#and more than anything I'm grateful for the wonderful wonderful friends that have stuck around

[spaceratprodigy]

next week on friday I'll post the full lil faith and max mm au illustration :]

#rn I am very sleepy and a lil emotional #it's gonna be the 2 year anniversary since I started drawing them but I didn't start sharing my art of them here until last year! #and y'all have been so unbelievably kind and supportive and some of y'all have become very dear friends to me #I never thought anyone would like my ocs I definitely never thought anyone would enjoy seeing my silly lil ship art #and I'm very very grateful to all the love I've been shown and the kindness from this community #and more than anything I'm grateful for the wonderful wonderful friends that have stuck around #and make every day something special and worth looking forward to and for always listening to me ramble #and for trusting me enough to ramble right back I absolutely adore it #oooo ooouuuoughoughhhgggggoougggh #sorry I'm just a lil emo tonight like literally thank you so much to everyone

[animeomegas]

The Quest for a Second Life - Epilogue

??? x ALPHA!READER

Summary: Having spent so long choosing their second life, the MC is finally rewarded and gets to live their second life. The only questioning remaining was... Itachi or Kakashi. GN!Dom!Alpha!Reader x Multiple Naruto Characters

Word count: 6.4k

Warnings: N-sfw content, tiny self-harm for magical blood potion purposes. All alphas have dicks, fyi.

A/N: And we're finally here! This is the end, and I hope people like it, even if you'd have preferred the other character. This has been a journey and a half, thank you so much for joining me on it. Merry Christmas to those that celebrate! I am deeply honoured to call @omeganronpa my friend, and seeing as I'm too far away to be around in person, I hope that this gets my message across as well as I had hoped 💗💓💞💖❣️

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Epilogue

James found herself lingering in the library when she knew she ought not to. She had just sent another human into their chosen pocket dimension, this time a historical romance, and she really needed to get back to her office to receive the next one. She knew this, and yet her feet refused to co-operate.

She couldn’t stop wondering after the human alpha she had recently worked with, although she wasn’t sure if humans would agree with her use of the word ‘recent’. They didn’t normally, and James had learnt that time flowed differently for humans than it did for Curators.

No, her mind was behaving badly. It was wandering off without her permission and whispering suggestions of going to check on the human alpha, even though James’ shift was still far from over.

Before she could think better of it, James turned and started walking towards the hidden backroom of the library, where books that were in current use were stored. Surely, it would be okay for her to have a little look at what that human alpha was up to. She would only linger for a little while and then she would get back to work.

She entered the backroom and scanned the shelves for the correct book. It wasn’t difficult to find, but she suddenly felt nervous. It wasn’t as if Curators weren’t allowed to watch the pocket dimensions, in fact, she knew several of her peers who did so regularly, but James had never felt the urge.

Until now.

“Just a quick peek, then I’ll greet my next human.” She opened the book and put it into viewing mode.

...

Ugh, you really shouldn’t have bought this much stuff. You juggled the shopping bags awkwardly, but persevered forwards as best as you could. It wasn’t your fault that there was a sale on today, how could you resist getting an entire bag of fresh peaches? You wondered if you could figure out how to make peach lemonade. It was the height of summer and a refreshing drink sounded like heaven right about now.

At least your new sandals were working well. They had been a gift from your parents when they returned from their business trip, and they were as cool as they were durable.

You dodged around a bush so that the branches didn’t abduct any of your shopping, grateful that you were getting used to this route now. Although you had grown up in the area, you had never really had a reason to stray this far. Of course, not until you met him.

Ugh, him. He was perfect. No, he was beyond perfect.

You had found him by chance, and the first few weeks had been a whirlwind, but you knew, more than anything, that he was perfect for you.

And there he was, in all his perfection, as you finally reached your home.

Itachi.

He was standing in the chicken run, his long, dark hair swept up out of his face in a more stringent ponytail than normal. You had helped him with it before you left, after his fringe kept getting stuck to his skin. He was wearing a pair of incredibly short shorts, and a loose T-shirt that always fell away from his chest whenever he bent over. It was a personal favourite of yours, but one that you never let him wear outside of your own home.

Itachi must have heard you, because he turned, a grin lighting up his face. You could see he had a smudge of mud on the swell of his left cheek.

Itachi was utterly stunning. He took your breath away effortlessly, and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Alpha!” he called, lifting one hand up in a wave. “Look!”

It took you a moment to understand what he wanted you to look at, but you eventually realised that he wasn’t waving; he was clutching two chicken eggs.

“Amazing!” you called back, approaching the back gate, but stopping at the fence as you realised you didn’t have free hands to unlock it.

“The chickens are finally old enough to lay eggs!” Itachi was practically beaming as he exited the run. A couple of chickens attempted to make an escape, but Itachi flicked his fingers and gently knocked them back with magic. “Look!” He came right up to you now, letting you into the garden, and holding the eggs in front of your face.

“That’s brilliant, ‘tachi. Why don’t you help me get all this unpacked inside, and we can cook the eggs for some lunch. I have some peaches and lemons for lemonade, too.”

You both headed into the kitchen through the back door. You dumped everything on the table and gratefully slumped into a chair, thankful to be out of the hot sun. Itachi practically floated around the kitchen, still beaming. He unpacked what he needed and immediately started making lunch. He settled on shakshuka with the fated peach lemonade.

It was with great amusement that you watched Itachi don his cooking apron, the one you’d specially embroidered with ‘Proud Chicken Oma’.

After you had cooled down a little, you slowly unpacked the rest of the shopping, until Itachi called you over to the oven.

“I’m going to fry the eggs,” he said, sounding giddy. You had known that he wanted chickens, you did too, but the genuine joy that they gave him still surprised you. You felt so incredibly lucky that you had literally wandered into his life by accident, and that he had allowed you to stay.

“Let me watch.” You hugged him from behind and peered over his shoulder. And if you also took a quick sneaky look down his shirt while you were there, well, no one could prove it. It was probably too hot for hugs, but you couldn’t make yourself let go. You nuzzled into the area where you would one day put your bond mark, but for now lay unbroken skin.

Itachi wanted you to meet each other’s families before you properly bonded. Hopefully that day would come sooner rather than later, because having him walk around without your claim was driving you mad.

Itachi cracked the egg into the pan, and perhaps you were too much of a sappy romantic, but the lucky double yolk that it contained felt symbolic.

…

The silence was thick enough to cut. You took a sip of your tea to try and stave off the awkwardness, but it didn’t help.

You were sitting at your kitchen table with Itachi and his parents. Sasuke had been sent out to collect some eggs, most likely so Fugaku and Mikoto could talk to you alone, but even now that Sasuke was firmly outside, the silence remained heavy and oppressive.

“How long have you known each other?” Fugaku asked, finally breaking it.

“A few months, father.” Fugaku’s lips tightened and the lines around his eyes deepened. You got the vibe that he wasn’t happy with that answer. It was such a shame that Itachi cared about their opinions.

“And how did you meet?”

You cleared your throat, “Itachi found me unconscious in a snowstorm and nursed me back to health.”

There was a beat of silence, before Mikoto spoke. “Then you owe my son a life debt, you would do well to remember that.”

You were really getting the vibe that they didn’t like you. It was for that reason, that you hastened to reassure them that you had been looking after Itachi as well.

“Oh! Well, I returned the favour by giving Itachi my cloak when all his clothes were destroyed in the middle of the woods.”

Itachi immediately went red faced, and held up his hands, sputtering. Oh, whoops. That definitely sounded like you had been fucking in the woods. Of course, you had actually fucked in those woods, but that wasn’t what you meant to share with his parents of all people.

“We didn’t—It was an Amplexus plant!” Itachi explained hurriedly, his face continuing to darken. “I needed the seeds for a potion, and it got a hold of me, that’s all!”

Itachi’s panicked explanation broke the tension, as his mother started giggling, and his father sighed and put his face in his palm.

“Sasuke is our only hope,” Fugaku muttered.

It was at that moment that a squawk sounded from outside. Sasuke’s dulcet tones followed shortly afterwards.

“Try that again, you glorified rat, and I’ll burn off all your feathers, I fucking mean it, I—”

Fugaku sighed again and downed the rest of his tea like it was the alcohol he clearly needed.

…

There was no sweeter smell in the world than the one of yours and Itachi’s scents mingling together. And while you were certain many other alphas would say the same about them and their omegas, you were pretty sure you were right.

You panted onto Itachi’s neck, basically drooling. A joint heat and rut wasn’t the greatest for practical reasons, but fuck, if it wasn’t the perfect time to exchange mating bites.

“I love you, I love you, I love you,” Itachi slurred, hips rocking up to meet yours at every thrust. “Bite me, alpha, claim me, please!”

You groaned, knot already catching on his rim. It was getting harder and harder to control yourself. Itachi mouthed at the juncture between your shoulder and neck, the place where he would soon be placing your bite, and your self-control collapsed like a house of cards.

Your knot tied you and Itachi together, plunging you both into an orgasm. Somewhere, through the haze, your teeth managed to find their mark. You bit down just as you started filling Itachi with your cum. Itachi seized but managed to bite back.

You rode the waves together. It was the longest orgasm of your life, and by far the most powerful. Your mind was clouded with lust and emotion. Every instinct in your body was screaming, but they were all screaming different things; it was making you dizzy.

Protect him.

Make him scream.

Get him pregnant.

Hide him away.

Show him off.

Love him. Love him. Love him.

Yes, yes, you were going to love him, you did love him… And everything was going to be perfect.

…

You ran out of your joint bedroom potions lab barefoot, having abandoned your slippers in your haste.

“Itachi! There’s been an incident!”

You heard a crash from the kitchen, and quickly, Itachi came racing out to meet you in the living room.

“What is it? What’s going on?!” He scanned you from head to toe but couldn’t see an injury. He had known that you were playing with magic, and he was rightfully worried about what you had managed to do.

“It’s gone,” you said, wide eyed.

“What’s gone?!”

“My dick.”

Itachi blinked at you, processing, before his face morphed into something horrified.

“What? How can—?! What were you doing?! What do you mean gone?!” He grabbed you by the shoulders and shook you roughly. “Tell me what happened!”

“I was just playing around and then suddenly it was gone,” you explained, wringing your hands.

“What spell did you use?” Itachi asked frantically. “I can reverse it. We can figure it out!”

“I don’t know… I mean, at least I’m still alive right? It could have been worse.”

Itachi was still horrified, and you’d wager that he didn’t agree with you.

“No! I mean, yes, but we still need to fix it. Let me see!” He knelt down and started to aggressively tug down your shorts and underwear. “Maybe I can perform a reversal of—”

He managed to get the fabric down and out popped your dick, unharmed and just as it always was. Itachi blinked at it. You started cracking up, unable to hold the laughter in anymore. Itachi, realising that he’d been pranked, scowled at you.

He stood, crossing his arms and huffing. “That wasn’t funny.”

“Yes, it was,” you laughed, wiping away your tears. “You’re completely obsessed with my dick, I knew it! I’m just a glorified dildo to you, huh?”

“You’re being ridiculous.” Itachi had delightfully rosy cheeks.

“Am I? So, you don’t want to suck it?” You playfully shook your hips, wiggling your dick, playfully.

Itachi wavered. You waited patiently.

“This has nothing to do with anything,” he said, kneeling down in front of you.

“Whatever you say, darling.”

“Shut up!”

He was so much fun to tease. Hopefully, he never found out that you had the same obsession with his nipples.

…

“We do need more space, but I still want to maintain that cosy vibe, you know?”

“I agree. We could always increase the number of rooms, but still have them all be fairly small and closed off.”

You and Itachi were pouring over several sketches, trying to design your new home. You had decided to move closer to the nearest town, although you were still staying firmly in the woods because neither of you wanted to give up your private sanctuary. You also just needed more space. You needed a bigger dining table, more bedrooms, a separate potions lab, and crucially more storage space so that you didn’t come across snake eyes in the fridge when you were trying to make a sandwich.

Thankfully, with Itachi’s magic, the local builders, and the money sent from your parents, it was sure to be a smooth process.

“I think we should have a bedroom for Sasuke to use,” you said, tapping on an empty part of the proposed floorplan. “Not just a guest bedroom, but one that’s specifically his.”

Itachi nuzzled into your shoulder. “You wouldn’t mind? Because that would be amazing.”

“Of course not. He’ll be old enough to visit on his own soon, and I want to make sure he knows he’s welcome.” You liked Sasuke and you understood why Itachi loved him so much. He was like a tiny murder kitten that loved to scratch people. It was adorable.

“We have the pup rooms, the lab…” Itachi peered down at the paper. “Is that everything?”

You hummed, considering. “I think so. Unless you want a nesting room. Although, I’ve never seen you nest before, so if you don’t want one, that’s fine.”

“Oh.” Itachi was silent for a moment. “I’ve never tried nesting before.”

You immediately wished his parents would return so you could punch them in the face. Carefully keeping all the anger below the surface so you didn’t make Itachi think you were angry with him, you brushed some hair out of his face.

“Do you want to try it? We can try together, and if you like it, we can get a little nesting space added onto the master bedroom.”

Itachi smiled, looking unsure. “Okay. I suppose we can try it.”

…

“Well, I’m not an expert, but I think I can help with a simple nest layout.” You leant back and surveyed all the materials you had for nesting. Most of it was stuff that Itachi had made, some of it was things you had made, and a couple of pieces were from a craftsperson in town, made from rarer and more difficult materials. There was more than enough for a nice nest.

You slotted the heaviest duty and flattest pillows into the corner and arranged them in a double layer before securing them together with a sheet.

“One of my old partners used to arrange the base like this. It works well.”

Itachi growled and immediately destroyed the base, stacking it in a different way. Oh, yeah, whoops. Itachi was way too possessive for you to casually be bringing up old partners.

 “You’ve had other omega partners?” he asked, still rearranging the base. His voice was carefully controlled, like he was trying to sound distracted, when in reality, his attention was fully on your answer.

“Yeah, I—” You paused, trying to retrieve the memories. It was strange… You could have sworn you had past partners but trying to grasp onto details felt like trying to catch smoke. You could see flashes of dates, gifts and physical features, but you couldn’t really make sense of it. You wondered if it was a side effect of the amnesia spell you’d had. You decided not to mention it in case Itachi got worried. “I’ve had a couple, but they didn’t go anywhere. It never felt right, y’know?”

Itachi hummed, reasonably placated.

You continued to help him with small suggestions until you recognised the signs of an omega in nest building mode. Instincts took over, and you leant back to let Itachi do it how he wanted to.

The nest was so very him, even for his first attempt. It was chaos, but organised chaos, with gentle colours and neutrals, and lots of wool.

 Itachi sat back, blinking the daze away. “Now what?”

“Now you get in it.”

“And… what’s the point? What will being in it do?” He was staring at the nest reverently, and you knew he was going to like it.

“It should help you relax.”

Itachi bit his lip, but gingerly climbed in and tried to get himself comfortable. He fiddled with a few final pieces, but once he was settled, he sighed, seeming content.

After a few moments, he looked over at you. “Do you… want to come in, too?”

You grinned, and agreed, carefully climbing in and spooning your omega.

With you there with him, Itachi curled his legs up to his chest and went boneless. His purrs were so loud that you could feel them in your chest, but he either didn’t notice or didn’t care. He nuzzled into the pillow his head was on, basking in the soft materials.

You kept holding him but tried to remain still so as to not disturb his first nesting experience. You didn’t want to distract him from his bliss. You were honestly so shocked that he had never nested before. Had his family kept him so busy from such a young age that he had never had the time?

You made a mental note to see if you could add a nesting nook for Sasuke’s room too, seeing as he was also an omega and had probably received similar treatment. If he couldn’t have one at home, at least he could have one here.

Suddenly, Itachi stopped purring.

“Is something wrong, baby?” you cooed, gently stroking his hair. “We can fix whatever it is, I promise.”

Itachi only whined, pushing his hips back into yours. He seemed really out of it, not that that was particularly surprising. If he’d been repressing himself, knowingly or not, for his entire life, then his instincts were going to try and take over the second they could.

“What do you need, omega? Come on, tell alpha.”

Itachi pouted, whining again. He shoved his hips back harder this time, like he was making a point. Oh.

“I see.” Your mind was racing at how hot he was. “Do you want to cockwarm, honey?”

Itachi nodded, his purring starting back up again now that you were understanding him. Oh, he was just the sweetest, horniest little thing and you would set the world on fire for him.

You carefully untucked your already half-hard cock, trying to avoid knocking anything out of place. When you were free, you tugged his trousers down and easily slipped inside him.

When your hips met his skin, Itachi purred louder than he had before, melting into the nest completely. His eyes rolled back, and he was lost in the fuzziness.

Okay… so you definitely needed that nesting room.

…

You looked around your new living room proudly, savouring the ‘new’ smell. The entire house was perfect. It kept the essence of the old one, but you had so much more space. No more tripping over cauldrons in the morning, or accidentally spilling powdered bone on the carpet when you were trying to clean.

You were almost finished with the unpacking. The house still seemed pretty empty, but that was good; the house would be able to grow with you.

Itachi had scurried off into the bedroom a few minutes ago with one of the boxes, but you were still sorting through living room stuff. You peered into the nearest box. And kitchen stuff apparently. Why did you own so many wooden spoons?

“Alpha?! Can you come help me with something, please?!” Itachi called from the bedroom.

You stood up, stretching out your sore arms, and then went over to the master bedroom. You pushed open the door easily.

“What do you ne—”

Suddenly, you were reminded of the very first time you had ever walked into Itachi’s bedroom in the old house, the time where he had been half naked and in the middle of changing.

Here, he was half-naked again, but this time it looked purposeful, because Itachi was wearing lingerie.

It was a two-piece set, made out of a dark blue silk that perfectly contrasted against Itachi’s pale skin. Embroidered on it were hundreds of tiny, silver stars, creating the image of a night’s sky. Extra pieces of gauzy, see through fabric had been attached to the top piece, which hide absolutely nothing, but acted as a delightful tease. The set was clearly hand made, and damn, he was again, taking your breath away.

“Well, hello,” you cooed, feeling that stupid horny alpha grin slide onto your face. “What’s all this?”

Itachi fidgeted bashfully as you approached. “It’s a surprise, a celebration for the new house.”

“It’s a lovely surprise.” You ran your hands over his heated skin, feeling the silk with your palms. You kissed him heavily, your fingers dancing along the edge of his panties. “This is perfect for the new house, do you know why?”

“Hm? Why?” Itachi moaned, tilting his neck submissively, and giving you access to his bond mark. You nipped around the scar before answering.

“Because we still need to break in the new bed.”

…

“That will be 500 ryo, thank you.” The man handed you the requested amount and took the pouch of amethyst dust in return.

“How many enchanted apples for these?” a little boy asked, holding up a lovely bouquet of flowers. Oh yes, he was the florist’s son, you remembered.  

“Hmm,” you took the flowers and appraised them. “How about three?” The boy nodded enthusiastically and grabbed three apples before running home. These flowers would be a lovely surprise for Itachi.

“Do you have any more of the inflammation potions?” an old man asked, approaching the store. You recognised him immediately and put the flowers down, ready for a likely lengthy and completely inappropriate discussion. “They’re great for the old joints.”

“We have three left. How many would you like?”

“I’ll take the lot, thank you.” You wrapped the order up and passed it over. He handed you money in return. “Thank you. There’s a lot of downsides to getting old, but the joint pain is the worst of it in my opinion. At least I don’t have to put up with heats anymore. They’re great fun when you’re young, but when your back starts to go, well, you find yourself wishing them away.”

You hummed politely.

“This is why it’s so important for alphas to hone their skills in bed. I can’t count the number of times a young alpha has believed they don’t need to worry about sex skills because an omega in heat is so far gone that everything feels good, but one day the heats will stop, and besides, some of the best sex happens outside of heats and ruts and all that nonsense.”

You laughed, shaking your head. Why did your market stall always attract the weirdest advice and clientele?

“I’d wager you know all about that though. Has Itachi come home with any surprises lately?” You must have looked surprised, because the man winked. “Who do you think taught him how to embroider silk?”

You snorted. Of course. You made sure to slip a complimentary headache potion in as a thank you.

…

“The bedding is all fresh and clean, we bought it especially, and this blanket, I knitted it for you so you’d be warm, it can get cold out here. Oh! And also—”

“I’m fine,” Sasuke said, a slight red flush on his cheeks. “You worry too much, big brother.”

You watched from the doorway as Itachi fussed over Sasuke. Now 14, he was old enough to make the journey here on his own, and this would be the first time he was making proper use of his room. Itachi had been driving himself crazy trying to make everything perfect. You reckoned he was trying to ensure Sasuke had a good enough time that he’d want to come back.

Itachi’s face screwed up in indecision. “Maybe I should get another blanket for you, just in case.”

“Brother—” Too late. Itachi left the room to grab another blanket, leaving you and Sasuke alone. He glared at you harshly. Oh dear, here came the kitten claws.

“I know several spells that would remove all the parts needed to make sure you never touch my brother again. Just saying.” Sasuke crossed his arms and tried to look threatening. You had to try to keep your giggles under controls.

“Itachi wouldn’t like that very much,” you said lightly, remembering his reaction to your ‘I accidentally spelled my dick away’ prank. “And besides, that would be a very rude thing to do to the person hosting you.”

Sasuke growled, but you only raised an eyebrow at him.

“What’s going on?” Itachi walked in, another blanket bundled up in his arms.

You immediately snitched. “Your brother is threatening to cut my dick off.”

Itachi gasped, “Sasuke!”

Sasuke glared at you, but you only stuck your tongue out at him. You were seriously looking forward to the next week.

…

“So!” you clapped your hands together and looked eagerly around at all the potion supplies. “What potion am I learning today?”

You had been having Itachi teach you magic since you moved in, and while you were hardly a prodigy like him and his brother, you were starting to get decent at it, especially potions.

“It’s a pretty simple one, but it requires exact temperature control,” Itachi explained, pulling over a small cauldron. “We’ll need to use runes to manage that.”

“Exciting,” you murmured, trying to recall which runes would work best for temperature control. Probably the same ones that Itachi carved on your hot chocolate mugs. “What does the potion do?”

Itachi smiled, “You’ll see when we’re done.”

“Nooo, Itachi,” you whined. “I want to know now.”

“Later, I promise.” He laughed as you pouted and starting rattling off the ingredients list. “Now, help me crush the beans.”

Time passed quickly as you concentrated on following the potion recipe as best as you could. Before long, it was a blinding white and gently steaming, just as the drawing on the recipe showed.

“It’s ready,” you said proudly, closing the lid on the jar of moss. “Now will you tell me what it does?”

“It needs some blood to work,” Itachi explained. He grabbed a sharp knife and held it to his finger.

“Are you sure? I don’t want you to hurt yourself. Could my blood work instead?”

Itachi laughed lightly. “That wouldn’t work; it has to be me. Don’t worry, it will only be the slightest prick.”

You weren’t happy, but you allowed it, and two drops of Itachi’s blood fell into the cauldron. It immediately started bubbling.

“What’s supposed to happen?”

“Well, it will turn one of two colours.” Itachi leaned over the cauldron and watched intently. “Gold or black.” As he spoke the potion turned to a brilliant gold and Itachi beamed.

“What does gold mean?” you asked, wishing he would just explain what this potion was already.

“Gold means that the person who donated the blood is pregnant.”

“Right, okay, and what does black mea— Hang on, what did you say?”

“I’m pregnant,” he clarified, watching your reaction.

You swallowed heavily, “What?”

Itachi giggled, “I’m not going to say it again.”

“Holy shit.” Your brain blue screened for a moment, before it rebooted, and the phrase properly sank into your brain.

Itachi was pregnant. Pregnant. As in, there would shortly be a baby, your baby, and his baby.

“I love you,” you blurted out, wide eyed. “We are going to need so much baby stuff.”

Itachi laughed, tearing up. “We’ll figure it out.”

…

“You can do it, Daiki! Come on baby, walk to appa!” You were crouched on the floor, arms open and ready.

Daiki gave a little pup whine, but still tried, toddling over on unstable steps. He managed to get three good steps in before he fell into your arms.  You caught him easily.

“Whoo! Look at that! You’re such a clever pup, isn’t that right?” You lifted up your baby and blew a raspberry on his stomach, dissolving him into giggles. Daiki did some proud wiggles as you put him back down, glancing over at Itachi for positive attention as well.

Itachi smiled, eyes glazed with sickness, from his position laying on the sofa. “Good job, baby.”

Daiki squealed, grinning and shoving a fist into his mouth.

Itachi was watching you both, even though he was unwell. This was the first time that he was properly ill since Daiki was born, and he was nervous about it. You had quickly learnt that Itachi had very low expectations of your parenting abilities. You tried your best not to take it personally, understanding that alpha parents in his family weren’t normally the most hands on, but it did sting sometimes. You were doing your best to prove him wrong.

Was it easy for you to do all the cooking, cleaning, childcare, and caring for Itachi at the same time? No.

But was it something you were happy to do while your partner recovered? Of course.

Speaking of caring for Itachi, you probably needed to resoak the flannel on his forehead. You shuffled over, keeping an eye on Daiki, and gently lifted the cloth. Like you’d expected, it felt warm to the touch.

You resoaked the flannel in the bowl of ice water and wringed it out before gently wiping down Itachi’s face.

“How are you feeling?” you asked softly, dabbing around his neck.

“I’m okay.” Itachi sighed and sent you a weak smile. “How are you—”

“Oma! Oma!” Daiki had crawled over to you both and grabbed a fistful of Itachi’s top to pull himself into a standing position. “Oma!”

“Careful, darling.” You unwrapped Daiki’s hands from Itachi’s top and supported him up yourself. He seemed to realise that something was wrong, because he blinked at you and Itachi, and curled in on himself unsurely.

“Oma?” he asked, bottom lip wobbling.

“Oma is poorly, but he’s okay,” you said softly, smoothing down Daiki’s hair. He looked unsure, but he eventually nodded and patted Itachi gently on the arm. Itachi took his hand and covered it in kisses, and Daiki finally relaxed.

Suddenly, from the kitchen, you heard the sound of dinner boiling over.

“Oh! Come on Daiki, we have to go and save dinner!” You stood up, picking up your pup as you did.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to do something?” Itachi asked, sitting up slightly.

“Rest.” You stared him into submission, and Itachi reluctantly laid back down. “I can handle everything, trust me.”

Itachi still wasn’t comfortable relinquishing control, but you’d get there. For now, you had a sick omega and a needy pup to tend to.

…

You pottered around the kitchen, putting away the washing up, while Sasuke diligently took notes on spellcrafting at the kitchen table. You were used to him being around by this point, as he had moved in five months ago to take a magical apprenticeship under Itachi. As you understood it, his parents had encouraged him to stay in their village for his apprenticeship, but Sasuke had insisted that Itachi teach him.

Thankfully he had mellowed out a lot, and now when he threatened to cut off your dick, he was only joking.

At least you hoped he was joking.

Itachi was out today manning the stall in town, which meant you were holding down the fort and looking after Daiki.

The pup in question was currently playing in the garden with Sasuke’s cat, who was just as prickly as him, but had a soft spot for Daiki. At four years old, you were okay to let him play alone as long as he didn’t leave the fenced in section, and you could see him from the kitchen window.

Sasuke sighed, putting down his pen to rub at his temples.

“Having trouble with the spellcraft?”

“No.” He gave you no other information, so you decided to pour him a glass of orange juice as a peace offering and sit down with him. Clearly something was weighing on the teenager.

“Is something wrong, Sasuke?”

“No.” It was a predictable Sasuke response that you didn’t buy for even a second.

You knew that he’d need a bit more prying. “Are you sure?”

Sasuke hesitated. You remained entirely silent as he battled with himself, knowing that any amount of encouragement would only cause him to clam up. Eventually, he spoke, his words coming out slowly. “My father sent me a message.”

“I see.”

“He wants me to come back home, now. He said he’s found me another teacher.”

You nodded, and carefully kept judgement out of your words. “And how does that make you feel?” Sasuke shrugged, playing with the pencil. “You know that you’re always, always welcome here, Sasuke, never doubt that. Even if you decide to stop studying under Itachi, you can always stay here or visit as often as you want.”

Sasuke’s shoulders relaxed and you knew you’d hit the nail on the head. “Okay.”

“Do you want me to tell your father that you’re extending your apprenticeship here?” Sasuke nodded, looked relieved. You gave him an affectionate squeeze on the shoulder, and he relaxed even further.

“Thanks,” he muttered, sipping his orange juice.

“Of course; you’re family.”

Outside, the chickens started squawking, which was your cue to go and grab Daiki, so you left Sasuke at the table and went out into the garden. “Daiki, what did I say about messing with the chickens?”

But it wasn’t Daiki, it was Itachi getting home that had set them all off. He was carrying multiple bags on his shoulders, and he looked incredibly winded. You ran over to grab the bags.

“Are you okay? Come on in.” Itachi panted and followed you inside. He looked completely exhausted; even Sasuke jumped up to help when he saw the state that his brother was in.

“What happened?” Sasuke demanded.

“Nothing, nothing, I’m just winded from the walk.”

“Bullshit!” Sasuke swore, putting a hand on his brother’s forehead. “You shouldn’t be this tired from a thirty-minute walk.”

“Sasuke, don’t swear,” Itachi reprimanded. “I’m just tired, nothing more.”

You raised an eyebrow, grabbing him a glass of water, but making sure he knew that you didn’t believe him. Itachi took the glass gratefully and downed the whole thing.

When it became clear that neither you nor Sasuke would be letting the issue go, Itachi sagged down in his chair.

“It’s nothing, really,” he insisted. “I think—Well, I’m pretty sure I’m tired because—”

“Because?”

“Because I’m pregnant,” he blurted out, looking to you bashfully. “I’m sorry, I was going to tell you soon, I just hadn’t decided how yet.”

“Wha—Really? That’s amazing!” All your previous suspicions were forgotten, and you hugged Itachi tightly, feeling giddy at the amazing news.

Sasuke sent you a suspicious glare, but he had long since made peace with the fact that you and Itachi were having sex as long as he was able to live in denial about it.

You laughed gleefully and covered Itachi’s face with kisses as he giggled. “I guess it’s only me on market duty for the next year then, huh?”

You filled up his glass again. Now that you knew he was pregnant, your instincts were going to remain in ‘overly doting’ mode for the foreseeable future.

“Actually, I was thinking…” Sasuke awkwardly trailed off, scuffing his feet on the ground. “Maybe I could take over some stuff with the market stall. We could open it more days a week then, and you could spend more time on parent duty or whatever. I mean, I still need to study, but I have some free time, and it would bring in some more money.”

You grinned, ruffling Sasuke’s hair. His sheepish expression melted into a petulant pout. “That’s an amazing idea! Seeing as you’re going to be around for at least another six months, it makes a lot of sense! I’ll take you with me a few times until you’re confident doing it alone, okay?”

He rolled his eyes, “It’s not hard.”

Itachi, pregnant and probably incredibly hormonal, burst into tears at the idea that Sasuke living with you would be a more permanent thing.

Sasuke, completely allergic to feelings, promptly fled the room with the excuse that he had to practice a potion, leaving you to delicately wipe Itachi’s tears away.

“I’m happy,” Itachi sobbed into your neck. “I’m so happy.”

“Me too, baby, me too.”

You were incredibly lucky to be able to say that and deeply and truly mean it.

…

James watched as the human alpha built a home with their children, their mate, their mate’s brother, their mate’s brother’s cat, and seven… turkeys? Something like that, James couldn’t quite remember the word for those tiny creatures.

The human was happy, and bizarrely, that made James feel happy too. The weird burning in her chest subsided, and she was able to close ‘Potions and Magic and Sex, Oh My!’, knowing that her human made the right choice.

It was with a light heart that James left the library to guide more humans, knowing that her human alpha was happy.

If you asked her, the human alpha had more than earnt a happy second life.

#the quest for a second life #dom!reader #dom reader #alpha reader #alpha!reader #gn reader #gn!reader #naruto #naruto x reader #reader insert #prose #omegaverse #a/b/o #n-sfw

[matryosika]

Intimacy with Hyunjin

Wordcount — 3,400 words.

Genre — Smut and fluff. Smut warnings under the cut.

Includes — Fem!Reader. Since this was a commission, there are brief physical description of reader's character (Light-skinned with dark, curly hair. This was also written with a thick, curvy female character in mind).

Author's Note — My first commission, ever. I'm deeply grateful with the person who requested this. I asked them if I could post the story on my blog, and they agreed. So here it is! I didn't change the physical descriptions, because I wanted to stay true to the original writing I made. I hope you enjoy this, just like I did writing it. Also, my commissions are still open, in case anyone is interested!

Smut Warnings — Consented recording of sexual activities, dirty talk, body worshipping, choking, spanking, penetrative sex, unprotected sex.

“What do you think?”

Hyunjin stares at you with wide, curious eyes. The palm of his hand is resting on the flesh of your thigh, and his lips have grown to be familiar with the proximity he is now currently at —you can feel his breath tingling on your chin and even hear his heart beating.

But it wasn't always like this. Hyunjin wasn't always this close to you. Hell, he dreamed of it constantly, every single second of his days. He craved you, desired you, and loved you long before you knew. Long before he even realized his true feelings towards you. 

He tried to fool himself on several occasions, convincing himself that the adoration he had towards you was nothing more than one of a best friend. He tried to act like it was normal to have your name and face tattooed in his mind, all the time. He tried to negate it, not daring to wonder if you felt even the slightest attracted towards him too.

But really, Hyunjin was madly in love with you since the very first time you met. 

He remembers every detail of that day —from the way your black curly hair became one with the spring breeze, to the first words you crossed with him. How can he ever forget such a moment, when his breath got caught up in his throat, and his heart started beating so fast and loud he could actually hear it once you started to approach him? No amount of effort and will could make him delete that from his memory, not even if he tried. 

And you being fairly new to Korea was the perfect excuse Hyunjin could come up with in order to get close to you, his perfect, subconscious attempt to be around you, to make you a part of his life without him planning it —he introduced you to his friends, helped you out when you needed it and stuck by your side when you felt homesick. He never wanted to get anything out of it, he just enjoyed your company dearly. 

Eventually, after a drunken night of silly confessions and other stories, he kissed you. 

And he hasn’t stopped kissing you every day after that. 

“So, baby?”

You're brought back to reality by the sound of his voice, and the smell of cherry from off his lips that are insisting to capture your attention. 

“I just remembered the first time we met,” you confess, your fingertips caressing the soft skin of his left arm, “I never thought we would end up like this”.

“Together?”

“This in love,” you smile at him. 

“You didn’t think so?” Hyunjin’s voice is deep, both soothing and arousing. The hand that was resting on your thigh it’s making its way to your face, cupping it while he stares right into you, “I knew I was attracted to you since the first time I saw you”. 

“I was attracted to you too,” you tell him, slightly tilting your head while he brushes the tip of his nose against yours, “but I didn’t think you felt the same. I thought it was one sided”. 

Hyunjin lets out a soft, quiet scoff. A genuine one, like you just told him a joke. Because really, he finds it hilarious —why on earth wouldn't he feel the same, when you’re the closest to heaven he has ever been?

“Why wouldn’t I?” he asks, caressing the sides of your cheek while staring deeply into your lips, “since I first saw you, the world around me disappeared and started spinning just around you”. 

You place a quick, wet peck onto his lips, one he welcomes by licking them after you withdraw from him. God, he really can't go a day without tasting you. 

“Let’s do it,” you quietly whisper, running your fingers through his long, dark brown hair that’s barely put together in a mid ponytail, “I want to”. 

“Really?” he has to double check, just to make sure.

“Yeah,” you nod, “I want you to record it all”. 

Hyunjin presented you with the idea just moments ago. He really didn't know how to bring the topic up, so he just went for it —after all, you're the person he trusts the most in this world. If there's someone he shouldn't feel embarrassed with it's you. So he told you all about this little fantasy of his, one in which he gets to fuck you in front of his camera, only for him and you to watch.

At first, you were hesitant. What if you got shy, all of the sudden? Hyunjin seemed pretty stoked with the idea, but you thought it could get somehow uncomfortable. Having sex is one thing, but doing it in front of a camera it's a whole other thing, one that made you feel nervous.

“We don’t have to do it,” Hyunjin told you, offering you a warm smile, “I would love to, but I understand it can be kind of awkward at first”. 

You know he would never force you into doing things you're not comfortable with, but the idea was scratching your brain in a way. Being able to witness the sex from another angle and perspective seemed interesting, and you were too curious to let such an opportunity pass. Plus, it was something Hyunjin wanted, and you’re always more than happy to fulfill his fantasies.

What’s the worst thing that can happen, anyways? When you’re with him, nothing can go wrong. That’s how much you love each other. 

“Are you really, really sure?” Hyunjin asks, again. 

“Yes, Hyune,” you reassure him, “let’s do it”. 

He licks his lips and smiles, showing a small dimple in his left cheek while his eyes turn into crescent moons. Hyunjin places another quick on your lips before the weight of the bed shifts yet again, losing the warmth of his body as soon as he walks away from you and towards his desk. 

His hands look for the things he needs —his camera and tripod. You’re not quite sure where to start, or how to begin, but you might as well figure to follow his instructions, although he hasn’t given you any yet. So you patiently wait for him, sitting at the edge of your bed while staring at him. Hyunjin always looks good, but there’s something enticing about him being at his most comfortable. 

He is just wearing his underwear and some gray sweatpants, but he looks awfully attractive. You take a moment to admire every inch of skin, every vein and freckle your eyes can possibly capture, craving to touch and kiss every place and corner of his body. 

“Are you enjoying yourself?” he asks when he turns his head just slightly to face you, finding you lost in your own trail of thoughts while you look at him. 

“I'll enjoy myself a lot more when you get into bed with me,” you playfully tease him, following his actions with your gaze.

He places the tripod with the camera at a good angle, trying hard to capture the best image possible from you two. 

You’re not recording this for anything specific, but for you two to go back to this tape and enjoy it when you feel like it. The video it’s just for you two, but he still wants to get the perfect view from your face and body. 

“Don’t get shy,” he warns you when he notices you’re staring a bit too much at the camera, standing right next to your bed while he fixes the last details. “You’re just with me, alright?”

You nod, but are hesitant about being able to follow his orders verbatim. It’s hard not to get shy when the camera’s position it’s all over you. 

“Can’t promise you anything,” you laugh, giving into his embrace once he pulls you by your waist towards him. 

“Then I’ll make you forget it is even there,” his voice becomes hoarse and deep while he presses his body against yours, “just focus on me, think about me, about how good it feels to be with me”.

You nod softly again, and your lips meet together into another kiss. This time, it’s not just a peck but a proper kiss, one in which Hyunjin’s plump lips are brushing against yours so passionately and gently, sinking his teeth on your lower lip ever so slightly, eliciting a moan out of you that's not immersed in pain but pleasure.

He places his hand around your waist, and then he drags them down to your hips. Oh, how he loves every inch of your body, every curve and centimeter of your flesh. Hyunjin takes his time to touch you into the kiss, to trace your silhouette with his bare hands, to dig his fingertips into your skin while pressing you even more against the naked flesh of his chest and abdomen. 

“You’re so pretty,” he murmurs, breaking the kiss to leave a kiss on your chin, “perfectly made for me”.  

“You’re pretty too,” you tell him with a smile, cupping his face with both of your hands while he continues exploring your body, “so damn beautiful”. 

Hyunjin smiles in return, and kisses you yet again. This time, the kiss feels needier and heated. It feels desperate, like he is impatient for more. He kisses you deeply, tongue grazing against yours.

“All mine?” Hyunjin asks, dragging his hands along the sides of your body.

“All yours”. 

In between kisses, he guides you towards the bed. You might be so deep into him that you don't even notice until your arse meets the comfortable mattress, and his body hovers over yours forcing you to lay down flat on it. 

“Let’s get rid of this, yeah?” His hands look for the hems of your shirt, and he helps you into taking it off. Your first instinct is to cover yourself up with your arms when remembering the camera, but his hands are quick to grab your wrists before you can even do so. “You’re just with me, remember?”

Immediately, you relax. You’re truly just with him, so what is there to hide? 

Hyunjin leans on top of you and places a kiss on your forehead, and caresses your cheeks as he admires you. How can you be this beautiful? He is infatuated with you and every detail there is for him to worship —from your dark hair, to the beautiful color of your skin, Hyunjin thinks no way or form of art could ever capture the beauty and uniqueness of you. A painting would never do you justice, and a sculpture would never feel like you do.

“What?” you ask him with a smile, noticing how deep into his thoughts was.

“I love everything about you,” Hyunjin says, leaving a wet peck on your cheek, and then the edge of your jaw, “everything”.

He drags his lips from your jaw to your neck, and you latch your fingers against his long hair, pulling him closer to you if possible. 

“I love you,” you whisper, letting soft gasps in between when you feel him nibbling at the sensitive flesh. “God, I love you so much”. 

He smiles against your skin, but loses no time into exploring more of you. His lips soon perch on your chest, and move towards your breasts slowly.

“And I love you,” Hyunjin replies, burying his nose and lips into your flesh. “I fucking love your body so much”.

He swirls his tongue around one of your nipples and you arch your back against the mattress, gasping at the sudden but expected stimulation he is offering you. 

“Right there, Hyujin,” you whimper.

He wants to keep on toying with you, to tease you and make you crave him. But his erection is demanding all of his attention, and he is desperate at this point to be buried inside you. You always arouse him this much, it's nothing really new. But it's, perhaps, the knowledge that you're being recorded what is really pushing him to the edge this time. 

“Baby,” he coos with a hitched breath, “can I?” 

His fingertips are lingering at the hems of your shorts and underwear, asking for your consent to take them off. You nod frantically in response and lift up your hips while he drags both pieces of clothing along your legs just to discard them somewhere in the room.

“Shit,” Hyunjin curses under his breath when you open your legs, noticing how ready you’re for him already. 

You lose no time in removing his clothes too, and soon the positions are switched —now Hyunjin's laying on the bed while you strip him slowly, dragging his sweatpants and underwear with ease. 

“God,” you whisper when your eyes meet his cock, already leaking with precum.

“I really can’t wait to be inside you,” he sighs, getting up and sitting right next to the spot in the mattress where you are kneeling.

“Then don’t,” you cup his face with your hands and leave another quick kiss on his lips.

It's like lighting a match on fire, how quickly it spreads once you let him know you're on the same page he is. When you tell him you want this just as much as he does, Hyunjin loses no time in giving it to you. 

“Come here,” he motions for you to sit down on top of him, with your pussy against his lap, “let me show you how much I want you”. 

With his help, you take the base of his cock and align the tip of it with your entrance. Slowly, you sink your hips against his and take him in fully.

“Fuck,” you cry, feeling the sudden stretch he’s providing you with. Even so, it feels pleasant. You can feel how hard he is for you, how his dick fits perfectly inside your pussy like it was made for it. 

Hyunjin can feel it too, how tight and wet your walls are, and how deliciously you clench around him as he bottoms out. 

It’s heavenly, for both of you.

“So- perfect,” he groans, digging his fingertips on the skin of your hips while you start moving on top of him. Slow and steady, just how he likes it, “your body, it’s just too fucking beautiful”. 

Your boyfriend is a treasure full of compliments. Not a day goes by without him telling how pretty you are, or how lucky he feels to have you by his side. He is very vocal about what he feels or thinks, especially in bed.

You’re so weak for it.

“I want to- kiss you all over it,” the thought of feeling his tongue tracing over your skin makes you clench around his cock, and that earns you a quiet groan from him. “Want to spend- hours, just touching you”. 

The steadiness of your movements is lost as soon as Hyunjin starts talking. His words mess with your head and make you turn into a wet mess for him, one that is unable to speak or think of anything that’s not him and his voice.

“Hyune,” you moan, feeling his hands grabbing your ass while you’re riding him. Your words are interrupted by a soft smack on one of your ass cheeks, and Hyunjin offers you a mischievous smile once he feels you clenching around him at the impact. 

“Mhm?” he hums. 

“Do it again,” you ask, somewhat embarrassed and turned on by the action.

He follows along, landing yet another sharp impact that makes you let out a soft cry. The more he spanks you, the more your hips pick up a faster pace, grinding against his cock in a desperate attempt to reach your high. 

“Fuck, Hyunjin,” you moan, “I want-”. 

“Not yet,” he tells you, tapping your hips motioning for you to slow down, “not like this”.

You look at him in confusion, but soon pick up his plan when he switches your positions: now, you’re laying on the mattress and he is on top of you, right between your open legs. 

“I want to make you come,” Hyunjin sighs, leaning down for a kiss that he only interrupts when he feels like running out of breath. It lasts a couple of seconds, perhaps minutes —you really can’t tell anymore. “Open up your legs more for me, will you?”

When you do, he buries all of himself inside you yet again. This time, the stretch is not painful at all —you’re familiar with him now, so he bottoms out with ease. 

“So fucking wet you are,” he moans through gritted teeth with his eyes attached to where your bodies meet. 

He knows the camera will not be able to capture such a sight this well, that only the human eye can appreciate. But he at least wishes to record the pretty sounds that leave your mouth, and the way your body trembles whenever he makes you come. 

“You’re so deep,” you whine, digging your fingernails in the flesh of his biceps. “I feel you- so deep inside me, Hyunjin”.

He feels himself twitching at your words, noticing they have more effect on him than he would ever want to admit. 

“Yeah?” He switches his body weight support to just one of his forearms, while he extends the other looking for your hand. He finds it at the side of your body, gripping the bed sheets harshly. He then guides your hand to your lower tummy, pressing it further against your abdomen, “can you feel me right here?”

You moan at the action and his words, feeling his hand on top of yours while he presses your tummy. 

“Fuck yes,” you cry. 

Then, he guides your hand from your tummy to your core, right above where his cock is. 

“I’m sure this will feel much better,” he says in between groans, signaling for you to rub your clit while he fucks you. 

And oh, how right he is. Once your fingers start to acquire a pace of their own on your clit, Hyunjin’s hand abandons yours and he drags it up, stopping right at your neck. He wraps his hand around it, drowning a desperate moan out of you.

“Does it hurt?” he asks you, gently and cautiously. 

“N-no,” you swallow thickly and he can feel it. Just as he can feel your pulse, accelerating by the minute, “harder”. 

Hyunjin smiles.

“Do you want me to choke you harder? Or fuck you harder?”

“Both,” you gasp. “I’m so close”.

He knows. You’re getting even wetter than before, and that’s making it difficult for him not to come right then and there. 

“I’m close too,” Hyunjin confesses, and keeps on fucking your pussy almost at the same pace you’re rubbing your clit. The harder you squeeze his cock with your cunt, the harder he squeezes your neck with his hand. 

It’s a fair exchange.

“Don’t- don’t stop,” you breathe. Your words are barely audible, but he can pick on them well. “Don’t let go- keep on choking me”. 

“I won’t,” he reassures you, holding your body right in place while he thrusts his cock inside you a couple of times, trying to bring you to your orgasm. “I’m going to make you come like this”. 

As the man of his word he is, Hyunjin makes you come in no time. With particular sharp thrusts, and the grip on your neck, he has you trembling underneath him almost uncontrollably, your walls clenching and relaxing violently around his cock. 

“Hyunjin,” you gasp, wrapping your legs around his hips in an attempt to bring him closer and deeper into you. 

Your boyfriend groans, breathing heavily while chasing his high. There are several strands of his dark hair sticking to his cheeks and forehead with sweat, but he can’t begin to care. Or at least not when he is this close to come undone for you. 

“Fuck,” he curses, and you soon have his body collapsing on top of yours while he comes. His hips tremble, and you can feel him twitching inside you. “Fuck, baby”. 

You hug him tightly, still feeling the ravages of your own orgasm. You both lay down with each other until your breathing becomes estable, but neither of you dare to move away from each other.

You wish to stay like this forever. 

“Thank you,” Hyunjin finally says, still with a hitched voice. 

“For what?” you ask, amused. 

“For letting me record us”. 

You furrow your eyebrows and, in a matter of a second, remember about the camera that is still pointing at the both of you.

“What?” Hyunjin laughs. “You really forgot about the camera mid sex?”

“Mmm, maybe,” you confess. 

“Well, that can only mean I fucked you good”. 

And oh, how he just did.

#skz smut #stray kids smut #kpop smut #hyunjin smut

[coconutcordiale]

For your 500 followers celebration I'd love to request a ficlet with Hangman and the girl next door!! ❤❤

pairing- hangman x female!reader

warnings- none idt?? Jake baking? guys there's no smut, no allusion to smut, no angst this is literal fluff (nauseating fluff at that) i don't even know who i am anymore i'm having an identity crisis

length- 0.6k

an- @dempy & anon i hope it's okay i combined y'alls requests :) thank you both sm!!!

we have officially moved away from these fics resembling anything to do with top gun and basically just using jake seresin as a face for my own stupid rom com ish

i probably took the girl next door thing a little too literally but...whatever. also i grew up in suburban california (not lemoore) and we definitely had block parties but is that a thing anywhere else? (someone told me they'd never heard of them idk)

You’re pretty sure the boxes in Jake’s house are still packed since he’s been in Lemoore for all of three weeks, and yet the neighborhood already adores him. You want to find it in you to be irritated that they’ve taken to a single man living alone much faster than they did with you.

You bet Jake never gets any questions about why he’s bought a house before getting married.

Cue eye roll.

To further your annoyance, you’re just as taken with your next-door neighbor as everyone else. You just hope you’re better at hiding it than they are.

(You’re not. But in your defense, you're the only one that comes home to see him vying for neighbor of the year by raking the leaves in your front yard, still in his flight suit.)

As if the dads need to be any more on edge, as if the moms need to trip over their words more frequently around him, Jake brings a pie to the neighborhood block party.

An actual fucking peach pie, that he made from scratch and it’s his mother’s recipe isn’t that so darling?

You briefly wonder if there was any merit to your sixth grade teacher telling you your eyes might get stuck given the amount of time that you spend rolling them.

Jake, the ham that he is, takes it all in stride. Lets the moms, grandmas, and teenage girls fawn over him, lets them pull him all over the party. Spurs it on, really, leaning in so they can get the full effect of his charming smile.

It’d be nauseating if he wasn’t so damn charismatic.

It’s maybe a little embarrassing that you’re so observant of Jake that you can tell when he gets a little uncomfortable, when Mrs. Wilkins runs her hands a little too firmly up his arm, fingers playing with the hem of his shirt where it strains around his bicep.

You’d like to think that his grin is extra warm in your direction when you appear at his elbow, making excuses about how he’s wanted over by the grill.

You try not to laugh as you hand him a beer. “You looked like you needed a save.”

He nods, looking grateful. “Thanks, darlin’.”

“Nice of you to agree to this.” You gesture to the tables of food and endless games of cornhole set up along your street. “They were pretty excited to have a welcome to the neighborhood get-together for you.”

“Walter just wanted an excuse to use his Big Green Egg, I’m sure.”

You snort. “Yeah, probably.”

Jake looks over your shoulder, panic curling in his tone. “Quick, kiss me!”

It’s a testament to what good friends you already are that you don’t even question it, instead leaning into the hand he gently places on your cheek and allowing yourself to be pulled into his hard chest.

His lips are surprisingly soft and you bite back a moan as his hand tangles in your hair. You're a little breathless as you pull back, trying not to let your mind spiral at the gossip storm you're certain you've just started.

“Where is she?”

“Where’s who?” He asks, widening those green eyes in feigned innocence.

“Whoever was coming over here? Was it Mrs. Wilkins again? She isn’t very subtle.”

He grins, eyes sparkling with trouble. “Nowhere, darlin’, just wanted you to kiss me.”

Your lips part in surprise, slapping him on the chest to reprimand him for that sneaky little trick.

“Better stay close though. I think Mrs. Wilkins might have it out for you now,” he continues, snaking an arm around your waist and tilting his sunglasses down so you can see him wink. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”

#queue queue ca choo #jake hangman seresin x reader #hangman x reader #hangman x you #jake seresin x reader #jake seresin x you #jake hangman seresin #hangman top gun #jake hangman x reader #hangman seresin x reader #jake seresin #hangman drabble #hangman fluff #500 followers celly

[peppermintstarsonamintyway]

sea fox post time

All under the cut cause I'm gonna ramble like crazy <3

The sea fox is genuinely absolutely massive, it's not obvious in this image but the damn thing is huge, more than big enough to fit a good few life boats and row boats in it (and fit them it does)

The sea fox is so large because it used to be a flagship, things have changed a lot since then (although it is still just as big and long (don't take that out of context)) but nonetheless it's still a functional ship, and Marbled gets repairs and upgrades done on it frequently

When Marbled had acquired the ship, it wasn't in particularly good condition, so he took it to a friend and they basically striped the ship down to it's skeleton and then rebuilt it, with Marbled's specifications of course

The ship does still have all of it's sails and stuff, it genuinely needs them to move, these images are just more simplified for the sake of I don't know how to draw ships-

The ship has massive ear shaped buoys on each side, which are meant to keep the ship from sinking in particularly stormy and weather and in the case of aggressive sea monsters (they are also just there to keep the ship more stable)

You might be wondering, "Why is there what looks to be a lamp on the end of the 'tail' of the ship?" Short answer, Blue Moonstone.

Long answer, Marbled had it installed after an incident where Moonstone got turned around and disoriented during a particularly nasty and foggy storm in some unfortunately murky water, her tail smacked into the side of the ship by accident due to her confusion, they eventually got her up into the ship and after that storm Marbled opted to make a detour back to his friend to get the lamp installed.

Circling back to the life boat talk-

One thing about the sea fox is that it has a "mouth" so to speak, two massive metal pieces, of which are connected by a surprisingly strong chain, and the bottom jaw lowers to allow life boats and row boats into the safety of the built in dock in the ship

Marbled used to be a lot kinder back when he first had the dock installed, things have changed and he's realized things, but he refuses to remove the dock, because even if he's a jackass sometimes now he can't allow himself to let people die, even if they deserve it

The crew's quarters are absolutely massive, involving pretty much an entire living room alongside all the beds and hammocks, the crew live pretty well in their own opinion and they wouldn't trade it for anything

The loot and major supply storage is connected to the infirmary, of which the infirmary door is, kind of stuck permanently open :'D unfortunate for the sea fox's paramedic, but at the least everything in there is very easy to tie down

The kitchen has it's own food storage just above it, which the quartermaster (remember the buff lady i was drawing the other day alongside two other cookies? yeah she's the quartermaster) is grateful because it makes sending the small crew members for ingredients a lot easier

A fun thing to know is that the whole crew (spare for the littles) all take turns cooking, even Marbled takes a turn every so often

The brig/prison is placed close to the ship entrance of the dock, another set of stairs just outside the second door leading up to the brig. The space in between the two doors is sort of just a mud room, if you've ever had one of those- put short anyone brought in from the dock is checked over for injuries, general sickness, and cleaned up before they're properly brought onto the ship

The captain's quarters are at the top of the ship, and include Marbled's office at the front of the room, and then up a few small steps and behind a door, is his bedroom, lavishly furnished and with a large round bed for his comfortability (trying to sleep in a rectangular bed as a centaur can be, awkward-), his bedroom is like the definition of cozy

Unfortunately for Marbled he does not get his bedroom to himself because Moonstone and multiple of the littler crewmates can and will barge into his bedroom and lay down with him without warning (the littles need the comfort and Moonstone is very used to sleeping in cuddle piles)

(don't worry he gets used to the lack of privacy eventually, and finds ways around 'em)

Alright I think that's enough rambling from me (questions are welcome <3)

#cookie run #cookie run kingdom #crk oc #cookie run oc #blue moonstone cookie #crk #cookie run kingdom oc #the sea fox #marbled chocolate cookie #yeah so moonstone is probably a lot bigger normally than anyone first thought (good thing she can change her size at will!) #however i do apologize for the size jumpscare anyway

[annamcdonalds67]

𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐎𝐟 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬- 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐢𝐧𝐠

"Hey pretty lady." A voice spoke up from behind you as you turned around to look at culprit to see it was Chandler. He had a smug expression on his face as he stalked forward to talk to you.

"What are you doing here?" You asked, a smile on your face as you wondered as to why he was here.

"Joey has another one of his lady friends around and they are very loud." Chandler said which made you laugh as you turned back around to look at the sky.

"Why are you here?" Chandler asked, now standing beside you, leaning his arms on the railing as he looked at you.

"Couldn't sleep." You said keeping it short before speaking again.

"I came here to see the stars but I can't really see them clearly." You said, squinting your eyes before Chandler bent down to pick something up.

"Here, use this." He said, holding out a hollow cylinder-shaped rod. Realisation dawned upon you as you tried to keep your cool and ask Chandler.

"Chandler," I started to which he hummed in response still looking through the makeshift telescope, "Is that the rod that was keeping the door open," You asked calmly to which he paused for a moment and replied, "I'm so stupid." You gave him a sarcastic smile before snatching the rod out of his hands.

A couple of minutes had passed and you and Chandler were trying really hard to get the door to open, but nothing worked. Frustration began to set in as you both struggled with the stubborn door. Chandler sighed and ran a hand through his hair, looking at you with a sheepish grin.

"Well, this is just great. Stuck on a rooftop with no way back in," he remarked, his tone a mix of amusement and annoyance.

You couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of the situation. "Nice going, Chandler. So much for stargazing."

Chandler gave you a lopsided smile. "Hey, at least we have each other for company."

As you both continued to brainstorm ideas for getting the door open, the sound of footsteps echoed behind you. Turning around, you saw Joey approaching, a puzzled expression on his face.

"Hey, what are you guys doing out here?" Joey asked, oblivious to the door situation.

Chandler glanced at you, and you exchanged a knowing look before Chandler responded, "Just enjoying the view, Joe. You know, rooftop vibes."

Joey shrugged, not suspecting anything. "Cool, cool. Mind if I join you guys?"

Before you could answer, Chandler interjected, "Actually, Joey, we were just heading back inside. Got a sudden craving for a midnight snack. You know how it is."

Joey nodded understandingly. "Oh, totally get it. I could go for a sandwich or something."

As you and Chandler made your way back towards the rooftop entrance, you couldn't help but laugh at the unexpected turn of events. It seemed like the night had more surprises in store for you than just a failed attempt at stargazing.

Once inside, you and Chandler exchanged relieved glances, grateful that Joey hadn't questioned the real reason for your rooftop adventure. However, as you descended the stairs, you realized that you were now faced with the challenge of explaining why you had been locked out in the first place.

As you reached the bottom of the stairs, you saw Monica in the living room, engrossed in a book. She looked up as you entered, a curious expression on her face.

"Hey, where have you guys been?" Monica asked, closing her book.

Chandler, always quick on his feet, responded with a grin, "Just taking a little late-night stroll. You know, needed some fresh air."

Monica arched an eyebrow, clearly not buying the explanation. "A stroll at this hour? Really?"

You decided to jump in, adding a touch of drama to the situation. "Well, we thought we'd do some stargazing on the rooftop, but the door locked behind us. It turned into a whole ordeal trying to get back in."

Monica's eyes widened with surprise. "Stargazing? That's so romantic!"

You exchanged a look with Chandler, both of you surprised at how the situation had taken an unexpected turn. "Yeah, you know us, always trying to be romantic," Chandler said with a smirk.

Monica chuckled, shaking her head. "Well, next time, maybe take a key with you."

You and Chandler nodded in agreement, trying to maintain composure as you headed to the kitchen, leaving Monica to her book.

As you prepared a late-night snack, Chandler couldn't help but laugh. "Stargazing? Really?"

You rolled your eyes, playfully nudging him. "It was the best excuse I could come up with on the spot. Besides, it's not the worst cover story we've had."

Chandler chuckled, realizing that the night had taken an unexpected, comical turn. Little did you know, this rooftop adventure would become another memorable story in the saga of your friendships and adventures in the city.

The next day, as you gathered with your friends in the living room, the events of the previous night became a topic of conversation. Joey, still unaware of the real reason for your rooftop escapade, enthusiastically recounted his night with his latest romantic interest.

"And then we went to this amazing dessert place! You guys should have come with us," Joey exclaimed, blissfully unaware of the locked-out drama.

Monica, with a sly grin, turned her attention to you and Chandler. "So, any more romantic strolls on the agenda?"

You and Chandler exchanged a knowing look, deciding to stick to the stargazing story. "Maybe next time we'll remember to bring a key," you replied with a playful smile.

Ross, ever the skeptical one, raised an eyebrow. "Stargazing, huh? Seems a bit out of character for you two."

Chandler shrugged, attempting to keep a straight face. "Well, sometimes even we surprise ourselves. The city lights can be quite romantic."

As the conversation shifted to other topics, you couldn't help but appreciate the camaraderie and humor that defined your group of friends. The rooftop misadventure had added another layer to your shared experiences, making the bonds between you even stronger.

In the following weeks, the memory of that night would be brought up occasionally, always met with laughter and good-natured teasing. It became a running joke among your friends, a reminder that even in the most unexpected situations, there was always room for humor and connection.

Little did you know, this shared memory would become one of those stories that you and your friends would reminisce about for years to come, weaving it into the fabric of your friendship and creating a lasting connection that went beyond locked doors and makeshift telescopes.

As the weeks passed, the rooftop misadventure became a legendary tale among your friend group. Chandler's "romantic stargazing" story became a running joke, and every now and then, someone would suggest going on another late-night adventure to recreate the magic.

One evening, as you all gathered at Central Perk, Phoebe, with her whimsical spirit, chimed in, "Maybe the stars have secret messages for us. We should go stargazing again, just to make sure we're not missing any cosmic wisdom."

This suggestion was met with a mix of laughter and playful groans, but deep down, everyone was secretly excited about the prospect of another shared adventure.

As the night fell, you found yourselves back on the familiar rooftop. This time, armed with a spare key and a genuine curiosity about the night sky, you all lay on blankets, gazing up at the stars.

Chandler couldn't resist poking fun at the situation. "So, any cosmic revelations yet?"

Phoebe, ever the free spirit, replied, "Oh, they're coming. Just wait. The stars have a way of speaking to us."

As you all laughed and exchanged stories, the city lights twinkling below, you couldn't help but appreciate the uniqueness of your friendships. The rooftop, once the scene of a minor mishap, now became a gathering place for shared moments and laughter.

Monica, always the planner, suggested, "Next time, let's bring snacks. Stargazing is better with snacks."

Joey, with a mischievous grin, added, "And maybe a telescope. We could upgrade our stargazing game."

As you all agreed to these additions to your rooftop adventures, you realized that sometimes the best memories are born out of unexpected moments and inside jokes. The rooftop, with its view of the city and the stars above, became a symbol of the bond you all shared, a place where laughter echoed into the night, creating memories that would last a lifetime.

The rooftop gatherings became a regular occurrence, each one bringing its own unique twist to the story. Some nights were clear, with the stars shining brightly, while others were shrouded in clouds, prompting debates about whether the stars were playing hide-and-seek.

Chandler, always the one with a sarcastic remark, would often tease Phoebe about deciphering the cosmic messages. "Any messages from the stars, Phoebs? Maybe they're ordering pizza for us tonight."

Phoebe would play along, holding her hand to her ear as if receiving a celestial transmission. "Oh yes, the stars say pepperoni and extra cheese."

The rituals evolved, and soon, the group decided to bring along musical instruments. Phoebe strummed her guitar, creating an impromptu rooftop concert under the night sky. The sounds of laughter and music floated through the air, merging with the distant hum of the city below.

One memorable evening, Ross, with his scientific curiosity, brought a small telescope. The friends took turns peering through the lens, marveling at the details of the moon and planets. Joey, never one to miss an opportunity, jokingly asked if they could spot any extraterrestrial neighbors.

As the months passed, the rooftop became a haven for your group, a place where you could escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It was where you celebrated birthdays, toasted to successes, and found solace during tough times. The door that once caused trouble now stood as a symbol of the countless memories made on that rooftop.

One chilly winter night, as you all huddled together under blankets, Chandler spoke up, his breath visible in the cold air. "Who would have thought that a locked door would lead to all this?"

Monica, leaning against Chandler, smiled. "Sometimes the best moments come from the most unexpected places."

And so, as the city continued its relentless rhythm below, your rooftop escapades became a cherished tradition, a testament to the enduring bonds of friendship and the magic that can be found in the most ordinary of places, under the extraordinary canvas of the night sky.

The rooftop gatherings evolved with the changing seasons, each one bringing a unique atmosphere to the shared space. In spring, cherry blossoms scattered in the wind, creating a magical backdrop to your laughter and conversations. Summer nights were filled with warmth and the scent of blooming flowers, and you found yourselves laying back to watch meteor showers, making wishes on shooting stars.

As fall painted the city in warm hues, the rooftop became a cozy retreat with blankets and mugs of hot cocoa. It was during one of these autumn gatherings that Rachel, with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, suggested a themed costume night.

"What if we dress up as our favorite constellations?" she proposed, the idea sparking excitement among the group.

The following week, the rooftop transformed into a celestial carnival. Phoebe, with her whimsical style, embodied the spirit of Orion, complete with a makeshift belt of glittering stars. Joey, not to be outdone, declared himself the "Pizza Nebula," with slices of pizza attached to his costume.

Chandler, always the reluctant participant, begrudgingly adorned himself with glow-in-the-dark stick-on stars. "I feel like a failed attempt at a night sky," he quipped, earning laughs from everyone.

The laughter echoed through the night, blending with the city's distant symphony. It was in these moments that you realized the rooftop had become more than just a gathering place; it was a haven where creativity, humor, and friendship collided in the most extraordinary ways.

Winter brought a blanket of snow, turning the rooftop into a serene, white landscape. Undeterred by the cold, you all bundled up and ventured out for a snowball fight, the city lights shimmering below like a sea of diamonds.

As the years passed, the rooftop became a time capsule of your lives—filled with shared joys, personal triumphs, and the occasional heartache. The door that once locked you out became a portal to a world of endless possibilities and unforgettable moments.

And so, under the vast expanse of the night sky, your rooftop adventures continued, a testament to the enduring power of friendship and the simple yet profound magic of finding joy in unexpected places.

Amidst the laughter and themed costume nights on the rooftop, a subtle shift had occurred between you and Chandler. The stolen glances and shared smiles evolved into a quiet understanding, a connection that went beyond friendship. The rooftop, with its panoramic view of the city lights and stars above, had become the backdrop to this unspoken dance of emotions.

One evening, as the group settled in for another rooftop gathering, you found yourself sitting closer to Chandler than usual. The night air was crisp, and the city below seemed to glow with a warmth that mirrored the burgeoning feelings between you two.

Chandler, noticing the change in dynamics, leaned in and whispered, "You know, I think the stars tonight are trying to outshine you." His words carried a hint of playfulness, but his eyes revealed a sincerity that made your heart flutter.

You chuckled, feeling the warmth of his proximity. "Flattery will get you everywhere, Bing."

As the night unfolded, Chandler's arm found its way around your shoulders, creating a sense of comfort that went beyond the chilly breeze. The conversations flowed seamlessly, but it was the stolen glances and gentle touches that spoke volumes.

When Phoebe suggested playing a game of Truth or Dare, there was a collective hesitation. However, the mischievous glint in her eyes made it clear that she had an ulterior motive. As the bottle spun and landed on you, she winked, prompting a daring grin from Chandler.

"Truth or dare?" you asked him, your voice laced with a playful challenge.

Chandler pretended to ponder for a moment before smirking. "Dare."

Phoebe's sly smile widened as she exchanged a knowing look with Rachel. "I dare you two to share a dance under the stars."

The rooftop fell into a hushed anticipation as a slow melody played from someone's phone. Chandler stood up, offering you his hand with a charming smile. You accepted, and as the two of you swayed to the music, the world seemed to fade away, leaving only the city lights and the soft glow of the stars above.

In that moment, under the vast night sky, it became undeniable—the unspoken connection had blossomed into something deeper. As the dance ended, Chandler leaned in, his lips brushing against your ear. "Maybe we should come up here more often. The stars seem to approve."

You smiled, feeling the warmth of his words and the magic of the night around you. The rooftop had become not just a backdrop to your shared adventures but a witness to the quiet blossoming of something beautiful—a love story written under the twinkling lights of the cityscape.

A/N

I hope you liked this one Chandler will always stay in my heart just Like Matthew Perry he was such an amazing person and an amazing soul and we will miss him so much

Bye-Bye

But before I go gimme a little kiss

#chandler bing #matthew perry #friends #joey tribbiani

[zoeykallus]

hi again!

I just read the both 'stories' you mentioned.

They are both really good. You are very talented in writing!

Well, I guess it would be really interesting to have a story like that with hunter or echo.

(I think cross would also be a interesting one for this although I'm not sure if he would be so understanding if you know what I mean haha.)

Oh, I also wanted to mention that I'm very grateful that are people out there who write hurt/comfort about topics like that. I actually think there are a lot of people who need stuff like that as a coping thing or smth.

So thank you very much for giving me (and others) comfort in your stories!

First of all: Thank you so much! I'm very happy to hear this! It's uplifiting to know that there are poeple who enjoy my writing and the cherry on top is for me to hear that some of what I wrote, actually helped them feel better!

Now Sometimes I do like a Challenge and I think a similar scenario with Crosshair, probably is a challenge. Hope you don't mind I picked him :)

Crosshair x GN reader Hurt/Comfort

Warning: Hurt/Tension/Angst under the cut! (But Comfort too ;) )

Be Your Own Best Friend

You felt rushed and breathless, yet you hadn't done anything physically strenuous. Actually, tonight should have been a nice evening, in a small circle with a few close friends in a bar. But so much had gone wrong in the last few days. Financially, family-wise some things were hanging crooked, very crooked. You knew that stress could be felt physically, but still you were surprised how violently your body reacted to it by now.

While your colleagues were laughing happily and having a few drinks, the room suddenly started spinning, and you hadn't had any alcohol yet. Startled, you excused yourself and went to the toilets, but then you saw the back exit and stepped out into the open. A side alley, dark and relatively quiet for such a busy area.

You thought a few breaths of fresh air might help. It did, at least you weren't dizzy anymore, but it didn't make you feel any better. After a while, you wanted to go back inside, but to your annoyance, you found that the door wouldn't open from the outside.

"Great," you murmured irritated and wanted to turn around to go back to the front entrance, but you remained rooted to the spot.

A strange man suddenly stood in the half-darkness of the side alley quite close to you.

___________

Crosshair was leaning against a house wall in the same alley you were in. He had bought special ammunition at a backyard dealer, that he was still standing here when you came out of the back entrance of the bar, was rather a coincidence. Actually he had nothing more to do here, but something had moved him to watch you.

The way you staggered out of the door, at first he thought you were drunk and might have hit the wrong door. But he watched you a little more closely. Your chest was rising and falling violently and heavily, you were leaning against the wall, your knees seemed to be shaking. He had seen something like that before, it looked more like a panic attack than drunkenness.

Nothing that concerned him and he told himself he didn't care, but silently he wondered what would put someone like you in such a situation.

Then another person appeared, behind you, when you were distracted. He frowned. This person's movements made him bright-eyed; he was good at evaluating people, sometimes just by their posture or movement, and he knew that one was a predator.

None of my business, he thought. It's not my problem.

Crosshair saw you turn around and freeze in your movement, terrified. That look on your face, terror, fear, uncertainty, he chose to ignore it, he wasn't responsible for you.

The stranger took another step toward you.

Crosshair growled, "Oh for crying out loud," and approached the scene.

What are you doing here all alone, in a back alley in the middle of the night?"

The voice sounded insincere, feigned friendliness, and all the alarm sirens inside you rang. You stood rooted to the spot, your voice stuck in your throat. That's all you needed on top of everything else.

Before you could even say anything, however, another voice rose from the darkness of the back alley.

"Get lost, leave them alone".

The voice sounded raspy, somber.

The man standing right in front of you turned around, trying to make out something. Slowly, another figure stepped into the sparse light of the back exit's exterior illumination. A man, human, tall, 6.4 you estimated. He was chewing on a toothpick, a crosshair tattooed around his right eye. He wore full gear you couldn't place, black and red, on his shoulder a skull and the number 99. On his back was a sniper rifle, in his right hand he deftly spun a vibro knife, so nimble and skilled that you stared at his fingers for a long moment, fascinated.

You didn't know who he was or why he wanted to help you, or whether he just wanted to get rid of the guy because he had it in for you himself. At the moment you just stood there, feeling helpless.

The stranger who was so close to you didn't seem to want to mess with the sniper, after a short hesitation, he pulled back and you were still standing there, rooted to the spot.

Silence reigned for quite a while, then the Sniper asked, almost in disgust, "Are you okay?"

You felt tears running down your cheeks, you hadn't noticed it before. This tense situation had been just the tip of the iceberg of your week, apparently just too much for you. You felt yourself shaking and slowly lowered yourself to the floor.

"No," you answered so quietly that he almost didn't hear.

He sighed softly, squatted down in front of you with some courtesy distance and asked, "Why?"

You shrugged.

"Been a rough week," you replied, vaguely.

"Hmm" he growled "I can't say much about that, honestly I don't care much either, just intervened because I don't like scum like that. You shouldn't be standing out here alone"

You blinked, wiped away a few tears and sniffed your nose.

"Thanks for your help" you said looking him in the eye for a moment, but couldn't withstand his serious look for long and dodged it again.

"It's okay," he grumbled, getting up and about to leave, but stopped again after a few steps.

He sighed annoyed, of what you didn't really know, but the Sniper turned back to you and said. "Come on, I'll take you home, you can't sit here, the guy will be back as soon as I leave".

You stood up and said, "Maybe I should tell my friends".

"You've been out here for over an hour, no one's come looking for you yet, you really think that matters?" he growled.

You swallowed, feeling a twinge. He was right, there was no missed call or text message on your com either.

"I guess it's enough if I text them when I get home," you said very quietly.

He felt bad about reminding you of your thoughtless friends.

"What's your name?", he asked to change the subject.

The question was not unusual, yet you were surprised.

"Y/N, and yours?"

"Crosshair."

You smiled and said, "A very appropriate name I think."

"You have no idea how approriate" he said smoothly.

"How much?" you probed.

He scratched the back of his head and asked, "Do you want to see it before I take you home? If you live toward the center of town, though, we'd have to take a detour."

You thought for a moment, having no idea if you should trust him, but on impulse you said "No problem" as if some part of you suspected that you needed his company and maybe he needed yours.

Crosshair led you to a field outside of town and set up a few bottles, even letting you throw some of them and hit them in mid-flight. You were intrigued and excited, setting him other challenges, smaller targets, longer distance, or throwing several bottles at once.

He hit every time, without exception. For sure the best sniper you've ever seen.

"Okay," you said with a wide, impressed smile, "you really earned that name".

A small smirk showed on his narrow, serious mouth.

Your gaze wandered upward and you saw a clear starry sky.

"It's beautiful here"

"Mmhm," he hummed in agreement.

"In the city you can't see the stars at all".

Crosshair said quietly, "Too much artificial light".

You sighed and looked towards the city. You didn't feel like going back at all.

As if he read your mind he said, "We don't have to go back yet if you don't want to. I don't have anything else to do today, so, I could spare some more time".

The smile you showed him made him feel strangely warm.

"That's very kind of you, thank you. I'd really like to stay a little longer."

He beckoned you over to him, on a huge bale of stork that stood in the middle of the field. He reached out a hand and helped you up and sat down next to you. You could hear crickets, a whole army of them somewhere out in the field. Not too far, a river was babbling along. It was so peaceful here.

"Where do all these bottles come from anyway?" you asked curiously.

" I come here more often, I collect the bottles for practice, we just used up about half a month's supply," he chuckled.

"Oh, sorry."

Crosshair waved it off.

"Never mind"

After a while of silence you heard him ask, "Why did you have a panic attack earlier at the bar?"

Startled, you blinked, not quite knowing what to say.

"Well, a rough week, like I said. I'm drained, and as you've noticed, I'm not exactly being taken care of."

You shrugged your shoulders and said, "I'm tired".

"Do you want to go home?"

"No, I meant a different kind of tired" you quietly returned.

He raised his eyebrows, "Oh, I see."

He sighed then he said almost softly, "Sometimes you need to be your own best friend and just take care of yourself, do something good for yourself, anything, it doesn't even have to cost money, it can just be something like.... well, a moment like this, peace, the starry sky above you, fresh air in your lungs.... good company. Life throws shit at you again and again, that's why it's important to take care of yourself. Treat yourself good, you are worth it"

You smiled and leaned back into a lying position, so you had a wonderful view of the stars. Crosshair did the same and when you reached for his hand on impulse, you were surprised when he gently intertwined his fingers with yours. He didn't say a word about the touch or the fact that you were holding hands under the stars.

"Right now," you said dreamily, "things don't look so bad anymore."

"Good", he said quietly and gently squeezed your hand "I like that attitude much better".

@chxpsi

@andyoufollowyourheart

@nunanuggets

@the-sith-in-the-sky-with-diamond

@clone-whore-99

@brynhildrmimi

#crosshair x reader #star wars #the bad batch #clonelove #clone force 99 #tbb #sw tbb #bad batch crosshair #clone trooper crosshair #commander crosshair #crosshair #crosshair bad batch #crosshair tbb #crosshair the bad batch #crosshair x you #tbb crosshair #tbb crosshair x reader #the bad batch crosshair #crosshair comfort #ct 9904 #hurt/comfort #crosshair x y/n #tbb crosshair x you #crosshair x gn reader #the bad batch fanfic #star wars the bad batch #star wars: the bad batch #the bad batch fanfiction #the bad batch x reader #oneshot

[raylex]

decided to write a short piece about my s/i's first introduction with wander that also goes a bit into their backstory which i will likely elaborate on later - for now, enjoy their (our?) first meeting :) i had fun with this! ・‥…━━━☆

When you’re stuck on the same old asteroid for hundreds upon hundreds of years, the days get repetitive. They get even more repetitive once you realize that you’re not orbiting around anything and there is no distinction between day and night.

You get accustomed to it, sure - but it leaves you with a feeling of melancholy, wondering if this is all there really is. You live and you die on a bleak, lumpy rock going nowhere through the universe’s junkyard.

That’s why Lex was one of the few people who would be beaming with ecstasy upon discovering that they had crashed on an unknown planet.

Most people would spiral further and further into a mental breakdown when you end up stranded in a place you have never seen in your life - in a solar system you don’t know, in a galaxy you don’t know, in a cluster you don’t know. Lex, on the other hand, could have landed on the most empty, desolate, and lonely planet in the known universe, and still be grateful. Anything and everything would beat spending time on an asteroid for any longer.

This planet was beaming with life - life that Lex hadn’t seen in a long time, and life that Lex didn’t even know existed. Fields took up all of their vision as they stared off into the distance - nothing but patches of green grass, colorful flowers, overgrown plants, and swarming insects as far as they could see. Lex felt like they had finally died and gone to heaven. They had never seen such beauty in their long-winded life.

For hours on end, they simply wandered around aimlessly with no destination in mind. Would this be their new home? Maybe - it certainly wasn’t as claustrophobic as living on a giant rock. They didn’t want to waste time worrying about that for now, though - they kept walking and walking and taking in every little thing they could spot in their surroundings.

Eventually, of course, the sun would set - something Lex hadn’t experienced since they were a toddler barely able to formulate anything other than a bunch of nonsensical babbles - and they would lie down on the soft soil, embracing the planet with admiration.

They stared up at the stars, taking note of every little speck of light. When you’re alone for so long, you learn to read the sky from many different angles - even if it was difficult to make out any constellations. Merely bright points that would glow in the dark.

When you’re this entranced by the mere beauty of life itself, you block out anything other than yourself.

And that was exactly what Lex did, unaware that they were not alone, till they caught themselves catching glimpses of a mysterious silhouette hidden in the tall greenery around them.

The presence seemed just as eager to keep watch as Lex, but in an effort to avoid continuing to spy on them, they instead jumped out from their place of hiding, with Lex now able to make out their appearance - a short, orange, furry fellow with a big hat, and an even bigger grin on his face.

“Oh! Pardon me for snoopin’ around there, friend, but I couldn’t help but notice some commotion comin' from around here. Don’t think I’ve seen ya ‘round these parts before, have I? Folks call me Wander! What’s your name?”

Lex stared at the figure with a puzzled expression on their face. Slowly, after a few seconds, they lifted up their hand, pointing at themselves in confusion - their clothing already covered in dirt and grass blades after no longer than one single day of being on this planet.

Wander chuckled in response to their expression. "Yep, I'm talkin' about you! Are ya new? Ya looked lonely, that's why I came on over to give ya a warm welcome!"

Lex spoke up for the first time that night. "…Lonely?", they replied questioningly. Isolation was all they had ever known - to them, it wasn't loneliness. It was just the norm.

"Mhmm, lonely," Wander nodded along, his smile never once leaving his face. "It's fine if ya don't wanna tell me your name, stranger, I can respect a little need for privacy, but tell me - ya look like you're just burnin' to get somethin' off your chest. 'S there anythin' ya wanna talk about? Or maybe you're just shy? Whatever it is, I won't judge ya. My hand's on my heart, I promise."

For a long time, Lex was silent, and there was no sound to be heard anywhere nearby - not even a gust of wind or the sound of any fauna close by.

"…Could you tell me a story?", Lex finally replied. It had been so long since they had last had any interaction with another person. There were so many tales to be heard.

Wander's face glowed even brighter in response. "Oh, boy, can I! Let me tell ya somethin' - I'm a bit of an intergalactic space explorer myself, so I have all kinds of adventures to share!", he beamed, gesturing wildly as he began to recall all of the places he had visited as well as all of the sights he had seen. For every one of his journeys that he spoke of, his speech got louder and faster.

"But that's all I ever wanted to do! Every day, I've travelled across the universe, searching for every star and moon. No matter how far ya go, or how fast ya go, there's always somethin' new to explore. It's amazing! You should come with me sometime!"

Before he knew it, he found himself sitting closely next to the newcomer, still going on about all of the planets he had been to, vividly replaying the memories in his head.

Wander let out a chuckle at how carried away he had gotten. "But enough about me - let's talk about you! Where are you from, pal?"

Lex looked at him blankly for a few moments, before re-adjusting themselves to sit in a more comfortable position. "My life has not been interesting, I'll tell you that," they laughed quietly - mostly in an expression of self-deprecation. They changed their gaze, pointing towards their crash site. "See that huge crashed asteroid over there? I've been living on that thing for as long as I can remember. Man, I hate that thing. I hope I never have to set foot on one of those overgrown rocks ever again."

Gesturing vaguely towards the night sky, they continued. "Hundreds of years just spent drifting through pure nothingness, until suddenly… well, I ended up here."

Wander's gaze followed theirs, also shifting to look up at the sky. "So you're tellin' me that for centuries, you were just floatin' around in space?"

"Yeah… I'm sure you can understand why I think my life's been pretty boring."

"That does sound… less than preferable," Wander nodded. "How'd ya survive all that time?"

"I'm not sure myself. All I know is that after years of eating rocks and stone, you become a little funny in the head," they shrugged, letting out a chuckle. Wander joined along with fits of laughter, seeming to accept this explanation as enough.

For a few minutes, they sat in comfortable silence, just enjoying each other's company.

"Well, you don't have to be alone anymore," Wander spoke softly. "You're free to tag along with us if ya want."

"Us?," Lex asked, glancing over at him.

Wander stood up, offering Lex his hand. After a moment of pondering, Lex put their hand in his. Wander grinned, pulling them up to stand on their feet.

"There's someone I'd like ya to meet," he chirped. "My bestest pal in the universe, Sylvia. I never go anywhere without her. We're tighter than bark on a tree. An' any friend of mine is sure to be a friend of Sylvia's, too!"

Lex blinked a few times, still trying to process everything that had just happened. They weren't sure they completely trusted these people - of course, suspicion towards strangers was something that was natural after having been by yourself for so long - but something about the way Wander looked at them with such hope in his eyes prevented them from turning down his invitation.

"Okay," Lex answered eventually, bearing a genuine smile on their face for the first time that night.

#their backstory is developed further than that but i'm not gonna make them traumadump their tragic past on their first meeting. anyways #this is ok to reblog btw! #i normally only write for myself so this is my first time ever posting my writing publically :) pls be nice #self ship #self shipping #self ship community #self insert x canon #oc x canon #my writing #i guess i have. a writing tag now. #🧡🪕 sunshine banjo face 🪕🧡

[absentcaryatid]

Kang and Yeosang

An ATEEZ fanfic by AbsentCaryatid

While fighting a crush on your coworker known only in writing, you finally meet and are attracted to the handsome man across the hall from your apartment.

4.7K words, Content note: teen and up, gender neutral reader, mention of giant mobile game breasts, unelaborated mention of insects, alcohol references, food

~

You stared at the latest exchange with your collaborator, a mysterious artist who went by the mononym Kang. Such an attractive man if his progressive worldviews were anything to go by. One day you hoped to meet him, hear his voice and see what he looked like, but that was not likely. His identity was a closely guarded secret, even from your publisher.

Surprised but thrilled was how you would describe the feeling when such a big-name illustrator had originally taken on your project. It was clear from the start that storylines with social justice themes would not ever be a runaway hit, but with his name attached to it, more people were willing to give it a try than otherwise would so you were very grateful for that much-needed boost.

Based on the hours Kang kept, odds were he lived on another side of the world, but still you mused from time to time about getting to know him better, perhaps through phone or video calls if he ever felt that comfortable. For now though, the friendship that had developed in writing over months of working together on the comic you wrote and he illustrated was enough to bring joy to your life. However tiring your day may have been, Kang was guaranteed to make you laugh. Still, you wondered if there could be more between you in the future.

Sighing heavily as you closed the laptop, it was time to get back to another aspect of your work, preparing for the latest convention. Your pet sitter had dropped out at the last minute so you were looking to find someone else in the building to feed your babies while you were away. After a few small updates to their care sheet, you thought about the upcoming trip and how good it would be to see your dear friend Seonghwa again as the printer zipped through the simple task. While you had been offered a room in the hotel where the comic con was being held, staying at the home of your childhood friend was preferable to have the most time together possible.

Freshly printed instruction list in hand, you stuck your head out of your apartment wondering which neighbor to ask first. In a lucky stroke of timing, the quiet man who lived across the hall was just unlocking his door. Despite months of living so closely, this was the first time you had actually seen him.

At your greeting he gave a small nod and a timidly voiced introduction that belied his words. “I'm Yeosang. A pleasure to meet you.” A hand shot out to shake, then was quickly withdrawn and he wiped it on his pants. “Sorry. I just took the trash out.”

Despite being flustered, Yeosang seemed kind of cute. At your own introduction, he finally made eye contact and you noticed a distinct carnation shaped birthmark by his eye. While you were not good with faces, you figured it would be easy to recognize your neighbor in the future.

Before you could ask him for the favor, he blurted out, “Oh! I have a piece of your mail, just came in today. Come inside and I will get it.”

As you followed Yeosang into his apartment, the idea struck you that maybe your good-looking neighbor could take your mind off the comics illustrator you could not shake from your thoughts. Your first impression was that Yeosang was not long-term dating material based on the hesitant personality shown so far, but he might be good for a little bit of fun from time to time, tiding you over until better prospects came along.

“Um, please excuse the mess, I am mid-project right now.”

He wasn't kidding, a whole factory's worth of supplies littered the living room. What appeared to your inexpert eye to be drone parts were scattered across the floor and you carefully picked your way around them. Despite your caution, you bumped the single pristine space of the computer desk. Three huge monitors sprung to life when the mouse jiggled from the impact, and they weren’t the only thing that was big.

The inoffensive screen saver with cutsey flower-headed comic characters had dissolved, revealing super busty art in progress on the center screen. Yeosang hastily moved to hide the drawing while you could not help but stare. It was not that the character was scantily clad so much as the skin-tight fantasy costume made it clear her massive, levitating breasts were supported by wishful thinking rather than an undergarment. In his ill-fated attempt to minimize the window, Yeosang instead activated the animation and now her chest undulated, breasts inexplicably bobbing slowly in opposite directions.

What a way to learn more about your neighbor. “I am sorry to have interrupted your, er, activity.”

Yeosang hid his face in his palms. Finally looking back up, but without making eye contact he offered, “Please believe me when I say I'm not into that. Someone with a chest like yours is far more attractive to me.” There was a visible cringe as he realized what had just tumbled from his mouth.

You let him squirm a little, listening to copious apologies before waving your hand to cut him off. “You are fine, I know what you meant. I find your chest more attractive than that too.”

The chuckle evoked by your own admission sounded like 'hehet.' Yeosang regained his composure then explained, “I work as a mobile game artist, among other things. This job is what pays the bills, but is not what brings meaning to my life.”

Sincerity shone through his tone, and you felt your heart soften for your neighbor. In any case, there was nothing wrong with being into beach ball sized breasts, it just was not something that worked on you. Feeling bad for Yeosang, you changed the topic to something less stressful. “I came over hoping for a neighborly favor. My pet sitter for this coming weekend fell through and I was wondering if you could fill the role.”

“Any other time I could do that for you, but I am traveling for work myself.” Your face fell, but Yeosang offered to be your first call next time. “The way I focus when drawing, I tend to keep to myself. I'm trying to be less reserved and could do with more neighbor interactions. Please do let me know another time if you need a check-in on whatever animal you have. I love mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fish, birds..., insects too. All good for drawing practice.” His enthusiasm was charming, and you could see yourself falling for your shy hallmate if given the chance.

“Two chinchillas, Cream Puff and Trogdor the Burninator.” At the raise of his eyebrows, you added, “Named by my nieces. Not much to draw but a circle, and you already seem to know how to draw those,” you teased with a glance to the monitors, “but you are welcome to come by any time to see my babies if you wanted to.”

Taking the joke well, Yeosang's grin answered your own, and you began to imagine maybe this could lead to something more in time. Of course that depended on knowing more about his stances on issues that were very important to you. It was early yet in what had not even developed into a friendship, and you intended to stay hopeful but realistic. At least, as much as you could in the presence of someone who so effortlessly looked ethereal as he passed over your mail and led you back out to the shared hallway.

Once in your own home you sank against the door and fanned yourself with what turned out to be junk mail. Though headed for the trash, it had given you the chance to get to know a little bit about your neighbor, despite the bumpy start, so you looked at it fondly. Your reverie was interrupted by a ping of the phone. Chattier than usual, it was a purely social message from Kang.

“Been meaning to ask you something. If we ever have the chance to meet in person, I'd like to take you out for a drink. What do you say?”

Giving in to the fantasy of his question, you replied positively. As long as you were daydreaming, what could it hurt? You did not even know if newly met Yeosang liked you back, so the attention from your co-worker made you feel good for the moment. “I could use a drink after the day I have had. Interesting but stressful, and I still don't have a pet sitter and time is running out since I leave for the work thing tomorrow.” Getting up off the floor, you headed to the refrigerator and rummaged around until unearthing a bottle of something alcoholic. Cider, beer, wine spritzer, whatever it was didn't particularly matter. You would fly more comfortably tomorrow if you made sure to relax this evening.

“My day is not off to a good start either.” An instant response. Again unlike Kang's more leisurely typed interactions. Caught up in conversation, you entertained each other for the next two hours. A lightweight when it came to drinking, you realized perhaps the alcohol had made you open up in a way you otherwise would not have done.

Thankfully your bags were already packed and you had no responsibilities other than getting the chinchillas sorted out. A quick text dashed off to your sibling got a yes that they would come pick them up for a little visit at their place in the care of the kids who had named them. That settled, you regretfully finished up your chat with Kang and showered before hitting bed.

Far too early, the clock radio sounded leading to a confused moment wondering why it had been set before dawn. Soon after, your phone started singing as the alarm titled 'Airport, Sleepyhead' showed on the screen. You were nothing if not predictable on these early mornings starting a day of travel. Thanking your alarm setting self for being so realistic about the support needed this morning, you dressed and wheeled the full suitcase out the door and into the waiting car provided by your publisher.

Once at the airport and through security you had time to enjoy a leisurely breakfast. The company you worked for was generous, but not so much that your business class ticket came with a meal. It probably wouldn't have been as good as what you were savoring now anyway. The egg croissant gooey with cheese was a favorite routine of yours when traveling. You munched while revisiting the texts from last night and became alarmed how revealing you had been. At least you had not declared love for the man, but you had been rather free with your feelings, disclosing to Kang things you had only previously talked over with someone as close as Seonghwa.

The lengthy plane ride was uneventful, but tiring nonetheless. Meeting you at the gate, Seonghwa enveloped you in a massive hug. Even waiting for your luggage was a joy because you were together again. It had been far too long. Best friends for years, you held nothing back while walking to his car. “You look fantastic. How is your love life? Anybody I need to know about?”

He struck a dramatic pose, licked his lips and answered, “Same as always, people are too intimidated by my godlike features.”

As vain as Seonghwa sounded, you knew it was all bluster and it made you laugh. It felt so good to be seeing each other in person again. Frequent video chats could not convey the full pleasure of being in his presence. Sure he was attractive, but it was more an aura of warmth and care that you had been missing. The ride to his home passed pleasantly and in no time at all he was unloading your suitcase from the car's storage and easily hefting it into the entryway.

“How about you? Made any progress telling your artist you have a crush on him yet?”

Seonghwa's question made you flinch as you settled on the couch. “How can I? He is my coworker. Besides, last night we were both a little tipsy as we chatted and he said he has his eye on his neighbor. I confessed a fondness for mine too and we bonded over it.” You put your head in your hands and groaned. “I can't believe I told him that.”

“You are smiling though, there must be more,” Seonghwa encouraged.

“We talk every day, and even without a clue what he looks like, I do think I am a little bit in love. It is not like he is a stranger. We have even compared ages so I know he is not a senior citizen. Turns out we were born the same year.” You sighed. “Kang has to be on the other side of the world though if the hours he keeps are any clue. We will probably never meet which is for the best anyway. For all I know he is that friendly with lots of people and I’m not that special.”

Seonghwa’s hand reached for yours gently. “You are special to me, and Kang would be a fool to miss out on such a good thing if he got a chance with you.”

His kind words took the slump out of your shoulders. It was a pity you had never been interested in Seonghwa romantically because he had a lot of traits you valued, but as he had just demonstrated, they were equally desirable in a friend. You had it good, even if your love life was going nowhere at the moment. “I might as well look locally. I discovered a cute neighbor just last night, but he is a little rough around the edges and I am not looking for a fixer-upper project. When I asked Yeosang about pet sitting I interrupted his busty digital maiden art project.”

Your friend straightened and looked alert. He asked incredulously, “Yeosang, as in the Yeosang?” Seonghwa pulled you from the couch, dragging you into his bedroom.

More than a little surprised, you joked, “I’m not that desperate that I want you, my dear.”

He stuck out his tongue playfully. “No, no, no. Look at this.”

Standing by the bed, you kept your eyes low. “I am afraid to look. Tell me instead, Seonghwa.”

Lifting your chin with a finger, he directed your gaze to the life size poster on the wall causing you to scoff at an impossibly buxom character with buoyant breasts.

With a withering look he continued. “The art on his computer, was it in this style?”

“Yeah, that looks similar, I guess, though I suspect Yeosang is not the only one to draw chests this big.” Squinting at the signature, it did indeed have the same name as your neighbor. Art wasn't your thing, if you could call this art, and you could not pick out stylistic similarities if your life depended on it.

Seonghwa looked ecstatic. “I’ll date him if you don’t want him. Yeosang is a legend.”

Rolling your eyes as your punched your friend lovingly, you shook your head while returning to the living room. Thankfully there was a spare room that was yours for the night. While you got along great with Seonghwa, the few differences in your tastes were dramatic and platonically sharing a bed was out of the question with art like that looming over you.

Feeling no shame, Seonghwa left you to recuperate from the plane as he bustled in the kitchen. Having moved to a later time zone, you yawned through the delicious meal then tucked down before dark knowing you would have more time together after the conference.

Bright and early you were met with a bedside tray of breakfast courtesy your thoughtful host. The enticing aroma of quality coffee made the task of waking up far more tolerable. Seonghwa left you to prepare for the day and returned some time later to announce your ride was outside. With a last look in the mirror to satisfy yourself readers would be meeting someone approximating a respectable author, you kissed Seonghwa's cheek and headed out.

When guided to your table at the venue, you seated yourself and started setting out comics for sale. The publisher had already done the important work of setting up the table including a showy banner with your name. So engrossed in preparations, it took a moment to realize someone had called out your name in a questioning voice. When you looked up, it was quite a surprise who it was.

Unable to place the man at first, the birthmark at his temple finally jogged your memory. “Yeosang?” You could not figure out what your neighbor was doing so far from home. Of course he must be attending the comics convention, but to be at this one multiple time zones away seemed too large a coincidence. Confused, all you could do was mumble, “General admission doesn’t open up for another half-hour.”

Before he could respond, a publicist came to the neighboring table with a sign you could not see from the other side. Yeosang shrugged. “I'm looking for an author friend who has a table here today. Seeing my neighbor here is an unexpected bonus. Congratulations on being an author. I had no idea. You will have to tell me what you write about sometime.” While his words said all the right things, it was clear his attention was elsewhere. Only someone so preoccupied would have missed the titles spread out on your table.

Rather abruptly, Yeosang returned to scanning the room. It looked like your neighbor was not a catch after all. It was probably for the best you had not gotten too attached to him yet. Still, given his good looks, a fling might have been fun, but even for that you had standards.

Finally resuming conversation Yeosang announced without context, “My full name seemed good for picture book work, filling the role of a pseudonym to keep it separate from my other art.” Looking down to your banner as he stood before it he added, “I see you have one yourself, that is not the name from your mail.”

“Yes, I took my mother's family name for professional use.” Finally coming to understand your newly met neighbor was here as a fellow author, it took a while to catch on that Yeosang had gone silent.

After a moment apparently buffering, the way his eyes widened hinted that he recognized the name on your display, that of the comic writer. You felt defensive as he began to chuckle, again in his unique 'hehet' way. Being accustomed to laughter when people learned you wrote a social justice comic still did not mean you were comfortable with the reaction.

“There is something I need to tell you.” Leaning in across the table, the name he whispered left you reeling. “When I hoped to see you today, I never dreamed we had met before. I'm Kang. Your Kang.” Pulling back as you were left momentarily breathless, he turned his desk sign into view with a grin. 'Meet Hehetmon and Friends Author/Illustrator Kang Yeosang' it proudly announced beside the charming flower-topped doodle character familiar from the screensaver at his apartment. Your furtive neighbor Yeosang was the very same person you worked with as Kang, and he had an unexpected sideline in literature for preschoolers.

“It really is you, isn't it? Here I was going to surprise my friend and co-worker once I learned we would be at the same event, and I got quite a surprise too.” Rounding his table and sliding into the folding chair at your side, Yeosang continued to make it very clear he was present as a professional, just like yourself. Gone was the momentarily suave voice from the identity reveal, replaced by a more enthusiastic one you recognized in tone if not sound from his text conversations over the past months. That familiarity helped you accept it really was Kang before you.

Yeosang took in a breath and apologized for the way he had first ignored you in favor of searching for the person who turned out to be you. “Meeting my collaborator, well, you, was the only thing I could think about. I hope my poor behavior is something you can come to forgive in time. This was a bad first impression.”

Knowing him as long as you had made it easier to overlook the slight. You could not imagine how out of it you would have been to know in advance your crush Kang was going to be here today. It took only a moment of thought to accept his apology and remind him that he had made a good first impression long ago.

Looking very relieved, Yeosang then changed the subject to something less stressful mentioning, “I travel a lot for work. The school presentations are my favorite.”

“You do that for our comic?”

“Actually no, though we could start doing that together if you like. It is for my Hehetmon characters. I have one picture book out and the publisher has asked for a series which could lead to a television show. If all that comes through, I can quit the other job.”

You looked aghast. Reaching for his hand you asked, “What would I do without you? The success of our work comes more from you than me. Your art carries the stories.”

Pulling away from your touch far too soon he corrected, “No, not that job,” as he waved his hands wildly. “The video game character you stumbled upon. I could quit illustrating that awful mobile game. You know, the ladies and their...,” he trailed off as he mimed substantial curves on his chest while you snickered.

Beginning again on more solid conversational footing, he counseled, “Don't sell yourself short. When a friend of mine at the publisher mentioned your socially conscious project, I jumped at the chance to join in. It was all your words selling me on the comic.”

You beamed at the compliment from the man you respected. In no time at all, you were talking like old friends because you were, just in writing alone up to this point. Yeosang reiterated he had known his collaborator would be here today, just with no clue you would be the same person as his neighbor. “That is why I asked the other night if we could ever go out together should we meet. I didn't think I could be brave enough face to face without knowing your response in advance. My original thought was for a friendly drink, but seeing you now confirms a real date would be my preference if you are open to that.”

It left you in awe that this forward but very desired approach was coming from the same person who had seemed so awkward in his apartment. You were stunned to think that all this time the man of your dreams lived not a world apart, but simply across the hall. The two of you had been typing away, deep in meaningful conversation mere meters from each other and never aware of it.

Yeosang seemed to take your pause as a decline. “If you don't want to socialize with a coworker I understand. I hope I did not make things awkward now that we are about to greet readers.”

Flashing a genuine smile, you gave the answer that a date with your friend was a welcome offer.

That settled, Yeosang appeared to relax and he happily made light conversation until convention goers trickled by your tables. It felt good to be side by side all day. There were even lulls in visitors giving you breaks to chat. Frequently you caught knowing smiles from Yeosang whenever someone complimented the artist you worked with or appeared with one of his drawings for the series on a shirt.

A few of your sharp-eyed readers questioned the name Kang at your side making you nod and contemplate aloud the non-answer of how common the name was. Certainly the simple Hehetmon character looked nothing like Yeosang's comic book illustrations to actually link the two identities despite the same family name on the covers.

While making polite conversation with your fans, you also kept an ear on his activity noting Yeosang deflected the well-meant admiration of his looks, and studiously ignored those attempting to flirt. At this point you could not tell if your friend was dense, immaculately professional, or disinterested in their attention. It took all your will power to squash the hope he might already have someone in mind he'd prefer that attention from.

Having kept a low-profile until now, Yeosang learned the glamorous life of a creator at a con included a simple box lunch to be eaten while working.

“This one is pretty good, as these things go,” you informed him between bites as you recuperated from the morning of socializing with fans.

He nodded, accepting your expertise. “I have been wondering,” he began hesitantly, “is tonight too soon for our date?”

You did not mind letting him see your eagerness, but he was turned down nonetheless. “I would take you up on it if I didn’t know I had the chance to see you again back home. Also, I am staying with a friend and want to make the most of our time together.”

“Oh. Together? Are you 'together' together?”

“Seonghwa?” The thought had you laughing. “No, he’ll be just right for somebody someday, but not me.” You leaned in closer, “Too tidy for my tastes. Besides, I have a crush on my neighbor across the hall, as well you know from our chat the other night.”

Yeosang's eyes widened. Pointing to himself, he asked, “So that neighbor you are into?”

“And you too referenced liking a neighbor,” you proudly reminded him. “Wait, so that embarrassing situation you mentioned when we talked for hours was me discovering your mobile game art?”

He busied himself making a close study of the floor while talking. “The very friend I confided in about my bad day was you. If only I had revealed details we would have known our identities sooner.” Looking back up he added, “I'll never live your visit down.”

You patted his shoulder consolingly. “If we end up a couple then it makes a great story. I truly would love to go on a real date later on. For now though, Seonghwa’s a fan of yours. Why don't you come to dinner with us as a surprise guest, as long as you promise not to fall for him.”

“If he’s only interested in my game designs then I wouldn’t. Not when I already have fallen for someone with far more depth.”

The way Yeosang held your eyes left you swooning for what would be the first of many times for the rest of your lives. Getting back into the mindset of interacting with fans for the afternoon was one of the most difficult things you had ever accomplished, and you hoped you did not make too poor a showing.

Over the dinner that followed, Yeosang was the only one on your mind, despite your good intentions for spending the final evening with your host. Seonghwa didn't mind third wheeling since he got the chance to meet the artist he admired. You'd have to thank him with a busty commission for his birthday from your own favorite, and local to you, illustrator.

The next morning was filled with goodbye hugs and promises to visit Seonghwa again soon before you headed to join Yeosang at the airport. Once he had discovered your flight home was the same, it took a little work, but your neighbor was able to move his seat to your side. Enthusiastically taking up the chance to get to know each other with uninterrupted face to face conversation, the early hours were spent talking animatedly.

By the time lunch was over, your developing romantic relationship had progressed to napping on each other, cuddled closely with the armrest up. There was a lot to be said for enjoying the company of your friend online, but meeting in person certainly had advantages too.

~

Yeosang Masterlist

General Masterlist

#ATEEZ #ATEEZ Fanfic #Kpop Fanfic #ATEEZ Fluff #Kpop fluff #gender neutral reader #diverseinsertknet #Yeosang #Kang Yeosang #ATEEZ Yeosang #Hehetmon

[cherishmangoes]

Life Taken for Granted

Guess what's making me write this stuff? A movie and I'll obviously mention its name later below. So what makes you think that you'll be alive tomorrow? You're 18? 10? 25? 50? name it, the youngest possible or even an age that seems to be where death doesn't knock its doors often, well lemme tell you if a guy at age 26 could have a heart attack, or a person who is 9 years old could go in a completely unresponsive state or god knows you're in a car accident and next time you wake up you have an episode of memory loss for whatever period of time, well you don't know what life could give you. It's funny how so many of us born so healthy yet don't question god or a doctor or whatever entity, why? Yet when an obstacle strikes us really bad of any kind, sometimes continuously, we always wonder "What did I do to deserve this?" or "Why does it always happen to me?". We so many times forget to appreciate the simplest things in our life; our legs, they're able to walk mountains; our hands, so we could type or draw; our eyes see the most beautiful things like the people closest to us or the beauty of the world; or every little thing that people may do for us that goes unnoticed like the good mornings or the good nights, the breakfast that your parents have prepared for you or even the fact how clumsy/overprotective but cute your sibling can be or the time with your pet or the support of your friend even at the smallest times, its all really golden, and trust me there is so much more compared to what I have written, but well I bet you already know by now. My point for all of this? What guarantee you got that the person sitting across your dining table would be alive tomorrow? That could be anyone really. We have no idea about it yet we agonize about our life every minute of our precious time of what we're gonna do in the future. 10 years, 5 years down the lane where do you see yourself? Hell we don't even know what could happen the very next second. Look I get it we do set goals and have our dreams, ambitions and passion but

1. Don't get so lost in for the future that you forget to appreciate the now

2. If you don't know what you wanna do in life, or what you're gonna become, stop thinking and stressing about it so much, like stop and think just why are you so anxious about it? (Well this is coming from a person who has faced this and is probably facing it and trust me thinking about it wont do shit) well of course knowing your interests could help and one shouldn't be clueless about themselves or unaware of what's going around them but dude stop thinking and start trying out stuff, it could be jobs, programs, anything. Don't be so lost in thinking that you lose an amazing opportunity.

3. Start being grateful for life, I'm not saying that if you've faced something horrible or you are facing something like that right now, don't feel sad about it ,NO, that's wrong feel it, get help ,cry because you're only human but don't ever get so stuck in the void of darkness that all you do every time and all the time is sulk, whine, cry, become ungrateful and don't move past it. Instead of keeping it in your mind and not letting it go or trying to forget about it, keep it there but rather than crumbling it like a piece of paper and letting it occupy so much space in your mind, fold it neatly and keep it aside. Life is learning how to do that and life is so much more than just pain. So stop wasting your time on things that don't matter and start spending it with people and things that actually do. As it was once there in "In Time" the movie, if time was our currency rather than money, maybe we would know why to value it more than anything.

The movie that I teared up from was "The Awakenings" available on Netflix, revolves around mainly on a disorder which leads to a person becoming unresponsive. How people lose 10, 20, 30 years of life and come back to only know the whole world has changed, that they have aged. How sometimes people would like to be alive and normal, but what could be this normal? Just going on a walk or reading a book without any disturbances, enjoying such times. And so it leaves us with a lesson, a message that maybe its us who needs to be awakened to try and live life to its fullest extent, while we can by just talking, empathy, enjoying and gratitude. I hope this helped you or was maybe a useful piece of information. This is meant to be a reminder to people.

Thankyou!

(My apologies for any grammatical errors or just errors in general, it's my first time writing a blog and don't forget to watch the movies I have mentioned above, both are totally worth your time and available on Netflix)

#life stuff #thought #feeling #gratitude

[cupcakes-and-pain]

Pt. 4 Salamander Hunting (finale?)

Charles fixes each boy with a blanket in the den while Ollie doles out teas and hot cocoa. Once everyone is settled around the fireplace, Saige opens his arms for Ollie to join him in his blanket. "Saige," Riley hisses. "Boundaries," he mouths. He closes his blanket around him with an apologetic look.

"So what do you boys get up to when you're not terrorizing the local amphibians?" Charles smiled politely, starting with Riley.

"I've been taking classes online. Film Studies and Cinematography mostly." Charles nods and moves onto Saige. "I'm learning to cook! I used to burn water but now I can make pasta carbonara."

"I might bother you for your recipe. And Ardrian? How about you?"

The grand room all of a sudden feels to warm for Adrian. He runs his hands through his stupid haircut and stares down at his mud speckled ankles, trying to think of what to say. He didn't want to tell Mr. Charles about the tv show. Someone like Mr. Charles wouldn't stoop as low to watch such mindless drivel. He wishes hed been placed with a master half as elegant and poised as Mr. Charles rather than the troupe of hooligans he was stuck with. His jealousy towards Ollie is so overpowered by embarrassment and shame that he excuses himself before the tears can leave his eyes.

"Ollie darling, why don't you go check on your friend while I keep our guests entertained."

Ollie nodded and followed Adrian, grateful that he was allowed to make sure his friend was okay. Master Charles was so nice. Most people didn’t care about the feelings of a slave.

He found Adrian in a hallway, crying.

“What’s wrong? Is there anything I can do?”

Adrian sniffled. “’m fine. Just go back to your master.”

Ollie sat down next to the other pet. When Adrian scooted away, Ollie scooted closer.

“You aren’t fine. I just- I just want to help you. What happen? Was it something he said?”

Adrian shook his head.

“Then what? What happened?” When Ollie didn’t get a reply, he began to tear up. “Is it me? I know I’m annoying. I’m sorry. You must hate me. Please, I’m sorry! I can be quiet from now on. I can be less… less… I don’t know. Just tell me what you want me to do!”

“Jesus, Ollie, I don’t want you to do anything. You’re fine, I’m not mad at you. I promise. You aren’t annoying. I just…” Adrian sighed and gestured around the room. “You live in a place like this! And you look like that! I’m not mad at you, I’m… jealous, I think.”

“Jealous?”

“Hmm. I guess not. More like, not happy with my station. My owner and his crew aren’t exactly proper. They act… not how I expected. What I’d give to have a life even half as good and perfect as yours. An owner like Mr. Charles. Nice clothes. Good hobbies, not just working on the show.”

“Ooh, a show? That can’t be bad.”

Adrian rolled his eyes and Ollie shrank back.

“It’s not the kind of thing Mr. Charles would approve of. If he knew what I did with my time… I don’t know. I want him to like me. I want to stay as long as I can hear, in a warm, comfy house.” Adrian shot Ollie a glance and quickly added, “Not that I’m trying to take away your master’s attention or anything! I promise, I wouldn’t do that to you. I only meant that I don’t want to be thrown back out into the creek. I like being his guest, but I won’t take your place.”

Ollie’s face eased. “Thank you. I’m glad that you don’t want that.” Then, in the quieter voice, Ollie added, “It’d be really easy if you did.”

Adrian frowned. “Hey, no. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. You aren’t as hatable or replaceable as you think.”

Ollie gives Adrian a smile, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.

“Thanks. That’s very nice of you to say. Now, do you want to come back and face everyone? Mr. Charles was planning on having cookies for dessert tonight.”

Adrian smiles brightly. “That sounds wonderful, Ollie. Thank you for being a good friend.”

Adrian watched how his words made Ollie glow. This time, his smile wasn’t fake. In fact, Ollie was grinning from ear to ear as he tackled Adrian into a hug.

“Thank you!! Thank you, thank you, thank you. And you’re great too!”

Adrian grins back, and they walk together back to the warm room where there’s cookies and friends waiting for them.

#salamander hunting asks #ask #charles & ollie #omg I’m so sorry this took forever #can’t believe I forgot it in the drafts for a whole month #but this has been really fun!! it doesn’t have to be the end if you have another idea #but for now at least I’m really glad I got to do this with you #you and your characters are so amazing thank you #and if you do want to continue I promise to not forget to post it lol #or maybe we could start a different thing #whatever floats your boat #no pressure to continue it if you don’t want to tho #and once again. thanks for doing this with me!! it was a lot of fun

[sankta-starkova]

BURN IT DOWN

010; NARKINA FIVE

previous chapter | next chapter | masterlist

summary: the one where harlow kaz goes into a new mission with her best friend to help the rebellion but ends up meeting a man who changes her life completely

wordcount: 1.4k

Home felt empty without Nemik. Harlow hated her lifestyle, the riches, the high rise flats but she knew that she could be grateful for it.

The reason why she was in the rebellion was to help people like her family who were slaughtered and to encourage people who were living like her to join a cause bigger than themselves.

It had been nearly three months since she had last seen Cassian and she was worried that he hadn't sent a message yet, wondering what trouble he had gotten himself into now

Instead she stood in the mirror in a long teal dress, getting ready for Mon Mothmas senator party.

She had been invited due to her work on abolishing slave trade in the outer regions and was seen as the next best political - Mon was mentoring her when she was around.

Harlow always had a back up plan, if the rebellion slowed she would work here but she wanted to be free and to save the galaxy through hard work.

The drive to Mons was slow and it gave her too much time to think about what she was doing and the people she had left in her life.

She had to get information about where Cassian was, she was worried sick about him and at this point he was the only person he had left.

Cinta and Vel had gotten home safe about two weeks ago but had left nearly as quickly as they had gotten there on some secret Misson that Luthens assistant had set but they wouldn't tell her.

She didn't have her best friend anymore and coruscant felt like a ghost town and she was walking through tainted memories.

Her adopted father was distant with all of his work ever since the funds were starting to dry off and he wasn't telling her about his secret trips off world.

And to top it all off she had no work in the rebellion so she felt redundant, stuck to working the politicians to try and get some aid for lesser off people in the galaxy.

That was the only reason why she was standing in the elevator to Mons suite, she needed to get some help on where she could go to do something to help people.

Harlow walked over to Mon Mothma as soon as she was done being stuck to the stuffy politicians at the party who had lured her in with talks of her school paper.

When Nemik used to be here, he could charm them for days, telling then all about their idea and entrancing them. Harlow just felt like she didn't speak as eloquently and that she seemed almost difficult in comparison.

She stood next to the woman at the bar, "Sorry Mon, I was just wondering if we could talk?" She questioned, clearly desperate for answers.

She looked around, making sure nobody heard them, "Yes, of course, is this about the uh, friend again?" Mon asked.

"Yes, have you heard anything?" Harlow asked, her voice almost pleading.

She shook her head, "I'm sorry Harlow, I've listened to some channels but nobody has even heard of this man," she explained, seeing the heartbreak in the girls eyes.

She wished she would visit her more knowing now she lived on her own with nobody to care for her. This man was clearly the only person she seemed to have left.

"Well, thank you for trying Mon," she said with a sigh, shaking her head in disappointment.

Harlow was worried because she hadn't heard from Cinta and Vel in a while and now she didn't really have anyone. She would sit in her apartment all day doing nothing, grieving the life she used to have.

Thats when Perrin came over, an obnoxiously large smile on his face as he offered the girl squigs and she kindly refused.

"Hello Tay," Mon Mothma said and Harlow looked over her shoulder to see the Senator of Chandrilla standing there.

"Tay Kolma, how prompt you are," Perrin said and Harlow could hear the bitterness in his voice, "Still in town or commuting?"

"Bit of both," he said before looking at Harlow, his eyes narrowing at the girl "Are you not going to introduce me to your friend Mon?"

"How rude of me," she said with a politicians smile, "This is Harlow Kaz, her father is the antiquities dealer down by that lovely diner. She is the best up and coming poltician that Coruscant has to offer,"

"Harlow Kaz, you worked with um, Karis Nemik at Coruscants finest political school," he said and she nodded, "I read your paper"

She wanted to be proud that such a prominent politician had read hers and nemiks paper on outer rim reform and control but also she was upset because Nemik was an orphan and had no family, she had no explanation as to why he hadn't come back with her so she pretended that he was elsewhere.

So she grieved on her own.

"Really? That's an honour sir, Nemik would be amazed if he was here-" she said, her face falling, "-you know, cause he's moved to work on abolishing slave routes in the outer rim,"

"That's wonderful work, but the senator I'd here more for politics than charity," Perrin said, narrowing his eyes at Tay.

She could clearly tell the man's distaste for Tay Kolma and she pondered on the idea that Mon was having an affair with her old childhood friend.

"The new legislation is definitely having an effect," Tay said before turning to Harlow, "And you, my dear, must talk to me later about your work,"

"The rebels might have thought that over before blowing up Aldhani," Perrin said, leaning against the side.

Harlow froze up and looked at Mon, one of the only other people who knee about her involvement in the plot.

"Perrin, I don't think there's any need to mention such atrocities," Mon said, shaking her head, she knew how much Harlow had gone through there and what she had fought for - even if she didn't agree with it herself.

Tay noticed the look between the two and wondered if Harlow was also involved in Mon Mothmas rebellion plan.

"Good luck feeding the galaxy, I'm off to feed myself," Perrin said, grabbing his glass of squigs before walking off.

Harlow looked at her watch, "I'll let you two talk but Mon, could you get that thing done for me, I think I'm going to head off," she said, a smile on her face.

"So soon?" Mon asked, wondering what the girl was up to now.

"I have work to do," she said, putting on her perfect fake smile. She didn't want to mention that these events were heartless without Nemik and she felt sick even being here.

Tay chuckled, "A budding politicians work is never done," he said and she nodded.

"That's very true, it was lovely to meet you Tay, and I'll see you around Mon," she said before heading towards the door.

The second she got into the elevator, she rested her head back against the large mirror with a groan.

She pulled out her comms device, seeing that her small pager had a red notification and she knew that the only place that could have come from was Maarva.

She needed her help and Harlow had promised Cassian that she would look after her. Harlow wasn't going to break that promise, even if that meant risking her position in the government and her work to change the galaxy for better.

#cassian andor x kaz!oc #burn it down; cassian andor #cassian andor #cassian andor fanfiction #cassian andor fic #cassian andor x fem!oc #cassian andor x oc #cassian andor x reader #diego luna #star wars #cassian andor angst #cassian andor fanfic #cassian andor fluff #star wars series #star wars angst #star wars fic #star wars fanfiction

[troidatoi]

Day 6 - 9/10/2023

Guess who keeps on crying? Me! This week had fucking hands like literally tossed me around and threw me on the floor stomped on me. lmao. I'm trying not to let it get to me but I mean it's me so I am going through the motions right now until I feel better. I was driving to a friend's house last Friday when my car stopped and nothing was working so I had to pull over. Thankfully my friend and his dad came to help me and they had triple A. Got my car towed back to my house and I felt so bad because they stayed with me for two hours but I'm so grateful for them. My dad was being annoying about it and I'm like please just be quiet. I hate how my parents are so cheap with things that will benefit us in the future. My parents didn't want to get triple A because they're like we don't need it! And lo and behold! We needed it! With me being misdiagnosed the day before and then this happening to my car, I wanted to run out into the street so someone can run me over. lmao. I'm trying to eat more but my body's still in pain and I wish I wasn't in so much pain. I so badly want to enjoy food again without being scared. I know for a fact I have all the fucking above, eating disorders, body dysmorphia, etc. I'm trying to love myself while trying to fix my digestive system so that my body isn't in pain but it really is so hard. lol. The supplements help temporarily but I need a permanent fix and I know it's coming! It's hard to not hate myself while looking in the mirror but I'm trying my best. I can't thank my body enough for still trying to fight for me and for it to be as strong as it is while I abused it so much with food but I'm trying to have a healthier relationship with my body and food. I know I'll get there. Health is wealth!!

Job hunting is depressing the fuck out of me. lmao. I keep crying about it. I know someone is going to hire me this month. I just feel stuck with no way out and I have bills I need to pay. My mom's been helping me pay for somethings which of course I'm very appreciative of. Once I get a new job, I'm definitely going to treat her out to a nice meal or buy her a nice bag. I have to remind myself that this is all temporary. I do have a job with MGM Resorts tomorrow so I hope that goes well. I'm glad it's a WFH job because they're in Vegas. lol. I'll take anything at this point (as long as it's within my field). I'm surprised they got back to me so quickly because they called me the day after I applied and one of the hiring managers was already asking me questions. LOL. I was like what and then she's like okay let's set up an interview. I was wondering how they haven't hired someone yet because that job listing's been up for a month or so. Either no one is applying for that position, they didn't like anyone they interviewed for it so far or they're doing that thing companies do where they need to post something but they'll just hire within. I am hoping that's not the case. It'd be cool to work for them. I'd be down. Like if they hired me on the spot, I'd take it. LMAOOO.

I did a free Pilates class this morning and it was nice. I miss doing Pilates so bad. I struggled today. lmao. But the instructor was super nice and I thanked her for all the help and she said I did a good job today. <3 Once I get a new job and pay off a lot of my credit card debt, I'll probably take Pilates classes again and go to personal training again!! I just can't wait to feel better about my mind and body in general. I know that amazing thing is coming for me and that all the headaches, inflammation, bloating, pain, and the breakouts will all go away. The gastro doctor already seems 10x better than the holistic doctor that I was seeing.

Yeah, I mentioned I'm like crying a lot huh? LOL. I was finishing up Riverdale cause they put up the last season on Netflix and the last episode made me cry so fawking bad like I cried throughout the whole episode. It was basically about life and death and honestly it was a nice episode because if you've been watching Riverdale a lot of the shit didn't make sense. lmfao. But I think the last season was one of the better seasons because it felt cohesive opposed to their other seasons. Death has always hit me so hard and that episode wrecked me because they talk about how they lived their lives before they passed way and I obviously want to enjoy my life as much as I can which is why I'm always going to games and concerts and doing what I want because I don't want to wait until I'm old to do the things I want to do, you know? My mom gives me shit for it but I'm like okay? I want to have fun. Sometimes it's hard for me though since I think about my health a lot but I'm also trying to find the happiness and joy in things. Despite all the crying I'm doing and have been doing, it's not like I'm purposely trying to be sad or anything. I don't know if it's normal for someone to just feel so intensely about everything because I cry over everything!! And of course I don't want to wait for things to get better. I always try to actively seek out help and try and solve things because I know that there's always a solution for me and that everything always works out for me. It doesn't feel like it right now like my gawd, it doesn't feel like it right now but I know I will.

In June, I had back to back interviews and I was crying and stressed out about it and I was listening to Bulletproof by La Roux and I was like oh, let's see what music she has now and I wish I knew about her recent stuff sooner because it's so goddamn fucking good. Especially her second album. I instantly fell in love. So I dm'ed her on Instagram and I was like she's not going to read it! She's a celebrity! She actually got back to me the next day and I cried because she wrote a long message and I felt like she took the time to write back to me and it was like she didn't have to?! And I wrote her back and she said whatever it is, I got this and idk but it kind of helped me to still keep going. My friends were telling me the same thing but idk why it took an artist for me to be like you know what? Yeah, I am going through all this fucking shit right now but things are going to get better because I want and need it to get better. It still does to this day and after that, I became an even bigger fan of hers. I listened to her in high school and her first album was amazing. I went down a rabbit hole of her interviews and watching her live performances. You can tell she loves what she does. I bought like all this merch and hung up her vinyls and albums on my wall. I sent her a picture of it and a message and if she sees it, then great but if she doesn't then that's okay too! I just wanted to show my appreciation towards her and her music. I know she has a lot of fans that tell her the same thing. Her music does something to my soul and words can't express how much joy it brings me. She sounds like such a lovely person. I would love to see her live and even meet her one day. I hope I get to. I think like a sit down conversation and a hug from her would heal me in ways I wouldn't even know. I know she's dealt a lot with anxiety and everything I read about her, I felt like I could relate. I remember her saying something like she can't really accept things for what they are and I always thought the same for me. I like that she puts out music for her enjoyment and she didn't want to be a huge pop star. She's very humble. I think everything she does is so effortlessly cool like I want to be her when I grow up. lmao. I'm definitely manifesting meeting her one day. I'm always going to remember that she messaged me and I am always going to love her for it.

I'm sure I'm still going to be crying a lot this week but let's just hope for the best case scenario, that my digestive system is healing, that I can eat without being scared, that I'm going to get a new job this month, that I'm going to pay off my debt, that I'll lose the weight and be healthy. To always have hope that everything is always working out for me.

"I can't die until things get better and that's a threat."

[amicidomenicani]

Question Good evening Father Angelo, I have been married for 13 years and we have 4 wonderful children. Although both of us come from Christian families, my husband and I had the grace to understand only recently that really being Christian goes far beyond the Sunday Mass. Despite the fact that we have already been walking in this direction for 5-6 years, it seems to me that we are always stuck at the same point. The only thing that we truly accept unconditionally from the Lord is to welcome all the children that He will want to give us,or take away from us (we have four here, but six more in heaven). There have been many difficulties in recent years, starting with all these pregnancies that have not come to an end, but also the awareness that the Lord slowly arranges everything in the right way and at the right time for each of us and, by the grace of God, we have always "conquered" a greater serenity, even in the moment of trial. With that said, four children is surely challenging, life today is just a race and every time we try to slow down these rhythms there is the unexpected, maybe even positive, but that sends everything to rumble... and time for prayer is not easy to find. I would really like to find the right time for the Lord, personal prayer, and with the whole family, time to teach the children (but first I would like to be more prepared) and above all, prayer with my husband, but this has become a real obstacle. As I think it happens very often, my husband, as far as he knows rationally that we should pray and put God concretely in the first place, is a little less "mature" in this sense. So far, I have always made a mistake by imposing myself whenever I knew I was right, but I learned the great freedom that there is in respecting the order that God has given us and leaving the decisions to my husband, but if I wait for him to pray together, I think it will take years. The question is this - on the one hand I do not want to continue walking without my husband. I would very much like him to be my guide and not the other way around! So I cyclically propose a thousand things to facilitate the spaces for prayer, but nothing or little more than nothing happens. Without insisting and serenely I accept his "maybe tomorrow", but in this way time passes and God is certainly not in the first place. Children are growing up and they don't see us praying, and every day that passes I realize how little I know the scriptures, and God Himself. My faith is very simple and made up of a few solid points, starting from full trust in Him, always feel grateful for all that he has given me and will give me (telling the truth, we have had many proofs on many many fronts, but I am almost ashamed to say it, because hope and trust in Him has never been lacking and therefore sincerely I feel ungrateful to call them "proofs"). If I compare myself with other friends / acquaintances we have less, but honestly we have never really lacked anything, just thanking the Lord. What should I do? My spiritual guide (now distant) had given me indications to read a little bit of the Word of God every day, a small passage of the Imitation of Christ and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and at least a decade of the rosary or chaplet. It is very little actually, I know, but I'm stacked because my husband didn’t follow me. I wish I could discuss it with him then, to be on the same page, so to speak. Am I wrong? So am I putting my desire to walk with my husband first instead of putting God, lacking trust in Him? Maybe He will provide another and better way. I should pray for this wish for my husband to come true, but together with the children? There is already a great imbalance in the family and I, in spite of myself, have more influence than my husband, who sometimes does not have the right sensitivity, patience and ability to listen to them as in reality he would like to do.  Even here should I always support him even when clearly w

rong? One last thing, I often give up the daily Mass (sometimes out of laziness!) often in order not to take time away from my family. Is that alright? Or should I give priority to these desires of mine? (Mass, like other moments of prayer!) Excuse me if I have dwelt so long, but I really can't undo these knots and really make the right space for the Lord in my family. Thank you very much and I wish you a lot of peace and serenity for your heart.  Laura Answer Dear Laura,  1. Reading your email, it comes to mind the reaction of a great Dominican, Father Ceslao Pera, who was a distinguished theologian (he had been decorated with the title of Master in Theology, which is the highest academic recognition within the Dominican order) and at the same time father and teacher of spiritual life for many people who referred to him. Among whom I like to remember Leletta d'Isola, a Dominican tertiary, whose beatification process has been started. Well, to a mother who complained of not being able to do meditation during the period in which she was breastfeeding, Father Pera replied that her function of breastfeeding her baby was worth a thousand meditations. And she remembered that the Lord did not say to think of him, but to love him. 2. Of course it is also important to think of the Lord and be satisfied with him in our meditations and prayers. Because if we are not satisfied with him, it does not even occur to us to love him and to be united with him.  3. For your part, try to do all actions, even the humblest and most hidden for love of him. Repeat to him many times, “It is for you, Lord”. Thus, you learn to give yourself to God for the whole day, avoiding those lamentations and those puffs that make you lose a lot of the beauty and purity of our actions that we all want converted into a continuous act of love for the Lord. 4. However, prayer is also important, just as community moments of prayer are important so that your children may grow up in a religious climate and feel that God is at home. In particular, I recommend some periods of the year such as Advent, Lent, the month dedicated to Mary, and some novenas. You could give your husband the task of preparing this prayer, so he feels more involved.  5. I like to remember the memory that Saint Teresina bore of her father. In the Story of a soul, she writes that even after the death of her mother in her house she continued to pray and it was enough for her to see her father gathered in prayer to immediately understand how the Saints pray. It would be nice if your children also felt the same feeling. This is the best I wish for you and for this I assure you of my prayers for you and for your four dearest children.  I bless you.  Father Angelo

[rcksmith]

Spring breeze — Spencer Reid

Sumarry: Spencer never thought about falling in love with someone, but he certainly didn't expect that he would fall in love with Gideon's daughter. — season 3 —

Part.2 Part.3 Part.4

A/N: I am marathoning Criminal Minds again and I can not express how much I loved the interaction of Gideon and Spencer!! So this idea came as an epiphany, and I love the conception of love at first sight. Maybe this becomes a serie...

English is not my first language, so I so sorry if have a mistake.

Requests are open. Love you ❤️

Couple:Spencer Reid/Gideon's daughter!reader.

Warnings: nothing, just very fluff.

— — — — —

Something was different. Maybe it was the way the sun's rays cascaded down in an atypical way, maybe it was the breeze that carried a more lyrical intonation on its back, or maybe it was just the Earth that was adorned by an ethereal veil. Spencer didn't know how to point out what was really different, but he felt in his soul that something in the hemisphere had changed.

At first, when he took the subway to work, Spencer thought it was just an ephemeral sensation, just like those seconds when you feel the breath of the breeze more cold. But it didn't. The sensation accompanied him to work, to the plane, to the case, it stuck to him like a tattoo and Reid found himself looking around for answers that did not exist physically.

He considered all the theories that were possible to explain that destabilization in his subtly balanced world. But he found none.

“Are you feeling anything different today?” That's what he asked Morgan.

Derek shrugged, finishing packing up at the police station so they could go back to Quantico.

“No.” Then he looked Reid whit his obsidian eyes “Is something bothering you? Is the Genie feeling any peturbation in the Force? ”

Spencer chuckled through his nose at the Star Wars joke, but just shook his head in a 'No'. And the conversation died there. How could he explain something that even he didn't understand?

Trying to ignore the way his heart was beating fast, for no reason, in anticipation of something Spencer himself was unaware of, he wondered how long he was going to have that sensation. The feeling of euphoria, the taste of something, there was something exciting in the air, almost angelic.

But how long was that going to accompany him? One day? One week? Whole life? For the first time, Spencer didn't have the answer. And that was disconcerting.

When BAU's glass doors opened for agents to settle on their desks and Hotch and Gideon go to their respective offeces, a wave of icy breeze from the DC air reverberated through the enclosure. Spencer can see that Morgan shrugged in the wind, Emily looke for a coat in the black suitcase, but his own body didn't seem to be hit by the same breeze. For Reid, it had been a caustic, lyrical, almost spring, wave that carried the promise of something extraordinary on back. Almost divine.

In that split second, in a time as short as a blink, the feeling that his life would never be the same made him losing his breath. Spencer does not know what attracted his gaze to the BAU door, nor what made his whole body turn in that direction, like a magnet, like a wanderer in the desert who finds his Oasis. But he had been attracted, and as soon as a female hand pushed through the glass door and her figure came into view, Spencer understood the extraordinary thing that him heart was beating for in anticipation.

You.

It was as if the universe had been preparing him all day for that moment. As if the body itself tried to prepare it. Because if Spencer hadn't fell those feelings of euphoria all day, he would have drowned in his own reactions to seeing you.

In a burst, like a violin string popping, Reid understood what was different about the hemisphere, because why the air was ethereal, because why the night felt like poetry, and why the moon whispered swears of love. In that moment, Spencer understood the mysteries of the world, unraveled the riddles of life, drank from the wisdom of The Oracle of ancient Greece. In an instant, watching you enter, Spencer understood the reason for his life.

In an instant.

The world shuddered in slow motion, capturing all your movements, all your graceful gait, all your glory. An elegant black dress with thin straps modeled your body in an arcane, almost divine way, your legs were supported on black high heels, making your walk seem like a glide of honey.

You were not beautiful. You are gorgeous. You shone. Sparkled.

And, like an atrocious wave that broke over Reid and pulled him into the sea, that whole feeling that stuck with him all day came to accompany the female figure. Following in your footsteps like the tail of a long dress.

Spencer was sure that his life would never be the same.

They hadn't even sat at their tables when you showed up. Like the muse that came out of an action movie. And when you got close enough to attract the attention of Emily and Morgan, whose Derek opened his mouth when he noticed the female figure that was the personification of Female Fatal, Spencer felt himself letting out the breath he didn't even know he was holding. He knew that anyone with eyes and a little common sense would notice how overwhelmingly beautiful you were, so when Morgan turned his body fully towards you, Reid was not surprised.

“Hi." Your voice, to Reid, had a floral intonation “Do you guys know where I can find Jason?”

When his eyes met yours, Spencer felt his breath being stolen from him once again. Usually, girls like you didn't look twice at guys like him, Spencer knew that. Girls like you liked men like Morgan. Athletes, strong, Alpha Male. And because of that, it was an explosion in Reid's system when you took a few seconds longer in that eye contact and a delightful smile appeared on yours lips. As if you appreciate what you were seeing.

That was a shock. Was it true or was he misinterpreting the signs? Was him mind playing tricks on him, like the flickering shadows of furniture under the darkness and the flame of a candle? Spencer would not be able to say a word without stuttering at that moment even that him life depended on it. In fact, he was already starting to feel cheeks heating up. So he thanked any deities that might exist when Morgan and Emily responded to you and broke the eye contact between the two of you.

“Jason Gideon?” Morgan frowned slightly.

“He's in the office but...” But Emily couldn't finish the sentence before Gideon's voice came out over everyone's:

“Y/n?” It was in a tone that no one there had ever heard in Gideon. A sweet, loving intonation... paternal.

None of the three agents present there had time to express their thoughts in facial expressions before you said:

“Dad!”

Then the whole world took a turn and seemed to be terrified, making them feel as if they had been thrown out of the tenth-floor window. This time, Reid's eyes widened at the two friends, who also had puzzled expressions. Everyone knew that Gideon had a past, probably with divorces and children, a life he had left behind, but no one expected...that.

Perhaps Gideon's vision of a family was something that was only in the imagination, never something tangible. Until that moment. Until the most beautiful girl Reid had ever seen was the daughter of one of the men he respected most. Until him heart soared at alarming levels for him boss's daughter. Spencer had been in trouble before when it came to matters of the heart, but the trouble gained a position in the top 3.

“What are you doing here?” A rare smile appeared on Gideon's face, his brow slightly furrowed.

“We were going to dinner today, remember? In that new Japanese restaurant.” Your tone of voice was not resentful or hurt by the situation that was explicit there.

The life of a BAU agent take many things, some with a more atrocious force than others, and one of them was the availability of hours. commitments that count on presence.

“I totally forgot, I'm sorry.” Gideon's voice was always calm and controlled, he managed to speak from the most tender emotions to the most heinous crimes with a peaceful intonation. But to perceive traces of parental love was new. “The case was very complicated, my cell phone died and...”

“It's okay, Dad.” You smiled, making a casual gesture with your hand “I thought this happened, but I thinking it best to come here to see if everything was okay instead of waiting until tomorrow.”

Your smile, despite being the simple one, was the brightest for Spencer.

Gideon still had a fatherly look and a chaste and grateful smile when he turned to the other agents who were still puzzled.

“Y/n, these are agents Derek Morgan, Emily Prentiss and Dr. Spencer Reid.” Jason introduced them to you “Guys, this is my daughter, Y/n.”

“Is a pleasure.” You smiled genuinely at them.

“I had no idea that you had a daughter!” Emily gave a low, slightly bewildered laugh that also made you laugh.

“Everybody says that.” You looked at your father again, having fun.

“I'm just going to go over some reports with Hotcher before I leave.” Gideon kept a chaste smile. “Why don't you wait here and then let's go get something to eat?”

“Of course, no problem, Dad.” You agreed, adjusting the thin shoulder bag that was on your shoulder.

As Jason went up to Hotcher's office, you turned to the agents again, with a gentle smile on your face.

“My dad said great things about you.” Emily smiled at your statement.

"I'm still chocked ." She laughed, and Morgan added:

“ I really need to know...” he looked around, in a playful suspense “Is Gideon really that serious outside the FBI?”

You laughed “Oh no! Definitely not.”

So you reached for your phone in the litlle bag, hunting for a photo on it and showing it to the three agents. It was a recent photograph where you and Gideon had their faces painted in easy ink. You had a skeleton mouth made with white and black paint, and Jason had a pink glitter butterfly covering his left cheek. You two were laughing in the photo.

Morgan was the one who let out a loud, dripping laugh, with a few tears accumulating in the corners of his eyes.

“How is this possible?” Morgan was trying to catch the air.

“It was at the last Halloween, he and I bet that whoever lost in the snooker that day would have to paint a butterfly on their face.” You laughed.

“And did he lose?” Spencer found a voice for it, his mind failing to process the image of Gideon losing any game.

“I have my suspicions that he let me win” You joked “But I enjoyed the victory just the same.”

The conversation was light after that, Spencer refrained from much of the dialogue, a little fearful that you could hear him heart beating loudly whenever you smile in his direction. As the minutes passed, Derek and Emily had to go back to their duties and finish their reports, while you were sitting in one of the chairs at an empty table.

It was one of those moments when Reid tried to focus on the files in front of him to exorcise what was going on around him. Paperwork had always brought the lull needed to make Spencer meditate. It was almost like relaxation. But in moments like this, when something in the environment around him pulled his attention so much, he stayed on the same page for long minutes.

That must be why he didn't hear the wheels on your chair approach, and he didn't even notice that you were so close until you said:

“Are you really a doctor?” Your voice was low, soft, as if you didn't want to disturb the other agents who were working.

Spencer turned his head towards you, only to find the modern personification of what would be the Athena de Troia. You were close, not close enough to touch, but close enough that he could smell your perfume. You smelled like the night, the excitement of nights and the brightness of the stars. And if Spencer looked deeper into yours eyes, he would sure they contained shine moonlight.

He swallowed, the mania for blinking compulsively returning a little.

“A-ahm yes. Not really a doctor, but m-my 3 Phd’s make me a doctor.”

He might be mistaken, but the smile that spread across your face was not just friendly, it wasn't curious, it was… delighted. As if the roles were reversed and he was the most fascinating thing in that room, not you.

The glow that was adorned in yours eyes had something lyrical, ethereal, wonderful. As if the brightness of all the galaxies were inhabiting your irises, moving in your orbit. At that moment, Spencer was deeply grateful to have eidetic memory, because 10 years from now he could still remember how you looked like a muse over there. DC night came in through the big glass windows, and if Reid had to describe that moment with the five senses, he would say that the world had turned the light down to a rose tone, the smell was heaven and your smile promised to contain wonders of the world.

Holy Mother of God, you are so, so beautiful!

“My dad said there was a genius on the team.” You said, your attention on him is always tender, adoreble. “Do you mind if I ask you something?”

Your perfume invaded him sense of smell once again, and he felt his heart beat faster once more. Spencer would have told you all the secrets in the world if you asked. He would have told all own secrets.

“No way.” He sat back in his chair to look at you better, oblivious to the exchange of looks that Emily and Morgan gave.

You rested your arms on Spencer's table, the chair next to his.

“You never thought of being like... the wizard Doctor Strange?” You hoped that Spencer knew Marvel “Before he was a magician, of course. But why didn't you want to be a surgeon or something?” You laughed “There is a phrase him says: I have a photographic memory and this is what made me ..."

“ ‘Get my diploma and doctorate at the same time’ " Spencer completed you, laughing softly “I know the HQs. Did you know that the Doctor Strange character was created during the Silver Age of American comics to bring a different type of character and mystical themes to Marvel Comics? It him has an intellectual coefficient close to 177 points and I have… ”

The more he rambled, the more a stunning smile spread across your face. As if you were enchanted with him. And you were. Everyone was noticing the way Spencer seemed to have you curled up on his finger, your eyes sparkling and a silly smile twinkling on your face, paying attention to every word he said. It was an overwhelmingly lovely sight to behold.

But just as everything had a time, an hourglass, your time had reached the last grain of sand.

“All right, Y/n.” Gideon went down the stairs, cutting the end of Reid's sentence “Ready?”

You stood up, agreeing with your father and smoothing the dress. When you put your hands on the chair, ready to take it back to place, you turned to Spencer once again:

“I'm going to bring my dad to BAU tomorrow, do you think me and you can meting and you give me the answer to the question tomorrow?” Your smile was able to light up the whole of Washington.

“S-sure!” Spencer's voice went up more high notes than he would like to admit.

And, even when you left, even when Morgan and Emily jokes him about it, and even when he finally lay down on his own bed, you were still the only thing that occupied Spencer's mind.

#spencer reid #spencer x reader #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x you #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid fluff #dr. spencer reid #criminal minds #criminal minds imagine #bau x reader #spencer reid x y/n #derek morgan #spencer x derek #Spencer x emily #spencer reid smut #dr.spencer reid x reader #Matthew Gray Gubler #Matthew x reader #Matthew gray x reader #criminal minds fanfiction #jason gideon

[helloalycia]

a bitch [one] // leigh shaw

summary: you're used to leigh's constant mood swings and unpredictability, but didn't expect she'd ever do something to hurt you like she did.

warning/s: cheating

author's note: an angsty leigh shaw imagine was requested, so here we are! there's one more part to this so enjoy 😊

part two | masterlist | wattpad

Leigh Shaw could be a very unpredictable woman.

Ever since the unfortunate death of her husband, Matt, she'd become very erratic. It was hard to remember what she was like before he died, but then she'd flash me a smile and say something adorable and I remembered. Other times though, she could be as explosive as they came. If you ever got swept up in her mood swings, you'd be screwed.

Despite this, I remained by her side. That's what best friends did. Even when she yelled at me or gave me the cold shoulder or treated me like dirt, I stayed because I knew that was what she needed.

One time, a few months after Matt's death, I was stopping by to see how she was. A prime example of the cold effect she could have on people.

I raised my hand to knock, but the door suddenly swung open, revealing a peeved Jules and a pissed Leigh further behind her in the hallway.

"Hey," I greeted her sister with a smile, but she moved past me moodily. I glanced at Leigh before catching Jules' arm, stopping her. "What happened?"

Jules smiled bitterly. "You know, you should reconsider where you put your care, Y/N. Some people just aren't worth it."

At that last part, she glared over my shoulder, no doubt at Leigh. I turned to look at Leigh, who merely stuck a middle finger up at her sister before storming towards to the kitchen.

"What a bitch," Jules mumbled, making me wince because it was such a horrible word.

Jules shook me off before marching to her car to leave. I sighed and turned around to let myself in to their house. Closing the door behind me, I followed after Leigh and found her making toast in the kitchen angrily.

"Hey," I began softly, not wanting to give her another reason to get pissed off. Sitting on a stool at the island, I asked, "What happened?"

She forced a smile as she grabbed her toast from the toaster and dropped it on a plate. "My sister can't respect my space is all."

I pursed my lips awkwardly, watching as she grabbed butter from the fridge. Noticing my silence, she glanced up at me through her eyelashes.

"What?" she deadpanned, pausing from her actions.

"I don't think Jules is trying to upset you," I began, knowing I'd probably regret it. "I'm sure she understands you want space, but she loves you. And when you see someone you love hurting, you feel like you have to do something."

A sour smile broke out on her face as she scoffed. "Wow. Could you have your head stuck any further up Jules' arse?"

"Leigh, that's not what I'm–"

"What the hell are you even doing here?" she snapped. "I didn't invite you, Y/N."

Tensing my jaw, I refrained from getting annoyed. "Believe it or not, I actually wanted to check on you."

She curled her lips into a frown. "Well, I'm fine."

As if to prove that she was, she continued to butter her toast, but when she set her knife down, it slipped off the edge of the table and clattered to the floor. Frustrated, she slammed a fist on the countertop.

"It's okay, I'll–"

"Just get out," she cut me off when I was making a move to help her. I paused, wondering if she meant it, then her deadly green glare settled on my face. "Leave."

Sighing with defeat, I nodded and wordlessly left.

—

Sometimes Leigh wouldn't apologise. She'd act like nothing had happened and we'd move on. Other times, she actually would, surprisingly recognising that she'd done something wrong.

There was this one time when I'd invited her over for the evening to eat dinner and watch some films. The dinner went perfectly fine – we talked, we laughed, we spent time together – but then when we settled in the living room to watch a film, things started to unravel.

I can't remember exactly what she'd said. One second we were choosing a film on Netflix, then she was trying to make plans with me on the weekend. Unfortunately, I already had plans with my girlfriend, Alex, and Leigh didn't seem to like this. She'd made a comment under her breath and though I don't remember it specifically, I knew it wasn't polite.

Before I knew it, we were screaming at each other, arguing over the dumbest things. It started off being about my girlfriend and then the most unrelated stuff was being brought up on both of our ends. Sometimes she could be so aggravating, managing to rile me up and bring the worst out in me. The argument lasted a few minutes before she left, leaving me seething and full of hurt.

It was the following day at work when she came to see me next. I owned a café a few doors down from her mother's dance studio and was working a shift when her sister came through the front door.

I smiled at her when she approached the counter dressed in gym gear, her usual getup when at work with her family.

"Hey, how're you doing, Jules?" I asked.

"I'm good," she greeted with a smile, before it faded. "Just a warning, Y/N, Leigh is incoming in one minute. She wants to apologise."

Eyes rolling with mild annoyance, I let out a sigh. As dreadful as our spat was last night, I knew I had to also apologise to her. I'd said some hurtful things that made me feel all icky inside. Going to sleep after a fight was never a nice feeling.

"I don't know how you've put up with her for this long," Jules commented, picking up a cupcake from the display. "She can be so horrible to you."

I frowned, not feeling comfortable talking badly of Leigh behind her back. "That's not fair, Jules. You know what she's going through."

Jules gave me a knowing look. "I do, but that doesn't give her a free pass to treat you like she does."

Shrugging, I busied myself with cleaning up the crumbs from Jules' cupcake and giving her a plate.

"I take it you're going to forgive her then," she stated, though she definitely knew the answer judging from her expression.

"We both said some things we shouldn't have," I tried to explain so it didn't seem like I was giving in so easily, which deep down, I definitely knew I was, but Leigh was worth it.

Jules chuckled. "Yep, you're forgiving her. Looks like it's Leigh's lucky day."

I didn't say anything as she picked up the plate, ready to take a seat at one of the tables. Just as she was about to leave, she paused thoughtfully.

"You know, if you didn't have a girlfriend already, I'd say you were whipped," she said casually.

Ignoring her words, I watched her take her a seat on one of the spare tables. She made jokes like that a lot, but the truth was that I would probably do anything for Leigh. We'd been best friends since university – that was way too long to simply throw away our friendship because she was going through a tough time. And yes, the girlfriend talk threw me off at times... by the time I'd realised I liked Leigh as more than a friend, she was engaged. And I got over it, but Jules continued with the jokes and I continued to dismiss it.

As Jules warned, Leigh entered the café and caught my eyes with a nervous smile. I returned it, just as nervous as she looked, before watching her approach the counter. She was dressed in gym gear, like her sister, but a fine layer of sweat coated her skin which made me think she may have just finished teaching a class.

"Hey," she said with a rare gentleness to her voice. Her hands rested on the counter, fumbling slightly, before she put them by her sides instead. "How are you?"

Uncomfortably, I played with a loose thread on my apron. "I've been better, not gonna lie."

She exhaled regretfully. "I want to apologise, Y/N. Last night... it wasn't fair what I did. Just snapping at you like that."

I didn't know what to say, so I stayed quiet and avoided her eyes.

"I just get so angry sometimes," she admitted, noticing I wouldn't speak. She sounded exhausted and I looked up to see her running a hand through her hair. "I can't explain it. My anger at you wasn't about Alex or the plans, it was just me."

"It's because you're still hurting," I told her what I'd observed, shoulders relaxing. "And you're not very good at expressing that."

She shook her head, eyes drifting to the till distractedly. "I should be because I keep hurting the people I love."

My heart ached at the devastation in her voice and I put my hand out, motioning for her to take it. Thankfully, she did and I squeezed hers gently.

"Look, let's just forget it happened," I said with a small smile. "I... I didn't exactly say the nicest of things either."

She grimaced, letting go of my hand. "No, I get why you said it. It wasn't fair of me to just start on you like that. You were just defending your girlfriend... God, I can be such a bitch sometimes."

I winced at the word, it grating my ears. "That's not true, Leigh."

"It is." She nodded slowly, rolling her eyes. "Everybody thinks it. Including you."

"I don't think that," I said with creased brows, meeting her saddened eyes. "You're not a bitch. I've never once thought that."

"Really?" She raised a brow, smiling with defeat. "Not even that time when I stole your doughnuts after that fight we had two weeks ago?"

I shook my head. "Nope."

"Not even when I snapped at you for no reason the other day when you tried to help me write my article?"

"Not even then."

Her expression softened with guilt. "Not even when I called you a selfish jerk last night for not wanting to spend time with me even though you have a life of your own?"

I rounded the counter and stopped before her, looking between her guilt-ridden eyes. "Especially not then, Leigh."

She breathed out quietly and I pulled her in for a hug, glad when I felt her relax beneath me. Her arms clasped around my waist and I was glad we were good again.

—

It was a year later when Leigh and I eventually got together as a couple. It was a long time after I broke up with my girlfriend and it was completely unexpected.

I'd invited Leigh to be my 'date' to my mum's birthday party, since the two had gotten on so well in the past. She was happy to oblige, but as soon as we arrived, her mood changed.

I was helping collect the pizzas from the delivery guy when he started to flirt with me. At the time, I didn't even realise, but I knew that Leigh had acted different since it happened. When I finally confronted her about her sudden mood swing, she proceeded to make out with me completely unexpectedly and then admitted she was in love with me.

I'm not gonna lie, it was a good time. Since breaking up with my girlfriend, I'd been single and falling for my best friend all over again. Leigh making the first move was all I'd needed to finally share how I felt, too.

That was six months ago, and since then, we'd been going strong. Of course, there were still times when she had her mood swings and took it out on me (and literally everyone else) without realising, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. I was used to it, used to her. So much that I should have trusted her even when presented with conflicting evidence.

We were at her workplace, Basically News, where she wrote columns part-time. It was a work party she'd been invited to and she'd asked me to be her date, which of course I said yes to. At the moment, we may or may not have been a little tipsy as we stood in the corner, drinking from flutes of champagne.

"Thank you again for coming here tonight as my date," Leigh said with a grin, arms laced around my neck as she held me close.

Pressing a kiss to my lips briefly, she pulled away and left my head spinning, and not just because of the alcohol.

"Any excuse to not be on the closing shift at work is good enough for me," I said playfully, resting my hands behind her waist.

She gasped. "Oh? So it wasn't me who persuaded you to come tonight?"

I pulled a face, feigning forgetfulness. "Hmm, I'm not too sure. Maybe you'll have to remind me why I agreed to come."

She bit her lip to contain her grin, eyes flickering to my lips. Leaning in, her lips met mine and I closed my eyes, enjoying the way she combed her hand through my hair and tilted my head towards her so she could get better access. She was a really good kisser and she knew the effect she had on me as I felt her smirk into it, catching her breath, before chasing down my lips and nibbling on them temptingly.

Remembering where we were, I gently pushed her back and tried to contain my smile. "Make it PG, Leigh. You're at work."

She licked her lips and began to laugh, green eyes darting between mine. "You're just so cute."

I rolled my eyes playfully. "I don't want everyone here knowing how irresistible you are or they might try to steal you away."

Her laughter filled the air, making my stomach flip at the sound.

"Though I think they may already know that because of how sexy you look tonight," I added, eyes fluttering down her body to appreciate just how well she pulled off her fitted black dress.

She raised her brows with surprise, making me mirror her expression comically.

Leaning close to my ear, she said above a whisper, "D'you wanna know something not-so-sexy?"

Her breath tickled my ear and sent shivers down my spine, making me tense up slightly. Judging from the expression on her face, she was very much aware of what she was doing to me.

"What?" I asked with amusement.

"I really need to pee," she said, and I began to laugh because she did, too, and I knew she wasn't kidding. Pressing a kiss to my cheek, she added, "I'll be right back."

Letting go of me, she waved goodbye before going to the toilets. I busied myself with getting to know her colleagues whilst I waited, until five minutes had passed and I realised she still hadn't returned. Deciding to check on her, I headed in the direction of the toilets, only to freeze when I saw something I definitely wasn't expecting.

Leigh was kissing another girl outside of them.

It was her colleague, Abby, that was the first thing I noticed. But I didn't stay to make out anything more as I immediately turned around and walked away, trying to make my brain catch up to what I'd just seen.

Leigh was kissing somebody else. Somebody that wasn't me. Somebody who I had always suspected had a thing for her, but I never considered that maybe Leigh had a thing for her, too.

Definitely not tipsy anymore, I found the nearest table and took a seat, trying not to assume the worst. But how else could I perceive what I'd just seen? It could have been a mistake, though I was so shocked and hurt and angry that I couldn't imagine how. Maybe she'd explain herself to me. Or maybe she'd tell me what actually happened. Maybe.

Leigh returned not long after, finding me at the table. Smiling like nothing had happened, she pulled me up and led me to dance. Not once, for the remainder of the evening, did she suggest that anything was out of the ordinary, nor did she explain herself. And I couldn't help but wonder how I had the worst luck with women.

This one hurt way more than the last time because it wasn't just anyone – it was Leigh.

—

A year and a half ago:

"Danny mentioned the breakdown you had last week because they didn't have doughnuts, so I, er, brought you these just in case."

Leigh cracked a small smile in the passenger's seat before accepting the box I held out to her. I'd just parked up outside the place where she went to her grief counselling group, having offered to drop her off. It had only been a few months since Matt died, but sometimes, the old Leigh shone back through and it made me feel hopeful that she'd make it through this.

"Thank you," she said genuinely, fingers wavering on top of the box, before she lifted her gaze to meet mine. "And thanks for the ride. You didn't have to."

I shrugged, thumb tapping the steering wheel mindlessly. "I don't mind. I just wanna make sure you get here okay."

She sighed, shaking her head, though a ghost of a smile was on her lips.

"Text me when you're done and I'll be happy to pick you up, too," I added casually.

"Thanks," she repeated, though didn't make a move to leave my car just yet. I didn't rush her.

Sadly, the silence was broken when my phone began to ring and my girlfriend's name flashed on the screen in my car where my phone was connected to. Glancing at Leigh, I just about made out the eye-roll she did.

"Sorry," I apologised, before declining the call instantly.

"Why d'you do that? Could've been urgent," she said with a clipped tone.

Oh, no, I thought. Whenever she used that tone, it meant she was picking a fight.

"I'm here with you," I said like it was obvious, hoping that one thing didn't ruin the moment.

She tensed her jaw, looking down as her hair fell around her face. "Whatever."

Before I could think of a way to make her feel better, the screen lit up again and my ringtone echoed through the car. I winced at the glare Leigh sent to the screen. If looks could kill, my car would be toast.

Declining the call, I looked to her worriedly. "What's wrong, Leigh?"

Her glare fell to me. "Why the hell do you keep declining it? She's calling you for a reason."

I raised my eyebrows. "Because I'm here with you? Alex can wait. I'm taking you to grief group."

"Well, I'm here at grief group," she mocked, turning to face me with an unexplainable frustration.

I didn't understand why she was so touchy all of a sudden. The car ride here, she'd been fine. Just a moment ago, she'd been fine. But now... now she was acting unreasonable.

My phone buzzed in my pocket suddenly, followed by a tone that signalled I had a text. Leigh smiled bitterly, rolling her eyes.

"Let me guess," she muttered. "It's her."

Still very much unable to keep up with her mood swings, I didn't answer. Her gaze snapped to mine as she stared at me with disbelief.

"Why the fuck aren't you checking it?!"

I grimaced, my own exasperation slipping out when I blurted, "I'm a little confused to what you want from me right now, Leigh!" Breathing out slowly, I said, "I'm sorry if this is bothering you. I'll turn off my phone next time."

As if I'd deeply offended her, she raised a brow incredulously. "Are you kidding me? Why would this bother me?"

Okay, I was extremely confused now.

"I don't know," I admitted, bewildered.

"Is that what you think of me? Some clingy bitch who won't let you live your life?"

I widened my eyes. "What?! Leigh! I never said–"

"Sorry if taking me is such a task," she said abruptly, moving to put the box of doughnuts on the dashboard.

"I never said that," I told her sternly.

"You didn't have to. I know already. I'm just a burden on everyone."

She got out of the car and slammed the door shut behind her. Meanwhile, my confusion was still trying to make out what the hell just happened.

"Don't bother picking me up," she said through the open window of the passenger's door. A scowl was on her face as she added, "You should go spend time with Alex. She's probably missing you."

Breathing out, I leaned back into my seat and watched her walk away and to the entrance of the building. When she acted like this – so push and pull with her emotions – I was so conflicted. What could possibly be going on in her mind that she managed to flip everything that just happened? A complete 180?

Knowing she'd just need some time to cool off, I shook my head and focused on leaving. But then I remembered my phone went off and pulled it out to see what was so important. Aside from two missed calls from Alex, I saw I had a voicemail, too, not a text.

Grumbling fo myself, still disgruntled by Leigh's attitude, I raised the phone to my ear to have a listen, whilst hoping it wasn't actually anything life-threatening.

At first, all I could hear was some very faint laughing and vague noises, kind of like material rubbing together and breathing. I assumed Alex had left me a voicemail without even realising since I'd done that countless of times to other people, having dropped my phone in my bag without realising it was still on. But then the noises became more distinct and I made out words.

"Jake, stop messing about," a voice said, whom I instantly recognised as my girlfriend.

I furrowed my brows. Jake? Jake as in the guy she worked with Jake?

"If you stop teasing me then maybe I will," a gravelly yet devious voice responded.

My throat went dry when I heard more laughter before it went quiet. It didn't take a genius to understand what was happening, especially when the moans that followed echoed in my ear, begging me not to forget.

Unable to listen anymore, I hung up and threw my phone onto the passenger's seat. Tears welled in my eyes as I glanced over at it hesitantly, almost wishing it hadn't even existed. And as much as I didn't want to accept the glaring fact, it hit me like a ton of bricks.

She was cheating on me.

#leigh shaw #leigh shaw x you #leigh shaw x reader #leigh shaw imagine #sorry for your loss #sorry for your loss imagine #elizabeth olsen x reader #elizabeth olsen imagine