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#I guess i should learn to draw beards
elie2 · 6 months
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A little preview for a Luca fanfic I'm sitting on, where Luca begins school and learns he's in over his head. The drawing belongs to Chelsiegeorgie.
Luca stared at the pre-algebra problems with a rising sense of dread. Maybe the textbook’s cover and the first page were misprints? He flipped to the second page, and the third, only to find more of the same. Oh carp. 
He had expected basic multiplication and division – the things his mother had planned to teach him before Alberto had made his way stealthy appearance. But numbers surrounded by curved lines and fused with letters? Rational numbers? Putting equations in slope intercept form? He may as well have been reading hieroglyphs. 
Were the other kids unprepared too? Right now, they were chatting up a storm about calcio try-outs, who had the most amazing summer vacation exploits to share and the latest fashion trends for the upcoming fall and winter. But could it be that in a few minutes, they would discover their textbooks and then howl in anger about how the teacher had skipped ahead in the curriculum? 
Luca was about to ask Giulia that when an odd-looking man – bearded, half-bald, and with a pointy chin – appeared in the doorway. The chatter died away instantly. So did the enthusiasm. Now that was class was starting in earnest, most of the students looked like they’d made a dreadful mistake coming here. 
 Mr. Aregio locked eyes with them, wearing a perfectly neutral expression.  “The eager young minds of tomorrow. At least that’s what I intended to say. But the only thing you kids seem eager for is more summer vacation. 
He brushed his fingers over his beard. “Tsk, tsk, tsk.” 
He went to the board and wrote down ‘PRE-ALGEBRA’ in super-sized letters. 
“Pre-algebra is like all branches of math, really. It’s a basic survival skill. It will follow you in whatever career you end up choosing.” 
Mr. Aregio paused, perhaps for dramatic effect. 
“But it should also be fun. And so, in this class, we’re going to be playing lots of games.” 
Luca saw the girl sat to his left sit up straight in his seat, and a smile tug at Mr. Aregio’s lips.
“Let’s get down to business. I’m going to give you twenty problems to solve. If you get 15 out of 20 correct, you’ll be exempted from homework tonight.”  
He jotted down some hieroglyphs on the board:  (2,1) and (-1, -5) 
“I’d like someone to write me an equation of the line that passes through these points.” 
Behind Luca came the sound of many more students righting their postures.   
“Who wants to go first?” 
Six students raised their hands, including Luca and Giulia.  Four of them did so somewhat half-heartedly, while Luca positively cringed with fear. Meanwhile, Giulia was wriggling like a fish. Nonetheless, it was on Luca that Mr. Aregio’s eyes settled. 
“Ah yes, the sea-monster! Come on up here.” 
“Actually sir,” said Luca, in the most polite voice he could muster, “I’m not sure if I can- 
“Solve the problem alone? Not a problem! We’ll do it together.” 
Luca had little choice but to shuffle his way to the board and pick up a piece of chalk. He hadn’t the faintest idea of what to do next. 
“First, find the slope using the given points” prompted the pointy-chinned man. 
You should have bought back the vespa, a voice whispered in his head. Now it's too late.
Luca fought to keep his cool. If Mr. Aregio could walk him through the problem, he might yet avoid public humiliation. Or anything worse, like getting expelled. “Um…how do I do that?”
“You’ll want to put the points in fraction form.”
“What’s a fraction?”
He guessed, from the way Giulia’’s eyes were flickering with concern, that his answer would set Mr. Aregio off, and it did. 
“Oh come on, Luca, that’s second grade!” shouted the teacher. 
Luca swallowed hard. His voice dropped to a half-whisper. “Yes sir, but, um, I haven’t learned about them yet.” 
It took a seeming eternity for Mr. Aregio to respond. The sight of several students tittering through their hands made the time stretch longer still. 
“My dear Luca” the teacher asked finally, “how much math did they teach you under the sea?” 
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epicqtefail · 1 year
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Hi! i thought compiling these would be sensible but oof, i'm so sorry for how much i ramble. Thank you for indulging me, ily
12. Easiest part of body to draw
unexciting but probably the mouth, the mouth can be as simple or as detailed as you want (bonus if it’s a detailed mouth on a simple face or vice versa) and there’s not much that can go wrong with it, i rarely have trouble with the mouth where i do with everything else.
Also i’ve found it’s a great cheat for helping capture a character’s facial structure like Connor’s slight overbite and lips emoji mouth
19. Favorite inanimate objects to draw (food, nature, etc.)
Uwhwghjh anything that isnt a person is very out of my comfort zone. there are so many WIPs I’ve been putting off because I have to draw a car or a desk or crockery or the exterior of a house. i guess any phallic shaped inanimate object is fun to draw, and you can make anything you want phallic shaped thats the beauty of art.. whatsit Carl says? something about taking reality and improving on it.
4. Fav character/subject that's a bitch to draw
CoNNORRRR (of course) with his optical illusion soft/sharp face and shallow nasolabial folds (is that a real term of just a Souls character creator thing?) that i would usually rely on for exaggerated facial expressions... Hank too but i have no excuse i should have learned to draw beards by now.
Also drawing characters face-on is a huge ball ache but it’s the eeriest/goofiest angle
10. Favorite piece of clothing to draw
Connor's tie for sure! and Hank’s big solid tshirt and knee-length boxers (Ouh là là)! Anything that means you can start drawing the arm at the elbow and the leg at the knee!
Connor’s shirt is the worst to draw because it moulds completely to his frame, it reminds me of those plastic baby toys with the soft cushion abdomen. But the image of him just,, folding backwards when Hank hugs him during the post-credits scene is enough to make me enjoy drawing it.
20. Something everyone else finds hard to draw but you enjoy
Not sure if this is something people find hard and more-so just a pain in the ass to draw but i really enjoy drawing heads from this angle:
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30. What piece of yours do you think is underrated
a benefit of being insecure is nothing is underrated and youre always pleasantly surprised! (insert You Can't if You Don't meme). but I don't want to sound sickeningly modest so I guess i could say it's been so long since i drew this that my brain will let me think it's funny again. not so much the comic itself but just the concept of connor having too-specific tandem bike fantasies cracks me up more than it probably does most people. not underrated but i dont think anyone would agree it's one of the best things my brain has sharted out.
Thank you for asking!
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axl-ul · 9 months
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OC Questions Tag
Thanks a lot @janec23!^^ This was very sweet of you.
Soft tags: @arijensineink @rbbess110 @lexiklecksi @rubywrite @aohendo @toribookworm22 @angie-j-kay @anthros-vanitas-archive and one open as usually^^
For this tag I chose Master Kogar.
5 words to physically describe your OC (do you have a drawing? even better!) - Tall, unnerving, athletic, slim, bearded. The pic I made is under the 6th question^^ (sorry for the bad quality and my mediocore skills, I'm no artist and this is more of a coloured sketch) (I plan on posting the pic itself with more description later).
Who did inspire your OC? (can be your mum to a very famous fungi) - The design itself was inspired by Karl Urban. The personality, however, wasn't inspired by anyone or rather he's inspired by my own personal view on fatherhood. I'd be lying if I said that Kogar isn't an idolized character. He basically embodies everything that a proper father/parent should be - maybe rough and cold on the surface, but loving, caring, soft, funny and kind deep down.
Give me a song to define your OC (I will listen to it to enter in your WIP mood!) - Far From Any Road - Handsome Family
If I met your OC on the street, how would they greet me? - He'd politely bow with his head without saying a word. If he's wearing a hat, he'll tip the edge of the hat as a sign of wishing you a good day.
Can your OC be your best friend? Why? - I wouldn't say we'd be best friends. He'd be pretty suspicious especially after learning that I created the hell his little sweet daughters had to go through. But after some talking I guess he'd be an excellent beer buddy to hang out with.
1 adjective and 1 noun to describe your OC (bue soul) - best dad
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fangirleaconmigo · 2 years
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Just wanted to say thank you for your reply and I loved your thoughts netflix Vesemir <3
Though I feel that the major difference between netflix Vesemir and book/game Vesemir is that the latter never had the opportunity to carry out the Trial of the Grasses after the pogrom happened and then Yennefer basically bringing the ability back in Witcher 3. But remember he kept the table that the boy was strapped to during the Trial and all the other implements for all those decades.
We never really learn why he did so but it's hard to imagine anything other than him hoping on some level to get the ability to make new witchers at some point. Which would mean recreating the Trial of the Grasses, which was not just torturous but to the vast majority of boys a death sentence. And this is without touching on everything else he put the boys of the old generation of witchers through, like the Trial of the Medallion.
Not saying people aren't allowed to love him - ffs I love Raistlin Majere and Lord Soth anyone who knows those characters know they're soooo much worse than Vesemir - I guess it just makes me a bit miffed that fandom is so willing to ignore the brutal and frankly abusive side of Vesemir's character because we never see it that clearly on display in the books or in the games so it gets buried in the kindly grandpa image we get in Witcher 3 and then his fate in that game.
It's one of the things I like about s2 though I wish they had dived more into the reaction the other witchers would have to that whole thing. Or you know, at all. Even the game gives more of a reaction to Vesemir having kept Sad Albert than netflix does to what Vesemir does there.
Oh my god yes. Let's talk about Vesemir.
But first...Raistlin Majere...*strokes beard* I haven't heard that name in a long time. (Dragonlance hive rise uuuup)
Ok but yes. On track again. Vesemir. (sorry this gets very long and passionate and ranty)
So first, I shouldn't have mentioned game Vesemir. I should be up front that I don't know anything about him except that I assume he didn't try to dose Ciri. So, unfortunately, I can't speak to that. And it probably explains how I feel about him. I only have book!Vesemir to compare Netflix!Vesemir to. And here is what we know about him from the books.
What we know:
Geralt tells a priestess that Vesemir is his father, or like one. Geralt very obviously loves him.
Geralt tells his mother that Vesemir gave him his name. He says it in a very defensive way, like he values Vesemir for having been there for him. (of course she corrects him, but that is neither here nor there)
Vesemir disciplines him when he is a child for trapping a honeybee.
Vesemir was his tutor.
Both Ciri and Geralt draw on Vesemir's wisdom when they are in tough situations and think fondly of him
In Season of Storms, he is spoken of as the moral center of witcherdom, opposing witchers killing humans and enacting consequences for those who do.
Vesemir's relationship with Ciri
He is protective of her. Triss commends them for not giving her any elixirs or grases or anything that could affect their hormones. But she also demands they stop giving her the natural herbs around the keep, which sound like some kind of supplements. Vesemir responds gratefully and pledges to do so. He very humbly and quickly says
"we will," promised Vesemir, "and thank you for the warning, child."
He is gentle with her. When Geralt loses his temper with Ciri in a very emotional moment, Vesemir says:
"too severe, Wolf," said Vesemir. "Much too severe..."
He is a patient tutor, drilling her on monster facts, and offering her advice that she calls on later in her life:
"That's why you're learning about ghouls now, Ciri. When you know about something, it stops being a nightmare. When you know how to fight something, it stops being so threatening."
So does that make him an uncomplicated or of morally pure character? No. We know that the trials killed most boys and were horrific. And he was a tutor there. So he was complicit to a certain degree.
Now that is where the most fascinating shit comes from with Vesemir. The mages created witchers, right? The mages created the trials. They ran them. Vesemir was their victim in that sense. He was a boy too.
But at what point does he stop becoming a victim and start being seen as complicit? Is there a certain age or level of consciousness where it stops being ok and he can be seen as an agent of the mages?
There is this whole blank spot in between the pogroms and the present. The questions that most fascinate me are:
Did Vesemir ever believe that what they were doing was wrong?
Did he ever resist or leave? If so, what brought him back?
How closely did he identify himself with his identity and with the mages.
Did he tell the boys what their risks were?
Did he walk them to the laboratories?
How dirty are his hands?
How does he feel about that now?
And now in the present, he is a normal, gentle person. Further, he isn't just a normal person, he is an active positive moral guide for all of witcherdom, and a kindly man that Ciri calls "Uncle Vesemir."
So how did that happen?
I am deeply, deeply just...meh on what Netflix has created for him. It is so anticlimactic for me. They have him (basically) murdering an innocent women in cold blood for money (Nightmare of the Wolf) and then (we hope)
turning a 180 after the seige on Kaer Morhen.
I didn't really buy that and it didn't take into account AT ALL the power structure of the mages vs the witchers. You can have complicated morally gray characters that are nuanced. They are both oppressed and complicit. And they made it like...well, witchers were making monsters that was slaughtering people. So basically that and Vesemir's actions were the instigating forces resulting in the attempted pogroms.
No, no one deserves to be killed for something someone else did (only one of the witchers was making the monsters) but in a world where they have people's limbs and heads chopped off on the spot for minor crimes, you can see how it very predictably led to that.
Instead of institutional racism and bigotry, their destruction was the result of legitimate complaints against them simply taken too far. That is so goddamn uninteresting and simplistic and it doesn't take into account the structure of oppression for witchers.
If they were out here murdering villagers with their monsters, an eye for an eye didn't feel to extreme for these people. Did they deserve a trial? Did people lump them together because of bigotry? Yes. But it played a relatively minor role.
So, the progroms are complicated and Vesemir is complicated and there is a lot of room there for imagining how his story went. But I'm just really think that, as great as Nightmare was as a movie, (it was fantastic just as a movie) as an origin story it was a disappointment. But AT LEAST they set him up for redemption. But then in TWN the man hadn't even changed!!
By the time of the current time, he is supposed to be kindly, gentle, and protective of Ciri!! There is no indication anywhere that he would be alright with anyone doing trials on her, quite the opposite.
I hope you don't regret asking me this question about now. XD I have so many feels. I'm so compelled by Vesemir's story because he is a very very favorite archetype of mine within the witcher.
Person is part of institution, perhaps they got there as a kid. They didn't choose with all the knowledge or in a critical way.
Person finds out institution is abusive or corrupt. They have to make a choice. Yen was like this with the Brotherhood. Cahir with the Nilfgaardian military.
And I feel like Vesemir is this for the witchers. He was brought into the system as a victim. At some point he became complicit, and we don't know to what degree and we don't know what that looked like. But it HAS to make his relationship with the wolves complicated.
I know the games complicate up his relationship with Lambert, and I think that is very fitting and very logical extension of this. It seems like Geralt just loves and forgives whatever role Vesemir had. But not every witcher could respond that way, right? Or should!
So it's fascinating! And complex! And then TWN just has him be an absolute piece of shit, accepting "consent" from a traumatized grieving child, betraying Geralt, BRINGING BACK THE TRIALS SINGLE HANDEDLY WHAT THE FUCK.
I mean you CAN do that? But why would you? He should be a loving figure with a very complicated past, not just a big old turd lololsob.
So now TWN Vesemir is on my shit list. Fuck with Ciri and fuck with Geralt and we're over. I've got him on page one in my burn book. I don't care how hot your ho ass was in NOTW. loloool
That's a fitting place to end this.
Dragonlance forever.
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flowerfan2 · 11 months
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Episode coda to 3.09 - read entire series on A03 here.
*****
Ted collapses on his couch, his whole body tingling.  He’s in some weird place between wired and wiped out.  It has been quite a day, one for the record books.  Who knew that when he agreed to take over a soccer team he’d wind up leading a discussion about sexual orientation – and have one of his players come out in front of everyone?
Trent joins Ted on the couch with a tired sigh, sinking down and resting his head on Ted’s shoulder.  “You said some very lovely things in the locker room today.”
“Mmm, that’s not a come-on line I’ve heard before, but I can work with it,” Ted replies, turning his head to deposit a kiss on Trent’s floofy hair.
“Seriously, Ted.  Very nicely done.”
“Well thank you, sweetheart.”
“Did it go better or worse than you expected?”
Ted laughs, turning and flopping over against Trent, his hand finding his neck and tracing just under the collar of his t-shirt.  “You know, for all the ways I imagined what I’d say if Colin came out to me, I never anticipated it going quite the way it did, the whole lot of us standing there in the locker room staring at each other.  But I’d say it went better than I thought it would.  ‘Cause now the whole team knows.  Don’t it just warm your heart, how they all supported him?”
“It does indeed ‘warm my heart,’ Ted.”  Trent shifts on the couch, slouching down and pulling Ted along with him so they’re both reclined, Ted up against Trent’s chest.  
They’re both silent for a few minutes, and it’s comfortable at first, but then Ted can almost feel the shift in the air.
“I guess we have to talk about it, don’t we?” Ted asks.
“About what?”  Trent is dodging the question.  He’s an artful dodger that one, Ted thinks, and chuckles to himself.  He’ll have to work that in some other time, though.  This needs to be addressed now, or it’s going to fester.  Ted’s learning his lessons, some of them, at least.
“Why when we had the chance, neither one of us told the team we aren’t straight,” Ted says.  “Beard set it up, either one of us could have spiked it.”
“Hmm.  Did you think Jamie was going to come out, or was it just me?”
“I did, it wasn’t just you,” Ted says, “and maybe later we can talk about how damn proud I am of Jamie these days, but you’re avoiding the question.”
“Well, I know why <i>I</i> didn’t say anything, and your reasons are none of my business.”  Trent’s voice is determinedly level, but Ted can hear the tension behind his words.
“Given our current positions,” Ted tilts his head back on Trent’s shoulder and gives his neck a nuzzle, “there’s a strong argument that it is your business.”
Trent is apparently not amused with Ted’s attempt to sweet talk his way through this conversation.  He clears his throat and sits up, dislodging Ted who is forced to sit up as well.
“I didn’t say anything because it wasn’t my place,” Trent says.  “Today’s conversation was about Colin, and Isaac, and the team.  There was no need to draw attention to myself.  And besides, I’m writing a book about Richmond, not about its pet journalist.”
“Whoa, there’s a lot to unpack there,” Ted says, and he’s about to launch into it when Trent shakes his head and interrupts him.
“And furthermore, you don’t have to come out just because someone else does.  Don’t you dare put this on yourself, Ted.  Everyone has their own journey.  You should come out when you want, and not a second before.”
“You feel strongly about this then,” Ted says, deadpan.
“Damn right I do.”  Trent reaches out and takes Ted’s hand, giving it a squeeze.  “And to be fair, Colin didn’t exactly choose this.  If Isaac hadn’t seen the photos on his phone, who knows how long he would have waited to come out.  There’s no shame in waiting until you’re ready.”
“Feels like it sometimes.”
“And that gives me all the more reason to be impressed with how you handled the whole thing, Ted.  It could have gone in an entirely different direction.”
“You mean, I could have had a panic attack and skadaddled like a cat in a room full of rocking chairs?”  Ted asks.  There was a moment – right when Colin stood up and said that Isaac wasn’t gay, when Ted could feel the tension in the room, that bright anticipation and confusion.  For a second, Ted was definitely worried that he might have a panic attack.  He felt lightheaded, and that tingle in his hands sparked up his arms.  But then he glanced around the room, catching Trent’s concerned look, and the genuinely caring expressions on his players’ faces, and somehow everything calmed down.
“That wasn’t what I meant, but yes, I suppose.”  Trent slides his arm around Ted and they cuddle up, Ted breathing in Trent’s cologne until even that echo of an almost-panic attack has faded.
“I was a bit surprised no one said anything about you – that you were the other gay person in the room,” Ted says.
Trent shrugs.  “Me too, to be honest.  But I think that for most of these guys I’m about as noticeable as wallpaper.”
“Stylish rainbow wallpaper, maybe,” Ted says, a smile pulling at his lips.  “Were you or were you not wearing this fine Dolly Parton t-shirt all day today?”  Ted pets Trent’s chest, right over Miss Dolly herself.
“I was,” Trent says, rolling his eyes.  “So perhaps the players simply aren’t very observant.  Or, like I said, they were focused on each other.  A gay footballer is facing a much different world than a gay staffer.  They’re the celebrities, the ones whose faces are on posters in every Richmond child’s bedroom, who carry the expectations of the fans.  They’re the ones with the eyes of the world on them.”
“I wouldn’t mind a poster of you in my bedroom,” Ted says, doing the crazy thing with his eyebrows that always makes Trent grin.  “And my eyes are definitely on you.”
Trent laughs, low and rumbling, and Ted closes his eyes.
“You’re so tired, darling,” Trent says softly.  “What do you say we go to bed?”
“Can you stay over?” Ted asks, hating the tremor in his voice.  
“Mmm, yes,” Trent says, kissing Ted softly and holding him close.  “Darla’s with her mum.  And I’ve got nothing on tomorrow, so we can have a nice lazy morning.”
Ted kisses him back, and it’s warm and comforting and exactly what he needs.  Trent is so good to him.  They’ve been spending more and more time with each other, clearly more “together” than not.  Trent hasn’t asked Ted to specify exactly what’s going on, and Ted hasn’t volunteered.  For now, it’s working.  Ted just hopes that by the time Trent asks, Ted knows what to say, and isn’t afraid to say it.
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saritawolff · 8 months
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Hi I guess I should make a pinned post explaining my whole deal
I have like 5 different instagram accounts to separate the different flavors of my art but I refuse to do that here cause I don’t really have a Tumblr audience as is.
First off! Furry art! I am a furry, in that I have cartoon animal characters and I draw them, write about them, and rotate them in my head. They are my blorbos and I have been drawing some of them since the mid-2000s and I’m not about to stop yet. I’d like to make a webcomic about them someday.
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On the left is Ozzy, he is my favorite son and he is a bearded vulture griffin. The skinny guy with the big ears is Snitley. This is basically the poster child of what my furry art is like. It’s mostly clean, good fun.
The only nsfw stuff tends to be violence centered around my vampire fly character, The Master:
(blood warning below the cut)
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That’s as nasty as it gets around here. (and it will always be tagged accordingly)
My main art account on Instagram, SaritaWolff, has a lot more and I usually post there long before I post on Tumblr. Tumblr’s just kinda my dumping ground.
The other type of art you’ll see around here is paleoart! I started hosting “Archovember” (my take on “Draw Dinovember”) a few years ago so every November tends to be dedicated to drawing dinosaurs (and other archosaurs).
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I’ll draw paleoart periodically throughout the year too, but November is when it kinda explodes. I also sell my paleo designs as stickers and other products on Redbubble!
https://www.redbubble.com/people/SaritaWolff/shop
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If you like my paleoart but don’t want the furry nonsense, I recommend following SaritaPaleo on Instagram, as that’s all I post there.
Lastly, I’ve recently forayed into drawing educational zoology art for my new Instagram account SaritaZoo. These tend to be what explode on Tumblr. I really love how open and willing to be educated about animals the Tumblr community is!
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So if you just want to learn about real animals and don’t want fantasy animal people on your feed, I recommend following SaritaZoo on Instagram.
(As for my credentials, I have a degree in Wildlife Conservation and over 14 years of experience working with animals, and put a lot of research into my educational art. The educational stuff is sincerely meant to be educational.)
(Also on IG I have a photography account and a personal account but I gave up on posting photos to Tumblr long ago as no one interacts with them. So they’re just on Instagram for now.)
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So yeah! TLDR: Those are the three major criteria of art I post here (along with various psas and other things I reblog) and they are a bit different so I don’t want people following my account for one thing and then being shocked when they see the other.
I am a person, I have multiple interests. I love throwing all those interests in one place. If you want to see them seperated, that’s what I use Instagram for! If you want to see them in better resolution, that’s what I use Tumblr for!
Thanks for stopping by!
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citrusreadstoa · 1 year
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Reading The Hidden Oracle: Chapter 38 (SPOILERS)
"The plague spread." These are not promising starting words.
"Strangely enough, Damien White got sick right after he learned that Chiara was sick. The two had cots next to each other in the infirmary . . . even though they kept sniping at each other whenever they knew they were being watched." OTP OTP OTP
"recruiting whales and hippocampi to help him haul away the Colossus." How're they gonna get rid of the oil? Would the seashells and sand dollars that Percy used that the Triple G Ranch and in the Manhattan rivers work in this scenario?
"his own weathered, bearded mien." MIEN (n.): a person's look or manner, especially one of a particular kind indicating their character or mood
"The canoe dock could be rebuilt." And guess who's gonna be rushing to be the first to use it? None other than our best worst Canoe Duo!
"The Colossus's footstep craters could be repurposed as convenient foxholes or koi ponds." I really like the koi pond idea.
"The only major damage was to the Demeter cabin . . . the Colossus had managed to step on it before turning around" I'll bet that was on purpose. What if Nero goes after Miranda and Billie and any of Meg's other half-siblings as a warning to her?
Oh wait, is Apollo going to get slapped in the face by the Styx for using the plague arrow on the Colossus? Ah, the Styx's slaps are relatively gentle, anyway.
"At the moment, I did not want to be Apollo. All the destruction I saw below me... it was my fault." You know, this is one of the few times when the protagonist wallows over a disaster or conflict being their fault and I actually agree somewhat. The villain being his distant descendant, he's responsible for them to a degree and his neglect of his duties as a god allowed them to grow their power. Most of the Oracles being lost is his fault, but I am hesitant to blame the loss of Delphi on him considering the lockdown state of Olympus and split personality going on when Python took it over. Lots of this is his fault, though.
"What I needed to do was to find her. I wondered if Meg had phrased her order that way on purpose, or if that was just wishful thinking on my part." 100% wishful thinking. There was too much going on at that time for Meg to think that much about her phrasing and even if she did, if she wanted to be found, she wouldn't have run away to begin with.
"I should leave Camp Half-Blood immediately, before the campers woke." Don't do that. That is unwise. Athena would never recommend that. Don't pull a Nico and suddenly disappear when no one is looking.
"I wanted to flirt with Chiara and steal her away from Damien... or perhaps steal Damien away from Chiara, I wasn't sure yet." Please do not.
"Because I was a coward, I waited too long." Same.
"Lord Apollo." I love how Rachel still calls him Lord Apollo when he clearly looks like Lester Papadopoulos.
"The Arrow of Dodona just gives random advice." Yeah, where did that arrow come from? I'm willing to bet it's just something that exists in Greek mythology with no further explanation. It talks and gives sage advice simply because it does. No further context.
"'I appreciate the offer of assistance, but--' 'Whoa.' Percy held up his hands." He's drawing a CLEAR line. No taking chances that he might end up going unwillingly on a quest again. "'I'll go,' Rachel said. I shook my head." Aw, I wanted to see The Wacky Misadventures of Rachel the Prophecyless Oracle and Apollo the Powerless Sun God. It'd be so interesting to see a mortal go on a quest normally intended for demigods!
"I've lost too many people to bad influence . . . We almost lost Nico, too..." Bullshit. Nico never once blinked in the general direction of Kronos's army.
"I didn't want to speak the words." No, not the limerick! "A limerick?" "I know! . . . I'm doomed!" No, not the limerick!
"Percy slapped his knee. 'There you go. Happiness approaches. Happy is a name'" I get that Percy knows Festus, but how does he know that he's a three-seater? He's only seen Festus in his dragon form when he picked up Gaea. I guess it's unreasonable to assume the Lost Trio never bragged about their own quest.
Where did Leo get all that Celestial bronze to rebuild Festus's body? They had a hard enough time getting enough bronze to repair the ship that one time with Echo and Narcissus.
Anyway, HAPPINESS APPROACHES. I never thought to link that to Festus!
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sally-mun · 2 years
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Character Redesign: Jeffrey
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Guys, I promise I didn’t go into this planning to make Jeffrey look ridiculous, I SWEAR. I already had the height difference determined in my head, aka “about a muzzle’s worth or so.” I did not realize that going down just that amount would result in him looking so much like a little kid, I SWEAR IT. Rest assured this man DEFINITELY grows a beard in adulthood, I can’t conceive of any scenario in which he wouldn’t.
One of the challenges of this design was to physically express his unpleasantness, as I don’t have a big range of emotions that I’m good at. I decided to draw him pouting because it’s a good way to communicate his problem with entitlement. It’s not that he’s a generally negative person, a la Sojourner; it’s more just that he constantly feels slighted because he’s not getting what he believes he deserves. If he actually did get those things, he’d have the appearance of a much nicer person -- but ONLY the appearance, because the fact of the matter is that he’s just plain not nice. Not in any of the ways that really matter, anyway.
I guess on the one hand I do feel bad for him and kind of pity him, because to some extent his attitude is a result of how he’s been treated by others; I can’t say with absolute certainty that I wouldn’t end up really bitter and obsessed with what I should be getting if I grew up being denied so many things because of a trait I can’t control. And in further fairness, he is still a high school kid at this stage. However, I’m not at all letting him off the hook, because no matter how much you feel like the world owes you something better, that doesn’t excuse making the sort of demands he does or the way he treats others when he doesn’t get what he wants. This guy needs to learn some empathy yesterday.
Unfortunately, though, not everyone’s emotional development goes that route. Some people go through emotional pain and come out the other end with MORE compassion for others, because they understand what it’s like to be denied it; others, like Jeffrey, come out the other end unwilling to extend ANY compassion to others, because if he never received any himself, then why should he?
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this design! It was nice to get out of my usual stencil and draw someone with a different body shape. It’s a little tough to tell with his trench, but he has kind of an egg-shaped body, so that was nice practice for branching out. Stay tuned for Dian-Na in a little while!!
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seeklovenet · 1 year
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Explanation Why You Should Date A Latina Lifetime Mate
Explanation Why You Should Date A Latina Lifetime Mate
Dating a Latina will provide you with that feeling of being in a telenovela. Unfortunately this is amongst the most frequent complaints we get from our readers, where they really feel they do not seem to be a precedence for his or her boyfriend or husband. They always appear to have some excuse as to why they cannot spend some quality time with you like they used to.
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Latinas have to be taught “balance and discipline? ” Keep your bizarre fetishes and sexual colonialism to your self please. I really feel sorry for any Latina who would date you- you clearly don’t even see them as full human beings. If you deal with your Latina lady, she’s going to make certain that nobody can care for you want she does. She will love you immensely, passionately, and actively.
Latina Women Must Really Feel Needed, In Order That They Subconsciously Let A Man Really Feel Needed
I understood why he pronounced my name like he did. I let him get away with saying everyone;s names with an Italian accent. Sounds like you’re Woke and I can let you know this, Latinas don’t like Soy Boys as a end result of those pretend males can’t handle an actual woman so return to your feminists. Honestly before I learn your reply I thought to myself, they weren’t actually stereotypes a lot as the reality. This is a gross article that reduces Latina ladies and folks to stereotypes.
I looked at him and asked him why he never informed me he may communicate Spanish. He told me he couldn’t however he spoke Italian, so he could work out Spanish. I figured out where the funny words came from, he was attempting to make Spanish words out of Italian words.
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Speak partial or fluent Spanish to indicate off your dedication to her culture and family. Show your family love and compassion no matter their flaws. Always maintain her guessing with different acts of love to keep that particular spark brighter than ever. Latinas need to see you wanting fresh, confident, and sexy! Shower with cleaning soap, trim your beard, brush your enamel, work out day by day, and wear clear clothes.
That’s a no go… por lo menos en la mayoría de las familias . Things are progressively altering, however generally, that’s how they work. It’s not as scary because it may appear, though!
Costume Well To Draw A Latina
Show her your gentle aspect with creativity and love. With one of the best meal of her life and show her you’re a worthy cooking companion. What if you should fend off your enemies in the street?
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Central and Southern American immigrants in the United States get used to speaking English whereas their native language is both Spanish or Portuguese. Although their English will not be good and they converse it with accents, that has a profound impact on their brain. Moreover, it develops cognitive abilities and may stop dementia at old age.
On That Note, Folks Will Assume She’s Not Educated Or Expert
So, on this article I’m actually going to disclose eight secrets and techniques in your relationship with that Mexican sweetie to be simply excellent. Latinas are hopeless romantics who want a prince charming to be more than just handsome. Show your love via acts of kindness such as hidden notes or surprise travel plans. Write her a track from pure inspiration with any musical instrument.
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Nevertheless, Latinas don't give a care about how individuals look down on them. They wouldn't want to be the rest even when it was potential. They take so much ardour and pride in who they are.
Also, if you want to know more about Latinas family, pals, and group then you should hang around with them during Hispanic holidays. Somehow, these holidays give Latinas the proper excuse to celebration. I think there are a lot of factors that influence as people, and I don’t suppose it’s honest to swipe everybody underneath an umbrella. How/why/if that is true for many Latinas, I wouldn’t know, but this has been true with most that I’ve met. Latinas enterprise have grown very well just lately. Their opening companies price is nearly six occasions higher than any other group.
I don’t know what that other man is speaking about but one factor you should know is kind of all Latina ladies won’t put up with a cheater. Latinos are very passionate… significantly the ladies. This can lead to a tradition of paradox extremes– a Latina ladies is both ridiculously fit, or struggling with obesity. They need to talk (in case you couldn’t inform with all my writing and expressing myself by way of trend and dance HAHA). Anyways, this need empowers our relationships. Correlated to how hard we love and to our confidence, Latina women like to indicate the world how fantastic you might be.
Once someone turns into pals with a Latina, their lives will not be the same anymore. They are by no means gonna remorse a factor to have ever recognized a Latina in their whole lives. We had to stop at my home to pick up something before we went to a convention and a dinner. While he was ready for me, my mom supplied him one thing to eat. I cringed, but as a substitute, out of his mouth coame this lilting, charming reply with a zeta and a few humorous words. Mama understood and brought him somewhat bit and a cup of espresso.
Latinas Get To Visit Different Countries All The Time
Latin’s love to absorb your facial response, and if you break down crying every meal, your Latina lady wouldn’t be too impressed. Powerful – Latina Power 👊🏽👊🏼👊🏿👊🏻👊🏾 from the boardroom, classroom to the home, Latinas are ensuring their voices are heard. Latinas are having a serious breakthrough and we refuse to call it a second. Having influence over huge latin american dating app purchase decisions at residence to influencing media, policies and developments, Latinas have major poder and it is being noticed. There are lots Latinas women that Latinas are proud of. They present the others that everyone has the potential to alter the world.
Somehow, it in all probability has ready them to confront unhealthy instances with a lesser sense of unreliability. Don't matter how hard life is, they face it wholeheartedly. Latinas make pals so much simpler shows in the truth that Latinas are the world's most pleasant people. They usually have a tendency to befriend individuals outside of Latin ethnicity than different teams. It isn't exhausting for Latinas to get together with new folks.
What if she breaks her ankle within the mountains and must be carried? What if she’s impressed by another man who works out in the gym? Those are 18 Reasons Why You Should Date a Latina you want to know. Get your self a Latina and you can see your life becomes more price dwelling for.
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ach-sss-no · 2 years
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Tolkientober: magic
(Prompt list is here!)
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hanjizung · 3 years
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♡ What Love Is ♡
Han Jisung x Reader.
Word count:  10K
♡ Warnings ♡: Smut; non idol AU, DILF!Jisung, older Jisung, OC (kid), possession kink, marking kink, oral (f), overstimulation, begging, masturbation, shower sex, exhibitionism, fingering, creampie, aftercare.
A/N: Finally the second part to Modern Vintage is here. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it, and please let me know what you think of it! ♡
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Summer coming closer could mean many things; families spent more time together since children weren’t going to school anymore, couples had more dates and groups of friends went to eat from time to time to catch up. Overall, most places were fuller during summer, especially beaches since the sun was incredibly hot. You knew some people loved to go out in summer, maybe to travel or to visit some relatives.
Even knowing how summer as a customer was, working in the coffee shop during the season was another experience, some days it was too empty, then on the weekends too full and some days you didn’t even have enough time to eat. Adding to the stress of working during this season, but luckily, summer was just about to end and since you decided to take summer classes to fasten your graduation and get your degree sooner, you were almost completely over which meant that you would be able find a better place to work and help Jisung pay the bills.
A smile appeared on your face when you thought of him. The two of you had been together for almost a little over a year now; he stopped working in the coffee shop with you  after his best friends from college offered him an opportunity to work with them as a producer in their company, that had been a month after the weekend the two of you spent without Jisu, both of them showed up at his night job, (which you learned, he worked at a nightclub as a DJ and he was really awesome at it) asking him to take a moment and go with them for a talk. The next morning you found him drinking coffee in the kitchen, still thinking of accepting or declining, smiling and kissing you when you encouraged him to take the offer.
Since then, he told Minho and Felix about it, and they congratulated him and told him that he would still get the employee discounts whenever he stopped by to visit them (and you, of course.) The Lee brothers, more than being your bosses, they treated the two of you like good friends and worried about you like they were family. You still remember Felix’s face when he saw you kissing Jisung goodbye while Jisu hugged her dad tightly, a grin on Felix’s lips that made him look like a mischievous cat.
“Didn’t I tell you it would be only a matter of time?” he said, startling both Jisung and you, making you turn to look at him laughing, a slight blush coloring your cheeks.
“Felix, you knew we would end up together since he brought Jisu here” you objected, rolling your eyes playfully. “What kind of witchcraft did you do, hmm? Tell me your secret!” you joked, getting closer to him and hugging him lovingly. He hugged you back and patted your hair as if you were Jisu.
“I have eyes, Y/N. I could see the both of you drooling for each other when you worked the same hours” he explained, his brows raised as he turned from you to Jisung, who just like you had his face painted with a blush.
“Oh” Jisung said, scratching the back of his head with his free arm and laughing awkwardly. “I mean, you’re not wrong, Lix. I liked Y/N since the very first time I saw her mess up a drink” your boyfriend said, winking at you.
“Are you saying that messing drinks is the way to get to your heart, Sungie?” you asked, acting as serious as you could, “because if that’s the case, I won’t let you be in the kitchen when I’m teaching Jeongin how to do the difficult ones” you finished, making both of the men in front of you laugh.
“Ah, he doesn’t mess up as much though, I admit Jisung used to be messier than him. Jeongin’s a good boy, he learns quickly like you, Y/N. I’m glad that we hired him, I feel like the place is fuller since he’s been here” Felix said, crossing his arms over his chest and caressing his invisible beard as he looked at Jeongin who was writing down an order. 
He noticed the four pairs of eyes on him and waved to where you were awkwardly. Minho had announced not too long ago that since the coffee shop had been doing better than before now you were short staffed, and since he was planning on giving you a little vacation he made the decision of hiring someone else to help, and that's how you ended up meeting sweet Jeongin, whose cute face contributed to more daily customers as well as Felix's delicious baked desserts. 
Since you were the last person hired, it was your job to teach him everything you knew. He had been there for just three weeks now, and he was a little shy just like you were when you first started working there, but as days passed he joined the talented chefs that you had for bosses and started teasing you and Jisung every now and then. 
The coffee shop never closed, it was open all the seven days of the week, but when Jisung was offered a new spot with his good friends, you decided to throw a party to celebrate, inviting the Lee's and Jeongin, and of course, Jisu's uncles; Chan and Changbin. You also took the opportunity to invite your ex roommate, who happened to visit you at work and the one who you would constantly text when something interesting happened. Jisung said that since the party would be the first time you'd be meeting his best friends, and since he already knew your roommate that you should invite your best friend from college, so after calling him and asking him if he was free he accepted. 
The big important day came, and Jisung dressed with his nicest clothes, putting on that one cologne he knew you loved so much. The party would happen at your department, so when he was ready he announced that he would be rushing to get the missing food before all your guests appeared, leaving you and Jisu to finish getting ready. 
You helped her get ready first, dressing her with a beautiful navy blue dress that she adored since the moment she saw it, then you did her hair and told her to draw something to everyone coming to the party while you got ready as well. 
When you walked out of the room fully dressed, Jisung and Jeongin's back were turned at you. They were talking on the couch, a movie was playing on the turned on television as they talked without paying any attention to the screen, but the conversation soon died when your boyfriend stood up after hearing footsteps behind him. He stared at you, his mouth hanging and a quiet wow leaving his lips as he moved quickly to embrace you and kiss you, ready to whisper how beautiful you looked and how lucky he was to have you. 
"Woah, you look so pretty! You look like a queen, queen Y/N!" Jisu exclaimed, joining her dad and running to hug your legs. Jeongin saw the whole scene, chuckling. 
"You look amazing, Y/N. Honestly, if you and Jisung weren't together I would be inviting you for a drink as soon as I saw you" he joked, raising one of his eyebrows making you laugh. 
"Guess that's too bad for you then, Jeonginnie, she's all mine" Jisung said, pressing a kiss on your cheek and then leaving your side to sit on the couch again. 
Jisu left you to go sit on her dad's lap, and when you were just to sit on the other couch your phone rang, your best friend's photo showing on the screen as you smiled apologetic at the two men in front of you and you walked away to answer. 
"Hi, Y/N. I'm in the building, what floor is it?" his voice greeted you. He was always like this, going straight to the point. 
"The fifth floor, the door number is 190" you told him, hearing through the line how he walked into the elevator and pressed the buttons. "See you soon" you told each other before hanging up. 
You were excited to see him, it wasn't everyday that the two of you got to be at a nice event or even to a party like this, he wasn't a party guy much, and you always went out with your beloved roommate, Chunghee.
You walked to the kitchen to grab a glass of water and when you were coming back to the living room you heard knocking on the door. Smiling and placing your glass down, you walked excitedly to it and opened with a big smile on your lips, already knowing who it was. 
"Seungmin!" you exclaimed, throwing your arms around him carefully and hugging him tightly. He responded to the hug politely, patting your back two times and then separating his arms from you, a little shy since it was the first time he was in the presence of your boyfriend. You moved away from him to let him step inside, taking his hand in yours and closing the door behind you. 
"Jisung, Jisu, Jeongin, I present to you my best friend! Seungmin, you already met Jeongin, and this…" you left Seungmin's side to stand behind Jisung who still had Jisu in his lap, they looked at your friend with the same eyes full of curiosity "... Is my family" you finished, smiling at him, your head tilted to the side as you locked eyes with Jisung for a brief moment before returning your eyes to your best friend. 
"It's nice to meet you in person and not just thought pictures" Seungmin greeted, a timid smile on his lips that gained a chuckle from Jisung who responded that it was nice to see him as well, and so you proceeded to sit with Seungmin by your side and start a small conversation with him. 
The room fell silent for a few seconds, the TV working as background noise only until a knock on your door and voices sounding from behind it let you know that Felix and Minho had finally arrived. Jisu opened the door, rushing to get there first and throw herself at the first pair of legs that would be in front of her, making Minho laugh as he struggled to hold a box of something in his hands without it falling. Felix rushed to help his brother by freeing him from the kid's grip, taking Jisu in his arms and squishing her playfully. 
"Hey, welcome!" Jisung greeted, standing up from the couch along with Jeongin to help the two men with the things they were carrying; a cake and something that looked like it was probably ice cream. One of Felix's new experiments, possibly, but you figured that if he had brought it on that special day, it would be an advanced approved recipe. 
"We're so happy to be here, I can't wait to meet Jisung's new bosses. Are they here yet? Are they more handsome than us? Y/N?" Felix asked, lifting Jisu in the air dramatically, making her giggle and turning to you when he was saying the last part, his accusative eyes scanning you. 
"They haven't arrived yet, we'll meet them at the same time, Lix" you laughed, standing up yourself and hugging Minho first, then him. He smiled at you, and then noticed Seungmin who was still sitting where you were, his extroverted self wasted no time and he made his way there, dragging you along with him. 
"Hello, we haven't been introduced yet, I think? If you've heard nice things about a Lee Felix then that's me, but if all you've heard of him are complaints, then it's not me anymore" he joked, presenting his hand to your best friend who laughed politely at his joke. 
"Kim Seungmin, Y/N's friend" he shook Felix's hand and then patted Jisu’s head since she was still in Felix’s arms, offering both of them shy smile along with it. It was so heartwarming to have all your friends and family interacting with each other.
A phone going off distracted you and everyone in the room turned to meet the owner who simply smiled shyly, turning his back and answering. You could hear Jisung’s voice through the introductions of the people who were currently in your house. You watched all of them with a fond smile, but the sudden sensation of an arm wrapping around your waist scared you a little bit, making you turn your face to find your beloved boyfriend who placed a kiss on your cheek, whispering to you that he would be leaving shortly to get his friends. 
You nodded and sat next to Minho on the couch, he was on his phone until he noticed you, straightening his back and smiling briefly at you. He asked how you were doing and how you were feeling about Jisung’s new path, you said that you felt happy for him and that your current concern was that you wanted to graduate to help; your conversation with him finished rather quickly, as the door opened and two strange men walked in through the door, the subject of your conversation with Minho staying behind them and closing the door.
“Everyone, they are my friends and now coworkers, Chan and Changbin,” Jisung announced, taking advantage of the silence that reigned on your little home to present his best friends, a intimidating looking man almost his height with a deadly gaze and a slightly taller one, blond guy who was smiling openly and showing his dimples. 
Jisung stepped forward, a big smile on his face as his hand took yours and pulled you in front of his friends. You weren’t sure why, but your face started feeling a bit hot and you were a little afraid that if you tried to speak, you would stutter instead of speaking properly. To you it almost felt like you were meeting his parents, your nerves getting the best of you.
“Guys this is Y/N, you already know her a little from what I’ve told you” he laughed, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, his cheeks also a rosy color just like yours were.
“It’s so nice to finally meet you!” the blond one said, offering you his hand for you to take. You did, extending your shaky hand to him and shaking it, then doing the same with Changbin. 
Your ray of sunshine boyfriend must’ve felt the awkwardness you were irradiating, since he wasted no time in coming to your rescue and started presenting everyone else to them, except Jisu who left Felix to hug Changbin and tell him to pick her up so she could kiss his cheek. While he was busy with introductions, Seungmin approached you quietly, looking at you with a soft smile.
“You okay?” he asked, bumping your shoulder with his own. You looked at him with questioning eyes that only made him chuckle at you. “You looked like you were very nervous,” he explained. 
Closing your eyes, you sighed. “I was! It felt like a meteor hit me, but instead of a space rock, it was reality” you whispered-screamed, looking at your friend with big eyes that soon turned soft when your gaze fell on them. “They seem really nice, though. I’m glad to know that Jisung wasn’t all alone before I met him, you know?” 
“You really do love him, Y/N. I’m glad he makes you this happy” Seungmin smiled at you, his voice full of honesty that made you feel like you had the key to happiness in that exact moment.
The rest of the evening passed faster than you would like to admit; your little home was full with the chattering noises from your guests and chill music playing in the background. The dinner went good too, the table was full and it was like a Christmas dinner or similar, the table full and laughter being a constant proof of the nice atmosphere. Any sign of the existing awkward silence created when Chan and Changbin appeared was long gone now, and you learned a little more about them and how they met with Jisung just like they learned how the two of you ended up together, a story told with additions from almost everyone saying that they always knew how hard you were pining for each other.
Chan started telling how he happened to meet both of his friends; he explained that he met Changbin one night at a party, Chan was the dj and Changbin reached to him to ask him how he managed a cut between two song without it being so obvious (Changbin laughed, exclaiming that even if Chan taught him how to do it, he remembered how the first time he heard it he was shocked.)
Then, both of them usually hung out by the library where Chan mentored Changbin, and one day they saw Jisung with a guitar practicing and decided to ask him what he was doing. Since that day, the three of them started getting curious about song producing, and so they decided to give it a try, being that and their first demo songs the start of a beautiful blooming friendship that lead to where they are now. 
When Chan mentioned their demo songs, you gave Jisung a side eye that clearly translated to him as ‘you’re gonna have to show me those songs’, a look that didn’t Changbin must’ve also caught since he said that those songs weren’t too good and that ‘it was better for everyone to not listen to them’, now making everyone want to listen to them more.
Later, Felix went to your fridge to take the ice cream he had brought and started serving it to everyone with your help. Little Jisu was over the moon because she was finally going to try one of the secret recipes of ice creams that she saw Felix perfecting at the coffee shop, and so more memories were talked upon all of you, not only about the trio of friends, but also about Seungmin and you being childhood friends, then the Lee brothers motivated by Chan’s story decided to tell how they knew they wanted to open the coffee shop. Jeongin opened up too, talking about how he had a lot of doubt joining his current career, but saying that he knew everything would eventually pay off. The evening contributed to you getting to know everyone a little more.
Almost at 10, Jisu was sleepily sitting on Changbin’s lap, you were surprised to see how much she stayed by his side and how the man didn’t seem to mind being with her, it was a little funny too because he seemed to be so tough on the outside, but really all he allowed to see in the few hours he spent in your house he was a softy, and Jisu really knew how to bring that side out of him. When you noticed the little bubbly girl was asleep, you stood up and walked to where he was, but when he realized that Jisu was comfortably dreaming, he stopped you. 
“I’ll take her to her room, where is it?” he asked. You smiled at him as a thanks and guided him there, leaving the noisy living room to Jisu’s dark and silent bedroom. 
You turned on the light for Changbin who was right behind you, and you watched him tuck her in the bed so carefully, like he had done it before. Curiosity got the best of you and you decided to ask him.
“Have you put her to bed before?” your voice came a little quiet, careful to not wake Jisu. Changbin hummed, looking at the sleeping angel in front of him and nodded.
“Yeah, when her mom left, Chan and I were all Jisung had, but we couldn’t help him often, and then we were called with an offer in America and we left.” You listened to him while he was staring at Jisu, your mind imagining these three men trying to take care of a baby, sweet scenarios playing in your head of them learning how to change a diaper and getting scared whenever she cried. “Let’s go back,” his voice brought you down to earth, and he waited for you to step out before turning off the light and closing the door behind him, like a gentleman.
Seeing you walking out of Jisu’s room, your boyfriend watched as you approached the living room with a smile on his face, and when you were close enough he opened his arms for you to take a seat on his lap. You happily did what he desired, kissing his cheek when he wrapped his arms around you. No one in the room was looking at you, too busy paying attention to a horror story Minho was saying from when he was in college to mind the two of you. 
Jeongin was sitting by the table, a piece of cake in front of him that he was eating until he was interrupted thanks to a notification on his phone. When he grabbed it, he saw the hour and he stood up.
“I didn’t know it was this late, I should be leaving, my roommate texted me saying he’s worried” he explained, being the center of attention. On the other couch, Seungmin stretched and stood up as well.
“I can take you home if you want,” Seungmin said, looking in his pocket for his car keys while he waited for Jeongin’s answer. The younger one nodded and added that it would be nice of him to drop him by his apartment.
“Thank you guys for coming, have a good night” you told them when they waved goodbye to everyone. 
“Thanks for receiving us. Congratulations on your new job, Jisung” Seungmin spoke again, shaking Jisung’s hand while Jeongin hugged you and thanked you as well.
After them, Felix yawned and Minho teased him, saying that he was just like Jisu, to which Felix laughed and said that he could be right. They made their way to the front door and said their goodbyes to the rest of you, and that resulted in just you and the producers. Jisung offered to drive them to their new shared apartment.
That’s how you found yourself in the co-pilot's seat with Chan and Changbin sitting in the back giving directions to Jisung who was driving. It reminded you of the first time you got in the car with him and took care of Jisu, then you smiled when your memory replayed all the times you sat there talking with Jisung and admiring him while he drove, he always looked for your hand or rested his on your thigh during red lights.
While Chan was giving directions to Jisung, Changbin chatted a little with you, telling you that he wasn’t too excited to go to his new house because there was a pure mess of boxes and half unpacked stuff everywhere except for their beds.
“I forgot how much I disliked moving,” Chan sighed, eyes closed as he paid close attention to the window. Changbin agreed with him.
Once you were finally there, you saw them coming out of the car. You took Jisung’s hand and with a look you told him to stay there. “We should help them, Sung,” you said. He nodded, knowing that you would be worried if you didn’t voice your kind offer to help your new friends.
“Chan, Changbin, would you like some help unpacking?” Jisung said, helping you out of the car. They were standing nearby, waiting for you two to leave and being surprised when Jisung hurried to open your door.
“Nah, it’s okay. You should go back home, though, it’s pretty late,” Changbin answered after exchanging a quick look with Chan who looked at his phone, probably to check the hour.
“We got this, don’t worry. Thanks for driving us,” Chan contributed, watching Jisung walking slowly to the driver’s seat again. “See you on Monday, Jisung, and see you later Y/N, it was very nice to meet you” he smiled.
“Alright, but make sure to call us if you need anything. See you on Monday” and with that, Jisung started the car and you left. You had no idea when on the way back you fell asleep, but the next time you opened your eyes, the car was slowing down and you could recognize the familiarity of your building’s parking.
“We’re home, baby, wake up” Jisung’s sweet voice called you. You blinked one, two times before sighing and taking off the security belt, stepping out of the car and stretching. You waited for him to do the same and walk together to your department.
“Your friends are really nice, I’m happy you’re gonna work with them. Are you excited?” you asked once in the elevator, looking at him.
“Yeah, I’m excited. It’s been so long since we made a song together or shared ideas for lyrics,” he said, smiling at you and hugging you, pressing a kiss on your face. You closed your eyes, accepting it without saying anything and just enjoying the moment. It was small moments like this when you were glad to start working at the coffee shop.
The elevator stopped at your floor, and the two of you made your way to your comfy apartment. You sighed, knowing that you would have to clean and put away everything that was on the table. When the door opened you finally took off the heels you opted to wear for the occasion, sighing in satisfaction when your feet touched the cold ground. Jisung only looked at you with a soft smile on his face, and he walked up behind you, passing one of his arms under your knees and picking you up bridal style.
“Sungie! What are you doing?” you squealed, acting quickly and holding onto him, afraid that you would fall. Your boyfriend didn’t answer you, instead he smirked at you and kept walking to your room. Once in there, he somehow managed to turn on the light before letting you gently on the bed.
Hovering above you, you were able to see the lust in his eyes before he closed them and finally kissed your lips passionately. Your hands, still on his neck, pulled him even closer to you. You sighed on the kiss, moving one of your hands to his chest and the other tangling in his hair. Jisung took this as an invitation to straddle you, supporting himself with one arm and caressing your face with the other hand.
Soon, the intensity of the kiss ended when he separated to breathe again, pressing kisses on your chin and then travelling down your throat.
“This dress looks so good on you, honey, but I prefer how you look without it. I’ve been thinking about it all day, taking it off you. I’m so lucky that I’m the only one to get to see you like this” he whispered, his voice husky, making you shiver. 
It wasn’t the first time he attacked you like this; it was mostly on special occasions, and usually he asked someone to take care of Jisu, the other times you two had sex it was very late into the night and rather quickly to avoid the exposure to accidents, so him suddenly acting guided by his instincs and fucking you like it was only the two of you in the whole world was one of the last ways you imagined today would end.
“W-wait, Jisung, close the door first” you warned him, pushing him off you. He quickly nodded, making his way to the door and closing it, also locking it and then, he walked slowly towards you who was now sitting on the bed, looking at him with needy eyes. 
His hands went to his belt, slowly undoing it making you bite your lip. He took it off and let it rest at the feet of the bed, now taking his shirt and starting to pull it up until he was in front of you, finally taking that piece of clothing off from his body. Your legs hung open, allowing him to stand between them as one of your hands played with the hem of his pants, you looked at him through your lashes and he placed one hand on your head, patting you dearly before it went down to cup your face and he bended to kiss you, this time more sweetly than before. 
He pushed you gently so you would be on your back, he kissed the exposed skin on your neck, being careful to not leave any hickies since he knew how much you struggled to cover them when you had to go out, he was always mindful of you, unless he wanted to show off that you belonged to him, then he would mark up your neck so prettily for everyone to see. 
He kneeled on the floor, his nose on your thigh sensually caressing you all the way to your right knee, his hands hiking up the skirt of your beautiful dress and then resting now on your hips, exposing your undergarment. Then, one of his hands moved to hold the back of your thigh to put your leg on his shoulder. 
Since the moment he kneeled down on the floor, your mind played images of the countless times Jisung's face was hidden between your legs making you crazy, allowing you to see stars when his magical tongue brought you over the edge. It was inevitable to contain yourself, your pussy getting wet since he started pressing kisses on your legs, torturing preparing you for the orgasm he would soon bring you.
A sigh escaped your lips as you let yourself enjoy the moment, he was holding your other leg open with his hand, allowing him full entrance to your now ruined panties. You were lucky you decided to match the pretty dress with your favorite set of lingerie. He hummed in approval when he saw your wetness.
He had you whimpering lowly, you knew you had to keep quiet but as time passed and Jisung decided to admire and tease you instead of doing something to you, you were starting to grow a little impatient.
"Babe…" you cried out, looking at him with pleading eyes "I need you," but he didn't seem like he wanted to pay attention to your cries.
"You need me? Why, baby? What do you need me for?" he answered, his deep voice making you close your eyes and his words provoking a slight blush on your face.
"I'm so wet for you, please…" you said. It was an obvious answer since he could see the mess he made of you. "Want you to eat me out, please…"
His fingers passed through your needy sex, making you sigh one more time. He grunted, but instead of moving your delicate panties to the side, his face got closer and he pressed a sweet kiss on your mound. When he was done teasing you, he moved away and finally started taking off that piece of lingerie, removing your leg from his shoulder and placing it there again once he had freed you from it.
His lips came in contact with your throbbing cunt, making you groan in satisfaction when his tongue skillfully, dragging it from the center of your wetness, taking a sweet moment to taste you and then going for his objective, his arms around your legs to keep you in place for him to torture you oh so deliciously.
You cursed, eyes closed as you permitted him to pleasure you like he knew you adored, your hand pushing him towards you as an encouragement to keep doing what he was doing, and he never stopped. Your hole throbbed, his tongue went up and down, he sucked and teased with his teeth as well, the sensations overwhelming you but becoming more and more intense, Jisung could clearly hear how you were coming apart and losing your mind from the silent posture you wanted to maintain, but he just loved your moans and heavy breathing when he flicked his tongue a certain way, and how you pulled his hair and you tried to arch your back. You were so beautiful, and to him there was nothing better than to see you like this, so flustered and sensitive from how hard he was going to make you cum.
Feeling how you started to shake, one of your hands flew to your mouth when you knew that you wouldn't be able to resist any more of the sweet torment you were a prisoner for, and suddenly, white hot pleasure numbed you and all you could do was lay there, pulling his hair locks and shaking slightly. Jisung never stopped his attack on you, the overstimulation caused by his tongue provoking a few tears from escaping the corners of your eyes, it felt like something new, like you had unblocked a new level of extasis.
Your high finally ended, and just when Jisung heard you breathing again he slowed down. You hadn't realized he put a hand on top of the one over your mouth to help quiet your cries, but you were certainly thankful that he'd done it, because if he hadn't, your neighbors would think he was ending your life or torturing a poor animal, or even worse, you would have a little girl banging on the door thinking you were hurt or something.
"You taste so good, my love, and you were so good to me too, enjoying how I played with your clit" he murmured, wiping his chin from your essence and standing up from the floor, looking at you with those lusty eyes you'd gotten to know so well, "but I still want you to come on my cock too. Look at me, look at the effect you have on me, Y/N…"
Your hand left his hair to clean your sweaty forehead, you tried your best to look at him when he ordered you to, his pants with an obviously painful erection, your eyes not failing to notice a dark spot that could be seen in the fabric.
Jisung undid the button and unzipped his pants, then slipped a hand under his dark boxers to pump himself, grunting from the touch of his hand against his dick, it was a majestic view you had only seen one time in the shower when he was horny but didn't wanted to wake you up.
It had been after a stressful night at the club full of young college students, he went straight to the shower after arriving home and the sound of the water hitting the tiles of the bathroom woke you up. You had sneaked to the bathroom, curious of the complaining noises Jisung made, and there you found him, with his eyes closed, a hand against the wall and the other around his dick moving slowly while he bit his lip, the water droplets running through his naked body making him appear like a Greek God. You kept staring at him working on himself maybe a little too much, because he ended up discovering you and then fucking you carefully in the shower. Truly, an incredible experience that even if it had been a little difficult to manage, you felt it was so worth it.
Finally undressing himself, Jisung stood up between your legs again, his hand on your stomach and he bent to kiss your forehead sweetly.
"You ready, baby?" he asked, waiting for any signal that could mean a positive or negative from you. One of his hands looked for yours to intertwine your fingers. You nodded, swallowing as you thought how good it was to have him filling you, and second later, he did just that. He stretched you as he entered you slowly, his hand squeezing yours next to your head while his other supported his weight, a quiet moan coming from his lips.
"Oh shit, Jisung! Fuck, you feel so good, please" your broken voice managed to speak.
You waited for him to move, but he asked you instead if you trusted him, and simple as that he shifted and now he was standing, your legs around his waist and arms around his neck, his hands on your eyes as he walked somewhere, the destination being your tiny balcony. You thought he wouldn't dare step outside, but he did and the cold air hit you, and not only that, but Jisung also pressed you against the cold glass door of the balcony.
"You better keep quiet, dove, or you'll get us discovered" he warned, proceeding to fuck you slowly as the moonlight illuminated you.
Two mornings after, you showered and got ready to eat breakfast. Jisu was already awake watching some cartoons as her dad hummed while he finished cooking her lunch. "Good morning," you said, going to kiss Jisung's lips and sitting to drink coffee.
"Hey, sweetheart. How do you feel?" Jisung corresponded to your greeting, giving you a quick wink before turning his back to the almost completed food.
"I'm okay, not too tired. Thanks for the coffee, babe. Are you ready for work?" you asked him. He laughed, but he admitted that he was actually nervous since it was something he was very passionate about, it made you happy to see him following his dreams.
When you were done with breakfast, the three of you went to the car, you would drop Jisung first at his friend's company, and then you would leave Jisu at the kindergarten, and you would go to your classes as usual.
"Have a nice first day, Sungie. Love you, I'll see you at home"
"Goodbye, daddy!"
"Thanks, beautiful. Behave well, princess. Love you both" and after you left him, you drove to Jisu's school.
She was always happy to go, she always talked about how her teacher was so pretty and smart, and you couldn't blame her. He was very charming, you would admit, and not only was he nice to the children he teached, but he also cared for the parents too and let everyone know that they could count on him, he was such a lovely spirit, you thought it was a shame Jisung hadn't met him yet, since it was you always dropping Jisu and then going to college while Jisung stayed home and slept after the long and tiresome club nights.
Turning off the car, you got out of the car and opened Jisu's door, helping her out and then walking hand in hand as she excitedly told you that she couldn't wait to see her favorite teacher in the whole world.
"Good morning, Y/N, Jisu" his smooth voice reached your ears when you arrived at the classroom. More kids and parents were saying their goodbyes, luckily Jisu always showed that she was brave and never spent too long hugging you goodbye, too eager to go play with the others kids to mind if you stayed too long after or not.
"Hey, good morning, teacher. How was your weekend?" you asked him, trying to be polite and show that you were a friend for him if he needed to talk just like he was for everyone else.
"Oh, Y/N, I've told you you can just call me Hyunjin, and my weekend was good, thanks for asking. How was yours?" he asked back, looking at your slightly colored cheeks with an adorable eye smile as he reminded you once again to call him by his name.
"My weekend was also nice, thank you, Hyunjin. How-" you were about to say something more, but your alarm that indicated you should better be leaving for your class rang. "Oh, I'm sorry, it seems like I should be leaving for class! See you later."
The professor nodded in understanding, and you turned and left, careful with your steps to not trip and fall to the ground. When you successfully got into your car, you breathed in and exhaled, preparing yourself for the rest of the day.
That was how your new routine was created; first, Jisung woke up and made breakfast, then you dropped him at work and took Jisu to school and you went to college and once you were done with classes you picked up Jisu and went to work at the coffee shop where you would meet with Jisung and the three of you would get home, some weekends still going on trips and enjoying as much time together as you could.
A few months into the new routine, when you were dropping Jisu at school Hyunjin asked you to stay a little more, explaining that there was an upcoming school trip and he was asking you to go as a supervisor. You thanked him, saying that you would try your best to accompany him and the class as well, and sooner than you had expected, the day arrived and Jisung and you were more than ready to go to the aquarium with a lot of other kids and few parents.
The trip was fun, if you had to admit. Seeing all the fish swimming and getting to know more about them was very interesting, and many kids agreed with you when you said that mermaids were very lucky to live underwater with many beautiful species.
Later, Hyunjin announced that it was time for lunch, so everyone had a break to sit down and eat. You were sitting with Jisung next to you, he was drinking from a juice box when Hyunjin approached you and sat with the two of you, addressing you and ignoring the man next to you.
"You're incredibly good with kids, Y/N, and it really shows. They seem to like you a lot" he said, placing a hand on your shoulder, his eyebrows raised as he spoke.
"Well, thank you. I like being with kids, actually, I've always wanted a big family" you shyly responded, looking at Jisung through the corner of your eye. You thought he would react somehow, but he was too focused looking at the kids who were playing near you.
"Well, you're still young and you seem pretty put together to be a single mother… If you look further you might find someone you could share your life with and get married" Hyunjin mumbled, turning from you to look at his class running around the cafeteria.
"Single mother?" you repeated, eyebrows furrowed as you repeated his words on your head again.
"What? Since when are you a single mother?" Jisung's voice reached your ears, making both you and Hyunjin turn to him. "I thought… I thought I was her father?" his voice cracked, making you open your eyes wide in confusion.
"Aren't you her uncle?" Hyunjin asked, finally acknowledging his presence.
"No, Jisung is Jisu's dad. I'm… I'm not a single mother, I'm Jisung's girlfriend, not… Jisu's biological mother" you explained to the teacher in a quiet voice to not get any attention from the other adults near you.
"You're her dad? I'm so sorry, I always saw Y/N leaving Jisu and picking her up, I thought… I thought you and her were all by yourselves. I…" Hyunjin's hand flew to cover his mouth, he seemed so ashamed from his quick assumptions that his face started picking a pink tone. "I wanted to invite you to a date, Y/N. You're a fantastic parental figure to Jisu and– and you're so beautiful, too… I have a big crush on you, I'm sorry…"
You wanted to answer to his apologetic words, but you were too shocked to say anything, not knowing what words would be appropriate to speak so you turned to Jisung to see what he had to say in regards to this situation instead.
"Look, I can't blame you for liking her. She really is magnificent and I'll never get to comprehend how lucky I am for being by her side. I'm sorry, Hyunjin, but I'm sure one day you'll find someone like Y/N you can love" the sincerity and affection carried on his words made you look down and stare at his hand that had moved moments before to hold yours, you already knew but you loved him and how sweet he was.
Hyunjin smiled at your boyfriend and then cleared his throat, "thank you for saying that. You two make a lovely couple, but… if you ever get to break up, you know where I work, Y/N" he winked, moving to stand up and walk away to get the class's attention and continue the tour.
Neither of you spoke a word about Hyunjin's misinterpretation of your civil state after the trip. Sure, it had shocked you at first, but you brushed it off as something not that important. What you didn't know was how badly those words were torturing Jisung's brain. He stayed up most of the night that day, an arm around your shoulders as you peacefully slept on his chest, his head running wild with thoughts about you and how much you changed his life.
That's how he finally gathered the courage to talk to Chan and Changbin about marriage; he knew he loved you, he knew you were a highlight of his life along with Jisu and he was a witness to how much you and she liked each other. He couldn't ask for anything more, and besides, maybe having a ring on your finger would help you stop getting flirted with when you already shared a life with him, because after all, you were young and full of life, many people approached you and asked you for a drink at college or they also asked for your number at work, and the idea of getting married to you excited him more than it scared him, so why not propose to you?
His friends supported his choice, Chan and Changbin had gotten to know you a little more and you got along with them together, they supported you and Jisung and they also offered to babysit Jisu to give you private time together. They were very considerate, and not only that but they could feel how much Jisung adored you in every lyric of any song inspired by you.
So a few months later, one tranquil Friday evening after work when his friends dropped him off at the coffee shop that was nearly empty (except for the owners, Jeongin, Chan, Changbin and for some reason Seungmin too) you were surprised by his cautious behavior.
Jisu was sitting on Changbin's lap when Jisung took your hand and made you walk to the middle of the place, clearing his throat nervously while still holding your hand, making eye contact with you when he started speaking:
"Y/N, this is where we met a long time ago, and this is where everything began that day when I asked you if you could do me a favor. It was the start of our story together, and after spending many days and nights with you I'm more than certain that I love you. I loved you that day, and I will still love you tomorrow, so would you marry me?" He finally ended his speech with a knee on the floor, Jisu next to him handing him a small velvet box that he opened, revealing a beautiful ring inside.
You were more than surprised now, staring at his kneeled form with teary eyes, a hand covering your mouth as you simply nodded in response to his question, and then he placed the ring on your finger, kissing your hand and then standing up to kiss you sweetly, making your heart melt.
"Thank you, Y/N. I love you so much" and after that, everyone rushed to congratulate you two, creating beautiful memories for you.
That Friday, Jisu clung to her uncle Changbin's neck and waved goodbye at you and your now fiancé, saying that she couldn't wait to go to the fair the next day with him, making you laugh and kiss her forehead goodbye, thanking Changbin (and Chan too) for taking care of her and taking her places.
When you arrived home with Jisung that night, you couldn't help but smile like you did when he kissed you the first time, it was a satisfactory feeling, to know that he loved you as much as to ask you to be a permanent part of his life. You were clingy to him, which also made his heart flutter when you pecked his lips or giggled when he touched you gently, but behind the closed door of the apartment he wasted no time and kissed you hungrily, like a caveman trying the most delicious thing in the world.
You breathed in, corresponding to his rude kiss, your hands on his face and his resting on your waist.
"You have no idea how happy it makes me to know you're gonna be only mine, sweetheart. Just mine," he whispered, his breath against your cheek when he separated from your lips to tell you that. He had pressed you against the door as soon as he locked it, attacking your lips like it was his only mission and then going down your neck, leaving a warm trace of kisses burning your skin.
This time, he paid no mind to the 'no marks' unspoken rule he had given himself, sucking on your neck with the sole intention of leaving evidence of the passionate night the two of you would be having to celebrate your engagement, and you couldn't complain. He had given you the ring you thought you would get in a few more years, you might as well show that you're already taken to anyone who crossed your way, it turned you on a little more, if you had to be brutally honest. Seeing Jisung being possessive of you always made you feel like you were one of his priorities, and also showed you that he had no intention in leaving you alone any time soon.
Moving your head to the side to allow him more access to your neck, his hands started taking your jeans off and were now running through your belly under your shirt, touching everything he could as he kept marking you.
"You're only mine now, baby" he growled, separating from you to take off your shirt and look at your almost naked figure, his eyes with a heavy lusty shadow on them.
"... Just yours" you repeated, closing your eyes and taking his face to kiss him with the same passion he did when the door closed behind you.
Your hands rested on his chest, fingers trying to unbutton his shirt, successfully failing at completing the task when he separated from you, placing one of his hands on top of both of yours and pinning them above your head, resting against the cold door while his other hand slipped through your panties.
He groaned when he felt your growing wetness, he found your clit instantly and rubbed it, making you sigh in satisfaction until his hand went down further and he inserted two fingers inside you, this time dragging a gasp from your lips when your walls felt the introduction of his digits. It felt nice, but you knew his cock would feel better inside you, you loved how he filled you.
Pumping his fingers slowly, you started moaning, letting yourself enjoy his treatment. His mouth left kisses on your clavicle, then your chest and when you least expected it, he was pulling your bra down with his teeth and sucking on one of your nipples, his fingers never stopped their work on you causing you to become a wet, moaning mess with twitching legs until you finally came, crying out Jisung's name when your high hit you.
He kept pumping his fingers, having discovered that you did actually like when he overstimulated you once and since then doing it from time to time, this being one of them, and when you blinked your orgadm away, the pulled them from you, loosening his grip on your wrists and licking his fingers clean from your juices as he hummed.
You thought he would be done, you thought he would like to go to bed and fuck you until you screamed his mess in the comfort of your king size bed, but apparently Jisung had other plans in mind, as he undressed his shirt and threw it to the floor with your clothes and pulled you by the arm to the back of the couch, turning you and pushing your back so you were bending over it, his knee between your legs separating them and keeping you from closing them. He started taking your underwear off, his fascinated lusty eyes appreciating how wet you were, practically dripping.
"I wish you could see yourself, you look so lovely, all ready to take me after I made you cum with my fingers. I bet I can make you cum like that again, would you like that?" He asked.
You gulped, "N-no, I want your cock, please fuck me with your cock!"
"My needy baby, so cute. It's 'kay, I'll make you cum around me sweetheart" he responded while his hands caressed your ass lovingly until you couldn't feel them anymore. Soon, you heard him pull his zipper down, anticipating what was yet to come.
"Are you ready, angel?" He asked, pressing the tip of his cock against your throbbing entrance. You nodded, and he started pushing himself inside your velvety walls, stretching you.
With a growl, his hands held you in place by your hips, making sure you wouldn't move from the position he had you in as he started pulling out, ready to repeat the process, meanwhile you were holding a pillow for dear life as your breath got caught in your throat as you waited for him to set up a pace with his hips.
Jisung started slowly, enjoying how you felt around him and loving the way you took him in, looking at how he disappeared which caused him to moan. You, on the other hand, had to resist the urgency of moving. You remember telling Jisung that you wanted him to bruise your cervix, saying that you wouldn't mind new things to which he agreed quickly.
Maybe that was why he had started more than the usual missionary, you were thankful that he kept it in mind, and now surprising you by taking you on the couch, in front of the turned off TV where you could see your blurry reflection getting wrecked from behind by him, it felt incredible.
"You feel so good, I'm so glad your pussy is just mine" he moaned, stopping for a brief second to take your right leg and rest it on the couch to hit a deeper spot inside you, making you start tearing up from pleasure.
"A-all yours" you cried out, inevitably clenching around him when you repeated what he said. You saw his cocku smile through the black mirror that was the TV.
"Ah, J-Jisung, harder!" you demanded with a whine when he found your g spot, the detonator to your best orgasms.
The sudden sting from his hand landing on your butt cheek shocked you, making you moan. "Where are your manners, baby? I thought you were my good angel" he said, starting to slow down the speed that had increased since he started thrusting.
"Please, go hard-harder" you corrected yourself, and once he heard the magic word he instantly did what you had asked of him, provoking you to moan each time he reached where you wanted him, and soon you were clenching around him, legs shaking and walls hugging him tightly causing him to near his climax as well.
It took a few more thrusts for him to find his release, but when he did you felt him filling your insides with his warm seed, a sexy groan coming from his chest and his fingers leaving a bruise on your hips from holding you too hard.
Pulling out from you, he pushed his fingers inside your pussy to keep his cum from hitting the ground, then he carefully pushed you on the couch and walked around it to cuddle with you in his arms.
"I love you" he told you, his hand petting your hair innocently (as if he hadn't fucked your lungs out 5 minute ago).
"I know," you answered, kissing his chest and tightening your arm around his torso in a half hug.
"Let's stay like this for a few minutes and then we can bathe, okay?" you hummed in agreement, enjoying the comfortable silence between the two of you until any of you felt gross enough to want to get cleaned.
You didn't know how much time had passed, but when you realized Jisung wasn't with you any more you stood up looking for him, only to find him filling the tub, a few aromatic candles lighted up, a delicious smell reaching your nostrils. You saw the bathtub was almost all full, so you decided to surprise Jisung by wrapping your arms around his back.
"Let's get cleaned up, what do you say, sweetie?" He said, removing your arms from him and stepping into the warm water, opening his arms for you.
You rolled your eyes, but copied him anyway and rested your back in his chest. The water relaxed your muscles, the candle's scent helped you feel almost like in heaven, and Jisung arm made you know you were safe. Everything was so sweet, until you felt something else poking your lower back.
With a raised eyebrow, you faced your partner with a silent explanation only to find him staring at the love bites on your neck, but you opted for not commenting anything about it.
"You know… I really love you and I'm happy that you accepted to be a part of my life," he said, his deep voice and serious tone getting your attention, so you faced him to hear all he had to say.
"I remember you told Hyunjin that you wanted a big family, and… I know Jisu wouldn't mind having a sibling. I believe now would be a good time to have a baby of our own, but only if you agree with me, honey" he smiled, kissing your shoulder.
"Are you serious?" you asked him after processing his words in your head. He nodded, his hand playing with yours as he waited for you to say something else.
"I would love to, Sungie. I already consider you and Jisu as my family, hell, I feel happy when she tells her friend I'm her mom. So yes, if you're really sure, I want to do it. Let's have a baby" you smiled excitedly, moving to kiss his lips sweetly.
"Then we should keep practicing, shouldn't we?" He joked, winking at you after you ended the kiss. You hit him playfully, giggling at his question.
From joking about it, you two ended up having sex on the tub and staying there until the water got cold and the candles lighted out, and yet, when you were cuddling in bed ready to sleep, you couldn't stop smiling. It had been a fantastic day and even better night and early morning.
Next morning when Jisung saw you walking to the kitchen with his shirt on, he kissed your lips and greeted you with a "good morning, future Mrs. Han," a plate of pancakes in front of you.
"I'm so lucky to have you" you told him, to which he replied with "I'm so lucky to be loved by you."
And you decided that this was pure happiness, you didn't have anything to worry, and you loved your family and your friends a lot, you were almost done with college and starting to plan a wedding. Maybe you weren't rich, but you had everything you wanted and maybe a little more.
After all, engraved in the ring Jisung gave you, it said "for my soul mate", so you had him, for as long as time lasted, and he had you, the missing piece of the puzzle of his life.
You complemented each other, and comprehended each other. What you two had could be considered 'true love', and you were thankful to the universe for placing this single dad in your life, showing you what happiness, and what love was.
"I can't wait to marry you" you sighed, daydreaming about how you wanted the wedding to be.
"And I cannot wait to call you mine legally" he responded, kissing your cheek.
"I've always been yours"
"That's good, because you'll always be mine in the future as well. No quitting now, babe!"
236 notes · View notes
startanewdream · 3 years
Note
James and/or Sirius laughing at Harry for growing (or trying to) grow a beard 🧔
That’s it
That’s my comment
Ahhh, it's midnight for me I work early tomorrow but I just *had* to write something along these lines!
Set during winter break at Year 6 (or my fave pining Harry time). Warning for some slang and also that I edited on the phone
________
“Fuck. No, no, it can’t be… fuck!”
The first slang would have made Sirius stop on his way down the hall, but the tone of desolation that follows it, added by the most hopelessness he has ever heard in Harry's voice, makes him open the door to his godson’s bedroom without waiting for an answer.
(Always risky when it comes to teenagers, but it seems to be an emergency)
The first thing he notices is the rotten smell, then the smoke coming out of a cauldron with the fire beneath still lit; sparkles are coming out of Harry’s wand, which he holds high (underage magic? That he won’t tell), but then Sirius’ gaze falls on Harry’s face and he ignores anything else.
Because on Harry’s face there is something so horrendous that Sirius won’t dare to call it a beard. It’s hair.
Harry’s chin spots the same hair as in his head. It’s a dark messy beard that makes him look as if his hair grew all around his mouth.
“What the hell?”
“Don’t laugh!” Harry tells him immediately, a little bit threatening, but Sirius is truly too shocked to even break a smile. This thing is too ghastly for even him to crack a joke about it. “I… I messed up, okay?”
“Kid, that’s an overstatement,” Sirius says, getting closer to his godson slowly. He touches his beard. “How did you get hair on your chin? That’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Ugh.” Harry throws a guilty look to the cauldron on the floor. “It’s Grandpa Monty’s fault.”
“Unless his ghost came back to screw your face, it seems as if you did this to yourself, kid.”
“No, I… Look!” He picks a scroll, waving it in front of Sirius’ nose. “I found his old notes in the attic. Five-Second Eazybeard! I swear I brewed the potion exactly as he wrote.”
Sirius eyes the smelly potion.
“Are you sure it was your granddad’s notes? This doesn’t seem like Monty's style at all.”
“Well… I thought so. He was the potioneer in the family, right? And he invented Sleekeazy!”
“And then he didn’t launch anything else,” Sirius reminds him, looking at the potion instructions.
“Because he was rich enough and didn’t need more money?”
Sirius laughs. “Nah, Monty was curious enough to keep inventing. This was probably an attempt that didn’t work.” Sirius shakes his head, smirking. “Look, I am not trying to pull a Lily here, but trying untested potions? That’s a bad idea, Harry.”
"I haven't had problems so far," Harry mumbles to himself. As Sirius is about to ask him what he means by that, Harry grabs his hand suddenly. "I learned the lesson, ok? Now you gotta help me!"
Sirius lifts an eyebrow. "The only thing that would help you is a scissor."
"I've tried! The bathroom is full of this thing, but it just grew back! I've tried to cut it magically, and it's all the same. You are the adult here, do something!"
"What do you want me to do? I can't do an antidote just looking at the ingredient list! You need Lily, just call her—"
"I…" the part of Harry's face that is not covered by hair flushes. "I can't. She is at the Burrow now, helping Mrs Weasley with the New Year's party."
"Then let's go, I am sure it will be easy for her—"
"No!" Harry looks in panic now, his eyes widened. "She cannot know what… what happened."
"Lily will know as soon as—"
"Not… not Mum, it's… look, that's fine. Mum will be back tomorrow, I will just spend the New Year hiding in my room pretending I don't exist."
"Harry… there's nothing to be embarrassed about. You know, growing hair body is perfectly normal at your age—"
"Ugh, stop teasing me."
"I wish I could, but you look truly horrible." Sirius winks at him, sitting on Harry's bed. "What prompted you to do this?"
Harry's flush intensifies.
"I was trying to grow a beard."
"Oh, really?"
"It's… it's stupid, okay? But Ginny was… I mean, I heard some girls saying that they enjoyed guys with a beard and I can only grow that stupid stubble and—argh—I just thought I could give it a try but now I have hair growing all around my head and—"
"You are babbling, kid, I got it."
"No, you don't." Harry runs his hand through his hair, looking very much like James when he is most nervous. "You get to grow a beard when you want it. You get this whole shining hair. You get women to sigh for you and I… I am just this stupid teenager who can't even have a full beard."
Sirius blinks. "You are worrying way too much, Harry. And, well, if you want to be assured, you are nice—girls have taken a fancy to you, haven't they?"
"That's just the Chosen One thing, it's not really… me."
Sirius fights back a smile. Harry seems really desolate.
"Look, you've grown well. You are still growing. I am sure people notice you. You have your mother's gorgeous eyes and you do look like James—if there is any comfort in this, I remind you that James got Lily to feel attracted to him, so you can't be that bad." Harry frowns, and Sirius isn't sure if it's because he doesn't want to think of their parents being attracted to each other or if because he doesn't trust Lily's opinion on this matter. "I am sure Ginny thinks you are attractive, beard or no beard."
Harry jumps.
"Who said anything—"
"Oh, are we still pretending you don't fancy her?"
Harry looks away. "I have no idea what you are talking about."
"Yeah, sure. So you don't mind going to the Burrow now and showing up like this?"
"Of course I do! I mean… Ron would tease me."
"Ron."
"And the twins. I mean, look at this!"
"Yeah, I would be upset if they didn't. So many joke opportunities. You are hairy, Harry."
Harry puts his hands in front of his face. Sirius refrains from telling him this doesn't hide his beard at all.
"So… what do I do now?"
"We truly need Lily's help on this… we need to go to the Burrow."
"I can't—"
"Don't worry." Sirius breathes heavily. "Your godfather won't leave you alone on this."
_________
"It was an accident, Lily," Sirius tells her, his hand playing with the hair over his chin. His new grown hair beard reaches his chest and Sirius is almost finishing a braid by now. "I was trying some old potion, and then Harry was close and it just splashed in both of us."
Lily lifts her eyebrows, her eyes moving from Sirius to Harry and then back.
"An accident?" she repeats, incredulous.
"I am so sorry," he says, the portrait of innocence. "Could you help us with an antidote? And before you say anything, I know I shouldn't have tested an unknown potion. But do this for Harry, not for me. Poor kid doesn't deserve to spend the night hiding. It's a New Year's party after all!"
Lily shakes her head, amused.
"Fine, because you asked so eloquently. I will grab my potion kit, a hair inhibitor should be enough."
"You truly are the best, Lily," Sirius tells her, beaming.
Harry waits until his mother is out of the room to let out a relieved breath.
"Thanks so much, Sirius," he says.
Sirius nods, still messing with the hair on his chin. It's so weird and it looks as ghastly in him as it does on Harry.
He doesn't regret applying that potion to his face. His sacrifice worked just as he planned to: with two people having hair growing out of their chins, the attention was divided and with Sirius taking the blame, people felt sorry enough for Harry to not mock him much.
"Hey," they turn around to see Ginny coming closer, holding a tray with some sandwiches for them. "Mum thought you would be hungry while hiding here."
"Thanks," Sirius says, because Harry seems too busy pretending to look outside the window, anything so he can try to avoid Ginny looking at his beard.
Ginny nods at Sirius, but she approaches Harry anyway.
"Your mum is already working on the antidote, don't worry," she tells him gently. "Look, it's not as bad as that time Percy tried to grow a moustache, remember?"
Harry chuckles. "You are so lying."
"I would never," she assures him, voice light. "Look at me."
Harry turns to her almost as if he can't control it. His eyes soften as he gazes upon her, and Sirius is suddenly reminded of how Lily always looks when she sees James.
Ginny raises her hand slowly, giving Harry plenty of time to back away, but he just stays quiet as she touches his beard, her fingers running through it. Sirius suspects Harry isn't even breathing anymore.
"It's soft," she tells Harry and for a moment they just stare at each other. Sirius decides that he is really witnessing a moment that he doesn't want to, but his attempt to quietly leave the room only alerts them to his presence. Ginny's hand falls back as if she got electrocuted. "Anyway, you look better without it."
Harry grimaces. "I guess that stupid stubble is better than this."
"Stupid stubble?" Ginny blinks, evidently surprised. "It's not stupid, I… I mean, girls love it on you."
"They do?"
"Yeah, well, just thinking about your stubble brushing my skin—I mean, their skin, as in other girls' shoulders, or holding your face while… never mind, I just… I just heard it, that's all. You are drawing a lot of attention."
"I know, all this Chosen One stupid thing—"
"It's not it... you are really oblivious to your charm, Harry."
"You think I am charming?" Harry asks, longing evident in his voice now.
"I…" Ginny hesitates, turning away as if she doesn't want to answer this while looking at Harry, and her eyes meet Sirius. He smirks at her, knowing perfectly well her answer. Ginny's face reddens even as her jaw sets in a protective instance. "Yeah, with the stubble. Everyone knows it. It's common knowledge. I… I have to go, I think I heard Mum calling me."
Sirius could point out that Molly didn't call her at all, but he opts for just letting Ginny go, his smirk more than enough to let her know she didn't fool him.
At the other corner of the room, Harry's face is spotting a huge grin, watching the door with a dreamy expression.
"She likes my stubble!" He declares happily. "Oh, I need to take off this stupid long beard now."
Sirius shakes his head at Harry, amused. At least Harry won't ever complain about his inability to grow a beard again.
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tennessoui · 3 years
Note
FeralObi anon here. How do you come up with these so fast?? Are you an infinite number of ideas and worlds in human-shaped form? I love both of those ideas. The first one kills me tho, Obi gets his first kind touch in years from lil Anakin. Also you can have lil Anakin coming home one day with a skulking, snarling nonverbal murder puppy and saying brightly, "He followed me home, can I keep him?" Schmi thinks this is definitely worse than the time he brought a krayt dragon home.
ah! hello! yes this is the first idea of a feral obi-wan who meets anakin when he's still on tatooine. i will also still do the second idea because like. i liked them equally as much rip me
but i told myself these were going to both be very short snippets and instead this one is uh 2k so i'll post the second one tomorrow instead of tonight!
(ficlet where obi-wan is captured by pirates/unspecified forces at a young age and then tortured for a decade before he escapes to tatooine when anakin is like 6. obi-wan, after a decade of torture is....not alright in this fic though he's only here at the end) (2k)
Shmi had known that when she sent her little Anakin away to follow after the stern-faced, warm-eyed Jedi Master, that this would not be the last time she ever saw her boy. She couldn’t explain how she knew, just as she had not been able to explain how she became pregnant, but she knew beyond a doubt that one day, she would see her little boy back in her arms.
She just hadn’t known it would be so soon.
“He died, Master Jinn died,” Anakin mumbles into the front of her dress, unwilling to move his head far back enough from her hug that he could talk clearly. “On Naboo. And the stupid Jedi council refused to train me even after I was so amazing in the air. Mom, I destroyed a blockade! Entirely! And they wouldn’t--they didn’t--” his little face scrunches up and then he’s bawling into his hands.
A slave, a born slave, knows intrinsically the injustice of the galaxy. It is not often they know hope.
“Oh my boy,” she whispers, smoothing a hand over the top of his head. She has questions. She has so many questions about everything he’s just said and what those strangers have put her son through, but the most important thing is a question she cannot wait until he has cried himself out to ask. “Is your chip gone, Ani? Did they remove your transmitter?”
Because she had sent him away from her so that he could be free. And that had been her own twisted version of hope, that her son could know a life she never would again. If the Jedi masters had proven to be just like every other master in the world, she would find herself sobbing into her own hands.
“Yeah,” Anakin sniffles and wipes at his ruddy cheeks, pulling back a few steps. “They removed it and everything. And--”
He pauses and drops his satchel to the ground in front of her. “They gave me credits. To buy you. For my trouble.”
He spits out the last three words like they’re the most disgusting thing in the entire world. As if Shmi’s freedom isn’t laying at their feet, mere centimeters away.
“Republic credits are no good here,” she hears herself say faintly.
“Padme, the handmaiden you met, she talked to the queen about me I guess,” Anakin mumbles, kicking his feet. “And when the queen learned that the Jedi didn’t want me even after all that, Padme says the queen says I’ll always have a place on Naboo. Me and my family. And then she took the Jedi credits and gave me these instead. It should be enough, Mom.”
Shmi sits down on the floor. With shaking hands, she opens the bag and looks inside. Yes. Yes.
There’s more than enough.
There’s enough to buy her freedom and take her boy away from Mos Espa. There’s enough to take her boy away from Tatooine completely.
“I…” she says. “Ani, I…”
“Padme said she’d send a ship for us,” Ani reports as if their lives are not changing right in front of their eyes. “In two days ‘cause I told her it might take a little bit of time to get Ben to come with us. But we can’t leave without him.”
This is said fiercely and with his arms crossed tightly over his little chest.
Shmi stares at him.
“I’ve already left him once!” Anakin says, stomping his foot. “But that was okay, because I knew you would bring him food and water and stuff. But if we’re both gone, no one’s going to be there for him.”
Shmi bites at her lip. There’s a lot of things happening very quickly right now, and she doesn’t know how to process half of them.
Her son has come back, after only being gone for a week and a half.
He has apparently either endeared himself so much to the queen of Naboo that she was willing to give him the money necessary to buy his mother from slavery and also promise him sanctuary on her planet. He says he’s done this by single-handedly ending a blockade, which is something she just cannot even think about right now.
He has told this queen--queen--that he will gladly live on Naboo with his family. Yes. Alright.
His family seems to include his imaginary friend, Ben.
Anakin has been talking about Ben for years now, ever since he was six and a half years old and sent by Watto to retrieve any scraps he could from what looked to be a crashed pod in the Wastelands. She’d let him ramble on about the ghost of a friend, because she’d known it to be something all children go through and experience. She hadn’t thought Anakin a lonely child, not with the friends he made in Mos Espa, but she’d always known that Anakin had a wandering spirit, ill-suited for Tatooine. If he liked to imagine an older man from a strange world hiding in the caves of the Wastes, then she wasn’t going to say anything.
“You have been leaving him food, haven’t you, Mom?” Anakin asks, almost accusatory. “I told him to expect you and everything.”
No. Shmi has not been traveling to the edge of the Wastelands every day during her precious few hours of free time in order to leave food to be picked apart by womp rats and desert critters and not her boy’s imaginary friend.
“Ani,” she says cautiously, quietly, “we cannot...we won’t be able to bring Ben with us when we go.”
Anakin, predictably, does not react well. “Why not!” he yells, backing away from her even further and looking as if she is the enemy. “Padme’s fine with it!”
“Aren’t you a little old for imaginary friends?” Shmi asks desperately, feeling cold suddenly even though the heat of the mid-morning sun has not abated at all.
If anything, her son looks more offended. “He’s not imaginary! Saying...saying that he’s not coming with us...is...is a bunch of poodoo!”
“Anakin!” Shmi gasps.
“Come on,” her boy says forcefully, grabbing at her hand and tugging her towards the door. She gets on her feet reluctantly and has half a mind to pull back just because he needs to learn that this sort of behavior is not okay, war hero or not. “We’re going to buy you from Watto. And then we’re going to go visit Ben!”
---
Buying her freedom takes less time than Shmi Skywalker ever thought it would. It feels distant as well, as if it’s happening to someone else.
It doesn’t help that her Ani is impatient and surly by turn, spilling the coin out onto Watto’s counter and barely waiting for him to finish counting it before he’s looking at the price of renting a four-person speeder parked outside.
“You won’t survive out there on your own,” Watto sneers, even as he’s passing her the kill-switch of her own slave chip. “Days. It’ll be days until the Hutts find out there’s a newly freed slave with no connections out there in the open. Ripe for the pickin’.”
Watto doesn’t have to tell her any of this. She knows. Gods, does she know.
But Anakin seems so sure about possessing the favor of the Queen of Naboo, or at least her handmaiden, which might be close enough to the same thing. She thanks Watto--she thanks him and then doesn’t even know why--and meets Anakin outside.
He’s bouncing around the speeder, little hands clutching his satchel to his chest. “Good!” he says when he sees her, hopping onto the machine and putting the parcel between his feet. “I got Ben something called a fig on Naboo, but I don’t know how long it’ll take for it to go bad. Apparently they’re sweet.”
Shmi goes along with it. Shmi doesn’t know why she goes along with it, but she does. She can see this is important to her boy, and though she’d rather spend the afternoon and early evening saying goodbye to her friends, she will allow Ani to say goodbye to his imaginary friend. Maybe she’ll even talk to it. “Hi, hello, I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed the imaginary blue milk and delicacies I’ve left out for you this past week and half. Oh no, it was no bother. My son insisted.”
The ride is quick--Anakin has always been a driver to push the limits of any engine he comes across--and before she knows it, he’s dismounting on a piece of desert and rock that look exactly the same as the last four pieces of rocky terrain they’ve past.
“Ben!” Ani calls, satchel clutched firmly in his hands as he makes his way deeper into the crevices of the landscape. “Ben, it’s Ani! I’m really sorry that I left! Ben? Ben! I’m back now! Ani’s back!”
It’s actually...quite pathetic, to watch her boy speak so pleadingly to the cold stone faces of the rocks around them, but if this is what he needs to do to say goodbye to his life on Tatooine, Shmi won’t say a word.
“Ben--” Anakin draws in a breath to call again, but then there’s movement out of the corner of Shmi’s eyes, and something jumps from the rock down to land on her boy.
She screams and darts forward, but the thing on top of her son snarls at her in guttural warning.
“No, Ben,” Ani coos, stroking at the face that yes, is human, now that it’s not in unnaturally fast motion. “That’s my mom, Ben.”
Ben--Ben??--growls anyway, pinning the boy--her boy--beneath him with his legs and arms.
“She’s fine,” Ani murmurs gently, one hand reaching up to stoke over the beginnings of a beard on Obi-Wan’s face “Oh Ben, I’m sorry.”
The man on top of Shmi’s child finally looks away from her and at her boy, which is both better and worse.
“Ani,” Ben drawls out, as if the word--or perhaps forming the word--hurts him.
Anakin is happy. Shmi can tell he’s happy without even being able to see much of him. It’s like the very air vibrates with his joy. “Yes!” her son says. “Ani. Ben.” He taps the man’s chest. “Ben. Ani.”
The man buries his head into Anakin’s hair, hands rubbing up and down his sides and his arms and his face.
Shmi needs to say something, wants to say something about this strange man touching boy like he owns him, but the memory of his growl and the flash of his golden eyes stops her from stepping forward.
“Anakin, get away from him,” she hisses instead of stepping forward and tearing the stranger off of her son. She has the distinct feeling Anakin wouldn’t let Ben go anywhere, not with the way his little hands are holding so tight to the man’s shoulders. The man’s shoulders that are covered with one of her old tunics that Anakin had told her became unsalvageable after its last wash.
“No,” Anakin says, tightening his hold on his...friend. “He says you didn’t give him food the entire time I was gone! He’s hungry.”
Shmi thinks there’s a very good possibility that this Ben is going to eat her, but she knows not to say anything of the sort. Not when it’s two against one.
“He hasn’t said anything!” She cries instead.
Anakin huffs at this and pats at the feral’s head. “Maybe not to you, but he talks to me.”
Shmi stares at him and wonders if there’s something she’s supposed to be doing or saying here. The man won’t allow her to tear him off her child, she knows that automatically. But she can’t--she doesn’t know--
“Anakin,” she tries, desperately.
But Anakin doesn’t even look at her, too busy petting over the man, who has at least allowed him to sit up. “Hey, I’m sorry, I thought she would,” he tells him in an undertone. “I really thought she would, but I’m back now. I’m not going anywhere without you again--”
He extends his hand and Ben presses his cheek against it with enough force that it pushes him back slightly.
“You’re coming to Naboo with us, Ben,” Anakin promises, clutching at the ends of the man’s long hair. “Or I’m not going at all.”
To Shmi, it sounds like a threat.
The way her son’s eyes flash an unfamiliar golden color makes her feel cold as a Tatooine night. She shivers, but no one notices.
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shakespearevillain · 3 years
Text
Please, someone tell me to stop writing this. I don’t normally write smut, and none of the actually smutty parts are in this little bit I’m posting, but this piece has captured my interest at the expense of my other writing projects.
Anyway, I’m calling an intervention on myself by posting the first little bit and likely getting disgusted responses.
Spoilers for the end of Critical Role Campaign 2.
----
Essek snuggled up against Caleb. “I’ve been talking with Jester,” he said.
“Oh?” Caleb said, not looking up from his book.
Essek smirked at him. “She told me,” he said, turning Caleb’s face towards his, “that you like to read dirty books.”
Caleb blushed. Essek found it fascinating how, even after so many years together, he could still make Caleb blush with just a few words. “If she’s trying to get you to read Tusk Love,” Caleb said, “know that I’ve already read it and that I don’t think it’s to your taste.” He grinned. “Unless I should be worried about Fjord now.”
“Hmm… He is handsome,” Essek teased, earning him a light slap to the shoulder. He kissed Caleb. “But I think you know that my tastes tend to range towards intellectual equals.”
Caleb smirked and began pressing kisses into Essek’s jawline. “However,” Essek said, holding onto the scraps of his self-control. “I meant to tell you I have a present for you.”
“A present?” Caleb asked, drawing away from the drow so he could look him in the eyes. “Is it --?”
“Yes, it’s a book,�� Essek said, noting with barely suppressed amusement how his lover’s face lit up. He touched the inside of his cloak. “Though, you may find the author is somewhat lacking in skill.”
“Well? Can I see it?” Caleb asked, sitting up straighter and scanning the room for his present.
Essek pulled the book out from underneath his cloak. Caleb greedily grabbed hold of it and began reading the cover. “The Bound Mage,” he said, reading the title aloud. “By…” He bit the inside of his lip.
“By?” Essek asked, as if he didn’t already know.
“Dezran Widogast.” Caleb gently placed the book in his lap. “You wrote a book for me?” he asked.
“I wouldn’t give myself too much credit,” Essek said, averting his eyes so he wouldn’t have to see all the love coming at him at once. “It is smut, but…” He trailed off.
“But?” Caleb asked.
“It’s… educational,” Essek said. “Jester said you like smut that teaches you something. So, I… Well, I read that one book you had.”
“The Courting of the…?” Caleb stumbled on the last word.
“Yes, that one,” Essek said in an effort to avoid further embarrassment. “So, I thought I’d write a version from a Dynasty perspective.”
“And,” Essek interrupted as Caleb began opening the book, “I may have drawn from… Well, the two of us star in it,” he said. “Or, versions of us star in it.”
“Are you going to let me read this or not?” Caleb asked, his hands vibrating with excitement.
Essek flopped against the bed, throwing an arm over his eyes. “Very well,” he said. “Just… I love you. And I’m not a writer.”
“Noted,” Caleb said before pressing a kiss to his lover’s elbow and cracking open the book.
---
Essek looked down at the bound man. He was pale and thin and covered in muck from the road. His beard and the long, scraggly hair on his head obscured most of his features. “You say he has magic?” Essek asked in his most bored tones.
The goblin slaver nodded enthusiastically. “Very magical. That’s why we keep him tied and awake. He hasn’t slept in four days.”
“Interesting,” Essek said as he looked down at the filth-caked human. The exhausted creature looked up at him. For a moment, Essek was struck by the human’s eyes. Despite a film of exhaustion, they were blue and piercing. Were he back in the Empire and not bound in a slaver’s tent, Essek suspected that the man would be able to command a room with those eyes.
“You did not gag him,” Essek noted. “Are you not afraid of verbal spells?”
The goblin slaver chuckled. “He’s too tired for that,” he said. “Four days on the road and no sleep will do that to a human.”   
Essek nodded. He should have guessed that, but he didn’t often deal with slave traders. Desperate times had called for desperate measures. “How much do you want for him?” he asked.
“Forty gold pieces.”
Essek sighed. Of course, the goblin was going to try to upsell him. 
--- 
“Upsell you?” Caleb complained.
Essek sighed. “At this point in the story,” he said in the same patient tone he used when explaining a complex dunamantic spell, “your character is a half-dead mage being sold to me for forty gold pieces. The standard price for a male slave in good physical condition is twenty-five.”
“How do you know this?” Caleb asked.
Essek removed his arm from over his eyes and looked into Caleb’s. “Do you really think slavery exists only in the Empire? That I never worked with people who used slaves?”
“But did you--?”
“No,” Essek said firmly. “But I know of the practice.” He put his arm back over his eyes, vaguely wishing he could tear the book in two before Caleb could read any more. “Also, it’s a narrative device so that you are forced to interact with me when otherwise you wouldn’t. Before I had… Well…”
“Met the Nein?” Caleb suggested.
“I was going to say you, but I suppose your friends helped as well,” Essek said. “And, if this is going to be educational, I can’t have you be an assassin who gets unmasked and pawned off to a general. First of all, in reality, you’d be locked in the Dungeon of Penance until you were made to talk, which doesn’t give you much of a chance to sightsee. Second, our meetings would be brief, confusing, and painful, which doesn’t make for very good smut.”
Caleb shrugged. “You could keep me guessing, I suppose.”
“Third,” Essek continued, “I… It wouldn’t…” He tried to pull himself together. “The lovers,” he said, deciding to dispense with names until he could get his feelings under control, “would have a hard time getting to know each other if one of them was locked in a dungeon and the other was free to roam the city.”
Caleb narrowed his eyes at him. “Is The Courting of the Crick the only smut you’ve read?” he asked.
“I have read… one or two other similar stories,” Essek said. “And I may be stealing from Rab Lubvi for some of this.”
“Rab Lubvi?” Caleb asked.
“Uh… It translates to ‘the love slave,’” Essek said.  
There was a slight pause during which Essek wondered what it would take to part Caleb with his new book.
“I still think I’m worth forty gold pieces,” Caleb said.
“It’s a device so that… Oh, just keep reading. I’m going for a walk.” Before Caleb could say anything, Essek got up and left the room.
---
“I’ll give you thirty, and you’re lucky I don’t try to haggle you down to twenty.” He gestured at the cuts on the man’s face and arms. “I’ll have to pay a cleric to get him healed.”
The goblin eyed him suspiciously. “Thirty-three.”
“Deal,” Essek said, quickly counting out the coins and putting them into a leather satchel. He tossed the satchel to the goblin before hoisting the man to his feet.
“Speak,” Essek said to the human as he got to his feet.
The human blinked at him. “Was solle ich…?”
“In Common. I know that you know it.”
The blue eyes pierced through him again before their owner turned them away. “Tut mir lied,” he said. “Ich kann nicht—”
Essek grabbed the man’s bearded chin, forcing his mouth shut. “Du kannst nicht… Was?” he asked.
The man’s eyes widened, some of the sleepiness leaving them.
“Yes, I speak your tongue,” he said, releasing the man’s chin. “But if you know what’s good for you, you won’t force me to use it,” he added in Zemnian.
He watched the man debate something in his head. Finally, he croaked out, in a thick, Zemnian accent, “Yes, sir.”
“Good,” he said. “You’re learning.” He pulled on the leather strap that kept the wizard’s hands bound together. “Come along,” he said, already floating towards the east side of the city. “We need to get you cleaned up.”
The man didn’t respond, instead choosing to quietly walk behind him.
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vet-and-wild · 3 years
Text
Musings on Exotic Pet Ethics
That big cat post going around and all the discussion in the notes has me musing about the ethics of exotic pet ownership. I have lots of small exotics, and I see them in practice too. I love my pets and work hard to give them enriching lives, but at the end of the day, my ownership of them is just selfish. And really, it’s true for all pets. That doesn’t mean pet ownership is bad, but the bs about owning exotics being “conservation” is just not true. We own these animals for many different reasons, but at the end of the day, we have to acknowledge that it’s for our own self fulfillment. Now, pet ownership should be mutually beneficial. We provide food, safety, shelter, and medical care, and get companionship (or sometimes work aka working dogs) in return. It’s when egos or money get involved that things go bad. This is a long post so buckle up for some Thoughts.
I know I’ve addressed this before, but the idea of regulating exotic pets is so incredibly complicated, far more than people realize. It sounds easy in theory; don’t own anything not domesticated. The problem is, many commonly owned exotics have been bred in captivity for generations. Where do you draw the line on domesticated? We’ve been selectively breeding ball pythons for color morphs for decades. Pet skunks are considered semi-domesticated. Fur-farmed foxes are also arguably semi-domesticated. Even animals like hedgehogs, sugar gliders, or parrots could be argued that they have been bred in captivity long enough to be considered “domesticated”. I’m not saying that’s correct, but it makes it messy. Who decides where that line is drawn?
Ok, so let’s regulate “dangerous” animals, or animals that are too difficult to keep safely/properly in captivity. Large constrictors sound scary and 99% of the time are not kept in adequate housing, so let’s focus on them. Burms and retics are popular in the pet trade, so let’s ban pythons. But hold on! That includes ball pythons, Stimson’s pythons, carpet pythons, blood pythons, etc. Whether or not you agree with keeping reptiles in captivity, those are some VERY different kinds of snakes. Ok, well let’s say nothing venomous. WHOOPS now you’ve banned keeping hognose snakes on a technicality! Again, not saying that’s right or wrong, but good luck getting support for a regulation that prevents the keeping of ball pythons and hoggies. Some regulations have focused on banning snakes over a certain size, but the problem is that the people making these laws generally aren’t the ones that know about these animals. I’m not gonna pretend I’d be sad if giant constrictors couldn’t be kept by private owners, but people outside the hobby really don’t have a clue on what a “big” reptile is. I get so many comments on how my 4 ft ball python is “giant”! That’s a small-moderate sized snake, and very reasonable to keep in captivity (in ahem, a large and enriched enclosure). Also, species other than constrictors get over 5 ft (a random cut off for what average people seem to think is “big”), but people are just so terrified of snakes that constrict that they don’t realize that something like a black rat snake could easily fit into the “big” category. And the size regulations never seem to bother with lizards. Good luck finding iguanas in adequately sized enclosures!
Right, so let’s go back to the other point I made above and ban everything that your average person can’t keep correctly. Yay, we made keeping big cats illegal! Except, hold on, now you can’t keep rabbits, Guinea pigs, or any kind of fish either??? Your average person off the street is honestly just as likely to have incorrect husbandry for a rabbit as they are for a marmoset. The number of times I have to explain that rabbits and Guinea pigs need hay, or that Guinea pigs need vitamin C is astounding. And don’t even get me started on fish bowls. Like if someone told me to ban every animal that I see regularly with husbandry issues, we’d only have cats and dogs (well, and even then...). No chickens, rabbits, ferrets, Guinea pigs, chinchillas, or fish, let alone the more “wild” animals like reptiles, amphibians, hedgehogs, sugar gliders, skunks, parrots, primates, etc. Plus, your average person probably can’t handle a border collie. So how to we quantify what is “too much” for an average person, when the average person would probably find most herding breeds or a Belgian mallinois too much? ffs 9/10 German shepherds I see in practice are too much for their owners! Although, this shouldn’t be taken as an excuse to own things like big cats or primates. Yes, average Joe will have trouble with a husky, but I think we can all reasonably say that there’s a difference between a tiger and a dog.
I don’t have all the answers, but I do have some thoughts. I’m sick of seeing exotic pets that are dying from improper husbandry. I’m sick of small exotics being treated like they’re disposable. I’m sick of wild animals being nest-napped and kept as pets (usually justified as hEs A rEsCuE). A leopard gecko with metabolic bone disease so severe that it’s limbs are bending in different directions should be considered animal abuse. That is a real, recent example. And I’m not saying this to make people afraid to seek out vet care, but holy hell if you waited to seek veterinary care until your cat’s legs were literally bending backwards from malnutrition you would definitely face consequences, so why does no one give a shit when it’s a lizard?
One thing that really needs to change is how exotic pets are distributed. A big part of the problem is that people can go to a pet store and buy all kinds of exotic pets without any education. And those exotic pets come from mill-type breeders, so they’re likely inbred, probably diseased, and have shit husbandry. Then, the pet stores give more shit advice to novice owners (AKA a 10-year old me who was told bearded dragons MUST be kept on calci sand...guess how that went?). The fact that you can get a chameleon on a whim is insane. They are some of the hardest reptiles to keep, but they’re charismatic and easily accessible so people get them. And let’s not forget Marshall Farms, who has literally ruined the genetic diversity and health of American bred ferrets. So first things first: get outraged about mill breeding for exotics. We know puppy mills are bad, reptile mills are equally as bad. Make it harder for people to access these animals, because that makes it harder to impulse purchase them.
Reptile shows and shitty breeders are the other issue. Shitty breeders are a problem in every species, and we really don’t have a good solution for stopping them, other than education. I really think that if pet stores couldn’t sell mill bought ferrets, budgies, or snakes in the same way they (as in the big chains) won’t sell mill puppies, we would see some improvements. But then, how do we regulate the rack breeders who have hundreds of animals in barren conditions? There’s no good answer. Ideally, you’d have to prove some kind of education and welfare standards before being able to breed or even buy an exotic pet. Even if it’s a cheap permit, just something to prevent impulse purchases and encourage education. Hell, even $5 and a short course on how to keep the desired species for buyers would probably cut down on impulse purchases by a lot. The minute you require effort before purchase, people will be less inclined to drop money on that really cute baby anaconda that’s sitting right in front of them. By the time they get home the excitement has worn off and suddenly they don’t really feel like doing a bunch of paper work just to get a snake. And for breeders, they should be required to have regular inspections (for ALL species) and better welfare standards, along with more extensive education (vets have to attend a minimum number of CE hours every year, why shouldn’t breeders?). Part of the problem with puppy mills is that the actual minimum standards are exactly that; minimum. I get that we have to have a minimum for regulation purposes, but people will continuously choose to meet that minimum in order to exploit animals for a profit, while avoiding consequences. Because yes, technically there are 200 dogs on the property in cages, but their cages all meet minimum standard size so they are given a legal pass. The minimum needs to be the minimum for an animal to thrive, not survive. And if that’s too much effort/money, then you shouldn’t be breeding that animal. (Here’s a tip: breeding animals ethically and responsibly is never profitable).
At the end of the day, sometimes I look at the animals I see in practice and wonder if it’s ethical keeping them at all. I look at my own pets and feel like nothing I do will ever measure up to what they would naturally experience in the wild (and it never will; that’s the nature of captivity). But captivity isn’t inherently bad (despite what ARAs like to think). We are able to eliminate a lot of the stresses and dangers of the wild and greatly extend the lives of the vast majority of species we choose to keep. I do think it’s reasonable to say that there are some species that just don’t belong in captivity, unless it’s at some kind of zoological facility (and even then, maybe some species will never thrive in our care).
Whether or not you think keeping exotic pets (and the definition of “exotic pet” is another difficult part of regulation) is ethical, we all should focus on better education and animal welfare standards. We need to recognize that as keepers, our desire to keep these animals is inherently selfish. It doesn’t mean that many species can’t thrive in our care, but we also need to think about what’s best for them, and what’s best for them is never going to be a tiny, barren environment. It’s never going to be commercial breeding or impulse purchases. We need to learn from professionals and scientific research, and constantly challenge ourselves to do better.
Everything is not hopeless with exotic pet keeping. We are making amazing strides in nutrition, welfare, and enrichment for so many species. The reptile community is starting to say that barren racks and mass breeding are not ok. People are starting to understand that cub petting is a problem. ffs, even Petsmart told me (for a school project interview) that I can’t put a goldfish in a bowl! I’m seeing more and more owners that do want to do everything for their cockatiel or rat or bearded dragon, and genuinely love them as much as anyone loves their cat or dog. The human-animal bond is an amazing thing, we just need to hold up our end of the bargain and do what’s best for our animals, and not what’s best for our wallets. 
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barnesandco · 3 years
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Little Hands (IV)
Series Masterlist
Communication is key.
This is an entry for @star-spangled-bingo 2021. Word count: 2248. Square filled: “Sung to Sleep”
Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader
Warnings: More Hydra Evilness, More Sad Child, Parental Anxieties. Brief mentions of war, sickness, death, grief. 
A/N: I know 2.2k words isn’t objectively a lot but boy did this feel like it. I hope every word is worth it and that you enjoy! Lmk what you think!!! Also I won’t even lie, the idea of Steve’s kids is 100% from one of my favorite comfort fics, family means no one gets left behind or forgotten, by the genius, the wonderful cosmicocean. IT’S SO SOFT. Pls read it.
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You’re stunned when Bucky tells you what’s going on. The idea that his daughter (?) was made in a lab like some kind of experiment, and that the man who led said experiment now wants her back like she is his property, his weapon, is too horrid to consider for very long. Weaponizing an innocent child. Hydra.
Bucky gave you the broad strokes of the investigation – currently running on little more than educated guesses based on the meagre intel they have – and has let you know that he has had to recuse himself from the case, due to his… personal connection. That leaves him somewhere he finds awkward, to say the least.
It's evident in the way the corners of his lips turn down, how he is constantly rubbing the pads of his fingers against the coarse scratch of denim, while he watches Ana watch Zoya, Steve’s 17-year-old daughter, working on a tablet. Zoya tucks a strand of hair behind her hijab, then continues to draw up a storyboard, narrating the events to the younger girl. Steve had apparently forgotten the lunch his kids had made him at home, so Zoya had brought it in, and decided to stay the day.
Ana’s quiet, attentive for the most part, listening with her full capabilities, but her eyes flit away from the screen every now and then to look at you and Bucky, as if to reassure herself that you’re still there.
Besides that, there aren’t all that many distractions present for an already precocious child. Most of the team has dispersed for the investigation, with the exception of Peter, who is sat at a table in the corner making intentionally fruitless efforts at teaching Morgan chess, while she giggles and tries to stack the pieces like Jenga blocks instead.
However, Bucky’s restlessness is infectious, and you think he needs to get it under check before it grows any further. That’s why you stand, saying, “Could we go for a little walk, Bucky?”
He nods, man of few words that he is, and leads the way. You’re sure he knows that you formulated it like a request for his benefit, but he doesn’t mention it. It’s just as well – that he knows you like that, and knows when to accept the proverbial hand being offered.
Bucky takes you to a corner of the roof that you’d mistake for a community garden if you didn’t know any better. The Avengers seem to have green thumbs, or at least, a significant portion of them do. They’re good with plants, and possessive about them, too. Autumn ferns grow outside the circle they seem to have been planted in – with a sign shouting Wanda! – to invade the territory of a vegetable garden labelled Bruce (accompanied by a Hulkish, green thumbs up presumably not drawn by the man himself).  
Meticulously maintained daylilies and columbines, in vivid reds and vibrant purples, litter the edges of the path that has been carved through this little paradise, and the birdhouses between them stake the claim of the owner more effectively than a neon sign screaming Sam Wilson. Bucky’s told you about his abilities, how they veer into the decidedly supernatural but Sam insists are only the residue of a childhood with homing pigeons.
Nothing here looks like Bucky’s, though. He seems to be taking it in, perhaps thinking about his own little paradise back in the city, and how he’s chosen to keep it distant from that of his teammates. That worries you. He worries you.
And this, the situation with Anastasia, becoming a father, it’s terrifying. Hell, if it scares you this much, how is he feeling? You ask him as much.
“Bucky, are you okay?”
He laughs, softly, disbelievingly, no malice in his scoff, only fear. Only the sound of a voice saturated with consternation and total, complete anxiety. “Would you be?” He asks back.
“That’s why I’m asking.”
Bucky evades the questions, turning first one way on the path, and then the other, approaching the edge clear of shrubbery and blooms alike, resting his palms on the top of the wall.
“I can’t be a father.”
The solemnity in his tone allows no room for negotiations, but then, neither do the facts. “You are,” you reply, somewhat hesitantly, because the technicalities of how Ana came to be are still a little blurry to you. She’s far from a normal child, and not quite a clone, either. She is of Bucky, though. His, in any way that counts.
“That little girl was created in a Hydra lab as a super soldier to serve the cause,” he says, shaking his head vigorously as the cause repulses him even more than it does you. “And who knows what else she was put through before SHIELD fell and Orlov got her out, and it’s my fault.”
“You didn’t—”
“I didn’t ask for it to happen but it wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t happened. They used me to make a super soldier from scratch, and now I’m supposed to raise her? It’s not that simple. I’m not Steve. I can’t…”
Being honest, you feel you’re pretty far out of your depth here. But you’ve promised him your help, and you’ll do your best.
“You don’t have to. There are other options.” You’re sure you’re overstepping. Perhaps this gentle companionship has not yet reached the point where you can give advice on parenting. But if you don’t, who will? Steve, whose answers don’t enter the gray territory Bucky’s mind is residing in right now, who parents like he was born for it?
Steve chose fatherhood. Bucky has been nailed to it like it’s a new cross to bear, heavier than all the previous ones put together.
His gaze roams the grounds that stretch as far as you can see. You’re both far away from home right now, far outside your comfort zones.
“I’m sorry for dragging you into my mess, sweetheart. It’s not right. You have things to do, and I shouldn’t have—”
“Bucky, I’ve been staring at the same four sentences of dialogue for the past month. I literally could not have been happier to get out of the house. Even if I do wish it was under better circumstances,” you say fervently. You’re here because he needs you. Because Ana needs you. It’s nice to be needed.
“That’s one way to put it,” he smiles, and you’re glad to see it.
“Not to mention, it’s not your fault. It’s not anyone’s fault except whoever your team is looking for,” you insist. “And Ana’s a sweet girl. A little quiet, but Baba says I was, too.”
This, Bucky thinks about. You wonder if he was a quiet child, too. “What’s he like?”
“Hmm?” The reverie snaps like a rubber band.
“Your father?” Bucky asks, shyly, his eyes meeting yours, letting you know exactly why he’s asking.
You look up at the clouds, think back to Boston, to time shared between the library and the park. A childhood with books, lunch breaks under a desk in an office at MIT, stealing his glasses and running away with them, rubbing at his stubbly beard like he was a housecat. Inside jokes with your father and rolled eyes with your mother. Laughter and tears, laughter with tears.
After a long while, trying and failing to summarize your father, you say, “A jokester. The most sarcastic person I know. But still kind of neurotic, to be honest. The kind of parent that makes you show up at the airport a full four hours before your flight.” It’s grossly insufficient. For a writer, you’re not very good with words. You suppose it’s not the words that are the problem; it’s the lifetime they have to encompass. “What about yours?”
Bucky sighs. “Soldier. He’s one thing I don’t feel bad for not remembering because it wasn’t Hydra that wiped those memories. He just died when I was really small. Survived the Great War only to be killed by TB a few years later at home.”
“I’m sorry.” You avert your eyes. Grief feels private, even decades later, even in the smallest doses.
He shakes his head, smiles fondly, up at the sky, too, like you did. Only, he’s smiling at it, like he’s thinking of someone beyond the clouds. “Don’t be. Was a long time ago.”
“That doesn’t mean it isn’t allowed to hurt anymore.”
“You sound like my therapist.”
“I sound like my therapist.”
At this, the two of you look at each other and burst into laughter. It feels forbidden, as though the severity of the situation condemns joy. That isn’t fair, you think. The situation is that of a child, and nobody needs laughter more than kids do. Food for the soul.
When the echo of your exhilarations falls, Bucky grows serious once more. “They have them for kids, now, too, right?” He asks, referring to therapists. “Do you think Anastasia should see one? She’s not exactly… normal, you know?”
“Maybe.” It’s a difficult question, but a good indicator of how Bucky is growing to feel about Ana. “You’d make a good dad, if you wanted to be one, Bucky,” you say, and mean it. It’s plain as day that he cares about her.
“I can’t even remember my own.”
“Parental instincts are intuitive, not genetic,” you tell him.
“You been reading handbooks?” He teases.
“You’d be surprised by how much you learn from the rabbit holes you fall down while researching books,” you deadpan.
“Can any of that research get the nightmares out of my head? I think it might scare a kid.”
The self-deprecation hurts, but your response is honest, heartfelt. “She likes you already.”
“She won’t if she thinks I’ve run away,” he answers, straightening up. He might be trying to evade the conversation, but you’ll let him, for now. He’s gotten some fresh air, had some time to clear his thoughts, or sort them, at least. And so you return, to the little girl who has a tighter grip on both of you than you even realize.
------
Ana grows unsettled as night darkens the sky. It could be the ruckus she isn’t quite used to. It could be the toy fire truck Tony has been altering with his utensils to increase its noise output, much to Morgan’s amusement. It could be the actual parrot perched on Sam’s shoulder.
Whatever the cause, she hasn’t succumbed to it enough to make a seat out of the fridge again. She’s sitting in her seat, between Bucky and yourself, eating the hummus Bruce and Wanda have made. Nat discusses sniper scopes with Clint, Peter tries to get away with eating the side of vegetables on Jordan’s plate without Steve noticing, and Bucky eats silently, eyes almost constantly on Anastasia, who takes it all in while her knee bounces up and down with an ever-increasing speed, much like her father’s.
You excuse yourselves soon after dessert, after Morgan has fallen asleep against Jordan’s arm on the couch, and Steve and Tony’s friendly debate is starting to develop the edge it tends to when they’ve been bantering for too long.
Bucky sets up on the sectional in his room, and leaves the ridiculously large double bed to you and Anastasia. It’s been a strange, strange day, and one can only hope that tomorrow brings some ease, a balm for the prickly, fiery ache that has settled over the man you care so much about.
------
When you wake, it’s because of singing. For half a moment, you think you’re in a dream, but as your eyes adjust to the blanket of dark, you see the shadow on the sofa nearby. Only, it’s bigger than just Bucky. Anastasia is sitting on his lap, her head cushioned against his chest. Scrambling for your glasses, and turning on the lamp on the bedside table, you notice that there are trails of drying tears on her little cheeks, and she’s still shaking with the aftershocks of whatever scare she must’ve had during the night.
Not for the first time, you curse your deep sleep that meant you didn’t wake with Ana, but watch in wonder as Bucky sings.
Hush, little baby, don't say a word Papa's going to buy you a mockingbird
And if that mockingbird won't sing Papa's going to buy you a diamond ring
Ana’s eyes begin to close, but she fights the sleep. Bucky doesn’t let her. He lies down, easing her down beside himself, singing all the while.
And if that diamond ring turns brass Papa's going to buy you a looking glass
And if that looking glass gets broke Papa's going to buy you a billy goat
His voice fills the room, low though it may be, and he curls himself around Ana.
And if that billy goat won't pull Papa's going to buy you a cart and bull
And if that cart and bull turn over Papa's going to buy you a dog named Rover
She succumbs to the lull of his tone, his song, his promises, sighs a little sigh, lets the last, little hiccup leave her body.
And if that dog named Rover won't bark Papa's going to buy you a horse and cart
And if that horse and cart fall down You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town
Bucky lifts his hand from where it was stroking the hair at her temple, and lays his arm over his daughter. They’re safe, for now. Together.
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