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manicpixiefelix · 4 months

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head, heart, hand. {Felix Catton/Reader/Oliver Quick}

Part 2.

Summary: Felix and Y/N's first year of university means being more open with how close they are, while perhaps growing a little more distant than Felix would like. Also the Catton family have bestowed Y/N their own title, which Felix hates, and Y/N and Farleigh have a moment of connection over Christmas.

{ masterpost }

Need to Know: They/Them. Explicitly NB Reader. FWB!Reader with Felix, Venetia, and Farleigh in this chapter. Reader is from a well off family but has pretty much been adopted by the Cattons.

Warnings: Smut (reader bottoming but their gender is not made explicit), Degrading language (reader is referred to as as dog & pet)

A/N: 3071 words. i definitely meant to get to the start of their second year/first run in with Oli..... but this chapter got long enough, so instead we'll meet Oliver at the start of the next chapter and instead we get Felix and Reader at university, best friends who hook up shenanigans, Venetia being a pot-stirrer because she likes to rile up her brother, and Farleigh and Y/N bonding and boning. i feel like the pacing is a bit strange so id love some feedback <3 ALSO I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT UK COLLEGE CALANDERS IM SO SORRY LOL

Taglist: @strangemaximoff @renaissance-mama @tsach @malscorner @xhoneymoonx134 @yelchinweasleylothbrok @tarriea @florencediet @butitsbetterifyoudoittoem @belladonnadarksshade @fandom-multiamory @snazzynacho @jubileexoxo @soocore @be-lla-vie @nightingale2124 @willow-sages @null4ndv0id @gracieluvthemoon @day2dream @marvellover98 @navixfr @bitxhinthecomments @daintylovers @alesunsets @noturningbacknow @d0llysposts @alilcloudy @callsignwidow @moviequotes23 @325575 @bonnieblue0606 @osoqueen125 @hot-dino-nuggies @darkness-falls-xo

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To absolutely no-ones surprise, least of all yours, Felix takes to the social aspects of college like a duck to water. Neither of you missed a single day or night of activities during first year orientation, and you both left the various pubs and bars with a different hook up each night.

Felix sees a poster for a band in town, and crows with laughter as he talks about how his mother would hate if he ever got a piercing, but you know the look in his eye too well, and tell him there's a piercing place a block away.

"God I miss Farleigh," you sigh with a smile, watching him size himself up in the mirror of the tattoo parlour where the piercer had drawn approximate dots to mark his soon-to-be eyebrow piercing.

"Oh he'd love this, wouldn't he?" Felix agrees, grinning from ear to ear, catching your gaze in the reflection. Despite the piercer's reassurance that it doesn't actually hurt that bad, Felix plays up the bit of being concerned, insisting that you hold his hand.

It's easier in this environment to be affectionate. Perhaps its the way that all nights liked to blur together, lips and teeth and tongues and hands, and you find yourself invited to parties and into bedrooms and Felix is in the crowd, pupils wide and drugs in his blood and knowing you can take care of yourself.

Fruit flies mistaking his light in the night for the rot they're used to.

That being said, while of course Felix is gorgeous and the life of the party, your own magnetic aura and love features draw in your own crowd of admirers; you proximity to Felix was merely a perk.

You yourself find yourself blooming at college; with a far stronger sense of identity than you'd had for most of your teenage years, you shed many of your adolescent insecurities and begin to embrace yourself and the people around you as more than just Felix's friends.

"I miss you," he teases, eyes shiny and pupils huge, looking at you with that look that made everyone else weak in the knees. The two of you are crammed too close in a booth at a club, everyone else having left to dance or find something interesting to snort in the bathrooms.

"I'm always around, Fi," you murmur, just as high, lips twisted into a bleary smile, your finger beneath his chin to lift his face to you.

"They love you here," he grinned, lips inches from yours, skin glowing with sweat from the adrenaline and high of the night, "knew they would," it's not especially jealous, more proud, and you sigh against his lips with the kind of warm contentment his praise always brings you.

"Don't care if they love me," you say, very tellingly, voice low and flirty. Anyone could see the two of you, but the unspoken rules of high school had fallen away; the rules of college seemed to prioritise a lack of judgement, especially with the people you surrounded yourself with. Felix giggles, flushing red, leaning into your touch, leaning even heavier against you in the little, otherwise empty booth.

"You miss me, Fi?" You prompt, letting his face go as you wrap an arm around him, drawing you in close to him. Despite his height, he folds himself up to lean into you. Felix giggles again, mostly to himself, clearly shitfaced, without answering, he angles his face up to press a kiss to your neck, "we see each other every day, we still fuck around, we -"

"Do you think I could live without you?" He asks suddenly, and surprisingly frankly. His chin is on your shoulder, eyes wide and demanding an answer. It's not a joke, nor some strange attempt at flirting, and your throat turns dry as the lights spin around you both.

"You're drunk," you tell him gently, "and high."

"Why would I ask that?" He frowns, suddenly, sitting up, as if he's talking more to himself than you, "that's a fucked question actually, sorry Y/N, I shouldn't have -"

"I think it's more about how you feel about it." You tell him gently, "we should get water. You sit here, I'll get it."

You're unsteady on your feet when you head to the bar, collecting two cups of water, almost overflowing, from the end, trying not to think about it all. It didn't matter either way, how he thought or felt about it. It was a foolish, drunken question, it doesn't matter. Right?

Except he's bopping back and forth in his seat, tapping the rhythm with surprising success on the table top, eyes shining in the light where all he seems to look at is you. Felix grin wide and bright, thanks already in his smile before the words reach his lips as you sit back down next to him.

You could live without him, but you know you'd never want to, so long as he'd want you around.

"Think I'd rather die than live without you," he says with little prompting, holding the cup with both hands as he downs half in a single gulp. What?

"What?"

He turns those perfect, brown eyes upon you like you don't already live your life in his shape, like he hadn't validated every choice you'd made since you'd met him. He smiles.

"You're my best mate, you're always good to me and help me with shit and never get mad at all the dumb ideas I have and you've made sure I haven't gotten kicked out of any schools, even if I probably deserved it," he rambles and takes another drink, this time choosing to look out at the nauseating crowd of haze and lights and bodies, "I love you, I don't think I could live without you."

"Is that why you miss me?" Your voice is barely audible above the music, but Felix still hears it. Putting his mostly empty cup on the table, he shoves his shoulder against yours, refusing to let up until his full weight is against you, the two of you toppling down in the booth, him draped over you wearing the absolute goofiest grin. It's a good reminder that you're both incredibly drunk.

"Just miss you."

You stumble out of the bar together, and back to the dorms. Felix is insistent that you stay with him.

"No funny business," he mumbles against your ear, breath hot and smirk in his voice, "promise."

"You couldn't get it up if you tried," you snorted, "whiskey dick." Though he tries to protest, you gently elbow him in the ribs and he sulkily admits that you're probably right. Still, in the warmth of his room and the two of you stripped to your underwear, it's kind of irresistible to not make out like teenagers for a good while. You get you both glasses of water to put on the nightstand, and Felix tells you he loves you while on the brink of sleep.

"Love you too, Fi."

"Couldn't live without you, meant it," he hiccups, cracking an eye to smirk up at you from where he's splayed out on the bed, "probably."

"Don't think I could live without you either," you shuffle yourself into the bed beside him, letting him roll over to wrap an arm around you, "even if you are a fucking wanker sometimes," you grin, and hear him laugh into his pillow.

Felix has more game than anyone you've ever met without even trying, stealing and breaking hearts from all areas of the university. You watch it happen with amusement as you find your own slew of pretty guys and girls to keep you company when you feel like it. Still, for all the charisma and charm Felix had been blessed with, his touch-starved nature becomes both a blessing and a curse when he finds himself drunk and tactile and desperate for touch.

A desperate, affection Felix loses all of those carefully-curated social barriers that the two of you had put between yourselves as teenagers in public. Girls are more open and supportive around here; perhaps you should be offended, that many, once they learn he's prone to clinging to you, to kissing you, they end up rationalising it. It doesn't count.

Or perhaps they think they can shift the affection to themselves. Felix always learns to be more affectionate to them, but will find himself with you more often than he's not.

And those girls don't even know about the sex.

"I think about you," he huffs between short, jagged breaths, with you bent over the end of his bed, "is that weird?"

His latest breakup isn't even twelve hours old yet, but when you'd showed up at his room with a six-pack of beers and the offer to let him vent, he'd taken it without hesitation. While they hadn't been going out for long, she'd been pretty, but an apparently lousy fuck. When you'd jokingly offered to remind him what a decent lay was like, Felix had genuinely jumped at the chance.

"A bit - ah," you mused for a moment, hips rocking back to meet his in a pleasant rhythm. He takes a pause to tap one of your ankles with his foot, and you adjust your stance to be a bit wider, "what context? Just in general - fuck, Fi, there," and you find yourself lost for words as he presses his hand against the small of your back. His pace remains steady as he fucks you, and you obliging lean further down; he knows you well, know how to fuck you just the way you both enjoy.

Then you're in his bed, straddling him, riding him with his hands on your hips, your thighs, bouncing as his nails dig pleasantly into your skin.

"Think about me?" You finally continue, breathless, and something about the way he holds you steady, lets you pause as he laughs, flushed cheeks growing even more read, makes you grin too, "you mean like this, don't you?" And you rolled your hips, eliciting a groan from him that was like music to your ears.

"Shut up," he'd laughed, giving you a squeeze, unable to meet your gaze.

"Did you ever call out my name?" You lean down, across him, and for a moment his hands slide up your body to wrap around your neck, bringing you in for a gentle kiss.

"Thankfully not."

"Still, those poor girls," you teased.

"Poor me," Felix argued, "having to try and power through terrible sex while thinking about someone who's not even there, just because I know you're better at it," and he played at pouting for a moment, looking for sympathy.

"You really didn't have to tell me all this," you laughed, sitting back up and setting a gentle pace, smiling down at him, "you're such a perv." When his fingertips trail down your body, a shiver runs down your spine. There's this look in his eyes for just a moment, something knowing, something teasing, something you'd seen on occasion that made you feel so wanted and seen and -

He likes you knowing.

"You gonna give me something to think about?" That tone of voice, the teasing, the faintest hint of authority, like he's pretending like he doesn't know all the ways you'd debauch yourself if only he asked.

Venetia gets you a collar for Christmas, and Farleigh's already been kicked out of several universities by the time your first Winter break had arrived.

"Oh Pet, that's so cute," Elspeth coos at the designer, velvet collar that Venetia had smugly handed over while Felix had scowled, "is that Cartier?" Much to Felix's dismay, Elspeth and Sir James have apparently taken to calling you Pet as a pet name. He blames his sister entirely.

"Pet's easier, sweetheart," Elspeth had tried to argue when you'd sat down at your first breakfast of the Winter break at Saltburn, and she'd asked Duncan 'don't forget about our dear pet'. Naturally Felix had frowned the entire time while arguing with his parents, who insisted it's easier to use Pet than a whole new set of names and pronouns.

"It's been years mum, how have you not adjusted?" He demands, while you have shrunken in your chair and tried to divine life's secrets from your breakfast.

"What do you think, Pet?" Venetia said with a venomous kind of sweetness. Looking up at her, she's wearing this smug kind of smile, directed not at you but at Felix next to you. When you look to him, you see Farleigh across the table trying to hide his amusement in several pieces of toast eaten with no break in between.

"I think," you paused, looking past an annoyed Felix to his mother at the head of the table, "that if you want to call me Pet, you can, I think it's sweet, but please don't expect Felix to refer to me as such," you said with a surprising amount of firmness. Then after a beat of surprise from the rest of the table, you took a deep breath, "and for events and guests, I really wouldn't appreciate being introduced as such."

"Of course," Elspeth quickly amends, adding, "Y/N," for good measure.

"It's a pet name, Pet," Sir James gives an awkward little smile, nodding in agreement. Farleigh met your gaze for a moment, and you could see only the bread was keeping his laughter from spilling out. Beside you, Felix relaxes, and finally you look at him. Dark, serious eyes, with something grateful shining faintly in the morning sun.

Of course you let him throw Venetia's collar gift in the fire in front of her, despite her protests.

You get used to the sweet way the Cattons refer to you as Pet; as much as Felix despised it's connotations when it came from his sister, there was something comforting, something almost secure about the way the whole family had picked it up so easily.

"Was wondering where I'd find you," Farleigh's voice is warm while you're raiding the expansive kitchen for some kind of easy midnight snack. You could have asked one of the many staff members who reside on the property, but you hadn't wanted to bother them over probably some crisps.

"Farleigh!" You light up upon hearing his voice, turning, refrigerator door still open in your hand. He approaches, and you close the refrigerator, hugging him tightly, "oh this is great, it's been so long since it's been just us!"

"Darling pet," he says with a surprising amount of gentleness.

"You should come to Oxford, Fi and I miss you terribly," you tell him, leaning into his touch with a sincere smile as he holds your face gently, while you still hold him is a loose embrace.

"I've already been accepted into another college; you'll be fine without me," and he grins, kissing you on the nose, pressing a kiss to each cheek, "pet." He adds, almost to himself, and your face falls as you think about what he'd said.

"Everything's better with you," you insist, "and you'd love it; we could party like we did that Summer in France, but every weekend -!" Farleigh cuts you off with his lips against yours; you can taste the sweet smile he's wearing before he deepens the kiss.

Later, in Farleigh's bed, bathed in moonlight and the afterglow, you light up a cigarette and open his window.

"Fucking freezing," Farleigh mutters.

"Sorry," but you don't close the window. Silence stretches out between you both. You hope Farleigh enjoyed himself, hope he's happy -

"You don't need them," he says quietly, staring up at the ceiling. After a moment, you breathe out a lungful of smoke and turn to him with a frown, "this family; we all know where you're from. You don't need them." There's something strange about his tone, clearing his throat when he finally looks at you, "but you still want them to love you."

"They're good to me," you finally say, dropping your gaze as you reach back to offer the cigarette, "to us," you tell him, and he hums with the smoke in his lungs. Then, taking back the cigarette, you inhale the sour-sweet smoke and tap off the ash off the window sill.

"I'm not their fucking dog, Farleigh," you mumble, surprising frustration escaping you, anger you hadn't even realised you were holding on to.

"I know, pet," he says softly, pressing a kiss to your bare shoulder, "you'll let them think they have you kept, but you're not their dog, I know."

"I like you, Farleigh," you say with a faint smile, leaning back to see the way he's grinning too, "and I love you a bit as well I think."

"I know, I love you too, Y/N."

"We miss you a lot." There's something about the quiet that follows your words that you know all too well; Farleigh's about to tease you for something. Probably Felix related.

As if on cue;

"Does he know you like being his dog?" Grin widening, Farleigh gives you a slight shove, though the truth of his words has you hiding your own embarrassed smile.

"He thinks it's an insult to me, which is sweet of him," you chuckled, and Farleigh eases the cigarette from your fingers, "but it's like he has no idea the effect he's had on me for over a decade now. Yeah, I'm my own person, I have hobbies and friends outside of him, but -"

"You're a service bottom and desperately in love," Farleigh cuts in with a surprisingly sage tone, nodding like he hadn't absolutely called you out. Shocked with his vulgar kind of accuracy, you practically shove him out of the bed, laughing that he needs to fuck off, and the discussion is left at that.

The next morning, sitting down to breakfast, Duncan quietly informs Sir James that there had been a disturbance during the night. Immediately you throw Farleigh under the bus and declare that it's his fault.

"Hey!" He shouts back, grinning, "it takes two to fuck in the kitchen!" Which has all four of you, Venetia, Felix, Farleigh, and yourself, cracking up with laughter as Elspeth and Sir James were exasperated by your collective antics.

There is so much affection in Felix's eyes in this moment, this simple, strange moment of admitted sexual deviance. Except it's never felt like that to either of you. It's one of the ways you've both shown love, and he loves that you love those closest to him.

And you love to make him happy.

Farleigh was right, not that you'd ever tell him.

#felix catton imagine #felix catton x reader #felix catton x reader x oliver quick #felix catton x y/n #felix catton x you #saltburn imagine #saltburn x reader #farleigh x reader #farleigh start x reader #farleigh start imagine #farleigh imagine #farleigh start x you #farleigh x you #head heart hand fic #manic writer

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corpsebasil · 11 months

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Quiet -> Nikolai Lantsov (maybe a series, let me know)

Summary: You’re mute, and Nikolai is extremely protective of his favorite Grisha.

You were alone, busy preparing for the Winter Fete, when they arrived.

“What’s up, Quiet?” One of the boys asked, approaching where you sat practicing your snow flurries on the ground, turning the bowl of water in front of you into snowflakes that danced around your head. You glanced up, seeing a shadow cover the bowl, and you raised your brows. “Busy doing…fun stuff?”

You nodded, staring, before resuming your work, hoping they would go away.

“Come on, say something.” He urged, and the boy and girl with him laughed. A red headed Heartrender boy to the main boy’s left, and a dark haired beauty that was Squaller to his right. You blushed and kept your eyes on the bowl, though your snowflakes faltered. “Are you deaf? I said something.” He kicked the bowl and you flinched, water spilling onto the ground.

Before it could soak the dirt you quickly tugged the water back up off the ground, guiding it with trembling hands into the bowl. The lead Grisha scoffed, his dark eyes fixed on you with disdain.

“Don’t you ever give up?” He asked, raising his brows as you tried to hide the pink on your face.

“This is why she’s not allowed on missions.” The ginger boy said, smirking. “She couldn’t communicate if she tried.”

I communicate. You signed, looking up now. Just not with you.

“What are those, witch symbols?” The first boy asked, and you huffed through your nose.

“Listen, sweetie,” the girl said, peering down at you with faux pity. “Maybe you should just…leave, you know? You’re taking up space in the Palace for other Grisha. You know, ones that can talk.”

“Honestly? I’m glad she can’t. She’s better off without—”

“What the fuck are you saying to her?” A male voice snapped, approaching from behind, and you tensed. All three Grisha’s eyes widened in horror, dropping into swift bows. “Hmm?”

“Sorry, Your Majesty.” The girl mumbled, blushing dark red. “We were just—checking up on Y/N.”

“You sure?” Nikolai asked, moving to stand next to you. He was king now, king of Ravka, and had the power to do anything to them. And they knew it. “Because I was listening. And it seemed like you were being cruel.” You looked sideways at his boots, refusing to glance up as he let out a mocking laugh. “She’s disabled. You all should be ashamed.” The Grisha stammered out quick apologies but Nikolai stopped them. “Get out of my sight.”

They left quickly and you stared at the ground, mortified that Nikolai had seen you like that. You scratched your arm and focused hard on the water, desperate to get back to your work and pretend the entire encounter hadn’t occurred.

“Y/N?” Nikolai asked, crouching beside you, and you looked over. Your heart immediately dropped into your stomach. “Are you okay? I’m sorry.”

You looked away, then back, meeting the blue eyes you’d long since fallen in love with. I’m fine. You signed. He was the only one save for a few at the palace that had deigned to learn sign language, and that was the first thing that’d made your heart ache for him. When he’d approached you one morning and told you your dress looked lovely, all using his hands, you’d blushed madly and ducked your head, unable to hide your smile. Thank you. I am fine.

You can be honest. He said, looking at you intently. Always, with me.

I know. You smiled hesitantly and turned back to your work, but he kept on, his voice soft and curious.

“Watcha working on?” He asked, settling onto the grass beside you, knee brushing yours. You made no attempt to move away, only blushed delicately before showing him.

You raised the water up out of the bowl, freezing the droplets and transforming them into snowflakes. You moved them in a circle around his head, watching as his eyes went wide with admiration.

“That’s amazing.” He breathed, and you smiled. Then you combined the flakes, turning them into a snowball, and tossed it at his head. He let out a cry and collapsed dramatically, hand on his heart as he groaned. You laughed silently, grinning as he gave you a wounded look. “You would hurt your best friend?” He asked, pouting, and if it was possible for your face to get redder, it did.

Best friend? You asked, and he smiled a dazzling grin.

“Of course. You’re my favorite.” He said, then watched as your expression fell a fraction. “What is it?”

You wanted to tell him. Wanted to open your mouth and say the words. Say that you cared about him, that you loved him, that you appreciated him more than anyone. But you couldn’t. So instead you just said, I’m out of water.

He rolled his eyes and sat up, reaching out to touch your hand with both of his own.

“Come on, you.” Nikolai said, tugging you to your feet. “I’m bored. Let’s go play cards so I can—”

“Your Majesty!” A guard called out, and you yanked your hand from his like it’d scalded you. Nikolai shot you a slightly wounded glance, then wiped his expression into one of neutrality. “You’re needed in the council-room.”

“Coming!” He called back, and turned to you; he was only a few inches away, his tall frame forcing you to tilt your face up to his, and you could smell the tantalizing scent of his cologne when he was this close. “You’ll be alright, yeah?” He asked, voice soft and gentle.

You nodded. Yeah. Go inside. You watched him, chest tight as his eyes softened, a sort of warmth to them you’d seen on rare occasion, but it never failed to make your heart race. Your lips parted involuntarily and his eyes darted to the movement, making you flush and back up a step. See you tonight. You signed quickly, not looking at him, before you picked up your bowl and headed to the lake.

“Y/N!” He called, and you glanced back. I’ll be your date? He offered, a friendly but hopeful smile on his face, and you nodded, a smile of your own painting your face.

That night, you didn’t see much of Nikolai after all. He was busy with politicians, with courtiers and Grisha, and especially, most importantly, the Shu princess that had travelled to the winter fete to see Nikolai.

You stood on the sidelines of the party, creating snowflakes that whirled around the ceiling in dazzling arcs. Sometimes you formed constellations, sometimes animals, and the guests gawked and gasped, smiling and laughing in approval. You wanted to dance, desperately, but you knew you had a role tonight. And your focus was locked on the princess and the King, speaking quietly to one another at their places on the dais.

She was beautiful. A place had been made for her on the dais, and to you, she already looked like a queen. She had complimented you earlier, admiring your work with the ice flurries, and it made it hard to be upset. But an hour later, when you were finally allowed to take a break, you turned to see Nikolai leaning over to whisper something to the princess, and her tinkling laugh filled the air.

Something in you ached. So badly you felt a knot in your throat, although you knew—had always known—that he’d marry royalty. You wounded yourself over and over with stupid fantasies and you and him, ones where you could speak and ones where he loved you back.

“Hey, Y/N!” A girl grabbed your arm and you jolted, turning to see Nina standing beside you. She could read you like a book, always had, and you kept your expression schooled. “Cute right?” She asked, nodding to the Shu princess and Nikolai. “Do you think they’ll get married? We could really use—” her voice trailed off as your heart sank into your stomach, your eyes trained on Nikolai’s smile. “Y/N?”

Tears filled your eyes as a chill ran down your spine. You turned to Nina, signing, I’m tired, sorry, before you left the great room, your shoulders slumped in defeat. You were halfway down the hallway before you heard footsteps racing after you and you froze at the sound of his voice.

“Y/N?” Nikolai asked, sounding slightly out of breath. He would’ve had to have sprinted all the way from the dais to catch you. “What is it?”

You signed without looking at him. Feeling sick. Need to lay down.

“Can I get you some water? Food or—“

I’m fine.

“I’ll get a medic. Just stay—”

Stop. You turned, fixing your stare on his, and you saw the surprise on his face at the tears in your eyes. Please leave me alone.

What’s wrong? Talk to me. He begged you, eyes pleading.

I cant. You attempted to joke, tapping your throat. Remember?

Not funny. His eyebrows furrowed, and he stepped forward, tentatively brushing a thumb over your cheek where a tear had slipped. Tell me, sweetheart.

You looked down, trembling slightly as you hugged yourself with your arms, but Nikolai wouldn’t take the hint. He wrapped his arms around you, his hand holding your head as he tucked you against his chest. He shook in his arms, pressing your wet face to his chest as he ran his hand over your hair, whispering reassurances to you.

“Baby, baby. Please don’t cry.” He urged, his own voice tight as he rested his chin on top of your head. Your heart broke at the pet name and you pushed at his chest, only for his arms to tighten. “Hey, hey.” He murmured, pulling back to hold your face in his hands. His thumbs brushed both of your cheeks as your mouth wobbled. “Baby, no. Talk to me.”

You were with— you started moving your hands, then clenched them into fists, shaking your head. Nikolai realized who you meant in an instant, a bolt of shock running through him as his hands slipped to your neck, then back around your waist as he pulled you into him again.

“I’m not with her.” He told you softly against your ear, making you shiver. “I don’t love her. I don’t even like her that much—she’s nice, but I’m being polite right now, Y/N.” He pulled back to look down at you, his eyes so sincere and soft it hurt you deeply. “You know I care about you, right?” He asked, brows furrowing. “You. No one else.”

I cant even talk to you— You started, but he cut you off.

“No. None of that. We talk just fine.”

But—

“Y/N.” He groaned, dropping his forehead down onto yours. “Please, baby. Don’t make this hard for us.”

‘Us’, you thought, slightly confused, until he lifted your chin with a hand and looked down at you.

“Don’t overthink this.” He murmured, and pressed his mouth to yours.

It was the softest kiss of your life, so full of love and care for you that tears filled your eyes again. And when he pulled away, glancing down at your ruined expression, his own eyes felt wet.

“I have to go back for appearances.” He told you, kissing the top of your head, then your brow. “But then I’ll come to your rooms, alright?” He smiled softly, blinking rapidly up at the ceiling as he took a deep breath. “Find us something to do? Start the fireplace for us? It’ll only be thirty more minutes and then I can excuse myself.”

You nodded, peering up at him with such admiration it made his chest tighten.

“Thank you.” He said quietly, and dropped a quick kiss on your mouth before he turned back to the party, leaving you winded.

someone requested this concept but I don’t remember where the ask went so here it is!! please comment and send me more asks!

Part two

#shadow and bone #nikolai lantsov #nikolai lantsov x reader #wattpad #nikolai x reader #shadow and bone imagine #fluff

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forever-rogue · 1 year

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eeeeeeeeeee!!!!! bee if you write for Javi sunshine G, I was thinking about him and a shy reader where they’re both fools in love who don’t know the other is in love and this cute prompt I saw the other day

when you are nervous and avoiding eye contact with your crush or lover and they suddenly stand closer to you and whisper, "look at me."

because if Javi G did that I would pass out, his puppy eyes are too much 😭

AN | Oh yes, he is absolute sunshine and this called for a love confession 🥰❤️

Pairing | Javi Gutierrez x Fem!Reader

Warnings | Language

Word Count | 2.1k

Masterlist | PP Characters, Main

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“You’re being ridiculous,” you were looking between Javi and the garment bag he was excitedly displaying to you. You didn’t even have to see the name on the bag to know it was outrageously expensive. That was Javi though, he never went halfway on anything or spared any expense.

“I am always ridiculous,” he stated simply as though he completely missed the point of your statement, “but this is for you. And it’s rude to refuse a gift.”

“Under normal circumstances I would agree,” you tore your gaze away from his in the mirror and turned around to face him directly, “but this is…I can’t accept this, Javi. It probably cost more than what I make in a month.”

“It does not matter,” he refused to take no for an answer and push the bag into your hands, “it is a birthday -”

“My birthday isn’t for weeks-”

“An early birthday present,” he scoffed playfully, putting a finger under your chin and turning your face towards his, “which you will wear to your birthday party.”

“Birthday party?!” your mouth dropped open, “Javi - no.”

“Javi yes,” he insisted with that big, sweet smile that you adored almost more than anything, “it is already happening - it is all planned. All you have to do is come.”

“You’re doing too much for me,” you softened slightly at his insistence, “are you sure about all of this?”

"Of course I am," he put the sleek, silky bag into your hands and turned you around to look into the mirror. He put his hands on your shoulders and stood right up behind you, "and you will stop arguing with me. Si?"

"Si," your entire body felt like it was on fire when your gaze caught his and he offered you a sweet smile, "gracias, Javi."

"Anything for you, sweet girl," he pressed a kiss to the side of your head and your legs felt like they were turning to jelly from the tender gesture, "I must get back to work, but you will join me for dinner later, yes?"

"I couldn't refuse even if I wanted to," you shook your head affectionately at the man, "so yes, I'll be joining you."

"I'll text you the details later," he grinned happily before turning to leave your office. Before he could duck out the door, he waved eagerly. You returned the wave and laughed as you listened to him whistle his way down the hall.

It wasn't long before Coco, your friend and coworker, knocked on the door before popping into your office. She was all bright eyes and smiles as she pointed at the garment bag, "that man is in love with you!"

You almost choked on your water and ended up having a small coughing fit at her words. You felt your cheeks grow hot but shook your head, "definitely not. You know Javi, that's just how he is."

"Javi is generous," she agreed, "but not 'drop an exorbitant amount of money on a custom made dress on just anyone' generous."

"Custom made?" your heart sank further into your stomach just imagining the price tag.

"Yes! That design house only makes customs," she gushed and went over to the bag, looking between you and the zipper she was desperate to pull, "he might as well propose already. Imagine that engagement ring!"

"We're not even dating," you groaned. You'd imagined it plenty of times but knew that it would never be your reality. It wasn't like that with Javi, and you'd never have the courage to ask him out, "besides, it's not about the money."

"I know that, and so does he," she insisted, "he's a good man but also generous. The two are not mutually exclusive. He likes to spoil so let him."

"Coco-"

"Please let me see the dress," you almost gave into her big, puppy dog eyes, "pleaseeeee."

"Not a chance," you shook your head in amusement, "you'll just have to wait and see it-"

"At the birthday party Javi's throwing for you," she finished and you snorted in amusement, "he's already sent the invites and I've already RSVP'd!"

"Dios mio."

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You held your breath as you studied your reflection in the mirror. There was no way that girl was you. And yet…when you met her eyes, it was you. You'd done your hair and makeup to your liking and then put on the dress from Javi. And it…definitely looked like it was made for you. Well - it was, but still. It was incredible.

It was your favorite color, fitted just how you like it, just long enough to not be inappropriate and highlighted all the things you loved about yourself. It was…magical. It fit like a glove and made you feel amazing. You wished you never had to take it off again. Luckily, you also had the perfect shoes to match. It all felt like some sort of magical fairytale.

You’d gone to Javi’s house to change before the party, and even he hadn’t seen you just yet. You could hear the buzz from all the people downstairs, and knew that the party was in full swing. Javi really had gone all out, and the idea that he had done all of this for you made butterflies practically explode in your stomach.

When you knew that you couldn’t stall any longer, you steadied your nerves as best as you could before leaving the room. As soon as you took the first step out of the guest room, you were stopped by some of Javi’s staff, gushing over how wonderful you looked. You were just trying not to let it all go to your head.

You headed downstairs and outside to the courtyard, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, but it really was no use. As soon as one person spotted, they began to cheer and the rest of the guests followed suit. Well. So much for a quiet entrance.

But none of that seemed to matter because the only person that you saw in the sea of others was Javi. You had managed to spot him easily and effortlessly across the space, watching his entire face light up.

“Thank you,” you had to look away from Javi before you somehow spilled your entire heart to him. You held up your hand in a small wave, “thank you all for coming - this is so wonderful. And thank you, most of all, to Javi for putting this all together. Javi, you are a stubborn but kind-hearted man, and I can’t thank you enough for everything that you do. Cheers to you.”

You could practically see the dark pink rise up in his cheeks as the attention turned over to him. He grabbed a glass of champagne and held it up and just when you thought he was going to make a big toast he looked at you and simply said, “salud.”

After you took a sip, you were half tempted to run away and hide among the crowds, but you knew that wasn’t an option. He would find you one way or another; and while that idea made you nervous, you also really just wanted to spend some time with him. You hadn’t seen him for a few days and that made you miss him despite the short separation.

After throwing back the last of your drink, you set the flute down and walked towards Javi. Before you could even say anything, wrapped his arms around you and pulled you tightly into his warm body.

“Felicidades mi amor,” and oh. That sent a pleasant shiver down your spine as you felt him press his lips to the crown of your head. He pulled back and ran his hands down your arms, before giving your hands a squeeze, “you look…amazing does not even begin to cover it. There are no words that could adequately describe how you look.”

“Javi,” you felt bashful and started at your feet, chewing the inside of your cheek, “thank you for this dress, this party - everything. This is all so kind of you, and I really appreciate you. I mean, more than appreciate you. I hope you know that.”

“Hmmm,” he hummed in content as he put his arm around your waist and led you away to the edge of the courtyard overlooking the sea. You felt your entire body practically vibrating with energy as you tried to keep it all together. Still averting your gaze, you relaxed slightly into his touch, wondering what he was thinking. It was like he knew exactly what was on your mind. Javi took your hand in his and squeezed it to get your attention, “look at all the stars.”

You did as he asked and felt breathless when you looked at the pretty inky sky glittering with so many stars, “it’s beautiful.”

“And yet still not nearly as beautiful as you are,” this caused you to gasp slightly as you allowed yourself to look at Javi. He had the biggest smile on his face with the softest eyes and you just couldn’t take it, “nobody and nothing could ever come close.”

You cleared your throat and looked away, blinking back the tears that started prickling at the back of your eyes. Your heart wanted to believe that what he was saying was said in a romantic way, but your head didn’t allow you to do that.

You felt him move closer - the little bit that he could - and he nudged you gently, “hey. Look at me.”

You did as he asked and looked up at him, “Javi?”

“You must know how I feel about you, si?” he touched your face, gently brushing his knuckles across your cheek. You knew how you wanted him to feel, but the reality was a different thing, “I have thought about this moment so many times. How I would tell you everything that I feel for you…it seemed so much easier in my mind.”

“How you feel about me?” you echoed as he nodded, “what do you mean, Javi? How do you feel about me?”

“You must know, amor,” he was nervous, you could easily see that. You looked up at him with eyes that made him melt and shook your head, “n-no?”

“Tell me?” you asked softly, “please.”

“I’m in love with you.”

Oh. Oh. Oh?

“Come again?” you asked softly, trying to stifle your nervous laughter.

“I’m in love with you,” he looked at expectantly and when you didn’t say anything his heart dropped into your stomach, “I-I should not have said anything…I clearly have overstepped my boundaries and you do not return my feelings-:”

“Javi-”

“I did not mean to make you feel uncomfortable…”

“Javi-”

“I should not have assume your kindness meant that you think of me as anything more than a friend. If I have made you fell-”

“Javi!” you finally snapped him out of his stupor and he looked at you with wide eyes as though he almost didn’t understand what you were saying.

When he blinked at you in surprise, you took his face in your hands and leaned up to press a gentle - but questioning - kiss to his lips. It took him a moment to catch up but when he did, his entire body lit up.

He put his hands on top of yours and kissed you back eagerly and passionately. Neither of you wanted to break apart, but you hesitantly pulled back when you needed a breath of air.

“Do you see how I feel about you too?” you whispered, still half believing that you had imagined all of this. But when you felt him playfully take your face in his hands and pepper kisses all over your face, you realized that this was all very real.

“You are in love with me as well?” he asked tentatively as you nodded eagerly, “you never said anything!”

“I was nervous,” you confessed, “and never thought you’d feel the same. You never said anything either!”

“I was nervous too,” he admittedly shyly, “but I could not wait any longer. I had to tell you before the opportunity to do so would have passed me by.”

“I would have waited,” you promised and this caused his heart to swell, “you were worth the wait, Javi.”

“So were you,” he beamed, brighter and warmer than the sun, “can I kiss you again?”

“You can kiss me whenever you want,” the two of you exchanged shy smiles and tender touches, “if that sounds good to you.”

“That sounds perfect to me, amor.”

#javi gutierrez #javi gutierrez x you #javi gutierrez x reader #javi gutierrez x fem!reader #javi g #pedro pascal #the unbearable weight of massive talent #tuwomt

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mysterious-moonstruck-musings · 5 months

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Destiny & Deliverance: Chapter 26

Destiny & Deliverance Masterlist ||| Main Masterlist Dieter Bravo X OFC New as of 11/13/2023

Series Summary: Natalia Cohen is experiencing major life changes, beginning with leaving an emotionally abusive husband. She is learning how to navigate life on her own while dealing with high functioning anxiety, depression, and mild PTSD. Everything is looking up for her. She is a highly respected consultant for a major LA firm, has her best friend, Lauren, by her side, and is on her path to healing. Everything changes when she meets a handsome and broken stranger on a work trip. He turns out to be a well-known actor, with a heart-breaking past. They quickly develop a connection that will forever alter their lives.

Warnings: Themes dealing with mental health, emotional trauma, alcohol use, and discussions about suicide. There will be fluff, tears, spicy language, and smut. This will be a slow burn type of story. Read at your own risk.

Chapter Quote: "I don't want to do this."

I lost track of how much time passed as I watched Dieter sleep. My mind was racing through so many thoughts that it overwhelmed me, making it impossible to process anything at all. It was hard to pull myself away from him, but I felt like I needed a few minutes to myself to just…feel. I was relieved when the nurse walked in to check on him, feeling like that was my out. I let her know that we would be in the waiting room if he asked for us. When she turned her attention back to her checklist, I excused myself from the room.

As I walked down the hallway, I took a moment to observe my surroundings. Seeing patients through open doors in various states of critical care was making me feel anxious. The sounds of beeping machines dredging up old memories that I thought I had packed away for good. The pungent smells of antiseptic and fragrances of chemical based cleaners caused my stomach to churn. I hated hospitals and I hated that Dieter was having to go through this experience. I truly hoped that it would at least have a positive outcome so that he could finally get the proper help he needed.

I ducked into a single-user bathroom to have a minute to myself, knowing it would be my only opportunity. After locking the door behind me, I walked over to the sink and gave myself a once over in the mirror. I looked like hell. My air-dried curly hair was now a frizzy mess from my fingers incessantly pulling at it. My eyes were circled in darkness from the lack of sleep, red and swollen from crying. The t-shirt I had quickly thrown on before leaving the house was wrinkled and had a stain on it. No wonder the ER doctor didn’t take my word for it when I said I was fine. I wouldn’t have believed me either.

I tried to smooth my hair down but didn’t get anywhere with it. Luckily, I had a hair tie on my wrist so I could pull it back into a messy bun. I took a minute to splash some warm water over my face. My skin felt sensitive and raw from the salty tears that had fallen, no matter how much I willed them not to. I switched over to cold water for a little shock to my system to try and wake up some. After splashing a few handfuls of the cold water, I stood watching it pool in my cupped hands, allowing it to spill over the sides. I could feel myself disassociating, until the flashes of memories started to break through.

Images of Dieter lying on the floor, his eyes opening briefly as I tried to wake him before they rolled back and closed again. The way he looked lifeless in my lap on the drive to the hospital, with a weakened pulse. The sight of him being pulled from my embrace and loaded onto a gurney surrounded by nurses and doctors as they worked to stabilize him. It was too much, and it was all crashing down on me at once. I had almost lost him because I was too fucking selfish to take the risk and reach out to him when I knew in my gut that something was wrong. I completely ignored it all and focused on being angry at him, just to make myself feel better about the whole situation. Now, I only felt anger toward myself.

I snapped back to the present, letting the water spill from my hands before reaching to turn off the faucet. I placed my wet hands on the back of my neck for a moment, allowing the coldness to soothe the heat radiating through my body. I closed my eyes and took a few measured breaths. Then, I reached for paper towels to dry my hands and face before throwing them in the trash. I placed both palms on the sink, leaning against it with my head down. I closed my eyes again, still taking deep breaths to try and center myself.

When I raised my head and opened my eyes, meeting my reflection in the mirror, I hated the person that I saw. My biggest fear had been losing myself again. I had allowed it to happen without even realizing how the darkness was slowly consuming what little was left of me. The harder I worked to keep it away from me the easier it was for the darkness to stealthily pull me into its numbing embrace. The sad part is, I welcomed it with open arms under the guise that I was doing what I needed to do to move forward and be happy.

For the first time since Dieter ended things, I realized I was slowly turning back into the person I was before him. The person I was when I was with Justin. The scared girl who pretended everything was fine and hid her feelings away out of fear that someone would see how bad things were. I had been conditioned to behave this way to protect Justin and all his wrong doings. I had been conditioned to hide my feelings away so that I wouldn’t realize how unhappy I really was. I could feel the walls starting to crumble down again and I found myself craving a drink but knew I couldn’t go down that road. I knew I needed to get back on track and handle things the correct way, for the sake of myself. I wasn’t going to be able to be there for Dieter unless I finally got my shit together. For real this time. I needed to find better ways to cope and actually process my feelings, rather than lock them away. If I didn’t do this, I knew I would be lost to the darkness forever.

I was drawn away from my thoughts by a knock on the door. I took one last deep breath and moved to leave the bathroom. As I continued my trudge down the hallway, I somehow managed to focus my mind back on the current situation that needed attention, trying to think through the next steps. I wasn’t even sure what those needed to be since I had never dealt with anything like this. This was definitely going to be a team effort.

When I entered the waiting room, I was met with more activity than I expected. Everyone was working to check out various inpatient treatment centers for Dieter. Alex was reaching out to his contacts for feedback while Lauren and Gabby did research on their phones. I immediately joined in. We were determined to find something away from LA that wasn’t one of the upscale places celebrities usually went to that catered to them. He needed to be somewhere that would not treat him any differently than other patients and really focus on helping him get better.

We finally settled on a facility in Tucson, Arizona called Sanctuary Hills that appeared to be promising. It was away from paparazzi central, making it less likely that anything would leak about Dieter being there. It also came highly recommended by Dr. Wilson and several other individuals that Alex spoke with. It would be a long drive, but more than worth it if the place was as good as everyone made it out to be. Once the decision was made, Gabby called to get more information and to get the admission process started.

We did not want to give Dieter the opportunity to change his mind, so Gabby and I planned to drive him directly to the facility once he was discharged from the hospital. Sanctuary Hills was kind enough to send us a list of things that Dieter could and could not bring with him, so I offered to go pack a bag for him on my way home to nap and freshen up. Gabby planned to do the same while Lauren and Alex stayed behind to spend some time with Dieter once he woke up.

When the Uber driver pulled into the driveway of Dieter’s house, I could feel my chest tighten as anxiety set in. Being there after what had happened the previous evening felt odd, almost sort of eerie. It seemed like there was bad energy emitting from the once happy place that I had considered my second home.

As I used Gabby’s key to unlock the front door, I suddenly felt a wave of emotion sweep over me. I could already feel a lump forming in my throat. When I stepped inside and really took in the space for the first time, I realized how much of a mess it was. I had noticed it the night before but didn’t register the severity because I had been focused on helping him. Dieter’s comforter and a pillow, my pillow, were haphazardly laying on the couch. There were old takeout containers randomly sitting around the living room and kitchen, some still containing food that looked like it had hardly been touched. I assumed that was the cause of the questionable smell permeating throughout the house. The TV was laying on its back on the floor with a busted screen. There were empty and broken liquor bottles of all shapes and sizes laying everywhere. Most of the broken bottles were concentrated on the floor under the painting I had left for him, like they had been thrown at the wall. The painting appeared to be untouched, which was oddly comforting to see.

It was difficult to see the physical evidence of how bad he had been hurting. There was no way that I could look at the sight before me and not feel anything. I simply could not pack this away somewhere in my mind and not deal with it. It was too much, but I needed the raw emotional confrontation. This is what finally caused my walls to crumble down, forcing me to feel everything at once. The sadness, betrayal, hurt, pain, anger…all of it. I couldn’t hold back the flood of tears any longer. My vision blurred momentarily before the tears started to fall incessantly. I didn’t even bother to wipe them away as I made my way toward Dieter’s bedroom to start packing a bag for him.

If I thought the living room and kitchen were bad, his bedroom was even worse. The bed was completely torn apart, and the frame broken. The nightstands were turned on their sides and the lamps that once set atop them laid in pieces on the floor. The mirror on the dresser was shattered and the drawers and clothes were thrown across the room. There was a hole in the drywall where the headboard used to be and another beside the bathroom door. It felt like I was having an out of body experience, the scene around me looking like it had been pulled straight from a movie.

I stood there for a time; both of my hands placed over my mouth in shock as I looked around the room. I had a hard time reconciling the thoughts of Dieter causing such destruction. This wasn’t him. He wasn’t a violent person. This was the culmination of his pain finally breaking him. My legs suddenly felt weak at that realization. I sank to the floor, continuing to take it all in as the tears fell freely down my cheeks. It was hard to see a space that held so many wonderful memories of us reduced to a pile of rubble. Maybe it had been even harder for him to be reminded of those memories while it was still intact, a caricature of how things used to be.

I don’t know how much time passed before I finally pulled myself up off the floor. I needed to take a breather. I walked back to the living room, where I noticed Dieter's phone still laying on the floor from where he had dropped it. My car keys were on the floor nearby, where I had apparently dropped them in the midst of my rush to get to him. I leaned down to pick up the keys and phone. I figured Gabby may need some of the contact information from his phone to deal with his work stuff, so I didn’t want to forget it. I walked over and plopped down on the couch before setting the two items down on the coffee table next to one another.

The lock screen of the phone lit up, catching my attention. I picked it up for a closer look, realizing the wallpaper was the infamous picture of us that he had posted on Instagram. Except this was the unedited original. It was in color, uncropped, and not blurred with filters. I had never seen this version of it. It almost broke me to see how happy and content we both looked. Even though Dieter’s head was turned slightly, I could still see the rare spark of happiness in his eyes. The crease that he often had between his brows was smooth. It was hard to remember that for a short time we had been blissfully happy. It seemed so long ago now. I realized that I would give anything to go back to that. We both needed the good times, to experience those rare moments of joy, when things didn’t feel like an uphill battle.

I grabbed the comforter that was halfway hanging onto the floor and wrapped it around me as I laid down onto the couch, phone still clutched in my hand. The scent of Dieter’s cologne surrounded me in a comforting embrace as I continued to examine the picture. A low battery alert appeared on screen. I chuckled to myself, thinking how my battery felt low too. I eventually set his phone back down on the table and drifted off to sleep.

I was jolted awake by my cell phone ringing in my back pocket. When I sat up, I realized it was now dark outside. I had been asleep for longer than I had planned to be. It took me a few seconds to work out where I was as I wiped the sleep from my eyes. I quickly stood and fished the phone out of my pocket to see that it was Gabby calling me. She wanted to check in and see how I was doing and if I needed help with any of Dieter’s things. I didn’t, of course. That was something I wanted to deal with on my own, but I appreciated her offer, nevertheless. It felt good to know that I was not alone in all of this, that this time around there were other people close to Dieter and me who understood what was going on.

Gabby went on to share that Alex had called to say the hospital would be releasing Dieter the following morning. She was planning for us to make the seven-and-a-half-hour drive immediately after picking him up. Then she and I would take a flight back to Los Angeles. It was going to be a long day, but it was worth it if it meant he was going to get the help he needed. We made plans for her to pick me up in a rental car and be ready to go first thing in the morning.

Once Gabby and I hung up, I realized I had a text from Aubrey. I had only just realized that I never called into work that today, so I was surprised I had not heard from her sooner.

Aubrey: Lauren called me last night to let me know what was going on. I hope everything is ok. Please take all the time you need, for the both of you. Keep me updated and let me know if you need anything.

I sighed heavily. I seriously did not deserve her or Lauren. They gave me more grace than I deserved sometimes. I fired off a quick update to Aubrey to let her know that both Dieter and I were doing ok and that I would need a couple of days off. She responded immediately to let me know that would be fine.

Since that was off the “to do” list, I decided to pack Dieter’s bag. I pulled up the list that Gabby had sent to me. He was basically limited to three days’ worth of comfortable clothes and nothing else until they considered him to be fully stable. He couldn’t even have his glasses or contacts, something he was definitely not going to be happy about.

I sent a quick text to Gabby reminding her that Dieter would need a phone list since he couldn’t have his phone. I figured she might have a better idea of who needed to be listed on that and that she would probably have most of their numbers. Then, I made my way to his closet, ignoring the mess in the bedroom as best I could. I found that his closet was completely untouched and still somewhat organized. I noticed that half of it was now empty, which reminded me of the conversation we had about making space to keep some of my things there. He had clearly held up to his word on that and never bothered to change it back. I could feel the lump forming in my throat with that thought. I shook my head, dismissing the memory so I could focus on the task at hand.

I quickly grabbed a pair of his gray workout shorts and two pairs of striped pajama pants (that did not have drawstrings) and three plain t-shirts from the shelves. I found his bright green robe and removed the waist belt before adding it to my stack. I had to dig around to find slip on closed toe shoes that didn’t have any metal or laces on them. At the bottom of his shoe pile, I found a pair of black croc clogs that I had never seen him wear, but it’s what he was getting because it was the only pair I could find that met the requirements. After grabbing some of his boxers and socks, I started looking around for a bag. I eventually came across an extra-large tote bag that could barely hold everything. He wasn’t allowed to bring his own toiletries, so I didn’t have to worry about any of that. I quickly ran through the list again making sure I didn’t miss anything. I made a mental note to double check on the phone list with Gabby and get his medications back from the hospital. Other than that, he couldn’t have anything else.

Before I left Dieter’s house, I collected all the food containers and took out the trash. That was something that needed immediate attention due to the smell alone. The rest would have to wait until I had more time. I wanted to make sure to get everything cleaned up before he came home, whenever that would be. The mess was the last thing he needed to deal with, and he most definitely did not need any reminders of what happened to him.

I collected the tote bag, my phone and Dieter’s, and my car keys before walking out to my car and heading back to my house. After I got home, I gathered a few things I would need for our quick trip, set my alarm, then immediately went to bed. Surprisingly, it didn’t take long for sleep to take me. I was physically and mentally exhausted and I could feel every bit of it.

The morning alarm came quickly. I felt like I had only just dozed off as I sat up in bed, stretching. My head was throbbing, and I could feel that my eyes were still swollen and stinging from all the crying I had done the past two days. I hoped a hot shower would help alleviate the tightness I could feel from the inflammation and ease my aching body. I drug myself up out of bed and took a very long shower. I mostly stood under the hot spray, unmoving, as I stared at the floor. I felt like I needed to mentally prepare myself for whatever the day would bring. I didn’t know what to expect, which left me anticipating all possible outcomes, including the worst-case scenarios. My only hope was that Dieter stayed calm throughout the trip and didn’t change his mind about accepting help before we got him there.

I spent longer than I should have in the shower, causing me to rush around to get ready. Not that I had planned to put a lot of effort into it anyway because it was definitely a messy bun and sunglasses kind of day. I was glad that I had gotten things ready the night before or else I know that I would have ended up forgetting something. Before I knew it, Gabby was pulling into my driveway. When I got into the car, she handed Dieter’s phone list over to me so she would not forget about it. I added it to his bag before I handed over his cell phone to her.

I could tell she was just as anxious as I was from her tight grip on the steering wheel and tense posture. We hardly said a word to each other during the drive to the hospital. Both of us were clearly deep in thought. The way I felt was almost indescribable. I was anxious and my chest felt tight, but in a different way than before. My head was buzzing as the thoughts raced uncontrollably. I felt hopeful, sad, and angry all at the same time. I was having a hard time wrapping my head around how it had actually come to this. It almost didn’t seem real. I was starting to feel disconnected, like I was watching everything from the outside. I knew that probably wasn’t a good thing, but also felt like it might be the only way I could get through today. I would just have to deal with the consequences of it later.

When we arrived at the hospital, we found that Alex was already pushing the discharge process along as best he could. He had spent the night with Dieter so he wouldn’t have to be alone. Alex had to be exhausted since he had been at the hospital the entire time. He had the least amount of sleep out of all of us in the past forty-eight hours, so I knew he was ready to crash. Lauren arrived soon after Gabby and me so that she could take Alex home. She had stopped to get us all coffee and breakfast too, which was very much appreciated by all.

Dr. Wilson briefly met with Gabby and I to give us Dieter’s bag full of medication and to go over paperwork. He gave us copies of everything that Sanctuary Hills would need but indicated they had sent electronic copies as well. He let us know that they gave Dieter a sedative thirty-minutes prior because he was still being uncooperative with staff and exhibiting high levels of anxiety. He noted that it should last about eight hours but included another dose with Dieter’s medication in case it was needed. That was not the news that Gabby and I wanted to hear, but we were appreciative that Dieter was given something to calm him down during the trip. We were hopeful that being with us would help him relax some too.

When we were finally able to make our way to Dieter’s room, we found him sitting on the bed picking at the food Lauren had brought for him. It didn’t look like he had eaten much of it. He seemed a little dazed as he sat in silence staring around the room at nothing. Lauren and Alex gave Gabby and I an apprehensive look as our eyes darted between them and Dieter. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting but I don’t think this was it. I assumed his behavior was like this because the sedative was kicking in, making him feel out of it while dulling the anxiety.

I walked over to stand next to the bed, reaching out to push Dieter’s hair back out of his eyes, which caused him to focus his attention on me for the first time. He knitted his brows together as he stared at me in silence for a moment. Then he reached up to lightly tug on my shirt, pulling me to sit down beside him. I wrapped my right arm around him as I moved to sit closer to him, then reached up to rub the curls at the nap of his neck. He immediately melted into my side and laid his head on my shoulder, his arms tightening around me. I took a stuttered breath as I fought back the tears that were threatening to fall. He was so fucking pitiful, and it was breaking my heart to see him like that.

After several minutes passed and when I eventually felt like I had my emotions under control, I asked Dieter if he wanted to change clothes and get ready to leave. He nodded slowly against my shoulder. Gabby handed him a set of clothes and the crocs I had gotten from his house as he got up to go toward the bathroom. While we waited for him, a nurse came in with the last bit of paperwork for Gabby to sign off on. By the time he came back out, we were ready to go. Gabby went out ahead of us to get the rental SUV and pull it up to the door. The rest of us made our way downstairs, accompanied by two patient care assistants. They kept a close eye on Dieter the whole way, which made me question what he had been doing to the staff that was so “uncooperative”. I felt like they were expecting him to run off or something.

Once Gabby pulled up, we gave Alex and Dieter some space to say their goodbyes. Alex had placed one of his hands around the back of Dieter’s neck, pulling their foreheads close together as he talked quietly to his older brother. Something about the sight caused Gabby, Lauren, and I to immediately tear up. The intense emotional look that passed between the two of them said so much. Dieter tightly nodded along to whatever his brother was saying before they pulled each other into a warm embrace. After a quick hug from Lauren, Dieter crawled into the back seat of the SUV. He stared at me wide-eyed and unblinking with his sad puppy dog eyes, seeming to be asking a question without words. I gave him what I hoped was a reassuring smile before climbing in to sit next to him as he scooted to the other side.

Dieter sat wringing his hands and staring down at the floor as we waited for Gabby to finish filling Alex in on our plans for the day. I reached over to grab his left hand and he visibly relaxed some. He glanced over at me with a tight smile before turning to stare out the window. He still looked paler than normal. Seeing him in his own clothes made it more apparent that he had lost some weight, which added to his frail appearance. I knew the current sight of him would haunt my dreams for weeks to come.

Soon after we got on the road, I noticed Dieter was having a hard time keeping his eyes open as he leaned his head against the window.

I gave his hand a small squeeze as I eyed him, “You ok?”

“Those fucking drugs they gave me are making it hard to stay awake,” he said flatly without looking my way.

I started rubbing small circles on his hand with my thumb, “Do you wanna lay down?”

His eyes locked with mine in an intense stare, like he was surprised at my words. I moved to grab a small blanket and pillow from behind the seat that Gabby had brought for him. I handed him the blanket and placed the pillow in my lap as he watched me intently. I don’t know why, but I suddenly felt like I was dealing with a scared feral animal from the look he was giving me. I didn’t want to spook him, but I also wanted to make sure I was there for him in the ways he needed. I reached toward him and motioned with my hand for him to lay down. He moved to get comfortable the best he could in the small space, folding his body to fit and putting his head in my lap. He sighed deeply, eyes closing as he tried to make himself comfortable. Once he was situated, I started running my fingers through his hair and lightly scratching at his scalp. It wasn’t long before his breathing changed to deep steady breaths as he fell asleep.

The drive was long and quiet. I could occasionally feel Gabby’s eyes on me in the rearview mirror as I watched Dieter sleep. My thoughts were still quickly cycling through every second of our time together, trying to figure out when things started to get so bad. I had a feeling Gabby could see everything I was feeling written on my face during that drive. She never questioned it though. There were times that I glanced her way and she seemed to be just as deep in thought as I was.

About four hours into the trip, Gabby asked if we should stop for food. Since Dieter was still sleeping, we decided to push through the drive without stopping. I got the feeling that she wanted to get this whole process over with as soon as possible, leaving little room for interruptions or complications. I couldn’t blame her since I was feeling the same way, along with the nagging feeling that the worst part was still to come.

It turns out, I was right. By the time we reached Sanctuary Hills, the sedative was wearing off. Dieter had woken up about twenty minutes before we got to the facility, and I could tell his anxiety was ramping up. It started with his fingers twitching, and the restless moving of his legs, until he eventually sat up in his seat. His eyes began to drift across everything he could see in the car. Eventually the outside caught his attention as he started to fidget more and wring his hands together again. He refused to take the other pill that Dr. Wilson had sent with us because he was tired of sleeping and how the drug was making him feel.

As we pulled into the parking lot, Dieter’s eyes fixated on the building while he roughly scratched at his chin. I grabbed his hand to make him stop in hopes it would calm him down some. Gabby and I exchanged worried glances in the rearview mirror as she unbuckled her seatbelt. Gabby and I got out of the car and walked around to the passenger side. Gabby pulled Dieter’s door open. He sat staring at me, wide-eyed. He looked terrified. I gave him a tight smile as I reached out my hand for his. He finally relented and took it as he got out. He shuffled slowly behind me as we walked toward the entrance. Gabby grabbed his bag out of the back and quickly caught up to us.

Once we entered the facility, Dieter stood closely at my side with a tight grip on my left hand as he chewed on the thumbnail of his free hand. His head was down, but his eyes were scanning over everything in sight. I tried my best to sooth him and keep him calm while Gabby worked to complete the check in process, occasionally asking him questions for the paperwork she was filling out. He answered quietly, in a barely audible voice, never removing his thumb from his mouth to speak.

One of the ladies helping with the check in process started to go through Dieter’s bag to check for “contraband” and ensure all of the items were in compliance with the regulations. As she was checking everything, she asked him if he had any jewelry or a cell phone that he needed to turn over to us before Gabby and I left. I felt Dieter tense beside me as his energy changed, from anxious to almost hostile. When I turned to look at him, I could see the panic and anger flashing in his eyes. The inevitable meltdown was finally happening.

“My phone? You mean I don’t get to keep my fucking phone? No. I didn’t agree to that.”

He started shaking his head frantically from side to side as he backed away from me. I calmly walked over to him and placed both of my hands on his face, softly stroking his patchy beard, in an attempt to calm him as he continued to ramble on.

“How am I supposed to call you without my phone? What if I need you? This place is like a fucking prison. I don’t want to do this.”

“Dieter, listen to me.”

He finally paused his movements as he stared directly into my eyes. What I saw there made me feel like someone was carving my heart out of my chest with a rusted spoon. I have no idea how I managed to hold it together, but I did.

“You can’t have your phone, but you can use theirs. You have a set phone time to call us. They want you to focus on getting better, so you can’t keep it with you.”

“A set phone time? I only have your number memorized. Not the others.”

I was momentarily taken off guard by his admission, feeling more emotional than I already had been if that were possible. He obviously wasn’t thinking rationally right now. This wouldn’t be an issue for most people, but Dieter was used to always having his phone to stay connected with those he cared about. It was understandable the absence of that connection would upset him.

“Gabby made you a list of phone numbers so you can call us. It’s in your bag.”

This answer didn’t seem to dampen his anxiety in the slightest, “But I can only call during certain times? What if you don’t answer and I can’t call back?”

“I’ll answer. I promise… and if you need anything between calls, your case worker can call for you if it isn’t something that can wait.”

I could see the tears brimming in his eyes as he continued to stare at me, a pleading expression on his face - either about the phone, his stay, or something else entirely. I was not sure. I tried to keep my face neutral for his sake, but I knew I was failing. My brows drew down together without my permission as my vision blurred slightly from my own tears. He lowered his head and turned away from me, his shoulders shaking slightly from his shallow breathing. He started to clench and unclench his hands at his sides as he moved further away. I quickly wiped at my eyes and glanced over at Gabby and the ladies behind the front desk. They were all staring at the two of us with worry and concern in their eyes. I took a deep breath before walking over to Dieter, pulling him away from the onlookers and enveloping him into a tight hug. I could feel his fingers knotting in the back of my shirt as he spoke through his tears into my neck. “I’m so fucking terrified to do this and I don’t want you to leave me.” I could feel his grip tighten further as he quietly added, “We didn’t get any time to fix things.”

I gently ran my fingers through the back of his hair, “Don’t worry about that, I’ll be right here when you’re done. We can talk about it later. I want you to focus on yourself right now. When you’re better, you’re coming home to me, ok? I’m not going anywhere.”

He slowly pulled back to meet my eyes. He seemed determined now as he searched my face.

“I don’t want to spend another night away from you after this.”

I gave him a genuine smile before leaning my forehead against his and closing my eyes to savor the feeling of him, trying to memorize every little bit of him that I could. I felt a tentative hand cupping my cheek as I opened my eyes to look up at him again. I leaned into his gentle touch, for the first time in months. I had missed it so much more than I realized. I couldn’t help myself. I reached up and entwined my fingers with his hand on my cheek before pulling them to rest between us. I used my other hand to pull him toward me and gently placed a kiss on his lips.

The way his face lit up as a few more tears slid down his cheeks made my heart clench. He didn’t hesitate to reach up with both hands and pull me in for a second and third kiss before briefly resting his forehead against mine, the physical intimacy that we had to do without for months seeming to ground him a little. He took a deep steady breath as he backed away. “Alright, let’s get this shit over with.”

Dieter’s mood shift was surprising and also a relief. He seemed to be having a moment of clarity, which I took full advantage of as I pulled him over toward Gabby so that he could help her finish with his paperwork. Things went much faster after that than I expected. Before we knew it, we were saying our goodbyes. He didn’t let go of my hand until he absolutely had to. He still looked sad, but seemed in better spirits than he was when he arrived. I was thankful for that since it made it more bearable for everyone involved.

Gabby and I had to hurry to catch our flight. We had just enough time to turn in the rental and grab a small snack as we rushed through the airport. We didn’t talk much on our way home. The topic of her brother seemed to be off limits for the both of us, as an unspoken agreement. We were both so drained from the events of the last few days that we needed a break from it. I could tell she was appreciative of having me there though. It was obvious in the small smiles and gentle hand squeeze she would randomly give me during our journey.

By the time I finally made it back to my house, I was running on empty. It was late and all I wanted to do was crawl into bed, but I somehow mustered up the energy to take a quick shower to wash the day of travel away. After that, it didn’t take long before I was out.

In the days that followed, I spent my time cleaning up the disaster that was Dieter’s house. I ended up having his bedroom furniture hauled off since several pieces were broken. It wasn’t worth the effort to try and fix them. Once that project was done, I didn’t have much else to do besides work and I did that from home. I did make an effort to spend time with Gabby and Lauren when I felt up to it. I felt it was important to work on my relationship with them since I had been so absent recently, and I didn’t want to risk isolating myself again as I was trying to cope with things.

After a week had passed, nothing could take my mind off the fact that Dieter hadn’t called me. I was worried that he was starting to realize how badly I had handled this whole situation on my end. He was the one that ended things, but I had made zero effort to fight for us. I had let him go like it was nothing. I would expect him to be hurt by that. Gabby assured me that he hadn’t called because he was having a hard time coming off of his medication and wasn’t feeling up to much phone time. What little he had called to speak with her was to get things sorted out for work and those conversations only lasted a few minutes. She said it was obvious by the way he sounded that he wasn’t feeling well. The case worker told Gabby that he was having some withdrawal symptoms after the first few days of decreasing his medication dosages and he was having a hard time with it. I knew that was most likely the case, but that still didn’t keep the doubts from creeping in, imagining worst case scenarios.

It was nearly two weeks after we had dropped Dieter off at Sanctuary Hills when I got a surprise visit from Alex. He awkwardly greeted me as he walked through the doorway carrying a very large parcel wrapped in brown paper. I eyed it quizzically as he maneuvered it into the living room.

“What is this?”

“Dieter asked me to bring this to you that night I stayed with him at the hospital. I’m sorry, I’m just now getting around to it. He sent a not so polite reminder through Gabby about it yesterday.”

“I take it you haven’t talked to him either then?”

Alex sighed as he shook his head, “No, not yet. Gab said he’s still kind of a mess right now because of the medication changes. She mostly talks to his case worker, I think.”

I nodded in understanding. Knowing that he hadn’t reached out to Alex either did offer some reassurances that it wasn’t just me. It hurt me beyond words to know that he was having such a hard time with the medication changes. I hoped, for his sake, that it did not last much longer.

Alex moved to hand me the large parcel he was holding. I took it as I gave him a questioning look. I noticed his eyes lit up slightly before he gave me a smirk.

“It’s the painting from the art fundraiser.”

I knitted my brows together as I took it from him, ripping the front of the paper to reveal the painting that had turned me into an emotional mess that night. Once I had it completely unwrapped, I set it against the wall and stepped back to look at it. I realized there was something very familiar about the two figures.

More after the image

I turned to Alex, who still had the same smirk on his face, “I don’t understand. How did he know about the painting?”

His smirk slowly turned into a wide smile, “He painted it. He wanted to surprise you with it that night, but obviously that didn’t work out…”

I put my hand to my mouth, gasping audibly. Now I understood the reason I felt drawn to it that night. The two figures were us. I could feel the tears prickling at the corners of my eyes, threatening to make their escape.

“I don’t understand, when did he have time to do this? We were together constantly before he left for Canada.”

Alex moved to stand next to me, “He started it right after he got back from New York. He took a break when he went to film that movie in Mallorca but picked it up again when he got back…before he found you again.”

I chuckled in disbelief, “Well this certainly adds a whole other layer of feelings that I wasn’t expecting.”

“I know he did a lot of it at night, when he couldn’t sleep. He told me he couldn’t get you out of his head. I’m pretty sure he fell in love with you that first night you spilled your drink all over him. He wouldn’t stop talking about you, so I encouraged him to look you up. I don’t think I’ve ever in my life seen him so nervous to do something,” Alex let out a small laugh at the memory.

I didn’t even try to hold the tears back after that. How could I? It said so much about Dieter’s feelings. Alex glanced over at me, realizing my emotional state. He put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me in for a gentle side hug.

“This is the first painting he’s done in years…just so you know. You definitely woke up something inside of him. We could all see it. I really hope you two can make it work once he gets out of that place. I think you’re good for each other.”

I was taken aback by Alex’s candor regarding his brother. His words were so unexpected given how quiet and shy he always was around me. I appreciated the fact that he felt comfortable enough to open up to me some.

“I’m not sure how much I’m supposed to tell you, but fuck it, you should know. The nickname he gave you, and that phrase… la estrella del norte, la luz en la oscuridad…that’s something our mother used to say to our father. So, to me and Gabby, it’s a big deal that he used that. We’ve never heard him say it to anyone before.”

I couldn’t help the way my face scrunched up at his words. I was one hundred percent about to ugly cry. I put my hand over my eyes to hide it as Alex pulled me in for a tight hug.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you,” he said into the top of my hair.

“No, I’m not upset. This is a happy cry. It’s just…touching, I guess. I didn’t know that. This is a lot of information to take in and process. Thank you for telling me. I really needed this right now.”

Alex backed away and gave both of my shoulders a gentle squeeze and offered a small smile.

“Well, I won’t keep you any longer. Let Lauren know when you're free and feeling up to it and we can grab some dinner, yeah?”

I nodded and gave him a small smile as I walked him to the door.

After Alex left, I sat down on the floor in front of the painting, taking in every paint stroke. To the casual observer, it was probably just a nice painting of a couple in an embrace under the night sky. I, however, understood the subtle symbolism of the fog and darkness that surrounded the man, but not the woman and the bright star placed just above the woman in the background. The fact that something so simple could say so much was amazing to me. It had me feeling every emotion all at once.

I could not believe the origin of the nickname he had given me, or that he had started working on the painting well before he found me again. I always felt like there was more to the name, but I was not expecting that. He obviously had strong feelings toward me from the start. Looking back, I could no longer justify my reasoning for not being with him from the beginning. I hated that we had missed out on all of that time together.

I had a lot of thoughts swirling through my head that evening. I spent more time than I probably should have staring at that painting, but it was forcing me to process things that I had been avoiding. By the time I finally pulled myself up from the floor, I was mentally and physically exhausted. I went to bed after that and suffered through a night of restless sleep.

Sixty days after Dieter entered Sanctuary Hills, Gabby received a call from him, after mostly only communicating with his case worker over the past two months. He asked her to attend an in-person family counseling session there at the facility. She immediately agreed and got it scheduled. The day it happened; I was an anxious mess while I awaited news about the visit. He still hadn’t called me, or anyone else for that matter. We didn’t really understand why, but his case worker assured us that he was making progress and doing well. He was trying hard to focus on getting better and working through things a little at a time. He was very focused on his healing journey and doing everything that was asked of him. It was hard for me to understand it, being so far away and consumed by worries, but I was proud of him just the same. I was excited to know he was finally requesting to see his family and was hopeful that was a positive sign.

As it got later into the evening, I was beginning to get concerned since I hadn’t heard from Gabby yet. She had promised to call when she left Sanctuary Hills. I sent her a few texts but did not get a response. I was about to try giving her a call when I heard a knock at the door. I was surprised to see that it was Gabby. The look on her face made my stomach drop. The fact that she hadn’t called and was now showing up with this look on her face couldn’t be a good sign. There was no greeting. She jumped right to the point, “Talia, I’m sorry to just show up, but can we talk? I don’t know who else to talk about this with and I need to talk about it.”

“Yeah, come in.”

We both walked over and sat on the couch. My hands were already fidgeting as the nerves and anticipation quickly built up. Every scenario running through my mind was scary and I wasn’t sure I could handle whatever it was she was about to say. Gabby immediately burst out into sobs. I pulled her into a hug as I tried to suppress my own panic.

“Gabby, I need for you to tell me what’s going on before I have a fucking stroke over here,” I said into her hair. She sighed heavily before pulling away to look at me.

“Dieter told me what happened that night, with mom. I wasn’t prepared for it. I can’t believe he kept that to himself all these years and it fucking kills me that I didn’t do more to support him in dealing with it. I didn’t know he was the one who found her. I always thought it was one of the workers.”

Her sobs continued as I digested her words. I felt instant relief that it wasn’t something worse, something I didn’t know of yet, but at the same time my heart broke for her. I know it had to be hard for her to hear. Hell, it was hard for me to hear.

“I’m sorry, no one else knows about it. I didn’t know who else I could talk to about it. He told me that you knew… I just needed a minute to fall apart and process it before I go home.”

“Hey, take all the time you need. I know it’s a lot to digest,” I said as I rubbed gentle circles on her back.

“I just wished he would have opened up sooner and shared that burden with me. Maybe he wouldn’t have gotten so bad if he had. I should have tried harder to make him talk to me about it.”

“Gabby, I don’t think it would have mattered what you said to him. He wasn’t gonna talk until he was ready.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. I just feel terrible that I didn’t know. I don’t think anyone did. I bet dad didn’t even know.”

After a few minutes of silence, she seemed to pull herself together. She reached over to grab my free hand and gave it a gentle squeeze as she smiled up at me.

“He looks so good though…healthy and alert. I really think the treatment is helping. He’s expressing his feelings so well…I - I’m honestly not sure I’ve ever heard him talk that much about how he feels.”

I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face as happy tears slid down my cheeks.

“He said he’s gonna call you soon. He’s nervous to talk to you for some reason and embarrassed about this whole thing. I told him he didn’t need to be, but you know how he is. He misses you though, I could tell. I lost track of how many times he asked about you.”

I reached up with both hands to wipe the tears from my face. It was comforting to know that he was thinking about me. I knew it was selfish of me to think that way because he should be focusing on himself, but I would be lying if I said it didn’t make me feel better about things.

Gabby didn’t share much more of what they had talked about. Some of it was things he wanted to talk to me about himself, so I didn’t want to push for more details. Once she finally felt composed, she left for home. She had had a long day of travel and was exhausted.

She and I had gotten so close in the last two months. We had been spending a lot of our free time together, along with Lauren and Alex. It truly felt like I was part of a family with them. I loved that she was now comfortable enough with me to share her feelings openly. It was something we had all been doing since Dieter had been away. Even Alex had opened up more. Even though what had happened to Dieter was devastating, there was a silver lining in it. It had brought us all closer together. We were stronger for it and ready to welcome him home to all the support he could possibly need.

The next morning, I had just finished making a quick breakfast when my cell phone started ringing. When I glanced over at the illuminated screen, I saw it was a Tucson, Arizona number. I had waited two months to see this number appear on the screen. My breath immediately caught in my throat as my eyes teared up. I briefly hesitated to answer as the nerves took hold. After a deep breath I hit the answer button and raised the phone to my ear.

“Hello?”

“Talia?”

A/N: Y'all still with me? How are you feeling after that one? Progress? Maybe? As I have said before, digital art is not one of my strengths, but hopefully what I attempted to do gives you an idea of what I see in my head for Dieter's painting. Again, this one looks better in my head too. LOL! Wasn't that a sweet moment between Talia and Alex though? Also, that moment between Dieter and Alex hit me in the feels too. Then of course, the whole of the Dieter and Talia interactions in this chapter. Poor Gabby... now she knows everything. So many feels in this one! Aaaahhh!😭 Next chapter our dear Dieter and Talia will be reunited in a controlled setting to work through their issues together. It will probably be another rough one. We will get Dieter's official diagnosis and with that you will get a Deconstructing Dieter Bravo post. We will get some details on Talia's past which will also include a Today's Musings post for supplemental reading. So, you will get all sorts of goodies with the next chapter. 😉 In case you missed it, I have included the mood board for this chapter below. Last but not least, a huge thank you to my wonderful beta, @for-a-longlongtime. Seriously, it wouldn't be as good without her feedback. As always, please share your thoughts and theories. You know I'm a sucker for them. 💜

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cherrycola27 · 11 months

Text

afterglow

Series Warnings: Language, alcohol and drinking. Military inaccuracies. Allusions to and eventual smut. Friends to lovers. Mutual pining. Unrequited love. Minors DNI. 18+. Banner Credit: @thedroneranger

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Chapter 1: In My Head

The week passed in a blur of jets and clouds and sunshine. By Thursday, you were finally able to choke down the feelings you had for Jake, just in time for him to wreck them on Friday.

As the squadron sat in the briefing room Thursday evening, Cyclone came in, whispered something to Maverick, and then left.

"Well, folks, it looks like we need someone to make a late afternoon flight before they head home to test out some new software. Any takers?" Maverick asked.

There was a collective groan before Jake's hang shot up. "Glow and I can." He volunteered the two of you with a smile. He knew that you loved flying in the afternoon as the sun was starting to set. You always had.

"Are you okay with that, Glow?" Maverick asked you. "Yes, sir," you responded. Maverick sent everyone else home for the day. He met the two of you out on the tarmac to prep you for what you would be doing.

"Also, Admiral Simpson said whoever stayed late today could have tomorrow off. So, it looks like you two get a three day weekend." Maverick smiled at the pair of you. You and Jake exchanged a high- five before he helped you up and got himself situated.

The evening sky was absolutely beautiful as the two of you flew. The sun painted it in shades of pinks and oranges, and purples. The hues danced off the water and floated around the jet. You couldn't help but smile as Jake piloted back towards base.

"I can see why this is your favorite time to be up here." He said to you. "It's gorgeous."

"It is. There is just something about the afterglow that always gets me." You told him. And you meant it. In more ways than one.

After landing, showering, and changing, you ducked out of the locker room to find Jake leaning against the wall waiting on you. "Oh!" You exclaimed when you saw him. "I thought you would have already left by now."

"I was waiting on you, silly." He smiled before falling in step beside you. He lazily tossed an arm over your shoulders as you walked. His hair was still slightly damp, and you could smell his cologne. The scent of oak, whiskey, and tobacco filled your olfactory receptors. It was mixed with a hint of sunshine and salt water. A combination that was so perfect, so unique, so—Jake.

"So I was thinking." Jake began. "That's terrifying." You snorted. He lightly shoved you before pulling you back to him. "But seriously. I don't have any pressing issues I need to take care of tomorrow, and I assume you don't. So, I was thinking, what if we spent the day together?" Jake asked you as you reached your cars in the parking lot.

"And do what?" You asked him. "'We could get breakfast at that diner you love, and we could take the tops off of your jeep and cruise for a bit to our favorite ice cream place, hit the beach, get dinner, oh and Phoenix told me about the movie she and Lukas saw over the weekend. I thought we would check it out and maybe skip the Hard Deck because I, for one, don't want to hear Rooster bitching about how we got the day off." Jake smiled. He had the whole thing planned out.

"So? What do you think?" He asked you with a smile.

You knew this was a bad idea. If you were up in the jet, you'd have warning lights going off everywhere, and you'd be ejecting. "Sounds like a plan. What time do I need to pick you up if we are taking my car?" You asked him.

"Now, Glowy, you no good and well that I'm not going to let you pick me up." I'll be at your house at 9:30 sharp." He stated. You rolled your eyes and agreed. Jake pulled you into a tight hug before climbing into his Silverado and leaving.

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You set your alarm for 6:30 the next morning. Even though he said he would be there around 9:30, Jake Seresin was notoriously early for everything.

You got up and took a shower before drying and styling your hair. You took your time dawning some simple makeup for the day. After your finished with your hair and your face, you packed a bag for the day.

You grabbed towels, sunscreen, a change of clothes, some snacks and a few other odds and ends that you thought you might need.

Jake had mentioned the beach, so you slipped a simple purple two-piece on before deciding on a tea-length, bright pink floral sundress. You slipped on a pair of sandals and spritzed your favorite perfume on your wrists and neck.

You were giddy as you were getting ready. You had to keep reminding yourself that this wasn't a date. Just two friends enjoying an unexpected day off.

At nine on the dot, there was a knock at your door. "Good morning, Jake." You greeted him as you opened it. "Morning Y/N. I brought coffee and these." Jake smiled as he walked in. He handed you your favorite iced carmel latte and a bundle of fresh daisies. "They're your favorite, right?" He nodded to the flowers.

"Yeah, um—why did you get me these?" You ask him a little confused.

"My mother told me you never go to a lady's house without flowers." Jake stated matter of factly. "Plus, the farmers market is right near the coffee shop, and I saw these and thought of you." He smiled.

You quickly turned away from him to find a vase. You wouldn't let him see the pink rise in your cheeks.

After securing the flowers, he promptly stole the keys from their hook in your hallway and pulled the tops off of your jeep. He secured them in your garage. The weather was supposed to be bright and sunny all day, so you didn't bother storing them in the trunk.

You tried to argue with him that you should be the one driving, but he simply shook his head stating thst he was the pilot and you would forever be his back seater, or in this case, passenger princess.

..................

The weather was spectacular as the two of you drove to your favorite diner. You laughed and joked as the two of you feasted on bacon, eggs, potatoes, and French toast.

"I'm so glad that I got orders to come here. Lemoore sucked without you. The pilot they assigned to me after you got recalled was even more of a dick than you." You told Jake as you speared a potato square.

"Really? I doubt that." He chuckled. "And it is great that you got moved here." He smiled. Jake prayed you didn't catch the guilt behind his eyes.

It was no accident that you ended up in San Diego with him.

When pilots were being recalled for the uranium plant mission, the rule was that no pairs of pilots and their weapons systems officers could be called together. They didn't want to leave the original squadrons hanging for too long. That's why Jake flew a singe seater. He refused to have anyone in his back seat besides you.

It killed him to leave you. So, after getting word that he would be permanently stationed at Top Gun, he begged asked Cyclone and Warlock if they could transfer you, and he could get back in a two-seater.

Admiral Simpson and Admiral Bates reluctantly agreed, but it worked out for the better. Jake was much more tolerable with you around.

After you finished breakfast, Jake swiped the bill before you could set your card down, claiming once again that his mother would have his head if he let a lady pay. You had to take a deep breath and remind yourself that this wasn't a date.

You silenced the warning bells once again before getting into your car.

The two of you drove along the coast, stopping at a few shops and sent selfies to the rest of your friends who were stuck at work.

You had ice cream on the boardwalk for lunch. The two of you sat side by side and watched the waves roll in. Jake had asked you something, and when you turned to answer, he noticed you at the smallest smear of mint chip on your face. He leaned in with his thumb to brush it away, but he lingered before pulling back. His eyes darted to your lips, and he leaned forward ever so slightly.

The caution lights flashed before your eyes. No, he wasn't about to kiss you. Not here. Not out in the open like this. Your brain was screaming at you to eject.

You pulled away from him and cleared your throat. He pulled back and coughed before licking the melted ice cream from his thumb.

"So, beach?" You asked him after a beat of silence.

"Yeah, beach" He nodded.

The two of you tossed your cones before going back to your car and grabbing the beach bag you'd packed. You slipped off your sundress, and Jake's breath caught in his throat when he saw you in your purple swimsuit. His was barely able to keep his tough guy charade up as he helped you apply sunscreen.

The two of you froliced through the waves, splashing and laughing until the sun began to sink. After a quick use of the beach showers and a pit stop in the changing room, both of you were relatively sand free as you sat back in your car. You'd pulled your hair into a high ponytail and were humming along to the music as Jake drove the two of you towards the movie theater.

After getting more popcorn and candy than necessary, and two icees that would give you the worst brain freeze ever, the two of you found yourselves in the last row of an almost empty theater.

Jake had moved the armrest separating your seats out of the way, claiming it was easier to share snacks that way. But you didn't miss the way his bare knee bumped against yours through the slit of your sundress.

..................

At the Hard Deck, the rest of the Daggers finally concluded that the two of you probably weren't showing up tonight.

"It's not fair," Fanboy groaned as he leaned over the pool table.

"I mean, they did volunteer to take a later test flight yesterday, so it is kind of fair." Bob shrugged.

"Bob is right. We all had the same opportunity." Payback stated.

"So what do you think they are doing that is better than hanging out with us?" Coyote asked the group.

"Probably fucking." Rooster shrugged causing half of the group to choke on their drinks.

"Jesus, Bradshaw. Have some tact, man." Payback scolded him.

"What, I'm just saying what we are all thinking." Rooster defended himself. "Glow assures me that they are just friends. Very good friends." Phoenix tells the group.

"Yeah, and I'm a front seater." Fanboy laughed.

"Nix, you can't really believe that. I mean, haven't you seen they way they look at each other? Or noticed how they always leave together from here? And they are together right now?" Rooster pressed.

"Rooster does have a point." Bob chimed in.

"So I have a theory, well three, of what the situation could be." Payback began. "I'm going to present them in order from least plausible to most likely." He continued.

"One, they are secretly dating or maybe married. That would explain why she got transferred to here from Lemoore. Two, they really are just good friends and have worked together so long that they act like a couple. Or, three, and what I feel is most likely, they are hooking up, and one of them, Hangman, wants to keep it more casual, while ignoring the fact that the other, Glow, has feelings for him." Payback finished.

"Well, I don't know what it is. All I know is that Hangman is way easier to deal with when she's around." Phoenix said as she held up her beer. Everyone mumbled out an agreement as they went about their pool game.

.................

Nat was right. The movie was great, and you were glad you had seen it.

You and Jake were walking back to your car as the last rays of the sun began to dip below the horizon.

"Ugh, the sunsets here are so much prettier than the ones in Lemoore." You told Jake.

"Yeah, they are." He agreed with you. "Looks like some clouds are rolling in. We'd better get a move on." He said. You took note of the weather and agreed. You definitely didn't want to get caught in the rain with no cover on your jeep.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans. The two of you were about halfway back to your house when the heavens opened up and rain came pouring down. Jake desperately tried to find an overpass for shelter, but there was nothing in sight.

He broke a few traffic laws to get you home, sliding into your garage on two wheels. The two of you sat there for a moment, soaking wet and out of breath.

You shared a look before breaking out into a laugh.

As the laughter faded, the air shifted between the you. The electricity flowing wasn't just the lightening from the storm. Desire radiated off your bodies as you both surged forward and connected your lips.

You basked in the salty, sweet taste of him, as you tried to ignore the warning bells going off. But eventually, you gave in and pulled away from him.

"We can't keep doing this, Jake." You told him.

"I know." He replied as he cupped your jaw, dragging his lips almost criminally slow against your skin. You could feel the subtle hint of the stubble on his chin.

Heat flushed in your cheeks and spread across you from the tips of your ears to the curl of your toes. You felt like you were doused in gasoline, and his touch was the strike of the match, ready to burn you down.

"One last time?" You breathed out.

"One last time." He whispered against the shell of your ear.

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#cherrycola27 #top gun #top gun maverick #tgm #tgm fic #tgm fanfiction #tgm smut #lt. jake seresin #jake seresin smut #jake seresin #jake seresin x reader #jake hangman seresin #hangman seresin #hangman top gun #top gun hangman #hangman smut #top gun 2 #afterglow

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jupitercomet · 11 months

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Caught in a Riptide: Part One

summary - For the entirety of his life, Jake has heard stories of the Galveston mermaids. And, for the entirety of his life, Jake has never once believed them. He knows the ocean well enough to know that there isn't anything beneath the waves than the underwater world he's come to love. But when a bad wipeout sends him tumbling in the water's depths, Jake is forced to confront the idea that the legends he's heard all his life might not just be stories.

warnings - fluff, surfer au, mermaid au, language, surfing inaccuracies probably, descriptions of drowning, no use of y/n, Jake is 6'7" because I said so

this blog is 18+, minors please do not interact

word count - 3.2k

caught in a riptide masterlist

“You’re late, dude.”

The somewhat rusted bell tinkles above the door as Jake makes his way inside the wooden shack. He was hoping that there would be customers to distract his best friend, someone asking about surfboard wax or if Hangman and Coyote’s does board cleanings. He is not gifted that unfortunately, instead the surf shack is almost entirely empty—except for Bob, a regular who probably came out of the womb knowing where everything is at all times and Javy, who is looking at him with an unamused expression.

Jake lets an innocent smile stretch across his lips. “Or you’re just early. You’re a shoe in for employee of the month.”

“Bro, you promised that you’d take this seriously if I went into business with you,” Javy remains unamused, tossing Jake a uniform t-shirt that he catches in one hand. “And of course I’m getting employee of the month, you’re my only competition.”

Jake crosses to the employee side of the counter, ducking down to switch his t-shirt out with his uniform. Ultimately he’s sure Bob probably wouldn’t have minded, but it’s the principle of it all. Sliding the light blue cotton over his shoulders he pops back up to defend himself more to his best friend.

“I am taking this seriously. I just went for a morning surf and lost track of time, that’s all. Won’t happen again,” Jake promises, folding his old shirt up and shoving it in one of the shelves under the counter.

Javy lets his eyebrows raise slowly, placing his hands on his hips, before letting out a sigh. “Yes, it will. Just, next time, text me or something, okay?”

“Aye, aye,” Jake salutes, ignoring Javy’s eye roll as he glances around the shack. “Have we been this empty the whole day?”

“Pretty much,” Javy replies offhandedly, before suddenly looking up from the receipts in front of him and grabbing Jake by the collar. “But that does not mean we’re closing early.” Silencing Jake with a look, he continues. “You know that, any day now, it’ll be the start of the busiest week of the season and I’m not putting up with that monster hunter bullshit by myself.”

Jake groans at the reminder. Every year at the beginning of the summer, Galveston Island becomes practically infested with self proclaimed monster hunters searching for the elusive mermaids rumored to live along the Gulf of Mexico coastline. They came in hordes, clogging up beaches and clearing out boat rentals. But they also flocked to Hangman and Coyote’s, practically clearing them out of underwater cameras, sunscreen, and fish bait.

Jake had heard the stories of the Galveston mermaids, growing up on the island it was inevitable. It was common knowledge in his elementary school, and Jake didn’t fully care about it because he knew it wasn’t real. He let kids whisper stories over lunch or excitedly recount what they saw while building a sandcastle on the beach one afternoon because, just like his dad had told him, it was harmless. But it was when Lacy Lancaster started bragging that she was a Galveston mermaid too that Jake had to protest.

“You’re not a mermaid.” Jake wrinkled his nose. “Mermaids aren’t real.”

Lacy put her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes accusingly at him. “And how would you know?”

Jake knew because his dad took him surfing all the time. He went to the ocean every day and spent hours on the waves. And not once, in all of that, had Jake ever seen a mermaid.

He’d seen strands of seaweed that wrapped around his leg. He’d seen a jellyfish too, and two little points that looked like dolphin fins far out against the shoreline. Once he even saw a seal basking on a rock. But Jake had never seen a mermaid and, therefore, he could be certain they didn’t exist.

As they moved on to middle school, Jake remained in Lacy’s class and noted that she had entirely stopped claiming she was a mermaid, now too old to make-believe such things. And given that the only mermaid he might have known was now decidedly not one, Jake felt confident there were no such thing as Galveston mermaids. And for a guy who spent every waking moment in the ocean, Jake likes to think that he’s pretty knowledgeable on the subject.

But that kind of thinking didn’t deter any tourists from flocking to the beaches with cameras and nets and crazy stories of killer sirens and missing sailors. Jake tries not to complain though, because they are quite good for business, and he got his revenge for them taking up all the best surfing spots by upping the prices at the surf shop whenever they came.

With one more glance at the almost empty shack, Jake grumbles. “What am I even supposed to do?”

Javy gestures to the receipts piled on the counter. “You can make sure that these all check out, math wiz. I’m gonna make sure Phoe’s doing good in the back.”

Jake pouts, looking down at Javy’s fingers curled around his collar, before a grin lights up his face. “Then give her this for me, will you?” Wrapping one tanned hand around his best friend’s chin and the other around the back of his head, Jake presses a sloppy, wet kiss to his cheek.

Javy shoves him off with a glare and a shout of protest, wiping his cheek with his arm sleeve. Jake doubles over in cackle—loud enough to catch the attention of Bob, but all that man does is google the FDA approvals on sunscreen brands so he probably didn’t even notice—tears filling in his eyes as they cinch with laughter.

“Whatever man, if you want to get smacked in the dick, that’s a you thing,” Javy scoffs.

Jake’s laughter halts abruptly. He hadn’t thought about that. With Javy’s fingers no longer wrapped around his shirt, and the threat of Natasha’s wrath hanging in the air, it only takes one look between the two before Jake is situating himself in front of the receipts with a nervous thumbs up.

Javy snorts, turning on his heel to head to the back room. “That’s what I thought.”

Jake waits for Javy to entirely disappear from the front of the shop before he pulls the calculator app out on his phone, typing numbers quickly as he keeps his place on the receipt with his index finger. Jake himself will admit that there’s not a lot of things he’s good at, but he’s always had a knack for math and Javy has always been more than happy to pass anything arithmetic related onto him.

Jake gets through about three receipts before the bell above the door rings again. He doesn’t bother looking up from his fourth receipt—not when Natasha and Javy are both exiting the back holding cardboard boxes. From the sound Natasha makes, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out who’s entered the shack anyway.

“Fuck off, Rooster.”

“Hey!” The brunet holds his hands up in offense, continuing to walk farther into the shop despite Natasha’s protest. “Is that anyway to talk to a paying customer?”

Javy doesn’t look up from where he’s unpacking a box of sunscreen chapsticks to boredly call out, “Don’t curse at the customers, Phoe.”

“He’s not a customer, he’s a pain in the ass,” Natasha argues, still glaring at Bradley.

Jake snorts when the brunet grabs a random Gopro from one of the racks and drops it next to the cash register. It rustles the receipts a bit, but Jake only shakes his head in amusement when he realizes Bradley has chosen the most expensive underwater camera they sold.

“For your information, I am a customer,” Bradley challenges, keeping his eyes on Natasha as he pulls his wallet out from his board shorts. “I’m catchin’ a mermaid.”

Natasha scoffs. “Yeah? And when are you doing that?”

“When are you going surfing next?” Bradley grins cheekily and both Jake and Javy groan loudly.

If he weren’t so annoyed by it, Jake would almost be impressed with how long Bradley’s been pursuing Natasha. Ever since they were in high school, Bradley was coming up with elaborate ploys to get her attention, like dramatically confessing his love to her on lunch tables or somehow learning her locker combination to fill it with an absurd amount of balloons. Each attempt was met with a glare and Natasha’s middle finger.

Now, even years later, Bradley hasn’t slowed down in the slightest

“What is that supposed to mean?” Natasha narrows her eyes as she places her hands on her hips, reminding Jake vaguely of Lacy Lancaster as he inserts Bradley’s card into the chip reader.

“Well, I was talking to a few of those mermaid catchers and they said mermaids look like the prettiest girls in the world,” Bradley wiggles his eyebrows. “So should I wait until we get in the water or should I just take a picture of you now?”

Jake doesn’t have to look up to know that Natasha’s flipping him off. Ripping off Bradley’s receipt, he waits for Natasha to stomp back to the back room—with a distinct “Call me a fish again and see what happens, asshole” as she did—before handing the slip of paper and Bradley’s card back to him.

“I don’t know how you’re still at this,” he tells his friend honestly, ducking down to grab a bag for the waterproof camera.

Bradley just shakes his head knowingly as he takes his card and receipt back. “You’ll see. One day— Holy shit! That camera was $500?!”

Though their busiest week was just on the horizon, Hangman and Coyote’s was slow for the rest of the day. Their only purchases were a family buying four bucket hats for the beach, Bob finally picking out a brand of sunscreen, and Bradley buying an underwater Gopro and then promptly returning it. With the sun beginning to set, and there being no sign of any more customers for the day, Javy went back on his claim earlier in the morning and decided to close up shop early.

“But you better be here early tomorrow,” he warns Jake, the blond already stripping his uniform shirt off and making his way to the back exit where his board had been propped against the wooden shack. “And are you sure you wanna go surfing right now? The sky looks pretty nasty.” Javy glances up at the dark gray storm clouds rolling in.

“As if that’s ever stopped him before,” Natasha answers for Jake, matching Javy’s worried look with a knowing one.

Jake only gives his best friend a silly shrug, already itching to get back on the waves. Javy had a point that the sky didn’t look great, but Jake knew what he was doing and he certainly wasn’t going to be scared off by a couple storm clouds.

“I’ll be fine,” he waves off Javy’s worry. “I’ll come in after I hear thunder.”

Javy raises his brows, unimpressed.

“As soon as I hear thunder,” Jake amends with an innocent smile.

Javy just shakes his head, throwing his hands up as he grabs his keys from the counter. “Whatever, man, you can’t say I didn’t try. Just don’t get yourself killed please.”

With his best friend’s begrudged permission, Jake lights up, already racing to the back door. With the weather looking to be as bad as it did, Jake knew the beaches would be practically deserted and there was nothing quite like a sunset swim to clear his mind.

“How could I?” Jake shouts over his shoulder, sticking his tongue out. “Who else would annoy the shit out of you if I was dead?”

With that, he makes his exit, grabbing his board and starting his short walk back to the beach. Like he suspected, the sandy shore was empty, the storm clouds only rolling closer and closer but Jake paid them no mind. He’s been surfing since he was five, a little rain hardly scared him.

He plants his feet in the sand, feeling it between his toes as he takes a few deep breaths. He can hear the waves crash against the shore and the few cries of a seagull. The air is just right too, it feels like it’s going to rain, but it’s still warm, a gentle breeze brushing against his bare shoulders.

Jake takes a few steps until he starts to feel water underneath the soles of his feet and a small smile makes its way onto his face. Like it always does, the ocean calms him instantly, staying fairly mellow as he wades farther and farther into the water. Once he’s up to his hips, Jake plants his board onto the surface of the water, hopping up onto his stomach. There’s a light stretch to his arm muscles as he starts paddling farther out, inadvertently getting closer to the coming storm.

Jake knows that his friends probably think he’s an idiot for still trying to surf in conditions like these, but truly they just don’t understand it the way he does. All of his friends know how to surf, and all of them like it, but Jake’s the only one who loves it. Jake took to surfing like birds take to the sky. It was second nature, the only place he felt truly at home. Jake surfs like it’s in his blood.

Ever since he could say the word, Jake was obsessed with catching waves and spending his days on the ocean. And then he started competing and it meant driving himself to near exhaustion with crack-of-dawn wake up calls and nonstop surfing. Jake knew that he was put on this earth to surf. And it was the reason that he took a chance and dropped out of college at the beginning of his sophomore year to open a surf shop with his best friend. Javy had been just crazy enough to do it with him and the two made a life for themselves that was better than anything Jake had ever imagined.

Jake needed surfing and the thing he hated the most about all the monster hunters, and tourists, and whoever else found themselves on the shore of Galveston was how much space they took up. They disrupted the water and got in the way and, while it was true that it was the busiest season for Hangman and Coyote’s, it meant that Jake’s surfing was cut down significantly. And so he knew his friends thought he was crazy for trying to surf in a near storm, but the tourists were coming any day now and this might be Jake’s last chance.

Now far enough out that he can start seeing waves form, Jake sits up on his board letting his calves rest in the water as he waits for a wave to approach. With the clear scent of rain in the air, the waves were getting bigger than usual and Jake watches excitedly as one starts heading his way. Lifting himself up to be able to jump on his board easier, Jake waits until it’s just close enough before hopping up onto his feet. He lets out an excited laugh as he rides out the wave, speckles of water splashing at his skin.

The wave takes him back to shore and his board can barely hit the sand before Jake’s racing back out to the water again. This is his favorite kind of surfing - no pressure, no worries, just him, the ocean, and his board. And Jake knows he shouldn’t push his luck, that he’s caught a couple waves and had his fun and the storm is only looming closer, but it hasn’t even started raining yet! He’ll get out when he hears thunder, just like he promised Javy.

After Jake’s fourth time coming back to shore, it starts drizzling and Jake knows it’s a perfect time to stop. But there’s this gut feeling he has that some big kind of wave is forming. Jake figures it’ll be his last one, one final wave and then he’ll have to wait for the tourists to leave. As he paddles out, the storm suddenly picks up, pelting him with rain but Jake keeps going. One more wave.

There’s a sudden flash of lightning and then a boom of thunder that follows too close after for safety and Jake knows he promised Javy he’d head back. And he almost does. But then he sees the wave that’s forming.

Just like he suspected, it’s big. The kind of wave that makes him feel like he’s flying. Jake decides that he won’t turn back just yet. He’ll surf one last wave—his favorite wave—and then call it.

Blond strands plaster to his forehead from the rain and he wipes them back with a large palm so that they don’t drip into his eyes. Lining up to catch the wave, he feels an itch all the way down to his toes. Flexing his fingers against his board, Jake waits for the wave to get closer. Hopping up just when the force of it hits him, Jake lets out a loud laugh that can barely be heard over another roar of thunder.

The rain’s picking up—more than Jake expected it to—and suddenly it’s mixing with splashing sea water and getting in his eyes. His inability to see messes with his balance and Jake starts wobbling on his board as he tries to clear his vision. Jake’s foot shifts as he tries to stay steady, but the pelting rain is just replacing any water he’s wiping away from his closed lashes. Jake’s foot shifts again.

It all feels like slow motion.

Water wraps around his foot as it slips off the board and force of the wave completely pulls Jake under. His temple hits against the side of his board, disorienting him as he plunges in the water. Jake tries not to panic. He knows he’s strong enough to fight the current and break through the surface of the water but as he starts fighting against the wave, he realizes he’s ended up trapped underneath his board.

He tries to push against it as the water whips him around, but the polyurethane board feels like it’s led against his hands, entirely unmoving. The injury to his head and his continuing lack of oxygen are dulling his senses and Jake starts to feel his fight draining as he remains trapped under his board and the large wave. His blinks begin to slow and, despite his best efforts, his lips part and allow ocean water into his mouth. Black dots fill his vision and Jake wishes that whatever was dulling his senses was also dulling the fire in his lungs because he can hardly focus on the way it seems that his surfboard leash is unstrapping from his ankle.

The last thing he remembers thinking before he starts sinking farther beneath the waves is that it almost felt like a person had taken it off of him.

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poppyseed1031 · 7 months

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Melting - Chapter one

Warnings- Use of language, mentions of trauma, closed of reader, eventual fluff, eventual sexual content

Neteyam 24 x F reader 24

CHAPTER 2 POSTED!

Angry. Cold. Aggressive. Heartless. Incapable of feeling anything.

You've heard these things a million times in your lifetime, whispers floating around the clan since you're parents got banished, granting you the only good thing they ever gave you in leaving you behind in the forest.

Leaving her to fend for herself at such a young age with nothing but a ratty old Mauri and a planted seed of hatred and mistrust towards her people. If you couldn't trust your parents who could you trust? If they could just leave you, why would anyone else ever stay? The prejudice they left behind kept you isolated, everyone thought you would be just like them, ignoring your small pleas for companionship and love, brushing off your little hands that grabbed at passing loincloths and legs.

A child's shoulders were not built to bear the weight of their parents choices.

Yet here you were, the product of judgement. You grew from that small, whimpering child, into a beautiful, but cold, navi woman. You earned your place among the clan, always keeping to yourself. Besides training and becoming a warrior and following direct orders from your leader, barley anyone ever saw you utter a word, and if they did, the things you'd spew at them through your fangs were laced with venom, warding off any attempt to get to know you in an effort of self protection.

As you both got older, Neteyam found that his eyes continued to be drawn to you, as well as his mind, he knew his father held you in top ranks with pride, his only other top warrior besides Neteyam.

And for some reason or another, he just couldn't stop looking at you, or for you, in a crowd. His body urging him to go and talk to you. He knows what people say about you, he's seen your attitude and harsh words up front and center himself, but he can't stop it seems.

Like now, he's just climbed down from his ikran after a successful patrol and his eyes are glued to you as you slide off your own. Your long black hair is loose and out of the braids, falling in waves down to the small of our back where it curl at the ends. He can hear your maroon beaded chest piece clinking as you bend down to fix the fastening of the dagger on your calf, and his eyes are immediately drawn to the plump swell of your ass as you do so, exentuated by the frilly loincloth, longer than most, with slits all the way up to both hips and draping down to your ankles in a smooth ripple, mouth watering as he takes in what seems to be the miles of striped, dark blue skin and scattered tanhi that makes up your form.

"Why are you staring at her brother? She's a literal demon." Another warrior, Tano, said with a laugh. Interrupting the other man's gawking as he slapped a hand down on Neteyams shoulder. "She can't actually be that bad. She's just a bit.... volatile." Neteyam trailed off in a huff, unable to think of any other descriptor as he watched you hiss under your breath at the strap of your ikrans saddle because it wasn't tightening how you wanted it to. Tanto laughed briefly before quickly closing his mouth as Neteyams father, Jake, cleared his throat behind them. "Well son, you better learn to live with it because she's you're new partner." His fathers voice was thin, obviously irritated he was participating in putting down one of his best in battle. Neteyams ears flattened and guilt flooded him as he faced his dad. "Yes sir, I'm sorry." He murmured with a duck of his head. "Don't apologize to me. Treat her respectfully. She's your equal. And I'm aware she can be difficult and rough around the edges, but none of you kids know what her life has been. And even outside of battle, she is one of the most helpful, you young warriors just don't pay attention." Jake snapped before he walked away to debrief some other warriors. "Good luck." Tanto muttered before shuffling away.

Neteyam turned his eyes back to you and swallowed. You were slinging a satchel over your shoulders and walking towards the tree line. He quickly situated his bow over his chest and ran after you. You were moving quickly, already far enough ahead that he had to pick up his pace, he reached you a few feet into the forest and clamped his hand down on your shoulder in an attempt to get you to still. You spun around, knocking his hand off of you and bared your fangs in a hiss. "Whoa! Whoa whoa! I'm sorry!" He held his hands up in surrender as you fixed him with your steely glare. "Do not touch me." You growled, poking his chest for emphasis. He nodded quickly, "Yeah, okay I won't. I'm sorry, I was just trying to get you to stop so I could catch up." He explained with a nervous chuckle. You straightened at that, ears twitching as you stared at him in silence. He studied you right back, trailing the features of your face. Big round eyes, the color of deep, liquid honey, framed by thick, dark lashes that kissed your cheeks whenever blinked. Delicate cheekbones framed by soft stripes and swirling tanhi, and Plump, full lips. He followed the trail of sparkling freckles up the bridge of your nose to your forehead, where they formed a perfect heart. So beautiful he thought. You cleared your throat suddenly, knocking him out of his daze, his eyes snapping back to yours.

"I take it your father told you we're going be partners now." You asked matter of fact, thankfully not addressing that he was openly oggaling you. "Yes, I uh, wasn't sure he told you." Eywa what the hell is wrong with him? Stuttering over his words like a moron. You were silently staring again, seemingly taking him in with a scrutinizing gaze. "He did. Is that all?" You were already turning around before you had even finished the question. " Wait! I mean- I thought we should maybe talk?" Eywa why was he nervous? You paused before turning back around with a slight head tilt. "Why?" You crossed your arms around your middle in what he maybe thought could be a comforting hold. "We're going to be spending a lot of time together, it might be nice to not have to worry about any awkwardness or things like that, right? So we're comfortable with each other." You scoffed a little at his words, tilting your head back and exposing your neck to him while letting out an annoyed, soft noise. "Alright. If you wish. Come." You turned tail again, retreating deeper into the plush forest and Neteyam followed behind eagerly with a swishing tail.

‐‐-----------------------------------------

Hi! Author here. So I'm testing the water with this new fic, let me know what you think!

#atwow #avatar 2 #avatar the way of water #avatar #avatar fluff #neteyam smut #avatar neteyam #neteyam sully #neteyam #neteyam x reader #neteyam fluff

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layla4567 · 5 months

Note

Hello! thanks for the D-90 fanfic, I know he was a secondary character and there is no so much material about him and I appreciate that you agreed to my request and did your best :D ! this time, may I request a mobius x reader? super cute super fluff

Thank you for your nice message, I appreciate that you liked it even though it was a little short. (I made it a fem reader but I never really describe the gender of the reader I hope you don't mind)

My silly little man

Mobius x Fem!reader

Summary: You want to organize something special for Mobius because you started to think that you don't really know when his birthday is, in fact, no one who works at the TVA really knows when they were born. After discovering that you were not created by the time keepers, your mission will be to find out Mobius' birthday with the help of Loki and give him a nice gift.

Warnings: just fluff

Word count: 3k

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With your hands framing your face and your elbows resting on the table, you listened attentively to Mobius talking about his favorite topic, jetskis.

"They are super fast vehicles and glide through the water like fish. I think it would be great to get on one of those, I would feel like Poseidon!"

Mobius' little eyes shone with excitement with every sentence he said and his body language was that of a happy child, he leaned over the table, moved his hands and from time to time he giggled, in short, he couldn't stop moving.

"And the best of all is that despite their size they are very light and can be carried on by more than one person.."

You nodded and smiled, memorizing every useful fact about jetskis. Suddenly Mobius remained silent, looking at you somewhat embarrassed.

"Hey… I'm not boring you, am I?"

"No! Of course not! It's funny when you talk to me about those jetskis"-you said surprised

He smiled with relief and ate a piece of his key lime pie. He wanted to take a break and decided to go with you to the pie room where you two were now. Whenever he felt stressed or discouraged, his favorite dessert that gave him the best comfort was key lime pie.

"You haven't tried your pie, aren't you hungry?"

"Oh, when I listen to you I forget everything else."

He seemed to blush and smiled shyly, you decided to take a taste of the pie. It was mint green and had a scoop of cream on top. When you put the fork in your mouth, your eyes widened.

"My God Mobius! It's delicious!"

"Have you never tried it before?"

"Ah ah"-You shook your head as you stuffed your cheeks with the delicious key lime pie. You looked like a bloated squirrel.

You finished the key lime pie before Mobius but you did it in such a hurry that you didn't realize that you had gotten cream on the corner of your mouth.

"You've got something… a little dirty. Here, let me help you."

Mobius took a small handkerchief out of his jacket pocket and wiped the corner of your lip as you moved closer to him and made eye contact.

"Better?"-you asked

"Much better"-he said smiling

You smiled back warmly, he was a great man always willing to help. So gentlemanly and helpful with a fatherly attitude that no one else at TVA had. Although it is true that sometimes he was a little strange and made bad jokes, you always laughed because you adored him.

"Well I thought I was the only person who loved pie´s but I see that someone else beat me to it."-He said pointing to your empty plate.

You laughed, looking down and shrugging your shoulders, and when you looked up again you saw on the clock that it was time to go back to work.

"Oh, I think we talked too much, I better go back to my office, I don't want Miss Minutes to get angry."

He waved his hand dismissively. "That cartoon clock? Don't worry, she's probably busy chatting with Mickey Mouse and his friend Donald Duck."

You laughed again this time harder at his silly joke as you both got up and went back to your offices.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Hours later you were sitting pretending to work but in reality you were looking through the Mobius archives looking for important information, while from time to time you looked through their jetski magazines. Loki, who was next to you, looked at you out of the corner of his eye, intrigued. Suddenly he rolled up a magazine and hit you on the shoulder with it, you jumped and turned around offended.

"Ouch? What are you doing?"

"I could ask you the same thing. Shouldn't you be working?"

"Ugh forget it Loki, you're not interested in what I'm doing."

"Right, but do you know who would be interested? What was the name of that grumpy judge who was a friend of Mobius? Oh, I remember, Ravonna! She'd be very upset if she caught you lazing around."

He made to stand up with a mischievous smile to tell Ravonna about your lack of efficiency when you stopped him by the wrist before he left.

"Fine, you win!! I'll tell you what I'm doing but don't tell Ravonna."

"I'm listening"

"I need to know Mobius's birthday"

"Why do you want to know that?"

"It's just that… haven't you stopped to think that no one here remembers the day they were born? Now we know that we are variants but we don't remember our birthdays, for example, you remember when you were born, right?"

"Of course I remember"

"See? That's my point, it's important to remember our birthday to know who we are, and Mobius needs to know who he is, or at least be reminded."

Loki looked at you for a while, thoughtful.

"Are you sure that's the only reason you're doing this?"

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"Well, I mean, it's curious that you only want to know Mobius's birthday and not anyone else."

You avoided making eye contact with him and blushed slightly, you didn't want to lie to Loki because he was after all the god of mischief and no lie escaped him, but you didn't want to be so obvious either.

"Well, you know, Mobius is an important worker at the TVA, he is very good and understanding, loyal and patient and… he is someone important to me.."-you said in a low voice

Loki laughed, unable to contain himself, and you looked at him, frowning. Did he dare to mock you just now?

"I already knew that, I just wanted to see you admit it."

You punched him in the arm with your fist while he continued laughing. A while later he calmed down and told you

"Okay, I'll help you with whatever you need."

"I knew you would do it"-you smiled

You both agreed to use a Tempad to be able to travel to the Mobius timeline, without anyone finding out.

Walking shoulder to shoulder the two of you advanced through the halls of the TVA finding a place where you could open the time door without anyone seeing you, unfortunately Mobius was nearby talking to B-15 and saw you.

"Oh hey Loki, Y/N where are you going?"

"Oh uhh we were going to… we…-"-You murmured nervously.

"An alert sounded on our Tempads, it's just an annoying variant. Not very dangerous"-Loki said confidently helping you get by.

"How strange, no alarm went off in my Tempad"

"Not in mine either"-B-15 said, looking at them suspiciously.

"Well, I guess you'll have to send them to O.B to check them."

Loki smiled calmly and placed a hand on your shoulder, gently pushing you to continue walking. They both walked away from Mobius and B-15 without looking back for fear that they would follow them. When they finally made sure that you and Loki were alone, they opened the time door.

"Phew, that was close."-you sighed

"Yeah, and be thankful that I saved you because you don't know how to lie."

"Hey!"

You couldn't say anything more because Loki rolled his eyes and pushed you slightly so that you crossed the time door and he followed you from behind.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

When you two walked out the door, a strong ray of sunlight hit your faces, forcing you to squint. A fresh breeze moved their hair and the soft singing of the birds sweetened their ears. In front of you was a picturesque house with toys lying in front near the sidewalk. Loki put his hands on his hips and you stood still waiting for something to happen.

"So, this is where the original Mobius lives, not bad, I mean, it's not the palace of Asgard but it looks comfortable-"

"Shh, someone's coming!"

From afar you saw how Mobius approached carrying two huge garbage cans making it difficult for him to walk. He was wearing a white shirt and pants with a blue vest, you sensed that it was the uniform of his original job.

"Ok guys we have a new rule and that is any toy found outside your room is gonna clasified as garbage. That is trash"

You watched as Mobius gathered the toys and felt your heart sink, so he had children. And if he had children that meant that maybe he also had a wife… you wrinkled your brow just thinking about it. Suddenly a blonde boy who was squatting ran out while Mobius called him shouting his name, to make matters worse another slightly older boy came out from behind the house and went for his brother. You lowered your head a little crestfallen, you no longer felt so much desire to visit him.

"Hey, what's wrong?"-Loki asked you worried

"Nothing, I don't think it was a good idea to come…"

You were about to turn around when Loki stopped you by the arm.

"No, no hey, hey wait. I know this seems strange but just because he has a son doesn't mean he should have a wife. Maybe he's a single father."

You didn't seem very convinced but you still stopped and turned to look at him.

"Besides, do you really think that if he had a wife, all those toys would be lying in the yard? Don't you think she would have already gone out to see what was going on?"

You hadn't thought about that, of course, Mobius seemed more like the kind of father who would be single and his children would drive him crazy. You smiled tenderly as you thought about that and as you remembered his fatherly attitude at the TVA, it made sense now.

"You're right, we shouldn't dramatize so much. Let's try to talk to him."-you sighed in relief

You and Loki walked towards the house where Mobius was still gathering the toys, carrying them under his arm as best he could. He suddenly turned around and was surprised to see the two of you.

"Oh hello there, do you need anything?"

Why did your throat feel dry every time you went to talk to him? The words didn't seem to come out of your mouth and your hands were sweating. You hated him. Loki once again came to your aid.

"We wanted to ask you something"

"Do you want to buy a jetski?"

Suddenly you forgot all nervousness and took a step forward

"Are you a jetski salesman?"

"Of course! That's what I dedicate myself to. Don, to serve you"

He extended his hand to shake it and you gladly did so. You were happy to know about his past and why he was always interested in those vehicles, finally the pieces of the puzzle were beginning to fit together.

"Come with me, I have some excellent jetskis in my garage that I want to show you"

Don stepped forward and you whispered in Loki's ear.

"Don is a nice name, it suits him"

"So you think?"-he grimaced

The gray-haired man opened the door to his garage and showed them two beautiful jetskis in good condition.

"These are my greatest treasures, I shouldn't sell them to you but my wife is no longer here so no one is stopping me."-he laughed softly

Upon hearing that you raised your eyebrows without being able to contain yourself. Loki spoke to downplay your not at all hidden reaction.

"They are beautiful but we are looking for other models, could we chat inside? If you don't mind, of course"

"Alright, do you want something to drink? I have a couple of beers."

"It wouldn't be wise, we have to get back to work in a bit."

Suddenly Don seemed to notice your clothes and nodded smiling. Upon entering Don's house you could see that the disorder was also present there and not just in his yard. There were plates and pots piled up in the kitchen sink. On the table there were crayons, papers, glasses and tin soldiers. He hurriedly took out those things, apologizing profusely.

"Sorry for the mess, single dad."-He smiled embarrassedly.

"Do not worry I understand"

You looked at him, smiling tenderly, watching each of his movements and how you moved away his children's toys and drawings. Despite everything you thought he was a great father

"Well, sit down please, what model of jetski were you looking for?"

The three of you sat down and you and Loki looked at each other in silence not knowing what to say, you hadn't planned what to say, usually you improvised on the fly, especially Loki.

"Well we needed a big jetski of a specific color..."-it occurred to you to say

"Yes, yes and it is a special color to identify it from the other jetskis"-Loki said

"Okay, what color would it be? We have green, yellow, blue.."

"Purple maybe?"

"Or how about mother-of-pearl and gold?"

"Ok, that's a unique color."-Don said

You looked at Loki wanting to rip his head off. After all, he couldn't stop being the eccentric prince that he was. Don looked at the two of you confused, trying to guess if you were playing a prank on him.

"Look, I'll bring a magazine from the store where I work so you can see the prices and colors. I'll be right back."

When the gray-haired man left the kitchen you jumped up and looked around the place trying to find something that would tell you Mobius' birthday. On his refrigerator there were a lot of photos and notes stuck with magnets. His children's birthdays were written in the notes but not his, obviously. You sat back down quickly when Don returned with a jetski magazine.

"Well here it is, I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long."

You took the magazine smiling and approached Loki so you could both see the jetskis, obviously you had to feign interest so Don wouldn't get suspicious, but how could you get him to reveal the information you needed? Suddenly something occurred to you

"We are actually looking for a jetski to give to a friend for his birthday"

"Wow they must love their friend very much. I would have loved to receive that as a birthday gift"-he laughed

"Really? When is your birthday?"

"Oh it's already happened, it was October 15"

You looked at Loki and smiled at him, winking, he looked at you surprised at your abilities.

"Well in that case, happy belated birthday."

"Thank you"

You and Don looked at each other smiling tenderly, Loki smiled happily but then cleared his throat, bringing you back to reality and reminding you that they had to leave. With regret you saw Don again

"Well, I think we'll come back another day, there are so many jetskis that I can't decide"

"Yeah, and also if we don't go back to work our boss will get angry."-Loki said

The gray-haired man looked a little sad but managed to give a small smile.

"Oh ok, I got it. Please come back whenever you want, you are welcome in this house."

He walked you to the door but before leaving you grabbed his hand and gave it a loving squeeze.

"Thanks for everything"

The way you said it suggested that you thanked him for more than just showing you his jetskis. You and Loki left the house and returned to the TVA through the time door.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

"And now what will we do? We already know that Mobius's birthday is October 15th but we still don't have any gifts for him"-You sighed frustratedly, sliding into your seat.

"And we should decorate the place too, just saying"

You rolled your eyes, growling and covering your face.

"Loki, you are not helping, instead of saying what I already know we should do, propose an idea"

"Sorry i'm trying! I have never had to organize a birthday party before"

You scratched your head, frowning and trying to come up with something.

"Well we could ask O.B to design something for Mobius, maybe a miniature jetski, you know O.B is good at inventing and fixing things"

Loki nodded listening attentively.

"And to decorate the place we will have to ask B-15 and Casey for help. We won't be able to do it alone"

"Pftt speak for yourself"

You looked at him frowning and he laughed but then he got serious and cleared his throat.

"Alright, let's go see that little inventor."

It didn't take long for the two of you to reach the basement where O.B worked. As always he greeted them smiling happy as a clam.

"Guys! It's nice to see you! What are you doing here?"

Suddenly you felt a little bad about what you were going to ask him, O.B was already a busy man and his office seemed like the result of a whirlwind of things, all messy. But Mobius was priority now

"I need you to try to recreate a miniature jetski, it doesn't have to be perfect. You can do it with whatever you find, screws, wires, whatever you want. Just try to make it look like a jetski"

You handed him a magazine that you had taken from Mobius's desk drawer so he would know the exact shape he should recreate.

"Ok! May I ask why do I have to do this?"

"Well, it's a gift for Mobius but don't say anything, it's a surprise."-you winked

"Alright, I won't say anything, I promise"

You and Loki left the little bespectacled man to work and headed into the hallways looking for Casey and B-15. They went a long way when they found Mobius again.

"Hello again, have you caught the variant yet?"

"What variant?-"

Suddenly you stomped on Loki to keep his mouth shut. He grabbed his foot, growling and looked at you angrily. You only saw Mobius and smiled nervously.

"Yes, we already caught it, luckily everything turned out well"

"Hmm, right."

You quickly took Loki by the arm, cursing inwardly while Mobius stood with his hands on his hips, looking at them suspiciously. He wasn't stupid, it was obvious that he knew something was wrong, and Loki almost ruined it.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Mobius was upset and confused, pacing back and forth trying to figure out what you two were up to. He was racking his brain trying to figure out if they had gotten into trouble and were afraid to tell him. To console himself he ate a slice of pie. He suddenly realized that you spent a lot of time with Loki and he felt weird. Was it jealousy? But why would I be jealous of Loki? He was his friend and you… you… well, anyway. He told himself he didn't have to worry. When you finish eating the pie. He went to see O.B and was surprised by the silence there was, it was a heavy, suffocating silence as if something was lurking and was about to attack him. When he got to the basement he didn't see anyone, he turned around to look somewhere else and that's when he found a large banner with his name and the phrase "Happy Birthday."

"What the..-"

Suddenly Casey, O.B, Loki, B-15 and you came out from behind the engineer's desk and yelled "surprise!". Mobius turned around, startled and confused.

"What is all this??"

You approached with your hands behind your back and smiling from ear to ear.

"It's a birthday party, listen I know it sounds weird but you never knew when you were really born so Loki and I went to your original timeline and found out! Isn't it amazing?!"

Mobius opened his eyes wide and murmured.

"You and Loki did what? Why?"

"We all deserve to know where we come from to know who we are. We must know our past to understand our present. Today is not October 15 but we still wanted to celebrate that somewhere and at some time on earth you were born"-you looked at Loki and the others

"And remind you what a good person you are, and a great friend too"

"A loyal and helpful TVA agent"-B-15 said

"The man who always visits me and asks me how I am"-O.B said

"Or the man who is always patient and knows how to listen"-Casey said

Mobius looked at everyone moved and then looked at you.

"And most importantly, the person who is always there for everyone, who is understanding, passionate and optimistic. You always know what to say and when. We care about you Mobius, especially me"

Mobius didn't know what to say and his eyes were already wet, when from behind you you took out the gift that O.B had finished, a pocket jetski made of metal and welded. It was a little rustic and lacked paint but it was perfect

"I apologize for not being able to paint it, I didn't have time"-O.B said

Mobius laughed tenderly and grabbed the jetski, tears of happiness now running down his cheeks. He admired the piece of metal as if it were a treasure, that was more than he could wish for or imagine. He looked at all his friends smiling, he couldn't believe they had done something like that for him.

"I really don't know what to say, thank you"

"You don't have to say anything"

You hugged Mobius and gave him a kiss on the cheek, he melted into your arms inhaling your perfume and closing his eyes like a newborn being lulled to sleep.

"I love you silly little man"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

small note: I'm not an astrologist or anything but I couldn't decide whether to make Mobius of the sign cancer or libra, in the end I decided on libra lol

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breathlesslink · 1 year

Text

Chapter 1 - Freedom

[chapter warnings: abuse, fighting, sexual jokes]

t.o.c ; >>

"Hyah!"

"Good!"

Sweat dripped down your forehead, soaking your hairline and traveling down to your eyelashes. The water nearly blinded you, yet you knew you couldn't stop. You swung the Windcleaver in your hands with terrifying strength, slicing the arm off of the wooden dummy as if it was butter. Your muscles burned at the feeling and nearly gave out after you had cut, but you knew better.

Don't stop.

A loud thud resounded behind you, and yet you did not turn around. You held the blade over your shoulder to protect your spine, effectively blocking the soldier who had attempted to attack you from behind. At his surprise, you were able to turn and use two hands to push the blade towards him, pushing him back against the sand floor. The soldier regained his footing quickly and charged once more, making you continuously block and parry his shots, looking for an opening to go on the offensive.

Finding none with your sword, you sighed. You blocked his blade once more and threw both his and yours to the side, following the weapons with a blow to his face.

Hand-to-hand combat was never your favorite-- it hurt your knuckles and it was just too much trouble. Why use your fists when you had so many weapons at your disposal?

You ducked under a punch from the soldier, taking advantage of the low point to hit his ribs. The soldier coughed and kicked out while you were still low, hitting your shoulder and knocking you back a few steps. You squared your stance once more, ready to charge again--

"Y/N! Y/N!"

A high-pitched voice squealed from your left, where the entrance to the training arena was. You dropped your guard after seeing the soldier do the same and turned to see a little girl, height barely reaching your hips, barreling towards you. You grinned and wiped the sweat off of your forehead again, kneeling down with your arms open wide.

"Kimi!”

Your little sister giggled and crashed into your arms, wrapping her own around your neck as you picked her up and spun her around. She held a piece of paper in her hands and once you stopped spinning her, she unfolded it and held it up to the scorching sunlight to let you get a look. On the paper were scribbles of color and what seemed to be three stick figures, adequately drawn for a seven-year-old such as Kimi. You looked at her and smiled, "And what do we have here?"

"It's a--"

"Family portrait." A slightly lower voice comments from the same area Kimi came from. "She says it's us, but I don't see the resemblance."

You laughed. "Hiro, she's seven. You can't expect her to be the next great artist just yet."

Hiro shrugged, feigning distaste although you knew it was all for fun. "I dunno. I think I did better than that when I was four."

"Not sure about that one. Last week, Master got on you because he couldn't read the ambush plans you had drawn up. Four wasn't your magic number and thirteen might not be, either."

Hiro scoffed and opened his mouth to rebuttal, only to be interrupted by the soldier overseeing your training.

"You were distracted today. You could have done better if you focused, Y/N. Get ready for dinner." He waited until you saluted him before walking away. You and your siblings watched him walk off, the large door closing behind him.

"Fuckin' hate this--"

"Hiro, language."

"What?" He threw his hands up. Kimi buried her head into your shoulder-- she never liked it when people were upset. "Y/N, we've been here for five fucking years. These people have kept us kidnapped here, and for what? To become their super soldiers? 'Protect Ganon, protect Ganon'. From what? There's fucking nothing going to tame that dumb pig in the castle. That one dude is not coming back to life.”

You could only watch in sympathy as Hiro ranted. You felt the same, but you felt like you had to keep it together for him and Kimi. If they saw you crumble the same way your pubescent teenage brother was, then you'd be seen as weak. They wouldn't be able to rely on you for anything. That couldn't happen.

"It'll all work out, Hiro."

"Doubt it." He blew a strand of white hair out of his face, crossing his arms. "Let's just-- let's just go. Time for dinner, I bet it's just a bunch of fuckin' rocks."

The events after dinner were always the ones you dreaded, and yet also looked forward to the most. Nights in the desert were always cold, even from the comforts of your room in the hideout. They chilled you to the bone, and could lead to your demise should you travel unprepared. The sand seemed to turn to snow and the dry winds did little to help, as did the thin blankets that laid across your shivering body in the rock-hard bed that you shared with your younger siblings.

Yet, you were alone. Free from the prying eyes of your captors, and from the ever-present pressure to be the strong one for your siblings as they slept soundly beside you. Here, you could relax.

Kimi was curled up in the middle against your side, still sucking her thumb despite you telling her she was too old for it. Perhaps it was to cope. You stared at the ceiling, thinking back to the training earlier today.

You agreed with Hiro-- what were you doing here? Of every child in the world, why did the Yiga Clan decide to take you three? What good could you do for their cause? Surely there were people more willing and capable of doing what you were being trained to do.

You took a deep breath and steeled yourself. You had to be stronger than ever to utter your next words, much less carry them out.

"Hiro... Kimi... Wake up." You waited for the two of you to acknowledge your presence. "Do you want to leave tonight?"

"Leave? Tonight?" Hiro's voice echoed back.

"Yeah, from here. We need to."

"But won't they catch us?" Kimi whimpered.

"Not if we do it now. The guards are switching shifts. Let's put on our suits and get out of here. And stay quiet."

All you heard for confirmation was the ruffle of clothes as Hiro and Kimi slipped on their outfits and packed their few belongings. You looked around outside the curtain that separated your bedroom from the main room. You watched the open holes in the rock walls that pretended to be windows, making sure that guards didn't walk by to see you up past curfew. Quietly, you led the two younger kids around the rock pillars that turned the room into the hellish labyrinth that had been your home for the past five years-- nearly Kimi's entire life. Your heart lurched at every ruffle the red banners made along the corridors as the wind breezed through.

The place was peaceful tonight.

You held your breath around every twist and turn, the fear of getting caught nearly paralyzing you— urging you to turn back and crawl under the safety of the blankets— but you pushed on for your siblings. Finally, you saw stars.

The entrance of the Yiga Clan hideout was so close. You could reach out your hand and be free.

You could taste the fresh air and see the night sky, the stars getting even closer as you stepped carefully towards the entryway. They seemed to sparkle in morse code, praising you and encouraging you to continue forward.

The small streams of sand falling from the cliffs above near the entrance stung your eyes and the dust clouded around you, making you squint. Only a few more steps until you're free.

"ACHOO!"

A loud sneeze echoed through the canyon, nearly rumbling the rocks and causing an avalanche. You and Hiro turned and looked at Kimi in horror as she bashfully held her nose.

"Bless me."

"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" A large Yiga member walked up from his position above the canyon. If Kimi wouldn't have sneezed, you would have passed him without being noticed.

"We were going to patrol the borders, sir." You answered quickly.

"There were already three chosen to go earlier." The member deadpanned.

"Yes sir, but it was deemed that they did an inadequate job. We were sent to resecure the borders."

The Yiga snarled. "Y/N. Hiro. Kimi. Where are you going? You can't lie to us."

"We're going to patrol the borders, as I said." You quickly picked up Kimi and grabbed Hiro's wrist, sprinting out of the entrance and across the soft sand.

Loud sirens wailed throughout the peaceful sky. The stars were blinking faster, as if saying, "Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!"

You didn't need to look back to know that Yiga members were hot on your trail. You'd teleport, but Hiro nor Kimi had mastered it yet, meaning you'd leave them behind. They couldn't fight, but you could.

Suddenly, your eyes lit up.

"Hiro! Take Kimi and keep running!" You called.

"What?" Hiro replies as you thrust her into his arms. "Y/N, no!"

"Run!" You screamed as you stopped.

You turned around to face the swarm of members chasing after you, pulling out your Demon Carver and preparing to fight.

------

You were sore.

Your bones, muscles, head, everything. They ached.

It was a struggle to open your eyes, but you did.

Sunlight flooded through the window beside you. The room smelled like expensive perfume and food. Your eyebrows furrowed- the Yiga hideout didn't have perfume. The food cooked there wasn't good, either. This food smelled good.

Where were you?

Sitting up, you blinked again and looked out the window, your eyes adjusting to the harsh light. Outside of the room was a town. Sand sat in piles around the edges of the walls and on the yellow cobblestone ground. A cat, donning an emerald-studded collar, stalked around the corner, looking up at you and purred before running after a mouse.

"Ah, you're awake." A voice came from the doorway behind you.

"Where am I?" You cautiously asked, not looking away from the window. Your hand stealthily crept to your pocket, which held a small knife. just in case.

"You're in Gerudo Town." You finally turned to see a tall lady walking towards you holding a food tray, "You collapsed next to our ice house last night. Our ice keeper, Anche, fought off some pretty bad guys to save you. She brought you to us. She said those guys were definitely trying to kill you, probably still are."

"Don't scare the poor girl, Romah!" Another feminine voice came from the doorway. A slightly taller lady stood there.

"Oh hush, she'll be fine. She needs to know." The shorter one, Romah, waved her off.

"In case you didn't hear, she's Romah," The other one said, "I'm Olu. We've given you potions and such to help you heal, but you've had some pretty nasty cuts. You'll have to stay here a while before you go back home, it's way too dangerous to leave in your condition."

You looked down in silence, "I don't have anywhere to go, so I guess I won't be in a rush to heal." You shrugged.

"What do you mean, darlin'?" Olu pressed.

"Don't really wanna go back."

"Were you the only one there?" Romah questioned.

"No, I had two others," You explained, "but we got separated. They're my younger siblings."

"Really? How old are they? They couldn't possibly have gotten far."

"Thirteen and seven. I think they will be okay, but I need to find them soon."

"Of course, darling, say no more. We'll have you healed up and out of here in no time. But while we wait, have some lunch. I'm sure you're starved." Olu pushed the tray of food towards you and ushered Romah out, leaving you alone once again.

Your injuries were much more detrimental than expected, especially since you refused to rest in bed to heal. You had to move around and train.

Days spent with Romah and Olu turned into weeks, which turned into months, which turned into a year until a letter appeared in the town.

Kimi. How did she find you?

She said that she was safe in Hateno Village, having heard that one of her friends saw a girl who looked like you on her trip to Gerudo Town. She sent a letter in blind hope. No word on Hiro.

You stayed in Gerudo for four years. Four years since you had seen either of your siblings. Three since you began writing letters to Kimi back and forth. She was eleven now. You hadn't seen her grow up.

In exactly 30 minutes, it would be your 20th birthday, and you were leaving. After working the nightly love classes with Ashai and running the inn with Romah and Olu for so long, you were leaving.

After finally finding a loving home and family, you were leaving.

Your first stop was Kakariko Village, then to Hateno to find your sister. Then to the rest of Hyrule to find your brother.

You sighed and closed the curtains on your window, laying down and getting what little bit of sleep you could while being excited and nervous about tomorrow. You tossed and turned all night, the plushness of your mattress doing nothing to soothe your nerves and make you rest. Soon enough, the sun peaked through your curtains and you couldn't help but groan.

"Good morning, old lady!”

The door to your room burst open, Olu rushing in like a bull. She held pancakes with a lit candle stuck in the middle, running to your bed as Romah tried to stop her recklessness around an open flame. To your surprise, Ashai came in behind them as well, the two of you having become close as well.

You laughed, taking the plate from Olu and blowing out the candle, making a wish.

Olu sat on the foot of your bed. "So what did you wish for?"

"I can't tell you, silly. Then it won't come true." You said.

"If I were you, I'd wish for love. A fine, muscular, tasty man who'd love me," Ashai sighed dreamily and fell back onto the bed, "A man who'd love me day and night. Especially night. Or a woman. That would be nice too..."

"Alright now, she's still a kid to us." Romah chuckled, "I'd rather her not be thinking about boys."

"Okay, okay, mom." Olu rolled her eyes playfully, "Now eat up and get packed, you have a long journey ahead of you!”

With that, they left again, giving you your precious privacy.

After eating, you got out of bed and dressed in your Gerudo outfit. You packed outfits for every weather possibility in your bag as well as weapons, food, and other supplies.

You stood at the entrance of Gerudo Town with the ladies of the town who had become your family over the last four years, saying your goodbyes. You hugged the last ones and turned to Romah and Olu.

Olu was bawling, her makeup smearing on her face and your shoulder as she squeezed you into a hug. Then you went to Romah, who wasn't openly crying. She had tears in her eyes and as you hugged her, you felt one slip out and land on the top of your head.

Taking one last look at your home, you boarded your sand seal and set off to Kakariko. The journey through the desert and Gerudo Canyon was a breeze-- you were accustomed to the sands and extreme weather, but you were completely lost as to what to do when you got out. Your sand seal was useless once you left Gerudo, being unable to maneuver on the grass. As you came to your first settlement outside of Gerudo, Outskirt Stable, a lightbulb went off. You knew what you had to do.

You had to get a horse.

The stable hand at Outskirt had warned you of the difficulty of taming a horse, but you were confident. You had fought numerous people and monsters, what was taming a horse compared to that?

You scanned the open area around the stable for a few moments before finally locking your eyes on the horse you wanted. A beautiful light brown stallion stood a few yards away from you. As he turned to graze on a different patch of grass, you noticed white patches of fur against his muzzle and around his feet. He was absolutely gorgeous, and you wanted him.

You crouched in the grass, stepping carefully towards him to not make any sound. Training with the Yiga paid off for this-- stealthily sneaking up on your target. Except this time you weren't going to take out a knife and kill it. The stallion had no clue you were near and when you got close enough, you lunged forward and placed your hands against its haunches to push yourself onto its back.

Immediately, the horse began to whinny and buck, trying its hardest to knock you off. You held on tightly to his chocolate-colored mane, patting his neck to soothe him as best as possible. It wasn't working. You were getting tired, struggling to continue holding onto his mane, so you leaned down and wrapped your arms around his neck entirely, shutting your eyes and hoping for the best. He continued to rear up and buck, and finally, your arms had enough. They loosened and you lost your grip, sliding off of the side of the horse and hitting the hard ground below.

The horse was still reared up, his front hooves raised over you. You covered your face with your arms, preparing for him to slam down and crush you underneath his strength, yet it never came.

Instead, you felt a nudge against your arm. Peeking open an eye, you saw the same stallion hovering over you, his hooves now planted on the ground on either side of you. He was looking down at you with big brown eyes, head cocked to the side as if you say, "You good?" Slowly, you stood up and the horse gave you space, putting his head down in front of you. You quirked an eyebrow, petting his muzzle and he swished his tail in happiness.

"If you like me, then why did you throw me off?"

He just snorted.

You rolled your eyes and walked around to his side, swinging one leg over. The horse-- Taz, as you decided to name him-- walked to the stable with you barely having to control him, swishing his tail the entire way like some kind of giant dog. You registered him and after putting on his saddle and bridle, you set off to Kakariko Village.

------

Kakariko Village was a sight to behold. The small town was embedded deep in a little dip of the mountains, the rocks themselves surrounding it on all sides. It reminded you of the entrance of the Yiga hideout, yet so much better. Less evil. You were glad that Taz stayed on the path well because you were having trouble keeping your eyes on the road. The area was just breathtaking.

Seeing the Sheikah symbols, you were taken far back. Further than your life with the Yiga, but to your life before everything went wrong. You got a glimpse of you before even Hiro was born, playing outside while your mother, a Sheikah woman herself, tended to the garden. Your father, a regular Hylain, chased you around as you laughed.

Suddenly, the village seemed more nostalgic to you. Kids ran around like you used to-- like Hiro and Kimi never got to. Hiro was the only one to get your mother's hair, and everyone around reminded you of him.

Shaking your head, you got off of Taz and led him around, searching for an inn to let you stay for a little while. Finding it on the other side of town, you didn't hesitate to ask for a room. The innkeeper was a nice man who kept yawning and hobbled around the front desk to show you to your quarters. It was just a bed and nightstand surrounded by privacy curtains, but it was enough. You didn't plan on spending all of your time there, anyways.

"We haven't had many visitors lately," The man, Ollie, yawned once more, trying to keep his eyes open and start a conversation. "Other than one dude that's been here for a few days."

"Really? Is he staying here as well?"

"Sometimes," Ollie responded, his speech slurred. Goddess, he was struggling to stay awake. Was he okay? "Sometimes he's here, sometimes he won't come back for the night. He's apparently a special traveler, according to Impa. We have to treat him real nice."

Special? And he'd be staying next to you? Wow.

"I hope he's nice," you mused to yourself, "Special people sometimes let it get to their heads."

"He hasn't talked to anyone, I don't think. Might be mute, might be a self-righteous asshole who thinks he's too good to talk to anyone. Dunno." Ollie sat back down at the desk and laid his head against his hand. In no time, he was back asleep. You sighed and left the snoring man to his nap, deciding to go to the stores.

High Spirits Produce was the shop that you decided to explore. You and Taz had eaten all of the snacks that Romah and Olu had packed, so you definitely needed more before traveling again.

You walked over to the swift carrots, wanting some for Taz, but they were swiped from your view as you went to grab them. Looking up in surprise, you came face to face with a pair of blue eyes that practically glowed in the soft light of the shop.

Those eyes seemed nervous, the person's eyebrows furrowing in some type of frantic anxiety.

"I'm sorry, could I have two of those? My horse is in the stable and he's hungry-"

The boy quickly slammed down a carrot and rushed to the counter, paying for the rest and practically running out of the shop.

Okay, weird. But he only left one...

You shrugged and paid for it along with the other items you had collected and left. Taz wouldn't be the happiest horse in the world- he always got two carrots. No more, no less- but you supposed that he would be subdued with an apple or two as a substitute.

Your mind went back to the boy that you saw. After many Gerudo classes on "men" with Ashai, you could tell that he was nervous and slightly uncomfortable. It was body language that the women were taught to recognize, lest they accidentally make the man uncomfortable. His shoulders were tense, the stress lines across his face were abundant and his lips were turned down into a deep frown. He didn't say anything to you, which led you to believe that he was just anxious. But about what? It didn't seem quite like normal social anxiety. It toed on the line of dread and pure panic- like the world could be ending soon and he was the only one who could stop it or something.

Shaking your head, you reached the small stable.

"Taz?" You called, "I've got snacks!"

Taz whinnied and you went to walk towards him, but stopped as you saw someone already in front of him.

It was the man from before. He had his head down, seemingly deliberately avoiding eye contact with you. In his hand was a swift carrot, a large bite in it that you assumed Taz had taken. He was feeding your horse.

"Um, hi. I don't think we've properly met." He jumped at the sound of your voice. Despite this, you still carefully walked toward the blond man. "I'm Y/N."

He hesitated for a moment. "...Link."

You paused, but only for a millisecond. That name was familiar, but from where?

"Link. I like it." You smiled. "But do tell me, I have a question."

Link turned to look at you, still on edge. "Yes?"

"Why are you running around here like a Cucco without its head? I've only seen you twice and you're acting like the world-"

"-Is ending. That's what Ollie said too..." Link sighed. It seemed as if he really didn't want to talk to a total stranger about his problems. You understood why, though. However, instead of saying anything, you remained silent, hoping that he would elaborate. After a few more moments, Link spoke up.

"Do-- do you know your way around Hyrule?"

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runnning-outof-time · 2 years

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The Meeting | Tommy Shelby x Reader

Request: no

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x reader

Summary: Tommy takes (Y/N) to her first family meeting after they officially begin dating.

Warnings: language, mentions of drinking, slight age gap

Word Count: 1212

A/N: this is just a little story I thought up after reading these headcannons by the lovely @vintunnavaa (the very bullet point was the inspiration for this story). It gave me this idea almost immediately...although at first I had it in my mind that it would play out earlier in the series...I’m pretty pleased with what it turned out to be. Enjoy! :)

A/N 2: ALSO.....I should point out that I slightly strayed from canon with this. Tommy and Lizzie never got married and Ruby isn’t in this universe that I’ve created. Also while we’re talking about Lizzie...I didn’t mean to make her a bitch in this...it just kinda happened, sorry to all the Lizzie lovers.

Let me know if you’d like to be tagged in stories similar to this one!

———

The significant members of the Shelby Company Ltd. were all gathered around a small table in the main room of the Garrison. Tommy had just called them there for a family meeting. Unbeknownst to them, his girlfriend, (Y/N), was quietly waiting for her cue in the small snug that sat against the bar's opposite walls.

"Can you tell us why you've chosen the middle of the day to call a family meeting?" Polly questioned Tommy, her eyebrows raised as she brought a cigarette up to her lips.

"Because what I have to talk about is important," Tommy answered while working on getting his own cigarette out from its silver canister. He silently cursed his hands for shaking; he hadn't felt this nervous about something in the longest time.

"As if what we were all doing wasn't fucking important," was Polly's dry response. Her words made Tommy send her a look, but he didn't say anything back to her. He was still in hot water with her over the recent dealings with Michael, and he thought it best to step back from the war she was trying to wage.

"This won't take long," he said, his way of dismissing Pollly's snide comment, before he looked around at everyone sitting at the table. "I've someone I'd like for you all to meet...and I figured that there's no better place to introduce her than at a family meeting," he then got right down to the reason he'd gathered them.

"Just throw her right to the wolves, why don't you," Polly was the first to comment, a scoff and a smirk following her words.

"Pol..." Tommy trailed off, sending her a warning glance. His patience was starting to wear thin. "Since this is her first meeting, I'd like to ask you all to tone it down a little...no offering cocaine, no stealing money from her purse, no fucking childhood stories, alright? We're beyond that now...let's act like it around her, eh?" he then laid out his conditions for this meeting. From inside the snug, (Y/N) couldn't help but laugh slightly as she heard Tommy say this.

"What's her name?" Ada asked, genuinely curious about the new woman in her brother's life.

"It's (Y/N)."

"How old is this (Y/N), eh, Tom?" Arthur was the next to ask a question.

"She's a few years younger than me...four maybe. I don't see why that's a concern though, Arthur," Tommy answered his brother's question. Arthur held up his hands and ducked his head, showing that he had no further questions.

"What does she do? She have a job?" Polly then asked two questions of her own.

"She works in the House of Commons..."

"Sleeping with the fucking secretary again," Lizzie's mumbled statement cut him off, making his steely gaze snap over to her.

"What'd you say?" he asked her to repeat herself, his brows now furrowed deeply.

"I said that you're sleeping with your secretary again...that's so fucking typical of you, Tommy," she spoke up, irritation in her eyes as they locked onto his.

"She's not a fucking secretary there. She works in the records room; compiles speeches and fact-checks them to the books before they're brought to the floor," he informed her. Lizzie simply pursed her lips, realizing that her argument was invalid. "Got anything else like that to say about her, eh?" he asked her, his eyebrows raised now.

"No," she mumbled, shaking her head as she looked off.

"Does anyone have anymore fucking questions about the woman I choose to spend my time with?" he then asked the rest of the group, his eyes going to each person to check for their answer. When nothing else was said, he took a deep breath. "She means enough to me for me to bring her to meet all of you...show her some fucking respect, eh?" was his final warning before he turned his attention over to where the snug was. "(Y/N)! You can come out now!" he called to her.

On his cue, she opened the door and stepped out into the main room of the bar. Immediately she felt like she was some show animal with the amount of eyes that were focused on her. She sent a small smile to the group of intimidating looking people as she made her way over to Tommy's side. "Hi. I'm (Y/N)," she greeted them in a soft voice before she politely waved.

"Well have a seat, yeah? We're not gonna eat ya, love," Arthur stated as he pulled a chair away from the table for her.

(Y/N) glanced at Tommy, who simply nodded to the chair. She took that as her ok to sit down, and officially joined the table of people who were still staring her down. Tommy then started introducing each of the people around the table, and she tried hard to remember which name went to which face. She’d heard Tommy talk about them before, but she’d never formally met them. Once he was finished, he stepped behind her chair and sat his hands on top of its backrest, his knuckles brushing against her shoulders.

"How long have you and Tommy been together, (Y/N)?" Ada asked as she leaned forward in her seat.

"We've been seeing each other for five months now, but he only officially asked me to be his girlfriend two weeks ago," she explained, feeling sort of like a child when she said the word 'girlfriend', but that was what she was to him.

"Thomas told us that you work at the House of Commons. What is it that you do?" Polly was the next to speak up. (Y/N) paused a moment before responding. She knew that Tommy had already explained her job position to the group before she'd come out, but she guessed that the prominent woman wanted to hear about it from (Y/N) herself.

So she took a deep breath and began explaining what it was that she did within the building, as well as what her role in the entire scope of Parliament actually was. She felt herself relaxing as she spoke, and she was happy to see that the woman looked pleased with the response she was given.

From there, more simpler questions started getting asked, and she even got to the point where she felt comfortable enough to begin asking some of his family members questions of her own.

By the end of the 'meeting', she was drinking along with the family and agreeing to arrange a time where she'd be able to come over to the company headquarters and help organize all of the logs and files that, according to Ada, were just haphazardly strewn about the storage room.

She left the Garrison with Tommy that night, feeling both happy and proud of herself for agreeing to meet his family and managing to hold her own amongst them. Tommy was happy also that his family had met, and seemingly approved of, his new partner. It was still early in their relationship, of course, but as he sat next to her at the table, he was able to see her sitting by his side at family meetings for many years to come.

———

Tagged: @alreadybroken-ts @magicalxdaydream @the-anxious-youth @cloudofdisney @look-at-the-soul @golden-hoax @elenavampire21 @peaky-cillian @mrsalwayswrite @julkaamazing @evita-shelby @lilyrachelcassidy @notyour-valentine @easilyobessedbutflighty @shelbydelrey @december16-1991 @onlydeadcells @peakyswritings @just-a-blackhole @watercolorskyy @strayrockette @peakyduchesss @alexxavicry

MASTERLIST

#tommy shelby #tommy shelby x reader #tommy shelby x y/n #tommy shelby imagine #tommy shelby blurb #peaky blinders #peaky blinders x reader #peaky blinders x y/n #peaky blinders imagine #peaky blinders blurb #peaky blinders fanfiction #peaky blinders fanfic #fanfiction #fanfic

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lazy-writer-owo · 6 months

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A Pirate Live.. (Ch. 1)

Shanks x OC! fanfic

Summary: How young! Shanks and young! Josephine met for the first time when her father Edward fought Roger. feat. Buggy and this is like an epilogue to a long story of Josephine Edward.

Warning- (non)

P.s. English is not my first language so please bare with me, this is also me attempting to break my comfort zone of writing an x OC fic and my first one piece fic :'D Enjoy!

Third pov.

Josephine sits by the railing of the ship looking at the luscious forest Infront of her, Marco stand beside her keeping his sharp eyes on the young lady.

Her mischevious behaviour could have slip pass by him any moment but after an order from pops have made him stay behind to babysit the adorable little lady. Josephine Newgate, a ripe age of 8 years old the little lady have spend since her birth on the ship surrounded by pirates and the danger of the marines. But nothing could sway her as she knows her father and her big family would keep the danger away from her.

"Marco, can we pleasee go there? i want to see the fight so bad" Josephine begs at the blonde haired man after a few rumble and explosion happened deep in the forest, she have always want to see the notorious pirate that her father would always complain about name Monkey.D Roger. She never met the Roger Pirates, her father forbid her to ever come near them because of their dangerous nature.

"No, you know pops would kill me and he would grounded you from going on the docks yoi" Marco says as he lean on the railing beside her, bored at his babysitting duty and all he ever wanted was to join pops and the others.

The little girl pouts at his answer and the worst thing to be punished that she can't explore any island that they docked at. The little girl then do her best 'puppy face' towards her brother with her hand clasp together infront of her "Pretty pleasee Marco, i promise i would hide and stand far awayyy i just want to see them fight pleaseee"

Marco let out a sigh shaking his head and frown at the girl "No means no, you cause enough trouble this week". Marco crosses his arms over his chest, his demeanor now serious.

"But-" Josephine try to reason with Marco again before she was shut down quickly by Marco harden glare at her. "Okay..i guess i be in my room until they come back" the girl says defeated as she hops down from the railing and walk towards the stair leading to the lower deck.

Marco shakes his head with a sigh

Josephine pov.

I open the door to my room before shutting it and lock it, i glance around my room before ducking down of my bed reaching my hand under to retrieve my stash.

A sword that was supposed to be put away after training session and a small pouch for with a small sketchbook in it, Im determined that today is the day that i will see Roger and my father in action. I will draw the fight in real live!

After my body is halfway through the small round window beside the ship i glance back whispering "Sorry marco I promise i be quick" before pulling myself before slip and fall with a yelp into the shallow sea water.

After succesfully went on to the dryland,making sure pineapple head is not on the deck. I waste no time but make a dash into the luscious forest heading to the loud noises of swords clashes to one another and angry war cry. My lips broke out into a big smile, excitement course through everysteps i take as the noises grew louder and louder.

A Clearing come into view with 2 people quarelling one another, one is a familiar silhouete of my father while the other is a man with a red coat and a red pirate hat sat upon his head. But the most noticable about the other man have a long black moustache "wow he can rival father with that moustache of his.." i duck behind the thick branch of a fallen tree peeking at them.

My mouth open in awe at the sheer power that the other man can withstand my father's attack and his haki, no doubt that is the man that rival my father. Monkey.D Roger, every each time their swords clash blew a gush of wind that blew my hair only widens my eyes and mouth to watch the 2 most dangerous pirate of the sea fought in-front of my very eyes!

But the blast blew and cut through some of the trees around me, i let out a yell as the trees fall around me before a warm hand grasp onto my hand and pull me up and dash away from the clearing to behind a rock. My eyes closed as the debris and dust stings, as we lean behind the rock catching our breath after the slight run of adrenaline. Then i realize that im with an unkown person before i reach for my sword and point it at them with a yelp "W-who! are you!?".

Standing before me is a boy same age as me with both of his arms raised in defense as the tip of my sword point at him. A strawhat rest on his head covering his fiery red hair, what an odd color. Is the boy also a pirate? i mean he have a sword strapped on his waist. Finally! a kid who is also a pirate like me!. He look at me with a tint of red on his cheeks before he snap us out of the state

"What are you doing here? do you know how dangerous it is here?!"

Taken aback by his outburst i lower my sword pointing my finger at him voice raise "and why do you care? im here to watch my father!"

The boy tilt his head confuse at my word "huh? your father?" his eyes blinking looking at me weirdly "No way, your father is a pirate from Whitebeards Pirate?"

i huff, a sword still in my hand as i put my other hand on my hip "Duh and he is-"

"Shank duck!" a voice cut through my sentence before another boy jump from on top of the rock straigh to me. I let out a scream as i see a flash of blue before a body just slam on to me knocking me on the ground, my sword flew from my hand. i let out a grunt as a ringing in my ears and hea throbing at the hard impact of the ground, the red-haired boy panic to see his best friend knock the defensless girl "Buggy! what are you doing! get off of her!"

The boy on top of me then scream aswell at his friend "She was pointing her sword at you! im only trying to help!".

i open my eyes and see a boy with a big red nose, we make eye contact before i let out a scream "GET OFF OF ME YOU WEIRDO!!" i push the blue haired boy ontop of me away before scrambling bakwards hand reaching for my sword before the red-hair quickly come near me to stop me from getting to my sword "Hey hey wait dont!"

"Stay back!" i point my sword at them, i though that i could be friend with the kid but they just want to kill me at this point "Y-you were with the roger pirate right, that's why your friend try to kill me!"

The red hair boy quickly shakes his head along with his hand as he grew nervous "No no! trust me im only trying to keep you away from the battlefield!" i snap back with "Then why is he trying to snap my neck?!" i point back at the blue haired kid

"Because you were trying to kill Shanks!"

"No i wasn't!"

"You were pointing the sword at him!"

What a good first impression huh. We glare at one another like you can see the electric connecting our intense staring contest before it was broken by Shank stand in between of us "Okay, okay stop it. My friend here can be a bit of an idiot since he does not have any common sense in his brain"

"Hmph clearly, what kind a man knock down a lady" I huff as i lower my sword. "You're not a lady! what kind of a lady handle swords!" Buggy as his friend says his name yelled pointing his finger at me.

"A kind of lady that can beat your ass!" i scream back as i went near him. Shank facepalm at the scene infront of him before he reach between them and push them apart slightly "Buggy please stop insulting her, it has been forever since we met anyone that are the same age as us in a pirate crew" The red-hair smile widely before turn his head to the girl.

"Im shanks, the idiot that knock you is Buggy we're from the Roger Pirate crew" He says still wearing the big smile as he extend his hand for a proper shake. Josephine look at the boy eyes widened slightly as she heard him, they are from the Roger Pirate? no way!

"W-wait i didn't know that the Roger Pirate have children on the crew, my father never mention that" The girl blinks at the new discoveries before buggy bugs in (hehe) "Well who's your father??"

"Oh its-"

"Josephine!!" a gruffy voice yelled as the three children tense and look up to see a figure of non other than Whitebeard descend with his weapon raise aiming at the two younger roger's crew. The boys scream frighten by the sudden appereance of the very angry Whitebeard, Roger appear infront of the children using his sword to block the attack creating a loud blast of wind that almost knock away the children.

All three of the children were shaken, buggy knees weakened as he sat on the dirt eyes wide. While Shank have wrapped his arms around the girl's waist and cover her head eyes closed by the debris and dust. Out of instict Shank have quickly pull Josephine close shielding her away from the danger, a sense of protectiveness over the girl.

"Get your filthy hands away from her!" Whitebeard voice booms as he aims at the two boys before the girl pull away from Shank's embrace spread her arms wide "Father don't!" she screams loud with her eyes close. Whitebeard weapon then stopped once again by Roger's hand hold tightly on the handle "My my i didn't know you have a daughter Whitebeard Hahaha! This is interesting my friend!"

"You're whitebeard daughter?!" the two boys yelled out shock to know the girl infront of them are no ordinary daughter to a common crew member but THE Whitebeard daughter.

The girl says nothing as she open her eyes to meet the glare of her very upset father, before meekly says "Im sorry Father.."

(To be continued....)

#one piece fanfiction #one piece x reader #one piece x oc #one piece x you #shanks x reader #shanks x you #red haired shanks x reader #one piece #shanks

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fairy-writes · 11 months

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Merfolk!Viktor x Reader 04

part one of merman!viktor HERE

part two of merman!viktor HERE

part three of merman!viktor HERE

all parts of this series are tagged under cryptid!viktor

cryptid!viktor also includes my pieces with vampire!viktor

POSTING THIS ON THE LAST DAY OF MERMAY LETS GOOO

“what is he doing here?!” you demand and hear a voice behind you.

“it’s here because you found it.” comes a smooth baritone, and you spin around to see silco leroy.

he’s dressed immaculately in a black three-piece suit with a red button-down and white tie. his shiny black dress shoes splashed through the water that was being flung up by viktor’s constant attempts to make it over the wall. which weren’t going well, mind you. his shoulders kept slamming against the concrete barriers, and his long nails scraped and clawed so much you were worried they’d snap.

what parts of the cage weren’t surrounded by concrete were surrounded by laminated glass meant for viewing the animal in the habitat. it looked thick, way too thick for anything to break through.

just how long had this enclosure been in progress? when was it built, and why didn’t you know about it?

“what do you mean he’s here because i found him?” you ask incredulously, and sevika steps out from behind silco when you start to get angry. she’s decked out in her full security guard garb with her pistol on her belt and her hand on her baton. she looks more like a police officer than a security guard.

but she gets the job done and absolutely terrifies you.

not as much as silco… but no one scares you as much as silco does.

“because you found this creature. do you have any idea how valuable it is?” he inquires, and you shrug,

“about as much as the next person, i suppose.” and get the immediate feeling that your answer was the incorrect one. he shakes his head, clicking his tongue disappointedly as he crosses his arms. he looks like a dissatisfied father scolding a child.

and you had the feeling you were the child in question.

“we both know that is a lie. you know exactly how valuable this thing is and the strides we could make in the scientific community with it.” you have the notion that he’s calling viktor an “it” just to irk you.

it’s working.

you cross your arms and lean on one foot, scuffing the other against the concrete. you flinch when water splashes against your back over the top of the angled glass where viktor is still trying to escape and duck your head as if something had been thrown at you when he starts screeching.

it’s a heart-wrenching sound that pulls at your soul. it simultaneously scares and hurts you.

it’s the sound of a man who is angry and lost. a man who longs to return to his home and is oh so scared of what is going to happen to him.

you only hope they don’t kill him.

“fine, yes, i know how valuable he is.” you say and stress the “he” in your sentence.

silco quirks an eyebrow, but you keep talking,

“and what do you want me to do with that information?” you finally ask, and he gestures to where viktor has finally stopped throwing himself from the water and is resting on the small sandy shore, shoulders heaving and head down as he tries to catch his breath.

so merfolk do breathe air.

how did they function underwater?

you could’ve sworn you saw gills on him yesterday.

do they have both lungs and gills?

you realize abruptly that silco is talking.

“—to study the creature. take samples. learn the behavior. possibly even teach it how to communicate. and no telling anyone. after all, you did sign the NDA, did you not?” he talks in that silky smooth and very unnerving voice of his. you involuntarily shudder, and he notices. his smile turns triumphant as you duck your head and mumble in agreement.

it seemed you had no choice.

but…

teach viktor how to communicate?

did he even have the physical capabilities to speak a human language? much less english? all you had heard from him yet was hisses and screeches. noises unable to be made by human vocal cords. they sounded more animalistic, almost whale-like. it was a noise made deep in his chest that resonated throughout the air.

it would have been beautiful if it weren’t such a heartbreaking sound.

it made you wonder just how human merfolk actually were.

you were snapped from your musings by silco leaving with sevika on his tail. he turned at the door and offered a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“you start immediately. marcus will explain the rest. best of luck.” he said and shut the door without another word.

marcus does not, in fact, explain anything. he just reiterates what silco said and leaves you and viktor alone.

speaking of viktor…

he’s gone.

he wasn’t on the beach.

where was he?

you ignore the flash of panic that goes through you and rushes to the glass that stands between you and the water. you search frantically through the clear blue water for any signs of the merman.

only to fall on your rear when he erupts from the water like a man possessed and slams into the laminated glass with an enraged screech, his talons scraping and leaving gouges in the transparent material before splashing back into the enclosure.

one thing is clear as you look into the water and see him circling the perimeter, his angry golden eyes watching you with clear scorning.

he blames you entirely.

#arcane viktor x reader #arcane viktor x you #arcane viktor x y/n #viktor arcane x reader #viktor arcane x you #viktor arcane x y/n #arcane viktor #viktor arcane #viktor x reader #viktor x you #viktor x y/n #arcane x reader #arcane #arcane league of legends #arcane: league of legends #arcane fanfic #cryptid!viktor #fairy writes

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preciouslandmermaid · 1 year

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cold secrets, warm light (simon “ghost” riley x f!reader) - part 1/3

I wasn’t going to write more, but then I was like “okay what if…” and then this story was born. I’m splitting it into parts because this bitch lengthy as hell.

This takes place in the same universe as cold hands, warm heart and is seen as a continuation of that fic. A spiritual part 3, if you will.

Rating: Mature (Explicit Language, violence, blood/injuries)

Fic warnings: hurt/comfort, tending to injuries, touch!starved ghost, mentions of murder/suicide (not related to main characters), unplanned pregnancy, angst with a happy ending, forced proximity (haha bitches u gotta live together), injuries/discussions of lack of mobility, canon-typical violence/consequences, reader goes feral to protect ghost, then he goes feral to protect her, mutual respect, lovers to soulmates.

** All the names of politicians are fake/do not relate to any living or deceased person. I also created 2 entire locations because I don’t want to use the real world lmao. (Al-Qunbar & Noreth)

No use of Y/N. Reader is described as muscular/toned with scars from active combat/torture, and no other descriptors are used.

Summary: Soap’s been shot. Price makes the call to bring him to a safe house occupied by an old associate. And when Lt. Ghost crashes into your orbit again, your treasured secret is revealed, and the aftermath inspires you to ask him to follow you into the light.

(Read on Ao3) ||| 🔪🔪🔪

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

“Fuck!” Soap shouts before he collapses into the muddy marsh. Ghost whirls around to provide cover. The ricocheting gunfire and Johnny’s desperate, pained breath in his earpiece fills his head. A migraine pounds behind his eyelids. They’re exposed. They’re sitting fucking ducks out here.

Ghost yells, “get up, Johnny!”

“I’m fucking tryin’” Soap grits out. He crawls through the mud and his leg drags uselessly and heavy behind him. His temples flare. His mud-streaked face flushes red under the hot Noreth sun. A stinging pain slits across Ghosts’ shoulder. He ignores it.

Ghost returns fire, “Price, tell me we’ve got evac!” He shouts brusquely into his comm. His voice crackles like a dry log. “Affirmative, Lieutenant.”

Bloody hell. Ghost crouches into the tall, swaying reeds, his pants are slick with dark earth, and his reflection ripples in the rich, cloudy water before disappearing in a plume of umber. He pulls Johnny’s arm over his shoulders and lifts him from the muck.

“On your feet, soldier.” He barks. The helicopter rains hell from above, covering their exit, as the Humvee’s tires squelch and squeal to a harsh, mud-splattering stop.

He yanks the door open, “Soap’s been hit!”

“How bad?” Price demands.

Soap’s face crumples and he turns his head away from Price’s line of sight. “I can’t feel my leg.”

Fuck.

The tires spin wetly. The truck jolts forward, jostling them, as Price’s boot slams onto the accelerator. Ghost doesn’t bother asking where they’re going. He trusts Price to get them the hell out of here and into safety. The wetland fades into dirt roads and tiny rocks rebound with sharp, tinny pings against the vehicle's undercarriage. Ghost hangs onto the handlebar above and frequently checks behind him.

“You’re bleeding.” Price observes. Shiny wetness glistens across his black sleeve. He doesn’t feel it. His body is thrumming with adrenaline. There is gunfire and grenades in his head.

Ghost glances at his arm. “Superficial.”

“Suit yourself.” The Captain murmurs under his breath. They pass farmland and wetlands. Most of Noreth is contained within these two biomes. It’s flat, and warm, and their winters are mild. Price joked that it wouldn’t be a bad place to retire.

“Still with us, MacTavish?” asks Price while glancing in the rearview toward him.

“Affirmative, sir.”

“Good. We’re here.” The truck crests over a small hill and Ghost stiffens at the sight of a woman approaching their vehicle. She raises a hand. Price slows to a stop. There’s a dilapidated barn behind her, its roof caved in, but he notices the flash of a sniper’s scope in the loft. On the side of the barn, a pickup truck is parked, and an obvious metal ladder juts from the truck bed. It feels like a set up. It feels like a trap. He stiffens. His finger poises over the trigger of his pistol.

“Price…” Ghost injects a note of warning into his voice. Where are they? Who is this woman?

“At ease, Ghost.”

She approaches the driver side window. Her head is wrapped in a navy Shayla and her chestnut brown hair peeks from the scarf. The right side of her face is scarred, her brown skin bumpy and ridged.

His chest aches. A phantom pain, an old memory. He doesn’t have a heart. Not even a cold one. He said goodbye to his heart nearly three years ago in a hospital room. But, if he were to think about it, about you, he’d remember your scars. He crushes the thought. He buries it among the rest.

“You’ve gone the wrong way, traveler.” She says, neither unkindly nor kindly. Her walkie-talkie crackles suddenly at her hip.

A voice slices through the static.

“They’re clear. Over.”

The words blind him. He grips the handlebar and his knuckle joints crackle under the pressure. It can’t be. It’s impossible. He must’ve misheard. But he doesn’t make mistakes. It is your voice. It’s you. It’s you, you, you–come back to haunt him, damn him, torment him with a life he cannot have.

You said goodbye. You both did. That was meant to be the end of it.

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

You peer through the scope one last time, seeing Ghost, seeing Price, and your heart threatens to detonate your ribs and send your organs flying. You scramble on your stomach, intending to rise and join her, but Samira’s voice comes through the walkie-talkie.

“Three in the vehicle, one wounded. Over.”

You bite your tongue. Ice slithers through your veins, numbing them, and your teeth chatter in your skull. You stop yourself from asking how badly, or where, or whom. Samira is an ex-army medic, and her knowledge greatly outclasses your own. She’s needed. And you are better suited here.

“Go.” You reply, “send Agathi to cover your shift, over.”

“Copy.”

Through the scope, you watch Samira wave at them, but Ghost clambers out of the passenger side. He looks directly into the loft. You nudge and wiggle yourself deeper into the shadows. It’s pointless. Awareness ruptures across your skin in equal parts euphoria and dread. You’ve dreamed of reunions. But that’s all they ever were, all they ever could be. Dreams. Paltry. Insubstantial. They were akin to the stories you created in the cemetery. A way to cope amidst the madness and subterfuge.

You bring the radio to your lips. Below, you can hear Samira arguing with Ghost that he cannot go into the barn because it’s dangerous.

“I bet it’s dangerous alright.” He grouses. You snicker and roll your eyes.

Samira opens her arms to stop him. If the choice is between keeping you safe and helping strangers, then it is no choice at all for her. She will choose you every single time. You know this.

“It’s alright.” You announce into the walkie-talkie. “Go help the others and don’t make me pull rank. Over.”

Samira glares mutinously at the loft. She replies, “we have no rank. But I will go out of the goodness of my heart. Over and out.”

You stifle another laugh. Samira is pretending to be sarcastic and cold, but you know her better than anyone. She’s warm. She cares. You would not be here–you would not be alive–if not for her.

You set the rifle aside, though you are not unarmed as you climb down the rickety, wooden ladder into the decayed, rotting barn. You hear the truck pull away, gravel and dirt kicking up beneath its tires, and you walk toward the sliver of angelic daylight that pours between the large doors. You don’t use the barn door. It’s likely to fall off its hinges if you did. Instead, you push aside several wooden planks nearby and crawl out of the barn. You return the planks to their rightful place and kick grass with the toe of your boot to hide your tracks.

His shadow is the first thing you see. Big and imposing, stretching in the open sunlight, a dark splotch against the overgrown grass. You inhale slowly and prepare yourself.

You meet his eyes for the first time in nearly a year.

The world stops spinning. Or it spins too fast. It’s hard to say. You feel, somehow, both grounded and completely out of orbit. Your throat is painfully dry, uncooperative, and you swallow around the strange tightness before breathing sharply through your nostrils. Ghost is as you remember. You are both relieved by his consistency and saddened by it. The world will change, regimens will rise and fall, ice caps will melt, but Simon will remain immovable and unchanging.

You observe, “you’re wounded.”

“It’s nothing I can’t manage.”

You roll your eyes. You don’t doubt it, but he should know as well as anyone that an injury can get infected without proper treatment. You walk to the parked truck and open the glovebox to remove the first-aid kit. The truck barely runs, but it’s good cover and makes it seem like someone is trying to repair the barn in case any patrols pass by.

“Who else was in the truck?” You ask, setting the kit on the passenger seat and snapping on a pair of latex gloves.

“Soap.”

Your heart freezes. You’re thankful Ghost he cannot read your expression due to your turned back. Your mind flashes with images, with memories of MacTavish. Your time was limited with him, but his kindness and earnestness made a lasting impression.

You cannot stop yourself from asking, “how bad is it?”

“Don’t know.” He replies gruffly.

“Classified?” You venture, glancing over your shoulder to him.

Ghost hooks his thumbs underneath the straps of his tactical vest and shifts his weight. You take his silence as an affirmative. He has no reason to tell you, really. You aren’t part of his task force. You aren’t anything, anymore. Not to him, not to anyone. With that thought firm in mind, you grab the scissors and approach Ghost, your expression calm and neutral.

“May I?”

Ghost nods stiffly. You lift his t-shirt sleeve with your littlest finger and snip away a section of fabric that’s caked and sticky with blood. Thankfully, the wound is little more than a graze. A bullet passed him but did not lodge itself into his skin. You click your tongue and smile archly.

“Lucky.”

“I told you it’d be fine.”

“Not if it gets infected.” You say in a singsong, wiping away blood with an alcohol pad. He doesn’t even wince. You avoid his eyes, focused on the injury, though you can feel Ghosts’ attention burning into the side of your face like an open flame. It doesn’t need stitches. You disinfect the area and tape a piece of gauze. Your touch is careful and practiced and never lingering no matter how badly you want to.

Once finished, you drag your eyes away from the glaring, white square of gauze on his skin and drift toward his skull mask.

He holds your gaze for what feels like a lifetime. You haven’t forgotten the intensity of those dark, mysterious eyes. You recall them in every variation–heavily lidded with lust, intense and serious, suspicious, or dark and narrowed, bright like coffee with sarcastic humor and bad jokes.

Beneath his gaze, Ghost makes you feel as if you are the only object in the universe.

You realize slowly that your fingertips are on his bicep. You tentatively pull your hand away and his muscle jumps reflexively at the absence of your touch.

“It’s good to see you.” You admit softly.

His gaze softens imperceptibly. Agathi’s voice comes through your walkie-talkie, informing you that she’ll be there in a minute, and that she’s bringing along Kaja, so you can speak with ‘Mr. Price.’

You laugh when Agathi calls him ‘Mr.’ instead of Captain. Ghost’s breath hitches in his throat.

You respond, biting your lip to stop your smile, “copy that. Over and out.”

Your stolen moments of reunion with Simon beside the barn dwindle like dry tumbleweeds across the desert. You are grateful for whatever little time you have considering you never expected to see him again. Yet, you are selfish and wishing you could have more time.

You organize and store the first-aid supplies, tucking your bloody gloves in your back pocket to throw them away once you’re in the house. Ghost says nothing. He watches you. If it were anyone else–you’d bark at them for leering, for being creepy, but this is Ghost, it’s Simon. You are – intimately - comfortable with his gaze on you. A sudden flush of heat burns your ears.

Agathi rounds the corner with Kaja behind her. Agathi is nearly six feet tall and seeing her next to Ghost is impressive and it puts his massive height into perspective. Her hair is short and blonde, and her striking blue eyes are hidden behind her large, dark aviator sunglasses. Kaja is younger than Agathi and a foot shorter. She is olive-skinned and has dark, ruffled hair that lays across her head like a raven’s nest.

“Whoa.” Kaja says when she sees Ghost, then looks to you quizzically, “he a friend of yours?”

You nod. “Old friend.”

“You said all your friends were dead.” Agathi says. She is less welcoming than Kaja and rightfully distrustful.

You smile at her. “They are.”

Agathi scoffs and pushes her sunglasses up at her nose with two fingers. She doesn’t say anything when she walks away from you, but you can feel suspicion radiating from her. However, the task force is under your protection, and she won’t do anything to anyone beyond sneering. Kaja watches you leave with awe on her youthful face.

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

After ten minutes of silence, you see your haven in the distance.

“Agathi has two boys. Sven and James.” You announce. “Try not to brood so much and scare them.” Ghost’s footsteps are light beside yours and you move like wraiths down the dusty road.

“That’s risky.” He intones, voice deep and scratchy.

You whip your face toward his, frowning. There is risk to everything, you think. But you know Agathi. You trust her. You care for her. You know Ghost isn’t judging her, only taking the intel he has, and drawing a pragmatic conclusion. Noreth is at war and traveling with multiple people–especially children–increases the overall danger. Still, despite knowing this, you cannot help but defend her.

“What? Was she meant to leave them behind?” You shove your curled fists into your pockets. You made a similar decision six months ago. Although, in retrospect, it wasn’t much of a choice at all.

“Besides,” you continue, your tone and face hot, the sun beating down on the back of your neck like someone’s gaze. “It’s easier to think of this place as a sanctuary. A temporary place for refugees to recover before they continue onward.”

“How long have you been here?”

“Six months.”

“Since Al-Qunbar then.”

You wince at his steel-trap memory. Nothing slips by Ghost. Six months ago, you fled Al-Qunbar and settled into Noreth with Samira’s help. The recent conflict between East and West Noreth has torn asunder all the comfort and stability your little ragtag family found.

“Thereabouts, yeah.”

“And is this what the agency has you doing?” He motions with his chin toward the house, “running a safe haven?”

You suck your lower lip between your teeth, worrying flesh between your teeth, and shrug noncommittally.

The agency no longer owns you. No one does. You wish you could celebrate this with him, but you don’t know what his reaction will be. Will he call you a coward and say you are abandoning your country? Or will he be grateful that you’re no longer in the line of fire? That you're no longer puppeteering diplomats and manipulating powers beyond your ken? If you explained your reasoning, explained why, would he understand? Or would he hate you for keeping secrets?

He doesn’t press for more information, and you don’t try to fill the silence with idle chatter. You’re reminded of your long, quiet treks through the fresh snow in Russia. Your face tucked in your scarf, the air bright and sharp, the sky a delirious blue like chlorine above your heads. You’d walk for hours without saying anything.

You watch two birds’ flit across a sky of cotton ball shaped clouds. You hope the conflict and fighting will not reach you, but you know it’s a foolish dream. Your lips twist in a chagrined smile.

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

Your safe haven consists of two buildings. The first is a two-story house with a front porch, bulletproof glass windows, and peeling, chipped green paint. There is laundry strung up on the line and it flaps like an elephant’s ear. The second building is smaller, the size of a studio apartment, the roof is squat and flat, and the brown paint appears baked-on from the distance. Price’s vehicle is parked outside alongside Kaja’s pet project motorcycle—still in pieces. The infirmary is sequestered and guarded from the main house. A necessary precaution for privacy and sustainability.

Despite the soundproofing and the roaring generator for electricity, you hear Price’s voice. You grimace, looking back at Simon briefly, before opening the door.

“And I’m telling you,” Samira exclaims, “I will not move him! He must not be moved!”

“I need him out of this zone in order to extract him.” Price says.

“He cannot go!” Samira’s dark brown eyes meet yours. “Talk sense into your old Captain,” She gestures impatiently with both hands. A bloody blue smock covers her clothes and a surgical mask dangled from one ear.

You ask, “what happened?”

Samira debriefs you. Soap was shot in his lower back. She managed to remove the bullet, but she suspects moderate to severe nerve damage, and he’ll need physical therapy included in his recovery plan if he wants to walk again. Price wants to remove him and return him to Scotland.

However, Samira explains he’ll need to wait a minimum of four weeks before traveling overseas, otherwise he’ll risk blood clotting and other complications. Although Price is willing to honor and uphold the secrecy of your haven and not request a direct evacuation–he wants to drive Soap to a safe zone and have him evacuated from there.

“He stays.” Samira says sternly, “or he dies.”

Price looks at Ghost and you.

“Lt, can I talk to you outside?”

You step aside to let them pass and approach Samira. You expression pinches in worry and you touch her shoulder. Your stomach binds itself into knots. In your mind, you see Soap smiling and crossing his arms after you defeated him in a card game, your heart alive with mirth for the first time in years.

You peel your words free like dried, white crafting glue, “is he going to be alright?”

“That’s mostly up to him right now.” Samira sighs, wiping sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. About two months ago, a refugee died on Samira’s operating table from an ill-fated bullet wound. You hope that Soap isn’t as unlucky. Your eyes dart to the window to Soap and Price, talking with their heads bent low, and the knot in your stomach tightens.

“Can we move him to the house?”

Samira nods. “In a few hours, yes.”

“Good. I don’t like it when everyone is spread out.”

You wait until Ghost and Price are finished before offering to take them into the house.

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

Two blonde boys run out of the front door toward you. One has the gawkish and long-limbed awkwardness of a teenager, his pale face is dotted with pimples, his smile is wide and crinkles the skin around his clear, blue eyes. You open your arms and the smaller, younger one leaps into them. His blonde hair shines golden beneath the sun. You spin him in a circle, and he giggles, delighted. Ghost is momentarily stunned.

When was the last time he heard a child laugh? His expression stiffens. His breath shudders and fans through his mask. You set the boy down. His big, curious blue eyes look past you and toward Price and him.

“James, this is Ghost.” You gesture to him, “and this is Captain Price.”

“Like a boat captain?” asks James.

“Something like that.” Price responds warmly.

You introduce the teenager as Sven. Agathis’ boys clearly and obviously adore you. While walking to the door, James holds your hand and prattles endlessly about a ‘dragon game’ that he and his brother are playing. Your replies are warm, attentive, and genuinely curious about his make-believe game. He wonders if it’s an act. Another layer of subterfuge, to make the residents of this place feel welcome and safe, all part of your role—whatever that may be. But the moment the thought passes his mind, he dismisses it.

There is something to you that didn’t exist before. The light you carried within has changed, it has shifted, and he doesn’t know if anyone else can see it. He doubts Price notices it. The scathing, self-loathing part of him entertains the idea that you’ve fallen in love with someone. That would explain the lightness to your step and the glowing warmth of your smile. He roughly shoulders the dark thoughts to another dusty corner of his mind.

“And you, you’d be a red dragon.” James says knowingly, his voice filled with innocent wisdom.

You laugh. He wants to get drunk on that sound – your laugh. It bubbles inside his veins like dry, expensive champagne. It heats his skin like a good sunburn. He can endure any level of torture as long as he has your laughter playing on a loop within his mind.

“Why red?”

James clarifies, “because red dragons are strong! A-and they have magic fire powers.”

“Ah!” You chuckle, “that makes sense.”

James asks, “will you play with us after dinner?”

You don’t even pause to think about it. “Of course!”

The front door leads into a sitting room with overstuffed, stripey couches and black iron wood stove with a thick column that feeds into the wall. Next to it, a narrow kitchen is painted robin’s egg blue. A small, ancient white fridge is humming in the corner and the oven has several knitted washcloths dangling from its handle.

The light fixtures are barren, their sockets empty or completely removed from the walls their thin wires exposed like intestines. The file on Noreth comes to his mind. Earlier in the conflict, families blacked out their houses with dark, heavy curtains or bedsheets, or removed their lights to hide from the air raids. However, the aerial risk has since vanished now that Noreth’s only airport is smoldering ruins.

He imagines you efficiently pinning up curtains and unscrewing lightbulbs. He wonders if you said anything to the children, offered them explanations, or words of comfort. His tongue tingles like he’s pressed it to a live battery charged with a thousand questions.

Price is engaging you in conversation, and your voice is amicable, but your body language is guarded. He notices you – more than once – avoid a pointed question and maneuver around it like an Olympic figure-skater. Topics like Noreth’s political climate or the safety measures at the house are encouraged, but any personal questions about yourself or the other women living at the haven are swiftly evaded. Ghost stands near the door, watching through the window toward the road and he occasionally looks at you or the two boys building a puzzle on the living room floor.

“You’re confident then?” Price is saying, “Samira can handle Soap’s recovery?”

“I trust Samira with my life.” You say, steadfast and poised. Ghost’s molars gnash and he averts his gaze. Jealousy burns like acid reflux in his gut. “If I had any reservations whatsoever about her abilities then I would argue against her call.”

“You have everything you need for him?” Price prompts. Ghost almost wants to give him shit for being overbearing like an old, nervous mother hen. He checks out the window. All clear. Samira paces outside the infirmary, smoking. He finds that wonderfully ironic. A doctor who smokes. He scowls. Who is Samira to you? Do you trust her because of your circumstance? Or because you’re teammates? Or has something happened between you?

You respond, “yes.”

Price sighs heavily like the air inside his lungs is a physical object that he can lift and carry around.

“Samira says she’ll move him in a few hours. You’re welcome to stay until then.”

Price grins, “and stay for dinner?”

“It gives us a reason to take out the nice, fancy plates.” You smile easily. Ghost greedily traces the lines of your mouth from his peripheral vision. He can savor it when your smile isn’t direct at him. He wishes he could pull you aside, speak privately, but this isn’t a job where something as childish as wishes get granted.

He realizes he can’t stay in this room, listening to Price make small talk, hearing the soft murmuring and excited chatter of the children on the carpet. He needs to be useful otherwise his temper will shorten, and his mood will sour like curdled milk.

He says to Price, “I’m goin’ to check the perimeter.”

“Copy that, Lt.” Price nods.

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

You chop onions for the soup stock and your vision blurs with tears. Through the blinking, wet haze, you see Price regard you with warm familiarity and steady, quiet gentleness.

“It’s good to see you alive, Lux.” He says softly. “Seems like I made the right call.”

Your chest warms. It’s nice to see his face and talk to him again despite the shitty circumstance.

“Getting sentimental in your old age?” You joke to hide how deeply his comment affected you. You’re happy to have the onions as an excuse for the tears strolling down your cheeks.

He laughs. His white teeth flash and his eyes are enfolded by mirthful wrinkles. “At ease, solider.”

You wipe your wet eyes and glance toward the door that Ghost exited through. Price’s eyebrow notches upward and he leans his arms on the countertop. Your scalp prickles. You suddenly feel like a teenager caught passing a note to their crush in class. His perceptive eyes narrow and the unsaid question lingers in the onion-smelling air between you.

“He’s the same.” You explain quietly, shrugging.

“He’s not,” says Price.

You occupy your hands by scooping the chopped onions into a large soup pot and avert your eyes from Price. You aren’t sure if this is a conversation you’re supposed to have or meant to have. Ghost is private. It feels wrong – no – it feels treacherous to talk about him when he’s not in the room.

“You and MacTavish.” Price continues without prompting, “you’ve changed him for the better, I think.”

“Oh,” you say, “that’s good.” You say it like you’re commenting on the weather. You shove as much nonchalance into your tone to make it boring. Ordinary. But your mind spins wildly on its axis. Ghost has changed on some level because of you. And it was noticeable enough to catch the attention of his superior officer, someone who has known him for years. You wonder if it’s the same for you. You wonder if Price can see Ghosts’ fingerprints all over your skin. Wordlessly, you tuck your moth charm necklace inside your shirt.

The necklace isn’t your only secret connection to Ghost. There is a more precious, more sacred secret. And he’s sleeping upstairs. You imagine telling Price about him, but immediately disregard the idea. There’s no guessing what Price’s reaction would be. Or Simon’s. No. It’s safer for everyone if he remains a secret. Your heart aches with foolish, idyllic longing to walk outside and talk to Simon and pour out every feeling you’ve bottled over the past six months.

You redirect the conversation away from Ghost and shelve your deep, complicated feelings aside.

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

When he returns hours later, you are peeling potatoes. He admires your skilled, careful hands and the sunset behind you frames you in butterscotch gold and hazy yellow.

A memory hits his skull like a stun grenade. In Russia, you skinned a rabbit in front of him and he called you a ‘proper boy scout’. You laughed, your head thrown back, your hands red and slimy. He thinks that might’ve been the moment his heart started to thaw.

Samira says something to you in her native tongue. You reply with a faux-serious expression but then your eyes crinkle and your smile runs the facade. Is this what you’ve been up to? Making soup and hiding in old barns?

Steam rises and billows from the pot around your face like a cloud. You tap the wooden spoon rhythmically against the rim. His heart squeezes like a fist. Price and Soap talk lowly in the sitting area, Soap in a wheelchair, Price leaning his hip against the arm of the sofa with his muscular arms crossed and his face drawn.

The domesticity of this moment should frighten him, it should fill him with self-loathing, yet all he feels is keening, sharp yearning. This could be any kitchen in the world. It hurts to look at you. It feels like heartburn. He balls his fingers into fists.

Price’s words come unbidden to his mind: “You need to stay here,” he said.

“What d’you mean?” Ghost said, scowling behind his mask.

“Noreth is a war zone. I can’t pull Soap out, so you need to stay here and look after him.”

“You’re kidding.” Ghost deadpans.

“Not counting ourselves, there are only two individuals on this farm that have combat training.” He knew Price was talking about you, so it was either Samira or Agathi who had experience, though he didn’t know which.

Price said, “There are few he’d trust with his life, Simon. But I know you’re one of them.” He couldn’t argue with that. He’d stay. Even if he didn’t have much say in the matter.

Sven shouts from the staircase, “Lukas is awake from his nap! Can I bring him down?”

“Yeah!” You reply, your words followed by an easygoing smile. His gaze flickers back to the staircase at the sound of Sven’s careful, yet loud footfalls.

Sven carries a toddler in his arms that must be his youngest brother. He guesses his age is somewhere around 2 or 3 based on size alone. You mentioned Agathi had boys. Plural. It’s hard to imagine a mother of three crossing hostile territory, but he supposes anything is possible within the right circumstance. When you defended Agathi, your voice was filled with flushed pride and indignation like you were scolding him for being uncouth. His lips press together under his mask. He missed that—your spark. No one has a bite quite like yours.

The boy’s cherubic face is more solemn than bashful Sven or inquisitive, talkative James. And his big, round brown eyes must’ve been inherited from his father (who is likely dead, Ghost assumes, since there’s no one else at the safe house).

Sven settles the child onto the carpet and passes him a red toy truck.

“Beep beep!” He proclaims. His voice deepens to rumble the car across the wooden floorboards.

You ask from the kitchen, “Lukas, what do you want for dinner?”

“Mashed potatoes!” Lukas replies and his smile dimples his chin.

Samira rolls her eyes. Her lips twitch, and her sideways pose, and half-smile remind Ghost of a coyote.

“Naturally,” says Samira.

“He likes what he likes.” You say breezily.

You divide the soup into neutral toned bowls and Samira helps you hand them out. Price accepts the meal with a grateful smile. Soap complains about how little Samira has given him and she primly responds that he’s likely to throw up as a side effect to medication, so he ought to eat in small portions.

The soup bowl is between your hands like a tender, reverent offering.

He declines with a small and curt shake of his head. He ate an MRE during his walk-about of the property. He doesn’t have the stomach for anything else. He never could eat much on missions. He ate enough to keep him coherent, keep him sharp, but that was it.

“My cooking’s not that bad, is it?” You say with a teasing, familiar lilt to your voice.

He shifts his weight. His rifle, a comfortable weight, nudges between his shoulder blades. “Sod off.” He grumbles. Your eyes brighten followed by your smile.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

He glances to the rest of the room. Everyone else is talking or eating. No one is paying attention to this corner. Some of the tension in his shoulders relaxes infinitesimally. He feels his jaw unclench, the sensation miniscule yet poignant, as he regards you.

“Quit fishin’ for compliments.”

“Can’t blame a gal for seeking a little praise.” You cover your lips over your spoon, slurping, and mischief illuminates your expression. He watches you. Something low and aching and hardly forgotten comes to life and unfurls in smoldering heat. If you were alone—God help him—if you were alone…

He inclines his head ever-so-slightly, his voice deep and rumbling and dangerous, “consider it noted.”

Samira calls to you in her language. It grates at him. Is Samira trying to hide something? Does Price know what she’s saying? How much can they really trust anyone here? You’re quick to reply and you sidle over to her and Sven, though you switch the conversation to English.

His jaw tightens. You might suddenly come under fire from an ambush. He peers out the window. All clear. The walkie-talkie at your hip is silent. Price looks relaxed. You look relaxed.

However, it doesn’t mollify his sense of paranoia. The flatlands of Noreth are too exposed for his liking.

The property is filled with tall, thin reeds similar to switch or cord grass. It’s massive enough to camouflage his height if he crouches and he suspects the boy—James—can get completely lost in it. But the spongy earth makes it difficult to travel on foot and the lonely safehouse isn’t fenced in.

Thankfully, he did find an all-terrain vehicle covered by a mottled brown and green tarp which meant you had some evacuation plan if things went south. He glances sideways out the window again. All clear.

Johnny pushes on the wheels of his wheelchair toward him and he nearly knocks into Ghost’s heavy combat boots. He balances his empty soup bowl on his thighs. The heat and warm food has flushed Johnny’s neck and cheeks to a soft, dusty pink. It’s good to see some color on him. He was too pale and ashen on the drive to the safehouse.

He’s changed out of his tactical gear. He’s wearing an ill-fitting gray jumper and sweatpants. He assumes the clothes are from Samira because they didn’t bring their full kits. This mission wasn’t supposed to be overnight. Now they’d be stuck for a minimum of four weeks.

“I guess we’ll be here for a bit, Lt.”

“Looks like it.”

Following the abrupt, wheezing sound of your laughter, Soap tilts his head over his shoulder to you, then returns his gaze to Ghost.

“I know Price asked you to stay, but you don’t have to.” Soap begins, “I’ll make a quick recovery. And they need you in the field, running operations, not sitting here playing guard dog.”

Ghost shakes his head slowly.

“Orders came from Price, Johnny.”

“I know.” Soap sighs. He peeks over at you, Samira, and Sven again. Then murmurs quietly to himself, “won’t be all bad, I suppose.”

Ghost pretends like he doesn’t hear and ignores the part of him that agrees.

[ Part Two ]

#ghost x reader #simon ghost riley x reader #simon ghost riley x you #simon ghost riley reader insert #simon ghost riley fanfic #simon ghost riley #ghost x you #no use of yn #reader insert #simon ghost riley smut #call of duty fanfic #ghost cod x reader #call of duty modern warfare fanfic

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glitziinova · 9 months

Text

Managers with a Tamagotchi Headcanons

(I want a tamagotchi uni but I don't have one yet so I'm making headcanons) (Include spoilers???? for the Tamagotchi uni)

Duck shuffler

🦆 > DO NOT trust this man with taking care of anything

🦆 > Probably kills it many times from lack of proper care, he dgaf

🦆 > Does like pushing the buttons tho and hearing the beeps

🦆 > The tama is either as maxed out or dead

Prethinker

🧠 > thinks that it'll be SO easy to take care of it but struggles to keep up with its needs

🧠 > Have some difficulties for the first few days (had a few close calls with death) but got the hang of it

🧠 > Likes Mametchi because he's smart

🧠 > High to maxed training but mid everything else

Deep diver

🐠 > Thinks it's cute and plays with it when he's had some free time or it's a slow day

🐠 > Likes Otmatchi and Shykutchi

🐠 > Mid-overall care and stats

Rainmaker

⛈️ > Love this fucking thing with all of their heart, it's always on her so she can take care of it everywhere

⛈️ > Falls to their knees devastated when it dies

⛈️ > Love when her tama gets married or gets a playdate

⛈️ > Likes all of the tamas but prefers the ones that look like fluffy clouds like awamokotchi

⛈️ > Maxed out hunger, happiness, and training

Gatekeeper

🛡️ > Girl running the Tamagotchi like its the navy

🛡️ > WAY too picky for marriage and playdates

🛡️ > likes Knighttchi

🛡️ > Mid stats with high training

Witch Hunter

🪄 > Is confused on why this plastic egg thing has a weird creature in it and why he gotta take care of it.

🪄 > Saw the Majoritchi on the Tamagotchi on and got pissed. Always tries to prevent his tama to marry him

🪄 > Gets a bit mad that he can't take over the magic land

🪄 > Full hunger, low happiness, but maxed training

Bellringer

🔔 > Loves Belltichi with everything in his heart as long as the nature and flower theme tamas.

🔔 > Has one of the most playdates

🔔 > Ok care overall

Multislacker

📺 > Actually somewhat takes care of it, but does the bare minimum. Mainly checking on it when he's bored

📺 > Kinda forgets about it until it starts screaming on their desk

📺 > usually get the same tamas because they can't be bothered to actually take care of it to get the different ones

📺 > Plays a game like...once a Life stage

📺 > Bad to mid care

Mouthpiece

📞 > Mainly got them to give to her grandkids but decided to get one for herself because it looked cute

📞 > Has the most problem navigating the menu with the buttons, often asking her grandkids or the other managers who have one for help

📞 > Makes those little cushions, cradles, and covers for it

📞 > Good overall care but with low to mid training

Major Player

🎹 > Use some of the beeps and sounds for music

🎹 > Do enjoy playing with the little guy and seeing all the cute things it does

🎹 > Has one of the most playdates

🎹 > Pianitchi is his daughter and he loves her so much

🎹 > Has a Tamagotchi music stars

🎹 > Pretty good care

Firestarter

🔥 > Only really have playdates with Graham's tama, but he's open to others

🔥 > Takes better care of it than Graham

🔥 > Thinks acchitchi is cool

🔥 > Very good overall care

Plutocrat

🌑 > A family can be 6 mafia capitalist robots. That's it, just 6 mafia capitalist robots with a virtual pet.

🌑 > Lowkey surprised when the Tamagotchi Uni had Italian as a language

🌑 > Takes his tama to the water city because it reminds him of Italy

🌑 > When he's busy with something, he often gives his Tamagotchi to one of the Satellites for them to care for it. (they did eventually get their own Tamagotchi)

🌑 > Likes Yukinkotchi

🌑 > Maxed hunger, happiness, and training

Treekiller

🪓 > Thinks that it's a silly time waster but got invested in it

🪓 > Makes Chip has playdates or marriage with his tama

🪓 > For some reason, he usually gets the nature-themed tamas

🪓 > Mid care

Chainsaw Consultant

⛓️ > Mainly just sits on his desk until it beeps for something

⛓️ > Don't really pay too much attention to it, often leaving it paused or with a sitter

⛓️ > Low to mid care

FeatherBedder

🦉 > May not be the best person to trust with this

🦉 > Will take somewhat good care of it when he's awake but falls asleep with it unpaused

🦉 > Will wake up with it either dead or face down surrounded it with's own poop everywhere diseased

Pacesetter

🎸 > Him and Flint got matching tamagotchis, they often have little tamagotchis playdates and have each tamagotchis marry the other

🎸 > Mainly keeps it on his wrist but sometimes has it as a keychain

🎸 > Mans in the pace corner, pacing and playing the little games

🎸 > Only really feeds it when it's beeping so he can go back to the games

🎸 > His Tamagotchi will have maxed happiness, low hunger, and no training

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thisgirlnamedblusy · 1 year

Note

it's possible for fem reader and Marilyn to be in love and dating and y/n somehow finds out that Marilyn is actually Laurel, but instead of being mad at her, she hugs Laurel :)

Yess, here it is!! I hope you like it!! Sorry about the language mistakes!!

I don't care who you are

Pairing: Marilyn Thornhill/Laurel Gates x Fem teacher! Reader

Warnings: Angst, fluff

Word count: 1,785

Summary: You are in a relationship with Marilyn, but you are going to find out that she's keeping a big secret.

N/A: Requests are still open to all of you!! Sorry about the language mistakes.

Classes had finished and you, like every afternoon, had an date with her. You had been dating this woman, your co-worker, Marilyn Thornhill, for a few months. It didn't take long for you to fall in love with her, and apparently it didn't take long for her to fall in love with you either. You were younger, yes, but it wasn’t a problem, after all, 24 years old was enough age to have things clear.

You always went to the conservatory to see her when classes were over. It was her favorite place, a small haven of peace between all that Nevermore and it’s students implied.

“Hello there, pretty girl,” you said suggestively leaning on the door. Marilyn was at her desk, handling one of her plants. When she saw you, she smiled at you.

“Hello (Y/N), how has your day been?” She asked you.

You walked briskly towards her and grabbed her around her waist, resting your head on her shoulder.

“As always, thank goodness it's Friday,” you sighed, looking at the plant that so much captured your girlfriend's attention. “What are you doing?” You asked curiously.

“I'm taking care of this plant, it has grown some small shoots that must be removed, if not, it can go sick,” she explained to you with that soft voice that you liked so much.

“Do plants get sick?” You asked amused. The truth is that you did not have much idea about botany. You have no idea to be exact.

“Of course, that's why it's not enough just to water them, you have to take care of them,” she said, smiling tenderly.

You nodded and moved a little, brushing her hair away to place small kisses on her neck. Marilyn laughed nervously, but she made no effort to pull away from her.

“What are you doing? Someone can see us…” She sighed. You smirked and stopped, standing next to the redhead.

“Everyone knows, so what’s the problem?” You asked, looking at how she delicately worked on the small plant.

“I know, but I think that's not a reason to making out in every corner as if we were some more students,” she told you, leaving the plant aside and taking off her gloves.

“Oh, what a pity…” You said, feigning disappointment. She smiled at you again, used to those kinds of comments from you. “But I'm glad you bring up the subject, because I have a surprise for you.” you said, clapping your hands.

“What kind of surprise?” She asked, leaning next to you, her eyes excited.

“Well, I have booked two nights in a rural house far away from here. There is nothing around. Just you, and me. Out of here for a change. Do you feel like it?” You asked nervously.

“Mm.” Marilyn pretended to be thinking about it, looking up.

“It has a fireplace…” you crooned, giving her a little nudge.

“Okay, you've convinced me,” she said happily, giving you a little kiss on your lips. “When do we go?”

“Right now, if you want,” you said, moving away from the table.

“Great, but I have to pack my suitcase and change my clothes,” she told you, pouring some water on that "sick" plant.

“You don't have to take many things with you either, because I'm not going to let you get out of bed…” You whispered in her ear, biting her earlobe.

“I supposed that,” she told you, kissing you again.

Marilyn took her bag and you were about to leave the greenhouse. Inadvertently, the handle of the bag caught on a corner of the table and fell to the floor, scattering its contents all over the place.

“I'm sorry, I'm very clumsy…” Marilyn said, embarrassed. Seeing her duck, you stopped her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Please, miss, don't bend over, I don't want you to get hurt,” you said in a too politely way. Marilyn crossed her arms, as if she had taken offense at something.

“Are you saying that I’m too old to bend over?” she asked indignantly. You knew her, sure she was joking.

“Nope, I just want you to be fresh for this weekend,” you said, moving your eyebrows up and down.

You bent down and began to pick up everything that had fallen, putting it back in her bag. You took her wallet, and when you went to put it back in her place, something came off of it. It looked like an old photograph. You picked it up and looked at it briefly. Your brain told you to look at it again. It looked like a family, but it wasn't just any family. You had been in Jericho all your life, and you knew the infamous history of the Gates family. You had to look at the photo from various angles, just in case you were wrong in your suspicions.

Marilyn was elsewhere, picking up other dropped items, when she saw you looking at that photo. She suddenly she ran towards you and tried to snatch it from your hand. You had a lot of reflexes, and you turned around, avoiding that she could catch it.

“Give me that, it's…” She said very nervous.

You looked up and moved a little away from her. Her eyes expressed pure terror and you noticed how her hands began to shake.

“Hey, Marilyn, what are you doing with a photo of the Gates family in your bag?” You asked without taking your eyes off that family.

“I… I…” She didn't seem able to speak or move.

You shook your head and frowned, focusing at the little girl in the photo. Incredulous, you looked at Marilyn and then at the photo again. You did it several times.

“Hey… you look a bit like…” You said whispering. Without you noticing her, Marilyn reached out, snatching the picture from you. She quickly put it in her pocket and made an attempt to get out of the greenhouse, an attempt that you stopped by grabbing her arm.

“I have to go, (Y/N),” she said trembling, with tears in her eyes.

“Wait, wait,” you said, your mind racing. “Do you want to explain to me why you have a photo of the Gates? And why do you look suspiciously like the little daughter?” You asked with the calmest voice you could find. “What was her name...” you murmured to yourself. “Lauren... Lorraine...”

“Laurel,” she said, unable to meet your eyes.

“That’s it!” You said when you remembered. “Wait, so you...”

“Yes,” she said with a small voice. “I'm Laurel Gates.”

You blinked several times. You had heard it perfectly, but you couldn't believe it. According to what you had been told, Laurel died, thus sealing the end of the Gates family and their legacy of hate against the outcasts.

“But, but that's not possible... She died and... Shit, I need to sit down for a moment,” you stammered, sitting down at one of the tables normally occupied by the students.

Marilyn wasn't looking at you. Her eyes were riveted to the ground. Her entire body trembled, but she did not try to leave again.

“How can that be possible?” You asked, you didn't know if it was for yourself.

“I faked my death. I thought that this way people would forget about the Gates forever, and I wouldn't have to carry my family's past on my shoulders,” she said with a broken voice.

You shook your head and started to react, getting up suddenly.

“So you hate the outcasts, like your family…” You said with some rancor in your voice.

Marilyn, or rather, Laurel, shook her head. A tear slowly trickled down her cheek. She was still unable to meet your eyes.

“But why haven't you told me about this, Mar…? Excuse me, Laurel?” I trust you and you should do the same,” you said, angry.

“I…I was scared,” she said, letting more tears slide down her face. “I didn't want anyone at Nevermore to find out who I really am. They never would have hired me if they had known, and I never would have met you, (Y/N).”

You nodded, still hallucinating from that sudden and unexpected revelation.

“I understand that you no longer want to be with me. This was going to happen at any moment.”

You kept digesting that new information and it took you a while to become aware of her words.

“Leave me alone, please,” she asked you, between sobs.

You ran a hand over the back of your neck and walked slowly towards the exit. She sat at her desk, burying her head in her hands, crying like you've never seen her.

You stopped just as you were about to get out of her and looked at her. An unpleasant feeling seized your insides. She might have another name, but she was the same woman you loved madly. You couldn't let something like that end with your relationship. You bit your lip, looking for some words that you couldn't find in your head and you approached her, timidly.

“I told you to leave me alone, (Y/N). I already know the damage I've done to you, that I've lied to you, I don't need you to tell me.”

You nodded, but you didn't stop walking towards her. Cautiously, you placed a hand on her back, rubbing it gently.

“Hey, Laurel, I don't think anything of that,” you whispered.

“What?” She asked, looking up.

“It's true that you shouldn't have lied to me. But I don't care who you are, as long as it's you,” you said, wiping away her tears.

“Do you care that I'm part of the family that almost killed you all?” she asked, incredulous.

“Are you going to kill us all?”

“Of course I’m not. I am not my family…” She said firmly.

“Then there is no problem,” you said, smiling.

“Are you serious?” She asked you, pulling herself together.

“Yes I say it seriously. I love you, whoever you are. But you have to promise me that from now on you will trust me more…” You said, taking her hands.

“I love you too, (Y/N).”

Making a small face of tenderness, you pulled her into a hug. You closed your eyes and swayed gently next to her. You were like that for a long time, just hugging each other, keeping your bodies together.

“Do you feel better now?” You whispered in her ear, caressing her hair. Laurel pulled away from you and nodded, kissing you softly.

You smiled against hers lips and kissed her back, continuing to caress her.

“Okay, shall we go, Laurel?” You asked, trying to pretend that this hadn't happened.

“(Y/N)”

“Hmm?”

“You are wonderful,” she said smiling at you.

#marilyn thornhill #laurel gates #marilyn thornhill x reader #wednesday #ms thornhill #oneshot #fluff

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