#wow i’ve been really into side dishes lately.

[bunnylovesani]

Sleeping Beauty

Summary: Your roommate Anakin will go to any lengths necessary to get close to you, even ones you don’t know about.

Content warnings: dead dove do not eat, somnophilia, dubcon/noncon, drugging, violence, oral sex, p in v sex

WC: 3.4k

Work had been wringing you dry lately- so much so that when you’d finally claw your way to bed in the evenings, not even a tornado could rouse you. Your roommate, Anakin Skywalker noticed this- as he noticed everything else. Your mannerisms, your daily schedule, and all your little habits and quirks were committed to memory.

His prolonged glances and lingering touches raised no alarm bells in your mind, putting it down to his affectionate and slightly odd disposition. Sure, he was a little peculiar but your Ani was one of your best friends- always thoughtful, always caring and always there.

On one particularly exhausting evening, you sighed heavily as you traipsed in through the front door of your shared apartment. You always wondered why Anakin had any use for a roommate considering his prestigious job and the doubtless wealth that came along with it- but you just assumed he had a proclivity for modesty.

“Tough day?” He called out as you dropped your bag by the door with a heavy thud and followed the sound of his voice.

“You don’t know the half of it.” You sighed, slumping down onto the kitchen chair as you observed Anakin cooking, dirtied apron clinging to his toned abdomen. “What’s on the menu?”

“Your favourite.” He replied calmly, tipping the pan over slightly to show you a thick steak swimming in herbal butter.

“Wow. That looks- but…I’ve never told you that steak is my favourite.” You furrow your eyebrows and peer up at him in confusion.

“Well of course you have, silly.” He chuckles dismissively.

“No, Ani, I’m sure I haven’t. Have I?” You question, trying to recall a conversation in which you revealed your favourite meal but nothing was coming to mind.

“What have they been doing to you in that office?” He shakes his head and tuts. “Around when we first moved in, you told me how your dad always made steak on special occasions and how you came to associate the meal with good news.”

“I did?” The story is true, though you can’t for the life of you remember saying it.

“How else could I possibly know?” He smiles calmly and you relax. This new workload must really be doing a number on you.

“It’s so nice of you to make dinner but I was kinda thinking of going straight to bed- the exhaustion is killing my appetite. I go to sleep early but I still don’t feel well-rested for some reason…” You ramble on as he puts the sizzling pan to the side and turns to face you, leaning on the kitchen counter with his usually intense glare.

“Why don’t you take a sleeping pill?” He cocks his head to the side and you contemplate his suggestion. “I’ve got some low-dose ones, they’ll knock you right out and you won’t even feel it- I’ll go get them for you.”

“Wait, Ani- I don’t know-“

“They won’t make you drowsy in the morning, I promise.” Before you can object, he’s returned with a shiny tab of small white pills and is pouring you a glass of water.

“Alright, I suppose I’ll do anything to get one good night’s sleep.” You sigh, popping one of the tablets out of their foil casing and swallowing. “They’re the low-dose ones, yeah?”

“That’s what I said.” He smiles, watching you knock back your last sip of water intently.

“Thank you. Oh, but the steak- I feel really bad-“

“Don’t even worry about it. I’ll put it in the fridge, it’ll still be good tomorrow. You just go straight to bed.” He rests his calloused knuckles against the marble worktop, angry veins snaking up his smooth forearms.

“Really? You’re the best, Ani.” You rub his arm gratefully before wading over to your room, yawning.

“Anything for you, sweetheart.” He whispers once you’re out of earshot.

Just like he said he would, Anakin neatly put your dinner away, scrubbed the stove clean and did the dishes. Upon completion, he glanced at the ticking clock on the kitchen wall before swiping the tab of pills sitting on the counter and stuffing them back into their original packaging. Taking the box out of his pocket, he read the front of the pack: Diazepam- full strength.

Satisfied that enough time had passed, he walked over to your room and pressed his ear against the wooden door, waiting to hear signs you were sound asleep. Once he was happy with your soft snores and hums, he treaded the shaggy carpet and crept in.

You were swaddled in your covers and lying on your back, the teddy bear he bought you for your last birthday tucked lazily under your arm.

He stood there and admired you for a moment, heart warmed at how you cuddled his plushie every night without fail.

Exhaling a shaky breath, he approached the foot of your bed and cautiously peeled off your frilly duvet, leaving you exposed in your pink pyjama shorts and bralette. He’d seen it several times but the sight of your bare skin never failed to drive him wild; his self-control and morals flew out the window as soon as you were together like this- the cloudy stillness and quiet of your placid bedroom insulating you both from the outside world and its restrictions.

He reached out to lift your bralette, raising it just enough for your nipple to pop out and harden in the cool night air. His mouth watered at the sight, wanting so badly to lock his lips around it that his cock grew painfully hard and strained against his trousers.

Tracing his fingers down your hips, he hooked them around your little shorts and pulled on them gently, your cotton panties coming off with them.

He has to cover his mouth with an open palm to stop the groan from slipping out when he sees the glistening wetness nestled between your plush thighs.

“What are you dreaming about, princess?” He mutters as he rubs his thumbs against your inner thighs before carefully spreading them, ensuring your legs are wide open but comfortably supported by the surrounding pillows. He lowers himself so that he’s only a few inches away from your heat, taking in the glorious view before him.

He’d fallen in love the very moment he laid eyes on you- but he instantly got the sinking feeling that his feelings weren’t reciprocated. You saw him at most as a friend, a convenient guy to have around, a perfectly suitable roommate. He was under no illusions that you would ever requite his love- how could you when his feelings were so intense?

Deciding he couldn’t take it any longer, he unzipped his trousers and lowered his boxers, letting his heavy cock spring out and slap against his abdomen. Try as he may, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from your lips, which fell into a pretty o shape as you peacefully snoozed. Some dribble gathered in the corner of your mouth and he couldn’t help but kneel and hover above you, staring. He needed to feel your lips on his cock.

Wrapping a hand around his veiny shaft, he pumped it with a couple of rough strokes before resting his blushed tip against your pink lips. The precum oozed out and smeared against your plump bottom lip, moistening it just enough for Anakin to slide his cockhead smoothly past it. He let out a soft moan as your mouth enveloped his throbbing cock, languid wet tongue brushing past it as he slowly glided in and out- the sight of his cock on your lips too much to bear.

Gently pushing his hips forward, he guided the tip to the back of your mouth, the ridged roof sending shivers down his spine. You moaned dreamily, the vibrations from your hums making his cock twitch. When you began to toss and turn, he quickly pulled out and took a step back- the thrill turning him on beyond belief.

Setting his sights on your unfurled legs, he creeps onto the bed and positions himself between them.

“What a pretty little pussy.” He shakes his head in disbelief, knowing he has never before and would never again see anything so beautiful.

Pushing his swollen tip between your folds, he gathers your slick and coats his length in it as he glides along your slit- your thighs involuntarily contracting a little every time he brushes past your clit.

The pained expression on Anakin’s face was apparent- he had never gone this far before. His chest tightened at the thought of violating you in this new way, both out of guilt and excitement. He relieved himself of culpability by assuring himself it was okay- he loved you and was just taking care of you. It’d been a while since you’d been with anyone and your frustration had begun to show- what kind of friend would he be if he let you suffer like that?

Spreading your folds apart with his thumb and forefinger, he gathered a glob of spit and let it dribble from his lips to your entrance before smearing it messily with his cock.

Lining the leaky tip against your opening, he delicately pushes in, stretching you out inch by inch. Even though it feels like torture to deny himself, Anakin sets a meticulously slow pace, paranoia chasing him. His girthy cock plunged into your cunt, bullying it into submission with painfully laboured thrusts.

Anakin bit his lip and scrunched his eyebrows at the sight of your tiny hole being stretched to full capacity, clenching needily around his length. He took this as confirmation that you needed him just as much as he needed you, deluded into believing your desire was apparent with the way your pussy gripped him.

Your breathing sped up and your heart rate rose- your body’s attempt at rousing you- but still, you remained asleep.

Anakin couldn’t believe his luck- he had been dreaming about what it’d be like to be inside you and now that your warmth had finally enveloped him, it was better than he could’ve ever imagined. He often scolded you for how naive you were but it was his favourite thing about you- the trust you felt for him was palpable in the way you gazed at him adoringly. The warm, wet comfort of your heat made him feel electric and he couldn’t help but want more- he wanted to lay hold of everything you had to give. He lifted you by the hips and impaled you onto his cock, forcing it even deeper until you were flush against him, the imprint of his member bulging through your lower stomach.

“Oh, baby…fuck.” He whimpered, barely above a whisper. “I wonder if you could take me this well when you’re awake.”

The room heated up with Anakin’s heavy breathing and your stuffy, sleepy moans. As roughly as he thought he could get away with, he pounded into you little by little, using your pussy like it was his to ruin. Your shared arousal gleamed in the dim moonlight, illuminating how his thick shaft disappeared into you with ease.

He tried not to grip your hips too roughly but with the way your pussy moulded around his cock like it was made for him, he couldn’t help but dig his fingernails into your flesh. The sight enraptured him so much that he didn’t even notice when your pretty eyes fluttered open, widening in shock.

The second your gazes met, he leapt to cover your mouth with his heavy palm.

“Don’t.” He breathed, crazed eyes daring you to scream just to show you what would happen.

You shook your head frantically, eyebrows swooping in distress.

“Be a good girl and stay quiet for me. Can you do that?” He continued thrusting into you, maintaining eye contact as he sunk his cock into your used-up pussy. You nodded hectically, wondering if you were still dreaming.

“Good, ‘cus I really wouldn’t wanna hurt you, baby.” He whined.

Now that he didn’t have to worry about waking you up, he could take you as roughly as he wanted. Stooping down to your chest, he popped a nipple into his mouth and sucked it forcefully, red marks streaking your breasts as he bit and drooled all over them.

“A-ani…what are you doing?” You cry out in utter disbelief after he releases the hand silencing you to knead your breast.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I jus’ couldn’t hold back anymore.” He moans as he brutally stuffs your pussy, the sound of lewd smacking reverberating around your cosy bedroom. “I couldn’t wait any longer.” He pulls away from your chest, drool hanging off his swollen lips.

“But I’ll make it up to you, baby.” His voice falters as he slams his hips into you sharply. He’s so deep your entire body feels overwhelmingly full.

“Just let me use you.” His husky voice makes you break out into a flurry of goosebumps as you clench frightfully around his girthy cock.

“You understand, right?” He questions but his hand has already snaked its way back up to your mouth. All you can respond with are muffled cries and whimpers, hushed by his thick palm. “I know you do, you’re my good girl.”

You look down to observe the frenzied way in which Anakin shatters his cock into your tiny cunt, wetness dribbling down your thighs and making your eyes roll to the back of your head.

“I’m gonna stuff this pussy full of my cum.” He growls to himself as beads of sweat roll down his forehead, blonde curls dampened.

“Nmmh!” You squeak, shaking your head in disapproval as best you could with the way he was restraining you.

“Oh yes I am. And you’re gonna love it.” He rolls his hips and sinks into you impossibly deep before pulling all the way out. “Look at that, doll. How are you so wet?” He gestures for you to look down at the way gloopy strands of arousal hang off his throbbing cock, the base soaked with your slick.

You observe with shock, writhing in confusion over how your body had betrayed you. You whine and sob as he slides back in, dragging you impossibly close to him as you claw at the pink sheets.

“Shh…I know, baby. I know.” He whispers as he wraps his hands around your jaw, thumbs rubbing against your dampened cheeks comfortingly.

“I’m almost done, baby.” He rests his forehead against yours and you feel lightheaded from the sudden wave of body heat. His hands travel back down to your hips, raising your ass as he fucks up into you with dizzying speed.

“Come on, sweetheart. Cum all over my cock.” He mutters breathlessly. “I know you want to.”

You try to fight it but your back arches instinctively and your fingers dig into his shoulders as his cock stretches your aching pussy wide. He bottoms into you mercilessly and you feel as though you’re about to slip out of consciousness. With one last thrust, your body explodes into flames and the searingly pleasurable sensation travels to every last one of your nerves.

“That’s it, baby.” He speeds up, chasing his own high. “I knew you’d love my cock. Should’ve let me do this sooner.”

You pant as your heartbeat tries to regulate itself, sprawled and utterly fucked out. Anakin hovers above you, raising your thigh and pressing it against his chest as he ruts into you with feverish intensity. Just as you thought you couldn’t take any more, he comes undone in a loud climax, throwing his head back as he shoots ropes of hot cum into your sore pussy.

Catching his breath, he shoots you a grin as he combs the messy curls out of his face, pulling his cock out and allowing the gloopy mess to run.

“Sorry about this, doll.” He shrugs before reaching for the lamp on your bedside table.

“Wait, Ani-“ You put your arm out but he pins it down by your side before knocking the metal base against your temple, rendering your whole world black.

The blinding light shining out of your bedroom window finally wakes you. You shield yourself from the sunny glare with an arm draped over your eyes, scrunching your face up when the pain radiating from your head suddenly hits you. Glancing over to the alarm clock on your bedside table, your heart almost jumps out of your throat. You were supposed to be at work hours ago yet here you still were, in your pyjamas and cosily tucked in.

You crawl out of bed as you try to piece together the broken fragments of your memory; did you forget to set the alarm? It must’ve been those sleeping pills Anakin gave you- so much for his promise that they wouldn’t make you drowsy. Before you can even reach the door, there’s a knock.

“Hey, you awake?” Anakin pops his head through and gives you a look of concern.

“Just woke up now. Somehow managed to completely sleep through the work day.” You shake your head, confusedly tapping at your bruised temple. “Those pills of yours have given me a killer migraine.”

“What? No, it can’t be from them- I’ve taken them a million times and never had any side effects.” He steps into the room and holds a flat palm up to your forehead. “Oh, honey. You’re burning up.”

“Am I?” You go to feel but he swats your hand away.

“You must have a fever.” He tuts. “Why don’t you go back to bed and I’ll get you some painkillers for that poor head of yours?”

“I won’t be accepting any more drugs from you, thank you very much.” You laugh as you let him guide you back under your duvet.

“Completely understandable. My bad, doll.” He chuckles, folding in the edges of the blanket. “I’ll leave you to it, then. Get some rest.” He tries to take a step back but you instinctively grab onto his wrist.

“Wait.” You groan pathetically. “Can you stay with me for a little while?”

“Of course.” He flashes you that beaming smile of his and you’re struck by a sense of familiarity. He treads over to the other side of bed and joins you under the covers, wrapping his arms around you and letting your head rest on his chest.

“This is gonna sound strange, but…” Your mind races at a mile-a-minute as you come to grips with the sudden onset of images that have flooded your brain. “I think I might’ve dreamt about you.”

“Oh?” He raises his eyebrow and smirks. “What was it about?”

You struggle to put the pieces together; all you can see is a hazy vision of Anakin between your legs, bullying his cock into you as you lay there helpless.

“I can’t even say, it’s so messed up.” You shake the thoughts away, a shiver running through you.

“Sounds more like a nightmare, doll.” He tucks an unruly piece of hair behind your ear. “But it wasn’t real. Just a dream.”

“I know. You’d never do anything like that.” You scoff assuredly and he kisses the top of your head. His gentle touch seizes your chest and you have to focus on regulating your breathing. He’d never guess it but you’d had a fervid crush on Anakin for as long as you’d known him.

“You’re safe here with me.” He brings you closer and you snuggle deeper into his chest, subtly inhaling his sweet, musky scent, hoping he wouldn’t notice. “Now get some rest, darling.” He strokes your hair comfortingly.

“Mmm…love you, Ani.” You unknowingly slip out in a quiet hum before drifting off to sleep.

Anakin seizes up in shock at your admission, total surprise consuming him. You loved him? He couldn’t stop the wide grin from unfurling across his blissful face nor the way his heart leapt with joy from the two simple words. He hadn’t ever allowed himself to treat this as a possibility- it was an undisputed fact that you were too good for him and he never let himself be deluded into thinking otherwise. The elation he felt in holding you in that moment, knowing you wanted to be held back was beyond words.

But just as quickly as the ecstasy flooded his veins, the solemn realisation of his sins hit him like a hammer. A nauseating sense of guilt and regret crept up on him like a maggot into a rose, casting a dark shadow on any future you could’ve had.

What had he done?

Taglist:

@bearryyy @w0rsh1psells @erinkeifer @mortalheartache @arzua10 @mugwump327 @offthethirlwall @bby-imasociopath @emmalandry @slut4starwarssmut @ghostlycrystobalove @iamjustaholeforyousir @billy-stu-wh0re3 @mousie101-blog @sweetcheesecakesblog @bardotsmuse @doestalker @kentaviax @slut4ani @cultofsin

୨୧ If you want to be removed from the Taglist or only want to be tagged for certain fics, please let me know ! ୨୧

[slayfics]

I know you don't do anymore Mui fics, but I come with an offer. 👀

I will draw you any character you want, or any oc x Canon art in exchange of a short Mui fic because I love your writing, preferably of valentines day but whatever works easier for you.

You may deny this offer if you so please in dms and or delete this ask.

I hope you have a great day and happy valentines day \(^□^)/🫶

Valentines Day with Muichiro.

~500 words

Your feet padded along the dark forest floor as you returned to Muichiro’s Mansion. You had been on a mission for several days, and your excitement at being back increased with every footstep.

Once the estate came into view, you were surprised to see dim lighting inside the mansion. You expected Muichiro to be resting or out on a late patrol.

When you walked inside the mansion you were met with the sight of Muichiro waiting patiently at the table.

“You made it back safely!” He exclaimed with a warm smile. “Not that I would have expected any less from you, but I’m glad you made it in time.” He spoke and gestured for you to join him at the table.

“Made it in time?” You asked and glanced at the table. The table was set for dinner for two, and origami flowers decorated the middle of the table.

“Mhm- seems I’m finally not the forgetful one,” Muichiro joked. “Today is Valentine’s Day.”

The days blurred together while you were out on your mission, and you had completely forgotten about the holiday.

“Oh! Happy Valentine's Master Tokito!” You said and finally sat down joining him at the table. “I’m sorry I had no idea it was today. I must have lost track of the days on my mission.”

“Don’t apologize, you completed your mission successfully. That’s all I could have hoped for.” He reassured you.

You nodded accepting his praise and looked over the food on the table, “You made this yourself?” You asked.

“Yes, it’s my favorite dish Furofuki Daikon. I thought it would be nice to share it together,” he answered.

Momentarily stunned for words all you could do was smile and nod. You hadn’t expected Muichiro to go through so much work for you.

“Please try it,” he urged, waiting for you to take a bite before he tried any of his.

You obliged and took a bite. It was better than you imagined- and after such a long journey it tasted heavenly.

“Wow this is amazing Tokito,” you spoke taking another bite.

“I’m glad you think so… it may have taken me a few times to remember how to make it just right,” he giggled. “Oh, before I forget this too-,” he cut off as he reached into his haroi and pulled out a gift. “Here these are for you.” He said handing you the gift.

You grabbed the gift reluctantly overwhelmed by his kindness. It had been this way since he regained his memories, but his fondness for you still took you by surprise.

You inspected the gift realizing they were long socks. “Uh- socks?” You asked smiling confused at him.

“Mhm,” he nodded. “Iguro said he gifted socks to Miss Kanroji once and she really enjoyed them so… do you not like them?” he asked, tilting his head to the side.

“No no!” You said quickly waving your hands. “I love them! They’re perfect- thank you Tokito! This is the most thoughtful Valentine’s Day I’ve ever had.” You spoke.

“Is that so? Then I’ll have to make sure I make the next one even better,” he said smiling.

I was worried I wouldn’t be able to do this since my heart isn’t with Muichiro anymore- but I did my very best and I hope you like it! The artwork you made me is absolutely stunning 😫✨! I haven’t been able to take my eyes off it! Posting @naramaiz art of my OC Kansa and Katsuki Bakugo below because it’s absolutely perfect!

[hunieday]

Oogami Banri 2024 RabbiTV - Episode 3 : From now and forever

Episode 1 - Episode 2 - Episode 3

Please note that I am not a professional translator and I'm only doing this to share the side materials to those who cannot access them, if you notice any mistakes please let me know nicely. Enjoy!

(Nakamise Street)

Utsugi Shiro: The hand-kneading pottery was so much fun! Though I didn’t think we’d almost be late to our reservation because of the cream puffs...

Anesagi Kaoru: Traveling is bound to have some accidents! I’m glad we managed to make something in the end. This was my first time trying something like that.

Takanashi Tsumugi: Was that really your first time!? You made such a beautiful teacup, I thought you were used to it!

Oogami Banri: You’re really good with your hands! I think I’ll use the platter I made to serve some side dishes for the president.

Okazaki Rinto: W-We did pretty good for our first time right, Takanashi-san?

Takanashi Tsumugi: Y-Yes! Though I tried to make a teacup like Anesagi-san’s and ended up with a bowl…B-but I managed somehow!

Utsugi Shiro: Okazaki-san’s vase was beautifully made as well.

Okazaki Rinto: It’s… a mug.

Utsugi Shiro: What!? Oops, sorry about that...!

Anesagi Kaoru: Now you can’t cover up your blunder?

Oogami Banri: Utsugi-san, you made a beer cup right?

Utsugi Shiro: Oh, yeah, I thought it would be nice for my evening drinks. I’ve been enjoying an ice cold beer after work lately.

Oogami Banri: I know exactly what you mean! I bet it’s gonna taste even better when you drink from a cup you made yourself.

Okazaki Rinto: You three—Oogami-san, Anesagi-san, and Utsugi-san—are so naturally skilled. I’m a little jealous...

Takanashi Tsumugi: But I’m sure we’ll be impressed with our work when we see the finished products! I can’t wait, Okazaki-san!

Okazaki Rinto: Yeah, Takanashi-san...!

Anesagi Kaoru: Hehe. They said they’ll be ready in about two months. Let’s all take pictures together again once they arrive!

Oogami Banri: Sounds good…! Um, talking about beer is making me crave one. Should we head out soon?

Utsugi Shiro: Sounds good! Looks like there are some food stalls too, let’s go check out the fireworks festival venue.

(Cut to the beach, Night time.)

Takanashi Tsumugi: Amazing…! This spot’s a hidden gem!

Anesagi Kaoru: It really is! There are no buildings blocking the view either. Looks like there aren’t that many people around here.

Oogami Banri: I’m looking forward to the fireworks!

Utsugi Shiro: Hey guys! Sorry for leaving you hanging! I bought all sorts of things for you.

Okazaki Rinto: We’ve got candy apples, chocolate bananas, cotton candy, yakisoba, and grilled squid!

Takanashi Tsumugi: Wow…! Thank you so much! Why does food from stalls always look so appealing?

Oogami Banri: The fact that we’re outside definitely makes it taste better.

Anesagi Kaoru: I still don’t know how you two managed to carry all that food by yourselves.

Okazaki Rinto: Utsugi-san kept buying more and more and just kept going, so we ended up with a lot!

Utsugi Shiro: Ahaha! That’s what makes festivals like these so much fun!

Anesagi Kaoru: Color me surprised. You’re the type of guy who looks more accustomed to city life.

Okazaki Rinto: Yeah, you have more of a “Fireworks? I’ll book a hotel room and watch them from a cool room” vibe!

Utsugi Shiro: Whaaat…Where did that image come from? Oogami-san, please say something!

Oogami Banri: Huh? Me!? Ermmm… let’s just have some beer for now.

Okazaki Rinto: Ah, sounds great! I’ll have a little tonight!

Utsugi Shiro: Count me in.

Anesagi Kaoru: Let’s toast with tea!

Takanashi Tsumugi: Yes! Cheers!

Oogami Banri: …I’m having so much fun. I’m so grateful to have been able to travel with you guys like this so many times.

Okazaki Rinto: Me too. Connections are important in this industry, not just vertically but also horizontally. We’re not just rivals, we’re also friends who get to bond like this.

Anesagi Kaoru: That’s true. There were so many situations that I wouldn’t have been able to overcome without your support.

Utsugi Shiro: Thank you so much. I’m so grateful to be included in your circle.

Oogami Banri: What are you talking about? We’re happy to have you here, Utsugi-san.

Takanashi Tsumugi: We form the Managers team!

Anesagi Kaoru: Hey, now that sounds fierce.

Takanashi Tsumugi: S-Sorry! I just thought it would be nice if we had a team name or something…

Okazaki Rinto: Managers team sounds cool!

Utsugi Shiro: The Managers’ mission for today is to enjoy the fireworks together!

Anesagi Kaoru: There’s no way you’re getting drunk already…

Oogami Banri: Ahaha! It’s been so long since I just relaxed and watched fireworks. Maybe not since high school...

Okazaki Rinto: Sounds nice. Were you with friends?

Oogami Banri: ...Yeah, with friends. We were heading to the station when the fireworks started, so we stopped to watch for a bit.

Oogami Banri: I remember their beautiful reflection on the sea.

Okazaki Rinto: Today’s fireworks will start near the sea so I’m sure they’ll reflect beautifully, just like that day!

Oogami Banri: Yes! I’m looking forward to it.

Anesagi Kaoru: It’s getting somewhat lively around here. Could it be starting soon?

Takanashi Tsumugi: I feel kinda giddy...!

*Boom!*

Oogami Banri: It’s starting!

Takanashi Tsumugi: It’s so beautiful...!

Okazaki Rinto: They’re so powerful!

Okazaki Rinto: Ta-ma-ya! (1)

Utsugi Shiro: Ka-gi-ya! (2)

Anesagi Kaoru: Look, there’s a firework shaped like a heart!

Takanashi Tsumugi: You’re right! It’s so cute...!

Oogami Banri: Amazing, they’re firing off in different shapes now!

Utsugi Shiro: I’m gonna do my best to make ŹOOĻ become the strongest idol group and take over the world!

Okazaki Rinto: Wow! Did you just make a wish?

Utsugi Shiro: I just felt like shouting something.

Anesagi Kaoru: Utsugi-san, that was wonderful! I’ll do the same.

Anesagi Kaoru: I’ll keep learning and growing as a skilled manager just like TRIGGER continues to grow every day!

Okazaki Rinto: Me too...! I hope I can keep growing stronger as Re:vale’s manager!

Takanashi Tsumugi: Um... And I’ll become even more powerful so I can continue supporting IDOLiSH7!

Oogami Banri: I’ll keep supporting MEZZO" so they can stay true to themselves forever!

Utsugi Shiro: The fireworks were so much fun!

Okazaki Rinto: I feel like I enjoyed them differently than usual, but I definitely gained energy from everyone!

Anesagi Kaoru: Well then, it’s about time for that, isn’t it? The crowd is leaving so let’s do it.

Takanashi Tsumugi: Yes! The video call is connected now!

Oogami Banri: Could it be...!

(Cut to the i7 Dorms)

Nanase Riku & Izumi Iori: Banri-san!

Rokuya Nagi & Izumi Mitsuki & Nikaido Yamato: Happy-!

Osaka Sougo & Yotsuba Tamaki: Birthday-!

Oogami Banri: Guys...! Thank you! I’m having an amazing time in Atami!

Nanase Riku: Wahh, I’m so glad to hear that! Banri-san, look, everyone from the other groups came here as well!

Anesagi Kaoru: You made it to work on time though, right?

Yaotome Gaku: Of course! We got it all done! Are you enjoying Atami?

Kujo Tenn: Hey, don’t push me. Anesagi-san, thank you for your hard work. I’m glad to see you look refreshed.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Ah, I can see the sea! Anesagi-san, you look like you’re having a lot of fun!

Momo: Okariiiiiin! We’re here too!

Yuki: Yo, how’s the night in Atami?

Okazaki Rinto: It’s amazing! I’m having a great time thanks to you!

Inumaru Touma: Utsugi-san! Are you enjoying yourself?

Mido Torao: You got a great view of the fireworks, right?

Utsugi Shiro: Hey guys! We’re having an amazing time! Let’s come together next time.

Natsume Minami: Gladly. I’ll conquer the food stalls.

Isumi Haruka: I’m definitely gonna have a candy apple!

Izumi Mitsuki: We were talking about how jealous we were of the managers attending a festival, so we’re gonna have one here as well!

Nikaido Yamato: Grilled corn on the cob, fried chicken, grilled chicken skewers, yakisoba, we even got beer! It’s way too good.

Rokuya Nagi: TRIGGER brought a shaved ice machine too. Dessert is perfect now!

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: I’m glad we brought it! We have plenty of syrup too.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Me and Isumin also made a ring toss mini-game out of cardboard!

Isumi Haruka: This is actually pretty fun! It’s a bit difficult to make the rings though...

Osaka Sougo: I’m working on the BGM with Touma. Of course “Danshi Tarumono! (Matsuri)’ is a must.

Inumaru Touma: I end up humming it unconsciously! Maybe we should just loop it!

Yaotome Gaku: Thanks, you two! “NATSU☆Shiyouze!” and ŹOOĻ’s “BLACK TIGER” also got me pumped up!

Izumi Iori: Natsume-san and Mido-san also helped with the decoration. I must say we have quite the unique drawings over here…

Natsume Minami: Hehe. Here’s a king pudding in a yukata.

Mido Torao: There’s also a pudding wearing a happi coat. (3)

Momo: Leave the drink management to Momo-chan’s team! Yuki the Bartender will make the best drinks!

Yuki: Hello. I’m Yuki the Bartender.

Nanase Riku: We’re having a great time over here as well! Right, Tenn-nii?

Kujo Tenn: Yeah. It’s been a while since the two of us attended a festival together, Riku.

Izumi Iori: Don’t forget the other fourteen people in this room ...Well then, Nanase-san, let’s get to the main topic.

Nanase Riku: Oh! That’s right!

Nanase Riku: Umm, we’d like to express our gratitude to all the managers for constantly having our backs! Let’s start with Momo-san!

Momo: Yeeees! Okarin, you always believe in us and push us to do our best! We are always saved by your reliability. Please continue to be our best manager forever!

Kujo Tenn: Anesagi-san, you’re an indispensable presence as we continue to walk our path. We’d be happy if you continue supporting us as we rise to even greater heights.

Isumi Haruka: You know... Utsugi-san is always there for us no matter what. You’re the reason we are able to do our best. Thank you.

Nanase Riku: Manager, Banri-san, thank you for always being there for us. We will always love you!

Nanase Riku: One, two!

TRIGGER & IDOLiSH7 & Re:vale & ZOOL: Thank you for loving us so much! Please continue to support us in the future!

Oogami Banri: Guys...!

Takanashi Tsumugi: Likewise, thank you so much!! I’ll keep doing my best to support you all!

Anesagi Kaoru: You guys have done so much for us today. I’ll do everything in my power to protect your brilliance.

Okazaki Rinto: I am very proud to be Momo-kun and Yuki-kun’s manager. I will protect you guys with my life!

Utsugi Shiro: I’m truly grateful to have met you. ŹOOĻ is the strongest and dearest existence for me.

Oogami Banri: Thank you so much today. I really love all of you!

Oogami Banri: I’ll continue to support all of you forever and always!

End of Episode 3.

(1) & (2) Traditional words shouted while viewing fireworks.

(3) Happi: Traditional Japanese coat

[psychovigilantewrites]

It's Been Awhile

Pairing: Jason Todd/Reader

Word Count: 5,500

Rating: Explicit, there is sex, R18

Summary: Reader visits Jason after some time.

Masterlist | Ao3

A/N: Hey guys! It's been awhile, hasn't it. Sorry it's not a Red Who update, but I promise I have not abandoned it yet.

I am extremely rusty, because I haven't been reading nor writing much lately. I have a full time job now, and I'm on my way to paving my career. I still think of you guys a lot, though. So thank you so much for sticking with me till now. To the new followers, you won't see much activity here, but I will return from time to time to post or scroll or check up on things.

I'm so rusty that a 5000 word count felt so long to me. I remember when I was churning like, 12k word count within a week. Lol, I would love to try that out again. Anyway, enough rambling. I hope you all enjoy! This is the most I've written in a while.

You kicked an empty beer can aside and heard its metallic clink against the brick wall as you walked down the narrow alley.

From all the years you spent in alleyways, you got used to the smell and the suspicious puddles. It was dimly lit, the only light source coming from the apartment windows above you. You stopped below the fire escape and jumped, hands grasping the end of the metal ladder to pull it down so you could climb up.

You counted the floors. Four, seven… twelfth. You stopped a floor below your target so you could carefully creep up to the thirteenth. You peeked through your target’s opened window carefully. His apartment was brightly lit and clean. You noticed all the surfaces like the coffee table at the centre of the living room, and the small dining table at the far side of the apartment near the main entrance, were clear of any clutter or stains. The light grey sofa near the window where you were at looked new, with fluffed cushions arranged on the seats along with a beige throw blanket.

Your target had his bare back facing you, standing at the kitchen where he was putting away the dishes in the overhead cabinet. He was shirtless, so you could see the muscles of his back ripple and flex when he reached above his head. You climbed through the window silently and entered his apartment.

“Hello there-” you started, but immediately ducked to avoid the flying mug aimed at you but missing and crashed into pieces behind you. “Wow, rude.”

“Christ,” Jason swore when he realised who you were. “What the fuck? You scared the shit outta me.”

You grinned at him. “Not my fault you’re losing your touch. You really didn’t hear me?”

“I was never able to hear you, you know that,” he scowled and crossed his arms while walking towards you. “Take off your shoes, you’re dragging dirt all over my house.”

“Not until you clean up the glass.”

“Fine,” he rolled his eyes, grabbing a broom to sweep away the shards.

You sat down on his sofa. An awkward silence passed.

“So,” you looked around his apartment. It was familiar because you’ve been there so many times before, but he had obviously done some rearranging and bought new furniture. There were definitely more books on his shelf now. “It’s been a while.”

“Yeah.”

“Around… six months?”

“Without any messages or phone calls,” he frowned, looking at the floor that was now clean and clear.

“Jason,” you groaned, “You know I couldn’t.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he sighed, putting aside the dustpan. “It’s just- it was hard not knowing whether you were safe or not.”

“You think undercover has been easy for me too?” you demanded.

“I know it hasn’t- look, I don’t want to argue,” he admitted. He sat down on the sofa next to you. You felt the sofa dip at his weight. “I’ve been undercover too. I know how hard it is. I was just worried.”

You looked at him. His thick eyebrows were pulled down in a frown, his icy blue eyes staring at you intensely. He had a bruise that was healing on the upper corner of his left cheekbone, and a fresh new cut on his lower lip.

“You’re my best friend. You’re the only one I’ve known the longest. Not knowing whether you were dead or alive does things to a person,” he stressed.

“Well, I’m here now. Alive. And demanding you get me some liquor,” you winked.

He raised his eyebrows in surprise, but complied. “Since when did you start drinking casually?”

You hesitated. “Since Elisa.”

“I have whiskey, bourbon, gin, tequila and beer,” he listed the contents of his liquor cabinet.

“Gin, soda and lime, please,” you ordered. Jason immediately got to work, making you your cocktail. “Bring the bottle here as well. I might want a top up.”

He raised an eyebrow as he served you and put the bottle of gin down on the coffee table.

“Aww, you even put a little lime wedge. Cute,” you teased and sipped. “Yep, I was right. Did you always used to make your drinks this weak?”

“You never complained before,” he replied, watching you pour a little more gin in your glass. “The drinks in Cuba must be strong.”

You paused, lips still on the rim of the cup. Silence fell again, before you shrugged. “I’ve taken quite a liking to rum.”

You dug through the sling bag pouch you had across your body and took out a packet of cigarettes and a lighter.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Jason protested.

“Uh, I’m lightshing a shigarette,” you answered with the cigarette already on your lips.

“One, no smoking in my house,” he snatched the cigarette from you and threw it on the table, “ Two, did Elisa smoke too?”

“She didn’t and then she did,” you scowled, “How long have you quit?”

“Four months,” he said, “I use these now. It’s helped a lot. I suggest you do the same.”

He took out a bright pink cylindrical metal tube with a straw-like tip from the pocket of his sweatpants and sucked the end. He exhaled a thick cloud of white mist that smelled of-

You burst into laughter.

“What?” he huffed.

“I’m sorry, but right now I’m just imagining bumping into you in a dark alleyway, all big and muscly, with your leather jacket and combat boots, and suddenly you smell like- what’s that, watermelon?”

“Yeah, so what?” he pouted, “I don’t even have the urge to smoke anymore.”

“You’re right, that’s good,” you smiled, “I’m proud of you.”

“Whatever,” he rolled his eyes, “So, what are you doing here? You back for good?”

“Officially, my role in the mission has ended,” you explained, “But I might have to go back from time to time… And…”

“You’re leaving again?” he guessed solemnly.

You pursed his lips and looked at him. “How much do you know about what I was doing?”

“Not much,” he began, “Just that you were undercover in Cuba, leading some sort of coup?”

“Not exactly leading a coup,” you corrected, “I was hired by a private organisation to infiltrate and, uh, get rid of corrupted leaders internally, and replace them with clean people so that the citizens can have a chance at improving the country.”

“So… American intervention to reestablish democracy and change regimes?” Jason smirked, “Like Cuba in the sixties? Bolivia, Ghana, Angola, and my personal favourite, Iraq?”

“It’s not like that,” you defended, “And not American. Not CIA. Not United Nations. Jason, these people are real. They have no other agenda but to give people freedom. We’re made of many countries and nationalities- mostly third world whose countries have been ravished by colonialism and intervention. Think Che Guevara, but bigger. Richer. Way richer. More organized. They’ve been recruiting ex-agents and spies, people who can’t be blackmailed or bribed with money. People who care about change.”

“So that’s what you’ve been doing?” he realised, “Been playing Spy Kids with communists.”

“We’re not calling ourselves that,” you argued, “And we’re not going for the communist revolution. We want to go for a more organic change.”

“Why are you telling me all this?” he sighed in defeat.

“Because… I want you to come with me next,” you positioned your body to fully face him, crossing your legs on the sofa.

“What?” he asked incredulously, “And what, abandon Gotham?”

“Gotham doesn’t need people like you and me, Jay,” you whispered, “It needs Batman, and Nightwing, and Robin, and all of them. Gotham needs hope. People like us don’t belong here.”

“People like us?”

“You know what I mean,” you said sternly, “Our skills are needed and appreciated elsewhere.”

Another moment of silence of you and Jason just glaring at each other. You saw the way Jason’s eyes examined your expression, your body language. He knew you were completely serious about this.

You broke eye contact and took a few sips of your drink, feeling the contradictory refreshment and burn.

“Just think about it. You have time. I’m on a decently long break before going to the next mission,” you leaned back against the cushion and closed your eyes, “Mmm, I want to go to a nice spa. Get some new clothes. Watch movies. Source for some cool gadgets from Bruce. Spend some time with the family.”

“For how long?”

“A couple of months.”

You heard Jason sigh again. That’s how it was with Jason. Just constant sighing.

“Fine, I’ll think about it.”

You opened your eyes and looked at him. “Really?”

He was looking down into his own cocktail. “I don’t think I can go another six months not knowing what the fuck you’re doing, where you are, whether you’re dead or alive. So, yes. I’ll fuckin’ think about it.”

You felt bad. From the moment you told him you were leaving to go undercover, from the moment you went silent, you felt immensely guilty for leaving him. It was your first time without contact with him, and hell, it was difficult for you too. He was your first friend, your first family. Your life would not have been your life without Jason Todd.

“Hey,” you said softly, reaching out to his face to make him look at you. “I missed you.”

He simply stared. He looked like he was struggling to say something, or struggling to stop himself from saying something.

Then, he looked away. “So, how was it?”

“Pretty fucking cool,” you admitted, relaxing back into your usual self. “I felt like I was in a movie. Being undercover without anyone knowing sucks ass, though. Couldn’t be myself. Couldn’t do whatever I wanted to do, say whatever I wanted to say. Fuck, it was so hard. That’s when the drinking started.”

He chuckled. “Liar.”

“Excuse me?” you turned to him.

“Liar,” he stated, “That’s not how the drinking started. Something happened.”

“A lot of things happen when you’re undercover, Jason,” you snapped.

“I’m just saying,” he smirked, “You may have gotten used to lying to everyone around you. But you can’t lie to me.”

You hated how right he was.

“Put on some tunes,” you demanded, “Like I said, I couldn’t be myself. So tonight, I am going to drink and I am going to do whatever I want, and say whatever I want.”

“And as always, I’m the victim,” he groaned.

“Hush, you love it,” you giggled.

Jason stood up, grumbling. “Just take off your damn shoes.”

You complied, kicking off your boots and placed them away against a wall. Jason had always been so neat and tidy, so you respected that whenever you were in his space. He was extremely particular about hygiene as well. You were used to having your shoes off in his house, to him sanitizing his hands whenever he took off his gloves, to him always wiping surfaces with isopropyl alcohol.

He was always so well groomed too, and you never needed to worry about toiletries whenever you stayed at his. Whatever you needed, or hell, didn’t need, he had them. You remembered when you were teens and you were complaining about acne. He taught you all about skincare, haircare. About shaving versus waxing. About scrubbing between your toes and behind your ears when you shower.

And Jason showered every single day, since he was always engaged in physical activities.

And because of that, Jason always smelled so fucking good.

You caught a whiff of the scent you were so familiar with when he sat back down next to you after turning on the speakers and grabbing two bags of chips. He smelled like the cologne he wore, which was a deep pine scent with undertones of chocolate and sage. It mixed well with the refreshing raspberry of his shampoo.

“You met Grayson yet?” he ran his fingers through his hair.

“Mmm?” you mumbled, still lost in his scent. “No. You’re the first.”

“Good,” he grumbled back.

“Didn’t want to make you jealous or anything,” you giggled, poking his cheek.

He swatted away your hand, but a small smile played on his lips. “Dunno what you’re talking about.”

You wanted to retort, but let it go and took another big gulp from your glass. You topped the ice with some more gin and squeezed the lime in. Talking about Jason’s weird competitive streak with Dick would always end up with Jason sulking. You felt a little tipsy already.

“Hmm,” you hummed. And then, you had a brilliant idea. You stood up and you took your tight black t-shirt off, leaving you in your black bra.

“Why are you stripping?” Jason raised his voice.

“It’s summer, and it’s hot,” you shrugged, sitting back down closer to him. He was also shirtless, and you felt the heat radiating off his skin. “And it’s not like you haven’t seen me naked before.”

“It’s different when you’re bleeding from a stab wound and I’m pouring vodka on it,” he retorted.

“Whatever,” you scoffed, “ And you know what? This place was a smoking area before I left. And I told you that tonight, I’m going to be doing whatever I want. So.”

You reached forward to your pack of cigarettes Jason threw on the coffee table, but he grabbed your hand.

“Nuh-uh. No.”

You glanced at his grip on your wrist and back up at him. “You really want to do this, Todd?”

His expression changed to some sort of smug look that he always had when presented with a challenge. “Let’s see whether Cuba made you rusty, then.”

You smirked at him. And then, you swung your other fist towards his face, but he blocked your punch with the palm of his free hand.

You lifted yourself off the couch and used your body weight and momentum to catch him off his balance. It worked, he was on the floor, but he was so strong and it was difficult to free your arms from his grip.

So, you played dirty.

You carefully kneed his groin. Gently. You didn’t want to actually hurt him. Just to discombobulate him.

Jason swore, and his grip on you loosened just a teeny tiny bit. But that was all you needed to release yourself by twisting his arm to an angle that forced him to turn his body face down to the floor.

You continued twisting.

“Ow, ow, ow!” He complained.

“Do you yield?” You breathed.

“Yes! I yield, holy shit,” he whined.

You released him and greeted him with a shit eating grin when he propped himself back up. You had always been the better fighter. Even though Jason was bigger and stronger, you were more lithe, fast, and flexible. You used momentum, anatomical range of motion, and precise techniques in your martial art. That’s why you were always silent and could sneak up on him. That’s why you used to be the stealthy assassin, while Jason favoured loud guns and explosives.

“You know you will lose, yet you always challenge me,” you pointed out, “That’s why I think you’re a brat.”

“Like a spoiled kid?” he said, “Since when?”

“Not in that context,” you rolled your eyes. “Like, in bed.”

“Huh?” Jason sat down and looked up at you with genuine confusion. You joined him on the sofa again. This time, he didn’t stop you from lighting your cigarette. You inhaled. You exhaled.

“You know, like you have the dominant and the submissive,” you started to explain, “A brat is under the submissive category.”

“The hell?” he protested, “I am not submissive.”

“Maybe at first,” you smirked slyly, slowly closing the gap between you and him. “That’s what a brat is. You like to fight. You’re stubborn. You like to say no. But ultimately, you want to betamed.”

To make a point, you crawled towards him and boldly straddled his waist.

“Wh-what- what the fuck are you doing?” Jason sputtered, a blush creeping onto his cheeks.

“That’s why you like to fight me, right?” you continued, resting one palm flat on his bare chest, your other on his shoulder while you held your cigarette. “You want me to make you submit.”

You blew smoke onto his face.

“Stop that,” he gripped the side of your arms, “Did Cuba make you flirty too?”

“I always flirt with you.”

“Not like this,” he shook his head. “What, did Elisa have to seduce men? Women?”

“Unfortunately, no,” you pouted, “Elisa had to keep things strictly professional between all her assets.”

The truth was you couldn’t stop thinking about him.

“So, it’s been a while,” he stated.

“It’s been a while,” you agreed. “How about you? Any women? Men?”

“Please,” he scoffed, “Just Grayson being an ass.”

“So, it’s been a while for you, too,” you teased.

“But I’m not a perv like you,” he huffed.

“We can change that,” you leaned in closer, watching the way he had subtly wet his lips, thinking you wouldn’t notice.

“Stop,” he repeated, “You’re drunk.”

“Not drunk enough to make you yield.”

“I don’t want you to do anything you’re going to regret in the morning,” he pressed.

“Why would you think I’m going to regret anything?” You asked.

“Because you’ve never done this before,” he frowned, “This is coming out of nowhere.”

You’ve been pining for him ever since you hit puberty.

“Do you think you’re going to regret it in the morning?”

He looked away from your intense, questioning gaze. “I don’t know. Maybe. I don’t want to ruin our friendship.”

That was the reason you gave yourself for so long. You didn’t want to tell Jason how you felt because you were scared he wouldn’t see you the same anymore. Or that he would feel self-conscious around you. That he would reject you. That because of your selfish feelings, your relationship would be ruined.

You put out the cigarette in your glass.

“When I was Elisa Martinez,” you began slowly, “I couldn’t be myself, obviously. I couldn’t drink my favourite drink, or watch my favourite shows. You know how deep undercover is like, right? The complete erasure of your identity. Your history. I know some people who actually started to believe their cover story, to the point where they forgot who they really were.”

You paused to make sure you wouldn’t regret whatever you were going to say next.

“Elisa Martinez didn’t know Jason Todd. She never grew up with him. She never… fell in love with him…”

You noticed Jason’s eyes widened, and his grip on you tightened ever so slightly.

“And it was horrible, Jason,” you expressed, “I felt so lonely. So one day when I was alone in my apartment in Havana, I told myself that I wouldn’t be one of those people who gets lost in their cover identities. Unsure and confused about who they were. I vowed that when I got back here, I would truly be myself. No more hiding my feelings or my beliefs. No more stopping myself from getting what I wanted. Because I didn’t realise how having your own identity was a privilege that people took for granted.”

His eyes softened, but he still looked unsure of how to respond.

“So no,” you stated firmly, “I won’t regret it in the morning. Even if you don’t feel the same way, and you don’t want anything to do with me after this, I will not regret telling you how I feel. Because six months of struggling with identities was enough.”

Still straddling him, you crossed your arms to make a point.

“Uh,” he cleared his throat. He let go of his grip on you and ran his hand through his hair again. A habit that you noticed he did when he was either stressed or nervous. “Wow. I mean. I didn’t expect that at all.”

“I know it seems like it’s coming out of nowhere, but I’ve felt like this for years,” you confessed.

And that Jason did what you didn’t expect him to do. He reached out to cup your face, and then smiled at you.

You learned that Jason had many types of smiles. The smile that was really more threatening than it was comforting. The smile that meant he had a devious idea in his head. The smile that didn’t reach his eyes, when he was shaking hands with someone he didn’t like. The smile when he found something funny. The smile when he was thinking of the past.

And the smile that he only reserved for you.

It wasn’t just the upturned corner of his lips that made the smile. It was also the softness of his eyes, the relaxing of his brows. And the actual smile was just a brief moment, followed by his gaze into your eyes. He smiled like that at you during the first time you successfully threw a punch. And that time when you won first place at the science fair. Sometimes he would smile like that when you went on about history, and geopolitics, and the latest episode of your favourite show.

“Me too,” he simply said.

And there it was. The last time you felt this happy was when Lady Shiva told you she had nothing left to teach you.

“But you’re wrong about one thing,” Jason broke you out of your bliss.

“Huh?”

Suddenly he grabbed your hips tightly and threw you off of him, onto the empty space of the sofa. You gasped in surprise at the sudden movement, and before you knew it, he was on top of you, holding you down. He put his face above yours, lips only inches away that you could feel his hot breath.

“I am not a brat.”

And then he kissed you.

His cut lip grazed yours softly at first before sucking in your bottom lip with force. He broke off the kiss and grinned at you.

You narrowed your eyes at him.

And before he knew it, you had flipped him over, causing him to land on his back onto the floor with a loud thud.

Your knee was at his crotch again, a silent threat for him to stay still.

But you knew what had Jason blushing was your hand around his throat.

“Tsk, tsk, Jay,” you whispered in his ear, making a point to softly brush your lips on his lobe. “Don’t be naughty. You know you can’t take me.”

“I- wha-” he sputtered, and then tried to move.

“Nuh uh,” you warned, putting more pressure on his crotch with your knee, “Stay still.”

He continued to look at you in surprise, or confusion, or wonder. You weren’t sure.

What you were sure about was that you felt his cock begin to harden against you.

You chuckled softly to yourself. The truth was, you made it all up just to antagonize him. You didn’t really think he was a brat at first. In fact, all of your previous fantasies were of him dominating you, choking you, pounding into you while your hands were tied to the bed posts. Now that you knew he was into this, though, you didn’t mind. Not one bit.

“I’m going to get up. But you,” you squeezed his neck a little tighter, “You stay like this and do what I say, okay?”

You felt him gulp under your grip and then he nodded.

You stood up and put your hands on your hips. Looking down at him, you appreciated the view.

His hard chest was going up and down fast as he was panting. You saw a flush grow from his neck to his cheeks. Your gaze went down his abs, to his crotch, where you saw the outline of his hard cock and a small dark spot at the tip.

“Take off your pants for me,” you commanded.

He just stared at you.

You raised an eyebrow. “Do I need to threaten you?”

You gently stepped on his cock with your toes.

“Okay, okay!” he hurriedly slid off his sweatpants, revealing his hard on.

You never saw his cock before. You sort of knew it would be large based on the outlines whenever he wore sweatpants or boxers. But, wow.

He was perfectly long, and perfectly thick, and perfectly uncut. Though, his foreskin was now stretched back, revealing his head that was red and pulsating, desperate to be touched.

“Hey, my eyes are up here,” he grinned, his confidence and smug attitude back.

You sat back down on the couch and crossed your legs, making him confused.

“Well?” you prompted, “Start stroking.”

“What?” he asked, “Down here?”

“Mhmm,” you hummed, “Go on.”

He slowly reached for his cock and gave it a squeeze, eliciting a small moan from his lips. You bit your lips at the sound and the sight.

Fuck, he was so hot. You had dreamed of watching him jerk himself off for so long, and now there he was, sprawled on the floor at your feet.

He started to really stroke himself now, his eyes fluttered close and his mouth parted in heavy breaths.

“Fuck,” he gasped.

You saw that his cock was now slick and wet with his precum. You wanted to taste it so bad. You wanted him to shove his cock down your throat and mercilessly fuck your face until you gagged and cried.

Not today. He will have his turn some other time.

“Okay, stop,” you said in a sing-song voice.

“Wh-what? No,” he refused, still fucking his fist.

“Baby,” you stood up, “I said stop.”

He groaned and opened his eyes, his arm stilling around his dick.

You proceeded to take off your jeans, and your bra, causing your breasts to fall. Exposed to him for the first time, Jason was actually smacking his lips.

“Fuck, you’re so beautiful. I want to touch you,” he whined and moved to get up.

“No,” you denied, “Stay down there for me.”

You walked over to his head, placed your feet on either side, and then dropped to your knees so you were hovering your pussy right above his lips.

“This is fine too,” he mumbled, hands going straight to your ass, kneading them. Then, he took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of your arousal.

“Mmm, you smell divine,” he whined.

That did it. You just knew that you were drenched.

He started to mouth you through the fabric, kissing your folds, nibbling on them.

“Please, take them off,” he begged.

You complied, only because you couldn’t stand not being touched. The moment you returned to your position, Jason attacked you with his mouth.

“Fuck!” you gasped.

It was as if he was making out with your pussy. Wet lips on wet lips, he licked you everywhere, from between your folds, to your opening, to your clit. It was like he was starved for you. Hungry for you. All the while, the sound of wetness and his muffled moans filled the room.

“Jason,” you sighed. You felt the familiar warmth spread at the base of your core.

He knew what you wanted. You felt him focus on your clit with his tongue, and then a finger entering you slowly.

You let out a high pitch whine when he started finger fucking you while ravishing your clit at the same time.

A second finger.

He was hitting the right spot, so deep inside you. You had thought about this as well. Whenever you saw his fingers on a trigger, or that time when he was making pizza dough and kneading. You imagined his thick, calloused fingers inside you, fucking you the way he was right now.

He quickened his pace and added more pressure to your clit.

You knew he knew you were close. You could feel it. Your body was tense, and you knew you were tightening around his fingers. You gripped his hair with both your hands, because you just needed to hold onto something.

And then you were coming.

You didn’t know you were screaming until you felt a gush of wetness between your legs, splashing everywhere.

Jason fucking Todd made you squirt.

“Holy shit, I’m so sorry,” you apologised. You stood up too quickly and didn’t realise your legs were jelly, so you ended up tripping onto the wet floor next to him.

“That was so hot, don’t be sorry,” he looked at you incredulously. His face was glistening with your juices.

And fuck, was that a sight to behold.

You couldn’t help but grab him by the neck and pull him in for a kiss. You tasted yourself on him.

He crawled on top of you, sucking your lips, pushing his tongue into your mouth. One hand roamed your body while the other propped him up above you. He squeezed your breasts and your nipples, and went down to your waist, between your legs. He gripped your thigh from below and pushed it up so you were spread open.

He hooked your leg on his shoulder.

And without warning, he pushed his cock into your wet, sensitive pussy.

“Fuck!” you screamed as he bottomed inside you.

He filled you up so perfectly, that you never wanted to be empty ever again. He stretched you out so beautifully, that you thought your walls would just be molded into shape specifically for his cock.

“Hnngh,” he groaned, “You feel so fucking good. So fucking tight.”

You felt him thrust deep inside you, reaching all the spots that made you writhe in pleasure. He began pounding you hard, wet slaps made even wetter as you leaked all over his cock.

You weren’t gasping for air. It was so intense that you couldn’t breathe. Your mouth was opened in a silent scream until you actually had to remind yourself to inhale.

There were no words that you could form in that moment. Just absolutely filthy, vulgar sounds that rang through his apartment.

Through teary eyes, you watched him above you.

He was panting, breathing hard. You weren’t sure whether the moisture on his face was from sweat or your juices earlier. His dark hair had fallen down to poke his eyes, his brows pulled down in a frown. His chest had beads of sweat dripping, trickling down to his abs.

He moved his hips with precise and sharp movements. Every thrust into you was accompanied by gasps and whispers of words you couldn’t hear.

“You look so fucking beautiful,” he praised breathily, “I want to watch you come again.”

It wouldn’t take too long.

You were already feeling like you were going to unravel. The heat pooling again, even more intense than your previous orgasm.

Jason increased his pace, and then reached down to your pussy to thumb your clit.

You screamed.

It was like a wave that pulled you down and released you. You felt your body tighten and your walls clench and unclench. You felt hot liquid release from your core, just like waves crashing.

Before you knew it, you felt empty. Jason had pulled out and jerked himself off over you.

He came long and hard in a loud groan. White ribbons of cum shot out of his pulsating cock, reaching all the way to your face.

He collapsed next to you on the floor, huffing and panting.

You felt drowsy all of a sudden, but so fucking relaxed.

“Wow,” you breathed.

“Mmm,” he mumbled, “Can’t move. Can’t think. Shhh.”

You giggled and scooted closer to him, pressing yourself onto his sweaty, sticky skin and rested your head on his chest.

You felt his heartbeat drum against his ribcage.

He rested his arm on your head and played with your hair.

“I can’t believe our first time was on the floor,” he complained.

“I think it describes us perfectly,” you closed your eyes and smiled.

He kissed the top of your head. After a beat, he asked, “Will you tell me what happened in Cuba?”

“One day,” you told him, “I need time to process it as well.”

“Fair enough,” he responded, “So, uh. Are we like, official then?”

“If you want to be.”

“Do you want to be?”

“I do,” you admitted, “I’ve been pining for you for a long time.”

“Me too,” he confessed, “We should have done this sooner.”

“I don’t think so,” you thought, “I think right now is the perfect time. We figured ourselves first, we explored what we wanted to do. We found our reason. Well, I did, at least.”

“So you’re really serious about this then?” he asked, “Fully committed?”

“One hundred percent,” you stated, “I think that we can make real change. Slow change. But change nonetheless.”

“Okay, then,” he sighed.

“Okay?”

“Okay, I’m in,” he said, “I can’t promise you that I will stay for the cause. I can’t promise you that I will even believe in it. But I can’t do the silence again. You have no idea how difficult it was for me, these past six months.”

You frowned. You wondered what happened. You will ask another time.

“But I can promise you that you will always have me,” he continued, “I don’t know what this is, and what these missions need you-or us- to do, but you will always have my support.”

You felt deeply moved. “Thank you,” you whispered.

You didn’t have to worry about your identity anymore. About being confused, about being corrupted by the roles you had to play.

Because as long as Jason was there, you were you.

[creat0r-cat]

Markiplier x Teen!Daughter!Anxious!Reader - Take Your Time

Requested by: daygobyinheryeyes

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

(Mark’s POV)

I laughed with my friends as we finished up a collaboration video of Prop Hunt. “I can’t believe you didn’t see me!” Seán playfully yelled at Wade as he groaned in frustration. The Irishman had been disguised as a coaster and had hidden himself behind a door, making him virtually invisible even with the automated taunts the game provided. Bob was howling with laughter as he too had failed to spot him even when he was in the same room.

I cut my video off and logged off the game, staying in the discord video call as I did so. “Ahhh guys, that was so much fun.” I sighed, leaning back in my chair. The others began chatting amongst themselves about the different rounds and I looked back as there was a knock at the door and it began to open, revealing a teenage girl, carrying a plate of food. The moment she realized I was on a video call, she slightly closed the door and waited for a signal.

“It’s okay, I’m not recording.” I told her and in a small, shaky voice she replied. “I made s-some lunch and you didn’t come down a-and then it got late so I made some more for you. S-sorry for interrupting your conversation.” 

“Oh, thank you! I didn’t even realize the time.” I said, walking over and taking the delivery as she presented it. She never entered my room when I was on call as she was rather camera shy, but that didn’t really bother me. I gave her a partial hug and then, telling her I’d be downstairs soon, I walked back over to my desk and once again put on my headphones. “Who was that?” Asked Wade, who had apparently witnessed the interaction. 

“Oh, that was (Y/n).” I said, looking up at the screen from where I was about to take a bite of food. “Who?” asked Bob and Seán, and then it was my turn to be confused. “I swear I told you guys about her. Did I seriously forget?” 

“Yes! Who is she?” The three said and I placed a hand over my face, feeling stupid. “I really thought I told you guys. So.. um.. She’s kind of my adopted daughter.” 

“No way!” Exclaimed Seán in shock. “You’re seriously a dad now?” I laughed softly, rubbing the back of my neck. “Yeah. I didn’t post about it on social media because I wasn’t even sure at first if I was going to find the right kid. I guess I just forgot about it after I adopted her.” 

“You could’ve at least texted us about it.” Commented Bob who crossed his arms as I took a bite of food. “This is a pretty big deal, Mark. Does Amy know?” 

“I was going to!” I said after swallowing. “I just forgot, and yes, Amy does know. I asked her how she felt about the idea before I went through with it.” Just then, someone new entered the chat. “Hey guys!” I recognized that higher pitched voice as I ate some more of my meal. “Hi Ethan!” Said Wade with a smile. “Did you know that Mark has a kid?” 

“WHAT??” The younger male exclaimed which nearly burst my eardrums. “Mark, you never told me this! I thought we were friends!” He cried and I rolled my eyes dramatically. “Oh my gosh, you guys! I made one mistake and now my butt is being handed to me on a silver platter. What’s next, Tyler is gonna hop on and give me crap too?” And just like that, as if he had heard me, Tyler joined the group chat.

“Wow, is there a party going on here?” he said with a chuckle and before I could say anything, Ethan blurted out a loud, “MARK IS A DAD!” I watched Tyler’s face, which had just appeared in video form, contort into one of absolute shock. “I’m sorry, WHAT?!” I took another bite of food, letting out an exhale of frustration at how much the situation climaxed. “Why wasn’t I informed of this?” He demanded and Seán yelled out, “That’s what we’ve been saying!” 

“You know, instead of giving me all this backlash about an honest mistake, I could just tell you what happened.” I said, wiping my mouth with a napkin and putting my dishes to the side. “I’ve got time.” Said Bob, checking his watch. “I’ve got nothing planned for the rest of the day.” Joined Seán, leaning forward in his chair and staring at the camera expectantly, like a little child waiting impatiently for a cookie. Wade, Tyler, and Ethan also agreed and I sighed again, getting more comfortable in my chair. 

“Fine. You want to hear the story, then I’ll tell the story.” 

(Flashback: Mark’s POV)

I had been thinking about adopting a child for quite a while. For what reason, I don’t really know. All I knew is that I wanted to have a kid. I already ran the idea by Amy and she also thought it was a good idea. I decided to look for either a boy or a girl, but not one too young that I’d have to take care of them 24/7. I didn’t feel ready for that kind of job, and honestly, I still don’t feel that way now. 

I started looking around the area for orphanages that had open houses soon. I came across a few and did end up going to some of them. Unfortunately, I was rather disappointed by a lot of people I met. Don’t get me wrong, they were somewhat nice kids, but for one reason or another they weren’t what I was looking for.

I got to this one place, the “Los Angeles Sunnyside Orphanage”, and when I entered I could tell it might produce good results. Yes, there were some parts that could use some fixing up, but it seemed a lot friendlier than some of the other orphanages I had visited. So, naturally, I felt pretty good about my chances there.

When I walked around, there were a lot of kids running around and playing. I wasn’t sure who exactly to try and meet so I went to the orphanage director and started some interviews with the older kids. I think the age range I covered was twelve to sixteen, but I still wasn’t sure about any of them. At that point, my mind was starting to tell me I was being picky and that any of the kids would do just fine, but then I saw this girl on the other side of the room. 

She was drawing, seeming to be focused on the picture rather than the other children. I knew I hadn’t spoken with her yet, because I didn’t recognize her, so I turned to the orphanage director curiously and pointed at the girl in question. “Who is she? Why isn’t she playing with the others?” “Her?” The director responded, adjusting his glasses and peering at the girl. “Ah, that’s (Y/n). She doesn’t really get along with the other children.” I frowned, “Is she a bad kid?”

“No, she’s just incredibly shy and I wouldn’t be surprised if she has social anxiety. Not that I’m trying to give her a diagnosis, it’s just my uneducated opinion.”

“How old is she?” I asked and the director hummed softly, scratching his head as he thought. “I believe she’s 14 years old.” She was within my age range so I decided to at least give her a chance. “Would I be able to get an interview with her?”

The director nodded and signaled for me to stay where I was while he got her. I watched as he got (Y/n)’s attention and gently told her that I wanted to meet her. She looked over at me and her eyes seemed to widen. As the two of them walked over to me, I noticed that she was shaking, looking down at the floor, refusing to make eye contact with me. The two of us were escorted into a much quieter room to talk and I smiled kindly at her when she sat down across from me. 

“Hi there, (Y/n). How are you today?” She looked so nervous as she quietly murmured, “I’m alright. How are you?” This was progress. “I’m doing well, thanks for asking.” She nodded, looking up at me for a second before once again lowering her gaze. “I don’t bite, I promise.” I joked and a ghost of a smile formed on her lips. 

Looking down, there were some papers on the table between us that were filled with questions. (Y/n)’s hand twitched a bit, looking like she was going to reach for them but was also hesitating. “Do you need to ask me anything?” I queried and she nodded, finally taking the papers. “S-sorry. I promise that I’ve done this before, but.. I’m just nervous.” she said softly and I nodded in understanding. “Hey, take your time. It’s okay to be nervous. You don’t know me and we’re stuck in a room together. I’d be nervous too if I were in your position.” She let out a small chuckle which made me smile.

“What’s your name?” She read, and I answered. “Mark Fischbach.” She paused for a second, seemingly thinking about something before continuing. “W-what do you do for a living and do you enjoy your job?” 

“As silly as it sounds, I make videos on YouTube for people to watch. It’s my dream job and I love it a lot.” (Y/n) looked over at me, her eyes shining with an excitement I hadn’t seen before. “I don’t think that’s silly at all.” She said, “Honestly, it sounds like fun.” I smiled at her, “It is, for the most part.” She shifted in her seat before continuing the interview. The longer the two of us spent time together, even just lightly chatting, the more comfortable she seemed to be. We got along, and while she did pause sometimes to take a breath and calm down her nerves, I wasn’t bothered by her at all. When all the questions were finished, I waved goodbye and met with the director again. I told him that I was going to keep looking, but that I might come back. 

I knew that (Y/n) and I got along well, once she got to know me a bit more, but I wasn’t quite sure if she was what I was looking for. I never really stopped thinking about her though, and after a few more days I decided that I was going to adopt her. I came back, told the director my plan, and he set me up for a house inspection the next day. After I was cleared, I brought the paperwork in, made the payment, and waited for her to come down with her stuff.

I saw that she was nervous when she brought down her bag, but she calmed down a little bit when she saw me. “Ready to go home?” She nodded and when the two of us left, I honestly felt pretty good about my decision. The drive back to my house was kinda awkward, but I guess that was to be expected. 

When we arrived, I introduced her to Chica and got her settled into her new room. We spent that night learning a bit more about each other, and the next few days had similar themes. It was difficult, getting used to someone new in my house, but it was okay. 

I taught her how to play some different video games and was really surprised at how quickly she was able to pick some of them up. She was still a tad bit nervous when it came to getting really close to me, but by the end of the first month, she was smiling almost all the time and had little to no issues with physical contact.

After I introduced her to Amy, and found out that the two of them had actually begun to bond rather quickly, everything seemed like it was falling perfectly into place until something happened.

I was laughing with (Y/n) about my newest playthrough of a really hard game. I had lost my mind over it and when I said, “It’s the ragiest game I’ve ever played and I’m never going back to it!” She responded with “I thought ‘I Am Bread’ was the ragiest game you’ve ever played.” I froze and the room went silent. Looking over at (Y/n)’s face, she had turned pale white.

“How did you know that I’ve played that game? I never gave you the name of my channel so you shouldn’t know that.. unless you started watching or already knew.” She began to fidget and she looked down in what looked like shame. “I-I’m sorry. I should’ve told you by now, but I was scared about how you’d react.”

“Tell me what? I’m not upset that you’ve seen my videos, but why would you hide it?”

“Because I already knew who you were before we met. I.. I didn’t want to tell you during the interview because I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable or scare you off. You were so nice and I didn’t think you’d want a kid who was a fan.” 

I stayed silent as she continued. “I promise that I’m not one of those over-the-top and crazy fangirls. Yes, I was happy and shocked to see you, but that’s because I never expected this to happen. I mean, you’re Markiplier. I don’t think anyone would be expecting you to suddenly adopt a kid, least of all an anxious and socially awkward girl like me. Honestly, it sounds like something out of a fanfiction rather than something that would happen in real life, but that’s exactly what happened. I’m really, really sorry, Mark.”

I smiled softly and walked over to her, giving her a gentle hug. “I know that you aren’t like those fangirls. You’ve definitely shown that during your time here. And while I’m a little hurt you didn’t tell me about this, I can understand why you hid it. I probably would’ve done the same if I was in your position. You don’t have to worry about it anymore. If anything, this means I can joke about a lot more stuff because you might understand them. Just promise me that you won’t hide stuff like this from me anymore, alright kiddo?” 

Her eyes welled with tears and she hugged me back. “I promise.” When we both let go, I laughed softly, wiping away some tears that had started falling down my cheeks. “Whoo! Alright, that’s enough sentimental stuff for one day. Do you want to order pizza and have a movie night?” 

“That sounds like fun!” She said, giggling as she also wiped away some tears on her own face. “Thanks for not hating me after I told you the truth. I love you, Dad.” My eyes widened in shock as the name she gave me finally registered. “Gosh dang it, (Y/n)! You’re gonna make me cry again!” She laughed and gave me another hug before running off to the living room.

That was the first time she ever called me Dad. 

(End of flashback)

“She kept her promise too. She and I have gotten so close that you’d swear she’s a mini female version of me.” I said, leaning back in my chair. “Wow..” said Wade after the others remained in silence. “She sounds like so much fun to be around!” added Seán with a smile and Ethan nodded. “Could we meet her?” 

I hummed softly and thought about it. “As much as I’d like that, she’s really shy around new people. I’m not sure how she’ll be with you guys. Then again, she knows who you all are and she got comfortable around Amy soon after they met, so maybe it won’t be too bad. I’ll run the idea by her.” 

I looked toward the clock and my eyes widened. “Oh shoot! It’s almost been half an hour since we finished the video!” The others looked at their own clocks in surprise. “Oh dang. Time flies during story time, huh?” Laughed Wade and we all agreed in amusement. “I’d better get going. I’ll text you guys about her answer, I promise.” 

“You’d better remember this time!” Joked Seán as he waved at the camera. I logged off of discord, stretched, and walked downstairs with my dishes. “Sorry I took so long. The guys wanted to talk.” (Y/n) was on her phone in the dining room and she looked up and smiled at me. “It’s okay! You sounded like you had fun.” I nodded, sitting down in a chair next to her. “So, uhm. I have a question for you.”

She watched me expectantly and I took a deep breath before continuing. “So, the others want to meet you.” As I said that, her eyes widened and she visibly tensed. “I know that meeting people isn’t your forte, but I really think you’ll like them.” After a few seconds of silence, she responded. “W-who all are you talking about?” 

“Bob, Wade, Tyler, Ethan, and Seán. They want to meet you. I mean, you are part of the family now, so I’m not really surprised.” (Y/n) looked away, seeming to be in thought. “I’m a little shocked that you’re only telling me this now.” It was my turn to look away as my cheeks heated up in embarrassment. “I.. may or may not have forgotten to tell them back when we finalized the adoption.” 

(Y/n) began to laugh. “Of course you did.” I feigned feeling hurt, gasping at her dramatically. “You say that like I forget stuff all the time! Are you insinuating that I, THE Markiplier, am getting too old and thus forgetting things often?”

“I mean, you said it, not me. So..” I rolled my eyes and joined in her laughter. After the amusement died down, there was a moment of silence before (Y/n) said softly, “I know how much you want to see them. If they’re somewhat as nice in person as they are online, then I don’t think it would be much of a problem to meet them. I’d just need to hype myself up a bit, I guess.” 

I smiled happily and walked over, giving her a hug. “I promise, they’re not bad people. You’ll love them. You don’t have to agree to this if you don’t want to. Please understand that.”

“I.. I know. I’m choosing to say yes, Dad. It’ll be fine.” With that final confirmation, I nodded. “Alright, I’ll tell them that they can visit. Maybe in a week or so?” (Y/n) nodded and I stood up, walking to the living room. “Don’t forget to text them, old man Mark!” She called after me and I spun around dramatically, almost falling over in the process.

(Time Skip: No one’s POV)

Mark and (Y/n) walked into a store together, (Y/n) staying relatively close to her dad and the shopping cart. They walked around, picking out items that they needed, and some that they decided to try for fun or put away for when the others came to visit. Some parents that came to the store couldn’t help but smile when they saw how close the two seemed to be and how they would laugh with each other at the weirdest things.

(Y/n) noticed something on the shelf that they needed and went ahead to grab it, but when she turned around, Mark was nowhere to be seen. She looked around in confusion and then felt her breathing quicken and her hands begin to shake. She went back the way that she came from but she still couldn’t see him. Looking into the next aisle produced the same results.

Thoughts began to swim through her mind, overwhelming her senses. “Where did he go? Did he leave me behind? Did he not want me anymore? Why did he suddenly disappear? Did something happen to him?” She put the item on the shelf behind her before she could drop it and tears began to fill her eyes. 

Feeling sick, (Y/n) sat down on the floor, her foot tapping against the ground as she curled in on herself, trying to control her breathing. She was scared, not knowing what to do. She tried to make herself stop thinking about the ‘what ifs’, but to no avail. She heard a soft voice, but didn’t look up at who it was until a familiar hand with a gentle touch was placed on her shoulder. With that, (Y/n) finally looked up.

“M-Mark?” 

“Are you okay? You’re shaking like a leaf.” 

She quickly embraced him, feeling herself calm down as his arms wrapped around her. He was here. He was real. His deep voice soothed her fears as he murmured words of comfort. “It’s okay. I’m here. Sorry I left you behind. I thought you were right behind me when I forgot to grab something from the other aisle and went back for it. Guess I should pay more attention huh?” (Y/n) couldn’t bring herself to talk but just clung to him.

Mark didn’t question her as he continued to hug her. He knew she was crying, but she made no noise and he hoped she didn’t get hurt, feeling awful that she was upset in the first place. But in all honesty, he wasn’t entirely sure why she was so distressed over him not being there all of a sudden. “It’s okay.” He murmured softly, rocking her back and forth. “I’m not leaving you behind. I love you too much to do that.” 

After a few minutes she calmed down enough to where they moved on to the checkout and left the store. Nobody had seen (Y/n)’s breakdown, and that was fine with the two of them. It had been a private moment. The car was filled with silence on the way home and Mark constantly looked in the rearview mirror to check if his daughter was okay. The poor girl looked exhausted. 

After coming home and quickly putting away the groceries, Mark sat down with (Y/n), making sure that she wasn’t still in any part of her panic attack. He wrapped her up in a blanket, once again and gave her a big hug. “How’re you feeling?”

“Better.. I’m sorry for what happened, Dad.” Mark shook his head. “There’s no reason to be sorry. You were frightened. I do have to ask though, why were you afraid? I was only gone for less than a minute and I was pretty sure you could’ve seen me in the previous aisle.” (Y/n) went silent before softly murmuring, “I.. don’t think I’m ready to talk about it. Also, I did look in both the last and next aisles. I couldn’t see you. I think you were hidden by something.”

“Okay then. Take your time. I’ll be here when you’re ready to tell me, and, come to think of it, there was a large pile of boxes over there so maybe that’s why you couldn’t see me. Sorry about that.” 

“Don’t be sorry. You did nothing wrong. You were just grabbing groceries.” 

Mark hugged her again, the two of them laughing as she returned the gesture, sighing with contentment in his arms. 

(Time skip)

The day for the guests’ arrival finally came and (Y/n) had basically locked herself up in her room. Chica was in there with her, laying still beside the girl and receiving distracted pets. “I don’t know what to do.” The teenager said, looking at the loyal dog. “I know they’re nice people. Mark told me so, and they act relatively nice in their videos. I just.. I don’t know if I’ll feel comfortable around them. I don’t want to let dad down, or make the others sad by not being around them. What do I do, Chica Beeka?” 

The golden retriever in question just looked up at her and wagged her tail. (Y/n) couldn’t help but smile, giving her a head scratch. “Not much help there, buddy, but thanks for listening.” Just then, there was a knock at the door. Chica jumped up and pawed at the bedroom door. (Y/n) took a deep breath and let her out, following the dog down the stairs.

They were here.

Mark was at the door, happily greeting his friends as Chica ran around, barking in excitement. (Y/n) stood back in the entrance to the living room, not daring to get close to the group, but instead just watched them interact with her father. She knew who these men were. Seán, Bob, Wade, Tyler, and Ethan were some of Mark’s closest friends who she had seen on videos before, as well as heard Mark talking to them over video call or the phone. This fact, however, didn’t excuse the fact that she was nervous. Seán was the first to notice her and smiled, coming closer to her as she took a few steps back. “Aww hello there!” He said with a wide grin. “You must be (Y/n). Mark’s told us a lot about you.” She could barely form words as the others also looked in her direction. “I.. umm.. Hi..?” She backed up once more as Ethan approached her. “Don’t be shy, we’re not gonna hurt you.” Mark noticed her distress and asked that they back off a bit. He watched her visibly relax when her personal space was restored. Bob and Wade looked at each other, deciding to speak to her gently while staying where they were. “It’s nice to finally meet you, (Y/n).” spoke the larger of the two, waving at her kindly. The gesture was returned.

Mark got closer to her and the others watched as she stood her ground and he put an arm around her. “Sorry, I did tell you guys she might not be too comfortable at first.” Tyler nodded in understanding. “I get that. Better safe than sorry, am I right?” (Y/n) nodded and hid a little bit behind Mark.

Ethan smiled at her, seeming to have an understanding of the situation. “You don’t need to worry about us.” He said gently. “I know we’re all big and loud and scary, but I promise we aren’t bad people.” Chica made her way over to the girl who gave her some head pats. “I.. I know you guys aren’t bad. If you were, then dad probably wouldn’t be friends with you. I’m.. just not used to you yet.” Mark gave her a side hug with a smile. “It’ll take some time, but we’ll get there. It’s just like we always do. We’ll take things slowly.” 

Over the next few days, (Y/n) gained exposure to the others. They were respectful of her personal space and they were all pleasantly surprised at how similar she was to them. Sure, they had heard of some stuff from Mark, but actually witnessing it was something different. 

Tyler was the first one to really bond with her. His calm and gentle nature made her comfortable so it wasn’t entirely surprising that he would be the one to start them off. He and (Y/n) found a shared interest in some sports and they held some nice conversations about them. 

Next came Bob, followed closely by Wade. They started playing some video games together and while at first she didn’t say much, when she got a bit more comfortable and started talking, the two men were rather pleased to hear her use Mark’s sense of humor. It made the games much less tense and a lot more enjoyable. 

Ethan was second to last. He was very energetic and seemed to have the mind of an 8th grader, so he and (Y/n) bonded over memes. He showed her some of his favorites when the two of them were bored in the living room and she shared some of hers. Their somewhat immature humor made it a very fun event, especially when it came to meme videos and clips they could find on random discord servers.

Seán, much to his disappointment, was the last one. Maybe it was because he was so outgoing, or perhaps it was because she was busy with the others. Either way, he didn’t really know how to connect with her. Yes, they both liked video games and other such things, but he didn’t really know how to approach her. 

That changed when he was out on the porch, petting Chica. He heard the sliding glass door open and a pair of hesitant footsteps come near. “M-may I.. sit with you?” He looked over to discover that it was (Y/n). He nodded and she sat on the opposite side of Chica, giving her a head scratch.

There was a peaceful silence between the two of them for quite some time before Seán spoke up. “I’m sorry, but I have no idea how to talk to you.” The girl laughed softly, “You and me both.” Chica let out a yawn, stretching slightly before (Y/n) continued. “I.. I haven’t really given you a chance before now. I’ve been so.. Nervous.”

“Why?” The teen shrugged. “I guess I’m just getting used to having so many people here that I don’t really know and you’re, like, my second favorite YouTuber so.. yeah, anxiety overload.” Seán looked at her in surprise. “You watch my videos?” She nodded. “Yup. I’ve watched at least one video from all of you, but I mainly see or hear you during collabs with dad.” 

The Irishman smiled. “I’m pretty sure that’s how most people find our channels at this point.” (Y/n) laughed softly. “Pretty much, but give yourself some credit. You guys make great videos by yourself, no Markiplier included.” Seán blushed slightly from the praise. “Well, thank you. That’s high praise coming from his daughter.”

She rolled her eyes with a smirk. “Oh please. I was a fan of you guys before I was his daughter.” With the awkward barrier finally broken, they were finally able to talk to each other, all while petting a very happy Chica. 

Things would take time to get used to, and no, having those five at the house wasn’t permanent, but slowly, (Y/n) was finally able to get somewhat comfortable with them before they had to leave. Mark was very happy. This had turned out better than expected, and he knew it would be a lot more fun when it came to any future visits.

No, (Y/n) didn’t engage in much if any physical touch with them, but that was to be expected, and that was alright. It would take time to achieve that kind of bond with her, as it had for Mark and Amy. But there was no issue with taking it slow.

No issues at all..

[imaginespazzi]

Hello love!! Sorry i’ve been mia for a minute. I’ve had a lot going on but I finally got the chance to read part two of the UCLA fic and wow. I truly loved it i’ve said it so many times but you leave me in awe with your writing. I know you hear this alot but you can never said it enough from me! I really like the way you convey their emotions and how I can almost feel it. Also love the inclusion of how close the Fudds are with Paige. I’m glad she finally realized how much she affected Azzi and not just herself. And Caroline!! I feel as though she kinda helped knocked some sense into her even though she knew Paige was wrong she also knew Paige needed Azzi just as much as Azzi needed her. I will say I’m glad Azzi told paige off on what she did and what she was going through. I’m also glad that she did have someone other than her teammates to help her through it even if it’s not Paige. And I can’t wait for that date to become a reality. Im pretty sure im missing something else and once I remember I will let you know what. But I’ve had some song recs that have just been stuck in my head that I personally feel for them I would like to share!

Red-Taylor swift

“Losing him was blue, like I'd never known

Missing him was dark gray, all alone

Forgetting him was like trying to know

Somebody you never met

But loving him was red”

These are the lyrics I personally feel for them best but the whole song does as well. I also feel they fit paige more so azzi in the sense she believes she lost azzi more than azzi lost her. But it is truly two sided it really does fit both.

I miss you , I’m sorry - Gracie abrams

“You said, "Forever, " and I almost bought it

I miss fightin' in your old apartment

Breakin' dishes when you're disappointed

I still love you, I promise

Nothin' happened in the way I wanted

Every corner of this house is haunted

And I know you said that we're not talkin'

But I miss you, I'm sorry”

Now this one I definitely feel it’s more azzi over paige. Especially when it says “nothing happened in the way I wanted” ain’t definitely conveys azzis emotions in what happened. But once again I definitely feel the whole song displays her emotions.

Marvins room- Drake

“The women that I would try

Is happy with a good guy

But I've been drinking so much”

and

“I'm just saying you could do better

Tell me have you heard that lately?

I'm just saying you could do better

And I'll start hatin' only if you make me”

Now I feel like I don’t need to say this makes me think of paige because the lyrics just suit her in part two. I really thought of this song when paige drunk called azzi. I didn’t include the lyric but “ And since you picked up ,I know he's not around” Makes me think of the part when she asks if zoe is there.

But I just realized how much I really yap. I have a lot more to say but I definitely don’t want to annoy you. Thank you for listening love and sorry for not reaching out or anything!

Bye love have a good day or night!💕

(🌴 anon)

Hi babes, so happy you're back <3 Listen you really and truly could not annoy me like I love long asks and I read them with the biggest smile on my face.

And thank you bestie, it means the world truly and I'll never get tired of saying how much it means that y'all like my writing and that it makes everything worth it. 🫶🏾

Poor Paige like I feel like I'm always putting my favorite blondie through hell in this fic (it doesn't really get better next chapter-) but she needed to hear a lot of those things and Azzi needed to say them. And Carol, doesn't matter what universe, girlie pop is gonna get stuck having to deal with Paige and Azzi's dumbasses every time. 😭

Y'all keep saying that but will I let the date become a reality? *insert evil angst writer laugh here* (jk jk jk....except?)

I LOVE THESE SONG RECS. The first two were already on my playlists but I have to add the 3rd on. Also I love that you said Red because the "losing him was blue" line really fits with the title and also the "remembering him comes in flashbacks and echoes" verse is very apt for Azzi in the fic. I love when y'alls minds are tethered to mine!

[feverinfeveroutfic]

hanukkah 2023

Fic or Art/Graphic Title: alone in the dark, chapter two: “Sea of Souls” Author/Artist Name: josiebelladonna Fandom: Testament (Band) Jewish or Jew-Ish Character(s): Alex Skolnick (and how) Bingo Squares Being Filled: k5 (light in the dark), a2 (menorah), u1 (latkes), u2 (sufganiyot), h3 (gelt) Rating: Mature Warning(s): Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings Link to Work: x @aimmyarrowshigh

Christine was one of those teenagers who not only drank coffee but drank coffee at night as well. There was something about her that intrigued me, undoubtedly more so than the blonde stewardess on the flight. I never snatched her name whereas I was right next to Christine as she indulged in some coffee and a big slice of blackberry pie with a dollop of whipped cream on top, as well as a small dish of chorizo. Every so often she flashed a glimpse over at my plate of pastrami on rye and French fries.

“You sure you don’t want anything else?” I asked her as I offered her two of my fries.

“Diabetes runs in the family,” she told me as she poured a little bit of cream into the coffee mug. “So I’m told, anyway. I’m also not really hungry, either.”

“It certainly does,” Wendy assured her as she sipped on her iced water. “Dad finally rid of it, as did your other grandfather, but uncle George still has it, though. Plus, I’ve struggle with wavering blood sugar pretty much all my life.”

“Why aren’t you taking insulin?” I asked her, slightly puzzled.

“It’s not exactly there yet,” she explained. “It’s a little complicated to explain.” I stopped for a second with my eyebrows knitted a bit. Where Christine struck me as a lot more honest, Wendy seemed to be hiding something from me: it also helped that I never saw a wedding ring on her finger, either. I then cleared my throat and turned my attention over to Christine and the bite of pie on her fork.

“So, is your dad out here with you?”

“He’s… back home right now,” she quipped, and out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Wendy leaning away from us.

“And where would home be?” I asked her again, that time in a smaller, lower voice.

“New York, believe it or not,” Christine replied, and Wendy cleared her throat and stood up. She walked on over to the other side of the room where the bathrooms were, and I couldn’t help but notice the disgruntled look on her face as she walked away from there. I returned to Christine.

“What’s wrong?” I stammered out, and I had the weirdest little pit in my stomach upon asking that.

“My parents have been going to couples’ counseling lately,” Christine explained in a low voice. “They’ve been fighting a lot in the last year or so and it was starting to do a number on me this past summer in particular.”

“Really?” I gaped at her, and she nodded her head at me with a grim look on her face.

“Oh, god, I’m so sorry—that was all so awkward,” I confessed to her with a shake of my head.

“No, no, it’s okay,” she assured me.

“No, it’s not. I stepped on some toes when I had no right to do so. I feel bad now.”

“You didn’t know, though,” she pointed out. “It’s okay, Alex, I promise.”

My heart sank at that, though, but I also showed her a smile at the sound of her saying my name, however. She returned to her slice of pie, which she slowly dug at despite it being of a good size and filled with lush berries and fresh cream atop.

“How’s that pie?” I asked her.

“It’s so good, do you want a bite?”

I cracked her a smile.

“I offer you a couple of my fries but you refuse them, and now you wanna offer me some of your pie?” I asked her in a single breath, to which she giggled at me.

“Offer you some of my pie, is that what you asked me?” she teased me.

“What else would I ask of you?” I teased her back, to which she giggled at that.

“You know, I once tried to get myself to eat a whole pie before,” she recalled to me.

“Wow, may I ask why?” I asked her.

“I was hungry,” she said with a straight face. “My skinny ass gets hungry every now and again. I got a little chubby when I was about fifteen and then I lost all that weight and then some.”

“You know, when I was a teen, I was the same way. Exact same way. It is starting to catch up with me, though, it feels like.” I rested a hand on my belly, but she rolled her eyes at that.

“What?” I asked her as I picked up a half of my sandwich.

“Pfff, if you’re fat, then I’m fat, too,” she quipped.

“If you and I were fat, it’d be kind of special if you think about it,” I pointed out to her, and I lowered my voice so no one would hear us. There wasn’t a lot of people in that restaurant and thus, I had my concerns about some of the people at the counter across the room eavesdropping on us. I took a bite and then returned my attention to her as she held the tines of her fork up to her lips.

“Did your girlfriend ever tell you that you have like the sexiest voice,” she quipped to me.

“I don’t think she did,” I confessed to her once I swallowed it down, and I couldn’t help but smile at that as well.

“If she did, I feel like you would know.”

“If she did, I admittedly don’t remember because what’s past is prologue.”

“Oh, come on,” she scoffed with a roll of her eyes. “You’ve never done a little… inventory of this side of your life before?”

“Which side?” I asked her as I took another bite.

“You know. The side of you that wants a little fun.”

“As a matter of fact, I have,” I assured her once I swallowed it down. “There’s not much, though. The Jewish community is a lot more open and welcoming than you realize. I just never really had much to talk about with myself, though.”

“Really? A hot boy like yourself?” She seemed genuinely surprised by that.

“Yeah. It’s not that surprising to me, though. I just… never really saw myself as all that desirable and I never met anyone who gave me those feelings, either.”

“Wow.” Christine returned to her slice of pie for a moment before she spoke up again. “You know, if it’s any comfort, I feel the same way, too. I never saw myself as attractive enough, nor have I met anyone who made me feel that way.”

“Is that why your ex is your ex?” I asked her.

“No, it’s… not like that. I’ve just always seen my sexuality as the dumbest, stupidest, shittiest, absolute worst thing about me.” She sighed through her nose at that, and I held back a bit for a better look at the side of her head and the bright red locks that dangled over her ear and the side of her face.

“Oh, damn. I thought I had it bad.”

“It feels good to get that off my chest, though,” she declared with a shake of her head. “My parents are going through counseling right now but that doesn’t mean I have space to talk for myself, though. I always hear shit about how women are sexy when they’re confident and it always leaves me with the worst feeling instead. I know for a fact that I don’t have it, and I know that once I turn eighteen, I still won’t have it.”

“It’s like… no matter what you do, you feel like it won’t matter in the end,” I followed along.

“Pretty much, yeah.” She sighed again, and then she took another bite. “My mom always says that I’m hard to control. I’m actually not that hard to control.”

“Do you have any siblings?” I asked her as I took another bite of sandwich.

“Nope, just an only child. I’ve often suggested that my parents adopted me when I was a baby, and though they always think I’m joking, I’m being completely honest. I’ve always felt like such an odd appendage to the family, like… there’s a reason why I like hanging out with my maternal grandparents when it comes to getting together with family. They’re like the only ones who seem to get me…” Her voice trailed off as Wendy returned to the table with a stern look upon her face.

“Hey, I’m sorry about that earlier,” I told her with an extension of my free hand across the table towards her. “I really didn’t know what was happening here, and it’s bad enough I feel like I’m imposing on you two girls.”

“It’s okay,” she assured me with a shake of her head as well. “Really. You were going to find out about it at some point, just like how dear Chris here was going to find out about things like curse words and what have you. And I promise you aren’t imposing, either!”

“Yeah, we’re happy to have you here with us,” Christine added. “The other alternative is watching you walk the streets with all the snow outside and with nothing to eat.”

I showed her a smile, and I took another bite of sandwich. I leaned back in the seat all the while: the pastrami was perfect with the right amount of salt and pepper, and the mustard was light enough that I could taste everything. I did have my worries that these two women next to me had no brisket on hand, or that the grandparents even had a brisket upon their return from Carson City.

Though the power had gone out back all over town and back at that house, I was glad to be there with them. But how I wished to be home with my parents, though.

The fries had the right amount of crunch, and I knew I could go to bed that night feeling safe and alright. 

I offered to pitch in for the bill as well as a tip for the waitress but Wendy promised me that she could handle it.

“A guy like you will never impose when he is as sweet as you,” she assured me with a little wink.

I took one final sip of my coffee before we left the restaurant, and the snow collected together into even bigger flakes outside, and the wind picked up as well. I closed my coat and bowed my head as we trudged on back to the car with the snow pummeled down onto our faces like gravel. I squinted my eyes shut just before I reached the front end of the car itself, but it was enough for me to see the rim of the window and the door itself. I tugged the door open and bowed into the safety of the front seat; Wendy followed suit into the driver’s seat, followed by Christine into the back seat behind us.

“Wow-ee,” Wendy breathed out.

“Goodness,” I added as I strapped myself in. “Let’s go to where it’s—hopefully, anyway—warm.”

“We’ll figure out how to be warm in all of this,” she vowed as she turned the key in the ignition. The car shuddered and shook but roared to life, and we backed out of the spot, albeit with a bit of difficulty given the sheer amount of snow that pelted us and the parking lot behind us. We made it out of the spot and onto the street, however, and all the while, I kept my hands tucked into my coat pockets, and that time, I could feel the warmth that radiated off my belly. At least I had eaten something, and I crawl into a bed with a blanket and a warm feeling within me. At least I had a place to go, even without electricity.

The windshield wipers moved at a furious pace to keep up with the torrential snow and the harsh winds before us: though I was warm inside, the sheer sight of the snow beyond the car was enough to send a series of shivers up my spine. I needed to be in shelter, under a roof with a bunch of blankets at the helm.

It almost felt as though the background morphed away into the snow, and everything became monotone as it enshrouded itself in darkness. At one point, Wendy leaned forward and wiped the palm of her hand against the windshield.

“Quit breathing so hard, you two,” she teased us, and Christine giggled at that. The snow pelted against the hood of the car, and through the headlights, I could see the formation of the drifts on the pavement in front of us. The street turned white right before our eyes, such that I closed my eyes and I thought of my parents.

The only thought that ran through my mind right then was, I'm going to die here. I'm going to die here without knowing what it would be like to be touched or have my heart invested in another person.

I almost wanted to bow my head so neither Wendy nor Christine could see my face. All I could think about was my parents and how they were back home outside of New York City, how they were safe home and without a single clue that their baby could freeze or be taken out by the mere slip of the steering wheel.

“Grandma and Grandpa are home,” Wendy told Christine, to which she sighed with utmost relief. It was then I opened my eyes and I looked straight ahead: through the torrential snow and the glare of the headlights, I caught the silhouette of the house on the side of the street.

“Oh, good!” I declared. “I don’t like the thought of an old man or an old lady having to cross a snowstorm at night like this, especially when they’re grandparents. It’d be like my bubbie and zeide having to do that for themselves.” It was something to take my mind off the fact that we drove about in a blizzard and a near whiteout, plus it was the truth: thinking about the fact that Christine's grandparents were driving through a snowstorm like this down in a valley made me think of my own grandparents doing the exact same thing. I shuddered at the thought as we nearly crashed into the mailbox near the edge of the sidewalk, but lucky for us, Wendy caught it and we parked up into the driveway.

Indeed, Christine's grandparents had lit up a few hurricane lanterns and propped them up in the front windows of the house, as well as a series of candles. They returned home and knew right away what was happening there in Reno.

The only drawback of returning to a safe place was having to climb out into the snow and wind.

And that was what the three of us did. And it was especially hard for me because I had no hood.

Nevertheless, I kept my head bowed as I huddled up next to Wendy and Christine, and the three of us made our way up to the front step of the house; Wendy's hand nearly slipped as she opened the door and I almost fell ass over teakettle onto the carpet from the combination of the wind at my back and my overnight bag and guitar case slung over my shoulder. My hair was once again covered in snow to the point it made my head cold and I knew for a fact I once again resembled to one of the Winter brothers.

I caught myself and hung by the side of the door as Wendy and Christine closed it in unison.

“Oh, dear, this is something else.” An old lady's voice wafted in from off to my left as I set my things down.

“Grandma!” Christine declared; I raised my head for a look over at her embracing a woman with rich jet black hair wrapped in a thick sweater and with a single candle in hand. I never would have guessed she was a grandmother. I then reached up to the crown of my head and touched the snow that had blanketed my hair. I needn't get all of the snow onto the carpet before me, especially since it wasn't my house.

“Oh, hello—I didn't know you girls brought home Boo Radley,” she said, and I showed her a little smile, even with the snow capped all over my head.

“Mom, this is Alex—he was on our flight and he got stranded out here,” Wendy was telling her. “He doesn't have that much money so we decided to take him in for the time being.”

“I was going to New York to be with my parents for Hanukkah,” I filled in, and for once, I could feel a bit of warmth in my face.

“Oh, a Jewish fellow!” the old lady said with a warm welcoming smile on her face. “Well, we better pay some respects then. We don't really have brisket in the house, but we do have a roast as well as apple pie and potatoes. We have a fireplace and a hot plate, too.”

“So, we can make matzo balls and latkes!” I followed along. “Excellent. Um... do you have a clean towel on hand? I'm afraid to shake my head about.”

“Of course, dear,” she assured me, and she raised a finger to Wendy and Christine. “I'll be right back.”

I held still with my hands on the lapels of my coat as I was afraid to take it off. Christine sauntered over to me with a little smirk on her face, and I could only feel butterflies within me at the sight of her.

“What's that look for?” I asked her.

“Get some good fats into your skinny little ass,” she joked, to which Wendy chuckled at that.

“Skinny? You know, I've put on a few pounds since the summer.” I fluttered my eyelids at Christine, to which she ran her fingers through her fiery red hair and then pressed her hands to her hips.

“And let me tell you, it looks really good on you, too,” she assured me, and Wendy chuckled some more.

“Oh, I think she's got a little thing for you, Alex,” she pointed out; in the dim light, I could see her shake her head at Christine. “Honey, he's too old for you. How old are you, Alex?”

“Twenty six,” I replied.

“Yeah, he's too old for you!”

Then again, when I was seventeen, I was having thoughts about women like Madonna and Valerie Bertinelli, women who were ten years older than me. Christine still ran her tongue along her bottom lip and turned away from me with a glimpse over her shoulder back at me.

Totally flirting with me.

The old lady returned to me with a soft clean white towel in hand, to which I thanked her and ran it over the crown of my head. I ruffled my hair and stray tendrils of it dangled down around the sides of my face as I held it before my chest; through the candlelight, she showed me a little smile, and I returned the favor to her. I couldn't help but show her the lopsided quality to my smile, either.

“Oh, you're as humble as you are handsome,” she told me.

“Handsome?” I retorted to her. Beyond her, I saw Christine flash me a wink, and maybe I was missing something after all.

The three generations of women stayed around me as we all gathered together in the kitchen to see all the food that Christine's grandparents had bought down in Carson City. It was a lot like that night before the first night of Hanukkah where my parents and grandparents would have a lot of food in their houses, and we all made sure we had something to eat before the sun went down. I stood there next to Christine and her grandmother, the latter of whom stood a little too close to me. After I was introduced to her grandfather who looked as though he could have been a model for the painting, “American Gothic”, all the way down to the hat on his head, we took everything out of the bags and rested it on the table. It was cold enough in the house to warrant none of it going into the fridge or the freezer as of yet.

“Who wants a slice of pie?” he offered us.

“I would love a slice of pie,” I declared as I rubbed my hands together; I was eager for a slice especially since it was apple pie. Christine meanwhile took a slice for herself, even after she had eaten that blackberry one back at the restaurant as well as a small dish of chorizo. She huddled close to me as we sat on the other side of the room together with nothing more than candlelight all around us.

“You just ate a big pastrami sandwich on heavy as hell rye bread with some French fries, and now you're eating a big piece of pie?” she chuckled at me in a low voice.

“Yes!” I said. “Hey, it could be worse—I could be eating this with a dollop of sour cream on top.” To which she wrinkled her nose. “It's actually not bad,” I assured her. “I mean, just like whipped cream, it's all milk and heavy cream. The only difference is sour cream has vinegar in comparison to sugar with whipped cream. And you're kinda one to talk, too, as you had a piece of pie yourself back at the restaurant.”

“Hey, what can I say?” she assured me. “I'm not turning down a slice of pie, especially a big Dutch apple one that my grandpa bought from a real authentic bakery rather than some random place somewhere.”

“Plus, it's not often you get to have more than one slice of pie,” I pointed out as I took a bite: indeed, the top was lush and crumbly, and paired with the apples and the spices, it only made me think of home even more.

“Exactly! I mean, this is the time of year when we can actually have a shitload of sweets like pie and what have you.”

“Pie and chocolate,” I said once I swallowed it down. “Yeah, we like to eat a lot during the eight nights. Eat and spend time with each other because we're all one big human family after all.” I took another bite of pie and all the while, I watched her grandparents over on the other side of the room with Wendy. Even though the house remained dark, and nothing in there ran except for the water pipes, I could not hear a word they were saying to one another, and I knew right away that they wouldn't be able to hear us, either. I took another bite of pie and turned my attention back to Christine.

“So…” I started, that time in a near whisper, “seeing as you’re so different from the rest of your family, do you think that you could understand what I’m going through as a Jewish man?”

“As a matter of fact, I can,” she decreed to me; through the dim light, she showed me a comforting little smile, and then she gestured for me to follow her somewhere. She slid out of the kitchen and into the dark hallway, right as the snow pounded hard on the roof and the wall before us. No light except for the glow of the sky outside.

“So, you think that you could stand up for me?” I asked her in a low voice, and I took another bite of pie: that sandwich was in fact filling, and the inclusion of the pie only made my belly feel like it was swelling up from the feeling within me.

“Always,” she vowed, and she tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. I tilted my head back to show her my neck and my throat.

“You would stand for me, a little Jew boy trying to celebrate Hanukkah out in the wilderness even when he’s not with his parents, in the face of all the bullshit that’s badgered us for thousands of years? You would stand up to those people across the street?”

Christine moved her lips to the side of my face as if to kiss me there, but she never did. She instead held herself close to me as if to cuddle me right there on the spot, but she only held still right in front of my body. Her chest pressed itself up against my own. I wanted to tell her that I just wanted to curl up on the guest bed and call it a night, but my body was wanting something else. Three months without having my heart invested in another person, and I could feel something welling up within me. The feel of her body against my own was enough to stir up something inside of me like that of a burgeoning tornado, something that my ex never gave to me before.

“I’d like to break their fucking faces,” she whispered into my ear.

“Oh, my—” was all I could muster out at the sound of that.

I was raised to be peaceful about it, but there was something about the thought of someone like her going that far to stand for me gave me such a rush of blood to my head. I finished the last bites of pie so I could focus my attention on what she wanted to do.

“Mmmm, you smell good...” she whispered to me. No sonner had I swallowed the final bites when Christine caressed her lips up against the rim of my ear, followed by the side of my face and under my jaw. I curled my toes inside of my shoes and for a second, I thought I was going to faint right there on the spot. She held back and took one final bite of her slice right then.

“Where did you learn to kiss like that,” I sputtered out as she moved in closer to me.

“Let’s just say I’ve made out with my hand more often than not,” she whispered into my lips. Another chill down my spine, this time sealed with a kiss of cinnamon and the sin of apple. She held back again and that time I nearly dropped the plate from the feeling.

“Phew.”

“Did you like that?” she asked me.

“You wanna mix it up when the power comes back on?” I offered her.

“Like, how?” she asked me with a sly smirk on her face.

“I have a pair of leather pants in my bag,” I said. “I was going to bring them with me because they’re actually pretty warm and they look nice on my legs.” I rested my hands on my thighs and my hips, and she lowered her gaze all the while, even in the darkness. I could feel her warmth right up close to my own body.

“Well, with your tummy nice and full, let me see you in those tight pants,” she suggested.

“I dunno if I can put 'em on, though,” I told her with a shake of my head and a gentle pat of my belly with my free hand. I could feel myself poking through the bottom of my shirt: I had had enough to eat for the evening, at least until the morning hours and when the first night of Hanukkah went underway.

“Come on,” she coaxed me. “Get your things.” I swallowed at that, and then I bowed over to the front door to put my coat up on the hook, and then I picked up my bag and my guitar case from the floor there. She then took me by the hand and led me back down the hallway to that guest bedroom, which I assumed was her room. She had brought in one of the halogen lights from the car and clicked it on, and she propped it upright on the dresser in there, right next to her grandfather's old camera.

“Can I at least have some privacy?” I asked her as I set my things back down again, and I set the plate down on the desk right next to me.

“It's so dark in here,” she pointed out with a gesture to the shadowy room all around us. “And this is my room, I ain't leaving here.” I squinted my eyes at her and then, I unbuttoned my pants in front of her and I let them fall. There was a part of me that wanted to turn around and show off my ass and the backs of my thighs to her as I took the leather pants out of hiding, but not with her mother and grandparents in the next room, and not with the door open, either.

I had stashed them underneath one of those knit sweaters that my aunt had made for my brother and me, and careful not to upset my stomach, I slipped them on over my legs. I buttoned them up and the waist was a bit more snug than I remembered.

I then reached down and peeled off my shirt so she could see me all the way, but at the same time, I was rather nervous. I was showing off my body to a seventeen-year-old girl, and so soon after she and I both were fresh off the boat together.

“I don’t know, Christine, I don’t really feel right about this,” I confessed to her, and I ran my hands down my thighs towards my knees. The leather was taut and smooth and pressed firmly up against my skin; though my mind was against it, I had the feeling within my body. I could feel it. I could taste it.

For a brief moment, I flashed back on the thoughts I had whilst in the car, in how I thought I was going to die there without knowing what it would be like to be connected to another person. I thought that in my own voice as well.

Christine licked her lips and held close to me as if she was about to kiss me on the mouth again.

“My desires, your desires…” she said in a low voice and with a pointing of her eyes up to the dark ceiling overhead; through the pale light of the halogen flashlight I was able to make out the twinkle in her eyes; “we came together by circumstance and a snowstorm. We should try and feel each other out before we grow old and before the oil of the menorah dries out.” She kissed the underside of my jaw again, and that time she added in a few kisses on the front of my throat as well. Her fingers caressed down my stomach onto my thighs: her two main fingers wandered down in between my legs. She had a hold on me like the blizzard over the western wing of the country.

I relaxed every inch of my body as she kissed my neck and squeezed the crotch of my pants. I lifted one foot up onto the wall right behind me so I could steady myself against the wall. I never thought a seventeen-year-old could be so good at feeling and kissing. It made me wonder what exactly she and her ex did together when no one was looking.

It felt so wrong, especially when I kept on thinking about her age, but it also felt right, as if it was just what I needed. It was everything I could have ever asked for, no matter who it came from. Maybe I really was that desperate in that I would give myself to anyone willing to love my body. But I could feel something in her kiss, however, something that I missed with my own ex, something that I wanted and needed so badly and yet I never really realized it before. A burning feeling, a low and slow cooking feeling like that of a smoldering fire underneath the earth, and yet it rushed in like the babbling flow of a river against my body. The water of passion and the cleaning of fire.

Christine brought her knee up on the side of my hip as if to pin me down.

But then she rubbed her thigh against my hip. She rubbed up against my hip, and I immediately knew it was to feel the leather on her skin.

She took me under and yet I was wary of touching her in return.

“Yeah, you like a little bit of that, don’t you, baby,” she teased me, and she showed me the tip of her tongue as well. But then again, I had no idea if I did or not. The feel of her body against my own, the way that she seduced and teased me, it was all something I needed and something I yearned for on so many levels.

“Christine? Alex?” Wendy's voice floated in right then, such that Christine leaned her head against my shoulder.

“Ooh, you’re so soft and warm,” she whispered to me.

“It’s the pastrami and the rye bread,” I told her, also in a near whisper lest her mother or her grandparents hear us in there. “That piece of pie, too.”

“Kids?” Her grandfather's voice followed suit.

“In here!” Christine called out. Quickly, I put my shirt back on in case they came in there and caught us in the act.

“You have such beautiful skin,” she remarked. “I want to touch it and feel it when we go to bed tonight.”

“Oh ho, we're not going to be bunkin' together, bubbeleh,” I assured her with a wag of my finger.

“What'd you call me?” she giggled.

“Bubbeleh. It's what my mom likes to call me.” Wendy then ducked into the doorway right then with a bewildered look on her face.

“Oh, there you two are! What's going on in here?”

“Nothing, we're just talking,” Christine told her with a quick shake of her head. It was right then I was glad the power had gone out because I knew in my heart of hearts I could not explain the blush on my face or the fact that my pants felt extra tight around my hips.

[junsniverse]

𝙍𝙀𝘿 𝙇𝙄𝙂𝙃𝙏𝙎,

──────────────────────

──────────────────────

ch two / happy birthday jun.

the ride to the restaurant was the last straw for minyue. her arms were sore from the receiving drills, and her knees were about to give out from all the squatting.

the fact that the reason for her pain in the first place was still sitting right next to her, with only a gap of the middle seat did not make her feel better.

just because i’m also a libero doesn’t mean i have to fucking help him get his receive back.

the coach had forced the two to work together, in hopes of fixing jay’s recent problem with his receiving, to the pairs utter delight.

“what?” she snapped, turning to look at the boy, having felt his eyes on her for half the drive.

jay’s forehead scrunched before looking away, hugging the wrapped present that sat in his lap.

yue let out a small huff, adjusting her jersey that was still a bit damp from sweat, leaning towards the air conditioning in an effort to dry it out.

dimple by bts started playing through the cars speakers, blasting softly just as she heard jay mutter something softly.

“what?” she repeated again, leaning back into the seat, turning her head to stare at him in annoyance and confusion.

“i said thankyou.” jay mumbled, his tone slightly sarcastic as he looked right back at her, their eyes meeting for a split second before they both turned away.

yue hummed, staring out at the window. it was already night, and the view of seoul in the dark was always breathtaking. “wow, to what do i owe this honour?”

he rolled his eyes in response, taking his phone out from his pocket, “just enjoy the view, yue.”

──────────────────────

the smell of hotpot wafted through the air the moment the pair walked through the doors. the server recognised minyue, immediately escorted them to the private room jun had booked for his birthday.

the instant yue saw her older brother, she jumped on him to engulf him in a hug. jun rolled his eyes playfully, wrapping an arm around her before waving at jay with the other.

“yessss finally, i’ve been craving haidilao since yesterday.” yue muttered, finding her way to ningning who skipped on taking the taxi as her sister was free to drive her.

the other girl was talking to ricky at the second table in rapid fire chinese, which gradually grew slower when she saw her friend walk closer.

“you had it last week.” ricky muttered, wrapping an arm around yue as a greeting.

“yeah, but i was broke, so it wasn’t actually hotpot. we literally only ordered three dishes.”

they sat down, zhanghao joining them soon after. the table consisted of the four of them and two of jun’s uni mates.

aka two of juns loudest, close friends.

“how does it feel being eighteen?” boo seungkwan asked, his question being met with an awkward silence.

he let out a forced laugh in response, “haha guys, it was a joke…”

yue rolled her eyes, already used to seungkwans antics. “you’re not that funny, oppa.”

a loud laugh came from the other side of the table, followed by a shriek.

“he is hot right? i’m not crazy?” zhanghao asked really, really loudly, his phone shoved in lee seokmins face as the other boy nodded with vigour.

“i know him! he’s my junior at my singing academy!” dk replied with the same energy.

ningning side eyed her friend, “hao, are you seriously showing seokmin oppa your crush?”

suddenly, everyone at the table, besides for yue was crowded around zhanghaos phone in interest.

she got up from her seat, moving to where her brother sat.

leaning over him, she wrapped her arms around his back. “happy birthday jun. thankyou for always being here for me.”

jun smiled, swallowing the piece of meat in his mouth before leaning his head backwards.

“of course, mei.”

──────────────────────

where late night calls due to a chemistry project lead to a talking stage between two bickering rivals, where whoever admits their feelings first loses. or, whr park jonseong reminds minyue of red lights by stray kids.

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mlist.

a.n

happy birthday jun. u mean the world to me, i hope that you know that. 我爱你。

[lindsaywesker]

Good morning!  I hope you slept well and feel rested?  Currently sitting at my desk, in my study, attired only in my blue towelling robe, enjoying my first cuppa of the day.  Welcome to the weekend!

Wow!  Here we are again: Friday!  Where did that week go?  No, seriously, where did that week go?

Me and a mate are having a little garden party on Sunday.  At her place!  Been planning it for ages.  Really looking forward to it!  I spent some of Thursday getting organized.  Went to Sainsbury’s and bought some serving spoons and my trifle ingredients.  Came home and made the jelly.  It needs to cool down and then solidify in the fridge.  Went to Costco yesterday for plates and bowls.  Got tablecloths and straws at Housewives Cash & Carry in Harlesden.  No need to buy plastic cups and cutlery, my house is full of them!  I’ve got place names for the assorted dishes.  The Trouble is making rice & peas and her famous BBQ spare ribs.  There’s going to be a wide variety of yummy things, so I will put a small card in front of every dish.  Been looking at the weather for weeks!  Sunday is scheduled to be 22 degrees (71.6F) and dry, and that’ll do me!  And, at around 8.00, the TVs will get turned on and we’ll roll the dice!  It won’t be a late night; we’ve got work on Monday!

The house was empty last night.  Nice and quiet, so I could get on with my work.  So much to do!  The fam crossed town to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to see my nephew Yung Lean supporting Travis Scott.  We sent a Wesker delegation to show him some love.  He’s a great kid and loves the London side of his family!

Looking forward to broadcasting live from The Margate Soul Weekender on Saturday, August 3rd.  Looking forward to spinning tunes at ‘Let The Music Play’ at Cinnabar, Stevenage on Sunday, August 25th.  Looking forward to doing a set at UNDR, Ladbroke Grove on Sunday, September 8th.  And looking forward to the Soul4U weekender at The Aloft Hotel in Birmingham between September 13th-15th.    

Have a fabulous & funky Friday!  I love you all.  You’re probably thinking, “You don’t even know me!” but, if people can hate for no reason, why can’t I love?

[travelingtheusa]

IDAHO

2023 May 19 (Fri) – I spent most of the morning calling campgrounds and restaurants to confirm reservations for the caravan.  When finished, we took our laundry into town to do the wash.  While the clothes washed, we visited Idaho Joe’s again.  We really like that place.  While the clothes were in the dryer, we went to Fred Meyer for groceries and fuel.  Everything is set for our move to Utah tomorrow.

       I’ve never seen a place do so much watering.  One area in the back of the fairground had sprinklers going for 5 days!  After spending time in the desert and watching how desperate the situation is, I feel angered that they would waste water here.  I guess when you have the resource, you don’t think about it.  That’s probably what happened to Arizona, Nevada, and California over the years.  Now they are in trouble.  Idaho should take note.

2023 May 18 (Thu) – We drove into town for lunch today.  We wanted an Irish pub and I was looking forward to shepherd’s pie.  We found O’Dunken on Trip Advisor.  When we arrived, we discovered it was more of a pub with a limited menu.  There was no shepherd pie or fish & chips or any other Irish dish.  I had a corned beef sandwich and Paul had an Italian hoagie.  We got half a sandwich with salad (me) or soup (Paul).  It was a disappointment.

      We stopped at the liquor store on the way back to replenish our libations supply.

2023 May 17 (Wed) – We drove almost an hour to Shoshone this morning to tour the Ice Cave.  As we pulled up, a woman came out and asked if we wanted to go on the tour.  We said yes and she told us that a tour had just started and we could jump onto it.  We agreed and joined the group.  The guide was a young man, probably high school or college student.  There were nine of us on the tour and we walked in a single file over lava rocks and down into the cave.  I could not hear him in the back of the group.  That was quite annoying.  The ice cave was very interesting.  We have been in many caves but this was different.  The center of the cave had a perfectly formed dome ceiling.  This was because there was a gas bubble in the lava.  When it popped (or deflated), the round shape remained.  Further into the tunnel, there was ice gathered on a pile of rocks in the center of the room.  We walked across slushy ice water on boardwalks that were slippery with ice.  The cave used to be solid ice but over the years, owners blew out the walls to put in additional entrances.  The warm air coming into the cave caused the ice to melt.  The openings were closed but the cave is not as sealed as it was when discovered in 1880.  The walls glittered with ice crystals.  It was cold down there.

      After the tour, we drove back to Twin Falls and enjoyed a late lunch at Johnny Carino’s Italian Restaurant.  We really enjoy that place!  I had a chicken parmesan rigatoni dish and Paul enjoyed a lemon chicken dish.  We also enjoyed coffee and tiramisu for dessert.  Everything was delicious. We also ordered a lasagna meal to take home. 

      We had the most delightful time in Centennial Park back in Twin Falls this afternoon.  We drove down to the bottom of the gorge where the Perrine Memorial Bridge spans the Snake River.  There are two golf courses on either side of the river among the lava rocks and other awesome topography.  The road doubled back on itself 3 times on the way down, the angle of descent sometimes reaching 21%.  We stopped at one turn to explore a waterfall.  It turned out that there was a trail that ran back behind a waterfall.  We walked around behind the waterfall and marveled at the beauty of the grotto.  Further down, there were two ramps to put boats in the water – one for motorized boats and one for non-motorized boats (paddle boards, kayaks, canoes, etc.).  Back up top, we drove down the road to a restaurant sitting at the top of the gorge.  We walked around the back and found a platform built on the edge that overlooked the gorge and river below.  Wow!  It was dizzying to stand at the top and look straight down to the bottom.  Kind of weird to see birds flying below you.

2023 May 16 (Tue) – We went into town today so I could get a haircut.  After that, we walked up and down main street in Twin Falls, admiring the stores and wandering in and out of a few.  Then we had lunch at 2nd South Market.  They claim that it is the oldest food hall in America.  It was updated and looked very modern.  It was a large open hall with food vendors around the perimeter of the room and tables in the middle as well as outdoors on a patio. 

      After lunch, we drove a half-hour to Jerome to tour the Minidoka National Historic Site.  It was one of ten relocation camps for Japanese-American citizens in 1942.  Over 33,000 people passed through the camp over a 4-year period.  They had 36 barracks with additional buildings: community halls, dining halls, outhouses, administrative offices, medical facilities, etc.  The camp ran for 3 years until the end of the war. 

      We drove back to Twin Falls and stopped in WalMart to pick up milk and wound up spending over $200.  Ugh.  We did need the stuff but it certainly was unplanned purchases.

2023 May 15 (Mon) – We drove into Twin Falls to do the laundry.  The 2 washers and 2 dryers cost $1.50 each.  They all worked fine and the clothes were all fully dry at the end of the dryer cycle.

       While the clothes were washing, we went to Idaho Joes for lunch.  I had a large baked potato and salad while Paul enjoyed a taco salad.  The food was good and, again, they gave us a military discount of 10%.  We returned to the laundromat to move the clothes from the washers to the dryers then drove to Fred Meyer Supermarket.  I really like that grocery store!  It is a WalMart on steroids.  We picked up a rug for bedroom and a bathroom set of rugs.  We then picked up groceries and checked out.  We returned to the laundromat to get our clothes and stopped at U-Haul on the way back to get propane.

      It sprinkled a little this morning then the day cleared up and got quite warm by late afternoon.  All the other RVs that were here (and that wasn’t many) have gone.  We are all alone.  There were a group that came in with their horses this evening.  I don’t know if it was a club or a class but they rode their horses around the small arena next the camping area.

2023 May 14 (Sun – Mother’s Day) – We spoke with Travis and his boys this morning.  I sent both Miranda and Samantha some chocolates.  Paul wished me a happy mother’s day (😊). 

      We went to the Magic Valley Mall where I bought two pairs of blue jeans and Paul got himself a pair of slippers.  It was overcast and rainy all day.

      We noticed an odd thing today.  The vast majority of license plates around here start with 2T.  We were musing about that, thinking that it might mean Twin Falls.  It could mean the town but with the ponderance of license plates with those digits, it probably means Twin Falls County.

2023 May 13 (Sat) – We happened upon a horse event here at the fairgrounds.  We saw youngsters taking a class on Thursday.  Last night, there was the start of a high school rodeo.  Today was a full day of rodeo activities.  Junior and Senior high school students rode horses and roped calves.  It was so interesting to see 13 and 14 year old children doing these grown-up things.  We sat in the bleachers for about an hour, then left to have lunch.

      After lunch, we went to the Twin Falls County Historical Society Museum.  There was a small building that used to be a school that was now a museum.  We wandered through the various rooms looking at collections of old stuff.  Then we walked outside around the yard looking at old farming equipment; much of it old, rusted, and falling apart.

2023 May 12 (Fri) – We drove to Perrine Memorial Bridge in Twin Falls this morning.  The bridge is 486’ above the Snake River and people base jump from it.  There were several athletes doing just that.  They jumped off the bridge with their parachutes and landed below 24 seconds later.  Then they had to climb back up the steep bank.  It looked really tough to do.

     We stopped at Idaho Joe’s for lunch.  I had a great sandwich and Paul had a baked potato with clam chowder and the biggest piece of cornbread I’ve ever seen.  We both brought leftovers home.

      Then we drove to Shoshone Falls.  They are rated at medium flow.  That was disappointing.  I thought we would see more waterflow but apparently the spring thaw is over and the water is slowly dissipating.  After admiring the area (which reminded me somehow of the Wisconsin Dells), we drove to Diekers Lake.  It was nice with a designated swimming area.  We walked around the floating boardwalk.  It was wiggly and a little unsettling.  Next stop was at Twin Falls.  It turned out they built a hydroelectric plant at that point and there is now just one falls.  During high water, they open a second vent and there might be two water spouts.  Disappointing.  There were several marmots running the area and we delighted in trying to catch sight of them.

2023 May 11 (Thu) – We drove into town to get groceries at Albertson’s.  Breakfast was at the Buffalo Café.  It was an interesting stop.  They had a hunter breakfast which consisted of fried potatoes with onion and peppers and covered with gravy.  It sounded intriguing so we both ordered the dish.  It was quite good and very filling.  We brought leftovers home.

      We took a walk around the campground and came across a group that seemed to be getting ready for a function.  There were bean bag games going on and some tables set up around the place.  About six food trucks were parked around the outskirts, some open and some still setting up.  We went back at 5 p.m. and discovered it was a fund raiser for breast cancer.  The band was excellent.  We got food and drinks, then sat at a picnic table and listened to the band for an hour.  It started to get overcast and cool so we left. 

      When we got back to the rig, we saw horses gathering in a nearby arena.  We made coffee then walked over so see what was going on.  It turned out to be a class for children on how to handle their horses.  We sat in the bleachers for a while but then left when it got cooler.  They said there will be a show on Saturday.  We’ll go to that.

2023 May 10 (Wed) – Packed up and left West Wendover, NV, at 10:25 a.m.  It would have been about 3 hours to our next campground but we stopped to help a couple who broke down on the road.  They had a blow out and the fender above the wheel was torn out.  When we pulled up and stopped (for me to use the facility), we found a man trying to change the tire on his fifth wheel RV.  The lug nut wrench didn’t fit some of the lug nuts.  Two of the lug nuts were stripped.  The nut holding the spare tire in place was rusted in place.  Because the tire was shredded, the wheel just spun when he tried to get a lug nut off.  Paul worked with the husband for an hour to get the tire changed.  It was a bear but they finally got it.  The couple – Claudia and Al Brimm from Washington (state) – were very thankful.

      We arrived at Twin Falls County Fairgrounds in Filer, Idaho, around 2:30 p.m.  We parked in a site then went to the office to pay.  There are 4 rows of hookups with FHU usually.  However, they are in the process of replacing the sewer pipes so we have no sewer hookup.  We will have to go to paper plates and plastic silverware to minimize water usage so our tanks don’t fill up too much.  Hopefully, they’ll be done in a week otherwise, we will have to make it work for 10 days.

      We selected a site then parked longways across 3 sites.  We are on grass.  There are two other RVs parked in the campground.  The fairground is very large with numerous buildings around the site.  They are marked for different categories of livestock like horse barn, poultry, rabbits, 4H club, etc.  There are two dirt arenas for horses.  A few horse trailers are in one area.  Don’t know if a show is coming or just finished.

[eviltext]

thinking so so hard about what side dish to make next as my simmered daikon and potatoes run out. totally forgot about the several handfuls of chopped butternut squash i prepped months ago, just hanging out in my freezer. and the half pack of frozen mushrooms i put there not even two days ago

[unfoundhoney]

mother, father, and everything else ↠

↠ platonic!c!tommyinnit x older sister!reader ; fluff , angst

↠ masterlist

↠ a companion piece to a sister’s sacrifice inspired by this tiktok

“Tommy, come on,” you call.

You pull your youngest brother’s attention away from the strings of the apron he got distracted by. He toddles over to you as quickly as he can, reaching up and asking to be picked up silently. He started walking early and go the hang of it quite quickly. However, in talking he’s a bit of a late bloomer, nearing fifteen months but yet to say his first words.

You lift Tommy up into your arms, carrying him out the back door and into the backyard. You set him down to play in the grass where you can keep an eye on him then walk over to the array of clotheslines strung up across the yard, beginning to hang up laundry.

Wilbur is off playing with Niki as usual. He’ll likely return covered in dirt and grass stains, maybe with a captured insect or stories of a new, made up kingdom he’d been ruler of that day. Phil is still out with Techno; they’ve been gone for a while now, but that’s nothing new.

You’ve hung up a pair of Wilbur’s pants and two of Tommy’s shirts when you notice Tommy crouched beside the basket full of wet clothes. He reaches inside and pulls out a sock, squeezing it curiously.

“Do you want to help, Tommy?”

Tommy looks up at you, blue eyes wide and mouth slightly open. He nods his head once.

You giggle and ruffle his hair, “Alright, c’mere.”

You lift Tommy up again, resting him on your hip as you grab a clothespin with your free hand. You slip it over the clothesline.

“Put the top of the sock in the pin,” you tell him.

He struggles a bit, little hands still uncoordinated at his young age. He does eventually position the sock where you can close the pin on it and leave it to hang.

“Wow, good job, buddy!” you say.

You wrap him in a hug and spin around, shrieking laughter falling from his mouth at both your actions and your praise. You set him down and kneel down to be at eye level with him.

“You’re my official laundry assistant,” you say seriously. “Can you hand me clothes to hang up?”

Tommy nods eagerly and toddles over to the basket of wet clothes, grabbing a shirt from the top of the pile. He holds it above his head as he runs back over to you, holding it out.

“Good job, Tommy! We’re quite the team, you and I.”

Together, you and Tommy slowly hang the rest of the clothes up. Tommy eventually gets bored and goes off to pick dandelions and pull off their petals, leaving you to finish the chore, not that you mind. When you’re finished, you call Tommy over to get in the basket, carrying him and the leftover clothespin back inside.

“Y/N!”

The call of your name pulls you to a stop, turning to see who yelled for you. Tommy grabs onto your pant leg for balance, stopping as well. You find Puffy waving at you, hurrying over to you with her little boy Dream at her side.

“Hi, Puffy,” you say. “Hi, Dream.”

“Hi,” Dream says in a small voice.

“Tommy, can you say hi?” you ask the young boy clinging to your hand.

He’s chewing on his thumbnail, looking up at Puffy warily before hiding his face in your leg.

“Guess not,” you laugh.

“How are you, Y/N? I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever,” Puffy says.

“I’m good,” you answer. “Just getting some dinner for tonight.”

“Still the household cook, I see.”

“And just about everything else.”

You laugh and Puffy joins you, but you can tell that wasn’t a joke that went over her head. It’s no joke that you are mother and father to your younger siblings, as well as everything else. Your dad is gone too often; Wilbur doesn’t even call your father “dad,” he calls him Phil.

“Where’s your dad?” Puffy asks.

You shrug, “Around.”

“When’s the last time you saw him?”

You hesitate for too long, distracted as you attempt to remember the last time Phil came home.

“That hardly matters,” you brush off, “He’s busy doing important stuff and I can look after Wilbur and Tommy myself anyway.”

The look of concern on Puffy’s face is not missed by you. You do, however, elect to ignore it.

Dream tugs on Puffy’s sleeve, “Mom.”

“Yeah, buddy?” Puffy asks, leaning down.

Dream points into the market, where you see Sapnap with his father and his friend George.

“Go say hi, but don’t wander too far,” Puffy tells Dream.

When she turns back to you, keeping one eye on her son, you say, “I’ve gotta head home. Need to make dinner and all that.”

“Yeah, okay,” Puffy says. “I’m here if you ever need help. Or someone to talk to. Or... anything really.”

“Thanks, Puffy.”

You don’t notice at your side, Tommy trying to form the word that Dream used that so quickly got his mother’s attention.

“Look after yourself, Y/N.”

“I am.” You always have.

With a wave, you turn and head back home, Tommy walking slowly beside you. The walk from the market to your house takes about fifteen minutes and you end up carrying Tommy for most of it to speed things up.

When you arrive home, you find Wilbur and Niki sat in the front yard playing a hand clapping game. They stop when they spot you, jumping up and running to come meet you as you walk up the front path.

“Y/N! Y/N! Y/N!” Wilbur shouts your names repeatedly.

“Will! Will! Will!” you mimic.

“Can I spend the night at Niki’s?” Wilbur asks.

You like Niki. She’s sweet and a good influence for Wilbur.

“Uhm, as long as her parents are alright with it,” you say, doing your best to sound like a grown up despite only being sixteen.

“We’ve already talked to them,” Niki tells you.

“Alright, then,” you concede. “Behave while you’re there.”

“I will, Y/N!” Wilbur says, running off with Niki.

You watch them go for a few moments until you’re reminded of the toddler sitting on your hip. Tommy squirms around, wanting down. You set him on the ground and walk with him inside.

You set him up with some paper and crayons at the kitchen table. You sit across from him, watching as he carefully looks over his color options before choosing the red crayon.

“Looks like it’s just you and me, bud,” you muse.

You pet Tommy’s hair before you stand, moving to start on dinner. You season meat and chop potatoes, humming to yourself and keeping an eye on Tommy. Thankfully, your youngest brother isn’t a picky eater, which makes meals a lot easier than they could be, especially since he’s been in the solid foods stage for a while now.

The rest of the night is fairly quiet. You and Tommy eat dinner then you do the dishes while he waddles around the living room and plays with some of his toys. You can hear him experimenting with running, his footfalls surprisingly loud for such a small human. You hear him fall, as well, but without any crying then the return of his heavy footsteps, you don’t go to check on him.

You start composing your next shopping list and check the calendar for any upcoming events. There’s a festival next week that you’re meant to chaperone Wilbur and his friends at. Maybe you can team up with Puffy so Tommy can play with Tubbo, and Dream can join Wilbur. You’ll ask her tomorrow.

You hear Tommy enter the kitchen. He waddles over to where you sit at the table and crawls into your lap. He grabs your free hand and starts playing with your fingers as you continue writing down what you’ll need for your bigger grocery run in a few days.

“Mom.”

You freeze.

What?

“Mom.”

You look down at Tommy.

He looks up at you, “Mom.”

“N-No...,” you say weakly.

“Mom.”

“No, I’m not your mom.”

“Mom.”

“No...”

“Mom!” Tommy says happily. “Mom mom mom!”

“Okay, okay,” you say shakily, putting a hand gently over your little brother’s mouth to get him to stop. “Okay, good job.”

Your vision’s blurry. You want to cry. Your chest hurts. But right now, Tommy’s said his first word.

“Good job,” you repeat.

You pull Tommy into a hug and wipe at your eyes behind his back.

Tommy rests his little cheek on your shoulder, already tired but quickly drifting off to sleep in your warm embrace, “Mom...”

“Shhh,” you say, voice weak.

Tommy goes limp, asleep in your arms. As your tears begin to fall, you make sure not to let your sobs move you. How has this happened? Mom. No. You’re not a mother. Except you are. In every way that matters, you are Tommy’s mother. You’ve raised him ever since Phil brought him home that day.

You wish your family was normal. As normal as a family of four adopted children, a single father, and a non-biological uncle could be. You wish your dad was home more. You wish you didn’t have to be the only parental figure Tommy has ever known. It’s to the point he calls you mom. How could Phil let it get to this? How could he care so little?

You just want to have a normal family with parents who are adults and kids who are allowed to be children. You did not get to be a child, but Wilbur and Tommy will. You will always be there for them. You promise. You will give them what you had taken from you. Hatred for your father burns in your chest but it’s quickly snuffed out, doused by nostalgia that longs for a childhood you never had.

[sevlgi]

maybe you’d be happier

requested: no

group: twice

pairing: jihyo x fem!reader

genre: angst (mostly)

contents: non-idol!au, corporate worker!jihyo, writer!y/n, miscommunication

warnings: none

synopsis: You’ve always thought that you and Jihyo were meant for each other. But can you really give her what she needs?

a/n: hi guys sorry for being depressed

word count: 2.8k

 Mornings with Jihyo smell like coffee, fresh-pressed juice, powdery makeup, and bittersweet perfume.

The coffee and the makeup are hers, both products of her incredibly tight-packed morning routine; you’re the one who makes her coffee, leaning against the counter and watching the liquid dribble into an already full mug while your girlfriend runs around the room.

“Ah!” she curses when she drops her makeup palette and it shatters on impact, the glittery pink powder inside scattering all over the white kitchen tile. Jihyo sends you an apologetic glance and you wave it off, handing her her coffee.

“I’ll get you a new one today. Same color?”

“Same color. You’re a godsend!” Jihyo smiles, pressing a kiss to your cheek while downing her coffee.

The juice is yours, and you turn to keep cranking the handle of the machine as your girlfriend realizes that she’s lost her keys. The perfume is yours, too, haphazardly sprayed over yourself when you find yourself with just thirty minutes left on the clock before you have to leave for work too. “Have a nice day, Y/N-ah!” 

“Mhm, have a good day,” you call out just before the door swings shut.

With Jihyo out, the tiny apartment is silent again. You sigh and bend down with a towel to mop up the pink pigment. Thank god it’s just on the tile.

Your own routine is far more comfortable-- you clean a little bit more before finishing your juice and leaving all the dishes in the sink. You’re late, of course, but you always are, and you don’t think that your coworkers will care too much.

“It’s the 55th day,” Dahyun sing-songs when you arrive at work.

You frown. “Of what?”

“Of you being late.” She points to a tiny blackboard hidden next to the cash register, then marks yet another tally on the surface. “So you have to treat me and Nayeon to drinks tonight.”

“I can’t tonight,” you sigh regretfully. “Jihyo’s having a work party and I’m going with her. Tomorrow?”

“Or we can just go with you to the work party,” Nayeon chimes in. 

Dahyun interjects, “Unless it’s private? We wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“Oh, no, it’s just a gathering of her and a few officemates at the bar,” you say slowly. “You guys can come. We’ve been dating for a while and you still haven’t met, huh?”

Your coworkers nod together, though Dahyun pushes off the counter to attend to the customer who’s just arrived. “Really, we wouldn’t want to intrude if you aren’t comfortable,” Nayeon assures you. “We can get drinks some other time.”

“No, no, I really want you to meet her, and I’m sure Jihyo won’t mind,” you smile.

“How long have you been dating?”

“Um, almost a year.” Biting back a full-blown grin, you cast your eyes back down at your hands twisting together.

Nayeon lets out an impressed whistle. “Wow, you only came to work here three months ago. Where’d you say you worked at before, after graduating?”

“Different coffee shop,” you shrug. “I wanted to work on my writing, so I’ve just kinda been switching part-timers for a while. But, uh, the old owners were closing their shop, so I applied here.”

Dahyun slings her arm around your shoulder. “Y’know, we never thought we’d see you again after college. You’re just as late as ever, but I guess having a girlfriend has made you a bit more... docile.”

“Shut up.” Shoving her off you, you blush at the memory of how you were in school. It’s true that dating Jihyo has mellowed you out, though you’ve never quite become a working woman like her.

Just in time, your manager pokes her head through the side door. “Hey, guys. C’mon, get ready for rush hour, stop slouching around!”

Bringing her hand to her forehead in a salute, Dahyun smiles. “Right on it!”

“You’re sure she’ll be fine with it?”

“Mhm.” You down the cherry cocktail in your hand, patting the corners of your lips. “I’ve told her so much about you guys, and reconnecting with you. Jihyo’s always talking about you.”

Nayeon glances at the almost-empty glass in your hand. “Are you sure you wanna drink that much before meeting her coworkers?”

“I’ll be fine. We had way more than this in college, right?” you smile.

Your friends exchange glances, but the bell rings, signaling the door to the bar opening. And sure enough, there’s your girlfriend, still dressed in her work suit and smiling brightly as she talks with one of the many coworkers surrounding her.

“Jihyo!”

She finds you in an instant, and frowns slightly. “Y/N? You’re early.”

“Mhm, it was really close from work,” you grin, reaching over to hug her. “Oh, Jihyo, these are my coworkers and college friends. Dahyun and Nayeon!”

Jihyo shakes their hands, then pats your waist to get you to let go of her. “These are my coworkers. Mina, Tzuyu, and Momo.”

She points respectively to a delicately pretty dark-haired girl, a tall and supermodel-like one, and a smiling girl with dark bangs. Dahyun bows politely. “Ah, you work with Y/N?” Momo asks.

“Yeah. We’re baristas,” Nayeon explains.

Mina and Tzuyu just nod; you remember Jihyo telling you that they were more introverted. Motioning for them to sit, you call, “Bartender, a round of shots!”

“They don’t drink,” Jihyo murmurs, her hand coming to rest on your thigh. 

“You can drink if you like, though, we don’t mind,” Tzuyu finally says, her voice just as soft and quiet as you expect. “Um, I’ll take a soda.”

Dahyun and Nayeon exchange glances, and you frown. “Aw, really? Then why’d we come to a bar, Hyo?”

“Y/N, the bar sells nachos,” your girlfriend laughs, but there’s something off about it. Still, you shrug her hand off and reach for your friends’ hands, tugging them towards the pool tables in the corner, hoping to lighten the mood a bit.

“Maybe we should just go?” Nayeon looks to Jihyo for an answer, but the dark-haired girl hesitates.

Mina suggests, almost inaudibly, “We can reschedule. Go get dinner somewhere else, without alcohol next time? It’s no problem, Jihyo.”

“Ah, that may be a good plan...” The dark-haired girl casts another glance at you, wavering on your feet with only the billiards cue to hold you up. 

“We’re sorry,” Dahyun says quietly. “We thought since it was a bar...”

Jihyo shakes her head. “No, it’s alright. It’s Y/N, I know how she is. It was... it was nice to meet you.”

“Yeah,” Nayeon purses her lips. 

Your girlfriend practically carries you out, with one hand on your waist and a grim expression on her face. “Just perfect.”

This morning smells like eggs on toast, coffee brewed slowly and patiently, and the one face mask that Jihyo only uses when she has extra time. You groan, though, and hold your hands over your face when you wake up. “Fuck.”

“One spiked soda, at least two shots, and a very powerful cocktail,” Jihyo’s voice answers, floating into your shared bedroom. “At least, according to Dahyun.”

“You have her number?” you grumble.

“No. She told me before I carried you out.” Your girlfriend finally makes her way into the room, perching on the edge of the bed and setting a glass of cool water down on the bedside table. She looks refreshed, for once, smelling of breakfast, free of the chemical scent of makeup. 

“I’m sorry.” When you rub over your eyes, there’s no blurry trace of black; Jihyo washed off your makeup, then. “I’m sorry,” you repeat.

She smooths a hand over your back. “No, it’s fine,” Jihyo sighs, and drums her fingers lightly in a seemingly sympathetic rhythm. 

You shake your head. “It’s really not. I made the worst impression on your coworkers, and I know how much you value their opinions.”

“I’m sure they don’t mind,” she assures you. “It was just Mina, Momo, and Tzuyu. I’ve told them about how different we are.”

You tense under her touch at that. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing! Nothing, it’s just... you’re still working at a cafe, and getting drunk at bars whenever you get the chance, you know? I’m a 9-to-5 worker, not that that’s any better. I’m... I’m sorry.” Jihyo’s voice grows smaller at the end of her sentence, realizing that she’s sounding more and more like her parents.

“You talked to your mom again, huh?” Your own words are barely more than a whisper. “What about the times that you had even bigger dreams than me, huh? You were gonna be an idol. A singer.”

“Yeah. And look where I ended up.” Jihyo gets up, the mattress spring up where her weight leaves. It’s a touchy subject, you know, but so is the matter of you working in a cafe while your girlfriend does her best to support the both of you.

Jihyo flashes you a tight smile. “I’m going to run some errands, do you want me to drive you to work?”

“No. That’s okay,” you answer, gulping down the water like it’s your salvation in liquid form.

The door slams shut behind her.

You arrange the tulips meticulously inside the vase, making sure that the fractals of the glass reflect the light of the sunset perfectly. They’re bright red, the shade of Jihyo’s favorite expensive lipstick-- the tulips probably cost about the same as the makeup.

“I’m home.” Jihyo sounds absolutely exhausted, but you perk yourself up at the thought that her favorite flowers will cheer her up a bit.

“Hi, love,” you greet her, pulling her into a short but sweet kiss. “How was your day?”

“I have...” Her voice trails off as she spots the flowers, but instead of a smile, a disappointed frown graces her face. “Flowers, Y/N? Really?”

“Yeah, aren’t these your favorite?” Unconsciously, you reach to fiddle with the flowers. You clear your throat and ask, “You said you had something?”

Jihyo sighs. “Yeah. I have bad news, I got laid off today.”

“Oh.” You try to arrange a smile on your face, but it’s difficult. “Well, I’m sure you’ll get another, better job soon! Did the company have to lay off a lot of employees because of money shortages?”

She only nods, and you assure her, “It’s fine, then, it’s not your fault at all. Hey, I’ll get you a job with me at the cafe while you apply to other companies, okay?”

“I don’t want to work at the cafe, Y/N. I mean, I spent all those years in school, just to end up in a minimum wage job?” Jihyo scrunches her hands in her hair, mumbling, “It’s even more of a waste of time than staying as a trainee.”

You get up from your chair, smiling tightly. “I spent even more time in school than you did, Hyo.”

“Y/N...” she starts.

“No, Jihyo. I don’t... I don’t want to hear about how you didn’t mean it that way.” Fire builds behind your voice slowly, and you can’t seem to stop the words from spilling out, words that you kept suppressed politely for far too long. “I know you’ve been raised to think that following your dreams is a waste of time, but I wasn’t. And I’m tired of hearing you insinuate that I’m wasting my time, that it’s oh-so-tiring for you to be supporting me when you know damn well that I earn enough at the cafe to support myself.”

“If you don’t want a job at the cafe, fine. I wish you the best of luck finding a job that’s “worthy” of you.”

Halfway out the door, you stop to spit out, “Have fun being better than me, Jihyo.”

God, it’s a low blow-- you know how much Jihyo hates to think that she’s being condescending, but you’re tired of pretending that her little digs at you don’t sting. You love her, and she loves you, but you can’t help but think that you’re heading in wildly different directions.

Jihyo pushes the door to the cafe open gently, despite seeing clearly through the glass windows that you aren’t there. Nayeon is, though, and she frowns slightly when she recognizes her customer. “Jihyo?”

“Yeah. That’s me. Uh, has Y/N come to work today?”

Nayeon shakes her head. “No, she told me she was taking the day off. It’s alright, though, Sundays are usually slow. Why?”

“Nothing, it’s just... we had a fight,” Jihyo blurts out. She shifts from side to side, wondering (irrationally) if this is going to be her first and last time meeting your friends. “A bad one.”

“Oh. Well, I’m sorry. But she’s usually in that tower when she writes, right?”

“Tower?” Your girlfriend frowns.

Nayeon opens her mouth to say something, but hesitates. Instead, she just pulls a paper out from under the register and scrawls an address on it in blue pen, handing it over to Jihyo. “You drove here, right?”

“Yes. Thank you,” Jihyo mumbles. Her phone is buzzing in her pocket, but she knows who it is; she doesn’t really have the energy to pick up on Momo’s calls about work, now that she’s out of a job.

However, when she notices that Mina, too, is calling, Jihyo has no choice but to pick up. “Hello?”

“Jihyo. Do you know where Y/N is?” Mina asks, sounding panicked.

“No... I’m looking for her right now? What happened?”

Mina huffs out a breath over the phone. “She came to the company, probably to talk to one of us about your job. But... she ended up talking to our manager.”

“Shit,” Jihyo exhales sharply. Her manager was the one to make the final decision to fire her, after all, and had never exactly been a fan of the fact that her employee had a girlfriend. “What happened?”

“She said some things. Jihyo... you need to find Y/N, or your relationship is over,” Mina insists. 

Jihyo hangs up, and puts her foot to the pedal.

‘The tower’ turns out to be an actual tower, a looming dark gray structure of dilapidated stone with ivy crawling all over it. There’s a light in the sole glass window at the top and a sign that invites tourists, though, so Jihyo doesn’t hesitate to fling the door open and start up the spiral staircase.

“Y/N? Y/N, are you up here?” she calls, cupping her hands around her mouth as her voice echoes. She receives no response, and clutches tighter to the silent phone in her hands as she continues to climb.

Finally, she hears the familiar lyrics of your favorite song, floating down the stairs towards her along with the sounds of you singing along. “Y/N!”

The room at the top of the tower is surprisingly comfortable, lit with your favorite candles and padded with jewel-toned blankets and pillows. You’re perched on the window seat with your trustworthy notebook in your hand, though you set it down as soon as you spot your girlfriend in the doorway. “Jihyo? What are you doing here?”

“I came to find you.” Obviously. She clears her throat and clarifies, “I know you stopped by my workplace.”

You sigh, as if you knew what she was going to say. “I know, I’m sorry.”

“Y/N--”

Interrupting Jihyo, you continue, “I can’t even be mad about how you feel. You’re so hard-working and try so hard to support the both of us, and I really don’t do much to help that. And I know you only mean well when you want me to put my degree to good use, and you’re right.”

“I--”

“But I can’t keep feeling like I’m worse than you, you know? I can’t... I can’t feel like I’m just holding you back anymore,” you sigh, your hands falling lifelessly into your lap. “I’m sorry, Hyo.”

Finally, she garners up the courage to ask, voice scratchy, “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying... that I want you to be happy.” You blink away tears. “But I think maybe you’d be happier with someone else.”

Jihyo opens her mouth, then closes it, something stuck in her throat that won’t let her speak the words she knows you need to hear. Instead, she says quietly, “I’m sorry.”

“Me too. I... I’ll always love you, Jihyo. Maybe one day I’ll be good enough for you one day,” you whisper, finally reaching up to wipe the tears away from your eyes.

Jihyo backs away, even though every fiber in her body is screaming at her to walk in the opposite direction. But before she can listen, she’s staring up at the outside of the tower, at the wavering light that shines at the top.

And the light goes out.

[forever-rogue]

Feels Like Home

Summary | Bucky just seems a little out of sorts lately, so you decide to do something special for him. 

Pairing | Bucky x Fem!Reader

Word Count | 2k

Warnings | none

Masterlists | Bucky, Main

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Bucky had been different lately. Not bad or mean or anything just...different. Off. 

No matter how hard you tried to figure it out, you just couldn’t. That left you with the only logical conclusion you could think of. 

“Buck?” you were sitting at the kitchen table, silently eating dinner as you sat across the table from each other. About halfway through your meal, you’d lost your appetite and set your fork down before pushing your plate away. That garnered his attention as he turned to look at you with a weak little ghost of a smile. You couldn’t take this anymore so you just decided to go ahead and ask, “are you upset with me?”

“What?” he set his own fork down as his brows narrowed and he gave you a quizzical expression, “what are you talking about, Bub? W-where did you get that idea?”

“Have you really not noticed?” you asked softly as he leaned closer. You could see that there were darker than normal circles under his eyes, and he just looked...tired. Exhausted even. He shook his head slowly as you sighed lightly, “you’ve been different. We’ve been different. Did I...did I do something? Are you going to break up with me?”

“I...no - never. I would never break up with you, Bub,” he insisted, wondering where all of this suddenly came from. You just shrugged lightly as tears pricked at the back of your eyes and you focused on your plate, “I love you, you must know that.”

“Then why have you been pushing me away?” your voice was small and shaking as a single tear rolled down your cheek. Bucky made a small sound in the back of his throat as you swiped at the wetness before looking back up to meet his eyes, “the past couple of weeks, I just feel like you’ve been shutting me out. If I did something, please just tell me. I just want you to be okay - for us to be okay.”

“Bub,” he slowly stood up and walked to your side of the table before sinking down on his knees, turning your chair towards him with no effort. He reached for your hands and gently took them in his, his larger ones easily engulfing yours. You held back a sniffle as you met those ocean eyes you loved so much, “I’m not upset with you, or anything. I’m sorry, so sorry if you think that’s what’s going on. I love you a little more every day - this is...it’s just been rough lately.”

“Is everything okay? Are you alright, Bucky?” you dropped one of his hands and brought yours to his face, gently stroking his cheek. He closed his eyes and keened lightly into your touch, “what’s going on?”

“I just...this feels so silly,” he admitted softly, “but sometimes I’m just reminded by how out of place I am. I’m a hundred and six-year-old man in a modern world. It feels...odd sometimes.”

“Oh Bucky,” you whispered softly. You couldn’t lie and say you understood what he was going through or feeling, but you’d always be there for him. That much you did know, and he knew it too, even if there were times that were harder, “I’m sorry, my love. I know it must be hard sometimes, I can’t even imagine, but I’m always here for you. You can tell me anything, even the most mundane thing. But you do belong here - you belong here with me, and Sam, and Sarah, and everyone else. You’re right where you’re supposed to be, even if it doesn’t feel like it. If there’s anything I can do to help, whatever it is, just tell me, okay?”

“Yes,” he whispered softly, giving you a gentle nod before he took your hand and pressed a kiss to your palm, “I love you. I’m sorry I’ve made you think anything but. It’s not you at all...just me.”

“Hey,” you put your hand under his chin and tilted his face up towards yours, “I love you, James. Always.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ���──

It was an interesting thing to be with Bucky. He was a man that, if you didn’t know any better, was very much a man of the times. He dressed, acted, and felt the part. But underneath it all, you knew there were times when he was still left in amazement or awe. You’d say something and he would look at you with that expression. 

But now that you knew better, there were times when you could see something flicker across his face. There were times when you could sense that he was missing something. Even if he didn’t mention anything. 

So when you saw something interesting cross your social media feeds that piqued your interest, you came up with a plan. You hoped he would like it - it wouldn’t be much, but you hoped it would be good enough either way. Maybe a little surprise for your lover was a little push in the right direction to get his mood up a little bit.

Whatever happened, you were willing to try. Anything to put a smile back on his sweet face. 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The whole apartment smelled of delicious cooking; you’d been hard at work for the last several hours, attempting to perfect this evening’s meal and dessert for him. You weren’t a huge natural when it came to the kitchen, but you’d watched enough TikToks on how to make meals you knew were a part of his childhood and practically committed them to memory. 

You’d turned on some light jazz that you knew he’d like - and you did as well - swaying slightly to the music as you worked on finishing everything up. Everything did look good, and you hoped that he would like it. If nothing else, you knew he’d appreciate the effort. You could do something as simple as pour him a cup of coffee in the morning and he’d be over the moon. The man really did love you more than you thought was ever possible. For once you wanted to turn the tables around and make him feel as special as he always made you feel.

“Bub?” Bucky’s soft voice surprised you so much that you almost jumped out of your skin. You were putting together a salad and had been so focused on chopping and singing quietly along to the music that you hadn’t even heard him come in. You turned around and gave him a giant smile before almost running over to him, “what’s all this? Smells good.”

“James,” you whispered softly before gently touching his face and carding your hand through his hair, “you’re home just in time. I love you.”

“I love you too,” he promised softly, leaning in and pressing a gentle kiss to your lips, “what’s going on?”

“It’s just...it feels silly now, so don’t laugh,” you insisted as he raised an eyebrow at you, “I wanted to do something special for you.”

“For me?” he asked softly, immediately overwhelmed by the idea that you went through any trouble for him. You bit your lip and shyly nodded, “what for?”

“I just...you mentioned you’ve been having a bit of a hard time lately and I wanted to do something special for you to maybe make it a little better,” you admitted, as you took his hand and pulled him further into the kitchen, “now, don’t get too excited because it’s nothing super special but I hope you’ll like it.”

“You gonna tell me what it is, Bub, or am I going to have to guess?” he asked softly as you realized you hadn’t exactly told him what was going on. You pointed to the various dishes on the counter and food still on the stove that was warm and ready. Bucky looked around and inhaled the familiar smell of the foods he had grown up with back during his childhood. A lump welled up in his throat as his heart felt like it was about. You were beaming at him, waving your hands in a small ‘ta-da’ motion, “you did all this for me?”

“I did,” you admitted, “hopefully the recipes are somewhat real and the food somewhat good? There were a few things that left me wondering what the hell you guys were eating back then! But...I just wanted to do something to make you feel a little more, at home? I dunno. Like I said, it’s not much, but it’s a little something.”

“I love it,” he admitted softly as he turned to you, his blue eyes soft, “I love you. This is...this is one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me.”

“Wow,” you whispered as he pulled you into his arms, “that’s saying a lot for a man that’s been through hell and back multiple times. You sure about that, James?”

“I am,” and then he kissed you. Softly and slowly, wrapping his arms around your body as he held as tightly as possible in his arms. You threw your arms around his neck as you held him back, “no one has ever seen me like you do, has treated me like you. You are everything. I love you so much. I’m sorry I ever made you doubt for even a second.”

“I love you too, James,” you whispered as you pulled back and cradled his face in your hands, “so much more than you’ll ever know. I would do anything just to see that sweet smile back on your face. Even if it’s something little like this.”

“Little?” he asked, looking around at the mountain of food and dishes you’d prepared, “by the looks of it, this took you some time!”

“Okay...maybe most of the day,” you admitted, “but it was worth it. You are worth it, my love.” 

“As much as I want to eat of all this, will you do me a favor first?” he asked softly, taking a step back and admiring you. It was funny, how he still managed to make you feel this shy and nervous, even after being together for years.

“Anything.”

“Dance with me?” he asked as you realized you still had the music playing in the background. You laughed lightly but nodded, taking his outstretched hand and letting him take the lead. It was quiet for a while, the only sound was the gentle music and the soft whispers of adoration you exchanged, “I love you, Bub.”

“I love you, James.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

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[smurphyse]

Loki is dating a young woman who is a fantastic cook and one day he realizes his pants are a tad tight. He’s gained some weight but doesn’t have the heart to stop eating her wonderful food

Southern Belle

Word Count: 1691 words

Tags: body issues (not like anything too triggering, I don’t think), mentions of sex

I always love feedback, but like, please be nice lol

Send me more Loki prompts! <3 I love doing oneshots!

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Here we go,” she sing-songed, carrying a large baking dish over to the table, the little hand-painted ladybugs that decorated it’s sides seeming just as excited as she.

Loki sat patiently, smiling at her as she set it down on the blue checkered tablecloth next to a tub of ice cream. She set down a few brightly colored plates, all painted with various bugs and flowers, decorated by her own hand- which were still stained with paint, he noticed fondly. 

“Peach cobbler,” she grinned, shaking her shoulders in excitement, “Just like Mamaw used to make!”

She watched him closely as he took his first bite, giggling when his eyebrows knitted together in bliss. Fuck, everything she made seemed to come from Valhalla.

His girl, his Southern Belle. The two had been dating for only a few months, ever since Loki had come to San Francisco during his travels. She had been poking around an art fair, her long curls pulled up into two pigtails as she pulled out pieces to observe.

She’d been wearing a pair of dirt smeared overalls, detailed with little butterflies and flowers, obviously hand-embroidered. They were rolled up at the ankles, her neon Converse forcing his eye to her like a shining beacon in the night. 

He’d been drawn to her, like a moth to the flame, unable to control himself as he pushed past the crowds to meet her. As he came face-to-face with her she glanced up at him and flashed him a megawatt smile. He’d been speechless, utterly besotted. 

“Can I help you, darlin’? You look lost,” she drawled, and it took a moment for the Allspeak to translate her thick Southern accent. 

“I think I’ve just been found, actually,” he chuckled, finally finding his voice. 

Her smile seemed to grow brighter, the little crinkles around her eyes deepening as she flushed deeply. 

Loki had offered her a coffee, and she took it. He’d been living in bliss ever since.

She’d come to San Francisco to be an artist, picking up little commissions here and there, working in various galleries and zipping from place to place to help out her fellow creators. She was constantly buzzing around, full of excitement and energy about the whole world around her, ready to take it on day by day.

She gave Loki courage, made him see the little details of this Odin-forsaken planet that he had mostly overlooked. He loathed to admit it, but she had made him love Earth, so long as she was on it. 

One day he would take her to Asgard, and he would watch as she painted the skies in her excitement and ecstasy. His world would be born anew in his eyes, just from the little things she would point out, things he’d never seen. 

They found time for one another whenever they could. Loki had kept himself busy working in various art fairs, finding himself a good organizer for such events. One activity that they had found pulled them together, besides the lovely rapture that was their sex, was cooking. Loki had taken it up when he arrived on Earth, mostly enjoying food closer to Asgard’s cuisines. She was from the South, whatever that meant Loki was not sure, but she insisted it meant all things ‘comfort food’. 

And comfort it gave. She’d shown him Tennessee Barbeque, ‘Pop Pop’s Soaked Ribs’, a bunch of things having to do with cottage cheese, and of course, desserts. 

He was settling down. Norns, if Thor could see him now. He’d likely have a joke or two to make of his unattached, emotionally distant brother finding love in such a creature as her. 

Loki could hear her now, singing some country song in the shower, her deep twang echoing off the tiles and through her small apartment. 

He was getting ready for the day, pulling on a deep green undershirt as he stood in his boxers. He pulled a pair of black slacks out of his little designated area of the closet and pulled them up.

As he buttoned them, he noticed they felt a bit tighter than the last time he’d worn them a few weeks ago. They had one of her art events to go to for lunch, and he’d been wearing jeans mostly when he was working at the fairs. 

Turning, Loki checked out his ass in the mirror. He still looked fabulous if he had to say, but his pants were tighter. 

Could this be a trick? Had Thor tracked him down and performed some spell to throw Loki off his game? It certainly would not be the first time something similar had happened. 

He lifted the shirt, turning to the side as he patted his tummy, his finger pinching along his sides as he sighed heavily. He stepped closer to the mirror, pressing the back of his hand under his chin. His mouth dropped open in shock, and he glared at his reflection.

He’d gained weight.

“I wouldn’t have nothin’ if I didn’t have you,” she sang as she walked back into the bedroom in a fluffy pink towel. She came up behind him and wrapped her hands around his waist, giving him a squeeze as she placed a kiss between his shoulders.

“Hey, handsome.”

Loki scoffed, feeling quite uncomfortable suddenly. She frowned against his back, her hands squeezing his sides lightly, his love handles.

He pulled away from her with a groan, the air feeling heavy around him. He turned to look at her, her lip set in a pout on her concerned face.

“I’m not feeling very handsome today, kitten.”

“Oh,” her frown set deeper for a moment, but was quickly replaced by a mischievous smile, “Is there something I can do to make you feel handsome?”

She tucked her lip between her teeth as she sauntered back up to him, placing her hands on his chest. He smiled down at her, his heart bursting in his chest. 

Loki dipped his head, catching her lips with his own. Her hands tangled into his hair as her towel fell away, and Loki took the opportunity to lift her into his arms and carry her over to the bed.

“I think I have something in mind,” he grinned, pulling her under the covers as she giggled from his touch. 

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

They arrived at the event a little late. The only craft she was not talented in was the art of makeup, but luckily Loki was, and they’d had to spend a few extra minutes covering up some of the hickeys someone had left on her neck and chest.

They were at some vegan restaurant in town that doubled as an art studio. Loki would never understand it, all these hybrid businesses were too niche, they’d have a hard time lasting in this market. But, she liked going and supporting other artists and friends, enjoyed having her art displayed on the walls of local businesses, and who was he to deny her that fun?

The little buffet table was filled with all sorts of leafy greens and vegetables of all colors. It was a vibrant exhibit, accentuated greatly by her art that complimented the bright green and orange paint job of the establishment.

“How come you don’t make food like this?” he asked, waving a blackbean taquito toward her as she gazed at another artist’s work.

“I make vegetables all the time,” she shrugged, snagging the taquito out of his hand and taking a bite.

“You make vegetables with Crisco, which I believe is just butter and animal fat mixed together.”

“I thought you liked my food, honey,” her big eyes clouded with worry, and his chest crumbled in an instant. 

“Oh, my sweet,” Loki sighed, snaking one of his hands around her waist, the other moving to cup her chin, “I do, it’s just-”

“Just what? You’ve been acting weird all day, Loki. What’s going on?”

He felt the heat creep across his cheeks, embarrassment flooding his every vein as he looked down at her. He hated feeling like this, vulnerable, but he wanted to be honest with her, to invest in this relationship.

“I’ve gained some weight recently… and I think it’s from your cooking.”

Her eyes widened in shock, “I haven’t noticed.”

His head cocked to the side, his lips pursing in disbelief. She noticed everything, from the ants on the sidewalk to the stars in the sky, she saw it all. 

“Loki, if you want me to make healthier meals, I’m more than willing. You just seemed to like my comfort recipes so much, and I wanted to make you things you liked,” she wrapped her arms around his waist, tugging his hips tightly against hers. “I have lots of recipes in my book, darlin’.”

“I do love your cooking. I guess I just feel a little… insecure right now,” he admitted, his face starting to cramp from the blazing blush across his nose.

“I really didn’t notice anything, but,” her hands dragged back to his belly, patting it softly as she stood on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. “Now that you mention it, I do like the little bit of cushion I’m feelin’.”

“Wow,” he chuckled, kissing her again. He covered her hands with his, giving them a soft squeeze of thanks. 

Suddenly, he had an idea. He leaned in and whispered hotly against her ear, “Think you can help me work some of it off?”

“Oh,” she feigned innocence, her southern drawl coming out in full force, “what kind of exercises do you have in mind?”

“The kind that includes me, you, and a locked bathroom door fifteen feet away,” Loki smirked, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. 

“Oh, I’m gonna be so sore in the mornin’,” she laughed as Loki dragged her to the other end of the restaurant, admiring his ass in his trousers unabashedly. 

Loki pulled her into the bathroom, locking the door behind them as he lifted her onto the sink. She grinned at him, her eyes full of light as he looked at her lovingly.

His girl, his Southern Belle.

His favorite thing to eat.

[kiwiwrites6]

Headcannons for everyone

(A/N) WOW i didn’t expect my first fic to get so much love :,) thank you guys so much <3 here’s another head cannon with everyone <3 I’ve been reading a lot of angst lately so here I am to save the day with F L U F F <3

Hope you enjoy! Drink some water! It’s hot :p

Tw: mentions of arguments, mentions of weed (AGAIN), majorrrrr fluff

- For starts, Ellie really likes you and doesn’t know how to act around you.

- She met you one day when you came stumbling into Jackson with nothing but a knife and some bloody clothes. Jesse had found you on patrol.

- At first you were shy and very reserved.

- It took Ellie, Dina and Jesse a while to open you up and get to know you.

- Being in Jackson made you softer and made you realize that pushing people away wasn’t gonna be the type of way you wanted to live.

- So you accepted their efforts and now you all are inseparable.

- Your skills are remarkable. You’re extremely talented.

- You taught Ellie and Dina how to roll a joint when they found out you were a pothead.

- “What’s a pothead?” Ellie asked.

- “Someone who smokes a lotta weed baby!” You replied with a goofy smile.

- She felt her heart flutter when she saw you smiling at her like an idiot.

- One day the both of you were high as hell in her little cabin while listening to music

- The both of you were doodling in the sketchbook you got her

- You made a goofy doodle of Ellie and she bursted out dying

- As to where she had a beautifully drawn portrait of you with little flowers around you.

- To say you were embarrassed was an understatement

- “Ellie if I knew we were doing actual portraits, I would’ve flexed!” You groaned as she playfully pushed you against her pillows.

- “Sure you would’ve” she rolled her eyes as she mounted your waist and glared down at you playfully

- She pinned both your hands down against her bed with one hand as her other started to attack your ribs and sides.

- Your laughs made her heart swell and made her mind fuzzy.

- Feeling you squirm under her touch made her heart beat uncontrollably fast against her chest.

- “ELLIE! PLEASE!!” You squealed. You were struggling against her grip as she smiled down at you.

- “This is your punishment for such a shitty drawing of me!” She pouted as she stopped tickling you . You started to choke on your own laughter.

- “Oh please, my work belongs in a museum. Plus you love it.” You smirked as she stuck her tongue out at you.

- The way her cheeks puffed out as she smiled, her pearly whites showing from under her lips made your head spin.

- You two were locked in a gaze. She didn’t know what to do.

- Her hands shyly moved from your wrists to your cheeks.

- The pink there was subtle but Ellie still noticed it. She ran her thumb over your cheekbone and you swore you never wanted to kiss her more.

- “Ellie...” you whispered as her fingers gently moved across your cheek to your lips. ‘What am I doing?’ She thought.

- Feeling your soft lips against her fingers made it impossible for her to deny her feelings for you any longer.

- The second you softly smiled and pecked her finger, a thread snapped.

- She smashed her lips against yours in an instant.

- And you couldn’t deny the sweet lips that engulfed your own.

- from there, the two of you have been inseparable.

Day to day with Ellie(+the gang)

- Patrolling with Ellie because she wants to always keep her eyes on you.

- She also loves how good you look when taking out infected.

- You love braiding her short hair. It’s so soft and cute and she always protests.

- She can never say no to your puppy eyes, though.

- She sings with you a lot. You both know how to play instruments.

- Your cooking is amazing. You love teaching Ellie how to make some dishes with what you have.

- One day she was feeling pretty sad but you cheered her up by baking cookies with her.

- Her sweet tooth is crucial, so whenever you bake for her, she ends up a soft mess while munching on your sweets.

- If you ever doubted yourself, Ellie would make you feel better by making you eat your sweets with her and asking you how you make it.

- She loves watching your eyes light up as you talk about what makes you happy.

- It makes her happy.

- You had a ukulele that Joel made for you when he found out you liked playing them.

- Joel loves you.

- He sees you as his own kid sometimes, dealing with your goofiness and your wittiness.

- He thought you were perfect for Ellie.

- Ellie loves watching you show Joel how to play the ukulele.

- It’s funny watching a grumpy old man like Joel learn from a pretty girl like you.

- You and Dina loved annoying the kids.

- Snowball fights all the time.

- Jokingly picking at them, giving them noogies, chasing them throughout Jackson and sometimes when needed- you helped them against bullies.

- Dina and Jesse saw you as a sister.

- Jesse taught you about everything he knew, stemming from his culture, to techniques against hunters or infected. He loved how informative you were when it came to your culture, and when you guys met up to cook, both Dina and Ellie would be sitting at the table ready for you.

-sometimes even Joel Tommy and Maria came by if they found out you and Jesse were cooking.

- one day you and Jesse met up at your house and started cooking up some food for Ellie and Dina.

-Dina must’ve told people about it because next thing you knew, three tired souls were at your door with plates and some “groceries” in case you needed.

-Tommy and Joel would have shit eating grins their faces while Maria gave you nothing but a guilty smile.

- Tommy and Maria saw you as their own kid. Seeing as you stood with them when you first came while they were fixing up your own little home.

- Tommy and Joel taught you how to shoot more effectively and Ellie helped you with the bow and arrow.

- You helped her and Dina with hand to hand combat.

- Winters with them were the warmest.

- Ellie had you snuggled up to her chest with your legs dangling over her lap and a blanket draped over the both of you.

- Movie marathons, game playing and reading were common.

- On warmer days you guys would go to a creek or a lake and take a dip.

- Ellie knew how to swim now so she always wanted to show off.

- You thought it was cute.

- When you guys argued, it was bad. You’d go days not talking to each other until one of you breaks.

-you guys didn’t argue a lot but when you did it was bad, but in the end your love for each other would prevail and you’d end up on your couch or her bed cuddling and softly whispering apologies to each other while kissing the others face.

- Reassuring each other and being there when either of you aren’t feeling well

- You sing to Ellie if she wakes up from a nightmare, stroking her hair and holding her close to your chest as she trembles against you.

- Ellie holds you so close and softly hums if you ever have an anxiety attack.

- You both have each other’s back through everything, even if you were both mad at each other.

- Ellie loves you and she loves that her family loves you as well.

- You were her family now and she loved you dearly