#there are more interaction ideas I have for this but sadly I'm on my lunch break and I'm just trying to make this coherent lmao

[pomplalamoose]

can we get some hc’s for being dilf!lukes work wife pretty please 👀💗

a/n: for inclusivity's sake this is written for a gender neutral reader so everyone can enjoy <3

Hiiiii dear anon!!! Thank you so much for your request🩵

I'm not going to lie though, I found it somewhat difficult to think of Dilf!Luke with a work spouse due to his past and the way I generally like to imagine him to be.

But the concept really intrigues me and I have some ideas, so let's make some specific adjustments for this post to work:

• Dilf!Luke's first wife never died

• in fact he was never married to begin with

• his child is the result of a happy relationship which eventually ended in mutual agreement

• (otherwise he'd never allow himself to grow close to someone in a way like this)

• generally he's a slightly more positive version of himself, especially when compared to my other posts

On the other hand, here are some things that didn't change:

• he's always polite and hospitable, though keeps a distance between himself and everyone else

• a little bit intimidating with how he carries himself

• comes across as stern, though not as strongly as he does in my other posts

• even here I do not mention what kind of work it is he does, except that the two of you work together. I think it's fun to let everyone fill in the blanks with what they'd like best :)

• so imagine the first weeks at a new job: the new surroundings, hours, daily routines, tasks, co-workers...

• possibly you're one of the youngest among them as well and feel a little bit out of place, struggling to fit in among the already established relationships of your colleagues

• it's a lot and you find yourself wishing for someone to take you under their wing, even if it's just for the very beginning

• someone who looks out for you

• someone to have lunch with, to sit beside in meetings

• someone who takes time for you, to patiently answer any questions that might arise

• and maybe, if you're being honest, it's not just anybody you're hoping will do so

• handsome Mr. Skywalker, or Luke, as he introduces himself, works in the room just across the hall from yours, often brightening your surroundings simply by existing

• the most horrible day tends to change into a good one as soon as you catch a glimpse of his remarkable eyes or his private smile directed just at you

• a coincidental meeting by the coffee machine, on the stairs or in one of the many elevators is ways an event you think back to in the evening

• before you know it you're developing a major crush on him and, honestly, how could anyone not feel drawn to him?

• his looks

• his obvious kindness

• to the way he greets you by name when you clock in, his voice still a little bit rugged from sleep

• quickly it becomes your sole mission to catch his attention at least once a day, if even for the tiniest amount of time, just the smallest of interactions

• (you'd happily keep him company for hours on end if that's what he wanted but for now you'll take anything you can get)

• if only it weren't for a little problem

• (not to mention the rather obvious age difference)

• what you were already suspecting becomes a disappointing reality once you start to get more included by your other coworkers

• "he's generally well liked but sadly keeps to himself most of the time"

• "we already tried to get him out of his shell"

• "I see the way you look at him and believe me, many of us have been there.", a very nice elderly lady tells you

• "It's better to get him out of your head, my dear"

• "he's not one to seek out friendships or... other connections at work"

• and while you know they're probably right, that you should put your focus elsewhere, your thoughts can't seem to leave the mysterious older man alone

• like, you didn't even try!

• and so, more or less undeterred by your colleague's words, you make it a habit to include Luke into your work day

• after all there is no harm in being nice

• and no harm whatsoever in maybe flirting a little bit

• it does take him quite a while to warm up to you, though eventually, slowly, his careful kept distance wavers

• it starts without you realizing it at first but then, one morning, a steaming mug of your favorite tea/coffee sits on top of your desk to greet you

• (he's definitely a person to remember small things only mentioned in passing)

• maybe you don't connect the dots right away, still too tired to think properly

• and for a while you're confused, left to wonder; you can't even remember telling anyone about your favorite drink

• when you DO though and peek your head into his room to thank him, his response isn't more than a slightly amused expression that makes your stomach flutter

• sure this will have happened the first and only time, you try not to get your hopes up until small, colorful sticky notes appear in the files he returns to you

• they're often hidden, not to be spotted immediately, showing hand drawn smiley faces or fun little doodles

• and sometimes, when you're lucky, sweet messages written in Luke's familiar handwriting

• (those you treasure the most)

• suddenly, during lunch breaks, you often find yourself in the same spot in the park nearby (maybe intentionally so, maybe not) and end up spending them together

• during small talk that soon turns to more in depths conversations, you learn he likes to bake

• faced with your excitement it's not long after that he'd bring a batch of freshly made cookies with him just for you

• it'd definitely become a regular thing too, with him even trying out new recipes to ask your opinion and being super happy when you like them

• I think this is the point where, going forward, you'd only grow closer over time, eventually reaching that stage where it makes sense to call him your work husband

• he'd recommend books or movies to you, maybe music as well, that he thinks you'd enjoy and likes to hear about what you think he should try in return

• if you're currently learning a new language he'd memorize a few phrases to surprise you with simple greetings or compliments

• (alternatively he doesn't need to and would casually mention that he is in fact fluent, offering to practice with you)

• he'd like to surprise you with litte things to put on your desk

• maybe a fun plant, some cute organizers or, his favorite, completely obscure and very unnecessary trinkets he came upon on random that made him think of you

• on days that he knows will be particularly stressful, he brings in a few pretty flowers for you

• sometimes they're bought, sometimes he picks them on his way through the park, sometimes (very rarely), though he'd never admit to it in front of you, they're stolen out of someone's garden

• when you need a break he covers for you, no questions asked, seamlessly stepping into your role and everyone's way, keeping the others off your back

• during team celebrations, he ensures you get the best piece of cake or the best seat, or whatever it is you want at that moment

[ruinaimagines]

Welcome back!! Fellow spoonie here, and I Know how it feels to lose steam due to chronic pain and fatigue (*gestures to the multiple art projects that have been left as works-in-progress for months thanks to unforgiving joint pain*). I'm slowly getting my energy back and I hope you feel better too!

For a warm-up, how about some headcanons for Punishing Bird befriending an employee? It's so friend-shaped when it's not trying to eat your agents and the thought of someone having a tiny murder tit sleeping on their shoulder as they work is too funny and adorable

Hello once more! Eheh a bit delayed but here it is at last. Limbus Company’s release has really injected me with inspiration so I’m hoping to release this alongside multiple others. Thank you for the well wishes and understanding cause man, medical problems are wacky, and hope you’re doing just as well!

Punishing Bird Befriending an Employee Headcanons:

Okay so befriending this bird is a wild experience. Perhaps it has taken a very special liking to you- whether a new or old employee it sees a sense of justice within you leading to it to act the way it does.

Often whenever it breaches and ventures throughout the facility it doesn’t really take breaks outside of being a nuisance and smacking its small beak against someone’s cranium.

No one really does anything or interacts with the bird, everyone’s too freaked out about it snapping open its jaws and eating them. A reasonable fear, but a passed up opportunity you seized.

It’s a bird.. So why not bring some bird seed? Sure it’s not really the most traditional version of the animal but hey.. It’s worth a try. 

I think Punishing Bird would see it as a sort of offering of gratitude for the hard work it does (pecking people). This is something that stirs its affinity towards you. Most people duck and take cover, or just keep speeding up so it can eventually land on something else to harass. But an offering? Well.. 

The thing is so adorable picking at the seeds tossed on the ground in the hallway. As deadly as it is, it's just so cute.

That said the first time it lands on your shoulder? It’s horrifying. Now yes you’ve been having good experiences with the abnormality but no one really knows or has an idea of what is deemed as ‘aggressive behavior’. That’s why no one does anything.

It’s just hanging out there… like you’re a perch? Well given the new scenario you’re likely to be as still as one. But.. there is work to get to and your reports aren’t going to look great if you sit around doing nothing.

So I imagine you’d give a try at moving and.. Would you look at that you’re not immediately dead! Sure it’s going to take some testing on just what this little bird will permit you to do in its presence but progress is being made.

Generally befriending this abnormality would be super beneficial to you. Asides from it just being great emotional support when it nests on your head and cuddles up in its own feathers, it also encourages things not to mess with you whether that’s people or other abnos.

Something trying to hurt you? What a fool. Its beak snaps open and devours whatever it is whole. If your uniform isn’t already a mess from the work day than it is now, that’s the price to pay for protection. 

Sadly you would not be able to bring it into the other containment rooms due to protocol. Management doesn’t want to run the risk of unintentionally finding a deadly combo of abnormalities.. And depending on the behavior of what you’re working with, Punishing Bird might try to pick a fight.

This little bird has a voracious appetite. It will flutter on by, sit on your shoulder and try to snag a bite of whatever you’re eating for lunch. Whether you want to or not you will be sharing your meal.

Being in the same room every day can be sort of boring and believe it or not Punishing Bird in a lot of aspects is just a regular bird. It needs just as much enrichment. Am I saying that you should bring little knick knacks and toys for it to play with? Yes.

It doesn’t really peck at you much anymore, that said it still will bite and try to pull at your hair every once in a while like it's gathering some kind of material. It hurts a little bit but it's the same as a dog or cat play-biting.

Don’t underestimate this bird’s grip. It has talons of steel and will absolutely lock down on whatever it is standing on and will not let go. It’s also pretty hard to stir awake from its sleep, so even if you’re running for your life you can rest assured knowing that it won’t fall face first on the floor.

Brings little trinkets back to you, most of which it’s stolen off of the other employees. Sometimes it makes for interesting interactions when your colleague notices you have their missing charm… 

It doesn’t make much sound aside from the small beating of its wings which causes it to unintentionally be very sneaky when it isn’t midair. You might not even realize it until you feel a small pressure and realize that you are now no longer alone.

With how light it is sometimes you only realize when you start getting stared down by the other employees. Some of them are used to it, while the others are pretty concerned. You get treated with far more respect under the watching eyes of the Punishing Bird.

[unknownako]

LUNCH TIME! Hello I have done, yet another piece. Originally I had the intent of trying out a new art style, but half way through I forgot about it and continued how I would Originally draw. But it still turned out lovley (in my opinion), her eye looks very pretty, I want to make it more pretty but I didn't cus I didn't add too much. I really really wanna draw Ako and Hidan. I have several ideas for them! But I dunno what to do first sadly. Honestly I wouldn't mind drawing Ako's interactions with other members of the Akatsuki or other characters...But well see. I'm also thinking about drawing out her backstory, but that's another issue for future me. Hope you enjoy!

[sleepyivoryrose]

i need to charge up my creativity...these last days I have quite a few ideas for stuff, but zero motivation for anything, spent a lot of time with napping or sleeping...

today I ate corn for lunch and now boiled potatoes with spinach...I'm still probably hungry afterwards, but I am working towards to at least eating a bit more healthy, even if it's not less.

(I am ashamed to say, that even as an adult, I am very picky with my vegetables. My grandma wasn't exactly someone who cooked a lot of it when I was a child, and my mother loves hotpots, but she cooked them on the other hand so often that I grew sick of it...my family says "Sae eats well!"...Sae eats well when the food is tasty for him. Sadly.)

But I'm trying to implement them slowly but surely in my diet (even though often I am too stubborn to eat the vegetables I bought and let them wilt. I hate when that happens, I'm such a manchild sometimes.)

And I hate wasting food. I did eat rotten food before, because I didn't want to waste it. Not very smart, I know. Actually, really fucking stupid. But when I think, that in meats case, an animal sacrificed himself so that I could live another day, I get really depressed and can't do it. It's like the animal dying was in vain, and it makes me angry.

I don't have the sheer will to turn vegetarian or even vegan, but the least I can do is honor the death of it, by making it a part of my own.

I heard that religion back in the prehistoric ages was all about being grateful for a good hunt, or having rituals so that the hunt might succeed. That included honoring the dying animal by painting it on the walls, or singing in the honor of its soul. That's also the reason why we like hearing singing with echo, like in churches or bathrooms- because the rituals were held in the caverns, and it reminds some primitive part of us of those ages. Don't quote me on that though, it's been years since I last heard of that theory.

Going back to the food talk...(sorta) It's going to be really hot again this week. I was hoping that it would be tolerable before my big appointment, but I don't seem to be in gods grace right now. Which is okay. He's already good enough with me as it is. Sometimes, you just gotta sack it up and endure.

Which means - I shouldn't go outside with this heat. Which means, of course- I can't go grocery shopping. Or at least, I got to hydrate properly before going outside, which is a giant pain in the ass (it's complicated, don't ask)

At the very least, I went outside a bit today. The sun was shining, and there were a lot of people (i was exasperated), annnd I bought a new shoujo manga. I didn't even notice it's from the same mangaka who created lovesick ellie. But I guess I was drawn to it, because it subconciously reminded me of it. "Definitly love", they call it in Germany. It's quite cute, the heroine is almost the same as last manga personality wise, but...it's kind of a guilty pleasure. You know it's not some revolutionary shit, but you keep coming back for more.

It keeps me at least a little bit sane. Inmersing myself in other worlds, I mean. I am fully aware that's it's very luxurious escapism, but...people scare me. A lot. I get half a panic attack only thinking about them getting displeased with me. Never learned how to deal with conflict I guess, only by shutting up and ignoring it.

Which most of the times doesn't make the conflict go away. Actually, most times, if it involves humans, it mutates into some atrocity. I am aware. Yet the fear is just too strong. Humans scare me so much.

Yet, how communities work, is through conflict and, generally speaking, talking things out. And I noticed that we suck in the peacefully speaking department. Our selfish nature doesn't allow us more often than not to consider other peoples feelings. I'm no different. But that's one of the many reasons why I try not to interact too much - I feel like a bother. And I am. I know it.

But as said, I need to work. I want to work, in a job, and have a healthy lifestyle and routine, and maybe even work on my self, physically and emotionally. For some reason, I never seem to change though. My advanced mental illness doesn't help to be strong, because it's a huge handicap, when you got a little monster in your head that inserts images and words in your head you don't want, and worst case scenario, materializes in form of mean, bullying voices. Thank goodness the later didn't happen for years now (As I am aware for now. Illusions are so real I can't differentiate it from the real thing.)

But yeah, I know, TMI.

Anyways, enough trauma dumping. I'm sorry if this text upset you, dear reader, and I hope you can forgive me. Hopefully this text is so long that you gave up halfway through.

At least...I hope there are no readers. I just want to be by myself. Sort things out, yknow?

But yeah. I'm getting drowsy, it's time to kick back and relax a bit.

[peony-pearl]

Thinking about Iroh being active with Azula's rehabilitation and it definitely does not go smoothly at first and Iroh, experienced with Zuko's outbursts, does okay for a while - until Azula starts using rhetoric learned by Ozai and insinuates that Lu Ten was a failure like his father and his death proved the weakness of Iroh's blood. Iroh loses his cool and splashes his (now lukewarm) tea in Azula's face, immediately regretting it and excusing himself as Azula taunts him more about how his 'facade is breaking'

Iroh seeks counsel with Zuko. Neither want to give up on Azula, but Iroh is shaken by his own reaction. Zuko tells him that Azula's words may be spoken by her, but they're shadows of Ozai's influence. He asks Iroh to please continue with him, and Iroh agrees. He wants to see his family as a whole unit and to see them healed from the internalized trauma they've inflicted on one another.

Iroh eventually asks Azula the same question he asked Zuko: 'who are you and what do you want?' And Azula reminds him who she is: the princess who succeeded where he failed in conquering Ba Sing Se; the princess who was on the precipice of being crowned Fire Lord before Iroh or Zuko. The princess that bested Fire Lord Zuko in an Agni Kai, the second Agni Kai he failed yet is still the ruler because of that Water Tribe girl's help.

Iroh stops her.

Yes.

Help.

Zuko had broken the chain and had sought help. Azula had isolated herself, unable to deal with thr loss of control she held over others and thr subsequent paranoia of being let down, the same way Ozai let her down after building her up as his favorite.

Azula loses her cool this time and must be restrained by the guards.

Iroh and Zuko make a drastic decision in Azula's rehabilitation: she is guided by guards to a room where Iroh and Zuko are sitting at a Pai Sho table: with Ozai across from where Azula will sit.

As Iroh and Zuko attempt to dig into family history, Azula mirrors Ozai's words as she places her Pai Sho pieces. The conversation is heated, but Zuko and Iroh use each other's presence to keep their emotions in check while Ozai and Azula bite down and insult the two. Its a game of hurt and salt in old wounds - until Azula's Pai Sho piece has Ozai's cornered. She looks at him with pride, but she is taken back by his livid expression when he realizes she's beaten him.

Ozai, becoming cornered by Zuko and Iroh demanding to know what happened to Ursa and Azulon, tosses the Pai Sho table onto Azula, exclaiming he is the Phoenix King, and he will not be so easily broken down.

Azula sits, calm in the midst of of ruckus as Ozai is led back to his chambers. Iroh slowly places a hand on her shoulder, and she smacks him away, demanding to be excused.

She sits in her cell, so many thoughts in her mind that she can't sleep. Her brilliant mind mired with the thought that her father just isn't proud of her - and that makes her just like Zuko. Inept and weak.

But if he is, then why does he have so many people at his side? People who smile around him without his command? People who rush to hug him, who stay up for hours with cold, empty teacups just talking about everything and nothing...

Why did her beloved father respond so coldly to her after she'd proved she was everything he wanted her to be?

One day, Zuko and Iroh receive word from a guard that Azula has requested an audience.

They accept.

Azula sits at the Pai Sho table and as the two men join her, she looks up at them.

'Why do you insist on all of this? Trying to speak to me? Trying to break me down?'

Zuko replies 'we don't want to break you; we want to help you'

'What could I need help with?' Azula bites back.

Iroh's visage softens: 'indeed. You are strong, brilliant, full of ambition. What could you need that we cannot offer?'

Azula feels something tug at her heart but she doesn't have the words for it. Aching, longing, something she wants that she's never truly felt.

'How can you trust me after everything I've done?'

Zuko looks at her. "I think you're more concerned with trusting others; because you're not in control anymore. Because dad isn't around to enforce your power anymore.'

Azula is about to retort, but Zuko continues.

'You've had dad's favor for your whole life. He imparted so much upon you, but we both know you're more than what he's demanded of you. Dad no longer has you on strings, and I think that scares you, because you don't have his favor to fall back on. You've been in his shadow for so long, he's used your intelligence to believe that this is everything you can be. But Azula... you're not dad's shadow.

'Azula,' Zuko says; 'dad tried to hurt you yesterday for the same reason you isolated yourself: because you proved he can't use you anymore. You proved you were smarter than him in front of us, and that threatened him, because you're all he has left. You're not his puppet anymore, Azula.

'Who are you?' Zuko asks. 'And what do you want?'

[stubz]

...family, am I right?

was in the mood to read some wholesome/interesting drabbles and one-shots of demon reader interacting with the characters and sadly found less than I was hoping for...so yeah! here's some ideas and stuff for my pleasure and maybe yours too!!

Idea #1 - The trio is called to a village and are very surprised when they find out that their job isn't to kill the demon...but to save it? Y/N, who is a demon and a beloved member of a small village becomes tired of eating nearby travellers and causing so much trouble for the village and starve themselves. Refusing to kill any more innocent people just so that they can live.

The villagers, who love Y/N very much, have no idea how to help them without feeding them human flesh. In a desperate attempt to save them, they call the demon slayer corps pretending that they are in danger only to "capture" Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu, and Inosuke, demanding that they figure out a way to save Y/N without them killing anyone.

Idea #2 - While travelling back to the Butterfly Estate, Zenitsu hears screams coming from off the road into the forest. Of course, he freaks out and of course, Tanjiro insists that they go check it out and of course, they do...of course. They follow the screams and when the screaming stops they follow the scent Tanjiro picks which smells like 5 people and one demon.

They reach the destination and instead of seeing your standard human and demon interaction; biting faces off, screams of horror and pain, fighting/running for your lives, etc. they see something...surreal. The screams are coming from the people, from the young man being held high in the air by the demon, but they aren't screams caused by pain or horror but screams caused by fear and excitement?

"Y/N I swear to god if you drop me I will put wisteria flowers all over your room!" the adolescent yelped as the demon tossed him a little over their head.

"And I swore that if you ate my food I would throw you into the sun!" they cackled, a cackle not of the malice of a killer but of an elder sibling putting their younger brother back in their place. 5 humans, all alive, and a demon are having what looks like a family picnic under a large willow tree.

Tanjiro sniffed the air and could smell the said food, it smelled homemade, something with a parent's loving touch...it reminded him of his mother's cooking and made him aware of the fact that they missed lunch.

Zenitsu heard a laugh, a soft chuckle one makes when amused and content, and turned to see what looked like the eldest sibling laughing with their partner. Both of their breathing sounded relaxed and at ease...he hopes one day he and Nezuko will be like that.

Inosuke sensed a look of caution and malice on him not from the demon but from the greying man under the tree, looking at him with the same look a mother bear gives a predator when it ventures too close to its cubs.

A family of 6 is having a picnic in the shade of a willow tree while 4 strangers look at them, 3 with shocked eyes and one with sleepy eyes because it's nap time.

Idea #3 - "...are you sure this is the right house Tanjiro? We've been waiting for over 10 minutes and still nothing." whined Zenitsu

"Well, it should be. There are wisteria flowers all over the garden, there's even a painting of one on the garden wall." the boy mused, hoping that they weren't just standing in front of some stranger's house in the middle of the night because of a mistake.

While the two thought about what they should do Inosuke came up with a much simpler solution

"HEY! ANSWER THE DOOR ALREADY!! IT'S LATE AND I'M HUNGRY!" the boar boy screamed while banging on the gate. Immediately a light turned on in the house and less than a minute later the gate bursted open revealing a very dishevelled-looking individual holding a lamp.

"...who the hell do you think you are," they snarled "to bang on my gate, at god knows what hour in the night, and demand that I let you all in and feed you...again in the middle of the night! And what is all this, you some kind of pig boy?"

Tanjiro was quietly thinking of how to apologize. Zenitsu was quietly cursing Inosuke. Inosuke was quietly plotting his attack...until he was just acting it out. An eye-twitch was the only warning his friends got before he tackled the young homeowner to the ground.

"I'M A BOAR NOT A PIG YOU USELESS SERVANT!"

the entire scuffle lasted about 5 minutes, would have been 1 minute but after pulling Inosuke off the stranger they then had to pull them off of him, something about an eye-for-an-eye. Thus having to keep the battle-crazed boar boy away from the insulted and tired homeowner, something that is a 4 person job. Lucklily for them, the homeowner's family showed up and helped restrain them...concerningly they also restrained Inosuke with very little trouble

Also concerningly they smell like demons...and look like demons...and don't like the fact that 3 demon slayers just pummeled their child/sibling to the ground in the middle of the night...well then

[rendevousz]

mum?

mother figure!nat x fem!teen!reader

avengers x reader

req by @teenwonder ; i absolutely love the entire teams adoration for reader skfksngnsf its so cute! could i please request one a little more nat based? maybe r treats and loves nat like a mom but nat hadn’t noticed that before, and the whole team is like listing examples of how and why 🥺🥺🥺

summary: the four times you needed nat and the one time she admits that she needed you too.

warnings: blood, a random attack out of nowhere because i'm not creative, inaccurate writing of medical situations because i have no idea how those things work, also let's just pretend bruce was around during iron man 2 when tony still had palladium in his arc reactor, also inaccurate descriptions of palladium effects bcs i just...don't know much about palladium pls forgive me thanks, and idk any hospitals in new york/manhattan or even the states LMAO so uh bear with this, and last but not least, my inability to write good endings

word count: 5426

notes: that's a long ass warning nevertheless pls do enjoy this fic <3

"i'm going now, bye!" you bid the team who were having breakfast together, walking out of the common area.

"bye, cupcake! don't get into trouble, don't do what i'd do and definitely don't do what i wouldn't do." tony advised and you rolled your eyes because tony says that to you every morning before you leave for school.

"wait, don't forget your lunch!" nat stands up from her seat and grabs your lunch that she had packed, from the kitchen island, bringing it over to you. "thanks, nat!" you grabbed it, giving her a quick peck on the cheek before leaving.

nat smiles at the action, turning around to walk back to her spot on the table, only to find the team staring back at her with knowing looks.

"what?"

"you know, you only need to sign a couple papers and the kid's all yours." tony states matter-of-factly. nat snaps her head towards the man, an incredulous look on her face. "what are you talking about?"

"we all see the longing looks on both your faces. she's dying for you to call her your daughter and you, her mother." clint explains and the others nodded in agreement.

"that's nonsense. she has wanda too," nat reasons, sitting back down. "i'm pretty sure she sees wanda as a sister considering how much she drags wanda with her whenever she's causing trouble around the tower." steve raises his brows at the redhead who was in denial.

"she sees you as her mother, nat. just accept it," wanda tells her, taking a sip from her glass. "really? name me one time she showed it." nat challenges them, not knowing that they've been watching your interactions with her for the longest time.

"you have no idea what you just got yourself into, romanoff," clint chuckles, cracking his neck and knuckles as if preparing for a fight.

"remember new mexico?" he smirks and nat only frowns, trying to remember.

i.

"no!" you screamed, dropping down to the ground. you didn't care that you scraped your knees doing that, the only thing that mattered was the overwhelming feeling of grief engulfing your whole being. tears streamed down your face as you looked at the debris on the ground, the remainder of what used to be standing in front of you; a building. blown up, now in ruins.

clint, bucky and steve watched you break down in front of them, their hearts breaking at the sight in front of them as well as the fact that their teammate had been caught up in the middle of the explosion.

"y/n/n? come on, tony's team called for back up. we gotta go," steve tried to get you to stand up, failing when you kept your ground. you screamed when he tried again and their hearts clenched at the heartbreaking sound.

"we can't just leave her! please, we have to find her," you cried, clinging onto steve's body as he ran his hand up and down your suit-cladded back to soothe you. "y/n/n, we can't. the whole place is in ruins now," he didn't want to say it but he had to. he had to in order to get you to leave. "she's gone."

"she can't be gone! she can't just leave us! we need her! i need her, stevie.." you cried into his chest and he had to control himself so he didn't cry right then and there too.

he looked up to see bucky looking at the two of you guiltily, tapping his wrist to indicate that they were running out of time. steve had no choice but to carry you in his arms, getting you to leave the site against your will. but you were too weak to fight back now. "what am i gonna do without her now, stevie?" you asked quietly.

"we're gonna be okay, y/n/n," he tells you, sitting you down on a chair and settling down next to you as clint flew the jet to your next location. the atmosphere was tense and you could tell everyone, too, was sad about this.

"what if we're not? what if we're not gonna be okay, stevie? i know i won't be." you wiped the tears streaming down your face despite the fact that your face still wasn't drying up any time soon.

"because nat wouldn't want to see us like this. she'll be angry if she sees that we're risking people's lives just because of her." he says truthfully.

"we're landing, guys." clint announces and the team prepared for another round of fighting. steve turns to you, wiping the tears on your face as he made you look up at him. "now let's save some people and make nat proud, yeah?"

you nod at him sadly, preparing your weapons. all of you got out the jet and the second battle of the day begun. boy, were these people unlucky because they were on the receiving end of your fury.

you were busy taking down a group of guards alone when you heard a familiar voice. "y/n, behind you!" and you turned just in time to take down a guard who was aiming at you.

you didn't even have time to register your shock of seeing the redhead because more guards came at you two. you guys fought alongside each other until all the men were taken down.

"nat?" you breathed out. "yes, bub?" she answers as you both carefully walked over the knocked out men. she was taken aback when you slammed into her, hugging her the tightest you ever did since you met her.

"please don't ever do that again." you mumbled into her chest. she was about to ask you what you meant when she heard you sniffling. figuring out it wasn't the appropriate moment to ask, she continued to just hug and comfort you in silence.

"wait, that was why she cried that day? because she thought i was in that building when it blew up?" nat asks after steve finished the story. "i never found out why because she never told me."

"yeah, you should've seen her when the building exploded. completely shattered my heart, dude." clint states, remembering the broken down state you were in that day.

"wait, did you guys not grief over my supposed death then?" nat glares at clint, bucky and steve. "in our defense, they were about to blow up about a hundred people, we didn't have much time to process the whole situation." clint tries to convince his best friend, only to receive a glare again from her.

"alright but just because she cried when she thought i was dead, doesn't mean she sees me as her mum. i'd cry too if any one of you guys died," she states, still in denial.

she did love you like how a mother would love her child. but she didn't want you to feel that she was forcing the title onto you. after all, you had so many other adults around you, who's to say that you saw someone else as a parent figure instead of her? she didn't want to make you uncomfortable.

"woman, are you serious?" sam exclaims, throwing his hands up in the air dramatically. "need i remind you that the girl sacrificed her life for you?"

ii.

"nat, watch out!" you stood right behind her where the man was about to attack her. you gave him a harsh kick to the head and that was all it took for the man to go unconscious.

the redhead turned around, not having enough time to comprehend what had happened before you dropped into her arms. you two were lucky the last of the men had already been taken out.

"bub? what's wrong?"

at this point, you were fully leaning against her. she was holding up your whole weight, hands wrapped around your middle to support you. that was when she felt it. the familiar thick substance on her fingers, leaking from the back of your suit.

her eyes widened, pulling one hand away from you to look at it. red. her breathing picked up as one of her hands felt around your back, finally feeling the handle of a knife sticking out from your back.

your eyes were already drooping by now and she lightly shook you awake, careful to not hurt you. she lowered you down and you were both sat on the floor now.

she presses a finger to her ear and you could hear her voice echo in your ear from your own comms. "can someone come please," she paused, exhaling shakily. "y/n's down."

if it had been any other person, she probably would be bringing them to the jet by now but it was you. she didn't know what came over her but when she saw that you were injured, it was like her whole body shut down. her knees felt weak and she couldn't bring herself to move.

"hey, hey, keep your eyes open. can you do that?" she asked gently and you nodded weakly. "bub, why did you do that?" she cried softly, moving your hair away from your face as you leaned sideways against her. the action caused your face to be smudged by your own blood from her hands but she didn't care as she caressed your cheek.

"he–he was gonna hurt you. i–i couldn't..." you paused a while, the pain getting too much for you to bear. "y/n, don't strain yourself. you need to stay awake," she tells you as tears streamed down her face.

"rather me than you," you whispered. nat's eyes widened at this. "don't say that, bub." she scolds gently.

you smiled weakly at her. "i've grown too dependent on you, nat. it's to the point that i," you coughed and nat worried that you were straining yourself but you continued. "that i'd rather die than live without you. you probably can go on with life without me but i can't without you. i need you, nat." your eyes closed and nat panics, shaking your body.

"y/n?! bub?! stay awake, please, they're coming!" nat cries out loud, holding onto your limp body.

"did we not agree to not mention that to me anymore?" nat glares at sam for bringing that up.

the night of that incident had been one of the worst nights for nat. she sat by your bed all night after you had been treated. she had been the first one you saw after you woke up. she had been the one you broke down in front of after you admitted the full reasoning behind your actions. she had been the one who opened her arms for you to make yourself at home in.

"i'm sorry but you must be blind if you can't see how really she sees you for the past years," bucky states. nat turns to him with a glare. "you don't know what you're talking about."

"oh really? who does she call whenever she has a really bad nightmare?" bucky questions rhetorically with his eyebrows raised.

iii.

"no, please, don't!" you begged, asleep and thrashing around in your bed. quiet whimpers turned into heavy breathing as you plead for your life in your nightmare. "please," you whispered, inhaling and exhaling harshly.

FRIDAY, noticing the amount of distress you were in, alerted the closest person to your room, that being bucky who was returning from a late night trip to the kitchen for some water.

he quickly went into your room, only to see you shivering and thrashing around in your bed. "doll?" he approaches slowly, finding you still asleep, though sweating a lot. nightmare, he realised.

"doll? wake up," he gently shakes you and you immediately jolt awake, breathing heavily as you register what was going on. "it's okay, it was just a nightmare," he soothes you, holding you close as one hand rubbed up and down your back while the other held your head to his chest.

none of that helped as you were still in the same state as you were when you woke up. "are you okay?" he asks, worried. "nat... i need nat.. please i need her," you whimpered, shaking in his hold. you were having trouble breathing.

"FRIDAY, get romanoff."

within minutes, nat arrived, looking panicked and disheveled like she had just woken up, which she just did. "what's wrong?" she asks bucky, approaching you two.

"she was having a nightmare and woke up and i think she's having a panic attack. she asked for you," he informs her and immediately moves away when she approaches, so that she could take his place.

"bub? it's me," you look up to meet natasha's pretty green eyes. "you're okay, bub. can you tell me five thing you can see?"

you looked away from her eyes, looking around your room. "i–i see my book on my nightstand, my lamp, my jacket on the chair, my laptop and the painting on the wall." you told her after some difficulties.

"good, that's good. four things you can feel?"

"i feel the socks on my feet, my fluffy blanket, the pillow i'm leaning on and your hands around me."

she smiles softly at you. "three things you can hear?"

"i hear your voice. a–and the faint noise from the ac and i can also hear bucky's breathing." you look up at the man and he smiles sheepishly at you, standing around awkwardly. you gave him a small smile back.

"two things you can smell?"

"i can smell my own shampoo..and my room's air freshener." you told her more calmly now, feeling the panic attack already going away.

"one thing you want to taste?"

"i wanna taste wanda's blueberry pancakes." you pout and the two adults couldn't help but chuckle. "you can have them in the morning. right now you need to sleep so you can have the energy to devour them tomorrow, okay?" you nod at the woman as she tucks you in.

not long after, you fell asleep. she then presses a kiss to your forehead before leaving with a less worried bucky now. and sure enough, the next morning, wanda made you blueberry pancakes.

"okay, so what? we all need someone to help us through panic attacks?" nat rolls her eyes. "did you miss the part where i came in and tried to help but she specifically asked for you? she needed you, nat."

"guys, i... i love her with my whole heart but she has all of us. i don't wanna make her feel like she's restricted to only one of us. you all love her too," nat reasons.

"yes but she doesn't have anyone to call her mum and frankly, i think you'd be perfect for it." wanda encourages the older woman.

"i—" before she could continue, her phone rang loudly and she thanked whoever it was that called her because now she didn't have to make up excuses about her doubt of becoming your official mother.

iv.

she looks down at the caller id, sighing when it was you, meaning the team had more against her now. of course she didn't mind you calling her, you could call her when she'd be asleep after a mission and she'd still pick up with a smile on her face. but it was the fact that the whole team could see how she softened when she realised it was you who called that bothered her. she really didn't want them to let her have hopes that you'd accept her as your mother.

"bub?" she said into the phone and half the team smirked at her while the other half gave her knowing smiles. "aren't you supposed to be on your way to school?"

"yeah but uh are you busy right now? i um, i need you."

nat immediately stands up, worry etched onto her face and the team frowned at this. "what happened? are you okay?"

"you know how i told happy i wanted to walk to school today? yeah, i just remembered why i don't walk to school anymore."

"what do you mean? what happened? are you hurt? did someone hurt you?" she bombards you with questions out of worry. at this point, the team had also stopped their chatter and teasing looks, equally worried for your well-being.

"yeah, i am. wait, maybe not. i mean, i was just being dramatic but uh, i tripped on who-knows-what and now i have a sprained ankle. i can't walk now so i'm standing in an alley right now so i'm not in the way of people. can you come get me?"

nat sighs in relief, thankful that it wasn't anything that she was thinking of. "you are unbelievable, y/n." she chuckles in disbelief at your clumsiness. "can you tell me where you are? i'll come get you now. i'll have the school know you're not coming today." you told her your location and she immediately leaves after telling the team what happened to you.

you were expecting nat to call again, to tell you she was around the corner but instead you heard a whoosh of air beside your head, followed by a crack sound. your head followed the sound, eyes widening when you saw that a dart had struck the wall beside your head. you looked ahead, trying to see where that came from.

if it hadn't been for your fast reflexes being an avenger for the past few years, you probably wouldn't have ducked in time when another dart came flying right for your head. "what the hell?" you grunted, staying low but still looking around for the source. you squinted when you looked up, the sun blazing but you managed to catch a glimpse of a man on a rooftop nearby. he had blonde hair and was dressed in all black, donning a same coloured mask that covered the bottom half of his face.

"you had one job! how could you miss her twice?!" the blonde hears his colleague hiss in his ear through the earpiece. "i'm sorry! i'm no hawkeye, how was i supposed to get her in one try?!" he scolds back.

"you didn't even get her in two!"

"shut up and just let me work! you're distracting me!"

"hurry because i see the redheaded one nearing the alley. boss'll kill us if he finds out we didn't get her in her vulnerable state."

"i'm trying, i'm trying!" the blonde closes one eye, his sight now locked on your crouched state. he saw you move once you saw him and he cursed under his breath, his weapon following your movements. "she's moving!"

"just take the shot and be done with it! you have to go now!"

and shoot he did. after he shot the dart gun, he immediately fled but it wasn't like you were going to be able to chase him down or anything. a scream left your lips as a dart pierced through your skin, right under your shoulder.

you dropped down to the ground, right in the middle of the alleyway. you cried when you felt the burn in your flesh. you had been stabbed multiple times before with much bigger objects so why did this feel different?

"y/n?! is that you?!" you heard nat's voice yell from a small distance away. "i'm here," you croaked out, feeling your body grow weaker at an alarming rate.

"oh my god, bub, why are you on the ground? it's dirty, c'mon let's get you up. which foot did you sprain?" she places both her hands under your arms, pulling you up on your feet before accidentally dropping you back when you let out a shriek, crying out in pain.

"oh my god, did i hit your ankle? are you okay?" nat assumed that your tear-stained face was because of your sprained ankle but then you wheezed, your eyes drooping the longer she stood there.

your right hand slowly reached across your left shoulder, the butt of the dart sticking out of your skin now in between your shaking fingers. nat's eyes followed your hand movement's, a gasp leaving her lips.

"y/n, what happened?!" she panicked but before she could even get an answer from you, you had already blacked out. her eyes widened, knowing it was the dart because why else would you pass out that quick from a simple penetration in the shoulder. you had dealt with much worse than that and she knew your tolerance level.

she took off your bag, careful to not move the dart. she then placed her hands under your knees and behind your back, easily picking your unconscious body up and rushing back to the tower.

when she arrived, she was met with many confused yet concerned looks from the tower staff, seeing the black widow, rushing in with the youngest avenger unconscious in her arms. they had seen you leave the tower for school about half an hour ago so they knew something must've happened on the way.

"get bruce in the hospital wing. tell him it's urgent." she tells the woman working the front desk, hurrying into the elevator and telling FRIDAY to get her to the floor she so desperately wanted to arrive at quicker. black lines appeared on the left side of your neck, slowly spreading to the right side and she assumed it was from that damned dart in your left shoulder.

"natasha! what's wrong? they said it was an emergency," the doctor spoke in a panicked voice when nat entered, immediately going quiet when he saw you in her arms, neck lined with seemingly black veins.

nat laid you down on the surgery table, frown growing when black lines steadily spread to your arms now. though she was too worried to think, she managed to at least tell bruce what was outwardly wrong with you.

"dart. left shoulder." she blurted, incapable of forming proper sentences now that she had seen more of you. the black lining your skin got her speechless and anxious. bruce got ready with medical gloves, removing the dart from your flesh before analysing the pattern of your skin. it looked familiar.

"FRIDAY, get tony down here. it's urgent."

"bruce, please, what's wrong with her?" she cried, tears now freely streaming down her face. she didn't cry much in front of anyone but when it came to you, you always managed to get her to do just that.

"hey, what's going on? FRIDAY said there was an emergency here, who's hurt?" nat heard tony's panicked voice but she didn't make an effort to reply. her gaze was fixed on only you.

tony's jaw dropped, frowning when he saw you on the bed, upper body covered in black lines. "what the hell happened?!"

tony stepped beside bruce, taking a closer look at your skin. his frown deepened. "wait, it looks like.."

"yeah, looks exactly like when you had palladium instead of vibranium in your arc reactor."

"does that mean—"

"palladium's been running through her veins for about twenty minutes now. FRIDAY, how high is her blood toxicity level?" bruce asks, sampling a drop of your blood from when he took out the dart.

"53% and it is still steadily increasing."

"tony, at the rate it's going, if she's not treated in the next fifteen minutes or so, she'll.." bruce pauses, not wanting to say it out loud.

"no, she just needs lithium dioxide. that's how fury and i cured your palladium poisoning, tony." nat finally speaks.

"SHIELD probably has them but they're all the way in dc. they're not gonna reach here in time," tony states solemnly, reaching over to move your hair out of your face, looking down at you sadly.

but he was immediately pulled aside, nat grabbing his collar and looking him straight in the eyes. "you have your stupid iron suits that can probably travel faster than the speed of sound if you try. you can go down there yourself and get the damn thing. i swear to god, tony, i'm literally going to destroy those stupid suits myself if you don't put them to good use." nat threatens, glaring at the billionaire.

tony's eyes widened, the genius having not thought about nat's idea yet. "yeah, yeah, you're right, i'll go now."

he left immediately and nat approached your bed hesitantly, not wanting to see the black lines making home on the skin on your upper body. "do you think tony'll make it back in time?" she sniffles and bruce's worried frown on his face softened. "of course he will. he won't let anything happen to y/n. we won't let anything happen to y/n." he assured her.

there was nothing they could do now but wait for tony to come back with the lithium dioxide. nat sat beside your bed, hands gingerly grasping one of your own. despite the black staining it, nat held it to her face and her tears rolled past the back of your hand.

bruce decided to give her some privacy, opting to inform the whole team of the situation instead of standing around idly.

nat pulled your hand away from her face, rubbing her thumb over the back of it, crying even more at the sight in front of her. "y/n, please. i've never told you this but i need you." she pauses, breathing in shakily. "i've always needed you and i'll always need you. you can't leave me, please. you said i could go on with life without you but you're so wrong, y/n. you're the reason i'm still here and you're the reason i still want to be here. if you're not here then it's as if i have no reason, no purpose. i need you, y/n. so much more than i'd like to admit. heck, probably much more than you need me. so please, don't leave me. i can't do this without you." nat sobs out, watching the patterns on your skin spreading and growing bolder.

at this point, the whole team had now gathered outside of the room, watching nat cry over you. they wanted so bad to get a closer look at their beloved baby avenger but they respected nat and instead, waited for her to finish talking to you. once she stood up and looked around, bruce knew she was done so he entered, followed by the team.

"status, FRIDAY?" bruce asks, sampling a bit of your blood again. "blood toxicity at 96% now."

the team looked your unconscious body in apprehension, some crying and some worried out of their minds.

"goddamnit! where the hell is stark?!" nat growled. her eyes were now puffy after having spent the last half an hour crying. the team had never seen her lose her cool like this but they figured why.

as if on cue, tony's iron man suit crashed through the windows of the room but he couldn't care less. his main priority was to get to you quickly. in his hand was a silver briefcase that he passed to bruce.

bruce opened the case before wasting no time in plunging the syringe containing lithium dioxide, your supposed cure, into you. immediately, the black patterns on your skin started disappearing. it was slow but noticeable. it started from the tips of your fingers, going up towards your neck.

everyone sighed in relief, and to tony's surprise, nat hugged him tightly. "thank you. you have no idea how much this means to me." she whispers. tony pats her back gently. "hey, i care about her too, okay? of course i'd do this for her. any one of us would."

nat smiles at him when she let him go, turning back to you and almost crying out in joy when your skin had finally turned back to normal. she let the medical assistants set your bed up and handle your sprained ankle before going back to sit by you. the team left her alone with you once again.

it was only about an hour later did you wake up, squinting when bright lights shone down on you. you moved around but you felt hands around your left and you heard a familiar voice.

"and remember when you dragged wanda to pull that prank on me with you and after you did, i grounded you like i was your mum or something?" you hear her chuckle, still not noticing that you've woken up.

"i didn't mind, though. frankly, i don't think i would ever mind if you continued acting like my mother or something," you spoke and she immediately tore her gaze from your hands, looking at you, now wide awake.

"bub!" she hugs you so tightly you didn't think you could breathe. you still returned the hug though, laughing. "i was worried you might still have some palladium in your bloodstream."

"wait, palladium?" you asked her in shock. "yeah, the dart that got you in that alley, it contained palladium. it's highly toxic so we used lithium dioxide to counter it. speaking of the dart, i'm going to find out who did this to you and they're never going to see the light of day for putting us through all of this." nat says, disturbingly calm.

"yeah...you do that," you tell her, slightly scared. "but palladium? in my blood? how cool is that? i had literal metal in my blood! i could've become like tony but like...palladium woman or something." you said excitedly.

"you do know we already have metal in our blood, right bub?" nat questions in amusement. "oh." you say dumbly. "and palladium don't belong in our body and you literally almost died because of it." your mouth opened but no words came out.

"speaking of, can you please not do that again? i really thought i was gonna lose you." she whispers, stroking your hair. "oh yeah, of course. i'll just announce to the whole world to not target the youngest avenger," you joke, smile dropping when nat gave you a stern look.

"nat, being part of the avengers at my age undoubtedly means i'll be a target for the bad people out there, but i don't care because while i get to kick ass, i know all of you have my back when it's my ass that's kicked. and i think that's the best part of being an avenger; the sense of security i get having you amazing people as my teammates." you tell her honestly and she smiles softly.

"oh come here you," she pulls you in for another hug but this time it's better because you could still breathe. you make yourself comfortable, snuggling into her.

"did you mean it?" she asked and you look up at her in confusion. "mean what?"

"when you said you wouldn't mind me acting like your mother."

"of course i do, you're like the mother i never had. i wouldn't even mind you being my actual mother." you say without a second thought, eyes widening when you realised what you had said. you swore under your breath, knowing you've just made it awkward between you two.

"i– really?" despite the teams efforts to make her see the truth, it was much more meaningful when she heard you say it yourself. "y–yeah.." you admit sheepishly.

"then you wouldn't mind if i actually adopted you?" she asks carefully, gauging your reaction. your jaw dropped, eyes going wide once again. "are you serious?!"

"yeah." she smiles at you fondly. "no! of course i won't mind!" you hug her tightly, tears forming in your eyes. you had gone all your life without parents so this was a huge thing for you. not only were you going to finally have a mother, but the most amazing woman you knew was going to be your mother.

"mum?" you tested the title, smiling when she acknowledged it. you were now crying in joy.

"hey, don't cry." she soothes you, running a hand up and down your back. "no, no, i'm just so happy. this is the best day of my life." you tell her. "me too, bub."

you stayed in her arms until you fell back asleep, nat tucking you in before going back to sit down on the chair. she looked down at you fondly.

sure, she was scared of the big step she was about to take with you but she had you with her and she knew that was enough. "i love you, y/n." she whispers, planting a kiss on the side of your head.

taglist <3

@amourtentiaa @rqmanoff @abitofeverythinggg @andreasworlsboring101 @cay-writes-fan-fiction514 @teenwonder @sevenmorningstars @fleurlovesbucky

[flamingredanon]

I've been seeing alot of posts about Reginald having cybernetic arms, which is why he wears gloves, and I really like the idea.

Wether it's cybernetics or not, the idea that Reginald has this big secret that he's hiding under his gloves fits really well with his character. Wether the whole clan knows, or only right knows, or no one knows.

I've read alot of posts and stories from a Tumblr user called Inedibleperiwinkle and their Reginald, instead of having cybernetics, has really bad burns all up his arms. He HAS to wear gloves to protect his skin as all his nerves were burned away, meaning he's in alot more danger when it comes to hot or cold things interacting with that skin. I imagine that Reginald is really embarrassed about the scars, phantom pain(?) etc and hides it as much as possible.

I really like this idea, just as much as the cybernetic one, and I wanted to make a prompt with it! (If you haven't checked out Inedibleperiwinkle's stuff, please do, it's super good!)

Prompt: Henry notices that Reginalds work pace has slowed dramatically all of a sudden, his reports and heist checks have pretty much stalled and he rarely sees Reginald outside his room. At first Henry thinks that Reginald is sick and is just taking a few days to rest, however it's only after a week has passed that he starts to really worry.

Henry approaches Right during lunch hour and questions him on Reginalds odd absence, right is really quiet about it, only giving a couple word responses or just not responding all together. Henry is, of course, suspicious and practically pleads with right to let him in on the scoop with what's going on with Reginald. Right refuses at first but after seeing just how worried Henry is, he caves and hopes Reginald won't be too mad at him for doing this.

He brings Henry to Reginalds room and scans his card on the lock, opening the door and letting Henry inside. There, right takes Henry to Reginalds bedroom, knocking on the door and quietly asking Reginald if he could come in. Henry hears a quiet, in pain sounding voice respond 'yes' and right opens the door. What Henry sees breaks his heart.

Reginald is curled up in bed in loose fitting PJ's, the sleeves of his shirt rolled as high as they could go, exposing red, scarred, sore looking burned skin starting from the tips of Reginalds fingers to the half way point of his arm. The burns looked relatively old but despite this, were still causing Reginald alot of pain. Teary golden eyes met Henry's blue ones and Reginald shouted in surprise at the sight of Henry in his room.

"H-Henry! What are you doing in here?! D-Dont look at me!" Reginald pleaded, covering his arms with a blanket despite the obvious pain it caused. Henry didn't know what to do, he watched as right comforted Reginald, removing the blanket as to stop irritation of his arms. "Reg, it's ok... 'enry was really worried 'bout ya and... well I couldn't lie to 'im 'bout how you were."

Reginald sniffled, "I'm fine-"

Henry just shook his head "Reginald, please don't lie to me. You look anything but fine."

Reginald sighed as he looked at his arms, with Right rubbing his back as he spoke "You know that raid I went on last week, the one near Canada? Well I should of known better and wore better gear as my arms are now inflamed and it hurts to do just about anything."

Henry replied "Is there some way I can help? Even if it is just to make the pain not hurt as bad or atleast make you comfy during this."

"There isn't sadly, I just have to ride the searing pain out until it is far more bearable. Though I do thank you for your offer, Henry. I am sure Thomas and Sven are helping out just fine."

Henry rubbed the back of his head as he spoke "They are great help but Sven likes to complain, alot. About anything to be honest."

Right just chuckled "Pretty sure Sven came into this world complaining about everything. Don't worry about him too much."

Reginald leaned back on Right "Remember when he wanted the Airship to be baby barf green because red clashed with the sky and it bothered him? He made a power point on the whole deal."

Reginald then turn to Henry as he continued "I do appreciate you checking in on me and after a few days I'll be better enough to get back to work. Being bedridden and in pain is the worse and I honestly miss the paperwork."

Henry just nodded his head "Just rest up and if you can think of anything that would help, just give me a call or text. And don't worry, I am keeping this hush out of respect, Reginald."

Henry left Reginald's room and headed back to his office, not wanting to listen to a certain swedish man ramble on about being late. He wasn't sure what happened to Reginald's arms to cause such a terrible injury, but that was Reginald's private business that Henry didn't want to pry about.

[inconveniently-discorporated]

Thank you @ineffable-endearments & @ineffablebookgirl!

Favorite Color: various shades of blue

Currently Reading: ((laughs nervously in doom scrolling and writing)) -- I'm gonna go with various children's books. I've been really into practicing my narration/public speaking skills by reading out loud to my daughter.

Last Song: Steady, As She Goes.

Last Movie: Frozen & Frozen 2. My daughter is holding me emotionally hostage. I sob like a baby during both every time. It's SO SAD and has SO MANY BIG THEMES. Anna & Elsa having their childhood and sisterhood stolen from them, parental loss, being locked away for being Different, masking so you don't harm others (and finding out you never needed to, you just needed guidance), big feelings, growing up/dealing with change... It even manages to bring up colonialism. Buckle up, small child, wait until you're old enough to start having these discussions with me! :')

Savory/sweet/spicy? I tend to go for savory, but I have a funny story about spicy. I've always had a very low tolerance for spice, but when I had my daughter I suddenly developed a very high tolerance for awhile. It was AMAZING. It was like an entire new KINGDOM OF FLAVOR had thrown open its gates and allowed me to come bask in its glory. It was an otherworldly experience. Sadly, this superpower has diminished, but I do still enjoy more spice than I used to.

Currently working on: An interactive story that is quickly becoming a world-building behemoth. I have dozens of ideas shedding off this thing like cat hair on a spring day, and I'm just standing out here with a lint roller trying to collect all of it so maybe I can actually pursue my dream of publishing (and having lunch with Neil Gaiman) (and having Michael Sheen read something I wrote, out loud, preferably to an audience) (and having David Tennant sign my Good Omens book) (it's already signed by Neil, presumably I'll get Michael Sheen to sign it also).

I don't know who to tag that hasn't already been tagged. I am also shy. So if you have not been tagged but we interact I want to see this from you. :')

[aweebwrites]

Perspective

Warning: A smol amount of curse words

Ninjago Pride Week (Day 1- Questioning)

_______________________

Cole never really questioned his sexuality before. Never really considered it. That is, until… He looked at things from a different perspective.

It was one of those hot summer days with nothing to do, no-one to save. Cole had groggily walked into the living space, the heat too unbearable to sleep in anymore than he already had. He was unsurprised to find Kai and Jay clinging to Zane's arms as he sat on the couch, watching TV unbothered. He was the master of ice after all. Even without using his powers, he radiated a comforting kind of coolness. What did confuse him however was that Nya and Lloyd weren't there joining in like they always did.

Jay spotted him then and saw the confusion on his face.

"Lloyd caught a cold from last night's patrol. Nya opted to look after him with Sensei Wu." Jay explained and Cole grunted before walking over.

He then dropped to his knees and rested his head into Zane's lap, sighing as he could feel the coolness he radiated against his sweat dampened skin. Zane chuckled then, running his metal fingers through Cole's hair.

"Holding this position for long isn't any good for your knees. Perhaps a better position is in your interests?" Zane suggested and Cole only grunted.

He'll move when he feels like it. All three of them laughed at his antics and Cole peered up at Zane, his hair falling out of the way with the movement, giving him a clearer view. His eyes widened, seeing Zane's wide, amused smile, his gentle, glowing blue eyes bright, lighting up his whole face. Cole was starstruck, heat filling his cheeks. He buried his face into Zane's lap, his heart pounding a mile a minute.

Woah… What the heck was that?

He shifted on his knees.

"You should really move before you suffer long lasting injuries…" Zane murmured softly, petting Cole's hair still, the caring tenderness of his voice having Cole's stomachs doing flips.

Without lifting his no doubt beet red face out of Zane's lap, he climbed into the couch so he was laying across Kai's lap.

"You're heavier than you look." Kai commented but didn't shift him off of him.

"Lemme get in on that hair action." Jay says, reaching out to pet his soft hair before he began fiddling with a few strands.

"I didn't know you could braid Jay." Zane says, lifting his brow.

"Go Jay." Kai says with a smirk and Jay flushed a little with a shrug.

"Hey, fiddle in your mom's hair long enough and you pick up a thing or two." He shrugged.

Cole watched the entire interaction, focused on Zane's expressions and his voice. What is this really…

___________

Ever since, Cole has been in a sort of debate with himself.

He watched Zane for a while, wanting to try and place this sudden influx of feelings on something tangible. Certainly he couldn't have a crush on Zane… Right? He wasn't gay… Right?

That train or thought had him looking at his other ninja as well, more specifically Nya. He really shouldn't considering her and Jay's one time fling that ended because of him but… He liked girls… Right? Maybe not Nya from what he could tell. His eyes drifted to Jay who was grinning as he struck cool poses with his nunchucks. A particularly wrong spin of them had him smacking himself in the back of the head. Cole couldn't hold back his snicker. He was such an adorable idiot.

Cole blinked at that. Oh no. Did he have a crush on Jay too???

He can't possibly. He walked over to Jay, swinging his hammer on his shoulder. He'll prove it.

"I would have given you a perfect 10 but that last performance had me wondering if I should call medics." He says as he stopped next to Jay and- shit, that wasn't what he was supposed to say at all.

That almost sounded as if he was flirting with him. Jay looked up at him with wide blue eyes then flushed a little in embarrassment, rubbing the back of his head. Cole felt heat rising in his cheeks, his stomach churning anxiously as he looked over his freckled face, said freckles standing out even more against his red cheeks. Not to mention those gorgeous wide eyes… What was he trying to prove again?

"You saw that, huh?" Jay says, embarrassedly, glancing away but then looked up at him, his wide eyes narrowing in determination. "I'll get it eventually." He promised and Cole couldn't help his smile.

"I'm sure you will spark plug." He says and Jay grinned at him.

_______

That night, Cole lay awake as his friends slept around him in their own beds. He had the same feelings for Jay. It wasn't the exact same thing per say. When he looked at Zane, seeing him smile, hearing him laugh… It was like someone lit a fire in his chest. When he looked at Jay with his big eyes and smile, his freckled face and his overall adorableness… His stomach is in knots. The wanting he felt to touch them both, to hold hands, to hold them, especially to kiss them… It only grew by the hour. He wonders what it would be like to cuddle into Zane's back, burying his nose into his shoulders with his arms wrapped around his waist. Would Zane mind? Does he even like to cuddle?

He knew Jay did. He cuddles his pillows rather than sleeping on them. Even though it leaves him with a crick in his neck, he just can't seem to stop. It was compulsory. Cole looked across at him before slipping out of bed, grabbing his own pillow. Jay was of course sleeping with one pillow in between his legs and the other wrapped tightly in his arm. Cole let a smile slip onto his face. He gently lifted Jay's head, slipped his pillow underneath then gently rest his head down on it.

He hoped his pillow wasn't too soft for him. Contrary to popular beliefs, he really likes soft things. He then smiled at the sleeping boy then headed over to his bed again, laying on his sole pillow. He sighed softly then closed his eyes. Maybe he should get some sleep. Staying up all night and worrying over something like this isn't very healthy…

Jay nuzzled into the pillow, inhaling the scent of Cole that filled his nose and sighed happily. He opened his eyes again.

You really shouldn't lead me on like this Cole… I don't think my heart could take it.

He glanced across the room at Cole then at Kai and last but certainly not least, Zane. He pulled the pillow from under his head, squeezing it too his chest as he stared ahead sadly.

Not when things are complicated as is…

________________

"Let's see what you've got pretty boy." Kai grinned, holding his sword defensively.

"Oh bring it hot rod." Cole shot back, lifting his hammer.

They both yelled as they charged at each other, Kai using his sword to block his hammer's swing, grunting once he began skidding back.

"So those muscles aren't for show." Kai grunted out, managing to throw a flirty smirk at him.

He however used his hammer as balance and flipped over him, leaving Cole stumbling forward as Kai landed on his feet behind him, grinning successfully as Cole turned around.

"And I see you're not just a pretty face." Cole says, trading hands for his hammer.

"Oh my god can you guys not train without flirting?" Lloyd says and they looked over at their grimacing leader from where he stopped training with Zane.

Both fire and earth elemental flushed, shooting a quick glance at each other.

"We get it, you like each other. Go on a date already." Nya added and Kai shot her a glare, cheeks darkening.

She freaking knew why he couldn't just date Cole. He can't date him when he wasn't the only one he had eyes on. Cole was panicking a little because of course he'd go catch feelings for Kai too- and he hadn't even noticed until now. He always passed off getting up close and personal with Kai as a strategic move, always passed off flirting with him as a means to distract him. Passed off the spark- now flames between them as something else until he convinced himself that it was true. He glanced back at Kai who looked at him, cheeks just as red as his were, his almost glowing amber eyes igniting warmth through his stomach and chest.

This would be a perfect opportunity to ask him out but… It wouldn't be fair to Kai when… He looked at a surprised Zane and Jay.

"... I think that's enough training for one day. I'm… I'm gonna take a walk…" Cole says, heading towards and out the Monastery gates.

"I could use a nap…" Jay says, heading in.

"I should prepare lunch." Zane says then also headed in, leaving Lloyd, Nya and Kai alone.

"I told you to leave it alone!" He hissed at Nya, the moment they were all out of earshot.

"... My bad. I just thought since-"

"Well you thought wrong!" He snapped at her and she flinched.

He sighed, feeling like an asshole.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that." He apologized then turned away. "I just…" He remembered the surprised look they all wore.

They must think him liking guys as much as he likes girls is disgusting…

"I need some time to think." He whispered, walking over to the monastery wall and scaling it, hopping up to the roof.

Nya watched him go and rubbed her arm.

"I really messed up, didn't I?" She whispered…

___________

Jay huffed his pillow- Cole's pillow, staring ahead blankly. So he and Kai liked each other like that huh? He didn't know why he was so upset. The idea of him getting to have all of them is not only selfish but it might as well be fantasy. It doesn't work that way. This world doesn't work that way. Tears stung his eyes. He knew it doesn't work that way… So why…? He buried his face into the pillow, shaking as he did.

_________

Zane went on autopilot setting up lunch, mind far away. It wasn't a well kept secret that he had feelings for his teammates. For as long as he could remember really. How could he not? They were… He tries to keep it as one but he slips up too easily. The probability of all of them becoming one is too low for him to even hope of it. They would all have to share some feelings for each other for that to work or else things will fall apart quickly. The chances of that is less than 2.24%. He contented himself as being their friend instead, being there for them. But…

'We get it, you like each other. Go on a date already.'

He should be happy for his friends getting together. Being happy… He gripped the handle of the pot tightly, startling once it snapped clean off in his hand. He looked down at it, sadness filling his systems. Maybe it was a curse that he got to experience these feelings. He was a Nindroid. A robot. What did he know about emotions? What could he ever know about love? A blue drop of coolant landed on the broken handle, reminding him so much of himself. It didn't stop him from wanting to find out…

______________

Kai hugged his knees as he stared blankly ahead, his sword laying on the roof next to him. He was an idiot, wasn't he? If he was falling for only one of them, it wouldn't be so bad, you know? But no. His over the top self had to go for all of his friends. He thought back to Jay's wide smiles, to Zane's soft ones, to Cole's all out grins. A smile tugged at his lips, thinking of them. It fell quickly. Their lives were complicated as is. He shouldn't try to complicate things even more with his feelings. He laid back at the roof, staring at the partially cloudy sky. He should… He should keep his distance…

_______________

Ever since, there was an awkward tension between the four. They made sure to give each other plenty of space, crucially watching how they spoke and interacted with each other. Sensei Wu was curious to what the sudden shift was but the moment Lloyd mentioned relationships, he kindly left them to their devices. They all thought they were doing what was best for the others but of course, things have a very special way of going wrong.

______

"Kai!" Said fire elemental grunted as he hit the ground, the building collapsing around them from the bomber that blew out the building's support

"Get out of here! The building is about to collapse!" He yelled up at the three who jumped off the Bounty the moment floor gave way under him.

"No! Use airjitzu and let's get out of here!" Cole yelled down at him.

"I-I can't!" He yelled, looking down at his awkwardly bent leg, knowing the only reason he wasn't in a world of agony was due to the adrenaline. "Go!" He yelled, panicked that these idiots would die with him here.

"No!" Jay yelled.

Both he and Cole looked startled when Zane hopped down to where Kai was, the building beginning to crunch around them.

"Go! I'll help him out!" Zane yelled, helping Kai up, careful of his obviously broken leg.

"No way!" Cole yelled then hopped in too after pushing Jay back for him to leave.

He took Kai's other hand as he gritted his teeth. What they didn't expect was Jay using his lightning to destroy a large piece of concrete about to fall on them.

"You idiots! How the hell are we supposed to get out of here?!" Kai yelled at them, the building rumbling as the ceiling got closer.

They looked around and up before Jay gasped.

"I have an idea."

__

"No!" Nya yelled, seeing the building collapse with the ninja nowhere in sight.

"No… It can't be. They couldn't have…" Lloyd whispered, in shock.

Wu solemnly slipped his rice hat off as a large cloud of dust rose up.

Tears filled Nya's eyes but then she frowned, spotting something. She gasped when the large, colourful vortex flew out of the smoke, towards the Bounty.

"It's them!" Lloyd gasped, spotting all four of them in the massive airjitzu funnel.

"Steady…" Zane says and they landed with a relatively gentle landing.

"Woah woah woah!" Kai yelled once Nya rushed over to hug him, making her stop.on her tracks, confused. "I'm glad to be alive too sis but uh, I don't think my leg can take any more sudden movements…" He says, sounding strained.

"He broke his leg. We need to get him to the nearest hospital." Cole says and Lloyd ran over to the wheel.

"On it."

_________

It was a relatively clean break through both his tibia and his fibula so Kai was put on some heavy meds for the pain and had his leg casted. Wu, Nya and Lloyd were filling his prescription, just to give them a chance clear the angry tension in the air.

"'fuckin' told yah to go…" Kai slurred angrily at them, only half there.

"Language Kai. And I would never leave any of you behind. I could have rescued him on my own." Zane says, shooting Cole and Jay a glare. "I'm a Nindroid. I can always be rebuilt. You two on the other hand-"

"Listen, I'm not about to let you talk shit like that." Cole says with a glare, pointing an accusing finger at Zane. "Yes, you're a Nindroid but that doesn't mean I'd sit idly by and let you fuck yourself up just because you 'can always be rebuilt'! I don't give a shit! I'm not about to let any of you unneededly suffer! Not while I can do something about it!" He says angrily.

"You on the other hand should have gone! You could have died!" He yelled, turning to Jay.

"Me?!" Jay sputtered. "You three morons could have died! If I wasn't there to think of of combining our powers, you would all have died! I'm not about to leave any of you behind, no matter what the hell is going on!" He yelled at them, knuckles white from how hard he was clenching his fist.

"We could have-"

"No you wouldn't have!" Jay snapped, cutting them off. "If jumping in that hole to save the people I love with all my heart makes me a bad person then so be it!" He yelled at them and they were all taken aback.

Jay panted heavily, glaring them down despite being confused why they were all looking at him like that. His own words ran into him like a freight train, making him gasp as he stepped back.

Shit!

"Wait… 'hut?" Kai slurred, trying to sharpen his current view of the world.

"F-forget I ever-"

"Do you… Do you mean it?" Cole asked, cutting him off as Jay's face heated up in embarrassment, seconds away from crying.

"N- I mean, yeah…" He says, looking away, rubbing his arm. "It's fine. I know you guys-"

"I feel the exact same way." Cole whispered and Jay looked at him, surprised and alarmed.

"You- you have feelings? For all of us? Both of you?" Zane asked, astonished and it was Cole's turn to go red as he and Jay nodded slowly. "... I didn't think it would have been possible you all felt the same way I do…" He says in awe, surprising the two and they began to get hopeful, excited even.

"Kai-" Cole cut himself off, seeing their friend fast asleep.

A fond expression crossed Cole, Zane and Jay's face, one they all caught but didn't have to hide. They were all in the same boat.

"I don't hear any yelling… Did something happen?" Nya asked as she walked in.

Zane, Cole and Jay shared lovestruck smiles.

"You could say so." Zane says lightly.

Nya and Lloyd suspicious traded looks.

"Perhaps it's about time we all head home." Wu says, pleased the tension has cleared up.

____________

Kai came to slowly, his head a little fuzzy but that was drowsiness. He heard talking close by. He tilted his head so he can look at the other side of the room. He had to blink a few times to make sure he was seeing right. Across from him, Cole was sitting on his bed with Jay in his lap, his arms wrapped tight around the smaller boy who had his eyes closed but he wasn't sleeping. Zane was sitting next to him, his chin on Cole's shoulder as his hand remained laced together with Jay's, both of them listening to Cole talk about the few years he spent at the Marty Oppenheimer School of Arts. Jay giggled at a joke he cracked then opened his eyes. He blinked once he made eye contact with Kai then grinned.

"You're awake!" All attention landed on him.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" Cole asked as they all made their way over.

"... Pretty good actually." He says, recalling what went down at the hospital. "So uh. Room for one more?" He asked them and he was basked in happy smiles and grins.

"Of course!" Jay says eagerly, his eyes bright as he began to pet Kai's hair.

"I was hoping you'd say that." Zane says with a humble but happy smile.

"Wouldn't be right without you." Cole says with a grin and Kai smiled back.

"Aren't I lucky to have three good looking boyfriends to call my own." He mused, grinning when they all blushed- Zane having blue tinting his cheeks.

"You're not too bad yourself." He says and they shared a laugh, spirits high and their hearts soaring even higher.

Cole watched them as they talked, keeping Kai entertained, his cast on a few cushions. Boyfriends. Somewhere along the line, he stopped worrying over whether or not having feelings for them made him gay or bi or even pan. He supposed it doesn't matter. As long as he had them. He smiled, lacing his and Kai's fingers together, joining in on the conversation.

As long as he was happy.

______________________

(Look who's back on mobile! The recent app update seemed to solve the problem. I'm glad considering my sister yeeted herself out of rhe country with her laptop. Anyway, this was supposed to be a fusion of pride week and a cute healing fic buttttt the healing would come in way too late so i decided to start a different fic for that. I hope you guys liked this!)

[epsilonlikesdelta]

December 24th, 2019.

~°~°~°~° Hello nice people °~°~°~°~

Last weak someone asked me to be a tutor for a few hours and I got some money from that, so Yesterday I went shopping with a friend, I got a new desk lamp and a new mechanical pencil.

I really like it, it's the big lamp from the photo, my last lamp is the little one at right corner.

The purpuse of this post is not really talking about lamps or Christmas shopping, but about feelings and close people.

On 2018, I moved to a bigger city to persue my university studies and over time, I have realized that there's a lot people who truly believe in you and have deep feelings for you, people who are willing to make time on their schedule if you have an emergency, people who are going to protect you If you are in danger, people who would say :"don't worry, come and grap some lunch at my appartment" or "are you sure you have enough food?, come here and grab some fruits" or whatever that simply makes you feel like home.

With all that said, I'm going to start with the fact that I've been truly touched by this new definition of "home". In the past, the only idea I had of a home was my family, just like an average (privileged) person, but now I have realized how limited my vision was (in the field of social interactions). You see, now my home isn't really defined, the people that I live with is some sort of a home, my best friend in this city and his family feel like a home to me, some friends from university also feel like a home to me, random people at libraries feel like home, my mom and my sister feel like home, my cat feels like home, my college room feels like home, friends that live in other countries feel like home, my plants, the food that I prepare, coffee, and many things feel like home to me; but sadly, there are so many other thigs that doesn't feel like home, there are so many other things that still keep me from talking to people, that still make me feel insecure, that still make me feel scared, and these things feel endless.

But anyways, I am happy about the fact that there's people who can make you feel more at home than what you thought your home was and I am looking forward to see how many good things the world has to offer.

Have some really nice Holidays, Merry Christmas and have a lovely New Year.

You got this.

Anne.

[fanwarriorfictions]

One-

A Stranger Things Fanfic

Chapter Two: The Weirdo on Maple Street

   Phina didn't get any, restful, sleep that night, just as she predicted. The good hour and half that she had gotten earlier in the morning had brought a nightmare that her brain was quick to forget, and Phina was grateful. Whatever had happened, had led her to wake up in tears.

   A new, even worse, feeling had started up in her gut, the nightmare fueling it like gasoline on a fire. She was sick and tired of these terrible feelings, almost actually feeling slightly sick because of them.

   When she finally got up from bed, and got dressed, which had taken way more mental preparation than she was willing to admit, the rest of her family had already started eating breakfast.

   She walked downstairs and into the kitchen, seeing Mike stuff an Eggo waffle into his pocket. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him, and he elected to ignore her. She pretends that she didn't see anything, but Mike could still see the suspicion in her eyes.

   Phina walks into the dining room and sat down at her usual spot, not getting anything to eat. For the third morning in a row, she skipped breakfast, and Karen had definitely noticed.

   "No breakfast again Seraphina," Karen asks.

   "Not hungry," she replies shortly, not bothering with another lie today, to tired to even come up with one.

   Mike sits down next to her and starts quickly eating his waffles. Everyone's attention leaves her and goes to him, giving him weird looks. Phina getting even more suspicious, narrowing her eyes at him, which he again ignores but he can't hide the way he squirms under her scrutiny.

   "Slow down Mike," Nancy says, "that's disgusting."

   Mike looks at her, and smugly says, "do a lot of studying last night?"

   Phina snorts and hides her face in her hands, her tired mind finding the comment a little too funny. Mike must have seen Steve last night, and knowing her brother, he had some sarcastic comments ready for this conversation.

   "Yeah, actually I did," Nancy replies, looking down at her plate, almost bashfully.

   "Oh I bet you did," Phina sniggers. 

   "What was your test on again," Mike asks tilting his head then saying with a smug tone, "human anatomy?"

   Phina lets her head fall onto the table, barely keeping her laughs at bay, her body shaking at the effort.

   Nancy kicks Mike underneath the table, and Mike kicks her back. The table rattles and Phina raises her head off of it, still giggling a little. She was slightly delirious from her lack of sleep, and food.

   "Hey," Karen says sternly, "what's going on?"

   "Nothing," Mike and Nancy say at the same time.

   Phina rolls her eyes at the two of them, breathing deeply to calm herself, "mom. I'm gonna head out, I want to go see Jonathan before school."

   "Ok sweety, make sure you get to school on time," Karen answers.

   Phina nods and leaves.

   Phina got to the Byers' house just in time to see Jonathan getting in his car. He stops when he hears and sees his best friend. She parks her bike and without saying a word, goes up to him and pulls him into a hug. He wraps his arms around her, burying his face in her shoulder.

   "I'm so sorry Jonathan, I'm so sorry," she whispers, "Will is a smart kid, he'll be ok."

   "God I hope you're right," he whispers.

   "Have I ever lied to you," she asks.

   A small smile shows up on his face, "no, never."

   They pull away from each other and he looks down sadly. She places her hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him in every way possible.

   Phina looks towards his house, "how is she?"

   "Not great. She isn't handling this to well," he sighs.

   "Understandable, considering," she sighs as well, "will you tell her that if you guys need anything, call me."

   "Phina that's not..."

   "No, your mom has been there for me all my life, I want to return the favor," she cuts him off.

   He smiles, "Ok, I'll tell her."

   "Were gonna be late to school, we gotta go," she says looking down at her watch.

   "I was just on my way there, before you showed up," he says.

   "Yeah," she chuckles, "I'm sorry, I just needed to check on you."

   "Thank you for that," Jonathan nods, "you lead the way, I'll follow."

   "Ok."

   Jonathan and Phina walked into the school together, going straight to the bulletin board, putting up a poster about Will. Phina felt eyes on them and looked over to see Nancy and her new friends looking at them. She glared at Carol, Tommy, and Steve and turned back to Jonathan, giving him another thumbtack.

   "Do you need me to put a few up around the school," she asks.

   "Yeah." Jonathan pulls out a few posters, and some thumbtacks. "Here you go. Thank you Phina."

   She goes to tell him that it's not trouble at all when she's interrupted by a voice behind her.

   "Hey," Nancy says to Jonathan.

   "I'm gonna go," Phina said, leaving Jonathan with her sister, not giving him anytime to protest.

   She knew that Jonathan would have used her as a crutch if she was there, as he did in every social interaction they had, so she thought it was better to have him fend for himself for once. She felt slightly bad, but she knew it would help him in the long run of things. Not to mention, she didn't want to really be around her little sister, because where Nancy was, Steve was.

   Phina went around to all the bulletin boards in the school, putting up every poster she had. A few looks were sent her way, judgement filled in each one. She sent her own back each time, and her glares could set fire to an ocean, no one was willing to hold it.

   Heading to her first class, math, Phina hardly looked at anyone, letting herself draw into her mind about the night before, the distraction of the posters no longer there to keep the thoughts at bay. As she was about to go into the classroom, an arm wraps around her shoulders.

   "Hey there red headed Wheeler," Steve Harrington says.

   "Remove your arm before you don't have one Harrington," she bit out at him.

   "Ok ok, calm down," he laughed, but did as he was told.

   "What do you want Harrington," Phina groaned.

   "Can't I just want to talk to you," he asks.

   "No, not really. You want something and I'm not going to help you," she snapped.

   "Ok someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," he joked, smiling his arrogant smile that he used on ever girl he ever talks to.

   "Maybe it's because I couldn't sleep last night knowing you were in my sisters bedroom," she snapped at him, turning her head to the side, glaring.

   "How'd you know I was there?"

   "Because you aren't a ninja Harrington, I was out on my roof last night and you didn't even notice me," she snapped.

   Before he could get another word in, she walked into her classroom and sat down, him following behind and sitting quietly next to her. He wasn't going to risk his life trying to talk to her right now. He could sense her blistering anger, and he did not want to be the one that unleashed that upon the world.

   Phina sat in her room, drawing. After yet another stressful day, she need it to wind down a little. She tilted her head to the side, closing her eyes as her hand took control. Her mind kept going back to last night, the monster. She wondered if that was what she would draw today. Maybe if she drew it again, she could try and figure out what it was, and why she had drawn it.

   "Phina! Dinner," her mom yelled.

   She snapped out of her trance, her eyes opening slowly, looking down at the drawing. This one wasn't of the monster. No, it was much much worse. It was of Steve Harrington. It wasn't finished, the shading not deep enough for proper demension, but it was still incredibly accurate, and she hated it.

   Phina wanted to smack herself for drawing it. She hated him, didn't she? Her drawings were supposed to calm her, but these past two just caused her more frustration and anger than before.

   Phina closed her sketchbook roughly and walked down to the dining room. Everyone sat around the table awkwardly, and she almost just turned around and walked back up, but her mother was giving her a pointed look.

   Karen looked around at everyone, "something wrong with the meatloaf?"

   "Um, no, I had two bologna sandwiches for lunch," Dustin says, "I don't know why."

   "Me too," Lucas chimes in.

   Phina looks at them suspiciously and Dustin gives her a pleading look that says, leave it, so she does.

   Phina sits down next to Mike as Nancy says, "it's delicious mom."

   "Thank you sweety," Karen says.

   A moment passes before Nancy speaks up again, "so there's this, special assembly thing tonight. For will, at the school field, Barb's driving."

   "Why am I just hearing about this?"

   "I thought you knew," Nancy lies.

   "I told you, I don't want you out after dark until Will is found," Karen says.

   "I know, I know, but it'd be super weird if I'm not there, I mean, everyone's going," Nancy tries to convince her.

   Karen ponders for a moment, "just. Be back at ten."

   Nancy smiles triumphantly and Phina rolls her eyes. She knew that Nancy wasn't going to go to the damn assembly, she probably going to hangout with Steve. Karen catches Phina's eye roll and her eyes light up with an idea.

   "Why don't you take your sister too," Karen says.

   Phina's eyes widen and she starts to object, but Nancy sends her a pleading look, "ok sure."

   Nancy mouths a thank you to her sister, which earns her a look that says you owe me. Suddenly, Mike coughs as he is drinking his milk.

   Phina looks at him worriedly and follows his eyes to where he's looking. A girl, with a completely shaved head walks down the stairs. Dustin hits the table, trying to get everyone's focus away from the girl, but Phina locks eyes with the her, and she feels and instant connection with her.

   "Sorry, spasm," Dustin explains.

   Phina continues to stare at the girl, who she'd never laid eyes on before, but felt as if she knew her. Mike lightly kicks her underneath the table, and she whips her head towards him. They have a silent conversation with their eyes, him pleading with her to be quiet about her. She agrees, but he'll have some serious explaining to do.

-1806 words-

[artificialqueens]

But I'm A Cheerleader! - Chapter 22 (Aja x Farrah) - Millie

A/N: I’m so sorry that this is such a shitty filler chapter, school just started this week and it’s my last year of high school so it’s a bit overwhelming. I decided to add a few different character perspectives this chapter just to change things up a bit, let me know if you like it?

If you looked up ‘ecstatic’ in the dictionary, a picture of Aja’s face at the end of that day would be there. She couldn’t quite believe it’d happened - maybe she’d wake up and it’d all be a dream, but no. It was very much real; she could still smell Farrah’s perfume as they hugged and said goodbye, and she could still taste the mass-produced vanilla ice cream from the pier. And here she was, walking up the stairs of her house in her sandy clothes, a gigantic smile on her face.

Her mom had asked her in the car about her day and what they’d done at the beach, and Aja resisted the urge to blurt it all out. There was no telling how her mother would react, so at that moment it was better to be safe than sorry. She told her about going in the sea and getting attacked by seagulls twice, as well as all the fun they’d had at the amusements. So, not exactly a lie, but not the full truth either.

Aja got into bed that night, still with a smile on her face and a warm, fuzzy feeling in her heart. Her happiness made her feel way more energised than she should have felt, and she had a feeling that she had enough contentment to keep her up all night.

However, eventually she did fall asleep (probably still smiling), and even the warmth of her bed couldn’t emulate that of the feeling she had inside.

-

“You agree with me, right?” Valentina asked Eureka, raising one perfect brow at her, her arms folded over her chest. The two cheerleaders (as well as Trinity) were standing by Valentina’s locker before class started. Valentina had been venting to the others about her problem with Aja that she just couldn’t seem to get past, but sadly, neither one of them could grasp the idea. Aja had been nothing but nice to them, and that just made Val angrier.

“I see where you’re coming from…” Eureka replied, which was a sentence that weakly disguised “You’ve gone absolutely batshit”.

“It’s really not that deep,” Trinity deadpanned. “Look, I get that it’s a bit threatening to have our ex-enemy swoop in and steal your best friend, but she seems… nice.”

Valentina scoffed - the enemy status was still very much current. “Farrah isn’t my best friend anymore,” she said, “and it’s all because of her.”

Eureka rolled her eyes. “You’re a freshman, not some revenge-seeking villain,” she said. “You’re my friend, Val, but Aja’s not that bad.”

“Remember when Eureka and I hated each other?” Trinity asked, and Valentina nodded. “We put that behind us because of cheerleading. Now that we have to be friends, you should just forget about whatever hatred you have for Aja. Find something that you two have in common and just try to bond with her or something.”

That sounded like the worst idea in the world.

-

Farrah sat down at the Bombers’ table at lunch, the rest of her friends already there (apart from Valentina, but she didn’t really count as a friend anymore). Instead of cracking jokes, Eureka was oddly quiet as she ate, as was Trinity, who always liked to make conversation during lunchtime.

Her and Aja had been stealing glances from each other all day, and in all honesty, Farrah had no idea how to act now that they were together. She was overjoyed, of course she was, but she felt as if every interaction would out them to their friends, and right now, that wasn’t something they wanted. Valentina had already stopped talking to her since her friendship with Aja began, who knew if that was going to escalate?

“Are you guys alright?” Farrah asked Trinity and Eureka, the silence on the table still not broken.

Both looked up from their food and brushed off their startled appearance.

“Yeah, we’re good…” Trinity said, going back to her food. “Why-?”

“Farrah,” Eureka interrupted. “Has Valentina said anything to you?”

“She hasn’t spoken to me at all,” Farrah said, her eyebrows knitting together. “I thought you knew that.”

“I thought she’d mention something to you. Specifically, about Aja,” she said.

Farrah shrugged. “No. But I overheard her in the toilets one time, clearly talking about her.” She looked over at Trinity, whose face went sheet-white.

“Yeah, she’s said some stuff about her,” Trinity added.

“I just wondered if she’d said anything to you about her, directly?” Eureka asked.

Farrah clenched her fists. “No, she hasn’t.”

It was like Valentina was subtly telling her to choose between her and Aja. Farrah had been close friends with Valentina since she’d just started freshman year; but, although her friendship (and now relationship) with Aja was fairly recent, Aja had been much more loyal to her, and she reckoned she could tell Aja just about anything.

Valentina, on the other hand, was now showing her true colours: she was someone who couldn’t be upfront, and definitely had it out for her girlfriend.

[letsdiscoverkitty]

Hi Kitty, a long time follower (have interacted on public before but want to remain anon atm) I'm finishing A2 & I've lost friends along the years at college & feeling quite lost as I don't have a concrete company (I.e. Friends) around me. I miss the good company I had but too shy to reach out to them as I was a mess is AS I.e. Severaly depressed, struggling with religion & felt like a burden. I want them back in my life but A2 exams have started so I don't want to be a bother. Any tips?xx T§

Oh lovely one, I’m sorry that you have been through so much and that you feel isolated from life at the moment. A levels are such a difficult/stressful time for anyone and to be going through mental battles at the same time can be exhausting and make things a million times harder than they already are. Sadly I went through a lot of difficulties during my A levels and lost the majority of my ‘friends’ when I was in a very bad place, so it is hard to know what to say. I wish I had some tips to offer you, I know that with exams coming up there can be a lot of pressure on you to 'do well’ and be working constantly/pushing yourself but I really do think that something that is important during these exams is to make time for yourself and to find a bit of balance. Yes the exams are important but you also don’t need to work yourself into the ground. Is there a particular friend from last year that you were quite close to that you feel able to reach out to/contact? Maybe it would be an idea to plan in a bit of a revision break with a cinema trip together? Or a coffee? Or lunch?A levels is also a time of a lot of change because beyond the exams comes the summer and then the prospect of going to uni/having a gap year/going into work. This summer could you maybe think of some things that you have wanted to try before and see if there are any local activities/groups that would help you meet new people: this could be anything! Some ideas that pop to mind are; local reading groups, yoga/Pilates/sports clubs, art groups, short courses in jewellery making, volunteering etc. You could also entertain the idea of a part time job as this would help you to meet a new group of people as well as push you in terms of social contact/communication. I’m sorry I don’t have much more advice, I am wishing you all the best with your exams; you can and will make it through this hard time, the end is in sight. Keep going and remember to take care of yourself and find some down time amongst all the studying. All my love xP.s. If they are your true 'friends' then they will be there for you no matter what happened last year. You have been through a really difficult time and it is hard to let the people around you know but the people who really matter in life will stay. They will come back, no matter what the distance or life complications that often come in the way. Building bridges is hard but it does not all have to come from you, I am sure that your friends will want to spend time with you they may just be a little unsure of what to do as they may not know much about mental health. And if they don't then those people are not who you need in your life. You will find people who you et on with, people you share interests with, who you can laugh freely among. I wish I had an 'answer' but I promise you are not alone in these feelings, life can be tough at times but you are stronger. Sorry for rambling on, I know i likely not helped but I want you to know that I hear you and that your feelings and emotions and thoughts are real and valid and deserve to be heard