#ALSO worried that they were maybe planning on having me work during the off-season too and thats why it was a

[aidenwaites]

I have to go,,, to the photography studio tomorrow morning to finish paperwork but I still don't know if I can guarantee them that I'll actually be able to work the days I gave them

#honestly... im gonna try to be firm about getting those wednesdays and thursdays but im worried that theyre gonna do the same about #not letting me take them off #ALSO worried that they were maybe planning on having me work during the off-season too and thats why it was a #We'll Talk About It Later kinda thing #but if they do want that i cant accept it 🤷‍♂️ im already not wanting to come back next year #at MOST i wanna work special events just to get the day rate once a week or whatever #but i need the off-season or i will totally burn out

[w1ldthoughts]

Wilted Flowers and a Lightsaber

A/n: Anon Requested

Tonight was going to be absolutely perfect. You and Justin had been planning this six month anniversary dinner for a while and because of the chaos of the season, you had to schedule this quality time early. Two bowls of pasta were set out, the wine was poured and all you had to do was wait for him to arrive. You pulled out your phone to text him a gentle reminder, not that he was forgetful by any means but he did have a lot on his plate and with the way the season had been going, he’d spent more time at the facility than anywhere else these days. But having you did bring him back to himself in realizing that there was sometimes more to life than just football.

Justin was nothing if not punctual. It was a rarity for him to not be early and even more unheard of for him to be late. You’d be lying if it didn’t worry you a bit but you didn’t want to let your mind automatically assume the worst. Maybe he was just picking up some dessert? Ice cream did always make him feel like he was on top of the world and his appreciation for sweets was one of your favorite things about him. Yeah that was definitely it, he’s just picking up an anniversary cake or something and the line must be long, you tried to tell yourself.

After waiting an hour, you called him. It went straight to voicemail.

“Hey, it's me. Um…just wondering if you’re on your way. The food is kind of cold but I can warm it up for us and we can just hang out and watch a movie or something. Anyway, just let me know you’re alive. Bye.”

45 minutes after you left him a voicemail, you went back to your room to change out of your dress and take your makeup off. It took every ounce of strength in you not to cry but somehow you managed to get it done. Just in time to hear your door being opened. You walked back into the living room and started cleaning up, ignoring the man in front of you.

“Y/n, I’m so sorry. I stayed after practice to throw with some of the receivers and we lost track of time.” He was met with silence, so he continued, helping you clean up. “I didn’t even see your texts or calls until I got back to the locker room and I just showered and headed straight here. I feel terrible for having you wait here for me but you know it’s—”

“Important?” You spit out, pouring the last of the wine into the sink. “I know it is. I know this is your life and the NFL is what you’ve always dreamed of, I get that. And I get it you’re one of the captains, you’re the quarterback and their leader and all that and it’s great. I love that you get to live your dreams and play the game you love everyday. That's not the problem.”

He stands up straight, crossing his arms over his chest, towering over you even more. “Well then what is the problem?”

“Are—are you serious?”

“Yes y/n, please enlighten me. Because last time I checked, I told you this is my job. This is the most important thing in my life and you told me you understood that. I already apologized and I’m here now, so let’s just enjoy the time we have. Unless you have something else to say?”

There were so many things about him to love. He is kind and smart and genuinely doesn’t understand how beautiful of a person he is inside and out. But he also had the tendency to have tunnel vision when it comes to certain things, especially during the season. And that was not fun to deal with. “Justin, you stood me up with no communication. I thought you got hurt at practice or were in an accident. It’s not about you staying late at the facility, it's about me constantly being put on the backburner. I have things to do too. I have a job and friends and family to see, but I still make all of that work because I want to be with you. And it just feels like I’m the very last thing on your list and that really fucking sucks.”

Here come the tears that you’d tried so hard to keep at bay. You wiped your eyes with your sleeve, a sleeve that you now realized was attached to a shirt that belonged to him and it made you even more sad. “I think about you when I do things, I made dinner for us to celebrate the best six months of my life and I feel like I’m the only one who’s trying here.”

“That’s not fair,” he sighs, “I told you that football season is long and intense and you know the amount of stress I’ve been under. I mean the team is not performing the way we should be and I know that the only opinions that matter are the ones inside the building but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t hear it and it doesn't affect me. You know it does. So yes sometimes I’m gonna have to stay late and have team meetings and miss a date or two here and there but babe…you signed up for this.”

You signed up for this. “You’re right.” You sniffle. “I can’t imagine the stress you’re under right now and I’m sorry. I thought I could just get your mind off things for a bit. That this…this relationship would be enough. Maybe I’ve been a little selfish, you’re being pulled in all these different directions already and here I am asking for a piece of you like everyone else.”

He shook his head once, stepping forward a bit to reach out to you. “No—that’s not what I meant.”

“Justin, I'm not with you because you’re an incredible quarterback. I love you because I think you’re the greatest person I’ve ever known. But I—I can’t just be another thing on your list. I can’t be another chore and that’s how I feel right now.” Your eyes turn down to the floor, tears continuing to wet your cheeks. “I think you should go.”

“Did you just say you love me?” You look up to meet his now glistening eyes. “Because I love you too and I don’t think we should call it a night just yet. We can—we can just talk and figure something out. I need to fix my work/life balance and I’ll make us more of a priority, I will.” He tries to reason, attempting to mask the hurt in his voice.

The words never come so you just shake your head sadly, holding his hand to walk him out the door.

Two weeks later, the apology flowers that you’d received from him were still sitting on the table, very much on their last leg. Upstairs, you were looking in your closet for a jacket when you stumbled upon your Padme costume. Of course. You and Justin were supposed to go to Keenan and his wife’s Halloween party tonight but instead you’d be on the couch wearing fuzzy socks, ordering takeout and watching Halloweentown on your own. Your phone interrupted Aggie meeting the hooded demon in the theater, much to your disappointment.

“Before you say no to coming to the party, please hear me out.” Of course Ally would call. Ever since her husband Eric had signed with the Chargers this past offseason you both had bonded immediately. She’d been a football wife for a while, so she took you under her wing while also letting you do things your way.

“You have two minutes to convince me not to dig into this tub of ice cream and not leave my house for the next 3-5 business days. Go.”

She laughs on the other end of the line. “There’s karaoke. And drinks. And people who love you and would really like to see you. Please don’t make me beg because I’m already two drinks in, our nanny is staying at our house overnight and I have nothing to lose. So just say you’re coming.”

The movie that was paused in front of you was appealing, but you couldn’t hide forever. Not when these people have become so important to you. And yeah maybe some part of you did want to see him, even if it was just for a little bit. “I’ll be there in an hour.”

“See you in 60 minutes, I’ve set a timer.” Ally laughs.

Keenan and Ciandra definitely knew how to throw a party. You weaved through the different crowds until you spotted Ally, dressed in her finest 70s wear talking to other players' wives.

“Y/n! You’re here. It’s so good to see you baby.” Ciandra called out, pulling you in for a hug. “Your hand is empty, there needs to be a drink in it. I’ll be right back, you should mingle.”

As you caught up with the girls, you tried to sneak glances around the room, not having any luck. “He’s in the back room with some of the guys.” Ally whispers to you. “I don’t think anyone’s told him you’re here yet. You two should talk.”

“I wasn’t—I’m not looking for him. There’s nothing for us to talk about. We broke up and…that’s it.”

She gives you the look. “Yeah sure. Tell that to your face.”

The next hour was spent doing anything humanly possible to address the elephant in the room. There were drinks to be had, people to talk to and somehow you’d avoided Justin at every turn.

“Oh shoot, my phone is dead and I need to check in on Knight and see how he’s doing. I’m gonna go find Eric and use his phone but I have a portable charger in my jacket pocket upstairs in the coat room, will you grab it for me please?”

You nodded immediately, slightly thankful to step away from the music for a bit. “Of course, I’ll be right back Al.”

The trek upstairs wasn’t as easy in your white combat boots after three poison apple cocktails but you made it. Ally’s jacket was right where she’d described and you were just about to walk back downstairs when he walked in. The two of you almost ran into each other.

“Gosh, I’m so sorry. Wait…y/n? What—what are you doing here?”

The beard had grown even more since the last time you’d seen him. It worked, in a weird way. “Ally forced me to come. I didn’t have time to get another costume, I really wasn’t going to come at first but—”

“No, I like the costume. It looks good on you.” He whispers, thankful that his robe was covering up his slightly shaky hands. The door suddenly closed behind him and they both heard it lock. Justin immediately walks over it, shaking it open without any results.

“You two are going to stay in there until you talk. I’m not taking no for an answer so you better fix it. We have all night and I have four kids so I’m very patient.” Ciandra yells from the other side of the door.

“She is! It’s probably for the best if y’all just listen and do what she says.” Keenan utters. “Good luck.”

The long haired man turned around to meet your eyes. “Did they just?”

“Lock us in this room like we’re children being put in timeout? Yeah.” You sighed, sitting on the bed.

He leaned against the wall, huffing out a breath. For a few minutes the only sound that could be heard was the faint bass of the music from the party.

“I’m sorry.” You both said at the same time, laughing at the irony.

Communication got you in this mess and now here you were using the exact same words. “What are you sorry for? I’m the one that ruined this for us. CiMo keeps telling people I messed things up with her partner in crime. I didn’t even know you two were criminals.”

“Well if eating a basket full of chicken tenders every game is a crime, then we are definitely guilty. And if there’s ever a tender shortage, you know who to blame.” You laugh softly, still looking at the floor.

“As much as I would love to keep talking about your obsession with breaded chicken, I need to be honest.”

“What is it?” You could tell he was nervous, subtly running his fingers along his chin so he wouldn’t pick at the skin on his face.

“I don’t know how to do this” he whispers, almost at a loss for words or what to say next without making the situation worse. “My entire life I’ve prided myself on working hard and being competitive in the classroom and on the field, no matter what field it is. And now? My entire life revolves around football and the team and the guys.”

“I want to be prepared for things. I watch film, I practice, I throw after practice. There’s tools out there for everything but this? I don’t—I can’t prepare. There’s no playbook to follow, plays to learn. I just feel…and that’s really fucking scary to me. I was overwhelmingly unprepared to feel this way about you so I tried to bury it and it was stupid and I hurt you. Y/n I’m so sorry for making you feel like another thing on the list. You are not a chore, you are the best thing in my life and I was too proud and caught up in my own shit to tell you that. And I’m not very good at expressing my feelings with words but—”

Your laugh interrupts him, “here I thought you were an open book.”

He chuckles lowly, shaking his head. “I’m definitely a book. I don’t know if it’s open but there’s a lot of pages and tiny writing that most people can’t see.”

With a sigh, you stand up and face him, grabbing ahold of his hand. “Good thing I like to read. Especially the chapters that you have hidden.”

One of your hands found their way into his hair, faces inches apart. “I love you. So much.” He whispers, holding you close. The kiss was slow at first, silent apologies and words of forgiveness all wrapped into one lengthy, desperate embrace. His entire body curved into yours, there was no way you could be any closer to him if you tried. You never wanted to forget this feeling, as long as you lived.

“I love you too, Justin.”

He leaned in again, asking “so we’re good?” In between pecks. You simply nodded, running your hands over his robe.

“Good.” He whispers, intertwining your fingers together with his right hand and pulling his phone out of his pocket with his left, telling Keenan thank you. The door was opened immediately after.

“Did you know they were going to do this?”

His cheeks turn a subtle tint of pink as he nods, “Who do you think begged Ally to get you to come to this party in the first place? Desperate times call for desperate measures. I didn’t want to risk you leaving without me apologizing.”

“Oh you’re doing anything I want for all of eternity for making me think we were stuck in this room. Starting with an anniversary redo?”

He smiles and nods slowly, making you melt. “You are in my very soul, tormenting me. I would do anything you ask.”

“My dear Anakin Skywalker…you are so lucky you’re cute.”

#justin herbert #justin herbert imagine #justin herbert fluff #nfl imagine #justin herbert x reader

[congratzams]

𝖎𝖓𝖈𝖚𝖇𝖚𝖘

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒: dexter morgan

𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒: dexter had to save his own skin and you had a little bit too much of faith in him; fake priest!dex

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒: church related themes, mentions of somnophilia

𝐀/𝐍: bear with me, I've only watched one season of Dexter but I've fallen hard for the character and there's so little content of him 😭 also, I'm far from religious so the details might be a bit off for those who attend the church

Dexter only became a priest because he had to; his vigilante activities were discovered and he had to save his own skin. At that moment, a small town far away from Miami seemed like a good choice. 

Oh, and how people were too trusting of him once he stepped into the unknown territory. A couple smiles here and there, some occasional name-drops and all was good. Soon enough, he became a wolf in sheep's clothing. Who would dare to suspect a priest?

Sure, he had to do his own research before taking the role, but it was not as difficult as other things he had to learn. Camouflage was one of the many skills he had mastered in order to survive.

But you, oh, sweet and ingenue you. You had to show up and put his plans to the test. You always stayed behind after masses, even during late hours, seeking advice from his priest persona.

And it almost seemed like you wanted Dex to look at your manicured fingers toying with the hem of your pastel pink skirt. Maybe you weren't so naïve as he initially thought.

But the suspicion could've been only a part of Dexter's own twisted thoughts, stirring something up in the deepest parts of his mind. That way, your next encounters could've been summarized as his eyes marked by a new and dark glisten, especially whenever he looked at you during the mass or when you got too close to him while sharing your worries. Dexter certainly did not put the ‘Holy’ in ‘Holy Father'.

Soon, your confessions began to approach this certain ‘warm’ feeling in your womb and impure thoughts and impulses — which you believed to be the devil's work. Dexter couldn't dare to risk his disguise and have you all for himself, even when there was a suffocated plea written all over your eyes and your will seemed to weaken the more you asked for his help.

So he requested you knelt in front of him and confessed to him all of your sins. To see your chest heaving with every word you said, oh, he felt like the Lord himself.

He could also see with such clarity the ones involved in your fantasies: a certain red-headed that forces the lady to succumb to lust. And to that, his eyes stared deep into yours, locked in place, as if you were his new prey.

“Father, I think I may be under the influence of an incubus…”

Dexter, as the priest, seemed to give it a thought. “Do you feel like this creature has sexual intercourse while you sleep?”

You shook your head before his voice reached your ears, now deep and full of maliciousness. Maybe his dark passenger should pay you a visit.

“Would you like it to?”

#dexter morgan imagines #dexter morgan x reader #dexter morgan

[stevie-petey]

SPEAKING OF SEASON FOUR

I'm so worried that the duffer brothers are gonna fuck up jancy. That flirting with Steve and Nancy in season four was not cute. Like jancy isn't my favorite ship in the series (because I'm in love with Jonathan but that's not the point) but we've established that Nancy DOESN'T love Steve. Did you see Jonathan's face when Nancy started talking about how Steve's grown up? You could tell it made him insecure, It's foreshadowing the love triangle all over again and there's no point in keeping it. It doesn't add to the story it's just another stupid plot for drama, which we don't really need!

It also takes away from Nancy's character!! She's not the kind of girl to just go from guy to guy. She's also not the kind of girl to flirt with her ex who's clearly still got feelings for her while she has a boyfriend!! Even if it was unintentional, like subconsciously, still she's smarter than that and she cares about Jonathan and Steve's feelings she wouldn't risk hurting the both of them at once.

I mean if we're talking about come home it could work as something for bug and Steve to work through I guess ( I don't wanna talk about it too much because it's so far away and there's a lot more we have to go through to get to that point) but it's so outside of Nancy's character. Maybe she's just confused cause she almost died and saw Steve get seriously hurt? But still Nancy isn't a homewrecker and she's not a super jealous or promiscuous person. Even if she didn't know about how close bug and Steve have grown she wouldn't go after him. But strictly speaking of stranger things now. She hardly interacted with Steve in season four, which is fair she's still in highschool and Steve has a job. They have their own shit going on. It's understandable. I feel like Nancy's character gets misconstrued a lot, partially because she keeps getting reduced to a love interest. I just hope Nancy and Jonathan don't fall apart because of how much they've changed during their time away. I love Steve but he's not right for Nancy and she's not right for Steve. I hope they Don't ruin such a great relationship with so much potential. Like I see the problems in jancy but I can see how well it could work if given the chance.

honestly it just feels like the writers dont KNOW what to do with nancy anymore or even jancy. i adore them and think theyre so sweet together but the writers are just ,,,, pissing me off. bringing back steves feelings for her and nancys weird feelings for him was just ??? unnecessary and NO ONE was asking for it

i will say however i do see the vision for stancy. i think they did have a good shot at being in love and happy, theyre right person wrong time, but if that was the plan since season 1 then ,,,, it shouldve been touched on earlier ?!?!!? we dont see nancys feelings for steve at ALL until season 4 like even WHILE THEY WERE DATING. its stupid. and like u said: nancy isnt like that !! she’d never directly hurt anyone :( shes so kind and loyal and the writers are mean

and jancy ,,, ugh they have sm potential if the writers would just figure them out. they keep having the same argument of jon wanting to care for his family and nancy wanting to uncover and explore shit its just. ugh.

for season 4 i will DEF be retconning some shit because yeah. im not dealing with a repeat love square that will be resolved literally THIS SEASON in season 2. feels so dumb to be so repetitive. i will however bring in some elements in that love triangle back in 4 but not in any definitive or dramatic way. smh

#ask #anon #m speaks #m rants technically #nancy wheeler i will defend u with my life

[imthepunchlord]

Different nonnie, but Liiri always looked like a cute but bland little nugget to me, so I totally get liking Ying Ying’s character design better. The red-and-yellow glowing color palette that all the Renlings have made it harder to appreciate square-on, so I’m glad you’re switching the colors up too.

Your full answer to that ask reminds me, concerning which of your Miraculous WIPs you’d want to use this three-tier Miraculous setup on, you could honestly just have the Wish made by someone using the canon Ladybug and Black Cat in any of the MULTIPLE in-show close calls up to this point and then just alter and/or rewind reality from there, because SCREW all the unnecessary changes, additions, and retcons that this show’s lore has pulled over the last five seasons. The Prodigious, Order of the Guardians, Native American Miraculous, Miraculous potions, time travel, and so on were obviously far too complex ideas for the ML crew to handle properly, and now they’ve decided to delve even further into the idea of alternate universes for the upcoming Miraculous Paris special on top of all of that, so forget it, might as well use the one still-useful canon-established setup of a Wish to clean it all up so you can use your new lineup in any idea you want. After Wish AU? An accidental dual-Wish is already built into the premise, with Adrien wanting things to be different and Marinette rejecting that, and you get to play with the PV world’s interesting plot setups, a main cast whose characters are slightly to-the-left in terms of personality and looks, and a Marinette who remembers everything contrasting an Adrien who remembers nothing. Off to Italy AU? Maybe it’s later in Season 4 or 5 where Marinette is just tired and she Wishes she had gotten the chance to be a hero with actual support and/or really live her life with trustworthy friends and family at the start of it all, with both the Miraculous powers and her grandmother’s availability to take her to live in Milan with her shifting accordingly. Fortune Favors the Brave AU? Maybe Alya swipes Chat Noir’s Miraculous in Hack-san during their brief introduction-tussle and has the “bright” idea of making the Wish to make herself the Ladybug hero from the beginning only to find that a) main hero life is a lot harder than it’s cracked up to be, b) she’s now one of the five most powerful instead of the two most powerful as Karma for making the Wish without considering others, pressing the importance of teamwork in this new life even more than in the old one, and c) her new kwami is understandably NOT happy about how Alya not only betrayed her former owner’s trust but also reset the universe’s established power balances due to her Wish being too broad. And these are just three examples off the top of my head. All this to say that you’ve been a wonderful part of the fandom even if you don’t interact with it as much anymore, and I don’t think you’ll have to worry too much about which idea to fit your new Miraculous system into when the time comes given your writing track record. With all the grief that the canon plot has given you and everyone else, it’s only fair that you get to use its built-in Deus ex machina to your advantage.

I'll say that chances are I wouldn't do an After Wish au for a lot of the ideas, cause most I want to work off starting off fresh and no one having any recollection of a previous timeline and acting like this is the norm.

Like, the Off to series would have this set up since "Lady Lion" would be a character for Off to Milan, and Pixie Girl or Butterfly Girl will have Mantis. And Off to London, Sebastian the waiter is planned to have Songbird.

So Off to series will either be splitting up the Bagua set or it'll be all randomized on where Miraculous are, and Fu only has a few.

But After Wish au could happen for some ideas, especially since I do like @nobodyfamousposts Lament ideas and their take on the Wish. How the new reality deals with you can depend on your actions, where fighting against the new setting and not liking the changes makes things worse for you, and how rough a set up you'll have can depend on how selfish or selfless a Wish is. It's a fun set up and scenario to think about.

And oh yeah, full agree with all the choices and directions the show went. I'm certain a lot of it came down to doing what other superhero studios were doing. Like Marvel is trying to get the multiverse going and DC dabbled in it with that Flash movie, so clearly ML has to do it too! Which, I will say, there is potential in playing with the multiverse. Back when the show just started, this was the show for aus. Any au you could think of existed. ML being a tv show and the cast are all actors, kwami swap au, inverse/pastel au that just swapped or changed up their colors, personality swaps, life swaps, reverse love square, enemies to lovers, rivals to lovers, ect..

So Ml could work off the multiverse and have fun with it, but that does require creativity and a passion for the show, which given their lazy or odd choices, you got to wonder how invested they are.

#ask Punchie #ml fics #ml salt #maybe there will be a change in quality cause I think Thomas is no longer apart of ML #I know there will be a change in Adrien's character #I heard only him could write Adrien as all other writers wants Adrien to get mad and snap back #and that clashes with Adrien's sad boy perfection that Thomas wants #so Adrien may be different starting with s6 #or maybe Zag will take the chance to just reboot the show ont he spot now that Thomas isn't there #cause I also heard they had creative disagreements #and ML is just so wild in how it works and is handled #nothing crazy is an impossibility

[huggybug]

thomas bords x exs to lovers lake house ?

“I thought he wasn’t coming” Luke jumps when you come up behind him.

“What?”

“Thomas. You said he was staying in Montréal this summer” It was the only reason why you agreed to come to the lake house, because Luke promised that Thomas wouldn’t be here.

Luke looked at Dylan and Mark who looked like they were caught in something but Ethan stepped in, putting his arm around you. “Don’t worry, we’ll keep you away from him. It’ll be like he’s not even here”

…

“I’m going to kill Luke” Thomas groaned when he saw you being guided into the house by Ethan.

“Why?” Brendan asked, mindlessly scrolling through his phone. Thomas glared at his best friend who clearly hadn’t noticed that you were here.

“He said Y/n wasn’t coming”

“She’s here?” Brendan’s head perked up, looking around for you with a smile on his face.

“Dude” Thomas huffed, “Why did I come if she’s here?”

“Relax, maybe it’ll be good for you guys to talk” Thomas scoffed, there was no way you’d want to talk to him after what he did. “Or not, whatever. Just don’t have a full blown fight and ruin the summer for everyone” Brendan wasn’t being as supportive as Thomas would expect his best friend to be but whatever, he had other things to worry about.

…

“I didn’t know you’d be here” You said quietly. The house was empty, or so you thought. You walked into the kitchen to find Thomas sitting at the island. “Or else I wouldn’t have come”

“Oh I thought you just wanted to ruin my sunner@ he laughed dryly.

“If my presence alone can ruin your summer, I think you have problems of your own you need to sort out”

“Get over yourself”

“Me?” You ask incredulously. “You’re the one who thinks you should be here over me, I’m just trying to coexist here Thomas”

“They’re my friends, of course I should be here”

“They’re my friends too” You snapped back.

“I know… I didn’t mean it like that” He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“Sure” You scoffed, rolling your eyes. “Look, if it really bothers you that much, I’ll leave. I don’t want to have to fight you all summer in front of everyone”

“It’s fine. We can both be here, we’re adults right?” He looks over at you hesitantly.

“Yeah, definitely”

It was a lot easier than you thought. Thomas was acting like he didn’t hate you and it made everything much less awkward. The first day was rough but after that, he

You were down on the dock, staring out at the dark lake. Luke and Ethan were down here with you but had gone to bed already, tired out after a long day on the water. You probably should be going to bed as well but it was nice down here, it was peaceful.

“Hey” His voice startled you and when you jumped, he chuckled before apologizing.

“You’re fine, sorry I just thought everyone was asleep already” You smiled lightly up at Thomas. He motioned to the ground beside you, silently asking if he could sit and you nodded, scooting over a bit to make room.

“So… look, I know we said we would coexist here-”

“Thomas, if you’re uncomfortable with me here, I really don’t have a problem in going home. I meant it when I said you deserve to enjoy this summer” He worked hard during the season, you weren’t about to ruin his off time with unnecessary drama.

“No! That’s not what I’m saying” Thomas was quick to assure you. “I just… when we broke up… I wasn’t planning it, you know that right?”

A chill runs through your body at the memory that you’ve tried so hard to block out. Thomas broke up with you right around the time he left school for San Jose. It wasn’t great, I mean what breakup ever was, but you also didn’t blame him for it. Not really anyway.

He was moving across the country, long distance was hard and with both of your schedules being so busy, you agreed that it would probably be better to call it off before anything got worse.

“We don’t have to talk about it…” You said quietly, staring back out at the water.

“Do you think it was a mistake?” He asks and it’s like every sensor in your body was going off.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that? You’re the one who called it off”

You look over when he doesn’t say anything. Thomas’ eyes are on you and you suddenly feel warm, the cool summer air doing nothing to help.

“Is it bad if I regret it?”

“Do you really?” You asked, hating how hopeful you sounded.

“I think about it, about you, every day. It was stupid, we could’ve at least tried”

“Thomas…”

“Give me one more chance” He turns so that he’s facing you, pulling one of your hands into his. “I swear, letting you go was the worst decision I’ve ever made”

“We’ll be doing long distance” You knew the stories. How many relationships failed because of the distance. You didn’t want your relationship with Thomas to fall victim to that.

“We can do it baby, I know it”

“One chance” You sigh, not even bothering to hide the smile when he leans in to kiss you.

#lake house day! #thomas bordeleau x reader #thomas bordeleau imagine #thomas bordeleau blurb #san jose sharks #hockey writing #hockey fic #nhl players #nhl fanfiction

[fletchervanhall]

Ink & Hearts | Flavier

Featuring: Fletcher Van Hall & Xavier Mitchell; mentions of others here and there Location: The Ink Tank; San Francisco, CA Time Frame: Friday night, March 1, 2024 Notes: Fletcher gives Xavier his first tattoo, during which they have a meaningful conversation about The Oscars, relationships, and future plans. @xaviernottheprofessor

XAVIER

Seb had asked if Henry could stay over to check out a new video game with Leo and Winter had a Sweet 16 to attend. It was the season. After dropping Henry off, Xavier made his way to the Ink Tank. The tattoo he'd be getting was small and he was excited about it. He had others he wanted to consult with Fletcher about. He was also happy to be seeing the tattoo artist and getting some time together. There was a lot to catch up on and there were things on his mind he wanted to talk to him about. Fletcher seemed to be very level-headed and the type that would listen and give good advice. Maybe he could help soothe some of Xavier's concerns regarding the Oscars. When he arrived, he waved at Tanya and smiled at her. "How are you doing, girl?" He leaned in against the display, listening to Fletcher's needle. "I know I'm early so I'll just wait out here with you for a bit."

FLETCHER

Fletcher was at one of the semi-private stations, finishing up the refreshing old ink on a repeat client's shoulder blade. The two were chatting casually on and off throughout the appointment and when Fletcher finished, he cleaned and coated the piece with an antibacterial solution and let the client know he was done. "You wanna see it or..?" The man shook his head, "I'm not worried about you fucking anything up. And if you did, I'll bitch about it later." Fletcher chuckled and dryly replied, "Can't wait." He went ahead and covered the refreshed piece, and then slid back on his rolling stool to take off and throw away his gloves. "Alright, Tanya'll get you squared away. See you next time." His client left Fletcher a tip on the work bed and then headed to the front of the parlor, giving a greeting nod to Xavier before striking up a conversation with Tanya and taking out his wallet to pay. After Fletcher finished cleaning the work station and washed his hands, he headed to the shop front, a crooked smile forming on his lips at the sight of Xavier. "Hey, you," he spoke, gesturing towards the back where the 2 private tattoo stations were. Because Xavier told him he wanted to talk, Fletcher already had one of the rooms reserved for them. He opened and then shut the door once he and Xavier were inside. "How are you?" he asked, twining their fingers together and kissing his palm.

XAVIER

Xavier smiled politely at the client and checked his phone to make sure Winter made it safely to Judith's Sweet 16. He trusted her with driving but on the inside, , he was very much a concerned dad. Be home no later than midnight. Gives you an hour to get home. His daughter texted him a kissing emoji and he rolled his eyes with a smile before pocketing his phone once more. "Hey yourself." He grinned at Fletcher, following him towards the station. His fingers interlaced with Fletcher's and Xavier smiled affectionately at the kiss before taking a few steps forward to embrace him. He rested his head on Fletcher's chest for a few seconds before pulling back and allowing his gaze to settle on the older man's face. "I'm alright. My kid's social calendar is booming so that's nice." He chuckled and then kissed his lover on the lips. "Mm, I believe I owe you a few of those. How's work? Hopefully not too grueling?" Xavier removed his light jacket and folded it before placing it on an empty chair. "Where do you want me, handsome?"

FLETCHER

Fletcher wrapped his arms around Xavier and then met his gaze when he drew back. "Sounds like you'll be busy too then. After all, Winter only just turned sixteen. She's still got a license to get, and the probation period before she can drive anyone around, so that'll still mean you getting them to their activities, yeah?" He assumed Xavier might have had assistance with that or a separate vehicle that could transport the three ofnthem around if need be. He bent his head and met Xavier's lips. "If you say so. I won't turn down a few of those." His shoulders shrugged as he sat on the wheeled stool in the room. "Nah, it's been am easygoing day. A couple of piercings and a re-touched tat." Reaching out to pat the tattoo bed, he smirked, "I thought you already knew I'd want you in bed."

XAVIER

"Maybe more on the domestic front. It's been nice being home a lot longer than usual. I get to see my favorite people." he smiled at Fletcher and nodded. "She has her permit so she's got to go for the provisional license, is that what it's called here? Eliza volunteered to drive with her and teach here a lot for a while if I can't do it. I asked her if I could drive her to the party tonight but ..." He shrugged with a smirk. "Teenagers, I guess. Good thing you have some time before that chaos ensues. ALSO, I should tell you that Winter thinks you're what was the wording? 'He's giving, perfect dating material. if you know, you know, Dad.'" Xavier imitated his daughter, perfect American accent and all. "So she thinks that by 'letting me' come see you here, she's helping in pairing us together. because she thinks I should have you as a backup to the current guy I'm dating that she has no idea is you. Fun, right?" He chuckled and then moved to sit on the tattoo bed. "Ah, right." He grinned. "How can I forget?"

FLETCHER

"I'm happy for you," Fletcher replied in cool earnest. He knew he and Xavier both led busy lives in different ways and even without knowing his kids well, he was sure his kids were especially happy to be seeing more of him these days. He nodded here and there, listening to Xavier as he took his seat and then shuddered a bit at the thought or Phoebe being a teen. "Yeah I'll be ripe for the crotchety old man shtick which should pair nicely with her hormonal teenage self," he dryly joked. But his brows arched a little at hearing Winter's thoughts and he chuckled from Xavier's imitation. "Glad I've got her approval already as your first, unbeknownst to her, and your backup choice for boyfriend. She's a good kid." Wheeling back a bit to grab a folder, he had some mockups of what Xavier said he wanted on the stencil paper but before he opened it to show him, he asked, "Remind me again where you wanna get your ink today? I've drawn up a few ideas but I'm curious where you're getting it."

XAVIER

He chuckled at Fletcher’s words. “It’ll be great.” He knew Fletcher would have teenage Phoebe handled. He was already such an amazing father. “Yeah, she doesn’t like many people so it’s nice she approves. I’ve got good taste. She really is a great kid.” Xavier slid back and made himself comfortable on the bed. “After careful thinking, I was thinking of my chest left side by my heart. What do you think?” Xavier pulled his shirt off to show Fletcher where. He was eager to see what was in the folder and he tried to peek with a small smile. “I’m really excited to see your work. I think you’ll do a beautiful job. Also, after all this, I want to talk to you about another piece I’d like to get after we get back from the Oscar’s.”

FLETCHER

"I can relate to her on that--not liking many people. So I'm honored to be on her short list, especially where you're concerned." He listened intently to Xavier and watched him remove his shirt, letting his eyes linger on his bare chest and abs for a little longer than necessary before returning his gaze to Xavier's eyes. "I think that sounds great for this piece. Now you just have to decide what you wanna do." He opened the folder and handed it over to Xavier so that he could see the four different designs he'd drawn up. "Another piece? Alright. How are you feeling about that by the way? The Oscars, I mean."

XAVIER

He smiled at Fletcher and leaned in to kiss his temple. “I’m glad I’m on your list.” Xavier’s smile widened when he caught Fletcher watching him. He took the folder and placed it on his lap so he could browse through the four pieces. “These are beautiful, love. You’re so talented.” He took his time admiring each piece, letting his fingers run over them but when he saw the date on the breast cancer awareness ribbon that curved as a heart , he knew that was it. “That one. That’s the one. That’s stunning.” He looked up at Fletcher. He knew he could count on him to create something significant. “Yeah. A lot more elaborate.” The question made him pause a moment and Xavier leaned back once again onto the bed assuming he’d have to get into position soon. “Ah, well…I had to pull over on the expressway yesterday. I was listening to this podcast tear me apart and it got me thinking, what if I’m not that good? This crowd, baby…they’re tough.” He chuckled softly and shook his head. “I had an anxiety attack. Couldn’t breathe. Just felt awful, terrible. Like an elephant was stomping on my chest.” He looked up at the ceiling. “My ex, I never told you but he broke up with me during a commercial break while I was hosting. He then went on social media and trashed me and my friends. Mostly me. I had to take a break after I finished hosting. I couldn’t really do interviews. So l, I got a lot of flack. I don’t even know how I got invited back and apparently there are people also questioning the Academy’s decision to bring me back. I don’t care about Jeremy or anything that concerns him. But I care about my work, my art. Ya know? I don’t know. I can’t fuck this up.”

FLETCHER

Fletcher smirked, "I'm glad you are too or else this would be awkward as fuck." He leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees while Xavier looked at the drawings he'd done based on what Xavier described to him. "Thanks," he replied to the compliment and then craned his neck a bit to see which one Xavier had chosen. "You got it, babe." He took hold of the folder so that he could prep the stencil to go on Xavier's left pec, measuring the size with his thumb and index. But as he listened on, he'd gotten intrigued by this more elaborate tattoo. They could talk about it later though, like Xavier had said. For now, he divided his attention between prepping the area on Xavier's chest where he'd be working and listening to Xavier some more. He'd been in the middle of pulling on some black latex gloves but paused upon hearing what Xavier first told him. His brows furrowed sternly while his eyes were full of concern. "Jesus, Xavier," he whispered after hearing what his anxiety attack was like.

His expression hadn't changed at any point when Xavier went on and when he finished, Fletcher had pulled the one glove he'd had on off his hand and set them both aside on the counter behind himself. Facing Xavier completely, he took his hand and closed both of his hands around it. "Your ex is a pile of horse shit and I hope he gets ass fucked with a cactus." He hadn't cracked a smile once as he went on, "I know I've been the hold up on us having a boyfriend label so I don't have any right to make any demands of you, but if your anxiety gets to you again and there's something I can do like talking you through it or something, call me, alright?" He squeezed Xavier's hand with both of his, adding, "No matter what time it is. I mean it." Keeping one hand in the younger man's, Fletcher reached up and cupped Xavier's cheek, "And if I had to guess, The Academy and the network invited you back to host because they like you. Whatever bullshit your ex tried to stir up wasn't enough to distract them from how fucking talented you are. They could've asked a lot of people. Hell, they could've asked some other repeat host back. But they asked you. And you're not going to fuck it up. The doubters aren't the majority--just a loud minority with too much time on their hands." Fletcher leaned in and pressed a kiss to Xavier's forehead. "And who the hell can even vouch for this podcast? Seems like just about everybody has a goddamn podcast these days. Doesn't mean they're good or they're right. So fuck 'em. You're going to have your friends in and outta the industry there. You're gonna have your kids rooting for you. Your family across the pond is always in your corner. And you've got me. If I get stopped by some reporter after the show and they ask me about how you did, you know damn well I'll tell them the truth. I saw you at that school fundraiser. And I've seen what you can do on SNL now." After a tender kiss to Xavier's lips, he murmured, "You're going to be great, X."

XAVIER

He'd never actually shared this vulnerable side of himself with anyone he was seeing or dating. Xavier feared it would be seen as some sort of red flag or a turn-off. While that fear did creep up in the back of his mind, there was no hesitation in telling Fletcher. He had no reservations about being completely honest with him and to have that with anyone was something he'd always wanted. He just didn't realize that until now. Xavier was always the comedian, always making others feel good, always the life of the party. In truth, he had gotten lost in his own words, brown eyes fixed on the lighting in the booth. How would Fletcher respond? And that's when he felt his partner's hands in his. His gaze broke away from the ceiling and he met Fletcher's gaze instead. A small and brief chuckle fell from his lips at the mention of the cactus and Jeremy. "I know. He really is such a piece of shit," Xavier agreed, nodding as Fletcher spoke with no signs of amusement on his face now just a mix of adoration and sadness. His eyes filled up with tears mostly because this felt like some turning point. Even if they had never gone down any sort of romantic path, Xavier would have been lucky just to have someone like Fletcher in his life. "You did come to mind. Admittedly, you were the first that came to mind but I didn't know how you'd react and I didn't want to disturb you. You've never seen me like that and..." He didn't finish his phrase but he figured Fletcher got it. The warmth in his neck rose and he hated how vulnerable he felt in that moment. "Shit..." Xavier whispered and wiped his tears. "I'm sorry..." After Fletcher finished, Xavier closed his eyes and brought the heels of his hands up to hold them there for a few seconds. "Thank you." he sniffled and then removed his hands. When his eyes adjusted and he got a good view of Fletcher's face again, he pulled him in for an embrace, his fingertips massaging the hairs on his nape.

It was a silent realization and it felt like a ton of bricks had fallen on him yet he felt the lightest he's ever felt. He did have massive and fervent feelings for Fletcher after all. It wasn't like he didn't know it but he wasn't taking the time to think on them much. Even now, he'd just bask in them. Xavier didn't need the same in exchange. He promised they'd keep a pace and that was fine for him. "Uh...that means a lot to me. That you'd want me to call you and just...well, everything you just said. I know that you have this way about you that's kept your guard up and that's--, I understand why. I use my comedy for example." He smiled. "You have a beautiful heart, Fletcher. I just want you to know that. I do think that about you. Thank you for hearing me out."

FLETCHER

Fletcher felt a pang in his chest when Xavier began to cry. He would have grabbed a couple of tissues but Xavier had already begun wiping the tears away. "As far as how I'd react... hell, I'd just try to help you through it. I'm not some licensed pro in that but I'd sure as hell try. And as far as disturbing me, don't worry about that anymore. If you call me, I'll answer or I'll call you right back." With a few shakes of his head, he said, "Don't apologize to me, sweetheart. You haven't done anything wrong." And he gladly let Xavier pull him to him. His face nuzzled Xavier's neck and he kissed him sweetly there a few times. And when the 2 drew back and were able to look at each other again, Fletcher listened on. "Listen, the only guard I really keep is where my loved ones are concerned. I don't wear my heart on my sleeve all the time just because it's not how I'm built--it's not my personality. I don't lie whuch you know, but I'm also not gonna open the flood gates of my life to every person I cross paths with, especially if I dont know someone because why do they need that side of my honesty or know every single thing about me right off the bat? But I get what you're saying." He leaned in and kissed Xavier's temple. "And the more I like you, the more I'll share with you as things just naturally come up or if you straight up ask, and the more I'll show up for you. I'll be here for you however you let me be here for you, X, alright? Whether it's as your friend, your lover..." He reached up and ran a thumb beneath Xavier's eye to wipe away a stray tear, "Or your boyfriend."

XAVIER

For whatever reason, hearing Fletcher call him 'sweetheart' made Xavier want to cry all over again but he didn't. It was probably the stress of keeping all of it in. Even if he had hashed out his issues with his relationship with Jeremy followed by the inevitable breakup, there were still a lot that made him feel burned, and having any positive attention made him feel sensitive all over again but in the best way. "Well, I admire you for that and it's a good thing. You're right about not giving away all the intimate details of your life right away especially when some people will take advantage. And I love how fiercely protective you are." Xavier loved a lot of things about Fletcher. He'd have to be careful throwing that word around even if it was genuinely placed. The pacing was dire. Every kiss and touch made him feel better and whole and these were times Xavier excelled at writing things other than comedy. He'd be able to formulate into words exactly how this felt. It'd be more elegant and not some mish-mosh of new feelings. "I appreciate that. The more you like me, the more you'll share. I like learning about you, your family, the things you like or don't like." He closed his eyes when Fletcher wiped away his tears and felt a slight bolt of electricity run through his body as he processed everything Fletcher was saying. "All the things. I want you here as all the things." He kissed Fletcher's lips. "Can't be a good boyfriend if you aren't a good friend or lover." He chuckled onto his lips and kissed him again. "Whenever that brilliant heart of yours is ready for silly ol me." He chuckled again and leaned back. He was starting to realize he'd wait for Fletcher for as long as he had to and that in itself was brand new.

FLETCHER

Fletcher continued listening to Xavier and, hand still holding one of Xavier's, glided his thumb across Xavier's skin. Hearing Xavier say he wanted all the things with him had Fletcher smiling softly. He returned the kiss and then for a moment, gave the younger man a puzzled look, only to smooth out his features and chuckle a little, dropping his head as he did so. "See, this is why subtlety isn't my thing." He lifted his gaze and then clarified, "That was my way of trying to ask you to be my boyfriend, Xavier. I want you, and to be 'all the things' for you and with you."

XAVIER

"Oh." Xavier felt sheepish. This is why his parents encouraged the comedy route. Throughout his adolescent life, he wasn't exactly the most social with his anxiety creeping up at the wrong times. Probably why his cues would be messed up. He couldn't help but laugh at himself and shook his head. "Nope. That one was all me, I promise. Okay, do over." He smiled at Fletcher, the enthusiasm still pretty evident even if it didn't click at first. "so no more secret beau." He grinned. "Except around Rodrigo until the Oscars because I know we're trying to make him squirm." He chuckled and leaned in, cupping Fletcher's face. "I'd love to be your boyfriend. All the things with you and only you." He kissed his boyfriend and pulled back only to offer him the sweetest smile. "It has a nice ring to it, right?"

FLETCHER

"No. Except for Rodrigo because fuckin' with him is too hilarious," Fletcher agreed, loving his best friend and brother, but also loving to mess with him from time to time. He returned Xavier's kiss and when he pulled back, Fletcher smiled crookedly to him. "Sure. I know we're still figuring things out and we're only about a month into being anything to each other, but I'd like us to keep figuring that out and getting to know each other more as boyfriends to one another." He kissed Xavier's lips a few more times and then murmured as he drew back, "And now that I've got you feeling warm and fuzzy, I think it's time we got started on your first ink, yeah?"

XAVIER

Xavier laughed softly at the idea of Fletcher teasing his best friend this much. It was a nice dynamic. Reminded him of true brothers like his relationship with his twin. “We have to plan how we will reveal it to him for ultimate shock then” Xavier grinned. “Yeah, I do like the idea of that.” He enjoyed every kiss and chuckled softly at the words. “Okay.” He sat up and then leaned back onto the tattoo bed. “I’m ready. So how badly does the first time hurt?”(edited)

FLETCHER

"We'll see what comes to mind. Maybe we don't need to plan anything and it'll just spontaneously be revealed. Or I can just walk up to Rodrigo, tell him I'm your boyfriend now, and then walk away like I just told him the sky is blue." Fletcher made the comment so nonchalantly while getting the antibacterial solution and wiping it on Xavier's pec. He then went back to the gloves to put them on while the solution air-dried and only considered Xavier's question for a second before chuckling, "I'll be honest, everybody's different. You're getting inked in a somewhat sensitive spot so it's gonna hurt, mostly when I get to the shading on the ribbon, but it's not the most painful spot to get inked either. And I don't know your tolerance for pain." He picked up his tattoo gun, already prepared with black ink to start, but he leaned over and pecked Xavier's lips once again. "Mm. Listen, we can take as many breaks as you need. Just tell me and I'll stop, okay?" He paused then said, "I'm gonna start with the outline, okay?"

XAVIER

Xavier laughed, relieved for the levity. The thought of it be a spontaneous reveal made him grin. “Poor guy. He really has no idea. Could have sworn we were dead give always at Winter’s birthday party.” Xavier watched Fletcher prepare everything. “Thanks for the honesty.” Xavier had done some research too so he knew about the area being sensitive but he was glad that a professional was telling him too and that he wasn’t about to bullshit him either. “My tolerance isn’t so bad so hopefully it won’t be too excruciating.” He smiled when Fletcher reassured and kissed him. It was kind and gentle and he felt lucky his first tattoo would come from him. He nodded in response and added, “okay, love.” He then smiled, keeping his gaze on Fletcher and trusting him fully. “Go for it.” Xavier waited for Fletcher to begin, enthused by the idea that he was going to get such a meaningful tattoo created by someone he cared for in such little time.

FLETCHER

"He'll live," Fletcher replied casually with a sly smirk. "He's observant as hell but food, especially good food is his kryptonite. Or blind spot. Both, I guess." He waited for Xavier to let him know that he was ready and as soon as he got the go-ahead, Fletcher nodded. He could've ser the stencil on Xavier's skin first but he'd familiarized himself so much with each of the choices he'd drawn that he knew freehanding it wouldn't be an issue. Turning on the machine with a foot pedal, Fletcher spread his left thumb and index across Xavier's pec and said, "Here we go," positioning the tattoo gun like a writing tool and pressing the needle to his skin, starting at the base of the ribbon. His focus was on what he was doing but he spoke up over the non-stop buzzing, "Doing OK there?" all the while continuing with his curved line.

XAVIER

"Oh, good to know if I ever do mystery theater or if I need to bring him down in match of any game." He chuckled. "Rodrigo is a fine lad. He's good friends with my mate, Emma and I adore Jade She's a great girl. It's funny how often we've been in the same room you and I." From that to this was quite a story. Thinking about it, it was better things developed now. "It's just really great that we're all in the same circles like some giant Venn Diagram." He watched Fletcher do what he does best. When the gun was turned on, he did feel some nervousness build up but it wasn't enough to change his mind or hesitate. When the needle touched Xavier's skin, he braced himself for any possible pain and while the start was slightly painful, he was still rather relieved and calm. "Yeah. doing okay." He smiled, looking down at his chest, amazed by Fletcher's ability to freehand. It did feel like such an intimate moment and he smiled thinking about what he was about to say, "I can't believe it took me this long but I guess better late than never."

FLETCHER

"Yeah, he's one of the best people I know. And Jade's a sweetheart. I didn't realize it at first when the two of them got involved but I'd met her before she and Rodrigo met. She made an appointment with a member of my crew to get her first tat." He smiled a little bit thinking about how often he and Xavier were at the same functions but never really talked until recently. " It doesn't hurt that a lot of folks were on Ship-Wrecked and those of us who weren't knew at least one person who was." Fletcher concentrated but was still being mindful that this was Xavier's first tattoo. During a short pause, he plucked some wipes from the nearby tray and wiped the excess ink and bit of blood away. Keeping the used wipes lightly balled in his palm, he repositioned his thumb and index and then pressed the foot pedal to continue on with the outline. "No shame in waiting. Besides you're what, thirty-two?" He smiled a little as he worked, "Some people don't pop their ink cherry until they're in their forties or fifties. The whole midlife crisis, YOLO mentality kicks in."

XAVIER

"Wow, what a small world." He nodded in agreement to the Ship-Wrecked comment. "That's also true. God, that was a dark time in my life," he joked. "If you ever watch it, we'll skip past the cringy scenes, yeah?" A small chuckle fell from his lips. He felt a tiny sting and hissed softly but shook it off shortly after. "Yeah? I've always wanted one especially in high school but I could never figure out what my first one would be so I figured I'd wait until I knew. Next thing I knew, time had passed and it hadn't happened yet. Besides obvious reasons, I'm glad I met you though because it inspired me to go for it." Xavier thought it was nice to have someone he trusted and knew in the artist's chair. He kept his gaze on Fletcher doing his work. He was curious and enjoyed watching the other man's concentration. That and he figured being chatty would be too much of a distraction. It was such an art and Fletcher deserved every bit of praise for his work.

FLETCHER

Fletcher chuckled, "Tell me about it. Especially for a big city like this." He listened to Xacier and jokingly quipped, "So we'll just skip watching the whole show?" And then he smirked, coolly adding, "I don't watch much reality TV, but if there's something you want me to see from it, I can check it out." Hearing the hiss from. Xavier, he paused a d wiped away at his chest. "Need a break?" He asked turning to toss the wipe in the biohazard bin. He plucked a clean wipe and said, "I'm glad to be so inspiring to you." He made sure Xavier was alright before continuing and then finishing the outline of the ribbon with a heart added. Lastly, he added the date to the curve of the heart. After wiping away more of the excess, Fletcher swiveled in the chair to change the needle and clean out the remaining black ink inside the gun. He had the pink ready to go, in two different shades for Xavier's skin and to correctly get the shading right on the ribbon. "Alright, gonna get some color going. I'm gonna do the general pink of it all and then go back to do the shading. That's gonna hurt more but there's not a lot to do, so hang in there, alright?" He tugged a fresh wipe to hang onto and then got started with filling in the ribbon.

XAVIER

“Exactly my thoughts.” Xavier chuckled at Fletcher’s quip all the while watching what he was working on. “Listen I’m okay with that if we don’t watch it ever. There was this one bit where we had to parade around in lingerie though to do a scavenger hunt. I was in these Lacey bootie shorts and leather belts just …lord. You’d have to see it” he laughed thinking back on that time. Even though it was weird with Jeremy being a part of that, it was where he met a lot of his friends. When Fletcher asked him if he needed a break, Xavier shook his head and let him know he can’t continue. He listened intently to Fletcher’s direction and was glad that he was understanding and gentle. “Okay, yeah. Let’s do it.” He braced himself for the pain and while it did hurt more, took a few breaths, bringing his right arm up and behind his head. He was glad to have done the research and for all of Fletcher’s warnings. It definitely made for a smoother experience. Xavier bit down on his lip as Fletcher continued, the pain picking up here and there but nothing he couldn’t really handle.

FLETCHER

Fletcher intentionally slipped his foot off the pedal and stilled, except for his gaze flickering up to Xavier's face when he heard the description of the lingerie that he'd worn on the show. "Okay, I'm backpedaling on what I said about not watching. I wanna see that episode." He smirked and then kept going after Xavier settled from his laugh and then he got to switching the needle and ink. After trying to prepare Xavier for what was to come with the increase in pain due to the color and eventually shading, he nodded and advised, "Just remember to keep breathing, sweetheart," he said and then looked back to what he was doing. He got some of the color impressed upon Xavier's skin and then wiped the blood and excess ink away before continuing on. "Tell me about your day today, before you got here," he said, figuring that getting Xavier talking could help as a distraction. "Also, are you gonna tell your kids about us when you get home?"

XAVIER

Xavier laughed some more at Fletcher’s reaction. “You just wanna see the bootie.” He smirked and then added, “I’ll show you scenes from that episode. I was doing yoga every morning so I was definitely more in shape.” He grinned, letting out a soft sigh. It was nice to have these tiny little breaks. It helped with the pain and it helped keep him settled. Xavier gave Fletcher a silent nod when he was reminded to breathe. It hurt more now and Xavier kept his cool but the stinging was a nice reminder of what he was doing. “Hm?” Once again, Xavier was glad for the distraction. He swallowed the knot that had formed in his throat and placed his attention on the top of Fletcher’s head. “It was a pretty constructive day. I did some work around the house that needed to be done, did a Zoom table reading to make sure my pieces were okay for tomorrow’s show. Even if I’m not in the episode, I wrote four sketches…” Xavier breathed in and out. “ then picked up the kids, took them to this Mediterranean place by the school and signed them up for camp for Spring break. They’ve been begging for it so they’re happy.” Xavier smiled at the last question. “I am. You’ll hear Winter squeal from your house I’m sure. Are you telling Drew and Emiliana?”

FLETCHER

"So?" Fletcher shamelessly replied. "Besides, it's not like I haven't seen that juicy ass of yours before. Now I just wanna see it in this lingerie you brought up.' He smirked and theb continued on with his work, occasionally gathering more ink to dispense in Xavier's skin, and wiping his skin clean. He listened to the day Xavier had had so far and raised both brows when he mentioned writing 4 sketches. "Jesus. 'A pretty constructive day' he says," Fletcher muttered loudly enough to be heard over the buzzing. "What kinda camp are they doing for their Spring Break?" he asked, filling in more of the ribbon. Xavier's response about telling the kids about the two of them being a couple, he chuckled, "After her birthday party and meeting her, I'm having a hard time imagining her squealing. But I'll listen for it. And yeah, I'll tell them. I'm pretty sure they think we're already a couple so I don't think it'll surprise them much. Tanya'll give the biggest reaction, second only to Rodrigo when he finds out."

XAVIER

Xavier chuckled, shaking his head some at Fletcher's response. He'd show him a couple of scenes after their session was over. There was bound to be some sort of snippet on YouTube. The reaction to him writing four sketches, had Xavier chuckling again. "When I get in a mode I can write a good amount and being home has helped with that. Better to write at home than in a hotel, I think." Xavier smiled with his mind off the pain for now. "The school offers some nice camps. Winter wanted to do the arts and drama camp for teens and she enjoys that Ziggy lad who runs it. Henry wanted to do hockey camp with Leo. He hates sports but loves his friends." Xavier laughed softly. "So, they plan on staying busy. Oh and don't be fooled! Winter is still very much a teenager. Very brooding but also loves and will squeal if her father gets a boyfriend. She might even give herself all the credit for us." He grinned, listening to Fletcher speak about his family and friend's reactions. "Drew and Emiliana know what's up." Xavier thought about Tanya and Rodrigo's reaction and smirked. "I like Tanya. Can't wait for their reactions." He looked down at Fletcher with a gentle smile. "Thank you for making this so--for being so--well, tranquil."

FLETCHER

Fletcher nodded, "Makes sense. Home should be a haven so if you're not able to get creative there, then you've got a problem." He then admitted while working, "I've only stayed in a hotel a few times in my life. Once was for a school trip to Disneyland in high school. Once was for some tattoo convention I'll hopefully never do again. And once was a disappointing hook-up." He listened to Xavier talk about the camps that Winter and Henry were going to participate in over their spring break and nodded a little bit. "Those sound like they'll be good times for them both. It'll be nice to meet Henry sometime soon. I feel a little bad asking you about making us official and I've barely met your daughter, haven't met your son and you haven't held Phoebe once yet. And I still would like to take you on a damn date." He gathered a little more ink to finish the lighter shade of pink and then chuckled a little, "Drew and Emiliana are nosy-asses. But I love 'em. And yeah, Tanya's great. Doesn't hurt that she was already a big fan of yours before we got close. The first time you came by here, I thought she might start catching flies with her mouth hanging open at the sight of you." He smirked a bit and then took his foot off the pedal to make adjustments to his needle and the color of ink, preparing the tat gun for a slightly darker shade of pink. "You're welcome. I try to keep that the atmosphere here for the shop and anybody who visits it. Drew had it that way too--inviting and chill."

XAVIER

"Exactly!" Xavier agreed with Fletcher and since being home longer, it's felt like that's where he should focus more. "Those sound ghastly except for the Disneyland trip, maybe? Let me know if I'm wrong. Before all this...T.V. stuff, I didn't either. Well, nothing like what I've experienced recently, I guess. I think you'll like where we'll be staying in Hollywood and I'd like to be spending most of my time there with you once the pomp and circumstance is done with." He grinned but it softened at Fletcher's words. "Well, you're more than welcome to meet Henry and get to know Winter. I cannot wait to hold little Phoebe and spoil her which reminds me, I have something for her two-month non-birthday. It's a thing just go with it." He chuckled. "We can have a family dinner at my place? I'd love to cook for you all or you and I can cook together or we can go to your place and cook together there. And! You've been busy. Me too. We talked about this early on. I know and understand you're a new dad. A lot comes with that title. You can take me out on a date whenever you want and can. I'll be excited and I'll let you wine and dine me and maybe just maybe you might get lucky. Can't make any promises though." Xavier laughed at Fletcher talking about Drew and Emiliana. "Very parental of them to be nosy-asses. Look, you haven't met my parents yet and I assure you, they'd get along great with Drew and Emiliana." He smirked. "So Tanya has no idea, huh?" He watched Fletcher ready the tat gun and then smiled at his words. "Then you're making that man proud."

FLETCHER

Fletcher chuckled, "Yeah, Disneyland was good. The hotel stay for tat convention wasn't the worst but some folks in the industry are shitty." He didn't feel the need to talk about the hookup anymore. As he continued working, he listened to Xavidr talk about where they would be staying while in Southern California for The Oscars. Fletcher hadn't even thought about that--the 2 of them staying together--but it spoke volumes to how easily he found the relationship between Xavier and himself. "I like how that sounds. I can help you unwind from it all." He didn't know what all went into hosting an awards show, especially one as famous as The Oscars but he'd imagine that if Xavier was going to spend time with him afterwards instead of partying, he'd want to relax in some fashion. "I'll have to make the time to do that. And next time I come to your home or you're at mine, I'll make sure you hold Phoebe." He raised his brows questioning a 2-month birthday and Xavier having something, "You're gonna be as bad as Drew, aren't you?" His uncle was constantly ordering things--mostly clothes--to be delivered to the house for Phoebe. "A dinner date sounds nice. My place would be easier for Drew. When it's not business-related he's the embodiment of a creature of habit, which just makes his Parkinsons that much harder for him to deal with." Wiping away the excess again, he lifted his foot off the pedal and added, "And I wouldn't mind cooking for you and your family, especially if you're willing to come over to me."

His foot pressed on the pedal again and he continued with the color shading, nearly finishing with all of the color. He would complete the tattoo with a little of the black to add to the ribbon and heart's curls, giving the curves a little more dimension. Xavier was right about him being busy. Phoebe was only 2 months old but he'd rapidly changed much of his life for her in that time, while also losing a lot of sleep. But he was enamored by Xavier and wanted to keep exploring and growing what was budding between them. "The way you talk about your parents, especially your mom, I've no doubt about that." As he finished off some finer details, he asked, "No idea about what? You and me? She knows. She's gonna help me out while I'm gone to the Oscars with you, so that everything doesn't solely fall on Emiliana." And after taking his foot off the pedal and setting the tattoo gun in its holster, Fletcher wiped the area of the tattoo a final time and slid back on the stool. "Alright, you're done. Take a look," he said, tilting his head in the direction of the full body mirror in the corner of the room. If Xavier liked the outcome, he would protect his tattoo and go through aftercare with him.

XAVIER

“Good! I’ve only gone once but I’d love to take the kids. Are they really shitty? That’s awful.” Xavier smiled, listening to Fletcher telling him he’d help him unwind and then it dawned on him, “you know, it’ll be our first time having an extended period of time together? No one needs to go somewhere. Just us two.” He paused a moment and then added, “that sounds nice.” Xavier chuckled and nodded confidently. “Yep. I’ll definitely going to bed just as bad. Every month, I’ll get her a monthly birthday present and probably little things here and there just because.” He listened to Fletcher talk about what would be easier for them all and also continued watching Fletcher finish up. “If it’s easier for Drew then that’s what we’re doing.” He looked at Fletcher and smiled. “He’s important to me too you know.” Saying that meant something to Xavier. In such a short time he had realized that Fletcher’s circle was going to be a significant part of his life and if things went his way, it would hopefully be that way for a long time. “So um…” Xavier grinned a toothy grin, not wanting to make a big deal out of anything. “What are you doing this Sunday then?” Xavier watched Fletcher completing his work all the while listening to him intently. “I know people say a lot of things just because or because they feel they have to but you going to the Oscar’s with a newborn and all the things you have to take care of means the world to me. I know it’s a big commitment. So thank you. And I’m incredibly grateful and excited to show you off a little. I say a little because like I said our appearance at the after party will definitely be brief.” Xavier waited for Fletchers to finish and checked out his work in the mirror. His smiled grew as he admired the art and he looked over to Fletcher. Tears began to fill his eyes and chuckled as he looked in the mirror again. “I love it. I absolutely love it. My mum is gonna flip. Thanks, baby… it’s perfect.”

FLETCHER

"Some are, but that's probably true in every field and industry out there," he supposed. Without lifting his gaze from what he was doing, he smiled a bit when Xavier pointed out at that the Oscars trip would be their first time truly alone for more than a few hours. "I didn't realize. Guess we'll have to make the most of it, hm?" And he merely shook his head at his boyfriend’s shameless admission that he would be as bad as Drew when it came to spoiling Phoebe. When asked what he was doing on Sunday, Fletcher thought for a moment and then replied, "Grocery shopping. Which I guess is good timing if we're going to all have dinner together." He paused long enough to wink at Xavier and then finished up the new body art. Taking in Xavier's understanding and gratitude, Fletcher told him, "I'm glad I'm able to go. Plus, being your date for the event's an honor." As he watched Xavier go to the mirror and inspect his work, Fletcher peeled the gloves off carefully and disposed them in the biohazard bin. He was about to grab the aftercare materials but paused and stood from the stool to stand behind Xavier, placing his hands on rhe Brit's shoulders and bending to kiss his cheek. "Good. I'm glad you love it." It was what mattered most to Fletcher. "I'll get a picture of it on your phone for you now if you want, or you can take a selfie with it, because I'm gonna need to bandage it and you're gonna wanna keep it covered for a few hours."

XAVIER

"That's true. I could definitely tell you about some not so nice people in Hollywood. More on that later." He chuckled. "Yeah, absolutely. Room service, music, chill environment, completely naked of course." He laughed again and it melted into a smile. "Yeah?" He grinned widely at the idea of his kids meeting Fletcher's family and getting to hold the baby. "I'll make my famous peach cobbler anddddd something else. I'll figure it out tonight." He smiled crookedly at hearing Fletcher say that it would be an honor to be his date. It was already so different than last year where Jeremy behaved as if he was being dragged through all the circles of hell. "I'm really glad you think that. It's nice to hear." At the kiss, Xavier turned his face and smiled at Fletcher's gesture. "Yeah, let me send a photo to Clayton so he can properly yell at the top of his lungs. I'll tell him my boyfriend did it so he can yell some more. And I'll send it to the group chat so mum and dad can see it." Xavier pulled his phone out of his pocket and photographed the art, sending it off to his family with a chuckle. "And now I wait for the millions of notifications." Xavier moved back to the bed, this time he sat, facing the stool so that Fletcher could cover it up. "Okay." He knew Fletcher would give him aftercare instructions. "I'm going to leave the best google review." He smirked and waited. As predicted, his phone went off a few times and he laughed, shaking his head. "Good morning, Brits."

FLETCHER

"I believe that, easily," Fletcher said. He didn'tactively follow all things celebrity gossip but he also didn't live under a rock. And there was Tanya who did keep herself informed about Hollywood happenings. Smirking a little, he told Xavier, "Don't go nuts. The cobbler should be enough for a few adults and a couple of teens." He would have made more affectionate touches to Xavier but his hands were gloved and he was going to need to bandage the tattoo and clean the tattoo gun first. He chuckled at what Xavier said about his family's reactions about the tattoo and him now having a boyfriend. As Xavier sat back on the bed, Fletcher pulled on fresh gloves and picked up a tube of ointment they used in the shop for tattoo aftercare. As he flipped the cap open and applied a light coat directly across Xavier's raised skin while explaining, "Try to wear some loose-fitting tops for a few days so your skin can breathe and heal. When you're showering, be gentle over your tattoo. Don't scrub there." He then grabbed some gauze big enough to cover the whole tattoo. Using some medical tape, he secured the gauze over Xavier's chest and finished, "Treat it like a wound and moisturize it. Most people just buy some A+D or Aquaphor. I don't recommend either of them because of where your tat is though. It'll get on your shirts. We sell this," he pointed to the tube he'd used, "And some other aftercare products but just stay away from scented soaps and lotions on it until it's fully healed." Hearing Xavier's phone repeatedly ping had Fletcher smirk again and shake his head, "Jesus. Lucky you."

XAVIER

"Okay, got it. Loose fitting tops. Sorry, Fletch no more sex icon fashion for a bit." He chuckled but nodded as he listened intently, taking the instructions seriously. "I won't scrub there but I will buy that." He pointed to the tube. "And whatever else I need to purchase, I'll get it." Xavier made mentl notes to not use scented soaps or lotions around the area unti lits fully healed. He laughed, shaking his head at the notifications. "They can stress about it in the group chat until a little later. They do it to me all the time." He smirked and looked over to his shirt. The Henley wasn't too tight fitting, thankfully. Carefully, put it on and rolled his shoulders back as it fell over him. "Can I hang around a bit until you close up?" He was glad to be Fletcher's last customer. He could spend a few minutes with his now boyfriend before he had to go home. "Let me go pay in the front first."

FLETCHER

Fletcher shrugged, "I've got a good enough imagination and besides. The clothes don't make the man. The man makes the clothes." He winked to Xavier again and then finished telling him the care instructions, trying to keep it simple but informative. When he finished and Xavier repeated the highlights back, Fletcher nodded a couple times. "Okay. Just let Tanya know and she'll hook you up with some. I've gotta clean up in here and then I'll be out. But yeah, stick around. I'm still curious about this other tattoo you want me to do for you, and you know I'm always glad to have a little of your time."

XAVIER

"I like that. Wise words." Xavier pulled his wallet out of his pocket and nodded at Fletcher. He'd tell him about his ideas and see what he thinks. He was glad they'd get to spend some time together especially now that they they were boyfriends. The thought made him feel warm inside and his lips pulled up into a smile as he made his way out ot the front. "Hey Tanya! So, can you hook a guy up with all the necesary after care items? You can ring me up for those and the tattoo. I'll pay those with card but the tip in cash if that's alright?" He figured it'd be easier that way. Xavier pulled out his card, ready to pay and a folded $100 bill for Tanya. He handed it to her and smiled. "For being so kind and all. Thank you for that." He would wait for Fletcher to come out to give him his tip. "Any plans tonight, Tanya?"

FLETCHER

"I wish I could take credit," Fletcher quipped with a smirk. He shamelessly watched Xavier go and then got to work disassembling the machine gun to dispose of the needle and clean all of the ink out. He sanitized the tattoo bed, the stool, disposed the extra ink and sterilized the tray He had everything sitting on. Once he was done cleaning everything and having it all prepped for use in the morning, Fletcher shut the lights off in the room and slipped into his office to use the bathroom and wash his hands. In the front of the shop, one of the other artists had gone home while Fletcher was working on Xavier's tattoo. Tanya had been cleaning around the shop, singing along to song after song playing overhead and checking that all the more open but partitioned stations were all sanitized and ready for a new day. But she paused when she heard the door to one of the 2 private rooms open. It was the only one occupied so Tanya beamed--her pierced dimples glinting--when she saw Xavier. "Heya! Sure can," she happily replied, making her way behind the counter to take down a bottle, tube and cream container from the shelf. As she rang each item and put them in a small, paper bag, Tanya called out, "Hey, Fletch!" "Yeah?" he called back from the depths of his office. "How much is Xavier's tattoo?" There was a long pause before Fletcher replied, "Eighty works," loud enough for Tanya to hear. "Got it!" she replied, more than familiar with the shop minimum. She tapped the amount in on the digital POS system and then swiveled the screen around for Xavier to insert or tap his card at the slot at the top of the screen. Tanya hadn't looked at the folded bill so she hadn't seen the amount. Nevertheless, she beamed all over again as her inner Xavier fangirl bubbled up. "Oh God, thank you so much!" Slipping the bill in her back pocket, she said, "Actually I've got a date tonight! First time so we'll see how it goes. His profile pics are pretty cute and we're going bowling!"

Fletcher emerged from his office, rubbing in lotion on his hands as Tanya gushed about her date, "Why don't you go on and head out, Tanya? I can close up the rest tonight." Tanya smiled to him and then Xavier and then back to him, "If you're sure?" Fletcher waved her off, "I'm sure. What's left to do?" Knowing that Fletcher was immaculate with cleaning and resetting the stations, she hadn't worried about having to go into the previously occupied private room tonight. "Just settling the register, cutting the music, shutting off the lights, locking up and setting the alarm." She was a little more than a foot shorter than Fletcher but it didn't stop her from hugging him around his middle and then she dashed off. But she paused once she had her purse, long enough to say, "You two having a good niiiiiight!" in a sing-song voice and an added wink before hurrying out of the front doors. Fletcher shook his head and then fixed his gaze on Xavier as he made his way around the counter to start settling the drawer and print the POS system report. "Still wondering if she knows about us or not?"

XAVIER

“Thanks, love!” Xavier took the bag from Tanya and waited for Fletchers to call out the amount. For some reason he expected it to be a lot more. He inserted his card chip first and when the tip amount came up, he decided to add it on there in case Fletcher didn’t take his tip or something. “I’m going to actually add Fletcher’s tip here. He punched in a 40% tip and smiled at Tanya. “And you’re welcome ! Oh you’re gonna have to tell me all about him next time I come around. Bowling sounds like the perfect first date actually! Have fun!” Xavier watched as Tanya hugged Fletcher and then made her way out. He couldn’t help but chuckle at her enthusiasm and waved at her, laughing at her words. He walked over to the counter, leaning his elbow so that he could support his arm and cup his cheek and looked up at Fletcher. “She’s subtle, huh?” Xavier chuckled, gaze still on the other as he did what he had to do. He felt a twinge here and there at the tattoo site but it wasn’t all too bad. “Did you drive here or are you walking home?”

FLETCHER

"You got it!" Tanya replied while a thrilled feeling shot through her at chatting about her date with Xavier Mitchell. She finished ringing him up and gave him his receipt. After Tanya flounced out of the shop like a teenager with a crush, he chuckled too. "Yeah, as subtle as a lit firework." Fletcher knew Tanya could be discreet but if she didn't have to, then she most certainly wasn't. He removed the money from the register. As he organized the bills, he told Xavier, "I drove. I don't live close enough to walk and if something was wrong with Drew or Phoebe, I wanna be able to get home as soon as I can." As he took out a bag to collect and seal the money in after it was counted, he asked, "Why? Were you gonna give me a ride?"

XAVIER

Xavier really did like Tanya. She was perky and funny and the perfect person for the front desk. He laughed again at Fletcher’s comment. “It’s great.” Xavier shifted his position and just leaned against the counter, looking out the store front as Fletcher did his thing with the register. “That’s smart. I’d do the same thing.” It was probably rough always being on alert for someone else. Xavier felt that when his mother was first diagnosed. He was always on alert and worried that he couldn’t get to her on time. It worried him when he was away for long periods of time and his kids were with Louise. At the end of the day, he’d want to be there for them if they needed him. He looked over his shoulder when Fletcher was not looking and organizing bells and smiled. He was a good man that matched his morals and that meant a lot more than he could put into words. When Fletcher spoke again, Xavier faced him and nodded. “Aye. Well, I was going to ask if you wanted to drive my car.” Xavier pulled away from the counter and made sure he left no marks or prints. “But you can do that Sunday.” He smiled, excited all over again.

FLETCHER

Fletcher nodded. "Yeah, I wouldn't mind taking the bus sometimes and I used to, to save gas and all. But since Drew's diagnosis and now with Phoebe, it's just easier to make sure my car's with me." As he was finishing up with balancing the register and having it ready for the next day, he heard what Xavier said about driving his car and groaned, "Ugh, damn. That would've been great too. Does that bad boy have rear seating?" He'd been too in awe of the car being in his driveway to really take notice before. But Xavier mentioning Sunday had him smiling, and not just because of the car. "Speaking of Sunday, do your kids have any favorites, food-wise, and are they allergic to anything?" Fletcher knew Henry and Winter were from Korea but he figured he would ask and not assume anything.

XAVIER

“See? Told you that you were an environmentalist.” He quipped, thinking back at their first time together. “But that makes a lot of sense to me. I love how much of a hard worker you are and how much you give to the people you love. It’s beautiful.” Xavier chuckled at Fletcher’s reaction. “I got that baby literally right before they approved my house for foster care and I was like damn I need a family car. So that’s my next purchase. It’s a three seater but that newer models will be four seaters. I’ll probably get like a SUV or something.” He shook his head at the question about his kids. “They will eat just about anything. No allergies. So don’t worry about going too crazy. They will love whatever you do. Do you need me to bring anything else besides dessert ? Drinks?”

FLETCHER

Fletcher snorted, "I'm thinking about the cost of gas, not the environment here." Still, he smiled, amused by Xavier's comment. His compliment was met with s simple nod from Fletcher, who'd begun counting the money that wasn't going to be left in the register. And as he recorded each denomination, he said, "An SUV, huh? So you mean to tell you're not an environmentalist?" Jokingly, he clicked his tongue and shook his head. And as he sealed the money bag, he smirked, knowing that hybrid and electric family cars were becoming more popular than before. Deciding to close the shop a little early, he held the money bag while coming from around the counter to shut off the 'open' sign and lock the front doors. The music was still playing but Fletcher didn't mind it. "A couple kids after my own heart," he commented with an easy smile, leading them to his office to drop the money in the safe. "Nah, the dessert and your appetite's enough to bring." Leaning against his desk, he asked, "How's your chest feeling?"

XAVIER

He chuckled, digging his hands into his pocket as he walked around the space and checking everything out while Fletcher closed out the register. "yeah, no fuck this planet." He laughed and shook his head. "Kidding. I'm sure I'll find something that won't destroy us." Xavier smiled at the comment about his kids and nodded. "Yeah, they're pretty easy and just grateful, good children. You might have competition with Winter. That girl can eat! " He followed Fletcher into the office. "Alright, I think you'll be a little floored with my baking abilities. Not to toot my own horn or anything." He playfully plucked his shirt and grinned. Xavier walked up to Fletcher and then looked down at his chest. "I mean, it's always a little accelarated when I'm around you because I want to kiss you all of the time so..." He paused, biting his bottom lip and then laughed softly. "Ohhh you mean my tattoo?" He feigned innocense and then shrugged, laughing again. "I'm doing okay so far. Strange little twinges of...I wouldn't call it pain. Just a reminder that it's there and new." He reached up to push some strands of Fletcher's hair back. "Tired?" His gaze met his boyfriend's eyes and smiled. "I'm sure you're glad your day's over, hm?"

FLETCHER

Fletcher shook his head with a small smirk and then said, "Shouldn't be hard to find something you like and checks all the boxes you need checked." His smirk lingered hearing more similarities between him and Winter. And when Xavier talked about his baking skills, he replied, "I'm sure you're talented and I'm looking forward to trying your goodies. Again." And Xavier's flirtatious joke about his chest made Fletcher roll his eyes, smiling. "You are so damn cheesy." He tenderly kissed Xavier on the lips and then hummed, "I'm always tired these days but I'm fine." It was the truth and Fletcher knew if he'd been too exhausted to work, he would have rescheduled his earlier appointments and stayed home with Drew and Phoebe the full day. He reached out and ran a thumb just along the seam of Xavier's bottom lip, "I didn't mind the work day. Did a few piercings before touching up a regular's tattoo, and then I got to give you your first tat, after making things official with you. So, no complaints about the day."

XAVIER

"Again, he says." He chuckled softly, enjoying the easy banter. Xavier stayed close, his gaze on Fletcher as the other spoke. "Hey, listen you like it and just asked me to be your boyfriend so what does that say about you?" He kept his smile even after the kiss but it slowly turned into a tiny frown learning that Fletcher was always tired. "I'm sorry, love... I know it's easier said than done but try to take it easy whenever you can. As Phoebe gets older, she'll start getting into a routine and it may help. And don't let me be too much of a distraction, either." He smiled genuinely and leaned in to kiss Fletcher's neck before looking up at him again. He enjoyed any time he got with the older man and all of his touches. "That does sound like a pretty good day." He grinned and let out a soft sigh. "Don't forget to take a mental health day if you need one and if there's anything I can do to help in relaxing you, let me know...ok?" Xavier's voice remained soft and calm.

FLETCHER

"Yes, he does say," Fletcher replied with no shame in his double entendre about Xavier's 'goodies'. His smile was crooked as he replied, "It says I'm a glutton or some kind of magnet for cheesy, charming, lovable goofs." His thumb stayed close to Xavier's lower lips while listening to his concern. "Yeah, Drew and Emiliana have been telling me a lot about keeping to routines and how much that'll help Phoebe. Don't worry about me though. I might not've had the hands-on experience much before Phoebe, but I've been around enough parent friends to know sleepless nights were part of the newborn parenting gig." His hand slid down to the column of Xavier's neck, and then he moved it to around his waist. "I appreciate the concern but I'm fine, X. Really. I'd actually been considering getting a support dog for Drew. You know, one of those dogs that's been trained to be helpful if he drops something or knows to get help if he's hurt or something. I think it'd help Drew feel a little independence from Emiliana and me from time to time. I'd talked to him about it before late last year, and he didn't seem to care one way or the other." His other hand came up to the back of Xavier's head, fingertips brushing along the short buzzed part of his hair. "But I haven't gone ahead with it yet because it'd be someone else to take care of."

XAVIER

Xavier smirked, thinking about their Valentine’s Day and how he had missed being with Fletcher in that fashion since then. “Mmm gotta balance things out, right? I’m glad you think I’m all those things. And you can be my dark, witty, brooding, and also very charming man. Which I happen to be a magnet for. Didn’t stand a chance.” He enjoyed the brush of Fletcher’s fingers against his lower lip. The slight twinges of pain on his chest were long forgotten and replaced with the fluttering inside of it. “Yeah routines are super important and you’re right about the sleepless nights but you’re doing great. Xavier felt the jolt of electricity running through him As Fletcher’s hands slid down his neck. His knuckles caressed Fletcher’s arms and he closed any gap between them, locked in the other’s embrace. “I love the idea of a support dog for Drew. It really would help him and he will love them once they’re in the house. I say do it.” He closed how eyes at the gentle touch against his head and smiled. “I mean I can help you. Look into applications, print all that out for you. And I just know Winter would be down to help walk them here and there. ” He reopened his eyes and smiled. “We’ll figure it out.” He loved this. Loved having someone to talk to about their days, their lives, their kids. It felt so real and so natural. Unlike anything he’s ever had before.

FLETCHER

"Eh, I guess so," Fletcher replied before his easygoing smile returned to let Xavier know he'd been joking. "Damn, brooding? I'll have to see what I can do to replace that one with angsty or intimidating. Blunt dick even." He listened to his boyfriend and mumbled a low, "Thanks," at his compliment and encouragement, still awkward about taking compliments but working on it. He was enjoying the closeness with Xavier and being able to take in the perfumes from him--whether it was cologne, aftershave, lotion or something else, Fletcher couldn't get enough of smelling it from Xavier's skin. "Yeah, it wouldn't be a bad idea but I'd put it on hold. Winter helping out would be great, but if she's sick or has a lot of homework, or just wants to spend time with friends, then I don't want her to feel like she can't do those things because of the dog. And I don't wanna put another thing on Emiliana's plate. She's got her food truck and she's already been helping me a lot more than I could've asked for." Tipping his head down, he kissed the top of Xavier's head and said, "Your support's nice though. Thank you."

XAVIER

“Oh angsty is a good one. My emo boyfriend” he chuckled, looking up at Fletcher and then wrapping his arms around the other’s neck. He knew Fletcher didn’t do well with compliments and understood that so he wouldn’t linger for too long or make him more uncomfortable than he needed to be. “I can understand the apprehension but if you do want to revisit the idea, I can absolutely help with a schedule for the doggo. I’ll even pitch in, come help change his food or water whenever I’m here. And I do plan being home more so.” He smiled. “You can add us to your village. If that’s okay?” Xavier smiled at the kiss. “Of course. Always.” He slid his hands down to cup Fletcher’s cheeks and kissed him on the lips for a couple of minutes before nuzzling his nose. “Missed this.”

FLETCHER

Fletcher sighed, "Alright I walked into the emo label by throwing 'angsty' out there. Goddammit." After cursing himself, he shook his head but softly smiled at Xavier. "I'll keep that in mind. I know you're planning to be home more, and I hope you're able to enjoy it without feeling like you've got more obligations." He met Xavier's lips and returned very second of his boyfriend's kisses.--the occasional, brief moan passing through his lips. He shut his yes and rested his forehead to Xavier's. "Me too. This is... I like getting these moments with you." He stole another brief kiss and then said, "I think I'm officially addicted to your lips."

XAVIER

“Okay Dashboard Confessional” Xavier teased Fletcher and chuckled. “I’m sorry, love to see your eyes roll…” he nodded when Fletcher said he’d keep his offer in mind. “I don’t care. I’ll see you more and the baby and Winter gets a chore she will thank me a hundred times over.” He laughed softly, not wanting to get rid of this closeness anytime soon. After a few pecks, Xavier closed his eyes too. “I spending time with you. Making out, the sex is… incredible but this is…I like feeling close to you. Hate seeing you go.” His lips linger closed to Fletcher’s almost as if they possessed a gravitational pull. “Good. They’re yours and only yours. Do with them as you please.” Maybe it was having small, short intervals of time together that makes the desire stronger. What was that saying about distance? Or maybe there was a pull that Xavier couldn’t resist. All he knew was that Fletcher was always literally taking his breath away.

FLETCHER

Fletcher deadpanned and then relaxed his features. "You're lucky I like you." He smiled a bit and chuckled, "Seeing Phoebe's a good plus. And if I go ahead with it, I'll be sure to let you know and see how things can get worked out. I know Drew's not completely helpless but I also know that him being left alone for long isn't good." He'd make a decision about a service dog and he would talk with everyone who'd be involved before filling any applications out. For now though, he was enjoying his time with Xavier. He smiled a little as he listened to him. "I like this too. I know we've texted a lot but getting to spend time together is the best." Fletcher knew he'd have to lock up and set the alarm still, but he was savoring all the time he would have with Xavier until then. At his boyfriend's invitation, he tilted Xavier's chin up and kissed him some more, acting a little more fervently than before.

XAVIER

“I am lucky. That’s a true statement if I ever heard one.” He winked at Fletcher. Seeing his family more would be good for the both of them. Xavier not only wanted to be helpful but he had learned quickly that Fletcher’s heart belonged to them and that meant they were important to him too. Xavier listened with adoration. Fletcher was better than all the kids Drew had. And he knew Drew had done so much for him. “I agree. We don’t want him to be alone. Drew is phenomenal. I don’t need to know him long to know that. A dog will only provide some companionship and an extra layer of support.” Xavier smiled softly. “The real thing is always better. The best.” He felt that flutter again. Xavier knew it would be time to go soon and he already didn’t want to say his goodbyes but he was glad for this. Hungrily, Xavier glided his lips against Fletcher’s, letting his tongue swipe against them, begging for an entrance. He’d be careful not to start anything they couldn’t finish but for now, he’d be more than content with tasting Fletcher’s tongue before he had to leave.

FLETCHER

Fletcher chuckled a little and shook his head at Xavier. "Yeah, he's a good man. And I agree, with all of that." But as much as he loved his uncle, he didn't want to spend time thinking about the man while making out with Xavier. He lingered Xavier's tiny curls while parting his lips and letting their tongues dance together. He moaned a little and held some of Xavier hair before parting for air. "Ugh. I hate having to leave like this." He kissed Xavier's lips a few times and then muttered, "Damn time constraints."

XAVIER

His hands remained guarding Fletcher's pulse, fingertips caressing his neck. Every single time, Xavier felt as if he could never get enough of the other. Everything about Fletcher made him want to pause time. He was drunk on his scent, his caresses and the taste of him. Xavier pulled him closer every chance he could get and felt himself getting lost in their kisses. He reluctantly let Fletcher pull away, trying to muster up a single thought. "Me too." Xavier crashed onto Fletcher's lips, gently nibbling on his bottom lip before kissing him on that spot. "Damn time constraints is right. We'll figure something out. I'll come here more, spend a night if you want me to here and there. You come to me. ... you say I'm addictive. I think we both have a problem here..." Xavier's gaze flickered upwards. It really was nice. The perfect end to their evening, getting to come down from the day. As the music played in the background and Xavier kept his closeness, he was unable to speak. He just wanted to take Fletcher in. So he did. He loved this song. "When do you have to go?"

FLETCHER

"We're like some reckless teens, I swear," Fletcher chuckled and then paused, hoping he didn't start Xavier worrying that he'd have to deal with this with Winter anytime soon. He kissed his temple and then was going to kiss his nose but Xavier snatched his bottom lip between his teeth and Fletcher lightly gasped, followed quickly by a groan. "I like how that sounds," he started to say in between catching his breath. "We'll figure something out," he echoed. He hadn't argued with Xavier saying they had a problem; rather, he encouraged said problem by beginning a trail of kisses down the column of Xavier's neck, fingers curling slightly into both hips. "Mmm..." He hummed thoughtfully and then mumbled against his skin, "Ten." The shop normally closed then but he'd been closing early so he technically wouldn't need to leave to head home until then. There was still the matter of locking the doors and shutting off the "open" sign so no walk-ins entered the shop at this point but he currently wasn't sure what time it was, or how much time that'd mean they had.

XAVIER

"I wasn't even this reckless as a teen." Xavier laughed but his mind did go to teenager and preteen in his life. Winter had shown interest in two people already so he knew it was coming. With Henry staying at Seb's and Winter out with Eliza until midnight today, it was starting so quickly. He was glad for the distraction from his boyfriend. Xavier would want to make the most of their time. That was always his goal. "Figure something out..." He repeated in a whisper as Fletcher kissed one of his most sensitive spots. He sighed softly, a smile forming on his face. "I like that..." Meaning the kisses on his neck He lolled his head to the side, finding comfort in all of it. "Ten..." Xavier moaned. He had no clue what time it was just that this felt so good. Maybe they had a few minutes left. His fingers reached to get lost in Fletcher's dark hair but not before caressing his ear. "Where've you been all my life, hm?"

FLETCHER

"Making up for it now then," Fletcher quipped with a smile. He certainly didn't mind being a part of this bit of reckless indulgence with Xavier. He continued leaving languid kisses down his boyfriend’s jaw and neck despite not knowing how much time they still had. And hearing Xavier tell him he liked what he was doing had Fletcher begin grazing his skin and occasionally letting his tongue brush his smooth flesh. His fingers kept Xavier close and for a moment, he opened his eyes and tilted his head slightly, searching for the clock on his wall after hearing the tome he'd need to leave echoed in an alluring British lilt. "Half an hour," he mumbled. There was a lot they could do in that amount of time, yet it still wasn't enough but he'd take it. He smiled against his beau's neck where he replied, the movement of his lips along his skin. "Right here, sweetheart. Right here." As he increased his nips and grazing, and started adding some intentional pulls with his kisses, Fletcher was sure he'd end up leaving a hicky somewhere on Xavier before they parted ways tonight.

XAVIER

"I think that's exactly what's happening." A throaty chuckle fell from his lips. He'd never be the one to fall fast, even going to the island, Xavier never thought he'd fall at all. He was being reckless. Reckless with his heart, his words, and his approach. He had easily found himself wanting to be around this man more, wanting to learn everything about him, and wanting him. That was reckless. He'd never felt such a pull toward anyone. Ever. The uncontrollable desire coursed through his veins as Fletcher kissed, sucked, and nipped his neck. The more he revealed his weaknesses, the more it was used for his pleasure and Xavier was consumed by it all. Eyes closed, he allowed himself to get lost in the moment, soft moans falling from his lips as his fingers remained lost in Fletcher's hair. Hearing they had thirty minutes, filled him with the excitement of making them as fulfilling as possible. Right here How he wished he'd known that before. Groaning at the bites against his neck, he smiled soon after realizing there'd be a mark there. It would be a little reminder of Fletcher. Xavier personally loved those. "let's make the best of these --" he breathed steadily as Fletcher continued. "thirty. I--don't know what I'm saying."

FLETCHER

Fletcher continued kissing and loving on the column and groove of Xavier's neck. As he listened to Xavier trail off and admit to not knowing what he was saying, Fletcher grinned and lowered a hand to cop a feel on the younger man's ass. "Let me go lock up really quick and then I'm all yours." He nipped and tugged on Xavier's bottom lip, gave his ass a quick smack and then slipped away to and out of the office door. After finishing his keys out, he locked the front doors from the inside and tugged the pull switch on the neon "OPEN" sign. On his way back to the office he decided to leave the music on so the two of them weren't in complete silence and to remind himself to also set the alarm before leaving. He returned to his office and Xavier, "Now where were we?"

XAVIER

He had practically turned into putty and Xavier didn't mind it one bit. "Okay...like the sound of that." He took a deep breath and attempted to keep his feet grounded. The ass smack made him chuckle and he groaned the moment Fletcher's teeth released his bottom lip. He leaned against Fletcher's desk, trying to pull himself together as his hand roamed over his neck, smiling at the idea of there being marks he'd have to conceal later. When his boyfriend appeared, Xavier looked up, letting his hands grip the desk. "You were having your way with me." His mischievous smirk danced against his lips and for a moment, his mind went back to the last time he was in the office with Fletcher. "Turning me on, marking your territory, you know the usual."

FLETCHER

"Oh, right, right, how could I forget?" he jokingly asked, closing the door with his foot. By the time he finished thoroughly loving on Xavier--making out some more, leaving a couple of love marks on his neck and moving south for a little more oral affection--it was 5 minutes to 10pm. Fletcher had just kissed Xavier deeply, letting him taste a bit of himself in the process and when he drew back, he gave a devious smile. "It’s too bad we have to wait until Sunday to spend together again and wont get to continue this then, but hopefully you've got plenty of nice thoughts to think about." He kissed Xavier's lips again and then hummed thoughtfully, "Can I walk you to your car?"

XAVIER

Time had gone by so quickly yet slowed down at the right moments. Xavier kissed Fletcher back with deep affection and desire, cupping his face to keep him close enough or as close as 2 minutes allowed him to. When Fletcher pulled back, Xavier took a deep breath and let out a breathy chuckle. "Definitely a lot of thoughts to play around with." He smiled at the last kiss and quickly straightened himself out and fixed his disheveled attire. Looping his belt back properly, he nodded at the question. "Yeah, I'd love that. "

FLETCHER

Fletcher really did find Xavier's lips and kisses addicting. He could spend an afternoon laying in bed, giving Xavier lazy kisses and having occasional makeout sessions and be content if time allowed it. While Xavier adjusted his belt, Fletcher gently fixed the younger man's shirt collar and held Xavier's jacket and bag of purchases for him. Once Xavier was ready, Fletcher stepped around his desk and lifted his own jacket from the back of his chair. He threaded his arms inside and stuck a hand in one of the pockets where his car and house keys were. He opened the office door for Xavier and then went to shut off the shop music. When he punched in the alarm code, he knew there were thirty seconds before it was actually activated. He unlocked the front doors, held one open for Xavier, and then fished out his shop keys from his pocket to lock up behind them. "Did you have to park far down the street, or- nevermind. I see your baby." He smirked and walked beside Xavier. "What've you got going on tomorrow?"

XAVIER

“Thank you. For well, everything.” He smiled at Fletcher and took his things, sliding his arms into his jacket. He followed Fletcher out to the shop and exited the store. Xavier looked over his shoulder to the where his car was parked and chuckled at Fletcher’s question. “Looks like you got lucky too.” He gestured toward his boyfriend’s and kept his pace walking a few cars down to where Xavier had parked. “Tomorrow? Have to get Henry from Sebastian’s and they both have art and violin. Then bumming around before I start baking.” Xavier stopped at his car and pulled his keys from his pocket. “You?”

FLETCHER

"My pleasure. You coming by was a nice way to end the night. And it was an honor not only giving you your first ink, but what it is and means to you." He chuckled a little, "I usually park around back when I'm here earlier since it's where the shop owners around here can park. But there was space up here this afternoon, so," he finished with a shrug. After listening to what Xavier had to do tomorrow, he commented, "Sounds like it'll be a good day. I'll be home with Phoebe and Drew, and if it doesn't rain, I told Drew I'd help him out in his garden before I come back here for the evening. Got two appointments--a piercing and an ink one--and then I'll be around for any walk-ins." His head shook, "I'm not one to judge on the piercings people want, but I hate when people end up wanting Prince Albert or Christina piercings. You know what they are?"

XAVIER

"I'm glad I came and I'm really happy with your work by the way. I'm not saying that just because I happen to be biased now." He smiled at Fletcher. " Oh, that's nice that there are designated spots. Parking can be such a nightmare." He opened the doors to his car and tossed his bag to the passenger seat before giving Fletcher his undivided. "That really sounds like a nice day. The garden and spending time with the baby and Drew. When Fletcher mentioned the piercings, his expression changed as he said, "oh yikes. I definitely doknow what those are. I'm not one to judge either but I'm assuming they're a bit complicated, definitely painful and maybe clients haven't thought it all the way through among other reasons why they may not be a favorite of yours to do." he answered empathetically, leaning against the street sign post. "is your piercing appointment one of those?" The night was absolutely blissful. "I'll text you some ideas for the ink I want next. Looks like you've made an addict out of me." He chuckled. "I'm not stopping at one more so I'll come by a lot more. And just to see your face, bring you something to eat, fill up your Reece's bowl." Xavier sighed, already missing Fletcher. "I should let you go though. I know you've got the most beautiful girl in California waiting for you."'

FLETCHER

"Thanks," Fletcher smiled a bit, "Glad you're not just saying that out of a bias." He figured by now that Xavier had seen his work on his Instagram or the shop's page and he'd had an idea of what Fletcher was capable of. But he'd agreed about his plans for the next day. It wasn't one of his busier days and for that, he was grateful. But the piercing appointment was what he looked forward to the least. "Yeah, a Prince Albert. I hate them mostly because the majority of the people who get them think that I'm somehow suddenly interested in their sex lives or how high they think their pain tolerance is when I really couldn't give two squirts of duck shit about either." He'd seen enough of people's most intimate body parts not to be fazed but the babbling on while trying to flex or, in some cases, flirt with Fletcher was uninteresting to him. "I'm looking forward to seeing what you're gonna text me though." He then chuckled, "You've been bitten by the ink bug. Congratulations, bae." And then he paused and shook his head, "Alright I dunno how I like that one. Bae? I thought I'd try it out but it makes me feel like someone old trying to sound young." He shook his head again and then stepped to Xavier, Bending his head to kiss him. "Hey don't sigh and pout. Knowing us, we'll end up texting a shit ton until we see each other again. Tomorrow will go by quick." He stole another couple of pecks and then said, "Get your ass home safely, yeah?"

XAVIER

"Nope, never," he replied genuinely. Xavier had seen a lot of Fletcher's work on the shop's Instagram and when he had visited the store last. Also the glimpse of his sketches was enough proof that Fletcher was more than capable. He was incredibly talented. "Oh God. A Prince Albert. I'm sorry. That sounds exhausting when you're just trying to do your work like ma'am this is a Wendy's." He repeated the old vine knowing Fletcher would get it. He shook his head and sighed. "Look, I've already seen a client flirt with you so I just KNOW that shit happens often." He wasn't super jealous especially when he trusted Fletcher but there was a small, tiny part of him that hated the idea." He did smile thinking about telling Fletcher about his future tattoos. Arching a brow with a smirk at the new pet name, Xavier grinned. "Bae. yeah, I don't know either." He laughed at his boyfriend's reasoning for not liking it to much. "You sir are definitely not old." he welcomed the kiss and looked up at the other. "I'm looking forward to all of that. Tomorrow will go by quick," he echoed and chuckled at the pecks before pressing his lips against Fletcher's a little longer. "You too. Text me when you get there just to make sure you're okay. yeah?" Xavier climbed into his car and looked over his shoulder. "Behave!"

FLETCHER

Fletcher chuckled a little at Xavier's Vine reference and then said, "Yeah, if I had to take a guess the person who booked this appointment is getting it purely to peacock in the bedroom. He sounded the type when he made the appointment. So I guess this is me judging. But not feeling bad about it." He listened to Xavier and then admitted, "It does, but I'm with you now. And even before we became official tonight, I haven't been fazed by flirtatious clients in a while." It was true, thanks largely to Xavier consuming much of his thoughts on the romantic front. Ever since that kiss at the school fundraiser. Before that, his focus had been on his daughter and his new adjustments but the fundraiser happened. Their unexpected first kisses happened. When talking about the 'bae' pet name he said, "I guess it wouldn't bother me in writing or text but out loud it just sounds weird coming outta my mouth." He then quickly argued, "I am old and I can accept being your old man." He watched Xavier head to the driver's side of his car while saying, "Will do," and then he stepped away from the curb and turned to leave. But when he heard Xavier's last comment, Fletcher chuckled once. "Not likely to happen!" He called back while walking up the sidewalk towards his own car, pressing the 'unlock' button on the fob.

#Xavier #Ink and Hearts para

[xxmarzimoonxx]

it’s funny because the more i look at twitter and tiktok and just think about what we were given in regard to byler this season, the more it kinda seems right? don’t get me wrong, we were definitely queerbaited to an extent, and that’s completely disappointing, and using will’s sexuality to further mileven was just terrible, but i actually feel kinda hopeful for season 5? anyways heres some mixed thoughts on byler that i don’t feel like adding to my pinned post and some will stuff too bc he’s my main guy <3

since the writers revealed that the jopper kiss was planned day of by winona and david, i sincerely believe that finn and noah could convince the writers to allow for smth between their characters, especially considering the way they have their characters act around each other (lip glances, longing looks, etc)

the lighting in the cabin scene? the stick figure drawing and the way it was framed? the dead flowers? these are not coincidences!!

almost every scene w mike and el has will standing in the background. again, definitely not a coincidence.

i also think that, in regard to season 4, completely fixing mike and wills relationship over the course of two packed finale episodes would have been forced. they have an entire season to work out their relationship now, and i truly believe byler will happen between the hints/parallels in s4, as well as everything finn and Mike have said (keep in mind they’ve seen parts of the script for season 5, and most likely already know how their characters are going to end up!) i have strong hopes, like noah said, i really feel that they’re building it up. we really need to see a post s4 interview w either finn, noah, or both of them. this way we can see how they react in regard to byler.

since filming for season 5 began early and the actors have already seen versions of the scripts and know where their characters are going, i truly believe what noah has said in interviews about byler being “built up” and stuff. it would explain finns behavior during interviews too if he knows smth will happen between them next season.

adding onto this, i feel pretty certain at this point that a lot of the actors be getting confused w what happens in each season 😭. like this would explain why it seems like a lot of them lied abt what would happen in season 4, and why a lot of leaks and hints as to what would happen didn’t. filming two seasons pretty much around the same time has to have had a lot of them confused, because im not sure why else all that would’ve happened…

bro im hyped for main character will next season. i don’t care if he’s a villain. i don’t care if he’s a hero. he can be whatever tf he wants as long as he’s not dead and is the main character (and main character he will be!!!)

my guess is that will gets vecnaed at the start of the season before they do that weird time skip thing. considering noah was in his s4 clothes in the pic w the harness (and that pic was posted around the same time david had said they started shooting early, so it makes sense that it’s for season 5).

im super curious tho as to how they’re gonna handle the time skip? i don’t know how they’re going to make it make sense, and i am worried it’s going to take away a lot from the characters (and no, not just mike and will, literally every character), so maybe they’ll do some sort of two part thing where the first part kicks off where we left off and the second jumps forward? kinda like the season 4 volumes but more evenly distributed.

everyone on twitter saying will might get killed off next season, SHUSH. as much as they like to hurt mr byers, imagine the backlash they would face after killing off one of two queer characters.

i saw someone on twitter say that like the point of wills arc this season was to highlight his emotional struggle and detachment from the group (his friends, johnathan, etc) to lead into his plot for next season. and yeah. that makes sense! and it’s also giving villain vibes 😍

it’ll also be really cool to see everything start with will and end with will. especially if he’s a villain. he would be helping the one thing (vecna/henry) that ruined his life, maybe even finding comfort in him. something about that is kinda cool, and im all down for a will byers villain arc. like imagine him showing mike memories of each time mike hurt him (verbally ofc) or smth like that and be like “look! it’s every time you broke my heart! now ill break yours 🤪💅🏻”. he wouldn’t kill him tho. we still want byler to happen. it would just be very slay of will. OKAY ILL SHUSH NOW.

i might add to this haha but it’s just some thoughts on will in season 5. if more byler stuff comes up in the coming interviews i might add it here rather than my pinned post because it’s just kinda easier. smh for not doing bullet points on that one.

#stranger things #byler #st #stranger things 4 #stranger things volume 2 #will byers #mike wheeler #will byers villain arc now #will byers stan page #mike wheeler done dirty #stranger things 5 theories #stranger things 5 #stranger things 5 hope

[azikarue]

2023 Fic Recap

Little late with the recap this year, but it's still January, right? For now?

Going into 2023, my goals were to 1) update "Bliss", 2) participate in MayBlade, and 3) work on/finish some WIPs. Poor "Bliss" is still waiting for its chance, but two out of three isn't bad!

I'll ramble more at the end of the post, but here's a recap of everything I posted in 2023.

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A Kiss for Luck

Summary: Before his crucial battle against Mystel, Max takes a moment to center himself. He wasn't expecting company. Set in my Saint Shields in G-Rev AU. Pairing: Max/Mariam Chapters: 1/1 Words: 1,855 Rated: K+

This fic was the first of six short oneshots I wrote to commemorate Valentine's Day. I did something similar in 2021, where I wrote a handful of Max/Mariam kisses and published them during the week leading up to Valentine's Day. When I was planning my writing for 2023, it felt like something fun to tackle again, and it gave me a lighthearted and relaxed start to the year writing-wise. So, I ignored my entire list of goals and wrote this (plus the next five) based off of six kiss tropes. I chose a different pairing for each.

For this one, I indulged myself doubly by starting with Max/Mariam and by setting it in my Saint Shields in G-Rev AU. Ever since I started pondering this AU, the moment in this fic is one that I knew had to happen. I'm sure the Saint Shields would have a lot to say about BEGA. I'm also sure that Mariam would remember the lessons she learned from Max and would be happy to throw them back in his face when he needs it most. And I love the excuse to visit early Max/Mariam days, even if it's in an AU setting. I write so much about them as adults that it always feels refreshing to write a little closer to their roots. This one holds a special place in my heart.

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A Kiss on a Scar

Summary: Every mark on Tala's body has a story and Julia does her best not to ask questions. She doesn't always succeed. Pairing: Tala/Julia Chapters: 1/1 Words: 1,883 Rated: T

When I chose this trope, I knew exactly which ship I would write for it. I was glad to have more practice with these two after writing them for a couple of my MayBlade 2022 chapters. For some reason, I tend to shy away from any member of the Blitzkrieg Boys when I write. I think it's partially because they have such a strong fan base and I'm never sure how my personal image of them will rate. Honestly, I've spent so many years in the fandom focusing on more underrated characters that I'm not even sure I have fully developed ideas for the Blitzkrieg Boys. Tala/Julia feels more niche, though, like it's a safe place for me to play around in.

While writing this, I was a little unsure on characterization. Namely, how much Tala would share without prompting and how much Julia would prompt him. I think there's still some gaps in Tala's character arc between seasons that I need to fill in mentally. He's very open with Tyson when discussing BEGA and Boris. I can only assume that's some combo of righteous anger and maybe therapy? Or just figuring himself out now that he's free from Biovolt's clutches. Julia is a bit of a mystery, too. Mostly, I worry that I'll end up writing her too similarly to other female characters on accident. Reading this fic back, I don't dislike the way I wrote them. And it was a stage in their relationship that I hadn't written before this point, so I enjoyed it a lot!

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A Kiss with Red Lipstick

Summary: Usually Queen has more fun at Enrique's family parties. But she usually doesn't have to go out of her way for his company or spend the night stone cold sober either. Pairing: Enrique/Queen Chapters: 1/1 Words: 1,784 Rated: M

This chapter was just me writing for me. I was pleasantly surprised when it got more than a single note when I posted it on Tumblr, because I know this is such a random ship with an, arguably, even more random interpretation. These are the two I write about when I want messy drama and chaos. Red lipstick kisses feel very messy and chaotic, so here we are.

This falls into the same story line as the last Enrique/Queen fic I wrote. It was fun building upon that idea.

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A Kiss at the Beach

Summary: Salima gets caught staring. It lands her in deep water…so to speak. Pairing: Ray/Salima Chapters: 1/1 Words: 1,180 Rated: T

I'll never turn down the chance to write some cutesy Ray/Salima. I imagine the two of them traveling around together a lot, living an almost nomadic lifestyle between tournaments or stops home (to White Tiger Hills or Salima's apartment). It's always a treat to indulge in that line of thinking, especially for a sweet moment like this.

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A Kiss to Shut Her Up

Summary: Mariah has a talent for uncomfortable conversations. Rick's working on his strategy for getting out of them. Pairing: Rick/Mariah Chapters: 1/1 Words: 1,253 Rated: T

This was one of my favorites when I wrote this series, and I still love it a year later. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I love writing Rick and Mariah's dynamic, especially from Rick's in-denial, grumpy point of view. He's a fun character in general, and I love how Mariah is the perfect person to keep him on his toes. And I had the line about her climbing him like a tree in reserves for what feels like forever, so it was nice to finally give it a home.

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A Kiss for the Winner

Summary: Tyson wins another World Championship and Hilary needs a minute to process his reaction. Pairing: Tyson/Hilary Chapters: 1/1 Words: 1,987 Rated: K+

I remember agonizing over this fic because I didn't want Tyson or Hilary to feel out of character. I've written a fair bit of TyHil since then, so I think that worry has subsided somewhat, but it was VERY REAL when I wrote this. I think the fact that the fic centers around a disagreement added to that anxiety. Arguments can be tricky. I didn't want it to feel like they resolved things too quickly to be believable or that Hilary's feelings were dismissed. In the end, I'm very happy with how it turned out.

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Subtly Sweet

Summary: When Hilary's computer crashed, she hoped work would be a distraction. Instead, she has a run-in with a vending machine and finds an unlikely hero in Tyson. Now if only he wasn't such a royal pain. Pairing: Tyson/Hilary Chapters: 1/1 Words: 4,320 Rated: K

I have this fic to thank for being able to tick my "work on/finish some WIPs" box in 2023. Very grateful to it for the feeling of accomplishment it gave me. 😄

For a fic that was sitting as a WIP for a year, it cleaned up nice! As a WIP, it was mostly dialogue with some vague outlining that I'd started, then left hanging. Sometimes pinpointing the perfect dialogue to take a plot from Point A to Point B can be a struggle, so when I reread my notes, I knew I had to take advantage of a good thing while I had it. The phone call scene wasn't originally included, and I remember doing a healthy amount of tweaking to get it right, but once it was there I couldn't imagine the story without it.

Fun fact: The original spark of an idea for this fic came from a conversation with RedWheeler literal years ago. I can't remember if we were discussing TyHil specific songs, but "Tangled Up In Me" by Skye Sweetnam came up and I couldn't get the thought of Hilary kicking a vending machine out of my head. Also, how is that song 20 years-old already?

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Life in Color

Summary: A collection for MayBlade 2023. Pairing: Multiple Chapters: 31/31 Words: 65,225 Rated: Varies (everything from K to M)

The pièce de résistance of my year. 💎

I, once again, did not finish my MayBlade entries on time. Unlike my first try, I accepted the fact that I would fall behind ahead of time. I think it made me feel much less stressed overall, but it also might have contributed to me falling behind faster than before? It's a double-edged sword. I know that I was in a better place for this round than I was when writing "Just A Moment", though. Life was much more balanced and I gave myself time to rest and recoup in between chapters, as needed, rather than spending all hours writing, editing, and falling asleep on my keyboard.

I'm very proud of this collection. I love challenging myself to write about some of my favorite, underappreciated characters alongside some of the characters more typical to my fics. I think I said this last year, too, but I love to see which chapters people like best and how it can vary between FFN and Tumblr. Sometimes I'm surprised by how things play out. Like, I was very shocked that the first chapter was so well-received on Tumblr, seeing as it focused on the Saint Shields. I'm sure it was because it was Day 1 of the event, but it was nice to know that some of my favorite characters got their time to shine. That was the case for more than one chapter, and I'd write a slew of notes on them all if it wouldn't make this post way too long.

All in all, I saw more engagement on "Life in Color" versus "Just A Moment" and I'm so grateful to anyone who read or interacted with it in some way! 🤍

❖

As I reflect on 2023, I can acknowledge that I took some positive steps forward in my never-ending quest for balance.

I'm teaching myself every day that it is okay to let go of things without guilt and pick them back up later. I can't be everything or do it all 100% of the time, and that's all right. It doesn't have to be all or nothing, and I can start things without having any idea of when I'll finish them. I can take a break from things that aren't serving me or causing more stress than I can handle. I can choose myself first and follow my whims. I can log off and be present.

In 2024, I don't know what my fanfic uploads will look like. I'd like to update Bliss and work on more WIPs. MayBlade is up in the air. I love participating, but it always turns into a bigger production than I bargain for. I may just need to participate differently, if I choose to do so.

September thru December are notoriously busy months for me, with May and June getting honorable mention. I'm not saying I'll be totally absent those months. Just putting it out there for me, so I know to go easy on myself. If I do nothing but read and take day trips and spend quality time with the people (and animals!) I love during that time, then it will be a year well spent. 🤍

As always, thank you to everyone who has interacted with any of my uploads this year and to the people who cheer me on and feed my fandom fire. I appreciate this little circle of the internet so, so much, and I hope 2024 brings only the best to you all! 🥰

#HAPPY 2024! #crossing my fingers for some fic inspo and motivation this year 🤞🏼 #azrfic recap #azrupdate #azikarue #azikarue394

[maria-eve-falcon]

The past is a happy place

Caution : this is a theory based on some psychics (I’ve linked the sources) and my gut feeling from the song tis the damn season and the fact that she wrote it when she was drunk (aaron said something like this) and the sheer rawness of the song. (and maybe this is also projecting) I have been thinking about this a lot lately and I just wanted to mention this cause 2 people , 3 times have almost mentioned this. Take everything with a grain of salt please as I myself don’t believe in everything psychics say cause they all talk about possibilities. this is a theory and I mean no harm or shade to anyone. And if you are planning on reading, this will be LONG

https://youtu.be/rHfQb5N4U7I?t=335 ( secret crush) (click and you’ll know what I’m talking about)

https://youtu.be/nktwP_c085c?t=272 (an ex she keeps checking on)) (click and you’ll know what I’m talking about)

So, I always thought celebs tend to reminsce the time before they got famous as a good time because fame takes their ‘normal’ away. So, they tend to idealize their past. Everything I say next will be based on this mostly so buck up!(if you plan on reading, obviously)

Maybe during re recordings she remebered these feelings again maybe (ik , I heard it but it’s just a thought ) about that person in her home town. 

Maybe she kept thinking about the ‘what ifs’ . that ‘normal’ that she rejected. That road not taken. That innocent times of being in love when you don’t worry about anything. I feel she still idealizes that as ‘perfect love’ or ‘looks real good now’ or ‘the warmest bed’ 

So, when she was in an actual, her reality’s lifestyle adult relationship and they had problems (lmao lbr nothing is perfect . not fighting or having no arguments ever is as abnormal as picking fights without reasons) she kept thinking if she was in her hometown maybe.. Just maybe things.. Would be.. Simple. And innocent. That’s why we never forget these young love moments. Those are the simpler times.

So while I think she was ready to settle, she had her doubts. And joe knew about them. I feel, he at least got a hint of that . 

Besides she seems like bit of a commitmentphobe to me.(imo, and idt it’s her fault for being a bit) Because lbr, after paper rings, it’s hard to think joe wouldn’t think about proposing (he doesn’t strike me at all as commitmentphobe but he maybe a bit too specially where his career is rn kinda normal) and if he didn’t propose after that! They must have talked about it or the relationship wouldn’t go on for almost 4 more years after lover. (I am aware of her wanting kids and wanting to get married since forever but something always seemed off to me ) 

So whenever there were fights or something needing to be sorted out she went back to those ‘we were happy’ idealizations. 

Now about this ‘ex she checks on’ , ‘ secret crush she has’ mentioned by antphrodite (sp?) in the first two vids and ‘ a person from work she has a crush on’ from that blog I linked could be anyone, but tis the damn season kinda gave me vibes like it could be a normal person who will become the person she needs and wants to be with. (i’m not ruling out joe either) . that or not, it’s defs not matty (idk how the blogger I linked got the idea that matty is gonna be a good person all on a sudden, he doesn’t even seem to understand what he did was wrong and people can be hurt by people’s words. I mean someone from work doesn’t essentially have to matty. Look at their compatibility! Harry is more compatible with her! And harry is her least compatible ex if not conner ) 

Please be reasonable. And idk or think the guy she has a crush on is compatible either tho.judging by my theory , he is a normie. And that will never work for her.  Period. She’ll always endure a lil bit of fame (also who knows if the other person can take her everything.yk) now if this guy can make her literally hide with him , maybe . or she wants to stop all of it just sit somewhere and make occasional music. Or maybe they could work! Who knows?! 

But I feel he is just not compatible with her . but she keeps thinking back and forth bout him cause she just can’t let go of the ‘road not taken’ and her ‘what ifs’

Also her way of moving on is weird. She gets into rlts real quickly after one (never leave well enough alone) ,lbr. Which can lead to having a lot of unresolved issues with her exes and , the biggest one, herself. That may be a barricade to let someone actually completely be just a happy memory i.e. letting someone go. Cause lbr, if you have unresolved issues about a rlt , these thoughts may come back and what ifs too! She is not a very ‘owning up’ person , so there is that. She needs to sort things big time actually. 

#thoughts

[k-s-morgan]

Loved the snippet! I always enjoy seeing Sebastian worried about Ciel, even if at this stage its all hypothetical ;)

This makes me wonder if Gremory will be able to see Ciel's potential to become a demon and try to warn Sebastian from following that path! I'm curious to hear your analysis on what you see as the OOC moment in S2. Is this Ciel's terrible idea to just randomly challenge Alois to a duel in the library during the dance of death? I love the scene afterwards where Ciel scoffs at Alois and tries to murder him and gets to face slap Claude, but the fight scene always did rub me the wrong way for some reason and I'm curious if this is the moment you were talking about.

Another ask: Thanks for the snippet it looks so good and I'm so hyped for the update!! I read your last ask response (not the same person!). i admit i don't remember season 2 or the duel at all but going off your description of it: so i've only casually been into black butler over the years, but i absolutely love your meta and gentle slopes has made me love both of them. i was wondering, maybe there's a possibility Ciel realized Alois would cheat, and played accordingly? i agree with your analysis that he's noble, but he's very calculating that way. what do you think? 

also, absolutely no pressure here at all, but do you know when you'll update next? of course take your time with it as I'm willing to wait as long as it takes, I'm just really excited. 

i wish you, your family and your pets safety. and the end of this terrible war. please hang in there. 

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

I combined these asks because they center on the same/similar subjects, hope you don’t mind!

@lecalcifer, I also enjoy Sebastian’s overprotectiveness, and with the line of their work, it always finds a way to show itself :D I do plan an arc with Gremory similar to the one you described. She’s also the one behind Mey-Rin’s dream - she couldn’t send it to Sebastian since Sebastian doesn’t sleep, so she chose someone else for passing this message. We’ll learn more about it soon. 

And yes, the fencing match between Ciel and Alois always bothered me. I can understand why Ciel wanted it to happen, but what he does next goes against this plan. We know that his goal was always to take revenge for what happened to him and his family. He expected this enemy to be someone grand, someone he would be unable to defeat on his own, but when he thought that Alois is the guilty party, it changed things. Alois is his age, he’s in a similar situation and he and Ciel are more or less equal. It means that Ciel has a real chance to get his revenge personally, without relying on Sebastian for it. So he waited for Sebastian to engage Claude and remove the chance of demon intervention, and he challenged Alois to a duel.

That’s why him cheating is confusing. Anon from ask 2, your explanation could make a lot of sense, but Ciel actually seems shocked to see that Alois cheated, too, and then he becomes offended and angry. This nullifies his idea of a duel to me because if he wanted to cheat, he could have simply used Sebastian. I don’t see a point in staging a situation where he and Alois are alone to pay him back personally and then just trying to trick him. Fencing was considered a noble kind of sport; duels had an element of integrity and nobility, too, so for Ciel to just spit on all of this for no reason? It’s very strange to me. So I’m introducing a made-up situation that will justify some of it when we get there. 

Thank you both for your interest and your wonderful words <3 I really, really hope to update at the start of November. Can’t promise anything since my days are unpredictable now because of Ruzzia, but for now, I’m making progress. 

#my fics #sebaciel #black butler #ciel phantomhive #season 2

[nachosncheeze]

The Company You Were Keeping (Blindspot 3x11 fic/extra scene)

Also on AO3.

So on the topic of this wild exchange from 3x11:

Weller: I wanna apologize for the way I acted with Clem. He's a good guy. It's just the thought of you with someone else....

Jane: I'm sorry too. I should have told you.

Weller: We all should have done a lot of things.

The only thing I could think of that would make Weller apologizing after Jane's bombshell make any sense would be if maybe somewhere in there they'd had a fight and he said something shitty to her, sort of like early season 2, casting aspersions on her associates and by extension her as well. Well, the lovely @lurkingwhump encouraged me to try to imagine it and write it down. Apparently my 4am brain decided that Weller should take the nuclear option (conveniently, also prompting Jane to retaliate with the nuclear confession option). Anyway, I'm sorry that out of several ideas you've cheered me on to write, the first one I finished ended up being so mean! I don't think I could have planned this if I tried, but here it is anyway. 😅

Content warning for mentions of infidelity.

~~~~~

Jane and Weller rode together to the airstrip. An FBI jet waited to carry them to Berlin, where they would - they would - find Jane’s daughter and bring her home. Jane’s former associate, their transient new teammate Clem, would be joining them at the airstrip shortly for the flight over. Kurt wasn't particularly happy about using a barely-vetted stranger, but maybe he'd at least get a little more insight into Jane's life during her time on the run.

The drive was quiet, the tension palpable. It wasn’t long ago that Kurt had stood in heartbroken disbelief, watching Jane take off her wedding ring and walk out of their apartment. She had looked so angry when she said she was leaving, but the look she threw back across the threshold just before she closed the door was filled with betrayal and pain. The distance between them seemed like a million miles, but Kurt felt he needed to be with her on this mission. He was still hoping they could work it out, and this was his chance to take the first step to making it right. He wouldn’t let her do this alone, and however angry she might be, he couldn't trust an unknown element to have her or Avery’s backs. He was going to bring them both back. It was his only choice.

Jane was clearly not happy that Reade was forcing her to take him with her, though. Weller was even less happy that Reade had had to make it an order.

“So,” Weller asked mildly as they mounted the steps onto the jet, “is there anything I should know about this Clem guy?”

“Just what I said before,” Jane answered noncommittally as they stowed their go-bags and took seats on opposite sides of the table. “He’s got connections all over Europe, and he’s one of the best there is.”

“And you trust him?”

“Yes,” she answered, after a moment of hesitation so brief that he might have imagined it. They lapsed into silence as she pulled out her phone, assuming the conversation was over. Weller, it seemed, was not ready to let it rest. After a too-brief moment of quiet, he tried again.

“You say you two have worked together a lot.” She nodded without looking up from her screen. He tried to keep his tone neutral, curious. “So how do these jobs usually work? Do you notify the authorities? What kinds of weapons did you use?”

She put down her phone. “Tranqs, usually,” she replied with a half-shrug. “Live rounds when necessary. No authorities. Don’t worry, we know what we’re doing,” she finished dismissively, glancing down at the screen in her lap.

That irritated him. They were on an FBI jet, using FBI resources, and embarking under the auspices of the FBI’s investigations into Roman and Hank Crawford. This wasn’t just another mercenary job like those she'd done while she was on the run; they were the authorities, and she didn’t seem to be taking that seriously. They were responsible not just for rescuing Avery, but for anything that went wrong along the way. He was responsible.

“But leaving bodies is the last resort,” he ventured, trying not to let his frustration bleed through.

She shrugged again, turning most of her attention back to her phone instead of him. “We try to work without fatalities, but sometimes there’s no other option," she said without looking up.

His voice took on an edge as he tried to pull her focus. “And no authorities, so the first choice is to leave the kidnappers to walk off when they wake up, free to go abduct someone else?”

His challenge had the desired effect. She pocketed her phone and clenched her jaw briefly as she met his eyes. “It wasn’t like that,” she attempted to reason, but she could feel her temper rising in response to his interrogation. It almost felt like he was challenging her integrity, when he should know better than anyone where her morals stood. “The focus is getting the victim out alive. That’s the priority.”

“Sounds to me like that's where the money is."

"I don't see you complaining that we still have our apartment," she bit back irritably. Okay, maybe that was a low blow, considering it was his search for her that had nearly bankrupted them in the first place. But she'd made it right. They kept their home and most of their savings were replenished. The loneliness had been crushing, but in the end the practical outcome, at least, wasn't all that different than if they'd still had two incomes that whole time. And Kurt and Bethany had both been safe, while Avery was… she stopped there. She couldn't let herself think about it.

Weller interpreted the dig about the apartment about as well as could be expected, which was not well at all. That had been a terrible time for him; guilt about Avery's supposed death by his hand, fear for Jane, shame that if he found her safe he may have failed to provide a home for her to return to. Maybe she had brought their bills up to date, but she had recently walked out of that same apartment. Had she really been invested in calling it home, or had she just felt guilty that they’d nearly lost it? He tried another tactic. "Did you make up that playbook on your own? Or did this Clem guy train you?”

“You know what I can do; I was good at it on my own,” she answered impatiently. “But yeah, once I had an experienced partner who knew their way around the industry, I got better.” The way he kept dismissively referring to Clem as ‘some guy’ was starting to rub her the wrong way. The man had volunteered, for no other reason than loyalty, to help rescue the daughter that Kurt himself had concealed from her and left in the hands of gangsters for over half a year. She couldn’t understand why he was so hung up on the hows and whys of the job. If it offended his boy scout sensibilities, he should have stayed home. It wasn’t like she wanted him there anyway.

And he knew it. Now both of them were angry.

"Better at rescuing people?” he challenged rashly, “Or just better at ignoring the law to do it?"

“He doesn't ignore the law,” she defended. “K&R just means skirting it a little sometimes. I told you, killshots only when necessary. Anyway, how is what you and I do with the FBI any different? We take people down all the time, often fatally. You do what you have to, to achieve the objective.” 

“We’ve never just left a pile of bodies behind,” he replied scornfully. “We make arrests, there are support teams, coroners; checks and balances; investigations to make sure we don’t get out of line. Our work is about justice. There are procedures-”

She cut him off. “We followed procedures, too. Just because they’re not written down in some library doesn’t make them any less effective. If government procedures could get everyone home safely, K&R teams wouldn’t be necessary. It’s the kidnappers that are the bad guys, Kurt, not us. I don’t get why you’re so mad about this."

"K&R exists outside the law, Jane, and law enforcement exists for a reason. Hell, we are law enforcement, and that hasn't stopped us. We've saved a whole lot of lives, and we've never had to push the line to do it.” She rolled her eyes at his generous assessment of their team's positions relative to 'the line', but he wasn’t done. “There are limits. Maybe you were gone a little too long, and you've forgotten."

Her lip twisted and brow set at how patronizing his last comment was, and though she chose to try to overlook it, she was less than successful at keeping the rapidly hardening edge from her voice. "Sometimes, the law can't get the job done. We can't rescue everyone, and individual kidnappings aren't like the large organized threats or conspiracies we deal with. Whatever the Bureau may think, sometimes negotiation is the right path. And when it's not, extractions have to be fast and efficient. Investigations and warrants are a waste of time; most kidnap victims aren't lucky enough to be able to afford the delay. But we always got to them before it was too late. Sometimes, the ends justify the means."

The law is a waste of time; the ends justify the means. Where had he heard that before? It sounded an awful lot like what Shepherd and Roman adhered to, and it went against everything he stood for. Everything he had thought she stood for, too. "So what,” he grumbled carelessly, “you want to go back to being Remi? Skip due process and work outside the law, slum around with criminals and terrorists again just because they get results a little faster? Is that it?"

There it was, the t-word. The motherfucking t-word. She may have been gone from his life almost as long as she'd been present, but the time she'd spent with him hadn't been idle. She'd proven herself again and again, and he was still carrying around the name 'terrorist' somewhere in his mind? She snapped, shooting him a look of cold fury. "Clem is not a criminal; he's a good man, and he's doing this job to help fix your mistake. And... I don't even know what to say to the rest of that. After all this time, that's still what you think of me?"

He looked away, grinding his teeth behind a grimace of contrition. Good, she thought, at least he has the decency to feel bad about that. Finally he looked back at her, his jaw re-set in his anger. "You're right, that's not what I think about you," he conceded. "But what am I supposed to think, Jane? I’ve seen the kind of company you were keeping. Who the hell was Alejandro Calderon? And I met Dwire Lee. Why are you defending this guy so hard, anyway?"

"He was my friend," she said, her voice dangerously low. And then, before thinking about it, she quietly spat, "We became close. Very close."

The admission was cool, but as the implication registered, Weller's face froze as if she’d shouted it and slapped him. Every one of his emotions suddenly vanished behind a mask of stone, and her heart plummeted into her stomach. Why had she said that? It was over. Truth be told, it was over before whatever 'it' was had ever really begun. It was over because all she could see, all she could think about had been the man in front of her, the one she'd just stabbed clean through the heart of. She shouldn't have told him. And definitely not now, not like that. But Avery was god only knew where, if she was even alive - she needed a K&R specialist, not the FBI, and he wouldn't stop attacking her best hope. She couldn't afford to back down now.

"So you were in a relationship with this guy?" he asked quietly.

"You and I were apart; I didn't think we could ever see each other again," she said defensively, letting irritation be her shield.

"Were you ever gonna tell me?"

"You really wanna play that card with me? Look, it was over. I was trying not to hurt you." All the same, she could see the pain seeping through his mask, and something like panic started to rise in her gut. 

They hadn't fought like this since those first few weeks after the NSA sent him to recapture her. Clearly, neither of them knew how to cope with it any better now than they did then. Maybe they were even handling it worse. She was apparently still a terrorist with criminals for friends, and now she'd effectively revealed that she'd made him a cuck. At this point they were both just lashing out to hurt each other as much as possible.

It was hard to say who was winning that battle.

She tried to lower the temperature by finding something they could agree on. "You know, maybe we should just stop working so hard to protect each other, because it just seems to make things worse." 

Weller was deathly still. Before he could respond or she could say anything more, she heard her name behind her. Clem’s timing couldn't have been worse. She closed her eyes and sighed heavily before reluctantly looking over her shoulder in greeting.

"Hey. Clem," the newcomer introduced himself as he stepped forward and offered his hand. Weller shook it stiffly.

"Kurt," he answered tersely.

"...Ah," Clem responded as he looked between the two of them. Kurt's stony gaze never left her face as she shifted over to let Clem take the seat beside her. She answered with a warning glare. Clearly they had a lot to talk about, but now wasn't the time. "So is this gonna be…" Clem questioned awkwardly, looking between them again.

"Jane says you're good," Weller interrupted, "so what have you got?"

#yep i'm a week late but one can't expect the mental slow cooker to produce on command #it's called slow for a reason #these babies needed to marinate #i've made some assumptions about how their K&R worked but just be cool and roll with it k? #blindspot #blindspot 3x11 #blindspot fanfic #blindspot fanfiction #blindspot rewatch 2022 #blindspot rewatch #blindspot s3 spoilers #nachos blindspot oc #i'm not a particularly angry person so this was...wild to read in my drafts once i was fully awake #maybe there's more animosity hiding somewhere in me than i thought 😅😅😅 #nachos blindspot fics

[nagalias-mindscape]

Can’t sleep. Must write. No energy for main two stories. Must write companion piece. Did so. Shall the Void enjoy?

(It’s mostly just Iceberg and Dr. Bright talking about chainsaws that happen to be on fire. And maybe some plot for the main story. Depends on if the characters overrule the writer. Again.)

“Dr Bright, sir, if I may ask…” Iceberg trailed off as he lifted his head from the desk. Despair- a simile of it, at the very least- was rolling around like a boulder in a marsh in his stomach. He did not like this ‘medicine’ that Headmaster Azur wanted him to try out, but he made a promise to the man. Take the medication for at least three weeks unless there’s some negative reaction that worries his family, and the Headmaster would personally see to it that his schedule had room for lessons in ‘The Healing Arts; mechanical, organic, and arcane’ as he called the series of seminars.

(It would be too useful a thing for him to not learn. He knew he could very easily become a weapon. He had been a soldier, though. He was tired of it. Hopefully the Foundation wouldn’t mind it if he occasionally helped patch people up. He was pretty certain that any ‘bedside manners’ he would normally have had were going to be trash, though.)

(That he could apply his powers of energy-draining ice to healing was something he was also looking forward to. He just needed to get through the seminars, the practices, and even the evaluations before he could even begin with his half-baked plan. That Headmaster Azur thought it was a possibility, and that O5 had agreed on the condition that he attempt it on other less-volatile SCPs first… it was perhaps the only reason he was willing to go through all this mess.)

(He needed some way to pay back his so-called family. He doubted that they’d still want him around once the need for the lie faded, but for now he was going to do what he could for them. No need to mention the idea to anyone just yet though. Not until he had tangible proof that the idea was even possible.)

Dr. Bright, for his part, of course, was simply sitting across from him, slowly spinning in circles in the chair. Getting those rolling swivel chairs had been something of an impulse buy on both Iceberg’s and Dr. Gears’ part. During the more busy seasons of paperwork, where the flow never seemed to slow down until late into the evening, those chairs had saved the two of them from needing to stand up and walk over to grab any papers that got filed or sorted wrong.

But they could easily be a major distraction. Like right now. Except it was Dr. Bright who was busy spinning around and ignoring Iceberg instead of Iceberg spinning and ignoring his desk of work.

Which was all sorts of rude, by the way. Dr. Bright had barged into the office, plopped himself into Dr. Gears’ chair, rolled himself over to Iceberg’s desk and started to chatter at him without so much as a ‘hello’. He’d even sort-of-accidentally smacked Iceberg in the head with a rolled up piece of paper when he tried to set it down on the desk. Right over all the paperwork that he needed to fill out- some of it Iceberg recognized as Dr. Bright’s own paperwork.

“Dr. Bright.” Iceberg spoke up after a moment of silence. “Why are you like this?”

“I was an orphan at a very young age, lost to the wondrous mysteries of the universe. I found myself in the body of a young Everest Jones once too many times. Decided that was boring and became Jack Bright instead. Things happened, then 076 killed me the first time, and I got stuck to 963 ever since. That answer your question?”

Iceberg only dropped his head back to his desk with a silent groan. He didn’t bother looking up when Dr. Bright started to laugh, but it was good to know at least one person was having fun around here. Even if it was at his expense.

“I meant… why this?” Here, Iceberg motioned to the opened-up blueprints that had since been unrolled. They were more a list of ideas rather than an actual design, but the thought process was pretty obvious when Iceberg had taken a cursory glance over it all. “Aren’t you prohibited from using chainsaws?”

“Nah, that’s Clef. I’m only prohibited from using chainsaws as my answer on how to stop a breach. Well, actually, I think the wording is more along the lines of using chainsaws as the answer to just about anything, but that’s boring. Unlike Clef, I haven’t ended anyone’s life with them. Yet.”

“That does not inspire much confidence in me, sir.”

“Let me let you in on a little secret, Icy-Boy. I’m not trying for confidence. If I know my shit, and you know your shit, then you shouldn’t need to worry about some creative licensing when it comes to the unusual application of items in the Foundation. Don’t you make homebrew bombs? I haven’t heard of any reports of people getting injured from your use of them, except that once, and no died then. It’s like that, except for me. And worse comes to worst for the Foundation, I can always get a new body.”

“… That worries me even more, sir.”

“… I see why Gears keeps you around. You’re a good kid. Now, about this schematic- Can you make it? R&D won’t touch it. Says it’s a waste of time. Think about how useful it would be, though!”

An obvious redirection, but Iceberg would allow it. He wasn’t certain he wanted to walk into some kind of logical fallacy with Dr. Bright. Neither of them were Dr. Glass. That said…

“Sir. You’re asking for a chainsaw. That’s on fire. That usually indicates a lack of proper safety when handling the machine.” He did still need to try and put in an effort to get out of this.

“Bah, I say! I can always get a new body. Pretty certain this thing is just as indestructible as 682.” Dr. Bright flicked the silver and ruby amulet that was sitting displayed on his chest. From what Iceberg knew, it was usually tucked into his shirt, but he was currently on day twenty-eight of his thirty day probation of being in a new body, so the thing was displayed for all to see.

(Iceberg was pretty certain it was for the benefit of the staff to get a month to come to terms with Dr. Bright having swapped bodies than it was any sort of... ‘It needs to be visible for a month to work’ sort of thing. After all, if it was hidden after swapping bodies, anyone could claim to be the man. Iceberg did every time he filled out paperwork for the guy, after all. It was easy to lie. Harder to prove it. Even harder when Dr. Bright wore the amulet out for all to see.)

“With all due respect, Dr. Bright, but I just don’t understand the appeal of… flaming chainsaws.” This elicited another round of laughs from the man, but Iceberg didn’t care this time. While he may enjoy using fire and fire-related objects, the idea of a chainsaw on fire was just… impracticable at best.

“Come on, what’s the harm in trying?” There were too many ways to answer that question, so he stuck with some of the basics. Start small and work up, or some shit like that.

(Dr Glass would be proud. Used in the wrong context, maybe, but still! Baby steps!)

“Sir… How would you even set one alight while still having it work? The heat this diagram talks about would burn through all the fuel within the first couple of seconds and set the user on fire. You now have a non-functional chainsaw, and a potentially dead body that’s on fire.” Iceberg tried his best to channel the Inner-Gears that the Foundation seemed to want him to develop, and he must have managed to succeed because Dr. Bright stumbled for a second before recomposing himself with a smile.

“See, there’s still some use out of the fiery chainsaw of death!”

Oh, maybe he hadn’t succeeded. Drat.

“The dead user, sir, or the useless lump of metal?”

“I refuse to answer that on the grounds that anything I say may be used in a court of law against me.”

“This is the SCP Foundation, and you’re Dr. Bright. I highly doubt they’re going to punish you for flaming chainsaws. Me, on the other hand? I’m Dr. Gears’ research assistant. I really shouldn’t be doing anything of this caliber without his permission.”

“Yeah? Weren’t you muttering about the best ways to break into the Level 4 Staff break room when I walked in?” Dr. Bright grinned when Iceberg dropped his head against the desk again. Of course the man had heard all that. Because of course he had. What even was his life and this point.

(Although, it said something that Dr. Bright wasn’t saying anything to stop him. He wasn’t going to think about it too much, though.)

“… Let me study this thing for a bit. I might be able to make something work. Would you settle for it being a flamethrower attachment for a chainsaw, or does it need to work as one solid piece?”

“Let’s see what you’re thinking, Bergie, then I’ll decide.”

#text #fanfiction #scp foundation #dr iceberg #dr bright

[bibaybe]

tell me everything about rika! please! gush!! release the info dump!!! AAAAA

HELL YEAH i saw this at my morning break and have been thinking about what i wanted to say ever since pls know you kept me from a complete mental breakdown today and i appreciate you vv much. this got really long, so i put it under the cut!

anyway!! rika is actually emi's, karube's lover, younger sister. before the borderlands, she was in college studying to be a lawyer and tended to spend her free time debating her fellow students and hanging out at the bar emi and karube worked at, which is how she met karube. they were hooking up for maybe a year? not sure yet. but either way, he starts hooking up with emi, rika finds out and storms off, and that's the last time they see her, leaving them with a fuck ton of guilt to deal with bc they're all like ??? where'd she go?? was she that hurt?? did she run away or worse???

awkward, bc after the initial pissiness of he sleeping with her SISTER who has cheated with many a guy and she wouldn't be surprised if she finds out she has an STD, she's honestly not that mad about it. she's more annoyed with emi than karube, but like, whatever. she's got more important things to worry about like suddenly being in a NEW WORLD?? that makes her fight to survive?? yeah, she's not having a great time.

rika's on her own for a while and figures out the whole suit - type of game thing, realizing her specialty is hearts games bc she's really good at manipulating a situation to go her way. she's moderately deaf, so she's gotten very good at reading lips, opening her up to a lot of information people don't realize they're giving her. that's how she meets the hatter, who catches on to her ability and willingness to sacrifice those who she doesn't have a connection to. he extends an invite to the beach and at first she's hesitant, but ends up deciding to go with him in order to gather more information about the borderlands.

while there, she ends up seducing aguni, knowing that with the lawlessness of the Beach, she'll need someone who will keep her safe when her own limitations come into play. at first, aguni is cold to her, but begins to warm up to her when he realizes that she's not intimidated by him like most are. he starts to fall for her and she plays along, unwilling to lose her most prominent form of information, especially when he starts to open up to her in a way he never does with anyone else.

but as she realizes that the relationship between the militant guard and the hatter's group is too fraught to stand for long, she starts trying to figure out the best way to play her cards, which leads her to chishiya and kuina. they'd already been debating bringing her into their plan, but when she shows up and is just like 'sup, what're you guys plotting and can i be in?' they're just like,,,, uh okay? so she joins their group and is basically a double agent, relaying information that she finds out to them. chishiya and her start to fall for each other, but due to her double agentness can't really do anything about it.

for a long time, chishiya, kuina, and - on some level - aguni are the only people she really cares about. until she runs into karube and arisu during the game of tag, which is very interesting due to aguni also being there. ultimately, usagi and arisu end up becoming people she care about enough to worry about, though her relationship with arisu is tense for most of season 1 due to her last conversation with karube being her being a bitch and making fun of the idea that she cared enough about him to run away.

basically, rika is smart, manipulative, and ruthless, but fiercely loyal to the few people she actually cares about. most of her season 1 arc is just her balancing keeping aguni's trust and love while working against him and keeping her own feelings for chishiya under wraps. season 2 - so far, given i haven't finished the last few episodes yet, but i probably will within the next few days - focuses on her coming to terms with her own shifting morals - aguni trying to kill everyone but her at the Beach makes her wonder if she's as bad as him while also grappling with his (assumed) death and her part in it. along with the fact that she can finally pursue a relationship with chishiya, but being uncertain whether that's something he wants, given the dumbass won't make a move and she's just like ??? we like each other KISS ME GODDAMMIT

also unrelated to literally everything but heiya getting rejected by aguni bc he loves rika and then trying to flirt with chishiya when(if?) they meet and getting rejected again bc he loves rika is so fucking funny to me i'm sorry heiya you'll find someone who isn't into someone else i promise its just not arisu, aguni, or chishiya lmao

#oc: miyata rika #answered #anonymous #series: knife's edge #someone ask about chishiya and rika's relationship next pls pls pls #ALSO thank you so much for asking about her i've been thinking about her nonstopfor days now #can't wait to write her bio when i finish the show/have time

[rekikujo]

GRADUATION TRICKSTAR STORY TRANSLATION.

Chapitre 1 ⤵️

Tomoya : Congratulations to everyone at Trickstar on your graduation!

Mitsuru : Congratulations -Daze!

Hokuto : Until my graduation, Tenma-kun. You’ll get over your habit of saying « DazeDaze » i didn’t it’s useless if you don’t properly show respect to superiors. It’s not like there are only soft-headed people like me in the world.

Makoto : Oh, it’s look like Tsukko! But hold on! Congratulations today. It’s day!

Subaru : That’s right! Speaking of [return festival], last year was as busy and heavy as « SS » or even more. What is this year, it feels comfortable.

Hajime : Yes. Like last year, Reki oneechan was entrusted with the planning of [return festival].

Where there any instructions from the ES?-

The name has also been changed from [return festival] to [White Chocolat Festival] and compared to last year, it seems to have changed to a more carefree event.

Subaru : Reki, you’re the type who doesn’t want to make things too pompous when you’re involved.

Makoto : You’re a modest child after all.

Hokuto : Really, of course, Reki graduated whit us, but… i’m not the self-assertive type who wants to make a big event to send myself off.

Hajime : Yes, [Chocolat Festival] for Valentine’s day, [White Chocolat Festival] for White Day.

In other words, this year’s event has been properly matched to the season, isn’t it?

Hokuto : Maybe last year was different… We’re all people of the same age as a « unit », so i wouldn’t say it didn’t really matter. I remember that there was a lot of squabbling about « unit » UNDEAD, Ryusetai & Knights that had graduates.

Hajime : Ni-chan also graduaded last year, but we didn’t argue about that. I was so sad to say goodbye that i cried a lot, but..

Mitsuru : Rabbit, my eyes are red! Just like you!

Hokuto : You guys « Rabbits » are serious good guys. Usagi-senpai is also a solid person, and there will be a lot of trouble before graduation. I guess it didn’t turn out like that.

Tomoya : Yes. Rather, we were more worried about this year.

Hajime and Akehoshi-senpai would be so lonely that they would be confused.

Hajime : If anything, i was more worried about Tomoya-kun, wasn’t i?

Tomoya : Haha….. But in the end, the person who cried the most during the preparations for the [White Chocolat Festival] was Hikaru, who was reluctant to say goodbye to this seniors in the track and field club.

Mitsuru : Just when i thought that Miki-chan-senpai had graduated the other day, Ado-chan-senpai had already graduated!

That’s it, the coins are somehow gone!

Hajime : It’s like a light arrow, isn’t it?

Mitsuru : Yeah that!

Tomoya : You can translate light words? well, Hajime impressed every time

Hajime : We’ve been working together on good terms for a long time, so i’ve gotten used to it in addition. Tomoya-kun said i was going crazy, but i was so calm that even i was surprised.

Calm down, smile, ans send your seniors off with heartfelt congratulations.

Subaru : You’ve gotten stronger, Shinonon! Daddy is happy! Good, good, good… 🎶

Hajime : Hehe… but, because the seniors graduated from Yumenosaki. If you want to meet, you can always meet as ES death it doesn’t feel like goodbye at all that’s why. I am not sad at all.

Mitsuru : That’s right! I was the only one lamenting that i graduated Tara seniors don’t seem to participate in the activities of the tracks and field club!

Subaru : Otchan is kind, so don’t you often show your face so that you don’t feel lonely?

Mitsuru : That may be true, but there is a « bad précédent » for Miki-chan-senpai! It’s frustating to keep winning and running away!

Hokuto : I see. The reason Tenma-kun cried was not because he was lonely, but because he was frustated.

Mitsuru : Yeah! That’s why i can’t help it anymore, so i decided to compete with Miki-chan-senpai in things other than track and field!

As an idol, beat the seniors! I’ll do it!

Hokuto : That is my intention. And as long as you don’t quit being an idol, that battle will continue forever. We can always play around in the same world together with you guys. Uhhh, have a great life can enjoy so there’s really no reason to feel lonely or sad.

Subaru : I also agree with Hokke! About one person, something to complain about it’s ugly.

Makoto : Ah, Isara-kun? I don't know what's wrong with you, but your expression is dark all the time...?

Hokuto : Isara has been the student council president for a year and has been working very seriously. Aren’t you out of your mind now that your term is over?

Mao : Ah…. No, yeah sorry.

I am worried about something. I didn’t want to say something that would break the air in such a festive place, so i kept quiet the entire time. I am actually having a little problem right now.

Subaru : What is it? It smells like water. If you have any troubles, talk to us!

Hokuto : Hmmm, I’ll do my best to become power, Isara.

Makoto : Didn’t you think that consulting with us would make things even more complicated?

Mao : I don’t think so. It’s all about this, so it’s no use talking to you guys. In fact, Yumenosaki Gakuen has a virtually closed down after this year. Become

Subaru : ………?

Makoto : Eh, what? Closed School? What do you mean….?

Mao : Mother. Even if you say such a thing, you will be troubled, you guys. I would rather laugh… but i am not kidding. This is…..

#enstars #ensemblestars #graduation #translation #trickstar #story

[theteasetwrites]

Pretty... Cool

❧ Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Reader ❧ Era: Prison (Season 4) ❧ Pronouns: she/her ❧ Warnings: mild swearing, violence ❧ Word Count: 2.9k

❧ Requested by @lacilulu77 (sorry this took a little longer to get out! Took me a while to think of something but I hope you like it!)

❧ Summary: An incident during a run leads to Daryl being a little protective of you, and jealous of the guy who's trying to woo you.

❧ A/N: Jealous/nervous Daryl??? We love to see it.

Your group stopped to go over the plan once more in the middle of the abandoned shopping center.

“All right,” Daryl said, in his usual southern drawl that never ceased to fascinate you, “Glenn and Tyrese, sportin’ goods store. Sasha and Kyle hit the pharmacy. Hardware store’s goin’ to (Y/N) and Willow. Everyone got yours lists, and we meet back ‘ere in thirty. I’ll be seein’ what’s up with that auto shop. Remember—no gunshots ‘less absolutely necessary.”

In all your inexperience going on runs, you were a little terrified to split into small groups, but you’d worked with Willow before, and you liked her, so you figured you’d have each other’s backs.

Still, the pressure was intense. The prison was running low on supplies, what with all the people it was sustaining now, and lots of families were counting on you.

You couldn’t tell, but Daryl was nervous too. It was his first time leading a run with so many people, and he was terrified of losing any of you, though he was less partial to Kyle, who he’d caught flirting with you on more than one occasion.

The guy was a typical womanizer, interested in sleeping with as many women in the prison as possible until he felt he had achieved some kind of “record.” Daryl knew this not only because he saw the man talking up every woman in the prison, but because he’d heard him bragging to some other men about his sexual escapades.

You, however, were his latest target, and that infuriated Daryl.

At first he didn’t quite know why, but soon he realized it was because he had his own feelings for you, and that he didn’t want you getting hurt. Luckily, you seemed completely oblivious to Kyle’s advances, but that also worried Daryl, since maybe you’d think he was just being friendly and let him get so close that he’d pull a very sudden move on you. He knew how guys like that operated, especially since his brother happened to be one of those guys.

So when Kyle came up to Daryl a few moments after his announcement to the group, asking if he could partner up with you instead of Sasha, Daryl was visibly irritated.

“Nah,” he said to the man. “Teams are final.”

He turned back to preparing his crossbow, and Kyle let out a disgruntled huff. “Come on, man,” he said. “Don’t be a cockblock. I know you don’t do the whole sex thing, but I’m so close to nailing this girl. You gotta understand.”

He glowered at Kyle, nearly ready to knock his teeth out. He hated the way he had heard him talking about you, like a perverted sex addict. He’d listened to him speculate about what you looked like under your clothes, or whether or not you liked it “rough.” Sure, perhaps Daryl had wondered about those things too, when he was alone with his thoughts and particularly enchanted by you, but he never dreamed of talking about you like that to other people. It seemed wrong, like the words themselves were violating you.

He was about to say something, to tell Kyle off once and for all, but your voice cut through the thick air between them.

“Hey, Daryl,” you said, causing his eyes to flash up to your warm face. “I’m just wondering about this item you listed here.” You leaned closer to Daryl, and he flinched a little when he felt your shoulder against his, with your finger pointing to the scrawled out word. “What does MDF stand for?”

He cleared his throat before speaking shakily. He was always so damn nervous around you. “Medium-density fiberboard. It’s a kind of wood. Should be in with the lumber.”

You nodded as you looked at the paper. “Okay, got it.”

Just then, Kyle inserted himself into the conversation. “Hey, (Y/N),” he said. “There’s been a change of plans. Daryl said you and me are splitting up, and Willow and Sasha are hitting the pharmacy.”

Daryl gave him a death glare, but Kyle didn’t seem bothered. The guy was insufferable, but he’d just put Daryl in a strange situation—let him go with you, or make a big scene about it. Both choices hurt him in some way.

“Okay,” you said with a shrug. “I’ll go tell them.”

You went off to catch up with Willow and Sasha, who were both chatting as they waited for you and Kyle.

In a fury, Daryl turned towards Kyle and backed him a few feet away. “Listen to me, douchebag,” he said sternly, gritting his teeth. “If anythin’ happens to (Y/N), you’ll be dead before you hit the ground. You understand me?”

He scoffed. “Yeah, sure.”

You split off with Kyle a few moments later, and made your way to the hardware store, where a handful of walkers seemed to be stuck inside.

“All right,” you sighed. “Let’s figure out how we’re gonna do this. I was thinking I could break that chain and let them out one at a time, and you stand next to me and get rid of each one as they come. I’ll control the door while you do it. Sound good?”

He nodded. “Sure.”

You took out your bolt cutters and split the chain, then pushed your body against the door before letting loose just enough to let out one walker.

It came stumbling out, and soon Kyle had bludgeoned it with his bat. The process repeated smoothly until the coat was clear.

Inside the shop, you made your way to the lumber aisle, trying to find that MDF on top of the list.

Kyle followed behind you, and the fact that he wasn’t trying to look for anything was getting on your nerves. Instead, he just kept talking to you, annoying you.

“So you got any plans after the run? When we get back to the prison?”

You huffed as you focused on reading the labels for the different types of wood. “Um, I don’t know.”

“Well, I was thinking maybe we could do something. Ya know, hang out.”

You swallowed hard. You were actually hoping to help Daryl work on the plumbing system in the bathroom. That was also why you had some plumbing parts and tools on your list. The two of you had been working on it for a while now, and, although you didn’t like spending so much time in a bathroom, you enjoyed it. Daryl was fun to talk to, when he felt talkative.

“Actually, I just remembered that I’m going to be working on that drainage problem in the bathroom with Daryl later.”

He scoffed. “Oh, come on, that isn’t done yet? It’s been weeks and you’re always doing that. Don’t you wanna have a little fun?”

You rolled your eyes as you grabbed the MDF and laid it down in your cart. “I promised Daryl I’d help him until it was finished. He does too much work on his own.”

You were about to continue pushing the cart when Kyle stepped in front of it. “What, are you screwing him or something?”

You were taken aback by the personal question. “What?”

He shook his head, grabbing onto the other end of the cart as he did so. “I’ve been trying to butter you up for months and all it takes is a dumb hillbilly with a toilet plunger to sweep you off your feet?”

He must’ve misunderstood. There was nothing going on between you and Daryl, and you had never even thought about it like that. Now, though, you supposed you did spend a lot of time with him, more than anyone else. He was the person you trusted most in the prison, since he’d saved your life so many times, and had always been nice to you without expecting anything.

“There’s nothing going on between us,” you said. “Even if there were, it wouldn’t be any of your business. Now get out of my way and make yourself useful.”

“Won’t you at least give me a chance?” he asked, almost in a begging tone. “Promise I’ll make it worth your while.”

“Kyle,” you breathed, “this is making me uncomfortable. Let’s just get the stuff and meet back with the others.”

He narrowed his eyes at you, clearly frustrated that he wasn’t getting anywhere with you. “Do it yourself.”

With a forceful push of the cart, he sent you backwards with a loud thud, and your arm had knocked over a piece of wood as you fell. The large piece of lumber fell, too, landing on your forehead and causing a throbbing pain to flow through you.

“Ow!” you cried angrily.

Not only was the front of your head aching, but your back had taken the brunt of the trauma from such a forceful push.

Kyle stood dumbfounded, not expecting that he would have actually pushed you to the ground.

“Oh, shit, (Y/N),” he panicked. “Are you all right?”

He walked over to you as you began propping yourself back up, with no help from him. “Fine,” you said, pawing at the place where you were sure a bruise would soon form. “Let’s get out of here.”

The run wasn’t great, but at least it was over. Now, you were resting in your cell, with an ice pack on your head and a headache that wouldn’t seem to go away. Hershel said the injury was superficial and that you’d be fine in a day or so, but that you’d probably have a headache the rest of the day. So, you sent Carol, who gave you the ice pack, to inform Daryl that you wouldn’t be able to help him today. Well, that’s what you asked her to tell him, but she ended up telling him that and more.

“Hey,” Daryl’s voice called out to you from outside of your cell. “Can I come in?”

You opened your eyes and gave him a small smile. You weren’t expecting him to come and see you, but you were glad to see him regardless. “Sure.”

He stood in the middle of your cell, then came forward tentatively to lift up your ice pack and look at the large purple bruise on your forehead.

“Kyle did this?”

You shook your head. “No. Well, yes and no. He pushed me, and I happened to fall. He said he didn’t mean to do it.”

Still, you didn’t forgive him. He let his emotions get the better of him, and regardless of whether or not he meant to hurt you, he was being irresponsible.

Daryl growled under his breath as he replaced the ice pack. He couldn’t stand to look at the minor injury anymore. Sure, you were going to be totally fine, but it pissed him off to no end that he hurt you. “That asshole’s never goin’ on a run again, ‘less it’s as a sacrifice.”

You snorted. “Stop. It’s no big deal. He was just being a jerk, lost his cool. He’s an idiot, but he’s not worth getting worked up about.”

He shook his head, both in admiration and frustration at how nice you were. You were the one at the prison who hated conflict the most, and you desperately wanted to see the good in everyone, even when they tried to take advantage of you. Daryl wasn’t like that. He pretty much assumed everyone was bad until he got to know them. That was just his defense mechanism, how he tried not to let anyone bad in.

“What’d he say to you?”

You sighed. “Well, he said something about wanting to hang out after the run, and I told him I was going to be working on the plumbing with you. I guess that pissed him off, because he… I don’t know, likes me I guess. I didn’t really think he thought of me that way, but maybe I’m just dumb.”

“Nah,” he said quickly. “You ain’t dumb, just… Well, I dunno what you are.”

You shook your head and laughed. “I’m too nice, I know. You’ve told me fifty times now.”

He lowered his head and smiled shyly at you, wondering if you had any idea of his feelings for you.

“Daryl,” you began to say. “Can I ask you something?”

He swallowed hard. Of course you could ask him anything, he thought, but the unknowing of what you would ask him made him nervous. “‘Course.”

Just then, the door to your cell burst open in a long, ear-piercing squeak.

“Hey,” Kyle said, looking directly at you and practically ignoring Daryl. “I need to talk to you.”

Daryl stood up, his fists clenched and his eyebrows furrowed in rage. “Go talk to someone else.”

Kyle huffed, and looked at Daryl for a moment before looking over his shoulder at you. “Listen, (Y/N). I’m sorry about earlier. That was a total accident.”

Daryl scoffed. “Why don’t ya just leave ‘er alone?”

Kyle looked quite annoyed now. “I wasn’t talking to you.”

“Anythin’ you say to (Y/N),” Daryl replied, “you’re sayin’ to me, too.”

Kyle exchanged a look with you, and you simply crossed your arms. “I think you should leave, Kyle. Thanks for apologizing but I’m not interested in whatever else you have to say.”

He left with a stomp to his step, and you almost started to laugh at how petty he was. He just couldn’t seem to accept the fact that you didn’t like him as much as he’d hoped, and that you’d rather spend your time with Daryl.

“Thanks, Daryl,” you said, then sat up a bit to pat your hand at the foot of your bed, inviting him to sit. “He’s been annoying me a lot lately. Maybe he’ll leave me alone now. I just didn’t know that was what he wanted.”

He sat himself down at the edge of the bed, careful not to sit on your feet. “Yeah, well, guys like that want every woman they think they can get.” His eyes widened when he realized he might’ve offended you. “I mean, not that you ain’t… special.” He could feel himself getting buried deeper and deeper. “Jus’... he doesn’t want ya for the right reasons.”

“How do you know?”

He shrugged. “Heard him talkin’, always braggin’ about the girls he slept with. He ain’t shit. I’ll make sure he doesn’t bother you. I mean, if you want.”

You smiled and rested your icepack on your bedside table. “Does that mean you’ll be spending more time with me? Like a bodyguard situation?”

He looked away from you as he twiddled his thumbs. “Uh, I mean, if you want me to, I will. Just don’t like seein’ ya get hurt. In any way.”

You tilted your head in flattery. “Well, I appreciate it.” You sat up again and grabbed his hand with yours. “I’d like to hang out with you more.”

He nodded. “I’d, uh… I’d like that too.”

Just then, he remembered that you were about to ask him something when Kyle barged in. “Hey,” he said. “What were you sayin’ before?”

You thought back in your head, and smiled when you remembered. “Well, I was going to ask you if you… um, if you like me?”

He looked down at his feet again, and stiffened a bit when he processed what you’d asked. Of course he liked you. He liked you more than he’d liked anyone in a long time. He felt comfortable around you, safe. That was more than he could say for most people.

Not only that, but he had intimate feelings towards you, that he was sure you didn’t share. Still, it came out, little by little.

“Sure I like you. What’s not to like? You’re nice, smart, pretty.” He quickly rubbed his face in frustration when he said that. “Shit. I mean, pretty… cool. Yeah, pretty cool.”

You looked at him seriously for a minute, before letting out a burst of laughter. “Oh, Daryl. I don’t mean to be presumptuous, but did you say I’m pretty?”

He cleared his throat. “Uh, well, if I did, would that bother you?”

You shook your head with a smile. “Nope. I think I’d like it a lot.”

Just then, as you thought of Daryl thinking that you were pretty, it occurred to you that Daryl was pretty, too. Those crystal clear blue-grey eyes, and those lovely cheekbones that made him look so noble, and yet so sweet. The button nose was your favorite, though.

“You know,” you continued after a few moments, “if a guy as cute as you says I’m pretty, then I suppose I’ve got no right to question it.”

His eyes widened at you as you sat up further and shifted yourself closer to him until you both had your legs dangling on the edge of the bed. He couldn’t believe what you’d just said to him. Throughout his whole life, Daryl had been called a lot of things, but he’d never been called cute. At least, not to his face.

“Did… did you just call me cute?”

You shrugged. “I don’t know, did I? I mean, would that bother you if I did?”

He shook his head. “Nah,” he said. “Think it’d be pretty cool.”

Somehow, the day had gone from terrible to a whole lot better. Maybe you had a big bruise on your forehead, but at least Daryl Dixon thought you were pretty... cool.

~

Thanks for reading! Likes, comments, and reblogs of any kind are always appreciated!

#daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon fanfic #daryl dixon #daryl dixon x you #daryl dixon fanfiction #the walking dead #the walking dead fanfic #twd fanfic #twd #twd fanfiction #norman reedus #norman reedus fanfic #norman reedus fanfiction #norman reedus x reader