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duskandcobalt · 24 days

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Everywhere, Everything: Chapter Three

Chapter Summary: In the aftermath of sleeping with Azriel, Elain finds herself a distraction in the form of a new boyfriend. Only, that distraction isn't working out quite as planned.

Word Count: 3.9k

Missed the first two chapters? You can find the masterlist for this fic here 🥰

A/N: Thank you so much for all the love and support on this fic. It means everything to me 💕 Please accept my apologies in advance for this chapter lol but repeat after me - fuck! graysen!

ENJOY XX

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“Your mom hates me.” Elain tipped her head back against the passenger seat headrest and closed her eyes against the bright light of the full moon. Graysen’s foot pressed down on the gas pedal, sending them flying faster down the freeway towards his apartment. She couldn’t bear to look at him. Couldn’t bear to see the disappointment in his eyes, the tension in his jaw. She had one job tonight and she’d failed miserably.

“I told you to make sure you cleaned yourself up after work.” Graysen’s voice was low, barely audible over the sound of the road. His gaze stayed fixed straight ahead - as if he couldn’t stand to even glance in her direction.

Hot tears pricked at the corner of Elain’s eyes, threatening to spill. She didn’t know why she’d bothered to hope that maybe he’d try to reassure her, that he’d say something to make her feel better or to let her know that it didn’t matter to him whether or not his parents approved of his new girlfriend. It shouldn’t have surprised her that all she got was blame even if she had spent an hour in the bathroom after work, carefully pinning her hair into place and making sure her makeup was done just right.

She didn’t know how she’d failed to notice the smear of dark crimson juice that had dried on the side of her hand or how she’d forgotten to scrub off the smudge of dirt that had somehow made its way onto the side of her neck but Graysen and his mother had both certainly noticed.

It had been the first two things he had pointed out seconds after Elain slid into his car earlier, foolishly expecting a compliment on her dress - one of his favourites - only for her faults to be pointed out instead.

He’d found those things endearing once upon a time, in the early days of their relationship, back when he’d come by the apothecary after closing and crowd her up against the door or the counter. It used to be a game between them - kisses pressed along her wrists, shoulders, and neck until he could correctly guess which fruits or herbs she’d been working with that day.

She didn’t know when it had all changed but she supposed it was only to be expected given just how quickly things had progressed between them in the first place.

…

Elain had met Graysen a couple months after she’d moved to Meadowview.

She’d sworn off boys and deleted all her apps. The intention had been to take some time for herself for the first time in her entire adult life and figure out what the hell she was doing. But the universe seemingly had other plans because one week before Thanksgiving, Graysen approached Elain in the wine aisle of her local grocery store.

She’d seen him for the first time a few weeks before that. He’d been studying the bottles of wine on the top shelf and she’d caught him sneaking glances in her direction as she half heartedly scanned the lower shelves looking for something good and cheap. They’d exchanged a few coy smiles, a casual wave in greeting or farewell, but never anything more. It wasn’t until they’d ended up in the same aisle at the same time for the third week in a row that Graysen finally decided to make his move.

Elain had seen it coming from a mile away. She’d caught that initial spark of interest the very first time their eyes had met two weeks prior and she’d seen the determination in the set of his shoulders when he turned the corner that night and saw her crouched down as she tried to decide between two bottles of wine. She wasn’t even a little bit surprised when she shifted her gaze from the wine in her hands to see the supple leather shoes that had stepped into place beside her, standing in stark contrast to her own dirt streaked, worn white sneakers.

She’d slowly dragged her eyes up to see him looking down at her with a confident and obviously practiced smile - one that Elain figured he’d used on countless women over the years, easily charming them into a date or into his bed.

Graysen was tall and lean with sandy hair cropped close to his scalp and bright blue eyes that seemed to pierce straight through her. He was impeccably dressed - always in a well tailored shirt and pants with cufflinks neatly pinned to his sleeves and an expensive, probably designer, belt wrapped around his waist.

He’d introduced himself to her after she stood up on wobbly legs and Elain had found herself falling victim to that easy charm. She’d said yes to a drink with him - yes to a drink with this complete stranger - perhaps out of boredom, perhaps as a way to distract herself from the memories that continued to haunt her of her life back home, of the loss of her father, and the friend that had been there for her in the weeks after - the one that hadn’t so much as batted an eye as she ruined his t-shirts with the salt from her tears.

She’d gone out with Graysen for a drink that Saturday night and it had been… fine.

Graysen was wonderfully vanilla. Perfectly predictable. He had a routine and he stuck to it. He was just like all the other guys she tended to date - guys that were so far removed from her actual type. Which when she really thought about it, came down to just one particular man with broad shoulders and hazel eyes flecked with green if you only got close enough to notice.

She’d felt so neutral about Graysen that she hadn’t been particularly interested in seeing him again after that first night. Their date had lasted a few hours. He’d showed off by ordering an extensive bottle of wine and then explaining the various notes and flavours to her in extensive detail. He told her about his job but hadn’t really asked about hers. He hadn’t really asked her much at all that night, when she thought about it. She’d given him a kiss on the cheek and sent him on his way at the end of the night, telling him that she’d be going out of town soon but maybe they could catch up for another drink or dinner when she got back.

She had no intention of actually following through on that until she’d gone back home and royally fucked everything up by acting on a long suppressed impulse and ending her Christmas tangled in the sheets of her best friend’s bed.

What happened with Azriel was the exact reminder Elain needed that she’d been right to avoid being alone with him in the months leading up to Christmas. It was also the reminder she needed that she’d gone from relationship to relationship when she lived back home for a reason. Because even then, before the idea of Azriel being anything more than a friend had taken root in her mind, she’d somehow subconsciously known that dating someone else was the only way to keep her from falling hard and fast for him.

She’d called upon that go-to tactic once again when she’d returned back to Meadowview and decided that a distraction was extremely necessary and long overdue because just a few months of being single had sent her running into Azriel’s arms not once, but twice.

Graysen had been the obvious option. One quick text and Elain was on the road to moving forward. At least that’s what she tried to tell herself.

Elain had taken it upon herself to figure out exactly what Graysen was looking for in a girl quite early into knowing him and she’d adjusted herself accordingly - quickly and easily falling into an all too familiar routine of molding herself to be whatever someone wanted or expected her to be. She’d done it for her parents, for her sister, for her friends. And she most certainly did it for the men she dated.

She’d always excelled at it. She knew exactly how to tailor herself to be what a man desired and she’d been fine tuning her skills from a young age, leaning into the covertness of being just a pretty face. She knew how to stay quiet and be demure. She knew to let them take the spotlight, knew when to laugh at their jokes. To let them kiss her but to hold back on sex just long enough to keep them wanting more.

She’d done it all with Graysen - knew that he would love the idea of taking a pretty girl who was just a little bit rough around the edges and putting her in a sophisticated dress and expensive jewelry. Knew he’d like that she was quiet with only a few friends so that she could dedicate all her spare time to him. She’d leaned into the bit of her personality that she knew he’d love and shoved every other part of her to the side until even she forgot that they’d ever existed. She’d done it so effectively and efficiently that he’d wanted to parade her around his friends and high flying colleagues mere weeks after she’d sent him that first text.

It was supposed to be casual. It was supposed to be like all her other previous relationships that were really nothing more than just the occasional dinner and sex a few times a week until they inevitably saw through her lack of commitment and called it off. It certainly wasn’t supposed to go as far as meeting his parents and she definitely hadn’t thought that she’d ever agree to introducing him - or anyone else she’d dated - to her family.

But here they were, three months and one disastrous dinner later.

Elain had never met Graysen’s parents before but she’d heard stories and she’d seen the photos that dotted his swanky apartment in the heart of the city. She’d known just from the look of them - the severe posture and those clinical smiles - that she could expect them to be just like their son.

She’d been nervous to meet them but she’d been somewhat confident that she could charm them in the same way that she’d charmed Graysen and all the other men before him. She’d been wrong, so very wrong.

Graysen’s father had been alright. He hadn’t said much to her other than a hello and a murmured interesting that dripped in condescension after she’d informed them that she worked at an apothecary running soap making workshops and lecturing patrons on the many intricacies of herbal teas. His mother, however, hadn’t even tried to hide her distaste. Elain wondered if it wasn’t so much a personal vendetta against her specifically or something broader - a preordained disdain for any girl her only son might’ve brought to meet her.

Veronica had stared daggers at Elain for the better part of two hours - the same piercing blue eyes as her son shamelessly cataloging Elain’s black dress, one she’d spent a good chunk of her paycheck on when she’d clued into the types of restaurants and venues that Graysen liked to frequent and realised that her thrifted flowy skirts and dresses wouldn’t suffice. She’d noticed the tight frown on the woman’s thin lips as she marked the chipped red nail polish on Elain’s index finger along with that smear of cherry juice along the side of her palm. That frown had only increased each time she spoke and Veronica realised that her perfect, accomplished only son had brought a girl with two dead parents and an unfinished college degree to meet her.

Elain ran her thumb along the chain of her necklace, pressing the pad of her finger into the engraved rose as she tried to figure out how she could possibly salvage this evening but with each mile marker they passed, she only found herself withdrawing further and further into herself until all the light had left Graysen’s eyes and the grip of the hand he had on the steering wheel had turned his knuckles white.

For twenty minutes, she sat in the car and rehashed every second, trying to figure out what she could’ve done better. Had she talked too much? Too little? Laughed too loud like she had a tendency to do when she got nervous?

They were almost back to his apartment when she felt his attention on her again. Elain raised her eyes to his just as his hand fell to her thigh, fingers pressing in lightly through the satin of her dress.

“Lain,” Graysen started.

“I told you not to call me that.” Elain interrupted him. Only one person had ever used that nickname for her and she couldn’t stand the sound of it from anyone else, but especially not from another man. She’d made that clear to Graysen in their first few weeks together.

“El,” Graysen corrected himself, sighing in frustration before he continued. “My mom can be extremely critical but she’ll come around.”

“You didn’t even try, Gray. You didn’t even try to defend me or anything.”

“I know. I should have said something but I was just frustrated because I told you to clean up and I thought you’d answer their questions -”

“You’re turning it on me again,” Elain pinched the bridge of her nose. “What did you want me to do? Lie about my career? Tell them that I grew up like you did?”.

“No, I just… fuck, I just wanted them to like you because I… I love you.” Graysen paused, reaching for her hand. “You know I love you. Don’t you, El?”

Elain’s heart dropped and she tensed under his grip as a flood of indecipherable feelings hit her.

This wasn’t the first time she’d received a halfhearted apology from him after he’d hurt her feelings and she suspected it wouldn’t be the last. At least this time the apology had come directly from him in a timely manner instead of being delivered as a note written by someone else and attached to an overpriced bouquet of flowers or yet another necklace that would sit on her dresser untouched for months to come.

“I know, it’s fine.” She finally said, bringing his hand up to her lips and pressing a kiss to the back of his palm. He’d told her he loved her a few times now but she’d never said it back. Not when she couldn’t quite return the sentiment. Instead, she waited for him to pull into the driveway and put the car in park before she leant over the center console and slid her hand up his neck to tilt his face towards hers for a slow, deep kiss.

Once he pulled away, forehead against hers, chest rising and falling unsteadily, Elain laughed under her breath and gently tapped the sliver of skin visible where he’d undone the first couple of buttons on his crisp, white shirt. “Maybe my sisters will hate you and then we can call it even.”

A small part of her regretted the pettiness of the words but she couldn’t help but allow herself to make the joke, not after the night they’d had. Luckily for her, it seemed that her kiss had done enough to diffuse the situation because he didn’t come back with a sharp retort of his own. Just a huff of breath and a small shake of his head as he turned the engine off.

Two weeks. She had two weeks until she had to make good on her panicked decision to go home for Nyx’s fifth birthday and then the accompanying panicked agreement she’d made when Graysen suggested accompanying her on the trip in front of his parents.

Elain pushed the thought from her mind. She couldn't think about all that would entail. What going back home would now look like. How much more anxious she felt about it now compared to her last trip back home because now she had an actual reason to be nervous.

It wasn’t enough to be faced with the predicament of potentially seeing Azriel again but this time she had to do it while pretending that they hadn’t done what they’d done… and she’d have to do it all with her new boyfriend watching as a front row spectator.

She’d never once introduced any of the guys she’d dated to her family. Never once had they stepped foot into her house or shaken her father’s hand. Not a single one of them had ever been subjected to the scrutiny of Nesta’s menacing gaze.

But she couldn’t very well say anything to deter him now. She’d gotten herself into this hole and now there was no way out.

She knew it was a stupid decision to take him back home with her but a small, reckless part of her wondered if this wasn’t for the best because even after months of establishing a relationship with Graysen in the hopes of erasing what she’d done with Azriel, it was a lost cause.

It wasn’t even the memory of his skin under her palms that hurt the most, it was everything else she’d lost as a result of crossing that line.

It felt like she was missing a huge chunk of herself. There were empty spaces in her life where Azriel used to be and as much as she’d tried to fill in those gaps with someone else, it just wasn’t the same. She still found herself checking her phone first thing in the morning to see if he’d texted her. She missed seeing his picture pop up on her phone when he called. The random photos of Shadow he used to send her and the constant stream of conversation between them. All their inside jokes. She found reminders of him everywhere and it was hell to keep pretending like she was fine with it all. To keep pretending that anyone else would ever be able to understand her the way Azriel had.

But she’d done this. She’d made that first move and ruined something that had been so natural and easy.

Maybe it was best to take Graysen back home and put the final nail in the coffin because with any luck, introducing someone to her family - to Azriel - would make this all real and would force her to move on once and for all.

…

Azriel sat at Feyre and Rhys’s kitchen counter, woefully tossing MnMs at their toddler who was trying - and failing - to catch them in his mouth.

He’d been spending the last few weeks like this, trailing Rhysand’s family like a lost puppy because he simply had nothing better to do with his life.

It’d been just over three months since he’d woken up to an empty bed after what he might’ve deemed to be the best night of his life had it not all gone to hell and while he thought it would get easier with time, it most certainly hadn’t.

Every day was the same. Wake up, walk Shadow, work out with Cassian, log in to work and stare at a screen for hours on end, walk Shadow again, go to bed. Rinse. Repeat.

He’d tried all his old tactics of distractions but no amount of drinking in his local bar or aimlessly flirting with whatever girl inevitably sauntered up to him could ease the ache that had taken root in his chest. He hadn’t been able to be with anyone else since that night. He’d tried - just once - a couple weeks after Christmas, and it had ended with him abruptly pulling away from a half naked, very confused girl just as she’d reached for his belt. He’d apologised profusely and left her apartment promptly to go back to his own house and contemplate how he’d gone from a regular rotation of casual hookups to not even being able to kiss a girl without thinking about Elain.

Really, he shouldn’t have been surprised because Elain was all he ever thought about. Every day. Every night. Each time he flipped over his phone just to check if maybe she’d decided to break her silence. He’d been torturing himself endlessly like this for months now to no avail.

It’s why - when he heard Feyre mention Elain’s name in passing as she spoke to Rhys- he found himself speaking before he could even think to stop himself.

“How’s she been?” He asked, trying desperately to keep his voice level as he reminded himself that there was nothing unusual about asking after a friend.

Still, Rhys gave him one of those looks that he’d been giving him for years at the slightest mention of his wife’s older sister. He wondered if Rhys would go into cardiac arrest if he ever found out exactly what Azriel had done with his friend’s beloved sister-in-law.

“She’s good!” Feyre gave him a bright smile. “I actually spoke to her yesterday for the first time in weeks.”

There was nothing on her face to hint that she knew exactly why he was asking. He certainly hadn’t said anything to her after Christmas. He’d kept what happened to himself. Had only casually asked Nesta about her sister’s whereabouts just to be told that Elain had needed to leave because of an emergency at work.

“Oh, that’s good.” Azriel returned her smile with a small one of his own.

“She’s coming back for a visit in a couple weeks.” Feyre continued, her smile faltering ever so slightly.

Azriel stilled.

“For Nyx’s birthday,” Rhys chimed in, once again carefully studying Azriel before he continued. “And she’s bringing… what’s his name, again?”

“Graysen.” Feyre nodded, raising up onto her tiptoes and then back down again. It was a nervous habit of hers that Azriel had picked up on by the second or third time he’d hung out with her because she’d done it constantly around Rhys in those early days.

Graysen.

He could pretend that he’d never heard that name before but he’d be lying if he didn’t say he’d scrolled through Elain’s social media to find a picture of him the first time he’d heard Feyre and Nesta gossiping about some new guy Elain had been seeing back in January. He hadn’t found much, just a glimpse of blonde hair and an expensive watch in the background of a picture she’d taken while out to dinner..

He’d seen no sign of a man in any of her limited posts since then and he’d selfishly hoped that that had meant it hadn’t gone anywhere.

“He’s coming back with her? Here?” Azriel asked slowly, staring straight at Feyre while refusing to look at Rhys. He knew his friend’s eyes would be narrowed in suspicion.

A soft ringing filled Azriel’s ears as his heart slammed against his chest. He didn’t let any of it show on the outside, going out of his way to maintain that calm and collected mask he was known for. But it was dread that coursed through him. Dread that extinguished any hope and excitement he might have once felt at the prospect of Elain returning home.

“Yeah. It must be serious,” Feyre swallowed as she once again raised up onto her tiptoes and then back down again before she met Azriel’s eyes. He was usually so good at reading people but for the first time ever, he couldn’t quite put his thumb on what he saw in Feyre’s gaze as she looked at him. “If she’s actually willing to let us meet him.”

#elriel fic #everywhere everything #my writing #elain x azriel #elain archeron #elriel #modern au #acotar fanfiction #elriel fanfiction #elriel fanfic

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plainemmanem · 2 years

Note

meeting steve’s parents for the first time and he gives you the little “ok so my parents are crazy” talk LOL

st-steve in his little winter vest and- and mittens and a silly winter hat sniffle sniffle

You didn’t grow up in Hawkins. To you, the “Upside Down” was just a spooky bedtime story Dustin told around the campfire. To you, Starcourt Mall was merely a burnt shell, a memory reduced to rubble and ash.

To you, “King Steve” was just a punchline between Nancy and Robin.

The Steve you met was a nerd. Sweet and handsome, but still a total nerd.

The first time you walked into Family Video, he nearly knocked down an endcap display on his way to come talk to you.

His opening line was “New in town?” with a suave smirk and an awkward lean on the shelf beside you – a few tapes met the ground and he immediately shot you that adorably sheepish look as he scrambled to pick them up.

Ever since then you were hooked.

“Trust me, you do not wanna experience the Harrington family holiday, okay. Don’t wanna scare you off…”

There used to be a little voice in the back of your mind feeding into your fears: that you were Steve’s dirty, little secret, that he didn’t actually want you to meet his parents, that you weren’t good enough for him. But, over time, you picked up on the little things. Little hints that he didn’t have the typical nuclear family.

The nonchalant segues anytime his mom was mentioned, the constant empty house, the lack of childhood stories or family anecdotes. The aloof response when you ask what trip his parents were on this time; “No idea” with a little shrug and a reassuring squeeze to your thigh.

Robin had mentioned it once, but never in great detail. Something vague about them being “distant” and “cold,” hinting at something a little deeper. But it wasn’t really her place to tell you.

Anytime you asked Steve, it always struck a nerve. He’d given you bits and pieces – mentions of forgotten birthdays and tense dinners – but you never really got the full extent of it. The truth was always hidden behind an indifferent laugh and a biting joke, tone blasé. Your heart ached for him.

“Yeah, well, my mom didn’t even know I was allergic to peas until I was five, so… Maybe that’s where I get my remarkable observation skills.”

You never wanted to pry, but you wanted him to know that you were there if he ever wanted to talk about it.

If he could have, Steve would have skipped the Christmas dinner all together. A sad microwave dinner at home still sounded more enjoyable than whatever scathing remarks his parents inevitably had planned for him.

Last year, it was his decision to skip college. This year, it would be his dazzling new job at Family Video. As if Steve didn’t already feel inadequate enough.

Dinner at your place was obviously his first choice, but his parents had been passive aggressively hounding him for weeks to bring his new girlfriend over, and what better time than Christmas Eve?

Steve’s dread was obvious when he stopped you in the kitchen last week.

“Hey, uh. Could I- um. Could I talk to you for a second?” He was fussing with the apple in his hands deftly as he leaned against the counter across from you.

“Oh god, am I in trouble? Did I forget to grab you something at the store, I could’ve sworn I got everything-” “No,” he chuckled a little at your concern, his face falling quickly after, eyes finding the floor. “No, it’s not that.”

His fidgeting was only getting worse and his gaze wouldn’t leave his feet as he spiraled in his own thoughts. You take a step towards him, rubbing a hand up his arm reassuringly.

“What’s on your mind, Stevie?” Your heart clenched when his gaze met yours; he looked unsure, troubled, before hanging his head again, toe of his shoe scuffing yours and fingers playing with the hem of your jacket intuitively.

“Well, my, uh… My parents were coming home for the holidays and they wanted me to have Christmas dinner with them…” He was talking more to your feet, but you could hear the exasperation hidden behind his attempt at nonchalance.

An understanding hum left you. Him mentioning his parents was a rarity, and you truthfully didn’t know how to react.

He met your gaze again, tentative as he nibbled slightly on his lower lip.

“Can you please go with me,” his meek tone took you by surprise. “I really don’t wanna go alone.”

You had never seen your boyfriend so vulnerable. Like a light gust of wind might knock him over. He looked tired, like he had been pacing all night rather than sleeping, wrestling with his thoughts.

You immediately said yes, of course. Honestly, you could never say no to him, especially when he asked so gently, so helplessly.

The drive to the Harrington’s was quiet. An unspoken tension thickened the air, the soft music over the radio only enhancing the stuffiness of the car.

Steve was fussing with his bottom lip and white-knuckling the wheel, only loosening his grip to run an anxious hand through his hair and adjust his rearview mirror neurotically. You were contemplating pressing him, but you knew he was on edge, the impending doom of his parents a mere six blocks away.

This was it. You were really going.

Steve’s neighborhood was beautiful. Pristine, white houses lined the streets, covered in a blanket of fluffy, white snow. To you, it looked like a Christmas card. To Steve, it looked like death row.

Each house had unique, tasteful lights strung along the rafters. Some even had flickering candles in the windows or wreaths on the door. They blurred past as Steve drove, one by one, a flicker of light on a white canvas, then gone. Eventually, your eyes started to glaze over, all the houses starting to blend together in a mush of picturesque suburbia.

Gradually, the houses begin to pass by slower, the details becoming clearer as the car rolls to a stop.

Turning questioningly to Steve, you catch him already looking at you, aching to speak. His fingers tap once, twice, three times anxiously on the steering wheel before the words finally come.

“I just want to warn you.” He’s holding his breath, afraid to continue. “Well, you may already know, I mean, I’ve definitely mentioned it before – not in too many words, but we’ve definitely talked about it, and, ya know, you’re really smart so I wouldn’t be surprised if you already pieced it all together-”

You cut him off with a hand on his arm, a gentle rub, before moving up to his neck. Your fingers run soothingly through the hairs at the nape, eyes scanning his face – his knitted brows, his bitten lips, his wrinkled forehead.

“Steve, take a breath. What’s wrong?” You try to sound casual, calming, reassuring, but it probably sounds more concerned than anything else.

The air is tense, and Steve seems to be searching your eyes for the courage to continue.

“Well, my parents are kind of… weird.” He doesn’t blink, too focused on reading each of your tiny microexpressions to notice. You can see him biting the inside of his cheek and you catch his eyes flicker with a touch of something: Panic? Fear? It’s hard to tell.

Trying to suppress your own anxieties, you muster up a warm smile.

“Steve.” An airy laugh passes through your lips. “Everyone’s parents are weird. Trust me, I’ve definitely come prepared.”

He grimaces a fraction, breaking eye contact, before looking back at you pressingly.

“No, like… My parents are really weird.” His eyes go wide as he tries to exaggerate his point.

“Ok… Well, what kind of weird are we talking about here?”

A sigh leaves him. He’s never been able to make it past this part. He looks to the middle of your neck, collecting his thoughts, before starting again.

“Well… In my twenty years of life, I think my mom has told me ‘I love you’ maybe, like… once? When I was a kid or something.” His eyes flicker to yours, then back to your neck. His gaze glazes over, thinking. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard my dad say it.”

A burning crept up your throat. You can feel the horrified expression on your face.

You croak softly. “What-?”

But he’s already cutting you off.

“And they’re very passive aggressive. And they don’t really acknowledge other people’s accomplishments if they can help it.” He’s come back to himself a little; he still can’t meet your eyes, but he’s turned back to the wheel, starting the car up once again, his hands moving in tune with his words. “Oh- and they don’t really listen. Well, like, obviously they listen, but they don’t like listen listen if you know what I mean. It’s like they’re just kind of waiting for you to finish talking so that they can speak. Oh, and just a warning, my mom is a terrible cook, so don’t expect five star dining-”

“Steve, pull over.” The words are cold, serious, unyielding.

“Wh-What?” He’s immediately frantic, stealing anxious glances at you as he starts pulling off to the side of the road once again. “Shit, I scared you, didn’t I? Fuck, I’m sorry. We can go home- I can drive you home?” He’s giving you that concerned, fearful look as he puts the car in park, turning to check in on you.

There’s a beat of silence, a moment of insecurity, before you turn to face him.

Warm hands cup his cheeks. Eyes remaining serious, you give him the softest, most loving look you can. “I’m sorry they treated you like that.”

The words suck all the air from the car, and Steve can’t stand your gaze, looking down shyly, mumbling mostly to himself.

“No, I mean, it’s no big deal, it’s over now…”

Leaning over the center console, you pull him in for a soft kiss. It’s probably the gentlest kiss you’ve ever given him, and the tenderness of it makes Steve’s eyes lock with yours.

“They never should have treated you that way. It’s not ok. No one should be treated like that by their own parents. You, of all people, should not have been treated like that. You are the kindest, most caring person I know. You are not your parents. You’re better than they will ever be, ok?”

Eyes misty, he gives you a little nod in your hands, gaze flickering across your face from the intensity of it all. His hands cuff around your wrists and give a slight squeeze – a silent understanding, a thank you.

“I’m here with you.” Your voice was barely a whisper; the words only for him. “We’re gonna do this together, ok? I don’t want you to worry about me, I can take shitty parents. I want to make sure you’re ok. You just say the word and we’ll leave. We’ll drive back to my house or a motel or something, but you do not have to stay any longer than you’re comfortable. You don’t owe them anything.” A few chestnut strands fall over his forehead, and your hand leaves his cheek just long enough to swipe them back, scanning his face, hoping to get some sort of read on his expression.

Languidly, he peaks up at you, eyes a little glassy, holding in his emotion.

He looks so broken. So shattered.

You know no one has ever told him this before.

With no words left, you give him a small nod, and he returns it with a small sniffle. Trailing up your wrists to your hands, he grabs each one and brings them to his lap, rubbing the backs pensively with his thumbs. A squeeze, then he’s pulling you into his side. His cologne envelopes you as a small kiss lands on your temple.

He holds you a moment, breathing you in, before turning back to the wheel and putting the car in drive, keeping a vice grip on your hand the whole rest of the way.

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington

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misc-obeyme · 8 months

Note

hello !! may i ask lost with solomon 😔💍

Hi there, anon!

Okay, so it's fluffy Solomon hours on my blog again with this one. Just in case anyone wasn't already aware, I am in love with him. I always write him in the Nightbringer timeline, too. I think it's because there's more opportunity for fluff when MC lives with him lol.

Thanks for the request!

GN!MC x Solomon with prompt Lost

Warnings: none!

It was a cold day in the Devildom, the wind thrashing against the windows, the cloudy sky threatening rain. Solomon didn't want to go out in that weather, of course, but he really saw no way around it. He needed some potion ingredients and he really couldn't delay getting them.

Well, if he was going to go out, he had better dress warmly. He made sure to wear his trench coat, long and thick enough to help with the wind, as well as a thick pair of socks. He tucked some gloves in his pocket just in case, though he might not need them. Then he rummaged around the coat closet, looking for his scarf.

Solomon pushed aside various jackets and things, looking for the scarf that normally sat on the high shelf in the closet. It wasn't there. Had he lost it?

Solomon thought about it for a minute and found he couldn't even remember when he last wore it. You had complained about its hideous pattern, so he made sure not to wear it around you too much. But it still had to be in Cocytus Hall somewhere, right?

He sighed and cast a little tracer spell. If the scarf was in the house, he would be able to locate it this way.

The spell manifested for only a brief moment before dying out. It did not lead him anywhere, indicating that his scarf was not actually in the hall anywhere.

Well, he had tried. He wondered briefly if you had tossed it because you thought it was so ugly. The thought made him chuckle. Either that or it was lost for good. It didn't matter too much. He could always buy himself a new one. Perhaps he had better let you pick it out for him, just so he didn't have to worry about accidentally choosing a pattern you didn't like.

Solomon set out into the blustery weather, the wind pushing his silver hair all over the place. He managed to get everything he needed fairly quickly. Checking the time, he realized it was about when you normally started home for Cocytus Hall. He decided to surprise you by waiting for you outside the House of Lamentation.

Solomon watched as you waved goodbye to the demon brothers on your way out the door. You pulled your own jacket closer to yourself in the chill, the wind clearly making it slightly difficult for you to walk.

As you got closer to where he stood, you saw him and smiled. Solomon smiled back, but then he noticed something. A hint of color around your neck… was that…?

"What are you doing out here?" you asked him.

He focused his gaze back on your eyes. "I happened to be out already and I thought I'd stop by to pick you up."

You shivered a little. "You came out in this weather? It's going to rain soon, I think."

Solomon cocked his head, his smile becoming teasing as he looked at you. "Is that why you stole my horrible scarf? I was looking everywhere for it."

Solomon was rewarded by the blush that rushed to your cheeks. Your fingers brushed the fabric of the scarf that was tied around your neck and tucked into your jacket. "I couldn't find mine," you said, frowning.

Solomon chuckled. "And here I thought maybe you finally threw it away when I wasn't looking. How did you describe it again? Ghastly?"

You folded your arms. "I stand by it. This thing is truly offensive. But it was the only option."

Solomon couldn't resist tugging it out of your jacket, revealing the bright clashing colors of it, a sort of argyle combined with paisley that he had to admit was rather unsightly. He used it to pull you closer to him. "It's all right, MC. You're welcome to use my scarf any time, though I think I'll do a better job of keeping you warm myself."

Solomon laughed gently as the expression on your face revealed just how silly you thought this line was. You laughed, too, and let him pull you into his arms. "You're welcome to try, magic man."

Solomon couldn't keep the grin off his face and both of you laughed into the kiss you shared before starting off toward home.

the original prompt list

masterlist | Thank you for reading!

#obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me nightbringer #obey me fluff #obey me fanfiction #obey me fanfic #obey me solomon #obey me solomon x reader #obey me solomon x mc #solomon x reader #solomon x mc #anon request #misc writes

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demo-bats · 2 years

Note

Yay I'm so happy you like my drawing! I do have a request if you don't mind writing it. I'd like a cute story about Eddie and a shy girl who works at an electronic shop. I imagine Eddie has to go to the shop sometime when he needs something for his electric guitar.

a/n: thanks for the request! i really enjoyed writing this. i tweaked it a little, hope you don’t mind! looking forward to any more art/requests :D

& ,, STALKER IN AISLE FIVE

eddie munson x gn!reader

warnings: mentions of sexual themes, eds calling himself a pervert lol, lots of awkward convo and fluff.

you notice a certain curly-haired nerd frequently visiting your workplace. finally, you decide to acknowledge his stalking. 1.9k

WORKING at Hawkins’ electronic store was not on your bucket list. Sure, you were fascinated by the up-and-coming technology that was slowly progressing as the years went on. But that didn’t stop your distaste for having to actually go in for your shifts.

Although the summer job had slowly spread into the rest of the year and your mind was ready to explode, you’d be lying if you said working there was all bad.

There was at least one thing you enjoyed. A certain curly-haired ‘freak’ who had a habit of stopping by multiple times a week.

You’d noticed him around three months ago. He had pranced in, mop of curls bouncing with every step he took. He was pretty to look at, although extremely eccentric, and you gathered that’s most likely the reason why your eyes had drifted to him in the first place.

But what held your gaze was how it was extremely obvious that he was coming there to see you.

You had only joined Hawkins High for your senior year, trying your best to avoid as many people as possible. You weren’t exactly the most friendly — Curse your awkwardness in social situations — But despite your quiet demeanour and sarcastic humour as a defence mechanism for your nerves, you had caught his eye years ago.

He’d thought he’d lost his chance to speak to you when you had graduated, but seeing you working here had felt like some sort of sign. He didn’t believe in God, but somebody had taken pity on him, and he would forever be doing penance for that.

The small, rusted bell above the door chimes as the hinges squeak, announcing a customer has arrived. You don’t bother looking up from your magazine, knowing already who’d be stupid enough to come in at 8:02am.

You can feel a set of eyes on you as he wanders across the various aisles of cables and antennas, watching your chest press against the wooden counter. The only sound that fills the store is his heavy footsteps and the occasional turn of your page.

He feels like a pervert. The shame creeps up on him continuously when he finds himself staring, observing every small move you make. It’s the only thing that gratifies him, even though it’s just a reminder that he can’t find the courage to actually have a conversation longer than three sentences.

You sigh upon hearing him halt, never tearing your eyes away from the bold images in front of you. If he isn’t going to make a move, then maybe you can find some confidence from somewhere. “Can I help you, Eddie?”

Crash.

“Uh…” he lets out slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. He takes a quick peek at the mess of display tapes he’s knocked over, cursing internally at his body’s reaction to hearing you speak his name. “Clean up on aisle five?”

You try not to smile, tilting your head down further to hide your amusement. “Better put those hands to good use then.”

Eddie tries to ignore the sexual meaning he takes away from your words, burning red as he drops to his knees dramatically to quickly to stack the shelf again. He tries to organise them, but the current state of his bedroom proves that he’s already no good at that. You can hear him curse from your position behind the desk, despite him uttering it under his breath.

“Just leave it,” you announce quickly, worried you’d put far too much pressure on him. You’d only meant it as a joke, not expecting the boy to actually fold in half and bend to your commands. It’s a little too much power to hold, something you’d never experienced before. “I get paid to do that, so…”

“Right,” he lets out, trying to smoothly saunter up to the counter. He ends up whacking his knee into another cabinet on the way there, earning an actual physical laugh from you this time. He feels proud, despite knowing deep down that you’re really just laughing at his pain. If a fool is his part to play, then he’ll play it with an award-winning performance. “Anyways, uh, I’m here to…” He scans the shop, desperately looking for an excuse. “Guitar strings. Want ‘em. Need ‘em, actually. Pesky thing...”

He trails off with an awkward laugh, watching your eyebrows raise in amusement. You let him ramble on about the importance of his music and how sacred it is, unable to find your voice after initially greeting him. It’s something you’ve always struggled with. The sole reason you had graduated with decent grades but not a single person to celebrate that achievement with. You wanted interaction, but with the students of Hawkins High already making assumptions about your quietness, it was hard to do so.

Eddie notices your silence after a minute or two, cheeks reddening from his mouth’s persistence. He tilts his head, a grin widening on his face when you match his smile. “Yeah… and you definitely don’t get paid enough to deal with idiots like me.”

“You’re not an idiot,” you state almost immediately, words coming out a little raspy. You weren’t even sure what you wanted to say in response to so much attention from one person, but luckily your brain makes that decision for you for once. “Kind of chatty, but that's okay.”

“Usually my voice can lull a thousand people. I’m like a siren, truly.” He gets another laugh from you, one that’s snorted and entirely unattractive. To him? It’s the most beautifully raw sound he’s ever heard. He decides then and there that he’s already in love with it. “Guitar strings? Yes?”

You falter, suddenly coming back down to reality from the cloud he’d ascended you to. Of course, the essential thing he’d ‘come in’ for. Even though you know it’s just a rouse, you can’t help but feel bad when you break the news to him.

“You… know this is an electronics store, right? We don’t sell anything, like, remotely close to guitars.” You watch his smile evidently drop, although he manages to somehow keep the corners of his lips upturned. There’s a flash of rejection that passes over his eyes, a look that has your heart squeezed impossibly tight. Eddie is the only person who’s remotely considered approaching you, other than the band of jocks that occasionally took a dig at your shy nature. In light, he was the only person who’d been kind. You didn’t want to let that go.

You can see the tops of his thighs twitch, the only part of his legs visible from where you’re standing. It’s enough to alert you that he’s going to leave, and although this is your first time conversing something other than ‘Enjoy your purchase’ or ‘Have a nice day’, you found yourself oddly connected to him.

So much so, that you offer the only thing that comes to your mind.

“W-We do sell amps though!”

Eddie Munson finds himself the new owner of a glossed amplifier a few moments later, covering the empty hole in his wallet where his cash should be with a forced smile. He’ll have to explain the lack of groceries to his uncle later. Something a lot better than wanting to impress a person he finds attractive.

“Aaaand here’s your receipt. You can return it within ten days if there’s any issues. Company policy, and all that fine print stuff…” You don’t finish the rest of your trained response, deciding he’s probably bought enough things in here over the last few months to know what you’re going to say. He simply nods, patting the large speaker awkwardly on the desk.

“Forgot how big these things are,” he begins, smoothing his palm over the dials and buttons as you draw your bottom lip between your teeth to suppress another laugh. He lets out a low whistle, and you ignore how your neck begins to flush with heat at the sound. “Like, wayyyy too big. Huge. Enormous, even-”

“You already have an amp, don’t you?” You finally put him out of his misery, watching his nose scrunch in embarrassment before he pats the speaker again, this time a little more forcefully.

“...Yeah.”

You open the till. “Okay, give it back. I’ll refund you-”

“W-What? No- No no no, I can take it. I don’t wanna get you in trouble, or anything- I’m a bad influence but not this bad.” He rushes out, hands waving in front of his face in frantic motions. You reach forward bravely, taking a hold of them to still his movements.

His breath hitches.

You strain your neck to look behind him, gazing over the empty parking spots out front on the street. They’ve been barren since last night. “I don’t see your van outside. There’s no way I’m going to actually let you carry that.” You chuckle along with your words, watching Eddie blink rapidly at you.

“You know my van?” He asks out of disbelief, but there’s a hint of a teasing tone to his words. He doesn’t mean to. However, there’s a natural charm and cockiness to him that never seems to cease. You kind of like it.

The sound of the register opening distracts him from his shocked stare, coins jingling within the metal. You count out the bills he’d handed over, sliding them across the counter with another timid grin.

“Being off the radar means I do a lot of observing,” Eddie gingerly reaches up to swipe the money, short-circuiting when his fingers envelop yours, unmoved from where you had originally laid them down. “Like what car you drive, and the new patch on your jacket, and the fact that you’ve been in here five times this week already.”

This time, Eddie blushes. A full-on rosy tint that spreads across his cheeks like the first brush stroke to an empty canvas. It paints him beautifully, mentally applauding yourself for finding comfortability in talking to him. It’s a personal success you can celebrate later.

“I… didn’t realise you could see me.” He admits honestly, rubbing at the back of his neck as he takes a quick glance around the store. His body physically turns to spy his multitude of hiding spaces, ones that he’s thought were somewhat decent. He hides his dismay well.

“You’re kind of hard not to look at,” Eddie nearly contracts whiplash at your response, eyes wide and mouth agape at your somewhat confession. Him? Lanky, scrawny, non-showered, freaky nerd Eddie Munson? You giggle at his obvious starstruck expression, deciding to take another leap of faith. You lean forward over the counter with the cash in hand, fingertips tracing the waist of his jeans as you stuff the bills into his front pocket. “See you same time tomorrow for those guitar strings?”

Eddie nods, body numb and on auto-pilot as he backs out of the store. His parted lips soon pull together to produce a grin when he reaches the door, green notes protruding from his pocket like some sort of ‘mark’ you’d left on him. He tries not to let his mind wander too far at that idea, for his own sanity.

“It’s a date.” He mutters eagerly, despite knowing that a ten minute conversation at your workplace is the worst romantic idea he’s ever come up with.

Still, you eat up every ounce of his dorky charm with a wide grin and a flutter in your stomach. “Yeah... It's a date, stalker in aisle five.”

#k.writes #k.eds #k.mint <3 #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x y/n #joseph quinn x reader #joseph quinn x you #joseph quinn x y/n #stranger things x reader #stranger things x you #stranger things x y/n #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson fluff #stranger things imagine #joseph quinn imagine #eddie munson oneshot

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imreadydollparts · 6 months

Text

Someone had asked me about my personal collection of My Little Ponies, and I don't remember if I ever replied but I just rearranged the G1 section a bit, so it's as good a time as any to show off my small collection.

Tadaaa that's all of them!

I just thrifted 3 of the LOL Surprise 3-in-1 Pop Up Store which I really like to use as doll display risers. I have two complete ones and two incomplete ones, now.

I try to sort my ponies by type/set even though that looks a little chaotic sometimes.

This side is now, from top to bottom:

What I have of the Slumber Party Gift Pack - I'm missing Pink Dreams, and there's a space for her if I ever find her.

Babies, though not sorted by type or set. Just babies. Some are rehaired.

Rainbow Babies though I like those better than the "regular" ones so maybe I should move them up on the shelf so I can see them better. One Windy Wing. Or Summer Wing. I can never remember who is who without looking at my IDed photos.

Loving Families. I do not have the Euro exclusive siblings, only the US release siblings.

Softies which I don't even want and don't know why I have so many. It just kind of happened. I do get attached to things that need more work to be nice again.

The center area holds the ponies I have multiples if not all of from a set. Like TaF, Princess Brush n Grow, Sparkle Ponies, etc. They're not in there in a particularly logical way. They're kind of in there in blobs by set. Some are rehaired.

The lower shelf are ponies that are very different from the rest of the collection, and the only playset I own. I need to add some color to that shelf somehow.

This side, we have all of the ponies that I have only one from the set, ones that aren't particularly special, one full custom that should be with the others

but there is no room, and the lower shelf is all Flat Foot ponies, except Peachy who is an imposter/place holder for Blossom whom I don't have.

I do have a Sweetheart Sisters Sunblossom upstairs in the office with me. She has a special place for a sad reason.

There are also some that I've been working on for a while and haven't completed in order to put in the display.

My wishlist is very small:

FF Cotton Candy is on there because mine is heavily damaged.

Anyway. That's all of them.

#mylittlepony #mlp g1 #shelfie

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cosmiles · 9 months

Text

𝐁𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔

➢ the story of how kirishima falls in love with you

note: this is actually the fic that inspired me to come back and write again. it was dated feb 2021 but i don't remember ever posting it lol. it seemed fitting as my first fic back. i hope you enjoy <33

characters: kirishima

content: fluff, slight angst, mutual pinning, insecurities, 2nd-year kirishima and friends :p

words: 2.6k

Being in love is like being on cloud nine. Your heart swells with love and it feels like nothing could bring you down to Earth. Except for maybe the cold, dark feeling of rejection. Where it feels like an arrow has been shot through your heart and you come crashing to the ground. Wheezing for air, while the person of your affection rips your heart into a billion little pieces.

And Eijirou Kirishima would 100 percent wholeheartedly agree with that statement. As most people do, he’s had his fair share of crushes and rejections. Six to be exact. Yet, Kirishima never knew where he went wrong. He followed the same plan every time. Once he knew he had a crush, Eijirou would try to become close with them and then confess after he built up his courage. But each time, he was met with rejection after rejection.

Each time Kirishima would bounce back, but after a while, it just hurt too much. It didn't help that he was rejected six times before he even went to high school, but each person was rude in their response. Rejection is bad enough, but to rub dirt into the new wound was uncalled for and downright “unmanly.”

And those rejections certainly didn’t help Eijirou's insecurities. But even with his new makeover before high school, the insecurities were still very present. No matter how hard Kirishima tried to push them down, they still seem to float back up in his head. Especially when you were around.

You, the one with the smile that lifted everyone’s moods. You, the one with slicked-back edges that always stayed in place in a different hairstyle every 2 weeks. You, the one that helped everyone without a complaint. You, the one that stayed stuntin' even in a school uniform. You, the one that had everyone listening when you talked. You, the one that made Kirishima’s brain decide to clock out.

To be completely honest, Kirishima never thought he would crush on you. Not because you weren't good-looking, which you were, and exactly his type. But, because he assumed he would always see you as a friend. You both had major chemistry from the beginning, constantly acting like you knew each other for years instead of just meeting. This, of course, led to the both of you becoming instant friends.

He didn't even have an ounce of romantic feelings till the day they moved into the dorms. As Kirishima showed off his room, both you and Uraraka lit up with excitement. But he wasn’t worried about her. He was stuck on all the compliments you were giving on his room.

“Oh, Eiji! Your room is perfect! It matches your vibe perfectly!” You said as you peered around his room. Everyone, minus Uraraka, was completely unfazed and moved to the next room. He went to follow, yet you were still peering around his room with amazement in your eyes.

“You coming y/n?” He asked, watching you turn away from the books on his shelf.

“Yeah, sorry! I just really like how much your room represents you! It's so cool!” You stated while you both tried to catch up with the others.

‘It would be better if you were in it.’ He thought with a smile before his brain did a double-take. What did he just say? Or rather think?

That was the day the seed was planted and the thought of you was embedded in his brain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At first, Kirishima swore it was a phase. Doesn’t everyone think about dating their friend at least once? Then one night, he thought about what it would be like to hold you while he slept. Would you let him be big spoon or prefer him to be little? He found out two things that night: one, that he had fallen for you hard, and two, how hard it was to sleep without you.

After that revelation, he’s never been the same around you. Before, Eijirou had no problem talking with you. But now, it just seemed like every time he tried to talk to you or vice versa, his heart thought it was the perfect time to run a marathon. He would start the conversation fine, but by the end, he regretted every sentence he said. 'Was that compliment too far? Did you think his joke was stupid? You laughed, but was it out of pity?'

It was a very bittersweet crush. Of course, Kirishima loved being around you and making you smile, but he hated when you walked away and his insecurities took over. It also didn’t help that he wasn't the only one that wanted to get with you. His self-doubting thoughts would constantly remind Eijirou about how much better his “competition” was and that you would probably choose them over him anyways. With his luck, it wasn’t likely that anyone he liked would like him back, especially someone as gorgeous as you. So, the safe bet was to just stay friends and wait for his feelings to hopefully die out.

Fortunately, his friends were having none of that. They first found out about his crush a month into it. Of course, Sero and Denki clowned him for it while Mina was acting like a little kid in a candy store. Bakugo pretended like he could care less, assuming this “little crush” would blow over. He gave Kirishima another two weeks, maybe a month. But, a month turned into two, then three, and suddenly, they were halfway through their second year. And Eijirou was still a lovesick puppy.

At this point, they were all irritated that he still didn’t make a move. It wasn’t funny to Sero and Denki anymore and Mina had been ready for Kirishima to make the next step. But, seeing as nothing had changed from the time they found out, they decided to take matters into their own hands. So, on one of the days that Eijirou was at his internship, his friends forced themselves into Bakugo’s room to brainstorm.

Every idea was shot down by Bakugo for being too elaborate or likely to fail. After two hours of brainstorming with no ideas, Bakugo finally put his two cents into the conversation. He suggested that they should just give him a “little push” by talking to him. It seemed like a simple plan so they all agreed. And that’s how Kirishima found himself tapped to a chair, later that night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was like an interrogation scene in a cliche cop movie. Eijirou was surrounded by his friends who were all dressed in black with sunglasses (yes even Bakugo; Mina made them do it).

“So, um what is this?” Kirishima asked, receiving blank stares and a lamp shoved in his face as a response.

“This is an intervention!” Mina replied.

“An intervention? Uh, what did I do?” He questioned. His brain started scanning through everything he had ever done.

“Take a wild guess, idiot,” Bakugo growled, as he ripped off his sunglasses.

“Is this because I borrowed one of your tubs of eco gel? I ran out of mine and yours smelled so good.” He asked Mina.

“Wait what? No-” Mina started before getting interrupted by Kirishima.

“Um, is this because I helped Sero tape all of Bakugo’s drumsticks to the ceiling? Or because I helped Denki and you-” He rambled before Mina cut him off.

“Ok, ok, ok. Stop snitching on us and yourself.” She glanced over to Bakugo who was barely being held back by Denki. “This is about you and y/n.”

Kirishima’s heart started sprinting after hearing your name. They already knew how he felt so what more did they want?

“Wh-what about y/n?” He asked.

“Bro, we’re almost third years yet you still haven’t made a move,” Sero replied as he ran to the other side of the room to avoid Bakugo's wrath.

“Yeah, not gonna lie it's kinda embarrassing and hard to watch,” Denki added.

“He’s right but that’s beside the point. I mean it's not that hard, all you have to do is just tell them.” Mina stated, clearly starting to get irritated.

“It's not that simple though. There are so many things that could go wrong. For one, I could lose our friendship. Or I might-” Kirishima started before being interrupted by Sero.

“Wow, it's been a while since I’ve seen you whine like this.”

“I’m not whining! I’m just stating facts! Jeez, let me speak out loud.” Kirishima yelled.

“If it makes you feel better, a couple of people in general studies were thinking about asking them out soon,” Denki added, earning a glare from everyone.

“I- how does that make me feel better?” Kirishima asked.

“Well, you see..good point,” Denki replied.

“You guys aren't helping whatsoever!” Mina groaned. “You know what! Everybody out! Right now!”

“Tch, I didn’t even say anything. Besides this is my room.” Bakugo mumbled.

“Jeez, Bakugo if you didn’t want them to find your stash of All Might merch that’s all you had to say,” Denki stated, before walking out of the room.

“Run that back?” Bakugo asked, his eye twitching violently.

“He probably got more than Midoriya,” Sero sneered as he followed after Denki.

“Racoon eyes, try not to trash my room. These two idiots need to relearn their lesson.” Bakugo states, the little pops of his explosions sounding around the room. He flies out of his room, slamming the door shut in the process.

“That’s not my name and you know it!” Mina yells as she ignores the faint explosions and screams. “Look, Kiri. Ignore them, but seriously when are you going to tell y/n you like them?”

“I-” Eijirou started before Mina interrupted him.

“Do I have to lock you in the closet? Cause I will if I have to!”

“What no! I just-”

“You just what? I honestly don’t get what’s stopping you, Kiri. I mean none of us can see into the future so who knows what could happen? This decision could change your life for the better! I just don’t want you to regret this.” Mina stated.

Kirishima thought this over, weighing the pros and cons of the situation. Mina was right. He did say he wanted to live life to the fullest without regrets. So what was stopping him? Rejection. Getting hurt again. Losing one of his best friends. The fear of not being able to recover from this. But he couldn’t let that hold him back. Not after all he’s worked for. Not after how far he’s come. He was Red Riot. Unbreakable.

“I’ll do it.” He replied.

“You sure? Because I have three other pages of ideas.” Mina joked.

“Yeah, this has been going on for far too long,” Eijirou answered. “But, um, can you take this tape off now?”

“After you replace my eco gel. Don't think I forgot about that!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was two more weeks before Kirishima made his move. Two long weeks where he was ready to confess and backed out. Honestly, his friends all thought they were going to have another “intervention”. And as Kirishima was yet again preparing to back out and try again next week, he overheard someone from general studies talking about asking you out soon. Eijirou was running out of time.

During lunch, you agreed to meet him behind the school after classes let out. His friends saw and knew exactly what was about to happen. For the rest of lunch, they hyped him up and built up his confidence. Kirishima felt like nothing could bring him down. He was unstoppable, unbreakable.

Yet when the final bell rang, signaling the end of the day, his insecurities started bubbling in his stomach. All of that confidence from lunch was still there but quickly fleeing. But Eijirou couldn’t back out now. He was right at the finish line.

‘No regrets. No regrets.’ He repeated to himself as he sped-walk to behind the school. And as soon as he got a glimpse of your hair, his nerves went into overdrive. He could do this. He couldn’t do this. He could do this. He couldn’t do this. He could do this.

“Hey, Eiji!” You said, with your signature smile. Well, there goes his heart.

“Hey- uh hi y/n. Were you waiting here long?” He replies. And there goes his brain.

“Nope, I had to help Tsuyu real quick. So, what did you have to tell me?” You asked. Oh no. Here it comes.

“I- well I wanted to tell you that I um...” Kirishima started. He couldn’t do this. This would ruin everything. All of his insecurities were bubbling up and crashing around in his head. It was like he was in middle school all over again. Palms sweaty. Throat closed. Everything crashing down. He can’t do this. He can’t do this. He can’t-

“Eiji? Is everything ok?” You ask, clearly confused about what was going on. He peered into your eyes. They were full of warmth, hope. He had to do this. So Kirishima bit the bullet and poured out his heart to you.

“I like you. A lot. And at first, I thought this was just a phase but it's not. This is too hard to fake and nothing could replace this feeling. And I get that you probably have a line of people trying to date you and I know I could never live up to that. But if we were together I would never lie, make you cry, or do something behind your back. I would be faithful and always stay through the good or bad, all day every day. Y/n, you’re the one for me and I want to be the one for you. If- if you’ll let me?”

It was done. Now to prepare for the rejection. But, it never came. You were silent. Your warm eyes were blown into shock. It looked like there were so many things you wanted to say, yet no sound came out. While it looked like you were having an existential crisis, Eijirou was having one of his own. His fight or flight was activated, but he knew he had to stay. Your response meant everything to him.

“Do you- did you mean that?” You questioned, eyes glassy.

“I- yeah. Every word.” He replied. He had come this far already; might as well go the whole mile.

“Well then, you’ve got my heart.” You answered.

Yup. He figured you would reject- Wait what?

“W-what?” Kiri questioned.

“I’ve liked you ever since we met, but I never felt brave enough to say a word.” You admitted.

That was unexpected. And now his heart is soaring. Apparently, the seventh time is the charm. He just wants to run all the way to America and back. Do backflips off a train. But he can’t, he has to, needs to, keep himself calm.

“Wow, I had no idea. And now I feel bad for waiting for so long to say something. Um, how about I take you out Saturday to make up for it?” Kirishima asked, rubbing his neck in hopes of calming down his nerves.

“So tomorrow?” You replied.

“Uh yeah! Is that ok?” He asked, slightly panicking.

“Of course! Just don't be late or bail on me!” You joked, your signature smile appearing again.

"I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Kirishima stated, his smile also appearing over the sincerity of his words.

This was everything that Eijirou had always longed for. Someone sharing the same strong feelings he had. It felt nice for a chance. He knew he had another situation to stress about (your date!), but that could be saved for later. Now, he just wanted to bask in this feeling. And despite being rejected so many times, it didn’t matter. He wanted to be with you, needed to be with you, and now he was.

➢ thank you so much for reading! i hope you enjoyed and don't forget that Jesus loves you, to drink water, eat some food, and get some rest :))

➢ taglist: 🫧

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potsandpains · 2 years

Text

practically perfect in every way hotch x reader

AN: alrighty y’all I have no fetching clue what I’m doing I just have many thoughts and need to get them out. This will likely have 2-3 parts depending on how long-winded im feeling. i whipped this thing out in one sitting and haven’t proof read it at ALL so please be patient with me lol.

Jack is 6 at the beginning of this bc I feel like it, and Haley is dead. rip. Hotch is around 40ish, reader is 25-26ish.

summary: Aaron Hotchner is looking for a nanny for his son. As luck would have it, the perfect candidate finds her way into their home through a perfect accident.

CW: None :)

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

Closing the book he just finished, Aaron Hotchner stood from the desk in his study to return it to the shelf. It was then that he heard a soft knock on the doorframe.

“Hey.” Y/n was leaning in the doorway, looking at him somewhat nervously. “Do you have a sec?”

“Of course,” he replied “what can I do for you? Is everything alright?”

“Oh yeah I’m just fine,” she said “I just had a question for ya.” She took a step into the study, fiddling with her hands a bit, her nervous look still persisting. “So you know that I was planning on moving in with Braden in the next few weeks, right?”

He nodded.

“Well,” there was an awkward pause. It seemed she didn’t quite know how to phrase things. “That is no longer happening. To make a very long and very stupid story short, we broke up.”

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. He nearly dropped the book he hadn’t realized he was still holding. “Oh y/n I’m sorry to-”

“It’s fine,” she interrupted quickly. Hotch didn’t really believe her, but she continued before he had the chance to ask. “Anyway, I let the landlady know and she’s letting me out of the leasing agreement because she has a waiting list. The only problem is that my lease at my current place is up in a week and it’s too late for me to renew it. Soooo effective next Tuesday I’ll be homeless.”

He said nothing, just gave a tilt of his head as if to signal her to continue as he slid the book back into place on the shelf, crossing his arms over his chest as he listened.

“I wanted to ask -ugh this is so awkward, I’m so sorry- Could I maybe stay here? Just in the meantime? Once I’m on my feet and I have a place figured out I’ll be out of your hair I just don’t really know what else-”

“Absolutely.” He said with absolutely zero hesitation.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude on you and Jack-”

“Y/n, you stay here when I’m out of town for work and you’re here everyday anyway,” He said, offering a soft smile, “I’m fairly certain this house would fall apart without you, so having you here all the time would honestly be great.”

She grinned. “Fall apart without me? If I didn’t know any better I’d say you’re getting attached to me, Hotchner.”

He returned her smile. “You know both Jack and I are quite attached to you, don’t get too cocky.”

She blushed. She was so pretty when she blushed. He should really tease her more if that was the result.

“Another option we could look at is that if you really wanted to, you don’t have to look for a new place,” he said somewhat quickly. He hoped he didn’t seem too eager. “If you wanted to be Jack’s live-in nanny you could live here in the house. I could up your pay too, to reflect the change in your job title, if that helps.”

Y/n’s face broke out into another wide smile. “I would love that. Are you sure that’s okay?”

“I’ll double check with Jack, but I’m sure he’ll be thrilled.”

“Ahhh thank you! You won’t regret it I promise” She gave a happy little squeal and tackled him in a hug, wrapping his arms around his neck and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

Hotch froze. It was now his turn to blush.

She slowly withdrew her arms, an embarrassed smile on her face. “Sorry about that. I guess I got a little carried away.” She murmured, looking down at her feet. “Thank you so much, Aaron. I really appreciate it.” She quickly left the study, refusing to meet his eyes.

He was left standing next to his bookshelf, blushing like an idiot. She had called him Aaron.

He had long been infatuated with his son’s nanny, but he didn’t realize that her simply saying his name could make him feel so blushy. He had it bad.

/ / / / /

18 months prior

Aaron, sitting at the desk in his study, looked over a recently submitted resume for a Ms. Williamson, who apparently had a degree in human development and family studies from an out of state community college. Her work experience was limited, but she seemed normal enough. He took a picture of her resume and texted it to Garcia.

AH: How about this one?

She replied almost immediately

PG: No go, boss. Looks like she never actually graduated and dropped out a few semesters in. She also has a handful of public indecency arrests and from what I can see is an active participant in a pyramid scheme. Who spends $40 on a bottle of shampoo?

He huffed out an exasperated sigh, tossing the paper onto a stack of other “no go” resumes. Aaron had been looking for a nanny for Jack for a very, very, very, long time. Longer than he cared to admit. Jess was always so kind to watch him, but he felt like he needed someone to help lighten the load, and he didn’t want Jess to feel like she always had to be available for his crazy work schedule.

Many applicants for the job were under-qualified (seemingly shocked that “babysitting” their roommate’s cat wasn’t adequate enough of an education) or unable to pass the incredibly thorough background check he had Garcia run on them. Who knew so many daycare workers had gambling issues?

Aaron’s paranoia about leaving Jack was already incredibly high due to his job, and he didn’t want that paranoia heightened due to leaving his son with someone he couldn’t trust to take care of him.

Exhausted with his failed search, he stood up from his desk and hollered for Jack. “Hey buddy, do you want to go to the park?”

Since this was the first time Aaron hadn’t been called on a weekend case in ages and he was definitely not going to waste it staring at resumes. He and six-year old Jack had brought a frisbee and a soccer ball, and he was determined to burn off as much of Jack’s never-ending energy and tire him out enough so he could go to bed early.

The park was popular for a reason, it catered to many different interests. There was a playground, a sand volleyball court, pickleball courts, a wide grassy field, and a long concrete track that looped around the park. In short, it was never empty.

About an hour into their time there, Aaron was sure that he was the one burning all his energy, and that Jack somehow acquired a bottomless supply.

Taking a break from kicking the ball back and forth, they had started a new game. Aaron, sitting on the ground, would throw the frisbee as far as possible, and Jack would run as fast as he could to get to it before it touched the ground. Aaron was sitting on the grass right behind one side of the cement track, and if he threw the frisbee hard enough he could manage to get it to the other side of the track, some thirty feet ahead of them.

It was a win-win situation. Aaron got to sit, Jack got to run around like a maniac, everyone was happy.

This was until after a particularly far throw Jack decided it was his turn to sit and that his Dad needed to run after the frisbee. Aaron conceded. After all, how far could Jack throw?

Aaron stood about ten feet in front of Jack, ready to run after the frisbee. He had explained to Jack how to throw it, but being only six he didn’t expect him to be a professional quite yet.

“Alright bud, you got it! Throw it really hard so daddy has to run for it!”

Smiling mischievously, Jack replied ‘I’m going to throw it with ALL my muscles.”

“Okay buddy,” Aaron laughed, “use ALL your muscles then.”

Jack gave what can only be described as a full-body wind up with indeed ALL of his muscles. However, instead of releasing the frisbee at the forward end of his throw towards his dad, he let go as his arm swung back, sending the frisbee careening behind him and right into the head of a jogger on the track, knocking her off balance and sending her tripping downward onto the concrete, scraping her knees and twisting until she landed on her back.

Oh no.

Aaron was already running towards the jogger as Jack flipped around and realized what had happened. He got to her side and knelt beside her as she sat up. “Oh my goodness I am sorry. Are you okay?”

She blinked a few times, eyes watering, then surveyed her scraped knees and hands.

“I… I’ve been better. But I’m okay. All good.”

Aaron was so worried about the injured (and distractingly pretty) stranger laying on the concrete that he barely noticed Jack standing behind him, observing the stranger’s injuries, tears forming in his eyes and beginning to cry. Sympathy tears were Jack’s specialty, and this poor woman was about to be a witness to them.

“I’m sorry,” He sniffed, “I didn’t mean to hit you.”

The jogger’s attention immediately snapped to Jack. “Oh hey bud, it’s alright,” She got up, wincing slightly, and knelt next to Jack, “I know you’re sad that I fell, but I know that it was an accident. It’s okay.”

Jack, still crying, threw his arms around the stranger’s neck. “Daddy said it’s wrong to hit people and I was just trying to use all my muscles so I could be strong. I didn’t know you were there.”

She smiled. God, she had a nice smile. Putting her arms around Jack she replied “I believe you dude, I believe you. And you definitely used ALL your muscles there. You must be pretty strong.”

Jack let go and withdrew his arms and nodded, still sniffing through tears. “Not as strong as dad. Or spiderman.”

“Spiderman is pretty strong,” she said, “and I’m sure your dad is too. What’s your name?”

“Jack.”

“Well Jack, it’s nice to meet you. My name’s y/n. Thanks for making sure I was okay, that’s very nice of you. Do you need another hug, or are you okay?” She asked with a soft smile.

Aaron watched this interaction with utter fascination. This complete stranger was likely concussed due to the actions of his son, yet she was asking him if he was okay?

He was still kneeling when the jogger, y/n, turned to him and stood. He rose to meet her.

“I’m so sorry, what was your name?”

“Aaron. Hotchner. Jack’s my son. Sorry again.”

“It’s okay, really, these things happen. Good thing you got me at the end of my run though because if this happened at the beginning I definitely would not have kept going” she said, laughing.

Aaron was suddenly filled with a large desire to keep the conversation going, no matter how awkward it became. He told himself it was because she seemed like a natural with Jack, and had nothing to do with her nice smile, pretty eyes, or cute laugh. It definitely had nothing to do with her long, toned, runners legs. At least that’s what he kept trying to think.

“I’m sorry we got you at all, but I’m glad our timing was good at least.”

“Impeccable timing, that’s for sure.”

“Do you live nearby? Can I get you patched up, or at least an ice pack for your head?”

“I'm decently close, I’m living a few miles south of here.”

“Can we give you a ride home? I think we’ve had enough excitement for today.”

She tilted her head and smiled, looking him up and down. He felt like she was deciding whether or not she could trust the father of the small child that nearly assassinated her via frisbee. An absolute stranger, really. Having made up her mind, she said “Sure, that would be great. My first aid kit definitely isn’t well stocked though, so can I take you up on an ice pack and a few bandaids?”

“It’s the least I can do.”

After finding the attempted murder weapon (aka the frisbee), the three of them got into Aaron’s car and made their way to the Hotchner household.

It was on this drive that Aaron learned that y/n was working as a nanny for a family in their neighborhood, but that her contract was nearly up and she wasn’t sure what her next step was. She had worked for them for the past year and had loved the little girl she watched. It was her day off apparently, which is why she was running in the park.

After careful questioning Aaron learned that she had degrees in communications and human development, and had done research on behavioral therapy and was a certified childcare provider both in Washington DC and in Virginia.

He couldn’t believe his luck.

Patching up scapes and verifying that she didn’t in fact have a concussion led to such good conversation (mostly about spiderman, soccer, and frisbee thanks to Jack) that she stayed for dinner, dessert, and until Jack went to bed.

After tucking him in, Aaron ducked into his study and sent another text to Garcia.

AH: I’m sorry it’s late, I have a new one for you. Her name is Y/N Y/L/N. Anything I should know?

A reply came immediately.

PG: Give me two minutes boss-man, If there’s dirt I’ll find it.

Aaron waited somewhat impatiently for two entire minutes before sending an additional text.

AH: Garcia???

He wasn’t expecting the incoming phone call from the tech analyst that lit up his phone. He picked up.

“Hey,” he whispered, “You’ll have to make this quick and be quiet if you can.”

“Can do, sir. Just wanted to let you know you’ve found the modern day Mary Poppins.”

“What?”

“She’s ‘practically perfect in every way.’ get with the program sir, I thought you’d know Disney references since you have a kid, but I guess you can’t be that rugged and be well versed in classic Disney cinema.”

“Garcia.”

“Anyway! This girl seems like a dream come true. Graduated with honors, well liked and respected by her peers and professors. She’s done clinical research on child psychology and looks like she frequents the local library possibly more than our own Dr. Reid. Oh! And she has a great driving record and zero criminal record to be found. And hey I’m sure you’ve seen her but she’s hot as hell too from her pictures and-”

“Thank you, that’s all I need. Have a good night!” He hung up the phone briskly, blushing from her last statement.

She was perfect. He mentally thanked whichever deity was responsible for guiding a frisbee into this woman’s head and into his and Jack’s life.

He came down the stairs to find y/n looking at the framed pictures on the mantle. There were some of Jack, the two of them together, and one of Haley.

He quickly (and not very smoothly) mentioned that he was looking for a nanny for Jack. She laughed at the perfect timing of their meeting.

“Well, it sure seems like you know who to call.” She said.

“Would you be interested? Really?”

“Half the battle in choosing a family to nanny for is finding both kids and parents I can get along with. Just meeting you two was enough to convince me that you’ll be great. Do you need to talk about it with your wife first?” She said, tilting her head towards Haley’s picture on the mantle.

Aaron looked away, not really sure how to broach the subject. “I’m not married. Not anymore anyway”

Y/n nodded. “I’m sorry if that was insensitive. I didn’t see a ring earlier, but I just wanted to double check because of the picture.”

“I appreciate you checking. That’s very considerate of you. But no, should be just fine. We can figure out salary and start dates another time if that’s okay? It’s getting late and I should probably get you home. Could I get your number before we go? I’ll be sure to give you a call when I’m free.”

“That sounds good to me! I’ll look forward to it” She gave him another warm smile and took a step forward, putting her hand out.“Only seems fair that we shake on it, right?”

Aaron couldn’t help but smile back as he clasped his hand in hers.

He had a very good feeling about this.

#aaron hotch hotchner #hotch x you #hotch #aaron hotchner #agent hotchner #jack hotchner #aaron hotchner x y/n #aaron hotchner fanfiction #Criminal Minds Fanfiction #hotch x y/n #hotch x fem!reader #hotch x reader #hotchner #haley hotchner #aaron hotchner fluff #aaron hotchner imagine #aaron hotchner smut #Penelope Garcia

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toomuchracket · 9 months

Note

just saw a random post of parents taking their 3 week old to get their library card. immediately had birthday party verse brainrot about it. maybe first little outing together outside their bubble. like to them it’s more important than getting baba her passport.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS ASK i am a literal library girly (like that's my job rn) so this is really special. also library dilfs are an absolutely exceptional breed of man and i think matty would fit right in. anyway! i think you and matty are big fans of your local library even before the baby is born - you're convinced that such free and available access to a massive range of literature really helps inspire and hone your own writing, matty thinks it has chill vibes and loves watching you get excited over books, and it's also the perfect walking distance from your house (not too far, manageable, and really pleasant). when you're pregnant, you take advantage of their section of parenting books, and sometimes matty wanders over to the kids section and looks through the picture books, smiling at the thought of you reading to your baby like you do with him (and mayhem lol); when you go to check out your books, he says to the library staff "i can't wait until we can bring the baba down here and choose books for them" and kisses your cheek, which makes you swoon a little bit and the staff go "awwwww".

it lingers in the back of both your minds when she's actually born, hidden behind overwhelming love and tiredness and awe of your tiny girl, so naturally it's the first thing you suggest doing when matty asks where baba's first big outing (excluding being registered and going to visit family) should be - his face lights up at the thought, and he nods excitedly. the next morning, you get your daughter dressed in a little lavender onesie and kinda dress yourself up a little bit too (you swap leggings for a summer dress and put some makeup on) - it's your first outing in a while too! - and the three of you go for your first little walk together! it's a beautiful day, and baba is as good as gold in her pram (meaning she sleeps soundly), and life is perfect; matty looks dilfy as hell pushing the pram and cooing lovingly at his baby, frequently turning to kiss you and smile. his and your smiles get bigger when you get into the library itself, and the staff quietly exclaim at the fact there are three of you now - you park the pram in a little secluded spot and matty lifts baba out (she still stays sleeping, bless her) and carries her over to the desk. you hand over your returns first (because of course you have books to return!), and then you're like "can we please get our girl set up with her own card?", and you get to fill out a little form for her and then that's it! she has her first library card! matty cheers, and then winces when baba stirs, which makes everyone laugh; he grins sheepishly like "m'just excited for her. she's going to be the smartest most well-read kid ever now. her mother's daughter, of course" and kisses your head.

next comes the fun part - choosing books. she's awake at this point, but still groggy against her dad's chest as he carries her around the building explaining to her what section's what; you snap some sneaky pics of them as he does, grinning, and then promptly start sniffling when he pulls a book from the shelf and says "this is the best book in here, though, munchkin - it's mummy's, the one she wrote when you were only a little bean in her tummy! this is a very special place to mummy and me, and i hope it will be for you as well". but before you can fully cry, matty wanders over to the picture books and one-handedly starts rifling through them, talking to baby as he does and making you laugh - "that one looks alright! that one looks a bit trite, though. we're better than that in this family, my girl, aren't we?" lmao. and when matty catches you giggling he smiles and holds his hand out to you, so you go over and help the two loves of your life choose some books - you leave with a good little stack, eager to go home and read to your baby girl with your husband, and then to come back to the library with them next week and do it all over again <3

#mads answers asks #matty asks #fluff asks #into the birthday partyverse #birthday baby #toomuchracket best bits

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machisoon · 2 months

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Hello! I really like your writing, and I was wondering if you could perhaps write Bennett and Older Brother Reader? (platonic ofc, I'm not into incest)

The reader lives in Inazuma and decides to surprise Benny by visiting him during the Windblume festival!

-Aspheera

(AA... This scenario is so cute, I love writing platonic things!! Also sorry for taking this request extremely late! And sorry if any lore based things are wrong I haven't been on genshin in a while (⁠｡⁠ŏ⁠﹏⁠ŏ⁠)..)

Pairing: Bennet X OlderBrother!Reader

CW: Nothing Bad Just Fluff, Platonic!

Synopsis: Recently You Heard News Of The Windblume Festival Going On And Desperately Wanted To See Your Brother Bennet! You Ultimately Decided To Surprise Him. (Beidou Is In This Because Obviously You Need A Way To Get Out Of Inazuma lol.)

This time you had too, you've been aching to see your brother Bennet. It's been a while, the complications mostly come from you guys living really far. You live in Inazuma as Bennet lives in Mondstadt, this makes you guys very separate and it makes it even worse knowing Inazuma is surrounded by nothing but the sea and it's just as hard to leave. Hearing news of Mondstadt's one of a kind: Windblume Festival you decided it was just the right time to go see your brother. You've been planning how to get out of Inazuma for a while but when you recently met "Captain Beidou." She recently offered to help sail you out of Inazuma and get to Mondstadt.

So here you were fixing your hair getting yourself ready, You had to sneak to a more sandy and secluded part where her boat would be parked, everything has been planned out as you were gleaming with joy, imagining Bennet turning around to the sound of you yelling "Hey Benny!" To him. And just as excited to step in the Nation Of Freedom. As you place your wooden brush neatly onto the shelf you run to your door swooping up your shoes fastening them tightly.

You take one final breath, storming out your house and to the place you and Beidou arranged. There was her big wooden boat with the nice flags for safe sailing. You've never actually been on a boat before so I guess it was more of a challenge to test if you had sea sickness.

"Beidou you up there?" You yell out. Suddenly she perks up staring down at you. She gives a soft smile. "Just on time I see, someone's quite excited." She says. She leans down on the wooden edge of the boat. One of her crew members throws down a ladder for you to easily climb. You make your way to a ladder climbing up onto her boat. You notice all the boxes lying around, and all her crew members eyeing you. "Welcome aboard, Y/N." Beidou says, giving your shoulder a pat. "So will there be complications getting out of Inazuma..?" You say. Beidou looks at you letting out a hesitant sigh. "It's more of a maybe. Sometimes these waters can be really aggressive. Especially with lighting. So I suggest you be careful." She responds. You nod your head, you never really went head on with the seas of Inazuma or the lighting but if those extreme measures were needed to see your brother you'd take them.

Your eyes shift open, you ended up knocking out on the boat. It was a very long exhausting ride. Beidou walks in motioning you to come out. You walk out and the bright sun hits your face along with this weirdly calming breeze.. You were here.. You took a moment to really take in your surroundings. You've been to Mondstadt before, it's where you were born before moving to Inazuma. But there was something so calming about the land that made it all the more better. "Y/N are you good from here or do you want us to get you to the town?" Beidou says, her eyebrows raising a bit along with her eye patch. "I'm good, I won't get lost." You say. You've already prepared a map. Beidou smiles and you wave bye to her and climb back down the wooden ladder stepping onto Mondstadt's land. Now the only task was just to get there..

When you saw them tall buildings and the nice stone bridge you knew exactly where you were. You also noticed how nicely decorated Mondstadt was even from a far view. But inside just made your jaw drop. Mondstadt was beautifully decorated head to toe with Blue accents and flowers extending across some of the buildings. You didn't know how it was possible but The Nation Of Freedom definitely knew how to make it feel like "Freedom." You noticed a bunch of people walking around talking to relatives and giving gifts to them as a sign of love and admiration.

Your eyes dart around for any sign of Bennet. And your eyes widen. There he was. He was on a balcony of some sorts seemingly just chilling there, but oh you can imagine what his face will contort into once he sees you. You decide your best bet is to not scare him but to sneak up behind him and say the nickname you gave him. You sneak your way to the staircase making it up the balcony, right behind him.

"Hey Benny!!~~" You say in a sly tone.

The familiarity in your voice elicits Bennet's head to whip around to look behind him. He lets out a short gasp taking in your presence. Before he takes everything in him to run into your arms. You swing him around happily. "I've missed you so much!!" Bennet says in pure happiness. "I've missed you too! I thought that maybe I could try to spend the Windblume Festival with my best brother ever!" You say back. Bennet finally decided to release you from his hug and he looks up at you. "How did you even get out of Inazuma?" He says. "A good friend of mine helped me... And uhh.. What is Windblume Festival about exactly?" You asked.

You were quite embarrassed by this question you asked. You completely forgot about what Windblume Festival is all about.. But Bennet smiles happily and clears his throat. "Well in my Terms it's a festival celebrating Mondstadt's Freedom. And it's about giving gifts to your loved ones and basically looking for love, oh! And to also offer Windblume's to Barbatos! It's just really a festival to spend time with the ones you love." Bennet says happily. "And now we can spend it together!" You respond. Just the thought of you spending such a festival with your Benny was enough to keep you on the edge.

Hours and hours went by of you and Bennet running around exploring all the nice things to do during the Windblume Festival. One thing you did was go to SpringVale to put the wreaths on the Foxes head. But when the sun started going down you and Bennet found yourselves chilling on the edge of Mondstadt's bridge.

Bennet randomly sniffles. You touch his shoulder quite confused till he hugs you tightly with tears running down his cheeks. "I'd never thought I'd see you again.. thanks bro.." He says. You couldn't help but smile and sigh before ruffling his hair. You playfully nudge his forehead causing him to laugh. You both stare at each other before both pulling something out of your pocket and saying in usion.

"I got this for you."

You both widened your eyes. In both of your hands was a heart necklace that interlocked. A souvenir you secretly bought for each other but wasn't expecting for both to buy the other half. "Wow.. Guess great minds think alike?" You say with a short giggle following. You and Bennet both put the necklaces on each other. "I can't believe we almost got the same gift." He says with a slight amused smile. "Hey... You're my other half anyways." You nudge Bennet and he rests his head on your shoulder as you guys watch the sunset.

"Do you have to back to Inazuma...?"

"No Benny, your big bro will stay here for as long as you like."

Silence filled the air until a short click was heard.

The heart necklaces interlocked.

#(⁠.⁠ ⁠❛⁠ ⁠ᴗ⁠ ⁠❛⁠.⁠) machi #genshin impact #bennet #bennet x reader #platonic #writers on tumblr #genshin x y/n #genshin x reader #genshin x you #genshin impact fluff #fluff #older brother core #x reader #windblume festival #monstadt #inazuma

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gamerwoo · 2 years

Text

hansol: the lovers playlist

characters: hansol x female reader

genre/warnings: idol au, best friends to strangers, getting over a ‘breakup’, slight angst but it’s not too bad ig, slight comfort???

word count: 1,083

summary: put me on the shelf, discipline myself to let the sparks die out; shattering anything that has reflections of you

tag list: @anissanightyoung @aceofvernons @mythicalamphitrite @caratluvie @juliettechokilo @liemwantstosleep @rubyreduji @ohchangyu @minluvly @honeyylin @miki-chi @heemingyu @noraehey @awkwardnesshabitat @floweryjessy @woozarts @anothershorthuman @shuabby1994 @vernxnsfool (if you’d like to be added to the tag list, please fill out this form!!!)

a/n: things in bold italics are song lyrics and things in italics are texts

previous song | next song | back to playlist

You were trying, at least. You were actively trying to feel better; to be better. You made the effort to go out -- at least sometimes -- and you tried to stop feeling sorry for yourself. It came in bursts and it wasn’t all the time, but it was something.

“Whenever you think about him, we should bonk you in the head with one of those hammers,” Eunji had said, half-joking.

All 12 of you decided to just hang out in the living room and switch off playing some video games after your schedules had ended that day. Currently, 4 of your members were battling it out in Mario Kart while the rest of you watched and talked. You were sitting between Ayako -- who was doing her absolute best to catch up from last place -- and Xiulan, with one knee to your chest and the other curled up underneath you while you shouted encouragement at the TV for Ayako’s Yoshi to pass the Shy Guy in front of her.

You felt your phone vibrate on the couch beside you, resting slightly under your leg. You lifted your phone, and when your face unlocked the screen, you almost gasped seeing the name that popped up.

Kim Mingyu: _____, I’m sorry for reaching out so suddenly, but I wanted to see how you were doing

You just stared at the screen for a minute in silence, not knowing what to do. You stared until the screen eventually went black.

“_____?” Xiulan was the one to notice you frozen. Your eyes shot up from your phone to look at her. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly at your expression when she glanced away from the screen to look at you again. “Is everything okay?”

You nodded, maybe a little too quickly, “Yeah, just a weird notification.”

“Who is it?” Mira asked slowly, seeming skeptical of the answer.

“Old friend from school,” you lied smoothly. “I haven’t spoken to them in years, but I guess they...saw I was in a kpop group now.”

Thankfully, they all seemed to buy the lie, so you went back to your phone.

‘You didn't close the door; left a crack open; I couldn't ignore...’

You faintly picked up the song that had started playing -- again, another one of Mira’s playlists -- as you tried to decide if you should text Mingyu back or not.

...But you were weak. Unable to resist knowing anything about what might be going on in Hansol’s life, you replied. Plus, Mingyu was the one to help you through that night, so it was the least you owed him, right? Some sort of response?

“‘The faint possibility of having hope in this insanity...’“ Mira started softly singing, her eyes focused on the screen of the TV.

_____☺: that’s okay. i’m...okay. how’re you?

Kim Mingyu: I actually didn’t expect you to respond...

Kim Mingyu: I’m happy you did though!! 😁

“‘That we still could be...’“

Kim Mingyu: I’ve been alright. Same stuff lol. We all miss you

The group still talked about you? Or was he just being nice?

You didn’t want to tell him you missed them, too. You felt like that would be taking even more steps back than you probably were now.

“‘But we’re stuck floating in between.’“

_____☺: how is everyone?

That was a decent response, right? It didn’t really seem like you were ignoring his statement since you were asking about them.

Kim Mingyu: All the same lol. Just as annoying and chaotic as ever

Kim Mingyu: But... Hansol was kinda different for a while...

You hated how much that piqued your interest. It also made you feel kind of...happy. Was that sick?

_____☺: different?

Kim Mingyu: He went to talk to you one night, and then he came back and didn’t say much for a while. He wouldn’t tell us what happened but it didn’t seem good...

Kim Mingyu: I’m not trying to get you to tell me, though! Just telling you what happened since you asked. I don’t want you to feel pressured. But we all felt worried for both of you

Kim Mingyu: But he still talks about you sometimes...

‘Oh no...’

And there went your heart, suddenly feeling like it was rising from your stomach just a little bit. It was beating so hard and you hated yourself for it. You felt a little spark of hope that maybe Hansol still cared. That maybe he was feeling a little lonely without you, and Ivory wasn’t enough to fill the gap that you hoped you made.

“‘Our eyes were closed with hearts open wide,’“ Mira was still singing along, “’dismissed every rule to abide by.’“

Kim Mingyu: I don’t know if telling you will make you feel worse or not, so I won’t unless you want me to

Kim Mingyu: I don’t even know if you’ve recovered from what happened

Kim Mingyu: I’m still really sorry, _____...

Blood was pounding in your ears, drowning out the sounds of Mira’s singing, the song itself, and your members laughing and joking together. You had two choices in this situation: ask, or stay in the dark. Asking was what you wanted to do. Your heart wanted you to beg Mingyu if you had to, to tell you what Hansol had said.

But your brain knew that was bad. You knew it would just make you hurt more. It would make you hold onto that hope when you were trying to let go of everything that had to do with him. You couldn’t let yourself trail along behind him like this.

“Put me on the shelf, discipline myself,’“ Mira suddenly belted the lyrics at full volume, breaking you from your internal battle as your thumbs hovered over the screen, “‘to let the sparks die out; shattering everything that has reflections of youuuu, youuuuuu...’“

You laughed at her, along with the other members who were startled by her suddenly loud singing, or who were giggling and telling her how obnoxious she was.

Finally, you looked back down at your phone, deciding on a reply.

_____☺: don’t worry about it, i’ll be fine

_____☺: i’ve gotta go though. we’re pretty busy!! thanks for reaching out

You put your phone on ‘do not disturb’ before reaching forward and placing it on the coffee table. Then you settled back into the couch to watch the last lap of the race.

And when the final chorus came back around, you sang it just as obnoxiously as Mira was.

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accio-victuuri · 2 years

Text

CPN : 071722 LRLG Rumor Clues 🕵️‍♀️

If you are not familiar with LRLG, I explain it here. We’ve all been waiting for something like this and it has arrived! It may seem confusing because of the conversations with absolutely no context ( which is how these things usually are ) so it’s mostly BXGs who try to fill in the gap.

This is gonna be all over the place because the original post is also like that 😂. You can go back here once the account allowed to make english translations share it so it will make more sense. Or you can start now, it’s your choice LOL.

• My favorite part is the bickering! HAHAHAHA! It reminds me of their CQL days when they just won’t stop. Maybe it’s their form of flirting ( still to this day ). I swear. These two ⬇️⬇️⬇️

💚 "Are you going to visit me this afternoon?"

♥️ "No, there is work"

💚 "what"

♥️ "secret"

💚 "okay I know"

♥️ "You really know what you don't know

💚 "I really know"

♥️ "how do you know"

💚 "I just know"

♥️ "Then you just don't know"

💚 "Yes, yes, I don't know, I don't know

This is also me when answering people why I believe that they are SZD— I just know. Some are also speculating this could be talking about a birthday gift or a surprise. Like Yibo is saying he knows something is going on.

• There is a part where GG’s staff helped Bobo shoot something. At this point, I’m not even surprised. Ee have noticed similarities in their studio’s outputs. We CPN that they share resources— so this affirms that. What’s funny is GG said “you are using my staff!” / “pay the salary!” LOL. So we don’t know when this was but a popular guess is the infamous hotel CPN.

XZ’s WYB’s

There are other sections in this, once translated, you will see the proof that their staff is basically blended. I mean, Yibo practically lets his bodyguards prioritize XZ over him so this should not be surprising.

• LRLG put a line in there that said which one of them bought a Garlic Q ( character ). LRLG sometimes does this, they put a line that is not part of the conversation as an additional clue. Well, this bizarre looking character? My money is on XZ. 🤣 He is the type to find the creepiest looking things as cute.

• The aromatherapy makes a comeback. Lol.

Staff 1: "This is the aromatherapy that xx brought back, it is said to be super expensive"

Staff 2: "It's worth looking at the packaging"

If you all don’t remember, this is the incident why BXGs are sensitive to it. Well now that person sends him actual aromatherapy stuff. What an upgrade!

• And you have a short part like this, it’s just 🟢 talking in here. It’s so familiar. Implying that they share a house. Well. In our clown dreams they do.

🟢 “Buy clothes"

🟢 "Black and white T (shirt), there is so little space on the shelf"

• This part also said by Yibo, it could be he was talking to GG about that Ultraman costume that went on HS. Understandable because that one really got so much heat so it will come up in conversation. and it’s a classic GG reaction to laugh/tease him 😂

🟢 "What are you laughing at?”

🟢 "It's okay, it's just hot"

That is all for now cause not much “analysis” is in this contribution. There are a couple of moments in here that displays married behavior ( like taking care of each other ) and it’s better to have the full translation to enjoy it. It is good old LRLG sharing snippets of their lives to us. To those who are having FOMO, don’t worry, there is no big revelation in this one.

BONUS: I LOVE HOW LRLG USES “🥺” TO DESCRIBE YIBO’S FACE!!!!! HAHAHAHAHA! Because that’s how most of us react when we see him. Yibo is just so 🥺🥺🥺.

#yizhan #bjyx #all of this is cpn #clowning hours are open #time to sleep

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bump1nthen1ght · 2 years

Text

Searching for Redemption (Chapter 3/5) (Male!Forest Spirit/Reader)

Pairing: Male!Forest Spirit/Gender Neutral!Reader

Genre: Slow Burn, Fluff, Domestic

Warnings: Slight descriptions of blood and animal death

Word Count: 3515 words

Summary: You hold the broom in hand, remembering the pattern the maids followed as they swept the long corridors. It shouldn’t be too difficult, this place isn’t nearly the size of the palace, and it only took the maids 30 minutes to do that!

Turns out, size isn’t the problem.

A/N: Aaaah domesticity. You'll see that my slow burn philosophy is "love is stored in rearing animals together", if that wasn't already obvious by every other fic I right lol.

A thicc chapter to make up for the long wait. Our final chapter is also gonna be extra thicc (If I don't end up splitting it into two chapters), so there might be a wait. Either way, enjoy!!!

Chapter 1 Chapter 2

It’s slightly odd, hearing the footsteps of someone else behind him. Cernon had so many years of routine, of habits, that even your small presence was enough to change his home’s usual feeling. Sure, he had invited you here, but as interesting as you were, you were still unknown. The unknown, the human unknown especially, was unpredictable.

The three girls are waiting at the entrance of the barn, oinking wildly as he approaches. He reaches down with one hand and pats Betty on the bum, his new spouse not too far behind. He unlatches the door clasp and the pigs rush in, squealing with excitement. Three feed buckets lay on a high shelf, which he grabs with ease. His partner holds out their hand for one.

“I can carry all of them, it’s fine.”

“I know that, but wouldn’t it be better if I learned directly? I’m kind of a tactile learner.”

Cernon looks at their hands, clean and unbruised. Dirt has been meticulously picked out from under their short fingernails and the skin looks freshly lotioned. Yet they make grabby motions with their fingers, looking up at him stubbornly.

Heh, it’s kind of cute.

He rolls his eyes, dropping the bucket with little care. They struggle with the weight, needing both of their hands to carry it, taking in a deep breath. With a huff of their shoulders, they look to him for guidance. They have to look rather fair up, their neck craned at an awkward angle.

“We just need to pour it into the troughs. Sheila can get a little food-aggressive so I try to feed her away from Betty and Delilah.” Cernon steps inside the pen, hay and mud pressed in between his padded toes. He finds his third eye drifting to his spouse's fancy boots, with its shiny laces and decorated heel. They look like they’ve been meticulously shined every week for any occasion, not a stain on them. That’s until his partner follows in his steps, paying no mind to the muck and the mud.

Full of surprises, aren’t they?

He chuckles, wondering how long it will take to get used to his spouse's peculiarities.

“And,”—They catch their breath, adjusting their grip on the bucket— “which one is Sheila?”

“There, in that corner.” Cernon points with a free hand. “She likes to bring flowers in and put them there, for decoration. She’s also got a big splotch on her belly, that’s how you can recognize her.”

“She decorates? I didn’t know pigs did that.” His spouse giggles. “That’s really cute.”

And I didn’t know you lot could giggle, either.

They struggle with the bucket all the way to the trough, using the side as a leverage to pour the heavy bucket. Sheila squeals and nearly barrels them over to get to the food, but they just laugh and watch her munch away.

He drops the two buckets into the other trough, giving Delilah a quick scratch behind the ears, before turning back to his spouse.

They’re crouched, hay and mud flecked against their pants, tentatively petting Sheila’s back. Sheila pays them no mind, devouring her dinner, but he can hear his spouse whisper.

“Oh my god you’re so adorable.”

Cernon smiles before he can stop himself.

Maybe this won’t be too terrible after all.

—-----

Cernon lets you go inside early, throwing out feed for the chickens with several flicks of his hands. After a helping of smoked fish as a last minute dinner, you and Cernon clean up in his side bathroom. Goat milk and honey soap washes away the pungent smell from your fingers. You toss your mudded pants into a basket Cernon vaguely guestrued to as “Laundry”, rushing into the bathroom with your night clothes.

There’s still a bit of trepidation on sleeping beside your Husband, even with your extra layered pajamas. That feeling only exacerbates when you see Cernon lounging on the bed, legs spread open and only wearing a pair of shorts.

His eyes up there, his eyes are up there, but his thighs are down there-

You crinkle your nose; Maybe you’ll ask for a drop off of some of your spicier romance novels tomorrow in secret, it seems you need an outlet for all…this.

“Are those really comfortable to sleep in?”

Cernon says, gesturing to your many layers.

“Weren’t you the one that says it gets cold at night? This is the most efficient way.”

“Technically, your majesty, skin-to-skin contact is the most efficient way to exchange body heat. But, as you wish.” Cernon snickers, eyebrows rising at your flustered face.

“I g-guess that's true.” You half-heartedly mutter to yourself, crawling into bed. The middle of it sinks under Cernons weight, almost pulling you into his side. You may have done this just last night, but cuddling against Cernon’s bare chest still feels very intimate.

He may chide and give you shit, but Cernon doesn’t force you to get closer, wrapping his arm around your shoulders but not pulling you towards him. He snuggles his head into his pillow, his long white hair draped over his shoulders like a lace curtain. It’s so soft looking, despite spending all it’s time wrapped in a bun or caked in dirt.

A spare strand falls over his face, Cernon’s eyes now closed as he settles into sleep. He almost looks like one of those handsome princes in your novels, cursed to eternal sleep until true love’s kiss.

It’s so shiny, I wonder what it feels like.

Curiosity compels you to reach out your hand and touch the strand. It threads through your fingers as you gently brush your thumb over the hair, trying not to wake Cernon up.

“Your majesty, what are you doing?”

You yank your hand back, squeaking from shock as Cernons third eye looks down at you, unamused.

“I-I-uhhhh.”

Yeah, you really don’t have a good excuse for this.

“I wanted to see if your hair was as soft as it looks.”

So the truth will have to do.

For the second time in the crazy past 48 hours, Cernon seems shocked.

His other two eyes open, but his third eye darts around, away from your eyeline. His cheeks darken a miniscule shade. Is he… blushing?

“We’re married, your majesty.” Cernon says, confidence returning to his voice. “You just had to ask.”

Cernon takes your outstretched hand, and gently runs it against his scalp. Your eyes widen.

Wow, it really is that soft.

Your eyes widen, examining the silkiness in your hands. You run a large bunch of hair through your palm, eyeing the glistening color.

It’s why you miss the way Cernon’s expression softens, the way he relaxes into your touch.

It only takes a minute before you get embarrassed again, taking your hand away and laying back down. Cernon smirks, resting his eyes until-

“Can I ask something of you?”

Cernon huffs a breath, opening his once again.

“Yes?”

“Can you not call me ‘your majesty’?” His eyebrows raise, Cernon sitting up on his forearms. You fiddle with the end of your night shirt. “It’s like you said, we’re married now, this is my home.” A heat blooms on the back of your neck, itchy embarrassment making you scratch, trying to fight away the feeling. “I know it’s silly but, I’d prefer if my husband were to call me by my name, y’know?”

Cernon’s quite, his gaze is pensive. It bores into that nervous feeling in your bgut and ttriples it tenfold.

“Alright then. I will call you….” You look up at him, realizing he’s gesturing for you to say your name.

My gods, two days gone by and you haven’t even told him your name.

“I-its ____. I’m ____.” You stick out your hand for a stiff hand shake.

Cernon chuckles, sliding his hand into yours. His fingers are long, the tips nearly touching your wrist. His palm is calloused, but warm; Comforting.

“Hello, _____. I’m Cernon.”

—-----

You wish you could say you woke up refreshed, ready to hop into a new routine and face the morning. Alas, Cernon’s internal alarm clock is set to the sunset, and it’s unforgiving on your sleep schedule.

You’re still in a haze as Cernon hands you some shredded pork along-

side a bowl of boiled oats with honey, eyes rolled over as you both sit in front of a morning fire. A hot cup of herbal tea slowly brings your brain back to you but it's the next moment that Cernon starts with chores.

You start with the barn, dumping buckets of feed into the troughs and filling up the pig’s water. Cernon then asks you to spread some feed for the chickens as he gets the eggs. He collects the eggs rather quickly, only to see you surrounded by squeaking hens trying to get the feed poured directly into their open beaks. They barely come up to your ankle, but you seem frozen in anxiety. Do you just let them eat out of your hand? The floor seems so dirty to put the food in!

Cernon comes to your rescue with an imitated squawk, scaring the ladies away with a flick of his hand. You get flustered at how easily 5 chickens were able to overtake you.

By the time you finish filling the water and feeding, mud speckles the bottom of your pants and cakes your boots. You rub away the small beads of sweat at your brow, the morning heat already creeping up on you.

“I can finish up with the yard work, if you want to get started on the house.”

“Yes, I can do that.” You mutter, struggling to feign confidence in your cleaning abilities. “The castle is supposed to drop off a delivery of goods today,should we get that together?”

“The trees will get it for us, so there’s no need.”

“Oh.”

You’d been so hung up on mundane chores, you’d forgotten you now live in a magic forest.

“The broom is in the corner of the living room, I think that’s probably a good place to get started.” Cernon scratches the back of his neck. “I haven’t done a proper sweeping in a while, so…good luck.”

“I’ll do my best!” Your thumbs up is meant to convey eagerness, but Cernon just chuckles at the display.

“I believe it.”

With that, you scuttle back to the house. Cernon watches you go, a new feeling beginning to bloom.

———

You hold the broom in hand, remembering the pattern the maids followed as they swept the long corridors. It shouldn’t be too difficult, this place isn’t nearly the size of the palace, and it only took the maids 30 minutes to do that!

Turns out, size isn’t the problem.

Despite its tiny size, you seem to notice a new bit of dust everywhere. You have to use a half-cleaned rag for the smaller area and bend over at an awkward angle to get the corners of the roof. The broom is made of sandy wood and the movement of sweeping works tiny calluses into your palm, making you pause and shake out your hands every couple of minutes.

You think you’d prefer to clean the halls, so you could just move in straight lines, the dust staying exactly where it needs to be. But then you remember those high vaulted ceilings, the number of artifacts shining bright every day, and think otherwise.

You’re finally able to cajole most of the dirt into one spot, proud with your finished product. The dirt is dumped into the trash can tucked away in a corner of the kitchen, filled with discarded animal bones and ripped work clothes. As it falls, you peer out the window.

Despite the general stuffiness of the summer, the weather outside is beautiful. The sun doesn’t overwhelm you under the canopy and occasionally a light breeze will blow over. Cernon is still hard at work, deweeding the area around a newly constructed plantar bed. He sits on his haunches, digging away at the ground with a trowel.

Even sitting, Cernon’s height is imminent, his horns into adding to the effect. The sheer largeness of his back is stifling, muscles shifting and flexing as he digs into the hard ground, grunting only slightly as he pulls the weeds out with his long fingernails. He’s sweaty, dirty, but just so deli-oh my god it’s happening again.

You slap your cheeks. It’s only 8 in the morning! You should not be thinking about things like this!

You avert your eyes, tapping the edge of the dust pan on the trash to get rid of the last bits of dirt, when you hear the familiar sounds of birds tweeting.

Looking out the window once more, you see Cernon still hunched over, his hair pulled back in a ponytail, with several birds perched on his horns. They chirp at him expectantly, shuffling up and down with their sweet songs. Instead of shooing them away Cernon just continues with his work, pulling at the weeds as normal.

My gods, my heart just might explode.

At one point he pauses his digging, stretching out his lower back and cracking his neck. The birds flutter their wings but don’t move from their perch, as Cernon lifts one of his hands up, his pointer finger outstretched. A particularly brave bluebird hops down, turning to him with curious eyes. With a kind of gentle touch you would think impossible, Cernon gives the bluebird some scratches on its neck, the bird chirping sweetly.

You can only see his profile, but with the way the corners of his lips curl up you can tell Cernon is smiling.

“Hello friend, how are you?”

The bird tweets a little bit and Cernon nods.

“I see, that’s good. Maybe they’ll be ready to fly in a couple weeks.”

The bird sings again before flying back up to Cernon’s horns.

Cernon resumes his work, bending over with a groan and digging the trowel into the ground. You remain in the kitchen, chores unattended as you try and not die from cuteness.

———-

By the end of the day, the house is certainly in better shape. Not quite as clean as the castle, but definitely better. All the food has found a more suitable place where they couldn’t stink up the kitchen. The fish smell still lingered, but you were hoping the fresh flowers and incense sticks you put on the window sill would do the trick.

You had also tried your best to dust and sweep all over the house, no more dirt getting stuffed up your nose or clinging to the bottoms of your feet. With little furniture to move around and dirt to collect, you had been able to at least get the first layer of dirt off almost every surface. There had been an attempt made with the windows, but after your experiment with just water had made them streaky with dirt, you figured soap was a needed component.

Your market list only grew longer and longer as you noted every missing pots and pans and most cleaning supplies. Not to mention all the hair and skin products from the castle which you still needed to pick up; Cernon may be able maintain a silky mane with just soap, but you were not gonna take that chance.

All in all, not too terrible of a start. You didn’t tremendously fuck up on a task yet, which you considered a success for your first time keeping house. The only issue now was-

Growl

Food.

Most of your food during the day had been figs and the bread from your morning delivery (Which was given to you via a tree branch through a window. You’re still getting used to this magic forest thing), but nothing substantial. You thought of grabbing some salted pork from the barrels, but were nervous about how strict Cernon was with his rations.

Speaking of Cernon, he had left not too long ago to ‘collect’, whatever that means. Leaving you and your empty stomach wondering what he normally did for dinner.

“I’m back.” Your questions are answered as Cernon walks through the door, several rabbits and two geese hung over his shoulder. “And I have dinner.”

He throws his prey onto the counter after noticing the surprisingly amount of space it has. “It looks good in here.”

You’ll take that as a compliment! A small one, at least.

“Where’d you get all”—you gesture towards the dead animals—“this?”

“Rabbits are from the traps in the woods. I’ll need to show you them one day, the trees only part for me.” Cernon pats the fat belly of one of the geese. “But these I was able to catch off guard. They can be a bitch to fight, but less so when you strike from behind.” He flips over the bird, his lower set of hands beginning to pluck away the feathers. “I’ll get them prepped right now, along with dinner, if you want to wait in the living room.”

His other set unsheathes their claws, running up the goose's long neck before settling in the belly. Two beady eyes stare right at you, lifeless and judging as the hooded head stays flopped over on the table. The tangy smell of blood fills the air, although you can’t bring yourself to look away from its gaze.

Dead eyes. Ripped open stomachs. Snapped necks and rigored skin.

You’ve seen it all before.

Your backpedal into the living room without a second thought, falling into Cernon’s big seat. It feels all consuming, reminding you of your size, your place.

Cernon whistles a tune and you just stare in the fire; Wondering how the pieces fit together.

———-

After washing your face in the bathroom, you want nothing more but to collapse into bed.

Your arms are sore and so are the soles of your feet, the palm of your hand rubbed red. A full belly of potatoes and pork doesn’t help, nor does the anxiety running through your mind. You wonder if this is how everyday will end, if it’s normal to be so tired you can barely make the bed.

Wait, why is the bed naked?

“Oh yeah, I did laundry today. I forgot to remake the bed.” Cernon says, throwing a laundry bag full of linens on top. “Hate it when I do that.”

Cernon throws aside blankets and empty pillows into the now-empty hamper, shaking out the sheets before stretching them to the corners. “I’ll do the sheets if you want to put on the pillow cases.”

You wander to the side, holding the pillow cases by the corner. You side eye Cernon, hoping he doesn’t feel how much you don’t know what you're doing.

Alright, putting on pillow cases, shouldn’t be so difficult.

You grab a make pillow with one hand and hold open the pillow case with another, trying to shove it in with a flimsy wrist movement. It seems so simple, but every time you get one corner of the pillow inside, the other one falls out, the case falling limp in your hand. Your frustration and embarrassment is getting to you, so much so you don’t notice Cernon’s stopped moving behind you.

“Here, lemme show you.” Cernon remarks, jolting you out of your skin as he sidles up behind you. He guides your other hand to hold the pillow case taught as he grabs the pillow. The fur of his chest brushes against the back of your neck, his scent all around you. “You gotta stuff the corners in one at a time, or else the pillow will just fall right out as you try.” Cernon explains as he does the movement, his bottom pair of hands holding your wrists steady as he shoves the pillow inside. You feel that familiar brush glowing across your face as his chest bumps against your back, eyes wandering to his thick biceps as they push. “Also helps if you set the pillowcase down, so gravity isn’t working against you.”

The pillow settles in the case with a final pull upwards from Cernon. “Did that help?” Cernon says, peering down with his arms still wrapped around you. With hair falling over his ears and his horns casting a shadow over your form, you’re reminded of just how big your husband is. So large, and yet his eyes show no malice, just understanding.

How did we get here?

His eyes are pools of gold you want to fall into, warm and so unlike the finery back at the castle.

“Y-yeah, that makes a lot of sense, thank you.”

Cernon hums, his arms unfurling as he moves to your side, grabbing another pillow and it’s case. He stuffs it in fluid motion no although you still struggle a bit, you’re able to stuff your own as well.

“Hey, not too shabby, eh?”

You expect a snarky remark, maybe even a playful dig at such simple successes, but when you turn to Cernon he’s smiling. It’s tiny, you can’t even see those fearsome teeth of his, but it’s there.

“Yeah, you got it.”

#my writing #reader insert #monster x reader #monster romance #monster/human #gender neutral reader

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