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vioartemis · 1 year

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The moon is beautiful, isn't it?

(Enid Sinclair x fem! Addams! reader)

Summary: Being Wednesday's sister, everyone expects you to be alike, but truth is you are pretty different, especially when it comes to feelings Request is here :)) Warnings: none (English isn't my first language, I'm sorry if there are mistakes or if something doesn't make sense TvT)

"They deserved it"

That was your answer when you were asked why you helped your sister putting piranhas un the pool, and it didn't seem to be what they were waiting for.

Remorse? Absolutely not, even if the perspective of changing high school again wasn't so pleasant, the said high school being your parents', Nevermore.

Knowing your sister though, you wouldn't stay long.

"You guys are making me feel nauseous. Not in a good way."

"Yeah, please stop that, that's disgusting"

It was rare to see you side with Wednesday when it came to PDA, but this time you could've thrown up. You rolled your eyes et their reaction, and turned slightly to face the window, distracting yourself until you arrived at Nevermore.

You weren't paying attention to what was said in the principal's office, only coming back to reality when everyone stood up.

"For obvious reasons," principal Weems started "you are not in the same dorm"

If she thinks that will stop us... you thought.

"We will start with Wednesday's dorm, as it is closer to us"

You nodded vaguely, trying to memorize the hallways, just in case. You snaped out of your thoughts when you heard an unknown voice.

"Howdy roomie!"

As your eyes laid on your sister's roommate, you felt your cheeks burning.

"Wednesday, this is Enid Sinclair"

She was so pretty. A little too colorful, but so pretty. You hadn't talked yet, and you were already simping. You surely inherited that from your father.

You tried to listen to what was said, not wanting the blonde to think you didn't care about.. whatever was happening here.

"Enid, this is Y/n Addams, Wednesday's sister"

"Hi" you said, waving softly at her

"Are you allergic to colors too or..?"

"She-"

"I'm not"

You cut your mother off, butterflies spiders growing in your stomach seeing the blonde's smile at your words. She took a step forward and hugged you for a second, before letting go.

You tried your best not to have a dumb smile on your face, exiting the room quickly when you were invited to discover your own dorm.

"Y/n you're really red-" Pugsley started

"One more word and I'll cut off your tongue."

You knew you were, no need to be reminded. You didn't want your parents or Wednesday to acknowledge it, because the first ones would be so content about it, and the second one so disappointed.

You walked behind the principal with only one thing in mind: Enid Sinclair.

<><><><> ♡ <><><><>

Months had passed since you arrived at Nevermore. Since you met Enid. Now you were pretty sure you had a big crush on her, and you were decided to invite her to the Rave'N.

But to do that, you needed to catch her alone, which surprisingly you managed to do, after your class with Mrs Tornhill.

"Enid!" you called out "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure"

You waited until everyone was gone, trying to put yourself together.

"You know the Rave'N is coming right? I was wondering if you.. I mean- would you like to go with me..?"

"You're asking me to be your date for the dance?"

"... that was stupid, I'm sorry, forget it-"

"No wait that's not what I meant!"

She grabbed your wrist as you were about to go.

"I'd be more than happy to go to the Rave'N with you" she had a bright smile on her face, the kind that made your heart melt. "Let's meet at your dorm around 8"

You were waiting for the blonde, nervous. You didn't know how the handle that situation. It never happened to you before. You couldn't ask Wednesday of course. Should you call your parents?

"Calm down you're stressing me out!"

You stopped walking and turned to your roommate.

"Why are you even here? Aren't you supposed to be with Divina?"

The vampire sighed and stood up. She grabbed you by your shoulders.

"Yoko, if you don't take your hands off me in the next three seconds, you won't have hands."

She let go of you and took a step back with a pout.

"No need to be mean, I just wanted to make sure you wouldn't have a heart attack. I wouldn't Enid to find her date dying on the floor"

You rolled your eyes.

"I'm not going to have a heart attack"

You heard a knock at your door.

"I think your date is here! Just be yourself Addams, everything's gonna be fine"

"Why are you calling me by my last name now?"

You didn't wait fir her answer and opened the door. Your cheeks reddened when you saw her. She was beautiful.

"You're so pretty Y/n!"

"You too Enid"

Her smile got bigger, and you could swear she blushed a little. You looked at Yoko behind you and nodded slightly, saying goodbye, before exiting the room with Enid.

You didn't know what to say to fill the uncomfortable silence. Should you make a move? What did it mean anyway? Should you take her hand or something?

"Hey, relax" she suddenly said, gently

You didn't notice how tense you were until she brought it up.

"Sorry, I don't really know what to do... Maybe you should just go with someone else-"

"No!"

Her answer was so quick she cut you off. That surprised you.

"I don't want to go with someone else" she continued, taking your hand "Just be yourself, it's okay if we don't talk much. I like spending time with you, and I want to spend the Rave'N as your date."

You stayed silent and nodded slowly, not knowing what to answer. So she liked spending time with you...?

An hour and a half in the Rave'N, you had to take a break. Too many people in the same room. Too much noise too. You were sitting on the stairs near the back door, fresh air of the night caressing your face.

"You're here! I've been looking for you for ten minutes" Enid sat next to you. "Are you okay...?"

"I just needed... air" you said

"Is there something else...? You can talk to me you know?"

"... How do you know if you like someone...?"

You could tell she was a bit surprised by your question - a little sad? -, but she tried to answer it. It only confirmed what you were suspecting. You liked her.

Now how were you supposed to tell her? You couldn't just say "I love you" out of the blue.

You suddenly remembered something Yoko told you one night.

月が綺麗ですね。(Tsuki ga kirei desu ne)

"The moon is beautiful, isn't it?"

The blonde looked at you for a second, before turning to the sky, a smile on her face.

"The moon was always beautiful"

You looked at her, confused. Yoko told you that 月が綺麗ですね, literally the moon is beautiful isn't it?, was a subtle way of saying I love you. And the positive answer to it was 月はいつもきれいだった, the moon was always beautiful.

It could be a coincidence. Or she knew what you said and what to answer. Did Yoko told her? How did she-

"Stop overthinking and kiss me"

Your cheeks turned bright red at her words.

"Wha-"

"Forget it, I misunderstood what you said..."

She got up, ready to leave. You were quick to grab her hand and pull her in for a kiss. She kissed back, hands cupping your cheeks, body pressed against yours.

You pulled away and opened your mouth to say sorry, but her lips crashed on yours in a messy kiss. Enid's hands went to your neck, keeping you close, nails pleasantly scratching your skin.

You let out a little gasp when you felt her claws come out, digging into the soft flesh. She pulled away almost instantly.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry I didn't mean to I-"

You grabbed her hands softly.

"It's okay, really" you placed a kiss on her knuckles, a slight smirk on your face "A least everyone will know I'm taken"

#enid sinclair #enid sinclair x fem reader #enid sinclair x reader #enid x reader #wednesday netflix

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crimson-calligraphyx · 4 months

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Tag List: @cheyfi @kingdomof-omens @daylightlvrs @blade-in-red @jay02bo @itsmrsfuentes @cncohshit @catj422 @lma1986 @chels3a-smile @kiwi475 @cookiesupplier

"Can we name him Nicholas?" Noah asks before shoving another large bite of pasta in his mouth. I rolled my eyes at his lack of etiquette and shook my head lightly. "No, we're not naming him Nicholas." "Why not?" He pouts, whining. I chuckled at his childish behavior, pushing my food around with my fork, shrugging. "We already have two Nick's in our lives, it's just gonna get more confusing, don't you think?" He mulls it over for a second, then agrees with a defeated bob of his head. "How about Nicholas as his middle name?"

I watched his lips curl upwards as he chewed—I knew how badly he wanted to name him after his best friend, but I just knew the confusion that would ensue.

"I like that idea," he says with a smile after finishing his bite of food. "But what about his first name?" "We got time. It'll come to us," I grinned, shrugging lightly, and went back to pushing my food around leisurely. He agrees and lays his hand out on the table, palm up. I quirked an eyebrow at him and he nods towards his hand, silently asking me to place mine there.

I do just that, his large hand warm as it encases mine with a gentle squeeze. "You okay? You've just been pushing your food around, not eating it," Noah inquires, tilting his head slightly with worry on his face. "Oh, yeah," I sigh lightly. "Just tired," I grasp his hand lightly in return, hoping to reassure him.

Truth be told, I was anxious. He and the guys were set to leave in a week for the makeup shows, and even though he would only be gone for about two weeks, I was nervous as all Hell. What if something happens and I need to be rushed to the hospital? Or, god forbid, I get so stressed out that it leads me to have a drink?

I'd hate myself for that, and I'm sure he would, too.

"Hey," he shakes my hand a tad to gain my attention. I must've zoned out. "You'll be okay, Liv. It's only two weeks that I'll be away." I huffed out a saddened chuckle, averting my gaze to my plate. I'm telling you, this man had a sixth sense. "How can you be so sure?" I asked with a slight tremor in my voice, my emotions beginning to make their way out the longer I thought about it. "Because you're strong, Olivia." I scoffed and shook my head 'No'. "I mean it. You said yourself that the second you found out you were pregnant, you stopped drinking. That's not easy, and you know that. And we both know that you wouldn't do anything to hurt him."

I took a deep breath and nodded in agreement. Noah may be right about these things, but I still couldn't help the negativity from looming over me, and I didn't finish my lunch because of it. We decided to pack the rest of our food up to go home and relax; staring at it only made me feel nauseous, given the anxiety that was already running rampant within me.

He takes our bag of leftovers and stands, holding his hand out for me to take. I scoot out of the booth after taking his hand in mine and stand, his chivalry causing a light blush to coast across my cheeks as I smile at him, and he grins down at me.

Neither of us were paying attention as we started to walk out of the restaurant, and straight into another person. Noah apologized right away, and I began to follow suit until I locked eyes with a familiar pair of sharp green eyes.

They trail down my body, and I watched a smirk spread across his face once they landed on my belly. My breath gets caught in my throat, and I squeeze Noah's hand with apprehension. "Liv, what's wrong?" Noah asks quietly, and I can feel him looking at me with concern, but my eyes are still trained on Steven's.

"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise?" Steven greets us with disdain, looking between me and Noah. "This is your husband, I presume?" I cleared my throat. "Yes, this is my husband." "Does husband have a name?" "Noah," he bites out an introduction before I'm able to tell Steven to fuck off, letting go of my hand to stick his out for a handshake. They exchanged what seemed to be a firm shake.

"I see you certainly didn't hop off the bandwagon, but instead on it," Steven jeers, motioning his head toward my belly. "Excuse me?" I jerked my head back at his rash observation, my eyebrows scrunching together as I scowled at him. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" I can practically feel the anger radiating off of Noah, seeing his body tense when I glance over at him. I can see the muscle in his jaw tick as he grits his teeth, and I know he's biting his tongue.

Steven laughs dryly, waving his hand as if we were friends who hadn't seen each other in ages. "Oh, lighten up, Liv. I'm just trying to be funny. It appears you've made up, no?" "Alright, that's enough out of you," Noah snaps, taking my hand again. "It was great to meet you," he seethes, "but Liv and I were on our way home. Excuse us."

He smiles down at me, though I can still see the irritation hidden behind said smile, and gives my hand a reassuring squeeze. We step around Steven, beginning the short trek back to our house. "What a charmer you've got there, Liv," I hear him call after us. "You really think having a kid with him is gonna solve all your problems and miraculously fix your marriage?" he quips.

We both stop dead in our tracks, and I feel my heart sink from his words. Immediately, there's tears welling in my eyes, and I tried with every fiber of my being to hold them back. I know I shouldn't listen to what someone so insignificant has to say, but those words certainly cut deep knowing that our marriage was on the brink of collapsing only months ago.

This baby is our saving grace. Maybe Steven was right.

"Don't listen to him, Olivia," Noah all but whispers to me. He takes my face in his hands, swiping his thumbs under my eyes when the tears finally spilled over. "He doesn't know what he's talking about. Things aren't perfect, I know that, you know that, but we're fine. Everything's fine." I sucked in a choppy breath and nodded in his hands, gazing into his chocolate irises that were beginning to soften. "In sickness and in health, til death do us part. Remember that, Olivia."

I choked on a sob—that nearly happened. I had almost killed Noah.

"I'd be careful if I were you, Liv. He might put the music in front of not only you but even the baby. Unless that's what you want..." Steven taunts. "That motherfucker," Noah hisses under his breath. There's fire burning in his eyes, and he's gone within the blink of an eye. I turn around and he's towering over Steven, shoving him back.

My heart is in my throat and I'm frozen in place as I watched them yell at each other. The panic is settling in, I can't hear what they're saying. I think I'm shouting at him to knock it off, but I can't even hear myself; my heartbeat is too loud in my head.

Noah stumbles back briefly, covering his face with one hand, and within a second Steven is mirroring him, only on the ground. Noah had swung back, and this time I'm positive that I'm yelling at them to knock it off as I run over to the scene.

"Noah, stop!" I shriek and yank on his arm just as Steven stands, hindering the possibility of Noah swinging at him again. As much as he deserved it, I couldn't stand to watch them fight, and Christ was the baby kicking the shit out of me from my hysteria.

His arm was trembling with rage and adrenaline, and there's tears running down my face while I tried my best to hold him back. He shakes himself free of my grasp as Steven gets closer—I feel like I can't breathe when they meet again, Noah's fist tight around the front of Steven's shirt. I had no choice but to get in between them, pressing a hand to each of their chests.

"Please stop," I cried, looking up at the fierce expression on my husband's face. There's blood trickling from his nose, painting over his swollen lips. "I-I can't deal with this. Please, Noah." I feel his chest rising and falling against my palm as he pants, glancing down at me, and with a gruff breath, he tosses Steven away. "Get out of here," he growls and swipes his thumb under his nose, doubling back to clear his mouth of the blood. "I don't ever want to see your face again."

The air was thick as they glowered at each other. I didn't move; I had to make sure fists wouldn't fly again. After what feels like an eternity, Steven spits a bloody mess at our feet and stalks off, and I pray I never have to see him again.

"What were you thinking?" I turn towards Noah, fresh tears of aggravation stinging my eyes. "You could've been seriously hurt or arrested!" His face softens; his eyebrows are cinched and lifted, his lips turning down at the corners. He reaches out, cupping my face with his clean hand. I push his hand away, shaking my head at him incredulously. "That was the dumbest thing you've done in a long, long time, Noah."

I brush past him, headed back towards our home once again. I'm trying to keep my composure, but I'm so shaken up, so angry that he would be dumb enough to do something like that over a few choice words. Especially since he was the one who told me not to listen to what Steven had to say.

I barely make it up the street when Noah catches up to me, placing a hand on my shoulder gently. "Olivia," he says my name quietly. "I'm sorry, I couldn't let him say those things—" "But punching him wasn't the right thing to do, Noah!" I shouted and threw my arms out. "You know stress isn't good for him, right?" I remind him with a tight throat, trying not to cry while glancing down and running a hand over my belly. He sighs heavily, combing back the front of his hair with his clean hand. "I know, I'm sorry," he murmurs.

His eyes lower to my stomach, and seconds later his large hand is engulfing the side of my bump. A calming warmth radiates through my belly; I feel the baby kick, and Noah gasps shallowly, his eyes flashing to mine. I watched his lips curl at the corners, slowly spreading into a wide smile that reached his eyes, the crinkles I adored prominent.

"I haven't been able to feel him kick yet," he whispers. "I know," I sniffled. "This isn't exactly how I pictured this moment happening." I tried to laugh, but it came out as a choked-up sob instead. Within seconds, my heart sinks and I'm crying—I wanted a more intimate setting for this moment. "It's okay, love," he consoles me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and bringing me into a tight embrace. "I'm ecstatic that I got to feel it. Believe me."

He cradles my head against him, his other hand running up and down my back. I only wrapped my arms around him and sobbed. I knew that my hysterics were unnecessary over something so silly, but I couldn't contain myself. Fucking hormones.

Eventually, Noah manages to calm me down and we walk home. He immediately runs me a bath when we get there, and I thank him with a kiss before settling into the tub. I didn't bathe for very long; I was exhausted from the events from earlier, and the warmth of the water was beginning to lull me to sleep.

I dressed into my pajamas for the evening, though it was still early. Noah was in bed and lying on his side, propping himself up by his elbow and resting his head in his hand. He smiles at me softly, his eyelids hooded with what seemed to be exhaustion as well, and pats the mattress with his opposite hand. I join him in bed with a sheepish grin.

"I'm so sorry for earlier today," Noah apologizes as I mirror his position. "I'm just so defensive over you," he reaches out and grazes his thumb across the apple of my cheek. "And him," he moves his hand to the swell of my belly, giving it a gentle rub. "I know, and I appreciate all that you do." I put my hand over his, lacing my fingers through his and giving him a light squeeze. "But I'm not raising him alone because you got thrown in the clink for assault," I chuckle. He snorts, letting his head hang for a moment. "I promise that won't happen, love." "Good."

We stay like this until my arm gets sore, and I lie back against my pillow after propping it up. Noah shifts; he's nearly face-level with my stomach, now tracing his fingers over my bump, and I grin when he presses a kiss against it.

I hear him whispering, and I realize as I watch his eyes start to droop further that he's actually singing to my belly. His eyes are shut when the baby kicks, and I giggle knowing Noah felt it by the subtle curl of his lips as he continued to sing to my belly. "Seems like he likes his daddy's singing," I muse. He hums in agreement, his eyes remaining shut. "Yeah, I think so," he says, sleep heavy in his voice. "I hope so, anyway. It's kind of my profession." "He's gonna love it," I reassure him, running a hand through the front of his hair, scratching lightly as I went along. "I just know it."

|Chapter 23|

#fanfic #fan fiction #noah sebastian #noah sebastian fan fiction #noah Sebastian fanfic #bad omens fanfic #bad omens fanfiction #sequel #romance

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twisted-wonderland-but-gayer · 2 years

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I had the greatest request idea ever

Okay so here me out

Octavinelle (all three together) end up stuck in their s/o's world. They can still do magic, but they just stick with them and do what they do.

Now, s/o's school has no dorms... so the trio are technically homeless. Not to worry, s/o will house them! ...They'll just have to hide the two super tall and one super greedy boys the brought home. Good thing Azul has an invisibility spell!

They'd definitely follow s/o around at school and mess with smh...

I'm rambling, sorry, but yeah that's my request creative liberties have fun you can ignore this if you want.

-Quinn

The OctoTrio In Yuu's Apocolypse!World

I am going extra; Yuu is from an apocalypse and lives in a fallout/nuclear bunker colony. Let's give these mfers a real fright in time for Halloween. Also, there are unnamed NPCs Yuu interacts with aside from one random Disney character I added, hehehe. If you want me to redo those and see the trio actually react a bit more lightheartedly to apocalypse life, lemme know. I'm kinda not proud of this at all.

Per usual. Yuu is Gn and kinda traumatized to add flavor. POV switching from 2nd (you/your) to 3rd (Yuu/They). Yuu and the Trio are kind of frenemies. Possible typos

No… No. No no no no no no no nO NO NO NO NO. You're back here again. That stupid fucking tanuki—! You glare at the memory. A simple lab gone wrong.

****

What was supposed to be a heartwarming personal project had turned quickly into a nightmare. Grim had not only knocked over all the electronics you were using, but he also ended up spilling every single ingredient and chemical you had near you into one toxic stew. To make matters worse, it appeared that he had gotten into some sort of trouble, judging by how all three Octotrio members were assailing him.

At least it couldn’t get any worse…. It got worse.

The electronics and the chemicals reacted exactly opposite to what you wanted. Instead of bringing something to you, you were now being sucked in. To add insult to injury, the bastard that caused this didn’t even get sucked. Instead, the three other bastards that you wish would have been literally anyone else were falling with you…

The feeling of atoms splitting and reassembling yourself wasn’t as nauseous as last time. You were sure by the sound of the trio that they would disagree… It was going to be one rough landing…

****

Just what happened here… Why was the air so harsh to breathe in? Azul felt as though something was assaulting and scratching at his throat with each breath in. He let out a few coughs, not noticing how Yuu cringed at the sound. Jade’s eyes felt as though they were burning, another wave of nausea washed over him, but it was a different feeling from before. This nausea wasn’t because of movement. He felt sick like something was wrong… Perhaps it was a mix of fear and stress? He hoped so.

“Yuu. Where are we?” Azul’s voice took on a very forced calm as he clenched his hands into fists, trying not to shake as he looked up at the dark smog-filled sky. Jade and Azul stared at Yuu as they closed their eyes pensively. “This place… Is what remains of my home. That is all you need to know.” Yuu’s voice shook slightly. They turned around and snagged the trios' hats on the ground, muttering something about scent trails.

Jade looks around, trying to figure out just what kind of situation he’s in. His and his family's safety was the most important thing right now. The mer swallowed a lump in his dry throat, looking out at a wasteland. Green grassy fields were charred black. Distant mountains looked altered and unnatural, as if they’d been destroyed. Ruins of old ghost towns ransacked RV homes, and leveled cities can be seen from the weird hill they were on, acting as the only landmark.

Fear started to build within Jade with the unfamiliarity and eeriness of it all. It felt too calm, too quiet. Something was wrong here… Floyd glanced over at his brother as if sensing his discomfort. “According to my scanner, lead, and radiation levels here are low. It's safe to travel without masks or suits… Perfect.” Yuu smiled. Is this why shrimpy always had that weird mask on? Floyd thought as he eyed the gas mask in their arm.

Soon, Floyd spoke up.

“Ne ne, shrimpy? So like, when can we get out of here?”

“Yes, I have a similar question. How are we going to get home?”

“I have a good guess. I'll go to the same place I did last time when I fell into your world?” Azul listed a brow. “Which is…?” Yuu shoved the trio's hats into the bulky backpack they wore. “Going to the happiest place on earth, as they call it,” Yuu spoke, completely serious. “And if it doesn’t work… I'll help you adjust to your new magicless life here.”

“Ehh! I don't want to stay here! This place is a dump!” “I know, Floyd.” “There’s nothing to do!” “I know, Floyd.”

Jade suddenly butted in from where he stood. “Actually, that… project, for lack of a better term, was the reason we’re here, yes?” “That’s right, why would you want to come back to… This…” Azul interjected,

“You guys ruining it is what brought us here. I wasn't trying to go back; I was trying to bring…” Yuu stopped themselves, “Ugh, never mind. Look, I have one thing to do today before we leave… hopefully.” “You can't be serious!” Azul snapped.

Yuu practically snarled, “Um, I AM serious. So suck it up before I leave you out here to die. You were all responsible for getting us into this mess. You have no right to complain!” Yuu glared at them before walking over to what looked to be a small campsite. Among it was a small bunker that was heavily locked up. Yuu went behind it for a moment before emerging again.

They wheeled out a sleek motorcycle built for speed. A small sidecar was attached to it. The inside looked personalized with stickers and marker scribbles. There was even a tiny helmet fit for a child. Stickers covered the helm as well. Yuu snagged the helmet and shoved it into a side compartment of their bike. “Get in, you three.” The survivor spoke while adjusting their mask onto their face. “We’re going to the bunker town.”

****

Azul sat in the sidecar, hugging his knees as the twins pressed themselves flat against you. Floyd was standing while holding onto Jade, looking out into the horizon as you sped along. The ride acted as an excellent distraction for Floyd, making him forget about the dangers this world poses. He would barely even notice the gunfire happening in the distance as you sped up past it, approaching a town in the distance.

Despite this, everything felt… wrong. The air hurt his lungs. The sky is bleak; the world is silent. Occasionally they drove by a pile of something awful that was rotting. “Those things were once human,” Yuu would say. He couldn’t help but wonder how. The shrimpy’s behavior in NRC made sense to him now. How they always wore a mask, stocked up on food, and even set traps around their home. Floyd grumbles in the memory of hanging from the ceiling from when he first entered Ramshackle.

As the adrenaline from the joyride wore off, a strange sense of dread hung in the air as they approached the town, the ocean next to it looked… gross.

****

Soon they pulled up to what appeared to be a community of bunkers. The sign to the town was run down and worn. Despite the appearance of rusty bunkers, each one had their own colors and personality. Many shops and street markets were everywhere as traders sold their goods. Children played on the grass with their decorated gas masks. Dogs, birds, and cats wandered the area. For such a dead place, the community was alive. The ocean washed up mountains upon mountains of plastic and crates that people sifted through. No wonder Yuu was so worried about microplastics….

Yuu’s speed slowed as they came to a halt amongst the people walking about. A few turned their head at the sigh of Yuu, the ones that were unmasked looked as though they saw a ghost. Yuu propped their bike up against the small bunker of another shopkeeper. Her window was propped open as the prices of various cuts of meat were advertised from within. Azul slid out of the sidecar as the other jumped off, drawing the attention of the old butcher from within.

“Yuu? Is that you? Geez, kid, we thought you died out there!” “I don’t die easy… Still, it's good to see you… And it seems business is good as well” The old woman’s eyes crinkle as she used her knife to gesture behind you. “And they are?” Yuu pauses for a moment, “Partners.”

“Ne ne~ Little Shrimpy is so serious today, yeesh. So now, all of a sudden, you can talk?” The people around the bunker stared in shock, a few muttering. Floyd could hear the whispers of ‘did they seriously say that to them?!’ ‘Yuu is gonna kill him' and so on. So much annoying noise in his eyes.

“What? Why’re staring at me for?!” One customer looked between the masked eel, then the hooded human, once, then twice. Yuu waved their hand down a few times, and the crowd hesitantly obeyed, looking away and continuing about their day. “My, you’re well known around here…” Jade jokes, eliciting an eye roll from Yuu, who takes off their customized mask. The human turns to the woman in the bunker.

“I’m going to leave my bike here, miss… I have matters to attend to…” The young human scowled before sighing. “Hmm, aren’t you afraid someone would take it?” Jade asks quizzically. “No one would have the balls. I’m well known around here…” Yuu started to walk off just for Azul to sputter. “Wh-Wha- Where are you going?!” “To do something.”

“You can’t just leave us alone! We’re not from here!”

“Now you know how I felt.”

“Yuu!”

****

The trio follows Yuu into a large and seemingly run-down building. The rusty door on the outside had “MEDBAY” sprayed onto it. Opening the heavy door, Azul was pleased to see that the inside of the building was much cleaner than the outside suggested.

It looked just like a genuine medical building, all modernized with the best equipment. It was air-conditioned and freshly cleaned. Kids' drawings and posters decorated the walls. A few run-down couches and chairs made up humble waiting areas in front of the main ‘desk’ of the room, which consisted of a long table. Yuu went up to it and started talking to the person going through piles of paperwork. The person froze and stuttered at the sight of Yuu.

Azul began to zone out, uninterested in their interaction. He allowed his eyes to wander. The twins noticed and followed Azul. There was a small board listing all of the people that donated to the construction of the medical bay. Azul strutted over to it for a second, noting just how much Yuu appeared on there. Thank you for donating an x-ray machine. We thank Yuu for their most recent adventure, bringing back 15 medical kits and a brand new microscope. Azuls eyes scanned quickly, Yuu brought over medical equipment of all kinds.

Even the kid’s drawing had drawings of Yuu as well. “Ehe seems like Shrimpy is pretty popular around here~ Wonder why. All the kids love them, though!” Jade chuckles, “These drawings are unique, to say the least.” He snickers at a few that depict Yuu in a very unflattering way. Azul also smirks but starts to think, is this why they came back here?

****

Yuu trailblazed down the hallway of the building like a damned bat out of hell. Azul sputtered to catch up with them as Floyd ran right behind Yuu, enjoying this fun ‘game’ they’re playing. Their frame suddenly stops in front of a well-decorated and glittery door covered in cute drawings of candy, among other things. Yuu’s hand hesitantly reached for the doorknob.

“Caught you, Shrimpy!” Floyd exclaims, holding onto the survivor. They smacked into the door, and Yuu pushed off Floyd. “What the actual fuck is wrong with you!” They hissed. “Yeesh, calm down, Shrimpy! Your such a downer~” Azul watched nervously between the pair as sparks flew. Jade was getting ready to intervene.

“Yuu? Is that you? Are you here?” A small voice sounded from within the room. The anger from Yuu’s stance disappeared, and a hopeful glint returned to their eyes. The door opened to reveal a young girl.

She was absolutely tiny, smaller than most children. Her large amber lies looked up at Yuu with admiration and shock. Her black hair was slicked back into a ponytail held up by a ribbon decorated with little candy charms along her hair. She wore a green hoodie embroidered with small candies along with old rips. A tiny skirt peaked out from underneath, practically engulfed by her hoodie. She stepped back and opened the door more as she stood there, holding onto her green leggings before sticking them in her hoodie.

The girl and Yuu stared at each other for a moment. “Vanellope, I—“ “You idiot!” The girl yelled and charged into Yuu. Azul watched as the girl sobbed into Yuu's legs before Yuu scooped them up into a hug. “Where were you? I was so worried. I-I was— was— afraid something happened!” She choked between sobs, “To you! Everyone said you were gone!” For the first time the trio had seen, Yuu shed a tear.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to…” “You better explain everything!” Vanellope pushed away from Yuu and pouted before glancing over at the trio behind her. “Who are they?” Yuu paused briefly and looked back at Jade, Floyd, and Azul. “… Friends…”

“Oh? Are they your best friends?” Vanellope asked, smirking. “Well, are we?” Jade asked with a smug smirk that Floyd and Azul also shared. “Yes. We are.” The girl in Yuu’s arms starts laughing. “You're so full of it! Haha! It's so obvious!” Yuu sighs as they set Vanellope down and enter her room.

****

The room was small, but homey. There was a small desk with some coloring crayons and a few toy cars on the desk and floor. A few candy streamers hung from the wall, and a few posters hung up on the wall. Trinkets, toys, plushies, and books were sprawled about. Everything was candy themed in the child’s room.

In the corner near the window, however, was a hospital bed, a small table with paperwork piled on it. Floyd noticed how stiff Yuu became as they stared at the corner and looked over at Jade. Usually, Floyd could tell how his brother felt, but his expression was unreadable even to him.

“Soooo….” Vanellope trails off, pulling some small stools and chairs to her bed that she sits on, candy corn plush in her lap. She beamed excitedly with her childish innocence. “Tell me everything!”

Yuu chucked and set their bag down, sifting through it. Azul peaked over to notice them pulling out trinkets of all sorts. Among them were a few shells he recognized from the Coral Sea, along with a plush they got from the museum souvenir shop. A few more trinkets popped out, and Azul realized that Yuu had been collecting things their entire time while in NRC.

****

“And then that's when Riddle yelled ‘off with your head!’ Super loudly, and you won't believe what happens next!” Jade nearly snorted at the exaggeration as he listened to Yuu’s very watered-down, kiddie-friendly story of some of their times in college. It did work; Vanellope was on the edge of her seat with anticipation. Azul had never seen Yuu this expressive or soft for anyone. It was a very new side to them that he would be sure to make a note of.

Floyd watched on at the kids babbling, her legs swinging as she gripped the new eel plush in her lap. He smirked and joined in on the storytelling, making sounds with his mouth to replicate what happened and even acting some parts out, much to Vanellope's delight. Jade let a quiet chuckle and glanced over at Azul, who was watching the domestic scene unfold. A frown crossed his face.

“Oya? What’s wrong, Azul? Homesick?” Azul looked over at Jade for a moment before leaning in and whispering. “Oh shush, you are too but besides that. Aren’t we in a hospital?” Jade nods for a moment before his eyes widen a bit in realization. “You think this girl, Vanel—“

“Oh, oh! What about this one? Where did you get this one from?” Vanellope asks, holding up the plush eel Yuu pulled out from earlier. Yuu chuckled, “Oh, that comes from the Coral Sea, a dangerous place deep underground!” “Oh, oh, tell me more!” “Actually, I was thinking Azul should, you see, he grew up living in the deep sea!”

Yuu nudged Azul cheekily, “Right, Azul? I’m sure you can tell her some amazing stories…” Azul narrowed his eyes for a moment before clearing his throat. “Of course, let me think…” Floyd suddenly pulled Vanellope onto his shoulders. “Oh, I know one! Me and my brother here one time fought a huge sturgeon for his scales! C’mon, Jade, you remember!” Jade hummed before nodding his head. “Yes, yes, I remember it going a little like this….”

****

As stories dragged on, the group found themselves playing with the girl as well. Floyd manhandled and let the little menace crawl and climb all over him like a jungle gym and showing off his height by holding her to the ceiling. Azul even found himself playing dolls with the girl, and Jade would often help her build strange racetracks for her toy cars. As time went on, the girl became more mellow with drowsiness.

Yuu’s happy expression dropped to a more somber one. “Well, that was all that happened when I was gone; how have you been holding up since? I’m sorry I wasn’t here to provide for you…” Vanellope’s happy grin dropped as she sat herself on her bed, kicking her feet again. Yuu’s expression dropped further. “How is your condition, gumdrop?”

Vanellope's energetic self from minutes earlier was gone, and her eyes watered. “They say that I’m not going to make it, Yuu. My condition is worsening every day… I heard a nurse say…” Her voice trailed off as she started to sob, “That I’m dying very soon."

Vanelllope shook and wiped away her tears, trying her absolute best to be a big girl. Yuu held back their grief and held onto their little sister, squeezing her tight. Silent sobs echoed throughout the room. Azul looked away awkwardly, feeling as if he was intruding on something. Floyd’s cheery attitude dropped as well, and even Jade was sympathetic.

****

“I need to find her; I need to go back!” Jade pressed his back against the wall outside the headmaster's room as he eavesdropped. “What do you mean that I can't go back?! I need to go back! I have someone waiting for me! I need to take care of her!”

Jade smirked as the drama unfolded from behind the door. “Please, Crowley! It’s been a month! Surely you found something! I love her!” How poor and unfortunate and utterly juicy. He strutted off, ready to inform Azul about a possible contract.

****

“Fuck you, Azul.”

“Pardon?”

“I said: Fuck. You. Asshole.”

Azul can feel Yuu glaring at him through their mask. Yuu snagged the contract out of his hand and ripped it. “What the fuck s wrong with you, Ashengrotto?!” Azul felt a cold sweat coming on. “You send one of your weird lackeys to spy on me and are trying to get me some ‘other girl’ ?!”

Azul held up his hands. “You’ve got it all wrong,” Azul speaks calmly, “We simply heard that you were lonely, and believe me when I say that I can help you find love or a new girlfriend if you—“ “Girlfriend? GIRLFRIEND?!”

It was a good thing Floyd was there to drag Yuu away from lunging at Azul. A paralysis spell had to be cast on them, and even then, they could still fight against it due to the amount of rage coursing through their body. Floyd laughed at their struggle before throwing them out of the dorm.

Ever since then, Yuu has hated the trio. When it came time to try and stop Azul’s contracts, by Crowley's demand, it became much more awkward. Yuu was practically ready to rip Azul apart the minute he opened his mouth.

That’s not even mentioning the fights they got into with Floyd that ended up messing up the cafeteria. The memory swirled in Azul's head, and he felt a newfound disgust at his actions.

****

“… I’m breaking you out of here, gumdrop.” Yuu states. The girl looks up with wide eyes. “Grab your stuff and shove it in my bag. We’re going.” The girl smiled and ran to grab all of her things, shoving cars, toys, and plushies of all kinds into Yuu's bag. Whatever they couldn’t fit, Jade happily held onto. Floyd held onto the girl as the Yuu, Jade, and Azul crowded around him and speed-walked about of vicinity before any nurses could stop them.

****

Vanelope happily sat in front of Yuu as they sped alongside the polluted beach until they were far away from town. Only then did Yuu stop, and everyone got off once more. “There. We’re away from everyone and close to getting these guys home.” Yuu put their hands on their hips and nodded.

Vanellope took off her petite and decorated helmet and looked out at the sea. “‘Zul, Floyd, didn’t you say the ocean where you’re from is clear? Not all full of plastic and stuff?” The child walked along the shore, kicking at trash that washed up. Azul looked out, disgusted with everything he saw in what would be his home. Now he understood why Yuu wanted to check any lead or plastic levels in all their food before eating. “Yes, definitely better than this.”

“Lucky. I always wondered what the ocean would be like. If you try and swim in here, you’ll get sick or poked with something sharp.” The kid poked at the sand, drawing shapes along it. “I always wanted to go out and explore and go super fast on a bike or car, but I got sick… So I had to stay inside…” Yuu frowned as they sat near their bike, allowing their sister to talk to the others.

“They said that there’s some weird stuff with my body, so I can't go outside much; I always hated it! I wanted to explore just like Yuu does and go collect all sorts of things from everywhere! …” Vanellope's voice became hushed so that Yuu couldn’t hear. “Sometimes I wonder why they stick around instead of driving off and find a better place than here…”

Floyd looked down and squatted down. “Well, your outta that place now. Why can't you go explore?” Vanellope looked up at the mage. “I am very sick, so it can make it worse.” “The doc said your already dyin’, so what gives? May as well go out and explore.”

Jade nods. “That is true. After all, wouldn’t you like to see a real sea before you die?” Vanellope beams, “Yes, yes! There's so much stuff I want to do! I want to go fast, and I want to explore!” The girl rambles on and on and on for a good while, lifting up the mood once again.

“Vanellope.” Yuu interrupts. “I have to take these assholes home.” “Hey, how come you can curse but I can’t” “You’re not old enough to, now listen. I’m gonna take these guys back home, but what sort of adventure would you like to do?”

The child stood up. “Wait, me? Really? I mean, what about you? Don’t you have better stuff to do?” “I always wanted to make you happy, and if it were up to me, I would have taken you with me and driven off years ago, far away from here. The only thing I have regretted was waiting.” Yuu pats the girl's head. “So what’ll it be? You wanna explore the wasteland? Or go see the sea?”

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #twisted wonderland yuu #yuu #vanellope von schweetz #jade leech x reader #jade leech #azul ashengrotto #azul ashengrotto x reader #floyd leech #floyd leech x reader #apocolypse yuu #apocalypse yuu #hello hollow

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lemmetreatya · 1 year

Text

Daddy's Home - BD!hawks x fem!reader

synopsis: there's an unwelcomed guest at your door wanting to see your daughter (and maybe you) but as always with keigo, you could never really figure out what he was thinking

content: strong language, intoxication, mention of alcohol and alcohol use, drunk!keigo, baby daddy issues, father!keigo, black coded reader

in advance, i apologise 😭😭 but enjoy 🫶🏾

It was too late for this shit.

It was only 9PM, and you weren't going to bed for another two hours or so, but that didn't change the fact that it was far too late for any of this nonsense and it doesn't fucking help that your past chose tonight, of all nights, to infringe upon the peace you'd set up for yourself.

"I want to see my child."

Even though he stood a good three feet from your door, the acidic fumy smell of alcohol was hard to miss. Slightly covering your nose (purely out of spite), you rolled your eyes at the man before you.

"Keigo, we've gone over this."

"Gone over what?" He gruffly rolls out, his eyes squinting at your seemingly far away figure.

You can't help but let out a sigh as you tighten the rope of your silk dressing gown. Ironic, because it was Keigo who had brought you the very garment but like all gifts; once given away, they were no longer yours.

"About you showing up at my door?"

Keigo cluelessly blinked at you.

With an exasperated sigh you decided, out of the bountiful graciousness of your heart, to rejog his memory.

"You agreed that you'd check with me to schedule when's a good time to see your kid. Not call and say you're on your way, not show up without notice — Text and Schedule. If you want to keep seeing her then you've got to respect those boundaries."

"Oh." He said.

He wanted to continue speaking but he paused in order to harshly swallow back a chuck-up. God, he was such a mess.

The haggard blonde man let out a belch. He slightly swayed but he was still able to stand on his own two feet without any support. It looks like he was more tipsy than drunk but it still didn't help the fact that he'd shown up intoxicated.

"Well, I don't remember that. Sorry, I...I guess but I'm here now and I just want to see her so please let me see her."

A dry laughed unsuspectingly ripped from your throat.

For a second, you had forgotten why you and Keigo didn't work out in the first place. But it's fine because not even five minutes into this conversation and he was already reminding you that his audacity was one of the biggest factors.

Looking the man up and down, your face reflects that of borderline hysteria.

"And what makes you think imma let you see her in this state? After you show up unannounced, past her bed time and reeking of alcohol? Huh, Kei?"

A long groan left the man's throat as he slowly started to close his eyes. He really hated arguing with you.

"I-I know, I'm sorry--"

"You really thought I was gonna let you waltz in here and--"

"Just, please!"

Keigo knows he's unjustly raised his voice at you and as soon as he's done it he's remorseful because the expression on your face is truly making him feel more nauseous by the minute.

But it's not his fault, he thinks. Right now, he was truly so stressed out and you always trying to 'start an argument' with him didn't help and his senses were so overexerted and raw and fuck, did he leave his headphones in the Uber?!

Either way, Keigo doesn't know how to remedy this minute blip up with you. All he wanted to do was see his child (and maybe you too) but it looks he was fucking even that up.

Ruffling his hands through his hair, Keigo frustratedly groans before offering you a piss poor waiver of an excuse.

"Please...Let me...go drink some water or something. I'll...give me ten minutes, man. Just give me ten minutes and let me go to the corner store, I'll buy some water. I'll sober up a bit but just...please. I just need to see her."

His voice sounded so exasperated. And to be honest, you didn't deny that he was.

At the end of the day, you knew you'd always have a soft place in your heart for the man. For crying out loud, he was the father of your child and once the love of your absolute life. You hadn't left him because he wasn't good to you. You left him because he wasn't good to himself.

Voluntarily allowing himself to self-destruct through the guise of his peers and the habits he never wanted to let go of. It wasn't the father figure you wanted your child to constantly witness growing up and Keigo agreed.

That doesn't mean he didn't miss the both of you though.

Still, you contemplated his offer. Letting him sober up before seeing his daughter was the least you could do, concerning he was already here, but it wasn’t until you heard the gradual movement at the top of the stairs that you realised it may have been too late.

"Daddy? Is that you?"

Hearing the voice of his daughter, Keigo automatically perked up. He even stepped right towards the entrance of the door, his face genuinely lighting up.

"Hey baby! Hey. Yeah, it's me." He said through the gap.

As the smaller patters of feeting came down the stairs, Keigo gave you a look of uncertainty. He knows he promised to sober up first, get himself together and recalibrate, but now that your daughter was aware of his presence, he couldn't just leave.

What if she felt like he was abandoning her again?

You softly chewed the bottom of your lip, as the conflicting opinions raged war throughout your head. Yet in that split second, you had to make a decision.

Slightly opening the door a bit wider, you indirectly gave Keigo access.

The man gave you a look of bewildered gratitude before stepping in further to finally meet your daughter at the bottom of the stairs.

“Hey, superstar!”

The little girl jumped into his arms with a sweet bell of laughter and as always, Keigo caught her in his arm and spun her round a few times as he held her close.

"I never knew you were coming. If I knew, I would have asked to stay up later!" She said once Keigo placed her down.

Crouching to her height, the blonde pitifully gave his daughter a look of regret as he quickly squeezed just under her chin in an action of endearment.

He was so sure his breath reeked and that his face was a mess but if his daughter noticed, she didn’t say anything above it.

"Sorry, kiddo. My bad. It was a bit of a last minute decision but I just really wanted to come see you."

Your daughter nodded before slightly jumping in place, her hands clasped together.

"Did you bring me any gifts?!”

Keigo’s eyes widened.

Fuck.

He was so distracted, so fixtated on being one-track minded that he had forgotten to bring his daughter a present.

Of course it wasn’t intentional. It was just a lil something he did, to make up for the times he couldn’t be there. Not like it solved anything but it was something. But currently, he had nothing.

Things really weren’t working out like he’d wanted them to today. Keigo now realises how in the spur of the moment, he’d been selfish in turning up here and demand he get to see his daughter.

He’d completely disregarded that showing up was partially for her too.

With a bashful expression, he apologises.

"I...no. Not this time.” He pauses to suppress a belch. “I'm sorry."

"Naww..." The small girl’s shoulders sagged. Her bottom lip softly jutted out in disappointment and for a moment of pure conceitedness, Keigo noticed how she was almost a spitting image of him.

However, as quickly as she’d seemed sad, her attitude perked up.

"It’s okay if you don’t bring me any presents though. I'm just happy to see youuuu." She said really loudly which earned an endearing chuckle from her father.

How on earth was he blessed with such an understanding daughter and how the fuck did he mess the life he had up?

(Don’t tell him, because he knows exactly how, but sometimes it’s easier to think about the ‘what ifs’ rather than the ‘what nows’s.)

Bouncing in her spot again, your daughter took ahold of Keigo’s hand as she waved his arm like a battle rope.

"Ouh, ouh! Do you wanna come up and see my feather collection?! It's gotten a lot bigger since the last time you saw it and my teacher said it really impressed her and that I might be able to bring it in for show-and-tell!"

Keigo’s spirits were momentarily uplifted. He was always so enthusiastic to see what his daughter had been up to, even if he did think her hobbies were a bit weird.

But before he could answer, the blonde heard you clear your throat from behind him.

Right. Of course.

He was still only a visitor, even in a place he once called home.

Keigo cautiously looked to the side. He wasn’t brave enough to turn around and face you or find out what expression you had right now.

Looking back at his daughter, he gave her yet another remorseful look.

“I...I'd love to bambina but daddy…daddy can't stay for too long and you've got school tomorrow."

The younger girl, bounced even more. She bent her head and back in protest before the once again pleaded her father.

"But I promise it won't take long! Just five minutes!"

Keigo could feel another belch coming on but he had to hold it back. He was such a mess, such a nasty wreck, but his daughter still wanted him of all people to be proud of her.

But God, the things he’d do, pay, kill just to be able to go up with her. But he knows he couldn’t because he’d already messed that up once.

Reluctantly standing back up again, Keigo slightly staggered backwards as he fiddled his fingers with each other.

"I’d love to but I really gotta go now. I’m sorry, I promise I’ll come see it the next time I visit.”

The dejected look on the younger girl’s face brought back the nausea Keigo was feeling from before. This was honestly so dehumanising because all he’s done tonight is apologise and disappoint.

Finally making your presence known again, you stepped closer towards the two. With a warm smile, you beckoned your head upwards in the direction of the bedrooms.

“Alright, c’mon, baby. Go head to your room. I’ll come tuck you in, in just a bit, but lemme talk to daddy first, okay?”

Looking up at the two of you with doe eyes, the girl tried to persuade you with her cuteness, using the adoration you both had for her to stay up longer, but alas her tactics failed.

Not like you didn’t find her cute, but there were only so many liberties you could no longer take these days.

Seeing that neither of you were cooperative, your daughter sighed loudly.

“Alllriiiight.”

The girl got up to two steps before shouting back,

“Night, Dad! Love you!”

If was a dagger stuck between his skin, cartilage and heart, then right now, Keigo knows the dagger was being jaggedly twisted anti-clockwise. He was just opening up prior wounds being here.

“Love you too, kid.” He mumbled.

You watched the man for a few seconds, truly feeling a sense of pity for him but once you realised the time (and how he was technically unwelcome), common sense kicked in.

“Alright then, Kei. Ready to head out?” You asked. You didn’t want this to last any longer than it had to.

The blonde man took a long inhale. He held his breath, his cheeks slightly bulging before he breathed out, and then turned to lay his forehead on your shoulder.

The familiar feeling of Keigo's forehead on top of you startled your inner being. You figured, good-heartedly, that maybe this was just the alcohol edging him on, that no way was he in his right mind. But you hadn't realised that you were still oh so set to the warmth of his person. The way your body slotted into his felt so comfortable, dangerously comfortable.

But you didn't know what to do.

Should you leave him be? Or chastise him to know better? Either way, there was only one thing you could think of which you knew how to do best.

"Keigo..." You whispered, your voice catching at the back of your throat.

The man only hummed, clearly unaware of your inner turmoil, but it's through his disparity that you made up your own mind and so you patted his back to lightly push him off you. So that he could get the message.

Feeling you touch him back, Keigo mildly snorted, as if the action had awoken him.

"Oh. Sorry." Keigo raised his head to look at you.

His eyes were hooded yet familiarly beady as his iris' washed over your face. His breath was practically mingling with yours, heavy and ladened with the weight and responsibility of fermenting alcohol.

With how close the two of you were, there was an assurance in your heart that he was going to kiss you, and that you were going to slip up and kiss him back.

But suddenly, your words from earlier echoed dully at the back of Keigo's mind. The one time where you would have allowed room for a mistake was the time Keigo finally registered that no more mistakes would be dismissed.

Keigo took one last look over your face, trying his absolute darnest to work out whether there was more than just disapproval behind your expression.

"Forgive me. Old habits." was all he could muster once his hazed mind admitted it couldn't read you good enough to figure it out.

Your heart surprisingly sunk but you figured it was for the best. You were just about getting over the man and encouraging yourself to move on. There was no reason for you to be the dog that went back to it's vomit.

Letting go of a breath you didn't know you were holding, you feebly nodded to the side.

"I...It's okay. Those things happen."

And it's in that moment in which you knew you should have told him to go. You knew the moment as soon as it came but you didn't take it. Stupidly, you gave him room to breathe.

Seeing his opening, Keigo took a hold of your hand and fiddled with two of your fingers as he swayed to and fro.

"I miss you..." He slurred.

Shaking your head, you pleaded for him to stop.

"Keigo, don't—”

"I miss you and our home. I miss the life we had...I miss waking up next to you in the morning and—" An unexcused belch left his mouth. "Going to sleep with you and... in the night. And...and...I miss the baby...I wanted more...babies."

Your breath hiked at the back of your throat. A pitiful grin left Keigo's lips as he looked over you with hazed eyes. Even with the state he was in, he still knew that it was you he wanted.

"I wanted so big...such a big family with you. I had dreams with you. I still do.”

Letting go of his hand, you moved away from the man.

"Shut up, Keigo. Please. I'm being serious, you're making me really upset right now."

He wasn't making you upset. He was making you regret your decision in leaving him.

He didn't need to know that, but you also knew it wasn't the way forward. Even after breaking it off with him, there was still iniquity in his lifestyle that he wasn't willing to change for you and your daughter.

Just look at him now, still doing the same things that got him in this mess.

Despite his lack of cognitive comprehension, Keigo was able to realise that your resolve was legit.

"Sorry."

He mutters.

There was a slight pause.

"That's the only thing you've been saying all night."

You didn't mean to say it so loud. You only meant to say that under your breath, thinking Keigo was even too sloshed to pick it up, but he did.

He did.

The man momentarily froze in his place. You could practically see the gears working in his head, the recognition that you had caught on to his excuse of an act.

Keigo wiped a hand down his face.

"I know. Sorry. Fuck, I know." He whispered back.

And for a split second, you thought that maybe he had repented, but as soon as he let out an extensive belch, you retracted it.

Shuffling towards the front door, you opened it up a bit further. You didn't have to say anything. Keigo already knew that his time was up.

Pivoting on his feet, Keigo messily pointed towards the door as if you hadn’t opened it for him to leave first.

"I should...probably get going." He mumbles, his eyes downcast and unfocused.

Curling your lip inwards, you held the door open as you stood by the side. You could only watch as the man shuffled his way out.

“You sure you gon’ get home okay? Not gonna call an Uber or anything?” You pried.

Even after all this time, you still worried, cared, for his well being.

Keigo shook his head, already stepping out the front door but not without almost tripping up on the step. Once he corrected his footing, he splayed his arms out for balance. It took him a few seconds to regain it but once he did, he was set on his way again.

“Don’t worry ‘bout me. I’ll be fine.” He ironically slurs out.

You could only but stare longingly as the man ushered himself out. With a heavy sigh, you semi closed the door whilst still peeping out. You remember doing the exact same thing when you used to see him off for work.

“Take care of yourself, Keigo.” You say a bit lower.

The man continued walking without turning back. He only raised his hand in acknowledgment of you words. Once he heard the click of your front door close, Keigo took a jagged shaky breath.

He fucking hates how he performed today. Despises it. Everything he did was just so wrong and incorrect.

He had showed up on drunk conclusion that maybe he could get his old life back, get his family back. But after tonight, he knows he’s done nothing but cement his lost and his future fate.

Why didn’t he just be honest from the start?! Why couldn’t he had just fixed up from the start?!

People had warned him time and time again but he never took heed. He never thought you’d take action, just always though you’d tolerate him time after time.

But he guesses everyone had their limits; even heart eyed smitten you. But now look at him; stood tipsy in the pitch dark of night, outside of his old home with nowhere to go.

He’ll try Enji’s house, he thinks. He’s only three doors down.

Keigo couldn’t even stagger five steps beyond the province of your house before throwing up the contents of his stomach into a bush.

#keigo x reader #takami keigo #keigo x y/n #keigo imagine #keigo x black!reader

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galaxywhump · 1 year

Note

if wren started begging for something during a torture session (a small break bc he feels like he's gonna be sick, or some water) would daniel grant that to him? or would it be situationally dependent?

I know you were probably expecting a straightforward answer, but your ask made a WIP happen, so here it is.

[SV-240 masterlist]

contents: forced relationship whump, slavery whump, creepy/intimate whumper, defiant whumpee, illness, non-graphic emeto, torture, knives, stress position, blindfold, creepy comfort.

~~~

Wren woke up feeling terrible.

It’s nothing out of the ordinary for him, but that morning he felt terrible in a different way. He felt ill; weak and slightly dizzy, shivering despite it not being cold in the house. He didn’t tell Daniel, even though he wanted nothing more than to be given medication, hot tea, and some peace and quiet. No, telling Daniel would also mean him being overly caring and doting, which was the last thing Wren wanted to deal with.

So he didn’t say anything, and then he learned that Daniel was in the mood for some handiwork with his favorite knife.

Shit.

He still didn’t say a word when Daniel closed handcuffs on his wrists and attached them to a chain connected to a hook in the ceiling, forcing him to keep his arms outstretched and stand on his tiptoes. He didn’t say a word when Daniel put a blindfold on his eyes and earplugs in his ears. He just shuddered and gritted his teeth when the knife pierced his arm and was dragged downwards.

Just get through this, he thinks to himself while Daniel makes small, precise cuts around his shoulder blades in a pattern that only makes sense to him and his artistic vision. It’s not the first time.

But it’s the first time when he feels this awful during torture, and the position he’s in doesn’t help. His body is under so much strain, stretched out uncomfortably, he can barely stay upright, his arms hurt, his head hurts, everything hurts, and Daniel’s only adding more pain. He still feels dizzy despite the darkness - or maybe because of it - his face is covered in cold sweat, he starts feeling slightly nauseous. The blindfold is soaked with tears of frustration, he can hear his heartbeat way too clearly, it’s the only sound he hears, he feels horrible, he wants out, he wants this to end, he can’t handle this after all, but that means…

“Stop,” he mumbles weakly, shaking his head and whining when the pain from the cuts seems to intensify now that he’s not fully preoccupied with his illness. Talking with the earplugs in is an unpleasant, almost surreal experience, and he can only hope he’s actually saying something, that his voice isn't too weak. "Please stop."

But this is Daniel, so Wren can imagine him laughing at his begging, making a stupid comment promising that this will be over soon, sweetheart, but this isn't about that. He whimpers when the knife cuts into his back again.

"I'm serious, stop, I-I think I'm gonna be sick, I just need a break."

The knife disappears, and Wren swallows desperately, struggling to take a deep breath.

He flinches when he feels Daniel grip his arm - thankfully an undamaged part of it - and a moment later his wrists are released. Daniel catches him before he can collapse, unable to stay upright after the punishing position.

The earplugs are removed, and the blindfold follows. Wren winces and blinks, and when his eyes get used to something other than darkness, he sees Daniel's face, with worry written all over it.

"Are you still feeling sick?" he asks, and Wren nods.

Daniel wraps Wren's arm around himself to support him and leads him to the bathroom, where the nausea gets overwhelming. Daniel holds his hair back for him, not saying a word for now.

Wren closes his eyes, exhausted, and fuck does everything hurt, but mostly his arms and back now that he's moving again. He's trembling, getting up feels like an impossible task, and he's still crying, from pain and from his awful state, and he's not even mad at himself for it.

"Better now?"

"I think so," he mutters. Daniel lets go of his hair.

"I'll get you some water."

Wren nods, keeping his eyes closed, not daring to move an inch for fear of his body igniting with pain again and the room spinning.

Anxiety creeps up on him; nothing like this has ever happened before, and he doesn’t know what to expect from Daniel.

He comes back and hands Wren a glass of water, then sits down next to him, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

"What happened?" he asks.

"I think I'm sick." Wren stares down at the water, every breath causing his fresh wounds to shift and hurt even more. "I feel like shit, and… you just saw for yourself, I guess." He sighs. “So just get the session over with before it gets worse.”

Daniel firmly shakes his head, frowning.

“No. You need to rest. I’ll take care of your wounds and then you can lie down.” He pets Wren’s hair. “We can continue some other time.”

Wren huffs, shaking his head in disbelief.

“You do realize how fucked up that sounds, right?”

Daniel just chuckles in response. He does know. It changes nothing.

The knife will return in a few days, and yet Wren can’t help but be relieved as Daniel cleans and dresses his wounds, then gives him a shirt and carries him to the living room.

“I can carry you to the bedroom, if you’d like. Unless you prefer the couch.”

“Couch,” Wren mutters. The bed is more comfortable and the bedroom would offer more peace and quiet, provided Daniel leaves him alone, but he wants to stay out of there as much as he can, and the couch is too small for Daniel to lie down next to him.

As much as he hates the couch, he can’t deny that it’s comfortable, and in his exhaustion he practically melts into it. Daniel even brings him a blanket, which Wren curls up under, pulling it up to his neck.

“I’ll bring you some pills,” Daniel says, pressing his palm to Wren’s forehead; he clicks his tongue when he confirms that it’s unnaturally warm, and brushes Wren’s hair away from his face, making him wince. “Do you need anything else, sweetheart?”

“Rest,” Wren sighs, struggling to keep his eyes open. Now that he’s stopped ignoring it, his illness has decided to hit him with everything it’s got.

“Okay. I’ll fetch the pills and you can sleep after you’ve taken them, alright? Try to stay awake.”

“Mhm.”

Daniel leaves, and Wren wraps the blanket tighter around himself, blinking slowly, trying to fight his exhaustion off for a bit longer. Daniel is just as doting as he’d feared he would be, but… aside from his usual sweethearting it feels good to be taken care of, and to be listened to. The wounds still sting, a reminder of the torture he’d gone through and will go through again soon, but he can’t bring himself to care. He waits for his captor and torturer to come back with the medicine, and he has to remind himself not to thank him for this bare minimum of kindness, more than most of what he’s gotten throughout his life.

He wishes it wasn’t like this, moments of kindness and loving care juxtaposed with pain and tears and coercion; he knows how much Daniel enjoys doing this, being the sole source of both suffering and comfort.

He’s aware of so many mechanisms of his captivity, yet he’s powerless to fight them, forced to accept them, and all he can hope for is that all these processes won’t shape him into something else, whatever Daniel, whose smile is unnervingly genuine and fond when he enters the living room, wants him to be.

“Sleep well, sweetheart," Daniel says softly once Wren's washed the pills down with water. "I hope you’ll feel better when you wake up.”

“So you can torture me more?” Wren mutters, closing his eyes.

Daniel’s lighthearted laughter keeps ringing in his ears long after he's fallen asleep.

~~~

taglist: @faewhump @inky-whump @whole-and-apart-and-between @whatwasmyprevioususername @procrastinatingsab @funky-little-glitter-bomb @goneuntil @redstainedsocks @luminouswhump @lonesome--hunter @as-a-matter-of-whump @renkocchi @whump-only @muddy-swamp-bitch @girlwithacoolcat @watermelons-dont-grow-on-trees @sophierose002 @whump-headspace @to-whump-or-not-to-whump @kixngiggles @ohwhumpydays @whumpvp @wibbly-wobbly-whump @stab-the-son-of-a @his-unspoken-words @pumpkin-spice-whump @onlyhappywhenitpains @suspicious-whumping-egg @morning-star-whump @burtlederp @there-will-always-be-blood

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thesparklingwriter · 1 year

Text

changes

“We can go out for dinner if you so wish. Just save me the discomfort of listening to that rant again, alright?”

tags: pet names, soft Zhongli, fem!reader, Zhongli and reader are in a relationship, reader is pregnant, literally nothing happens in this, i guess that's the epitome of fluff idk, canon divergence: zhongli has mora

ao3 link | taglist | masterlist | next

i lowkey hate the trope that any woman who is pregnant should be immediately overjoyed to be pregnant so uh have this

also,,, celeste posting within 2 weeks of the last one???? who am i???

The house is warm when you get back. It's warm and comforting and the same way it’s always been. Nothing has changed, nothing at all. So why does everything suddenly feel so...different?

You shut the door behind you, trailing into the living room to dump your bag somewhere and collapse on the sofa. You’re so tired—your whole body feels heavy. Maybe it’s the weight of what you’ve been told. You should be happy, and you should be more excited, but you’re tired and nauseous and you just want to go to sleep.

“Is that you, my love?” Zhongli calls. You hear him descending the stairs, his steady and rhythmic steps reverberating around the house. He won’t be upset. It's all okay. It will be okay.

You call back to him with a weak yes, and his steps seem to speed up at the sound of your voice.

“Are you alright? How was the doctor’s appointment?” He asks, settling beside you on the sofa. He gently kisses your forehead, stroking your hair as he does.

“It was okay,” you say softly. “I’m fine.”

And that’s the truth. The doctor said you’re perfectly healthy. Nothing wrong with you at all.

“So, the nausea is…?” Zhongli presses. The doctor would have to be particularly stupid to tell you you were perfectly fine if you wanted to throw up every hour of the day, so the only other option is that you’re keeping something from him.

“Umm,” You start. You don’t understand why you’re so nervous.

“Umm? What an interesting ailment. Do tell me more.” Zhongli teases, attempting to lighten your mood. It doesn’t really work in the way he expected it to, and he resumes his more serious disposition. “What’s the matter, love?”

“I’m scared,” you say, tears pricking in your eyes. “What if I get it all wrong? What if I'm an absolutely useless mother, and our child never wants to see us again once they’re grown? What if—”

“One second, my love. Child?”

You shift yourself to look at Zhongli head on. “I’m pregnant, Zhongli.”

His face almost doesn’t change. Maybe it’s because he was already looking at you with eyes full of love, or maybe it’s because he’s holding his reaction back.

He doesn’t want you to see how excited he is because he doesn’t want to make you feel guilty for being scared. You are his priority. “Do you want to be pregnant?” He asks carefully.

Your eyes widen at the implication of his words. “Yes,” you reply. “I do, but—”

Zhongli smiles properly then, pulling you into a hug. “You’re going to be fine, my love. You need not worry about a thing. You are perfectly capable of being an amazing mother, and I’ll always do everything in my power to support you.”

“I’m scared,” you repeat against his chest.

“I know,” Zhongli replies. “I know.”

Once you got over your initial shock of being pregnant, you began to quite enjoy the extra attention your husband gave you—the extra back massages, the special teas he brewed for you, the fact he used every excuse to stay by your side and the stories he loved to tell your unborn child.

“She can’t hear you, you know that, right?” You chuckle, sliding your hands into Zhongli’s hair.

“She?” Zhongli asks.

“I just have a feeling.” You shrug. Zhongli laughs, happy to see you smile again. More than anything, he’s happy that you aren’t so stressed. Sometimes he can sense a little bit of fear creeping in–when the baby kicks, or when you go to another of your routine doctor’s appointments–but for the most part, you seem to be happy, and that’s all that matters to him.

“What are we going to name her then?” He smiles, kissing your stomach lightly.

“Oh, I don’t know. I was probably going to leave that up to you.” You’re not good with names, but you want something special and unique. The only names you had in mind were ones that had grown in popularity over the past few years, and whilst that means you have good taste, it also means the name won’t be original.

“Me?” Zhongli chuckles. “I’m not particularly up to date with names nowadays.”

“That’s exactly why I was leaving it to you.” You say. “I figured you’d come up with a pretty, original name that no one else will have.”

“That’s a valid point, but it will be a traditional Liyuean name.” Zhongli sighs. “That doesn’t seem fair.”

“Why not?”

“Because it would be nice for her to have a bit of your culture too.”

“That’s what middle names are for.” You chuckle. “Or we can just give her a double barrel name and call it a day.”

“It seems to me that you’re shirking your responsibilities.”

“Say that to me one more time and I will show you responsibility.” You huff, adjusting yourself in your seat and pushing his face away from your stomach. “I’m hungry. What’s for dinner?”

“Air, until you rediscover your manners.”

“Are you denying me, the woman who is growing your child—” Zhongli silences you with a swift kiss that leaves you breathless.

“We can go out for dinner if you so wish. Just save me the discomfort of listening to that rant again, hmm?”

You huff at him. “Archon brute.”

And even though Zhongli would like to pretend to be mad, he knows that you were already a handful without pregnancy hormones running rings around you, and lets it slide out of the goodness of his own heart.

“‘Archon brute’ who’s about to buy you dinner.” He hums, gently pulling you to your feet.

a/n winnie, if you're reading this please be quiet you know i am a woman of simple pleasures

#tswzhongliflufftober #i am exhausted so expect nothing from me for the next 3 business weeks #zhongli fluff #zhongli fanfic #zhongli x reader #zhongli flufftober #zhongli #genshin #genshin fluff #genshin impact #genshin impact fanfiction #ao3 fanfic #fanfiction

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aceofwhump · 9 months

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I know that it’s not realistic to headcanon that all of my favs are ace especially when there is canon evidence that says otherwise but it’s not my fault that all my blorbos are actually ace so 🤷‍♀️

(I have only seen broadchurch s1 and s2, but spoilers for those, and TW for not entirely enthusiastic sex/internalized acephobia/Tess being Not Nice to Alec and also Alec being Not Nice to himself…)

Alec Hardy is ace and always has been. The thought of sex makes him mildly nauseous. He might not know precisely how to label how he feels but as gross as the deed makes him feel he really truly did love Tess romantically and he tried to make her happy and do what she seemed so enthusiastic to do (and he got Daisy out of it so he’ll never regret it), but his reluctance (“Can’t I just hold you instead?” Tess rolls her eyes and shifts away from him on the bed, brushing his hand away when he reaches for her) may have been a contributing factor to things falling apart.

He asks Becca because he’s so confused and he’s such a mess and people keep saying it will help (it never has) and if part of him is so disgusted with himself he thinks he’d deserve it anyway nobody needs to know…

Nonny! Oh my god! Now to preface, I tend to do the same and just headcanon all my favorite characters as ace because I'm ace and I can do what I want. BUT! I've headcanoned Alec Hardy as asexual since I first watched the show!!!! He's one of my favorite ace headcanoned characters!!!! Oh I'm thrilled to talk about this.

Alec Hardy is totally asexual!!! All of what you said. All of it. My headcanons incoming! So he has ZERO interest in sex and always had. He did it just to please Tess but would never initiate and after a while Tess got pissed off and annoyed at always having to be the one to initiate and believes he doesn't care about her since he doesn't initiate anything physical. That, coupled with Alec never being home because of work, was a major contributing factor to her cheating on him during Sandbrook. Alec never liking sex but yes like you said he got Daisy out of it so in the end he can't regret having sex with her (even though he didn't want to have sex).

After Daisy starts living with him she notices how little he dates and how disgusted he usually looks when anything sex related comes up that she asks him if he's asexual. He's never heard of that before and she shows him some websites and he finally finds the word for what feels.

Ahh god I love it! So many ideas!

Oh guess what! I've found a couple of fics with ace Hardy! Please enjoy!

It's not like love at first sight is an actual thing by thisisarandomuser Summary: A night out in the pub and a conversation with his daughter help Hardy to make sense of his sexuality.

Recalibrating by pulse_in_the_pages Summary: Alec Hardy didn’t understand what all the fuss was about sex. Or, four times Hardy didn't know he was asexual, and one time he did.

Admissions Aren't Easy by Asexual_Enjolras Summary: When forced into sharing yet another hotel room with just one double bed - once again - for a new case, DI Alec Hardy and DS Ellie Miller soon discover that their relationship is a lot more developed than what it was the first time this mess-up happened at a reception desk. While settling into their new room, Alec reminisces about the hotel, having stayed their with his ex-wife in the past. In their discussion, Alec finds himself admitting that he is - in fact - an asexual man. Ellie tries to comfort him as all of his truths begin to spill out, and then they find their feelings for one another also beginning to come to light.

italicized oh for the realizations by strawberryopals Summary: Daisy Hardy talks to her dad, and they both realize something about him.

Our experiences have shaped us by brokenlycan Summary: Alec had been very stressed lately so the two of them decide to surprise him with something to help him relax. But it backfires.

#mod replies #ask #alec hardy #broadchurch #asexual alec hardy #ace alec hardy

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placesyoucallhome · 3 months

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okay so where have I been? Actually sick, but for the most part it's all the same sick, all the same sick as I've been since 2020, it just got worse.

ranting under a cut because I'm just venting at this point-

I got covid in like, February of 2020, early early, before doctors even thought covid was in my state early and sure as hell weren't diagnosing it. And to be fair, I didn't even got in, or bother telling anyone, because I thought it was a little headcold, barely coughed, just sniffly and tired, though the lack of taste was... odd. I didn't think anything of it, thought I just lost my sense of smell due to sniffles.

Then I didn't ever get better.

Honestly I thought I was losing my mind, I suddenly was sleeping 14+ hours a day, making dinner was an ordeal because I was exhausting just standing for minutes at a time, I couldn't work, I had no idea what was wrong with me. I didn't connect any dots until months later when my taste finally came back, that that was a symptom, and that for some people it just never gets better.

So for a while that's all I have to work with, there's no relief, no cure. Not until the vaccine anyways, and some people with long covid find relief, symptoms lessening or even going away entirely! I'm one of those, thank fuck, my fatigue lessens enough that I can get part time work again at least. And that's where I'm at for a while. I'm not at where I was before, but man, at least it's something.

Cut to a bit over a month ago, I get another cold, and... I don't recover. I'm shoved right back to where I was in 2020, and now with vertigo enough to make me nauseous at the drop of a hat and brain fog that makes thinking feel like a sisyphusian ordeal, fun! At least it's not loss of taste again. I sort out the veritgo with some supplements, but my fatigue and and the worst brain fog of my life are lingering, and at this point I'm gods damn desperate for this to not be reality for the next handful of years or more. SO. Research.

I try a few options, not much works, not until I stumble on a side blurb somewhere about antihistamines helping. I look some more, some people are completely reset to normal on them! Fuckin I might as well try right? I've never taken claritin I don't have allergies how would I have known?

And it fucking works

It was like night and day after one dose! No brainfog! My energy slowly comes back too! No vertigo! Holy shit!

Except my sinuses are actively killing me. To be fair, my sinuses never actually worked properly, they just don't drain. And now it feels like there is a solid mass of mucus in there that isn't budging, and my throat is raw because it's making me snore on top of that. Cool. cool cool cool. Apparently there's a known issue of antihistamines causing mucus in the sinuses to just not hydrate and essentially gunk up everything.

And that's where I'm at. My choices are- keep taking antihistamines and be able to stay away and think and just deal with the constant sinus migraines (or take sinus meds constantly on top of all that), OR- drop the antihistamines and deal with fatigue and brainfog, I can then consider a low histamine diet. What is a low histamine diet? Fucking torture. It's not even terribly healthy because it cuts out so many nutrients, and you aren't supposed to be on it for more than a month or so at a time, and I'd need to be on it for 6.

What is a low histamine diet? Amongst other things, no spices, no deli/coldcut meats, no spinach, no tomatoes, no cheese, no SOY SAUCE ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I cannot stress how much my diet revolves around tomatoes and soy especially, I wouldn't be allowed anything savory or spiced or fermented for SIX MONTHS.

So it's not looking likely.

So I'm at an impasse, I'm not sure what I'm gonna do about it yet. probably ease off the claritin for a while and see if my sinuses recover and try again?

Anyways I had mac and cheese tonight and only cried a little bit.

#long covid #which is the tl;dr about it #I just got tossed into a spiral about it for the last month

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tuna-core · 9 months

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Medication withdrawals are wild. I stopped taking lexapro (not by my choice) about 3 weeks ago. At first it was physical symptoms, like being ridiculously overtired and sometimes nauseous and sometimes muscle aches, now I'm in the mental stage where it's anxiety, extreme sadness, rage at the tiniest thing, it's weird.

It's scary and tough, but I know I can get through this. For the first time in years, I'm actually feeling emotions again, like PROPERLY feeling them. Sometimes they're a lot at once but frankly that's because lexapro blocked my receptors for said chemicals, as it tends to do from what I've heard from other people. I feel like a person again, if that makes sense.

I dont feel numb anymore. I definitely needed it at the start (summer 2020) but after I left an extreme stress environment (April 2021) that's when I started feeling numb. And i thought that was NORMAL.

Anyway withdrawals big stinky but I'm gonna come out the other end better

#tunapost #personally #lexapro #lexapro withdrawals #ssri #ssri withdrawal

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misteria247 · 1 year

Note

i go to you and @sapphiretanto for anything i don’t know that’s leo related or just cool hc in general. sorry for breaking you with the leo and the cold questions lmao but i was thinking, in space he suffocated, and mikey in season two episode 3 almost drowns bc the squirrel things grabbed him by the neck, making it hard to breathe in the first place, and then dragged him under water, probably making him panic and start to drown, what’s your take on them being afraid of suffocating and are the other two boys affected similarly with something like that?

SGSHSGSGSGSH I'D FORGOTTEN ABOUT MY ORANGE SON TOO NOOO WHY DO YOU GOTTA REMIND ME OF THINGS-

(Baby brother really do be following big brother's example in this area huh????? Someone needs to get these kids into therapy plz-)

Hmmmm with Leo as I stated in the last ask, he'd probably stiffen up when it comes to this and would lowkey get incredibly uneasy and might even trigger an episode of nasty memories if it's too much.

Mikey on the other hand.......he'd probably try to downplay just how effected he actually is. He's the youngest after all, the mischievous one, the one who helps keep his big brothers spirits high when things are going to hell. He's the emotional support that his big brothers desperately need and if Mikey's down it could make his older brothers who are already carrying the whole world on their shoulders even more stressed and upset and that's the last thing Mikey wants. So much like Leo, he wouldn't let on that something was wrong. But when he's pushed to that brink it'd be a panic response. If something small and squirrel sized came running at him he'd just.....shut down and freeze. Heart racing, fear gripping him as he remembers being choked and dragged into water by the hellish little monsters. He'd get phantom like feelings of tiny little hands on his throat, choking him and cutting off his air supply and it's suddenly hard to breathe he needs help please someone help him kind of thing. And much like Leo, despite his best efforts his brothers would definitely find out and they'd be crushed by it.

Raph much like with Leo, would be angry that Mikey didn't say anything about it. He'd be angry that Mikey tried to downplay just how terrified of water and squirrels he actually is. He'd be so angry at himself especially because he had failed Mikey, he'd failed to protect his baby brother from harm and he's now paying the price and Raph would absolutely hate himself to the highest degree. Donnie he'd just completely shut down mentally and instantly start to try and figure out how he can help Mikey because he didn't notice Mikey's unease and he's supposed to be smart and know these things how could he fail his baby brother, his partner in crime so badly?????? And Leo........good God. Leo who's the mother hen and eldest child of the boys, Leo who's only wish and mission in life is to protect his little brothers from harm and to keep them safe. It'd be like his world shattering and waves of guilt drowning him because he'd failed to do the one thing he'd sworn to do and that's something that'll haunt him forever.

As for the other two Raph's definitely got a heightened sense of fear towards bugs. After having a mutaed cockroach try to kill him and his brothers, an alien bug trying to pick a fight with him and several other instances involving the creepy crawlies, Raph's definitely got a freak out mode for them. If he even gets touched by one he's most likely instantly as stiff as a bored and he's nauseous, his skin literally feels like it's beginning to crawl and he's desperately wanting to scratch at his arms to get rid of the phantom sensations of bugs crawling on his skin. It's a horrific experience for him and he's literally on the verge of a breakdown. Like I'm talking hyperventilating kind of breakdown. Dude can't even be touched by anyone cuz it's just so incredibly intense.

Donnie's most likely got a deep rooted fear towards April. Though not in the way that you'd think at first. Despite knowing that April wasn't completely herself at the time, Donnie can't help but get a bit uneasy whenever his friend starts to lose her temper. It's incredibly rare for her to do so thankfully, however when she does and it's to the point where things are floating and flying around in her fury, Donnie would instantly get tunnel vision of sorts. Kinda an out of body type of deal, where all he can think about is his best friend, the love of his life holding a glowing crystal. Of her losing herself to her rage due to its influence and quite literally tearing Donnie apart down to his very atoms, essentially killing him even if it was only for a brief time. It's the kind of fear that's born from uneasiness from a rather brutal death and extremely traumatic experience. And of course he hides this from April with everything he has because he doesn't blame her, not one bit.

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yooniesim · 1 year

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Very quick question, simblr will post things like please tell me if I’m following someone sketchy, so someone goes around to give “heads up” or a “warning” but it seems like it’s okay to do so in some cases but not others. I was wondering when you think is the right time to do that, or if it should stop altogether. I know that’s it’s possible to have different opinions on someone or something (but I feel like simblr can’t fathom that.) Do we let people follow whoever or do we speak up? I guess as someone who’s new here I’ve seen this trend and it can be overwhelming when it comes to who I’m supposed to follow or not. Sorry if this is gibberish, and you don’t need to answer at all. Thanks for even reading!

Hey nonny, this is a complicated question that I'm not entirely sure of the answer.

I think, ultimately, it depends on your personal lines. Because we as people can't take on every issue and try to save the world. Not only is it exhausting, especially if you're part of a marginalized group that deals with this shit IRL to start with, but it's functionally impossible. And we can all only take so much. I have to say that again. We can only take so much. Ultimately, if fighting the so-called good fight on the internet is too overwhelming, you can just stop. In fact, you should. Dealing with shit on here combined with IRL took me to one of my lowest points in my life, and depressingly, it did functionally nothing in the grand scheme of things. Whether that grand scheme of things was in terms of the simblr community or the world a whole, it's the same; I accomplished nothing and nothing changed. Except I feel worse when trying to participate in the community and I certainly have a far bigger target on my back from bigots and anyone else that just found me annoying. It gave me a bad reputation for being involved with "drama" and I've endured so much vile shit being said about me on here that occasionally it makes me nauseous to think about. So was it worth the time and effort spent? Well, no. So from my experience, I would advise not to get too wrapped up in who did what and who you should block and the entire history of who did that stupid ass thing that one time. It's useless.

Instead, measure by your own lines, your own morals and triggers. I personally block transphobes, terfs, racists, etc, that have documented proof in their own words of bigotry, that have not apologized/changed. I don't go into others inboxes to inform them about these people, but I will reblog/boost informative posts with appropriate proof and tag them accordingly, so that my followers can be aware. I certainly do not take random anons as proof and do not share rumors or vague accusations. If you ever feel the need to inform someone about someone else, be sure to investigate fully and know exactly what you're talking about before you do so and provide links/screenshots. Simblr has the collective memory of a goldfish and mixes things up all the time, together with remembering rumors as fact or even completely switching around events. I have over 500 asks in my inbox, and have received "reports" about many, many people here. A good amount of them are inaccurate & misremembered, accidentally about someone else entirely than who they named, have two different stories mixed up, are sourced from bad faith actors (such as bigots), or are completely made up with no source. I've always emphasized reading comprehension, proper research, and taking where you're getting your information from into account, and now I want to stress that even more.

I also do want to emphasize that random people on simblr are not the beacon of morality, nor should they be the judge of who is good and who is bad. We all have bias, misconceptions, and different backgrounds and life experiences. We all have different follower counts and influence in this sphere. And in my experience, simblr's perverted sense of justice more so depends on how well you are liked, who you are friends with, and what you can give the community than the weight of your actual crime. There is a reason why simopeia (just one example, there are many) gets called out every other week and still gets hundreds of notes on posts. There is a reason why certain cc creators regularly rip off the community but are continously overlooked. There's a reason why popular simblrs can act like complete assholes and engage in bigotry and go on unchecked, but others get railed for minor infractions. And there's a reason why minority simmers are criticized far more harshly for their mistakes than their peers, especially the few that have taken up the white savior role.

Simblr is not a court of law. It's social media. And it's a social game more than anything else. Many people have been here for years and have personal history with one another. Some hate each other for being friends with or following someone they dislike. They will hold onto shit endlessly, bring old events up over and over out of context, even consider themselves some sort of online royalty with the power to exile those they dislike to Instagram or Twitter. Whether they find legitimate problematic behavior or just decide to make it up one day, they use and abuse their follower count on a whim without any regard for the effects they might have. It's an ego-fueled game with a fresh & shiny veneer of performative morality. And those that are good intentioned get swept up in it thinking that it is legitimate until they meet the harsh reality that it's nothing more than a fool's errand. It's bitter and sad, and in my experience, the people that endlessly talk about this either lack control in their life IRL & think they can change things in this smaller space (like I did) or simply have made being angry online their personality and can't find a way to break out of it. You do not want to become one of these people, trust me.

These are a lot of words for me to say, basically- judge for yourself, block who you need to, but don't get too wrapped up in it all. I wouldn't go out of my way to tell anyone anything, but if you feel you should (and they've expressed wanting to be told), be sure to do so clearly and appropriately with proof. Above all, protect your own peace. No one else will. If you don't want to engage with it or don't feel you have the mental space, then just don't. I certainly can't blame you for that.

#asks #anonymous #ceci speaks #negative #sims discourse #long post #📸#sorry for this book nonny #i hope this... somewhat answered your question #LOL

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thessalian · 9 months

Text

Thess vs Piss-Poor Design Choices

So now we have hit the 'too tired to sleep' exhausted.

Well. It's not just that.

It's that I have done almost nothing except work this week. Well, and recover, but given the extra working hours, I didn't have enough time to do that either. I'm not supposed to be doing that. My GP and Occupational Health have said I should not be doing that. I should not be working the traditional eight-hour work day, not even for four days out of the week, and I should definitely not be doing a fifth day, even at reduced hours. My days this week have largely involved a half-hour stint on Baldur's Gate 3 between 10:15 and 10:45 before logging on for work, and most of the time I haven't had the energy to do anything more than put dinner together afterwards.

So it goes as follows:

I'm exhausted.

But I am also desperately deprived of fun and want to do something fun before I crash for the night.

I don't have the energy to do anything fun.

But I might not have time or spoons to do anything fun tomorrow!

I think also I'm just not ready for the day to be over because then it'll be tomorrow and Overtime will happen and I can't even bear the thought of it right now.

So maybe I'll feel better when I get some sleep.

Except I seem to be too tired to sleep - HOW THE FUCK DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? WHOEVER DESIGNED THE HUMAN BODY AND MIND SHOULD BE SHOT. IT'S LIKE THAT "I'M SO HUNGRY I'M NAUSEOUS" BULLSHIT.

Okay, fine, I will go lie down in a minute, but under protest.

All I want is some stress-free time to recover so I can function without dreading the next time I have to switch on my work laptop, a dinner I didn't have to cook, and ... I dunno, someone to tell me I'm not a wuss for wanting these things. But for now, I guess I'll settle for hoping that Scruffman's right about things getting easier and this temp he found being better than the one they had to sack after two days, remembering that Wednesday is payday, and at least lying down now that the leg spasms aren't so bad. Also the silver lining that the extra money from this nightmare will come in handy at MCM Comic Con.

#Thess has a day job

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bonny-kookoo · 1 year

Note

That said, I can't give you a perfect outline of what to really look out for, because there is none. It's different in each person, just like thinks such as depression or a burnout can look VERY different from one person to another. What exactly makes you think you might be regressing? I'm honestly pretty relaxed talking about it. (I just keep it low in the fics that I write because I know most people do not feel comfortable with it.)

Talks of abuse and possible stress factors below the cut.

******

As silly as it may seem, I've been super stressed with uni lately. I'm part of the medicine field, you see, and with that comes a lot of work. It's only my second year, so I'm farely new to this stuff. Anyhow, what makes me feel like I might be regressing is that for the past four months or so, I have been feeling rather 'small', if that makes sense? By small, I don't mean it in a demeaning kind of sense, but rather, in a more dependant sense? I'm a very independent woman in general, always being the one that people come to for advice and support, lol, but during this stressed months, it's been quite different. I've been resorting to being more whiny when frustrated when the smallest of things don't really fall in place, I've been super clumsy during these times, hyperactive, hypersensitive, nervous around loud noises and colors, and jumpy, watching cartoons (loads of them, in fact. It's pretty fun, and extremely relaxing, maybe because of how much little thought you have to put into the shows), and most importantly, my need for being able to rely on someone else for more than just kind words and advice has come to the surface. I've been willing to lose that control that I've oh so desperately hung onto in life. It's the only way I would have survived all that I have, otherwise, things never might have turned out well for me academically. You see, I lived in an abusive household as a child, and through my teen years, I had to protect my siblings from the damage of such a traumatic household. And with that kind of a responsibility comes a LOT of need for control over your own life. And I've just been more than willing to lose that, and I think what gave it away that this might be regression, is the fact that I think i slipped into a slightly different, not personality, but, a slightly different mindset, where I just felt free from all things stressful and slipped from the control I have over myself. [I still am not sure cause honestly, I don't know enough!! :(( ] this happened around my best friend, and luckily, she somehow knew what it may have been. She was able to be gentle with me that day, maybe because she just felt that I was super stressed. Honestly, I'm very lost, for the lack of a better word. And the internet was of no help, and I don't think I'm comfortable with speaking to people irl yet. Don't get me wrong, I'm not in the least repulsed by the thought of me regressing, nope, I just want to be able to get to know how to handle myself, understand my situation, before I give someone else such vulnerable information.. get what i mean?

Answer under the cut.

It definitely sounds like it's a stress-response from you, which is actually completely normal. I remember someone once explained to me how your mind wants to basically protect itself from getting overwhelmed, so it comes up with responses when things get too much. For some its physical like your heart rate increasing, feeling nauseous, becoming dizzy, or it can be purely emotional and they start crying, feeling sad and overwhelmed, or they become moody and angry. And in others, like us, its behavioral- we 'create' a separate mindset where we can 'recharge', at least that's how I like to look at it. It's not being lazy or stupid, its simply giving yourself a break to regroup yourself and start fresh again. It doesn't have to be regression- some start maladaptive daydreaming for example.

The worst you can do is reject it entirely and try to just 'pull through' with no regards for if your body/mind can handle it. It'll just result in burnout or a complete mental breakdown.

It's good to hear though that your friend seemed to be able to handle it well and appeared to be understanding. You might wanna talk to them about it, maybe it'll help you set up somewhat of a support with them. You don't NEED someone else to handle regression properly, but it's always nice to have someone!

#Bonnys personal

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electrasev5nwrites · 11 months

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Ninja Daily: Clarity 4

"This doesn't make any sense," Naruto insisted, not for the first time. Karin blinked bloodshot eyes, forcing down the urge to shake him until he stopped pacing like a lion at a zoo. That would hardly be very considerate or caring, considering the circumstances.

But watching him was making her feel sick.

Or hell, maybe she was nauseous for other reasons. Like thinking about what had probably happened to her cousin. Sure, Aiko was a brat, but that didn't mean she deserved whatever a rogue nutjob would unleash on her.

"Uchiha Madara? He'd be over a hundred years old! He should be feeding worms, not trying to get back at Konoha. What would he want from Aiko? What's the point?" Naruto stressed, pulling at his hair with a grubby fist, apparently not caring that nails were tucked between his middle and index fingers. He was still holding the hammer in his other hand.

Sasuke made a noncommittal sound, eyes even darker than usual. He was doing the best job of maintaining the illusion of working. None of them cared in the slightest about constructing the third house of the day.

Resentfully, Karin kicked at a bit of patio stone, and wished everything was on fire so she could go home.

'Look at me, I'm so handy,' she sneered. 'That's what Konoha is known for now. We get our asses kicked and our village razed all the time, but no worries, because we're all master craftsmen from all the practice we get rebuilding. Our client list is going to suffer as soon as someone thinks to mock us for being rubes with a bi-monthly invasion.'

She hadn't yet shared her analysis of the likelihood of someone thinking to use that rhetoric against Konoha. Probably Kumo, actually.

That was a near-heroic feat in itself, if anyone asked Karin. They didn't, of course, because everyone else was too busy to care that she hadn't signed up for a career in construction. She almost wished the supply train of shinobi and civilians hauling in lumber and other materials from various locations in Fire Country was less efficient.

'Practice makes perfect, though, so of course this is down to a science.'

At least she got to stop for a while whenever she ran out of materials. Poor Yamato had the worst deal, if she were to be fair about assessing the situation. He could build entire homes in minutes, albeit odd ones without a single nail or joint. He'd been worked mercilessly to raise the highest priority buildings until his chakra levels were barely above what it took to maintain consciousness. And then he'd done the same thing the next day.

"Are you two even listening?" Naruto demanded, voice breaking a little.

"Of course we are," Sasuke snapped, dropping the wood he'd been nailing with a clatter and wheeling on his teammate. "You won't stop repeating things we already know. Give it a rest! Whining won't bring her back. We can't do anything now, Naruto. So just stop." He took a deep breath. "Stop," he repeated raspily, glancing down and bending to pick up the plank he'd just dropped.

Karin swallowed, clenching her jaw and breathing in deeply through her nose. She just felt raw and angry, like water being poured over a sunburn. At least she had the restraint not to bite Naruto's head off.

Naruto was irritating the hell out of her too, but that didn't mean she was unaffected.

'Not like what I feel could compare to him,' she thought guiltily, wiping sweat off her temple before it rolled down her cheek. 'I've never had a twin. They were together all their lives. Losing that would be awful.'

Granted, she'd never seen them spend all that much time together. Nothing like the time she spent with Hinata. Aiko had Naruto over for dinner every week, and came over to the house in the mornings sometimes, but other than that… Well, she never seemed to seek him out for things unrelated to training.

'It's not like she ever really seeks anyone out, unless she needs something or has something specific in mind,' Karin thought, guilty for the observation but too logical to lie to herself. Aiko just wasn't social. She didn't seem to feel lonely and seek out human company. (Except Sai, who hadn't been proven to technically count as 'human company') It was weird and a little off-putting. That didn't mean she deserved to be kidnapped.

And tortured, probably. Honestly, it was unlikely that she'd survive the week. Statistically speaking, if they didn't receive some sort of ransom note by tomorrow, it was almost certain that her captor had no intention of keeping Aiko around for anything more than information. Joke's on him, Karin thought bleakly. He won't be getting any of that.

Of course, if the kidnapping was more personal, as the recurring interest made it seem, it was probably about revenge instead. Aiko had stolen two jinchuuriki from Akatsuki and made them look incompetent. It wasn't unreasonable that he could think to restore some of that reputation by proving it had been a fluke.

All that indicated was that Aiko would meet a much messier end, to be honest.

The only possibility where there was a reasonable likelihood (and by reasonable, Karin meant above ten percent, based on historical records of capture by enemy forces) of getting Aiko home alive was that Madara wanted to ransom her back for Naruto. And that excluded any possibility involving Naruto being handed over, because Tsunade would never let that happen. No, that chance came from the hope that Madara would make a mistake that allowed them to trace a path back to him, or that they would be able to overwhelm him at the supposed exchange site. Improbable and optimistic at best.

They'd know soon enough, she suspected. If Madara was going to kill Aiko after having made such a point of walking into Konoha's stronghold twice, he would extend that theatricality to making it obvious that she was dead. No shallow grave for Aiko, Karin suspected.

No. She was probably going to get strung up somewhere very public, to make a point about Konoha's weakness. Fucker.

As scientific and impartial as Karin liked to think she was, she shied away from any thoughts about possibilities that Madara had other reasons to want to keep Aiko alive and with him. She didn't want to think about Aiko being used against Konoha somehow, or being used in general. Her very first thought when his stalking had been made known was that there was a carnal interest involved, if she were honest. But god, he was older than dirt. That couldn't be it. It was too horrible.

Karin shuddered. Best not to mention any of that to Naruto. His imagination was clearly torturing him, but she didn't think that her estimation of different probabilities would soothe his mind at all. It might be kindest not to know.

They settled into a sullenly businesslike rhythm, working as the morning sun fled into painful heat at midday. A lot of the people working nearby drifted away in shifts to escape burns and dehydration.

A sudden up-shot in tension alerted the team that something had happened. Sasuke straightened, frowning slightly at the way the crowds staggering down the street with supplies cringed closer to the building faces being put up and repaired.

"Come on," he said shortly, abandoning his post.

The other two followed without a complaint, craning their heads.

"Are those… Kumo-nin?" Naruto asked skeptically, tilting his head slightly and putting his dirty hands on his hips, leaving blackened handprints on the low-slung green pants he was wearing to work in.

"Must be," Karin breathed, giving the small crowd a gimlet stare.

'I should have been paying more attention. They're not exactly blending in with the civilians. It's not like I know every Konoha nin's signature, but I should know everyone that strong…'

And the intruders really were strong. Actually…

"That's the Raikage," Sasuke said very quietly, eyes slightly narrowed at the tan giant wearing white everywhere but on his muscular chest.

'That's bad. That's really bad,' Karin realized. 'Does Kumo know that Sasuke's brother was the one who killed the eight-tail jinchuuriki? Because that would be a teensy bit awkward, now that Itachi's been reinstated.'

There was really only one way to find out.

The enormous man flanked by a grim-faced shinobi on either shoulder seemed to look over at their group. His eyes scanned over Karin without interest, but Naruto stiffened and firmed his gaze in a way that told her he definitely felt scrutiny. The slender blonde man next to the Raikage leaned over slightly to say something quiet that garnered an abrupt and not entirely kind bark of laughter.

"I don't like the way he's looking at you," Sasuke said quietly, moving ever so slightly in front of Naruto and raising his chin slightly in defiance.

The Raikage actually laughed at that defensive gesture, but at least he and his retinue continued walking past without comment.

For a moment, the only sound was Sasuke's teeth gritting and murmurs beginning in the crowd. Then Karin folded up the floor plans and shoved them in her pocket, before jerking her head towards Hokage tower.

"Let's go," she said darkly. "I want to know what's going on."

"Ummm…"

The other two stopped and looked at Naruto, wary of his uncharacteristic hesitation.

"We should probably clean up first," he said sheepishly, holding out his blackened, scraped fingers. "It's one thing to barge in on a meeting above our clearance, but another to do that when we stink. The old lady might actually murder us for embarrassing her like that. Our place is closest—I have some stuff you can wear, Sasuke-bastard."

The Uchiha grunted agreement, clearly more interested in haste than presentation.

Karin only felt a little guilty about abandoning her work in the civilian housing district to go home. It wasn't surprising that the central areas had suffered the most. Since paranoid, isolationist shinobi were most likely to live on the outskirts of the city (and were least inconvenienced by a long walk to the business and market districts), the military population was much less affected by the worst of the structural damage.

In other words, the empty Uchiha district and the Uzumaki house were both mostly fine, once debris had been pulled off the roofs and the broken windows had been replaced. They were livable, even if ugly and battered.

'I wonder what Kakashi-sensei and Yamato-taichou are doing.' Karin hurriedly scrubbed at her hair, cursing the filth that turned into mud in the shower drain. 'They both lived downtown. I bet there's nothing left. I think they've both been dressing out of the warehouse, so that probably means that nothing was salvageable.'

That must be awful. Should she ask? See if they needed space? Sasuke had much more room to offer, but there was still one empty room here.

(Karin was lying to herself. She was not going to ask because she didn't want to see what Naruto said if she offered out Aiko's room, no matter that it wasn't being used).

She tried not to stare too much at the way Naruto's standard issue blue pants and short-sleeve top fit Sasuke. The boys were wearing identical outfits, but it looked nearly indecent on Sasuke. Neither of her boys had very big builds, but Sasuke had a little more bulk than the blond. That translated to a rather tight fit in Naruto's tailored muscle shirt.

'Now is not the time, you insufferable pervert,' Karin told herself. She painted on a grim, professional mien, and tossed her damp hair over her shoulder before pushing her way to the front of the group and leading them to Hokage tower. Hopefully the boys would think that she was eager to get to work, instead of resisting the urge to ogle.

It was a damned shame that the Raikage had showed up at such an awful time. Konoha was disheveled. If they'd been anywhere near organized, then Sasuke would have already known the man was going to be in town.

In other words, Tsunade must be very stressed and distracted.

The Hokage was putting on a good front, however, when the trio made their way to the upscale bank that was serving as their administrative center for the moment.

"That's unnecessary," Tsunade said bluntly. The pale blond bodyguard turned to give Karin of all people an oddly scathing look when Shizune let the group in, but no one else paid them much attention. "Ame is no longer in control of the group responsible for the recent aggression. Punishing the survivors serves no purpose."

'That's awfully generous,' Karin thought doubtfully. There was probably something she was missing. Tsunade-sama wasn't that altruistic.

The Raikage sneered, giving a dismissive glance over the newcomers. Sasuke calmly met his gaze, moving to stand by Tsunade's shoulder. He actually belonged here, as her apprentice, and he looked comfortable. The Uzumaki, on the other hand, were obviously riding in on Sasuke's coattails.

'Not completely true. If Tsunade-sama really does have any intention of training Naruto as a possible successor, it's not unreasonable for him to be here. Course, that just leaves me as the intruder…'

Ah well. She didn't mind being rude. If they really cared, someone would kick her out.

"I was promised that Ame and Akatsuki would pay for what they did." Stubbornly, the Raikage cocked his head at Tsunade. He looked hilariously misplaced in the red velvet chair that had been scrounged up from somewhere.

"I never said that we'd take punitive action against Ame as a whole," Tsunade protested crossly. "What more do you want? Akatsuki is nearly finished. We need to hunt down the stragglers."

"Your representative guaranteed that I would have a chance to…" The enormous man sneered slightly, though the expression looked oddly fond. "How did she put it? Bury the fuckers ten feet down? There may have been something about burning Ame to the ground and dancing on the ashes." A shrugged dissidently, leaning forward ever so slightly. "What about that promise, huh?"

Something cracked in Tsunade's composure. "My represent- Oh, hell," she cursed fluidly.

The dark-skinned man with nearly white hair lurking at the Raikage's left shoulder looked scandalized.

"You mean Aiko," Sasuke said flatly. The tension in the room instantly ratcheted up. Karin made a grab for Naruto's hand, as if hoping to prevent him from doing anything risky. The tension in his muscles was obvious, but he didn't shake her off. "Unfortunately, Uzumaki Aiko is missing in action. So it is impossible to confirm your account with her. She was not alone when she made this offer, was she?"

Shizune sighed, swaying slightly. "I'll go get Hatake-san."

"Get Yamato, he'll be easier to find and he needs a break," Tsunade corrected, rubbing at her temple while the young woman bowed slightly and left.

The blonde man at the Raikage's right side looked so amused at the bad news that Karin seriously considered lunging over and punching him. By contrast, the Raikage was frowning.

"You lost her?" Displeased, he shook his head slightly. "You really are incompetent. I didn't think you would actually lose track of the Fourth Hokage's kid. Is that why this one is here, then?" A jerked his head toward Naruto. "The spare? How long until you get this one killed too?"

'He's trying to provoke us. Be calm. Be calm.'

Nope, she still wanted to rip off his stupid tacky belt and shove it down his throat after she used it to bludgeon him black and blue.

"She's not dead," Naruto said calmly, looking bizarrely unperturbed. "I'll be sure to convey your concern about her well-being when I next see her, though. I'm sure Aiko will appreciate your interest."

'What?'

The white-haired bodyguard might have been choking down a laugh, and he couldn't even see the flabbergasted expression on his kage's face. It was pretty glorious.

A let out a long breath, narrowing his eyes in a contemplative glare. Naruto stood straight, completely unaffected as far as the eye could tell. Karin cautiously disengaged her hand from his, not wanting to undermine the attitude he had going on at the moment.

"Well, that apple fell a little closer to the tree," A condescended grudgingly. "You look a lot more like the fourth Hokage, and you sound more like him too. Are you the smart one, then?"

Naruto, smart?

Well… he certainly wasn't stupid, but Karin had never thought of him as academically intelligent. He thought well on his feet, and he had both social and creative intelligence. Was that what the Raikage meant?

"Nope," Naruto smiled, and the tension in the room instantly fled. "But that's what I have Sasuke and Karin for."

"What am I, furniture?" Tsunade asked dryly. Karin wasn't fooled. The older woman was pleased that Naruto had managed to undercut the tense atmosphere.

Naruto wasn't quite magical enough to fix everything, however. After another twenty minutes of arguing, the Raikage stormed out with an anxious Shizune on his heels directing him towards the temporary 'diplomatic suite' where he would be staying the night.

Tsunade sighed heavily, slumping as soon as he was out of sight. "What a mess," she groaned. "I don't need his war-mongering right now. He really wants to storm the border himself."

"Why don't you want Ame punished?"

The blonde cracked one eye open to give Sasuke a tired look. "Isn't it obvious?"

Sasuke huffed, amused. "I thought you might want to monologue. Yes, it's obvious. The Raikage won't give up the territory once he's done with it. That would mean that one of our worst enemies would have a base very close to our center of power, one that was right next to the other large country out for our blood. Right now we have the protection of a three-country alliance, but we won't have that forever. We can't afford to let Kumo have Ame."

"Got it in one."

Appalled, Naruto opened and closed his mouth before he found words. "So Akatsuki is just going to get away with what they did, because we're too worried about Kumo being a danger in future?"

"No," Sasuke rejected. "Akatsuki itself will be punished, and Ame is going to be crippled for years to come. They're hardly getting off scot-free. They'll be paying diplomatic sanctions-"

"Crippling sanctions," Tsunade interrupted darkly.

The brunet nodded agreeably. "Right, they'll basically be giving us everything but their kidneys."

"And that's not good enough for the Raikage?" Karin ventured. "What more could he want?"

Tsunade gave her a pitying look that made Karin feel very young and small. "Revenge. Or justice, as he feels. He blames Ame for B's death."

"That's not completely unjustified," Sasuke muttered.

"Not completely justified, either," Naruto pointed out wryly. "That was your brother specifically, wasn't it? Technically on Konoha's orders to follow Akatsuki's orders, even if we didn't know it at the time. If that comes out…"

"We can't hand Itachi over, either," Tsunade groaned. "So stop being so damn fidgety, Sasuke. I'm not throwing your precious brother to the wolves. No, we're claiming that he was our man on the inside all along and that was why the invasion went so smoothly. No one is going to like it, but they won't disagree, either, since Itachi never did anything particularly offensive in his tenure in Akatsuki. As far as the public knows, anyways."

"Really?" Yamato asked sullenly, leaning on the doorjamb. "You mean he did nothing particularly offensive except attacking Jiraiya-sama and Naruto multiple times in an attempt to kidnap Naruto, or putting Kakashi-senpai and Aiko in the hospital?"

"Nothing offensive to anyone but Konoha," Tsunade amended, while Sasuke exchanged an uncomfortable expression with Naruto. They were probably going to have to talk that one over at some point. Then she scowled. "What took you so long? And did Aiko really promise the Raikage that he was going to get to exhaust his aggression on Ame?"

Yamato took a moment to answer, scratching thoughtfully at his chin. "I think there was something about burning it down? Which would be pretty hard, on account of the damp, but in her defense, she may have been unfamiliar with the climate."

Karin groaned.

"I suppose it could have been hyperbole," Yamato added with an air of contemplation, squinting slightly. "She sorta started by threatening Kumo if they didn't leave Naruto alone. That was where the burning thing came from, pretty sure. And then it just got transferred to the discussion of Ame. So technically, I don't think she promised that." He blinked, as if realizing the room was full of other people. "Does that help?"

No, that did not help. There was a moment of appalled silence.

"Good thing you didn't diplomatically empower anyone hotheaded with a flair for the dramatic," Sasuke commented mildly. "That would have been bad."

Tsunade crumpled up a paper and tossed it at his head in response.

Without opening her eyes, Aiko breathed deeply. Her bedroom still retained a bit of a dusty smell that made her nose itch, but it was beginning to seep with the scent of the shampoo and weapon polish that Obi had provided for her.

Obi was a liar.

Or at least, he was leaving something crucial out. Aiko rolled over and buried her face in her pillow, slinking her arms underneath the cool fabric.

It seemed a lot more likely that her nightmares and dreams were fragments of memory than that they were total coincidences. She'd brought up a couple of them, spaced days apart so that Obi wouldn't know she was having the dreams every night. He had claimed not to recognize what she was talking about. Either Obito was lying about being close to her (because he really should have known something about her personal life) or he was lying about not recognizing the situations she mentioned.

'Still, I suspect that it would be unwise to let on.'

She liked Obito, she really did. He was kind to her, and smart, and he helped her with all sorts of things. That didn't mean she was blind to the fact that she didn't really know what was going on, except that he now controlled every aspect of her day-to-day life, he was much stronger than she was, and that he had some sort of agenda for her.

Maybe she would go along with that agenda. Maybe she wouldn't. But she couldn't possibly help her situation by letting him know that she was suspicious of his intentions. If she was wrong, he'd be hurt. If she was right…

Well, she didn't even know what might happen to her. If he'd wanted her dead, she would be dead already. There had to be other things she had to fear, but Aiko didn't know what the hell they were.

'It might have been easier to stay in Konoha,' Aiko thought wryly. 'I probably would have figured out that they were hostile about the time I found myself strapped down with thumbscrews in my face. Would be nice to know where I stand with someone.'

But that ship had sailed.

Regretfully, she heaved her lazy carcass out of bed and rifled through the (approximately seventy billion) shiny plastic bags piled on the long-neglected furniture.

"I should probably put this away," Aiko mumbled, holding up …something, and squinting at it suspiciously. Maybe it was a scarf?

She didn't know what half this shit was or what she was supposed to deal with it.

"I get the feeling that Obi thinks I'm a kid," she remarked to an unimpressed dresser covered in a sparkly white table-runner.

It was just a fleeting suspicion, really, based on nothing more than the fact that the wardrobe he'd provided was rather heavy on flouncy skirts and high collars in pretty, bright colors. The inconsistency was odd. The man who was re-teaching her how to kill people –corpse corpse corpse—she shuddered—seemed to think she was an adorable kid.

'At least I'm sure he's not a pervert,' Aiko thought wryly, finally settling on a black skirt and a green button-up shirt with a high collar. 'That's one insidious motivation off the list of possibilities. And it does seem like he's fond of me. He's spoiling me terribly. If he really had no emotional attachment, he wouldn't go the extra mile, I think.'

As she slipped them on, she suspected that the white boots he'd provided had belonged to another kunoichi before, although Aiko had no idea who.

'Someone with big floppy feet,' Aiko thought meanly. And unfairly. She'd had to pad the shoes so that they weren't too big, but that probably had more to do with her than with their previous owner. Judging by the women she'd seen when Obito took her into town, she was a hopeless shrimp. Maybe there was a growth spurt in her future?

Because padded second-hand boots were not glamorous, and neither was the insidiously creeping suspicion that Obito was interchangeably acquiring her clothes from the child's and junior's sections.

It wasn't a thought worth lingering on.

The boots were in pristine condition, but they didn't feel stiff like the new equipment he'd gotten her did. Real shinobi gear was both expensive and hard to procure outside of a hidden village, from what she understood. The boots were the only thing in her wardrobe that appeared to be shinobi-tough, although they were well-disguised as merely pretty shoes.

'I like imagining that some poor woman is wondering what happened to her spare boots,' Aiko snickered. 'Obito, you silly creep.'

"See, you're adorable," were the first words out of his mouth when she trotted downstairs. "I told you to trust my taste." Aiko gave him a baleful stare.

"When did you get back?" she asked archly, tossing her hair as she settled against the counter. The motion would have been more dramatic if the mass of hair had cascaded or bounced or something. Unfortunately, she had an ugly explosion of tangles and knots that sort of jerked angrily.

The motion apparently drew his attention to her ill-maintained mop. Obito sighed, shaking his head slightly. "I just got here. Did you lose your hairbrush?"

Aiko blinked, hand frozen over the rather depleted fruit bowl.

'Hairbrush? What hairbrush?'

After a moment of racking her memory, she flushed self-consciously and patted at a tangle on her right shoulder. "Some girls don't brush their hair," she sniffed, tilting her nose up and randomly selecting a rather sad-looking orange.

'I remember that now. What happened to the hairbrush anyway? I haven't seen it in a while.'

The look on Obito's face implied that he didn't buy her lie. "You mean that you forgot. I thought that kind of thing was supposed to come naturally to girls," he drawled.

Aiko looked down and pressed her lips together, feeling strangely ashamed. It was hard to remember all the little things she was supposed to do.

She hadn't forgotten the humiliation that first night with the nurse who had helped her shower. Her impulse had been to say that she didn't need help—she knew enough to be certain that hygiene wasn't terribly difficult and that she should be able to handle it on her own. But when she was actually faced with the task at hand, Aiko had stared blankly at the arrangement of soaps and lotions she was supposed to use.

Could she just use one bottle and be fine?

No?

Well then. Was it shampoo and then conditioner? She was probably going to forget that at some point.What happened if she did it in the wrong order?

She was pretty sure that slathering herself in the scented chemicals deemed necessary by society wasn't meant to be actively stressful. She was getting better at it, though. The more she thought about it, the harder it was.

"Aww, hell. I'm sorry." Obito pushed that dumb mask that was always on his head up, exposing a slightly rueful expression. "It doesn't matter. Your hair looks exciting. Anyways, I have something for you to do today."

That perked her right up. "Really?" Aiko twisted to look at him, abandoning the fruit she'd been trying to peel with a plop onto the table.

He gave her a blank look for a moment before shaking his head slightly. "Yes, right." Oddly, he swallowed before he managed to gather his thoughts. "You'll be working with one of my associates. Zetsu should make sure that everything goes well. If worst comes to worst, he can contact me. I think you'll be fine," Obito added encouragingly.

'I should hope so. All you have me do is train.'

She gave him a thin smile instead of that bit of grumpiness. It wouldn't help anything. "So, what am I doing?"

Apparently reassured by her good attitude, Obito leaned back in his chair slightly and began twirling a kunai on his finger. "You'll be working to acquire monetary resources."

Aiko paused. Ruefully, she quirked an eyebrow at her comrade. He broke out into a sheepish smile. "Obiiii," she drawled. "You're telling me to replenish our coffers?"

He coughed. "Quite."

"That's not terribly glamorous."

"Nope," Obito agreed, popping the 'p' sound playfully. "But work often isn't. What do you think I do all day?"

'Steal cute shoes from giant women?'

She sighed theatrically, dropping the fruit onto the table and plopping down across from him. Aiko pursed her lips as she braced her chin on palm. After a moment, she tilted her head slightly, trying to convey pleading.

"That won't work," Obi said flatly. "I thought you wanted to work again? Ninja don't get to do only things that are fun."

"Ugggghhh," Aiko groaned, tossing her head back. "Fine. There goes my faith in humanity." She huffed. "So do I get details?"

"You're going to be answering a request for help that was communicated through some contacts of mine."

That was remotely encouraging. There was something a little romantic about swooping in to save the day. Was that what she and Obito did? Not bad.

"Help stealing an antique scroll. Seriously, this thing is ancient," Obito stressed, tapping his fingertips on the table boredly.

That was less encouraging.

"I'm a thief?" Aiko asked incredulously, scowling. "Seriously? Not even the cool kind of thief who does glamorous things, but a contractor?"

How boring, and businesslike.

Obito tossed his head back and laughed, flashing white teeth. "I may have left out the detail that you're stealing this back for the rightful owner."

"Oh." She blinked. "That… sounds okay, I guess. I think I could do that."

"Your confidence astounds."

Aiko scowled at his dry humor, and crossed her arms over her chest without paying any attention to how the added tension strained at the buttons of her shirt.

Obito flinched oddly.

"A-anyway, you'll have backup," he hurriedly assured her. "I'll introduce you to Zetsu-san when he gets here. Uh- he has the details. He'll walk you through it. But don't worry, you can do this. It's well within your capabilities, even now. Although to be safe, you should avoid using your real name. You don't want to be associated with a bad job. How about Masashi?" he teased.

Masashi. Righteous aspiration. It wasn't a bad name, exactly, but…

'A man's name? Fucking flattering. I don't know if that's worse than being told I'm likely to fail. Thanks, love.'

She gave him a black stare. Why did she hang out with this guy again?

That would be a thing worth knowing. She should look into that.

In response, he cleared his throat. "Yyyyeah. Um." Obito sucked in a self-conscious breath, aware that he was only digging himself a deeper hole and visibly desperate to change the topic. "So, are you going to do anything about your hair?"

That didn't help.

In the moment that Aiko considered leaping over the table and going for his throat, a rusty self-preservation drive kicked in. "Because I could do it for you?" he added weakly, wiggling his fingers. "And would like to very much?"

"Nice save," Aiko muttered forty seconds later, leaning back into the warm digits against her scalp as Obito finger-combed her hair. Even the frequent jolts of pain as his fingers caught on tangles couldn't bring down her good mood- she was all but purring. It turned out that her head was very sensitive. She whined unhappily when he gathered the mass in a slightly off-center tail at the top of her head and moved to awkwardly secure it with-

"Is that wire?" she asked incredulously, avoiding the urge to twist around to stare.

"What's wrong with wire?" her friend muttered self-consciously, withdrawing his hands like he'd been burnt. "Ninja wire has all kinds of uses."

It took a deep breath to calm down enough to formulate a coherent reply. "Obi?" He jolted guiltily at the nickname. "I'm pretty sure there's some sort of specialized product for tying hair."

"Maybe. A hair tie?"

She didn't really know for sure either. Apparently, personal grooming hadn't been particularly high on the list of priorities for her to remember.

I think I misplaced this omake? If it was in here somewhere before, I apologize. Had to rewrite.

Omake (Because Where Else Would Obito Think to Get Them?)

Haru jolted. It took a moment of nervous contemplation and steeling her nerves before she worked up the determination to peer around the corner into the room she was supposedly serving as an honor guard for.

The sounds coming from inside were just unseemly. She was almost certain that she was hearing muttering among the occasional thuds and clattering noises.

"Konan-sama?" She called, her voice breaking a little.

The only sound that could vaguely be termed a response was a thud that somehow managed to convey irritation. Haru flinched, and re-considered the wisdom of actually addressing Pein's Angel. She wasn't worthy. Frankly, she was still a little in awe of the woman had come back to claim leadership of Ame and asked for a few higher level shinobi to accompany her as she prepared to parley with the other leaders.

Still, without a direct answer, she was bold enough to step into the room.

That lingering awe was slightly shaken by the sight of her prospective kage on her knees, sweeping under the bed with her palms. All she could see from this angle was.. Haru flushed crimson, and looked away hastily. That wasn't dignified.

"My lady?" Haru croaked uncertainly.

Konan froze for a moment, with her hovering rear end tense and bare feet dangerously still. With quiet dignity, she backed out from under the bed and slowly lifted her torso, twisting to blink languidly at her minion. "I have misplaced my shoes," she said calmly, brushing a dust bunny off of her hair. "This is the third pair. I suspect conspiracy."

She had been previously unaware that Pein's Angel was crazy. Good to know.

#vapors #uzumaki aiko #electrasev5n #ninja daily #fanfiction #naruto fanfiction #clarity

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