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#And then another TOO LONG scooping it in with the handle in there instead of just scooping the whole tub in there

ilys00ga · 20 days

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𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲.

➞ pair: yoongi x female reader.

➞ word count: 1k

➞ synopsis: "yoongi and reader making a meal together for yoongi's parents" with a little bit of a domestic twist.

➞ genre: established relationship, husband!yoongi, dad!yoongi, just fluffy fluff fluff, they cook together, dad!yoongi, nothing goes wrong, dad!yoongi, just pure happiness, they also call it tooth-rotting fluff lol, did I mention: DAD!YOONGI ???, they have a babygirl uwu <33

➞ A/N: first off, thank u anon for sending me this super cute prompt, I loved it and had sm fun writing it!! second, EID MUBARAK TO MY FELLOW MUSLIMS OUT THEREEE <3 this is my lil gift for yall on this eid. it wasn't supposed to be this long tbh, and I haven't written anything for over a month, so, sorry if this is kind of messy and all over the place??? im trying to get my sht together again. but I really liked the prompt and!!! had to write it!!!! kkk enjoy bbys <3

ps. any form of feedback is reallyyyy appreciated. I live for compliments :) !

★ MASTERLIST.

ᵎᵎ 𖦹彡⋆｡˚・ ─ ・ ⋯ ・ ─ ⊹ ♡₊˚๑

It was one warm spring morning.

Yoongi was back from a long series of concerts just a couple of days ago. Grateful to be finally home with the two people that mean the absolute world to him. Your cat was purring on his chest as the two of you laid on the bed, enjoying the quiet of Saturday that had just begun, when his mother called to announce that, later that evening, she and his father would be coming over.

One thing led to another, and there you stood with your husband in the kitchen. One was chopping ingredients up by the stove, the other handling a mixer. Your two years old baby girl, Nara, was sitting in her high chair somewhere away from the oven and any other harmful thing. What used to be your favorite playlists playing ever so softly in the background as you fixed yourselves your favorite meals, together, was replaced with the mindless blabbering of your sweet baby girl instead, playing with the wooden spoon you had given her to play with some minutes before.

“Is this good?” Yoongi dipped the tip of his finger into the mixture he’s been working on, and carefully brought it up to your lips. You hummed in satisfaction as soon as the flavors hit your taste buds, a little bit taken aback at how he nailed your mother’s secret recipe only in the first try, “Great. You’re getting so good at this, Yoonie. I think you should take over kitchen duties very soon.”

He snorted, “If that means I’ll never have to do the laundry ever again, then sure.”

Feigning annoyance, you hissed at him, “You’re so lazy.”

“No one likes doing laundry, honey. Not even you.”

"You're so annoying."

Your daily bickering banters were disturbed by the sound of his phone ringing from the other room. He left to take the call, leaving you with your noisy little baby. The chef hat she had on her head–Yoongi's idea, by the way, along with the tiny apron she wore as well–was almost too big on her. It made her look a thousand times more adorable that you immediately started grinning and cooing when she looked up at you.

"And what about you chef? Are you having fun?"

She balled her fists up and raised them in the air, wiggling in her seat to let you know that she wanted to be picked up. Being the ever so whipped mom that you were, you scooped her up in your arms right away, and peppered kisses all over her chubby face. Her giggles seeped through your skin and locked into your bones, aching with a sickeningly utmost adoration.

“Mom said they’re almost here.” Said Yoongi upon entering the kitchen, putting his phone atop the table and smiling as soon as his eyes fell on the two of you—his girls.

“Are you being a good chef assistant, baby?” He cooed, kissing her cheek, then leaning in to leave a peck on your lips.

“She’s been blabbering her life off the whole time you were gone." you hummed.

“Mom is going to have a good time conversing with her this evening.”

“We’re almost done cooking now.” You reminded him, “Honey, check on the oven please.”

“Right.”

A wave of heat hit his face as soon as he opened the oven, but he smiled once he checked on the muffins, “they are done.”

When he took the tray out and swiftly put it on the counter, Nara erupted in a fit of loud blabber, flailing the arm that clutched on the wooden spoon in the air and almost smacking your face in the process.

It had your husband giggling, of course. He couldn’t help but join in and engage with her blather, how could he not when he got such an adorable chatterbox for a child? “Huh, Nini? The muffins are done! Yeah!”

He took her into his arms, allowing you to go check on the stewpot that was still boiling on the stove, before bringing her to have a look at the tray of the mouth watering muffins, and cheered, “look!”

Your heart, yet again, swooned, almost oozing out of your ribs with how tight your chest grew to be at the sound of your baby’s joyful squeals. She was all excited as her daddy showed her around the process of cooking the dinner for her grandparents.

Nara was having the time of her life. For some reason, she's always loved being in the kitchen. Yoongi once made a comment about her becoming a successful chef, which then turned into a long, heartwarming talk about your daughter and her future. The gentle smile Yoongi had on his face throughout that was one to die for, especially when he sulked about not wanting your babygirl to grow up. His pout was so intense, you ended up engulfing him in a bone crushing hug for almost half an hour.

It was moments like this one that you wished were pictures so you could cut them up and hide them. Somewhere deep inside your heart. Forever. That's how you often found yourself observing and admiring every single interaction your husband made with your baby, and that’s how you ended up listening attentively as he continued to talk so passionately and earnestly with her, while simultaneously attempting to work with his free arm to the best of his abilities.

She, at one point, got so ecstatic that she accidentally thrusted her arm forward and hit him in the face with that spoon. But he only turned to look at you with an affectionate smile.

Struggling through a fit of giggles, you slipped the wooden object from her grasp and gave her a big kiss; making sure to squish her doughy cheeks—a trait that she definitely got from her father, “No more hitting mama and papa for you!”

The little girl’s squeaks only got louder as she reached out with her arms towards you, addressing you with more words of her very own and special language.

“Family hug?” you asked, glancing at a grinning Yoongi.

“Family hug!” He wrapped his free arm around you, bringing your body closer so that Nara could get a hold of you as well, then added, “but let’s make it a short one or else my parents are going to come to a burnt dinner.”

#yoongi #bts #yoongi scenarios #yoongi x reader #yoongi fluff #yoongi drabble #bts yoongi #bts scenarios #yoongi gif #min yoongi #yoongi icons #suga fluff #suga fic #bts suga #suga #bts fic #bts gifs #bts army

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mingtinys · 21 days

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" i'm not stopping until you smile "

pairing : lee seokmin x gn!reader

"13 ways to say "i love you" with seventeen"

warnings : none

word count : 0.6 k

a/n :still not sure how i feel about the ending on this one

Sometimes it feels like the universe is actively out to get you. Like for some reason, whatever Gods above have chosen you as the perfect target for their cruel jokes as a cure for their boredom.

Everything that could have possibly gone wrong, had.

Your coffee spilled first thing in the morning, scorching your skin and ruining your uniform. The back left tire of your car was flat, forcing you to take the morning train. Which you missed due to your coffee incident. Work was hectic, your boss on your ass about anything and everything, and for some reason, every customer came in with a personal vendetta against you and you alone. And to top it all off, some creep wouldn't stop making comments at you on the train back home.

You're so desperate to just curl up in bed and hide from the world that you forgo the thought of dinner or cleaning like you had planned all together.

For what feels like hours, you lay there. Until the sun falls in the sky and your room fades into darkness. Unwilling to move even an inch to flip a light on or check your phone. Your apartment stays dead silent. Eventually, you hear the front door open and shut, followed by the sound of footsteps approaching closer. They pause just outside your bedroom door.

"Baby, are you in there?" Comes a voice, one so soft you nearly burst into tears from the sound of it alone. "I'm coming in, okay?"

The knob turns and in comes Seokmin, illuminated by a halo of light that pours in from the hallway. He takes one look at you and frowns. "Are you okay?" He asks, setting your spare key and his phone on your dresser before sitting on the edge of your bed.

"I got really worried when you weren't answering after work," he continues. "What happened?"

"It's fine, Seok," you sigh, already feeling like a burden on him. "But it's been a long day and I just really want to handle it alone, okay? I'm sorry you came all the way here."

He just stares at you, sad eyes searching your face for some type of answer. You feel like you've just kicked a puppy asking him to leave, but it's best this way. Seokmin's heart is far too soft, ready to soak up every ounce of negative emotion it can for him to bear the weight of. And you hate seeing Seokmin sad.

"You don't have to handle it alone though, that's what I'm here for." You really wish you could return his cheery optimism and put him at ease, but instead, you simply turn in your cocoon so you won't have to face his disappointed expression. Yet somehow, that doesn't deter him.

Whereas anyone else probably would've up and left by now, Seokmin simply scoops you up into his arms, blankets and all. He starts pressing wet, sloppy kisses all over your face before you can voice a single protest. Even when you attempt to hide from the barrage of affection in his chest he doesn't let up.

"Seokmin!" You whine, palms coming up to shield your face. He just laughs and easily pulls your wrists away, looping them behind his neck before pressing two more pecks to each cheek. Seokmin leans back to examine your face.

"I'm not stopping until you smile."

"I appreciate you trying but–"

Yet another merciless attack befalls your face, this time with exaggerated mwuahs for good measure. Though every few kisses, Seokmin mutters small, sincere 'I love yous' that begin to chip away at the walls you'd so desperately tried to construct.

So when your boyfriend finally pulls back for a second time he begins to beam with pride at the lopsided smile ghosting your lips. "There it is," he coos, softly lifting your chin with his thumb. "Now tell me, what almost stole my favorite sight in this world from me?"

taglist: @matchahyuck @dontwannaexsist @minnieminshi @myfavoritedelusion @tanya596carat

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miniwheat77 · 1 year

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141 + König finding out reader has had long term struggles with Self Harm.

This was a request, you can find the ask here.

!CW! Self harm, talk of attempted suicide, (sorry if I missed any.)

König:

Tears stream down your face, you’re looking desperately for anything. Any kind of Razor or sharp object. It’s late at night, you can’t find anything. Usually you would just break a mirror, or anything glass around you. But this isn’t your house. This mirror isn’t yours to break. You’ve done so good but recently, it’s been hard. You’re struggling every day. You managed to cover up the scars to enter the military and hid them very well with your uniforms. You’re sitting on the edge of the bathtub in the bathroom you’re in, trying to calm yourself. You don’t hear the bathroom door open because you’re in your own head. You don’t notice anything until large hands are grasping your wrists. “It’s okay, liebling.” His deep accented voice pulls you out of your thoughts. He sees the old scars that litter your wrists, holding onto them tightly. “You’ve made it so far, done so good. Why ruin that now?” He mumbles. His hood covers his face but you can see the sadness in his eyes. “I’m just struggling lately.” You sniffle. “It’s okay. We all struggle.” He breathes. He holds onto you tightly, he’s trying to ground you, bring you back down to earth. “Look at me. Take a deep breath with me.” He breathes. “You’re okay.” He takes in a deep breath, and you follow him. Taking in a deep breath. “Why didn’t you tell me?” He lifts your hand up so that he could get a better look. There’s clearly years of scars littering your wrists. Tears stream down your face. “I didn’t think that you would like me.”

König laughs bitterly behind his hood. “Sweetheart.. nothing is going to change the way that I feel about. Especially not scars. Scars mean you’re healing. Heilung ist alles” he lifts your chin up to look at him. “When you feel like this, you tell me. Verstanden?” He is stern. “Understood..” you look down. “Now, time for bed. I got you.” He scoops you up, carrying you back to your bed.

Ghost:

Your hands tremble, blood pooling at the bottom of your wrist before dripping onto the linoleum flooring. Your right hand holds a razor, now coated in your own blood. It’s a curse. The way that you relied on the shiny metal to ground you. Bring you back to earth. Your eyes are bloodshot, tears stain your cheeks. You should have been better about locking the door, because the handle twists, and Ghost steps inside. You scramble up, throwing your wrists behind your back. “Shit- sorry.” He mumbles, voice deafening as he notices the blood on the ground. “Are you hurt? What happened?” He takes a step toward you. “I.. I just scratched myself earlier. No big deal.” You lie.

He narrows his eyes, eyeing the way you’re holding not just one of your hands behind your back, but both. “Let me see them.” He demands, taking another step forward. “There’s no need for that, I’m okay.” You laugh. He grasps hold of your arms, pulling hard on you. A cry leaves your lips and he forces you to show him what you’ve done. Not only are there fresh cuts, but there’s more. There are some faded, clearly from years of self harm. He swallows hard, choosing not to say anything. He pulls on your arms, forcing you toward the sink, running the fresh wounds under the water. “Deep breath.” He mumbles, reaching into the medicine cabinet and pouring peroxide over the wounds. You hiss and try to pull away but he keeps you there. He helps you bandage up, not saying anything and you worry about what he’s going to say. He doesn’t say anything, instead, pulling you into him and hugging you tightly. “No more. I mean it. I will chain you up to a pipe and you will suffer if you do this ever again.” He grumbles. Hearing you laugh. “I mean it Y/N. No more of this. You’re too good to be doing this to yourself.” He hides the fact that he has tears in his eyes.

Captain Price:

His eyes catch a single glimpse by accident during a meeting. He often wondered why you only ever wore long sleeves but now, it all made sense. “Y/N, my office.” He nods. You nod your head, following behind him. He opens the door, closing it after you walk in. “What did you need?” You ask. “What did you need me for, John?” You ask. He grasps hold of your wrist, pushing your sleeve up. You try to pull your hand away but he has a tight hold on you. They’re old, none are new. “Why didn’t you tell me you had a past with this?” He asks. You swallow hard. “I don’t know.. it was just something really dumb that I did as a teenager. I stopped right before I joined the military.” You mumble. “Do you still feel this way?” He asks. “I’ll always feel that little devil on my shoulder, but I can control it now.” You shrug. He nods. He grasps your hips, pulling you into him. Kissing you a little harder than he usually would, pressing his forehead to yours once he pulls away. “You come to me whenever you feel like hurting yourself. Okay?” He is stern. You nod your head. “I love you. And I need you here with me.” He lifts your hand up, kissing your wrists. You weren’t sure how you ended up being with someone so kind, someone so gentle with you. But you needed it. You almost never felt like hurting yourself when he was around you. He was too supportive and reassuring. He did his best to keep you safe and that’s everything to you. “I love you too John.” You smile. Kissing him again.

He lifts you up by your thighs, setting you on top of his desk and cupping the sides of your head to kiss you even harder. “I’ve got you now, we all do. And I’m proud of you for doing so good. So fucking proud of you for overcoming this.” He breathes.

Soap:

You only ever wore shorts when you were alone. Because you had scars on the tops of your thighs. They were easier to hide. You forget to set your alarm one night, so Soap makes his way into your room to wake you, catching a glimpse of one of your exposed thighs. Seeing the small white lines. They’re old, but the meaning behind them breaks his heart immediately. He swallows hard, sitting down on the side of your bed, running his fingers along them. When he leans down and kisses them, you stir in your sleep just a little, eyes opening. “Johnny? What are you doing?” You mumble. “You didn’t tell me.” He mumbles, you realize he’s running the pad of his thumb over the raised lines. Your lips part slightly and you can’t explain yourself. “I’m sorry…” you breath. He looks up at you. “Do you do it anymore?” He asks. “Not for a couple weeks.” You breathe. He nods his head. “Every time you do this to yourself, I’ll do it to my own thigh.” He looks at you, what he says is toxic. He knows it.

“What?” You ask. “Every little bit of damage you do to yourself, I will do to myself. You cut yourself, I cut myself. And I’ll look, everyday if I have to.” He mumbles. “Johnny.” You sigh. “No. Your skin is too fucking beautiful for this. You’re better than this.” He breathes. He leans down. Kissing your forehead. “I’m here now. I’m here to talk to, vent to. Anything. I’ll keep you safe. But you have to promise me you’ll never do this again.” He raises his pinky up, like you taught him. “Promise?” He swallows hard. You smile, eyes filling with tears. “Okay Johnny.” You link your pinky with his. “I promise.” He leans down, pressing his lips to yours. Hand cupping your scars. He didn’t want to draw his hand away from you. He hated that you’d do this to yourself. You were so perfect. Too good for this.

Gaz:

Gaz is who found you. It was an accident, but he didn’t know it. You had cut too deep. He found you a few minutes later.

He sits beside your hospital bed, eyes burning and bloodshot. He’d almost lost the love of his life. And not even at the hands of a terrorist. It burns him inside, how he didn’t know sooner. It stings even more that you hid it from him. He went through your entire house, finding razors taped under the sink. He threw everything out. He was mad, sure. But he was heartbroken. Shattered by the fact that you were struggling so hard but chose to keep it to yourself. When your eyes flutter open and he sees you, you’re confused at first. “Kyle? What happened?” You ask. He nods to your wrists, and you move them to look at yourself. Blood running cold. “You barely made it.” He mumbles. “I.. I didn’t mean to.” You mumble. “Why?” He asks. It’s the one question he almost never got to ask you. “I.. I don’t know.” Tears stream from your eyes. “I almost lost you. You would’ve left me. With unanswered questions. With nothing.” He sighs. “I’m sorry Kyle.” You cry. He lowers his head. Tears spilling from his eyes. He sniffles, trying to force them back. But he can’t. “I didn’t mean to, I swear. I just.. I get so angry at myself. I was just trying to take my anger out. I didn’t mean to.. to..” you can’t even say it. He sighs. “You come to me. No more of this Y/N. If I lose you…” he can’t finish his sentence without his voice breaking. “I’m here. I have you now. No more of this. We’re getting you the help you need. And I’ll be right there with you along the way.” He stares at you. You nod your head. “Okay.. okay Kyle.” You breathe. He was right.

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supernovafics · 8 months

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your first shift at scoops ahoy with steve harrington

wc: 1.1k words

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

you didn’t know if you’d ever get used to the uniform. the blue and white sailor outfit made you feel like you were seven years old and being forced to be a part of a nautical family photoshoot.

“you’re new, right?”

you stopped adjusting your hat— the final part of the uniform that only made you feel even more ridiculous— and looked at the guy that had just walked into the break room.

“hi, yeah,” you said with a small smile. “you’re steve?”

when he nodded and said a quick “yeah,” you nodded back and then told him your name.

you had expected to work your first real shift with robin. she had been the one training you for the past few days and although she had mentioned that there was another person that worked here, you never saw him so you started wondering if you ever would.

steve simply looked at you for a bit, which reminded you of what you were wearing and you quickly felt ridiculous all over again. your hands went back up to your hat, which had a way too enthusiastic looking “ahoy” written across it, and started adjusting it. “will this uniform ever eventually not feel stupid to wear?”

steve was quick to shake his head. “no, but i’ve ditched the hat and it makes it feel a little less stupid.”

you immediately took yours off your head and left it on the table. “say no more.”

it was slow in the morning, which made sense because who really wanted to have ice cream for breakfast? therefore, to help pass the time you suggested that you two play rock, paper, scissors. and when you both got bored of that, steve grabbed a napkin and a pen from behind the counter and the two of you started playing tic-tac-toe, and then moved onto hangman. the childish games you two played were just that, childish and a bit mindless, but they helped make the first handful of hours of the shift go by fast.

it was when noon rolled around that things finally started to pick up and it almost became too much— the line full of overzealous kids that already seemed as if they had too much ice cream and the handful of people that you recognized from school; and of course, they were the people that you really didn’t want to see.

you quickly found yourself starting to long for the quiet mundanity that the morning part of the shift brought.

“you wanna take your break?” steve asked. you had just finished dealing with a middle aged man who sampled pretty much every flavor of ice cream you had and then proceeded to buy nothing. perhaps the most annoying ten minutes of your life.

“yes. please. thank you. you’re the best,” your words came out rushed as you quickly started making your way toward the small break room.

it was nice to have somewhat of a breather for a bit. you hummed along to a random song that was playing on repeat in your head as you ate the sandwich that you brought from home because you refused to spend money in the food court— money you didn’t have, hence why you got a job in the first place.

“you’re lucky,” steve said when you came back thirty minutes later, once again standing behind the counter with him. “you just missed the horde of moms that just finished their aerobics class and wanted to “treat themselves.””

you were grateful that you missed that rush.

“if you want, you can go on your break now. i’ll handle the next swarm of kids or moms that show up,” you told him and he nodded at that before heading to the break room.

things actually didn’t become too insane when steve left.

a group of kids walked up, but before you could ask them what they would like to get, one that had a “camp know where” hat on said, “hi, we’re friends of steve’s. is he here?”

it slightly confused you that steve would be friends with a group of kids who didn’t look like they were even in high school yet. but ultimately, you didn’t question it and instead shook your head at the kid’s question. “he’s on break right now, but he should be out in a few minutes.”

“how many girls has he flirted with today?” the red-headed girl asked you.

a confused look crossed your face. “um, none… is that something that usually happens?”

she laughed a bit at your question. “uh, literally always.”

“oh, shit, he must like you,” the boy, who had been previously holding hands with the red-headed girl, told you.

it was way too hard to hold back your laugh at that. “i just met him today.”

the boy with the camp hat was the one to speak. “oh, trust us, that’s more than enough time for steve.”

before you could say anything in response to that, steve emerged from the break room. he talked to the kids for a bit before letting them go through the back so that they could sneak into a movie.

“what embarrassing things about me did they say to you?” he asked when he returned next to you.

you held back your laugh as you answered him. “according to them, you like me.”

his eyes widened a bit and the redness that rose to his cheeks was almost immediate; just for a moment you thought that maybe there was actually some truth behind the kids’ words.

he then let out a loud sigh. “i’m never letting them come here again.”

the next few hours actually breezed by, with random rushes here and there but nothing too overwhelming, and before you knew it your first official day at scoops ahoy was done.

you and steve cleaned up everything— wiping down tables, refilling napkin dispensers, etc.— and then started heading to the parking lot. somehow the emptiness of the mall felt weirdly calming.

“where are you parked?” you asked when the two of you exited the mall, immediately getting hit by the cool summer air.

steve gestured to the left side of the parking lot. “over there.”

“i’m this way,” you said, pointing in the opposite direction.

“oh, okay,” he said with a small nod. he then leaned in for what you thought would be a hug, but then he seemed to change his mind last second and instead held out his hand for you to shake, which you did after a brief second of hesitation and confusion. the entire chain of events felt insanely awkward, but you also couldn’t help but find it all a little funny.

“so, um, i’ll… see you later,” steve said, his voice was softer and it sounded a little unsure.

you smiled at him and his sudden nervousness right then. “yeah, see you later, steve.”

#summer's over but i needed to do this<3 #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington blurb #steve harrington headcanon #steve harrington smut #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington fic #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington x fem!reader #stranger things fluff #steve harrington x you #steve harrington #steve harrington fanfiction

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ink-n-shadowfiction · 8 months

Note

Still having bodyguard!Simon thoughts so just HEAR ME OUT-

Rockstar!reader has a song debuting with a popular male artist, so she has to do press with him. Interviews, red carpet appearances, a live performance, etc. It’s driving Simon crazy to see another man with his arm around her waist, holding her close, being face-to-face with her on stage - but he has to remain professional. Simon won’t crack, no matter how bad reader wants him to. Until one day, rockstar!reader is doing a slightly-spicy promo photoshoot with her male artist counterpart for the cover of their new single, and Simon’s self-control finally snaps.

It’s giving sexy, tense, angsty, flirty, juicy, dramatic L O L

Anything but Routine | bodyguard!Simon "Ghost" Riley

I LOVE THE THOUGHTS YOU HAVE so lemme indulge in them more. what if i made it fellow rockstar!keegan o_O

pairing: bodyguard!Simon "Ghost" Riley x rockstar!fem!reader, brief rockstar!keegan x rockstar!fem!reader (link to all works in this au)

genre: mainly angsty but also kinda sexy

word count: 2162 (kinda long but worth it i promise)

warning: mean!ghost, jealous/possessive!ghost, fighting with ghost, unedited (i'm sorry)

It was supposed to be a routine pick-up. Ghost was going to walk in, wait for you to pack up from the meeting you'd just been in with your producer about an upcoming single, and take you back to your apartment. That was supposed to be it.

But as soon as he walked in, seeing you on the leather couch of your producer's office with some burly guy's arm around your shoulders, he knew it was going to be anything but routine.

"Hey Ghost." You chirped as soon as you noticed him walking through the door, crossing your leg over your knee and sinking a bit deeper into the leather couch. "I didn't think you'd here until—"

Ghost's eyes narrowed, lingering on the way the guy looked so comfortable with you against his body. Too comfortable. He couldn't help the way his teeth ground down as his jaw tensed. "You said 2:30, dove. It's 2:30 now, yeah?"

Your eyes flitted down to the watch strapped to your wrist, letting out a grumbled curse and you nodded. "Guess it is, huh?" You giggled as you glanced over at the guy, pushing your hand against his chest as you sat up straight. "Sorry, this is Ghost by the way. He's my—"

The guy met Ghost's steeled gaze, his lips turning upward in an almost challenge smirk as he spoke. "Your infamous bodyguard, huh? Gotta say, the mask looks much more intimidating in person." The guy reached his hand out for a formal handshake. "Keegan, by the way."

Ghost didn't move to shake Keegan's hand, instead offering him the barest nod he could muster before moving his eyes back to you. "We've gotta go. You're on a tight schedule."

"Oh c'mon, Ghost. Not like I haven't been late before." You groaned as you leaned back against the leather couch, sulking a bit under his hard gaze. "You don't even wanna hear the first demo track?"

Oh, this was the artist you were collaborating with. Ghost remembered you rambling on about Keegan, talking about how big of a deal it was that a star of his caliber was wanting to collaborate with a lesser-known artist like you. It was a dream come true for you—but for Ghost, it was his worst fucking nightmare.

Instead of indulging in your offer, Ghost moved wordlessly to scoop your purse up from the floor, holding the straps in a vice grip in his palm as he strode back toward the door. "Now, dove."

Keegan snorted a bit as he watched you get up, an apologetic smile on your face as you went to pick up your phone from the coffee table. "He always this cold? Don't know how you put up with it. If my bodyguard talked to me like that, I'd have 'em on the street before they could finish talking."

"Trust me—this is Ghost being nice." You leaned down to give Keegan a quick hug, arms looping around his neck and one of his falling around your waist. "Thanks for handling the mixing and stuff—let me know when you get the demo done?" The hair on the back of your neck prickled, knowing that Ghost was probably staring daggers at you.

"Course, babe. Shouldn't take me and my team that long, so keep your phone on you, yeah?" Keegan pulled away and gave your waist a gentle pat, gesturing to the door. "Better go before he drags you outta here."

You smiled apologetically once more, giving Keegan one last nod before you turned towards the door. The scowl on your face was heavy, eyes flitting angrily to meet Ghost's as you brushed past him and out of the door he was holding open for you.

You were storming halfway down the hallway when Ghost caught up with you easily. "What's got you steamin', dove? The fuck did I do?"

Spinning around on the heel of your sneaker, you turned to face Ghost, hands pushing against his chest rather weakly as you let out an annoyed scoff. "Are you kidding me, Ghost? You just completely embarrassed me in there—in front of Keegan for fuck's sake! You gotta be an asshole to every fucking guy I interact with?"

Ghost took the weak shove and barely moved, lips twitching under the fabric of his mask before he swallowed down the smirk that itched to be on his lips. He liked when you were angry.

"Don't know what you're talkin' about. You seemed pretty cozy with 'em when I got there—surely he won't hold it against you." Ghost's words sounded bitter, like they left a bad taste in his mouth and he was desperate to spit them off of his tongue. "It's not my fault you have an interview in an hour—blame your fuckin' manager for scheduling things when you'd rather be foolin' around with some rockstar."

You stood there, mouth agape and eyes narrowed as your fists balled angrily at your sides. "Is that what this is about? You're fucking jealous of Keegan or something? This is a new low—even for you, Ghost." You rolled your eyes as you continued storming down the hall, giving Ghost no choice but to follow behind you.

There was a tense silence as you made your way to the car waiting outside. You didn't even let Ghost open the back passenger door for you as you normally would, instead opting to throw it open yourself and crawl inside to the seat farthest away. Ghost didn't speak until the car began moving, the privacy partition raised up and leaving you two practically alone.

"It's not jealousy. My job is to protect you, and if that means from some guy ogling you with his arm around you, then so fuckin' be it." Ghost stated matter-of-factly, his voice cold and bitter as he stared out of the window next to him.

You snorted out an angry laugh, shaking your head as you glowered over at him from across the backseat. "Right—'cuz Keegan is so dangerous that I need you to come rescue me. Seriously, Ghost. Just fuck off 'till you figure your shit out, alright?"

The topic didn't come up between you two again for a week or two—but it was still palpable. You two hardly spoke to one another, hardly wanted to breathe the same air as the other. But he was your bodyguard, and you were his charge. You had to be around one another.

It only came up when Ghost and you were once again in the backseat of your car, heading to a photoshoot to shoot the cover of your upcoming single with Keegan. You were still sitting on opposite ends of the backseat, your elbow perched on the door's armrest and your chin digging into the palm of your hand.

"He's gonna be there." You said coldly, flicking your gaze over to Ghost sitting silently beside you. "So don't embarrass me again."

He didn't breathe a word, just giving you a bitter scoff before nodding curtly.

Ghost didn't even look at you until you made it to the photoshoot location, watching from the shadows behind the camera as you came out from the dressing room with Keegan. You two were laughing about something together, and Ghost immediately clocked the hand you rested on Keegan's forearm as you walked.

You were dressed in a flowing white gown, hair done up and pinned in ringlet curls around your face. Your usual dark sultry makeup was replaced by something softer, the apples of your cheeks a rosy pink and your usual red lipstick replaced by a peachy gloss. You looked ethereal, and Ghost couldn't help the way his eyes ravished your look.

Keegan was the opposite, dressed in an all-black three piece suit with cold silver jewelry and chains adorning his skin. His dark brown hair was slick with pomade and pushed up away from his icy eyes, the usual stud punched through his lip replaced by a sleek silver ring.

"You know how much I hate these photoshoots?" Keegan told you as he let the photographer put him in the position they needed, knees spread and back straight as he sat on an all-black throne.

You laughed softly as you nodded in agreement, following the photographer's instructions and settling yourself on one of Keegan's strong thighs. "You and me both. At least you look cool—I look like a fuckin' church girl right now."

Your eyes flicked up to meet Ghost's in the very back of the room, cheeks tinging even more pink as you noticed the way he was looking at you. It wasn't angry like it had been for a week now—it was hungry, like you were the prey and him the predator. It made knots tie themselves in your gut.

The feeling of Keegan's hand splaying across your stomach brought you back into the moment, letting out a shuddering breath as you shifted yourself into place. "You alright, kid? Spacing off even before the camera starts clicking."

"Sorry—just...got in my own head a bit." It wasn't a complete lie, but Keegan didn't have to know what had pushed you inside of yourself, didn't have to know that the way Ghost was staring at you like a man starved was the reason you were spacing out.

The photoshoot went on smoothly, the photographer snapping a few photos and maneuvering the pose ever so slightly. With each click of the camera, the photographer placed Keegan's hand higher and higher with each shot, the final pose eventually becoming Keegan's tattooed fingers splayed out on my throat.

Keegan was ever the gentleman he was, making sure you were comfortable and okay with the way things were going. All the while, Ghost remained a haunting figure both in the back of the room and the back of your head. No matter where you looked, your eyes always seemed to magnetize back to him.

You didn’t see Ghost again until you were back in the dressing room of the photography studio, makeup wipe in hand and scrubbing off the pretty makeup. You heard the door open and close behind you, but you didn’t turn around. “If you’re in here to say something snarky about today, save it, Ghost.” You mumbled softly, focusing on wiping the remaining gloss from your lips.

Ghost remained silent, his boots clacking against the linoleum floors as he stalked towards you. His arm stretched out, taking the makeup wipe from your hand and discarding it as he turned you to face him. This time, however, your eyes locked on the way his balaclava was pushed up under his nose to reveal only his lips, pink and puffed out as his tongue ran over them. You could see a glint of metal punched into the muscle of his tongue.

“Y’wanna know somethin’, dove?” Ghost’s voice was a gravelly whisper, rumbling deep inside of his chest as he held your body between his and the vanity you were standing in front of. “You were right. Maybe I was a little jealous—hell, still am, if m'being honest.”

You were breathless, eyes wide and lashes fluttering as your brain scrambled to catch up to the words coming from his mouth. You were too busy staring directly at his mouth, the closet you’ve gotten to ever seeing Ghost’s real appearance, your heart thundering in your chest as the sound of blood rushing filled your ears. “Why?” Your question was almost inaudible, the heavy breathing coming from both of your nostrils almost drowning it out entirely.

Ghost hummed softly, leaning down ever so slowly and making the bunched up fabric under his nose brush against yours. “Maybe I don’t like seein’ you with another guy. Y’know how much I wanted to fucking drag you off of that asshole’s lap today? To pull his hand off of your stomach, your chest, your throat? To rip him to fuckin’ pieces?”

Your chest heaved with ragged breaths, body fighting to keep itself from melting into a puddle on the floor below. You couldn’t help but grip onto the collar of Ghost’s shirt, eyes fluttering closed as his words washed over you like a tidal wave. “Ghost…”

“Tell me to stop.” Ghost hissed in your ear, his gloved hands moving from your shoulders and down your arms before finally landing with an almost bruising grip on your waist. The white fabric of your flowing gown bunched between his fingers. “You know how wrong this is? How much trouble I would be in for this? You’re my client. I shouldn’t want you this fuckin’ badly, dove.”

Your body squirmed in Ghost’s grasp, skin eager to feel him pressed up against you and snarling words into your ear. It was maddening in the best way possible. You couldn’t stop yourself. “Don’t stop, Ghost.” It was breathy and needy as it fell from your lips, but the groan it pulled from Ghost’s chest made it that much more powerful.

“Fuckin’ hell—you’re going to be the death of me, dove.”

(do i dare make a part 2 for this scene?👀)

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contentloadingandstuff · 1 year

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Breaking up with them -Jean and Keqing

Characters: Jean Gunnhildr & Keqing

Genre: Angst

A/N: GN reader in Jean's, Male reader in Keqing's, a passing mention of sex, no comfort. Keqing is quite mean in this one.

Jean Gunnhildr

You knew what you signed up for when you accepted Jean's proposal. Long hours at the office limited the time you two could spend together, and you were okay with it. At first. After three months of seeing her working herself down to the bone, you started taking interest in what she was *actually* busying herself with. You asked the other closest person to her, Lisa. And what you found was... You had conflicted feelings about it. On one side, imagining Jean climbing the rooftops in search of signposts blown away by the wind was quite funny, albeit frustrating. On the other hand, it broke your heart. This was what she was doing instead of taking care of herself? Instead of eating regularly, sleeping, spending time with you?

Another date idea, another promise. Another disappointment. You agreed on hanging out at 9PM on Star Snatch Cliff. You figured it would be late enough for Jean to have finished her work, but not too late to be tired. And Jean, despite having agreed to it, didn't show up. You waited for about two hours before heading back to the town. All of the candles, the bottle of dandelion wine, crackers and cheese you've prepared, splayed out on the blanket, looked like they were mocking you. How stupid you've been, they say, to think that she would come. You were even thinking that yourself. You took a sizable book with you to keep yourself from getting bored. It became a habit of yours when the streak of missed dates reached three.

Before you left for the city, the candles landed in the sea.

The first person you saw in the headquarters was Otto. You inquired about Jean's location, and heard the expected answer. It turned out that she passed out on her desk. Normally, you would scoop her up into your arms and carry her home, jokingly scolding the woman for her behavior. Maybe you would have done that two months ago. Now, you just shaked her gently.

As soon as her eyes met yours, she jolted upright. Her gaze quickly turned towards the grandfather clock in her room. It was well past midnight. She opened her mouth to speak, but you cut her off.

"What was it this time, Acting Grandmaster? Fighting some Hilichurls a boy with a sword could handle for a few thousand Mora? Or delivering fowls and berries to the Good Hunter?" You asked, a bit more harshly than you wanted.

"I'm sorry, Y/N, I really am. I just got all of these papers to fill, and I really had to complete them, I swear, and one hour turned into two and... and... it came out as it did." A slurry of words came out of her mouth in response. You could tell the tone was apologetic, but it meant nothing. It sounded like she cared, but nothing could be further from the truth. If she really was, she would have at least tried to change.

"Sure, sure. Let me see what the fuss is about." Jean raised her hand to stop you, but you snatched a handful of files from the top of her little pile of shame.

"Favonius kitchen spendings." You flipped to another page. "Break room damage review. Maid work orders. What is this, and why do you have to waste your time on it?"

Jean stayed silent. She lowered her gaze, feeling a pool of shame in her stomach. There was no answer, really. She had a habit of taking all the bureaucracy she was offered. Jean knows this is bad, you've told her countless times. She promised to change, but it always went back to the starting point. She knew this was her fault.

Seeing her dejected expression, you almost felt sorry for fighting Jean right now, at this hour. Almost.

You still pulled out the wine bottle, and headed for her cupboard. Upon seeing your reflection in the clean glass, however, you halted yourself. Was this really healthy? Are you really going to try again? Isn't this madness, trying something you know won't get the expected results over and over again, hoping to see a change?

Yes, this was indeed wrong.

You went back towards the door, turning to the large flower pot in the corner. It housed a healthy bush of blooming dandelions. It was a gift from you for her twenty-third birthday. Getting these to grow in a pot was a struggle, even for Albedo whose help you enlisted. But after a few months you managed it, and you couldn't have felt more proud of it. It all seemed so stupid now.

In a burst of frustration, or sadness - at this point you weren't sure - you removed the cork (you've already unsealed the bottle to sip a little of the alcohol in order to help you cope with the cold and loneliness hours before) and tilted the bottle over the decoration. Jean watched in horror as the wine poured down to the soil, staining it red. Tears formed in her eyes. There was nothing she could say, nothing she could do. For the last year you showed her immense patience and understanding, helped her everywhere you could, comforted her when in need and she couldn't eve find a few hours in her day for you.

"Find me when you finally come to your senses, Jean."

She heard the door click close, leaving her in silence. Holding her emotions in became impossible as the realization dawned on her. She buried her face in her hands, and laid down on her desk.

It was all her fault.

Keqing

Loving Keqing was hard, to say the least. Being the Yuheng came with a lot of responsibilities, meaning little free time usually remained for you two to enjoy. Unfortunately, that 'free time' of hers would often turn into voluntary overtime, leaving you to spend your time alone. It was bearable at first. You met in the morning for breakfast before she scurried off to her tasks, and late in the night to rest together. She made a lot of promises to 'free up her schedule', and occasionally she really did. But the time you spent together slowly grew more awkward as her workload increased. Less and less interactions took place between you. It came down to a few 'good mornings' and 'how was your days', maybe some 'good nights' as well. The long debates about the future, friendly arguments about values, shopping and hiking, were gone. The spark in her eyes when you finally had free time was gone, replaced with a distant expression and a dull voice. Most nights you would just stare at the ceiling, holding your hand on the empty side of the bed to feel any connection to your girlfriend. Sometimes this loneliness would last for weeks. But it was your second month of isolation, and you were reaching a breaking point.

You pick at the food on your plate. On the opposite side of the table sits Keqing, practically inhaling the Golden Shrimp Balls you made her. It was late afternoon, and she had much more things to do. In a rare moment of realization, she took a fifteen minute break to visit you and have a meal together. In her eyes you could see all the thoughts rushing through her brain. None of the considerations were about you, however. Not a thought, even a passing one. She didn't try to spark a conversation at any point. Actually, scratch that. Having a meal together is saying too much. You were just eating at the same table.

Keqing pushes the empty plate towards you, and moves to get up.

"Thank you fo-"

You stand up and grab her forearm, preventing her from running off again.

"No, Keqing. We need to talk." You say firmly, not letting go.

She rolls her eyes, a gesture which makes your blood run faster.

"Y/N, is it really that important? I have places to go. Can't we put this off for later?" She asks, politely, but in a rushed fashion.

"Put off, you say? Put off for when, exactly?"

"For when I have free time, obviously. But that's not now, Y/N. I'm really busy with the Qixing because of the Lant-"

"The Qixing." You cut her off again, much to her frustration. "The Qixing. It's all there is to you, isn't it?"

Keqing relaxes her tug on your arm, seemingly caught off-guard by your statement.

"Come again?" She asks.

"I rarely see you do anything other than sign papers and run errands for Ningguang. You work six hours of overtime every day. On your own demand." You point out.

"Yes, and what about it?" She sounds annoyed now.

"What about it? Well, I get the feeling you prioritize them over me."

She opens her mouth to bite back, but closes it shortly. She tries again.

"That's not true. I do not prefer my job over you."

"Oh really? When was the last time we did something together?"

"We... We made love a few times recently, have we not? Isn't it enough for you?"

What.

She was right. You did. But the sex didn't make up for her negligent behavior, especially that it was so obviously forced. There was no passion, no excitement from either of you, like with your first few times. There was no chemistry between you. She didn't arrange any romantic meeting like you always did. She just randomly came up to you one night and asked, practically demanded it. You fulfilled her wish, obviously, but she didn't look very satisfied. Her mind was clearly somewhere else. As soon as you were done, she went for the bathroom and back to sleep in a span of ten minutes. She needed to get to work in six hours, so she wanted to get any sleep she could. All of this made it feel not like quality time, but like scraps of attention thrown your way.

And she thinks it's all you need from her? You voiced your concerns.

"You think so low of me?"

"Low?"

"Do you think it's all I need from you? Do you think a few kisses will suddenly make up for all of those times you've left me hanging, alone in the cold, because something came up?"

She huffs.

"Building a strong and prosperous Liyue is my dream, and I'm willing to sacrifice my personal things for it."

You laugh at just how selfish she is.

"You don't consider me a party in this scenario? You call me a thing? Oh, and wasn't starting a family one of your dreams, too? You said it a few months back, when we went on a trip around the coast. Have you forgotten already?"

Keqing furrows her brows, but the frown of annoyance doesn't leave her features.

"I want to make this country safe before we do that. These are the basic conditions, you know."

"A basic condition is also having a loving husband who wants the same, is it not?

"You don't love me?" It's the first question she asks, almost instinctively. It's the easiest thing to inquire about, and may give her some time to think of a response.

"I don't think that's the case anymore, Keqing."

Your answer throws her off guard.

"What do you mean?" She asks, now much less dismissive of your entire exchange.

"You feel... like a stranger to me. You rarely spend time with me nowadays. When was the last time you had a free day, during which we could just rest and do something fun? Go shopping, or to the mountains? Where are the long, meaningful talks we used to have?"

She is pensive. Combing through her memory yields no results of any recent rest days.

"I know it's been stale between us, I've been snowed under work, but I promise it's going to get better soon." Her voice is not so firm anymore.

"I'm sorry, but it's been two months. For sixty days you have neglected me. You showed me that strangers are more important than me. What was that hangout with the Traveler about? You can find time for him, but not for me?"

She remembers now. Indeed, she entertained Aether for a few hours, at first for job-related reasons. But it was simply fun being around him and Paimon, even up to the point when she agreed to go have a meal with the two. It ended up taking an entire day.

Her eyes widen as, slowly, the realization dawns on her. She forgot. Forgot about you.

"S-surely you don't want to...?" She asks, hoping to get a comforting response.

"Yes, Keqing. I think it's best we split up here. "

No.

No no no.

"B-but... what about o-our dream? About our family, our wedding, our future?"

"It's not your dream. If it was, we wouldn't be talking about it right now. But looks like you treated this more like a distraction. You treated me as a distraction."

Her heart cracks more and more with every word.

"That's n-not true!"

You let go of her hand and turn to leave.

"So I won't distract you any further. You have a country to run, after all."

Keqing grabs your forearm weakly, hoping, praying to make you stay.

"Don't g-go. Please."

You yank your arm away, and move away from the table.

"Goodbye, Lady Yuheng. Good luck with your work."

You've left the restaurant, and the woman is alone, safe for a few people in the corner. Her title falling from your lips hurt. It felt so cold and spiteful, despite being said so emotionlessly. Her mind raced, attempting to cover everything that would change from now on. Her plan was left in splinters. Since you were now gone, she couldn't propose on top of mt. Tianheng, like she envisioned it. You couldn't get married in the Jade Chamber. You couldn't plan and build your own house from the ground up. And you couldn't have children. You couldn't travel to Inazuma, couldn't have a beach day, couldn't start a garden, couldn't adopt a pet.

All of her dreams involving you just burnt to the ground in a span of merely ten minutes.

Her knuckles are white from how powerful her grip is on her purple dress. Keqing's fingers wrinkle the material as soft tears flow over her cheeks. She stiffles a sob.

Gone.

Everything is gone.

Thanks for reading!

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starlightdaggers · 9 months

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In Which Kaeya Can't Handle What He Was Asking For

Tags: Fluff, established relationship, little bit of spice towards the end

Triggers: Hair pulling

“Come now, doesn’t this braid suit me well?I think it deserves a little appreciation.” He posed with his hips and head tilted upwards.

“Kaeya, I have work to do, just let me finish.” You didn’t bother to look at him, instead opting to focus on putting more books back on their shelving. Although you often enjoyed his consistent teasing and flirting sometimes it could get just a little annoying.

“What don’t you find my good looks worth being distracted by?” He leaned against the book cart. His elbow landed directly on top of the next book you needed to place.

“Off.” You ordered. He pouted but complied with your request, allowing you to continue your work.

“So coy. I know you like my hair braided, admit it.”Kaeya positioned himself directly behind you and leaned down so that he was talking just shy of your ear. You sucked in a little breath to steady yourself. There’s work to be done. He can wait.

You opened your mouth to try and shut him down again but then you stopped. After sliding another book into place and you glanced at him from the side. A sly grin took form.

“Oh, I do.” You answered now, turning to face him fully. One of your hands lightly played with his braid as you spoke. “Is that what my handsome boy needed to hear? Poor thing trying so hard to get my attention. Aren’t I lucky to have captured the eyes of Captain Kaeya?”

His surprise lasted only a second, but it was still long enough for you to catch the widened eyes and the brief loss of his smirk. The smirk that was now quickly returning. “Oho? Where’s this coming from? Have my good looks finally charmed even you.”

“Of course, I don’t date just anyone you know.” His braid twisted all sling your fingers as you toyed with it. His eyes were locked on with your own. “I could stare at those eyes of yours all day. You’re always dressed well too. Though I must say…” the hand that was playing with his braid now grabbed onto tightly and tugged in close to you. You brought your voice to a whisper and spoke next to his ear.“As lovely as it looks on you I think it would be lovelier still on the floor. Wouldn’t you say my sweet boyfriend Kaeya?” You placed a kiss on his cheek and then backed up.

“You- ah…”Kaeya’s cheeks were now a shade redder than before and his mouth slightly agape.

“What’s the matter? You usually know all the right words.. Cat got your tongue?” You scooped up a stack of books from the cart and shoved them towards his chest. “Now, if you are done talking, why not be a good boy and help me put these books away.” He took in a deep breath and straightened his back. A light chuckle escaped his lips.

“I must say, I didn’t know you could be quite so bold. I love you, so full of surprises. I just hope you know what you’re getting yourself into. I always pay back my dues in full.” He teased.

“Oh, I'm sure.”

#kaeya alberich #genshin kaeya #kaeya x reader #genshin x reader #fluff #I want to tease this man so badly

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starlitmark · 9 months

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Summary: Miyoung is up late with an upset tummy, so Jaemin stays up with her. Though, your husband wakes up not feeling so great the next morning. Pairing: cashmere lop!Jaemin x fem human!reader Genre: fluff, slice of life Tropes: parent au, hybrid au Rating: PG Warning: mentions of surgeries, mentions of hospitals, sickness (vomiting, fever, etc), mentions of medication Word Count: 1,874 Note: enjoy this bunny!Jaemin fic <;3 @raibebe wanted this so badly when I was with her last week, and I finally got around to finishing it!

Neo Hybridverse Masterlist || Cashmere Lop!Jaemin Masterlist

It was another exhausting day at the hospital. In his one 13-hour rotation, Jaemin had performed seven surgeries on a variety of his patients. The most gruesome was an open heart surgery on one of his three-year-old patients. He huffs as he turns his key in the lock and steps into his rather quiet home. At least, it should’ve been quiet. Instead, he’s greeted with the sound of Miyoung mumbling and whining. The two-year-old bunny hybrid should have been asleep for a long time now. She’s always been a great sleeper too, so the fact that she was awake was very out of the ordinary.

Walking down the hall quietly, he stops in your shared bedroom to change into something cleaner and more comfortable. In the end, Jaemin opts just to wear a comfortable pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt. He still can hear his daughter mumbling and whining about something. A few steps down the hall, he finds you with your daughter in her bedroom.

You turn toward Jaemin, and you know it’s clear how exhausted you are. You’ve been holding this bucket in Miyoung’s lap for at least the past hour and a half as she cries and whines, occasionally interrupting herself with another spout of throwing up. You’re about to fill in your husband on the evening’s events, but you hear your two-year-old start to gag again. You whip your head around and immediately pull her thick black hair and long, fuzzy tan ears out of her face. It’s not a pretty sight, to say the very least. The moment she’s finished with this most recent spout of sickness, she sees her dad and immediately begins sobbing.

“Daddy!” she practically yells between hiccups.

Jaemin’s already beside her on her small toddler bed before she fully calls for him. He scoops her up into his lap and does his best to soothe her sobs. Miyoung isn’t a huge fan of anyone touching her ears unless it’s you, your husband, or her best friend, Haneul. Anyone other than that, she’ll scream bloody murder at for touching her. So, when Jaemin starts gently running his hand over her ears, she instantly begins to calm down.

“How long has she been getting sick?” Jaemin asks softly, rocking the two-year-old in his lap.

“Maybe two hours…” you explain, “She ate dinner fine; just didn’t want to eat some of the fruits. She went to sleep fine. Then I woke up to the sound of gagging followed by splattering just outside our bedroom door.”

“Medicine?” your husband questions.

“You can try, but she’s been getting sick quite a bit.”

Jaemin nods, ears flopping forward as he does so, “You go back to sleep. I can handle it.”

“Jaemin, are you sure? You just got home and-”

“I got it. You have to go back to the hospital in the morning, I’m just on call tomorrow.”

You sigh, knowing that you won’t be able to convince him to go to bed. You lean up on your knees and kiss Miyoung’s head. The little bunny hybrid is still sniffling slightly as she finally reaches the end of her much-needed calm down. Then, you lean over more to give your husband a kiss goodnight. You know he’ll find his way into your bedroom once your daughter is finally feeling well enough to sleep peacefully. You exit the room and finally process just how exhausted you actually are. It doesn’t take long for you to succumb to sleep once you’re in your bed again.

“Can we go take some medicine real quick, Mimi?” Jaemin asks gently

She shakes her head and tries to bury her face further into her dad’s shirt, “It’s yucky.”

“It’ll make you feel better, though, sweetheart.” he explains, “It’ll make your angry tummy feel happy again.”

He can almost see the cogs turning in her little mind. Eventually, she nods. That’s all Jaemin needs to see before standing up (still holding her close to his chest) and making his way to the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. The toddler is already half asleep on his shoulder by the time they walk down the short hallway. It’s painfully obvious that she’s not feeling her best, but Jaemin knows he has to get this medicine in her system before she fully crashes for the night. Somehow, he manages to open and pour the medication with one hand before placing the small cup on the countertop.

“Mi,” he whispers, nudging his shoulder slightly to wake her, “Can I put you down to take this really quick?”

Miyoung mumbles something in her delirious half-asleep state that sounds something like a yes. Placing her down, Jaemin is immediately met with whines of protest from his daughter. Still, he gets her to take the medicine and praises her for taking it so well before carrying her back into her bedroom. She’s already asleep by the time he places her in her small bed and covers her. Her oversized ears are splayed out against her pillow, and soft snores escape her mouth once in a while. He looks at her with eyes that can only be described as sparkling with pure love for his child. Jaemin stands there for a moment, just watching her finally peacefully before moving quietly around the small room to clean up. He pokes his head back into the toddler’s room when he finishes. For a moment, he debates leaving her to rest on her own. That moment flees very quickly as he finds himself stepping into her room and getting as comfortable as he can with his head resting against her mattress. It’s not the most comfortable, but at least he can ensure that he’ll be right there for her if she wakes up and gets sick again.

You wake up and reach over to cuddle up against Jaemin, only to find that he’s not beside you. Panic rushes through your body for a moment before you process that he could very well be in Miyoung’s room. You trudge out of your room and poke your head in to see both your bunnies asleep on Miyoung’s bed. Jaemin is clearly too large to be sleeping in such a cramped, awkward way. He’d do anything for your little girl, though. He has an arm across her body, and his fingers just barely graze against her furry ears, subconsciously petting them slightly even in his sleep.

Your presence must’ve been detected by your husband, though, because he shifts a moment later and opens his eyes. Something’s not right about him, and you already know it. He doesn’t say a word as he stands and shuffles toward you. You study his body language and notice how he’s making no effort to move his ears out of his face as he moves. Jaemin simply stops in front of you and drops his head on your shoulder.

“I caught something overnight.” his voice is rumbly from sleep still but clearly very stuffy too.

You chuckle and pet his hair gently, “You go lay down in your own bed, and I’ll get you some tea.”

He nods and snuggles into the crook of your neck for a moment before continuing on his way to your shared bed. The quiet morning doesn’t last long, though. As you’re making the tea, you hear excited small footsteps barreling down the hallway. Clearly, your two-year-old is better and ready to play already.

“Momma, momma, momma!” you hear her call, “‘M all better!”

“I see that baby bun.” you chuckle, lowering your voice to a whisper, “We need to be quiet, though. Daddy doesn’t feel very good now. He’s sleeping.”

Miyoung thinks for a moment before looking up at you with big sparkly eyes. Those eyes could make you move mountains if she asked you to.

“I’m Daddy’s doctor?” she asks with a pout in her voice.

“You wanna take care of Daddy?” you ask back. She nods, “Okay, sweetie, I’ll take Daddy his tea, then you can help me get other things we need to help him feel all better.”

“Med-cine!” she shouts suddenly.

“You mean medicine? We don’t know if Daddy needs medicine yet, though.” you explain.

She pouts and stomps her foot against the floor. It’s a new bunny habit she’s discovered recently, and she’s milking it while she can. Miyoung reaches up toward you, asking to be picked up. You happily oblige. Her small finger points toward the cabinet where all the daily medications, like allergy medicine, are.

“Daddy, med-cine.” she restates.

You’re not sure what she could get for him out of this cabinet to help him, but you indulge her still. Opening the cabinet, she immediately reaches forward and grabs a brightly colored container. It’s her vitamins.

“Make Daddy all better!”

“You think?” she nods at you, “We can bring it with his tea and see what he says.”

You put her down and watch as she happily runs with the container toward your bedroom. You follow close behind with Jaemin’s tea. When you turn into your bedroom, you find her struggling to climb up on the bed while still holding the container of vitamins. Jaemin’s awake and notices her. He sits up, reaches to pick her up, and asks her what she has in her hands.

“Daddy med-cine!” she enthuses.

“Baby, those are your vitamins.” he explains, interrupting himself with a cough, “Do you think your vitamins can help me feel all better?”

She puffs her cheeks in a pout before nodding, “All better.” she insists.

You chuckle as you approach them, placing Jaemin’s tea on his side table, “Here’s your tea. I’ll go get you some actually decongesting medicine.” you lean over and kiss his forehead, “And the thermometer… and the fever reducer just in case we need it. You better stay in bed. I’ll call out so you aren’t sick and trying to take care of Miyoung.” you offer.

Miyoung urges the bottle of vitamins towards him again, “Daddy, take med-cine!”

“How about a kiss from my doctor instead? That’ll make me feel much better.” he chuckles despite his ill state.

He sniffles for a moment before he has a lap-full of toddler. Miyoung gives him a very wet kiss on the cheek. By the time you return with the necessary things, you’re greeted with Jaemin’s (still sick-sounding) laughter and Miyoung littering kisses across her dad’s face. She knows he’ll stop her from trying to kiss his lips because he doesn’t feel good. As affectionate as the both of them are, Jaemin makes it very clear that if you, he or Miyoung doesn’t feel well, she can’t give them kisses on the lips, or she’ll get sick too. She knows that rule very well after catching the flu from you despite her dad’s warning. You watch them silently for a moment. Nothing could make these moments more precious other than everyone being healthy, of course.

“Thank you, my Mimi. I’m all cured now, thanks to your kisses.” he smiles brightly at her.

You know he’s playing into her slightly, but he means his words still. It might not be cured in a physical sense, but emotionally, having Miyoung is the most healing thing both you and Jaemin could ever ask for.

Networks: @kwritersworld @k-vanity

Tag List: @raibebe @jaehunnyy @umbralhelwolf @wooyoungmybelovedhusband

#jaemin fluff #kwritersworldnet #kvanity #nct fanfic #nct x reader #nct fluff #nct dream fanfic #nct dream x reader #nct dream fluff #jaemin fanfic #jaemin x reader

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tagsecretsanta · 4 months

Text

From @squiddokiddo

From @squiddokiddo to @lenfantdeverone

-Letters and Wishes-

Prompts used: Baby Alan writing to santa and Scott receiving an emotional gift. (kinda... Heavy leaning on Alan and letters though)

I'm not much of a writer but I hope you enjoy this little drabble. It has taken many twists in development that I wasn't expecting and has turned into this. Warning, you may need some tissues.

Ps. I've also included a little festive stocking filler for you, at the end. ₍˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶₎

𖦹*⊹.𖦹*⊹.𖦹*⊹.𖦹*⊹.𖦹

"Alan!! Get your ass up here!!" Scott yelled down the old loft stairs. What on earth was he doing?

"I will." A call came back. "I'm just writing my letter to Santa!!"

Well that explained it...

Scott rolled his eyes. "Aren't you a little old to be writing to Santa?" He huffed as he lifted a large box of baubles. "We kinda need your help with the decorations up here!!"

"Yeah in a minute!!"

Every damn year...

"You know how important that letter is to him." Virgil interjected "Let him finish it, I'm sure we can manage."

"Fine but you're picking up the slack for him." Before Virgil could protest, his brother had shoved the box of baubles into his arms. "Check those will ya, want to make sure none of them are broken."

"Well if they weren't broken before they definitely are now..." John shot from the other side of the loft, he'd assigned himself the task of fairy light maintenance and hadn't looked up from his work for ages. "Some of those decorations are are family heirlooms Scott, be a little more gentle will you?"

Scott turned on his heel dramatically "Can you blame me John??" He stomped over to the astronaut in question, the floor boards squeaking under his footfall took away any sense of seriousness there may have been. "We don't have much time to get all of these decorations up and since we're missing a pair of hands we..." Scott paused as he mentally counted his brothers " Wait where's Gordon?."

Just as if a sparkly Cuthulu had been summoned, a tinsel covered form raised it's head out of one of the larger boxes.

"Here, I'm trying to find the ends of this tinsel, it's damn near impossible." He wriggled about in the shimmery material causing the box to topple over, various decorations spilling out across the floor.

"Little help?"

John and Virgil came to his aid, pulling him up and untying him from his sparkly prison while Scott handled the scattered trinkets. As he was scooping the last few up, something caught his eye. An envelope, red with crudely scrawled writing on the front. He picked it up and read the address.

"To Mr S Claus, the North Pole."

"Wait Grandma actually kept those letters? Weren't they basically just our requests for toys?" Virgil asked removing the last bit of tinsel from his brother.

"Oh, this should be good." Gordon grinned "Open it, let's see if we can guess who's it is just by the list of toys they wanted!!"

Curious about it's contents, Scott proceeded to open the envelope, being careful not to damage it. He pulled out the letter inside, glitter and sequins spilling out and onto the floor. Another mess he'd have to clean up...

"Well that rules John out." Gordon giggled and John shot him a look.

"I thought glitter would be too distracting for him, remember I really wanted that telescope and I wanted to make sure that I got the message across clearly."

Scott shushed them and began to read the letter aloud.

𖦹*⊹.𖦹*⊹.𖦹*⊹.𖦹*⊹.𖦹

Dear Santa

What I really want for Christmas is my daddy to come back. He was trying to save someone and he went missing but Virgil said that your magic doesn't work that way and you wouldn't be able to bring him back. Even if you really really really wanted to.

So instead I want to ask for this.

Please could you tell John come home for Christmas? He hasn't left Thunderbird 5 since dad disappeared.

Can you ask Virgie to play us some carols on the piano? I haven't heard him play in a very long time and grandma loves carols.

Can you make Gordon smile again? He used to play with me all the time and make me laugh but now he always says too tired to hang out with me. I think he might actually be upset.

Can Scotty have a break. He's been working all the time for ages and ages and he always seems angry or sad. He has so much nasty paperwork to do and when he's not doing that he's flying Thunderbird 1 and saving people.

This Christmas I want him to relax, it's not fair that he has to be so busy. Grandma says that he's going to work himself to the bone and he's already really boney. I don't want my brother to turn into a skeleton.

My daddy used to always used to help me write to you. I'm going to write you a letter every year for him, even when I'm 108 years old.

Love Alan Tracy.

𖦹*⊹.𖦹*⊹.𖦹*⊹.𖦹*⊹.𖦹

At the lounge table, Alan gazed down at his masterpiece, it was perfect, best letter he'd ever written along with the best glitter glue art he'd ever made.

He sat for a moment, admiration turning into embarrassment, thinking about what Scott had said. He would be 16 next year, practically an adult, he was definitely way too old to be writing letters to Santa Claus, he stopped believing in the magical bearded gift wizard years ago. But he didn't want to stop.

He missed dad.

A gentle hand on his shoulder halted the spiralling thoughts. He turned to see his grandma's warm smile.

"Why the long face kid? Your letter is looking amazing this year." She said softly, gently pushing the discarded art supplies aside to get a good look at her grandson's creation.

"Grandma, I-". He paused, not being able to find the words. "Don't you think I'm too old for this? To be writing letters to a man I know doesn't exist?"

She knelt to his level and pulled him close rubbing his back soothingly.

"You can never be too old for something you enjoy, sweetheart."

"I just feel like dad would have wanted me to be more useful now that I'm older, ya know. We don't get a lot of time to have Christmas, I could be decorating or making lunch or helping prepare for the winter rescue rush..." He swallowed, tears begining to brim, trying not to let them spill. "want to honour dad, I want to remember him."

Grandma Tracy pulled away to meet the boy's gaze.

"Alan, writing those letters is honouring your dad. I know he valued hard work and did everything in his power to make Christmas happen every year but what he loved most of all was taking some time out to write your letters to Santa with you."

Alan remained silent.

"And if it's what you love too then it's what he would have wanted, to know that you're doing something you love whether it's useful-" she gestured some air quotations "or not."

She gently cupped her grandson's face in her hands and brushed away his tears. Big blue eyes gazed into hers.

"He'd be so proud of you Alan."

The old lady reached to plant a kiss on his forehead and Alan sniffled a watery smile before drying his eyes.

"Now then if you're finished with your letter, why don't you go see if your brothers need your help." She stood picking up the sparkly paper from the table and slipping it into an envelope, red just like all the ones that came before. "I can't wait to see what you make next year."

𖦹*⊹.𖦹*⊹.𖦹*⊹.𖦹*⊹.𖦹

Scott swallowed struggling to read the last few words aloud.

"Love Alan Tracy..."

The silence was deafening. The nostalgic guessing game long forgotten in the hopeful words of an eight year old boy.

Scott dried his eyes on the back of his sleeve. "I had no idea... I..."

"I don't think anyone did." Virgil added his arm snaking around his brother's frame.

Gordon and John were still sat on the floor the younger's face buried into the older's shoulder, both silent in mutual disbelief.

"After all that pain, all he was worried about was us..."

The sound of footsteps thudding up the loft stairs brought them back to the present as Alan appeared at the top step.

"Hey guys, I've finished my letter and-"

Four pairs of tearful eyes turned to meet him.

"Uhh... What's going on?" He gingerly stepped towards them. "You guys ok?"

As soon as he was within arm's reach, Scott grabbed his little brother into a tight hug, clinging on for dear life. It wasn't long before the others joined them in the embrace, circling around the smallest Tracy.

"I'm sorry." Scott mumbled into Alan's blonde locks.

"For what?" The boy struggled to talk under the weight of his siblings.

"Your letters, I should have known, they help you stay close to dad right?"

Alan could feel the tears welling up again, nodding sheepishly.

"He'd love that you're keeping up the tradition for him."Virgil said squeezing tighter. "And you'll never be too old for that."

They all stayed there for a moment, just feeling the closeness and love of one another.

And there were those words again, it was a bitter sweet comfort.

"He'd be so proud of you..."

𖦹*⊹.𖦹*⊹.𖦹*⊹.𖦹*⊹.⊹

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #tag team secret santa #thunderbirds fanfiction #thunderbirds fanart

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peterparkers-bad-youtube-apology · 2 years

Text

Baby Blues

Pairing: Mob!Tom x Reader

Warnings: angst, postpartum struggles, anxiety

Summary: You’re struggling to get back to normal after the birth of your son

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“Tom please,” you groaned in frustration, “Please just stay a little longer. I just need you to keep an eye on him while I shower.”

“Darling I can’t, I’ve got to get to this meeting,” he kissed your forehead and gave you a sympathetic smile, “I know you’re worried, but he’s sleeping. He won’t notice if you slip away for a moment and take a shower.”

“Tom he’s too young, I can’t leave him on his own yet.”

“I’m not saying leave him alone, just leave the bathroom door open so you can hear him if he starts crying,” he cupped your face, “I’ve really got to get going alright? I promise I won’t be long though. If you're really that worried just wait until I get back.”

“O-Okay,” you blushed, “Have a good meeting.”

“Thank you Peach,” he kissed both of your cheeks and then your lips, “I’ll let you know when I’m on my way back.”

You sighed, watching as he disappeared out the door, leaving you alone with the baby once again. Luca was sleeping peacefully in his bassinet, but you just couldn’t bring yourself to leave him alone there, even if you were just a few feet away in the shower. You were too worried that he would roll onto his stomach or somehow hurt himself. So instead of showering you laid on the bed and watched him sleep in the bassinet. You held one of his hands while he slept, massaging the back of his soft hand with your thumb.

It was nice, relaxing even, but he didn’t stay asleep for long. Luckily he wasn’t in a fussy mood and after a quick diaper change he was happy to lay on the bed while you cooed at him. Relief flooded over you when Tom finally returned home, you couldn’t wait to shower and finally take a few minutes to yourself. Feeling good about yourself had been a struggle since giving birth, and not being able to spend much time on self care certainly didn’t help.

“Tom,” you smiled happily as he entered your bedroom, “I’m so glad you're home.”

“Ah, me too Peach,” he pressed his lips to your and turned his attention to Luca, “How’s the little monster? Not giving you too much trouble I hope.”

“He’s good, I just hanged him, he might get hungry soon,” you began explaining, “You can just grab me if you need me.”

“I can handle it,” he assured you as he scooped Luca out of your arms, “I’m sorry I made you wait love, I want you to go take a nice, long, relaxing shower to make up for it.”

You let out a deep breath and nodded, “I-I will. Just come get me if he needs something.”

“I will,” he kissed you again before he began to coo at the boy in his arms, “Come on little devil, let’s give mommy a little break,” he peaked up at you, “Go on love, I’ve got him.”

You nodded and took another deep breath before you disappeared into the bathroom. You took a long and very hot shower that left you feeling very clean and very relaxed, at least until you left the bathroom. Tom and Luca were no longer in the bedroom where you’d left them, and it instantly sent your mind into a panic. Worriedly you ran to the nursery, but they weren’t in there either. Your heart was pounding and your mind was in overdrive, you were nearly in tears when you threw open Tom’s office door. At last you found them, Tom was seated at his desk with Luca’s bassinet right beside him.

Tom glanced up at you, a frown coming to his lips when he noticed how upset you looked, “What’s wrong Peach?”

You flushed angrily and stomped over to the bassinet. You lifted Luca out of it and cradled him to your chest, “You can’t just run off with him like that Tom!” you snapped as you rocked the boy in your arms, “How could you do that?!”

He went wide eyed, “I didn’t run off with, I just brought him to my office. We were only a few meters from you.”

“But I didn’t know where he was!” tears welled up in your eyes as you yelled at him, Luca started to bawl almost instantly, “A-And you’re supposed to be watching him!”

“I was watching him love, I had him right beside me,” he stood up, a deep frown etched on his face as he approached you, “Sweetheart what’s wrong?”

“You weren’t watching him!” you started to sob and pressed your lips to Luca’s head to try and calm him, “I-I didn’t know where he is and you just left him sitting there! I need to know where he is Tom, he’s just a baby.”

“I know, but I only took him to my office,” he rubbed your arms gently to try and soothe you, “Take a deep breath love, I’m sorry I scared you so bad but I promise I was taking care of him. He fell asleep so I laid him down, I wouldn’t just leave him there if he was awake.”

You took a deep, shaky breath and tried to compose yourself, “I just don’t want you taking him places and not telling me about it.”

“And I would never take him somewhere outside of the house without telling you,” he promised, pressing a kiss to one of your wet cheeks, “I only brought him to my office Peach.”

“But I’m his mom Tom, I should always know where he is. H-H needs me for everything, he’s only a month old.”

“I know Peach, I understand,” he cupped your face carefully, “I think you’re overreacting a bit though, and you seem really stressed. Why don’t I watch Luca today? You can go relax and take a little me day.”

“I was relaxed,” you flushed and turned away from him, “But then I couldn’t find my son and I got worried.”

“(y/n), it’s okay if you need help,” he brought you close to him again, “I know this has been way more stressful for you than it is for me and you’re trying to deal with postpartum stuff too, but I’m here for you, you can lean on me if you need to.”

“I don’t need help!” you back away from him again, “I’m not having problems Tom, h-he’s my son and I’m perfectly capable of taking care of him.”

“I didn’t say you weren’t love, I'm just trying to help,” he tried again, “I want to be here for you if you’re struggling.”

“I’m not,” you glared at him, “I’m taking Luca to the nursery. I need you to put the bassinet back in our room.”

“I will,” he promised with a sigh, “I love you.”

You just pursed your lips and left the room.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆　　｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

Tom decided to swing by the nursery around 2 to check on you and Luca. Luca was staring up at you while he ate, Tom watched as you cooed affectionately at him. He smiled at the sight and came to stand beside the rocking chair you were in.

“How are you darling?” he set his hand on your shoulder.

“Fine.”

“Wonderful, and how’s our little man?” he reached down to rub Luca’s cheek, “Eating lots, getting nice and strong?”

“Don’t bug him while he’s eating,” you scolded.

“Sorry,” he leaned over and kissed the top of your head, “Have you eaten yet Peach?”

You shook your head, “No, I haven’t had time.”

“You have to take care of yourself too,” he hummed, brushing some of your hair out of your face, “How about I go make you something and bring it up?”

“Will you stay and eat with me?” you blushed and looked up at him.

He nodded, “Of course, I’ll be right back.”

Tom ran to the kitchen and made a couple sandwiches for you both, he grabbed some fruit too, and a big water bottle for you. When he returned to the nursery you were burping Luca, patting his back and gently cooing at him. Tom offered to help but you refused so he sat up lunch on the floor for you instead. He pulled out a small cushioned mat and mobile for Luca and asked you to sit, but again you refused.

“He hasn’t burped yet,” you’d switched from standing to sitting with Luca laying down over your lap.

“You’ve been at it for a while Peach, maybe he just doesn’t have to burp,” he suggested, squeezing your leg gently, “Why don’t you put him on the mat for a little while so you can eat?”

You took a deep breath and nodded, “Okay, yeah.”

Tom kissed the back of one of your hands and took Luca from you. He carefully laid him on the mat and waited for you to join him. Tom had made sure to sit Luca beside him so he could take care of him if need be and you could focus on eating.

“Dig in,” he smiled at you.

A small smile graced your lips as you bit into the sandwich, “Thank you for making lunch.”

“I’m happy to do it,” he cleared his throat before continuing, “I’m sorry about earlier love.”

“It’s okay,” you sighed and blushed, “I-I know I overreacted, it’s just hard to be away from him right now. I get really anxious when he isn’t with me. I mean I’m his whole world right now, he needs me for everything.”

“I know he does darling,” Tom scooted closer to you and set his hand on your leg again, “It’s alright if you're feeling anxious or scared or anything else, I just need you to tell me so I can help you. I want to be here for you, and him. The last thing I ever want to do is make this harder on you.”

“Y-You aren’t,” you sighed, “You’re the only person I trust with him Tom. It’s just hard right now, I worry about him all the time, I just want to do everything right.”

“You are,” he assured, planting a kiss on your forehead, “(y/n) you’re a wonderful mother, it’s just like you said, you’re his whole world, he absolutely adores you. It’s okay if you're struggling with the postpartum stuff, the doctor said it can be really hard on some people, we can go talk to her about it if we need to.”

“It’s not that,” you insisted, “I’m okay, I’m just adjusting still. I’m sorry I snapped at you.”

“You don’t have to apologize, I understand that you’re under a lot of pressure and you’re hardly sleeping,” he frowned, “You know we could try the bottle again.”

You quickly shook your head, “No, no, he hated it Tom.”

“I know, but that was two weeks ago. They said between two and four weeks, it might be better now,” he sighed as Luca started to cry, you tried to get up to help but he stopped you, “Eat your lunch, I’ll take care of him.”

“He probably needs a pacifier,” you suggest.

“I got it Peach, just relax,” he took the small boy in his arms and began rocking him. Quickly the boy quieted down and began to coo up at his father, “If we got him on the bottles then I could start getting up with him in the night too, that way you could get some more sleep.”

Watching Tom rock him made you smile and you nodded, “Okay, but if he doesn’t like it still I don’t want to push him.”

“That’s alright, we’ll just give it another try,” he ticked the boy's stomach, “And you’re gonna start using those bottles aren’t you brat? You’ve been keeping your mom up non stop, she needs to sleep.”

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆　　｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

Luca had been much more receptive to the bottles when you tried them again. It was nice because it allowed Tom to feed him at night so you could start catching up on some much needed sleep. Unfortunately the extra sleep did nothing to calm your nerves. You still couldn’t stand to be away from Luca for more than a few minutes, and you hated to see anyone but you and Tom holding him. Tom’s parents had come to visit and it took everything in you not to snap at his mom while she held Luca. You felt awful, you loved and trusted Nikki with all of your heart, but the second she picked him up your mind began spiraling to a million worst case scenarios.

Struggling so hard made you feel awful, like you were a bad mom. You thought both your son and husband deserved better, but you kept your struggles to yourself. Tom did his best to help you but work kept him very busy, and it was hard to get through to you when you wouldn’t open up to him. That’s why he had again brought up the idea of going talking to your doctor about possible postpartum struggles, but you just couldn’t stand to hear it. Everything he said just amplified your own anxious thoughts, you couldn’t handle Tom also thinking that you were a bad mother.

“I don’t need help Tom!” you snapped at him as soon as he brought the idea up, “I’m perfectly fine! You’re not even around enough to realize how fine I am!”

His cheeks flushed and his eyes widen, “I-I’m sorry, if you need me around more th-”

“No! That’s not what I said!” you pinched your nose in frustration. You didn’t want to make him feel bad, you just wanted him to think you were capable, “I’m just saying you’re not here all the time. I am perfectly fine okay? I can take care of our son, I’m gonna be a good mom. I’m just adjusting still, I can’t get used to all of this overnight.”

“I don’t expect you too, we both knew things would be different,” he reached for you, a deep frown came to his lips when you pushed him away, “It just seems like you're really struggling here and I want to help. I don’t want you to feel so stressed out all the time, and it’s alright if you don’t want to talk to me about it, but your doctor-”

“Will you stop bringing up the fucking doctor?!” you cut him off, suddenly tears were welling in your eyes and you found yourself crying again, “I don’t want to talk to the fucking doctor Tom. I don’t want to, I don’t need to, I-I can do this.”

You’re yelling had woken up Luca, causing him to start crying in his bassinet. Tom looked between you and him, his mouth hanging open as he debated what to do. Of course he wanted to reach out and comfort you but Luca demanded his attention. So he got out of bed and scooped the boy from his bassinet before sitting down on the edge of the bed. He cooed at the boy and rocked him while you sniffled alone on your side of the bed.

“(y/n)?” Tom peaked over you.

You refused to look at him, instead drawing your legs to your chest and hugging yourself tight, “What?”

“I love you.”

“Yeah, you too,” you mumbled into your knees.

“Do you wanna take him for a second?” he offered a now calmed Luca to you with a smile, “Look, he’s smiling at you, I think he wants you,” the tiniest smile graced your lips and you opened up your arms to take the baby from him. Tom wiped your eyes as he handed him over, “See? He totally adores you.”

You rocked Luca for just a moment before he started to sob once more. You felt your own anxiety spiking again and passed him back to Tom so he could sooth him again. Tom blushed as he took him, he apologized to you as he rocked the boy in his arms. He started to settle again and your heart dropped into your stomach.

“It’s probably his stomach,” Tom tried to assure you, “I mean he ate a little bit ago, he’s about due for a new diaper.”

You felt so awful and you were already so exhausted that you just didn’t have it in you to say anything else. You didn’t want to argue with him about doctors or whether or not you needed help, and you didn’t want to stay up and watch Tom take care of your son when you couldn’t. So you rolled over while Tom climbed out of bed, deciding it would be better for you to stare at the wall until you fell asleep.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆　　｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

When you woke up the following morning you were still exhausted. Tom had gotten up with Luca throughout the night in an effort to let you get some more sleep, but it hadn’t really helped. Your anxiety kept you up through most of the night.

It certainly didn’t help that Luca had been in a fussy mood all morning. Nothing could keep his attention for more than a few minutes and when you sat down to try and feed him he refused to latch. He just kept crying and you did your best to soothe him while you moved him to your other breast, hoping that would fix the issue.

You ran into the same problem of him refusing to latch and you had no idea what to do. You tried some things the doctors told you could help him latch but none of them helped. He was obviously hungry, and you were trying to help, but he just wouldn’t eat. You felt awful listening to him cry and you tried to rock him and sooth him the best you could but nothing helped. It became too much for your sleep deprived mind and you found yourself starting to cry too.

“Come on Luca, you’ve got to eat,” you tried to prompt him, “We’ve done everything else, I know you’re hungry. We’ve done it a million times, you’ve just got to latch on okay? Come on,” you tried again but he only started crying harder when you brought his mouth to you, which made you cry even harder too, “I’m trying so hard Luca, I’m sorry, please eat for me.”

When Tom walked into the nursery he found the rocking chair facing the window, gently rocking back and forth. Luca was crying and when he stepped closer he was shocked to find you were sobbing just as hard. You had him cradled to your chest, like he was about to eat, but he was just bawling.

“What’s wrong?” Tom asked curiously.

“He won’t eat,” you sobbed, “I-I’ve been trying and trying and he just won’t latch on. I don’t know what to do Tom. I know he’s hungry but he won’t eat, I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.”

“You aren’t doing anything wrong,” he assured you, pressing a kiss to your forehead before he bent down in front of you, “Why don’t I grab a bottle and give that a try? It seems like you could use a minute.”

Reluctantly you nodded and passed Luca to him. Tom rocked the boy in his arms and cooed at him while he warmed up a bottle. Luca calmed down a bit while his father rocked him, but he kept crying until the bottle was ready. With no effort at all Tom got him to take the bottle, he stopped crying in an instant and made happy little sounds while he ate.

“There we go buddy. That’s better right?” Tom poked his nose with a smile, “Just wanted to be a brat huh?”

You were happy he was eating, but you hated how easily Tom had calmed him and gotten to eat. You hated that he’d taken the bottle over you. He was barely over a month old, he was supposed to love you more than anything in the world, but he’d picked a plastic bottle over you. It made you feel awful and reminded you of your failure to be the kind of mother he deserved. All you wanted to do was curl up in bed and cry.

“Tom?” you sniffled.

He smiled over at you, “Do you wanna take over?”

You shook your head, “No, I-I just really need some sleep. Could you watch him for a little while?”

“Of course,” he nodded, “Take all the time you need, I’ll stay with him.”

“Thank you,” your hands trembled as you stood.

Tom leaned over to give you a kiss, you barely let your lips brush his before you left the room. You ran right to your bedroom and threw yourself onto the bed. You pulled a pillow to your chest and ended up crying yourself to sleep there.

While you were sleeping Tom took care of Luca, but he came by your room to check on you. He found you were curled up on your bed, clutching a pillow with puffy, tear stained cheeks and red eyes. It made him feel awful, he wanted so badly to help you but he wasn’t sure how. He knew he couldn’t let you continue to feel so awful, he had to do something. Just talking to you didn’t seem like a great idea since last time he tried to get you to open up you’d just ended up fighting. Instead he ended up calling Harrison and his brothers over to help him come up with something. After a bit of plotting, Sam helped him cook a nice dinner for you and he went up to your room to wake you up. You were groggy and tired as he pulled you over to the nursery where Harrison was waiting.

“Why is Harrison here?” you blushed.

“Because he’s going to watch Luca for us,” Tom smiled happily at you but your heart rate skyrocketed instantly, “I know you don’t like being away from him though, so we aren’t going to go far. I just thought you and I could have a nice dinner down in the garden. Harrison will watch Luca and Sam and Harry are here too in case he needs help, but I’m sure he won’t.”

You pursed your lips, reluctant to hand over the baby in your arms, “I-I don’t know Tom.”

“(y/n) you don’t have to worry,” Harrison assured you, he stepped up to you with open arms, “You two will be just down stairs, I promise I’ll take the best care of him in the world.”

“Harrison is his godfather,” Tom reminded you, “We decided we trust him enough to raise him, I’m sure we can leave him in his care for just a few hours.”

“I do trust him,” you blushed, “B-But he’s so young.”

“I could come down there with you,” Harrison offered, “If you’d rather he be close to you I could come down and sit just a few feet away with him the whole time. It’s okay if you’re anxious about it, but Tom told me you’ve been really stressed and I want to help however I can. Even if it’s just watching the baby for a night.”

You took a deep breath before you passed Luca over to him, “I-It’s okay, you can stay up here with him. Just promise you’ll come get us if he gets too fussy?”

“Of course, go enjoy your date,” he wrapped his free arm around you and kissed the top of your head, “Try and relax a little.”

You nodded and kissed Luca’s head, “Be good for Hazzy okay?”

“He will be, he wants his mom to have a nice relaxing evening,” Tom kissed your cheek and took your hand, “Come on, let’s get some food in you.”

Tom led you downstairs, Harry and Sam were busy at work in the kitchen finishing dinner and dessert for you. They greeted you happily and insisted you go sit down and let them take care of you. Outside was a small outdoor dining table and chairs you and Tom had eaten at a lot before Luca was born. The fresh air felt nice and helped ease your nerves about being away from Luca.

“It’s nice out here,” you commented, “I don’t think I’ve been outside in a few weeks.”

“Dinner’s here!” Harry interrupted, beaming as he sat a plate in front of each of you, “I hope you’re both hungry.”

“It’s not good for you love,” Tom squeezed your thigh.

“I know, but I don’t want Luca to get sick.”

You giggled while he played waiter for you both, “Thanks Harry.”

“You’re welcome, enjoy,” he winked while he walked away.

Tom chuckled, “I helped Sam with some of the cooking so I hope it’s good.”

“I’m sure it will be,” you couldn’t help but glance up at the nursery window, “Did he eat again?”

Tom nodded, “Yeah, just a little bit ago, and he’s got plenty of bottles up there,” Tom frowned as your face fell, “What’s wrong?’

“Nothing,” you bit your cheek, “I-I’m trying not to worry about him too much.”

“It’s okay if you are. We can talk about it.”

You looked away shamefully, “It’s okay, I’m sure I’ll get over it.”

“Not if you don’t talk about it,” he pushed again, “I don’t want to fight again, but I really want to help you, and I know you’re struggling. You spent half of today crying, I hate seeing you like that.”

“It’s not a big deal,” you tried again, “I’ll be okay Tom.”

“It is a big deal, you’re my wife, I want to take care of you,” he scooted his chair closer to yours so he could take both of your hands, “I can tell you're struggling but I need you to let me in so I can help you. I feel awful (y/n), we’ve never had problems like this, I-I don’t know if I did something or what but I just want to fix it.”

Your bottom lip started to quiver and you felt your eyes starting to water again, “It’s not you Tom.”

“Then what is it? Please let me help, I’m your husband, I love you so much. I just want to give you, and our son, the best life I can.”

“I-It’s Luca,” you mumbled, sinking into your chair to try and hide, “I feel so anxious all the time. I hate it when I’m not with him, I hate it when anyone else holds him. I feel like I can’t trust anyone but you with him, and I just don’t know what to do. I feel like such a bad mom. I don’t understand why I’m struggling so much, a-and then today I couldn’t even feed him!” you were sobbing at that point, “He’s just a baby, he’s supposed to need me still.”

“(y/n),” he pulled you to his chest so you could sob against him, “You aren’t a bad mom, it’s alright to struggle. And he absolutely does need you, he might just prefer the bottle sometimes. It doesn’t mean anything, you’re still the one providing for him.”

“What if I never get better? What if I’m just terrified all the time and I smother him and he ends up hating me.”

“You won’t, I promise you won’t,” he rocked you in his arms while he spoke, “There is nothing wrong with needing help with this, struggling doesn’t make you a worse mom. The doctor told us lots of people struggle with postpartum, remember? And I’ve been doing a little research on it, it’s a lot more common than you think. You just had a baby, your hormones are crazy right now, and your body is trying to heal. It would be unfair to expect you to get better overnight,” he let out a deep sigh, “I know a lot of this is on me too. I haven’t been there as much as I should be, I shouldn’t be working right now. I should be taking time off so I can take care of you and Luca, I’m sorry I haven’t been carrying my weight here.”

You blushed and shook your head, “It’s not your fault Tom, I know you’re doing what you can.”

“I haven’t been doing enough,” he kissed the side of your head, “Look I talked to Harrison and my brothers and they’ve agreed to take charge for a while so I can take a step back and focus on you and Luca. It’s what I should have done from the beginning, I’m sorry that I didn’t.”

“You don’t have to do that Tom.”

“Yes I do, you’re my wife, and he’s my son. You two are my whole world, I need to be there for both of you,” he wiped your eyes while you sniffled and tried to calm yourself again.

“I-I’m sorry Tom,” you choked on your own words as you spoke.

“Sorry?” he frowned, “Darling you have nothing to be sorry for, I’m the one who fucked up.”

“B-But things have been so different,” you looked away from him, “I’m always tired and I look like shit all the time. My bodies all fucked up annd we can’t even have sex anymore, y-you deserve better than that.”

“Don’t ever say something like that to me again,” he said sternly, “Your body is not fucked up, your body just gave us our son, and now it needs time to heal, you need time to heal. I’m so sorry you’ve been feeling so bad about yourself, but I hope you know I still think you’re the most gorgeous person in the world, and I promise I always will. There is nothing on earth I would rather have than you and our son, I’m the luckiest person in the whole universe,” he pulled you back to him and you buried your head in his chest, “Now it’d be stupid for me to say I don’t care about sex, because I obviously like having sex with you, but I don’t expect that from you, and I never will. If you never wanted to have sex again it wouldn’t make me love you any less.”

“I wanna have sex again,” you mumbled against his chest, making him laugh and squeeze you again.

“Yeah I do too, I’d like to give Luca some brothers and sisters,” he sighed and rubbed your back gently, “But you know if this is too much and you don’t want to have any more kids after this then that’s okay too. All I want is for you to get better so we can enjoy our son together.”

“I just wanna be normal and be able to do things with him without freaking out.”

“You’ll get there darling, it’ll get better,” he promised, “And I’ll be here every step of the way for whatever you need.”

“Thank you Tommy,” you pulled back from him just enough to press your lips to his, “Luca’s really lucky to have you as his dad, and I’m even luckier to have you as my husband.”

“Are you crazy? We’re obviously the lucky ones,” he nuzzled his nose against yours, “I know you’ve been pretty against going to the doctor, and I don’t want to upset you by bringing it up again, but I really think you should think about it. She knows how to help you with this, and as much as I love you, I don’t have that. She'll be able to help you better than me, or anyone else, can.”

You flushed but ended up nodding, “I-I want to go see her Tom, I want to feel better. I want to be able to sleep more and take him out places and let other people hold him.”

“You will, I promise you will. We’ll call her first thing tomorrow so we can get in as quickly as possible,” he placed one of his hands on your cheek, “There’s nothing wrong with needing help, and there’s lots of people around you that love you and want to help you. I mean just look at tonight, Haz and my brothers dropped everything so they could be here for you. We all wanted to give you a nice night and help you relax for a little while. I promise we’ll all be here to help you get better too.”

You wrapped your arms around his neck and buried your face in his neck. For the first time since you’d come home from the hospital you finally felt at peace. You knew it would still take time to get better, but it was a start. It was comforting just to know Tom would be there with you from now on, that you could lean on him until you were better.

“Thank you for doing all this Tommy,” you mumbled against his neck.

“You’re welcome Peach,” he kissed your head and squeezed you against him, “You really don’t have to mention it though, I’m just trying to be a good husband.”

“You’re the best husband.”

“You’re perfect,” he nuzzled his nose against yours again before he kissed you, “I love you.”

“And you’re the best wife,” he chuckled, “So how does my gorgeous wife feel about finishing our dinner? Then maybe we can talk about something that won’t make you cry for a while?”

You nodded, “That sounds perfect Tom.”

You smiled wide and pressed your lips to his again, “I love you too.”

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buckysgrace · 5 months

Text

Twenty Nine

CW: homphobic slur

Billy

The next morning was just as rough getting out of bed, but Billy did it anyway. The coke withdrawals always hit him hard, made him feel worse and so terrible about himself. Sometimes it didn’t feel like the high was worth it.

He felt guilty with the way he’d treated Kim, how he’d mindlessly pushed her away. He didn’t mean to come off in that manner, he truly didn’t. His mind was just screaming at him, far louder than it had in a long time. It felt like everything was crashing down around him.

“This girl invited me out this weekend,” Kim told him softly as she ate her cereal, “I think we’re friends? I don’t know her that well.” She shrugged her shoulders softly as she lost herself to her thoughts. Billy observed her features again, wondering if her friend was the reason she was continuing to use bright blue on her eyelids instead of pink.

“That’s how you become friends,” Billy teased her gently, “Go see her for a bit. You deserve to have some fun.” He told her truthfully. He had an urge to meet with whom she’d been speaking about, but he also didn’t want to invade her space either. He’d wait for her to invite him, the same way he’d invited her.

“I have fun with you.” She told him quickly, sounding like she’d rather stay with him anyways. He grinned as he walked towards her, watching the way she dumped the leftover milk down the sink then washed it out.

“You see me every day,” He teased, quickly scooping her up in his arms as he noticed no one was around, “I can give you a parting gift.” He told her softly, leaning forward just enough to bite down on her bottom lip. She gasped, her heart beating the same rhythm as his as he pulled her closer.

“Promise?” She teased him softly, her cheeks flushed as she pressed up against him. Billy gently brushed his thumb against her cheek, brushing away a loose eyelash as she pressed his forehead up against hers. He slowly moved his hand back down to her waist.

“Mhm,” Billy grinned as he ran his hands up her slender curves, “Whatever you want.” He flicked his tongue across her opened mouth, giving her something to think about as he pulled away. He grinned at the state of her, noticing how flushed and taken aback she was suddenly. He took a sip of his coffee as he heard steps coming down the hallway.

“Hey,” Russell said brightly as he approached Billy, “I’m glad you’re feeling better.” He said a little too eagerly, his smile growing from ear to ear. Billy shifted uncomfortably in his spot as he nodded his head, still unsure of how to handle the younger boy's attention.

“Just had a bug.” Billy brushed it off, slightly surprised that so many people had cared. Even Max had gifted him with another hug yesterday. It made him feel odd.

“Those suck,” Russell nodded his head along excitedly, “We noticed that you weren’t here. All of us. We missed you.” He said, emphasizing the we part. Billy slowly dragged his eyes towards Kim, watching the amused look that grew on her features.

“He’s right,” Kim grinned, looking a little too joyful as she scooped Russell into a side hug and rested her cheek on top of his moppy hair, “We missed you so much.” She spoke sweetly as she rubbed her cheek back and forth on top of Russell’s head. He laughed, grinning widely as he held onto Kim.

“Huh,” Billy replied dryly as he brought the coffee mug up to his lips, “Thank you.” He told him a second later, nodding his head in agreement. Russell smiled as he moved away, looking like he was extra excited as he grabbed an orange from the bowl.

“Are we going?” Max grumbled from the hallway, “I just want to get this day over with.” She looked more irritated than usual, her features pulled tightly into a scowl. He observed her for a moment, wondering if school was going worse for her.

“Yeah,” Billy said as he finished the rest of his drink, wincing at how hot it was, “Let’s go.” He said quickly as he went to rinse his mug out. He watched as the water slowly turned clear again. He dried his hands off quickly.

“Cool,” Russell said as he bounced over towards Max, “Do you have your science project today?” He asked as Max began to grumble out an answer. Billy watched as the two younger teens made their way towards the door, Russell carrying the conversation as they did so.

“You’re funny,” Billy told her once Russell was out of earshot, “Real funny.” He told Kim seriously as he poked her soft sides. She giggled, wiggling away as she took her hands in his quickly. She shook her head, giving him a warning look as he pretended to reach for her sides again.

“He’s so adorable,” Kim breathed out deeply as she squeezed his hands softly in hers, “He’s like a little puppy and he has all of your cute little features. I just wanna squish him.” She said as she pouted her lips out, reaching her hands out to squeeze at Billy’s cheekbones. He lightly gripped her hands, pausing as he kissed each of her fingertips.

“You have issues.” He told her teasingly as his lips curled into a smile against her skin. He looked down at her nails, noticing the fresh paint of red on there. His eyes moved up the length of her arms, suddenly thinking about the lingerie he’d gifted her. He thought about her red nails, the black lace and the dark red she could paint her lips. He dropped her hand suddenly, knowing that if his thoughts continued neither of them would be leaving. She turned with a smile, clueless to his thoughts as she pulled the door open, “I know,” She admitted as she dragged her feet towards the car, “But you still love me.” She said pointedly as she glanced back towards him, flicking her thick eyelashes towards him. He bit his lip, letting his eyes linger at the way her hips moved. He watched the way the back of her skirt caught against her pale thighs and suddenly felt himself walking a little faster as he felt his cock stirring in his jeans.

“I do,” He agreed with a smile, “My little oddball.” He teased lightly, trying to get his mind off of anything but her skin. He rubbed the back of his neck before he popped a cigarette between his lips, feeling like this would be a long day without her.

////////////////

“You’re still here?” Billy questioned as he walked inside, looking at how Sam was finishing a cup of coffee. Usually by the time Billy got everyone dropped off, Sam was long gone with whatever odd hours he worked.

“Had a late day,” Sam said with a nod as he held his coffee cup, “Good morning to you.” He said with a smile. Billy shrugged his shoulders in return, feeling like there wasn’t anything special about this morning. He did feel a dire need to do something, rather than just lounge around the house. Rosemary kept it too clean for him to do anything else but succumb to his boredom.

“Can you drop me off at the bakery?” He asked a second later, unsure of why he couldn't drive himself. He paused, trying to convince himself that it was better to hitch a ride than waste the gas money.

“Sure,” Sam said quickly as he rinsed the rest of his coffee down the sink drain, “Let’s roll.” He said with a goofy smile. Billy exhaled deeply, wondering if this was a good idea at all.

He strolled out to the car, enjoying the warm breeze that drifted against his shoulders. He felt slightly optimistic, like today would be a better day. He hoped so. He still felt like he owed Kim something, like he ought to give her something sweet.

He slid his way into the car, pausing before he buckled himself up. Sam moved around the car a second later, his eyes looking a bit tired as he made his way inside the car. Billy glanced out the window, ready for the awkward silence to talk over.

“I didn’t know you liked this music.” Billy observed as he peered at the familiar station that was dancing across Sam’s screen. Sam paused as he reached between his legs to scoot the chair far back, letting his long legs stretch out.

“The beat is interesting,” Sam said quickly as he adjusted his mirrors too. He paused before he buckled up, then began to drive, “It takes a lot of talent to do that.” He told Billy as a look of interest crossed his features. Billy found himself shaking his head before he could stop himself .

“Oh,” Billy said, then snorted to himself, “Of course you’d spin it like that.” He laughed to himself as he rubbed his thumb across his nose. It was slightly raw, a little redder than usual. He figured he’d give it a while to heal before he did anything too drastic. He didn’t want to fuck his nose up.

“What?” Sam laughed, “There’s a lot you can learn through music. Especially the way music has changed over time. How is that not cool?” Sam asked seriously at the end of his ramble, looking like he wanted an answer to his question. Billy paused, unsure of how to handle the attention on him.

“It’s very nerdy.” Billy said as he shook his head. He nearly laughed again, wondering if Sam would get as offended as he did with Tommy. Billy was sure that he had never seen Sam so angry before. He thought it was quite hilarious as he thought of himself as being worse than Tommy.

“Yeah, well,” Sam shrugged his shoulders, “I like learning things.” Sam said with a quiet laugh as he pulled onto the busy roads. Billy glanced around, enjoying the way the clouds seemed to be dancing through the bright blue sky.

“So does Kim.” Billy said a second later, sure that she read her textbooks for fun. He hated comparing Kim and Sam together, but he supposed there was no getting around it. Although she looked like Susan, she acted just like Sam. He wondered if Susan had ever gotten frustrated with Kim for that reason.

“Susan used to get irritated,” Sam said softly as he glanced towards Billy, confirming his thoughts, “Kim used to grade over Susan’s homework papers when she was little. It drove Susan mad, but Kim would just say she was grading,” Sam chuckled as he temporarily lost himself in the memory, “She was the cutest little kid.”

“Is that when you lived with Susan’s mom?” Billy asked cautiously, feeling a need to know a little bit more about Kim’s childhood. He wondered how lonely it must’ve been for her. He supposed it was good that she got Max a few years later.

“Debra,” Sam corrected him gently, “And she was a - well, she was a cunt. There’s no way around it.” He said, glancing over both of his shoulders before he turned the car to the left. Billy thought about it for a moment, a little surprised that Sam would say such a thing. He figured that it really did mean that Debra was awful.

“Is it just because she hated you?” He felt his eyebrows knitting together as he asked the question, thinking that Debra probably had a reason to not like him. He wondered if Susan had started hating Sam first, or if that had been part of Debra’s influence.

“Her and Susan had problems before,” Sam said briefly, “She never let me ask too much. Debra thought I needed a better job, that we weren’t ready for a kid. All sorts of things.” He rambled on for a minute, moving one of his hands off of the wheel to gesture as he spoke. Billy pondered on the thought for a moment.

“Teachers do have shitty salaries.” Billy said in agreement, thinking of how Neil had criticized any males that had teaching degrees. Neil had always thought that it was a woman’s job, unless it involved college level thinking.

“Teaching was just the first step in my career, or it was supposed to be,” Sam said, “I wanted to be a geologist.” He told Billy honestly, surprising him a little bit. Kim had talked so intensely about how Sam had loved teaching. Billy couldn’t imagine enjoying teaching just because he didn’t finish school.

“Why didn’t you?” Billy questioned, although he didn’t know why he was asking. He really didn’t care about what Sam did, but he figured it was better than sitting in an awkward silence. Billy fumbled for a moment before he pulled out his box of cigarettes.

“I graduated with my teaching degree the spring before Kim was born,” Sam explained slowly, nodding his head as Billy offered him a stick, “Susan said it was only fair that she went to school next. She was right, she deserved that chance. I just never got a chance to go back.” He mumbled as he held the cigarette between his lips. Billy leaned forward to give him a light.

“She said you ruined her nursing career.” He told Sam honestly as he lit his own cigarette. He breathed in the sweet nicotine, enjoying how it seemed to soothe his nerves and joints. Sam laughed, nodding his head in agreement. Billy wasn’t sure how he was able to act so carefree while admitting to his wrongs.

“At the hospital,” Sam said, “I worked as a janitor after I lost my teaching job. I lost the janitor job because one of the other nurses sold me some pills and yeah. That all came crashing down.” He said as he blew out a deep cloud of smoke. Billy raised his eyebrow, a little surprised by that answer.

“Shit,” Billy said as he took another drag from his cigarette, “I didn’t know you did other stuff.” He admitted softly, trying to keep his features as stoic as possible. He didn’t need Sam suspecting anything, nor did he want Sam to be on the watch for Billy’s behaviors.

“Alcohol opens the door for a lot of things.” Sam replied quietly as he looked forward at the road, his eyes looking slightly sorrowful again. Billy wondered what all he’d done, what he hadn’t been caught doing.

“What you said about your stepdad before,” Billy drew out softly, “Did Kim meet him?” He asked curiously, thinking of an instance where Kim spoke of any of her grandparents. He couldn't remember much, other than her telling him that she’d lived with her grandma.

“No,” Sam quickly, “Well, not that she’d remember. Just once when she was little. She was two I think?” He thought to himself for a moment, like he was unsure of just how old she had been. Billy waited curiously until he seeked the answers out on his own again.

“What happened?” He asked, almost afraid to ask as he inhaled the smoke deep inside of his lungs. He enjoyed the way it slightly burned, how he swore he could feel it swimming inside of his organs. He exhaled a second later, almost fearing that Sam would say that his parents had been mean to her.

“Nothing really,” Sam replied a second later, “I mean it was just weird. You know Kim has always had a sweet tooth. We couldn’t always afford it but, anyways, my stepdad was just odd. He kept holding these candies out for her to grab, but once she got close enough, he put them in his pockets.” He rambled on for a moment, looking troubled as he thought back to the situation on his own.

“He wanted her to cry?” Billy asked in confusion, not really understanding why it would make Sam so uneasy. It made his stepdad sound like a dick, but it wasn’t necessarily cruel. Not like any of the things Neil had mentioned about his dad. Or how Sam had said his stepfather had tried to drown him.

“No,” Sam said, “He tried to make her reach into his pockets to grab them. I left with her after that; I didn't come back until I moved out. So, he didn’t really do anything, but - I don’t know. It just didn’t feel right.” He looked a little revolted as he spoke, like he thought the worst could happen. Billy blanched for a moment, his mind not even considering that.

“Yeah,” Billy breathed out softly as a shiver raced down his back, “That is odd.” He mumbled in agreement as he rubbed his thumb across his bottom lip. He thought that it was good that Kim had never asked about him.

“Has she ever mentioned meeting them?” Sam looked at him curiously, almost like he was worried about what was happening. Billy shook his head softly, not recalling that Max had ever mentioned them either.

“No,” Billy responded truthfully, “She’s said that you don’t talk about your past a lot, but that’s it.” He mentioned slowly. He wondered if it would make Sam more honest to Kim, to open up a little more. He thought that Kim would like that.

“She doesn’t need to know everything, as much as that may bother her,” Sam said quickly with a light chuckle, “Have a good day, alright?” Billy paused as he held onto the doorknob but was unable to push the door open. He figured he was keeping Sam late, but he suddenly had a dire need to know why.

“Why did you leave them?” He asked him seriously, feeling like he was missing a big chunk of the piece. He knew it was none of his business, that Sam had every right to not share that information. Still, he felt like he needed to know. He wanted to see if there was any reassurance he could give Kim, or if he truly was as awful as Billy had previously thought.

“I wasn’t a good dad,” Sam said softly, “Susan wanted a divorce and obviously would’ve gotten custody and everything else. She wanted me gone and at that point, I thought it was best.” Sam spoke quietly, like it was still a sore subject. Billy stared at him for a moment, still not understanding why it would make Sam leave.

“So you just left.” Billy stated with a nod of his head. Sam paused as he leaned back in his seat. He reached down to his hand, beginning to twist the gold band that rested across his finger.

“It wasn’t an overnight thing,” Sam told him gently, “I did what I thought was best for my girls and for Susan.” His tone was raw, full of regret suddenly. Sam’s demeanor changed, his shoulders sagging as he suddenly appeared smaller.

“It wasn’t the best.” Billy told him honestly, knowing how Kim felt about the subject. He knew she would’ve rather their family been messy, than for Sam to be away from them. Billy suddenly wondered what would’ve happened, if he would’ve ever met her if their families were still separated. He thought that they would’ve. Somehow.

“I know.” Sam nodded his head in agreement, his eyes staring forward suddenly. Billy sighed as he gripped the handle and popped the door open. He paused as he stepped out, quietly shutting the door behind him.

“Thanks,” Billy mumbled softly as he took a step back from the car, “See you later.” He responded awkwardly as he walked across the street. He jogged towards the backdoor, figuring it was better to go in through this way than the busy front door.

“Hey,” Rosemary stopped in shock, nearly tripping over the tiled floors, “You’re here?” She looked at him stunned, like she hadn’t expected to see him. Which, she probably hadn’t. This was the first time he’d been to the bakery without the others.

“I didn’t have anything else to do.” He admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. He figured it was best to stay busy than to do anything else. He wasn’t sure if he trusted where his mind would wander on its own.

“No, no that’s perfect,” She said as she carried a large chocolate cake to one of the tables, “Can you take over the dishes? Dottie is on them now but I could use her help.” She said quickly, looking a little flustered as fanned her reddened cheeks for a second.

“Sure,” He shrugged his shoulders as he walked over, “I guess I’m taking over.” He told Dottie softly, feeling like he’d rather sit out over her anyways. At least it would give him time to think on his own.

“Oh, okay,” Dottie smiled widely, “It’s good to see you again. Your mom has been so happy.” She said dramatically as she dried her hands off. She rubbed at her back for a second before she moved out of her way.

“That’s great,” Billy responded dryly, “Thanks.” He nodded his head as he took her spot, not really wanting to hear about how badly Rosemary missed him. It was too raw for him to handle right now.

He washed and scrubbed at the dishes, his hands and mind staying busy as he worked. He felt better than he had in a long time. His muscles and hands ached from the movements, reminding him that he needed to get a workout routine down again. He didn’t want to lose the muscles that he’d gained.

“What are you doing after?” Rosemary asked as she walked up to him. She looked less flushed, a little more relaxed. He paused as he let go of the soapy plate, watching as it sank back to the bottom of the sink.

“Not a lot,” Billy admitted, “I have an interview at a grocery store I used to work at.” He said as he raised his forearm up to wipe the sweat away from his forehead. The back of the kitchen remained hot from the way the stoves were constantly on. He glanced at the clock, noticing there was less than an hour left.

“Oh!” Rosemary’s face brightened, “I need a few things, I could take you.” She said a little too excitedly. Billy paused for a minute, not thinking that he needed his mommy to take him to a possible job interview.

“You really don’t have to.” He tried to brush her off as he used the hose to rinse the soap off from the dish. He pushed it into the sanitizer, brushing past her softly to do so. She paused as she bounced up and down on the balls of her feet.

“Please,” She said softly, “I won’t interrogate you I promise.” She said sweetly, looking a little desperate as she peered up towards him. Billy sighed roughly as he debated with himself for a moment. He shrugged his shoulders at last.

“Sure,” He replied, “If you really want to.” He said as he looked away from her again. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to be around her for that long, but also didn’t have it in himself to brush her off. He was sure that there was something wrong with himself.

“I do,” Rosemary said quickly, “I’ll be fun. Thank you.” She said quickly as she squeezed his arm softly. Billy stared at where her hand was resting over his bicep and nodded, still not used to the feeling of her touching him.

“Alright,” He said briefly as he nodded his head, “That works then.” He mumbled as he began to scoop the pots and pans onto the drying rack. He watched as the water ran down the surface then dipped back into the sink. He breathed in deeply, wondering how he’d get through this afternoon on his own.

/////////////////////

“Hey,” Billy said as he walked up towards the front, “I had an interview with Derek.” He said, glancing around at the familiar building. It was slightly busier from what he remembered. He thought that the walls were painted a different color too.

“Oh right,” A girl around his age smiled, walking around the corner of the desk. Billy glanced back, looking at where Rosemary waved him on as she grabbed a hold of her cart, “He said that you worked here before?” She questioned him, her dark eyes intrigued as she watched him.

“Yeah, when I was a kid,” Billy explained briefly as he followed her into the offices, “Thanks.” He mumbled as she shot him a wave. He peered around again, thinking about the first time he’d been in this room. He’d had to sit at the very edge of the seat to touch his sneakers to the floor.

“Hi,” Derek greeted with a grin, looking similar to the way Billy remembered him, “You’ve grown since I’ve last seen you. Good to see you again.” He said politely as he shook Billy’s hand. Billy returned the movements with a soft smile.

“Yeah,” Billy nodded his head in agreement, “Just moved back actually.” He said as he rubbed the hand that he’d used to touch Derek’s across his jeans. He wasn’t sure what to say. He really didn’t have much of a resume. He wasn’t sure how far lifeguarding and being a high school graduate would get him.

“Awesome,” Derek smiled kindly, “Do you want your old position? Just bagging and pushing carts around. Maybe after a while you could go to stocking.” He looked at him curiously as he flipped through some of the papers on his desk. Billy twisted his ring across his finger, not figuring that it would be that easy.

“Works with me,” Billy said casually, “What would be the hours?” He asked as he tilted his head, waiting for what Derek would tell him.

“Do you prefer mornings or nights?” Derek asked him curiously as he leaned forward to rest his elbows against the table. Billy began to bounce his foot against the floor.

“Mornings if I can,” Billy told him quickly, thinking about how he needed the evenings to be with Kim, “It just works easier right now.” He shrugged his shoulders softly. He could honestly work any hours, but he wanted time to be with Kim.

“Sure,” Derek smiled kindly, “Do you want to stop by tomorrow and get adjusted?” He asked as he pushed a paper forward. Billy looked down at the schedule, feeling like this wouldn’t be too bad at all. He could still drop Kim and the other two off, then pick them up by the time he was done with his shift.

“Sounds great,” Billy nodded his head, “Thanks man.” He smiled towards him, feeling a little better knowing that he wasn’t just lounging around anymore. He thought he’d feel better having something to do, something to keep his mind busy.

“So?” Rosemary asked eagerly, still standing in the same spot by the time he’d returned. He watched as she placed back a coupon book, like she’d been trying to distract herself for the past few minutes. Something about the situation made him feel odd, made him feel like he was a little kid again.

“I got it.” He mumbled softly as he approached her, trying to shake off the jittery feeling that was lingering inside of his chest. He still couldn’t tell how he felt to have her back. As a child he’d dreamt about it for so long, but now he was too grown to confide in those silly fantasies.

“Oh good!” She said excitedly, “I knew that you would.” She said reassuringly as she began to push the cart forward. He followed her a little surprised, not actually expecting her to need things.

“I worked here before,” Billy shrugged his shoulders, “I’m sure that’s why.” He told her truthfully. He was sure that was the only reason that Derek had hired him so easily. Rosemary glanced back at him before she leaned over the cart to put a few boxes of cereal inside.

“I’ll miss having you at the bakery,” Rosemary admitted, “But if you like it here that’s good.” She told him quickly, like she didn’t want to dismiss what he wanted to do. He shrugged his shoulders, feeling like a job was just a job.

“It was nice.” He said briefly as he glanced around the aisles again. He honestly couldn’t remember much of it, other than getting some sort of break from Neil. He felt guilty for that suddenly, like he shouldn’t think that way.

“Is there anything you need for groceries?” She asked as she pulled out a piece of paper. He watched as she began to mark a few items off before she turned down the next row. Despite her shorter legs, she walked fast.

“Uh,” Billy paused as he followed her through the aisles, “Salads are good. I like protein.” He shrugged his shoulders, not really caring what he got. He was just thankful they hadn’t kicked him out to the street yet.

“Nothing specific then?” She looked at him curiously as she stopped in the middle of the aisle. He shook his head.

“I'll eat anything.” He told her truthfully, not really caring what it was. Neil never really gave him many options. He didn’t have the choice of just skipping out on meals and making something else later.

“I know,” She said as she pursed her lips into a smile, “You were such a good eater as a baby. You used to get so cranky if I didn’t put it out fast enough. Except for eggs. You never quite liked eggs.” She spoke with an amused tone as she thought to herself. Billy felt his own memory tugging on his heartstrings, thinking about how she used to pull up a chair for him in the kitchen so he could help her cook.

“They’re pretty disgusting,” He said in agreement, “I guess I never outgrew that.” He replied more to himself. At one time he was fairly certain it had been because Neil would make them so often. He’d always said it was hard to mess up on eggs, but he certainly knew how to make them taste rubbery and rotten every single time.

“That’s alright,” Rosemary said as she scanned the refrigerated produce, “I’m determined to get Kim to not be so picky.” She mumbled underneath her breath as she pulled the door open. He felt his eyebrow raising on his forehead as he watched her struggle with a large turkey, then a ham.

“You’re getting a turkey and a ham?” Billy asked, “Isn’t that a lot for us?” He questioned her, unsure of how all of that would get eaten. Kim certainly didn’t have a big appetite and was picky, he didn’t really think that Max or Russell at that much either.

“Well,” Rosemary paused, “I haven’t told the girls yet but I have plans on inviting Susan. Sam said she’ll be out of jail then.” She said with a kind smile. Billy raised both of his eyebrows this time, feeling like that wasn’t a very good idea at all. He had a feeling that this whole situation would make Susan very angry and bitter.

“What if she just runs off with Max and Kim?” He asked her seriously, tilting his head to examine her features as she thought over his words. He honestly didn’t think that Kim would go back with Susan after everything that happened, but he was unsure about Max. She’d left a bunch behind.

“I think they can decide where they want to live,” Rosemary said softly, “Max said that Susan has a boyfriend. I figured they could all come.” She smiled at Billy, looking like she was excited over all of it.

“I doubt they can afford it,” Billy mumbled underneath his breath as he thought about Susan and Wayne, “Sounds like a full house.” He said louder, uncertain on how he felt about being crammed in the house with all of them. He was sure that if Wayne was coming, then Eddie would be coming too.

“I hope so,” Rosemary replied gleefully, “Kim can bring her boyfriend too. I think it’ll be enjoyable.” She was bouncing as she walked, like the whole idea of it was too much for her to contain in her body. Billy inhaled deeply under his breath, glad that she couldn’t see him as he simmered about her referring to Tommy as Kim’s boyfriend. He knew it wasn’t anyone’s fault, but the whole situation left him irritated. He wondered if Rosemary disliked him as much as Sam did.

“Or a mess,” Billy told her truthfully, “Don’t these things always end in a mess?” He asked, thinking back to the horror stories that he’d heard people tell when their families were over. He felt like things were too tense on both sides of their families already.

“Families are messy,” She dismissed him, “It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.” She told him with a smile, like she was trying to look on the better side of things. Billy paused, wondering how she’d handle Susan’s critiques of Sam.

“I don’t think Susan likes Sam very well,” Billy drew out softly, “At all.” He clarified after a second as he remembered the way Susan’s eyebrows would knit together in anger as she would grumble under her breath about Sam. Susan hated him. He was almost sure that she hated Sam more than she hated Neil.

“I’ve heard,” Rosemary sighed underneath her breath, “But I’m sure Kim and Max would like for their parents to be together again.” She nodded her head as she continued to grab things and put them into the cart until it was nearly overflowing.

“Maybe.” Billy said softly as he rubbed the back of his neck. He had a feeling that Max wouldn’t care about seeing Susan gain, as she hadn’t even gone to say bye to her. He could see Kim being excited, but then again, he didn’t know how she’d react if her parents began to fight again.

“Do you want to get ice cream after?” She asked hesitantly, the question surprising Billy, “Before we have to pick everyone up?” She spoke slowly, like she was preparing herself for the rejection. Billy looked into her eyes, noticing the amount of hope that was lingering within. He paused for a long time, suddenly feeling like he couldn’t say no. He deserved to make things right, even if he wasn’t quite ready to meet all the way yet.

“Sure,” Billy said as he shrugged his shoulders, “I guess that would be alright.” He began to twist at his rings a bit, having a sudden craving for a cigarette as Rosemary’s features lit up in glee.

Rosemary made little conversations the rest of the day, telling him various things that Billy held onto tightly. He hated how easily he was allowing her to slide back in, how forgiving he was suddenly being suddenly.

“Hey,” The older man paused as he smiled, “Rosemary, is this your oldest? Damn. It’s been a while, son.” Billy paused, unsure of how to respond. He didn’t want to be rude, but he had no idea who he was speaking to.

“Uh, yeah.” He said softly as he glanced towards Rosemary. She was biting back a smile, looking excited again as she looked towards Billy. He gulped hard, cautious as to why she was looking at him with pride in her eyes.

“Richard,” Rosemary laughed softly, “But yes this is Billy. I’ve missed him so much.” She said quietly, almost remorsefully. Billy watched her, wondering if her words were really true.

“Oh I know,” Richard laughed with a roll of his eyes, “She talks about you all the time.” He rolled his dramatically, playfully. Billy’s mouth suddenly felt dry.

“Yeah?” Billy couldn’t help himself as he glanced towards Rosemary, “That’s good.” He admitted a second later as he felt a warmth spreading through him. She looked a little embarrassed as she nodded her head in agreement.

“You can get whatever you want,” She told him quickly, “A chocolate cone for me.” She glanced towards the worker as she began to fumble for the cash from her purse.

“I’ll have the same,” Billy said a second later, “Do you come here a lot?” He asked her once they both had their ice cream cones and were seated by a booth near the window.

“Not as much as we used to,” Rosemary told him, “I took you a lot, then Russell when he was younger. Sam used to take the girls here too. It’s kind of funny how things work out like that.” She said wistfully.

“Yeah,” Billy nodded his head in agreement, “It really is.” He said as he thought about Kim.

////////////////////

He pulled Kim into the backyard, grinning at their secrecy as he pulled her far away from the windows. He needed to feel her, to know that she was still real.

“Missed you,” He mumbled as he traced his hands up her arms softly. He pressed his lips against hers, kissing her deeply as he backed her against the house. She molded her lips against his, melting against him as she placed her palms against his chest, “Mhm.” His words were lost as her lips moved against his harder, savoring the taste on her tongue.

“You taste sweet,” Kim mumbled against his lips as she slowly flicked her tongue inside of his mouth, “Really sweet.” She sighed against his mouth as she licked at the roof of his mouth again.

“Ice cream,” He grinned as he flicked his tongue against hers, “Do you like it?” He asked teasingly as he kept a steady grip on her hips.

“Uh huh,” She mumbled as she gripped his collar and pulled him closer. She wrapped her lips around his tongue, beginning to suck softly as he flicked his tongue inside of her mouth, “I like it.” She giggled softly; her cheeks flushed as he brought his hands up towards her chest. He gripped her tits in his hands, grinning at the way she moaned against his touch.

“Don’t be naughty,” He mocked her quietly, “You don’t want your daddy to hear, do you?” He groaned softly as he continued to feel her up. Her eyes widened at his words.

“Billy,” She blushed hard as she pressed her fingertips into his skin, “You’re the worst.” She giggled softly, her hazel eyes filling with amusement as she observed him.

“I’ll show you how bad later,” He whispered huskily as he pressed his lips against hers one last time, “I’m going to finish your car today.” He told her softly as he slowly pulled his hands away.

“You are?” She grinned as she adjusted the straps on her dress, “Thank you. I still can’t believe I did that.” She mumbled as she tucked her hair behind her ears, looking like she was embarrassed all over again.

“Don’t give yourself a hard time,” He told her as he opened the door for her, doing his best to sneak them back in causally, “I’m sure a lot of people have had that happen.” He reassured her again. Rosemary popped around the corner, beaming from ear to ear.

“So,” Rosemary paused as she bounced up and down on her feet, “Russell would really like to help you with the car.” Kim pursed her lips together; smiling deeply as she sent him a coy wave. He glanced away from her quickly, fearing that Rosemary would notice where his eyes lingered.

“He has no idea what he’s doing.” He did his best not to grumble but found himself growing irritated anyways. He didn’t know why Russell was so determined to work with him in the first place.

“You could teach him,” She said hopefully, “Only if you want to do it.” She added a second later, but still held a glimmer of hope in his eyes. He wondered if she would’ve made him work with Russell had things been different. Billy recognized the familiarity suddenly between him and her, and Sam and Kim. Sam didn’t want to upset Kim, the same way Rosemary didn’t want to upset Billy. He had a feeling he could get away with a lot if he let himself.

“Alright,” Billy sighed deeply, “Just tell him to meet me out there.” He sighed as he scratched his fingers against his elbow. Her face brightened like the sun.

“Oh thank you,” She said excitedly, “He’s going to be so happy.” She grinned as she walked down the hallway. Billy allowed himself to drop his face into his hands and grumble loudly before he left towards the garage.

He gathered what he needed, which wasn’t a lot. He was in the last steps of finishing her car, well, he hoped he was. He really wouldn’t know what the damage was until he started it again with fresh oil.

“Hey,” Russell grinned as he approached Billy, “What are we doing?” He asked, sounding a little too excited. Billy chewed on his bottom lip, pausing as he counted to ten in his head. He reminded himself that Russell was no different than the kids he’d teach at the pool. He was just slightly older.

“Tightening this up,” Billy mumbled once he looked back towards Russell, “It shouldn’t take long, then her car should hopefully be fixed.” He said a second later, hoping that this wouldn’t mean that Russell would talk his ear off.

“How do you know?” Russell said curiously as he slowly leaned forward to watch him. Billy chewed on his bottom lip, trying to figure out the easiest way to explain it to him.

“We’ll flush it and then fill it up with gas and see if it runs.” He said briefly as he straightened out again, glancing towards the engine once last time. He craned his neck a little bit, suddenly feeling like his shoulders were stiff.

“Oh,” Russell nodded his head like he understood, “Cool.” He said softly as he held his arms together. He looked a little distant, like he wasn’t sure how to approach Billy. Billy felt a little bad, irritated at himself for being so off-standish.

“Can you hand me the torque wrench?” Billy asked as he leaned further into the engine. He waited for a second before he turned to watch Russell scrambling inside of the toolbox, “Not that one. No, no. That one.” He said, trying his best not to grow frustrated. Russell grinned sheepishly as he finally handed him the correct one.

“Do you have a girlfriend?” Russell questioned a few minutes later as he observed the way Billy worked on reconnecting some of the tubes and wires. Billy could feel a bead of sweat beginning to drip down his back as the sun warmed his skin.

“Mhm.” Billy mumbled in response, knowing he couldn’t go into too many details. He didn’t want to accidentally expose him and Kim, knowing that it might get messy. He wasn’t sure that Rosemary would be very happy with their situation.

“That’s cool,” Russell nodded his head, “I hope when I’m older, I have a partner that’s as nice as Kim.” He said almost dreamily. The comparison to Kim took Billy by surprise as he quickly turned, jerking his head forward and smacking it against the top of the hood.

“Fuck!” Billy cursed as he rubbed the top of his head, groaning deeply as the pain shot down his neck and spine. He paced back and forth, breathing roughly as he tried to numb the pain down to a gentle throb. Russell was staring at him with wide blue eyes, his lips parted like he was unsure of what to say.

“Are you okay?” Russell asked a second later, looking worried as he stepped forward towards Billy. Billy held his hand out, determined to keep a distance between them as he finally dropped his hand from his wounded head.

“What did you say?” He knitted his eyebrows in confusion as he looked towards Russell, sure that he had heard him wrong. Russell paused for a moment, still holding some of the wrenches in his hands.

“What?” He knitted his eyebrows in the same manner, looking just as confused as Billy as he questioned him. Billy sighed deeply.

“Do you have a crush on Kim?” He asked him quickly, unsure of why he was making such a big deal about it. He couldn’t imagine having Russell trying to stick his nose in their business all the time.

“No,” Russell protested quickly as his face began to burn a dark red, “I just meant that she’s nice.” He defended himself quickly. Something about his humiliated demeanor left Billy thinking otherwise.

“She’s your stepsister, you shouldn’t think that.” Billy was partially teasing him this time, knowing that he was being a hypocrite this time around. He just didn’t like the idea of sharing Kim with anyone.

“I don’t,” Russell said again, sounding more defiant, “All I said was that she was nice. You’re the one who spun it a different way.” He said loudly, protesting as his face continued to burn brightly. Billy felt a sense of amusement rising within his chest.

“No,” Billy told him quickly, “You said you want your girlfriend to be nice like Kim.” He chuckled softly as he adjusted the hood of the car again. He mumbled underneath his breath, irritated at how he’d smacked his head into it.

“Partner.” Russell mumbled underneath his breath as he joined Billy again. Billy glanced towards him.

“What?”

“I said partner.” Russell shrugged his shoulders as he clarified the word again. Billy looked at him curiously, unsure of what the big difference in the words were. Girlfriend and partner were just a synonym for each other for as far as he was concerned. He shook his head, figuring that Russell was just being difficult.

“What difference does that make?” Billy snorted as he looked back down at the lines he’d been working on in Kim’s engine. He glanced towards Russell as he remained quiet, “What? Are you some sort of faggot?” He meant it in a teasing manner, the same way guys would call each other in the locker rooms. It didn’t come out that way.

The harsh tone and cruel word slipped off of his tongue before he could stop himself. He immediately recognized the dejected look that spread across Russell’s features and how his blue eyes grew wide with hurt.

“Hey,” Billy straightened up instantly, nearly hitting his head against the hood of Kim’s car again, “I didn’t mean-,” He began to explain himself, but Russell took off in a flurry of tears. Guilt settled deep inside of Billy’s gut as he cursed to himself, unsure of why he’d even said it in the first place. All he could think of was Neil suddenly, how he really was just like his dad.

He paused for a second as he dropped the wrenches into the toolbox, cursing to himself as he managed to make everything go so south. He crossed the pavement before he stepped into the garage, pausing for a moment to gather his thoughts before he reached for the door.

“Hey,” Sam stopped Billy at the door, his usually calm features pulled together tightly in anger, “I know people use that word a lot but that’s not allowed in this household.” He said sternly, like he had some authority over Billy. He was taken aback for a moment, surprised that Russell would snitch on him so quickly.

“It was a joke,” Billy said with a laugh as he tried to defend himself, “I know he’s not one. It was teasing him.” He did his best to brush the situation off, but he still felt the guilt growing deeper and deeper inside of his bones. He’d clearly struck a nerve.

“What’s funny about it?” Sam looked at him seriously, “Maybe you can explain it to me because I don’t get it.” He crossed his arms as he waited, looking grim about getting a straight answer. Billy paused and opened his mouth, then shut it again. His thoughts raced as he tried to think of a defense, but he knew in Sam’s mind there wouldn’t be one.

“It’s just a dumb word.” He said again as he shrugged his shoulders. He calculated Sam, waiting for him to reach forward and smack the side of his face. Sam was clearly upset, but apparently not upset enough to hit Billy. He still felt the side of his face tingle with anticipation.

“Hurtful,” Sam corrected, “So please, don’t use it in this house or direct it at anyone else living underneath this roof.” He said a second later as he exhaled deeply. The garage was filled with a solemn silence as Billy tried to make sense of the situation.

“Is it true?” Billy tilted his head, “Is he-?” He cut off his own question, unsure if it was the right time to ask that or not. Billy couldn’t think of another reason as to why Russell would be so upset. He was sure it had to be true.

“Does it matter?” Sam asked seriously as he pushed his glasses up over the bridge of his nose, “I’d appreciate it if you apologized to him.” The stern chip in his tone was gone, replaced by the same softness that Billy was used to. He was surprised at his demeanor, but perhaps it was different because it was him. He was sure he hadn’t seen Sam approach the other three in this way.

“Okay,” Billy replied as he nodded his head in agreement, “I’ll talk to him.” He promised, although he already had plans to do so. He watched as Sam nodded his head in return before turning back towards the door.

Sam walked away, heading back inside as he left Billy to his own thoughts. Billy paused for a minute, almost feeling like he didn’t deserve to go back inside. He shuffled around in the garage for a moment before he finally gained the courage to walk inside.

Sam was nowhere to be seen in the living room as Billy walked inside, glancing at where the new pictures were hanging up high on the walls. Billy chewed on his bottom lip, following the trail of music into the kitchen.

“What are you doing?” Billy asked, looking at Rosemary curiously as the loud sound of the blender carried over into the living room.

“Oh,” Rosemary paused as she halted the blender, “Well, Kim doesn’t seem to like vegetables so I’m going to see if she notices if it’s all mixed together.” She whispered softly, glancing around as if Kim may be lingering about.

“Smart idea,” Billy snorted to himself as he watched her. He sighed deeply as he tapped his fingers against the table. He started with three beats, then did two. Then went back to three, “How do I make your son feel better?”

“He likes to swim,” Rosemary sighed as she inhaled deeply to turn to look at him, “He’s wanted to learn how to surf but never learned. I think he was hoping his big brother would teach him.” She bit her lip softly, looking a little hopeful about the subject. He watched her closely, wondering if Russell had come crying to her too.

“Oh.” Billy breathed out, unsure of how to handle that revelation. He wasn’t sure how to feel, what the best way to respond would be. He had been so sure that Rosemary had never spoken or thought of him, and now that questioned his ideas.

“He really wants you to like him,” Rosemary said softly, “I know things are difficult between us, but Russell had nothing to do with that. I didn’t pick him over you, I swear. You don’t have to blame him for anything.” Billy felt his eyebrows knitting together as he felt the defense forming on his tongue again.

“I’m not.” He told her quickly. He couldn’t help that Russell had a different personality than him. He was bubblier and more talkative. It was a lot to adjust to.

“I think if you just talked to him, he’d really like that,” She paused as she mixed the green mixture into the red sauce, “I bet he’d really love it if you took him for a ride in your car. Maybe get a soda?” She suggested with a shrug of her shoulders. Billy paused, figuring it was good that it wasn’t anything too expensive.

“Alright,” Billy said softly, “I’ll work it out.” He promised as he walked away from her. He breathed out deeply, still feeling the heavy weight of guilt resting tightly on top of his chest. He passed by Kim’s room quietly, not wanting to disturb her and drag her into this situation either.

He walked down the hallway, pausing in front of the door that held a poster of the Transformers on his door. Billy closed his eyes before he pushed it open, his eyes greeted with the image of Russell hiding underneath his green blankets. Billy closed the door behind him as he stepped forward.

“Hey,” Billy nudged his leg softly but was greeted with silence. He did it again, but Russell only wiggled away this time, “Hey. Shitbird. I’m talking to you.” He told him seriously as he tried to tug the blankets off of him.

“Go away.” Russell grumbled into his pillow dramatically. Billy sighed as he held his fingers together. Usually when Max was upset he just let her ride out the storm, but Russell seemed more sensitive. He had a feeling this wouldn’t just pass on its own.

“I was just teasing you,” He told him, trying to lower the irritation that was growing in his voice, “I didn’t really mean that you’re a-,” He inhaled deeply, “It doesn’t matter anyways. Let’s go get a drink.” He suggested softly as he poked Russell’s sides softly. Russell whined as he hid himself away again.

“I don’t want to go anywhere with you.” Russell pouted as Billy gently pulled the cover back from his face. He observed the way Russell hid himself deeper into the pillow, like he could eventually disappear entirely.

“I’ll take you anywhere you want,” Billy reassured as he sat at the edge of the bed, making the mattress slightly dip from his weight, “Come on. I’m sorry.” He told him seriously, really feeling bad for what he did. He felt like a total dick.

“Why would you say that?” Russell asked as he faced Billy, his eyebrows knitting tightly together as he searched for answers. Billy felt bad again, not having any true answers for him either. He didn’t know why he did the things that he did.

“I don’t know,” Billy told him truthfully, “I shouldn’t have. It was wrong for me to say.” He admitted, hoping that Russell would take him seriously. Russell sat up a little bit and rested his chin on his hands as he thought it over.

“We can go anywhere?” He questioned slowly as he brought his eyes back to face Billy again. Billy chewed on his bottom lip, wondering if he’d pick somewhere dorky.

“Yeah,” Billy replied lightly as guilt continued to swirl inside of his stomach, “Just say wherever.” He told him softly as Russell sat up in the bed. He leaned a little closer, sitting near Billy like he didn’t believe him.

“There’s this place that makes really good ice cream floats,” Russell suggested slowly, “Can we go there?” He asked as excitement filled his blue eyes. Billy pursed his lips, almost unsure if he could handle an outing with just Russell. He knew he at least owed him that.

“Sure,” Billy breathed in, “Come on.” He told him as he stood up. Russell stood just as fast, following Billy along so close that it felt like Billy had grown an extra body. Rosemary gave them both a big thumbs up as they walked by the living room, looking just as excited as what Russell did.

The drive wasn’t very far, but the car ride was awkward. Russell was quieter than usual, which worried Billy. He feared that he really had messed things up. Billy felt a tingling sensation growing inside of his fingertips and he wondered if his cigarettes would be enough to stall it.

“This it?” Billy asked him curiously as he parked the car. The shop was fairly small, but looked busy by the amount of cars that lingered outside of the building. He hoped that it would be worth it, that Russell would enjoy himself.

“Yeah,” Russell glanced towards him, “Dad takes me here sometimes.” Billy paused as he followed Russell inside the store, feeling a few things weigh on his mind. He couldn’t ever remember Neil mentioning having another son, which was odd to him. Billy wondered if Neil had been right about Rosemary cheating.

“How long have you been calling him dad?” Billy asked curiously, wondering if Sam had left to be with Russell and Rosemary instead. He supposed the timelines could fit together in a messy manner. He hoped that wasn’t the case.

“He’s the only dad I’ve ever known,” Russell shrugged his shoulders, “Does that bother you?” He asked a second later, looking curious as he peered up towards Billy. Billy paused as he thought that question over.

“No,” Billy frowned as he shook his head, “Just curious.” He told him a second later as they approached the booth. Russell tapped his fingertips against the counter as they waited, his lips moving silently to the sound of the radio playing overhead.

“Can I get a root beer float?” Russell asked, almost hesitant as he glanced between the worker and Billy. Billy shrugged his shoulders, not really caring what he got.

“I’ll take a beer,” Billy said as he glanced towards the menu, “Is there a problem?” He asked a second later as the worker continued to stare at him.

“Do you have an ID?” The worker asked, knitting his eyebrows together tightly. Billy was slightly taken aback at the question, feeling like he hadn’t been asked that in some time.

“Yeah,” Billy paused as he reached into his wallet. He stumbled for a moment before he pushed the fake one towards him, “One beer.” He repeated again.

“Alright,” The worker mumbled under his breath after examining it for a minute, “There you go.” He brushed them off as he passed the two drinks over. Russell reached for his drink in excitement, his blue eyes shining bright again.

“Thank you,” Billy said politely as he turned away, “Do you want to sit outside?” He asked as he examined the packed booths and tables on the inside.

“I guess,” Russell paused a second later, “Have you seen it snow before?” He asked curiously as he made his way outside. Billy breathed in the sight of the sun for a moment, hoping that Russell didn’t think he was allowing them to bring these into his car. He couldn’t imagine how long it would take to clean the ice cream out if it fell.

“Yeah,” Billy licked his bottom lip as he joined Russell on the bench, “It got really cold in Indiana. The roads were all covered in ice and shit.” He explained as he thought back to the memory. He wouldn’t miss driving on those roads, that was for sure.

“Sounds gross,” Russell grinned, “I think I’d like to make a snowman.” He said softly as he began to drink through his straw. Billy thought about it for a moment, unsure if he ever cared to make a snowman again. It was too cold, too bitter.

“Not any different than making one out of sand,” Billy paused for a second, “Do you want to learn how to surf?” He asked him softly, distracting himself by drinking from his beer. He held it against his lips, enjoying the taste that lingered in his mouth. The lack of alcohol within the house was beginning to drive him crazy.

“Yeah,” Russell looked up in excitement, “Can you teach me?” He questioned Bily quickly as a hopeful look spread across his features. Billy observed him for the longest time, knowing that he couldn’t deny Russell his request.

“Sure,” Billy nodded his head softly, “I need to teach Max how to swim. I can teach you how to surf.” He thought about it as he bounced the ideas back and forth in his mind. He supposed it wouldn’t be that bad. It would keep him busy, keep his mind off of everything else that was bothering him.

“Bitchin’.” Russell grinned as he licked the ice cream from the corner of his lips. Billy felt his own smile tugging onto his lips as he quickly brought his drink back to his lips. Russell watched him with a curious eye.

“Do you want to try it?” He asked as he held the beer towards Russell. He wrinkled his nose as he shook his head. He looked a little disgusted, like it was something gross. Billy was sure everyone thought that with their first drink.

“Nope.” Russell shook his head as he took another large gulp from his cup. He darted his eyes back towards Billy’s cup curiously, taking a second glance at the beer that was within it.

“Are you sure?” Billy asked as he raised his eyebrows. He swirled the liquid around dramatically, watching as Russell slightly narrowed his eyes at it. He leaned forward suddenly.

“Well,” Russell paused as he took it in his hand, “You won’t tell mom or dad?” He asked cautiously, looking like Billy was setting him up for a test. Billy grinned as he nodded his head.

“My lips are sealed.” He promised him, watching as Russell stared down at the cup again. He looked like he was debating it as he glanced towards Billy. He looked like he was panicking for a moment, as if he was worried about what Billy was thinking about him.

“Okay,” Russell said with uncertainty as he pulled the cup up towards his lips. He took an experimental sip before he leaned over, pushing the can back into Billy’s hands as he spit the beer all into the dirt, “Gross!” He dramatically wiped his hand against his tongue, looking like he was seconds away from gagging.

“It’s not that bad,” Billy shrugged him off as he took another gulp, “You get used to it.” He grinned to himself, enjoying the horrified look that Russell sent him. Perhaps Russell wouldn’t follow down Billy’s same path. Then again, Billy didn’t enjoy the taste of beer the first time he had tasted it either.

“No thanks,” Russell mumbled, “We’re not supposed to be drinking anyways.” He said a second later, looking panicked like he was regretting his decision. Billy cocked an eyebrow as he took another drink.

“In the house,” Billy corrected him, “This is outside the house.” He told him softly, trying to reassure him. Russell paused for a moment as he took another large sip from his drink. He nodded his head a second later, looking more relaxed.

“I guess you’re right,” Russell shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t like it though. Mom wouldn’t let me see dad when he was drinking.” He admitted softly, surprising Billy for a moment. He was sure that Sam wouldn’t have allowed Rosemary or Russell to see him in that state.

“What was he like?” Billy asked curiously, wondering how bad Sam could get. From the way Kim talked, it sounded like he was rarely there at all.

“Different,” Russell said at last, “Not mean but just not there. Does that make sense?” He questioned Billy a second later. He crossed his legs on the bench, looking to be deep in thought for a second.

“Yeah,” Billy said as he took another swig of his beer, “Makes perfect sense.” He said a second later as he fell into his own thoughts for a moment. They settled into a comfortable silence as Billy found himself wondering about their conversation earlier and back to the hurtful word he’d thrown at him.

“Is there someone you like?” Billy asked softly, remembering the way Russell had questioned him about having a girlfriend. He tapped his fingertip against the rim of his cup before he was brave enough to glance at Russell again.

“Not really,” Russell shrugged his shoulders, “Not right now I guess.” He said a second later as he glanced away from Billy. He used his straw to pick up the ice cream that had begun to melt at the bottom of the cup.

“How do you know then?” Billy lowered his voice as he asked the question, unsure if he really wanted to know the answer. He felt like this situation brought up too many memories for him. He wondered if Russell was just confused, the same way he was sure he’d been.

“I don’t know,” He said quietly as his cheeks began to pinken, “I just know I guess.” He pushed his hair out of his face, looking like he was a little uncomfortable with the subject. Billy chewed on his bottom lip., deciding to keep from pressing the issue any further. He didn’t want to upset Russell again.

“Mom and Sam know?” Billy asked his final question, but he was fairly certain that he already knew the answer to that. Sam certainly knew and he was sure that such a secret couldn’t go past Rosemary’s knowledge.

“I guess,” He mumbled as he dragged his sneaker across the dirt, “It’s not like they openly say it.” He told him quickly as he looked over towards Billy again. Billy sighed deeply, wishing there was a way to reassure him.

“I really didn’t mean to call you that,” Billy told him truthfully, “I don’t know why I said it, I shouldn’t have. But I didn’t mean it.” He apologized to him, hoping that Russell could fully forgive him. Russell began to tap his fingertips against the table, like he had to keep his fingers busy at all times.

“It’s okay,” Russell said as he nodded his head with a smile. Billy watched, catching a gleam of chocolate in each corner of his lips, “I know you didn’t.” Billy sent him a smile back, suddenly thinking that it was good that Neil never got to know Russell.

Billy found that Russell liked the same music that he did and that when he really got onto a subject that he liked, he talked twice as fast and moved his hands at the speed of lightning. Billy was almost beginning to regret giving him sugar in the first place. He felt slightly better though, feeling that things were now fine between the two of them.

“Good, just in time for dinner,” Rosemary said as she kissed both sides of Russell’s cheeks, “Oh, boy. You made a mess.” She mumbled as she began to scrub the corners of his lips.

“Mom!” Russell protested in embarrassment as he glanced back towards Billy, “It’s fine.” He moaned in humiliation as he quickly pulled away from her. Billy shrugged his shoulders softly.

“Oh, I used to do the same thing to Billy,” She shrugged Russell off as she pointed towards the table. She smiled brightly as she looked towards Billy hopefully, “How’d it go?” She looked at him curiously as she tilted her head. Billy sighed softly.

“S’alright,” Billy said softly, “Everything is fine.” He told her truthfully, feeling like he had a better understanding of Russell now. He was sure that he’d still get irritated by the younger boy, but hopefully he could control that anger from now on.

“Good,” She smiled as she squeezed his arm, “That’s so good to hear.” She said quickly as she rubbed her fingertips across his skin. Billy watched her for a moment, suddenly feeling like he was overwhelmed.

“I’m starving,” He said as an excuse to get her hand off of his skin, “It smells good.” He told her truthfully as he walked towards the table. Kim looked up towards him, a dreamy look held in her eyes as she followed his movements.

“It looks amazing,” Max observed as she leaned over the table, “Do you think mom could learn from these recipes?” Billy fought everything in himself to keep from snorting, but apparently Sam wasn’t strong enough. He coughed, his cheeks reddening as he tried to cover the sound up.

“Allergies.” He said simply as he raised his glass of water to his lips. Billy did his best to keep from laughing, knowing that he was lying. He wondered suddenly if Sam had ever tried to cook.

“I’m sure with practice,” Kim said reassuringly, being as kind as usual, “It does look nice.” She said as she leaned forward to cut a serving off for herself.

“Kim, hold on just a second,” Rosemary paused as she leaned over the table to cut a certain piece out, “This is your lasagna. No vegetables.” She reassured her quickly.

“Oh, thanks,” Kim smiled brightly as she nodded her head and took a small bite, “It’s good.” She told Rosemary honestly as she picked off another piece. Billy glanced down towards the table, biting back a grin as Rosemary sent him a wink.

Dinner was almost normal in a way that he wasn’t used to. Dinners with Neil were always quiet, tense as Billy constantly wondered if he’d chew or breathe too loud. Neil usually tried to pray at least before dinner and was big on table manners. It was odd for him to watch Sam keep his elbows on the table and Russell sit in odd positions as he freely reached for seconds. Not to mention that the food was still edible. He was waiting for Rosemary to cook something bad, but it had yet to come.

He waited in his bed far after, until he was sure that everyone else was sleeping. He crept down the hallway, feeling a dire need to see Kim. He hadn’t seen her much at all today and felt that so many things had happened. He felt the need to share with her, to question if things really were turning out okay.

“Hi,” He mumbled as he dropped his chin onto the crook of Kim’s shoulder, “Can’t sleep?” He asked her softly as he began to draw circles onto her stomach. He moved his hands down to her nightgown, slowly tugging it up so he could press his skin against her own.

“My mind is wandering,” She said at last as he continued to draw shapes against her flesh, “I just can’t stop thinking.” She replied as she knitted her eyebrows tightly together. He moved forward to kiss in between her eyes.

“What about?” He asked her gently as he pulled away. He began to twist her hair around his fingertips, admiring how soft it felt in his free hand. She tilted her head against the pillow as she glanced up towards him.

“I tried to call my mom earlier,” She admitted slowly, “They said she was busy. I assume that means she doesn’t want to speak?” Her tone was broken up, her eyes averting away from him quickly. He frowned deeply, hoping he could lessen the blow.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Billy said as he gently tucked her hair behind her ear, “Maybe she really is just busy.” He told her hopefully, but was unsure of his own words. He wasn’t sure why Susan would be ignoring Kim, but figured that there had to be some type of reason.

“Maybe,” Kim said wistfully as she inhaled deeply, “I miss her.” She admitted sorrowfully. He looked down at her softly, feeling guilty that she was going through such a thing. He still felt like the majority of the reason Susan got so bad had to do with him anyways.

“I know,” He admitted as he kissed the tip of her nose, “Let me get your mind off of it.” He teased her gently as he knocked her onto her back. She giggled, looking up at him amused as he slowly pressed her legs apart. He rubbed his fingertips across her knees, slowly dragging his fingers down her milky thighs.

She breathed out, her eyes gleaming as she looked down upon him. He grinned as he slowly traced his fingertips across her wet panties, enjoying the way a soft moan fell from her lips. He slowly pressed down on her clit, rubbing it in soft circles before she slowly joined him with the movements of her hips.

He grinned as he pressed his lips against her knee, enjoying how she was always so eager to feel more. He pressed down on her clit a little harder, enacting a louder sound from her lips. He glanced up at her again, teasingly using his free index finger to shush her. She slightly pouted her lips out as she knitted her eyebrows together, looking a little desperate as he moved his hands away to pull her panties down her long legs.

“You’re so pretty,” He told her seriously as he held her legs far apart. She squirmed underneath him, looking like she wanted to shy away but he wouldn’t let her. He loved every dip and curve to her body, like she had been sculpted specifically for him, “Dirty whore.” He told her a second later, enjoying the way her eyes widened before he stuck his tongue out against her wet folds.

He licked around her cunt slowly, savoring the taste of her on his tongue as he used languid movements. He moved the same way he’d kissed her earlier; sloppy and slow. He slowly moved his hands down to her thighs, giving them a slight squeeze before he pushed them up towards her chest so he could have easier access.

“Oh God,” She mumbled, her voice slightly cut off from the pressure he was placing on top of her, “Don’t stop.” She whimpered out as one of her hands messily found the back of his head. He traced his tongue along her clit softly and slowly before he repeated the motions with more force. She squirmed underneath him, her pretty moans filling the bedroom as he continued to drag his tongue along her pretty pussy.

He could feel his cock stirring in his briefs as he began to lightly press his own hips down into her mattress. He felt a groan rolling off of his tongue as he licked away her slick. He moved his tongue a little more desperately as he dipped it inside of her tight hole, enjoying the way her walls fluttered around him.

He tightened his grip around her thighs, squeezing them as he languidly stroked her wet walls with his tongue. He inhaled deeply through his nostrils, feeling drunk on the taste of her. He felt special in knowing that he was the only one who had ever gotten this far with her, that he would be the only one to ever have her in this way.

He pulled away suddenly, the gears in his mind twisting as he let her legs drop onto the mattress and crawled over her. He pressed his wet lips against hers roughly, stroking his tongue against her own as he invited her in for a taste. He gripped the back of her neck, pulling her closer as he began to rock his hips up against her.

She breathed out against his lips, her tongue briefly darting against his as she roughly began to tug his briefs down. She did so just enough to free his hard cock, her cool fingers quickly wrapping around his thick girth. He exhaled sharply, feeling a rise in his temperature as she began to drag her hand up and down his length. He moved his fingers back between her legs, ghosting them over her clit before he slowly slid them inside of her walls.

She gaped, her body jerking forward as he pumped two of them in and out of her. He moved them to the beat of her rhythm, following the same languid strokes that she pressed onto his cock. He slowly rolled his hips up, his cock aching to feel more of her grip around him.

“Mhm,” She squeaked out, her body jerking against his touch as he curled his fingers deep inside of her. Her head fell back against the pillows roughly, her grip around him stalling a bit before she picked it up again. She turned to face him, a moan forming on her tongue as she pumped him rougher in her hand, “Right there.” She pleaded with him desperately as she continued to roll her hips against the length of his fingers.

He moved his head down towards her, capturing her moans against his mouth as he kissed her again. He craved the feeling of her against him, of hearing her cry out for him. He slowly rocked forward against her hand, but focused more and more on how to make her feel good. He licked the inside of her mouth again, his mind spinning at the loud sound from her that vibrated across his lips.

“Billy,” She sighed in bliss, moving her head up towards him as her bottom lip dragged against his, “You make me feel so good.” She mumbled as she continued to grind her hips against his thick fingers. He looked down in interest as he watched his fingers dip in and out of her wet cunt.

He rested his head against hers again, closing his eyes softly as she continued to stroke him roughly in her hand. He could feel the pleasure forming in the base of his stomach, swimming harshly as he tried to focus on how she felt around him. He could feel his high growing nearer and nearer as she pumped him a little rougher, squeezed him a little harder as he continued to pump his fingers inside of her cunt.

He pressed inside of her deeper, determined to feel her fall apart first as he held his fingertips against her spongy walls. She squirmed, her legs kicking out as she pressed her hips up higher in the air. He kept the movements of his fingers the same as he kissed her once again, silencing her cries of pleasure as she came around his digits.

He licked at her mouth once again, hoping he could taste her sounds as her walls clamped down around his fingers. He continued to pump them slowly, his own mind feeling fuzzy as he began to fuck himself against her hand. He pulled his fingers out at once, feeling a little more desperate as he wrapped his wet hand along her own and took control of her movements.

“Such a slutty sister,” He huffed against her swollen lips, enjoying the way the flush settled across her skin. He groaned as his cock throbbed in her hand, his own words rocking him to the edge as he roughly thrusted forward, “Fuck, fuck.” He spit out as quietly as he could manage, his breath stalling in his chest as he coated her abdomen with globs of his spunk.

His head fell against hers again, his heart racing to the same beat as hers as he tried to collect his breath with her. She inhaled deeply, pressing her chest up towards his as she stared up at him. He felt a grin forming on his lips as he leaned down to gently press a kiss against each corner of her lips.

He used the fingers that had been inside of her to scoop up his cum, dragging his motions out slowly to ensure that she was watching him. Her eyes stayed glued to him, widening as he brought them up to his lips. He teasingly tasted their mixture on his tongue before leaning over to press his lips against hers once again. He kissed her slow, dirty as they swapped the mixture of the two of them back and forth.

She moaned against his lips, her fingers finding his sides as she deepened it. She tasted him like it was the last thing she’d ever taste. He sighed as she sucked on his tongue and began to slightly wonder if she thought he tasted better than all of those sweets that she was obsessed with.

“I love you.” She breathed out quickly a second later, her eyes still wide and full of lust. He felt a grin form on his own lips as he teasingly licked against her mouth again. She breathed in deeply as she held onto him.

“I love you too.” He reassured her as he tucked her hair behind her ears. She nodded her head, looking relieved as she pulled him closer.

#billy hargrove #billy hargrove smut #billy hargrove x oc #billy hargrove stepcest #tw stepcest #tw pseudocest #stepcest #billy hargrove x original character #Dancing in the Dark

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itsawhumpsideblog · 3 months

Text

The Safehouse, pt. 8

CW: for institutionalized slavery, mentions of abuse, treatment of people as things, description of injuries

Advice from the Box Boy Liberation Movement:

It is vital that you keep your assigned contact apprised of needs which may arise or significant changes affecting any resident of the safehouse, including house staff. Clear and proactive communication will allow network staff time to arrange any necessary support. Remember that we are always here to help; this is a team effort and you should not feel that you are required to handle a crisis on your own.

That afternoon, Tim read several chapters of his book and Angie played solitaire on her phone. Mikey rested on his pillow and as the day passed, he seemed to be less and less tense; the lines in his face smoothed out and the rocking was less frantic. Entirely without meaning to, Francis fell asleep.

Around the time the last of the light faded outdoors, Angie stretched and announced that she would make some dinner. Francis' eyes flew open at this and Mikey began to move like he was trying to get up, but she shook her head.

"I'll cook," she told them. "You two stay here and keep Tim company." She grinned at Tim who nodded in agreement and left the show playing, ignoring the nervous looks that Francis and Mikey kept shooting towards the kitchen.

They ate dinner in the family room, so that Francis could stay on the couch and Mikey didn't have to be up and down so much. Tim smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring way at Francis as he gave him the plate of pasta and garlic bread.

"We really don't mind you eating on the couch," he said. "We're going to do it, too, see?" And he took his own seat and began dinner, nodding at Francis from time to time to encourage him.

On the other side of the couch, Angie had set her own plate and Mikey's down on a TV tray.

"I can help you with yours," she offered. He gave her a worried, uncertain look. "No, of course I don't mind. It's fine. Here- I'll take a bite and then one for you." She demonstrated, holding the fork towards him, but he looked so uncomfortable that she put it back on the plate and tried not to sigh audibly. "You want to do it yourself?"

He didn't react, but she took his meaning regardless. "Okay, then. Here you go. But you know, I will help you if you need it." She ate very slowly, trying not to make it obvious that she was watching him as he took the bread carefully in his right hand and ate it as quickly as he could. The fork was a greater struggle and he winced when he had to bend his hand around it, but he seemed nervous whenever Angie offered to help, so she stopped offering and just patted his head occasionally, when she could no longer stop herself from showing sympathy.

Tim cleaned up the dishes and privately worried that one or both of the Pets would spontaneously combust from anxiety because he and Angie were doing the work instead of giving orders.

Bedtime followed not long after. For one thing, Francis kept startling awake when he remembered that he was on the couch, where he felt he was not supposed to be. For another, Tim thought that all four of them would benefit from some time to themselves without the overwhelming awareness of the Pet-Master dynamic putting them all on edge.

Angie helped Mikey to his feet and let him lean on her, while Tim scooped Francis bodily off the couch. Francis tried to protest, of course- "This Pet is able to walk upstairs. This Pet does not want to be difficult," he said desperately, and although Tim felt bad that Francis was upset, he shook his head.

"You need to let your feet heal," he pointed out. "And besides, wouldn't that hurt? We don't want you to hurt, if we can avoid it." He could tell that Francis was holding very still and probably wasn't comfortable with the situation, but that was unavoidable.

He carried Francis upstairs, moving faster than Angie and Mikey could, helped him in the bathroom, and then laid him down on the bottom of the bunk bed. Francis looked around in some amazement, his jaw falling open slightly as he took in the room around him. When Angie and Mikey entered, Mikey actually stopped, looking similarly amazed.

"This is going to be your room, to share," Angie said. She was trying to pretend that everything was normal, in case that would help make it true. "The bathroom is right next door. Tim's room is next to that, and my room is at the end of the hall." She helped Mikey shuffle across the room and sit down on the single bed. "The door to this room will not be locked, unless you want to lock it from the inside. But Tim and I are not locking you in, okay?" Angie looked at Mikey, then Francis. "Understand? You're not trapped here. You can leave this room any time, for any reason."

They nodded uncertainly, and Tim was unsure whether they really believed it.

"You should go to the bathroom whenever you need. You don't have to ask permission, but you can always ask for help. Understand?" Nods again.

"And if you need anything at all- a drink of water or just some company- you can come get either of us. We will never be angry with you for waking us up. Understand?" They were still nodding as if in agreement, but this time it was obvious that they didn't believe Angie meant what she said. Still, it would have to be good enough for now.

Tim helped Francis get comfortable under the blanket and put a cup of water by the bed in case he was thirsty in the night. Angie peeled the blanket back, helped Mikey lay back against the pillows and arrange his arms comfortably, and then tucked the blanket over him with a fond pat to the top of his head.

"Sleep well," Angie said as she pulled the door shut.

Back downstairs, she and Tim almost fell onto the couch. "I didn't expect to be this tired," Angie admitted. "I mean- I knew what was involved and everything but- it's like we didn't even do anything and I'm still ready to go to bed. And it's only 8:30."

"It's from being on edge all day," Tim agreed. "They're nervous and we're putting a lot of energy into trying to help them relax. It'll take time, that's all. Why don't we make our check-in phone call and then go be in separate places for a while?"

Angie grinned. "That sounds like an excellent idea. You want this phone, or the one in the kitchen?"

"I'll go into the kitchen," Tim said. "If you dial, I'll just pick up in there."

They would use the landline again, allowing them to keep house business separate from their personal lives. It was a security measure that the network insisted upon.

Angie dialed, heard the click of Tim picking up the phone, and waited while the phone rang three times. Then someone on the other end picked up, their voice filtered through some masking software.

"Evening," Tim said. "This is House 17, checking in with our first day report."

"Good to hear from you, House 17!" Even mechanical, the voice on the other end managed to sound friendly and supportive and Angie and Tim exchanged a smile. "How's everything going so far?"

"Well..." Tim started with the biggest issue first. "We were told to expect three rescuees and only two arrived." He bit his lip.

"Hmmm..." came the mechanical voice. "Yes, that certainly is an issue. It's possible there was something wrong with the release paperwork and your third rescuee will be along in a day or two. But we'll look into that in case there was a mis-delivery or other holdup. In that case, we can probably use the WRU's own policies to demand they find your rescuee." They could almost hear the wry smile. "Sometimes you can make these bastards work against themselves. We'll let you know as soon as there's any news, but keep that bed open, okay?"

"We can do that," Angie agreed.

"Great. Anything else to report? Have you given them their names yet?"

"Yes," Angie said. "The one with serial TX8705 said he used to go by Francis, and that's what we've been calling him. He seemed to like that. The other one- serial GU2938- doesn't talk, but when we asked him if he had a name he shook his head, so we named him Mikey. He smiled when we said it, so we think he's fine with that."

"An excellent start!" The approval made Tim, who had chosen the name, feel warm inside.

"Mikey's going to need more medical care than we can provide here," Tim added. "His arm is really broken, possibly both of them, and his shoulder looks dislocated. He won't let us touch it, so we didn't get a close look, but it doesn't look right and I'd be surprised if he didn't need surgery at this stage."

"Okay. The sooner we can get that done the better, so we'll reach out to the network's medical allies and try to get something on the books this week. Be prepared to head for a hospital at any time- as you know, they may not give us a lot of warning when they have an opening and we can't afford to turn down any offers."

"We'll be ready," Tim agreed.

"And how about Francis- should we be looking into getting him some professional care at all?"

"No, I think I can take care of him myself. We'll start by keeping his injuries clean and bandaged and getting him enough food and water and rest, and I think it's possible that we can ride this one out with just over-the-counter stuff. If that changes, obviously we'll call."

"Perfect. And they're eating? How did they respond to furniture use?"

"They're eating fine." Angie took back over. "They seemed surprised that they're allowed to eat with us, but they ate everything we gave them. The furniture was a little harder. We have Francis on the couch, because he needs to lay down, and he didn't like that at all! He stayed, though. Mikey wouldn't sit on the couch but he took a pillow as a compromise. They were both willing enough to get in bed, so that was good."

"Very good," the voice agreed. "Anything else?"

They exchanged another look and said that there wasn't.

"Very good," said the voice again. "We'll hear from you in a couple days with your next update, please, and in the meantime we'll call you if we have any updates on a surgical appointment or the location of your third rescuee."

"Thanks."

"Good job, you two! Sleep well- I bet you need it."

"We do," Angie laughed. "Goodnight!"

They hung up.

"A good start," Tim said, sounding more confident than he felt as they turned off the lights and headed up the stairs.

"It really was." Impulsively, Angie turned and gave Tim a quick hug. He laughed, but squeezed her back before wishing her a good night and shutting the door.

Next time: The first night in a new home

Master Post

NB: This series appears to have breached containment (a good thing!) and upon request, I'm starting a tag list. Let me know if you'd like to be added to it!

Tag list: @pigeonwhumps, @cepheusgalaxy

#bbu #box boy universe #box boy whump #whump #whumpee

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breathlesslink · 7 months

Text

Chapter Nine — New Phase

t.o.c ; << | >>

Link could have been back earlier, but he needed a minute.

Nothing could have prepared him for the Divine Beast. He expected fighting, but puzzles? He didn't think he'd also have to use his brain instead of just his brawn, but that made some sense since the shrines were also predominately puzzles.

The small underlings of Ganon's weren't difficult. Just little sentries, designed to look like mini guardians. The creature of malice that had defeated Mipha, however, was different.

She called it 'Waterblight Ganon', a small manifestation of his power sent to destroy the Champions and claim the beasts as his own like he did the other Ancient technologies. Link could see how a monster like that would be difficult to beat.

After Vah Ruta traveled her way to a spot to aim her beam at Hyrule Castle, Link took a break.

He sat on the grass next to the Beast, staying there long after Mipha's spirit had disappeared.

His chest felt heavy. Grief was already a strange emotion— he'd known that from when he lost his parents. But to grieve someone you don't remember meeting? He didn't even know what he was grieving. Mipha was apparently a close friend, consoling him on the days when Zelda became a bit too much to handle.

He remembered her, but only a bit. He knew that he knew her. He knew that they were close, but that was it. To learn that she had crafted the Zora Armor he wore because she wanted to marry him—

The Zora Armor.

You would think it looked so cool. He had to get back and show you. He knew you would love to hear about what happened.

Link groaned and stretched, sore from the fighting and dreading the trek back to the Domain. But he was excited too, to see you again and tell you about everything that happened.

———

A delicious smell wafted through the openings of the inn as you and Kodah worked tirelessly over the cooking pot, countless servings of seafood paella being churned out as word of Vah Ruta's defeat began to spread.

Zora's noticed her return to her original place high above the Kingdom hours ago, but Link had yet to come back. You tried to ignore the anxiety that rested deep in your stomach and focus on the dinner in front of you, but you couldn't help but watch the front of the Domain as you helped serve the Zora citizens their feast.

"Staring isn't going to make him magically appear, you know." Kodah teased. You rolled your eyes.

"I'm just a little worried. Vah Ruta has been fine for a few hours now. What if he's so injured that he can't make it back?"

"I think you're full of blubber." Kodah scooped another serving of paella for a Zora in line. "You of all people know that he's supposed to defeat Ganon. Do you really think he'd let something like this get him so easily?"

Considering he almost died before, maybe.

But you didn't want to say that, so instead you shrugged, tossing in another batch of shrimp to the pot.

"I put my full faith in him. But he's still Hylian at the end of the day. He's mortal. Might not be dead, but he could be hurt."

"You say you don't doubt me, but it sure sounds like you do."

There was a beat of silence as you processed the third voice that joined the conversation, and then your ladle fell to the ground.

You whipped around, unable to contain the smoke that stretched across your face as you rushed towards Link. He had a grin of his own, but it quickly faded into a look of surprise as you practically tackled him to the ground in a tight hug. Link took the brunt of the fall as you landed on top of him, but if it hurt he didn't show it. Instead he hugged you back, his arms sliding around your waist and squeezing. His cheek rested on your head.

"What took you so long! Are you okay?" You pulled away only a few inches to inspect him, but seeing as though he seemed fine you returned to your spot under his chin.

"Just needed a breather. Solving a bunch of puzzles and fighting an entity that's just a mini Ganon takes a lot out of you.

"And I bet the puzzles were harder than the fight." You snorted.

"That's just rude." Link playfully shoved you off of him, sticking his nose in the air. He didn't deny it. "What is that smell? I'm starving."

As if on cue, his stomach rumbled. You laughed and stood up, offering your hand to him. Link took it and hoisted himself up, the task a bit more difficult with how tired he was.

"Kodah and I made a huge seafood paella dinner for everyone to celebrate. We made sure to make enough for you when you came back."

"Oh my goddess, really?" Link's mouth watered as he watched you scoop a serving for him. "You're the best thing to ever happen to me."

You slightly flushed, but ignored his comment in favor of making your own plate and informing Kodah of your departure to eat with Link. You led him to a more secluded area, away from the crowds, figuring that he'd had enough of the socialization for a while. You certainly had.

You watched as Link took a tentative bite of the paella before diving in. You couldn't help but laugh. "You're gonna choke if you don't slow down."

"You go do the shit I did and then tell me that again."

"I would, but you said I'm not allowed." You joked, playfully pouting.

Link rolled his eyes. "Right. And after experiencing it, my rule still stands. If anything, it stands even stronger."

"Really? It was that bad, huh?"

"Uh, some parts were." He put down his utensils for a second. "It's draining, that's for sure. I, uh, saw the old Champion."

"Mipha?" Sidon had given you the rundown after returning from Link.

"Yeah. I remembered her. It sucked, but in like a different way than usual." You stayed silent, so he continued. "Like, obviously I knew her and was close with her. So I should be grieving her death, right? Except, I'm not because I don't remember her. So I only feel guilty now, because I feel like I should feel worse about it and that makes me feel even worse but in a different way. And it doesn't make any sense but—"

Link's rambling was cut off as you laid your hand on his. His eyes shot up to meet yours, the calming aura reflecting in them helping to soothe him a bit.

"Link, your circumstances are one in a million. There's a lot of things that should have happened, or ways that things should be, but guess what? It didn't happen. You've got to navigate an entirely new life— you're still in the same body as 100 years ago, but everything is different now. The land, the times, even you seem more different than how you described how you used to be. You told me that you never talked, but now you're so talkative.

Maybe 100 years ago you'd grieve properly, but even then is there even a right way to grieve? Everyone handles it differently. You feel guilty for not remembering her, right?"

Link nodded, averting his eyes in shame. You squeezed his hand.

"From what you do remember, do you think she'd want you to be sad about it? Or do you think she'd want you to just think about the happy times you can remember?"

"Definitely the happy times." He had a far-away look in his eyes, probably playing the few memories he does have of Mipha in his head. "She was always about being strong and looking on the bright side."

"And she believed that you fit her mindset so similarly that she wanted to marry you! You, of all people. Marriage material? I don't know about that—"

"Hey! I'll let you know I'd make a perfect husband." Link huffed and sent a grin your way. "It's not like I would've married her anyways. When I remember her, I get the feeling that I loved her as more of a sister than anything. I didn't even know about the Armer being made."

"And what cool armor it is." You laughed.

You'd brought up the marriage subtly, wanting to get Link's input on it without him teasing you for caring so much. When Sidon told you of Mipha's story, you questioned whether Link returned her feelings or not. You hated to admit, but you were definitely a little jealous. Not in a romantic way, of course.

In more of a "You're my first friend in a very long time and I don't want anyone else to have your attention" kind of way. Yeah. You had one more question to curb your jealous curiosity for the day, though.

"If not Mipha, what about Zelda? Isn't it like a fairy tale come true for a princess and her knight to fall in love?"

"No," Link laughed and shook his head, as if it was some absurd idea. "Zelda hated me up until a few days before Ganon attacked, I'm pretty sure. Plus, she was into some other knight at the castle. That's another reason why she was so mad that I was her knight and he wasn't."

"Oh come on." You felt better, but now you just wanted to tease. "There's no way a guy like you wasn't drowning in women."

Link flushed, and you bit back a laugh. "N-no! I told you, I didn't even talk to anyone! I was so focused on being a knight, and then being the Champion, I didn't have time for anything else."

"You for sure had women eyeing you. There's no way you didn't. You're too handsome for that."

Link continued to flush. He'd mentioned many times before that in the past, the burden of protecting Hyrule kept him stoic and quiet, but you had to tease him. His social skills were never entirely up to par.

"Stop messing with me." He finally let go of your hand and grabbed his utensils again to finish the paella. "What did you do when I was gone?"

You looked at your plate for a split second, trying to make a decision on what to say. Link would be so upset if you fought a monster alone, but you would like to think he'd also be proud.

You remembered moments before the fight, when the Yiga member taunted you from the trees. He beckoned you back to Gerudo under potentially false promises of knowing your brother's location.

"I just healed. Rested and went on a walk or two to keep my muscles from getting stiff."

"That's it?" Link didn't sound convinced. "Very unlike you to actually listen to Doctor's orders."

"Yeah, well," You paused for a second, trying to think of literally anything to defend yourself. Sometimes, telling the truth is the best lie you could create. "I just didn't want to hold you back from any more of the journey, so I wanted to get better as soon as possible."

Nobody ever said it had to be the truth of the current situation.

"Oh please," Link waved his hand, "I'd carry you on my back across Hyrule if I had to."

You didn't have a solid response to that and you were nearly certain Link was unaware of the feeling he just gave you in the pit of your stomach. You needed to change the subject.

"How long do you think it'll be until we reach Gerudo?"

"I was planning on hitting Elden next since its closer. Any reason why?"

Bad change of subject.

"Uh, I just miss my family there a bit. But if we're going to Elden first, I can wait. No worries."

You wouldn't show that it was indeed major worries, but perhaps when Link was off fighting the Divine Beast on Death Mountain you could scout another Yiga soldier and make them give you more information. It didn't feel right doing all of this behind his back, but you were feeling more and more desperate to reach Hiro with every passing moment, especially now that you knew your next move.

You always worked best alone during the little missions that the Yiga had sent you out on. It was taking all of your self-restraint to not just up and leave now to find Hiro, but you also felt a sense of responsibility towards Link. Like it was your own personal mission to protect him from the Yiga and any other threat that may come to him during his mission.

You knew the minute you realized who he was that your old way of life would no longer work. You needed to adapt and find new ways to solve your issues in your new phase of life.

Your new phase with Link by your side.

#botw link #breath of the wild #breath of the wild x reader #link x reader #daruk #fanfic #revali #urbosa #mipha #zelda #botw link x reader #loz link x reader #botw #botw x reader #loz #loz x reader

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autisticlancemcclain · 2 years

Text

Shockingly, there are very few things to do in an ancient Altean castleship.

Well, that’s not quite true. Objectively, there’s a ton of shit to do. But there’s no, like, wifi or anything, so for Hunk, there’s very little in way of entertainment. His options are basically tinkering or tinkering with food. And he’s spent most of the day working on his real-life lightsaber (he’s got one that’s pretty much up and working, so he’s working on a second, now, because what’s the point of only one lightsaber?), so now he’s spending some time in the kitchens.

As he stirs some basil-like spice into a broth, he hears heavy stomping coming his way. He pauses, quickly trying to figure out who it is on sound alone. (It’s a fun little game he plays. He used to be a lot worse at it, but they’ve been in space with only each other long enough that he’s pretty decent, nowadays.)

Stomping usually means it’s Pidge, but these footsteps are a bit heavier than hers, as if it’s someone bigger. Allura tends to stomp when she’s angry, as well, but then there’s no rapid footsteps of someone running away from her in terror, so that’s a bust, too. It’s not Lance — Lance is completely silent when he walks, even when he’s mad, because he is a goober who thinks it’s funny to scare people when he spawns into a room. It’s not Coran, either, because there’s no characteristic click of his heeled boot or lively whistling to accompany the sound. And it can’t be Shiro, either, because not only has Hunk never heard him stomp, but Shiro’s arm always gives off a faint hum that you can hear just before you see him.

That leaves Keith. An angry Keith, at that, because usually Keith steps as quietly as Lance.

Hunk smiles as he continues stirring the broth. He can handle an angry Keith. Even if Keith doesn’t think he deserves it. Hunk will make sure he’s cared for properly.

Keith makes a noise of frustration when he enters the kitchen and sees Hunk already there.

“Why does every room on this stupid fucking castle have another person in it,” he growls.

Hunk shrugs. He knows the real answer to that question — if Keith really wanted to be alone, he’d go to his room, or even a random broom closet. The castle has thousands of rooms, and there are only seven people living on it. Keith is coming to the kitchen because, whether he knows it or not, he wants company. He just doesn’t want to admit it.

Like a cat, one might say.

(In his head, of course. If Hunk said that out loud, Keith might actually claw him.

…You know. Also like a cat.

Heh.)

“Odd,” Hunk says instead. “Sorry to hear that. Do you want some soup?”

“I don’t want any fucking soup,” Keith snaps. Hunk turns to look at him, eyebrows raised. He stares at him, unblinking, until Keith slumps forward, resting his forehead on the table with a sigh.

“Sorry,” he mutters. “I’m just… mad, for no reason. I shouldn’t’ve yelled at you.”

“Apology accepted,” Hunk says, scooping some soup into a mug. He figures if Keith really doesn’t want it, he can just leave it.

He sits next to Keith at the table, setting the mug on the table and patting the red paladin’s head delicately.

“What’s up, bud? Overwhelmed?”

Keith nods, but doesn’t lift his head up.

“Ah,” Hunk says, moving his hand. “Probably don’t want to be touched, then.”

“Mmph,” Keith says, and then grapples for Hunk’s hand without looking. Hunk let’s him, amused. When Keith finally grabs a hold of it — and Hunk has to help by moving a little closer — he puts the hand back on his head. “Not that kind of overwhelmed. Everything is just — mean. In my head. Anxious, or whatever.”

As soon as it clicks, Hunk softens. He begins carding his hands through Keith’s hair, which seems to be the right thing to do.

“I see,” he says gently. “That sucks. I get that all the time.”

Keith lets out a deep, heavy breath. “What do you do?”

“Finds someone to sit with. Looks like you’ve already done that, though.”

“Then what?”

“Have them talk to me. It’s nice, hearing someone else’s voice. Makes things less lonely, quiets the voice in my own head.”

“…Can you do that for me?”

Hunk reaches forward with his free hand and squeezes Keith’s shoulder.

“Sure thing, buddy.”

He starts talking — random, unconnected things at first — and eventually launches into a stupid story about something he and Lance did when they were little, some precarious situation Mrs. McClain invariably had to save them from.

“You talk about Lance a lot,” Keith says after Hunk finishes. He’s finally managed to shift around a little, crossing his arms on the table under his head, and moving to face Hunk. “He talks about you, too.”

“Mhm. I can imagine. We grew up together, so most of the dumb shit we got into we did together.”

Keith cracks a smile. “Let me guess — all Lance’s ideas?”

“I would love to put the blame on Lance. Unfortunately, I am also a dumbass.”

Hunk’s tease is rewarded with Keith’s raspy laughter.

“I guess I can see that. You do like to tell people exactly what you think.”

“Yeah. You feeling better, buddy?”

Keith nods. “I am, actually. It’s never gone away this fast. Thank you, Hunk.”

“Anytime, dude.” Hunk nudges the half-forgotten mug into Keith’s vision. “Drink that. Then you’re coming with me.”

“Where are we going?” Keith asks, dutifully chugging the contents.

“Well,” Hunk says, standing and stretching, “I’ve been working on this little project. I think you might be interested. You ever wondered if lightsabers could be real?”

They’ve been in space for roughly two years, now.

Hunk has never seen Keith perk up so fast.

“Uh, yeah! Every single day! Let’s go! Woah, do you think we could have a lightsaber fight? That’s be awesome!”

Keith nearly runs out of the kitchen, energy restored. Hunk grins.

Looks like there’s lots to do, after all.

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httaod · 1 month

Text

Yeah, I just pointed to all of you

I rambled too much in the other one, time to get serious!

First of all, the star of the show, the man himself, the goober, raw vikingsness contained in just one- Oh wait that last part was Astrid-

Anyway, Hiccup. We stan an uncomfy king.

Autism. Not extremely super much is gonna change, but due to incredibly self-indulgent reasons, my mans is gonna get another scoop of the tism ice creme. I really wanna dig into the alienation and isolation that's going to linger in his bones still, really shovel into that sense of self, how he fears he'll return to who he used to be without Toothless, coming to accept and embrace that version of himself, that his deeds don't determine his worth. The fear of not being useful enough after only getting praise after doing something grand, learning how to just be and finding out who he really wants to be, how to carve his own space somewhere

Leading Berk, look, mans loves Berk and he does a very good job, but in this version we're gonna let him explore what it is he actually wants to do, having Hiccup make space for himself as the scrunkly dragon boy or the genuis engineer instead of just Hiccup the Son of the Chief and Future Chief himself. Lots of finding yourself, trying things and noticing maybe they're not right for you or maybe they are and you just needed to look at other things to be sure. (I'm fairly certain he does a lot of finding himself in RttE, but we're currently only at Season 1 and I need that series to shovel coal into my hyperfixation train when the fuel gets low ok, so we're just gonna have to deal)

This is getting too long again, this was supposed to be a list of bullet points, frigglesnaggle, ok Hiccup centric post and cut and dry bullet points next and I'll just slowly elaborate over time

People are gonna be a bit nicer..? Talking about Movie 3 specifically. I mean we're gonna try and dig into those relationships a bit more anyway, though mostly the series I've seen so far have done a pretty funky job of making the characters bond and I'd like to have that reflected in the story. Gimme group hug friends who geniuenly like each other and work together like a well oiled machine heck yeee

How do we handle dragons? That's a topic I find really interesting for Hiccup, especially faced with Drago and Grimmel. There's definitely gonna be some 'trust vs control', and I really want us to dig into the topic of dragon trappers. Mans has his work cut out for him. But looking at how he could attempt to mediate and educate others and how to deal with those refusing to play nice is gonna be interesting to look at at more than surface level

I'm starting to lose sight of what I actually wanted to talk about, so here's some funny Hiccups to distract you, while I comply to the whims of fate my brain and write a cut and dry bullet point list