Newton's chest, spaced perfectly between his pectorals and right over the nostrils of Godzilla, is a strange, almost luminescent glyph of a language Hermann can't begin to recognize. It's raised from Newton's skin, more like a brand than a tattoo. And...well, when Hermann says luminescent, he really means it. The squiggle seems to glow blue. "This was on me the next morning," Newton says. "I think they marked me. Like you'd tag a lab rat?”

Hermann can't help himself: he reaches out and touches the mark. "Strange," he murmurs. Compared to the heat of Newton’s body, the glyph is quite cool. Frigid, in fact, like metal, and yet as soft as the rest of his skin.

He's close enough to Newton to hear the hitch in his breath when they make contact, and as he traces his fingertips over the glyph, he can feel Newton's heart pounding beneath them. Strange, indeed; Newton has been such a thorn in his side for so many months, and yet all Hermann wants to do now is touch even more of him. He trails his hand lower, down to the flying saucer on Newton's soft abdomen. Newton inhales sharply. "Um," he says. "Should—should I put my shirt back on?"

"Do you want to?" Hermann says.

"Not really," Newton says.

He stares at Hermann, eyebrows knit together behind his glasses, like he can't seem to make sense of him. His confusion is very much warranted; Hermann can’t seem to make sense of himself right now, either. Then, to Hermann's supreme annoyance, the pieces seem to click into place in Newton's mind, and he grins. "Oh, duh," he says. "No wonder. You wanna fuck me, don't you? That’s why you’re so obsessed with me.”

That would certainly explain the strange warm feeling that comes over Hermann sometimes when he thinks about Newton in the dead of night that he has, up until this very moment, attributed to bouts of temporary insanity and/or a latent murderous desire. Nothing so dramatic as all that, then—just regular human biology. Urgh. How disgusting. And for Newton, of all people. “Obsessed with you?” Hermann sniffs, desperate to retain some element of propriety even while he begins to tug at Newton’s button fly. “Newton, you have spent thousands of dollars on yard signs just to invite me over for a coffee.”

“Uh, yeah, and it worked,” Newton says.

He curls his fingers in the front of Hermann's sweater, thumbing over one of the buttons.

“Even when I thought you were an alien,” Newton says, “I still kiiiiinda wanted to fuck you.”

Delusional or not, Newton looks terrifically good with a beard.

"Wait," Hermann gasps some time later. "Newton, stop a moment—"

Newton pulls away from him, frowning. He pushes his glasses back up on his nose. "What is it?" he says. "Did I hurt—?"

But Hermann pats at his shoulder frantically, pointing beyond him at the back slider and the dark of the forest beyond that. Newton cranes his neck around. "Only I'm sure I saw something. Lights, or…” Hermann feels a small twinge of embarrassment. The night is dead silent, and dead still. “Well, now I'm not sure."

“You probably imagined it," Newton says. He slips back down to press a kiss at Hermann's jaw. “It’s too early to be them.”

Not even ten yet. Newton kisses behind Hermann’s ear. It feels very nice. "Yes," Hermann agrees slowly, his eyelids flickering shut. He smooths his hand up and down Newton’s back. "Yes, I suppose you're right." Newton’s stories must have left him on edge. Which is of course ridiculous, because they’re all a load of rubbish—there may be extraterrestrials somewhere out there in the great wide universe, but they’re certainly not swooping down and plucking up hapless test subjects from Earth, let alone their small town, every other day. Hermann has much more important things to concern himself with right now, like how it feels when he threads his fingers in the soft strands of Newton’s hair, or the sound Newton makes when Hermann digs his nails into his skin, or how wonderful kissing Newton is...

And, unobserved by both of them, the three lights hovering above Newton's cabin blink away as quickly as they'd come.

[bostonbashers]

mercs react to a cuddly/affectionate s/o! ~

i swear i got a whiplash reading all my requests and i got like 10 of these, thinking the requests just repeated when it really didn’t. every anon requested a different person, so i decided to do all of them in one post.

i swear it’s ooc as fuck but i’m still learning. :’)

@slasher-cxm you asked to be tagged so here it is!

i hope you enjoy! ❤️

-

Scout:

secretly, scout is hella touch starved and yearns affection even if he doesn’t admit it out loud. he always dreams about the day he could share that affection with someone he’s willing to spend his life with.

but of course, as flirtatious and confident as he is in public, his walls can be easily taken down with a simple touch from his s/o. if they were to kiss his cheek softly out of no where, he’d melt into a puddle and think about it the rest of the day, a smile plastered on his face.

he pretends like he gets embarrassed when his s/o shows affection in front of the other mercs, wanting to seem tough in their eyes but honestly just indulges in it, knowing he’s a lucky man to have this kind of opportunity.

despite that, he’s just as cuddly and affectionate as his s/o, often initiating it whenever they’re alone. he’s all mushy around them, often pinching their cheeks and holding them endlessly, and is literally like a child asking for attention.

Soldier:

doesn’t care what anyone else thinks and he doesn’t stop his s/o from doing it. in fact, he encourages his s/o to do it and “asks” them often; “give me a hug, cupcake! the best one you can!”

you know he’s about to show his s/o off to the other mercs, chest puffed out proudly as they hug his torso, following him. “don’t you maggots wish you had this?!” he’d say with the biggest grin ever.

uses it as a challenge sometimes. if his s/o gives him a kiss on the cheek or hugs him, he’ll return it back twice as hard. the look on their face always drives him to continue and makes him feel accomplished.

Pyro:

pyro is the most expressive one. they absolutely love it to bits and gives them just as much love and affection in return, maybe even more!

he lets out a comically happy sound whenever they initiate contact and gets clingy, not willing to let them go, no matter the circumstance. besides, it’s not like anyone would force them to let their s/o go.... we all know how that’s gonna turn out.

spends every minute of the day holding their hand happily, refusing to separate, and skipping as they walk. their other half tries to catch up with them but knows they’re just ecstatic to receive such attention. overall, just a happy and energetic person.

Demo:

doesn’t mind it one bit and loves it a lot actually. he’s not ashamed to show nor return affection and definitely loves the attention he gets from his s/o.

just as affectionate with his s/o and the fact that he’s always drunk only assists with that more. he becomes clingy and always has a hand on them too, whether it’d be one on their back or an arm around their waist.

most of him gives you attention because he absolutely loves you to pieces and knows you deserve nothing less but a small part of him does it because he refuses to see you be affectionate with someone else. he’s not very fond with sharing.

Heavy:

heavy is a big giant cuddly bear and he will more than likely satisfy his s/o’s needs without a reason from them. doesn’t mind holding them whenever they need it and also loves it when they do the same.

if someone tried bothering his s/o while they’re in their mood, cuddling him in peace as they sleep on his lap, he’d send them a displeased expression. “nyet. do not bother. it is cuddling time.” he won’t even bother listening to the other persons reason, shooing them away, “come back later.”

the best person to be affectionate to. he’s literally the warmest amongst all the mercenaries and also the best to cuddle, seeing that he’s very soft with his touches. all it takes is his s/o to ask him to do something and he will get to work right away.

Medic:

doesn’t mind it for the most part but prefers bigger pda moments to be done in private. he’ll outright ask his s/o for his comfort but try to seem as friendly as possible when doing so.

when they’re in private, they’re welcomed to show affection to him while he does his tasks and finds that it puts him in a much better mood. his favorite moments are the ones where his s/o hugs him from behind, laying their head on his back while he works on his tasks. 

while his s/o is affectionate and touch starved, he does sometimes need his space to think and focus. he’ll let his s/o know beforehand that he needs to finish a certain task and when he does get around to doing so, he places a soft kiss on their cheek and thanks them for their patience.

Sniper:

embarrassed by it at first. he’s not used to the whole relationship game and is absolutely not used to the newly found attention that’s been suddenly put into his life.

he tries to avoid it at all costs and doesn’t really know how to follow along whenever his s/o would initiate it. he stays paralyzed, unsure of what to do but give him a few weeks and he’ll somewhat warm up to it.

then he’ll find himself feeling less cranky everyday as he grows used to the affection, often expecting it whenever they’re around. he won’t show major affection, like full on making out with his s/o or kissing them deeply in front of other people but he will begin holding their hand or kissing their cheek constantly.

he only realizes how much of an impact it’s made in his life when he’s forced to spend the night alone in his camper due to his s/o being out to visit some people. sniper shifts uncomfortably, unable to sleep for the first time in a while and he lays there wide awake, wondering how the hell he used to live his life without their attention.

Engineer:

you know he can’t say no to you, even if he really tried to. he wouldn’t say no anyway, understanding that everyone needs affection here and there from time to time. also he thinks it’s absolutely adorable.

when his s/o stands on his doorway or looks at him with a certain expression, maybe even throwing in a small hand hold here and there, he’d look down at them with a blush and a smile. “that time of the day, honey bee?” and proceeds to entertain their needs, no matter how shy he is.

if he’s unable to be there for them during the times where they need him, he’ll substitute it with something that can do for the time being. for example, he’d make a plush for them to hold around or leave one of his shirts behind to replace him until then. he’ll be sure to give them a big kiss and hug when he makes it back to the base.

Spy:

will most definitely entertain their needs. he’s a sauve, romantic man and they don’t need to expect anything less of him as he will spoil them with affection.

sometimes the other mercs get fucking sick of seeing you two constantly being all cuddly and lovey dovey with each other openly to everyone’s eyes, but spy doesn’t mind one bit. if they were so bothered by it, they could look away.

can be as affectionate as they want him to be. his lover wants a hug? he’ll embrace them warmly while he caresses their hair. his s/o wants a kiss? count on spy to create the most unforgettable one ever to exist.

[nejibaby]

Want You Back

Pairings: Portgas D. Ace x Y/N

Song reference/inspiration: Want You Back by 5 Seconds of Summer

Summary: You broke up with Ace a few days before he sets off to become a pirate. You thought that it would probably be the last day you’d ever see him again. But you meet him once again in Alabasta.

Word count: 7k

A/N: This somehow turned out to be too long for my style lol but I just can’t get enough of Ace… Anyway, I hope you have fun reading this as much as I loved writing it. Please let me know your thoughts~

Reposting this because Tumblr $uck$. Please turn a blind eye if you’ve seen this post already last Feb lol

You’re walking down the streets of Nanohana, purchasing water and provisions for your trip when you suddenly stop in your tracks as you see a merchant selling orange roses.

The orange roses don’t intrigue you per se since you’ve long learned that such color could be produced by cross-breeding red roses with yellow roses, however, it’s not often you see such wonderful, healthy flowers in a desert town. That, and well, the sight brought back memories of your past with your first love who you fell in love with too young, too hard, too fast.

You could almost hear the pitter patter of the rain on that eventful day. You could almost see the dark sky on the horizon. You could almost feel the same aching sensation on your heart. The orange roses reminds you of the day you broke up with your first love.

You were both only seventeen then. It was just a few days before his departure; before his journey to fulfill his dream on becoming a pirate. You supported him in his dream, you really did. You believed in him, he’s strong. Reckless, but strong, and determined. He promised he’d come back to you after he’s proven himself, but that’s when you doubted him. That’s the only time you doubted.

While he wanted to be a pirate, you wanted to be a scientist. You have had a curious mind since you were young and it never really went away until now that you’re twenty. When you were younger you’d question, “Why is the sky blue?”or “Why does it rain?” or “How much salt is in the ocean?” But when you grew older, the questions evolved to “What is the mechanism behind this?” or “What would happen to this if certain variables changed?”

He craved for validation while you craved for knowledge.

You thought that it just wouldn’t work out between the two of you. He doesn’t need a scientist and you didn’t need a pirate to achieve your dreams.

Sure, it was possible for a long distance relationship, but you didn’t think you could handle that much distance. It would drive you crazy. You could barely handle the days when you’re at Windmill Village and he’s at Mt. Colubo, living with Dadan Family. And those two places weren’t even that far from each other. It was the trek there that was dangerous so when you were younger, before the two of you even started dating, you always have to come with your aunt Makino, and Woop Slap to get there and visit him, Luffy, and Sabo.

When you were ten years old, you only visited once in three months and then somehow it turned to twice in a month. When you reached thirteen years old, you were finally allowed to go there by yourself wherein you’d visit weekly, sometimes even stay the night. Dadan was actually apprehensive of letting you spend your days there, because she claimed she doesn’t like kids, but you were the only kid on her watch that actually did chores so she eventually relented. Those were the days you loved most, because he was just so close, you didn’t have to worry too much about him.

But soon enough he was leaving. Everyday he promised he’d come back but you doubted. The Grand Line is such a dangerous place. It‘s referred to as the Pirates’ Graveyard by everyone. It was even written in some books you’ve read about the sea. If that wasn’t enough reason to be worried sick, statistics say only a handful of men were able to come out of it alive. While you knew he’s strong, you also knew strength just wasn’t enough.

Truth be told, you wanted to travel the seas too, out of curiosity, of course. There were so many mysteries about the sea, so many unexplained phenomena, so many undiscovered things — things that you wanted to learn about. But you weren’t brave enough nor were you strong so you abandoned that thought.

Orange roses adorned your shirt on that day. You remember the feeling of the raindrops pouring over your body. It was raining in the middle of the night and you were outside Dadan’s house. You were soaked but you didn’t plan on taking cover anytime soon. You just sat outside, wallowing in despair for what you’re about to do.

“Y/N? What are ya doing here? You’re going to get sick!” He called out.

“Why are you still up, Ace?” You asked.

“I wanted to check on you but you weren’t in bed.”

You remember feeling your heart stutter at his words. Ace was rough around the edges but he was always gentle and sweet when it came to you. And you were just about to break his heart.

“Ace, we should break up.”

You remember the way he laughed as if you were telling him a joke. “Oi, don’t joke about things like that.” But he faltered when you didn’t laugh with him.

You couldn’t help but wonder if that was the last time you’d see his face. You stared at his face for a while longer, memorizing his face before saying, “This will never work.”

You expected him to shout, to ask you why, to demand answers. But he just gave you a look of betrayal. Your heart dropped at the sight of that. Your vision became blurry from tears that were threatening to fall. He looked away. Were those tears in his eyes or was that just the fucking rain?

You desperately wished he’d say something, anything. You just wanted to hear his voice again. But there was no response, he just clenched his fists and his jaw, and then he was walking away.

You didn’t have it in you to stay at Dadan’s house after doing such a cruel thing so you left that night after crying a few hours after Ace walked away. You left a note for Dadan though, telling her you were feeling sick and you went home, just so she doesn’t worry about your sudden disappearance.

You really did get sick after that day. Even on the day of his departure you were sick. Makino didn’t allow you to come and see him go but she promised she’d explain why you weren’t there. Despite that, you still did it anyway, you still went there, but you hid behind trees. How could you not? You might never see him ever again. Okay, maybe you’d see him in the newspaper or the wanted posters, but probably never face to face, so you pushed yourself to come. You were glad you did, at least you got to see him smile so radiantly before he left.

A couple of months after he braved the seas, you left Windmill Village too to study science in a different town. But life didn’t really work out the way you wanted it to. In a series of misfortunes, you ended up becoming a pirate too, albeit temporarily, just to finance your dream.

The only thing that you lucked out on was your captain Naguri, an old man who used to be the captain of the doctor you apprenticed to. The doctor who you worked with didn’t want to continue becoming a pirate due to his old age so he recommended you to Naguri as a substitute. Naguri welcomed you to his crew despite you specifically telling him you’d only accompany them for five years and that you were only in it for the treasures. He told you it was fine and that five years was enough so you ended up joining them.

You went from wanting to study science to becoming an apprentice of a pirate doctor to becoming a pirate yourself and having a bounty for your head in a span of three years. If you only knew you’d be a pirate, you wouldn’t have broken things off with Ace. You would’ve just gone with him. But it was too late now.

You sigh as you touch the orange rose. It reminded you of the worst night of your life but you don’t dare to forget it since it was a memory of the last day you got to spend with him.

“Would you like to buy one, miss?” The merchant asks. “It’s—”

You didn’t get to hear the price of the rose because a familiar scream suddenly fills the air. When you whip your head to the direction of the sound, you see a very familiar straw hat on a man running away from Marines. Then it dawns to you that the man is Luffy.

You quickly scramble for your money to buy a single orange rose and then you run towards Luffy. Maybe it wasn’t the right decision to come after him, mainly because he’s being chased by Marines and you’re a wanted pirate too with a 25,000,000 bounty for your head. But he’s your best friend and you haven’t seen him for three years! That, and well, he’s in trouble so it’s not like you’d turn a blind eye on that.

Not a while later, you notice that the marine commander who’s chasing Luffy is Smoker, who is notoriously known for never letting pirates escape from his area of jurisdiction. As far as you know, Smoker is assigned at Loguetown so you wonder why he’s in Alabasta. And then you realize it’s Luffy he’s after. That dumbass could never lie low. You shake your head, Luffy almost always attracts trouble. That’s one thing that hasn’t changed with him yet.

You’re about to step in to save Luffy or at least, to buy him some time to escape when you hear another familiar voice.

“Heat Haze!”

You stop in your tracks as you saw a blast of fire stop the smoke attack and then his figure appears.

Ace.

You watch as he smirks at the Marine Commander, “Give it up. You may be smoke, but I’m fire. With our abilities, a fight would be pointless.”

Ah, Ace is a devil fruit user now. No wonder he’s known as “Fire Fist Ace.”

“Ace!” Luffy says, shocked.

“You never change, Luffy.”

They briefly talk about something, you aren’t able to catch it because your eyes are scanning over Ace. You can’t believe he’s there. You feel your heart beat faster at the sight of him. He’s more muscular now and taller. He looked healthier and stronger too. He’s still as attractive as ever, maybe even more than before. He’s grown into such a fine man.

But this isn’t really the time to be ogling your past lover. You still have Luffy to worry about. So despite the fact that you wanted to stay and watch Ace fight, you sprint off to catch up with Luffy and his friends.

In that instance, you realize that there’s a huge difference between the speed of a person when they’re running away from something (usually from danger), and the speed of a person when they’re running to catch up with someone. While you could see that his friends are running around together in one path, you don’t see Luffy’s straw hat in the group. You may have underestimated his abilities to get lost. With a sigh, you try to look for him in a different route.

You’re awfully tired by the time you find Luffy. And you’re pretty late too because he’s already with Ace and they’re in the middle of another brawl. It’s just like the two of them to get into a fight with a bunch of people. This time it’s with the Billions from Baroque Works.

You want to assist them in their fight even if they don’t seem to have a problem handling thugs like those. After all, you’ve grown to be a great fighter now.

You were pretty much a wimp when you were younger, so you may or may not want to actually show off the fighting skills you learned from your crewmates which led you to have a bounty for your head.

However, your stamina isn’t really that great yet so you still have to catch your breath first. You sit on a stray crate, watching the two fight against the group, just like the old days.

Ace didn’t know what prompted him to look behind him while Luffy stretched his arms to attack a man with a huge sword. But what he sees stuns him. There you are, just a few meters away, casually sitting on a crate with your head tilted slightly to the right and arms crossed over your chest. His breath hitches. He asks himself, were you really there this time or was it just another one of his imaginations?

You’re surprised when Ace snaps his head at your direction. You feel your body involuntarily jolt when you lock your eyes with him. Even after all these years, he still makes your heart flutter.

“Gomu gomu no Bazooka!” Luffy finishes his attack on his opponent.

Ace doesn’t look away from you as if you’d suddenly disappear if he even dared to blink. “Is that…?” He whispers.

“Hmm?” Luffy asks, not really sure what Ace is referring to. Then he follows Ace’s line of sight. When he sees you there, a smile finds his face almost immediately.

Luffy is the first one to approach you. “Oi, Y/N! It’s been a while!”

You grin. “I know right? I haven’t seen you in ages, Luffy! I saw your poster the other week, you’ve gotten yourself a pretty huge bounty.”

Luffy laughs at your statement, you’re pretty sure he’s proud of himself, so unlike you, who panicked after finding out about your own wanted poster.

Ace steps in while Luffy laughs. “Y/N?”

He merely said your name, but it made butterflies erupt in your stomach.

“A-Ace,” you stutter awkwardly, blood rushing to your face as you do so. You internally scold yourself, how dare you act like this when you broke his heart three years ago.

“Isn’t that the pirate Y/N?! The one with a bounty of 25,000,000 beli?”

You and Ace didn’t notice the fear etched on the faces of the other Billions as they stared at your group. You and Ace didn’t notice that Luffy has started walking again. You’re both too focused with each other to the point where you feel like nothing else mattered.

The two of you only snapped back to reality when Luffy turned around and said, “Aren’t you two coming? We still have to find my ship and my friends.”

You give Luffy a sheepish smile and then mumble a soft apology. You get off of the crate and make your way towards Luffy. Ace follows closely behind you.

After walking around the block, Luffy points out, “Ah, the ocean!”

The three of you make your way to the coast. “See your ship?” Ace asks. Luffy looks around to find his ship.

You sigh as the same group of thugs come into view again. “You won’t escape!” One of them says.

“You guys don’t know when to quit,” Ace says rather irritatedly.

You know Ace never backs down from a fight so it was kind of a surprise to you when he didn’t finish off the enemies a while back, but then again, time was of essence considering the Marines were hot on Luffy’s track. Yet, a small part of you reasons that maybe it’s because you’re there that he wants to avoid an all out attack from the group.

Before you could come up with another theory about it though, Luffy declares that he’s found his ship and proceeds on waving at them.

Then without a warning, Luffy grabs you. He loops his arm a few times over your stomach and then uses his other arm to reach for the railing of his ship. The next thing you know, the two of you are zooming towards the ship at an insanely fast speed.

And then you both crash. If that wasn’t bad enough, instead of crashing on the floor, you crash on someone. Luffy only laughs as he stands up, “Sorry about that, Sanji, Chopper, Y/N.”

“Bastard!” says the blonde male who you both crashed into. He grabs Luffy and shakes him, “Don’t you know your own strength?! I oughta throw you overboard!”

It takes a while for you to gather your bearings. By the time you do, the blonde male has released his grip on Luffy and was done on threatening him. Now it’s your turn. You hit him on the head, “Can’t you be any more careful, Luffy?!”

“Ah! It hurts, Y/N! Why does it hurt?” He complains as he rubs on the spot you hit.

You hit him once again, “I’ll have you know Gramps Garp would hit you harder if he learned what you did to me. I’m just simply giving you the gentler version of his Fist of Love.”

Garp is Luffy’s paternal grandfather. While you aren’t related by blood with him, Garp treats you way better than he treats Luffy, mainly because you’re the only friend of Luffy who didn’t really want to be a pirate. Because Garp dotes on you as if you were blood related, you always use his name when trying to reason or argue with Luffy because you know your best friend absolutely hates the Fist of Love.

“I said I’m sorry!”

You only huff in response and then cross your arms. When you turn your head to look away from him, you realize that Luffy’s crew is staring at you.

Once again you feel the blood rushing to your face, but this time from embarrassment. You bow your head, saying, “Sorry for the commotion and for, uh, coming here so suddenly. I’m a friend of this dumbass, please call me Y/N.”

The blonde male is first to react, “Luffy, you didn’t tell me you have such a beautiful friend! Oh, and she’s a belly dancer too!” He exclaims with hearts in his eyes.

Ah, he’s referring to the clothes you’re wearing. “Oh, I’m not. This is kind of a disguise,” you explain. And then you add, “I’m sorry we crashed into you.”

“I’d let you crash into me anytime,” he declares. “I’m Sanji, by the way, but you can always call me yours.”

You chuckled at him. You’ve heard that line so many times before, it’s getting ridiculous. You’re assuming the rest of the crew did too, considering you hear a collective groan from them after hearing Sanji’s words.

After that he clears his throat. All of a sudden his aura changes. “You must have a bounty on you, because those looks can kill,” he says in a rather charismatic way while lighting a cigarette and slowly walking to your direction.

Sanji never reaches you though. He’s just a few steps away from you when your sight of him is blocked by a familiar freckled back with a well known tattoo.

What an odd timing to appear.

“Actually,” Ace starts to say, “she does have a bounty.”

You know Ace isn’t the type to read the newspaper so you’re surprised he knew about your bounty.

“Oh, Ace! These are the nakama I was telling you about,” Luffy interrupts.

Ace tears away his gaze on Sanji and then bows, “Oh, why hello everyone. I trust my little brother has been in your care.”

“Yes, he has,” the crew replies, bowing as well.

“He has no manners, so he’ll probably end up burning your hands a few times…”

“Yes, he has.”

“I’ll entrust him to you.”

You bite your lip to prevent the smile that’s threatening to appear on your face. Ace truly has mastered the art of being polite.

“I thought the guy Luffy described would be some selfish, arrogant jerk…” A guy with a long nose says.

“It’s a lie. Someone this polite can’t be Luffy’s brother,” says the woman with orange hair.

The only person you actually know from this ship aside from Ace and Luffy is Roronoa Zoro, the pirate hunter. He says, “He’s such a better person than his brother!”

“Brotherhood is a wonderful thing,” cries a reindeer.

“It doesn’t make sense. The sea’s a mysterious place,” Sanji notes.

Ah, if they only knew Ace before. You chuckle.

Wait. A talking reindeer?!

You’re usually composed, but every now and then you do get excited when something interests you. From the amount of times you’ve spent with Luffy, you kind of react the same way when he’s excited.

You immediately step aside from Ace’s back and walk towards the talking reindeer. You stop a feet away in front of him, just enough so he doesn’t get too scared.

But the reindeer still gets scared. He tries to hide behind the lady with orange hair, except his body is fully exposed.

You still smile though. “What a cute little talking reindeer!”

Then the reindeer suddenly blushes and smiles, “Don’t think I’ll be happy that you called me cute, you bastard.”

“Y/N, that’s Chopper. He’s our doctor. Isn’t he cool?”

“So cool!” You nod as Chopper continues to dance. “Are you a devil fruit user too? Can I have a blood sample?”

Devil fruits are extremely rare especially in the East Blue and you’ve only ever caught sight of its users on the Grand Line. So when you meet someone who has such abilities, you couldn’t hold yourself back from asking for a blood sample. It’s a trait that your crewmates hate about you because you ask even if the devil fruit user is an opponent. This was actually one of the reasons why they trained you in combat, because that trait often gets you in trouble.

Seeing that you’re a pretty nice person, Chopper agrees.

“You too, Luffy, Ace.” It’s more of an order when it comes to those two. Your excitement about the devil fruit temporarily overpowers your awkwardness with Ace.

The two look at each other and shrug. You didn’t really give them any choice.

Before you can even grab a vial and a syringe, the lady with blue hair interrupts. “Baroque Works! That’s the Billions fleet!” She says, looking over five ships.

“Them again?” Luffy asks.

“Luffy,” Ace calls.

“Hm?”

“I’ll clean them up.” Without saying anything more, he jumps down to his boat and speeds off towards the ships. All five of the ships get destroyed after a single Fire Fist.

Ace truly has become stronger. Your heart swells with pride at his growth. He’s become such a reliable person. If only you didn’t break his heart, you’d be calling him yours and bragging about him.

When everything dies down and Ace settles back into the ship, everyone introduces themselves individually. Then Sanji prepares something to eat for everyone.

Sanji gives the males sake to drink while he gives you and the ladies a special drink. “Y/N-chwaan~” He affectionately calls your name as he hands you a glass of the drink he prepared.

You smile at him as you thank him and he instantly swoons. He walks away happily with hearts on his eyes after the interaction. You have never met a man like him before and that’s saying something because you’ve been to a lot of places and met a bunch of men from the three years of your journey as a pirate. Quite frankly, it’s amusing for you.

But not so much for everyone else. You can tell by the sudden rise in the temperature, and you know right at once it’s because of Ace.

You look over to him only to find him already staring intently at you. You’re not dumb, you know he’s jealous. Still though, his reaction surprised you.

In your years dating him, he never really became jealous. Maybe because the only male persons he’s seen you ever hang out with is him, Luffy, and Sabo. While that much is true, having worked at Party’s bar meant you meet a lot of people and Ace knew that. You’d even tell him about encounters with males but he doesn’t really worry about it, unless they hurt you. You think that maybe he reacts that way back then because you were his but right now, you aren’t.

He only removes his gaze from you when Usopp says, “This is great! Ace and Y/N are our nakama!”

“Kanpai!”

“Who said I’d be your nakama?” Ace raises an eyebrow but he’s ultimately ignored by Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper.

“To delicious drinks,” Usopp toasts.

“Kanpai!”

“Don’t worry about them,” Nami says, “These guys are always looking for a reason to kanpai.”

“Ace, Y/N, are you really going to be our nakama?”

You answer first. “Nah, I’m only here for research and to… Uhm…” you look over quickly to Vivi who apparently was a princess in the kingdom, “…to purchase dance powder.”

It’s funny how you feel bad for purchasing something illegal when you practically do illegal things everyday as a pirate.

Before Vivi could react, you explain. “I only bought a small amount. I just want to identify the content of rainwater from an artificial source. I also wanted to know the composition of the dance powder itself. That’s all.”

“Ehh? That’s it? But why don’t you just come to our crew?” Luffy whines.

“Idiot. Your brother mentioned a while ago that she has a bounty. That means she’s a pirate too,” Zoro says.

“What?! You’re a pirate?! You said you didn’t want to be a pirate!”

“Yeah, well I couldn’t pursue my studies if I didn’t have the money,” you say. “Besides, our captain agreed to have me for five years only. I’ve been with them for three. Ask me again after two years, maybe I’ll reconsider.”

“I don’t want to wait for two years! Join us now!”

You hit Luffy on the head while Usopp scolds him, “You can’t just force her to come.”

“Why not?” Luffy asks. You raise your fist to hit him again. This prompts him to say, “Okay, okay, fine. I’ll ask you again some other time, just don’t hit me anymore!”

Ace looks like he wanted to say something to you but Luffy turns to him and asks if he’s going to join his crew. He looks away from you reluctantly and then focuses on Luffy. “I won’t. I’m in pursuit of a man. He’s known as Blackbeard.”

“Blackbeard?” Usopp repeats.

Vivi asks, “The pirate that sacked the Kingdom of Drum?”

He nods, “He used to be a member of Whitebeard pirates, Second Division. My subordinate. Until he committed the greatest crime you can on a pirate ship… He murdered his nakama and fled the ship. As the Commander, I have to find him and finish him off.”

“So that’s why you’re after him.”

“The only reason I came to this country is because he was reportedly seen in Yuba.”

“Then you’re going to the same place we’re going,” Nami says.

Then Vivi gets a map and explains the route to him.

“I get it. So you’re headed to Yuba too.”

In the background, Sanji says, “Wherever Nami-swan, Vivi-chwan, and Y/N-chwan go, I’ll go~”

“Beat it, Love Cook,” Zoro says.

“What did you say, bastard?”

A fight between the two almost ensues when Nami says, “Anyway, looks like you’ll be travelling with us for a little while.”

Usopp looks the happiest at that. “With you along, this’ll be a cinch!”

“What about you, Y/N? What do you plan on doing?” Nami asks.

You purse your lips, thinking. Isn’t it a little bit selfish of you if you stayed just so you could spend a little more time with Ace?

“Please stay with us a little longer, Y/N-chwan~” Sanji pleads.

While Ace wants you to stay, he didn’t really like seeing another man openly expressing his fondness to you. Unconsciously, he causes the temperature to rise once again, which you’re quick to notice.

You wonder if the rise in the temperature meant that Ace doesn’t want you to stick around. You quickly dismiss the idea though, when he speaks up, “Yeah, Y/N, why don’t you join us for a little while?”

How could you refuse when he personally asks you to stay?

“Do I even have a choice?” You ask nonchalantly, playing it cool as if you didn’t want to stay.

“No!” Luffy grins.

Just like that, you stay.

Later on you find yourself in the kitchen sitting across Luffy and Usopp. They’re playing with their foods when Ace enters the kitchen. He plops down beside you and you instantly feel your heart thump faster. He didn’t even do anything out of the ordinary and yet he makes you feel like this. It’s not fair that Ace looks so relaxed while you’re desperately trying to calm your heart.

Then you jump in surprise as Sanji hits Luffy and Usopp with a frying pan and a wok, scolding them for playing with their food. “If you guys are so bored, go wash some dishes! Jeez, here I am trying to finish our bento before we land—”

“I’ll help!” You volunteer. Ace speaks up at the same time as you did, “Want me to help with anything?”

Sanji looks stunned. Someone wants to offer help? It’s been a while since he’s heard it.

“Y/N-chwan, you’re such a lovely lady~ But don’t worry, just sit back and relax. I’ll do all the work for you~” Sanji singsongs, completely ignoring Ace.

In the corner of your eye, you notice Ace glaring at Sanji while he has his back turned. “Alright…” You say after a moment.

You’re not exactly sure how to proceed after that. Instead of enduring the awkward silence, you whip out your small notebook and start scribbling away. The notebook was more of a logbook where you put in the data you gathered in certain villages or islands— may it be a sighting of an exotic animal or plant, random anomalies about certain places, anything that’s out of the ordinary or just plainly something you’re curious about. Sometimes you just put random questions that pop into your head. It’s rather messy, but it’s one of the things you own that you treasure the most.

This time you write about the devil fruit users you encountered in Alabasta, writing just a short biography of the users and a brief description of the powers they have. Just like that, you’re in your own little bubble. You didn’t even notice that the ship docked for a couple of minutes as per Vivi’s request and that everyone has left you in the kitchen.

By the time you’re done, you realize that the only persons in the kitchen are you and Sanji. The cook is preparing one last meal for everyone to eat in the ship before you all dock. This time when you offered your help, you insisted and left no room for him to refuse. When the table has been set up, he calls for everyone.

You sit at the edge of the table. Not a second later, someone sits beside you. You look up and find that it’s Ace. He has this boyish smile on which prompted you to look away in order to avoid heating up.

Luffy’s crew is boisterous, even more so during eating meals. They’re extremely funny. You feel your worry for your best friend fade away the longer you stay with his crew. But then the rowdy atmosphere instantly quiets down when all of a sudden Ace falls down on his plate. It was only a moment of silence and then they’re all panicking.

“What the hell?!”

“Oi, Luffy, what happened to your brother?”

“Oh no! He’s dead!”

“Someone call a doctor! We need a doctor! Oh, wait I’m the doctor.”

Only you and Luffy are unfazed. Luffy just laughs out loud while Usopp demands him to take the situation more seriously.

You, on the other hand, calmly place your utensils down. You’re pretty much used to Ace and his narcoleptic episodes. You get some napkins and gently grab Ace’s face. You wipe his face from all the food that got stuck on it. Then you carefully maneuver his arm so that it’s resting on the table and place his head on his arm. This is pretty much how you handled him every single time it happened so by now it’s more of an automatic reaction for you.

When you’re done, you realize that everyone’s panic has died down and that they’re all looking at you, except Luffy who continued shoving food down his throat. You feel incredibly shy upon discovering that they caught you tending to Ace.  While the others are aware that you, Luffy, and Ace know each other from the past, they haven’t exactly seen you interact with Ace that much since you both arrived at the ship so they assumed that you and Ace are merely acquaintances.

You notice that Nami and Vivi in particular are smiling. Nami has the “I know something” kind of smile while Vivi has more of a genuine smile on her face. Sanji is sulking, but the others are just blinking at you. Then a few moments later, Ace wakes up. “Ah, sorry. I fell asleep,” he says nonchalantly.

“Eh?!” was the collective response of Luffy’s crew.

His hand automatically comes to his face to wipe off the remnants of food in his face, only to find out that his face is absolutely clean and bare of any dirt. This could only mean one thing, he thinks. You cleaned him off, just like the old days when you were still dating.

Ace’s assumption is further confirmed when he hears Sanji sulking about how he wishes he was the one to receive such a tender act from you.

You continue to eat as if you didn’t do what you just did. You could feel Ace’s eyes on you but you refuse to meet his stare. Unbeknownst to you, a smile has made its way on Ace’s face.

Everyone seems to be watching the interaction unfold — again, except Luffy who has witnessed this all before so he doesn’t think it’s a big deal. Anyone with eyes could now tell that there is or was something going on between the two of you.

The atmosphere only goes back to normal when Luffy stretches his arms to reach for food on their plates. Everyone immediately complains about this and the rowdy air comes back.

After the hearty meal, everyone prepares for the long trip by foot. You change into more suitable clothes, something that Sanji wasn’t really happy about since you, Nami, and Vivi switched from dancer’s clothes to a cloak that covers the entire body. Ace looks way happier now than before though and you aren’t sure why.

Before you could even get down the ship though, a group of Kung Fu Dugongs challenges your group. You’re just about to move when in a blink of an eye, Luffy has defeated each one. What a bum, you know you can definitely take them down too but Luffy beat you to it. You pout, you feel so out of shape now that you aren’t really using your body to fight. Ace chuckles at you. It was so sudden that you almost jumped in surprise at the sound.

“Didn’t think you would be disappointed that you weren’t able to fight them,” Ace says.

“Honestly, what should I expect? Luffy has always been like that,” you mumble.

“Yeah, he’s a handful.”

It’s such a short conversation, but seeing that you aren’t exactly pushing Ace away, he takes it as a sign that you aren’t uncomfortable in his presence. He sticks by your side after that.

He remains silent to the point that you even forgot that he was even walking beside you. You only realize that he’s still around when a sand whirlwind comes and he subtly shifts his position so that he’s standing in front of you, shielding you away from the sand. You’re reminded of the days when he’s always by your side to protect you. You feel the butterflies on your stomach one again. If that wasn’t enough, Ace gives you a lopsided smile when you thank him which makes your heart go haywire.

He doesn’t really leave your mind after that. The thoughts of him fully consumed you once again. But did it really go away in the first place?

Your memories with him have been replaying in your mind since then. You didn’t even notice that the sun has already set down until Vivi says that you guys should set out camp there.

The boys are nice enough to set up the tents for everyone, leaving you, Nami, and Vivi with nothing to do. You take this opportunity to shyly ask them about the Dance Powder as you whip out your notebook. You write down all the information they can give you.

“Ah, so it’s basically like cloud seeding,” you conclude.

“What’s that?” Vivi asks.

“It’s a type of weather modification, a process aiming to make precipitation fall from clouds. It is originally used to prevent areas from destruction brought about by drought. I read researchers use a chemical compound called silver iodide and disperse it to the clouds to produce snow which melts before they hit the ground to produce water.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s a quite similar process,” Nami says. Then she yawns. “Sorry, I’m getting tired.”

“Come on, let’s rest in the tent,” you say, feeling the exhaustion as well. The two girls immediately fall asleep after laying down, but for some reason you couldn’t sleep. You lay there for about two hours but you’re still unable to sleep.

You get up and reach for your bag, looking for your canteen. But then you see the orange rose. You almost forgot you bought it. The familiar aching feeling makes itself known once again. With a sigh, you leave the tent, suddenly feeling that you need a breather.

You move away from the tents and sit down, playing with the orange rose. The night is cold and you’re shivering but you can’t find it in you to care. You’re so preoccupied with your thoughts that you didn’t hear the footsteps of someone behind you.

You tense when you hear an awfully familiar question. “Y/N? What are ya doing here? You’re going to get sick.”

You don’t respond, thinking it was your mind tricking you into hearing the same things on that night.

“You’re shivering,” Ace calls out once again.

That’s when your breath hitched. Ace truly is there. He sits beside you and you instantly feel his warmth.

“Why are you still awake?” You ask.

“Couldn’t sleep,” is all he replies.

Silence ensues after that, but only for a few moments. Ace is the first to speak. “The cook seems to have taken a liking on you,” he says.

“He’s nice.”

“A little too nice to you for my liking.”

For the first time since he sat beside you, you look at him.

Then he speaks up again, “Ya know… You changed over the years. You’re prettier now… I’m not saying you weren’t pretty before. Uhm…” He blushes, “But you’re way prettier now. You caused quite the uproar among the Whitebeard pirates when your wanted poster came. When I saw the poster myself, I couldn’t believe it. You’re… yeah.”

You didn’t know what to say to that but you feel your face heating up at his words.

“I… I don’t know why but there’s this weird feeling I get when that blonde cook gives his attention to you. Even just the thought of him or another man getting close to you like that makes me feel weird,” he confesses.

“Ace… I’m sorry.”

“I know, I know… We’re not—”

“No, I’m sorry… I’m sorry because I had a lot of fears and uncertainties back then… I feared that you wouldn’t come back to me. The books I’ve read all said that the Grand Line was a horrible place and I didn’t know if you’d make it back alive. I was so afraid and I couldn’t tell you because you might not want to leave because of me… I didn’t want to be the reason you couldn’t fulfill your dreams… So I thought it was better to break up with you… At least then, nothing’s going to tie you down…” you cried.

“Y/N… I didn’t know…” He whispers, close to tears.

“Sometimes I wonder if I only knew I’d be a pirate too, should I have just gone away with you? At least then we’d still be together, right? But that would be too selfish of me… Especially when I was so weak back then. I would’ve had nothing to contribute to you. I’d only be a burden to you.

“But you know what, Ace, even if I was the one who decided to let you go, I couldn’t forget about you… Every place I go to, something will always remind me of you. Even when I sleep, I still dream about you. I don’t think I’ll ever get over you,” you look him in the eyes as you pour your heart out to him.

“God, no matter where I go, no matter how long you’re gone, no matter how many faces I meet, it’s always you, it’s always you I want to be with. I think… I think I’m always going to want you back, Ace…” You close your eyes and clench your fists as you say your final words.

You’re so selfish, god, you hate yourself.

It takes you by surprise when Ace hugs you. You melt into him at once. He lets you cry in his arms. “Ace, I’m really really sorry.”

He hums and then says, “Didn’t I promise I’ll come back to you?”

You pull away, vision still blurry from the tears. “What?”

He chuckles and then pecks your lips. “I promised I’ll come back to you.”

You cry harder from his words. His hand rubs your back, consoling you. “You still look beautiful even when you’re crying.”

You look away and bite your lip as you will your tears to stop.

“Y/N.”

“Hmm?”

“Why don’t you join the Whitebeard pirates instead?”

You pout. “That’s not fair, Ace… You know I wouldn’t be able to say no to you.”

“Well then, that’s too bad for Luffy,” he grins.