#we've lived in this house for three and a half years

[navigatorsnorth]

Bird of the day: sulphur crested cockatoos captured just as my phone decided to switch focus to the fly screen for some reason

[wileys-russo]

Alessia, "I didn't cheat on you, it was just a dream babe!", mad alessia at training

disloyal dreams II a.russo

"-are you going to be like this all day?" you sighed as you tried to start a conversation with the blonde beside you who shrugged, again refusing to give you any sort of verbal response.

"alessia. the silent treatment, really?" you repeated, eyes burning into the side of her head as she shrugged and you dragged your hands down your face exhaling heavily.

"i thought we were good at communication. we've been together for a year and a half!" you reminded, alessia dead silent as her fingers drummed against the steering wheel and she came to a stop at a red light.

"less, babe will you just tell me what i've done wrong? i can't fix it if i don't know what i did!" you groaned frustrated, the blonde only leaning forward and turning up the stereo louder making you wince.

"fine, be like this then." you grumbled with a shake of your head, crossing your arms and staring out the window, knowing her well enough that the striker when warranted could be incredibly stubborn.

though the problem you were having today is you weren't even sure where this grudge she had against you was coming from. you'd gone to bed and things were all fine and normal, the pair of you ordering in and falling asleep cuddled up together watching a movie in the living room as you often did.

you'd woken up first, slowly shaking the taller girl on top of you until she did too and the two of you had stumbled tiredly to bed. her long limbs entrapping you in her hold the moment your backs hit the mattress, eyes heavy and a few sleepy kisses exchanged, all seemed fine.

but then this morning you'd woken up to an empty bed, frowning right away as alessia was almost never the first one awake between you.

in fact over the time you'd been together even before you'd moved in with her whenever you slept over at alessia's you'd learned to set your alarm a half an hour earlier than either of you had to be up because it took that long to coax the sleepy blonde to actually get up.

your confusion only grew further when a quick search of the house showed it to be empty, your calls out for your girlfriend going unanswered both vocal and on the phone, a sense of worry beginning to settle in.

however right before it really hit its peak you heard keys in the front door, racing down the stairs and breathing out in relief when she stepped inside, body coated in a thin sheen of sweat and hair pulled back into a bun.

you tried to speak to her and draw her into a hug, mumbling ut you'd been worried sick and asking why she hadn't at least left a note or sent a text but all you got was a shrug and a grumble she needed a shower.

ever since then the most your girlfriend had said was maybe three words, the rest of her responses all grunts or hums as at first you thought maybe she hadn't slept well and was just tired.

though then it started to feel a lot more personal and as much as you'd asked and asked and asked, she wouldn't tell you just why she was so seemingly upset with you or what you'd done to earn such a stubborn silence.

pulling into the training grounds you tried again to ask if the two of you could talk, trying to angle that it wasn't healthy to go into training if she was in a bad head space but all that resulted in was a door closed in your face and a rap of her knuckles against your window a moment later, wordlessly telling you to hurry up.

despite the fact alessia could be one of the most sweet, kind and downright lovely human beings you'd ever had the pleasure to know let alone fall in love with, she still had her share of off day but normally she was quite good at hiding them from your teammates.

today however she didn't seem to care in the slightest, making no move to disguise the fact she wasn't talking to you and clearly was in a mood, the tension thick and uncomfortable as you stared at her longingly across the change rooms.

"mate. what did you do to that poor girl?" leah flopped herself down in her own cubby beside you as you sighed, alessia not even sparing you a glance as she laced her boots up and stormed out, ignoring both emily and lotte who tried to stop and speak with her clearly sensing she wasn't okay.

"nothing! well at least not that i can work out? i've been given the silent treatment all morning." you huffed with a roll of your eyes, wrestling to undo the tight knots in your boots and sending kyra a venemous glare across the room who was clearly the culprit.

but sensing maybe today was not the day to have pushed your buttons the australian was quick to shrink beneath your murderous stare, taking off out of the room within seconds flat.

"give it here." leah chuckled, having already undone your other boot as you shoved it at her and sunk down into your seat, stroppy look on your face and mouth turned downward into a sour pout.

"did you have an argument?" "no." "did you not do something you said you would?" "I don't think so?" "did you forget an anniversary? birthday? special date?" "definitely not." "did you..." leah trailed off, clearly trying to think of something to say.

"nah i've got nothing. good luck sunshine!" the blonde shrugged, pinching your cheek and handing you the now untangled boot. "leah!" you groaned, hoping for the older girl to at least have had perhaps some wisdom to offer.

throughout the day your confusion only grew when the stony silence continued, the two of you at least kept mostly separate for the majority of training, having grown embarrassed now by your shut down attempts to talk to alessia.

thankfully bar a few ill timed comments from some of your younger peers who hadn't yet learnt how to read a room everyone backed off the teasing you'd been worried about, most of them just as confused as you by the air of frustration and irritation radiating off the blonde striker.

"fucking hell less!" leah swore, barely able to duck out of the way of a poorly timed but incredibly powerful strike which rocketed past her ear and swooshed into the back of the goal.

you however were not so lucky, admittedly quite out of it most of the session as your brain ticked over and you overthought every little action and interaction you'd had with the blonde in the last twenty four hours.

it was this distraction which caused you to have zoned out on the sidelines, staring off into space and triple checking in your head every significant event and date to try and work out just why your girlfriend was so clearly off with you.

but you were grounded right back into reality when suddenly something hit you very hard and very fast right in the face, the unexpected ball knocking you on your ass as you felt something wet drip down your face and you started to feel a little woozy.

you watched as both your teammates and some of the staff crowded around you, seeing their mouths moving but unable to decipher what was being said due to the obnoxious ringing in your head.

the medics eventually arrived, shooing everyone away to give you some space and a collective slightly disgusted groan sounded as suddenly you lurched forward and emptied the contents of your breakfast onto the grass beside you.

you winced as a bright light was shone right in your eyes, trying to bat away the hand responsible as someone else grabbed your wrists and stopped you.

blinking a few times as finally the light went away and your hearing returned right in time to hear one word before you were helped to your feet and walked off the pitch.

concussion.

you sighed heavily but nodded as you laid down on one of the padded benches in the medic office, the lights dim and one of the trainee's running you through the concussion protocol you knew like the back of your hand.

with a heavy sigh you felt him squeeze your knee in a silent apology before ducking out to grab some paperwork, an incident report needing to be done as you covered your face with your hands and felt your heartbeat thump in your ears.

when you heard the door open again you assumed he'd returned and you might be cleared to leave, but to your surprise when you looked up there was a different person now looking down on you, your bag slung over her shoulder and car keys in hand.

you didn't expect her to say anything and you didn't have it in you for an argument, so with a grunt you pulled yourself into a seated position, her hands quick to steady you and you hated how good it felt to feel her touch even in such a minimal way.

"you cheated on me."

your head snapped up so fast you felt your neck throb and the headache settling behind your eyes pulse as you sat in a state of shock, sure you'd just heard her incorrectly.

"i-what?" you managed to croak out, the blonde fiddling with the strap of the bag as she nodded. "you cheated on me." she repeated and just like earlier you felt a horrendous sense of nausea settle in.

"i think i'm going to be sick." you began to panic, bile rising in your throat as you looked around desperately for a sick bag of some sort as alessia's hands settled on your cheeks and you tensed up.

"you cheated on me last night." she repeated in a tone so soft you almost didn't hear her, incredibly confused and now wondering just how hard you'd hit your head as you blinked.

"alessia. what? i-baby i would never ever chea-" you couldn't even get the words out until the blonde shook her head, one of her hands coming to cover your mouth, an odd look of guilt now present on her face which had you even more confused.

"in my dream, last night. you cheated on me in my dream, that's why i've been so off with you today..." the blonde bit her bottom lip with a wince as you paused, slowly moving her hands off of you as she shifted nervously.

"i didn't cheat on you." "no." "but you thought i did?" "kind of? i know it was a dream, but it felt really real!"

"alessia..." you trailed off in disbelief, the trainee from earlier taking one step inside as the pair of you looked at him and clearly sensing he might have been interrupting he quickly ducked back out of the room with a mumble you were free to go.

"i still think you should say sorry." the blonde seemed to regain her confidence as your jaw dropped and you looked at her in bewilderment. "for what?" you squeaked out, alessia sighing and shaking her head.

"for cheating on me." "i didn't cheat on you? it was just a dream babe!" you threw your hands up with a scoff and hissed, your head throbbing as your eyes squeezed shut.

"okay. well since you have a concussion, i'll forgive you anyway." alessia decided, stepping forward to stand in between your legs and giving you a smile as if she'd just done you a favour.

"you'll forgive me?" "yes. now baby we should really get you home, i've got your concussion plan and you have to come in tomorrow for a re-assessment." alessia nodded, patting your bag and holding our a hand to help you up as you stared at her with narrowed eyes.

"you'll forgive me. for ignoring me all day and making me feel like i've done the wrong thing? like i'm the the crazy one?" you stuttered out still in shock that this was the reason for her cold shoulder and off put behavior.

"hey! you can't use that." alessia snatched your phone out of your hand and slid it into your bag with a tut. "i need it." you held your hand out expectantly and rolled your eyes as your girlfriend had the audacity to laugh.

"for what?" she questioned as you smacked away her attempted helping hands and she frowned.

"because i need to write a note." "a note?" "yes alessia. a note that when my head isn't absolutely throbbing i am going to yell at you and then give you the silent treatment all day!"

"what! baby why? you cheated on me, and i forgave you?" "i cannot control my actions in a dream alessia, and so i didn't cheat on you!" "baby you shouldn't get so worked up, you'll make your headache worse." "dating you is a headache russo." "...so is now a bad time to ask for that apology?" "it was a dream alessia!"

[cinnasweetss]

to love and to cherish. | l.hs

genre: smut, very minimal plot, fluff (a pinch.)

characters: husband/dad!heeseung, wife/mom!reader, “uncle”!jake at the end, seung (reader & heeseung’s son)

wc: 2.8k

content below cut. (plz read…or you’ll be v surprised…)

content: established relationship, mentions of pregnancy & marriage, domestication, reader is a stay at home mom, body insecurity, body description, SLIGHTTTT dacryphilia, lactation, love making, tit play, pussy eating, unprotected sex, creampie, pet names (hun, love, baby, etc.), praise, etc etc…

A /N: i’m experimenting in my writing (still tame imo)! this might not be everyone’s cup of tea n that’s ok <3 thanks for reading!!

"dinner looks great, hun." heeseung slides in, slipping a hand around your waist from behind, pressing a kiss to your cheek.  it startles you, whipping your head around to him, soft smile plastered on his face. 

"Didn't hear you come in." you mumble, returning his smile before you continue the dishes. "Got you something." he pulls away, shuffling behind you, "give me a second, hee." you need to finish these dishes tonight. it'll be pain the ass tomorrow if you don't. "Did you put Seung to bed? Told you I wanted to see him, hun." he says, immediately noticing how quiet the house is tonight. lights dimmed, living room picked up and neat instead of the usual plethora of toys. "he got fussy." 

"Baby, come on-"  he nags, only because you have barely looked at him since he stepped in. no 'how was work, honey?' and a cheerful smile like usual. 

"Give me a minute, heeseung!" 

there's a long pause in the air, making you immediately regret raising your voice, dropping the plate in your hand back into the soapy water, "I'm sorry." 

heeseung told you to not let it get like that. he told you to not stress yourself out when you both found out you were pregnant. he knew this would happen. it was inevitable. but you promised him. "Look at me." 

"Oh, hee..." you immediately soften, face falling into your hands once you see the beautiful, huge bouquet of flowers in his hands. he sets the bouquet down on the island, quickly moving to wrap his arms around your crying figure. you quickly accept the embrace, wrapping your arms around his neck. "Why are you crying?" he chuckles, rubbing his hand on your back soothingly. "I'm sorry!" 

"It's okay, love." he pulls you off of him, wiping away your tears. "so pretty." he leans in to kiss you, using his thumbs to wipe the rest of the stray tears. 

Heeseung is so good to you. he always has been. when you met him six years ago, when you married him three years ago, and when you gave him his firstborn a year and a half ago.  his love has been unconditional, unwavering, always consistent. all you could ask for and more. 

"I told you not to stress yourself out. You can ask me for help." he's smiling, despite your continued tears. you feel so awful. "But you're working-" he stops you there, "so are you, love." he knows that being a stay at home mom is a lot, a lot more demanding than his silly little corporate job. "what are you handwashing the dishes for, anyway? we've got a dishwasher." 

"cause, it's a lot to run it..." he sighs, face shifting to a scowl. he hates when you talk about the price of things, bills, anything with money. "It's not, and that's not for you to worry about." it's firm, almost scolding. but you know it's just because of the many times he's had to tell you to not worry about the bills. not that you've seen one in years. 

"Get in bed. I'll finish up." he pulls away then, moving to the sink. you scurry behind him, grabbing a vase to put the flowers in. "Bed, babe. I'll do that too." 

"let me warm up your food-" he doesn't have to say much, turning with a dissatisfied expression across his face as he leans on the counter. "Get upstairs." you know better than to argue after the third time, so, you do as told.

...

he joins you just an hour later, walking in on you fumbling with the baby monitor, making sure it's on and working before you set it on the bedside table. he eyes you, wet hair stuck to your shoulders and neck, saturating the t shirt you have on. 

he grabs your hand, pulling you back to the bathroom. he places you infront of the mirror, reaching for the hair dryer in the cabinet. "Did you even towel dry it? you're soaking." 

"Thought I heard Seung crying..." you mumble, heeseung running a brush through your hair. "That hairdryer- Dyson. it's so expensive. you won't even use it."he grabs a towel, gently drying each lock of your hair, then your neck and shoulders. 

"I do use it!" five times since he got it for you during Christmas. You'd brought it up maybe once, showing him a video on TikTok of some influencer using it. it was probably the millionth video you'd showed him. still, he paid attention. "Sometimes." he agrees, flashing you a playful smile in the mirror. 

"you don't have work to do?" you look at him through the mirror, squeezing the water out of your hair with the towel. "Work? While i'm at home with my wife?" he turns on the hairdryer after, running it over your now damp hair. 

this week he's been coming home without his laptop. spending almost no time in his office downstairs, instead getting into bed with you every night after work. 

you hadn't said it out loud, but he knew you were bothered by sleeping first. sleeping next to an empty space that he only filled from the hours of 1am to 6am. disappearing into his office right after dinner. you continue watching him through the mirror, fond smile on you lips as he finishes. his eyes catch yours, mouthing a playful "what?" before he shifts his eyes back to your hair. 

he turns off the hair dryer, using a brush to smooth out the now dry hair. he guides you out the bathroom, stopping you in front of your shared dresser.

reaching for the bottom of your tee, he pulls it up, only stopping when you step back and push his hands away. "come on, you gotta get out of this. it's wet." 

"I'll do it." "Babe, really." 

you surrender at that, raising your arms so he can lift your shirt above your head and get you a new one. Only he has his gaze locked on yours...trying to remember the last time he was intimate with you. the last time he saw you undressed. you notice his expression change, unfamiliar glint in his eyes. 

had it really been that long? 

"What, hee? you're staring..." you ask worriedly, afraid he might not like what he sees. you damn sure don't look like the woman he married, not after having his child. 

each time you look in the mirror you're reminded, each time you look at your wedding pictures, each time you get naked infront of him, each time you look at your son. 

your arm lays against your chest, holding your breasts as you reach for another shirt. Heeseung's way quicker, grabbing your arm before you can reach it. "Wait."

his lips are on yours seconds later, pulling your body flush against his, trapping you in a very passionate kiss. 

you know what he wants when he kisses you like that. when he pulls you in by your waist and holds your cheek with one hand. when he lifts you up and takes you bed, placing you against the mattress softly. your stomach flutters with excitement, eager to experience a different type of intimacy with him.

he pulls away, pulling at his tie with one hand and letting it fall to the ground, undoing a few buttons of his shirt after.

he connects your lips again as wall as your groins, grinding softly through kisses. it's enough to get you worked up, moaning into the kiss when he gropes at a tit. 

he gives it some love with his mouth too, sucking one and squeezing the other. its enough to stimulate your ducts, breasts tingling as they secrete milk. he purposely squeezes a nipple, milk spilling from the ducts, as you squirm beneath him. his skilled hands force a moan from you, his tongue swirling as he sucks, likely making your other breast leak too. 

his hips rut against yours, grunting at the little bit of friction it gives. he's gotta get out of these slacks, and fast. he pulls his mouth away, kissing down your chest and abdomen, paying special attention to those areas he knows youre insecure about. 

your lower belly that's riddled with stretch marks and hips that look the same from carrying his child. he wouldn't trade you for the world, not when you've given him the best gift on gods earth. a family. 

he pulls your night shorts down with one motion, doing the same with your panties before he spreads your legs. his kisses move to your thighs, stopping when he reaches your core. he moves your hips to the edge of the bed, kneeling before you. "Fuck.." he feels his mouth water just looking, pushing your legs before he dips his head between your thighs. 

six years and every time feels like the first. six years and neither of you can get enough. 

he always takes his time, soft kisses against your pussy to start, soft licks against your clit when he slides his tongue through your folds, huge hands that knead at the flesh of your thighs to stimulate you even more. he gradually moves to sucking, tongue flat against the little bundle of nerves, forcing moan from you.

your eyes flutter closed, sinking further into the mattress as you reach for his hands. 

your fingers intertwine perfectly, much like they did the first time you two met in college. he was sweet then, he's even sweeter now. always, always so compassionate and caring, even more since you've gotten married. 

he watches from between your legs. eyes shut, brows furrowed, mouth agape as you let out the prettiest moans. matching the pretty expression you have. 

he knows you like the back of his hand, sucking your clit just how you like it. your back arching off the bed tells him so. especially when you remove a hand from his, sliding it through his hair instead to swirl your hips. 

"oh, god- hee!"

he can hear your breath quickening. short and shallow through endless curses as your orgasm builds. "fuck, baby, i'm cumming!" it hits you like a truck, heeseung moaning as you cum right on his tongue, nothing else. holding your hips steady so he can eat you through it. through the soft convulsions and quiet moans, hands that grip his and his hair. 

heeseung finally pulls his lips way, rising from the floor with lips coated in your arousal. he doesn't lick them, keeps them wet and moist so he can lean down and kiss you. he's letting you taste yourself as well, sliding his tongue past your lips to give you sloppy, wet kisses. 

you pull at his button up, pulling it from his slacks, moving to remove his belt right after. you pull away from the kiss, pulling at the buttons with frantic hands. "help me, hee..." you mumble, looking up at the man above you. he forces you both up, reaching to unbutton his pants as you work on those damn buttons. 

"take your time, darlin'. Im not going anywhere." he kisses your forehead gently, capturing your lips again once you finish. you push his shirt off his shoulders, only satisfied when you hear it make contact with the wood flooring below. "tell me how you want me." you barely manage to get out between kisses. he doesn't respond for a minute, focusing on kissing you before he makes up his mind. 

"bend over." he pants, catching his breath from the very heated kiss. you do as instructed, turning around to bend over for him. his hands immediately attach to your hips, one hand pressing against the small of your back, guiding you into position. "Arch that back, yeah..." he pulls you back against his dick, hard length sitting right between your ass. he retracts, sliding his length through your folds, coating it in your arousal. 

you can feel him line himself up with your entrance, head of his cock just barely penetrating, pausing before he decides to fully slip inside. a soft cry leaves you,  leaning yourself away from the intrusion that has your walls stretching. "Uh-ah, keep that back arched for me baby." that makes you whine, forcing yourself back into position as he pulls you right back on his cock. "Good girl..." he coos, hand rubbing softly against your back to soothe you, legs already trembling just from him sliding in. 

he takes you painfully slow, pulling half his length out, pushing it back in, in a long drawn out movement. his eyes are stuck right where you suck him back in, despite your little noises that tell him you're struggling with it. he barely has to move his hips, you're pushing back on him likely without even realizing. 

"Fuck," his dick is soaked, coated in your wetness, glistening in the soft light coming from your bedside lamp. He grabs both hips, taking over your soft and cautious movements, replacing them with his own. Still slow, but much deeper, holding your ass to his hips each time he pushes himself back in. 

"Taking it so good, baby." heeseung doesn't know why you're always so caught up in your own thoughts. each time he fucks you like this, you forget all about your silly little insecurities. It's all proof of the woman you are today, anyway. the mother and wife he's built within you. 

"Hee..." you reach a hand back to hold his, heeseung quickly pinning your arm behind your back, hand clasped within yours. His movements increase, throwing his own head back as your body drives him to near madness. you sink further down, hand knitting into the soft fabric of your cream coloured duvet. 

so deep, so big. he's hitting all the right spots, bending over you to reach and grab a tit. he squeezes at the flesh, mouth steady kissing on your shoulder as he fucks you near completion. the both of you. "fuck, baby! harder!" nothing but a word, he happily obliges. he's been waiting for you to say it since he started. "Yeah?" his breaths shallow and short as he fucks into you harder, a loud moan of approval from you forcing a smirk on his lips. "Yes! god, heeseung!" from his lips on your neck, to the way his balls repeatedly slap against your clit, you're already there before you realise. "Like that, yeah, let it out."

you grab at his flexed arms beside you, crying out as you both ride out your orgasm together. Heeseung's hips stutter as cums inside you, sloppy uncoordinated thrusts pushing more waves of pleasure through you. "Shit." He blinks through the haziness coursing through his body, only pulling out when both of your breaths return to normal.

you stay even when heeseung leaves, relaxing your body against the bed. he comes back, turning you back over so he can clean you up, laying next to you right after. 

comfortable silence fills the air, heeseung pulling you into his arms when you snuggle up close. "I love you, hee."

"I love you more, baby." 

...

"Say hi!" you grab your sons arm, waving at the man in the doorway. "My big man! Say hi to uncle Jake." he takes the baby from your arms, bouncing him in his. "Where's your dad, big man? always leaving mommy to do the work, huh?" you move to the kitchen, starting the coffee maker for heeseung.

"Dad is doing laundry." Heeseung emerges, passing Jake the diaper bag. You furrow your brows at that, heeseung hadn't said anything about Jake taking Seung. "Morning." he slips behind you, pressing a kiss to your cheek. "Seung is-"

"You need a break." he quickly interjects, eyebrows raising when you don't immediately respond. "What? You don't wanna spend some time with me?" it's sly, the way his hand slips under your shirt to grab the soft flesh of your ass.  "I was the only man in your life at one point, you know." he smiles, moving his hand back to a more appropriate position. "Whatever." you laugh, eyes shifting over to Jake who's preoccupied with your son. You slip past heeseung, going to say your goodbyes. "Thanks, Jake. You really-"

Heeseung's familiar hiss of disapproval stops you. Jake simply laughing, "It's all good. My girlfriend wants to see him anyway. she calls it playing 'house'."

"Marry her and have your own, dude." heeseung comes over, kissing his son’s cheek. "Yeah, yeah." he's always dismissive when the topic comes up, but you know he's just waiting on the right time. "I'll take off then." Jake smiles at the both you before he makes his way to the front door. Heeseung pulls you in as you both wave Jake and your son goodbye. 

"Let's have another one." 

[spider-ghoul]

Babysitting <3

Percy Jackson X gn!reader (fluff)

In which: a call from Sally Jackson leads you to help with her youngest, and spend the night with her eldest son. Lingering glances and sleepy confessions only to be forgotten by morning.

Warnings: Reader is mentioned to be smaller than Percy once, kissing, none I can think of but as always lmk if there's anything!!

this might be complete shit lmao I finished this at like 3:00 am last night but I wanted to get something out to feed the beasts of this website

~~𓈒ㅤׂㅤ𓇼 ࣪ 𓈒ㅤׂㅤ⭒ 𓆡 ⭒ㅤ𓈒ㅤׂ 🫧~~

At six o'clock on a Friday, normally I'd be rotting in my bed after the week of school. And that was the plan, until Mrs. Jackson mom called.

"Oh- (y/n) I'm so sorry for asking but do you think you could watch Estelle tonight? Me and Paul had a date but Percy was going to the movies with Grover tonight and we-"

"Mrs. Jackson, yeah, it's fine. When do I need to be over?"

"Six is when we're leaving."

"I'll be there at five fifty."

"You're a savior."

This was perfectly fine. Me and Percy were friends and i was the only half-blood who lived around here. I watched Estelle a few times before too. No biggie. Except for the fact I'd been in love with Percy Jackson for...a while.

I mean, he was  kinda my friend. But god, he was Percy Jackson.

At five forty, i headed out. I grabbed my backpack, making sure i had the baby sitting essentials for any four year old: nail polish, beads, and my old rainbow loom (i also spent a extra minute making sure my hair looked okay so that if i saw a certain older brother) I figured that and the t.v. would be more than enough to keep us occupied till her bedtime at eight.

I got there right on time (surprisingly), and Sally greeted me with another thank you. She tried to hand over a few bucks cash, but i pushed her hand away.

She rushed out of the door with Paul after a few more (failed) attempts of paying me, leaving me with an excited two four old. And before too long, she had me watching Bluey (Though i do thoroughly enjoy that show), and making bracelets for us.

She watched as i showed her how to bead the string and make sure the letter beads where on the right way, and then she helped me choose colors.

To start i made one with her name in purple and white. She giggled and slide it on her wrist. I started working on a second one, and she told me to tie hers. It was all blue and had me spell out 'Percy' with beads for her.

"Is this for your brother?" She nodded excitedly, "well, we'll give it to him when he get here, okay?"

I got a solid hour with the beads before she got bored, and by the end both of our wrists had a fair share of bracelets littering them, and a small pile of three bracelets for Percy.

I seriously hope she's awake when he gets here, I can imagine the teasing that would come with handing him bracelets and saying, "oh yeah sorry I'm at your house haha baby sitting- oh me and your sister made you bracelets-". Or i could imagine our hands touching causing me to panic. I could imagine a million things actually.

I think this whole crush is really getting out of hand, especially with me becoming his mom's go to sitter now a days.

Estelle broke me from my thoughts with requests to watch 'Nemo', her favorite. We've watched it every time I've babysat. Part of me wonders if Percy likes it too, I mean with the whole sea god thing. 

As for her request, I made a bag of microwave popcorn and set her down in front of the TV.

I vaguely remember the opening, and Estelle fell asleep next to me before i dozed off myself.

I woke up a bit later, maybe half an hour? The movie wasn't finished, but Estelle was already fast asleep. I took the liberty of scooping her up and placing her in her own bed before going to clean up the main room.

It wasn't bad, just putting away my beads, and getting the popcorn bowl out of the way. I was tired enough, school was rough this week. I just planted myself back on the couch, finding Nemo not quite finished as I did.

I'm not quite sure when i feel back asleep, just that i did.

I'm also not quite sure when Percy Jackson sat down next to me, but he did.

I woke up, curled around a throw pillow, the end credits were playing. I rolled onto my back, and that's when I saw him.

Maybe i was too tired, or maybe he was just smiling, but i didn't feel all that anxious. At least not like i normally do around the son of the sea god.

"Do you always fall asleep to Nemo or is this a special occasion?"

"Do you always watch me sleep or is this a special occasion...?"

He laughed and my heart fluttered.

"Uhm, sorry your mom had me come over to babysit, I didn't know you'd be home yet." I say awkwardly smiley as i sit up, yawning. 

"It's fine, y/n. She texted me, sorry to have you waste a Friday."

"Oh its fine, better than doing nothing. Your sis was an angel, like always." I say, shifting, my shirt bunched up around my waist while I was sleeping. I was also pretty positive my hair was a mess. 

"Oh and speaking of my mom- before i forget." He pulled out a twenty, "now I figure you aren't gonna want to take it, but it's sally's orders."

"I'd feel bad, its just a favor. Your mom is always so nice, she patched me up after a monster attack once, this is just me repaying her."

"She did? When?" His eyebrows furrowed together, his eyes filled with concern.

And i felt my face getting hot again.

"A few weeks ago, your house was closer than mine, it's fine." I mutter, looking down. 

He sighed, "what happened?" he said, reaching out to put his hand over mine. I short wire for a moment, looking back up at him. 

"Just something on my way home from school, it wasn't bad."

After a brief moment of silence, i wanted to crawl out of my skin.

He sighed, "as long as you're fine." he lifted his hand off of mine, though I could still feel his warmth. 

I smiled weakly, "oh uh..what time is it?" 

"Uh.. ten-ish?"

"I should be getting home." I say, sighing turning away from him. 

"It's pretty late, I wouldn't want you to walk back alone."

"It's not far-"

"I'm sure my mom would say the same thing, you know."

I sighed, knowing he was right, "i don't want to intrude." 

"Neither me or Sally would care."

"...."

"...can i bribe you to stay with waffles?"

"...yeah you can." I sigh, any of Sally's food was enough to make me do just about anything. 

Percy smiled, making my heart melt.

"Great, it'll be like a sleepover. Do you need to borrow a shirt or something?"

"Yeah, that uhm- that would be great." I mutter, pushing myself up off the couch. My neck was sore, who would have guessed that a throw pillow wasn't great for sleeping? I stretch my arms out over my head, yawning again. 

"tired?" He chuckles, raising his eyebrow. 

"well you did just wake me up-" I resort, rolling my eyes. I always forget how nice Percy is. I always worry about stupid things, but when I'm with him none of it really matters.

"You woke up on your own- I was simply..." He trails off, and I laugh:

"Watching me sleep?" 

"What can I say? You looked so.. pretty." He look down at me, and I could swear my heart stops, but I don't look away.

"...Yeah, whatever." I mummer quietly,  staring into his eyes and blinking a few times before finally breaking eye contact.

After a short moment, He mumbles something about getting me to bed. I nod quickly, following him to his room, which is surprisingly clean. He digs though his dresser drawers for a moment, pulling out some old band tee, and blue plaid pants. He hands them to me. 

"Is this fine for you? might be a big big, just let me know-" 

"it's fine. No worries." I say quickly, taking them, making sure to avoid his hands. "Thanks." 

He smiles again, and I leave for the bathroom, my heart pounding in my ears. 'pretty'? it's nothing, Percy is just nice like that. 

I change into his clothes, the smell of ocean engulfing me as the soft fabric hangs from my body.  I can't help but to push my head into my shoulder. It smells like him. 

I ball up my jeans and tee shirt, shoving them into my backpack. I slipped out the bathroom once I calmed myself down enough to talk to him again. 

I walk up to Percy's door, "Hey, I'm gonna go lay down do you have a blanket or something I can use..?" 

His eyebrows furrowed as he looked up at me from where he was laying on his bed, "You don't seriously think I'm making you sleep on the couch-?" 

"Well I kinda assumed..?" 

"Get over here you dork." He said, scooting over on his bed, "Plenty of room- you don't mind, do you?" 

Part of me lit on fire, and part of me was desperate to put it out. My ears got hot, but I managed to nod.

"No, I don't mind.." 

I place my bag on the floor by the door, walking up and sitting on his bed, sliding my legs under the covers and sliding down to lay next to him. I was stiff, worried to so much as touch him. But eventually, I relaxed, turning to lay on my side, facing him. 

I looked at him through half-lidded eyes, my body already starting to sink into his bed, ready to get a proper night's sleep. My eyelids slowly drifted shut. 

I was woken when Percy broke the silence. 

"Y/N?" Percy whispered, almost silent. 

"Mhm..?" I mumbled back, not bothering to open my eyes. 

"I really like you, you know that?" 

If I wasn't half asleep, maybe I would have said something different. If I had the energy maybe I would have been flustered. 

"... I really like you too." 

I only heard him chuckle before he placed a hand on my hip. 

"Get some sleep, yeah? I'll confess my undying love when you'll properly Remember it." 

I must have frowned, because he laughed lightly and pulled me a little closer. 

It didn't matter though. I slipped back to sleep, and when I woke up I didn't  remember. 

I remembered waking up some point in the night, but I didn't know what was said. 

And in the morning, I got the promised waffles and left the Jackson's apartment. 

The ever chivalrous Percy Jackson (who I woke up cuddling with), offered to walk me home. 

We took the long way, and when we reached my door step, he pressed his lips to mine and told me he couldn't wait for me to babysit again, though he wouldn't mind me coming around before then. 

He left me breathless and giddy, and so so happy to have accepted Sally's offer.

[hungee-boy]

Our House is Unsafe, Help Us Gain a New Start

Do NOT tag as #d*nation, #m*tual aid, #p*ypal, #c*shapp, etc.

My name is Ross and I'm the oldest child of my family, with whom I currently live with. Our household consists of me, my widowed mother, and my three younger siblings, the youngest being 16. My dad died suddenly in his sleep November of 2021 and since then we have struggled pretty much every day to keep ourselves alive and housed.

Our house, my childhood home, is a 3 bedroom mobile home built in 1990 and for as long as I can remember, it has always been hoarded and falling apart. Over the past few years, we've made significant progress in reducing the hoard and giving us space to live in, but still this is a 30+ year mobile home that is damaged beyond our capability to repair.

Problems that exist currently in our house include:

No working HVAC

Half of the house has no power

Weakened floors due to water and pet damage

Outdoor siding rotting due to plant growth and water damage

Major leaks in the covered porch's roof, causing immense water damage and mold growth

Drywall, ceiling, and flooring damage (our entire kitchen's floor is just plywood now due to damage)

So many other issues that I've honestly lost track

We, of course, originally planned to slowly fix whatever issues had come up, but our plans changed when we came across a deal to purchase a brand new 5 bedroom mobile home for a discounted price. Not only does a new house such as this give us a safe, secure, and clean place to live, but the additional rooms ensure that all of us have our own bedroom and that we have more space to live and work. Currently, me, my mom, and my sister all share the master bedroom, so obviously the concept of all of us having our own privacy is leading us to make this decision more.

Right now, we currently have $2,000 put towards the down payment for the new house, out of a $9,000 down payment. We are able to make payments early and we expected to be able to put money down every month, until my mom's job fucked her over and didn't schedule her for 6 weeks. This greatly put us behind not just on payments for the new house, but also bills and getting my mom's car insured and registered, as it's now a year overdue for both.

I'll do anything for this chance, anything if it means that my family and I can finally have a home we deserve, a home my dad would've wanted for us.

I'm desperate, we're all desperate, for a chance to live normally for the first time in our lives. Living in squalor is all I've known and the opportunity to escape it is honestly the only thing keeping me going right now.

I don't know what I'd do if I'm forced to live in this shithole another year, let alone for the rest of my life. So, please, if you have the means I'd forever be grateful if you donate. If you can't donate, then please share this. It would mean everything to me.

Links:

[PP] [CA]

Thank you if you read this, thank you if you share, and thank you so so much if you donate.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

Aita for not taking down a jokey sign on my bathroom door when my parents came over?

Cw: talk of diarrhea. Not explicitly.

So I (21f)and 2 of my friends (20f,lets call her lilly and 23m, lets call him matt)moved into an apartment about 2 years ago and so far, everything has been good. We've been able to manage our bills, keep a clean home, I couldn't ask for better. We've known each other since middle school, there's ackward moments and small disagreements when Matt brings over his boyfriend (he almost always yells when he speaks and slams doors) but everything is generally all good.

Every apartment shared by more than one gen z is gonna have some quirks and ours is the "code brown" sign. Me and matt have IBS and occasionally have some mild to moderate.... Bowel problems and there's only one bathroom. Usually it's not a problem but there's been a few occasions where someone will be taking awhile scrolling tik Tok or whatever or taking a long shower and me or Matt have an issue.

Originally it was a group chat half joke warning that someone was having a "code brown" and no one could lolly gag in the restroom because one of us might be making trips. It became an inside joke and last year, lilly had a cheap small hanging sign made by some wood burner on Etsy that basically read on one side "All clear, private!" and on the other read "Code brown! Get going or get down!". It was hilarious and we hung it on the bathroom door and now use it unironically. All our friends enjoyed it, Matt's boyfriend loudly so but not so much my parents.

About a week ago, I finally allowed my parents to check out my place. They aren't super Christian like evangelicals but my dad has been going red pilled and more so by the day so I tried to make my apartment look less like it was shared by three liberals and wore something nice and cooked a nice dinner. I paid for lilly and matt to go catch a movie and some Wendy's on me so they'd be out of the house. All was good until my dad went to the bathroom and came back with the damn sign looking like his head was going to explode. He screamed at me that he thought I was an adult, that I was failing at getting my shit together (they don't pay for anything and i live on my own?) and I was a child for hanging up such a clearly inappropriate sign. My mom agreed, though much less Intensely and my dad proceeded to break the sign over his knee and chastise me for a good 20 minutes before grabbing his things, demanding an apology in a few days and leaving with my mom.

Once lilly and matt got home I apologized and offered to buy a new sign. Lilly and Matt were just happy nothing else was broken and I was ok. I did eventually apologize to my dad because I can see where a poop sign might be a little inappropriate for important company but tbh I forgot about it and I was so busy making dinner I didn't realize it was still up or I would of tossed it in my room and moved on. Lilly and Matt just say my dad has a stick up his ass and shouldn't of messed with the sign(it was flipped to the no code brown side so he had to flip it to see it).

Was i the asshole for not taking down a gag sign about poop when my parents came over?

What are these acronyms?

[archangeldyke-all]

Sevika and reader being grumbly whiskey aunts together!!!

They just want to sit on their porch together. <3

this is EVERYTHING to me

men and minors dni

you spend your evenings on your screened-in front porch, passing a smoke back and forth, one of you occasionally getting up to grab fresh drinks and snacks from the house.

you're both total grumps, but the kids (vander and silco's ofc) know that if they're ever in trouble, the first house to call is their aunts'.

lmaoooo now i'm imagining jinx calling you for a ride home from a party she shouldn't be at-- and you and sevika showing up to pick her up-- grinding and making out in front of all her friends just so she learns her lesson adkfj;laskjd

over the years, you've hosted the kids in your house for all kinds of reasons. claggor spent a month living with you guys when the three little kids were bogged down with a flu they kept passing around. in a rebellion against his dads' video games ban on him after they caught him smoking weed at fourteen, mylo and his xbox moved in with the two of you. jinx and vi come over for 'girl nights' all the time when they're growing up, and when violet gets laid off from her first job, she crashes with the two of you until she can get back on her feet.

they're the only kids you tolerate though. neighborhood kids are terrified of you and sevika-- both of you are total grumps, and little slayer and sugar are the exact same.

(but you make up for your bad reputation in the neighborhood on halloween-- you're always the house that gives out full sized candy bars.)

your elderly neighbors though? they love you and sevika.

they appreciate that you're just as grumpy as them. they always wave to you from their porches, where they sit every evening along with you guys. they like that you don't give a shit about the home owners association, and that sevika sometimes even does shit just to piss them off. (she painted your fence hot pink after being told by the HOA that the natural wood needed to be painted white. she earned the hearts of all your grumpy old neighbors with that move.)

as a result, you're always being given plates of cookies and pans of casseroles by the old ladies in the neighborhood, the old men are always coming over to share a smoke with sevika and exchange books, gardening tips, and garage tools. (you and sevika repay their hospitality by shoveling their sidewalks and raking their leaves for them in the shitty weather.)

you're constantly being told by old folks that you're 'the nicest lesbians we've ever met.'

sevika always laughs at this, then asks how many lesbians they have met. the answer is always just the two of you.

(one time, though, a little old lady informs you that her granddaughter is a lesbian 'just like you two,' and that she was so happy when she came out to her because 'you'll be just like my lovely neighbors!' this one makes you cry... and even sevika tears up a bit.)

in the summer, you've got a big fan you can flick on to keep you cool on your porch.

in the winter, you've got a little space heater you can pull closer to your matching rocking chairs.

after a few years, sevika even builds you an outside bed, so that after an evening of drinking whiskey and sharing a joint you can cuddle in each other's arms outside and listen to the crickets and frogs chirping before heading in for the evening.

your porch is your favorite little spot in the whole wide world. sevika's planted a jungle of plants surrounding it, and it's like your little oasis from the real world. you've got christmas lights strung around the ceiling that stay up all year long, lighting the porch when the sun finally sets. you've got dog and cat beds scattered everywhere so your animals can join you. there's ash trays, pipes, books, and bottles littered everywhere, and there's always at least a dozen potted plants scattered around inside your little sanctuary.

it's heaven.

taglist!

@fyeahnix @lavendersgirl @half-of-a-gay @thesevi0lentdelights @sexysapphicshopowner

@shimtarofstupidity @chuucanchuucan @badbye666 @femme-historian @lia-winther

@ellsss @sevikaspillowprincess @emiliabby @sevikasbeloved @hellorai

@glass-apothecary @macaroni676 @artinvain @realgreeniebeanie @k3n-dyll

@sevsdollette @ellieslob @xayn-xd @keikuahh @maneskinwh0re

[woso-dreamzzz]

Pet Problems

Social Media

Alexia Putellas x Reader

-- -- --

liked by marialeonn16, yourinstagram and 230,907 others

user1 Nala's so cute

-> user3 Alexia's so cute

user2 absolutely crying

-> user2 Alexia being a dog mom??? Life complete

yourinstagram my girls having another staring contest

-> user2 who won???

-> yourinstagram Nala ofc

liked by marialeonn16, ingrid_engen and 20,006 others

yourinstagram my baby being traumatised after coming back from the vets with @alexiaputellas

marialeonn16 that glare tho

-> yourinstagram she was looking at Alexia

-> marialeonn16 bring her over to see Bagheera and all anger will be cured

user3 that's one angry cat

liked by 43 others

user1 alexia and her gf being cottagecore wlws makes my day

user2 they're actually so cute

user4 they look like they make their own bread and honey. my heart

user3 actually crying, screaming, throwing up. I need a love like theirs

liked by alexiaputellas, marialeonn16 and 100,071 others

yourinstagram 'we don't need a cat, we've already got Nala' - Alexia

-> yourinstagram it may have taken three and a half years but we've got her!!!

alexiaputellas she grew on me

marialeonn16 whooo! finally!

user1 alexia finally loving y/n's cat was not on this year's bingo card

user4 not we just need y/n to admit to loving Nala and we're set!

liked by ingrid_engen, alexiaputellas and 200,020

yourinstagram okay, I admit it. I love Nala too (and her Mamí is kind of cute as well)

-> alexiaputellas ❤️❤️❤️

-> user4 we did it boys!!!

-> user2 🎉🎉🎉

liked by yourinstagram, marialeonn16 and 300,156 others

alexiaputellas i don't like this cat anymore

yourinstagram don't you dare lie! You love her! She just surprised you

-> alexiaputellas she lives in my house, eats my food and then gets pregnant. It's completely irresponsible

-> yourinstagram don't listen to her. Alexia had the vet on speed dial in case something went wrong. she's a big softie for our ginger baby

marialeonn16 sorry...I should have told you Bagheera wasn't fixed before I catsat

-> user3 not Mapi's cat getting Alexia and y/n's pregnant

User1 that's a cat that didn't realise what motherhood truly meant

liked by alexiaputellas

[httpuckdrop]

ashes – day 146

"ollie! come here, boy!"

luke's voice was followed by the distinct sound of nails scratching against the hardwood floor – and just a second later, he was attacked by a big, golden bullet.

jack had landed on the name oliver the exact moment he saw the golden retriever pup at the foster home. he felt it deep in his soul, he had told you, and just like that, it had been settled. he needed to get a dog.

you hadn't even been at the foster home to adopt, just to check it out. but you can't stop fate, jack had said. whatever that meant.

luke had been just as, if not more, enthusiastic about the decision. ever since the adoption, luke had spent half his time just lounging around jack's apartment and playing with the dog – which was especially appreciated while jack was away for his national team duties.

jack came home with you from the four nations tournament yesterday, and today, he was back playing for the devils again. you didn't understand how he could do it, fly between games like that, but you supposed that such was the life of a sportsman. needing to be cheered up after the loss against dalas, luke tagged along back to jack's apartment to – again – hang out with ollie. and that's how you found yourself here, slipping onto the couch in jack's living room, bowl of popcorn in your hands as the two brothers argued about which movie to watch.

just like they had for the last hour.

"no way are we watching 'fight club' again," jack complained, slinging an arm across your shoulders.

bored out of your mind and having no other ideas of what to do, you threw a popcorn towards oliver, who caught it mid-air without any issues. "i thought you loved it," luke answered, leaning back slightly as you tossed more popcorn his way – the dog had no control of his excitement, jumping all over the place to catch whatever you threw at him, and luke was in no mood to loose an eye due to a wild dog.

"i do love it," jack started, picking up a handful of popcorn for himself. "but we've already watched it three times this year. pick something else."

the room went silent as luke scrolled through his brother's netflix library. when you stood up from the couch after having dropped a popcorn to the floor, the retriever flew over to your side, apparently scared that this would be the last time he would ever see the bowl. "aren't you the most energetic thing ever?" you asked, bending down a little to pick up the trash and scratch his head as he jumped up and down along your leg.

"he's going to love coming to michigan," jack hummed. "running around in the grass, playing fetch..."

"you think he's going to like swimming?" luke asked with a chuckle once oliver threw himself up into jack's embrace this time.

"i bet he's going to like it so much that he'll try swimming across the entire lake," jack groaned, playfully trying to wrestle the dog to lie still in his lap. "i feel like we won't be able to look away from him for even a second."

you shook your head at the sight, though unable to hold back your smile, before sitting down again. "you like swimming, don't you?" the younger brother asked, gaze meeting yours. "you seem like the kind of girl to enjoy swimming and sunbathing and all that stuff."

"you're going to love the lake house," jack agreed.

right, the house in michigan. jack had mentioned it once or twice, but never in relation to you or the future. yet here he was, talking about it as if there wasn't even a question that you'd tag along.

"let me just take a leak and then we can watch any movie you two want," luke said, already making his way to the bathroom. "i'm tired of searching, just pick whatever."

yet another silence fell over the room, but this one felt... different. oliver had finally calmed down and jack stroked his golden back, though his gaze – and mind – was on something else. to be fair, he had been in a bit of a slump ever since the tournament ended, and you weren't sure how to pull him out of it.

when he didn't speak up, you felt like you had to. "what are you thinking about?"

it didn't take long for him to answer. "the other night."

oh. was he thinking about the game again? that was no good. "jack-"

"i said too much, didn't i?" he said, voice low as a whisper.

during our talk? "of course not."

"yeah, i did." he laughed, but there was no actual joy in it. "i don't really know why i said it. 'i need you', that was silly."

it was easy to tell from the tone of his voice what this was – a defense mechanism. a way to take back his vulnerability, to make sure he looked strong again.

instead of just allowing him to take it back, you spoke again, voice calm as ever. "was it true?"

he froze. you could tell it from the way he stared at you, in the way he swallowed; he couldn't hide from it now, and he knew it just as well as you. "yeah."

he was terrified. terrified of what it means, terrified of having seemed weak, terrified of no longer being in control of his emotions. he's always been able to keep his feelings in check and distance himself from them when needed.

but not with you. something about you makes him feel... weak. something about you makes him open up without thinking it through.

you placed a hand on his cheek, leaning in to brush your nose against his. "i'm here, jack."

and with that, he closed his eyes and let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. "thank you," he whispered.

and when your lips slotted against his, you weren't worried anymore. you could feel it deep in your soul – everything would be alright.

[elliecore4eva]

The Weight of Words We Can't Take Back

pairing: asshole! ellie x Joel’s adoptive daughter!reader

Summary : You’re Joel’s adoptive daughter, living in Jackson, Ellie and you have been dating for 2 years and everything’s going well until it isn’t causing Ellie to snap and give you the silent treatment.

Genre: Angst/Fluff

Warnings: Angst, Mean Ellie and the silent treatment + fluff at end.

Very Mean! Ellie x Sunshine! Reader coded.

Requests open!

.

.

.

The Tipsy Bison buzzed with its usual evening crowd when everything fell apart. You and Ellie had been together long enough - two years of shared breaths, stolen kisses, and promises whispered under starlit skies - that everyone in Jackson knew you as a unit. The sunny-natured girl who'd stolen Joel's heart and his brooding, fierce adopted daughter. A perfect balance, they said.

Until tonight.

It started with patrol routes, like many of your arguments did. But this was different. The mountain pass had claimed three lives last month - good people, experienced fighters. The kind of loss that left holes in Jackson's tight-knit community.

"I'm taking the mountain route tomorrow," Ellie announced over your shared plate of Seth's famous fries. Her tone was casual, but you knew that set of her jaw. "There's been infected activity reported, and I'm the best shot we've got."

Your heart dropped. "El, no. Maria specifically said that route's off-limits until the snow melts. Even Dad agreed—"

"Joel doesn't make my decisions," she cut in, that familiar defensive edge creeping into her voice. "And neither do you."

"This isn't about making decisions," you countered, trying to keep your voice level. The couple at the next table was already stealing glances. "It's about being smart. Being safe. What happened to Danny and the others—"

"Happened because they weren't prepared!" Her voice rose slightly. "I'm different. I'm immune, remember? If anything goes wrong—"

"Being immune doesn't make you bulletproof!" The words burst out louder than intended. A hush fell over the nearby tables. "What about last summer? When you came back half-dead because you thought you could handle that bloater alone?"

"That was different—"

"No, it wasn't! You spent three weeks in the infirmary. I had to watch while you—" Your voice cracked. "While you fought for your life because you're so damn determined to prove something!"

Ellie's eyes flashed. The whole bar had gone quiet now, watching the unfolding scene. "I don't need to prove anything. I need to do my job, which is protecting this place. Protecting you."

"And what about the people who love you? What about Dad? What about me?" You could feel tears threatening. "Do you have any idea what it does to us every time you throw yourself into danger?"

"Oh, that's rich," Ellie laughed, but it was a harsh sound. "Coming from Little Miss Sunshine herself. You think just because Joel took you in, because everyone loves your perfect, optimistic ass, you get to tell me how to survive? I was surviving long before you showed up with your fucking rainbows and happy endings!"

The silence in the bar was deafening. You saw Jesse start to rise from his seat at the bar, saw Dina's hand fly to her mouth. But Ellie wasn't done.

"You want to know something?" She stood up, her chair scraping against the floor. "Maybe I'm tired of pretending. Tired of playing house and family dinner and whatever the fuck this is. Maybe some of us don't get happy endings. Maybe some of us are just too fucked up, too broken to—"

"Ellie!" Joel's voice cut through the bar. He must have just walked in, but the look on his face said he'd heard enough.

But the damage was done. You stood slowly, your whole body shaking. The tears you'd been holding back spilled over, and for the first time since you'd known her, Ellie's face showed a flash of immediate regret.

"Y/N," she started, reaching for you, all the anger suddenly gone from her voice. "I didn't—"

"Fuck you, Ellie Williams," you whispered, the words foreign on your tongue. You never swore, never spoke with anything but kindness. But this - this was different. "Just... fuck you."

You ran. Past Joel's outstretched arm, past Dina's concerned face, past the whispers and stares. Out into the cold Jackson night, where the stars that usually held so much wonder now seemed to mock your tears.

That was the beginning of the silence.

[First Silent Treatment - Day One]

The morning after the fight, you woke up in your old room at Joel's. He hadn't said a word when you showed up crying, just opened his arms and held you like he did the day he found you - half-dead from infected, but still fighting. Still hoping.

You spotted Ellie at the stables during morning patrol assignments. Your heart did that familiar dance - leaping at the sight of her, then remembering why it shouldn't. She was gearing up, checking her bow with mechanical precision, when you approached.

"Ellie?" Your voice was soft, hopeful despite everything. You held out her favorite travel mug - black coffee, two sugars. A peace offering. "Can we talk about last night?"

She stiffened. You saw her fingers tighten on the bow, saw the muscle in her jaw jump. For a moment, something flickered in her eyes - pain, regret, longing. Then nothing.

She shouldered past you, the coffee untouched, leaving nothing but the ghost of her presence and the scent of pine needles that always clung to her clothes.

The mug slipped from your fingers, shattering on the stable floor. Jesse appeared from nowhere, already sweeping up the pieces.

"She didn't mean it," he said quietly, gathering ceramic shards. "Any of it. You should have seen her after you left. She punched a wall so hard she broke two fingers."

"Then why won't she talk to me?"

Jesse sighed, looking older than his years. "Because Ellie's got this way of punishing herself. And right now? She thinks hurting you is what she deserves."

[Second Silent Treatment - Day Two]

The greenhouse had always been your sanctuary. Today, the warmth felt stifling. You were replanting those strawberry seeds - the ones you'd been saving for the garden you and Ellie had planned behind your shared garage. Your shared everything, until now.

The door creaked. Your heart stopped.

Ellie stood there, looking lost in a way that made your chest ache. Dark circles under her eyes matched the bruises on her knuckles. She needed supplies - the greenhouse was the only source for certain medicinal herbs.

"The yarrow's fresh," you said, voice trembling slightly. "I... I remembered you were running low."

She moved like a ghost through the rows of plants, past the tomatoes you'd grown together, past the herbs she'd helped you name. When she reached the yarrow, her hand brushed yours. For a split second, electricity sparked between you.

"El," you breathed. "Please."

She yanked her hand back like she'd been burned. The door slammed behind her with such force that leaves trembled from nearby plants.

Dina found you crying among the strawberry sprouts.

"She's not sleeping," Dina said, sitting beside you. "Keeps walking past Joel’s house at night. I caught her standing there at 3 AM, just... staring at your window."

"I miss her," you whispered. "Even when she's right in front of me, I miss her."

[Third Silent Treatment - Day Three]

Family dinner at Joel's had been sacred for two years. Even during your worst fights, you'd both shown up, kept the peace for Joel's sake. But tonight, the empty chair beside you felt like an open wound.

Joel had made his famous venison stew - the one that always made Ellie smile, even on her darkest days. The bowl sat untouched before her empty seat.

The front door opened. Ellie stepped in, freezing when she saw you. Her hair was wet from patrol, her jacket dusted with snow. Something dark stained her sleeve - blood? Your heart lurched.

"You're hurt," you said, already standing.

She turned and fled, the door banging shut behind her.

"Goddammit," Joel muttered, throwing down his napkin. "Baby girl," he said to you, using the nickname that always made you feel safe. "Stay put. I'm gonna talk some sense into that stubborn—"

"No," you stopped him. "She's not ready."

He looked at you with sad eyes. "You're too good for this world, you know that?"

"That's what Ellie used to say."

[Fourth Silent Treatment - Day Four]

Movie night at the community center. Your heart was already in pieces, but seeing her walk in with Dina, deliberately avoiding your usual seats - it felt like those pieces were being ground to dust.

You'd found "Jurassic Park" - her favorite movie. Had planned to use it as a peace offering. Now you sat alone in the front row, the empty seat beside you a monument to everything falling apart.

Throughout the movie, you felt her eyes on you. Every laugh from the crowd made you think of her commentary during previous viewings. The way she'd squeeze your hand during tense scenes, even though she'd seen it a dozen times. How she'd whisper facts about dinosaurs in your ear, her breath warm against your skin.

Jesse found you in the projection room later, rewinding the film with shaking hands.

"This has to stop," he said, pulling you into a hug. "You're both drowning without each other."

"I don't know how to fix it," you sobbed into his shirt. "I don't know how to reach her when she won't even look at me."

"She looks at you all the time," he said softly. "You just can't see it because you're too busy looking at the ground. She watches you like she's dying of thirst and you're the last drop of water in the world."

[Fifth Silent Treatment - Day Five]

The final straw came when you took the mountain pass patrol - her route. The very thing that had started this whole mess. Maybe it was stupid, maybe it was reckless, but you needed to understand. Needed to know what drew her to these dangerous paths.

You didn't expect to find her there, perched on a ridge, watching your approach with wide eyes that quickly turned to fury.

"What the fuck?" She broke her silence at last, voice raw with disuse and emotion.

"What are you doing here?"

"The same thing you do," you answered steadily. "My job."

She moved toward you like an approaching storm. "You can't— This isn't—" She stopped, chest heaving. "You shouldn't be here."

"Neither should you."

Something broke in her expression. For a moment, you thought she might finally talk - really talk. Instead, she turned away, shoulders shaking.

"If you won't talk to me," you called after her, your voice carrying across the snow, "at least talk to Joel. We all miss you, El. Even if you don't miss us back."

You saw her pause, saw her hand come up to wipe roughly at her face. Then she was gone, leaving you alone with the wind and the weight of all the words you couldn't take back.

That night, after your confrontation on the mountain pass, the storm that had been threatening all week finally broke. You sat in your old room at Joel's, watching lightning illuminate the mountains where you'd seen Ellie hours before. The thunder reminded you of her - wild, unpredictable, earth-shattering.

A knock at your door. Joel.

"She's at the water tower," he said softly. "Been up there for hours in this rain."

"Let her freeze," you muttered, but your hands were already reaching for your coat.

"Before you go," Joel caught your arm, his eyes serious. "Found her in the garage earlier, starin' at that guitar you two fixed up together. She was cryin', baby girl. First time I've seen her."

Your heart clenched. "Dad—"

"Just listen. Remember when I found you? Half-dead in that old library, surrounded by infected but still readin' stories to those kids you'd protected?"

You nodded. It was the day that changed everything - the day you gained a father and, eventually, a love you never thought possible.

"Knew right then you were special. Same way I knew about Ellie. You two... you're like those strings on her guitar. Different notes, but they make something beautiful together. Even when one's out of tune."

The rain was freezing when you stepped outside, but you barely felt it. Your feet carried you to the water tower automatically - how many nights had you and Ellie spent up there, counting stars, sharing secrets, planning futures?

She was hunched at the edge, soaked to the bone, looking smaller than you'd ever seen her. Your approach wasn't quiet - it never was, she always teased you about that - but she didn't turn around.

"If you're here to yell at me," her voice was hoarse, "get in line. Pretty sure Joel, Jesse, and half of Jackson already have dibs."

"I didn't come to yell." You moved closer, careful, like approaching a wounded animal.

"I came because my stupid, stubborn girlfriend is sitting in a thunderstorm, probably catching pneumonia, and apparently being dramatic is contagious."

A sound escaped her - something between a laugh and a sob.

"You know what the worst part is?" She finally turned to look at you, her face streaked with rain and tears. "Every time I walked past you, every time I forced myself not to speak, not to reach for you... it felt like dying. Over and over again."

"Then why?" Your voice cracked. "Why put us both through this?"

"Because!" She stood suddenly, gesturing wildly. "Because I'm poison! Because everyone I love either dies or leaves or—" She choked on the words. "And then there's you. You with your sunshine smile and your stupid optimism and the way you make everyone fall in love with you just by existing. You're everything good in this fucking world, and I'm just... I'm just me."

"Just you?" You stepped closer, anger and love warring in your chest. "Just the girl who spent three weeks teaching the settlement kids how to read? Just the person who risks her life every day to keep everyone safe? Just the idiot who climbed through my window every night for a month because I had nightmares about the library?"

"That's different—"

"No, it's not! You want to know what I see when I look at you, Ellie Williams? I see the girl who hums while she cleans her guns. Who doodles dinosaurs in the margins of patrol reports. Who taught me to play guitar even though I'm terrible at it, and never once stopped smiling when I hit the wrong chord."

You were toe to toe now, both shaking from cold and emotion.

"I see the person who makes Joel laugh," you continued, poking her chest. "Who sneaks extra rations to Maria when she's working late. Who named every damn cat in Jackson and pretends not to care about them but always saves scraps from dinner."

"Stop—" she whispered, but you were on a roll.

"I see someone who survived hell and still manages to be gentle. Who acts tough but cries at sad movies. Who makes stupid puns just to see me smile. Who loves so fiercely it scares her."

"I see you, Ellie. All of you. The mean and the sweet and the broken and the healing. And I'm not going anywhere, so you can either keep pushing me away and make us both miserable, or you can kiss me in this stupid romantic rain and then come home before we both get sick."

For a moment, she just stared at you, water dripping from her eyelashes. Then her hands were in your hair, pulling you close with a desperation that took your breath away. The kiss tasted like rain and tears and coming home.

"I'm sorry," she breathed against your lips. "I'm so fucking sorry. For everything I said at the Bison, for pushing you away, for being such a—"

"Colossal idiot?"

"I was going to say ass, but yeah, that works too." She pressed her forehead to yours. "I love you. Even when I'm being impossible. Especially then, probably."

"Good," you murmured. "Because I love you. Even when you're giving me the silent treatment and making our whole family stress-eat Seth's cooking."

A genuine laugh bubbled out of her. "Dad stress-baked three pies yesterday. Three." You held up three fingers.

"I know. Dina and Jesse ate most of them while planning ways to lock us in a room together until we worked things out."

"Guess we saved them the trouble." You smiled looking into her eyes.

She pulled back slightly, her eyes serious. "I can't promise I won't get scared again. Or that I won't try to push you away when things get hard. But I can promise to try. To talk instead of run. To remember that you choose me, every day, even when I don't understand why."

"That's all I need." You brushed wet hair from her face. "That, and maybe a hot shower before we both turn into ice sculptures."

Later, wrapped in warm blankets in your shared garage Maria and Tommy gifted the two of you. Ellie traced the constellations of freckles on your shoulder - a habit you'd missed desperately these past five days.

"Hey," she said softly. "Remember what you said last month? About wanting to plant a garden?"

"The one with the strawberries? Yeah."

"I, uh, may have started it. During the... you know. When I couldn't talk to you. Figured if I couldn't say the words, I could at least grow something beautiful. Like you."

Your heart swelled. "Is that what you were doing in the greenhouse?"

"Among other things." She reached under the bed and pulled out a journal - one of her many. "I wrote to you. Every time I couldn't speak. Every time I saw you cry and hated myself for causing it. Want to read them?"

You took the journal with trembling hands.

"You sure?"

"Yeah," she smiled - that rare, soft smile reserved just for you. "After all, you're the only one who gets to see all of me, remember? The mean and the sweet and everything in between."

Outside, the storm had passed. Through the window, stars began to peek through clearing clouds - the same stars you'd spent countless nights naming together. And as you curled into Ellie's side, her heartbeat steady against your ear, you knew that some loves were worth the storm.

Even if they came with a side of dramatic water tower confessions and stress-baked pies.

.

.

.

🍓🥧❤️‍����🗼

READ PART TWO HERE!

[lonniemachin]

URGENT: HELP MARAM, AHMED, AND THEIR THREE LITTLE CHILDREN ESCAPE GENOCIDE

My friends Maram and Ahmed have been incredibly patient throughout the 3 months that their campaign has been open despite how dire their situation is, and we've made incredible progress reaching over half of their initial goal so far. However, their donations have started to slow down right as they're about to reach the amount needed to evacuate them all from Gaza when the border re-opens, which has made them anxious. I don't like having to tell them that it is up to the generosity of others who choose not to donate when their lives are at stake. Please give what you can to ensure their safety. At €16,526, they only need €974 to have raised the amount needed to register for evacuation. They've also set a short goal of €20,000, which they need €3,474 to reach. If the zionist assault on Gaza stops, they will use the amount to rebuild their house and restart their lives.

I know that if we work together to donate and spread their campaign, we can help them reach their first milestone by the end of THIS WEEK AT LEAST, with 5 days to go. I'm still calling on whoever is able to match my recent donation of €15, but any amount counts towards rescuing 5 irreplaceable lives. Their lives are also in active danger, as they are at risk of their 10th/11th displacement after the IOF's most recent displacement order is very near to where they are staying. I urge you to use your extra funds to help ease their fears. If you absolutely cannot donate, please share with all who can.

Vetted by @/el-shab-hussein

€16,526/€17,500 - €16,526/€20,000

Here is a graphic created by Di, their beneficiary. Feel free to share.

[timeslipcamp]

dj khaled voice another one

i had. a WHOLE half of this post typed up and in my drafts and it DELETED

thanks tumblr

anyways i wanted to do a lil compilation post on the defunct houses. let's see how much i remember of what i already typed

spoilers through ep 14

so this post is going to be a lot more conjecture than the other ones simply because we don't have nearly as much to go on. i'm looking to compile what little we have and my guesses based on names, and then i'll be updating as we get more information.

we first hear about the defunct houses when mc is in the library doing research. ngl when i saw that there was 10 houses i was like oh god even MORE names to remember now! but thankfully we don't have any! everyone transferred out of them.

(i do, however, have a sneaking suspicion they'll add more later on. obey me did, and if the story goes how i'm predicting, we'll follow mc through the start of the time loop and go back far enough to see the houses before they were disbanded.)

all we know is that the houses went defunct last year. the timeline so far is a little ambiguous about what happened when, but here's how i have it in my head:

one eyed sleeping beauty murder -> whatever betrayal involving jin and the traitor -> the clash -> houses going defunct and people transferring

if anyone has any canon evidence saying otherwise PLEASE send it my way!! i'm going to be doing a full reread when i get started on character theories, but i can only do so much at the same time on my phone at work lmao

the three houses are clementia, ultio, and dionysia. interestingly, they're all named after gods. clementia and ultio are both roman goddesses, and dionysus is a greek god (but he did have a roman counterpart named bacchus.)

let's get into it

clementia

this is the house we've heard the most about so far in the story. i think that's for one of two reasons, either A. it's more important to the story and what happened last year, or B. it's just where mc lives so it comes up a lot. my bet's on the former, but i honestly wouldn't be surprised if there's a secret third option: C. it had a huge role to play last year but won't be major going forward, so they're gonna tell us more about it now and then we'll learn about the other two later

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

clementia was located in the absolutely fucked up church mc lives in right now. i still can't believe she's just living like that lmao it kills me every time i think about it.

though i do wonder if it has to do with what happened last year. i mean, obviously it got destroyed in the clash last year, we know that (at least i think we do), but maybe the manner in which it was destroyed makes it somewhat unfixable.

i know there's folk tales out there of objects and places being seals of sorts and if they're broken, something bad is unleashed. i don't think that's actually what's happening, but mc did make a point to say that the church still hasn't been fixed even though the rest of the campus got fixed after jiro's fight with the big anomaly. perhaps it has to be cleansed before it can be fixed? but if the holy house is gone, who else can do that?

haku can :)

like i mentioned, clementia is a roman goddess. she was the personification of mercy, gentleness, forbearance, clemency, forgiveness etc etc. this fits with what we know so far, especially because she also represents absolution, salvation, and redemption. a couple gen ed vagastrom students said they used to go to clementia for exorcisms, and rui spent some time there after he was cursed. haku was originally a clementia student, and his family has a prominent shrine and he has quite a lot if experience with spirits and laying them to rest

this pretty much solidifies clementia as the holy house, so to speak, on campus, especially with their dorm being a church. their job was probably centered around purification and spiritual healing while mortkranken handled the physical healing.

a quick note regarding clementia the goddess and her history: she was never a major goddess. like, at all. there's very little known about her cult, and in fact, a lot of evidence points to her just kind of being used as a symbol for the rulers to make themselves look better to the people. several of the roman emporers and dictators used her in their symbols and coinage to make themselves appear merciful. in fact, the year that the senate voted that julius caesar was a god with his own priest, they were going to build a temple with a statue of him and clementia holding hands as equals. and then a few months later he was stabbed to death!

if this is translated into tkdb's story at all, i could see clementia being caught in the crossfire between the faculty and the ghouls. they're a neutral party, focused on healing, and because the ghouls rely on them and the school is holding them up as a model house--boom. friendly fire from both sides. could have been from multiple ghoul houses as well, if the faculty was playing snake in the grass.

or, as is so common, those with a holier than thou attitude are quickly brought to heel by the common man

either way, we ended up with an empty and broken church and one less house of healing.

ultio

one of the ones we know next to nothing about! so feel free to correct me if i'm wrong, but ultio was the one that had the prison below it. it's across the lake from hotarubi--god i want a map so bad--and it looked like it had the same mists. i would love that tbh, spooky battlefield vibes.

in a historical context, ultio was another roman goddess who was more a personification of values than an actual goddess that we think of in modern media. she represented vengeance and was typically placed inside already existing altars and temples of mars, the roman god of war. super cool fact, she was the direct counterpart to clementia. roman rulers were told to always hold both ultio and clementia in equal respect, otherwise righteous vengeance would become its more negative version, revenge.

and in roman culture, it ultimately did. julius caesar had done so much pr to have clementia associated with him that his successor, augustus, began promoting ultio until mars was once more one of the most prominent gods and the roman military was out conquering again. clementia all but faded into obscurity after that.

but we're talking about a mobile gacha game, not the fall of the roman empire.

having both ultio and clementia on campus is so interesting to me, especially when you take into account the faculty's stance on anomalies. in lyca's case, for example, they were perfectly content to leave him locked up forever and have stated that if they even get the hint that he's done something, he's done for. looking at how trigger happy most of the ghouls are and the lax consequences on them killing anomalies, i'm willing to bet that reflects how their stance has been for a few years now. ultio became less about the righteous side, containment and preservation, and became its darker side: imprisonment.

darkwick became more about containing and destroying than actually researching and understanding, and that's why haru's stance is framed as being the odd one out. saw an incredible theory post by @labulemon about haru having been originally in ultio and i think i'm fully on board. from a thematic sense, it's so easy to see someone like haru being in ultio (the prison place) and being like "wait...why are we treating these living creatures like this?" and ending up the sole caretaker of jabberwock like that.

weird thought i just had typing that; what if towa was another one that was in the cages? like it was another suba and lyca situation: there was a weird ass creature stuck in a cage and haru broke him out and now towa helps him run jabberwock. (i have another theory post coming about how i don't think towa is actually a ghoul, i think he's something else.)

ultio is now an abandoned prison...or so we're supposed to think. there's other anomalies still down there even though we broke lyca out. who's taking care of them? who put them there? if ultio is gone, why are they still locked up?

if ultio isn't fully gone, who's to say the other two aren't either?

dionysia

this is the third house and the one with the least amount of information on it. as far as i'm aware, the only time it's mentioned is when tohma says something like "their campus is this way" when we spot him out at night. why's that shady man going there? what's he investigating?

dionysia is also named after a god, dionysus. i could write entire essays on what he as a god represented to the people, but i'll keep it to basics (and historical context) for now.

dionysus was the greek god of revelry, wine, and ecstasy. good times and good wine. he's one also with a bit of a dual nature to him. greeks believed you should let loose and have fun and relax, but if you leaned too far into excess, you were at risk of being lost to madness. in a few accounts, however, he's also referred to as the dying and rising god and acts as a communicator between the living and dead. he's one of the gods that's had so many tellings and retellings that just about anything about him could be true, and even has a crazy amount of parallels to christianity. kind of compelling for a god of ecstasy and madness to have layers upon layers of versions of himself.

zero idea how this plays into their role on campus. each house tends to have a specialty of some sort that vaguely relates to their name (jabberwock is creatures, mortkranken is illnesses, etc) so i suppose dionysia could have dealt with anomalies that affected the mind and emotions? like for instance the cat, from the latest jabberwock episode, that drove people mad. maybe they could have helped with that. or maybe even the plants, and that's why rui took them over. he was the god of wine and was very "back to your roots naked in nature" for his worship, maybe dionysia students were the farmers.

bacchanalias were actually outlawed by the government at one point in time, and i do think it's worth saying that lots of roman gods were depicted wearing laurel leaves. interesting that the clash happened and got rid of not only the party house but the party too

i think dionysia could have gone either way. it feels more ghoul aligned to me, like i get the vibe that their wild and whimsical nature wouldn't have been easily held down by the faculty, but i could also see these shady teachers being like "hey go fuck with their heads"

oh shit is that what happened to taiga?

there's what i have on the three houses! not a lot, mostly vague guesses and their historical correlations. it's fun to see what each theory u post leads to another. this one, now, is going to have me looking a lot more into haru and also the chapter where we found lyca.

and the teachers, i don't trust those mfers

asks and dms always open!

[bangpop91writing]

I decided to expand the drable I wrote earlier as part of this collaboration with @louciferssacrament and make it part of my Grief Is Love Enduring Series.

The Viking

"Alright folks, five minutes, house is open. Twenty dollars goes in, hundred dollars pays out."

"What's the over under?"

"I got six weeks."

"Give me four, on credit. I gotta run to the atm."

"Boy Imma eat your lunch. And you better pay up cause I know the bookie and she's a mad woman. Sal you in?"

"I give him one week tops. Guys from Nebraska."

"Minnesota, actually."

"Whatever. There's New York, there's LA, and in between there's Nebraska."

"Oh Chicago's gonna kick your ass."

"Hey there's a whole lotta little leagues out there but if you ain't the Yankees you just ain't playing baseball."

"Doesn't everyone hate the Yankees?"

"Listen we've had like six captains in two years. We're like the island of misfits toys for retiring brass. Might be nice for somebody to stick around for awhile."

"All I'm saying is the bar burns down, the road needs salting, guys a rock star; fire at the fair, news at 11. LA's gonna look like Mars to this podunk and we're fresh out of training wheels."

"You're also out of half the supplies that should be stocked in this truck.

Briefing in five."

"I've got twenty on the viking."

It's a nice thought. Hen wishes she had the same unending optimism as Chimney does. But no Captain lasts at the 118.

Hen doesn't try to hold back the sobs that pour out of her, tearing out of her chest when the Army Captain comes by to inform her of Bobby's death. She can't catch her breath and she doesn't think it has anything to do with her punctured lung.

She doesn't want to believe it. It can't be true. Bobby can't be gone. He was supposed to out last them all. He'd paid in his twenty, Hen had the crisp hundred dollar bill framed for his retirement gift years ago.

Hen likes Captain Nash, she thinks if anyone could whip their little family of rag tag misfits into shape it's him. But he's a good competent captain who just needs to get his sea legs. Hen puts down $20 on three months. Thats when Captain Swan out of the 122 is retiring so him and his wife can move closer to their daughter in Washington who just had a baby.

The Wilson house is quiet. Too quiet. It has felt that was ever since Karen had brought Hen home from the hospital. Mara didn't have a chance to bond with Bobby the way Denny had.

Hen can't tell if the house it so quiet because everyone who lives there is grieving or if they are tip toeing around her grief.

Hen picked at her dinner the night before as Karen told Denny and Mara it was up to them if they wanted to attend the funeral the following morning. Hen's eyes had been on her plate but she had still seen Denny's trembling bottom lip and the way Mara looked to Denny for guidance.

The wake had been a somber affair. Hen is thankful the 118 weren't asked to stand guard over Bobby's casket. She doesn't know if she could do it. If any of them could. She's thankful to those who had offered.

Captain Ronnie Cooper and Lena Bosko out of the 136. Lucy Donato out of the 217. Captain Sal Deluca out of the 122.

Loosing Sal had been hard, but not as hard as it could have been. It hadn't been sudden. It was gradual. Sal was bonding with his new team and busier than ever with his promotion to the Captain of the 122. It wasn't until years later that Hen realized how sudden it actually was. One day Sal was their defacto leader, he was an intergel part of their band of misfits, and four years later he was a virtual stranger.

The only reason Hen and Karen stay for the full length of the wake is for Athena and the kids. Athena is her best friend. It doesn't matter how badly it hurts, how cracked open her heart is. Hen needs to be here for her best friend. She can't fall apart. Not here, not today, and not tomorrow. She can fall apart later with drinks with her team. When it's all over and she no longer has to be strong because her boys will catch her the way they always have.

The house was light up with natural light, with Denny and Mara's new favorite song playing over the blue tooth speaker as Hen put on her dress blues and Karen fretted over Denny's latest growth spurt and if his dress pants would be long enough. Mara was wearing the yellow sundress she had picked out special for today with a white bow in her hair. Hen laughed helping Karen look for the specific pair of heels she wanted to wear for the Medal Ceremony.

Even though the sun is pouring in through the large windows of the Wilson home, it doesn't feel bright or warm. This time there is no laughter or music while Hen puts on her dress blues. Hen doesn't know how she's held it together this long, but she breaks in Karen's arms, sobbing into her wife's neck.

It's better if she cries here. She can't cry once they arrive at the ceremony.

Losing Tommy has harder than losing Sal. There was nothing gradual about the loss. Tommy was there just as the 118 was becoming a family and then he was gone.

It hurt, but the team, Hen had recovered.

"I'll be honest when Bobby first brought you on board, I said he should just get a Dalmatian instead."

It had taken her and Chimney a minute to warm up to Buck, the loss of Tommy still to fresh. But once he clicks Buck slides into place like he was always supposed to be there.

"Okay that is a beautiful man."

"Where's the lie? And I like girls."

"Don't worry I'll protect you from Buck and his chainsaw."

"There's a chainsaw?"

"…he feels like he lost one family and now he's hyper focused to protect the other one, the 118. He's teaching you to make sure that you're ready. But because he's Buck, he also wants to make sure that you're worthy."

"Hey Chim, I tried getting a hold of your parents but there's a sixteen hour time difference between here and Seoul, so maybe that had something to do with it."

"That's okay. His family is right here."

Hen cant stop thinking about all those defining moments that made the 118 a family, her family.

"That should be our motto. Who cares?"

"That's not a very good motto."

"Well not if you take it out of context."

She never imagined that a funeral would be the thing that brought the 118 back together for the first time. She thought it would be births, graduations, weddings that brought Eddie home again. She never could have imagined it would be Bobby's funeral.

Hen crawls through the small pocket her team had made for her in the rubble. She has Kat holding onto her back and Paisley in front of her leading the way. Hen makes it put the other side covered in dust and debris. She looks into the eyes of her team who had come to rescue her.

"Hey guys." Hen said with a laugh. She had never doubted them.

Hen takes her seat at the front with the rest of the 118 behind Athena, the kids. Bobby's family. She selfishly wishes she didn't have to be a pallbarer, that she could sit with Karen and give into the tears threatening to fall.

Hen hears May's tears, and watches Athena comfort her children. Hen doesn't even want to think of how devastated May must be. Hen knows how much she loves Bobby.

"Cap!" The word rings out like a mantra, like a prayer as the 118 calls for their captain sifting through the rubble of the roof that had come down on him and May with increasing desperation.

The rubble falls away revealing Bobby and May both alive. Even through the sound of moving rumble and the buzz of adrenaline ringing in Hen's ears she can hear Bobby comforting May. She can see her captain using his body as a blanket to protect his child until help arrives. The 118 pulls father and daughter from the rubble and Bobby watches protectively while Hen examines May.

"It is customary and fitting that the final alarm be sounded for our brother, Captain Robert Wade Nash. He has completed his duties, a job well done." Hen takes a deep shuddering Breath as Chief Simpson speaks. She knows what is coming next and she isn't ready. She doesn't know how she will ever be ready. "Uniformed personal please stand." Hen rises especially side by side with her team, her brothers.

"Atten-hut! Present arms." Hen salutes still fighting back tears as the bell rings ten times signaling the end of Bobby's watch.

The 118 flank Bobby and May walking them out of the burnt out remains of metro dispatch, escorting them to safety and to medical care.

It's time for the 118 to escort Bobby to his final resting place.

It wasn't intentional that her, Chimney, and Tommy line one side of Bobby's casket while Buck, Eddie, and Ravi line the other, but it feels like it is. On one side, the team Bobby inherited, on the other side, the one he built. They are the only ones who know the truth though, The 118 wasn't just Bobby's team, they were his family.

The bag pipes fill the air of downtown Los Angeles the way they must fill the hills of Scotland, Hen thinks. This isn't her first funeral. It isn't even her first funeral for a fallen brother.

"We all have our breaking point."

Hen knows they are supposed to be stoic as they guard Bobby for as long as they can. Hen knows she is supposed to be stoic but she couldn't stop the tears even if she tried. She marches side by side with the 118 until their job is done, when it is time Athena, May, and Harry to make the last part of this journey on their own as they take Bobby's home to Minnesota.

"I wasn't asking about work. I already know you did a great job."

Hen and her family return home from the funeral. She doesn't strip out of her dress blues, not yet. She knows she should change, her mom would be there soon to watch the kids so Hen and Karen could join the 118 for drinks at their old haunt.

In their bedroom Hen goes to the top shelf of their closet pulling down a old wood box. Her bookie box. It's empty but Hen opens it anyway staring at the bottom of the box that hasn't been used since they had placed bets on Bobby and Athena's relationship.

Bobby thought Hen should be the next Captain of the 118, but she doesn't even know if she is up for the job. Everything feels so broken without Bobby, she doesn't know how to rebuild a firehouse, but she thinks she knows where to start.

"You know why redwoods grow so high? They move and bend with the wind. If you stay rigid, eventually you'll break."

The tones ring out across the station calling the 118 to action. Buck and Chimney flank their new captain with Ravi and May falling in line behind them as the team follows Captain Henrietta Wilson into the engines, driving out of the station, answering the call to help.

On the wall of the station hangs a large plaque with the LAFD insignia and commemorating the fallen members of the 118. At the very center hangs the portrait of Bobby Nash with a crisp hundred dollar bill behind the glass.

[yurisorcerer]

Every week I walk in to the torment nexus and walk out with my heart broken in three places. What a fucking show.

Some interesting play with structure and framing this episode. At last week's conclusion Soyo was shown discovering Mortis, and the whole scene was framed in slasher movie tones. Here, now that she has a better idea of Mortis' whole, you know, thing, Mortis is instead framed as the angry, lost girl that she really is. I really enjoyed (and did not at all expect) Soyo actually playing along with Mortis' whole 'calling the doctor' bit, it shows a pretty deep empathy that I don't really know if we've seen the character express before? (It's been a while since I watched MyGO, so I may be forgetting something.) Also, she apparently spends 3 whole days sleeping over there trying to patch things up, which, while there's definitely a selfish aspect to her motive (she misses CRYCHiC too, after all), I think deserves serious real one points. I don't think I have the emotional stamina to spend 3 whole days consoling anyone about anything.

Full credit to Rana also, who can just intuit what's going on with Mortis and Mutsumi without even actually being told. (She doesn't actually go out of her way to help, though, and spends a decent amount of time this episode playing with cats. Rana remains this subseries' most mysterious character.) Mortis actually seems to develop a bit of a crush on her, and is that a twinge of jealousy I detect from Soyo about that fact? My god, what a relationship chart this series has.

I like Umiri's brief scene in this episode. Forever the eternal mercenary, she describes the breakup of Ave Mujica as though it happened around her and not to her. And yet when Ricky Taki calls her on this, she gets annoyed. Truly the "fake ass IDGF'er" meme in human form.

The first half of this episode, I must stress, is actually pretty light by this show's standards. So of course, there needs to be a breaking point somewhere. Here, that breaking point is between Mortis and Mutsumi, who stirs for the first time in a solid month only to find how awry things have gone in her absence. This isn't what she wanted, and Mortis is appalled to learn so. The two have an argument in headspace, which of course to anyone outside of the Mutsumi-Mortis system's own head just looks like an argument with herself, and she actually carries on so bad that she ends up tripping and falling in front of Live House Ring and making a huge scene, which of course a throng of anonymous busybodies are nearby to witness. It's SO much that it would come off as contrived if the show weren't so set on showing us how badly this is fucking over Mutsumi and Mortis. It's hard to watch.

There is something admirable about the show's complete lack of handholding with this kind of thing. This episode alone depicts multiple conflicts within a fully-realized mental space, a tug-of-war between Mortis and Mutsumi for their collective fate that is just profoundly sad to witness. I do wonder how legible this is to audiences who aren't plural. Part of me---literally part of me---is worried this series might be too ahead of its time for most audiences to properly appreciate.

(I've barely talked about Sakiko here and she is absolutely going through it up and down this episode. From the horrible, obviously untrue claims she makes about not caring about either band or even about Mutsumi, to the fucking folder of notes she's gotten from Tomori over the years, to the fact that she sadly looks for another one despite telling Tomori off for them last week. To. This fucking expression, just, god.)

There's a mostly-lighthearted interlude with Nyamu (it remains really funny that her dark secret, compared to everyone else's, seems to just be that she's from the sticks), but even that is twinged with her finding out about Mortis and Mutsumi's public breakdown. The episode then ends with MyGO finding out about Sakiko's whole extremely fucking complicated family situation. Episode 7 is entitled "Post nubila Phoebus," "after the clouds, the Sun." In most other contexts that would be a shining beam of hope, and maybe it is here too, but I'm fairly sure things will get worse before they get better. (Recall, we still have no idea what's going on with Uika, just as one example, and she's the only character from either band who doesn't put in even a cursory appearance in this episode. Where is she!)

[rafecameronsversion]

𝐭𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 (pt. 2)

pairing ; rafe cameron x reader

summary ; you come back to the obx three years later for a work thing, and rafe is adamant on trying to get you back. it's the christmas season 🫣

warnings ; i don't know 😭 THIS IS MY LONGEST WORK EVER? feminine terms maybe. reader is a fashion designer and probs ooc rafe

note! it's december, once again, so i thought why not give losing you a happy ending. part two! I'm in my christmas feels, ill make a part three. you can kinda end it at the first part but christmas feels gets me wanting happy endings so here i am 🫣

p1

Being back at Outer Banks after three years brings back the good and bad memories. It wasn't just a stroll down memory lane; it was a strong plunge into the depths of shared history. The salt air greeted me, it carried whispers of laughter and echoes of heartache.

My return wasnt purely for nostalgia, I had to be here on a work obligation. One of my clients live here, and apparently needed me here for the whole december.

Figure Eight was decorated with festive christmas lights, the holiday spirit clashing with my uncertainty that lingers in the air. I've debated with myself over and over again, that going back was a bad idea, yet I can't turn down my clients.

Unfortunately, the only hotel by figure eight is fully booked and I have nowhere else left to stay. I thought about Rafe's sister, Sarah, but I don't even know where she is now. We've fallen apart since then and I don't know anyone here, but him.

Taking a deep breath, I swallow my pride and went to the Cameron estate. I repeat 'it's for work' in my head as if it's a mantra.

The place I used to call home, the place where Rafe and I share all kinds of memories. It looked sad, it was the only house around the neighborhood that had no christmas decorations, yet it was still clean.

I compose myself, and knocked on the door three times. I hear shuffling and a slightly muffled "hold on" from the inside. I can recognize his voice anywhere, I only now felt the anxiety rushing back to me.

He opened the door, his hair damp and messy. He was in a navy blue polo shirt, with black shorts and his scent wrapped around me. Rafe smelled fresh and citrusy, my body felt comfort and resentment at the same time.

I muster up a small smile, you can barely even see it. Rafe looks shocked, his eyes were wide and his mouth slightly agape. Time had etched its mark on his face, a complex canvas of emotions hidden behind those familiar blue eyes. "You're back," he stated, his voice a mixture of surprise and a vulnerability he couldn't quite conceal. He looked as if he just saw a ghost.

I give him a curt nod. "Yes, for a work thing. The only hotel near here is fully booked, and this was the only place I could think of. I can find something else, if you mind."

Rafe shook his head and opened the door wider. "You can stay, it's just me, anyway." He said, the shock still evident in his voice. I gave him a quiet thank you, smiling at him as I walked in.

The inside felt cold, the ghost of our past danced around every corner of this place. It looked fine, it was obvious Rafe re-decorated and made it more- him.

"Thank you, really, for letting me stay. I didn't know figure eight was such a tourist spot at Christmas." I said, a slight hint of humor in my tone in attempt to lighten up the mood.

He gives a half-hearted chuckle, yet I could sense his guarded demeanor. "Uh, yeah. Ever since I finally took over, I made a few tweaks and this place became a tourist attraction." He said, scratching the back of his neck.

God, he looked so good.

I smile, trying to contain my thoughts. "You're doing really well, Rafe."

He smiles and thanks me. "Anyway, I have to excuse myself. You can take Sarah's old room for the time, you know where it is." He says, grabbing his keys, wallet, and phone, before walking to the door.

"I'm glad you're back, y/n." And with that, he left.

I felt my cheeks getting warm and I sure as hell looked red as a tomato. I think I'm gonna be sick, He looks so good and it's so hard not to miss him. In those three long years, all I could think about was if he was doing well. And I'm glad that he is.

--

Over days that blurred into nights, work obligations mingled with the tentative reconnection between us. Small talk and shared glances became the thread by which we delicately wove our way through unresolved emotions. Rafe's eyes held an unspoken plea, a desire to mend what had been broken.

It has been 14 days since I've been back, and it was already starting to get cold, only 10 days away from christmas. It was midnight at the Cameron estate as I went down to the kitchen to make some hot cocoa. I've been working all day figuring out new designs for this "gala" thing my client is asking for.

I prepared my ingredients, reaching for a mug when I was interrupted by a deep "Hey" from Rafe.

I gasped and held onto my chest. "Jesus, Rafe, don't sneak up on me like that!"

He smiles sheepishly, and mutters a soft sorry. "Sorry, can't sleep. What are you making?"

"Hot cocoa, you want one?"

He replies "sure" and sat by the kitchen island. It's been like this lately, small conversations with tension lingering in the air. It felt like something heavy was being put above our heads, threatening to fall down in a second.

Rafe looks deep in thought as I made his cocoa and mine. His eyebrows always go upward when he's thinking and he gets fidgety with his hands. Until today, I have all his mannerisms memorized. He wasn't someone I could ever forget.

"Y/n, look. I owe you an apology." He says, quietly as he still fidgets with his heirloom ring. His blue eyes carried a mix of regret and sincerity. "You didn't deserve that. My fear pushed away the one thing that mattered the most."

My heart ached, I felt like it was beating a thousand times a minute. "Rafe-" I started, yet he cuts me off

"I wasn't done, sorry. I just want you to hear me first." He says, giving me a pleading smile. I whisper an okay and handed him my special cocoa.

"I knew I would mess it up. Hell, I feel like I really messed up back then. Fear took over me and I thought that it would protect you, but it only hurt you. " He said, his gaze switching from me and the old christmas mugs I bought that he still kept.

"Rafe, it's in the past. We've both grown up and I forgive you, I can never stay mad at you forever." I say, giving him a warm smile and held his hand for a second. He eyed my hand before giving me a half hearted smile.

"In the three years I was alone, I had time to reflect and I realized that some risks are worth taking. " He pauses, standing up next to me.

Rafe was tall, and he towered over me. "I'm sorry for not giving you what you deserved, for being to scared to accept the love you had to offer." He admitted, his blue eyes finally meeting mine. We were less than a meter away and I could basically feel his warmth radiating off of him. and his scent engulfed me like a hug.

"I want to show you I've changed, y/n. I'm willing to do anything, an whatever it takes, to make it right with us." He says, his hand reaching for mine and immediately met warmth. "Come home to me, y/n."

His apology hung in the air, and I stared at him, blinking. I was shocked at how he expressed his feelings, it wasn't something he was open about before and maybe now, he's really doing better.

"Rafe, I accept your apology. But you really did hurt me rafe, and it's gonna take a lot more than this for me to come home. " I say, giving him a tight lipped smile.

What surprised me was the smirk on his face as he looked at me.

"I understand." He says, a smile on his face before getting closer to me. I felt my blood rush to my cheeks at our closeness. The mood definitely changed from emotional to frisky really quick.

"There's ten days left before Christmas, think I can win you back by then?" he says proudly, smirking at me as he maintains eye contact.

I chuckle, "Sure preppy boy. I'd like to see you try."

[ash-whimsicalfanfic]

I Love You

Leroy Jethro Gibbs X Fem OC/Reader

Word Count: 1149

Warning: Mild language, fluff, flashback, angst…

Prompt: You are planning to leave to New Orleans after Gibbs says you both couldn’t continue what was going on. However, your plan doesn’t seem to go through…

Y/N's POV

I hurry inside my house and start up the stairs before stopping. I just realized my door was unlocked and the lights were on. However, my gut didn't have a bad feeling.

So, I slowly descend down the stairs and look into the living room where Jethro was sat and nursing a glass of bourbon. I sigh, running a hand through my hair. I was anticipating that I would be gone before any of them found out I was leaving.

"You seem to be in a hurry." He says, his blue eyes slowly roaming over me.

I hated when he did that. I hated how a simple look from him made me so weak in the knees. I hated how much I missed us even if it wasn't exactly what I wanted. I hated how much I loved him.

For six years, I hoped that he'd come around to the idea of a relationship. Instead, for six years we've had sex any given moment we could. I practically lived at his house until about three months ago when he said this had to stop.

I was buttoning up my blouse, knowing not to overstay. I could feel his eyes on me and I tried to ignore them. But, I loved when his eyes were on me.

"Y/N." He says.

I turn around and face him. He was sitting up in the bed now, the sheets covering his lower half. My eyes meet his and I try to ignore the stinging at the back of my eyes. I knew what was going to happen. I knew what he was going to say.

"No. Don't say it, Jethro." I whisper.

"You have feelings and how are you ever going to get over them if we keep doing this? We need to stop. You need to move on. I have rule twelve in place for a reason. I really don't want to lose you as a friend or a co-worker." He says.

"Jethro...I don't understand how you were able to push your feelings away!" I say upset.

"We can't keep doing this. We have to stop." He says, completely ignoring what I just said.

"Fine. Have it your way, Gibbs." I say.

I didn't miss the flash of hurt in his eyes. He hated when I called him Gibbs, he's mentioned it a lot. He prefers Jethro or even baby time to time. I gather my stuff, ignoring his whisper out to me as I leave the bedroom. I wipe away a tear that falls down my cheek and hurry out of his home.

"Gibbs, what are you doing here?" I ask, leaning against the doorframe.

"You tell me." He says, tilting his head slightly as he studies me.

"I don't owe you an explanation." I say.

"Actually, you do." He says, his voice hardening.

"Do I? You were my boss. That's it. I'm leaving. It's my decision, not yours." I say firmly.

My chest clenches as one thing repeats in my head.

Lies.

I hated that I was leaving behind everything that I've come to love here. Not to mention this is the only place that's ever felt like home.

"You do owe me an explanation. If anyone got a goodbye, I deserve that goodbye. You're not leaving though." He says.

"I can't do this with you. I'm tired of this game your playing. For six years we slept together and I had hopes that maybe you'd come to term with your feelings. Instead, you cut it off. You want me to move on, Gibbs? I can't do that here with you. No matter how many dates I go on, they'll never be you. As long as I'm here, I won't be able to get over you. I need to leave. It's not fair that I'm tearing myself apart while your so easily able to hide your feelings as if you never had them. And maybe you didn't. Maybe you lied." I say.

"Have I ever lied to you before, Y/N?" He asks.

"When you said you couldn't be in a relationship because of rule twelve...you lied. I know you and I know when you lie. You lied straight to my damn face. It's not because of rule twelve. It's because your scared you bastard." I snap.

"I've got nothing to be scared of." He grunts.

"Gibbs, leave. I need to finish packing. My flight leaves tomorrow." I say.

"You're not leaving." He says, setting the glass down as he stands.

"I am." I say, moving towards the front door as he walks towards me.

I open it, looking at him as I motion him out. He looks at me, stepping closer as he pushes the door shut. I glare up at him and he pushes me against the door.

"Gibbs, leave." I say.

"Jethro...call me Jethro." He murmurs.

"No! We. Are. Done! You made that clear. Now leave!" I exclaim.

"No. I'm staying and so are you. I told Vance you changed your mind. He pulled the papers so you aren't going to New Orleans. I had McGee hack into the air flight system and get you a refund. There is no flight tomorrow. I couldn't stop anything about you selling the house, so you'll stay with me. But, I was able to have the landlord of your almost apartment in New Orleans, to get rid of the contract." He says.

"What have you done!? Why can't you let me be happy? I'm trying Gibbs! You told me to move on and when I try, you have to ruin it!" I shout.

"I saw that email and realized that I love you and I'd be damned if I let you leave." He says.

"I-I...what?" I whisper.

"I love you." He says.

"Jethro." I whisper and his lips quirk up.

"Y/N." He murmurs.

"Stop it." I whisper, looking away as I try to push him away.

He doesn't budge. He keeps me against the door, our chests pressed against each other and his hands rested on either side of my head as he stared down at me.

"I love you." He whispers.

I look at him again, looking for some sign of deception. This felt like a trick. A trick to keep me here. But, Jethro doesn’t lie...he doesn't trick and I could read him better than anyone else. So, there I stood looking into the blue eyes that only shone with honesty and love.

"God! Your such a bastard!" I snarl and he chuckles, kissing me roughly.

My hands find his hair, tugging on it softly and he grunts against my lips, deepening the kiss as he presses himself further against me.

He pulls away, looking down at me with those intense blue eyes that were now shades darker.

"Get your stuff, your coming home." He murmurs.