#I’ve mentioned before a bit but I had a social worker and a nurse and a volunteer coach

[kira-fluff]

Hi!can you do o. What would the RFA react if they know about Mc's dark past?(like family problems and being alone with no friends and getting cheated)

MC with a Dark Past 

Sure! I’ve updated by rules list since you’ve requested so if I did not include one of your favorites please DM me and I’d be happy to include it! :) I chose Jumin, Saeyoung, Saeran as they are frequently requested and this ended up being kinda long! 

TW: Abusive family/relationships, bullying, mentions of weight, eating disorders, cheating (not on MM characters part) 

Jumin 

this man is judgemental 

when it comes to everyone else 

but when it comes to you 

he’d never, EVER judge you for anything 

when you’d at last gained enough courage to open up about your family’s history of abuse 

it felt so shameful 

tears left marks down your cheeks as your face grew scarlet 

trying to shield your tears from him only made you cry more 

you could still remember the commanding voice of your father 

the fear instilled in you 

that made you flinch at the swing of an arm 

or cower when another’s voice is raised 

you couldn’t stand the thought of ever hurting Jumin in that way 

but part of you feared 

what if it was in your blood? 

what if a part of your father still lingered in you? 

were you capable of what he did? 

while these thoughts engulfed your mind, warm arms wrapped around your shaking shoulders 

snaking down to your waist as well-toned muscles embraced you tightly 

his faint musky cologne drifted toward your nostrils 

providing you with a sense of peace and security 

your labored breathing began to slow 

eventually dying down to gentle ins and outs 

he’d whisper, “it’s alright, darling” 

“i’ve got you” 

“no one will hurt you now” 

a part of him has to hold back the boiling anger in his stomach 

that anyone, ever 

would lay a finger on you in that way 

but he knew that you were also so, so strong 

fiercely independent 

and always growing 

so while he knew he wanted to protect you 

and trust me, he will 

he also knew that the real battle 

you’ve already won

Saeyoung 

you felt bad talking about your problems 

especially knowing how deeply he struggled with his own 

but he’d been adamant 

“Y/n, you need to talk to me about this. Please.” 

his golden eyes lay beneath furrowed brows, slightly raised in the center in concern 

there was something in them you couldn’t quite place 

you knew he’d never like you back because, well.. 

no one ever has 

so when it had been eating away at you 

confess, confess, confess to him! 

you’d tried your best to shake your selfish thoughts out of your mind 

looking back, it wasn’t hard to see where it all began 

your mother 

she was your worst critic

not that you had any friends at school to name of 

“I didn’t raise you to be so fat” 

“let’s go on a diet together” 

by the time you were 10, you were enrolled in after school sports activities as well as rigorous academic tutoring 

her screaming still rang in your ears 

“YOU WERE THE WORST MISTAKE I EVER MADE” 

your only ally – Papa – left you 

he left you alone with that woman 

who was supposed to be your mother 

she never hit you 

but her words felt like knives through your heart 

you were so useless, you’ve known that since you were 4 

“If you don’t place this piano recital well, don’t expect there to be much dinner for you tonight. you’ve practically gorged yourself already.” 

you’d accidentally played a natural instead of a sharp 

beads of sweat gathered as you began to panic, more of your sweaty fingers slipping of keys 

just as your mother promised, you went to bed with an empty stomach 

by the time you were 14 you were falling in and out of eating disorders, eventually resulting in a hospitalization

it was the first time you’d ever seen your mother smile

“you’ve finally lost a bit of weight. keep it up.” 

your sunken cheeks and fatigue resulted in a long hospital stay 

ultimately requiring liquid fluids 

your mother tried to tamper with them until a nurse called a social worker 

noticing your tired expression 

an expression a 14 year old girl should never make 

lifeless, giving up

at last, you were swept from your mother’s strings on you and placed into a psychiatric ward before being released for foster care 

foster care wasn’t always great

but your luck at least brought you an adoption at age 16 by a single woman named Kim Ji-woo

you wondered how you ever were lucky enough to have her 

Saeyoung held back for a while before at last interrupting you 

“Y/n –” 

nothing else came out 

besides languishing tears before enveloping you in a tight hug 

hiding his sniffles in the crook of your neck 

he couldn’t manage to say just how much he knew 

just how much he knew what it was like 

but for now

he just wanted to hold you as close as possible 

Saeran 

“Y/n, you can tell me whenever you’re ready. I don’t want to push you.”

you never felt ready 

so you dropped the subject 

he willingly complied 

but his gazed remained on you for quite a while 

he knew the face of suffering, silent suffering, you carried 

he wished he could heal it all away. 

he waited patiently to tell him 

it didn’t actually happen until one night you’d gotten drunk 

he’d carried you home, you on his back 

when he’d carried you into his apartment you were already crying, the sentimental drunk you were 

“I’m such an idiot~~~” 

feeling bad for you, he’d grabbed a cup of water and gently stroked your head 

“he was a mistake” 

saeran’s eyes grew wide, a twinge of hurt as he feared you were talking about him 

“he.. he took my virginity.. and i let him. and- and- and –” you sniffled, heaving, “he cheated on me!” 

Saeran looked at your eyes filled with such anguish 

he’d never felt such a strong urge to wrap you in a tight hug 

but respecting you, and fearing he’d be consider “taking advantage of your drunken state” 

he opted to lightly stroking your head 

whispering sweet words of affirmation 

he’d sat down set to you 

the next morning you both arose from the lumpy couch with sore backs 

you realized you’d fallen asleep 

and awoke to your shoulder asleep, Saeran’s light breathing tickling your ear 

you’d brushed the hair out of his eyes, kissing his forehead 

though you were hung over, you quietly whispered your thanks 

Saeran sighed deeply in his sleep 

he’d worry about you all over again once he realized you had gotten up and were no longer next to him 

#saeyoung choi #saeran choi #saeran x reader #saeyoung x reader #707 x reader #jumin x reader #jumin han #myseme #mystic messenger #707 mystic messenger #mystic messenger zen #mystic messenger 707 #mystic mess #yoosung mystic messenger #mystic messenger jaehee #mystic messenger jumin #mystic messenger rika #mystic messenger saeran #mystic messenger fanfic #mystic messenger headcanon #mystic messenger imagines #mystic messenger saeyoung #mystic messenger fluff #mysme fandom #mystic messenger trash #mysme 707

[xhanisai]

What if you had it all, But nobody to call?

AO3 / FFN

Summary:  "...Am I dreaming?" 

Marinette almost leapt to her feet and turned around, only for common sense and the hammered identity rule to slap her in the face and keep her rooted on the spot. 

Her Chaton was crying...crying. His entire body shook and shuddered as the sound of his quiet gasps filled the tense air, his touch now a raging inferno coursing through her veins.

And she couldn't even bring him into her arms and brush his tears away with her pinpricked fingers.

    ~(x)~

.

.

.

   Ladybug and Chat Noir's abilities were capable of many, many things. Things that were miraculously incredible to say at the very least and beyond scientific comprehension- for goodness sake, how many times have Ladybug brought the dead back to life after the umpteenth distraught puppet villain razed them to the ground?  And how many times have Chat Noir managed to take down La Tour Eiffel with one singular touch, rendering it to nothing but ashes and dust in the wind?  However, as magnificent and majestic as their powers were, not even they were able to prevent the dreaded pandemic that took over the world by a storm and put everyone completely at its mercy.  This time, the heroes that the world needed were those with medical training, scrubs and a vow to the Hippocratic oath.  Mon Dieu, were they such brilliant, resilient heroes indeed.  .  Despite the United Nations worldwide urging all civilians to stay indoors at all times (unless necessary outings were needed) and countries locking down dozens at a time, Le Papillon let it all flow through one ear and out the other. It's as if he has an addiction to sending out akumas left, right and centre as severe as a chain-smoker and the fact that there's an airborne virus that could completely destroy even the most healthiest person was just a muted buzz in the background. 

 Then again, what does one expect from the tunnel-visioned, single-minded, 'father of the year', Gabriel fucking Agreste?

     "There are people literally dying out here and this crusty old man can't even take a hint!?"

   "My Lady, what do we expect from the same man who regularly akumatises M. Ramier?"

 Of course, the teenaged vigilantes had no choice but to risk their safeties as well as their loved ones by sneaking out of their abodes and battling the millionth akuma on the streets. 

   "Chaton...my parents are starting to think I'm constipated. CONSTIPATED."

   "I told you, just use the shower excuse rather than the toilet excuse."

   "But then they'll think I have some sweaty teenaged puberty problem!"

   "Either way it's a bit shit, isn't it?"

   "Oh fuck off..."

 Thankfully, Tikki and Plagg were able to upgrade their traditional superhero suits, extending the masks downwards so that they covered the heroes' lower faces and filtered out the air, keeping them safe as they battled. However, social distancing was a whole new different obstacle that made these very fights thousands of times harder to win.  The numerous events that Chat Noir had to be verbally restrained from going absolutely apeshit on akumas that gave Ladybug a beating that went too far when he could have pushed her away in ordinary circumstances was just insane. The heroine never realised how dangerous her infamous clumsiness could be at times, concluding her completely vulnerable and at the akuma's mercy whilst Chat Noir has no choice but to scream her name in agony a good distance away.  And vice versa.  Oh mon Dieu.    She has had witnessed her poor partner get skewered and burnt alive by the more unforgiving victims too many times, her shaking arms aching to bring his body against hers so that she can feel his heart beating under her touch and lay kisses upon his tousled locks just to ensure her barely sane mind that he was still alive.  That he won't leave her forever.  The pandemic was such a vile curse...  And it made everyone feel so, so alone.  Finally, after months of these life-threatening fights, both physical and internal, both Ladybug and Chat Noir against le Papillon and the doctors and nurses and essential workers against the virus, a new testing system was introduced.

   "I finally got my results! I got negative. What about you, Bug?"

   "I got negative too! Dieu merci...looks like those sniffles I had really was hayfever after all,"

   "You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that, Ladybug. I...I couldn't help but think the worst when you mentioned about the sniffles last week...and I even yelled at you for coming out to battle the other day..."

   "Chat, you only had my best interests in mind...and I would have had done the same. But you can make it up to me, now that we can share a social bubble,"

   "How?"

   "Follow me!"

    .

   "-And now, we can freely grab each other whenever we want and we will be back in sync during akuma battles in no time. Isn't that great? Neither of us has to wallow in guilt or cry because we weren't able to push the other one out of harm's way." Marinette sighed happily, her bare hands squeezing her Chaton's as they both rested their backs against the pillar in between them.  The noir-haired girl couldn't help but let her fingers and thumbs map out every nook, every crevice and every feature of her partner's hands like a desperate lover.  The way that his longer, thicker fingers flexed under her touch and curled warmly against hers, the rough callouses on the palms that indicated years of hard work to whatever sport he's dedicated himself to, the glossy smoothness of his detransform miraculous on his right hand and its ridges poking into her skin and the sweet body heat that emanated from his caresses and sent her entire body aflame.  She missed this.  Dieu, she missed her partner's physical touch so much.

   .

   "...Am I dreaming?"

.

 Marinette almost leapt to her feet and turned around, only for common sense and the hammered identity rule to slap her in the face and keep her rooted on the spot.  Her Chaton was crying...crying. His entire body shook and shuddered as the sound of his quiet gasps filled the tense air, his touch now a raging inferno coursing through her veins.  And she couldn't even bring him into her arms and brush his tears away with her pinpricked fingers.  "Chat Noir?? What's wrong?" She asked, her heart skipping multiple beats when she attempted to move her hands away from his, only for Noir to grip them tightly and entwine their fingers firmly.  A perfect fit.  .  "S-Sorry...heh-I'm not upset," He reassured her, tightening his clasp on her hands lovingly, his lips aching to press against her sweet, bare-knuckles in a sound kiss. "It's just...it's just been a while since I've had proper human contact, My Lady...so I've almost forgotten what it's like to be touched...or touch another..."  Adrien felt her move, rather than saw, his Lady's breath hitching in her throat as she in return sent a squeeze back to him. It was as if his entire being was surrounded by a pool of warmth, lighting up his crushed soul and cleansing his shattered heart. The urge to just turn around and envelope her in his greedy arms was exorbitantly unbearable.   She was right there, just behind him, tempting him with that oh-so-familiar bakery scent of cinnamon and vanilla that he could taste it. Alas, his unwavering sense of loyalty to her rules and his primal feelings to keep her safe kept him chained down.  .  But sometimes, even the most beaten down, the most saddest and the most broken of people can receive a glimpse of hope.

   "Well, now you can have all the human contact you want, Chat. C-Close your eyes and I'll come to you- mine are closed too."

 She didn't give him a chance to answer, using her hands to manoeuvre her way towards him until finally, she found his lap and settled down before bringing him in for a well-needed embrace and burying his head into the crook of her neck. Adrien didn't hesitate in crushing her body against his chest, his arms locked around her waist, one hand digging into her smooth tendrils whilst the other one clenching the fabric of her shirt on the small of her back.  He selfishly inhaled in her scent, his tears saturating her neck whilst she in turn let her fingers tangle with his blonde strands, lips puckered against his nape as she memorised the pattern of his heartbeat in tandem to hers. 

   "How long can w-we stay like this?"

   "As long as you would like, mon Minou..."

.

They stayed like that in the same position, all night.

  .

.

.

~(x)~

#my writing #my fanfiction #ml fanfic #ml fanfiction #miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug and chat noir #ladynoir #ladybug #chat noir #Adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #pandemic #prompt: covid-19

[softestziam]

Lisa, gorgeous!

I have a prompt for you, something like bucky never realising how much he in love with Steve until he sees him with kids at some kind of charity event and his heart just melts 💕💕

LOVE YOU

Love you Bec Boo. I left this open ended so maybe it’ll inspire me to write a continuation. 💕

Bucky huffed as he looked at himself in the full length mirror in his room. He felt like a damn penguin in his suit. It was a small price to pay to be Steve’s plus one for some hospital charity event. His best friend was the head nurse at Brooklyn Memorial and that came with all pomp and circumstance as well. He’d so anything for Steve, since they met back in school yard over thirty years ago. Life kept them apart for a few years due to school but they always found their way back to each other. Bucky sighed as he fixed the loose strands of his hair. He couldn’t stand around and daydream about Steve, even though that was his favorite past time nowadays. With one last look around his room, Bucky grabbed everything he needed and headed out the door and to the subway.

The ballroom was decorated immaculately. Everything was perfect and had a place. The dimmed lights that shined blue and purple, the matching streamers and balloons, too. Bucky was taken aback when he arrived and was escorted to his assigned seat. He felt out of place momentarily, everyone around him was dressed just like him. Suits on the men, ball gowns on the women. He had to keep his bubbling laugh to himself, it all felt a bit much like a high school prom, all that was missing was a DJ playing the worlds worst music for teens to dry hump each other to. A waiter came around and poured him water and placed a glass of champagne in front of him. Bucky hummed his appreciation and nodded towards the man.

His eyes skimmed through the building crowd for Steve. He was supposed to be his plus one after all. He couldn’t be that hard to find, Steve was taller than most people and his voice always echoed in a crowded room. Right on cue he heard that laugh that made his stomach turn into molten lava, make his cheeks flush without his permission. Steve effortlessly made his way around the crowd and right towards Bucky. His eyes were shinning bright in the dimly lit room, his blues eyes an ocean of emotion. The lava in Bucky’s belly got hotter and hotter the closer Steve got.

“Clean up nice, Barnes,” Steve complimented him, sitting down next to him in his assigned seat.

Bucky’s eyes raked Steve up and down and tried to soak him all in. His charcoal suit made his eyes pop, the light blue tie not helping either. “You look amazing umm , I mean, decent looking, Rogers.”

“I try,” he replied with a shrug. “It’s all for the kids, you know? These kids deserve the best.”

“The kids?” Bucky asked, eyebrows drawn together.

“Yeah. You didn’t read the invite did you?” He asked with a laugh. “Course not. This is a benefit for the new children’s cancer wing.”

“Aww fuck, Steve,” Bucky groaned. “You’re going to make me cry tonight, aren’t you?”

“As long as those tears turn into cold hard cash,” Steve joked. “Any amount would really help, Buck. And as my date I can’t have you not contributing.”

Bucky’s stomach tightened at the mention of being Steve’s date, something he immediately wrote off as hunger. Yup, that was it. He was just starving. Where was that waiter?

“Buck-“

“Hmm?”

“Nothing,” Steve shook his head. “I’m going to mingle a little, I’ll be back. Don’t get into trouble while I’m gone.”

Despite Steve disappearing for most of the night, Bucky was enjoying himself. He was sat with people he knew, luckily. Sharon, another nurse who worked alongside Steve. Sam, the hospitals social worker and his girlfriend Natasha. It was good company, occupied his time and mind most of the night. Steve would pop back in and out when he wasn’t talking to the DJ or the caterers or whoever else needed to be spoken to. Bucky knew he wasn’t going to be the center of Steve’s universe that night but it still bothered Bucky that he hadn’t seen him as often as he wanted it. Not that he wanted to spend a lot of time with Steve, nope, not at all. Just a normal size amount of time, like best friends do. Best. Friends. That was all. Okay? Okay.

“How do I look?” Steve asked when he rejoined the table. Smile wide from ear to ear.

Bucky had to grab the table to stabilize himself. Here sat Steve in front of him, in full face makeup, looking like a tiger. They had a face painter set up in the corner and of course Steve participated. He had to suck in a deep breath to get his lungs to work again. “Best I’ve ever seen from you, Stevie.”

“We should put a butterfly on you,” he said, a casual hand brushing against Bucky’s cheek. “Some pink, maybe a little purple, and glitter. Definitely glitter.”

Bucky’s face was not getting hot, absolutely not. The room was stuffy and hot, that was it, thank you very much.

“I’ve got to go,” Steve told him. “The kids have boundless energy. We’re doing a piñata later, come join.”

“I will,” he agreed with a nod. “Go. Have fun.”

Bucky tried to distract his already distracted mind by stuffing his face with all the bread on the table and the endless supply of champagne that was poured into his glass and Steve’s as well. He was making small talk with Sam, Natasha, and Sharon about everything and nothing at all. He could feel his skin tingle every time he heard Steve’s laugh from across the room. He could just picture his face as he did so, head thrown back, his hand either slapping his knee or grabbing his chest, reminiscent to when he was younger and needed to catch his breath after every giggle fit due to his asthma. The more he thought about Steve the more he stuffed his face with anything edible. The DJ announced that it was time for the piñata and Bucky froze, he knew he had promised Steve he’d make a cameo and show his support.

“Hey, Buck,” Steve greeted him when he arrived in the middle of what once was the dance floor. He was surrounded by close to a dozen kids, all their faces painted similarly to Steve’s.

Bucky was immediately in trouble. Steve was crouched down talking to a little girl who’s face looked like Minnie Mouse. She had stars in her eyes while talking to him and Bucky definitely knew that feeling all too well.

“Having fun?” Bucky asked, shifting his weight from one foot to another.

Steve’s smile was wide as he nodded up at Bucky. “Seeing them smile and enjoy themselves makes this whole thing worthwhile.”

The fire in Bucky’s belly was burning hotter the more Steve interacted with the children. The little girl he was speaking to, who was named Sophia, giggled once Steve picked her up with ease to help hit the piñata. He let her down gently and helped smooth out her dress before grabbing another kid to do the same. It was unfair how effortless Steve made everything seem. It was burning Bucky from the inside out. The genuine care Steve gave everyone and everything. This was no how Bucky wanted to realize his feelings for his best friend. Fuck.

“Buck?”

“Hmm?” He hummed, biting his bottom lip, words stuck in his throat. So many words he wanted to say. This was definitely not the place to say them. Absolutely not.

“You’re spacing out on me, bud,” Steve laughed. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

Bucky clenched and unclenched his fists, he wanted to grab Steve and shake him, kiss him, and oh crap, tell him he loved him. “C-can we talk? Like later, just-just the two of us?”

Steve looked at him oddly, his brows drawn together in confusion. “Yeah. Of course. I’ve got to clean up once we’re done so we’ll talk then, yeah?”

#my writing #stucky drabble #darter blue

[patagucci34]

Partners for Life~ Tyson Jost

Warnings: swearing, some playful touching.... 

Word Count: 11k

All you wanted to do was change into comfy sweats, pour a heavy glass of wine, and forget about the awful week you had at work. But of course, there had to be something else to make this day even worse. When you were about 5 minutes away from your apartment it started down pouring. You cursed to yourself and picked up the pace.

Once you were in the comfort of your building, you let out a sigh of relief and made the trek up to your apartment. When you stepped out of the elevator you were met with a smiling face, one that normally would melt all of your worries away, but today, it only helped a little. You forced a smile back when his smile turned into a concerned frown.

"What happened to you?" He asked, stopping in front of you.

"I got caught in the rain on the way back from work."

He nodded and grabbed the bags out of your hands so you could unlock your door.

"Thanks, Tyson." You said with a small smile, hoping he would leave you be now. Normally you would welcome his company, but you really wanted that glass of wine and quiet night in by yourself. But it wasn't looking like that was the case when he strolled over to your fridge making himself at home. But that didn't stop you from wandering down the hall and taking a warm shower. Maybe then he would get the hint?

Nope. When you walked back out to the living room he was cozied up on the couch. A little bit of your annoyance dissipated when you saw the two wine glasses on the coffee table in front of him. So you grabbed one and plopped back into the couch.

"Rough week?" He asked, grabbing the other glass.

"You have no idea."

"I'm sorry, you wanna talk about it?"

"Not really.…" you sighed, "no game tonight?"

"Nah, we're leaving for a road trip tomorrow."

"Ohh nice, where to?"

"We're going to Florida."

"Ugh, I'm so jealous. I would love some nice weather right now."

Tyson chuckled, "yeah it might do you some good. You're looking a little pasty."

You rolled your eyes and pushed him playfully. "I meant mentally, but thank you for that."

"I know, I'm just messing…" he said patting your thigh "…are you sure you're okay?"

You sighed, "yeah, I just had an awful week at work, and my family has been harping on me a lot lately and I'm just over it all."

"I'm sorry, Y/n/N, what's going on at work?"

"My coworkers are just the worst. We had a huge project due this week and it seemed like I was the only one doing anything. And of course they got all of the credit. But it's fine, things should be better next week."

"What about your family?"

"Where do I even start…lately it's just been about me not having a boyfriend. I just don’t understand the fascination with my love life. My cousin is getting married soon and they really want me to bring someone…but like who cares? I'm 23, I don't see the urgency. But I also don't want to get shit for it the whole weekend. I don't know, whatever, it'll be fine, I'm just annoyed right now."

"When is the wedding?"

"A few weeks from now…why?"

"Is it the All Star break?"

"Ummmm…." you said while checking the dates "yes…why?!"

"I could be your date if you wanted…"

"No, Tyson, I can't ask you to do that."

"You're not asking, I'm offering."

"I don't know, Tys…"

"Come on, you'll have good company, you won't have to hear about how single you are…"

"Wait, you want to go as my boyfriend?"

"Well I don't think going as your friend would help…"

"You'd really do that?"

"Yes! I want to."

"Alright.…I don't know if it'll work, I'm not sure my family will even believe me."

"Oh, we can make it believable."

You eyed Tyson suspiciously but then gave in. "Okay…alright. I owe you big time."

"Let's just see how the weekend goes…" Tyson said with a smirk.

The rest of the night was spent watching New Girl. Tyson kept refilling your glass and you ended up pretty tipsy. Before Tyson left he helped you into bed and locked up your apartment on the way out.

~~~~~

The next morning, you woke up with a headache, cursing yourself for getting wine drunk. You loved being wine drunk in the moment but hated the hangover. You also cursed yourself at the thought of the little plan you and Tyson had come up with the night before. It's not that you weren't excited to spend an entire weekend with Tyson, it's just that you were pretty nervous about the whole thing. You had grown very close in your time as neighbors, but it was always just as friends. You'd be lying if you said you didn't have a crush on Tyson, but you always kept it to yourself because you didn't want to ruin their friendship, not to mention you didn't think you were his type. You were also nervous about your family buying their 'relationship'. Not only had you been telling your family that you were still single, but they would never believe that you were dating one of the Colorado Avalanche.

You tried to push it from your mind and focus on getting rid of the hangover. You made your way to the kitchen and guzzled down a glass of water accompanied by a few Tylenol and then rummaged through the fridge to make something to eat.

You posted up on the couch after you ate and watched movies all day. You were able to be a bit more productive on Sunday and cleaned your apartment and went grocery shopping for the week.

~~~~~

You didn't see Tyson until Wednesday night. He had texted you earlier in the day asking if you wanted to get take out. When you got home from work, Tyson was already in your apartment with the take out.

"I could kiss you right now, I'm starving." You said as you dropped your bags on the floor and sat down at the table."

Tyson smirked, "it might be good practice…"

"Oh my god, I actually kind of forgot about that…we should talk about our game plan."

"Yes, I like to excel so I need everything there is to know about your family so I'm fully prepared."

You rolled your eyes, "of course you do…well, I mean how long have we been dating for? I've been telling my family I'm single, but I'm sure I could come up with some excuse why I haven't told them."

"Yeah, it might be kind of weird to take your boyfriend of two weeks to a family wedding…"

"Okay, so how long do you think?"

"6 months?"

"Is that too long?"

Tyson shrugged, "I don't know, I think that's fine."

"Alright, and I think we should stick to saying we met through being neighbors."

"Good idea, less room for slip ups…what are you going to use as an excuse for not telling them?"

"I guess maybe that I wanted to feel things out and also because you're kinda famous?"

"Kinda?! I'm hurt."

You giggled at Tyson's dramatics. "Okay, sorry, you're famous. Fully famous."

"Much better…so let's start with the family lessons. I know you have 3 brothers, Charlie, Ben, and Jack. Your parents are Kate and Steve… but I think that's all I got."

"I'm impressed! Yes, Ben is the oldest, he's a lawyer, he's married to Hailey who is a nurse. Charlie is next, he's a teacher, he's engaged to Casey, who is also a teacher. Then there is Jack, he's in his second year of med school and his girlfriend is Carly, she's a physical therapist. Then my parents, Kate and Steve. My dad is a lawyer, Ben works at his firm. And my mom is a nurse. Do you want me to write this stuff down?"

"No way, I'll get it. Just keep going."

"Alright...the cousin that is getting married is on my dad's side. His name is Tom, his fiancé's name is Lauren. Tom does something with finance, I'm not exactly sure what, and Lauren is a social worker. Tom has one sister, Maddie, she's an aspiring actress…" Tyson stifled a laugh at your face when you said her occupation. "My grandparents are Dave and Shelly, they're both retired, but my grandfather was a lawyer, it’s his firm that my dad and Ben work for. And I think I can just introduce you to everyone else as we go…"

"Alright, got it."

"Do you?" You questioned, not believing him.

"Okay, fine, not yet. But I will."

~~~~~

The next few weeks went by faster than you had wanted. As the wedding grew nearer you became more and more nervous. You had let everyone know that you would be bringing your boyfriend, and of course, the questions rolled in. You told them what you had practiced with Tyson, you weren't sure where things were going to go and didn't want to get their hopes up, and because he's a professional athlete you wanted to make sure everything was sound in their relationship before you went public. Although your mom was upset that you didn’t confide in her earlier, they were happy that you had found a boyfriend. It definitely made you feel guilty for lying, but you were able to get over it.

A few days before you were leaving, you went to Tyson's game. You weren't able to go all of the time, but you had a blast when you did. You had become friends with a few of the WAGs and of course a bunch of the guys.

They were all going out after the game to celebrate the beginning of the All Star break and Tyson had invited you to go so you went down to the locker rooms after the game to wait for him.

"Y/N!" You turned at the familiar voice and smiled and gave Andre a hug.

"Hey, Burky, good game!"

"Thanks, are you coming out with us?"

"I am!!"

"Good, Tys is more fun when you're around." He said, winking. You laughed a bit before a few of the others guys joined and talked about the plans for this evening.

A few minutes later, Tyson came up behind you and wrapped his arm around you.

"Hey, Tys!" You greeted him happily.

"Hey, babe." You rolled your eyes at his choice of words. "What?! I'm just trying to get into character." He defended, which made the guys laugh. They all knew about the arrangement and most of them were hoping this weekend would be the push you needed to actually date.

"You ready?" Tyson asked. You nodded and bid farewells until later.

Tyson drove you back to you building and you split ways to get ready.

"How long do you need?" He asked.

"I'll be ready in like 20??"

"Alright, I'll come over in a half hour." He said chuckling at himself, which caused you to roll your eyes but nod your head and go inside.

An hour later you were making your way through the crowd at the club to find everyone else. Tyson had gone to get them drinks while you sat down next to EJ and Landy. Landy was grilling you about the weekend, him being the number one supporter of you guys actually dating. Luckily he let up a bit on  you when Tyson came back and started in on him.

You kept downing drinks as the night went on and ended up being very drunk. Tyson had to help you through the club and he pretty much carried you to your apartment. He was nervous to leave you alone, so he ran over to his apartment to change and came back to stay with you for the night.

~~~~~

The next morning, you groaned as you peeled your eyes open. You were slightly confused about the arm draped over you because you didn't remember talking to any guys at the club. You relaxed when you looked over and saw that it was Tyson.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty." He said with a smirk.

"Morning….what are you doing here?"

"You were pretty loaded…I was nervous you might throw up in your sleep so I stayed with you."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to get so drunk…"

"I know, it's all good. You just will really be kicking yourself in the car today!"

"Ugh, don't remind me." You said and rolled back over.

"10 more minutes! Then you need to get up and get ready." Tyson reminded.

"Okay, mom." You muffled into the pillow as you fell back asleep.

An hour later you had the car packed up and were on the way. Thankfully, Tyson offered to drive, knowing your current state and just the fact you didn't love driving anyway. You played the music, luckily you had similar taste, so you jammed out for most of the 4 hour drive. You also quizzed him on your family, and just as he claimed, he remembered it all.

Tyson noticed that you had grown quiet in the last half hour. He reached over and grabbed your hand.

"Hey," he started softly, "it's going to be fine."

"I know, I'm just nervous. Even though they're happy I have a boyfriend, they can be so critical and rude. I'm going to apologize in advance for anything that they say."

"I think I can handle them…I'm used to criticism."

"I know…I just, even though we aren't actually dating, you are one of my best friends and I don't want them to scare you off."

"Don't worry about that…I'm not going anywhere." He said and gave your hand a gentle squeeze before pulling it away. You smiled at him and started to realize that this might not have been the best idea for your sake. You had been able to keep your feelings at bay, but this weekend might change that. You push those thoughts out of your mind as Tyson pulls the car into your driveway. You panicked a bit when you saw all of the cars in the driveway. It had been your understanding that Jack was going to be the only of your brothers home tonight and everyone else would be over tomorrow. Tyson noticed your panic and grabbed your hand again.

"What's wrong?"

"My mom told me Jack and Carly were going to be here tonight, not everyone else…"

"Well that's okay, we'll get it over with."

"I know, I just wasn't prepared for this. I'm sorry, I'll stop freaking out."

Tyson chuckled, "don't apologize. But don't worry either, okay? We got this." He reassured you and kissed your forehead. You blushed at the act, you guys had cuddled before and obviously shared the same bed, but this felt different, and it just made you even more nervous.

You both got out and grabbed your bags before approaching the door. You didn't even have time to put your bag down when it burst open.

"Y/N!!! I've missed you so much!" Your mom exclaimed while giving you a tight hug.

"Hi, mom, I missed you too." Once she let go, she turned to Tyson and you introduced the two. "Mom, this is Tyson, Tys, this is mom, Kate."

"Oh, it's so nice to meet you!!!" Your mom exclaimed again, pulling Tyson in for a hug.

"It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Y/L/N. I've heard so much about you."

"Oh, please, call me Kate." She said as she let go. "Well, come in! Everyone's dying to meet you!"

You glanced at Tyson and he winked in return. You followed your mom inside and you put your bags down and went into the living room where everyone was sitting. Tyson put his arm on the small of your back and you leaned into him as you walked into the room.

Your brothers all shot up and surrounded you in a hug, separating you and Tyson. You rolled your eyes but laughed and welcomed their embrace. Once they finally let you go, your dad stepped up and gave you a hug and kissed your cheek. "Hey, baby girl. It's nice to see you."

"It's good to see you too, dad, I've missed you." He gave you one more quick squeeze and let you go so you could introduce Tyson to everyone.

"Well, everyone, this is Tyson…" At this point your brother's partners had joined them. "…Tyson, this is my dad, Steve, Ben and Hailey, Charlie and Casey, and Jack and Carly."

Tyson shook all of their hands as you went down the line.

"It's nice to meet you all." Tyson said with a smile.

"It's nice to meet you too, we're glad she's finally bringing someone home to us!" Your dad joked, causing you to roll your eyes.

"Okay, well, we're gonna bring our stuff upstairs. See you in a few." You said grabbing Tyson's hand and dragging him back into the hallway.

"No funny business!" Your brother Charlie called, laughing at himself. You heard Casey scold him and smiled to yourself.

You led Tyson to your old room, telling him you'll give him a tour once you put your bags down.

"That wasn't so bad…" He said as you plopped down on the bed.

"Yet…it's been 5 minutes."

Tyson chuckled and cupped your face with hands, "hey, what did I tell you? Stop worrying."

"I know, I know. I just can't help it."

"Come on, let's go. I'm ready for the grand tour." He said taking your hands and pulling you up. You sighed, but obliged and led him out of the room.

"….and this is the kitchen!" You said as you finished the tour. Your mom smiled at the two of you as you entered the room.

"Your home is very beautiful, Kate." Tyson said to your mom.

"Oh, you're too sweet…do you mind helping me finish up dinner, Y/n/N?"

"Sure. Tys do you want to help?" You asked, not really wanting to throw him to the wolves with your brothers in the next room.

"Yeah, I'll help. What do you need us to do?" He asked sweetly.

"Can you two finish putting the salad together? All of the stuff is on the counter over there."

You nodded and went to the sink to wash your hands and then you and Tyson started cutting up vegetables. You actually were having a lot of fun, Tyson was trying out some of his new jokes on your mom, which she loved. The whole scene felt very domestic, and of course you couldn't help but think about your feelings for him. You were brought back to reality when Tyson gave you a questioning look and mouthed "are you okay?" You forced a smile back and nodded and went back to cutting vegetables.

Once the three of you finished up, your mom called everyone into the dining room for dinner. Everyone took their seats and dug right in.

"This is delicious, mom." Jack complimented with his mouth full. Everyone chuckled and agreed, your mom blushing from the compliments.

"Well, I had good helpers." She said acknowledging you and Tyson. You both smiled and went back to eating.

You were starting to get nervous because your brothers hadn't really said much to Tyson. They had always been very overprotective and tried to scare off the guys you brought around and even though Tyson wasn't actually your boyfriend you were really nervous for what they might say. You knew better than to think that maybe they grew out of that stage, so it just made you more and more anxious for when it was going to come.

You caught Jack's gaze and he gave you a devilish grin. You gave him a warning look but he just shook his head. This was it. It was coming and there was nothing you could do to stop it. You looked at Tyson and he gave you a small smile and squeezed your thigh under the table.

"So, Tyson…" Charlie started "…hockey, huh?"

You shot a glare at your brother but he just smiled sweetly.

"Uh, yeah, I've played ever since I was young."

"How reliable is it to play professionally?" Ben asked this time.

"Ben…" Your mom scolded.

"It's okay, that's a fair question." Tyson defended. "I would say it's pretty secure, as long as I'm playing well and staying healthy."

"What happens if you get injured?" Jack asked.

"Well, if it's minor I'll get treatment until it's healed and then start playing again."

"And if it's not?"

"Well, I guess, I'd be done playing hockey."

"Okay, that's enough." You said glaring at all of your brothers.

"We just want to make sure you're in good hands, Y/n/N." Jack said sweetly.

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself with my own salary, so Tyson's job security shouldn't be of concern." That shut them up for a little, but you knew they weren't done. Not with this dinner and certainly not for the rest of the weekend. Tyson squeezed your thigh again, that definitely being his way of telling you not to get too worked up.

Thankfully, your mom changed the subject to talk about plans for the weekend, but that didn't hold for very long.

"So, Tyson…" Jack started this time "…it must be pretty demanding being a professional athlete, do you even see Y/N that much?" You shot him another glare but he just kept smiling.

"Yeah, it can be, we live across the hall from each other so I pretty much see her whenever I'm home."

"Why does it matter to you how often we see each other?" You asked.

"We're just looking out for you, Y/n/N." Charlie defended.

"Well stop, you're just being rude."

"Alright, let's not fight at the table…" Your mom stated, trying to keep the peace. "Hailey, how are things at the hospital?"

You were thankful she changed the subject again, but you still weren't convinced it would put a total end to the grilling.

And you were right, a few minutes later, Jack spoke up again.

"Tyson, you must have a lot of girls after you, being a professional athlete and all."

You didn't even give Tyson the chance to defend himself before you lost it.

"Are you kidding me right now, Jack?! I cannot believe you would even ask that! Can you not be a dick for like one fucking weekend?!" And you stormed off up the stairs.

Tyson excused himself and followed after you. You sat on the bed, too mad to even cry, which you were thankful for. It was embarrassing enough that Tyson just had to sit through and witness what just happened.

"I'm so sorry, Tys." You apologized as he sat down next to you.

"No need to apologize, Y/n/N. It's not your fault your brother is a dick." You cracked a smile at his comment.

"I just didn't think he'd be like that. They've always been super overprotective, but that was just too much."

"It's really okay. Honestly, I can't say that I wouldn't have asked something similar to my sister's boyfriend. I get it. You're their baby sister, they just want what's best for you. I can take their crap, alright?"

"You're too good." You said with a huff, which made Tyson chuckle.

"Only for you, babe." He said and kissed your forehead. You both settled back on the bed and he tucked you into his side.

A little while later there was a knock on your door. You sat up a little bit and told them to come in. It was your mom.

"Hi, sweetie. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, I just wish Jack wasn't such an asshole."

"I know, I'm sorry, and I'm sorry Tyson that he was acting that way."

"It's okay, I understand, I have a younger sister."

"Well, I think he feels bad he upset you like that…"

"Good." You stated, causing your mom and Tyson to chuckle.

"Alright, well I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Goodnight, you two."

"Goodnight, mom."

"Goodnight, Kate."

"I, um, don't usually freak out like that so, I'm sure it really made them feel bad…" You stated.

"Yeah, now I know to never piss you off."

You laughed at Tyson and cuddled back into his side. "That kind of freak out is reserved for my brothers. You probably won't ever be on the receiving end."

"Good to know." He said chuckling back. "You wanna watch New Girl?"

"Sure, I'm gonna go get changed first."

The rest of the night was spent watching Netflix, cuddled up in your bed. No apology from Jack but you didn't really expect one. He'll probably half ass one in the morning, and you'll forgive him, you always do.

~~~~~~

You were right. When you went downstairs for breakfast, it was just Jack in the kitchen. He looked over at you and held his arms out, signifying a hug. You looked at him and raised your eyebrows, awaiting those magic words.

"Come on, are you really going to make me say it?"

"Yes! You were so awful last night. You really owe an apology to Tyson…"

"Fine, I'm sorry, Y/n/N. I took it too far."

"Yes, you did. But I forgive you…as long as you cool it for the rest of the weekend!"

"I will, I promise."

"Thank you." You beamed and gave him a hug.

"Aww, how sweet!" Charlie cooed as he interrupted you and Jack.

"Hey, I think you and Ben also owe her an apology."

"No way, we didn't take it as far as you did." Charlie defended just as Ben walked in.

"Yeah, I agree, we were pretty mild." Ben agreed.

"Would it really be that bad to apologize to me?" You asked, fully knowing the answer.

"Yes." Ben and Charlie answered at the same time.

You rolled your eyes but went about your business.

"Where is lover boy anyway?" Charlie asked.

You shrugged, "still sleeping."

"Not out for an early morning run?" Jack teased, you rolled your eyes again.

"Stop!! You said you'd cool it!"

"Relax, I'm just teasing."

You rolled your eyes as you sat down at the table and your brothers joined around you.

"But seriously, Y/n/N. Are you happy?"

"Yes, Ben, I'm very happy. He's really good to me."

"Okay good, then we're happy. But as soon as he does something to hurt you…he's done for."

"I know, I know. Although…he is a professional athlete, are you sure you could take him?" You teased.

"Please, it's no contest." Charlie defended which made you laugh.

Just as he was about to throw a grape at you, Tyson walked in the kitchen.

"Good morning, Tys!" You called from the table. He came over and sat next to you and greeted your brothers. "Are you hungry? I can make you some eggs, or we have cereal, I could make pancakes?"

"How come you didn't offer to make any of us that stuff??" Jack whined. You just rolled your eyes and looked back at Tyson.

"I'll have some eggs, but I can help you." He said and the two of you got up and started cooking.

Everyone else ended up joining you in the kitchen so you ended up making breakfast for everyone else too, but you didn't mind. It was fun to hang out with everybody and you were glad that your brothers were done with third degree.

After breakfast you and Tyson went back upstairs to showered for the day. You wanted to show him around your hometown and have a chill day because the next two days were going to be filled with wedding stuff.

When you walked back into your room after your shower, Tyson was lying on the bed looking at his phone. You were just in a towel and while you and Tyson were pretty comfortable with each other, you expected him to go take his shower so you could change. He looked up at you and smirked when he saw your attire.

"You gonna give me a show?"

"Tyson!" You cried. "We're at my parents…and it's 10 in the morning."

"So you're saying you would though?"

"Seriously, that's what you took from that?"

Tyson smirked at you and moved to get off the bed. You watched him as he rummaged through his things and then started to move past you to go to the bathroom. Just as you thought you were safe, he slapped your ass and hurried out of the room. You gasped, though it wasn't very hard, you were not expecting that. You wanted to mad but you couldn't help but smile. If he wanted to play it like that this weekend, you were gonna give it right back.

You decided to only get half-dressed to start…you put on a sexy bra and super cheeky underwear. Once satisfied with your look, you laid down on the bed and waited for Tyson to come back. You didn’t have to wait long, a few minutes later you heard him opening the door.

"Hey, do you know if there is anymore-- whoa." You smirked at the thought of Tyson's face, you couldn't see because you were lying on your stomach so your ass was showing. What you didn't bargain for was for him to be so composed and not let it get to him. So just as you were about to turn around to see what he was doing, you felt a much harder slap to your ass.

"Ow, Tyson! What the hell!"

"Hey, you put your ass out here like that…I can't help it." He smirked and plopped down next to you.

"You're the worst." You grinned as you got up to finish getting dressed.

"You ready?" You asked a little while later after both of you had gotten dressed.

"Yes ma'am, let's get to it. Lots of history to see."

"History? I would hardly call this town historical."

"Yeah, your history." He said with a sweet smile. Your heart melted and you were really starting to wonder if you would make it through this weekend.

You started off by showing him the spot where everyone went to party, you didn't stay long because it was pretty cold, but he thought it was funny that a random spot in the woods was where you used to get drunk. "Hey, you do what you gotta do in a small town." You defended before moving on. You then took him by the high school, you couldn't really spend much time there either because kids were in school. Next you brought him 'downtown'. You walked around going into different little shops and boutiques. Then you brought him to your favorite place to eat for lunch.

The two of you talked a lot about high school and how different it was for both of you. You had never really talked much about your past during your friendship so it was nice to get to know each other a little better.

"So, tell me all about high school Y/N." He said once the two of you had ordered your food.

You sighed, "what do you want to know?"

"I don't know…were you popular? A jock? A nerd?"

"I mean…I guess I was popular…I played sports, I wouldn't identify as a nerd but I did do well in school…"

"Wait you played sports?"

"Yeah, soccer, hockey, and lacrosse."

"I'm sorry, what? You played hockey?? How come you never told me?"

"I don't know…I guess it never came up."

"We talk about hockey all the time…"

"Yeah, you playing hockey…professional hockey…not high school girls hockey. Besides, I really wasn't very good soo..."

"So what?! I can't believe you didn't tell me…I'm taking you skating as soon as we get back to Denver so you can show me your moves."

You shook your head, "nope. No way."

"Why not?!"

"Because I'm really not very good, and that's why I've never mentioned it because I knew that you would make me go skating with you."

"Oh come on, I seriously doubt you're that bad."

"Compared to you, yeah, I am."

Tyson rolled his eyes. "You are so ridiculous…so what else did you do in high school?"

"Well, I was in chorus…and don't ask me to sing for you because I will not be doing that."

"Come on, you're no fun." Tyson whined.

You laughed at him and shook your head, "yeah I guess I left all of it here."

"Anything else that I don't know about you that you want to share with me?? Crazy ex boyfriends?? Girlfriends??"

"I guess I should probably tell you…I do have an ex who will be going to the wedding…we dated for a few years but he was kinda shitty.."

"Shitty?"

You sighed, not really wanting to get into it but you knew that you should give him an explanation because you really didn't know what would happen this weekend. "It was a pretty unhealthy relationship…of course I didn't really know that at the time. It wasn't until I went off to college that I started realizing that something was wrong. I tried to end things while I was away but he wouldn't really let it happen so I tried again when I went back home for break and he, like, freaked out…and um, hit me, so I called my friend to come get me… I was able to get out of the relationship with some help but nothing ever really happened to him because I guess he was having drinking issues…"

"Wait, he hit you…and your family is still bringing him around?"

"Yeah...my uncle is really good friends with his dad so…"

"I'm so sorry, Y/n/N…are you gonna be okay this weekend?"

"It's okay.…it's been a few years now. I haven't really seen him much, I usually avoid the gatherings he goes to. I'm not really sure what will happen this weekend…"

"Well I won't leave your side the whole time. I'll protect you."

"Thanks, Tys. I'm actually so thankful you came with me this weekend."

"Of course. You do so much for me all the time…it's the least I could do."

Even though he meant that in the best way possible, and despite all of the flirty comments and advances, it just reinforced that he really was just here as your friend.

You spent the rest of lunch talking about random stuff. Tyson took his phone out and started taking a picture of you.

"Stop! What are you doing?" You said covering your face.

"Put your hands down!! This is great lighting. Smile, look cute."

You relented and let him take your picture. "You better not put that anywhere."

Tyson smirked, "too late."

"Tyson! I’m gonna kill you." You checked your phone and sure enough he tagged you in his Instagram story.

"It's fine, you look really pretty!"

"Okay, but you have so many followers! They're going to think we're dating."

"We are...aren't we?"

You rolled your eyes and focused back on your food.

"I can take it down if you really want me to, but that might look extra sus."

"No, it's fine. I just will kill you if you do it again."

There wasn't really much else to show him so after you finished you headed back to your parent's house.

Your parents were the only ones home so you greeted them and headed up to your room. Tyson went to the bathroom so you took the opportunity to change into some comfy clothes and put on Netflix. You didn't acknowledge him when he walked back into your room but he had the same idea you did, he stripped down and put on some sweats before lying next to you in bed. Normally you would snuggle up next to him but you decided you needed to start distancing yourself a bit otherwise you were going to end up getting hurt.

You ended up falling asleep and woke up an hour later and woke up with your head on Tyson's shoulder. Figures, you knew that would happen. You turned your head and noticed that he was asleep too and he had wrapped his arm around your waist. You sighed as you grabbed your phone from your nightstand and settled back into bed, not wanting to wake him up.

You opened Instagram and were met with hundreds of notifications. Luckily, you were private, but you had a ton of follower requests. Thanks, Tyson. You scrolled through them, most of them being random girls, a few cute guys that you took the chance and let them follow you. There were a few people with the little blue check mark, mostly other guys in the NHL, but one in particular caught your eye. Mat Barzal. You knew that Tyson was friends with him, and you'd be lying if you denied thinking he was attractive. You had always had a little crush on him, so you accepted his request and kept scrolling through. A few minutes later, you received a DM from Mat. Your heart started racing as you went to open it.

Tyson didn't tell me his neighbor friend was so cute ;)

Okay, now you were freaking out, you did not expect that. Obviously Tyson had told him that he was going to a wedding with you. But it was also more proof that Tyson thought of you as just a friend. I mean, he would have told Mat that he liked you, right? You were interrupted from your thoughts by Tyson shifting next to you.

"Who's that?" He asked groggily.

"Um, no one." You said quickly exiting out of Instagram.

"Obviously not." He said grabbing your phone from your hand and getting out of bed.

"Tyson! Give me my phone back."

"I just want to see who's DMing you." You tried grabbing it from his hands but he held you back with one arm. "Mat?" He asked, growing serious.

"You're the one who posted the story…I'm getting lots of requests from guys in the NHL."

"But Mat?"

"You're acting as if I have any control over this."

"You know he's my friend right?"

"Tyson, he messaged me, I don't know what you want me to do."

"Are you gonna respond?"

"I don't know, I don't really know what to say back to that."

"Do you want to?"

"Well I don't want to be rude, but if it's going to bother you I guess I won't."

"No, I'm sorry, you can respond. I guess it just caught me off guard." He said giving you your phone and leaving the room.

You huffed and sat down on the bed. You were so confused. Why would Tyson react like that if he just liked you as a friend? This weekend was really messing with your head and you were kind of regretting bringing him with you. You had already accepted that you should get over your feelings for him, but now you were worried that it was going to mess with your friendship.

You contemplated what to say back to Mat. You didn't want to upset Tyson but you also didn't want to leave him on read, it might be kind of awkward if you guys ever met in person.

Tyson came back a few minutes later and seemed to be in a little bit of a better mood.

"Did you respond?" He asked, sitting down next to you.

"Not yet, I don't know what to say…any ideas?"

"You wanna mess with him a bit?" He asked with a smirk.

"I don't know, Tys, I don't know him."

"But I do…he'll think it's funny."

You sighed and handed him your phone, "fine."

Tyson took it happily and started typing away.

"What are you saying?" You asked, trying to look over his shoulder. He moved the phone so you could see it.

You know Tyson?

You looked at Tyson quizzically, "where are you going  with this?"

"I'm gonna make it seem like you don't know who he is."

"Tys, that's just mean."

"Relax, it'll be fine."

You only had to wait a few minutes before he replied again.

Wait, Tys hasn't mentioned me?

Tyson started laughing when he read it and you just rolled your eyes, wishing you had never agreed to this.

No…sorry :( Tyson cackled as he sent back,

"It’s not as funny as you think it is, you know."

"Oh, it's hilarious."

Damn, well then I guess I'm gonna have to get you to fall for me all by myself

You laughed as you watched Tyson react to the response.

"Guess that didn't work as well as you thought it would." You teased, grabbing your phone.

"Wait, let me say one more thing!!"

"No, you've done enough. I'm telling him it was a joke."

"You are absolutely no fun." Tyson whined.

You shrugged, "sorry!"

Hey, I’m so sorry, Tyson saw that you DM'd me and thought that it would be funny to mess with you…

I know who you are haha

Of course he did…what a relief though, you are very pretty I would love to meet you sometime :)

I'm sure we could make that happen…as long as Tyson doesn't get in the way.

"What are you saying?" Tyson asked when he saw you grinning at your phone like a teenager.

"Why must you know everything?"

"Because you're both my friends…"

"Fine." You said and showed him what you said. "Looks like you have to introduce us."

Tyson rolled his eyes, "we'll see."

You chose to just ignore him because you didn't want to argue anymore.

"We should probably go socialize…" You said sighing and getting up.

Tyson let out a sigh too and rummaged through his things to find a shirt to put on. Once he put one on the two of you headed downstairs.

Your mom, Casey, and Carly were in the kitchen getting started on dinner. You asked if they needed help but they said no so you went into the living room where your dad, Jack, and Charlie were all watching TV. You took the open loveseat and Tyson put his arm around you and you cuddled into his side. Although things were a little weird between the two of you, you had to keep appearances up. There wasn't much talking going on, although you were glad that your brothers were being pleasant with Tyson.

Tyson was focused on the TV while you were scrolling through Twitter. You hadn't even noticed that Tyson was now looking at your phone with you until he squeezed your shoulder and laughed at the tweet you just liked. You relaxed a little bit more in his arms, glad that things were becoming more comfortable again.

Dinner was much better than it was the night before. Everyone was laughing and making jokes, no one was grilling Tyson…

You helped your mom clean up while everyone else went into the living room to set up for a game of charades.

"So, how are you?" Your mom asked.

"Um, I'm good…why?"

"What? I can't ask how you are?"

"Well, you can, it just seemed a little out of the blue."

"I haven't really had any time alone with you…"

"I know, I'm sorry. I just worry about leaving Tyson alone with them…"

"How come you never told me about him?"

"I told you mom, I didn't know if things were serious or not, and we wanted to keep it kind of private, hockey fans can be crazy."

"I know, but I'm your mother. I want you to feel like you can tell me things like that."

"I do mom, I really do. I'm sorry, I should have told you earlier."

"Things are good with you two?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Things seemed a little tense tonight…"

"We just had a little disagreement earlier, but it's all good."

"Okay...he seems like a really great guy, Y/n/N, and the way he looks at you…it reminds me of how my father looked at my mother…he's really in love with you sweetie. I hope this works out for you two."

You smiled sweetly at your mom and gave her a hug, even though that was the last thing you wanted to hear right now. At this point, you had stopped getting your hopes at little signs because they never ended up meaning anything.  

Once you were finished cleaning up, you and your mom joined everyone else in the living room. You sat down next to Tyson and he put his arm around and kissed the side of your head. You were not looking forward to this game, your family was very competitive, and although you knew Tyson was too, it could get out of hand pretty quickly.

You were split into two teams, thankfully you were with Tyson, Charlie, Casey, and your dad. Jack and Ben are the worst to have on your team because they are the most competitive and they get super pissed when you're not performing well. Your dad and Charlie were also really good at charades so you'd probably win.

It actually ended up being a lot of fun. Thankfully, Jack and Ben didn't get too worked up and of course everyone was drinking so everyone was laughing and having a good time. Your parents called it quits when Ben and Hailey left to go back to their house. The rest of you stayed up and talked for a while before everyone slowly tucked in for the night.

When you and Tyson finally laid down you were exhausted.

"Well tonight went much better than last…" Tyson said, pulling you closer to him.

"Yes...thankfully. I was a little nervous, Jack and Ben can be a little crazy when it comes to games."

Tyson chuckled, "you're one to talk…"

You scoffed, "hey! I am not that competitive."

"Um, I have a monopoly board that would say differently."

"Oh my god, okay, I was really drunk…I don't usually get like that."

"Whatever you say…"

You shook your head and reached over to turn the lamp off.

"Do we have to be up early tomorrow?" Tyson asked.

"No, I don't think so. I think we have to be at the church by 3."

"Perfect, I want to sleep in, I'm exhausted."

"I know, me too."

"Are you gonna sleep in?" He asked, wrapping his arm around your waist.

"I'm gonna try…why?"

"It was hard to keep sleeping once you got up…"

"You want me to stay in bed until you get up?"

"Pretty please?" He asked, sticking his lip out.

You shook your head and chuckled, "yes, I can do that, but not if it's super late!!"

"Okay, deal. Night, Y/n/N."

"Goodnight, Tys."

The next morning you were kicking yourself for the deal you made. You were so tangled up in Tyson it was going to be impossible to even move. You tried to carefully grab your phone so you could see what time it was. 9 am. You relaxed and began checking all of your social media. You were careful to avoid your DMs, you didn't want him to wake up and see anything that would upset him. Although you still wanted to know why he actually cared so much about Mat messaging you.

A little while the arm around your waist tightened and Tyson's head poked up.

"So much better when you're in bed with me." He said groggily. "…just wish we were naked."

"Tyson!" You said shooting up to a sitting position. You looked over at his smug little face. "You are such an asshole."

"You love me." He shrugged, putting an arm around you.

You rolled your eyes, "you disgust me."

You laid there quietly for a few minutes before Tyson spoke up again, "you ready for today?"

"Pretty sure that should be a question for the bride…"

“`Yes but the whole reason I’m here this weekend is to help you get through it.” “Okay, yeah...I’m sure it’ll be fine. Seeing you with me should shut everyone up.”

A smug grin appeared on Tyson’s face, “I can’t argue with you there…”

You shook your head and laughed before growing serious again. “I just am a little nervous about seeing Jake...I don’t know if he’s still drinking and I’m worried he’s going to cause a scene.”

“Well if he does than fuck that. It won’t be your fault either so don’t feel bad if he does.” “I know, it’s just, everyone has always pitied him and let things slide because he’s an alcoholic. I just don’t think my family will see it as his fault...they’ll blame it on me for bringing some new guy around even though that’s all they talk about. I just can’t win with them.”

“Okay, well let’s not get too ahead of ourselves here. Hopefully everything will be fine and we won’t have to worry about it. If it does, we’ll deal with it then, okay? Just try and relax and have fun. Weddings are supposed to be fun.”

“I know...thanks, Tys. I know I keep saying this but I really do appreciate you being here with me.”

“And I will keep telling you that it’s no big deal, sweets.” You smiled as he kissed your forehead. You were quiet for a few moments before he spoke up again. “So...have you heard from Mat at all?”

“Not since last night…” You said softly while Tyson just nodded. “Why?” Tyson shrugged, “just wondering.” You gave him a pointed look. “What? I am!”

“How come you seemed so upset about it last night?” “I didn’t mean to seem upset, I just, I don’t know, it caught me off guard. But I know you think he’s attractive so go for it I guess.” He said enthusiastically.

“Okay, well I don’t care what you say, it clearly bothers you in some way, so I’m not going to talk to him.”

Tyson rolled his eyes but didn’t argue so you figured that meant there was some truth in your statement.

You laid in bed for about another hour talking about random stuff before you got up to shower and start getting ready.

“Alright,” you started as you untangle yourself from Tyson, “I’m gonna get in the shower.” “Wanna save some water and shower together?” He asked with a cheeky grin, grabbing your wrist to keep you in place.

“Absolutely not.” You said as you shrugged his hand off of yours and walked out of the room.

Tyson looked up when you walked back into your room. He opened his mouth but you cut him off before he could even say anything.

“Whatever you’re about to say, the answer is no. Go get in the shower.”

Tyson pouted, but did as he was told, not before grabbing your ass on the way out with a little giggle. You rolled your eyes and went about getting ready.

You couldn’t help but glance over at Tyson as he strolled back through the door a few minutes later. The towel he had wrapped around his waist was starting to fall off of his hips and you had a clear picture of his V line. You hadn’t really noticed that you were staring until you heard Tyson start talking to you.

“Like what you see?”

You blushed and rolled your eyes turning back towards the mirror to finish your makeup.

Once you were finally done with your makeup, Tyson had stepped out of the room so you took the opportunity to put your dress on. You slipped it on and tried your best to zip it up but you couldn’t quite reach. When you heard the door open again you turned to ask Tyson for help.

“Hey Tys can you help me-” You stopped when you saw him staring at you. “Is everything okay? Is there something wrong with my dress?” You asked, starting to panic a bit.

“No, no, not at all. I, um, you just look really beautiful.”

You visibly relaxed and smiled at him. “Thanks, Tys. Could you help me zip up though?” He nodded and stepped towards you and turned back around so he could help you. You could feel Tyson’s breath on the back of your neck. Once he zipped you up you turned around slowly, Tyson not moving a muscle. You looked up at him, his face just inches from yours. He cupped your chin in his hand and he brought your face to his and kissed you softly. You closed your eyes and welcomed his lips on yours.

Tyson pulled away after a few moments and turned away. “Shit, I’m sorry, I…” He trailed off and sat on the bed.

You grew sad at his reaction. Although he initiated the kiss it seems like he also regrets it.

“It’s okay...I, um, I’m gonna go downstairs.” You said and quickly left the room. You ducked into the bathroom and leaned against the counter willing yourself not to cry so you wouldn’t ruin your makeup. You took a few deep breaths to compose yourself and you made your way to the door. Just as you were about to turn the knob there was a knock.

“Y/n/N? Can I come in?” It was Tyson. The tears that you just suppressed were quickly coming back. You opened the door and retreated back to the counter.

“Jesus, are you crying?” You covered your face with your hands because the tears were now rolling. “Please don’t cry Y/N. I didn’t mean to upset you, jesus…” he trailed off as he placed his hands on your shoulders. “Please stop crying...I don’t know why I did that…” “It’s fine, Tys, you got caught up in the moment, it’s fine.” “What? No, not the kiss...the kiss was amazing...I totally meant to do that. I don’t know why I pulled away like that. I guess I just thought maybe that’s not what you wanted and I thought I messed everything up. I guess I did that anyway…” You didn’t say anything and you didn’t move for a few moments. “Will you look at me please?” He asked, softly guiding your chin up to look at him. “I’m sorry, Y/n/N. Please don’t be upset.” “You’re wrong you know…” He gave you a puzzled look but you just kept going. “I’ve wanted you to kiss me so badly...for so long. I just thought maybe you regretted it and that’s why you pulled away…”

“Not at all, babe...not at all.” He said, moving in, grabbing the sides of your face and kissing you tenderly.

This time when he pulled away his hands stayed where they were and he wiped away the remaining tears with his thumbs. “God you are so gorgeous.”

You couldn’t help but laugh a little, “Tyson, I’m crying and my makeup is everywhere.”

“That’s what makes you so beautiful.”

You shook your head and smiled at him, taking his hands in yours and bringing them to your sides.

“Come on, let’s go get you fixed up.” He said, leading you back to your room.

It didn’t take you too long to fix your makeup, and before you knew it you heard your mom yell up the stairs telling you guys to hurry up. You grabbed your shoes and sat on the bed next to Tyson to put them on. You started to open the door to leave and Tyson took your hand to stop you.

“Tys, we need to go what ar-” He stopped you with another kiss that you melted into.

“I know, I’m sorry, I just can’t get enough of your lips right now…”

You chuckled and rolled your eyes, “if we go now you can explore all of my lips later…”

Tyson’s eyes widened and he hurried both of you downstairs where the rest of your family was waiting.

~~~~~~

It was a beautiful day, although still pretty cold, the sun was shining and the snow was shimmering. The church looked gorgeous, they had decorated it with tons and tons of flowers, it looked like a garden and it was beautiful.

You held onto Tyson's arm as you followed the rest of your family to sit down. You got there on the earlier side, so there weren't too many people there yet. You found yourself looking back at the doors quite often, waiting for Jake to arrive. Tyson noticed, because you really weren't being very discrete about it, so he took your hand in his and squeezed it gently. You looked at him and smiled. You were so happy and relieved that you two finally shared how you felt and that you could finally be together. You wanted to believe that nothing would ruin such a beautiful day, but if anyone could, it would be Jake.

You were successfully distracted from the door by your brother's ridiculous argument over which of your cousins was going to get the most shitfaced. By the end of it you had placed $20 on who you thought I'd be.

When the ceremony was about to start, you looked to your left and your breath hitched. You grabbed Tyson's hand and looked at you before following your gaze across the room to where Jake was. He looked back and gave you a reassuring smile and kissed the side of your head. Thankfully, the music started to play and your focus was on the wedding party walking in.

The ceremony was beautiful, their vows were adorable, and all of the speakers and passages were very fitting. It wasn't too long either, which was also nice, you couldn't sit still for very long so you liked when things were quick.

Because of all of the people leaving the church, you avoided an encounter with Jake which you were glad about but you knew it was going to happen so the dread just set in. You were able to keep pretty busy throughout the night. Introducing Tyson to everyone and catching up with family you hadn't seen in a while. Tyson stayed by your side pretty much the whole night which was super comforting. You were nervous for him to leave you because you had caught Jake staring at you a few times, and you knew as soon as you were alone he was going to come up to you.

It didn't happen for a little while longer, which you didn't know if it was better or worse because you now had multiple vodka sodas in you. You had been sitting at the table with Tyson, taking a break from the dance floor, when your dad and uncles had come up to you and asked to steal Tyson. You tried to object but your uncles were insistent on spending a little time with him. You rolled your eyes and sat back, trying to push the anxious thoughts away. But that wasn't happening when you saw him approaching you. You tried to stand up but he grabbed your arm before you could take a step.

"Y/N, please. Just let me talk to you."

You sighed and sat down, making a point to shrug your arm out of his grip.

"So, who's the guy?"

"Tyson, my boyfriend." He scoffed at your reply. "What?" You asked.

"Nothing, I'm just surprised is all."

"Why?"

"Word on the street is, he's a professional athlete."

"So?"

"So, it's probably not going to last long. I wouldn’t say that you’re really his type."

"You don't know anything about me, Jake. We haven't talked in years. And I would really like to keep it that way, so please, leave me alone."

"Oh, come on, Y/n/N. Don't be like that. I wasn't that bad, you blew things way out of proportion."

"Did I? Because I'm pretty sure if your dad wasn't as good of friends with my uncle that you would have been in jail, not rehab. You're lucky you got off as well as you did. Me? I didn't get off that easy. You really fucked me up. I couldn't get near a guy for a year because of you. You were abusive. You were an asshole. And I wish that I hadn't wasted so many years of my life with you." You weren't really sure where you got the nerve to say all that, because as soon as it came out of your mouth you were scared of how he was going to react. He opened his mouth, but before he could get a word out, you heard a voice behind you.

"I believe the lady has spoken, you can go now."

To your surprise, he walked right away. It was probably Tyson towering over him that scared him off.

"Well, I was feeling badly that I left you out in the open but it appears my girlfriend is a total badass and was fine on her own…" He commented, wrapping his arms around you and placing his chin on top of your head.

"Yeah, well I'm surprised too. I have no idea why I thought that would be a good idea. I'm not sure what would have happened if you hadn't come over."

"Well, hopefully we never have to find out…are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good. It felt good to get that out."

"Good, fuck that guy."

"Yeah, fuck that guy." You said agreeing with him as you let go. "I need another drink…a stiff one."

"Anything for you, my love."

The rest of the night was pretty uneventful, however you downed a few more drinks and were very drunk. Tyson helped you to the car and then up to your room once you got home.

You stripped out of your dress and pounced on Tyson.

"Whoa, easy there killer." He said catching you and placing you gently on the bed.

You kissed for a few minutes before he climbed off of you. "Alright, bedtime."

"What?! Tyson…" you whined. "I've been waiting so long for this."

“Oh have you?!” He asked, quirking his eyebrows.

“Yes, now pleeeeeease.” She whined.

“You’re too drunk, and besides it’s a little weird with your parents down the hall.”

"Ugh, fiiiine." You pouted, taking your bra off and getting comfy in the bed.

"Can you put a shirt on?"

"Oh my god, Tyson, what is wrong with you?"

"I don't know if I can control myself laying with you naked all night. Just please." He said, throwing you one of his shirts.

You sighed and put his shirt over your head. He climbed into bed next to you and wrapped his arms around you.

"I'm so glad you came with me this weekend, Tys."

"Me too, I don't think I could have lasted much longer just as your neighbor."

"Yeah, it was starting to really get to me…"

"What do you mean?"

"I just was thinking that I was going to have to distance myself because I couldn't suppress my feelings anymore…"

"Well, then I'm definitely glad we had this weekend, I would have been really sad if you did that."

"I don't know if I could live with myself if I made you sad…not to mention I'd have Landy on my ass."

"He's been texting me all weekend."

"Really? Why?"

"Updates on if we're together or not."

"Did you tell him?"

"Nah, I want to mess with him a bit."

You chuckled and rolled your eyes, "what are you gonna do?"

"I'm just going to tell him that we had an awful weekend, we got into a huge fight and we're not even friends anymore."

"You're awful."    

"But when I finally tell him that we are together now, he'll be so happy he won't even care."

"Okay, just leave me out of it!"

"Oh you're in it now. We're partners for life."

"For life?"

"I hope so."

"Me too." You said with a small smile. You turned so you were now facing him. "Goodnight, Tys." You said softly, giving him a kiss before snuggling into his chest.

"Goodnight, Y/n/N."

~~~~~~~

The next day you had a big brunch with your family before everyone went their separate ways again. Now that you and Tyson were actually together you were so much more relaxed. Despite the hangovers, everyone was laughing and joking around. You were actually a little sad that you were leaving. But, you were excited to get out of your parent's house and spend some alone time with Tyson.

After what seemed like a never ending goodbye, you and Tyson were finally on the road back to Denver. The car ride was much more pleasurable. Again, you were more relaxed, the weekend was behind you, and you frankly couldn't wait to get back.

When you pulled into the garage, you grabbed all of your bags and headed upstairs. You parted ways so you could put your bags down. A few minutes later, Tyson strolled through your front door. You were grabbing a glass of water in the kitchen, so you got one for him too and then you went back to your room so you could unpack and start some laundry.

"Do you want to bring your laundry over here?" You asked him as you gathered your dirty clothes.

"It's alright, I can do it later."

"I don't mind, Tys. I'm doing it anyway."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, go get it."

Tyson gave you a quick kiss on the cheek and walked off to go get his laundry.

Once you had a load going the two of you went and sat on the couch. You started off just talking but then ended up making out a bit. Tyson was now lying on top of you and things were starting to get heated when his phone rang. "Shit," he muttered as he rummaged around trying to find it on the couch. "It's Landy, I have to answer, I told him to call me."

You rolled your eyes but sat up next to him as he settled back.

"Hey, man." He greeted solemnly. You mouthed for him to put it on speaker.

"Hey, are you home? What happened?"

"Yeah, I'm home…um, things didn't go so well."

"Oh no...what happened?"

"Well, things with her family weren't good to start with. Then the first night we got into a fight about her brothers, and then we got into another argument the next day and I almost just left…I ended up staying but I don't think we're really even friends anymore…"

"WHAT?! Why wouldn't you be friends anymore? What did you do???"

You had to suppress your laughter at Tyson's face when Gabe insinuated it was something he did and not you.

"Why would you think it was something I did?!" Tyson asked, obviously very offended.

"It's Y/N…she just doesn't do anything wrong."

"Okay, well, I don't know. We need a break from each other."

"What the hell, Tyson? Did you even tell her how you feel?"

"I was going to, but I figured telling her after we just had a screaming match wouldn't be the best idea."

"You screamed at each other??? Jesus, what did you fight about?"

"Mat Barzal."

"What?!"

"Yeah he DM'd her on Instagram and it pissed me off."

"Seriously? You screamed at her?! That's not even her fault, man."

"I know, I shouldn't have gotten upset with her, but I did, and now we're just giving each other some space."

"That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Go over to her place right now and make things right."

"I can't, man."

"You can, and you will."

"No, I really can't."

"And why not?"

"Because I'm already over here."

"What?"

"I'm just messing with you, Landy. We're dating now."

"Are you kidding me?! Y/N are you there? Were you in on this??"

"I wanted no part in it!!!"

"Ugh, Tyson, I want to be so mad at you right now, but I'm too happy for you!! It's about time, though. We were going to give you guys like another week, tops, before we took matters into our own hands."

You and Tyson both laughed, "who is we?!" You asked.

"Me, Mel, basically the whole team…"

"Well I'm glad we have lots of supporters." You commented as Tyson pursed his lips.

"NO one will be butting into this relationship…I'm serious Landy."

"I'm sorry that's not the way it works, Josty." Tyson rolled his eyes but you just giggled. "Anyway, I'm glad you two love birds finally figured it out. Have a good rest of your day and use protection!!!"

Tyson rolled his eyes again and hung up on Landy. "We're turning our phones off and spending the rest of the day in the bedroom." He commanded as he put his phone down on the coffee table. He looked at you signifying for you to do the same and you obeyed then followed him into your bedroom.

#tyson jost #tyson jost imagine #nhl imagines #nhl imagine #nhl fanfiction

[rainbowvamp]

This was just a cute concept that got out of hand. WARNING for mentions of the pandemic, and altered life due to it. Ik a lot of people write fic where it doesn’t exist, so I just wanted to let you know in advance. Also, modern AU, if that wasn’t clear. Gwen/Morgana. Because I’m gay. 

--

Wait. Morgwen roommates AU. Gwen’s ex-ish who she was still friends with has officially moved in with her boyfriend, and so she’s looking for a roommate. Lancelot (ex)’s new boyfriend Merlin has a brother who has a sister who is looking for a roommate! Why don’t you ring her up.

Gwen waits until the very last second because she doesn’t want a stranger to be her roommate, but rent’s due soon and she can’t make it on her own another month or she’ll have to start not eating.

So she calls up this Morgana girl that Is Lancelot’s boyfriend’s friend’s half-sister. 

And she possibly falls in love over the phone. She has a very lovely voice. And Gwen invites her to see the place the next time Morgana’s available (because Gwen’s working from home in the pandemic, but Morgana is a service worker while she does grad school, so her schedule’s a bit more limited.) 

When she shows up, Morgana is dressed in all black and this blood red lipstick that makes Gwen remember how bisexual she is, and she stammers through inviting her in, and it’s a little awkward for her, but Morgana seems to take it in stride. The all black outfit looks like something out of the best alt magazine she can imagine, but so much prettier because it’s all right there in front of her.

Morgana grins and looks like she knows exactly what she’s doing, then says, “I’ll take it.” 

And then they were roommates, and Gwen had a crush. It was very unfortunate for Gwen, but Morgana gets a good laugh out of it. A private laugh, of course, because Morgana is kind enough not to laugh in Gwen’s face for her obvious crush. Especially when she’s nursing a significantly less obvious crush of her own. She doesn’t usually go for the hyper femme look that Gwen’s got going on, but it just suits her so well, and Gwen looks great in lavender and flowing tops with batwing sleeves. 

They eat dinner together a couple nights a week when Morgana’s schedule allowed. Gwen’s got a knack for cooking, and Morgana’s better with baking (It’s chemistry, Gwen). So usually on days they eat together, Morgana puts some nonsense half-batch of baked goods together, and she and Gwen eat what they want while Morgana takes the rest in to work. (Really, no one pays service workers enough to handle human beings who are idiots. That’s the least she can do). 

When they’re working in the kitchen together, it’s always this combination nightmare-dream scenario. Where everything is going fine and they’re working around each other like they’ve always belonged like that, except suddenly one of them (usually Gwen) gets a bit distracted, or flustered, and then the whole operation falls apart. 

That might be a bit dramatic. The food only fell once. The baked goods sometimes also got over salted/chocolate chipped/floured or any number of things if Gwen bumped Morgana at the wrong time, but usually Morgana fixed it fairly easily. And she liked the challenge when it wasn’t easy, so it all worked out the same in the end. 

“I’m could kiss you.” Morgana said, when the cranberry speckled lemon bread turned out much better than she thought it would. “I don’t know how you managed to drop an entire bag of dried cranberries into this, but you’re a genius.” 

Gwen stuttered a reminder that it was an accident, which made Morgana bite her lip and offer Gwen a piece of the bread. Gwen tried to take it with her hand, but Morgana pulled back, just enough, and Gwen wrung her hands, worried her lower lip, before she leaned her head forward and let herself be fed. 

It was actually really good. 

“I think it’s got more to do with your skills than mine.” Gwen said after she’d chewed and swallowed. “What else did you add?” 

“Bit of orange zest, orange juice, less sugar because the cranberries were sweetened, did some things with the ratios to alter the texture. It’s more like a cake than a bread, but I’m not complaining,” She smiled and offered another bite to Gwen, who took it delicately, trying not to brush Morgana’s fingers with her lips. 

She failed. 

And she didn’t miss the way that Morgana’s eyes flicked briefly down to her lips. Guinevere pulled back to chew and moved to wipe a crumb from the corner of her mouth.

Morgana tilted her head while she watched, seemingly fascinated. 

“Come out with me tomorrow. There’s a silent socially distanced disco at the park. We’d have to bring our own headphones, but I've got a pair you can borrow.” 

Morgana smiled a little wickedly at the bashful way Gwen tilted her head and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Yeah, okay.”

“Excellent.” 

--

The silent disco turns to drive through coffee and a shitty movie back at home that they laugh at. Gwen makes popcorn (that Morgana adds way too much candy to) and Morgana carefully picks out the cleanest bits of popcorn to hoard on her lap until something she deems frustrating happens and she wants to throw them at the screen. There is a lot of popcorn on the floor, but it’ll be relatively easy to pick up. Morgana has made a habit of this behavior. 

Gwen can’t help but watch her instead of the movie when the shouting and the popcorn throwing happens. 

When the popcorn runs out and Morgana looks to Gwen, there’s a sparkle in her eyes. She looks so pleased with everything that Gwen just... kisses her.

It’s a quick kiss, a soft kiss, a stupid kiss. As soon as she does it she knows it’s a stupid thing to have done, but when she starts to pull back Morgana puts a hand behind her head and stops her when they’re barely an inch apart. 

“Do you mean it?” Morgana asked, and Gwen swallowed hard, but nodded. 

So Morgana leaned back in, and gave her a kiss to remember. 

Gwen might have turned to Jello. The popcorn bowl was mostly empty when it fell over because of Morgana’s eagerness to be in Gwen’s lap. It didn’t even occur to Gwen to be concerned because Morgana’s lips were so soft, and her hands were somehow very respectful and absolutely everywhere. Gwen had no idea what to do with her hands, so she just put them at Morgana’s waist and hoped that was fine. 

Morgana’s disco top (which she’d never changed from) rode up her stomach, and Gwen loved the feel over touching her skin almost as much as she loved the way that Morgana kissed her. Well, maybe not, Morgana was an excellent kisser.

The movie ended, but they didn’t really notice. They were sort of having a moment. 

#Morgwen #morgana x gwen #morgana/gwen #morgana pendragon #Guinevere #bbc merlin #bbc merlin fanfic #lysa speaks

[stormtodoroki]

Appreciation Much Needed

Word count: 3.2k

Pairing: Aizawa Shouta x Reader

Warnings: Mentions of Covid-19, Fluff, brief swearing here and there, slight mentions of partial nudity, soft boy Aizawa

~~~~~Tags and Authors Note below

Ever since the news of a virus outbreak had been let loose, the tensions had been high everywhere we looked. People were panic buying items resulting in outages,it only increased when the schools had all closed down and non-essential businesses were temporarily shut down. This meant that my loving husband Aizawa Shouta had been lounging around half dressed, the only times he was well kept and proper were during video calls with the other UA staff or with his students as he talked to them about their assignments and his expectations from them while they were at home. Not that I was complaining, in fact it was probably one of the best things to ever set my eyes upon every morning before work and every evening when I got home. Shouta had decided that since he’d be working from home that he would start doing more chores around the house, especially since no one was going outside some of the Pro Heroes got more time to relax and stay home.  No matter how many times I told Shouta not to worry about the chores and I could do them when I got home he’d flick my forehead and call me an idiot for thinking he was gonna let me do more work after being at work all day. Over the weeks he had me either on the couch and giving me massages or he would make me bubble baths to relax in while he finished the chores, insisting I leave it to him.

I stood in the doorway, my work uniform sticking to me as it had started to rain on my walk home from work so I had gotten a bit wet, but I was finally home and ready to relax with my hubby. A small smile  appeared on my face, I had just gotten home from work and heard Aizawa talking to someone, it sounded like one of his coworkers.

“I’m not telling you again Yamada, it needs to be something grand… I need it to show just how much she's appreciated…”

I heard him sigh deeply and could just see him pinch his nose in irritation, I had to stifle the laugh that had threatened to escape my lips.

“Hizashi...Stop… you’re giving me a headache. Look, she’s going to be home soon and I can't let her hear me talk about this… Just wait for my call tomorrow okay? Bye.”

I decided to walk in more and make my presence known, I cleared my throat and stepped into the living room. Shouta had frantically looked to me becoming a stuttering mess, which was even more adorable seeing as he had his hair up messily and wore a pair of sweatpants.

“H-ow long were you standing there, kitten? What did you hear?”

I gave him a shrug and tossed my bag on the couch and removed my wet sweater before placing a chaste kiss to his cheek.

“I literally just walked in and you were saying bye to someone. Was it Toshinori? I haven't had a chance to talk to him since this whole pandemic had started. I hope he is doing well, the poor dude has a lot on his plate already.”

Shouta seemed to buy my answer and nodded, he disappeared for a moment before returning with my robe and a towel, stopping in front of me he helped me remove my wet clothes before he slid my robe on. He then pulled me into his lap as he sat on the couch and dried my hair while placing tender kisses along my neck.

“How was work today Kitten, tell me all about it while I take care of you.”

I gave Shouta  a soft smile and closed my eyes for a moment before leaning back into his touch, a sigh escaped my lips.

“Well,as you know I’m in just about every room on an average day, and it's not really that different now, just the classes have so few kids we’ve been laying off more coworkers, we’ve closed a few more centers. So now we’re at a skeleton crew, which means it’s a bit harder to call in if you get sick, which hopefully no one does because we can't really afford to be short staffed.”

I let another sigh pass my lips and looked up to Shouta before letting out a yawn.

“I’ve been chasing kids who tried running away while outside on the playground, I've had to stop a one year old from hitting a five month old, the kid throws tantrums about it too, so if I upset this kid my hair gets pulled, or they hit me.”

I pause for a moment and shake my head.

“It's worth it though, I'd rather have me get hit by the one year old instead of the infant. But its been getting hard to get the kids to listen because now we have to wear masks, which I understand since we cant practice social distancing with kids since their dependent on us, but I’m basically yelling to be heard, it muffles my voice so much…”

Shouta nodded and began to massage my shoulders.

“You're very tense love, work has been straining you and giving you so much stress. You've been having trouble sleeping too, I'm worried working during this pandemic is going to cause you to burn out. I’m also worried that you're going to catch something, mask or not you're still putting yourself at risk.”

I peered up at his face and smiled softly.     “Well, we are taking everyone’s temperatures before they can enter the building, also cleaning every single touch surface every thirty to sixty minutes throughout the day, though it's more frequent during the pick up and drop off process. So at least you know the shits gonna be clean when you touch it, we also have like three or so containers of hand sanitizer at the entrance so you have clean hands when entering.”

Shouta stopped massaging me, stood up from the couch with me in his arms and placed me onto my stomach, he then began to massage my back and legs, urging me to continue about everything that's been happening.

“Well, as you know I occasionally use a ride-share to get to work, but since this started it takes longer to find a driver because there's no one. I've had to wait over twenty minutes for a car for a five minute drive. That's not even the worst part about that, since it's such a short drive and a low fare sometimes I'll get a close driver and they'll cancel on me and I'll have to wait even longer for them to find me a new driver. By the time I could have just walked in and been at work.”

I let out a sigh and felt my body relax quite a bit, whether it was from the massage Shouta was giving me or it was from telling Shouta my troubles it sure was helping.

“Though I am quite grateful I get to see their amazing faces, these kids are my life...apart from you of course. I wouldn't trade these kids for anything, I love them as if they were my own. The good outweighs the bad, always does, and these kids definitely have a lot of good moments. Plus they all have such understanding parents, the support from them is amazing, I'm always getting praise from them and it makes me feel amazing, it makes me want to do more.”

After a few moments of silence and Shouta giving me a massage he picked me up and carried me to the kitchen.

“Sho...you do know I can walk right? You don’t have to carry me around.”

He mumbled an ‘I know, but I want to’ and placed me onto the counter before he moved a lock of hair out of my face, placing a kiss where it used to be. He then turned away and opened the fridge and pulled out a vanilla cupcake with what looked like a galaxy frosting, but he wasn't done as he pulled out another vanilla cupcake which had a blackish grey colored frosting that had two red dots on it. 

“I know you hated having to celebrate your birthday at home, that it just felt like any other day and even though you and I had a great night It just wasn't exactly how one would want to celebrate their birthday, so I had a friend make these for us. Specialty cupcakes that represent us, they're both vanilla because I know you'd want to try mine and vanilla is your favorite flavour.”

I blinked in surprise, was it really that obvious? Yeah I spent my birthday stuck in doors and I wished that I could have gone out with friends to celebrate, but I didn't think Shouta would have noticed. I felt tears well up in my eyes and pulled Shouta in for a kiss after placing the cupcakes down,and cried silently in his embrace.

“Shouta...You didn't have to do that...I know it kinda sucked but I had your company which is all I will ever need to be happy. You truly are amazing and I don't deserve this from you…”

His laugh boomed in my ears and he cupped my face to look at me with his tired but loving eyes.

“Kitten, you deserve everything and more.You are doing so much for other front line workers during this pandemic...you're more than deserving and I want you to feel loved and appreciated throughout it all. You may not be a nurse, a doctor, or any kind of first responder, but you’re taking care of other essential workers' kids so they can keep everything running smoothly. Especially when some of these kids' parents are those first responders or hospital workers.”

The blush on my face grew and I hugged Shouta tightly, more tears were threatening to spill. He pried himself off me and excused himself for a moment, I watched him leave the kitchen and grabbed my cupcake before taking a bite, I practically screamed in delight. This cupcake is beyond amazing, it was so delicious that I couldn't form any words to describe it, it was the first time a dessert had ever had me at a loss for words. After a few minutes of being gone Shouta returned with a box and placed it on the counter, he mumbled a wait there before disappearing again, this time he came back faster and had only his laptop and a box of tissues.

“Shouta..what is all this? What are you doing?”

He sent me a small smile and turned on the computer, he turned it to face me and pushed the tissue box across the counter over to me.

“You're gonna need that, also no more questions. You're just going to have to wait and see. I promise you're going to love it.”

After making sure he had everything set up he walked over behind me and turned off the lights before pressing a file and full-screening it before pressing play.

Soon, the  black screen filled with color the UA logo appearing on the screen with soft music playing in the background, I looked at Shouta confused, you just pointed to the screen whispering to watch, I turned back to the screen and my eyes widened in surprise. I saw pictures from class 1A, thanking me for continuing my work, I could feel the tears already welling up soon a rather cute bubbly girl filled the screen.

“Hello Aizawa Sensei's wife, my name is Uraraka, Ochako, and we here at class 1A appreciate all you and Aizawa sensei do for us, so, in honor of teacher appreciation week, we have decided to make you guys something, I hope you like it it's really cute!” 

 Once again, the screen turned black pictures and videos from each class 1A student, some of them making multiples, had flashed on the screen, words of encouragement, praise, and adoration fell upon our ears. His students expressed gravely how much they appreciate Shouta for hounding them into shape to become future pro heroes. Also praised me for having to deal with him and also, even though they haven't had me as a teacher or some sort of mentor aspect in their lives, they still sent words of praise for me, due to working in childcare and helping these little kids grow up with good strong morals. 

"Sh-... Di-...I-i… Y-you…"

As hard as I tried, I just couldn't muster up any words to describe how I was feeling I couldn't even ask Shouta if he had planned this, I was a mess. With tears streaming down my face, I couldn't believe the class 1A had made such a beautiful posters and spoke such beautiful words about my Shouta, and then even included me in them, I felt so much love and appreciation coming from those students, I honestly couldn't think of any other way to spend the rest of my evening, then in Shouta's arms watching as his students showered at the both of us with praise. 

“Just enjoy the video before I turn it off...Idiot.”

He gave me a noogie and then kissed me again, before getting up and walking to the kitchen and grabbing two glasses, with his back turned blocking me I couldn't see what he was doing until he handed me one of the glasses, seeing the liquid I sent him a curious look.

“Is this what I think it is? Sho...did you make me one of the drinks I made last summer?”

He nodded and mumbled an ‘I tried too at least..’ before he closed the laptop which had finished playing the videos, he finished his drink and waited for me to finish mine before carrying me to our bed. With the lights all turned off and Shouta snuggling  me and playing with my hair I soon drifted off into a deep and peaceful slumber, a small smile stuck on my face.

I woke up to the sun shining onto my face through the blinds, the absence of Shouta’s warmth was immediately noticed, I sat up groggily and rubbed my eyes. Before I even had the chance to look around the door opened and a tray  of breakfast was placed onto my lap and the bed dipped next to me as Shouta began to comb through my hair.

“Good morning my beautiful kitten. How did you sleep? By the look on your face I assume it was good?”

I merely nodded and ate my breakfast,every so often closing my eyes just to enjoy Shouta's careful way of combing my hair, if I could have gone back to sleep I probably would have. I looked back up to Shouta after a few minutes of our blissful silence when there was a knock at the door, he told me to continue eating and he'd go check it out.

“Sho? You've been gone awhile… Is everything okay?”

I put the empty tray to the side and stretched a bit before hopping out of bed, deciding to put on something fresh. I quickly went into the closet and threw on a black tank with some ripped jean shorts. I carefully walked down the hall, cautious as to not make any sounds to alert anyone that I was coming. My pace quickened as I heard muffled talking, I couldn't place the voices as they were hushed and seemed to be coming from far within the house. As I got closer I could tell one was Shouta but the other one was still a bit too hard to make out, as I neared our study I stubbed my toe on the coffee table, I let out a whimper and fell to the floor clutching my toe. In my state of pain I didn’t notice the talking stop or the running into the room to see what had happened. Within seconds Shouta had me in his arms asking me what happened and Yamada stood a few feet away, a silly mask on his face, which was hiding his stupid grin he always made while trying to hold back laughter as I explained what happened.

“Well, I guess I can show you now instead of later… After all you did hurt yourself being worried about me.”

I looked between the two before Shouta helped me up and then blinded me with his scarf, he led the way to the study, he let small murmurs about how I'm going to love it but he doesn’t want me to cry like his student Izuku always does. I had to bite the inside of my lip to stop myself from laughing out loud and stayed silent as Shouta whispered over to Yamada, there was a bit of shuffling around the room before he finally removed the scarf.

“Happy Teacher Appreciation Week my love. I’m sorry I couldn’t do much more for you today but I know either way you’ll like this.”

I looked around the room and gasped. The room was adorned in pictures of me in my uniform taking care of different kids of the center, there were also pictures of my kids holding heart shaped cards and other pieces of paper. Some of them showing love and affection, also  few expressing how much they miss being at the center and seeing me. I was practically bawling and hugged Shouta tightly, spewing off a handful of thank yous and I love yous.

“That's only the beginning Kitty. Go look in the box on the table.”

I nodded and went over to the box, opening it I saw numerous gifts strewn about, I pulled a few out and read the tags before I squealed in delight, there were gifts from my kids and there were some from kids who were staying home and that I haven't seen since this all started.

“H-How..Shouta? How’d you pull this off?”

He simply smiled before walking over and hugging me close, he fixed my hair and placed a chaste kiss to my forehead.

“You left your laptop open one day when leaving for work, so I used it to email each parent from your classes and asked if they'd be willing to make something for you for Teacher Appreciation Week and either send it to our P.O. box, send photos  or videos, or they could meet me somewhere to give the gifts. They definitely loved the idea, a lot of these parents respect you and they love how you interact with their kids. They wished they could have given them to you in person but decided that this way is easier and more adorable.”

I couldn't stop the tears from streaming down my face after hearing his explanation, he continued to rub my back and whispered about how I was lucky he was able to deal with all my crying, otherwise he’d be agitated.

“This was the best Teacher Appreciation Week ever. Thank you Shouta, this means the world to me, I seriously can not thank you enough for this.”

~~~~~

Tags: @onyxiana-is-obsessed @sweetlikepeppermints @pocket-is-obsessed

A.N: Happy Teacher Appreciation Week to all the teachers of Tumblr! To the Daycare/Childcare providers still working during this time you are appreciated and loved. Stay awesome, stay strong, keep healthy and we love you!

#shouta aizawa x reader #aizawa shouta #teacher #bnha x reader #bnha #mha #mha x reader #mha x you #bnha x you #my hero academia aizawa #my hero academia #boku no hero fanfic #appreciation #shouta aizawa x you

[darkshadow90]

Arthur Fleck/ Arkham Joker x reader: Unwelcome Visitor

Summary: You’re in the hospital recovering from injuries you received on the night the Joker attacked you. During your last night at the hospital, you receive a visit from a man you don’t recognize...at first.

A/N: Hey guys. This is the follow up to my one shot, Interrogation. I was originally just going to write about what happened to the reader on the night the Joker attacked her, and then have it end when he leaves her at the hospital. But I thought you might like more of a follow up type of story. So instead, this will pick up with the reader at the hospital. She reflects on what happened to her that night. During the night before she leaves to go home, she receives a visit from the Joker. She doesn’t recognize him at first because he just escaped from Arkham. Warnings: There will be mentions of stabbing and sexual assault. The reader will be assaulted again. There are threats of violence and victim blaming. This is not dub con, it’s real sexual assault. In his sick mind, Arthur/Joker thinks the reader will fall in love with him. He thinks she appreciated what he did that night, so he does it again, but at the same time, he knows what he’s doing is wrong. I know this will be dark and triggering for some of you, and it’s okay if you don’t want to read it. Things like this happen everyday. It is not romantic, nor is it meant to romanticize acts of violence and sexual assault. Since some of you like my darker stories, I thought I would write about something featuring dark subject matter. Please remember this is only a story. As it says in the title, I’m basing Arthur’s/Joker’s personality at the end of the movie. The look in his eyes is pure evil, and if he was unstable enough, he might actually do something like this. The man we see at the end of the movie is not the same man we had come to know in the rest of it, He’s not Arthur. This story does not show him in a positive light. You have been warned. With that being said, I hope you like it. As always, please let me know if I’ve missed any warnings.

It had been a week since the Joker attacked you. Your recovery had been coming along nicely. Thankfully no major organs were damaged, but you still lost a lot of blood from the injuries. Thanks to the staff that was on call that night, they were able to stop the bleeding, and patch you up. They wanted to keep you in the hospital for a few days to give you time to heal and manage your pain. You remembered bits and pieces of the attack. You couldn’t remember everything that happened after he stabbed you, but you remembered most of it. You were on your way home from work. You were working a late night shift. You knew how dangerous Gotham could be, especially at night, but you had no other options. You weren’t expecting out of all the people who could’ve hurt you to be the Joker.

He had came out of nowhere. He grabbed you and you had just enough time to see who it was and screamed. He had began stabbing you. He had stabbed you four times, at least that was the amount of times you counted. He had stabbed different places on your upper body. You were confused and terrified. Why would the Joker come after you? He usually dealt with mobsters. You weren’t anyone special. Then again, it was the Joker. He probably didn’t always know why he did what he did sometimes. You began to feel lightheaded. You expected him to keep stabbing you, but he stopped. The look on his face softened. You couldn’t tell if he felt sadness or remorse. He looked around frantically, like he didn’t know what to do. You briefly remember him pulling at your pants, but you blacked out for a little bit. It was probably best you didn’t remember the assault. You knew you had been assaulted because while your jeans were pulled back up, you were sore between your legs. “Can you move at all?” You couldn’t answer him even if you wanted to. You wondered if it would upset him and if he would decide to kill you. He sighed, and you were lifted from the ground. He was carrying you, but to where and why? You were blinded by the lights of the entrance to the ER. You realized you had been brought to the hospital. He carefully placed you in front of the entrance. He crouched down to you and kissed you. “Don’t feel bad about yourself.” You wondered why he would say something so strange. You smiled, relieved that it was finally over, and he left. It wasn’t long before a nurse found you. As she left to notify the emergency staff, you grabbed her arm. Through labored breaths, you told her the Joker had done everything to you before you finally passed out from the shock.

When you woke up, you were in a hospital bed. Your wounds were bandaged. You felt extremely tired and you were in pain, but you were alive. The detectives came to question you about what happened. They wanted to confirm everything you told the nurse. They told you when you were being cared for by the staff, one of the nurses noticed bruising and semen on your genitals, which was an indication of sexual assault. The detectives asked you if you thought you were sexually assaulted and you said yes because you felt sore between your legs. You told them the Joker did it and they looked at you sympathetically.  They told you they caught him, and you didn’t need to worry since he would be locked away in Arkham for a very long time. They gave you a social worker’s contact information so you could contact her and receive counseling when you leave the hospital. You thanked them and they left. You couldn’t really do much aside from stay in bed and rest.  It was your last night at the hospital, and you were looking forward to going home and sleeping in your own bed. You also wanted to see your friends again. Aside from the nurses coming in to check on you and redress your wounds, you  didn’t have many visitors. That was probably a good thing since the pain medication made you drowsy. You got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. It was decent enough. You decided to look into the small cabinet to see what was inside. There were small plastic tubs, washcloths, and soaps for sponge baths. Sometimes it was easier to have those things nearby in case the nurses needed them. When the nurses would come to check on you, patients would have accidents, and it was much easier to have the things needed to clean them. That explains why you would see them leaving with bathing materials. Thankfully, you weren’t in that category. You went back to bed and dozed off for a bit.

It wasn’t very long before you woke up to the sound of your door being opened. Visiting hours were over, and you obviously hadn’t asked for a nurse. You closed your eyes and turned over, thinking you weren’t entirely awake. Or maybe you were hallucinating. You felt a hand touch your shoulder as if the person was trying to wake you. You saw a man you didn’t recognize. He had dark hair and stubble on his face. Something about him made you uneasy. You noticed he was wearing white scrubs. The only nurses who had been to your room were women. Maybe he was a male nurse making rounds? “I wanted to see you, I had to.” You had no idea what he was talking about. “Who are you?” You felt groggy from the medication, but you were aware of everything. You knew you  weren’t dreaming or hallucinating when you could smell his scent. He smelled like  cigarettes and aftershave. It was a familiar scent. “I  know you told them about what happened.” That was when you knew who he was.  You saw it in his eyes.  You immediately  panicked and reached for the call button, but he took it out of your hand. “No, you don’t need that. We wouldn’t anyone to get hurt, now would we?” You knew you had no choice. You had to cooperate or you would risk getting yourself and someone else hurt or worse.  “Good girl.” He  got on top of you. “I missed you, Y/N. There’s something about you. You’re a lot like her. You’re a nice person like her, so soft and easy to take advantage of. You’re easier to take advantage of than she would’ve been. You shouldn’t have been  out so late at night. Don’t you know how dangerous that is?” He sounded like a concerned father scolding his daughter. You were so confused. You didn’t know who he was talking about. He shook his head. “But it’s okay. I showed you how dangerous it is. I can keep you safe and make you happy. I saw the way you looked at me before I left. You were smiling at me, happy about what I did.” You heard nurses talking in the hallway. You tried to get up, but he had you pinned, and put his hand over your mouth and shushed you. “Don’t make me hurt you.  I already warned you about what would happen. If you or someone else gets hurt, it’ll be your fault.” You stopped trying to fight him off.  You felt extremely vulnerable in your  surroundings. You couldn’t do much to fight him even though you wanted to.  He didn’t touch your upper body. At least you wouldn’t have to worry about him messing up the bandages and you could leave your gown on.  He pulled at the waistband of  your hospital pants. You were exhausted and weakly protested, but he didn’t listen. You looked at the ceiling and closed your eyes. You just wanted to sleep through what was happening.  He thrusted into you. “So sweet,” he murmured. You winced.  He kept going, but didn’t say anything else. “I love you,” he groaned before pulling out. You  were repulsed by him. He was a very sick man, but it didn’t excuse what he did. He got off the bed and went inside the bathroom.  He came back out with a small tub of water, a wash cloth, soap, and a towel. He didn’t say anything as he cleaned between your legs. ‘Get your disgusting hands away from me! Do not fucking touch me!’ you screamed in your head. You wanted to scream at him so badly. You were so angry, you wanted to claw his eyes out. He dried you off and helped you put your pants back on. “You know, you really should’ve asked for a cop to guard your door. It was way too easy to get in here.” Even in a hospital, a place that’s supposed to be safe, couldn’t protect you from him. “I’ll find you once I get everything squared away. I miss you already.” And with that, he left. All you could do was hope he didn’t know where you lived, and hope that the police would catch him before he had the chance to find you again.

@shaw-2000

#joker arthur fleck #arthur fleck #arthur fleck x reader #joker fandom #joker imagine #joker x reader #joaquin phoenix joker #joker 2019

[vixey-chakraborty]

The Investment [Part Two] & [Ratfox]

In which, after a meeting at InterPride, and after some encouragement from Tiana, Vixey reaches out to another investor...[takes place: late June, 2021]

@professorofcrimeratigan

[tw -- some scheming on ratigan’s part]

VIXEY: It had been her contact at InterPride that pointed her in the direction of Pedram Ratigan. She had never heard of him before, which was both worse and better. At least with Seamus, there had been some familiarity there. He knew her parents, and she supposed that had helped him agree--when he had been a bit skeptical. (Which, honestly, fair, in her opinion.) However, that familiarity also meant there was more pressure, because if he said no, it would not have reflected poorly just on Vixey, but on her parents as well. And that wasn’t acceptable.

Mr. Ratigan didn’t know her at all. They were a blank slate to one another. It meant she had much more to prove, but there were also fewer expectations. Due to this, she had chosen Tiana’s place and a proper dinner reservation to wine and dine the man. 

He was led to her table by the redheaded hostess, whom Vixey thanked as she stood and offered her hand to the man. 

“Mr. Ratigan, I presume? I’m Vixey Chakraborty. It’s nice to meet you. Thank you so much for agreeing to meet with me. I know you’re a busy man.”  [outfit]

RATIGAN:  An invitation to dinner had been extended to him. 

This would not have been such a surprise had it been from someone he actually spent time with, such as a co-worker or Mrs. Robinson, but for it to come from a complete stranger had been a bit of a red flag. Always erring on the side of caution (paranoia) he looked her up. He would have done it regardless, but still. In his line of work one could never be too careful. Her last name had seemed familiar but it wasn’t until he had gotten the results back that he understood where from— her family owned a farm nearby. 

Why someone like her would want to entertain someone like him was a bit of a mystery but that worked in Ms. (or did she still go by Mrs.?) Chakraborty’s favor. It made him more willing to go, just to see what would happen. 

He smiled to the hostess and kept it as he took the woman’s hand. Polite. Formal— thankfully not here for any social reason. Business then. 

Ratigan waved his other hand, eyebrows furrowing slightly. “Even academics need to get out and see the sun every now and again. I should be thanking you for the excuse to.” He gestured to her seat, unbuttoning his suit’s jacket before he took his own. “So, what can I do for you, Ms. Chakraborty?” 

VIXEY: Vixey’s heart was beating very fast as she shook Mr. Ratigan’s hand. She had never done something like this before and she found it extremely intimidating. Googling “how to ask someone for an investment” didn’t really yield the results she’d wanted. She had spoken with Jun a bit, and obviously had convinced Seamus, but Mr. Ratigan was a proper businessman. Not a family friend she was basically asking a very large favor of. 

When he gestured, Vixey took her seat again, glad he’d indicated for it--otherwise, she probably would’ve remained awkwardly standing for a few seconds too long. Her leg started bouncing under the table. She hoped he wouldn’t notice...or, she would, if she had even noticed she was doing it. 

“Right, well, I believe I mentioned in my email that I was looking for support for my business venture.” Vixey didn’t believe this, she knew it. She had stared at the email several times, had Jun read over it, had her parents read over it, had Tiana and Barbie read over it. 

“I am looking to--open a thrift shoppe on Main Street.” She said it all in one big breath and then smiled, nervous and sheepish, but also--a bit exhilarated.

RATIGAN: Well. That was rather a let down— but what had he expected? A part of him settled back now that he knew this was just a small, mundane matter.  

Tiana’s Place had been a good investment. The woman had done everything in her power to ensure its success, as he knew she would, and he hadn’t needed to do anything but keep her books. All the while he had his own business running within it and should anyone (though he very much doubted anyone would) find the threads of it they would be led back to Ms. Truitt. 

It had been nice having something so close to home. Sometimes running a network from the telephone could get exhausting, especially when working with some of the dimmest people the criminal world had to offer.

If he could do that again, he figured, why not? Ms. Chakroborty did not seem to have the spine Ms. Truitt possessed, which made this all the more enticing. 

“That’s a smart venture. Ever since the last clothing shoppe closed I am sure everyone has been waiting for someone to save them from having to travel elsewhere.” He smiled. “How can I be of help to you?” 

VIXEY: Vixey let out a little breath when he didn’t immediately get up and walk away. She had been half expecting it. She had no idea how to negotiate a business deal. This wasn’t what she’d gone to school for. It wasn’t something she had ever thought she would need skills in. Maybe it was easier than she thought it was going to be…

“I’m glad you think so,” Vixey gushed, meaning it truly. If he had thought the shoppe a bad idea and ended things right there well...months of Vixey’s work would have gone to waste. That was the last thing she wanted now that she had come this far. Vixey had already, possibly, wasted months of her life getting a degree in nursing, just to turn her back on that profession the moment her life got hard. If this fell through too, she would feel truly lost.

She didn’t know how upfront she should be. Asking for money felt like such an intimate conversation.

“Well, I was--pointed in your direction by a few contacts of mine.” There, that felt professional. Even if those contacts had just been Tiana and Simba. “They told me that you--are interested in investing in small businesses around Swynlake.” That wasn’t asking for money, she supposed. At least, not outright.

“I, uh, I have all my business plans and such here.” She pushed the bulky folder towards him. “With budgets and design ideas, marketing plans...that sort of thing.” 

RATIGAN: Despite her avoiding the word completely he knew what this was leading up to. (It was all anything ever led up to these days, wasn’t it?) Ratigan admired her wish to skirt around the question, seemingly waiting for the right moment or signs from him saying that she could go ahead and ask for the money she was looking for. 

He leaned forward to retrieve the folder, holding the spine of it against an open hand while the other was allowed to flip through its pages. This he could admire, most people would have told him they sent him something on his email he could open or present him with their laptop to scroll through, but a physical copy held weight— showed effort. 

Of course he did not actually care about this clothing store and whether or not it would benefit him. Either way he would walk out of this unscathed, even if it did fail, both monetarily and in reputation. 

He was more interested to know who she was and if he would be able slip things under her nose without notice, just as he had Ms. Truitt. 

“Well done. It seems you have a clear vision and goal in mind.” He glanced up, but returned to the pages in front of as he asked again, “Clearly you’re in no need of advice so, what is it I can do for you?”

VIXEY: Was that clear?

It didn’t feel clear to Vixey. In fact, she needed all the advice and help she could get. She still felt horrifically out of her element. Vixey hadn’t ever wanted to open a business. She had gone to school to be a nurse and get bossed around by other people! She didn’t know how to be a boss and run a business. The idea was incredibly daunting. 

There were so many questions she wanted to ask: how do you hire people? How do you fire them? How do you budget how much they should be paid? How do you get stock for something like a thrift store? What kind of insurance was best? Of course, these were all things she could read online or in books and she had but—

Asking a genuine businessman was preferable and she couldn’t bother Jun for all of it. She’d feel horrible, using him like that when he’d already helped her so much. 

But, as much as Vixey wanted to open her mouth and let all these anxieties pour out of her, she knew she couldn’t. Ratigan was not the person to ask. She needed to project confidence. Poise. He wouldn’t want to invest if he didn’t think she believed she could do it. Vixey wouldn’t blame him. 

So, instead, she just smiled and fiddled with her fork. 

“Thank you, that’s very kind of you to say. Uhm, I am currently shopping around for investors.” Asking for money was not natural for anyone and certainly not Vixey. She had worked hard, her whole life, but it was her father who reminded her that he had started out that exact way. Moving to a brand new country and starting a farm. He had relied on investors and community members to help him through those first years. And then he had even given her the first loan—it was a modest thousand dollars, but Vixey was already anxious to pay him back. 

“If you—flip to the budgeting tab, you’ll see I’ve worked out my first year of finances. I’ve already got enough to pay for most the rent from another investor. But, obviously, there is still a deficit in the budget.” 

About 20,000 pounds, but saying that out loud was intimidating.

RATIGAN: No, it wasn’t, but if he was going to get this show on the road before the restaurant called closing time then he figured it best to attempt boosting her confidence level. If she thought he thought she was competent then it may be enough to get her say what she meant.  

Other investors. Ratigan wished he could roll his eyes. Honestly, he should have prepared for that given this woman’s financial situation and seeming polite sensibilities. She wouldn’t want to up and ask a stranger for all of what she was looking for. It seemed to be like pulling teeth even now since she wouldn’t just come out and say exactly what she needed from him. 

Multiple people being involved would be rather annoying. More eyes on the books meant less of a chance he would be able to do much of anything. Especially if they were all going in evenly and no one had more say over the other— except if she knew them personally, then she would value their opinion above all else since this was a small town and relationships always seemed to win out in the end. Unless it was the right person at the helm and a nudge in the right direction could persuade them to listen to reason rather than their social obligations. 

“I see.” He wished he could shut the book, tell her he wasn’t interested, and not have to deal with the, no doubt, ridiculous people she’d already gotten involved. Unfortunately, she was friends with Ms. Truitt and, not wanting to jeopardize what he did have, Ratigan knew he would have to hear her out. “And may I ask why you think I’d be a good fit for you?”  

VIXEY: The truthful answer to Mr. Ratigan’s question was simple: because he had the money. 

Obviously, Vixey couldn’t say that. She felt a bit bad even thinking it. It was true, however. She didn’t know Mr. Ratigan, he had no personal reason to invest. They both knew this. It made Vixey feel horribly uncomfortable. Doubting herself once again. She wasn’t as bold as Tiana nor as level-headed as Jun. Maybe she wasn’t cut out to be a business owner after all. But, she had already sunk so much time into this. 

She had a plan. 

So, after a brief pause—thankfully there was food she could shove her face with in the meantime (made sense to her now why so many people did business over dinner)—she swallowed and cleared her throat. 

“You have a lot of experience with business. Tiana told me about some of your other ventures. And while I have done a lot of reading and learning, I know that there is still much more I could learn. I found you appealing because of that. And you’ve already invested in Swynlake, so I thought you might be open to it and that it was worth a try.” She tried for a winning, confident smile. 

RATIGAN: Usually Ratigan was a big fan of games like this. Someone coming to him in need and not wanting to say it out right for one reason or another. It would amuse him to no end watching the other person squirm or bristle until eventually something gave and they finally admitted defeat. Here it was all just so— boring. They were discussing something of no consequence. (To him, anyway, which was all he cared about.) 

But, again, what had he really expected? 

He went through the motions, making sure his microexpressions were accurate to what she was saying to him. Sheepish flattery at the compliments, nodding as she shared her thought process, and rubbing a hand at his cheek as he pretended to think it over. He already had. There was no harm to him whether he gave her the money or not. If she failed then it was what it was, he lost nothing. If she succeeded then very well, he would have helped another person in this town gain a business. Either way his reputation remained. It was only if he didn’t invest that he may stand to lose something. 

“Are you simply seeking a loan from me? Or am I to have some sort of stake in this venture as well?” 

VIXEY: “Oh, well--” Vixey was rather taken aback by how blunt Mr. Ratigan was being, but perhaps this was how it worked in business. Vixey surely wouldn’t know. It made sense, she supposed, that someone who was sinking money into something wanted to make sure that it survived to see a return investment. Vixey wouldn’t blame them. It was a very practical thing to do. 

She smiled, a bit uncomfortably, though she managed to swallow it down and smile brighter. 

“My original plan was just for the investment, but I would be happy to hear if you wanted to be more firmly involved. I’ll admit that all of this is rather new to me, so I would, at the very least, appreciate any advice. I’m sure you--when--if you’d like to invest--want to make sure it succeeds as well. I’d be all ears. Truly. And very grateful.”

RATIGAN: He chuckled, sitting forward now. “Well, in that case, my first piece of advice for you is to not admit to such naivety. When dealing with money people tend to become less than sensitive to the well-fare of others and more inclined to focus on themselves. Even if you’re working with friends and family— perhaps more so since they think those are the people that will be more willing to forgive them for their actions.” 

After all, where would he be if not for the sins of man? 

“If it’s advice you seek then I will give you the same deal I offered to Ms. Truitt. Where she wanted to learn how to keep her books, I could help teach you how to run a business. Whether that be marketing, management, accounting, or financing. You’re asking for—” Ratigan glanced down to the binder. “10,000? If you give me 10% ownership then I can provide that, my personal experience, and should anything else come up, and it will as that is the way of life, then you can always come back to me for whatever else it is that you need.”   

VIXEY: Oh, that--well, that actually sounded really good.

It took some of the pressure off Vixey, as there would be someone who actually knew what they were doing at the helm. And the way he spoke, it was obvious that he had a lot of experience. Something which she sorely lacked. 

However, Vixey wasn’t one to make any split second decisions. This was something she would have to talk over with her father. And probably Jun. And also Tiana. She needed to collect all the evidence and organize it, then make a decision when she was ready. 10% ownership was a big deal, even if it sounded relatively small. They would have to set up guidelines for how much say he would have and what that would look like moving forward.

Her brain started whirring as she considered all of these options. 

“Thank you, Mr. Ratigan. That is extremely generous. Much more than I would have hoped for.” It was, also, she realized, very business savvy, because it meant he would get a say in his investment. A higher guarantee of a bit of profit, or, at the very least, breaking even. 

“I will have to consider it, but why don’t you send over a contract for me to read? If your firm has one on hand, otherwise, we could design one together, though that might take a bit longer. I can--get my answer to you in a few weeks? I am hoping to have my petition submitted to the board by the end of July and the shoppe opened by September at the latest, so it would certainly be before that.”

RATIGAN: Good, he had been anticipating that answer. As naive as this woman was she did have some sort of sense about her. He would have been more concerned had she simply jumped at the offer and agreed to it straight away if only because he did not want to deal with someone so ridiculous. They could be entertaining, like how the court kept a jester, but those sorts of people were not to be kept around and given a direct line of contact. So long as she remained competent this whole ordeal would be tolerable. 

“That’s alright. I can have one drawn up and sent to you in no less than two days' time. I’ll use the email you’ve contacted me with in case they need any additional information.” It would take less time for him since the law firm worked for him (under a different identity), but in the interest of appearing relatively normal he would give it a few days. Just enough to let it breathe but not too long to allow the deal to be lost in the weeds of the rest of her planning. 

“And please, take your time. If there is anything I have learned in my days it’s that it is better to be sure of yourself and your decisions than rush into something and be left with regret.” Ratigan smiled, closing the binder and handing it back over to her. “If there is anything else I can do for you in the meantime, please, don’t hesitate to ask. Now or in the future.”  

VIXEY: This all sounded good to Vixey. Almost too good. But, that was Swynlake for you. Close knit communities allowed for a kind of opportunity Vixey had not seen before. As a girl, she had wanted the opportunities of the whole wide world! All the things that it had to offer. Now, though, she appreciated the opportunity of connections, more than she ever thought she would. 

It was nice to feel as if she had a place to land softly, where her grief could be a gentle thing she carried with her. And that she did not have to explain herself. Everyone understood, because they knew her and her family and had heard, one way or another. She had thought that kind of gossip would bother her. It had at the hospital. Somehow, it was easier here. Vixey didn’t feel…judged or pitied. And she had made friends easily, sliding back into routines she had once hated for their simplicity and now cherished for the very same reason. 

“Thank you so much. Your offer really means a lot. I will definitely keep that in mind.” And probably write up a list of questions, fret about sending it, then send it anyway. 

“For now, let’s just leave it at that. I don’t want to take up any more of your time.”

#bdrpratigan #ratfox #the investment #part two #lookbook

[redefiningthirtysomething]

This is where I am at right now. I've been praying and praying for guidance in my life.

I'm happy with my life, I have a great relationship, my girls are healthy and we've been safe. But, the last few years I've been dealing with anxiety, debilitating anxiety and I started drinking alcohol to help ease my nights. I progressively got worse and really just dug myself in a deeper hole. I have driving anxiety, social anxiety and ended up just settling to stay home forever. Quarantine hit us hard and at first I was ok with it.

Hell yea, that's my jam!! We ALL have to Stay home?! Yes! Things were great, I was spending tons of time watching Netflix and being Mommy. But, soon enough I realized my nose was in my phone way too much and Drinking became daily and no longer fun. I started to feel a depression, a dark cloud over me.

The last year for me has been challenging as I realized that i wasn't content in my job. My career. I've mentioned before that I got into Nursing just to please my family but it was never my passion. Hey guys... don't do that.... PSA. I honestly wouldn't even want to be my own nurse. It's such a great and rewarding career, and anyone who does it everyday are true Angel's. Seriously. I love to see my friends x coworkers saving lives, it's fucking beautiful. Me? Oh god, where do I hide ?

I wanted to be a beauty artist once upon a time, but didn't go for it. It was my mom against me. Well, me and my boyfriend (hubby now) who told me to follow MY dream, but I didn't listen to him. I figured he was an idiot, we were 20, he didn't know better (eye roll). My mom knew what was best for me. So I did it. I became a nurse and got a really great job, had 2 kids and great!

Not great.

I'm constantly wondering if I missed out on BIG opportunities for my family. I FEEL like I'm not living my best life doing what I LOVE. I took the secure route and it keeps me up at night. I'm 38 now, and these last 6 months to 1 year being home has put a fire in me to make changes in my life. Because.... why not? Will I be the old chick in beauty school? Yea maybe. Will I be embarrassed and shy? Hell yea ... but, I wonder where this can lead me to ? My own salon or business? YES! having my daughters with me because I am all about my time with them? Ummm yes!

Please tell me I'm not fooling myself ? I feel it in my bones! I feel it, the whisper in my head to DO IT! Is that my voice or is that something else pushing me ? I'm a mess. I can't sleep at night thinking about the possibilities and to possibility I'll fail.

Originally my planned move was that I'd go back to school to further my nursing career after my baby was a bit older. Honestly thinking about it and thinking about clinicals make my stomach hurt. I used to cry on my way to clinicals. *clinicals are hands on training to complete hours*

I am a hard worker, I always have been. But I want to work hard at my dream. I LOVE to work. This time for me has been so eye opening. So stressful. So scary.

I've been praying. I said "Lord, take the wheel. Just take it. Here" I can't seem to know what to do. I ask for guidance to make the right decisions. But where I lose it is when I wonder if it's my voice telling myself to do it... or is that someone else ? But, I feel it in my GUT that I know what I'm supposed to do. I feel this RUSH and excitement and I'm like NOW, NOW NOW!

I have been working on not drinking, I joined support groups, I'm working out daily, my kids are doing well... things are good. I think its time. It's time to follow my passion and make my life out of it. I can do it, I see people living my dream and I ask myself why not me too?

I'm having faith and I'm trusting the process. I'm trusting myself. My anxiety needs to leave me alone. I need to just dive in, all in! Breathe and breathe. Inhale and exhale.

I don't know where this will lead to or where I'll end up. I am a believer in supporting one another and helping us be empowered. I have always been a cheerleader for others and right now I'm cheering for myself.

Scared, but cheering.

#momlife #momlifeisthebestlife #parentingblog #momlifeuncensored #momblogger #sobriety #sobermom #anxious #my life #family #careerchange #career #self love #passion #faith #lifestyleblog #beauty #nursing

[puroresu-musings]

NJPW SUMMER STRUGGLE in JINGU Review (August 29th, 2020, Tokyo, Jingu Stadium)

Master Wato vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru  **1/4

KOPW 2020 Decision Match: Kazuchika Okada vs. SANADA vs. Toru Yano vs. El Desperado  **3/4

NEVER Openweight Championship Match: Shingo Takagi © vs. Minoru Suzuki  ****1/2

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship Match: Hiromu Takahashi © vs. Taiji Ishimori  ****+

IWGP Tag Team Championship Match: Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr. © vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kota Ibushi  ****

IWGP Heavyweight & Intercontinental Double Championship Match: EVIL © vs. Tetsuya Naito  ****

Photos.

* I tried to edit some minor things on my original post, but it was inexplicably deleted. Thankfully I had a version backed up, for some reason, so here it is posted anew.

This was a fun, brisk show (it clocked in at about 2 and a half hours) from a socially distanced crowd of around 5,000, that delivered a few great matches. On the whole everything felt a bit short, especially the first two matches that were both sprinted through in 7 minutes. Yoshinobu Kanemaru countered an RPP attempt into a cradle to pin Master Wato in an opener that was marred by a few noticeable botches, then Toru Yano very surprisingly pinned Okada to be the inaugural KOPW trophy holder. The finish came when Okada had Despy in the Cobra Clutch, but Yano rolled in, hit a low blow on his CHAOS stablemate, then School Boy’d him for the win. This was fun, but at 7:01, it was much too short to be anything other than “just there”. Things really picked up in match 3 as Shingo Takagi, who has been one of the (if not the) standout workers of 2020, defending his NEVER title against grouchy psychopath Minoru Suzuki. This was the best match on the show, and these guys pummelled each other in the blistering August sun. Special mention must go to Suzuki’s facials in this, which were tremendous. Shingo managed to escape a rear naked choke and nailed a Death valley Bomb, then hit Made In Japan for a near fall. Suzuki escaped a Last Of The Dragon attempt and hit a headbutt to the back of Takagi’s head. Shingo came off the ropes for a Pumping Bomber, but Suzuki nailed him with his big dropkick. They exchanged stiff forearms and Lariats, before Suzuki hit a shoot headbutt, and locked in the choke again. He let go and hit the Gotch Style Piledriver to win his second NEVER championship at the 14:56 mark.

The Jr. Title Match that followed had a lot riding on its shoulders. Firstly, Hiromu is nursing a separated shoulder, so he was limited in what he could do, and Ishimori hasn’t looked like his old self since injuring his neck in last years BOSJ, so whilst this was a really great match, it was nowhere in the same league as their classic 2018 BOSJ final. Bone Soldier worked over Hiromu’s injured shoulder, ramming it into the ring post after hitting a Moonsault to the floor, and trying for the Yes Lock. Takahashi made a comeback by hitting a dropkick off the apron, then went for a German into the buckles, but Taiji countered into a reverse Frankensteiner. Hiromu popped up and hit the German into the corner anyway, then got a near fall with Dynamite Plunger. They traded German’s which resulted in both guys landing square on top of their respective heads. I’ve no idea what they were thinking here, unless the plan was to flip out onto their feet, but neither made it properly. Takahashi tried the “D” triangle choke, but Ishimori tried to power him up into a powerbomb, nearly dropped him, then hit a buckle bomb which Hiromu took head first in frightening fashion. Hiromu battled back with a big Lariat, hit the Death Valley Bomb into the corner, then hit Time Bomb for a great near fall. He tried Time Bomb II, but Ishimori escaped and hit a reverse Bloody Cross, which looked terrifying, then locked in the Yes Lock again. Hiromu fought valiantly, but Ishimori turned it into a Border City Stretch he’s calling the Bone Lock, and Takahashi had to tap at 13:30. An interesting title switch here, but realistically, there are no fresh challengers for Hiromu at this point (or anyone really), and he’s probably going to factor into the G1, so it makes sense. And I know that I sound like an old fuddy-duddy here, but Hiromu needs to stop taking these bumps onto his head and neck. He only returned from a serious, potentially career-ending neck injury in December, and by August he’s needing to take time off again.

The Tag Title bout was an excellent match. It went 16 minutes so didn’t stay in the doldrums for the first half, like their half hour Dominion outing, and was essentially all action. The beginning was just as you’d expect; the heels worked over Tana’s destroyed knees, and he sold and sold. However, he made the hot tag to Ibushi, who ran wild like a man possessed, hitting stiff kicks, a standing moonsault and standing shooting star. He traded more hard kicks with Taichi, with both guys hitting a double headkick on each other for the double down. Zack was sporting a taped up knee, so Tanahashi zeroed in on it after escaping a Brakes Arm Bar, hitting Dragon Screws, including the babyfaces hitting the assisted version they’ve been devastating Tanahashi with all summer. After Ibushi kicked the Iron Fingers From Hell off Taichi’s hand, it came down to Tana and ZSJ again. The Ace hit a standing HFF, then went up for another, but Sabre moved and he ate canvas. Taichi again hit the ring and the champions hit the double team Black Mephisto that they’re calling Zack Mephisto (very clever), to retain the titles. I honestly think it’s time Tana and Ibushi parted ways for the time being so Kota can figure into the main title picture again. He’s been in the tag scene ever since he lost at Wrestle Kingdom, and it feels like he’s lost a lot of momentum. As for the champions, I’m never going to pretend to like Taichi, but he does his job well here.

And in the main event, Tetsuya Naito sought revenge on EVIL and reclaim his Double Titles in another Dominion rematch. This was a hundred times better than their Osaka outing as the interference was kept to a minimum (well as minimum as interference gets nowadays) as they didn’t needlessly go 40 damn minutes this time. The story of this was both guys going after the others neck, with Naito hitting neckbreakers, and EVIL doing his chair around the head gimmick. The King Of Darkness tried Darkness Falls onto the apron, but Naito countered into a neckbreaker to the floor, then scored a near fall with a Frankensteiner off the top. EVIL sent Naito into the exposed turnbuckles and hit a massive suplerplex. He followed that up with Darkness Falls for 2, and countered a Naito Destino attempt with an eye rake. The prerequisite chicanery happened next as Dick Togo nailed Naito with a chair as EVIL held the ref. After a botched ref bump, EVIL just threw Red Shoes into the exposed buckles, which brought Togo back. He and EVIL nailed a Magic Killer on Naito, which (shock of all shocks) brought out BUSHI, who took Togo out with a dropkick. From here, Gedo came in and poked BUSHI in the eyes, and they brawled at ringside. Dick Togo used the garrotte on Naito, which caused SANADA to run out, hit dropkicks on EVIL and Togo, then wipe Togo out with a TKO, which the veteran took a great bump for. SANADA and BUSHI hit stereo Pescado’s, then dragged the interfering Bullet Clubbers to the back, leaving it one-on-one. Naito hit Destino, but EVIL kicked out. EVIL countered a second Destino attempt with a low blow, and hit a massive Lariat for a near fall. Naito blocked an attempt at another low blow, then hit Valentia (this is a much better finisher, in my opinion), then lifted him up and hit Destino to regain the belts at the 26:20 mark.

Naito cut a promo in the post match about over coming adversity, there was a fireworks display, and everyone went home happy. So the EVIL experiment is over, for the time being. I have absolutely no problem with them wanting to elevate EVIL, but it was more of the manner they were going about it which raised concerns with me. He really didn’t need to be out there doing the whole Bullet Club shenanigans, as they really don’t play to his strengths at all. Next up is the G1, which should be interesting. It doesn’t have the same sort of buzz around it for me this year (what could?), for obvious reasons, but I’m sure it’ll be a ton of fun.

NDT

#njpw #njpw summer struggle in jingu #njsst #review #tetsuya naito #evil #hiroshi tanahashi #kota ibushi #zack sabre jr #taichi #hiromu takahashi #taiji ishimori #minoru suzuki #shingo takagi #kazuchika okada #sanada #el desperado #toru yano #master wato #yoshinobu kanemaru #new japan pro wrestling #wrestling review #puroresu #wwe #aew #roh

[chongoblog]

Sir Mr Chongo sir I was wondering how’s this quarantine affecting you? You are music man, does the bonus time help you work or hinder it for bideo gaem related reasons?

Putting this under the cut both because this gets really rambly really quick and also because it gets PRETTY venty and such, and I can imagine that sort of thing isn’t something some people need to see right now (but for anyone worried by this preface, I'm safe)

It’s been.....strange. And I’ve been completely unable to get a solid read on how life is going to be because I haven’t had a holding pattern since this whole thing started. First of all, I’m not sure how well-known this info is, but creating content for the internet is not my full-time job. I’m a software developer for a company that makes slot machines, and I help do some programming and essentially making the game mechanics work together to make the game functional. And before you shout at me because of the ethics of making gambling machines (because I’ve had multiple people do that), all I can say is....yeah, I understand, but it’s a living.

So a couple weeks ago (which feels like months at this point.....lord.....) when the social distancing got started, most people in my office started working from home. I opted not to because historically I’ve been not great at focusing on my job or job-related stuff when I’m at home. Fortunately it was easily justifiable because in our big office building there were only about 5 of us instead of the usual hundred or so. So I spent a week working alone from the office.

That week, we were informed that amidst all this mess (since the company I work for gets steady income via casinos which, spoiler alert, aren’t very popular right now), instead of getting direct pay cuts, we would have a furlough schedule. Essentially, every four weeks, we would have a week where we don’t work and ergo don’t get paid. Kinda like an unemployment free trial.

Right now, I’m in the middle our first furlough week. I’m home under quarantine with nothing but free time. And what kinda sucks is that I was sincerely hoping that I would have this free week to work on one of the big crazy projects I’ve wanted to do for so long, but so far I’ve done nothing but a few small things, like the April Fools Day videos and CPU Kerfuffle Lore Docs, but I guess my brain just....isn’t really making it feel rewarding for some reason. Because ironically there are projects I WANT to work on, but all my productivity and creativity is being pushed elsewhere, which is......frustrating. Like you mention I’m a music man, and I keep thinking “hey now’s my chance to do the thing and make music, you know that thing you love to do?” but every time I open up the software, my brain just stalls out. Same thing for every project I WANT to work on. And I’ve even been taking Vyvanse even though it’s furlough so why can I still not focus? Bleh....

So next week I’m gonna get started on working from home. I’m tempted to try going into the office, since I could probably get away with it? It very much is my job, and there’s probably even LESS people there, but of course I don’t know if they closed it all up yet or not. I’ll probably end up running the setup where I’m working from home and hoping for the best in terms of my level of focus.

Although a lot of what might be getting me so out of focus isn’t the quarantine. It’s just that I’m very stressed. About a whole lot of things. On the day we got assigned furlough, they had to lay off 10% of the company. In a situation like the one we’re in where I work for a company that benefits off of casinos, and the end of a legally enforced quarantine paradoxically gets farther and farther and farther away and yet every date proposed feels too soon, I can’t help but wonder if they’ll stop at just 10%. Not helped by the fact that 3% of all of America filed for unemployment over the last two weeks. And that number grew over time.

And that’s just within my personal situation. Doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to see that things aren’t going great in the world, so I won’t go into detail on that as to not repeat it all, but things kind of suck. And I’ve made the “mistake” of recently sort of becoming really into politics, which means that every day I just become angrier and angrier or more and more miserable, but ultimately more and more stressed.

And I think maybe that stress may be a part of what’s blocking me up creatively? Maybe? Who knows at this point. I’m ready for this all to be over, and not knowing when that will be is painful. And, once again, so stressful. I’ve had a stress headache every day for the last week, and I rarely got them before. I can’t look away from what’s trending on Twitter because I’d be more insane if I didn’t know what the hell is going on, but everything on there is either politics, fearmongering, or just overall terrible news. Then there are plenty of other personal things to have me stressed out.

But I want to end this on a more positive note. So I will say this much. First of all, this whole mess is showing some of the best in humanity, and it’s putting a spotlight on people that I can call heroes without a drop of irony. Doctors, Nurses, Janitors, Fast Food Workers, Garbage Workers, Postal Service, Grocery Workers, the list goes on and on of people who are doing what they can to help the world in this time of crisis, and they will be rewarded (because if they don’t, there will be enough civil unrest that they take their rewards from those who withhold them). And on a more personal note, all things considered, I’m still in a good position in terms of my job. Our team fills a helpful niche, and our ability to work from home more reliably than others is a good asset at a time like this. And even with furlough cutting my pay somewhat, I still have a good bit in savings if necessary, and we can still cover all of our bills.

The future is looking rough. It’s looking really really rough. And I know I can’t see the future, but I know that we’re going to get through it. A year from now, a changed world will look back on this as a tragedy, but we’ll be with each other as we do it, giving our close friends big hugs.

#vent #Anonymous

[yes-i-am-happyaspie]

Just Sit Down!

I know in the USA that some states are starting to pull back on their self-isolation orders but Please, I’m begging you to listen to the science.

This isn’t over.

We need to continue to flatten the curve.

STAY AT HOME.

__________

Summary: Peter Parker is a man... well, teenager of action. Therefore he and 'social distancing' don't exactly mix and he's about to drive Tony up a wall. The good news is he's able to come up with a plan that will undoubtedly wear his kid out.

Tags:  social distancing, Pandemics, Peter Parker is Going Stir-Crazy, Tony Stark is Being So Patient, Superhero Tag, Raising Morale, Staying Positive, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure... ...

Word Count: 3202

Warnings: None   Rated: G

Link to Post on AO3[2020-3-21]: Just Sit Down-happyaspie

 From the moment the virus, the pandemic, hit the United States, May immediately started talking precautions.  One of which was making sure that Peter was being careful while on his patrols.  No diving into crowds, cleaning his hands regularly and washing his suit after every single use.  Peter complained that she was being overprotective.  Insisting that they had no proof that he could get sick at all but being a nurse, she didn't relent.  They didn't know enough about his immune system to be sure that he couldn't catch this particular virus and even if he couldn't, he could still spread it.  Being cautious was the best course of action.  

Later when things began to spread, the local and national governments decided that social distancing was the best way to slow the progression and prevent the healthcare systems from being overwhelmed.  That meant that events were being canceled, the schools were being closed and businesses were beginning to move towards a 'curb-side pickup model'... it not temporarily closing their doors altogether.  

At that time, May was the first to volunteer to take on extra shifts at the hospital. Especially as some of her co-workers began having to navigate through a sudden need for child care or had fallen ill themselves.  She didn't mind the extra work, it was hard but it was also fulfilling.  The problem was that it didn't take long after the first major influx of patients for the hospital's supply of personal protection equipment to begin to run frighteningly low.  That didn't stop her from pressing forward. She knew she was part of the frontline.  People's lives were in her hands.  That wasn't to say that she wasn't worried.   In order to prevent the possibility of bringing the virus home to Peter, she did the next most responsible thing she could think of.  She sent him to stay with Tony and she knew she was extremely lucky to have that sort of an option for her nephew.  Many families didn't.

Having Peter stay at the tower actually eased most of May's major concerns.   Not only did it reduce the possibility of her passing the virus on to him, should she be directly exposed, it also meant that he would be well fed.  Getting enough supplies to properly feed an enhanced teenager during a time when people were buying in bulk out of fear was difficult.  That wasn't a problem for Tony.  He always had a large supply of everything stocked up at the tower.  It came from housing several heroes, including a super-soldier.  However, she also relieved to know that the man would be available to make sure that Peter didn't try to sneak out as she knew he was itching to do. 

Tony was, as expected, quick to accommodate.  He even made sure to have May's kitchen stocked for her. She tried to refuse but he simply waved her off.  Saying that he'd already made several large donations to various community food pantries and created a few helpful programs of his own to support the at-risk communities.  Supplying her with two weeks' worth of frozen dinners and canned goods that he already had laying around was nothing.   "Besides, you're really helping me out.  The team is sort of spread out across the country, Pepper's stuck overseas for the time being and the penthouse is entirely too quiet.", he said, not really knowing at the time, what exactly he'd signed up for.

~o~o~o~o~o~

By day five of being completely banned from Spidering at both May and Tony's insistence, Peter was starting to go a little bit stir-crazy.  He'd not used his web-shooters or any of his spider-powers during that entire time and he had so much pent up energy that he could feel himself vibrating.  "I need to get out.", he randomly jumped up and announced after having been jittering in place for the past twenty minutes while Tony watched the news.

"No, you don't.  Sit down.", Tony casually stated before flipping the channel to something a little more upbeat. 

"I can't sit down.  There're... things I could be doing out there.", Peter retorted as he began to pace.  

Tony hummed in response.  "Like what?", he asked despite knowing the answer.  He knew the kid was going nuts from sitting around.  A daily jog at the nearby park wasn't enough.  Not when he was having to go at a leisurely human pace.  

"I don't know!  Things!", Peter snapped but felt instantly sorry for having done so.  Taking a deep breath he looked longingly out the window and sighed.   "Stopping crime.  The usual."

"There's nobody out there, kiddo.  ...and the police are already taking precautions to help handle any kind of mass panic.", Tony helpfully supplied but the boy didn't look convinced, instead, he went back to pacing the room and periodically sighing.  

Eventually, Peter paused in front of where his mentor was sitting and began to chew on his thumbnail.  "Maybe I could help buy groceries for the elderly or something.", he suggested because that sounded reasonable.  He could swing around the city and deliver necessities to people who otherwise shouldn't be out.  That would allow him to really move while helping the community. 

"Stark Industries funded an emergency drone delivery service for that very purpose. It's free, highly advertised and my understanding is that it's getting a lot of use.", Tony replied and steeled himself for an argument that never came.  Instead, the kid when back to pacing.  Then, the pacing turned into digging around in the kitchen and before he knew it, the boy was back in front of him.

"We're out of pudding, Mr. Stark.  I should go out and get some.", Peter stated matter-of-factly, shifted his weight as he spoke. 

"Pete... I have enough food to feed me, you, May and a small army for the next three months, you'll be fine for the next two or three weeks.", Tony said in exasperation.  A lack of pudding was not even slightly on his radar.  Lack of coffee might have gotten his attention but he knew better than that.  The coffee he liked was delivered to his door, in bulk, on a monthly basis.  Not to mention the backup supply he kept in the back of the freezer.  "Don't you have some homework you can sit down to do?"

Midtown had turned to digital learning for the duration of the preventative period and posted assignments daily.  Extensive ones.  Yet, Peter had managed to blow through them in record time.  "I finished it already.", he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Throwing his hand up in mild annoyance, Tony rolled his eyes.  Of course, the kid was done with his homework.  "Well, call Ned or do that Discord gaming thingy that you do.  Just sit down, kid!"

"We did that already today", peter complained as he began to absentmindedly bounce on his toes.  "You can only play so much Minecraft, Mr. Stark."

Tony huffed a laugh.  "Really because it wasn't that long ago you were all, '...but there are bees now, Mr. Stark...', when I asked you put the game down for ten minutes to help me with something in the lab.", he playfully mocked.  He really didn't understand the fascination with the game and this was coming from a man who's entire generation had thrived on clunky plastic cartridges and boxy eight-bit characters.

Crossing his arms in front of him, Peter, sighed and then reluctantly plopped down into a chair only to then relentlessly tap his foot on the hardwood floor.  "I have a short attention span, Mr. Stark.  The bees are no longer of interest.", he proclaimed and then immediately stood up to continue his aimless wandering.

"Do you want to go down to the workshop?", Tony asked next.  Even if they had run out of things to do as far as Spider-suit updates go, there was always an abundance of half-finished projects down there to look at.  He sort of hoped that he could get the kid's brain working and that would, in turn, temporarily cease to the whining.  "We can do whatever you want as long as you stop pacing.  You're going to wear a hole in my carpet.  Sit down!"

"Why can't I go out as Spider-man, Mr. Stark?", Peter pleaded, not really expecting any kind of surprising answer.  He'd already asked that question multiple times over the last few days and the response wasn't likely to have changed. 

"You know why, kid.", Tony warningly returned causing the boy to grunt in frustration and then turn back towards the large windows.  It was as though the sly line was calling his name.  No screaming.  The skyline was screaming his name.

"What if I just swing around for like, an hour and then back.  No direct peopling.", Peter begged, hoping that was enough of a compromise.  While he missed talking to his many neighbors, shaking hands and playing with all the children in the streets but he did understand.  He was just aching to get out.  Like he would suffocate soon if he didn't.

Rolling his eyes, Tony sat up taller in his seat and pointed an accusatory finger towards the pouting teenager.  "Right.  Do you think you can just sit there and lie to me like that?  I've met you and there is zero chance of you going out in that suit and not talking to every single person you come across."

"I promise, Mr. Stark!", Peter nearly shouted but his mentor remained placid.

"Nope.", Tony causally countered but when it looked like the kid might actually start to cry he relented.  Just a little.  It wasn't that he had any real problem with Spider-man going out to swing the afternoon away.  The problem was he didn't trust the teenager behind the mask to not dive right into the middle of the first crowd he spotted.  He required supervision and he supposed that technically he could offer that.   "What if I go with you?", he proposed.

Narrowing his eyes, Peter tried to decide what the man had meant by that.  "Like... as my sidekick?", he asked, feigning confusion. 

"Iron Man is nobody's sidekick, Spider-boy.", Tony impassively asserted. "I'm going as your--"

"--Equal?", Peter pipped up with a wide smile.  He knew that was definitely not what the man was going to say either but he was sure his mentor's reaction would be nothing less than entertaining and he desperately needed some entertainment.    

"That's cute, Pete but no.", Tony said with a smirk.   "I'm going as your Superhero mentor or what have you.", he flippantly declared before turning the television off completely.  Apparently his spider-child required another, more vigorous walk. 

Peter stood by the window and quietly contemplated the offer.  It didn't really take that long for him to decide that the plan, though vague was good enough for him.  If it meant getting to use his web-shooters, that was all he needed to hear.  That didn't make him any less curious about what the man had in mind, though.   "That's cool.  What are we going to do?"

"Oh, I have a few ideas.", Tony said with a grin.

Within the next thirty minutes, the two for them were suited up and on top of the building.  While Peter hopped in place Tony stood there rapidly typing something into his phone.  "What are you doing?", Peter asked as he tried to see over the man's shoulder.  "I thought we were going to actually do something."

For several seconds the man didn't dignify the question but when he did he was smiling triumphantly.  "There we go.  ...Now you can swing around and get your crazies out while doing something nice.", he stated before turning his phone so that Peter could read his latest tweet.  'Bored inside? Spider-man and I are about to hit the skies for some practice.  Enjoy the show from your windows.', it read and tagged several specific locations including the nearby children's hospital.

"That... is a really cool idea, Mr. Stark!", Peter giddily exclaimed.

"It was one of my more genius plans.", Tony said with a flourish of his armored hand.  "Now, let's get going, that's a lot of ground to cover.", he added, engaging his faceplate and then subsequently shooting a mild repulsor beam directly between the kid's feet calling out, "Tag, you're it!", before taking off into the sky.

"Hey!  I wasn't ready, Mr. Stark!", Peter laughed as his mentor hovered tauntingly above him.  Though, before he had the chance to gather his thoughts or shoot a web towards the nearest building the man was swooping back towards him.

"You coming or what, Spider-kid?", Tony said, holding out his hand with the intention of taking another shot but before it could go off, Peter managed to get his wits about him and shot a web towards the man's outstretched hand.  Completely undaunted by his now web covered palm, Tony didn't change his position.  Instead, he raised his face-plate and smiled.  "Nice try, Spiderling.", he calmly replied right before the repulsor went off, burning right through the webs and hitting peter right on the heels as he had already begun to run towards the edge of the rooftop.

They continued to soar through the city, playing their superhero version of tag while people cheered them on from their windows and balconies.  Some of them wearing their hero of choice's colors while others held up signs to show support.  Although, Peter's favorite part of the entire chaotic outing was climbing up the side of the children's hospital and waving to the kids as they sat up in their beds giggling whenever Tony would zap him in the rear.  It was probably the most fun he'd had in a really long time.

By the time they had hit all of the spots that Tony had promised they would appear in, Peter was actually tired.  Not exhausted but comfortably worn out.  So, when the man told him it was time to head back to shower and eat he was more than willing to go.  

"That was really awesome, Mr. Stark.  Like, I can't remember the last time I've ever been able to play with anyone like that.", Peter sighed out as they sat together at the kitchen counter eating dinner. After the spider bite, any and all rowdy antics had come to a rapid halt.  It wasn't like he could wrestle around with Ned.  He had super- strength and didn't want to hurt him.  Yet, it had never crossed his mind that maybe Tony or even Steve would willingly rough-house with him.  Sparring, jogging, team practice, those could be fun sometimes but they weren't the same thing.   

"Yeah?  Well, I'm glad you had a good time, Buddy.", Tony said.  He'd not really considered that end of the exercise.  His goal had been to allow the kid to wear himself out using his spider-powers without putting himself or others at risk.  He'd had no idea that when he'd chosen to turn the whole thing it into a game, that he'd be filling a hole that he never knew existed.  "I think the people watching had a good time too."

Nodding his head, Peter smiled.  He thought about all the families that had come outside to see what the ruckus was about then stood on their balconies laughing and yelling, back and forth towards each other as they watched the action.  He thought about how they were enjoying each other's company without going against any social distancing suggestions and how happy everyone looked while doing so.  "It was sort of cool to see everyone being excited together even though they were still apart.", he mused between bites of spaghetti.

"We gave them something fun to focus on for a little while.", Tony acknowledged.  He'd not expected the impromptu air show to go over quite as well as it had but then again people had been confined to their homes for a while at that point.  No school, no concerts, even the libraries were off-limits.  They'd needed a pick-me-up beyond a computer screen.  An excuse to interact with their neighborhood at a distance.  

"Can we do it again, Mr. Stark?", Peter asked as he began to clear the table.  He wasn't sure exactly how much longer they would have to all be inside but he hoped to have the chance to lift the city's spirits again.   That and the game had been fun.  Laughing, goofing off and scuffling without having to worry about hurting anyone had been amazing.

"At some point.", Tony agreed with a smile.  He could handle that and honestly, he had already decided that after everything had settled, that he would occasionally take the kid out just to play around as they had.  Peter had made it very clear that having someone to horse around with had been something he'd been missing and it had been fun for him too.  It would also come off as good publicity.  Two superheroes working in tandem to brighten the lives of the people around them but mostly the former.  "In the meantime, what do you want to do now?  Lab or movie?"

"Movie.", Peter readily replied as he darted across the room and flipped solidly into the large chair beside the window. "They released some new ones to digital early since the movie theaters are closed.  Like Onward, Frozen Two and most importantly, the newest Star Wars movie."

 "Of course, Star Wars.", Tony replied with a roll of his eyes but settled down on the couch all the same. 

 They sat on the sperate pieces of furniture for the duration of the first movie but by the time they had started into their second, Peter was growing tired.  Eventually, he got up from the chair he'd been curled up in and wandered over to sit directly beside Tony on the couch.  That way he could stretch out a little more. Though as more time passed he found himself leaning more heavily into the man's side and his head resting snuggly on the man's shoulder.

 Looking down at the kid who finally seemed to be more at peace than he had been for the last several days, he smiled.  "You know we're supposed to be practicing social distancing.", teased said while nudging Peter's head with a shrug of his occupied shoulder.  It wasn't that boy had never sat with him like that before or that he really minded, so much as he just wanted to give him a hard time.  It was fun.

 "I live with you.", Peter reason, without bothering to move an inch.  He was comfortable and sitting closely beside someone that you were actively sharing space with was to be expected.

 “You live with your aunt.", Tony counted with a chuckle.  Though he did realize that the kid spent more than a good bit of time living with him as well.  Even before the short term change in his primary residence.  

 Peter looked up and grinned.  "Not right now I don't.", he sing-songed before pulling the blanket off of the back of the couch.

 "Whatever.", Tony returned with a fond roll of his eyes.  "At least your sitting down."

#marvel #marvel fanfiction #mcu #spider-man #covid 19 #social distancing #mcu fanfiction #stay at home #tony stark & peter parker #irondad #irondad fandom #cross-posted #also on ao3 #my ao3 #stayhealthy #flattening curve

[cawthelesbian]

Change Of Heart

@literally-ritsu forgot it was Takano’s birthday but fear not. here’s a short fic. its not really takano eccentric but eh.

-x-

The air is frightening outside, leaving countless bodies full of chill and numbness all over as they trudge through the blizzard. Maybe that was a bit extreme but it had been a long time since it was last like this. Snows were piles high, reaching their shins even! They had workers outside on the streets, tossing salt everywhere and shoveling snow to the side so there could be some walkways. No one could say it wasn’t a white Christmas this year. 

Ritsu Onodera stood in the craze weather at a bus stop, waiting for the noon ride. He was covered lightly in snow, his brown-colored locks had white sprinkled all across on him and the shoulders of his coat. There he sat with a bored expression. If he felt anything, it was probably annoyance and exhaustion mixed. He wasn’t sure the word for it. 

What can he say? He really didn’t want to go home. It was his first year in college and winter break had fallen. Somehow, his parents figured this out and immediately demanded he come home. They probably would have called anyways. Students do always get Christmas off. 

His mother claimed they needed to ‘talk’ as if he didn’t know what she was talking about. She was practically ignoring the screaming matches they had over the phone this past week about how she was being controlling, demanding he study this or that, work here or there, and decide who he should marry and who he shouldn’t. She had this stupid idea of how he should live his life and what he was supposedly ‘meant’ to be. He was meant to be a fairly intelligent and charming man who studied Business for his degree with great grades, speculator connections, and the approval of the student body who would end up becoming the CEO of Onodera Publishing and marry his sweet, kind childhood friend An. 

Well, he didn’t really turn out that way. He really sucked when it came to science and amth, he was horrible at public speaking. He swore he couldn’t speak a word in front of a crowd without stammering or stuttering or messing up somehow. He barely had what he could call friends, only one person really came close to it. He was studying Literature & Arts, not Business. He was practically unknown by anyone but the certain man mentioned before and his friends. Furthermore, he got panic attacks from the idea of having the responsibility over so many people and the future of an economy.  

He wasn’t exactly what you would classify as ‘straight either. 

The one man he’s closest to is named Takano Masamune, a junior in his same major. He funnily enough minors in mathematics. The thought of himself ever doing the same makes Ritsu want to barf. The same man was sat beside him on the cold bench at the bus stop, staring out at the icy road as million of snowflakes continue to fall and cover the concrete. 

He’s close to what he would call a friend because he is his boyfriend. How did it happen? He’s not exactly sure, he’ll be honest. It just kind of did. Before he knew it, he was forced into a project with the upperclassmen by the professor and the more time he spent with the man in question, the more he found he liked him and his presence. Even though he was completely awkward and embarrassing around him, he enjoyed the time he spent with him. The loud laughter and flushed, aching cheeks were new and refreshing compared to the misery and loneliness he’s known all to well all his life. 

It wasn’t too long before Takano noted what was going on. Ritsu was apparently obvious to anyone, especially the upperclassmen. He started doing these things like scooting closer to Ritsu, pulling a loose strand of hair behind his ear, touching him in innocent little ways, and whispering against him. It made him flush all the brighter and lose the breath he was supposed to be breathing. It drove him insane.

“You’ve definitely got a crush on me, Onodera, don’t try to hide it now.” Takano chuckled, smirking smuggling. The sight annoyed Ritsu. He reached out and pinched the bright red, making Ritsu go dizzy. “Let’s go on a date sometime. Hmm, you don’t have anymore classes today right? Great, you’ve got an hour to get ready. Yokozawa gave me tickets to the Percy Jackson Musical, let’s go see it together. Oh, I can’t promise I won’t kiss you. Do you know how hard it’s been these last few weeks to not smother you?”

“I - uh - w-what…?” Ritsu stammered, eyes wide and mouth gaping. 

“Cute,” Takano grinned, letting go of his cheek and gently patted his cheek. “Now go on, go back to your dorm and get ready for our first date. Otherwise, I just might make sure you can’t leave this room with a certain mark on your neck.” 

Needless to say, Ritsu ran out of his dorm room at the threat. He was highly embarrassed but there was no denying the excitement bubbling inside his heart with each quick thump inside his chest. As Takano predicted, once they stepped outside after listening to the musical and Ritsu started going on about like the nerd he is, he was smothered against Takano, not that he minded. Sure, he was a bit breathless, dizzy, and felt like he was dying at the moment because oh my god, Takano Masamune is kissing me! Otherwise, it was great. 

The said boyfriend, five months later, was agitated at his side. He really didn’t want Ritsu to go back home.

“Can’t you lie and say you’ve got the flu?” 

“My aunt is a nurse and she never fails to show up for a family meeting, especially a holiday one. She’s a high-profile superior at her work so she always gets them off.” Ritsu snorted.”Plus, I suck at lying. You know this.”

“Why do you have to go? Can’t you just skip?” Takano pouted, making Ritsu smile. “

It is my birthday. I would skip for yours.”

“Mine isn’t on an international holiday that emphasizes family.” 

“Oh come on,” Takano turned to look at him, a serious look taking form in his eyes. “You know what this is going to be. You’re gonna go home, I’m gonna go home as well since ‘well, why not?’ and then you’re going to call me in a frenzy after they throw slurs at both me and you, try to pressure you to be some perfect doll, which you are not and don’t want to be, and leave you in a mess. I don’t mind you calling me, that’s not what I’m saying. I’m just saying you could avoid all of it by skipping this year.” 

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Ritsu sighed, “I wish they would understand.”

“Ritsu,” He felt his gloved hand took in Takano’s cold one. How was his hands not numb by now? “They have never understood. They see what they want to see and try to make you what they want. You’re family, Ritsu, not an employee. You have your own dreams, goals, and ambitions completely separate from them. You even have different morals and wants than them, you aren’t the same and shouldn’t be expected to be such. They don’t even know you, Ritsu.”

He couldn’t really deny that, he wouldn’t even if he wanted to. It would be naive and foolish to do so. You can’t ignore the abuse and neglect forever. There comes a time where reality slams you against the wall and makes you open up your eyes. Everything he ever did was for his family, for what his mother wanted him to do. Every school he went too, including his current university, was of her finest choice. Any ‘friend’ he made? She basically forced his way with playdates in the name of gathering ‘good connections’ and ‘social standing’. Always something he never understood as a five-year-old and dreaded when he was older, capable of finally understanding what all her reasons entailed. 

“But I would end up causing chaos afterwards and I really don’t want to deal with that over break.” Ritsu sighed, feeling more tired in the snowy wonderland. How he wished he was back at Takano’s dormroom forced into a shared burrito-blanket session with hot chocolate in between their cold hands and stupid Hallmark movies on his cheap laptop. It would be all coy and warm, much preferable to the dreadful weather he’s stuck in now waiting on a stupi bus so he could to a place he’d rather avoid for the rest of his life if possible. 

“Have you ever taken a risk in your life?” Takano asked, curious. 

Ritsu pouted and looked away. 

“Wouldn’t it be nice to take the first one tonight?” Takano asks, falling against Ritsu. He feels the heavy weight of Takano’s head on his shoulder. He smiles to himself, he can be cute when he lets himself be. It’s endearing. 

“You’re awfully optisimic.” Ritsu snorts with a silly grin.

“No, you’re just so unbearably pessimistic that logic seems like optimism to your flawed brain.”

“Maybe you’re right on that one.”

“I’m always right.”

“Says the person whose left-handed.”

He got shoved for that one but it makes both of them laugh anyways. What cracks them out of their perfect little joyful bubble is the loud whine of the bus as it pulls up, the doors folding out to open. The old bus driver sits there annoyed, probably from how difficult it is to work with the weather during times like these when your job is driving, in layers upon layers to protect himself from the frightful weather.  

“You kids on this bus? Hurry up with your suitcase, it’s cold out here!” He calls, making Ritsu stiffen. “I mean, just look at you two, pale as the snow itself!” 

Ritsu breathes in deeply, feeling the weight of the suitcase as he stands up from off the bench and drags it alongside him. He keeps his head bowed as he reaches the creaky, old-fashioned bus doors. He turns as he steps on the first step of three, smiling back at Takano. “I’ll see you later. Can I call?”

Takano lets out a huff, smiling nonetheless, and throws his head back against the bench. Hi body relaxes and slacks against it despite the distrateriously cold weather. “I’d be a jerk if I said no. That’s not a good impression on your folks, now is it?”

It makes Ritsu laugh. 

“Get on if you’re gonna get on, otherwise move it. I’ve got a schedule, bud.” The bus driver huffs, impatiently tapping on the wheel with his gloved finger in annoyance. Ritsu stiffens,his heart racing, 

“Sorry.” Ritsu says weakly. He steps on board, his suitcase hitting each step as he goes up. He finds himself down the aisle and into a window seat, staring back at his boyfriend who looks so incredibly lazy for once. It makes him giggle. He waves.

Takano, despite his distaste for his decision, waves back with a smile. 

That warms his heart up more than the built-in heaters of the bus. 

The bus goes off, Takano is passed by, completely out of his sight. He sits back, releasing a long sigh. He closes his eyes and just lets himself breath in and out. 

The bus seat is scratchy and feels stiff against his body but that’s okay. He’ll get home soon, in about two hours. 

‘Home’. That’s what he’s called it. It’s a prison if anything. He’s learned that ever since he started living on his own. The freedom that came with it was so unexpected and invigorating left him high on it initially but as time passed, it was just the same. 

Until Takano. He didn’t avoid him because of his blood nor was he easily scared off when his family threatened him. If anything, that made him want to stay closer to Ritsu. In reality. Takano is what Ritsu considers to be a true version of home for him.

He’s apologized and bent over backwards for so many things he’s never wanted to. There were things he didn’t and did regret because of these unrealistic expectations. The memories make him clench his fist against his knee where it formerly laid relaxed. 

He wants to laugh and cry at the thought of what he’s walking back into. What will he do there? Simple, what he always so. He’ll swallow his words, trying to keep a smile on his face without choking on the traumatic feelings that squeeze his heart unfairly. He’ll remember what it is like to learn to be silent, to be nothing but a doll again despite fighting it all this time while he was away. He can’t deny that he’s a coward, it’s true. 

“Hush Ritsu, dear, we just want what’s best for you. We’ve thought long and hard about this. We know it’s good for you. Let’s not have this conversation here, dear, it’s not very becoming of you. Your public image has been untarnished for now, we need to keep it that way.” 

Words, questions, and topics that you don’t mention and if you dared to bring them up, expect everyone in the room to look at you like a glorified freak who has said the worst crime of all. You just need to be quiet, close your mouth and swallow your pride. 

Swallow your self-worth and make it disappear. You don’t need that. You’re nothing but a puppet for them to play after all. 

You’ll never know if you’ll survive this; it’s really an endless battle within and outside yourself. 

“I think your mind is interesting, maybe a little crazy. Nothing can be truly seen without a little bit of color, right?” Takano nudges him, making him blush and look down at his Plato textbook. “You should talk more, I like how unruly and fast you are about it. It’s cute at the very least. I want to know what that head of yours is thinking, Ritsu Onodera.”

He blushes at the memory resurfacing. God, he regrets getting on this bus. He wishes he had just given in. 

“Last stop before I get into Osaka, anyone getting off?” The bus driver calls, loud and throaty. Much as he dislikes that type of sound, he feels a spark of hope in him. Maybe he could head back. He stands up. “Ugh, of course it’s you, kid. Come on, off.”

He nearly trips down the stairs but that’s okay because he doesn’t fall and he finds himself on the corner of 7th street. That’s not too far from their university. It’s about a thirty-minute walk or a ten minute drive on a highway. 

Oh god, his mother is going to kill him. He hears the door close loudly behind him and the whine of the bus as it drives off. He is so dead when she calls but he ignores that in favor for calling his boyfriend instead. This will be a surprise. 

“Already calling me?” Takano laughs into the speaker. “What, are you hitchhiking or something?”

“...maybe?”

“...what.”

“I’m, uh, at Cherry 7th street?” 

“I know I have said this before but I might be in love you.” He can hear how breathless Takano sounds. He can tell he’s throwing his jacket back on by the sound of the zipper.

That makes Ritsu laugh. 

#Sekaiichi Hatsukoi #sekaiichi nostalgia #Ritsu Onodera #Takano Masamune #takaritsu #birthday fic #au #college au #tw neglect #tw abuse #mentions of it #not direct examples

[exhaustedfander]

When is Enough Enough? [Chapter Four]

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / Epilog 

a03 link to story

The party was about just what Logan had expected; which was to say he wasn’t having a good time at all. It wasn’t Roman’s doing, the scene just wasn’t one that the logical man liked to frequent. When he’d first been invited, Logan had attempted to decline as politely as he could, reminding Roman how out of his comfort zone he would be.

“Oh come on, teach, you must be in attendance! It wouldn’t be the same without you there.”

While Logan appreciated Roman’s assurance that the shindig wouldn’t be half as fun if he didn’t show up, he knew then that Roman would most likely get far two swept up in the atmosphere of the party – as well as his instance to shove his tongue down Virgil’s throat at every possible moment – to make Logan feel all that included. And that was just what was happening.

What had been described as an “intimate get-together between friends,” was in actuality Roman’s home being filled to the brim with cast-mates from former plays he’d taken part in, other theater workers and people whom he’d meet in his improv and acting classes, and some friends of Virgil’s.  Logan was sure that these were decent individuals, but he knew almost no one who was in attendance, and already not having been a fan of parties in general, it was becoming imminent that choosing to come was a mistake.

Roman had greeted him at the door, of course, with Virgil already standing beside him with an arm around his waist and the couple had offered Logan something to drink. It was strange, seeing Virgil fairly comfortable in such a crowded atmosphere, as such a thing usually would be quite the fight with Virgil’s heightened anxiety. But Logan supposes that by Roman’s side, Virgil felt a lot less vulnerable. It was nice, seeing his emo friend coming out of his shell, but it couldn’t take away from the fact that he was alone at a party he didn’t wish to be at.

He’d spoken with the couple briefly, as well as caught up with Patton and Janus. That was strange, too, seeing the two of them together so intimate, all things considered. Janus’s presence in the friend group for a long time was almost nonexistent. Janus and Virgil had been in a relationship some time ago that had turned rather sour. Logan didn’t know the particulars as to why, nor was it any of his business, but they all hadn’t gotten along with Janus very well for quite some time. He was known quite infamously for being a deceitful, lying person and was not welcomed in their presence.

But with time, it seemed that the old wounds between Virgil and Janus had healed for the most part and everyone was beginning to give him a chance. Logan had never had any particularly ill-feelings about Janus. He supposed wearing gloves all the time was a little strange, and there was that one time where Janus had impersonated him for a prank, but for the most part Logan was okay with him. Additionally, he made Patton happy, happier than Logan had seen him in such a long time and Logan could find no issue with that. Having known Patton for as long as Roman and Virgil, it was quite nice to see how Patton warmed up to Janus and eventually cultivated a romantic relationship with him.

Despite how sickly sweet the two couples are, they paid very little attention to Logan, spending time with one another and socializing with the other guests. Logan found himself standing alone in the kitchen, nursing half of a bear that he didn't particularly like before he felt a rather hard tap on his shoulder.

He turned around to see Remus grinning widely at him, clad in the most hideous neon-green shorts, a black sequin shirt with puffy sleeves and dark green flip-flops. Needless to say, it wasn't the wildest thing Logan’s seen him wear.

“Hello Remus. I wasn’t aware you were in attendance.” He attempted to smoother the gratefulness that seeps into his tone, but to no avail. Remus’s grin only seemed to broaden.

“Oh, I wasn’t invited,” Remus announced proudly, pulling himself up onto the counter so that he was sat beside Logan and had a better vantage point to fiddle with his tie. Logan pushed Remus’s hands away and smoothed out his tie. “I thought crashing my bro-bro’s party would be fun but what a bore this is! I’m so bored I could light myself on fire!”

It didn't surprise Logan that Remus wasn’t invited, seeing as his and Roman’s relationship was so fractured, but he didn't comment on it.

“That doesn’t sound like a very good idea,” Logan replied. Remus huffed.

“You’re no fun!”

“That’s interesting, seeing as I seem to recall you having a great deal of fun when we went to the science museum.”

“Well –,” Logan didn't fail to take in the adorable, err, intriguing way that Remus struggled to come up with a response, his face squeezed up in an exasperated expression, “Well that’s different! The museum was fun, not you!”

“Right, of course,” Logan said, knowing Remus was lying through his teeth, “how foolish of me.”

“Exactly. Speaking of fun, it doesn’t look like you were having too much of it before I showed up,” and oh, there was a delectable look in Remus’s eyes as he said it.

Logan wasn't an idiot, he knew there was a spark between them. Remus flirted shamelessly; then again, Remus flirted with everyone. But it felt different with him, more-sincere.

“You know me.”

“I do.”

“Parties aren’t my scene. Roman invited me, and I did not wish to hurt his feelings by not attending.” Remus pressed a pointed finger to Logan’s nose, a teasing smile painted on his face as Logan felt heat flush over his neck.

“Boop!” Remus chimed, pressing his finger again, knowing Logan wouldn’t let anyone else be so up in his personal space. Remus liked that.

“You ever told my brother we talk?” Logan noted that Remus doesn’t say “we’re friends.” He said talk and talk, well, that could mean so many things.

“No, I don’t believe I’ve mentioned it,” – Logan’s fully aware he’d never mentioned it –, “I suppose I figured that you two have a troubled enough relationship as it is.” Remus cocked an eyebrow.

“And you figure you’d trouble it more?”

“I…well…I don’t –.”

“Oh, stop sputtering, Nerdy Wolverine. Doesn’t matter anyway, this way it’ll be a lot easier to fool around with you a little without Roman suspecting a thing.” Now that brought the color out in Logan’s cheeks. He cleared his throat, keen to notice the look of satisfaction that brought Remus. While Logan was not always too keen to pick up when someone was flirting with him, it’s impossible to miss it with Remus. Subtlety really wasn't his forte.

“Very funny,” he chose to say, his brain failing to come up with a more suitable answer, deciding instead to change the subject, “Are you going to get something to drink?”

“Nah,” Remus responded, surprising Logan a great deal, “Me and alcohol don’t really mix all too well.”

“Oh, really? I can’t help but be surprised with that. I was under the impression that you’d enjoy drinking.” Remus’s lip quirked in a lopsided smile as he shruged his shoulders.

“Yeah, you’d think so. But nope, it kind of tends to bring out the worst of my behavior. Not to say that I’m not a bit of a handful most of the time.” Logan couldn't help but smirk at that.

“A bit?”

“Fine, I’m a lot of a handful all of the time,” – Remus punctuated the “lot” by making a squeezing motion in front of his chest as if he were clutching a pair of invisible breasts – “I don’t see you complaining.”

“Not most of the time, I suppose.” Remus chuckled.

“Right. But anyway, the last time I got really, really wasted I climbed up on the roof and decided jumping from it into the pool was a real swell idea.” Although the idea of Remus doing such a thing wasn't by any means surprising, it’s still incredibly upsetting to contemplate. He could have been so severalty injured.

“My god.”

“Yeah, it was pretty wild ‘cuz I actually made it in the water. But if I hadn’t? I woulda splat all over the pavement.” Logan crinkled his nose.

“That’s not a very pleasant image.”

“Just my blood and guts everywhere, all goopy on the pavement.”

“Remus –.”

“You think maybe my head might’ve turned the other way around? Or, or if I woulda broken all my bones and my arms and legs would have been all bent this way and that way and –.”

“Remus!”

“Okay, okay, I’ll stop,” Remus said before grabbing Logan’s hand. “Hey, this party stinks. You wanna hang out outside? I don’t think there’s anybody out there.”

Honestly, the offer was quite tempting. Logan had barely gotten a word in with his other friends and he had just been considering calling it a night before Remus bumped into him. Additionally, Remus wasn't exactly on the guest list and it wouldn’t be odd to imagine Roman being a bit irritated to see his brother in his home.

“Sure, I suppose that sounds adequate,” Logan answered, certainly not because the idea of spending some alone time with Remus is compelling. No, that isn’t it at all, he merely wants to escape the part atmosphere.

“Goodie!” Remus declared vociferously, hopping off of the counter with more force than necessary. Before Logan could even grab the drink he’d been nursing that he did’t particularly want, Remus dragged him through the living room. A few of the party-goers did a double take, most definitely at Remus’s appalling outfit, Logan certainly can’t blame them. But as they push open the sliding-glass door to the backyard, Logan is emediately elated to see the backyard empty, just as Remus had said.

“What’d I tell ya? Nobody’s around,” Remus grinned devilishly before letting go of Logan’s hand – Logan most certainly didn’t miss the lack of contact immediately – and all but collapsed in the grass. Logan sighed at the antics of his friend, watching him pretend to make Snow Angels on the lawn before deciding to lay beside him, ignoring how dirty it would get his clothes. That’s what always seems to happen when Logan spends time with Remus, he momentarily forgot things like how filthy he might get, or silly he might look, or feel. Remus, knowingly or not, made Logan let his walls down.

“Too bad we can’t see any stars out,” Remus said after a brief moment of silence, as Remus was almost never silent, “I bet you could tell me a bunch of nerdy facts about the stars.”

“Well,” Logan said, suddenly feeling strangely nervous as Remus’s fingers brushed against his own, “I suppose, that is to say if you wanted to, we could go to the planetarium together sometime.”

“If I…wanted to?” Remus repeated questioningly. Logan averted eye-contact, casting his gaze to the Star-absent heavens.

“Yes,” Logan said, and though he wasn't looking he could practically see the smile that was spreading across his friend’s face, “If you wanted to. I know I tend to, uh, nerd-out, as you or Roman might say, when it comes to those things. But knowing the conversations we’ve had, I suppose we both nerd out about a lot of –.”

“You know I like you, right?”

Any of the words Logan had intended on saying come to a grinding halt as his eyes suddenly met Remus’s.

“I-I…uh…”

It isn’t as though Logan wasn’t aware of that. Remus had been making it fairly evident for some time, he just hadn’t expected it to be blurted out so brazenly. Looking back on that, though, he shouldn’t have expected anything different. Remus was a shameless, bold man who always said what he thought regardless of what ridicule might come of that.

“I like you a lot,” Remus continued, flipping on his side that their lips were only inches apart and Logan could feel Remus’s breath on his face. “And I know I can be a real pain in the ass. But you make me feel really special, Logan. Almost no one makes me feel special anymore, and it’s been so long since I really felt this way about someone, but I like you.”

Logan wondered if the light in the backyard is dim enough to hide the blush that’s crept over his face, but knowing his luck, probably not. Logan felt himself beginning to shudder, a nervous response that’s so unlike his usual self. His breath hitched but Remus gives him time to collect his thoughts, a small kindness that isn’t lost on him.

“I…I like you too,” Logan admited finally, “I like you quite a bit, Remus.”

It would be a lie to say that Logan hadn’t thought of what kissing Remus might be like. He’d been imagining it quite a lot lately, but this didn’t quite fit the bill. He was expecting it to be rough, somewhere edging on violent, with far too much teeth. That isn’t to say that it was gentle, either. As Logan’s lips interlocked with Remus’s his friend returned the gesture enthusiastic, his hands suddenly all over Logan and mustache tickling his upper-lip just slightly. Tangled in his hair, roaming down his waist. It was open-mouthed, and hot and driven by more passion than Logan would have given himself credit for, but with as heated as the osculation is, Logan found himself overwhelmed by the tenderness that seeps through.

And when Logan found himself pinning Remus into the grass, his hair mussed up and eyes shining with infatuation, his hands straddling Remus’s waist, Logan couldn't help but grin.

“Oh, Dragonfly,” and oh heavens, Remus had certainly never called him that before because he liked that, “I could get used to you on top of me.” Logan kissed him again, strong and unyielding, feeling all sense of his usual composure slip away.

Remus isn’t the man he was expecting, or even looking for at all, but now that he was here he couldn't seem to imagine any other possibility. All intentions of staying for the duration of the party fell away as Logan climbed off of Remus and stumbled to his feet, high off of the pleasure, and the enjoyment and all of the many, seemingly irrational feelings that flooded his mind. Usually, such an infiltration of strong emotion and the dizziness that they cause would terrify Logan but now he wasn't scared. He was thrilled.

“In that vein of thinking,” he said breathlessly, offering Remus a hand as he helped him to his feet, “Maybe we should continue this back at my place?” The flash in Remus’s eyes was positively devious.

“What? You don’t want to continue this here? Think of all the people who could walk out and see us?” Logan sputtered for a moment before seeing the teasing expression on Remus’s face.

“I’m kidding! Come on, nerd. Let’s blow this pop-stand.”

Remus held his hand tight as they walked through the yard and slipped out the back-gate, Logan’s mind running circles as they made it to his car. Logan was overjoyed for taking Roman up on his invitation, to not go to this party would have been a grave mistake.

=+=

#intrulogical #romantic intrulogical #human au #sanders sides #background prinxiety #background moceit #flashback sequence #fluff #getting together #first kiss #aludes to sex without getting into it #slight gore tw #but it's only Remus mentioning it #there's no actual gore #sammy writes #exhaustedfander #exhaustedfander writes #When is Enough Enough?

[segenassefa]

4: A Lazy Girl’s Guide to Surviving COVID

Whenever a global pandemic decides to rear its ugly head, I have the bad habit of believing that I am somewhat untouchable. In my middle school days, when the kids were catching dengue left and right1, I swatted it off – literally and figuratively. The same thing happens every year with the common cold– and even when I do get it, it’s always after everyone else has had it, making me believe that my immune system is nothing more than a follower. I eat relatively healthy, I get enough sleep, drink water, and maintain and generally healthy state of mind 2.

So, you can image my surprise when a friend I had been in close contact with tested positive for coronavirus. I was not as scared as I think I should have been However, that afternoon, I did my civic duty and took myself and a friend to get tested at the local hospital.

Before I get into what having the virus was like for me3, let’s talk about the test.

Thankfully, the process was nice and fast, so that part is free from scrutiny. All of the healthcare workers were kind and understanding of the fact that we didn’t have health cards – and one of them complemented my 1s, so you know I have to give them a glowing recommendation. The real horror came after check-in process.

I sat in a back office, the air conditioning blasting, awkwardly crossing and uncrossing my legs. Two nurses in full PPE and running sneakers talked quietly back and forth, occasionally scribbling things onto notepads. The first nurse drilled me yet again – asking why I had decided to get tested, whether or not had symptoms, and how I was currently feeling. Once my answers were up to par, she left the room, and the second nurse produced a long-stemmed cotton swab.

I am no stranger to pain – I have nine different piercings, five of which I’ve done with safety pins, and have dislocated bones, suffered from burns and some pretty disgusting cuts - but I was a bit apprehensive when I saw how big of a cotton swab it was. I asked the nurse how much this test would hurt. In her exact words, she told me, “It doesn’t hurt at all! If anything, you’ll feel a little discomfort.” She compared to the sensation of water rushing up your nose, something none of us are a stranger to.  

Y’all, when I tell you this lady LIED.

I have never been in so much pain in my life. As a kid, I was fascinated by ancient Egypt, but there’s a big difference between reading about mummies and feeling like one4. Not to mention the fact that the test took her three tries because every time I felt the cotton swab poke my literal brain, I had to stop and take a breather5 . Fortunately, my results came in relatively fast - less than 48 hours – and I began to quarantine the day I got tested.  

The first week was mild. No real symptoms except for body aches, and the occasional headache. However, as a person with chronic migraines and aches, I didn’t really chalk it up to coronavirus symptoms, and instead to the fact that I was spending eighty percent of my day laying in the bed – the other twenty percent was spent in the shower, or standing in the kitchen, watching the tea kettle boil. Also, fortunately for me, I caught this virus near the end of summer school, meaning that I wasn’t just wasting away in my house, and it gave me something to focus on instead of my throbbing body aches. Considering that my entire friend group was sick at the same time, it was also nice distracting one another with zoom calls. However, we were definitely spoiled by spending the majority of the summer together, so this diet version of socialization was not ideal.

Another hurdle was not being able to quarantine at home. My housemates have high risk family members, so staying in my original place of habitation was not really an option. Fortunately, another friend of mine, who also had the virus, was kind enough to open up her home to me, allowing me to eat her groceries, run up her water bill, and bum around. I know people always tell you how your mask doesn’t just protect you, but the other people you encounter and live with, so this was a bit of a lesson on how my prevention – or lack thereof - doesn’t just impact me, but the people we live with, especially if they aren’t our immediate family.

There was also the slight detail of the Toronto Public Health Department being on our asses. My experience with quarantine procedures in the states indicated that public health officials were not as vigilant as communicating with people in quarantine as TPH (read: daily). For reference, my home state of Minnesota made masks in public spaces mandatory at the end of July, so that should let you know how seriously the United States is taking this virus 6 . Once a day, I would get a call from my Public Health official. The calls were pretty thorough in the first few days of quarantine – asking about my interactions with others in the days leading up to me getting tested – everything including the names, and license plates of the Ubers I had taken, who’s homes I had been to, restaurants and shops I had visited, everything. After they had gathered all that information, the calls became about my general health and wellness, in addition to six separate emails about how long was quarantine was supposed to last, what I was and was not allowed to do, and the penalties for leaving the house before the end of the quarantine, including a fee to the tune of five thousand dollars.  

In week two, most of the initial symptoms I had started with began to subside, and the only one that was left was an even impending feeling of boredom. I started doing things like watching soccer7, binge watching Law and Order: SVU, and spending copious amounts of money on Uber Eats. It wasn’t too much of a change from normal life except for the fact that I felt like TPH would swoop around the corner if they ever caught me outside when I wasn’t supposed to be – felt a bit like being a fugitive if we’re keeping it two Virgils with one another.

As the end of my quarantine period approaches, I have to be honest – this was not a huge, transformative experience. I acted irresponsibly and my actions caught up with me. That being said, there are plenty of people who have actively social distanced, followed the rules, and have still caught the virus. I don’t think this is something that should be looked at as damning, more like there is a virus and we mere human beings can’t beat out a pandemic. After this whole ordeal, I will definitely be taking PPE a bit more seriously, but I’m also really grateful because this experience could have been a whole lot worse. So, my peoples reading this, wear your mask! Invest in some travel size Wet Wipes and hand sanitizer, stay at home, and most importantly, remember that virus prevention is a group effort, not a solo endeavour.

Notes

1 Growing up in the Caribbean, dengue was a normal occurrence.

2 Disregard the fact that I didn’t mention exercise.

3 I will have one left of quarantine after publishing this blog post, so yay for that!

4https://www.si.edu/spotlight/ancient-egypt/mummies. That is all I will say.

5 I also did cry a little but we can just act like that part never happened.

6 About as seriously as police brutality, if that puts things into perspective…

7 I am extremely disappointed that PSG lost to the Nazis, but Project Mbappe will prevail.

#cashmoney$egs #blog post 4 #covid

[afictionaladventure16]

Side Effects May Include (Tony Stark x Daughter)

Side Effects May Include (Masterlist)

Check out my Prompt List! 

Part 14

Warnings: Mentions of rape, foul language, mentions of a suicide attempt

Word Count: 1,880

“16-year-old, female, overdose on duloxetine. Vitals are very low,” A doctor said as they rushed Olivia, that was laying on a gurney, to a surgery room. Tony was right behind them until they passed two big doors, a nurse stopped Tony.

“That’s my daughter, I have to go in there!” He said as he tried to get past the nurse.

“I’m sorry, sir, but you can go in there,” she said she tried to push him back.

“I have to! She’s my fucking daughter!”

“Tony,” Pepper said as she grabbed Tony’s arm, Tony looked at her with tears in his eyes.

“I have to go in there, Pepper,” He said softly.

Pepper felt a tear escape from her eyes as she wrapped Tony in a tight embrace, “I know, baby,” she whispered, “but we can’t go in there.” Tony stayed silent as Pepper released him from the embrace, she led Tony to an empty waiting room.

They stayed silent for a few minutes, Tony was mostly wondering where he had wrong, what he had missed. “where’s everyone?” he managed to choke out.

“Nat, Sam, and Bruce are in the cafeteria. Um, I texted Wanda and Vision, they’re still on their vacation, hopefully, they, um, they-“ Pepper sighed, her mind kept wandering back to when Olivia had walked into her office asking if she could talk to her. Pepper felt responsible for what happened, she felt Tony place his hand around her waist. “hopefully they received my text,” she said as she cleared her throat, “and Steve and Bucky are on their way over.”

“Okay, right now, I need you to be my wife, not my assistant. I need you to be Olivia’s stepmother, for a moment,” Tony commented, this broke Pepper, she cared for that girl like if she was her own. Pepper let out a small sob and Tony wrapped her in an embrace. “I know,” Tony said as he kissed the top of Peppers' head, tears began to well up in Tony’s eyes.

They let go of each other embrace after a while.

Steve and Bucky rushed in, “Tony,” Steve said, “how is she?”

“Don’t know,” Tony said.

“You know they’re going to have a social worker talk to us,” Pepper said, Tony gave her a nod.

Tony let out a heavy sigh, “she came into my lab,” Tony began to say but he began to crack, “she asked me if I could spare her a moment and I couldn’t fucking do that!” Tony got up from his seat, “What kind of a father am I?”

“You were caught up in the moment,” Bucky began to say, “you didn’t know, we all didn’t.” Tony was taken back by Bucky’s comment, Bucky let out a sigh, “Steve and I found something that you have to see.”

“It’s best if you read this now before the social worker comes,” Steve informed

“Read what?” Tony asked. Steve looked over at Bucky and gave him a small nod. Bucky pulled out the followed letter from his pocket and handed it to Tony, “What’s this?”

Steve let out a small sigh, “it’s um, it’s Olivia’s suicide note,” he said quietly.

Tony felt the tears threatening to fall, he unfolded the letter and began reading:

Dear whoever reads this first,

Whether it be my dad or Pepper, I don’t care.

I don’t even know where to start?

Scratch that, I do...

If you find this note and I’m dead, you can blame Bren Johnson.

For drugging and then raping me at the night of the party. Yeah, you heard that right. And you can also blame the kids at school for all the rumors.

I’ve felt so numb for the past few weeks, I don’t know what to do anymore. I feel ashamed for something that I didn’t want, I feel ashamed of a body that doesn’t feel like my own anymore.

Nothing is right anymore and I’m sorry but I feel like this place is better without me in it.

I’m sorry, dad.

I’m so fucking sorry.

   Tony looked at Steve and Bucky, Pepper grabbed the letter from Tony’s hand, “I’m gonna kill him,” Tony began to walk away but Steve stopped him.

“Be rational about this, Tony!”

“I am! He fucking raped my daughter, so I’m going to fucking kill him!”

“Tony, think about Olivia,” Steve tried his best to calm his friend down.

Tony stayed silent, he looked at the windows that captured the city lights, placing his hands on his hips, “its my fault,” he said as he turned around, “I sent her to that party to get information and she didn’t want to go but I forced her to, it’s my fault.”

“Tony, don’t you dare say that,” Pepper said.

“It is, I wanted approval from a person who hated my guts and I send my daughter to do my dirty work and look where it got her! Here! It got her here!” Someone cleared their throat, they looked over to see a guy in a suit.

“I’m sorry to interrupt but I’m looking for Olivia Starks parents?”

Pepper stood up, “that’s us,” Tony and Pepper said unison.

“I’m the social worker, I’m sure they told you I’d be stopping by?” Steve and Bucky decided to wait outside the room in order to give them privacy.

“No one informed us but we just kind of figured,” Pepper said as she shook the man's hand, “I’m Pepper.”

“Mr. Lugo,” the guy said as he then shook Tony’s hand.

“Tony,” he said softly.

They then sat down.

“I spoke to Olivia’s nurse, they’re still working on her,” he began, “but right now I just want to ask you guys some questions. Has Olivia been acting differently?”

Tony sighed, “Look, I’m just gonna be straight up with you, this took us all by surprise, but one of my buddies found her suicide note,” Pepper handed the social worker the note, “and we didn’t know about… about any of it.”

The social worker took a minute to read the note, “who is this Bren?”

“some kid from her school,” Tony said.

“Have you guys thought of what to do? Considering the situation.”

Tony and Pepper looked at each other, “we haven’t had a chance to talk about it, we literally just found out,” Pepper said.

“In most situations like this, a rape kit would be essential, it would have provided key evidence.” Mr. Lugo sighed, “look, I hate this part of my job, but I know you love your daughter, so I’m going to just give you guys my card if you think Olivia would need the help with the trauma then give me a call and we can find her some help.” Mr. Lugo handed Pepper a card, he then walked out of the room. A minute later the whole team except for Wanda, Vision, and Clint walked in.

“Any word?” Nat asked as she took a seat next to Tony. Tony shook his head, Nat let out a sigh and placed her hand on Tony’s back, “We’ll find out soon enough.”

“We talked to Clint, he’s gonna try to get here as soon as he can,” Sam said as he sat down near Tony and Pepper.

“Oh my gosh! Peter!” Pepper exclaimed, she grabbed her phone, “I have to tell Peter…” Pepper felt the tears welling up, “I have to tell him what happened.”

Steve grabbed the phone from Peppers hand, “I’ll do it.”

Pepper began to sob, “I’m sorry,” she got up and walked out of the room.

Tony stood up, “I got it,” Nat said with a comforting smile as she walked out of the room.

“She came to me,” Sam began to say, “I was playing a video game and I told her not now,” Sam pinched the bridge of his nose, “I feel awful.”

Bucky placed a hand on Sam’s shoulder in a comforting way.

“She was raped,” Tony said quietly.

“What?” Sam asked in disbelief, Tony then showed the suicide note to Sam, “Where is this son of a bitch?”

Tony shook his head, “as much as I want to kill the son of a bitch I think it’s best if we wait until Liv wakes up.”

Steve sighs, “Well, I’m gonna go give Peter a visit.”

“I’ll go with you,” Sam said as he got up, he looked over at Bucky who just shook his head.

Bucky watched as they left the room. Not even a second later a doctor walked in, “I’m looking for the family of Olivia Stark?”

Tony stood up, “I’m her father, this is my colleague Bucky.”

The doctor walked over to him, “I’m Olivia’s doctor, Dr. Strange, ” He shook Tony’s hand and then Bucky’s, Dr. Strange gestured for them to sit.

“Is she awake?” Tony asked as he sat down across from the doctor.

“Not yet, Olivia’s condition could have been worse, whoever found her practically saved her from slipping into a coma.” Tony glanced at Bucky, “She’s unconscious right now, she will be on suicide watch for a couple of days, after that you can take her home, you can go see her when you’re ready just notify the nurse at the desk,” Dr. Strange stood up, “your daughter is very lucky, Mr. Stark.” With that, he walked out of the room.

“Thank you,” Tony choked out as he looked over at Bucky. Bucky had been listening to every word as he stared at the floor, “I’m sorry,” Tony felt a tear trickling its way down his cheek, “You saved my daughter and I- Fuck, I am so sorry for everything, Barnes. Liv was right, it wasn’t your fault.” Bucky sat down next to Tony, placing a hand on his shoulder, this movement made Tony lose it. Tony began to sob, Bucky quickly wrapped the man in an embrace, “I almost lost her,” Tony sobbed out.

“But you didn’t,” Bucky quietly said as he comforted the broken man that was crying in his arms.

  Steve walked up to the apartment, with sam by his side, he let out a small sigh before knocking on the door.

A woman answered it, she looked at the men in shocked, “Hi, I’m Steve this is Sam,” Steve said as he gave the woman a gentle smile, “is Peter home?”

“Um, yeah, he’s in his room,” She opened the door a bit wider, “come on in.” The men entered the apartment, “his room is the first door on the right,” she said quietly. Steve looked at Sam who gave him a small nod.

Sam looked at the woman, “Aunt May right?” The woman looked at Sam, surprised that he knew her name, “we’re coworkers of Stark, and we know Peter pretty well.” She smiled, “Can I get a glass of water?” Aunt May apologized to Sam for not offering anything. Steve took this as his time to walk over to Peter’s room.

He gently knocked on the door, “Not now, Aunt May!” Steve rolled his eyes and opened the door, “Aunt May, I said not now! I’m in the middle of homework!” Peter turned on his chair, surprised to see Cap standing in front of him.

“Hey, kid,” Steve said softly.

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