#the baby really is just a smaller version of my best friend; one who runs around in big pants and screams and doesn’t realise

[ponderingmoonlight]

hi lovely ! you asked for kny requests and i've just finished my kny volume 22 re-read, so thats perfect timing 💙

I was wondering if you could write something with Yoriichi — (tw for potential child loss)

Maybe a hurt/comfort fic where his pregnant wife actually survives the demon attack while he's away (but maybe she gets quite badly injured and their unborn child doesn't make it, if you want to add a little extra angst to it. If not then that's totally fine, this man deserves a happy ending after all 🥺)

Of course, you're the writer — feel free to take any creative direction you'd like or ignore this request if you're not comfortable with it. Have a lovely day/night! <3

Again, I'm beyond sorry you were forced to wait for this so long! But here you go honey, let me know what you think <3

Yoriichi saving his pregnant wife and unborn child just in time

Pairing: Yoriichi x pregnant!wife!reader

Word Count: 4,2k

Synopsis: You never expected to face a demon ever again, especially not when you are about to deliver your child while your beloved husband Yoriichi is in search for a midwife. Will you and your child be alright? Will your husband make it back on time?

Warnings: injury, horror, child birth, tortue, description of death, extreme angst to fluff, last part is not proofread

Notes: Since the first Yoriichi fic I wrote, I'm so deeply in love with his character that I adore writing him so much! Since this fic took a while, I would totally appreciate your support through liking, commenting and reblogging this fic - thank's a lot babes <3

He can’t get enough from simply looking at you. You with your head in the clouds, you with your hand mindlessly roaming around the soft grass underneath, the other one caressing your heavy pregnant belly, you when you give him those surprised eyes as soon as you notice his presence.

“Oh, I wasn’t aware that you’re already here”, you say in a small panicky voice.

You didn’t expect your beloved husband back this soon. If you would have known that he’ll be here by know you would have cleaned the whole house, made him something to eat and-

“I can only imagine what is going on inside your head again.”

His soft but at the same time rough hand touches your cheek gently, the loving gleam in his fuchsia eyes making you blush in an instant. All the voices in your head stop right in their track when he’s around.

Yoriichi Tsugikuni. Your savior, your best friend. And most importantly, your husband and father of your future child.

“How are you feeling, love? Did you enjoy your afternoon?”, he questions, eyes wandering down your body to your swollen belly.

It was hard leaving you alone in a state like this, but he wasn’t able to resist the urgent call from last night. He might be nothing but another simple man holding a sword, but it is his responsibility to save those who are in need. What else is he able to give to this world?

His hand lands on your belly, feels the tiniest kick of his unborn child against the palm of his hand. At least he was able to create a smaller version of you. Is it a boy, a girl maybe?

“I hope our child is a reflection of you”, he finally mutters into the silence, a small but somehow sad smile forming itself on his lips.

You suddenly forget how to breathe, glossy eyes fixated on his captivating sight. Oh, oh much you hate the stinging fact that your husband thinks so negatively about himself. Why can’t he see all the heroic things he has done so far, how respected he is in the demon slayer corps? Why can’t he see that every inch of his body is flawless? Out of instinct, you let your head rest against his broad chest, breathe in his strong scent. If you could only stay like this here forever, his hand resting against your body while the sun tickles your skin-

A violent moan escapes your lips when a sharp pain runs through your stomach. A kick. A really rough kick, to be exact.

“Are you alright, love? Did something hurt you? Is it the baby?”, your husband asks feverishly, his usual neutral face garbled by worry lines on his forehead.

“Just a kick”, you press out, still fighting to regain your composure.

“I will search for a mid-wife, (y/n).”

His words make your eyes widen in an instant, a wave of fear crushing down on you. Is it really time already? You look down at your swollen belly, so big that you aren’t even able to sit down properly anymore. This has to be the ninth month of your pregnancy.

Your heart sinks. The ninth month. If the books you’ve read are accurate, it really is time.

“I can’t do this, Yoriichi.”

Thick panic runs through your veins, forces your heart almost out of your chest. You aren’t ready to deliver a child, let alone to be a mother. All the things you haven’t read yet, the things you’ve probably never heard of…What if you mess it up? Until you met Yoriichi, all you were able to do was trying to survive. Your mother never had the chance to tell you about those things, isn’t here anymore to stay by your side.

You are…on your own.

“Look at me, (y/n). I will go out and search for a mid-wife and I’ll be back at sunset, you hear me? Just stay inside the house and nothing will happen. I promise to return as early as possible.”

Fuchsia eyes that radiate through your soul immediately. An angelic voice that calms down your tingling nerves with only four sentences. Strong arms that lift you off the ground and lead you back into the warmth of your home.

But know, it’s not the wooden cabin that feels like home. Your eyes wander to the neutral expression he wears on his face, only betrayed by a worried glow in his orbs. It’s him, your beloved husband.

“Are you feeling alright, love?”

You take a deep breath in, a deep breath out. Eyes focused exclusively on him until your mind finally silences. It’s just you and him. You and your beloved husband, the man you would trust with your life without battling an eyelid, the man who made you the person you are today.

“I do”, you breathe out.

Your heartbeat tames down as well as the kicks of your unborn baby, Yoriichi’s hands keeping you from falling over.

“Promise me to lock the doors and wait in bed until I return, (y/n).”

A seriousness you only know from him when he is forced to leave at night veils his calm eyes.

“But…you will be back before the sun sinks, right?”

He gifts you a small smile, hand caressing your cheek so gently that you almost forget about the worry lines decorating his face. The truth is that the next midwife lives miles away. Even if he gets to the village as soon as possible, the sun will be about to set when he returns. Yoriichi can’t help but clench his other hand into a fist next to your stomach. The sheer thought of not making it in time, that you’ll be defenceless.

“Don’t worry, love. Rest your eyes and be assured that I’ll return as soon as possible.”

But he cannot allow himself to fail you, to leave you alone in those oh so merciless nights. He will return, no matter what it costs.

He presses a soft kiss against your forehead before grabbing his sword tightly.

This. This is his fate, his family. You are his whole life.

And he’ll do everything to protect you.

-later that evening-

You are exhausted. Over the last few hours, your body was haunted by waves of pain coming and going like the seasons. Again, you dig your nail into the wooden floor, your heavy breaths hanging in the thick air. You definitely don’t need a midwife to tell you it’s time. Yes, your baby is on its way.

And your husband didn’t return yet.

Your glossy eyes dart towards the window, witness how the sky outside turns bright red in the down-going sun. Is Yoriichi alright? You know how cruel life can be. Maybe he met a person who needed to be saved on his way, maybe the midwife is too old to rush to your side in time.

“Rest your eyes and be assured that I’ll return as soon as possible.”

Those words. Even though he’s not yet by your side, you are able to feel his powerful presence around you, how he calms down your aching heart.

“Everything will turn out alright”, you mutter to yourself while caressing your tummy.

“Everything will be alight…”

You allow your lids to rest, body relaxing for the first time since your husband left. You will get through this, you will deliver your wonderful child tonight. A tiny bundle of joy, an image of its father. Is it a boy, a girl? As long as your child is healthy, you couldn’t care less.

Carefully, you curl up on your futon, snuggle yourself into the blanket that still holds his scent. Maybe you’ll be able to catch a few hours of sleep until he finally comes back. Sleep sure does sound very appealing at the moment.

But just when your breath begins to steady, a violent scratch forces you to sit straight up. It came from outside, without a doubt. Is it an animal, is it…

Your throat gets tight immediately, glossy eyes staring at the closed window in sheer horror. The trees bend back and forth peacefully in what looks like a tender night. But that scratch, it sounded exactly like claws digging into hard wood, sent shivers down your spine immediately. You know that sound all too well, experienced what it means to get slaughtered by a demon before. Just before your whole family died violently, this was exactly what you’ve heard.

Out of instinct, you bury yourself into the corner of the room, the blanket that holds Yoriichi’s scent still pressed against your now shivering body tightly. Please, let it be nothing but a wild animal, let your husband come back home soon. Maybe this is nothing but a nightmare and you’ll wake up any given minute-

A violent pain runs through your body so suddenly that a shriek escapes your lips. Suddenly all air escapes your lungs, the way your belly cramps making you see start. No, you know exactly what this means, that this is not the right time to deliver a baby. Isn’t there anything you can do to stop this? You still need to wait for your husband, the midwife, for this gut-turning feeling to vanish. Your breath gets stuck in your throat, sharp and fast breaths hanging in the thick atmosphere.

But it doesn’t stop there. As if this wasn’t enough already, you can only stare at the door that gets opened painfully slow, claws digging into the wooden frame.

Without any doubt, this is a demon.

You press your sweaty palm against your mouth, force yourself to stop screaming, to stop breathing.

“I know you’re here, human. You smell like a…woman.”

It’s like all life is drained from the dead shell of your body, widened orbs staring at the frightful creature that makes its way into your home. Get up, fight, defend yourself like you saw Yoriichi do countless times, use the knowledge you gained from him.

But you don’t move an inch, don’t dare to look away. For a brief moment, time seems to stand still. Out of all the nights you’ve spent together with your husband, this is the first away from him, the first without his protection. Is all of this a dream, a hallucination to test your nerves?

The second the monster’s deadly red orbs meet yours, you get hit by reality. No, this isn’t a dream.

This will be your death.

“I knew you were here, lady. Let me help you up, okay?”

“N-no. Please d-don’t”, you whimper under your breath.

Your coward of a body doesn’t even fight back when he lifts you off the ground with ease, his nails digging into your soft flesh.

“Oh, you’re expecting a baby, don’t you? Well, does this count as a double kill, then?”

Your baby getting killed? If that thing ends your life, it means your unborn child will never experience dawn, will never get to see the face of its father, will never take in his scent. Your glossy eyes widen in sheer horror, tears now streaming down your face like waterfalls when a single frown form on your forehead.

You couldn’t care less about your own life. After all, you were lucky that Yoriichi saved you back then, didn’t even deserve to survive when your whole family had to die before you. But that oh so innocent child that might have the eyes of its father, the blessing of your life right after your husband. That innocent life cannot be taken.  

There is no way you will let this creature lay hands on it.

Your body reacts faster than your mind. With a surprisingly well-placed kick, you free yourself out of the monster’s casual grip. You need to get out of the house, out where you are able to find shelter, to run away. Your lungs feel like bursting any given minute, legs trembling underneath the weight of yourself and the unborn baby you still carry right under your heart. Even if it means you’ll die in vain, even if you won’t be able to see Yoriichi’s tender eyes ever again, you have to make sure your child is safe.

“I underestimated you, stupid woman. As it seems you didn’t give up on life yet”, the creature purrs what feels like right next to you.

A new nauseous wave of panic rises up your veins, makes you sprint even faster through the thick woods that surround your house. This has always been your favorite place to be. The calm trees waving back and forth in a soft breeze, your husband right by your side-

Your husband. Just the thought of never getting to see him again makes your heart ache. You didn’t even get the chance to thank him one last time, to let him know how much he truly means to you, that he’s way more than the man who saved your life back then.

He’s everything you ever wanted, everything you ever needed.

A sharp pain that radiates through your lower body sends you straight onto the ground immediately, figure cramping so violently that you can’t catch your breath. No, this is not the time labor, not when a demon is this close.

“Oh, there you are. Did you really think you can run away like that? You, a little human? You made me so man that I will kill you as painfully slow as possible.”

You try to lift your trembling figure off the ground, try to get back onto your feet, to sprint down the forest you know so well. But just when you’re about to get back onto your knees, a stinging pain in your right thigh paired with a contraction sends you straight back.

A violent scream escapes your lips.

Red. Everything around you is discoloured red. Is this your blood? Did this thing kill you already, are you going to die? Despite the way your guts start to turn when you follow the trail of blood, you can’t look away. And there it is indeed, a gaping hole in your leg, throbbing and bleeding.

All color that is left now drains from your face. With an injured leg, your chance to escape this demon’s claws is non-existent. Which means…

Your heart skips a beat, threatens to fail you any given second. What about your unborn child? A violent storm of anger and determination clouds your mind, makes all logical thoughts vanish into thin air.

“You can’t kill me”, you press out.

Since the day you first laid eyes on a demon, you accepted your own death. Your life is worthless anyway, compared to great warriors like your husband himself. But that oh so innocent child, that tiny life you were given to. You ball your hands into fists so tight your knuckles stand out white and lift your throbbing self off the ground. You cannot allow a demon to take the life of that unborn baby.

“I won’t allow you to touch me.”

You realize the stupidity of your words after they spill out of your mouth in rage. You, not allowing a demon to touch your puny figure? Another contraction makes your guts turn and vision almost go black.

As expected the frightful creature draws closer, its unpromising pair of razor-sharp teeth glittering in the dim moonlight. You never expected to see a demon this close again. Oh, how much you hoped you’d never find yourself in that situation again. But you have to get through this, have to make sure you will survive long enough for the mid wife to deliver your child to this world.

His child.

“I’m sorry Yoriichi. I never planned on leaving you alone like this”, you mumble to yourself, shaky lips tinted in salty tears.

“But this all I’m able to do.”

-Yoriichi’s POV-

Something seems off. Is it the way the trees bent back and forth in the soft breeze of the already set sun? Is it that distant smell that hangs in the air, the one that reminds him of fresh blood and lavender?

“We must make haste. I can sense that danger is ahead of us”, he speaks out with firm voice.

He promised you that he’ll be back before the sun goes down, that he will make it on time before demon are able to roam around freely. Are you feeling alright? Is the pain unbearable at this point? Do you still hold trust for him in your heart? His footsteps pick up instinctively, eyes set on the visibly stressed man behind him. In contrary to most people, Yoriichi doesn’t fear the night or the demons it brings. The only thing he fears at the moment is what you have to endure without your husband by your side.

With every he takes forward, the stinging smell of blood mixed with lavender becomes more urgent in his nose.

Lavender.

He always wondered how you did it. Even after washing, all your clothes kept that calming scent that surrounded you as if you were standing in a lavender bush. A smell so sweet that it caught his interest back then before he caught a glimpse of your fascinating orbs, a smell that always reminds him of home. Yoriichi’s home will always be where you are, where the sensation of lavender is the strongest.

Lavender, the stinging smell of blood that hangs in the air. His eyes widen when his mind starts to race. The smell, it radiates from the direction of your shared home, from the direction that usually fills him with excitement. Can it be…?

His heart starts racing uncontrollably while he dashes forward and draws his sword. Let it be nothing but coincidence, a cruel joke his thoughts play on him. But the stinging fragrance of lavender mixed with iron fills his heart with dread, makes his mind go numb. What if you got attacked by a demon, what if you are in great danger? All because he didn’t live up to his promise, because he didn’t make it on time. His eyes roam around the dark area, desperately searching for a sign.

And then his eyes find you.

Yoriichi’s heart stops.

There you lay, leaning against a nearby tree with a puddle of blood surrounding you, widened eyes starring straight into the face of a demon who hollers above you.

“No one is coming to save you, stupid girl.”

He doesn’t waste another second. With a swift motion of his sharp blade, Yoriichi beheads the demon on top of you while a toe-curling scream escapes your lips. Just one look at your sliced-up kimono reveals countless injuries, especially a gaping hole in your thigh. You hold onto your swollen belly for what looks like dear life, eyes still widened in nothing but shock.

“(y/n)”, he gently speaks out while letting himself fall down next to you.

You have to blink a few times. The demon, it was just about to dig its sharp teeth into your sensitive skin, to take the life of your unborn child in front of your eyes.

Maroon.

But those aren’t the deadly red orbs. No, those oh so gorgeous eyes look so familiar that your heart tames down in an instant. Could it really be, is it possible that it’s…him?

“Yoriichi.”

You breathe his name into the night like a prayer.

Maybe this is nothing but an illusion, a cruel trick your own brain plays on you.

“Words can’t express how sorry I am for arriving too late. I will never forgive myself for leaving you alone this long, for causing this to happen”, his oh so familiar voice blurts out.

Yoriichi’s usual so composed face twists in sheer agony, eyes filling with salty tears. All of this is his fault. He should have arrived sooner, he should have made hurry, he-

“We didn’t come this far to worry now. Please, help be delivering this child, let it all make sense”, you press out while grabbing his hand tightly.

It doesn’t matter that you’re severely injured, it doesn’t matter that your beloved husband took longer than expected to come back to you. All that matters now are you, him and your unborn child that waits to be delivered.

��Allow me to assist you.”

A foreign man suddenly speaks out with sweat dripping from his forehead in waterfalls. Just when another wave of nauseous pain hits you with full force, as if you got kicked into your stomach by a horse. You fail to breathe for a second, hands holding onto your husband for dear life.

“You are already close, it won’t be long now”, the man reassures you while gently opening your legs.

“You can do it, (y/n). After all the things you had to endure today, you will be able to get through this. With me by your side. I love you more than any words could ever say, darling.”

One more push.

One more wave of pain before your body goes numb, before you lose the ability to feel anything except for sweet nothingness.

Until a loud shriek finds its way to your ear.

A violent scream, almost frustrating. When you open your eyes again, you are greeted by a crying but alive bundle of joy, carefully wrapped into a white cloth and placed onto the arm of its father.

Those eyes.

“I prayed every night that he would have your eyes”, you whimper with tears running down your cheek uncontrollably.

You did it. You saved your beloved child who looks just like its father, you managed to somehow stay alive.

“She”, the midwife corrects you gently.

“She…”, you mumble with a small smile.

The last thing you see are the troubled maroon eyes of your husband before your world goes dark.

-the next day-

A foreign but still so familiar laughter fills the atmosphere around you with joy while you see nothing but black. When your stubborn lids finally open, you are greeted by the wooden ceiling you know so well. This is your home, without any doubt.

The home a demon invaded.

The home where you feared for your life while your husband rushed to the midwife in order to deliver your child.

Your child.

You get up way too quickly, glossy eyes darting around the room without a real aim. Is your baby okay? What happened after the delivery? All you can remember are those familiar maroon eyes that looked so much like the orbs of your beloved husband. Your husband…Where is Yoriichi?

“Don’t move too quickly, love. The doctor strictly forbids you to be in a haste”, his gentle voice speaks out next to you.

Just a few moments later, you get invited by the warmth of his arms swallowing you whole. Out of instinct, you let yourself fall against him, press your very own body into his despite the scorching pain that immediately takes over your whole self.

Right, you were attacked by a demon the night you gave birth. How did you manage to escape? Are your injuries critical.

But most important: How is your baby?

“Look what you have accomplished. A little wonder. Just like you, my love”, your husband murmurs, carefully lifting a little bundle off a blanket nearby.

Your heart nearly stops when you catch a glimpse of her. Those maroon eyes are the last thing you remember before everything goes black. With shaky hands, you start caressing her puffy cheek. This. This is what you fought for, what makes it all worth it in the end.

“She has your eyes”, you hush, tears now streaming down your face in waterfalls.

“And your hair”, Yoriichi replies with a soft smile towards you.

“(y/n), I promise I’ll do anything in my power to protect you and her from something like this. I promise I will stand by your side no matter what. And I hope that someday, you will be able to forgive me for not being there for you when you needed me the most.”

The second your husband’s voice cracks, you can’t hold onto yourself any longer. You wrap your arms around him and your daughter longingly, take in the scent who gave you strength that night.

“There is nothing to forgive and nothing to feel sorry about. You did your very best and that is all that matters. I love you, Yoriichi. And I have to thank you for saving both of us just in time.”

“You are my greatest treasure on earth”, he mumbles against your lips while giving you a passionate kiss.

What a plot twist, what a happy end after all. Yesterday you were sure your life is over, that you won’t live onto the next day. And now you’re lying in your house, holding your giggling daughter while pressing your heavy head against your husband’s broad chest.

“Well, I fear I will have to share this special place by now”, you comment while gazing at your perfect little daughter.

“This might be true, love.”

Tags: @chilichopsticks @hellkaiserinphoenix  @ynackerman9499 @keepghostly @beatrexworld

@froufrousnowman @hidazinie @tomiokathedepresso  @poketrainer2270 @chaoticwinnercupcake

@lees-chaotic-brain @wordskeeper @polarbvnny @kayleegomez @ryva @baku2345

@komelrebi-san

[dangraccoon]

The Bad Batch Head Canons - Nicknames

The Bad Batch x You

Hunter

Platonic, You: this man won’t generally refer to you with much other than your name. He may call you “verd’ika” (private/little soldier) from time to time

Platonic, Him: you call him “sergeant” or “boss”, he tells you not to. This goes on continually, but Hunter doesn’t mind

Romantic, You: he tried a couple different nicknames for you but “sarad” or “sarad’ika” (flower or little flower) is what stuck best

Romantic, Him: if you call this man “hun” he won’t know if it’s a shortened version of Hunter or Honey and honestly he couldn’t be bothered to care; he loves it so much either way. Use his formal title and he absolutely will fuck you asap

Tech

Platonic, You: if you’re only friends, Tech probably won’t have a nickname for you, though he may pick up another batcher’s nickname for you if he thinks you enjoy it

Platonic, Him: if you’re the type to throw around nicknames, he’ll likely be confused but ultimately accepting of nicknames like “bud/buddy”

Romantic, You: this man for sure calls you “darling” and will occasionally use the mando’a “cyar’ika”

Romantic, Him: you are the only person in the universe that can call him “Techie” and he will adore it. If you refer to him as your “boyfriend”/“husband” or as “my man” he will melt immediately. If you call him “lover” he will go absolutely feral for for you

Wrecker

Platonic, You: if you are smaller than Wrecker, he will point it out. He’ll usually call you “little one”, even if you’re not that much smaller than him or a version of your name that’s shortened

Platonic, Him: as a counter to his, you call him “Big Guy” or something similar. It’s definitely giving Pike & Grog vibes

Romantic, You: when he gets feelings for you, he starts to use your actual name more often. He likes the sound of it.

Romantic, Him: you call him “babe” or “baby” and he will fall for you all over again, use his actual name or shorten it to Wreck he will be trying to get into your pants

Echo

Platonic, You: to be completely honest, I think Echo would just call you by your first name, or title if you outrank him

Platonic, Him: Echo already has a short name so he’ll definitely be confused if you start calling him “Eck” but he really likes it when you call him “hun”

Romantic, You: he definitely calls you “dear” in public situations and “sir/ma’am” in private ones

Romantic, Him: this man will respond to just about anything. Like those videos of dogs who will respond to the tone of their owner saying sit instead of the actual word, if you called him “newspaper” his attention would be on you.

Crosshair

Platonic, You: you cannot tell me this man doesn’t call you “babydoll” or “kitten”. That’s not my headcanon, I’m taking it as fact.

Platonic, Him: you like to call him “Crossy” to tick him off. It usually works. If you really want to get under his skin, call him “Hairy” but I cannot guarantee that you’ll see another sunrise

Romantic, You: He’s fond of calling you “darling”, but he’ll also drop the occasional “sugar” if he’s feeling frisky, or “fucker” if he’s had enough of your teasing

Romantic, Him: you can call this man anything you want and he will come running. He seems to prefer “sweetheart” over anything else though. Also he definitely has some kind of authority kink so anything in the realm of “sir/master/daddy” will immediately get you into the bedroom

[marie-swriting]

I Still Miss You - Benedict Bridgerton

Masterlist

Summary : You are best friend with Benedict Bridgerton till the day you have to leave to go to France. When you meet again, seven years later, Benedict realises you still have an important place in his heart.

Warnings : angst, sad ending, maybe some grammatical mistakes as English is not my first language, tell me if you see any and if I missed any warnings !

Word Count : 2,9k

French version on Wattpad

French version on Tumblr

Song Inspiration : A Little Bit Yours by JP Saxe

It's 1804 and you stare at your house, you’re lost in your childhood memories. After living for sixteen years in London, you have to move to France as your father has to work in Paris. 

Your father makes sure he hasn’t forgotten anything, allowing you to memorise every single stone of your old house, the one you called home. A voice calling your name brings you back to reality. You turn around and see your best friend, Benedict Bridgerton running to you. You meet him halfway, trying to hide your sadness. 

“Benedict, what are you doing here ? We bid each other goodbye yesterday.”

“I know, but your whole family was there. I wanted to see you one last time, alone.” The eighteen years old confesses.

“I’ll come back to London.” You assure him.

“But when ?”

“Soon. I hope so. Promise me to always write to me. I do not wish to lose our friendship.”

“I promise you, Y/N.”

You both look into each other’s eyes. They express more words than their voice ever could. You’re about to be separated for the first time. You have always known Benedict and you can’t imagine a life without him, unfortunately you don’t have a choice. Benedict doesn’t want to go back to a life where you’re not by his side. You've been his best friend since the day you were born. You know everything about the other. Suddenly, you fall into Benedict’s arms, needing to keep Benedict in your memory by more than just sight and ear.

“I’m going to miss you.” You murmur.

“I already miss you.” 

“Y/N, we have to go.” Your father calls, forcing you to break your embrace. 

“I am coming.” You answer before looking at Benedict one last time. “See you soon.”

Benedict doesn’t have the courage to answer you, trying to bite back his sobs. He looks at you leaving him and getting in the carriage. When you pass next to him, he waves at you and you do the same. When your family is not in his sight anymore, he lets a tear roll down his cheek. It’s official. You’re not close to him anymore. He made you a promise. He’ll write to you till the day you come back.

Lady Danbury’s ball opens the social season of 1811. Benedict goes to the event against his will, just like his two brothers Anthony and Colin. They don’t want to spend their night dancing or meeting the mamas who absolutely want to marry their daughter to a Bridgerton's. Benedict has to act as if he wants it. He stays in a corner of the ballroom, trying to make himself look smaller than he really is. Looking across the room, his eyes set on a familiar face. He needs a second to be sure he’s not being mistaken. You lost your baby face, but your beauty is still the same. With a huge smile on his face, he walks to you as you’re standing at the opposite of the room.

“Y/N ?” He asks, catching your attention.

“Mister Bridgerton, it is nice to see you again !” You answer, taking Benedict aback as he’s not used to you being so formal but he tries to hide his shock before talking again.

“I did not know you were back.”

“I arrived in London only two days ago. I haven’t had the time to greet everyone yet.”

“Dear, here is your drink.” A man states with a noticeable french accent, giving you a glass of champagne. Benedict frowns his brows, not knowing who that man is.

“Oh yes, I think some presentations would be greatly appreciated.” You begin, noticing the rising tension. “Viscount BirdWhistle, this is Lord Benedict Bridgerton, my childhood best friend. Lord Bridgerton this is Viscount James Birdwhistle, my… husband.” You say the last word awkwardly.

“Nice to meet you.” Benedict smiles politely.

“Nice to meet you, too. I am delighted to finally discover Y/N’s birth town.”

“Lord Bridgerton, I hope I will have the pleasure of seeing your family again, after so many years.”

“I hope so, too, Viscountess Birdwhistle. I apologise, I see my mom is looking for me.”

“There's no need to apologise, I was going to ask my wife to dance.” The Viscount reassures him, taking your hand. “Have a good time.”

“So do you.”

Benedict walks away, his throat seeming to be tied as he tries to comprehend what’s just happened. 

“Of course, she’s married ! She’s three and twenty. They must've been married for three years at least !” Benedict curses himself mentally. 

He takes a glass of champagne and drinks it quickly. He takes another glass and sets his eyes on the dancefloor. You and your husband are waltzing, eyes full of love. James murmurs something in your ear and you try to hold back your laugh. Benedict feels his heart being crushed in his chest while he’s watching the scene. You two look like you are very close, indicating that your marriage must be a love one.

Over the years, Benedict understood that his feelings for you have changed. They were becoming stronger and stronger when you were still in Paris. He was in pain at every letter he was sending. He only wanted one thing : to be close to you again except he never got the chance to. As he wasn’t seeing you coming back, Benedict convinced himself that he’d never see your malicious eyes ever again. He thought he had learnt to live with the pain of his non-exploited love for you. But seeing you again was like a punch in his face. Despite the years, he wasn’t able to forget his feelings for you. The young man can’t bear the sight of you in the arms of another man so he lies to his mother to leave the ball earlier.

The next few days, Benedict retires to his quarter, preferring to draw than risking meeting you again. His family hasn’t noticed his change in behaviour yet they think he’s probably having one of those periods where he isolates himself for his art. His last paintings and sketches are full of melancholia, a sadness never drawn before. What could have been a way to free himself from his pain hurts him more.

But painting his heartbreak constantly is nothing compared to the news his mother has announced two days ago. Coming back home from a promenade, she informed with a big smile that she met you with your husband, a real gentleman, she precised before telling the family that she had invited you and your husband for dinner. The Bridgertons children were all happy to finally see you again. Benedict only focused more on his sketch when he heard the news, making his mother frown. She didn't know how big his feelings for you were, but she knew that you were close friends when you were younger. She was sure he’d be happy. 

The meal is full of joy. You and the Bridgertons talk about childhood memories, allowing your husband to see another face of you, one that is more childish. You’re relieved to see you haven’t lost your connection with the family. You’re still at ease with them. The atmosphere is warm and everyone participates in the conversation. Except Benedict. He only talks when spoken to. His younger sister Eloise notices his silence so she grows worried about him. She thought he’d be the one always talking with you, but it’s actually Daphne as she questions you on your debuts in the society.

“I promise you Daphne, you will be okay.” You reassure her. “I am sure you will find a husband quickly.”

“Was it the case for you ?”

“I met the Viscount in my third year. He spilled lemonade on my dress !” You tell her, making the family laugh.

“She’s still angry at me for that one.”

“I waited weeks for this dress ! Fortunately his dancing skills made up for his clumsiness. Quickly we did some promenades and visited some museums.”

“So you’ve only been married for a year ?” Lady Bridgerton asks.

“That's correct.”

“Talking about museums, do you still draw ?” Eloise questions. “I remember some sketches you did with Benedict.”

“You draw ?” James asks you, surprised.

“I… I stopped a few years ago.” You admit, embarrassed. 

“Why ? I thought you loved it.” Benedict wants to know, being suddenly invested in the conversation. 

“I still do, I just don’t have time anymore.”

Noticing you’re more tensed than when the conversation about art started, the Bridgerton's matriarch catches your attention by asking you a question.

“Do you live in your childhood home ?”

“I couldn’t picture myself anywhere else. I have some ideas for the decoration as it is a little bit old. I want the place to feel more alive.”

“Ah, but I am certain that would be the case once you will have your first child.”

“We hope it will be soon.” You smile.

Benedict can’t bear it anymore. He sets his napkin on the table before looking at his mother. 

“Will you please excuse me, mother, I have a headache.”

“Of course, my dear. Do you need anything ?”

“No, do not worry, mama.” 

Without another word, Benedict stands up and leaves the room. You watch him, concern in your eyes. Even though it’s been years, you're still able to tell when he’s lying. You had already noticed his silence, but his sudden urge to leave the room intrigues you more. If you could, you’d join him right now to know the reason behind his strange behaviour but the presence of your husband stops you from doing so. Despite your worries, you don’t do anything until the end of the meal.

Anthony, Colin and James are in the office of the oldest Bridgerton, they wanted to talk between men, leaving you and the other women in the drawing room. You talk about the next balls as Eloise makes sarcastics comments about them. You don’t show it but a part of you is happy to see Eloise is becoming an educated woman. Quickly, you had the opportunity to listen to the most scandalous thoughts of the youngest Bridgerton but you love the new perspective that Eloise offers you.

“Eloise, you’re always reading. Do you have a book in your room to recommend me ? It has been such a long time since I’ve read a good English book and the French translations are awful.” You inform her, making the other women softly laugh. 

“You’re asking the right person. Come with me.”

You both leave the room before walking upstairs. When you arrive in the corridor leading to the bedrooms, Eloise stops herself and turns to you.

“You want to talk to him, am I right ?”

“How did you… ?” You start asking her but she interrupts you.

“I was maybe young but I still remember how close you were ! Go and talk to him. I will wait in my room for you to return to go back to the drawing room.”

“Thank you, Eloise. It is very nice of you !”

You don’t wait for your friend to be in her room to go to Benedict’s. You hesitate for a second before knocking. Benedict opens the door rapidly, a surprised expression on his face.

“Hello Benedict.”

“Oh, it is not ‘Lord Bridgerton’ anymore ?” He asks sarcastically.

“We are not surrounded by the ton.”

“Precisely. How scandalous. Does your husband know you are here ?” Benedict continues, making your eyes roll.

“I just want to talk, please.”

Benedict opens his door a little more, letting you enter. You walk in the middle of the room as he closes the door. You don’t know where to start but you know you’re the one who has to make the first step as Benedict stays silent, looking at you.

“What is the matter ?”

“I had a headache.”

“I know it is not true.”

“Why did you stop drawing ?” Benedict retorts and you stop yourself from showing your annoyance.

“I already told you, I don’t have time anymore.”

“I know it is not true.” He repeats, proud to use your own words against you.

You turn your back to Benedict, walking to his desk where you find his sketchbook.

“May I ?” You ask him and he nods.

You look at some pages, more amazed every time you find a new sketch.

“It is really beautiful, Benedict. You have improved so much in seven years. Your lines are more delicate and you know how to catch emotions.”

“Your drawings would have been the same if you hadn’t stopped.”

“No. You've always had talent. I didn’t.”

“I do not think so.” He contradicts you. He waits for a second before asking the question he had on his mind for a while. “Y/N, do you really love Viscount Birdwhistle ?”

“Yes.” You admit sincerely, looking at him. “I had the chance to make a marriage of love. He’s nice, respectful, he’s always listening to me and he’s funny. He always puts my happiness before everything else. It was his decision to come back here. I told him once how much I missed London and he decided that we should move back to my old house.”

“How come he didn’t know about your drawings then ?” Benedict wonders, hurt by your confession.

“I had never told him. You can not blame him. He is a good man, Benedict.” You assure him.

You look with more attention at a sketch from a landscape when Benedict brings you back to reality.

“I apologise.”

“What for ?”

“For stopping writing to you.”

“I’ve never written to ask you why you stopped. I am as guilty as you are.”

“I made you a promise to always write to you. It’s just…” Benedict starts, looking for his words. “At some point it became too hard. I really thought I would never see you again and the letters were not making up for your absence. On the contrary, the more I was writing, the more I was conscious you were not here.”

“It is the reason why I stopped drawing.” You confess looking in his eyes. “Art was the last link I had with you. When I was drawing, I was thinking of you and it was becoming harder every time I held my charcoal. So I stopped. It is also the reason why I’ve never told James. Telling him was like sharing our link and I wanted to keep it just for me. Every single moment we spent together, I keep them for me, in my secret garden. It is one of the rare things I had never told him. I care a lot about you, Benedict.” You add, getting closer to him. “I missed you.”

“I still miss you.”

You look into each other's eyes, staying at a good distance from each other. You wish you could hold each other like the day you left, but Benedict knows he can’t. If he did, he knows he wouldn’t be able to stop him from making a mistake. He doesn’t want to ruin this moment and even less your relationship with your husband. You seemed honest when you answered earlier. A part of him broke when he heard you talking about your feelings for James but another was relieved to know you found love. If you had to be with someone else, it’s better for you to be with someone you love. Benedict suffers a little more, thinking of you loving him, James Birdwhistle. You are with him. And you’ll always be till death do you apart. There's nothing he can’t do about it. Benedict can’t bear being this close to you without doing anything so he clears his throat before talking again.

“You should go back downstairs. Your husband is probably waiting for you.”

You don’t answer him and walk to the door. Your hand on the knob, Benedict holds you back one last time.

“Y/N, I am happy you found someone you love. You deserve happiness.”

“I hope you will find someone you'll love. You deserve happiness, too, Benedict.”

“See you soon.”

You smile at him one last time. Leaving Benedict behind, he's now a part of your past. Like seven years ago, Benedict lets a tear roll down his cheeks. Even though this time you’re not a thousand miles away, you’re still so far. Despite what he wants, he’d never be able to have the link you used to have. You are with the Viscount Birdwhistle now. It’s official, he needs to learn to live without you. He can’t let himself fall back into your eyes like he just did. He can’t let himself want you close to him like a few seconds ago. He can’t let himself hope like he was still doing. He would have loved if your relationship never ended, but life decided for you two. You don’t see him the same way he does. Even if the Viscount wasn’t here, years had deleted the affection you had for him. He was sure of it. Benedict knows, deep down, that even if he moves on from his feelings for you, you will always be a part of his heart. His love for you will never disappear. He’ll always be a little bit yours.

Masterlist

{This is my side blog so I'll be answering comments under the username @marie-sworld}

[emcant]

Rambling through the avenues of time

Thanks for the attention, in advance.

Going to SoCal in a few weeks because my hometown best friend's mom is getting married, so Hometown Best Friend, who currently lives in Asia, will be over for a long while. The county fair is on and neither of us have been in a decade or more, and we're planning some smaller cornball stops around LA. Partying like it's the 90s boiiii

I love a train and an excuse to read for hours, so normally I love the trip down there, but this time I'm absolutely dreading it. We grew up in a relatively sizeable suburb that peaked as a 1950s surf town. I didn't really realize how big it was until just this week, when I looked at the route map and saw all the nothing surrounding it. I always felt so isolated out there: the nearest other "cool spots" (read: larger towns than ours) are all a good hour away, and no matter how you travel to them, you get to look at mostly empty fields for the majority of the trip.

When I was a kid, I always imagined all the blank spots along the freeway filled in with a rainforest. I was a deeply introverted baby conservationist and that was the exact flavor of life I wanted to be surrounded by. Now I live in a much larger city with housing almost constantly in my line of sight, and I find that extremely comforting. Signs of life! Friends, maybe! I'll never meet most of the people living here, but I have this exceptional urge to protect them, based on this singular thing we have in common. I've apparently been craving neighbors to ride or die for, sight unseen, this entire time.

And I guess I'm kind of afraid of stepping away from them, even for a little while. In between the infrequent gorgeous ranch that's probably fully dependent on migrant labor, I'm going to see a ton of mid-sized shopping centers that I know are inaccessible without public transit. I don't want to be neighbors with people who would scoff at taking a bus; who consider it shameful to not have a car, house, recent phone, etc, but not shameful to use public storage and outlet malls; who are too paranoid to even occasionally walk to get their necessities. Yes, the farms self-sustain, to a certain degree - but the ability to "disconnect" like that smacks of privilege to me now.

I'm admittedly making a lot of assumptions, but I grew up mostly around the type I just summarized. I don't think I like that part of the world anymore. The land and the glimpses of the ocean can be gorgeous, but they damn sure don't make a place seem welcoming. Cities aren't for anybody until they're for everybody. Seeing CenCal and SoCal from the freeway is like peeping over the fences of an endless chain of gated communities.

So that's the shot, and the chaser is:

All the media I cling to as an adult has something that makes me feel like I'm literally there. I'm not going to shut up about Opal anytime soon because I jump every time I see Claire trying to wriggle out of her mom's grasp. I'll also probably never shut up about BTAS because I grew up with at least one parent with NPD, and that particular Joker doesn't crush it so much as he runs it through a hydraulic press.

When I Make It, I hope I capture the isolation I've been talking about. Boyfriend's been saying "alone in a crowd", but that's not quite it. It's more like getting out into the open world to realize that it's almost completely blank. The Allegory of the Cave, but it's actually a space capsule, and once you escape, you find yourself floating in the void. But with none of that imagery, of course. It'll be white walls and concrete and a constant cool fog that neither touches the ground nor lifts. While everyone you know tells you what a privilege it is to live somewhere warm and colorful and sunny.

My version of hell, crafted with love for the people who see it and say "same".

[fingertipsmp3]

Knowing someone since they were a child and then watching them have a child is, above all, extremely funny because you start to see the parallels between the way they were when they were young and the way their kid behaves

[chaeiimimi]

HEY BUBS! I HOPE YOU’RE DOING GREAT, PART TWO WAS SUCH A BOMB AS WELL ALDJAKDJA I’M LOWKEY GETTING BABY FEVER ALREADY AT THIS POINT LMAO JK AKSJAKS IF YOU HAVE TIME, I’D LIKE TO REQUEST OSAMU / SUNA / OIKAWA / AKAASHI ALDHAKS ANY OF THEM WOULD BE FINE UWU 😫

HEY BUBS I’M SO SORRY FOR THE LATE REPLY BFIWBFIWBF MY LIFE’S BEEN PRETTY CRAPPY LATELY, I’M GLAD YOU LIKED THE SECOD PART AAAAA STAY HAPPY AND HEALTHY BUBS ILY <3

Haikyuu Boys and a Single Mom Pt. 3

Featuring: Suna, Bokuto, Kenma

Suna Rintaro

despite being a professional volleyball player, Suna was still a university student, he evenly splits up his days to go to volleyball practice and university

he was always dreading to go to university, but he knew he needed it, and you, being his seating beside you in three classes, made university bearable

you had this amazing aura, always so gentle, and kind, you had a soft smile plastered on your face almost like a motherly smile, your voice was always calm and soft, you were just so breath-taking to look at

although you two never talked that much, Suna already knew a lot of little details about you, he once drove pass you walking to the kindergarten just one street away from your university, he knew that you carry a container of fruits in your bag, you always left as soon as classes for the day was over, and that was only a few among a hundred of little things about you

Suna admired you from afar, as much as he likes you so much it physically hurts him, love just wasn't his priority, his priority was volleyball and his career

or at least he thought

life surely has a great sense of humor because somehow you guys ended up being partners for a thesis paper

"I look forward to working with you Suna" you smiled

"likewise" he says with his usual blank face

Suna didn't want to admit it, but he was excited

"so, where do we work on this?" he asks looking at the notes he took for that class

"well, we can work on it at my place" you say casually while also looking at your notes

"are you sure it's okay?" he asks again to make sure, this girl, the person he's been crushing on for his two years in university is now inviting him to her place

"yeah, i can't really spend a lot of time outside, my son hates it" 

and just like that Suna was having a mini heart attack, you were married? you have a son? what-

“hey, you alright?” you asked worriedly

Suna quickly composed himself 

“uhh y-yeah, won’t your husband get angry?” he asks 

“oh don’t worry I raise Kiro by myself” you smiled

Suna looked at you strangely, unable to keep up 

you chuckled at his dazed look “I’m a single mother” 

Suna almost breathed out a sigh of relief, thankfully he was able to stop himself or else you would get the wrong idea

“yeah, yeah sure, let’s work on it at your place” he snapped out of it, did he sound too happy to hear that you were single? yes, but we ain’t gonna talk about that 

what was your ex thinking? he was pretty sure your kid was cute and you were so breath-taking to look at, what a stupid guy    

“what does your son likes?” 

“hm?” you asked him to make sure you heard him right 

“what does your son likes?” 

later in the evening, Suna showed up at your place with chocolate chip ice cream and the most expensive sushi he could find

you worked on your project for a good two hours, finalizing the outline of the thesis, while Kiro sat on Suna’s lap, your son immediately liked him, maybe because of the ice cream and sushi , but Kiro was very fond of him

“Kiro, baby, get off of Suna’s lap please he might get tired” you said to your son while you were keeping the things you used

“I don’t mind, he’s surprisingly light” Suna says as he bounces Kiro on his lap

“alright, if you say so, I’m going to prepare snacks” you made your way to the kitchen and left the two in the living room

“mister rin-rin” Kiro whispers while tugging on Suna’s shirt

“hm?” he answers looking at the kid, he was right, Kiro was extraordinarily adorable, it felt like he was looking at a smaller boy version of you and it was making her heart go feral, making him break his rules and try his best to get the both of you

“i want you to be my daddy” he whispers while fiddling with his fingers shyly

please this man is about to combust

he pats the boy’s head “sure bud” he said with a smile

“then can I call you dad?” he asks , eyes sparkling

“well it’s better to start early right? sure you can bud” he says, a full-blown grin plastered on his usually stoic face

Bokuto Koutaro 

the flashing and clicking of cameras occupied the whole room where the MSBY Jackals were holding their post-game press conference, they won the game by the way and Bokuto was in high spirits answering questions thrown at him by the reporters 

it was your turn to ask a question to the players and you stood up “Bokuto-san, your fans are always wondering why you’re always in high spirits, what is your secret?” 

Bokuto has never seen you before, were you a knew reporter? because damn he would’ve noticed you immediately if you were on their past press conferences, you looked like a celebrity to be quite honest 

“I’m playing volleyball, there’s no room for me to be unhappy” he simply says 

 it was you first day at your new job, quite frankly, you’re glad you quitted your old one, they forced you to stay behind the camera and write scripts for anchors when you finished a bachelor degree on broadcasting 

“Can’t blame him, I’m also happy when I do my job” you mumble to yourself as you remembered Bokuto’s answer to your question

“mama!” you looked at your son who was in the arms of your cousin Kuroo

“hey thanks for doing this for me couz” you say as they stopped right in front of you

“mama! have you seen the game?! they were so awesome! Uncle Tetsu promised me to go meet MSBY!” your son happily jolts in his Uncle’s arm

you looked at him with a motherly smile, happy that you’re son enjoyed the game 

“you coming with us?” Kuroo asked

“you two go ahead I’ll just rest for a bit” you were tired with keeping up with the game and asking questions 

the two nodded “alright, just show this to the guard and they’ll let you enter” Kuroo says, handing you a pass

you mutter a small thank you as you watch them walk away

let’s just say Gen, your son, was liked by every single member of the team, I mean, who could ever dislike such an adorable kid?

“MSBY cool! Shoyo pwaaa! Boto bam!” he says while jumping up and down, while Kuroo watched his nephew smiling

Bokuto was particularly very fond of him, was it because the kid was unbelievably adorable? or was it because the kid reminded him of a certain reporter? He’d like to think both

“Gen-kun who’s yer fav’rite player eh?” Atsumu asks the kid

the kid looked at eight full-grown man looking at him expectantly, his eyes stopped on the black-and-white haired spiker and made grabby hands towards him “BOUTO! BOUTO!” 

the members were disappointed but not surprised at all, kids tend to go to Bokuto or Hinata since they have the friendliest faces

“HEY! HEY! HEEEY!” Bokuto did not hesitate and lifted the boy up in the air, as they both giggle

“Tetsu?” your voice interrupted the commotion inside the room

Kuroo went to the door and opened it for you and the first thing you saw was your son giggling with the person stuck in your head for about twenty minutes now

“Mama!” your son screamed as soon as he saw you and asked to be put down to run towards you giving you a hug on your leg you looked down at him and patted his head gently

Kuroo cleared his throat “this is Y/N L/N my cousin, the mother of adorable the adorable Gen, she is single and ready to mingle, 2 in 1 you get an adorable son and a lovely wife, contact me for more details, the price can be discussed” 

you deadpanned at your cousin, why tf was he selling you like an auction, you shook your head 

you were hyper aware of the intensity of the owl-eyed spiker, making you blush

while Bokuto was over here thinking, damn he hit the jackpot an adorable son and an absolutely gorgeous wife? you bet he’s in and he’s gonna do everything he can to win you and make you and your son happy

“I’m sorry about him, please excuse me, my son and I needs to leave” you said politely and bowed as you take your son away

unbeknownst to you, Bokuto was in the middle of business with your cousin

“hey, how much for the details?” Bokuto whispers to his bestfriend as if they were in the middle of an illegal transaction

Kuroo looked at his friend with eyebrows raised

“I’ll pay any amount” Bokuto was very serious, which made the former Nekoma captain burts out laughing

“well, since you’re my good friend, a few drinks will do” Kuroo after his hyena laugh session

“Hey! hey! hey! thanks Kubroo!” Bokuto says in his usual cheery voice

later that night, you wondered why you were having dinner with your son, your cousin, and the former captain of Fukurodani, how he managed to get you flowers in such a short amount of time and this late at night was beyond your knowledge. But you weren’t complaining though, how could you when he looked adorable with a flushed face asking for your number after driving you and your son home.

Kenma Kozume

Kenma wasn’t fond of kids, he didn’t disliked them, he just preferred hanging out with adults who were less hyper, proceeds to hangout with Bokuto, Hinata and Kuroo

but he was a gamer and it is inevitable that some of his fans were kids, he didn’t mind it though he is thankful to each and everyone of his fans

being the twenty-eight year old youtuber/CEO that he is, he barely have time to go out and it happened very rarely, and today happened to be one of those rare occasions as he got out to get some ice cream in a very hot summer day

but he was in a for surprise, at an empty alley, he heard a ruckus

“give it back! please give it back!” 

it was never in Kenma’s personality to pry, but something was pushing him to go check out what was going on

he went inside to the dark alley and saw four boys, about eight years old, one was in the middle, his clothes all crumpled and dirty, his bag empty, his things sprawled out, scattered in front of him

“you want this thing? it’s not even the latest model, you think kodzu-” 

Kenma cleared his throat, already able to register what was happening

“ken” the bully continued

“you know kids, I don’t really like bullies” Kenma starts as he walks towards the little boy, picking up his scattered things one by one and putting it in his bag

“leave, before I report you to your school” Kenma says stoically which made one of the boys drop the game console in his hand as the three of them scramble to get out of the dark alley

the little boy picked up the game console and tried to open it, but to no avail, it was broken

Kenma went closer as he handed him his bag 

“are you okay?” he asked as he crouch down to the boy’s level, it was obvious that he was not okay, his face had little scratches and his clothes were all dirty and slightly damped 

but the little boy meekly nodded and looked down on his game console, which Kenma noticed 

“I can get you a new one” he says in attempt to cheer up the little boy, he didn’t know what was pushing him to do so, but his heart broke at the sight of him broke his heart 

“mister Kodzuken, can you please get this fixed for me instead?” for the first time, the boy looked at him with sad eyes

how could he say no to that face? he took the game console and looked at the boy

“is there a reason why you want me to fix it?” he asks

“my mom worked hard to get me that on my birthday, she didn’t buy her favorite coffee, her favorite bread, she patched up her shoes instead of buying a new one, she even lied to me that she wasn’t hungry when we ate out, I don’t wanna make her sad” the boy sadly said and wore his bag

Kenma was in awe, no wonder this boy was so polite and respectful

“alright, how but I’ll call your mother now, she is needed in this situation” Kenma says as he takes out his phone

the boy slowly dictates his mom’s phone number, and when he was done, Kenma was speechless, the number was already registered as his secretary’s number

Kenma shakily presses the call button

“sir?” your voice from the other line, never seize to make his heart skip a beat

“Y/n do you happen to have a son?” his voice was still calm

“yes, how did you know sir? i have a son he’s name is Eiji, he’s eight” you happily told him

“well, I kinda caught some kids bullying him, I think that you’re needed here” he says calmly 

“oh no, my baby, i’ll be there ASAP sir, please do send the location”

“I’ll send the location to my driver, he’ll pick you up” Kenma says and hangs up as he send a quick messege and the location to his driver

Kenma was supposed to ask you out tomorrow, that was the reason why he didn’t go to the office today, he was going to surprise you at his place because he didn’t want you, the girl he liked to the horrible people of the internet

you were too pure, too kind, you always made sure to get him something to eat despite his resistance, made sure that he doesn’t overwork himself and even going to the extent where you do some of his workloads, of course he trusted you enough to do so and you’ve been working with him for four years now

but you had a child? did you have a husband? but you’re resume said that you were single? is it a boyfriend?

“you know mister Kodzuken, mama always talks about you when I ask her about her day, I think she’s got a little crush on you” Eiji smiled softly at him

which almost made the former setter melt into a puddle, the boy was adorable, and even if his original plan was to just date you, he was more than happy to have Eiji, having a mini you around made it all even better, he wasn’t fond of kids but the little boy infront of him was an exception

“I think, I can make that happen” he smiles softly

the day after you appeared looking distressed, talked to your son’s bullies and their parents at the school’s principal office with Kenma and Eiji seating beside you, you were now inside your boss’ house, he was asking you to be his girlfriend, your son happily jumping up and down beside him

how could you say no, when four years ago, you were only dreaming of this moment? 

[buckyownsmylife]

Replaying - Jake Gyllenhaal/Reader (ft. Tom Holland) smut

The one where you share a night with Jake after Tom admits one of his kinks to you.

Warnings: cuckoldery, reader doesn’t think jake would respect her lack of consent, but she doesn’t actually safeword, so kinda dubcon?, you decide, definitely rough, use of the word whore, forced orgasms at some point, talk of anal

A/N: this is an one-shot depicting what happened between the reader and Jake like she told Tom about in in my fic “Do it”. I’d been meaning to write it ever since that first one came out, but a request gave me the push I needed to actually get this out. I’m very proud of this one.

Y/N’s P.O.V.

My heart was pounding against my chest as I made my way to Jake’s front door, hesitation for a bit before knocking. You’re doing this for Tom, you reminded yourself. He wants this. You’re not doing anything wrong. 

And as much as I kept repeating that to myself, those few seconds that took before Jake welcomed me into his home made me second guess everything, from what I was wearing to the strength of my relationship with my boyfriend. 

And God, I hated it. I hated it because I loved Tom, with every fiber of my being. I would never cheat on him, and I would never come close to doing anything like this if it weren’t for his admission of his own desires.

But now that it was here, out in the open, and *I was here, naked under Jake’s burning stare, I couldn’t deny that I wanted this. Fuck, I wanted this. And I was terrified of this feeling, terrified of what it could mean for my future with Tom.

I was going to do this, though. There was no doubt about it.

I thought Jake would try to ease me into this, offer me a glass of wine to settle my nerves or whatever, but the second his eyes met mine after they ran over my body, he pounced. “Fuck, I’ve been wanting you for so long.”

I moaned against his mouth as he dragged me through his house, his hands making quick work of my dress before manhandling me over his shoulder. The pure show of strength and animalistic behavior was enough to have me creaming my pants, and he must have noticed, if his chuckle was any indication.

“You’re such a horny little girl, aren’t you, sweetheart? There’s no way Tom knows how to treat you the way that you need to be treated. But that’s alright. I’m here now, and I’m gonna take good care of you.” As soon as he had me on the bed, he was all over me again, sucking bruises and leaving bite marks all over my skin. It was clear that he was the possessive type, and the fact that I was actually Tom’s didn’t really mean anything to him.

Little by little, he sucked a trail of lovebites from my neck, to my stomach, going over my chest, until he reached my underwear, where he finally stopped to look up at me. “I can’t wait to taste this little pussy.” In a second, I was completely nude before his eyes, and he rose to his feet to stare down at me, most likely reveling in the marks he had left me with.

The intensity of his gaze was so powerful that it intimidated me, forcing me to remember just exactly what I was doing, instead of simply losing myself in the moment, like I’d managed to do when I actually had his touch on me. So before I could even realize it, I was covering myself up, crossing my legs so he couldn’t really see the parts of me that he was interested in right now.

I don’t think Jake liked that. He raised an eyebrow, a hand covering the enormous bulge that had me salivating, probably in an effort to get some relief to his hardness, before he threatened, “Be a good girl and spread your legs for me, or you won’t like what I’ll do next. Tom has spoken so highly of you, I don’t think you want to disappoint me.”

I hesitated for a bit, but something in his eyes warned me not to get on his bad side. However, it seemed like I wasn’t quick enough to satisfy his wishes, because he pulled me by ankle to the edge of the bed, before turning me around until my head was hanging off of it.

“Fine. I know you want to be fucked like a whore anyway.” Without any sort of prelude whatsoever, he grabbed my cheeks, burying his fingers in the flesh to force me to pucker my lips, before feeding me his cock with his other hand. “Here, suck on this. I really want to hear you gagging around my cock.”

And that was all the preamble I got before he suffocated me with his dick, cutting off my breathing as he thrusted roughly in and out of my throat, directly. In no time at all, I was a mess of tears and spit, and while I was sure that the image couldn’t be all that attractive, still Jake didn’t seem to mind at all.

Jake’s P.O.V.

I don’t think I’d ever been this hard in my entire life. It meant that I was barely hanging on to my already diminished control, but who could really blame me when I had this fucking woman for me to do as I pleased?

When I finally pulled away to let her catch her breath, she coughed and sputtered desperately, hands trying to hold my hips so I would give her more time to breathe. “Please,” she babbled, voice hoarse and fucked out, immediately provoking a smug smirk to rise on my lips. “Please, be more gentle.”

I had to coo at how cute she was. Holding her hair back so I could run a single finger across her face, I buried it on her lips like I’d done with my cock before leaning over to remind her, “You’re mine tonight, princess. I’ll do whatever the fuck I want to you.” And then I pried her lips open, spitting in them before filling her mouth with my cock once more.

“Damn, all those times I thought about bending you over a table and fucking you right in front of your boyfriend, I have to say… I’m not even in your pussy yet and you’re already much better than I imagined.” I thrust in and out of her mouth a couple more times, relishing in the choking and the tears until I could feel my balls threatening to release inside of her warm mouth, and that simply wouldn’t do. The only place I’d be cumming tonight would be inside of her pussy.

So I allowed her some time to recollect as I slowly rounded the bed until I was standing in front of her pussy. “You know, you had a much harder time taking my cock in your mouth than I expected you to. I didn’t take Tom for having such a tiny cock.”

Even if I was exaggerating, I could see by the guilty look on her face that he was significantly smaller than me. It only added up to make me feel even hornier, that much more determined to give her the pounding of a lifetime.

“You did a good job sucking my cock, sweetheart. Now let me see this pussy.” Kneeling in front of my bed, I pulled her by her ankle so her legs were dangling off of it before I positioned her feet on the mattress, spreading her open to me. “Fuck yes. This is a pretty pussy.”

I was almost clinical in my exploration of her hole, starting by slowly running my fingers up and down her lips, making sure to spread her juices all over them before spitting on her cunt and spreading that all over the perfect sight. 

“Hmm, yes… You look delicious.” I leaned down to give both me and her a little teasing taste by very quickly running my tongue on her clit, but immediately had to come back for seconds.

Y/N’s P.O.V.

“Damn, you’re sweet.” I didn’t know what to do, it was impossible to figure out a way to behave properly while Jake fucking Gyllenhaal was lapping my pussy like it was his last meal on Earth. Every moan that escaped my lips felt like a betrayal to Tom, even though it didn’t make any sense.

“Stop that.” The man that right now seemed more animal than human called my attention with a loud slap over my weeping cunt, breaking the dam with which I had tried to contain my sounds of pleasure. “I want to know just how thoroughly I’m ruining you.”

I’d never make it out of here alive, I thought. At the very least, I knew I wouldn’t leave this bedroom the same woman I’d been once I stepped inside of it, but instead of fear, all I felt was the familiar rising wave of pleasure and the unknown curiosity of knowing more about this new version of me. The one that knew what it felt like to be touched by my boyfriend’s best friend.

A single finger penetrated me, the same systematic approach of exploration was applied as Jake slowly and carefully got to know my insides, looking for what made me tick and what helped him in his task to destroy me. When I clenched around his digit, I felt his grin against my pussy, his smugness at having found that sweet spot that was once only reserved for Tom and Tom only.

“Wanna see you cum now, pretty baby,” he teased, the vibrations of his words only adding to the efficacy of his plan. “Cum all over my fingers, angel. Want to see you breaking apart for me.”

The use of such sweet nicknames when I already knew he was nothing but a rough lover only added to the fire that had been lit in the pit of my stomach. The feeling of being powerless, abandoned in the hands of a man who didn’t seem to know mercy was what brought me to my first orgasm of the night. Flashbacks to just how out of breath I’d been only minutes before, the panic when I realized he wouldn’t pull back. For a moment,  I honestly didn’t know if he would respect my use of the safeword he and Tom had agreed upon beforehand, and that was the thought that brought me to a messy, relieving release.

“There you go. So sweet and wet, you dirty, dirty girl.” I knew I tried to respond and it only came out in some sort of broken sound, but I didn’t recognize it as a whine until I felt another slap over my pussy, startling me.

“Don’t whine,” he ordered, and I could see that dangerous glint in his eye that electrified to my very core. “Whiny babies get punished, angel. Do you want to be punished?” As much as the very thought of what Jake could have in store for me had my pussy clenching, I knew I wouldn’t be able to handle it, at least not tonight, not after the amount of anticipation that I’d built even before I walked into his house.

Jake’s P.O.V.

I smiled as she shook her head emphatically, arms and legs wrapping around my body as she tried to cling to me, stopping me from performing what she thought I intended to do. “No, no, please. I-I need you.”

Shit. Hearing her admit her desire for me had my cock twitching, precum undoubtedly starting to drip from the throbbing head. Still, I had enough control left in me to remember that I needed to prepare her first. I needed her to be ready for me, so I could truly give her the pleasure that she deserved.

“Not yet, sweetheart.” I forced another finger inside of her, groaning to myself at just how tight she felt, wanting to stretch her open with my cock, feel her struggling to take it, but knowing it wouldn’t be right. She hadn’t agreed to be mine, she wasn’t prepared to deal with everything I was as a lover.

“I need to open you up for me, yeah?” I was breathing hard, trying to restrain myself as I watched her pussy swallow my fingers eagerly, releasing more and more of her sweetness to help ease the stretch. “Have to make you cum again, baby. Can you do that for me?”

The sight of her shaking her head had anger rousing inside of me. Here I was struggling to make this easy on her, and she just couldn’t help me on that gradually more and more herculean task.

“Oh, but you are going to do just that. And you’re going to like it, *angel.” Deciding that the best way to get through this torture was to get her to cum quickly, with the added bonus that it would serve as a punishment too, I started to fuck her with my fingers faster and faster, making sure to curve my digits just right so I would hit that particular spot every damn time.

“Yes, see? This is what you get for misbehaving. You’re gonna cum all over my fingers, and you’re gonna pay for each damn time you made me want to have my cock inside this pretty little pussy and had to resort to fuck some other woman instead. “C’mon. You can’t pretend you don’t want to cum and keep moaning like a whore. Cum right now,” I urged her orgasm until I felt it, her channel clenching around my fingers and making me groan again.

I didn’t stop moving them though, instead opting to squeeze a third one, so I could finally have my cock inside of her in only a few seconds. “P-Please,” she started begging, tiny hands circling my wrist in an effort to pry me away from her, and I had to coo at how adorable she was.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. You can handle one more. C’mon. It’ll be so worth it when I finally get my cock inside of you. I’m only doing this to help open you up, baby.” She was sobbing now, pretty body twisting and trying to get away from the pleasure that was clearly becoming too much for her.

Leaning down to cover her body with mine, I nibbled on her jaw before licking her slightly open lips. “Kiss me, Y/N. It’ll help distract you. Kiss me.” I probably didn’t need to repeat it, because as soon as I finished breathing out the words, her lips were on mine, hands losing themselves in my locks in an effort to leave me be inside of her pussy.

Y/N’s P.O.V.

I immersed myself in his kiss, desperate to find something to distract me from the incessant dragging of his fingers against my walls, the squelching sounds of my sopping wetness simultaneously embarrassing and arousing me. Damn him and his sexual appeal. It didn’t take him long at all to have me trembling because of his three fingers, desperate to cum yet again.

“See? I knew you could handle it.” There was a smug smirk on his face that I wanted to wipe, but the only way I could do that now was by kissing him again. I had no idea how he knew my body that well, despite never having touched it again. Not even I believed I was able to cum another time, and still, here I was eager to finally have his member inside of me.

At long last, his fingers came out, being promptly wrapped by his beautiful lips before he looked down at me with that same stupid smirk. “Are you ready, pretty girl?” I could only nod, watching enraptured as he slowly jerked off to the sight of my already ruined body, but I should have known that wouldn’t be enough.

“Say it,” he ordered, knowing fully well exactly how wrecked I was. “Say you want my cock inside of your pretty little pussy.” I stopped a whine just before it managed to erupt from my chest, panting wildly as I stared up at this dark angel that looked so determined to destroy me for anyone else.

“I want you inside of me,” I murmured, instantly knowing it still wouldn’t be enough. He was rubbing the head of his member over my dripping lower lips, and at the sound of my compliance, a slap echoed around the room, leaving my thigh tingling - surely with a hand-shaped bruise behind.

“Louder.” My cunted pulsed with the need to be filled, so much so that it didn’t take any time at all to get me to repeat the same words I’d just uttered, in a louder, much more desperate tone. My reward was immediate. Jake filled me slowly but surely, only stopping once he had completely bottomed out inside of me, and I had to focus on my own breathing or I was sure I’d forget to inhale and exhale as I struggled to accept his cock in my already stretched out hole. 

He was right. I would never have been able to take his cock if he hadn’t taken the time to ease me, opening me up with his fingers. The comparison was *right there, it was impossible to ignore. Still, I tried to distract myself, focusing instead on the feeling of Jake’s beard as he nibbled on my jaw, waiting for me to adjust to him.

“So many times you teased me, with those short pretty dresses and cute little smiles, and now I finally have you right here where I want you.” He hid his head on the crook of my neck, just the way Tom usually did, and instinctively, I laced my fingers over some of his locks, just like I usually did with my boyfriend. “You know what, angel? I think I might just keep you.”

I couldn’t really focus on what he was saying, and I knew it wouldn’t do me any good either. There was some comfort in thinking that he only wanted me for my body, that’s what I knew and that’s what I wanted to focus on.

At the first snap of his hips, a whimper escaped my lips, still unable to relax so it wouldn’t hurt. Jake only chuckled, brushing away a few strands of untamed hair that covered my face before kissing my lips briefly. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’m gonna fuck the pain away, you’ll see.”

Regardless of the discomfort, I savored each and every thrust of his member inside my walls, holding tightly to his shoulders as I prayed - for what, I had no idea. I wanted this to be over just as much as I wanted to cherish every second of it, if only for the memories I’d get to recount to my boyfriend when it was all over.

Almost as if he was reading my mind, Jake spoke on that moment, “Wouldn’t it be hot if Tom was here to watch me fucking you?” That was a thought my brain could process, and it made me come that much closer to cumming all around Jake’s cock. “I bet you wanted him to be here, so he could see just how good I’m fucking you.”

A particular thrust of his hips had him finally hitting that spot that had me melting underneath him, releasing his shoulder in order to find hold in the tangled sheets of the bed. “God, I can’t believe he’d let you out of his sight for only a second, much less that he let me fuck you.”

His words were only murmurs pressed against my skin, accompanied by licks and bites all over the already bruised skin of my chest, but I heard every single word, questioning just how much kinker this man could get.

“I’d make you beg for my cock right in front of him, baby. I’d make you cry for it while he was watching, make you forget you even belong to him.” There was a pause then, when he finally looked up from my glistening skin, covered in his saliva, to meet my eyes. “I’m gonna do that now.” 

That was his warning as he picked up the pace, keeping eye contact that I desperately wanted to break, but found myself unable to. He was like a force field in himself. Magnetic, inescapable. When he said he would ruin my innocence for Tom, I had no doubts about it.

Each thrust of his hips revealed parts of myself I was unaware of before, parts I was unsure I wanted to recognize as being mine, anyway. And in the midst of this tug of war between head and heart, I was growing more desperate to cum with each passing second, suffocated by the weight of Jake’s body on top of me, his muscles locking me under his control.

When it was impossible to hold it in anymore, I expected to be able to bring him down into the depths of pleasure with me, but I should have known better. While I reveled in the aftershocks of yet another orgasm, body laying heavy and without response on the bed, he just groaned and kept fucking me, like he was would never be able to forgive himself if he wasn’t able to keep going.

“Swear to God… I’ve never had a better pussy in my entire life.” The filthiness of his words surprisingly added to the sensations of my own afterglow, making my pussy even wetter - and I knew he could feel it, especially by the growl that escaped his chest. “Yeah, you like knowing that, huh? You like knowing I’ve fucked a shit ton of women and still your pussy is the tightest, wettest, warmest pussy I’ve ever had.”

I shouldn’t. I shouldn’t feel as aroused by him comparing me to other women, or the thought of him with other women, but I did. Maybe it was because he wasn’t mine, and I knew he never would be. I was okay with that - Tom was all I wanted. But knowing that the memories of what we shared would haunt him way after he was thorough with me gave me some spiteful sense of pride, and I just couldn’t deny it.

“What about me, huh? What about my cock? Do you like it? Do you like the way it’s splitting you open, making you cream around me? Tell me, angel. Tell me how good I make you feel.”

Jake’s P.O.V.

I could see that the overstimulation was getting to her now, and she relented, telling me exactly what I longed to hear, probably in need to distract herself from how raw her pussy was feeling now.

“I-It feels s-so good…” I had to bite back a grin at the admission, knowing how much it cost her to let it out, but also aware that she needed to completely let go in order to fully enjoy this the way that she deserved to.

“Are you gonna tell him? How it felt to have my big cock inside of you? Are you gonna think about it while you fuck him?” The thought of Tom had her moaning more loudly, more easily close to letting go of the control she still held so tightly to her chest.

“Come here, sweetheart. I think it’s time you ride me.” I inverted our positions so that she was the one on top now, letting my body rest on the headboard so I could still keep a tight grip on her hips.

I was so fucking close, I craved to reach my high and I knew that she was aware of it. It was clear in the way I couldn’t let her do her job, instead fucking myself up against her, desperate to cum. And the sight of her breasts right in front of me only added to the fire in my lower belly, growls and groans escaping me the more I forced her to quicken her movements.

“I’m going to give you something…” I started right when I felt that delicious sensation taking over my body, spreading through every single part of me. “A gift so you can give to Tom.”

I could see that she was puzzled, but right then my orgasm hit me, making me spill ropes upon ropes of cum into her tight, delicious pussy. Surprisingly, the feeling had her sighing and curling up against me, like she knew that this meant we were through, and she could finally relax.

I chuckled, squeezing her ass as I milked my own orgasm, making sure every single drop was inside of her, before slapping one of the cheeks. “Keep it in,” I ordered, and I knew she was aware of what I was talking about. “He’ll love it. Just like you loved to take me in your pretty little hole. Didn’t you?”

Instead of answering, she just hid her head in the crook of my neck, making me chuckle loudly. How adorable. I’d just fucked her silly, and she still felt embarrassed about something so natural.

In the quiet of night, as I waited for both of our breathing patterns to come back to normal, I absentmindedly traced shapes against her back, thinking about how in a few minutes she’d be out the door and back in her boyfriend’s arms and I would go to sleep alone. Like I always did. And because my mind knew well enough that I wouldn’t handle being vulnerable in front of her, my hand ended up between the cheeks of her ass, right where I hadn’t had the chance to explore.

“Tell me, beautiful,” I broke the silence, kissing her shoulder to relax her when her muscles tensed after I circled her puckered hole. “Did he ever fuck this ass? I bet I could fill this little hole real good, too.”

Y/N’s P.O.V.

Just the thought of having him like that had me clenching around his member again. It wasn’t necessarily a scary thought - I was more afraid of how arousing the mental image got me, especially since I hadn’t had the chance to explore that with Tom just yet.

Before I had the chance to explain there was no way in hell I’d be losing my ass virginity to him, he laughed, slapping my butt lightly again, before clarifying, “Don’t worry, angel. I’m not going to overstep my welcome. Besides, it’d take too much time to get my dick inside of you, I’d never be able to stop myself from cumming too soon.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I opted to just nod before I managed to slowly gather my strength to finally climb down from his lap. I bit my lip to stifle the groan that threatened to erupt from my chest at the feeling of being so empty after being so thoroughly fucked, but the second I was away from him, his hand fell down on my ass once more, his face taken by a boyish grin when I turned around to stare at him.

“Maybe next time.” It took me a while to understand he was still referring to anal sex, and when I did, I felt my face burn at all the implications of that statement. “I trust you’ll think of me if you and Tom ever decide to open the relationship to embrace someone else in the mix.”

Now that was unexpected, and yet again, there was nothing I could say, so I just silently gathered my stuff - annoyingly conscious of the little souvenir he’d left me to carry with me back to the house - while he located some sweatpants and followed me downstairs. 

“Bye.” It felt weird saying just that to wrap up everything that had happened between us ever since I stepped foot into this house, only a few hours earlier, but what else was there to say? Of course, Jake had a different opinion, and that became clear with the parting words he left me to ponder as I sat alone, sore and dirty on the taxi ride back to my house.

“Goodbye, sweetheart. Rest assured, everytime your eye meets mine while we’re out in public, I’ll be thinking about how it felt to be balls deep into you. I hope you’ll be thinking about me too. Maybe then you won’t tease me so much.”

[writingssummit]

𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐤𝐲𝐮𝐮 𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐝𝐬 !

haikyuu as dads!

find the mha version here - bnha as dads !

content: fluff, the boys with children. mentions pregnancy. aged up!

characters: bokuto, daichi, sugawara, lev, and kuroo.

a/n: i’ve been feeling very soft and even though i don’t even really like kids lol, this prompt make me so warm and happy :’) keep in mind that I’m not super far into haikyuu, so i don’t know a lot about the timeskip- sorry !! also a bit messy and unorganized.

so without further ado, here are some soft scenarios and headcanons for each :D

bokuto !

Pleaseeee, we all know he’d be such a good dad!!

You’re tired? Don’t worry, he can watch them while you rest!

Can and WILL play with them for hours.

And of course, he has the energy to keep them preoccupied. This man has more energy than I ever will on 2 cups of coffee with 3 shots of espresso in each.

Mans probably would want a bigger family, but of course as long as you were fine with it.

Thinking maybe 3+. He just wants to have that big family to share with you :’) aww

When you’re pregnant, he’s all over you. Protective to the point of it being a little overwhelming, but he means well.

Pokes your belly a little. Not harshly, but in a loving, gentle way.

“That’s my baby. Right in there.”

Probably cries a little when your baby bump shows.

More so during your first pregnancy, but he still holds that same emotion with the others.

He does NOT know what to do the first time.

“THEY’RE CRYING, Y/N WHAT DO WE DO??”

When the kid/s start getting older, oh lord. He’s such a sucker for them.

Probably gives them ice cream or sneaks candy when you aren’t in the room, even though IT’S ALMOST TIME FOR BED.

I’m sorry, but he cannot and will not be able to help with homework. I’m sorry but it’s true.

If your kid/s have a passion, he’s 100% for it.

Dance? He’ll go to all of the recitals he can make. Volleyball? Even better. Writing? He’ll sit in front of them and have them read it out to him like it’s a bedtime story.

I don’t think he’d be a good cook, so whenever he takes over for dinner, everyone is like “Oh no. Dad’s cooking again.”

Overall, 100/10 dad. Supportive, and does his best. Good boyo <3

daichi !

I think he’d be a good dad too :D

He was kind of just a natural father, so it’s expected.

I think that he originally wanted to bring up the topic of kids to you at some point, but he was hesitant since he didn’t know if you were ready.

So of course, you beat him to the conversation.

He’s very happy that you want to start a family too. :)

I think he’d want a smaller family, maybe 1-2 kids.

When you test positive, he’s kind of in shock for a moment.

“We’re going to have a kid-”

Like duh lmao he put it in you

Definitely calls Suga up to tell him the news.

Is actually very interested in shopping for a baby. He needs a few pointers but he’s got the enthusiasm, so A for effort bby

He’s decently used to having a small child running around him screaming, he had little siblings so yeah

Has a bit more structure than bokuto, but he’s still able to break.

He’d do damn near anything for his kid/s.

He has his moments where he wants to spend alone time with just you.

Decent homework helper, but I feel like he’d be that one parent who goes “This wasn’t how I was taught to do this”, or “Why did they change that??”

Again again, supportive dad.

But also supportive of you <3

sugawara !

Being a teacher, he’s surrounded by kids all the time.

Basically, he is also used to having screaming children within his vicinity

I could never omg how do you do that Suga

At first he didn’t put much thought into a family, he and you were content just the two of you. Also. CHILDREN HE TEACHES.

But something just switches in his brain, probably after he had a really wholesome moment with a student, or maybe even just witnessing a parent + student interaction.

He’s like, “I kind of want that..”

Another small fam kinda guy <3

Suga brings it up, and you’re all for it, you’ve been wanting to start a family with him.

He’s so excited and happy!! oml :’)

Like, he finally gets to start a whole new chapter of your lives together he hadn’t really thought about until now.

When you get a baby bump, he plants soft kisses to your tummy and talks gently to it.

My heart ksjshd

This will be a nightly occurrence now.

He is reading all those articles for raising kids. He’s also at your beck and call, even the baby’s.

He just wants everything for the baby, they end up being a huge daddy’s kid.

Late nights after the kid/s go to bed is prime time for you both.

You enjoy being together after a long day, you snuggle up together in your bed, maybe drink some wine later.

PLEASE. Breakfasts in bed. He and the kid/s will TOTALLY MAKE YOU B in B.

So proud of your kid/s. Has pictures in frames on his desk at school, and when his students ask, he has plenty of stories to tell.

Knows when something is off. Like, he can just tell-

Kid is sad? He’s there. Tissues, ice cream, take them out somewhere.

Probably a teaser.

You already know he gets himself and that kid/those kids into mischief.

“Shhh, don’t tell mom!”

He has deep conversations with them. He cares a lot.

He just loves them <3

10/10

kuroo !

it’ssss kuroo time babyyy

He definitely wanted kids. Strikes me as the guy who just knew, as soon as you got married.

When that test came up positive, he had a dorky smirk on his face.

He’s very proud to know you will have his kid.

This dude is always checking up on you. Morning sickness? He’s there to hold your hair back. 

Feeling clingy or upset? Wraps his arms around you.

Lazy pats on your stomach when it’s late.

Why does he seem like he’d play mozart around you because he read somewhere that fetsuses liked that

Sir please we don’t need to listen to Alla Turca (Allegretto) for 12 hours straight

He’s 100000/10 homework helper. Mans is smart af, it’s not even surprising.

“I forgot how smart you were” 

“Shut up”

You both are probably so mushy with each other that your kid/s are like “Ew gross”

He encourages and pushes them to do their best. 

Helps them find what they’re passionate about. <3

Dad jokes. I’m serious.

“Please stop, dad!”

“One more, one more-”

Enjoys making them suffer with terrible jokes.

In a nice way of course.

lev !

saved the funny one for last!

Okay maybe not super funny, but I had fun writing this

He and you did NOT plan to get pregnant. At ALL.

“Lev the test is positive”

“Wh-WHAT?”

Promptly falls off of chair.

Like this dude was not ready for that information

Tbh he would make even me anxious about it

“..do I have to give them the talk?”

Lev please it hurts me

As soon as he gets used to it though, he’s excited like he usually is. 

But this is different. This is a whole HUMAN. 

“Do you think I’ll be a good dad, Y/N?”

“Do you want me to be honest?”

Jkjk that was a joke.

I think Lev has the potential to be a good dad. He’s energetic, passionate and dumb, but in a good way <3

Sorry again, no homework help with him LMAO

Your kid will probably be tall. Or at least average height.

After the original surprise pregnancy, he wants to try again but when you both are actually ready.

He would totally take these kids out everywhere. A show off dad for sure

“Hey, did you know my kid did xyz?” 

“Look, here’s a picture!”

Lev we get it you love your kids 

He would love to have a volleyball loving kid I feel like, but he wouldn’t be too disappointed if they didn’t like it. Would probably propose other sports though, he always loved playing himself, even if it was only volleyball so he wants them to have the same good experiences

If he’s watching the kids while you’re shopping, he doesn’t really know how the first few times- even though you left him A LIST.

Probably then calls his friends up for advice

If it comes down to it...consults WikiHow

and that’s it!! hope you enjoyed, some were harder to write but yk what- i had fun :D as much as i am suga brainrot i literally had a hard time writing his section :’( 

but anyways yuh B)

asks/requests are open ! check yay’s and nay’s in basics for this blog !

[ginanosakka]

Let It Go

Masterlist

Mistakes Were Made | Next

Your mother was an acquaintance to you; someone who you bonded with on the meer coincidence of them being in the same room as you. There was faint memories of her in your head, most of them blurring together because you two did one thing when you were together: shop. After she married your dad, she became a stay at home mom that was never home once you were no longer breast fed. Jun, your personal maid, was your primary caretaker as you grew up despite the fact that she hated children. Often, you’d forget you even had a mother until you find your way around the house to the common room where she might be on her way to her next adventure and invite you.

Still, when the dust settled after your pregnancy she showed you that she was more on your side than you thought. Not much, but enough to be able to call her when you needed answers only she could give you.

“You’ve become so fragile, I have no idea where all this anxiety you have stems from, but it couldn’t have been your father and I.” Your mother stated bluntly as you let her into your home.

You chuckled dryly but couldn’t rebuttal — your face was puffy from crying and there were bags under your eyes from lack of sleep. It looked like you could drop at any moment, so her observation was fair. It wasn’t like you expected anything less than brutal honesty from her, she had been criticizing you since you were a kid. If it wasn’t for her, you probably never would have put up with Katsuki’s behavior. You still wondered if she had you to have an occasional shopping partner, or just to appease your father.

“Where’s the child?” She asked as she examined your house for signs of him coming.

“If he was here I wouldn’t have invited you. You know that.” You said pointedly, plopping down on your couch and letting her run her fingers across the wall to soak in the minor details of your house.

The most contact she had with you since your absence was the rare phone call or text, but you never invited her into your home. You always believed that would be inviting your past back in and letting it hurt you again.

Obviously, the past refused to be kept under wraps whether you willingly invited it to your door or not.

Your mother sighed, “you’ve grown so much but so little. I’m going to assume that boy came back, right? The one that caused all this mess?” You only nodded in response, holding yourself tightly on the couch as if you were trying to keep all your pieces together. “Frankly, I’m disappointed. . You raised a bastard child on your own, you went from running around like some street urchin to creating a company designed to create opportunities for those quirk freaks, and yet you still can’t let go of such a small-“

“It was my life, mom. I wanted to be all of their friends and love them for who they were: kids who just wanted to save people and help the ones they cared about. Bakugou meant everything to me, and you both had to know that to bribe him to stay with me for so long. You love people the way you want them to love you, that’s something I learned on my own, and I applied that to every single person I could.” You looked her in her golden eyes with your own glistening with the tears you thought had run dry long before she got here.

“You know what he called me? A spoiled princess who didn’t know what it was like to not get what she wanted, like me wanting him to love me back was a car or a new purse,” you let out another dry laugh as a tear fell. “That’s what it felt like to be your daughter too, you know. That’s what it felt like to be alive and in dad’s shadow. So when I had Ryu. . this little baby boy who I had to fight tooth and nail to keep. . I did everything I could to show him that I loved him, because I didn’t want him to wake up one day and realize no one in this world loved him as much as he loved them like I did. It isn’t fair that all it takes is Katsuki showing up to turn him against me! None of this is fair!”

You’d never seen your mother cry, she was always smiling, either snarkily or cheerily, and if not she was capable of showing neutrality. Not even as she watched you be dragged into your doorstep did she even frown, and she barely twitched your lips when you were in the hospital. Maybe it was because you rarely saw her in the first place, but you truly believed she swore off certain emotions.

It was no surprise that she could listen to you pour your heart out about the emotional abuse and neglect you faced; she wasn’t capable of feeling sorry for you. That fact hurt when Katsuki left and she didn’t care to comfort you, it hurt when you told them you were pregnant and she only looked away when your father dragged you out onto the lawn when you refused to abort it, but there was no more pain left for you to feel from her. No, you needed her to be this way in this moment.

Your mother paused before she spoke again, but when she found the words she was looking for she wasted not another second. “I don’t know what your father taught you exactly, but I know for sure he taught you that nothing in this life is fair. Things will never go your away unless you make them, or have you forgotten that time he made three small businesses go bankrupt when they refused to merge with his company?”

“I-“

“I’m not here to listen to you whine about your simple-minded father, Y/N! You said you wanted to be better than us and give him better, but where is he now? You prattle on about how I didn’t love you and how I wasn’t there for you, but your son needs you now and you’re sitting in this garage of a home crying about your childhood.” She lectured you with her voice so even and condescending that you flinched slightly.

‘Is she right? . . I always say I’m moving on from my past, but I always keep it in the back of my mind and let those memories play in mind instead of accepting it as something I’d never be able to change. . I treated Katsuki and Mina with the past in mind, and that lead to all of this. What happened to me wasn’t fair, but she’s right: nothing in life is fair. The best thing I could do for me and my son is to move on even if you still don’t trust them.’

You stood from the couch and wiped your tears away, moving past your mother down the hall to your bedroom to change. “Excuse me, I have to go get my son. You can show yourself out,” you waved her off.

Your mother watched you walk away with a warmth filling her chest that she hadn’t felt in years. A small — real — smile was on her lips, but she’d never tell you how much love she had for you now. It was too late for her to turn back the hands of time and be a real mother, the one you deserved, but it wasn’t too late for you.

“There’s nothing like a mother’s love,” she chuckled as she walked out the door.

“I really can’t believe it,” Kirishima said as he watched Ryu run around Katsuki’s apartment without pause.

It took some time for Ryu to stop crying when Katsuki finally got him to his apartment — mostly because he didn’t know what the hell to do to calm him down — but when he finally took his mind off of Y/N, he became focused on asking Katsuki questions again. From how he beat certain villains, to what his favorite color was. Katsuki somehow kept calm with the miniature version of himself, letting him talk and answering all his questions while making them both dinner. His natural observant nature helped him pick up on small things Ryu would do that would indicate what he wanted when he was too preoccupied to tell him, like how he unconsciously rubbed his stomach when he got hungry.

When he finally got tired, Katsuki took him to one of his spare bedrooms in his large apartment, helping him get comfortable on the large bed after changing him into the pajamas he had packed himself. Ryu still didn’t let him leave to get his own sleep, asking him to stay until he was fully asleep, and he couldn’t say no and risk him crying all over again. So he stayed well into the night until he was sure that he was asleep and slipped into his own bed, long after what he usually would every night.

Katsuki could remember his mother yelling about all she had to put with when he was little, but he never imagined he’d be doing these things himself. Especially not getting up early to exercise before his son woke up so he could make him breakfast, or watching a miniature version of himself sleep to make sure he was breathing.

It scared him how easily he adapted, but most of all, it scared him how happy he was to be doing it all. His world centered around him only just a few days ago, now Ryu and you occupied his thoughts. It was clear to Bakugou, and to everyone who had the displeasure of getting too close to him, that there was no room for a domestic lifestyle, but here he was with the son he never wanted taking care of him as if he’d been there since birth.

Kirishima had come over awhile after Ryu had finished eating — a much harder task than Bakugou thought of it would be due to the fact that Ryu thoroughly enjoyed making a mess with syrup and eggs — when he found out his friend had taken off work for an unforeseen amount of time, which was highly unusual since Katsuki usually worked beyond what he was asked too. Often overshadowing other smaller heroes by taking down small crime.

He expected for his best friend to be sick to the point where he couldn’t stand — the only reason he wouldn’t put his hero costume on — but instead he was greeted by two Bakugous when the door opened; both healthy and unscathed.

It was safe to say that Eijiro was more than a little surprised to hear the explanation to how Katsuki had constructed another version of himself. Even more so surprised to find out that it wasn’t some robot, and Katsuki actually had actually touched another human being in a non-harmful way to create human life.

“You trying to say I’m some freak who can’t have kids?” Katsuki hissed, but the threat was barely there since he was more focused on watching Ryu’s every movement than fighting Eiji.

Kirishima laughed, “of course not. It just didn’t seem like something you ever wanted. You never expressed any interest in ladies, not even when Y/N was around, but I guess you’re just a private guy.” His smile faltered as a he thought, “I wish you would have told me something though, I didn’t even know you and Y/N still talked.”

“Because we don’t . I found out about him a few days ago, and I only just met him yesterday,” Katsuki stated simply.

“... Huh?!”

Katsuki sighed, realizing he’d have to explain this story a lot. “It’s a long story, I’ll explain later with the rest of those shitty friends of yours.”

Eiji sweat dropped, “they’re your friends too.”

“Dad doesn’t have friends! He’s too busy saving people and kicking butt!” Ryu suddenly interjected, coming between Kirishima and Bakugou since they sat on separate couches. “Everyone knows heroes like you guys only have time to do hero work!” He leaned forward towards Kirk and whispered, “I heard you don’t even have time to poop.”

Once again, Eiji sweatdropped.

“I don’t know about all that, little man. . but where’s your mom?” He decided to ask the child himself, but quickly realized that was a bad idea by the angered face of Katsuki behind the child.

“She-“

A knock at the door interrupted the child and his attention was instantly shifted to who was behind it, running as fast as he could to the door with Katsuki behind him warning him not to open it since he didn’t know who it was. Ryu waited beside Katsuki as he opened the door, and watched as his father’s resting anger face turned puzzled.

“Sorry I didn’t warn you that I was coming, but I think you’re babysitting hours are over.”

A/N: If you guys continue to be so nice to me and my story I will have no choice but to kiss you all on the forehead. I hope you enjoy, and I love all your comments🥺❤️! This will be your last chance to added tot he taglist before it’s closed, make sure to tell me before the next chapter!

Taglist <3 : @fandomgirllover @cloudsgathering @that-bipolar-renegade-romantic @jazzylove @that-chick212 @bonbonthedragon @misssugarless @insomniac-nerd-posts-things @bakugous-bakahoe @pinkykookie17 @animexholic @arielting @samkysnks @simpforeveryone @damnirina @fireworkemoji102 @deneuves @tsumuuumiyaaaa @ladybeautiful18 @vintage-teddyxo @regalmigraine @samvmgh @iamagalaxy @officialtrashbusiness @xwackk @videogameboiwhowins @marajillana @ellasdilemma @plutoneu @saucey-kneecapzz42020 @thestarsanctuary @dewdropwifu @star-light-imagines @kritiiiii @bakugosbottombitch @the2ndl @candybabey

[dameronology]

written in the stars (poe dameron)

summary: after months of going back and forth, you & poe are finally forced to have a conversation that you’ve been avoiding. it’s bound to hurt, but he’ll never give up hope. 

warnings: swearing, angst

i hope u enjoy! 

- jazz

You and Poe had broken up.

But also...had you really?

I should preface this by saying it was complicated - a tale as old as time, right? Two people who were still in love, but couldn't find it within them to stay and fight; but you couldn't find the tenacity you needed to leave, either. It left you in a state of limbo, half way between the gates of heaven and the flames of hell. Try as you might, and as many times you'd told your friends with complete bluster that it was over, it never really was. You couldn't quit Poe, and he was pretty addicted to you too. Your feelings weren't a switch. You couldn't just turn them off. That would have been pretty fucking convenient, but nothing about the human brain ever was. The very galaxy in which you existed thrived on complications: love and war, rain and shine, good and bad. Your relationship was like a smaller scale model of that. A constant back and forth between a state of battle and times of peace. That was what had forced you away in the first place: if you were in love, would it not have been peaceful all the time? At what point did you draw the line between passion and toxicity? He didn't know and neither did you.

The entire separation was a pointless fete really, because even if you were physically apart, Poe Dameron still owned your ass and staked a large claim in your heart. Your times with him had been some of the best; he was some of the best. It was just that you were both stubborn, and fighting in more than one type of war. It was all well and good to be head over heels, but only when the timing was right. The leap was only worth it if there was water to catch you, and in your case, it was jagged rocks. That hadn't been enough to stop you constantly running back to him though, bloodying yourself up time after time. 

It was always just for one night. Usually after a few drinks and some pretty intense eye contact, and you'd be falling back between the sheets together. There was always the whispered promise of I'll be gone in the morning, but then you'd wake up in his arms and know in your soul that it wouldn't be the last. You swore to yourself it was but even for someone as stubborn as you, it was a hard pact to keep. How many just one nights had you shared together? It was probably ten. Maybe in the ballpark of fifteen. And then, once you'd stopped lying to yourself for the sake of self flattery, you would realise that it was more like twenty. Maybe twenty five? You weren't keeping track. That wouldn't have been good for either of you.

The morning after your twenty seventh just one night, you'd woken to a quiet room. Everyone in the Resistance had been out late, and the base was peaceful, save for the sound of the whirring of the boiler and the occasional clanging of the pipes above you. Poe's arms were tightly around your waist, holding you to his chest. His curls were tickling your neck as he quietly snoozed, head buried in your neck.

It was the first few moments of blissful, bleary-eyed ignorance. You know the seconds immediately after you wake up, when the circumstances were beyond you and your own name was a mystery? You willed yourself to stay in them, to not remember who you were or why you were in Poe Dameron's bed. Thinking about it would hurt.; remembering would have hurt. A cold reminder that the best thing in your life had become another victim of the war. That you weren't together and hadn't been for a while. Months, actually. Bare times like these, you'd let him slip away a long time ago.

You were the realist out of the two of you. Poe Dameron was a hopeless fucking romantic and every time you fell back into his arms, it gave him a little glimmer of hope. A tiny piece of anticipation that you would forget your existing problems and say come home, baby. He knew it was foolish but in times like these, pipe dreams were the only way people got through the day. Day-dreaming of romanticism against the back drop of a raging war was more common than not. Even Leia Organa dared to let herself dream. What else did anyone really have?

'Morning.' Poe quietly whispered.

He was in a similar state to you, knowing that last night had been a mistake (your twenty seventh, to be exact) but not wanting for it to be over just yet. If you could pretend for a little longer, even just five minutes-

'I have to go.' You sighed softly.

'Got a meeting?' He asked. 'On a Sunday morning?'

'No, Poe.' You murmured. 'I just gotta go.'

'Or could you not do that.' His grip on you tightened, head coming to rest on your shoulder. 'And stay here forever.'

Forever. That was a funny word. One you used to say to each other a lot - every day, in fact. I'll love you forever. I'll stay forever. That first one was true, at least. Forever was a big word. It was bigger than you and it was bigger than Poe. Neither of you knew what you'd been promising at the time.

'You know I can't.' You tried not to turn around, tried not to face him. The minute you caught wind of his warm eyes, you knew that would be it. The sad look on his face was enough to make you want to back-track on everything.

'Why do you always do this?' His voice was despondent. Poe let go of you, propping himself up on his elbows.

'Me?' You raised your eyebrows. 'It takes two tango-'

'- I don't mean that. I don't mean last night.' He pulled the covers further up his body as he sat up. 'I mean now. In the mornings.'

'What do you mean, Poe?'

'You're always the one to leave.' He said. 'You have a foot halfway out the door before I even wake up. Fuck, you have a foot half way out the door the whole night. You don't even bother shutting it behind you.'

'You know why.' You didn't bother to argue, instead clambering across him and out of bed. 'We've had a thousand conversations about it.'

Poe followed you out of bed, winding the sheet around his waist. He watched as you darted around the room, picking up your clothes that had gone flying the previous night. You pulled them on with haste - you just wanted to get out. The entire atmosphere was suffocating, threatening to swallow you whole and chew you up. That would have been preferable, actually. Poe wasn't usually this resistant when you'd left in the mornings before. He usually waved you off without a worry. Now, he was asking questions. Questions that you didn't want to answer, even if you knew what to say.

'That's the thing.' Poe said. 'I don't. I know we had our issues but the more I think about it, the more I realise that we can still make it work.'

'We can't!' You stopped, shirt midway over your head. 'You're forgetting, Poe.'

'Forgetting what?'

'The fighting!' You tugged it over your head, forcing your arms through either side of the shirt. 'The arguing, the accusations, the sleepless nights-'

'- that's my shirt-'

'- the you did this! and you did that!' You continued to ramble, pulling the khaki button up and throwing it towards him. 'Don't you remember? We were so dependent on each other but we couldn't seem to stand each other either.'

Poe's shoulders slumped, and he dropped back into the mattress. Yeah, he remembered. Chosen to forget, probably. Things had been either really, really good or really, really bad and it got to the point where the good wasn't worth the bad. If it was meant to be, it would have been lots of good times sprinkled with a few bad times. Instead, it felt like you were constantly in a storm, wading through the rain in hopes of finding a sunny day. That wasn't how relationships were supposed to be.

'So why do we keep doing this?' He asked. 'I know we were bad at a lot of things but we can't even break up properly.'

'Because it's a half-way point.' You reasoned. 'One night stands mean that we can be together without being together. No strings attached.'

'But we are attached, baby.'

You gave him a knowing look. 'My point exactly.'

'Are we going to keep doing this?' Poe murmured. 'Because every time you leave, a little part of me dies inside.'

You paused, biting your lip for a moment. You both knew the answer to that question - you just didn't want to admit it. This whole thing had to stop. The pretending to hate each other during the day and running to each other at night had to cease. Like smoking, the best way to quit was by going cold turkey. Just as Poe had said, having one foot out the door and one foot inside wasn't going to cut it anymore. You were in or you were out.

And out was the only option.

'For what it's worth, I'd rather it be coming in and out of your room than a revolving door of hot people.' You said. 'That might have actually killed me.'

Poe let out a small snort, despite the situation. 'I miss you. I really, really miss you.'

'And I miss you.' You replied. 'But I don't miss...needing you. I've learnt to exist outside of me and you, and so have you. We're better as separate people.'

'Separate entities.' He nodded. 'Got it.'

'That means that we actually have to do this now.' Your voice wavered slightly. 'We have to actually end it. We have to put us in the past and put a lock on it.'

Poe's chest felt heavy. He knew it was stupid to have held out hope that you might change your mind, but the fact you kept coming back for more lead him to think that the idea wasn't entirely crazy. What you had together was rare, and he knew he'd never find it again.

So, he settled for closing this chapter. For saying goodbye to this relationship; this version of you and him. It didn't mean that it wouldn't happen again in future. Maybe if you both survived the war, you could take the time to work through what had torn you apart. You could sit down and figure things out. There was no guarantee of it - no promise or certainty - but it was all he had. Because Poe knew that he could never completely quit you. Even if you said the words out loud and swore that him and you would never happen again, he knew you. You were past the point of no return. Past the point of ever loving anyone else in the way you loved one another. 

He knew that no matter what, you would come back to him. Maybe not now, but there were plenty of times in the future that weren't now. The idea that there might even be the slightest chance of you coming back and figuring it out was enough reason to fight. To fight for you, to fight for the galaxy, to fight for the Resistance.

Poe let you walk away. He let you get dressed, give him a watery smile and quietly shut the door behind you. Because he knew, no matter what, that you would come back to him. It was just the kind of thing that was written in the stars, like Leia Organ's bad-assery or Han Solo's sarcasm.

He didn't know when. He didn't know how. He just knew.

And that was enough, because he was certain he’d see you again. 

tags: @joyfullyswimmingface @etherealsanakin @interwebseriesfan24 @itspdameronthings @xwing-baby @jbtwpk @spider-starry @marvelinsanity​

[quirkyhero]

My OchaCow headcanons

___________________________________________________________________

BACKSTORY AND BACKGROUND:

Cow Ochaku: is a wild thang who is a strong heifer as well as adventurous. She was born and raised in an abusive habitat only ment to breed strong bulls for fighting rings. She's been through some shit, and learned to not take some shit because of it.

Cow Ochaku: this gal was raised and taught that she would breed with bulls when she was old enough to mate, she would be forced to submit to bulls for as long as she could and as long as they would need. She remembered being forced to "watch and learn" of what would be happening when she be came old enough to do the same thing. And them, doing things to her in order for her to get the "hands on process".

Cow Ochaku: by the age of 15 she had thankfully managed to escape thanks to her parents and the instructions they left her. Though sadly she was too weak and had no time to save any others. On her own she ran as far as she could, hiding in the city in always with a black hoodie and sweat pants she stolen from a box.

Cow Ochaku: thankfully enough she was found by a kind human who was kind enough to offer her home and shelter. Seeing as she was starving and cold and fucking exhausted, she took the humans offer, still suspicious of this person not sure weather to trust them or not.

Cow Ochaku: this was of course six years ago, and she had come to love her home with trees and forest surrounding the place. There was two male hybrids that lived beside her, their names are Monama, who's a bull and Kouda who'san ox. Monama, while a bit rude at first and Kouda who was pretty shy and skittish around her. Came to be protective of her over the years, now their all pretty close and good friends.

Cow Ochaku: after a long time of healing and bonding, she came to open up with her human farmers and two male friends. She even worked out and lifted logs and other such heavy things, which in turn gained her muscle. She also became quite the fan of martial arts due to the movies they'd watch together, learning new techniques along with the old farmer and their grandkid that was the same age as she.

Cow Ochaku: she had also come in contact with the internet. . .you can see where this is going. As she grew into a strong young lady, she came to also be comfortable with sex. . . That is to say with bottom boys. She absolutely loved her Monama and Kouda who she helped out with their ruts and explored new things (kinks) and the such together.

Cow Ochaku: threw a family doctor, who is a friend of the farmer had come to the conclusion that she may be infertile, and there was only a low chance of her having her own calf. This to her and the others was heartbreaking news, but nonetheless she still clung to hope that she would have her own calf one day. She was just relieved that the others didn't think less of her like the heifers back at the bad place would have done.

HOW SHE IS WHEN SHE GETS TO THE NEW FARM + WITH THE BULLS , HEIFERS , STAFF AND EVEN CALFS!?:

Cow Ochaku: was excited yet nervous to go on a trip to the new farm she, the bull and ox will be staying at for a year for her farmer friend that's going to be there for a study work trip.

Cow Ochaku: on one hand, she could finally make that bull harem she wanted. But on the other hand there would be thousands of new faces and in an environment thats a little similar to the bad place. In a sense that's there's quite alot of her kind there. But with the reasurement of the old farmer, the two boys and her calmed a bit.

Cow Ochaku: once on the farm and out of the moving vehicle. Ocha(Ochako), Mono(Monama) and Ko(Kouda) all went to explore once everything was signed in and registered. Only for Mono and Ocha to get whistled at and cat called by the bulls. Mono wasn't exactly the standard looking bull with him being smaller and more feminine looking with smaller horns, he was mistaken for a heifer quite alot. So them both being cat called was not a surprise.

Cow Ochaku: Kouda on the other hand, was being ogled at by the heifers that was curious about the newcomers. Kouda is pretty big, after all he is an ox, he's actually almost the same height as Kirishima, and poor baby was sticking very close behind his heifer and bull friend, not really liking the attention.

Cow Ochaku: meanwhile Ocha paid no mind to the ogling and cat calls, she was looking at the bulls that came to look at her and her friend. Debating and thinking of who she would start her "Bull Harem" plan on first.

Cow Ochaku: along they're walk they bump into a charming cowboy named Midoriya Izuku and a handsome bull named Kirishima, both kind and cute and sexy in they're own rights. . . Ocha came to terms with the idea of adding the cowboy to her bull harem plan, and let her mind run a little thinking of ways to ruin him for only a moment as to not be rude.

Cow Ochaku: after that meeting she came to see at one point, cute Little CALFS!!! OH MY GOODNESS! Ocha decided that this farm was fucking amazing. After all, it came with plenty of bulls and cute farmers for her Bull Harem plan. The staff were pretty great and there are even cute little Calfs here to watch and play with if she's aloud.

SOME EXTRA DETAILS ON COW OCHAKO:

Cow Ochaku: is a lover and fighter, this as I said came for her difficult past and trauma as well as her new beginning on her home land where she met her boys and humans. So she can be pretty intense, as well as straight forward.

Sometimes she scares the bulls with her strength and stamina, alot of them can't keep up with her during her exploration in the hay. The ones who can keep up with her are kiri and Bakugou, but even they sometimes fall victim to her brutal pace which earns her some heavy respect in their books.

Cow Ochaku: she absolutely adores sparring. At first the bulls wouldn't train with her because, "she's a heifer, she'll just get hurt" which seriously pissed her off. That is until a Bull who was messing with one of the heifers took things too far for her liking got take down by her just grabbing his horn with one hand and slamming the big bull down with just sweeping his leg out from under him and Basically making him face plant down onto the ground.

She Basically forced oversized "calf" to apologize to the heifer, and better not do that shit again. Bakugou who Basically went from not impressed and only intrigued to Having mad respect for her and now wants this woman in his harem, though he ain't the only one.

Cow Ochaku: poor baby still at times has nightmares about the bad place and will sneak into the living quarters of either of her boys or into her human friends room, or just brings all three of them to her own living quarters to cuddle and sleep together. If anything this is something her and Bakugou bond over, since he was a rescue bull from a pretty harsh place and she ran away from a bad place.

One night he just caught her awake early in the morning breathing in the cold air, with a melancholy look upon her usually smiling face. While it's a sad thing to bond about they do bond over it, and it brings them closer.

Cow Ochaku: she's love mochi treats, the kind that the old farmer made specially for hybrids. If you found a way to make them she will be your godamn best friend! Speaking of friends while she can make easy friends with any gendered human, she's not really good with other heifers for some reason. She just. . .feels nervous and a bit off around them

It could be because she has no idea on how to add the heifers in her bull harem plan, as well as the fact that she's not really. . . On the same wavelength of thinking as them at times??? Basically she wants to dominate the bulls while they want to be fucked submissive by them.

She wants to trust Said bull before EVER fucking them, while all it takes is the bull to show off how strong he is to get them wet and ready. She doesn't care for being treated frail and being taken care of while she can take care of her self. She would adore being taken care of twenty for seven by their strong bull. . .she just doesn't get them. . .at all really nonetheless she tries. . . She really tries.

Cow Ochaku: loves giving advice to the bulls about sex techniques and telling them about human sex toys. If she's close to a bull, she teach them some human tricks that she learned while surfing, "the web." She'll also be a babysitter for the heifers and bulls that want alone time at a specific moment so they can get they're grove on if you know what I mean?

___________________________________________________________________

I did my own version of an Ochako Cow! I'm pretty proud of my drawings as well as how I made her! I based her on @miggiisdumb 's Bull/Cow AU cause I'm heavily obsessed with the godamn AU and her writing, please go check out her stuff as well as art cause it's fantastic.

I'm also gonna tag @headkandies in here cause they make pretty good headcanons as well as being a fellow lover of this AU!

But anyways that's all folks be safe and have a Heroic Day! Since it's not safe out there please take a mochi loving Ochacow on your way. 🥰

[unnamed-atlas]

please give me an as unhinged as possible introduction to slenderverse. i crave information -🐌

Okay so like it all started with marble hornets except marble hornets generally isn't considered to be a slenderverse series because slenderverse actually refers to all the series that came after it that all tend to inhabit the same collective world, but people just lump it in with the slenderverse because it was the inspiration for the slenderverse.

So anyways Marble Hornets follows a group of ex film students in Alabama. Specifically it starts with this guy Jay in 2009 who can't mind his fucking business and Jay used to have this friend in college named Alex and he was helping Alex with his student film Marble Hornets. It was a really bad film and eventually Alex starts becoming slowly unhinged and stops the project and threatens to burn all the tapes from it and Jay is like 'no actually just give them to me' and he never sees Alex again and so years later he's like 'I'm gonna go through these tapes and put them on youtube to document the project 😌' except uh oh turns out the reason Alex became such a bitch was because he was being stalked by the series version of slenderman, The Operator, and now Jay is too, so Jay does some breaking and entering and also stalks multiple of his old college friends and begins getting chased by some dudes in masks. He eventually finds Alex but uh oh it turns out Alex actually fucking sucks and has killed multiple people from the old film crew and now wants to kill Jay, this girl Jessica that Jay accidentally dragged into this whole fucking mess, Brian, the lead actor from the film who is now running around the woods in a mask fucking with Alex, and Tim, who may or may not have been the one who accidentally originally brought The Operator onto the set. And so Jay and Tim fight a bunch but then they're actually really fucking gay until things finally start to catch up with them and Alex kills Jay, Brian dies in a series of unfortunate events, and Tim kills Alex in a mixture of self defense and revenge. And that's the end of that until the comics come out several years later and we get to see what happens to Jessica in the Aftermath of everything. News flash: things are not okay on her end either.

So like after Marble Hornets became such a huge deal and was seen as such an innovative work of interactive horror online, people decided "Oh shit! I want to do something like that too!" And also began to make complex interactive pieces of online horror media based around the online mythos of slenderman. The whole thing was that he could really stand for anything and the lore around him was so undefined that you could use him to tell practically any story. And people did.

The most well know and highly acclaimed of these is a series called EverymanHYBRID that follows a group of guys in New Jersey who are fans of Marble Hornets and start a health and fitness channel with the occasional appearance of slenderman in the background as an Easter egg, except uh oh they start to notice instances where he is in the videos and they did not put him there. Anyways they all end up dead at the end but not before accidentally proving mutiverse theory, enduring an insane amount of trauma, making sure we know that they are stuck in this looped struggle against the universe for eternity, and introducing one of the most iconic horror villains of all time, this fucker named Habit who is the possessive manifestation of all of the worst impulses and ideas of humanity. He wants to kill slenderman, he eats a baby at one point, and the best part of the series is all of his interactions with Vinnie, one of the original three guys who in his search for answers ends up betraying all of his friends to work with Habit if it means a chance at ending the cycle.

And then there are a million other smaller series. My favorites are personally MLAndersen0 and The Record of Stan Fredrick, but I've heard a lot of really good things about DarkHarvest00 and WisperedFaith. If you look into the fandom you'll probably hear a lot about a series called Tribe Twelve, which was almost as big as EMH when it was running and was also really fucking good but then the guy who made it got called out for grooming and disappeared off the face of the earth so We Don't Talk About It.

The thing that really defines it all is the way all of the slenderverse series crossover. They all tend to tie together in some way. Some of my favorite pieces of media in the slenderverse are these types of interactions, like Stan's calls with Michael/Patrick, or Shaun's death at the hands of Habit, or that one fucking scene in SF where him and Susan are looking through all of his case files looking for information on the rake and Susan pulls out a binder with habits fucking purple duck tape on it and Stan immediately is like "fuck no, I don't care how much info those guys have, if we're ever desperate enough to deal with them it's already too late" and then it's never mentioned again but I'm pretty sure he does actually end up interacting with Vinnie in the 3rd season so i guess he must've gotten pretty fucking desperate lmao. It's all absolutely insane because of the way everything comes together if you look at the big picture, and there's no one right interpretation of the lore because of the different ways different series stories interact with eachother.

Anyways it all fucks and I love it.

[jangmi-latte]

Can I request a oneshot/x Reader with Malleus Draconia? Reader is very shy, timid, but overall sweet and bubbly and talented. She goes somewhere she thinks she is alone and sings her heart out to a sad song? but Malleus is there and hears it. He confronts her and tries to raise her spirits and confidence. Fluffy maybe? Uwu sorry if this was long.. ❤️

❝ 𝐌𝐲 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐞 ❞

➻ content: milk and honey

➻ warnings: minor angst

➻ comments: i have a lot of requests that involves singing. anonie, you made me look for sad songs and i had to listen to a whole ass playlist followed by sad pianos. aaaaaaa i can finally write some angst!!

The rain poured that late afternoon.

The pitter-patter of droplets calmed you down as you stared outside of the classroom. It was five minutes before classes would end. The sounds of your professor’s voice were muffled in your ears as you watched nature unfold its tears in front of you. It’s tears being the life source of plants and rivers while also healing the souls of humans. The critters that would often bustle around the school campus now stay within their homes for shelter. The sun was barely seen as its beautiful colours now drowned behind the dark clouds. You assumed the rain would get heavier later on.

The bell rang and students began to pack their things, ready to head back to their dorms to finish homework and rest. Clubs were cancelled for today due to the rain and it would be unfair if outdoor clubs would only get the cancellation. However, you figured the rain won’t stop Malleus from doing his nightly rounds around his school either for his gargoyle research society or for his usual hobby. At least, that’s what you’ve heard from Lilia.

Yet, the rain didn’t stop you from secluding yourself from the others. Surely, the dorm would be a good place to run to, then sleeping on your warm bed while the rain poured. However, you couldn’t, not yet. Maybe, you could enjoy the rain during your little walk? Less likely. It’s not like you would see Malleus when you’re worlds apart. With your umbrella sheltering you from nature’s tears, you walked away from the school building and around the grounds. Luliton, Academy Of Sorcery’s grounds at night looked scary, that’s why you stayed where there were lights and stayed as near as you can around the mirror chamber. 

Yes, you could say Luliton was The Valley of Thorns’ own version of Night Raven College. It wasn’t that popular nor as prestigious as the said school but, itis the perfect school for you. It’s smaller than NRC, best fit for someone who likes to value their alone time.

You sighed and walked over to the hooded bridge near the mirror chamber. Nature’s tears love blending in with your mood, no? Perhaps, it’s because you miss your darling fae. Your friends have probably gone back to the dorm by now. It’s just you and nature while the time of crepuscule finally dawned on the earth. You closed your umbrella, hooking it on the bridge’s ledge, leaning your arms on the platform. It was peaceful. The lanterns were on yet the absence of fireflies somehow affected you.

You remember how Malleus would make fun of you by disappearing and appearing anywhere. Every time he would do that, small green firefly-like lights would dance around you. They would tickle your skin a lot.

My, why are you reminiscing as if he’s gone?

“Remember me…” you hummed, leaning on the bridge’s post. “Though I have to say goodbye… Remember me…” You reached your hand out from under the shelter. The rain dropped on your hand gently, drenching your uniform sleeve as the droplets fell to the flowing river under you. You tilted your head to the side as you watched the rain dance on your hand. Or is it, you, catching nature’s tears since no one would pay attention to it?

“Don’t let it make you cry…” You brought your hand back and dried it off. “For ever if I’m far away, I hold you in my heart…” You looked over at the other end of the bridge and began walking. You left your umbrella behind, not like it would disappear. “I sing a secret song to you… each night we are apart…” Your voice, calm and mellifluous, blended with the water hitting the soil. Subconsciously, maybe even not, you pushed yourself under the rain.

Her tears hitting your clothes and skin, drenching you almost immediately. You didn’t care, you wanted to accompany mother nature with her emotions. Is she in need of a hug right now if she were human would you run and give her one. Is it that you are touch-starved? How childish of you to suddenly miss your beloved. You remember…

“Remember me…”

“Though I have to travel far…”

...that night where you both were chosen by your schools. His was a black carriage, and yours was a golden one. It pained you to separate ways for your own good, but that’s the test. It won’t last long, it won’t take forever. It’s not like you won’t see each other again. The feared dark fae would’ve been smirking and teasing you by now if he saw the desperate look on your face. He knew you would miss him. Wouldn’t he be as well?

“Remember me…”

“Each time you hear a sad guitar…”

“Know that I’m with you…”

You dwelled deeper into the forest-like garden Luliton had. Your face was already wet in her tears, maybe even yours. You wouldn’t know. You missed him. It has been months since you last saw him. You wished he was doing his best. And you wished he was by your side, right now. Selfish is thee to hope, but not to force.

“The only way that I can be…”

“Until you’re in my arms again…”

Your voice cracked and you covered your mouth. Is it one of those moments where you saudade on the presence of the other? Perhaps. Homesickness was an understatement. You sniffled, looking up to the sky and watching as the ongoing droplets freely fell from the clouds. No stars painting the sky nor animals around to join you in your solemn walk. “Mal mal…” you sobbed and covered your eyes. Crying along as nothing can comfort you but nature’s own tears dropping on you.

“Why are you out here and not inside your dorm?”

You quickly spun around and slouched. Relaxing your shoulders as your eyes laid on your dragon’s form. More tears cascaded down your cheeks, lips quivering into a solemn smile just when you hastily ran over to him and wrapped your arms around his chest. You broke down into more sobs at the very moment that you felt his warm body against your cold and soaked frame. Your hands clenched on his clothes feeling that if you would let go, he would disappear.

Cliche, yes, but you’re in a state of wanting to be touched. 

“What’s wrong little beastie?” Malleus asked, a hand holding the umbrella above both of you and the other holding on your fragile form. He hears your cries, he heard your song. Though he already knew the answer, he wanted to hear it from you directly. Both you and Malleus are touch-deprived, even from those who are in the same school as you. “I miss you…” you hiccuped, “...so much. I look stupid b-but I really—” you fell into short breaths as you looked up at his green eyes.

He was smiling down at you. Smirking, maybe? You couldn’t tell. Either way, he was probably going to tease you again. “I wasn’t even gone that long. I just gave you a letter a week ago.” He tilted his head to the side, his lips stretching more, amused by your puffy nose and small hiccups. He likes the feeling of being missed. Makes him have a purpose in your life other than being your boyfriend.

“I don’t care…” you breathed out and hugged him tighter. “I want you. A-And if you’re going to tease me, do it already.” You buried your head on his chest before mumbling, “I missed that too…”

“My, little beastie, you’re such a cry baby.” He laughed and easily scooped you up. You adjusted your arms and wrapped them around his neck, hiding your flushed face from his view. “I know…” 

“And haven’t I warned you about going out when it’s raining? You’ll catch a cold.”

“I don’t care…” you huffed, starting to calm down from your break down. The presence of your man warming your whole body. “Gives me a better reason to have you by my side.”

“Little beastie, you know that doesn’t impress me in the slightest.” There goes his protective side. 

Perhaps, nature’s tears do bring some joy to others. She continues to cry down on her creations, cooling the atmosphere, feeding the plants, and hydrating other creatures. It is when in someone’s distress she would be of a company. She knows when it is time to bloom. Fret not, she will smile again and let the warmth on the sun light down on the future of a human and a fae.

[aceofspadegrass]

Roller disco night in the club at the beach

Can you imagine the absolute ✨flair✨ hatter would use to announce and participate in this soon to be beloved event?

Would participation be mandatory?

Would militants still be scary on roller skates?

You’re the only one with the answers we’re all desperate to know

Roller Disco

Characters: Aguni Morizono, Hatter, Chishiya Shuntaro, Niragi Suguru, Arisu Ryohei, Usagi Yuzuha, Kuina Hikari (Not named, but she's there briefly)

Genre: Fluff. Roller Disco, baby!

1.6k words

I have done it! I have made the rollerskating thing a thing! I tried my best to make it as fun as possible, and even if legally you can't build a whole rink in a few days or so, this is fiction and time is a construct! I am a Time Snipper! Hehe! >:3c!

Anyways I do hope you have fun reading this. :D

Being the higher ranking members to the Beach, the sole place that had a constant source of food, water, drugs, and electricity, they got the special privilege of having to deal with Hatter a whole lot more than anyone else in the Beach.

Sometimes that meant they were dragged into his silly schemes that Hatter would concoct on a sheer whim, out of boredom and the rule that stated they were allowed to do whatever they want whenever they want. It’s led to strange ideas and occurrences, but usually they were harmless.

Today was similar, Hatter rounding up the executives and militants to the meeting room, as well as Arisu and Usagi. The latter weren’t high ranking at all, left around the 40s in the ranks, but Hatter seemed to enjoy them nonetheless.

Everyone takes their usual seat around the table, save for Last Boss continuing to stand despite the perfectly normal seat, which was taken by Arisu instead. Usagi stood nearby him, everyones attention on the leader to this entire organization. Hatter grins at them, visually brimming with excitement and a new idea that he just had to get out to his inner circle, standing up and scanning everyones expression. It ranged from faces of neutrality, boredom, and slight interest from a few, nobody matching the sheer excitement that Hatter was holding in.

After a few moments of silence, Aguni speaks up, hands folded in his lap and eyes staring straight through Hatter’s favourite sunglasses. “ Mind telling us what this is about?” His voice was tired but inquisitive, Hatter grinning and straightening to his full height, holding his arms out like he was the next coming of a flying squirrel.

“ Yes, yes! Well, I have decided that we, as Beach members, should be allowed to have access to even more fun than ever before, and I hear one of the rooms here is perfectly empty and ready to be used as something that not every place has ever seen before! People here are allowed to do whatever, yes? But there is only so much you can do here without getting bored from the usual sights, so I thought of a brilliant idea!”

“ And that is….?” Aguni’s eyebrow raises up a little, overall not knowing where he was getting at. Hatter just continues to imitate a lowercase T while emitting his usual cheerful chaotic energy.

“ We’re gonna open up roller disco!”

There was several minutes of stunned silence, everyone looking straight at the still eager tomato waterfall, Chishiya’s lip quirking in a half-amused half-mocking smile. Niragi just squints at Hatter, a look of confusion clea on his face. The others were mostly just stunned to the point where their expressions didn’t really change much, give or take minute amounts of confusion.

“ Roller….. disco.” Aguni echoes, flabbergasted. “ You want roller disco." “ Yes! Yes! It’ll be a blast for the Beach! It’ll give them some extra steam to burn off, and it’ll be fun for everyone! Who doesn’t love a good disco?” “ Who likes dancing to disco nowadays? That’s fucking boring.” Niragi pipes up, his lips curled into a mocking sneer. He scoffs, leaning back in his seat. “ And think about it, not everyone would know how to roller-skate and not look like a fucking fool. Hell, I bet the cracked egg over there doesn’t know.” He snorts, glancing at Chishiya, who ignores his glare and keeps his attention on anything else of interest to him. “ Bet you’ll just eat shit and knock yourself out on the rink.” He imitates a person with a hand, crashing it into the table with an exaggerated noise from his mouth, ending it with his tongue sticking out and a bark of a laugh.

Chishiya glances at him, eyes flicking from his face down and back up again in a smooth manner, and his lips curl again, Niragi glaring at him. “ Perhaps it’ll be your fate too~” He chimes, Niragi narrowing his eyes at the smug vanilla eclair. Aguni has to wave him down before Niragi had the chance to leap over the table to strangle Chishiya, or even pick up his gun off the table and threaten Chishiya any more.

Hatter hums at the rebuttal anyways, taking it into consideration. “ Well, then they’ll just have to suck it up and learn if they want to roll with us! The more the merrier that loves roller disco the better! Say, who thinks this is a great idea!” He raises his hand in favour, and the others quickly discuss among themselves, Hatter still vibrating with sheer joy and the thought of going rollerskating with everyone and seeing how many people make a fool of themselves so he can talk about it later in his chambers.

Eventually, a few of them raise their hands in favour, taking the majority of the total group, Hatter’s lips stretching even wider as they agreed with him.

It takes a few days before the rink was ready, a few of them having to go around and look for people with any skill in architecture and craftsmanship to eventually renovate some old rooms into a large, functional rollerskating rink. It took a little bit, but eventually the rink was approved to be skated on. Hatter even took the time to make sure the aesthetics were perfect, setting up a real disco ball in the center and painting parts of the room with fluorescent paint and arming black lights everywhere.

Then came the announcement. It was during his usual game announcements, Hatter standing over the hundreds of Beach members with a proud grin. “ Hello everyone! I know we are all excited to go out and collect cards so that we may soon get out of the Borderlands as quickly as we can, but we have a very special announcement to make before I send you all on your ways to do your best in returning the cards!” Hatter throws his hands out to the crowd, a handful of confetti flying out of his hands, soon accompanied by Kuzuryuu and Aguni setting off the confetti cannons they had in their hands at the same time, raining confetti throughout the awed crowd.

“ Now, as people may have rumoured throughout our beloved Beach, there has been a special surprise coming to everyone for a while, down in the east wing! It’s been many days, many hours of long hard work done by a group of our hardworking people, but we have finally done it! As a gift to all of us, in celebration of still fighting onwards, I, Hatter, am proud to announce that we have built a rollerskating rink for everyone to enjoy at all hours of your time! And what’s more, it’s not just regular rollerskating, but the most greatest version of all: Roller Disco!” Hatter raises his arms out with a grin, people by instinct cheering him on and applauding, many getting excited off of one another and from the thought of a new place to hang out and play. Hatter looks down among his people, giddy from being able to reveal his newest thought baby, and starts his usual encouragement to the Beach about the games and collecting their cards, sending them into a positive uproar of pride and joy before everyone filed out the doors to their possible deaths.

By the time Hatter was back, having gone to a game with his good pal Aguni, people were already flooding the room for the new rink, people skating around in circles and having a good time. It settled a warm spot in Hatter’s heart, the man running off to snatch a pair for himself to try it. In the frenzy he lost Aguni for a bit, but when he comes back out in bright white skates with orange tips and black laces, he sees Aguni already on the rink slowly making his way around by himself. Hatter doesn’t hesitate to get inside and catch up to him, grinning at his long time friend. “ Having fun?” Hatter chirps through the disco music blasting through the speakers, Aguni slowly nodding as he gets comfortable and speed up, people trying their best to skate out of the way from Aguni skating past them with a rather concentrated expression. It only made Hatter laugh, watching Aguni scare off the more frightened skaters by sheer appearance. Hatter knew Aguni never means to, he just was a more serious guy and wanted to concentrate on not eating ass in the rink.

Hatter pauses, laughing to himself. He supposes there’s nothing wrong with that~

A bit later he spots a few of his cherished other high ranked members make their way onto the scene, a few missing from either him missing them entirely or not wanting to skate at all.

Among them was Niragi and Chishiya, of course, Hatter unable to hear the taller charred rock through the music, but still getting the feeling it was one of challenge. The smaller rock of the two apparently accepted as they speed off, trying to out-skate the other. From what Hatter got to see, Niragi was quite literally pushing everyone aside in his race around the rink in order to get past, Chishiya preferring the route of dodging and even disappearing straight form Hatter’s higher vantage point before reappearing meters away from where he was last seen. It was actually impressive.

That woman that Chishiya was always with was there as well, helping a very confused Beach member on the rink as they stumbled like a wee fawn with their proud and stable mother. Something like that, at least. Hatter chuckles, still cruising along as disco pounded in his ears and people laughed around him, some tumbling and others gliding as if one air. Hell, he might’ve even seen someone with bright pink Hello Kitty skates reading a book while they skated, which was fucking magnificent.

Yeah, he wasn’t regretting this idea at all.

Even when he sees poor Arisu immediately skate straight into a wall at hyperspeeds and flip over the wall while Usagi skates after him.

Yep, no regrets.

[tchallasbabymama]

M’Baku’s Love- Chapter 10 (Finale)

Thanks for bearing with me on this journey, it’s been a good one. Here’s the last chapter, I hope y’all like it! Normally I would post on M’Baku Mondays, but I just couldn’t wait to share this ending with the like 5 people who read my stories. 

Don’t forget to check out my masterlist HERE to read my other stories. M’Baku fans, don’t fret, I have another M’Baku fic starting next week...well its an M’Baku x OC x T’Challa fic. That’s right, we’re going for a throuple. Check out the preview HERE. As always, let me know what y’all think and if you want to be tagged in any of my other stories.

CW: smut

Word count: 10,630

Monae fiddled with JJ’s collar as they stood on the tarmac waiting for the Talon to touch down. He loved seeing Uncle Challa’s “spaceship” and they regularly got to see him off and welcome him back. This time would be a little different though since he would be bringing M’Baku to meet his son for the first time. Monae’s nerves were shot and she vibrated with anticipation.

As the ship came into view a lump caught in Monae’s throat. She was about to see him again for the first time in years...he was about to meet their son. She could still barely process the fact that he was alive and almost needed to see it to believe it, but he was just a few moments away.

The Talon floated closer and closer to the ground and her palms grew sweaty when it finally made contact. 

JJ jumped up and down as the doors opened and he saw Okoye and Ayo exit the craft. He immediately went to go hug his aunties as he waited for his favorite uncle to come out. Pretty soon he emerged, alone, and JJ ran to him and jumped in his arms.

“Uncle Challa!”

“Igorila encinci, I’ve missed you! Are you being good for your mama?”

“Yes!” T’Challa raised an eyebrow and looked back to Monae who was steadily creeping closer. She nodded with a smile and T’Challa started tickling JJ, making him let loose the boisterous laugh he no doubt got from his father. 

Monae’s eyes travelled to the open door behind T’Challa and he noticed, giving her a soft smile. “He needs a minute.”

She nodded and looked down, twiddling her thumbs when JJ’s voice brought her out of her daze.

“Uncle Challa, who’s that?” he looked over the king’s shoulder and saw a large man hesitantly stepping through the Talon door and into the light. T’Challa set JJ down and turned to look at Monae, but her eyes were already raining tears down her face.

“That is my friend, M’Baku. Why don’t you say hi?”

M’Baku walked down the ramp and met the king on the ground, unable to take his eyes off the little boy in front of him. He looked just like a miniature version of him with a head full of locs. The pictures didn’t do him justice. 

JJ waved at the stranger and introduced himself, “Hi! I’m Jabari, but everyone calls me JJ. What’s your name?”

M’Baku’s eyes grew misty as his child smiled up at him. He cleared his throat and got down on one knee so he could be eye-level with JJ.

“My name is M’Baku, and I am-” he cut himself off, as he looked up and made eye contact with a crying Monae behind T’Challa. The king moved out of the way and gave the little family some privacy, joining his Dora near the car and trying not to be nosy and watch too intently. Monae took a step forward and that was all the permission he needed. He stood from the ground, and just as he did she threw her arms around him, crying into his chest. His head rested on top of hers as he cried and rocked her from side to side. 

“Mommy? What’s wrong?” M’Baku wiped Monae’s tears before she turned to their son and squatted down to his height.

“JJ, baby...remember how mommy told you your daddy died before you were born?”

He nodded his head silently with his brows furrowed.

“Well I was wrong...and Uncle Challa was nice enough to bring him here to us,” she looked to M’Baku and smiled, but he couldn’t take his eyes off his son. 

“You’re my dad?”

“Yes, you can call me ‘baba’ if you like.”

“Baba? What’s that mean?”

“It means ‘father’ in my language.”

“What language is that?”

“Xhosa.”

“Oh, like Umalume Challa.”

M’Baku smiled up at Monae, “He knows Xhosa?”

“T’Challa taught him some, he’s pretty good. He’s even teaching me a little bit.”

“Yeah, she’s a fast learner like me!”

“That’s right,” she tickled his sides and his infectious laughter rang out again, the most beautiful song M’Baku had ever heard. When he came down from his tickle high his eyes settled back on M’Baku.

“So if you weren’t dead where were you?”

“I do not know…”

“Baby, you remember the other day when people started appearing out of nowhere?” he nodded again, “That’s what happened to your baba.” 

He still didn’t really understand just what actually happened with those people, but knowing his baba had been one of them and wasn’t dead or just gone for no reason eased his mind. 

Both adults stood and Monae grabbed JJ’s hand as they walked back towards T’Challa, who was trying really hard to not seem like he was eavesdropping. JJ reached up and grabbed M’Baku’s hand and all the adults present struggled to keep their composure.

--------

 Every time the Wakandans came to town, they stopped by Monae’s house for dinner at least once, so the group split in two as they got in their cars to drive to Monae’s. Monae could hardly speak, so she was thankful that JJ was full of questions on the ride home.

“So do I have grandparents?”

“Yes, and my mama would love to meet you.”

“How is Ada?”

“Shaken up...she was also one of the Dusted.”

“The Dusted?” JJ asked.

“Yes, that is what we Jabari call the people who disappeared and reappeared.”

“I thought your name was M’Baku, not Jabari.”

M’Baku chuckled.

“It is, but I come from the Jabari people. In fact, I am the-”

Monae cleared her throat and subtly shook her head.

“-I am...excited for you to meet them.”

“What are they like?”

M’Baku and JJ went back and forth the entire ride home as Monae drove in a daze, her brain still trying to process being so close to M’Baku again. The drive only took about ten minutes and as they pulled up to the house M’Baku’s eyes scanned the neighborhood, taking it all in. He saw the colonizers walking their dogs by the old drunks outside the corner store, and he noticed the expensive cookie cutter townhouses right next to the smaller, old homes that had been there for decades. This was definitely not the Nashville Monae had told him about.

M’Baku couldn't help but smile as they walked into her house and he felt the same warmth and openness he felt in her apartment all those years ago. Monae headed straight for the kitchen to check on the vegetable gumbo she had going in the slow cooker all day while JJ pulled M’Baku into the living room with everyone else. Monae watched with a smile as JJ talked his baba’s ear off and showed him around, pointing out the pictures on the wall. M’Baku’s eyes wandered over the photos, but he was distracted by a loud “meow” and a paw on his pants leg.

“Juju, old friend.” He reached down to pet her and she moved away from his hand, choosing instead to go back the way she came.

“Don’t be sad, she does that sometimes,” JJ comforted his dad, whose jaw was hanging open in disbelief until he heard the tinkling of a bell. Sure enough, Juju trotted back in and dropped her favorite feather toy at M’Baku’s feet. “Hey, she likes you!”

The three of them played together for a couple minutes, all the while M’Baku kept an eye on Monae slowly pacing back and forth in the kitchen. JJ chased Juju off through the house and M’Baku took the moment to try to talk to Monae while everyone was preoccupied setting the table and securing the perimeter of the house. 

Monae stirred the gumbo and tried her best to calm her nerves, but the butterflies in her stomach weren’t going away any time soon. They weren’t helped by the heat that crept up against her back as a large shadow loomed over her. She turned around to face him and he tipped her chin up.

“Is there anything I can do?”

“I...um, it’s already done.”

“You are nervous...why?”

“M’Baku,” she sighed, “I need you to understand that you died, or I thought you were dead. I mourned you. I buried you in my mind and visit on your deathiversary every year...but you crawled back out of that grave and it’s just hard for me to wrap my mind around.”

He nodded and placed a kiss on her forehead before moving back and giving her space. Monae cleared her throat and shook herself from her daze. She needed to get a handle on herself and fast.

“JJ, come wash your hands.”

The little boy came sprinting from the back room.

“No running inside,” Monae and T’Challa echoed each other and JJ slowed down, sheepishly walking the rest of the way to the stepstool at the kitchen sink. M’Baku helped him wash his hands as Monae filled their bowls with rice and gumbo. She grabbed a bottle of hot sauce from the counter and placed it in the middle of the table before sitting down at the head. 

“So, T, how’s Nakia?”

“She’s doing well. This pregnancy has been much easier on her than the first. In fact, she and the twins will be coming back with me next time.”

“Really?!” JJ was excited to see his play cousins, it had been months since the last time Hasina and Hasani visited. They were only a few months older than him, and the three of them were inseparable whenever they got together.

M’Baku sat back and watched their interactions, feeling slightly left out. He had missed so much of their lives. What was her pregnancy like? What were his first words? He just had to know. Right as he worked up the nerve to interrupt the ongoing conversation, JJ did it for him.

“Baba?” 

M’Baku was still so unused to hearing that name, however he already loved how it sounded. 

“Yes, JJ?”

“So what did it feel like when you got Dusted?”

Monae almost choked on her gumbo.

“JJ, let’s not-”

“I did not even know I had gone anywhere...it felt like no time had passed.”

“So you...you really think it’s been two months since we last saw each other?” Monae asked him.

“Yes, although I know now that is not the case,” he smiled at JJ who gave him a snaggletoothed smile right back. He turned to T’Challa, his face turning serious. “Thank you for looking after them, brother.”

“Any time, they are family. Isn’t that right igorila encinci?”

“Yes!”

Monae chuckled as she got up to bring out his favorite pineapple upside down cake she made late the night before. She disappeared into the kitchen as the others continued to talk amongst themselves.

“You call him ‘little gorilla’, eh?”

“Well yes, he is your son.”

“Do they call you the ‘Big Gorilla’ or something?”

“No, I am the Great Gorilla, ruler of the Jabari-”

“You’re a king, too?!”

“What?!” Monae yelled from the kitchen.

Okoye, Ayo, and T’Challa all made eye contact and decided it was a good time to leave.

“Well, we do not want to intrude so we will see you tomorrow,” Okoye rushed out.

“Monae, do you need any help cleaning up or anything before we leave?” Ayo added. 

“No thank you. Y’all get to the hotel safe, see you tomorrow.” She and JJ hugged the three of them and they took their leave. As soon as Monae closed the door behind them, JJ went right back to the previous conversation.

“So if you’re a king, that makes me a prince!”

“JJ, go upstairs and start getting ready for bed, I’ll be up soon.”

He sighed, but did what his mom told him, but before he made it all the way up the stairs he turned around and asked, “Is baba staying?”

Monae turned to look at M’Baku questioningly.

“If your mother will have me.”

“Please mommy!”

“No need for all that, I want him to stay too,” she laughed as her son ran back down the stairs to hug them both before going up to his room.

“So you want me to stay?”

Monae rolled her eyes. “You shouldn’t have told him he’s a prince, M’Baku.”

“Why not? He is a prince, he should know.”

The two of them cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher as they went back and forth.

“He’s too young, that’s why. I want him to have a normal life.”

“He is not a ‘normal’ boy, Monae, he is royalty. He is my heir.”

She knew he was right, but she just didn’t want to let go of the life she and JJ had that she knew now was about to  be turned on its head. She didn’t want to have the conversation that she knew they needed to have.

“Let’s put JJ to bed and then come back to this.”

M’Baku agreed and the two of them went upstairs to do just that. After JJ’s bath, M’Baku told him the story of how the Jabari found the mountains, and he was hanging on every word until sleep overtook him and he passed out around 8:30. 

Monae was almost moved to tears by their interaction, and she kept from sniffling as both adults crept out the room and back downstairs. She went straight to the wine rack and cracked open a merlot, pouring two generous glasses for the two of them. He grabbed her hand and led her to the couch, sitting down next to her and pulling her legs across his lap. She didn’t know what to do, her mind still hadn’t caught up with her body yet, but her body melted right into him.

“I know it has not been as long for me as it has for you...but I have missed you, Babygirl.”

M’Baku heard a sniffle and looked down at her as her body shook and tears escaped her eyes. He grabbed the wine glass from her and set both glasses on the coffee table in front of them before placing his arm around her and pulling her in tight. 

The next hour or so consisted of M’Baku consoling Monae as she released five years of grief she had been holding onto. After a while, she calmed down and they sat in silence before she tore herself away from his lap and took a deep breath. She looked into his eyes and he moved in for a kiss, but she pulled away at the last second. 

“So what now?” She asked and his eyebrows furrowed as she spoke. 

“What do you mean?”

“JJ...since he’s a prince and all.”

M’Baku took a sip of his previously untouched wine, prompting Monae to do the same. 

“He will need to come be with his people, Monae.”

“He has people here too, M’Baku. He has friends and a community here.”

“So what do you suggest?”

“Coparenting.”

“Coparenting?”

“Yes. I don’t want him to lose his home here or keep him from his home there...so lets let him have both.”

“I do not want you two halfway around the world-”

“And I don’t want him so far away from me, but parenthood involves sacrifice. Welcome to the club.”

“Then come with him.”

--------

“She is being unreasonable!” M’Baku sat on the couch in T’Challa’s office, complaining to the king and queen. He had stayed with Monae for only a weekend since he needed to get back to ruling his kingdom that was still restructuring after the return of the Dusted, but in that short time he was unable to convince her to let JJ live with his people. 

“I think she was being more than generous. I don’t even like when T’Challa takes the twins with him to America without me , I can’t imagine being without them for any longer than that.”

“Yes, but she could just move here! And at first she said we would split our time 50/50, now she wants to keep him during the school year and I get summers.”

“You’d prefer to disrupt the boy’s education?” the king chimed in.

“Oh please, we both know he would have a much better education here anyway.”

“True, but you’re asking Monae to uproot her whole life,” T’Challa added.

“M’Baku, you need to look at this like a parent, not like a chief. He’s just a little boy, he’s her little boy-”

“Our little boy.”

“For like five minutes. She’s been there for five years. She’s kissed his wounds and weathered temper tantrums. She pushed that boy out in the middle of her living room, she caught her own baby despite the fact that the midwife was right there. It’s just been the two of them since her aunt died...you can’t just expect her to give in so easily. You’re asking a lot of her.”

“Maybe if they both came to visit it would ease her mind a little,” T’Challa suggested.

“Could the two of you try to talk to her?”

“Absolutely not,” Nakia said as T’Challa shook his head.

“This is between the two of you, my friend.”

“Uncle Challa and Aunt Kiki are sitting this one out, sorry.” Nakia’s hands raised in surrender.

“Aunt Kiki?”

“I couldn’t let him be the only one with a nickname.”

M’Baku nodded as he mulled over their conversation in his head. He felt they were probably right, but he needed one more opinion.

When M’Baku made it back to Jabari land he went straight to his mother’s quarters to seek her advice. He found her in the middle of braiding her hair, and sat across from her as she worked.

“So how is my grandson? Did you bring me pictures?”

“Of course, mama,” he pulled up pictures of JJ on his beads, swiping through and smiling like a fool as he looked at his son. “He is well. He is so inquisitive and joyous...Monae has done a good job on her own.”

“Of course she has, I always liked that one.”

“I know,” M’Baku chuckled before his face fell.

“What is it?”

“It is Monae...she wants to coparent. She would have him during the school year and I would have him during their summer break.”

“That sounds pretty good to me.”

M’Baku sighed and hung his head.

“That is what the queen said.”

“Smart woman, our queen.”

“That she is...mama, I do not want to be apart from him so much, but Monae refuses to move here. I do not know what to do.”

“It sounds to me like you will be making a lot more trips to America then. She never said you could not see him, just that he stays in America with her. That does not have to exclude you.”

“I have duties here-”

“M’Baku we were gone for five years and the council ran things just fine, and before that you were gone for three months. I am not saying you should move there, just that your job is much more flexible than you realize.” 

Meanwhile, on the other side of Wakanda, the king decided to go back on his word just a little and texted Monae and asked her to call him when she had the chance. Later that night, his phone rang and he looked to see it was Monae calling. He checked to make sure he was alone in his quarters before answering. Thankfully, Nakia was down the hall putting the twins to bed while he worked on some last minute paperwork, or she’d have his head for this.

“Monae, I’m glad you called. How are you today?”

“I’d be much better if the city wasn’t breathing down our necks about this block party.”

“I’ll handle them, don’t worry about it.”

“Thanks T.”

“No problem.”

“So what’s up? It sounded important.”

“Yes, well, it is. I spent the earlier half of today listening to a certain chief bemoan his new custody arrangement.”

“You can’t talk me out of it. I don’t even want him gone during the summer, that was hard enough.”

“I wouldn’t dare. I would dare, however, to formally invite you to Wakanda. Come see it for yourself for a couple weeks, you might like it. If nothing else, it will ease your mind for when Jabari comes here by himself.”

“Me...come to Wakanda? What about my job?”

“Don’t worry about that, just worry about when you want to leave. We can have a jet there immediately if you wish.”

“Jazz is moving in on Saturday, how about next weekend?”

“Next weekend it is.”

“Can we keep this between us? I want to surprise him.”

T’Challa chuckled just as Nakia walked in the room, “It won’t be easy to keep from him.”

“Try your best.” She knew there was a good chance T’Challa would let it slip to M’Baku. Everyone knew the king was notoriously bad at keeping secrets.

He looked up and saw Nakia standing in front of him with her eyebrow raised and a hand on her hip, her belly protruding in her nightgown. He mouthed “Monae” and pointed to his phone. 

“You just couldn't help but meddle, eh?” She rolled her eyes.

“Is that Nakia? Hey Kiki girl, I miss you!” T’Challa moved the phone away from his ear before she blew his eardrums out. 

“Hey Nae! Is my husband meddling in your business?”

“Only a little, but it’s good. Thanks to him, I’ll be seeing you soon.”

“You're coming to Wakanda?! Oh thank Bast, now I don’t have to hear M’Baku-”

“It’s just for a couple weeks, sis,” Monae chuckled as Nakia deflated.

“Well that’s better than nothing.”

“Keep it between us though.”

“So you tell him?” Nakia laughed as her husband looked at her in faux offense. 

“It was his idea!” The ladies continued to laugh and talk as T’Challa’s grimace grew.

“Ok, well I know it’s late there, so see y'all in a couple weeks?”

“We’ll be here,” They ended the call and T’Challa looked to the queen, shrugging.

“I couldn’t help myself.”

Nakia laughed and crawled in bed next to her husband, both of them swiftly falling asleep after a long day of ruling a whole country. 

--------

JJ was super excited to ride in the Talon, never having seen the inside before, and even though Monae worked around Wakandan technology, she was just as much in awe of the futuristic aircraft as her son. Okoye made sure they were comfortable on their trip, but Monae’s anxiety almost got the best of her. There were times when she almost started hyperventilating, but then JJ’s bright smiling face brought her back out of it. She was leaving the country for the first time in her life and flying in a human spaceship to a formerly hidden African country with technology way more advanced than the rest of the world. If someone had told her ten years ago that this would be her life, she would’ve laughed in their face, yet here she was.

When Okoye called them to the front of the ship to watch them enter the dome, Monae’s heart almost beat out of her chest as they glided through the trees and into Wakanda. The city she saw before her blew her away, it was bigger and more beautiful than New York or Tokyo or any of those other big cities she’d seen or read about. The real life afrofuturism stunned her to silence, and it was only broken when JJ noticed the people waiting for them to land.

“Look, it’s Uncle Challa and Auntie Kiki and Auntie Shuri and Uncle Daka and Hasina and Hasani. Where’s baba? And who's that?”

“Baba isn't here, baby. We’re here to surprise him...and I think that’s T’Challa and Shuri’s mom.”

When the ship touched down and the doors opened, JJ ran out and tackled his play family in hugs and kisses. Monae carefully made her way down the stairs and joined the group, giving hugs all around.

“Long time no see, Nae!” The prince 

“How’s Oakland treating you?”

“Much worse now that I have left,” Shuri interjected, making N’Jadaka roll his eyes and mush her face. “Hey!”

“Oakland’s great, running just like before. You should come visit.”

“Only if you visit the Nashville Center.”

“Deal.”

Monae turned to see JJ walk up the one person there she didn’t know.

“Are you Uncle Challa and Auntie Shuri’s mom?”

Queen Mother chuckled and bent down closer to his level, “That I am. And you must be Jabari.”

“Or JJ!”

“Nice to meet you, JJ. My name is Ramonda.”

“Can I call you Auntie too?”

“Of course, you wouldn’t be the first,” she winked at the older prince and he smirked back. 

“Monae, dear, I’ve heard so much about you. All good things, of course. How are you?”

“Honestly, Queen Mother, I’m a little nervous to be here.”

“Trust me, you will love Wakanda. And you are family, call me Auntie.”

The group relocated to the domestic wing of the palace as the kids ran ahead and Queen Mother chatted with Monae. T’Challa showed them to their rooms, and allowed them time to get settled in before dinner in an hour.

Monae was nervous, she knew she would see M’Baku at dinner, and since T’Challa has a flair for the dramatic he had planned for her to get there a little late and make an entrance. Well, not a huge entrance, since it would be a small family dinner, but still. She fixed the collar on JJ’s shirt and then smoothed out the front of her purple dress that contrasted beautifully with her pink fade. She took a final breath before reaching for the door handle and being led down the hallway by the palace guards. They arrived at the double doors and Monae froze.

“Mommy?”

“Y-yes baby?”

“Are you ok?”

“I’m just a little nervous, that’s all.”

“Don’t be nervous, it’s just baba.”

His words echoed in her head as she thought back to their time together. It’s just M’Baku, she thought to herself before taking one last breath and opening the doors.

When M’Baku arrived he was confused to see the two extra place settings, and as the food was brought out his confusion only grew. When the doors opened and his eyes met Monae’s he felt his heart drop into his stomach. JJ ran to him and threw his arms around his neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“Hi baba!”

“Hello,” M’Baku chuckled. “What are you two doing here?” He got up and went over to Monae, enclosing her in a hug.

“Someone had the idea that I should surprise you and come see Wakanda for myself. Maybe that way I’ll be less nervous about him coming out here.” Monae took in his traditional attire and tried not to make her infatuation so obvious, but she failed. He looked damn good in his chief furs.

“How long are you here for?”

“Just two weeks.”

“That is all the time I need.”

“For what?”

“To convince you to stay,” he winked and walked her to her seat, pulling it out for her as she fussed at him.

“I never said I was staying, I said we’re here to visit.”

“Tomato, potato,” M’Baku said as Monae almost spit out her drink and half of the table fell out in laughter. 

“I think you mean ‘tomayto, tomahto’ my G,” N’Jadaka corrected him with tears in his eyes from laughing so hard.

Monae grabbed M’Baku’s hand and squeezed it before he brought it to his lips for a kiss. She allowed it since she was slowly getting used to him again and he couldn’t be happier.

“So, Monae, how do you like your rooms?”

“They’re so nice! Mine alone is the size of my first floor at home, add in JJ’s and we have the whole house.”

“Wait until you sleep on the bed-”

“Wait, are you not staying with me?”

“Well I didn’t want to assume…”

“You two will always have a place with me. I can have your things moved while we eat, unless you would rather stay here.

Monae was apprehensive about the cold, but she had to remind herself why she was here. Everything was for JJ.

“Ok, we’ll stay with you.”

“Yay!” JJ cheered as a huge gap toothed smile appeared on M’Baku’s face.

--------

“I can’t believe you did this…”

Monae looked around JJ’s room and almost shed a tear. 

“I had it set up as soon as I learned I had a child. We can personalize it and change it however he wants, I have interior decorators lined up-”

“M’Baku, it’s perfect. I mean, look at him...look how happy he looks.”

JJ picked up a pretend sword and M’Baku beamed at the future warrior. Monae playfully rolled her eyes as they watched him play-fight with an imaginary assailant. 

“I will have to teach him how to fight for real one day, you know?”

Monae sighed, reminding herself yet again that this was all for JJ. “I know.”

“But you do not like it?”

“No, I don’t like the idea of my son running into battle,” Monae snipped before taking a second and centering herself. “I’m sorry, I’m just...I’m trying, ok?”

“I know. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome...so my room?”

“Yes, right next door here.”

He showed her the room and the view from her window stunned her speechless. She could see all of Wakanda.

“This view…”

“The best in all of Wakanda.”

She felt him close behind her and turned around, coming face to face with the Jabari chief.

“Better than yours?”

“No,” he smirked. “Let me show you.”

They checked in on JJ, who had already curled up with a storybook ready for bedtime.

M’Baku read to his son as his eyelids fell and he eventually drifted off to dreamland. The two adults snuck out of the room quietly and closed the door behind them, saying good night to the guards, before walking just a few doors down and entering the largest room Monae had ever seen. It sat on the corner of the palace, with a large balcony swooping around the side, looking out onto all of Wakanda. She could see even more of the beautiful country and maybe even past it to neighboring countries as well. 

“This is...wow.” 

“Sometimes I cannot believe it myself. Can I get you anything? Water, whiskey, tea?”

“Tea would be great actually,” she sat down on the couch as her eyes continued to wander around the space before they landed on his bookshelf.

“See anything you recognize?”

She got up to take a closer look and saw the books she gave him all those years ago, and a shy smile took over her face. She continued to browse his space, much like he did the first time she brought him to her place five years ago. 

“Is this you? You look just like him!” Monae stopped on a picture of a young M’Baku with his parents. JJ held a striking resemblance to young M’Baku just like how older M’Baku looked just like his father in the picture. “The Jabari must have strong genes...I thought my family all looked alike, y’all are something else. Let me guess, you look like your granddaddy, too?”

“I do, actually,” he chuckled as he handed her a cup of jasmine tea. “Have a seat, make yourself comfortable.” M’Baku disappeared into what Monae assumed was a closet and reemerged in a brown hoodie and sweatpants.

She kicked off her shoes and tucked her legs under her as she sat on the couch, sipping her tea.

“So…” she started.

“So?”

“So, I guess we should talk about JJ.”

“JJ is fine for now, let us talk about something else. Like why you are so nervous around me.”

“I’m not nervous-” he cut her off with a look. “Ok, fine, I’m nervous, but I don’t know why.”

“Monae,” he turned her jaw towards him so they could look into each other’s eyes, “I know this is hard for you, I do. And I am not asking for you to completely uproot your life for me, but I want to be with you again...even if we have to make it work across the world.”

“M’Baku, I-” her head dropped.

“Do not have to make a decision right now.”

“It’s not that, it’s just…”

“Is there someone else?”

“Wh- no! I barely have time for myself, much less anyone else. I mean, I’ve gone on dates, had a few hookups-”

“Please, spare me the details.”

“Right, sorry,” she cleared her throat. “Don’t you have some royal suitors lined up or something?”

He chuckled, “I did, until I met you. They had been trying to find a chieftess for me for years.”

“Chieftess?”

“Yes, my wife would be my chieftess.”

“And if we get back together…?”

“I told you I could give you a kingdom, Monae.”

She hadn’t noticed he’d moved closer until she felt his breath on her cheek. She turned to meet his face and their lips connected, making fireworks shoot all over Monae’s body. She pulled back and looked at him before she straddled his body and dove back in for more. Their tongues danced against each other as the kiss turned passionate and his hands explored her body. He let out a moan as his hands gripped her ass that had gotten bigger over time. Her waist was thicker and her breasts hung a little lower, and he loved every inch of her. She grinded into his lap as she sucked on his bottom lip and he let out another moan that sounded closer to a growl before pulling back.

“If you want me to stop-”

“Don’t stop.”

A fire burned behind his eyes as she pulled her dress over her head, revealing her body to him. His fingers traced over the stretch marks on her stomach and she shivered at his touch as his eyes raked up and down her naked form. When she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again, he stood with her in his hands and walked her to the bed, lightly placing her down in the middle.

“I have missed you so much Babygirl,” he said between kisses as she squeezed her legs tighter around him. She could feel his  dick hardening between his legs as she opened her legs wider to let him in. 

He kissed down her body until he reached her center, his lips ghosting over hers as he thanked Hanuman for bringing this woman back into his life before digging in like it was his last meal. Monae writhed on the bed as his tongue alternated between exploring her insides and licking her clit into submission. When his lips closed around her as he sloppily tongue kissed her entire pussy, she let out a deep moan that overwhelmed her emotionally and tears sprang from her eyes.

“Cum in my mouth.”

“Mm, yes.” her tears continued to pour out of her eyes as her body shook and tensed up before releasing a deluge onto his tongue. He didn’t stop either, he kept pushing her to her breaking point over and over again until he finally got tired and kissed his way back up her body.

“Are you ok?” he asked as he wiped her tears away.

“I’m ok,” she nodded.

“You are crying more than usual.”

“I just really missed you. It’s hard to explain how all this feels and the feelings are overwhelming as fuck...but I know I want this. I know I want you.”

He pecked her lips.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Monae, I am not just talking about sex-”

Her hands cupped his face and she pulled him into her so their foreheads rested against each other. “Neither am I.”

His thumb traced her bottom lip as he stared into her big brown eyes. Her hand made its way down his body and rested between his legs, rubbing along his thick, juicy dick that she missed oh so much. She grabbed the head and rubbed her thumb over his tip before running her fingernails up the leg of his sweatpants. She caught the bottom of his sweatshirt and pulled it up, prompting him to break their kiss and pull the hoodie over his head. His pants went next and she was met with the sight of his beautiful naked body.

He came back in for a kiss and she pulled his body over hers, opening herself to him again. He rested his forearm on the pillow next to her head and his other hand found its home under her knee, pulling her leg back even more as he leaned in to kiss her deeply.

“I love you,” he whispered in her ear as he slowly pushed inside her, working his way in one inch at a time then pulling out and pushing in deeper with each thrust. Her relatively short nails marked up his back as he filled her in a way she hadn’t been filled in years. She felt emotions swirl in her chest and escape from her eyes and he kissed her tears away one by one.

Once he was fully seated inside her he stilled to compose himself, allowing her to feel all of him inside her. Her pussy squeezed him tight and she grinded up into him.

“Move, baby.”

His hips pulled back before rolling forward, pushing deep into her wetness as she cried out to the heavens. Every thrust brought their already intertwined bodies closer together and he looked down at her with love in his eyes as he played her body like a drum. Monae couldn’t handle all the feelings and eventually they boiled over and she snapped, cumming all over him and rolling them over so that she was on top. Her hips worked him like it was her job, and her hands clawed at his shoulders. She corkscrewed her hips as she leaned her body back away from him, exposing her breasts for him to play with. And that he did, taking them into his mouth and teasing her pebbled buds before covering her entire neck and chest in kisses and light nibbles as she got up on her tiptoes and pounded her hips down onto his pelvis. 

She felt the pressure rising in her lower abdomen and circled her hips, dragging her clit along his body and letting out a moan from deep within her soul as the pressure released. 

“Let me see that arch in your back,” he said with a slap to her asscheek. Monae hopped up and kneeled down next to him before leaning forward and dropping her top half to the bed, leaving her voluptuous ass in the air for him to do as he pleased.

“Good girl.” He came up behind her and entered her in one swift motion, grabbing her hips and thrusting into her with rhythmic abandon. 

“Yes! Yes!” was all she could say as she gripped the sheets in front of her and did her best to hold her ass up for him. He could tell she was struggling, so his hands came up under her hips and lifted them for her, making sure he got the correct angle to hit her spot. His grunts of passion mixed with her high pitched moans as he tore her apart to create a symphony in the large room, their voices echoing off the walls and out into the mountains. 

His hands slipped and her body slid to the bed, prompting him to lean over her body and pull her neck back for a sloppy kiss, tongues meeting each other before their lips did. He used his other hand to grip her ass tight after slapping it. 

“I feel you getting ready to cum again,” he whispered in her ear, “I am right there with you, Babygirl. Just tell me where you want it.”

“I-inside me. Please, Daddy.”

He flipped her over and plunged back inside, kissing her deeply as he dug into her. Monae’s nails found the same indents as before as he gave her all he had to give. Their foreheads connected as her walls contracted around him and his strokes faltered. 

“M’Baku!” she cried out as she exploded all over him again, kicking his orgasm into gear as he stared deep into her eyes and emptied himself into her. The two of them fought to catch their breath as they untangled and laid next to each other. As they came down she was finally able to find the words she had buried for so long.

“M’Baku?”

“Hm?” He turned to look at her with his arm folded behind his head and she curled up at his side.

“I love you too.”

He chuckled and kissed her nose, “I know, Babygirl.”

--------

The next day, M’Baku showed his family around to the other tribes, but of course he saved the best for last. The Jabari people welcomed Monae and JJ with open arms and a week later, they held a celebration in honor of the little prince. He loved the attention, but mostly he just liked getting to play with his Panther tribe cousins and the other Jabari kids. Several elders came up to Monae to ask questions about marriage, all of which she managed to dance around like an expert, but the questions about JJ’s crowning were a little harder for her to dodge. She had hoped they would be able to put it off some, but it didn’t seem as though the elders were too keen on waiting. After the feast was over and the two parents put JJ to bed, Monae finally spoke up.

“So...the elders…”

“Yes, they seem to like you

“Oh I know they like me, each one of them asked me at least twice when I’m marrying you.”

“When are you marrying me?”

 “M’Baku I-”

“No I am serious, Monae,” he cooed as he walked towards her. “Stay with me.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I just can’t.”

“That is not a good enough reason.”

“I have Jazz, and my job, and my friends.”

He grabbed her hands in his.

“Monae, Nakia did your job at the Oakland Center while living in Wakanda part time...travelling to see Jazz and your friends, or bringing them here even, would not be a problem. You are best friends with the king and queen, not to mention you yourself would be a chieftess...these problems are easily fixed, my love.”

Monae removed her hands from his and walked to the balcony, pulling the collar of her fur coat up to shield her from the elements. He followed after her and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his head on hers. 

“M’Baku, I’m not saying no...I’m saying I can’t just up and follow a man I was with for just two months to the other side of the world because he magically reappears in my life.”

“I am not just some man, Monae,” he turned her around to look at him, “I am Lord M’Baku the Great Gorilla, Chief of the Jabari. I am the father of your son. I am the man that you fell madly in love with in just two months. I do not want you to follow me, I want you to be with me...even on the other side of the world, if that is where your heart desires to be.”

“What would I even do here?” she asked, barely above a whisper.

“You could teach dance classes, or plan events, or whatever else might play to your skillset. You can even do nothing for the rest of your life if you want to-”

He was cut off by a nigga please glare from Monae.

“So basically, I can do whatever I want.”

“Yes.”

“And JJ? What will he do?”

“He will do everything Jabari children do. He will go to school, learn to fight, and when he is in his teens I will start preparing him to take over one day.”

“Teens?! Isn’t that too young still?”

“He will not be in charge then, think of it more as an apprenticeship.”

“Ok...this is a lot to take in, M’Baku. I’ll talk to JJ and see what he thinks.”

“But he is just a child.”

“And as his mom I want him to know that even though I have the final say, his voice gets to be heard.”

“You are a good mother.”

A tear came to her eye and she looked down, “Thank you.”

“If I absolutely had to accidentally abandon a child with anybody, I am glad it was you.”

They broke into laughter and he kissed her forehead.

“We will figure it out.”

The two of them fell asleep in each other’s arms, and when the next morning came Monae decided breakfast would be as good a time as any to gauge JJ’s reaction to their possible move.

M’Baku flipped the pancakes on the griddle as Monae sat at the table with JJ, both coloring away in his Blue’s Clues coloring book. They were so engrossed in their artwork that they barely even noticed him set the food down in front of them until he cleared his throat. They both looked at him and gave a sheepish grin, making M’Baku wonder how JJ could look so much like him yet so much like his mother at the same time. 

Monae made JJ’s plate and cut up his pancakes for him before digging into her own. The pancakes melted in her mouth and the eggs were perfect fluffy clouds. She had forgotten how good he was in the kitchen. “Mmm this is delicious.”

“Baba, you can really cook. You’re as good as mommy!”

The adults chuckled as M’Baku sat down and dug in, enjoying the fruits of his labor. After a few minutes of just scraping utensils silling the silence, Monae cleared her throat.

“So...JJ. How do you like it here?”

“It’s really cold, but it’s fun. I like the snowball fights.”

“You are very good at them,” M’Baku added.

“You are. So do you like it more than home?”

“No they’re both good, especially with Auntie Jazz there now.”

Monae had hoped for a clear cut answer, but it didn’t seem like she’d be getting one.

“Well what do you like about both places?” she asked.

“Here there’s baba and umakhulu and Hasani and Hasina and my aunts and uncles and rhinos and snow. Auntie Jazz is at home though, and so are my friends and Juju and the Center.”

Monae contemplated his words, still not coming to a concrete solution.

“JJ, how about you help me clean up the kitchen?” M’Baku asked after noticing the perplexed look stuck on Monae’s face.

“Ok!” JJ hopped down from his chair as M’Baku collected the plates from the table and brought them to the sink. Monae watched how the two of them interacted while they washed and dried the dishes. JJ and M’Baku had grown close in the time they had spent in Jabari land. She loved watching them laugh and goof off together, and every time she watched him read JJ a story at night, her heart felt full. When they finished washing dishes M’Baku sat back down at the table with Monae and grabbed her hand, bringing it to his lips for a kiss.

“Did that help with your decision making?”

“Not at all, he’s so diplomatic.” she groaned and put her head against the table.

M’Baku stifled a smile as he rubbed her back.

“Mommy, what’s wrong?”

“Just a little headache, baby.”

“JJ, what do you say I take you to a gorilla nest?”

Monae’s head popped up immediately, “Is that safe?!”

“Yes, the ones we will visit are used to being around humans.”

“I don’t know, M’Baku-”

“Come with us, it will ease your mind.”

Monae took a deep breath then nodded before the kimoyo beads she had been gifted upon arrival started to make noise. “It’s Jazz, I’m gonna take this in my room.” 

He nodded, knowing she needed to talk things out with her sister before she could make a decision. 

When Monae made it to her room, she answered the call and Jazz’s voice filled the room.

“Heyyyyyy!”

“Why are you awake? It’s like midnight.”

“You know I’m a night owl. So what’s up? Your text sounded like you were freaking out.”

“I am freaking out.”

“Why? The sex not as good as you remember or something?”

“No it’s definitely not that...he wants us to stay.”

“Ok...and the problem is?”

“My life is in Nashville, you’re there, my job is there, my friends are there. JJ’s friends are there.”

“He’ll make new friends. And didn’t you tell me you worked with the queen? In Oakland...on the other side of the world from her kingdom...that she ruled...while working in Oakland?”

“Ugh yes, you sound like M’Baku.”

“You got a smart babydaddy. One that I’m sure wouldn’t mind me coming to visit. It’ll be just like when I was at NYU.”

“I know, but you just moved in and now I’m abandoning you-”

“Sis, you’re not abandoning me. I. Will. Be. Fine.”

Monae took a deep breath.

“So what’s with all the excuses?”

“Huh?”

“You heard me. Why all the excuses, Nae?”

“I just want to do what’s right for JJ, but I don’t know what that is. He likes both places equally. I don’t want to uproot him, but I also don’t want to keep him from M’Baku and his side of the family.”

“All I’m hearing is that you’re too scared to make the decision you want to make. Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why are you hiding behind JJ as an excuse knowing damn well he’s going to be more than fine wherever y’all go?”

“I...damn. You’re right.” Monae had exhausted all her excuses and felt defeated. She really was the only thing standing in their way. 

“Duh, so what are you gonna do about it?”

--------

The night before their departure, M’Baku and Monae did their usual routine of getting JJ ready for bed then retiring to his quarters for tea or something stronger. 

This time was a little different though, despite the red wine poured into two glasses. Monae was usually much more talkative, but this time she seemed to be in another world.

“Is everything ok, my love?”

“Hm? Oh yeah, just thinking.”

“About what?”

“About a lot of things, really. About JJ, work, my future...us.”

“What about us?”

“I know that being with you, I'd have certain responsibilities,” she paused as M’Baku nodded. “Like what?”

“Well I am not entirely sure. We are restructuring the way we run things here. I was gone for five years and the council had no problems stepping in and ruling in my absence. The flexibility will allow me to come to America more often to visit...I don’t think I can handle just seeing him for a couple months a year, but I can come to you.”

“Isn’t that against tradition?”

“Yes, but so is having a child out of wedlock and I do not see anyone complaining about that. In fact, the people love JJ...and you,” he grabbed her hand in his and intertwined their fingers.

“I’ve noticed,” Monae deadpanned, thinking back to all the questions about marriage the council threw her way. M’Baku chuckled as he read the frustration on her face.

“Tradition got thrown out the window as soon as the aliens arrived.”

“I bet,” Monae laughed before her face turned serious. “What was it like fighting aliens?”

“Terrifying. Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw that day in battle,” he kissed her hand, “but the whole time I was praying to Hanuman that I could see your face again. When T’Challa told me how much time had passed, I was heartbroken. I just knew you had found somebody else...when you told me I had a son, my whole world changed. Now I have to raise my little boy in a world with terrifying aliens that I don’t understand and cannot explain to him.”

“I still can’t explain The Snap to him, maybe when he’s older I’ll have the words, but as for now I don't even understand it enough to answer him. He asked me the other day if you would get Dusted again...he’s worried about losing you and I can’t give him an answer because I’m worried about the same thing.”

“Is that what all this is about? Your hesitance?”

Monae burst into tears and he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her in closer.

“It-it’s just that it could happen again at any moment. What if you’re gone for another five years? What if you never come back if there’s a next time?”

“Monae, it is over. The Titan is dead, the stones are gone, the gauntlet is gone...there will be no more Snaps. I cannot promise that something else equally preposterous will not happen instead, but that worry is gone now.”

She crawled into his lap and curled up into a ball as he stroked her back.

“So...no more aliens?”

“I cannot promise that...just no more Snaps.”

She nodded and rested her head in the crook of his neck, breathing him in and relaxing more with each inhale of his scent. 

She let out a sigh.

“Is something wrong, my love?”

“I just remembered we leave tomorrow.”

“Yes, I have been trying not to think about it.”

“I’ll miss you.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I know...but I won’t miss you long.”

M’Baku deflated.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean,” she sat up and looked him in his sad eyes, “that it’s not fair for JJ to bounce between us. He needs a home that’s not split in half, and there’s more for him here than back in Nashville.”

“You are saying-”

“That we’re gonna go home tomorrow, pack our things, then come back in a week.”

A slow smile spread across M’Baku’s face as a tear came to his eye. Monae wiped it away as he kissed her all over her face before pulling back and staring into her eyes.

“I know you are coming back for JJ’s sake, but what does this mean for us?”

“It means that although JJ comes first, and is the main reason for this move...I can’t say that being closer to you had nothing to do with it. I’ve been alone for five years, I don’t want to be without you again.”

“I am sorry that I left you, Monae.”

“You had no choice, don’t be sorry.”

“I just hate that I missed out on so much. Pictures aren’t enough.”

“You’re here now. Yes you missed his birth and his first steps, but you’ll teach him how to shave and how to be a Jabari warrior. There will still be plenty of wounds to kiss and make better, baby. Plenty more ‘firsts’.”

“Mm. Would you ever consider having another child?”

“My answer used to be ‘hell no’, but that was before you came back. I could consider it...I think JJ would make a great big brother...maybe in another year or two?”

M’Baku’s smile was wider than ever and his eyes twinkled in the light as he looked at her, studying her features. Her big doe eyes always gave her emotions away, even behind her thick tortoiseshell frames. She had laid her heart out on the table for him and he almost couldn’t believe how quickly she seemed to change her mind. He wasn’t sure exactly how their conversation went, but he knew he had Jazz to thank for this. 

“That sounds perfect.”

The two of them stayed up all night discussing their future, emptying the bottle of wine around midnight, and falling asleep on the couch shortly after. The next morning, Monae was awakened by the sound of JJ knocking on the door. She opened her eyes to see they had somehow made it to the bed and smiled picturing him carrying her while she slept peacefully in his arms. M’Baku stirred next to her and stretched as she got up to answer the door.

“What’s up baby?” she asked him, still groggy and voice cracking as she adjusted M’Baku’s t-shirt she was sleeping in...that she also did not have on when she fell asleep.

“I’m hungry, it’s late.”

Monae looked at the time and her eyes nearly bugged out of her head, “How is it already 10:30?!”

M’Baku made breakfast again while Monae rushed to get herself and their son ready for their trip. When JJ started folding his clothes to pack in his suitcase, Monae stopped him, having forgotten that he didn’t know the plan yet. She noticed he was moving slow and looked a little sad.

“What’s wrong, baby?”

“I’m gonna miss it here.”

“You like being with your baba?”

He sniffled and a tear rolled down his cheek. It was at that moment that she knew she had made the right decision. 

“JJ...honey...mommy and baba have something to tell you,” she looked to M’Baku right as he walked in the door, filling the entire frame with his body. He sat on the bed on the other side of JJ and pulled him into his lap while Monae grabbed his little hands in hers.

“What is it?” he sniffled again as M’Baku wiped his tears.

“We’re going home today, but we’re coming back...we’re gonna move here to be with baba.”

JJ’s face lit up and he stopped crying. “Really?!”

“Yes, really,” M’Baku chuckled as he tickled his son, making his infectious laughter ring out once again.

“But what about Auntie Jazz?”

“It’ll be just like before, we can go visit her or she can come visit here.”

“But I thought you didn’t like the cold?”

Monae sighed as M’Baku stifled a laugh. “I don’t, but a Jabari man stole my heart and we made a little Jabari that belongs in the mountains with his people. I’ll adjust.”

“So...we’re really moving?” The hopeful look on his face made both his parents smile.

“Yes,” she laughed, “we’re really moving.”

“I have to tell Hasina and Hasani!” he jetted off to find his beads. They were programmed without most of the normal features so that he and his cousins could talk anytime they wanted to, and sure enough he immediately spilled the beans to the twins despite the fact that they would be seeing each other in an hour’s time. As they chatted, Monae and M’Baku grabbed the few things they would actually need for the week they would be gone and in no time flat, they were ready to go.

“Is that everything?” M’Baku asked as the family of three travelled to the small jet that would take them down to the palace. It was a gloomy, overcast day and the two parents tried to not let it affect their moods as JJ said goodbye to his grandma. Neither wanted to say goodbye, even though they both knew it was temporary. Any time apart felt like a lifetime.

“I think so, but we’ll be back so it’s fine.”

“I love hearing you say that,” he leaned in and kissed her.

They arrived at the palace and they were greeted by the royal family again, minus N’Jadaka who had gone back to Oakland a few days ago. 

The cousins immediately gravitated towards each other and started chatting away as the adults did the same.

“We heard from a couple little birdies that you’re moving here. What changed?” Nakia asked.

“I had to be sure...but I’m sure now.”

“Well dear, it seems you have made the right choice,” Ramonda motioned behind them and the two of them turned around to see the three kids play fighting. “I know M’Baku must be happier than a hippo in the Nile.”

“He is,” she beamed, “and honestly I am too. I was scared, but it’s like as soon as I said ‘I’ll stay’ my worries just disappeared. I knew it was the right thing to do.”

M’Baku, Shuri, and T’Challa joined them and the two men put their arms around their loves.

“Are you ready?” M’Baku whispered to her.

“Yes,” she giggled at his breath tickling her ear.

“Enough of that, she’ll be back in a week,” Shuri playfully ribbed them and everyone laughed.

“But that is so long-“

“Five years, M’Baku.”

He conceded with a kiss and the group meandered towards the jet where Okoye and Ayo already awaited them.

Monae and JJ turned and said their goodbyes, leaving M’Baku for last.

He knelt down to JJ’s level and pulled something from his pocket before placing it around JJ’s neck. It was a wood bead necklace with a small hand-carved  gorilla pendant.

“It’s just like yours!”

“That is right, igorila encinci.” 

JJ threw his arms around M’Baku’s neck and M’Baku hugged him tight. 

“I love you, baba.”

“I love you too, Jabari.” he held him close and a tear almost came to his eye at hearing those words for the very first time. 

“Do you love mommy?”

Both parents smiled as M’Baku stood to his full height, carrying a giggling JJ with him. 

“I love you and your mommy more than anything else in this world,” he said, looking into her eyes. He leaned in for a chaste kiss and she obliged, making JJ giggle at their display before Monae reached out and started tickling him, really giving him something to laugh about.

“We’ll see you in a week?”

“I will be here,” he kissed both of their foreheads before they walked up the stairs and onto the ship. 

T’Challa and Shuri came up on either side of M’Baku as he waved at them before the Talon shimmered out of view as it went through the dome. He let out a sigh and everyone could see the dopey smile lingering on his face.

“Someone’s happy,” Shuri nudged him in his side and it broke him from his daze.

“Very.” He turned to the king, “Thank you.”

“For the ship? It is no problem, really-”

“No, for sending me to Oakland. I hated the idea of going, but I never would have met Monae otherwise...so thank you for not letting me talk you out of it.”

“You were never going to talk me out of it...but you’re welcome.”

T’Challa clapped M’Baku on the shoulder as he turned to go inside with the rest of the family.

“You coming?” Shuri asked M’Baku.

“In just a moment.”

She nodded and followed behind her brother, leaving M’Baku alone, staring up at the sky.

“Hanuman, Ancestors,” he started, “thank you for blessing me with the air in my lungs and the blood in my veins. Thank you for allowing me to be in my child’s life. Thank you for leading me to Monae, and thank you for her choosing me over Damon. I have no words to express the depths of my gratitude, thank you just does not seem like enough...but that is all I have right now, so thank you, thank you, thank you. Please, keep them safe on this journey and bring them back to me.”

Just then, the clouds moved out of the way and the sun poked through for the first time all day.

“Glory to Hanuman,” M’Baku praised before he turned and walked back into the palace with a huge, goofy smile on his face, content in knowing his family would return to him soon.

The end.  

Taglist: @devnicolee, @maddeningmayhem, @theblulife

[loquaciousquark]

Hi! I think I remember you posting about "making" your own computer? I'm sorry to bother you with something like this, but was it difficult? Would you say you have to know a lot about how computers work to do it? Thanks!

Heck yeah!!! Oh man!! Gosh guys can I talk to you about building computers and how EVERYONE willing to do some basic googling is almost certainly capable of this I promise?

Welcome to:

Okay okay okay so let me spin you a li’l yarn: I was in optometry school in 2010-2011ish and I had been living up to now on prebuilts, mostly laptops, but DA2 was recently out and gosh darn it I wanted something I could play a proper game on. A friend of mine had a 10yo daughter who wanted to build a computer herself, and he told me if I’d buy the parts, he’d walk both of us through how to do it (what really happened was the 10yo built my first computer and I watched and brought drinks, so–no, I wouldn’t say you have to know a lot about how computers work to do it!).

The physical requirements are some basic manual dexterity & arm strength (you gotta be able to manipulate some tiny things and put some pressure on some connections) and you will most likely need to lift up to 15 pounds, although you can limit that if you go for smaller components. The ability to bend forward and twist and reach will also probably be necessary, although some careful planning can also likely mitigate that.

I think I have pictures of the actual build process somewhere, but regardless, it resulted in this bad boy that served me well for about nine years. I was shocked to see how easy it was to put together, honestly; if you can follow a Lego assembly book, you can put a computer together. With tools like PCPartPicker that have built-in compatibility checks to make sure all your pieces fit, it’s a piece of cake to put together a parts list that you can feel really good about. You just pick whether you want your motherboard to come with fancy lights or not (hint: rgb is unironically cool & i’ll fight anyone who says otherwise).

In the end, you’ll need a set of basic components. You’ll need:

A case to put all the pieces in

A motherboard, the circuit board of the computer that connects everything, basically the heart of the computer

A CPU, the brain of the computer that determines processing power, or basically how fast it can do math and direct traffic

a CPU cooling system, which can be either mechanical fans or liquid cooling, gotta keep that baby chill; may or may not come packaged with the CPU depending on what you get

A graphics card (aka GPU), the thing that makes video games look pretty (and what will probably be the single most expensive item in the build depending on how good you go)

RAM, a short-term memory processing component that comes in different amounts (4gb, 8gb, 16gb, 32gb, 64gb if you’re a madman) depending on how fast you need your short-term memory to work. Good RAM allows you to do things like open a bunch of Chrome tabs at once, run Photoshop at the same time you’re listening to youtube videos, or process the demand of loading up a host of enemies in Mass Effect. Most everyone these days can get by just fine with 16gb of RAM, which is what I have.

a hard drive (or the new, faster, more expensive version, a solid state drive) which functions as your long-term storage bins. This is where you save documents, images, and install your programs. These come in tons of sizes–the larger your files are, the more storage space you’ll want. I always put at least a terabyte of storage in my builds.

a power supply unit or PSU, which gives the electrical juice for everything to run

a monitor (the more hertz, the smoother the video will be - you’ll want either 60hz or 144hz depending on how much your number of frames-per-second matter to you)

a keyboard and mouse

speakers or headphones or both!

Optional addons:

RGB lighting for everything :O

an optical drive (aka something to put DVDs, Blurays, or other physical CD disks into)

fancy liquid cooling pipes

additional case fans; most cases come with adequate fans, but if you are using the computer in a room with poor ventilation or you find that certain components are running hot, you can install additional fans

coincidentally you can also get fans with RGB lighting too

cable extenders when you are going for a specific color scheme

So it can definitely all look overwhelming at first, but when you start to look at how everything is laid out, you’ll notice some trends. Look at these motherboards, for example.

These are just four random motherboards I pulled off Newegg, a commonly used computer parts purchasing site. Sure, the colors are a bit different, but the layout between them…is all basically the same! Here, I’ll draw it out.

In just about every modern motherboard you buy, this will be the rough layout. Everything else is window dressing–what kind of GPU you get, what kind of CPU you get, whether your RAM lights up cool colors or not. Your motherboard will ALWAYS include a map that has extensive descriptions of what each connection does.

Much, much, much more under the jump!

Most of these you won’t even need!

There are always some compatibility things to consider–as I mentioned, PCPartPicker can help you figure out a lot of these–but the biggest one to care about is the CPU. There are two major companies that make CPUs, AMD and Intel. They both have pros and cons on the chips they make, but right now, AMD makes a family of CPUs called Ryzen that both outperform and are cheaper than Intel’s current leading brands, the i7 and i9 lines. Intel was king of the hill for a long time, though, and their CPUs are still really good quality, so some people still go with them over the cheaper alternatives for now. (There are some reports of black screens with the new Ryzen lines, but as I’ve never owned one, I can’t personally speak to how common that is.)

Regardless, once you pick which family of CPUs you want to go with, AMD or Intel, you just have to pick an Intel-friendly or AMD-friendly motherboard. This is always specified in the description of the motherboard. I own the Asus z370 motherboard, so here’s what it says in the description for CPU:

Anyway, once you’ve picked all your parts and had everything shipped to you, it’s literally just a plug-n-play, step by step until everything’s plugged in. Your motherboard manual will also include recommended order of installations, too, and often how to install them.

It helps to remember that the manufacturers of all these parts understand that they are expensive, and they really DON’T want to make them hard to install! Broken or difficult pieces during installation means that the customer is upset, and upset customers ask for refunds and lose brand loyalty.

It also helps to understand that a lot of these connections are based on certain standards–I didn’t realize until I was rebuilding my current machine that these holes set for screws really do work with just about everything you get, as long as it’s the same generation, because motherboard manufactures WANT you to have the flexibility to go any attachment brand you like and still be able to use their board to mount them. 

So, you pick your case and open it up, and you put the motherboard down on top of all the little screw holes until they match, and then you screw all the screws down firmly.

Old rig, partially disassembled:

New, in approximately same state:

(One of the reasons I went with this larger white case than a smaller, slim case like my old one, is because this nicer case has what’s called “cable management;” that means there’s a built-in back area behind the motherboard where all my cables can be jammed without messing up the “aesthetic” of the glass window. My first build obviously did not have that, as seen in that first picture at the top of this post, so I had to just jam my cables wherever I could fit them so that the sides would close, haha.)

Anyway, you can see that the motherboard is just screwed in where it should be, and my CPU is already installed where it should be. I haven’t mounted the cooler for it yet because I needed to clean off the old thermal paste and install new thermal paste before doing so. My two sticks of RAM are also mounted in the top right in the motherboard’s recommended configuration & locations for two sticks (vs. one, vs. four).

Then, with the cooler in place, it looked like this:

So the cooler I have is liquid cooling in a closed system (the thick black tubes running right to left) which is attached to a fan that mounts in place of the white fan on the left from the previous picture. It was as simple as unscrewing the old fan and putting the new one in its place. I think I even used the same screws. The fan is powered by that thin cable running along the top of the case that plugs into a little socket on the motherboard labeled “CPU Fan.” It was as simple as just finding the right plug; it doesn’t even have directionality, just a three-pin socket, so it doesn’t even matter which way you plug.

Already it’s looking like a proper computer! And because this case has cable management, I took a picture of what it currently looked like from the backside.

This case is cool because it has a neat set of connectors mounted on the back of this little hideaway to connect the case fans. I could have run the white fan cables through to the front of the motherboard for them to get power/marching orders, but it was cleaner aesthetically to attach them here in the back. Nothing wrong with connecting them on the front, though–that’s what I did in my original build!

You also might have noticed I’ve mounted the PSU in that white case by now as well. It’s the large black and red box in the bottom corner, seen best from behind. The white case comes with what’s called a PSU shroud, which just means there’s a fancy white cover over it to keep the ~aesthetic~ when viewed from the front side.

The next step is to mount the graphics card!

There’s instructions in your manual as to exactly how these mount, but it really and truly is just removing the dust cover brackets where you need to, and then a delicate plug & play, pushing that big guy in until you hear the click! (Click good, snap bad. Haha. I’ve changed out these cards several dozen times and never broken one, though!)

You can also see the ugly red-tipped cables plugged into the GPU and the motherboard, both on the right side. These come from the Power Supply Unit (they are all permanently connected in most brands, and look basically like a squid’s tentacles–once you have your items mounted onto the motherboard, you just look for the connector from the PSU with the right number of pins and plug it in!)

This guy is the worst. He is fat and hard to maneuver and always requires SO MUCH FORCE to click into this delicate bendy board and your heart will ALWAYS be in your throat as your fingers shake from how hard you’re having to push to sink it, and it will ALWAYS eventually go in but you’ll hate every second of the doing. I hate you, 24-pin EATX. I hate you so much.)

The next thing I did was mount my optical drive (because yes, I still own one), my hard drive, and my solid state drive.

The hard drive and SSD both serve the same purpose (long-term data storage), but the SSD is much faster and uses newer technology. It’s also more expensive for the amount of storage you get, so I have a 256gb SSD that holds my operating system, my heavily-used programs like Firefox and Photoshop & Premiere, and one or two video games I play the most that I would like to load as fast as possible. This is the drive that can allow me to restart my whole system in less than five seconds.

The hard drive is 1.75 terabytes and holds everything else: fics, pictures, videos, music, other games, etc.They mount onto the racks with pre-drilled screws. The optical drive just slides into the socket snugly until it hits the back of the rack.

All of these use a standard connector called a SATA cable which runs between the back of the drive to a SATA socket on the motherboard. Most motherboards come with at LEAST six or seven of these connector slots, and some come with more. They look like this:

and are pretty universal. Any kind of extra storage or drive you want to add to your computer will probably connect with a SATA cable. I think my motherboard, my SSD & HD, and my case purchases all came with a pack of loose SATA cables of different lengths to be used for whatever I wanted.

The rack each drive is mounted to came installed with the case and pre-drilled with screw holes (and provided screws) for attaching either the HD or SSD in every slot. Because this case is all about aesthetic, it also comes with two vertical SSD mounts on the back of the case if you wanted to remove the right-side rack altogether, but as I mentioned, I have the optical drive, so I couldn’t go with that option.

So now we have all the major pieces mounted! The last set of connections are a collection of small fiddly pieces that all plug in roughly the same area and do things like light up the case’s LED, provide that startup beep, connect the USB sockets on the case’s front to power, etc. This is by far the section that takes me the longest because I guarantee I will ALWAYS plug at least two into the wrong socket and not have a beep, or my audio won’t work or something until I go back and reconnect them.

The next thing was to plug in my monitors and…see what happened when we hit the power button! (Monitor connections just plug directly into your graphics card in the back of the case.) And here’s what happened!

So it turned out when I was connecting my SSD (which has my OS on it), I was pushing on the little connector while sitting on the back side of the case. I thought I had the thing in the socket, but what I’d actually done was jam the connector just under the lip of the motherboard (that is, not connected to anything at all, just hanging in open space). Once I realized, though, it was an easy fix!

The last thing I wanted to do to complete the clean white look I wanted was to replace those UGHLY red PSU cables with what are called “cable extenders.” I bought some white ones on Amazon; because most PSUs’ cables are permanently attached at the box, you plug your cable extenders into the other end and then feed them through the case, so that’s the only portion visible. The ugly PSU cables are still there at the other end of the white cables, just hidden in the cable management area behind the motherboard.

I spent some time fixing up the cables to curve exactly how I wanted them to, then picked my LED RGB colors and closed up the open side with the glass wall. All that was left was to plug in my mouse/keyboard/speakers/headphones/mic/webcam, etc., and we were done!

Ta-daaaa!

The first build I did, the one in the blue & black case, took us about two days due to some unexpected problems. First, we were trying to salvage an old CPU from my HP prebuilt to save a little money. Unfortunately, they used basically no thermal paste to connect it to its fan, and when we were trying to get the fan off, it actually tore the CPU out of its socket and bent a bunch of its pins. I ended up going to Best Buy or something and getting a replacement off the shelf.

The other issue I had was that I foolishly didn’t back up my files, and lost a bunch of them in the rebuild (including my Hawke’s original run through the DA2 game :( :( :( ) Always back up your files before ever going in and messing with your case!

Over the years I replaced a bunch of components in it, which is why it lasted me so long, but the transfer into the new case only took me about three hours, and that was with a bunch of breaks throughout. I probably could have done it faster if I hadn’t wanted to savor it, haha. The cable management for the backless desk took a lot longer, though! (…and a LOT of zip ties.)

I do set my new build on a small glass stand (again, from Amazon) because Hamlet’s pretty sheddy and I wanted to keep airflow as good as possible. I’m limited on how many case fans I can install since I have the optical drive rack taking up a lot of space on the right, but I could install new fans on top if I wanted. My temperatures are great, though (I monitor with CoreTemp & GPUTemp, as well as my motherboard’s built-in temp monitoring software), so I don’t need to unless I decide I need more RGB.

Anything I might want to add, I run through PCPartPicker to make sure it’ll fit what I already have. For example, my parts list looks like this (full view and complete parts list available at this link): 

ANYWAY.

If you are patient, if you can fit small Lego-like pieces in labeled sockets, and you are a decent googler, you can build your own PC. It’s really, really hard to do serious damage to components nowadays, even if you plug something in wrong. There’s a bunch of resources, though, and I’d recommend the following places to start:

newegg.com - parts for sale, getcher parts here

pcpartpicker.com - put your list of components together, and it’ll flag any compatibility issues or known problems

https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/ - great starting point for new builders, tons of advice and how-to’s for every step of the process, and a decently responsive community to help troubleshoot any issues you might have

And I obviously love doing this kind of thing, so if there’s anything I can help with, I’m more than happy to try! Just let me know, and I hope this was helpful!