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#currently it just feels like i have the flu but. we’ll see
forestspoonie · 2 years
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i have officially tested positive for covid
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ellecdc · 26 days
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I'm sick rn so I wanted to know if you could do a little comfort fic of moonwater taking care of sick reader or something pls :)
awe so sorry you're unwell babes! hope you feel better soon <33
poly!moonwater x fem!reader who has the flu
Another shiver shook your frame even from your place burrowed deep beneath the thick duvet in your spare bedroom.
You’d woken up a little late this morning; Regulus needed to be in the office early for a meeting, and Remus had a meeting with his publisher, meaning you had been on your own. You felt awful, but ultimately hoped that as the day had continued, you might perk up a bit.
You did not perk up. In fact, you ended up spending so much time in the bathroom that your boss actually suggested you go home for the rest of the day.
Too poorly to feel as embarrassed as you probably ought to, you readily accepted and returned to yours, Regulus’, and Remus’ shared flat.
It took nearly all your effort to change out of your work clothes, change the bedding in your shared bedroom so that the boys wouldn’t have to sleep in your germs, and set yourself up in the guest room with a bucket just in case.
You’d slept on and off quite fitfully, waking up with a start when your fever induced brain concocted the most ridiculous nightmares to alert you to your sweaty and discomfited state. 
You were so poorly that you hadn’t even realized anyone was home until Regulus was standing in front of you like a creepy vampire watching you sleep.
“Jesus fucking Christ, Regulus.” You muttered, slapping your hand to your own chest as you tried catching your breath, which caused a small coughing fit.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Your boyfriend asked incredulously.
You groaned as you rolled back onto your side to face him.
“Hello, Regulus. It’s nice to see you.” You deadpanned.
Regulus huffed and dropped his briefcase.
“Hello, amour.” He deadpanned in return. “What the hell is wrong with you?” He asked again as he gently sat on the edge of the bed to place the back of his hand to your forehead, grimacing in response to your sweat or your fever, you weren’t sure. 
“I’m sick.”
Regulus made a pathetic cooing sound that was so contrary to his sharp demeanour made all the more severe in his smart work attire, it was almost comical. 
“Why didn’t you call me?”
You huffed at that. “So, what? So, you could come home and watch me barely sleep? I was fine.”
“Fine.” Regulus scoffed. “You don’t look fine, amour.”
“Words hurt, Reg.” You groaned as the pain behind your eyes grew.
Regulus made another cooing sound and stood.
You thought perhaps he was getting up to change or whatnot but opened your eyes to see him with his phone pressed to his ear.
“Regulus, what are you doing?” You demanded with all the sternness you could muster, which was not much at all in your current state.
“That’s enough out of you.” He muttered quietly as he brought his phone back to his ear.
“Hi love, how are you?” He spoke over your attempted rebuttal.
You could hear your other boyfriends’ low tones responding to Regulus from the other end of the line.
“Good. It went well, thank you. I just got home actually, Y/N’s already here; she’s quite poorly.”
Though you still couldn’t make out the words, Remus’ voice picked up in volume. 
“No, she didn’t tell me either.” Regulus commented, sending you a pointed glare.  
“Okay, yeah. Alright, we’ll see you soon. Yeah, love you too. Bye.” 
You groaned petulantly. “Why’d you do that? He doesn’t have to come home for me.”
“Maybe he’s coming home for me; ever consider that?” He snarked back, pushing some of your sweaty hairs away from your head to press a kiss to your head.
“You’re a furnace, amour. Is it safe for me to assume you haven’t taken any medication?”
He got his answer in the form of a guilty expression.
“Tu vas être ma mort. Tu as de la chance d'être si mignon.” He muttered as he left the room to change and gather some things for your flu. 
You came back into consciousness to the sound of Remus and Regulus speaking gently.
“I hate to wake her up, but she really should take something.”
“Has she eaten, though? She shouldn’t take anything on an empty stomach.”
“If that bucket is any indication, I doubt there’s anything in her stomach at all.”
“Can you guys go do your worrying elsewhere, please? I’m trying to die in peace.” You groaned, caused Remus to gasp and Regulus to scoff.
“Dovey! Oh, my poor girl. What happened? Are you okay?” Remus cooed, kneeling on the floor in front of you to start petting at your head.
“I’m okay.” You croaked.
“You’re a liar.” He responded; words pointed but expression loving.
“Do you think you can eat, amour?” Regulus interrupted. 
“I don’t want to.” You moaned.
“That’s not what I asked, love.”
Remus tsked at Regulus’ coldness and took your face in his hands.
“Dove, can you try? Please? For me.”
You groaned very petulantly but began sitting yourself upright nonetheless. 
You allowed Remus to position your pillows and arrange the tray Regulus had prepared for you on your lap, but you drew the line at him trying to spoon feed you the stew.  
“Did you wake up this poorly?” Regulus asked from the end of your bed.
“Sort of, but it got worse at work.”
The air was sucked out of the room as both men turned to look at you incredulously.
“You went to work?!” Regulus gawked.
“Why, dove?”
“Ma MORT, je le jure!” Regulus groaned exasperatedly. “Why didn’t you call us to pick you up?”
“And you took the time to change the bedding and move out of our room when you were like this?” Remus added.
You were beginning to feel embarrassingly teary as you put your spoon down and pushed the tray away from you.
“I didn’t want you guys to get catch this. I just... I was fine.” You sniffled and wiped at your eyes as the first tear fell.
Remus tsked again and rested his forehead against your temple, and you realized then how much cooler his forehead felt against yours. 
“Okay.” Regulus said quietly, picking up the tray from your lap and placing it on the dresser. “Can you take these for me, love? Fever reducers and anti-nausea for now; we’ll see how you feel in a few hours.”
He held the pills out to you in his palm and held a glass of water in the other. You hiccupped and sniffled before accepting both, handing him back the glass half full once you were done.
“Thank you.” Regulus whispered gently, kissing your forehead and bringing your tray to the kitchen.
“I’m sorry we scolded you, dovey.” Remus whispered into your cheek, causing new tears to fall. “We just worry; you know that, right?”
“Yeah.” You whimpered, and even you could tell it was sort of pathetic.
“Oh, my poor darling.” Remus cooed, standing from your side to climb in on the opposite side of the bed. 
“Don’t, Rem. I don’t want you to get sick.” You whined, though allowed your body to be pulled into his side.
“Tough.” He said simply, punctuating the sentiment with a kiss to your temple. “Then I’ll just get to call in sick too.”
You were sure the tears were mostly from exhaustion and discomfort, but you couldn’t seem to get them to stop.
“What’s the matter, hm?”
“I don’t feel good.” You whined.
“I know, babydove. I’m sorry.”
That’s how Regulus found you when he came back to the room; you crying into Remus’ shirt as he rubbed broad strokes up and down your back.
“Rem, we’re trying to bring her temperature down, love.” He admonished gently, though sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed his own soothing strokes on your clammy arm. 
“You try denying this sweet girl her cuddles, Reg.” Remus responded.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” He whispered, pressing a kiss to your shoulder before placing a cold wet cloth on your head. 
“I’m sorry you’re so poorly, amour. And I’m sorry if we made it worse.” He apologized. 
You quickly shook your head (which you immediately regretted as the nausea threatened to return). “You didn’t; you don’t.”
“I upset you though, I’m sorry. I’m too rough sometimes.” Regulus admitted, sounding almost as teary as you. Remus tsked and reached one of his hands over you to take Regulus’ hand.
“I know what you’re thinking, love, and you’re wrong.” Remus insisted. “And I know you’re wrong, because your parents wouldn’t have fussed over you at all when you were sick; so there’s no way you could be acting like them right now.”
The fact that Regulus had spent any amount of time worrying that he’d been too harsh with you, that he’d been at all like his awful parents caused your few tears to turn into true crying.
“I’m sorry Reggie.” You cried, turning to look at him. His brows furrowed dramatically, and he looked just as close to crying. “If you weren’t here; I’d be sitting in bed with no food, no medicine, no cloths, and no love.”
“Well, you maybe would have had some love.” Remus argued from your other side.
“I would’ve died.” You insisted.
One tear did fall from Regulus’ eye as he smiled sadly at you. “I just hate to see you so poorly, amour. You should always be happy and lovely.”
“I am. I’m better when you’re here.” You insisted.
“How dare you insinuate that our sweet darling girl could ever possibly be not lovely, Regulus. Absolute blasphemy.” Remus scolded, causing both you and Regulus to chuckle. 
“Terribly sorry, you two. I seem to have forgotten myself.” He laughed, turning the cloth over on your head and trailing his fingers down your jaw to massage at your neck. 
“Don’t let it happen again.” Remus instructed.
You fell asleep to the sound of Regulus promising that he wouldn’t. 
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racinggirl · 2 years
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safe haven || charles leclerc 16
type: one shot pairing: charles leclerc x reader word count: 1.5k summary: charles taking care of you whilst you're sick at home requested: yes! “Hi :) First of all, I loove your writing! It's immaculate! Saw you're taking requests and I was wondering if you could do one, where reader is sick (the flu or smth?) and Charles (or anyone you want) takes care of them? Like really fluffy? Thank you so much and have a wonderful week :))” (by anon) Yeeees girl, who doesn't want fluff Charles boyfriend??? Requests are OPEN!!! warnings: mentions of being sick, mentions of !covid!, tons and tons of fluff, not proofread! notes: I'm sooooo sorry it took so long! I just had such a big writersblock and I didn't had the motivation to write anything atm. I will try to write more, I promise! Also, I hope you'll love it! I just wrote it in about an hour or so. I lowkey like it, but if you have tips or just things you really like about my writing and want to see more of, just lmk and hmu!
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‘’I hate being sick.’’
‘’I know baby, I know, but I’m here okay? I’ll take care of you.’’
Those were the words you needed more than anything at this exact moment, in which you were on the couch in your boyfriends apartment in Monaco, your back leaning against his strong chest, his arms wrapped around you protectively. You felt safe, more than anywhere else in the world, because he was your home, your safe haven.
It all started a few days ago, you weren’t feeling too good after the Hungarian Grand Prix, but you tried to brush it off. Just a cold, at least, that’s what you thought. You made sure to do a COVID-19 test just in case, even though corona wasn’t really a subject people talked about anymore, at least, the illness, not the drink, people loved the drink.
Negative, thankfully, so you weren’t too worried about the fact you might have to go in quarantine. Just a cold, right?
No, things got worse, from a running nose to coughing, as well as stomach pains and headaches. You had the flu, and it was horrible. You never got sick, not even a cold would get you, usually. But right now, you could curse the whole world and space, because you absolutely hated it.
You tried to keep your cool, not wanting your boyfriend to worry about you, he had enough on his mind with the final adjustments before summer break. But he wasn’t one to fool, he knew something was going on.
‘’Baby, are you okay?’’ Charles had noticed you were a little less active when you came back home. Normally you’d drag him out for a walk around the harbour, watching the sunset in the evening, or the sunrise in the early hours. But this time, you’d just head straight to the couch, curling up under the blanket.
‘’Did I put the air-conditioning too high?’’ He frowned the moment you reached for the black fluffy blanket underneath your tv.
‘’No, no, it’s fine.’’ You mumbled, a sneeze and a cough giving away your current state.
‘’Are you sick?’’
‘’…’’
‘’Baby?’’
‘’Yes, I think I am.’’ You mumbled, curling up more underneath the blankets.
Charles smiled weakly, making his way towards the couch as he took a seat next to you, his arms carefully wrapping around your shivering body.
‘’No, I don’t want you to get sick too.’’ You whispered, moving in your boyfriends arms, but you too knew, he was stronger than you, so after just a few seconds of trying to get out of his grip, you gave up, your head resting against his chest as you closed your eyes.
‘’Then we’ll be sick together.’’ He said, placing a kiss on the top of your head.
‘’Charles, I’m serious.’’ You mumbled, removing your head from his chest to look up into his eyes, a sigh escaping your lips.
He simply shrugged his shoulders and pulled you closer, just to give you a peck on your lips. He didn’t care. He wanted to take care of you, because he loved you.
It stayed like that for a few days, you had zero energy, sleeping for almost the entire day, while Charles took care of you, handing you your tea, as well as providing you with the best movies (he picked them).
‘’Babe, you need to go to work.’’ You were on the same position again, under the same blankets – who had been washed twice already by your boyfriend who insisted on washing the blankets everyday to give you a ‘fresh one’ each day – while Charles was making your lemon tea in the kitchen.
‘’They don’t mind if I’m a bit later, it’s summer break anyways.’’ He told you, cutting up the apple slices just the way you liked it.
‘’They do, baby, they want to celebrate their summer break too. I’m fine okay? I’m feeling a little better already.’’ You said, looking at the Monégasque as he walked to the couch, eyes focussed on the tea so it wouldn’t spill, he had filled it to the top.
‘’A little, which doesn’t mean a lot, so I’m now turning on the tv for you and putting on another Harry Potter movie, okay? And I’ll get your sweater in case you get cold and-‘’
‘’Charles!’’ You laughed, a small smile on your lips as you watch your boyfriend ramble on about the things he was going to do for you.
‘’I can do things myself too, you know?’’ You smiled sweetly, his face confused and searching for the right words.
‘’But…’’
‘’No, no buts, you get your ass to work, I’ll be fine, okay?’’ You shot him a reassuring smile, one he knew was sincere.
After a few seconds, he decided to agree, after trying to search for excuses, which you only rejected. He left for work, but told you he’d be home as soon as possible so you two could order food from your favourite restaurant.
He was an angel, he really was. Every morning he would prepare your tea, cut up your fruits because he knew you didn’t like to eat bread in the morning. Everyday he would give you a little more food, knowing you slowly started to gain your appetite again. Every afternoon he would prepare a lunch, as well as a movie the two of you would watch together. He gave you kisses, which you tried to avoid because you did not want him to get sick too. Every evening he would either order or prepare dinner, and prepare a bath for the two of you to enjoy after chilling on the couch the entire day. After that, he would make the bed, turn on the candles in the bedroom, and give you a massage. He was the perfect boyfriend, and you loved him more every second of every day.
As soon as he came home that evening, he did exactly what he said he would. He ordered dinner, cuddled you on the couch, watching the movie you were currently watching, and waited for dinner to arrive.
After dinner he ran upstairs to prepare the bath, spreading rose pedals he bought the other day all over the floor and bath, filling it up with your favourite scented bath gel and candles for the romantic vibe.
‘’You know.’’ You whispered, leaning against his chest, the warmth of the water around you giving you tingles all over your body.
‘’Hmm?’’ Charles hummed, his chin resting on the top of your head, his arms wrapped around your body to pull you close to him, his breath moving some baby hairs on the top of your head.
‘’I think I should be sick more often.’’ You whispered, eyes closing as you felt his chest move, a low chuckle leaving his lips. He smiled, his hands drawing small circles on your stomach, the circles slowly turning into little hearts.
‘’I think you shouldn’t, because you keep avoiding my kisses.’’ He whispered, his breath hitting your temple since you had turned your head to the side, making you able to hear his heartbeat. His heartbeat, which was slow, relaxed, because he had you in his arms.
‘’I’m only doing that because I don’t want you to get sick, but you aren’t really helping.’’ You giggled, your hand moving to his upper leg, nails scratching his skin in the warm water.
‘’I won’t get sick.’’ He smiled, pressing a kiss to your temple. ‘’My immune system is the best.’’ He smirked, in which you rolled your eyes with a smile as a response.
Once you got out of the bath, he made sure to wrap a towel around your body, doing the same for himself afterwards. He smiled at you, that smile that made you feel at home, safe, here with him.
He was about to lean in to press his lips to yours, when he turned away from you, making you frown. But the reason made you laugh, a smirk on your lips. He coughed, a sneeze following afterwards.
‘’That was just a coincidence.’’ He mumbled, but soon after coughed again, making you raise your eyebrow, the smirk still plastered on your face.
‘’You won’t get sick, huh?’’ You smirked, arms crossed in front of your chest as you let out a laugh, watching your boyfriend cough another time.
He looked at you, his towel moving over his face, a groan escaping his lips. He removed the towel, looking at you as he stepped closer, pulling you in his arms.
‘’At least this means I get to kiss you now, because you’ve already infected me.’’ And with that, he pressed his lips to yours, kissing you softly while the candles slowly dimmed. They lasted for at least four evenings.
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yamamasjumpercables · 2 months
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Campus Romance
College!Boy!Chris x College!Fem!Reader
Warnings: kissing and a little cuss word 🥤
a/n: I was thinking about the grumpy x sunshine trope while making this idk why🧎🏾‍♀️
Left leg bouncing anxiously, discarded papers by your laptop, half finished latte that was probably cold by now, notes all over your work space. You were clearly stressed. Your assigned lab partner couldn’t be here to help you with one of the biggest projects of the semester because, they had the flu. So your professor had the smart idea of assigning you a new partner, which just so happened to be the new kid. Chris Sturniolo. You didn’t know much about him. Only thing you knew was his name and he always had an upbeat attitude. He was put in your class exactly 3 weeks ago. So you didn’t know how working with him would be like. It’s safe to say you were more than nervous to work with him. As for Chris, he was excited, nervous and worried all at once. Chris has seen you on campus many times before, walking to your classes with your head phones on with your natural monotoned facial expression. You were his hallway crush. He’s seen you so many times, waiting for the right time to ask you out. Chris always took pictures of you walking, not in a creepy stalker way. He always sent the pictures of you to his friends, which followed with a simple sentence that properly expressed his feelings for you. Yet his friends would always respond with “ask her out and stop being a fucking creep”. The first day Chris walked in your class and spotted you, he did a whole victory dance in his head. Everyday when chris spotted you in the back of the class with your head down and headphones on, he was happy. That happiness ended up turning into confidence. Chris ended up becoming friends with some of the kids by the end of his first week in your class. But he still didn’t have the courage to talk to you.
You were currently writing some notes down, headphones on full blast until you felt a tap on your shoulder. You came face to face with a red face, out of breath Chris. “You’re 5 minutes early” You say going back to your notes. “I just wanted to get a head start on the project”. Chris says trying to catch his breath. You roll your eyes at him. “Sit down we have to get started” you say patting the seat next you, signaling him to sit down. Chris quickly obeyed, setting his backpack down taking out his notes and books. Once he was done he noticed that you were still writing down your notes. He took this time to admire your concentration face. Your hair was up and out of your way, allowing Chris to see your entire face. The setting sun brightens your eyes as you continue to write your notes down for the project. Chris was so mesmerized by you glowing in the evening sun. He didn’t even notice your eyes staring back at him in confusion. “You ok Chris, do I have something on my face?” You asked patting your face. “No, No you don’t you’re fine- Wait no I don’t mean your fine fine- We’ll you are fine, but not in a bad way”. Chris rambles. “You are so beautiful and when I look at you I feel like I’m dreaming”. Chris says playing with his orange bracelet on his right wrist. “That’s beautiful Chris, but we need to focus on this project”. You say making eye contact with the blue eyed boy. “Yea we should, I’m sorry for being so forward” Chris says disappointed. “I understand if you don’t feel the same way about me, we don’t really know each other anyway” Chris says playing with his bracelet. You laugh. “Who says I don’t like you back” you say looking up from your notes, crossing your arms and tilting your head to the right slightly with a confused face. “Well I just thought you know since I just came to your class-“ Chris is cut off by your lips on his. You grab the sleeve of his hoodie pulling him closer, deepening the kiss. Once you pulled away you were met with a giddy red face Chris. “You ok Chris” You asked, laughing a bit. “Yea I’m fine, wait does that mean I can take you out on a date?” Chris asked excitedly. “Yes once we get an A on this project” you say pointing at the notes smiling. “Oh yea yea we should get started on that” Chris says looking back at his forgotten notes. “Kiss for motivation” Chris asks nudging your arm. You gave Chris a quick peck on the cheek. “Oh I wanted a kiss on the lips” Chris says playfully. “When we finish the project then I’ll kiss you on the lips” you say taking a sip of your latte. “Well let’s get started on this, sooner we finish sooner I get to kiss you again” Chris said as he started flipping through the pages of his note book. You laugh and push him playfully. You and Chris continue to work on the project together. Chris turned out to be a pretty good partner afterwards.
I hardly made anything for Chris so here is something for the Chris girls💆🏾‍♀️🤝🏾. Oh and should I start a tag list & a part 2 of this?
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once-upon-a-stolas · 2 years
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Lots to talk about today, so let’s get right into it!
Today’s post actually spans two separate incidents. The first happens on July 7th, in which we see that Blitzo’s taken a nonlethal, but rather nasty shot to the abdomen. He brushes it off, comparing himself to Rain from his beloved Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, but Stolas is immediately beside himself with worry, asking if he’s alright and swearing he’d be by his side already if he weren’t in a meeting. Literally. He’s so worked up that he curses here, something we rarely see him do on the Instagrams, then or now. He promises he’ll be there as soon as said meeting is over; if this were a more serious incident, his behavior suggests he might have run right out of it on the spot.
But Blitzo insists he’s fine and Stolas, though still unhappy and clearly concerned, accepts that. This is a vastly, vastly different character than the one we met in Murder Family, happily coercing a monthly sexual bargain out of Blitzo as he cheerfully, coldly watched him dodge gunfire. 
Later on, we see that Stolas has taken sick. Commentors suggest that Blitzo might have poisoned his coffee or, less tastefully -- this was all happening during the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic -- that he has coronavirus. But it’s just a simple flu. Blitzo is openly concerned, and promises that “we’ll send you something.” The “we’ll” in this case could refer to himself and Loona, but more likely refers to I.M.P. as a whole, which is a nice little touch. Before!Stolas’s relationship with Blitzo’s coworkers was always a beautiful thing to watch flourish, but as of this writing, it’s next to nonexistent in the show.
Either way, Blitzo won’t be coming over because he doesn’t want to get sick or “bird snot” on him. I like their little “No offense,” “None taken,” exchange here. It’s brief, it’s small, but it’s comfortable and familiar.
The next day, we get to see how Blitzo delivers the package. True to form, he hurls it through Stolas’s closed window, startling a Stolas who’s midway through a mouthful of soup. With the inconsistent way Stolas is written currently, it’s hard to say exactly how he would react to this, but this is Before!Stolas and he’s absolutely delighted. He thanks Blitzo warmly, and the next time we see him, he’s feeling much better, and he’s dropped by the I.M.P. office with iced coffee.
Now, this isn’t the first time he’s done something like this, and it’s not the first time Blitzo has been less than impressed with Stolas intruding on his workplace. This is still Stolas being bad at boundaries, and if this characterization were the one we saw in the show, it would have to be dealt with at some point. Despite this, Blitzo’s not visibly fighting back disgust, he’s not tolerating Stolas’s presence because the grimoire’s on the line (it’s not here), and he’s not, as he does in the show, telling Stolas in no uncertain terms not to touch him. He’s not even as angry as he was the last time this happened. He just thanks him for the coffee and says he’s too busy to drop everything and entertain Stolas, to which Stolas replies with a line of sad emojis, but doesn’t otherwise argue. Blitzo then suggests Stolas call him later, which the latter cheerfully accepts. 
To me, this is lovely. These are two characters who care whether the other is happy, whether the other is healthy. They’re becoming more accustomed to each other’s quirks and they’re growing a little closer with every post. These are some of the posts that modern day Stolitz proponents tend to fall back on first when defending the ship, but this Stolas and Blitzo -- these two characters in the fumbling early stages of a gentle, awkward romance, sending each other care packages -- had about as much in common with present day Blitzo and Stolas as a Nerf gun has with an elephant rifle. They’re just very different characters that happen to have the same names and faces.
Can present day Stolas and Blitzo ever hope to reach this kind of dynamic? I don’t think so, I don’t think it will feel as organic, but that’s not really the point of this blog.
The point is that for a brief time several years ago, in a very different iteration of the characters, Blitzo and Stolas were kind to each other. They took care of each other.
And that’s how love should be.
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allysmaagiesworld · 3 months
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January Recap
Now, as the first month of the year has passed, I would like to recount it and kind of see how it went.
I started the journey on the 14th, so bear that in mind.
The week after the 14th I was bombarded with work. But I still managed to make it to the gym one day of the week. And for that I’m really grateful.
Friday the 19th
I got on the treadmill. Accompanied by the first episode of Percy Jackson I made the brilliant performance of 3.8 km in 37:26 minutes. Which may not sound like that good of a time, but I’m happy with it. Especially since I haven’t „run“ in over a year. I think it’s quite a good first time. Ready to be improved.
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22nd to 28th January
The week after that, I actually came down with the flu. I spent all the time not at work in bed, sleeping by 8 p.m. or 9 p.m.
By Friday I was feeling better, but I didn’t want to overdo it, so I simply walked a bit outdoor.
That Saturday I helped my boyfriend repaint the house, or rather find spots that were damaged or dirtied by the installation crew and paint over that. And lo and behold, it proved to be quite the workout.
The day after that, Sunday, him and me drove someplace nice to take a walk. It was a nice hour and we talked all the while about very different things. We started at the topic of dating and somehow ended up at the military.
But it was a nice hour nonetheless.
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29th to 31st January
And that brings us already to this week, which had the last three days of January.
On Monday I went to the gym, this time for strength training. Warm up was a small run on the treadmill, 1.59 km in 16:41 minutes. It actually felt easier, though that might have been because I knew I would only run for roughly 15 minutes.
But I will take whatever win I can get haha
After the run came the different machines for weight focussed exercises. And boy did I miss it. I felt so nice and strong while I did it - albeit I did overdo it on the bench presses. I took out the additional weights of 2.5 kg + 0.5 kg on top of the bar, and that was an experience.
I tried to do them as good as I could. The first set of 15 were… not easy, but doable. But it was a steep decline after that.
The second set I already had to split up in 8/7. The third and last set I quit after 6 repetitions, where the sixth was just barely liftable.
Again, I will put the new measurements under the cut.
I weighed myself on the evening of the 31st January, again after a shower.
The weight was 100.3 kg, which is 0.2 lighter than on the 14th, but weight alone does not define whether or not someone is on the right track for a healthier lifestyle.
weight: 100,3 kg
fat: 41,3 kg
muscle: 55,8 kg
arm left: 33,0 cm
arm right: 35,0 cm
chest: 101,0 cm
hip: 129,5 cm
waist: 88,5 cm
ass: 128,5 cm
belly: 116,0 cm
thigh left: 77,5 cm
thigh right: 77,5 cm
calve right: 43,0 cm
calve left: 42,5 cm
Overall the measurements stayed the same or went slightly down. I noticed though that I didn’t catch the biggest part on my legs, so these numbers aren’t really comparable to the 14th. We’ll just have to wait and see in two weeks how the numbers changed.
But for now I am very happy with the current results and am looking forward to the next section.
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otherpens · 2 years
Text
So I’m gonna be starting on Prozac, soon.
I’ll probably make this a hidden post or something, maybe, I’m not sure.
I just want to document how it goes; where I’m starting from, so I can have a better idea of what changes I’m experiencing.
So, as of right now, unmedicated (as far as mental health goes.) Taking low-dose hydrochorithiazide just to keep my BP manageable, don’t know to what extent the anxiety has played into this but we’ll see. I have a family history of high blood pressure and two of my immediate family members have been on similar medication since the ages of 25 and 35, respectively, so me starting it at 35 isn’t a huge shocker. And Vitamin D supplements but I ran out so it’s been a few days without those. I’ll get more later.
Currently what seems to be my depression manifests in long periods (weeks and often months) where I feel I can do very little apart from going to work, occasionally see family (like once every 2 weeks, at most,) and barely keeping up with washing dishes and having clean laundry. (It’s not folded nor is it put away, I have a circulating mountain of clean laundry living on my sofa, it’s not ideal, I know, but it IS clean.)
I have a job that necessitates I go in for my shift, be physically present and perform several varied hands-on tasks. This is mostly manageable at the moment, but occasionally I have needed to take mental health days when I have felt I’m not getting near enough rest or when I have a run of bad anxiety/depression days and it eats into the ‘reserves’ I feel I need to have for work.
I’m naturally an introvert and my job requires me to be socially On--not only to work with my colleagues as part of a team, but also because I need to be very emotionally clued in with my clients, who do not always communicate directly or effectively, or even verbally. So when I’m done with work, 9.99/10 times, I will NOT want to see or even be around people in my downtime. I will put off errands just because I don’t want to be outside of my apartment. (Pandemic’s really helped with my general apathy for being Out and About...people are insane and loud and messy and I can’t make myself be kind after a point.)
I’m hoping to see a change in my energy/motivation levels, just to get things done on a day to day basis without it feeling like a major drama. When I do a single small chore it feels like I’ve won some kind of lottery and I don’t know what brought it on or when the next lottery lucky strike is gonna come. Makes it hard to get into a routine when you can’t depend on your own will to do anything but lie facedown on the bed and feel terrible about not doing the thing. At this point I’d almost welcome some manic behaviours so I could see some stuff get ticked off my To Do list.
I’m asexual and happily single so I’m not overly concerned about the warnings that my libido may take a hit. If it’s a trade to getting stuff done, I know I’ll take Get Stuff Done in a heartbeat.
As far as the headaches/fatigue/insomnia/digestive upset issues go, I hope I can power through them. I’ll as the pharmacist what I can possible do or take to combat temporary side effects, in terms of ibuprofen and maybe melatonin and the like.
I’m also getting a flu shot and COVID booster on Thursday so that’ll be fun.
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luci-in-trenchcoats · 3 years
Text
Imagine…Finding Dean’s Teddy
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Summary: On the way home from a hunt, the reader finds a surprise for a sick Dean waiting back at home...
Pairing: Dean x reader
Square: Much Needed Hug
Word Count: 828
Warnings: language
A/N: Written for @supernatural-jackles​​​ Tell Me A Story Bingo!
_______
“Yes!” you squealed, hopping out of the thrift store, Sam raising his eyebrows from behind the wheel of Baby. You tucked the bag in your arms into your duffel on the trunk before sliding into the passenger seat.
“Uh someone’s excited for some used…something,” said Sam, backing out and heading for the highway for the day long drive home. “Want to explain why we drove three hours out of our way to stop at a random store?”
“Are you going to laugh?”
“Depends. Is it funny?” he asked.
“No. It’s a present for Dean. A personal present,” you said.
“Considering I just drove can I know what the present is?”
“You’re gonna laugh and spoil the whole thing.”
“I swear on my life I will not laugh.”
“You died like two weeks ago. Again.”
“Only kinda,” he said. “I still had brain function, nimrod.”
“Do you realize how strange-“
“We gotta stop dying all the time. But I promise on my current and any future lives I will not laugh. Now come on.” You threw your head back and closed your eyes.
“It’s a teddy bear.”
“Is it haunted? Or cursed?”
“No. It…it belonged to your brother.”
“Dean never had a teddy bear.”
“He did, before you were old enough to remember. When your dad took you two on the road Dean brought it with him. Apparently the day your father put a shotgun in Dean’s hands, his five year old hands, Dean’s teddy bear got left behind.”
“Sometimes I forget how much he lost out on,” said Sam quietly, the murmur of the engine and road filling the space. “I’m not gonna laugh. But I am curious, how the hell did you find a forty year old teddy bear?”
“Magic. A bit of Dean’s hair. Rowena owed me one,” you said. “All of the above.”
“Well however you got it I bet it’s gonna make him feel a lot better from that flu he’s fighting.”
“Think he’ll be mad?”
“Oh he’ll pretend to hate it and then sleep with him for the next week straight. You know how he is.”
“I do. How long until we’re home?”
“Only...twenty one hours,” he said. 
“Is that all,” you said, stretching in your seat.
“Well while I have you as a captive audience, tell me something.”
“What do you want to know?”
“When’d you fall in love with my brother.”
One Day Later
“Dean,” you whispered, slowly cracking open the bedroom door. He was sprawled out on bed, the humidifier going on the nightstand, Dean’s nose pink, wrapped up in sweats and a sweatshirt, a light sheen of sweat on his forehead. You set the bag on the desk and grabbed the thermometer from the nightstand, checking his sticky note from where he’d been writing it down. It’d been going down since the night before and was a low fever last he took it. He blinked open his eyes, jerking back in bed and groaning softly. “Just me.”
You pulled down your mask over your nose, Dean nodding and closing his eyes again. He coughed as you ran a hand over his head, sticking the thermometer in his ear.
“How you feeling, sweetie?” you asked, Dean curling up into a ball with his blankets.
“Bad. But better than before.” He shivered and you were happy to see his temperature was still just barely in a fever.
“I bet your fever will break by morning. Anything I can get you to feel better? Fresh blankies? Some soup? You been eating?”
“Had some broth earlier,” he said. “I didn’t throw up today so that’s a win.”
“Yeah, yeah it is,” you said.
“I think there’s puke on the bathroom floor though. Sorry,” he said.
“It’s okay. We’ll clean it up. Why don’t you sleep some more and I’ll check on you in a little while,” you said.
“Hunt okay?”
“Yeah it was easy. I got you a surprise,” you said. You reached into the bag you’d brought in and pulled out the bear, holding it out to Dean. He sniffled, lazily opening his eyes as you put the bear into his arms.
“Teddy?” he asked, a tired smile crossing his face. He instantly pulled the bear into his chest, squeezing it tight.
“Not the reaction I was expecting,” you said, fixing his blankets around him.
“You got Teddy,” he said, staring up through half open eyes. “How?”
“I have my ways. You like him?”
“I’m too fucking tired to act like the tough guy. I love him,” he said.
“Teddy’s got your back tonight. I’ll be back okay? Shout if you need something. Love you Dean.”
“I love you too,” he sniffled, humming and curling in close to the bear. “Missed you Teddy.”
“How’s the fever?” asked Sam as you shut the door after yourself. “Must be high if he’s hugging his bear.”
“Leave him alone Samuel. He needs to rest. But I do have a job for you in the bathroom.”
_______
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positivelyholland · 2 years
Note
would you write something with chris x teen!daughter reader where she's really sick and he's super worried?
Pairing: Chris Evans x Daughter!reader
genre: hurt/comfort
warnings: sickness, hospitals, mentions of death (but no one actually dies), worried!chris
reader pronouns: she/her
summary: when your case of the flu becomes a lot more serious, chris gets extremely worried
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What’s poking my arm? you thought to yourself. You went down to check your arm, and found you were hooked up to an IV. You looked around, confused, and saw a bright hospital room, with nurses currently checking your heart rate with a rhythmically beating heart monitor.
You try to remember what happened and why you’re in the hospital, but all that came to your head was the memory of the suffering you’ve been going through the past few days, and how you had the worst case of the flu in your life. You were so confused, why am I in the hospital, I wasn’t THAT sick. You looked around to also see your dad who was holding your hand with the most fear-stricken face you’ve ever seen him have.
“Dad?” you tried to talk to him, but your voice was barely a whisper. “What happened? Why am I here?” you started getting nervous, and your voice was full of fear, of which Chris noticed making him need to try to calm you down, although he was the farthest thing from calm.
“Shhhh, don’t worry, Peanut. You’ve been really sick. You passed out from your fever so I decided to take you here, just to get you checked out because it was way too high” he told you.
“Do they know what’s wrong with me yet?” you asked him, referring to your current situation.
“They have a few ideas. They’ve already run some tests and depending on the results of those they might have to do a few more. But don’t worry, it’ll be ok,you’ll be ok” if you weren’t so sick, you probably would’ve picked up on the fact that your dad was trying to convince himself of his own words too, but you were far too tired to hear the concern that overtook him.
Chris really didn’t know if you were going to make it off that hospital bed, neither did the doctors. The thought of losing you absolutely terrified him. You were everything to him. You were his pride and joy, the light of his life. He didn’t know what would happen to you, and that thought scared him sick. He had told his entire extended family to pray for you, and although your family wasn’t very religious, he was desperate. He has even posted on his instagram for you, in the hope to get his fans to pray for you too. He needed you to stay alive.
“Evans” a nurse called out with a knock on the door to your room, which was how they alerted a patient that they were coming into the room.
“That’s us” your dad responded. He glanced over at you, and the state he saw you almost made him cry. You had an IV hooked up to your arm, a tool on your finger to monitor your heart rate, a big thermometer in your arm to make sure your fever didn’t get too high, just to name a few. Any parent seeing their child in a state like this would be heartbroken, and Chris was not exempt from that.
A nurse walked into the room. “We’ve discovered she has a medical condition. It’s not life threatening if you treat it right. Where you guys didn’t know she had it, you weren’t able to treat it. But now that you know, we’ll teach you how to take care of it, and she should be ok” the nurse told him, which was a little relieving for him, but he needed to ask one more question.
“Will she live?” he asked bluntly, and that’s when the tears fell. He had that thought, but saying it out loud is what broke him.
“Yes, she will. Now that we have a diagnosis we’ll be able to treat her, and then she’ll be able to go home with you tomorrow night” Chris felt a giant weight lift off his shoulders. She’s going to live, he thought. He felt so relieved that his daughter wasn’t leaving him, and could go home with him just the next night.
~~~~ The next night ~~~~
You were feeling so much better. The doctors had given you some medicine which helped you go back to being your normal, cheerful self. you were excited because you got to go home tonight. You had been in the hospital for 3 days total, and your dad stayed by your side the whole time.
“You ready, Peanut?” he asked you as he grabbed the bag of stuff he’d been using for himself the past few days.
“Yep, let’s go!” you chirped. You slowly got in your dad’s car and he drove you guys home. You mostly discussed how to take care of your condition properly.
As you arrived back at your house, your dad grabbed your bags from the trunk of the car and opened your car door for you. Although you weren’t extremely sick anymore, your newly-diagnosed condition made it so you couldn’t do everything yourself, meaning he had to help you with a few things. He opened the house door for you, and you walked in. You decided to go take a bath, since you hadn’t in a few days. As you walked up to your bathroom, your dad couldn’t help but shed a few (happy) tears at the sight of seeing you back home and healthy. He was so grateful you won the fight against this sickness. Although it isn’t over, he knew you were strong, and this isn’t a battle you’re going to lose.
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earnestly-endlessly · 3 years
Note
hi! hope you're doing well :) do you have any domestic!cherik fics? or established relationship ones?
Hi anon, thanks for the ask. I'm doing very well, been super busy because I'm currently moving but it's all good. I have plenty of great domestic/established relationship cherik fics for you. I hope you enjoy!!
Domestic/Established Relationship cherik
Daycare ‘Verse’ – orphan_account, pocky_slash
Summary: A modern AU in which Charles runs a mutant daycare and Erik is his long-suffering engineer boyfriend.
Runs in the Family – Anonysquirrel (chibirisuchan)
Summary: Alex knew his own reputation. Hell, he'd started some of his own reputation, because it kept some of the smarter thugs off his back. Everyone knew Alex's reputation. There was no way Hank didn't know his reputation, but he'd brought Alex into a house with some really expensive things and a lot of innocent little kids and his too-friendly, too-harmless dad.
But clearly Hank hadn't told his family anything about Alex, just like he hadn't told Alex anything about his family. At least, not about the brain-breaking parts of his family.
"I didn't know where to start," Hank said, for the dozenth time.
Gift of the Magi, But Screw it Up – librata
Summary: He doesn't know if he's buying too much, too little, or even the right things at all, because he's never entertained a guest as important as Edie Lehnsherr.
Making perfect – aesc
Summary: As is the case with most trials in Erik's life, this one starts with Charles gazing beseechingly at him and asking him for a favor. Not that their going-on-three years relationship is a trial, even though it started with Charles giving Erik the full benefit of sad blue eyes and asking him if he wouldn't mind opening his car door since he'd locked his keys inside, but still.
Continue firm and constant – aesc
Summary: Moira hasn't seen her old partner in saving the world from threats human and intergalactic, Erik Lehnsherr, for a few years. When she finally does see him again, she finds a man different from the one who's been with her down in the dark and the dirt and the blood... or maybe he isn't so different after all.
After School Special – listerinezero
Summary: Charles was barely seventeen and Erik was his social studies teacher. But after almost fifteen years together, does it really matter how they met?
Terrifying Domesticity – ishipitsobad
Summary: Erik is the most dangerous and notorious mafia boss around for miles, and yet the strangest things terrify him.
For example: his children, and his very pregnant mate.
Trying is Half the Battle – Pookaseraph
Summary: Post-Cuba, no divorce, Charles and Erik are in an established relationship and when Charles gets sick with a random flu bug, they discover that Charles can get pregnant. They then try to get pregnant, and try, and try.
We’ll all be gone for the summer – pocky_slash
Summary: Charles and Erik's usual family beach vacation gets a little bigger when they agree to watch Erik's teenaged twins for the summer. Charles is looking forward to a chance to bond with his step-children. Erik is terrified of screwing them up even more.
A Summer Day So Late in Coming – helens78
Summary: Fifty years after they fell in love, Erik comes to Charles with a proposal that rocks Charles's world.
Still Going Strong – JackyJango
Summary: Speaking of forty-eight, Erik hates it. Hates it even more that others are aware of it. While he’s pragmatic enough to know and accept that aging is inexorable, the increase in number gives the people around him the freedom to pounce at him with questions, opinions and advice he'd fought to keep at bay all year.
Besides, Erik believes that youth is a state of mind, not a phase in one’s life.
You have a child’s mind in a man’s body, Charles constantly tells him.
But despite his age, Erik is healthy. He works out daily. His muscles are steel and he can dead-lift four hundred pounds. He can break bones without breaking a sweat. Most importantly, he can still carry Charles to the bedroom and fuck him senseless. And as long as Erik can do that, he’s perfectly happy.
Before You Attempt Me (Fair Warning) – kianspo
Summary: Charles helps Raven get ready for the prom. Surprisingly, that part goes well. The prom itself not so much. Erik cooks a lot of unhealthy comfort foods and is incredibly patient. Charles mostly frets about everything, until Erik does something neither he, nor Raven see coming.
And now you will not be alone any more – pocky_slash
Summary: Erik gives driving, sewing, and cooking lessons, soothes nightmares, bolsters self-esteem, and still can't figure out why Charles keeps smiling at him like that.
Some sense of touch and a melody – pocky_slash
Summary: On a day when Charles, for once, finds himself saying the right thing to everyone he sees, he allows himself to be talked into a field trip to a local orchard.
It’s kind of our whole thing – pearl_o, pocky_slash
Summary: After two years of best friendship, Charles and Erik thought they knew everything there was to know about each other. They're surprised, then, when their first summer as a couple reveals that they have a lot to learn about each other and themselves.
Indulgence – grim_lupine
Summary: “The children are still asleep,” Charles murmurs groggily, flinging an arm out as if searching for Erik beside him. “The house is still standing, this is a ghastly hour, and more importantly, I’m still here. Why do you insist on doing this every morning?”
Your Father’s Daughter – ConsultingWriter
Summary: Wanda proves just how much she takes after Erik.
Pietro reeled back before leaning back in "They didn't tell you what happened? Wanda got in a fist fight and totally wailed on this guy, I mean, on one hand I feel kinda embarrassed for him, but it was so epic."
Erik's eyebrows shot to his hairline. Wanda got in a fight? That was....surprising, to say the least. Wanda tended to take after Charles in temperament and preferred talking to violence.
This Crazy Game Called Life – chiasmus
Summary: Raven declares game night in the mansion. Sean finds an elephant, Erik inherits one hundred unwanted cats, and Charles scars Hank for life with misdirected dirty thinking. This is five thousand-something words of crack with a dose of schmoop. I'm not sorry. Written for this kink meme prompt: Raven is tired of the boys going off to play chess (if they're even playing chess!) and pulls out a load of board games from one of the closets in the mansion. Madness ensues.
To my roomba with love – sareyen
Summary: There are a lot of things that Erik loves about Charles. He loves all of the obvious things; Charles’s kindness, his intelligence, his laughter, his eyes. He also loves the little private things; the way Charles sneaks Erik his unwanted tomatoes, his warbled opera singing in the shower, that sensitive spot on his hip.
And he loves the silly things about Charles, especially the way the man has a habit of talking to inanimate objects when he thinks no one is looking. Charles has conversations with the kettle, the washing machine, and their roomba – and every time Erik eavesdrops on him, he falls in love with the man a little bit more.
Everything About it is a Love Song – pocky_slash
Summary: Erik's spent fifty years being a figurehead and he's ready to leave that behind. Luckily, so is Charles.
(aka Old Retired Dudes in Love)
A Very Xavier-Lehnsherr Christmas – zamwessell
Summary: Erik is discovering new things about Charles Xavier all the time. Charles sometimes talks in his sleep. Often about food. Occasionally in Latin. Charles has a scar on his left thigh from attempting to demonstrate relativity to a girl by sitting on a hot stove. Charles doesn’t mean to be so loud when they make love, but sometimes Charles can’t help himself.
Charles is a voracious reader. Charles has an unspeakably filthy imagination. Charles will try anything in bed twice to make sure he wasn’t wrong the first time.
Charles is unexpectedly fond of Christmas. Perhaps that is not the phrase. “Unhealthily obsessed” might be better.
The fluffiest holiday fluff you ever read in your dang life.
Of Crabs and Castles – flightinflame 
Summary: Charles and Erik take their children to the beach. Wanda builds a sandcastle, Nina makes some friends, and Pietro gets some exercise. Some family fun in the sunshine.
Bring Your Daughter To Work Day – listerinezero
Summary: Charles brings three year old Lorna to class with him.
Glasses – grim_lupine
Summary: Charles blinks at him bemusedly, but Erik barely notices because Charles is wearing glasses— wire-rimmed, and Erik can feel the metal humming, traces without touch the way they follow the curve of Charles’s nose and rest behind his ears.
Genetics Isn’t Sexy – pocky_slash
Summary: Charles lectures. The kids aren't very responsive. Erik, on the other hand....
Peanut Butter and Honey (The Fairytale Remix) – pocky_slash
Summary: Once upon a time there was a Princess named Anya who lived in a house with her Daddy and her wicked stepmother Charles. (A wicked stepmother is the person who comes and lives with princesses and their daddies after their mommies go away.) She had a best friend named Leroy, and one day he was lost.
The Bystander (The Consultant (aka A Westchester Telepath in the Avengers Tower) Remix) – Nanimok
Summary: When it comes to Professor Charles Xavier, telepath, SHIELD consultant and compulsive flirt, no one is safe.
Not even the Big Three.
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asthmark · 4 years
Text
❝ 10 things i know about you ❞ l.jn
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synopsis → there are ten important things you learn about lee jeno during your time in quarantine.
request → “if you're still accepting requests, can u make a domestic roommate!jeno? 🥺🥺 thank you and have a nice dayyy”
word count → 7.1k (bruhhh)
sharing an apartment with lee jeno isn’t ideal.
it’s not that he’s a lousy roommate or that you disliked him in any way; you just didn’t know him. you had first met through a mutual friend. they knew jeno was looking for someone to split rent with and that you happened to need a place to stay. they promised you he would give you privacy and assured jeno you were excellent roommate material. with that, arrangements were made and soon enough you moved in together. of course, it was a bit awkward at first but you two eventually got used to each other’s presence. although you were never in the same room for too long and oftentimes went days without speaking, you coexisted.
for a long time, you only knew a couple things about your roommate. for example, you were aware of his strong love for cats, especially his pet calico, seol. you also knew he kept the freezer stocked with pizza rolls that he would use as energy when he stayed up all night playing video games.
what you didn’t know, however, was that you would be spending the next couple months locked in your apartment with him. on top of that, you would begin to learn more things about him—his life, his personality, his feelings.
there are ten important things you learn about lee jeno during your time in quarantine.
       1. he’s a heavy sleeper.
at 10:28 in the morning you find yourself seated at the dining table in the kitchen, spooning froot loops into your mouth. as you stuff your face, you scroll through your phone for entertainment. you decide to open instagram first but you quickly find that to be a mistake. as soon as you open the app a picture of lucas and who you thought was his ex-girlfriend greets you. if that was bad, the caption hits you like a ton of bricks.
@lucas_xx444: should have never left you
in only five words, lucas has completely erased the months you spent dating. it meant nothing to him. sure, things hadn’t ended things the best way but going right back to his toxic ex and even admitting to missing her—now that was a new low. was this his way of getting back at you? his way of making you hurt just like he had throughout your entire relationship? the thought alone leaves you feeling sick.
you decide you’ve already had enough social media for one morning so you decide to check your messages instead. your friends usually left a couple of them overnight. to your surprise, you find that your main group chat has accumulated 241 messages.
[10:48 am] you: good morning i see u guys have been vry chatty
[10:49 am] yeji: ur finally awake!
[10:50 am] yuna: we thought u died lol
[10:50 am] lia: YUNA
[10:50 am] lia: NO
[10:51 am] ryujin: the timing for that joke could not be worse
[10:52 am] yuna: humor is my coping mechanism leave me alone
[10:52 am] you: ??? what happened
[10:53 am] chaeryeong: we left msgs for a reason dummy read them!!
[10:53 am] you: umm there’s over 200 and im not abouta read all that
[10:54 am] yuna: well then lemme break it down
[10:54 am] yuna: the world is ending :)
[10:55 am] you: welp it was about time
[10:55 am] lia: why r u guys like this
[10:56 am] yeji: there’s been a covid-19 outbreak and it’s spreading like wildfire so the government issued a stay at home order :/
[10:57 am] you: omg WHAT
[10:57 am] ryujin: ikr it’s crazy we literally can’t go anywhere
[10:57 am] chaeryeong: and we can’t get boba today either ;( i was so looking forward to that
[10:58 am] ryujin: let’s pls take a moment of silence for all the current and future boba dates that will have to be cancelled
[10:59 am] yuna: no way am i gonna let some wannabe flu make me go boba-less i’m still going out >:(
[10:59 am] lia: ...ur joking right
[10:59 am] yeji: what color casket do u want yuna?
before the groupchat can distract you any further, you place your phone down on the table. you sit back in your chair and let the newly revealed information sink in.
you were stuck inside.
you sigh before standing to clean your dishes. as you’re scrubbing away at your bowl, you feel something brush against your leg. you smile, not even having to look down to know it was seol. the cat would often wander into your room or sleep next to you when you watched tv on the couch. in fact, you were pretty sure you spent more time with seol than his owner.
you gaze at jeno’s room. as always, the door is shut. you wonder if you should let him know what was happening. you two usually kept your distance but you figured that the circumstance you found yourself in was an exception. you quickly dry your hand and shuffle towards his room.
you knock once, quite softly. you assume he’s asleep so you try again, this time a little harder. still, no avail. the third time you put even more force into it. by this time, seol has found his way beside you and claws at the door.
“jeno?” you knock a fourth time. “jeno! lee jeno!”
after more shouting accompanied by incessant meowing, you hear some muffled movement. moments later the door knob twists open and there stands your roommate with disheveled hair and a robe that had obviously just been thrown on his body. seol has taken the open crack in the door as an invitation inside the bedroom.
jeno blinks a couple times as he watches the feline get himself comfortable on his bed. he turns back to you, looking slightly disoriented. you’re not sure if he’s half asleep or your sudden presence has thrown him for a loop. his voice comes out raspy when he asks, “was he, um, bothering you or something?”
you shake your head, vigorously. “that’s not why i came. it’s just that my friends told me that there’s been some kind of virus outbreak and we’re supposed to stay home. so, i thought i’d let you know.”
his face softens. “oh, cool.” suddenly, the look changes. “not the virus thing! that’s totally not cool. i meant, it’s cool that you let me know and stuff. you just saved me a huge freak out so, uh, thank you.”
you smile and nod. “no problem.”
jeno’s eyes linger as you retreat back into your room down the hall. the sound of his door shutting is heard only once you’re out of his eyesight.
   2.    he can cook better than you.
most of the time, you would go out to eat dinner with your friends in the evenings or at least stop by a drive thru. obviously, this was no longer possible in the midst of a pandemic. you found that to be incredibly frustrating as you sat on your bed, stomach empty. no matter how badly you wished to fix it, your laziness had gotten the best of you. apart from that, you already knew how unlucky you were when it came to cooking—the memory of burning noodles at lia’s house one night had been permanently seared into your brain.
you almost believe your mind is playing tricks on you when you catch a whiff of pasta in the air. for a moment you think it’s your next door neighbor, taeyong, cooking again. you knew he was quite the chef. but, the smell is getting stronger by the second and you decide it must be in your apartment.
you wander into the kitchen, only to find jeno standing over the stove. he’s stirring red sauce in a pot when he notices you watching him.
“oh, hey,” he greets with a polite wave.
you can only stare at the rest of the kitchen—pots, pans, and ingredients all over the place—in utter awe.
he chuckles, awkwardly. “yeah, sorry about the mess. i’ve been told i’m a decent cook but i can never seem to get the tidiness down.”  
“no, it’s not that. this just all seems so... professional.” you sniff the air once more. “smells amazing, too.”
he smiles, sheepishly. “thanks. are you a fan of spaghetti?”
you nod.
“good. i wanted to make something you’d like.”
“you really didn’t have to,” you say, leaning against the fridge. “i mean, i’ve never done anything for you.”
he uncovers a pot to check on the pasta. you watch as hot steam rises out of it. “what about this morning?”
you can’t help but laugh. “that most certainly does not count. you’re making an entire meal. that takes a lot of effort.”
he waves a hand, dismissively. “i used to cook a lot with my old roommate, doyoung. the guy was an asian gordon ramsey, i swear. so, yeah, this is nothing too crazy. and i really do enjoy it.”
“well, i’m still gonna repay you.” you fold your arms.
he looks away from his dish to raise a brow. “is that so?”
you nod in confirmation. “definitely.”
“tell you what, if you wash the mountain of dishes that are gonna be left over, we’ll be even.”
you stare at the sink that’s already overflowing with dirty kitchen tools. that wasn’t even half of it. “uh, sure, sounds good.”
he laughs at hearing the uncertainty in your voice. “that’s the spirit.”
   3.    he’s allergic to cats.
the familiar sound of soft purring is what pulls you attention away from the movie playing on your laptop. already knowing exactly who it is, you launch yourself off your bed to allow your furry guest inside.  
“hey seol. what’ve you been up to?”
the calico meows, almost as if he were responding to your question. you close your door and go back to your original position. you notice seol sitting directly in front of your bed, looking up at you with wide eyes.
“come on up.” you pat your sheets, invitingly.
he obeys and stretches before laying down beside you.
“have you ever watched ‘avengers’?” you ask, eyes going back to the explosive fight scene on the screen.
this time, seol doesn’t even bother humoring you with a meow. he stays silent with his head tucked into his paws.
you scratch his head and his tail wiggles. “i’ve gotta stop asking you questions.”
both you and seol’s heads snap towards the door when you hear a knock.
“come in!” you call out.  
jeno swings open the door. his eyes briefly scan the room before landing on the furball on your bed. the unmistakable look of adoration shines in his eyes when he sees how lovingly you caress him.
“seol! what are you doing in here? bothering y/n?” the cat jumps off your bed and towards his owner standing in your doorway. jeno scoops him into his arms and faces you. “i’m so sorry. he saw me running a bath for him and bolted.”
“it’s all good. he’s a great movie buddy. besides, i could always use the company.”
jeno curiously glances at your computer screen. “is that ‘avengers’?”
“yep. i’ve seen it like a dozen times.”
“same here.“ he pauses. “hey, if you ever need a movie buddy—like you know, one that talks—just let me know.”
your face lights up. “i’m gonna hold you to that.”
”i hope so. well, if you’ll excuse me, i’ve gotta give this guy a bath.”
seol yowls as if he understands the meaning behind the words and attempts to escape jeno’s grip.    
“here we go again,” he mumbles under his breath.
you snicker at the sight. “looks like you could use some help.”
“oh, no. it’s fine. he can just be a little bratty someti—seol!”
in the blink of an eye, the feline has successfully hopped out of his arms and made a run for it.
jeno gives you an exasperated look before rushing off to catch his runway pet. you find yourself caught up in the excitement so you follow him, the two of you now in pursuit of the calico. you’re sure the image of you both chasing the fluffy animal around the apartment looks like something straight out of a comedy. even you and jeno can’t contain your laughter when he finally catches seol only for him to slip out of his hold a second later. this exact situation repeats itself a couple times before you finally get lucky.
“i got him!” you screech. “jeno! oh my god! what do i do?”
“bathroom, bathroom, bathroom!” he chants in response.
you head in that direction with jeno trailing behind you, ready to catch seol if he somehow manages to get out of your death grip. you bend over the bathtub, slowly lowering the cat into the water. it’s clear he doesn’t have a problem with making a fuss as he wails and flails his limbs around.
after a while, he finally calms down enough that you can lather him in shampoo. jeno insists on scrubbing him, arguing that you had already done way too much. you sit back on your heels, observing the way the seol leans into his delicate touches.
“looks like he likes it now.”
“he likes to make a big deal but he ends up enjoying it every—“ jeno cuts himself off with a sneeze.
“tissue?” you offer.
he shakes his head. “that’s okay, thanks. i’m used to it. i’m just surprised my allergies haven’t acted up ‘til now.”
“allergies?” you echo.
“yeah, i’m allergic to—“ another sneeze. “cats.”
your eyes widen. “really? and you still have seol?”
“i could never get rid of him. he’s too good of a boy. isn’t—“ sneeze. “that right?” he tickles seol under his chin.
“wow. you must really love him.”
“so much.”
“he’s lucky to have you.”
“what about you? you get both of us. doesn’t that make you the luckiest?”
you snort. “i guess it does.”
   4.    he makes a good shopping buddy.
“i have officially cooked everything we have.”
“i can order some takeout, if you want?”
he juts his lower lip out and gives you puppy eyes. “but i like to cook for you.”
you laugh at his expression. “oh god, you look like that one pouty emoji people use when they try to be cute.”
he sits up. “did it work?”
you nod and pinch his cheek.
he yelps. “ah, stop! you’re acting like my grandma!” he manages to get out of your grasp. he rubs his face, soothing the spots you had squeezed. “seriously, though, we really do need to stock up on food.”
“i’ve already been looking into it.” you show him the screen of your phone. “says here you can still go shopping as long as you wear a mask and try to stay six feet away from other shoppers.”
he cringes. “i don’t know if i like the idea of being so close to so many people.”
“i can go by myself, then,” you suggest with a shrug.
he doesn’t hesitate to deny you. “no way are you going alone.” his possessive tone has you staring at him curiously so he adds, “you know, in case you can’t reach something on the top shelf.”
the teasing comment paired with his innocent smile makes you gasp in disbelief. “lee jeno! that’s low! and to think i almost thought you were worried about me.”
“who said i wasn’t?” he smiles at you again before standing up. “i’m going to find us some masks and then we can head out.”  
once you arrive at your local grocery store, you find it to be packed. everyone seems to be in a hurry, grabbing things left and right.
“wow, it’s already gotten crazy,” jeno mumbles, stopping to stare at the flood of people that rush by.
you don’t hesitate to scold him. “well, don’t just stand there! we gotta get our stuff before there’s nothing left!”
without another word you slip into the frenzy of people. jeno struggles to stay behind you. after almost losing sight of you a couple times, he walks a little faster to catch up and places his arm firmly around your waist once he does. you look up at him, your mask covering your slightly agape mouth.
being the gentleman he is, he apologizes. “sorry but i don’t want us to get separated.”
you can only nod and mumble, “good idea.”
jeno pushes the shopping cart with his right hand and holds your figure with his left. once in a while, you’ll break apart from each other to grab an item you need but once it’s in the cart, he’ll make sure you end up in the same position. after an hour or so, you’ve grabbed enough and you decide it’s time to pay.
despite the mask she has on, you can tell the middle-aged woman behind the cash register has a big smile on her face once she catches sight of you and your roommate.
“well, just look at you two.” she sighs. “how cute.”
“oh.” you glance at her then jeno then her again. “oh, no. it’s not like that.”
you attempt to move yourself away from jeno only to find his grip to be so incredibly strong that you almost begin to think he’s trying to hold you in place. once you finally detach yourself from him, you begin loading your groceries onto the counter for the employee to scan. she does so, but not before giving you a displeased look.  
“oh really? he holds you like that because you aren’t together?”
jeno assists her in placing the scanned items in bags. “i didn’t want to lose her.”
she pauses scanning a can of tuna to stare him down. “darling, that sounds like a line from a cheesy hallmark rom-com.”
you can’t help but chuckle. “what he means is that there’s a lot of people here and we didn’t want to get separated.”
jeno adds, “desperate times calls for desperate measures.”
the woman adjusts her glasses. “well, you do certainly seem desperate to have her close to you.”
jeno doesn’t say a word as he continues bagging but his smile reaches his eyes.
   5.    he works out.
why did the pandemic have to hit in the middle of summer?
you often asked yourself this, complaining about how inconvenient it was. especially on the days that made your apartment feel like it was on fire. the days that required a thin tank top and shorts. even then, you found yourself to be drenched in sweat.
you sprawled your arms and legs farther on the sofa, the leather material proving to be very uncomfortable. it was either that or your bed with the warm cotton sheets that stuck to your body. just thinking about it brings you discomfort. the only relief you could think of was a cold shower. you would have already taken one if jeno hadn’t been hogging the one bathroom in the apartment.
“jeno!” you yell.
silence; other than the sound of the water running.
“lee jeno!”
the water stops, temporarily for him to shout back an answer. “what?!”
you wipe at the sweat that has accumulated on the bridge of your nose. “hurry up! i’m melting!”
the water starts back up again and you groan. hoping to distract yourself, you pull out your phone. the group chat with your friends is surprisingly silent so you go to instagram for some entertainment. this time, your ex-boyfriend’s post isn’t the first thing you see. it takes you some scrolling but you do end up seeing another one of his pictures.
it’s simply two intertwined hands with a black and white filter. you identify the one on the left as his and although you aren’t as familiar with the one on the right, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out who it belongs to. contrary to the last, this photo has no cheesy words for a caption, just a red heart.  
but, your stomach doesn’t drop. you don’t feel hurt, either. obviously, you still don’t enjoy seeing him just because of all the awful memories that came with it but other than that, you feel unaffected by the image.
in fact, you feel so confident in yourself that you block him.
you’re surprised you hadn’t done it sooner. you had known you didn’t need him in your life any longer so why keep in contact? you feel like a huge weight has been lifted off your shoulders when you press the red button that would keep him and his girlfriend out of your life. you knew with your whole heart that you didn’t need to see either of them.
before, a bit if you had felt the need to keep an eye on him. to see how he was handling the breakup and torture yourself with the fact that he didn’t seem to care. now, you could say you truly didn’t either. you didn’t need him or his stupid pictures. you had other, better things.
your friends.
your cat (yes, you considered seol to be yours).
your roommate.
you had to admit, jeno was the best thing on that list. quarantine had brought you and him significantly closer and you were over the moon about it. he was so wonderful that you kicked yourself for having lived with him for so long without ever really getting to know him. but it was easy to say you two were making up for lost time seeing as you spent every waking moment together. the record long showers jeno took being an exception, of course.
the moment the door to the bathroom opens, you rush into your room and quickly grab an oversized t-shirt and loose pajama pants to change into after your shower. you nearly drop them when you’re met with jeno’s soaking figure in the hallway.
his hair is damp and you can clearly see how long it had become. his skin looks healthy and moisturized, lotion among other skin care products had probably been applied. what really has you in a shock is the fact that the towel barely hangs below his waist. the droplets of water that fall from his hair and down his neck trail down his chest and toned torso towards the only area he has bothered to cover up. his bulky arms are also slightly wet, his veins popping noticeably. he shakes his head in an attempt to rid his hair of any water. then he runs his fingers through it, his muscles flexing ever so slightly as he does so.
“dude!” you exclaim, without a second thought. “you’re ripped!”
he smiles, his round cheeks growing at the unexpected praise. the way he could have such a rugged body but soft-featured face puzzled you to no extent. “thank you. i lift sometimes.”
“sometimes?” you repeat. “don’t be so humble! you’re basically hercules!”
he clicks his tongue. “ah, c’mon. i’m just an athletic person.”
you keep admiring his physique. “clearly.”
“oh god,” he groans, obviously flustered. “you’re looking at me like you’re gonna eat me or something.”
you hold yourself back from making a less than appropriate innuendo. “no comment.”
his eyebrows shoot up in disbelief. “quarantine is really making you go crazy.”
you point a finger at him. “you try being stuck inside with your hot roommate!”
“trust me, y/n, i know all about hot roommates.”
you tilt your head, acting purposefully oblivious. “are you talking about doyoung?”
“what? no i—“ he sighs. “you know what, just take your shower.”
   6.    you can’t say no to him.
jeno ruffles his black locks with his hand and frowns.
you give him a disappointed look. “knock it off, you’re gonna get dandruff in your soup.”
he ignores your comment. “i look like a hobo.”
you pause, spoon halfway to your mouth. “this i know.”
“y/n, this is serious!”
“okay, okay. what’s the issue?”
“i already told you! i’m a bum!”
“you? a bum?” you pause to think about it. “i mean, mentally? maybe. but physically? no.”
“my hair, though. it’s so long.” he grabs a strand of it and pulls it to emphasize his point.
you shrug. “if having lots of hair is the standard for being a bum, i think most of the population is.”
“i want to cut it,” he announces.
“you should,” you say, pointing your spoon at him. “wanna know why? because if you mess up, no one will ever know. other than me, of course. but if you pay me enough i’ll let you forget it.”
he smiles at the joke for a moment before he leans forward and his face goes serious. “will you help me?”
“what? no way. i’ll mess up. and it’s only funny if you do it.”
he pouts. “please?”
you stir your soup around. “just watch some youtube videos. after three, you’re automatically a professional.”
“i want you.”
the statement has your neck snapping up from your bowl to him. the smug grin on his face lets you know that he was well aware of the double meaning behind his words. it was clear he was trying to fluster you enough to get a yes.
“you think you’re flirty enough to straight up brainwash me into doing stuff?”
“well, i wanted to say that to you anyway but... kind of?”
you feel a smile creep onto your lips at hearing the genuine tone in his voice. you down your last few spoonfuls of soup and quickly stand up. jeno looks up at you, eyes hopeful.
“finish your dinner. get the scissors. meet me in the bathroom.”
not even ten minutes later, jeno practically dances into the bathroom, a pair of red craft scissors in his hand. he sits on top of the toilet lid, figuring that’d be the easiest way for you to reach him. you walk in moments later.
“i’m pretty sure we’re not supposed to be using these types of scissors for hair,” he mumbles as he hands you the sharp utensil.
you twirl them in your hand. “oh, definitely not. do you want to wait then?”
he shakes his head, his shaggy bangs swaying with the movement.  
“alright, let’s get this going then.” you thread your hands through his thick locks to collect some of it in between two of your fingers. you bring the scissors forward and snip the small amount just to test the waters.
you slowly begin to get more comfortable and once you feel like you’re in your element, things begin to speed up. you move and cut faster but with efficiency. you do the spots on the back of his head and work your way forward. when it finally comes time to touch up his bangs, your small bathroom proves to be an inadequate spot to be doing this.
you end up standing balanced inches above jeno’s thighs that he’s pressed together tightly in an attempt to give you more room. you’re constantly readjusting your stance and when he notices, his hands go to your hips. you know he’s just trying to help you stay upright so you do a decent job but you still inhale sharply at the feeling of his hands on you.
not long after, you’re standing next to jeno as he inspects himself in the mirror. his fingers flick his newly shortened bangs around.
“not bad.” he tilts his head in a new angle and nods. “looks super good to me.”
you tuck the scissors into your back pocket with a relieved sigh. “oh thank god. i didn’t want to tell you before we started but i only watched two youtube tutorials on trimming hair.”
he runs a hand through his hair with a chuckle. “now that’s truly worthy of praise. and a tip.”
you raise a brow. “oh yeah? what’s th—“
he cuts you off by pressing a chaste kiss to your forehead. he pulls back and drags his thumb over the skin that has come into contact with his lips. “thanks again.” with that, he leaves you standing in the bathroom, eyes wide and face warm.
   7.    he has six best friends.
“can i borrow your laptop?” asks jeno, from outside your door, nearly breathless.
you look up from your book. “uh yeah, sure.”
he rushes in your room and takes the item off of your dresser. “do you happen to have zoom on it?”
you shake your head and he groans. without another word, he disappears, running off into the living room. you hear his frustrated sighs as the minutes pass and he attempts to download the application. you finally decide to go check it out once it becomes too much to bear.
“it sounds like you’re in pain over here,” you comment.
he runs a hand through his hair. “i’m supposed to meet with my friends through a zoom call but it’s so complicated.”
you put a hand on your hip. “bet you five bucks i’ll be able to get it in five minutes.”
“are you kidding? i might be technologically challenged but i’m not stupid. i know you can do it fast, just help me out already, would you?”
“alright, grandpa.”
you type and click away at the screen, jeno watching you do so, entranced but equally as lost.
“well, i was wrong,” you say after a couple moments, leaning back in your chair.
“you couldn’t get it?” asks jeno, worriedly.
“no, it’s not that.” you click something on the screen and the app opens. “turns out i could do it in three.”
he rolls his eyes and shoos you out of the chair. he sits down and enters the code and password for the zoom meeting. it takes a minute, but he finally connects. you count six other people in the call. they all immediately cheer at seeing jeno and you hear them excitedly exclaim his name.
“hey guys,” he says, a smile already reaching his eyes. “it’s so good to see your faces.”
they all nod to agree. you get a good look at each one of them and realize they’re all boys. your eyes read over each of their display names.
mark me in ur heart
hyuckie~~~
moomin enthusiast
nananananana
chnele
lil huddy
“nice name, jeno,” ‘moomin enthusiast’ guy comments, snickering slightly. “glad to see you finally came to terms with it.”
‘jenojam’, his name reads. the rest of the group laughs, also teasing him about it. you assume it’s some kind of inside joke.
the self proclaimed ‘lil huddy’ furrows his eyebrows. “wait, did you choose that name yourself?”
jeno simply nods in response.
he glares into the camera. “donghyuck, you told me i had to put this as my name or else it wouldn’t let me connect!”
donghyuck—or ‘hyuckie~~~’, you presume—shrugs. “oops. guess i was wrong.”
you laugh at the humorous exchange. it seems like the sound has drawn some attention to you when ‘nananananana’ speaks up, eyes trained on you.
“um jeno? don’t you want to introduce your guest?”
jeno beams, dragging you closer into the frame. “i’m sure you all know about my roommate. say hi, y/n.” 
you do so, waving and smiling politely at the group.
“you know, even though we used to always hang at jeno’s, i don’t think we’ve ever actually seen your face,” ‘chnele’ says, tilting his head.
you agree. “me neither. i’ve mostly just heard you guys.”
the ‘mark me in your heart’ boy sheepishly rubs his neck. “sorry. we tend to be a little loud.”
‘chnele’ lets out a high pitched screech of a laugh. “only a little?”
“i recognize that laugh!” you blurt. “i would hear it all the time!”
”that’s our little dolphin,” coos ‘hyuckie~~~’.
“oh god, stop. i hate that stupid nickname.”
“it’s well deserved.”
“i think you should apologize to y/n for being a nightmare to her eardrums.”
“and ours, for that matter.”
“what about all your little freestyles? i’ve had to sit through hundreds of them and i never got an apology!”
“because they’re not bad! could you do any better?”
“you’re a soundcloud rapper, i think anyone could.”
jeno turns to you as the bickering on screen gets louder and louder. “this is gonna be a long call.”
once the group has moved on from roasting the life out of each other, you’re able to engage in some good-natured conversation. jeno teaches you the names and the other basics about the group. some points that stand out about the group is that mark is the oldest, renjun specializes in contemporary dance, jaemin inhales six cups of coffee on the daily, and chenle is insanely rich.
“what about jeno?” you ask them. “anything i should know about him?”
“he’s allergic to cats but the idiot still adopted—“
“she already knows about that, renjun,” jeno chuckles.
“oh. well. that’s pretty much the only interesting thing about him.”
jisung pipes up. “oh wait! he works out religiously too!”
you and jeno share a look. you burst into laughter and he simply glances away, slightly embarrassed. “oh yeah, i know that all too well.”
“and what about the unhealthy cooking obsession?”
you nod at mark’s question. “that too. he cooks dinner almost every night around here.”
renjun purses his lips. “he already cooks for you? wow. he must really like you.”
“you think?” jaemin asks. “didn’t you read any of the messages in the group chat? he’s practically in love with her. his words, not mi—“
“okay! i think it’s time for us to go! bye guys!” jeno doesn’t even give you a chance to say your own goodbye before he’s clicking the ‘end call’ button in the bottom right corner.
you give him a confused look. “what was that all about?”
“they’re crazy.” he laughs. “well, if you need me i’ll be in my room screaming into my pillow for the next couple hours.” he dashes off leaving you standing alone, trying to comprehend what had happened.
   8.    he‘s a great listener.
jeno has officially replaced seol as your movie buddy, not that you have a problem with it. you thought it was nice to have someone you could actually converse with but of course, you make sure seol still sits in.
“what i’m saying is that iron man just wants to protect his team.”
“well, if they sign the accords, they basically surrender themselves to the government.”
“and?”
“you don’t see a problem with that? see, captain america knows what he’s doing. he’s literally an avenger—“
“so is iron man!”
“let me finish! so, he’s an avenger, right? he has the best judgment because he’s saved the world countless times. he knows how to operate his team and do the right thing.”
“okay but there’s casualties. and that’s what iron man is trying to fix.”
“how do you save the world and not have casualties?”
“you just—“ your phone rings mid argument and you raise your finger towards jeno. “this isn’t over.” you put the phone to your ear, not bothering to check the caller id. “hello?”
“sweetheart?”
you feel a chill go up your spine. was it him? no, it couldn’t be. you had blocked his number shortly after you did so on all your social media.
“baby, don’t be so shy. i know you’re there.”
you can’t hold back. “please don’t call me that.”
he chuckles, breathlessly. “oh, c’mon. you used to love it. you still do.”
“no, i don’t. actually, i don’t want to hear your stupid pet names or stupid voice or see any of your stupid posts. just go bother your girlfriend and leave me alone.”
you notice jeno perk up beside you out of the corner of your eye. he must have been caught off guard by your irritated tone.
as always, lucas is unaffected by you. “i’m being nice and giving you a second chance. i even called you behind soyeon’s back.”
“is that something i’m supposed to reward you for?” you scoff. “congratulations, you’re now awful, toxic, and a cheater.”
he growls. the sound was familiar. in your relationship, if you heard it you knew he was going to snap at you until he had the satisfaction of making you cry. “i know you miss me so don’t say things you’re going to regret later. because even when you’re back in my arms, i won’t let you forget it.”
the thought of being back with him made you feel icky. but the fact that he sincerely thought you would crawl back to him set your entire body on fire. “are you joking? i was always aware of the fact that you treated me like the dirt you walked on but do you seriously think that lowly of me?”
you’re rendered speechless and apparently, so is he because the other line stays silent.
“i wouldn’t go back to you if you were the last person on earth,” you spit. “you treated me horribly, wong yukhei. i won’t ever forget it. move on. i have.”
you glance at jeno, his expression more serious than you’ve ever seen it. his eyebrows are furrowed and his eyes are trained on your cellphone. the glare he gives the device is so strong you wouldn’t be surprised if even lucas could feel it, wherever he was.
you hang up and block the number, wishing to never talk to him again. you toss your phone onto the sofa with an exasperated sigh. you find jeno’s gaze to still be focused intensely on it.  
“if you gave lucas that look, i’m pretty sure he’d cry.”
he breaks his concentration, eyes going to you instead. his entire face softens. “all i’m going to say is he better pray we never cross paths.”
“well, if you happen to, call me up. i wouldn’t mind helping you beat the crap out of him.”
jeno chuckles for a second then lowers his voice to a whisper. “he was really bad to you, huh?”
you nod. “he messed me up. i hate to admit it ‘cause i know i was stupid to stay with him for as long as i did.”
your roommate shakes his head. “don’t say that. it’s not your fault he messed up the best thing that would ever happen to him.”
“i thought i was the problem for so long, jeno. i was so blinded by love. then, i realized there was no way he truly cared for me when he treated me like i had no heart to be broken.”
jeno scoots towards you and rubs soothing circles into your arm. “you have such a big heart. and i can’t tell you how sorry i am that he took advantage of that. i’m sorry that you were stuck with someone so insecure and ignorant. please, don’t think about him anymore.”
you hold in your tears. you refused to cry over someone like lucas. “i know. i try so hard not to.”
jeno holds your head into his chest. his arms are placed securely on your back. “oh, baby.”
when jeno uses this pet name on you, it feels so completely different from lucas. you could tell me meant it. he wasn’t using it to make you stay a little longer, to assure you he loved you. strangely enough, you do not need to be convinced of that. you feel like you have known it for a long time.  
   9.    he likes to be the big spoon.
you’re not sure how he’s done it but you end up falling asleep in jeno’s arms. you assume it had been so long since you had been cradled and rocked so delicately that the foreign yet extremely delightful sensation knocked you right out. even seol is deep in sleep, laying down peacefully at your feet.  
you relish in the feeling of jeno pressed right into your back. he fits so perfectly against you that it reminds you of a puzzle piece. to be exact, the moment when you connect the last two pieces and the full picture becomes complete. that was how you felt—complete.
with jeno’s soft breaths tickling the back of your neck and his soft snores filling your ear, you know there’s nowhere else you’d rather be. his arm that is wrapped around you makes sure you can’t escape his embrace. you are positive that even if you had the liberty of doing so, you would stay exactly where you were.
you lean farther back into your pillow, closing your eyes. you let every thought fade away as you try to fall back asleep as soon as possible. you wanted the moment you found yourself in to last as long as possible.
   10.    he has feelings for you.
jeno mumbles sweet nothings into your ear as he toys with your hair.
it just seemed right to him. like something he was meant to do with you. he had seen these types of things in films and shows before. it was intimate and touching, the scenes were always meant to tug at the audience’s heart strings and show how in love the two characters were. perhaps, even though you lay asleep in his arms, he wants you to finally know.
“honestly, being inside with you all the time is kind of the best. i know the whole virus situation is less than ideal but being able to spend so much time with you... that’s all i could ask for.” he pauses. “isn’t it so crazy how before this we were all weird and awkward around each other? well, i guess we still kind of are. that’s mostly my fault so... sorry. i just don’t know how to act around you sometimes. we’re barely getting close and i’m already this attached to you. as jisung would so kindly say, ‘i’m simping’.” he chuckles to himself. “all jokes aside, i really do like you. ever since you moved in here all cute and nervous, you’ve taken your own little place in my heart, as cheesy as it sounds. and these past few weeks, you just keep on taking up more and more room in there. not that i have a problem with it. i just...” he stops as if he doesn’t know how else to express his feelings. “really, really like you.”
“thanks.”
you feel him jolt then abruptly stop stroking your hair. there’s silence until he asks, “you don’t happen to be a sleep talker, do you?”
you shake your head.
“and did you hear like, a lot of what i said?”
“only the important stuff. like how awkward you are and how much you like me.”
“o-oh.”
“but don’t worry. it’s mutual.”
you feel his relieved breath hit the skin of your neck. “that’s the best thing i’ve heard all day.”
you tilt your head back and stare at him, confused. “what, did you seriously think i wasn’t into you?”
he shrugs. “i was too busy simping, i guess.”
you can’t contain your laughter at the use of the slang. “park jisung would not be proud.”   
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gamergirl929 · 3 years
Text
The Greatest Healing Therapy Is Friendship (And Love) (Tobin Heath x Reader)
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Leaving physical therapy one day, Tobin Heath becomes enthralled with the sound of a nearby voice, which inevitably leads her to you, a patient with a bad heart, and a kind smile. 
Tobin Heath was far from happy.  
Injuries happened from time to time, but being benched for 10-12 weeks, for not only a number of Manchester United games, but the She Believe’s Cup as well put Tobin in an incredibly foul mood, a rain cloud hanging over her head.  
She stops midstride when she hears someone barking out a laugh, the sound making her head turn back and forth in search of its source.  
“Listen, you and I both know this food is shit.”  
Tobin’s brows arch as she peeks into a nearby room. She wasn’t the type to intrude, but for some reason she felt pulled forward by the voice.  
Tobin watches a crinkle form between your brows as you turn her way, though moments later a smile stretches across your face.  
“Look there, let’s get a second opinion.” You grin, nodding to Tobin.  
“So stranger, this food sucks, right? I mean, don’t even get me started on the Jello...”  
Tobin clears her throat, shaking her head.  
“I-I haven’t had it.”  
You sigh, your head hanging in defeat.  
“Sorry to say stranger, but you’ve let me down.” You frown, your head lolling towards the nurse.  
“The food’s still shit.”  
The nurse rolls her eyes, but she can't deter the smile that stretches across her face.  
“You still have to eat Y/N.”  
The nurse shakes her head as she leaves the room.  
You whine.  
“Ey! Can I get some Popeyes? Taco Bell?”
“No!” You hear the nurse shout and you groan, your hand resting on your chest.  
You turn to Tobin with an arched brow.
“I’m not sure if we’ve ever met stranger, I’m Y/N.”  
Tobin steps towards the bed with a smile, her eyes darting from the multiple machines around you to the wires that lead down the front of your hospital gown. 
“Mind the attire.” You chuckle and Tobin smiles.  
“I’m Tobin.” She whispers, nodding to the machines.  
“What happened?” She asks curiously and you sigh.  
“Heart attack, I know, I know, how can someone as young and good looking as me have a heart attack?” You smirk, the woman unable to bite back a grin.  
“I didn't know heart disease was hereditary until I ended up in the hospital because of it.” You sigh tiredly.  
After a lengthy yawn, you turn to Tobin.
“So, Tobin, what is the purpose of your visit?” You ask and she shrugs.  
“Just had to see who was going so hard at the nurse.” She smiles and you snort. 
“Eh, I’ve been here for a while, they’re used to it by now.” You shrug, your eyelids fluttering.  
“Well Tobin, it was nice meeting you, feel free to drop by next time you’re in, I’ll probably be here.” You sigh, unable to fight off sleep.  
Tobin smiles, her brown orbs on you as you slowly drift off.  
Tobin’s smile splits into a grin.  
“Nice meeting you too, Y/N. I might take you up on that.”  
                                                             ***
It’s a day or two later that Tobin finds herself limping down the same hallway, the woman coming to a stop in front of a particular patient’s door.  
She slowly pushes the door open, poking her head inside.  
“Anybody home?” She asks as she knocks on the door, the woman receiving no response.  
Tobin frowns.  
She’d hoped to see you after a tough day of physical therapy, but unfortunately, it looked as if that wasn’t going to happen.  
“I see you took me up on my offer.”  
Tobin turns around, smiling when she sees you being wheeled towards her by the nurse from the other day, a massive grin on your face.  
“I was in the neighborhood.” Tobin shrugs and you chuckle.  
“Boot looks good on you.” You wink and Tobin snorts.  
“Sure, it does.”  
You nod towards the door.  
“Let me get hooked back up and then you can come in, I’m pretty sure we’re not to the point where you’re okay with seeing me naked.” You snort, Tobin’s eyes widening as her cheeks flush.  
“Ye-Ye-Yeah.”  
You lean your head back.  
“Ready driver?”
The nurse rolls her eyes, unable to hold back a giggle.  
“To get you out of my hair?”  
You pout, your hand resting on your chest.  
“You wound me so.”  
Tobin shakes her head, the woman leaning against a nearby wall as she waits for you to get dressed.  
Moments later the door is swinging open, the nurse from before making her way out with a smile.  
“She’s decent.”  
Tobin pushes off the wall before making her way into your room, the woman smiling when she sees you.  
You give her a wave.  
“Haven’t seen you in agessssssssss!” You snicker and Tobin rolls her eyes, pulling a nearby chair to the side of your bed before flopping down into it.  
“What’s your damage anyway?” You ask and Tobin nods to her boot.  
“Ankle.”  
You grimace.  
“How’d you do that?”  
“Playing soccer.”  
You hum.  
Tobin nods to you.  
“How’d...” Tobin points to your chest and you sigh.  
“I was jogging. My chest got really tight and I went down like a sack of potatoes.” You shrug.  
“I woke up with a tube down my throat and an incision down my chest.”
Tobin frowns, glancing around the room, her frown deepening when she realizes there’s no balloons, or even a get well soon card.  
You sigh, your eyelids fluttering.  
“Do you have any family?” She asks, the words surprising her immensely.  
Your brow arches.  
“Pretty personal question Tobes-
“I’m sorry I-
“I’m kidding, no, I don’t.”  
Tobin nods.  
“I’m sorry.”  
You smirk.  
“Hey, I don’t need visitors, not when I have you.” You grin, not even opening your eyes, meaning you miss the flush on Tobin’s cheeks.  
You murmur, doing your best to fight off sleep, but you find it impossible.  
Tobin smiles.  
“Sleep Y/N, we’ll talk another day.”  
You smile tiredly.  
“I like the sound of that.”  
                                                             ***
The next time Tobin enters your room, she’s carrying not only a balloon, but a teddy bear, as well as a get well soon card.  
Her lips part, the woman about to greet you, but when she realizes you’re fast asleep her mouth snaps shut.  
Instead of tip toing out of the room, she places your gifts on a nearby table and takes up residence in a nearby chair.  
Lately, Tobin found herself excited to come to physical therapy, because coming to the hospital meant seeing you.  
Seeing you had become the best part of her week, so much so that sitting on the sidelines and watching the others play at the She Believe's Cup hadn’t been bothering her as much as it typically would be.  
Tobin pulls her legs up into the chair, wrapping her arms around them, her knees hugged to her chest.  
She was exhausted, the colder the nights got, the worse her foot cramped, meaning she got little to no sleep more often than not.  
Soon, Tobin finds her own eyelids fluttering, the woman fighting off sleep, though she loses the fight rather quickly, exhaustion overwhelming her as she falls fast asleep.  
                                                             ***
A soft, yet noticeable snoring is what wakes you sometime later, your brows furrowing as your eyes crack open.  
You hum, wiping the sleep from your eyes as you turn towards the source of the snoring.  
A smile stretches across your face when you realize the snoring is coming from Tobin, the woman fast asleep in the chair beside your bed.  
You grin when out of the corner of your eye you spot a bright balloon, the air-filled rubber bouncing slightly with the air condition’s aid.  
You shake your head when your eyes find the teddy bear resting just below the balloon.  
Tobin grimaces as she wakes, the woman stretching her arms above her head with a groan.
“Morning.” You smile, your eyes still locked onto the tiny toy resting on the nearby table.  
Tobin quickly realizes you’re staring at the plush bear and smiles.  
“Do you like it?” She asks with a yawn and you nod, turning towards her, your eyes glazed over.  
“Yeah, yeah I really do.”
Tobin grimaces, the woman rubbing her booted foot.  
“I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” She blushes and you shake your head.  
“I just woke up anyway, thanks to your snoring.”  
Tobin scoffs.  
“I do not snore.”  
You snort.  
“Then what were you doing, gargling your spit?”  
Tobin’s eyes narrow, the woman giving your arm a playful shove.  
“Shut up.”  
You laugh, a belly shaking laugh that makes your chest ache, your hand immediately jumping to your chest.  
Tobin springs to her feet, the woman ducking down beside you.  
“Are you alright?” She asks as she places a hand on your back, the feel of her palm on your bare back making you blush.  
“Ye-Yeah, just some chest pains.”  
Tobin worriedly glances over her shoulder.  
“Should I get a nurse?”  
You shake your head, giving Tobin a small smile.  
“It’ll pass.”  
Tobin pulls her chair closer to your bedside and sits down, her hand still resting on your bare shoulder.  
The pain eventually passes, though the flush on your cheeks doesn’t fade considering Tobin’s palm is still flat on your back, her thumb running back and forth across your tanned flesh.  
You sigh, smiling when Tobin gently guides you back, your head hitting the soft pillow behind your head.  
“You should rest.” She whispers, the woman tucking a strand of loose hair behind your ear.  
You hum.  
“Not yet, you’re here.”  
Tobin smiles.  
“I can always come back.”  
You hum, the corner of your mouth ticking downwards slightly.  
“You know, I’ll be getting out of here eventually, hopefully soon.”  
Tobin nods, silently, the last thing she wanted to do was lose contact with you, especially when seeing you had made her heart skip a beat and her palms sweat with nerves.  
She knew what she felt for you was more than friendship, and the thought of losing you made her stomach churn.  
“I uhhh, I live here, in Portland you know...? Do-Do you live here? In P-Portland I mean...” You wiggle nervously, unable to look at the woman beside you.  
Tobin bites her bottom lip hard to stave off a grin, the flush on your cheeks making her heart flutter in her chest.  
She hoped, hoped maybe what she felt for you was returned, and by the way you were currently acting, it seemed it was.
“It almost sounds like you want to see me after you leave the hospital...” She grins and your eyes widen.  
“Uhh... I-I mean...”  
Your typical humor and cockiness fell away in that moment as you stuttered, unable to find the words you were searching for.  
Your cheeks flush darker and darker as you stumble over your words, only saved when Tobin takes your hand, and gives it a squeeze.  
You fall silent, your wide eyes dropping down to your joined hands before your eyes eventually meet Tobin’s.  
She gives your hand a squeeze, her smile splitting into a bright grin that makes her brown orbs shine.
“I think I’d like to see you after too.”  
Tobin laughs as she visibly watches your eyes lighten up.  
“R-Really?” You stutter and she nods.  
“Really.”  
                                                             ***
Tobin walked through the hospital with a bit of pep in her step, the knowledge that you possibly felt the same way about her as she felt about you made her incredibly hopeful for the future.  
She makes her way into your room with a smile, expecting to see you waiting for her, she’s taken aback though when she finds an empty bed.  
Her brows furrow, her eyes zeroing in on the teddy bear and the get well soon balloon she’d brought you days before.  
She turns, making her way out of the room, her head on a swivel in search of the nurse she’d seen in your room so often.
“She didn’t make it?”  
Tobin stiffens, a lump forming in her throat.  
“She’d been complaining of chest pains, she had a second heart attack this morning, we couldn’t revive her.”  
Tears welled up in Tobin’s eyes, the woman dropping to her knees in the middle of the hospital’s hallway.  
You couldn’t be gone, you just couldn’t be, not after everything, not after being through so much, you couldn’t be gone.  
“Tobin, are you alright?”  
Tobin picks her head up, tears streaming down her cheeks as she looks up at the nurse who’d tended to you each and every day.  
“She can’t be gone; she just can’t be.” Tobin sniffs, brown orbs filled with tears as she stares at the nurse who’s brows furrow.  
“What are you-
“Tobin!? Tobin are you okay!?”
Tobin stiffens, her head snapping up in search of your all too familiar voice.  
Teary brown orbs zero in on you, you who are currently jumping out of your wheelchair and running down the hall towards her, gown long gone, your new clothes clinging to your form. 
You drop to your knees in front of her and cup her cheeks, your thumbs wiping away the tears covering her face.  
“Hey, hey what’s wrong? Are you okay? What happened???” You ask, your eyes darting worriedly around her face.  
Tobin simply stares at you for a moment, her shaky, clammy hands moving to cover your own.  
“Your room was empty, a-a-and the nurses said they lost someone... I thought...” 
You blink, your eyes widening when you realize what Tobin had thought.  
You shake your head, attempting to swallow the lump in your throat as you lean in, your forehead resting against hers.  
“It wasn’t me, I’m okay.” You whisper, your eyes fluttering shut.  
Unconsciously, Tobin’s hand leaves yours, instead moving towards your chest.
Your eyes widen, your cheeks flushing as her hand meets your chest, the woman sighing in relief at the feel of your heart, beating beneath her palm.  
Your hand leaves her cheek, moving to cover hers that’s currently resting on your chest.  
“I’m okay.” You repeat, your heart skipping a beat when Tobin’s fingers slip between your own.  
Tobin takes a deep breath in an attempt to calm her racing heart, but considering the proximity between the two of you, it’s a bit hard.  
Tobin’s teary brown orbs drop to your lips before again locking with your Y/E/C’s, 
Your eyes widen when you realize Tobin’s leaning in, the woman’s nose lightly grazing your own.  
A chill runs through you, your eyes fluttering shut in anticipation as Tobin’s lips brush yours, the kiss unlike any kiss you’d had before.  
You bring your free hand up to her cheek, your thumb caressing her tanned flesh.  
The two of you part only to lean right back in seconds later, unable to get enough of the feel of your lips against one another’s.  
You tilt your head to the side, changing the angle of the kiss as your lips meet again and again, something you’d been craving since the moment you woke to find her sleeping at your bedside.  
Again, you part, though neither of you pull away, Tobin leaning back in to rest her forehead against your own.  
Brown orbs flutter open as a red flush dances across Tobin’s cheeks, the woman unable to bite back a grin.  
“And now?” Tobin whispers, your brows furrowing in question.  
“How do you feel now?” She asks in a whisper and you chuckle.  
“A lot more than okay.”  
365 notes · View notes
wiypt-writes · 3 years
Text
Sunny Side Up
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Summary: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? And for Mike, there’s no better way to start it than by eating his favourite thing, ever.
Pairing: Mike Weiss x Reader
Warnings: Smut (NSFW, 18+) Brief mentions of drug addiction- nothing graphic. Language!
A/N: So this was what popped into my head after seeing @imanuglywombat​ post that damned latest Sex Position as part of her downright filthy and wonderful “Is That Even A Sex Position” weekly challenge. This position is called “The Special Breakfast”. See here for more information. And you can totally blame @sweater-daddiesdumbdork​ for this one. I wasn’t gonna write it but…yeah, I did. Sorry not sorry.  I’ve tried to make the reader as non-descript and as inclusive as I can but I don’t usually do reader x fics so I apologise if it hasn’t quite hit the mark.
Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar the reader.  By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.
Tagged my permanent tag list.
Main Masterlist
********
“No, that’s not the same, at all.” Mike’s voice drifted up the hallway of you house as you closed the door behind you, shutting out the bitter January wind that has descended over Dover. “Yeah, well they signed up to the terms so....”
You glanced at your watch, it wasn’t even seven-AM yet and he was already on to someone about the current case he was working. But then, that was Mike all over. An addict, only now you were glad to say the only thing flooding his system was adrenaline and passion for his work.
You hung your jacket up on the pegs by the door, unwrapped your woollen scarf from round your neck and placed that over the hook above your jacket and then reached down to unzip you boots, before toeing them off. Your sock clad feet padded down the wooden floor of the hall towards the kitchen and you walked in to see Mike was bent over a file on the island in the middle, already dressed for the office.
“Clause ninety-one, paragraph twenty, sub-bullet two. Yup. We’ll present that to them today, give them chance to respond.” He paused for a moment, his head turning to you, a warm smile spreading across his face as you leaned over for a quick peck before you headed to the fridge for a soda. “Yeah. Okay, no problem, see you about half eight.”
With that he placed the cordless phone down and turned to face you.
“Morning, Baby.” He grinned, before he nodded to the Diet Coke in your hand. “Interesting choice of drink for breakfast.”
“Technically it’s not my breakfast time.” You shrugged back. “More like dinner, I suppose.”
Mike chuckled as he crossed to space towards you, his hands falling to your hips before he bent down and brushed his lips against yours in a hardly there kiss. “Good shift?”
“A heart attack, car accident, two broken legs, couple of flu cases and a shit tonne of idiotic drunks, the finest Delaware has to offer.” You shrugged. “Usual shit.”
“I don’t know how you do it, Dr Y/L/N”
“Lucky for you I do, or we’d have never met.”
“And I’d be dead.”
“Don’t.” You shook your head, swallowing a little. The memory of that night almost eighteen months ago was still raw. If you hadn’t stopped by at Mike’s that evening following an argument the pair of you had earlier in the day, you’d never have found him almost dead from an overdose. It had been a long road to recovery, and whilst nothing was ever proven, Mike and Paul were convinced that it was something to do with the safety needle case they had been working. Despite the fact that there was enough heroin in his system to stop his heart, Mike swore blind to you he hadn’t taken anything but a few lines that night, and there was something about the way he said it that made you believe him. And so did Paul.
The authorities never managed to prove anything, but there was one good thing to come out of it. When you had broken down and told Mike how scared you’d been that he was going to die and that you couldn’t cope anymore with the constant fear that one day he would kill himself for real, it gave Mike the final kick he needed because he didn’t want to lose you.
So he got clean. And this time he did it for good.
It wasn’t easy, for either of you. Once he was medically fit enough, Mike had been placed on a programme at a Rehab Centre, whereby he saw no one bar trained medical specialists and councillors for six weeks. It felt like the longest six weeks of your life but he did it. And when you went to pick him up, you instantly burst into tears at how different he looked, how better he looked, how healthy he looked.
The road to recovery is a long one, paved with temptations, you knew that being a Doctor. And whilst Mike knew and understood his triggers thanks to his programme, those temptations met him everywhere, especially because he knew exactly where and how to get his fix. So the pair of you agreed to take a fresh start. You traded Texas for Delaware, the State you were originally from, and you were beyond proud to be able to honestly state that Mike Weiss had been clean now for eighteen months. Well, apart from alcohol that is. But even that was enjoyed in moderation, and to be honest, you’d rather him sit at home with a glass or two of bourbon each night that sticking fuck knows what into his veins.
You cocked your head to one side as his hands flexed on your hip and he gave you a little side smile. “Sorry. Oh, hey guess who I got a call from?”
“Who?” You asked as he stepped back, grinning.
“The Alligator Farm. Snappy’s got himself a lady friend. They’re gonna send me some photos and stuff.”
You smiled, giving up that beloved alligator had been a hard sell to Mike. “That’s great.”
“Yeah. Oh and Paul was thinking of coming over with the family in the spring. I said they could stay here, I know it’ll be a squeeze but is that okay?”
“Course it is.” You reached up to cup his cheek. “It’ll be lovely to see them again.”
Mike smiled and dropped another kiss to your lips, this one slightly stronger before you pat his chest as he rest his forehead against yours.
“I need to go shower.”
“Want me to come join you?” He asked, eyebrow raised and you smiled.
“As good as that sounds there’s something else I want more.”
“Oh yeah?” He grinned, his eyes flickering down to the buttons on your blouse and you laughed.
“Calm down, Stud. I want pancakes and bacon, I don’t give a shit what time it’s supposed to be for me.”
Mike groaned as you moved away from where you’d been stood with your back to the large, stainless steel fridge and headed out of the room. He watched you go, the gently sway of your hips in your well fitted black pants made his groin twitch. He was half tempted to fuck your demands and go and jump you in the shower whether you wanted him to or not, but he’d seen the flicker your face had given when you’d described how your twelve-hour shift had gone down. Despite your blasé tone, he knew you too well and understood exactly how tired and stressed you were feeling. So, instead, he turned his attention to making breakfast.
Something he prided himself on was his cooking ability. He’d picked it up pretty fast since you’d moved here, he found it was a welcome distraction, so much so you very rarely made meals now, bar when you insisted on doing a roast which he never argued against.  Within fifteen minutes he had a stack of pancakes, bacon, eggs- sunny side up, as you preferred- all laid out on the island and ready for you to help yourself to. He’d just poured you an orange juice when you walked back into the kitchen, hair piled on your head in a messy bun, wrapped in a dressing gown and he was pleased to see you looked relaxed.
“Oh, Mikey, this looks great!” You smiled as he wrapped an arm round you, kissing your head. He watched as you helped yourself to a huge plateful before making your way over to the table and sitting down with a sigh. Mike tucked his tie into his shirt to avoid it dropping into his food and plated himself a helping up before he sat down at the place next to you, cracking his neck slightly. The pair of you chatted about the day ahead, which for you consisted of sleeping until it was time to get up for your next shift, Mike’s contained a meeting with a company who he was currently in the process of negotiating a settlement with on behalf of a client. When you’d finished, Mike made to clear away the dishes but you gently placed your hand on his arm and stood up, insisting on doing it as he’d cooked.
When you returned to the table, Mike pushed his chair back slightly and patted his knee.
“Come ‘ere.” He smiled softly and you grinned, settling yourself on his lap sideways, your arm looping round his shoulder, fingers gently playing with his suspenders. He gave a contented sigh as he wrapped his arms around you and pressed a kiss to your head, happy to simply be close to you for a moment.
“You doing okay?” You asked and he smiled, your words carrying that hidden meaning- ‘Do you want a fix, today?’
“I’m good, Babes.” He pulled back to look at you. “I promise.”
Smiling you gently placed your lips on his in a soft kiss, which soon became heated as Mike’s hand slid up to the back of your neck, holding you in place as his tongue slid along your bottom lip. He was pleased when you reciprocated, opening your mouth slightly to allow him in. He could taste the sweetness of the syrup on you from your pancakes and, as your tongue gently swirled against his, he let out a little groan from the back of his throat and he felt you smile.
“How long till you have to be in the office?” Your voice was lower than you’d intended, betraying exactly what you had in mind and Mike grinned at you, pulling back a little, as he glanced up at the clock.
“Just over forty-five minutes, why?”
You bit your lip, fingers toying once more with his suspenders which were clipped to the waistband of his light, grey trousers and sat over a maroon shirt, set off with a black tie. “Do I gotta spell it out to you, Weiss?”
“No, I just like hearing you beg.” A cheeky glint flashed in his eyes and you gave a snort.
“I do not beg.”
“Really?” He arched an eyebrow and in a swift moment he stood up, causing you to give a shriek of a giggle as he sat you on the table in front of him. “I bet,” he pushed on your shoulders causing you to rest your weight on your elbows as he loomed over you, gently reaching for the tie on your robe, “that I can have you singing my name and begging for more,” his hands made quick work of the knot and pulled it open, before his fingers slid up the front, opening it to leave you bare in front of him, “in less than five minutes flat.”
“Less than five minutes?” You looked up at him, his eyes blown with lust and you smirked. “You’re so full of shit.”
He wasn’t though, you knew full well that you were the one full of shit. Mike had on many an occasion had you crying his name in less time than it took you to sing a verse of the National Anthem, and he knew it as the cocky expression on his face showed.
“Oh, Baby Girl.” He chuckled, bending over, his mouth brushing against that spot on your neck, the bristles of his short beard scratching your skin. “Have you learnt nothing, yet?”
“Only that you’re a cocky little bastard.” You tried to keep your voice level but it didn’t work. Your words came out a shaky whisper as one of his hands gently splayed on your stomach and brushed up your body to your sternum as he peppered hot, opened mouthed kisses across your collar bone, before his lips ghosted up your neck, over your chin and his mouth claimed yours in a searing kiss as his hand palmed at your breast. As he rolled your nipple between his finger and thumb you gave a moan and he smirked against your mouth.
Suddenly, he was gone from over you and you frowned, missing his sudden presence and you propped yourself up on your elbows to see him settling back in the chair by the table.
“Mike, what the-“
You were cut off as he reached over, grabbing your ass and hoisting your pelvis up, pulling you towards him. Before you could register what was going on, your legs were over his shoulders and you just caught a glimpse of his face, as he quirked an eyebrow at you, lips curled upwards in that maddeningly smug bastard grin, before his mouth was trailing up the inside of your thigh.
“Oh, Jesus.” You let out a little groan as he neared the place you now desperately wanted him and he chuckled.
“No, just me.”
“Fuck off you-“ But whatever it was you were going to call him flew from your mind as his tongue licked up your sex, and grazed against your clit, teasing it with quick, hardly there flicks which, you were ashamed to say, had you riled up something feral. His hands palmed at your ass, his fingers curling round the outside of your thighs as he quickened his movements, his mouth expertly devouring you, tongue flicking into your entrance as his lips circled that sensitive nub, giving a suck that made you cry out, your back arching off the table, pushing yourself further onto his face.
Mike let out a chuckle which vibrated exquisitely against you and you gasped again, your hands slapping onto the cool surface of the table, fingernails feeling the grain of the wood as he upped his efforts dramatically, lips and tongue teasing you in a way that was so delectable it was teetering along that fine line between pain and pleasure. His mouth expertly devoured every inch of you, from your inner and outer pussy lips to the depths of your walls, tongue fucking you like you he was starving, despite the breakfast the pair of you had eaten moments ago.
“Fuck, Mike, I need…” Your voice was croaky, the words sounded far off as they bounced around your lust addled brain and once again he chuckled.
“I told you.”
“Yeah, yeah you arrogant sh-oooh fuck!” You cried as he gently nipped your clit. “Shit!”
You were willing yourself to remain grounded, wanting to prove him wrong but you couldn’t. You couldn’t fight the urge you felt to ride over the edge which was building like a fire inside you. When his mouth was over you completely once more, tongue deep, you felt him move one of his hands and his thumb pressed against your clit, before the pressure eased off and his tongue slipped away.
"Okay, okay you win, Mike, please for the love of God!” You groaned and with a final, maddeningly smug chuckle he dove back in, only this time when you felt your orgasm brewing he didn’t stop. One of your hands flew to his hair, pulling lightly on his soft, spiky strands and he gave a growl as you tugged, his efforts doubling once more as his beard scratched against your sensitive pussy and inner thighs. The coil in your belly was tightening, your entire body quivered and with a final flick of his tongue you gave a cry as your orgasm crashed over you. Your toes curled into his back just below his shoulders, your own back arched as your walls clamped down over nothing, the room fading out as everything went silent and the lights erupted in front of your eyes, your entire body feeling like you were floating.
Mike grinned, guiding you through your release before he stood up, pulling you further to the end of the table as he undid the flies on his trousers, freeing his painfully hard erection. The swollen head of his dick gently swirled around your folds before he buried himself inside you, groaning as he felt you fluttering around him in the after throes of your orgasm. You let out a low groan and finally opened your eyes, looking up at him as he pounded into you, fully clothed, those fucking suspenders that drove you wild still looped over his shoulders.  
He slid one, large hand under your back and pulled you up causing you to cry out as he drove deeper into you, his hand on the base of your back pulling you up and towards him as he dipped his head to give you a dirty, sloppy kiss whilst he rolled and thrust into you. Then His lips moved down, nipping at your neck, his breath hot on your ear as your head fell back, a low moan rumbling in his throat.
“God, I love seeing you like this, fucking wrecked all because of me.” His panted words made you groan even more as the heat in your groin was beginning to mount again. “Makes me higher than any fucking drug ever could.”
His thrusts continued, hard, deep, and you felt his dick throbbing inside you as he drove up against your spot, his lips back on yours as he kissed you hard, swallowing the pants and whimpers you were making as you began to teeter on that cliff edge again. With a deep roll of his hips you let out a low wail and came, once more, your core spasmed around him as your entire body tingled, and that was enough for him to follow you. With a powerful thrust he stiffened, a low grunt stuttering from his lips as he pulsed inside of you, his hips growing sloppy before they stopped completely. His chest heaving, he pressed his forehead to yours, the pair of you gasping for breath as you came down from your high.
“Shit, Mike.” You managed to stutter as he grinned, his lips meeting yours in a soft peck. “That was…”
“Yeah, I was pretty good.” He chuckled and you slapped his arm as he moved and pulled out of you. You straightened your robe and stood up, wincing as you felt his release trickled down your inner thigh.
“I need another shower.” You grumbled, before you glanced at his crotch, the damp patch where he’d pressed against you was clear as day. “And you should probably change your trousers.”
Mike glanced down before his eyes met you, and he shrugged. “Maybe I won’t. Maybe I’ll go into the office like this and then every time I see it I’ll be reminded exactly what a damned good breakfast I had this morning.”
You blinked before you shook your head, scoffing. “You’re gross.”
He laughed. “You love it, Sweetheart.”
“I love you.” You corrected, your hands sliding up over his shoulders and he smiled, a pure, innocent smile that made him look like a schoolboy before he took your face in his hands and kissed you deeply, pulling away, his nose bumping against yours.
“I love you too.” He whispered, his eyes locking onto yours. “Now go, before I decide to play hooky for the day.”
“Don’t tempt me with a good time, Weiss.” You smirked, before with one final quick peck you left the room.
Mike watched you go, before he ran his hands through his hair and turned to glance around the kitchen, his eyes falling to the table he’d just fucked you senseless on.
He should probably clean that before he went to work…
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imgonnapanic · 3 years
Text
Miyagi Setter Squad Responding to “I Love You”
I can’t condition because I sprained my ankle again so here you guys go. Also I’m so sorry for the oddly specific name but if you want the other setters lmk 😭 I’ll do them later I’m too tired. ⚠️SPOILERS FOR SEASON 2 ⚠️
Oikawa Tooru
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You were over at his house to study and maybe pass around a volleyball for a couple hours.
It was a pretty peaceful setting, you were splayed out on the floor looking at the ceiling
And he was on his computer doing god-knows-what.
It definitely wasn’t homework-
The silence is destroyed by your phone buzzing.
Your ride was here.
So you pick up your stuff, and you’re just about to walk out the door when it slips out.
“I love you, bye!”
This smooth fuck will pretend to be totally chill on the outside.
But on the inside he’s probably exploding.
He has seen this in movies, read it in books, seen it told to other people.
A couple of people have even said it to him.
(Even though he had no idea why because he had only known them on a last name basis for thirty seconds.)
So he knew alllll about it and exactly how to respond.
But...He didn’t execute as well as he wanted to.
So he ends up giving you some weird ass eyes as his whole face flushes.
“I love you tOo, Y/n.”
You don’t know whether to laugh at him or just leave
But you’re grinning the whole way home.
Yahaba Shigeru
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‘Yahaba does not get annoyed at much’
Lies. He gets annoyed at so much that he thinks he might have some repressed anger issues.
The butt naked screaming in the bath after losing to Karasuno helped him come to that conclusion.
But not much actually sets him off.
In other words, he’s not slamming anyone against the wall unless it’s really fucking important.
Or, nowadays, when someone does something to cross you.
Now, you did not know that Yahaba was capable of throwing hands until today.
Because most of his wounds were dealt out verbally.
However, you figured the guy that stole your gym clothes deserved it.
You were just planning to leave it alone, but there he was.
Off campus.
Tackling this random dude.
The fight lasts about thirty seconds before you can run into certain death and break it the fuck up before someone goes to jail.
The dude has a bloody nose already and he listens to you and steps back.
“Apologize.”
He mumbles out a sorry before stalking away.
Yahaba is looking way too pleased with himself.
“That’s assault.”
“That’s chivalry.”
“Shigeru, I love you, but don’t fucking do that again.”
He mumbled a response back. “Yeah yeah I won’t. I love you too.”
It will probably take him at least an hour for that to hit-
Kageyama Tobio
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He doesn’t have a very affectionate family, so that phrase has probably only been used sparingly around him.
But he has been silently willing you to say it to him for a while.
He’s already on top of the world when he beats Aoba Johsai.
You are so proud of him for finally taking down his rival.
When that final point is scored, you’re going crazy in the stands with Yachi, Saeko, and Shimada.
It was the most excited you had seen him in a long time.
He achieved his goal! He was now the best setter in the prefecture.
Not that he wasn’t before, obviously 🙄
But you’re sitting on the bus with him after they win, and it’s quiet.
Kageyama’s happy, you’re happy, and there’s almost no one on the bus.
You rest your head on your shoulder.
“I’m so proud of you. I love you so much, Tobio.”
*bang bang there goes your HEAAAAART*
On the outside he gets that wobbly look on his face, but on the inside he’s like
TWO IN ONE DAY?!
You’ve just been watching him smile at the bus driver for twenty seconds before he snaps out of it.
“Ah-I love you too, Y/n.”
You didn’t expect him to be so excited about that.
It was the sweetest thing ever.
Sugawara Koushi
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It was after he came up to you and told you that he would no longer be in Karasuno’s starting lineup.
And at first you’re like.
“Bull-fucking-shit Koushi, what do you mean you’re not starting?”
He explains that a new first year setter had arrived with much better technique.
And that the coach had sat him down and explained that to him.
And that he knew that Kageyama was better and that he would be supporting the team from the bench.
You can tell his heart is breaking with every second he tells you this.
So you need to shut him up. Getting mad at the coach wouldn’t help.
You start telling him all the things he can do to still be a significant player.
He could stat games, keep a notebook, make hand signals, paint the notebook-
You can tell he’s feeling much better about himself by the end of your talk.
You pick your next words very carefully.
“You’re gonna have a great season, trust me. I love you, okay?”
Alllll the color just drains from both of your faces.
He’s like “yeah-wait. You love me?”
You rethinking your life decisions: “Yeah?”
“I love you too.”
“...Good.”
“Good.”
Shirabu Kenjirou
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MotherfUCKER-
Well, he’s flustered, he’ll give you that.
But you’re not living that one down anytime soon.
You were on your way to school, making fun of stereotypical romance mangas.
“Sh-sh-shirabu-kun!! I guess you have to get to class now...😞🥺💞🌸”
“...we’ll see 😶”
“OHHHHHMYGOSH💞💞💞💞🌸🌸🥺”
By this time, you’re on campus, getting weird stares.
Past, single Shirabu would have given a shit.
But he only had a couple more minutes of making fun of people with you before he had to go to his classes.
Stupid 4.0
So now, you’re just pointing out random things that the horses were doing.
One of them kicked its own shit, and both of you lost it.
You guys were folded in half until coach Washijo came up behind you, and ordered you both to get to class.
As soon as he was out of earshot, you guys started laughing again.
“Well, I don’t wanna be taken out of the starting lineup, so let’s get to class.”
“Okay, love you.”
Oh shit. You did not mean to say that. For Christ’s sake, it had only been a month.
He looks like he’s seen Goshiki fall down the stairs. Almost triumphant.
“I love you too, Y/n. Now go attend to that math grade of yours.”
“Shut the hell up :)”
Semi Eita
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Was very well planned out and very thought through.
It was ✨Valentine’s Day✨
And you had it written down in a card because you were pussying out you were a little nervous.
Plus, you could always brush it off and pretend like writing it down wasn’t as big of a deal as saying it.
On the other end, Semi was also planning to tell you.
Like, he was sure you already knew.
And he was sure he was making it into a bigger deal than it should have been.
But whatever, Semi’s never been one to do things halfway anyhow.
He just wasn’t obvious about it.
So, Shiratorizawa was just g l i t t e r i n g that morning.
Which was why you both were currently at a cafe, very far away from it.
This had also been planned, because his coach would not like it very much if he knew he didn’t have the Flu.
So you guys are laughing, talking, awkwardly holding hands over the table.
It’s so obvious that both of you are nervous.
And Semi’s like “wHats wRoNg bAbY?”
As if he’s not in the exact same situation.
So you just hand him the card and the gift you got him for Valentine’s Day and he opens it up.
And you’re basically ready to melt into the floor when he puts the card down.
“You love me huh?”
No answer.
“Well, I love y o u t o o.”
He got so quiet at the end, but the words were finally said, and you were both satisfied.
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Text
Shattered Hearts // Luke Patterson
Summary: The teenage years are supposed to the best time of life but not when fate has other plans for Sunset Curve. Not feeling well reader stays home while Luke prepares for the performance of his life at The Orpheum. Shit hits the fan hard and the fallout ensues.
Warnings: Swearing, death, hospital, cancer (type is not detailed) angst, and fluff.
Words: 2.3k
Requested: @lolychu​
A/N: I didn’t go into detail about the kind of cancer because I didn’t want to, I want it to be as general as it could. I’ve never gone through it or had someone close go through it so it could be wrong and I apologize for that. Broken heart syndrome is REAL by the way.
Masterlist
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Los Angeles, 1995
There are articles of some medical mysteries that can’t fully be scientifically explained, such as when someone dies in excellent health following the death of a loved one. The scientific term is takotsubo cardiomyopathy, but the world knows it merely by Broken Heart Syndrome. It was a day that was supposed to be the greatest of your teenage years, but the day couldn’t have gone any worse.
First, you woke up with an incredibly high fever and newfound bruises. Pain in a wrist out of nowhere but you wrote it off. You had plans, and illness wasn’t scheduled for the day. Your boyfriend and his band had gotten their big break, well their almost big break. Today was the day Sunset Curve would perform at The Orpheum, and you were gonna be backstage cheering them on.
Luke made his appearance at your house in the morning before early rehearsal, and you managed to convince him you were feeling okay. He went on to their studio, and your mother drove you to the hospital in fear.
Life was an asshole. While you waited for test results pale against the hospital sheets, an ambulance rolled in. Carrying three bodies that would go to the morgue for positive confirmation of death. You wouldn’t know for a full day, Luke’s parents too grief-stricken to call you and that’s okay. 
“Mom?” You asked as her form caved in on the floor near your hospital bed, “Mom!”
Her eyes filled with so much pain brought you fear and concern. With a struggle, she came closer to hold your hand tightly and spoke brokenly the fate that would snatch you.
“Baby, you don’t have the flu.”
“That’s good? So just meds and we can go home?” You asked heart clenching as her eyes closed tight and you knew whatever the doctor had told her after pulling her out of the room wasn’t good.
Couldn’t be good with the slump in her shoulders, the pain in her eyes and the guilt coating her every word. Mom wasn’t a housewife; she wasn’t a flower in need of protection, but she never kept something from you. Always said it straight and as it is.
“Sweetheart, they’re gonna move you to another ward.” You knew deep in your heart the news had to be the worst because Mom wasn’t telling you the whole story. Finally, she broke down, “The doctors got the results back as soon as they could. The fever, the bruises, and the broken wrist have a reason. You have cancer.”
Cancer. A word that sealed your fate. It left you reeling in shock. It shattered your dream with just one single name. Couldn’t be seen but made its presence known. The coming hour was spent with the specialist detailing the type and a tentative treatment plan he wanted to initiate immediately.
A nurse escorted your mother out as the orderlies and nurses prepped you to be moved to a new room. Knowing you were in good hands, your mom walked to the main doors for fresh air only to be astounded at the sight of Mitch and Emily Patterson. Equally shocked, they came together.
“Emily?” Your mom spoke, looking carefully at the parents of your boyfriend. She wondered how the Patterson’s had found out, “Did someone call you?”
“No.” Emily spoke with a numb voice. Your mom took a step back, understanding that one could only react that way for one thing. Something had happened to the Patterson teenager.
 “Luke isn’t here, is he?” Your mom asked, turning to look up at the tall building of the hospital, “Y/N, hasn’t had a phone. She only found out, but Luke hasn’t been with you-“
“The cops came,” Mitch spoke tucking his upset wife into his arms. He was equally as grief-stricken and bitter, but he had to be calm for his wife. They wouldn’t get anywhere if one of them couldn’t get answers.
Your mom gasped, “No.”
“I always knew that band-“Emily’s own sob cut her words off as her knees threatened to buckle. Your mom helped lead Emily into the emergency room before she jogged off to join you but not before turning to the Patterson parents.
“We’ll meet up. Discuss why we’re all here.” 
Being told you had cancer and then informed your boyfriend died all in one night was the most painful thing you had to live through. It was weeks of screaming, invasive procedures and therapy sessions. Your father came from his business trip to Dubai as soon as he could and didn’t leave your side.
A painful six months rolled with cancer stealing your hopes and a fucking bad hotdog taking your dreams away. Nothing made you curious. Nothing felt worth living for.
Not the realistic watercolour tattoo your parents let you get of Luke’s blue guitar you loved so much. It seemed to have a terminally sick child made it practically impossible to say no to, so you got a tattoo of your favourite lyrics of Sunset Curve.
In pretty font, it said ‘When all the days felt black and white. Those were the best shades of my life’ just like it said in Now or Never. One of your favourite songs, you got the privilege of watching Luke create.
“Mom, can I have a popsicle?” You asked from your bed. Eyes barely open as she nodded off her chair, “My mouth is dry.”
“Of course.” She nodded, leaving the room with a kiss on your forehead. Both of you mumbling I love you just in case. You felt like your clock was close to the end, so every word had meaning.
It was a good day so far; you hadn’t had to press for more pain medication like the last couple of weeks. You had managed to turn to stare out the window at the pretty sky. Your eyes fluttered shut completely content that this was it.
Your mom returned to a room with doctors and nurses trying to resuscitate you with your father screaming. No one could figure out if it was the cancer or the broken heart syndrome that killed you first. Your death was a double blow to Luke’s parents the most, along with Reggie and Alex’s own parents. 
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Los Angeles, 2020
So much had changed since you died in 1995. Phones had changed, and buildings were torn down. You changed as well too. In relief physically, you had changed from the gaunt, skinny, pale patient to the girl you had been before the diagnosis.
Your hair now looked as healthy as it had been before you had cancer and you weren’t gaunt looking. You were looked just like you did a few months before you got diagnosed and you hoped so since you were dead. It would have sucked to be dead and beyond ugly.
“Do you think she went on to have a family?”
You kept your attention on the waves crashing the beach content to watch the waves doing the same movement they had since the beginning. You paid no attention to the group walking by. Not until one tripped over you landing in an awkward heap.
“Ouch!” The voice hissed. Your eyes flicked down to Reginald fucking Hastings’s blue eyes in pure shock. You scrambled away from the teenager with a sharp scream that pierced the ghoul group.
“Jesus.” You grumbled pushing the little sand that had stuck somehow to your body made of air.
“Oh my god. I think I just summoned Luke’s girlfriend.” Reggie hissed towards the equally astounded members of former Sunset Curve and current Julie and the Phantoms bandmates.
“No, you idiot we’re dead.” You spoke, taking a deep breath in, “After not seeing you for five years I thought you passed on. I’ve been travelling around America and Canada. Something felt like I needed to come home.”
“When did you die?” Alex questioned sadly when you were quiet. His sad blue eyes unable to leave your expressive face, he hoped somehow you had lived to your 90s and died to come back youthful.
“It’s wasn’t harm-“
“No, Luke. I don’t think I’ll ever positively know what happened, but the night you guys died my life ended as well.” You revealed sitting back, letting the three boys join you for an intriguing story to them. Luke wasn’t hesitant in grasping your hand in his, “Funny enough your bodies were being unloaded in the morgue while I was being told by my Mom, I had cancer. The battle was hard but short.”
“Cancer?”
“Our love story was destined to be tragic, whether it be cancer or a hotdog.” You told the teenage guitarist to experience in the afterlife to be gentle about it. The three boys flinched from the indifference, “Have you visited your parents yet? My parents are home for a few weeks.”
“My neighbourhood was torn down. Alex doesn’t know about his and-“ 
“-I’ve seen my folks once so far.” Luke finished playing with your fingers, “You say our love story was tragic, I say it would be tragic if we hadn’t had the chance in life that we did.”
You nodded your head, “Where have you guys been?”
All three boys took their chaotic turn in describing their last meal to Reggie tripping over you with the belief of walking through you. They were in a band with a lifer who made them visible to the public when playing music together. You told them that your parents would choose a destination from your dream travel journal; you would follow them on the adventures.
Slowly you met Julie who put up a distance as she acclimated to having the girlfriend of her crush around always. Julie couldn’t help the feeling of jealously when Luke focused on the teen ghost girl. She couldn’t even hate you! You were so lovely and welcoming to the girl with respect for boundaries, in fact, you were exactly the girl she would have been friends with. Julie loved Flynn, but she could be over the top and dramatic sometimes.
“Good rehearsal. I’ll meet you outside.” Luke spoke, pressing a kiss to the side of your head. You nodded before walking through the white, painted barn doors.
Everything put away properly; Luke was quick to meet up with his girlfriend for their date. Alex noticed the stare by Julie. He had seen it for the past few weeks since you were introduced to the passionate musician with a beautiful voice.
“I’m really sorry, Julie.” Alex softly told the sad Puerto Rican girl yearning to hug the teenager but alas his ghostly body couldn’t allow it.
“Did I have an honest chance before she came back?” Julie asked. Her doe brown eyes bringing Reggie’s attention to the conversation at hand. 
“No.” Reggie answered this time solemn with his blue eyes holding no mirth or childlike glee, “Luke’s been in love with her for years. She’s his all or nothing.”
“I didn’t have a chance between them, and I don’t want you between them either. It’s not a nice place to be even if I was mutually breaking up with his as well.” Alex soothed the live girl yearning to physically comfort her but alas that damn hotdog ruined everything.
“Luke also said when the first big payment came, he would marry her. He wanted to give her the wedding of her dreams.” Reggie unintentionally rubbed the salt in Julie’s wound on the topic of her tragic love story.
Julie learnt to deal with the pain of seeing Luke, so in love and happier than before you had reconnected. In her fashion, she had hidden a new box for her thoughts that was so well hidden the boys would never find it. It was filled with papers that progressively got less romance angst.
“I’m just saying,” Alex spoke, raising his hands in the air after another one of Luke’s emotional rants on the loss of things in death. Such as marrying you.
“Dude, we’re dead, and our ghost connections happen to either be our band, Willie or a very questionable sketchy vintage magician.” Luke snapped slouching on his couch sulking as you were spending time with your family no matter how oblivious they were to your presence.
“I’m ordained.” Willie supplied sitting next to the blonde drummer who had easily swayed from Caleb to the good side again. At the group’s looks of disbelief, he continued, “I was bored! Took some art classes too. It won’t be the average wedding, but you could still call each other spouse.”
“I can check local clubs for wedding dresses. Flynn can easily put together music and Alex can find a venue.” Julie piped up, avoiding the sympathetic look from Reggie, who still thought the teenager had feelings for his bandmate. She no longer did. 
“You can use one of your rings on a chain as well. Maybe hold off on getting a ring until we get money from the band.” Reggie gave his input, earning himself a proud expression from Alex; an expression the drummer rarely was able to give his friend.
“I guess I’m proposing.” Luke beamed already thinking of ways to make his proposal special, not like being ghosts wasn’t already impressive enough. 
It wasn’t the ideal wedding, but it honestly didn’t matter as long as the two of you were able to vow yourself to each other. It no longer mattered on the details other than you two.
Tag List (PLEASE SEND AN INBOX TO BE ADDED! I CANNOT GUARANTEE YOU WILL BE ON THE LIST VIA POST COMMENTS!)
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worryinglyinnocent · 3 years
Text
Fic: Safe and Sound
Summary: After discovering the horrific truth of Tucker’s experiments, Mustang faces a race against time to get Nina to safety and away from a life in a government lab. Out of ideas, he calls in the Elric brothers, independent alchemists of the people whom he knows to have an interest in human transmutation, and more specifically, reversing it. 
Determined to do what they can for her, Ed, Al and their mother provide a safe home for Nina, and over time, they work out how to help her back to her normal state.
Rated: T
Safe and Sound
“It’s a mess, sir.”
Roy looked out of the window at the rain teeming down outside the Tucker home. Hawkeye’s blunt summation of the situation hardly did it justice, but he couldn’t think of a more apt term to use. He turned to Tucker, who still seemed unable to see what he had done wrong in the name of scientific advancement, and he felt the anger begin to burn through his veins once more, even hotter than when he had first entered the place and realised with sickening horror what Tucker had done, and what he must have done two years prior as well.
He strode across the room, grabbing the front of Tucker’s shirt and lifting him bodily out of the chair he had been sitting in whilst Fuery had recorded his statement and confession.
“Colonel.” Hawkeye’s voice was sharp, and Roy glanced over at her. She was kneeling in the corner, next to the chimera (Nina, her name was Nina, she gave him a flower crown the last time he was here), who was watching the scene with wide eyes.
“Don’t hurt Daddy,” Nina pleaded in that low, uncanny, unreal voice, slow and pained but every bit in earnest. The anger in Roy’s blood roiled afresh, and his grip on Tucker’s shirt tightened.
“Lieutenant, get her out of here. Take her out the back way and get Havoc to sneak her into HQ.”
“Daddy…”
“Come on, Nina,” Hawkeye coaxed. “We need to go now. We need to get you somewhere safe.”
“Daddy…”
“Colonel Mustang needs to talk to your daddy, Nina. Come with me. Are you hungry?”
Hawkeye guided Nina out of the room. Once the door was closed and he could no longer hear the lieutenant’s soft cajoling, Roy sank his fist into Tucker’s face. It did not make him feel any better. He hadn’t expected it to. 
He let Tucker back down into his chair, leaving the room as Fuery completed the final bits of paperwork.
He needed to work out what to do about Nina. If anyone got word of her, she’d be locked up in a lab and experimented on as an alchemical freak of nature for the rest of her life. He needed to keep her safe, and if there was the slightest chance of getting her and Alexander back to normal, then he had to pursue it.
Roy was not in his area of expertise here. Human experimentation, bio-alchemy, the many varied and illegal and impossible forms of human transmutation - none of that had ever been in his remit and he had never had any desire for it to be. He ran a hand through his hair, desperately trying to think of a solution. Smuggling her into HQ was only a temporary measure and not a perfect one at that; there was still so much that could go disastrously wrong. He needed to get Nina out of sight and out of mind as soon as possible, hiding her away where the military would leave her alone.
A thought struck him and he moved through the house towards the telephone, dialling Falman at headquarters.
“Falman, can you find out if the Elrics are still in town?”
“Yes, sir. On it.”
Roy had first come across Edward and Alphonse Elric four years ago, when news of a couple of young but extremely talented alchemists researching human transmutation and Philosopher’s Stones had come to him through the state alchemist grapevine. With the military always interested in those with an interest in the alchemic taboo, Roy had been despatched to take a look at the lay of the land as regarded the Elrics, and potentially recruit them.
He hadn’t reckoned on their being quite so young, just eleven and ten years old, and he absolutely had not reckoned on their mother. Trisha Elric was a tiny, frail-looking woman with perpetually pale blue-tinged lips and a constant cough from the Frontline Flu that had almost killed her in ‘04, and she was a force of nature who had told Roy in no uncertain terms that her sons’ interest in Philosopher’s Stones was highly personal and that there was no way in hell they were becoming state alchemists despite the research opportunities it would afford them. 
Roy had reported back that the Elric brothers were a dead end, and had left them in peace to follow their own research, whilst still keeping an eye on them every time they came to Eastern City to the large library there.
With their secretive nature, their no-nonsense mother and their persistent interest in human alchemy, Roy held out the tiniest hope of Nina’s best chance being with the Elrics. 
Hell, anything was worth a shot at this stage.
“Sir?”
“I’m listening, Falman.”
“The Elrics are still in town, sir. They’re in a guesthouse by the station.”
“Thank God. Get someone to try and persuade them to come to HQ.”
“Will do, sir. And, erm, Ms Elric?”
“She’s here too?”
“Yes, sir.”
Roy sighed. “Probably best if she comes too.”
“Yes, sir.”
He hung up, winging up a prayer that this hunch would pay off.
X
“So…” Ed stretched out his legs, uncaring for who in Eastern Command might trip over them as they waited for Mustang to make an appearance and tell them why they were there. “What do you think the Bastard Colonel wants us for this time?”
“Edward.” The sigh that his mother gave was a long-suffering one rather than showing any real disapproval, and he could see that she was trying very hard not to smile.
“What? You call him the Bastard too!”
“Not in his place of work, I don’t.”
“Officer Falman was really quite apologetic when he picked us up,” Al mused. “Maybe something’s gone terribly wrong and they need us to fix it. You know. Someone outside the military.”
Mom raised an eyebrow. “If that’s the case, they’d be better off picking anyone other than you two. You’d hold it over them as blackmail material for the rest of their lives. Honestly, I don’t know where you got your devious streak from. It wasn’t your dad, which leaves me with the uncomfortable conclusion that it must be from me.”
“Where do you think Dad is right now?” Al asked. “It would be just our luck if he chooses this weekend to come home and we’re not there. I can imagine him going over to Granny’s: ‘Pinako, I swear I had a wife and two children when I left but I appear to have misplaced them.’”
Mom laughed, but Ed didn’t respond. Although he now knew the full story of why Dad had left, the fact he’d left in the first place still rankled even now, and he knew that he would continue to view his father with mixed emotions until the man himself was back in the flesh and could answer for his own actions. Still, that hadn’t stopped him and Al from setting out on the current quest that had occupied them for the last four years, namely finding a way to get Dad back to normal so that when he did return, he and Mom could live a vaguely ordinary life together.
“I’m really sorry about all this.” Falman appeared in the corridor again. “It’s just that we’ve got a bit of a… situation.”
Ed raised an eyebrow as they got up to follow him, deciding to reserve judgement. Falman led them into Mustang’s office, where the rest of the team was clustered around the colonel’s desk with nervous expressions.
“Ok… Anyone want to tell us what’s going on?”
Mustang came over. “We have a situation that requires some discretion.”
Mom snorted. “You picked the wrong two for that.”
“I think when you see what we’ve got, you’ll agree with me.”
Intrigued, Ed approached the desk and peered under it. 
It looked like a dog, on the face of it, although it appeared to have some kind of mane of long dark hair, and there was something about the eyes and mouth that didn’t look quite right.
“Chimera?”
Mustang nodded.
“I’m guessing the majority is from a dog, but what’s it fused with?”
Mustang didn’t get the chance to respond before the chimera spoke, a soft, desperate whimper.
“I want Daddy.”
Ed’s blood ran cold. “Someone chimerised a human child?”
“Yes.” Mustang’s voice was deadly serious. “This is Nina Tucker. Her father decided to create a chimera capable of human speech. He’s in jail now.” He gave a heavy sigh. “If anyone gets wind of this, she’ll be shut up in a military lab for the rest of her life. We’re giving out that Tucker’s chimera didn’t survive the transmutation to try and buy us some time. This is the reason why I wanted you to see her. I know that you two are probably the leading state-independent researchers of human transmutation right now. If anyone can help her, you can.”
Ed looked at Al, who was staring at Nina with sad horror, and then at his mom, who was having a coughing fit. Falman brought her some water.
“Mom? You ok?”
She nodded, before slowly, deliberately, getting down on her knees and shuffling under the desk.
“Hey Nina,” she said gently. “My name’s Trisha. How old are you, honey?”
“Six.”
“You’re scared, huh?”
Nina nodded. “Want Daddy.”
“Your daddy can’t come, honey. He did something very, very bad, so he has to go away for a while.”
“A very long while,” Ed muttered.
“Don’t be scared, though,” Mom continued. “We’ll look after you, me and Ed and Al.” She reached out, carefully brushing Nina’s hair out of her eyes. “It’ll be all right, I promise.”
She was just being Mom. In her eyes, Nina was just a scared little kid. Mom didn’t see the alchemy or the implications. She just saw someone who needed a family to keep her safe.
Ed crouched down beside her. “Hi Nina. I’m Ed, and this is Al. We’ll get you sorted out, don’t worry.” He had no idea where he would even begin, but he had to do something to help her out. 
Nina looked at Trisha. 
“You… Ed Mommy?”
“Yeah, I’m Ed’s Mommy. Why don’t you come with us now, and we’ll take you home, somewhere nice and safe and quiet.”
Nina nodded slowly, and Mom looked up at Mustang. 
“I’ll look after her,” she said. “She’ll be safe and off the grid in Resembool. I can’t say we can help her, that’s up to the boys to decide what they’re prepared to try and what they’re capable of doing. But I’ll look after her, and in return, you make sure that the monster who did this never sees the light of day again.”
Ed was beginning to see why Mustang was scared of Mom.
X
The frenetic logistics of getting Nina home with them without being discovered by the military at large took a while to sort out, and Trisha couldn’t rest easy until she was safely behind her own front door. Winry and Pinako had been brought in on their secret, it would have been near impossible to keep it from them.
Actually looking after her proved to be just the same as taking care of any other child - she was just a little larger and more unco-ordinated. From the moment that she had seen Nina and decided that no matter what, she was going to take care of her, Trisha had not really given any thought to the difficulties that might be involved in caring for a chimera. At the end of the day, Nina was a little girl and Trisha intended to treat her like one, even if she didn’t exactly look like a little girl. 
She required a little more concentration than the boys had done, because whilst she could speak, full sentences were difficult simply because of the shape of her mouth, so articulating her needs wasn’t as simple as it could have been. But she would eat at the kitchen table with them if one of them spoon-fed her, and she loved to watch the boys practice their alchemy and listen to the bedtime stories they would weave her. 
Occasionally the odd trait that was definitely dog rather than human would forcibly remind Trisha that Nina was two beings in one now - most notably she preferred to sleep curled up behind the couch in the living room rather than in a bed - but generally, Nina was the daughter she’d never had. 
“Dad could fix her,” Al said one evening whilst they were sitting around after dinner. Nina was dozing, her head in Trisha’s lap. They’d taken to braiding her mane to keep it out of her eyes, and she’d decided on blue ribbons today. Trisha stroked the silky ends through her fingers. “I mean, he’s a Philosopher’s Stone, he should be able to do anything, right?”
“He probably could,” Ed agreed. “The difficulty would be finding him and explaining the situation. We haven’t known where he is for ten years, tracking him down now to break off from his quest and come home to un-chimerise a chimera wouldn’t exactly be the easiest solution.”
“Yeah.” Al sighed. “I guess it’s back to the drawing board and Dad’s books. I don’t really recall any of them talking about chimeras, but then, we weren’t really looking for any information about them.”
Trisha coughed, startling Nina out of her doze, and she looked around for a while. 
“Big brother Ed?”
Ed grinned. Trisha was surprised at how quickly Nina had decided on Ed as a surrogate big brother, but he was definitely the person that she seemed to have latched onto as her link into the family. Ed was Big Brother. Al was usually just Al. Trisha was Ed-Mommy. (Occasionally, when she woke up crying from nightmares, she was just Mommy, and Trisha would hold her as close as she possibly could.)
“Hey Nina.”
“Where’s Daddy?”
The grin dropped as quickly as it had appeared on his face. 
“Your daddy had to go away, Nina.”
“No… Ed-Daddy.” Trisha followed her sight-line over to the opposite wall; she was looking at her and Van’s wedding photo on the mantel. 
“Oh. He had to go away too.”
“He did bad?”
Ed snorted, and Trisha laughed. 
“I think that depends on who you ask, honey. No, Ed and Al’s daddy didn’t do anything bad. He’s travelling around the country at the moment. Ed’s daddy is a very powerful alchemist and there are some things he has to do to make sure everyone is safe. It’s sad that we don’t see him, but he’s the only one who can protect us. All of us.”
“Oh.”
They fell into silence again, until Al spoke up from the floor where he was sitting in the middle of a sea of books. 
“Maybe if we knew how Tucker did it in the first place we could reverse engineer it.”
“I guess.” Ed sighed. “I’d be afraid of making it worse, though. Sometimes I’ve thought about asking her if she can remember what happened, but I don’t want her to relive what was probably a very traumatic experience.”
“Exactly,” Trisha said. Nina’s head was resting in her lap and drowsing again. “It doesn’t matter if you can’t help her, boys. No one is expecting you to. You’re already giving her the care and love and safety that she needs, and that’s all that matters. If we do get a little girl and a large dog out of this, then that would be wonderful, but right now, Nina’s wellbeing takes priority.” 
She thought about the picture that Mustang had sent her, along with a packet of documents from the Tucker household that might be useful - birth certificate, medical records and the like. A sweet little girl and a huge, goofy-looking dog. She stroked one of Nina’s front paws sadly. Although she was mostly aware of her changed shape and size, there were the odd little moments where she forgot she didn’t have hands, and it always distressed her. Trisha wanted nothing more than for the chimerisation to be reversed and for Nina - and Alexander - to live normal lives, but if that wasn’t to be, then Trisha would just take care of the chimera for as long as she needed it. 
X
They’d settled into the routine of having Nina with them remarkably quickly, and Al was pleased by just how easily she’d become part of the family. It was very clear that Ed was her favourite, but he didn’t seem to mind that at all. It was strange, Al had never really thought of Ed as being particularly good with kids, but then again, they had never really come across all that many over the course of their research. He completely doted on Nina though, and whenever she and Mom had been making flower crowns, he would always wear the one Nina picked out as his without any complaint. 
Although he was used to Nina being around, it was still a surprise to see her bounding out of the house towards them as he and Ed made their way up the hill having been to see Winry in town.
“Ed! Big Brother Ed! Ed! Daddy’s here!”
Al looked at Ed, Ed looked back at Al, and they both started to sprint up the hill. Nina’s father was still in jail in Eastern City, there was no way he should be in Resembool, it had been given out that Nina was dead, who had spilled that she was here…
Al barrelled into the kitchen with Ed hot on his heels, and both of them stopped dead.
“Oh.”
It wasn’t Tucker. The man standing in the kitchen hugging Mom tightly was their own dad.
There was the click-click-click of Nina’s nails on the floor tiles behind them.
“Ed-Daddy,” she said proudly.
So that was what she meant.
Eventually, Mom let go of Dad and he turned to them. It must have been just as much of a shock for him to see them now, considering how small they had been when he had left. 
“I’ve been gone so long,” he said softly. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t realise how long I would be. I’ve missed so much. I’m sorry.”
“I…” Ed seemed to be having trouble taking it all in, and he shook his head. “It’s so weird. I’ve rehearsed this moment for years and now it’s here and I have no idea what to say.”
Al stumbled as Nina butted his legs and peered around him. 
Dad looked at her, curious. 
“I see our family has grown whilst I’ve been away. Hello there.”
“This is Nina.” Ed moved closer to her protectively. “She’s our little sister.”
“Big Brother Ed!”
Dad looked from Nina to Ed to Mom and back again.
“I’ll explain later,” Mom said. 
“It’s ok. I think I know what’s happened.” Dad came over, crouching in front of Nina and offering her his hand. She tentatively placed her paw in it, and he shook it gently. “It’s nice to meet you, Nina.” He smiled. “You’re like me, aren’t you? Made into something different by alchemy you had no say in.”
Al knew at that moment that he didn’t have to worry about his father not accepting Nina or not being prepared to help her. 
Much later, once Nina was asleep on her cushion behind the couch, and once Dad had explained everything that had happened over the last ten years - and before that - in his own words, and once Ed had stopped yelling at him, and once Nina’s situation had been explained, Al voiced the thought that had been at the forefront of their minds ever since Nina had come to live with them. 
“Dad, can you help her?”
 Dad didn’t reply for a long time, his brow furrowed in thought, but Al’s heart leapt to his mouth as he eventually nodded.
“Yes,” he said. “I think I should be able to, but it’s the kind of thing that I’d only get one shot at. It would have to be perfect first time, because if I get it wrong, it’ll just make it worse.”
Al looked at Ed, and then at Mom, who nodded.
“I think it’s worth the risk,” she said. “She’s the sweetest darling just as she is, but I can’t imagine what kind of internal distress she’s in, and I think she’d be happier if she was back to her old self.”
“In that case, I will do what I can.”
It took a couple of days for Dad to work out exactly what he would need to do, during which time Al was incredibly conscious of the fact that although he had come home now, he had not come home for good and there was still a lot of work that he had to do around the country in order to be prepared for the Promised Day coming and everything that would happen then. He still couldn’t quite get his head around the scope of it all, but it was a reasonably valid excuse for leaving them for so long. If something went wrong and it ended up backfiring on Dad, then what would happen to them all then? It would all be for nothing if they were doomed into a massive transmutation circle in a couple of months anyway.
Eventually, Dad announced that he was ready, and Al ventured into the study. All the furniture had been pushed back against the walls, and the most complex transmutation circle that Al had ever seen was drawn on the floor. Dad was kneeling in the middle of it, tracing out all the lines to make sure that there were no breaks. 
“This should separate her out into two separate entities again,” he said. “The souls should be able to provide the power needed for it.” 
Mom brought Nina into the room, and she shied away from the circle, hiding behind Mom’s legs. 
“Scared,” she said. Al couldn’t really blame her. The last time she’d seen a circle this large and complex drawn out on the floor was probably the time she was chimerised in the first place. 
“It’s ok, honey. I’m right here. This will make you feel a lot better, I promise.” She stepped into the circle. “Come on, Nina. I’ll be right here with you.”
“Mom, are you really sure that’s a good idea?” Ed asked. “Considering everything that could go wrong?”
Mom looked at Dad, who would have to be inside the circle as well in order for it to work. 
“I trust you,” she said simply, and she sat down, holding out her arms for Nina. 
“Scared,” Nina whimpered, but she padded across the floor and curled up in Mom’s lap. 
Dad looked up.
“Step out and close the door,” he said. “This could get disturbing to watch.”
“But…”
“Edward.” Dad’s tone was non-negotiable, and Al dragged Ed out of the study, shutting the door behind them. Ed continued to grumble for a while, but then bent down to watch through the keyhole. 
There was a deafening crack of alchemy, and bright red light flared out below the door.
X
The light was blinding, and Ed couldn’t really see much after Dad plunged his hands into Nina’s chest. The alchemy was roaring in his ears and he couldn’t hear anything useful, so he was forced to step back from the door and just hope that everything would be all right. 
It seemed to take forever. It was the kind of thing where once it was started, it couldn’t be stopped until it was done. It wasn’t a job that could be left half-finished whilst Dad took a break to get his breath back. He imagined what it must be like, having to separate out two souls and two bodies into two completely separate entities and not leave anything mixed up. 
He was glad it was Dad doing it and not him. He glanced across at Al.
“Do you think they’re all ok?”
Al shrugged, but his expression was just as worried as Ed knew his own was. 
“I guess all we can do is wait and see and trust Dad.”
“Hmm.” Ed didn’t trust his father with a lot of things, but when it came to alchemy, he couldn’t think of anyone he could trust more than Dad with something like this. 
The alchemy roared louder, and Ed could see sparks under the door. 
“That’s it. I’m doing something.”
“Ed, don’t be stupid, what on earth can you do?”
“I can do something!”
“Ed!”
Suddenly, everything was dark and silent. For better or worse, it was all over. Ed looked at Al, and after a moment, Al nodded.
Ed flung the door open...
“WOOF!”
...and was immediately bowled over by a very large, very shaggy dog. He could hear Al laughing above him, and he took that as a good sign. Finally managing to dislodge the mutt long enough to sit up, he peered into the room. 
Dad was flat on his back, drenched in sweat (or possibly dog saliva), and breathing like he’d just run the Central City marathon, but Mom was still sitting in the circle, and in her arms, clinging on for dear life, was…
“Nina, honey,” Mom said softly. “You can open your eyes, it’s all over now.”
Nina opened her eyes and looked around the room. 
“Al. Big Brother Ed. Alexander!”
She rushed over on slightly wobbly legs, throwing her arms around each of them in turn with the longest and most exuberant hug being reserved for the dog. Ed supposed he could understand that, he’d been her closest and longest friend, after all. 
Mom got to her feet and held out a hand to pull Dad up, slipping her arms around him and going in for a long kiss.
“Thank you,” she said. “Thank you so much.”
“Thank you, Ed-Daddy!” Nina did not let go of Alexander, who seemed content to be hugged for as long as necessary, but she was beaming at Dad. “You’re right, I feel much better now.”
Dad smiled. “You’re welcome, Nina.”
“Come on, Nina.” Al was trying to shepherd her out of the room, and considering how gooey and love-eyed Mom was looking, Ed was happy to leave his parents to smooch in peace for a while. 
“Let’s get some cookies for you and Alexander. It’s a good job we keep dog biscuits here for Den when Winry brings her over.”
They left the study, Ed closing the door behind them, and the four of them made their way into the kitchen.
Nina had always seemed to be remarkably content considering what had happened to her, but seeing the sheer joy in her face as she was able to hold a cookie and feed herself again was wonderful. 
“What do you think happens now?” Al asked as he poured milk for him and Nina. “The colonel asked us to take care of Nina and help her if we could, and we’ve done that now.”
“I guess everything just stays the same as it was before.” Ed snaffled another cookie. “Nina doesn’t really have anywhere else to go, so we might as well just keep looking after her. What do you say, Nina? Do you want to stay here with us?”
Nina nodded. “Yes. I like it here with you.”
“I don’t think Mom and Dad would have a problem with it. I think Mom feels outnumbered by us sometimes and she’s enjoyed having another girl in the house.”
Nina just giggled, and then gave a theatrical sigh as Alexander found his way into the box of dog biscuits and got his large nose stuck in it, running around the kitchen with it over his face like a muzzle.
“Alexander!” 
Ed laughed. “Well, I think that the latest new arrival might take a bit of getting used to, but I’m sure Mom won’t mind him either.”
(They were all so absorbed in chasing the dog around the kitchen that none of them noticed the flash of red alchemic light under Dad’s study door again.)
X
To say that everything surrounding the Promised Day had been one big frantic mess of alchemy, planning a highly organised and highly secret coup, and learning the most extraordinary things about what had been going on in the world for the last few centuries would be an understatement, but at the end of it all, Roy was simply glad to have made it out of the other side unharmed. There was an awful lot of work still to do, but with the immediate threat gone, they could take their time a little more and not have to worry about the entire country potentially being made into a giant Philosopher’s Stone at a moment’s notice. 
Speaking of Philosopher’s Stones, though… Roy thought of Hohenheim. It was a small world, after all. He had been surprised to find out that their independent benefactor who had been working behind the scenes to stop Father and the homunculi for over a decade was the Elrics’ father, and moreover that he was the reason for their intense interest in human alchemy and Philosopher’s Stone research, but having met him, everything made a lot more sense. 
Everything was also a lot more confusing, but Roy got the impression that someone like Hohenheim just created confusion wherever he went, without necessarily knowing why or indeed intending to. 
All of that explained why he was now on a train to Resembool to go and see the Elric family for himself, because after the dust had settled and Father had been defeated and Hohenheim had vanished off as suddenly as he had appeared, going back to his family for good now, a single thought had pushed itself into Roy’s brain and refused to leave. 
Nina.
She had gone with the Elrics months ago and they had promised to do what they could for her with their knowledge of Philosopher’s Stones. Now that they sort of had one to hand, surely something could be done? Or would it be impossible to undo Tucker’s work?
Roy made his way up the hill towards the Elric home, repeating the journey he’d first made five years ago when they had first come into his sphere of knowledge. He hoped that Trisha wouldn’t chase him down the road with a shoe as she had threatened to do on that first occasion. 
“Hello, Colonel.” He was pleasantly surprised to find her out working in the garden but still rather wary of the fork she was holding. “What brings you here?”
“I… I was actually wondering how Nina was getting on.”
Trisha smiled. “She’s doing well, Colonel. She’s settled in nicely. It’s as if we’ve always had her. Van and I would be happy to adopt her if you’re willing to sort out the paperwork for us.”
There was something different about Trisha, Roy thought. She seemed stronger, more vibrant, and her lips were a normal pink colour rather than the blue tinge he’d grown used to seeing on her. Something or someone had healed her lungs. 
“Colonel? You’re staring, sir.”
“Oh. Yes. Right. Yes. I mean, of course. I’ll get the paperwork as soon as I get back.”
“Excellent. Everyone will be so pleased.” She stood up, brushing down her apron. “Do you want to step in for a while, get your breath back after tackling the hill?”
“Erm, all right.” He stepped through the gate and followed Trisha up the path towards the house. The door opened before they got there. 
“Mr Mustang!” 
A large white shape bowled him over and started licking him voraciously, and he heard a familiar little giggle from the doorway. 
“Hello, Alexander,” he finally managed. 
Nina was standing in the doorway with Ed, who was smirking in the way only Edward Elric could smirk, and Roy knew that he’d lost all dignity in Ed’s eyes - if he’d even had any to start with. 
“You did it,” he said, looking from Nina to Alexander and back again.
“Well, Dad did most of the work,” Ed said. “But she’s safe and happy here.”
Nina nodded. “I have big brothers now! I never had them before. I’m kind of hoping for a little sister too. Maybe now that Ed’s Daddy is back and Ed’s Mommy is well again I’ll get one.”
“Oh no.” Ed threw his hands up. “We are not thinking about that at all.” He sighed. “Thanks, Nina. Now I need brain bleach.”
“Ed, Nina, are you going to let the colonel in through the door?” Trisha’s voice called out from inside the house. 
“I don’t know.” Ed looked down at Nina. “What do you think? Shall we let him in?”
“Yeah. We might need to get him a towel for Alexander’s drool though.”
Roy rolled his eyes as he got to his feet, following Alexander into the house. It was good to see Nina happy and thriving with a new family, who she seemed to have accepted readily as her own. It was good to see Trisha no longer suffering the after effects of her illness, and it was good to see the Elric family all together once more. 
He hung back in the kitchen doorway, watching them all for a moment, very much feeling like the outsider that he was until Trisha pulled him in to join them.
Considering that the state alchemist programme had been little more than a device in which to form potential human sacrifices for Father’s plans, Roy had no idea if it would be continuing into the future, but the thought still remained in his head even as Ed was showing him back to the front door an hour or so later. 
“Edward?”
“Yes, Colonel?”
“You and Al, and your parents... don’t ever stop doing what you’re doing. Using alchemy to help people, and taking care of those who’ve been wronged by it.”
Ed grinned. “Oh, we don’t intend to, Colonel. You’ve got my word on that.”
Roy felt a sense of peace as he made his way back to the station. As long as there were people like the Elrics in the world, he could hope that everything would be all right in the end.
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