#the lighthearted teasing between the four of them…. they are so family

[miguelswifey04]

Miguel married to a petite bubbly reader and she has 4 giant older brothers with think New York accents that she wants Miguel to meet and their bullying him even though there slightly smaller then him

miguel o’hara x petite bubbly! fem reader

miguel finds himself standing nervously outside your family’s home, his heart racing as he prepares to meet your four giant older brothers who possess thick new york accents. he knows that navigating this meeting might not be easy, but his love for you gives him the courage to face any challenge. as miguel enters the house, he is greeted by the sound of boisterous laughter and a strong sense of camaraderie. the family atmosphere feels welcoming and warm, yet he can't help but feel a hint of apprehension.

your brothers, towering figures with their impressive builds, immediately size miguel up. they exchange looks and smirks, seemingly ready for some lighthearted ribbing. miguel mentally prepares himself, knowing that he'll need to stand his ground while respecting their family dynamic. "well, well, look what the cat dragged in. little miguelito, finally decided to show up!,” the oldest one said while nudging the second oldest, “yeah, we've been dying to meet you, see if you can handle being part of our chaotic family!"

miguel takes a deep breath, summoning his confidence and his signature smirk. he stands tall, meeting the gaze of each brother with an unflinching determination. miguel spoke up as he held his ground, “good to finally meet you guys too. heard a lot about you. figured i could handle anything a bunch of guys slightly smaller than me can dish out."

the brothers exchange glances, their eyes narrowing playfully. they seem to appreciate miguel’s response and the challenge he throws at them. the third oldest steps up, closing the gap between him and miguel, "alright, miguelito, you think you can handle us? let’s see what you've got." the youngest out of the four brothers, finally spoke up."yeah, we'll be watching you, so don't even think about slacking."

as the evening progresses, the banter between miguel and your brothers intensifies. miguel learns to engage in their playful teasing while reciprocating with his own quick wit and charm. they begin to recognize that behind miguel’s confident facade, he genuinely cares for and respects their sister. as the night draws to a close, your brothers shake hands with miguel, a newfound camaraderie forming between them. the initial wariness and teasing transform into a shared understanding and appreciation for the love they all have for you.

the oldest brother spoke with admiration and approval, “i gotta admit, miguel, you held your own. you’re alright in our book.,” while the second oldest chimes in, crossing his arms over his chest, “yeah, not bad for a little guy. just remember, treat our sister right, or you'll have all four of us to answer to." miguel chuckles, his eyes reflecting gratitude and determination. "you’ve got my word, fellas. she means the world to me, and i’ll do whatever it takes to make her happy."

the brothers nod approvingly, realizing that miguel’s love for you, their sister runs deep. with newfound respect and acceptance, they welcome him into their chaotic, loving family, knowing that miguel is determined to be the source of love and strength that their sister deserves.

tags 🏷️!! @kairiscorner @emiemiemiii @astro1bloom @obi-mom-kenobi @meeom @sabcandoit

[liaromancewriter]

Have you heard….

Premise: Naveen Banerji has always enjoyed Edenbrook’s rumor mill, but he can’t share the biggest secret of all.

Book: Open Heart Characters: Naveen Banerji; feat. Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Cassie Valentine) Rating/Category: Teen. Fluff. Words: 865

A/N: I'm using @choicesflashfics week 61, prompt 1. Set during early second year of Liaverse.

One of Naveen Banerji’s earliest memories was of listening to Amma and Aunties exchange gossip over a cup of tea and Parle biscuits. He might have been four or five at the time; who knew after all this time? But the memory of those afternoons was as clear as day.

He could still feel the heat of Kolkata summers as he sat on a stool in the shaded courtyard of his family’s house, the coolness of the steel tumbler between his palms and the taste of sweet mango juice his mother poured for him in lieu of tea. Hear the joyous laughter of the ladies and the lighthearted teasing among the Aunties.

Naveen couldn’t abide malicious rumors designed to destroy someone’s career or bring them down. But harmless tea, as the kids called it, was good fun. And in a hospital like Edenbrook, there was plenty of it to go around and even more people who were willing to join in.

Of course, he never could convince his mentee to partake in some. Ethan Ramsey was stubborn about many things, but none more so than about this. Besides, he was often the subject of rumors, many unconfirmed, some way too fanciful to be credible, and others Naveen knew had a kernel of truth.

The harder Ethan tried to keep his private life private, the more rumors about him spread. And that made Naveen all the more determined to share gossip with his protégé if only to see the bewilderment on his face.

“Oh, for Christ’s sake, Naveen,” Ethan would gripe in exasperation. “Don’t these people have anything better to do?!?”

It was a pity he was on the executive floor now, Naveen mused absently as he strolled into Rumor Mill Central, aka the cafeteria. When he’d been head of diagnostics, he could often indulge his hobby at the nurses’ stations. Now, he had to practically go looking for gossip.

Naveen grabbed a pudding cup and an energy bar and made a beeline for the lunch counter where his partner in crime, Stella, still manned the cash register. She’d been at Edenbrook for more than ten years, and nothing got by her.

“Hello, old friend,” Naveen smiled, taking his wallet out of a back pocket. “How’s it going?”

“Oh, you know,” Stella commented as she slowly scanned his items. “The new interns are already getting on my nerves, but that’s not new. Have you heard…”

Stella trailed off and glared at the person who had stepped up behind Naveen. The other doctor turned red, mumbled an apology and practically ran toward the cashier station on the far end.

“Anyway,” Stella continued, voice dropping as she leaned in conspiratorially. “Everyone’s talking about your Dr. Ramsey. That beard he grew during his trip to the Amazon sure has tongues yapping. His stans are divided on which is sexier, the beard or the killer jawline with light scruff.”

Naveen chuckled, imagining Ethan’s reaction to people gossiping about his facial hair.

“Odds are ten to one that he’s shaving it off before the summer is out,” Stella continued before looking askance at him. “Well? Is he keeping it or shaving it? I could use some easy money.”

“Hmm, hard to say,” Naveen tapped his fingers against his lips. “But I have a feeling he’s planning to keep it for a while. Told me he’s grown attached to it.”

He and Stella exchanged a few more rumors, including a troubling one about Garrett Thorne. Naveen made a mental note to stay on top of that situation, said his goodbyes to Stella and slid into a corner booth to enjoy his snack.

Later, he was almost at the end of the hallway that would take him to the north elevator bank when he heard two people murmuring in an empty examination room, the door half ajar. His ears pricked when he recognized Ethan’s deeper voice and Cassie Valentine’s lighter tones.

Naveen moved closer, spying on the two doctors through the opening. They were standing close, facing each other. He glimpsed Cassie’s hand loosely clasped in Ethan’s and the teasing grin on her lips.

“Just admit it, Dr. Ramsey,” Cassie demanded, cocking her hips arrogantly. “We both know it’s true. From the moment we met last year.”

“I admit nothing, Dr. Valentine,” Ethan retorted, but the resulting scoff and challenging look from Cassie had him huffing in annoyance. “Fine. You’re my favorite.”

“Favorite what?”

“Everything.”

The single word delivered so definitively but in a gruff, awestruck tone was Naveen’s undoing. He felt the wetness pool in his eyes and blinked it away.

“I was going for favorite resident,” Cassie said softly, placing her hand on the side of his face and leaning in. “But I’ll take ‘everything’.”

Feeling like a voyeur, Naveen turned away from the tender and intimate moment between the couple and continued on his way. He couldn’t wait to call Alan and share this latest tidbit about his son.

As good as Edenbrook’s rumor mill was, no one knew the hottest tea of all. That the austere and occasionally demanding Dr. Ramsey was hopelessly in love with the new junior fellow of diagnostics and didn’t even know it.

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

All Fics & Edits: @bluebelle08 @coffeeheartaddict2 @crazy-loca-blog @genevievemd @headoverheelsforramsey @lucy-268 @jerzwriter @lady-calypso @mainstreetreader @peonierose @potionsprefect @queencarb @quixoticdreamer16 @rookiemartin @socalwriterbee @tessa-liam @trappedinfanfiction

Submissions: @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

Ethan & Cassie only: @cariantha @custaroonie @youlookappropriate @zealouscanonindeer

[rey-jake-therapist]

Lost Souls chapter 9

I think maybe I wasn't clear about my last update: I had posted chapter 8, 9 and 10 if my Sweetbitter fic Lost Souls on AO3, but had posted only chapter 8 on Tumblr. Today I post chapter 9 on Tumblr (late in THIS post), and tonight or tomorrow, chapter 10 will be on Tumblr as well!

So, here we have:

Chapter 8 on Tumblr

Chapter 8, 9, and 10 (NSFW ending) on AO3

If you missed the beginning

SUMMARY CHAPTER 9

Old friends from Cape Cod paid a visit to Jake. They brought their young daughter Emily, Jake's goddaughter, as well as childhood memories, the good and the bad.

Notes: soundtrack: Lou Reed - Perfect Day:) Emily, Jake's goddaughter, is "played" by Millie Bobby Brown :)

Jake hadn't arranged a meeting with his childhood friend Chris and his daughter Emily just to escape Sasha's chatter. Chris, who still resided in Cape Cod, had brought his family to New York for a weeklong visit, providing Jake with a precious opportunity to catch up with them.

Twelve years ago, when Emily was born, Chris had asked Jake to be her godfather. This decision had stirred up quite a commotion within Chris's family and even between him and his wife, as no one had considered Jake a reliable choice for the role. However, over the years, he had grown genuinely attached to Emily, effectively proving all the skeptics wrong. As he saw his friends from afar, Jake's smile grew larger at the sight of Emily rushing towards him with her arms wide open and the sweet sound of her laughter as he twirled her in the air.

"Ouch," Jake groaned, pretending to struggle, "your dad wasn't joking when he said you're all grown up now! Geez, kiddo, you've gotten heavy!"

"Are you calling me fat?" Emily protested, playfully smacking his arm with her tiny hand.

Jake burst into laughter and reassured her, "Of course not, little mouse. But you're not four anymore, I can't make you fly like I used to!"

After embracing Chris and making a lighthearted remark about the weight Chris had gained since their last meeting, Jake greeted Chris's wife Elena with a kiss on the cheek. He then leaned in close to her ear, speaking loudly enough for Chris to hear, "I told you, you should have picked me!"

Elena arched an eyebrow at Jake's remark, then burst into laughter, teasing him in return.

"For real, your wife seems to be living her best life, I'm so envious! I'd love to be as invisible as her. What's her secret?"

They continued to exchange playful banter as they strolled toward the nearest café. Chris and Elena were polar opposites in many ways: Chris was blond, with wide hazel eyes, short, a bit on the plump side, and the quietest, gentlest man Jake had ever known. In contrast, Elena had short dark hair, piercing green eyes, towered over Chris, and possessed an ambitious, fiery personality. When they'd started dating in high school at the age of sixteen, they looked like such an odd couple that no one expected their relationship to last a month, except for Jake, who had witnessed firsthand just how deeply in love they were despite their differences. Jake thoroughly enjoyed their banter, particularly with Elena, who was never at a loss for words.

However, Emily abruptly interrupted their lighthearted exchange with a pressing question, "Seriously, Jake, why are you alone? Don't you have a girlfriend?"

Jake nonchalantly shrugged and let out a melodramatic sigh, pretending to be lonely and despondent. "What can I say, little mouse? Nobody wants me..."

But Emily, having grown older and wiser, wasn't so easily fooled. She snorted and playfully teased him, "You're making that up. Dad said all the girls wanted you at school; they even did your homework for free!"

"Oh, he said that, huh?" Jake grumbled, side-eyeing his childhood friend.

"All the girls except me!" Elena chimed in with a mischievous smile. "I never did anyone's homework for free, not even your dad's!"

"That's because I did yours, if you recall," Chris retorted, a small smirk on his lips.

"Anyway, I would have never done it for this... this rascal here," Elena added, emphasizing her point with a laugh.

Jake chuckled at Elena's remark. She was telling the absolute truth: from the moment she had laid eyes on Chris, her heart belonged to him alone. Jake had been completely unaware of her feelings for his friend until a tipsy night at a party, where they had ended up making out. Elena had looked at him with a mix of curiosity and embarrassment and confessed,

"I know it's weird because all the girls want to go out with you, but I don't want you! I came here hoping to see your friend Chris, but he didn't show up, and now I want to die!"

Thankfully, Jake, ever the good sport, had talked Elena out of jumping off a bridge and had set up a date for her and Chris. It had turned out that Chris had been secretly in love with her as well, but he hadn't dared to hope she'd feel the same way. He hadn't even confided in Jake because he assumed Jake would laugh at him and pressure him to take a chance – which was precisely what happened.

Emily, with a puzzled expression in her lovely brown eyes, questioned further, "I don't understand. Why have you two been together for so long, while Jake is the same age as you and is still alone?"

Jake whispered, "Well, you see... Your dad was fortunate to find your mom. We don't all have that kind of luck."

Elena, however, intervened with a firm voice, "Jake, stop it. Your dad wasn't just lucky; he let me in. That's why you're still single today. Because you've never let anyone in."

A heavy silence hung in the air. Emily eventually shrugged, finding adults all too complicated, and announced that she wanted to go shopping.

"Great idea! Why don't you ladies go shopping together? Jake and I will have a couple of beers while we wait for you," Chris suggested.

Elena raised an eyebrow and asked, "And what if I want a beer too?"

This time, Chris emerged victorious. While Elena and Emily embarked on their shopping adventure, Jake and Chris ordered a round of beers.

"So, how's business?" Jake inquired, referring to the boat rental agency that Chris had opened five years ago on Cape Cod. Among other services, Chris transported tourists to the middle of the ocean, where they could catch glimpses of dolphins and whales.

"Oh, I didn't tell you the news! I sold it six months ago. Can you believe it? I'm back to being a biology professor," Chris revealed.

"Really? Why?" Jake asked, taken aback. "I thought it was doing well. Did something happen?"

"It was more than just doing well; it became a problem. Don't let Elena know I told you, but we nearly got divorced last year. She and Emily hardly ever saw me. I came home late, was always busy on weekends... Sure, I made money, but I was miserable, and so was Elena. She left me. For a while, I lived alone on my boat, angry and resentful... Can't deny it was fun at first; I had the freedom to get drunk in bars and return to my boat whenever I pleased! I fooled around, felt like I was twenty again... Then it hit me what truly mattered." Chris shook his head and gazed at Jake. "All that money, freedom, and beautiful women, they meant nothing. I missed my family. Family, that's what matters. I saw Emily once a week, and when she'd tell me about all the things she'd done with her mother, I felt terrible. It finally dawned on me that Elena was right. I'd missed out on the best moments of my daughter's life, and for what? Money? So one day, I got drunk again and called Elena. I asked her if she'd give me a chance if I sold the agency, fully expecting her to tell me to sleep it off and send divorce papers the next day. And for the second time since I've known her... well, she surprised me."

"She surprised you? Chris, this woman loves you. Of course, she took you back," Jake said, affectionately punching his friend's arm. "But why didn't you call me? Why am I only hearing about this now? Aren't we friends?" He asked, genuinely hurt.

"Of course, we are! I considered calling you, but can I be honest?"

"You can, but if you say you thought I'd laugh at you, I'll punch your face this time," Jake warned.

"I didn't think you'd laugh. I thought you wouldn't understand," Chris confessed, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"What the..." Jake groaned.

"Jake, buddy, what I mean is that you've never had a family of your own. You can't know how it feels, that fear of losing them forever. That life I lived on the boat for a couple of months, the parties, the one-night stands – it's all normal for you. It's your thing! And for a long time, I secretly envied you."

"Dude..."

"I envied your independence! Sometimes, I thought that while I was paying the bills and getting up in the middle of the night to clean my daughter’s bed because she had a pee accident, you were probably with some hot chick you'd just met. I thought that maybe you had it right after all. But as it turns out, that kind of life just wasn't for me. I love my girls, and I can't imagine my life without them," Chris mused, a blissful smile playing on his lips.

Jake chuckled and replied, "Joke's on you, buddy, I always envied you." When Chris groaned in skepticism, Jake continued, "No, seriously, I did! I still do. It seems nice to have people waiting for you at home. Sometimes I wish I had that. But you're right; life probably has other plans for me. Like... cirrhosis," he joked, raising his empty glass.

Chris's face suddenly lit up. "You know, they're looking for a philosophy professor at the school where I'm teaching. I think the director likes me, I could give him your resume!" he offered.

"A philosophy professor? Me? You can't be serious," Jake exclaimed.

"Why not? You've got a PhD in philosophy for God's sake; you're more than competent," Chris argued, a spark of excitement in his eyes.

"I've got only half of a PhD at best! I dropped out, remember?"

"Yeah, I do! So what? You could complete it. You don’t intend to be a bartender all your life, do you? Or is it about Simone again?"

Startled, Jake cringed at the mention of Simone's name.

"Thanks for the proposal, Chris, but I'm not going back to the Cape. Not permanently, anyway."

"Why not? Is it still about... you know?" Chris probed, his voice laced with concern.

Jake swallowed hard but lowered his gaze, refusing to give a direct answer. They both knew exactly what Chris was talking about, but neither of them wanted to say it out loud.

"I can't go back there. No way. Simone dragged me there a couple of months ago, and we talked about selling my mother’s house. Once that's done, you'll be the only reason I'll have to return," he asserted, his voice steady.

"And we both know it'll never happen!" Chris chuckled briefly, taking a sip of his beer. He continued, "I get it, you're a New York guy now. But buddy, it's been years... You've got to stop punishing yourself and take a step forward. You deserve better than serving drinks to a bunch of snobs and watching them eat!"

A wry smile of skepticism tugged at Jake's lips as he asked, "Do I?"

Just a perfect day Drink sangria in a park And then later When it gets dark we go home Just a perfect day Feed animals in the zoo And then later a movie, too And then home Oh it's such a perfect day I'm glad I spend it with you Oh such a perfect day You just keep me hangin' on You just keep me hangin' on Just a perfect day Problems are left to know Weekenders all night long It's such fun Just a perfect day You make me forget myself I thought I was someone else Someone good

Read chapter 10 on AO3 :)

@sylverfaeland

@ladyredstar1991

@endlessbittersweetdreams

@writing-for-life

@dear--lady-disdain

[alistonjdrake]

🍬🍎👻

🍬 candy: share a sweet or fluffy scene from your wip!

This is a hard one given how angst-ridden so much of my recent stuff has been.

Shaking her head, Justyna crossed the room in a few quick steps. Only stopping to pick up the four toy soldiers he’d dropped in his haste to pretend to be sleeping. Mismatched figures they had collected for him throughout the years. The first two were Oskyan. That much was clear by the tall hats and thick mustaches.  One was a Knight. The other a Fate. She planted herself on the edge of Aleksy’s bed and swiped her nose with a finger from her free hand.  “Little boys smell sweeter when they’re sleeping. That’s why witches come to gobble them up.” Justyna dropped the soldiers into his lap. Aleksy grabbed them, holding them clumsily to his chest as his frown deepened. “Mama, stop.”  “Why aren’t you asleep? It’s so late.” The blanket had fallen to his waist and she reached for the edge, leaning close so he had no choice but to resettle against his pillows. Aleksy followed her lead, reluctantly. The bow of his mouth kept twisting into a frown.

A little scene of Mother!Justyna because the home scenes of ThoR are relatively happy ones.

🍎 apple: let’s talk about friendship in your wip. do you have any favorite friend/platonic dynamics? any friendships gone sour?

It's kinda a running joke with me that none of my characters have friends. The first half of ORG is really about Argus taking a torpedo to his friendship/relationship with Enyo that ends in them not talking face to face for like 4 years or how his friendship with Damaris was also something he discarded when it became easier to bully her than defend her from his peers. Most of the characters in TNC are friends with each other in a very lighthearted frenemy type of way and I really liked writing about the whole group of seven and their banter but I admit those were few and far between. Miko also has all his Ulra/childhood friends we met again towards the end of the book and given how their culture raises children they all have this very close/familial bond with one another. In A Woman of No Importance, you could probably say Cierra's only friend is her daughter and for Matilde she has no one who is genuinely her friend although she does have a lot of allies and opportunistic companions.

Now, why do so few of my characters have friends? Idk. Irl there's no one dearer to me than my friends I guess I just, love unlikable people.

👻 ghost: can you tease some wip ideas that have been haunting you/something you want to write in the future?

I already post every now and then about olive grove and no importance, someone will die, we heard the devil, sorcerei, all these back burner projects I really want to work on and don't currently have the time for but underneath all of them, there's Saint Saltykov. I made a cover for it when bored like two years ago and came up with this whole romantacy story about a biracial drag queen in a lavender marriage who meets a fugitive/magician in this really eclectic city. It would be so much fun if I had the time to flesh it out and actually plot for it but I just...have not

[self-proclaimed-chaotic-good]

Somebody to Love | Steddie (4/?)

Chapter Four: Closure and Crushes

Word: 1505

A/N: Mostly platonic Steve and Nancy conversing. Steve accidentally comes out to her. Eddie is only mentioned in this chapter.

Summary: Eddie's part of the gang now and he's learning quickly what that means exactly. Meanwhile, Steve has finally come to terms of what he feels for a certain super senior and the gremlins that they both look after unwittingly gives the nudge that Steve needed to confront him.

[Somebody to Love Masterlist]

-

Life used to be so simple. Follow the crowd, be an asshole to feel better about yourself, get a sports scholarship, get into college, then graduate and follow in his father’s footsteps. Everything was about pleasing other people. Once he had set his sights on Nancy Wheeler, well, it messed with the status quo. She was considered a princess, a goody two-shoes, with perfect grades and perfect attendance. Totally not someone that the cool kids would want rolling with them.

While she tried to change herself to fit into his crowd, he found himself thinking of ways he could fit into her world. He was convinced that she was it for him. He went as far as imagining a future with her, a picture perfect large family filled with warmth and happiness and comfort. Thinking back on it now, he was forcing the image of Nancy in an idea that compensated for his stifling lonely and cold childhood, and that wasn’t fair to her. He was trying to fit into his version of what he imagined her world was and it was way off base.

Seeing Nancy finding her confident self, there was no way that she would be happy with that future. It was something that had stuck with him for a while and he just had to tell her. When he did, it felt like a weight was lifted from his shoulders, like he was finally leaving the past lingering feelings behind him. 

They finally sat down and talked when the dust settled and she was happy with how much he had grown. During one recent conversation, she expressed her hopes that he would be able to figure things out and find his own happiness. If he was still hung up on her, it would have left him feeling bitter, knowing that that happiness wouldn’t be her, but he was fine. His friends are his happiness right now and he told her as much. Besides, when he thought of his happiness, he also had someone else in mind.

“Remember, try not to deprive yourself of happiness just because you think you don’t deserve it,” she said as if reading his mind.

“That’s oddly specific,” Steve pointed out, narrowing his eyes at her.

She managed to look sheepish and smug at the same time. “It was something that Jonathan noticed for a while,” she admitted.

Steve rolled his eyes. “You know, I think those Byers have some kind of superpower. That, or we’re just raised by emotionally distant parents.”

“I think both.” She smiled. “It’s definitely easier and harder when he can read me so well. I just… feel so vulnerable yet so safe around him and he doesn’t take advantage of it. He… sorry, you probably don’t want to hear about all this.”

“You’re right. If you keep going, I think I’m going to start falling for him and steal him from you,” Steve said with a teasing smirk.

Nancy punched his arm lightly. “I’ve got a gun, Harrington. There’s no way you’re getting anywhere near him.”

He clutched his arm dramatically, like she broke it with a hard swing, making her giggle. It reminded him of how lighthearted things were between them. He felt like his age again and not someone that was forced to grow up too quickly.

“Like that’s going to deter me from my quest for love.” Oh, god, he was starting to talk like that shrimp, Dustin. He kept on going anyway. “ After that first punch that Jonathan gave me, I don’t know, it was doing something for me. Then, you with that gun and Eddie with that broken… bottle...” 

His eyes widened when his brain caught up to what his mouth had just admitted. Maybe she didn’t notice? Thank god her parents weren’t home yet. He didn’t know how he expected Nancy to react, but it wasn’t her knocking the wind out of his lungs as she hugged him with a wide smile. 

He hugged her back, breathing out a sigh of relief. She was okay with this, whatever it was. He didn’t have a definite label for himself and Robin assured him that he didn’t have to rush to figure it out. It was enough to know and be accepting of what he was feeling, that they were valid.

She pulled away, her small hands still on his arms. “How long have you known?”

He shrugged. “I think it’s been a long time, but I didn’t know what it was back then. I didn’t know that it was okay and, yeah, I guess now that I’ve got friends who actually like me for me, I feel more comfortable about it. But, I really did love you back then. All of that was true! I mean, I still love you, but not in the same way.”

“I believe you,” Nancy assured him, then smirked, “So… Eddie, huh?”

Steve groaned. He rolled his head back before dropping his head with a sigh. She could see that even his ears were tinted red. He didn’t anticipate him discussing his apparent new crush on a certain metalhead with his ex. Robin knew about it before he did and she was going to scream “Finally!” once he tells her. Calling it a crush made it feel more real and it made him giddy. 

He made a show of checking his watch before backing up to his car.  “Oh, look at the time. I gotta go and, um, pick up the children.”

“Mike’s literally in the car waiting for you with Dustin to drive them to Lucas’s,” she said as she crossed her arms. Curse her and her sharp attention to details.

“Yes, I have to do that. You know how cranky they can get. Bye! See you saturday!”

Nancy shook her head fondly at him as he fled to the car. Steve ignored Mike’s complaints as he started up the car, reversing quickly out of the Wheelers’ driveway. Once they were on the road, he drowned Mike’s voice out by turning on his radio. 

The heavy guitar riffs flooding out of his speakers made the younger boy shut up and the two kids exchanged a look. Since when did Steve Harrington listen to heavy metal? Well, since Eddie Munson gave him a couple of tapes to “improve his taste of music” on the same day as the party. They weren’t bad and the tapes that he gave Steve all reminded him of Eddie.

Dustin cleared his throat after they finished their quick stop for snacks at the store. “So, Steven -”

“Never call me that, Dusty bun.”

“Steve,” he quickly corrected himself, “Have you spoken to Eddie about using your place for DnD?”

Steve shrugged. “I thought you guys did that. I know some of the guys in the club detest me because of my douchebag era.”

Dustin waved that off. “Jeff and Frank are moving away once they graduate. Their parents weren’t so happy about them hanging out with Eddie because of that whole witch hunt against the Hellfire Club thing and they’ve been trying to sneak in band practice, but even that was pushing it. Gareth is a little more chill about it, but he’s going to wait it out until his parents cool down.”

“Eddie thinks it’s weird that you’re offering to host our campaign in your mansion,” Mike said bluntly.

“I think you should speak to him yourself about it. He’s been focused so much on graduating that we haven’t been able to talk to him or have a proper DnD session in ages. He doesn’t even spend time in the cafeteria anymore.”

“Yeah, he’s actually in the library or something with Robin or my sister.”

“Guys,” Steve said, pulling up to the Sinclair house, “We’ve got plenty of time to talk about it. Graduation is, like, two weeks away.”

“Talk to him now!”

Dustin sighed, speaking more calmly than Mike. “Can you at least check on him?”

“Okay, buddy.” He rubbed Dustin’s cap covered hair before bopping him. “Now scram!”

He waited until they scrambled into the house before he started pulling out of the driveway, heading straight for Eddie’s house. He hadn’t been to his place since the party, only seeing Eddie when he’d stop by Family Video or when he’s giving the kids a ride to and from school. Steve would nod and wave while Eddie forced a big smile on his face as he waved back. 

Steve couldn’t figure out why Eddie was acting weird like that all of a sudden and it left him wondering if he had done something back at the party to cause this distance. Or maybe it’s because now that he was closer to Nancy and Robin, there wasn’t anything else connecting them besides their mutual friends. Whatever it was, Steve would have to be the one to approach first. He’s only doing this for the boys, of course. Not that he missed Eddie or anything.

[caffernnn]

How did the cule spend valentines day pls!!!! 🙇🏽‍♀️🙇🏽‍♀️🙇🏽‍♀️🙇🏽‍♀️

It’d been hard to find time to get everyone together in the same place lately, other than a few joint study sessions and their chaotic debriefs at Marron between training/classes/etc., so the one thing that they could all agree on was finding a way to have one full night with just the four of them. To be together would be enough.

… well, that’d be enough for most of them. Asahi and Kisumi’s prides would never let themselves rest if they didn’t try to make the night special somehow.

The plan was to have everyone gather at Kisumi’s place for dinner, games, movies, wherever the night-in would take them. Asahi would excitedly mention some of the board games or movies he planned on lugging over, and seemed at ease with the way Kisumi would casually mention going to a few stores in preparation without revealing too much. He knew Kisumi loved getting to have control that way and was simply happy to finally see whatever surprises he had up his sleeves for the night. Hiyori and Ikuya felt… a little more out of their element with the whole thing. They weren’t used to celebrating or making a big deal out of holidays like this beyond trading small gifts and maybe going out for dinner. Ikuya was steeped in training, so he had to make peace with showing up relatively on-time and not absolutely bone-tired (and hopefully they’d all like the little gifts he picked out). Hiyori didn’t have that much more free time compared to everyone else, but it was enough to make him itchy to help plan somehow. Kisumi gave in eventually by asking Hiyori to be in charge of food, and patiently reassuring him that this was all for fun and he didn’t have anything to prove, really. It was something Hiyori was still working on, accepting that he was loved and wanted because he was simply Hiyori. They all got overwhelmed with it sometimes, how the four of them grew over time into this cohesive unit beyond friendship and it was working (Were they allowed to be this happy? Were they allowed to let their hearts be so full?). It was understandable that they all wanted to do whatever they could to make Valentine’s Day special: this was one of their first holidays all together, and this chaotic mess of a family was worth celebrating.

Some highlights:

- Kisumi had tiny decorations strewn throughout his living space, but he was proudest of a specific area he had set up to try and get pictures with all of them together (paper chains, a few balloons… it was cute!!). He had a physical scrapbook with different candids of the guys he worked on from time-to-time (to their collective delight and embarrassment), but he needed some nice shots of them all together for once. Luckily everyone dressed up nice enough in different sweaters and such (not that he didn’t think they always looked darling, the big sap) and he was excited to have some keepers everyone could take back to their places once he got them developed.

- Dinner was simple enough with some of their favorite takeout foods and snacks put into some cheap decorative containers Kisumi had found. Hiyori put most of his effort into everything he collected for the next morning: waking up early to try and pull off a homemade breakfast-in-bed array. He and Kisumi spent a peaceful moment in the kitchen together (Hiyori cooking, Kisumi sitting on the counter and “helpfully” supervising) and couldn’t hide their smiles at watching Ikuya and Asahi wake up slowly, pretending like they weren’t completely wrapped up in each other just moments before. Between the lighthearted teasing and only a few things thrown around, Hiyori figures breakfast went over well.

- The living room floor became the biggest pillow pile of the century. The perfect space for the ultimate cuddle puddle. Ikuya had considered dragging someone back to his place to pick up more bedding just in case (he was getting better at going after what he wanted; these days, he wanted plenty of soft things) but was surprised with a huge squishmallow and weighted blanket with his gifts. Crisis averted!

- Ikuya tried to let himself be vulnerable and not run or cringe at all of the mushy stuff going through his head (it’s safe here, they all love him, it’s fine), but still couldn’t stop feeling embarrassed handing out the matching custom keychains he had picked out for everyone. The guys love to tease (it’s an art and a love language) but are good about knowing when to pull their punches. They were excited, actually, having something to carry around that reminded them all of each other.

- Asahi’s original plan to entertain everyone had been through playing some games (and absolutely dominating; nobody plays Uno better) and maybe watching a movie together, but everyone seemed to get the most entertainment out of the never-ending game of “Who Can Get Asahi Flustered First” (this isn’t Asahi’s personal favorite, but he knows it’s out of love, so he’ll let it slide)

TL;DR they were idiots in love, your honor

[extasiswings]

you make my heart beat

I played myself...anyway, if you’re interested in the post that inspired this, it’s here, asking how I would write a forgotten first meeting + hospital AU.  Also on ao3 here.  Have about 2k of Buck and nurse!Eddie set between seasons 2 and 3. 

Eddie is at the reception desk reading a chart when a cup of coffee slides over the counter and settles by his forearm. He glances up—

“Usually it’s the doctors bringing me bribes, not the patients,” he says, a small smile curving his lips. “Last I checked, you didn’t have charts for me to transcribe for you—what’s this for then?”

Buck shrugs and leans forward, elbows on the counter.

“Who says it’s a bribe? I can’t just do something nice for my favorite nurse?”

Eddie closes the chart and picks up the cup—his eyes slip closed as espresso and cinnamon bursts across his tongue, and he barely holds back a groan—fuck, but it’s been a long shift.

“Thank you,” he replies. “Did I know you were coming in today?”

Buck shakes his head. “Last minute check-up. Got new scans on Monday—if everything looks good, Dr. Graves should clear me to take my recertification test.”

There’s a hopeful note in his tone even as Eddie catches the flicker of nervousness that passes through his eyes, and Eddie thinks about running into him a few months earlier, about I don’t know who I am without the uniform, and reaches out. His hand curves around Buck’s elbow where it rests on the counter—it makes his breathing go a little unsteady, touching Buck without the justification and distance provided by clinical professionalism, but the touch elicits a soft smile that does funny things to his heart, so Eddie can’t quite regret it either.

“That’s really great, Buck,” he says quietly. “I’m happy for you.”

One of the new residents comes around the corner and Eddie clears his throat as he pulls back his hand.

“I guess I know what the bribe was for then,” he teases, trying to push them back to their prior, lighthearted zone. “You just wanted me to do your work-up instead of Shirley.”

Buck laughs. “Can you blame me?” He asks. “She’s mean and her hands are always cold.”

“You complain that I’m mean all the time,” Eddie shoots back as he logs into the computer to check Buck in.

“Yeah, well, maybe I—” Buck cuts himself off and Eddie glances up in time to catch the flush darkening his cheeks. There are a lot of ways that sentence could end and all of them make his own face heat.

Maybe it’s silly—he’s an adult, he’s single, he gets flirted with all the time, even, or maybe especially by Buck, he shouldn’t get flustered. But it’s because it is Buck and not just any random patient or family member that he does. Because Eddie doesn’t know what he’s doing but he wants—

He busies himself grabbing a clipboard and a check-in form and clears his throat again before looking up.

“Come on, I’ll take you back.”

“Thanks, Eddie,” Buck replies, and his smile is back, the soft one. It’s only because Eddie’s distracted by it that he notices the way it twists into a grimace when Buck takes a step.

Eddie’s brow furrows. “You okay?”

Buck waves him off. “Fine, just—I’ve been training a lot so I can take my test as soon as I’m cleared. Must have pulled a muscle or something. Twinged a little is all.”

Eddie makes a note on the clipboard and Buck groans.

“No, come on—I pulled a muscle, I’m fine, you don’t have to write that down.”

“Maybe you pulled a muscle, maybe it’s nothing—regardless, Dr. Graves should know that you’re having leg pain just in case,” Eddie says. He pauses and narrows his eyes. “You weren’t going to tell him.”

“Because it’s nothing,” Buck insists. “Come on, Nurse Diaz, isn’t there some saying about hearing hoofbeats and thinking horses, not zebras?”

Eddie steers Buck down the hall to an exam room.

“Yeah, sure. I’ve heard it,” he replies.

“So?”

“So…” They step through the door and Eddie nods at the exam table before reaching for a blood pressure cuff. “There are a lot of very common things that could be causing pain in a limb that you’ve had multiple surgeries on, only one of which is that you pulled a muscle, and some of which could be serious. No zebras required. I’m not taking the note off the chart and you’re not going to lie when you get asked about it, okay?”

He fastens the cuff around Buck’s arm and presses a button to start the reading—he can’t help the way his lips twitch at Buck’s exasperated look.

“Little pressure,” he adds, and Buck rolls his eyes.

“I should have taken my chances with Shirley,” Buck grumbles.

“Yeah, well, if there’s a next time you can bring her coffee instead—I hear she likes hazelnut lattes.”

The cuff loosens, the monitor beeps. Eddie scribbles down the number. It’s a little high—Eddie glances over, takes in the tension in Buck’s shoulders, and bites his cheek.

“It’ll be okay,” he says, even though he usually tries to avoid promising patients anything. “Best case, they run a few more scans and waste a couple hours of your afternoon to find out that you’re right and perfectly fine. Worst case, something’s wrong and they catch it now and fix it and you’re still on track to get back to work, just maybe a couple weeks later than you planned.”

“It’s already been five months,” Buck sighs, his fingers raking through his hair.

“I know it’s frustrating—”

“How’s Christopher?” Buck interrupts, and Eddie levels him with a sharp look for the obvious deflection, but allows the subject change as he logs into the exam room computer.

“He’s good,” he replies. “Great, actually. Keeps asking about you—he, uh, he had a really great time the other day, even if it was just hanging around here. I can’t thank you enough for watching him.”

It’s not something Eddie normally would have done at all, but his abuela had a fall, Pepa had to go back to work, he couldn’t take off because they were already short-staffed with three other nurses out with the flu—

And Buck had just…been there. Finished with his physical therapy and offering to stick around so Eddie could finish his shift, all smiles and no judgment, and after five months…well, they’re something like friends, right? They're...something, anyway.

“He’s an amazing kid, and it was the best day I’ve had in…awhile, actually,” Buck admits. “You really don’t have to keep thanking me. I would do it again any time.”

I do, though, Eddie thinks, but he bites it back. He bites back, I’d like that, too.

He finishes filling in the intake information and steps back.

“You should be all set. The doctor will be in any minute.” He pauses before he reaches the door. Swallows.

“Find me after?” He asks. “Let me know how it goes? I’m on until four.”

“I’ll find you,” Buck promises. “Have to say I told you so when it turns out I just pulled a muscle.”

“I’ll be glad to hear it,” Eddie replies. He gets one more smile to sustain him before he walks out, leaving Buck behind.

He’ll see Buck later.

Except…he doesn’t. The rest of his shift passes without another sign of the other man and the gnawing worry in his gut worsens. The exam room is empty when he checks, he doesn’t have any new pages or texts—it would be easy to pull Buck’s chart and find out if something happened, but that feels like it would cross a line when it’s not strictly necessary—

He shoots off a text of his own, but there’s still no reply by the time he’s showered and changed out of his scrubs.

It’s happenstance that he runs into Dr. Graves’ favorite resident outside the locker room.

“Hey, Cassie—Graves had a patient today, Evan Buckley? I did the intake, and I was wondering—”

“Oh, he was admitted,” she says. “Room 312, I think.”

Eddie’s stomach drops. Sometimes he hates being right.

“Thanks,” he says faintly. She gives him a distracted hum, preoccupied by responding to a text, and Eddie heads to the elevators.

“Hey,” he greets a few minutes later, leaning against the doorway in Buck’s room. His hands are shoved in his pockets and he’s not entirely sure whether to cross the threshold.

Buck looks…tired. Frustrated. Upset. Raw. He tries to cover it when he sees Eddie, but it doesn’t fully work.

Eddie’s heart aches.

“Blood clots,” Buck sighs with a rueful shrug. “On the screws in my leg. They said it was lucky they caught it before one broke off and traveled anywhere, or it could have killed me. Guess you saved my life, Nurse Diaz.”

“Well…” Eddie weighs his hesitation against his desire to be closer and ultimately pushes off the doorframe to step inside. “You are my favorite patient. Who else is going to bring me coffee if you died?”

“Oh, I’m sure a lot of people would be more than happy to do that,” Buck replies. “I’m picturing a line around the block here.”

Eddie settles into the chair next to the bed.

“I think you’re vastly overestimating there, but—” Eddie wets his lips as he meets Buck’s gaze. Fuck, he’s not good at this, but he would do just about anything to bring Buck’s smile back. “—but, for whatever it’s worth, I wouldn’t want anyone else to.”

“Because I’m your favorite patient?” The look in Buck’s eyes is hopeful but wary, the kind of look that says despite his easy flirtations, he’s been burned before and expects to be again. And maybe it’s that honest vulnerability that finally unsticks Eddie’s tongue because when he opens his mouth to respond, what comes out is—

“You’re not just a patient, Buck. Not to me. You have to know that.”

“Do I?”

The skepticism feels like a challenge and Eddie rises to it by leaning in—he slides his fingers into Buck’s hair and closes the gap, kissing him once, twice, as Buck makes a startled sound against his lips and curls his own fingers into Eddie’s shirt to kiss him back.

“I don’t do that with just anyone,” Eddie breathes when he pulls back. “And I definitely don’t let them meet my son. Clear enough?”

Buck clears his throat, and nods, flushed and a little dazed in a way that makes Eddie bite back a grin.

“Speaking of, I have to go pick him up, but…” Eddie steals another kiss. “I’ll come see you tomorrow? And maybe we can…talk about this a little more?”

“I’d like that,” Buck admits. “And—Eddie—I—” His throat works as he swallows.

“Thank you,” he says finally. “For not letting me brush it off.”

Eddie’s thumb rubs against the edge of Buck’s jaw before he finally drops his hand.

“I care about you. Part of that means wanting to see you care about yourself,” he replies. “You don’t have to thank me for that.”

Buck looks like he might argue with that, but ultimately just tugs Eddie in for one final kiss before releasing him.

“Tell Christopher I said hi.”

“I will.”

[damn-stark]

I missed you

Reiner Braun x reader

Requested by anon “Are you asking for Reiner's request? I have one! How about a NSFW and hurt/comfort drabble about S4 Reiner x female reader where he’s depressed and thinks like he’s undeserving of any sort of kindness or affection but reader comforts him? Reader was Reiner's former partner in the scouts and one of his best friends before he reveals himself as a titan shifter. She no longer hates him. Reiner being a sub. If you don't want to do it NSFW, just do it fluff. Fluff is fine too! Add some angst. Thanks!”

A/N- sorry if this wasn’t the smut you, but since what they talk about is serious, I wanted to keep it serious

Warning- Angst, slight sexual intentions but nothing to grande, talk of death and low

———-

“Come on,” you whisper as you take Reiners hand and pull him with you deeper into the woods.

“I guess old habits don’t die. You still like sneaking around, huh?”

You smirk and look at him over your shoulder, “I do remember you would follow me...like now.” You return your eyes to your designated path ahead and you make sure not to get seen by the soldiers keeping watch from the trees above. “Plus it’s okay to—”

“Have a little fun.” Reiner finishes for you. “Yeah you would say that too,” he finishes with a soft chuckle.

You express a lighthearted scoff and quietly continue manuerving to the place you had intended taking him, making it to the last obstacle in your way and having to push away some branches, and going through some tall bushes to finally make it to the cliff that overlooked a big beautiful lake that reflected the moon in the sky.

You pull your hand from Reiners grip and walk to the edge, crouching down to pick up a small stone and throwing it as far as you could over the cliff. “I really do wish we were by the ocean,” you groan as you sit down on the edge and admire the view nonetheless. “The world is so big and we were blind and naive before, hidden from it all.” You slide your eyes to the side to see Reiner sit at your side, looking at you instead of looking out at the glimmering lake. “And let’s not talk about the food,” you muse with a happy smile on your lips. “It’s all so good, I could cry right now.” You fall back to rest your head on his shoulder. “You truly were hiding all of it.”

“I…” he begins to stammer, losing that happy spark in his eyes.

“Reiner, I was just teasing.” You chuckle while you pull away and turn slightly to be able to face him, moving your hand to cup his cheek and let your eyes wonder his face as your smile widened. “Don't worry about it.”

Even before, when you had seen him for the first time after four years, you instantly took notice that he had grown taller, that he had let his beard grow on his face, that he had lost weight and his cheeks were now slightly more hallowed in; you noticed that he was also more handsome. The only thing that was the same, was his pretty gold eyes.

“Reiner,” you finally mutter with a smirk, “you know, I really like your beard, I think it suits you very well.” You begin to gently caress his cheek and notice the smile slowly tugging on his lips.

“You think so?” He asks almost unsurely.

“Mhmm,” you lean closer and see him swallow thickly, see as his eyes like yours drift down to each other’s lips. You don’t hesitate to close the gap slowly, pressing a gentle kiss on his lips, and then moving to press a kiss on his cheek to then whisper by his ear. “You know, I missed you.” You move and swing your legs over either side of his lap and slide your hands over his biceps and slide them to his shoulders to then wrap them around his neck. “So much.”

Reiner carefully places his hands on your hips and he presses a kiss on your jaw.

“After all this time?” He queried, “even after all I did?”

You move to meet his gaze and you sigh out slowly, “I’ve had four years to be mad at you, I wanted to hate you, but I couldn’t. Reiner…” you pause and offer him a soft smile, seeing his eyes gleam and reflect the moonlight behind you and your face as you stay before him. “I love you, and I have since before you left.”

Reiner smiles and he lifts his hands to cup your cheeks, leaning in and pulling you in for a deep, yet short kiss that he began to slowly pull away from to then whisper his own comment by your lips, glancing repeatedly from your lips and to your eyes. “Im...in love with you too.”

A grin slowly spreads on your lips and you once again close the small gap left between you too to kiss him, sliding your hands to the back of his head to knot your fingers in his hair, feeling how soft it felt in between your fingers. Reiner proceeds to slowly skim his fingers down your body, creating chills all over your body yet not making you falter. Instead you proceeded to part his lips as you slide your tongue over his bottom lip, the sensation of your tongue over his lip making him shiver and causing him to express a soft moan in the back of his throat.

You smirk and pull away to start leaving warm and wet kisses on his jaw and down to his neck, you pause and let your lips brush over a part of his skin, pressing small kisses on that piece of skin and beginning to whisper what you had already told him, but what you couldn’t hold back. “I missed you. I missed talking to you and I missed kissing you.”

Reiner lets out a shaky breath and his fingers dig into your hips, he keeps quiet and let’s you continue kissing his skin, let’s you take the piece of his skin in between your teeth to gently suck on it and make him express another moan.

You slide your hands down to the button of his shirt to rip his shirt apart, pulling your head away and meeting his gaze to offer him a sweet mile, but before you could remove his shirt his hand cupped your cheeks and he tilted your head so your eyes met his once again. A smile decorates his features, but it slowly falls and made your breathing calm and your own smile falter.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do this.”

You pull away from his hold and your lips drop to form a frown. “What...what are you talking about?”

Reiner raises his hands and tries to again get a hold of your face so you’d listen, but they just hovered over your cheeks as he shook his head and began to explain himself in a shaky voice. “I don’t deserve this, I don’t deserve you, or the kindness and love you give me.” He inhaled deeply and shakily exhaled, showing tears well in his eyes whilst he pulled back and got on his knees instead. “I don’t deserve to live after what I did, I-I’m a despicable human being.”

“Reiner,” you interject softly, dropping the anger that had begun to boil and replacing it with deep concern. “Reiner don’t say that—”

“But it’s true,” he raises his voice as more tears stream down his face and he falls on his hands and knees. “I don’t deserve your forgiveness, not after the pain I caused you. Not after the pain I caused our comrades.” He cries out, digging his fingers into the ground while his body trembled. “I love you, but I can’t let you love me. I can’t do this, just kill me!”

You hesitate for a moment, remain speechless and with your head full of racing thoughts; tears sting your eyes and you can’t find what to do or say to him to comfort him. All you could piece together was the whisper of his name, “Reiner…”

Reiner sobbed to the ground and made your own tears roll down the curve of your cheeks, you didn’t agree with anything he said, it upset you deeply that he would say that about himself. Actually the way he expressed himself left you in disbelief.

What you start to do is crawl closer to him, placing a hand on the back of his head and tilting your head down to try and see his face and eyes. But failing to do so as he kept his head down.

“Reiner,” you whisper, “please look at me.”

Said man doesn’t listen and keeps himself down and cries more softly than before.

“Look at me.” You say in a more strict tone, slowly earning what you demanded and seeing his gold eyes look up at you. “Yes, what you may have done was bad, but I know why you did it, I know why you left, I knew why you did everything past that. It’s not because you’re a bad person, it’s because you were just doing what you thought was right, we were both raised differently, and after spending time undercover where you were raised I understand why you did it, I would’ve done it too. You don’t deserve to die, and you do deserve all the love in the world.” You cup his cheeks and offer him a gentle and assuring smile. “Don’t blame yourself, all that matters is that you’re doing what’s right now.”

Reiner gets on his knees and you proceed to wipe the tears off his cheeks to continue. “You’re a good man, I see the way you’re with your cousin and I notice the way she admires you. You go out of your way to help and protect people, you’re trying to save humanity and I admire that. You have to live to see the peace your efforts will cause.” You laugh softly and press your forehead against his, “you’re important Reiner. Not only to me, but to your cousin, that little boy that came with her, the rest of your family and to humanity.”

Reiner cups your hands and you notice that he calms down, his breathing is shaky and his eyes are still glossy, but he isn’t crying anymore. His lips are formed into a sad frown, but you notice relief in his eyes.

“I love you,” you whisper, “and I always have and I always will.”

A soft and small smile tugs on his lips and he gently squeezes your hands. “Thank you. I love you.” He whispers. “Thank you.”

You pull away and move to sit beside him, interlacing your hand with his and resting your head on his shoulder. “Why don’t we stay here for another little while before we go back, yeah?”

“Sounds good.” He assures you.

[simplysummers]

Breaking down Hunter and Omega’s relationship. Pt 2.

We’re back at it, here with the second post in this father-daughter-space-duo series! You guys responded to the first post better then I expected in all honesty! I didn’t think my insights were viewed as so important lmao. I don’t really think much introduction is needed here, the post itself is very self explanatory.

(Pasted paragraph: I would just like to add a disclaimer here. I am, in no way whatsoever, slating the other batchers for having differing relationships with Omega. I absolutely adore everything single one of the boys, and I think they all have wonderful and unique interrelations with her. Although I may point out these different approaches in comparison to Hunter’s, I am not stating these engages are wrong, just different is all!

I’m going to separate this into a little series- covering each episode in a separate post, which I’ll have tagged as the series progresses. Once I’ve tackled these two, as they’re my favourites, I’m going to move on to each individual Batcher and perhaps a few other dynamics such and Hunter and Crosshair, or Wrecker and Omega! Let me know what you guys would like to see!)

(Thank you to this weeks proof-reader: @treasureofmy-heart 💛)

Cut and Run: S1/E2

We kick off this episode with Hunter walking in on Echo inspecting Omega and Wrecker fast asleep on the floor. His face is very relaxed and he clearly finds it very sweet that her childlike curiosity has tired her out. His line, “ha, well this is a first,” while holding a strong gaze in Omega’s direction, suggests that she’s been exploring for quite some time, unleashing her endearing juvenile inquisition in the batchers presence. Hunter continues to claim she’s curious, using the same lighthearted tone he has always used in her regard, sparing the conversation in the medical wing on Kamino. This continues to confirm his gentle approach and concern towards the young clone.

When Echo confronts him over the situation at hand, it’s evident that Hunter hasn’t actually thought about what he’s going to do with Omega, yet by the look of quizzicality on his face. I personally took this as a sign that his initial thoughts were always “we’re going to lay low with her, look after her, while keeping everybody else safe.” It’s clear here that Echo has differing ideas that Hunter hadn’t even began to consider, and I think that’s what perplexes him in this moment. He needs to consider everybody.

The kid is up and awake! (Let the havoc commence aha.) Omega’s reaction to sunlight and dirt is definitely one of my favourite developmental moments of hers, it really sets in place that this little girl may have been an intelligent medical assistant, but she lacks experience, and still needs a guiding hand to help her through this new world she’s never endured before. I’d like to point out that it is, in fact, Hunter who stops to watch Omega’s reactions, and his FACE when she’s playing in the dirt! I’ve never seen such a parental smile on a man so stoic! I feel like I’m repeating myself a lot, but he is so endeared by her! She’s a breath of fresh air in Hunter’s very toxically routined life, and I love that for both of them. When they finally reach Cut’s land, Hunter is the one to pull her back, despite the fact she had to run between Echo and Tech to get to him. And upon Suu and Cut’s arrival, I actually didn’t realise that Omega creeps behind Hunter, most likely because these are strangers she doesn’t know and she feels she needs the protection. This confirms a clear bond between them has already began to flesh out.

There isn’t too much to say about the introduction and inhibitor chip discussion, as Omega spends a decent amount of that time exploring Cut and Suu’s house, but I will just say that it’s a nice touch that she ends up back at Hunter’s side when her part of the conversation is needed, she always seems physically drawn to him. Which brings me to my next point. Upon Shaeeah and Jek’s arrival, Omega once again creeps behind Hunter out of fear, only deciding to approach when formally addressed to do so. *Sigh*, and when Shaeeah pulls Omega out to play, and she halts to ask for Hunter’s permission, which is clearly given through a series of comforting smiles, is a plain indication of a trusted child-parental relationship. I must admit, Hunter’s face is pretty hilarious when everybody practically calls him out on his parental role- it’s just “why are you all staring at me..?” Because you’re acting like a dad, my dude.

Okay! Down to Cut and Hunter’s discussion. It’s a nice touch that Hunter is the first one outside to watch Omega play, swiftly followed by Cut, who, rightfully so, questions her existence. Although instead of explaining Omega’s origin (and by that I just mean that she’s a medical assistant clone from Kamino), he states that it doesn’t matter what the Kaminoans created her for, because she’s with them now, and to be with them she doesn’t need a purpose, she’s just a kid and should be allowed to act like one. Cut goes ahead to tease him over the ins and outs of raising a child, but to Hunter it was a no-brainer, Kamino wasn’t safe, so she was coming with them, as I’ve said previously, he saw NO negotiations. And as Cut says, “I (you) have to do what’s best for them.” This adds sentiment to the narrative of Hunter’s commanding role within the squad and Omega specifically.

So I’m shifting ahead slightly to the ball incident, and I have a LOT to say about this scene. First of all, it’s clearly evident that Hunter is the first to leave the house, along with Cut and Suu following closely behind. Associating this trio together is purposeful on the animators part in my opinion, they intentionally exclusively had Hunter leave with the other parents in the situation, isolating him specifically with that role in Omega’s life. When he finally reaches her, we see the protective hand come straight out to guard her against the Nexu, a typical trait they’ve established between them.

Now we move on to the confrontation. This is the first time Hunter raises his voice at Omega, and immediately she turns herself away from him, curling into her shoulder and making herself small. Omega is going through a lot of emotions right here, she’s afraid, anxious, and she’s being forced to deal with the fact that for the first time, Hunter is mad at her, for something she didn’t even intend to do wrong. Whereas from Hunter’s perspective, he hasn’t acknowledged she’s already in a bit of a state, and instead feels the need to immediately lecture her for her mistakes….although this lasts all but thirty seconds. Upon Cut’s attempts to diffuse the situation by having him pull Hunter away and reiterating that “she’s (Omegas) not a soldier”, his face immediately softens, he forgot for a moment, but now he realises and instantly the features are set in a regretful frown, he clearly feels awful and misrepresented. Hunter continues to observe Cut’s behaviour as he comforts Omega, who seems to take to the attention like a kicked puppy, lip trembling, eyes shaky, shoulders hunched, and I honestly think as Cut carries her away- is the exact moment Hunter realises he isn’t good enough for Omega. (I’ll further out on this in a moment)

I only want to briefly touch upon Omega’s gunners nest scene because I don’t think it has too much impact on her relationship with Hunter, however I would like to address the symbolism. I personally see the removal of her headpiece and the addition of her bangs as a new beginning, attaining the contrasting yellow light of Salucemi in comparison to Kamino, where she would’ve been given her jewel. Considering the episode’s outcome, Omega is no longer the tightly held, quivering little girl from Kamino, and instead she brings a slight unruliness to her aura, a little cheeky, definitely her brother’s sister. Still a sweetheart of course, but with a matter of confidence and boisterous behaviour to her. She seems to bounce out of her sadness quite easily here, as she seems suddenly awkward- yet curious- over Tech’s plan later on.

Furthering out into my previous point about Hunter believing Omega deserved much better in comparison to what he could provide: his conversation with Suu. “Protecting them is what we do.” The realisation on his face when she says this, it’s so…raw, something he’s taking time to comprehend. He heeds her words because he knows she and Cut are experienced in this field, they are better suited for Omega than he and the boys are, he believes he isn’t good enough for her, and this is projected when he insists ‘Mega leave with the family of four. Although Suu questions his sincerity, and he does indeed dodge the straightforward answer, this is what Hunter anticipates is best for Omega. He’s putting her needs above his happiness, no matter the heartache.

Moving along slightly, as Omega and Hunter spend a short period of time away from each other during the ship impoundment, I briefly wanted to touch upon the tone of Hunter’s voice when he learns Omega is on route to their position…by herself in a heavily armed spaceport. His eyes widen in a moment of fear, his voice is suddenly strained, he is struck with another raw emotion, something he frankly can’t obtain right now, and it’s let out in a minor threat towards his brothers- “if something happens to her-“ a clearly indication of worry.

This next point absolutely breaks my heart, the poor dears, both of them. Upon Omega’s arrival, Hunter is left to explain his forced proposal that she should leave Salucemi with Cut and Suu. As usual he completes his little ritual of taking her shoulders and crouching to her level, although this time he can’t quite look her in the eyes, a clear sign of regret and guilt, because he doesn’t want to give her away, he knows deep down she belongs with them, but he doesn’t believe he has what it takes to raise and protect her. The way Omega’s eyes crumple really catches me here, she’s being left, again… All this kid has ever known her entire life has either been abandonment, abuse or isolation, and she’s being passed on to strangers by the only people she’s ever been able to trust, and not only is it clearly breaking her heart, but she’s taking it personally, she thinks she’s at fault, much like Hunter does. Her line: “but, I want to stay with you.” compressed with the quivering tone and her precious accent really aides her desperation here, it conveys her in an adequate and very precise way.

Starting a brief new point to split these up slightly: I bring us to the continuous glances shared between them. Omega consistently looks over her shoulder to Hunter, she doesn’t want her eyes to leave him for one moment, she’s savouring his face, his details, for the very last time. And equally, Hunter is letting go of something he doesn’t want to leave behind, he likes the kid, to the point where his own self depreciation and doubt have been forced ahead in order to protect her, he can’t risk anything at this point. I’d also like to quickly mention how beautifully Omega’s eyes are animated, they intel so much, those precious little doe irises hold such story to them.

Moving on to a little jump cut enduring the batch’s escape and Omega’s return: Hunter’s tone of voice when addressing Wrecker is so pained, and his facials match it perfectly “she’s not com-“ it’s almost as though he’s biting back the urge to sprint headfirst into the gunfire if only to catch up to the little clone before it’s too late.

However, seeing as she’s managed to find her own way back that wouldn’t be exactly necessary. I think it’s a nice point that Hunter is the one to rush to Omega’s aide after she is grabbed by the trooper (flowing a brief flash of concern crossing his face), although Wrecker might’ve been closer, it’s a nice hint to their subtle closer bond. He, once again, crouches to her level although an unnecessary step in the situation, and I see this as another nod to their familiarised dependancy.

Finally, my last point for this episode, is their final conversation within the last few minutes. It’s faint, but the fact that the other batchers are all busying themselves in the cockpit, leaving Omega and Hunter to chat privately, is a very distinct use of separation. It also should be noted that Omega is the one to approach Hunter, this shows a decent level of not only maturity on her part, but trust between them as family, she trusts both him and herself enough to advance on a delicate situation, we even see her hesitate slightly, before pushing forward with a slip of confidence, and that takes a lot of gut from a little kid. She stands her ground, but with compliment. She very much reminds me of Hunter himself in the brig, assertive yet respectful. And speaking of Hunter, his face is just absolutely guilt-ridden when talking to her, because he too made the mistake of attempting to give her away, no matter how much good he thought it would do them both. While Omega is admitting she has a lot to learn in regards to safety and tactility, Hunter is suggesting he has a lot to learn about raising a child and providing the necessary care for her. It’s a brave moment for both of them, to be honest and open, and yet its received extremely well on both ends.

“If this is where you want to be…then this is where you’ll stay.” The admiration in his voice, the admiration in her eyes! They absolutely adore one another, and it melts my heart every time it’s displayed!

I hope you liked my analysis of Hunter and Omega’s relationship in episode two of The Bad Batch! Of course, I’d love to discuss these two with anybody who might be interested, so please feel free to drop me an ask or a DM, and if you’re captivated enough I’d totally recommend looking out for my future posts on the topic!

As always, much love to our ‘Megs and Hunter, thank you for reading! 💛

Part One: Aftermath

[sunshineseung]

Little Secret // Changbin

🍄 | genre: smut mini-series  ☁️ | pairing: Seo Changbin x female!reader 🌿 | wc: 2k 🌸 | includes: plot *yawn*, masturbation, fear of being caught, actually being caught, most of the hot and heavy stuff happens in the other parts lmao

☀️ | synopsis: Seo Changbin is your brother’s best friend. He comes over all the time, and you practically grew up together. If only you hadn’t gotten a crush on him. If only he knew how hard you had fallen for him.

🌊 | Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Finale |

You and your brother had never been as close as your parents had hoped. Jisung was always loud and obnoxious, making friends everywhere he went and never looking back. You were much more comfortable by yourself, spending night after night alone while Jisung was out partying. Your shelf was full of books and fandom memorabilia while your brother’s shelf was covered in dust and toy robots from his youth he refused to get rid of. His GTA V poster covered the wall next to his bed while the only decoration in your room was the fairy lights and fake vines around the perimeter of your walls. These fundamental differences pushed you away from your brother, and after several years, you turned more into a punchline for Jisung to discussed jokingly with his friends while he was just the annoying older brother you’d wished would move out.

As much as you wanted to leave home and go to a prestigious college, your parents insisted you go to the same local college as Jisung for at least a year “just to try it out,” a.k.a they didn’t have enough money to send you away, which was reasonable. You and your brother, still under the same roof, fought to no end over the smallest things: loud music, messy bathroom, eating each other’s leftovers. Just about anything was fair game when the light-hearted hatred was so tense.

There was one bright side, though. Since Jisung entered Kindergarten, he was close to a boy named Changbin. You grew up with Changbin at your house, and even when your family moved 20 minutes away from him, he would always be there. There was nothing separating Jisung and Changbin. 

You’d be lying if you said you didn’t have the slightest crush on Changbin. While Jisung was only one year older than you, Changbin was two years older, and that initially intimidated you. His intimidating and off putting nature is what drew you in, but his glowing smile and gorgeous face only made you fall harder. You couldn’t explain your feelings for Changbin when you were in middle school, and even now, it was hard to describe the overwhelming nervousness that overcomes you when you’re in his vicinity. As high school went on, you knew you couldn’t be with him, but while you had your head in books throughout high school, Changbin was going to his college’s gym. His smile was one thing, and that was good for a middle school crush, but his insane arm and chest muscles send you through the moon in high school, and the image of Changbin shirtless at your neighborhood pool has been etched in your brain since your junior year of high school.

But now you’re in college. You’re a greasy little freshman while Changbin is a worn-out junior. There’s no way in hell you can shoot your shot, even if you’re both adults. And to make things even more impossible, Jisung would never allow his best friend to date his little sister. That would ruin him.

As improbable as it was, you still loved to fantasize about Changbin, spending most of your time alone daydreaming about his sculpted body above yours, praising you and making you feel like the only girl in the world.

🍓🍰🐤🍀💐🍯

“Sis, could you put on some actual clothes, jeez.” Jisung covered his eyes dramatically as you entered the kitchen in your very appropriate shorts and tee shirt. You rolled your eyes and scoffed at him, punching him in the shoulder lightly. 

“Changbin’s been coming over for how long? It’s fine.” Your response sounded steady, but your mind was buzzing. You didn’t know Changbin was coming over! Why are you never told about these things?! At this point, you should have assumed given it was a Friday night, but you’d still like some warning. 

“Just because he’s used to it doesn’t mean he should be subjected to it!” Jisung went into the living room, arguing with you under his breath. Another stupid mini-fight for a stupid reason. 

If anything, the information that Changbin was coming over would have only prompted you further to wear shorts and a thin tee shirt with no bra. As shy as you usually were, you still had the inexplicable want to be noticed by Changbin, even for a moment. Unfortunately, your brother adamantly tried to hide you from his friend, probably knowing Changbin always gets what he wants.

Jisung always babied you infront of Changbin, so you usually just stay in your room to protect yourself, and you’re sure Jisung would prefer that. Your parents worked late nights attempting to pay for their children’s college tuition, so when they came home well after midnight, they’d go straight to bed, uncaring for their adult children’s wearabouts. This gave Jisung the perfect opportunity to be as loud as he wanted in the living room, whether it was with a girl or one of his friends. 

Tonight was going to be one of those loud nights, but that was nothing new. You always had a surefire way to fall asleep, regardless of the chatter going on downstairs.

🍓🍰🐤🍀💐🍯

It was midnight. Why was he still here? You wanted to sleep more than anything, but the ruckus of your brother and his best friend chatting loudly downstairs prevented you from getting any sort of shuteye. 

However, the only thing that can help you sleep is Changbin, or at least the thought of him. You reached to your bedside drawer and pulled out your bullet vibrator. If anything was going to help you sleep, it was an orgasm while imagining Changbin railing you like you’ve always wanted him to do since high school.

Although you hated to admit it, your thoughts of Changbin had been drifting towards the smuttier side since those days at the pool. All you could think about to get yourself off was Changbin, and no amount of other casual romantic partners could satiate your burning desire for Seo Changbin to fuck you on every surface in the house, including in your brother’s room while he was away. Every time you’d overhear Changbin talking about a new girl or his plentiful sex life, your face would flush red and you would wish that one day, he’d talk about you, but maybe not to Jisung. That would be too weird. 

You undressed lazily, tossing your shirt and shorts onto the ground. You hesitated to take your underwear off, but there was no way you could properly get off with them on. Your panties joined the pile of clothes on the floor, and you spread your legs, tracing your fingers through your own heat, spreading your wetness across your holds. Your free hand eases the cold vibrator onto your clit, pressing the button at the top to turn it on. You bucked your hips into the toy, shutting your eyes and pretending that it’s Changbin holding it onto you, teasing you gently with every movement. His voice from downstairs echoed to your room, and the more you imagined his voice whispering the dirtiest sweet nothings into your ear, the closer you got to release.

🍓🍰🐤🍀💐🍯

This was just supposed to be a fun little game of truth or dare, a common occurrence between Changbin and Jisung. Truth or dare was their way to let their feelings out and have a bit of fun. Before suggesting a movie, Jisung offered his friend one last truth or dare.

“Dare.” Changbin crosses his arms, waiting for Jisung to respond to his response. 

After a moment, Jisung’s face contorted into a smile like that of the Grinch before he stole Christmas. Changbin knew nothing good could come from that expression, but nevertheless, he was interested in what awful, terrible, no good idea his friend had come up with. 

“I dare you to go upstairs and scare my sister.”

“That’s it?” Changbin was beyond confused. He’d thought Jisung had come up with a dare so evil, so vile, so wicked, that only the devil himself could come up with it, but to be fair, Jisung could easily have been more sinful than the devil. 

“That’s it!” Jisung clapped his hands together in seeming victory. “Sneak up those stairs, go to the second room on the right, barge in, and give my good little sister a good little scare.” Jisung wasn’t letting go of his smirk. He still looked sinister, even after explaining such a boring, and honestly disappointing, dare. Changbin sighed, shrugged, and stood up from his seat, but before he could turn around, Jisung had one last thing to say: “Don’t take too long up there! I want to finish this movie.”

Changbin rolled his eyes and trudged on, tip-toeing up the stairs so you didn’t even hear him coming. Jisung was vibrating with giddiness, but Changbin couldn’t see. All he saw was the door to your room, looking more menacing than ever before. It’s such a lighthearted prank, why was Changbin so scared now? He reached for the doorknob, turned it quietly, and pushed the door open as fast as possible. 

His first scream was that of a shitty jump scare in a horror movie, but his second scream was that of terror with a high-pitched tone. Nothing could have prepared him to see you, his best friend’s sister, a freshman at the college he was a junior in, with a vibrator pressed against your nether region. You were totally naked aside from your shirt that was pushed up over your tits. The sight made his body go pale, and he felt his soul leave his body. He didn’t run away; he was just frozen, but you hardly would have noticed him if it hadn’t been for his stereotypically girly scream. You threw your duvet over yourself, wrapping yourself up like a burrito. 

“What the fuck, Changbin?” You raised your voice slightly, hardly able to yell since your voice was hoarse from the orgasm you’d just been denied by the rude interruption. Changbin couldn’t speak. He couldn’t even think, let alone defend himself. He stood in your doorway, eyes blown out, hand practically glued to the door handle. Jisung’s manic laughing can be heard from downstairs, but both your mind and Changbin’s were too fuzzy to tune in, although your minds were fuzzy for differing reasons.

Changbin let go of the handle and shut the door behind him. You squirm under your blanket burrito, adjusting yourself and getting ready for an attack from Changbin, but he doesn’t come near you. His back hits the door, and he holds his chest where his heart is. Once he calms down for a moment, he’s finally ready to speak.

“Y/n, I’m so sorry.” He takes a step towards you, but you lean back, scared of what he’s going to do to you. “Jisung dared me to scare you, and I- I didn’t know you were up here… doing that. I-”

“Changbin,” you cut him off, “just get out.” 

He doesn’t move. He collects his thoughts one last time and takes another step closer to your bed. “Did you finish?”

“Changbin!” Your vocal cords had healed since being hoarse just seconds ago, and you were finally able to fully raise your voice.

“I’m gonna go back downstairs, but when that movie’s over, text me.” Fuck, you forgot you had his number. “I want to make it up to you.” 

You’re beyond hesitant, but after a minute, you nod, and Changbin leaves your room without a word. 

🍓🍰🐤🍀💐🍯

An hour passes, and you reach over to your nightstand and grab your phone. Your messenger app stays open on the window with the empty text screen under Changbin’s contact. Ow, this is hurting your brain to think about. How could you ever get over yourself for fucking your brother’s friend, let alone the friend that’s watched you grow up. This was a mistake. Turn back now. Don’t text him, don’t text him, don’t text him.

Fuck it.

Your fingers fluttered over the screen, repeatedly typing and deleting the same message until it was perfect.

Is the movie over?

The ellipsis text bubble appears in the corner and your heart drops. You know your face is bright red, but you can’t help be excited while simultaneously feeling terrified.

The movie ended 10 minutes ago. You ready for me, princess?

No no no no no no no no

Ready when you are ;)

Oh my god oh my god oh my god

Come out to my car. I want to take you to my apartment so your brother can’t hear us.

No turning back now.

[inblackwoods]

A thank you to @vanhelsingenthusiast for setting my thoughts running on Seward and Dracula parallels and causing a rough, sleep-deprived ramble.

It ties back into the ongoing “Dracula is a story about love” war that I’m waging. At the core of their personalities, I think Seward and Dracula are similarly ambitious, deceitful, and capable of cruelty, but they end up in different places; Dracula alone and hunted and Seward being an essential member of a loving family dynamic.

On lying and toying with others: Dracula teasingly says Jonathan can leave and then calls wolves to the door, obviously making it deadly for Jonathan to actually leave as he wanted and trapping him in the castle [Chptr 4]. He’s not letting Jonathan go anywhere. He’s lying almost constantly in the first four chapters, but this instance is noteworthy in how directly cruel it was and how it seemed mostly just for the fun of it. Later, Seward offers Renfield a cat in an attempt to get an interesting response from him that can be studied in order to gain scientific notoriety. This is more clearly exploitative when considering that Seward only makes this offer after refusing earlier to give him one [”Tonight he will not speak. Even the offer of a kitten or even a full-grown cat will not tempt him” Chptr 9]. Morally, Seward has already admitted to being against giving Renfield a cat, and though his morals can flip multiple times in a single sentence [a post for another time], I don’t think he would’ve gone back on this. I think he’s only interested in lying to Renfield, offering the cat to get information but never delivering. Dracula and Seward have different intentions here, Seward probably thinking he's more justified, but what's happening is similar: toying with the vulnerable for some sort of personal benefit. They’re both ambitious, they both lie, and they are both capable of being cruel because of these traits. 

On love, connectivity, and technology: these topics seem separate but I think tie nicely together. Dracula is barred entirely from any stable or caring society. The locals around the castle fear him and understand him to be a threat, effectively warding him off and warning others against getting close to him. The only people he has, the three women, actively laugh at and defy him [Chptr 3]. More importantly, there is no one to help Dracula in any of his endeavors. He doesn’t even have servants so that he has to drive the coach to get Jonathan himself [Chptr 2]. Seward, though he is occasionally used as a joke [Van Helsing teasing him to cheer up Lucy in Chptr 9], is never treated cruelly or barred from interacting with the rest of the CoL in any way. It’s lighthearted, sweet, and productive. Seward is, more than anything, welcomed into the crew by teasing like this as it shows how close everyone is and how they help each other, Seward and Van Helsing working together to make Lucy feel better [Seward is never upset by this teasing]. If Dracula ever needs someone, he has no one but himself, and when Seward needs someone to help him save Lucy, Van Helsing drops everything to come to him immediately [Chptr 9]. 

Technology also makes Seward more accessible to others. He's able to better connect to the rest of the CoL through his use of the phonograph, allowing Mina to understand the depths of his emotions in a way that even writing out his feeling wouldn’t have accomplished. She mentions that the phonograph is “a wonderful machine, but it is cruelly true. It told me, in its very tones, the anguish of your heart.” The phonograph allows Mina to truly be “more touched than I can say by your grief” [Chptr 17] because it allows her to hear his voice and its variance as he recounts his loss and heartbreak. Before all of this, it also allows Mina and Jack to connect with one another through a shared interest in advancing technology, Mina enthusing about the phonograph and Seward enthusing about teaching her how it works. And, of course, when Seward very poorly attempts to lie to Mina in this chapter, she doesn’t laugh at him or treat him cruelly for how awkwardly he fumbles, she just tries to and succeeds in gaining his trust [they interact differently than Mina and the other two suitors do, but again, another post]. Dracula, being unable to use technology like the telegraph or phonograph, is completely barred from either method of communication! He is implied to be archaic and too deeply stuck in some sort of “old world” to be able to integrate into the “new world” enough to use its technology. [It’s significant that Van Helsing uses the phonograph in Chptr 24 as it shows that Van Helsing can also use technology that Dracula doesn’t yet have access to and makes parallels between them as well. This is also the same chapter where Van Helsing mentions that Dracula is attempting to learn of “new social life; new environment of old ways, the politic the law, the finance, the science, the habit of new land and a new people who have come to be since he was.” It’s not that Dracula can’t learn these things, it’s that he hasn’t yet.]

TLDR: Dracula and Seward are both capable of immoral behavior, but Seward won’t ever fully cross the line into being completely “evil” or even a full-blown “mad scientist” because he's able to connect with other people who love him and remind him of what’s important in life; caring for those who he loves being placed above ambition. If he was as barred from love and community as Dracula was, he would have nothing to keep him from hurting and exploiting others for his own gain, perhaps to an equivalent extent that Dracula does.

[mindfairies]

Episode 5′s Light Battalion Scene - Part 1

If someone asked me what my favorite scene in Fate was, there’s always one that comes to mind. I will never ever stop talking about this scene.

Specifically, Episode 5 (9:00-10:10). Or as I like to call it, “The Light Battalion Scene”

We don’t get enough backstory on the adults in this show and it’s a crime, but this one scene has personally fueled more headcanons, story ideas, and theories than any other scene. This is going to be a little long just because I couldn’t sleep without writing this all down.

To start off, their name isn’t canonically The Light Battalion, that’s a choice I made in a fic that just ended up sticking. But the friendship of Farah, Saul, Andreas, and Ben is its own interesting world, and one that this scene manages to portray incredibly well.

I don’t have any screencaps of the beginning (rip) but the scene starts with Andreas and Saul. Obviously these two are already known to have some history, because Saul is implied to have raised Sky after Andreas exited the picture (”aggro father figure”), and he mentions Sky’s dad more times than I can count. But this is the first time we see continuous lines of dialogue between them, and it already tells us so much. 

Andreas teases Saul about being on the ground, and in my opinion that’s just best friends being best friends. It’s lighthearted, it’s funny. But then he hits him with the “let me know when you want to start pulling your weight, Saul.” And the air seems to shift a little at that. Andreas implies that he’s the one doing all the work, pulling all the weight in their fighting (it’s implied that they just took down a Burned One as a duo), and sort of passively aggressively jabs at him. Our beloved Saul obviously jabs back, and he brings up Andreas’s son. Ouch. Andreas’s entire mood shifts, and he looks Saul up and down before leaving. In those 30 seconds, we see more of both their characters than we have so far in the entire show.

They obviously were/are friends (very close friends, if Saul took over raising Sky), but their relationship is currently strained. Andreas sees himself as doing all the work, and Saul might be a little peeved that he’s not paying enough attention to his family. But they don’t talk about it, not really, walking away before they can actually get a conversation going. Saul has absolutely no other lines in this scene, and that’s mind blowing to me. But anyway, moving on.

Andreas and Saul rejoin Farah and Ben, and it’s implied that they just managed to take down a Burned One as a duo themselves. Andreas speaks first, and his line “is he dissecting again?” immediately reinforces the fact that there’s history there. Andreas knows Ben likes to dissect these things, and apparently Farah knows that he knows, since (being surprisingly sarcastic) she responds with “what do you think?” 

This next part is literally my favorite part of any episode ever. And I hate that I don’t have a screencap of all of it.

Andreas spits on the Burned One’s corpse that Ben is kneeling next to (which... ew). Ben looks up at him, exasperated, going “Or we could contaminate it. Lovely!” And instead of immediately turning back to continue his work, he looks at Farah.

The camera then pans to Farah, who’s got the hottest look ever on her face.

She raises her eyebrow at Andreas. As a response, Andreas raises his eyebrows and shrugs at her innocently. The camera pans to Saul, whose eyes flicker from Andreas to Farah (and they look her up and down, cheeky man). Then Rosalind interrupts.

That’s the moment I love most about this entire scene. Those maybe 15 seconds of interaction between four characters we know little to nothing about. So let me break it down really quick.

First of all, Ben looks at Farah. He stands his ground (kinda), sarcastically says “lovely!” but his gaze still moves to Farah for a brief moment. I think he’s looking at her for support, for a friendly face, and maybe subtly for a “can you believe this guy?” type of moment. But Farah’s reaction is to make direct eye contact with Andreas and raise her eyebrows. That’s a challenging look if I’ve ever seen one! She’s looking at him like she wants to smack him, like she’s done with his shit. Her little head tilt (chin jut = pride) at him just reinforces that. Andreas responds. He seems to know what that look means, almost like he knows exactly what she wants to do. So his reaction is to raise his eyebrows and shrug at her-- he didn’t do anything, he’s clearly innocent, he was only having fun. 

And that interaction says so much about both their characters. First, I think it shows that Farah might’ve been a little protective of Ben while they were soldiers, or while they were friends with Andreas. Ben is the one that Andreas chose to pick on in this scenario. Granted, he was the one leaning over the corpse and maybe the only one he could’ve picked on, but we just saw him passive aggressively commenting on Saul earlier. But he chose to go and spit over Ben, who looked towards Farah as if asking for help or support. And she’s clearly not afraid to challenge Andreas about it. And he’s clearly not afraid to respond with feigned innocence, although he knows what he did. It makes me wonder if they’ve had this dynamic their entire friendship (or their entire school years). Is it competitiveness? 

And then comes Saul. Who, like I said, has no other lines in this scene. I find it odd because this feels like the perfect time for Saul to jump in. Maybe to say something about the Burned Ones, or to Andreas, or to Farah, or just to put his sword away? But he just stands there, looking at Andreas and then at Farah. It’s almost like he expects a fight, expects them to lunge at each other, to say something. It’s like he’s hesitating, or anticipating something. And it makes me wonder if situations like this (an Andreas and Farah stand-off) happened more often than we think.

It’s 15 seconds of body language that could, in the end, just be the actors’ spur-of-the-moment choices. But I want to believe there’s more than that, because we know that these characters have history, and this one tiny scene shows more of it than any other scene in the show. These adults that the fandom so collectively loves have the potential to be so complex and multi-dimensional, and a whole worldbuilding can be done with their backstory. These are real people, soldiers, with real relationships and friendships that I personally want to know more about! These years weren’t implied to be pretty, and if this was a sweeter story I think we could’ve ended up with a light-hearted scene of their training turning out great.

But then Rosalind showed up.

(Part 2 coming soon!)

[b0rista]

OH MY GOD! ok i’m crying. can i request bertholdt with a female s/o. she’s in the scouts and it’s the shiganshina battle and mikasa + eren pin her down and she has to helplessly watch bertholdt get eaten. OH MY GOD I GOT THE FEELS. tysm if u do this, idk why i’m in the mood for angst rn.

— majority rules.

where even when she pours her soul within her footsteps, she's just not fast enough.

AN: y'all comin for barista's SOUL HUH ✋ also i am SO sorry this took so long! here u go, love! alsonsnd this is unedited forgive me plLsl.

WARNINGS: extreme angst, death, language.

even at your fastest pace imagineable, you weren’t moving fast enough. your calves ached, and your hands were covered finger to finger in blisters and gashes. despite the pain, you moved, and as quickly as humanely possible. hell, at the rate you were going, not even the best of the best could surpass you in speed. it was the adrenaline, the outright fear, and the premeditated heartbreak that urged you to move faster. at this point, you barely had a choice. despite fighting for the opposing side, you knew where your heart stood. with him. 

and by god himself, you were going to save that. 

“y/n!” the screams of your comrades acted as nothing but static within your eardrums, gaining not even a hint of your attention as you plunged forward, venturing above the demolished city as you worked toward your one and only goal— before the present, you had the same goal as your friends, your family. win this battle, and take back wall maria. like the others, you just wanted to take back your land. that was all. that was all you wanted.

not this.

“you’re going to do what?” you asked, looming above the steaming carcass of both your friend and ally, armin arlert. well, what you thought was a carcass. somehow, he was alive. alive, and about to ruin your entire life as you know it. him, and the others; your friends. utterly flabbergasted, your knees would tremble, and your pulse would skyrocket. 

“you couldn’t have expected us to allow him to live, y/n,” hange would say, her single eye shooting toward the rooftop of which she stood on. her tone was cold, and it practically pierced you, “not after all that he’s done. we haven’t any other choice.”

“any other choice?” you spat, earning your commander’s glare. everyone was staring at you, in both uncertainty and pity. they were fully aware of your relations to the enemy, and yet they knew what was right. they knew what they had to do. and, deep down, so did you. you knew, but you denied the reality of the situation with every fiber of your being. because although you were aware of what was unjust and what wasn’t, love trumped whatever moral highground you had left. and dear god, did you love him. you loved him. you loved him, and they wanted to take him away.

“you have plenty of other choices, godammit!” you shouted, eyes widened in fear. your shoulders trembled, and the grip you had on your blades was deadly. as a precaution, you could see mikasa in the corner, her own swords drawn. by whatever means necessary, she was ready to cut you down. even so, you would be heard. “you’re going to kill him? he’s our friend, he’s our comrade, he’s our bertholdt! dammit, he’s-”

your words would only fall from your lips in a hoarse, cracked sob: “he’s my bertholdt!” 

this earned you nothing but silence in return, frightening you further. looking up, you faced the grim sacrifice that either you or the others would have to pay- and unfortunately for you, majority rules. 

“it doesn’t matter.”

the words struck you, sending you into a frenzy. eren stood before you with confidence, his gaze plunging into your chest with the utmost ferocity. 

“whether you’re able to live with the loss or not, we’re feeding bertholdt to armin.” 

now, here you were. with your entire squadron turned against you, you weren’t given any other choice. if anybody was going to save bertholdt, it was going to have to be you. and even if it meant turning against everything you once believed in, you would do it. you had to. 

mercilessly, you ran. with every ounce of energy left inside your being, you ran. unconscious, your love lay on a faraway rooftop, swaiting his very own demise without even being remotely aware of it. from a distance, you could see him. he was vacant of all four limbs, the steam from his regeneration process rising from off of his wounds and into the air. as if he were peacefully asleep, his eyes kept shut. and while his were closed, yours were brimming with tears. oh, bertl. what have you done? 

desperation was the only thing keeping you moving, and it did so with an utter lack of grace. you sprinted sloppily, and you rid yourself of any sort of technique. you couldn’t think, you could only do. unfortunately for you, doing wasn’t enough. just as you neared the still body of your love, you were pulled back by the ends of your hair, slamming you into the ground. as you smashed downward, the terrifingly large footstops of another being arose from a distance. 

“are you in love with me, bertl?” 

the question was abrupt, and it wasted no time in taking your boyfriend utterly aback. “what?” he asked, blinking down at you. as quickly as the single word had left his lips, a drop of sweat threatened to trickle down the side of his face. “what do you mean?”

“what do i mean?” you simply repeated, a teasing smile creeping onto your lips. the two of you were sitting beside one another on the edge of your bed, comfortably dressed for bed. had either one of you thought to look out the window, you would be sure that it was passed the middle of the night. still, it was the lighthearted conversation that urged the both of you to stay awake, basking in the presence of the other. the time you spent together was crucial, and you made sure to savor every single moment. 

“you speak to me as if you’re in love with me,” you said, moving to rest your head against the boy’s shoulder, “and you touch me as if it’ll always be your last. we may be an item, bertholdt. but the label can’t be all that we have.” 

despite how sudden your words may have been, the brunette knew enough to take them into consideration. through the silence that erupted in suite of your mild tangent, he would only contemplate. then, as if he’d finally gathered the courage to let loose, he would sigh. wrapping an arm around you, you would be brought close, where he then buried his nose within the crook of your neck. had you known any better, you would have assumed that he did it to hide his face from your sight. 

“yes,” he would say, much to your surprise. “yes, i am in love with you. i always have been, i think.” 

your jaw agape, you weren’t exactly sure how to react at first. you hadn’t expected his answer to be so simple, to be so confident. feeling his long, strong arms wrap around you as you were pulled into his chest was heavenly, and with his words poured into the mixture, you wanted to melt. however, because you were clueless, all you could think to do was laugh the matter off, earning you quite the stare. 

“now, now, there’s no need to exaggerate. really, you could have just-”

but before you could even finish, a calloused hand would place itself onto the side of your face, moving your gaze so that it would face bertholdt’s gaze. the two of your faces were close, noses nearly touching. with a tender, soulful look, his sage eyes would pour into yours, brows ever so slightly furrowed. 

“i love you, y/n. if anything, that’s an understatement. please, never doubt me in that regard.”

as you were thrown into the rooftop beneath you by the likes of mikasa, it was the past words of your lover that pushed you to fight. even against an ackerman, you would fight. arching your blade behind you, you angled it with the luckiest sort of precision, pressing the very tip of your sword to the clump of hair your comrade had balled up into her hand. with a single slice, you cut it off completely, freeing yourself of her grip as you slipped from in between her legs. in your hindsight, you saw a blonde headed titan— armin. the plan had already been set in motion, and your time was cut short. 

with a shout, you ran. however, before you could get even get more than a single step in, you were pulled back, a pair of arms locking either side of your shoulders into place from behind you. eren’s face loomed beside your own, his eyes closed as he aided mikasa in holding you down. with the two of them combined, you couldn’t move. as you struggled, you were pressed into the crumbled surface of the roof, rendering you defeated. now, all you could do was watch.

“LET ME GO!” you would scream, all to no avail. tears coated the sweat that trickled down both sides of you face, leaving your voice hoarse as you shouted, pleaded, and cried all at once. your vision was blurred, and you couldn’t even clearly see as the titan that was once your dying comrade reached down to grasp the awakening body of your love, plotting to take him away from you for good. it was all happening so quickly, you readied yourself to wake up from the nightmare that was reality. wake up, wake up, wake up. 

nothing could wake you up, except for a single thing. to your absolute horror, just as he was dropped into the clutches of death itself, the last thing bertholdt could bring himself to scream was your name. 

oh, and how it would ring in your ears for the rest of your days.

[artbyeloquent]

i have come before you once more to request fun facts about rimon (and any other member of the cast if you feel so inclined). like i wanna know the insignificant to the story, super self-indulgent ones :)

hi hello this is perfect and i love you forever for it :') Rimon has been neglected in terms of their innermost interests and feelings because I've been way too focused on hammering out the plot. The following is half-made-up-on-the-spot and you're ABSOLUTELY allowed to ask follow-ups.

Rimon has a mouth like a sailor, and sometimes if they are often in a situation where they are forced to rein that in, a person may go months before realizing they have a VERY foul mouth. In Dev's words, "They've actually reined it in since they started at Te'ena."

Rimon is extremely suspicious of big talk. They often mercilessly tease people who make big claims or brag even if they like the person and are being "lighthearted," just because they find it incredibly amusing when people oversell themselves.

Rimon likes heavily spiced food. They're Ashkenazi, and so people often perceive them as a WASP when they aren't, meaning they often turn heads in a Mediterranean, Ethiopian, Thai, or Indian place (their four favorite ethnic cuisines just because of the depth of flavors and spice levels) because no one expects them to just sit there and take it.

Rimon is pretty pacifistic and prefers to resolve conflict through communication. Ironically, if any of their friends get hurt the first thing they'd want to do is punch the cause of their pain. Dev on the other hand WOULD blow torch someone if Rimon didn't hold her back.

Rimon has such a memory for Talmud it's often joked they should be a Rabbi.

Rimon is wigged out by horses. They'll still get near one, but unlike their friends, they find the concept of this huge, splinter-legged animal with a huge nose and teeth to be the stuff of nightmares.

They get a discount on their Brookline rent because I hate landlords because they helped the elderly couple who are renting the units to renovate some of them.

They know a lot about plants, but not survival/rural style like I do. They're more like my partner in that they wouldn't know a blackberry from a holly bush, but they can tell the difference between all the types of philodendrons. They chalk it up to reading too many of those big illustrated science encyclopedias their dad kept around.

They have a huge family that they mostly stay away from because they are an introvert and huge Jewish families are fucking insane (affectionate).

They prefer tea to coffee.

They dress pretty goth for a 44 year old but they really like those boho patterns with the pretty florals on them. ("Shut up.")

After an incident in their past left them with the Gift (long story but it's what allows them to interact with ghosts and demons so readily. I really need to rename it. Is Veilsight too edgy?) they keep a Will that they update every 6 months or year.

They're not a gourmet cook by any means but they like making childhood comfort foods and they're good at living alone. They prefer it!

They have a soft spot for cats, especially disabled/senior cats. They've done cat rescue/rehab in the past.

They are extraordinarily awkward with kids and treat them like little adults, which inadvertently works out perfectly in their favor and kids love them. They still don't understand it.

They get really grossed out by dirty bathtubs but would wear clothes for a week straight if needed.

I'm sorry this was so long I love Rimon 😖

Also this reminded me that I have a "mother of all character questionnaires" I keep saved in my drive, and I should really make a copy for Rimon. maybe even count it toward my nano word count.

[charming-2d-boys]

Adultrio with children (Hisoka Version)

I’m sorry that this was my first thought 😂

Anyway, back to business. This is part 2 of the Adultrio with children!

Next one is Illumi 👁️👄👁️

If you want any other characters for something like this, please request~ 😄

so...Hisoka with kids...yeah

it's not that he doesn't like kids (not like that, let's...not go there, please), but babies sort of scare him because if they have a problem or something, they can't outright say it

also, it's harder for him to entertain them

Hisoka doesn't really think about even having a partner, let alone kids

but, if he does find someone who accepts and wants to be with him and all his flaws and hobbies and he starts liking and trusting them...

he might be a lot more willing to have you by his side and actually start thinking about you and your needs and wants, not only his

it starts as a really fun relationship full of teasing, laughter and new adventures and experiences

and even as it gets more serious, the transition can barely be felt, courtesy of Hisoka making things a lot easier and lighthearted because after all, it's only natural and nothing to stress yourselves over

being in an actual relationship with Hisoka would mean quite a few months to years and you'd still be quite in the dark, especially about his past, but if you actually ask him about it and show him that he can trust you, he'll tell you bits and pieces and leave you to piece them together (he knows you're smart enough to do it and likes treating it like a game of sorts)

the idea of marriage and/or kids won't really cross his mind, simply because he never thought that he'd ever get to this point and also because they're not that important to him?

but if you ask him about marriage and/or kids, he'd joke about it and probably act as if he'll do it if you want to, but knowing what sort of a person he is, he'd be against it if you insisted and probably put some distance between you

but now that you talked about these things, the more he thinks about it, the more the way he sees you and your relationship is going to subtly start changing

Hisoka would see a wedding dress shop while he's in town with business and just stop and stare at the different designs and patterns, trying to imagine you in one of them and taking pictures of the ones he thought you might look best in

or the moment when you two are on an evening stroll and you two walk past a young couple with a baby in a stroller and the baby just keeps staring at you and you wave at it and smile cutely?

Hisoka's heart just skips a beat because that was pretty adorable and the baby smiled while the parents looked at the two of you and smiled (knowingly) as well

he definitely pays a lot more attention when there are kids near you just to see the cute interactions

and then he just imagines what it would be like if you had your own kid

no matter what, he won't tell you about those thoughts or the fact that the idea scares him because he's got so much blood on his hands and he's used to destroying, not creating and nurturing

you probably shouldn't bring up the fact that he zones out a lot more often because he's just going to get into a teasing and defensive mood and you're most probably going to irritate him easily

the key is to let him get used to the idea and try to act like you usually do or try to entertain him as he would usually do for you when you're in a sour mood

even if he doesn't say it, Hisoka appreciates the effort and the fact that you're not insisting on broaching the subject

tell him that you trust him - that's it, he's found his answer

despite all his fears and hesitation, he's got you and you trust him and most importantly, you can depend on one another when things get tough

you've been together for some time, you get along well enough for the most part and even during arguments, unless it's something serious which takes a few days to resolve, it usually takes a few hours at best

so, how does it go? First of all, he knows that you'd probably be a great parent and that you want a family, so he's going to tell you that he wants to try something new in the bedroom

Hisoka's going to hide your birth control and the condoms and yeah, he's kind of a dick for that, but when you ask him about them and he only smiles at you innocently, you realise what he wants

like I said, you have had this discussion before and are aware of what sort of a person Hisoka is, so you don't say anything because he's probably nervous (he really is, but he masks it pretty damn well) and don't want him to back out

despite the sultry tone of his voice and his words when he suggested you trying something new, he's a lot more gentle and you're almost sure that he told you that he loves you before you fell asleep

and would you look at that, a few weeks later you're buying a pregnancy test and have to go to the doctor and you're dragging Hisoka who smirks all the while

you'll have him take a shower after his fights at Heaven's Arena because the smell of blood makes you sick and when he teased you once by not doing it (because he's a dick), he had to take care of you and he's learnt his lesson (won't admit that the way your skin lost a bit of its natural colour so fast and you got up to run to the bathroom gave him quite a scare)

while he jokes around and tries to act like he usually does, he is vigilant and on the lookout for potential threats since he knows he's managed to make quite the number of enemies throughout the years, not that there's much that could go past him and get to you

even as your stomach grows, Hisoka loves carrying you around, much to your complaints about being heavy and the embarrassment of being carried as if you're helpless (Hisoka just wants to feel needed and helpful after seeing what he's putting your body through)

his arms will always wind up over you and your stomach when you two sleep and the baby loves the heat they provide, if their constant kicking is anything to go by

indulges in some of your cravings because as weird as the combinations are, the taste is interesting (he's gonna keep eating some of these things even after the baby is born, much to your disgust)

he's out of town when you go into labour and he doesn't get to answer his phone immediately, but the panic that fills him when he sees the high number of missed calls is terrifying and it transforms into bloodlust as he tries to get back as quickly as possible while everyone with half a gram of brain gets out of his way

when he gets to the hospital, trying to look as if he's calm (the sweat and blood on his body and clothes, plus his dishevelled hair and smeared makeup definitely give him away and scare the living daylights out of whoever sees him storming past them - they don't even try to stop him since his bloodlust keeps them at bay), he sees you with a little bundle in your arms, smiling down at it

and then you look up at him and just smile so widely, despite the obvious exhaustion and his appearance and Hisoka just... stops and stares because you're perfect to him and for him

you quietly beckon him closer when his bloodlust is completely gone, leaving him slightly tired now that the adrenaline rush is starting to fade away as well, and his eyes slightly widen when they stop on the little baby cradled in your arms

literally so small and fragile and so soft-looking and it's half of him and he wants to keep it safe, along with you

he's completely silent as you scoot over so he can sit next to you and keep the baby close to the both of you, the back of one of his fingers (which he quickly cleaned with some wet wipes on your bedside table) gently going over the soft skin of the baby's cheek

it's sleeping soundly and Hisoka just slowly caresses one of their little hands, feeling his breath hitch when the baby catches one of his fingers and grips it

it's a weird and new feeling for both of you and you can only look at Hisoka so adoringly when you see how gentle he is with his kid

it's cute, so, so cute

as the kid grows, he's definitely teaching them about Nen because he wants his kid to be strong and he will spar with them (when they grow up some more and with your supervision because you're not letting your baby get hurt since Hisoka can go overboard sometimes)

that being said, he'll also teach them some magic tricks and keep them close with Bungee Gum so they can't run off just like that and get into trouble

he loves entertaining you both and taking you to different places because the amazed and curious look in his baby's eyes whenever they see something different is one of the cutest things

Illumi is the designated uncle, which he doesn't like and refuses to acknowledge (but he softens up when it comes to the kid and gives them some pretty useful gifts on their birthdays)

pretty sure that the Main Four would be weirded out when they found out about Hisoka having a partner and a kid, but when they see how protective and sinister Hisoka is when he feels as if his family is threatened, they probably get even more scared

until you hit him upside the head and tell him to play nice

they all like you and the kid and you actually stay in contact with them, with Killua and Gon acting like older brothers, while Kurapika and Leorio are the uncles

one last thing: the baby's first word(s) was a little jumbled mess of Bungee Gum

Hisoka laughed and you facepalmed

[liusaidh-writing]

Call it True - Chapter Four

Here it is, the next chapter. Enjoy! 

Thanks to @faithperry46 for being a wonderful beta reader!

[Prefer AO3?]

Chapter 1 // Chapter 2 // Chapter 3 

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

Claire clung to Jamie’s arm as they strolled around their neighborhood after a good meal and little bit of heavy flirting on both their parts. They’d had a couple drinks between them, and Claire was feeling light-headed and slightly silly. 

“What’s the worst thing you ever did in school, Jamie?” Claire laughed quietly as they dodged a large rain puddle, Jamie tugging her with him, pulling them ever closer together. Their feet haphazardly hit one another as they stumbled, Claire burying her face in his arm to attempt to regain some composure. 

“Well..I’ll have to think about that one, Sassenach,” Jamie responded, drawing out his words in a teasing tone. 

“Were you that badly behaved?” 

“No...no...it’s just, I’m not sure which story you’d like to hear more. I like to hear you laugh. How about you, Claire - what’s your story?” 

“Um, well, at Uni, in the dorms, there was a girl whose parents had, for whatever reason, paid extra so their daughter could have a room to herself.”  Claire paused, wondering if he’d find her tale amusing or boring. She gritted her teeth, daring herself to get on with it.

“And…” Jamie prodded.

“And...she had a highly illegal pet rabbit in her room.  She was a bit strange, to be honest, a bit of an outcast…” She paused again, eyeing Jamie’s reaction as he found out she was basically admitting to bullying a girl. 

“Anyway, so, the girls and I, one night, were gossiping - as girls do, you know - and this particular girl and her rabbit came up in conversation. She was always prattling on about this rabbit of hers, and it could get annoying. I mean, the school had to have known, so why was she getting away with it? So, we girls decided to sneak into her room and…”

Jamie was grinning ear to ear,  eager to hear the climax of her story. 

“Please tell me you didn’t harm any animals, Sassenach,” he said with mock sincerity. He knit his brow and jokingly gave her a stern look.

“Ahem, no, I am no bunny murderer. We just went into her room while she was away - no one locked their doors - and....took the rabbit.” 

Jamie’s mouth was agape and Claire spat out a shameful giggle as she recalled how the girl had found them with the poor rabbit - cage and all - just a few minutes after they’d gotten it into Claire’s room. 

“Thankfully we all had a good laugh about it, no arm done. Now, your turn. Go on.” She nudged him playfully with her body, knocking him slightly off balance. 

“I had no idea you’re a bunny stealer, Sassenach! I don’t know what to think of you now.”

Jamie shook his head in admonishment, then laughed. He stole a quick kiss, pecking Claire on the mouth. She pressed her lips together, savoring any little bit of him she could claim as her own, and again nudged him to tell his story.

“Why are you looking at me, Sassenach? I never got into trouble at all!”

“I don’t believe you. I just admitted to grand theft! Well, maybe it wasn’t grand, but...you can’t leave me dangling out here on the bad girl branch all by myself!” 

“Bad girl, is it?” Jamie stopped abruptly wrapping her in his arms, kissing her deeply. Claire parted her lips, inviting him further. Their bodies aligned, Claire’s arms were buried deep in his jacket, wrapped around his waist as she clung to his shirt. Her knees were shaking, and she leaned in, breathing all of him in. The sounds and street lights around them all but disappeared as Claire felt herself pulled further into the deep.

Parting, they were both breathless. Claire noticed Jamie’s eyes danced with amusement, their blue color reflecting the neon of the shop signs nearby. 

“Do you know how long I’ve wanted to do that,” she said in a whisper, surprising even herself. 

Jamie dipped his head to catch her lips in his once more, quickly this time. 

“As long as I have, perhaps?” he asked, one side of his mouth going up in a wistful smile. They began walking again, and Jamie nodded in the direction of their building. “Let’s head home. It’s getting pretty late, anyway.” Noticing that they were the only ones out, Claire enjoyed the relative silence of the night, only the occasional dog bark or car passing by broke the magic. It had stopped raining, and the lighthearted conversation had done a lot for her nerves. 

She let him pull her along, not wanting him to see her face as she absorbed the word ‘home’. She had a vision of their clothes, mingling in one closet; their bed, duvet twisted and smelling of sex; two glasses of ignored scotch sitting on the coffee table in front of the couch, where they lay tangled, choosing foreplay over alcohol. She shivered involuntarily, finding his hand and grasping it tightly. She briefly wondered why this, with Jamie, felt so natural, so right. She’d seen him just three times now outside of their window chats, and she felt like they’d been like this forever. It was as if she’d found solid ground with him, something true, and she hadn’t realized just how much she needed him. She’d been adrift her whole life, come to think of it, floating around with her Uncle Lamb. Campsites, hotels, temporary lodgings in one foreign country or another.  Taught by tutors, she’d never attended traditional school until she decided to go into nursing. She didn’t regret her childhood, but she knew Jamie had a family, had roots. She liked the idea of finally having roots, even tangentially, through him.

“Erm, I’d invite you inside, Sassenach, but I’m afraid you’d be bombarded by an interrogation of sorts. My nephew is staying with me at the moment. I-”

“Oh, your nephew? He’s alone right now?”

“Yes, he’s 19 - perfectly capable on his own, except when my sister decides he’s gone and gotten into trouble. I get the task of straightening him out. Or something. I don’t know how much I help, but I try.” 

“That’s nice of you. I’m sure he appreciates it.”

“Well, he appreciates the ability to escape home once in a while, anyway.”

“Well, we can just go to mine then. I don’t live far away,” Claire joked. “I think I may even have some whisky stored away somewhere.” She rubbed her chin, trying to picture where that dusty bottle was hiding. It had been a gift from Uncle Lamb one Christmas, and she’d never had the occasion to open it. Why not now? 

-----

Sipping her drink, Claire watched Jamie, his strong jaw clenching slightly with each sip. She watched his movements as he set the glass down on the side table, careful not to make any noise. They’d both been rather quiet, like the night was made of glass, and neither of them wanted to shatter it. 

Claire watched as Jamie took a slow sip of his drink, savoring the flavor. She watched as his tongue darted out past his lips, only briefly; she found herself mesmerized by his movements, even down to the way he kept tapping one finger on the glass as he held it in his hand. Claire knew she felt awkward and gangly, unsure of what to do with her arms, her hands, her legs. She felt like she saw some of that in him, too. 

She took a fortifying sip of her own drink, and then set it down on the table in front of them. With a clink, the glass hit the hard wood table top, breaking the silent reverie. 

“So...I must say, it’s been awhile since I’ve had a, er, date up here.” 

She wasn’t sure why she was bringing up past lovers - she certainly didn’t want to get into a conversation about it with him, but she wanted to say something. 

“I’m afraid my flat is entirely female free. I’m no good at this, myself.”

“No good? I’m enjoying myself, if it makes you feel better. I could turn on a movie? Or some music?”  She ran a hand through her hair, trying to decide which option would be better, when she felt him grasp her wrist and pull it away from her face.  He kissed the inside of her wrist, sending shivers down Claire’s spine. 

“Well, I suppose we don’t need music…” she trailed off, lulled into a calm by Jamie’s soft touch on her delicate skin. He moved closer, and she felt his leg meet her own on the couch. He leaned in while she was looking down and they cracked heads, both jumping back slightly, holding their heads. 

Claire laughed easily, some of the tension broken.  

“See? I told you..” Jamie remarked, rubbing his forehead. 

Claire, trying her luck, leaned towards him this time, catching his mouth with her lips, the kiss quickly evolving into a more desperate one as Jamie pulled her onto his lap. His hands were in her hair, and she quickly pulled one of his arms down to the hem of her shirt, inviting him to touch her bare skin. The heat of his hand was a warm balm,  juxtaposed with the goosebumps that formed along her torso. He, at first, spread his palm along her back, stroking up and down, their lips still fiercely together, neither of them willing to part. 

Jamie began trying to undo her bra, and Claire groaned, frustrated at the one she’d chosen. It was a difficult one to unclasp for whatever reason. As he struggled, Claire sat up and reached behind her, awkwardly getting it undone for him. 

“Damn thing, sorry,” she whispered, and she decided to discard with her bra and sweater all at once, leaving her vulnerable slightly shivering in the cool air. Jamie pulled her back down, wanting her mouth on his again, and he kissed her deeply while he grasped one breast in his hand, bringing his fingertips to her hard nipple. Claire immediately wanted more, as she felt the tell-tale heat pool between her legs. 

“Can we go to the bedroom?” She mumbled, reluctantly pulling away from him once more, yet eager to get more comfortable. Jamie tugged at her legs, and Claire straddled him before he lifted her, her legs wrapping around his waist as he stood. Their denim pants were an irritating barrier, and Claire rocked against his hips as he walked, keeping her lips on his neck, just below his ear. He didn’t stumble, easily making his way to her bedroom, where he gently laid her back on her pillows and followed her down. 

Claire immediately went to the button of her pants, unclasping it, her zipper following suit. Jamie lifted his hips as she wriggled out of her pants, and he pulled them down and off her ankles. Pulling his shirt over his head, Claire gave a small gasp as their torsos met, bare skin on bare skin. It was nearly enough to send her to the edge, but she fought against it as she fumbled with the button on his jeans. She was still in her knickers - thin cotton with small rosebuds - and after Jamie had discarded his pants, she felt his fingers glide to her inner thigh. Tickling up to the edge of her panties, he hooked a finger around one side and pulled them down, leaving Claire entirely naked.  

She watched as he took her in; his eyes shone brightly, arms trembling as he lifted one hand and, licking his lips with a hard swallow, he let one finger make its way slowly down her torso, past her navel. His finger found the hard bud of her clitoris as he began making circles, driving Claire entirely out of her mind all at once. Her hips jerked involuntarily, and she lifted her head slightly and eyed his cock, still encased in his briefs.

“Not yet. Let me touch you, too,” she breathed, reaching between them to put her hand into his waistband, grasping his cock. She felt him shudder as his lips found hers again. She quickly tore off his last bit of clothing and stroked him briefly before pulling him down, placing him between her open legs. 

“You sure?” he whispered, settling into his position as she lifted her hips slightly in invitation. Biting his lip, he kissed her once, moaning slightly into her mouth as their bodies trembled in want.

Claire could only nod her head before reaching down and helping him to enter her, the creak of the bed making Claire smile slightly as she felt him begin to thrust his hips, slowly at first.  She savored the friction, and let a hand dance in his hair as she kissed him deeply, her other hand making its way between them to touch herself, intensifying her pleasure. She watched as Jamie’s eyes shut, his forehead against hers as he began to go faster, and as her eyes fluttered closed, the spark that had been dancing between them for the last couple weeks grew into a flame, engulfing them both in one breath.  

Claire grasped the duvet, riding the waves for as long as she could as Jamie’s hips jerked, his lips crashing into hers once more. She almost immediately wanted more, but allowed him to clamber off and lay to her side to catch his breath, her heart hammering. 

She looked over at him, smiling.  It had been rather short, but she hadn’t wanted to wait any longer. Still trembling, she leaned into him, her head on his chest. She figured they had all the time in the world now to perfect, to experiment, to feel that again, and again. She smiled again, her face buried under his chin. Jamie brought his arms around her, but kept quiet. She could feel his heart beat beneath her cheek, and revelled in its steady thumps. She barely noticed as her eyes fluttered shut, his pulse lulling her to sleep. 

She dreamed of tangled blankets and Jamie’s rough hands roaming her body. 

----

Claire woke with a sharp jerk. Light was streaming in, her curtains open to the morning outside. She squinted at the light, feeling slightly like a vampire, and clambered out from the covers. Noticing Jamie’s absence, she smiled, and throwing a shirt over her head, she headed from her bedroom, expecting to find him there. 

Instead, she was greeted with the still artifacts of her life - the couch, their glasses still on the coffee table; her small dining table and four chairs, and the kitchen - empty and unused, as usual. She paused, standing still, then walked back through her bedroom to the washroom. That, too, was empty. 

She looked around her room for some sign, some proof that last night had, in fact, happened. She could feel the pleasurable ache still lingering between her legs, and she knew, deep down, that she’d not dreamt it. But where was he?

She grabbed her phone, checking for messages. Nothing. 

Walking to the kitchen counter, she finally saw a hastily scribbled note in Jamie’s messy hand.

Claire,

I had to leave. 

I’m sorry. 

Will talk soon.

xx, Jamie

Claire’s jaw dropped, the letter fluttering from between her fingers. She quickly ran, threw on some pants, and dashed out her door  barefoot. The cold morning air turned her blood to ice as she dashed up the stairs to his front door. She knocked, thinking surely that he’d be there. That perhaps he simply had to work this morning, or had to check on his nephew. 

There was no answer, and Claire, hugging herself in the cold, slowly ambled back to her apartment, confused and shivering. She grabbed her phone again, dialing Jamie’s mobile. She held it to her ear, hearing the incessant ringing as she got no answer. 

She looked at the phone, puzzled, and if she was being honest, a bit hurt. 

Had she done something last night? Oh God, she thought with horror, had she drooled on him, talked in her sleep, kicked him?  

She sat on the couch, unable to figure out what to do. Emptiness crept in, and she felt tears stinging her eyes as she fought back, unwilling to cave to her own misery.