#because I love them both so dearly and it was nice while it lasted. holding them gently. goodnight. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

themorriganwitch · 10 months

Text

The Au Pair Diaries Part 1 | Jake Seresin x Reader

Summary: Jake Seresin was in desperate need for an au pair for his twin girls. What he did not expect was to fall in love with the 23 year old girl who is absolutely forbidden but now lives next to his bedroom.

Words: 2,6k

Pairings: Jake Seresin x Reader

A/N: This is the first part of my upcoming series about Jake and his Au Pair. This Series will contain 18+ content, so MDNI. Please be aware that English is not my firs language, so there will be mistakes. Feedback and Rebloggs are always dearly appreciated.

___________________________________________________________

“You can do this”, you mutter to yourself. “Everything will be alright. You just have to ring the doorbell and beg on your knees that he will give you the job. And if this won’t work you could use your position on your knees to suck him mind-blowingly good, so he will give you the job regardless”.

Yeah, that won’t work. Not just because you have absolutely no clue about giving a mind-blowing blow job, but also because your meeting with Lieutenant Jake Seresin was in exactly 4 minutes and 32 seconds and if you won’t stop running up and down the sidewalk in front of his pretty beach house, you would still be running out here next week instead of taking your very last chance to not fuck everything up you had worked the last 3 years of your life for.

As you make your way down the Seresin driveway, you try to calm your nerves.

You absolutely hated the fact that you had be here alone, but since your chaperon, Lily, had called you this morning and told you that she sadly won’t make it to the interview, you had no choice but to go through this on your own.

You know you should not be mad at her; you were very well aware of the fact that you can’t control when your kids get sick, but after the disaster with your last host family you just wished you had someone to hold your hand and tell you everything will be alright.

Welcome to adulthood, you guess, where you have to handle any hardships of life alone.

As you were now eye to eye with the nice white front door of your hopefully soon-to be home, you took a last breath and prayed for a tiny wonder as your finger push the doorbell on your right.

It only took a couple of seconds until you were hearing footsteps approaching on the other side of the door and soon you were staring into a beautiful pair of green eyes.

“Hey, how can I help you?”, the man in front of you asks.

You open your mouth to answer but holy hell if this has not been the most handsome man you have ever seen in your life.

Tall, broad shoulders, perfectly styled blonde hair and a face as gorgeous as it was chiseled by Michelangelo himself.

You were honestly to stunned to speak.

“Are you okay?”, he asks, a cocky smile forming on his kissable looking lips, like he knows exactly why you were not answering right now.

You clear you throat, trying to not embarrass yourself any further.

“Hi, I am y/n. I am here for the au pair interview”, you smile the kindest smile you have to offer.

Now it was his turn to clear his throat. “Yeah sure, thought you were coming with your chaperon”, it wasn’t a real question, but you answer nevertheless, trying to ban all of the uneasiness caused by your starring scene.

“Her son got sick, so it’s just all me”.

“Oh. Huh. Do you want to come inside?”.

You nod, following him inside his home where he directs the both of you into his kitchen.

“My daughters are currently in their room”, he informs you while subtly directing you to take place on a chair in front of the counter. “Thought it would be better if the both of us talk first, before you are meeting them”.

“Sure”, you agree, looking up to him, waiting that he might ask you a question or anything. Instead of talking to you, you caught him eyeing you from head to toes, similar the way you did at his doorstep.

Unbeknownst to you, Jake Seresin knew that you were going to be the death to him as soon as he opened the door.

Your green tank top that fitted you just right, the denim shorts that were not short enough to be called slutty but sat just tight enough that he knew that if he would have seen your backside, he’d had to fight the urge to bend you over the counter and spank your ass for teasing him like this.

After you fully consented to this, of course.

And now you were looking up to him with big eyes and pouty lips, and for a second, he questions how you would look with tears streaming out of those gorgeous eyes, your pretty mouth stuffed full of his cock, while he praises you for taking him so well.

Damn it, Hangman, he tells himself. Get a hold of yourself. She is here to work with your daughters and live with you for fucks sake. You are in desperate need of her help, don’t let your cock fuck this up.

“So, you already had a host family before?”, he asks you after a moment of silence while he crosses his arms in front of his chest.

Your mouth went dry. Holy Moly, that’s a huge biceps.

“Yes”, you clear your throat. “But I have only been there for six weeks. It did not go very well, so the agency suggested me to leave”.

Jake nods: “So how many months do you have left then, for your stay?”

“A bit more than 10”.

Jake nods again.

“I read your profile. You seem to be very qualified. You are 23 and studying back home to become a primary school teacher, which makes you a bit older than most of the profiles I went through. But I would like to hear a bit more of your personality. What are your hobbies back home or how are you planning to spend the time with my kids?”, he looks at you attentively.

You thought about his question for a second, before you answer it truthfully, enumerating most of your hobbies as well as all the free time activates for his girls you thought about, after Lily had told you about their profile.

The interview goes on, as he asks you everything he comes up with at the moment.

After he finished, he continues by telling you what he was expecting from you.

“The girls are at school from 9 to 3, since I must be on base at 7, it would be your job to get them ready, pack breakfast and Lunch and drive them to school.

After you come back, it would be nice if you could tidy up a bit, nothing wild though. Just like starting the dishwasher and packing the girls’ toys away. I can take care of my stuff, so you won’t have to bother with that. Until the girls are done with school you would then have been time to do anything you like.

Around 3, you would have to pick them up again and then either bring them to their after-school activities or come home and do whatever you come up with to keep them entertained. I’ll be back home around 5, so you won’t have to deal with dinner except for the cases where I’ll be late, which sadly will occur more often than not”.

“Sounds pretty doable to me”, you say, figuring out that he will tell you the details of his daughters afternoon activities and anything else as soon as he decides if you are going to match.

Even though you felt like your interview went pretty good until now, you could feel some kind of resistance on his side. You swallow. Lily made you well aware of the fact that Jake Seresins family was the only one who were looking for someone that matches your profile right now, if he declines you as his au pair, the agency would have no choice but to send you back home and all the money you worked your ass up for, to pay the agency. would be flushed down the toilet.

Something you won’t let happen.

You could not know that the reason for the aviators resistsance towards you was coming from his unexplainable, but primal urge to dick you down.

“Please, Lieutenant Seresin”, you say but he interrupts you, his jaw clenches while a shiver went down his spine as you use his rank.

“You can call me Jake, kid. No need for calling me Lieutenant or God forbid, Mr. Seresin”.

“Fine, Jake”, you start again exaggerating his first name, trying to gain some plus points.

“I will be the best Au Pair you could ask for; I promise. I am extremely tidy, my food tastes good and I will never complain about working a bit longer on the weekends, when you have to stay on base a little longer or want to out with your friends”.

You look at him with your best pleading eyes.

Jake sighs, rubbing his forehead as he feels a migraine approaching. This shit was tiring, he went through so many Au pairs, reading their online profiles and spending hours with skype interviews but all of them just weren’t it for him.

And now you were sitting in his kitchen, hair in a messy bun, the fabric of your green tank top thin enough, that he could see your nipples perking through.

He groans inwardly. The last thing he could do is making such an important decision because his dick told him so, but as he looks into your desperate but yet hopeful eyes, he just could not say no to you.

“Fine, we can try this”, the blonde man announces. “But you will have to meet the girls first and if I have the feeling that the three of you will work out when I’m gone, you can move in, and I’ll talk to your agency”.

“Oh my god, thank you so much”, you say, standing up from your chair and hugging him tight before you could really think about it.

But as soon as you feel your hands on his hard, muscled back, you just realized what you were doing, and your hands were gone as fast as they had approached him.

“I’m sorry”, you state awkwardly, avoiding his gaze while panic arises inside you mind.

Holy hell, not enough that he caught you eye fucking him in the very beginning but now he has to think you are encroaching too.

You already open your mouth again, a ton of excuses on the edge of your lips, as you make yourself ready to beg for his forgiveness, but Jake simply clears his throat, an amused glance in his green eyes as he nods his head towards the hallway.

“Ready to meet the girls?”

________________________________________

The Double Trouble, as their dad lovingly introduces his twin daughters to you, were two beautiful ocean-eyed girls at the age of 8.

Charlie, the older one, by exactly 2 and a half minutes as she tells you proudly, closes you into her heart forever as soon as you compliment all 13 Taylor Swift Poster that were hanging on her side of the room.

“You like Taylor Swift?”, she asks you with doll eyes.

“Oh, I love her”, you reply smiling. “My favorite Album is Reputation. Which is yours?”

“Lover”, Charlie tells you, her long blond curls bouncing wildly as she hops up and down in excitement. “But I really love Fearless too. Daddy is also a huge fan”.

You turn your head back to the doorframe, where Jake was standing. “You are?”, you ask interested. He lifts his hands defensively: “All I ever said was that her Debut Album sounds okay, for country music”.

“Daddy, you told us not to lie”, Charlie says, the look in her green eyes was way too mischievous for a girl her age. “He loves singing to her with us in the car, he also has a special dance move he does when we- “.

“Charlotte Seresin, there is no need to tell everyone your dad’s secrets, alright?”, Jake reminds his daughter, who he knows inherited way too much of his cocky manner.

“That’s why I sometimes call her ‘little devil’”. There was definitely no explanation needed where this nickname was coming from. You smile to yourself, already knowing that Charlie would be a handful.

“What about you, Izzy?”, you ask the other twin, who has been silent for most of the time since you had entered the room. “Do you also like Taylor Swift?”.

She shakes her head. “Not really. I listen to her with Charlie and Daddy but not by myself”. You take a step closer to her bed, where she was sitting, before you kneel in front of her.

“Well, what do you like to do when you are by yourself?”

She crooks her head slightly, the same blonde curls as her sisters framing her face. Where Charlie seems to be the outspoken and louder on, Izzy was quieter and more reserved.

“I like to read”, she then answers.

“Really? Me too. I absolutely loved the Harry Potter books, when I was your age. Do you know them?

Her eyes light up as you mention the book that was currently laying on her nightstand. She takes it with her tiny hands and offers it to you. “I am reading book three”, she tells you, smiling shyly.

“It is my favorite book from all of them”.

“It is a really good one”, you agree, reciprocating her smile.

“Do you also like to read, Charlie?”, you look back to the other side of the room, where Charlie was sitting on her own bad.

“Not really. Daddy also does not read”, you heard Jake sigh in the doorframe at her words.

You chuckle to yourself, if Jake really lets you stay, you think, you will really have a great time with his daughters.

The next couple of minutes you were talking to Izzy and Charlie about music and books and anything else each of them comes up with. Charlie was currently telling you about a particular beach day the twins had with their dad and some of his friends, when Jakes phone rings and he excuses himself out of the room to answer the call.

_____________________________

“Is this the phone of Lieutenant Seresin?”, a voice asks.

“It is, yeah”, Jake answers, leaning his back on the hallway wall where he still gets a good view of you sitting in his twin’s bedroom.

“My name is Lily. I am y/ns advisor in her au pair agency. I am calling to ask how the interview went?”

“Oh”, Jake stutters, thinking about a good answer. The interview went well, really well.

And it seems like you were doing great with his daughters too, especially with Izzy.

He knows his younger twin sometimes has a hard time with her bubbly sister, but as he could now hear her voice down the hallway how she tells you excitedly how he lost a match of Mario Kart to Bradshaw once and then had to jump into the ocean, fully clothed, he feels his heart swelling with pure adoration for his daughter but also for you, pulling this side out of her so easily.

“Lieutenant?”, he hears Lily asking. “Are you still there?”

“Yeah”, Jake clears his throat. “The Interview went well”.

And as soon as I stop thinking with my cock, I hope it also stays well, he thinks to himself.

“That’s great. After everything that went down with her old family, I was really rooting for you to be her new host family. So, do you think it will work out with the four of you?”

That’s the moment he hears you laughing whole heartly at something Charlie said to you and it was one of the purest sounds he had ever witness.

Even though he did not know about it right know, his future self was thanking him with his entire being for the decision he was about to make, while his current one was sure that this would end in an absolute disaster.

Nevertheless, he answers Lilys question honestly.

“Yeah, I think the four of us will work out pretty good”.

_________________________________________________________

Part 2 can be read here

#tgm #top gun maverick #top gun maverick imagine #Jake Seresin #Jake Hangman Seresin #Jake Seresin x Reader #Jake Seresin imagine #Jake Seresin smut #Jake Seresin fluff #Dilf Jake Seresin #Top gun smut #Jake Seresin x y /n

406 notes · View notes

toournextadventure · 1 year

Text

everyone but her pt.22

Summary: A hidden part of your past comes back to haunt you. At least you've secured a special place in an unusual family's hearts. You would be paying off the debt for the rest of your life.

Word Count: 8.4k Warnings: swearing, violence, murder (in a flashback) Pairing: Wednesday Addams x Reader (everyone but her Masterlist) Taglist: @extinctspino @basichextechml @cfvgbhndun-new-blog @jinxscatbomb @awolfcsworld @suzhiman @gengen64 @eclipsesmoonshine14 @alexkolax @thenextdawn @cacciatricediartemide @cozwaenot @the-night-owl-blr @natashasapphic @elliesbabygirl @alilbitlesbian @irish-piece-of-trash @rainbow-love4ever @audigay @bakugounuggets @myfturn @rockwyn @bigbadsofty07 @andsoigotabutterfly @smromanoff @notheoneforlove

A/N: I've had a clusterfuck of a week and it's only Wednesday morning, so I'm giving y'all this 20mins early because I love y'all dearly 🫶

The sun was out, shining down and leaving a nice little burn to your skin. It was the perfect day to be running around Niagara Falls with Nicky. People were all around, the birds were out, and you were already far too full from street food. It was perfect.

“What next?” Nicky asked once you had both finished your ice creams; you had strawberry and he had vanilla.

“Hmm,” you hummed aloud, looking carefully over everything.

There were carnival games all around, those were always fun. But they cost money, so maybe not those. Go-karts would be fun, but you weren’t tall enough to drive them and Nicky was a bad driver. You could always go see the birds again, but Nicky had gotten bored. There had to be something you could both do.

Oh!

“The skywheel!” You shouted. No one could see, but your little wings flapped under your shirt.

“Really?” Nicky asked, his hand pressing gently on your back to keep your wings steady. It was comforting. “Why? You can see that view any time.”

“But you can’t,” you said. He looked down at you. “I want you to see what I see!”

“Okay,” he said with a smile, and you turned around to look at the skywheel.

It was so much fun! The birds were out, the sun was shining over the water, and the man at the bottom let you go around three times! Even Nicky had fun, pointing out people, talking about how pretty the sky was. Maybe he could appreciate the view a little better when you tried to fly without permission next time.

“Can we go to the gardens tomorrow?” You asked while you picked at the nachos Nicky had gotten. They had tomatoes on them. Yuck.

“We can,” he said. He wasn’t really paying attention to you, but that was okay because you weren’t paying attention to him either. “If you want to.”

“Are we camping again tonight?” You asked. All the tomato pieces finally rested in the corner of the paper tray and you could eat in peace.

“Yeah,” Nicky said with a sigh. “We’ll head out when you’re done eating.”

“Aren’t you still hungry?” You asked.

“Nah,” he said with a smile. “Finish it.”

“Here,” you said, pushing the tray a little closer to his hand, “I saved the tomatoes for you.”

He hesitated, but after looking at you for a minute he reached forward and grabbed a nacho. They were going cold, but you were just happy to share. You had noticed he hadn’t been eating as much since you had left Nevermore for the trip, and he definitely needed more food.

Besides, it was yummy, why wouldn’t he want some?

After watching the sun set over the falls, it was time to start the trip down to where you had both camped last night. It was a nice little spot down by the nature trails below the falls. You had met some nice people down there when you arrived. They had even loaned you a tent!

“Hold my hand,” Nicky said when the street lights were on and you were taking a shortcut through one of the alleys. “Don’t let go.”

“Why not?” You asked, but reached for his hand anyway. It was warm.

“Just don’t,” he said again. His head was looking all around, but you were very focused on the cotton candy the nice man at the cart had given you.

“A little late to be wandering around, don’t you think?”

Yours and Nicky’s heads turned quickly to see two men walking into the alley behind you. They were tall, even taller than daddy. They had some nice smiles on their faces. Were they taking a shortcut to the trails too?

“We’re just going home,” Nicky said. You opened your mouth to argue - you were going to the campground, not home - but he gave you a look that had you shutting your mouth again.

“All alone?” The other man asked with a tilt of his head. “Your parents let you walk alone at night?”

“We can help,” the first man said. “We know a nice place you can both stay.”

“No thank you,” Nicky said. He pulled your hand as he backed away, making you stumble over your own feet. You nearly dropped your cotton candy. “Come on.”

Nicky kept his eyes on the two men as he continued to pull you with him. You tried to walk backwards just like him, but you stepped on something and stumbled, dropping one of the rocks you had snuck into your pocket. Without questioning it, you turned around and bent down to pick it up, your wings fluttering under your shirt to help you straighten up again.

“Would you look at that,” the second man said, and Nicky froze. “We found ourselves a little Outcast.”

“Nicky is too!” You said.

“Y/N, hush-”

“-No no, let her talk,” the first man said. They were walking closer. “You like to talk, kid?”

“All the time,” you said with a smile. He was smiling too.

“What do you like to talk about?” He asked again. The second man was moving sideways. Where was he going?

“Birds,” you said without hesitation. “Oh, and rocks! Wanna see the ones I found today?”

“I'd love to see them," he continued. He took another step closer. "Why don't you come with us to our house and you can show us all the rocks."

"Ok-"

"-Don't touch us," Nicky interrupted, harshly pulling you behind him.

“Don’t get so defensive,” the second man said. You turned your head and saw him standing behind you both. “We just want to give you kids a place to sleep.”

“I thought you wanted to see my rocks,” you said with a huff. The men got closer.

“How about you just come with us,” the first man said as he reached out and grabbed your arm.

“I said don’t!” Nicky shouted.

He dropped your hand and ran head first, hitting the first man's stomach. They both hit the ground hard. You tried to go help, but a big pair of arms wrapped around your shoulders and pulled you back into a big body.

“You’re gonna stay here with me,” the second man said in your ear. He smelled funny.

But the moment the first man hit Nicky with his knee, you lunged forward. Those big hands pulled you back, but you just ducked down further and he let go. Then it was your turn to hit the first man. You knocked him off of Nicky and felt your knee scrape on the ground.

“You fucking brats,” the first man spit out. He pulled something out of his pocket. Nicky was still on the ground holding his stomach.

The moment you saw the knife in the first man’s hand, you turned around to run. You knew to run away from danger, Nicky had taught you that. But you didn’t get very far before you felt someone pick you up. One hand covered your mouth and you bit down hard.

He screamed and dropped you to the ground again. It hurt your feet. You tried to run again, but the man knocked you over. He turned you around, his body pressing you into the hard ground. You turned your head and saw Nicky fighting with the second man.

It didn’t look like Nicky was winning.

“Just stay still,” the first man said above you. He smelled funny too.

Fight back, a little voice in your head said.

What had you seen Nicky do before? He had gotten into fights before, what did he do? Oh! You threw your head forward, feeling the sharp ache when it connected with the first man’s nose. He grunted and pulled back a little bit, but then you felt something hit the side of your face.

Everything started ringing and the alley started spinning. You could feel him pressing into you again, and your wings started to hurt from the ground. Fight back, the little voice said again, so you did. You threw your arms and legs out everywhere, trying to hit something. But then you felt something sharp press against your neck and you stopped.

“Just kill ‘em already,” the second man called out. He sounded like he had been running for a long time.

“With pleasure,” the first man said above you.

No. You felt the knife press into your neck and the sting that followed. What did you do? What were you supposed to do? Nicky had never taught you how to fight a knife!

Knock it away, the little voice said, and grab it.

You thrashed around again, making sure to hit the hand that was holding the knife. The first man groaned again and you kicked your leg up. You don’t know what you hit, but he screamed and rolled off of you. You scrambled to your hands and knees and looked around.

There was the knife.

Your fingers touched the knife right when the first man got on you again. He tried to grab the knife too, his hand much bigger than yours. As soon as you felt your hand grab it, you turned around and swung it.

“Fuck!”

The first man pulled back really fast, holding his cheek. Something red was coming out from between his fingers. He pulled his hand back and you both looked at the blood, and your eyes went to the big cut on his cheek.

“You little bitch,” he said in a mean voice. “Come here.”

He lunged at you again, but you closed your eyes and held the knife out in front of you. Something hit the knife, pushing you back onto the ground again. You heard a gasp and opened your eyes.

The knife was sticking out of the man’s shoulder. He looked at you in shock before his mouth turned into a frown. When he tried to grab you, you pulled the knife out and stabbed him with it again, this time in his hand.

He reached forward, grabbing your wrist and pulled you back. But instead of pulling, you moved forward and he fell onto his back with you on top of him. Stab him, the little voice said; it sounded mean. Without any hesitation, you grabbed the knife with both hands and brought it down. And you did it again. And again. And again again again again again-

-Something warm splashed against your face. The man was screaming, so you closed your eyes and tried to tune him out. You hummed. But you kept bringing the knife down over and over and over and over and over and-

“-Y/N!”

Smaller hands held your wrists, stopping you from bringing the knife down. You opened your eyes again and saw Nicky looking at you. He had blood on his face and clothes and a few cuts all over. Was he okay?

“Let me have it,” Nicky said softly, and he took the knife from your hands. Your fingers felt stiff like they didn’t want to let go. “Are you okay?”

You didn’t know. What had just happened anyway? You were supposed to be at the campgrounds with Nicky about now, right? Why weren’t you both down there with those nice weird people from the other night?

The man wasn’t moving underneath you.

“We have to go,” Nicky said. He was looking all over. “We need to go.”

He wrapped his arms around you to pull you up to your feet. Your legs were all wobbly. Nicky grabbed your hand and started pulling you. You looked back and saw the two men laying on the ground. They were really still. Were they okay?

“We have to go,” Nicky said again as he pulled you further down the alley before you both started running-

“-Smith!”

Your head shot up from the hole you had been staring into the table. The quick movement gave you a headache and made your bruised side throb; jail had not been kind to you. Nothing could have properly prepared you for the difference between the singular Jericho cell and an actual jail down in D.C.

People here were mean.

“You’ve got another date with the detectives,” Officer Hartman called out once you still hadn’t moved.

“Better get movin’, cupcake,” your new bestest friend Erin said with a smug look that you wanted to beat off her. Again. “Hartman might scuff up that pretty face of yours.”

“What would I do without your all-encompassing wisdom,” you mumbled as you stood up, inhaling lightly as the bruises on your torso pulled.

“You sure you graduated highschool?” She asked. “Cause you’re sure actin’ stupid as hell.”

“Still smarter than you and your white trash girl group,” you said with a tilt of your head.

“Wanna say that to my face, Outcast?” Erin asked, standing abruptly to be toe-to-toe with you. In your peripheral, you could see the rest of her gang starting to circle up.

“I thought I did,” you said. She was smaller than you, but far more aggressive. Surprisingly. “I guess your ass and face look the same, that’s my bad.”

“You little-”

“-Summers!”

Erin’s fist stayed cocked and ready as Officer Hartman casually walked up to the group, one hand resting on the baton on her belt. A shiver went down your spine at the sight of it; you certainly didn’t want to be on the other end of it again any time soon.

“Everything alright over here?” Officer Hartman asked, looking between both you and Erin.

“Just showing my little friend the ropes,” Erin said with a sickeningly sweet smile. Oh, you wanted to beat that off her too.

“You can show her later,” Officer Hartman said before turning to look at you. “Let’s get going, kid.”

“See you later, girly pop,” you said with your own smile before you blew a kiss in Erin’s direction.

You’re going to get your ass beat, the voice at the back of your head said. It was almost nice to hear; it had been a few days and you were getting worried it had disappeared. Wow, you were really attempting to make friends with the voice inside your head. Did that make you crazy?

Yes. Yes, it absolutely did.

“Assume the position,” Officer Hartman ordered once you were out of the common area.

It was a bit odd to be accustomed to the cold bite of the shackles placed around your wrists and ankles. To find a certain comfort in the way they were chained to the belt around your waist. You didn’t know what the explanation was, but it was probably something you needed therapy for.

Therapy is for pussies, the voice said. You didn’t necessarily disagree.

“You gonna behave today?” Officer Hartman asked when she started leading you to the interrogation room.

“Yes ma’am,” you said confidently.

“Good girl,” she said. “Maybe we’re finally beating that arrogance out of you.”

You didn’t say anything in reply; it was better that way. But her words made your side throb again. How bad was it now? It had been two days, surely it was looking nice and ugly at this point. But you hadn’t looked at it yet; you weren’t sure you wanted to know. Not that the detectives would care, nor would anyone else you were going to come into contact with.

“Welcome back, kid,” Detective Waller said when Officer Hartman led you into the interrogation room.

“Afternoon,” you said quietly as you let Hartman unshackle you and then cuff you to the half-circle thing on the table. You didn’t know what it was called, but it was kind of fun to run the cuff chain back and forth on it-

“-Stop it,” Hartman ordered.

“Sorry,” you mumbled, quickly sitting back in your seat to look at Detectives Waller and Pearce. You didn’t like them. Something about them wasn’t trustworthy.

“How you been?” Waller asked once Hartman left the room. He and Pearce seemed more laid back; you certainly did not.

“Fine,” you said. You refused to look up from where your hands were chained to the table.

A lot of precautions for a single 18 year old, the voice mused.

“I hear you’ve been making friends,” Pearce said, his voice always softer than Waller’s. “We can help you with that problem, you know.”

“You’ve just gotta tell us what happened,” Waller finished. He leaned forward to rest his forearms on the desk. “We have proof, so just tell us how it went down.”

“We don’t need to know about the domestic,” Pearce said. “We have an entire room full of people who saw what happened.”

“Just tell us about Niagara,” Waller finished.

This again. They had been asking for over a week at that point. Why couldn’t they just let it go? You hadn’t even remembered it until they brought it up that first day. Maybe you had done it, sure, but how were you supposed to remember all the details?

“Quit looking at your hands,” Waller said harshly. “Look at me.”

And you did. You looked up at him and instantly felt like you were a kid again. The way they were both looking at you like a child about to get scolded. Like all the times when you would get in trouble with your mom and dad and be sent to your room to think about what you did.

It made you feel small.

“We’ve got your prints on the murder weapon,” Pearce said, attempting to take over the conversation. “Just tell us what happened and we can get you away from Erin.”

No he can’t, the voice said.

You kept your mouth shut.

“You’re making it pretty hard on yourself, kid,” Waller said. He leaned further; he was getting too close. “You know what happens when you refuse to cooperate?”

“You already arrested me,” you said. “So you clearly feel confident enough without a confession.” Waller narrowed his eyes. “Not much else you can threaten me with.”

“We can always have you transferred to a different block,” Pearce said with a tilt of his head.

“I hear Block C has a soft spot for Outcasts,” Waller continued.

Don’t listen to them.

“I’m sure you’d make a lot of new friends over there.” Your hands were feeling sweaty.

“You can be cellmates with Miss Byrne.”

Fight back.

Your ears were ringing.

“I think she’s in for killing an Outcast, isn’t she?”

Don’t let them do this.

Your heart wanted to jump out of your throat.

“Think she did. Five, if I remember right.”

“I’m sure she’s rehabilitated now though.”

“Probably wouldn’t even think twice to-”

“-Good afternoon, everyone.”

All three of you whipped your heads toward the door to see a man walking into the interrogation room. His dark hair was slicked back except for one or two strands hanging over his face, and his light goatee was, honestly, pretty fabulous. He kind of reminded you of Zorro.

What was Zorro doing in your interrogation room?

“Can we help you?” Pearce asked when it was clear Waller was still too busy glaring at the new man.

“Jair Moreno,” the man said with a big, bright smile. “I’m here to talk with my client.” He had a comfortingly deep voice, and a stunning accent. It reminded you of Mr. Addams.

“Client?” Waller asked.

“I don’t have a lawyer,” you said with a frown, finally able to voice something.

“Then it’s a good thing I’m here, no?” He said. His smile turned less performative when he looked at you.

Don’t trust him.

“She never asked for a lawyer,” Waller continued. You almost wanted to laugh at how red his face was getting. He was mad.

Good.

“If you keep him around, we can’t talk to you anymore,” Pearce said with a smile that was a rather pitiful attempt at comfort. “We can’t help you.”

“I…” you looked back and forth between the detectives and your (supposed) lawyer. “I would like to talk with him.”

“It’s your funeral, kid,” Waller said with a huff, pushing his chair back harshly and shoving past Mr. Moreno.

“You have the room,” Pearce said quickly before following suit, though in a much less aggressive way. Both you and Mr. Moreno watched and waited until the door clicked shut again, and you were finally alone.

“My apologies for being so late,” he said with a friendly smile as he sat down in the seat across from you. “It took two days to find you.”

“I appreciate you coming, Mr. Moreno-”

“-Señor,” he corrected. “It’s a simple difference, but it makes the white men uncomfortable in these parts.” He winked as if he was letting you in on a little secret.

“Señor Moreno,” you said; the word didn’t sound as pretty coming from your mouth, but he smiled and nodded at you once anyway. “But I can’t afford you. And I never called you.”

“No you didn’t,” he said quickly, “a close friend informed me of the situation. Said you’re like another child to him.”

You wracked your brain to think of who could have possibly called someone for you. Everyone had seen you getting arrested at the Rave’N, so it wasn’t like you could pick from who had known. And you were close with a lot of parents. Had it been a teacher? No, probably not. It certainly wasn’t Sheriff Galpin; he liked you well enough, but you were also a major thorn in his side.

It’s a trap, the voice said. You physically shook your head to get it out. Now wasn’t the time for paranoia.

“I don’t know who would have called,” you finally said. He was being far too nice, it was starting to be a little creepy. Maybe it was the time for some paranoia.

“No?” You shook your head slowly, and his smile fell into something smaller, much more comforting. “Gomez Addams gave me a call.”

Oh.

“Well then I certainly can’t afford you,” you said immediately. Señor Moreno laughed a deep belly laugh.

“He said you would say that,” he chuckled. “That’s why I’m taking your case pro bono.”

“That’s not a smart business decision,” you mumbled, looking down at your hands and away from his gaze. His eyes reminded you of Wednesday’s; dark, like perfectly stained wood.

You’re going to owe them, the voice said. You’ll never be able to repay them. You’ll be in their debt for the rest of your life.

“But it is my decision to make,” he said. You didn’t look up from your hands but nodded absentmindedly.

You felt small again.

“Let’s go ahead and get down to business,” Señor Moreno said.

You nodded and braced yourself for whatever it was he was going to say. You hoped it wasn’t going to be all bad news. There was only so much more you could take.

“Let’s talk about the domestic first,” he said, and you nodded. “We won’t deny it happened, that would be foolish. But what was your emotional state at that moment?”

He blamed Outcasts; he blamed you. Your fist pounded into flesh and bone again and again and again and ag-

“-I don’t know,” you said with a shrug and another shake of your head to get the image of blood out of your mind.

“Were you aware of what you were doing at the time?” He probed. “Or did you only realise afterwards?”

“I…” you sighed. “I didn’t know until after.”

“And it happened impulsively?”

“Yes.”

“Then we shall go with an extreme emotional disturbance defence,” he said. “I’ve used it in New York, I’m sure I can find a loophole here.”

“So it’s actually going to trial?” You asked, your shoulders sagging. You couldn’t handle a trial.

“Not necessarily,” he said, his eyes meeting yours. It was almost hypnotising. He was actually pretty handsome.

Don’t be a whore.

“Now tell me about this double homicide,” he said, looking down at notes that you hadn’t even realised he had. “They have yet to declare it either a murder or manslaughter because of your age at the time.”

“Uh, I was 9- 10,” you blinked frantically. “10, I was 10. Nicky was 14.” So young? “We walked west for a few days and had a mini vacation.” The knife flashed under the street lamps. “Two guys trapped us in an alley one night and tried to kidnap us.” You blinked hard again. “Or not, I don’t know, they just tried to get us to go with them.”

“What happened next?” Señor Moreno asked. His voice was far too soft and quiet, it was unsettling. He shouldn’t be so gentle.

“Uh, Nicky got into a fight with one of them and I got in a fight with the other,” you mused as you shook your head slowly, your eyes darting back and forth but not seeing anything. “The one I was fighting pulled a knife on me, so I knocked it out of his hand and…”

The knife came down again and again and again again again again again-

“And you fought back,” Señor Moreno finished for you.

You inhaled sharply, not realising you had been holding your breath. The room suddenly felt too cold and too enclosed. Your wings itched under the makeshift harness the jail had forced you to wear. You wanted to get out. It was too much, you wanted to leave.

“A double homicide sure, but sounds like self-defence to me,” he said.

“Technically I only killed one,” you mused, blinking a few times to clear the haze so you could look back up at Señor Moreno.

“I suppose that’s true,” he said with a light laugh.

“Guess Nicky was right though,” you said to yourself. “I’ll always remember Niagara.”

“What did you say?” Señor Moreno’s head shot up from his notes. You frowned at him. “Where did you go?”

“Niagara Falls?” You said hesitantly.

“Which side?” He asked. He was leaning over the table to get close to you, his hands reaching out to grab your own. You let out a sigh; you had missed the touch of soft hands.

“Uhh,” you shook your head and your mouth flopped open and closed a few times. “The left side?”

“No no, which country,” he corrected quickly. “Were you on the American side, or the Canada side?”

“I don’t-”

“-What were the falls shaped like?” He asked. He was talking far too quickly, it was making your head spin.

“I…” your eyes swung left and right, over and over as you tried to remember.

“See that?” Nicky asked, pointing to the falls. You could see them perfectly from your spot on his shoulders. “What does it look like to you?”

“A waterfall,” you said with a giggle. He lightly pinched your thigh.

“What else?” He asked with his own little chuckle.

“Umm.” You tilted your head so you could think better. “It looks like a U.”

“It’s a horseshoe,” he said. “Pretty cool, right?”

“A horseshoe,” you said with a slow, dazed nod of your head. “It looked like a horseshoe.”

Señor Moreno let go of your hands - you instantly missed the warmth - and leaned back in his chair. His hands went behind his head and he smiled. He looked at you, looked into your very soul, and smiled. You frowned. What was he smiling about?

“You’re not going to trial,” he said with a chuckle.

“How do you know?” You asked with a tilt of your head. Your palms were getting itchy. And sweaty.

“You’ll find out tomorrow,” he said. “We have a meeting with your parents and their lawyer.”

“I can’t see them,” you said quickly, eyes going wide. “I can’t.”

“They can’t touch you,” he replied. “If they’re smart, they won’t even talk to you.”

It didn't comfort you, not really. What would it matter if they couldn’t talk to you? They would still be there; you would have to face the people who were supposed to care for you. Love you. Who should have been on your side from the very beginning, not getting you arrested.

“You’ll come back for me tomorrow?” You asked.

“Right after we post your bail,” he said with the most genuine look you had seen since arriving at jail.

“You promise?” You asked again.

He looked at you for a moment with a tilted head and slightly furrowed brows. What was he thinking? He’s not coming back for you, the voice said. But he reached out and placed gentle hands over yours and gave them a light squeeze.

“I promise on my abuela’s grave,” he said softly. Oh so softly.

It made you feel small. But in a good way.

Just the knowledge that you were going to get out was enough to make the rest of the day go by faster. You didn’t even care that Erin and her girl gang were glaring daggers at you the whole day. The only thing on your mind was getting to get out of this fucking jail and get back to the real world again.

You ignored the fact that the real world also sucked.

And that you were not prepared to deal with the real world yet.

Because you’re a coward, the voice in your head said.

You still slept like a baby.

The next morning you took your time heading to the showers; you had picked up on the fact that everyone either showered immediately, or not at all. If you waited just a little longer, the odds of you being alone were exponentially high. It worked out perfectly, and since you weren’t too worried about being late to anything anymore, you took your time.

Even though it was a bit cold by that time, it felt nice as it cascaded over your face. With your eyes closed, you could just focus on the sound of the water. The goal wasn’t necessarily to wash off anymore, just try to keep your heart and mind in check. You were almost there. Just a little longer.

The water shut off only a moment later, and you let out a frustrated sigh. Of course you hadn’t been keeping track of the time. But it was okay, you would be out soon and could get a hot shower later if you really wanted it. Now all you need to do was dry off and-

-something hard hit the back of your knees and you immediately fell to the ground. The vibration travelled up your palms and the crack of your knees on the tile resonated through your bones and, if nothing else, the bruises that would paint themselves on your skin would be stunning. Wednesday would appreciate the grotesque colours, that was for sure.

You pushed yourself up and looked down at your palms to see the already reddened, sensitive skin on the heels. It ached, and both of your forearms throbbed lightly with each heartbeat. That was going to be a pain in the ass to-

-something rough pulled tight against your neck and yanked you back off your knees. Your hands instantly lifted to pull against it, trying to get your fingers underneath to ease the pressure on your throat. You could feel yourself being pulled backwards across the slick floor until you came to a stop.

Pull it away, the voice ordered. You couldn’t breathe.

Erin stepped in front of you.

“Hey, girly pop,” she said with a grin as she crouched down to be at eye level with you. “Heard you’re leaving today.”

The thing around your throat pulled tighter; it made you choke.

“We couldn’t let you leave without a goodbye present,” one of the women behind you practically taunted.

“Maybe afterwards you’ll learn not to run that big mouth of yours.” Erin’s grin was malicious at best, downright demonic at worst.

They were smart. You knew they were. The moment they pulled whatever was choking you tighter and your hands tried to pull it down, Erin swung. A solid punch that left your ears ringing and the world spinning. The throb in your eye was instant. Only when you were truly dazed did they really get started.

They were smart.

The bruises on your side had already ached before this. Now they genuinely hurt. Each new blow and kick stole what little air you had left in your lungs, and you didn’t know what to do. Did you keep trying not to suffocate? Or did you try to fight back? You couldn’t do both, you were outnumbered.

Fight back, the voice said. But how could you do that when you felt something crack in your side and you couldn’t fucking breath-

“-What’s going on in here?”

It was as if a switch flipped in the room. They instantly released you, and you gasped for air like your life depended on it. You sputtered and coughed, falling forward onto your hands and knees again except this time you didn’t pay attention to the pain in the heel of your palm.

No, this time you were too busy trying not to choke on your own blood.

“Five to one doesn’t seem too fair.” Miss Ethel’s voice echoed off the tiled walls; it sounded fuzzy through the ringing in your ears.

Something red was going down the shower drain.

“We’re just wishing our little friend good luck in the big outside world,” Erin said quickly. At least that’s what you thought she said, you couldn’t actually tell.

“Get going,” Miss Ethel said. You squeezed your eyes shut when the volume of her voice sent a migraine shooting down every nerve in your body. “Now.”

And just like that, they left. Left you on the floor of the showers with a foggy brain and the taste of blood on your tongue. Stand up. No. No, you didn't want to stand up. You wanted to curl up on the cold ground and lay in a pool of your own blood until the foggiest eased and your throat was no longer on fire.

"Come on, baby, get up," Miss Ethel said in a far softer voice that had reminded you of Abuelita.

Her old worn hands held you by the shoulders and steadied you, not rushing you but there as a crutch. As you moved and stretched and stood up, she was there to support you the whole time. Only when you were back up to your feet did she look up at you with a frown.

"So you’re only good for starting fights, not finishing them?” She asked, looking you up and down to assess the damage.

She needs to shut up.

“Just caught off guard,” you mumbled. Your mouth filled again and you spit near the drain; it was a mesmerising dark red. “I can finish fights.”

“Not today though, I see,” she continued. “Decided to be a gentleman, did you?”

“I had it,” you huffed. Something in her eyes reminded you of someone. Someone who cared. “I didn’t need your help.”

“I can see that,” she said with a solemn nod. “You certainly look like someone who had it covered.”

You gonna let her talk to you like that?

“Listen, baby,” Miss Ethel said, her voice dropping a tone and sounding more like a friend. Like someone who cared. “Stop pushing people away. Soon they’ll quit trying.”

“They already did,” you mumbled, your head falling. Your eyes squeezed shut again as a hammer started pounding away at the inside of your skull.

“Then get them back,” she said. You didn’t open your eyes but could feel her hand on your still-naked shoulder. “All that rage and loneliness has to come out sometime. Don’t put your friends on the receiving end and keep your head up. Sad birds still sing.”

“You sound poetic,” you said, finally opening your eyes to meet hers. “Not like someone who murdered her husbands.”

“Read it in a book somewhere,” she said with her charming smile that was missing a few teeth. “Even black widows have some wisdom buried deep down.”

You chuckled lightly before inhaling sharply. Something was definitely broken, probably a rib. It was sticking into your lungs and it just hurt. Every breath, every movement, it hurt. But you took a slow, deep breath and stood up straight again.

No giving up.

“Let’s get you dressed and ready to be picked up,” Miss Ethel said. “Before anyone comes looking for you.”

Miss Ethel helped clean the bit of blood off of you and tidied you up the best she could with what she had. You picked up the towel that had been wrapped around your neck only moments before. It was rough and white. The scratchiness in your throat came back.

You looked brand new by the time you put your suit back on and was escorted out of the jail. It was weird to be wearing the suit, but you supposed it was all you had. Certainly better than nothing, at least. If it wasn’t for the newly blackened eye and broken nose and bruised jaw and… well, anyway, you would have looked ready for the Rave’N.

In theory.

“Dios mío,” Señor Moreno said when he met you outside the jail, running up to you and checking over your face.

“I’m fine,” you said quickly. “I just wanna go.”

“Of course,” he said with a simple nod before withdrawing his hands. “Then let’s get going.”

He led you to the front where a car was waiting, and you hesitated. These things weren’t just dangerous anymore; now they had rightfully killed Nicky. Sure, you had been in the police van on the way down, but this was… it was different. It was smaller and more dangerous.

It was scarier.

Just get in, the voice goaded you. And against everything you had, your feet carried you until you got into the passenger seat.

You couldn’t recall the ride to wherever you were meeting everyone. Nothing about it registered in your head, almost like a blackout. The only thing you became aware of was sitting down in the chair in that big empty room and waiting for everyone else to show up.

That was pretty scary.

“Good morning, Y/N,” someone said in an accented voice, and you and Señor Moreno turned around to greet everyone.

You remembered the man. Vaguely, of course. He was a friend of your dad’s, someone he had gone to law school with. Stokes; Luke Stokes. He was older now, had more grey in his hair, a few more wrinkles. If you remembered right, he had favoured you over Nicky.

But you averted your eyes the moment you saw your parents enter the room.

“You’ve certainly grown into a stunning young adult,” Mr. Stokes said with a polite smile.

“Thank you,” you said in a raspy voice; it itched your throat again. Everyone quickly sat down and you let your eyes fall to the table.

“Let’s get started, shall we?” Mr. Stokes asked once everyone was settled. “You mentioned you were open to a plea deal?”

“Of course,” Señor Moreno said with his own smile. “A trial would be tedious for everyone, no?”

“I’m glad we agree,” Mr. Stokes said as he started shuffling some papers. It was an irritating sound; he wasn’t even looking for anything in particular, you could tell. “Let’s make this simple. Miss Smith pleads guilty and only serves 7 years.”

“I’ll make it simpler,” Señor Moreno retorted, leaning back in his seat. You felt his foot kick yours slightly. “She pleads guilty, pays her fine, and goes to anger management.”

“Absolutely not,” your dad cut in loudly. You flinched and reached your hand out on instinct; Señor Moreno grabbed it quickly under the table. “Assault and murder?”

“Marcus-”

“-No!” His voice was far too loud, only being drowned out by the racing pulse in your ears. “It’s insulting.”

“We have witnesses for the domestic and prints for the murder,” Mr. Stokes said. Your eyes were closed but you guessed he was trying to calm your dad back down. “Why would we let her off without a sentence?”

The domestic was a simple emotional disturbance,” Señor Moreno said nonchalantly. “Her brother had just died tragically, any juror would understand.”

“And the murder?”

“Just so happened to occur on Canadian soil.” He sounded cocky.

Watch their reactions, the voice said. Again, without any intention to do so, your eyes slowly opened and you looked up across the table.

Your dad was furious; his skin was darkened and there was a fire in his eyes. A dangerous fire. He was looking directly at you like he wanted to lunge across the table and strangle you where you sat. Maybe he did. Maybe he would.

I’d like to see him try, the voice growled. And for the first time in a while, you agreed.

“The United States would never extradite one of their own,” Señor Moreno continued, “let alone a small Outcast child who was defending herself from kidnappers.”

“Any jury would still convict,” Mr. Stokes said. “It’s a good deal, Moreno. Just accept it and let’s all go home.”

The room fell silent. A silence so thick you could choke on it. Everyone was looking at everyone else, watching, waiting to see who would speak first. You didn’t want to take the deal. Seven years in prison? Not even a jail, a prison? You could hold your own, but you would rather die than be subjected to that. There already was very little to live for. It would be the final straw.

Señor Moreno squeezed your hand before leaning forward on the table.

“We will have to reject this deal,” he said with a sigh. “A trial will be tedious, but well worth it.” He looked directly at your dad and you noticed the slightest smirk on his face. “I suppose the knowledge that my client is an Outcast will come to light during the trial.”

Your parents’ faces fell instantly. A laugh tried to bubble up from your throat, and you quickly coughed and cleared your throat to hide it. You bit your bottom lip hard as you looked back up to meet their eyes. For the first time, you saw something that almost made the pain worth it.

They were scared.

“I hope your clients are ready for-”

“-Hold on,” your dad interrupted. “There’s no need for that.”

“So you will accept our terms then?” Señor Moreno asked with a tilt of his head. You turned your head to hide your smile.

Gotcha.

He squeezed your hand again as your parents leaned closer to talk to Mr. Stokes. With another turn of your head, you looked at him. He had a cocky smile on his face that was reserved only for you. And truthfully, you trusted him.

“We’ll agree to your terms,” Mr. Stokes sighed, “but the battery remains on her record.”

Shit.

Señor Moreno looked at you again, waiting patiently for an answer. If a violent crime went on your record, you would never be able to move on. You would have to disclose it to jobs, everyone could look it up and find out. It would ruin your life.

But at least it was a life…

You nodded once.

“We accept,” Señor Moreno said quickly, holding his hand out for Mr. Stokes to shake it.

You hoped you hadn’t just handed your life over to something you couldn’t fix.

—---

The next few days were total chaos. Señor Moreno had allowed you to stay in his guest room before the next day of court. It was a kind gesture, truly it was, but the bed was too soft and the house was too quiet. There was no way to get any sort of sleep so you just stayed in bed, staring at the ceiling and letting your thoughts consume you.

Then he took you to the doctor, letting them check you over. Two broken ribs, one fractured, a broken nose, and some deep bruising. Nothing too horrifying, you had dealt with worse. The horrifying part came when it was time to pay and Señor Moreno didn’t even let you see it. He just paid for it all himself.

“Any child of Gomez’s is a child of mine,” he said with a charming smile.

It made you feel small. And a little warm inside.

Don’t get soft, the voice said, it’ll ruin you.

The day of court was far simpler than you had thought it would be. At least it was now that you had Señor Moreno on your side. The judge accepted the plea and let you off with a simple “you’re young, don’t throw your life away.” You just mumbled a “yes sir” and left with Señor Moreno guiding you out of the courthouse.

“What now?” You asked as you pulled on the tie around your neck. It was a shame the only nice outfit you had was your suit to the Rave’N; it had quickly turned uncomfortable.

“Now you go home,” he said with a smile, still guiding you down the steps of the courthouse. Thanks to your parents’ aversion to Outcasts, there had been little to no publicity. “You’ll start your anger management once the new year starts.”

“And the fine?” You asked.

It had been weighing on your mind since the judge had issued it; $15,000. There was no way in hell you would ever be able to pay that off. A few dozen feet away, your parents descended the courthouse steps, eyeing you for a moment before they looked elsewhere. Your hand quickly travelled to the crystal pendent the Addamses had given you; you still kept it around your neck at all times.

“I can’t afford it.”

“It’s already taken care of.”

You stopped fidgeting with the crystal and nearly tripped over the last stair. Señor Moreno held his hand out to your arm to steady you before you could look up. Mr. and Mrs. Addams were standing near their car with Lurch still inside. Mrs. Addams had a soft smile while Mr. Addams immediately went to clap Señor Moreno on the back.

You didn’t bother trying to keep up as they started talking in Spanish. Abuelita really needed to teach you.

“How are you feeling, little bird?” Mrs. Addams asked softly as her hand reached out to brush against your cheek. You instantly leaned into the gentle touch.

Stop being vulnerable.

“I’m fine,” you said even though you both clearly knew it was a lie.

“Thank you again, Jair,” Mrs. Addams said, and you turned just enough to see Mr. Addams and Señor Moreno walking closer. She still pulled you closer until her arm was around your waist.

She was being far too soft with you, it was making you nervous. But it also left you feeling cared for, maybe even loved. Fuck, when had you truly last felt loved? Mama Weems aside simply because she still had to work all the time, of course. Shit. Now you were just getting sad.

It’s pathetic.

“Of course, Tish,” Señor Moreno said with a smile. “Let me know if anything else comes up.”

“We will,” Mr. Addams said.

Everyone bid their goodbyes to Señor Moreno and watched as he walked away, leaving you with the Addamses. It made you uncomfortable in ways you couldn’t properly express. How much of their money had you wasted on this whole situation? How much time had you stolen from them?

“Are you ready to go home, little bird?” Mr. Addams asked. He still looked to be in good spirits.

You opened your mouth to answer but instantly felt that lump in your throat again. It was not going to cause you to cry, not now. You closed your mouth and nodded once instead, and thankfully they took that as an acceptable answer. Mrs. Addams opened the car door for you to let you in and soon the drive had started.

You couldn’t remember anything that happened on the trip, or even the ride to the Addams house itself. That alone was enough to get your heart racing once again, but you chalked it down to the stress and anxiety of the past few weeks. More than a few weeks. Fuck, how long had it been since the harvest festival? How many weeks had you missed out on?

Fuck.

You had barely gotten out of the car when you felt something crash into you, knocking you back. Your feet steadied the rest of you, but the ache in your body stretched down every nerve it could find. Small, slender arms were wrapped around your neck and, at the familiar scent of her perfume, your own arms wrapped around her waist as your eyes fell shut.

“Never again, cara mia,” Wednesday mumbled into the side of your neck. “Please.”

Oh, how could you possibly say no to that? When you could hear the rare emotion in her voice and feel something wet drop onto your skin? When her nails were digging into your suit and holding you as if you would disappear in an instant? When you could feel her pulse under your fingertips and even just the feel of her body against yours made you feel home?

She’s going to become a distraction, the voice warned. But a distraction to what? And in the end, did you even truly care? Did you care when she felt like home and comfort and warmth all at once? No. No, you didn’t care. You would let her be a distraction to the whole world if that’s what it took to keep her in your arms.

You didn’t bother with an answer, just held her tighter and inhaled deeply once again. The stress of everything started to melt away, even if only for a moment, and you just held Wednesday as if your life depended on it. Maybe it did. Maybe something inside you would break, leaving not even your sanity intact if you let go.

You wouldn’t let her go again.

You would pile corpses in front of her door before the world took her from you again.

#wednesday addams x reader #wednesday x reader #wednesday imagine #wednesday addams imagine #everyone but her au

560 notes · View notes

randoimago · 5 months

Text

Watching the Sunset Together

Fandom: Baldur's Gate 3

Character(s): Rolan

Type of Request: NPC Winter Event Thingy

Note(s): I literally saw this post earlier today and decided I wanted to write drabbles/oneshots (whatever I have inspo with at the time) for various characters. Except I wanted to specifically do it for NPC's.

Since this is so very last minute, I'm only really seeing what NPC's you guys want to see stuff for and if I think it fits (or if I vibe with the NPC) then I'll choose which of these days to write for them. I went with Rolan for number 1 because I love him dearly and this idea came very easily to me.

If there was one thing Rolan could say he loved about Ramazith's Tower, it would be the view. Standing outside the tower and looking down at the city below him, seeing how small everything looks from this height, it really puts things into perspective. Not only that, but seeing the ocean of the docks in the distance and watching the sun begin its descent over the water gave him a sense of calm, of peace.

"Well, it was peaceful," Rolan says aloud, an amused smile on his face when he hears the noise of the portal behind him.

He half expects it to be one of his siblings, mainly Lia, wanting to try one of the "weird Wizard things" in the tower. When he glances back, there's a pleasantly surprised look in his eyes as he sees you.

"And what brings you here? Was my illusion downstairs still no fun?" He asks, smiling a bit as he remembers the conversation you've both had about his little illusion and how you grew bored with making faces at it due to not getting a reaction. He had told you that his siblings say the same thing.

"Not quite, it just doesn't have the same smugness you do," you reply and Rolan rolls his eyes playfully before stepping aside on the balcony so you can join him if you want. He just barely suppresses the happy smile when you do stand next to him. Rolan makes sure his damned tail is coiled around his leg so it doesn't go to yours.

"Oh? Then what brought about this visit?" He inquires, a tad curious as he tries to not be too hopeful about whatever reason you might have.

"Just decided to visit and see how you're holding up," you answer and he suppresses the contented purr that wants to pop up. You've heard his purr before and teased him for being exactly like a cat, to which he defended himself profusely before pouting. The laughter that escaped your lips afterwards almost made him purr again, not that he'd admit it.

"Busy. I've had to deal with a lot of Lorroakan's former associates. Some of them being very happy that the place is under new management while others, not so much." Rolan noticed the concerned look on your face and he gave you a teasing smile. "What? You don't think I can handle myself by now?"

"Considering what a piece of work that bastard was, you can't blame me for being worried about what his friends might be like."

"Aw, you're worried about me?" He teases more and chuckles happily when you playfully shove him in response. In the past, he might've been insulted that you worried, but now it makes his heart beat a bit faster.

"Seems you enjoy me worrying, judging by your purring." His chuckling stops momentarily as he makes a face when he realizes that at some point he did, in fact, start purring at the banter between you two. A scoff escapes him and he rolls his eyes when you start laughing this time. His "annoyance" fades easily as he takes in your happy features and how they're accented from the rays of the setting sun in the background. He has to look away to glance back out to the cityscape, glad that his skin is already red enough to hide any blushing he might be doing.

"Things have been rather peaceful lately," Rolan says, changing the subject. "It's nice being able to finally relax after everything and just look at the sunset."

He hears a contemplative hum from you and he glances over for a moment, your eyes locked on him.

"The view is rather lovely," you agree softly and he feels his heart thrum faster. A slow smile crawls onto his lips before his eyes move back to the sunset, as do yours. He's glad you don't mention his tail that has wrapped around your leg gently as he stands a tad closer to you, his eyes glancing back to you for a moment more.

"That it is."

#baldurs gate x reader #baldurs gate 3 x reader #bg3 x reader #rolan x reader #bg3 rolan x reader #randoimago npc event thingy

109 notes · View notes

streaminn · 8 months

Note

The military school grabbed me by the throat because it’s the worst case of “I took too long to reply it will be awkward if I do it now”, and the fact that both sides got disconnected so hard and it makes them feel the other didn’t care enough to even reach out

Because as much as I love Enid’s perceived one-sided suffering, how does Wednesday feel? How does Yoko? This person who was so special to you, who you were ecstatic to meet again, and they look at you like you’re a total stranger

Sure, apparently she didn’t/couldn’t reach out if they act like this once meeting again, but then again, so didn’t Enid. I always think of assumption as the mother of tragedies, they think the other doesn’t care, and the fact they still do, dearly, is painful and that pain breeds resentment because “how dare you make me feel like this when you don’t even think of me?”

This is just me rambling but I can just imagine, there is this horrible tension between the two groups when together, not open hostility but the trash talking makes people tense around them, and while getting ready Yoko “casually” comes across Enid being alone, it’s tense still, but there is no one else around, it’s just them.

Yoko makes some joke, probably a jab at their teams, maybe an inside joke between just the two them, and for a moment, Enid genuinely smiles, almost laughs too, she actually has to hold back from following along, i don’t know, the wolf imprinted on Wednesday, Enid? Enid definitely missed Yoko

Listen Enid and Yoko going through the besties friends break-up is just personal to me DONT LOOK AT ME

God the enko propaganda, I love them too because yoko definitely feels hurt

Like they ended on pretty alright terms. Sure yoko had to go Mia but she has mentioned that she couldn't text during the winter break bc she's going on a retreat with her family

Enid understood this and so her last text was

'I'm going away :(

Idt we can talk much after this

Don't miss me too much yolks ;)'

And that's it, Yoko comes back after a month or two to the text of 'don't miss me too much' and well

She tries not too when Enid doesn't meet her during the first day. Maybe her girlie was a lil late? It happens

She sends a text, no reply.

But then weeks past and it's starting to get a bit harder to follow her bestie's wishes. Like yoko is a pragmatic girl, but she likes to think that she takes a nice shine to the world. But when the year nearly ends and no Enid is in sight, Yoko is starting to feel that shine dim

And well, Yoko texts her again

There's something quite shattering when she texts and it goes green. Maybe it was a mistake? Yoko thinks. Then she calls and the message of 'this number is unavailable' rings

Oh.

Or, Enid forgot to recharge her Sim card because she's so busy with her school she forgot her phone exists bc of their no gadgets policy

#Military school au

37 notes · View notes

zaceouiswriting · 2 years

Text

The fairy stone Pt.2 (final)

Character: Klaus Mikaelson x male reader, Hope Mikaelson (platonic)

Universe: Vampire dairies, The Originals

Warnings: Death

The nights became longer. For every moment, you were chained up in this dark, wet place. A dungeon of sorts. Sometimes you see one of your captures. They look good, even great on some of these days. Three of them look at you in pity, when they come to get more of your fairy dust. The one thing that was keeping you alive.

In the years though, you produces less and less of it. They actually gathered you dry of it. On rare days, they still get some, but not even close to what they once could gather.

Only two of the people, who took pity on you, actually were concerned for your well being. Tried to talk to their leader to set you free, for years. But only encountered anger and his wrath in from of a dagger. Then you will not see them for a while.

Not once has the leader of your capturers ever visited you, which only strengthened the pain you felt in your heart.

You even tried to flee from this place yourself a couple of times, especially in the beginning, until the bound you with chains, made of gold and copper. Which with fragments of the stone you gave them, could hold your magic in you.

Hope was lost for you a long time ago. Now you just waited for the death, that was long overdue. You saw worlds flourishing and fall. But never see one of your own kin see die outside of battle.

Alone the thought of an death this way, was humiliating for you. Never in your eternal life, you would’ve ever thought it would come to something like this.

Just another day in the Mikaelson dungeon, waiting for your demise. Only for you seeing a small child in this dark place.

At first you were confused, thinking you hallucinated. But the child was real. It touched you and asked if you were okay.

Most of your strength was used to give the little girl a smile, „What are you doing here?“, you asked concerned.

The girl only cocked her head to the side, looking at you, trying to piece you together. You could feel immense power radiating from her, even stronger than the one of the man you once loved so dearly.

„What is your name?“, you asked her a question again.

„Hope,“ she stated matter of factly. Which brought you to laugh. Not because her name was stupid or that it didn't fit her, but because she might be your only hope.

You two talked for hours, every day. Since you knew her, you hang on you life a little bit more. So sure that one day, someone would set you free.

And after months off getting to know each other you asked her, „Could you let me free? I don’t have much time left and I really want to see and feel the sun one last time.“

Your smile was genuine. And Hope knew as well as you did, that time was running out for you fast. She even mentioned it a couple of times, but you tried to be nice and not devastated her, because at this point, you two became friends.

She broke your chains with ease and even helped your stand up, „Wow, you are way stronger than you look,“ you teasingly told her, which got you a slight punch against your arm.

But both of you laughed. She was mature for her age. Maybe even a little bit too much.

Slowly she helped you walk up the stairs. You holding yourself near the wall to not fall backwards back into the dark.

As soon as the sun hit your sickened skin, you felt free. The air, dancing around trough her greasy hair and almost grey skin from the long time, you haven’t seen the sun.

For just a moment a spurt of strength came over you and without Hope you ran outside, directly into a patio with people sitting in it. The one who captured you so long ago.

Your eyes held nothing but hatred for all of them, even the one you loved most in your entire existence.

„What? How did you get out?“, he angrily asked you, storming over to you. But Hope stopped him in his tracks.

„He is my friend, dad!“, she exclaimed loudly.

Your world crumbled again. Eyes switching between the man and the girl, not wanting to realize the extend of his betrayal.

„You betrayed me, to became a full hybrid, let a woman conceive your child and what after that? Protect it against everything in this world? Even when I would die from it?“

Bitterness laid on your tongue as you spoke those words. You couldn’t hate Hope, she was innocent in all of this, but her family, you could hate them.

„What do you mean? You can’t die, you are a fairy,“ he dryly sarcastically through his hands in the air.

„You mean the fairy, you took the fairy dust off of, every time his body and magic tried to feed him magic back? Inside of chains that prevented me of building something that would’ve allowed me to live down there forever?“

Your words got the man in front of you thinking. Everyone only knew what your kin was telling them. So they actually did not know anything.

„Look at me Klaus,“ you asked him to do, but his eyes never looked at you directly, „LOOK AT ME!“, you screamed with all you had left.

Finally his eyes finally met yours, dead and completely unfocused on anything. Just then, you finally gave up. The love you once thought was in him, wasn’t there anymore, he looked at you in disinterest.

You finally gave up. As your body fell to the ground, the small child, hold your head before it could smash into the ground as well.

„Little Hope,“ you whispered with all your strength gone now.

Her tears at least showed you, that not everything in their family was dead yet.

„Give me your necklace, little Hope.“ She did as you asked her. Without any other word, you broke her skin with your finger, as well as your own. Both your bloods dropped down on her necklace, which had a part of the stone, you once gave her father.

„Whatever the fairy council decided to do to your family, you will be except of it, as long as you wear this and keep me in your mind. Okay? Never forget me, child born of the dust of an fairy.“

Not long after, you closed your eyes and the sun was shining down at you, your body began to vanish into dust. The last bits of fairy dust your body would ever produce. Your ashes if you will so.

Before you vanished from the realm of existence, a scream breaking all the realms trough, could be heard. The scream of your kin, wanting for vengeance.

#Klaus mikaelson x male reader #klaus mikaleson imagine #Vampire dairies x male reder #vampire dairies imagines #the originals x male reader #the originals imagines #x male reader #male reader #Hope Mikaelson

187 notes · View notes

distortedclouds · 1 year

Text

It's really hard to choose between Armin and Annie getting together during the rumbling (or shortly after) or a gradually evolve their relationship in a post-rumbling world.

On the one hand:

*Emotions are high during the rumbling. They're both convinced that this may be their first and last time talking in four years. And even if they were lucky to meet again, Annie's dead in a matter of two years

*I'm thinking of four long years with Armin begging to hear her voice, if only just once. At one point, afraid that he might've already forgotten it, and what lives in his brain is nothing but a poor imitation

*I'm thinking of Annie's last time seeing him was when they were still enemies, on opposite sides of the war. Not once did she get the chance to put a face to the Armin that's been visiting her nonstop for the past four years, keeping her nightmarish prison from driving her absolutely insane

*Soon after the rumbling, Annie has no town to go back to, her Father feels like a stranger after 10 years even if she still loves him dearly, Armin is the only good thing to emerge

*As for Armin, him and the scouts aren't welcome back on the island. Eren's dead, Mikasa is back at Paradis, and the world he'd dreamed of exploring is a hellish landscape of giant footprints

*They've only got each other, so it makes sense for them to "get together" at the first opportunity. The world doesn't want either of them, but they want each other

*Aruani getting together post-rumbling is angsty, it's desperate, and it's unsure of the future and I love every second of it.

HOWEVER:

*I'm also thinking of their first sigh of relief in years, that it's all over. Sure, there's still a lot of work to do, but they can take it one step at a time, side by side, knowing that the other is here to stay

*I'm thinking it's that sense of security in the future, which wasn't there during the rumbling when they stayed on the boat, is what allows them to take things slow

*I'm thinking of Armin's daily routine of going to see and talk to Annie persisting, even through his busy days, he'll always make a few minutes to go talk to her about the stupidest things. It takes a while for Annie to start talking back, but mostly because they're just used to it this way

*It's nice to know that all the hardships they'll be going through, whether it's Armin's new political role or Annie's nightmares, they'll go through them together

*I wanna see them becoming integral parts of each other's lives without them even knowing it. They have breakfast, lunch, and dinner together, they have each other's backs and will start the recognize the smallest and dumbest details about each other

*I want them to DECIDE that they wanna hold each other's hands; a conscious decisions that they actually get to make

*i want them first time they hug to be special and given plenty of time, because Annie will rest her head on his shoulder and forgets about anything and everything that isn't him at this very moment

*I want their first kiss to convey the tenderness and patience they feel towards one another. A single peck that doesn't need to be anything more because they have all the time in the world

*i want them to go through each other's emotional and physical barriers one step at a time; become open books that the other gets to read one page at a time, never getting bored

*Aruani getting together one to two years post canon gentle and it's slow. It's agntsy whenever one of them is having a hard time, but bittersweet when they realize they now have someone to count on, even for the most trivial feelings

But my ass is too much of a slut for angst and smut to ever write that :|

#attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #aruani #aruannie #headcanons #for some reason the tumblr app isn't letting me add a read more breatk #so ill day that later #apologies to all the dashes and searcg results Il flood #meme

52 notes · View notes

littlesparklight · 1 year

Text

He couldn't do this. If he'd only been able to run away.

Except there was nowhere he could have gone that Hermes wouldn't have found him, or Helios or Zeus. He was merely mortal, and if he was to be the one to judge between the goddesses, then there was nothing he could have done to avoid it. It would, however, have felt nice to have had the chance to run. A brief illusion that he might avoid whatever would come from three goddesses walking towards him, led by strong Argeiphontes. He shouldn't have asked to see each of them alone. They wouldn't have had the chance to do this, then. Hopefully, anyway. On the other hand, he still couldn't imagine proclaiming his choice right then and there, for surely that'd be dismissive of the goddesses too. All he'd wanted was more time, hoping to present a believable illusion that the choice had been difficult to make.

Well, it certainly was difficult now. He was only mortal - why were they showing him so much? It wasn't what he wanted to see, surely nothing he needed to see to make his decision. It wasn't what he'd asked for. Shuddering, Paris squeezed his eyes shut. Ripped up a handful of grass without looking, drying off his nose, though his mouth still tasted of iron. Disgusting. And he still had to face Aphrodite.

He'd get up in a moment. He just needed to breathe a little.

"Oh, here now. Look at you."

A hot flash of shame nearly spilled over as tears as Paris lurched at Aphrodite's voice. Scrambling to his feet, fortunate he didn't stumble and fall to the ground again, he smiled up at her, running a slightly trembling hand through his curls. Internally cursed that she should have been last, that he hadn't been able to hold himself together, or at least hadn't gotten to his feet earlier. Tossed his head, feeling vaguely better for how the curls still flew through the air, unburdened and untouched as he didn't feel, and thumped with heavy grace against his back.

"L-lady Aphrodite," Paris said, smile widening into an apology for the tremble of his voice. "I apologize for not greeting you properly".

His hands were still shaking, and he dearly wanted to sit down. He suppressed the urge, turning the motion into straightening out the skirt of his tunic instead. This was how he had to face the goddess of love? The one out of the three that'd come before him he had actually wanted - selfish as it might be - to have a chance for a moment alone with, if only to simply enjoy her presence. As suggested even when it'd been mingled with the other two goddesses, her presence was warm, like a caress, a promise of pleasure. It was heavy, yes, but Paris found himself breathing a little easier despite that.

"You can still do so, Prince Alexander," Aphrodite said, touching her lips and smiling as she strode forward, guiding him back two steps, down to sit on the rock. "I won't countenance being at a disadvantage just because I went last. They've been rather rough with you, haven't they?"

She touched his cheek, brushed fingertips through his curls with a little smile that widened when her nails tapped against some of the golden twists he'd scattered throughout. Pulled her hand away only to gracefully clutch at the air, and then turned the hand he wasn't already clutching the golden apple with palm up to drop a small clump of something golden and soft, like dough, almost, there. Ambrosia. She'd given him ambrosia?

"Take a moment. It'll make sure we both get the best out of this," she urged, still smiling as she stepped back. "With such a beautiful view on offer, it won't feel like waiting."

Aphrodite's smile turned sly, for while she glanced around the meadow and its wide-open view of the sky and the lands stretching out below the foothills, her attention never left him. Paris smiled, a glow in his chest as he reflexively leaned forward a little. Nearly tipped over, vertigo snatching him, but he caught himself on the stone again and could at least straighten back up with some grace.

"I wouldn't want to give you anything less but my full attention," Paris said, only looking down at the small clump of ambrosia in his hand because it would be unthinkable to ignore the gift given. Especially if it'd help him, right now, but at all, too. "And I am only mortal - you are all goddesses, being allowed to see you all three together would be more than anyone could ask for, so I suppose I should just be relieved to still be here."

Somehow, neither his hands nor his voice trembled as he spoke, the reminder alone bringing a chill and threatening returned vertigo.

"And yet you asked for more," Aphrodite said, still smiling, her eyes as endless and green as the sea, not yet stained dark by the night but its depth still a threat.

Fingers twitching so he almost squashed the soft clump flat where he'd only intended to break a piece off, Paris swallowed. The goddess' attention was like that of a stalking great cat lurking at the edges of a meadow, having seen a doe wander off into the thick of the forest and knowing there was small, vulnerable treasures hidden somewhere within the sunny glade, while the poor mother has left her fawns to tremble in awareness of the predator so close by, daring not to flee to reveal themselves, and left waiting for death. He finished tearing a piece of ambrosia free, and looked up, meeting Aphrodite's gaze for what else was there to do? Tipped his head, lashes lowering.

"I wouldn't want to make a decision in unseemly haste - and I can admit, circumstances aside, I've---" Paris paused, a hesitation not brought from fear or exhaustion, but for once a creeping shyness, being so close to this particular goddess. "Wished I could meet you, somehow."

It'd been audacity at sixteen, kneeling at Aphrodite's altar in desperate infatuation of a boy he already knew he'd lost, but he'd loved the feeling of Aphrodite's temple the first time he'd stepped into it. Paris wasn't sure what he might have done if he had found either of the other two goddesses more beautiful than Aphrodite when the three stood before him and Hermes explained what his task was to be. If he was to perform it correctly, he should choose whoever he found the most beautiful, and could he have done so against the fulfilled desire of having gotten to at least see Aphrodite? Not that it mattered, for she was indeed the most beautiful of the three, even with the gift the Queen of the Gods had offered looming like a shadow above this meeting. How had he ever been tempted by her offer? These few moments alone with Aphrodite was worth any gift the others could give him, and she was the one who should still have the apple, gift or no gift.

"Oh, my darling, beautiful boy." Aphrodite laughed, leaning down as she hadn't stepped more than half a step away after leading him to sit, and took his face in her hands. "By your very existence you've met me, even unknowing."

Her lips hovered just beyond his forehead, a kiss not in the touch of lips to skin but her breath washing over him, a sweet benediction. Paris trembled, but less from fear of the threatening weight of divinity now. It was still easier to breathe again when Aphrodite stepped back, and he took the chance to taste the ambrosia as she retreated to the exact same spot both Hera and Athena had been standing in earlier.

It tasted of honey and blooming spring roses, a gilded sweetness spreading a flush through his limbs, up into his head. Easing all exhaustion just by that tiny nibble, and he wasn't at all ashamed when he moaned, swallowing just that tiny bite, and quickly consumed the rest.

"There we are," Aphrodite said, a smile like a gift on her lips when he looked up. "That's what someone like you should look like. Now, then. I don't know what Argive Hera and Pallas told you - for I'm sure they told you something, the way each of them looked as they came back - but if you choose me, I will give you…"

They were far from the ocean up here on Mount Ida, yet he could hear it, then; the swell of a wave, crowning Aphrodite in a momentary crown of sun-sparkles on water and delicate, rainbow-shimmering foam. Laughing whispers spelling out nothing brushed his ears as Aphrodite smiled, as gentle as a mother, as filthy as a naked lover might look upon her beloved, eager for touch. A promise of more - always more - if one would linger in the darkness beside her, a sense of belonging that was as much about caresses and limbs twining together as it was the eternity of all life winding together, never-ending, spawning new things in unity.

Too much; Paris gasped, snapping his eyes shut and turning his face away, without swaying back from where he'd been leaning towards the shining goddess. There was an ache in his limbs, the ghost of a headache, yet, as the weight of Aphrodite's divinity retreated, settling back into an almost gentle promise of secrets shared, the pains didn't linger long. Perhaps it was only the ambrosia, the effects of consuming it still protecting him, but considering he felt a little revitalised, too, surely it wasn't just that.

"Pleasure and beauty for your life, for the most beautiful woman in the world will love you and be your wife. A mirror and match as none other among mortals born could be."

Aphrodite spread her hands wide, golden bracelets and jewel beads clinking with the sweeping motion, dark, thick lashes heavy, her eyes like gleaming emeralds in themselves. Briefly, Paris blushed like a shy virgin under her gaze, like he'd never done even when he'd been unknowing but curious about the pleasures of love. Breath caught as he stared up at her, curiosity - and want - was stirred now much like it had back during those early days, watching the nymphs whisper together, one of them turning to look at him with a smile that'd sparked heat in his chest - and lower.

"I'd treasure any gift at all from you as I do the ones you've already given me," Paris said, wide-eyed and brightly intent. Dared to trust his legs to bear him already and stood up, a smile pulled along. "But such a gift as this would surely be the desire of anyone, to know such pleasures."

What did he care about a kingdom vaster than he could full imagine? Why would he ever care about the glories of war, no matter the acceptance it might give him? How could he say no to such an offer as this, even if he hadn't already desired to give her the apple upon first seeing her?

Aphrodite smiled, touching her lips with a finger, light catching like lightning in the gold and electrum of her rings. "We shall all trust you to make the correct decision."

She turned and left, and Paris remained, as anxious as anticipating of the return of Hermes and the goddesses this time as he'd dreaded it before. The chill that'd shaken him upon seeing them come walking towards him was distant, in that moment, and Paris refused to look any closer at it as he eyed the apple in his hand, running his thumb over the smooth skin and shaping out the foreign symbols just barely indenting it.

For the most beautiful.

#the iliad #trojan war #paris of troy #aphrodite #lightart #last snippet of this scene!

26 notes · View notes

letmetellyouaboutmyfeels · 2 years

Text

I was rudely tagged by @tripleaxeldiaz for Fanfic Writer Appreciation Day to share my five favorite fics that I’ve written (even though she knows I hate talking about myself). Unfortunately I’ve been unable to sit down and do this until now, so sorry this is late!

I’m sticking just to 911 fics for this one since I am sure as hell not going through the *cringes* 200+ fanfics I’ve written over the years. So let’s get cracking.

Love and Bullets Both Shatter Hearts (But Only One Can Put You Back Together) - Spy AU

So this fic was the first I had written in a long time that I was happy with after a long period of disliking everything I wrote. It was a fic that was more vibes than anything else, but I dearly love those vibes, and I think I managed to deliver a full and layered story in a relatively short amount of words which is difficult to pull off. Also spies are sexy.

To Build a Home We Deconstruct Our Rituals - Fake!Married/Marriage of Convenience/Friends to Fiancés

Fun fact! I don’t know if I’ve ever shared this, but the title was inspired by the Richard Siken quote that you “construct elaborate rituals that allow you to touch the skin of other men.” The idea was that Buck and Eddie have constructed these elaborate unspoken/subtextual rituals that allow them to almost but not quite have what they want, and that there comes a time when, as a queer person, you must drop the rituals and speak/act directly in order to completely have what you really want (but in doing so you risk everything).

...which all sounds rather serious for a fic that is basically fluff the entire time whoopsies. Anyway, this fic was written while I was in the throes of dramatic frustration over certain choices in the season four finale, and the lovely @extasiswings coaxed me back off the edge of the cliff. I wrote this fic to take the idea I’d had of “what if Buck moved in with Eddie after the shooting” and spun it from there, and I’m actually really fond of it. This fic helped me to work through my frustrations and rediscover my patience. I was also going through a deeply bad time in my life, so it was nice to have something to escape to during the hiatus. I’m really, really proud of how it turned out, especially the idea of Buck and Eddie “falling gently” together - that they’re already dating, so taking that final step would be small and soft.

The Monsterfucker’s Symphony - a collection of oneshots where Buck, Eddie, or both is some sort of supernatural creature

Oh my God she picked the monsterfucker one who would’ve thought - LISTEN, THIS ISN’T ABOUT THE SMUT, OKAY? I actually really love this series because of the worldbuilding I put into each of the monsters. What does a succubus look like? What is the color of Buck’s angel wings? How does merfolk anatomy work? Exploring the physical and social stuff for each of the supernatural creatures I chose was a lot of fun, and I’m delighted with how each entry turned out - especially the last one featuring Angel!Buck. That one was the one closest to an actual plot and was inspired by quite a few things including the TV show Lucifer, the works of Lois Lowry, and all those trashy fun angel romances that stocked the YA shelves when I was thirteen.

Another reason this is one of my favorites is that I’ve had a lot of people tell me they don’t usually read monsterfucking - it’s just not their thing - but that they took a chance and read one or more of the entries in this collection, and that they really enjoyed the emotion and worldbuilding. That’s such a huge compliment to me. I’m always here to deliver you guys some fun smut but I put a lot of work into characterization and relationships, and to have that shine through enough that even people who don’t have that monsterfucking kink enjoy my writing?

(Shit fuck I’m tearing up please hold)

Anyway I’m really proud of this work and absolutely floored by the responses to it.

Let My Ink Stain Your Pages - Castle!AU

First off, this piece of shit was not supposed to exceed 50k so please note that for the record. Second of all, this was a blast to write. I had so much fun with this, especially since I was working on it after I’d needed a hell of a break thanks to another fic (we’ll get to that one) and needed something less serious. While wrangling all the aspects of the cases and translating them from the TV show to this fic could be a real strain on my patience, I had sooooooo much fun writing this. I needed something more fun and lighthearted after the heavy angst I had last written, and I’m proud of how I incorporated the Castle series’ plotlines with the 911 characters. I understand why television writers drag out slowburns, because writing this slowburn was delightful. I think I did a good job of not dragging it out too far, and balancing the comedy and banter with the heavier subject matter of, well, homicide.

Your Fingerprints Smeared on My Heart (Lead Me Back to You) - Reincarnation!AU, Soulmate!AU, Cowboy!AU, dash of Gilded Age and the kitchen sink

This fic was the product of a challenge. Because I love challenges. Especially challenges that nobody actually set and I end up doing them to myself. I asked @extasiswings what her five favorite kinds of AUs were, and she said among other things Reincarnation AUs and Historical (including Gilded Age). At another point she answered a question about liking soulmate fics but being picky about them. And my stupid ass decided to combine all three things into one fic. Because I hate myself.

This fic was one of the most difficult, if not the most difficult, that I’ve ever written. It was a massive labor of love and I’m really, really proud of how it turned out. I knew that I was taking on something really big with this - I needed to balance two timelines, make it historically accurate, come up with a system of reincarnation... I bit off a lot, and I knew it, and I wanted to really make it all work and fit in with canon as much as possible. There was also a lot of heavy emotion, one might even say (temporary) tragedy in this fic - definitely heavy angst for sure. Which made it a very heavy fic to write (I cried a couple times) and I worried I was getting too maudlin on occasion.

All that said... maybe this is tooting my own horn too much? But I think I pulled it off. I know that Leading with the Left is my most popular 911 fic, but to be honest, I think this is my best 911 fic.

#mads writes stuff #tagging thing #tripleaxeldiaz #I've gone back and forth on whether or not to post this but here we go #we're trying to be proud of our accomplishments

31 notes · View notes

thekidkelly · 1 year

Note

I love your fics 😪 have you got any hurt/comfort high school charmac headcanons i want the angst but also don’t wanna cry too hard lol

hello anon!! ty so much that’s so nice of you to say :’)) i absolutely do!!! here’s a few of them:

whenever something shitty happened at one house, they would go to the other person’s house and throw rocks at their bedroom window til the person answered, then they’d go down to railroad tracks and smoke cigarettes and throw rocks at passing trains til they felt better.

mac knew about uncle jack, so if he saw charlie falling asleep in school the following day he would ditch class with him and let him sleep on his chest under the bleachers.

whenever luther would get arrested, charlie would sit with mac at church just because he knew mac would want some company even though he hated church and everything it stood for.

charlie had a tendency to distance himself when he was feeling jealous over dennis getting mac’s attention, until one day mac barged into his bedroom and asked him wtf was going on. charlie just told him straight up he felt like he was being left out and max suddenly got very soft and told charlie dennis could never replace him and charlie holds that moment very dearly.

mac would let charlie train hockey on him cus he used to want to play professionally and he hated all the douchebags on the club team. one time charlie accidentally got a puck up too high and hit mac in the face and gave him a black eye and after that he bought mac a helmet (with money he stole from his moms purse) so he wouldn’t get hurt again.

neither of their parents showed up to graduation, so while everyone else was taking pictures with their families, the pair of them snuck out of graduation and drank beer and got high at the tracks in their robes.

last i just think that whenever one of them got their asses kicked the other would take care of them in the bathroom (and maybe every now and again they’d kiss their cuts and scrapes as a “joke” like when they were younger but they both secretly liked the tenderness of it)

#ask response

9 notes · View notes

oxiosa · 2 years

Text

Characters: Luciano (Brazil), Martín (Argentina), Manuela (Fem!Chile). Relationships: BrArg. Past Arg/Chi. Additional Tags: Divorce AU. A grown-ass gay man clueless about his own sexuality. Summary: Martín, a twice divorcee Literature professor whose life is a crumbling mess, comes up with an impractical ruse to make a good case for himself in his divorce trial by moving in with his hot neighbour, Luciano.

by @oxiosa and @disaster-fruit. Feat @kurara-black-blog

Martín is a university Literature professor. He is the sort of passionate teacher who is really inspiring to hear, you know this guy loves what he does. It is as if he has read every book in the world and has a strong opinion about it. The students all look up at him because he is cool and confident and handsome and clearly very passionate and intelligent – if a little cocky. Honestly you would never guess that below his very cool smug façade, his life actually is a crumbling mess.

He is pretty much a loser who cries himself to sleep watching novelas and gorging ice cream except you’d never guess ‘cause he’s very proud and very good at pretending life is great. He is actually going through his *second* divorce, has no money since he has a lame salary and is paying for his divorce trial and child support, all while living at his parents’ house since he can’t even afford to rent some place for himself after his ex-wife kicked him out of their house. He sleeps on a couch in the room that used to be his bedroom during his teen years and which now is his stepmother’s art study. Since he has no room in the house, Martín uses his old Torino (his first car, which he loves dearly and both his exes hate for it is a piece of trash he clings to like some overgrown child clinging to his blankie) like a moving storage place where he keeps all the clothes and books. He also keeps all his student’s homework and papers in there, and piles of trash such as take-away containers and coffee cups and crumbled cigarette packages. It is one crowded mess, a mirror of Martín’s life and state of mind.

Manuela is his first ex-wife. They married very young during their college years; both studied Literature and were two passionate nerds and Martín thought “Hey she’s a girl, I’m a boy. I like her, she likes me. That’s gotta be love, right?”. Manuela had a crush on Martín, so she couldn’t resist him when he pulled her in. His intensity was magnetic and it felt thrilling, like an adventure. They dated for some months before Martín proposed and Manuela accepted. She was in love and clueless, they were young and dumb. They had a kid right away but their marriage was very rocky and super short, only lasted a few years. It was a very hard hit on Martín. It has been almost ten years since and their relationship is civil, almost friendly even. Manuela doesn’t hold (major) grudges for their failed marriage, it has passed enough time that they can have some sort of mutual understanding. Their relationship might have been terrible once the honeymoon phase was over, but she knows Martín loves their kid to death and she also knows that deep down he is a nice guy - if a little insane and unbearable.

Martín and Manuela see each other frequently since they have a kid together. She listens to Martín’s sorrows very judgeful and unimpressed and unhelpfully tells him he is a disaster and that he needs to get his priorities straight. First, she doesn’t approve his parenting, he’s the sort of parent who lets his kid stay awake past bedtime and lets them have sweets and that tells them to punch their bullies in the face and then gets called by the principal when the kid does exactly that. Second, she doesn’t think he makes a good example for their kid; he is brash and impulsive and proud and not known for taking the best decisions, which are not very nice qualities. He needs to figure his life out, he is a walking mess who needs to get his shit together and who should be a good example for their kid. Also, she has figured out Martín is gay and she very blatantly tells him so but Martín just thinks she is being mean and poking him on his “fragile masculinity” but joke’s on her, he is very sure about his sexuality.

Things are more complicated with his second ex-wife. Their breakup is still raw and fresh and they are mid divorce and there’s a very young child in the middle. Unlike Manuela who simply is very done with Martín’s shenanigans, his second ex-wife fucking hates his guts and would very much just cut him out of her and their kid’s life all together.

Martín met her a few years ago; she was this hot intense girl who crushed fast and hard on him. This time Martín was the one being dragged around and romanced, which was just fine by him since he likes the attention and feeling desired. She matched his intensity, surpassed it even, which he thought made them a good match. Their married life was very sad and pathetic. Martín didn’t pay her much attention, he was the sort of husband who gets home and drops on the couch to watch football and have a cold beer and go “Uh-uh, that’s great, honey” without even looking his wife’s way. She had it so bad for him that she didn’t notice his lack of commitment until their baby was born. Then she started to notice their child got a very different treatment than her; Martín’s eyes would light up when he got home and saw the baby. He would pick them up and coo at them and play and just give them his unwavering attention. She was so used to him being distant that watching him be invested in their baby was a stark contrast that threw into the light the little attention she got from him. She tried to fix things at first, stubbornly tried to seduce him and remind him why he married her – she was fun and hot and passionate and she would prove it. But she was trying to seduce a (closeted) gay man who honestly didn’t even notice at this point. She failed to get Martín’s attention no matter how much she tried, and she grew bitter and resentful. When she realized he was no changing him and that this was what she could expect from Martín from the rest of their marriage – a man who didn’t talk to her, who didn’t look at her, whose only joy was their child - she exploded and kicked him out. Martín crashed at his parent’s place and assumed it is just one fight, she needed time to wind down before he cpuld go back home. But the following morning he got a call from his lawyer to inform him his wife was asking for a divorce.

And here is the thing, Martín never wanted a divorce, not the first time nor the second time. His marriage with Manuela had been filled with fights and disagreements yet still he had been shocked when she asked for a divorce, breaking up was never an option in his head. During his second divorce he hadn’t even notice things weren’t ok with his wife. He wasn’t happy, but he wasn’t unhappy either. He thought this was how married life was supposed to be, that certainly is the way many couples talk about marriage anyways. Being married and having a family is Martín’s life dream, he wants that for himself and two divorces in a row is a hard and painful failure. All he is taking from them is that he is a difficult person who apparently can’t keep a nice stable relationship and who might die alone.

Manuela has the custody of their child and Martín gets to hang with them often, he picks them up from school or football practice and takes out for ice-cream or to the movies. The kid is older and his relationship with Manuela is civil, so it is easier. But he is struggling to see his second child, he is fighting for their custody but it seems to be a lost cause. He does try to be a good father and be present in their lives, but it is very hard when their mother hates him and he doesn’t have his own place. He doesn’t have a room for himself, let alone one for the kid, there is no way a judge is giving him a shared custody. He knows he can’t be more present until he gets his shit together.

And this is where Luciano comes in, the cherry on top of his life crisis: Martín thought he was straight. Martín has been brushing of his sexuality for years, making up excuses for all of his life. He think this one actor is painfully handsome but come on, who doesn’t have a gay celebrity crush? As a teen he thought some of his friends were cute, but puberty was a mess so no big deal. He had a “wild phase” during his college years in which used to party hard, you know, dance over tables, skinny-dip at private pools, and why not French kiss the captain of the football team and fuck some cute exchange students hand in a parking lot. You know, all crazy stuff “heterosexual” bros do in college parties while they are super drunk. He looks back at all that and laughs it off as all the ~crazy~ things alcohol did to him in college.

Now Luciano is Martín’s parent’s neighbour and the very opposite of Martín – he never married, he has no kids, and he is very un-confused about his sexuality. Martín hasn’t met him properly, he has only caught side of him in passing and when Luciano decides to tend his garden barely dressed (Martín looks respectfully from the window). Luciano has a “ROOM FOR RENT” ad up, since he used to have a roommate who just left and he is looking for someone to share the house expenses with.

Martín is broke and really can’t afford to rent a place for the month, so instead he has the brilliant idea to rent Luciano’s place whenever his ex-wives and kids are over. It is brilliant: Luciano lives right by his parent’s house and Martín doesn’t offer much money but Luciano still could use some cash; a handful of money is better than no money at all. Luciano agrees as long as he gets to call the deal off the moment he gets a roommate. Martín’s problems are not his responsibility after all.

Martín rents Luciano’s place during the weekends so he can pretend to have a house and thus pass as a responsible adult who is getting his shit together and totally deserves more time with his kids. Luciano’s house is small and cosy and clean and tidy, and it has a lot of living plants that look very healthy and well taken care of (and if Martín doesn’t follow Luciano’s exact instructions to take care of them in the weekends, he is fucked). It even has a spare room for the kids so it looks great for Martín’s responsible adult image. Since this is supposed to be Martín’s place, Luciano makes sure to be out of the picture during the weekends, he just crashes at a friend’s house, or his father’s or even some date. It is flawless and everyone wins: Martín has got his ex-wives fooled and Luciano is making money.

Their plan goes about smoothly, until one day Martín’s youngest kid needs to stay with him for a few days. Martín’s ex-wife needs to be out of town for work reasons and she can’t take the baby with her. She was going to let the kid stay at their grandparents’, but Martín insisted she let them stay with him. He is the father and he has a place of his own, he can totally have the kid over for a few days. His ex hesitates but relents and Martín is thrilled to get to spend time with his kid. The thing is he can’t just kick Luciano out of his place that long, so he begs him to please pretty please let him stay over as his roommate for these few days. Martín’s toddler can’t talk and won’t rat them out and Luciano will barely notice them, come on, a full week of rent is better than a weekend. Luciano is not convinced (this is getting out of hands) but he eventually accepts since it is the only way to get Martín to shut up. Just this once, he relents, don’t get used to it. And he is charging extra.

Martín and his kid move in for a few days and Luciano gets to see first-hand Martín being a father. Luciano had a few reservations about Martín before, he thought he was a downright mess and wasn’t too impressed by him. But now that he sees how much Martín adores his kid it hits a raw nerve. Luciano’s parents had an ugly divorce when he was a kid and it totally fucked up his relationship with his own father. Seeing a loving dad struggling to keep their kid makes him invested in Martín’s story.

The days sharing Luciano’s house eventually are over. The kid returns to their mother and Martín is packing to go back to his parents’ but Luciano announces he can stay. He will let Martín move in as his roommate without charges but only until the divorce trial is over. This is a temporary arrangement to help Martín get back to his feet, he says. He will help Martín so he can make a good case and earn half his kid’s custody. Without meaning to, Luciano becomes this sort of fairy godfather to Martín by lending him his place and helping him with his kids.

Luciano starts helping out a little reluctantly. Even if this was his idea, that doesn’t mean he is too happy about having been dragged into this family drama, damn his conscience. Likewise, Martín at first tries not to ask for help, he took Luciano’s offer but ultimately he is too proud and anyways the kids are not Luciano’s responsibility, he can’t just abuse of his kindness. He tries hard to juggle his responsibilities with work and the kids and the trial, and only calls Luciano if he has run out of solutions.

Luciano becomes a secret helper of Martín. He helps with the toddler, but Martín keeps him out of the picture when his eldest kid comes for the weekend since there is a high risk of Manuela finding out the truth if they know. But eventually Martín needs Luciano to pick them up from school since he can’t make it and well, the cat is out of the bag for Martín’s eldest kid. Martín asks them to please keep this from Manuela. We’re not lying to mommy, baby, he promises, we’re just omitting, it’s different! The kid swears to keep the secret for them; secrets are fun and so is Luciano and they like coming over to dad’s place, so they are down for it. Of course, this is a 10 year old and there is only so much Martín can ask from them. His kid keeps their mouth shut for a while but they eventually spills the beans without meaning to.

Manuela is furious. Not just about Luciano himself, but that Martín was dishonest with her pretending everything is peachy while he is barely holding his life together. He always does this, it is one of the things she that used to drive her crazy during their marriage. He is not honest about himself and she hates this stupid prideful posing he does jfc why can’t he ask for help like a normal person? This is ridiculous, what was he playing at? And dragging their kid into it, asking them to lie to her? Martín should be happy she is only giving him and earful and hasn’t banned him from hanging with their kid ever again. She says she should tell Martín’s second ex-wife since she’d like to know if the roles were inverted, but Martín’s exes hate each other and Manuela knows this will fuck up Martín for good in the trial. As mad as she is, she doesn’t want to fuck him completely over so she promises to keep the secret as long as Martín is 100% honest with her from now on. She basically sits both Martín and Luciano under a light like some detective and plays bad cop, there are no good cops in her interrogatory. She wants to know everything if she is letting her kid hang with Luciano, and now Luciano feels a little more sympathetic with Martín, so this is one of the exes? The one he is supposed to get along the best with? Lord have mercy.

Despite their rocky meeting and their very contrasting personalities, Manuela warms up to Luciano quite easily, much to Martín’s relief and misery. This plays to Martín’s favour, since Luciano manages to quell Manuela’s temper, but it is a bit annoying to see Manuela having a soft spot for Luciano when Manuela has never had a soft spot for *anyone*. Also Martín doesn’t particularly appreciate the embarrassing ex-husband gossip Manuela likes to share with Luciano about him.

As time goes by, Luciano starts growing fonder and fonder of Martín’s kids (and Martín himself) and starts helping out without Martín having to ask. He offers to pick the kids up even if Martín isn’t that busy, takes them out if daddy needs a moment of quiet to sort some papers out, buys them sweets and trinkets and goes for the baby when he hears them crying as if they were his own child, etc. Martín starts trusting and relying more on him, starts being able to relax and rest a little. They are basically co-parenting and working as a team, they look very much like a married couple at this point.

This phase has a lot of sweet but confusing moments for both of them. Martín sees Luciano being so nice and patient with his kids and he definitely values it. On the other hand, Luciano likes kids so he’s fine playing with the baby on his free time and helping Martín, and he finds that he enjoys this new change of pace, the house feels less lonely and quiet. He likes the kids and he likes Martín.

Co-parenting with someone he is unknowingly crushing on makes Martín think back to his married life and how some of it resembles it - but with a new twist he can’t quite put a finger on. That’s what was missing in Martín’s previous marriages. He had lived under the same roof with his exes and they had both raised theirs kids but they hadn’t been a team they way Luciano and him are. He had been so disconnected from his previous partners, working on autopilot around them. But with Luciano is different – they talk about their day and last night’s match and anything and everything while they take care of the children, and it’s almost as if Martín felt drawn to Luciano. How could he not gravitate towards him when they are in the same room, how could he not search for his bright eyes, hang on every word of that sweet soft voice, tease and joke until he got to see his warm smile? He enjoys Luciano’s company in a way he had never enjoyed his exes’ before, or anyone’s for the matter. He’s in sync at such an unspoken level with him.

But he’s still very in denial so it’s not like he rationalizes all that, he just bottles down all the unshaped yearn day after day. Martín is oblivious to his feelings, still caught up in his “I’m hetero” jazz, but Luciano isn’t. He flirts and Martín flirts right back at him and Luciano gets all the signals that his advances are welcomed – he starts with harmless teasing that slowly escalates to real flirting. And Martín is quite receptive, totally going along with it. Martín is very much into Luciano without realising so, but Luciano realizes.

One quiet night, Martín is rocking his fussy toddler, walking around the living room trying to get them to sleep while also trying to read some important papers. Without a word, Luciano comes and takes the baby for him. Martín gets to sit on the couch and read the papers, but he instead hears as Luciano rocks his kid to sleep humming and pacing around the spare room. Once the baby is asleep, Luciano reappears in the living room and announces in a whisper and with a tired yet satisfied smile that he baby is asleep. Martín thanks him for taking over They have a little whispered chat and Martín is trying to find words to keep Luciano there a little longer before he disappears into his room. He doesn’t know why he wants Luciano’s company, why it feels wrong that they will part ways for the night. This weird yearning for things of a married life that he didn’t particularly care too much about before is confusing and doesn’t make much sense, Martín can’t put a name to the feeling.

Both are tired from the day but satisfied; it’s been a day of hard work but they did good, amazing even, they are getting so good at co-parenting. Luciano announces they have earned themselves some beers. Martín protests weakly, saying he needs to read his papers but Luciano tells him he needs a break and he’s right. So they hang on the couch drinking beer, a little closer than necessary, and they get to that tipsy edge that is not quite fully drunk and well they kiss.

Luciano has kissed many people before, but kissing Martín feels different. There are butterflies in his stomach and he feels like taking air after holding his breath for too long. He hadn’t realised how deeply he had been craving for this moment, it’s such an overtaking feeling he can’t ignore it no more, there is no denying how he feels for Martín. They deepen the kiss a little, enough for it to start getting hot, and Luciano being Luciano has a hard time keeping his hands to himself. He gets a little handsy and his hands travel south but Martín pulls back with a chuckle and announces he is not *that* drunk yet.

Luciano didn’t know of Martín’s self-proclaimed straightness and he is taken aback when he realizes they are not in the same page at all. With all the casual flirting they exchanged in this past months he had assumed Martín was bisexual. No hetero man is that comfortable shamelessly flirting with another man. They’ve been at it for months and it is so obvious they both are into each other it would never occurred to Luciano that Martín’s very blatant flirty is a “bromance”. Beside they didn’t drink that much, and hey no straight man makes out with a “bro” like that.

It is confusing and the moment is broken. Martín announces it’s late and that’s he’s going to bed and Luciano is left on the couch feeling very confused. He casually brings up the kiss next time he hangs with Manuela. She tells him she always suspected Martín was gay - she saw that coming the whole time. She says she’s glad to hear Martín is finally figuring that thing out, took him long enough, but then Luciano tells her about the No Homo rejection and she just rolls her eyes. Of course stupid Martín would be this dumb, she says.

But it is fine, Luciano decides it is ok. Martín is clearly confused and in denial but that is not Luciano’s problem. Luciano shoves his feelings back down again after that terrible no-homo rejection and tell himself it doesn’t affect him at all. He doesn’t care if Martín is confused and claims to be hetero, that’s on him, definitely doesn’t affect Luciano at all. Their flirting and that one kiss don’t have to mean anything, Luciano is used to casual affairs. He can move on, brush it off. It is not as if his heart is breaking a little but he is hiding it because he still wants to hang around Martín. So what that he adores his kids as if they were his own and wants Martín to continue living with him forever and maybe move from the couch to his room? What is Luciano supposed to do, healthily distance himself gradually? Hell no, everything is fine, Luciano is just getting things mixed up because they are sharing a house (never mind he didn’t feel like that about his last roommate).

Luciano’s natural response to heartache is to turn his bachelorness to 11 and just start dating around. He behaves when the kids come to spend the night, but when they are out of the picture Luciano can sleep wherever he likes. He doesn’t owe Martín explanations in the morning about where he spent the night. See, he’s getting around as he always did just fine. He is not love, it’s nothing, really. NOTHING.

Ironically, this is Luciano’s hard-partying what changes things between them. Martín starts to feel very annoyed with Luciano. When his kids are over, life is wonderful; Luciano helps him out and they are a team. They look after the kids and play games and have dinner and movie nights, it is all so fun and easy and sweet. But when the weekend is over and the kids are gone, Luciano is just never around and Martín knows he is out there having dates and getting laid while Martín drinks wine alone in the couch reading his divorce papers miserably. Knowing Luciano is out there messing around with other people makes his chest hurt and he doesn’t understand why. Martín can’t really sort out his feelings, which turns his pain into frustration. He is left with this discomfort he can’t recognise and doesn’t know what to do with and that ends up turning into saltiness and bitter.

This puts a strain in their relationship. Martín is colder and snappier and so very irritable when the kids aren’t around and Luciano is doing his partying and dating. He tries not to lash at Luciano since he knows whatever Luciano does is not his business, but Martín’s head runs hot and he is too bitter and salty. Luciano tries to blame how stingy and insufferable Martín has been lately on the divorce situation, he knows his kid’s custody is soon to be decided by the judge and tells himself Martín is in a difficult position and he is in all his right to be grumpy and sour.

One particularly hard day in which Martín is exhausted and very mad at the world and in which Luciano comes back home super late with no explanations leads to some vicious lashing out from Martín. They get to say a lot of stuff they’ve both been keeping, since it’s not like they talk about it like mature adults with good communication skills. It is a very confusing fight because Martín doesn’t really know what he is truly angry about so he doesn’t make much sense. And he *knows* he is not making much sense, but that doesn’t mean he can stop his mouth from running. He wears his heart in his sleeve, so even if his brain is screaming at him to please shut the fuck up he just can’t stop pouring his feelings out, letting all that frustration out by targeting Luciano. Luciano says that when he agreed to help with the kids he never agreed to be Martín’s stay-at-home wife. They are not married, he doesn’t owe Martín any shit. Furthermore, Luciano throws in his face that it’s not fair that Martín wants to keep him from dating and having fun while also not wanting to be with him in the first place. Which is kind of a backhanded confession, because Luciano is saying he is willing to be with Martín if Martín took him.

Martín doesn’t realise what Luciano just said, he focuses on all the negative and gets defensive. Which in Martín’s case is to get on the offensive and he just makes everything worst with his temper. The fight gets out of control and Luciano tells him to leave his home and spend the night at his parent’s place. That hits a raw nerve in Martín: this is a deja-vu from his divorce all over again. Martín leaves slamming the door but he doesn’t head back to his parents’ house. He needs some alone time to calm down and get his shit together. He gets in his car and just drives around the city, hits a bar and has some drinks. Sleeps in the car.

The two get some time away from each other after that.

The decision over the custody of Martín’s kid happens during this period of time in which they are not speaking to each other. Martín is a pile of nerves and anxiety because he knows his chances aren’t the best. He feels hopeless and realizes he wishes Luciano was there at his side. They haven’t spoken since their fight, Martín hasn’t reached back of shame and guilt and self-pity; He knows this is on him, it’s the same story over again, when will he learn, why does he keep ruining things? He ruined his first marriage, then another marriage, and now his “friendship” with Luciano which he has started to realise it was not just friendship. In the last days, he has found himself thinking of the kiss and every warm moment they spent together. He can’t stop thinking of him, his jokes, his smile, his laughter, his lips. And his words admitting he would have chosen Martín if Martin had chosen him back… Martín finally realises he has feelings for Luciano and it is such a bad timing because Luciano is gone and probably doesn’t want to have anything to do with him and anyways Martín should be focusing in his child and in the trial and why is life so hard, when will Martín catch a break, when will he get his shit together?

Meanwhile, Luciano is mad and miserable and worried and a pile of nerves as well. He doesn’t reach out because he is hurt and angry, yes, but he also knows Martín is busy and has to keep his head in the game. The kids come first, right? Luciano shouldnt bother him. He was helpful but that is it, he can’t let himself become a distraction. Martín never was serious about him anyways, Luciano only ever was a “drunk” hook-up. He got way too involved in this family, he should distance himself. This little family is not his to claim, Martín and the children will be out of his life once the trial is over, that was the deal, but Luciano will miss them so much it is kinda hard to breath.

Despite everything, Luciano is still very much rooting for Martín, he wants him to win the trial. He knows very well that the decision is coming and despite his anger he is worried about him. Fight aside, he really wants Martín to get the shared the custody of his kid, he knows how much he wanted it and how little his chances are to get it. Luciano swallows his pride, anger and insecurities and the day of the decision he waits outside the courtroom, frowning to himself and being very mad and miserable about being here because stupid Martín doesn’t deserve his support and he feels stupid being here for him when Martín clearly doesn’t want him but he’s hopelessly in love and cares deeply even if he’s mad, which honestly makes him even more mad.

The session is finally over and Martín comes out with his head down and looking completely beaten. He didn’t get shared custody, to no one’s surprise. His life is a mess, he is in no condition to take his kid in. As Martín steps out of the courtroom, he looks up and sees Luciano - and that is what Martín needed. Martín needs a shoulder to lay on, and he has been thinking about Luciano for days and maybe he is not sure about his sexuality anymore but he is so very sure of his feelings, he knows he loves Luciano with all his heart, and Luciano is here for him. He might be angry and glaring sourly at Martín, but he came. He cares, and Martín goes to him and hugs him very tightly and starts sobbing. He lost the trial, his life still is a mess and he is miserable. But at least Luciano is here.

Luciano holds him and lets him cry on his shoulder for as long as he needs. He tries to be optimistic for him; not all is lost, he says, he’ll still see his kid on the weekends and he’ll make the best of their time together. Martín sniffs and says he’s glad Luciano is here and that he doesn’t want to be away from him ever again. He confesses he is confused about himself, but not about his feelings for Luciano. He wants Luciano and he hopes Luciano still wants him back. Luciano holds him closer and gives him a little sweet smile. He says he never stopped wanting Martín and that they can figure it out together with time.

Figuring out his sexuality (or starting to) is the first step for Martín to get his shit together. This information sheds a new light on why his previous relationships didn’t work; his clueless denial ties in his general behaviour of not admitting things as they are. His bad marriages, bad divorces, bad relationship with his second ex-wife, it all makes much more sense when he figures out he is not straight. Martín has found a loving partner in Luciano, who helps him understand that married life could be much better than he had thought it had to be, so much better than what he did with his exes. He is finally in the right path, even if there’s still a lot to fix.

Martín being queer re-contextualizes his disinterest in his second sex-wife, and so she now understands a little better. It doesn’t fix their terrible marriage, but it makes her far less hostile. They get close to the civil point he is at with Manuela, which makes life so much easier for everyone since they do share a child.

Now that Martín can stop obsessing over making a good impression for a judge, he focuses on genuinely working on getting his shit together. No more quick fixes, he is doing things right now. He starts by selling his beloved Torino and most of his books. It hurts, but he is trying to get his priorities straight; his old car was too high-maintenance and he doesn’t have any room for his books. Most important, he needs money. These are the sacrifices that need to be made so he can become a better father.

He eventually moves out of his parent’s house, but he doesn’t move in with Luciano. Martín doesn’t want to rush it the way he did with his two other marriages, even if he’s sure about Luciano in a way he never was before. He wants to make things right, for Luciano, for the kids, for himself. They agree to go slow, maybe move in together in a few years. For now, Martín gets his own place by renting a little apartment. It is not big and gets crowded very easily and it is not perfect, but life seldom is. The important part here is that Martín is finally working to do better, and that he has found a man he loves and who loves him back and they are making it work between them.

#brarg #latin hetalia #divorce au #brarg brainstorming clean cut #pic by Watoker Derrick Okello in Unsplash

7 notes · View notes

popculturebuffet · 1 year

Text

The Snowman (1982) Review (Patreon Review for Emma Fici)

It's one sleep till christmas everybody! And for this Christmas Eve since Emma asked me

youtube

We're talking the 1982 television special, The Snowman. It won a BAFTA and was nominated for an oscar and is based on a book by the same name, tweaked slightly to both fill out 22 minutes. It's a british holiday instiution that's played every year on Channel 4 and is loved dearly.. and I don't think i've ever seen it

Yeah I have vauge memories of it so I MIGHT have but unlike say Yogi's Christmas Carol it wasn't something Cartoon Network played that often if they did, nor the other various networks I had as a kid, so I went into this pretty much blind, only knowing the ending.

That said.. it's VERY easy to see why this one is a christmas instiution. The Snowman is a simple but enchanting story about a child who goes out, has some fun, builds a snowman and there must have been some magic in that old hat he found because the snowman comes to life that evening. It's basically just 20 mintues of a boy and his new snow pal having adventures: taking a long ride on a motorbike, messing up the kitchen like a yeti, trying on his parents clothes, and then flying off into the distance with dozens of other snowmen to meet santa. You know typical kid stuff.

I don't have a ton of jokes for this one as honestly.. it wasn't one I could really riff on. There was a thing or two I could joke about sure.. but the special is just so dreamlike, so innocent, full of childlike wonder I can't find it in my heart to really make jokes at it's expense. It's 18 minutes of sweet dreams fuel. It feels like a child's dream, just simply getting into normal kid things, meeting santa, flying around… stuff any kid or grown person who used to be one can undrestand. It's more of a feeling than a film. It's simple.. but the simple joy of a boy and his golem he somehow brought to life is infectious.

The art helps: it's drawn like a storybook, likely like THE storybook it's based on, and is simply silent, letting the wondrefully sketchy and beautifully colored in animation do the heavy lifting. The soundtrack also helps, being nice and inviting while ambient and wintery when needed. There is a VERY creepy children's song that plays throughout, but it's one of the few things that really took me out of the film and after a while I just got used to it, as if the kid himself is singing it in his head. IT's just hard not to love the childlike wonder and whimsy of this film. Truly fun stuff. It just feels like a warm memory you had once deep in the back of your mind, a childhood adventure you'll treasure forever.

The only really down part. .is the tragic yet well done ending: the boy wakes up for more adventures.. only to find his friend melted. it's shockingly bleak, with the boy just slumping over, holding the scarf santa gave him last night as his friend lays dead. It's truly sad, a sign of how things just don't last in childhood.. but i'ts good you had them, bittersweet as it is

Finally the film turned out to have two openings: one in the uk with author raymond briggs where he just.. solemly walks in the snow and talks about a snowman and the US one. Now the Briggs intro was fine but since US Specails like this needed sponsors, they needed a bigger name. And that name folks.. was David Fucking Bowie.

youtube

I'm as shocked and delighted as you are. His intro is honestly slightly better as he just has a childrne's show type warmth to him. Granted i'm a huge bowie fan, so i'm biased, but it's also david bowie. He just has a nice gentle delivery. He's also wearing a sweater which just looks.. magic on him. Everything looks magic on him but still. This story is somehow even better if you imagine it's a young david bowie who just.. hung out with a snowman once. Because that honestly sounds like a normal day in his life. Just met a living snowman, went to space, fought the giant monkey man and saved the 9th dimension. Normal david bowie things. He'd go on to make a song for another Raymond Briggs film when the wind blows.. about nuclear war. Maybe i'll look at that osmetime.

So the Snowman is a simple, but heartwarming little special I recommend this christmas season or even just in winter> Christmas dosen't factor into it heavily.. but it just has the magic you expect of the season. It also has David Bowie in some versions so if you can't trust me, trust David Bowie to give you an excellent christmas present and watch the Snowman. It's free on PlutoTV right now if your curious. Thanks for reading and have a happy holiday.

#the snowman #christmas #channel 4 #david bowie #animation #Youtube

5 notes · View notes

beatrice000001 · 2 years

Text

Writing this as my first and last post here

Stop generalizing on people just because a minority criticizes you fav.

This is YONA’s story and it follows her journey so reading it without liking her is pointless,but it doesn’t mean we are not allowed to like other characters more.

I’ve never seen a heroine as loved as Yona. She’s praised all the times by everyone. The author loves her dearly and is always careful enough to focus on her without wasting time on others like she said in an interview in 2019, link below if you want to read it. It’s in Japanese though.

We all love her even if not in the same way (some stan her, others just like her) and we all wish for her to be happy forever *still crying like a baby for that theory I recently read about her death at the end of the story*

Despite that, her writing is weird right now and to some degree very frustrating, especially because she is so so smart and mature for basically everything except for one aspect : yes, her romance, as soon as hak is around she turns into a teenager but for any other aspect she is a mature woman and I don’t understand why. I personally find it more frustrating than cute at this point of the story

I think everyone is allowed to report this when they review a chapter. We don’t have to worship every action of hers like some want to force us to do. Constructive criticism isn’t wrong and I have reported more than once unnecessary hate but this is not the case. The romance, which used to be in my opinion one of the most beautiful despite some minor flaws, is now underdeveloped and it’s starting to become a bit irritating (kisses and confessions but they still act awkward, it feels like their pre confession era) A lot of people, shippers and not, acknowledge that it hasn’t been properly developed,the difference is that some don’t care about it so don’t talk about it while others who hold it dear are voicing their frustration and it’s totally understandable after all this time.

Also, can you please stop mentioning Hak and Soo won stans in your long public essays? Feels like when we don’t fight each other then others include us in their rants lmao. The behaviors you are reporting come from SOME of them, not everyone. Stop throwing shit on all of us. I don’t want this to become a constant war between trio stans. I know many Yona fans who are annoying af (still traumatized by those who attacked Tohru wishing her death just because she was winning a poll on Twitter lol) but still don’t generalize on all of them because that would be unfair. Some are my friends and I get to have very nice conversations with them. It’s not their fault if some are immature, same goes for us. Loud minority doesn’t mean everyone and I can assure you that in yona’s case it’s really just a minority.

The story wouldn’t be the same without Hak or Soo won and it’s perfectly understandable why some are so attached to them. They are well written characters and add depth to the story. Soo won is affected by a fatal illness and faints all the time, while Hak, who is always injured, is still wishing to sacrifice himself for the others and this is something the author hasn’t shown any interest to explore (at least now, I hope it will be brought up in the future but I doubt it, it’s portrayed as an admirable quality) so yeah, that’s why we “complain” more than you (?) yet I think you should read what we write more carefully, you’ll notice that many points we bring up (speaking of both sides, Hak and Soo won fans) are valid

Sad that their fans have to be called toxic just because of some people. Toxicity comes from all the sides : Yona, Hak, Soo won, Dragons stans, everyone. I think we should learn to respect each other more instead of constantly accusing each other.

#so hypocrite to ask the author to turn yona into a queen or hee development will be useless and then shitting on the others😪#the entitlement #before someone comes at me i love yona don’t worry

7 notes · View notes

romikuromi · 6 months

Text

I had one of the most weird but sensible dream.

Since my ex had left me I only had nightmares but last night, it was different. I had a different dream which made me realise that I can fall for someone new but it will break my heart again. I woke up early in the morning, remembering the snippets I saw in my dreams and my heart feels so heavy.

[in my dream] I see myself anchoring a MUN at my old school. I am done with my college and currently pursuing masters and I was called as an alumni. While working on this, one of the school nerds or you can say batch topper from my year on the field of science suddenly took interest at me. We started getting close where I see him taking interest to my subject of field and how he would love to contribute and know about it more by hanging out with me. We start hanging out and mostly discuss about our discipline. He was stunt to see me excel in life as I was once a school clown and never imagined me being so intelligent. He appreciated me while I did the same. We both gradually got close and started seeing eachother more often. We both came out of a very serious relationship and right now choosing every medium to heal first then think of someone else.

Durga puja approaches, one of the most important festival celebrated by my culture. We started to roam around during this time too, ignoring our group of people. Slowly and slowly we grew close to eachother, we held hands often too but peace was never an option. His ex gf saw us and apparently invited the whole school. She was my friend once and her mom still loves me to this date. We both plan to visit her place separately and we did. I entered while he was leaving and he told me that his ex apparently saw us and created a havoc. She told everyone that we are seeing eachother. I clinched onto my teeth and had a grand buffet at her place while I was interrogated by people in terms of what is going on between me and him.

It’s been 5 days since that incident and I chose to ignore him because I saw that his ex was tremendously hurt because we both are getting close to eachother, holding hands. He appears in front of my door step, not looking so well. I wasn’t either. For the first time I was missing someone else whom I care about very dearly. I cried and so did he. He hugged me and told me never to do that and explained that his friends are supporting us after he told them what a nice person I am. I hugged him again and we stayed that way for a while. Durga puja was over and it was Diwali now. My mom loves him because after all he is a student of IIT Madras and will graduate soon. We both took permission for nightout and she did without any hesitation. We both stayed at his friend’s place and before that we went around my school where there was a wildlife sanctuary. We had a great time where I could see us being happier and all of his friends were rooting for us. That night we were supposed to sleep together but we planned not to do anything with eachother. He was already asleep and I was contemplating my thoughts. After fighting with the conflict I chose to slide under the bedsheet same as his, naked.

And I realised he was naked too but his body was on the other side of the bed. I quickly grabbed another bedsheet and slept on the edge of the other side of the bed. I believe it was moonlight that was coming through the window. Both of us in our deep sleep when I suddenly feel someone holding. In his sleep he crawled up near me and ended up holding me. I turn and melt away in his arms. I could feel his warmth as he felt my chilled torso. We were still sharing different bedsheets when he just opened his eyes a little bit and told me, ‘Come here, let’s share this.’ Without any thought I did. He is fully aware now that I was naked and so did I. We didn’t make it awkward we just held eachother’s naked torso and stayed awake for a while until I caught I him looking at me, I look back at him. Things happen and we were kissing. He slowly gets on top of me and we both are moaning now. We didn’t stop kissing. He was gentle with me, he firmly held my hand while making love to me and for the first time in the first few weeks of knowing eachother better than anyone, he whispers that he is in love with me. I smile and he kissed me again. He turns me around, pick me up and makes me sit on his lap. He was leaning on the wall, touching the bed as I sat on him. We stared. He didn’t let my hand go. We both looked at eachother for a long time, I smiled again and he kissed me passionately by moving his hand on my head. He held me with one hand while his other hand was controlling the movement of my face. We made love again while I was on top of him and we both moaned loudly. It was 3:30 in the morning, it’s still a long night with full moon, I ended up having orgasms and he loved every bit of it. He held me firmly as he could see me shaking. He kisses me and tells me that this is the most exciting time of his life. I smile back and proceed to make love with him. We were awake till the sun rose and breathing heavily in each other’s arms. I told him that I might be in love with him too and he exclaimed that he is the happiest man alive to be loved by someone like me.

We make love again, got into shower together and got fresh as we go to the living room to have breakfast together. Our hair was wet and there was this unexplainable smile on our face. My heart was still pounding and he sat next to me on the table where all of his friends where there. His friends are the same people with whom he went to our school and later every one got in IIT Madras. I was thinking about how he and his friends are more than 2 decade old friends and I didn’t realised I was zoned out until he caught me by surprise and asked me if I was okay, I told him I feel happy that we got to be together last night, he held my hand and said the same. He proceeded to serve food for the two of us when his friends broke the silence by smiling. We forgot we were with people and being all close and lovey dovey.

All of them asked in their own way if something happened and he was explaining to them to not ask such questions. We both had this mischievous smile on our face and we both were holding hands. Not giving out any information we go back to the bed where we made love and he exclaims that it’s his friend’s parents bed. We both laughed while I throw my arms around him, hold him and melt into him. He turns me over and kisses me. Before doing that we forgot that the door was open. Everyone saw us kissing and literally waited till we were done. Before we could even complete our sex hangover everyone hooted and rooted. We both got embarrassed in a good way and he went outside to scold them. Everyone was screaming congratulations and all. I couldn’t stop smiling. He comes back and closes the door and I was smiling hard while he picked me up and kissed me again. I knew what was next. Without any further due we both started getting undressed and got into the business. I actually moaned very loudly and so did he while I was blowing him. We were so into it that we completely forgot that the boys are awake and might hear us but we didn’t care or think about it.

We were inside for hours. We were not stopping at all. Every kiss felt like an ecstasy until we both burned out. He told me he is having sex after 2 years. I told him I am fucking someone else after 1 year as well and I proceeded to tell him the issues I have and he is the second person with whom I’m able to have orgasms and he said that I might be the first person whom he saw having orgasms because he described it one of the most exotic and beautiful thing. We made love again where he melts while I took my orgasm and he did too. We both came together. We soul bonded. I started crying. He comforted me. We both got ready while the boys were having a table conference and everyone went mad once we entered the living room as they started moaning our names. Embarrassed as it can be we both ignored and went to pharmacy to buy plan B and a packet of condoms. I told him I can’t stay another night. He said he will stay with me today at his home. He already spoke to my mom. I got happier because this never happened to me before.

We said our byes to his friends while we held hand and departed. Everyone was rooting for us as we walked away. We didn’t let our hands go for one bit and we reached his place. His bedroom was a paradise. He had a lightsaber and I lost my calm. He said an action figure of Dr. Spock from Star Trek enterprise and he was pumped up when he saw me getting exciting over the nerd things. He showed me his Pokédex and we spoke for hours and later he acknowledges that not a single girl before me was this cool. I bragged a little and he encouraged me to do so. We both had dinner where his parents exclaimed that they loved me a lot. They even told us to sleep together which he thought it was weird because that never happened before. We made love at his bedroom and he was so proud about it. It felt like a dream came true.

Days went by where we both know that we love eachother now and won’t mind being together but Long distance is something that we mutually hate. He had to go back Tamil Nadu and I had to go back Delhi. The difference is immaculate. Our discipline is different we don’t know when will we be together again and don’t know when we will return back at home. It felt like we have to wait every year to reunite back at our home town.

Months passed by and I missed him everyday. I was in love again and so was he. My ex came to know about his and opposed very badly. I was heartbroken and didn’t know what to do or feel. Without any doubt he traveled from Tamil Nadu to be with me because even the distance was killing him. We met after 5 months. We loved every moment of it. He was with me for a week where we stayed together roamed together I made him food while he did his research on string theory.

Days went by fast, I got stipend from my dissertation and I went Tamil Nadu this time. He stayed in campus so his roommate was kicked out. We roamed around the campus, apparently everyone was jealous of him because he pulled a ‘baddie.’ Everyone saw my social media and called him fake for saying that I’m his ‘gf’ well true I am not his gf yet because no one proposed yk. But we were getting laid and doing everything a normal couple does. I couldn’t stop but fall more for him, and he did the same until the inevitable happened.

There was a big convention where every institution of India was invited. Which included our ex’s university as well. Despite of we both being from renowned universities they were from private. I represented my university and also became an anchor. We both chose to be together at his dorm room were we discovered our ex’s are coming too. We both chose not to pay attention. We had prom we diddled dance and sipped wine and got drunk to make love while we knew that our respective ex’s were eyeing at us and was waiting for an opportunity to confront us. We both ignored everything and stayed strong until we saw that they made a coup and started getting close. It was wrong even though we didn’t care but it was wrong. Both of us were intimidated and promised not to let it bother us. But his ex got drunk and couldn’t stop seeing him. My ex started fighting with me on the campus. We both were embarrassed and chose not to speak about it to each other at all.

One morning I wake up to see him with her, holding her hand and picking flowers and roaming around the campus. I quietly went back to his room and started packing and left without a word to a near by hotel. He kept on calling me and I ignored. He thought I was with my ex and got upset at me and I told him think what ever you want. The conference was over and till then we both didn’t even face eachother, sharing a word was luxury. As I was closing the ceremony with my speech everyone was rooting and screaming especially my ex. After the speech he approaches me for a dance. I shove him away and proceeded to walk away. I saw him though, with his ex as they were sitting together. I was outside on the field crying and hyperventilating when an arm touched my shoulder. It was him. He followed me outside and I was punching him and screaming at him and told him what I saw earlier that morning and that I am staying alone in a hotel room. He started to cry too and saying sorry. I said sorry can’t fix this we promised not to let them break us and he did. He told me that she is having some issues and couldn’t get her life on track and she really loves him. I pushed him away saying then stay with her. I can’t be with someone who isn’t a man of his own words. He was heartbroken by my words and got furious too and walked away. I couldn’t stop crying. I screamed. I cried. I somehow went back to my room to cry more under the shower and cussing myself that I was so stupid for thinking this was love again.

This wasn’t love. And I returned Delhi. My ex started meeting me but it was different. I don’t love him anymore and I pushed him away. He on the other hand was with her. Posting pictures and everything. His friends approached me and apologized and tried to make me feel better but I blocked them too. Months went by and I couldn’t stop thinking about us. His mom still Calls me to tell me she despise his ex but I say nothing. I come back home again for durga puja and I heard he came back as well and he heard the same for me, but he was hanging around with her. I saw them together entering the same cafe where I was sitting alone to have some time to myself by reading a book and sipping tea. I saw them. I saw him. He saw me. We both were different. I got up with my things and proceeded to the counter to pay the bill. I felt a chill down my spine when I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was him. He came to ask me how was I doing. I told him I cleared my UGC net and got JRF. I am an assistant professor at my former university while researching on cosmos. He asked me about my dating life and I told him I’m done for this eternity. So far I only felt for 3 people and every time I was neglected and played with emotions. He realised he was the 3rd person I am talking about. I asked about him and he told me things are great between them and they are engaged. I sighed and congratulated and walked away with a heavy heart. I cried and cried.

I loved him and I believe in the end I loved him. We didn’t speak or see eachother anymore in future. I return Delhi and settle there. I move out to a beautiful apartment but loneliness consumed me. I adopted 4 cats and continued to be a researcher. I took myself seriously and started working out and stayed fit that people often refused to acknowledge that I’m a professor.

5 years later I hear that he divorced with her because she was cheating on him. I grew closer to my ex and we both became very successful in life and thought of giving another go.

When he came back he saw me with my ex and chose not to speak about anything.

I wanted him to stop me but nothing like that happened. I got engaged with my ex and he officially introduced me to his family and his family accepted me. We got married in the following year where I invited him. He didn’t show up. Later I discover he came to Delhi but didn’t attend my marriage. He was kicked out of a bar where was drunk to this head. He couldn’t stop speaking about me and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I had my miscarriage and I isolated myself from my husband and my laws. I took a transfer and settled down in Shillong where I became a professor at NEHU. I bought a small cottage looking home with big backyard where I chose gardening. I’m 35 years old now, a single researcher with cats.

At the age of 37 when I was awarded with the most astonishing award by the university I heard a familiar voice. I heard the name and turned around melancholically. It was him. He is a permanent staff at NEHU from the physics department. He moved here a week ago by leaving his job at Bangalore. I heard him getting a package of 4 crore. He left that and the fun of being in that city to be here in Shillong and teach at a central government university. He approached me with my award and smiled back.

He was older than I last remember but he had sanity in his eyes, his first words to me were hey.

His first words after seeing me after years was hey.

I took the award as I see him leaving the stage. It was my part to give a speech but I shutter and give a small one and depart. The crowd was applauding while I exited. I ran to the field to see him standing. I smell cigarettes. It was cold and I was in a saree. I approached him and stood next to him.

He smoked the entire cigarette threw its butt and turned towards me to see I was standing there still in the cold. He opened his blazer and wrapped it around me. He looked at me and asked me if I’m single. I nodded. We both started to walk towards the building while arms were wrapped around me. When we entered the building, I gave him his blazer back, saw him climbing the stairs and after a moment he turns back to say, ‘be ready tomorrow at 6, I’ll pick you up after your work. It’s a date.’ We both smiled. I stood there as I saw him entering the auditorium. I sat on the stairs as I could feel the vibration of the entire building due to loud music.

I go back to my home, play music while I decide what I should wear tomorrow. Next morning I met the HR and told her everything. She was happy and without any doubt made a contract of workplace romance on the name of us.

He was called and as I knew he would not mind signing it, he didn’t say a word while signing it. After that he looked back, smiled at me to point at his wristwatch saying, ‘today 6 in the evening. You and me. A date.’

We get close, this time slowly. We both move in at my place and started being rational adult. At the age of 40 he kneeled down on his knee, proposing me. None of us proposed eachother before, we just fell in love. I said yes. We got married as an intrusive thought without saying anyone. I changed my surname and we both fell in love more. I hit my menopause soon and we both stopped getting physical but the love stayed. We grew older. For 20 years we grew together. We were married for 25 years when at the age of 65 he fell sick and after a year passes away. I’m 75 now. It’s been almost a decade of loosing him and I can not wait to reunite. I am on my deathbed where I reminisce everything as it was just yesterday. When we were young when we met when we fell apart. We were in our 20s and we got a life together when we turned 40. Everything happened so fast and I still remember every bit.

In my with in dreams I see myself with him when we were young and in love. I cry as I believe I’m counting my days to reunite with him. I found love, and I can not wait to find it once more in my afterlife.

It was long, wasn’t it?

1 note · View note

puttingthepotinhoneypot · 11 months

Text

Hello friends! This is probably one of if not the last updates before I leave! For those of you I know irl who I did not tell that today was my last day of this year, do not fret. It is not because I hate you, though I may- a lot of you stress me out. It's simply because I can't stand the emotions of it and the tears would ruin my Bowie-esque makeup I've put on.

Super fun (/s) news! Turns out I'm super manic teehee!!! I won't go into details (though I did on tiktok) but currently I am massively manic so if I seem like I'm in a great mood, don't think anything of it. I'll be back to regularly scheduled moods by the time I have internet again.

I had a really nice day today and I even ate lunch! I managed to not cry at all, though the air is currently horrid so my eyes watered anyway. The world is on fire but at least I have P!NK, Lady Gaga, Shinedown, my 80s movies, Janelle Monae, and every single alt rock band ever! I even brought in Mr Snuffles for my friend to meet!

In more serious news, my dog that I've had through the worst times and adopted when I was 9, is dying. This has not been explicitly confirmed by a veterinary professional, but when you've become as entwined with someone as we are, you can tell. He's very old, likely around 18, and he's been dying for the past 3 years. But recently I've noticed a very quick decline in his physical health and behavior. He smells like he's already rotting and he can't step off of a ledge or get up easily anymore. While I'm gone, we're going to have a vet we know (who is practically an aunt to me) check him out and see what the most humane thing to do is. I just pray that if it comes down to it, they'll wait until I can be with him when he's put down. We saved each other. I found him at a rough point in my life, and we had both been dealing with severe trauma from our pasts. When we got him, there was a completely benign tumour on his side that weighed 7 pounds. But I took care of him, nursed him back to health after surgery, and gave him my heart. He's a beagle with a horrifying backstory and trust issues. First week I had him, he bit me. But since then we've become so close that I'm the only one he trusts. He's my precious baby boy and it saddens me to think of life without him. He's not perfect by any means. He's rude, he was never able to be housetrained due to his issues, and he freaks out constantly. But he's mine and I understand that it's all from his past. He has only ever bitten me that one time, and since then I've found him every time he's gotten out, pulled food from his mouth (he's very food anxious), and picked him up when he's getting too ballsy. And he has never harmed me since. I love him dearly and a part of him will always be with me. Like I said, he isn't gone yet, and I will cherish the last bit of time I have with him. But I am not blind to the realities of this situation. I may or may not update here when he does pass. Please give me time to process my grief when this happens, as he was all I had for a long time. I struggle to find the words to express what he means to me, and every time I try to speak them out loud, I can barely choke out a word before the tears fight to the top. I was completely alone in the world, and he came into my life at just the right time. We've grown together, from a 12 year old unwanted dog and a socially awkward kid to an old, loving one and his adoring teenaged companion. Zigadenus Houdini Simmons, you will always hold a soft place in my heart, and I hope whatever is waiting for you on the other side is everything you dreamed of and more.

Anyway, enough of that. I bought a literary magazine at my school, and honestly I'm impressed! Some of the works are admittedly subpar, but I would say the majority are above the caliber one would expect from highschool students! The art inside was also quite lovely.

I got a haircut, life is great, and I'm mega sexy. Peace out girl scouts.

#tw animal dying #tw mania #tw everything #doglover #sexy and silly #Mr Snuffles #music is life #life is music #roll up a joint- it helps #respect Ms Vasquez #and i love him

0 notes

farfromharry · 2 years

Text

Sugar cookie kisses | Dad!Tom fic

Dad!Tom x Baker!reader

Summary: Tom is a very busy man and juggling his job and a toddler is never easy. so when his baker neighbour next door offers to babysit, how can he say no? free baked goods and a free, very pretty babysitter, what else could the young, single dad want?

Word count - 11,745

Warnings - language i think, drinking, mentions of pregnancy, not much else

A/n - you can probably tell which part @poppysparker wrote because its so much better than mine 😭

━━━━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━━━━

You and Tom had met in a very cliche way, one that in the movies would usually lead to the two of you falling in love. He was the single dad with the to die for little girl, and you were the cute baker who had no issue sending him sweet treats every now and then to keep up your friendship. You had to admit you did sometimes think about what it would be like to be in love with the brunette, you weren’t silly, he was painfully attractive and he had a heart of gold, but he had a busy life and you don’t want to further interrupt that by weaving your way into his lovelife.

You remember the day you met like it was yesterday, Tom had come into your bakery in search of a custom fairy cake for his princess’ birthday rather last minute due to his unrelenting schedule. He was a blushing mess when he first saw you, an instant attraction, but you were fixed on the idea that child = married.

Your co worker had tried to convince you he was quietly swooning for you while you talked details for the birthday cake, but you were convinced it wasn’t meant to be. That was until you saw him again a few days later in a highly unlikely place; the cute man from the bakery was actually your neighbour, the one who was always away on what you believed to be were business trips, with no golden wedding band sitting on his finger.

You were rather shocked at the time, the both of you were, but you quickly realised it was actually a really good thing. You’d somehow managed to become Tom’s new babysitter, who even though he’d insisted more than once, he didn’t have to pay because he provided you with someone to bake with while you were at home (his lovely daughter). It also meant all your baked treats didn’t go to waste as you were able to share them with both Tom and Scarlett. You didn’t really gain too much from your friendship with Tom in the same way he did, other than just that, a friendship, and one that you loved dearly.

»»——⍟——««

Your side job as the man’s babysitter had all started when he rushed into your shop one day right before he had to go to an important meeting. He had Scarlett clinging to his chest, all while he was flicking through some papers frantically with the free hand that wasn’t holding his daughter’s weight. You could feel the stress radiating from him and you didn’t really know how to help. He explained how he’d come to get some of your famous cookies to keep Lettie occupied during the boring meeting, but upon realising where she was she insisted, very demandingly for a three year old, that she would much rather stay with you.

“Y-You want to stay with Y/N?” he asked nervously, hands beginning to sweat as the time ticked by, time he really didn’t have right now. He didn’t want to argue with the toddler, he knew everything about that girl and she would only throw a tantrum if he didn’t put her down and allow her to stay here, but he also didn’t want to give you any unnecessary burdens; not that Scarlett was a burden. “That’s not up to me, angel. You’d have to ask her very nicely.”

You tried to contain your grin at the way the usually confident and cocky businessman was acting so shy, but your reserve broke the second you looked at his little clone, her eyes wide and lips in a hopeful smile as she asked to stay.

“I would love to have you here,” you said, hand smoothing over the rather awful attempt at a plait that no one other than Tom could have managed. You giggled quietly to yourself while noting that you needed to fix it at some point.

When looking back to Tom he still looked incredibly sheepish about just dumping his daughter on you like she was your responsibility. But considering Monday daytime wasn’t usually a busy few hours, you had no objections to having another addition to your staff for the day.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” he asked shyly. You hummed, brushing back some flyaways that had slipped out of Scarlett’s bobble. The girl was happy to cling to you, in such a short time you’d become one of her favourite people, and obviously she adored everything you baked because she had a rather large sweet tooth. “More than okay, another pair of hands would be a godsend.”

He chuckled, playing along. “As long as you pay her at the end of the day,” he teased. You grinned, nodding your head before Tom said his goodbyes to his daughter. He pressed a sweet kiss to the top of her head as he reminded her to be good and polite, but you were convinced any child raised by this perfect man could be nothing but.

“Aren’t you going to be late?” you pointed out, eyeing the clock on the wall as the man doted on the girl. It seemed as though he forgot as he cursed silently, leaving the girl to scurry away behind the counter. “You’re a lifesaver,” he told you, flashing you a lazy grin as he headed out of your shop with a final wave, the bell above the door signalling his exit.

“Now, I heard a certain little girl wanted some cookies, and we definitely need to redo that hair.”

The day rushed by in almost no time at all for you. You were visited mainly by your regulars with a few here and there newbies you’d never seen before. All were overjoyed at the adorable little girl helping to hand over their sweet treats at the till. You did however have to explain more than once how you were simply babysitting and the girl wasn’t actually yours, but nonetheless you enjoyed your time with her.

It felt all too soon when Tom walked through your door just after closing time, his expression considerably more tired than when you saw him earlier that day. You sent him a warm smile, and even offered him a muffin that Scarlett had told you was his favourite. You’d simply assumed he hadn’t eaten because from the exhaustion in his eyes it seemed like he’d been busy today, but to Tom it felt like some romantic force of nature that you seemingly knew without him having to tell you.

He thanked you and then moved onto his daughter, her tired features mirroring those of her dads. She was more than ready to go to bed. She’d already missed her midday nap. Tom carefully lifted her up into his arms, her head tucking into his neck as she slumped against him. He smiled, rubbing her back lovingly in hopes of her falling asleep. “Did you have fun, love?” he asked quietly, the girl barely even registering he’d spoken. All she gave was a quiet hum before you were summarising the events of your day to the dad.

“Well, no wonder you’re so sleepy, bug.” There was no reaction, Tom slowly shifting his head to see that Scarlett had indeed passed out in his arms. You awed, eyes full of adoration as you watched her sleeping face. You barely saw the way his eyes narrowed as he caught sight of her hair, but your heart began to race slightly at the idea you’d maybe crossed the line.

“I definitely did not do that plait that well. Did you do this?” he asked. From the tone he spoke you assumed he wasn’t angry with you, and that was enough to calm your nerves, a simple smile splitting on your face as you nodded. “Well thank you again for doing this, and for doing her hair because it really was awful this morning,” Tom reiterated in a much quieter voice than before, amusement lacing his last few words.

“It’s really no problem. Now go home, get some rest,” you said sweetly, pressing your hand to his arm. “You both look like you could use it after all your hard work today.”

He hummed, allowing you to walk him to the door so you could lock up behind him while you tidied the shop. Thankfully before he left your eyes caught sight of the counter where a bag of cookies lay that you had intended on giving to the man as a small gift. You’d startled him momentarily with your quick demand for him to wait before leaving, but he obeyed without question.

“I think you forgot these this morning,” you explained as visible confusion laced his features. You saw the moment of realisation where he thought back to when he’d originally entered the store in search of an edible distraction for his toddler. He took you off guard when he leaned forward to place an ever so soft kiss to your temple, and you weren’t sure if it was the late hour or the lack of sleep that influenced him to do it, but you did know it left you flustered like a schoolgirl with a silly crush.

“Goodnight, Y/N.” “Goodnight, Tom.”

»»——⍟——««

Days off were very rare for you. You loved your job and often even on days that the store wasn’t open you chose to go in just to spend your free time there getting some extra tasks done. But, your co-worker had insisted that you stay home for the day to get a well deserved break while she would be the one to take care of anything and everything.

Of course you still didn’t want to sit down and do nothing all day though, you were desperate for some brownies so what better than to make some of your own, you had all the ingredients anyway. You slipped one of your many aprons over your comfy clothes, the white one decorated with the cute oranges that stopped just before your knee, and started to gather what you needed.

Your counter was quickly scattered with ingredients, from eggs to mixing bowls and even small tubs of little treats, including chocolate chips and some m&ms that were more or less always there for guests and yourself to come and take.

You got stuck in rather quickly, not feeling like wasting time as your desire for the chocolatey dessert only grew stronger. Everything was going well until you had a slight mishap with the flour, having failed to realise the presence of the egg on your hands, resulting in a dropped bag of the messy ingredient scattered across your lower half and floor.

You’d barely had any time to clean yourself when there was a sudden gentle knock on your door, which was not what you were expecting, especially not at such an earlier hour of the morning. You wiped your messy hands on your apron and hoped you didn’t have any flour on your cheeks or even in your hair as you exited the kitchen to answer your door. There was another impatient knock that had you rolling your eyes.

“I’m here,” you mumbled, pulling open the door to see the familiar brunette standing there rather frantically, a common state you seem to see Tom in quite frequently as of late. He gave you that same sheepish smile you’d grown to almost expect to see whenever you saw him. He assumed you already knew why he was standing on your doorstep so early looking like a lost puppy and in truth you did, you were just waiting with a smile for the words to come out of his mouth.

No matter how many times you babysat Scarlett on a spontaneous occasion, Tom would continue to feel bad for more or less dumping his child on you. It wasn’t difficult to realise the single dad struggled to juggle his workload and a toddler at the same time, which was why you were always so eager to help him.

“I-I know this is last minute again but-” Tom didn’t have time to finish his apology before Scarlett was running into the entryway of your home to attach herself to your legs. You mentally cursed as you realised her clothes were going to be covered in the remnants of the flour that had fallen on you, but the way she was smiling up at you had you not even caring. You ran your fingers through her loose curls, noting that Tom hadn’t attempted to do her hair today further than a gentle brush, and the thought of him getting so worked up over being unable to braid a three year old’s hair made you giggle under your breath.

“Just go. I’ve got her,” you promised. Tom nodded gratefully, making some half hearted promise to make it up to you at some point for all you do for him. He bent down to Scarlett’s height to say goodbye and remind her of all his usual rules. “Be good for Y/N, okay? I’ll be back in a few hours and I love you so much,” he cooed, kissing her cheek sloppily. The frantic man only called a quick goodbye to you as he began walking back to his car, leaving you standing at the door with nothing but a small wave and an apologetic glance.

Scarlett looked up at you with the same pair of doe eyes that her father possessed, her hands forming fists as she made a grabby motion at you, silently telling you she wanted up. You playfully rolled your eyes, hoisting her up into your arms to see that wide toothy grin on her face as you closed the door. Your eyes caught a glimpse of the mess you’d created on the kitchen counter and you hummed happily as you realised you were getting to bake with your favourite baking buddy. “Now little miss, what d’you say you help me make some brownies?”

She squealed into your ear, slightly deafening you, but she happily let you carry her to your kitchen where your ingredients littered the island.

You sat her down in a clean spot, of which the counter was very scarce, resuming your previous task of making brownies where the majority would probably end up going to Tom anyway. You were trying to weigh out how much sugar you needed when you saw Scarlett shifting on the counter. You didn’t pay much attention to what she was doing. The girl was smart even for her young age, so you knew she’d be careful and make sure she didn’t accidentally tumble off of the counter.

“Can I have some?” she asked quietly, her little hand motioning to one of the bowls full of stuff you’d set on the side. You turned your head from where you were still measuring ingredients, noting that she was eyeing the bowl of chocolate chips. You narrowed your eyes at her teasingly, pointing your finger at her. “Only if you don’t tell your dad.” She rapidly nodded her head, the three year old not needing much incentive.

You giggled to yourself, handing her a couple but making sure she ate them one by one so she didn't choke, because you were sure Tom wouldn’t be too pleased if you let that happen.

“Good?” you asked. She grinned, letting you see all the chocolate that had managed to gather around her mouth. You shook your head with a chuckle, grabbing a cloth from off of your counter. You ran it under some lukewarm water for a few seconds and then wiped away her mess, placing a soft kiss on her head when you were done.

Your ingredients were officially ready to mix together in the next few minutes, knowing this was usually the girl’s favourite part. “D’you want to help me mix, angel?”

That was probably a bad idea on your part. Over the last few weeks you’d baked with Lettie more times than you could count, both in your home and in the shop, so you knew exactly how bad this could go. Now baking with a toddler was messy, and it was still on your to do list to get her a small apron that would cover her clothes so she didn’t keep staining them. You couldn’t even count on one hand the amount of times you’d had to tell Tom that there’d been an incident involving a newly dirty set of toddler clothing. But as of right now you were just having to hope for the best, trying your hardest to make sure she didn’t spill anything and always cleaned her hands when she got them messy.

Your plan didn’t work for long and by the end of your time together you were swapping her chocolate covered clothes for one of your own shirts that Tom would have to bring back at a later time, and by now he probably had his own collection, just as you did but with Scarlett’s previously food covered clothes that you simply forgot to give back.

By the time her dad came to pick her, the small girl was completely wiped out. She’d tucked her tiny body against yours on your couch, halting any movements you might have wanted to make, including opening your front door, but it was worth it to see that lovesick look on her dad’s face when he saw you both, plus you’d given Tom a spare key for emergencies so he still managed to get into the house okay.

“Let me guess,” he said, a small grin making its way onto his face as he spotted the napping girl on your lap in clothes that weren’t hers. “You baked,” he teased.

You giggled quietly, running your fingers through her messy curls that twinned with her dads. Tom was watching you with heart eyes, not that you noticed, just from the ever so pure sight.

“Well, I should get her home and to bed. Thank you again, Y/N.” He carefully scooped Scarlett up into his arms, soothing her with some kisses on her head when she grew restless from the sudden movement. He shushed her whining, rubbing her back gently as she fell back to sleep.

“Oh wait, Tom.” You scattered back to your kitchen, taking hold of the container of the remaining brownies you and Scarlett had so effortlessly whipped up. “These are for you.”

He almost groaned aloud seeing the chocolate treats. He’d told you before and he wouldn’t hesitate to tell you a million times, he could live off of your baking, more specifically your brownies.

Apparently that was the final straw for him, something suddenly switching in him as he raised his head from where he was looking at the tub of brownies to look solely at you instead. “Let me take you out to dinner somewhere, to make up for all you do for me,” he said, a shrivel of hope glimmering in those pretty brown eyes. You felt your heart flutter, the way he asked so sweetly, and the fact he’d chosen such a romantic activity for you both to do, was definitely not helping the small crush you had been forming for him.

Your silence made him nervous. He wanted to jump in and assume that was a no and just ask you to forget about the whole thing, but he guessed that dinner could still be perceived as something ‘just friends’ do all the time, and that was all you were just friends.

“Okay,” you agreed, opening your mouth to teasingly add one more condition to his offer. “But only if you’re paying.”

“That was the idea, darling,” he chuckled, feeling a short sense of relief that you hadn’t completely rejected him, especially in front of his daughter too, even though she was sleeping. “Then I’ll see you there.”

»»——⍟——««

It was a few days later when both Tom and yourself were free next, and with a babysitter secured for Lettie, you were all set to move forward with your dinner date; oh my god, you were going to dinner with Tom.

Fumbling around your apartment, you weren’t sure that you had ever been so desperate to impress a date, but hours had been put into perfecting the way you looked for Tom. You felt silly stressing this much attention into your appearance, completely unaware that Tom fawned over you even in moments when you felt so unpresentable you preferred to hide away.

Your stomach twisted at the hollow sound of three knocks to the very center of your front door. You didn’t feel ready for this. What if you had misinterpreted his invitation? Suddenly, you felt overdressed. What if he didn’t like this, or you? What if one wrong, nervous response ended everything with him before it even started?

Rubbing your lips together, you pulled the door open with pinched breath. On the other side of the threshold, Thomas Holland looked more than ethereal. You relaxed with a shaky exhale, tension in your shoulders dissipating at the sight of him. The businessman startled at the quick reveal of you seconds following his three timid knocks. Honey eyes trailed the expanse of your figure, pools of liquid gold melting in awe. He’d known you were beautiful since the first time he saw you, but in this light, in that dress, you looked too beautiful for Hollywood. The shift in his admiration was hardly readable, and the longer he stared at your rhapsody, the more he noticed you folding in on yourself with nerves.

“Y-You look incredible, Y/N.” He muttered, oblivious to the heat that overtook your cheeks beneath his praise. You think you hear him whisper ‘wow’ beneath his breath, but your heartbeat is too deafening to be sure. You roll your eyes, hoping he hadn’t noticed you falter, and lock the door behind yourself when Tom extends his hand to you.

When your fingers joined, it felt like a fire had been sparked in your belly, and you made a note of how soft his hand is in yours. You wouldn’t mind feeling his touch more often, in any way he wanted to provide. You almost protested when he dropped the embrace to open the door for you, before venturing to his own side with a playboy smirk on his unkissed cherry lips.

Though it wasn’t uncomfortable, you weren’t sure anything with Tom could make you feel that way, the drive to dinner consisted of nothing more then one-sided begging, however, no matter your persistence to know where he was taking you, Tom didn’t bend. Each time you’d try to plead with him, he’d flick his eyes from the road to yours, with that knee weakening smirk on his lips, “Just be patient, Love.” He’d repeat, sure you were tired of his intended repetition, and to be honest, he found it funny. If he could play this game with his toddler, he could surely keep up with you.

Quicker than you would’ve liked, the car slowed. The sight outside your window was enchanting, and Tom’s smirk fell into a lavish smile at the sight of your amazement. “Here we are,” He announced cheekily, transitioning the car to a complete stop. For the second time that night, his hand found yours, and without fault fireworks tickled your tummy. His thumb brushed back and forth against your knuckles, eyes watching you fondly as you tried to find words.

Immediately you tried to talk Tom out of this, promising that he didn’t need to spend so much money on you, that you’d be absolutely fine with something lower end, or even holding up in your kitchen cooking together. All he did was laugh, leading your hand to his lips, and letting you experience the fairytale of his gentle cherry lips. Somehow they were softer than his hands and your mind fell blank of any protests, your body aching to melt into his. Yeah. He sure knew how to leave a girl speechless.

The restaurant was beautiful, you had to admit, and a lovely candlelit dinner with the man you were crushing on sounded like a dream. You were hasty to let Tom pay for you, you felt like you were asking way too much of him and the sense of guilt in the pit of your stomach was much too strong for you to ignore.

“Are you sure this is the place? Everything’s so expensive.” He brushed off your concern as the hostess led you to your table, a nice one in the back where you wouldn’t be too interrupted by the chatter of other customers, but still had a rather gorgeous view of the small garden display in the center of the floor.

“I told you, I’m paying you back for all the times you’ve helped me with Lettie, and you’ve helped a lot.” He even went as far as to pull your chair out for you like a complete gentleman.

You were utterly swooning for the man. You wanted to hate yourself for it, he was just a friend, a friend who saw you as nothing more than another friend who babysat their daughter occasionally, you just didn’t want to get your hopes up.

You made light conversation to start with, at least until the bottle of wine he’d ordered had arrived at your table. You felt like you had to ask though, your mind going mad not knowing who’d he got to care for Scarlett tonight seeing as you were here with him.

“So, who are you forcing to babysit tonight?” you teased, taking a swig of your wine as you watched him from over the table. He chuckled, rolling his eyes. “My mum has the pleasure of the monster tonight.”

You giggled, a sound that made Tom’s heart flutter almost every time he heard it. “So I’m out of a job then?” you continued.

“You just might be.”

After that was out of the way the two of you tried to focus on anything but work or kids, seeing as that was all you usually focused on when either of you were home. He’d made you flustered more times than you could count, at one point having to rest your cool wine glass against your blazing cheeks to calm yourself down.

“What’s with all the compliments mister?” You could see his cheeks momentarily flush as he cleared his throat. Clearly the man didn’t expect you to question his actions, but now that you did he felt rather shy and under pressure. You finally had the upper hand. You were definitely going to enjoy it while it lasted because Tom knew he could flip the roles in a heartbeat and have you melting at his feet with a few simple words.

“You deserve them. I just think you look really beautiful,” he mumbled. You sighed, eyes glaring at him lazily from across the table.

Your eyes trailed from his down to your empty glass and over to the nearly empty bottle. You opened your mouth and stated simply. “If these are going to keep coming I’m gonna need more wine.”

By the end of the night the two of you were more than a little wine drunk, so obviously Tom wasn’t going to be irresponsible and try to drive you home. Instead the two of you decided you were going to stroll back and enjoy the time you had left together on the way.

There’d been more than one occasion where you’d already stumbled over air, the alcohol going to your head. Tom had been a gentleman, and with his surprisingly fast reflexes, had caught you every time. He also insisted that you should stand closer together so he could really make sure you weren’t going to hurt yourself. His care for you once again had your knees weak.

“Tonight was a dream, Tom. Not quite sure I want it to end,” you admitted, fingers brushing over his as your hands swayed between your two bodies while you walked. He had a tiny grin on his face as he finally joined your hands together, his head turning for a second to look at the way the streetlights perfectly illuminated his favourite features of yours.

“It doesn’t have to,” he shrugged. You rolled your eyes and tried to remind him. “You have a beautiful little girl to get back to.”

“Not until tomorrow morning.”

You think you caught onto what he was implying, but you didn’t want to be bold and take the first step just in case he was making a simple point. So instead you just changed the subject, seeing your brightly coloured front door coming into view that thankfully saved you from what could have quickly turned awkward.

“Thanks for walking me home,” you said, a playful grin on your lips. He chuckled, eyes flickering over to his own home from where he was standing in front of yours. “No problem, I live around here anyway.”

You were glad that the two of you could joke around so easily, and annoyingly it made you so much more attracted to the single dad than you wanted to be.

After your round of laughter had died down the two of you realised just how close you were together in a silent atmosphere. It had you growing shy, your face growing hot as you took in his features so up close.

The young man had a sudden burst of confidence, his eyes flickering between your dilating pupils and your inviting lips. He quickly cursed under his breath before practically throwing himself forward, his hand on your jaw as your lips met in a sweet first kiss.

You mentally noted that his lips tasted so fondly of the wine you’d been sipping on all night, and could only imagine that yours tasted the same way. It was intoxicating in more ways than one.

His lips felt so soft against yours and you couldn’t even begin to get enough of him.

But you were the first to pull back just slightly when you didn’t think you could go anymore without gathering some air into your lungs, your lips curling into a shy grin as your shared panting filled the quiet night air.

“I’d really like to do this again sometime.”

“The kiss or the date?” he asked, his tongue teasingly dragging over his lips, knowing your eyes were locked on the way the muscle moved.

You confirmed for him in a heartbeat. “Uh- both. Definitely both.”

“Then that makes two of us.”

»»——⍟——««

Everything with Tom had been going amazing since your first date. You’d talked that night over a little more wine and found your feelings for one another actually were mutual.

Tom had been the one to suggest maybe trying your relationship out, but only if you took things slow. A few more dates would be needed until you were sure you wanted to confirm what your relationship was, and you’d keep it from Scarlett for a while considering she wouldn’t have much of a way to separate you and Tom just dating with you being her new mother; Tom didn’t want to throw that at you yet. He also didn’t want the relationship to break off quickly and get the girl’s hopes up.

For the last few weeks Tom had been having his mother babysit rather than you so the two of you could spend time together, but in the last few days Lettie had been demanding to see you because she apparently missed you.

It warmed your heart knowing that she wanted to spend time with you, and you loved taking care of her much to Tom’s happiness.

His heart skipped a quick beat when he heard the tell tale knock on his front door. He’d been rushing around all afternoon to try and make his home look neat for you after Lettie had had a little bit of a meltdown over something minor earlier that afternoon.

She’d later apologised and all was forgiven on Tom’s part, but he really could’ve done with her not throwing her toys all around his living room.

He’d had to toss the last one and pray it landed in the toy box as he headed towards the door, and apparently those summers forcing his friends and brothers to play basketball with him had paid off as it went in without a hitch.

He pulled open the door with a large welcoming grin, tugging you into a tight hug before you’d even managed to acknowledge the door opening. You giggled into his chest, snaking your arms around his torso to hug back. “Nice to see you too, handsome.”

He was intending on pulling away from your hug originally to plant a sweet, newly familiar, kiss onto your lips, but those plans were sadly interrupted by the pitter patter of tiny feet.

“Y/N!” the little girl yelled. She ran towards you, stumbling on her feet a few times before clinging to your leg tightly. You reached your hand down and smoothed her out of control hair down. “Why don’t I do something about this mess, huh?”

She nodded her head, tugging you with your hand towards the drawer downstairs where Tom kept some simple hair things for the little girl. Nothing too fancy, just a small hair brush and some hair bobbles in case she fell asleep downstairs and he needed to tame the bird’s nest on her head, much like now.

You were careful when brushing through the knots in her hair, much the opposite to how Tom usually does it to where the little girl has to yell at him for being too harsh. You only did a simple braid, but Tom watched you with a silly grin as if you were doing some elaborate, extraordinary task, but he just loved the domestic feeling of it all. It didn’t take long for you to snap the hair tie into place and announce that you were done, sending the little girl back off to her dad.

“Are you leaving again, daddy?” The tiny girl asked. She didn’t know much but she’d grown to learn that when she saw you it meant her dad had to go somewhere. Tom scooped the girl up onto his hip, a small smile on his face as he lightly ran his hand over the plait you’d done.

“No, no sweetheart. Y/N’s just going to be joining us tonight s’all.” Her eyebrows furrowed adorably and you noted the resemblance she had to her father with that expression. She looked between the two of you before shrugging her tiny shoulders, accepting what was happening if it meant she got to spend her night with you.

He let her back down and she practically jumped at you with all the ideas of what you could do together to pass time, settling the debate on her own by deciding it’d be playing dolls.

Tom stayed to watch for a little while to make sure you got settled before he left the two of you to play with her toys, announcing he was going to start on dinner.

“I can’t wait to judge your cooking,” you called, seeing him disappear into the kitchen with an unimpressed shake of his head.

You’d never eaten something Tom had cooked, so you were a little skeptical on how it was going to go. On the one hand he was a businessman with a very tight schedule most of the time, and that didn’t leave him with much time to learn how to cook at an edible level, maybe the basics at most. On the other hand though, he was also a dad, so maybe he had to learn to cook at some point in order to feed him and Scarlett.

You were leaning towards the former.

It didn’t come as a surprise to you then when Tom called for your help shortly after he started cooking, although you had to say the smell of whatever it was he was making wafting from the kitchen did seem rather pleasant, so you couldn’t understand what he could possibly want you to do.

“Y/N/N, can you help me in the kitchen for a second?” he asked. You nodded, nudging Lettie in the direction of her toybox. You made sure she was busy before heading to help Tom.

You let out a yelp when his hands grabbed at your waist, startling you. You scolded him with a slap to his chest, wishing you could wipe the smirk off of his face.

“Don’t do that,” you whined, hiding your face in his chest so he couldn’t see the embarrassment overtaking your features. He eventually coaxed you to look at him, a lovesick smile decorating his lips. He tried to lean in to kiss you, only to have your hands on his chest push him away. “Tom, she’s right in there,” you warned. He shrugged his shoulders, reaching up to carefully tuck some loose hair behind your ear so it was no longer in your face. He shushed you before leaning in to lightly connect your lips, barely even touching to make sure you had time to push him away if you didn’t really want this.

There was no way for you to deny that you did, you’d grown incredibly fond of the way Tom’s lips felt in the past few weeks, and you weren’t sure you’d ever reject one of his intoxicating kisses.

A small calling of daddy had you jumping apart from each other prematurely, looking like teenagers that’d been caught making out by a teacher. Your fingertips glazed your lips, feeling the tingles exploding beneath your touch.

When you snapped out of your blissed daze you found Tom kneeling on the floor, hands holding Scarletts. “‘M hungry, how much longer?” she asked, adorable pout on her face as her tummy growled to add emphasis. Tom diffused the situation as best he could, sending her back to play with her toys within mere minutes of her entering the kitchen in the first place.

“So, did you actually need my help or did you just need something pretty to look at?” you teased. He chuckled, picking up the knife he’d set on the counter to continue cutting up his ingredients.

You leaned down to the height of the counter, chin resting on your hand and elbow resting on the counter as you watched him push the thin slices of carrot off the cutting board into his pan with such ease, looking almost professional in his movements; maybe you were too quick to judge his cooking ability.

“Jus’ wanted a pretty view.”

You played along with the flirting. “Well this view should be heading back to entertain your daughter.”

He paused, wiping his hands off on his apron. He curled his finger in your direction, motioning to come over and stand beside him. Once within his reach he brought one of his hands up to cup your cheeks, the way he moved so confidently making your knees feel weak. His thumb trailed your bottom lip, cheekily tugging at it to watch it snap back into place. You refused to wait any longer to feel his lips, the subtle teasing causing a growing impatience in your chest that you couldn’t ignore.

“Just kiss me, dummy.” “Oh, I can do that.”

»»——⍟——««

The dinner went swimmingly. You were pleasantly surprised by Tom’s cooking skills and couldn’t get enough of what he’d prepared. Scarlett wasn’t too fond, making her dismay known with every bite of her food, forcing a laugh out of Tom at how judgemental the three year old could be. Luckily you’d brought dessert, your famous brownies that Lettie often told her dad she’d eat for every meal if he’d be so kind to let her; of course he wouldn’t, he wasn’t that irresponsible.

After everyone was full, practically ready to explode as Scarlett put it, one glance at the clock had Tom insisting it was time for her to go to bed. He claimed to have already been lenient because you were here, but even you could see the way her eyes were drooping as she tried to fight sleep.

“Wan’ Y/N to tuck me in,” she insisted, stomping her foot authoritatively. The man sighed, trying to reason with the demanding toddler so you weren’t forced to do something that might make you uncomfortable, something so motherly.

He sighed. “She might not-“

You interrupted with a grin, stepping forward and crouching to her height. “I’d be happy to,” you confirmed, letting her drag you through the house until you reached her room. Meanwhile Tom started on cleaning up.

Your eyes admired the decorations in the room, your heart expanding three sizes at the pictures of her and Tom scattered around the walls. Some of the pair during holidays over the last few years, lots of pictures with who you could only assume were the other members of Tom’s family, yet none with any sort of mother figure.

When you turned back to the toddler she was holding a small story book out in your direction, flashing you puppy dog eyes as she tried to silently guilt you into reading her a bedtime story.

“Daddy always reads it to me, he does all the funny voices.” You were amused at the idea of Tom putting on all different kinds of cartoony voices to make his daughter laugh. It made your heart flutter to think about how much he loved her and you were happy you got to experience even a tiny bit of that for yourself.

“Well I’m not sure I can do it as well as him, but I’ll try my best.”

Scarlett was just happy to have you there and reading to her, nevermind if you could live up to Tom’s very well practiced story telling.

You hadn’t even finished the book before she was already drifting off, eyes closing and head dropping forward. You closed the book and placed it back on her side, shifting her body so her head was placed in the middle of the pillow comfortably, stuffed toy cuddled in her arms tightly.

“Goodnight, sweetheart,” you cooed, kissing her forehead. You checked the blanket was tucked in around her to keep her warm before flicking off her light, exiting the room to help wash up and maybe join Tom for one more late night drink.

You descended the stairs quietly, heading in the direction of the kitchen where you could hear Tom humming to himself as well as dishes clanging together.

You waited by the door frame for a few seconds, just admiring the way his muscles flexed under his shirt as he shuffled around the sink, cleaning and putting away dishes. You didn’t really want to make yourself known, you’d much rather just keep admiring the man.

“I can feel you staring,” he muttered, looking over his shoulder with a tiny smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. You stepped into the kitchen until your front was pressed to his back, arms circling his torso. “View was just too good to pass up.”

He chuckled, twisting his body so his hip was resting against the counter and he could pull you into his side. You did so happily, resting your head against him.

“Did she nod off okay?” he asked, hand brushing over your hair affectionately. You hummed. “Like a baby. Think I might have stolen your job as her story teller though.”

He gasped, bringing his hand up to his heart to feign offense, claiming something about betrayal from both of you. You just rolled your eyes at his playfulness, shutting his whining up with a sweet kiss that had him swooning further for you. “S’only fair after you gave away my babysitting gig.” “Touché.”

There were a few moments where you delved into a comfortable silence again, until Tom saw you pick up the now empty wine bottle from the counter in hopes of refilling your glass.

“There’s some more wine in that cupboard over there,” he pointed out. “I’ll finish up here and then join you.”

You grinned, pecking his lips once again before leaving him to finish tidying up. You knew he was watching you walk away, as proved by the teasing whistle he sent your way as you exited the kitchen.

He joined you a little bit later like he’d said he would, taking one of the glasses of wine you’d poured for him with a kiss as a thank you. You sat on either end of the couch, legs intertwining as you made light conversation with one another while nursing your drinks.

“I enjoyed tonight.” Your lips curled into a grin, raising your head to look at Tom across the couch. You nudged your foot against his, sliding it up to rub against his shin affectionately. “Me too. I really like spending time with you, both of you.”

He was happy to hear it. He wouldn’t pretend like he didn’t already know you enjoyed Scarlett’s company, he’d seen it with his own eyes, but hearing it outloud just seemed to solidify its meaning.

You finished off your drink rather quickly, stretching out your limbs with the intent of getting ready to head home. Tom sat by and watched, cradling his drink as his eyes raked over your person. His heart felt like bursting with pure joy and admiration, it was soon but he knew he loved you, he was just waiting for the right time to let you know.

You placed your empty glass on the table, standing up and circling around the couch to press a kiss to Tom’s lips. He tilted his head back on the couch for you, puckering his lips in your direction, not satisfied until he’d got his fill of your kisses.

He had a few protests with your next moves, the way you shuffled away from him, the way you slipped your jacket on and even moved to grab your shoes.

“Well, I should head home,” you said, leaning forward to place a sweet kiss on his lips. He pouted, hands pulling you impossibly closer to his body in an attempt to keep you from leaving. “Stay,” he whispered. It’d be the first time you did something like this, but Tom really didn’t want you to leave, he was feeling extra clingy after acting like a family for the whole night. Maybe he just wanted to keep the illusion going a little bit longer. You hummed quietly, searching his eyes to make sure there was no hesitation in his decision. “Don’t want you to leave.”

You allowed him to take your jacket off again, locking your fingers together so he could lead you upstairs to his room. You had to creep past Scarlett’s room, not wanting to wake the toddler up and have to explain why you were now sharing a bed with her dad.

Getting ready for bed felt like it was already a routine thing. Everything just felt so natural with Tom that you didn’t have to pretend. The two of you pulled funny faces in the mirror while brushing your teeth like you’d done it for years. You worked around each other changing in the bedroom like you did it daily and finally the two of you shared Tom’s bed like two puzzle pieces that were made to fit together.

You were snuggled into his chest when he placed his lips on top of your hair, hand rubbing up and down your back while he mumbled to you quietly.

“Don't want you to ever leave.”

You raised your head so you could see him, eyes raking over his face to try and divulge what he meant. “You mean?” Your words brought a smile to his face, the man leaning down to rest his forehead on yours, the two of you basking in the intimacy of being so close to each other. “Let’s do this for real. Wanna be with you, like a family.”

He’d taken a leap of faith with his words, wearing his heart on his sleeve. He didn’t think you were going to reject him, but he knew asking someone to be a step parent was a very big ask.

“I want that too. I want to be with you and that little girl more than anything.”

»»——⍟——««

Making your relationship official meant that Tom had to tell Scarlett what was really going on. No more excuses that you were just spending time with them because you wanted to or you were bored, he had to come clean and then Lettie could decide how she feels. This could potentially make or break your relationship.

It was incredibly nerve wracking for you, you had to admit. You knew the girl liked you in a babysitter and friend sense, but you weren’t sure how she’d feel about you dating her dad and potentially becoming her step mum one day, that’s what was causing you the most stress. There was too much opportunity for things to go wrong.

The pair of you sat her down that afternoon and explained as well as one possibly could to a toddler what your relationship was. When you eventually got the words out she was ecstatic, an even better reaction than you were expecting if you were being honest, along with the question that’d been lingering on both of your minds whenever you talked about this.

“Does this mean you’ll be my mummy?” she asked. You felt Tom shoot you a side glance, but you didn’t remove your eyes from the toddler in front of you. You were simply trying to stop your heart from beating out of your chest.

“If Y/N’s comfortable with that, i-it’s okay with me.” You tried to contain your grin at the thought of being more than just a babysitter for the little girl, but apparently your silence was worrying the two Hollands. But when you outstretched your arms you heard the simultaneous sighs of relief.

“I would be honoured.”

From that point on your relationship moved rather fast, and there was no denying that from either of you, but you were confident now that you were going to last. Plus a child in the equation made things much more serious much quicker. If you left you wouldn’t only be breaking Tom’s heart, but the innocent angel his daughter is too. And you could never consciously hurt either of them.

Your next step after making it official to Scarlett was to move in together. You thought it wouldn’t be much different from what you’d been doing in the last months anyway. You already stayed over a lot at each other’s houses, you more than Tom so he didn’t always have to find a babysitter. So you’d pretty much gotten yourselves into a temporary routine that you wanted to make permanent.

You’d argued about who would move in with who numerous times by that point of your relationship. Eventually you won by pointing out how all of Scarlett’s things were in his home and not yours, and therefore it’d be easier for you to move into his house. You were responsible for only yourself and your own things, whereas Tom was responsible for two people. It was very clear to you.

When the day came to start packing your things into boxes it felt extremely weird. You hadn’t lived in your home for too long, so you weren’t necessarily attached, and you were glad you weren’t moving into a complete man cave, but the concept of moving was strange nonetheless. You packed your things by yourself, insisting to your boyfriend that you could do this by yourself while he made some room in various rooms for the stuff you were bringing over.

He’d agreed to help you sell the furniture you didn’t need, as well as helping with selling the house, which wasn’t proving to be such a difficult task considering it was in a nice, family area and was decently sized.

It took around about a day to pack, and you spent that night at Tom’s place considering your bed was now gone. The brunette was more than happy to accommodate you though, wrapping you in his arms where you very quickly fell asleep after the tiring day you’d had, which would be followed by two more of roughly the same.

Just like you’d predicted, the next day was very much like the previous. You were dealing with lots of cardboard boxes, making numerous trips between the two houses with the aim to get all of your stuff out of your current home and into Toms by that night. He wasn’t letting anything get in his way, wanting to be as efficient as possible so this didn’t take longer than it needed to, very much unlike you who had plenty of distractions that could be put down to the energetic toddler who constantly wanted to help.

Tom thankfully helped with a lot of the heavy lifting, and you weren’t complaining, you got to spend most of your day watching his biceps bulge as he lifted weighty boxes between houses.

You weren’t expecting to get it all done in a day, but by the time night rolled around you had most of the bland beige boxes stored in numerous rooms around your boyfriend’s house. And the rest of Scarlett’s clothes finally found their way back into her wardrobe.

You were tired by the time evening rolled around, Tom more than you this time around, but as soon as Scarlett was settled for the night you headed downstairs to survey your hand work rather than heading straight to bed.

“We don’t have to unpack tonight,” he said, holding you close to his chest as the two of you tried to let it sink in that you now lived together. You hummed, pushing back into his chest for the possibility that he’d hold you tighter. He did, placing kisses to your shoulder too that had you melting under him.

“We live together. Can you believe it?” he whispered. You giggled at the excited tone of his voice, seeing as it nearly matched that of Lettie’s when she had something to show you. “We actually live together.”

You turned around in his arms to see that pretty face of his, bringing your hands up to cup his cheeks sweetly as he puckered his lips for you. You happily granted him a kiss before speaking. “Just wait until you get sick of me,” you teased. He grinned, brushing his nose against yours affectionately. “Guess I won’t be waiting long.”

And with that he was leaving your grasp to get a head start away from you before the words registered in your head. When they did you scoffed loudly, failing to hide your laughter as you followed him up the stairs with a scolding “Tom!”

Day three of the moving process started out much slower than the others. You and Tom had woken up a little later than usual due to the tiring previous day, and then spent a few hours cuddling with Scarlett when she made her way into the room. It was all rather calm until the topic of breakfast was brought up by the little munchkin, forcing the two tired adults to at least try and perk up enough to cook.

Once everyone was fed and more energized you found that for some reason Scarlett was desperate to help with the unpacking process. A moving process was something completely foreign to her, so she was met with a wave of childlike excitement when she saw you kneeling down to start unpacking some of the boxes. When she offered her help Tom was ready to whisk her away so she wouldn’t cause so many distractions, but she actually deemed to be really helpful.

You didn’t give her anything difficult to do, just asking her to empty some lighter boxes into the newly emptied drawers in Tom’s dresser. About halfway through the door your boyfriend had actually disappeared, leaving you and his daughter to do all the hard work by yourselves until you were too tired to even move.

That’s how he found you. The both of you laid spread out on your his bedroom floor with no willpower to move. He just chuckled, announcing to you both that he was back, where you noticed he’d also brought something with him.

He noted your confusion and flashed you a wink, bending down to your height and running a gentle hand over your hair. “I made my hard workers some brownies while you were unpacking.” He let you both see the plate full of treats that were in his hand, a cheeky smile on his face when he registered the look of shock you were giving him. You had no idea he even knew how to bake, and you were quite offended he’d never brought it up before.

Scarlett seemed to be happy to take some, gaining a burst of energy to nearly tackle him, claiming her dad’s brownies were nearly as good as yours, but yours were still better she’d made sure to confirm.

You had to see for yourself, taking one of the deliciously warm brownies and taking a timid bite. Your eyes were locked with Tom’s up until that moment, because you couldn’t bear to look at the proud smirk decorating his face when you were happily shocked with the taste of the treat.

“Oh wow, who knew you were such a good baker?” you teased, unable to stop yourself from nearly melting into the wonderful brownie he’d presented you with. They may even rival your own.

You saw the blush that coated his cheeks upon being given the compliment, his hand coming up to shyly rub at the back of his heated neck. He stuttered his way through a poor explanation of times where he’d bake with his mum or his granny when he was a teen. But his heart grew 3 sizes at your suggestion of the four of you having to make something when they next saw each other. He might have to make his next visit as soon as possible. He might die upon seeing you in your natural baking element with the most important women in his life.

“I’d really like that. I think they would too.”

“Maybe you should join me at the bakery sometime, put your skills to use, get out of that awful job of yours.” It was true. At first the job wasn’t bad, but after Scarlett everything changed, you were very aware that the job left him with much less time than he’d like to spend with his daughter. But when you came along it grew even more difficult, plus part of him envied seeing you so happy in a job that you loved, especially being your own boss meant your hours were so flexible, something he’d never had the joy of experiencing.

Your sweet moment was interrupted by Scarlett wiggling her way into her dad’s lap. It was no secret she was completely drained, what with the way her eyes drooped while she munched on her brownie, but now it was evident she was ready to go to bed. From your experience in tucking the three year old in, you learned she was very hyperactive and wasn’t one to go down easily, but tonight was a completely different story. She was out like a light as soon as she’d gotten her goodnight kisses from you and Tom.

The two of you headed to your room after that, settling naturally into the night routine you’d developed. You were in the process of brushing your teeth in the attached bathroom when Tom entered, locking eyes with you through the mirror.

“Alone at last,” he said, shooting you a charming smile. You grinned, feeling his arms snake around your waist. “In our home.”

It felt like the buzz of the moment would never wear off. You and Tom lived together now, with his daughter who you treated like your own, the whole thing was so surreal to you. He could sense your excitement, and the both of you were equally as happy right now. Neither of you had ever felt like this in a relationship, nothing had ever fallen so perfectly into place like this. Your smile was uncontainable. “I love how that sounds.”

The two of you basked in the sweet silence for a few minutes, just enjoying the touch of one another as you tried to let the reality of your perfect moment sink in. Tom’s arms felt electric wrapped around you and selfishly you never wanted this moment to end, if you could freeze time you were a thousand percent certain you’d freeze it right now; Forever.

He was the first one to break the silence, pulling you out of your dreamland. “Do you remember when you said that I should maybe come join you in the bakery?” he asked. You nodded recalling the night's previous conversation over those gorgeous brownies you’d have to have him make for you again sometime.

“What if I did?” You weren’t sure he was being serious. You’d assumed he just wanted to entertain the idea to drag out this fantasy-like feeling for a little longer, but the look in his eyes was completely unwavering. “What if I quit my awful job and worked for you? Like a family bakery.”

He was asking a lot of you. Obviously you wouldn’t mind working with him, you loved him to death, however agreeing to this change would mean agreeing to the idea that you and Tom were going to last. Like any other person in a relationship you had your doubts, but it felt right, he felt right and you trusted this wouldn’t fail more than you feared it would. So you took the leap of faith.

“Holland’s bakery, what do you think?” His lips twitched into a grin at the insinuation you thought of yourself as a Holland and it made your boyfriend’s heart swell. Everything was moving fast between you both but now Tom knew you wanted to take that next step and take his last name. Your answer only made him feel more confident. “I think that means I’m going to have to officially make you a Holland at some point.”

He felt your chest shake as you exhaled shakily, but the smile on your face told him you weren’t scared. “I think I’m okay with that.”

»»——⍟——««

[ 2 and a half years later ]

In the next few years your relationship really bloomed, much more than it already had. He ended up quitting the job he hated, to like you suggested, join you in the bakery, finally putting his shockingly good baking skills to use. Having the place be a family business really seemed to boost your popularity with the locals too, and of course your regulars were ecstatic to see the adorable little girl all the time.

Things only got better when you fell pregnant a couple years into your relationship. You found at that point that a lot of expecting mothers, as well as those who wanted to do something nice for pregnant friends or family, started to visit your shop for baby related treats. It only made you more excited to meet your own bundle of joy, all the custom gender reveal cakes and baby shower cupcakes made your heart yearn for your pregnancy to hurry up and Tom was exactly the same way.

However, more recently your pregnancy had been exhausting. Getting out of the first trimester you assumed things would be better, no more morning sickness, but now your back ached from the weight of your growing belly and your feet were sore all the time from all the running around you did in the shop throughout the week.

Due to that Tom had had you stay home for the day, insisting you get some rest and take some time for you. Although you were also watching Scarlett while Tom went to run the bakery by himself, but the young dad had already told her she needed to let you get as much rest as you could.

He’d left you that morning with a sleepy Scarlett wrapped up in the arms of your tired body. Now he’d been away from his favourite people all day long and by the time he walked through the door of your home near to five in the afternoon, he was practically itching to get you both in his arms.

He was more than excited when he heard the pitter patter of tiny feet on the floor. He heard the comforting sound of her voice before he saw the wild head of curls peaking around the corner of the room. The girl announced her presence by shouting for her dad, a tired smile creeping onto Tom’s face after the long day he’d had. Almost six years old meaning she nearly knocked him down running towards him with such a high speed.

“There’s my girl,” he announced, scooping her up into his arms. She tucked her head into his neck comfortably, happy to be sitting on her dad’s hip after not seeing him all day. You only knew Tom was home after watching Lettie race out of bed the second she heard what she thought were his keys in the front door.

Only when you’d heard her yell did she confirm your love was home though, and only then did you make your way out of bed and downstairs. He watched you enter the room and his heart melted at the sight of your belly like it does everytime he sees it. Safe to say he loved you pregnant, it was a good look on you.

You sent a smile their way, making your way over to the pair and Tom was glad you’d made your way downstairs. “And there’s my other girl.”

He held an arm out for you, welcoming you into the side of his chest that wasn’t occupied by your little girl. He kissed you gently, letting his hand rest on the back of your head lovingly, his fingers lacing through your hair to gently trace over your scalp.

“Feeling any better?” he asked. You hummed, eyes fixed on the content Scarlett in his arms. “I’m okay, spent most of the day in bed so my back feels better.”

He was glad to hear that you felt better than you did the night before, at one point he was worried he was going to have to put you on bed rest for numerous days with the way you were talking about the ache.

Seeing that the two adults were going to delve into conversation Scarlett tried to wriggle out of her dad’s arms, letting out a content sigh when she was back on her feet, scurrying away to the living room to put some of her cartoons on. The two of you shared a look at her actions and rolled your eyes. However Tom took this as his chance to kiss you properly no that there were now prying eyes or children that would fake a gag at the sight.

“I brought you something,” he whispered. He kept his voice quiet so the little girl in the next room wouldn’t hear him. Of course you always brought little treats from the bakery home for her, but today Tom wanted these to especially be for the two of you.

He pulled the box out from his bag and lifted the lid to show you the array of baby coloured sugar cookies, one of the many ideas you’d had for how to find out your baby’s gender.

“Are these-“ you were cut off by your own uncontrollable grin, feeling tears spring to your eyes after your emotions were heightened by your pregnancy. “Gender reveal cookies,” he confirmed.

The pair of you had talked about how you wanted to do it for weeks, and this was only one example of what you could do. You hadn’t been able to convince Tom that a simple cake would do the trick, so you were very much still in the process of deciding.

But you had to admit the cookies were adorable and looked absolutely delicious, so much so you couldn’t stop yourself from reaching in for a baby blue one to give them a taste test. He assumed they were good when you nearly moaned after your first bite, rapidly nodding your head to confirm you wanted these and not any of your other options.

You wiped your lips with the back of your hand and motioned for him to try one, which he did with much enthusiasm. You watched eagle eyed as he took the first bite out of the pastel pink cookie, his eyebrows raising in surprise, hopefully good surprise.

“So, what do you think?” you asked. He could hear the excitement in your voice and he was glad you both were finally able to agree on the small detail. He didn’t answer verbally, instead pulled you in by your hips, being mindful of your belly of course, and pressed his sugary lips onto your soft cheeks.

“Tom stop, there’s sugar all over your lips,” you whined, hating the sticky feeling that was left on the skin moments after he’d pressed his lips there. He didn’t listen to your pleas though, continuing to kiss your skin wherever he could reach, pulling loud giggles out of you that apparently alerted the child in the next room. She wandered over to where you were standing with a mildly furrowed brow, finally managing to stop Tom’s actions.

“What are you doing?” she mumbled. Tom grinned and you saw the little devious twinkle in his eye that told you she was going to be his next victim. “The sugar cookie monster was getting mummy,” he explained simply with a shrug. She looked over at you and you played along, raising your shoulders as you attempted to wipe the sugar from your skin.

Scarlett didn’t have time to even process her confusion before Tom was scooping her up and leaving sticky kisses all over her face. She squealed loudly, trying to contain her contagious laughter to breathlessly ask you for help, but you were feeling too much joy watching them interact. “And you’re next.”

━━━━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━━━━

tom holland taglist → @call-me-baby-gir1 @sinisterspidey @givebuckyhisplumsnow @lowkey-holland @wizkiddx @hopeless-romantic-baby @thehumanistsdiary @bvttercupbby @spideyspeaches @celestialholland @captainamirica @slutforsr @annathesillyfriend @whoeveniskendall @dhtomholland @sleighbellspideyy @multixfandomwriter @mrsholland96 @magicalxdaydream @hallecarey1 @lovehollandy12 @peterbenjiparker @the-girl-in-the-chair @tom-softie @rqmanoff @mcushvft @hogwartsmarvelmommy @elishi03 @mn-jun @nocturnalms @tomhollandlol @kayasholland @safeplaceholland @peter-parkers-gf @wrendermeuseless @ccosmic-illusion @camelliaflow3r

#tom holland #tom holland oneshot #tom holland imagine #tom holland imagines #baker!reader #dad!tom #baker!tom #tom holland fluff

721 notes · View notes