#this is how it works okay. you win and I get to chirp you out of existence

[emmyrosee]

[4:56 pm]

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?”

Immediately, your eyes bug out at the sound of your husband coming home and bursting through the door. Your hands that had been playing with the teddy bear on the bed stills, and you freeze for a moment.

Your daughter, Kamiko, also now having been surprised at the noise, looks up at you to gauge your reaction and dictate how she should feel, eyes like Katsuki’s blinking up at you. You gnaw your lip as there’s another yell, one of your name, and you’re quick to look at your daughter and hold a finger to your lips to keep her quiet, though giggling softly to ease her. She giggles back, and you shush her softly.

“YOUVE GOT SOME EXPLAINING TO DO!”

Okay. Maybe spending an unspeakable amount on pastries was fair to make him rage. But in your defense, you never get to go into that bakery!

Katsuki knows the absolute fortune you tend to shell out for their pastries, and he tries his damn hardest to keep you out of there. He knows they’re good, but he tells you that ‘that’s not the point.’

So, naturally, when he went to work and you and Kamiko made your way to run errands, the smell of chocolate and cinnamon rolls were just too enticing to ignore. You’d made your way into the quiet bakery and grabbed things that would surely be appreciated by Katsuki.

Apparently, however, he saw the damage on his credit card before your kindness can show.

Whups.

You’re quick to lay down on your side- back facing the door and body curled around Kamiko- still holding a finger to your lips, and when she gives you a nod of understanding, you close your eyes just in time for angry feet to storm down the hallway to your room. You hear the door fly open, and you can feel the crimson eyes of your husband boring into the back of your skull.

“I’m going to absolutely destroy you-“

“Dadda,” your two year old whispers, and you hear her ease out a soft ‘shhhh.’ “Mumma sleepin’.”

“Is she?” He snarls, unconvinced. “And she let you stay awake? Just because?”

“Was sleepin’ too, dadda. Woke me up…”

Where she learned to be such a good liar, you’ll never know.

You hear Katsuki let out an impatient exhale through his nose, clearly weighing his options as your breathing continues its rhythmic pace, mimicking sleep. Kamiko’s tiny hand pats your cheek affectionately. “Dadda, shhhh…”

Katsuki sighs dramatically, and you are surprised to feel the soft peck against your temple, massive, calloused hand smoothing down your back. “We will discuss this later,” he snarls in your ear. “Get some rest, Kami. I’m gonna start dinner, okay?”

“Okay dadda!” She chirps, and when you hear his feet pad away and the door close, your eyes fly open and a smile spreads wide over your face.

“You’re such a little troublemaker!” You growl playfully, taking the little girl into your arms and kissing her all over. She squeals at your affections and gently shoves your face away. “Ohhh just like your mommy! And your uncle Denki! He’s gonna be so-“

“I KNEW YOU WERENT ASLEEP!”

The door slams back open, and a disgruntled Katsuki immediately flies back in, gathering you and Kamiko in each arm. You two shriek, but the smiles on your face absolutely plastered, unbudging from your faces as he manhandles you- Kamiko, with a raspberry on her cheek back onto the bed, and you, over his shoulder mercilessly.

“YOU SPENT ¥13000 IN THAT STUPID BAKERY?! AND YOU GOT OUR DAUGHTER TO LIE TO ME?!” He’s trying as hard as he can to keep the smirk off his face, though you hear it breaking through in his shouts.

Your fists bang against his back, nails digging in, but he’s unrelenting, and you whine out when he makes a fake move to drop you. “I-I wanted coffee cake!” You titter, screwing your eyes shut. “Kami! Help me!”

“Go, dadda!”

“WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON!” You bark in betrayal.

“The winning side,” he snickers, turning on his feet to carry you out of the room. “If you help me punish mumma, I won’t punish you so bad, Kami.”

“Yeah!”

“NO!”

Was it worth having one of the cupcakes getting smushed into your face? Not really (though him kissing you through the frosting was definitely worth something!)

Was it worth the memory you’d only added to the vault as a family?

God, yes.

[lovebugism]

Hi!! I an so obsessed with your writing and characterization. Congrats on one year!! Can i request something for Steve?

Prompt:”i didnt realise we still weren't..."

Where someone asks reader and Steve how long theyve been together, Steve thinks theyd been dating this whole time, reader is confused cause Steve never asked her! Best friends to lovers and theyre both a little clueless. Thank you!!

i changed up the prompt a bit but i hope you like it :D — jim and joyce force you and steve to have an important talk about your relationship (established relationship-ish, also best friends to lovers-ish, fluff, 0.9k)

“Does it feel any better now?” Steve asks, cuddled next to you on the porch swing outside the Byers’ home. He’s been wearing the same worried glint in his honey eyes since the sun went down — when he tried to give you a piggyback ride and then slipped in the mud. He broke your fall for the most part, but your ankle got caught underneath him.

You nod, then grimace when you try to twist your foot. “Sorta…” you shrug.

“Have I said I’m sorry yet?” he jokes with a scrunch to the bridge of his chiseled nose.

“Only a billion times.”

“Well, I’m gonna make it a billion and one now. ‘Cause I’m sorry.”

“I’ve already said it’s okay,” you assure with a giggle, leaning over to knock your shoulder against his. “It doesn’t even feel that bad anymore. I swear.”

“I’ll kiss it better when we get home,” he offers, just to make you get all shy. His soft smirk widens to a fuller beam when his ploy works. “I mean, you are staying over tonight, right?”

“Of course,” you shrug. “How else are you gonna kiss my sprained ankle better?”

“Touché.”

He leans in for a kiss. The tip of his nose just barely grazes the side of yours when the screen door shrieks open. The Talking Heads playing from inside grows suddenly louder, then muffles again when the door shuts. Jim and Joyce stumble out together — eyes glassy and cheeks flushed, obviously not totally sober.

The woman pops a cigarette between her pink lips. Hopper lights it for her. “You know… I’ve already booked the reservation for Enzo’s,” he tells her lowly. His back faces the two of you, totally unaware of your presence and blocking any view of you.

“Oh,” she hums sarcastically, blowing smoke from her lungs. “Is that right?”

“Yep. So either I sit there all alone with my chee-anty, or you come and keep me company,” Jim lilts in a quiet, honeyed tone. “And if that doesn’t sound like a good time, then maybe the bottomless breadsticks will win you over.”

Steve leans against your shoulder. His mouth rests outside your ear. “Do you think they know we’re out here?” he asks.

You raise a silent hand with a pointed finger, shushing him without saying a word.

Joyce giggles like a teenage girl. “Look. I don’t even know if I like you,” she teases.

“But you’re thinking about it, right?” Hopper wonders, with all the hope of a schoolboy asking out a girl way out of his league. “‘Cause you should.”

Steve shifts. The porch swing squeaks. Both parents turn to face you, features softly agape. Jim blinks once. “You guys been sittin’ there the whole time?” he asks in a strangled voice.

“Enough to hear you groveling,” you answer.

“Alright…” he grumbles half-heartedly.

“The bottomless breadsticks are actually pretty good, Joyce,” Steve chirps obliviously, smiling wide and flitting his eyes between the two standing across the porch. “But, you know, if she doesn’t wanna go with you, Chief, I’m always available—”

“Okay, let’s go around back,” Hop announces, guiding Joyce down the steps with a hand curled gently around her elbow. The woman giggles when you whistle suggestively at them. Jim shouts at you over his shoulder. “Watch it! And ice that ankle when you get home!”

“Yes, sir.”

“And Harrington, don’t let her walk on it,” the man sighs, already exasperated. “Be a gentleman, alright? Give your girl a day’s bed rest, dote on her or whatever—”

“Oh, we’re not— I’m not his girlfriend,” you correct with a forced laugh.

Your words seem to take Steve by surprise. He flashes you a look, scruff features swirled with confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“We’re not dating, Steve.”

He scoffs an awkward laugh, brows pinching. “You’re joking, right?”

“Well, this is awkward,” Jim mumbles, grateful he’s not the butt of the joke for once.

Joyce slaps his arm. “Hop.”

“We’re gonna go,” the man announces, heading towards the backyard. “Have fun with… this.”

Steve waits until they’re gone to face you fully. He turns on the swing until his knee brushes the outside of your own. The hurt puppy expression on his face hasn’t quite ebbed. “You don’t think we’re dating?”

“You do?” you retort.

“Yes!” Steve shouts, talking wildly with his hands. “Our first date was at Enzo’s! I brought you flowers and everything!”

“You never asked me to be your girlfriend, Steve—”

“I thought it was implied!”

“—I thought you didn’t wanna be, like, official with me or something!”

Steve goes suddenly silent. His chest starts to ache like there’s a fire rising behind his ribcage. He swallows hard. “Have you been… Have you been seeing other people?”

“No!” you answer instantly, face twisted in abhorrence of the thought. “Of course not!”

“Okay. Good,” he nods, raking a hand through his wild hair and settling again. “‘Cause I haven’t either, so… We’ve basically been dating this whole time.”

You meet his smile with a playful glower. “You still shouldn’t asked me, though.”

“Well, I’m asking you now,” he announces and wraps an arm around your shoulder. He leans in until you can smell the birthday cake and soda on his breath. You don’t notice until now that your lipstick is smeared on his mouth. “Do you wanna be girlfriend-boyfriend with me?”

You purse your lips to the side with a playful hum. “Mm. I’ll think about it.”

“Oh, c’mon!”

[drabblesandimagines]

Swipe Right

Leon Kennedy x female reader, commissioned piece Lots of dumb fluff ahead! Thanks so much to the lovely @porcelainseashore for commissioning me with the brief of Leon using a dating app! I've said it before and I'll say it again - please do go check out Porcelain's fics! x

“So,” Leon places his elbows on the counter behind, leans back and flashes a winning smile, “how about dinner later?”

The auburn-haired woman waits for her coffee to finish dispensing before she shakes her head, lips pursed. “No, thank you, Agent Kennedy.”

“Oh.” He was sure they’d had some sort of connection. Their eyes had met across the office on more than one occasion, flirtatiously so – had he read it wrong? “You have plans already tonight?”

“Mm, something like that.” She smiles, politely, picking up her DSO-branded mug and heading out of the break room without so much as a glance back.

Leon shrugs it off – he’s good at that – and places his own mug under the spout, about to make his coffee selection when a familiar voice chirps over his shoulder.

“Have you ever thought of internet dating?”

He spins round, surprised. “Claire?”

“Hi.” She waves with a smile. “So, internet dating?”

Leon’s brow furrowed, about to ask why she was here, but from the visitor lanyard around her neck it was clear it was down to some sort of TerraSafe business, but why is she going on about internet dating?

Oh.

“Wait, did you hear…?”

“The dinner invite? Oh, yes.” She nods, crossing her arms. “Does that ever work?”

“Yes.”

Claire quirks an eyebrow.

“Okay, not recently.” He retorts, turning back around and pressing the button for his black coffee to start dispensing.

“Uh-huh…” She steps forward, turns to lean against the counter to look at him. “I’m telling you, Leon - internet dating. I finally convinced Chris to give it a go about six months back, and he seems pretty happy. Been seeing a nice girl for three months now – a florist.”

Leon shakes his head, watching the coffee dispense with feigned interest. “Surprised Redfield went for it. How the hell do you introduce anyone to what we’ve seen?” At least with women from work, he didn’t have to skirt around what the hell he does all day.

“Heard of keeping work and homelife separate?”

“And Chris manages that?”

“I mean, she knows what he’s shared with her, but he took it slow. It’s not like the government can keep everything secret these days – not with everyone having a smart phone.” Claire grimaces, remembering the videos of the Alcatraz attack popping up on social media on a live stream. It was taken down pretty quick, but still popped up occasionally. They can’t hide it forever.

“Anyway, enough about Chris’ love life, I’m trying to help yours. Have you tried it? There’s websites and apps…”

Leon recalls a week of medical leave – battered, bruised and laid out on the couch on high doses of meds, flipping through the cable channels and losing hours to a show about people falling in love over the internet, only for the person to be using a fake photo of an entirely different identity and being crushed when they met in person.

“Isn’t that where the catfish are?”

Claire rolls her eyes. “We won’t set your radius that large.”

He looks down, a little confused. “My… radius?”

Leon’s not present on social media, but that’s hardly a surprise with his work. Maybe, if things had been different, he would’ve trawled through it at some point – joined a group for graduates from the Police Academy of ’98, checked in, gone to some sort of graduating class reunion where they would’ve swapped stories from precincts over a lukewarm beer or two in a hall dressed up with balloons and streamers.

Come to think of it, he doesn’t really remember the names of anyone in his graduating class, though he’s not sure if that’s down to a certain amount of knocks to the head throughout his career getting to him. He could look them up – they’ll be in some sort of database somewhere that Hunnigan could help him locate, but what would he say?

“Me? Well, I had one day on the job – hell of a first day, actually – and then I was ‘recruited’ into military training, so technically not a cop anymore either.”

“Phone, please.” Claire has moved to sit down at one of the small tables in the kitchen, now holding out her hand expectantly. He finds himself joining her, mug of coffee in one hand and the other pulling out his cell from his suit jacket pocket. He hands it over because it’s Claire and he’s known her long enough now to know she’s not going to drop the subject so easily.

“Have you got any selfies on here?”

“Don’t think so. Why?”

“To put on your profile. Anything I shouldn’t see in your gallery?”

He shakes his head.

“Seriously, Leon?” She must’ve opened the app by the way she’s scrolling down on the screen. “These are all sunsets and photos of your motorcycle.”

“What should I be picking pictures of?”

“Oh, wait… Here’s one.” She turns the phone around. It’s him, grinning, next to a corpse of a zombiefied lion. “I repeat – seriously, Leon?”

“Ha, yeah.” He smiles in acknowledgement. “I was trying to get Hunnigan interested in fieldwork with the spectacular sights.” Claire turns the phone back around and the sound of a camera shutter clicks out of the speaker.

“Ooh, that’s a good candid – and no-one needs to know what you were looking at.”

“Look, it’s nice of you to offer, but I don’t know about all this…” He rubs the back of his head.

“It’s 30 days free. Just try it and if you still don’t like it by the end of the trial, you can delete it off your phone and I won’t bring it up again.”

He stalls, taking a long sip of his coffee as he thinks. Claire means well, after all and if Chris has had luck with it, considering what Leon knows he’s seen and lived through, what does he have to lose, really?

“Fine. 30 days.”

“Great! Now, let’s set up your profile…”

--

Claire had given him a tutorial – swipe left if you’re not interested on a profile, right if you are. If the person swipes right in return, it’ll set you up as a match and you can start a conversation – signaled by a small speech bubble icon appearing on the bottom right.

It wasn’t until that evening that Leon tried it out properly, sat on his couch, killing time before bed and begins to swipe through. It feels a little odd – he usually likes to get to know a person somewhat before offering out his dinner invite, but this is mostly on looks alone, with a tiny snippet of profile information – age, location, what they’re looking for.

He swipes right on a blonde, her profile full of photos from beach vacations or something, says she’s not too far away from him and is ‘looking to connect with someone deeply.’ A chat box pops up immediately and after a moment or two, three dots show Beauty – he’s not sure that’s her real name - is typing.

Hey, big boy. What’s bigger – your forearms or… An eggplant emoji?

Oh.

He hesitates over writing back a response. He can flirt with the best of them, but how is anyone meant to make a genuine connection over this app? Maybe he’s too old for this shit.

He puts his cell down by his side and switches on the television instead.

--

“So…” Claire drawls over his shoulder over three weeks later, tracked him down to his desk.

“So…” He mocks back with a tease, swinging around in his office chair.

“Any good dates recently?”

He laughs. “How do you even get that far?”

“You’ve not gone on one?”

“Not for lack of trying.” It’s true. After Beauty, he had struck up conversation with a few more genuine girls that seemed to be going well until he’d broached the idea of a date and they’d drop off the radar. “A couple seemed interested but then stopped replying. I got one date – she didn’t show up.”

“Oh, come on.” Claire leans against his desk. “That can’t be everyone. Let me see.” There’s the expectant hand again. He sighs, picks up his phone and opens the app before handing it over to her.

She sets to scrolling through new arrivals for him, before she pauses. “Well, this one looks sweet.”

“Claire, I appreciate your concern but I just don’t think this app is for me. I gave it a go, I swear.”

“I know, but you’ve got a few days left on the free trial at least - you won’t lose anything. Just take a look?”

He takes the phone back and looks at the screen – a cropped picture of you, it looks like, your friends’ arms around your shoulders, a big, genuine smile on your face. Not a pout or a smolder in a night club mirror.

“Aw, you’re smiling.”

“Fine.” He swipes, but the message bubble doesn’t pop up. That’s the one thing he doesn’t like about this app – you never know if the other one will swipe back.

“No match.”

“Give her a moment,” Claire elbows him, playfully. “Not everyone is scrolling for dates at work.”

“Hey-”

“Speaking of, I’ve got a meeting. See you!”

--

You throw yourself down on the bed, a little bit tipsy after an evening of drinking with your friends, and hold your phone dangerously above your face – you’ve been so close to giving yourself a black eye from the drop so many times but never learn – and open up that stupid app. Your friend had encouraged you to sign up to it after declaring you’d been in a pity party for long enough now after your last break-up and it was time to get back out there.

You scroll through the latest arrivals, swiping left as you go. Everyone internet dates now, you don’t know why you only seem to attract utter creeps on it. You’d been on a few dates, but they’d all been entirely awkward outside the safety of the chat box.

You pause on one new arrival, Leon, 41, the first photo in the set clearly a candid. He’s dressed in a suit – no tie. Businessman, you wonder? Amazingly hot and maybe the most shiniest hair you’ve ever seen.

You roll over onto your stomach and swipe right, smiling when a chat bubble appears.

--

Leon had just settled into bed for the night when his phone vibrated angrily on the bedside table. He threw a hand out, blindly, and looked at the screen, half expecting it to be an email from work or a message from Hunnigan.

It’s neither – a notification from the app.

Hi, Leon. Thanks for swiping. Can I ask something?

He frowns – a unique opener, but it could still go the way of the others, he reckons. He’s not a prude, per say, but he’s seen a lot more than he was intending to these past few weeks. He backs up and has a quick scroll through your profile, vaguely recognizing your face from when he’d swiped right earlier that day – the girl Claire had deemed sweet.

Hi – ask away.

A bubble appears with three dots within.

How do you get your hair that shiny?

Leon barks out a laugh - definitely refreshing.

I’m sorry, I don’t think we’re at that stage of our relationship yet where I’m comfortable sharing my beauty secrets.

Please? Mine is so dull.

He clicks on your profile again and onto the photos but can’t see why you’re worried about your hair. Truthfully, all he registers when he looks at the picture is that sweet, genuine smile.

Looks pretty good from what I can see.

The camera adds all the shine. Are you using a filter?

Trust me when I say I wouldn’t know how.

Don’t know about filters but using a dating app? That doesn’t gel.

My friend suggested I give this online dating thing a go, so here I am.

Well, you’ll have to thank your friend for me.

Leon hesitates a moment, before shrugging it off.

I’ll be sure to, especially as it’s got me talking to you.

Your scalp tingles, but it seems nothing to do with the alcohol consumed earlier.

Too cheesy? I told you I’m new to this, right?

Nah, you’re gouda.

Leon grins.

--

The conversation continues to flow over the next few days. You talk about work – he keeps it vague, works in the government, can be called away on business trips last minute – and you are equally elusive in your response of office work. Internet safety, he reckons, smart girl that you are. Hearing his phone ping with a notification has quickly become his favourite sound.

Nice day? Definitely. Picked up my motorcycle – it’s been in the shop a while. Dare I ask what happened? He hesitates. Chasing a bioterrorist down a highway is perhaps a little too much…

Hit by a truck. I wasn’t on it - obviously.

Jeez. Insurance not just buy you a new one? I can’t think how that’s salvageable.

It’s my favourite, I couldn’t give up on her. You ever been on a motorcycle?

Uh-uh. Too scared.

What of?

Falling off, mainly.

No danger of that if you ride tandem - just need to be sure to hold on real tight.

You bite your lip, mulling over a response, but Leon fills the gap.

And I’d look after you, of course. Make a nice first date, don’t you think?

First date? That’s more, like, third or even fourth date material.

There’s your chance, Kennedy – don’t mess it up.

Well, then we better get the first date out of the way.

You bite your lip as you type back a response. Is that your way of asking?

If it is?

If it is, then I’m free Friday...

Perfect.

--

Friday morning arrives and Leon’s at his desk, typing up a report when his phone chimes. Checking over his shoulder, he pulls it out of his pocket and smiles when he sees it’s a text from you. You’d exchanged numbers the other night, deciding it time to take communication off app ahead of meeting up.

Morning. Question?

Morning. Still after my shampoo secrets?

Yes… But not that. How am I meant to recognize you?

I thought that’d be easy – by how shiny my hair is, apparently.

It’ll be dark out, though.

Is this you trying to be subtle about asking for another photo?

No comment.

Leon locks his computer, the screensaver switching to today’s date and time on a black background. He swings his desk chair around, looks around again to make sure no-one’s on their way past, and opens the camera app. He flips the viewfinder around and tries out a couple of smiles before snapping a selfie – if Claire could see him now…

He sends it through.

Included the time and date and all. Happy?

No comment.

Well, how will I recognize you?

Easy. I’ll be the one coming up to you and saying, “Hi, Leon.” See you tonight x

Until then x

--

The two of you had decided to meet at a bistro – varied menu for all tastes, not too intimate, excellent wine, spirits and craft beer menu.

Leon is nervous as he stands to the side of the entrance – an emotion he hasn’t truly entertained since 1998. There had been no time for it when bioweapons and death were staring him down the face. But, tonight… Well, he’s out of his element on this one. Leon had only ever approached women through work and, yes, it was to varying degrees of success but they’d already seen him properly in person, heard his voice, aware of what he does. There was a horrible niggle at the back of his mind that the date who had stood him up a few weeks ago had caught sight of him and turned heel on the spot.

He looks down at this watch to see it’s bang on 7.30. He’d arrived ten minutes too early, but didn’t want to chance being late and showing up in a fluster. When he looks up, slipping a hand back into his pocket, a figure with a familiar face is walking towards him, greets him with an anxious smile and an awkward half-wave.

God, you’re adorable.

“Hi, Leon.” 

“Hi,” He smiles, one hand still in his pocket, the other hanging down by his side. He wonders if he should’ve gone in for the kiss on the cheek, but he’s missed his chance.

“Erm…” You wring your hands together. “You okay?”

“Great. You?”

Why does he feel as giddy as he did when he picked up his girlfriend for prom back at high school?

“I’m good. It’s nice to put a… voice to a face?” You laugh – light and airy - and Leon’s already desperate to hear it again.

“It really is. Er, shall we?” He gestures forward with his arm.

You nod. “Let’s.”

The conversation is stagnant at first, a sentence here or there as you peruse the drinks menu and move on to ordering starters and entrees. With a little liquid courage, though, the two of you soon slip into easy conversation.

It’s just after the appetizers are cleared when Leon realizes he’s completely and utterly smitten.

You don’t even know where the time has gone, but all of the sudden the two of you are the only diners left and it’s clear the wait staff are looking for you to leave so they can begin their nightly clean down.

He follows you out and onto the sidewalk, a few metres away from the bistro entrance, standing awkwardly opposite each other – mirroring the beginning of the evening.

“So, fancy a ride?”

You tilt your head at him curiously before you burst out into laughter and he grins, rubbing the back of his head, awkwardly, as he realizes the context.

“I mean, I brought my bike here. I can give you a ride home - on my bike.”

You smile. “Not on the first date, remember?”

“Of course.” He nods. “Sticking to your principles – I respect that. Well, can I call you a cab?”

“Oh, actually, I’m gonna walk. I live just in that building over there…” You point up to an apartment building about halfway up the next block.

“I could walk you across the street?” He cringes as he realizes maybe he’s coming on too heavy-handed. “I’m sorry, I promise I can take a hint-”

“No.” You cut across abruptly. “I mean, walking me home would be nice.”

You cross the road in silence, both wrapped up in your own thoughts. You wish you lived slightly further away so you’d have longer to work out what to say, how to end the night.

“So…” Leon begins the other side of the road, the entrance to your apartment block just ahead. He’s trying to keep calm and collected, but there’s just something about you that has made his heart race, his palms sweaty. Don’t fuck this up, Kennedy. “I had a really lovely evening.”

“Me too.” You smile back – and you mean it – but you can’t help but brace yourself. Is this the part where he says, yeah, he had a nice time, but he’d rather not do it again? It seems all too good to be true. He’s the same as he was on the phone, messages and photos.

“Great…” You take a deep breath at his pause, unconsciously clenching your fists, “..cos I was wondering how you felt about a second date?”

“You’re really desperate to get me on that motorcycle, huh?” You tease, instantly relaxing. “But, seriously, I’d like that, to see you again.”

“Is tomorrow too soon?”

“That depends what you have in mind.” You stop, suddenly – the apartment foyer to your left. “This is me.”

“Well, we’ve done dinner, shall we work backwards and have lunch next?”

You take a step closer. “And then breakfast?”

“Fourth could be a midnight feast?” He steps forward too, misjudging the distance and something hard brushes against your stomach. Leon’s eyes widen in alarm. “Oh, wait, I…” He dips his hand into his trouser pocket and pulls out a travel-sized bottle of shampoo with a sheepish smile. “I meant to give you this at the end of dinner – my beauty secret.”

You yank him forward by his jacket collar and kiss him before you can even think properly about what you’re doing. You step up onto your tip toes to deepen the kiss, a hand bracing yourself against his chest for a moment before you mean to step back, maybe even apologise for pouncing on the man, but Leon’s arms wrap around your waist, holding you in place, kissing you back incessantly before you both have to retreat for breath.

“Well, if I knew the shampoo would get that reaction I would’ve started the night off with it.” He murmurs, pulling away and resting his forehead against yours. “I gotta ask though - you’ll kiss on the first date, but not ride a motorcycle?”

You shrug, half-heartedly. “One’s more dangerous than the other.”

He kisses you once more, softly, ending with a teasing nibble on your lip.

“Oh, we’ll see about that, sweetheart.” -- Masterlist . 1,000 followers event

[melzula]

Smoke and Shadow

part two

pairing: Zuko x Princess!reader

notes: final part is here! hope you guys enjoy and thank you for being patient as always

summary: the group is one step closer to finding the missing children and Azula, but that doesn’t mean all of their problems will be solved

~ part of the fire lilies series ~

“We decided to do some investigating after Zuko kicked Aang out of the throne room,” Suki explains to you as your trio runs after the Avatar and Fire Lord. “We wanted to see if there were any clues left behind from Kiyi’s kidnapping or Azula’s Kemurikage attack on the palace last night.”

“And even though we couldn’t find anything, I realized there was something fishy about the way she was able to escape so quickly!” Ty Lee adds with a keen smile. “When we used to play hide-and-seek as kids, she’d always manage to win by hiding in this secret passage way tucked into the palace walls. It must be how the Kemurikage were able to escape so quickly.”

“Good thinking, Ty Lee. Although, I still can’t believe she kidnapped her own sister,” you note with a disgruntled shake of your head. “That’s low even for her.”

“This is Azula we’re talking about,” Suki reminds you, and that in itself is enough of an explanation for her behavior.

You finally skid to a stop after reaching the palace rooftops where Aang and Zuko land. The Avatar carelessly drops your boyfriend on the tile, and you wince on his behalf before offering Zuko your hand to help him back up onto his feet.

“Did you have fun?” You ask with a teasing smile only for the Fire Lord to scowl.

“Don’t ever do that again!” He scolds Aang whilst dusting off his robes.

“Okay, okay, but look!” the boy insists before pressing down on a loose brick that opens up a hidden doorway.

“A secret passageway! So you think this is how Azula and the other Kemurikage escape? How did you figure this out?”

“They searched for clues after you kicked them out of the throne room,” you tell him with a pointed look that has him shrinking guiltily under your gaze. “I think you owe Aang an apology.”

“You’re right,” he murmurs sheepishly. “I’m sorry, I should have been more open to your ideas.”

“Apology accepted!” Aang chirps happily. “Now what’s our next move?”

“Well… Kiyi could be on the other side.”

“Tom-Tom, too. I’m coming along,” Mai interjects firmly, seemingly forgetting Kei Lo’s presence until he corrects her statement with a “We’re coming along.”

Zuko instructs Suki and Ty Lee to stay back and guard the palace, so you bid your friends goodbye before beginning your descent into the narrow passageway. The hallway is cold and claustrophobic, but Aang and Zuko lead the way with their fire bending, cautioning you to watch your step behind them.

You’re quiet for the most part, mulling over your thoughts and insecurities now that you’re given a moment’s silence to think. You’re still feeling a bit insecure about walking in on him with Mai and about his animosity towards Kei Lo, but you haven’t had the chance to talk to him yet. The long distance has been hard on your relationship, and sometimes it’s hard to keep consistent communication when both of you have duties to tend to and entire nations to run, but you never thought it would be a problem. Now, you’re not so sure.

You recall what Azula had told you during your time in the Forgetful Valley, how you and Zuko were an “unnatural” pair that would never work. You hate to admit it or even think it, but what if she’s right? What if you’re just kidding yourself? Maybe Mai really has been the right girl for him all along. After all, she is Fire Nation, and she certainly is more qualified to be dating the Fire Lord than you are. You wish Suki were here to talk to, surely she’d know just what to say and could stop you from spiraling like you are now, but without her it seems it’s just you and your thoughts for now.

“Hey, I didn’t get to introduce myself earlier,” a voice says, pulling you out of your thoughts. “I’m Kei Lo, Mai’s boyfriend.”

“Yes, I’m sorry, everything’s just been so chaotic. I’m y/n, Zuko’s girlfriend.”

“That’s right, Mai told me. Say, aren’t you a Chief? Should I be calling you Chief y/n instead?”

“Just y/n is perfectly fine,” you correct him with an awkward laugh. Unbeknownst to you, Zuko is listening in on every word. He doesn’t trust Kei Lo, not one bit, and he doesn’t want him roping you into any trouble. He doesn’t care if he really isn’t in cahoots with the Safe Nation Society, if Kei Lo so much as looks at you in a way Zuko doesn’t like he’ll be tossed into a cell immediately.

“So how’s a Chief of a water tribe end up dating the Fire Lord?” He asks with a laugh.

“It’s a very long story.”

“Please spare me the details,” Mai says with a roll of her eyes.

“Yeah, it may not be the best time for that story,” you note with an apprehensive smile.

“You’re probably right. Still, it’s a pretty awkward situation we’ve all found ourselves in.”

“You can say that again.”

After some time group is finally able to reach the end of the passageway, and the only thing standing in your way from the other side is a solid wooden door.

“This must be it,” Zuko announces hopefully. “Behind this door could be Kiyi and Tom-Tom.”

“And Azula,” Aang adds apprehensively before helping the Fire Lord push the heavy wood open. The creak of the old hinges is deafening, echoing in the silent hallway, and you watch with bated breath as the light from the other side slowly begins to seep in. Carefully, you follow the two out the door only to be met with a disappointing site.

There are no missing children and there is no Azula. Instead, you’re faced with a gloomy and desolate graveyard.

“What is this place?” You murmur in awe, your eyes scanning across the expanse of withered headstones. You’ve never seen anything like it.

“I’ve been here before,” Zuko notes thoughtfully, “this is the royal family graveyard.”

“I thought that’s what the Dragonstone catacombs were for,” Aang questions with furrowed brows.

“No, the catacombs are only for Fire Lords. This place is for everyone else. It’s called the Garden of Tranquil Souls.”

“Really? Well, I hate to break it to you, Zuko, but…” the Avatar begins uneasily, and you follow his shifting gaze towards the clouds of smoke that begin to surround the graveyard. Taking a step back, you reach to unclip your water pouch as the dark figures begin to close in on your group. “The souls here don’t seem all that tranquil!”

The group of Kemurikage don’t hesitate to attack, and immediately your group is split apart as you all begin to defend yourselves against their assault. Blasts of fire are shot your way left and right, but you’re able to deflect it every time with your water bending. You manage to take down two of the spirits by encasing them up to their necks in ice, but your progress only seems to make a dent in their ambush. Zuko and Aang are still corned back to back, and Azula has managed to single out Mai and Kei Lo. She holds the boy by the collar of his shirt, eyes full of malice and hand ready to strike him with her blue flames despite Mai’s pleas for her to leave her boyfriend alone.

Before she can harm him, you send a blast of water towards her with an effortful grunt that shoots her across the graveyard and into one of the pillars. The impact is forceful enough to put a crack in the tombstone and disorient Azula momentarily to allow Kei Lo and Mai the chance to escape.

“Are you alright?” You ask him after rushing towards the couple. Mai helps him to his feet before looking to you, her eyes full of gratitude and sincerity.

“Thank you,” she says earnestly, and you give her an appreciative nod in return.

Rising from the ground with a grunt of pain, Azula is filled with rage at your assault on her. How dare you think you can beat her at her own game?

“Helping out your competition? That’s pathetic even for you, dearest,” she insults, irises aflame with fury. “Perhaps you and Zuko are more compatible than I thought.”

“What’s pathetic is the fact that you’re still obsessed with becoming Fire Lord,” you spit back, water cloaking your arms to form tentacle-like limbs for attack.

“Oh, I’m much past that now. I have a new mission,” she notes airily with a passive wave of her hand. Her eyes harden suddenly then and electricity begins to spread across her fingertips. “One that simply won’t work with you in the picture.”

Before she can raise her hands to strike you with her lightening blast, Zuko is quick to send a hail of flames her way to distract her. “Leave her out of this! It’s me you want!”

“Oh, Zuzu, always so dramatic,” she mocks before creating a cloud of smoke to cover her as she runs away.

“You have to go after her!” You exclaim urgently. “I’ll stay back and help Aang handle the rest of the Kemurikage.”

After ensuring you’ll be fine without him, Zuko gives you one final nod before chasing after his sister. You, on the other hand, rush back towards Aang to see if he needs any help. However, it seems he’s been able to manage the assailants just fine on his own.

“Princess! Where’d everybody go?” He asks, perplexed at the sudden disappearance of your group.

“Zuko went after Azula. I’m not sure where Mai and Kei Lo are,” you note as you scan the garden for any sign of them. “What do we do now? We still haven’t found the missing children.”

As if on cue, a shrill voice coming from the passageway calls out for help. You exchange an alarmed glance with Aang before immediately sprinting back into the doorway. A breath of relief leaves you at the sight of Mai’s father with the children in tow, but your ease is short lived at the sight of the two Kemurikage that hold them captive.

“Look!” One of the kids exclaims. “It’s the Avatar and Chief y/n!”

“Hi kids, we’ve been looking all over for you!” Aang says with an overjoyed wave.

“Are you guys alright?!” You call out protectively. “Is anyone hurt?”

“We’re great!” Kiyi calls back prompting you to let out a relieved laugh. You’re so happy to see her and see that she’s okay, but your joyous reunion is quickly cut short by the two spirits who begin to approach the two of you with whips of fire.

“Hang on, kids!” You tell them before beginning to take on the Kemurikage. There’s two of them, so you and Aang each take on one. They’re powerful fighters, but the safety of the children is on the line, so you use all of your might to fight them off as best as you can.

You counter their whip with one of your own, slicing through their weapon each time before it can strike you. While one of your hands controls the water whip, the other sends constant shards of ice hurtling toward the cloaked woman. You can tell she’s beginning to tire, your attacks too much for her to keep up with, but you’re too focused to notice the second figure approaching closely behind you. The Kemurikage’s whip is raised to strike you in the back, but their attack is halted by the blade that slices through the air and pins their hand against the wall.

“What-!” You exhale in surprise, turning just in time to see Mai swoop in and finish the job. The last two spirits have been apprehended, and you’ve been spared a wound that surely could have been fatal.

“Someone had to watch your back,” Mai explains with a faint smile. “You had ours.”

“Thank you,” you utter with a breathless grin. It feels nice to not hate each other for once, and you actually seem to work quite well together.

“Y/n! Y/n!” A voice calls, stealing your attention away from the girl and back to the children. Kiyi sprints towards you with a gleeful smile, and you’re quick to scoop her up into your arms and give her the tightest hug. “You came back!”

“I promised, didn’t I?” You say with a playful smile, carefully pushing back the hair from her face. “I’m so relieved to see you’re okay, and I know Zuko will be too.”

“Guess what? I’m a fire bender now!” She boasts proudly. “I burned a hole through the door so we could escape!”

“That’s incredible!” You praise with a laugh. “Wait until your brother hears this.”

Across the way, Mai cradles her little brother in her arms and watches you speak animatedly with Zuko’s sister. Your interest in Kiyi’s story is completely genuine, and she can see just how much the girl values your opinion. It’s so different from the way Azula used to talk about you, speaking poorly of your character and diminishing you to nothing but a weak Princess. Maybe Mai had judged you too harshly. After all, she might not have been able to get her brother back without your help.

“Thank you again for your help,” she tells you after setting Tom-Tom down to allow him to bid his goodbyes to his new friends. “I was wrong about you, and I shouldn’t have let my resentment cloud my judgement the way I did. I guess I really don’t hate you as much as I thought I did.”

“I appreciate you saying that,” you express with a careful smile. Perhaps things will always be awkward between the two of you, but this is at least a good start.

After making sure all of the children are accounted for, your group exits the passageway just as Zuko emerges from one of the mausoleums. Kiyi is quick to sprint towards her brother, and you watch on with a smile at the way his eyes seem to light up while hugging her close.

“Kiyi! I can’t tell you how worried I was about you.”

“I wasn’t worried at all!” She notes with a grateful smile. “You should’ve seen it, Zuzu! Y/n helped the Avatar take those nasty ladies down!”

“She did, did she?” He asks playfully, glancing over to you with a grateful smile. You simply give him a sheepish shrug in return. “I’ll have to be sure to give her my thanks.”

“And Azula?” You ask him, but his solemn gaze is enough of an answer. “She said she had a new mission, did she tell you what it was?”

“She wasn’t interested in becoming Fire Lord, she was interested in turning me into the type of Fire Lord she would be. The type that rules with fear, ruthlessness. Just like my father. Azula says I can’t escape who I am, and it will only be a matter of time before I’m just like her.”

“You don’t believe that, do you? You’re nothing like Azula,” you say earnestly. “You never will be.”

“I know,” Zuko murmurs softly, but you can see the slightest bit of doubt in his eyes and it saddens to you to know he doesn’t fully believe it to be true. “But either way she escaped. I don’t know where she is or when she’ll return.”

“We’ll be there to help you if she does come back, buddy,” Aang consoles with a comforting hand on the Fire Lord’s shoulder. “For now, let’s just focus on returning these kids back to their families.”

“Good point, Aang. Now,” you say, looking to the children who stare up at you with tired eyes that immediately brighten when you ask, “who’s ready to go home?”

~~~

Peace has been restored in the Fire Nation; the children have been returned safely to their parents, and Zuko has earned the forgiveness of his people for his mishandling of the situation. Everything is almost perfect.

You lean against the balcony of your room for the night and stare up contemplatively at the moon. Yue shines beautifully as always, and you find comfort in her light as you battle against the darkness clouding your thoughts. Your doubts about your relationship still rage on, and you haven’t been able to fight them off no matter how hard you try. You haven’t mentioned anything to Zuko, not wanting to distract him from his duty to his people, but the suffering in silence act you’ve been pulling all day hasn’t been helping your state of mind. Suki had urged you to talk to him, stating you had nothing to worry about because she’s seen firsthand how much he misses you when you’re away, but you were too anxious to follow through. What if you won’t like what you hear when you finally speak to Zuko?

You’re too engrossed in your thoughts to hear your door open or the quiet footsteps that head towards you, and it isn’t until he’s right beside you that you finally feel the familiar warmth that constantly emanates from his body. You don’t have to look to know that it’s Zuko.

“Suki said I should come to talk to you,” he says softly, golden eyes looking to you inquisitively. “Is everything alright?”

“I… I’m not sure,” you admit quietly, nervously fidgeting with your fingers and refusing to meet his gaze.

“What is it?”

His hand sneaks its way in between your own to halt your fidgeting and reassure that he’s right there with you and ready to listen to whatever it is you have to say. Sighing, you finally look to him with uncertainty swimming in your eyes.

“Do you have feelings for Mai?”

He’s stunned to stay the least, eyes widening slightly in surprise at your question. It’s certainly the last thing he expected you to ask him.

“Is this what you were trying to talk to me about earlier?” He presses gently, frowning at the way you slowly nod your head. “I see…”

“Just be honest with me, Zuko,” you plead desperately. “We promised we’d never keep secret from each other anymore, so if there’s something to tell then tell me. I can handle it.”

“I can’t stand here and tell you that it didn’t look bad when you walked in on Mai and I,” Zuko admits with a sigh. “But I can tell you that nothing was going on.”

“I heard you say you care about her.”

“It was out of context. I was trying to make things right for the sake of finding the children- she was obviously still upset over what went down between us, and I was trying to keep the peace so that we could work together to find our siblings. I’ve known her since we were kids, and if it weren’t for her I never would have been able to escape Boiling Rock and come back to you. So in a way I guess I do care for her, but it’s nothing compared to how much I care for you.”

“What about your animosity towards Kei Lo? You seemed… jealous of him.”

“I wasn’t jealous, I just didn’t trust him. I still don’t,” Zuko says adamantly. “I wasn’t exactly thrilled about having to release him because I didn’t want him to try and pull anything. I didn’t want Mai getting hurt, and I especially didn’t want him putting you in any danger.”

“So… so you don’t have feelings for her?” You ask meekly, the slightest bit of doubt still present in your voice.

“I’ve never had feelings for her,” Zuko says earnestly before gently taking your hands in his own. “You’re the only girl for me, y/n. I was stupid enough to let you go once, but I’m never making that mistake again.”

You can’t help but smile at his admission, tears beginning to well in your eyes as you throw your arms around him in a tight embrace that he immediately returns. It feels like a weight has finally been lifted off your shoulders, and all the worry and self doubt you had is finally beginning to melt away.

“I never want you to feel doubtful or insecure about our relationship ever again. I’m going to do everything in my power to do better,” he professes earnestly. “I love you more than you know, and you don’t ever have to worry about someone coming between us again.”

“I love you, Zuko.”

He pulls you in for a kiss, and with the moonlight shining down upon you both, everything is almost perfect.

For neither of you notice the pair of golden eyes that stare down at you from the rooftops with disdain and disgust before disappearing into the shadows.

“Pathetic.”

| atla tags: @sirkekselord @niktwazny303

| zuko tags: @thebluelcdy @royahllty @the-firebender-girl @ilovespideyyy @yiyibetch @eridanuswave @lammello @a-monsters-love @knaite-solo @taeeemin

| fire lilies tags: @emberislandplayers @kikaninchen-2 @music-geek19 @thia-aep @thyunnamed @haylaansmi @nataliahaslosthershit @idkdude776 @aangsupremacy @thirstyforsometea @ihaveaproblem98 @brown-eyed-thang @xapham @misnmatchedsox @chewymoustachio @that-bucket-hat-gal @chilifrylizard2 @kyomihann @kaylove12 @kiwihoee @freggietale @moon-spirit-yue @bubblegum-bee-otch

[clockwayswrites]

I didn't write Danny meeting more Bats.

wc: 813, Masterpost

“No,” Jason growled.

Tim threw his hands up in the air. “You don’t even know why we’re here!”

“Whatever it is can’t be good.” Jason stalked forward until he was toe to toe with Tim. The red helmet was angled down in a way that made it look like it was glaring. Cass loved how expressive Jason could be with it. “I didn’t invite you into my territory. Go home.”

Arms crossed, Tim jutted his chin up defiantly. “We’re not vampires, we don’t need an invite.”

“Boys, boys! You’re both pretty!” Steph said as she tried push herself between them before a fight started.

Tim sputtered and rocked back slightly from Steph’s efforts to separate them. “Pretty?”

“What? You’re a hundred p pretty and Red Hood’s got them thighs,” Steph defended herself. “Shut up, I’m only human, I’m allowed to look!”

Cass laughed silently as Jason’s shoulders slumped in weary defeat. Steph’s shoulder was really digging into him now as she tried unsuccessfully to get either of the boys to move.

“What the fuck do you three want?”

“Danny,” Cass chirped.

“What?”

“Danny,” Cass repeated.

“Okay, yeah,” Jason scoffed, “so repeating what I said at the start of all this, no.”

Cass would have pouted if she wasn’t wearing her mask; pouting usually worked on Jason. She would have to try using her words instead. “You like Red more than me?”

“Him?” Jason asked, incredulously, as he motioned around Steph to Tim.

“Hey!” Tim snapped and finally took a step back. He could pout.

“What? Fuck,” Jason cussed. “No, I mean. It’s her, I don’t like any sibling more than her. Don’t look at me like that, she’s your favorite too!”

Tim sighed, though he was still pouting a little. “Of course she is. She’s everyone’s favorite. Except maybe the brat, I mean, but does he really count?”

“No,” Cass said serenely. Besides, she would win Damian over yet. He just didn’t understand it was alright to care that way for people and show it yet.

“See all good here. So I’m going to—”

“Red met Danny. If I am your favorite I should too.”

Jason just stared at her. His eyes may have been unreadable, but she could tell the moment she had won by how his body shifted. “I hate you.”

“You love me,” she said confidently.

“So much hate,” Jason grumbled before turning his back to them and leaping over to the next building.

The rest of them followed loyally along as Jason lead them through Crime Alley and to a dinner.”

“Jenny,” he rasped as they entered.

“Hood,” she said back and nodded with her head. “You boy is in the back. You might want to see if you can get him to lay off on the coffee.”

Jason gave a sigh at that, Jenny didn’t react at all to the way the helmet made the noise threatening or the rest of them following after Red Hood to the back booth where a mop of black hair was bowed down over the table covered in books, paper, and a battered laptop that glowed faintly grew under the keys.

“Danny,” Jason said, motioning to the guy in the booth.

He didn’t look much like Tim had described him, dressed in a light, long sleeve shirt over a tank top.

“Hum?”

“Guests,” Jason said and settled into the booth. He ran his hand through Danny’s hair and the other just leaned into the motion with a pleased nice.

“Guests?” Danny asked, finally looking up. “Oh, Bats! Hi.”

Cass waved back.

“Red you’ve met. Spoiler, don’t trust her, and Black Bat,” Jason said. “They wanted to meet you.”

Danny gave them a smile from over the lip of his coffee cup. “Little ‘ol me?”

Jason snorted and reached to take the coffee away. “Don’t act innocent.”

“My coffee…”

“Jenny tattled on you. I’ll get you a milk shake instead. When did you eat?”

‘See?’ Tim mouthed at Steph and Cass.

“I ate! I ate lunch when I got here.”

“Danny, it’s dark out,” Jason said, sounded so worn down.

“I’ve been studying?” Danny said, innocently, and made another grab for his coffee.

Jason just scoffed and handed Tim the coffee as he got back out of the booth. “Drink this before he can and sit down. I’m getting menus.”

“Sweet, I’m going to get waffles!” Steph said as she slid into the booth. Cass nudged Tim to slide in after her.

Danny eyed the coffee cup. “If I promise to drink it before he can see will you give me that back?”

“Oh my god, there are two of you,” Steph grumbled. She grabbed the cup out of Tim’s hand and chugged it. “There, solved.”

“Hood is right, I shouldn’t trust you,” Danny said with a pout.

It was a very good pout. Cass bet it got Danny his way a lot.

---

AN: This could/should have been longer but I wanted to get you all something this week and it is A) hell week and B) I am not doing Great™️(almost fell down last time I got up, which wasn't great as I was above the basement stairs but hey, we're ooooookay). Anyways, enjoy some Cass POV and more Bats meeting Danny!

I no longer tag, you can subscribe to the masterpost!

[goldengleams]

game winner | ethan edwards

In which Ethan scores the game winner and wants to celebrate with you.

Based on this request: hi!!! how about something fluffy for ethan edwards? maybe like he’s being clingy after a game and the guys are making fun of you both

____________________________________________

hi!!! how about something fluffy for ethan edwards? maybe like he’s being clingy after a game and the guys are making fun of you both

The Michigan hockey team had won yet another game, this one being a thriller with a shootout. You had watched from the stands at Yost with all of your friends while cheering on the boys.

When Ethan had scored the winning goal, the whole arena had erupted in excited cheers. Even from the stands, you could see his big smile as his teammates crowded around him.

“That’s your boy!” Your best friend yelled next to you, shaking your arm. You laughed as she jumped up and down.

After dating Ethan for a while, you knew how talented he was, never doubting his athletic ability. Even though hockey was a world you weren’t familiar with, Ethan made sure to always include you with his friends and even tried to teach you how to skate. His friends quickly became your friends, too, and soon enough, you felt like a part of the group. You were closest with Mark and Luca since you had been in a class with each of them, but Ethan’s other teammates still cared about you just as much.

“I’m gonna wait for E to come out with the guys,” you called to her over the crowd. Your best friend was putting on her coat and already making plans to go out which you had declined in favor of seeing Ethan.

“Okay, Y/N! You going back to Ethan’s?” She asked.

You nodded, laughing to yourself about another night of cuddling in already too-small bed. While you always let out a few weak complaints, you never truly meant them. Cuddling with Ethan, especially when you could get the room to yourselves, was always a fun time.

You gave your best friend a hug and she climbed up the steps. You went the other way, knowing where to meet the guys after they went to the locker room and got ready to leave.

Absentmindedly, you scrolled through TikTok. There were already highlights of the game circulating with Ethan’s winning goal as the most exciting moment of the game. You smiled as you read the comments praising Ethan and the rest of the hockey team.

A few minutes later, you heard the door opening and saw Luca and Adam walking out. Both stopped to give you a hug, but Adam quickly said goodbye so he could meet up with his girlfriend.

Luca opted to stay with you, chatting about the game and the upcoming test in your class.

“You guys played awesome tonight,” you said, and Luca thanked you. Ethan was definitely the star of the night, but you knew that the other boys were still just as important.

“Ethan should be out soon, once he’s done soaking up the praise,” Luca teased. Luca had introduced you to Ethan when you were working on a group project last semester and you two had been inseparable ever since.

“I just texted him that you’re out here, he’ll come running out when he knows his shadow is waiting,” Luca said. You quickly smacked his chest in response and he let out a meek groan.

“I learned how to chirp from Ethan, so watch it, Luca,” you laughed. You both knew Ethan liked to soak in the post-game atmosphere, especially after a close win.

After a few minutes, you heard the door open again and watched a steady stream of boys walk out. You couldn’t see Ethan at first, but then you heard that familiar laugh and saw his hair flowing as his head was thrown back. Just the sight of him made you weak in the knees, and you couldn’t help but feel the adrenaline rushing through you.

You pushed away from the wall where you were leaning and stood up straight, practically bouncing on your toes with excitement.

You were about to call Ethan’s name when he looked up and you locked eyes. He rushed over to give you a hug. Ethan was squeezing you hard but it didn’t matter, it felt like you two were the only ones in the world.

“I’m so proud of you, Ethan,” you mumbled into his chest. He pulled away from you and planted a kiss on your lips, hand finding the back of your neck to guide you to him.

“That’s all I need to hear,” he muttered against your lips. You were aware that the two of you were standing right in the middle of the hallway with Ethan’s bag blocking more space, but you really couldn’t care less. Ethan and you were pretty affectionate in public and the guys were used to it.

It never stopped the teasing, though.

“Oh my god, I’m literally about to witness the creation of a child,” you heard from a familiar voice. Rutger made a gagging noise which set the whole group off into laughter.

“Let them live, Rutger,” you heard Nolan say.

“I’d like to live without seeing my two friends stick their tongues down each other’s throats,” he called back.

“I second that!” Mark said as he started to walk past the two of you.

You pulled away once he said that, realizing that you were getting a little too comfortable in the locker room hallway. Ethan whined at your movement, pulling you into another hug.

“Come over to my room?” Ethan asked.

“I was already planning on it,” you answered, smiling up at Ethan’s face.

“You guys are gross,” Rutger said in a sing-song voice.

“This is why you’re single and I have the best girlfriend ever, Rut,” Ethan said shamelessly. You hid your face to suppress your laugh but you heard the other boys laughing and agreeing anyways.

You wiggled out of Ethan’s grasp to give a few of the other boys a hug. Dylan was the last to walk past the two of you, offering you both a smirk.

“Uh oh, Y/N, Eddy’s clingy tonight,” Dylan joked. “Looks like you have a whiny winner on your hands.”

“I think I can manage,” you said.

“I’d like him returned to us by Sunday at midnight, no later or you’ll both be grounded,” Dylan said and you both laughed.

“You have my word, Mr. Duke,” you promised. Once Dylan left, it was only you and Ethan left in the hallway. He looked like a tired puppy with his hair falling in front of his eyes.

“You played awesome, babe,” you whispered. “Can’t believe I’m dating the best player on the team.”

Ethan gave you a big smile and said thank you. He was always so humble about his accomplishments that you made sure you gave him praise as much as you could.

“Ready to head out?” You asked.

“And ready to cuddle and watch a movie and eat some good snacks,” he said as he grabbed his bag to start walking. He kept rambling about what movie to watch as you walked out of the arena. Ethan was a big softie who just loved to spend quality time together, which you adored.

“But I’m most excited just to be with you, Y/N,” Ethan said, making you weak in the knees yet again. You took his hand and followed him out, feeling like the luckiest girl ever.

____________________________________________

I finally wrote something after surviving midterm week at college!! I'm on break now so hopefully more will be coming :)) enjoy!

[woso-fan13]

Whumptober 2023: 14 (USWNT)

No. 14: “Feed me poison, fill me ‘till I drown.”

Flare | Water Inhalation | “Just hold on.”

“Oh, Kelley!” you chirp enthusiastically, “do you remember what day it is today?”

She doesn’t respond, raising her eyebrows at you while fighting off a smile. 

“I certainly do, today’s the day that you promised to teach me how to surf!”

“I don’t remember promising you that,” Kelley teases, “are you sure you didn’t make it up?”

You huff, not amused. Kelley, on the other hand, can’t control her laughter. Last month, you found out that this camp was being held near a beach. You had instantly begged Kelley to teach you how to surf. She agreed quickly, excited to have a new person to surf with. 

“Yeah, yeah, I remember. Go get your stuff kid, we’ll leave soon.”

“I have it,” you insist, showing Kelley your bag, “I brought it to breakfast, just so I was ready.”

“Give me ten minutes and I’ll be ready,” Kelley says. 

She walks towards the elevator, planning on going upstairs to her room to get ready. What she wasn’t expecting was for you to follow her. Like an excitable lost puppy, you follow the older woman, bouncing on your heels. 

Soon enough, she’s ready to go. You managed to convince some of your other teammates to come to the beach with you. Everyone loaded into a few rental cars and you were headed off. 

—-

Once at the beach, you throw your stuff down on your towel and look between Kelley and the water. She got your hint, leading you to pick up your rental surfboard before getting in the water. 

When you were waist deep, Kelley hopped up to sit on her board. Trying to copy her, you end up underwater. After a disorienting few seconds, you pop your head up excitedly. 

“I’m okay!”

The next hour is filled with Kelley walking you through the basics of surfing. You even managed to sit on your board without tipping into the water- a major win on your part. When you feel like you understand the basics, Kelley gives the okay to head deeper. 

The two of you paddle out, Kelley laughing at the serious expression on your face. You were focused in. 

You manage to catch a few waves, Kelley staying back to cheer you on. Each time, you would just manage to stand up before tumbling into the water. Each time, you would pop back up, insisting that you were fine. 

On what Kelley had decided would be the last run of the day, you get overconfident. You pick a medium sized wave- something that would be no problem for an experienced surfer but was likely a little too advanced for you. Despite that, you managed to catch the wave and get to your feet. You whip your head back and forth, trying to ensure that all of your teammates see you. 

All of your teammates did see you. They saw as you stopped paying attention to your surroundings and were knocked into the water. They all wait, thinking you’d pop up soon, laughing wildly. 

You didn’t. After a few seconds, Kelley starts lazily paddling over, expecting to meet you as you come up to head back in. By the time she made it halfway, there was still no sign of you. She quickens her pace, reaching your board not long after. 

Reaching into the water, she grabs the cord for the ankle strap. Tugging on it, she manages to pull it high enough to grab the ankle that was connected to it. With a firm grip on your ankle, she ungraciously pulls you out of the water and flops you over the front of her board. 

There, you lay, panting. You cough, sea water coming out of your lungs as you work to replace it with oxygen. Kelley waits patiently, one hand keeping you on the board while her other pats your back in a feeble attempt to help you rid your lungs of the salty water. 

Finally, you manage to take a full breath in. With that air, you say,

“I’m fine.”

With a groan, Kelley jokingly moves to push you back into the water. You latch onto her, eyes wide in panic. On the shore, you could hear your teammates yelling at Kelley. 

“You’re in trouble,” you singsong, keeping a hold of Kelley while falling back into the ocean. The two of you break the surface as a tangled mess of limbs, your shrieking laughter being cut off as you go under.  

[silky-nereid]

— jealousy is not a pretty look on you

Yanderes being jealous

Crumbled King / His majesty Casimir Dragomir

Yandere!Crumbled king who notices you getting too comfortable with the local vegetable stall and he will secretly do anything to make the vegetable stall owner not reputable to you.

Yandere!Crumbled king who smiles when he finds a rotten vegetables in the bag and purposely puts them in the front of the bag.

Yandere!Crumbled king who purposely makes himself sick after eating the meals, only for you to rush over to him and desperately try to help him.

“He..I’m sorry,” you apologized. “I didn’t notice. I’m sorry, your majesty.”

You pulling his hair back while hearing the him seemingly throw up the remaining food into the bucket. Your hand rubbed his trembling back; perhaps he overdid it.

His hazel eyes flickered over to you and your hands gripped the handkerchief, wiping away the remaining saliva and food from his lips. The cold rings on his bony hands gripped your shoulder before tightening.

You left for a moment to get the pitcher of fresh water to help him get rehydrated and replacing the bucket with a empty flower pot. You helped him drink and covering your nose, dumping out the contents of the bucket in the dirt patch in the backyard.

“I’ll figure something out,” you mumbled.

You removed the pot from him and immediately replaced it with the bucket. You poured out the contents and stopped, bones ached. Standing in the hallway that pointed to the small dining room to where he was, you looked down then to the window that shown the greenery that you occasionally stepped onto before entering this place.

You couldn’t quit besides if anyone found him; former king and stain on the royal family. He would end up tossed away in an unmarked grave and it would be your fault for it.

“I will try to plant some vegetables for us.” You sighed, walking into the dining room and sitting down next to him.

Caretaker / Ellison Sawyer

Yandere! Caretaker who continues to treat your injuries and reassures you that nothing bad will happen to you but often has to hide you whenever anyone comes into the farmhouse.

Yandere! Caretaker who notices you clinging to the remaining shirt that was accidentally left behind by their friend and notices you stubbornly refuses to give up the shirt.

Yandere! Caretaker who manages to get the shirt to wash it to return it to their friend. They took off the fur/feathers that somehow stuck on the shirt and was surprised that it wasn’t torn.

“I’m returning this to them, okay.” They held up the shirt and away from you. “No, stay there.”

Your pupils dilated, staring up at the shirt and a light purr/chirp escaped your mouth. Your limbs stretched out, rolled on your back while you sprawled on the tiny couch, then you went to them; still desperately trying to get back the shirt.

They lost. Your face was buried in the shirt that somehow still held remnants of their friend’s scent, limbs curled up on the tiny couch.

“Come on.” They waved around food in front of you. “I know how much you like this.”

Your dilated eyes looked up at the food and dug in the food which they managed to swipe away the shirt to wash it again despite being covered with fur/feathers in such a short time. Soon, they would look down while putting the shirt back in the washing machine and return back to the living room and wipe away the remains from your mouth.

Race car driver / Richard Temples

Yandere! Race car driver who begrudgingly takes you to your therapy appointments and doesn’t enjoy how the therapist’s eyes are constantly on you when you do specific movements.

Yandere! Race car driver who watches you on the empty track, desperately trying to work on your skills on relearning how exquisite you were before the accident that pushed you into a long awaited recovery.

Yandere! Race car driver who watches old race videos where you win the competitions and sees the joy in your eyes. He sees how much the accident took from you and occasionally heard the phone calls that rang through the empty halls that once held extravagant after parties.

Your hand trembling, grabbing the mug and putting it on the counter before using your better hand to grab the mug, drinking the contents.

“You don’t need to be here every single day,” you said. “Don’t you have something better to do?”

“Practicing done for the day,” he said. “Just had to see you again. Do you still have to go to that?”

You looked at him before sitting down on the wooden chair, putting the mug down on the table.

“You mean my therapy?” You replied. “From the accident that you caused. Yes, I still have to go to that to help my recovery.”

You looked at him again, still wearing the racing suit covered in vibrant colors due to the amount of sponsors, helmet plastered with the same amount of vibrant sponsors on it. You gritted your teeth while getting up and grabbing the countertop for stability.

“Why are you even here?” You asked. “Don’t say that you want to learn from me.”

“But,”he said, “I didn’t want it to get that bad, you need to understand. It was a mistake.”

“Then, why didn’t you tell my crew chief?” You questioned. “Why—get out, just get out.”

Cult leader / Charis

Yandere! Cult leader who helps you with your appearance the day after finishing your cleansing ritual since you must’ve been too exhausted to dress yourself.

Yandere! Cult leader who makes you stay awake during the sermon and has you stay after to give you daily reassurance that you’re still magnificent and has assigned simple jobs for you.

Yandere! Cult leader who notices the wandering gaze of a fellow member on you, their eyes shouldn’t be looking at you with such deviance. He kept you close to him for the remainder of the time you were sent to work on the simple tasks.

His hands pulled you closer to him, he smiles and kissed your temple in the same spot.

“Such deviance cannot be tolerated.” He looked down at you. “I know that it is not your fault but they need to be dealt with.”

“Can you perform the cleansing on them?” You looked at him. “It helped me and it must help them, right?”

“My heart,” he said, ” I cannot perform it on them. I only manage to save you in the mere seconds before you almost were fully tainted but they’re far too gone, mind wrapped in deviant intent. The only option is to remind them.”

Dinner was pushed further back than usual but you still managed to sneak in small pastries to eat them to hush your aching stomach that was still recovering. You sat in the front row of the chapel, your hands still trembling seeing him as your eyes focused on him who bound them with rope; face was somewhat recognizable and blouse was drenched in dried and fresh blood.

“Don’t be afraid.” He smiled, holding the hot poker. “Wicked, blasphemous eyes such as yours must be exterminated.”

Noble friend / Evangeline Abel

Yandere! Noble friend who always has her hands on you such as on your waist, shoulder or just simple hand-holding or elbows interwoven with each other.

Yandere! Noble friend who still has to dress in her mourning dresses and she noticed a fellow noble asking you to dance despite you starting to wear color after finishing your mourning period. She still pretends to be saddened by the loss of her late spouse but feels a boiling rage in her because she should be the one asking you to dance, not them.

Yandere! Noble friend who holds you close to her while you wear somewhat soft colors despite your heart still aching from the loss. She still tries to understand the feeling but she can’t help but feel the still boiling rage as why were you still thinking about a person who was long gone?

She untied the robe and sat down across from you which the latest day you had taken sanctuary in burying your face in the vanity. Her hands held a handkerchief that always seemed to be soaked with your tears from the previous days, her hands softly squeezed your shoulders that hung low.

“My dear,” she said, “always crying these days that’s my job. I’ve put our son to bed and the night is still young.”

You looked up at her, eyes reddened from crying despite the vibrant colors of your undergarments; you should be happy now.

She carefully placed a soft tune on the recently bought item called the gramophone and helped you up and her hand wrapped around your waist.

“Let’s dance,” she said. “A simple waltz will suffice, I will lead it. You shouldn’t let other people dance with you, my dear.”

[anton-luvr]

hii! i actually have a new riize fic blog myself but i thought it'd be fun to req you hehe, i love your stuff so far! <3 can i please request a college!au with swim team captain!anton teaching fem!reader how to gain confidence in the pool? she's not a strong swimmer but she wants to learn, and who better than the captain of the swim team with his reputation for being kind and understanding in his lessons? plus, he's super cute, it's no wonder he's so popular despite his shy personality~

in case you'd like to be moots or check out my blog, my riize user is antoniefic !

# TO GET TO MEET YOU.

𖦹 swim team captain!anton x fem!reader | fluff | college au 𖦹 note ; ahhh tysm!! this is so cute… this is also perhaps the longest fic i've ever written so enjoy!! + reqs are opennn

If you had to swim another lap, you think you were going to pass out.

“Okay, no more,” you gasped to your best friend, Sungchan, as you clambered out of the pool. “50 laps are too much.”

Sungchan frowns in response, looming over your panting figure with his hands planted on his hips. “If you keep giving up like this, you’re not gonna win the competition y’know.” he tuts. “You still need to work on your form too.”

You groaned, rolling over to get up from the hard tiled floor.

“I kinda don’t care ‘Chan.” you sighed, picking up a towel to dry off.

Your best friend scoffs, whacking you lightly on your exposed shoulder. “Don’t care?” he echoed. “Your scholarship is at risk here. It’s either you win the competition or enslave yourself to years of student loan debt.” he continues dramatically.

You grit your teeth at his comment, knowing that he’s unfortunately right.

Opening your mouth to attempt a witty retort, you’re interrupted by Sungchan’s sudden shout.

“Anton! Anton, over here!” he shrieks.

Anton?

He was known all over campus as the college’s swim team’s captain.

As the proud owner of countless medals, trophies, and certificates, swimming competitions weren’t the only things Anton won.

His signature shy smile was something girls talked about almost every day, giggling and swooning whenever he strode past lecture rooms effortlessly cool.

Not just that, he was well-known amongst teachers for his A* grades and respectful demeanor.

“Anton, meet Y/N. Y/N, meet Anton.” Sungchan chirps, tugging the popular boy towards the both of you.

“Nice to meet you.” he says softly, respectfully sticking his hand out for a shake.

“Hi.” you greet back flatly, too tired to really care at the moment.

“So,” Sungchan starts, throwing an arm around Anton’s shoulders. “I’m sure you know about the swimming scholarship event that’s being held next month, right? The one that’s going to be held here.”

Anton nods, his eyes sparkling with curiosity and confusion.

“Yeah, why?”

Sungchan chuckles at this, now throwing his other arm around you. “Well, my friend Y/N here needs that scholarship. But she’s also not the best at swimming. So I was wondering if you could help her out.” he says nonchalantly.

You’re flabbergasted, staring morbidly at Sungchan.

“Um, sure.” Anton replies, smiling. “I don’t mind.”

“Wait, no I didn’t agree to this I don’t really need help on my swimm-“

“Okay, fantastic! I’ll see the both of you here every day after classes. Bye!” Sungchan cheers, cutting off your rambling. You don’t even get the chance to say goodbye to Anton as Sungchan pulls you away with him to the locker rooms.

“Bro, what was that all about?” you sputter in disbelief. “I’m already bad at swimming, I can’t ask someone that talented to waste their time trying to help me!”

Sungchan mimics you talking, picking up your duffel bag and throwing it at you.

“He already agreed, so don’t worry. Now go and shower and change, and we can talk about it over tacos. I’m starving.” he complains, sassily walking out of the locker room.

You groan, resting your forehead against the wall.

What did your best friend just get you into?

Staying true to his word, Anton would show up at the swimming arena every day after classes.

Today was no different as the two of you treaded through the pool.

"You need to remember to keep your legs together and straight when you kick, or else you'll mess up your form really quickly." Anton says, using his fingers to visualize it for you.

"Alright, go ahead and try it again. I'll be right behind you to check your form." he assures.

You nod, taking a deep breath.

With a few seconds to prepare yourself, you push yourself off the wall of the pool and start swimming.

All the noise of the swimming arena drowns out as it becomes just you and the water. You try to keep Anton's words in mind as you swim your way through, your legs propelling you through the crystal clear water.

"How was that?" you ask, catching your breath when you resurface at the end of the pool.

Anton runs a hand through his wet hair, shaking his head. "There's improvement, but you still need to straighten them more. You can't swim as fast as I know you can if you don't." he sighs.

Maybe it was because you were more tired today, but his words pierced a bit at your heart. Tears fill in your eyes as a sense of hopelessness and exasperation pounds at your heart.

"I'm trying," you mumble, sniffling. "I just can't do it."

Anton's pretty eyes widen when he hears your sniffle, quick to move closer to you. "Are you crying?" he asks, concerned.

"No, I'm laughing." you snap sarcastically, turning away from him to hide your tears.

"Hey," he calls softly, turning you to face him. "It's fine. We still have time to improve. And practice makes perfect! I'm sure you'll get it by the time of the competition."

"But what if I don't?" you ask weakly.

Anton shushes you immediately. "Y/N, you got this. The first step to winning is to believe in yourself. Maybe you don't believe in yourself, but I do. I know you got this."

Your heart melts when you look up to see how sincere he's looking at you, eyes full of genuine care and concern.

"Thank you." you mumble, wiping your tears away.

Anton grins, hugging you. "Don't give up. I know you can win this." he says, rubbing your shoulder.

You smile at his words, nodding. "You sound like those... motivational life coaches." you joke.

Anton chuckles, rolling his eyes. "You're welcome then."

"Hey, keep swimming!" Sungchan hollers from the chairs, looking like an upper-class mom with sunglasses perched on his nose and his arms folded. "The competition is in a week!"

Both you and Anton burst out laughing at this, the curly haired boy treading backwards away from you.

"Okay, another lap! Remember, keep your legs straight and believe in yourself!" he calls.

You flash him a thumbs up, taking deep breaths.

And with that, you dive right back into the water.

Embraced by the peace of the water, you can't help but think about how much closer you became with Anton over the past few weeks.

From shy 'good jobs!' to dinners together after practices, he was truly as nice as people said he was.

You're pulled out of your thoughts when the dark blue wall of the swimming pool comes into view, signalling the end of your lap. Resurfacing, you pull yourself out of the pool.

"So? How was that?"

This time around, Anton looks at you with a stunned face.

"What?" you asked, laughing awkwardly.

"Did you just become The Flash or something?" he questions, dumbfounded. "You swam so fast! And your legs were totally straight the entire time! You did it!" he squeals excitedly.

For a moment, you suspect Anton's lying, but Sungchan running over to you while cheering assures you that he's not.

"Only two minutes! That's almost college record timing!" he screams in disbelief, squeezing you in a hug.

You'd hug Sungchan back, but he pulls away, disgusted. "Oh ew, chlorine water on my t-shirt!" he whines.

You giggle at this, turning back to face Anton.

He's laughing too, and your heart skips a beat at the sight. His bright eyes curved into crescents, a soft glow on his pink cheeks while water dripped off his slicked back hair.

"Do it again!" Sungchan urges you. "If you get two minutes again, I'll treat you to sushi, promise."

You raise an eyebrow, eyeing him suspiciously. "You better keep your promise." you threaten.

"Because she'll definitely get two minutes again." Anton adds on, his hand stretched out for you to get back into the pool.

God, he was so sweet.

Taking his hand, a wave of newfound determination and hope washes over you.

You got this.

Game day came sooner than you could imagine.

"Come on," Sungchan screeches, excitedly waving around a sign that had your name printed on it. "Swim faster!"

Anton sat beside him, nervously biting his lip as he watched you glide across the swimming pool.

The girl beside you was going slightly faster, threading through the water with perfect form.

Time was closing in fast, and if you managed to swim faster than her by around two seconds, the scholarship would be yours immediately.

The crowd roared in nervous excitement as you caught up to her, now only a mere ten meters away from the endpoint.

Down in the water, your mind raced with thoughts about Anton. He worked so hard to help you; you couldn't let him down now.

So with one more kick and a surge of adrenaline, you pushed forward and swam faster - hitting the end of the pool almost immediately.

Screams and cheers flood your ears the moment you resurface, and when you see no one out of the pool yet, you let out your own scream of joy.

You won; the scholarship was all yours.

You've barely gotten out of the pool when college officials rush up to you, congratulating you and wrapping a towel around you.

"We have a winner!" you hear the emcee announce. "Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the annual swimming scholarship! Contestant two!"

The crowd cheers for you, and you see Anton cheering along amongst the crowd, happily jumping up and down.

"I knew you could do it!" He mouths to you, beaming.

A warm and unfamiliar feeling settles in your heart as you smile back, waving.

"Coming through! Make way for the winner!" Sungchan announces loudly, shoving his way through the crowd. You and Anton follow after him, giggling.

Sunlight hugs your body the moment you step out of the swimming arena, but it doesn't feel as warm as Anton's arm that was around your shoulders.

"I'm so happy for you!" he gushes, excitedly skipping his way to Sungchan's car. "It's all thanks to you, honestly." you laugh, slightly embarrassed.

Anton clicks his tongue, waving his finger 'no' at you.

"You believed in yourself," he says. "That's why you could win. And you took the initiative to try to win, so you should thank yourself, really."

"Hey, where's my thank you?" Sungchan scoffed as all of you got into his car.

"Thank you." you laugh, buckling up.

"But seriously," Anton says, slipping his hand into yours. "You need to thank yourself. I'm glad I got to teach you."

Your cheeks warm at his words, and you grin as you squeeze his hand.

"And I'm glad I got to meet you."

© anton-luvr, 2023.

[blue-little-angel]

°•|hope your day is as great as you are|•°

Fandom: boungo stray dogs

Lee: gn!reader

Ler: Chuuya Nakahara

Side-note: in this one-shot the reader has an ability that allows them to turn into an adorable little red panda 🫶🏼

A Panda's Comfort

And/or

A Panda's Playtime Motivation

You could tell Chuuya had a long day by the tension in his shoulders. When he saw your furry panda form peeking around the door, a faint smile broke through at last.

"There's my little troublemaker. Come here, I could use some cheering up" As promised, gently scratching your tummy soon had you shifting back with happy chirps.

Curling into Chuuya's lap, you looked up at him with concern. He sighed, the stress melting away under your earnest gaze. "It's been a lot, but seeing you makes it all better. You always know how to brighten my day."

His hands moved to one of your little paws in light, teasing strokes. Squeaks burst forth, bringing a proper laugh from Chuuya too at your antics. The gloomy clouds had lifted—your playfulness was just the medicine he needed.

Safe in each other's embrace, the trials of the day no longer seemed so heavy. Your bond gave comfort through any storm, finding joy in life's simpler pleasures together. And for Chuuya, your cute panda self would always be his favorite reprieve.

But that was last week when you weren't lazingly sleeping on a couch snuggling with a pillow instead of working.

Chuuya found you curled up napping as a panda at the Port Mafia headquarters once more. "Come on, you've lazed around enough. Time to shift back and help out~"

You just yawned, settling deeper into fluff. Chuuya sighed. "Fine, I tried being nice..." A devious glint entered his eyes.

Before you knew what hit you, nimble fingers were scritching and scratching all over your fluffy ticklish spots. Panda squeals instantly rang out, flailing paws unable to escape Chuuya's talented torment.

"Last chance - shift back or else!" Chuuya smirked, giving one paw an especially devilish tweak. With a pop and a cloud of smoke, you reappeared in human form, still madly giggling.

"Okay okay, you win! I'll get to work, just please stop!" Once his hands withdrew, they leaned on each other breathless but smiling. In their dynamic, a little playful motivation kept things fun.

[ququb444hm]

𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐭, 𝐜𝐮𝐩𝐢𝐝

part 27 / cramps ☆

masterlist

warning(s): possible typos bc its almost 2 am n i have not proofread this at all

mori glanced over to his left, noticing the sudden change in demeanor from yn who was just giggling over mr. alec’s reaction to his ‘friend’ surprising him outside of his class for a ‘friendly hangout’. “something happen?” 

the mild concern spreading across yn’s features quickly diminished when she turned off her phone, tucking it away in the back pocket of her jeans. “no. everything’s fine. everything will be fine.” she reassured– though it sounded like she was reassuring herself more than mori. “tets is on his way to pick me up, so I’m gonna have to raincheck going to your dorm tonight mori, sorryyy.” 

“don’t worry about it!” mori chirped, an arm slinging around the girl’s shoulders. “just means that you’re making dinner for us next time.”

“if you want overcooked dino nuggets for dinner again. then, yeah.” rin teased, laughing to himself at the memory of yn forgetting to take the metal tray out of the oven because somehow she managed to lock herself out of mori’s dorm room and couldn’t get back in until 7 minutes after the kitchen timer alerted the food was ready.

yn rolled her eyes, nudging the boy’s side with her elbow. “as if you weren’t the one refusing to open the door for me.”

“I was working on a project!” rin defended.

mori raised a brow, recalling the night of the topic. “oh? I didn’t know taking a nap with my dog was part of your project.”

taking rin’s silence as a sign of defeat, yn grinned in triumph. “never belittle my cooking skills!”

“yeah okay. opening a bag of pre-made dino nuggets and popping them into the oven isn’t necessarily cooking.”

yn cupped her ear, leaning closer to the grumbling cinematography major “’m sorry, what was that? can’t really understand what sounds like…like…” she shared a knowing look with mori who was already giggling to himself. “like BULLSHIT right now!”

the sudden stop in rin’s footsteps threw the two into a frenzy, clutching their stomachs as their laughter bounced about throughout the halls. 

“I think he’s mad!” mori managed to squeeze in between laughs.

taking a deep breath, rin gave his friends a menacing smile.“i’m going to be generous and give you giggling neanderthals a five-minute start before I catch you and commit unspeakable crimes.”

yn let out an excited squeal, feeling like a little kid as she grabbed mori’s arm and began to run to the building’s exit. “don’t let him catch you!” she exclaimed, steps quickening as the two made their way down the stairs, careful not to trip.

“I hear him, he’s coming!” mori cried, navigating through the various turns they had to make before finally bursting through the art building’s doors. 

just as he was about to make a successful escape, he was pulled back by the thundering drummer. “leaving so soon, pretty boy?” 

“noooooo!!! we were so close!” yn shrieked, “please, take me instead!” but her pleas went deaf to rin’s ears who only smirked in victory.

“now, now, no need for any sacrifices.” he kept his hold on mori’s wrist, unknowingly silencing the sandy blond whose heart seemed to run numerous laps inside his chest. “a win is a win.”

yn scoffed, waving off the loss. “whatever.”

the three make their way to the parking lot, patiently waiting for tetsurou to arrive. when he does, mori and rin watch as yn gets into the car, saying their goodbyes before also taking their leave.

“hey, kuroo.” tetsu smiles, messing up his sister’s hair and earning a groan as she puts on her seatbelt. “how was class?”

yn makes herself comfortable, prepping her mind for whatever her brother was about to follow up with. “suppeerrr funsies, tets. did you just come from the gym?”

“yeah, had to drop off kou before picking you up.” yn hums. her mind starting to fill up with possibilities of what the conversation might develop into. as if tetsu could see right through her, he began to ask what had been plaguing his mind for the past few days. “so…anything you wanna tell me? ya know cause i’m your brother and I love you, and I would always want to know if something is wrong, and I am hoping you know you can trust me with anything and everything.”

“I know tets.” yn reassures, giving him an awkward smile which he turns to see for a brief second before turning his eyes back on the road in front of him.

“so spill, what’s up?”

“are you looking for a specific answer or…”

“no, just want you to be honest with me is all.”

the conversation yn had with her friends from the night they were all in her room, after the whole incident with kozume, revisited her thoughts. 

“oh but guys,” yn spoke up, earning several hums. “you cannot let my brother know about any of this.” the request caused the friends to break away from the hug, confused as to why the only other person besides yn who could knock some sense into kozume couldn’t be informed of the situation. “it’s just… with the game coming up, I don’t want the team to turn to shit because one of the co-captains suddenly can’t cooperate with the main setter.”

mori clicked his tongue, feeling conflicted with yn’s choice. “okay… I understand where you’re coming from but what’re you gonna do when your brother does find out? I mean, he’s not dumb.”

“mori’s right.” rin chimed. “he might start getting suspicious with your change of attitude towards kozume and start piecing things together.”

she mentally cursed the accuracy of her friends– though already expecting her brother to notice something was wrong without her directly telling him because, obviously, he’s her brother.

“okay…,” yn knew it would be best to come clean to tetsu about the recent events, but she just couldn’t bear the guilt she would feel if she saw him and kozume suddenly start to get rocky before their first game of the year, especially after all the hard work the whole team has been putting in. “well i’m passing all my classes-”

“even chem?”

“even chem, tets. and I have this big project for my painting class, the one I just came out of, so i’m spending more time in there than usual. and…” yn tried to think of other things to catch her brother up on to hopefully ease his concern, but he beat her to it.

“why’d you skip chem and ela that one day with tooru?” the car stopped at a red light, allowing tetsurou to have more of his attention on yn. 

‘quick, quick, quick-’ yn fidgeted with the straps of her bag, attempting to calm herself down. “oh you know, I was just really overwhelmed that morning.” ‘that wasn’t a total lie, please believe me.’ “with the project, my other classes, helping out with the band because of their gig, and cece with the shop, and the volleyball team, i’ve just been a bit busy and tooru wanted to help me relax.” once again, not a total lie. “don’t worry though, kozume- er koz uhm- i texted kozu while i was out and he said we had a sub and were just working on the previous day’s work which i already finished. so, it’s all good. all good.” now that was a lie.

the topic of kozume seemed to be what tetsurou was curious about because his face flashed with surprise, almost distracting him from the spotlight turning green. “oh. so… nothing is wrong with you and kozume?”

“why would there be anything wrong?”

“no its just,” his confusion was evidently clear, his other hand running through his hair as he tried to collect his thoughts. “last week tuesday with the apology and you telling me he kissed you, but when he got to practice he was barely talking to you which i just found really weird.”

“ohh, I mean I think we both know how shy he can get.” yn mumbled.

“yeah but,” tetsu clicked his tongue. yn was right, but he couldn’t get rid of the feeling that there was just more to uncover. “I guess I just expected him to be more bold after he literally kissed you. I mean you make it clear you like him, and there’s literally nothing stopping him from asking you out or something– and i’m sorry if i’m overstepping my boundaries since it isn’t technically my relationship, but it just rubs me the wrong way since I’m your brother and if something happens to you, it happens to me too. that’s just how it is.”

“so you’re saying…kozume kissed you too?”

tetsu rolled his eyes at his sister’s little joke, “oh shut up, you know that’s not what I mean. but there’s something else i’ve been thinking about. I noticed after you went out to go talk to kozume when he went to get some water, you didn’t come back. what happened? atsumu said you got-”

“NO! no! ahahaha no.” yn awkwardly laughed off her sudden outburst, mentally reminding herself to sucker punch the fake blonde the next time she saw him. “I just…got cramps. yeah, my period cramps hurt real baaaad.” she dragged out the word, wanting to emphasize the lie. “like I started crying, kind of bad. I had to ask cece to pick me up. sorry I didn’t tell anyone before leaving all of a sudden.”

seeing tetsurou’s features soften at the misfortune his little sister had to endure, yn finally relaxed knowing he was going to drop any further interrogation related to the one person she did not want to even think about. “aww what,” genuine concern laced his voice, making yn feel slightly ashamed for the string of deception. “is your cycle over now though? you should’ve texted me, I would’ve come by after practice and got you something.”

“I know, I know. i'm sorry, tets.”

“and if you’re really stressed, just let me know. the whole manager role was so abrupt. I wasn’t really thinking of how busy you already are with everything. I’m sorry, yn.”

hearing tetsu’s worry was equivalent to being stabbed a hundred times and then being lit on fire and then having the people who lit you on fire extinguish you only to stab you a few more hundred times. yn quickly tried to cheer him up, “its okay, tets! I wanted to do it, remember? I thought it would be fun and it is. getting to spend more time with you and everyone else has been a great way for me to unwind. I’m really glad you gave me this opportunity.” 

tetsu sighed, thankful that he didn’t add to yn’s burdens. “If you need to work on other things tomorrow, just let me know. I'm sure kou and I can handle practice ourselves.” 

laughing at the stubbornness, yn placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, squeezing it lightly. “no, I can make it. It’s okay, but thank you.”

“are you sure?”

yn smiled, her heart warming at knowing how much her brother looked after her. “yeah, i’m sure tetsu.”

part 26 mic drop <- | masterlist | -> part 28 TYPE SHIT

note(s): ILL PROBB REUPLOAD THIS/EDIT AFTER SCHOOL +none of the pictures used are mine!!

✩⡱ taglist !! + @writing-for-the-hell-of-it @sherryuki-callmeyuki @anny-bah @ast4rg1rl @sukunasrealgf @dani-shitting-around @whokillednyx @vernon-dursley @limaswife @sugawara-levi @sixxze @ryoiii @literally-a-ferret @444sunarin @llearlert @lloyd4x @usermins @2baddies-1porsche @vernon-dursley @lyzisbitchingagain lmk if u want to be added (msg or inbox)ヾ(･ω･`；)ﾉ

[tellmealovestory]

Halloween

Summary: Your family settles in for a spooky movie, but how young is too young to be watching Halloween?

Warnings: Taking place a few years after Trick-or-treat, but can also be read as a standalone. Fluff, little bit of suggestive dialogue, more dad!eddie

A/N: Happy Halloween!!! A big thank you to everyone who liked and commented and reblogged it all means the world to me!

Spooktober Masterlist

Settling in on the couch next to your daughter with Eddie on her other side you rest the oversized bowl on your lap that’s spilling out buttery and salty popcorn. Your daughter reaches for the bowl and more kernels spill to the floor as her and Eddie playfully fight over who can take the largest handful and shove it in their mouth. Neither of them seem to mind the mess that they’re making and since it’s a holiday you let their childish antics slide as your heart bursts with love for both of them. 

Eddie’s got the remote in his hand, a VHS tape that they agreed on already cued up and just ready for them to hit play.

Grabbing your own handful you chew on a few pieces before turning to face them both and ask, “what movie did we decide on?” 

“Halloween,” your daughter chirps in between chomps of popcorn. 

You wait for one of them to elaborate and finish the movie title, but they don’t and your eyebrows shoot up to your hairline as you stare daggers in Eddie’s direction.

“Excuse me?” 

Eddie ignores the looks you’re giving him and for a few brief seconds you regret leaving them alone to conspire behind your back. You knew you should have just picked out the movie yourself, something that was more kid friendly than the apparent slasher movie they both chose. 

“Halloween,” Eddie repeats also through a mouthful of popcorn and when he opens his mouth to show his daughter how many kernels he can fit in there her response is an exaggerated and loud ewwww. He swallows before finishing what he was trying to say through laughter.

“You know, Halloween one of the most classic horror movies known to man. I’m sure you remember the first time we saw it.” He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively and you playfully slap his shoulder behind your daughter's back. 

She’s growing antsy on the couch between you, trying to reach for the remote that Eddie’s still holding onto like it’s a bar of gold and your apprehension grows because yeah, you’re familiar with the movie and the first time Eddie showed it to you it gave you nightmares and you were an adult. There is no way in hell you’re letting your child watch that. 

You try to convey that to him through your facial expressions. Quick shakes of your head no, eyes wide and dramatic, eyebrows once again raised, but he doesn’t seem to share the same qualms that you have. 

So, instead, you turn to your daughter and try a different tactic that usually works whenever you and Eddie have different ideas about what’s appropriate for her. 

“Are you sure you wanna watch that, honey? It’s pretty scary and you’re not used to those kinds of movies. Why don’t we watch something else?” 

“No.” She crosses her little arms over her chest, feet swinging against the couch. “Daddy said I could pick whatever I want and I wanna watch this one!” 

“C’mon, princess, let her watch it. ‘S not that scary. I saw it when I was her age and I turned out fine.” He gives you a lopsided grin and you snort out a laugh because somedays him turning out fine is debatable. You look between their hopeful faces and know this is a losing battle. 

Sinking back into the couch you wave your hand in the air. “Fine, fine, you both win. But when she gets nightmares from this awful movie you’re dealing with her.” 

“I won’t,” she says quickly, a toothy smile beamed in your direction before she wraps her arms around you in a side hug. 

“She won’t,” Eddie parrots and you shake your head back and forth wondering how it was you were the one in the relationship to give into everything both of them want. 

“She go down okay?” you ask a few hours later, already in bed with a book in your hand and the bedside light on casting the room in a soft yellow glow. 

“Like an angel,” he replies, climbing into bed next to you. Plucking your book from your hand he ignores your protests as he skims a few pages before setting it down on his bedside table. “How about you? You think you’re gonna be able to sleep or was the movie too scary for you?”

Snorting, your eyes roll before you give him your full attention. “I think I can handle sleeping tonight.” 

Eddie lets out a quiet little hum as he lays down next to you, fingertips lightly trailing up and down your arm. “Good to know.” A few seconds pass before he speaks again and this time his voice is a little lower, a little more raspy and already your body is aching for him. “That mean you’re up for a little roleplay? Think I might still have a Micahel Meyers mask around here somewhere…” 

The ache turns into a fully throttle belly laugh as you toss your head back against the pillows. “Eddie! No! That is the worst suggestion I’ve ever heard come out of your lips and that includes tonight's letting our child watch Halloween.”

“Oh, so it’s okay when you wanna roleplay, but when I suggest it it’s suddenly no?” There’s a glint in his eyes and a teasing quality in his voice that just makes you fall for him even harder and you give a silent thanks to the universe for letting this man into your life. “What about if I let you wear the mask? Hm? Change things up a little bit? Bet you’d look fucking sexy in it with nothing else on.” 

You only laugh louder momentarily forgetting that your daughter is asleep down the hall and you don’t want to wake her. Eddie has a similar idea because his mouth is covering yours in a sweet kiss that barely takes two seconds before he’s deepening it, tongue sliding along your lower lip begging for an entrance that you’re only too eager to give him. 

His hand slides down to your hip, tugging you impossibly closer and just as his thigh slides to part your legs and things can really heat up you’re resting your palm on his chest and pushing him back. 

“She’s coming back,” you whisper softly, straightening out your sleep shirt as you gesture for him to get back on his side of the bed. 

Eddie cocks his head to the side and is seconds away from disagreeing before the bedroom door creaks open and your daughter stands there a little sheepishly. “Can I sleep in here tonight?” Her voice is soft and a little whiny and you can’t remember the last time she shared your bed, but you can’t deny her as you tell her of course and pat the empty space between you. She hurries into your room and climbs in, settling in between the two of you she pulls the covers high up against her chin. 

“How do you do that?” Eddie asks in amazement over your sixth sense when it comes to knowing when your daughter is going to interrupt. 

“It’s a mom gift,” you tease before turning to your daughter as you brush your fingers over her cheek. “Can’t sleep?” 

“Too scary in my room,” she mumbles and you shoot Eddie a look that says I told you that movie was too scary for her.

Eddie slings an arm around her shoulder and she cuddles into his chest. It’s such a familiar sight that even though you’re upset and worried he’s scarred her for life you can’t help but to treasure these moments with the two of them. 

“Lucky for you your dad is a famed monster slayer. I’ll keep you safe.” His soft and soothing words and her childish giggles are the last things you hear as sleep calls to the three of you and another Halloween chapter is closed for another year. 

[antisociallilbrat]

Okay I've talked about Stan's pet parrot named Whisper but now I wanna talk about Richie's ferret named Trash.

When the Losers were going to college and Richie dropped out (literally maybe a month after Bill did) Richie got lonely during the day. Bill was too busy with his writing to pay Richie any attention and we all know Richie needs it to survive.

So one day Richie went roaming out in town while all the Losers were in class and/or busy and he finds himself in a petstore.

There's this ratty looking creature in a cage all by himself and he's half off bc he's missing part of his ear. The creature is curled up in a sad ball and it slowly looks up at Richie as he approaches.

It was love at first sight.

Richie has never interacted with a ferret before, let alone know what they need for care, so yes it was a little bit reckless when he walked out of the store with the ferret and bag fulls of stuff he wasn't sure if he needed or not. (The store attendants were no help.)

Part of his purchase was fucking rabbit hay- that's how unsure he was about what a ferret needs, so he bought a bit of everything.

Naturally, Bill is the first one who meets the ferret when Richie brings him home.

"Stan and Eddie are going to muh-murder you."

*holds the ferret up Simba style* "But look at him! How could I leave him?!"

Bill chuckles when Richie tells him he's named the ferret Trash so he counts that as a win.

Like Bill said, Stan and Eddie lose their shit when they get home.

"That thing is not staying in my house Richard!"

"Do you know how many diseases it's probably carrying?!"

Look, Richie doesn't cry, he's never been one too, but while Stan and Eddie are scolding him, feeding off each other and oblivious to his hurting feelings, Richie starts to tear up. Mike cuts in and puts a stop to it, saying Richie can keep Trash if it makes him happy. Mike is the only Loser (besides Bev sometimes) that Stan and Eddie can't argue with.

Ben and Bill take Richie back out, to a better pet store, and actually buy the basics for Trash. Bev writes out a list for them after some quick little research. Then they all get the treat of watching Ben build the ferret cage, they like to watch his hands work.

Stan and Eddie still hate the ferret. They don't want to play with it, they're always harping on the smell, and overall they're just bitter bc Mike allowed Richie to keep it.

But they keep hearing all the rest of the Losers laughing in Richie's room from them watching Richie and Trash's antics. Bill tells them one day that he swears Trash is just Richie in animal form. Bev starts sewing little outfits for Trash and Ben builds Trash an elaborate tunnel system as one his class projects.

Eddie cracks first. He does his own research and finds out that ferrets don't carry diseases that can harm humans but actually they can catch colds from humans. When Richie gets the sniffles he tells him that maybe Trash should room with Bev or Bill until he's over his cold so that Trash doesn't catch it- 'but he totally doesn't care about the ferret'.

He keeps finding out all these fun facts about ferrets through his research and one day...he sneaks into Richie's room to finally meet the thing. Trash pounces on his feet the moment he's in the door and Eddie freaks out but then Trash backs up, doing his little ferret dance and okay Eddie falls in love with his little chirps. That's what does him in.

Richie is very smug when he comes home and sees that Eddie is still playing with Trash.

Stan takes a little bit longer. He's not mad about the ferret anymore, it's more of a principal thing. He's a stubborn bitch when he wants to be. He's perfectly okay ignoring that there's a ferret in Richie's bedroom.

Until he's home alone one day, a rare day off, and he's watching tv on the couch and slowly he ends up falling asleep. When he wakes up, there's a ferret sized lump in his lap.

Richie accidentally left his door cracked open.

He doesn't want to move the thing because he doesn't know how it'll react to being woken up. So he's kinda stuck there and eventually, hesitantly, he decides to try petting it. Trash snuggles closer in his lap.

Bev comes home and finds the pair, quickly taking a photo before he can stop her. He's fussing about it but when Bev tells him that Trash never snuggles with anyone he shuts up.

Stanley Uris loves feeling special and the fact that Trash will only cuddle with him wins him over- he's not happy about it. Yes he is.

[bropunzeling]

ooh, this looks like a fun game! AU where the Oilers snap Matthew up instead of Puljujavri!

matthew and leon get along really well practically from the start. they're the same kind of annoying, at the heart of it; leon thinks it's funny when matthew pisses off a whole bench, and matthew likes when leon is a smug asshole who just put up 4 points. neither of them are the big guy on the team (how can you be, when it’s connor mcdavid's team) but they’re both hanging out as joint number two. putting up points. causing problems.

but the oilers keep being that little less good than they're supposed to be. they keep falling that little bit - that whole mile - short of expectations. and leon's - it's not to say he's used to it, or resigned to it, but he can work with it. he thinks they can get to a place where they can turn things around.

and he thinks - knows - matthew's gonna be a part of that. sure, the bridge deal isn't as good as an eight year guarantee, but he figures contract negotiations will go fine. matthew's gonna stick around.

more to the point, he wants matthew to stick around. matthew's his friend, matthew gets what it is to be one of connor mcdavid's oilers. he makes the team better. he makes leon's life better, he doesn't want to give up ragging matthew about his shitty taste in tv or competing at golf or hanging out after practice, watching matthew play with his dog. he likes it all. they could do it for another eight, ten years.

and then instead of signing with edmonton in the summer, matthew goes to florida.

leon's had this happen before. friends leaving. but he didn't - this one feels personal, and painful. especially because matthew never let it slip, never even hinted at what he was thinking. it stings, and leon reacts the way he always seems to, which is to get mad, to lash out.

that first game in november he's furious, and upset. seeing matthew on the other side of the ice in the wrong colors, being on the receiving end of his stare or his chirps or his slashes - it just pisses him off more.

and then after, they all have to go out, because of course they do, matthew has to show them his favorite bars, and the win should make leon okay with it all but he isn’t, he's still frustrated and angry without any reason for it, nursing his beer and barely conversing, when matthew comes by and nudges him. asks how he's been, needling and yet sincere. they make stilted conversation, and leon wouldn't be mad if matthew bailed. he knows he's being dickish even if he can't stop.

matthew says, rolling his eyes, i miss you too, asshole. and leon looks at him, and it’s like a camera clicking into focus, matthew's grin and his creased eyes and the warmth of his arm against leon's and fuck, fuck --

of course leon figures out he wants matthew after he's left